This was it. This was everything that The Warriors had pyed so hard for. The championship game. Every single home in the WildLands would be watching. The Warriors were going one on one with Northern Ridge’s team, The Storm.
Sarah sat in the locker room. She was nervous as hell, and it was written all over her face. Sarah felt like she was going to throw up, and that the weight of 1,000 tons was on her shoulders.
Lisa walked over and sat next to Sarah. “It’s perfectly normal to feel anxious. Hell, this is my first championship game as well.”
Sarah let out a deep breath. “I know. It’s just that everyone sees me as the team leader. I’m not only living my dream, but the dream of everyone who is a fan, or who wants to achieve their personal dreams. I don’t want to let them down.”
Lisa put her hand on Sarah’s back. “You haven’t let anyone down. You have been nothing but a positive influence on the WildLands. Because of you, the citizens are strongly opposing the anti-crossover movement.”
Sarah knew that Lisa was right. Thanks to her efforts, both with peaceful campaigns, peaceful marches, and meetings with city leaders, the inhabitants of the WildLands began to ignore the anti-crossover movement. Members saw that what they were doing was stupid, and were abandoning the cause every day.
“Still, I did help to create a slur.” Sarah said with a sly smile.
Lisa chuckled. “Trust me, back in the human world I was called way worse than a FAC for being gay.”
Coach Hooves then gathered all the pyers together. “Alright, listen up girls. Tonight is the night. The championship game. This is what we have been working our asses off for all season long. It has not been an easy road. There have been a lot of ups and downs. But we still held each other together and worked as a unit to get where we are. For some, you’ve been here before. For others, this is your first time. Tonight when we go out on that field, we will stand strong and fight with all of our might to become champions!”
Everyone then pced their hands on top of each other in a big pile. They all then counted to three and raised their hands up as they shouted “VICTORY!” in unison.
The Warriors then made their way out onto the field. The stadium was completely sold out. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Sarah looked over to the reserved seats right by the field. William, Rachel, Naomi, Becky, Darby, Norman, Victoria, Patrick, Heather, and their daughter Lisa were all seated and watching. William blew a kiss at Sarah. She caught it, smiled, and pced it on her cheek. Sarah blew a kiss back at William and he did the same thing.
Sarah then looked around at the rest of the fans. One half of the stadium was full of fans for The Warriors. The other half was full of fans for The Storm. There was a very small group of anti-crossovers who were holding a giant sign that read FAC, but Sarah paid them no mind.
Both teams lined up at the center of the field to begin the game. The captain of The Storm, a falcon, stared down Sarah. The referee blew her whistle and dropped the ball onto the field. The game was on.
The Warriors took control early on, passing the ball down the field and getting by the defense of The Storm. The Storm put up a really tough challenge, intercepting the ball on numerous occasions before the Warriors were able to get it back. Sarah performed a fake out, kicking the ball towards the goal to get the attention of the goalie. Once the goalie fell for it, the rest of the net was left wide open. Sarah quickly passed the ball to Lisa who kicked it into the net for the first goal.
The crowd erupted with cheers. The Storm then took control of the ball and quickly kicked it down the field. The Warriors tried to intercept, but The Storm had a tight control over the ball. One member of the Warriors then inadvertently tripped a member of The Thunder, giving them a penalty kick.
Everyone lined up for the penalty kick. The goalie stood at the ready. The striker for The Thunder ran up and kicked the ball as hard as she could. The goalie tried to catch it, but the ball went past the tips of her fingers. The ball went into the net, giving The Thunder a goal.
The Warriors and The Thunder spent the rest of the half trying to score another goal, but each team found no success. The whistle blew for halftime and both teams went back to their locker rooms.
Everyone on the team sat down in silence once they got back to the locker room. They were all exhausted, and it was only halftime.
Sarah took a big gulp of water and wiped off the sweat from her fur with a towel. She looked around at her teammates. They were clearly tired, and some even looked defeated. Sarah stood up and walked to the center of the locker room.
“When I first came here to the WildLands, I was in shock. I had been transformed into an anthro fox. Everything felt weird. I didn’t know if I would fit into this new world. But over time I adjusted. I made friends, I fell in love, I even achieved my goal of pying professional soccer. There were ups and downs, and there still are. But I kept pushing forward. I marched past the hate. I used peace instead of violence. And with your help, we have made this pce even better.”
