Chimera

Chapter Six: Jaylin

The whole course was a race, so speed and endurance were important. Immediately, Lance, Jaylin and Alana pulled ahead of the group. Lance was the fastest of them all even in his normal form, but when he morphed into his Chimera form in a flash of light, his speed increased greatly. Lance streaked ahead, covered in fur.

He sprang into the mud pit, fangs flashing. Because his Chimera form was fairly large, he was slower in the mud, so that was the weakness that Jaylin could try to use. He needed to beat Lance in the pit.

Jaylin waded through the mud, stepping carefully. One of the mechanical jaws could snap at any moment. They wouldn't injure him, but he would be trapped until it released him, creating a time penalty. Caution was needed if he wanted a shot at winning this thing.

Suddenly, Alana screamed behind him. He turned to see her tugging at her leg. It was completely stuck and wouldn't budge. One of the mechanisms had gotten her!

Jaylin sped up, moving quickly (or as quickly as it's possible to go when wading through an ooze-pit filled with traps). He was catching up to Lance, who was moving slowly in his wolf form so as to avoid the traps, his fur full of grime.

He's being too cautious, Jaylin thought, that will be his downfall.

Indeed, Jaylin was already passing his friend. He advanced quickly through the pit, his strides becoming more confident. Soon, Lance was far behind. Jaylin turned to look over his shoulder.

"Lance, come on, hurry up-"

Jaylin was cut off as something closed around his foot. It was one of the snapping mechanisms! In a wild attempt to avoid the artificial jaw, he lunged backwards and the trap closed on empty mud. He had escaped a time penalty! But it was not without a price. The momentum from throwing his whole body backwards caused him to fall flat on his back, on the surface of the mud. Suddenly, he was beneath the surface of the mud, sinking down.

Jaylin didn't dare open his eyes or mouth. Panic threatened to set in, but he calmed himself. If he did something wild in his fear and stood on a jaw while under the mud, he could die in the pit. Jaylin gathered his feet under him and gently stretched them out until they touched solid ground. He hadn't touched a jaw! He was safe!

Jaylin pushed himself off the ground as if he was jumping, though he couldn't see anything in the murk. The mud rushed around him until he broke the surface, sputtering for air. He had made it! Jaylin wanted to cheer, but he was afraid that he would accidentally inhale the sludge that clung to his lips, so he celebrated inwardly. He had successfully avoided a time penalty, but his heart sank as he realised that Lance had passed him while he was under the mud. His friend was already out of the pit and shaking the mud from his fur. When he was relatively clean, he started sprinting over to the copse of trees.

Jaylin waded the last couple of steps through the mud pit, then pulled himself onto solid ground. He sucked in big gasps of air. His lungs burned, but he forced himself up. It was time for the second part of the obstacle course.

Jaylin clambered up a tree grabbed a branch, adjusting his hand until he felt like he had a secure hold. He pushed off the trunk of the tree and swung, letting go of the branch. He glided through the air for a second and then stretched out his hands to clutch the branch of the next tree. Soon, Jaylin had built up some speed. He had to think fast, judging each distance between branches so he could move smoothly through the treetops.

That was when the arrows started flying. They lacked arrowheads and were instead topped with sticky sap, so they weren't deadly. But if they hit him anywhere on his body, they would stick no matter what, and that was another time penalty. Jaylin moved as swiftly as he could through the foliage. The faster he was, the harder a target he was to hit with an arrow.