The Great Rickshaw Race

Clearly, there's a problem here that needs the services of a Fairie Godmother, but Klytie is at her wit's end. The Squirrel Dragon Inn is a lovely place, but it has no staff, especially since Morrow just wants to go back home. The Danhaks and the ones taken with them are back, but in various stages of bruising and battering, the Warangs are depressed at having to be rescued by two tigers, and this strange man known simply as Master is a little intimidating.

Wow, a better fighter than Tanaka! Klytie is impressed, and even more so by this old soul full of magic now watching her to see what she can do to make everyone comfortable. She looks around the room again. Exhausted and hungry adventures are everywhere. Food first, yes, that's the most needed. Junu is nodding encouragement at her, so she starts:

"Salagadoola mechicka boola..." Junu shakes his head "no," but Klytie bravely finishes this, creating a perfectly lovely dress in tints of blues and pinks.

"Ooooo, pretty!" Tsu Tze exclaims. "Can I have it?"

Klytie closes her eyes and clenches her teeth, ready to start again, but Junu grabs her hand, and sings:

JUNU: We need a Faerie, smiling and airy

MASTER: Showing us what she can do.

BOTH: Yes, we can sing it, so you just wing it. Cook up some Hangover Stew. That'll revive them believe it or not.

JUNU: Add in some Jjajangmyeon, too.

Encouraged, Klytie waves her wand, and the foods appear on the table. Tanaka and Larianne chime in:

LARIANNE: Add Teriyaki, Sushi, and Sake.

TANAKA: Don't neglect Sashimi, too.

ALL: That'll revive them, believe it or not,

KLYTIE: Look what a Faerie can do.

Dishes fly on to the table, and the adventures begin to notice.

JUNU: Now some Tteokbokki

MASTER: Duck that is smoky

BOTH: Japchae is healthy, you see .

TANAKA: Start with some Miso

JUNU: Pour out the Soju

LARIANNE: Don't forget Yakitori!

ALL: That'll revive them, believe it or not,

KLYTIE: Just needs a Faerie! That's me!

JUNU: Just add some ramen

MASTER: Kimchi and Anpan

TANAKA: Hot Shabu-Shabu for two!

ALL: That'll revive them, believe it or not,

KLYTIE: Look what a Faerie can do!

JUNU: Kalbi and Kogi,

LARIANNE: Feast till we're logy.

MASTER: Stuff in some fried wontons, too!

ALL: That'll revive them, believe it or not

KLYTIE: Look what a Faerie can do!

Klytie swirls madly as they call out more delicious dishes, and fresh rice of every kind waits in pots. Tsu Tze and Morrow start jazz hands and get in for the big finish.

ALL: Come on and eat these, we know they will please, Fresh, and just waiting for you! It'll revive you, believe it or not. Look what a Faerie can, Look what a Faerie can, LOOK WHAT A FAERIE CAN DO!!

As the Protectors feast, a large group of Shishin comes running in, escorting by their guardian Horangi, all of whom bow to Master, then scurry into the ouside rooms to prepare the guests for the night.

"It even has a game room!" exclaims one of the Shishin. "With puzzles!! FUN!!"

"Not now," purrs his guardian firmly.

"But they're going to have to solve them before they leave!"

The purr becomes a semi-growl. "Let them sleep first."

And sleep you do!

Stuffed full of delicious food, and snuggled into thick, soft, padded comforters on heated floors in the clean guest rooms, the Protectors have the first real rest they've had since starting the adventure.

Before they sleep, however, Tanaka, Larianne, Klytie, Junu, Master, Morrow, Lappy, and Tsu Tze have a discussion.

"I don't know why the smoke focused on me, really," Morrow explains. "I was just helping Thorson..."

"That's it!" Tanaka says. "It wasn't you, Morrow. You're just another goblin, and they have creatures. No offence."

"No taken," sniffs Morrow.

"I'll bet," Tsu Tze mutters under her breath.

"Think about it," Tanaka continues. "Danhaks are now outlawed in Sinhae, and that smoke isn't just black magic. There's a clue in alchemy, I'm sure of it!"

"That could be so," the Master agrees. "which is why it's crossing over lands and realms. There's much more here than we see. Our best bet is to try to uncover that lake fortress where they've put Chiasa."

"We'll go down to it tomorrow then," Junu says firmly. "The Horangi will take us through the pass."

And so the tigers do the next day, taking you to a wide plateau which overlooks a clear lake. Supposedly there's a hidden fortress there, but if there is, it's very well hidden indeed.

The path down looks hard to navigate as well, with sharp rocks, hidden areas through trees and overgrowth, and an increasing steep bare dirt track to the lake edge.

At the start of the trail, the Shishin are waiting, with a rickshaw for each member of your teams.

"It's the only way down," says the Master pleasantly.

"YEA!!": shout the Shishin, "we race!

"Oh, dear," says Morrow. "Do they have to?"

"Only way they'll go," smiles the white tiger. "But I'm sure you'll figure out something. I trust you've all done the puzzles in the gaming room? You can't get started without those."

"Get on!" squeal the Shishin merrily. "WE RACE!!"

(OOC: This chapter is for fun, and we hope you enjoy it. We need Wayward Squirrel to be fun above all! There are puzzles and a RP challenge, plus a bonus puzzle this time. Details on the OOC thread for this chapter.)

Cerac fumbled in the bag and found what looked like the sleeping potion he’d seen his Uncle Savio use. The man should think of labelling them really. If Sorn was resisting before, his struggling escalated as he hissed and tried to fight them. With some difficulty, they managed to lower him to the floor. There Cerac succeeded to get the potion into the man’s mouth without losing a finger. Forcing him to swallow was another thing entirely. Finally it was done and they waited with baited breath for Sorn to fall asleep so they could go rescue Kara… but it did not happen.

Sorn struggled but despite his best efforts he wound up on the ground with a potion forced down his throat. The boys held onto him as he struggled to fight both them and the potion. It was only a matter of time though. He started feeling strange as his vision became blurry and unfocused. Let it be said, Savio was a master alchemist as Fae’s where incredibly difficult—nay virtually impossible to drug. Whatever this potion actually was though, seemed to have that effect on the drow…who currently grabbed Cerac. “Kara,” he said seeing the black hair and thinking it was his woman, “You are safe!” He pulled “her” to him and began to kiss her passionately. His tongue exploring thoroughly as his hands slid down that thin…wait a moment… there were no ample curves at “her” chest…. He shoved not-Kara-but-actually-Cerac away and asked… “Who are you? Where’s Kara?” They would be able to see Sorn’s eyes were dilated. He stood, shakily. Spotting Eolus he hugged the demon. “KARA!” He started kissing the squirming rabbit, who was scratching him heavily to get away. Eolus managed to get free and with a look of disgust started rolling in the grass, rubbing his face in the dirt and licking it with low growls and snorts. Sorn, who hadn’t noticed his wounds, went to talk to a potted plant while the demon rabbit hissed and continued to clean off the filth.

“Well,” Dash said with wide eyes, “That wasn’t exactly what I had wanted.” They couldn’t leave the man like this… he was currently fondling fern fronds that somehow reminded him of Kara. Dash lightly tugged Sorn and sat him at the table. He quickly piled a bunch of food onto a plate and pushed it in front of Sorn. “Kara wants you to eat, then she’ll be here,” he lied. Sorn started eating without question as Dash looked over helplessly at Cerac. “What are we going to do?”

Cerac looked just as helpless if not thoroughly snogged and gave a helpless shrug. “I dinnae know. Keep ‘im busy,” he muttered, slumping into a chair. He was still a little dazed from the kiss he hadn’t expected and worried about Kara. He needn’t have been though.

He was startled out of his musings by a shadow falling over the table and he quite honestly gaped. It was Kara alright but was dressed different and didn’t look too pleased. “Kara lass-“

“What is wrong with Sorn?” Her gaze was on her lover, noting the scratches that had stopped bleeding but had made a mess of him. Rounding the table she touched a mark, easily avoiding the sudden ‘advances’ as she noted the change his behavior, the eyes. Her gaze shot to the boys, sparking with the first signs of anger they had ever seen from her. “Tell me you were not stupid enough to give him something from my bag.”

Sorn gazed on Kara with a smile. “Hullo,” he said waving and barely noticing her touching one of his scratches. He leaned over and kissed her hand. “Are you you or are you a plant? Eolus and the fern weren’t friendly.”

Dash had the decency to blush. “Er, we were stupid enough…” he said with his eyes on the floor. “We were trying to control him… it was getting difficult… He was so enraged and…” Dash broke off his reasoning at the look Kara gave him and then added, “He seems okay more or less, though he’s made out with Cerac, Eolus and a plant—all thinking they were you.”

The gods save her from unskilled boys. “Of course I am me-“ Wait, what? She blinked, looking between the boys then toward Eolus, who was glaring from under the table. She could be amused later; it was honestly no laughing matter. “You could have killed him; you do not know what I carry in my bag. Little boys have no business fooling with things they do not understand.” She kept her voice low so not to attract more attention.

Cerac flushed, chastened but he did not like being called a little boy. “We were tryin’ tae help ‘n I am nay a wee lad,” he grumbled then decided silence was golden. Very golden. So golden in fact it could be the treasure at the end of a rainbow.

“I can change that,” she muttered with a pointed look as she urged Sorn to his feet and grabbed her bag. “I need to get him to bed and tend his wounds. You will both rest, do nothing to attract attention and if you touch my bag again I will make sure you are both celibate for a year.” With those words she ushered her lover toward the steps.

They checked in to their rooms, which was two doors away from each other. Sorn tried to go back to the party, but Kara tugged him along. He didn’t resist too much. It was clear Sorn would not be able to sleep—he was far too high. Kara wore him out the best way she knew how—with sex. When they were finished he was less hyper, and she sung quietly until he was fast asleep and was woken by a loud knocking at the door many hours later. The room spun as he stood and every tiny movement or sound seemed to make his head pulse worse. He heard the water shut off from the shower, Kara was dressing now.

Cerac and Dash were standing there with a massive tray of food. Sorn took the tray and set it on the table. Then he turned back to them and said, “Come in,” he said with a cheery smile, “sit.” The door closed behind them with a small puff of wind—then magical hands shoved the boys into chairs. Kara came out of the bathroom in time for Sorn to give the boys a creepy smile—one that promised nothing pleasant. “I understand why you two did what you did and so I am willing to let it drop… but you will never give me that potion again. If Kara is around, she administers all potions to me—if not, well I would either never give me a potion, study them better or find another means. Despite the fact that I like you both and that Cerac is almost related to my sister by human law, I assure you I will not be so pleasant if this were to happen again. I have never before given just a warning, but like I said, I like you both. So, a friendly warning, lest there be a misunderstanding later when I seek revenge.” His eyes flashed a darker red. He was not the type to give idle warnings and this was just that—no mere threat. Then he turned his back on the pair and went to dress, since he answered the door buck naked and without an ounce of shame.

Dash was surprised to see Sorn answer the door in the buff—and even more surprised at how well-endowed the elf was. The man really was beautiful and he ogled a little too long on the body before him. Then he was shoved in a chair and given a warning… which was kind of hot. What the hell was wrong with him that Sorn’s warning pushed the horny button? However, he had felt bad and realised what they could have done to their friend when Kara had words with them the night before, so with a lowered head he said, “It will not happen again.”

