So time for me to apologize again. I haven't updated in a while. I lost the muse. Every time I tried to sit down and write, the words just wouldn't come. I'm trying to set up a system where I can do a little writing each day instead of doing it all at once, ease both the time and mental strain. Hopefully I have it worked out.

Thank you all for your patience. I have no intention of ending this story prematurely. There are many adventures yet to come for the Good Heart Pirates.

Now then…On with the story!

"AND THEY'RRRRRE OFF!"

Brisk took off with the force of a small whirlwind. His first step left a dent in the ground that tripped several runners that were behind him. It caused a small traffic jam and many were left behind only to cause more accidents.

"UH OH, FOLKS! LOOKS LIKE SOME OF OUR PARTICIPANTS GOT A BIT TOO ANSTY. THERE'S A BIT OF A PANIC AT THE STARTING POINT AND- OOOO! LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT A FEW PEOPLE INJURED FROM AN IMPROMPTU STAMPEDE." Portunas had moved to an off stage booth. His mic was set up and several Transponder Snails were set up to show him footage all over the race. At the starting point, those that weren't trampled were already headed down the road to catch up with the race. They were annoyed that they were off to a slow start. Those that were left were scattered on the ground, clutching limbs and groaning. A medical unit was dispatched and already loading them on stretchers to have their bones reset or splinted. Portunas waved them sadly off the track. "BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR! AND, HEY, IF YOU'RE LUCKY THOSE BONES WILL GROW BACK STRONGER!"

And just as quickly, he forgot about them and looked towards the race. "OH! AND IT LOOKS LIKE OUR KNIGHT CAPTAIN BRISK IS IN THE LEAD! NO SURPRISES THEIR FOLKS! AND WHAT A COMMANDING LEAD HE HAS! WHY, HE'S ALREADY HALFWAY TOWARDS THE FIRST CHECKPOINT!" The camera zoomed in on him. Brisk looked up at them and gave them a thumbs up and a grin. The crowd ate it up. They cheered and chanted his name.

"Go Brisk! Go Brisk! Go Brisk!"

His lead was so commanding that he turned around and back pedaled so he could see the other racers lagging behind. They were running as fast as they could but they just couldn't match him. He waved them forward, egging them on, demanding a challenge.

The crowd laughed while the participants steamed. They bit their lips to hide their shame. They practiced all year for this, to run in front of their loved ones and even from there they could hear the laughter. All of that for nothing. Two racers slowed to a jog, then a walk, and finally stopped. They looked down in consternation, the ringing chortling and giggling in their ears. They pulled off their numbers and dropped them. This embarrassment wasn't worth it.

Those that pushed through it didn't look happy about themselves either. Overall speeds were dropping. They didn't like looking slow to him, nor that he was treating them so lightly.

Lepus looked on with displeasure. He was irritated. "Why must he always do this?" He asked himself. There was a small transceiver on a stand next to him. He picked it up and pushed a button.

Down in his booth, Portunas put a finger on the transceiver in his ear. His cheery outlook paused a moment as he listened to someone. He put his mic down and leaned away from it, using a hand to cover his mouth so it wouldn't carry over to the people. "Yes, my liege?" He knitted his eyebrows indecisively. "Err…are you sure that's wise, uh, lord Lepus? If I do that then…" He gulped and nodded. "…Yes, my king. As you say." He shook his head, removed what hesitations he had, and picked the mic back up. "EASY, BRISK. NEED I REMIND YOU THAT WE HAVE A LOW TOLERANCE FOR UNSPORTSMAN LIKE CONDUCT. ALL OF OUR RACERS ARE PUTTING THEIR HEARTS INTO THEIR LEGS TO COMPETE. BOASTING IS UNBECOMING OF A FUTURE KING!"

Brisk faltered and the onlookers averted their gazes. They had gotten so worked up that they completely forgot about how the others felt. How much it must have hurt hearing them laugh at their expense. The whole nation felt a moment of immense guilt. A murmur could be heard and Portunas was sweating. The mood was down and it was his fault. He was supposed to keep them entertained, not shame them into gloominess. Looking for anything to bring back the thrill, he flickered between screens frantically until he found something. "OOOOH! HERE! IT! IIIIS!" Eyes turned towards him. "SIX HUNDRED PARTICIPANTS ENTERED THE BIG RACE THIS YEAR, BUT ONLY FIVE HUNDRED AND NINTEY-NINE WERE AT THE STARTING LINE." People who didn't know what he was talking about looked at him in confusion. Portunas gripped those people with his words and hyped them up. This was his chance to bring the fun back. The cameras switched to an above-view angle. Far ahead of everyone else, there was a small dot that was Brisk. Far behind was the mass of other racers. They were stretched out in a long line with the majority in the middle, creating a wide oval. And equidistant behind them was a fast approaching speck. The snail zoomed in on that while Portunas rallied them. "IT HAS STALKED OUR LANDS FOR YEARS. WE SPEAK OF IT ONLY IN WHISPERS. OUR CHILDREN CRY AT THE MERE MENTION OF IT'S NAME!" Lightbulbs clicked on and fear rippled through the populace, mixing with the guilt and forcing some to fall to their knees in despair. "PLEASE, WELCOME THE FINAL CONTESTANT TO THIS YEAR'S BIG RACE. ENTRY NUMBER SIX HUNDRED! BUUUUUNNNNYYYYYY!"

