WME: Offical Topic [open!]

[Sayna Jaye]

Hmm...I'm not sure. Wibeke had one started that I really hope we get to see finished, but I'm not sure other than that.

[Ralonica]

Aah xD many more two Equid sleighs making entries?

I'm working on my entry. But lovely little procrastinating me probably won't have it finished until just before the deadline. XD

[CopperChaos]

I have four equid one started but un sure if I'll finish

[AmigoGirl]

Collaboration entry between me and Lilian Nightshade for the 2 Equid Sleigh Class
http://i48.tinypic.com/2nk5eg2.png

[KAHarder]

Don't worry Maz, I'm just slowly working on my 4-equid sleigh and 2-equid sleigh entry XD

[KittyCatKita]

Is there a set time on the 22nd that we have to get it in before? I work part of the day so I want to make sure I can get my entry in on time

[HW4EVER]

I'm going with SingTheRain's equids. =) I just gotta have to start working on my drawing.. xD

[CK's Nightmare]

Finally finished my entry!
Featuring my two equids Odin and Quela.

See it properly here

[clara.anne]

Title:

Unexpected Twists

Equids used:

Pyro, owned by Black Jack, Quiescere, owned by AnneSophie

Story:

"What a glorious day for this momentous occasion! Just look at that blue sky, Mary!"
The crackle of the loud speaker burst clearly over the chorus of shouts, whistles and chatter from the large stretch of bleachers circling one side of the large snowy field.
"A glorious day it is indeed Jack. Welcome to everyone who is here today to watch today's 2-Equid race! We have five teams racing today in pairs and some mighty fine racers we have here if I may say so."
Up on the commentators box, the young woman with short blonde hair leant back in her chair, careful not to pull too far away from the microphone on the desk between her and the man beside her.
"Yes, they certainly are an eager looking bunch. They are getting themselves prepared for this race as we can see them down there."
Jack tossed his head with a grin and indicated to the time with a finger. Mary nodded and moved towards the microphone again.
"And of course they should really be getting warmed up now. Those sled drivers better hold their horses, literally, until this race starts off in a mere 2 minutes."
"That's right Mary. And we better all get ready, not just the Equids and their riders, for one spectacular run today. Just look at them all rearing to go!"
Mary let her gaze wander down towards the Equids tethered up to the sleds, their drivers darting between them, adjusting straps; men and woman walking around with water, whips, any last minute essentials.
"We have one quite unlikely team today, a couple, a young mare and a stallion taking number 3.They both seem very ready for this race but we'll have to wait and see if the mare's age and height affects how well she works with the other Equid in this race."
Jack raised his eyebrow at her and peered down through the glass at the Equids pawing the snow and jittering. "It's looking like its going to be a tough competition! I know I can't wait to see which team pulls ahead to gallop across that finish line."
Mary looked again at the two Equids whose sleigh-rider was patting their necks with a smile on her face. The creamy mare was staring up at the tall pine trees framing the sky, and the handsome bay stallion beside her almost looked as if he was calculating everything going on around him.
"Today, the race winds into the forest and up through mountain tracks, some of which are quite steep at times too. As they will vanish out of sight, there will be cameras tracking them as they race, you can watch their tracks from the large screens, and then they will finally return back to here where they will cross the finish line."
Then the blare of the horn to mark one minute went off in Mary's ear.
"And that's the one minute mark folks!" She called into the microphone, starting to feel excited herself. She glanced towards the screen where the camera would play of the Equids' performance.
"It sure is. And there is certainly going to be a lot less snow on the ground by the time these stunning Equids have all pulled over that line."
The drivers had moved away from fretting over their Equids and now were getting seated in their sleds, other people scattering away from the start line.
"Are you going to help me with the countdown Mary?" Jack asked, swiveling in his seat.
"Sure thing Jack." Mary said loudly and looked behind them at the timer clock.
"Okay people. The race will begin in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"
There was a loud bang and the bleachers erupted in screams and shouts.
The Equids pulled away from the line and hurtled over the thin snow, heads down and thin legs flying. They catapulted into the trees and then were engulfed by the snow, vanishing from sight.
Mary and Jack both swung around on their seats to watch the screen.
