Come down, come down sweet reverence

Fern Gulley was a gorgeous place, still brimming with life. Green mountains stretched before her on either side of the gulley, the gorgeous valley was covered in a carpet of green and numerous colorful flowers. She saw blooms in pink, blue, lavender, orange, magenta and deep red. Seemingly every color of the rainbow. On the base of the mountains a gentle mist was blowing through and she took a moment to observe the sky. It was a cool blue with pale gray clouds moving through and even a few lavender ones as well. Off to her right she could see some darker clouds brewing and she wondered if the northern winds were going to roll through.

Sunder was traveling along at a pretty good clip when he spied an unusual form. Equal parts fox and wolf, the woman was unlike any he’d ever seen. But, and this was key to his reaction, he got that an awful lot from wolves so he wouldn’t trouble the lady with his open gawking. He would, however, jog over for a closer subtle peek. The little dog was on a bit of a journey. The upper half and a solid portion of the middle of Boreas was much too cold for him in winter, which relegated him to the south. But he wasn’t content to simply stay in one place so Sunder had made it his goal to travel the whole thing. Maybe he was projecting but the woman appeared to be exploring. A kindred spirit, perhaps? It would do him some good to run with someone and having never met a stranger, Sunder didn’t think anything about asking. Jovial in tone and step, he bounded over to Jynn. “Ya look like a runna wid dem long legs! My curiosity got da betta of me I gotta know who fasta. Fancy a race? I make it wort ya while if ya beat me!” ""

Come down, come down sweet reverence

There was a chill breeze coming down from the north and she shuddered for just a moment. All it would take is one decent cold front to annihilate the plant life here but it was hard for her to say how far south the snow would come on a 'normal' year. It had snowed plenty the past winter but with the weather finally warming up perhaps they'd get a break this close to the equator? It was really hard to say but that breeze made her doubt that everything was going to stay green much longer.

She turned to continue on her way when a strange canine with no fur approached her. She titled her head, examining this odd creature. His manner of speaking was as strange as his form but Jynn managed to pick out the words, especially race. She perked up. "Sure, I'll race ya! What do you have in mind for a course? What about the start signal?"

Sunder’s pelt wrapped tail drummed a happy beat on the tree behind him as the fox-wolf woman accepted his invitation to a race. He was quick to bound over to her, his enthusiasm manifesting in a bouncing, deer-like gait until he stopped at her side in a ready runners stance. “How about da sout’ern borda? I haven’t been out dat way yet but I hear it’s pretty.”

As for a start signal, that was easy. “How about we go on da count of tree?” No muss, no fuss, just a simple and easy start. “Ready? One…two…tree!” Sunder was off like a shot. He’d pay close attention to his racing companion and if she for some reason didn’t accept his terms and stayed where she was, he’d loop back around and try again. Otherwise he’d set his sights on the ground ahead and start picking out potential obstacles. This stretch of the Gulley looked pretty easy; nothing but muted, winter-ready plants everywhere the eye went.

Sunder vs Jynn for Race
Round 1/2
Age: 1+
Size: Small
Build: Medium
Skills: Expert Hunter & Beginner Navigator

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn gazed south as the unusual canine laid out the goal line. It was a good distance but she was willing to give it a shot. She looked back to Sunder and nodded. "Ok, sounds good to me." They agreed that the race would start on the count of three. Jynn's long legs coiled in preparation, her weight shifting to her hind legs as she waited for the signal. The moment Sunder said three she sprang forward, front legs stretched out far as she sought to use her long legs to her advantage. She raced through the gulley, glad there wasn't a ton of snow on the ground yet. She didn't do well on slippery terrain. She gazed at the plants that had grown up the walls of the gulley, many of them shifting into dormancy, readying themselves for their winter sleep.

Jynn vs Sunder for Race
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Scout

Hearing the rapid crunch of speedy paws on snow was just the encouragement Sunder needed to put his all into it. Gone were the big bounding bambi leaps; in their place was a ground eating four beat gallop. Sunder was no greyhound but he loved to run and he loved the challenge.

He flew over the straight stretches and slid down slush covered hills. His eyes darted between the ground below and the obstacles ahead as he made note of any potential problems. The best parts were the little challenges; the fun little hiccups in the otherwise smooth sailing. He loved bursting through snow heavy branches and even though it probably cost him time, Sunder made a point to hit them if they weren’t too far off the path.

Sunder vs Jynn for Race
Round 2/2
Age: 1+
Size: Small
Build: Medium
Skills: Expert Hunter & Beginner Navigator

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn had to admit that the man's speed was really impressive. She had to push to keep up with him, her mouth open and tongue lolling out to make sure she could take in as much oxygen as possible to fuel her muscles. All in all the gulley made for an excellent course. She leapt over downed branches, doing her best to stay on her feet. At one point she hit slush and slid sideways into a tree but she was quickly to kick off the tree with her hind legs and vault herself back on path and into the race. She soon caught up with Sunder and the pair and for a little while they were almost neck and neck. There was still another leg of the race however and at any point either of them could pull ahead.

Jynn vs Sunder for Race
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 Year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Master Navigator & Master Fighter
Specialty: Scout

And the winner is...

Sunder

Jynn was left in the dust! Totals: Sunder: Speed Roll: 48 Stamina Roll: 20 Balance Roll: 96 Total: 164 Speed[48] + 5% Bonus[2.40]: 50.40 Stamina[20] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 20.00 Balance[96] + 5% Bonus[4.80]: 100.80 Total[171.20] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 171.20 Jynn: Speed Roll: 35 Stamina Roll: 15 Balance Roll: 17 Total: 67 Speed[35] + 5% Bonus[1.75]: 36.75 Stamina[15] + 5% Bonus[0.75]: 15.75 Balance[17] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 17.00 Total[69.50] + 25% Bonus[17.38]: 86.88