Indeed, he is. on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Amy Fox

May 11, 2006 3:02 PM

Quidditch Match: Crotalus vs. Pecari by Coach Amy Fox

It was the second match of the season. Quite unlike the first, however, the weather was slightly overcast and cool. It left a permeating feeling of dampness in the bones, causing Amy to wish she was inside in front of a fire. The weather in the Southern states was always so unpredictable. While one day it could be warm and sunny, the next it might be overcast and cool.

Looking out to the spectators as they huddled in the stand, obviously waiting for the game to begin, Amy placed another heating charm upon herself, feeling cold just by looking at them. At the sound of approaching footfalls, she turned her gaze toward the students gathering in front of her. Smiling almost sympathetically at them, she waved them closer in order to hear her.

"Gather round. As I am sure you are aware, the game will continue until one of your Seekers has caught the Snitch. That is understood, correct? Good," she finished before allowing them to respond.

"Would the captains please come forward?" She waited for each to step forward, noting that one team had a pair of co-captains, before continuing her speech. "Obviously, this game will continue even if one of your players is injured. I'd make sure that your reserve players understand that they must take over if this happens.

"Now, dirty plays will not be tolerated. Fouls will be called and penalty shots rewarded if I catch you even attempting a dirt play. Is that understood?" She waited for each captain to assent to the rules before continuing. "Shake hands and then take your places."

Goggles and gear in place (there was always a chance that even as a referee she too could get hit with a Bludger), she stooped in order to open the box containing the balls. "The game will begin the moment I release the Quaffle and blow my whistle. I will count to 'three' so be prepared," she instructed the players before turning back to the box.

The Golden Snitch was the first to be released as it had to have enough time to get out of sight. The next to leave the confines of the box were the Bludgers. Stepping back, Amy used her wand to release them, removing any chance of getting blasted by the metal balls as they flew away. Finally, she removed the Quaffle. Turning back to the teams, she waited a moment in order to make sure that she had their attention. With the ball firmly secured in her hands, Amy addressed them one final time, "On the count of three:

"One,

"Two,

"Three!" At the count of three, she released the Quaffle, throwing it high into the air, as a loud whistle resounded from her wand. The game had begun.

\n\n

Subthreads:

And so it begins by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser with Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser, Stephen Baxter, Pecari Keeper, Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser, Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser, Stephen

Seeking a Snitch by Jennifer Z, Crotalus Seeker with Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker, Jennifer

Pecari Wins! (nm) by Amy Fox

0 Coach Amy Fox Quidditch Match: Crotalus vs. Pecari 0 Coach Amy Fox 1 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

May 15, 2006 4:03 PM

And so it begins by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

On the day of the first Pecari Quidditch match, Saul Pierce was increadibly tightly-wound. This was not to say he was nervous. He was too much a professional and stage-born entertainer to have anything resembling stage fright or performance anxiety.

He was just really really excited. Normally he didn't get to actually be the one in front of an audience since his family was primarily in the music industry and he didn't have a drop of talent in that respect. Quidditch, however, had been proving somewhat more promising over the last few weeks since his first flying lesson. At least, he was good enough to not cause pain in his spectators. That was a huge thing for him. He didn't even notice the chill in the air or the damp oppressiveness. His blood was warm and that was enough.

He was barely able to keep from launching off the ground as Coach Fox went over the rules again. He tensed on 'One'. He tensed more on 'Two'. On three, he launched speeding into the air and almost missing the Quaffle entirely in his haste, but he ran his chest into it, fumbled with the catch, nearly dropped it, then caught hold of it. By then, he'd continued to fly at a steep incline and when he looked around, he was slightly above the height of the uppermost goal post.

Noticing one of his Chaser teammates was closer to the goal than he was, he called out their name and tossed the Quaffle down in their direction before something happened like he got tackled from behind or a bludger took him out or whatever else opposing Crotali did to Pecari firsties holding the Quaffle.

Once the ball was hurtling through the air, he didn't wait to see if the other chaser caught it. There wasn't anything he could do one way or the other if they did or didn't. He could only put himself into a position where he could score a goal if the Quaffle made it back to him. With this in mind, he sped toward the Crotalus goal posts.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser And so it begins 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser

May 16, 2006 9:56 PM

cue dramatic music by Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser

The wind had picked up since the last time Earl had been on the field. There were grey clouds hovering over the teams and Earl prayed that it wouldn't rain. He listened to the voice of Coach Fox and tried to think about the game ahead, but the gnawing pit in his stomach was making it hard.

At the count of three, Earl took off and immediately swore to himself when a chaser from the other team caught the quaffle first. He stopped to see if the Pecari would drop the ball - he seemed to fumble it a little. Suddenly, he tossed it over to another chaser; a chaser that happened to be very close to Earl.

With a determined grin, Earl headed for the quaffle, but miscalculated exactly wher it was and instead of catching it, he head-butted it. The quaffle bouced off his head and flew another three feet into the air before coming back down and landing right in Earl's lap. With the quaffle secured, Earl raced for the Pecari's hoops, soon realizing that his way was littered with obstacles.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser *cue dramatic music* 0 Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Stephen Baxter, Pecari Keeper

May 17, 2006 5:50 AM

Dude... you're going the wrong way by Stephen Baxter, Pecari Keeper

Of course it was a given that just because they were friends, it didn't mean that Jen was going to be giving Stephen insider knowledge about her team, but then, the names and what they were playing wasn't a serious secret in any case. Only a couple of firsties had made the other team, a girl he'd heard was called 'Lila', who he was able to spot quite easily when they were assmbled on the pitch for the start of the game, was playing Beater, just like his friend Gwenny. Stephen waved at Gwen. And... there. That little overweight kid was playing Chaser. Well, maybe little was the wrong word, but he was a firstie, so little worked. He waved again, to catch Jen's attention while she was supposed to be listening to the coach (... good lookin' coach too. The name fitted) and mouthed 'you're going down' with a grin. Then, another glance at the other two opposing Chasers, both girls (his head tilted slightly as he looked at them) before grinning again.

Fido jerked a little in his grip, eager to begin.

As soon as the game was underway, Stephen took a moment to check where the quaffle was - "Nice job, Saul!" - before giving his own area it's proper attention. It was a bit cold, but that didn't really bother him much. Fido was in a zippy mood, bringing him quickly from one hoop to another. Not really much of a wind to speak of, so that helped with the factoring.

