Kidney Camel Stadium

They road was paved with other attractions, mostly more animals. The variety was good, with desert and savanna creatures alike in their own controlled habitats- Katie found herself distracted by a female lion all on its own in one of the less-crowded cages.

“Woah! Frankie, look at this one!”

Frankie didn’t look. Her big sister groaned, turning back to the animal one more time before they left it forever.

“Bye, li-“

Before she could say her goodbyes, she shrieked as the creature’s entire body slammed against the glass.

Breathing heavily, the lioness looked furious. Like she was starving, she clawed at the enclosure wildly.

“What- what’s wrong with her?”

“Probably just scared of you.”

Crouched coincidentally by the enclosure’s vent, Maxine took a break to examine the animal as well. Katie’s interest began to fade with the girl’s evil snicker.

The party approached what the sign simply called the Kidney Camel Stadium. A senior staff member spotted Willow and led them inside free of charge.

“Think we can get a one-on-one, Sal?” The old woman asked in the process of the group being led to the stalls.

“One-on-one? Are you making these kids fight each other?” Salman laughed at his higher-up’s usual antics.

“They’re doing my treasure hunt. Betting over a key right now. They hate each other already.”

“Alright.” He unlocked a door and they entered a long holding area of a multitude of camels, all of them waited on hand-and-knee by an immense staff of devoted servants who seemed to be cleaning them all right now. “Pick fast, this race going on now’s almost over. You can have whichever racer you like.”

Each competitor had brightly-colored gear and a strange device attached to its back. Katie was instantly struck with analysis paralysis as she couldn’t decide which she loved the most.

“This one.”

Maxine picked her partner immediately, selecting a large one clad in silver as her steed.

“Batal, then! He’s a good one. Very good. You bet on these races, don’t you?” He chuckled as he got the animal ready for deployment.

“Frankie, which one do we pick?”

The sisters still struggled to find their champion. Katie was awestruck with each and every one, and Frankie just thought they all seemed pretty much the same.

“Does it… matter…?” She asked, Katie gasping in response.

“Yeah it matters! Did you hear what he said about the one she picked? It had a name and a record and everything!”

“Hm…”

Frankie pointed towards a small camel in green.

“What’s this one?”

Salman came over to see her choice.

“Oh, Fadhi! He’s new, but I like him. What influences your decision?”

“I like green.”

“Fair enough!” He prepped the quadruped. “This’ll be an interesting race, for sure.”

“I wouldn’t go that far…” Maxine signed as Frankie picked one of the absolute lowest-earning runners in the whole arena.

“Follow me.” The girls were confused as Sal started to leave the stalls.

“Wait, what? Do we need to do something before we can ride them?” Katie questioned.

“Ride them? You won’t be riding them.” The staff member vaguely explained. Willow smiled as they were all lead to a private viewing area.

“This is where you will be competing.”

Standing in front of the large window overlooking the track, Sal handed the two teams their walkie-talkies, and have each a remote control.

“What, are they robots?” Frankie asked.

“Not the camels themselves. This is merely how the creatures have always been ridden.” He pointed to a diagram on a wall of the device they saw planted on an average camel. “You will use those tools to communicate with your partner, both via a speaker on their device as well as a remote-controlled whip.”

Maxine looked over to her dumbfounded opponents.

“You seriously didn’t know any of this? God, you’re screwed.”

“Please practice good sportsmanship within my ring.” Salman reprimanded, his jovial face suddenly becoming deathly serious. “Now. If you’re all ready… and you’re not going to litter my arena with pointless trash-talk… we can begin.”

“I’ve been ready before I even knew what we were gonna be doing today. These chicks don’t stand a chance.”

Sal sighed.

“If you want so badly to prove that you’re better than these girls, maybe start speaking with actions, not words.”

“Yethir.” She yawned, clumsily fondling her provided equipment as disrespectfully as possible. “Just ring the bell already. Let’s get this party started.”

Frankie grabbed their remote control. Katie held their communicator. The sisters breathed, preparing for the coming battle. Willow tried not to look at either party, lest she take a side.

Sal held up his own walkie-talkie.

“Let out Group Six. It’s time.”

A high-pitching clang ran out across the field.