This is a new story wik one of mah original characters, Rory. He's an aspiring Chocobo racer, as you'll see soon enuff. And his chocobo's name is Ku! ^-^
Rory could feel his hands sweating, not from the gloves, but from the excitement - and terror - of his first Chocobo Race. He breathed deeply, trying to remember that he had raced before. This race was no different. He would just be in front of hundreds of people. And his entire career was riding on this.
No, wait. That wasn't true. Sure, winning this race would help get his name out there, but he was still a rookie, therefore, he didn't have much of a reputation to shatter if he lost. Still, anyone would be nervous.
Chocobo races were the latest craze in Spira. Not as big as Blitzball, of course, but nearly as popular. The most appealing feature of the sport, Rory figured as he laced his riding boots up, was the betting. Already some people had gotten rich off the sport.
The young racer ran a hand through jet-black hair, sighing. He pulled on a durable, green shirt. "Chockies" as the Chocobo Jockies were called for short, wore tough shirts to protect them from tough falls. Chocobo racing was a brutal sport, and injuries often occured.
Especially aggresive chocobos had been known to try and sink a beak or talon through a rival, chocobo or man. Anyway, the main thing to worry about was falling off the bird.
Chocobos are big creatures, and falling from one isn't good. Especially when that chocobo is traveling at about twenty-thirty miles an hour. Chockies spent a big part of their training just learning how to fall the right way.
Everything about the Chocobo-chockie team had to be tough. Chocobos slammed into their competition, any riders who were thrown automatically disqualified. Once in a while, a chocobo might "Accidentally" get a foot in the face. Tripping, while not illegal, was hard to pull off, though, and usually resulted in a decrease in speed.
Rory stepped outside, grabbing his helmet before leaving the locker room. It was actually the Blitzer's locker room, but until the racetrack was completed, they were forced to share.
Strapping on durable gloves, Rory made his way to the stables, shooting a glance at ther track. It was peaceful when no one was on it. Soon, however, it would be full of fans, racers, and giant yellow poultry.
Rory stepped into the stables where the chocobos were kept. He looked around, spotting stall two. Peeking inside, he found his chocobo, Ku.
Ku was an average chocobo, though a bit smaller than the others, being female. She warked happily and rose, shaking loose bits of straw from her feathers. She stretched a long, feathered head over to her owner.
Rory laughed a bit, stroking her beak. "We're gonna win this one, right, girl?" He said, looking at Ku, who released a joyous Wark in reply.
"Don't count on it, rookie." A lower, raspier voice said behind him. Rory turned around, wondering who had entered the stables. Before him stood another racer. Or a man with extremely strange choices in wardrobe.
Chockies usually had two main colors. Rory's were green and brown. This rider was wearing dark purple and white. A bit flashy, but whatever.
"This is my first race, yeah." Rory admitted, not knowing why this person had seemed to have taken such a disliking to him so quickly.
"Of course it is. You've got the stink of a novice." The second rider smirked.
That doesn't make much sense.... Rory thought. "How many races have you been in, then?"
At this, the blonde rider blushed a bit. "For your information" his voice shook a bit. "I've been in two races besides this one."
Rory would have laughed, but then, he didn't even have one race under his belt. "So... you're a rookie too, then?" He asked, not rudely.
"Yeah..." Blondey said. "But... not as much of one as you!" He pointed out.
Rory laughed. "True. My name's Rory." He held his hand out.
"Russel." The purple garbed rider said, shaking Rory's hand. "This your chocobo?" He gestured to Ku.
"Yep. This is Ku." Rory placed a hand on Ku's beak. "Where's yours?"
Russel pointed back a bit. "Number 17. Bones." He held out a hand to Ku, who nuzzled it.
"Oh geez." Rory said, looking down at his watch. "We've gotta get them to the track." He unlatched the door, leading Ku out of her stable. Russel mimicked this, hopping onto Bones, who wore purple leggings to identify who he belonged to. Ku's own leggings were dark green, matching Rory's racing shirt.
Hopping onto Ku, Rory took hold of her reins in his gloved hands, riding out of the stables. He stopped short when they got to the stands near the track.
