Now that Sarah had achieved her dream, she no longer needed her I.T. job. Sarah left on good terms, giving a proper letter of resignation along with giving Mr. Melbourne her two weeks notice. Sarah was going to miss her co-workers, but she wasn’t going to miss having to deal with customers who were mean or just pin stupid.

  That weekend Naomi came over to Rachel’s apartment to hang out with Sarah. Rachel decided to go hang out with Becky so that Sarah and Naomi could have some private time to catch up. Sarah and Naomi sat on the couch together.

  “So Naomi, what do you think of the WildLands?” Sarah asked.

  “Oh, it’s very beautiful. All of the businesses are eco-friendly, and the pay and health insurance is wonderful. The only compint I have is that there is so little anime and manga.”

  Sarah could not help but let out a chuckle. “Yeah, I suppose that is the only downside.”

  “I’m also surprised that you seem to have ditched your tomboy attitude. I never would have expected to see you wearing a dress the other night.” Naomi said.

  Sarah had never really thought about it, but ever since coming to the WildLands and becoming an anthro fox she had embraced more of her girly side. She also noticed that she had become more responsible. “I guess this pce is simply having an effect on me.”

  “I say it’s for the better. It was only a month ago that you were pying video games while sitting around in your dorm most of the day.”

  “Hey, I still py video games. Only now I py them with William.”

  “Oh right, your boyfriend. So tell me, how did you two meet?”

  “We met the first day I came here to the WildLands. I had just finished being processed and Rachel took me shopping for some new clothes. Right before I entered the store William and I walked by each other and…”

  Naomi raised an eyebrow. “And what?”

  “And we checked out each other’s asses.” Sarah then covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

  Naomi burst out ughing. “Ha! I knew there was something different about you besides becoming a fox, and it isn’t just the twin peaks on your chest.”

  “Alright, I have got a plump booty to go with my new breasts. Anyway we ran into each other a couple of more times, then I went to his pce to py Super Smash Bros Ultimate, and then the next thing I know we were both doing the nasty.”

  Naomi went wide eyed. “You two did the horizontal bop?”

  Sarah smiled slightly and brushed back her hair. “Well, yeah.”

  “Wow, this pce certainly has had a positive effect on you. You have achieved your dream job, you have become more responsible, you have a boyfriend, and you have finally had sex.”

  “I’ll have you know that there is more to my retionship with William than just sex. He’s funny, polite, caring, a great cook, and a great conversationalist.”

  “It sounds like you have found the perfect guy, or wolf in this case.”

  “Yeah, William really makes me feel complete. But how about you? Has anyone caught your eye since you came here?”

  Naomi reached over and grabbed a nearby pillow. She hugged it tightly. “Well, um, there is this fellow waiter at work. He’s a squirrel like me, and he is very handsome.”

  Sarah rested her chin on her hand. “Does this handsome squirrel have a name?”

  “His name is Darby. Darby Forrest.”

  “Have you talked to Darby yet?”

  “No. So far I haven’t worked up the courage.” Naomi then buried her face in the pillow.

  Sarah reached over and pced her hand on Naomi’s shoulder. “I’m going to be honest with you. I was also too nervous to speak to William when I first met him. It wasn’t until the third time that we met that he broke the ice and talked to me. What I’m trying to say is don’t rush yourself. Just speak to Darby when you feel ready.”

  Naomi looked up from the pillow and wiped away a small tear from her eye. “Thank you Sarah, you have always been there to give me much needed advice.”

  “Hey, it’s what I do.” Sarah said with a slight smile.

  After a couple of weeks of training with the team, opening day for The Warriors finally came. Sarah had bought front row seats for William, Rachel, Becky, and Naomi so that they all could watch her debut with the team. As Sarah put on her uniform in the locker room, she was confronted by Lisa.

  “Listen FoxTail, don’t you dare think about screwing up out there today. It may only be the first game of the season, but it will establish how we’re going to look this year.”

  Sarah got right back in Lisa’s face. “Why don’t you stop worrying about me and start worrying about yourself?”

  Lisa was about to shout back at Sarah when Coach Hooves got between them. “Alright knock it off! If there are any problems between the two of you, I want you to leave them in this locker room! Once we get out on that field we become a team and we work together no matter what! Understood?”

  “Yes Coach Hooves.” Sarah said.

  Lisa took a deep breath. “Understood.” She then turned and walked away.

  When the team was ready, they all lined up inside the entrance tunnel and then made their way onto the field. The roar of the crowd was deafening, as the entire stadium was sold out. The Warriors were pying against their long time rivals, the desert city Scorpions.

