Long ago, in an abandoned barn nestled in a meadow, there lived a small fluffy herd. And in that herd, there was a little unicorn foal named Jingle. His fluff was soft and white as cotton, and his curly mane looked almost like a cloud.
But his most distinguishing feature was the bell he wore around his neck, from which he got his name. His mother had given it to him so that if he were to get lost or run into trouble, she would always be able to find him.
Jingle was an adventurous young foal, who loved to run and play in the meadow, whether with his friends or by himself. He was by far the most energetic of all the foals in the herd, and loved to explore.
Jingleâs mother, a white earthie, absolutely adored her son. He was her only foal, and was the last thing she had to remember her special friend, whoâd taken forever sleep just days before their sonâs birth.
Due to this, she was extremely protective of little Jingle.
One sunny spring day, Jingle was playing in the field under the watchful eye of his mother. She called him to her and he lovingly nuzzled her, to which she did the same before trying to get him to focus his attention on what she was about to tell him.
âWisten to Mummah anâ âmembah whaâ Mummah say,â she begins, âMummah nu wan yu tu pway outside fencie.â
âWhy nu?â Jingle asks. Heâd never really paid any mind to the fence surrounding the old pasture.
âJingwe, it am bewy scawy out dewe! If hewd stay hewe, hewd safe,â his mother replies.
Sensing her son is still unconvinced, the mare continues, âWook. Yu see dat big pointy pwace?â She motions to a rocky mountain, its ominous appearance a stark contrast to the lively spring colors around it. âBig, meanie munstah wib dewe! Munstah num fwuffies anâ gib fowebah sweepies!â
Jingle scoffed nonchalantly, âMunstah am dummeh! Fwuffies too widdwe foâ be nummies, anâ fwuff too hawd to num!â
Jingleâs mother sighed, âBuâ munstah stiww num fwuffies. Anâ eben gib fwuffies fowebah sweepies buâ nu num.â
âIf munstah come hewe, Jingwe teww munstah dat am dummeh!â Jingle retorted, puffing out his cheeks.
âYu nu teww munstah anyfingies! Yu stay faw 'way fwom munstah!â his mother sternly replied.
In gentler but still serious tone, she continued, âPwomise Mummah yu stay 'way fwom munstah.â
Jingle still wasnât scared of his motherâs warning, but he loved his mother and promised nonetheless before running off to play some more.
Evening came and the sun began to set, and the herd all made their way into the barn for the night. All except for Jingleâs mother, who could not find her son anywhere.
âJingwe!â she called repeatedly, looking all over the meadow. âWhewe am yu, Jingwe?â
At one point, she intercepted another mare, whoâd just rounded up her litter of five boisterous foals. âYu see Jingwe?â the white earthie asked. But the other mare had not seen Jingle.
After the sun fully set, there was still no sign of the white unicorn foal.
Jingleâs mother glanced up at that towering mountain, and fear filled her heart. Could Jingle have ignored her warnings and gone to confront the monster?
But just as the mare hung her head low in despair, she heard that familiar chime.
Underneath a nearby log, Jingle sat up and yawned. He then looked around briefly before getting up to make his way back to the barn, only to see his mother standing in his path. He smiled at first, but his smile quickly faded once he saw the look on her face.
âWhewe wewe yu, Jingwe? It am dawkies out!â his mother questioned sternly. âYu gabe Mummah biggesâ scawdies!â
Jingle hung his head as she continued to scold him, âYu am bad babbeh!â
âJingwe sowwy, MummahâŠâ was all he could say. He hadnât meant to scare his mother or make her sad. Heâd just lost track of time.
Jingleâs motherâs eyes welled with tears of relief, and she pulled her son into a tight hug. âAm otay, Jingwe! Yu stiww am Mummahâs sweet widdwe babbeh! Mummah wub yu su muchies!â
The two then made their way back to the barn.
Soon enough, spring turned into summer which turned into fall. Jingle, his mother, and their herd continued living their lives ideally, content with the safety provided to them by the fence and the gate of the barn which they were sure only they could pass under.
But one night, all of that would change.
