Blue stopped walking, and Snow Shine nearly bumped into her. "We've reached the bay," she said. "We're going fishing?" Snow Shine asked. He put his hoof in the cold water and flinched. "The water's already freezing! Better catch some while we can." "Actually Snow Shine, I was hoping I could teach you ice-fishing," Blueberry Twilight remarked, her brown eyes full of dejection, "guess it's too early. Let's get some much-needed plants."

＊

     Later, the pair walked into the clearing. Snow Shine found Orange Blossom telling a story about the patrol. "So the badger was padding toward me, claws extended. At first I was nervous, but I reassured myself that I could do it. With the help of Violet Leaf, I conjured the Beat-Up spell, and hurled the magic at it. The badger was sent fleeing to its den, wherever that was!" One of the guardians, Shiny Moss, said, "You were very brave doing that! Good for you!" "Hey everyone!" Snow Shine called, "We found some food to store." Orange Blossom rolled her eyes and muttered something angrily.

     "Blue, maybe you can continue that story of yours?" Violet Leaf asked as he plopped next to his green-pelted mate. Squeak! *giggles* "Settle down, will you?! This is your first day out of the nursery!" a nursery-mother, Bright Pelt, said in amusement. Bright Pelt was Orange Blossom's mother. "Mother! The babies finally came?" Orange Blossom asked in excitement. Minty Swirl padded over, saying, "Bright Pelt, isn't that your second litter?" "Yes," she replied, "meet Yellow, Dahlia, and Peach."

     As they left with their mother, Blue started where she stopped in her story. "Only about a week later, I found out that I was expecting Sun's Rays' son. When he came, he had Sun's Rays' familiar golden pelt, but had inherited my mane color and eye color. I decided to name him Tulip, until he got his guardian name, of course. Though Tulip never knew his father, he was always happy. He learned quickly from his tutor and was a fast learner.

     "But soon, things took a dark turn. Like any student, Tulip had an adventurous side. However, one day, before his tutor could teach him something, he was gone! His tutor, Gray Pelt, looked all over camp for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The terrible news soon reached me, and I was very upset. I had already lost my mate, and now my son? Though I had never told Tulip, I worried he was a bad omen because of the death of his father.

     "Even though searching patrols were sent, no one ever found him. Some say that he may be dead already." Blueberry Twilight took a shaky breath. "Some say he's in an undiscovered part of our territory, and some think he had joined the horses. By now, he's probably the right age to be a guardian. Gray Pelt said he learned faster than the usual pace." Snow Shine said, "Why don't we tell Queen Penny? Maybe we can even go searching for him!"

＊

     "Unicorns of Sunbeam Island, gather for a meeting!"

     After Snow Shine had gone to tell Queen Penny, she had started a meeting for a decision to be made. "As many of the guardians already know, Blueberry Twilight lost her son Tulip a long time ago. One mistake we made was that the whole island was not searched. If Tulip is surely alive, he should be the right age to become a guardian. I need some brave, willing guardians to go on this expedition. Who's up for it?" Orange Blossom, Snow Shine, Minty Swirl, and Blueberry Twilight agreed to go.

     Queen Penny concluded, "You shall set off tomorrow. We will see you off." That night, Snow Shine had trouble falling asleep. He was too excited. To make himself tired, he left the den to walk around the clearing.

＊

     Snow Shine didn't realize he even fell asleep until the next morning. "Get up, sleepyhorse!" Blue said, prodding him gently. He was later given some traveling herbs. "To give you strength," Heavy Hoof, his former mentor, told him. The herbs were spicy, and his mouth burned for a little while. Orange Blossom was clearly still mad, for she didn't even say a word to him. Violet Leaf nuzzled Minty Swirl, and said softly, "Be careful out there." Blueberry Twilight joined Snow Shine in saying bye to Rainbow Shine.

     After breakfast, all the unicorns came together to see off the traveling group. "Bye!" "Good luck!" "Safe travels!" "See you soon!" Queen Penny broke through the crowd. "May the spirits of nature guide you," she told them.

＊

     It was late afternoon. Snow Shine, Minty Swirl, Orange Blossom, and Blueberry Twilight had reached an unknown forest area. "Maybe he is still alive," Minty Swirl whispered hopefully. "I've been a guardian for the longest time, yet I haven't seen any place like this." "You know, it's been a while since we last ate. How about I go gather some berries or something?" Orange Blossom questioned. "Sure," Snow Shine replied, and for once, he saw forgiving warmth in her pale green eyes. "Before we do anything though," Blue started, breaking the moment, "we should at least find somewhere to stay for the night."

     While Blue and Minty Swirl searched for a place to stay, Snow Shine and Orange Blossom searched for food. When they were walking, Orange Blossom let out a sudden scream of fright. They had reached a river, and she had nearly fallen in! "Well, we might as well go fishing," Snow Shine said. As Snow Shine and Orange Blossom impaled the small silver fish in the river, Orange Blossom said, "I'm sorry." Snow Shine felt confused. "For what?" he asked.

     "For being so mean when you didn't agree to go on patrol with me. I just thought we weren't friends anymore when you gave me that response." She looked down at her hoofs. He felt his own pelt grow warm. Orange Blossom...thinks I'm her friend? A jumpy, weird Snow Shine like me? Gosh, thanks. Orange continued, "I guess I was stopping you from having other friends, and that's not nice. Anyway, there's something I want to say..." "What is it, Orange?" asked Snow Shine. "Um...nothing!" she responded quickly, her orange cheeks flashing pink.

     The pair took the fish they got back to Blueberry Twilight and her sister. Minty Swirl reported that there was an empty cave they could live in. "It's a lot like our den back in camp," Blue added. After a good meal, they all settled down and rested in the cave.

     The next morning, Snow Shine woke up to a loud growl. He saw his companions rushing to see what was happening, and joined them. Just outside, a horse was trying to escape a sprinting jaguar. Suddenly, she seemed to notice the cave, and started toward the group, the jaguar at her tail. "NO!" Blue screeched as the jaguar lept inside. What would become of them?