A little sneak peak of a GOAT fic I had in the drafts. I'd really like some feedback on this 🙏🏽
“Oooooh! And there's the buzzer Chuck! Looks like the Magmas are really starting to make the Shivers well… shiver!” Rusty exclaimed. “I think you're right Rusty! We'll be back in after halftime to see if it truly is still anyone's game!” Chuck replied as the pair watched both teams retreat to their locker rooms for halftime. “Y'all we are cooking them!!” Miles, a gorilla smirked as he chest bumped Jordan, a tiger.
“It's not gonna be long until we beat them. Let's keep doin what we doin!” Natasha added as she stretched to relieve a building soreness in her legs before sitting down near her locker and lapped from her water bowl. “It's nothing but net from now on! Ya hear?” Kevin, a Komodo Dragon replied as he too began to stretch.
“Nah. We need to make sure we don't just win. We annihilate them.” Mane suddenly spoke, making the entire team grow quiet. “We need to break them.” He then added. “Baby… we're already winning. We don't need to do allat.” Natasha said as she ran a paw up and down her boyfriend’s chest. An act that usually calmed him down, but in this moment it irritated him further.
“You need to worry about not being so slow out there and actually score points instead of doin whatever it is you doin on the outside. Get in the game and get out yo head.” Mane growled before pushing Natasha away from him and stormed out of the locker room, leaving the confused and heartbroken cheetah behind. He had never spoken to her like that before. Sure he got frustrated during games. They all did. But he never went as far as to take it out on anyone. Especially not her. She was his girl. His baby…Right?
During the second half of the game, Natasha wasn't so sure. He did nothing but yell and berate her for being ‘Too damn slow’. But as she and everyone else saw it, she was going as fast as she could go. Any faster, she could hurt herself AND her fellow roarball players. She wasn't about to take that risk. It was now the fourth quarter and Mane continued to push Natasha to increase her speed. As the shot clock counted down and burnout was imminent, Natasha had attempted a pass to one of her teammates, only to faint at the last minute and crash into the ground mid pass.
“Natasha!” A voice shouted. She so dearly wanted it to be Mane’s voice, but at the end of the day, she knew it wasn’t. By the time she came to, the mammal by her bedside was the owner of the team. None of her teammates or her boyfriend. “That was quite the scene, ya know. Had me on the edge of my seat.” The eagle smirked as he scrolled through his phone. “Good thing Mane picked up your slack, otherwise your little episode would have cost us the game.”
Natasha’s ears flattened against her skull as the tv in the medical wing replayed Mane’s winning shot over and over. Jumping over her unconscious body all to win a game. It made her sick to see he barely cared for her well being. “Look here doll, I run a tight ship, you feel me? I can’t have a player who faints during games.”
“I wouldn’t have passed out if Mane wasn’t pushing me to use my speed past my limit! Cheetahs aren’t mindless-” “Yea Yea, but have you ever really been more than just your speed? You used to be a beast on the court! You used to scare our opponents! Now you’re nothing more than a soft little kitten. I don’t keep that kind of company.” The owner replied cutting Natasha off before tossing a contract onto her lap.
“As of today, you are no longer a Lava Coast Magma. You’re now a Vineland Thorn. Congrats sweetheart! You’ll fit in just well. After all, you’ll be with your kind! Has-beens.” As the owner left the room, Natasha could feel the tears build, no matter how much she tried to fight them.
‘Mane! Mane! How do you feel about Natasha being traded to the Vineland Thorns?!’ Natasha’s ears perked up as the TV played an interview of Mane. “I have nothing to say. Natasha is washed up. She just doesn’t have anything more left to offer. So she’s going to a team where they specialize in just the kind of category she’s in. Mediocrity.” Natasha could barely hear anymore before throwing the remote at the TV shattering the glass on impact. A testament to just how much fight she had left in her. Sadly, none of her team would get to see it.
The very next day, Natasha was on a plane to Vineland. As she landed, she couldn’t help but marvel at the scenery. All of the times she had come to play at the greenhouse, she never once took the time to admire the city she was playing against. “Was it always this beautiful?” She whispered as she descended on the escalator.
“Miss?” Natasha quickly turned her head to the alligator dressed in a black suit. “This way Miss Saunders. I’m your driver Peter. I’ll be taking these.” He replied as he took her bags. “Oh you really don’t have to. It’s no trouble.” Natasha replied back. “Oh but I do. Not only is it my job, you are still on the list as injured.” He said as he led her to the sleek black car and opened the trunk placing her bags inside.
“Please ma’am, allow me.” Peter smiled as he opened the door for Natasha to get in. “Why are you being so nice to me?” She asked as she climbed in the car. “There are many reasons Miss. My job, basic manners, respect, etc. the list goes on.” Peter replied as he went around the car to climb in and start the vehicle.
“I was a Lava Coast Magma…You’re supposed to hate me.” Natasha spoke. “Key word Miss, WAS. You’re a Vineland Thorn now. And when you’re a Thorn, Vineland has your back. These Roots Run Deep!” Natasha nodded silently as she looked out the window. “Roots Run Deep…”