Sarah awoke to the sound of William opening the bedroom door. The light from the rising sun was in her eyes, so she quickly sat up to get out of their way. “Good morning.” Sarah said with a smile as she rubbed her eyes.

  William smiled as well. “Good morning. I decided to make you breakfast in bed.”

  Sarah then noticed the tray of food that William was carrying. “How early did you get up to make breakfast?”

  “I got up just before sunrise.” William then pced the tray down on Sarah’s p.

  Sarah giggled slightly as she brushed back her brown hair and pointy fox ears. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  “But I wanted to.” William then pointed out what he had made for breakfast. “I made cinnamon bun pancakes, tofu sausage, mixed fruit, and freshly brewed coffee.”

  Sarah took one bite of the pancakes and her eyes went wide. “Wow. These are the best tasting pancakes that I have ever had!”

  “I’m gd you like them.” William said with a chuckle. He then sat on the side of the bed next to Sarah. “So how are you holding up after what happened yesterday?”

  Sarah took a sip of her coffee. “I actually feel really good. I said what needed to be said, and now it feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of my shoulders.”

  “I’m proud of you. Not many people have the courage or strength to do what you did. You are one of a kind.”

  Sarah raised an eyebrow. “And how do you know that I’m one of a kind?”

  William grabbed his half of the heart shaped emerald pendant. He then reached over and connected it to Sarah's half. “Because you’re the only one who completes my heart.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Have I told you tely how sappy you are?”

  “At least a dozen times this week.” William and Sarah then kissed.

  When Sarah was finished with her breakfast she hit the gym and then went back home and showered. When Sarah was done she noticed that she had a text from Miss Valda asking to meet with her.

  Sarah dressed up as nicely as she could and drove over to the stadium to meet with Miss Valda. Miss Valda’s administrative assistant let Sarah into her office right away. Miss Valda looked up from her desk as Sarah walked in.

  “Very good, you’re here.” Miss Valda got up from her desk. “There is something you need to know about.”

  “What is it?”

  “Our next game is against the mountain city Thunder. Their team captain, Alexa LightFoot, is one of the best pyers in the league. She is also one of the leaders of the anit-crossover movement and their most outspoken member.”

  “Are you worried about something bad happening if I py?”

  “That could happen. I know that you’re strongly against violence, and that you still feel bad for punching that fan in the face. This will definitely be the most controversial game of the season.” Sarah looked down for a few moments, deep in thought. She then looked up at Miss Valda.

  “I’m going to py in this game. If we win, when we win, it will send a message that crossovers like myself are not a threat to the WildLands.”

  Miss Valda crossed her arms. “Alexa LightFoot isn’t going to py fair.”

  “I’m not expecting her to. I don’t care what she or the rest of her team tries, my teammates and I will overcome it and emerge victorious.”

  Miss Valda Smiled. “That’s the kind of confidence I want to hear.”

  The day of the game, Sarah and William drove up to the stadium. They both looked over at the fans lining up to get in. There were a number of Thunder fans, and some of them held anti-crossover signs.

  Sarah kept driving until she arrived at the private parking lot for pyers. Before they got out of the car, William turned to face Sarah. “I know that you will win today. Alexa LightFoot is fueled by hate, and hate is finite. You are fueled by passion, love, and courage. And those are some of the most abundant things in the universe.”

  “You always give the greatest pep talks.” Sarah said with a smile. She then kissed William on the cheek.

  They both then got out of the car. William had a V.I.P pass that allowed him special access inside the stadium, as well as a seat in the front row.

  “Alright, I’ll see you after the game.” William said.

  “See ya.” Sarah replied. The two then waved at each other as they went their separate ways.

  Sarah entered the locker room and put on her uniform for the game. Coach Hooves then gathered all of the pyers together for a pep talk.

  “Listen up everyone, I’m not going to sugar coat this. We are taking on a team that is not only one of the best in the league, but also has supporters in a hate filled movement that is a blight on the society of the WildLands. As a crossover myself, I think I speak for all of the crossovers on the team that a win today will not only bring us closer to the championship, but will also show that the ant-crossover movement is wrong. We are citizens of the WildLands just like everybody else.”

  The entire team then gathered together in a circle and pced their hands on top of each other. They then counted to three and raised all of their hands up in the air while shouting “Let’s go!” In unison.

  As the team walked down the tunnel to the field, Lisa DarkCw pced her hand on Sarah’s shoulder. “You ready to do this?” She asked.

  Sarah looked at Lisa and Smiled. “Always.”

