Tessa stood in the forest, the hunters behind her.
While she knew the ways of a man with a woman, she had
never been with a man, and indeed had never even
kissed one, not counting her papa. She also knew why
she was there, and why the hunters were there. They
were hunting unicorn, to kill it and take its horn,
which would be sold for a fortune. Her parents had
been paid a substantial fee for her accompanying the
hunters, and she had acquiesced, for the money would
make life much easier for a long time to come.
But, during their trek through the forest, to a place
where a unicorn was supposed to live, she had listened
to the tales the hunters told. Tales of how beautiful
the unicorn was, and the magical things it could do.
Tessa had resolved that, if she could, she would warn
the unicorn away from the hunters.
As the party entered the deep brush, the hunters
spread out slightly, still keeping in sight of one
another, but covering the greatest possible ground,
looking for signs of the unicorn. Shortly, one man
shouted-he’d found fairly fresh tracks. They followed
the tracks to a small pool, formed by a spring
bubbling up from the ground. So the hunters prepared a
place for Tessa and she sat down, preparing for the
wait. The hunters dispersed themselves around the
area, and readied themselves.