Aerial Race, All Are Welcome - Emerald Prize!

[balerion]

Seeing Othniel was ready Balerion decided it was time to start the race. Apparently even a gem wouldn't be enough to drag more people into the competition. Even so there was, as ever, fun to be had.

Contestants the first leg of the race is through the meadow. This bit is rather peaceful so it might be a good time to take the chance to fight dirty if you have a mind to. There is a great tree to the east, hard to miss considering its the only one. Once you reach it make a left and the next leg of the race will begin. Good luck!

Balerion shoots a flame into the air to signal the race has begun.

[Logo]

Despite the bird's extra weight, it leaped into the air quickly after the dragon's starting ... belch.

The troll leaped with it suffering only a bit of singed back fur as the pair passed through the flame.
"Troll-y ho, Snack!" Logo shouted, "Izza shiney to be woned."

The hippogriff flapped its powerful wings to gain momentum flying close to the ground and heading directly toward the tree.

Logo called over a shoulder to chide his competitors, "Come on, Callie! Is Nodwin a noddin'?
Whazza hold-up, Othniel? Spur that old grey mare in th' air!"

Leaning forward into the wind, Logo laughed riotously at ... who knows what. Trolls have a warped sense of humor.

[Callie]

Callie, seeing the signal to go, climbs up onto Nodwin's back. The tiny toddler pauses to watch the pretty flames flying into the atmosphere, then pats Nodwin's head. Yew wan fwy wif' Wogo an Snak wite Nodwin? Callie an Nodwin fwy hi in the sky wif dem and hab wots and wots and wots of fun, obiekaybie? Go, go, go. Fwy, fwy, fwy. Callie claps excitedly, and begins to sing as Nodwin takes to the air, flying swiftly to catch up with the chubby Snack who is ahead of them. Fwying, Fwyyyiinnnggg, Fwwwwwyyyyyinnnnggg. Fwyyyinngggg wifffff fweeennnndssss ish funnnnn, ohhh yeaaaahhhh. Fwyyyinngg wiifffff fweeenddsss ishhh funnnn.

When Nodwin comes abreast of Snack, well Nodwin catches up with Snack, because Nodwin really isn't on Snack's breast, and how can you be a breast anyway if you are a hippogriff? Anyhow, when the dynamic darling duo catch up with Logo and Snack, Callie pauses her singing to talk to the two. Hewwwooo Wogo, Snak. We fwying fast. Dis wots and wots of fun yew know. Yew see dat twee up dere? No hitted dat twee, yew need wach where yew fwy, obiekaybie? Callie no wan fwends huwted. Dwagon fwend fwying wif Callie too, an new fwend Callie no know yetted. Dat be obiekaybie, Callie wikey new fwend too. WOOOoooo HOOooooo, dis wots and wots and wots of funnnn.

[Othniel]

With the signal for the race to start, Savinia’s horsey fear of fire became evident. She reared and bucked, whinnying loudly, eyes rolling in fear. Othniel struggled to bring the mare under control, dodging flying hooves to grip her bridle. “Easy, girl. Easy.” She snorted in reply, whites of her eyes still showing, but calmed enough to let him mount.

With a running start, the Pegasus leapt into the air, rider clinging to her back as they struggled to make up for their lost time. “Oh, man, I hate heights,” Othniel gulped as he crouched over Savinia’s withers and happened to look down. Put him in a tall tree or a mountain cliff and he would be fine. At least he had solid ground beneath his feet and he was in control. Still new to flight, he and Savinia lacked the coordination and grace displayed by the two hippogriffs and their riders, but they had been partners long enough to predict each other. With this competition they would just – he grinned at the pun – wing it.

They flew lower and skimmed the ground, Othniel hoping it wasn’t against the rules for them to run a few paces if they needed to. So far, Savinia maintained her flight well, pushing on with powerful beats of her chocolaty wings. “There’s the tree ahead,” Othniel said, guiding his mount easily. He could see their competitors less than a dozen lengths ahead, and Othniel grinned. “Don’t worry, girl. We’ll catch up soon enough.”

Remembering the admonition to “fight dirty”, Othniel pulled a sling from his belt and loaded a small stone; More a large pebble since he didn’t want to actually hurt the competition. He gave the sling a whirl, letting the stone fly toward the rump of Logo’s hippogriff, hoping to startle him into bucking, perhaps to slow down or upset his rider’s balance.

[Logo]

The troll hummed along with Callie's song as Nodwin's energetic flapping closed the distance between them.
"Woo hoo!" Logo agreed. He started to respond to Callie's questions and advice.

That was when the strange thing happened. For no apparent reason, Snack jerked strangely to the right then upward in a great burst of speed. Obviously flustered, the great bird relieved himself at the peak of its ascent.

'izza owk'Ay snack. but no more fermenteded swamp wheat a'fore a race, hmmm?' the troll cajoled to his mount before shouting, "LOOKIE OUT BELOW" and enjoying the high-speed dive toward the target tree.

[balerion]

It seemed no one had taken a left yet and Balerion was sitting out of the race for now. Perhaps he was tired, perhaps he was being trixy, who could know? Balerion's voice boomed out to the racers. After you take a left you will enter the mountain passes. Beware of possible falling rocks or avalanches.

[Logo]

The troll called back to add, "an' other fallin' stuffs!"

[Othniel]

Othniel found himself regretting his tactic of startling the hippogriff whilst flying behind and below as the contents of Snack's bowels splattered all over his front. "Eeeeeeeeeuch!" He wiped goo from his eyes and mouth, grimacing at a scent that was most unappealing to his human side. Good thing he wasn't wearing a shirt because a stain like that definitely wouldn't wash out of cloth! At least he and Savinia had nearly caught up to the other racers now, swinging a left around the tree and heading into the mountains. "Not too fast now, Vin. We want to save our stamina." With a might wing beat, the Pegasus leaped over a stand of rocks, jostling her rider as a way of saying just what she thought of that plan.

[Callie]

Callie love, love, loved flying. Whether it be racing, flying for pleasure, flying to get somewhere, or just flying with friends, nothing made the child happier than being up in the air with the wind flowing through her curls on Nodwin's back. Well, nothing except hugs and candy and her parents and talking to her friends and...anyway, you get the picture. She was truly enjoying herself, as was Nodwin, whose wings were beating steadily as the daring duo flew faster towards their goal. Hugging the tree closely as they made the left turn, Callie sang louder; Fwying, Fwying, Fwwwwyyyyinnng wifffff fweeeenddsssss issshhhhhh funnnnnnn. And on they went, the tree becoming a speck in the distance, or would have been if Callie ever looked back, which she didn't. She was too busy looking forward, smoothing the feathered furry head of Nodwin, and singing. Fweeenddsss fwwwwyyyy wifffff Callieeee annnnn Nodddwwinnnn, fwwwyinnnngggg wiffff fweeenddssss issshhhh funnnnnn.

[Logo]

Logo enjoyed the high-speed dive toward the marker tree. With Snack being substantially lighter, the troll held out his axe to grab its trunk and assist the turn.

Surprisingly the tactic worked even better than one might have expected given the troll's history of technological race enhancements. Releasing the axe handle at the right moment, momentum and gravity combined to slingshot the pair directly toward the mountain pass.

The troll hoped he would remember to retrieve the axe one day as Snack maintained the low-altitude trajectory toward the pass.

In the pass itself, there was a decision to be made. Stay low in the narrow pass to gain more time to notice falling rocks but have less time to react ... or loose speed to gain altitude and more room to maneuver?
"Attaway!" Logo called with a hand ready for wayward rocks as Snack spit the difference gaining a few meters of height and banking deftly.