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A Mink's Fury (An FBA Story)
The sounds of wailing, screaming and objects hitting lockers and walls echoed off the hard stone corridors deep within The Fireplace in Lorain, OH. The Firestorm had just lost Game 5 of the FBA Finals in overtime, a gut-wrenchingly dramatic defeat at the paws of the Stanislaus Thrust. But that wasn’t the root of the problem.
The causer of chaos in this instance was Aisha Melbourne, a 7’3” herm mink and Power Forward for the Lorain Firestorm. Normally shi was the bounciest, bubbliest, happiest fur you could ever know. But not after a loss like that. Not after how it was lost.
[refer to http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2569231/ for the prelude to this story]
Not after Buck Hopper (PG, Rabbit, STA), hir basketball idol whom shi has had a MAJOR crush on for years, took advantage of hir weakness for him in order to steal the ball in the closing seconds of regulation and slam home the tying 2 points to send the game into overtime. A trick so humiliating and heart-breaking, it rendered hir unable to play in the final period, leaving the Firestorm at a disadvantage and ultimately, the loss.
It was an emotional half-hour in the locker room following that defeat. Aisha’s teammates had NEVER seen hir behave that way. But when you figure in the pain of losing a vital game in an FBA Finals series with the hurt of being chewed up and spit out by the love of your life, the anguish is understandable.
Erich Haber (C, Mink), Gerry Cross (SF, Mink), Quentin Ramsey Jr. (F, Raccoon) and Coach Delenna Dresden (Ferret) tried everything they could to comfort Aisha and to convince hir to calm down and come out for post-game player interviews. Finally, the agitated and humiliated mink slinked out of the locker room and shuffled towards the interview podium, as was post game etiquette. However, as could be expected by the sounds heard emanating from that locker room, the outburst was not without its casualties.
While Melbourne did not punch any locker doors off their hinges, ala Valencia Zeraus (PG, Lion, NWK) in 2009, she did make quite a mess. Among the many tears shed, there were towels and shoes everywhere, gym bags with basketballs and equipment emptied and slung about the floor, and trash cans overturned. This all happened within a 2 1/2 minute span of hysterical mink rage, the likes of which no one had ever seen from the usually peppy and kind-hearted mink. The tirade was followed by nearly half an hour of weeping and incomprehensible, high-pitched squealing laced with anguish as Melbourne slouched on the bench in front of hir locker, face buried in her paws, hir teammates trying desperately to comfort hir.
At one point, the whole team had gathered around the distraught mink to try to console hir and convince hir that the loss was not hir fault. It wasn't until after Melbourne finally stopped crying and left the locker room that the Firestorm players resumed showering and dressing, while the staff took to the task of cleaning up the mess. The rookies were made to help as well, as rookie hazing custom dictates.
The moment Aisha Melbourne entered the media room full of chattering journalists and cameramen, an air of uneasy silence took over. The shocked media members, most of which were frantically completing their last tweets about the mink's recent breakdown, watched in stunned captivation, as Melbourne slowly approached the interview table, a look of despair in hir red, tear-filled eyes. Hir sniffles and the sounds of settling and adjusting hir chair pierced the silence as everyone waited on pins and needles for an explanation.
The tension in the room was thick as a Summer swamp fog. Melbourne did not make eye contact with the reporters as shi slouched forward in hir chair with hir arms crossed on the table in front of hir. Hir head sank down low, eyes transfixed on the microphone, a welcome distraction from the interrogation to come. The cheerful, happy-go-lucky mink the reporters knew and loved would not be making an appearance tonight.
After what seemed like an eternity, one brave reporter broke the ice.
"Aisha, I'm terribly sorry for the loss. My condolences," muttered a pudgy male leopard reporter in his 30's. "Please, in your own words, tell us what happened in the locker room after the game and why."
Aisha paused for a long time, as more tension mounted. The question was as inescapable as the sunrise. Finally, in a quiet, low monotone voice, she said, "We lost. And I was upset."
"We heard loud sounds coming from the locker room," the leopard added.
"Then you already knew I was upset."
The leopard wouldn’t take no for an answer and continued prodding. "Can you describe in more detail what happened in there?"
"....I'd rather not."
The room went silent again.
A petite little doe raised up out of her seat. She was frequently seen working at Firestorm games, and the players were all familiar with her. Her voice was soothing and nurturing, but her questions came off like that of a guidance counselor.
"Aisha, do you think the actions by Buck Hopper (Rabbit, PG) tonight were fair?" she asked politely.
