A Prey Among Predators

A whistle blows.

The puck is dropped.

Two sticks’ blades dig at it.

Nico scoops up the puck and hands it to Jesperi, who is to his left. The five skaters in black advance into their opponent’s territory. The team in white skates backward and align themselves each with an opponent.

Jesperi enters the blue line and spots Drake Batherson with his small round ears peeking from his helmet and slim marbled tail by the crease on his same side. He shoots the puck toward him, only to have it knocked halfway out of its path onto the ice by Kale.

The alternate captain passes it to Clayton, who brings the puck out of the blue line. Gliding backward in front of him is Miro and Victor Mete, who has long red ears with tufts at the tips and a curled, bushy red tail.

Nolan rushes down the left side of the ice with his eyes on his captain. He becomes parallel with him and taps his stick.

Clayton back-passes the puck to Brett, who is coming right behind him. Brett takes the puck into the Fury’s zone, cradles it as he nears the defended net and the defensemen closing in on him, and launches it toward his left.

Connor Ingram, who has oval-shaped, small gray ears and a fluffy, long striped tail, punches the puck to the boards.

Being on the same side of the ice as the puck, Nolan speeds up to the puck, guides it toward the side of the net, and knocks it up into the net’s top corner, over Connor’s shoulder.

With two arms and his stick in the air, Nolan glides away from the net. Behind him the sirens spin as his teammates cheer and bang their sticks from the bench.

Brett lets out an excited howl and races up to him, arms outstretched.

“Yeah, Pat!” He pulls him into a bulky hug.

Kale and Juuso join in on the hug by the boards, patting his helmet and ears. As their hug breaks and they depart, Clayton glides up to him.

He holds out his glove. “Not too shabby, bunny.”

Nolan glides past him, toward the benches. “Don’t call me that.”

The captain follows him and shrugs. “Sorry, can’t help it. Old habit.”

Nolan holds his gloved hand out as he breezes by the line of teammates in the benches. His teammates fist-bump him with hoots and exclamations of congratulation.

On the other side of the rink, Carter slams his stick against the ice. “WOOO! PAT!!!”

Nolan grins and chuckles, dipping his head in embarrassment, as he rounds away from the boards.

He then feels someone tapping his shin guard, causing him to peer up to his left.

Clayton gazes down at him. “Wanna take this face-off?”

“Okay.”

Nolan glides down to the center face-off as the rest of the two teams skate to their positions.

Nolan halts behind the blue dot and gazes up.

Grinning at him with delirious eyes is Jesperi and his massive ears. He lets out a yip, shooting shock through Nolan.

Nolan does not move a muscle as the puck drops. Jesperi zooms past him, taking it with him.

Sensing the presence of everyone else fading away, Nolan gasps; the gripping sensation melts away from his muscles. He spins around and hurries into his team’s territory before halting in between the two Fury defensemen at the blue line.

In the zone, the team in black has formed a box from the top of the blue line to the corners of the boards. Jesperi passes it to Victor, who is to his right, and drifts toward the crease.

Victor cradles the puck, observing his options. He spots Nico with his stick out away from Brett by the boards to the right. The defenseman sends the puck to Nico, who skates away from Brett and launches the puck upward across slot.

Nolan juts his stick out to intercept the puck, yet yanks it back as the familiar sensation tightens his muscles again.

The puck flies by Nolan. At the top of the face-off circle, Miro slaps it with the pass’ momentum.

The puck sails by the multiple teammates in its path and dives into the net, pass Carter’s back.

The team in black cheers and clobbers Miro against the boards nearest to him as the sirens spin behind the net.

Carter swipes the puck out of the net with his catcher.

In front of him, Clayton gapes at the celebrating opponents. “Hey-HEY!”

Clayton storms up to the officials, who are by the scorekeepers’ glass. Their furry, golden ears and matching golden hair flow out from their black helmets in pride.

The captain’s yelling grabs Nolan’s and the rest of the Braves’ attention, causing them to turn toward him and the referees. Nolan flicks his ears to be in front of him, focusing on the scene.

Clayton halts to their left. “You think that’s a good goal?”

“Even non-hockey fans know that’s a good goal,” the main official remarks with hands on his hips.

“They used pheromones! We couldn’t move! That shouldn’t count!”