The little herd were cuddled up in scattered fluffpiles. Jingle slept by his motherâs side, nestling himself in the warm of her fluff, as she looked at him contently before drifting to sleep herself.
Suddenly, the loud sound of splintering wood outside rang across the barn, causing several fluffies to bolt upright. Then, the gate to the barn shot open, and a shadowy figure leapt upon one of the mares and killed her instantly.
One fluffy uttered a single word upon the sight: âMunstah!â
And indeed, it was the monster from the mountain: a seeker. And seekers were born to do one thing and one thing only.
As the fluffies scattered in a panic, the seeker scanned the area for his next target. He zeroed in on Jingle, whoâd just woken up to find his mother gone and with no clue as to what was happening.
Upon seeing the seeker, the colt froze like a deer in the headlights, as the seeker prepared to strike.
âJingwe!â Jingleâs mother cried out as she realized what was about to happen. Without a second thought, the mare ran to her son and leapt on top of him, shielding him with her body.
The sound of ripping and tearing rang out throughout the barn before everything suddenly went silent.
Jingle crawled out from under his mother and looked around groggily, âWhaâ happen? Munstah am gone now?â
He then smiled softly and nuzzled his head into his motherâs fluff, âFwuffies wucky nu fowebah sweepies, wight?â
Assuming she didnât hear him, he repeated himself, âWight, Mummah?â
But he still received no answer. Confused, Jingle crawled over to look at his motherâs face.
The colt felt in his gut that something was wrong. His mother wasnât lying the way she normally did, and her head was twisted at a strange angle.
âWhaâ wong, Mummah? Wakies.â
Still getting no answer, Jingle began to gently shake his motherâs foreleg. âWakies!â
âMunstah gabe Mummah huwties?â he asked, becoming more concerned.
âWAKIES! MUMMAH, WAKIES!â he repeated, shaking his motherâs leg more frantically.
Upon realizing what had happened, Jingle burst into tears. âNU! NU GU FOWEBAH SWEEPIES, MUMMAH!â
Frantically, he looked around for the rest of his herd in a desperate attempt to find help for his mother, but was met with even more horror; every single one of them was dead.
The stallions, the mares, even the other foals. They all laid just as lifeless as Jingleâs mother, and the sight and scent of blood was overwhelming.
The colt turned back to his mother, sobbing harder and harder until his sorrow was at such a climax that something inside him broke. âNU DIE, MUMMAH! NU DIE!â
And Jingle cried until he could cry no longer. âHuuhuuu⊠It nu faiwâŠâ
Jingle couldnât understand why the seeker had killed his mother â or any of his herd, for that matter. They didnât do anything wrong. And yet the seeker still killed them, and left Jingle all alone in the world.
That which broke inside Jingle remained broken, and something else inside him began to harden.
He trodded out of the barnâs entrance, marching along the field until he stopped at the now-broken fence. He looked out at the mountain on the horizon, its shadowy visage almost taunting him.
At once, the little unicorn was filled with anger and determination. Furrowing his brow, he readied himself and shot out towards the mountain.
Little by little, Jingle made his way up the steep slope, his bell ringing with every movement. Several times he nearly tripped over the loose rocks, but the colt was undeterred, fueled by his anger and despair.
Finally, he made his way to the summit, but his target was nowhere in sight. âMunstah! Whewe am yu?!â the colt shouted out, âCome ouâ, munstah!â But he got no response.
Then, he looked up at a nearby ledge, and was greeted with two glowing, ice blue eyes.
Forgetting everything for a brief moment due to his fear, Jingle jumped back, tripping over himself.
Regaining his resolve, though still shaking some, Jingle ran up to the seeker and stared him down.
âMunstah! Yu gabe hewd fowebah sweepies! Yu gabe Mummah fowebah sweepies! Hatechu, munstah!â the colt yelled.
But to Jingleâs frustration, the seeker simply ignored him.
The colt continued shouting, âMummah gu fowebah sweepies to sabe Jingwe!â
Further agitated at being ignored, he attempted to jump up and pounce on the seeker, futilely propelling his tiny legs with all his might. âYu kiww Mummah! Bwing Mummah back!â
No use, but he kept trying.
