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Migratory birds- Chapter 3- Part 1

Contest

by kodayu

Note! Continued from chapter 2, Part 2!

It was still early morning, the sun was lingering close to the horizon like it could not decide itself to raise fully into the sky. Its warmth was nothing but a promise yet which might never be fulfilled but at least it had gotten bright enough to illuminate the forest. Mist was still everywhere, whitish scraps of cold moisture floating in between the trunks like the Spirits might have done when the world had still been young. But now these rather seemed to be the restless ghosts of men and women long forgotten who had been visiting the surface for the night, now desperately trying to find baack to their graves. However the strange vapors did not seem to disappear and as there was no wind at all, which would had hardly reached the inside of the wood anyway, there was no chance the mist would vanish soon. It drifted about and covered the plants and the trees with tiny drops of water which would gather slowly and finally fall down, creating a faint but noticeable shower whose sound was like the chimes of small silver bells muffled by a thick, soft cloth. This was just rarely interrupted by some bird who chirped unknowingly that a war was about to take place, right beneath the foliage, between the undergrowth of fern, bushes and young trees and the rocks, fallen trunks and small rivulets of dew which formed everywhere.

And they came...

The hard sound of many feet on the ground chased away even the smallest crawler[1](%5C). Breaking wood, jumping into puddles, over fallen trunks, the rustle of leaves being pushed aside by the contestants until the weak branches were torn off and the slower ones could pass by much more easily while the leading ones were running almost side by side, hardly caring about the path they were supposed to follow and suddenly the group split apart, ran different ways, everyone searching for his own way that should offer him better conditions. They were still running along the path but now they were jumping over the rocks at its side, dashed around the trunks and through the undergrowth like a powerful wave that crushed everything in its way.

Grand Leaf was first, his powerful, noisy steps pushed him forward faster than any of his competitors and with stunning agility he was jumping over all the obstacles in his way so that he barely touched the ground anymore, he rather flied than ran at all and there was a broad grin on his face because he was certain that his advance would separate him from most of his opponents long before these would become dangerous to him. He was so certain about his victory that he almost did think about the race as a contest anymore: It was just fun!

Thunder was almost right behind him, but unlike the smaller pony who was rushing through the undergrowth he had chosen the path. His long, slender legs were taking him much further than the pony's did but on the other hand he had to take care of falling because it would mean a serious injury for sure. The knowledge about this fuelled the anger he already felt for the smaller pony. He hated him for being first, for being in front of him right now, but there was no way Grand Leaf would win. He would take care of that.

MacLezt and Pendulum ran side by side like a couple of strange twins.

The ram proved to be very agile as everyone had expected him to be, there was never any doubt about where he would put his feet and even when he placed it onto a loose stone he was already off again before the stone had had any chance to move. He had screwed up his eyes and constantly eyed his surroundings, looking out for Thunder who got visible sometimes in between the trees, Grand Leaf whose tail fluttered in the wind before them and most especially for the boar at his side who was surprisingly able to keep up with him despite his youth. In an attempt to shake off the boar, MacLezt accelerated and the boar really did fall back but although he tried to get rid of him, the boar kept up his surprising speed and followed close behind, the noise of his heaving feet echoing in the ram's ears.

Jumping through some bushes the ram decided that this pig would lack the endurance if he already possessed so much stunning speed for a pig. But something inside him doubted that possibility and he gritted his teeth and tried his luck again.

Pendulum noticed the ram's attempt to get rid of him and although he was already running at the limit of his possibilities, he had to keep up with this damn bastard of a goat if he wanted to have any chance at all. Maybe he should have had taken this more seriously, maybe he should have trained more, but most certainly he should had explored this damn way. Why did they have to run through this damn forest at all? Why not around the village?

Big Wheel was next. He had chosen a way rather far above the path, a crest of rocks alongside the path down below. Thus he had the total overview of the other runners while his legs and feet almost ran on by themselves. There was no way he would loose, he just could not.

Fistle, Tzerska and Gynes were running as a group with the fox as their leader. They were simply following the path which Fistle used in a tunning manner, he slipped on the wet earth like he would stumble in the very next moment but he never did. He swirled around the curves of the path like gliding upon ice, sometimes even stabilizing himself with his paws but he never fell because he used the momentum to drive himself forward. The small bells on his clothes chimed constantly with a bright, high sound. He grinned.

It felt good to finally do what he had been training for weeks. He saw the wolf running on the crest and a smile flickered over his face as he knew what this meant for him but he had no chance at all, just like all the others. Maybe he was not such a good runner like those but he still had a card up his sleeve and most importantly it was running right behind him.

