ask-tsdnd-sides

Patton: 23 ?: 16 Janus: 15 Thomas: 5 Unicorn: 4 Logan: 3

Patton (14) squinted at the Unicorn, eyes widening as he echoed the sentiment of one of the voices around him. ...(19?)

“Yes. This Unicorn seems very territorial so can we not-”

His voice trailed off as Janus elegantly got out of the wagon while Thomas (9) shot up only to fall flat on his face while trying to get up, cradling his nose once he did.

“-make any sudden movements, guys”

Unicorn’s legs tensed as the sudden movement seemed to startle it. The wind around the Unicorn began pick up just before (23) vines from riverbank roared out of the ground from around the Unicorn and curl around the bridge.

“I’m trying voice, but some people.” Logan gazed pointedly at the figure now beside the wagon and the one nursing his nose inside it. “don’t listen.”

As the vines approached the wagon, Logan raised his shield, a hand on Patton’s stomach as the ends barely brushed the front of the wagon.

“Um... you think a song might help? Who would trespass and then start playing music?” Patton’s voice is light, but still tight with the seriousness of the situation. He pulled one of his stringed instruments, a lyre, and (12) began to play, a tiny tune that stuttered at first and then began to grow.

(5) Janus jumped slightly, eyes narrowing as he gazed into the underbelly of the wagon. He let a small smile dance on his lips as the sound of Patton’s playing washed over him.

“Make that 3 people.” Logan muttered.

“Hey Lo, I didn’t mean to fall. I couldn’t see anything from where I was. And Patton. I think playing music for the Unicorn is a good idea.” Thomas pouted, (16) scooting closer to Patton as he did so.

Why have you come this way, travelers?

Everyone jumped as a voice fill your’s and their minds. The Unicorn relaxed just slightly as the group was quite obviously wholly unprepared for anything that it was capable of. Certainly not hunting party. It’s eyes dimmed just a little bit as it pawed at the ground once more, a bit slower this time.

Logan’s shield shifted awkwardly before he did a double take (16) as a previously unremarkable mark on a tree nearby suddenly slots into place in his mind. Reading about Unicorns by the candlelight in the royal library while Thomas was asleep, just in case. The mark looked like-

Logan’s eye widened.

“I don’t want to alarm anyone, but by that mark on that tree over there. We are either right on the edge of this Unicorn’s territory or we are already in it. Don’t try anything to hurt or damage anything, even the vines.”

Patton stepped out from behind Logan’s shield the best he could, tune quieting a little as he (10) exclaimed out as loud as he dared, “We are merely passing through, but I wouldn’t want to tangle you up in having to protect your forest. I hope you can let us through!”

“Unicorn’s don’t speak Common, Patton.” Logan hissed, Patton’s cheeks turning a slight shade of pink in response.

(19) The Unicorn bucked wildly as lights suddenly burst into being, breaking the lull between the party and the Unicorn. As quickly as the lights appeared, they zipped into the forest.

The Unicorn however, didn’t pay any mind to the lights as they were departing, instead slamming down hard enough to make the bridge shake and the vines grow just that little bit more.

Janus stepped forward, hand hovering over one of the vines (22) as he spoke with a great deal of propriety. “Níorbh é sin ár ndéanamh, gabhaim leithscéal má tháinig muid chun do chríoch a dhúnadh. Táimid díreach ag dul tríd an gcosán seo agus ní chiallaíonn muid aon dochar duit. Is é an ceann scríbe atá againn Waterdeep”

The Unicorn’s huffing lessened as the musical words that flowed from Janus’s mouth intoned with as much respect that Janus could appear to muster. A surprisingly high whinnying voice erupted from the Unicorn as it began to speak.

(19) “Níos gaire don cheann dorcha, fad nach dteagmháil leat go léir leis an áit seo, is féidir leat pas a fháil. Mar sin féin, is cosúil go bhfuil ball breise agat.”

Thomas craned his neck, patting Patton’s arm and asking a little too loudly for the present situation. “What are they saying?”

Patton shrugged, “I don’t know, I don’t speak Unicorn.”

“It’s Sylvan, Patton.” Logan said before lowering his shield. Bowing reverently towards the Unicorn. “Tá brón orm as easpa béasaí mo chairde, tá súil agam pas a fháil-“

Logan’s deep blue skin paled as his polite smile dropped.

“-ball breise? Níl breise-” His eyes widened (21) as his eyes dropped to the floor of the wagon.

“There’s something under the wagon.”

Patton jumped in surprise and without a moment to lose stuck his face under the wagon with Logan placing his hand over his face as he watched. Patton’s eyes widening as a blur of orange rushes towards him, a giggle like chirp burbling from it.

“Woah!” Patton yelled as he threw himself backwards away from the side of the wagon.

(8) However, as fast as it had been going, the creature stopped, obvious claws digging into the side of the wagon as it hung on. A angry huff emanated from what could now be seen as what appeared to be a dog-sized dragon, but instead of leathery wings, the wings more resembled a butterfly’s wings tinged that same orange. From the dragon’s nostrils came a glittery orange smoke that dispersed almost immediately after leaving the creature.

“Crap. Um, we need to get them off of us.” Janus murmured before he turned to the Unicorn.  “Do ghrásta, is mór agam do thionchar. An féidir liom do chabhair a iarraidh chun an núis seo a bhaint?”