âBwing⊠fwuffyâs⊠mummah⊠back!â
But all Jingle managed to do was lose his balance, and he fell backwards, smacking into the ground. Though the fall was not high enough to seriously injure the young fluffy, the sudden pain combined with his overexertion caused him to lose consciousness.
The next morning, Jingle managed to find the seeker once again, this time drinking from a small pool in the rocks.
By now, the colt had realized that he was much too small and weak to even touch the seeker, let alone kill him. So Jingle had formulated a new plan. âMunstah! Jingwe nu wan be dummeh fwuffy nu mowe! Nu wan wun âway anâ hab scawdies! Wan be stwong wike yu! Teach Jingwe how be wike yu!â
The seeker just turned and stared at the colt, emotionless. He then got up and began to walk towards the fluffy.
His fear overtaking him once more, Jingle quickly scampered away and dashed to hide behind a nearby rock pile. But the seeker continued to ignore him, simply walking right past him.
Jingle watched as the seeker then lept back onto the same ledge from the night before and laid down to go to sleep.
Frusturated, Jingle ran up to him and resumed yelling, âPwease, munstah! Teach Jingwe how be stwong wike yu! Jingwe du anyfingies, eben take huwties!â
Angered at being ignored once again, Jingle began to scream even louder, âWakies anâ wisten tu Jingwe! Wakies! Wakies! WAKIES!â
âStop this noise, fluffyâ, the seeker boomed.
Surprised at the seeker actually speaking, Jingle gasped and jumped back.
âYou are interrupting my sleep. Exit, and I will return to kill you laterâ, the seeker continued before closing his eyes once again.
Jingle fumed at hearing this. âNu! Jingwe wan be wike yu! Anâ if Jingwe nu can, den yu can num Jingwe!â
But the seeker simply ignored the colt once again.
Realizing this, Jingle scoffed, âYu fink Jingwe am jusâ dummeh babbeh. Jingwe nu ask yu 'gain. Jingwe nu need yu tu weawn be stwong. Yu see!â
And so, Jingle went out to attempt to prove he could become big and strong all by himself.
First, he ran right up to a small group of feral fluffalo bulls and started âroaringâ at the top of his lungs.
One bull tilted his head, both confused and amused. âWut am babbeh doinâ?â he asked.
Jingle frowned, puffing his cheeks, and turned to face him. âNu am babbeh! Jingwe am scawy munstah!â he exclaimed before resuming his âroaringâ.
The bull looked to his two companions in bewilderment for a moment before all three of them burst into laughter.
Jingle fumed at this reaction. How could they laugh at him?! He was a fearsome, terrifying monster! âJingwe gonâ num yu! Yu beddah hab scawdies!â
The first bull only shook his head and sighed, before effortlessly picking Jingle up with his mouth and carrying him to gently drop him a short ways away.
He didnât want to hurt the silly young unicorn, but he and his friends were quite busy looking for nummies to feed their special friends and babbehs, and didnât have time to deal with Jingleâs antics.
After the bull left and the initial shock wore off, Jingle shook himself off. âMaybe dey am too big foâ Jingwe tu numâŠâ he said to himself.
He then looked around to see a large stinkbug sitting next to him. âJingwe gonâ gib yu wowstesâ sowwy-hoofsies!â Jingle exclaimed.
But right as Jingle prepared to do so, the stinkbug noticed the threat and sprayed its foul-smelling chemicals right into the coltâs face!
âSCREEEEEEEE! NU SMEWW PWIDDY! WOWSTESâ STINKIES EBAAAAH!â Jingle screamed, frantically flailing about and running away as the stinkbug simply went about its business.
As he thrashed around, Jingle failed to notice a nearby ledge, and tumbled over it straight into patch of thornbushes.
Though the drop was a short one, the brambles effortlessly pierced his tender skin and tangled with his fluff, and the little unicorn screamed even louder as he kicked and squirmed in a desperate attempt to free himself.
After a while, Jingle finally managed to free himself from the brambles and dragged himself out, exhausted and utterly defeated.
But despite the immense pain, Jingle forced himself to go on, and clambered all the way back up the mountain.
