Many aspects of the Year of the Ox competition were rather different from prior competitions and a lot of it made some degree of sense. For the most the animals represented in the Chinese Zodiac that had competed in the prior competitions were smaller than those in the Year of the Ox. Just about all bovines where bigger than most of the others that had competed, be they male or female. The largest Dog Animalian was still going to be smaller than the smallest Cow Animalian that was competing, to say nothing of Rat or Pig Animalians being smaller. The only other ones that would fall into the larger size range would be when they got to the Year of the Dragon, given that traditional Chinese medicine had often described dinosaur bones as "dragon bones," but the planning for that was something to be saved for when the Year of the Dragon arrived. And for now it was the Year of the Ox.
So far, the competition had gone well with the preliminaries playing to the strengths and talents of Animalia's bovine representatives. The bulls had their contest of strength and skill to see who could pull a plow over a set piece of ground on the Brown Farm and it had gone relatively well. Among the four males to reach the finals, their times had gone with one of of Belgian Blue bulls, named Iron-Skull finishing first, Brawn coming in second, Theseus coming in third and with Nate coming in fourth. Much of this came as a result of some measure of experience with agricultural work, athleticism, and a fairly active gym schedule.
Though Nate was a bit behind the others in some ways. Unlike Brawn and Iron-Skull, the University of Wisconsin didn't have the sort of gym facilities that Animalia had that could easily accommodate him as a Water Buffalo Animalian. And unlike Theseus at UNLV, where he'd been going to college for the last four years with his mate, Maddie, the University of Wisconsin hadn't done as much to upgrade things for Nate, and that was understandable. While there were some Animalians living throughout the US, most still lived in their established colony cities and as such some states, like Wisconsin, didn't have the economic need to upgrade those things. Though Nate figured that a lot of that would change as his father and stepmother grew the Bowman family and as Blueberry's sisters won attention and possible mates as well. But until then, Nate had to make do and he did fairly well with that and at the same time, Nate also knew the last event was a race.
The Mountain Race was still a part of competition related to the Chinese New Year celebrations that Animalia hosted. Nate wasn't sure on what parts other than the timing and the animals represented actually followed the traditions that went around Chinese New Year, but since Shuixing didn't seem to have any problem with it, Nate didn't have any problem with it. And the race was something he felt he could actually do well in. He'd read somewhere that there were actually some places that actually had Domestic Water Buffalo races with riders and everything, and Nate figured that would have to something he could do well on, and while the "mountain" wasn't as steep this year, Nate figured he could do fairly well. Iron-Skull and Theseus were well stronger than he was, but they weren't necessarily the fastest runners, which was partially why Brawn was considered the overall favorite, as the Spanish Fighting Bull was bread to be very athletic and Brawn's muscle mass was more from working out than his conversion, and he hadn't lost any athleticism. But that was where Nate figured he could match Brawn, and he did his best to practice. He even felt he had some advantage in also potentially dealing with uneven terrain as he'd had to deal with at times icy or snow covered sidewalks while jogging as part of his training.
"The track doesn't seem as steep as it was in previous years," Iron Skull commented, noting that the artificial mountain's difference from the past.
While it did rise up to a peak, it wasn't as steep as was seen in the earlier mountain races that were used in the final round of the competition. The path then circled around the mountain in a sort of gradual incline that went to the summit. There, Nate could just make out large table where the crowns likely were. Normally the previous winner would crown the new winner, but with everything related to the present pandemic still going it was decided that the winner of the race would essentially crown himself or herself. The path was wide enough for all of them to path along with a few spaced hurdles that moved up and down at random. The mountain was made largely of wood, but seemed to be very thick from what Nate could observe and with specialized heavy plastic providing fake rocks and other landscaping.
"Probably to both deal with all our muscle and the fact that cattle aren't exactly like sheep or cats," Brawn commented, "climbing things aren't exactly things they do the most of..."
"Don't the Swiss Browns your family raise come from the mountains?" Theseus asked to Nate.
"The breed originated in Switzerland, yes," Nate answered, "but Brawn is probably right in cattle won't be scaling the cliffs. They're more likely to be in the valleys between peaks rather than going up and down the peaks themselves... and while the dairy cattle my family raise are Swiss Browns... they've never seen mountains before they were uplifted here in Lyre/Animalia."
"Makes sense," Theseus said slowly, "grass for grazing wouldn't grow thick in rocky areas... and even the Browns did a lot with grain and alfalfa bought from other suppliers before Animalia started..."
The others soon nodded in agreement as Itegami came forward carrying a flag, which got the four bull Animalians to move to their respective starting points.
