The heavens themselves seem to have opened, thunder cracking, rain pouring down and wind billowing harshly through the wildlands, truly a terrifying time to be outside. Among it all, several protective pergulas were set up just at the entrance of the city, where a small crowd had gathered in eager anticipation for the upcoming event. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" a voice booms amidst the gathering situated right at the city exit. "WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE THUNDER GAUNTLET! Well... I mean it's more a race, but THERE WILL BE PERIL! There will be TERROR! There may even be... BLOOOOOOOOODSHED!" Magnus' distinctly sharp tone fractures the already chaotic surroundings. "IT'S A QUARTER MARATHON THROUGH THE DEPTHS OF THE WILDLANDS, the appropriately dubbed CREEPY FOREST, someone was VERY unoriginal with that name, but hey... IT IS WHAT IT IS AND THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT THAT, except ofcourse..." his finger shoots towards the starting line "SEND FOUR RECKLESS RUNNERS THRRRROUGH ITS FETID, DARK, DANGEROUS, FERAL-INFESTED ABYSS WITH ONE GOAL!"

Magnus then snickers and utters an uncannily loud, yet eerily calm "Survive." The crowd goes quiet for a few moments as the big-eared fox steps out from under the protective pergula, and points out... "I wouldn't wanna be out in this either, folks! But the life of a scout is HARD!" Magnus points out, a crack of thunder crossing the sky as rain pours down harshly overtop him. In mere moments, he was soaked. "Today our runners will not be having it any easier, I assure you, it will be a test of will, a test of fortitude, a test of observation and caution! Dexterity and guile, wit and cunning! AND! To make things even MORE interesting, our skillful Eureka trappers have done their job AND SET ALL SORTS OF SNARES, TRAPS AND OTHER DEVIOUS MACHINATIONS IN THE AREA! A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR OUR DEDICATED HUNTSMEN AND HUNTRESSES!" Magnus booms, and a round of hand clappings follow. Now all they needed was the racers, perhaps some of them had already arrived, and heard everything...

A wolf girl wanders up through pouring rain and windy sky's not seeming bothered, moving along at a steady pace as they look around, almost looking lost as they check to see who else is around them, it's unlikely that they didn't hear the speech given they had to be in the immediate vicinity but they don't seem disheartened by it either. As they wander ever so steadily towards where the race is meant to start.

With news of a race through the woods mentioned in certain circles he was associated with, Zen decides that he would go and see what it was all about. He was confident in his survival and navigational skills, and while he wasn't the quickest person he knew, he certainly wasn't the slowest. With it being organized by a search and rescue group, he was slightly worried about the 'rescue' part. Searching the woods comes naturally with his choice of professions, but rescuing people is... certainly something he could use a bit of work on.

Arriving at the designated meeting point, Zen walks up with his numerous tails flitting curiously behind him. He was dressed in his usual attire, but there was an olive-green, water-resistant poncho worn overtop to try and keep himself dry from the stormy weather. He arrived just in time to hear a bit of the opening announcement, grinning ear to ear with news of potential obstacles that had been set to impede their progress. Spotting Magnus, he would give a wave before shouting over the winds, "Here for the race! Figured an honest scout would do well here. Heh, maybe even get to see if the other hunters and trappers did a fine enough job." He wanders towards the place marked as the starting point, taking off his pack and poncho and leaving it by the side.

"Wait, a QUARTER MARATHON??!!", exclaims the surprised jello-tailed lamia with a panicked look on her face. She definitely didn't expect this! Her expression quickly changes, however, the challenge only improving her determination. Before returning to her stretching routine with doubled effort, the redhead girl adds, "Fine! I didn't come here to lose!" When the another contestant gets to the starting point, she smiles and nods in a greeting. "Hi! Good luck!"

What sort of nut flies in a thunderstorm?! That's a question to keep on pondering as Ebreus arrives by foot, drenched, his wings held close to his back. The big Equinox Reaper probably isn't here to show off any sort of scouting skill... there's no mountains that sneak but his participation will certainly help highlight the difference between a scout running the gauntlet and a combat agent.

The chaotic blowing of the wind does catch the big guy, how could it not he's huge, but it only seems to slightly slow him. Instead the mud seems more of an impediment to him, throwing chunks of it behind him with every step and each new step sinking his paws into it just as much as they were before.

Stepping into the pergola Ebreus looks around and smiles, "Here for the race. Should be some good exercise if it's that long." he bellows right before beginning a few simple warm-up stretches. "I wonder how many classic bear traps they've used or if they've gotten all clever with every trap..."