The Birthday Celebration Race

      “Interesting choice for our birthday celebration race…” His companion, a Scorchio, observed quietly. He hopped slightly, untangling a vine that had managed to coil itself around his ankle. “Are we sure we will have a good turn out this year?”

      “Queen Fyora chose this spot herself.” The Elephante grunted in response. He did not know why he was explaining this to his friend once again. The Scorchio had been grumbling about the location several times through the weeks leading up to the race. “It’s the only spot where inhabitants would not be disturbed.” Now that they were actually in Geraptiku setting things up, he was able to see for the first time just how lost and forgotten the city actually was. There were dwellings scattered throughout the area, but the ringing silence indicated that the place had long been abandoned.

      “Very well.” The Scorchio replied, setting down his supplies. “Let’s get things set up and head out quickly.”

      The Elephante nodded in agreement, making quick work of stringing the banner up between the trees before proceeding within the jungle to mark the path that the racers would follow the next morning. Neither of the two workers noticed that they were being watched.

      A Pteri squinted through the growing mist, doing his best to stay out of sight. His heart hammered against his chest. Is this cheating? No! I’m at a disadvantage, everyone else will get to see the path clearly tomorrow but me! He could feel the familiar war within his mind spark up again. He clacked his beak in annoyance and flitted down to the banner, watching the blurry shapes of the two workers make their way deeper into the forest. Up close, the banner became clear.

     Neopia’s 25th Birthday Celebration Race

     The Pteri sighed. He wanted to win tomorrow's race so very badly. He was astoundingly fast at flying, but his vision was less so. Every year the community would gather in various locations to do birthday celebration races for the different types of folks with various talents: swimming, running, or flying. This year, the celebration race for flying folk was being held here of all places! No doubt they wanted an obstacle challenge.

     “Hang on, I forgot my hammer!” The voice of the Scorchio called out, too close for comfort. Quickly, the Pteri leapt into the air and flapped hard towards the heart of the village, abandoning all plans of following the two to learn the route of the race. There was no chance he could have actually remained stealthy in the dimming light. Already the land was cast into deep shadows, making things all the more difficult for him to navigate towards what he guessed was a hut. His feet unceremoniously landed on the rough straw of the roof in a rough landing, the sensation under his feet immediately reminding him of his time spent in mother’s nest.

     “Who’s that?” A frightened voice squeaked out, causing the Pteri to jump in alarm for the second time that night.

     “I’m nobody!” the Pteri replied uncertainly, squinting his eyes to see where the source of the voice was. There was no-one within sight.

     “Well, nobody. I don’t mind sharing this roof, but you’re standing on my toes.” The voice sounded out again in a pained tone.

     “Your toes?” He lifted one foot in confusion investigating the straw. Sure enough, a collection of pink toes wiggled through the straw.

     “Look under.” The voice instructed.

     Curious now, he hopped to the edge of the hut and flew down to the ground. Hanging upside down on the lip of the roof was a Korbat, his toes grasping at the straw to keep him secure and in place.

     “Well I’ll be.” The Pteri whistled in amazement, “I thought I was the only one crazy enough to stay the night before the big race.”

     The Korbat unhinged himself from his position and clumsily fell to the ground with a half flap of his wings. “My name is Victor.” The Korbat introduced, righting himself. “I usually live in the Haunted Woods, so I’m not bothered by this place like others are.” He held out a clawed hand in greeting.

     “Harold.” The Pteri replied, taking hold of Victors hand and shaking.

     “I guess you’re a bit more than just a random ‘nobody’, eh?” The Korbat winked a large eye. “It’s nice to have a preview of some of my competition for tomorrow. Did you plan to attack the roof of this hut? Or did it pop out of nowhere and threaten to steal your neopoints?” The Korbat grinned impishly.

     Harold glanced up towards the roof of the hut, and now saw evidence of his hard landing. Even from his new spot on the ground he could clearly see bits of straw bent out at odd angles and a few of his soft down feathers littering the site. “Yikes…” Was all he could manage.

     “I’ll say, It probably looks as bad as it sounded. You looked wild while you were flying over here. Almost as though Balthazar himself were chasing after you.” Victor rubbed his chin furtively, his large eyes gazing towards the mess of the roof.

     Harold found himself nodding in embarrassment, and then paused. “What do you mean probably looks?”