Sarah paused as she thought about what she was saying. She then began to ugh.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! I’m sorry for rambling on, and for sounding so sappy. My fiance William is starting to rub off on me. What I’m basically trying to say is that this pce is my home. You are not only my teammates, you’re my friends. I will always have your backs, I know that you will always have mine. We are going to win this game, and we are going to be the champions. We are not only warriors, we are THE WARRIORS. Now who wants to kick some ass?”
Every single member of the team stood up. They then raised their fists in the air and shouted “YEAH!” in unison. As everyone walked out of the locker room, Coach Hooves pced her hand on Sarah’s shoulder.
“You’re really stepping up as team leader.” She said with a smile.
Sarah smiled back. “I’ve been given a second chance. I’m not going to waste it.”
The Warriors and The Thunder headed back onto the field for the second half. The Thunder got the ball and sprinted down the field. The Warriors tried to get control of the ball, but The Thunder kept it very guarded. The Thunder went for a goal, but the goalie stopped it.
The Warriors then took control of the ball and passed it down the field as fast as they could. They passed the ball front to back to front in an attempt to throw The Thunder off of their game. The Warriors went for a goal, but it was blocked.
This continued for much of the second half. Everytime one of the teams would get close to scoring a goal, it would be blocked.
With only one minute left on the clock, tensions were high. The fans were singing “Oy! Oy, Oy, Oy!” and stomping their feet. Both teams were still tied at one goal apiece.
Sarah had the ball. She kicked it between herself and Lisa as they made their way down the field. The seconds ticked down. Time was almost up. At the final moment, Lisa passed the ball to Sarah. She hit it with a Pele’ kick, and it went soaring into the goal.
The clock ran out one second ter. The game was over. The Warriors had won 2-1. They were the national champions.
Sarah and her teammates cheered as loud as they could. They then embraced in one big team hug. “We are the champions!” by QUEEN began to py over the loudspeakers.
The friends and family of the team made their way onto the field. William and Sarah ran over to each other with huge smiles on their faces. Sarah jumped up and was caught by William. They each wrapped their arms around each other and Sarah wrapped her legs around William’s waist.
“I never stopped believing in you!” William shouted over the crowd noise.
“And I never stopped loving you!” Sarah and William then kissed.
Rachel kissed Lisa, Darby kissed Naomi, and Becky ran around cheering and hugging everyone in sight.
The trophy was then brought out onto the field. It was a giant sword made out of ptinum. Sarah knew that the trophy was a big deal, but she had no idea that it was also very cool looking. The entire team then gathered around the trophy to have their picture taken with it. The Warriors were once again the champions.
After a few days of celebrating the huge victory publicly, Sarah and William sat down to finally pn out their wedding. It had just been announced by the government that citizens would now get six weeks of paid vacation leave every year, so Sarah and William decided to use that time for their honeymoon.
They both agreed that family and friends would be invited. Sarah felt a tiny bit upset that she did not have any family in the WildLands, but she also knew that she would be starting a new family with Willian.
“So, have you picked out your bridesmaids?” William asked.
“You bet. Rachel, Naomi, Becky, and Lisa. They have all agreed to wear white, but Lisa wants to wear a suit because she will never be caught dead in a dress.”
William smiled and shook his head. “Yeah, that sounds like her.”
“Have you decided on your groomsmen and what they will wear?”
“Yep. They are going to wear bck suits with bowties, like me. And it will be a mix of my friends from the bistro and the janitor service.”
“Do you have a best man?”
“Actually, I would like my dad to be my best man. He was always there for me growing up. He even nicknamed me bud.”
Sarah smiled and pced her hand over her heart. “Aw, that is so sweet!”
“So who is going to be your maid of honor?”
“Rachel. She was the first one I met when I came to the WildLands, and she took care of me until I could adjust.”
“Well, that just leaves the flower girl. Do you have anyone in mind?”
A slight smile came across Sarah’s face. “Actually, I was hoping that your niece could be the flower girl. She is just so adorable.”
“Yeah, she is precious. I’ll ask Patrick and Heather. I’m sure that they will approve.”
Sarah and William smiled at each other. They then reached across the table and held hands. Sarah could not believe how far she had come with William. It felt like only yesterday that she was about to enter the CENTRAL PROCESSING OFFICE when she saw William walking by and took a peek at his ass. Then William turned his head and did the same thing. Much like that day, the memory of it made her blush.
Sarah then remembered the first official time that they met. She was working her first day at the tech center and was forced to work the night shift. It was then that William, who was working for a janitorial crew at the time, walked into the office. Sarah was gd that William remembered her, even though it was because he caught her looking at his ass. But he didn’t mind, and she was also gd that William wasn’t upset that she looked at his ass in return.
