# The First Unicorn

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 7 Apr 2026, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/71082676/at485_thefirstunicorn_mixdown.mp3

A dog and a cat find the first of its kind, but what is it and why is it there? Written especially for this podcast by Alice. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yes, hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,
[0:18] Speaker 1: where you suggest the animal for us to write a
[0:20] Speaker 1: story about. My name's Josephine and I've got a brand
[0:24] Speaker 1: new animal story here just for you. If you'd like
[0:28] Speaker 1: to suggest an animal to be featured in a story,
[0:31] Speaker 1: you can email me at podcast at Animaltales dot uk
[0:35] Speaker 1: with your idea. If you can try to catch our
[0:39] Speaker 1: eye with suggestions about animals that we've never written about before.
[0:44] Speaker 1: Peyton is from Ohio, USA, and she would like a
[0:48] Speaker 1: story with a cat, a dog, and a unicorn. You
[0:52] Speaker 1: can learn more about these creatures in the animal facts
[0:55] Speaker 1: after the story. Now settle back, relax, and I'll begin
[1:01] Speaker 1: the first unicorn. Where once trees grew tall and wide,
[1:08] Speaker 1: now was only destruction. A black cat and a shaggy
[1:13] Speaker 1: dog looked around the wreckage. They cut down the trees
[1:17] Speaker 1: and destroyed the BlackBerry thicket, said Jinks, a black cat. Sadly,
[1:24] Speaker 1: what's left of their fire are still creating smoke. Teddy,
[1:29] Speaker 1: a shaggy dog, shook his head with disbelief. I managed
[1:33] Speaker 1: to sneak a family of foxes out as the people arrived,
[1:36] Speaker 1: he explained, But I think the woodpeckers have been scared
[1:40] Speaker 1: away for good. If the humans keep destroying parts of
[1:44] Speaker 1: the forest like this, we'll soon have nowhere to live,
[1:48] Speaker 1: Jinks sighed carefully. They picked their way through the clearing,
[1:54] Speaker 1: sniffing at the white ash of the fire. A large
[1:58] Speaker 1: group of people had settled on the edge of their
[2:00] Speaker 1: forest some time ago, immediately claiming it as theirs. Blazing fires,
[2:07] Speaker 1: tree cutting and clearing the ground had become a daily
[2:10] Speaker 1: problem ever since. They didn't even seem to notice the
[2:14] Speaker 1: animals that lived there. Rounding a blackened tree stump, Teddy
[2:20] Speaker 1: suddenly stopped his nose in the air. I smell something strange,
[2:26] Speaker 1: the dog said. Jinks assumed that Teddy was talking about
[2:31] Speaker 1: something amongst the destruction, but instead the dog's nose led
[2:35] Speaker 1: them into the untouched undergrowth. Pushing past bramble and over roots,
[2:41] Speaker 1: they came to a large patch of tall bracken. In there,
[2:46] Speaker 1: Teddy said, the bracken was thick, but Jinks were slight
[2:51] Speaker 1: enough to slip between the fronds. She wriggled through. Then
[2:56] Speaker 1: almost at once, her head reappeared to show Hazel, she
[3:01] Speaker 1: said urgently. Hazel was an elderly witch who lived in
[3:06] Speaker 1: a tumble down cottage built between two bent and twisted
[3:10] Speaker 1: oak trees. At that moment, she was crushing juniper berries
[3:15] Speaker 1: into her caldron, watching the water change color. Frustratingly, the
[3:21] Speaker 1: result wasn't quite what it should be. A sharp bark
[3:26] Speaker 1: outside the door announced to Hazel that her dog Teddy
[3:29] Speaker 1: was home, no doubt, accompanied by her cat Jinks. Teddy
[3:35] Speaker 1: and Jinx, though were not alone. Well well well, said
[3:40] Speaker 1: Hazel with surprise. Between her two pets was an animal
[3:44] Speaker 1: she'd never laid eyes on before. You could be forgiven
[3:48] Speaker 1: for thinking that you were looking at a young foal.
[3:51] Speaker 1: She was white, with a mane and tail of silver,
[3:55] Speaker 1: and there was an unmistakable golden horn rising upwards from
[3:59] Speaker 1: her fore head. We found her down by the river,
[4:04] Speaker 1: Jinks told the witch. Can we keep her? Hm said
[4:09] Speaker 1: the witch thoughtfully. She's unusual. I'll give you that. Bring
[4:14] Speaker 1: her inside. We were taking a look at yesterday's destruction,
[4:20] Speaker 1: Teddy explained. Then Teddy sniffed her out nearby, added Jinks.
