coyote42 and I bring you the next installment of Spirited Rookies! Enjoy!

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Thursday, January 24

"But do you know how hard I worked to get a deal done?!" Mary Mince (Wolf, GM, BAL) pleaded into her office phone. The tall, black-haired wolfess was at her wit's end. "... of course I'm not going to fight it. I have no choice. Thank you, sir... good bye," she said, hanging up. She shut her eyes tight and pounded her right fist onto her desk.

"Dammit!"

* * *

The Spirits were on the floor on a practice drill, working hard on the three-guard set again, so while Siliva Windcreek (Silver Hare, SG, WIL) was sitting on the bench squeezing water into her mouth, Gerald Puck (Coyote, SG, BAL) and Nikki Holmes (Tiger, PG, BAL) were hard at work passing the ball to eachother, driving hard against Andy Kitsu (Kit Fox, G, BAL) and Lenny Graham (Wolf, G, BAL).

Nikki, according to the play, faked right in front of Lenny and tried to go left, but the veteran wolf saw it would happy, so it was all up to Gerald if he was going to sink the rock against Kitsu.

With a bark and hand motion for Joey Cox (Roadrunner, PG, BAL) to run alongside him, the coyote outran Kitsu to get both him and the roardunner to the basket unimpeded. But part of Basil Tressel's (Hare, HC, BAL) focus this practice was teamwork so instead of taking the shot himself, Gerald tossed the ball to the side. Joey rocketed up, laying the ball into the hoop.

"Nice job, boys!" Alana Neofelis (Clouded Leopard, AC, BAL) called out, clapping her paws. "That's exactly what we need to be doing! Try it once more and this time, you drive and pass off, Holmes!"

Nikki took the cue, and after getting a similar pass from Cox, she in turn passed it off to Graham, who laid the ball in.

"Excellent!"

Mary sighed as she opened the door to the gym, watching the players hard at work with trying to scrabble to the playoffs. With the Bangor Tides penalized and much of the talent focused on a few teams so far, Baltimore found itself a single game outside of the eighth spot. It was news that was energizing the team, giving them motivation to try and pull back above the .500 line.


The tall, grey wolfess walked over to Tressel and tapped him on the shoulder. "Basil, we have a serious problem...." she said, then she quietly discussed the matter with him. Alana looked over and noticed Basil's eyes growing wide and then he visibly cringed, like he was just punched in the stomach.

"Ugh... well, the sooner everyone knows, the better..." he said. Taking the whistle to his lips, he blew a long loud blast on his whistle. "Everyone, come in!" he shouted.

Mary looked to the ground as the team trotted over, confusion on their faces as they came over. Several of the players were sweating hard, a good hard workout from the day's practice. They were going to be playing Tennessee the next day, and were trying to push themselves. The amount they were pushing themselves broke Mary and Basil's hearts.

"People..." Basil said quietly, his tone now somber. "Mary just told me that the league has excluded the Spirits from postseason play this season."

Gerald tried to catch his breath, but his ears and tail immediately drooped hearing the noise. "What? Why?" he asked. He felt like he was riding the bench all over again, doomed to sit while others did what he dreamed of.

"The new Underwood Rule," Basil replied. That was all he really needed to say. A lot of frowns formed on the players' faces, and Gerald winced. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He looked up. "Is someone going to get cut then, or is that it?"

"No, that's not it, Gerald," Basil said, as Deshaun Rayban (Labrador Husky, G/F, BAL) looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock and stay there, feeling like he was the "sixth one" as well. Graham scowled visibly. Gloria Johnson (Fox, G, BAL) rubbed her right arm nervously. Andy looked like he just got hit by a truck, and Forrest Stanley (Wolf, F/C, BAL) had a slight frown on his face.

Cox squawked in frustration, almost looking like he wanted to skin one of the canines. "So that's it?" he snapped out. "We're just playing for nothing now? Shits and giggles? Just call it a season?" He growled, considering dialing up his agent.

"I saw that look in your eye, Cox! We're not playing for 'nothing', and you know it!" Graham growled, shoving the roadrunner at the chest. Cox shoved Lenny hard back and Graham almost threw a punch, but Eve Pasilias (Croccodile, F, BAL) restrained him while Moby (Indian Giant Squirrel, F, BAL) pulled Cox back, words and voices rising in pitch.

"That's enough!" Mince snarled, baring her teeth, causing the din to die down quickly.