There was a flurry of movement towards the other side of the pitch, and Stephen's attention was, once more, firmly on the Quaffle. Only, of all the people to be going with it...

It was all he could do to hold off on the laughing. "Valentine!" he hollered, cupping one hand near his mouth in an effort to make his voice carry further. "Dude, wrong way!" Not that he was entirely against the mistake, after all, with the Crotalus Keeper up this end of the field the was was clear for his own teams Chasers to score. And it was funny. And... wasn't there a rule against it? There were rules against that kind of thing in other sports, he knew from playing several before he came here to Sonora. And he'd been flipping through that book of Liz's, which had mentioned some of the rules and fouls that could be made, and that there were literally hundreds more that the book had room to fit.

And other than all that, he didn't imagine that the actual Crotalus Chasers would be happy with their teammate.

Shaking his head, and still grinning to himself, he let his muscles loosen up in preparation for if Valentine not only continued on, but made it all the way in one go by himself. "Ready, Fido?" he asked quietly. The broom quivered slightly, and then went still, as both it and its rider focused on the approaching Quaffle.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

39 Stephen Baxter, Pecari Keeper Dude... you're going the wrong way 0 Stephen Baxter, Pecari Keeper 0 5

Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser

May 17, 2006 4:33 PM

What are you doing??? by Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser

Chrissy had woken up on the wrong side of the bed that morning. Having received little sleep the night before, she was quick to snap and very short-tempered. She had the feeling it was mainly the new diet her mother had decided to place her on even though she was across the nation. Ugh, she was tired, hungry, and full of energy. Probably the best way for her to be when it came to Quidditch matching. Now all her attention would be focused on getting the job done.

Not that Chrissy had much faith in anything these days and her team even less so. She wasn't sure how good Lily was, though she considered her a good friend, didn't know the boy,Earl, at all, but he seemed way to eager to please and the type who would want to play every position if given the chance, didn't know the first year boy at all, and had no idea who the beaters were. The only person Chrissy knew for sure to be good at Quidditch was Jennifer, who was probably their only hope if they were to win at this game.

At the ptich, Chrissy went about making sure she had put on all of her guards properly, her goggles ready and waiting at the top of her head, and that she had no loose clothing to snag on anything. While the coach gave out the direction, Chrissy busied herself with pulling her short curly blonde hair into a ponytail at the top of her head while staring up at the darkening sky. She prayed to Merlin that the rain held up until after the match was over. But, knowing their luck, it would come down and hard.

When the coach gave the word, Chrissy jumped on her broom and went straight into the air, momentarily forgetting the game as the wind whipped by her. She turned her broom and looked around for the quaffle, spotting it in one of the Pecari's arms who then passed it on. Chrissy pointed her broom in the direction of Pecari and started to head them off when something suddenly made her halt. Earl Valentine, the Crotalus Keeper was in possession of the quaffle and trying to head for the goals. Anger automatically flared in Chrissy. She had pegged him right. Of all the days to play hero he had to pick this day???

With gritted teeth and a murderous look, Chrissy flew after Earl. That git! That dimwit! That quaffle hound! Why did Jennifer have to allow such an idiot like that on the team?? Anger fueled Chrissy as she flew and it wasn't toward the opposing team but at her own teammate. When she at last caught up to the boy, ignoring everyone else, Chrissy held out her hand to him, "Earl are you dense?" She asked, her voice shaking from her anger and disbelief that he could pull such a stunt. "We're the Chasers of this team, not you. Give me the quaffle and protect our goal!" She told him with such passion she was sure her words carried acrossed to the stands.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser What are you doing??? 0 Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

May 18, 2006 5:07 PM

Chasing, he's Chasing. by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Saul had started flying singlemindedly for the Crotalus goals as soon as the Quaffle left his hands. He was a little surprised when he got there that there was no Keeper. He was also a bit chagrined that there was no Quaffle either. Apparently, his pass had been intercepted by one of the Crotali who was running back towards Stephen.

There was no way Saul, on his borrowed school broom, could possibly get to the other end of the pitch in time to do anything useful with what was going on over there, but he did fly back partway, in case one of his fellow Pecari Chasers got the ball and needed someone closer to the Crotalus goals to pass to. Right now those hoops were wide open for him. He just needed a Quaffle.

Hovering at a good distance between the crowd of other players and the goal posts, he shouted encouragement to his teammates, while keeping an eye open for stray or directed bludgers.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser Chasing, he's Chasing. 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Jennifer Z, Crotalus Seeker

May 20, 2006 12:13 AM

Seeking a Snitch by Jennifer Z, Crotalus Seeker

Ever since she had been made captain of the Crotalus team, and Coach Fox announced that there actually would be a quidditch tournament this year, there had been one thought in the back of Jennifer’s mind. She really, really didn’t want to have her first game against Pecari. While Aladren was the team that she had wanted to play the first game against the most, since she didn’t have any real friends on that team, but she would have been fine with Teppenpaw. After all, Jake wouldn’t have been too mean if she had lost, and the rest of the team was younger, besides Tally. This, however, was her worst nightmare.

She hadn’t had the best luck this year with her team. Merlin, she hadn’t really had any luck. She had two returning players that had played their position before, two that knew what they was doing somewhat, one that hadn’t even known what quidditch was, and the final one that had been terrified by his mother into thinking that he was too fat to play. And they were set to play a team that boasted four third years who had been playing forever, and whom Jennifer knew would be completely ruthless if need be. And she really didn’t want to lose her first game to Lizzie and Stephen. They, more than anyone else, wouldn’t ever let her forget it.

And the weather couldn’t be worse either. It reminded Jennifer of London, with the perpetual dampness and cool. Jennifer loved London most of the time, she really did. But it wasn’t the type of place that she wanted to play an important game of quidditch. The day was shaping up to be worse and worse.

Before they entered the pitch, Jennifer gathered her players around her for a quick pep talk. Looking each of them in the eye, she said firmly, “Look, I know that this game may be rough. The conditions couldn’t be worse, we’ve not been practicing for that long, and this team may seem really intimidating. But you guys can do this. You really can. Just keep doing what you’ve been practicing, and you’ll do fine.