Cerac didn’t let out a peep. So much for thinking breakfast would smooth things over. He just nodded, though if he were honest he didn’t mind to much the manhandling- or the show. Sorn naked could be quite distracting. He wondered how Kara could handle the three men in her group- they were all horny little perverts if you asked him.

Kara could handle them just fine. Watching Sorn chastise them was almost as satisfying as her own words the night before. Her lips curled in amusement as she passed a naked Sorn a small vial to help with his headache. Just as she went to comment a black ball was speeding from under the bed, launched himself at the male drow’s naked backside and nipped hard before scurrying off to perch on Kara’s shoulder. Then he sneezed and began to groom her still damp hair to rid himself of the taste of ass.

That was it; Kara could not help it and leaned against the wall as her soft, full throated laughter burst forth. It was low, husky and deeply amused. “I think Eolus is still angry that you tried to make out with him. Come on, let’s eat and get downstairs before we miss what is happening.”

Sorn yelped and kicked at the damn rabbit only to miss it entirely. He muttered swear words as he rubbed his ass. Then downing the vial in one gulp he dressed quickly and joined them for breakfast. Thankfully the potion she gave him worked quickly. After they ate the boys headed downstairs and Sorn held Kara back for a moment. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. “I am glad you are okay. Thank you for taking care of me,” he said staring into her emerald eyes, “I understand more fully why you do not like drinking. I never wish to feel like that again. Though your solution to getting me to sleep was wonderful. You have a lovely voice.”

They went downstairs where Dash was feeding his Shinshin 3 large frosted muffins with a twinkle in his eyes. “We have to race to the bottom. No idea why, but hey, wanna make it a bet? Winner gets to choose who to have sex with later?”

“You are most welcome,” Kara murmured, feeling a surge of warmth that had nothing to do with desire. She should be careful; she was growing far too attached to Sorn and his merry band. Who knew if it would last? Then they went downstairs, ignoring the low hissing of Eolus who was still on her shoulder and glaring at her lover.

Then they got their task for the day and she rolled her eyes. “Do you always think with your sex organ?” She asked, to which Cerac laughed and murmured a fervent ‘yes’. She wasn’t sure she was comfortable with racing- maybe these people just wanted to see them break their necks.

Sorn had no idea how long it would last with Kara, he only knew he liked putting his arms around her, liked the feel of her when he slept and was enraged that someone would take her from him. But he had never had a relationship before, nor did he fully understand exactly how he felt. “Racing down a mountain with narrow roads and muffin-loving creatures pulling the vehicles,” Sorn said with a droll voice, “oh yes, that sounds like a brilliant idea. Why not? I mean after all we did yesterday this will be positively boring.” He rolled his eyes and didn’t even bother to stop Zhah from sitting on his shoulder. The pixie was snubbing Eolus it would seem—not impressed with the rabbit having hurt Sorn. “Very, well, if you wish to make it a bet.” His eyes flickered. As much as he would have liked his orgy desire, Kara was going to win—and choose what she wanted.

Cerac leans close to Dash and whispered in his ear. A loud whisper sure to be heard. “Sounds like me uncle he does,” he murmured with a snicker then bumped his lover’s shoulder and took off toward a cart thing and climbed into the seat. He took notice there were no reigns to guide the little creatures. He hoped like hell the things would not get him killed.

Kara seemed a little more reluctant, climbing into her own rickshaw, Eolus staying draped over her shoulders. The Shinshin seemed a little over excited and she eyed Dash hoping he hadn’t fed hers any sugar. “Let’s get this over with.” She really had no wish to win, just to get down in one piece.

Dash snickered. “Was thinking the same thing.” He hopped into his cart and his beloved cat teleported into his lap after he sat down.

Sorn shook his head and climbed into the death-on-wheels-thingy. The same question that had plagued him the day before popped back into his mind. “Why does Raven want to help these people?” He still had no idea of the answer. Maybe it was just the thrill she was after. Whatever her reasons were, he was here now in her place and honestly he just wanted to be done and go home.

Once everyone was in their carts, the shinshin took off at break necking speeds. The rickshaw with Dash in it took the corner of the narrow mountain pass a little too wide and part of the wheel on one side had slipped off the road. He thought he was going to go over the cliff when he felt his rickshaw lift up and back onto the path. Looking over at the cart beside him, he saw Sorn hovering in the air as his cart passed—on no road at all. “Show off,” he muttered as his brow dripped with sweat and thankful that his cheating friend saved him.

Conall had wisely chosen not to get in the cart, slipping away to make his way down on his own. “Traitor,” Cerac murmured then grunted as he was suddenly on the move. He grabbed the sides of the cart, bouncing all over the seat as his Shinshin decided to take the bumpiest path they knew. He was glad for his pants instead of the kilt he sometimes favored or he’d probably be squishing his family jewels. Then he was separated from the others, his shin-thingies obviously thinking they knew a shortcut. “Merlin’s hairy scrote!”

“She has a good heart,” Kara stated then squealed as the rickshaw jerked forward and they were off. Fast, too fast surely for the stretch of hazardous trail before them. Eolus scrambled to her head, his paws clutching her cheeks and tail lashing as he made odd chirping noises, probably urging the Shinshin on- which they seemed to understand. The wheel of the cart hit a small rock, bumping onto one wheel for an exhilarating instant. She chanced a look over in time to see Cerac’s cart suddenly veer off into a narrow clump of bushes with his cursing fading away.

Sorn hadn’t realised he voiced his question out loud until Kara replied. He had merely nodded. A good heart—well she was possibly tainted with elven blood. Then there was the nagging question if he was like-wise tainted or if his choices where what made him dark and not birth right. He admitted he loved his sister—a weakness in his society’s eyes. Savio had no idea what he had asked Sorn to do, when he told him to put away the rules he had been governed by. Sorn was trying to make his own rules now—but he was lost. 400 years of those rules and now he was on his own, staring out over a precipice. A figurative one as well as a real one… one he really should have been paying attention to as his cart veered dangerously close to the edge and Zhah let out a tiny scream as he hid himself under Sorn’s long locks at the base of his neck. Thankfully, they remained on the course and then he saw Cerac’s rickshaw cut in front of them all. “I don’t think so, Bonnie-Lass,” he said with a smirk. A metaphysical net grabbed Cerac’s cart and lifted him above all the others. He looked though his rear window and let rickshaw back on the ground.

Cerac was going to die. He was sure of it, spitting out leaves as they suddenly careened back on the path. His hair was full of twigs and even a couple nuts which were shaken free as the cart sped along. Then he was sudden airborne and his shinshin obviously did not like it if the sounds they made were anything to go by. Did Sorn have to be such an obvious cheat? “Bloody bastard,” he muttered, grunting as his cart touched down and he was suddenly going even faster.

Kara was raised different than Sorn, in an entirely different realm and society. Her people were elves; dark elves were born rarely and revered. They were usually healers and served everyone, separated even from their parents at birth. She had refused to be used however, leaving at a young age. Now here she was, racing down a dangerous slope with a demon rabbit and her companions. She didn’t think it was too fair that Sorn was cheating, she wasn’t wire

[spoiler=watch out...a weasel on wheels is a dangerous thing!]

Dace looked nervously at Buttercup and picked up their bags, she couldn't believe that they we're having another adventure after the disaster of having to rescue the shishin just a few days ago. Her disbelief was aggravated by the shishin's guardian not threatening them with great bodily harm as she had done so previously. Everything seemed as if had become more disingenuous and harder for Dace to believe that anybody had any good intentions. However, she trusted Frieda and figured if any one was going to get them through this it would be her brave cousin. After all, she did escape from the palace of obedience with only a few lumps on her head this time.

Once they arrived at the rickshaws Dace recognized the shishin who would be be pulling them as the one that she and Buttercup had rescued previously. She wasn't completely dismayed but she was worried that the shishin might still be feeling the effects of nearly drowning in the cave. However as she and Buttercup got into the rickshaw, the shishin seemed nothing but pleased and energetic, much to Dace's dismay, because she honestly wanted nothing to do with this race.

The shishin was jumping up and down, clapping her paws and singing a little sing-song,

 Welcome to the rickshaw, My name is Golden Dawn,
 I may not have tons of brains but I've got lots of brawn, 
 I'll get you down this bumpy path, we'll make it safe and sound, 
 We'll make it first, you'll agree, we'll be the fastest all around,
 We won't be last, we won't be third, I promise we'll be first, 
 I might not always be the best, but I'm certainly not the worst. "

"Wow" Butter snorted, "That sure inspires a lot of confidence in me."

"Quite," shushed Dace as she tossed a rice cracker at the sarcastic faerie to keep her quiet.

Dace then took a honey-drenched steamed bun out of her food rations and gave it to Golden Dawn, At first the little creature shirked, and said, "Oh no! I cannot take payment."

Dace smiled and pressed the bun into the shishin's paw, "It's not a payment, it's breakfast. You know that you cannot run on an empty stomach." Buttercup snorted again and folded her wings down as the shishin shoved the sweet treat into it's mouth. "Where's my damn honey bun?"

"That was delicious," said the shishin, "But I think we had better get going."

Had Dace know the after-effects of the sweet treat, she might have withheld, however, what with hindsight being what it is. It could later be said that everything that Dace did was out of innocence, kindness and not necessarily out of smarts, because she had know idea what was about to happen next.

The journey started off pleasantly enough, though Dace noted the steep downhill grade that increased with what seemed like every few yards. Golden Dawn had also started singing. At first it seemed that she was singing to keep time with the rhythm of the wheels. But then her singing got increasingly louder, and when Buttercup joined in, Dace realized, bawdier. "Buttercup, language!" Dace chided.

"What?" Buttercup shot back, "She started it."

After another couple of minutes, now being dragged crookedly down the path, Dace realized that the little shishin must be innhebriated somehow. "Golden Dawn," Dace shouted over the increasing din of the rattle-trap rickshaw on the rocky road, "What did you have for breakfast?"

"Golden Dawn stopped singing for a moment to ponder the question, finally coming back with an answer that horrified Dace. "Well, "The shishin began, "I had a cupful of rice and warm milk" they hit a large rock in the road, "and then I had a few fresh berries," they careened off a fallen tree, "and then that honeybun that you gave me as we got started, which made me really thirsty."

"Think back, " started Dace, "Did you have anything else?" She held up her hands to block tree branches from whipping her in the face.

"While I was waiting for the rickshaw to come out of the barn," A big puddle loomed ahead, "I found a barrel of mashed berries that semelled so good, that I had to have a couple of pawfuls." Golden Dawn headed straight for the puddle deliberately.

Dace moaned. "Buttercup, I think Golden Dawn is drunk."

"You think?" The drunken little faerie hiccoughed.

"Well, we're going to have to stop the rickshaw."

"What then…id-iot?" Buttercup was beginning to turn a few shades of green.

"And then," said Dace, hesitating, "I take the rickshaw down the rest of the way?"

At that, Golden Dawn stopped and looked back in horror. "Oh, no Miss Dace, you wouldn't be able to find your way down."

