Doodle Champion Island Journeys!

9.

Lucky failed to notice that the Inari had left her side. She was so into making out the figures moving among the high branches, each of them about the same size as her, constantly disappeared and reappeared again and again in the shades of the greenery like ghostly silhouettes - no! Ghosts were supposed to be blurry and fluidic, while these ones were much more sprightly.

The Kijimunas! Lucky muttered in astonishment. The mangrove mischiefs were swift in their trees similarly on the ground, she had heard that frequently enough. The feline took one step closer to the old trunk of the ever-aged tree, tracing from the wrinkles on the bark to the creatures above whose action unknowingly tempted her to come up there with no clear reasons at all, when her keen ears picked up the sound of footsteps behind her.

Scurrying footsteps on the sand, it was, and the rustling of palm leaves. They came and quieted down as fast.

Lucky stood still, making sure she did not make a sound. Was it just her imagination?

Here was that sound again, this time closer to her back. She turned around in alarm but found nothing.

Just when she was facing the sea, she heard it behind her once more, so close that it made her flinch.

Wha-..? She thought and turn around halfway before getting dragged by the wrist.

The creature who was dragging her was barely taller than her but vividly sturdier in build, his skin red as if he'd overslept in an oven, his hair was dirty blonde like straw and came in strands of straight-cuts as if he used to have a bowl cut but later changed his mind and let it grow so long it reached his knees. He had a man-bun on top of his head, which Lucky couldn't help but think of a wagging duster, and the only thing that covered his body from being exposed to public eyes was a piece of palm leaf. He was holding a large round leaf in his free hand as an umbrella.

Despite his short legs, he was so fast even when he was just walking that Lucky found herself jogging after him. At a certain point on the beach where a path of wet sand started, she saw several Kijimunas assembling - old and young, some also had blonde hair, some had caramel brown, dusty light or grey, their skin were all similarly red, but what's more special was that a couple of them were sitting on wheelchairs. Three-wheeled wheelchairs composed of wood sticks as the frame and large round jades as wheels, though where they got those jewels from remained a mystery even for the knowledgeable Karasus. At this time of the day when the sun gave out most of its heat, many would prefer the shades of the bamboo forest or the coolness of the pool, so there were only half a dozen of them including herself, and Kitsune who was talking to a familiar-looking stone creature with her back to her.

The lighter Komainu was wearing a striped shirt, the one that referees often wore, and holding a signal gun. He was in serious conversation with Kitsune, apparently, and kept nodding at something she said while the fox spoke as soft as a breeze that Lucky wouldn't be able to pick out anything even if she had the intention to eavesdrop.

"I think that's everyone for this race, Agyo!" the Kijimuna who drag Lucky said.

"Right," the Komainu - whose name was now Agyo - snapped out of his talk with the Inari, "This is the second race of this Championship, at noon hours," he said aloud, "You will be racing against Kou, the current Kijimuna Champion," he directed at the aforementioned Kijimuna, "As well as some of his family.

"In front, you see, is the running track of fine wet sand, sturdy and especially what you'd want to stick to under this of the heat. Run outside the track and you won't be able to keep up with the soft sand and extreme hotness. In addition, since Kijimunas have quite a bad relationship with crustaceans and cephalopods, if not to mention they despise each other-"