Thomas stepped back from the orange creature now gazing curiously at him from the opposite side of the wagon. “Huh, I thought I did that Dancing lights spell at first. But I guess that... creature did it? I didn’t know they could-”

The Unicorn shook their mane, the vines from around the bridge beginning to uncurl from around the bridge “Feictear do meas san fhoraois. Cabhróidh mé, ach fág an áit seo.”

Logan again nodded his head in respect once more. “Níl aon cheist. Tarraingeoidh mé as é. Beidh a fhios ag do ghrásta cad atá le déanamh..”

“I’ll distract it-” Patton said as he gathered his lyre back in his arms and strummed a tiny tune while muttering for a moment. (5) His face fell a second before a bolt lightning struck the lyre in a flash, making no sound. Though his hands seemed unharmed, Patton half threw his lyre in surprise at the image.

(9) However, this still has the desired effect as the strange dragon emitted another chirp, sharp and sudden as its lost grip on the side of the Wagon. Splaying out its limbs, it hit the ground with a tiny croak.

“It’s confused! Come on!” Janus hollered.

(E̴r̶r̵o̴r̶) ̴(E̸r̶r̸o̶r̸) Thomas sprung into action immediately before-

Crackle-

The strange dragon flailed as it ran to the other side of the wagon away from Thomas only to (20) suddenly meet the Unicorn as it stood bowed down at its level, nostrils flaring wide, an air of disappointment radiating strongly from them.

The strange orange dragon makes one last chirp, it’s ear drooped in clear embarrassment as it zipped away as fast as it could, its butterfly looking wings flapping furiously as it disappeared into the trees.

-

“That was much easier than I thought it would be. A-” Logan freezes, only beginning to register that a Unicorn is so close-

Shaking their mane off majestically, the Unicorn turned from where they were watching the strange dragon go, meeting eye to eye with the part of the group still standing in the wagon. How tall really was this Unicorn?

With the blaze in their eyes gone now and being so close, the blinding blaze gave way to a suprsingly deep set of brown eyes. No... not just brown. That muddy red-brown of clay that you might’ve played in in the rain and smeared on your rumpled and soaked clothes. Autumn leaves turning red and then slowly fading as they fall to the ground. They were strangely fascinating.

Even as you stared, the Unicorn huffed, the sound a lot louder up close yet much gentler than before, before gliding over to the front of the wagon. Their presence was overwhelming now that you were not focused on the fight. 

Even as you were now, the Unicorn’s power seemed to fill you with life (figureatively,) as if you had a bit more energy than before.

Patton nursed his wrist, perhaps a byproduct of performance or from the times he had performed music during the fight.

“What- What is- Ow- What is the Unicorn doing?”

Eyes widening as the towering figure neared Janus’s side of the wagon, Janus clambered back up onto the wagon. Not out of fear, but by his widened, awed eyes, that he quickly tried to hide under his hood once more, it was certainly more out of respect or perhaps reverance?

“I’m not sure Patton-” He cut himself off as Thomas brushed past him. Thomas’s eyes were as wide as Janus’s had been as he stepped down from the wagon. Approaching the Unicorn, somehow his eyes got even wider as he gazed up at them.

“Thomas... What are you doing?” Logan smiled through gritted teeth, shield lowered reverently and posture proper. “This is a Unicorn, not just a horse-”

Those in the wagon were cut off again as instead of the Unicorn expressing displeasure at the approach, they warmly turned their head to acknowledge Thomas. And as Thomas bowed to them as he acknowledged the Unicorn back, Logan let out an awed gasp as the Unicorn bowed right back at Thomas.

No one appeared to know what to do as the Unicorn used their horn to guide Thomas’s face up from where it had been bowed to meet their eye once again.

That is except for Logan, who dropped to one knee and placed hid fist over his heart as the Unicorn’s horn touched Thomas. Janus and Patton could only watch in one part fascination, one part confusion, one part awe.

Oblivious to Logan’s actions, Thomas stared into the Unicorn’s eyes, still a moment before carefully reaching up and fingering the Unicorn’s mane.

As he grasped a particular strand of it, the Unicorn swiftly turned, bouncing off into the forest as the very trees of the forest chimed in the wake of the Unicorn.

Far too soon, the Unicorn vanished from view between one tree and the next, the small breeze dying off immediately.

The group was silent for a moment, all of what happened still seeping into realization, before Logan slowly got up, hands trembling and his voice doing the same.

“Thomas… how… A unicorn’s horn is sacred, they would never allow someone so close without complete trust... How?”

Thomas turned to Logan, still holding out the piece of mane in his hand “They… She… She said we had met before didn’t you hear her?”

“Not a lick, Thomas” Janus explained, brow furrowed tight.

Thomas’s brow equally furrowed, eye flitting to each of the other three as they all nodded.

“She said that if this hair of hers was pulled tight, she will come to help. I… it’s strange… But… I’ve never been outside the palace… not without guards or my parents or guards and my parents… Why did she? She even called me her ‘friend.’”

Thomas gazed down at the hair then at where the Unicorn had disappeared.

As a breeze blew through his hair, he leaned back against the wagon staring up into the sky as everything that just happened finally settled.

-

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