Gynes did not feel well at all. From the very first moment he had known that he had no chance. As a beaver his legs were much too short and much too weak to compete with the natural born runners such as Thunder and Big Wheel. As the Big Three would have accepted a winner from another family...!

He grunted while he panted for breath. He was still in the race, he was still doing it and his family could still be proud about that and most of all he would be a winner anyway. If they knew that he'd bring home some money no matter the result of this damn race, they would be happy. He jumped, almost fell down when Fistle in front of him slipped around yet another trunk and for an instant he cursed himself for being so stupid to follow the fox.

Tzerska observed the two youngsters almost with amusement. His chest was already burning due to the lack of air and his legs hurt but the rabbit did not feel anything different than grim satisfaction. It felt good to run again, even though he had no chance to win. Most certainly every furr in the village would crack jokes about him. But did they understand anyway?

Did they understand that this was all about to honor the Spirits? Even the priest did not seem to be very enthusiastic when he had prayed for the blessing of the race and the contestants of whom one would become the next Jurnea, humble servant of the Spirits in the village, did they value that anymore? Didn't they value that the last member of a clan who had been one of the most important in town once, still ran? It was foolishness to believe they cared about him and he ran on smiling because he knew that the Spirits would once value his enthusiasm differently.

It hurt to run, it hurt to be alive and it hurt to sat his foot onto the ground. The vole was tired, he wanted to sleep, just to rest for a moment. But instead he was running through the bushes and the fern which were constant slaps into his face and maybe because he was used to these he didn't care much about this, unlike the ache in his sore limbs. He had no chance to win but he could not give up. The unfamiliar expression of pride in the eyes of his father, mother, brothers and sisters when he had declared that he would run was all he needed to keep on moving. With every step he made they had a reason to be proud of him and for a moment he was distracted by the thought of being the first runner of his family in years.

Achasta the first in a row of voles who dared to challenge the Big Three...!

This short moment was all it needed to miss the large, gnarled root in between his legs. With a cry he fell down.

He was so surprised by the shadow suddenly jumping up from behind him that he cried once more and was still busy doing that when the panting lynx was already kneeling in front of him.

"Y'alrite?" the feline asked, trying to catch his breath.

Somehow instinctively the vole nodded. "Just... sprained," he mumbled, holding his left ankle.

"'kay!" the lynx stated shortly, trying to catch his breath. "Can y'tell me where the fuckin' path is?"

Achasta just pointed into the direction of it and then the lynx was already back on his feet, yelled a hoarse "Thanks!" and then he had already disappeared in between the bushes and there was nothing but the rustle of the leaves left which closed behind him.

He gulped, blinked, staring at the bushes where the feline had gone through because he was still somehow overcome by the sudden appearance of him. He sat on the ground, neither caring about the race anymore nor noticing the pain in his ankle. Instead his mind raced as he tried to figure where he had seen that one before. Did he attend the race? Was he one of the contestants? He had been there during the start, right? Hadn't this lynx even been in front of him for a while? So he did attend the race!

But why did he ask for the path? Had he lost himself? That could not be! This had to be some kind of a joke! But he had been there, right? Or hadn't he? Was some lynx running? Wasn't Mlala running? What was going on...?

Thoughtfully he shook his head and then clumsily got back onto his feet, rising from the dirty ground. His feet hurt terribly when he tried to put his weight on it. Slowly he started to limp back to the town. The race had claimed its first victim.

At the top the battle had begun.

Grand Leaf dashed forward as fast as he could when he heard the powerful steps of the stag approaching. The pony knew damn well what this meant and now all of his self-confidence was swept away by this potential threat.

Thunder accelerated and when he noticed the pony accelerating as well a grin flitted over his face for a moment as he was sure to be in control of the speed now, the pony would do anything to outrun him and thus Thunder would soon be able to drive him to exhaustion. It was a hunt and it was starting to be fun.

MacLezt did not notice the disappearance of his rivals at once. For a while he was convinced that they were just hidden somewhere behind the bushes and trunks but then there was a small piece of straight way and then he had to realize that they had accelerated. But he would not do that. It would exhaust him much too soon.

Pendulum noticed it too. But he had to keep to MacLezt, even though he wanted to catch up with the two leading racers.

With a crash Big Wheel broke through the branches of a tree right in front of the ram and the boar. With the jump he had left the crest as it was about to end and now he chose the path as well. He had leaped forward and when he attired the ground his legs were already driving him forward again. Mud splashed all around when he hit the ground and then he already dashed on and this was just the opportunity Pendulum had been waiting for and he ran past the ram, trying to catch up with the wolf, leaving the ram behind.