"What's the matter, rookies?" A couple riders trotted by. "You nervous?" the riders joked as they rode by.
"Ignore them. That's how it is every race." Russel said, snapping Rory out of his day dream.
Rory led Ku to the starting line, where the Chocobos lined up. Chocobos could not be contained in tiny spaces, and it was better to line them up. Otherwise, the creatures might begin to feel uncomfortable and lash out at the other animals.
Rory breathed in deeply. "This is it." He said in his mind. "This is my big chance."
Suddenly, the shot rang out. The signal for the race to begin. Chocobos to his right and left leapt into action, pumping their legs, trying to gain an edge over their rivals.
Rory hadn't even noticed Ku coming up into the middle of the group. A quarter into the race, two chocobos had already been knocked out of the race, and three riders had slipped from their steeds, disqualifying themselves.
One particularly large chocobo was getting rid of competition by repeatedly slamming into it's rivals. The rider didn't care much for speed, choosing strength instead.
The technique wouldn't last him if Ku could pull ahead of the others. Rory nudged Ku with his ankles, prefering not to use a whip as some other riders would have favored.
Rory was pleased to see that Russel was also in the race, though he felt a bit jealous that he was a little ahead of Ku.
In a flash two chocobos were knocked simultaneously from their feet, rolling backwards. Being out of the way, Rory and Ku easily avoided the chocobos. Russel, however, was not as lucky.
While Rory was sure Bones would trip, the chocobo leapt high and far into the air, letting out a giant Wark! with the effort. He landed hard on the ground, clearing the fallen chocobo at the cost of his lead.
Rory took this time to coax Ku into speeding up. He was still in the middle of a race, and he was still determined to win. Russel was left a couple feet back, but still in the race.
Meanwhile, the bull chocobo had succeeded in reducing the numbers to four. Rory, his own rider, Russel, and a stranger were the only ones left riding. Make that three.
The stranger had just attempted to throw a kick at the Bull, but had faulted, his chocobo losing balance and falling to its knees. Only three riders left, and a quarter of the race to go, Ku kicked it into overdrive.
With a powerful wark, she increased her speed, kicking up large clouds of dust with the effort. Rory looked back, and pulled his head back just in time to avoid getting a talon in the face. Jerking back, the Bull chocobo's claw just snagged the back of his left sleeve, breaking the skin.
It could have been much worse, Rory remembered, and he concentrated on the race. Now, Russel was ahead of them both, and the bull was still fixed on knocking Ku out.
Russel turned back, viewing the scene. What happened next was surprising to everyone. Bones turned, slamming into the bull. The combined force of Bones' speed and the Bull's momentum sent the bull flying. Russel's chocobo, shaken, kept heading in toward the finish line.
Meanwhile, the bull wasn't through. Reaching out his long neck in a last attempt to ruin the race for one more chocobo, he clamped hard on Ku's foot.
Falling, Rory thought only two words. "Hang on!" He shouted, and he clamped his legs around Ku's torso. I hafta hang on! He repeated, not knowing whether it was in his head or out loud.
Finally, after what seemed like forever and at the same time, only a couple femtoseconds, ((Yeah, that really is a unit of time. It's a quadrillionth of a second.)) Ku was right side up, and they were heading for the finish line.
Bones was quite a bit ahead. Ku wasn't easily discouraged, though, and Rory, though feeling a bit like a bug under someone's shoe, was just as determined to win.
"Jump, Ku!" He shouted, and Ku complied. Leaping into the air, she came down lightly on the ground, much closer to Bones. Another mighty leap, and they were neck and neck.
Rory looked towards Russel, and Russel stared back. "Good race!" Russel mouthed, as they neared the finish line. Rory nodded.
Finally, the ribbon was cut. Rory pulled his helmet off while Ku came to a complete stop.
"Well, folks... looks like we have to go back to the camera for this one! This was one amazing race." The announcer was heard saying.
Rory looked toward Russel, then the large, hovering screen for the result. In slow motion, they watched as the race was recreated. From Bones' amazing leap to Rory's incredible feat of staying saddled after rolling in the middle of a race.
In seconds, they'd hear who the winner was.
