The other judge's voice rang out overhead, but Faelan paid it no mind. The words weren't directed at him, but rather, to those gathered before him. Dozens of Gembounds stared at the ivory snake, but a few eyes seemed to pass his way.
The tawny brute laid sprawled at the base of the rocks that the other judge lay coiled upon. Though technically a judge too, he wasn't acting the part for this competition. He was merely an enforcer for anyone that decided to cheat. It would be...difficult for Winter to handle some of the larger competitors, so he had volunteered to help make sure everyone played fair.

Had Faelan's mind been on the present, he might have noticed the familiar faces in the crowd. However, he was thinking of Mercurius, as was the norm these days. They had hardly ever left each other's sides before the competitions. Now, with duties to perform, they couldn't always be together.
The other lion was resting now, no doubt, Faelan thought. He'd be ready to hear how things went when he woke up though. With that thought, the lion's gilded gaze focused on the line of competitors just in time to see them take off for the first obstacle. The hurdles.

As soon as the thundering of dozens of running hooves, paws, hands and feet began though, a memory swallowed Faelan. He stared at the competitors, but he didn't see them. He saw the others, the ones before.
The jet black horse with glowing red eyes. The black and white striped equine. The roan filly. Their hooves kicked up dust that swallowed the badgered colored wolf and the black and red hybrid that ran behind them. At the rear, always at the end in fact, there had been the platypus, the poor thing.

Faelan recalled the excitement he had felt then, the youthful belief that everything was so wonderful and fantastic. He knew better now.

The lion's tufted tail flicked idly as he brooded, grazing the fresh, pink scars that criss-crossed his ribcage. His thoughts turned toward the pair that had given him them, as well as the tattered ear. The Terror of the Caves, he remembered them self-proclaiming themselves. They had certainly been a horror to him, but they were also not the only horror he'd ever seen.

By the time Faelan remembered he was supposed to be watching the race, the first contestant was already rushing across the finish line. The lion shook off the unsettling memories, his blonde tresses rustling, and focused on the few Gembounds that came in after the fossa. He noticed that some had fallen out of the race completely, and, as his gaze slid toward the hurdles, some hadn't made it past even the first obstacle.

A particularly tiny, crumbled figure caught Faelan's attention. It lay beneath a set of hurdles, apparently forgotten in all of the commotion. Worry raced through the lion, urging him to his massive paws. He padded forward quickly, ignoring the announcement of the winners.
Whenever he reached the little magpie, he did a quick sniff to make sure it was still alive. Since it still felt warm, and it was still breathing, he sensed it was okay.

Faelan regarded the fragile Gembound for a moment before deciding on how to pick it up. He placed his right forepaw beside it, and then gently nudged it into his grasp with his nose. Once it was secure in his paw, he curled it close to his chest and then slowly limped back to his place beside the rock pile.

He would wait for Mercurius to wake up, and find him, Faelan thought as he gently set the magpie down. If the Gembound wasn't awake by then, perhaps the other lion could help it. Even though he was certain in Mercurius, Faelan kept his eyes on the bird as he laid down beside it. He had already failed one thing today, he didn't want to fail another.

[EXIT]