Aisha took a deep breath and exhaled, making some small, futile gesture of exasperation with her paws. "Ref didn't call it," shi muttered, dodging the question. Shi continued to stare at the microphone and avoided looking directly at the reporters.
The small deer continued, in her soothing voice. "But did YOU think it was fair?" she asked, trying to reach deeper.
Aisha offered no response, other than a little shrug and a head tilt. Shi sniffled again and wiped hir eye.
More silence. The deer reporter lowered her head and took her seat.
A rotund male basset hound rose from his chair with his paw in the air. He was a greymuzzle, in his 50's, and his voice was deep and gritty. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Aisha, was it your decision to not play in the overtime period or Coach Dresden's?" he inquired, adjusting his round-rim glasses.
Aisha's eyes wandered around the table, hir body remaining slouched in the same position. "I... couldn't go," she replied with a crack in hir voice.
"You were too emotionally rattled to play?" the round reporter continued.
"Yes."
"And was that because of what happened with Buck Hopper or because of them sending the game to overtime?"
"It was a lot of things."
"What were those things, Aisha? Please elaborate." The dog was trying to sound gentle and sensitive. His performance was barely passable. Sensitive is usually not something associated with members of the media. The astute observer would note his tail still swaying contentedly behind him, giving away his lack of real concern for the situation.
As she began to think about those things that had happened, Aisha began to tear up. Hir ears drooped back further, and shi bit hir lip and scrunched hir muzzle, struggling to keep composure as shi fought back the tears.
"I.... felt hurt........ I let the team down........ because of........ something stupid. I ........ I couldn't control it."
It was visibly difficult for the morose mink to get the words out, as the well of emotions stirred inside, right at the brink of busting forth.
"If.... If I didn't have the ball, we would have won,” shi squeaked softly, covering hir face with hir paw and closing hir eyes.
“It's... my fault ....... my fault we lost,"
The audience obviously felt very bad for hir, as many hesitated to ask a question for fear of sounding insensitive.
One reporter had no such concern. Instead, he took the opportunity to gloat about how he had proven Aisha wrong.
[refer to http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:20285588 for the interview mentioned in this story]
The reporter's name was Harry Guntz. He was an overweight, balding tortoise with a few too many years of work (and drinking) under his belt and a mean cynicism streak. Known for his sometimes brash comments, he was a common, if unwelcome site in The Fireplace media room. Most of the time, his comrades and the players paid no mind to his arrogant, condescending questions, instead opting to remain professional.
Today, his timing couldn't have been worse.
"So Aisha," he began, barely concealing a proud smirk, "when I asked you before the series if you thought that your feelings for B-Hop would affect your play in this series, you said 'No.' Now that your mistake cost the Firestorm the game, do you admit now that you were wrong about t--"
Before he could finish, Aisha slammed both paws against the table, shooting out of hir chair and glared sharply right into the tortoise’s eyes, looking almost ready to leap over the table and attack the hapless journalist. The gaze shi shot him could have stopped a planet from rotating. It certainly seemed to nearly stop the tortoise's heart, as he stumbled back against his metal folding chair, dropping his tape recorder. Firestorm staff sprung into position, ready to jump in and hold the mink back if shi tried to rip the guy’s head off. Other reporters started to make a little distance between themselves and the unfortunate recipient of the mink’s piercing gaze.
Aisha seethed, hir head dipped low and hir normally hazel eyes blackened with rage. She peered out from underneath hir furled brow, shooting murderous daggers right into the eyes of the frightened reporter. Hir long, frizzy hair encompassed hir scowling face, giving hir a menacing presence no one had witnessed from hir before. Shi looked, at that moment, like a demon.
"Let me make this clear," shi uttered slowly between clenched teeth, revealing hir sharp little fangs. The reporters had wanted answers. They were about to get them. The flood gates were now open.
"What that rabbit did was LOW. It was DIRTY. I feel taken advantage of. Humiliated. VIOLATED. He... USED ME! He used my emotions for his own selfish devices... and it shows what type of DIRT he is. Only a piece of DIRT like him would exploit a poor mink's strongest, most personal emotions, only to take from hir and leave hir there hurt and betrayed. All for a GAME?! I feel like... I feel like I just got RAPED. By a selfish piece of dirt whose only concern was to win a basketball game at any cost."
Aisha's whole body shook and trembled as the words shot out of hir like pointed, poison-tipped arrows. The crowd of reporters could only stare, jaws dropped, at the raw, emotional outburst taking place. And shi was far from done.