[4:26] Speaker 1: The horned horse approached the bubbling caldron to settle beside
[4:30] Speaker 1: its warm glow. What kind of animal is she? The
[4:35] Speaker 1: dog asked, I don't know, Hazel admitted, I want to
[4:40] Speaker 1: say it's a horse, But there's a glow about her.
[4:44] Speaker 1: It's as if she's been touched by magic. Is that possible,
[4:49] Speaker 1: Jinks asked. I thought magic was only in plants and
[4:53] Speaker 1: the earth. No, No, corrected Hazel. Some animals are magic too,
[5:01] Speaker 1: although it's rare. Birds created from flames, giant lizards that
[5:07] Speaker 1: breathe fire, even beasts half eagle and half lion. But
[5:12] Speaker 1: a horned horse that's new to me. Do you think
[5:17] Speaker 1: she has a herd, Jinks wondered. I would think so,
[5:22] Speaker 1: Hazel said, as she looked at the little foal, But
[5:25] Speaker 1: until we know where they are, she'd best stay with us.
[5:29] Speaker 1: But don't get too attached. Great Teddy grinned glad to
[5:35] Speaker 1: have a new animal in the cottage. I'm going to
[5:38] Speaker 1: call her Peyton, Hazel sighed so much for not growing attached.
[5:46] Speaker 1: Days turned into weeks and there was no sign of
[5:49] Speaker 1: any herd. Weeks stretched into months, and throughout this time,
[5:54] Speaker 1: Peyton grew bigger, swifter, and more confident. Peyton's mane shone,
[6:01] Speaker 1: and her eyes sparkled, and her horn became even longer.
[6:07] Speaker 1: But that wasn't all that was strange about this foal.
[6:11] Speaker 1: Wherever she walked in the forest, flowers bloomed around her
[6:15] Speaker 1: hoofs birds would follow her around, singing, and butterflies would
[6:21] Speaker 1: dance about her head. The very air around her seemed
[6:25] Speaker 1: to glimmer. Meanwhile, the wider forest continued to suffer. The
[6:32] Speaker 1: people of the nearby settlement were a never ending menace.
[6:36] Speaker 1: They made noise, hacked down trees, and cleared the land,
[6:41] Speaker 1: frightening away the wild life as they did so. They
[6:45] Speaker 1: always needed more timber, more wood, more trees, And in
[6:50] Speaker 1: her cottage Hazel found her powers weakening. Familiar bruise in
[6:56] Speaker 1: her caldron just never seemed to go right. It was
[7:00] Speaker 1: as if the very ingredients she used weren't quite right. Then,
[7:05] Speaker 1: one morning, as Hazel picked sage leaves in the garden
[7:09] Speaker 1: while Peyton looked on, Teddy and Jinks came bounding from
[7:13] Speaker 1: the trees. There are people by the river, Jinks shouted.
[7:18] Speaker 1: They've cut down so many trees and are building houses.
[7:23] Speaker 1: They're spreading, Teddy said, looking miserable. They've cleared away more
[7:28] Speaker 1: plants too, and the air is full of smoke from
[7:32] Speaker 1: their fires, and they're taking all the fish from the river.
[7:37] Speaker 1: There will be no forest left. We have to do something,
[7:41] Speaker 1: Jinks insisted. Hazel sagged her shoulders. She was an old witch,
[7:49] Speaker 1: lacking the energy she had when younger, Plus the magic
[7:53] Speaker 1: she pulled from her plants had grown weaker. It was
[7:56] Speaker 1: as if the magic was disappearing from the forest. Maybe
[8:01] Speaker 1: it's time for us to move on, she said, I'm
[8:04] Speaker 1: too old to put a stop to this, but her
[8:08] Speaker 1: cat and dog let out cries of protest. Maybe I
[8:13] Speaker 1: could help, suggested Peyton quietly. It wasn't unheard of for
[8:18] Speaker 1: her to talk, but she didn't do it often. I
[8:23] Speaker 1: have much to learn about my own magic, but perhaps
[8:26] Speaker 1: there's something I could do. No, it's too dangerous, the
[8:31] Speaker 1: witch said firmly. Until you've some understanding and control, it's
[8:36] Speaker 1: too risky. The horned horse didn't argue. I'll try to
[8:42] Speaker 1: talk to them. Hazel decided, feeling she needed to be
[8:46] Speaker 1: seen to do something. Maybe the people can be reasoned with.
