Cernunnos - 54. Chapter 54

The morning of the marathon had Cyn nervous. All week, he had been pushing himself on the daily runs with Arric and Shea. But this is the day it counts. I can be like the Bolt man from the video! Knowing Shea’s description of the event, he would be surrounded by people, including various shifters he had never met before. I know the pack members are friendly, but Sheamus said some people travel from far away to these things.

Upon arriving in town, Shea parked on the street near the starting area at City Hall. He pointed at the imposing inflatable arch. “That’s the start and finish. Remember the map I told you to memorize?”

Cyn nodded. “I did, and I see there are flags and markers up ahead.”

Walking with the wolf's hand in his, he was led to the registration table. The lady handed him a numbered piece of paper and two clips. 192? "Sheamus?"

His mate grinned and fastened his own paper to the side of his shirt. "It's your designated number for when you cross the finish line. There'll be people to record your time."

"I see. Where should I put it?"

"Anywhere on the front or side, but somewhere it won't get in your way of running. I'd say on your chest since your arms brush your sides when you run."

Taking Shea's advice, the buck pinned the number appropriately. He moved around to see if it would bother him. It should be fine. It won’t get in the way. Following Shea, he journeyed to the middle of the street. The roads are blocked off, so I don’t need to worry about the traffic. This is weird.

“Cyn!”

He turned to see Sam and Pamela dressed in coordinated outfits. They bounded up to him and gave their physical respect to Shea. “You’re entering the marathon? I won’t be surprised if you get first place!”

“Thank you, Sam. I’m… I’m just nervous about all the people here.”

Pam shook her head. “Don’t pay attention to them. Just focus on yourself and how you’re doing.”

Cyn looked to the ground momentarily before turning to Shea. “What if… we get separated?”

“We’ll try to keep up with you, but there’s a lot of people here.” The wolf nuzzled the top of his head and whispered, “I want you to have fun, okay? If you want to go faster than us, then go for it.”

He leaned into Shea’s chest and smiled. Staying close is important, but he’s right. I worked hard for this. “Okay.”

“Just wait for me or Arric near the finish line. Or Sam and Pam. They’ll probably beat me, if I’m being honest.”

Sam snickered, “Sorry Enforcer, but there’s no probably about it! We’ve been doing this half-marathon for years and we always place in the top ten.”

Cyn gasped. Top ten? They’re fast if they beat everyone here! He scanned the registered runners and grimaced. The participants were of varying ages. “Are those old people fast too?”

“No, pup,” said Shea. “They’re not looking to win. Some people just run these to say they did it, a challenge to themselves if you will. See him?” He pointed to an elderly man in an oversized green tracksuit. “That’s Mister Sanders. He’s nearing his nineties and has been coming for years! And that group of ladies over there? They just walk and have fun talking to each other.”

So they enjoy the event, even if they’re not running. The cernunnos understood. They do it to enjoy life.

Cyn felt eyes on him. He turned to see Arric and Kieran approaching. Observing the nearby pack members, several were either whispering to one another and slack-jawed. “Why are they acting weird?”

Arric chuckled under his breath, “Word’s still getting around I’ve mated. Key’s even got some hate mail lately.”

“They’re just jealous,” Kieran huffed.

“Yeah, but you’re my little goofball.” Arric stole a quick kiss from the beta before playfully swatting his rear. “We’ll go get registered. And Cyn? Don’t expect a typical race out of me. I’ll be with Key today.”

Frowning from the news, Cyn watched the couple venture into the growing crowd. He gasped. There’s… there’s so many! Where did they come from? Being led towards them by Shea, he felt anxiety building in his chest. He took a deep breath. No, they’re fine. There’s no reason to be scared!

Over the passing minutes, Cyn calmed down. He was approached by several of the pack members that wanted to introduce themselves. Some of them claimed to be regular competitors, desiring to place high in the race. The deer kept a faint smile, but hid his determination. I’ll be faster than them.