"So yes, my emotions affected me. But you know what? Those emotions are DEAD. THEY ARE DEAD!!! The only emotions I have for that rabbit now are feelings of MALICE. He never once appreciated me when I liked him. Never returned my friendly affections. He never RESPECTED me. Well he's going to RESPECT ME NOW. Because if I ever get the chance, I'm going to SMEAR HIM ALL OVER THE COURT!”
The throng of reporters gasped in horror. Surely that wasn’t a real threat against the FBA’s most marketable star, was it?
"I’m not just some fangirl. I play in the same league he does! And I’m BIGGER than him... He wants to play bully ball? He'll get his wish. And when we win that trophy Friday, I hope it tears his heart out like he tore mine out. And I shall REVEL in his pain. It will make the victory all the more sweet."
The enraged mink adjusted hir composure to that of an eerily calm, seething rage as shi stood up and began to walk out of the room. As shi did, shi offered a final word to the shocked crowd, and perhaps to the bunny baller himself.
"That rabbit is going to wish he hugged me back, just once. Now it's too late. And he'll be sorry."
Aisha stormed out of the media room door as the stunned crowd of reporters exploded into chaos, spouting frantic attempts at questions they were too shocked to ask before. Steve (Rhino), Aisha's favorite staff member acting as bodyguard, put his hand on Aisha's shoulder as they walked out into the hallway. Shi promptly slapped it away and walked on ahead.
Coach Dresden walked in the room next, pushing Erich Haber (C, Mink) aside so she could field the frantic questions that were flying all around the panicked crowd of reporters. She seemed calm and collected, if not a bit irritated.
The tiny ferret with the bouncy blonde hair took her seat at the podium. The questions continued to be showered on her, blending into a cacophony of incomprehensible noise. She rolled her eyes and stood up again.
"EVERYONE. PLEASE QUIET DOWN!" She shouted, holding her paws out to the crowd, palms out to silence them. They complied. She sat once again.
"Ok, first of all, I won't be taking individual questions about Aisha's interview," the Coach confirmed. "I will say my piece on it ONE TIME. After that I will not answer those types of questions."
She cleared her throat as the room waited anxiously.
"Ok. First off I can assure you and everyone out there, no one is getting intentionally hurt out there on the basketball court this series. Aisha is not going to go on a shooting spree. The only shooting spree shi'll be doing is from 18 feet and in."
That got a nervous chuckle from a few reporters, still on edge from before. Coach Dresden shot them a bit of a glance. They stopped laughing.
"Secondly, I want to say this. Aisha Melbourne has a right to be pissed. I'M pissed. I feel for hir and hir situation, and I agree that the manner with which the Thrust players and specifically Buck Hopper acted out there on the floor tonight was appalling. It was obvious those players were desperate tonight. But instead of manning up and playing better defense... instead of working the ball around quicker for better looks, they chose to act like hooligans. It seems they learned a thing or two from the series with the Bikers [2011 Conference Finals].
The move by Buck Hopper, to GROPE my player at the end of the game should have been at least a personal foul and most likely a technical foul. You can't just SEXUALLY HARASS players in the FBA! How is that a legal strategy to win basketball games?
A couple of reporters stood up to reply, but they were quickly ignored. It was apparent that the fiery ferret was on a role and had no intention of stopping until she had made her point. She continued her ranting.
“Aisha was mentally and emotionally distraught after that play, so much so that I refused to play hir in the overtime period. Because you know what? A FUR'S WELL-BEING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A BASKETBALL GAME. Maybe it's because I'm a female and Buck Hopper is too pumped up with testosterone to sympathize, but Aisha had strong feelings for him. I mean, STRONG feelings for him. What he did to hir was no better than some sleezeball taking a naive, innocent girl for a ride and then dumping her off as soon as he gets what he wants.
And the manner in which he did it... first of all, I will be looking into filing a "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace" report with the FBA on behalf of Aisha, in accordance with FBA employee policies. Secondly, I personally have lost respect for Buck Hopper as a furson. He's a very talented fur, but the level to which he lowered himself tonight cheapens his greatness. I only hope he plays and competes for the rest of this series with more class and dignity than he's shown here tonight.
