A New Year in Valsa

A low, drumbeat bassline broke the silence of the farm, early on a Saturday morning. Fuzzy, distorted guitar joined the drums, and a growling vocal line followed soon afterwards.

"Jev, you said you were gonna turn off the alarm so we could sleep in." Cydwen's voice was groggy and filled with sleep.

Jev reached over to his phone but found it silent. "'S not mine. Isn't that your ringtone?"

Cyd growled, picking up her phone from the nightstand, her face contorting into a frown when she saw the caller ID. She swiped the flashing bubble to answer, her voice thick with sleep. "Tori, it's six in the morning on a Saturday. If this isn't vitally important, my cousin is going to have to find a new husband."

Tori's laughter filled the line. "Sorry, Cyd. It's just a little time sensitive. I need to speak to Jev. Could I get his number?"

She sighed deeply. "Hold on. I've got him here."

Jev grabbed the phone, holding it to his ear as he groggily rubbed sleep from his eyes. "'Lo?"

Cyd laid her head back down on the pillow, and it looked as though she was going to try to fall back asleep, but then Jev felt her hand tickle his thigh and then gently grip his cock, stroking it slowly. A mischievous grin slid across her face.

"Hey, Jev. Sorry to wake you."

Jev yawned, trying to push the sensations below the bedsheets out of his mind. "'S no problem. What can I do for you?"

Jev could hear Tori smiling on the other end of the line. "So, anyway, Kinnidh's caught a bit of a stomach bug." Cyd's grin grew, and she disappeared beneath the bed sheets. A few moments later, he felt her warm breath on his skin, her lips gently touching his cock in a kiss, "Anyway, we've got tickets to the Catapults game this morning in Severna. You up for it?"

Cyd had him fully in her mouth now. He swallowed, trying to keep his voice steady. "The, uh... Catapults? Yeah, that... That sounds great."

Jev had hoped that that would be it, but Tori kept speaking. "Yeah, I've also got a coworker joining us for the game, so you'll get to meet him, too. Great guy, you'll like him."

Cyd was pulling out all the stops, the blanket that covered them lifting and falling as she eagerly sucked at him with all of her skill. He knew her goal was to try to get him to blow while Tori was still on the line, and she was putting all of her not-inconsiderable talent to the job. Jev tried to keep any indication of what was happening out of his voice. "Mmmhmm... Sounds great."

She pulled back, swirling her tongue around his tip before aggressively dropping back down. Her hands gently kneaded and toyed with his balls, another layer of sensation to drive him mad. And somehow Tori was still talking. "We've got the Catapults playing the Ranho City Pumas, and they're not doing well this year at all, so we've got a good chance to take a win today."

Jev switched the phone to his other hand, resting his now-free hand on the blanket where Cyd's head kept rising and falling, hoping to guide her pace, but she continued eagerly at her own speed. Jev realised that Tori was silent, waiting for a reply. "Yeah, no, that sounds fantastic."

There was a pause on the line from the other end. "You okay, man? You're sounding a little weird."

For a moment he considered telling Tori exactly what was going on, but he just didn't know Cyd's cousin-in-law that well and wasn't sure if it would make things awkward. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady despite Cyd's relentless distraction. "Yeah, it's just... Y'know... Still waking up. You know how it is."

He chuckled weakly, hoping the lie wasn't too obvious. If Tori had his suspicions, though, he hid them well. "Fair enough. Look, I'll be out there around seven or so to pick you up, so grab yourself a coffee or a shower to wake up before then. Sound good?"

"Uh-huh... Yep. Perfect." Jev's voice broke slightly as Cyd buried herself as deeply as she could, the head of his cock entering her throat. Her fingers scratched down his stomach, as his balls boiled for release.

"Excellent. See you in an hour and a bit." Tori's voice still held that cheerful clueless edge, still oblivious—wilfully or otherwise—about Jev's predicament.

"See you then." Jev didn't wait to see if Tori had anything else to say. He hit the end call button and dropped back onto the pillow with a groan. Both hands gripped Cyd's head, forcing her to stay on his cock as he finally allowed himself to release. She eagerly swallowed his cum as he kept her in place until he was emptied.

She emerged from the blanket, hair standing wildly on end from the static, with a grin like the cat that ate the canary. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and victory. "Not bad. Didn't break under pressure."