Dace had been holding on to her irritation up to that moment. Unfortunately, as a vagabond, her skills in diplomacy were not always on par with the others in her group. "Well, you certainly cannot get us down the mountain in your present state." she yelled.

Godlen Dawn's face puckered and pearl-sized tears began to roll down her chubby, fluffy cheeks,

"Oh please don't cry," Dace said, "But I really can't have you driving us the rest of the way in your condition."

Buttercup flittered over to the heartbroken shishin, "For once, I agree with my compan-ion. I just don't think it's safe for you."

"Oh no," Said Golden Dawn as she continued to cry, "I've been dishonored. "

"No, no dishonor." Dace said as she climbed down and started to unhook golden Dawn from the rickshaw. "In fact, just before we get to the bottom, we'll stop and I'll hook you back up and nobody will know any better. "

She had just unhooked the last strap from Golden Dawn when the rickshaw began to move on it's own. Since they were on such a steep incline, the rickshaw started moving faster then Dace could push against it.

"Get out of it's way or it will fall on you " Cried Golden Dawn.

Dace tried to get out of the way, but instead of it flipping straight over onto them, the rickshaw scooped Golden Dawn and deposited her up onto the canopy. Dace clamored back on board with Buttercup, who had suddenly sobered up herself. Dace grabbed the reigns and tossed them up to Golden Dawn. They were moving faster then ever and Dace wasn't sure if they were going to arrive in one piece. She scooped Buttercup up and dumped her in her traveling lantern.

As luck would have it, their destination, the edge of the lake, wasn't as far as Dace had thought. But that also meant that, with their momentum, they were headed straight into the lake. Buttercup panicked and began chanting, "Dace, I can't swim, I can't swim!"

Golden Dawn just screeched in laughter as they whizzed through the rest of the jungle and into the clearing. Dace realized, that short of a miracle, they were destined for a swim. The splash was enormous, and the water so cold, that Dace could hardly bear it. Dace grabbed their bags, Buttercup in her lantern, kicked free of the sinking rickshaw and grabbed the bobbing shishin on the way to the shore. They slopped on the bank and the shishin ran off to fluff the water from her fur.

Dace looked around and guessed that no one else had arrived yet, stripped herself naked of her wet clothes and rummaged around in her bags for something dry to wear. She was glad that she had some dry panties, long pants and a top and quickly dressed. When she turned around to check on Buttercup, she was horrified to see her entire team standing there amused. Frieda was still holding Lini and giggled, "Wow cousin. You know, it wasn't enough that you had the wildest ride of the bunch, but then you just had to top it off by giving us quite a show. Good work, cousin. Good work indeed."

Vaedelia eyed the rickshaws cautiously. She couldn't help an out-of-place smile as the phrase "rickety rickshaws" bounced around in her head. Azbre bobbed around, weaving in and out between the various shishin and choices of cart. Soon after his antics, he darted back to Vae, jumping up and down. He was clearly as excited as ever, which was normally no surprise to Vae, but this situation surely warranted at least some caution. Still Vae remained calm. She had trust that the shishin at least somewhat knew what they were doing. She scooped up Azbre as she headed towards her pick of shishin and rickshaw.

From her seat, Vae looked down the many slopes of the path leading through bushes and side trails and so many possible obstacles. Azbre climbed to her shoulder ready to cling on tightly as the shishin scattered about readying themselves for the race. Soon after, they were moving. The creatures, despite being all on this one path, shot off in such odd directions. She watched as the carts of her companions quickly disappeared among rocks, trees, and dust clouds. Vae turned her attention to her ride. Almost immediately one of the wheels had snagged on a decent enough sized rock to jostle her sideways. Azbre was more caught off-guard by it than she, which caused him to scramble a tighter hold. Vae gritted her teeth as she felt claws bite slightly in her shoulder. Certainly not anything severe, but likely it would bleed a bit. With the current speeds and precariousness of the ride though, it was too late to get Azbre fully readjusted, so she endured it.

Over the racket of the noisy rickshaw, the shishin was constantly calling out shouts and cheers accordingly. When the cart rose into the air from a bump, Vae swore she heard various "yahoos" or "whees" coming from the creature's direction. At one point they sped through a cluster of bushes, but through twigs and leaves she could have sworn that she saw the shishin jump into the cart for a few seconds, cheering even more wildly. However when they'd cleared the brush, there he was still pulling the rickshaw.

As they started to near the destination, Vae was sighing with relief that the ride would soon be complete, and her shoulder would soon endure no more torture. Their shishin topped a final crest and set into a mad dash for the finish. Vae looked around for any of her fellow companions, but none of the caught her eye at first glance. Had they not yet made it to the lake's edge? Did she actually manage to get there the fastest? Something clearly had gotten Azbre even more excited as he started bouncing around on her shoulder and chattering wildly. When the shishin had finally pulled the cart to a stop, Vae climbed out to look for her team and any information on the placing of the race. She soon realized to her complete joy what had gotten Azbre so pumped up, they had finished first, followed by Dace and Buttercup who whizzed by and into the lake. Frieda arrived third and she cheered as Teislyn arrived only moments later followed by Aicha. First Place! Vae raised her hands in the air and channeled Azbre's excitement and wondered what the first place prize was...other then arriving at their destination alive. Perhaps she had better go see if Dace was alright first though.

After the fiasco with arresting Frieda, who was safe back with them, Teislyn wasn't sure she really wanted to race in a rickety rickshaw that looked about to fall apart once it was moving.  She'd rather hike all the way, but rules were rules. 

She gathered up her instruments and walked with Lini to the blue Shinshin.  "Kon'nichiwa", she said with a bow.  She had read in a book during her down time that Asian type countries appreciate it when foreigners learned the basic phrases and traditions.  From being here for only a few days, this was probably such a place, hopefully the Shinshin would understand what she was doing even if it wasn't their native tongue.  When she straightened up, the Shinshin smiled broadly and bowed back.  Then with a gesture, Blue, was telling them to climb aboard the rickshaw.  Teislyn looked around for anything to be used as a restraint, but no such luck.   "Lini, do your best to hang onto whatever you can, this looks like it will be a very dangerous ride.  Let's hope we make it down in one piece."  Lini pushed up again her arm and muttered a few noises and the Lure squirmed between the rickshaw and Teislyns back.

Blue looked over her shoulder, giggled, and jumped into action.  The rickshaw lurched and off they went!   Teislyn almost had her breath back from that sudden start, when Blue took a sharp turn and slammed Teislyn against the side.  She felt claws in her side and jerked seeing that Lini was trying to get out from behind her.  "I'm so sorry Lini! Come here!". She was about to gather Lini up into her arms when another sharp turn happened and threw them both over to the other side. "Oh my gosh! Slow down, you're going to get us killed!", she screamed at Blue.   

Blue just laughed and kept going.  She saw that after the last turn they were on a straight away and took advantage to rearrange herself and Lini.  Even with the road bumpy and full of potholes, which they found all of them, she got Lini situated in between her vest and shirt.  Suddenly out of nowhere another rickshaw came careening past them and all that Teislyn could see through the dust was a white tail.  "That must be Frieda,  looks like she might be the winner.  I wonder where the rest are?", she mumbled to herself, then started coughing due to the dust having not fully settled yet.   She heard coughing from the front and saw that Blue had inhaled some also and had to stop until everything was clear. 

Blue grinned again and the rickshaw lurched ahead at full speed, somehow avoiding a few trees along the way.  Teislyn could see where the bottom was and she rejoiced silently, knowing that this insane ride would soon be over.  She struggled to hold on as the ride seemed to go faster and Lini was digging her claws into the shirt, but also into her chest, so the situation at present was not a pleasant one.  Lini at one point had poked her head out to see what was going on and sent Teislyn a message saying that she didn't like this one bit. 

She was about to say something else and out of nowhere a huge tree loomed ahead of them. It almost covered up the trail with only a small opening on one side.    Lini opened her mouth and screamed a horrible sound that Teislyn had never heard before and ducked back into the vest trembling and what felt like wetness spread across her lap.  "Blue! You have to stop or else we'll be crushed!, she yelled.  Blue didn't pay no mind and kept going.  The closer they got, the more Teislyn began to fear they'd never see home again. 

Blue picked up the pace and Teislyn closed her eyes tightly and put her arms around Lini.  "This is it Lini, our last time together.  I love you." Lini whimpered and snuggled close for whatever comfort could be provided.  They waited for impact when the rickshaw lurched to the left and there was no impact.  Teislyn's eyes popped open and she looked behind them and saw they had somehow gotten through the opening between the trees on the side and the one in the trail.  She cursed at Blue quietly, but was thankful for getting them through this. 

With the bottom of the hill in full view, she saw some of the team already there.  Blue sped ahead, but slowed down when the other rickshaws were closer.  When they came to a full stop, Teislyn pulled Lini out of the vest and gave her over to Frieda, who was at the side and would hopefully calm her down.  "She is wet, poor thing couldn't stand being on this ride.  A nice bath and a good sleep would probably help.", she said to the weasel girl. She picked her instruments off the floor, which somehow didn't get bent during that hellish ride and preceded to fall out of the rickshaw onto the ground.  She somehow picked herself up and turned to Blue, who was standing watching them.  "Blue, I'm glad we got down here in one piece.  Arigatou." she bowed and sauntered to join the rest of the team.

Frieda managed to find a local shopkeeper who was willing to trade with her and resupply her with the herbs she felt she needed to continue to do her job.   No sooner had she completed her transactions when the others were clamoring to be on their way.  It seemed that the Shishin wanted to race rickshaws and everybody was required to pick a driver.

Frieda didn’t have a choice when it came to picking a shishi

[spoiler=The Traveler's versus the Hill] Willow's Adventure Assisting the others with the puzzles presented more of a problem then Willow at first imagined and it was fairly late before they got to bed. The next day on the plateau however, Willow was sincerely hoping she could just go and climb back under the covers. Giving a small gulp looking at the rickshaw then glancing down the steep, rocky hill. "Are there any carts, or wagons or something a little more substantial?" At the negative response of the master, she lightly pulls on the canvas of the contraption and watches as it easily sways back and forth, her frown deepening.

Glancing at her team then finally climbing in, swiftly followed by her companion Ninger who jumped on the small seat landing half in her lap, Willow pulls off her glasses to clean them in preparation not noticing the gleam in the Shishin's eye. Before she can get her and Ninger adjusted in the relatively tiny seat, the Shishin swiftly takes off much to Willow's chagrin as glasses immediately are lost as they fly out the Rickshaw, first careening into Ninger, who made an effort to catch yet missed with a snap of her muzzle, then out the side the canvas. Proceeded to roll down the hill there was a sudden crunching noise amidst the pounding of feet... Was that her glasses? Attempting to hold on tight to keep herself from following the flying glasses has one arm clutching her companion who was panting worriedly while Willow squints at the scene ahead as blurry rocks, and steep curves move swiftly by. She silently prays that she will make it down the hill in one piece.