"This is my fault. My responsibilty. If there is anyone you should be blaming, it's me!" she growled.

"Mary's right. But you shouldn't be blaming her, either. This situation got out of our control and a solution couldn't be found. And none of you have "nothing" to play for. Each and every one of you here has a reason why you're here, why you play," Basil said. Then his look got blunt. "There is absolutely no shame in playing just to play. Playing for your own pride."

The court quieted finally as the assembled players taking in what Basil said.

"The city is still going to root for you whether you make the playoffs or not," Basil said, pacing down the line. "We're not folding, we're still here. And you're not alone. Think of the furs up in Maine. They're out of it as well.

"Mary's not giving up on you, so you shouldn't give up on her. We'll deal with Sammy." The entire court figured that the fiery jackalope was going to lose a gasket with possible dropping attendance.

"You're all still Spirits. You all still represent the city of Baltimore. History will ultimately view this season as lost because of the rule violation," he said. Then Basil stopped and looked at everybody. "Do you want to view it the same way?"

Basil stopped short, thinking hard about lost seasons. "You don't think I don't know about lost seasons? What could have been? When my leg broke, I was laid up watching the Spirits fall flat. But they still played, even though everyone called their season over.

"They played for pride. Sometimes that's all you can do. This is one of those times. It may be longer than most, but believe me, people: there is no shame in it."

He then smiled a little. "Now go home tonight and relax. We'll talk more about it tomorrow while we prepare to play the Moonshiners. Dismissed."

* * *

Gerald was already nearly depressed when they got to the showers. Some of the players were grumbling, Joey was already out by the time the rookie arrived. He'd made good strides in the last year but the frustration was evident. Nobody was talking much, and some of the canines were especially quiet.

Nikki went into the showers and came out about minutes later, stuffing her practice jersey and shorts in her gym bag. She was ready to go. Forrest Stanley caught on to that immediately.

"You're not going to read, NIkki?" the tall wolf asked. Nikki frowned and shook her head.

"Maybe later, Forrest, I need to go home. I was going to go out for coffee later with Gerald," she said. She then looked up to Forrest. "Would you like to come with us?" she asked. The wolf nodded. "Sounds like a great idea. That place by the Mariotter Hotel, right?" "That's the one," she said.

Gerald was combing his fingers through his shoulder-length black hair as he was on his way out of the shower. He wasn't taking the time to re-braid it; Nikki had been around him long enough by now to see that as a signal he was at his most frustrated. He had his duffel bag on his shoulder and was in haphazardly put on clothing. He just wanted out of there.

"Gerald, would you like to go to the coffee shop tonight? I invited Forrest," she said quietly. Forrest nodded and gave a little wave, seemingly trying to relax the two.

The coyote's ears perked up as he looked over to where Nikki and Forrest were standing. He thought about it for a while and sighed, nodding finally. "I... guess so," he said with a downcast tone. He hadn't felt this bad since the beginning of the season.

Forrest nodded. "How about eight?" he asked. That would give them all time to unwind. Though it seemed by the tone of his voice, he wanted them to unwind a little. Why did he sound so calm?

Gerald nodded. "That sounds fine," he replied. He was trying to get out of the funk but it was hard to do, like a nagging pain in the back of his stomach. He looked to Nikki. "Do you want a ride today?"

"I'd like a ride, Gerald, thank you," she said with a little smile.

"See you two tonight," Forrest said. "Thanks, Forrest. Have a good day," Nikki replied.

Gerald nodded as the elder wolf headed out. He then looked to Nikki, ears drooped a bit. "How are you doing?" he finally asked.

Her ears were flattened a little. "I'm as miserable as everyone else, Gerald," she said, returning her ears to her normal position. "I don't want to blame Ms. Mince or anything, I know she tried her hardest, but it's just a lot to take in right now."

Gerald nodded. "I still feel like it's more my fault than anything," he replied. "If I hadn't been drafted, we'd have been at five and be fine."

That clearly didn't sit well with the tigress as Nikki stared at Gerald. "You say that again, I'm going to bop you on the nose. Didn't you see Silvia and Gloria trying to console Deshaun? He believed he was the problem since he was drafted last. And it's not his fault either," she said in a serious tone.

He nodded, though it looked like it didn't help much. He wanted to tell her it was easy to say when her species wasn't costing them the playoffs.