At last, he found a small pool of spring water and began to rapidly gulp from it, the cool temperature soothing his sore throat.
Suddenly, he fell in, and began to freak out until he realized it was shallow enough for him to stand up in.
After composing himself, Jingle looked up to see the seeker walking towards him. Or at least, he thought he was walking towards him. But no, the seeker simply passed him by, uninterested.
âW-Whewe am yu guinâ, munstah?! W-Wait foâ Jingwe!â the colt cried out. Seeing the seeker once again pay him no heed, Jingle gathered his remaining strength and dashed after him.
After several grueling hours, Jingle at last managed to catch up to the seeker.
Still panting, Jingle smiled weakly and looked up at the seeker, who was resting on the same rock ledge from before, but this time stared down at the battered fluffy colt incredulously.
âWhewebah yu gu, Jingwe gu. Jingwe nu wan wose tu munstah!â Jingle stated before finally giving into his exhaustion and dropping on the spot.
As the seeker continued to stare, Jingwe continued, âJingwe⊠Jingwe wan be wike yu!â Then the last of his strength wavered, and the colt let himself fall asleep.
And the seeker once again walked away.
Days and nights passed by, blending into each other as Jingle stubbornly continued to trudge after the seeker through fields, hills, and forests.
Occasionally, he would catch a glimpse of baby animals happily snuggling with their loving mothers. Such sights only served to rub salt in the wound in Jingleâs heart.
One night, as the colt followed the seeker back up into the mountains, he saw something which made his blood run cold.
There, nestled in a shallow little crevice in the ground, was a birdâs nest with five little eggs in it. Jingle had seen plenty of birds back in his home meadow, so he knew very well that these eggs had baby birds inside them. But there was no mother bird in sight.
Before the unicorn could formulate his next thought, he suddenly noticed a long, black shadow inching closer to the nest before opening its giant mouth to swallow one of the eggs whole. This was a rat snake, and she had found a much-needed easy meal.
âNU!â the colt yelled. He had to save them!
Jingle ran up and pounced on the snake, stomping her with all his might. Though the fluffyâs weak attempts at jabs didnât hurt her one bit, the rat snake still wasnât going to take any chances and slithered away without protest.
Still panting from the exertion, Jingle glanced down at the nest and his eyes widened in horror. All four of the remaining eggs lay smashed beneath his hooves.
âJingwe bwoke dem⊠J-Jingwe gabe widdwe biwdie-babbehs fowebah sweepiesâŠâ The colt broke down into tears at this realization, collapsing onto the ground, âWhyâŠ? Why gud widdwe babbehs hab tu gu fowebah sweepies?! Whyyyy?! Huuuhuuuu!â
Unbeknownst to Jingle, the seeker had been silently watching the whole time from atop a nearby rock.
âFor one life to continue, another life must end. Do you understand, Jingle?â the seeker explained.
Jingle simply shook his head slowly, still in utter defeat.
âYou either live or you die,â the seeker continued, âThis is a world of conflict which does not end.â
Jingle despondently pawed at the ground with his right forehoof. âBuâ Jingwe nu hab shawp pointy teefies ow big stwong weggies. Jingwe nu can fite.â
âThe why are you trying to become like I am?â the seeker inquired.
ââCause Jingwe am jusâ su mad! Wibinâ in widdwe gwassy-pwace, too scawdies tu weabe⊠Jingwe hate!â Jingle lamented in reply.
The seeker looked at Jingle with a hint of curiosity in his eyes as the colt continued, âNu wan die whiwe Jingwe jusâ du nuffinâ! Buâ⊠BuââŠâ Jingle burst into tears once more.
âCry,â the seeker boomed, âLater, that frustration will become your sharp teeth.â
Jingle perked up, looking at the seeker in disbelief. âShawp teefies? Jingweâs shawp teefies?â
âCorrect, Jingle. Use that frustration to sharpen the teeth inside you.â
âTeefies inside Jingwe?â If Jingle had sharp teeth inside him this whole time, then surely he could find a way to use them. âDen Jingwe can gwow big anâ stwong, wight? Jingwe can gwow stwong wike yu!â
The seekerâs reply confirmed the answer to Jingleâs question, âFollow me. I will show you how a seeker like I am lives.â
Jingle eagerly ran up to the seeker, filled with renewed determination, looking him directly in the eyes. âDo you understand, Jingle? In this world, death follows you always, waiting to strike. Confirm that you are ready.â
Jingle didnât hesitate. âJingwe nu cawe! Jingweâs wife am nuffinâ foâ Jingwe now!â the unicorn declared.
