[Leaftail]

The day had turned out to be a mild one, with a slight breeze and the clouds danced in the sky, hiding the sun at some points, revealing it's harsh rays at others. The wind rushed over the ground, making the grass shudder from time to time, light reflecting off their leaves as they were pushed down. All seemed quiet, still almost, as if waiting for the next breath or sigh of the earth. That was, until something rushed past, crushing the grass as it went. It ran off, the soft sound of thuds echoed in the air, slowly disappearing, until another creature passed through, a lot slower than the previous. The first creature slid to a halt, it's hooves digging into the ground, churning up grass and dust. As the air cleared around it, one could catch a glimpse of glowing marks on it's skin, but once the dust vanished, the glows subsided as the suns rays hit it.

"Sakura! You're so slow!" it called, shaking it's black mane out, snorting the dust out of it's nose. The other creature, smaller than the black one, flicked it's ears at the other, shaking it's head. "Calm down Momiji! I said I would go with you, not race halfway around the world!" Sakura shouted, narrowing her eyes at the male Cavallion. She wondered why she had ever decided to join him in the first place. She should be back with Ushi, checking on the stock of healing herbs, or looking after the younger creatures. But, Ushi had it all under control, so Sakura had nothing better to do. Instead, she came with Momiji, who seemed to be looking for something, at least, that's what she thought.

Pawing the ground, Momiji let out a loud neigh, excitement rippling through his body. "This is it! Right here, this is our final destination!" He said, practically jumping up and down. Sakura rolled her eyes, having finally caught up with him. "So...what are we doing out here?" she asked, eying the other suspiciously. Sometimes Momiji was known to drag others into trouble. Momiji danced on spot, twisting around in a circle. "This is the perfect running spot! You, me, we're going to race!" He shouted, rearing up and kicking out his forelegs as if attacking the air.

Sakura's mouth dropped open. Race? She came out here...to race? Momiji was crazy. That was the final verdict. She shook her head quickly. "No! I am not racing you!" she replied, stamping her front right hoof, dust clouding around her leg before settling off. "Awwww...Sakura! If you aren't going to race me, who is? Momiji asked, his voice in a high pitched whine, as he stretched his neck out, nudging her shoulder with his muzzle. "Oh, I don't know, you're imaginary friend,"

[Rabid]

Persnickety, the solitary creature that he was, had chosen to head out to the plains where none of the annoying pests from home would come to bother him. They had no sense, in his mind. They figured that since this place had almost nothing in it, it was boring and repetitive. Of course, this was good for him, since he had a place to go if he wished to be left alone by them. Unfortunately, it didn't prevent him from being bothered by others.

He did his best to remain calm, munching on grass and focusing on the feeling of wind in his mane. OHis head bolted up as he heard something. Hooves? Yes, he heard someone running this way. He saw an equine figure heading slightly off from his spot, and paid no more heed. He lowered his head and did his best to resume his calm behavior. Of course, the two equines - it turned out there were two, not just one - ended up nearby. They were noisy, at least from his perspective. He quietly let out an irritated snort, but didn't budge. Perhaps it would've been wise to move away, but he was stubborn and chose to remain where he was, despite the "loud" creatures.

{9}

[Leaftail]

It wasn't that they were trying to be loud, they just thought they were alone. Momiji was about to answer when the wind shifted and something caught his attention. It was the smell of someone other than the cherry smelling Sakura and his own, sweaty, smell. His head twisted to the side and he caught sight of a Penticorn, who seemed to have noticed them but didn't do anything about it. He flicked his ears and looked back at Sakura, a grin forming on his face. "I think I found my competition," he said, Sakura glancing over towards the Penticorn. Her curiousity sparked, but her shyness kept her from going over and say hi, as Momiji was just doing. The equine had no fear, and didn't care what others thought about him, something she wished she had. The confidence he had seemed to radiate from his markings at night, like it fueled the glow. She shook her head, staying where she was, putting her head down and lipping at a few grass blades. She was going to keep her distance, as usual.