[8:52] Speaker 1: She headed out that very afternoon, wrapped in her cloak.
[8:56] Speaker 1: The animals were told to stay put in the house.
[9:00] Speaker 1: We're not really going to just wait here until she's back,
[9:03] Speaker 1: are we, asked Jinks, Which was how they came to
[9:08] Speaker 1: follow Hazel, albeit at a distance to the latest cluster
[9:12] Speaker 1: of new buildings. The animals hid at the edge of
[9:16] Speaker 1: the clearing. As Hazel approached a group of humans constructing
[9:20] Speaker 1: the frame to a house. It was hard to hear
[9:23] Speaker 1: at first, forcing the animals closer. I was just asking
[9:28] Speaker 1: you to be more considerate of those who already live here,
[9:32] Speaker 1: the witch was saying. But nobody lives here, That's why
[9:37] Speaker 1: we chose this place, one of the people replied. Hazel
[9:42] Speaker 1: tried to argue, but the people grew angry with her,
[9:46] Speaker 1: with one man stepping forward, menacingly. Teddy sprang from their
[9:51] Speaker 1: hiding place, barking as he ran to defend Hazel. Feeling
[9:56] Speaker 1: threatened himself, the man snatched up a burning branch from
[10:00] Speaker 1: the fire to swing at the dog, sending a spray
[10:03] Speaker 1: of hot embers over the dry ground. There had been
[10:08] Speaker 1: no rain for weeks, and one spark was all it took.
[10:13] Speaker 1: Flames flickered to life amongst the dry grass. It spread quickly,
[10:18] Speaker 1: but there was nothing any of them could do to
[10:20] Speaker 1: stop it. It swallowed their half built houses and piles
[10:24] Speaker 1: of chopped wood. Hazel and Teddy had retreated to where
[10:29] Speaker 1: Jinks and Peyton watched the fire's coming. This way warned Hazel,
[10:36] Speaker 1: it will engulf the forest. Yelped Jinks, Teddy, Jinks worn
[10:42] Speaker 1: any nearby animals. Get them someplace safe, Hazel ordered, I'm
[10:48] Speaker 1: going to try to help these people. What about me,
[10:52] Speaker 1: Peyton asked. As the other animals ran off, Hazel hesitated
[10:58] Speaker 1: for a second. Help the others, she said, but be careful.
[11:05] Speaker 1: Peyton turned, racing to catch up with Jinks and Teddy.
[11:09] Speaker 1: The dog was barking his warning as loud as he could,
[11:13] Speaker 1: spreading the word of the fire. While Jinks gathered up
[11:17] Speaker 1: sleepy animals from their burrows. The horned horse was at
[11:21] Speaker 1: a loss as to what she could do until Jinks shouted,
[11:25] Speaker 1: get those animals to the river. They'd be safe on
[11:28] Speaker 1: the other side. But at the river bank, Peyton was
[11:33] Speaker 1: faced with a dilemma. The river was fast and too
[11:37] Speaker 1: deep for dormice, squirrels, and hedgehogs. They couldn't cross. The
[11:43] Speaker 1: fire was already in the trees, crackling and popping as
[11:47] Speaker 1: it made its way towards them. We can't stay here,
[11:52] Speaker 1: Peyton whispered to herself. She could feel the heat of
[11:56] Speaker 1: the fire already around her feet. The while life of
[12:00] Speaker 1: the wood shuffled nervously she was going to have to
[12:04] Speaker 1: do something. In that moment, the horned horse felt something
[12:09] Speaker 1: grow within her. Her horn began to glow as beneath
[12:14] Speaker 1: her hoofs flowers erupted into life. Roots launched themselves from
[12:20] Speaker 1: the ground, twisting together as they arched over the water,
[12:24] Speaker 1: thickening as they grew to plant themselves on the far bank.
[12:30] Speaker 1: Peyton had grown herself a bridge. Great work, cheered Jinks
[12:36] Speaker 1: as she started urging the animals across. But where's Hazel,
[12:42] Speaker 1: Peyton asked. They'd left her with the people. Peyton didn't
[12:47] Speaker 1: wait for an answer, instead charging off amongst the blazing trees,
[12:53] Speaker 1: she found Hazel back at the scorched clearing. Most of
[12:57] Speaker 1: the people had fled back to the previous settle, so
[13:01] Speaker 1: now Hazel sat alone, staring at the burnt ground. You're safe,
[13:07] Speaker 1: panted Peyton with relief. Hazel just nodded. We're helping the
[13:13] Speaker 1: animals escape, but the fire is raging in the trees.
