Thanks for the awesome reviews and now the excitement begins! :D

The horn sounded, and the birds shot from the log in a blur of feathers. The crowd cheered as the racers whizzed past them, and Nod was almost immediately left behind. Flitterbite, instead of picking up speed, gained altitude, just like Finch said he would. To him, this was just another race that he wouldn't win, but Nod was riding him now, and losing was not on the agenda.

The Leafman squeezed his heels into the bird's side, and to his relief, Flit responded by picking up speed. They caught up and kept pace with the racers below, the meadow grass rushing as they passed. They were allowed to fly high, but too high, and they'd be out of the race. Nod leaned forward, and Flit dropped until his belly nearly skimmed the heads of the enemy racers.

He's not so bad, he thought. The blue jay was trusting and listening to him. He wondered if it was his skills or the rosebud. Probably both.

The first turn was coming up; a stunted gorse tree. Nod had made it to the middle of the group, and he knew that the turn would be the opportunity to pass more racers. He crouched in preparation, pulling slightly on the reins to slow down a little. As the tree came up, he pressed his left leg into Flit's side, and tugged the reins in the direction he wanted to go.

It could've been a perfect pass, but Flit's habits decided to kick in at that moment. The blue jay threw his head and the reins were jerked out of Nod's hands, almost taking his fingers with them.

"Whoa!" he yelped, and lost control. The blue jay skidded and nearly crashed into a branch. Nod scrambled for the reins and brought them about just in time. The laughter of the other jockeys reached his ears.

Flit, now back upright, sliced through the air, but they had fallen behind and were in the back again. They flew over the edge of the clearing and entered the forest, the jockeys way ahead of them. Nod kicked for more speed, but in rebellion, Flit threw his head again.

"Hey easy there!" Nod gripped the reins tighter, but that made the bird fight even harder for control. If they kept up this struggle, they'll never catch up in time.

He took a leap of faith, if you would call it that, and dropped the reins. He dug his fingers into the thick, blue plumage, grabbing onto the feather veins. Flitterbite felt this, and ceased jerking his head, seeming satisfied. Almost like he was saying, Now why didn't you do that before?

"Control issues much?" Nod grumbled. It didn't matter though, bird riding involved more legs signals than hands anyway.

A creek bubbled and splashed along the forest floor, and they followed it; it was part of the race track. They weaved through the low hanging leaves and vines, and passed two birds, much to their jockeys' astonishment. Flit was catching up to the third and fourth racers.

As they passed them, the jockeys reached into their saddlebags, pulling out acorns the size of Nod's head. He had forgotten that in Bufo's races, they were allowed to play dirty. The opponents hurled the acorns at him, trying to throw off his momentum. Nod easily knocked them aside, and they bounced off harmlessly.

Too late, he realized he made a mistake.

"I thought your arm was broken?" one jockey shouted at him.

Nod kicked, and feeling his urgency, Flitterbite sped away, leaving the confused riders behind. The sooner I win this race, the better.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Bufo demanded. His gypsy moth bodyguard blinked stupidly and cringed a little.

"I'm sorry boss, it had slipped my mind," the lackey said with a shaky voice. "It only came back to me when I saw his broken arm-"

"How can something that profitable slip your mind?!" the frog yelled. "You know what, never mind that! Just get a message sent. Now!"

The moth hurried away, while his partner smirked at his predicament.

"What are you smiling about?" Bufo rounded on him. "Get down to the finish line, and make sure he doesn't leave after the race!"

The scorpion fly buzzed off, silently grumbling to himself, and Bufo turned back to his view of the track. Even without his spy-glasses, it wasn't hard to spot the big blue-and-white bird rounding a bend in the creek, and overtaking the fifth and sixth racers.

Bufo rubbed his palms together, greed glinting in his eyes, "New deal, Nod."

The halfway point in the race was a moss-covered tree trunk that had fallen over the stream, forming a bridge. Some Jinn had taken to sitting there, and cheered with delight as the jockeys and birds swooped under or over them.

Nod and Flitterbite were coming up to the log fast. The jockey in front of them, a pinecone Jinn, flew under the bridge, and Flit followed his lead. Before they could pass under, however, a shadow fell on Nod. The pinecone rider had done a loop-de- loop, coming up over and above the pair. The enemy bird hurtled towards them, intent on slowing them down. There was no time to dodge; all Nod could do was raise his arms and brace for impact.

It never came. The opponent bird pulled itself out of the dive and veered off just in time, it's rider yelling in protest. The bird had acted on it's own accord. Flit left them behind in a whirl of wind and feathers.

