Who is the fastest creature in this forest?

A question asked in the village gathering.

“Silence, silence!” The village chief -a pig tried to calm the village people present.

“I’m the fastest here!” Says the armadillo.

“No, it’s me!” Says the anteater

“Stop dreaming! I’m the fastest one around here” says the skunk.

“Uhm… why don’t we have a race?” A young mouse suggested.

An awkward silence filled the room. No one wanted to fail in front of everyone and their insecurities with there speed stops them to agree to the race.

The village chief nodded with the young one’s suggestion.

“Okay, then if there is no one who disagree. We will have a race that anyone in the village can join tomorrow.”

The villagers had strained smiles and faked enthusiasm for the race tomorrow.

-the next day.

The village was in a festive Mood for a source of entertainment was scarce. The race was to run one lap from the village entrance to the forest, exit on the other side and come back to the entrance again.

Only two appeared as contestants for the race. The hare and the turtle. The other villagers who didn’t join the race was mocking the turtle for being stupid.

“hey turtle.”

“Yeah hare?”

“Wanna have a bet?”

“I’m listening”

“If I win you’ll give me 6 of your delicious carrots and if you win I’ll give you 2 of my prized cabbages.”

“Seems fair, you’re on bro.”

The two best friends had a friendly bet before the race.

“What was the prize for this race again?”

“I don’t know bro, I just joined to have a moment of peace from the kids.”

“Hahaha that is like you hare.”

The chief on the side of the starting line.

“All right, everyone get ready… set… GO!!”

And the race was on, the hare zipped through the track and entered the forest in no time while the turtle slowly paces towards it.

“What is he even thinking?”

“He is just humiliating himself.”

“Huh, good thing I didn’t join the race. That hare is so fast..”

The villagers were mocking the turtle for even joining the race. They were the same villagers who were boasting about their speed yesterday.

-inside the forest.

The hare sped through the forest and searches for a nice place to take a rest.

“That’s a good spot.” The hare thought and lied down on top of a pile of dry leaves under a tree.

A few hours later the turtle found the hare sleeping.

“Hey hare!” he called out, “Why are you sleeping there?”

“Hu… huh?” the hare came to.

“Five more minutes turtle.”

“Huh? What about our bet?”

“Ugh… I don’t even care bro, I slept late last night because of the kids. They won’t stop crying.”

“Ahahaha, well at least prepare those delicious cabbages for me yah?”

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“Yeah, yeah.”

“Must be hard having 15 kids huh…”

“Yeah…”

“Well, I’ll be going then.”

After few more hours the turtle reaches the finish line and the crowd cheered, and a few moments later the hare crossed it as well, looking refreshed.

“Congratulations bro.”

“Thanks hare, you look good.”

“Yeah, been so long since I got a good sleep.”

“Haha you owe me cabbages now though.”

“Yeah, yeah. So what did you win?”

The chief went to the victor, he gave him a sack of flour and announced.

“Turtle, congratulations. Here is a sack of flour as part of your reward.”

Part -the turtle thought.

“You won the role as the village’s emergency messenger.”

“Woah! Congratulations turtle!” the hare wrapped his shoulder on turtles shoulder. “Cabbage is on me! Let’s celebrate later with the missus.”

Days, weeks and months have passed in the peaceful village but, not all good things lasts forever.

One day the village was under attack by bandits and slavers.

“Turtle! Send this message to the town to the east. We will buy you time, ask them for reinforcements!”

The turtle nodded and ran his fastest towards the nearest town. The hare picked up his hoe to protect his home.

“Everyone, please survive long enough.”

The turtle ran and ran. He gave the emergency message to the mayor and was able to get reinforcements for the village, but when they arrived the village was burnt to the ground, corpses litter the ground. Hare was found covered in wounds and blood.

“Why?! I failed them!”

It took the turtle two days to travel what it would have only taken anyone that wasn’t hare, literally anyone, take them at least four hours if they sprint with their all.

•°•°•°•

Once upon a time in a land far, far away on a castle occupied by a dragon, a beautiful princess was on the top room of the tower.

-on a kingdom near the castle of the dragon.