Viewing other large blobs passes, she assumes that was her team mates and would try to give a wave when she dared not to hold on so tight. Past curves, around what was obviously large rocks, so close even she could see, had the rickshaw groaning as if ready to break apart. Finally, at a stop, her arm could hold onto Ninger no longer and the companion slid off. Holding her breath, Willow waited a full minute after hearing an agreeable bark from Ninger before daring to climb down herself and giving a frown in the general direction she thought the Shinshi was, she vowed no more racing...period! Now, if only she could find her glasses. Seeing that beautiful distinctive ginger colored blur, Willow knelt down to pet her companion and got a present of the now broken glasses the dog had retrieved for her. Laughing she put them on and gave her friend a big hug. "You are the best girl!" As the dust begins to settle, she attempts not to giggle at the Protectors almost as disheveled as her. "Just curious, who won?"

Emma's Adventure Once on the plateau, Emma noticed that Chook had already found an empty Rickshaw, she overheard her mumbling something she assumed to be instructions. It also appeared that Willow had also claimed an empty Rickshaw and was climbing in when she realized she had better hurry so she wouldn’t be left behind. Emma quickly let out a whistle hoping Nikko was close by … she started running towards an empty Rickshaw. The Shishin was jumpy with anticipation of racing the others and was starting to inch away from the group. Emma hurdled herself over the side of the Rickshaw landing firmly on the seat. Niko seemed to come out of nowhere grabbing the strap of Emma’s bag and pulling himself safely up to Emma’s shoulder. “Hold onnnnnnn …..” she said out loud. Not sure if it was more for her sake or for Nikko’s.

Emma felt like she was going to fall out, she was pretty sure after hitting that last pot-hole the Rickshaw had actually gone airborne. Grabbing for Nikko and the side of the Rickshaw at the same time she was sure she saw her life flash in front of her eyes. Her mouth was open yet nothing was coming out … the Shishin was running so fast all Emma could do was hold on for dear life even though she kept trying to shout some sort of instructions to the that thing. Somehow that hill seemed much steeper than she had remember. As the Shishin came up to a curve in the road, Emma realized they were not slowing down and before she knew it they were up on one wheel, Nikko grabbing at her hair to keep from flying off. The words finally came out ….“WHOA” ….. and suddenly, they came to a screeching halt at what appeared to be the finish line. With Nikko still holding on tightly, Emma slid off the seat trying to get her wobbly legs under her, thankful to be alive she wandered off in search of her friends.

Chook's Adventure Chook had a thumping headache from sitting in the gaming room attempting to help the others with the puzzles. "Why?" she thought to herself, "Can't we just have a friendly one to one combat and the winners can then proceed. These puzzles are a bigger challenge than any opponent I have ever faced." Finally the team decided that they were not going to find any better answers than they had, folded and handed in the pieces of paper and proceeded out of the room. Back in the inn and heading towards the door, Chook took time and looked around, noticing that quite a few of her comrade warriors were sitting at various table around the room. Glancing back at the gaming room she muttered to herself, "There were a lot of teams still there in that room, trying to figure out those ridiculous puzzles so therefore I'd say that the race will not be beginning for several hours at least." With that firmly decided she ventured over to a table. Greeting the people, she pulled out a chair, grabbed an empty glass and helped herself to a beer.

After accepting and downing another beer Chook said her goodbyes, took leave of the table and proceeded to the next table where she recognized some faces. Once again she pulled up a vacant chair, took an used glass and poured herself a drink. Looking towards the games room and seeing it was still quite full she was sure there was plenty of time to catch up with all her friends before the race.Plenty of friendly rivalry took place at this table. Warriors bragging about their wins and so forth. All wonderful told but not necessarily truthful. But it was fun and time flew so quickly.Saying fond farewells she took her leave and went to the next lot of what she thought were familiar faces.

Chook continued this table hopping of hers for quite a while until at last she fell asleep head in hands on the table. She was awoken the next morning when she heard a bell ringing outside and a strident voice shouting, "Last call for participants in the rickshaw race. Last call for participants in the rickshaw race." "Looksh like I haff to go my friens. Forwell. Vish me luke" Having said this she then proceeded to not quite stagger but not quite walk in a straight line either, making her way to the door.

Once outside the fresh air hit her like a blast, so much so that she grabbed hold of the nearest person till she was a bit steadier. Apologizing she went in search of the tigers who would take the racers to the starting line. It was only short wait and then they were all escorted to a wide plateau which overlooked a clear lake. Chook being one of the last to arrive at the meeting area was not sure which rickshaw was hers. Coming across what she thought was an empty rickshaw she climbed aboard, after several attempts. No sooner had she got herself comfortable (or as comfortable as you can get in a contraption such as this), she felt hands grab her under her arms and unceremoniously lift her up out of the carriage and deposit her not too gently onto the ground. After brushing herself down she continued her search until she heard her name being called by a Shishin. As she got close the Shishin told her in no uncertain terms to "Get in you idiot, the race is about to start."

Before she had managed to seat herself properly, the starter yelled loudly, "Ready, Steady, Go!!!!!!!!!!!" The race was on. Grabbing hold of the vehicle with one hand she steadied herself in a sitting position. Then putting a hand to her forehead, asked herself, "Why did I?" Now was it drink too much, say I would race?? These thoughts and many others were bouncing around in Chook's brain as they hit a tight right hand curve. Thrown out of her seat and onto the floor, she promised herself to be more aware. Before she got back into her seat there was a large pothole in the track as well as an outcrop of rocks on the right, that she screamed to her driver to avoid. Avoid the rocks the Shishin managed but the pothole .... all I can say is Chook sailed into the air and somersaulted back into the rickshaw landing on her head.

Chook righted herself, shook her head to clear the fussiness, took her seat again and began looking around at the treacherous path. A group of trees was coming closer and closer. Leaning over to her driver she pointed, got a nod in return and the Shishin veered just at the right time. She passed a cart that was moving very awkwardly. Looking in Chook saw a very sad looking Willow without her glasses attempting to assist or maybe just stop her driver.

The rickshaw became entangled in some undergrowth with vines getting wrapped around one wheel, halting the vehicle. The Shishin quickly removed the vines and the cart, with Chook at least seated, became mobile once more. Another group of trees appeared, the size of a small forest. This time the path went right through the center. It was narrow and quite hidden. The driver had to slow down and take his time to maneuver the vehicle in and around the trees and bushes. Chook noticed that several of the carts had had a hard meeting with several of the larger trees, this probably due to the slipperiness of the path.

Out of the forest and straight into a group of entangled rickshaws, drivers and passengers. The Shishin did a great job of dodging the mess and headed back onto the path. Another outcrop of rocks on the left, very hard to see because of the shadows. Chook noticed it too late for any warning and WHAM they hit it. The vehicle teetered and tottered and went a considerable way on one wheel, but the driver gained full control and with two wheels went on its' way. A scream came from behind and Chook turned and saw that the following cart had not been as successful as they had been.

A series of S bends came next. Left, right, left. Chook was thrown from one side of the vehicle to the other, leaving her feeling like a she was being tenderized with a meat mallet. They passed Jed, who's driver was finding the S bends difficult to maneuver, the rickshaw looked as if it was about to over turn.

A group of trees was on the right and out of them lumbered a great elephant, slowly making his way across the path. The Shishin skidded to a halt narrowly missing the beast, which proceeded on its way without even a second glance at the rickshaw and Chook.

Suddenly the incline of the path altered and the lake became closer. The final stretch to the finish. Chook grabbed tightly to the sides of the rickshaw and began breathing slowly to slow her heart rate which was beating out of control. The path was clear of any rocks or trees but was just bare dirt, narrow and extremely steep. They had no choice. Down they must go. Chook leaned forward and patted her driver on the shoulder. When he turned around she gave him a thumbs up sign and onwards they went.

Chook soon discovered that the path was also very slippery due to the loose, slippery material on the top of the path. Her rickshaw slid right, left and right again as the Shishin did his best to keep the rickshaw under control. Suddenly the driver lost his footing and the vehicle began swaying up on one wheel then back onto two, up on one wheel then back onto two, up on one wheel then back onto two. Chook once more lost her seating and ended up with her head on the floor and her legs up and over the seat. Helpless to do anything Chook shut her eyes hoping that no harm would befall them.

All was still. Chook for a moment thought that she had died and was where all great warriors go when their time is up. She then heard voices and realized that the race was over and that she and her driver had made it. Chook began scrambling ungainly into a position where she could stand upright. She slowly but surely made her way out of the rickshaw over to her driver. To the surprise of them both she gave the Shishin a ginormous hug and thanked him profusely. She then began to look around to see if she could find any of her team mates. Gazing first at the lake right in front of her.

May's Adventure After an excellent meal with a good night's sleep, May awoke slightly groggy and weary from all the adventures. She, along with her fellow travelers, had indeed seen much. May dressed and walked down to the game room, hoping her friends had gotten a head start without her. It seemed they had and May contributed a little to the discussion of how many cards were really truly on the table, hoping her head wasn't too foggy and giving the incorrect answer. May had dreamed of the beautiful Horangi who had appeared again last night. It was still too close to the last time May had encountered her haunting beauty for a level of comfort to be established.

After finishing the discussion about the cards, May went outside for some fresh air and to jot down some more musical thoughts in her notebook. As she was sitting amongst the trees, she heard the Horangi calling for everyone to follow. May stood up, brushed the foliage out of her hair and off of her clothing, and trekked off in search of her traveling companions. They followed the Horangi to a beautiful plateau which looked out over a crystal clear lake. May was in awe. She wished she had traveled this way for some inspiration. That would have to wait, however, as they were all informed that they had to race down the hillside in a rickshaw pulled by the Shishin.

May climbed in to her rickshaw, trying to tell the Shishin not to go too fast, as she suffered from motion sickness on occasion. May could see parts of the path down to the lake through the trees below and it didn't look like it would be a smooth ride. In fact, the terrain looked downright terrifying. May held on to the side of the rickshaw as the Shishin took off at a speed faster than they appeared they could go. It's a good thing they didn't have any muffins this morning, May thought to herself. I can't imagine how fast they would be after a sugar high like the last time we saw them.

May could see Willow, Chook, and Emma in front of her as they went down the winding path. Jed, Oceahna, and Kronus must be somewhere behind her. At the start of the winding path, there were many holes, which of course, her Shishin made no attempts to avoid. There was one particularly deep hole that the Shishin hit head on. May's stomach had already been feeling like it was in her throat, but that was the final blow. May leaned over the side of her rickshaw and vomited. Hopefully I'll be able to clean myself up a bit once we get to that lake, May thought as she continued to feel a bit green. She saw Willow's rickshaw coming up on her right and attempted to wave at her fellow traveler. Willow looked as miserable as May felt, though perhaps not for the same reason. Just then, the Shishin hit another big bump in the road and May went airborne, landing outside of the rickshaw on the solid, dusty ground. All around her, rickshaws were whizzing past her. May was afraid to even stand up as she feared for her life, especially since a rickshaw was headed straight for her. May closed her eyes and said a prayer, thinking that she might see her parents again on the other side.

At that moment, just as May thought her life was coming to an end, she felt herself being lifted quickly into the air and tossed backwards. She landed with another thud in the back of her rickshaw. Her Shishin had come back and saved her! May tried to thank the Shishin, but couldn't seem to get a word out with the speed they were traveling again. With her alarming few moments on the ground, May had lost sight of her friend Willow. She hoped she was alright and getting safely to the bottom of the hillside. The Shishin carrying May's rickshaw then turned around and squealed

“They are kidding, right?!” Levity questioned in excitement to the group. “This should be entertaining,” she said in a dry sarcastic tone. Pistol took out a nail file and began to sharpen his claws. “Don’t fret, Lev,” he said with a mischievous grin on his face. “We’ll win for sure!” He declared while swiping the air with his newly sharpened claws. Levity laughed at Pistol’s antics while checking over her shoulder, making sure nobody was watching him.

