Fable's AoAs

Fable and Sakari arrived at the starting point, the judge waiting for them. Fable wore a light weight western saddle, shiny and black. She responds to her handlers seat and leg movements, requiring no bridle. Sakari instead held the fur of Fable's cream colored mane. They trotted into the yard, only one other team was there at the time, just bringing in their second tagged tokota and headed out again into the tundra to catch their last. The tokota had been released much earlier that morning, so that they were given time to get further out and make them harder to catch. The judge gave them the halters they needed for the test, and got them to the starting position, his hand on the timer and ready to start it. As soon as Sakari got Fable moving forward, the timer was started, and they were off. They were now on the clock. They took off at a run, speeding out into the tundra and into the thinned out forest first. Fable's paws pounded into the dirt, sending up a little debris as she ran. They slowed down to try and track, Sakari slowing Fable until they were moving at a slow trot. Fable was starting to breathe a little heavily from the run, but she still had plenty of energy, her nervousness giving her an extra boost to keep going. They trotted through the trees, Fable sniffing the ground and the underbrush around. She lifted her nose in the air, smelling the breeze, searching. The time was ticking and Fable was rushed, nervous and not very confident in her tracking skills. The smell of a female was left hanging on the tree, and headed towards the mountain. She leaped into action, picking up into a run and bolting through the trees towards the mountain that was now looming over their heads. The landscape became rocky fairly quickly as they moved with speed and grace, finally seeing the white and black fur of their target.

The first tagged tokota they found had a white base color with black patches and bright blue eyes. She was obviously blind, but her ears perked as she heard the sound of Fable running across the stone. She took off as a run, having gotten used to the area enough to run fairly quickly without running into thinks. She used her other senses as well to avoid colliding with the stones. Fable picked up the pace, knowing she should not underestimate the blind tokota before her. They raced through the rocks, coming around another bend, and she was gone. The red tagged tokota had been right there before they turned the corner. Fable searched the landscape, looking out into the tundra leading away from the mountain, but nothing moved, nothing stood out to her. Like a ghost, the white and black tokota vanished. Fable started to walk forward, sniffing the air and ground. The trail seemed to just end up the rock wall, and then she looked up. The white and black tokota laid there with her paws hanging over the side. Fable's eyes went wide, unsure how the other female got up there, then she saw it. They looked like uneven steps, and she started up, being quiet, trying not to be heard, but her claws clicked on the rock surface, and the ears of the red tagged tokota were perked as she listened. The steps were the only way up or down, but the blind girl may know places that Fable and Sakari did not know about. Sakari held a halter in one hand, watching, and dismounting, even as Fable moved beneath her. Sakari blocked the exit, even though she was most likely to get run over if the other toko decided to charge her. Amazair was thrilled with the chase, excited to be treated like a normal tokota, excited that Fable was not underestimating her and actually trying to get her. Their hearts pounded as they stared each other down, Fable judging when was the best time to strike. Zair was the first to strike, leaping and trying to bowl Fable over. Fable braced herself, wrapping her front legs around Zair's waist and pulling her down as well. Sakari bolted forward, slipping the halter on and tying it to the saddle. Fable let go of the other tokota who tried to take off only to find she was tied up. She growled and yanked against the rope, annoying Fable as the saddle moved uncomfortably on her back. Zair sat, refusing to move, as Sakari mounted back into the saddle.

