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Chapter Nineteen

The sound of crunching cereal and spoons clinking off bowls accompanied breakfast in the Terrace kitchen, with Kaipo slouching in his chair, a paw holding his bowl as the other spooned cereal into his waiting muzzle. Suzy sat across from him at the table, straight up, while she both held the bowl and ate in the same way. Phoebe stood at the sink, washing out her own bowl. Grabbing a towel in a paw, she ran it along the edge of her bowl, turning towards her son "So Regionals are today?"

"Huh?" Kaipo glanced up, pausing with his spoon in the air in front of his muzzle "Oh, yeah, Regionals are gonna be today." He let out a sigh "Though Robbie's are today too, so I won't be able to watch him."

"Oh, he knows you'll be pulling for him Kaipo. I'm sure he feels the same way." Phoebe offered a comforting smile, setting her bowl into the sink "I hope I'll be able to offer some cheering instead of Robert though."

"What?" Kaipo blinked twice, pausing as he slurped some cereal from his spoon. After a few crunches, he took a gulp "What do ya mean, mom?"

"Oh, just put in a little overtime this week so I could leave work early today wand watch your team." The lioness smiled while ruffling Kaipo's hair. Batting at her paw with a smirk, Kaipo scooped up another spoonful of cereal "Really mom? You're gonna be there?"

"Yep, the whole time even." Phoebe paused at the doorway "I can even drive you to the meet if you want-"

"No, that's okay mom." Kaipo interrupted after nearly choking on that bite of cereal "I can take the bus and everything." Phoebe laughed softly at her son's reaction, nodding as she stepped out from the doorway "Alright. Hurry and eat, or you'll make Robert and Matthew late."

"Aww, come on mom! I haven't done that yet!"

"I know," Phoebe called back from the hallway "Because I keep telling you not to." Kaipo rolled his eyes, spooning a few more bites of cereal into his muzzle before a knock sounded at the door. The pair of lions at the table glanced to each other prior to another knock at the door "I've got it!" Kaipo nearly knocked over his chair scampering to the door, pulling it open to the sight of Robert standing there. As the husky caught sight of Kaipo, his warm smile flowed onto his muzzle "Hey, mornin' Kai."

"Morning Robbie!" Kaipo smiled brightly while his arms snuck around Robert's chest, squeezing a chuckle from the husky. Robert's arms encircled the feline, squeezing him back "Someone's happy this morning, huh? Worked up for your Regionals?"

"Ah, you know," Kaipo replied nonchalantly, taking a step back with a roll of his shoulders "I guess..." Robert chuckled again, kissing Kaipo's forehead "Well we better get going then, right? Don't want to waste all that energy at home."

"Hiya Robbie!" Suzy snuck up beside the pair, latching her arms around Robert's waist. With another chuckle, his paw ruffled her hair, the husky smiling to Kaipo "Go on and get your stuff Kai."

"Stuff?" Kaipo blinked with a blank look before it popped into his head "Oh, oh! Yeah, stuff!" The lion dashed off up the stairs, quickly to his room to grab his backpack while Robert waited on the doorstep. It took a moment for him to pry Suzy off him, giving the little lioness that same warm smile "So how's things Suzy?"

"Things?" Suzy looked confused, the expression warming Robert's smile further "I mean how are you? How's school and all that?"

"Ooooooooh. Well, school's going good. And I'm doing good. Though," She motioned Robert down, the husky crouching while she whispered "I've gotta see if Justin will come with me to our cottage this summer." Robert's smile grew further behind another chuckle at the little lioness, standing back up "Well, how would you like it if I asked him for you today? And then maybe I can tell Kaipo, and he can tell you." Suzy gasped a deep breath as hopefulness took hold of her face "Reeeeally?"

"Yep, I'll do that first thing today." Suzy pounced the husky, hugging tight around his waist "Thank you thank you thank you Robbie!" The exuberance made Robert chuckle softly once more "Welcome Suzy." Kaipo returned down the stairs, taking them two and three steps at a time, stumbling to a halt as his sister clung to Robert. With a glance down to her, he looked back to the husky "What's up?"