The trail down to the lake looked rather steep and dangerous; it had a plethora of sharp rocks and a few deep rivulets from past rain runoff. The sides of the trail were overgrown with a variety of plants, some looking rather ominous. Much of the trail was lost behind thick portions of forest and overgrowth.

Shalinda walked to her rickshaw and watched as a Shishin got excitedly behind the yolk. “We’ll have to just take these Shishin at their word and hope they know what they are doing,” Shalinda said, trying to sound encouraging and hopefully optimistic.

Angelica, Kalyna, Abigail, Starboard, and the rest of the team ran towards their chosen rickshaw and prepared themselves for the race down this hillside trail.

Levity and Pistol boarded their rickshaw with a determination to win. Pistol prepared his sharp claws, to help get the Shishin moving, should he decide to be a bit slower than he ought.

After heading down the trail, their Shishin cut in front of Starboard and her rickshaw. “Yeeeaas!” Levity cheered happily. “I’d love to see things from your point of view, but then I’d be losing!” Levity yelled back towards Starboard. Pistol let out a most loud and malevolent laugh as he watched their rickshaw speed away from the nearest threats.

As they came upon the rickshaw that was directly up ahead of them, they noticed that it was Abigail’s. Levity’s Shishin pulled up alongside Abigail’s rickshaw and began to converse with the other Shishin. “Oh, no you don’t!” Pistol growled. Levity watched as Pistol slowly crawled forward and spread his claws wide. The sharp claws swatted the air above the Shishin’s ears, causing him to jump and run in a circle. The other Shishin was confused and ended up crashing into the side of Levity’s rickshaw.

“Watch where you are going!” Abigail commanded the Shishin’s. “You’re liable to kill us all in this race,” she murmured, more to herself than to Levity or the Shishin’s.

After a moment the scared Shishin righted himself and began moving down the trail again, though the rickshaw were quite damaged from the crash.

With one broken wheel they clunked down the road as fast as their semi broken wheel could take them. The Shishin was chattering angrily, he was still determined to win. The violence of the clunking caused Levity to fly forward over the side rail, almost losing her grip. Pistol jumped from the seat onto her head. He gripped her head with all four of his paws and held on tightly, digging his sharp claws into Levity’s soft skin.

“Ow!” You little spastic fink – that hurts!!” She said while trying to pry Pistol off with one hand. His body began to slide down her face, obstructing her view. “I can’t see through you, oinker,” she said, pulling one paw away from her neck. She exposed one of her eyes in time to see a huge pot hole. “Arggh! Watch out for th---“ She grabbed the rickshaw with both hands but it wasn’t enough. She was slammed backwards, hitting her head on the back of the rickshaw. She didn’t feel any pain though because her head was comfortably padded by Pistols soft plump body. In a daze, Pistol let out a loud fart and slid off Levity’s head and onto the bench.

“Ewwwuhh!” Levity gagged while leaning away from where her head used to be. “I was going to thank you for cushioning my head, but—uhhh!” Levity swallowed the mini barf in her throat and tried to focus on the Shishin as he weaved around the sharpest rocks.

Their rickshaw looked like it had weathered many fierce tycoons, as one wheel was badly bent and the other was missing half of its frame. The Shishin pulled onward, in spite of the rickshaws horrible condition. They were nearing the end of the trail and coming out of the dark forest, and could see the steep dusty path leading to the edge of the lake. The exact moment they were going to head down the steep trail, the broken wheel snapped completely off and went half rolling, half sliding down the trail and into the lake.

After watching the broken wheel splash unceremoniously into the lake below, Levity let out a long sigh. “Well, there goes my chance of winning.”

Abigail pursed her lips together and pulled them to the side while staring at the rickshaws in disbelief. “I am supposed to ride in that, while a red panda Shishin pulls me down that precarious road?” she whispered in an incredulous tone.

From inside the enchanted pendant, Rune laughed. His mind voice intruded on Abigail’s thoughts, as his laughter grew in intensity. Abigail uttered his releasing incantation and watched as he materialized as a grey tiger sitting beside her. After seeing the rickshaw with his own eyes, Rune concurred with Abigail’s thoughts. ‘it is rather precarious on that trail.’

While they stared at the rickshaws they watched as other team members got into position in their rickshaws, getting ready for the race.

After stepping up into her chosen rickshaw, she tested its sturdiness by jarring it from one side to the other once. “It appears to be quite expertly crafted,” she commented in surprise and took her seat, kicking her heels up on the toe board. Rune changed into a turtle and placed himself on the seat next to Abigail.

After the Shishin took off down the trail, the ride became much more unpredictable. Abigail had to hold onto the rickshaw tightly or risk falling out!

Abigail looked down at Rune. “Why on earth did you decide to change into a turtle?” she asked while smiling at his silly choice. ‘Turtles have a very low center of gravity and are difficult to topple over,’ Rune replied with his mind voice sounding very sincere. He sent a mental picture of a turtle lying helplessly on its back. ‘See, very hard to move around,’ he finished with a little chuckle.

Abigail looked up to see that they were near the front of the pack. “It looks like we have a good chance of winning!” Abigail pointed out excitedly. Just as she was figuring out how to best brace herself for the rough ride, another Shishin came running up beside her. The rickshaw next to her was Levity’s. Abigail smiled sweetly at Levity but secretly hoped that their Shishin would pull ahead.

Abigail looked back to the trail for a moment, only to be shocked to find herself in a collision with Levity’s rickshaw. Levity’s rickshaw was badly damaged. Abigail could not help herself but to feel bad for poor Levity. The Shishin’s were dazed a bit by the crash and ran right into each other again, causing the side of Abigail’s rickshaw to splinter.

“Watch where you are going!” Abigail commanded the Shishin’s. “You’re liable to kill us all in this race,” she murmured, more to herself than to Levity or the Shishin’s.

Abigail’s Shishin began pulling the rickshaw back down the trail, acting as though the crash had never happened.

Rune hand morphed into a tiny lizard and crawled into Abigail’s inner shirt pocket during the crash. “Oh, Rune!” Abigail exclaimed, “When did you get in there?”

Rune morphed into a black snake and wrapped himself around Abigail’s arm. ‘I was about to fall out of the rickshaw when we crashed, so I quickly moved there,’ he said. ‘It’s a good thing I did too, or I would have been turtle meat.’ He sent a mental image of his sturdy turtle body flying from the rickshaw and rolling down hill. The mental image showed him rolling down the hillside, coming to a stop upside down, unable to right himself. Both Rune and Abigail were laughing as their rickshaw bounced and jumped down the rocky trail.

“Rune, I hate to point this out to you,” Abigail said, “but you are a shadow creature and could just morph mid fall into a flying insect and be totally fine.” Abigail shook her head as Rune feigned innocence.

‘I can’t believe you would suggest such a thing,’ Rune mind spoke in mock offence.

Abigail pulled her focus back to the road as they were completely enshrouded by shadows. The sun’s rays were quite effectively being blocked by the foliage of the trees. The rocks in the road were harder to miss now, and the Shishin kept hitting many of them. “Must you – hit-Umhph!” Abigail gasped as she was thrown back against the rickshaw. “ --every single – rock!?” the exasperation in her tone making it quite clear that she was done being endlessly shaken like a salt shaker.

The Shishin looked over his shoulder at Abigail and looked as if he wanted to say, ‘lady, if you can do better come do it yourself.’ However, he kept his mouth shut and pulled on instead.

The side of the rickshaw splintered outward as the wheel on that side landed in a huge divot. The splintering grew worse until the side of the rickshaw completely cracked open, sending shards of splintering wood flying out in all directions. Rune moved faster than the blink of an eye and morphed into a thick black blanket covering her body, protecting her from the splinter shards.

‘Thank you for that, Rune,’ Abigail mind spoke with fear causing her mind voice to quiver. ‘I’m afraid that we might not make it to the end of this trail!’ she thought while looking at the gaping hole in the side of her rickshaw. She could see the wheel spinning dangerously fast, way to close for comfort.

Rune morphed back into a large cat and sat beside Abigail, trying to shield her from the open side of the rickshaw. ‘Look up ahead,’ he motioned with his forepaw; ‘we are almost there!’

Abigail looked down the steep dusty trail that led to the lake, as they began to final sprint towards the finish line. ‘We are not in the lead by a long shot, but at least we are not last!’ Abigail sounded thrilled as she mind spoke this news to Rune.

The Shishin pulled the rickshaw out onto the trail and quickly began weaving through the rickshaws in the race. Alixia sat in her seat, watching in amusement as she passed Yasha, who seemed to be having Shishin trouble. Further down the dusty trail, Alixia turned her head and watched as Abigail and Levity’s rickshaw’s crashed into one another.

Just as Alixia’s thoughts were turning back to her own path, she heard a loud thud. Her rickshaw stopped abruptly, sending her flying forward. She managed to stay inside the rickshaw only by sheer luck. Just as her body was flying forward, the Shishin jimmied the rickshaw out of the crack and jolted forward, the entire jarring experience lasting only a few moments. Before she could even gasp her next breath, they were flying down the road again.

Jacob’s eyes grew wide as he fluttered his wings, trying to maintain his grip on the side railing of the rickshaw. One of his wings slammed against the side panel and he had to let go, taking flight above the rickshaw.

“How you managed --- to --- hold on --- this” she gave up trying to speak to Jacob after being jarred so much that her lower jaw slammed up against her upper teeth creating a loud clank. ‘I’m lucky my tongue was not in the way,’ she thought while gritting her teeth and gripping the side railing even more firmly.

The hazards on the trail became harder to see, after entering a darker portion of the thick forest. Alixia squinted her eyes, looking from one shadow to the next, trying to spot the sharpest rocks and deepest gullies. “Look out to the right!” she warned her Shishin but was too late. Both wheels went flying through the air as the entire rickshaw went up and over a large sharp boulder and over to the other side. They landed with a loud cracking and splintering of wood. The wheels looked considerably more worn and oblong as they clumsily rolled down the path towards the end of the race.

They rolled lazily down the steep dusty trail and up towards the finish line: the beautiful calm lake.

Yasha took her seat in the rickshaw while her rats started chittering away with one another. Two rats took a seat next to Yasha, while the white bellied rat climbed atop Yasha’s head. Yasha sat down with a grin on her face, ready to feel the wind in her hair -- ready for the race.

The Shishin pulling Yasha’s rickshaw turned and stared at her and the rats. The rat with the white belly was contently curled up on her head, almost asleep. The other two rats were sitting and staring at the Shishin, in silence. One of the brown sewer rats got up and ran to the toe board, and began gesturing towards the trail while making loud squeaking noises. The Shishin stared at the sewer rat in horror.

Yasha stood and put her hands on her hips, staring down at the Shishin, who was cowering from one of her rats. “I see,” she said, trying to think of a clever way to motivate the Shishin to race. “You’ve set this time aside to humiliate yourself in public, eh?” After public embarrassment didn’t work she gave up being nice.