Nod gazed at his left arm in bewilderment. The rose had acted up again, just like it did in Flit's roost. Both times it had communicated, telling Flitterbite to trust him and telling the other bird to back off.

The forest ended and they flew back over the meadow, almost finished completing a full circle. The end would be coming up soon. Nod spotted the three lead racers ahead; the only way to catch them now was pure speed.

He leaned down to his bird's ear, "Come on, Flit! You can do it, speed up!" The jay flapped his wings faster, but it made little difference. He was going to slow. In desperation, Nod touched the side of his mount's head with his left arm.

"A slow flier unless provoked," he muttered. "Well here's some motivation! Bufo and his cronies think your nothing but a nuisance, they believe you can never win. Forget about them! Today, you and I are going to prove them wrong!"

The blue jay's crest rose in defiance, and with a screech, he sped up tremendously, cutting through the sky like an arrow. The reluctant race bird was breaking a record. Nod had to keep blinking his eyes to keep them clear. The world around him blurred into one single color, and in no time, he was amongst the three lead racers. He kept his senses on high alert; he couldn't afford anymore delays, otherwise he'd lose the race. The finish line was in sight, but still a ways to go.

"Caught up, did ya?" a voice beside him said. It was the berry girl jockey from his last race, a year ago. She had grown a little taller, but she still had that snarky smile, the one that made Nod want to punch her.

"I'm winning this race," he shouted back with absolute certainty.

She sneered at him, "We've been through this before Nod! You think Flitterbite is any different?" At that, she held up a fat bug treat. "Enjoy the meal, loser!"

The berry girl tossed the bug down to Flit. Time seemed to slow. Nod could see the bird's eyes spot it and was about to follow it down, just like Cricket had done last year's race.

"No, don't!" Nod cried out desperately, reaching out with his cast arm. The bug fell...but Flit seem to change his mind, and didn't go for it. Instead, he lashed out with his beak at the girl's bird. It veered away, throwing it's rider off balance, and they crashed into the second racer, leaving them both out of the race.

"Nod, your so dead!" she screeched, her face redder than the berry on her head. Funny, I wonder if she's related to Ross, he thought, grinning. Flit trilled in amusement. Like the day couldn't get any weirder.

Pushing it aside, he focused on the last rider that stood between him and victory. He pulled up next to him, and saw it was the stickman from last year. He was seeing a lot of old faces.

"Not this time Nod!" the stickman shouted. He flicked his reins, his bird pulling ahead of them.

Nod squeezed his heels, and Flitterbite kept pace, the two birds neck and neck. In unison, the racers rounded a small pine tree; the final turning point. The finish line was dead ahead, and the roar of the crowd grew louder filling the air. Out of the corner of his eye, Nod saw the stickman lean, and his bird bumped into Flit. The jay stayed on course, but the jockey kept at it, hoping to slow him down. The finish line drew closer. The enemy bird bumped them again, and got Flitterbite to drop back a few centimeters. The stickman was winning by a beak.

"You might as well give up now!" the obnoxious rider jeered at them.

Nod had his bad habits, just like Flitterbite did. When someone tried to tell him what to do, he responded in the same way he had been doing for years: he didn't listen.

"Flit, it's time to do what you do best!" The stickman's bird lurched for them again, but this time, Flitterbite pulled up, throwing the other bird off balance. Faster than he ever flew, Nod led his jay into a rapid climb. When he deemed high enough, Nod threw his chest down, the force making Flitterbite curve into a steep, suicidal descent straight for the adversary. The stickman's eyes widened at see the oncoming missile and ducked, just as Flit pulled out of the dive, brushing over the other bird. The stickman's dodge had, inadvertently, led his mount to drop altitude, sending them both into the tangled grass of the meadow.

With no one to stop them, Nod and Flit shot over the line, bringing on a new wave of noise from the Jinn, their wind sending up dandelion seeds in the air. Just on cue for the celebration. Instead of going straight for the winner's branch, Flitterbite flew to the sky, singing in triumph. Nod raised his arms in victory, whooping with joy. He had won races before, but this was a first time for Flit, and he deserved to feel happy for him.

The pair flew higher towards the clouds, until Nod heeled Flit to hover, "Whoa boy, we'll go claim the sky later. First, we gotta go back to Earth." Flit trilled in what could have been disappointment, but complied, swooping back to the waiting fans.

They lighted onto the branch, which was draped in honeysuckle vines. Jinn cheered and threw them pieces of petals. Nod dismounted and saw Thryn leaping from the crowd, and landing on the branch. He was surprised to find tears streaming down her cheeks, and she pulled him into a suffocating hug.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you so much..."