Momiji approached the Penticorn, but slowed as he got closer giving the other his space. Something he had learned over his lifetime is to not approach so fast the other would be overwhelmed. Though, he had that problem with closer friends, Sakura especially. Nodding his head, he spoke. "Hello! Nice day isn't it? I was wondering if you'd like to have a run, a race, sort of, you don't have to, but if you'd like..." he trailed off, turning his head to see Sakura keeping her distance. Turning his head back to the Penticorn, he waited for a reply. "Oh, and my name is Momiji!" he added in. Sometimes people didn't like if you started speaking to them without an introduction. They were picky people.

[Rabid]

Persnickety noted the vibrations headed in his direction and looked up. He spotted the male approaching him and lifted his head to its proper, proud position. He perked his ears as the cavallion spoke. Apparently, they had been discussing a race. He assumed that it would be one-on-one. What was it with males these days? Always having to show off their various strengths. Of course, this wasn't necessarily the case here, but this is Persnickety's mind; he's a prude, really. He flared his nostrils in a silent snort.

I'm Persnickety, He replied with a small dip of his head. And I accept your challenge. Just because he thought it was stupid didn't mean he wasn't going to participate. Persnickety viewed the world in a different way, you see. He thought of it as a world of knights and such whatnot. Thus, he couldn't back down from a "challenge" or else face the destruction of his pride. So, he chose to participate in the race.

{10}

[Leaftail]

At first, Momiji wasn't sure if he had heard the Penticorn correctly. He accepted? That was great! Though, why was the other taking it as a challenge? No matter. He knew he was the fastest out of his friends, even Makka tended to lose often against him. Nodding, he twisted around excitedly, like a kid at Christmas, and trotted back to Sakura. "Come on, we'll start it over by Sakura," he said, his steps light. Gosh, this was going to be so much fun! As for Sakura, she wasn't pleased with the fact that Momiji was bringing the Penticorn closer, and she was going to move back, but Momiji was back in front of her in less than ten seconds. She tossed her head as he snapped at her playfully, and was tempted to kick him, but held back. Instead she pinned her ears back, snorting, and trotted away a few steps. No, she was not pleased at all.

"Sakura, come back! You have to meet the other racer," Momiji said, whining again. "His name is Persnickety!" Sakura shook her head. "I'm fine...right here, as it is. I'll watch from this spot," she replied. "But! We need someone to start us off! Come on, can't you do the count down?" Momiji asked. Sakura was shy, he knew that, but seriously, she had to get over it sometime, so why not now? Sakura sighed, dropping her head, thinking to herself. Why should she listen to him? He dragged her out here and now she wasn't in a situation she'd like to be in. Oh, why couldn't she just be back at the stable sorting through herbs? Lifting her head, she gave in, coming closer, if only by a few inches. "Is that better?" she asked, Momiji nodding quickly.

"Ok! Rules, there are only a few. One: The first one back here, wins. Two: We run down towards that rock over there-" he pointed at a giant rock that was just sitting out in the open with his muzzle, "run around it, and come back this way. Whoever wins gets the title of being the fastest, and...uh...anything else you'd like to add to the prize?" Momiji asked. Let the other add something to it, it would be a fair game then.

[Rabid]

Persnickety calmly followed Momiji. He noted that as he got closer, this Sakura would move away. Interesting. He gave it little thought. He lined himself up with the black cavallion and listened carefully to his rules. He gave his best shrug as the other asked if he wished to add anything.

Sounds fair enough to me. One doesn't need much to remain satisfied. He observed the imaginary track as he awaited the countdown. He searched for rocks, sudden small changes in altitude, that sort of thing. He gave himself a nearly invisible nod and did a quick stretch. Didn't want to pull anything, that wouldn't be good at all. His final preparation was a quick shake of his head. Go time. All he needed was the signal to, well, go.

{11}

[Leaftail]

Momiji nodded, giving Sakura the "okay" to start the countdown. He noticed Persnickety stretching and decided to do the same, more or less. The idea was good, seeing as pulling anything was painful enough as it was, and he didn't want to do that. Sakura watched the two, making sure they had both "stretched" themselves well before she cleared her throat. "Alright, on your marks, get set..." she paused, for affect. Most people would scream to say go already, Momiji included, but he was staring intently at the rock ahead of him and Persnickety, his muscles ready to get to work, legs in position. Sakura gave the tension a few more seconds before she yelled "Go!", rearing up on her hind legs, like if she were waving a flag at a drag race.

