Heartbeat Passage Ch. 02

This is a short work of erotic fiction containing furry, or anthropomorphic, characters, which are animals that either demonstrate human intelligence or walk on two legs, for the purposes of these tales. It is a thriving and growing fandom in which creators are prevalent in art and writing especially.

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Loving a Unicorn

Heartbeat Passage

Chapter Two

Christian had not thought that walking along a street with a unicorn was the subtlest of moves, yet here they were. Hoof in hand? Not quite. The stares he'd expected - for who wouldn't look twice at a creature like her? - never came, though he had chosen his route well. He tugged his collar away from his neck. People had to be staring. It was all going to go wrong, oh so wrong. He ground his teeth together. No! They only had to get through a small part of the town, sticking to the back streets, and all would be fine - they'd be at the place he'd planned for their date, with what little information he knew about Celeste.

He bit his lip, gnawing a dent into the soft flesh. Oh god, how he hoped it would go off without a hitch! Garbed in turquoise jewellery and a headpiece that hooked over her ears to drape the semi-precious stones down the sides of her face, she appeared goddess-like in her grace, even if shying away from humans with the edge of a wary equine in her step. Yet he could not understand why people did not allow their gazes to linger as he had done on their first meeting. Even her silver hoof jewellery, bangles of the finest metal clinking against each other, should have drawn the eye. It drew his and he exhaled slowly, counting each blue stone set into the metal. He was yet to see her without an elaborate ensemble.

"Please try not to pay any attention to them." He cast her a reassuring, if shaky, smile. "You are a unicorn, after all. They won't do anything to you, I promise."

Celeste lifted her head, ears pricked and alert as a car tootled past, slowing to almost a crawl as its occupants gawked. One girl with pigtails crouched by Celeste's hooves and held up a mobile phone to take a picture of a ladybird on the pavement, blonde plaits dropping into her face. Celeste snorted and lifted a back hoof, tail swishing.

"Do not worry for that, Christian. Their eyes are not on me today."

He rolled his shoulders, trying to shake the tension from them. Maybe she wasn't so bothered by the passing attention, after all. Maybe he'd been rude to stare in the first place.

Reaching out to brush her muzzle over his shoulder, the unicorn nickered.

"They cannot see me, Christian." She bobbed her muzzle at the little girl, dancing back to her mother on tottering legs. "Look. Do you think she would have walked away from me if she could see me?"

Christian looked closer, misunderstanding.

"Celeste, you hardly look like a horse, come on now."

She giggled, eyes dancing.

"Not at all. This horn of mine is useful for more than simple appearances. Step closer."

Following her lead, Christian shuffled nearer, cautious about getting too close. She was so much larger than him that he had to tilt his head back to look up at her when she pulled her head back to observe something that had caught her attention. The air shimmered and he gasped, looking out at the familiar street as if through a sheet of melting glass. He saw, from Celeste's perspective, how the world moved around them, unknowing of their presence. No one noticed Christian disappear and his eyes strained wide, looking from left to right and left again. Celeste eyed a passing man and his dog, the canine's nose twitching. Clearly the 'mask' that hid them from the outside world did not include dogs.

"This is how I move through the city unseen. Although it does not feel comfortable to cloak myself for too long." She scraped a hoof across the pavement. "It...itches."

Gaping like a goldfish, Christian closed his mouth and swallowed, struggling to comprehend how matter bent around him as easily as a hot knife cut through butter. It made sense for a unicorn to use magic though and he grasped at that straw of fragile sanity. The reality gave him back his tongue.

"You are full of surprises." He couldn't think of anything else to say and touched her shoulder as they continued on, muscle moving beneath a taut, smooth coat. She felt so solid when her magic was of another world. "I have somewhere quieter for us to go. You will not need to hide yourself there."

Heart beat fluttering, Christian led the way through the streets, heading closer to the heart of the city. As cautious as he had been to move closer to the unicorn, he feared breaking the illusion by moving too far away and kept his steps as close to her hooves as physically possible without touching. He did not like that she could not move as freely as she wished, however, for people would stare and treat her like a circus curiosity. He couldn't imagine what that little girl would have done if she had been able to see the unicorn a hair's breadth away. Probably the girl would have clung to one of Celeste's legs.