"Oh and it's an incredible start for all of them with sled 2 pulling slightly in front of the others, oh wait, no, 4 is now pulling up along side 2 and is looking to overtake at this slight turn... They better watch out! These trees are very close..."
Mary sat up straight, eyes trained on the cream mare and the bay stallion just lagging behind in the corner of the screen.
"And it looks like 3 is having some trouble getting into stride. Meanwhile, 5 and 1 are not so far behind 2 and catching up fast."
Sure enough, the little lovebirds' sleigh was being left behind slightly as the stallion tried to urge the mare into a relatively fast canter. The mare instead was looking around curiously, prancing through the snow rather than rushing through it like the other Equids. She caught sight of the camera and started blinking rapidly at it, wondering obviously what it was doing there. All the others were charging over the ground like angry bulls. The stallion seemed slightly frustrated but kept dragging the side-tracked mare and the sleigh along. The other four racers were practically neck and neck up ahead, snow flying from under their hooves as they galloped up the mountain side.
"Yes Mary, it looks like those two Equids in sleigh 3 are having a little trouble. Perhaps 3 is not their lucky number this morning. And now 5 has picked up the pace and is drawing into lead. But it doesn't look like 4 is willing to let them in front, they are getting closer to that sleigh and-"
Jack was cut off mid-sentence as the crowd surged to their feet, yelling in protest. The Equids in sleigh 4 had managed to accidentally push sleigh 5 which had gone crashing over, the driver tumbling out, the Equids falling in a muddled heap on the snow. Just as it looked as if 5 was going to streak past untouched, one of the Equids tripped on the snow and pulled his partner and the sled down with him. They lay, tangled in the ropes and reins, drivers struggling to their feet, the sleigh capsized in the hills of white between the pine-trees.
"Oh no! This is a disaster! They were going so well and hadn't even reached the halfway mark!"
"Let's hope they can recover..."
"No Mary, I think they are out of the race for good now, 2 and 1 have just taken the opportunity to dodge around them and race ahead. We just need to hope the drivers and their Equids haven't been impacted too badly by that unfortunate accident."
"And now even 3 is going to pass them too. What a disappointment for those Equids and their drivers, all lost after one slip."
"But that is the way these races roll, or gallop in this case, Mary."
"Yes it is, and now number 3 will have a chance of a decent place if they pick up the pace. It looks like the driver is doing her best to keep them going."
The stallion was still dragging the sleigh up the slope but the cream mare had slowed to a dainty trot, her head tossing.
"Oh dear." Jack chuckled. "Yes, 3 may be also in a spot of trouble. That mare certainly is being very stubborn. She doesn't seemed to have realised they are in a race..."
Mary leaned closer to the microphone again."But look at that, the other two sleigh are way up ahead, they've just passed the halfway mark and neither have yet made a move to pull ahead... They have reached the top of that hill now..."
"Oh no!" Jack exclaimed and Mary gasped as all of a sudden. "Sleigh 1 has come to a halt! It seems that they've got their reins tangled in a branch, oh dear! They strayed to far from the narrow track."
"They are really working themselves into a frenzy there..."
"Yes, their poor driver- Oh dear. They seemed to have freaked but look, they just managed to untangle themselves!"
"But look..."
The two Equids were jumping around, snorting and whinnying, ears back, stamping the snow uncertainly. Then, all of a sudden they took off, away from the snowy suggestion of a path and began winding their way between the trees, off into the mountains. The sleigh spun and then the distressed driver tried to grab at the reins again and pull them around. Unfortunately, the Equids started galloping flat out.
"Oh dear! They seem to be going on an even longer track. What an unfortunate turn. They were pulling ahead too! I doubt they can get ahead now!"
Mary looked on in astonishment as sleigh 3 trotted past where they had turned off, and the cream mare slowed to a walk, turning her head to look with curiosity at the other sled as it catapulted out of sight between the trees. The stallion looked slightly confused but continued to push forward.
"My, my, Mary... What a disaster. I don't think I've ever seen Equids act like that before. Such a shame!" Jack looked down at the aroused crowds in disbelief and then back to the path appearing between the trees. The two upended sleigh had being pulled off the track and the men in the red jackets were leading the four crashed Equids and drivers back into the arena. Then Jack turned back to the screen, the sleigh at the front was speeding ahead, the spooked Equids were no where to be seen (they would hopefully come back down in their own time), and finally, the two slow poke Equids were skipping through the snow, still heading up the mountain side.
