Chapter 23 –– Lowstrich Race

I headed straight to my room after exiting Noam's room. On the way there, I saw my mother waiting in front of my room.

"Moshe. Let's have a talk."

I tried avoiding her, but she followed me inside my room. She insisted to have a conversation with me.

"So, how do you feel about him?" my mother asked.

"He's great," I answered straightforwardly.

"And...?"

".....?"

I don't know what else to say. To be honest, I haven't really thought about how I feel towards him.

"Do you like him?"

I took a moment to ponder upon her question. I don't know why I can't just answer immediately.

"I don't know," I answered honestly.

It's not that I don't like him, it's just that I don't know if I like him enough to want to be with him.

"That's okay. Take your time."

My mother smiled at me and gave me a pat right before she left. She walked away and left me wondering about my feelings towards Noam. Such a difficult question to answer.

“Moshe, wake up!”

I woke up to Noam’s voice calling me from the side of my bed. My ears had always been sensitive to noises that it made me hard to stay asleep most of the time.

“What’s up.”

“We have a whole day ahead of us, come on!”

He was unusually cheerful today. He shook my bed and asked me to get up, which I did. Just as usual, I couldn’t resist his light.

After we both got ourselves ready, we went to the village square to see the events set up for today. This was the second day of the Redfyre Carnival that us, Felixia tribesfolk, had been waiting for all year long. Outsiders may not recognise the importance of this annual event, but for us, it symbolises how far we have gone and become as a tribe. Felixia tribesfolk are very proud of their identity, so this event serves as a reminder of “who we are.”

Today’s event involved a sack race. Everyone was allowed to participate, even outsiders. The participants were divided into categories based on their age group. This was done so that the elderly wouldn’t have to compete against those feisty children of the village.

“Come on! Let’s join!” Noam asked me.

“No. I’m good.”

“Eh? Why not? You’re no fun!”

In the end, he participated in the race without me.

I watched him competing in the race from afar. His tiny body looked as if he was swallowed by the sack completely. Despite being the smallest, he leaped as if he were a Lapinus tribesman. The distance between every leap he made was unexpectedly large. He might even win the race.

Everyone was cheering for Noam as the underdog. They had never seen an outsider joining the race with such competitiveness. Deep down, I was also cheering for him in my own way.

Unfortunately, the race ended with Noam in second place. A lot of people were disappointed that the underdog they cheered for didn’t come out in first place, yet not surprised by the results. It was a close match but Noam seemed to be really bummed out by how it ended.

“Ugh. I was so close.”

He walked towards me with such a frustrated look on his face. He still looked cute even when he was angry. I got up from my seat and walked closer to him.

“You did well.”

I gave him a pat on his head and gently caressed his hair. His hair was silky soft. His pink bangs matched his pinkish fair skin. The rest of his black hair matched his ears and tail that had spots on them. I had never seen anyone from the Hyaena tribe up close before, nonetheless, never had I have imagined them to be as beautiful as Noam.

After the race, I took him to the stadium near the square. There was this special event conducted every year at the stadium and I was thinking of taking him there.

“Where are we going?” he asked me in his soft voice.

“You’ll see.”

We then arrived at the entrance of the stadium. Upon entering, there was a long queue that we had to stand in line for.

After buying the tickets for the seats, Noam still had no idea what he was getting into.

“What.....is that?”

He pointed at the field in front of us. It was a race track. However, unlike before, there was something else on the field.

Felixia tribesfolk around us kept yelling and cheering toward the field. It was very crowded and loud that Noam and I had to raise our voices just to hear each other's voices despite sitting next to each other.

“This is a lowstrich race. They are professional athletes who know how to race with a lowstrich.”

Noam looked speechless. It was as if he never saw a lowstrich before.

“Then what about the people around us? Why are they yelling?”

“Most of the audience here came to place a bet in order to get something in return. They usually root for their favourite athlete, their favourite lowstrich, or anyone whom they thought might win the race.”

“So basically a gamble,” Noam simplified it using his own words.

“You could call it that.”

We then started watching the first lowstrich race of the day.

Everyone started putting their bets for the first match, including me. Since it was the first match of the day, the stakes were still low.

“So, who are you betting?” Noam asked curiously.

As someone who had never seen such a race before, Noam seemed curious to find out why people came here to watch this kind of match.

“Lowstrich number 4.”

“Why did you choose that?”

“Well, to begin with, everyone who bets was given this piece of paper containing the information of each contestant in the match; including the lowstrich’s winning rate, the relationship with its rider, its health records, speed records, basically all the necessary data needed to help the audience in determining which contestant they should bet on.”

Noam listened carefully to process the information. He seemed to have a very quick mind.

“So by using statistics, anyone can guess who’s gonna win based on this paper?”

“Not as easy as it sounds. You see, a lot can happen during a match. This includes the terrain of the arena, the weather, the condition and mood of the lowstrich or the rider, the stats compared to other contestants, etc.”

“Then, back to my question, how did you decide to choose lowstrich number 4?”

I wrapped my arm around Noam’s shoulder and tilted his head towards lowstrich number 4. I was trying to show him what I was seeing.

“This is something that only very few people know, but what makes lowstrich race so unique and interesting is because, unlike other animals with hair and fur, lowstrich is the only known animal with feathers in the realm. It is so special because feathers can influence one’s speed significantly due to the air pressure.”

That’s right. This is a trick that my father passed down to me. It is a valuable knowledge which taught me just how amazing life is, with all its traits and peculiarity.

“If you listen closely, you can hear the sounds of the lowstriches' feathers grazed by the wind. A good rider is not the one with the fastest lowstrich, but one who knows how to maneuver its lowstrich according to the flow of the wind.”

Soon after, the first match started. The contestants in the match started running to aim for the finish line. I glanced at Noam to see his face as he watched the match with excitement, like a kid on a ferris wheel for the first time. Having been born and raised here, this was nothing new for me. However, as someone from a small village like him, I'm happy with the fact that he can make these new memories with me by his side.

The first match ended with lowstrich number 4 as the winner. Noam was so mind blown by how accurate my prediction was. He saw me as if I was some kind of fortune teller.

“Where did you learn that trick?” he asked me with curiosity.

“My father and I used to come here every year before he passed.”

Noam was slightly taken aback, not knowing what to respond after.

“Speaking of, I’m thinking of paying him a visit after this. Do you wanna come with me?” I asked him.

“Sure.”

We then watched a few more matches before we left.

During sunset, Noam and I visited my father’s grave at the village cemetery. I brought my father’s favourite flowers, Rhizanthella flowers. He was the one who taught me how to pick flowers and arrange a bouquet.

“Do you miss him?” Noam asked me as he watched me staring at my father’s grave.

“Terribly.”

I feel sad, but for some reason, I cannot shed a single tear. It feels like all of the sadness just froze inside my heart and nothing could thaw it. Out of frustration, I drew a puff from my pocket in order to let out some stress.

Noam grabbed my arm out of the blue and tried to stop me from puffing. He took the puff out of my hand and threw it on the ground. He then yanked my arm and pulled me closer to him.

He hugged me tight and did not let me go. He didn’t speak a single word and just embraced me with his tiny body.

“I’m here for you.”

I don’t know why, but hearing those words meant a lot to me. Suddenly, tears dripped down my face out of my own will. I hugged him back and started crying, something I had not been able to do for years. Noam hugged me even tighter, as if he was telling me that he would always be by my side. I bawled like a baby in his mother’s arms. This feeling....it's so calming and soothing.

Father, I think I finally found it.

I finally found someone who could make me feel better than puffing.