  The Warriors made their way onto the field. The stadium was divided into fans of The Warriors, and fans of the mountain city Thunder. A loud mixture of cheers and boos echoed throughout the stadium.

  Sarah looked over to the front row to see William sitting next to Naomi, Darby, Becky, and Rachel. Seeing her friends always gave her support.

  Sarah then looked across the field and saw Alexa LightFoot. She was a tall red kangaroo with powerful legs. Alexa stared down Sarah like daggers were coming from her eyes.

  The game started and The Warriors had the ball. Sarah kicked the ball to Lisa who kicked it down the field. Lisa kicked the ball to another pyer who went for a goal shot, but the goalie for the Thunder blocked it.

  The Thunder had the ball and took control. Alexa got the ball and also went for a goal shot but that too was blocked. After The Warriors got the ball back and headed down the field, Alexa knocked Sarah down with her shoulder.

  The referee blew his whistle and brought up a red card. The Warriors had a penalty kick.

  Sarah readied herself to make the kick. As she did, she couldn’t stop thinking to herself. “Is Alexa really so full of hate that she would cost her team a victory?”

  Sarah made the kick but it was blocked by the goalie. The game continued with neither team able to score a goal. seconds before the first half was about to end, a pyer for the Thunder kicked the ball right into Lisa’s face.

  Sarah instantly ran to her side. “Lisa, are you alright?”

  Lisa removed her hands from her face to reveal a fountain of blood pouring out of her nose. “Dat fwking ditch bwoke ma nose!”

  Halftime came and The Warriors went back to their locker room. Lisa was looked at by the team doctors who confirmed that her nose was broken. Rachel came running into the locker room and embraced Lisa in a big hug.

  “Are you alright?! How bad is it?!” Rachel asked in a panicked voice.

  Lisa looked at Rachel and smiled. “It’s a broken nose. Trust me, I've suffered worse.”

  The team started talking amongst themselves. Some even talked about pying dirty to get back at the Thunder. Sarah overheard this and stood up to get everyone’s attention.

  “Look, I know that it’s been rough out there. The Thunder are pying dirty, and Lisa is out with an injury. But we cannot stoop to their level. We have to prove that we are better than them. We have to be smart in order to win this game, not stupid. Who’s with me?”

  The entire team stood up and cheered. They then headed back out onto the field for the second half. Invigorated by Sarah’s speech, The Warriors took it to the Thunder. Everytime the Thunder tried one of their dirty tactics, The Warriors would counter with brilliant gamepy.

  The score was still 0-0 towards the end of the game. At one point Alexa slipped and fell down. Sarah walked over to her and offered to help her up, but Alexa just turned her head and got up by herself.

  The minutes were winding down. Sarah and two other teammates ran down the field in a triangle formation with Sarah out in front. The pyer on the right passed the ball to the pyer on the left who then passed it to Sarah. Sarah kicked the ball right at the goal, and the goalie missed catching by the tips of her fingers. The ball went into the net and The Warriors scored the goal.

  The clock ran out and The Warriors won 1-0. Just before Alexa walked back to the locker room, Sarah ran up to her.

  “Hey! Great game!” Sarah then extended her hand.

  Alexa looked at Sarah for a moment. She then grabbed her hand and shook it. When Sarah entered the tunnel leading to the locker room, she was approached by coach Hooves.

  “FoxTail, Miss Valda wants you to join her for the post game media scrum right now.”

  Sarah was caught off guard. “Now? But I’m still in my uniform and I haven’t showered.”

  “Miss Valda doesn’t care. She wants you there now.” Coach Hooves then grabbed Sarah by the hand and dragged her to the Media scrum.

  At the media scrum, Miss Valda was sitting at a table with various reporters and camera crews sitting in front of her. Sarah entered the room and sat next to Miss Valda as photographers began taking pictures and reporters began asking questions.

  Miss Valda pointed to a reporter. “Miss Valda, The Warriors have been the top team this season. Do you think your team can once again win the championship?”

  Miss Valda smiled and chuckled. “Well first off, I’m not the one out on the field winning games. The girls are. And I do believe that as long as they continue to work together we will repeat as champions.”

  The reporters again raised their hands and Miss Valda pointed to another one. “I have a question for Sarah FoxTail. You’re new to the team this season, and you appear to be the stand out pyer. Any thoughts?”

  Sarah rubbed her hands together. “I don’t think I’m a stand out. I’m just someone who really loves the game. In fact, I don’t think there are any standouts on the team because we all work together as one to win.”

  Another reporter stood up with a question for Sarah. “Why did you try to help up Alexa LightFoot after she fell, and why did you shake her hand after the game even though she knocked you down with her shoulder?”