"Actually Jack, I don't think I've seen so many disasters happen at once in one sleigh race. But look, 2 is still going strong, they have just passed the 3/4 mark too... It looks like they are going to be the champions of this race!"
"They are doing a good job weaving between those trees too. They have not slipped once, Mary."
"And look Jack, sleigh 3 has now slowed so much that even the stallion is trotting now."
"Well, would you look at that! It seems that little mare has finally forced her partner to give up. He was, after all, pulling the whole sleigh along."
The bay stallion had put his head down and started a slow trot to match his partner's dainty prancing ones. The sleigh driver buried her head in her hands and let go of the reins in exhaustion.
"Well, no matter how slow they go now, and there is no way 1 is getting back on track now- they have completely vanished- sleigh 3will still place 2nd."
"2nd certainly is better than 5th in a race undeniably, even if it is by default somewhat, Jack."
"And would you look at that, sleigh 2 is speeding down the last stretch now I beleive! Yes, they have appeared out of the trees now! They are barely ten meters away from the line..."
Both commentators turned to the window. The sleigh had emerged from the thick forest and was careering towards the finish line, the red markers and flags blowing in the mountain breeze.
"They are going to take it!"
"I think they are Mary!" Jack craned his neck as the sled bolted over the line. "And we have a winner! Sleigh 2 has taken first place in this morning's race! What a victory for them!" He declared happily, and slightly relieved.
The driver stood up in the sleigh as the Equids started to slow down, waving his arms and punching the air. The Equids tossed their heads and then stood, breathing heavily.
Mary glanced back at the TV screen. "But let us not forget those two pioneers who are coming up to the 3/4 line just now..."
"Well. We can certainly say that although slow and steady may not have won the race, it certainly has paid off in the long run and nearly won them the race!"
" Look how they just keep going Jack, they look as if they are just enjoying the scenery now. What a surprising race this has turned out to be!"
The stallion must have worked out that they were going to win a place no matter how slow or fast they went, so he had slowed to a amused walk and his oblivious yet joyous companion continued to skip her way over the snow. The driver looked up and grabbed at the reins again. Then she stood up in the sleigh that anyone could have easily overtaken at walking pace.
"Hey Mary, it looks like that driver is going to give her Equids a talking to, maybe to get them to hurry up."
"Well, they certainly need some kind of encouragement or incentive. Just look at that mare!"
The sleigh stopped and the two Equids looked back at the driver who was nodding her head and moving her mouth quickly. Then the cream mare gave a start and darted forward. The stallion looked shocked before giving a loud snort and pushing forward also. The driver fell back into the sleigh and punched the air.
"Well would you look at that." Jack shook his head and swivels in his chair excitedly. "Why she didn't say that at the start to that bunch, we'll never know!"
"But what matters now is that they have actually started galloping, pretty quickly indeed. If they continue at that pace..."
"They will be over that line in no time. They are coming down the hill now!"
"This race never ceases to surprise me. I don't know about you Jack but this has been the most unpredictable, exciting, and slightly confusing race I've ever commentated for let alone seen. What about you Jack?"
"Watching these two streaking up towards the finish line now... I have to agree with you. This race has been extremely surprising."
The sleigh rushed forward, bursting through the pines, and then they had made it. The cream mare gave a small leap in excitement and slowed to her bouncy trot again, reminding Mary of a ping pong ball. The stallion held his head high and started tossing his mane, trotting proudly alongside his partner.
"And they've done it Mary! Second place in a race we all predicted they would come in last! What a race for them and the first place winners and what a race to remember it was!"
"So there we have it folks! Sleigh 2 in first place, driven by Samuel Newcombe, and in second place, sleigh 3, driven by Annalise Jackson."
"Thank you all for coming here today, we hope you enjoyed the race as much as we did, Merry Christmas and stay safe over the holidays."
"That's your commentators, Jack Polson and Mary Myers signing over and out."

[CopperChaos]

Here's my Four Equid Entry: xXx
Featuring: Artemis and Asteria owned by _Wolfgirl_, also Donatello and Esmerelda owned by me.