Nikki shook her head as they walked to his car. Maybe they both would feel better once they went out for coffee. Then again, how would the rest of the city take the news?

* * *

The drive was quiet like always again, though quick as Gerald knew the way well by now. The coffee shop was lightly busy for the night being a Thursday but their usual table was free, with Forrest waiting there for them.

He waved them over to the small table, still adorned with a couple of Spirits pennants. "Thanks for inviting me," he said with a smile as Nikki slid into one of the seats. "Anytime, Forrest," she said.

Gerald smiled, playing with his hair nervously as he watched some of the patrons. By now, he figured, the news was going out over the local furry news stations and even some of the local sports channels. FSPN had to have aired it immediately.

The waitress, a cute red-haired otter who had taken their orders before, came over. Dressed in the tan uniform dress of the establishement, she was ready with pad and pen. "Hey, Gerald, Nikki... I see you have a newcomer tonight," she quipped.

Gerald nodded, perking up a bit when Forrest smiled and took her hand, shaking it a bit congenially. "Forrest Stanley," he replied with a grin. "You could say I'm here for a little while."

She giggled. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Stanley. I'm Sarah. What can I get you tonight?" The three ordered some coffee, then as the waitress wrote that down, Nikki piped up a little bit. "Could you give us three cinnamon rolls as well?" "Oh, sure, Nikki. Need comfort food tonight?" the waitress asked politely. Nikki nodded. "You could say that."

Forrest nodded knowingly, catching the use of words there.

She definitely knew the news.

Gerald nodded as Sarah flipped her tail and smiled, walking to the counter and putting their orders in.

There were a few people in the coffee shop, no bands were playing that night, and there seemed to be a bit of an awkward silence and mumbling, just like the locker room. Everyone knew they were there. No one seemed to want to approach them for a few moments. Maybe they just were being nice.

Gerald frowned, looking around. "You think they blame us?" he asked, as he could feel the tension in the air. It was tough to take.

"I don't think anyone blames us. This is an unprecedented development..." Forrest said. "Nothing like this has ever happened in the 17 years I've been playing. Things have come close, but this is new. I'm not sure anyone knows exactly how to take it," the wolf explained, his South Carolinian accent obvious.

"And yet it's happened twice in the same year," Gerald said, leaning back as he thought about it.

"Times are changing fast," Nikki said, shaking her head. "That's exactly right," Forrst said.

Gerald looked to the taller wolf with a raised eyebrow. "How come you're so... laid back about this, Forrest?" he asked. "You've been on winning teams before; hell you've got a ring just last year. Why are you not caring you might be wasting your last season?"

Forrest looked at Gerald with the most serious look he had all night. "Becuase, Gerald, it's not a waste. I'm 40 years old and yet I'm still playing the game I love competently with the best in the world. I never dreamed in 1995 that I would still be playing today. It is a shame that we won't make the playoffs no matter what we do, but I'm used to that. I spent 14 years on Tuscon Demons teams that were lucky to even sniff getting in the playoffs."

Gerald nodded. Forrest did raise a good point and it worked with what Basil had said earlier. It was about the playing, for the team that still rooted for them. Hopefully. College teams that were banned from the postseason didn't just fold up, they went on and still played. To keep their skills up, to show they were still good enough. For fun.

"I suppose it's only for one year," he said with a sigh as Sarah brought their coffee and buns over.

Forrest nodded. "Thanks, Sarah."

"You're welcome!" she said happily, turning to go get another table's order. Forrest looked back at Gerald.

"For rookies like you it's fine," he continued. "Only one team gets the rings. Only one team wins it all. For the other twenty-three teams, it's just the season and the moral victories through the season. Beating the rivals, seeing if we can go above the .500 line. Making the history guys go 'what if'? Besides, you guys have agents to impress and contracts to continue. You've got your careers ahead of you. You're not gonna be stained by this. Even the rest of the Black Sox had careers."

Nikki nodded, picking up the cinnamon bun gingerly and taking a bite. "I just hope Ms. Mince doesn't get disciplined or fired," she said after chewing and swallowing. "I don't want to see that. I grew up watching her on the Spirits for so long, she just seemed so smart and an excellent leader."

Gerald nodded emphatically. "Yeah, I hope so," he replied. "She's just been good for us, keeping us in the loop with everything."

Forrest chuckled after taking a bite of his cinnamon bun. "You two don't know what it's like playing against her. There's a reason they called her 'Mincemeat'. She made that out of me for years!" he laughed.