"Welcome to the male race for the final round for the Year of the Ox competition," Itegami spoke, "the four of you all did well in showing the strength and reliability that can always be expected bovines everywhere. Due to Covid restrictions... some of the traditions that Animalia has broadcast in connection with this competition have been limited and thus the nature of this race has changed. At the top of the mountain will be the respective crowns for this year. There will be a plaque marked "his" and "hers." Your objective is to reach and take the crown by the "his" plaque. The one who does will be the male winner. Not that there will be hurdles that may come up at various points in the race. You are to try and hurdle them. Anyone who runs through them will have to come back to the bottom of the mountain and start again. If you try to jump and are tripped up by the hurdle you may continue from that spot. Do you understand the rules?"
The four of them nodded...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In the stands, Shuixing sat with the other female competitors in the first row of seats. They had to sit with one seat between them, but she, Maddie, Brunilda, and Blackberry could all hear was was said to the four male competitors on the floor of what was normally the basketball court at the Claw Coliseum for Animalians to shoot hoops at for much of the year, along with the various events for combat sports and things like the Chinese New Competition. There were a few family members that were allowed in as other guests in the stands. And Shuixing could see many of them there, from Ulysses, Blueberry, and Strawberry seated in one loose group and Brawn's adoptive family in another group.
"Hurdles?" Blackberry wondered from her seat to Shuixing's right.
"Probably something to add some measure of athletic challenge to the race," Brunilda commented and with Shuixing nodding in agreement.
"Yeah... though it wouldn't surprise me if there's some element of this part of the competition wanting to include seeing us bounce up and down going up the path as it is anything else," Maddie commented.
Shuixing shook her head at that. Animalian females were all quite voluptuous, and with the exception of the two Sauropod Dinotopians, Jen and Marjorie, bovine Animalians had the proportionately largest breasts and needed to be milked daily to avoid becoming too milk heavy. It was something that Shuixing noticed did attract attention from Human males and even from a few other Animalians as well, though she did get used to it. She also knew that Animalians had a higher libido than Humans and Shuixing knew that Animalians did accept that and even liked it. To some degree, she liked it and was happy to be with Nate while they were in Lyre/Animalia for the contest. But she also knew that the contest was sold as being family friendly and with the race being indoors, Nate, Theseus, Iron-Skull, and Brawn were wearing athletic shorts and tee shirts, and they weren't super tight, and Shuixing and the other females were also dressed to preserve some athletic capability. They were also in shorts or wind-pants that weren't hugging them too tightly. They were also respectable shirts, though Maddie's was a bit low cut and with strong sports bras on under their shirts. This kept the four females covered and would actually minimize the "bouncing" that would occur when one of them jumped and fitting the family friendly intent that the present contest had. But then, Maddie had also worked at the Meat Market, so it could be expected that Maddie would make that joke.
"I would lean more toward an athletic challenge," Shuixing then spoke as she watched to see Itegami lower the flag and the four bulls took off.
Brawn was quick to take off, taking the lead like he was running ahead. Theseus, Iron-Skull, and Nate were all close behind, and cheers rose from all of those in the crowd. It was obvious on who Maddie and Shuixing were rooting for as they rooting for their respective mates...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The race started quick and Nate could quickly tell that the boards that made up the path that they were racing along was more than strong enough to support the weight of all four of them as they ran up the path, and here some things quickly became apparent. While Iron-Skull and Theseus weren't "double muscled" bulls their greater bulk actually did slow them down. Not by too terribly much, but by just enough for Nate to manage to squeeze past them. They were also further slowed by the hurdles when they came up, and this was at random. Theseus passed one point where a hurdle was without having to jump only to have it raise behind him and forcing Iron-Skull to slow to safely jump as they ran up the path. This gave Nate the opportunity to catch up toward Brawn.
For while Brawn was highly athletic, which befitted the Spanish Fighting Bull, he'd done a lot of weight lifting to help him compete on the body-building circuit in Animalia. While it gave him the ability to quickly build up his strength and seemed to hold Snowflake's attention, it also slowed Brawn slightly. It wasn't quite as much as the two Belgian Blue bulls, but it was enough for Nate to keep pace and even gain some ground. This was wear his jogging outside in Wisconsin through the winter helped a bit. It made him more instinctively aware of just how much momentum he had when running and a better sense of balance as well. Thus he actually handled the hurdles very well and lost little if any speed. And that let him manage to catch up, particularly when Brawn had to stop to hurdle a few of the hurdles in a row.
It left the two of them running hard as they came up onto the last level as they rounded a corner to the last portion of the mountain. By this time, Nate and Brawn were actually running side by side. They reached the to to be see that the top of the mountain was a large flat level on which a large and heavy table stood. As stated there were the two crowns with plaques for the male and female winner in the center of the large rectangular wooden table. Nate and Brawn had to swerve a bit in order to keep pace and go around the table and reached for the "his" crown at the same time. There was a brief "ting" when the tips of their hoofed fingered touched the crown and and then managed to lift it into the air.
"I..." both Nate and Brawn began when they realized that they'd both touched the crown at the same time... "tied."
"Oh... this has never happened before," Itegami said from the base of the mountain, "we may have to go to instant replay and have it slowed down to see which bull touched the crown first."