The image of a dust cloud took up most of the footage on screen until a figure emerged. She was outlandishly tall and her long, hare-like legs killed any notion that she was wholly human. Her blonde hair fluttered in the wind while her rabbit ears were pinned back so they wouldn't ruin her aerodynamic form as she sped head first into the throng of contestants.

Things couldn't have been timed better. This was just what Lepus needed to cement his plans. He started feeding Portunas lines through the receiver. "DON'T BE ALARMED. THE KING HAS BARGAINED WITH THE BEAST. NO CITIZENS WILL BE HURT DURING THE RACE!" He declared. "THE RABBIT IS A SENTIENT CREATURE, CAPABLE EVEN OF HUMAN TONGUE. IT HAS GROWN AS TIRED OF HIDING AS WE HAVE OF HUNTING IT."

Bunny ducked and wove her way through the crowed. Her speed was so great that almost no one even noticed her running passed them. By the time Portunas had caught his breath, she was already emerging from the front of the crowd without even batting an eyelash.

"SO THE TERMS. ARE! THIS! IF THE BEAST WINS THIS RACE, IT WILL BE ALLOWED TO ENTER SOCIETY AS A MEMBER OF THE ROYAL COURT!" There were gasps and cries of outrage. This monster a member of their society? Preposterous! It was a beast to be hunted. Portunas picked up on that skepticism right away. He held up a hand to stop them and continued to persuade them. "NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING. BUT PICTURE THIS! THE RABBIT HAS BEEN PLIGHTING US FOR YEARS. IMAGINE HOW FORMIDABLE IT WOULD BE AGAINST OUR ENEMIES!"

That caused them all to pause. It was true that she was strong. Also true that she was fast. Some of the men were already looking at her prospectively despite her slim build. "HOOOOWEVER! SHOULD IT LOSE! IT WILL BE IMPRISONED IN THE DUNGEON TO AWAIT PUNISHMENT FOR IT'S ACCUMULATED CRIMES! SO I ASK YOU, PEOPLE OF LONG RUN ISLAND! WHAT SAY YOU TO THIS DEVELOPMENT!"

The sound of running and stamping feet were the only sounds on the island. The hand of a clock ticked one minute until as one, every man, woman, and child raised their voices in united frenzy. They had purpose again. No longer was this man vs man, competitor vs competitor, citizen vs royalty. They were joined under a common cause and it lit a fire in them that shook the very island with excitement. Children cheered on their fathers and mothers. Portunas turned to the screen and flourished to the racers. "YOU'VE HEARD YOUR PEOPLE! RACERS! TIM TO FULFILL YOUR DUTY TO YOUR COUNTRY! POUR YOUR VERY SOULS INTO THOSE LEGS AND GUN FOR THAT FINISH LINE! PROVE YOURSELVES BETTER THAN THE BEAST! PROVE YOUR WORTH TO YOUR KING! LEAVE THEM IN THE DUST!"

Those words filled their veins with determination. They roared with renewed vigor and put everything they had into charging forward. They would not let her finish first.

Be that as it may, Brisk had slowed down so as to face Bunny face to face. He was shaking with suppressed delight at the sight of her. His chest heaved with deep breaths as he breathed in her scent and devoured her with his eyes. Conscious that the snails were going to focus on them, he buried his obsessive impulses.

"So…" He breathed whimsically, "Bunny." He tasted each syllable. "That the name you're going by? It's adorable."

"Don't say my name!" Bunny hissed at him. "It is mine. You don't get to use it." She pushed forward to get slightly ahead of him. He didn't mind. His eyes immediately landed on her legs and backside. "We end this. I win, I'm leaving. All claim you have will be dust on the road."

"And if I win, you'll be taking your rightful place beneath me as my bride."

"I'll die first."

She rushed forward, the targets of the first checkmark coming into view. She jumped and punched one of the targets with her paw, splintering it to pieces. "I will win and I will be free!"

There you are. Again, I'm pushing through the block, but thank you all for your continued reading. A writer is nothing without someone to read.

Till next time!