Aisha deserves the respect. Everyfur deserves the respect. And the GAME of BASKETBALL deserves the respect. Don't even get me STARTED on what Doral did. I'm not really surprised by hir though, given hir colorful history. The only comment I have on that is... now I may be mistaken, but I don't think taking your paw, putting it on the back of a player's head and SHOVING HIS FACE into your crotch constitutes going for the ball. And if a play on the ball is not made, then it's a flagrant foul. That's what the rule book says, and I implore the officials to remember that next time one of my players gets a face full of gecko crotch. For Fur’s Sake, it’s becoming obvious to me why this team is named ‘The Thrust’.”
A few reporters stood up again, fingers in the air, but they were ignored as expertly as before. The remaining reporters gave up hope and took their seats for ‘Frenetic Ferret Fable Time.’
“As far as our strategy for next game, we are going to keep playing how we play. 'Control the Skies' is a phrase my team is familiar with. If we control the skies, we win. But unlike this game, if the Thrust want to get physical and try to send us a message, we're sending one right back. We're not out to hurt anybody, but we know how to stand up for ourselves. Our defense is outstanding. It’s our backbone. And we will NOT back down to any challenge or attempt at intimidation. We're gonna push the tempo. We're gonna space the floor. Move the ball. Box out. Get shots in the paint. THEY CAN’T STOP US THERE. And if they shove us, we're gonna shove back. We're a veteran team. We're not intimated by that. We're going to stand our ground and we're going to play our game. That’s how we’re going to win.
All three minks are going to start. Aisha Melbourne is going to start. And let me tell you, I wouldn't want to be the one to cross hir path in the paint. That mink has a chip on hir shoulder the size of Lake Erie, and that's not good news for Stanislaus...
...Or that white rabbit fellow. I’d be careful if I were him."
The mess in the locker room was finally starting to give way to the efforts of the Firestorm staff, who had been cleaning for the last hour straight. Even a few players decided to help out. Rookies Moki Ixtlahuac (Buck, F) and Serhan Tevetoğlu (Turkish Angora Cat, F) had no choice in the matter, since they were rookies and were required to perform such tedious tasks as well as carry players' gymbags and run menial errands for the team.
During his clean-up, the young buck Moki came upon something interesting which gave him pause. The contents of Melbourne's locker had been ripped out and spilled all over the floor during the outburst, and Moki found the little plush Aisha Melbourne doll that had been given to hir last summer, as a gift for re-signing with the Firestorm.
"Aww man. I wish I had one of these things of me!" the buck said to himself. "These are so cute!"
He put the plushie on the bench behind him. Luckily, it had been unharmed during the rampage, only being thrown from its usual location on the top shelf of Melbourne's locker. But another artifact wasn't so lucky.
Noticing a gleam of light reflecting off of a crumpled piece of glossy paper, Moki's curiosity got the best of him. He bent over, picked up the paper and uncrumpled it.
It was Aisha's signed 8"x10" photo of B-Hop, which management had obtained along with the plushie as part of the gift package for staying with the Firestorm. The photo had B-Hop going for a one-pawed flush on a breakaway. His signature slam. The same kind of slam that sent the game into overtime tonight.
It was the same picture Aisha beamed over before every regular season game and practice, squealing girlishly at times, sighing with desire other days. A picture that represented a hard crush shi's had on him since shi played hir first game against him in 2004, the year they both entered the FBA. A picture that, despite the fact that the Firestorm were playing the Thrust for the championship, Coach Dresden didn't seem to have the heart to have removed from the tall mink's locker.
Moki didn't know where the bottom half of the picture was, nor did he know exactly how the vicious looking scratch marks got there, although he had an idea. All he knew was that everyfur would be seeing a different, more menacing mink in the coming weeks. One that would be exponentially worse should the 'Storm fail to win this championship after being up 3-1.
And that was a reality the rookie didn't want to go through.
Hey, motivation is motivation. And motivation was something the Lorain Firestorm had in abundance.
Story ©
JTigerclaw
FBA ©
BuckHopper
The causer of chaos in this instance was Aisha Melbourne, a 7’3” herm mink and Power Forward for the Lorain Firestorm. Normally shi was the bounciest, bubbliest, happiest fur you could ever know. But not after a loss like that. Not after how it was lost.
[refer to http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2569231/ for the prelude to this story]
Not after Buck Hopper (PG, Rabbit, STA), hir basketball idol whom shi has had a MAJOR crush on for years, took advantage of hir weakness for him in order to steal the ball in the closing seconds of regulation and slam home the tying 2 points to send the game into overtime. A trick so humiliating and heart-breaking, it rendered hir unable to play in the final period, leaving the Firestorm at a disadvantage and ultimately, the loss.