He then furrowed his brow and asked, âMunstah, whaâ am yu namesie?â
âWoe,â the seeker replied plainly.
Jingle continued to stare him down, standing up straight, âWoe, Jingwe gonâ gwow stwongew den seekew, anâ den Jingwe gonâ kiww yu!â
The seeker simply nodded in response, his face expressionless and unreadable.
And Jingleâs small voice seemed to reverberate off the rocky walls as he reiterated, âJingwe gonâ kiww yu!â
And so, Jingle became a student and Woe his teacher.
During one lesson, Woe instructed Jingle to charge at him. Jingle did so again and again with all his might, but each time, Woe effortlessly moved out of the way.
Eventually, the colt exhausted himself, feeling a little dizzy from moving back and forth so rapidly.
âWhat is the problem, Jingle?â, the seeker inquired, âYou will never take me down this way.â
Jingle weakly tried to charge at Woe once more, but the seeker simply pushed him over with no more than a small nudge.
Defeats like this happened every lesson, but Jingle remained undeterred. The little unicorn kept training every day to become as strong as Woe.
Jingle would stop at nothing in order to win. Fair or dirty, he would use any tactic if he thought it would ensure his opponentâs swift and total annihilation.
Already, the young fluffy had developed the combat fundamentals of a seeker.
Jingleâs body quickly became covered in cuts and bruises, and though Woe purposely excercised restraint so as to not instantly kill him, Jingle still felt that he was on the brink of death several times.
But he no longer panicked at the thought of dying; even falling into the pool of water heâd always drink out of didnât phase him anymore. And never once did he think of giving up.
After four years of further and gradually more intense training, Jingle was unrecognizable save for the bell which still hung around his neck.
His fur and mane, once fluffy and white, were now shaggy and dark gray from the dirt that clung to them. His build was quite unlike that of a normal fluffy stallion; he was significantly larger and leaner, and his legs were sturdy, ending in dark hooves which had hardened from constant use.
His voice, though still far from deep by human standards, had deepened to a pitch akin to that of the average 14-year-old boy. And due to listening to how Woe spoke, heâd stopped referring to himself in the third person and learned several new words.
But by far the most striking change was Jingleâs horn; now dark in color, it had grown far beyond the length of a normal fluffy unicorn horn, and Jingle had meticulously sharpened it into a formidable weapon.
Whether due to the unstable genetics of fluffies or the strength of Jingleâs own will, he had transformed from a determined fluffy colt into a fierce beast.
After his most recent training session, Jingle jumped down in front of Woe. The two were high up on the peaks of the mountains, where one misstep would ensure certain death.
âWook at me, Woe,â Jingle stated proudly, âNu am weak fwuffy nu mowe. In pwace ob fangs, I hab shawp hown. Anâ my hoofs hab become tuffew den dah wocks. But most impowtantwy, I weawned tu fite wid nu feaw ob deaff.â
âExcellent, Jingle,â Woe replied, âSometimes even I cannot exit quickly enough to avoid your strikes with that horn.â
âAm aww fanks tu yu, Woe,â Jingle responded, âMy puwpose was tu kiww yu. I wibed onwy tu abenge dah deaff ob my mummah. Su many times I wooked foâ chance to kiww yu. But I nebah cud. I was webown on dis mountain. Now, I eben fink ob yu as my daddah.â
Jingle then turned to look at the view of the lands below the mountains as rising sun shone over the vast expanse. âWook, Woe!â he stated as Woe turned to look as well, âDis fowest, dese mountains, dose pwaiwies. Dey aww bewong tu dah two ob us!â
And so, Jingle and Woe became ferocious killers known to fluffies all throughout the land. With his eyes burning like fire, his horn bared like a sword, Jingle was a fearsome sight for any fluffy to behold.
