29 To Go!
Whee! Alright. First entry of mine on here. I think it turned out okay...
Title: Look Before You Run
Theme: #5 - Race
Claim: Vivi+Karoo
(Words: 1,076)
Rating: K
Warnings: I apologize for differences in translation; some names might be different than you’re used to, but you should be able to figure out who's who without a problem. Oh, and this chapter takes place in Vivi’s childhood. Not really any actual 'warnings', though. (Says the 'K' rating. :P)
“Pell!” Vivi shouted down a large hall of Alubarna’s palace. “Karoo wants to race you!”
“Oh, does he now?” Pell walked over to Vivi and looked down at her, an amused gleam in his eye.
“Yeah! Don’t you, Karoo?”
Karoo glanced between Pell and Vivi, Vivi and Pell, head quickly turning to look at both of them. He gave a shrill, nervous quack and tried to slowly back away from Vivi. Race Pell? What was she thi-
“See? He’s dying to!” Vivi said. “He’s getting a head start!”
Already, instead of a human standing in front of the two, there was an oversized falcon wearing a white robe that was decorated with black, four pointed stars. “Does he think he can beat me?” the falcon, Pell, teasingly inquired.
Karoo hastily shook his head.
“Yes!” piped Vivi.
“Quack!” protested Karoo.
“Okay,” the princess explained, “race you from… um… here to, uh… the clock tower!” She quickly added, “Just the base of it, though. I mean, it’s not like there’s anything in-”
“Got it.” The ends of the falcon’s beak stretched up a bit; he was smiling.
Vivi hopped onto Karoo’s back, tightly gripping his yellow feathers.
Karoo had already accepted the fact that there was no way out of this race. He let out a loud huff to try and get enough air for the long run.
“Ready?” asked Vivi.
Pell and Karoo both nodded.
“Set?”
They nodded again and Pell spread out his wings.
“Go!” Karoo took off and Vivi started giggling, watching Pell zoom off overhead.
“Hurry, Karoo!” Vivi said, huge grin on her face. “He’s going to beat us!”
Tapestries and valuable belongings of the royal family were fluttering around or rattling on their pedestals as the two birds rushed through the castle, and it was obvious Pell wasn’t going easy. The guard knew that Karoo was a fast animal, but Vivi was determined to win this challenge.
“Hurry, Karoo! He’s almost outside!”
The spot-billed duck willed his legs to move faster, and he squinted against the day’s harsh sunlight.
A large flight of stairs was just a few seconds outside the door, and he’d have to be a bit more careful going down those, which meant he’d have to slow down a bit; Pell had it easy with his ability to fly.
Outside.
Pell was still in the lead, his wings pumping hard against the air, but Karoo wasn’t far behind.
The other day, Vivi had told him that super spot-billed ducks are faster than anything in all of Alabasta, and he'd decided he was going to prove that she was right. Did that mean he could be faster than a Devil Fruit user, too?
The rock ground slapped hard against Karoo’s feet, and he was hurtling towards those stairs full-speed. “Karoo,” Vivi warned, “you might want to slow down…” Karoo felt her worry in those words. But, feeling determined to beat the Alabastan guard, Karoo sped up again.
He bounded down the stairs, each stride taking him several steps downwards. Vivi tightened her grip, and Karoo clenched his teeth together, his resolve strengthening once he reached the ground.
Pell’s shadow passed over the duo; he was ahead again.
“Slow down, Pell!” Vivi yelled up at him.
“If I remember correctly,” he called, still looking ahead but lightly joking and beating his wings, “you said this is a race!”
“Aw, Pellll!”
Karoo sped up again, this time trying to move farther with each step rather than increase the pace of his strides. Houses were whizzing by them, and there was even a loud howl that Vivi could hear because of the wind rushing by them at such incredible speed.
“Karoo! You’re so fast!” Vivi beamed.
They were ahead of Pell.
He had been gliding on a rather lofty current of air, and, noticing a steak of yellow and blue rocket ahead of him, he mumbled, “Geez, what’s Terracotta been feeding that duck?” He beat his wings several times in an attempt to stay ahead.