Fistle slipped around a boulder, his feet hit against the ground and threw him out of the momentum so that his slender vulpine body was hurled forwards again so that he could just see like Big Wheel disappeared in front of him, the panting boar following him as well as he could, leaving the ram behind. This was maybe the first chance for him and he was certain about using it. He accelerated and just waved his hand at the beaver when he went past him.

This was all that Gynes needed. He hesitated for a moment as there was still this damn rabbit behind him and he slowed down a little bit to let the old man get past him. Then he ran after him.

The fox was much too fast and Tzerska knew that. They would be exhausted even before they would reach the Tacolar Tree. As if he cared. Maybe he was not the best runner himself but he knew how to use his energy and in the end he knew that such foolishness did not pay off. Even the old rabbit ran past him but he did not mind, he was totally concentrated and his chance would come as soon as they would start the spurt.

MacLezt did not even realize what happened when he was suddenly taken off his feet. The blow had been powerful enough to kick him out of his boots and he flew through the air and hit the muddy ground with a cry which he was not meant to finish as yet another kick knocked him down and this time it had been hard enough to slam his head against the earth and he dropped unconscious even before he had realized what was going on.

Unlike the ram Grand Leaf had noticed the attack right from the start and with a jump he escaped Thunder's arms closing in on him. He was accelerating even more and he could feel the hiss of the bigger stag right behind him. Thunder breathed hard but now he was taking advantage of his size and with every step he got closer to the pony. Grand Leaf could feel the fear crawling up his neck, fuelling him with greater strength. The exhaustion he had started to feel earlier wore off instantly and he dashed off just to get out of the stag's range who followed him, not even accelerating a bit, patiently waiting for the pony to get tired. The small bell around his neck chimed lightly. His chest hurt like it withheld hell itself and now he had to realize that he had no chance keeping up with the wolf while Pendulum fell behind bit by bit. But he just had to follow the path, didn't he? He gritted his teeth and slowed down a little bit. He was not vanquished yet. That was for sure! He still had his capacities.

All of a sudden Fistle left the path, surprising Tzerska when he jumped over a fallen trunk and dashed off, splashing mud all over the rabbit who just ran by on the path. Tzerska could not help but wonder what the fox was up to. Was there a short-cut? He had never heard about any. The ground got swampy deeper inside the wood so even though the path was making a large turn it was the only way to get past these areas. Or wasn't it?

Gynes' legs were as heavy as lead and he was panting like a broken steam engine but he was still running despite feeling like a ship swaying in a storm. But he had to go on, there was still something he had to do... Just one more thing and although his blurred vision, the blood pounding his ears, the ache in his lungs and all the other pains he suffered from he tried to run on as fast as he was able to. There was just one more, just one more...

Big Wheel had been running all by himself, steadily and well controlled but when the fox suddenly broke through the bushes right in front of him he was not just startled for a moment. That fucking vulpine had just gotten past a swampy area without even wetting his feet which could just mean that he had taken precautions, that he was just about... Fury flashed through the darkness of his mind and with a growl the wolf accelerated. This won't be a repeat of last year! With all his strength he tried to catch up with the fox.

Fistle could feel Big Wheel behind him and he wished he had had the option not to reappear right in front of the wolf but now that the growl of the bigger canine was getting through to him, he had just one chance left: Running faster!

Meanwhile the contest at the top was about to climax. Just as Thunder had expected Grand Leaf had fled much to instinctively and had exhausted himself despite his equine stamina. But the panic had been too much and now the chime of Thunder's small bell got closer and closer while Grand Leaf got less and less air into his nostrils, he felt like suffocating and he breathed so hard that it hurt much more than anything he could remember in this moment. But still the chime was driving him on while the forest around him seemed to narrow, concentrating to a single vanishing point in front of him where the Tacolar Tree was supposed to be. It could not be very far anymore.

Gynes' approach had been very clumsy and even though the ram was not that attentive there had been no chance he could not have noticed the beaver trying to assault him from behind. But the punch was misdirected and the beaver was rather stumbling forward than attacking seriously. With a growl Tzerska rammed his elbow backwards and hit the beaver's belly.

"Not with me, lad!"

With a casual kick in the crotch the beaver was sent to the ground, moaning in pain while the ram ran on, whispering a curse.

Gynes coughed, tried to catch his breath while holding his sex which hurt like it had been crushed. He writhed on the ground, moaning and equally trying to fight the pain as well as the feeling of his failure.

The bell was gone and the wood got lighter. The Tacolar Tree had to be right in front of him. His eyes widened in relief and he wanted to run a little bit faster again but he was not meant to do that.

He cried out when the stag joined in on him. Thunder had silenced the bell around his neck and thus the pony had had no chance to hear his approach.

