Chapter 21: What Does the Fox Say?

Both Nick and Jake are highly competitive and enjoy sports, but sometimes their rivalry gets the best of them both. As Mister Big once said to Judy, "We may be evolved, but deep down we are still animals."

Thump…Wack…Thump! The rubber bouncy ball hit the wall and then the wooden court floor before it was hit by the small racquets that either the fox in the dark blue tee shirt that had POLICE printed on it, or the raccoon in the bright yellow tee shirt, held in their paws.

The two opponents had been at it for a few minutes and each grunted as they lunged to hit the black ball back towards the wall before stepping out of the other player's way.

Finally the raccoon missed the ball and the fox shook his racquet as he barked out a jubilant laugh.

"Damn!" the raccoon named Jake growled as he leaned over and huffed. Tearing off his safety googles, he waved them at the fox. "Do we really have to wear these…these things! They fog up and I can't see the ball."

"Neither one of us can afford to put an eye out coon," the fox named Nick panted in reply. "So put them back on."

They went back to playing, the ball hitting the wall and then bouncing off the floor before the distinctive whack of the small racquet against the ball. The game picked up speed as each player desperately lunged for the ball, to keep it in play. The sounds of growling, grunting, panting and snarling filled the air. Finally the fox burst out laughing when his distracted friend made a very distinct raccoon sound, almost like a pig's oink, the laughter caused Jake to miss the ball.

"Hey, what's so funny?" the raccoon huffed out as he leaned over and panted for breath.

The fox was also heavily panting himself, his long tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth before he slurped it back inside his muzzle. "That noise you sometimes make, it still surprises me after all these years," Nick finally huffed out.

"What noise?" Jake asked as he straightened up and then tossed the ball to the fox.

"You give that oinking noise, you sound like a pig," the fox laughed out.

"I'm a raccoon, I can't help it!" Jake protested. "It's not like you don't make weird noises sometimes."

"I have no idea what you mean?" Nick scoffed. "I don't make strange noises."

"What about that…that guttural chattering noise and yipping you make when you get really mad sometimes?" Jake snickered out as he twirled his racquet. "It goes something like yow-wow-wow, ack-ack-ackawoo-ack, and then YAGGAGHHGHAH!"

"What, I don't sound like that!" the fox protested as he bounced the rubbery ball off the wooden floor. "Besides you chatter sometimes!"

"Well what about that wimpy howl that you make?" the raccoon challenged. "The wolves all think it's hilarious."

"I yowl," Nick sighed out as he scratched his ear. "At least we foxes don't go brain dead every time someone starts to howl, like Wolford and the other timber wolves."

"They don't go brain dead," Jake replied as he tapped his racquet against his leg and considered what the fox had said. "Well, maybe you're right on that point."

The fox bounced the ball on the ground again and then served. "Oink…Oink!" he snickered.

The raccoon looked over at him in anger as he missed that ball. "HEY, that was not fair!" he yelled and stamped his foot. "You distracted me!"

The fox just grinned as he picked up the ball.