The pageant for the female Rabbit Animalians concluded the first day for the Year of the Rabbit contest and left only one event. It presented a point of toughness in that it would be divided into two days, but several of the prior contests had ultimately had that division, often because of the number of contestants and the overall work that would need to go into it. Things like setting up props for the talent portion for both the male's contest and the female's pageant took time and would require space, space that would otherwise go to the mountain challenge that would be the final part of the contest. Thus, Zodiac Mountain couldn't be waiting for them once the pageant was over, and it would take some time to construct it, and which required the extra time and pushing the Zodiac Mountain race back a day.
And even with this, the contest covered a lot less time than the Year of the Tiger competition since there were no issues of dealing with possible injuries coming from part of the contest including combat sports. As things powered down from that pageant, everyone could see on where the scores were and where they stood. In theory, every Rabbit Animalian would be allowed to participate in the last race, though given the points standings, earned based on the time in the first race, the scoring in the tricky hare contest, and then competition and pageant, they could also know on where they stood relative to each other. Some with a high enough score were placed well enough that all they needed for a chance to win was a good run in the final event, while others would need not only a good time but for those ahead of them to struggle in the last event. Though, there were some that were low enough down in terms of points that even if they won the race up "Zodiac Mountain," they wouldn't win the whole contest.
For the moment, all any of them could do was check their place in the standings and then wait for the next day. Jessica even found very familiar faces waiting for her as she finished up with changing into something she could go home in.
"I would have thought you would have acted out something," Mr. Mariana commented as his college age daughter approached.
"You've sent us reviews on the plays that you and Roger have been in down at UNLV," Mrs. Mariana said with agreement.
"I would have liked to," Jessica admitted, "but the rules for the contest limited on the interactions with people in the course of the contest. Good acting is often going to take more than one person, so I really couldn't act out a scene."
"Malice has sent us texts that you stole her thunder," Mr. Mariana commented as he gave Jessica a hug.
"She was more into practical jokes... and most of that was in Animalia's first year as she caught on to things that Humans did that she found amusing," Jessica shook her head, "I'd like to think I've had a good enough sense of humor longer than that."
"Well... it was good enough to get you close," Mrs. Mariana gave her daughter some encouragement as they walked back to their family's car.
Jessica nodded at that. She wasn't in the lead, as the woman's side and Mrs. Shikamatsu, Yumi, and Michiko in the lead and with the best chances to win things outright, as the three of them had balanced things out fairly well. The lowest placed of them was actually Yumi, and that had been more that she had scored a little bit lower in the tricky hair contest but did fairly well everywhere else. Jessica was then in the middle of a rather crowded middle that had an outside shot at winning the Miss Year of the Rabbit, depending on how the others did. With her were Shyra, Morgan, and one of the Snowshoe Hare Animalians. Shyra's recovery from the race was a bit of a surprise, but she'd done very well in the tricky hare contest and in the pageant, though Jessica felt that Shyra also got the benefit of some sympathy votes given that her results in the race were more due to an accident coming from a bad sports bra.
The males had a tight race of their own. Though, their front runners were a bit different. The four Desert Cottontails, Ernie, Winston, Edward, and William took first through fourth place in the race and did generally well in the competition with their specific acts. The one thing that held them back was that while they could be "tricky," it was more a tricky that related to their military training. Most of the answers that scored highly tended to be ones that truly "tricked" the challenge into believing something else and that wasn't something that the four of them often played to. And that lowered their scores a bit in the Tricky Hare contest, and this essentially let Mr. Shikamatsu, Codey and even Roger get into a position where they had a pretty decent shot, and with Mr. Shikamatsu actually in the lead. Even Miles and Rockwall weren't completely out of the running on the male's side, and all of that had Jessica fantasizing about her and Roger winning the crown... but they still had to win the Zodiac Mountain finale.
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The next evening everyone returned to see what had been done to ready the main gym area at the Claw Coliseum for the Zodiac Mountain Race. For Morgan, she was a bit uneasy with having to show up again in track gear. She'd done a fair amount of training since the clip of her getting winded in a few calisthenics from the summer and ended up on the internet, and that had helped her out in the race at the start of the Year of the Rabbit competition. She didn't win it, but she was sure she did a lot better than what was expected of her in that race. It was something that she took as one of the more positive parts of her past, being doggedly determined to try and succeed when she put her mind to it. She didn't always succeed, but one couldn't argue that she didn't try.
Though as she looked at the course, she noted that wouldn't be that simple to win. Set up in the center of court were a series of poles that rose up a good thirty feet at the tallest, though they were also leveled in different ways that the point of the race was to hop from platform to platform at the top of each pole. They weren't at super great distances and wouldn't be that challenging for getting up to the next level, but it was something that would require them to master what rabbits and hares were well known for, hopping. As Animalians, when they walked or ran, they would move much like any other Animalian or Human running or walking. That wouldn't work moving from platform to platform, as they might slip and fall a long way. Though, to provide some means of safety, there was a large bed of foam pellets that were quite thick and piled up in way that the poles rose out from. There was a sort of wall that was set up to hold up the pellets, making a pit that would be a perfect sort of "safety net" for them.
"Alright, Morgan," Morgan said to herself, "this is your last shot at this... the Shikamatsus are all married or have bond mates already... not to mention being Domestic Rabbit Animalians. As are the case for some of the other lady Animalians. You do well here... and maybe... maybe you can get a shot to make up for what you did wrong with Lars."