With a jump the stag was above the equine and Grand Leaf did just percept the shadow above him when Thunder was attacking. The boot hit him right in his face and the impact was so hard that it threw him backwards while Thunder attired and spun around with a kick and before Grand Leaf reached the ground the heavy boot hit him once more, threw his head around, blood shot from his muzzle and a desperate neigh escaped his throat. Then Grand Leaf slammed onto the ground. Thunder kicked the writhing pony several times until he showed nothing but instinctive twitching anymore and then, heavily panting, the stag turned around and ran on. The Tacolar Tree was close by, he had no time to loose.

Fistle was running at maximum speed and so did Big Wheel right behind him. The trees and bushes shot past them, they broke through the undergrowth with such a speed that they did not even feel the branches slapping them anymore. Their breaths were nothing but hiss in between their gritted teeth.

Sweat dropped from their foreheads and they could feel like their limbs started to ache but no one would give in now and with a howl the fox accelerated even more and the wolf followed behind. The forest was clearing and they would not give up now.

The path in front of him was like a blurred pattern which danced in front of his eyes but even though he had worn himself out earlier he had still enough power to go on. There was something kicking in and his clumsy, big feet seemed to loose all of their weight and even though he could hardly think straight anymore, he was running on like he had done before. His paws had closed to fists: He was a boar and he would not give in that easily. Especially now that he got closer to the tree.

They broke through the last line of trees, blinded by the sunlight for a moment but they did not stop and just ran on although they did not see anything but blurred green spots. But they knew that the large one in the middle had to be the Tacolar Tree and that was what they were heading for, no matter what it looked like. But soon they noticed the smaller brown spot in front of the tree and they could not help but wonder what it was until they had gotten close enough (their eyes getting back to normal as well) to recognize Thunder who desperately tried to climb the trunk.

"What...?" Fistle blurred out and hit the breaks. Big Wheel stopped right next to him and they looked at the tree whose lower branches had all been cut off.

"Who did this?" Fistle cried out, not able to believe that the branches which had been there the day before were all gone.

With an angry grunt the stag was desperately trying to climb the tree but although the tree was pretty gnarled, the moist and slick bark offered absolutely no handhold at all. So the small bough they were expected to carry to the village seemed to be beyond their reach.

With a howl the fox suddenly jumped at the bark, tried to find a hold but then instantly fell down again.

"This is no use!" Wheel yelled, observing the attempts of Fistle and Thunder but the two did not stop.

Heavily panting Pendulum reached the tree as well and dropped to the ground, not caring for the tree or all the other contestants assembled there. He was just trying to catch his breath and the others did not notice him as well.

"We got to work together!" Wheel said aloud but the stag just glared at him (he had not even been able to find a single foothold for one of his large feet) while Fistle went on, jumping at the tree like he had not even heard Wheel's proposal.

Meanwhile Tzerska reached the tree too and the old rabbit eyed the four young men carefully. "Who did that pony?" he cried out, glaring at his competitors.

"Me!" Thunder suddenly stopped his senseless attempts to climb the tree, turned towards the rabbit and stepped closer.

"Aren't you ashamed?" Tzerska yelled. "To injure a competitor in such a manner! The Spirits will never accept such a behavior!"

"What do you want to say, dirtbag?" Thunder stepped even closer, glaring at the much smaller rabbit.

But Tzerska did not seem to be impressed at all. He just glared at the stag too who was now nothing but a foot from the older man. "I want to say you do not even deserve running at all," Tzerska replied coldly.

Thunder put on a pitiful, cynical grin. "As you had to say anything about this."

"Oh, yes! I'll take care that you will not win this race for sure," the rabbit hissed.

"I want to see that." And he clenched his #fist and motionlessly they stared at one another.

The three other ones had stopped and observed them, knowing that an outburst was at hand.

The small shape dashed past them with such speed that it almost threw them to the ground but then he was already jumping at the tree, his hands slipped from the moist surface for a moment but then his claws duck deeply into the bark and he got a hold and he seemed to run up the tree on all fours, jumping at the lowest branch, getting a hold at it. It broke and he let go of it, attired, rolled over. The branch fell down where he had been an instant before but he was already on his feet again, tore off a small bough and then he dashed away without even looking up at anyone of them.

The five men stared after the lynx.

"What the fuck was that...?" Pendulum mumbled.

Fistle was the first one to get back to normal: He jumped at the broken branch, tore off a small bough as well and then ran off as well, running after the lynx as fast as he could.

This had been the sign for the others to do the same and they all got their branch of the Tacolar Tree within no time and joined the race again, heading for the village with all their power.

Now they were all close together, the hammering of their feet on the hollow ground was like distant thunder getting closer.

