Though he was far too young for it even to be considered his job, Levi made a point of starting his day with a quick border patrol. Fiery paws deftly carried him over the edge of the Plains, moving at a brisk trot as he eyed the land beyond the Fatalis territory. It was quiet out, the sun barely peeking over the horizon and the air that filled his lungs was brisk and cold. The long night had faded without a trace, the world supposedly returning to how it ought to be, but Levi couldn't really tell if it was better this way. He liked the fact everyone was more active, willing to engage and involve themselves with pack duties, but on the other paw he did miss the solitude of it all. Now he had to take care he wasn't stepping out of line, lest an adult tell him he couldn't do this or that. Annoying.

"speech."

After some trial and error, they'd sort of stumbled on to a work around: if she coated her paw pads in a thick mud or beeswax, the allergies weren't quite so bad. Sure, her eyes still streamed - fiercely at the height of day when sunlight bore down her - but not quite so bad this early in the morning. There was a light fog on the ground that cast everything in a more mysterious aura. Mak drank it all in, darting every which way. It was one of the first few days she'd been set loose on her own after this temporary solution had been figured out. Which, of course, meant she could chase after and nag her siblings all she'd like! There was a lot to catch up on, after all. They'd all been out exploring and she'd been cooped up since the dawn of time! Or, since they'd been born, which was when she considered the world really must have gotten exciting. Just up ahead she spotted her brother, flickering like a ghostly ember in and out of the fog. "Hey, hey, hey! Wait up!" she hollered, speeding up until she careened into his rear end.

Levi let out a disgruntled oof as the air was walloped out of his lungs, strong enough that he was swept off his feet like he weighed next to nothing. His eyes narrowed into a squint as he looked up at his snotty-nosed sister-literally, not meant as an insult- unsurprised but clearly displeased by her overzealous display. Clambering to his paws, he leaned back up onto his hind legs to give the pale of her muzzle a warning nip. Just so they were even on the physical tit-for-tat she'd unintentionally started.

"I'm busy." He emphasised, a little snooty,  as though it was possible for a kid his age to really know the meaning of the word. So many things to see and bite, so little time. "Patrolling and stuff."

And then he began to toddle off, urgency in his steps as he retrod worn paths already pressed into the mud. He had a lot of ground to cover and not much time to do it in if he wanted to go for a swim later, before the tides rolled back out. Except then he paused, his brows furrowed.

"You can come, if you want."

"Eeeep!" she shrieked when he nipped her, shaking her muzzle away out of his reach. Now that they were starting to fill out a bit, it was clear that Levi would be the smallest of them all. Mak didn't like lording it over him or anything, but it made her feel a little safer when he got so snippy. At least she could just scamper out of reach. It was a little bit of a security blanket. "Busy, huh? Doing what? Walking? Walking is really busy work, huh," she blathered on, walking with him shoulder-to-shoulder and occasionally bumping into him on purpose. Makara didn't wait up for his invitation to come along, she just invited herself. "Okay, but like, can we race? I feel like there's sooo much to see and we can see more if we go really fast!"

Levi squinted up at his pale sister. It was busy work! He saw the adults do it for hours at a time, pacing back and forth as they went over old scent trails. If it wasn't important no one would do it, they'd leave the borders as they were. The more she bumped into him, the harder he shouldered her back, till he wanted to jump on up and give her ear a mean pull. Maybe running would make this better, at least then he'd be able to keep out of her reach.


"Fine. Till that tree. If you lose, go away." He pointed with his snout and waited a beat, just so she couldn't claim he'd cheated.

And then he was off, fiery-gold paws, kicking up mud as he rushed past the waving grass. She had height on him but he'd beaten taller wolves before, didn't see it as much of a disadvantage especially since she was always so clumsy and unsure on her paws. Like she might keel over if the wind blew too hard.


Levi vs Makara for Race
Round 1/2
Age: under 6 months
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Navigator

"No way! No fair! YOU HAVE TO COUNT DOWN!" She yelled at Levi's rapidly disappearing form. Makara kicked up dust and tried to get her paws under her, but it was a rough start. Her paws skidded, covered in a thick layer of dried mud to keep the sensitive pads safe from that itchy, no-good grass. The faster she ran, the more the mud crumpled off of her paws. Pretty soon, each step started itching. "Oh no..." she gasped under her breath, looking down at the trail of flaked off mud behind her. She got the sinking feeling that she'd get in trouble in she slouched back to the den so soon complaining, so she gritted her teeth and skittered as fast as she could after Levi. Eventually she found her rhythm.

Makara vs Levi for Race
Round 1/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Navigator

Peeking over his shoulder, Levi saw the white blur of his sisters form. Maybe he'd been a little mean and hadn't given her the time she needed to get ready, but that was her fault for not paying attention. You snooze, you lose. To Makara's credit though, she was quick to fall into pace, making it clear that even though little Levi was very fast, his victory was not assured.

Gritting his growing puppy teeth, he kicked up a notch, ignoring the protests of his aching muscles as he dipped his head down and thundered along even faster. The end was just in sight, a little further!


Levi vs Makara for Race
Round 2/2
Age: under 6 months
Size: Extra small
Build: Light
Skills: Advanced Fighter & Intermediate Navigator

Every step burned, but it just spurned her on. The faster this whole race was over, the faster she could soak her paws in salt water and limp back home. Hopefully they'd come up with a more permanent solution soon. She thought her father had mumbled something about it, but maybe she was just hearing things. What a dream it would be, if she could scamper around without this awful, itchy sensation. Makara was panting hard now, coming up faster, but she couldn't see if she'd pull ahead. Tears were streaming from her eyes as every scuffle of their little feet kicked up pollen into her face. She was pretty sure this was a form of torture!

Makara vs Levi for Race
Round 2/2
Age: Under 6 months
Size: Large
Build: Light
Skills: Beginner Fighter & Beginner Navigator

And the winner is...

LEVI

MAKARA lost the race! Totals: LEVI Speed Roll: 71 Stamina Roll: 73 Balance Roll: 58 Total: 202 Speed[71] + 15% Bonus[10.65]: 81.65 Stamina[73] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 73.00 Balance[58] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 58.00 Total[212.65] + -20% Bonus[-42.53]: 170.12 MAKARA Speed Roll: 98 Stamina Roll: 20 Balance Roll: 4 Total: 122 Speed[98] + 5% Bonus[4.90]: 102.90 Stamina[20] + 5% Bonus[1.00]: 21.00 Balance[4] + 0% Bonus[0.00]: 4.00 Total[127.90] + -30% Bonus[-38.37]: 89.53