The Wolf and the Unicorn

Too soon, I arrived back where I had left my pack.  Its familiar weight was quickly placed on my shoulders.  Too many things to do, too little time to do it.  Armed with the knowledge I had forcefully torn from its owner, I set into the darkened forest.  I had to make my first stopping point and well hidden before the patrols came by.  Somehow I think getting caught near the mess I had made would be a bad thing.

                After a minute or two of walking, I was back on the well packed trail that the guards seemed to follow.  My pace picked up, and my walk turned into a quick distance eating jog as I headed up the trail to find the intersection the guard spoke of.  By this time, the night was at its deepest, and I felt completely at home in the darkness.  The only light came from Luna’s full moon in the sky.  Light that seemed to dye everything a pure silvery blue.  Even though I was on the hunt, the sound of the snow beneath my paws, even the bite of the frozen air in my nose was quickly forgotten by the beauty that blanketed everything.

                To my right, I could see the path separate into a pair of trails.  One led into the distance, supposedly circling the massive forest.  The other led into the heart of darkness toward Yggdrasil, as the caribou called it.  I doubted the world tree would be here, but then again stranger things have been seen under the moon.  Things like myself.  Either way, I steeled myself for what was to come.  The morning would be here in just a few hours, and shelter had to be found before then.

                The snow pounded under my paws as I pushed myself faster up the trail.  So much distance to cover before light, too little time to do it.  The straps from my pack dug painfully into my shoulders, even though my cloak and fur.  It never was designed for this kind of stress.  Thankfully, the path was clear and very hard packed from the rotation of the guards so movement was quick and easy as I charged deeper into the forest.  Thin small willows soon gave way to thicker birch and even larger spruce trees the further I quested.  Even the temperature seemed to rise as I neared my destination.

                The soft gurgling of a half frozen creek grabbed my attention.  That was exactly what I was looking for.  My pace slowed as I approached, needing to be silent as possible.  Drawing every breath of the cold, but moist air though my nose, refusing to pant, or even breathe hard, I dropped to a crouch.  Every step from here on in until the guards passed needed to be silent.  Step by step I made my way toward the stone bridge, hoping I would beat the patrol to it.

                As I walked onto the bridge, there were no creatures in sight.  Perfect.  Where the bridge started to slope back to the shore, I climbed onto the icy stone retaining wall, claws gripping as tight as possible.  Slowly, gingerly, I lowered myself until I was hanging in the air, feet inches above the icy water below.  Bit by bit, my hands shuffled sideways, intent to get me closer to the frozen shore under the bridge.  Perfect concealment from prying eyes until night fell again.

                Deep in concentration, I didn’t hear the soft hoof falls of the approaching guards until they were nearly on top of me.  No choice left, I bent my knees and tried to push myself toward shore as I let go of the bridge.  A fraction of a second later, a muffled thump was heard as I landed where I had hoped.  No matter where they looked, there would be no footprints to show anything was hidden under the bridge unless the guards wanted to brave the four foot deep snow.

                The bridge echoed with a mixture of clopping and thumping noises as the group of guards walked over my head, completely unaware of the enemy under their hooves.  I stood there, freezing in the slight breeze, not moving a muscle until I could not hear a single noise in the distance.  With the stone arch to my back and my pack on the ground, I readied myself for a long, cold day ahead of me.  Hopefully I could find some sleep.

                The residual heat of the jasper in my hands eventually lulled me to sleep around the same time Celestia’s sun broached the horizon.

-------------------------------------------------------------Nightfall------------------------------------------------------------------

                It took forever for the day to pass.  Thankfully I spent most of the day saving my energy for the insanity to follow in the darkest parts of twilight.  My pack had been lightened significantly as anything that could make noise or rattle was gently set in a hole scraped in the earth next to me.  Even my provisions were stripped down to a minimum for stealth.  As I escaped, I would come back to the bridge and reclaim my possessions.   All that would come with me tonight would be my long rifle, which was thankfully not damaged by the pack driving it into the snow, my revolver, the last of my knives, the jasper that had kept me so very warm, and a few other little items.  Light and fast was the plan.

                As darkness fell, I slowly stirred out of the half slumber I spent the last few hours in.  The last patrol had passed over the bridge shortly before, and the sound of their steps had been lost to the distance.  No other guards were expected to pass this way for another few hours.  That would be a few hours for me to get to the tree, find the info I needed, and run.