They jumped over, passed one another just for an instant until the rest caught them again. Like an avalanche they rushed through the forest, that blurred around them. Thunder jumped as powerfully as he could, hindered by the others; Wheel was right beside him, running as steadily as ever; Fistle, sometimes in front of, sometimes between them, slipped over the ground, using his smaller size as his biggest advantages against his bigger rivals, slipping through them whenever he could; Pendulum tried to find a way to push himself through this wall of bodies, to get his teeth into the wolf or the stag, to hold onto that one until the goal, while Tzerska run after them, his eyes narrowed and suddenly very eager no to let them get away, to show them all. But despite their differences they all had one thing in mind: To catch up with this damn lynx!

And there he was: He was not as fast as they would have expected, he was not running as fast as the others did.

Thunder was the first one to reach him and the much bigger stag was jumping at the feline with a broad grin. But this one just jumped up and Thunder was pouncing nothing at all.

In the very last moment he was able to prevent his fall, but he stumbled and almost ran into a bush, taking him precious time as Wheel accelerated in the very same instant and passed by him, trying to cover some distance before the stag was up again. But this one gritted his teeth and dashed away, no longer caring about the lynx. His major opponent was Wheel and he could not waste his time with such a looser as the feline.

Fistle accelerated too, trying to get past the deer but he was inattentive for a moment, distracted by the sudden disappearance of the lynx. He could just feel like someone grabbed his belt and tore at it and before he was able to react he lay on the ground, his muzzle hurting, his entire body covered with mud and the boar jumped over him, as did the old rabbit while he was just busy trying to understand what had happened. But then he gritted his teeth and the adrenaline kicked in and he was up in no time and dashed away, his teeth gritted and cursing the boar.

He did not notice the lynx swinging down from a branch again and running

after the rest.

With a cry the fox run forward and the boar turned around just to see Fistle getting closer and closer. He tried to accelerated but his heavy feet were no longer able to carry him much faster. Fear crept into his mind while he tried to activate the last bits of strength that remained to him but he was exhausted and he could not deny the ache in his chest. But he did run faster, he ran as fast as he could but it was not sufficient as he could hear the cry when the fox jumped forward.

Wheel could feel Thunder in his back, he was like a large boulder that rolled down the path and would crush him when he would slow down. But he could hear the stag whose heavy body let the ground drone beneath his feet unlike his own steps who were light and silent. And the stag was still accelerating! And so did Wheel.

It was almost too easy: A simple kick in the back and the boar was on the ground. With a cry the boar went down and Fistle made sure that he stomped onto his head when running over him. But the fox also noticed that Thunder and Wheel had disappeared and that there was no time to loose with revenge.

Meanwhile Pendulum stumbled to his feet and with wavering steps he started to walk again. His head was spinning and his brain hammered painfully against the shell of his skull but he was standing and he was running and he stumbled forward. He did not even notice how Tzerska passed by. He was busy to reach the goal as fast as he could.

It was like a stitch in his right leg and it was not very painful at all but it was all that he needed to feel: He was asking for too much.

But he could not allow himself to slow down. Breathing was getting more and more difficult and slowly he started to realize that the stag right behind him was not the one he had to overcome.

Thunder was hardly caring about his exhaustion. He was snorting and puffing, his jaw ached because he gritted his teeth so powerfully, sweat flowed down his chest like a river that carried his power along but the only thing he was able to see was the stiff tail of the wolf in front of him. There was so little space in between it and his hand, it was almost within reach.

Tzerska inhaled and the stream of air cut into lungs like a knife.

He was already running slower and although he tried to ignore the voice in his head that shouted at him that the race was lost he did not give up. Maybe he would not be able to show the youngsters what this was all about, maybe he could not have won anyway, but he was finishing this in pride. That was for sure!

Like a brown flash the small feline passed by the rabbit and the old man noticed that he had already forgotten about this one. Maybe this race would not end as expected!? A smile flickered round his lips.

Every breath of the stag sounded like a growl and sweat dropped from the wolf's frowns and it was not only sweat from his exhaustion. He glided around yet another corner and hissed in anger as neither the deer, nor the wolf had gotten visible. He was trembling, his limbs feeling like being about to consume themselves but then he pushed himself off the ground again and for a short moment he even enjoyed the power of the momentum driving him forward, the air rushing by his head, drying his sweat but just until he noticed the brown figure in the corner of his eyes and before he had even properly seen him he knew that it had to be the lynx.

The echo of the bell was driving him crazy, it sounded in his ears like the cry of a bird of prey whose claws were scratching at his skull. His legs were getting heavier and heavier and this stag behind him was still where he had been all the time.

When sound of the bell suddenly subsided Wheel was almost grateful for a moment.

