"I thought you guys were gonna decide on a constructive outlet for me, not send me on a suicide mission!" You exclaimed.
"Luna and I spoke to the mayor about it and we all agree that this is a constructive outlet for you," Tanya replied, "Plenty of opportunity for you to run and jump around. Besides, Hunter and Annika need a third player."
"Yeah," Hunter said, "The keyword in that sentence being player, not a liability." You shot an irritable glance Hunter which prompted him to give you an apologetic smile.
"As much as that hurt my pride," You started as you continued to glare at hunter, "He's not wrong. I'm no match for the teams their up against."
Tanya frowned, "It's not like you to pass up a challenge."
"Yeah, well there's a first time for everything," You scoffed as you crossed your arms.
"Of course if your absolutely sure that you don't want to give this a try we could always find something else for you to do," Tanya mused.
"Something tells me that you already have that 'something' in mind," You grumbled.
Tanya smiled brightly at you, "How perceptive of you. If you won't play on a team with Hunter and Annika, then maybe they'd like to team up with you."
"I don't follow," you replied as you raised a brow.
"Well if you won't be their third player, they won't be able to participate in the tournament. If that happens then they'll need something else to do," Tanya explained. "So if your dead set on sitting out the tournament, then you guys can spar with Luna and I. We'll tag team in a one on three match to make it fair."
Annika and Hunter nearly went as pale as the moon itself. You however, found Tanya's offer to be preferable to the tournament. "Really? That's your alternative? The three of us get to gang up on you and Luna?"
"Well? Do we have an agreement?" Tanya asked as she grinned at you.
You found her grin unsettling, but you were willing to do just about anything to get out of that tournament. "Alright, then let's-"
"Noooo!" Hunter and Annika simultaneously shouted as they tackled you to the ground. You tried to shout your protests at them, but you found Annika's paws covering your mouth.
Tanya snapped her fingers and clicked her teeth in mock frustration, "Oh darn, looks like the majority rules to stay in the tournament." She then shrugged and gave an exaggerated sigh,
"Oh well, guess there's nothing I can do about that." She then turned to walk towards one of the referees. As she left she turned her head, "Hunter, I want you and Kiba to square up for a one on one game. We need to evaluate where he stands."
"Y-yeah, sure..." Hunter shakily replied.
After she began speaking to the ref, the two foxes released you. You stood up with a less than pleased expression playing across your face, "What... was that?" You demanded.
"We were protecting you," Hunter stated definitively.
"From...?"
"Making one of the worst decisions of your life," Annika interjected.
"Explain," You replied flatly.
The two foxes exchanged glances before Annika began speaking, "Well.... You know how Luna was the captain of Deluma's police force?"
You nodded, "Yeah, how could I forget?" Your mind briefly replayed the first moments of your arrival when you first met Luna.
"Well, before Luna became a captain, or even a cadet for that matter she had to get through the police academy," Annika continued. You nodded, not really seeing the relevance of the history lesson. "There are two academies in Deluma's city. Each academy had a head trainer. When Luna was in the police academy, the head trainer was Aunt Tanya."
Your face dropped when she uttered those words, "Oh my god...." You breathed. "You mean we would have had to go toe to toe with..."
"A former police captain and an ex trainer," Hunter nodded, "We wouldn't have stood a chance."
An image briefly flashed through your mind of what that might have looked like. Tanya had hunter in a headlock in one arm while she was holding Annika upside down and by the ankle with her other arm. You were pinned in the grass on your stomach under her foot, struggling fruitlessly. Luna was leaning against the house sipping on a glass of tea.
"Are you sure you don't want to tag out?" She asked with a smirk.
"Nah," Tanya replied, "I'm having too much fun!" Immediately after he comment, both canine's burst into a laughing fit as if they were watching the greatest comedy ever.
As the laugher faded from you're brief daydream you quietly nodded in agreement, "I'm grateful that you guys saved me from that fate..." You admitted, "But I'm not sure this is much better."
Hunter shrugged, "Best we could do."