Once "go" was announced, Momiji set off, kicking off the ground with his back hooves, which gave him a power boost, kicking up dust behind him. Right now, he wanted to focus on the rock, get there, twist around it and head back to Sakura before he worried about seeing where Persnickety was. Both were equine-like creatures, so chances were, they were evenly matched, it just depended on who was faster and who had better stamina. Racing forward, Momiji's neck was stretched out, his legs stretching as far as they could before being picked up quickly and close to his body, so if someone took a snap shot, all his legs would be off the ground at two points instead of the one. It was weird, but it was how he ran.

From Sakura's point of view, she really couldn't tell much, but she was rooting for Persnickety, just because. It was Momiji who dragged her out here anyways.

[Rabid]

Persnickety imagined the sound of a gun going off. He was persnickety, after all. He had a vivid imagination-which tended to be quite the hinderance- so in his mind, there really had been a gun. He reared, whinnied, and bolted. It actually didn't slow him down, despite the delay; in fact, the adrenalin rush gave him more speed. Luckily, he had plenty of experience with adrenalin, and knew that if he let fear control him, he'd be dead within a few moments. He kept his mind calm and made sure he didn't stumble. That would be painful to his pride (and he might get some injuries), and he didn't want that. Not at all. He dug his hooves into the dirt as he reached the rock. Halfway there. He noted that he'd slowed a tad, and lengthened his strides accordingly. Didn't want to fall behind.

[Leaftail]

Momiji reached the rock and started around it. He had to adjust his speed, slow down, so as he arched his body around the rock, he'd have less of a chance of slipping on the dry ground. Which, just as when he thought he had cleared the rock, his left foreleg stretched out and as his hoof hit the ground, the dirt gave way and he felt his body slipping towards the left. Aw crap! he thought, as he tried to save himself from the humiliating fall, and managed to stay up for more than a few seconds, before he crashed to the ground, rolled over his shoulder. Luckily, the roll gave him a push that helped him get back on his feet. He glanced to see where Persnickety was, and noticed he was ahead now. He snorted, a tad annoyed that he made such a mistake, and launched off again. His black coat was, now, covered in dirt, something he didn't mind usually, but now it was bothering him. Instead of the sleek, wind resistant look, he had some hinderance. Hopefully most of the dirt would fall off soon.

Sakura waited at the finish line, nervously stepping back and forth. She had watched Momiji fall, and laughed loudly, but wondered if he was okay. The moment he got up, she let out the breath she had been holding, and her eyes traveled to Persnickety, seeing he had gotten the lead. She wanted to jump around, to be a cheerleader, but she was the finish line, so moving wasn't an option. Instead, she was left with her stepping, adjusting her weight from one side to the other. The race would end soon and she wanted to see who would come out on top.

[Rabid]

Persnickety, upon hearing Momiji's fall, started. She glanced nervously backwards. He saw that the other male was okay, and had apparently simply tripped. Shaking himself a tad, he continued his run. He "tsk"ed himself. That silly fright had caused him to fall back a tad. He wanted to see where he was in comparison with the now-dirty cavallion, but didn't wish to slow down any further. He skidded to a halt after passing Sakura, and turned to check on the outcome. It had been a fair race, indeed, and so he would accept any judgment. Of course, he still wanted to have won. Silly pride.

{13}

[Leaftail]

Momiji noticed he still had a chance. Persnickety had slowed, if only by slightly and he used that to his advantage. He pushed himself the last few yards he had to run, hoping to make it past the Penticorn and when he slid to a stop after passing Sakura, he noticed Persnickety was there as well. Well, did he get second? Did he get first? Why was Sakura just standing there, not announcing the winner? His sides heaved, but the run was worth it. It was so much fun, who knew?

As for Sakura, she was still having trouble in her own mind figuring out who had gotten past her first. She had been watching Persnickety come up towards her, when Momiji had bowled past at the same time. Who made it past her first? Jogging her memory, the answer came soon enough. "Alright! The results are in, the winner of the race is...it was a tie! You both won!" she said, nodding. Yep, the two had passed her at the same time, and she didn't believe it at first, but the mental image she had was the same stride, the same out-stretched posture of them both, it had to be a tie.