That brought everyone's attention to the various screens that began replaying the end of the race as Theseus and then Iron-Skull arrived at the top level.
"That was fun," Theseus commented, "never done anything like this before... but it was fun..."
"And everyone's been friendly about it," Brawn commented and looked over to Nate, "and regardless of who wins... it was good to meet you. If you and Shuixing aren't doing anything latter... feel free to visit. Snowflake would be happy to talk and see what others outside of Animalia have had adventures with... as would those that we've adopted."
"Well... we might be able to stay for dinner... but I'll be expected to get back to college and by dad and step mom will have their farm to return to," Nate commented, "and Shuixing may have to return to Heiya Island."
"You don't live together?" Iron-Skull asked with surprise, "you two seem close..."
"We are close," Nate nodded, "but I still have college to finish. Shuixing doesn't. We're looking to marry after I graduate in May."
"Congratulations," Brawn commented, just as the camera images then were slowed down to show that Nate had pulled off the upset and touched the crown fractions of a second before Brawn did.
"And I believe we have a winner!" Itegami proclaimed
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shuixing was the first to greet Nate as he and the bulls came down from the mountain that was constructed for this specific race. While the masks they wore prevented her from giving him any kiss, she had to admit he looked quite nice with the crown balanced between his horns. Brawn stayed by just long enough to shake Shuixing's hand before he moved to the stands, and actually going up to where another Belgian Blue Cow Animalian was seated and with two other cattle Animalians present as well. Theseus gave Maddie a hug and nuzzled his muzzle to hers. Iron-Skull traded a pair of friendly waves with both Blackberry and Brunilda. From there the four cows moved on to the immediate preparations for their race and Nate was escorted to the front row of seats.
He arrived there to the same seats where Shuixing and the female finalists were seated to see some of the Claw Coliseum's staff finishing off disinfecting each seat and drying them with a towel. Theseus and Iron-Skull made their way up into the stands where they would watch the female's race while Nate then sat down to wait to see who would win. As while there were various Covid related restrictions that had gone into the present contest, it was expected that he and the female winner would have one picture taken together along with a brief statement given. So he sat and watched as Itegami lowered the flag again and signaled for the four cows to start their final run complete the competition.
This race was relatively close, and Maddie, Brunilda, and even Blackberry stayed relatively close to Shuixing. And Maddie even managed some degree of grace that almost came close to Shuixing, but it wasn't the athletic sort of grace that Shuixing had. That was ultimately something that created issues when one of the hurdles came up. Shuixing cleared them easily and without losing stride. Maddie and Brunilda did okay with the hurdles, but had to slow down when the hurdles came up ahead of them. The one who got the worst of the hurdles was Blackberry. She cleared most of them, but about halfway up the mountain, she clipped one as she jumped over it. It didn't make her fall, but she did stumble a little bit that ended up leaving the race coming down to Shuixing and Maddie. And while Maddie made a good push toward the end, and even closed the gap a little, Shuixing clearly won and Nate couldn't help himself and was happy to cheer for her.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Shuixing couldn't help but smile beneath her mask when she heard Nate cheer her on. Her winning wasn't so much a surprise, as she'd been considered the odds on favorite to win if she could make it to the final round, but it was seeing Nate's joy and happiness in her that filled her with pride and happiness. Their meeting may have started with a semi-awkward college student from Wisconsin that she was happy to mentor in martial arts, but it did grow from there, particularly as Nate asked about her sisters and shared some of his own family stories. It soon became a clear friendship and then blooming romance, and now, hearing Nate cheer was more important to Shuixing than winning the competition.
While the others made their way to the stands, Shuixing was ushered down to stand beside Nate with Itegami standing before both of them.
"And so... to close the celebration of the start of the Year of the Ox for Animalia," Itegami spoke, "it is my pleasure to announce the winners of the contest. Nate Bowman and Shuixing. May their strength be an inspiration for all... especially for those facing hardship and troubles of all kinds."
Itegami then offered "the floor" to Nate and Shuixing. Nate went first.
"I would like to thank everyone for coming and thank all the others who competed for competing," Nate spoke, "the fact that this has been managed safely says a lot and will allow for everyone to be resilient … And I would especially like to thank Shuixing... for being everything to me. A teacher... a friend... and the love of my life. Without her, I probably wouldn't be here. Thank you."
"You're welcome, Nate," Shuixing said to her bond-mate softly, and then spoke up so that the microphones could pick up her voice, "the past year has been rough... and for some, it would seem like the new year will be testing our resilience just as much as the last year. I know it will be tough, but I'm sure everyone can move forward with it. For we all have our families and friends. Those who inspire and love us. And this competition, not just its winners, is for them. Our family and friends and to inspire all to be able to move forward. " She then finished with a line in Chinese, "Happy Chinese New Year and may the Year of the Ox be good for all."