This continued for a few minutes, with Pell hurrying over buildings to try and get in front by taking shortcuts, but Karoo and Vivi knew the layout of the city so well, they might as well have been flying, too.
Finally, Vivi shouted to Karoo, “We’re not far! It’s the last stretch!”
Pell’s eyes were narrowed in concentration, wings pulled back against his body so he could reach the base of the clock tower faster than if he’d been using his wings. He was a torpedo of white cloth and brown feathers, but would that be enough to beat the gold rocket that was bearing down on the finish?
Karoo screeched to a halt at the clock tower, sides heaving and panting heavily.
“We did it, Karoo! We beat Pell! Haha! Wow! Hey, Pell, did you see-Hey. Where is he?”
Karoo flopped onto the cold, stone ground and looked into the sky.
Pell really wasn’t there. There were a few brown feathers floating around, but that was all.
Then, they heard an angry voice say, “Pell! What were you doing racing the princess!”
Vivi brought her gaze downwards, and Pell was standing on the ground, back turned to her and, though they couldn't see it, a thoroughly bored look on his face.
Chaka had tackled Pell out of midair and begun scolding him.
“You said you’d be in the palace at 1:30 for training! But, you’re here right now! What were you thinking? Racing the princess? Igaram would be in hysterics if he saw the destruction you guys caused!”
“Destruction?” Pell asked. “What’re you-”
Chaka pointed at the path that Vivi and Karoo had taken. The goods of stands - food, merchandise, toys - were strewn all over.
“Oh…” Vivi blushed and Karoo got up and shuffled a bit away from the two bickering guards.
Some upset owners were making their way over to where Pell was; he was part of the blame of the damages, they thought, so they figured that he should be the one to pay for what had happened.
“I’m sorry,” Pell said quite loudly. “I just think if there are any ducks or small children hearing this right now, then they should at least help with cleaning up everything.”
Vivi slowly walked towards Pell, head lowered, and Karoo followed. “Sorry…” she murmured. “I’ll help clean everything up…” Then she whispered to Karoo, “Race outside of Alubarna next time, okay?”
Karoo gave a quack of indignation.
Title: Look Before You Run
Theme: #5 - Race
Claim: Vivi+Karoo
(Words: 1,076)
Rating: K
Warnings: I apologize for differences in translation; some names might be different than you’re used to, but you should be able to figure out who's who without a problem. Oh, and this chapter takes place in Vivi’s childhood. Not really any actual 'warnings', though. (Says the 'K' rating. :P)
“Pell!” Vivi shouted down a large hall of Alubarna’s palace. “Karoo wants to race you!”
“Oh, does he now?” Pell walked over to Vivi and looked down at her, an amused gleam in his eye.
“Yeah! Don’t you, Karoo?”
Karoo glanced between Pell and Vivi, Vivi and Pell, head quickly turning to look at both of them. He gave a shrill, nervous quack and tried to slowly back away from Vivi. Race Pell? What was she thi-
“See? He’s dying to!” Vivi said. “He’s getting a head start!”
Already, instead of a human standing in front of the two, there was an oversized falcon wearing a white robe that was decorated with black, four pointed stars. “Does he think he can beat me?” the falcon, Pell, teasingly inquired.
Karoo hastily shook his head.
“Yes!” piped Vivi.
“Quack!” protested Karoo.
“Okay,” the princess explained, “race you from… um… here to, uh… the clock tower!” She quickly added, “Just the base of it, though. I mean, it’s not like there’s anything in-”
“Got it.” The ends of the falcon’s beak stretched up a bit; he was smiling.
Vivi hopped onto Karoo’s back, tightly gripping his yellow feathers.
Karoo had already accepted the fact that there was no way out of this race. He let out a loud huff to try and get enough air for the long run.
“Ready?” asked Vivi.
Pell and Karoo both nodded.
“Set?”
They nodded again and Pell spread out his wings.
“Go!” Karoo took off and Vivi started giggling, watching Pell zoom off overhead.
“Hurry, Karoo!” Vivi said, huge grin on her face. “He’s going to beat us!”