Fistle feigned a punch and the lynx had almost instantly jumped to the side as if he had not even been at the fox' side at all. But the feline suddenly found himself on the edge of the path, on insecure ground and he was falling behind the fox for a moment and had to catch up again.

The stag attired right in front of him, pushing himself off a trunk and spinning around to kick. The wolf ducked and with a growl jumped forward, his elbow heading for the deer's chest.

His blood ran instinctively cold when he heard the hoarse snarl from behind and he jumped forward to escape the lynx' arms, grabbing for him. Despite his agility the feline was slightly faster and got hold of his tail and with a yelp the fox was pulled to the ground where the lynx already lay.

His elbow hit the chest and the stag stumbled against the trunk behind him but it stopped him and instinctively he lowered his head and dashed forward.

The lynx hold onto his legs and he tried to get hold at a root to get away. But the feline was much stronger than he would ever had imagined and he tried to kick and shake himself and then with all his power he was able to push himself off and roll over so that the lynx lost his grip and then the fox kicked as powerfully as he could.

Wheel jumped, attired on the stag's back and rolled down, hitting the ground, hitting a stone with his face and then he just heard something behind him and he rolled over when the stag reached him again. Thunder tried to get him with his antlers but the wolf was once again faster and rolled away just in time but now the stag transformed his dash into a kick.

He did not hit anything. He just saw the lynx above him, jumping with all fours and then he landed right upon him and started to thrash at his chest and another chill ran down his spine when Fistle heard like his shirt was torn apart by claws.

Wheel was pushed over, the kick hitting his head and he fell down. A cough tore through his chest and when he inhaled his chest whistled like a tea kettle. That was just the sign his opponent needed to attack again but the wolf just threw his arm upwards and his fist sunk deep into the stag's stomach.

The lynx was slashing around with his claws like a ball of razors, totally uncontrolled and in panic Fistle hit all around himself, kicked and then hurled his knee upwards, hitting the feline right into his crotch, so powerfully that no male could possibly take that.

Thunder stumbled backwards, trying to catch his breath, to overcome the pain and mindlessly he threw his arms around, got hold of the wolf and hurled him aside. But this one just rolled over and was back on his feet jumping at the stag with a howl.

It hit his face like liquid fire, blood poured up from the cut and he was completely startled, but then a fist was incoming and everything went black.

The wolf landed on the stag back, grabbing the larger deer with his arms and Thunder instinctively tried to shake Wheel off. But the wolf was holding on too strongly and even though he was thrown about by Thunder's movements he did not let go. A painful cry escaped the stag when the teeth of the wolf sunk into his shoulder and he spun around in total panic and this time the wolf crashed into a bush and lost his grip. But he was instantly back on his feet and with a howl he jumped at the stag once more and this time a precise kick into the face sent the larger deer to the ground where he lay trembling, shaking, coughing, staring at the wolf in utter terror, unable to move, just staring at the wolf's yellow eyes.

The wolf growled a last time and then he spun around and run away, leaving the terrorized stag behind who was just trembling anymore. Breathing hurt as did his legs and his head was droning because of the blow of the stag he had received. But he ran on.

Leaves and branches were torn off, rustled like a storm when the lynx rushed around a corner and reached the path again, just behind the wolf who did not even have the time to wonder about that. Then the feline was dashing away again, pushing himself off on all fours and not getting up until he had joined up with the wolf.

They were running side by side, they got closer to the town. The path was broad enough there.

The wolf tried to get a look at the lynx but the only thing he could percept was the strain and the shimmering of the dark eyes and the sweat beneath the totally messy hair. His teeth were gritted and he was breathing hard and the wolf had to realize that he had to look very much the same.

Exhaustion waved through his body, tore at his limbs hard as steel, pulled at them, threatened to tear them apart at any time. But he fought on against the hardening, forcing his legs to move and tense again and again. Every muscle was getting as heavy as lead and as stiff as steel, it cost him every effort to force them to keep on moving.

Wheel tried to focus his blurred vision and took a look at his opponent: This fur was unmistakable, the light brown fur with some gray hairs here and there and especially the much darker markings on the back. It was not a dream, he was running against a feline. And in this moment this one turned his head too and their eyes met for a short moment although the wolf did not see anything but the shimmer of the slanting eyes which seemed to be a reflection of his own.

The lynx turned away, gritted his teeth so strongly that his entire muzzle quivered and he accelerated.

He was so heavily panting that he started coughing, he had to reduce his speed just to catch his breath again and in this precise moment the lynx passed by him.

The wolf's feet mechanically kept going on while he stared at the lynx who was now in front of him. He could hear his heavy breath and it was almost painful just to look at the tensed muscles of the lynx' legs.

Wheel wondered how he could still keep on running so fast. Even though he was not much faster than Wheel, he was just fast enough to become first.

