“Waynesleron!”

A man of twenty-three turns grumbled and rolled his dark brown eyes in irritation hunched over under a large bag.

“What is it now? I’ve gotta get to the rink,” Waynesleron called back with a bit of a bite to his voice, “We’re having a small practice before the final game remember?”

“Don’t take that tone with me, Waynesleron,” the female voice replied back just as heatedly, “You may be twenty-three but I can still ground you!”

“I’m not a kid anymore, Suzuran,” he pointed out.

“I’m still your mother and the Headwoman of Kutou Hold,” a much shorter woman appeared with red hair next to the man holding a cast-iron skillet. Waynesleron looked at his mother warily, she was not afraid to use that skillet on anybody if she were angry enough; he’d learned that at a young age. Instead of replying her set down his duffle bag and fixed his eyes on his mother so that she knew he was not trying to ignore her, yet he still kept wary of the skillet she held firmly in her grip.

“That’s better,” Suzuran smiled crossing her arms, letting the pan hang loosely at her side in her hand, “I need you to take these to Rackalee and have him get everyone to sign them. They’re to be raffled off at the final game tomorrow night.” She turned back into the door way and in a few seconds had handed him what looked like a sack of laundry that was nearly as heavy as his own duffle bag full of hockey gear.

“Jeeze, Mom! What’d ya’ put in here, firestones?” Waynesleron asked lifting the bag experimentally then set it back down with a cautious look shot at his mother her glared at him.

“Blankets and jerseys you smart arse!”

“Mind if I use the wheelbarrow to get it down to the rink?”

“Master Lintem is using it at this time to help clean out the barns and stables,” Suzuran replied, smirking at the disgust on her burly son’s face, “Just think of it as extra training or conditioning for the game tomorrow and the games that will come in the Fall when the Seiryuu Weyr’s new major league team starts up.”

“We’ll be called the Flits, Suzuran, remember?” he more told her than asked as he rolled his eyes and hoisted both bags onto his back.

“I know, son,” she replied, “It’s just fun to see you get flustered by anybody making the mistake.”

The Kutou Shockers Goalie just shook his head and grimaced under the weight of both bags, “I’ll see you when I get back, Mom.”

“Have fun, and make sure they sign all of them!”

“How in the name of the first egg did Suzuran gather this many jerseys and blankets?” one of the Kutou Shockers asked as he picked up a gold and silver woven blanket that sported the gold lightning like S upon a silver lightning like K.

“Probably talked Master Vanmoin from Turasake Hold to make them,” Waynesleron frowned as he picked up a jersey that looked close to being one of their white based home jerseys except made from what he was sure was a less durable but more casual/fan wearable material, “She said she wanted all of them to be signed by us all.”

“How many are there?” one of the forwards asked with a mischievous grin while wrapping one of the woven blankets around himself “I want one myself!”

“Thirty of them, and knowing the Headwoman she counted every one and want them back,” a much older man scowled as he walked in, “Wayne, some of us have other jobs to attended to, does your mother think we’re only here for autographs.”

“I only brought the ‘message,’ Coach,” Waynesleron replied as he took out one of the new fangled pens, a sharpy as the Dragons had called it when they dropped them off, and started to sign his name, finishing it off with “#33” before continuing, “I don’t know about you but I don’t argue with a woman wielding a large cast iron skillet.” There was silence from the whole team including their coach as each one remembered one time or another that they had either been threatened with the object, seen someone experience Suzuran disciplining someone with the pan, or worse yet, had a close encounter with it themselves.

“So you’ll understand when she says to sign each and everyone of them,” the goalie shuttered as he picked up the next object to be signed.

“OK, let’s make this quick and easy,” their coach said quickly, “everybody in a line and grab a sharpy. Sign one and pass it down the line.” Within moments the team of nearly thirty guys were in a line taking the items Waynesleron had already signed and sent them down the line signing them quickly. Despite the “seriousness” of what they were doing soon the team broke out into small bit of conversation, throwing joking insults at each other and bragging about their latest catch in bed. Waynesleron was grinning along with his team and sharing his stories as well.

Nice as he was the Shocker’s number one goalie didn’t stay with one girl long. His longest relationship was near three months but he’d broke it off when he caught the interest of the Lady Holder’s daughter Hime. He never talked much about that short lived relationship as Hime had had her way with him and then within a few days acted like she’d never seen him other than from the stands like every other fan. She had been the only girl who’d left him high and dry… he didn’t like her one bit because of this.

