Palefur began racing towards the Spire where everyone else had already passed. She was running as fast as her small legs could carry her. She needed to catch up. She wasn't going to let Jaysong have all the glory! No, she needed it too. She needed others to respect her!

As she rounded the corner, she misjudged her stride and tripped over her own paws. With a tiny squeal she was thrown into a ditch where she immediately scrambled back to her feet, even more bad tempered then before. She was never going to win now.

As Lamia approached the next part of the course, she dared to take another breath from her precious store of water. IT gave her the energy she needed to pull herself to the next part. Looking for some kind of rock in the pile with a red marking. It didn't take her too long to find and, as soon as she did, she opened her mouth as far as it would go and shoved it in, wrapping her unnaturally long tongue around it to keep it secure as she pulled herself to the next part of the race with a stone sticking out of her mouth.

Despite falling flat on his face and being interrupted by some random broad emerging from the Spire, Howl furrowed his brow in intense focus. He was pissed off to no end, of course, but he was going to try his damn hardest. No givin' up in tis bitch!

So, despite the throbbing pain and soreness in his entire face, the monkgoose stood up and pressed on to complete his second lap around the Spire.

Khloros didn't notice Astraea half-hidden in the crowd. His mind was spinning, as was his body--slowly, unsteadily--as he tried to look in bewilderment at the Gembound racing past him and around the Spire.

What was going on..?

Ayr had called him and slowly, staggering, he began to make his way toward her.

exit Khloros to this thread

"Speech." It didn't take Kal long to reach the river, though there were some in front of her. She immediately began to look for a rock with a red mark on it. It took her a moment to find it, and she was beginning to grow frustrated. Others were already moving on! Where was the rock she needed?

But finally, she managed to find it. She quickly picked it up and moved on, pushing her legs to go faster.

"Okay!" Adderstrike mewed, thoroughly unbothered, and jumped back up to her paws! Time to do this, to jump through the hole! Third time's the charm and all that!

She crouched down, wiggling her butt, focusing on the hole, before kicking off the ground, launching towards it. It was a tight fit, and she found herself hanging by her hips, but a few squirms and she was free.

The Fossa took a moment to catch his breath, before scrambling to his feet. In moments, he was scrambling up the incline again, attempting to catch up and make up for the time he had lost. And then -

BONK

he staggered, rattled, as someone stepped on the skull, sure that it would have been a lot worse for him if he hadn't been wearing the skull. He wasn't harmed, thankfully, but he was rather dazed.

Oh boy this was fun!

Uncaring or, more likely, unaware that this was a race, Max kept up a sharp trot, tongue lolling as he went, tail wagging and striking any Gembounds fool enough to come near him. He was having fun and he wanted it to be known! So he barked loudly, skipping behind some of the leaders and beginning to digdigdig through the rocks - what were they looking for?

A nearby cat - oh boy c a t! - grabbed a rock with a mark on it, and so he did the same, although it was so large it barely fit in his jaw. Without care for the straining of his jaw, he began to lope away, tail wagging. He had done a good job!

The cat bolted at full speed to get the Caves away from that dumb dog, attempting to get some space between herself and It. Her tail waved like a flag behind her, long fur billowing as she ran.

It didn't take her long to join the others at the heap of rocks, and she began to dig, her artistic eye allowing her to quickly locate the marked stone. It was grabbed between her teeth, and she darted off once more, as though it was any other stolen object, and she was getting the Caves away from the scene of the crime.

After it had regained its breath, Squick began, again, to waddle, stubby legs powering it onwards as it trundled along the path around the spire. Most creatures had already long passed it, and it was lagging behind. Some of the hosts thundered by far too close for comfort, obviously not noticing the little worm in their paths.

But, wrinkles full of determination, Squick trundled on and somehow, against all odds, was soon coming upon the next obstacle, towards the bundle of rocks, sticks and stones by the river. It could only hope that one of them was small enough to swallow!

---

When I think.