Your Life In an Anthro's World

On The Court And In The Shadows

"Hurry up or we'll be late!" Annika exclaimed as she dragged you by the hand.

"You're going faster than I can keep up with," You complained, "And aren't you the one that was worried about looking 'picture perfect' for our first game?"

"Not at the expense of being on time!" Annika shot back. She dragged you out of the front door as she moved you in front of herself and crammed you into the car.

"Finally, ready to go?" Hunter asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Annika shot her brother a dirty glare. He shrugged in response, "Don't get mad at me. You were the one who took over an hour in the bathroom."

Annika opened her mouth to fire off a defense, but Tanya interjected first, "He's right you know. You spent way too long in the bathroom, I know this is a big deal for you guys and all. But looking decent is just as important as showing up on time. And time management is a skill you need in a game like basketball, or have you forgotten that?"

Annika looked into the rearview mirror from the back seat to find her aunt's green eyes regarding her with calm but expectant gaze. "No, I haven't," She sighed.

"Good," Tanya nodded. Her eyes then shifted to you, "Kiba, when we get back make sure you set the clocks back to their original times."

"I will," You nodded.

"Wait, what?" Hunter asked as he suddenly turned his attention to you.

"I had a feeling at that something like this would happen, so last night I moved all of the clocks ahead an hour," You replied.

"So, we're not actually twenty minutes away from being late?"

You shook your head, "No, we're actually an hour and twenty minutes ahead."

At that moment you could feel an angry pair of eyes glaring at you. You turned to find Annika seething with rage, something that you'd not seen before, "Are you kidding me! You made me think that we were late and had me panicked, just to prove a point!?"

"Essentially? Yes," You admitted with a nod, "So did it work?" Hunter quietly chuckled to himself as Tanya silently laughed herself.

Annika began sputtering for a reply, "I... You.... But?" Her mouth started silently opening and closing until she finally released a heavy sigh, "Yes... it worked. I learned my lesson. I'll put less effort into appearance and more into my performance."

Luna had been quietly listening to the conversation in the front seat, amused and happy that the 'inferior species,' was able to teach an anthro a lesson.

After the short drive, you were greeted by the referees who escorted you to your locker room. You were all in uniform already, so there was no need to worry about changing or the like. When you reached the locker room you found Felicia and Kara patiently waiting for you.

"Today's the big day!" Felicia grinned, "Are you guys nervous?" You and the twin foxes exchanged uneasy glances.

"If we weren't before, we are now," Annika groaned.

"I'm sure you'll all do fine," Came a familiar voice from the opposite side of the room. You all turned to find Malcolm casually strolling up to you.

"Malcolm!" You exclaimed, "I didn't know you would be here today."

"I've been hearing about your practice sessions from Sally and Celica. They're both very impressed with what they've seen. I look forward to seeing it put to the test."

"I just hope all of that hard work and practice pays off," Hunter muttered.

Malcolm walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sure it will." He stated with a confident smile. He then turned to the door, "Well, I'll leave you to get prepared. I'd say good luck, but something tells me you already have everything you need." With that, Malcolm smiled and left the locker room.