Nikki giggled at that, laughing for the first time all day.

Gerald laughed. "So... All right, dish," he replied with a grin. "What was it like to play against Basil? And anything else on Mary.."

"Basil played way before my time, Gerald, but Mary... I had to go up a lot against her on center when I started. You notice she's a few inches taller than me. She wore her hair without a ponytail. So with those long hairs and hair in my muzzle, it's very hard to pick up a basketball," he chuckled.

Gerald chuckled. "Just her hair and ears?" he said with a laugh.

Forrest winked. "Well, there were times when she jumped and I didn't. The view was nice, but I didn't end up with the ball, so that was bad."

Nikki stuck her tongue out. "I dare you to tell that to Ms. Mince tomorrow." Stanley jokingly stuck his tongue out back. "I gaurantee you she'd laugh," he grinned.


Forrest leaned back, sipping on his coffee. "You two will learn soon enough," he replied. "It's not about the money... Or the titles or whatever. That's what you've got agents for. Let them sweat the details. They're not the ones who're putting their bodies on the line every day."

The wolf waved his paw at the jerseys on the wall. "You play for them. Whatever city you're in, and even beyond. I still get fanmail from Tuscon. There's furs and even a few humans growin up who've got a Stanley jersey they grew up in."

"Wow, that's incredible, to be remembered for so long," Nikki said, then she smiled. "Does that make you feel a little old?"

Forrest pointed to his left knee. "No, when I put on the knee brace is what makes me feel old," he chuckled.

The three had soon polished off their desserts and their platic-lid covered coffee cups were slowly getting dry. A few fans had trickled in, but no one still seemed to want to talk about the elephant in the room to them.

The feeling was tense, but in a way it was fine to Gerald. He was enjoying talking to Forrest without worry about reprisal from fans. If anything, they were talking more about the upcoming Super Bowl and how the Ravens were going to do.

He then happened to look downward and saw a young fox kit with a Spirits jersey on. Gerald's ears pinned back in worry. The kit just looked at them with wide eyes.

Forrest looked down and smiled at him. "Hey, ace, what's your name?" he asked. Nikki giggled at how cute the little boy looked.

The kit's ears flipped back and he looked down. "Ryan!" a voice could be heard from across the cafe. "Leave the nice people alone."

The kit frowned, his shoulder slumping, and then pulled out a card with a box of Sweethearts candies and placed it on the table before running away.

Gerald picked up the card and tilted his head. Inside it was a picture of a few furs playing basketball, drawn with little paws. The message read: "We still like U."

Gerald choked a bit, his eyes watering. He couldn't think of anything to say, just passing it to the other two at the table.

Nikki read the card and looked at it, getting a bit of a lump in her throat herself. She passed it on to Forrest, and he took a look at it. A soft smile formed on his muzzle.

"That's so sweet of him," Nikki finally said.

"Kits are very honest. He must have felt strongly about it because the news broke just this morning. We should do something for him. Do we sitll have any promotional cards in the car, Gerald?"

Gerald thought about it and nodded. "I've got a backup training jersey. It's not much but they gave me a dozen of them."

Forrest nodded and grinned. "Go get a few of them and a Sharpie."

Gerald headed quickly, getting a few things. The training jersey didn't have a name on it but it was still emblazoned with the logo on it. On the kit it would look like a nightgown for years. He also had some of the cards, including a full set of this year's trading cards.

The three signed their own cards and folded up the jersey. Forrest got up and walked over to the table where Ryan and his family were seated.

"Ryan? This is for you," Forrest said, holding out the jersey and packet of cards for him.

Gerald smiled as the young fox bounced up and down accepting the gift. The kit's parents beamed and shook Forrest's hand.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Stanley," said Ryan's mother. "That was really sweet of you." "Your son was the sweet one, ma'am, giving us his card." She nodded. "He made it this afternoon. I told him we were coming and he knew players sometimes come here."

Gerald came up with Nikki and smiled, shaking Ryan's parents' hands. "We're happy to inspire him still. I know it's hard for a young fur sometimes. Especially when all the other sports in town aren't fur-based."

The kit gave the coyote a big hug that almost bowled him over. He smiled and looked to Nikki with a chuckle.

"I wanna be a Spirit when I grow up!"

Nikki and Forrest laughed at that. "It's like you have a little brother now," Nikki tesased. Forrest helped them both up and patted Ryan on the head. "Well, work hard at basketball and it may happen someday, ace!" he said encoragingly.