No, she should not have to hide herself. He had a plan. A good plan. Christian smiled. It was so simple, he really should have thought of it sooner. Whereas the library was easily accessible, few people used it these days and much fewer the archive library.

And his unicorn had a love of literature.

Leading her down a side street, he rapped on the back entrance of the library with his knuckles. In the dimmer light of the side street with tall town houses and offices reaching towards the sky, Celeste exhaled softly, peering over Christian's shoulder with great curiosity. Her cloaking illusion shimmered, rippling with silver veins of magic, and dissolved into silver rain around them, droplets spattering lightly to the stone underfoot.

"What are you doing? Why are we here?"

"You'll see." He laughed as her warm breath washed over his cheek. "Patience, patience!"

"I have plenty of patience," she snorted, tapping the side of his head with her horn - gentle enough to be playful. "The difference is that impatience is ruling right now. Let's go inside!"

"We have to wait to be let in, Celeste - ah, here he is!"

Christian grinned as a key turned in a lock on the other side of the door and he stepped forward to greet a small, middle-aged man that appeared permanently hunched over and shrunken into himself. The man squinted up at them through a pair of round spectacles, blonde hair cropped short to his skull. A zit perched on the end of his pointed nose.

"Good afternoon, Christian," the man said, stepping back to allow them inside with barely a second glance at Celeste. "It's nice to see you back. Do come in - and quickly now. You'll let the warm out."

Stepping inside to a long corridor, the librarian closed the door at their heels and led them deeper into the bowels of the building. Celeste took shorter strides to keep a more comfortable pace while Christian made his introductions.

"Celeste, this is Damien. He manages the library here. He spends most of his time down the archives so you don't see much of him."

"Yes, well, I have to take care of the books, all climate controlled. My reading pleasures are best enjoyed in peace and quiet too, not the rough housing of this city. That reading in coffee shops lark will never sit right with you. You know that. I've said it before. A pleasure to meet you, my lady," he added, directing the last part of his utterance at Celeste.

She nickered, extending her horn politely towards him. The librarian pushed his glasses back up his nose, eyes dropping to her silver hoof jewellery as they exchanged pleasantries, his eyes tired and crinkled at the corners.

"A pleasure to meet you too, sir."

"It's only usually me back here, I do so hope you'll forgive the dust." He waved a hand, a wedding band on the fourth finger. "This isn't as important to keep clear. The books are more important."

He took them to the brightness of an open lobby and respite area, dotted with comfortable sofas and various other seating for avid readers to situate themselves upon. Celeste immediately cloaked herself, giving the appearance that Christian and Damien stood there alone. Stairs rose from the lowered section, designed for reading, to the main event of the bookshelves, stretching out of sight from their position and packed to the brim. Celeste looked from left to right and up to the ceiling, adorned with an imitation of a rare tapestry, in awe. Christian hid his smile. If she had been human, her jaw would have dropped so sweetly.

Damien cleared his throat.

"If you do that way," he inclined his head to the bookshelves, illuminated by gentle overhead lighting strips, "you'll have access to the complete public library. But, if you follow me, you'll see a collection that only some are privileged enough to access."

Celeste dragged her gaze away from the books with great difficulty, eyes filled with longing. Her cloaking illusion flickered as her attention wavered, horn glowing with silver ribbons.

"My village doesn't have so many tomes! However did you acquire them all?" She paused, mind catching up with Damien's words. "What do you mean there are more? More scrolls to be uncovered?" She stamped a hoof. "Where? Show me!"

Damien fluttered his fingers as Celeste trotted into the lobby, pivoting in the midst of a ring of plush sofas to take in her surroundings, illusion breaking for the briefest of instants. A teenage girl blinked at the unicorn, tugged at her plait and returned to her hardback book, tucking herself securely into the crook of the sofa. Her roll of the shoulders bolstered Christian even as Celeste made herself vanish once more, heart beat returning to some semblance of normality. Maybe not everyone was so in awe of a unicorn that they would gape and make his date uncomfortable if he took her into other parts of the city. He pushed his hair back, trying to tame the wayward strands into something more acceptable of style with his fingertips. It didn't matter if it behaved or not; where they were going, they would have no company but each other, exactly as he'd planned.

