Submission (#7410) Approved

“Hurry up! Almost there! You got this!”

“I don’t think he can hear you.”

“Is that a challenge? Because I can scream louder if you want me to.”

“Please don’t.” 

Harun looked at the two dark elnin in front of him, bickering at each other, while also cheering on their partners who were far out in the bay of Ealei.
A crowd was gathered on wooden paths or standing on the giant tangled roots of Yggdrasil, the eldertree of the island region; with Mary and Cinder being on the frontlines on a wooden platform, close to where the swimmers had entered the water, and Harun was close behind, observing the spectacle which was unfolding in front of him.

The summer festivals were still in full force, and in these particular weeks it involved sports. In each little nook and cranny all over Ealei there were different types of sport events going on, widely different from each other. At the moment, they were all observing elnins competing in a diving and swimming exercise. Colorful rings were stashed between the roots of the mangrove trees, each color indicating different points to earn; the higher the reward, the harder it was to retrieve the ring, as it was deep within the root system of the trees and elnins had to be excellent divers to maneuver between the underwater maze. Whoever would earn the most points in a set amount of time would win.

Greywind and Nico were both competing for first place; both leaving the competition far behind in this round. Greywind was slightly ahead of Nico; the slinky white elnin moved in the water as if he naturally belonged there; his tail aiding him in succeeding making sharp turns and his long body bent around the mangrove roots with ease. Nico on the other hand was fiercely determined and didn’t waver, despite being behind. Whenever he came up to the surface to catch his breath and put the rings into his little basket, he could hear Marys’ screams of encouragement all the way from the pier, which put a smile on his face, no matter how exhausted he was and with new found energy he would dive back into the blue.

Harun enjoyed watching the event from the sidelines. The crowd was very invested in who would win; Nico and Greywind were both known in the community and equally popular, and the mood was at an all time high.
In the last minute, Nico managed to retrieve an especially tricky ring from depths of the tree roots, earning him enough points to surpass Greywinds highscore - winning this round. As Harun turned to leave, he could hear Mary exploding with joy and Nicos frantic attempts to calm his husband when he arrived at the pier and climbed onto the platform, before Harun heard a loud splash. When he turned around he saw both Nico and Mary in the water and the elnins around them laughing, before helping them back up.

Harun strolled through the twisted maze of the giant eldertree, he was on his way to the event he planned to partake in, but he kept stopping from time to time to watch others. He saw competitive climbing, a parkour race and a selection of appropriate games for kittoms, like fishing for toy ducks or shooting at balloons with small arrows, popping them. Elnins were participating in all sorts of games, some very eager to compete, others just for fun. 

As he arrived at the higher levels of Yggdrasil, he saw Yuji and Subaru managing this particular section and he got closer.

“Hi! Welcome! Are you interested in the archer competition?” Yuji greeted him eagerly, hopping from the bench and walking around the tables that were set and neatly organized with all kinds of different equipment.

“We have everything your heart desires - lots of different bows and arrows, protective gear, to choose whatever you’re most comfortable with! It’s a very simple process, you just follow the marked path between the branches and shoot the targets that pop up. Once you’re finished, Subaru will take a look to add up your final score and we will surely put you up on the leaderboard!” The white elnin turned around and two Pomus came running, holding the leaderboard with all the current scores. “We haven’t had many elnins join yet, because it is a bit of an advanced route, shooting while jumping from branch to branch~ But it’s also a lot of fun and a real test for your skills!” Yuji was clearly very excited about it all and Harun was patient and listened to everything.

“Sounds quite impressive.” He came closer and inspected all the gear. His pomu hopped out of his shadow and jumped on the table too, while Subaru and Yuji came closer and kept chatting with him. Harun nudged his Pomu and the little one nodded, and ran off. The pomu started to collect everything needed. It knew all too well what Harun preferred.
Whenever it spotted something Harun needed, it grabbed it, carried it to the edge of the table and left it there. Over the next five minutes it collected a little pile of gear while Harun started to prepare. He put on some protective gear; leather gloves to protect his paws and lower arms. Then he sorted through the arrows, he wanted a nice selection since he wasn’t sure how far away the targets would be. The arrows with bigger feathers were a bit slower but moved more stable. They also had very brightly colored feathers so stray arrows would be easy to find. A big section of the upper half of Yggradsil had been closed off for the archer event to prevent anyone getting hit by accident.