And Wheel knew that the very moment the lynx had passed him. Somehow this feline had the will to keep on running, to win. He could hear his breath.

Wheel tried to keep up with the lynx, although sweat was constantly flowing down his forehead. It had already wet his entire back's fur and the salty fluid stuck so tightly to his skin that it felt like he would suffocate sooner or later. So he breathed even more heavily until his hurting lungs sounded like a screaming steam engine which would blow up in the next few minutes.

The forest thinned out, they were approaching the town now.

Every fiber of his body hurt, every limb, every muscle and every sinew. Beside his legs, which shot new pain throughout his spine whenever they hit the ground, his stomach hurt like its muscles had turned to separate plates of steel which scratched on each other and if he would fall down they would pierce through his innards and he would died the very same instant.

But he kept on, he didn't even see anymore but he didn't have to after all. The salty scent of lynx' sweat was strong enough for him so that he would even had found him in perfect darkness. He just had to follow the trace of salty, slightly sweet scent and this bopping light brown spot in front of him.

Something happened and he didn't even realize it. Maybe he was thinking about Shannanah, maybe he wasn't even thinking anymore, just his legs stretched and he dashed forward when the flash of adrenaline broke through him. Stars exploded in front of his eyes, he could taste iron in his mouth, but then suddenly he was at the lynx' side and he was looking right at his angular, cramped face.

"Hey!" he shouted. It hurt even more than breathing. "Hey!"

The lynx did not react. A silver pendant swung wildly around his neck. Sweat was dripping from the strands of his hair and onto his muzzle.

"You..." Wheel could feel a stitch in his side. If the lynx did not give in he was lost. "...you... run..." He had to gasp for breath. "...you just... run... for... the money, don't you?" Suddenly he could feel something in between his legs and he was stumbling but he got back his equilibrium and thus caught with to the lynx.

"What d'y'want?" The lynx' hoarse voice was nothing but a short hiss in between his gritted teeth. He was panting equally heavily.

"You... can get..." Wheel gasped. "...the money. Just let me... win! I don't... care 'bout the money."

"I win anyway!" The lynx tried to speed up.

"I give you more!" Wheel shouted in a sudden urge of panic. "I'll give you fifteen... if you just let me win this damn..." Wheel gasped. "...race!"

The lynx did not react, he just ran on. But then a single drop of sweat flowed down from his nose, along his muzzle, over his lips and then disappeared below it before it reappeared just when he gulped. "'kay!" he panted. "But if y'shitten me... I'll finish you off."

"Whatever... you... want!" Wheel assured him and in the very next moment the lynx already fell behind. He ran considerably more slowly and before Wheel's mind had fully grasped it, he was already in lead.

He ran on. He just ran on. Everything was reduced to this green tunnel through which he was running, there was some vanishing point in front of him, a spot of light at the end which was getting closer. He didn't feel anything anymore. His body was gone somehow, there was just this spot of light left, a free space between the trunks which he didn't recognize as trunks anymore. They were just bars which held him captive and the light was the freedom beyond. He was running as fast as he could and he could feel like it was getting closer but it didn't seem that way. It felt different, wrong. He wasn't approaching it. Shadows passed by as he moved on, he was still moving but he didn't get there.

The beating of his heart was the only sound left. It beat in slow motion like it had given up working, it refused to beat faster, it had given in to the exhaustion. His heart pounded as slowly as it could.

The trees burst apart, blinding light came in, cool wind almost swirling around, new brown spots, shouting people, crying, cheering, howling, buildings flashed by, broke in and were condensed to tiny lines of gray and brown, flashing, sparkling lights, more cheers, more cries, more howling, feet hit the hard ground of a street, blows through the entire body, swirling scents, a last flash of pain, a gasping howl and he hurled himself around a corner, his feet were searching for grip, he kicked against the ground, threw his body around, left behind a cloud of dusty earth as he dashed forward again and then he flew to this huge tree, taken there by his own momentum and he hit the rough bark with his hand, smashing the small bough he had been carrying all the time and the sound could be heard throughout the whole town until it transformed into cries and deafening applause.

She smiled at him and he blinked because he desired to see her more clearly but he couldn't. He could just percept so much that he understood that she was smiling. She seemed to say something but he could not understand her. He was so happy to see his love's face...

"Get him back onto his feet or he'll die from exhaustion!" the old man shouted and instantly Searcher and Blade grabbed their unfortunate brother and pulled him to his feet and Shannanah had just been trying to speak to him.

They hold the limp wolf boy in between them on his arms. And somehow this method showed some effect at least he was able to put something like a smile onto his face when he believed to recognize his wife's face but when he was taken up it transformed into the face of his sister and he blinked and stared at her without understanding that change.

