coyote42 and I bring you the next installment of Gerald Puck and Nikki Holmes' adventures in the FBA!

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Monday, January 28

Mike Efferret (ferret) was anchoring FurSportsCenter that night, and it was on to more FBA highlights:

"Williamsburg at Baltimore, we pick it up in the third quarter. Leonard Mack (fox, PF, WIL) wide open at the top of the key for the trey, he had 15 points and 10 rebounds, his first double-double of the year. But Baltimore pulled away in the fourth. Kickout to Silvia Windcreek (silver hare, SG, BAL), she nails the three, she had 25 to lead all scorers. Baltimore wins 92-78, Williamsburg has lost eight of nine. *whoosh* And the Spirits completed a trade with the Mayors, sending rookie guards Nikki Holmes (tiger, G, HNT) and Gerald Puck (coyote, G, HNT) to Huntsville in exchange for Evan Ashton (lion, F, BAL) and Jada Minnucci (labrador husky, G, BAL). A lot to analyze about this deal, and we'll talk about it later on FurSportscenter..."

The team was together again, this time on sprints. Basil wanted to try to get everyone to be able to catch up with Joey Cox (roadrunner, PG, BAL) and Gerald in short enough bursts to make fast breaks more devastating. Some of the older players were already on the sidelines, puffing as they squirted water in their mouths. Gerald was bark-laughing as he jogged ahead of Nikki. She was quick, but his endurance training he'd been going through lately helped him with the long run.

Nikki stuck her tongue out at him as she stopped running from the sprint. "Don't be... such a braggart about it, Gerald!" she kidded. "I almost got you this time!"

Gerald skidded on the hardwood. Times like this he was much more comfortable running in his leather moccasins, with just enough sole to give him traction on the wax. He was a little out of breath, laughing to Nikki.

Basil Tressel (hare, HC, BAL) nodded and smiled a little. "All right, knock it off, you two. Good job on sprints. We'll be working on shots next."

Gerald nodded, taking a seat on the bench while he caught his breath. He itched his fur a little on his legs, feeling the tightness of using them so quickly. In the meantime he tossed a water bottle to Nikki.
Nikki caught the bottle and took a swig of water herself. As she sat down on the bench with Gerald, Silvia noticed that Mary Mince (wolf, GM, BAL) was coming into the gym, walking over to Basil.

Gerald stretched out, looking up to Basil and Nikki. It would have been routine, the GM discussing upcoming games with Basil but the doors opened to reveal two new furs.

A male lion and female husky walked through with orange and white, their white practice jerseys plain. They looked a little intrigued to be stepping into the practice facility as Basil walked over to them, talking something with them while Mary made her way to Gerald and Nikki.

Ashton looked over and saw Mary going over to talk to Puck and Holmes. He grinned and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, heh... boy, this is a little awkward," he half-joked. It was getting more awkward by the second as the other Spirits players realized what was going on and they were drawn over to the bench.

Mince cleared her throat and waved over. "Gerald, Nikki," she called out to them, "I know you've both had a habit of not picking up your cells. I've got some news." She looked a bit sad at them; they were two rookies she hand picked to try and base the future of the Spirits off of.

"Last night after the game, I talked with Veronica West (beaver, GM, HNT). You've both been traded for Evan Ashton and Jada Minucci." She angled her head, pointing to the new players.

Nikki flattened her ears a little and looked back at Forrest Stanley (wolf, F/C, BAL), who was standing beside Samuel Roberts, (clydesdale, C, BAL) who had a very surprised look on his face. She looked back at everyone, at Gerald, and at the two newocomers. She tried to save face by righting her ears forward.
"Oh, well... um.... I guess that... means we need to go pack our things, huh?" she said. It sounded as uneasy as she felt.

Gerald couldn't help but have a slightly devastated look in his eyes, his ears down. Was it something he did? Basil didn't seem thrilled though so it couldn't be that. "I.. ah... I see," was his only reply, standing up.

Mary sighed and crossed her arms. "Look, I know this is rough," she said, her tail curling between her legs a bit in frustration. "But I think you'll be better used over in Huntsville." She looked up to them. "Veronica has been interested in gaining you all year, Gerald."