Though Woe chose the locations to search for their victims, it was often Jingle leading the charge. The beastly stallion would skewer his victims on his horn, shaking his head from side to side to fling any lingering residue or stuck corpses off.
And while Woe was cold and detached as per his seeker nature, Jingle was filled with barely held-back rage.
One dark and stormy night, Woe had picked a familiar place to target. The two stood side by side on a slope as they looked down upon the abandoned barn in the meadow.
âThis is where you were born,â Woe stated, âYour home.â
âMy home?â Jingle scoffed, âI hab nu home.â
âA new herd has infested this location. We will strike here tonight.â Woe continued, âConfirm that you are able to complete this task.â
Jingle narrowed his eyes, âOb couwse I am.â
Lightning flashed as Woe replied, âDemonstrate to confirm. Kill every fluffy in the area. Go now.â
Jingle charged down the slope, head bowed with his horn facing out like a medieval pike. Once he got to the fence, he slowed his pace, silently stalking closer and closer to the barn.
One foolishly bold toughie friend was the first to notice him, and like so many before him, decided to confront him. But before the toughie could even begin to open his mouth to shout âGU 'WAY, MUNSTAH!â, Jingle had already turned him into a fluffy shishkebab.
The hulking stallion flung him into the barn, where he landed in front of his now terrified herdmates, who panicked and frantically ran to hide anywhere they thought they could as Jingle slowly stepped further into the barn with eyes searing with rage and contempt for these weak, pathetic creatures.
Suddenly, a small voice cried out, âMummah! Mummah! Babbeh hab scawdies, Mummah!â
Jingle looked over to see a little white unicorn colt. But before he could go in for the kill, he was interrupted by another voice.
âBabbeh!â a white earthie mare cried as she ran over and leapt on top of the foal. Her foal.
Jingle just stared at the trembling mare, who glanced up at him for a brief moment before using her head to push her son further under her body to fully shield him from what she was sure was coming next.
But Jingle no longer saw the faceless victims heâd seen just moments before.
When he looked at this mother mare and foal in that moment, he saw a completely different mother mare and foal.
He saw a mother mare who loved her foal so much, that she gave her life to save him. A foal with a golden bell around his neck.
Jingle shook his head violently. He then started to slowly back away, a look of horror on his face, before ultimately deciding to just bolt out of the barn.
Jingle stood outside the barn, panting heavily. âNu! Nu can du it!â he exclaimed.
But just as Jingle began to walk away, he heard that familiar booming, monotone voice. âWhere are you going, Jingle?â
âNu canâŠâ Jingle muttered, shaking his head back and forth, still wide-eyed in shock.
âIt appears that you are unable to complete this task,â Woe stated matter-of-factly as he slowly walked closer, âI will demonstrate the correct way to kill fluffies.â
Jingle rushed to block the seekerâs path. âNu!â he shouted desperately. But Woe didnât flinch and continued advancing towards the barn.
Jingle stepped back with each step forward Woe made until the stallion felt himself back up against the wall of the barn.
âNu!â he shouted again before shaking his head and charging towards the seeker, managing to knock him back, though he landed upright. âWoe!â
âYour mind has been compromised, Jingle,â Woe stated as he resteadied himself.
Jingle charged at Woe again, but the seeker dodged, causing his protégé to nearly hit to fence.
âAm fwuffy!â Jingle exclaimed as he quickly turned around and ran charging towards Woe with all his strength.
Though he missed again at first, getting his horn stuck in the ground in the barn, Jingle quickly dislodged it and charged at Woe one last time with full force.
And with more rage than heâd ever felt before, Jingle screamed, âDIS AM FOâ MUMMAH!â
Lightning struck just as Jingleâs long, sharp horn pierced through Woeâs chest.
Through labored breaths, the seeker uttered his final words, âThis is the destiny of a seeker without human direction. To continue my preprogrammed purpose indefinitely until I am no longer able. A seeker can not feel many emotions, but at this moment, I feel both pride and gratitude. I am proud of you, Jingle, and I am grateful that you are the one to kill me.â
And with that, Woe breathed his last, and his body fell limply to the ground.