[13:17] Speaker 1: Then you'll have to stop it, said the witch. How
[13:22] Speaker 1: Peyton asked, what can I do? Reaching up, Hazel gently
[13:29] Speaker 1: stroked the horse's nose. The forest's magic has gone into hiding,
[13:34] Speaker 1: Hazel said, I believe it's been protecting itself from the
[13:39] Speaker 1: people hiding. But where, asked Peyton. The forest has collected
[13:46] Speaker 1: it all up and put it into you, said Hazel me.
[13:52] Speaker 1: Peyton replied, it needs a protector, so it made one.
[13:58] Speaker 1: Hazel said, I think that's why there's only one of you.
[14:03] Speaker 1: That's why you're so in tune with the plant life.
[14:07] Speaker 1: Peyton thought of the bridge she had just created, and
[14:11] Speaker 1: what do you need me to do? She asked, We
[14:15] Speaker 1: need to make it rain. Hazel replied, return some of
[14:20] Speaker 1: your magic to the plants, then I can call the thunder.
[14:25] Speaker 1: Peyton nodded, focusing on the burnt ground. Her horn began
[14:30] Speaker 1: to glow, shining brightly as plants and flowers erupted from
[14:35] Speaker 1: the earth around her, growing like never before. Hazel gathered
[14:40] Speaker 1: the plants in her hands and chanted a simple spell,
[14:45] Speaker 1: drawing upon the magic in the leaves and petals, and
[14:48] Speaker 1: it started to rain. Peyton found herself laughing as heavy
[14:54] Speaker 1: rain drops struck her face, increasing to a downpour, not
[14:58] Speaker 1: that the witch or the horn horse minded at all,
[15:02] Speaker 1: because the fire was smothered by the rain. When the
[15:07] Speaker 1: deluge eventually stopped, the witch grinned at Peyton, and said
[15:12] Speaker 1: we did it. Not All the people had run when
[15:16] Speaker 1: the fire started, and the few that had witnessed Peyton's
[15:20] Speaker 1: magic filling the ground around her now staggered forward, stunned,
[15:25] Speaker 1: just as Jinx and Teddy arrived. We have disrespected this place,
[15:31] Speaker 1: said a man, hanging his head in shame. There is
[15:36] Speaker 1: power here, warned Hazel, gesturing to Peyton, and you'd be
[15:41] Speaker 1: wise to remember it. It would be some time before
[15:46] Speaker 1: people would be a problem again, But it appeared that
[15:49] Speaker 1: the forest knew this. It was some time later that
[15:53] Speaker 1: Teddy found the second horned horse at the roots of
[15:56] Speaker 1: the old oak tree. Then weeks later another. What the
[16:02] Speaker 1: forest wanted was a herd of horned magical horses protecting it.
[16:07] Speaker 1: And as the years passed, the herd grew, and it
[16:11] Speaker 1: would be the humans that would give a name to
[16:14] Speaker 1: these wonderful magical creatures. They named them unicorns. Animal fact.
[16:26] Speaker 1: In the book Beware of the Cat, which is nearly
[16:29] Speaker 1: five hundred years old, it says that witches could turn
[16:33] Speaker 1: into a cat nine times. It's thought that this is
[16:37] Speaker 1: where the saying that cats have nine lives comes from.
[16:42] Speaker 1: Dogs could also be a witch's companion or familiar in
[16:45] Speaker 1: stories where they would help them with their tasks. We're
[16:50] Speaker 1: not aware of unicorns ever being a witch's familiar in
[16:53] Speaker 1: a story. They have featured in stories for over one
[16:57] Speaker 1: thousand years, usually a horse like animal, but sometimes looking
[17:03] Speaker 1: more like a goat. Thank you for your suggestion, Peyton.
[17:07] Speaker 1: We hope that you all enjoyed the story. Wherever you're
[17:10] Speaker 1: listening in the world, don't forget to look at our
[17:13] Speaker 1: animal tales books over on Amazon Great bedtime reading, especially
[17:19] Speaker 1: if you've discovered the joy of reading for yourself. Make
[17:22] Speaker 1: sure you join us next time for another great animal tale. Goodbye,

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.