"Okay!" Tanya called out as she walked back over spinning a ball on the tip of her claw. "We have this half of the court for the next hour," She explained, "During that hour, Kiba and Hunter will play a one on one game to ten."
"And why do I have to play a one on one game against my own teammate?" Hunter asked.
"Think of it as a sparring match," Tanya replied, "This'll give you the chance to show off a little bit and practice getting rid of some of those bad habits." Hunter scoffed at his aunt and opened his mouth to protest when Tanya interjected again, "And if you don't have any bad habits; too bad, do it anyway. We need to see what we're working with." As she finished her sentence, you noted that her eyes drifted to you, indicating that she wanted to see what you could do on the court.
"Do you even know how to play?" Hunter asked.
Before you could answer, Tanya interjected on your behalf, "Of course he does! Wouldn't have brought him down here if he didn't!"
Hunter sighed, "Come on, let's get this over with."
"Fine," You replied flatly.
After checking the ball in at half court, Hunter blazed by you with his speed. There was no finesse. No post ups or fake outs, just raw and unbridled speed and power. He did a basic dribble and ran right to the goal. As soon as he was in the two-point range, he fired off a shot; which predictably fell right in to the basket. This is pretty much how the first fifteen minutes went for you. You tried to steal the ball before he blew past you once or twice, but he would just move beyond your reach or speed up before you could really do anything. Before long, Hunter had racked up a seven-point lead to your zero points.
Tanya and Annika watched from the bleachers. Tanya had neutral expression glued to her face while she watched the game with her arms crossed. Annika on the other hand clearly felt pity for you.
Honestly though, you weren't really focused on that. You were too busy thinking about how to turn the tables on hunter, "He's faster and stronger," You thought, "That much is certain, but it's all just brute force. There's no real skill or strategy here... which means I can take the game back!"
With seven points on the board, Hunter was standing patiently waiting for you to check the ball in. Like you'd done before, he bounced the ball to you and you bounced it back. However, as soon as the ball bounced you ran forward and made as if you were going to steal it. Hunter immediately jumped to his left, just like every time before. In the moment that he froze and jumped left, you mirrored his action. As hunter moved to dribble the ball, he froze up as he found you standing right in front of him. You didn't waste any time as you took the opportunity to take the ball. You dribbled to the goal, hunter was close behind you though. When you reached your shooting range, you stopped hard and set up for the shot. You heard hunter closing in as he prepared to block you. You made like you were going to shoot the ball. Hunter smirked as he saw his opportunity. The ball was away from your body and just above your head, all he had to do was reach out and take it. For a brief moment, you heard hunters footsteps group together before they fell silent. You immediately tucked the ball close to your chest and ducked. Hunter's face dropped as he could do nothing but watch as he glided past you while kicking his feet uselessly in the empty air. After you felt the wind rush by from his vault, you calmly rose and took your shot. The ball bounced off of the backboard before falling into the hoop.
Hunter stared at you in awe. Annika gazed down at you in amazement as her mouth hung open. Tanya quietly smiled at you as if this had been the moment she was waiting for.
It was your ball now. You checked it in to Hunter. The black fox quickly bounced the ball back to you. As soon as the ball was in your hands you lobbed it as hard as you could at the backboard. Hunter watched the ball slam into the glass in confusion. You on the other hand were in motion, positioning yourself where the ball would land. The ball fell right into your hands, you were just off to the right of the basket, more than close enough to make a shot. By the time Hunter had realized what was happening, you had already shot the ball for another point.
