Alien Race (A Science Fiction/ Fantasy)

I clutched my purse tight to my chest, as if it would ease the uneasy feeling in my stomach. I had waged a bet of $150 on racer 2, Nivina, to take home the gold on her beast of a racing animal, who was chained to the earth about 250 yards away. He reminded me much of a jaguar. The creature was an earthy mahogany color, and about 30 feet long head to tip of the tail. He was long and lean, with toughly muscled legs, long and aching to run. His narrow head boasted a sort of rough plate, like a mask over the top half of his head that had a flat spike protruding past his head, as well as teeth that grew from its lower jaw. The fierce talons, great plume of red fur that waved softly in the breeze at the end of his tail, and layered scaly plates at the base of his tail completed his threatening composure.
All of the creatures were very reptilian, not of Earth, but of a planet far across the galaxy, known as Gosha. None of the species that had invaded our planet were completely covered in fur, but several of the racing creatures had magnificent crests or beards of fur that came in a variety of colors. Some of them came in beautiful purples. Yet the creatures had a reasonable skin tone to them; usually browns in dark or light hues, as well as black, gray, and white. They were never monotonous though, and had a different color on their underbellies.
On top of the creatures were mechanisms secured to their backs and partially up their necks. Technology developed by the Goshans, which acted as a throne for them to sit upon and command their creature. Unlike equestrian saddles, these were occasionally perched several feet above the creature, or behind it entirely, sitting above the tail or lack of. They were composed of a sturdy metal structure, patterned with smooth, lustrous plates of metal that curved around its back, and were adorned with lovely colors on small circular plates. Pieces of the saddle curved away from the main system, showcasing the rider's expertise and grandeur.
It made me slightly queasy to think that all of these animals are carnivorous. The great fangs grow from their jaws that often snap at each other's faces. For this species, the fangs are always visible, as their jaws are shaped for the most flamboyant of teeth to grow on the outside of the jaw. Not all of the teeth do, otherwise that would likely make consumption difficult. I've heard rumors that they have a few smaller teeth inside their mouths for shredding meat, but I'm glad I've never had the privilege to look inside.
A light flashed below me on the shelf I was leaning over to get a better view of the contestants as they would arrive on the racing lines. I looked down at the screen below me. Hello. Blinked into view in bulky black letters. Welcome to the race. It then proceeded to give me instructions for how to manage the screen and its capabilities during the race. On the main screen, a map of the course will always be visible. On the left side of the screen, you can select which racer you would like to view. The color next to the racer represents their colored dot on the race course map. Please enjoy the race.
Then a digitally advanced image of the race course flashed onto the screen, practically in three dimensions. Twenty colored dots appeared side by side in a blur in a horizontal line, the starting and finishing line, and I got a geographic view of the course. The area was wide desert at the mouth of the main building where the bleachers and grandstands were, containing all of the spectators; human and uera; the humanoid alien species, or the racers themselves. Beyond the desert was lush desert, old and thick where gnarled roots tangled the earth and decaying vegetation laced the steep hillsides. A rich river cut through the middle of the forest, making it difficult for the racers whose creature was not an adept swimmer.
Most of these race courses were artificially made, one of the requests by the uera when they came to Earth. They requested, to the government's dismay, not to use untouched wilderness of the precious planet, but to build the courses on top of towns near bustling cities, where they could make use of unneeded human space, and to attract large crowds of human life.
Yet humans could never race. According to a uera, our bodies are much to feeble and small to handle the vicious riding, or the possibility of being rammed and thrown off of the creature. Also, the creatures apparently do not take kindly to humans.
I looked up and joined the crowd in cheering as the first racers appeared, all wearing their hair in different styles. Although they natively had geometric patterns of blue at the corners of their faces that teased towards their eyes, they enjoyed dying their hair.
Nivina emerged with a full head of red hair that she had blown to the side of her head to dangle down the front of her shoulder messily, but elegantly. The gray fins that replaced standard human ears took on a reddish color. She had a light, silky red scarf rapped tightly around her neck that ran down her back. Her riding gear was platinum silver; her pants looked as tough as steel, but were still flexible and safe to wear for riding. The boots did have metal attached to them, like a curved blade at the front mostly for show. She was not wearing a full top, a risky move, but the blue in the front made her look delightful, and the rest of it was white with a streak of gray in the sides. Unique enough, a small amount of fur was sewn into the neckline, and a gold pendant attached to the center of the shirt. I personally loved the great sapphire earring dangling from her left ear, right above her red hair over her shoulder.