The best thing that Sarah remembered was when her shift was finally over. William invited her to come with him to a coffee shop. She desperately needed the caffeine, so she said yes. The coffee was great, but what Sarah really enjoyed was talking with William. She loved talking to him about her life, and William telling her about his. It was during this visit to the coffee shop that she and William first touched hands, and Sarah ter realized that it was technically their first date. And she wouldn’t want it to have happened any other way.
The big day finally came. The wedding was being held at the fanciest hotel in the capitol. The initial ceremony would take pce outside, with the rest of the celebration being held in the hotel’s grand ballroom.
Everyone was gathered outside. Friends and family were seated on either side of the aisle, which was divided by a long red carpet. William stood at the right side of the altar next to the justice of the peace, a penguin named Mr. Oswald.
Sarah’s bridesmaids all stood along the left side of the altar. William’s niece Lisa WhiteFang walked down the red carpet tossing flowers everywhere. This made everyone in attendance go “Awww!”
The pipe organ then began to py “Here comes the bride.” And Sarah walked down the aisle. She wore a strapless white wedding dress with a flowing gown and a ring of flowers on her head. She held a rge bouquet of white roses in her hands. Sarah stepped up to the altar just as the sun was low in the sky.
Mr. Oswald then began the ceremony. “Marriage, when two lovers come together to form a union that will st as long as time. A symbol of what is the strongest power in the universe, the power of love.”
Mr. Oswald then turned to face William. “William WhiteFang, do you take Sarah FoxTail to be your wife? To love her, cherish every minute with her, and be by her side through the good times and the tough times, in sickness and in health?”
William smiled. “I do.”
Mr. Oswald then turned to Sarah. “Sarah FoxTail, do you take William WhiteFang to be your husband? To love him, cherish every minute with him, and be by his side through the good times and the tough times, in sickness and in health?”
Sarah smiled. “I do.”
“Does the best man have the rings?” Mr. Oswald asked.
Norman reached into his pocket and pulled out the rings. He gave them to William. William put Sarah’s ring on her finger, then he put his ring on his finger.
Mr. Oswald then took out a clipboard. “Please sign the marriage certificate.”
Both Sarah and William signed the certificate.
“Then by the power vested in me by the WildLands, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
William and Sarah held each other as they kissed one another tenderly.
“Everyone, I present to you the newly wed couple William WhiteFang and Sarah FoxTail.” Everyone in attendance then stood up and appuded.
Everyone then made their way into the grand ballroom for the reception. There was an all you can eat buffet, plenty of drinks, and a huge wedding cake made of white cake with buttercream frosting, edible pearls made of sugar, and candy figures of Sarah and William at the top.
Becky had begged Sarah to be the DJ for the wedding, and Sarah of course said yes.
“Alright everybody! This party of love is just getting started!” Becking announced over the microphone. “The newlywed couple shall now have their first dance!”
William took Sarah by the hand and led her to the center of the dance floor. They both had been taking ballroom dancing lessons so that they wouldn’t embarrass themselves. William and Sarah then danced to their chosen song, “Heaven, Candlelight remix.” By DJ Sammy.
When the dance was over, both William and Sarah bowed and every once again appuded. “Now let’s party!” Becky announced. Everyone got on the dancefloor as Becky chose to py “Never Gonna Give You Up.” By Rick Astley.
The reception was loved by all. There was champagne, good food, numerous toast, and plenty of jokes. When all was said and done, Sarah and William made their way up to the hotel suite that they rented for the night. William opened the door and then picked up Sarah so that he could carry her into the room.
“You didn’t have to do that!” Sarah said with a ugh as William set her down. “This isn’t our home.”
“Aw, come one! It’s tradition!” William said with a smile. “The groom carries the bride over the threshold.”
“I suppose you’re right.” A sly smile then appeared on Sarah’s face as she eased William down onto the bed. “Another tradition is consummating the marriage.”
“You do realize that we have sex all the time, right?” William said with his eyebrow raised.
“Yes, but this will be our first time as husband and wife.”
“True. Speaking of traditions, the bride usually wears four things. Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. I know that the old are your earrings, the new is your dress, and the something borrowed is the pink beret from Becky. But where is the something blue?”
“It’s right here.” Sarah then removed her wedding dress to reveal that she had on a blue corset, blue panties, and a blue garter belt.
William’s eyes went wide and he licked his lips. “Come here!” Sarah then leapt into William’s arms, they made sweet love for the first time as a married couple.