As Celeste moved in the direction in which Damien had gestured for more wonders, he brought a hand to his face and shuffled from foot to foot. His eyes dropped as her bangles jingled, draping over her fetlocks.

"Ah, but the hooves..."

"I shall tread carefully," Celeste rushed to reassure him, craning her head back round to peer between the shelves. "How many books do you have here?"

"In the archive?" The librarian blinked, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Three hundred thousand, rounded to the nearest thousand, of course, on my last count. This is the largest archive library in the country."

His tone rang with pride and, as they were permitted into the locked archive section of the library, she inundated the librarian with questions, commanding his attention. If Christian had had any doubt about her intelligence - he knew so little about unicorns, after all - her sharp queries assuaged that concern within the course of a few minutes. He should never have doubted her, beautiful inside and out.

So far reassured that the once again uncloaked Celeste would treat his charges with care, Damien took them to the library, squeezing the unicorn mare down a narrow corridor that opened up into a reading room. Ever the hospitable host, he granted them access to a comfortable, plush bean bag for Celeste - thought out in advance - and a straight backed but padded reading chair for Christian. The edge of the room had a few bookcases for tomes that were less sensitive to sunlight while the left side of the room as they walked in was floor to ceiling glass, looking out over the city and scurrying life. Celeste nickered, stretching out her head to touch the glass with her velvety nose.

"This is amazing... Do all of your cities have collections like this?"

"Only the best. The books are through here." He inclined his head towards a second door, closed with a key in the lock. "Most of them need to be kept in a climate controlled environment, out of direct sunlight."

Damien nodded his agreement, fiddling with his glasses.

"Please, help yourself to anything from the archive. I must return to the library but Christian well enough knows his way around." Damien smiled, retreating backwards towards the door. "He can be your guide."

"And I am confident he will excel at it."

Christian blushed and tried to rub the blush from his cheeks as Celeste turned her attention to him, Damien retreating from the reading room. Clearing his throat, he smiled at the unicorn, lips rubbery and gestures ungainly as he struggled in the glow of her beauty. Her look was devastating, violet eyes capturing and drawing him in and in and in. He blinked and shook his head as if to clear it.

"What would you like to retrieve from the archives? Is there anything in particular that you are interested in?"

Celeste considered, horn angled to the side.

"Do you have anything along the lines of historical accounts? Great battles along our shores? I have heard of some landings but my knowledge of specific human history has gaps."

"Of course." Christian gestured to her to follow. "I know exactly where those are."

Diving into the archives, he stepped into rows upon rows of books with a sense of calm familiarity. The air was cool and tickled their skin as they paced within, Celeste with her ears pricked and unsure of which direction in which to look. So many tomes! How could she ever spend enough time in such a library to read them all? She nickered and Christian smiled at her eagerness, selecting a few choice hardbacks for her with yellowing pages. In a past life, before being donated to the archive, they had not been as well cared for.

She didn't allow them to return to the reading room but insisted they pour over the books right there in the archives themselves. Finding a small table, Christian heaved one up for her perusal, opening it to the title page. The cover was dark brown leather, engraved and painted with gold leaf to highlight its exquisite detailing. There an issue faced him: how would she turn the pages? The question was swiftly answered. He watched in awe as her horn took on a light glow, a silver shimmer so subtle that he could have missed it if not peering closely, aiding her in turning the pages.

If unicorns existed...it made sense that magic did too. Her cloaking had not been the only magic she was able to perform, he should have known that. Christian swallowed hard, feeling very small and insignificant. There was magic in the world. How was he supposed to wrap his head around that? He was nothing in comparison to her. Why had a magical being asked him out on a date? Could he measure up to Celeste? There was only one way to tell and he was as interested in history as the unicorn.