“You seem to know your stuff.” Subaru looked over all the things Harun had sorted so neatly, while his Pomu carried over a second bow for Harun to test out.

“Oh.. haha, so you noticed. Yeah, I have a bit of experience. Back in Weldwick I learned a lot over the years. It’s been a while since I’ve had some training, and I never shot a bow in Ealei. Do you have a test range where I can warm up?”

“Yes, I’ll show you once you’re ready. Just let me know.” And with that, Subaru left Harun to his own devices for a bit and returned to Yuji, while Harun nodded, before he got back to his Pomu, who held up a bow.

“That one looks good. Thank you so much, I will test out both and see which one works best. Here~” Harun took out two manaberries he had collected earlier and gave them to his pomu as reward for the help. The pomu chirped happily and started to eat the juicy berries, while Harun started to gear up. 

After roughly 15 minutes of testing the different bows and arrows and trying to get used to how differently everything behaved in the humid air of Ealei, Harun was satisfied with his training and ready to take on the challenge. He put up his hair in a braid so it wouldn’t get in his way too much and distract him.

He informed Yuji and Subaru that he was ready to start and they both nodded. Subaru had already made sure no one else was nearby and now he would wait and follow Harun as the striped elnin passed through the shooting parkour.

To start things off, Harun leaped from one massive branch to the next, moving effortlessly around Yggdrasil. His hair flowed behind him like a banner and his long tail helped him with keeping his balance. With a flick of his wrist he drew an arrow from the quiver strapped to his back. The bow in his hand felt light and comfortable, despite being familiar. He nocked the arrow with practiced ease while eyeing his surroundings in search of the first target. He focused his breathing and then - Suddenly, a small target, no bigger than a bird, popped up a dozen yards ahead, suspended in mid-air. Without hesitation, Harun pulled the string back, the tension in the bow humming under his paws, before letting go. The arrow shot forward, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle, and struck the target dead center. The wooden disk swung back and forth a little and Harun laughed softly, satisfied with the outcome.

“Easy,” he muttered under his breath - he had done this a hundred times before, but the challenge never got old.

As soon as the first target was done, another popped up farther away, just beyond the next branch, bobbing up and down teasingly. Harun didn't wait for it to settle. He launched himself into the air, leaping toward the next massive branch and his long tail whipped behind him, helping him balance in mid-flight as he nocked another arrow in a fluid motion. The moment his paws touched the bark, he let loose, the arrow streaking toward the target with precision.

Thwack.

Another direct hit.

Harun landed smoothly and he could feel excitement creeping up on him. It started to be fun and he enjoyed his time. //This isn't like last time-// 

Various targets popped up now, three at once, scattered across the thick network of branches above and below him. Without missing a beat, the elnin sprang into action. He darted to his left, jumping off a narrow branch to gain momentum. As he soared through the air, he twisted mid-leap, firing off an arrow toward the closest target. It found its mark, almost shattering the worn disk. He landed lightly on a smaller branch, before using it as a springboard to launch upward.

As he ascended through the eldertree, he fired two more arrows in quick succession, each hitting their respective targets with flawless accuracy. The leaves rustled as Harun gently grazed them during his hunt for points. He chuckled to himself when he landed again, catching his breath, tail flicking with excitement. “Kudos to whoever put the targets up…” he mused. It was a challenge, and Harun thought to himself how Yuji said the course was easy. He had his doubts about that. This was clearly a more advanced course. But he welcomed it. This was exactly what he needed to clear his head for a little while.

The game was far from over, but for now, Harun paused for a moment, balancing effortlessly on a branch, letting the breeze calm him down again. The event wasn’t timed, it was purely score based, thankfully. But he couldn’t wait to see the rest of it; he still had different types of arrows left he wanted to test before it was over.

With a final glance around, he took a deep breath.

"Let's finish this~"