“We’re in a race for crying out loud!” She yelled at the Shishin. “Forget the rats and focus on winning,” she commanded the Shishin, who stared at her like she’d just scared him even more than the rats.

Yasha sat back down heavily in her seat, throwing her hands up in disgust. “We are in last place now, so I gue---!” The Shishin’s eyes grew wide as Yasha spoke, and he turned to look down the trail. The other rickshaws were all well on their way down the trail. “Yes, they are actually moving,” Yasha commented dryly.

The Shishin grabbed the yolk and immediately began pulling the rickshaw with all his might, completely ignoring the rats that still sat beside and on Yasha.

“Yee ahhhh!!!” Yasha yelled as they rolled down the steep rocky trail. She threw her arms in the air and started flailing them in pure ecstasy, as they jumped over sharp rocks and weaved around huge pot holes in the trail. Yasha felt totally alive while racing down the hillside. She didn’t even care that they were totally in last place!

They flew down the steep dusty slope and managed to arrive at the lake at the same time as Levity, whose rickshaw looked like it’d come from the dilapidated ruins in the sewers back in Yasha’s home.

Shalinda had drifted off in her own head while they approached the trail, but the sight of the rickshaws and the excited Shishin snapped her out of her ponderings on the harmonics of lights and sound waves. Her lips began to purse as if she had tasted something sour and when it was explained that they were to be passengers in a race with these crazy creatures as the drivers..."F*ck no!" she couldn't help the expletive that popped out.

A couple shocked faces turned her way and she quickly pulled herself together. Smoothing her hair and dress, she took deep breaths and then mustered a smile. It would be an adventure. It would make a great story. It would be an experience few could claim to have had. It would end with them all dead at the bottom of the steep trail.

Her smile wavered a bit.

She pushed her anxiety down into the bottom of her stomach (where it promptly made itself at home and began to churn and burn) and walked briskly towards a rickshaw."We’ll have to just take these Shishin at their word and hope they know what they are doing,” Shalinda said, trying to sound encouraging and hopefully optimistic. Setting her smile in place, she climbed into the rickshaw with as much poise as possible, settled into the seat and began muttering under her breath.

cnt

Elethia paying for her big meal last night

After an enjoyable long evening spent conversing with friends and eating her fill, Elethia and Mr. Scoots retire for the night. While she is more accustomed to sleeping on a mattress, the comforter combined with the heated floors lures her into a much needed slumber. The next morning she rouses up the rest of her friends so that she can partake in whatever adventure they have for that day.

Mr. Scoots not being a morning cat, swipes grouchily at her while rubbing his eyes sleepily. Elethia is not deterred though and continues to pester the rest of her teammates until they finally start to grumble and gather their stuff together. "Come on! Come on! Lets see what adventure we have in store for us today!" Elethia cheerfully shouts out

Bounding downstairs, Elethia curiously eyes up the two tigers waiting for them. Hmm...I guess they're in charge of bringing us wherever we need to be. she muses to herself. Once everyone has gathered, the two tigers indicate for everyone to follow them and then they make their way back outside.

As they trudge along they follow along the edge of a clear lake and eventually they end up on a wide plateau. Elethia gazes longingly at the lake and wishes that they had time to take a swim, but she figures maybe they could come here at a later time. Having a picnic there would be awesome! she thinks as she begins to muse on how she could make that happen. Mr. Scoots sensing her distraction swats at her. Glaring at him and grumbling to herself, she gazes one more time at the lake and then looks at what everyone else is looking at.

Lined up are similar modeled rickshaws with excited Shishin waiting on each of them. Excitedly they begin to yell about racing. Elethia beginning to wish she hadn't eaten a big meal, gazes down the path and notices all of the obstacles in the way. Knowing she has no choice and hoping that her motion sickness will stay at bay, she gathers her courage and climbs into one of the rickshaws. Once situated she tells the Shishin that he will have to determine which way he wants to go since she knows that she might be ill soon. Looking around she doesn't see Mr. Scoots until she hears him start yowling. Glancing at the next rickshaw she sees that he was trying to sneak aboard Lizzys rickshaw to escape having to deal with Elethia. His plan was deterred though when Ratte the little mouse booted him out of it. Grumbling to himself Mr. Scoots finally climbs into the rickshaw with Elethia. Knowing that his pride had been stamped on, Elethia doesn't have the heart to fuss at him for abandoning her.

Resigned to her fate, Elethia grips the edges of her seats as everyone gets prepared for the race. She notices a surly looking Guardian across from her and realizes that's who her challenger would be. She weeps internally as she prepares for the worst while Mr. Scoots huddles in the corner. Then they're off!

Elethia relaxes a little as the Shishin takes off along a smooth path, but then that ends soon when the rickshaw careens violently to one side. White knuckling the edge of her seat, she sees the jagged rock that they had to maneuver past. One tight turn after another the Shishin deftly makes his way around the obstacles. Rocks and debris fly through and past the rickshaw, but the Shishin is only focused on making it to the finish line before anyone else. As trees smack the side of the rickshaw and the rickshaw jolts up in the air from a boulder that they passed over underneath, Elethia can no longer take it anymore. Holding onto the side she pukes up everything she ate for dinner and she hears someone yell in the background "Ugh gross!" Wiping her mouth and smiling to herself she hopes that that slowed them down a bit. Feeling a bit better, she settles back in the chair as the rickshaw continues to race along the path. She peers to see where the Guardian is and notices they are running almost neck and neck.

Reaching a steep track, the Shishin has to slow down a bit. Unfortunately for the other Shishin the Guardian growls something at it and the Shishin seems to start running a bit faster. Quickly being overtaken, Elethia begins to wonder what she can do. The idea to toss Mr. Scoots at them is voided when he displays his claws to her in warning since he didn't like the look on her face. That plan nixed, Elethia looks at some of the rocks and tree limbs that wound up in the rickshaw with her. Apologizing internally to the other Shishin, she flings those items out of her rickshaw directly in front of his path. As he stumbles and slows down, she gives encouragement to her Shishin to continue on. They finally crest the steep incline and it's smooth sailing the rest of the way down. Seeing the finish line Elethia wonders if others have made it to that part already. At least she won't be last so she continues to cheer the Shishin as they finally arrive at their destination.

Aodh having a great time

Food, oh glorious food! Aodh was very very sure that this had to be a feast of his life time. There even were things for Slíocach to eat, a small achievement on its own as sprites tended to be picky eaters. Finally stuffed with amazing foods, the half-blood and his small companion drift into a peaceful and dreamless sleep.

Yawning he is wakened by Elethia come morning. Apparently their journey is to continue through the mountains now. Still drowsy from sleep, Aodh is jolted awake once the Shishin start cheering and he realizes this isn't an ordinary rikshaw ride. "Wait, what do you mean, race?!"

Too late. Off the Shishin go and the bard is left to make his best out of the situation. He sees poor Elethia letting go of most of their evening meal, yet somehow she seems to enjoy the racing. Figuring he can do just as much, Aodh begins to grin. "Well... if you want to race this much" he mutters, before lifting up his flute. Carefully picking notes as to not call magic he doesn't want to, the bard begins to add his tune to that of the violent rilsha race. He enhances the sound of flying stones and creaking wood, as well as the occasional yipping of happy running Shishin. A happiness, that soon effects the half-blood as well and inbetween parts of his melody, Aodh is laughing and enjoys himself immensely.

Some point along the way he even forgets it's a race with a finish in mind, but rather thinks of their ride as an endless race along a mountain pass. He doesn't register that they'll soon reach the point where the Shishin will stop and he'll have to part with them.

[spoiler=Its a Race!] Jettison groaned as the tigers lead them further in to a forested area. Sure he had gone to bed at the same time as the rest of his team, and they hadnt been woken that early. But he still wanted more. Not like that was anything different than his usual feeling. The guy could sleep for days if you let him. Especially after having gorged oneself on Shabu Shabu.

The two large felines kept saying 'almost there' and at first he believed them. Now though with a good bit of a hike he wasnt sure they would ever reach their destination, wherever that was.

Sashi was being super excited for whatever was ahead, she was looking forward to every next bit of their adventure, hoping that a fight would be ahead soon. She had been ready for a fight ever since they started on this adventure. Every night she promised her sword it would be of need soon.

She noticed Jett walking close to her. “What’s with the dark circles around your eyes? Didn’t get enough sleep, did you?” she said, teasing him with his lack of energy as they continued their way.

Ilaera normally didn’t have any trouble with getting up early and staying awake. She was used to getting up earlier than the others as she went out hunting with Phaeri at those moments where the whole world was still asleep and quiet.

She could focus herself on even the smallest details in the surrounding areas, but at this time she was having trouble with keeping up with her friends. She had eaten too much before they left and felt it was time for a nap, but unfortunately they didn’t seem to have more time for that. She glanced to the side, where Jett was walking next to her. In front of them was Sashi, who didn’t seem to be bothered by anything. “Not everyone has the metabolism of Sashi” she said with a grin.

"Never enough sleep in this world ta' make me as peppy as ya." He said, yawning and stretching his arms above his head. "True that." Jett said back to Ilaera, a bit surprised she seemed so tired as well.

At least it wasnt just him then. Jett lit a cigarette as they moved on, grumbling a bit as potch flew above them making a good bit of noise.

"Hopefully we dont need to be stealthy." Kenny joked, rubbing his neck. The bird and his owner werent the best at the quiet or staying hidden if it was an early morning.

Esme was in front of her friends with Nighteyes besides her. She knew that her friends were having trouble because they had eaten too much. She had tried to warn them earlier, as she had realized that the day ahead would be a busy one, but the others hadn’t listened and by now she was the only one that had no trouble keeping up with the tigers.

The tigers, in front of her, suddenly came to a halt. Esme stood there silently, waiting for what would happen next. She placed her hands together. Her eyes were wide open as she was very excited to see the Shishin again. Though she noticed Nighteyes wasn’t exactly happy to see them back. She knew that he believed them to be too noisy, just like Potch, and they also liked to cause trouble for her and her friends.

From all the things that were said Sashi really only heard the word ‘race’.

It wasn’t a fight, but a good old race to win from her friends was the second best thing to have during their adventure. She began to bounce on her heels, hoping that they would be able to start with it quickly. She was always up for any type of battle or competition, so a race would be great.

She ran over to the Shishins and picked one that was jumping on his tiny feet. She was sure that he was as excited as she was. Sure the Shishin with the most excited look would mean speed after all. She jumped into the cart and got Lorne to step in as well.

Ilaera had to laugh about Sashi’s excitement. Sashi had been very quick in picking a Shishin to ride, but she was second as she wanted to have a good one as well.

The Shishin she picked was bouncing up and down as well, maybe it had been eating sugar again as it seemed like it was on a sugar rush, although it could also be excitement for the race.

Ilaera knew that the little one would be able to run fast and hopefully she would be able to win the race because of that. She whistled for Phaeri, who was up in the sky, and the bird came flying down instantly. Ilaera had a feeling some of her friends might play dirty during the race and she wanted to be prepared just in case. She was sure Phaeri would be of help if needed.