     “Well, I’m guessing it looks like a crime scene.” The Korbat squinted his large eyes upward. “But then again, I’m one to talk. I just nearly kissed the ground goodnight on my way down to meet you.” He let out a short laugh.

     Harold stared at the Korbat in amazement “Are you… blind?” But even while asking the question, he knew it didn’t add up. Victor had just described how Harold looked while he was flying in.

     “Nope!” Victor waved his hand in front of his eyes pointedly. “I can kind of see you right now, but I can see things nice and crisp if it is further away.”

     Harold felt his world tilt at the unique situation happening before him, “I have the opposite problem!” He stepped closer in his excitement, “I can’t see things far away all that clearly, but I can see things up close!”

     Victor laughed in amazement, “Well then Harold, why are we even going to bother competing in the big race tomorrow?”

     “I’m actually really fast. I want a fair shot at the grand prize.” Harold began pacing on the soft ground in front of the hut, an idea beginning to take shape in his head.

     “Free training for the rest of the year at the training school is worth a few bumps and bruises.” Victor agreed wistfully.

     Harold nodded, looking at Victor with renewed interest. He took a few more steps then stopped his pacing, resolved in voicing his new idea. “We can win,” he began, “if we work together.”

     Victor was hesitant at first, but the more Harold explained his plan, the more the Korbat appeared at ease with what the Pteri hoped to accomplish. After a round of questions and speculation if the plan would disqualify them from the race, the two finally agreed that it was better to try the strategy rather than just bumble through the thick of the jungle and no doubt lose anyway.

     ---

     Despite the complaints from the Scorchio of last night, there was in fact a very large turn out the following day. Harold felt thankful that he had decided to brave the night within the lost city, because he and his new friend were able to arrive first at the registration line and secure their spots in the race side by side.

     “Look! There’s the Techo Master!” Victor pointed excitedly towards the crowd of milling Neopians. “Wow.. he’s really old.”

     “And you probably look like an infant to him.” Harold shot back. He was beginning to become accustomed to Victor's comments. The Korbat simply said whatever was on his mind without so much as a pause to consider if whatever he was saying was appropriate.

     Victor simply grinned back “Nah! We Korbats have huge heads when we are young. You should have seen my baby pictures! My Dad said they used to just keep me upside down all the time because my big ol’ head wanted to go in that direction anyway.”

     Harold stared at him, trying to decide if he was poking fun or not. He shook his head, instead redirecting his attention towards the growing number of contestants joining them near the starting line. “I think they’re going to start the race soon.” He observed. The tension surrounding the racers was building. The light and idle chatter around them was starting to become more strained and laced with excitement.

     All the contestants were starting off on the ground near the very entrance of the Geraptiku jungle. A light mist still swirled about, dampening Harold’s feathers. He hoped it wouldn’t slow him down too much. He already knew he would have to fly slower than what he was accustomed to in order to avoid the low hanging branches, vines, and whatever else awaited within the trees.

     “All contestants! Please take your spot at the line!” A booming voice rang out. Harold could feel his heart speed up. This was it!

     “Racers! You will follow the path of these yellow flag markers within the forest! But beware! Some of these flags are fake! You will have to either slow down to make sure that you are following the correct path, or take a chance and keep flying at top speed to move up in the race!” A Checkered Eyrie pumped his powerful wings along the line of racers, holding out a yellow flag marker in a display. “The fake flags will be posted on wooden stakes that have a black dot on the top.” He continued, “Those flags will lead you in the wrong direction! This will be a clean race with no foul play! Anyone found to be cheating or committing sabotage will immediately be disqualified!”

     Harold felt himself shrink slightly in guilt, remembering his plans of cheating last night. Victor cast a sidelong glance towards him, but the stare didn’t linger as the Eyrie continued speaking.

     “We are pleased to have such a high interest of those who wish to compete in this Neopia’s 25th Birthday Celebration Race! We would also like to thank our sponsors for providing such splendid prizes! From Neopia Central we have the sponsors of Usuki Land, Uni’s Clothing, and the Book Shop!” The Eyrie continued down the list of sponsors, waving his hand along a few booths set up selling their product to the watchful crowd of spectators.

     Harold stretched his wings, waiting for the Eyrie to conclude his speech. A nearby Uni nickered impatiently and Harold could sense the other contestants growing restless. Harold felt his mind beginning to wander, daydreaming about what it would be like to cross the finish line first.

     A whistle blew, causing him to jump. The contestants around him shot into the air. In his moment of error, he missed that they were actually getting ready to start.