Silvia walked over and laid her hand on Nikki's shoulder. "I'll go get your stuff," she said in her light Canadian accent. "It'll be all right, Nikki. A lot of us have had to deal with this,"

Joey nodded, leaning back and shrugging. "It's no big deal, kids," he replied with as much of a warm grin as his beak would allow. "I've been on three different teams."

"Trading is part of the business," Xau Xian-Xu (octopus, C, BAL) said with a heavy Hong Konger accent. "Over half the team here was traded to get here this season, after all."

Jada smiled herself, trying to break the tension. "This is my third team in my second year. I know how it feels too."

"Third in four," Ashton piped up. Nikki started to laugh and that got a ripple of chuckles and giggles going through the group.

"All right, y'all, all right. Thank you. I'll just go start getting my things then," she said. Silvia did as she said and went to help Nikki go get her things from the ladies' area of the locker room.

Gerald nodded and cleared his throat. He had to admit that it felt nice to be wanted by the team he was being traded to. He stood up and started shaking hands and giving high fives. "I'll be seein you guys on the court then," he said with a grin. He then walked to Even and Jada and shook both of their hands. "No hard feelings."

Evan flashed a big friendly grin. "None at all. You'll like Huntsville, they've got good fans and everything you could ever want to know about Healey Davis," he said. Some chuckles and laughter went through the group. They knew how true that was.

Gerald chuckled. "At least it'll be warmer," he said with a broad grin. "And I'm sure Nikki will like it so her folks can come to more games." He thought about it, it could be easier to fly from Phoenix to Alabama than to Baltimore.

"And at least I've seen DC enough times to be bored with it." He laughed agian, waving as he headed for the locker room. Nikki was still changing when he got there, it seemed.

Gerald slipped out of his training jersey and laid it on the laundry and headed for the locker room. He didn't have much Spirits things to leave behind and was sure he'd get a lot of Mayors swag when they arrived. For now, it was just a bit bittersweet to clear off his things. Even his nameplate was gone, though it was waiting for him as a souvenier.

Nikki soon exited the ladies' area of the room, dressed in her navy winter sweater, jenas and knit hat since it was pretty windy and cold that morning. Silvia came out and gave the two a big hug each. "Good luck in Huntsville, you guys. Stay in touch, and we'll see each other again."

"Thanks, Silvia," Nikki replied happily. It was comforting to know that she'd still want to be a friend, even though they had known each other for just a few months.

Gerald came up and smiled, in a nice t-shirt and jeans. He came up and entered into the hug. "Do me a favor ok?" he said to Silvia. "There's a coffee shop that's by the hotel I was living in. A lot of furs root for us there, I'd hate for them to think we gave up on them."

"You want me to send a message?"'

Gerald nodded. "I'd... like if people would take up the booth too. Forrest will know, it's just... The last couple of weeks they've been good to us."

Silvia nodded. "I know that place. Cup O' Joe's coffee shop and bakery, right?"

Gerald nodded. "Yeah that's the one. Just... watch out for band night. There's this skunk singer that... well she's a better guitarist."

Silvia laughed a little. "I'll keep that in mind," she said. When the three exited the locker room, they found Forrest waiting for him. "Team wants to say goodbye again," he said.

Gerald looked to Nikki. Both rookies seemed a bit surprised to find the news. They were lead to where all of the team was there, even those who usually skipped out early or hadn't had much contact with them otherwise.

"We want to give you a good send-off," Stanley said. "Remember what I said in the coffee shop? You've got your whole careers ahead of you, no matter where you go or what happens to you, you're still professionals and you'll still have friends. I think you two will do just fine if you remember that," he said with a knowing smile.

Gerald smiled and nodded to Forrest while Nikki got a few hugs already. Gerald patted Forrest on the shoulder and was brought into a tight hug himself from the old veteran.

Wednesday, January 30

"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to The Rocket City. The local time is 4:30 PM and it's a frosty 45 degrees out today." The plane lurched as it touched down on the tarmac, and Gerald finally let out a breath, having left clawmarks in the arms of the chair.

