Freedom

[Vixen Crowsfoot]

My name is Vixen Crowsfoot Quansaldo. Often, however, I forget the last part, for the origin of the name is a way of denoting my parentage according to the traditions of my planet. And I have no great love for my father. Indeed, I have not seen him in over three thousand years, but neither have I seen the sky in half that time and I did not forget the beauty of the sun. Thus, I have not forgotten the cruelty of that god who rules a planet, and cares little for his creations.

I ran - she ran, me as Unicorn, my alter self - into the woods and charged headlong away from the crew who had enslaved me. Into an unknown world Unicorn charged, horn down and ready to spear anyone who was in her way. She left behind Vixen and became the beast of legends, thundering double the speed of those idiot horses beneath their drow riders. Her chest heaved and she focused on the better side of ourself, for the darker half was me. Had always been me. She passed by countless trees, trampling shrubs, with knowledge that they would return to some degree. However, those small creatures of the earth who would die were her iron hoof to descend, she avoided at all costs, even veering off a good, steady path and forcing a new road up a steep slope.

I concluded later that it had been worth it, for despite the tracks left no serious rider, who's horse had just come off the ship, would not be keen to drive their steeds to death so soon. Not even for the murderer of their captain.

Unicorn galloped until she could no more, and slumped, exhausted, down by an old tree. It had wicked branches and spoke gloriously of death and decay, with its wood long dried out and a lack of any foliage. Only dirt surrounded it, but it was sturdy and useful for her needs. She placed herself, using a head to nudge my weapons and dress into a comfortable position.

She kept sitting for a while as her chest heaved, ears pricked up for any signs of noise. She waited … then nothing came apart from the whistling of the wind, and not even a small footstep of a wolf. It was becoming dark, and she could see little, only the sorrowful dim branches of other dying plants. Pulling in her breath as a sigh, Unicorn lowered her head and huffed. I decided to remain in her form as it was the best one to flee from in, if danger came, she was the form in which we had a better chance of escape. That said, she was the one between us with the greatest weakness.

She lay beside the tree for sometime, letting her weary body rest as it needed to. Her head remained up, pink eyes half closed but still looking into the world around her. Steadily she moved her eyes across the clearing and steadily she breathed. She kept up this act, full of readiness in case we became in honest danger.