     “Come on!” Victor nudged him urgently. “Your plan didn’t say anything about us starting last!”

     “Flapping Faeries!” Harold cursed beneath his breath. Already they were at a disadvantage, and it wasn’t because of his lousy eyesight.

     The Korbat and Pteri chased after the others into the jungle. “I see the first marker up ahead,” Victor announced, “it’s on that wooden stake beneath the tree with all the knots in it.”

     Harold squinted, not seeing what Victor was pointing out, but he trusted him to lead him towards the marker. As they grew nearer, he saw the flag just as the Korbat had said. “Good job!” He congratulated, casting a glance down at the marker. “No black dot! This one is real! We need to go this way!” He directed them towards the direction the stiff wooden flag was pointing.

     The forest was wild, hanging vines snaked down and seemed to just appear suddenly in front of them. A few times the pair passed by competitors who had found themselves tangled up in a mess of growth. In addition, the morning mist still had not dissipated yet, obscuring the vision of everyone. Nothing new to the Korbat and Pteri, but others were unaccustomed to limited sight and the struggle was evident. The pair gained confidence, following the path of several more flag markers and avoiding the false flags.

     “Over there!” Victor lightly nudged Harolds wing, redirecting his flight in a new direction. As the two progressed, they had begun to learn how to subtly direct one another around without confusing directions on how much to turn to the left or right.

     Harold nodded, trusting Victor. He, in turn issued the ocassional nudge and tap to steer Victor away from the vines, stumps, bushes, and trees that jolted into sudden view through the mist.

     “This one looks good too.” Harold commented upon examining the marker, picking up speed once more.

     A few competitors nearby suddenly picked up speed as well and rushed past the pair, not bothering to even glance at the flag.

     “I think the others have picked up on our conversations and strategy…” Victor grumbled. “We need to keep it down.”

     “Those jerks!” Harold glowered in the direction of the racers, flapping his wings furiously to catch up. “They’re using us!”

     The pair tailed after the group of racers just ahead of them, dodging a few more obstacles and growing noticeably closer to them.

     “I think they’re letting us catch up!” Harold gasped in wonder.

     “It’s so that they can catch their breath and let us do the dirty work for them again.” Victor growled. “And the worst part is, their plan is working better than our plan.” He nudged Harold a little too roughly towards the next marker in the distance. “Over there.” He stated, all joy leeched from his voice.

     Sure enough, the pack of racers almost seemed to be flapping at a leisurely pace, allowing the pair to pass them, but still close enough to be within earshot.

     Harold inspected the marker. “This one is also good.” He spat out, words laced with annoyance. No sooner had he said the words that his competition soared out of sight with newfound speed.

     “That was too loud!” Victor complained, “They’re all rotten! Hey, wha-?”

     Harold tugged quickly on Victor's arm, redirecting him away from the indicated path. “I lied.” Harold whispered, nodding to the flag. Sure enough, a black dot had been painted on top of the post. “Look over there.” He nudged him towards another yellow flag marker that was hidden within the hollow of a tree. It pointed East of where the others were heading.

     A bright grin lit the face of the Korbat, and he nodded firmly. Not waiting another moment, the two flew with fresh determination in the correct direction. They passed by two more markers without any further company.

     “Look ahead!” Victor nudged Harold, excitement making his voice squeak.

     Harold gasped. Even with his bad vision, he could see that the line of trees was ending and they were very clearly near the finish line.

     “There you are!” A new voice shouted, not too far behind the pair.

     Harold nearly slammed into a tree with surprise, one of the flyers had caught up at the worst possible moment. He pumped his wings furiously, trying to gain speed.

     “Almost there!” The voice behind them wheezed, sounding haggard. Harold wondered just how far off track their competition had gotten because of him. And even more so, how long until they realised their mistake and had to fly twice as hard just to catch up to where they were now.

     Something hit Harold’s tail. He let out a surprised squawk, feeling something weighing him down and throwing off his flight pattern.

     “Ooops! Total accident!” A shadowed Uni sprang past the two, zipping past them and exiting the shadows of the jungle into the open. A crowd immediately erupted into cheers as the Uni made her appearance.

     Harold glanced back, inspecting his tail feathers. A thick pile of goopy jungle mud slopped down from the top of his feathers towards the ground.

     “Shake it off, we can still earn top three.” Victor made a swipe at Harold’s tail, knocking a fair amount of mud off.