Nikki patted her friend's shoulder a little. "It's all right, you're fine now. I swear, you didn't breathe throughout the whole trip, though. I was getting a little worried," she admitted.

Gerald rubbed the back of his hand, letting out a whuff. "I... don't like flying," he finally admitted.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could help with that," she said. Nikki was used to planes, growing up in a city with one of the busiest airports in the world.

Gerald gave her a weak grin. "It's... ok... I'm going to have to get better at this.." he said with a rub of his head. "Starting to get where all the teams are better from the air than bus. I think Im out of knockouts anyway.."

As they wandered through the airport, Gerald managed to shake off the chills just in time for them to see a male rat and female mouse waiting for them with a Huntsville Mayors sign with PUCK AND HOLMES written on it.

Nikki grinned, putting on a mock British accent. "Wlell, Dr. Puck, it appears our escort is here. Shall we?"

Gerald grinned, tipping an invisible hat. "Indubitibly, Holmes," he said and they stepped forward together. The rat shook both of their hands. "I'm Phillip Ringer, assistant coach," he introduced. "And this is Tina Radcliffe, lead trainer."

"It's nice to meet you two. I'm looking forward to my time here," the tiger replied with a smile. She meant that, though her thoughts were filled with Baltimore as she was riding on the plane. She was just getting to know the city and teammates, and now she had to be familiar with a new one. However, she did realize it might be better; her family was closer now. They could come and see her more.
Gerald offered his hand to shake with both of their new trainers. "Nice to be here," he replied with a nod. "I hope we'll be worth the trade."

"I hope so too!" Tina replied brightly. "Our ride's this way, come on," she said, then leading the group through the terminal to the transportation hubs.

The two rookies quickly made their way through the bustle. Huntsville wasn't as big as the other cities they'd been through so it wasn't hard to get to the team van.

The bus was large, decorated with Mayors orange, white and blue, featuring the Mayors logo and wordmark on the sides below the windows.

Gerald tried not to laugh. The Spirits trainer van wasn't as gaudy. Maybe it was a Southern thing. He held the door open for Nikki. "So... anywhere interesting for coffee or where fans hang out?"

"There are a couple of places near the arena. Some fans like to go there after games," Phil said as they got into the bus.

"What's the policy with hanging out with fans? I only ask because there was a coffee shop we went to in Baltimore."

Tina smiled a little. "Basically, you only stay away if someone looks like they want something other than your autograph," she said.

Gerald nodded as they drove on. He watched the new buildings passing by him. Internally he sighed. A new city to learn all over again. At least this one was smaller.

Nikki looked more comfortable being back in the city again. She wondered what Huntsville had in store for her and Gerald's careers. Forrest did say confidently they had long careers ahead and she trusted the older wolf's words because she valued advice from experience, like she did with Coach Tressel. What would Coach Schnitthund be like?

* * *

Explorer Stadium, Huntsville, AL

Gerald looked at his new training jersey and shorts. It was a strange orange and white combination that almost blended in with his fur, making him feel a bit naked. But it was still nice. His number was still the same; that would be good. Seeing a fresh Mayors #42 jersey with PUCK on the nameplate made him feel welcomed. As he hung his bag up in the locker, he nearly ran into the lithe form of John Stoat, who was just putting on his trademark goggles with the left eye frosted out.

Stoat glanced over and noted Gerald, giving him a little devilish smirk. "New kid, eh?" he asked.

Gerald nodded, swallowing a bit. Stoat was one of the stars of the game. His mind flashed to the depth chart and he blinked. "Yeah," he replied. "I'll be subbing for you on the bench."

"Figured so. Do your f***ing job, kid, and you'll be all right, get it?" he said. The smirk was still on his face, but it was clear his tone was good-natured.

Gerald let out a chuckle. He was used to this sort of treatment from Joey Cox so hearing Stoat's British accent lay a new form of chop-busting was no problem. "No problem, John," he replied. "Just watch out that elbow, hate to see what happened to you earlier this year happen again."