"Oh, just told Suzy I'd ask Justin if he wanted to go with you guys to your cottage this summer?"

"O-oh?" Kaipo stuttered at that mention, glancing out towards the street as the sound of a horn honked. Matt waved out his window, yelling "Come on you two! We'll be late!" The voice got Suzy to finally release Robert, offering the equine a little wave before she smiled back up "Thank you Robbie!"

"Welcome Suzy." Robert ruffled her hair again, the lioness batting at his paw before she bounded back into the house. Closing the door behind him, Kaipo leaned up and kissed Robert softly before the jeep's horn honked again, leaving the pair chuckling and padding quickly down the walkway to the vehicle.

A pair of felines shuffled through the hallways on their way towards the locker room, Kaipo chewing his bottom lip quietly while Justin peered at him. Reaching a paw out, he prodded Kaipo's shoulder softly "Huh?" The lion looked up in surprise "What?"

"You've been quiet the whole walk over here to class, what's on your mind?" Justin questioned as the pair paused outside the boy's locker room "You nervous about your track meet today or something?"

"No, not really, I just..." Kaipo mumbled a little inaudibly as Justin held the door open for him "Well, my Mom's taking me and Suzy up to the cottage this summer, and I wanna ask Robbie about it..." Justin leaned his head a little to the side "And?"

"And I'm worried he'll say no..."

Justin paused in mid-step, blinking as the lion glanced back from a few feet in front of him. Rolling his eyes, the feline punched Kaipo's shoulder playfully "I can't believe you sometimes, you know that?"

"What? What do you mean?" Kaipo blinked a few times himself as Justin caught him by the sleeve and started to drag him further into the locker room "Come on." Was the feline's response as they passed the rows of lockers, pausing as he caught sight of a certain husky "There he is."

"There who...wait, what are you doing?" Kaipo squirmed a little as Justin started forwards and resumed dragging him along "Justin? Seriously, what are you doing?"

"Hey Rob!" Justin called out, the husky glancing back before that warm smile found his muzzle "Hey Justin, hey Kai, what's up?"

"Well, here's your chance, ask him." Kaipo's eyes widened as he heard Justin, his paws fidgeting as his throat went dry "I...erm...um...well I-" With a sigh, Justin interrupted "Kaipo wants to know if you'll go with him and his family to their cottage this summer." The ease that the feline stated the question with along with it being spoken aloud made Kaipo flush under his golden fur, head tilting forwards as he stared at his shoes. The whole movement made Robert chuckle, slipping a paw under Kaipo's chin and tilting his head back upwards. With a lean over, the husky touched a soft kiss to the lion's muzzle "I'd love to. I'll ask my parents after my meet tonight, and call you when I get home. That work?"

"Um...yeah?" Kaipo mumbled softly as his face kept that surprised and faintly embarrassed expression. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" Justin prodded Kaipo in the ribs with an elbow, drawing a playful swat from the lion in return "Oh be quiet." The grumpy response from the lion left the other two furs chuckling softly.

Kaipo shuffled through his duffle bag, tugging his tank top out, leaning over the bag as he pulled the white garment on. A firm paw landed in a spank on his behind, the lion yelping as he righted quickly, glancing back to find Robert there with a mischievous smirk "A swat for good luck?" He offered to the lion with a chuckle, bringing a smirk onto the amber muzzle. The husky's arms embraced the smaller feline, Kaipo hugging around Robert's waist as he nuzzled at the canine's chest "Good luck Robbie..." He whispered. A paw caught underneath the lion's muzzle, lifting it up to touch in a kiss with Robert's muzzle "Good luck Kai..." He whispered softly, before jumping as the lion gave his rump a firm spank, showing off his own mischievous grin in return.

"Would you two stop making out? We need to get on the bus!" The pair went wide-eyed together just a moment as a Dalmatian stepped around the corner of the lockers, flashing his own grin "Come on, I'm sure you guys'll have time for that later."

"Ah, he's right." Robert smiled down to the lion, kissing his nose pad and giving Kaipo a squeeze in the hug before releasing him to grab his duffle bag "I'll call ya when I get home, remember." The lion leaned up, kissing the husky's nose in return as he passed by with T.K. with a nod "I'll remember."