     Harold grunted with effort, forcing himself to deal with the discomfort and newly added weight. Up ahead, the Uni had just crossed the finish line and was doing a silly little victory dance. The crowd was deafening with cheers and applause.

     Harold gave Victor one last nudge, dodging a spindly tree before the pair exited the forest and came into the opening. On either side of them were spectators, and about fifty feet ahead was the finish line.

     “Shall we finish this thing together?” Victor offered as they neared the finish line, holding out his hand.

     “Together.” Harold agreed, grabbing hold, the two crossing at the same time.

     The crowd closed in on the three, cheering wildly. Harold found himself being hoisted up on top of the crowd. This, he decided, was just fine, given how tired he was.

     He, along with the other two were finally deposited off to the side with many pats on their shoulders and words of congratulations. He noticed that the Uni was not being carried by the crowd, but instead was led through it. He figured it was simply because it is difficult to hoist a fully grown Uni onto one’s shoulders.

     Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, Harold sat back on the soft dewy grass sipping cool water while watching the other racers find their way through the jungle. He was finally starting to catch his breath when the Checkered Eyrie reappeared in front of the crowd at the finish line.

     “I am pleased to announce our winner for the race!” The Eyrie called out. He stretched out a large wing towards the Uni. “Mauve the Uni triumphantly clocked in at twenty-two minutes and forty seconds!”

     Harold did not smile or clap as the Uni glided forward in a show of grace and ease.

     “In second place, we have a tie between Harold the Pteri and Victor the Korbat! These two came in at the same time at twenty-three minutes and fifteen seconds!”

     Harold nudged Victor in their now familiar mode of communication, helping him navigate towards the centre of the crowd back towards the finish line.

     “And in third place, we have Tellia the Faerie Kougra who came in at twenty-five minutes even!” A beautiful Kougress padded forward. Her fur was matted with sweat, but her face was bright with triumph.

     “Our top three… er.. four winners will each receive a basket of gifts from our gracious sponsors!” The Eyrie motioned towards a table where two workers were quickly putting together a fourth prize basket.

     “Would the Techo Master please step forward to present his award to our grand prize winner?” The Eyrie called out.

     The crowd quieted as the Techo Master slowly made his way towards the victors. Soon his wooden staff was the only sound that could be heard. Harold couldn’t help but stare in admiration. He had always wanted to attend the Techo Master’s training school, but simply could never afford consistent lessons to do any real improvement.

     At last the Techo Master paused in front of the four, smiling with sage wisdom.

     “Free training for the remainder of the year is granted to those who show courage and honour by completing this daunting task.” He held out a Codestone for the audience to see. “May this Codestone symbolise the true meaning of hard work and determination."

     Harold’s heart ached, knowing that they should have won that Codestone and prize.

     The Techo Master smiled, then with surprisingly quick movements, threw the stone into the air and punched it, splitting it in two. One half fell in front of Harold, and the other perfectly in front of Victor.

     A hushed whisper filled the air.

     “Our winners.” The old Techo declared before turning away.

     The Uni stamped a hoof. “Perhaps you missed it, but I was the one who placed first!”

     The old Techo paused in his walk, and turned slowly around towards the Uni. “I have many students who have graduated past my lessons and have moved on to the Ninja Training School. They are loyal and very willing to patrol the race track to serve as my eyes where no-one believes they are being watched.” He reached over and rapped his staff against one muddied hoof of the Uni. “I could never instruct someone who relies on cheap tricks to overcome their opponents.”

     The Uni flared her nostrils and flicked her tail with irritation.

     The Techo Master leaned in closer, “I suggest you leave before you disgrace yourself further.”

     For a moment, she looked as though she was ready to fight the Techo, but decided against it and shot back into the air, flying quickly away.

     After a stunned moment, the crowd erupted once again, cheering and shouting Harold and Victor’s names.

     “I can’t believe we did it!” Victor shouted over the crowd.

     “Me either!” Harold yelled back, grabbing hold of Victor's hand and pumping it into the air in celebration.

     The award ceremony continued without further disruption. A small Shoyru was brought in as the third-place winner, and Harold and Victor were both generously awarded with 25 total prizes from the different sponsors in honour of the 25th Birthday Celebration of Neopia, along with 25,000 Neopoints each.

     In the end, however, the two agreed that their new friendship was the best prize of all.

     The End.