Gee, I'm tired. That's enough for today, I think. ^-^
Rory could feel his hands sweating, not from the gloves, but from the excitement - and terror - of his first Chocobo Race. He breathed deeply, trying to remember that he had raced before. This race was no different. He would just be in front of hundreds of people. And his entire career was riding on this.
No, wait. That wasn't true. Sure, winning this race would help get his name out there, but he was still a rookie, therefore, he didn't have much of a reputation to shatter if he lost. Still, anyone would be nervous.
Chocobo races were the latest craze in Spira. Not as big as Blitzball, of course, but nearly as popular. The most appealing feature of the sport, Rory figured as he laced his riding boots up, was the betting. Already some people had gotten rich off the sport.
The young racer ran a hand through jet-black hair, sighing. He pulled on a durable, green shirt. "Chockies" as the Chocobo Jockies were called for short, wore tough shirts to protect them from tough falls. Chocobo racing was a brutal sport, and injuries often occured.
Especially aggresive chocobos had been known to try and sink a beak or talon through a rival, chocobo or man. Anyway, the main thing to worry about was falling off the bird.
Chocobos are big creatures, and falling from one isn't good. Especially when that chocobo is traveling at about twenty-thirty miles an hour. Chockies spent a big part of their training just learning how to fall the right way.
Everything about the Chocobo-chockie team had to be tough. Chocobos slammed into their competition, any riders who were thrown automatically disqualified. Once in a while, a chocobo might "Accidentally" get a foot in the face. Tripping, while not illegal, was hard to pull off, though, and usually resulted in a decrease in speed.
Rory stepped outside, grabbing his helmet before leaving the locker room. It was actually the Blitzer's locker room, but until the racetrack was completed, they were forced to share.
Strapping on durable gloves, Rory made his way to the stables, shooting a glance at ther track. It was peaceful when no one was on it. Soon, however, it would be full of fans, racers, and giant yellow poultry.
Rory stepped into the stables where the chocobos were kept. He looked around, spotting stall two. Peeking inside, he found his chocobo, Ku.
Ku was an average chocobo, though a bit smaller than the others, being female. She warked happily and rose, shaking loose bits of straw from her feathers. She stretched a long, feathered head over to her owner.
Rory laughed a bit, stroking her beak. "We're gonna win this one, right, girl?" He said, looking at Ku, who released a joyous Wark in reply.
"Don't count on it, rookie." A lower, raspier voice said behind him. Rory turned around, wondering who had entered the stables. Before him stood another racer. Or a man with extremely strange choices in wardrobe.
Chockies usually had two main colors. Rory's were green and brown. This rider was wearing dark purple and white. A bit flashy, but whatever.
"This is my first race, yeah." Rory admitted, not knowing why this person had seemed to have taken such a disliking to him so quickly.
"Of course it is. You've got the stink of a novice." The second rider smirked.
That doesn't make much sense.... Rory thought. "How many races have you been in, then?"
At this, the blonde rider blushed a bit. "For your information" his voice shook a bit. "I've been in two races besides this one."
Rory would have laughed, but then, he didn't even have one race under his belt. "So... you're a rookie too, then?" He asked, not rudely.
"Yeah..." Blondey said. "But... not as much of one as you!" He pointed out.
Rory laughed. "True. My name's Rory." He held his hand out.
"Russel." The purple garbed rider said, shaking Rory's hand. "This your chocobo?" He gestured to Ku.
"Yep. This is Ku." Rory placed a hand on Ku's beak. "Where's yours?"
Russel pointed back a bit. "Number 17. Bones." He held out a hand to Ku, who nuzzled it.
"Oh geez." Rory said, looking down at his watch. "We've gotta get them to the track." He unlatched the door, leading Ku out of her stable. Russel mimicked this, hopping onto Bones, who wore purple leggings to identify who he belonged to. Ku's own leggings were dark green, matching Rory's racing shirt.
Hopping onto Ku, Rory took hold of her reins in his gloved hands, riding out of the stables. He stopped short when they got to the stands near the track.
"What's the matter, rookies?" A couple riders trotted by. "You nervous?" the riders joked as they rode by.