Kenny looked back at Jett and grabbed his shoulder, able to see the brit was planted firmly in the grass and didnt want to move. If he didnt get the guy going forward he wouldnt be surprised if Jett sat down and pretended he didnt hear of the race.

Jett groaned again, waving at kenny to let go. He did enjoy a good bit of speed and adrenaline, though it didnt show just yet. His droopy eyes and body made him seem uninterested. Not like he wasnt tired, but he was going to use this act of uncaring to his advantage. He was quite competitive when it came to such things.

Esme wasn’t into any type of sport or competition at all. She knew she had a disadvantage there, as the others were having competitions all the time. But she also thought it would be fun to have a little race, even if she ended up being the last one in. Hopefully the race would help the others wake up for the rest of the adventures to come. By the way the others had picked their Shishins, she could already see that the race was having it’s positive effects on her friends.

She chose a Shishin next, She had noticed his furry tail with the pattern and the stripes and he looked very much like the Shishin she had caught earlier in the hunt. She was hoping that having a connection to the Shishin would help her in the race against the others. She also thought that it would be nice to help the fluff ball win the race, as he seemed even more excited about racing than her friends.

"Well, is everyone set?" Kenny asked, having chosen as well and climbed in the cart. He was actually quite excited for this, though also a bit worried about the rocky slope and everyone staying safe, but the feeling of excitement blocked any wariness out.

"Yeah yeah, lets get a move on ey?" Jett replied, seeming glad to be seated. If they had wanted him to run there was no way Kenny could have coaxed him in to enjoying this.

He waved lazily, working at keeping this facade up as long as he could. But inside, his heart was racing and he was so ready to get a move on and beat his friends down the hill.

Ilaera grinned, it was a bit more deviously than she had meant to, but she was excited about the race against her friends and she wanted to win. She didn’t often use shady tactics, but she was determined to beat the others, especially Jett. They had a friendly rivalry going and so far she was just slightly behind him in the 'win' department.

She knew she had little chance of keeping Sashi behind her, but she knew that it would be fantastic if she would accomplish that. She knew Sashi was very competitive and the other girl would do anything to win this race.

Esme looked at the others, everyone seemed to be ready for the race. So she thought it was best to just start the counting to get them all started. She made sure she was sitting okay. “Three….” She then said to the others, knowing if someone didn’t start the counting, Sashi would explode from the dislike of waiting too long.

"Two..." Kenny chimed in, taking hold of the sides of his carriage to be safe.

“ONE…” Sashi yelled, right at the moment she took off. She was not patient enough to wait any longer. She was unaware of the fact that Esme had already guessed she would be the first to leave. Sashi’s Shishin seemed just as ready, it was hopping with its little feet, clicking them against the rocky edge.

They were indeed the first to take off, ahead of the pack, as she had expected herself to be. She didn’t think any of the others would be able to pass her, so this would be an easy win for her.

Ilaera tried to yell a joke towards Sashi, but the other girl had taken off so fast that the sound of her words just blew in the wind and no one seemed to hear them. Ilaera looked around, then realized she had to start this race herself if she wanted to have a chance of winning at all. She quickly took off with her Shishin and realized she had chosen well.

She could see Kenny at her side and apparently she had passed Jett and Esme already without noticing as she saw them behind her when she glanced back. She had a feeling the man and his bird were faking a bit once they heard of the challenge and the race. Jett’s face was already lighting up and he seemed fully awake and ready for the race at the moment.

Kenny laughed happily as he felt blanco shuffling around behind him, having been sleeping in a bag he carried. The little reptile would come in handy for sure if things got too challenging.

The shishin all yelled happily and said 'race race, fast win' and other such things. It may have already been a bit bumpy, but started to get even more so with the air of competition now hanging. Everyone was quite close together, other than sashi who had a few feet on the rest.

Esme noticed that she was in the last position, much as she had expected herself to be. She was contemplating if there would be an alternate route and looked around, but then decided it would be best to just stay in view of the others. She started one of her chants and she was holding on to Nighteyes, who was laying in her lap and she also tried to hold on to the cart as well. She was afraid of falling out and having to walk down towards the others.

Suddenly a cloud of smoke smacks the others right in the face, fog billowing out but staying far from the girl.

"Oh ya lil sneak!" jett yelled, having to hold on a bit tighter becaude his shishin just skipped over a large dent between rocks, knocking him around more than before.

"SNEAK SNEAK" Potch chanted from his spot on Jetts shoulder, seeming just as surprised as his owner that the sweet girl went on the defensive before anyone else.

Ilaera got smacked in the face by a big cloud of smoke and the fog around her made it impossible to see where she was going. She heard Jett yell to Esme.

“It’s always the innocent ones who attack first!" she yelled back to the man. On her face was a big smile. She was so ready to get Esme back for that move she had made.

In the distance they could hear her laughing up a storm, now side by side with sashi who was displeased in losing the gap between them.

“You’re going to regret that!” Sashi said, while winking to the other girl that was now riding aside from her. She dug in her pockets, glad that she had decided to bring some of those throwing knives she had taken from Jett when he passed out from all the food and drink last night. She was sure the man hadn’t even missed them when he woke up, as he had so many of them laying around anyway.

"I guess this wont be much a fair race then." He said, amused so far by his companions. But he had a plan to take the lead once they skipped over this next bit of bumpy terrain.

Ilaera could already see Sashi was planning something and she knew she had to think fast is she wanted to have a chance at winning herself. She whistled for Phaeri and asked her to help tying some ropes to the arrows she had taken with her. In the meantime she tried to keep the Shishin excited by cheering him on, knowing that he wanted to win the race as much, or maybe even more, than she wanted it.

"We got trouble comin, ya see?" Jett pointed out to Potch who was currently digging his talons in to the guys shoulder, causing him to grimace. The last thing he needed was that sort of distraction. So his best bet was to make his bird do something useful.

He told him his plan and sent the bird off.

It took a good bit of maneuvering, but he was able to tie his jacket around his waist and through one if the arms of his seat. If he was going to use both his hands for this trick, he would need a makeshift seatbelt. His shishin was not bothering much to keep them off large leaps. It wouldnt be fun to fall off the cart, as well as then be out of the race.

At the moment it seemed everyone was neck in neck. She had no idea how that had happened, but everyone could have a chance at winning now.

“Well, what are we doing here?" Ilaera asked, being near Jett enough to chat now. He had done a good bit of catching up himself as well and so had Esme apparently. Even though the girl had been afraid, she was riding inside the cart as if she had done that many times before.

Jett laughed and said "I could ask you the same thing love."he dug around in his pockets for the knives he had for just this sort of time and saw Sashi up ahead throwing similar items. "Dammit! Did ya really?" He yelled, peeved. Though he had a backup plan, he didnt expect she would rummage through his things when she had to help him up to bed last night in his full and drunken stupor.

“Oh, I did” Sashi said in a sing song voice, laughing maniacally after that. She was still tossing the last few to a point ahead, getting them stuck in tree roots and between rocks to hopefully trip at least one person up. She was hoping those knives would make it a fair battle again, and bring her to the front of the pack.

Kenny was thankfully watching the ground a bit better than Jettison in his fighting words, so while he saw the other mans cart rock and almost fall over, leaving him now in last place, Kenny told his Shishin where to turn left or right. Making sure to miss the handles of the blades.

He sighed once past them all, glad he counted who had which nearby. Then he pulled out a few stones from his shirt pocket and rubbed them between his fingers, warming them up.

Ilaera could hear Jett’s curse. She was glad the man had tied himself in. It was her team and they didn’t want to see anyone hurt, but he seemed to be okay and she was pleased that he fell back behind in the race again.

She had been able to dodge Sashi’s tricks and she had taken a closer lead. She was in front of the others together with Kenny, although Sashi and Esme didn’t seem to be that far behind them.

Jett was trailing at the moment, though probably was trying to get back into the race again. She noticed Kenny was doing something inside his cart, she was unsure about that, but it was time to get more careful in this race to stay safe.

Jett was quite glad he had chosen that time to tie in as well, and made sure his shishin was ok before clapping to get back to moving. Potch was Prepared and flying above, so why not take this time to make up for the lost position.

He pulled a harmonica from his own pocket now, at least having that after sashi took his other weapon. Jett started to play and three of the four rival shishin slowed down because of the tune and started to say things like 'sing song sing' as they had days before in being caught.

His having a way with the little guys would be to his advantage for sure.

[color=goldenrod]Ilaera’s Shisin chose that moment to slow down. She thought that his rush of excitement was probably over, or maybe he was just a little hungry.

She quickly searched her pockets, trying to find something in there to give to her Shishin. In one of her pockets she found half of a sugary muffin she had taken with her from the inn. She looked at it, remembered what happened to the Shishin the last time they had eaten

[spoiler=And the pirate flew over the moon] Myra reluctantly looked down from the wide plateau into the area meant to be their race track which was not entirely visible in detail. A narrow winding path lead over a small mountain filled with craggy landscape and seemingly had only space for one rickshaw at a time.

The beautiful alchemist was more the cautious type and her air sickness kicked in already at this height, two things which told her not to race against her will. However, she knew there was no other way and once in the race, she would be guarded but ambitious, as always.

Hopefully, this is going well. Myra thought.

What a luck Shimmershadow saved her supplies by disappearing in between! Quickly, she removed the Nux vomica globuli from one of the silken purple bags which was the only single one embroidered with the small fresh green leaves and brown hairy nuts of the poison nut tree so she could quickly find it. Five of them slowly savored would do the trick, like always.

Shimmershadow whinnied, lighthearted. He sent happy thoughts and pictures over their bond. After his coming out, he now would be able to fly with them down the hill! The very first time! His eyes swirled in lovely rainbow colors and Myra’s mood improved the second she felt his mirth.

Myra saw the yellow Shishin she rescued approaching, beckoning her to a rickshaw which looked designed for racing. It was very streamlined and held a yellow-clothed seat and canopy. The Shishin jumped up and down, excited, and wanted to start sooner rather than later with the preparations.

“What’s your name, little one?” the alchemist asked, friendly and with a smile on her face.

“Shishins never tell their names to Non-Shishins!” the little creature informed Myra proudly. “That´s a long custom!”

“I am Myra and I’ll call you Malina then, if I may?” Myra suggested, politely. She didn’t want to offend the sprite yet communication was kind of hard without names. “It’s Elvish for the color yellow.”

“Oh, Elvish, yes, all right. Never heard this language for a long time, no no…… Get in now! Sharp’s the word! Yellow Shishins are the race masters, I won’t loose my face!” and the magical being wiggled his hips and gave the rickshaw pivot a good shake which let the wood rattle.

Geez! Myra thought, All that my heart can desire… And with a sigh, she took seat in the rickshaw, pondering if she should close her eyes for the way down.

“I’ll catch you if you fall!” the unicorn reassured his friend and unfurled his gorgeous silvery-white feathered wings.

Krios was a livewire. A race! How exciting! Rhea and Kronos flew around his head, cackling, trying to catch one another, imitating a race.

The eyes of the young mage sent out sparkles, and he looked out for his Shishin in charge, already impatient. This would be no problem at all, naturally, his team would win! “Hey you, purple one!” the red-haired Jincar exclaimed and addressed the Shishin he saved from the cliff, “Come on, let’s get ready!” and with verve, he hopped into the rickshaw in question.