It was an emotional half-hour in the locker room following that defeat. Aisha’s teammates had NEVER seen hir behave that way. But when you figure in the pain of losing a vital game in an FBA Finals series with the hurt of being chewed up and spit out by the love of your life, the anguish is understandable.
Erich Haber (C, Mink), Gerry Cross (SF, Mink), Quentin Ramsey Jr. (F, Raccoon) and Coach Delenna Dresden (Ferret) tried everything they could to comfort Aisha and to convince hir to calm down and come out for post-game player interviews. Finally, the agitated and humiliated mink slinked out of the locker room and shuffled towards the interview podium, as was post game etiquette. However, as could be expected by the sounds heard emanating from that locker room, the outburst was not without its casualties.
While Melbourne did not punch any locker doors off their hinges, ala Valencia Zeraus (PG, Lion, NWK) in 2009, she did make quite a mess. Among the many tears shed, there were towels and shoes everywhere, gym bags with basketballs and equipment emptied and slung about the floor, and trash cans overturned. This all happened within a 2 1/2 minute span of hysterical mink rage, the likes of which no one had ever seen from the usually peppy and kind-hearted mink. The tirade was followed by nearly half an hour of weeping and incomprehensible, high-pitched squealing laced with anguish as Melbourne slouched on the bench in front of hir locker, face buried in her paws, hir teammates trying desperately to comfort hir.
At one point, the whole team had gathered around the distraught mink to try to console hir and convince hir that the loss was not hir fault. It wasn't until after Melbourne finally stopped crying and left the locker room that the Firestorm players resumed showering and dressing, while the staff took to the task of cleaning up the mess. The rookies were made to help as well, as rookie hazing custom dictates.
The moment Aisha Melbourne entered the media room full of chattering journalists and cameramen, an air of uneasy silence took over. The shocked media members, most of which were frantically completing their last tweets about the mink's recent breakdown, watched in stunned captivation, as Melbourne slowly approached the interview table, a look of despair in hir red, tear-filled eyes. Hir sniffles and the sounds of settling and adjusting hir chair pierced the silence as everyone waited on pins and needles for an explanation.
The tension in the room was thick as a Summer swamp fog. Melbourne did not make eye contact with the reporters as shi slouched forward in hir chair with hir arms crossed on the table in front of hir. Hir head sank down low, eyes transfixed on the microphone, a welcome distraction from the interrogation to come. The cheerful, happy-go-lucky mink the reporters knew and loved would not be making an appearance tonight.
After what seemed like an eternity, one brave reporter broke the ice.
"Aisha, I'm terribly sorry for the loss. My condolences," muttered a pudgy male leopard reporter in his 30's. "Please, in your own words, tell us what happened in the locker room after the game and why."
Aisha paused for a long time, as more tension mounted. The question was as inescapable as the sunrise. Finally, in a quiet, low monotone voice, she said, "We lost. And I was upset."
"We heard loud sounds coming from the locker room," the leopard added.
"Then you already knew I was upset."
The leopard wouldn’t take no for an answer and continued prodding. "Can you describe in more detail what happened in there?"
"....I'd rather not."
The room went silent again.
A petite little doe raised up out of her seat. She was frequently seen working at Firestorm games, and the players were all familiar with her. Her voice was soothing and nurturing, but her questions came off like that of a guidance counselor.
"Aisha, do you think the actions by Buck Hopper (Rabbit, PG) tonight were fair?" she asked politely.
Aisha took a deep breath and exhaled, making some small, futile gesture of exasperation with her paws. "Ref didn't call it," shi muttered, dodging the question. Shi continued to stare at the microphone and avoided looking directly at the reporters.
The small deer continued, in her soothing voice. "But did YOU think it was fair?" she asked, trying to reach deeper.
Aisha offered no response, other than a little shrug and a head tilt. Shi sniffled again and wiped hir eye.
More silence. The deer reporter lowered her head and took her seat.
A rotund male basset hound rose from his chair with his paw in the air. He was a greymuzzle, in his 50's, and his voice was deep and gritty. He cleared his throat before speaking.
"Aisha, was it your decision to not play in the overtime period or Coach Dresden's?" he inquired, adjusting his round-rim glasses.
Aisha's eyes wandered around the table, hir body remaining slouched in the same position. "I... couldn't go," she replied with a crack in hir voice.
"You were too emotionally rattled to play?" the round reporter continued.
"Yes."
"And was that because of what happened with Buck Hopper or because of them sending the game to overtime?"