He knew Thryn wasn't much of a hugger, so he should treat this like a rare moment. He hugged her back, "No problem," he said nonchalantly, but she could feel his heart beating against his chest.

She pulled away, wiping the tears, probably feeling embarrassed but she smiled nevertheless. He liked it better when she smiled. "How'd you do it?" she asked.

"Let's just say Flit and I can agree on one thing: Bufo can suck it," Flitterbite chirped to confirm this.

"Where is the old frog anyway?" Nod asked. "I'd love to see his face when he sees that-"

As if his name had summoned him, Bufo stepped onto the branch, coming from the other side of the tree. His expression wasn't anything Nod expected; he was smiling like he had won the lottery, but it was colder than a winter night. He clapped his froggy hands slowly and deliberately, and it reminded Nod of a execution drums.

"Well done, Nod! Now that is what I call entertainment," he exclaimed, loud enough for everyone to hear. Nod noted that his usual, shady bodyguards were nowhere to be seen. This made him uneasy, though he didn't know why.

"So the debt is off, and you won't harass Thryn and her father anymore," the teen stated.

"Yes, the debt is off and your girlfriend's daddy doesn't owe me a cent," the bookie said slowly, his words dripping poison. "But, while you were racing, I made a new deal with a more...profitable income. It only involves you."

Before he could react, Nod was grabbed from behind by meaty hands, his arms restrained before he could even struggle. The gypsy moth! Thryn had been seized as well by the scorpion fly. This explained where Bufo's goons had went, and the frog had just distracted them. Yelling and protests broke from the crowd, everybody demanding that Bufo let them go and abide by the agreement. But they were just empty words. No one was rushing to help them.

"You see even when you win," Bufo smiled as the boy furiously struggled to free himself. "You still lose, punk. The Boggans will pay a hefty price for you."

"Boggans?" Nod's throat closed up with fear. He tried to hide it with confusion, like he didn't know what Bufo was talking about, but it was futile. The bookie saw right through it.

"Show everybody what's really wrong with his arm," Bufo commanded to the moth holding him. Nod writhed and fought, but they were too strong for him. He wished more than anything, that Ronin and platoon of Leafmen would show up right now, in one of those just-in-time rescues.

Course, that didn't happen, and the gypsy moth seized his arm and ripped off the makeshift cast and bandages, the terrible sound the deed made silencing the crowd.

The rose twitched at the sudden sunlight, drawing all eyes to it, and sending a new wave of muttering and bewilderment, mixed with fear and wonder. The young Leafman had frozen with fear, afraid if he moved, somebody might attack. Thryn looked like she wished she were invisible. Bufo was smirking with greed and cruelty, probably delighted that his captives were overcome with dread.

"Throw them in a room somewhere, until the escort arrives," he ordered.

Nod couldn't go quietly. It wasn't meant to turn out this way, so he wouldn't let it get any worse. The Jinn were not going to help him. He broke out in a new struggle, the sudden jerk unexpected by his restrainer, and managed to free his right arm. Twisting, he gave the moth a crunching punch to his jaw, but just as quickly, the moth retaliated with a fist to Nod's gut, knocking the wind out of him.

Seeing his new friend attacked, Flitterbite bit the moth in the shoulder. The goon yelped with pain, throwing his arms to fend off the bird, and freeing Nod. Thryn took this as her cue, and stomped her heel hard on her captor's foot. She sent an elbow into his nose for good measures. Grabbing Nod's hand, they ran for the exit.

"Get them!" Bufo croaked, but Flit occupied them, biting and clawing at any who tried to get off the branch.

Nod and Thryn leaped into the crowds of the grandstands below. He hated to leave Flit behind, but he knew the blue jay could take care of himself. With Finch to help him, he'll be fine. The Jinn parted like water out of their way, nobody trying to stop them.

All exits to the forest floor were blocked by hulking figures that could rival Trippy, but Nod wasn't planning to go out that way in the first place. He whistled, and his loyal sparrow flew out of the green, landing beside them. Bufo and his goons were after them; they had managed to escape Flitterbite's beak.

In a flash, the two runaways mounted and took off, flying for freedom. Bufo shouted and cursed below them, but it was useless. Sterling buzzed out of his hiding place in the leaves, joining in them in their escape.

"We're home free!" Nod shouted, as Cricket sped through the forest, leaving the hostile place behind.

He felt Thryn stiffen behind him, "Not yet. Look!"

Nod followed her pointing finger and saw black blurs flying through the trees, after them. The blurs caught up and kept pace, giving Nod the chance to make them out, and hear the high-pitched cackles coming from the backs of the black birds.

Boggans.

And they could see the rose.

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