Amazing Race Trial
Todd and Wendell were the first team to reach the starting line. The signed up to try a Trial for Amazing Race for SoFurry. The winning team gets $2000 and a spot in the real race.
"I'm so excited we get to try this." Todd says. The fox was feeling a bit jittery yet nervous at the same time. Wendell (wolf), on the other hand, was his usual chill self.
"Calm down foxy," Wendell says, "we haven't even started yet." Wendell kissed his newly-wed husband on the lips.
Angie (vixen) and Jennifer (collie) were the next team to arrive. "S'up cousin?" Wendell asks.
"Hey Wendell." Angie says, "I didn't know you signed up for this."
"I did. Me and Todd wanted to see the world after we got married. Who's this?" The wolf nodded towards the collie.
"Jennifer. Her and I were sorority sisters back in college."
"Hello." Jen waved to her fellow Racers.
"Hiya." Todd says. The last team arrived. One was a skunk and the other was a hound dog.
"Who are you?" Wendell asked.
"I'm Mark." The skunk said. He nodded towards his teammate. "This is Suzzie. She doesn't talk much." The dog shook her head 'no' to confirm it. The three teams looked around. They were told to look for a small box with the race logo and a yellow button. Todd found it right next to the starting line. The fox hit the button and a blue card came out. He read it out loud to his partner. "Route Info: Grab a plane and head to Sly Beach." They took off running towards the airport of the other side of Los Angeles. The other teams got their into and started running as well.
***
All three teams got on the same flight. The blue card said for them to go the train station. Their next clue box would be waiting for them.
When the plane stops, the three teams take off towards the station. Once they get there, another clue box is there. Todd and Wendell were the first teams to get there. Wendell hits the button and reads the yellow card. "Detour: Players can either jog 1 mile on the beach and back or search Max's castle for 4 hidden keys."
"Let's do the run," Todd says, "it's sounds faster." Before they take off, Angie and Jennifer arrive and they take a yellow card.
"Run?" Angie asks.
"Run!" Jennifer yells. Both teams head off towards the beach as Mark and Suzzie arrive and take their clue.
"Let's look for the keys," Mark says, "you were always good at hide-and-seek, Suzzie." Mark and Suzzie get on another train going towards Max's castle. The ride takes around 5 to 10 minutes. When they get there, the run straight for the doors of the castle and head inside.
Immediately, they realize they have no idea what these keys look like. They head upstairs where they think they might be hidden. Suzzie taps on Mark's shoulder and she shows him a key.
"How'd you find that so quickly?" He asked. She points at a table in the hall where there dust all over it except for a small key shape. "Are you thinking they could all be in plain sight?" She nods. "Well then let's keep looking." Mark runs down the hall to another set of stairs. When he starts to descend, something hits him on the head.
"It's another key." Mark says. Their second key is tied from the ceiling low enough to where someone might notice. The skunk grabs it, yanks it off and him and Suzzie keep searching.
***
Todd & Wendell and Angie & Jennifer chose to run across the beach and come back. The yellow card said that Max III himself would approve if they passed the task and tell them to move on the the next one.
"How do you think Mark and Suzzie are doing?" Todd asks.
"I don't know," Wendell says, "but there's no way we can let them win this challenge."
"Or the Trial." Angie says.
"True, so once we get to the next task, we have to help each other out the best we can."
"Are you suggesting we work together until we make it to the finish line?" Jennifer asks.
"Exactly." Wendell says. After another minute of running, they're all halfway to the checkered flag marked "Mile: Turn Back".
Todd trips over something and falls. "Ow!!" The fox exclaimed. The others stop to see how he's doing.
"Are you ok, baby?" Wendell asks.
"No! I think I sprained my ankle." Todd's remark worries Wendell. There no way he wants Mark and Suzzie to take this victory. Doing what he always does, he picks Todd up in his arms and he runs off; Jennifer and Angie are right behind them.
The teams reach the flag and they circle back, heading back towards the train.
Mark and Suzzie are almost done with their key hunting. They found their third key after they looked in the break room. It was sitting on the counter. They still needed the fourth key before they could go to Max to receive their next task.
The duo head downstairs towards the cellar. Mark slipped and fell on something on the stairs, causing him to roll down to the bottom of the steps. Suzzie runs down to what happened to her best friend. "Thanks Suzzie." Mark grabbed Suzzie's paw and she helped him get up. "What did I slip on?" Suzzie looked down at the ground and saw another bronze key that looks like the others.
"Sweet!!" Mark exclaimed, "The last key! Let's get to Max before the others arrive." With that, they run up the stairs and towards the front door.