Turning to each section of the team in turn, she continued, “Chrissy, Lily, Geoffrey, you three really are an excellent set of chasers. You seem to work well together, and that’s the most important aspect right now. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing in practice, and you’ll be great. Lila, Gwen, you two just work on trying to keep the bludgers away from the rest of us. Don’t worry about me so much, because while a lot of times they aim for the seeker, I’m small, and I’m exceptionally good at dodging. Focus on their chasers if you get to a bludger first, and if not, then try to keep any of us from being hit. We don’t have any reserve players, and this is not the game to be playing man down in. Earl,” she looked at him, and grinned slightly, “You know perfectly well what you’re capable of, and have no lack of faith in your own abilities. There’s not much I can say to you.”

As soon as she finished the speech, Coach Fox called her and the twins over, so she left her team, grin still on her face. She had done it. She had made it through the speech without getting tongue-tied, or starting to shake from nerves. It was funny, really. Quidditch games had always been the only times when she wasn’t completely crippled by her shyness.

She nodded automatically as Fox lectured, stoically ignoring Stephen as he made faces at her. After she was dismissed, and they were told to take their places, she sized up her counterpart. She didn’t think the girl had played before, Lizzie may have mentioned something to that effect at some time or other, and Jennifer had no qualms about being just as ruthless as the other captains were likely to be on her own new players. She might have been a quiet, almost invisible person in all other aspects of life, but quidditch was a different matter entirely. And there were reasons seekers were often the ones most likely to get hurt.

As soon as the whistle was blown, she began to try and track the snitch. However, she soon noticed that something was wrong. It took her a few seconds to notice what, but then she saw Earl shooting down the field. With a muttered curse that her mother would have likely fainted to hear her mutter, she shot after him, arriving just as Chrissy finished her rant.

“Earl, you’re the one who always claimed to be so good,” she followed immediately, anger making her not care about tact. “This is going to be a tough game, and you know it. Stop playing around. There are times to try and be a hero, and do everything. This is not one of them. Go back to the goals, and do your job, or I will somehow find myself a replacement keeper, and you will be off this team. Do you understand?”

With that, she whirled around and raced back to the other seeker. She had wasted valuable time yelling at Earl, but he had needed it. She had been getting the feeling that he was questioning her authority behind her back, at least to himself, or just not respecting that authority as much as he should have. And that had to be corrected as soon as possible.

Luckily, her father had decided that, since Christine was going to be so firmly against Jennifer playing, that he might as well get her the best broom he could, so it was no problem catching back up to the other seeker. She half marked Ginger, she thought the other girl’s name was, and half searched on her own. Either way the snitch was sighted, she had a feeling she could get there first. All that had to happen now was that her keeper got his head in the game enough to not let the other team score so many goals that catching the snitch wouldn’t matter.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Jennifer Z, Crotalus Seeker Seeking a Snitch 48 Jennifer Z, Crotalus Seeker 0 5

Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker

May 21, 2006 11:11 PM

Seeking a Snitch by Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker

Ginger had to have a glass of nyquil before she went to bed the following night. It was the only way she could get to sleep. Sleep was manditory at that time, because she had a game the next morning. She knew that if she stayed up all night with such anxiety that there was a very big chance that she wouldn't do very well in this game. Eating was a completely different story though. She had only managed to have a few bites of toast that morning. She had tried her hardest to get something in, but she was too scared. Her stomach didn't hurt from anger right now, her stomach didn't really hurt at all. She was shaking from the anxiety and the fear. The fear of being in front of most of the school, the fear of losing Pecari the game. She was also afraid that she would do so poorly that the captains would demote her position and give it to Grim. That was something she was going to try her very best to prevent.

Ginger had managed to get in some extra practice time after practices and days that she didn't have practice. She realized that since she was a muggle-born that she had a bit of a disadvantage. It wasn't even just because she was a muggle-born. She was a first year muggle-born. She realized that she would have to practice a little more to get acustomed with catching snitches, and trying different manuvers. She knew that the circumstances would be completely different when she actually played the game when she practiced, but it was something.

Ginger didn't know too much about the Crotalus seeker, but she knew enough about her to be intimindated beyond reason. She knew that her name was Jennifer (the least intimidating thing about her.)She found out that she was also the captain of the Crotalus quidditch team, which meant that she deffinatly knew what to do in a quidditch game. It was obvious that this was not Jennifer's first game unlike Ginger. Ginger also knew that Jennifer was a third year, which was one of the most intimidating things about her. Jennifer had Ginger beat by two years. Two years of more experiance in quidditch, and two more years of being in the wizarding world. She knew that it was extremely unlikely that she would get the snitch before Jennifer.

Ginger wasn't very pleased with the weather, but she was a lot happier with it than when she was during a recent quidditch practice. She managed to dress warmly for the game, even though that wasn't her biggest worry at the moment. She knew that she would rather have a cold, than humiliate herself in front of so many people.

As she walked onto the pitch, she shivered out of fear, and dread. She didn't pay much attention to what Coach Fox was saying. She knew that it was going to be some talk about the rules, and all this other stuff about playing clean. "Yeah, yeah whatever," she thought when Coach Fox was takling. "Let's get this freaking show on the road!"

When she finally went up in the air with her broom, the air that went through her blond hair felt uneasy. It wasn't just because it was cold, it was because it was cold, and she was scared. She didn't know how she was going to get through this without something going wrong, she took a deep breath. She had to focus, and she knew that she had to act quick. She knew that there was a very big chance that she could get hurt, but it didn't matter. It couldn't matter too much, and if it did, it wouldn't matter after it was better.

Ginger abbandoned all of the anxiety she was feeling, and went off to search for the gold snitch. She kept her eye on Jennifer, and also looked at another area in case the snitch could be there. It was a no go.

Ginger was also happy that Jennifer was the captain at her team, when one of her teammates had apparently screwed up, Jennifer had to yell at him. Ah so she had some time, she went up a few more feet, and looked a bit above the game for a while, she thought she saw something, but it appeared that it was a bludger. She managed to quickly dodge it without any harm done.

Before Ginger could do anything successful, Jennifer was back into view. Jennifer was back in now, and the time that she bought Ginger wasn't as usful as she thought it was. She kept her eye on her as well, and tore a few more feet away from her as well. She was aware that it wouldn't make anything better considering that Jennifer would just get closer to her desired distance, and it would turn into a chase game instead of a quidditch game.

Ginger looked at the goal posts, and saw a small glint of gold, she zoomed after it, not caring if she was probably going to get blocked. Just before she could get to the goal post another bludger was racing toward her. She looped to dodge it, but it costed her the time to get it the snitch was gone. She went back up again, in search for it again. That ball was very unpredictable, it could very well be anywhere.

