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As often as any cheetah cares to, there are races. They're always on the same sets of tracks, each track has its own 'bleachers' built up around them. It's been so long, nobody knows how they were even actually BUILT(Though rumor has it gods helped), but almost all look generally the same - The seats form a U-shape around the track, with one end open to allow not only the cheetahs but the viewers to come and go with ease.

In total, there are four main tracks:

The stone track is the only one in a really naturally occurring setting and the only one not a U shape, in a shallow canyon-like ravine that stretches for five miles. Because it's shallow enough, it's also the only one that doesn't actually have seats around it - Spectators stand, sit, or lay along the edges of the ravine to watch as the cheetahs run from one end to the other. Only the royalty and certain other lions get to relax at the end point to see who wins.



The grass track is one of the ones that was 'made'. One end of the field is dominated by a long-dead baobab tree's stump(Though that's kind of a loose name considering how big it still is) that's been carved to create the perfect place for the king and his mate to relax and watch the race. Flanking the sides are built-up stone benches, allowing up to four levels of spectators to watch the race. The track itself is carefully grazed down weekly by waterbucks and klipspringers, so that it's in good condition. This one is one of the three oval-shaped tracks, with the entire course additionally marked off by carefully placed rocks and boulders. Like the other two, the center is the other ideal place to view, but few get to watch the race from the center of the track.



The dirt track is exactly what it sounds like - The whole thing has been laid out in a part of the savannah that's been so over-grazed that it's grass-free. When it rains, this track also becomes the mud track, making it all the more challenging to run for the cheetahs. Because of this, it can be the most dangerous track, having claimed a number of cheetahs during the raining season and ending a racing career(While creating a show career). The seats at this one are made from a combination of massive boulders and parts of trees. The end the royalty resides at is dominated by their platform - And indeed, that's what it actually is, made from carefully shaping trees as they grew up on a carefully piled series of boulders and rocks so that they cast shade during the day.



The sand track is actually a curious one - It's set in the middle of grassland, with the track itself having been periodically grazed down to dirt by the waterbucks and klipspringers, and then layer upon layer of sand brought in from the desert laid out on it by the draft leopards. Even if it rains, this track remains viable and, in fact, is actually one of the safer tracks even when wet. To keep the sand from spreading into the grasses, rocks and branches have actually been used over the years to create a buffer between sand and grass. Also unlike the other fields, while the royalty still sit atop a platform at one end(This time made from amassed elephant bones, mostly skulls, that have been packed together with clay and rocks and the like), the rest of the spectators crowd around the track to cheer their choice of cheetah on.

Every year, the cheetahs will gather to see who is the best of the best in a series of special races, culminating in one final big-scale race of the year. The total is six races leading to the final seventh - Each race contains, at minimum, six cheetahs, and ten at maximum, with no second or third place winners until the Grand Race. They are as such:

Buffalo Race - The first race of the Grand Races, the Buffalo Race takes place on the Dirt Track. This race takes place the third week of June.

Gnu Race - The second race of the Grand Races, the Gnu Race takes place on the Mud Track. If it hasn't rained, then the leopards and hybrids will bring in water to MAKE it a mud track. Because of how dangerous this makes the track, the chosen racers are actually those of steadier paw than the other races. This race takes place the first week of July.

Zebra Race - The third race of the Grand Races is the Zebra Race, being held on a wet Grass Track. Don't worry, injury risk isn't high. If it hasn't rained yet, then the grass is made wet by water being tracked in from the river by the leopards and hybrids. This race takes place the third week of July.

Acacia Race - The fourth race of the Grand Races is the Acacia Race, held on a dry Grass Track. This race takes place the first week of August.

Ficus Race - The fifth race of the Grand Races is the Ficus Race, held on a dry Sand Track. Besides the Gnu Race, this is considered one of the hardest races because of how sand shifts. The cheetahs of this race have trained not just on the track, but have gone out to the desert to practice their running to perfect the ability to run on it. This race takes place the third week of August.

Mimosa Race - The sixth race of the Grand Races, the Mimosa Race takes place on a wet Sand Track. Because of this, it's considered one of the absolute easiest due to how easy it is to grip wet sand. If it hasn't rained, water is brought in from the river by the leopards and hybrids to dampen the track. This race takes place the first week of September.

Grand Race - The top race, this one comes once a year and determines just who the fastest cheetah is in the whole pride. The runners of this race aren't actually chosen - The roster is made up of the winners of the previous six preplanned races, already the fastest cheetahs in the pride. This final Grand Race takes place the third week of September.