  Both teams walked by each other and shook hands. Since Sarah was not on the starting team she had to sit on the bench until she was needed. She watched as both teams kicked the ball back and forth across the field, neither one able to score a goal yet.

  Occasionally Sarah would turn her head and look up in the stands at William, Rachel, Becky, and Naomi. They were all on their feet cheering on The Warriors. One time William looked at Sarah and waved. Sarah smiled and waved back, but this just made her more restless. She didn’t work this hard and come this far just to have her boyfriend watch her sit on the bench. She wanted to get out onto the field and py.

  Sarah finally got her chance when a teammate fell and twisted her ankle. Coach Hooves then called her in and Sarah sprang into action. After being told what pys they were doing by Coach Hooves, Sarah ran onto the field and took her position. The Referee blew their whistle and the game continued.

  The Scorpions had the ball, and they raced towards the goal of the of The Warriors. Sarah and the rest of her teammates gave chase. The Scorpions lead stricker kicked the ball toward the net, but it was successfully blocked by the The Warriors goalkeeper. The goalkeeper kicked the ball to Sarah, who kicked it down the field and passed it between her teammates. The fans in the stadium went wild.

  The Warriors approached The Scorpions goal and took their shot, but it was blocked by The Scorpions goalkeeper. A chorus of boos erupted throughout the stadium. Sarah looked up at the py clock. They only had 90 minutes to py the game and time was running out. Sarah was determined to not have this game end in a tie.

  After the goalkeeper for The Scorpions kicked out the ball and The Scorpions made their way with it to mid field, The Warriors were able to intercept it. Sarah had the ball and went to pass it when she was tripped by a member of The Scorpions. The referee blew her whistle and threw up a red card. The Warriors had earned a penalty kick.

  The Warriors lined up in front of The Scorpions goal to make the kick, while The Scorpions lined up to block it. The lead striker for The Warriors got herself ready to make the kick. “Come on, you can make this.” Sarah thought to herself. After the striker kicked the ball, time stood still. Sarah could see the ball moving slowly through the air as it headed right towards the goal. The goalkeeper dove to catch it, but the ball barely touched the tips of her fingers as it went right into the net.

  Sarah, her teammates, and every fan in the stadium erupted in cheers. The celebration was short lived though, as there was still a game to be pyed. Both teams battled over the ball, but neither one was able to score a goal in the final minutes. When the timer ran out, The Warriors had won 1-0. Sarah and all of her teammates rushed to the center of the field to celebrate. Sarah looked to the stands to see William, Rachel, Becky, and Naomi all jumping with joy.

  Once the entire team was back in the locker room, Coach Hooves calmed everyone down. “Alright dies. We did a great job out there and we won. The Scorpions are not an easy team to beat. But I let’s not get cocky. We still have a full season to py, and even tougher teams to face. Now hit the showers.”

  Sarah got undressed and went into the showers. She was still feeling great that The Warriors had won until Lisa entered the showers next to her. The whole time Sarah showered she kept expecting Lisa to say something nasty to her, but Lisa just stood there and showered. When she was finished Sarah decided to break the silence.

  “Tough game we had today, huh?”

  Lisa just washed herself off, turned off the shower, and wrapped a towel around herself. Before she walked out of the shower, she said quietly “It should have been me out on that field.”

  After Sarah had gotten dressed she made her way to the parking lot where William, Rachel, Becky, and Naomi were all waiting for her. Becky and Naomi both ran up to Sarah and embraced her in a tight hug.

  “You did it Sarah! You pyed a professional soccer game!” Naomi said.

  “We are, like, so proud of you!” Said Becky.

  Sarah smiled and gently pushed Naomi and Becky away. “Thank you very much, but could I have some room to breathe?”

  Becky and Naomi apologized and backed away. William wrapped his arms around Sarah’s shoulders as she did the same and they kissed.

  “You did great out there. And you won your first game. You should be proud.” William said with a sly smile.

  Sarah just ughed. “Did you even watch the game? I was tripped for crying out loud.”

  “Yes, but it was being tripped that led to that penalty kick that led to The Warriors scoring the game winning goal.” William pointed out.

  Sarah smirked. “Yeah, that is true.” She then kissed him again.

  Rachel shook her head and stuck out her tongue. “Alright enough with all the kissing, it’s time to celebrate! Drinks are on me!”

  “You girls go ahead and party. I’ll be the designated driver tonight.” William said.

  Rachel, Becky, and Naomi all cheered as they ran toward the car. Sarah and William hugged each other as they walked. Sarah could not help but smile. She had achieved her dream of pying professional soccer, and her team had won the first game of the season. Life was truly better for her in the WildLands.