fine I'll spend time with the damn bird

This was the wrong damn path. Azure figured it out as the ground beneath his paws began to shift, angling steeply downwards and off to the right, toward the sound of water. He was supposed to go up not down. With an aggravated sigh he spun, lengthening his strides as he doubled back the way he came and hoped the bird wasn’t stumbling around in the dark behind him, ripe to be collided into.

He had been running at such speed that he nearly missed the crossroads, throwing his paws out to catch his momentum and veering sharply to the right to take the path not-travelled. Once more he was forced to slow, and just at the right time as the rock beneath his paws fell away. His forepaws were sinking lower and lower and in a quick movement, Azure gripped the falling edge with all four paws and pushed off, taking a leap of faith that there was something solid on the other side of the darkness.

Hitting solid ground once more he grimaced, feeling guilt suddenly for dragging the damn bird through this. He hadn’t even called out to see if the raptor was dead at the bottom of the pit. Oh well. Continuing his run (and finally beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, Azure pushed the thought aside and focused on winning first, family second.

Azure vs Zephyrus for Race
Round 3/4
Age: over 1 year
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Hunter
Specialty: Bloodletter