From behind the scorekeepers’ glass, Elias and Lias are following the scene with their eyes as their mouths hang open.

“We didn’t sense any usage of pheromones,” the official explains.

“Well, I did! And that’s why we couldn’t move to deflect the shot—” Clayton holds his stick out toward the net Carter is occupying. “Didn’t you see our goalie?!”

“Get yourself a better goalie then.” The official turns back to the glass and speaks into the hole.

“We got the best goalie in the league!” Clayton shouts behind him.

With that, the officials glide away from him. Clayton holds a scowl at the four men before darting his eyes to the scorekeepers.

Elias and Lias gaze at him as if they are in headlights. Keeping his eyes on the captain, Elias reaches over his friend to press a button.

On the scoreboard, the red digital “0” below the name “Home” shifts into a “1.” Next to it, the name “Visitor” also holds a “1.”

Clayton intensifies his glare before whipping his head back to the dispersing officials with the same look. He lets out a growl. His ears are pushed back as his tail sways toward the left.

Brett follows Nolan into the team’s bench and sits next to him.

“‘Pheromones’?” Nolan turns to him with knitted eyebrows. “I haven’t heard that since my beer league years.”

“Yeah, they’re illegal since they manipulate our movements unwillingly,” Brett replies, rolling his eyes.

“Did they use pheromones against us?”

Clayton plops himself next to Brett. “YES.”

In front of them, the play begins.

Brett whirls to his friend, spotting his fuming expression and posture. “Hey, Kelly, chill; we’re only tied.”

Clayton whips his head to him. “Not for long when they pin us against the boards and score goals!” He bangs his stick against the board’s edge like a gavel. “This is cruel and unusual!”

Nolan leans forward to gaze at him. “They’ve never done this before?”

Brett looks down at him. “No, because it’s illegal.”

“Low-life rats,” Clayton seethes, staring ahead of him. “I guess that’s what happens when you play against a team captained by a mustelid.”

From the other side of the bench, Jesse and Kailer frown at him.

Clayton turns to them, catching their looks of hurt and disapproval. “Sorry, but I hate your guys’ family.”

Jesse squeaks and turns away with Kailer.

Nolan turns to the captain. “So what are we gonna do?”

Cheers erupt with sticks banging. Clayton and his team peer ahead to the right, spotting five Fury skaters huddled against a corner. Carter shovels a puck out of the net.

Clayton flies up to his feet and slams his gloved hands against the boards. “Go climb a mountain, refs! They’re using pheromones! That’s not allowed!”

Officials gather around the scorekeepers’ glass again.

“Hey-HEY!”

Brett snaps his head up at his friend and hisses, “Kelly—!”
Clayton springs over the boards and dashes across the ice.

“Oh gosh, he’s gonna make donkey out of himself.”

Brett climbs over the boards and skates after him. Nolan stays in the bench, aiming his ears toward the scene across from him.

Clayton brakes next to the officials to the left and spews out, “How can you not sense pheromones being used?” He juts his stick out to his team’s territory. “Why don’t you go right next to me while I’m in my own zone and see for yourself, okay—?”

Brett glides up to his left and grabs his arm. “Kelly, Kelly—”

Nico slides into the group, halting on the other side of the officials. “When can we start the play?”

Clayton snaps his head to Nico, behind the group. “When you STOP USING PHEROMONES!”

The captain in black gapes at him. “Since when did I say I was using pheromones?!”

“Since I began sensing them myself!”

Clayton then lunges at him and slams both of them onto the ice; sticks and gloves fly into the air. He pummels him with punches, his teeth clenched with fangs creeping down from his gums.

Laying on the ice, Nico growls and bats at his jersey-cladded arms and shoulders with his clawed hands. He then catches the jersey’s cloth with his claw and pulls at it while snapping his sharp teeth at him.

Brett throws his hands to the sides of his head. “KELLY, NO!”

The officials surround the brawl. “Hey, hey, break it up, break it up!”

Two officials grab each of the captains and attempt to pull them away. They are latched to each other by their fangs and claws in a fit of snarls.

Nico jerks Clayton down toward him.

Clayton slams a fist into Nico’s cheek.

SNAP!

Everyone freezes. They all look out to the middle of the ice, where the sound came from.

Standing on the center face-off is Jesperi who is holding two halves of Clayton’s stick. A large grin takes up half of his face. He squeaks.