She kept her eyes on Jennifer, she knew that she was paying as much attention to Ginger as she was to her. The pressure was making her feel so uneasy, but she couldn't go back. There was no turning back now. She gave Jennifer a polite smile, and circled around to look for the snitch somewhere else. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker Seeking a Snitch 1484 Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker 0 5

Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser

May 22, 2006 10:13 PM

Just... here... ish by Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser

It had taken quite a leap of faith for Geoffrey to make it out onto the field. As it was he was entirely surprised that he'd even made it on the team. At first he'd been pleased, but then he'd realised that there hadn't even been a tryouts... which meant that he'd got his position by default. That'd been a blow to his usually hesitant ego. But being here, being on the field - even if it was just the school field - and being about to play in his first ever game... wow. He could even pretend that it was a professional game, because there was a professional on the field. It was just that she was the coach/umpire.

And then things had gone a little weird.

He wondered if it was because of him, if that boy, Earl, had decided to take Geoff's place, just because Geoff was a first year. But people seemed to be annoyed at him. In fact, most of the attention on the field seemed to be focused on the older boy. The opposing keeper, the other chasers...

With a mild wobble, that was still more due to the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be up there than anything else, he edged towards the group, practically exuding 'who me?' the whole time. As he sidled up alongside Earl, he thought he could hear his mother's voice, berating him inside his head. What are you doing? he just managed to push aside the urge to curl up. You've no place on a broom, a fat useless boy like you. and no place on the team, let alone trying to play a game. It made him pause for a moment, before a surge of anger went through him. She wasn't even here! It was stupid, to be afraid of what she might be saying, to feel small because of what she might be thinking.

There were people shouting now. A Pecari boy a little bit away, and even another of the Chasers on his own team. All in all, he didn't think that Earl would really mind so much if the attention was taken from him for a moment, so, with a deep breath, Geoffrey did something he'd never done before in his entire life. He reached out for the limelight.

Well, for the Quaffle anyhow.

And then, with a sudden pit developing in his stomach as he realised what he'd just done - he'd snatched the quaffle from the hands of another player... a player on his own team - he pushed his broom towards the goals as fast as he could make it go. The wobble increased for a moment, and he almost lost hold of the Quaffle, but then, it was like a switch in his head was flicked. He steadied. His grip on the ball altered slightly; he'd always been quite good at catching, holding and throwing things, and as his dread slipped away to be replaced by concentration (something he was also good at) on the goals ahead of him. The other team's Keeper was there, and while Geoffrey had heard a few things about this other boy, Stephen, he thought the name was, he thought he might have a shot anyhow, if the older boy wasn't quick enough to get his attention where it needed to be.

He made it into the scoring area, managing to still be slightly surprised that he'd made it so far. Then, taking another breath - awkwardly with the air rushing past his face - pointed his broom at the right-most goal, adjusted his grip on the Quaffle again, instinctively, and then.... twisting on his broom because he was right-handed, let it fly at the left ring.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

39 Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser Just... here... ish 0 Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Stephen

May 23, 2006 1:58 PM

Why... so you are! by Stephen

That Earl bloke... you really had to hand it to him. He knew how to get some attention. Stephen was watching him, slowly shaking his head and grinning in disbelief. This was almost like... that scene in that Mighty Ducks movie. The third one. There had been a time, about five years ago, when Darren, Owen and Stephen had all dreamed of playing ice-hockey, and had watched all the movies they could find that had anything to do with it. The Mighty Ducks had definitely had more parental approval than Youngblood, which they'd been eventually managed to watch one evening when Owen's parents had gone out for their wedding anniversary. But still, Goldburg... or not exactly. It was kind of like it. In a way.

He thought about how it might be an idea to talk to Sorrel and Ash about how he might pull a stunt like that. He liked the idea of it... no one suspects the goalie of going for the shot. But then, Earl had already done it. It probably wouldn't get much of an impact done twice. Maybe in a few years...

The moment of introspection cost him valuable seconds. Even when he noticed that something had happened, it took him another moment to realise what exactly had happened. That fat little kid... the fat little kid had the quaffle. If he'd had been on the same team, Stephen would have been tempted to cheer for the kid. It was that kind of moment. Heck, he was on the other team, and he still felt like cheering. He settled for a wide grin, even as his eyes narrowed, and his brain started to work out where the kid was going.

He was edging a little right, and he was a firstie. Stephen moved a little to the left, to put the kid off his guard, and make him think that Stephen hadn't noticed the drifting. But then the kid was inside the scoring area, and he made his move towards the right goal. His arm was moving, and Stephen was already pushing Fido to defend the right-hand goal, reaching it easily just in time to realise that he had made a mistake. The kid was cannier than he'd expected. And, the broom wobble aside, he seemed to have an instinctive understanding of how to handle that Quaffle.

"Damn," he swore, louder than intended, as he pulled Fido into a rough 180. He was never going to make it, there was no way... this kid... "Damn." Stephen watched the quaffle go through the goal, neatly as you please, his outstretched fingers no where near knocking it from its path.Shaking his head in disbelief, he changed paths again, going down and back to retrieve the ball. "Nice shot-" what was his name again? Geoff. That was it. "Nice shot Geoff. Want to swap teams? Jen can have Liz," he grinned and winked in the direction of his friends, but wasn't worried whether they'd heard his offer or not. "Right."

And it was back to business. A Chaser in Pecari brown was over there and the Quaffle was soon making its way straight to Stephen's team-mate. Sure the kid had a talent for throwing; but Stephen was gifted at sports too. And he'd stop the next goal for sure. No more underestimating the opposition.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

39 Stephen Why... so you are! 0 Stephen 0 5

Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser

May 23, 2006 10:58 PM

Indeed, he is. by Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser

It was well known to Lizzie's teammates (as well as pretty much anyone who remotely knew her) that quidditch was a vital part of the young teenage girl's life. So naturally Liz arrived pumped and had started off the game exuberantly, in her usual fashion. The game was going well for Pecari until some first year found himself at the other end of the field with the quaffle. She watched as Geoff shot, her blue eyes expecting to see another brilliant save from Stephen.