Is there a possibility to enhance speed with magic? He pondered, looking around what the others would do. His wish appeared less likely, considering the Shishins were magical beings themselves, they would hardly allow him to improve their pace.

Even if he could think of all kinds of items with which to improve the rickshaw, Krios had to admit the vehicle was built with good workmanship. It looked sporty and swift, very smooth with no adornments which would take away speed. The seat was purple like the Shishin who would pull it yet not a velvet fabric covered the upholstery but a smooth leather one, dyed with plant colors like it seemed, with fitting roofing.

“So do you know your way down, Shishin?” Krios asked, full of vim. If it knows the area, that would be very helpful, the Jincar thought,The terrain looks a little bit unclear.

“Not at all, not at all!” the purple Shishin answered cheerfully, “It’s much more exciting like this!”

The sprite adjusted some brackets and took a hold onto the rickshaw shaft, chasing off the demons who had sat down for a rest after playing tag and race.

By hook or by crook, Krios thought, Yet it’ll be fun anyway! And he rubbed his hands, waiting for the starting signal.

Verrek smiled at the antics of Rhea and Kronos as the demons raced about. SilentOne glided high above watching as he always did, he preferred it this way.

The Shade looked ahead at the winding path leading through the mountain. Jagged rocks, he would have to use his higher perspective in the rickshaw to warn his Shishin of any obstacles. Were he on his speeder he would ride up the walls at the curves so he could take them at full speed, as it was he would have to trust his Shishin and see just what the tiny magical creatures were capable of.

Verrek looked about at the rickshaws, which Shishin should he ride with--ah! The green Shishin had its back turned to him and was looking away pointedly, it's paws crossed.

"An invitation if ever I saw one!" The Shade chuckled. He strode over to the tiny creature squatted down beside it. The green Shishin prickled and turned on him hotly,

"If you think for one second that I'd pull the rickshaw of an Illjimae who dares to wear a samurai hakama--oh..."

It trailed off when it realized that Verrek was no longer wearing the Hakama but some simple black wrap pants with the legs tucked into his boots.

"Safe and sound," Verrek said patting his bag. "I'll be sure to give them to a worthy Warang if ever I meet one."

"No, give it here." The Shishin demanded. The Shade blinked but obliged, pulling out the folded Hakama pants and handing them over to the short creature.

The Shishin took the garment then tossed it into the air where it vanished.

"There, all is forgiven Illjimae! I will pull your rickshaw to victory!" The tiny creature hopped up and down with glee and the Shade climbed in.

Verrek grinned over at Krios who was examining his own rickshaw, fingering his staff as if longing to enchant the cart.

"Good day for a race!" Verrek called to the mage.

“Well spoken!” Krios answered with a grin, “A wonderful day to be elected a winner! I used to do all kinds of races back in the castle, naturally, I won them all” the Jincar boasted.

“However, you did well with the bikes last year, too, my friend! The girls will be dead in the water!” he went on, “Anyway, what’s our new addition up to way over yonder?” and the young mage craned his neck to look out for Akalia.

What a strange wheelbarrow... Akalia’s eyes widened at the strange sky blue contraption that her Shishin wanted her and Gunther to ride in. The elf walked around it a few times, inspecting it and ensuring that it was quite sturdy. She was helped by Gunther who kicked and butted the wheels a few times.

Still not quite satisfied, Akalia took in her surroundings, curious to see if the others had entered their carriages. She noticed that Myra, Krios, and Verrek had already entered their Rickshaws, each being led by the respective Shishin they had rescued. She took another look around and saw the party’s other Ranger standing in awe before continuing her inspection.

Stepping onto the plateau Lilith gasped shocked by the beauty of the foreign land, a pang fluttered below her breast as she longed for the view from an airship. Her eyes followed the voices of the Shishin, most of the Chimeriad crew already seated in their designated rickshaws. Lilith spotted an empty rickshaw just past Feng and began the short walk over with Jasper following behind.

Val was slow to join the others, she had a hard time walking with the red and orange Shishins she found earlier dancing around her feet leading her towards a rickshaw. The red one leapt ahead onto the reigns of what would most likely be Val's cart. The pirate paused for a moment and looked at the size of the cart then over at Feng then back at the cart. As if he could sense her thoughts, the orange Shishin hopped on Feng's back as if he were riding a pony.

With a sigh, Feng shook trying to get the orange Shishin off. The little orange creature held on tight as if he was taking part in a rodeo.

"Feng give'r up won't ye? I dun think ye would fit wit me in the cart is what the wee lad is trying to git at."

Before Valera could say more the red Shishin called for her attention as if it were impatient to get going. "Wha? We're racin' or somethin'?" After she asked the question she was able to come up with a quick answer for herself as she looked over to the others, some of which were already in their rickshaws.

Brushing herself off, the viera hopped in the cart that would be lead by the red shishin. "I guess Feng yer followin' me, that orange fella can help guide ye!" Val couldn't help but laugh as the Shishin kicked it's heels in trying to urge the giant stone beast to move.

The pirate in her rickshaw passed Akalia who was still inspecting her cart, figures she probably hasn't seen one of those before. Almost everyone was ready to go, "Oi! Lil! Wanna make a bet who will win?" With a smirk, Valera looked over to the drow.

Locking eyes with her captain Lilith nodded. “Would it truly be a race without one? Now what do we bet, and on whom?” Pondering this Lilith walked towards the indigo Shishin standing in front of a gorgeous indigo and silver rickshaw, stepping in she settled down and looked towards Val. “Any ideas on what you want to lose?” She teased the Viera as Jasper settled next to her taking a swig from his flask. “Nothing from my personal affects Lilith, I don't want any part of this mess.” The otter scoffed.

"Ye know I have plenty t'lose!" Valera lifted her hat for a moment to scratch between her long ears. "What about..." She paused for a moment in thought. "If I win, I get access to Jasper's secret stash of finely aged rums! If ye win, ye... can use the T.S.I.M. Chimera once or twice!"

The pirate wasn't really one for letting go of "her" ship but in her mind it was worth it if she could get a chance to get her hands on that delicious rum she knew Jasper had hidden away.

Jasper nearly spat his drink out when he heard Val's proposition. “I thought...” Lilith quickly shoved her hand across his mouth and yelled back to Val. “Deal!” This question settled to the satisfaction of both, a commotion was heard from the starting line, then a loud Pst! and all attendants fell silent. A rainbow clad Shishin, some inches bigger than the average of them, hopped onto a tree stub, sticking his thumb in the air. The next moment, it raised a singing bowl and chimed it, a loud and twanging sound echoed over the plateau, calling the race participants to their competition. Finally, the starting signal! Off they went! Valera was excited that the bet was on, a giant grin spread across her face. She was off in a flash with the others when the race commenced. Feng kept up closely behind the rickshaw being pulled by the red Shishin.

At last! With a good bye smirk in the direction of Verrek and a loud “Giddyap!” addressed to an already annoyed purple Shishin, the rickshaw jolted and was suddenly pulled along with monumental speed.

That’s fun like a fair, Krios thought and laughed aloud. Down it went, a narrow path winding to the bottom of a hill before climbing up the small mountain, the rocky ground giving the rickshaw a good shake all the time. Kronos and Rhea poised on the shoulders of their master, enjoying the ride. The purple Shishin flew along, puffing slightly, and refused talking to the mage.

“Run, run, run!” Krios cantellated to the utter delight of the demons, encouraging the Shishin, “Let’s have fun, fun, fun! We fly, fly, fly, the others die, die, die! The wheels spin, spin, spin, then we’ll win, win, win and accept the cup with a grin!”

Will there be a trophy anyway? the Jincar thought. That would be nice! And he pictured a big golden goblet with inscriptions of praise for his splashy race.

“Whoa!” Krios exclaimed with flying flaming red hair, still half standing in his seat, trying to balance the ride. Going like this, they should be in the lead in a blink! At the moment, he was second after Verrek. How did the Shade do this? he wondered. One moment, he was beside Krios and now, already some metres before him! I’ll get you! the mage thought, Just you wait!

Verrek whooped, they had taken the lead early on thanks to his foresight in collapsing the rickshaw's green canopy. It didn't seem like Krios had yet realized the fabric-covered frame behind his head was his great disadvantage.

As it was the Shade knew it wouldn't be long before the others caught on to this secret. Thankfully Verrek still had another trick up his sleeve to boost his speed when the time came, hopefully it won't be as easy for the others to figure out as retracting the canopy.

They had left the mountain trail and entered the forest, up above SilentOne passed in and out of view through the branches.

Lilith lurched backwards as the indigo Shishin took off following the rest of the crew, Jasper mid-drink became soaked with the rest of what was left in his flask. Turning it upside down he sighed.

“We better not lose that bet.” He grumbled under his breath as he slid out of his clothes and started to wring out the liquid into his mouth. “You'll get to drink it regardless, you know Val would never refuse her favorite drinking buddy.” Lilith laughed as they made their way down the path, Verrek was in the lead and Lilith noticed he had collapsed the canopy.

Taking her time and making sure she was steady she collapsed hers as well. She immediately noticed how fast they began picking up speed as the entered the forest. The indigo Shishin turned onto a hidden path as the others raced ahead. “I know a way, win win win.” The little creature sang as it sped through the underbrush.

Myra’s rickshaw rattled along at a much higher pace than suited her. “Woosha, shwoosha, akapusha!” She heard her yellow Shishin intone, the little one running along on feather light feet. The vehicle was pulled with enormous speed, Myra wondered where the tiny sprite took all the power from yet it was a magical being after all and the friends surely had only seen the tip of the iceberg of their potency. The silverblue-haired alchemist had closed her eyes firm, missing all the beauty of the scenery. This too will pass, she thought.

The effect of the poison nut tree medication slowly kicked in and Myra felt the nausea ceasing. Slowly, she opened one eye, looking out for Shimmershadow. The unicorn flew happily along, clapping his gorgeous wings now and then. Like promised, he stayed close to his soulmate, only two metres above her head, sending calming thoughts over their bond the whole time.

Reassured, Myra opened both eyes and looked around. What a breathtaking landscape, she thought, amazed. After feeling as though the rickshaw had scaled a mountain, she had felt the path going down and now it seemed to be wider and more flat and lead through a green forest. The lush trees were high and slender and their branches foliated leaves which reminded her slightly of fern ones, very feathery and delicate. The alchemist checked if the yellow Shishin was doing okay, too, yet it seemed to run along effortlessly, singing still in this strange and powerful language.

Myra craned her neck, spotting Akalia way back, Lilith nearby and Valera seemed to have some kind of trouble. “Goody!” the alchemist called out, “We’re third! Terrific!” She saw only the rickshaws of Krios and Verrek ahead.

“Terrific?!” the Shishin exclaimed, aghast. “You must be kidding!” and Myra thought she heard some swearing about a cocky mage and a cheating Shade yet she couldn’t say for sure.

I hope you don't mind that I'm the one posting for my team. Our captains ( and ) couldn't post tonight's challenge.

I'm posting the RP tonight for the Dazed Denizens of Crazy Delusional Chopped Jalapeno-Ville. Hope that's okay. :D