Tapestries and valuable belongings of the royal family were fluttering around or rattling on their pedestals as the two birds rushed through the castle, and it was obvious Pell wasn’t going easy. The guard knew that Karoo was a fast animal, but Vivi was determined to win this challenge.
“Hurry, Karoo! He’s almost outside!”
The spot-billed duck willed his legs to move faster, and he squinted against the day’s harsh sunlight.
A large flight of stairs was just a few seconds outside the door, and he’d have to be a bit more careful going down those, which meant he’d have to slow down a bit; Pell had it easy with his ability to fly.
Outside.
Pell was still in the lead, his wings pumping hard against the air, but Karoo wasn’t far behind.
The other day, Vivi had told him that super spot-billed ducks are faster than anything in all of Alabasta, and he'd decided he was going to prove that she was right. Did that mean he could be faster than a Devil Fruit user, too?
The rock ground slapped hard against Karoo’s feet, and he was hurtling towards those stairs full-speed. “Karoo,” Vivi warned, “you might want to slow down…” Karoo felt her worry in those words. But, feeling determined to beat the Alabastan guard, Karoo sped up again.
He bounded down the stairs, each stride taking him several steps downwards. Vivi tightened her grip, and Karoo clenched his teeth together, his resolve strengthening once he reached the ground.
Pell’s shadow passed over the duo; he was ahead again.
“Slow down, Pell!” Vivi yelled up at him.
“If I remember correctly,” he called, still looking ahead but lightly joking and beating his wings, “you said this is a race!”
“Aw, Pellll!”
Karoo sped up again, this time trying to move farther with each step rather than increase the pace of his strides. Houses were whizzing by them, and there was even a loud howl that Vivi could hear because of the wind rushing by them at such incredible speed.
“Karoo! You’re so fast!” Vivi beamed.
They were ahead of Pell.
He had been gliding on a rather lofty current of air, and, noticing a steak of yellow and blue rocket ahead of him, he mumbled, “Geez, what’s Terracotta been feeding that duck?” He beat his wings several times in an attempt to stay ahead.
This continued for a few minutes, with Pell hurrying over buildings to try and get in front by taking shortcuts, but Karoo and Vivi knew the layout of the city so well, they might as well have been flying, too.
Finally, Vivi shouted to Karoo, “We’re not far! It’s the last stretch!”
Pell’s eyes were narrowed in concentration, wings pulled back against his body so he could reach the base of the clock tower faster than if he’d been using his wings. He was a torpedo of white cloth and brown feathers, but would that be enough to beat the gold rocket that was bearing down on the finish?
Karoo screeched to a halt at the clock tower, sides heaving and panting heavily.
“We did it, Karoo! We beat Pell! Haha! Wow! Hey, Pell, did you see-Hey. Where is he?”
Karoo flopped onto the cold, stone ground and looked into the sky.
Pell really wasn’t there. There were a few brown feathers floating around, but that was all.
Then, they heard an angry voice say, “Pell! What were you doing racing the princess!”
Vivi brought her gaze downwards, and Pell was standing on the ground, back turned to her and, though they couldn't see it, a thoroughly bored look on his face.
Chaka had tackled Pell out of midair and begun scolding him.
“You said you’d be in the palace at 1:30 for training! But, you’re here right now! What were you thinking? Racing the princess? Igaram would be in hysterics if he saw the destruction you guys caused!”
“Destruction?” Pell asked. “What’re you-”
Chaka pointed at the path that Vivi and Karoo had taken. The goods of stands - food, merchandise, toys - were strewn all over.
“Oh…” Vivi blushed and Karoo got up and shuffled a bit away from the two bickering guards.
Some upset owners were making their way over to where Pell was; he was part of the blame of the damages, they thought, so they figured that he should be the one to pay for what had happened.
“I’m sorry,” Pell said quite loudly. “I just think if there are any ducks or small children hearing this right now, then they should at least help with cleaning up everything.”
Vivi slowly walked towards Pell, head lowered, and Karoo followed. “Sorry…” she murmured. “I’ll help clean everything up…” Then she whispered to Karoo, “Race outside of Alubarna next time, okay?”
Karoo gave a quack of indignation.