The Rainbow Lupe: Part Two

by silver_unicorn87

The Uni was fast. She bolted ahead just as the starting horn had sounded. Silvera's owner had taught her well though. Many quests she had finished. Her intense training at the Training School was helping as well. She had trained in agility quite a bit and was advancing on the racing Uni Taking long strides, Silvera gained on the Uni She was almost too late to jump a large fence when it came racing towards her. She leaped and cleared the jump just in time. The Uni jumped it with great ease.

Silvera decided not to look at the Uni but what was coming in front of her. Otherwise she might fall too far behind with more near trip-ups such as the one before.

Up ahead, Silvera saw a huge wooden wall, blocking her path. She knew she couldn't jump in but going around it would slow her down way too much considering its length. Doing the math in her head, she figured out, approximately, how much time it would take to go around the wall or to climb up it. Her choice was to try her climbing skills. She jumped as high as she could and latched onto the soft wood with her outstretched claws. Clambering up the side, using her powerful back legs to push her up in tremendous jumps for nooks and crannies in the wood. When she got to the top she jumped down, nearly tripping on her own feet as she saw the Uni hot in pursuit. Putting on a burst of speed, she looked up again to see a forest, lush in green and plants. She burst through the brambles and wove through the trees. She skipped over upturned roots and pushed through thorn filled bushes. With tremendous force she pushed through the forest only to see a stream right ahead. She took a huge leap and landed on the opposite bank with a little slip into the water. The Uni was right on her tail. There was only a home stretch now. Sprinting towards it with all her power, Silvera pulled herself forward, steering and maneuvering with her tail. She was too far ahead to lose! She couldn't lose! She could smell the scents of victory lingering around her nose.

All of a sudden, in her carelessness, she tripped over a stone and went plundering to the dirt. The Uni quickly pulled ahead as Silvera got swiftly to her feet and pursued the Uni closely. Silvera's hopes were torn to shreds at her fall. Trying her best not to collapse because of the muscle she pulled in her foreleg, she sprinted towards the finish. With a final thrust of her hind legs, she pushed herself past the finish line. She threw herself onto the ground after, chest heaving with exhaustion, fatigue taking over her worn body.

The Uni looked at her, panting and sweating heavily.

"Humph, I admit, you won and here's the proof," the Uni said, handing Silvera a golden circle. It had a running Lupe on it to symbolize agility.

"Thank you," Silvera wheezed, holding the prize in her teeth tightly. The Uni just nodded then back off into the forest.

Oh great, where am I supposed to go now, Silvera thought? She didn't have to look far though because a portal appeared in front of her, rainbow light shining upwards, ready to take her to the next course.

She stepped up onto the portal and felt the world whir past her in a big colorful blur. She landed down on an island surrounded by water. She looked around her. Nothing was in sight except for a Kougra. The Kougra growled.

"This is the defence course," the Kougra growled bluntly. "All you have to do is take everything I throw at you," he continued, red coat blowing in the sea breeze. "Starting… NOW!"

The Kougra rushed forwards and used one heavy paw to hit Silvera's shoulder. Being really strong in defence, Silvera simply shrugged it off.

"Is that all you can do?" Silvera asked with a slight drawl.

"I'm not even warmed up!' the Kougra growled, using his hefty claws to scratch at Silvera's face.

Silvera jumped aside quickly, avoiding the needle sharp claws.

"I have to defend myself as well you know! I'm not going to let you trick me into thinking that I can't do anything but sit here and take everything you hit me with!" she cried, lashing out with her back legs and sending the Kougra sprawling. She advanced on the Kougra but he swiftly lashed out with his paw and smacked her hard in the face. She lay in the sand, rendered defenceless.

This Kougra wasn't kidding about only being less than warmed up! He was strong! The Kougra was barreling down on her, biting at her neck and clawing at her sides. She winced with pain and doubled over in the sand.

Her stomach gave a terrible lurch at the blow from a flailing tail. Before she knew it, she was lying on her back in the sand. The Kougra had one heavy paw on her chest as she lay there.

"Give up?" the Kougra growled.

"Not quite," she replied, finding her strength with the anger of the arrogance coming from this creature. With those words came the kick of her hind legs, sending the Kougra sailing into the water. He got up quickly and shook his fur before running up to her. She slid in between the Kougra's legs and grabbed his tail in her jaws as he tried to escape. She pulled and didn't let go until she heard the agonizing pleas for mercy coming from the Kougra's pathetic form.

"You give up?" she asked through clenched teeth and Kougra fur.

"I give up," the Kougra wailed, patting his tail fondly as she let it go. "Fine, you won," the Kougra admitted reluctantly. "Here," he said grudgingly, holding out another golden amulet. It had a Lupe on it that looked like it was being used as a punching bag as a Kougra slapped it silly. Silvera didn't appreciate the picture on her token but she took it anyway.

The Kougra disappeared and in his place, the portal to her next challenge.

She stepped up on to the stone and felt the world whir past her. She was quite used to it already and it gave her the slight impression she was flying.

She landed on soft soil on the bank of a pond. This must be the strength course, she thought.

As if to answer her question, a quite fit looking Skeith jumped out of the pond, showering Silvera in crystal clear water. Rivulets flowed through her fur as she watched the Skeith do some fancy flying moves in mid air before landing in front of her.

"This is the strength test!" he boomed. "There are several things you must do to pass. Follow me," he continued, leading her across the pond.

She was forced to swim which she very much, did not enjoy! When she got to the other side, she was wet and smelly and rather grumpy. The Skeith waited for her beside a huge tree with a trunk as think as… well… a very large tree trunk that's all.

"You must cut this tree down using the resources you have, then you must make a bridge across the pond!" the Skeith said.

Good, she thought. She thought she might've had to fight him and he was quite big and burly.

"You may begin," he said, lumbering over to a stump, which he sat on.

She sighed, looking at the tree in wonder. Oh well, would just have to start and hope that it didn't take forever.

She loped up to the tree and started to chew at the bark. It was remarkably hard and impossible to chew away!

How could she make it softer? She had one idea; she went into the forest and came out with a cocoa- nut. She cracked it open on a rock and used it to put water on the bark, softening it incredibly. She chewed yet again but it still proved to be too hard.

She then decided on a pulling technique. She grabbed a vine from a high up branch and put it into the water. It surprisingly soaked up as much moisture as thought a vine could. Maybe more! She wrapped the tree in the vine than tied the end of it around her shoulder and neck. Then she took a running go for the water and only made the tree stir a bit.

Tch, fine, she thought. Then began digging at the roots. She dug and dug until her paws were numb and bloody. This tree must be old because the roots were so firmly planted into the soil. She grabbed a forked stick and started kneading at the soil, making it soft for her paws. After she kneaded it enough, she shoveled it out with her sore paws. Hours must've passed as she shoveled piles and piles of dirt from beneath the tree. Then she retied herself to the vine and pulled. The tree gave a tremendous groan before crashing down across the pond. Silvera had to run to get away from it in time.

The crash woke up the peacefully dozing Skeith It was awake long enough to toss her the token and then went back to sleep without hesitation.

She looked at the token with a picture of a tree bridge; a Lupe perched a top the wood. She looked around and the Skeith had disappeared! In its place, was the last portal? She cautiously stepped onto it, this time not really feeling anything. Just a soft rushing sound by her ears and she was in a battle arena.

To be continued...