  “It’s called good sportsmanship. Alexa was down, so I wanted to help her up. And the Thunder pyed a great game, and I respect them for that.”

  A reporter stood up with more questions for Sarah. “Alexa LightFoot is an outspoken member of the ant-crossover movement, and the stadium was filled with fans who are also anti-crossovers. Does today’s win bring in more support for crossovers?”

  Sarah thought for a moment. “While I do hope that today’s victory shows that crossovers like myself are of no threat to the society of the WildLands, my main goal is for all residents of the WildLands to get along. I want crossovers and those who were born in the WildLands to live in harmony. I first gained national attention by punching an anti-crossover in the face. That was wrong of me, and I am ashamed that I did it.”

  Sarah then raised her fist into the air. “You can never achieve anything with this.” She then opened her fist into a hand. “But you can achieve anything with this.”

  After the press scrum Sarah walked into the hallway to find William waiting for her. “That was a very passionate speech you gave.”

  Sarah smiled and rubbed the back of her head. “Really? I thought it sounded kind of cheesy.”

  William smiled back. “Hey, the sappy talk is my thing.”

  “True.” Sarah said with a ugh. Sarah then walked with William back to the locker room.

  “I’ll just wait here while you get cleaned up.” William said.

  Sarah looked around the locker room. She then looked back at William with a sly look on her face. “It turns out that the rest of the team has already cleaned up and left. I could use a little help in the shower.”

  William raised an eyebrow and smirked. “I thought it was against the rules for men to be in the locker room.”

  “Rules were meant to be broken.” Sarah then turned and brushed her tail against William’s face.

  William followed Sarah into the locker room. The two then began making out while removing their clothes. Once in the shower room, they turned on one of the shower heads. Steam filled the room as they continued making love. William grabbed a bottle of body wash and thered up Sarah’s fur. He then began massaging her breast.

  Sarah wrapped her legs around William’s waist. William squeezed her ass and gently thrusted his penis into her vagina. Sarah threw her head back and moaned in pleasure as water cascaded down her body.

  William’s penis throbbed and hardened as he continued to thrust in and out of Sarah’s vagina. Sarah then turned around and William began doing her from behind. Sarah pressed her hands firmly against the tile wall as wave after wave of pleasure surged through her body.

  Both Sarah and William climaxed at the same time. Sarah turned off the shower, but they still were not done. William and Sarah continued making out and walked back out to the locker room. William id down on a bench as Sarah sat on top of him.

  Just then Coach Hooves entered the locker room. Both Sarah and William looked at her in shock. Coach Hooves looked at them with a bnk expression. “Just remember to put your uniform in the undry bin.” Coach Hooves said with a calm voice. She then walked out of the locker room.

  Sarah and William looked at each other and then broke out ughing.

  Later that week Sarah and William were hanging out at Rachel and Lisa’s apartment. William insisted on cooking dinner, leaving Sarah to chat with her friends.

  “So how bad is the nose?” Sarah asked.

  Lisa's nose was bandaged up, but she could still speak clearly. “The doctor says that I will have to miss a few games, but other than that I should be fine.”

  “I still can’t believe that you wanted to py even though the Thunder were being so rough.” Rachel said. “If I was on that field, I would have started bashing heads.”

  “Violence begets violence, and hate begets hate. If we want to put an end to this anti-crossover movement, then we have to prove that we are more mature than they are.” Sarah said.

  “William was right. You are starting to steal his sappiness.” Rachel replied.

  Lisa smiled. “Besides, this broken nose hasn’t stopped our pyful activities.” Lisa and Rachel then kissed.

  There was a knock at the door a few moments ter. Sarah answered it to find Becky CottonWood, Naomi Fluff, and Darby Forrest standing on the other side.

  “Hey guys. What are you doing here?” Sarah asked.

  “Rachel invited all of us over.” Naomi said.

  “Why’s that?”

  “She wouldn’t say.” Naomi, Becky, and Darby all entered the apartment.

  “Oh good, you’re all here.” Rachel said. She then called out to William to join them.

  “What’s going on?” William asked as he walked into the living room.

  Rachel stood in the center of the room. “I invited you all here because I wanted an audience.” Rachel then turned to face Lisa.

  “Lisa, for as long as I can remember I have been on my own. I enjoyed jumping around and having fun. But then I met you. You made me feel happy just being with the same individual every day. It doesn’t matter if we’re watching T.V., going out on walks, hanging out at bars, or even just sitting down quietly and enjoying each other’s company. You bring love and happiness.” Rachel then got down on one knee and took a gold ring out of her pocket. “Lisa DarkCw, will you marry me?”

