Trackstar Antelope

Trackstar Antelope Volume 1

Chapter 1: The Mild May

I step outside, and wait on my front door. It's May, about 12 degrees, almost wintertime here in Whigata. My neighbour's trees have turned orange, and soon their leaves will fall to the ground. The soft morning breeze snaps me back to reality; I need to get to school.

I begin my slow walk to school, bearing the cold, humid air. As a Blackbuck Antelope, I'm more used to hotter, drier climates, but it's good that I live in a town like Whigata.

Whigata is a small, agricultural town in South-Eastern Australia, situated on the edge of a desert While it might be a small town, with a population of about 25,000, it's one of the largest in the area. Despite living in a remote, rural town, about 80% of the population is made up of carnivores. Most of the remaining herbivores use their produce, such as wool, eggs, milk and other things to make a living. Carnivores mainly help out with labour, such as producing grain and building infrastructure.

Whigata has two high schools; the one I attend is a mixed school, which is for carnivores and herbivores alike, but the mixed school is pretty... one-sided. 95% of the students are carnivore, and guess who's a part of the remaining 5%? In my Year 10 class, there are only 100 students, and there's only five other herbivores... it can get a bit lonely

The school atmosphere is nice, but sometimes a little tense or intimidating. Let's just say that some of my carnivore classmates may not always know how to treat herbivores. They mean well, but it's sometimes a little rough. But at least they try to be nice.

"Hey, Jamel" I hear my friend speak softly from behind me. My friend Riley. He may be a dingo, but he knows how to treat herbivores really well. "Gee, it's chilly today, isn't it?" he says as we walk along slowly to school.

"Yeah... I wish it was summer though..." I reply, absent-mindedly. "Fresh, warm air, swimming, nice weather"

"No school? You clearly forgot about the big one, mate..." Riley tells me.

"You're right, I'm sorry... how could I forget?" I reply happily. We walk along a bit further, I see a student in P.E uniform, a tiger. He's jogging on the empty road as he passes us... I look at him in awe... I want to be like him someday

As a Blackbuck Antelope, we are amongst the fastest herbivores in the world. My teachers and parents constantly remind me of this, and I don't want to waste a perfectly good body. I never show off, or compete against others, but the annual Sports Day at school is my chance to compete. I think this year I will have the courage to try out.

"The sports day tryouts are happening soon, aren't they?" I ask Riley. He probably hears more about it than I do.

"You, uh... gonna try out this year? I think signups are today" he replies. He knows that I like to do a bit of running, but I've never been one to compete or anything. I think I'm ready though

"Yeah, I think I can do it" I tell him. In the world of athleticism, herbivore athletes aren't typically well-known. There aren't any professional herbivore athletes, though you sometimes hear of a high school sports team that has an herbivore teammate. But I wanna do more than that. Maybe someday, I could do something big. I wanna compete with carnivores, and not just myself. All herbivores should be able to compete, if they want to

"You think a practice jog can help out your training? The bell's gonna go any minute now" Riley replied. I smile at him, while I do some stretches

"You bet!" I reply, before shooting off down the street. I wouldn't say I'm very fast, but I feel that I have potential

And so, Riley and I ran through the street filled with red leaves, tinting the road and cars below a beautiful orange, as we raced to beat the bell.

Chapter 2: The Carnivore Legion