Lizzie's eyes were disappointed as Stephen lunged the opposite direction. A groan escaped her mouth as she followed up after the goal. Liz instinctively caught the ball as Stephen returned it from below the recently scored on goals. Lizzie tucked the quaffle under her left arm, using her right to steer her broom. She caught Stephen's comment to Geoff and rolled her eyes, allowing a laugh to break through her obvious frustration.

"Yeah, Baxter, we've love to trade you too!" she shouted back to him, flashing him a jovial grin before taking off towards the opposite end. Liz was making her way through various obstacles (human and leather-skinned like) with a renewed determination to win until she took a second to glance behind her to make sure the rest of the chasers were following. The glance cost her the chance to see a bludger making its path towards her. When her head whipped back forward and her black hair had been blown from out of her face, Liz caught sight of the black mass hurlting towards her.

Two seconds of thought was all that had time to cross her mind before her right hand jerked violently right to narrowly avoid a certain collision. Adrenaline pumping through her body, Lizzie took another two seconds to re-evaluate her current field position and headed towards the goal to set up some offensive chaser plays. It was always better to start a bit of a weave passing before you approached the goals for a little mind-gaming with the keeper. Liz caught sight of another brown robed chaser and with a quick nod, signaled her pass. The quaffle sailed from her hands towards the other chaser, and Lizzie prayed that things would start looking up for Pecari... \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser Indeed, he is. 0 Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser.

May 23, 2006 11:59 PM

Interception by Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser.

The idea of playing on a sports team struck Lily as ironic. Not because she was bad or anything, just because the sterotype of athletes at her muggle school was that they were preppies and Lily was anything but. She knew she'd hate them if she were still there, just on principle if nothing else.

Now she was in the air during what was really her first Quidditch game. She glanced at her fellow players. Lily had been less than thrilled that they'd had to take one of the prissy second year girls as a Beater of all things. She hoped Gwen wouldn't be all afraid of breaking a nail and would actually play hard.

As she looked around, she knew something was wrong. Nobody was guarding their goal! Where was their keeper?

She spotted him. What the heck was he doing? The blasted moron! He seemed to have forgot his position. Lily didn't need to tell him off though, at the moment. Her roommates already had.

Lily gave Earl an icy death glare as Geoff went for a shot...and made it! "Good job, Geoff!" She yelled. The Quaffle was once again in play and was heading straight for a Pecari Chaser, who caught it. The opposing chaser went to pass it to one of her teammates. Lily zoomed in between and caught it. She made her way back towards the goal clutching the Quaffle.

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

11 Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser. Interception 45 Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser. 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

May 24, 2006 8:58 AM

Hey! That was mine! by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Saul was waiting and watching. He bemoaned (loudly) the goal scored by Crotalus, then readied himself for a pass to him when he saw Stephen had passed the Quaffle to Liz. He flew backwards, keeping himself between the goals and Liz, and not paying too much attention to such things as bludgers or other players. One of the former wisked right by him, tearing a hair from his head in its passage, and he yelped in surprise, ducked belatedly, and was very grateful it hadn't been a few inches over.

When he recovered, Liz looked like she was recovering from her own near-miss and he wondered if it had been the same bludger or if both of them were right in that area of the field. He didn't have time to worry about it though because she signalled a pass to him and he got ready to catch it.

Before the ball got to him, however, a red clad Crotalus jumped up between them and snatched the ball from the air. "Hey!" Saul protested, pushing his broom forward to chase after her. "That's mine!"

He gave his school-owned Firebolt a burst of speed and caught up even with her. He reached over and tried to snatch the ball right out of her hands, pressing his shoulder against hers to get better leverage. He also tightened his legs around his broom hoping that would keep him from falling as he engaged in a tug-of-war over the Quaffle.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser Hey! That was mine! 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater

May 24, 2006 2:34 PM

It seems to be hers, now. by Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater

Gwen still wasn't entirely sure what she was doing out here on the Quidditch Pitch instead of studying for her Charms exam, but there was no way out of it that she could see. Walking off the Pitch would entail painful amounts of embarrassment in the moment and afterwards, when everyone (except maybe the other Crotali) started making cracks about it. Being seen as odd was one thing. Being seen as pathetic, even cowardly, was another entirely. Being a coward was no excuse for flaunting cowardice.

Nervousness was there, and some fear, but also a sense of solidity she had come to associate with the game. While she was playing, she had a goal again. There was a point to her actions: to help the team attain victory. Victory was a good thing. Defeat was a bad one. Therefore, she would perform a specific action to help attain the former. It was a formula she understood and could use. She smiled when Stephen waved to her and raised her own hand in a return gesture. Stephen and Elizabeth were both all right as far as she was concerned, but this wasn't personal. She could oppose them in this and like them fine in everything else.

The game got off to an interesting start when Earl proved to the entire school just how stupid he could be by abandoning his position and running off towards Stephen with the Quaffle. She wanted to set the Bludger that tried to attack her just then on a direct course for his head, but instead hit it towards a Pecari. Jennifer wouldn't like it if she split the Keeper's skull wide open, and she wanted to stay on Jennifer's good side. Besides, she had yet to become completely confident about her aim, and Jen definitely wouldn't like it if she knocked her out of the game instead of Earl. She had a crazy urge to cheer Geoffrey Spindler on when he got the Quaffle out of the mess and got 'round Stephen to secure a goal, but stopped herself. Even in these circumstances, where they were teammates instead of social figures, it didn't seem...prudent.

Elizabeth had the Quaffle...the Pecari boy who Earl had stolen it from was covering her. A Bludger, either flying astray or hit by Lila, came close to hitting them both, and then Lily Collins stole it as Liz tried to pass it to the boy. The boy was flying after Lily, now, probably hoping to steal the ball back before the third year could score for Crotalus. In the few seconds Gwen took to glance around the Pitch to ensure there was nothing else that needed taking care of via Bludger, the boy had pulled up level with Lily and was trying to wrestle the Quaffle away from her. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have grabbed her wrist by mistake, meaning that it probably wasn't a foul.

Victory good. Defeat bad. If the boy got the Quaffle, then victory became less likely. Simple. Obvious, even. The boy could not be allowed to get the Quaffle.

Gwen took what, at the moment, felt like one of the biggest leaps of faith she had consciously taken since arriving at Sonora: instead of waiting for a Bludger to come to her, she went to it.