"It was a lot of things."
"What were those things, Aisha? Please elaborate." The dog was trying to sound gentle and sensitive. His performance was barely passable. Sensitive is usually not something associated with members of the media. The astute observer would note his tail still swaying contentedly behind him, giving away his lack of real concern for the situation.
As she began to think about those things that had happened, Aisha began to tear up. Hir ears drooped back further, and shi bit hir lip and scrunched hir muzzle, struggling to keep composure as shi fought back the tears.
"I.... felt hurt........ I let the team down........ because of........ something stupid. I ........ I couldn't control it."
It was visibly difficult for the morose mink to get the words out, as the well of emotions stirred inside, right at the brink of busting forth.
"If.... If I didn't have the ball, we would have won,” shi squeaked softly, covering hir face with hir paw and closing hir eyes.
“It's... my fault ....... my fault we lost,"
The audience obviously felt very bad for hir, as many hesitated to ask a question for fear of sounding insensitive.
One reporter had no such concern. Instead, he took the opportunity to gloat about how he had proven Aisha wrong.
[refer to http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/...../#cid:20285588 for the interview mentioned in this story]
The reporter's name was Harry Guntz. He was an overweight, balding tortoise with a few too many years of work (and drinking) under his belt and a mean cynicism streak. Known for his sometimes brash comments, he was a common, if unwelcome site in The Fireplace media room. Most of the time, his comrades and the players paid no mind to his arrogant, condescending questions, instead opting to remain professional.
Today, his timing couldn't have been worse.
"So Aisha," he began, barely concealing a proud smirk, "when I asked you before the series if you thought that your feelings for B-Hop would affect your play in this series, you said 'No.' Now that your mistake cost the Firestorm the game, do you admit now that you were wrong about t--"
Before he could finish, Aisha slammed both paws against the table, shooting out of hir chair and glared sharply right into the tortoise’s eyes, looking almost ready to leap over the table and attack the hapless journalist. The gaze shi shot him could have stopped a planet from rotating. It certainly seemed to nearly stop the tortoise's heart, as he stumbled back against his metal folding chair, dropping his tape recorder. Firestorm staff sprung into position, ready to jump in and hold the mink back if shi tried to rip the guy’s head off. Other reporters started to make a little distance between themselves and the unfortunate recipient of the mink’s piercing gaze.
Aisha seethed, hir head dipped low and hir normally hazel eyes blackened with rage. She peered out from underneath hir furled brow, shooting murderous daggers right into the eyes of the frightened reporter. Hir long, frizzy hair encompassed hir scowling face, giving hir a menacing presence no one had witnessed from hir before. Shi looked, at that moment, like a demon.
"Let me make this clear," shi uttered slowly between clenched teeth, revealing hir sharp little fangs. The reporters had wanted answers. They were about to get them. The flood gates were now open.
"What that rabbit did was LOW. It was DIRTY. I feel taken advantage of. Humiliated. VIOLATED. He... USED ME! He used my emotions for his own selfish devices... and it shows what type of DIRT he is. Only a piece of DIRT like him would exploit a poor mink's strongest, most personal emotions, only to take from hir and leave hir there hurt and betrayed. All for a GAME?! I feel like... I feel like I just got RAPED. By a selfish piece of dirt whose only concern was to win a basketball game at any cost."
Aisha's whole body shook and trembled as the words shot out of hir like pointed, poison-tipped arrows. The crowd of reporters could only stare, jaws dropped, at the raw, emotional outburst taking place. And shi was far from done.
"So yes, my emotions affected me. But you know what? Those emotions are DEAD. THEY ARE DEAD!!! The only emotions I have for that rabbit now are feelings of MALICE. He never once appreciated me when I liked him. Never returned my friendly affections. He never RESPECTED me. Well he's going to RESPECT ME NOW. Because if I ever get the chance, I'm going to SMEAR HIM ALL OVER THE COURT!”
The throng of reporters gasped in horror. Surely that wasn’t a real threat against the FBA’s most marketable star, was it?
"I’m not just some fangirl. I play in the same league he does! And I’m BIGGER than him... He wants to play bully ball? He'll get his wish. And when we win that trophy Friday, I hope it tears his heart out like he tore mine out. And I shall REVEL in his pain. It will make the victory all the more sweet."
The enraged mink adjusted hir composure to that of an eerily calm, seething rage as shi stood up and began to walk out of the room. As shi did, shi offered a final word to the shocked crowd, and perhaps to the bunny baller himself.