And that was probably the biggest thing that motivated Morgan. It wasn't the insults on her pride over her stamina and energy. It wasn't jealousy at the curves that some of the other Rabbit Animalians like Jessica and Shyra had, though a lot of that was rather relative. Just about every Animalian female started a D cup and got larger. So it wasn't that she really had any reason to be jealous of any other Animalian female. It was more a legacy of what had happened with her relationship with Lars and the lessons she'd learned as part of her "punishments" that came after entering her work for Joanne and her daughter. It exposed the depth of her past mistakes and created something where even if she had "won" in her schemes to prove something to Lars, she wouldn't have won what she really wanted. The four male Desert Cottontails, which she had converted, represented a chance to start again, and to a great degree, that's what she wanted.
As she went over her thoughts, Robert Kenward came out onto the floor. The Fox Animalian dressed in a nice suit and stepped out before the group, while some interested "ohs" came up from the crowd watching from the audience. Robert raised his right hand and drew all toward him. Morgan could also see Tuxing and Hercules coming out, though standing back, as they carried the crowns for the Year of the Rabbit.
"Okay, now," Robert announced, once he had everyone's attention, "this will be the last test. Mount Zodiac. Your goal will be to hop from platform to platform until you reach the top. There are multiple routes, so no contestant will be held to any one path up the "mountain." The race will be timed, just as the first race was. The points awarded, as with the first race, would then be relative to that time taken. First place would earn the most points and last place would earn no points. Now, based on the standings, there may be some of you who are low enough in the standings that even if you win this race, you wouldn't overtake the leaders. Those of you in that category are perfectly free to not participate in this contest if you so wish, though, we have made sure that there is space for all."
Morgan looked around and saw that no one backed away or backed down. Robert took this in and then continued.
"Now, much like with the contest and pageant from yesterday, we will have to split you up by gender," Robert spoke, "and to be fair, since the males went first with the contest yesterday, the females will go first in the Zodiac Race. So, if each of you would go to the marked spots on the floor nearest the closest low-level platforms, we can begin."
Morgan and the other females then moved to sets of circular blue mats along the edge of the wall that set up the bit at the bottom. Once there, she looked Robert who raised up one free hand.
"On your mark, get set," Robert began, "Go!"
With that, the female Rabbits went about leaping up and climbing up the platform in this way. Morgan did her best, and leaped from platform to platform, though the Shikamatsu females proved to be the best at this. It was something that martial arts practice seemed play into the lead, with Michiko coming in first with her mother finishing next. Yumi actually tied with Hunni Bunni, who proved she could leap up two levels at a time and that left Morgan in a tight race with Jessica for the next spot, if only to show the four she converted that she might be worthy of a chance. There were a few who slipped here and there and fell into the foam pit at the bottom, but no one was hurt, though Morgan found that she didn't get that much of an advantage from not slipping as Jessica finished just ahead of her. Though as the others arrived at the top platform, Morgan also found Ernie, Winston, Edward, and William were looking to her, and that left Morgan a bit hopeful, even if she wasn't going to be the winner.
Morgan didn't get any time to really cheer for anything related to that as they moved to switch up the genders for the race, though jumping down into the foam pit was fun, and a part of her actually felt like a little girl again doing that. From there, they climbed out and things were set up for the males to take their place. Their race went in much the same way as the female's race did. Ernie, Winston, Edward, and William more than held their own, though they found Rockwall actually matching what Hunni Bunni did by being able to go up two levels at a time. Though all of them ended up falling behind Mr. Shikamatsu, Codey, and Roger at times. It wasn't that the Desert Cottontails were out of shape, it's just that a lot of their exercises and experience required staying grounded and leaping from level to level took them a bit outside their comfort zone and it took them a little time to adjust. They did, but it ultimately wasn't fast enough to win.
Mr. Shikamatsu finished first with Codey finishing a few seconds behind. William, Rockwall, and Roger all practically tied for third before Winston, Edward, and then Ernie crossed the finish line. From what she could see, it made for an interesting race, though based on the points acquired through the other contests would mean that Mr. Shikamatsu and Michiko winning the overall contest. There were some cheers from friends and family, and Michiko kissing Codey before he could even get out of the foam pit after the race. It all looked nice, though Morgan hung back a bit as Michiko and Mr. Shikamatsu were urged forward to receive the crowns for Mr. and Miss Year of the Rabbit.
"You did well," came a male voice from behind Morgan as she watched.
She turned to see the four Desert Cottontails standing there, and she found herself giving a small smile.
"You think so?" Morgan asked.
"Yeah," Winston commented, "I mean this was a pretty tough race, even for us. So, given some of the clips out there... you had to have done well to get ready for this."
"Yeah," Morgan huffed, "getting laughed at wasn't fun... though a lot of the training I did for this was about more than that. More like second chances."
"Oh?" William wondered, "with what?"
"Well... not repeating the mistakes I made in my youth," Morgan answered, "maybe finding a mate."
"That could be fun," Ernie chuckled, remembering their conversion.
"Though you don't mind that we didn't win?" Edward asked.
"I didn't win, either," Morgan answered, "so I really have no room to complain there."
"Then, I'm sure we could arrange some dates," Winston gave a smile, even while the rest of the crowd cheered Mr. Shikamatsu and Michiko being crowed for the Year of the Rabbit.