The Bludger, of course, didn't really care about her attempts at raising her self-esteem. All it cared about was knocking her off her broom. Blocking it from hitting her meant dropping beneath it and nearly slipping sideways off the borrowed school broom, but she managed to recapture its attention. This time, she managed to swing and connect with the black iron ball, sending it towards the boy.

If all went well, he'd either get out of the way to prevent broken bones and leave Lily to it, or at the worst get his arm broken. If things didn't go so well, then it might be his head or, worse case scenario for Crotalus, Lily's that got broken. She felt a sudden stab of doubt about whether or not this had really been such a good idea after all. She was almost hoping the fool Bludger would veer off-course, that she hadn't hit it hard enough for it to reach its destination. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater It seems to be hers, now. 63 Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Jennifer

May 24, 2006 5:05 PM

But can you multitask? by Jennifer

Jennifer grinned a bit wickedly as the younger girl tried to circle away. If she thought she could manage to shake loose of Jennifer, she had another thing coming. While there were some who felt that tagging along with the other seeker was a bit unfair, and not real play, Jennifer wasn't one of them. If her opponent happened to start breaking under the pressure, well, that was just too bad. This was quidditch. It wasn't designed to be fair.

She did manage to tone down the smile when the other girl looked her in the face, though, making it just as polite as Ginger's. As the two turned away from the goalposts, Jennifer spotted her two beaters. They seemed to be doing alright, for their first game. They were perhaps the two that Jennifer was most proud of, out of her entire team.

They were the two most out of their element, since neither of them had ever played their respective position before. In truth, Geoff hadn't either, and probably had more issues than both of the beaters put together, but he was generally so quiet during practices that she, horrible as it sounded, occasionally forgot about him.

When she took another look at what was happening at the Pecari goals, though, she hastily reanalyzed the situation of her newest players. That is, after she blinked once or twice to make sure what she was seeing was really happening. Little Geoff Spindler, who she had almost immediately upon meeting him categorized as one who, while doubtlessly trying hard to please, would have a hard time fitting in the athletic world, had managed to score the first goal of the day. If there was anything that would more assuredly put the final nail in the coffin of his mother's cruel condescension, she couldn't think of what it was.

However, the strange happenings were not over yet. After Jennifer decided to make a quick loop around the goalpost to congratulate Geoff, as her captain position demanded, she stiffled a giggle at Stephen's offer of team-swapping. She figured it was directed more at Liz more than her, although Stephen had winked at them both, but she still decided this was a challenge of sorts that had to be answered.

"Oi, Baxter!" she called out to roguish keeper after Liz had successfully caught the quaffle. "Stop soliciting my chasers. You know how hard I time I had getting three with talent, and here you are trying to steal one away from me. Besides, you are aware Liz is going to kill you as soon as the game's over, right? Silly boy." She shook her head sadly, but the morose action was canceled by the wide grin on her face. "You really do have a death wish, don't you?"

Flying to within a few feet of Geoff, she said, more softly, "That really was a beautiful shot. I told you when you signed up that all the stuff your mother was telling you wasn't true, and here you are. You have no idea how glad I am that you decided to sign up, and how wonderfully you really are doing."

Perhaps it was a bit of sentimental nonsense, and probably the wrong time to be doing it, since it was in the middle of a game, but she knew from experience that self-conscious people needed to hear that they were actually doing well at something, at least most of the time. And he really was doing far better than Jennifer had ever expected of him.

Turning around once more to head back towards Ginger, she finished, "Now, go get Liz, if you can, or tell Chrissy to guard her if you prefer Eduard, or whatever the last boy's name is. Also, if you can get to Gwen or Lila, tell them that it would be excellent if they could try and hit the boy on Lily, or at the very least get him to move. Or not,” she quickly corrected as she saw one of her beaters was doing just that. “Just go!" Grin still on her face, she sped up once more to settle a little behind Ginger once more. She had worried that she would have trouble both talking to her players as the captain and searching for the snitch, but so far it didn't seem to be a big problem. Now all she had to do was win this little game of follow the leader.
\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Jennifer But can you multitask? 0 Jennifer 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

May 24, 2006 6:21 PM

Superman! Or not. by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Saul was focused on the Quaffle. He tugged and pulled, fighting for control of it, trying to fly away at different angles while yanking at the red ball in hopes that one of them would allow him to break free. So far, no good. The girl was older than him and bigger and had a better grip than he did - though he was slowly working at fixing that last problem by wiggling the ball first in one direction then another.

So focused was Saul, in fact, that he'd tuned out everything but the Quaffle and the other Chaser. In his mind, there was no one else on the Pitch. Just him and her and the ball. Mono a mono. Man to Woman. Just him and her and a Quaffle War to the Death. He'd even mostly forgotten about the audience in the stands, and that was really saying something since he was brought up to always be aware of the audience.

Bludgers were the last thing on his mind and the one that took him on the shoulder was a complete surprise. He screamed in pain and terror as he was rammed forward, losing his hold on both the Quaffle and his own broom.

For a split second, everything seemed to freeze. He could have been Superman, the way he was flying horizontal to the ground, hand out in front of him, right over the Crotalus Chaser's lap, without any assistance from brooms, wings, planes, or any other flight device. He wanted to look down to see if she had at least lost her grip on the ball, too, when he'd been shoved so forcefully against the ball and beyond it. But he didn't manage to look that far. He saw the ground first, how very far away it was, and couldn't make his eyes look away from it.

Then time started again and he was past the girl, past the quaffle, with his broom on her other side, and just air beneath him which was really kind of scary, especially when gravity started working again and he suddenly wasn't Superman anymore. He screamed for a second time, long and loud, this time entirely in terror as he couldn't even feel his shoulder just this very moment. His brain was too busy telling him he was about to die.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser Superman! Or not. 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Earl Valentine

May 24, 2006 7:37 PM

uh...oh... by Earl Valentine

Earl had the ball, but for some reason, his team didn't seem too happy about it. He slowed down and then stopped completely, realizing why his team wasn't happy. Earl stared at the quaffle in his hands, his face burning red. He wasn't a chaser...he was a keeper. He tried to remain calm and grinned broadly, trying to convince everyone that it was just a stunt and not an accident.

Suddenly Chrissy was at his side asking him to hand over the quaffle. Sighing, he tossed it into her hands, preteding that she had ruined his fun. He flew as quickly as he could over to the goal post he was supposed to be tending to, his face still intensely red. Earl reached the posts and circled them frantically. He had screwed up everything for his team and he wasn't about to ruin things more by letting a quaffle pass through one of the hoops.