Max is right outside with three clue cards in paw. He was asked to give those to the three teams who would come straight for him. The front door opened to his castle and Mark and Suzzie came out with 4 keys.
"Here you go, Max." Mark said as he handed them over.
"Thanks," Max says. He gives them a blue card. Mark takes it and reads it it loud.
"Head into the forest for one mile. There your next task is revealed. But hurry, as the last team to arrive will be cut from the Trial." Mark grabs Suzzie's paw and they start running. "C'mon, we can't let them beat us." As they're running into the forest, the other two teams arrive at Max's castle. Wendell is still carrying Todd.
"Here you go guys." Max hands them over the clues to the next task and they read it. As they do, they both realize they need to run. Angie & Jennifer take off first and Todd & Wendell soon follow.
"Wendell?" Todd asks.
"Yeah?" His husband says.
"If we lose this Trial, it's fine with me."
"You sure babe?"
"Absolutely." Meanwhile, Angie and Jennifer were on different terms.
"We need to win this," Angie says, "I didn't come here to lose right at the start."
"Me neither." Jen says.
All three teams push themselves to run as fast as they can into the forest, needing to get to that task first.
Mark and Suzzie approached the next task first. Mark pressed the button on the clue box and a red card came out. "Random Roadblock. Whoever isn't holding this card has to perform the next task: the oil challenge. One person gets on the balancing beam and grabs the 8 oz cup. They have to transfer oil from the barrel to the empty gallon of milk on the other end. Once it's filled, teams head straight to the finish line another mile east." Suzzie quickly got on the balancing beam and took the cup. Mark could see the other two teams in the distance. They almost look neck and neck. However, the sorority sisters look closer.
As Suzzie began transferring oil, Angie & Jennifer came into the task area one second before Todd & Wendell show up. Jen hits the button for their task and Wendell sets Todd down.
"We lost?" Wendell asks.
"It would appear so." Todd says. Wendell starts grumbling, but before he could say any negative comments, Todd hugged and kissed him. "Thanks for this awesome experience Wendell."
"Awwww, you're welcome foxy." Wendell says. They hold each other's paws and head back the way they came. This leaves two teams left in the Trial.
Suzzie really got ahead as she was almost a quarter of the way done by the time Angie started. Mark got excited but nervous as he wasn't allowed to get involved in the challenge.
Angie scooped up oil and ran across the beam. She knew very well how to run on balancing beams so this challenge seemed easy for her. Before she knew it, it was almost full and Suzzie was only two-thirds full.
"C'mon Suzzie!" Mark yelled. "Angie's almost done!" Suzzie started picking up the pace. Jennifer got prepared to run again as she knew Angie would finish first.
Both girls kept it up, keeping almost close to each other, in the end, Angie finished first while Suzzie still had a few more cups to go. As soon as Angie's empty jug overfilled, she yelled, "Run, Jenny!!" and they took off running into the forest for the finish line.
"Suzzie!! Hurry up!! They're gonna win!" Mark was really scared about his chances of winning now. They went from great to slim in a matter of a few minutes. Suzzie overfilled her jug several second later. When she did, they ran. They could almost see Angie & Jennifer up ahead. The kicked it up into high gear.
Angie felt a rush of victory in her. Nothing was gonna stop her from entering the official race. Except for a tree root sticking out of the ground, which she tripped and fell, hitting her head on a rock. "Angie!" Jennifer screamed. She didn't even wait for a response. She grabbed her partner by the arms and dragged her. The collie can see the finish line about 30 yards away.
Mark and Suzzie noticed the other team had slowed down. "Hey look! Angie's out cold. We can still win this!!" Jennifer kept dragging Angie towards the finish line 10 yards away.
5 yards.
3 yards.
Jen saw Mark and Suzzie come out of the forest and the second she did, she used all of her adrenaline she could and pull Angie onto the checkered carpet known as the finish line. Confetti cannons went off and pride washed over Jen. "Angie, wake up!" Jen yelled over her excitement.
"Wha- what happened?" The vixen asked. She stood up and rubbed her head.
"We won the Trial!! We're in the actual race!!"
"Seriously!? Awesome!" The two hugged tight as Mark and Suzzie put shameful looks on their faces and walked off.
"Well, second place isn't so bad right?" Mark asked. Suzzie just looked at him then back at the ground. Mark patted his best friend on the back. "I know. It would've been nice if we had won but, hey, at least we're gonna be remembered for this. Right?" The skunk said as he wondered how Angie & Jennifer would do in the actual race.