A short siren near the starting line garnered everyone’s attention. A skinny human stood tall with a device in front of his lips. “Good morning, Sheboygan!” The voice was magnified, almost causing Cyn to wince from the discomfort it brought. “Welcome to the twenty-second annual Sheboygan City Half-Marathon! If everyone could gather at the starting corral and prepare for the start. As a reminder, a half-marathon is a hair over thirteen miles in distance. Water stations are set up throughout the way, and please make sure you stay hydrated!

“At the sound of the gun, start running!”

Around him, many of the people were stretching and jogging in place. Making sure his shoes were tied tight, Cyn knew he was ready. Thirteen miles, so it’s more of an endurance run. Don’t push too hard at the start. Sheamus said some will do that and run out of energy near the end. Glancing one more time at his mate, he earned a loving pat on the shoulder.

The gun sounded, and Cyn waited for the front of the group to move. Slowly, he started jogging and found himself maneuvering around others. Within several minutes, he was among the more serious participants. There’s about thirty now. Ignoring the thought, he maintained his speed. It was comfortable; fast enough to keep up but Cyn was retaining his energy. What surprised him was the amount of humans in this group. Seven? They must be special to keep up with these wolves!

A quarter of the way into the run, Cyn checked behind him and saw Shea close by. “Don’t worry about me, pup! I’m in it for the long haul!” The wolf was far from short of breath, so Cyn returned his attention to the front. He controlled his breathing and never broke stride. The chilled breeze meant nothing to him anymore.

There was a long table set to the side of the street with blue balloons attached. Cyn squinted. Cups? Is that a water table? His assumption was clarified as a few runners ahead of him grabbed one each, took a swig, and tossed the cups to the side. Shea had warned him about this as well. When it was mentioned, Cyn grew irritated at the concept of leaving trash. Sheamus said others clean it up for the sake of the race. Leaning, he closed in on the offering and expertly snatched it. Repeating the leaders’ motions, he sipped and tossed the water. A twinge of guilt flowed through him, but he dismissed it and continued.

At the first turn, Cyn was almost relieved. Running in a straight line with nearly nothing in sight was vastly different than running along the trail behind Arric’s manor. The concrete was a nuisance as well. It’s hard to run on. It feels like every step I take is the same as the one before it. How long have I been running again? A few blocks further and he made the second turn. That marked the halfway point. Six and a half miles done!

He studied the runners ahead. I passed several of them, and their exhaustion was apparent. There’s still about twenty wolves, three humans, and—

Wait a minute! Examining the bodies again, he noticed something was off. Cyn glanced behind him. There they are! They’re doing the same thing I am! Sam and Pam could be seen behind Shea, and they had barely broken a sweat. Wow! They must be good runners! Even I’m sweating a little. He re-evaluated his energy usage. I can’t slow down. If I do, it’ll be hard to get back to this speed. I have to keep this pace up, then go faster near the end.

The buck kept running, passing by two more humans and a handful of wolves. Making another turn forced him to refocus on his end-plan. F-focus! Keep up, and when… when the line gets closer… just run.

“Hangin’ on there, bud?”

He blinked and saw Sam at his side. The leporidae’s sweat was now apparent. “Looks like it’s just you and me! Pam—” Sam wiped the sweat from his brow and voiced his exhaustion. “Pam stayed behind with Shea. He seemed… pretty beat.”

Cyn glanced behind him and saw the two along the sidelines several blocks back. Knowing his mate was no longer alongside him was troubling, but having Sam there helped. “Th-thanks.”

“Uh oh… tired already? We got about three more miles left to go! Last turn’s coming up.”

The cernunnos saw the mentioned corner. Staying alongside the rabbit, Cyn knew he was in rough shape. This… this is the longest I’ve run in… my human form! His vision couldn’t stay on the designated path. He kept looking at Sam, the various spectators, and the passing shop windows. Another water table was right before the turn and Cyn’s throat called for hydration. Approaching the station, he went for a cup, but his instincts went haywire.

His body warned him to keep running as a black-haired man with grey irises caught his eye.