They tried to head out, back to the starting point, but Zair sat there, still. Fable pretty much dragged her across the rock surface to the uneven steps leading down. Zair was much heavier then Fable, and had that to her advantage as she was dragged. Fable was panting and Sakari let out a sigh, starting to wonder if they were going to get any of the tagged tokotas back to the judge in time to pass. Fable was exhausted by the time Zair finally decided to go with them willingly. They trotted slowly back the way they came, coming to the peg where they tied up Zair and then headed out to find a second tagged tokota. They headed out into more open tundra, searching the air and finally coming across a male. The half mane had stopped to rest, laying on his side in the stubbly grass. He was tundra colored with a brownish mane and blue eyes. Sakari leaned foward, pulling her chest down closer to Fable's neck. Fable lowered her body, creeping slowly towards the green tagged tokota. She was slow and careful, being light on her paws as to not alert the male to her location. The snap of a twig brought the male to alert, and without barely even looking at the toko and handler team, he was off, racing across the open tundra. Fable took off after him, extending her stride as long as she could to catch up to half mane. Arithil weaved across the field, staying a step ahead of the female and looping around her, annoying her till she growled. Actually, Ari did not realize he was being chased by a pretty girl, he didn't even look to see. He looped around, dashing for the trees and towards a river nearby, he kept his head ahead until they were nearly upon the near bank. He looked back and everything seemed to move in slow motion as he realized who was chasing him. A lovely vitiligo brown with shimmering blue eyes and beautiful well-kept fur. The area around them blurred as he had eyes only for his pursuer, even forgetting about the wet, rocky river bank before him. His paws flew out from under him, at first he thought he was being carried away by his emotions, but then he saw the water. His eyes went wide in surprise and he tensed just as he hit the surface, hitting the water hard and sending up a spray of water into the air. Fable halted on the bank, and Ari, not knowing which direction was which, crawled back to shore right before her paws. Sakari smirked and dismounted, placing the halter around the head of the green tagged tokota.

Arithil was much easier to lead back to the base point, as he was drooling over Fable and in a dazed state the whole way there. He was tied to the post and Fable moved out of reach, making the half mane pout, but then he saw poor Zair and started to flirt with her, earning growls and a few snaps from the annoyed blind tokota. The judge had put out a tub of water for the tagged tokotas to drink from, and Ari seemed to notice after a few more snaps from Zair, and he took a drink, happy for the refreshing cool liquid. Only one more to go, and most likely the hardest to catch. Sakari looked at the time, they were running out and they needed to find the last tokota and fast. They had the red and green tagged tokotas, meaning all that was left was the blue tagged tokota. They entered the forest again, heading the opposite direction of the rocky outcrop next to the mountain. They crossed a stream that broke off from the river and kept going, sniffing the area for any traces of tokotas. Feralis had found her way into the pack and was chilling with the truly wild tokotas. Her head was filled with many plans on how to escape her pursuers if they were to find her, but so far she had seen no sign of a tokota with a handler, until the scent hit her on the breeze. It was getting strong, so she knew the team was closing in on her location, though they were probably following the trail of one of the wild tokotas among the pack. Either way, she would have to spring into action soon. She watched the trees, looking for movement. She was laying on a rock surrounded by grass, almost sunbathing, though she was really after the vantage point the position gave her. She could see the whole area from there and see any predators, or in their case, the toko and handler team. It was still for quite some time as the others around her napped. Then movement, near the edge of the clearing. She saw the toko that had stopped, the handler on her back. It was time for her to spring her trap.

With a howl, the others awoke and became alert, looking around for the threat, once they pinpointed the testers, they took off in the other direction, Fera making sure she was in the middle of the group. Fable, with a growl, took off after them, Sakari grabbing hold of the mane and letting Fable go. They flew and ran alongside the pack who started to scatter as the team came closer to them, Fera still staying with the larger group. Fable fell behind a little, nearly tripping as she did not see the dips in the dirt. They reached the trees on the far side and the group scattered, running in all directions and confusing the team. They would have to catch the tokota within ten minutes to make it back in time, but as they ran, leaping over logs, ducking under branches, running through bushes, Fable could not catch up to the agouti tokota. Sakari jumped out of the saddle, removing her weight from Fable's back and allowing her to speed up, but it was still not quite enough. Sakari spread her wings to follow, flying over head and watching the chase. Looking at her watch, they were nearly out of time. If Fable could not catch the other tokota soon, they would not make it back in time. Sakari dove through the canopy and landed on Fable's back, thinking she might have a plan, but it was too late, the time was up. They stopped the chase, letting her go and returned to the base only seconds before the stopped the timer. The agouti watched with a smile as they made it back, amused that they could not catch her. Her fur was a reddish brown, a little lighter on the under side. A small white spot was on her chest, and a white teardrop like shape on her forehead. Her blue eyes watched waiting to be called back by her handler who would soon be there to pick her up. Fable was feeling okay that she caught two, but missing the third disappointed her a little and she hung her head as they waited for the judge. Sakari knew Fable was upset and a pulled out a treat from the saddle bag, an After Eight chocolate. Fable had a sudden smile on her face as she took it and nibbled slowly on the small treat. The final test was behind them, now they could rest.