Mongo took a moment to catch his breath, before laboriously clambering to his paws. Shaking his head, he finally managed to clamber up the incline, digging his claws in. And then he was off, loping around the Spire frustratedly.

He was determined to, at the least, finish the race.

"Speech."Kallista was quick to pick herself back up. She still had this course to finish! She just had to tap this rock to the boulder and then make a dash for the finishing line. She was almost done. She could do this!

But even with that thought, she tripped again. This time the rock did fall, and she did scowl. She quickly picked it back up - if someone trampled on it she'd never finish! - and prepared to try again. After a little break.

Mercurius accidentally broadcasted his thinly-veiled disgruntlement at such a response, but otherwise did not return the call or even allow the mental link to continue. It cut off abruptly. Moonlit eyes looked away from Pride, instead turning toward the race. Two competitors had crossed the line, rather close on one another's tails; ironically, both were cats. The little black one had crossed first, while the calico had crossed second.

While awaiting the third runner's arrival, the old storyteller tried visibly --- and failed --- to relax somewhat. He lounged slightly, forelimbs folded and sprawled in front of himself. Mercy's tail flicked to and fro, his flanks stuttering as he breathed. He glanced sidelong at Pride as he came up to the post, then at Khloros, resting.

"Just let me see who comes into third, Pride, and then I will tell you."

ROUND 6 HAS BEGUN!

Jaysong has crossed the finish line into first place, while Calypso has come into second place! The race is still on to claim third place, guys!

Currently, it's a toss-up between Rift, Squick, Lamia, and Max!

@Rift @Huckleberry @Kallista @Squick @Max @Adderstrike @Howl @Palefur @Lamia @Mongo

And, for actual interaction purposes: @Pride

If Howl didn't find his dang rock in the next five minutes, he was going to piss his own ass.

So, piss his own ass he did.

With a frustrated screech, the hybrid hurled the mark-free rock that was presently in his hand --- possibly hitting some poor, unsuspecting Gembound --- and tore off in the opposite direction of, well, everything. Howl didn't even spare a hate-fueled glance back to the racing crowd. He was done and he was gonna go soothe his manic fury with some sneak-thievery.

;exit howl (forfeit!)

The worm could see the finish line! Despite the weight in its stomach, it ran like it had never run before. Still, it was only a worm, with a terribly slow movement speed and an awfully full belly. It soon found itself tiring, and slowing, and really, it was amazing that it had gotten this far.

Surely it wouldn't make it to the end in time to cross the finish line?

Everyone else was almost there, all of them with longer legs and less weight (relative to body size) to carry than little Squick.

It would need a miracle.

...but then, that miracle arrived. Or more accurately, it struck the parasite in the form of a large stone flung by the monkey hybrid. The stone bounced, hitting the little worm with its momentum flinging Squick forward with violent speed. With no other choice, Squick clung to the stone for dear life, letting out a piping "eeeeeeee" as it sailed over the finish line.

As the rock tumbled to a halt, Squick let go of the rock, wobbling and swaying, before promptly vomiting up its red-marked pebble onto the mossy ground. It looked around, blinking with wide, dazed eyes. Had it done it? Had it gotten to the end?

---

When I think.

As soon as Rift turned around to begin racing towards the finish, he realized that two had already crossed the finish line. He put on a burst of speed and almost went plowing right into the field of flowers in the final sprint. Almost.

As soon as he realized where is course was going, he skidded to a halt, his momentum causing him to stumble and fall out of the way. He pitched forward with a cry and fell just short of the flower field. He breathed a sigh of relief. At least had hadn't smashed any flowers.

It took a moment for Huckleberry to find the stone that he had dropped and he immediately leaped forward and scooped it into his mouth. He'd already wasted enough time and by the time he got to the Spire, he had fallen behind even more. He raised a claw and tagged it before turning away, getting ready for his final sprint.

Now with the rock in her mouth, Pale reached the Spire once again, tripping over pebbles and stones along the way. She managed to reach out and touch the crystal, but there was no hope for her placing anymore. Oh well.

Lamia hastened towards the end of the race, daring to take another breath. But she felt a twinge of fear when she realized that, in her haste, she'd finished the last of the water she had collected before the race. She sped up, no longer really caring if she placed or not. She just had to get to the water. Get to the river.

She passed the finish line but didn't stop there, pushing her way forward and moving her tail to and fro until she reached the edge of the river. Without hesitation, she dunked herself in, feeling the scales on her tail burn from where they had been scraping against the stone floor. She, finally, released her retention spell and breathed in water as deep as she could, feeling relief and pleasure as she was filled with the cool, clean water of Polaris's river.

Once she had had her fill, she crawled back to the edge of the water and dragged out the top part of her body, keeping her gills underneath so that she could watch the end of the race and see who had won while still being able to breath evenly.

The Golden Retriever wriggled about on his back, until he finally toppled over, landing on his side. From there, it was a matter of flailing his paws until he got to his feet, tail wagging and looking around. The rock still in his teeth, he trotted down to the finish line, head high, happy boof's spilled out from his throat.