Jingle stood over his mentorâs body in silence for a moment, before looking back to the barn.
The fluffies inside just stared at Jingle in shock and terror.
The same white unicorn colt whose mother had just saved him wandered out, curiously approaching this strange attacker-turned-rescuer, who looked down at the colt.
But before either of them could say anything, the coltâs mother quickly grabbed him and pulled him back into the barn. âBabbeh, nu! Yu stay 'way fwom munstah! Too scawy!â she scolded him between âhuuhuusâ of fear.
Jingle looked at them in disbelief. âWait! Am fwuffy! Am fwuffy wike yu!â he tried to plead.
The herdâs smarty friend puffed his cheeks out, âGu âway, munstah, ow Smawty gonâ gib yu wowstesâ sowwy-hoofsies!â
The rest of the herd either joined in on the jeering at Jingle or continued to sob in fear of him.
What they saw before them was not a fluffy, nor even one of the familiar dangers of the wild like cats or foxes, but a nightmarish monster which brought only pain and fear.
Seeing now that this herd would never accept him, Jingle hung his head dejectedly and turned around to leave.
For a few days afterwards, Jingle would wander the lands, attempting to join other fluffy herds.
But even among those who hadnât heard the tales of Jingle and Woeâs killings, the monstrous stallion was only met with fear and repulsion.
Jingle wouldnât find a home among fluffies again. And without Woe, Jingle realized, he had no home at all.
Again feeling defeated, Jingle somberly made the solitary journey back to the mountains.
Jingle stood silently in the night, staring down at his reflection in the pool where he used to drink to revitalize himself after training with Woe.
He thought back to that day when he first became Woeâs student, the words said then echoing in his mind.
âDo you understand, Jingle? In this world, death follows you always, waiting to strike. Confirm that you are ready.â
âJingwe nu cawe! Jingweâs wife am nuffinâ foâ Jingwe now!â
âWoe, Jingwe gonâ gwow stwongew den seekew, anâ den Jingwe gonâ kiww yu!â
âJingwe gonâ kiww yu!â
And so it had come to pass; Jingle had killed Woe, just like heâd sworn that he would so long ago. But now, he was all alone.
Suddenly, Jingle saw Woeâs reflection standing beside him once again.
He shook his head in disbelief and looked around. âWoe!â he called out, but there was no answer.
Jingle saw him. He knew he saw him! So he called out again, âWoe!â Still nothing. Jingle turned around and walked away from the pool.
Maybe Woe was hiding again, watching him silently just like he used to do when Jingle was still desperately trying to get his attention.
The stallion stood still and tried to listen for any sign of his mentor, but heard only the faint blowing of the wind.
Jingle threw his head up to the sky and screamed, âWOOOOOOOOOOE!â
Surely Woe would come out if he screamed loud enough!
But Jingle heard only the lonely echo of his own voice bouncing off the cold rock walls.
The stallion hung his head despairingly, his bell chiming softly as he did so.
Who was he trying to fool? Woe was dead and Jingle knew it. The seeker would never stand by his side ever again.
As the yearâs first snow began to fall, Jingle lamented, âWoe⊠Yu showed me how seekew wibs, anâ how tu be stwong. Fowgibe me, Woe. I nu cud become seekew. Buâ now dat yu am gone, whaâ du I du? Whewe in dah wowwd du I gu now?â
âHuuuhuuuâŠâ Breaking down even more, Jingle began to feel like a little colt again, crying just as hard as he did the day his mother died. âWOOOOOOOOOOE!â he screamed once more, âJINGWE SOWWY! WOOOOOOOOOOE!â
And the snow continued to fall, Jingleâs bell ringing forlornly as his unanswered screams and cries were slowly drowned out by the sound of the wind.
The snow fell nonstop for days on end, covering up the events that took place in these mountains and in this meadow, until they faded away into only an old tale that happened long ago.
Itâs said that on nights when thereâs a fierce blizzard, the faint ringing of a bell can be heard mixed in with the wind.
But since that night, no one â fluffy or otherwise â has ever seen Jingle again.