  Sarah, William, Becky, Naomi, and Darby all gasped. Lisa covered her face as she ughed a little. “This is why I love you so much. You are so silly. The answer is yes!”

  Rachel stood up and put the ring on Lisa’s finger. They then kissed as Sarah, Becky, and Naomi all cheered while William and Darby smiled and appuded. After the kiss, Rachel turned to face her friends.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell all of you beforehand, but I wanted to keep this super secret. I also wanted an audience.”

  Becky ran up and grabbed Rachel’s hands. “First Sarah gets engaged and now you? This is so exciting! Does this mean a double wedding?”

  Sarah instantly started waving her hands. “Woah, woah, woah. That is not going to happen.”

  Lisa nodded her head. “Agreed. I think it would be best if there were some time between the two weddings.”

  “Can we at least have a dual bachelorette party?” Becky asked.

  “I don’t have a problem with that.” Sarah said.

  “Neither do I.” Said Rachel.

  Becky was overcome with joy. “This is great! My best friends are getting married! I am so happy for all of you!”

  William walked up behind Sarah and wrapped his arms around her. “Love is definitely in the air.” He said with a smile.

  Sarah smiled back as she reached up and stroked William’s face. “It most certainly is.”

  The next day Sarah and William drove down to the home of William’s parents. They already knew about William and Sarah’s engagement, but they wanted to congratute them in person.

  As soon as Sarah and William pulled into the driveway William’s mom Victoria came rushing out of the house. She embraced Sarah in a big hug.

  “Congratutions! I am so happy that you’re going to become my daughter in w!” Victoria said with excitement.

  Sarah hugged her back. “Thank you. It will be great to be part of your family.”

  William’s dad Norman then came out and hugged him. “I’m so proud of you son.”

  “Thank you dad.” William said as he hugged back.

  Once everyone was in the house, Sarah and William sat on the couch while Victoria and Norman sat in chairs across from them.

  “So, tell us how the proposal happened.” Victoria said.

  “Well, I took Sarah out on a picnic date at night because it was a blue moon.” William expined. “I then told Sarah all of the various reasons why it’s believed that wolves howl at the moon.”

  “He chose the corniest reason ever.” Sarah said with a smile.

  “I then gave the sappiest speech ever, got down on one knee, and proposed.”

  “I had no idea that he was going to propose. I actually became so overcome with happiness that I cried a little.”

  William confirmed this. “It’s true, she did.”

  “I said yes, and William put this beautiful ring on finger.” Sarah then showed the ring to William’s parents. “William then howled at the moon.”

  William’s parents then looked at the ring. “That is just so romantic!” Victoria said as she pced her hands over her heart.

  “I’m gd we’re getting married. Sarah and I complete each other.” William said. He then kissed Sarah on the cheek.

  “Like I said when you proposed, you are such a dork.” Sarah said with a chuckle.

  William then got a phone call from his boss at the bistro and stepped outside to answer it. While he was gone, Sarah asked Norman and Victoria a question that had been on her mind for a while.

  “Mr. and Mrs. WhiteFang, I have noticed that you are gray wolves, and so is your oldest son Patrick. But William is a white wolf. He says that he gets it from an ancestral gene. Is this true?”

  Norman and Victoria looked at each other with worried faces. “Do you think she should know?” Victoria asked Norman.

  Norman let out a sigh. “We might as well tell her. She is family now.”

  Sarah was perplexed. “Tell me what?”

  Norman and Victoria both looked at Sarah. “William…is adopted.” Norman said.

  Sarah’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. It took her several seconds to regain her composure. “Does William know?”

  Norman shook his head. “No, he doesn’t.”

  “How did this happen?”

  Victoria made a deep sigh. “It was a year after Patrick was born. Norman and I were going out for a hike in the woods. We suddenly heard this crying and went to check it out. And there he was, just a small pup ying on a patch of grass. We couldn’t just leave him there so we took him home.”

  “We were pnning to take him to child services.” Norman said. “To find out if he was abandoned or lost. But we fell in love with him. He was just so sweet and innocent. We then made the decision to keep him and raise him as our own.”

  “We decided to name him William after my grandfather.” Victoria said.

  “Does Patrick know that William is adopted?” Sarah asked.

  “Patrick doesn’t know.” Norman responded. “And neither does Heather.”

  Sarah had dozens of questions on her mind. “Is it possible that William is a crossover?”

  “It could be.” Victoria said. “We did smell the vanil scent given off by the flower, but there were no caves nearby.”