The gymnasium was filled with the cheers of students from half-a-dozen schools, the smell of both sweat and mixed scents of the furs wrestling lingering in the air already. Robert sat with Matthew on one side of him and Kessel on the other, Jase seated next to Kessel. Each had on their singlets in white and blue, all but Robert wearing their warm-up pants. The husky's gaze rested across the gym, leveled on a golden furred dingo, Mars watching the husky in return. A light prod in his ribs jerked Robert's attention away, glancing up to Matt "What?" The equine simply motioned in the opposite direction, the husky's attention drawn to the pair of an Akita and a husky "Mom! Dad!" Robert popped out of his seat with a smile, the pair of canines both well-dressed at the moment, Ethan in a suit, Ophelia in a suit with a skirt "We aren't too late, are we?" Robert's mom asked, hugging the husky as her son hugged in return "We came here direct from work." Ethan added wrapping the pair of huskies in a hug of his own "Nah, my match is coming up in a few though. Quick, grab a seat."

Kaipo sat on a bench out on the field, the furs from his team sitting along the bench with him, T.K. seated next to the lion. Coach Hill stood behind Kaipo at the bench's end, while Coach William's stood at the other end. Coach Parker paced behind the bench, back and forth between the ends. Each fur of their team had on just their tank tops and shorts, while all of the coaches had on the full warm up outfits.

A shot sounded as another race began, a fennec in white and blue dashing past the group on the track to the cheers of the team "Do it Adler!" Kaipo yelled out, lifting a fist into the air as the fennec passed.

"Kaipo!" The lion's ears perked, leaning backwards to glance behind him, his head ending up bumping right into Coach Hill's thighs "Shit!" Kaipo fell off the bench forwards to the amusement of the tigress. The feline stepped around the bench, assisting Kaipo back to his seat along with some help from T.K. Without Coach Hill blocking his view, he caught sight of a pair of lionesses in the front row of the bleachers, Suzy giggling, while Phoebe waved, containing her laughter to a light giggle behind a warm smirk. Kaipo managed a light wave, looking further embarrassed "Hey Miss Terrace!" T.K. called out, waving as the lion next to him twitched and elbowed the Dalmatian's side, leaving T.K. smirking at him.

Robert stood as his name was announced over the intercom of the gym, raising a paw and offering a wave as the furs of his school, along with his team, cheered him on. Ophelia lifted a paw, waving to her son as the husky turned to walk towards the mats "Go get 'im Robert." Coach Nalberry spoke in a low voice with a nod of his head as the husky passed by the tiger "Thanks coach." Robert gave a nod in return, turning his attention fully onto Mars as the dingo crossed to meet him at the middle of the mat. That smug smirk was on Mars' muzzle once again, arms crossing over his chest. Robert's fingers curled and uncurled as the referee went over the rules, each fur giving a nod as he finished. Taking a step back, the referee blew his whistle.

"All furs participating in the two-hundred meter dash, please report to the starting line." The voice echoed over the loud speakers, bringing Kaipo to his feet. A paw on his shoulder paused him, finding Coach Parker standing behind him "Good luck." The Doberman offered, bringing a firm smile to the lion's muzzle "Thanks coach." He nodded as he spoke before turning away, padding along the outside of the track to the starting point. As he took up his position on the track, the lion glanced among the starting line, looking over his opponents before he paused on a fox perched two lanes away from him. A little frown came to his face as he recognized him, his expression steeling as he faced forwards. Ears perked up, body tensing before the starting shot sounded.

The two furs lunged forwards, their paws catching at each other's shoulders. Faint grunts forced out of their muzzles as Robert and Mars pushed firmly against each other, stepping in a faint circle in the mat's middle. The sound of the crowd's cheer was lost to the pair, simple background noise as their gazes locked. A quick shift of Robert's paws let the husky slip around behind the surprised dingo, his arms wrapping around Mars' waist, locking his paws together over his abs. The dingo's paws grabbed at Robert's before he was lifted up by the husky's strength and then dropped down onto his face on the mat, driving the air from him for a few moments.

