As Amber held tightly onto Fleck, she kicked herself for allowing them to be captured. The shopkeeper and the large pixie who had captured them sniggered as they pulled Amber and her brother back into the bright, colourful shop and bound them in ropes. It was only now the Amber noticed the smell of mould and the damp patches creeping up the walls. “Here’s the deal, little birdies,” the pixie growled, as Fleck whined and reached for a bar of chocolate sitting on the shelf. “I’m going to bring you back to those racoons and you’re going to make us very, very-” He was cut off as the shelf suddenly fell out of it’s place, Shards of wood and metal crashed to the floor, and debris covered the shop. As the cloud of dust cleared, it revealed the two kidnappers lying under a large wooden shelf and wincing in pain, and Fleck, who held a bar of chocolate as he looked around with a bewildered expression. Amber quickly picked up a pocketknife lying at her feet and cut her and her brother out of their ropes, then fled the shop with fleck in tow.  

When they were finally out of the underground village and in the fresh, green woods, Amber breathed a sigh of relief. Fleck, her little brother, the baby of the family, had saved their lives, and she was beginning to think of him as less of a responsibility and more of an aid to the journey. As they lay in the sun, giggling and murmuring to each other, Amber heard a faint squeal. When she saw it wasn’t Fleck, she warily stood up and walked over to the source of the noise – a baby racoon. Usually, if Amber saw a racoon, her first instinct would be to run in the opposite direction, but this one seemed so sweet, so innocent, and she couldn’t just leave it there… Before she could contemplate what she was doing, Amber bent over and picked up the small creature, cradling it gently in her wings. Suddenly, it grinned maliciously at her and before she could realise something was wrong, her vision went black.  

Amber woke up with Fleck concealed in a cage beside her. She watched with terror as raccoons marched up and down in front of them, preparing weapons and talking to each other in low, growling voices. Horror clutching at her, Amber realised what she was about to watch – the destruction of Elderflower hill.  

Amber woke up to a voice echoing through the cave. She peaked out of the door and saw a small stoat, looking worried and telling her that the Rapid waterfalls were overflowing and about to flood Pistachio Forest. Together, Amber and Fleck scampered out of the cave and towards the only place she could think of – Pixie village. 

They arrived at a run-down set of stairs, littered with broken bottles and discarded food containers. Hopping down the steps, Amber’s eyes widened as she looked out at a grimy, brown village with hundreds of tiny pixies walking around dressed in rags and sour expressions. She tried to creep towards a shop that looked a little les dirty than the rest, but was stopped in her tracks by a fight breaking out in the middle of the square. The roaring of the crowd in her ears, Amber pulled Fleck towards the gathering of pixies and stared in amazement as fists and beer bottles flew through the air.  

Although it started off with just two pixies, the crowd began to turn on each other as well. Amber pulled Fleck onto her back and ran over to the shop she had seen earlier; a place she now saw was called “The pixie and the weasel”. Rushing in quickly, Amber saw a small counter with stacks of tins behind it. A pixie grunted as they walked in, then let out a small gasp as he saw them standing there, and gestured towards a small door on the left of the room. With no other options and no one else to trust, Amber and Fleck walked through the door and into a pitch-black room. Suddenly, a hand clamped around her mouth. 

“Hello little birdies,” a voice hissed. “You’re going to be a lot of help…”  

Amber shivered as she took a last gulp of water and slung Fleck over her shoulder. Mother had taken the coats with her when she left. Bowing her head so that Fleck wouldn’t see the tear rolling onto her beak, she took one last look at the message the scarecrow had left last night to warn them the raccoons were planning an ambush. They had already wasted enough time, putting off the inevitable until the last second, and they would have suffered the consequences if not for the letter. 

As they stole through the shadowy trees, Amber could already smell the raccoons. They had a harsh, musty smell that always warned her they were near, and had saved her and her family’s lives many times. When they had been running for so long that the sun was blaring in the sky, Amber put Fleck on the ground so he could walk on his own. They took one last look at Olive-tree wood before stumbling off in the opposite direction. 

Fleck tired after a few hours, so they stopped early to set up camp for the night. Amber quickly threw some doc leaves over the entrance to the small cave they had found and then settled down next to her brother, who was already fast asleep. For the millionth time, Amber imagined how much easier the journey would be if Fleck was able to fly, but he hadn’t even practised yet. Elderflower hill was miles away, and Amber was beginning to wonder if the luscious grass and fresh leaves were even worth it, although Mother had assured them in the letters that it was. As she slowly drifted into an uneasy doze, there was one question on her mind – would they ever make it to the safe haven? 

The jungle unicorn 

The jungle unicorn, a small, slight creature that dwells in the Amazon rainforest, is one of the rarest unicorn species in the world. Due to their shy and mistrusting nature, unicornologists haven’t been able to gather much information because they can’t gain their trust. Since they only live in unpolluted jungles and they refuse help from humans, the Jungle unicorn’s numbers are slowly decreasing, and scientists are trying desperately to gather information and save the beloved creatures while they still can. 

Because of their dislike of humans, Jungle unicorns prefer to dwell in the deeper parts on the jungle where they won’t be disturbed. They live in packs, and usually share nests in trees to conserve body heat through the unreliable temperatures of the jungle. Although they stay away from humans, Jungle unicorns have no problem with fellow animals and you can often find young ones playing with an array of other creatures. The rare mythical creature doesn’t like to stray far from home, and despite their shy nature they would stay and protect their nests rather than flee during an attack. 

One of the reasons jungle unicorns are so hard to find is that they are incredibly well camouflaged in their surroundings. They are covered head to toe in shaggy moss – coloured fur that they need to keep warm, and their manes and tails are long and tangled with flecks of black and reddish – brown. Their hooves are black and uneven, and their eyes are a deep glittering green, although they are usually covered by their long fur. 

One of the few ways to befriend a jungle unicorn is to give them food. Unicornologists have confirmed that their favourite food is fresh fruit, and they are extremely picky eaters, never settling for leaves or grass. If you feed them regularly, they will trust you and allow you to trust them and their youth.  

Although they are slowly finding out more about the majestic creatures, scientists say that we still have a lot to learn. 

I have never fought a sea serpent at the bottom of the ocean, but I have run away from my cat as she tries to bite my feet.

I have never climbed the Himalayas in a T-shirt and shorts, but I have lived in England my whole life.

I have never met a troll who dwells in the dark and damp, but I do live in the same house as my brother, who dwells in the dark and digital.

I have never eaten a bowl of custard and salt, but I have been faced with a plate of broccoli.

I have never seen performing animals at a travelling circus, but I have met my cousins’ wild West highland terrriers in Galway.

I have never been to the moon, but I have visited the space exhibit in the science museum.