Dara was an exceptionally clever bird. She was always complimented for her ability to help anyone with their problems or solve any puzzle; but Dara still felt unfulfilled. Dara was a hawk, not a beautiful cockatoo like the other birds she lived with. She always envied their crest feathers and their ability to express themselves with just a look. Dara heard a tale that there was a strange four-legged animal that had a crest horn, that she might be able to use to beautify her own feathers. The cockatoos all told Dara that this animal is called a “unicorn” and lives in the forest. If Dara could find the unicorn and steal its horn, she would be able to use the magic to grow her own crest feathers and fit in with her flock.

Dara, as clever as she was, needed to figure out not only where the unicorn was, but also how she was going to steal its horn. She determined that she needed to cover a lot of ground, but the forest was heavily wooded and dense. She also figured that once she did find the unicorn, she could use her cleverness to trick the horns right of the unicorn’s head.

Dara asked the members of the flock to tell her as much as she could about the unicorn and how clever she might need to be to outwit him or her. The birds told her about a unicorn’s one weakness: music. Any unicorn that hears a song will immediately begin to dance, so enthusiastically so that they wouldn’t even notice a bird swooping down and taking their horn. But she was warned to be careful, with no horn, the unicorn will be able to stop dancing.

If that happened, the hawk would be outmatched and in a dangerous position. The unicorn, although known for their beauty, also has a very dark side. If angered and dehorned, the unicorn can become very violent. The horn is a unicorn’s source of kindness, so once she removes it, Dara would need to be more than clever, she would need to be fast! 

Dara set out on her quest, after being told the unicorn can be found in the densest part of the forest center. Getting to the area was easy, finding the unicorn was hard. Dara looked all day and into the evening but had no success. Come nightfall, Dara decided to rest and try again in the morning. However, late into the night, Dara was woken by a voice.