Momiji laughed and looked towards Persnickety. A tie? That was good enough for him. "Great race Persnickety," he started, approaching the Penticorn. "You're quite fast, I must hand it to you,"

[Rabid]

He looked to Sakura upon seeing that Momiji wasn't at all behind. His ears flicked up as she announced that the race had been a tie. Well, that was an interesting development. A tie! How extraordinary. He turned his attention to the cavallion as he neared.

A great race indeed, He replied. And you are quite fast as well, good sir. He dipped his head halfway in respect. I haven't run into one who had a chance of beating me until this day. Quite the challenge, sir. He nodded to himself, as some tend to do, before shaking himself from his mind. He then turned to Sakura. And I must thank you, madam, for being a fair judge. He gave her a bow, like a "proper gentleman".

{14}

Oh dear, I've begun to make him british. D:

[Leaftail]

Momiji accepted the compliment from the Penticorn, nodding his head as well, if only slightly. He was happy to know that Persnickety was probably the best out of his own friends, as he was with his stable mates, and that the challenge was satisfying for the both of them. Sakura, on the other hand, felt a tad flustered as Persnickety addressed her, then gave her the bow. "It was nothing, really...I'm glad you guys had fun, it was amazing to watch," she commented. She dipped her head in reply to the bow, not sure if it was really needed, but what the heck. It wasn't hurting anybody. She glanced to Momiji and flicked her ears as a signal to bow too. Men, so disrespectful. Momiji blinked at her before catching on and dipped his head as well to his challenger. Women, so...so...agh whatever. "So, what were you doing out here anyways? Catching the rays?" he asked, curious.

Not that it was weird to be out here or anything. Persnickety was just alone, which raised curiosity from both parties, but Sakura wasn't the one to question random souls.

[Rabid]

Persnickety straightened from his bow and flicked his tail. He gave a small chuckle as Momiji asked about getting out in the sun.

Nay, Nay? Who the heck said "nay"? I was here to get away from the madness. He allowed himself a small chuckle. They probably had no clue. The Misstress' home is a tad... Stressful. I thought it would be beneficial to my health to leave for a few hours or so. He allowed himself a small smirk.

So, what brings the two of you out here? Felt the need for a run, hm? He understood; he'd had a good stretch on his way to his previous position. Running was relaxing, in a strange, tiring sort of way. But, it was what he was born to do, and he did it well. Reason enough for it to be enjoyable, he supposed.

{15}

[Leaftail]

[[ooc;; sorry for the late reply, got attacked by college work]]

Persnickety had a crazy home too? That was a surprise to Momiji. He thought his own household was a tad insane, due to all the assortment of personalities that called the place home. Plus, the place was huge as it was, ranging from an ocean to a mountain range, which wasn't that bad, but it gave one the sense of emptiness every so often, especially how everyone was spread out. "I know how that is..." he replied, getting a look from Sakura. She, on the other hand, enjoyed their home. She wasn't the one to get into all the fights and quarrel with any of the house mates. Though, she did have a tad disliking for the Purine Penticorn calling their stable home, but that was due to the girl's dislike for their owner.

The Penticorn's question made Sakura glance at Momiji again, pointing him out as the reason for being here. "For him, yes, he needed a run. He's raced everyone else at home and won, so he wanted a new challenge, I suppose. I got dragged along because Ushi didn't need me around," she answered. A light sigh came from her then, and once again she felt the wishes of wanting to be in the herb room in the stable, sorting and organizing, though how more organized can that place get?

Momiji stuck his tongue out at Sakura, feeling a tad hurt she put the situation on him. It wasn't his fault everyone else was so slow. But in all reality, he too, wanted to get away, explore the outside world. Haipaa and Atlas would come home from their adventures telling stories of the places they had gone, the people they had met, and it made Momiji a tad jealous. Not only that, but Ushi was out with Haipaa previously as well and came home telling the story of saving a Mr. Wilson from being eaten by a creature, helping a dragon-like creature and meeting the deranged owner of the tent. How cool was that? Though, Sakura might not undestand, but maybe Persnickety would.

"Actually, the real reason I wanted to come out here was the explore. I'm always at home, so why not break my reins and go out for a bit? I mean, some of our friends come home telling us grand stories of being out here, meeting people, it's so interesting," he replied, lightly nudging Sakura with his shoulder. The mare, snorted, flipping her ears back and moved away from him. Ugh, he was so annoying sometimes.