"So what do you say to Mr. Stanley, Ryan?" asked his dad.

Gerald got up with a grunt but was all smiles. Ryan smiled at Forrest. "Thank you Mr. Stanley." the young kit said with a wide grin. "I hope you guys aren't sad anymore."

"We're not sad anymore, thanks, Ryan. We'll show the whole team what you gave us and they'll be happy too," Nikki said brightly

Gerald nodded with her and smiled. "You keep rooting for us and we'll keep playing ok?" he asked and the kit nodded emphaticly.

The three players wished the family good night and left, but not before thanking Sarah and leaving a generous tip for her.

Forrest waved to the two before taking off in his own car leaving Gerald and Nikki at his car. He felt humbled. "I've been a tool haven't I?" he asked, looking into Nikki's eyes.

Nikki shook her head lightly. "You had your own reaction to the news, just like everyone else. Joey and Lenny did, they almost fought over it. Coach Tressel did, Forrest did."

Gerald nodded, scratching off some frost idly. "What's your reaction? I think it's the first time I haven't seen you with a book in your hand Nikki."

Nikki folded her ears back a little bit. "Well, I did say I wasn't happy about it either, didn't I?"

Gerald shook his head. "I didn't say you were, Nikki," he replied. "You're a friend. And I'm sorry if my initial reaction hurt. I'm just glad I internalized it... " He sighed. "Like I always do."

"I guess we'll just have to band together somehow..." she said. "I got a ride from Silvia to the practice gym. Would you drive me home, please?"

He nodded. "Of course!" he said. "Got room on the couch like always?" He chuckled softly, but in all honesty he hated being alone on days like this, where there was nothing to do but sit in the hotel room and brood. The gym was locked by the time he got home from games and he never watched much TV.

Nikki smirked. "All right, you can crash at my place. I was just going to go to bed, it's been a tough day."

He nodded. "No problem," he replied. "I just still feel a bit lost here sometimes."

The trip seemed better. He knew the path to her apartment almost as well as to the arena and back. When they arrived, he opened the car and apartment doors for Nikki, being the gentleman his father taught him to be.

"Why thank you, Gerald. You're like a true Southern gentleman," she joked.

Gerald chuckled and nodded. "Well Southwest anyway," he replied. They went inside, Gerald closing and locking the door behind them.

"Hehe, when my brother used to open doors for me, I'd call him a gentlemen and give him some 'sandpaper'. He hated that," she chuckled.

Gerald tilted his head. "Sandpaper?" he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Nikki grinned. "Like this," she said, then pautting her paws on his shoulder and licking his cheek a little slowly. "Sandpaper!" she said, sticking out her tongue. "Get it?"

Gerald let out a yip at the sudden lick and laughed. "Ack! Cat tongue!" he said with a rub of his cheek.

"Hehe! See you tomorrow morning, Gerald. Have a good night's sleep,"

"You too, Nikki, good night," he said.

Nikki went to bed normally, thinking about the day as she laid in bed. While the bad news would still linger for a while, she did had a great time with Gerald and Forrest. The coyote was really was starting to be like a true frined to her.

Gerald smiled, settling down on her couch, stretching out. It was comforting to be there, even if he was on the couch. He found the blanket she had folded on the sofa and settled in to his thoughts.

He rubbed his cheek a little, as his mind went in odd places. Was it a lick of friendship... or something else? A kiss?

Well, it didn't really matter. She was his friend, and that was what everyone needed right now.

* * *

Friday, January 25, 2:00 A.M.

Mary Mince was on the phone in her home office, dressed in a very large Spirits-themed black nightshirt and sweatpants.

"So because of the news," said the female voice on the other end, "we would like to go forward with the second proposal we discussed. Would that work for you and your organization?"

"It would work, but we might need to iron out a few details over the next few days," she said.

"Wonderful. We'll keep in touch. Have a good night, Mary."

"Thanks, Veronica, you too," Mary replied, hanging up the phone. She sighed and stared up at the ceiling briefly. She didn't know if this trade would truly help all involved if it went through, but things had to be done.

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Gerald Puck ©  coyote42

Nikki Holmes ©  sam-gwosdz

FBA, Joey Cox ©  buckhopper

Basil Tressel, Mary Mince ©  tobu

Forrest Stanley ©  jtigerclaw