At least he knew this much: he would be remembered for quite a while after that particular stunt.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Earl Valentine uh...oh... 0 Earl Valentine 0 5

Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser

May 24, 2006 11:20 PM

Yeah, this is a problem by Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser

It was true, Lizzie was taught quidditch secretly by her brothers, and it was also true that she had not been allowed to play in little leagues as a younger kid. Even during her summers now, she was not allowed to join up at their local summer league. But Liz had never really complained- she had her brothers and their friends to play with at their pitch at home. The harsh reality of never having had true dangerous situations in quidditch hit Elizabeth full force as soon as she saw Saul get hit.

It was as if time had frozen. If she hadn't had the quick wit to know to stop her broom, Liz probably would have careened right into one of the stands. Sure, she had seen pro matches of quidditch, and people got injured all the time, but in all her games, she'd never seen another of her teammates free fall from that high up. It was sure death, she thought to herself as her brain watched, scared stiff. It was another few seconds before there was a loud scream. It took Lizzie another few seconds to realize that it was her own mouth that was open, and her own vocal chords crying out.

"Saul!" she shouted, taking a small break in between her screaming.

Now the whole world seemed to start moving again, except in super speed. The rest of the game was continuing, and no one seemed to be seeing Saul's fall. Liz was again frozen by shock. My God, he's going to die! her subconscious screamed while ever muscle she possessed seemed content to stay put. Was no one else noticing? How was this happening? Every piece of strength mentally and physically seemed to have abandoned ship and left her marooned on her broom, perfectly still in the middle of the quidditch game. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser Yeah, this is a problem 0 Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Stephen

May 25, 2006 12:54 AM

Oh.... shhhhhhiiiii- COACH!! by Stephen

Ah, Jen and Lizzie, what a lovely combination. He grinned at both of them. "Girls, girls..." he chuckled, more at Jen now than Liz, as the other girl had taken off with the quaffle. "No death wish, Jenny, I'm having too much fun with life. And I'll solicite anyone I like, maybe," he grinned and winked at her again, that rakish look back in his eye, "even you sometime."

Unfortunately there was no more time to say anything else to her, as she'd moved on and was whispering what looked like sweet nothings in the ear of the Geoff. Stephen looked at the fat little kid for a moment, face indecisive, but verging on a frown before he shook himself - or, really, Fido shook humself and Stephen as well - and his attention was focused back on the game.

Liz was doing well, making good progress up the field. Saul had picked a good spot to be waiting for her, and the pass looked- wait? Damn, damn, damn, damn. What was with the Crotali today? The other chick had snatched the quaffle from the air, midway in the pass, and was heading back this way. But then Saul was upon her... he almost chuckled again. It was kinda funny, watching Saul trying to wrestle the ball back.

And that wa probably why seeing him get hit by the bludger came as such a shock. Stephen hovered there, unmoving for a moment, then his eyes traveled along the path that the bludger had come from, seeing Gwen, and yet not seeing her, and then going back to Saul. He was too far away. Stephen knew that, he knew it, but you didn't do nothing. It wasn't right.

Fido came to the conclusion of what Stephen would want just as Stephen did, and the two abandoned the goals, pushing themselves as fast as they could in the direction of the falling first year. It wasn't going to be enough.

"Coach!" he yelled, still flying, not knowing whether she was doing anything, or if someone else was. Someone else had to help. If they could slow Saul down, maybe Stephen could reach him before the ground... but somehow Stephen doubted even that. The faint notion that Sorrel was going to yell at him for leaving the rings open entered his head, but he pushed it aside for the meantime. He could think about the prospects of being beaten up by his friend later. \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

39 Stephen Oh.... shhhhhhiiiii- COACH!! 0 Stephen 0 5

Ginger Silverstein

May 25, 2006 2:17 PM

Let's just say I'm better at it than m by Ginger Silverstein

It didn't take long for Ginger to figure out that there was no chance in losing Jennifer. She knew there was no way to shake her off. She would try different ways to avoid her, even trying so hard as to possibly fly right in the middle of all of the action. She knew that losing her just wasn't an option, so a new plan would have to be formed. In the core of her mind Ginger didn't even know why she even bothered. She knew that the satistics would weigh it all out, and leave Crotalus victorious. She knew that she was going to have to leave the core of her doubts alone. She knew that doubt, and self loathing was not the proper attitude to have. She knew that she was put in this position for a reason. She was not ready to disappoint anyone on her team.

She realized that she was going to have to deal with Jennifer, and come up with something. She wasn't even sure if she was going to succeed with anything she was going to throw at her. Stupid status quo, stupid statistics. She knew that attempts would be futile, but she had to try. She had to do her best, she couldn't let the statistics bring her down. What happened to having fun? This was supposed to be a pleasurable sport. This was supposed to be about fun, or at least that's what her mother would always tell her about sports.

She knew that a lot of the students (Grim) and possibly a few members of the opposing team wouldn't think of quidditch that way. She figured that having fun, and keeping focus was one of the only ways she could calm down. The adrenaline was making her fly faster, not fast enough to lose her long enough, but just to the point where she felt comfortable. It was a game, if she lost, she had reason to. It was obvious to everyone that Jennifer had the advantage over her. She would have had the same advantage over Grim, it didn't matter that he was pureblood. He was a firstie, he was a puny little firstie just like her. He was not the captain, just like Ginger. Coming to terms with this while trying to keep focus, she felt a bit better.

She knew that The Cravens would probably have her practice until she was about to keel over.

Ginger thought about a video game character that was young, but very talented. A video game character that was small, but tough. Yuffie from final fantasy seven. Ginger had to pretend that it was Yuffie doing this. Yuffie was very confident, and tough. Ginger knew that she wasn't the toughest person on that feild, the least if anything, but she knew that she had to toughen up if she was going to win this game, or any game for that matter.

She continued to swerve, and fly, and look for the snitch, as she looked at Jennifer at the same time. This position was more difficult than she had thought it was going to be. However, the difficulties didn't make it any less fun either. She was having fun just flying fast, and she knew that she would have to keep her head on straight as well as have fun.