"That rabbit is going to wish he hugged me back, just once. Now it's too late. And he'll be sorry."
Aisha stormed out of the media room door as the stunned crowd of reporters exploded into chaos, spouting frantic attempts at questions they were too shocked to ask before. Steve (Rhino), Aisha's favorite staff member acting as bodyguard, put his hand on Aisha's shoulder as they walked out into the hallway. Shi promptly slapped it away and walked on ahead.
Coach Dresden walked in the room next, pushing Erich Haber (C, Mink) aside so she could field the frantic questions that were flying all around the panicked crowd of reporters. She seemed calm and collected, if not a bit irritated.
The tiny ferret with the bouncy blonde hair took her seat at the podium. The questions continued to be showered on her, blending into a cacophony of incomprehensible noise. She rolled her eyes and stood up again.
"EVERYONE. PLEASE QUIET DOWN!" She shouted, holding her paws out to the crowd, palms out to silence them. They complied. She sat once again.
"Ok, first of all, I won't be taking individual questions about Aisha's interview," the Coach confirmed. "I will say my piece on it ONE TIME. After that I will not answer those types of questions."
She cleared her throat as the room waited anxiously.
"Ok. First off I can assure you and everyone out there, no one is getting intentionally hurt out there on the basketball court this series. Aisha is not going to go on a shooting spree. The only shooting spree shi'll be doing is from 18 feet and in."
That got a nervous chuckle from a few reporters, still on edge from before. Coach Dresden shot them a bit of a glance. They stopped laughing.
"Secondly, I want to say this. Aisha Melbourne has a right to be pissed. I'M pissed. I feel for hir and hir situation, and I agree that the manner with which the Thrust players and specifically Buck Hopper acted out there on the floor tonight was appalling. It was obvious those players were desperate tonight. But instead of manning up and playing better defense... instead of working the ball around quicker for better looks, they chose to act like hooligans. It seems they learned a thing or two from the series with the Bikers [2011 Conference Finals].
The move by Buck Hopper, to GROPE my player at the end of the game should have been at least a personal foul and most likely a technical foul. You can't just SEXUALLY HARASS players in the FBA! How is that a legal strategy to win basketball games?
A couple of reporters stood up to reply, but they were quickly ignored. It was apparent that the fiery ferret was on a role and had no intention of stopping until she had made her point. She continued her ranting.
“Aisha was mentally and emotionally distraught after that play, so much so that I refused to play hir in the overtime period. Because you know what? A FUR'S WELL-BEING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN A BASKETBALL GAME. Maybe it's because I'm a female and Buck Hopper is too pumped up with testosterone to sympathize, but Aisha had strong feelings for him. I mean, STRONG feelings for him. What he did to hir was no better than some sleezeball taking a naive, innocent girl for a ride and then dumping her off as soon as he gets what he wants.
And the manner in which he did it... first of all, I will be looking into filing a "Sexual Harassment in the Workplace" report with the FBA on behalf of Aisha, in accordance with FBA employee policies. Secondly, I personally have lost respect for Buck Hopper as a furson. He's a very talented fur, but the level to which he lowered himself tonight cheapens his greatness. I only hope he plays and competes for the rest of this series with more class and dignity than he's shown here tonight.
Aisha deserves the respect. Everyfur deserves the respect. And the GAME of BASKETBALL deserves the respect. Don't even get me STARTED on what Doral did. I'm not really surprised by hir though, given hir colorful history. The only comment I have on that is... now I may be mistaken, but I don't think taking your paw, putting it on the back of a player's head and SHOVING HIS FACE into your crotch constitutes going for the ball. And if a play on the ball is not made, then it's a flagrant foul. That's what the rule book says, and I implore the officials to remember that next time one of my players gets a face full of gecko crotch. For Fur’s Sake, it’s becoming obvious to me why this team is named ‘The Thrust’.”
A few reporters stood up again, fingers in the air, but they were ignored as expertly as before. The remaining reporters gave up hope and took their seats for ‘Frenetic Ferret Fable Time.’
“As far as our strategy for next game, we are going to keep playing how we play. 'Control the Skies' is a phrase my team is familiar with. If we control the skies, we win. But unlike this game, if the Thrust want to get physical and try to send us a message, we're sending one right back. We're not out to hurt anybody, but we know how to stand up for ourselves. Our defense is outstanding. It’s our backbone. And we will NOT back down to any challenge or attempt at intimidation. We're gonna push the tempo. We're gonna space the floor. Move the ball. Box out. Get shots in the paint. THEY CAN’T STOP US THERE. And if they shove us, we're gonna shove back. We're a veteran team. We're not intimated by that. We're going to stand our ground and we're going to play our game. That’s how we’re going to win.