John's face seemed to drop. Most of the league had been a-twitter when he got his good eye elbowed out, keeping him on the bench for a game. The stoat grabbed Josh by the shoulder and banged him into the locker. "Listen here mate," he growled. "I don't need rooks like you snorting around things like that. I have another problem with a pudgy coyote always followed me around a few years ago and don't think I can't handle garbage eaters like you."

Gerald's ears pinned back and his eyes widened. He didn't mean to piss off Stoat that much; he was giving sympathy. But suddenly John laughed and tweaked Gerald's nose. "Ah come off it mate. A guy like you can't squeak at every fecking time someone shows a little teeth! Where's your f***ing predator sprit?"

Gerald let out a few breaths, laughing as John clapped him hard on the shoulder. "G'wan get out there Jerry... Don't make me f***in' kick you in the arse. I can tell you what me Grandpa did to blokes who were nicknamed Jerry... Might want to change your name."

The stoat left, laughing as he headed to the court. Gerald's head spun a bit and he couldn't help but laugh as he slipped his new jersey on.

* * *

"Nikki, a word," Howard Schnitthund (German shepherd, HC, HNT) said as he stopped her on the way to the practice facility.

"I need to discuss your and Gerald's roles in the team. I realize the Mayors are not in the best shape right now, I believe that at least in the future it is good to have a strong base."

Nikki nodded. "Sure, coach," she said, going aside with him and listening. "I understand."

"To begin with, I would like to impress on you both that we feel you both need to take some time to learn the schemes. It is hard to come into a new team with no preseason or practice. We don't want to put you into a game situation immediately. I'm not a trial by fire coach."

"That's good. I think I work best when I know what I'm doing."

"I will level with you, Miss Holmes," he said with a nod. "With your scouting I think you have starter potential now. It may not be all the time however."

"I won't disappoint you, Coach," Nikki said confindently. The look on her face, though, said she was surprised they thought so highly of her already.

Howard nodded and clapped her on the shoulder. "See that you don't," he said with a smile. "Don't worry too much about Gerald. I think his speed is good for defensive role. I imagine you're friends so I can feel good telling you that."

Nikki giggled a little. "Yeah, we've developed a little bond since we became teammates. He is a good friend.

"Good. Maintain that," he replied. "New town, makes it hard to make friends sometimes."

The tiger nodded again, agreeing. "Yes, it is."

"Now go out there and let us see what you can do, eh?" he said with a wide smile.

"Yes, sir, Coach!"

Tuesday, Feburary 5

The crowd was starting to gather into Explorer Stadium for the night's game against the Las Vegas Wildcards. There hadn't been a lot of reasons to cheer but they were still packing the stands for the Mayors. Many were there to get their first glimpse of the new rookies that had been picked up.

Gerald was set up with many of the other players, excited to be suited up with the new team. They'd done well in Edmonton and it was leading into the next game.

Nikki's heart was thumping hard as she was waiting for her name. She'd started during the Edmonton game but now... The lights drew down and as each player was announced the crowd cheered. It led up to the announcer finally coming to her.

"And now.... starting at Point Guard... Number 44, from Atlanta, Georgia! Nikkiiiiiiiii Holmes!"

The crowd cheered as she smiled, going down the line and high-fiving her teammates, taking in the spotlight danced around and the rock music blared. Nikki high-fived Stoat last; he gave her the most exuberant one and a hearty slap on the back.

There were no prouder and happier fans than Nikki's parents and big brother, seated courtside just behind the scorers table.

Gerald grinned and gave her a hearty high-five. It was great to see her starting. He knew his role was going to be more support, with a superstar like John Stoat on the court he knew starts were going to be limited... And he was ok with that.

It was a new beginning for both of them and they were determined to make the most of it.

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Gerald Puck ©  coyote42

Nikki Holmes ©  sam-gwosdz

Mary Mince, Basil Tressel ©  tobu

Evan Ashton ©  darrenzeraus

Jada Minucci ©  christaphorac

Xau Xian-Xu, Forrest Stanley ©  jtigerclaw

FBA, John Stoat, Joey Cox ©  buckhopper