  It was at that point that a banging sound could be heard. Everyone turned to see William standing in the doorway to the living room. He had dropped his phone and his hand was shaking. Tears streamed down his face.

  Norman stood up and reached out his hand to William. “William please…”

  In a fsh William turned away and ran out of the house. Sarah, Norman, and Victoria all stood in the living room without saying a word.

  “I’ll go check on him.” Sarah said. She walked out of the house and saw William sitting in their car. Sarah opened the passenger side door and saw William hunched over the steering wheel crying. She got in and sat next to him.

  “It’s okay to cry.” Sarah said. “Real men show their emotions. Real men cry.”

  William wiped away the tears from his face. His eyes were bright red from crying so hard. “I know. But that's all I can do right now. I can’t even think straight.”

  Sarah rubbed William’s back. “Let’s go home. I’ll drive.” Sarah and William switched seats in the car. Before leaving, Sarah texted Norman and Victoria that they were going back to their pce. William was quiet during the entire drive.

  Once they were back at their apartment, William crawled into bed and instantly fell asleep. Sarah changed into her night clothes and joined him in bed. She draped her arm around him, and slowly drifted off to sleep.

  The next morning Sarah was surprised to wake up and find that William was still asleep. William was usually the one who woke up early to make breakfast. Sarah took a quick shower and got dressed. She wasn’t exactly a master around the kitchen like William was, so she toasted a bagel and put some jam on it.

  Eventually William did wake up and walk into the kitchen. He looked like a complete mess. He still wore the clothes he had on from the previous day, which were now severely wrinkled. His fur was also scruffy and he smelled bad.

  Sarah walked over and kissed him on the cheek. “How did you sleep?”

  William shook his head. “Not well.”

  “Why don’t you go and take a hot shower? I’ll make you some breakfast.”

  William walked over to the bathroom and took a long shower. After drying himself off he put on a T-shirt and shorts and sat down at the kitchen table. Sarah had made him a toasted bagel with fresh fruit and a hot cup of coffee.

  “I’m Sorry that it’s not very fancy.” Sarah said with a smile and her hands behind her back. “I guess I’m not an expert around the kitchen like you are.”

  William gave Sarah a warm smile. “This is perfect. It’s exactly what I need.”

  Sarah sat at the table across from William. “Do you want to talk about it?”

  William took a sip of his coffee. “Where do I begin? Everything I thought I knew, every moment from my childhood, was a lie.”

  Sarah anxiously rubbed her hands together. “This may not be appropriate for me to say. It’s probably none of my business, but your childhood still happened. You still had your first day of school, you still had birthdays, you still had vacations. All of that stuff still happened.”

  William looked down at his breakfast. “Yeah.”

  Sarah reached over and held William’s hand. “I don’t know why Norman and Victoria never told you the truth. Maybe they had a good reason, maybe not. But you can’t just cut them out of your life forever. They have done so much for you.”

  William squeezed Sarah’s hand and looked her in the eye. “I just need one more day to think about it.”

  Sarah got up from the table and walked over to William. She then hugged him. “Take as long as you need.”

  One day came and passed. William told Sarah that he wanted to talk to Norman and Victoria. Sarah texted Norman and Victoria to let them know they were coming. Sarah then drove William and herself to Norman and Victoria’s house.

  Victoria waited for them at the doorway. She then led them inside to the living room where Norman was waiting. All four of them stood in the living room.

  “We have a lot to expin.” Norman said. “The most important one being why we never told you that you are adopted. The reason is that we didn’t want you to feel like an outsider growing up. We wanted you to feel like you were a part of this family biologically.”

  “We never intended to hurt you.” Victoria said with her hands colpsed together. “We have always loved you. Finding you was one of the best things to happen to us.”

  William looked down at the floor for a moment. Sarah walked over and held his arm. William then lifted his head and looked at both Norman and Victoria.

  “When I overheard the truth about me, I was in absolute shock. I panicked, I ran, I cried, I didn’t know what to do. Then I was in denial. I tried to convince myself that it was all a nightmare. Then I became angry. I was so full of hate and rage that I couldn’t even see or think straight. I then became depressed. Then I remembered the light in my life that is Sarah, and how we promised to never leave each other’s side.” “Thinking about it very deeply, I understood why you did what you did. In fact, you saved my life. If the two of you hadn’t come along when you did I would have died in that forest. That is something that I am eternally grateful for. You may not be my biological family, but you are my true family.”

  Norman, Victoria, William, and Sarah all broke crying tears of joy. The four of them then embraced in one big family hug.