Jev grunted, shaking his head playfully. "Gods, you're a bitch."

Undeterred, she pressed her body tight against him again, cuddling tight against his bare chest. "If you didn't want a bitch, then you shouldn't have started dating a werewolf."

He stroked her hair as she lay against him. "One day, I have this dream that you'll let me speak on the phone without disruption."

She chuckled slightly without looking at him, enjoying the sensation of him touching her. "Didn't sound like you were complaining too loudly when you gave me a protein smoothie for breakfast."

He growled playfully and shoved her off of him so he could get up. He quickly copied Tori's contact from Cyd's phone and then got some fresh clothing. "I'm gonna shower. You coming?"

Cyd sprawled out in the bed gleefully. "You kidding? It's 6 o'clock on a Saturday. I have no plans to leave this bed for at least another four hours. At least." She wrapped her arms around the pillow and buried her head deeply into it. "Honestly, the fact that you're getting up this early on the weekend for a game... Speaks to some deeply flawed moral character on your part, I'm sure."

He grunted. "Well, I've gotta get some guy time in while I can. It's four women to one around here. I love you all, but you can't be my entire social circle."

She waved him away, dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... You've made your choice. Go hang out in testosteroneville for the morning. Just remember Dione's got designs on you for tonight, too."

He nodded as he sneaked out the door. "Should only be a few hours. No worries. I'll be home before you know it."

Jev readied himself for Tori's arrival, showering, grabbing his morning coffee and getting dressed. He had yet to grab any large, wearable merchandise for the Severna Catapults, all of his jerseys and T-shirts being for the Balisport Blaze, his hometown team. He went instead for a blue T-shirt and jeans, blue being the colour of the Catapults, and he made sure to wear his hat, the lone piece of 'Pults merch he owned. He had one of Riva's mother's firefruit pastries with his coffee for breakfast, taking them on the porch, and was ready to go as soon as Tori pulled up.

A black sports cart hovered down the entryway to Jev's property, not from the side of the bridge out to Valsa, but the small pathway that led beside the barn and out to the main road by Riva's family farm. The sleek, black vehicle hung tight to the ground, four, precisely-cut, faceted crystals spinning lazily to keep the vehicle just above the road surface. Tori, sitting within, waved to Jev, and motioned for him to head to the other door. The cart whooshed quietly as it sat idle with the sound of a moderate wind, and Jev took a seat on the passenger side.

Inside, the cart was no less impressive. Leather seats in a chocolate brown colour offset the dark moulded vinyl of the dash console. The driver's display projected onto the windscreen, and the controls were minimal. The cart wasn't just transportation. It was an artistic blend of magic and vehicular engineering that spoke of high speeds and comfortable transportation.

"You're a brave man, taking a fancy cart like this down the backroads." Jev pulled his shoulder belt across his body. "One good rock and you'd shatter one of those fancy lev-crystals."

Tori grinned unapologetically. "Sure, but coming in through Valsa you're stuck on little country roads the whole way. This way I got to take her out onto the N-5, get a chance to open her up a bit."

Jev indicated for Tori to drive around the house to take the same exit out. He guided the cart around with little difficulty, soon bringing them out onto the rough dirt road. Tori looked a little like Cyd, with a dark complexion and chiselled good looks, despite not being related to her by blood. He and Jev had only met once, at the big pack get-together shortly after Jev had gotten to Emmarine, but they'd gotten along well, and as of that evening, were also packmates, making him the next best thing to family.

"So, how's the farm business treating you?"

Jev chuckled a little and shrugged. "I put seeds in the ground and now I have plants. Somehow, despite all odds I haven't yet managed to kill it all, either, so I think that counts as 'better than expected.' With Dione's help we're probably going to get two harvests in, so hopefully the weather stays good. Wouldn't mind some rain."

Tori grinned, sparing a second from looking at the road to check over Jev approvingly. "Well, look at you. Couple months in and you're already wanting to ruin our lovely, sunny summer with some rain. You really are becoming a farmer."

Jev shrugged. "I'm only entitled to draw so much from the creek, and that won't do me much good if it dries up in a drought or something. I'm not used to having so much riding on things outside of my control."

"I wouldn't worry about that creek." Tori waved a dismissive hand. "It's fed by a bunch of natural springs from a big aquifer, and the rock around here is mostly limestone and sandstone, allowing for a lot of what we call 'bank storage' of the water. Basically, you can imagine the riverbanks are like giant sponges, soaking up water, and able to pour it back out when the river gets low."