All three minks are going to start. Aisha Melbourne is going to start. And let me tell you, I wouldn't want to be the one to cross hir path in the paint. That mink has a chip on hir shoulder the size of Lake Erie, and that's not good news for Stanislaus...
...Or that white rabbit fellow. I’d be careful if I were him."
The mess in the locker room was finally starting to give way to the efforts of the Firestorm staff, who had been cleaning for the last hour straight. Even a few players decided to help out. Rookies Moki Ixtlahuac (Buck, F) and Serhan Tevetoğlu (Turkish Angora Cat, F) had no choice in the matter, since they were rookies and were required to perform such tedious tasks as well as carry players' gymbags and run menial errands for the team.
During his clean-up, the young buck Moki came upon something interesting which gave him pause. The contents of Melbourne's locker had been ripped out and spilled all over the floor during the outburst, and Moki found the little plush Aisha Melbourne doll that had been given to hir last summer, as a gift for re-signing with the Firestorm.
"Aww man. I wish I had one of these things of me!" the buck said to himself. "These are so cute!"
He put the plushie on the bench behind him. Luckily, it had been unharmed during the rampage, only being thrown from its usual location on the top shelf of Melbourne's locker. But another artifact wasn't so lucky.
Noticing a gleam of light reflecting off of a crumpled piece of glossy paper, Moki's curiosity got the best of him. He bent over, picked up the paper and uncrumpled it.
It was Aisha's signed 8"x10" photo of B-Hop, which management had obtained along with the plushie as part of the gift package for staying with the Firestorm. The photo had B-Hop going for a one-pawed flush on a breakaway. His signature slam. The same kind of slam that sent the game into overtime tonight.
It was the same picture Aisha beamed over before every regular season game and practice, squealing girlishly at times, sighing with desire other days. A picture that represented a hard crush shi's had on him since shi played hir first game against him in 2004, the year they both entered the FBA. A picture that, despite the fact that the Firestorm were playing the Thrust for the championship, Coach Dresden didn't seem to have the heart to have removed from the tall mink's locker.
Moki didn't know where the bottom half of the picture was, nor did he know exactly how the vicious looking scratch marks got there, although he had an idea. All he knew was that everyfur would be seeing a different, more menacing mink in the coming weeks. One that would be exponentially worse should the 'Storm fail to win this championship after being up 3-1.
And that was a reality the rookie didn't want to go through.
Hey, motivation is motivation. And motivation was something the Lorain Firestorm had in abundance.
Story ©
JTigerclawFBA ©
BuckHopper
Category All / All
Species Mink
Size 300 x 300px
File Size 47.4 kB
Listed in Folders
B-Hop has made an enemy. O.O A very LARGE enemy.
Great story, JT! Thank you so much for picking up where my story left off and adding in all this depth and intrigue to the series. This is EXACTLY the kind of stuff the FBA needs to stay lively, and I love it when others step up to build on the world like this! Thank you so much!!
Great story, JT! Thank you so much for picking up where my story left off and adding in all this depth and intrigue to the series. This is EXACTLY the kind of stuff the FBA needs to stay lively, and I love it when others step up to build on the world like this! Thank you so much!!
Thanks B-Hop! Your story inspired me to write this. I felt like Aisha really needed a say in what happened, plus the dynamic involving hir crush on B-Hop would have to have changed dramatically after a play like that. I just hope this can build to even more character development and awesome storylines later on! :)
Yes, B-Hop has made a large enemy for now. Shi's not as strong or vicious as Onca, but at this point shi seems scarier. No one knows what shi'll do, not even hir teammates! But shi does know that the team needs hir to win the championship, so hopefully shi can keep that rage bottled up and not turn into the next Onca story. In any case, I'm sure it will translate into an amazing game full of emotion and drama! Just the type of thing the FBA loves. ;)
Yes, B-Hop has made a large enemy for now. Shi's not as strong or vicious as Onca, but at this point shi seems scarier. No one knows what shi'll do, not even hir teammates! But shi does know that the team needs hir to win the championship, so hopefully shi can keep that rage bottled up and not turn into the next Onca story. In any case, I'm sure it will translate into an amazing game full of emotion and drama! Just the type of thing the FBA loves. ;)
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