“Brave and honorable knight, my daughter have been taken by the dragon. I ask that you slay the dragon and save my child, and I shall reward you with anything within my power to give.”

The people around the king was noisy as he was bowing his head.

This event have been repeated many times as the same amount of knights have fallen to the dragon.

But one day, the most promising of the knights among the kingdom was before the king.

“Brave and honorable knight-”

“Yeah, yeah. I want 300 gold coins and a land with a view of the sea and annuity for the rest of my life, you can do that at least right.”

The nobles' faces twitched at the audacity of the knight before them, but they soon relaxed after he confirmed that he would participate.

-at the entrance of the castle where the princess is trapped.

“What a shabby castle.” The knight with beautiful, luscious blond hair took off his helmet.

“Dragon slayer, does have a nice ring to it.” As he unsheathed his sword and shield, and stood on guard.

This knight may have been hated by every soldiers and other knights for his arrogance but, his skills were the real deal.

He slowly made his way to the double door, it was at least four meters in height and five meters wide. Dust and the smell of mold welcomed the knight as he enter the castle.

“Hmph! This dragon is a slob… tsk disgusting.”

After investigating the main building. He proceeded to head to the next building. He walked out through the large garden with a broken fountain and empty armors scattered around, some have skeletons inside as scorch marks were on the walls and the ground.

*Rustle… the knight tightened his grip on his sword and shield, and strained his senses. It was quiet, too quiet. As he calms his breathing and walks ever slowly forward still raising his guard.

Not long after a huge object crashed down in front of him. Dust, dirt and debris rose up, he blocked using his shield, as the dust settles, before him was a grand beast. Head held high that he needed to look up just to see it. It was a beast with beautiful red scales, shining under the moon’s light, claws long and as sharp as swords in five a set per hand and foot, wings like that of a bat that spans four grown men’s height each, a body far sturdier than any rampart he have ever seen ending with a tail that ended with a spike like that of a spear.

“You’re one ugly bastard.” The knight grinned under his shield.

“Ohh… another sacrifice eh. I can see why they chose you gahahahaha.” The dragon grinned or at least what appears to be one as rows of razor sharp teeth exposes itself.

“What ever are you on about, large lizard?” the knight picked up on what the dragon said.

“Hmmm… should I tell you I wonder?”

“Tsk. Whatever, I’ll have the princess as my wife and would be set for life if I kill you. Ha!” the knight swung his sword at the dragon.

But the dragon didn’t even flinch as the sword strikes the dragon’s scale.

“Not even a scratch?!”

“Gahahaha there, that look on your face.”

“What in the world are you?!” the knight was slowly losing his composure.

His sword was made by a famous artisan in the kingdom and was made from mythril. Its sharpness and durability far surpass even those used by some of his superiors.

“Me? Gahahaha I’m just a beneficiary of a contract I made with your king gahahaha.”

“Wha?” the knight was dumbfounded with the unexpected answer.

“Your… your lying!”

“Ho, you dare call an honorable like myself a liar? Even I cannot forgive that.” The dragon said as killing intent oozes out from him. Making the knight shiver.

“It appears no one ever told you huh? Well I guess that’s just how you humans work.”

“Whar do you mean?! Tell me directly lizard! -ugh!!” the knight was blasted to hit the stone wall and break it.

“Your disrespectful attitude is really annoying, learn your place maggot!”

The dragon pressed on the knight, the sound of his armor bending in could be heard.

“If you haven’t guessed it yet, your king have abandoned you or more precisely have gotten rid of you through me. Like those scattered on the ground over there.”

The knight looked at the burnt armor and weapons on the ground.

“Gahaha I gave him some of my treasure to revive the kingdom and in exchange, the princess, pfft, hahaha she’s my wife, idiot! We get everything my wife needs from the kingdom. Oh and don’t worry, we don’t live here, we have our own home. I just get contacted to take out the trash.” The dragon slowly gets smaller and smaller as his appearance was that of a human man.

“Now, I better hurry or the missus might miss me already~.”

The last thing the knight have ever seen was the man’s face as the hand gripping his throat slowly closes.

THE END.