                To mark the easiest trail from under the bridge, I simply strode out into the snow and walked to the path that every creature seemed to follow.   The cold snow dragged against my cloak but after a moment or two, my paws met the hard packed road that led me to Yggdrasil.  Without a second thought, I set off at a the same jog I did the night before, letting the distance fade behind me as I prowled the dim forest once again.

                [BR]

                Soon enough, the forest canopy gave way to a tree that towered over the rest.  One of the mighty redwoods of back home would have nothing on this tree as it seemed to tower into infinity above me.  Leaves barely were visible in the incredible distance above me.  Somehow I think the caribou named it properly.

                The closer I got to the tree, the larger it became.  Even the roots seemed to rise out of the earth and overshadow the path I was on.  Considering no creature besides a predator seems to look up, traveling on the roots seemed like a safe path to follow.  The moment I found a hand hold, I scrambled up the rough bark and onto the ancient veins of the behemoth.  The temperature had continued to rise as I traveled, the snow fading to slush, which quickly gave way to green grass on the ground below me.  Something special was here.  I just wish I knew what.  Either way, I was going to find out.

                I followed the rough trail of bark up and down across the terrain for hours.  The moon was easily past its peak at this point, and I had little time to lose.   Looking across the expanse below me, I could see the occasional caribou milling about in the clearing at the base of the tree.  Several openings dotted the bark of the massive plant, implying the caribou lived in and around the thing.  If there was anything important, it would be in the sanctum.  That would be in the heart of the tree.  This was going to be interesting.

                A few minutes longer and the root I was on finally terminated at the body of the World Tree.  The trunk of which seemed to go on for miles in either direction.  Of course, the only one that mattered to me was dead ahead.  Below me was an opening carved into the side of the tree, as if the caribou were some kind of satanic termite.  Without a guard in sight, I kneeled, ignoring the rough bark digging into my knees, and slowly began to climb down toward my goal.

                [BR]

                The interior of the tree was dimly lit as I followed the tunnel down into the depths.  The cloying scent of sap assaulted my nose as I passed the occasional lit and freshly carved tunnel.  Something kept drawing me deeper into the abyss.  I could almost swear I saw a dim, pulsing red light at the end of the tunnel, pulling me closer like a moth to a flame.  The time constraints were quickly forgotten as the red light was the only thing on my mind, consuming all of my thoughts.

                The tunnel opened as I neared the end, the red light was coming from within.  The terminus of both the tunnel and of my journey.  Everything was within this room.  The secrets to life, the secrets of death, ancient knowledge that should have been brought to dust eons ago, all came from within this room.  It called to me.  It called to my soul, and it called to all that I was and will ever be.

                The caribou packed into the room parted from my path as I walked toward the object of my desire.  A massive crimson gem that pulsed with infernal light filled the heart of the great tree.  The light spread hypnotically, drawing me nearer.  I never felt the first blade enter my flesh, nor the second as the caribou bit, clawed, and stabbed me.  Hand outstretched toward the gem, toward the summation of my being, I pushed on.

                Blood flowed in rivers from my rent and torn body as I placed one foot after another, bringing myself up the carved dais step by step toward everything.  Arrows peppered my back, but remained unfelt.  A dagger was broken off in my chest and remained unclaimed.  I fell to my knees as I reached the top of the final step, blood loss taking its toll.

                One knee ahead of the other.  An axe imbedded in my ribs.  Pulling myself forward with my one good hand, great trails of blood behind me.  Just one more step.  Just a few more inches.  Hand outstretched, I felt the cool unyielding surface of the gem.  Perfectly smooth, perfectly cut, perfection incarnate.  I was so lost in the beauty of the stone that the flames that roared about my hand were hardly noticed, but not a concern.  Just a few more movements and I lay against the stone, flames crackling about me, but the crimson light comforted me as my mind swirled. The secrets of creation were explained one by one. The universe in its infinite glory and complexity exploded within my mind and I was at peace.

                All around the giant wolf, the creatures stopped and stared uncomprehendingly as the flames rippled and roared, screamed and popped.  A sickly foul scent filled the air, yet nothing moved as the arcane flames devoured the creature that lay against their holiest of icons.  Nothing was said until all that remained of the beast were gently glowing bones atop a small pile of ash.

                The Worldstone had claimed another blood sacrifice.

                 None of the creatures noticed the pair of glowing gemstones buried within the ash and bone.  Small cracks had formed where the wolf being had touched the Worldstone, but none were the wiser.