Yet one of my favorite characteristics of the uera were the long black tendrils that jutted out from their spine on their upper back, that resembled contour feathers of a black peacock, yet lacked the vanes until near the top of the feather, where the black vanes barbed together. The "feathers" were about an inch apart from the other, each receding in size towards the tail-bone.
"Welcome!" the male announcer's voice suddenly boomed around the Starting Gate. (The main area of the race where all of the bleachers were constructed.) "To the grand Goshan Races! Citizens, please meet our racers!" his voice gleefully echoed around the Starting Gate, about a mile long and 200 meters high.
"Tim!" The racer waved at the audience, perched upon his beast whose sleek saddle cupped behind him, forcing him into a more relaxed lean-forward position, ready to race.
I cheered loudly as he called Nivina, Pokta, An, Mahn, Yuo, Iansha, and Roshan, the eight racers who were primary targets for viewers. They were some of the top ranking competitors, and who kept their reputation pridefully and with dignity, and were glad to show off their skill to anyone who dared to challenge them. On a more bulky creature with tall legs and a more elephant like body with a long tail, Quartz waved, her smile full of enthusiasm and spirit; a rising racer whose name had slowly spread around the nation.
Some of the less experienced racers were called, and another racer was tossed off of his beast before he scrambled back on, face flushed red.
I cheered and waved back at all the racers who would never know me, who were merely intent on the journey ahead, around 100 miles on these quick beasts. The audience cheered with me, throwing flowers and cheap jewelry into the air. A young uera next to me grabbed my arm and pointed down to Nivina. "That's my mom!" she exclaimed, her thick accent making her T's sound like Z's, and "Mom" sounded more like "Moahm."
I nodded. "She is a brilliant racer."
"Yes!" she agreed with a slight hiss.
The announcer returned. "Citizens! You can find menu options to purchase refreshments and beverages in the bottom right hand corner of your Race Pads! Credit cards only, but we do accept Visa. Please consider donating to the race to promote improvements to the Starting Gate, as well as the course itself. You can also request sponsorship of one of our fine racers when you select "Sponsors" in the Menu section. A sponsorship form will appear and then you may proceed for submitting. With that, let's begin the race!" A uera announcer then translated the speech into native Goshan tongue.
An ecstatic roar erupted from the crowd and balloons floated upwards into the air. The racers braced themselves and shifted their stances into proper racing positions, holding tight onto steel handles or leather reins. My Race Screen turned white, as well as every other screen, and the number 3 bulged onto the screen, then 2... 1... and the crowd held its breath before GO spiraled into view.
I was surprised I had not gone deaf the second the race burst into action. A few of the creatures reared and swung their heads. They planted firmly to the ground and charged forward. Nivina's lean and long creature was a streak of lightning as it sprinted forward, accepting the challenge of the brutal Gosha Race.
I saw An's green dot move forward, trailing after the others but keeping a steady pace. I tapped on her icon, where a portrait of her grew onto the screen, showcasing her beautiful appearance and the crescent shaped blue patterns on her cheekbones and forehead. Her ears, or fins like all uera have, were long and thin, and her hair a blood red. An's racing beast resembled the build of a wolf, with a head of few curvatures and a flat spike that grew from its "mask" that looked much like wolf ears, only close to its head. Like all of the creatures, its dragon-like jaws curved in such a way that all of the smaller back teeth were visible, as if in a permanent snarl. This creature was of standard size with tall, burly legs and strong body. It had a bare tail and short neck, but it ran with great strategy and endurance.
I leaned over the steel shelf to see the trail of dust sift through the air as the last of the creatures fled the Starting Gate. I sighed and sat down, looking intently at my screen as I minimized An's profile and video of her race status. I watched the 20 different colored dots surge forward, making their progress seem much more minimal compared to the great speed they were undertaking on this 100 mile race track, which forced on the racers three laps, making the total race a dreadful 300 miles. If they were only going 60 miles an hour, it would take them a painstakingly long five hours to finish the race. But the Goshans are fast, and the best can finish just shy of three hours.
I tapped on Tim's screen, whose creature's mask resembled the curved beak of an eagle, and produced a crown out of the back, much like feathers. Its running style was much like a cheetah's; where its forelegs tucked far under its body as it surged forward. I wasn't sure if it would be able to keep up that pace.
Iansha rode a beast who stood digitigrade on reptilian toes whose body reminded me of a lion, except much bigger. Its tail grew upward from its body, and then waved about freely behind it. The creature had glowing metal shoulder pads and horns that grew out the sides of its head.
I switched my screen to Main Field View, where one of the small robotic drones floated above the front racers. There were seven pictures on the side of the screen, each having a white line connecting it to one of the creatures running on screen. Nivina, Tim, Quartz, Yuo, and a few others I didn't recognize nor acknowledge. The picture of Quartz moved behind Yuo, and another racer, Bikiv, moved in front of a Sash. The pictures shifted each time one of the creatures on screen moved in front of the other. The drone moved very quickly to get an image of those magnificent beasts charging for the winning title.