Robert shifted his position around the dingo as he pressed his weight down atop him, turning himself in an opposite direction than Mars on the mat. His arms moved quickly, one slipping under one of the dingo's armpits, the other over his shoulder, paws locked once more as he trapped Mars' head up against his chest. The dingo's paws grabbed at the husky, trying to escape as he felt the hold partially cutting off his circulation. Setting a paw onto the mat, he gave a hard shove and flipped himself and Robert over, the husky landing on his back on the mat, beneath Mars.

Kaipo pushed hard off the starting block, his paws grabbing at the ground as he took up his running stance, starting a few paw steps out in front of the group. His head kept down, paws clenched tightly as he felt each step of his paws jolt him. He sucked in a breath, exhaling just as quickly. Keep your attention in front of you. He kept his mind on that thought as he sprinted along the curve of the track. His thoughts wavered as he caught sight of both that fox and a cheetah starting to pass him, eyes shifting to them just a second before falling back onto the track as they reached the straightway of the sprint.

Robert gritted his teeth, his concentration broken as he found the hold turned back on him, both of his paws now clutched in lace by the smirking Mars. Shifting back and forth, Robert kept his shoulders from both touching the mat together a few seconds before he could think.

Kaipo lost his fierce look as the pair began to pass him at the start of the straight track, a faintly hopeless look lingering in his mind. Good luck, Kai. The sound of Robert's voice flashed through his mind, the look broken, back to its determination. His paw clenched tightly, lowering his torso and head down slightly as his eyes focused back on the finish line.

Mars leaned backwards, trying to pull Robert's embrace down further, to trap more of the husky underneath him. Robert kept his shifting up, but it was starting to wear on him, moving both himself and the dingo atop him. Good luck Robbie. The husky's crystal blue eyes blinked twice as he heard the lion's voice, a partially smug smirk of his own showing up in the fur of his muzzle.

His movement was quick, the canine using a burst of strength to tug his arms apart, leaving Mars grasping at his wrists, the dingo's confident expression starting to falter. Little by little, Robert slid out from under him, his paws turning quick to grab at Mars' wrists, clutching tightly at him. The dingo began to look panicked as Robert moved quickly. Turning around once he was out from under Mars, Robert's paws pressed down the dingo's arms, trapping them crossed over his chest, pinning down his shoulders as the referee made his count.

Kaipo's paws moved faster as he neared the finishing line, the pair of fox and cheetah he trailed growing closer until he was beside them. The line across the track loomed as the lion gritted his teeth tight, pulling steps past the pair to come across the line first. His sprint wasn't interrupted immediately, the lion running that speed a few lengths beyond the line before dropping into a slow walk. His chest was heaving as he caught his breath, his ears catching the sounds of his teammates cheering him. Reaching his paws up, they rested on the back of his head, walking slowly back towards his bench to cool off from the sprint. A moment passed before a little bright smirk on his muzzle came with the realization he had won.

The crowd's applause burst as the referee blew the whistle for the match's end, signaling victory for the husky as Robert stood up. Mars was slower to his hind paws, a disappointed glare given towards Robert before the furs returned to their respective benches. The three of his teammates swarmed the husky when he got close to the bench, offering their congratulations and high-fives. Robert's muzzle held a bright little smirk on it as he sat back down, letting out a deep breath.

Kaipo sat quietly on the couch, still wearing his white tank top, along with his navy blue warm-up pants. Suzy sat on the floor in front of him, watching a cartoon. Glancing only occasionally at the television screen, Kaipo kept most of his attention on the phone on the end table beside the couch. Its ring was short, as the lion snapped the phone up in his paw "Hello?"

"I can go!" Robert almost yelled on the other end. "Yes!" Kaipo just about squealed as the husky told him, jumping in his spot on the couch, all his commotion getting an odd look from his sister before the television drew her attention back "So how'd you do?" The pair asked the same question over the phone, causing a moment of laughter between them. There was a pause before they again spoke, both blurting out "I won!" Again they paused, breaking into laughter.