Tori's expertise as a geotechnical engineer was on full display, which made Jev feel subtly better about the state of his irrigation system, at least. Tori had something else on his mind, however.

"So... You and Cyd are getting serious, huh?" He shoulder-checked and merged the cart into the next lane, "I mean, it was pretty obvious she'd been spending the night from time to time last time we came by, but I think this is a new record for one of her relationships."

Jev nodded. "I guess. I mean, I certainly haven't got any complaints. Cyd doesn't talk much about her exes, so I've just assumed there wasn't a lot to say."

Tori advanced the music to skip the song that was playing. "Being a werewolf can be... a lot. A lot of us choose to stick to dating our own kind just to keep someone around that understands that. Forceful personalities, wild impulses... A tendency to act first and think later. Sometimes, especially around the full moon, it's a bit like having a manic episode."

"I can see how that could be an issue." Jev nodded thoughtfully, then laughed. "Suppose that explains why I woke up at 2 am to Cyd indulging in some very fresh venison in her kitchen last month."

This got Tori laughing, too. "Yeah, that'll happen. There's a good reason why werewolves don't usually live in the cities. When the need to hunt takes you, it's way better to find a rabbit or deer or something than to be chasing cars. Apparently they have a gym in Severna with a lure like they use in greyhound racing for people who need to indulge, but I don't know about that, man..."

"Well, maybe just being on the farm is good. She can run herself out when she needs to, there's plenty of space for that. But she's also just happy to cuddle on the couch or, well, curl up and sleep too."

Tori nodded. "Being socially relaxed is part of the wolf life too, don't forget. When the pack got together, you notice how many of us were cuddled up around the fire? That really pissed off one of Cyd's boyfriends once. Don't remember his name, but he apparently didn't much like seeing Cyd all cuddly with the pack. Real dickhead."

He took his eyes briefly off the road to examine Jev, his expression remaining light but taking on an edge of seriousness. "You seem to be a decent guy. I'm not going to go all 'protective cousin' on you, especially since you're part of the pack. I think you're a better fit than the other idiots she's gotten together with, which is saying something for a city boy from Garnaca. Just don't let her burn you out."

Jev laughed. "No worries there, at least for now. I may need to invest in a big chest freezer in the barn, though. And maybe take up butchering courses..."

The two of them shared a laugh as the cart sped down the highway towards Severna.

***

The Severna Coliseum was a large, squat cylinder of a building located on the far north side of the city, a part of town that Jev had yet to visit. Nestled against the base of the slope that limited how far north the city could grow, it felt strangely out of place—a large, domed-roofed stadium with a wall of green grass rising behind it, while above, Jev could see the movement of carts driving the road that followed the ridgeline. GemLifts whirred past on monorail tracks leading into the stadium's base. Eager fans in blue jerseys milled in the parking lot, which was unusually small by Garnacan standards, but sufficient for Tori to find a space to park without much difficulty.

Tori got out, giving the parking lot a once-over, then checked his phone to see if there were any pending messages. "Now, where is that little haemorrhoid...?"

Jev exited the cart, looking around. It felt unusual to be at a majeball game so early in the day, it tended to be the kind of game you'd watch in the late afternoon or evening back home. However, despite the game having originated in Emmarine, the Professional Majeball League was created in Garnaca, where they made it popular, not to mention lucrative. With 35 teams across the Eastern Continent, and only one of them in Severna as a concession to the game's origins, the Catapults were actually based in Fort Ampstead, the footage projected live to Severna so the Eastern teams didn't have to make an intercontinental flight every time Severna had a home game.

Tori jerked his head, indicating for Jev to follow, as he tapped something out on his phone and headed towards the main doors. "Mac's inside waiting for us."

Jev followed, and the two of them cleared security to emerge into the main lobby. The brutalist structure of the arena was lined with moulded concrete details, and even the floor was polished concrete. As they finally cleared through the entry crowds, the smallest, hairiest guy that Jev had ever seen approached them. He was barely a metre tall, wearing a blue Catapults jersey almost like a dress. His dark brown, medium-length hair streaked with grey was somehow combed and dishevelled at the same time, and almost every feature of his face except large, dark eyes and a large hawkish nose was obscured under a bushy beard, moustache, or eyebrows.