"Ignore them. That's how it is every race." Russel said, snapping Rory out of his day dream.
Rory led Ku to the starting line, where the Chocobos lined up. Chocobos could not be contained in tiny spaces, and it was better to line them up. Otherwise, the creatures might begin to feel uncomfortable and lash out at the other animals.
Rory breathed in deeply. "This is it." He said in his mind. "This is my big chance."
Suddenly, the shot rang out. The signal for the race to begin. Chocobos to his right and left leapt into action, pumping their legs, trying to gain an edge over their rivals.
Rory hadn't even noticed Ku coming up into the middle of the group. A quarter into the race, two chocobos had already been knocked out of the race, and three riders had slipped from their steeds, disqualifying themselves.
One particularly large chocobo was getting rid of competition by repeatedly slamming into it's rivals. The rider didn't care much for speed, choosing strength instead.
The technique wouldn't last him if Ku could pull ahead of the others. Rory nudged Ku with his ankles, prefering not to use a whip as some other riders would have favored.
Rory was pleased to see that Russel was also in the race, though he felt a bit jealous that he was a little ahead of Ku.
In a flash two chocobos were knocked simultaneously from their feet, rolling backwards. Being out of the way, Rory and Ku easily avoided the chocobos. Russel, however, was not as lucky.
While Rory was sure Bones would trip, the chocobo leapt high and far into the air, letting out a giant Wark! with the effort. He landed hard on the ground, clearing the fallen chocobo at the cost of his lead.
Rory took this time to coax Ku into speeding up. He was still in the middle of a race, and he was still determined to win. Russel was left a couple feet back, but still in the race.
Meanwhile, the bull chocobo had succeeded in reducing the numbers to four. Rory, his own rider, Russel, and a stranger were the only ones left riding. Make that three.
The stranger had just attempted to throw a kick at the Bull, but had faulted, his chocobo losing balance and falling to its knees. Only three riders left, and a quarter of the race to go, Ku kicked it into overdrive.
With a powerful wark, she increased her speed, kicking up large clouds of dust with the effort. Rory looked back, and pulled his head back just in time to avoid getting a talon in the face. Jerking back, the Bull chocobo's claw just snagged the back of his left sleeve, breaking the skin.
It could have been much worse, Rory remembered, and he concentrated on the race. Now, Russel was ahead of them both, and the bull was still fixed on knocking Ku out.
Russel turned back, viewing the scene. What happened next was surprising to everyone. Bones turned, slamming into the bull. The combined force of Bones' speed and the Bull's momentum sent the bull flying. Russel's chocobo, shaken, kept heading in toward the finish line.
Meanwhile, the bull wasn't through. Reaching out his long neck in a last attempt to ruin the race for one more chocobo, he clamped hard on Ku's foot.
Falling, Rory thought only two words. "Hang on!" He shouted, and he clamped his legs around Ku's torso. I hafta hang on! He repeated, not knowing whether it was in his head or out loud.
Finally, after what seemed like forever and at the same time, only a couple femtoseconds, ((Yeah, that really is a unit of time. It's a quadrillionth of a second.)) Ku was right side up, and they were heading for the finish line.
Bones was quite a bit ahead. Ku wasn't easily discouraged, though, and Rory, though feeling a bit like a bug under someone's shoe, was just as determined to win.
"Jump, Ku!" He shouted, and Ku complied. Leaping into the air, she came down lightly on the ground, much closer to Bones. Another mighty leap, and they were neck and neck.
Rory looked towards Russel, and Russel stared back. "Good race!" Russel mouthed, as they neared the finish line. Rory nodded.
Finally, the ribbon was cut. Rory pulled his helmet off while Ku came to a complete stop.
"Well, folks... looks like we have to go back to the camera for this one! This was one amazing race." The announcer was heard saying.
Rory looked toward Russel, then the large, hovering screen for the result. In slow motion, they watched as the race was recreated. From Bones' amazing leap to Rory's incredible feat of staying saddled after rolling in the middle of a race.
In seconds, they'd hear who the winner was.
Gee, I'm tired. That's enough for today, I think. ^-^
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