Within ten minutes the signing of the garments were complete and stuffed unceremoniously back in the bag… that is before Waynesleron reminded them that Suzuran might become highly angry because of the arrangement. It was another ten minutes before the items were folded and placed nicely in the bag. The goalie gave a grunt as he swung the bag once again onto his back and opted to leave his things in the locker room for the next day’s game.

“How about we go out for a few wines tonight?” one of his teammates asked with a nudge that would have knocked others over had they been caring the load Waynesleron had on his back.

“Maybe I’ll join ya’ later,” Waynesleron replied resettling the bag on his back, “I don’t want to be carrying this around with me and if something got on these my mother would kill me quicker than a tunnel snake.”

“Hmm, good point, Wayne,” one of the few female players on the team chuckled, “Well if you want to join us we’ll be at the Flit’s Tail.”

The goalie nodded, bidding them a short farewell and headed towards the main hold. He could see in the fading light that somebody was heading down from the hold and for a split second thought it might be his mother or one of his sisters but soon realized who it was and frowned.

“Hime,” he growled through clenched teeth as their paths met.

“Save the temper for tomorrow, Goalie,” she replied, “I like winners.”

Waynesleron was thrown off by these words. It was then that he realized that the daughter of the Lady Holder was dressed quite skimpy. Despite his anger at her dumping of him instead of the other way around, he was still a man and found himself grumbling about more than the weight on his back.

“What makes you think I’d take that offer?” Waynesleron replied, to his surprise, a bit more calmly.

“No offence to other hockey players,” Hime smile in a way that made most men putty in her hands, “but after you put away a few wines you’d do nearly anything willing that would wear a skirt. Ta-ta.” The goalie turned red as the young woman turned both out of embarrassment and anger. You are so lucky you’re Lady Tsubone’s daughter! With that angry thought he headed off to the hold… ironically he would be slightly drunk that night at the Flit’s Tail and find a willing girl, like Hime had said.

The next night, Waynesleron’s eyes followed the quick movements of the Turasake Racers and cursed the fact that his friend and teammate, Hanrotoshi, was injured and thus was not play defense tonight.

The game had looked fine in the first period as the Shockers scored two goalies and Waynesleron had not much to do at his head. So bored was the goalie that he started to act like he was playing a guitar with his goalie stick. However, halfway through the second period the Racers finally seemed to have had enough and went to town on the team.

Their first target, instead of the net had been the Shocker’s number one defenseman, Hanrotoshi. With a heavy check the man had been knocked out, something that nobody had ever done. Needless to say, a fight broke out witch put two of the Shockers and one of the Racers, not including the checker though he went too, into the penalty box. Small fights broke out at intervals after the attack of Hanrotoshi, most every one started by a Shocker player. In the end the Racers were on a power play with the Shockers two men short. That was when the first goal got by Waynesleron.

Shotty defensive work on the part of the Shockers caught the burly goalie off guard a few minutes later, causing the Racers to tie up the game at 2-2. Waynesleron could see it going down hill in a hurry. He was a great goalie but with the way his team was falling apart because of his friend’s injury was humilatying.

“Wayne!” one of his teammates shouted bringing the goalie back to the present and he only just barely saw the puck coming towards him. Waynesleron kicked out his left leg and stopped the puck from going in. Saddly, there was a Racer near by who was within range and banged the puck home as he crashed the net and the goalie fell over.

That’s it! Waynesleron thought while his mouth started going a mile a minute with foul language as he got up to thrash the goal scorer. He didn’t notice the crowd cheering wildly at the fight, he didn’t quite hear the refs urging them both to stop or be forced to sit in the penalty box (in Waynesleron’s case, someone else would take his minutes). I the peeved goalie saw was a man who played hockey and played it dirty. Then it hit him… not a fist, but the fact that this was the same guy who’d taken down his friend.

“You son of a frickin’ wherry!” he growled, and with those words, managed to whip the man’s helmet off and deck him with his blocker gloved hand. It was then that the referees set upon him and pulled him away from the fallen racer; the man was now whipping blood from his lip and trying to get at Waynesleron through the referees. The goalie sneered back at the man in the navy blue away jersey. When it was all over and done with, the Turasake Racer Waynesleron had attacked got five minutes in the box while one of Waynesleron’s teammates took his five minutes, yet the goal was counted; The Kutou Shockers were now down 3-2.

For the rest of the game, the Shockers’ goalie was fuming while the Racers were hopping. Waynesleron was now focused more than ever and stopped every shot that came his way. Yet, his team was not as focus as they were mad and kept making weak passes and stupid mistakes. When the last horn blared the score was still 3-2; the Shockers had lost. And with that Waynesleron lost his temper, whacking his stick over the cross bar of the net, snapping his stick in half.

More story to come soon...