"Tori!" He turned to hug Jev around his knees, then turned to Tori. "And Kinnidh! You've dyed your hair! And you got real ugly!"

Tori laughed, accepting the joke in good humour. "I'd say the same to you, ya hairball, but thankfully you've saved us all from having to see your face by covering it all with beard." He motioned to Jev, "This is my packmate Jev. Kin's sick and couldn't make it, so since Jev's new in town and a fan of majeball I figured he'd be interested in seeing how the game is really played. Jev, this is Mac"

Jev extended his hand and the tiny man shook it. "New to Severna, eh? Where ya from, then?"

"Balisport, Garnaca."

Mac's eyes lit up with interest, the little skin that Jev could see crinkling at the corner of his eyes "Balisport, huh? Beautiful city. Great place to visit—if you enjoy traffic, bad nektara, and pretending the smog is 'just a little morning mist.'" He hiked his thumb towards Tori, "So that must mean you're not part of the fur brigade then? That's good, I can use a hand to keep him from trying to chase the ball. So, you a Blaze fan, then?"

Jev found himself grinning at the little man's rapid-fire delivery. He flicked the brim of his Catapults hat. "Guilty as charged. But I'm all in on the 'Pults today."

Mac grinned back, as much as he could beneath the beard. "Better be. I expect you to keep up with me after all. Don't let my size fool ya—I'm the loudest guy in the building, except for maybe Tori when he sees the mailman come up the lane."

Tori groaned. "Dark gods below, Mac, you're not gonna start this already, are you?"

The hairy little man winked at Jev. "You know me... Domovoi. Comes with the territory."

The three of them headed towards the concourse, full of fans in blue milling around while others walked in streams through the halls to find concessions or their seats. Jev was relieved to see that the majority of the concessions were similar to back home, though among the hot dogs, burgers, popcorn and beers, there were also bowls of fruit with rice porridge, egg and rice bowls, and coffee. Jev excused himself to buy a jersey, wincing internally at the 200 Theal price tag, but with Tori and Mac in full colours, he couldn't bring himself to be the odd man out. He ripped the tags off and slipped it on, rejoining Tori and Mac now in proper colours.

They found their way to their seats, decently close to the field along the three-quarter line. Players were already out on the field, warming up, the blue of Severna contrasted sharply against the yellow traditionally worn by the visiting team. Only the slight mismatch in shadows and lighting between the players and the field around them revealed that the players were not actually in front of them, but were illusory projections from the other side of the planet.

Mac hopped up onto the seat. Jev grinned. "So, want a booster seat, or do you need to sit on my lap?"

The domovoi laughed heartily. "Ha! You should be so lucky!" Gripping the seat back, he unlatched a pair of clips from the side and lifted the bottom of the seat back up into another, higher seat which locked in place with mechanical arms. He clambered up on his new, higher seat, and settled in, still shorter than Jev or Tori, but plenty high enough to see the action.

Jev raised an eyebrow, impressed. "That's actually kinda brilliant."

Tori chuckled. "Welcome to Emmarine..."

Mac adjusted the armrests to a new, higher position, and tapped them proudly as they locked into place. The three discussed majeball as they waited for the game to start. Even though the game wasn't a particularly important one, the atmosphere in the Coliseum was electric, and Jev could feel himself being drawn into the energy of the crowd. A low buzz of conversation rumbled through the audience.

Generally, back home, the stadium was full of Blaze fans, but it wasn't uncommon for a few of the rival team fans to show up, often grouped together in small sections. There was no such thing here. The audience wore blue, and those few who didn't were just in casual street clothes. The unity was almost unnerving in its intensity.

Tori leaned forward to catch his attention. "So, what do you think? Much different from back home?"

"Well, of course it is," Mac interjected before Jev could answer, "the people here have better taste in majeball teams, for one."

Jev laughed. "It's strange to say, but the adverts feel weirder than anything else. I'm used to seeing the Blaze's sponsors. Balisport Credit and Loan, Sondex, Ciserla Brewing... Your wallboards are all the wrong colours here.

Mac gave a wink. "That's how you know the Blaze are a great team. The fans are reading the ads on the boards rather than watching them play."

The lights dimmed on the audience while rising on the field, and the Catapults' logo was projected onto the field, spinning across the turf. A deafeningly loud announcement roared through the arena from loudspeakers overhead.