"How about a doubles match? The losing team pays for the other team's drinks over at the concession stand."
That was how the little match that they found themselves in originated. And with the friendly bet that was placed at the beginning of it by a certain bunny with a competitive personality, they were equally trying to be the ones to be declared the victors.
Now it was only a little bit of time before the match they started came to its conclusion.
The white volleyball firmly in his grasp, Nick looked at his doe teammate, who remained positioned to the right of him. Judy quickly glanced over at him, anticipating the moment that her vulpine companion served the ball to the other team.
On the other side of the net was Jack and Skye, the second pairing of both fox and rabbit that they were competing against. The striped jackrabbit in black swimming trunks and the white-furred vixen in a turquoise-colored bikini stared back at them. The facial expression on both of their muzzles showing a visible amount of anticipation.
Shifting his paws against the beach's soft, gold-hued sand, Nick put on a grin as he looked back the pair. His tail now wagging, the russet fox ran up a little bit, hurling the slightly worn volleyball into the air and smacking it towards Jack and Skye with as much force as he could.
The tod's serve, however, was salvaged from hitting the ground. And when the ball started to come back towards him, Nick and Judy both, thinking on impulse, slid in an effort to prevent from touching the sand below them, but were too late at doing so.
Another point added to Jack and Skye's current score. And with that both teams found themselves in a tie.
It's anybody's game now, Judy thought.
After getting back up on her paws, the gray bunny was next to serve the ball, sending both fox and rabbit teams back into action. When the volleyball approached Skye on the other side of the net, she ended up returning it with a spike that was practically flawless.
Judging from how well and how skilled she played throughout the match, it was evident that this wasn't the vixen's first time when it came to playing this sport. It was pretty clear that she had experience in playing it before, presumably in an earlier time of her life.
As the ball spiraled a good height up in the air, Nick leaped up and smacked it in Jack's direction. The striped buck ran back a few paces and threw his body towards the ground in an attempt to keep the match going. He succeeded at doing so and ended up weakly spiking it up in the air. Skye, who was positioned in front of him, delivered the ball back to Judy.
With a determined, competitive grin shimmering against her muzzle, the lagomorph hopped upward and hit the volleyball back to the other team as hard as she possibly could, sending it curving a little bit to the left.
Jack and Skye rushed in its direction to save it from suddenly hitting the ground, but they weren't quick enough. It landed against the mounds of sand with a thud.
The match between the two teams officially concluded, with Nick and Judy being the winners of it.
Catching her breath for just a brief moment, the gray rabbit wiped the few droplets of sweat that were starting to run down her forehead. She turned her head over to her left to see her fox walking over in her direction.
"Great job, Fluff," Nick complimented, lifting a paw up as he and Judy exchanged a high-four with one another.
The bunny smiled back at the vulpine, and the two turned their heads towards Jack (who carried the volleyball in his paws) and Skye.
As she and her jackrabbit companion approached them, the vixen remarked, "Good game."
"You never told me or Carrots how skilled you were at playin' volleyball," Nick chimed.
With a smile, Skye replied, "I was actually on a female volleyball team for a little while back when I was in high school. Guess you could say that some of my old skills never faded."
"Skye actually ended up teachin' me a little bit about it as well," Jack added. "We've only played against each other on a few occasions, so this is my first time playing a doubles match."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of a young voice calling for someone, saying something about how an order that someone had placed was now ready. The source of it was the speaker that was placed within the small tiki-looking establishment that was in the corner of their vision.
In that direction was none other than the concession stand that served tropical drinks and some food. To be more specific, it was the one that Judy had in mind when the wager was placed before their volleyball match started.
"That reminds me, Jack," Judy said. "You remember the wager before we started, right?"
He first couldn't recall what the doe was talking about, but once he remembered it, Jack's eyes started to widen. Oh dear, he thought, I had forgotten all about that.
A paw pointing towards the stand in the distance, the gray bunny remarked, "To the tiki bar we go, everybody!"