You looked up at Tanya who was grinning down at you, "I get it now..." You thought. Hunter checked the ball in to you again. You bounced the ball between his legs and ran around him to retrieve it on the other side. "She's giving me an opportunity..." You realized as you dribbled the ball down the court. Hunter came up from behind and attempted to steal the ball. You snatched the ball up and stopped your dribble. Hunter posted up in front of you and tried to take the ball, however he was surprised when you began pivoting on one foot to maneuver yourself for a hook shot. It wasn't pretty, but the ball bounced off of the back board and danced on the rim before falling in for a point. You again looked up at Tanya. Unfulfilled expectation seemed to glow in her eyes while comprehension danced in your own, "An opportunity to blow off some steam..." You faked right and spun left around Hunter, causing him to stumble in the wrong direction, leaving you free to shoot and score your fourth point. "An opportunity to prove what I'm capable of, both to them and myself..." You tried dribbling around Hunter, but this time he was able to steal the ball. Hunter quickly spun on his heel and setup for his shot. "His timing is so obvious! I can block and steal that for my own shot all at once!" Just as Hunter pumped his arms to take his shot you leapt in front of him and got a finger or two on the ball. Hunter grunted in surprise as the ball wildly spun off to the right and bounced on the ground. You recovered the ball quickly. You set up for your shot, but Hunter wasted no time in moving to block you. You used a pump fake to throw him off before taking your shot. The ball clipped the rim before falling in for another point. As you checked the ball in again, a whistle was blown.
"Times up kiddos," Tanya stated as she walked onto the court.
"Well then it looks like I won," Hunter shrugged.
"Sorry Hunter," Tanya smiled, "You lost."
"But I had more points than he did before time ran out!" Hunter complained.
"Yeah," Annika agreed, "But you were also playing with three huge advantages. You are physically stronger and faster than Kiba is. On top of that you started out with a seven point lead almost halfway through the game."
"Your forgetting one other thing too," Tanya added, "This court was scaled for anthros a little bit bigger than you guys. That means that from the start, Kiba would have had more ground to cover than you. It also means that he would have had to consider that every time he took a shot, given that the basketball goals where he comes from are probably significantly smaller than ours."
Annika nodded, "In short, if he had been playing on an even playing field with you he definitely would have won."
Hunter stood in awe, "I... hadn't thought of all that."
Tanya grinned and pulled you close, "If he could figure out how to play against you in those kinds of conditions, imagine what he could do for you guys as a team!" Hunter and Annika looked at each other with excitement as they imagined the possibilities. Tanya then looked down at you as she squeezed you against her side, "So, did we learn anything today?" She asked.
You smiled sheepishly and nodded, "I learned quite a bit today I think."
The white fox nodded, "Good. Take a break and then we'll start doing some team practice. I cant wait to see what kind of ideas you've got up your sleeve!"
Meanwhile, Luna sat wearing an annoyed expression in Malcolm's office, "A mercenary!?" She roared, "You have a mercenary running around here!?"
"It's not that simple," Malcolm tried to explain, "We have a history and an agreement."
"Really?" Luna asked, sarcasm ringing clearly in her voice, "What kind of history?"
Malcolm cleared his throat and looked away, "I'd rather not discuss that. The point is, she's trustworthy."
"The point is she's a bounty hunter!" Luna barked.
"I do wish you wouldn't refer to me that way," Sally sighed from the open window across the room.
"You!" Luna roared.
"I have a name you know," Sally replied with a flippant wave of her hand, "It's Sally."
"I don't care what your name is," Luna snapped, "You just stay away from Kiba!"
"Hm?" Sally mused, "What's got you all riled up?"
"You!" Luna shouted.
"No... I don't think it's just me," Sally replied calmly, "You were a distinguished captain on Deluma's force known for your discipline and level headed thinking. The way your acting now contradicts everything I know about you..." Luna's eyes widened in surprise. Sally shrugged,
"You didn't think I wouldn't do my homework on Deluma's captain of police did you?"
At that point Malcolm decided to interject, "Calm yourself Luna. Sally, stop antagonizing her."
"Wait! Are you upset that I took him to have a little one on one chat? Are you jealous of me?" Sally asked.
"Oh no..." Malcolm quietly muttered.
"Jealous?" Luna asked incredulously, "Of you!?"
"No?" Sally asked, "Must be something else. I'll figure it out later, right now we need to have a little conversation, wouldn't you agree?"
Luna didn't even bother with a response, she only snarled in reply to the foxbat.
Malcolm sighed, "This is going to be my whole day, isn't it?"