With sharp eyes, Clayton shoves himself away from Nico and begins to charge at Jesperi. Only two stomps are taken before he is held back by two officials.

“Okay, captain, into the box you go,” one of the officials says as he and his partner guide the captain towards the box.

“No! No! NO!” Clayton screeches, mad eyes aimed at the small skater. “MY STICK! HE BROKE IT!”

One of the officials opens the penalty box’s door and pushes the captain into it with the help of his partner.

Clayton turns around and plops himself on the bench, raging in anger like a child in timeout. His ears are back and flat; his arms are crossed.

Still in shock from what he witnessed, Nolan follows Jesperi with his eyes. The small skater steps into his bench with the broken stick and drops it into the trash can.

Nolan gapes at him returning to the ice. He then peers behind his shoulder. Behind him is a small row of sticks, all with Clayton’s last name written on them by the knob.

Nolan stands up and plucks one before climbing out of the bench and drifting across the ice toward the penalty box.

From the other penalty box with Nico by his side, the official shoots him a skeptical look. “Hey, bunny, what are you doing?”

“He needs a stick for when he comes out,” he replies, not making eye contact with him.

Nolan then opens the door and holds the stick out to his captain. “Here.”

Clayton flicks his storming eyes at him. He takes it.

Nolan then closes the door and skates out, glancing behind his shoulder to spot Nico sitting in the other penalty box.

With a small smile, he drifts to center ice and halts by Brett.

“Four-on-four; we’ll score here,” the other alternate captain tells him. “Just stay by the crease.”

Nolan nods. “Gotcha.”

He then glides to the side of the center face-off and bends forward with his stick out on the ice.

Brett takes the face-off and passes the puck to Jesse. Nolan parallels himself with Jesse as he skates down the ice.

As Victor closes in on Jesse, Jesse spots Kale before the blue line and passes the puck to him. Kale brings the puck into the Fury’s zone and brakes backward to avoid having it batted away by Drake.

Brett glides down the slot and slams his stick. “Here!”

Kale glances at him and shoots the puck to him.

Brett then looks at Nolan, who is at the side of the crease and passes it toward him.

A stick’s blade then swipes the puck out of its path, bringing it toward its owner. Miro whirls around and launches the puck at Jesperi, who is by the blue line.

Jesperi takes the puck and begins making his way across the ice.

Carter slides out of his crease in his ready stance.

Kale storms behind the skater and reaches his stick out toward him. His stick pokes the puck out from his possession.

Jesperi rounds back into the neutral zone as Carter takes the abandoned puck and passes it to the defenseman.

Kale brings the puck back down the ice and shoots it to Nolan, who is now by the blue line. Nolan crosses the blue line and takes a sharp turn around Drake before launching the puck at Connor.

Miro, who is in front of Connor, bats the puck back onto the ice and sweeps it out toward the blue line.

At the top of the blue line, Kale reaches out his stick and regains the puck. He passes it down to Nolan, who crosses-over backward to avoid losing the puck to Victor.

He then glances to his left, spotting Brett by the side of the crease. He launches the puck across the territory, and Brett slaps it into the net.

He pumps up his fists and glides away. “AH-OOO!!!” Basking in victory, he skates around. “WOOO WOOO!!!”

The other three skaters on the ice gather around him against the boards in smiles and hugs.

By their net, Jesperi and Miro look out at the celebration with frowns.

“‘They used pheromones.’” Jesperi mocks in a high-pitched voice and contorted expression. He then scoffs and brushes his ear to aside, normalizing his expression and voice. “Vexing woodlanders.”

He then drifts away. Miro blinks at the celebration before gliding after his teammate.

Brett leads the other three teammates on the ice in the line of fist bumps with the rest of the Brave. “You know what? We can win this game!”

“If the wolverine stays in the box!” Kale hollers from behind him.

“Hah, yeah, really!”

Brett then rounds at the end of the bench to gaze at his friend in the penalty box. He nods toward him and gives a quick howl. Clayton howls back at him.

Kale has a slight gawk at their form of communication. “You canines are weird.”

Brett turns to him. “I dunno, liking fish, but not water is weird to me.”

“Heeey!!!”

Nolan breezes by the two. “Come on, guys, let’s play…!”

Notes