Leaning in close to Celeste, he basked in her. After what seemed like an age - the hands on his clock ticked on as the light dimmed outside - the unicorn sighed and raised her head, working out the kinks from holding her neck arched in one position for so long. She started, hoof catching the floor, and nudged Christian's shoulder with her nose.

"Christian!" She spoke as if she had forgotten he had been by her side. "I'm sorry, I'm being such a terrible companion. It's only..."

She turned in a slow circle, careful of her hindquarters as she took in as much of the archives as was possible, and hungry for the knowledge contained within.

"I completely understand," Christian said. "I was the same the first time I came down here. We're lucky to have a library like this to use."

Celeste brushed his cheek with her nose and his heart leapt into his chest, thudding so loudly that he was afraid she would hear, she had to hear it! He covered up his nerves by finding a piece of literature for himself and encouraging the unicorn back to the reading room where they would be more comfortable. Celeste giggled as he walked backwards, fingers crooked like his lopsided smile. Her eyes shone and there was a spring in her light, easy step.

Sitting down with an early edition - first run - of Stubb's Anatomy of the Horse, Christian turned the pages absent-mindedly, tracing his fingers over the images, a curious combination of etching and inking that he had never quite been able to figure out.

"So, Celeste," he began, "tell me about yourself. What is your home and your family like?"

She settled herself on top of the red bean bag sofa before replying, head over the table where a book on myths and legends resided for her approval. Although she admitted that she had never heard of the name, the mare had not been able to resist its allure.

"I live several leagues or so from where we met in the forest earlier this week," she said, more interested in the book than speaking of her home. "It is one of the deepest parts of the forest. It is not intended to be out of the way of mankind but it has that effect regardless."

Celeste wrinkled her nose at the dust rising from the book and snorted daintily.

"Humans are better away from our kind, mostly, and the majority are more infatuated with their cities rather than the natural world around them. Some parts of this world are still untouched with many creatures roaming wild and living far, far away from concrete walls."

"I understand, being in the city never sat right with me," Christian confessed. "It seems so closed in and I can't sit for very long, unless I'm reading." He chuckled, fingering the page. "That's a different story."

"I can understand why you stayed in a city when you have a library like this."

"Don't you have libraries where you live?"

Celeste tilted her head from side to side: sort of.

"We have scrolls recording our history but our stories are passed down through the spoken word, generation by generation. Seeing how your kind have recorded even tales makes me wonder if we should have taken greater steps to document what may be lost."

"It's never too late to start." Christian paused, mulling her words over. "What do mean about something being lost?"

Celeste sighed, muzzle dipping to the table as her ears slanted to either side of her head.

"Life is...difficult for the herd at this time. Life is not what it once was for us."

She blinked, throat working as she swallowed. Christian trailed his fingers over her mane , waiting for her to continue while offering what comfort he could. Her skin was electric beneath his fingertips and he inhaled sharply when she leaned into his touch, eyes half closed. Celeste nickered.

"We are struggling to survive with fewer and fewer stallions alive to continue our species, our mating for the purpose of foal-making. What foals are born, they are more often than not fillies, which, while a wonder, will never be able to breed with one another. Even with our magic, our heritage, it is impossible. We must have stallions to secure our future."

Celeste closed her eyes, ears flat to her skull and tail clamped down over her hindquarters.

"If we do not find a way, I fear that I will be one of the last of my kind."

The unicorn trembled, muzzle resting on the wooden table as her tail swished back and forth against imaginary flies. The flies in her head could not be batted away with a flick of her tail. In a decidedly equine fashion, for all her grand heritage, muscle twitched beneath skin, shaking off imagined irritation. It was difficult to shake off an agitation of the mind, as much as her body strove to comply. Christian stroked her neck, pushing his fingers beneath her mane to ease over warmer skin, the hair perfectly free of knots. Magic? He didn't know what to think anymore. What could he think? His head spun.

"I am sure that won't happen," he said. "It would be terrible to see the unicorns disappear...so soon after you made yourself known to me. All the teachings..." He shuddered. "A loss so swift would be sorely felt."