Sunder placed his toes on the very edge of what looked like a huge cliff and peeled over slowly. It was a dizzying height and he had to take a moment to digest that before details could jump out at him. Heights weren’t his thing but the winding trails and steep inclines weren’t nearly as sheer as the cliff he was on and looked like a lot of fun. Yep, he’d run down that. Welp, that settled that. He threw back his head and howled out a challenge for whatever brave soul would run down a mountain and break neck speed with him.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn was headed back to Auster on a clear, cool winter day. The sky was a lovely soft turquoise seeming to fade to white on the horizon courtesy of the mist. She worked her way along the mountainous path that wound along a mass of sharp gray stones. She could see pine trees near the bases but what most caught her attention was the rich blue river that wound and cut its way right through. The Fjord was gorgeous. The view simply took her breath away. She leaned up against the deep bark of a scraggly pine.

A familiar howl rang through the mountains, calling for a challenger. A challenger? Up here? Curious she followed the sound to the hairless dog, Sunder, she'd met previously. He'd whooped her in their last race. "Hey there, can I snag a rematch?"

Sunder whipped around to blink rapidly at the familiar form of Jynn. They weren’t too terribly far from where they’d raced the first time but it was still a big surprise to see her. And a pleasant one at that! She’s been a delight to race and that made her a good egg in his opinion. “Hello again!” he enthused as though they were old friends. “Absolutely, absolutely, I welcome da challenge!” She hadn’t been an easy opponent to beat last time and with the steep trail ahead Sunder was certain this was going to be an interesting race. “Same as last time we’ll go on tree. Ready? One…two…tree!”

He was up and running in a flash. In the first few yards was a fallen log that he jumped over without thinking; something he regretted immediately as hidden behind the log was a small drop off. Sunder hit hard and even though he managed to keep his paws under him, they ended up getting sandwiched beneath him as he banged his chin on the ground. Just as quickly he unfurled like an accordion and was back upright and running without missing a beat. It felt like his chin was a little beat up but it would have to wait.

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 grinned at the funny man, something about his mannerisms just struck her as amusing. He laid out his plan for the race and she nodded. Oh boy this would be a challenge. She peered down the steep trail and the tree that would mark the finish line. Ok, she could do this. She tensed and readied herself. When Sunder got to tree she bounded forward. Her tail flailed wildly as she stumbled, nearly misjudging where the path was and rolling right off. Swiftly correcting she took off again, trying to go fast but not so fast that she'd go flying ass over ambition. A wipe out here could prove fatal and no victory was worth dying over.

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

Whew, this was a lot harder than he thought it was going to be! Sunder found himself slowing to a crawl time and time again to pick his way down a steep incline or an outcropping, or something similarly challenging. He wasn’t coming to complain; no, he relished the challenge. But as much as he wanted to win Sunder didn’t want to smash his face on the ground again so wherever it was better to mince than to run? He was going to mince. I’m his opinion his face was too nice to break on this rocks.

To make it even more of a challenge, ice dotted the trail. Quickly Sunder learned the signs of water runoff so he could pay extra close attention for slick, frozen spots. They had a tendency to turn even the rockiest gravel stretch into a blemish-free sheet. And nothing said ‘fast ride to the bottom’ like a sheet of ice.

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 slowed to take another corner safely and navigate around a pine tree in her way before she continued on. It was terrifying to race along these steep mountain tops but at the same time it was exhilarating. She almost felt like she was flying! Jynn made the mistake of taking her eyes of the trail. She hit a patch of ice and slid violently forward, she skittered and scrambled, legs flailing wildly as she came to a stop. Aw crap! Jynn flung herself back onto her feet, wincing a little at her left ankle but she pushed on, seeking to recover lost ground as she pushed her long legs to the limit. She'd been on a terrible losing streak lately and she was eager to redeem herself.

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: 35 Stamina Roll: 72 Balance Roll: 38 Total: 145 Speed[35] + 5% Bonus[1.75]: 36.75 Stamina[72] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 72.00 Balance[38] + 5% Bonus[1.90]: 39.90 Total[148.65] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 148.65 Jynn: Speed Roll: 35 Stamina Roll: 35 Balance Roll: 25 Total: 95 Speed[35] + 5% Bonus[1.75]: 36.75 Stamina[35] + 5% Bonus[1.75]: 36.75 Balance[25] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 25.00 Total[98.50] + 25% Bonus[24.62]: 123.12