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Some time passed before Karen's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the forest. The Unicorn moved along at an easy gate, never stumbling or brushing into anything. Thunder had a way of running that was far smoother than any horse karen had ever ridden. It seemed to Karen that at times Thunder's hoofs never touched the ground, so soft and quiet were his strides. Yet she sensed his strides were powerful and swift.
It was obvious to Karen that Thunder knew exactly where he was going. He must have traveled this same trail many times before. He anticipated every fallen limb shrouded in the dark shadows of the forest, every obstacle and hole on the forest floor, hidden in the undergrowth, every low-hanging limb that might endanger his rider. Gradually he seemed to speed up, gliding ever faster around and between trees and thickets. Quietly and swiftly they sped, cutting through the darkness of the large forest.
At times Karen was taken through short clearings or across small streams and dirt roads, but always the unicorn took her right back into thick forested areas. Eventually, after what seemed to Karen must have been many miles of swift travel for several hours, they came to a large clearing. As Karen and Thunder left the darkness of the thick forest, the little girl realized the full moon was bathing the entire area in a rich silver-white glow. She could see clearly now that they were going through an area of short-cropped grass. A few small stones were scattered sparsely here and there, and she could smell that wild flowers must have been plentiful.
Thunder had slowed to an easy trot as they entered the grassy area. The unicorn trotted forward for several more minutes when a sudden mist enveloped them both without warning. Karen strained her eyes, but try as she might, she could see nothing ahead of her but the vague outline of a big white head and long thin horn.
Almost immediately Karen felt herself headed down a steep incline. The unicorn was only inching forward now, and the incline became so precipitous Karen found herself slipping forward onto Thunder's neck. Had it not been for the unicorn's horn, Karen might have slipped forward completely off her mount.
As the sure-footed animal inched slowly forward and down, the splash of hooves in water told Karen they must have come to a large lake or stream. She pushed herself back firmly onto the unicorn's back as they leveled off in the water. As the water splashed and churned all about her, Karen realized they had entered a swift stream or river. The water covered the greater part of her legs, and was much colder than the water in the little pool had been.
The strong unicorn thrust powerfully forward through the cold water, plowing through the current with amazing speed. Yet, as fast as they were going, Karen felt they were still being swept along by the rushing water. From the length of time they were cutting crossways through the current, she realized this was no small stream, but a wide river.
Gradually Thunder turned and swam with the current, swimming along with much greater ease and speed. They moved forward through the murky water for several more minutes. The mist suddenly lifted to reveal a sizeable island before them, surrounded by the churning water of the river and hidden by a blanket of mist and fog.
Thunder walked onto a sandy beach and up to what seemed like an impenetrable thicket of gnarled old trees, shrubs, and bushes that surrounded the island. When the unicorn walked up to a certain section of the thick foliage, several branches moved easily out of the way. Thunder moved slowly through the opening, pushing shrubs and bushes gently aside with his hed to avoid any discomfort to his passenger.
To Karen's surprise, they entered an area similar to the little circled clearing where Karen had first mounted Thunder. This was a much larger area, and as they advanced toward the center of the island, the mist and fog cleared considerably. Much to Karen's delight, the white moonlight cascading and shimmering throughout this clearing revealed an even more serene beauty and surrealistic setting than the area surrounding the little pool. In the middle of this peaceful island there arose a magnificent oak, tall and stately, sending its branches high into the night sky. Behind the oak was a rather large bluff, from which a small silvery waterfall cascaded down into a little stream that emptied into the river.
Something else was there. There in the shadows between the oak and the bluff! Karen was sure she could see faint shadows and movement beneath the outstretched branches. Karen sensed that the shade of the majestic oak was hiding some secret. "Why else" she reasoned, "Would the unicorn have brought me all this distance?"
A soft and low whinny escaped the unicorn's lips as he moved slowly toward the giant oak. His whinny was followed by a softer echo from somewhere in the surrounding mist, or did it come from the dark shadow beneath the great oak? Karen was sure, now, that the echo had come from beneath the tree. Yes! It wasn't an echo at all! Another soft whinny greeted karen just as another unicorn stepped out from the shadows of the oak.
This unicorn was even more beautiful than the one she had been riding. While Thunder was the epitome of strength, rippling power, and gallant majesty, here was a picture of softness and dainty femininity. Every movement was seasoned with grace and beauty. She was considerably smaller than Thunder, but more sleek, and even more brilliant in the moonlight. Her horn was thinner, though almost as long, and her mane and tail were more soft and fluffed. As the female curtsied and pranced up to greet them, Karen could think of no better name than Moonlight for such a beautiful creature.
Moonlight pranced to Thunder's side, and together they walked beneath the shadow of the huge oak. They affectionately nudged each other, rubbed noses, and whinnied whisperingly into each other's ears. Karen eased herself off Thunder's back and stretched her aching muscles after her long ride. She strained her eyes to see what else the oak might be hiding. Gradually her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and what she saw made her heart skip a beat. Stretched out on the ground before her, as still and quiet as the pool in the forest, was a tiny little white unicorn.
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