The scenery was not of great interest as I watched the sandy deserts woosh by in the blink of an eye, the amount of time it took for these aliens to blow by them. I appreciated how every creature was unique from the other, even in small ways, whether it be head shape, body composition, or the number of tails it had. They were incredibly beautiful once a viewer looked past the impressive display of dagger-like teeth.
The racer was only a small being compared to the massive size of these running creatures, mostly noticed by their bright hair waving behind them. They bobbed slightly up and down as the creatures moved forward. I gasped when Tim suddenly raced over and knocked into Yuo, knocking his creature on to the ground just short of the forest. He rolled for several hundred meters and barely missed being crushed by his beast, now laying whimpering beside him. But the drone had already moved on, and although I could hear the sudden "oh" from the crowd, I knew the moment would be forgotten as the thrill of the race flooded their minds. Injury was part of the game.
I felt sorry for the yellow dot behind the main flow of the race, and as I tapped their icon, I saw their creature, built much like a huge gorilla. That was a costly mistake to begin with, and most likely a cheap creature they purchased. But they too were reaching the edge of the thick woods and growth.
The creatures were too big and conspicuous to simply walk around selling in cities, unless they were owner less. They hatched from eggs, so uera and thieving humans would sell them for profit to racers or wannabe racers. Sometimes the uera, who saw themselves superior to the human race, would fool the humans by trading them an egg for a great cost. The person most likely thinks they can tame the beast, or does not know that they despise humans, and are eaten or beaten severely as the creatures mature. Occasionally, there are loose Goshan creatures, but they are killed by the government as soon as they are identified.
I tapped on Nivina's picture as the Main Field View glowed green from the grand trees and unearthed roots, the large boulders, and sudden precipices of unstable earth and mud. Her profile and video of her racing had words at the side of the screen that read:
RACER: N I V I N A
BARTOK: W E N T I I
AGE: 2 8
RACES WON: 3 5 / 4 (1 S T P L A C E)
PLACED: 3 7 / 2 (T O P 3)
Nivina was a force to be reckoned with, certainly, if she had only ever lost two races. Did that count her official races only, or did it include beginner's races as well?
I pondered what a "bartok" was, until I realized that was her animal, Wentii. The drone trailing her floated downwards, changing the camera view. Now I saw her from the side, as if I was in the race. It was majestic, truly, to see the creature so determinedly racing forward, her body moving with the flow of the creature, and hair whipping behind her. She looked behind her, seeing Tim closing in again, and then shouted something. Wentii ran harder.
Suddenly, the creature tensed, and its muscles rippled as it suddenly leaped into the air, forelegs stretched before it and sharp eyes focused on the opposite bank of the river. The tail wavered behind it when Tim's beast dove into the water and began to swim mightily after Wentii. Wentii soared over the rushing current, claws outstretched as they raked onto the shoreline as if in slow motion, and charged back into action on the opposite shore.
"This isn't good." I heard a man say behind me. I whipped my head around.
I gave him a funny look. "What's wrong? Nivina is winning; if she keeps this up she'll bag the whole show."
"It's not Nivina!" he laughed, like I was crazy. "Look back at Racer 9 and Racer 17, the Orange and Black dots on the main map screen. It's a sight I haven't seen in a race for many years."
I slowly turned back and returned my Race Pad back to the main screen, showing the dots blinking around the screen in a wild course. I smiled at Nivina's blue dot closing in on the Starting Gate to complete Lap 1 in barely an hour. I searched out the orange and black icons and selected them, bringing up a video view of the action. I was astounded.
The racer's creatures were stationary, circling each other and producing odd cooing sounds and gentle growls. One turned its head and flapped its tail, striking out its paw. The other creature ducked forward and rested its head on top of the other's shoulder. "Wha..." I murmured. "Are they... mating?!"
The young uera next to me giggled while she looked over my shoulder onto the screen. "Zey ah een luhve."
Nivina suddenly streaked by them, followed by Tim and Quartz, with An not far behind. I gasped as Mahn darted by, when his beast suddenly struck out at one of the mating creatures, raking its claws deep into the haunches of the poor creature, drawing deep blood and inflicting a huge gash. The resulting shriek of the creature was horrifying, and it fell to the ground, kicking its hurt leg.
I cringed, but returned to the video image of the other racers streaking across the sand, An crushing a cactus.
I smiled and leaned forward, admiring the wide pathway of dirt and dust as the last of the Racers streaked through.