"You damn fool!" his father cried, his silver hair waved around his happy face. "You know how to frighten your family." And he poked him so that his son coughed painfully. His mother said nothing as usual. But she smiled at least.

"As soon as he can walk, get him in!" the old man ordered. He was sitting on the lawn around the Spirits' oak with Uncle Gem and slowly the two old wolves got onto their feet. "I want him inside as soon as possible!" And the old man turned around and walked back towards the sawmill, through the many people which had gathered around the wolf's clan, trying to get a look a the winner.

Wheel blinked and now he was finally realizing how many people had gathered around him. Almost the whole clan was there, except for the women, of course. And behind them there were the other people, the stags, the foxes and all the other.

"Now, now!" The armadillo priest stepped forward, non to gently pushing some of the wolves aside. His old blood dyed cloak was waving around his strange shell. His necklaces and fetishes clicked as he got closer. With those black eyes of his which hid deeply in between the scales he focussed the wolf boy. His long twisted rod wavered meaningfully. "Step aside!" he whispered and instantly Searcher and Blade let Wheel go.

The wolf boy almost fell down as his legs were barely able to support him but somehow he managed to stay tall, although he was staggering.

"Throughout your strength, your speed, your agility and your stamina you, Wheel of the Nighthunters, have gathered a branch of the holy Tacolar Tree justly and brought it back here to the Oak which protects this village, just like Benyon did when the Spirits needed his help. So like him you have earned the right to represent this settlement in front of the holy Spirits and their servants. May summer, fall, winter and spring bless you. May the sun's light be blessing you and your clan. May Heya, Koda and Tezu watch over you and your loved ones 'til this season's circle has passed..."

Everything had gone silent. no one was even moving while the priest spoke. Just the leaves of the oak rustled as if the Spirits were floating by to watch the ceremony.

"...and thus I declare you, Big Wheel of the Nighthunters, to be the new Jurnea, the only true speaker in front of the Spirits!" The armadillo slowly took something out of his tunic and carefully he held out a leather bag which was decorated with feathers. He hold it up high so that everyone could see it. With a long thin fingers of his he undid the knot of the leather strap which had closed the bag. The feathers which had been undid too were instantly freed and were taken away by a faint airflow. Meanwhile the priest turned the bag around and ash was poured down onto the wolf's head until the bag was empty. "May the Spirits bless you, your family and this settlement!" the priest said finally.

Then the wolfs started cheering and for some moments Wheel was overcome by the noise. Ash stuck to his nose and tickled, but he tried to restrain himself. And then Blade and Searcher got to him again and pat onto his shoulder, the cries and shouting got even louder, everyone was trying to get through to him and his brother and sister had trouble to protect him from all the different people. The exhaustion came back and he could feel like it took him away. He could see the back of the priest who retired, he imagined to see the face of Shannanah who tried to get through to him and then for a short instance when the people made way for the priest he looked all around, trying to find the eyes of his wife, to find a trace of her, to hear her voice, to smell her fragrance or anything. He spun around, people cheering around him, wolves patting on his shoulder.

"Where's Shannanah?" he mumbled.

The people and the noise swirled around him, getting faster and faster as he tried to find a single trace, to catch the smallest hint of her presence but he could not even smell her. There was every other scent he knew, every single scent of every single relative he knew, swirling around him.

"Where is Shannanah?" he cried out but his voice was drowned out by the cheers around him.

They approached him, pressed around him, tried to greet him , to touch him, to pat onto his shoulder, to congratulate him, a maze of voices and noises, a spinning labyrinth of furrs that closed in around him, that took his breath away, that started to crush him. Sweat poured from his forehead while he stumbled backwards.

"WHERE IS SHANNANAH?" he cried out in panic.

But they were still after him. His heart raced, every beat hammered against his skull and with all his remaining strength he turned around and pushed the people aside, threw them over, throughout the whole crowd, crying the name of his wife, searching for her, searching for a way to get out and suddenly he stumbled out of the crowd, getting out of the mass and the only thing he saw was the lynx, standing all alone, leaning forward, supporting himself on his knees, still heavily breathing.

Then he suddenly he turned his face around and his dark, slanting feline eyes were looking straight into Wheel's.

Wheel stumbled a little bit and dropped to the ground.

Annotation 1: A crawler is a small crustacean-like pest that lives in any place with sufficient moisture. It is most often found under stones in the wood. It gets as big as a palm, feeds on decaying plants, small insects and carrion and is absolutely good for nothing. Some people say it is edible but there are very few who would like to find out.

End of Chapter 3/Part 1.

Copyright 2002 by kodayu. All rights reserved.

Thanks for reading...

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