When she thought that the only way that she could possibly catch the snitch was by means of luck, she found Jennifer's weakness right there. Jennifer was talking to her team mates giving them feedback, and other things. That was it. If her team mates kept on distracting her, there was a possability that Ginger could get the snitch while she wasn't monitoring her. She didn't know what was going to happen next with this, but she could simply just point over to a goal post toward Jennifer's teammates, and distract her that way. Ginger kept that plan into mind, but she had to find the perfect time to execute this plan.

She continued to fly around, and look for the snitch, but she could see nothing at the moment. She kept her eye on Jennifer. She looped a few times, and dodged a few bludgers. Winning mattered, but that didn't mean that she couldn't have fun with this. She decided to fly up above the game for a while and look around upward, the snitch was nowhere.

If she couldn't win, she would make sure that she was going to be a worthy opponent.

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

0 Ginger Silverstein Let's just say I'm better at it than m 1484 Ginger Silverstein 0 5

Jennifer

May 27, 2006 5:58 PM

An interception of my own by Jennifer

Seekers were commonly acknowledged by the other players as being somewhat aloof. After all, every other player had someone who they interacted with on a regular basis. The chasers really were only good if they were skilled in holding nothing back, and could communicate everything to their fellow chasers without words, a great deal of the time. Keepers really were only an extension of the chasers, when all was said and done, and had to be just as much a part of that. Beaters also had to work seamlessly as a team, always know just where the other was, or what they were trying to accomplish.

But seekers were special. If they were considered aloof, that was because they were. Although Jennifer was slightly biased about her position, it was still acknowledged as being the hardest of the four. The thing seekers had to concern themselves with was far smaller and much faster than the other three balls, and the seekers were the victims in a bludger attack far more often than anyone else. They had the most pressure on them, since catching the snitch was usually what determined the outcome of the game. They didn’t have time for trying to interact with the other players.

Jennifer had come to the conclusion that she needed to stop focusing on being a captain and focus more on catching the snitch and ending the game after a few more moments of following Ginger around. Her trailing was more of an automatic thing than an intentional one, now. Rather than looking around for the snitch, she was constantly trying to figure out what was going on in the game, and what things she would have to tell her team come their next practice. And that was no way to win.

With a sigh, she pushed everything non-snitch related to one side of her mind, and focused solely on that wickedly fast golden ball. There really wasn’t anything she could do for her teammates in the middle of the game, and they all seemed to be doing fine. “If I were small and shiny, where would I be?” she asked herself under her breath as she started to follow Ginger up. Perhaps it was a slightly crazy question to be asking, but, then again, she was willingly putting herself at risk of being hit by a large iron ball that lived to knock people out of the sky, so her sanity wasn’t really an issue at the moment.

And, apparently, attempting to think like a snitch worked. For the first time since Coach Fox had started the game, she spotted a glimmer of what could very easily be the snitch. Staring at the spot for a few seconds, she concluded that it really was a ball, rather than being a reflection of somebody’s wrist-watch (which was a horribly embarrassing thing to try and catch, but that every seeker was stupid enough to do at least once.)

After a quick look upward to see whether or not Ginger was about to head in the same direction, Jennifer pivoted on her broom and took off in the other direction. The snitch, flittering about like a hummingbird on crack, had centered itself around the edge of the pitch. It wasn’t that distant from the action that was going on with the quaffle. However, probably because a bit of a tussle seemed to be starting over just who had possession of the red ball, no one else seemed to have recognized that the snitch was somewhat in their vicinity.

So she took advantage of the conflict that she was sure was going on, and raced towards the snitch. The part of her brain that wasn’t caught up in the adrenaline surge made the suggestion that she write her father after this game and thank him once again for getting her such a capable broom. She was just ten yards away now, and getting closer every second. There was no way that snitch wasn’t going to be hers.

Unfortunately, only a little more than five yards away from the object of her pursuit, a scream filled the air, shortly to be joined by at least one more voice, but probably more than that. Unable to help herself, Jennifer whirled around to see what was going on. For less than a second, she struggled to comprehend what exactly was going on. Then she noticed the bludger exiting the area, Gwen, a little ways away, with a extended bat, and the falling player. It was easy to connect the dots after that.

The momentum her broom had gained hadn’t stopped when she had turned, and so she was still fairly close to where the Pecari player was falling. While he wasn’t on her team, and Gwen had done precisely what she was supposed to in hitting him with the bludger, Jennifer wasn’t heartless enough to wish falling off a broom on anyone, and the boy was high enough that, if he hit the ground going at the speed he was, it was doubtful he would survive.

Without a second glance at the snitch, Jennifer went into near-vertical dive after Pecari chaser. From the instant she had hesitated, it appeared that everyone else was either too far away, or frozen by shock. Even if she had to give up catching the snitch for the time being, and even if Ginger took advantage of her opponent doing something else, there was nothing else that could be done. She was the only one who was both near enough and fast enough to catch the boy, and also probably the only one with enough practice to pull out of such a dive without driving both of them into the ground.

The boy may have been a lot bigger than a snitch, but the idea behind the dive was the same. Actually, it was probably easier to try and catch him than to grab the snitch, since there was substantially increased surface area to get a hold on. When she was near enough the boy to touch him, she reached out and, grabbing the closest thing (the collar of his robe) and immediately angled her broom and flew upward to avoid slamming into the ground. Feints had always been her favorite activity.

But Jennifer couldn’t keep flying straight up. Her grip on the fabric of the boy’s robe was going to start slipping soon, and she wasn’t strong enough to try and hoist someone larger than her onto her broom while going as fast as she was. So she descending onto the slightly soggy ground, and let go of the boy as soon as he could touch the ground stably.

After frantically signaling the coach for a time out (her altruism wasn’t so strong that she would let Ginger get the snitch once her teammate was out of danger), she continued to hover a little over the ground, going over the boy quickly before gently asking, “Do you think you’re going to be alright now?”
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0 Jennifer An interception of my own 0 Jennifer 0 5

Saul

May 28, 2006 12:16 PM

wow, what a rush. by Saul

Saul was going to die. He was only eleven years old. He hoped he'd get a lot of publicity. If he was going to star in a tragedy like this, he better get famous for it. Pity he'd be dead on impact, he'd like a few last words besides, "Aaagh!" He also spared a thought to wonder if it would be Simon or the Headmistress to tell Regina and his parent's he'd died. Simon would be preferrable, Saul thought. Simon could do voices as he described Saul's final moments.

He was just beginning to worry that his mother might cry when he was suddenly being choked as well as falling to his death. Fresh panic assailed him and he gripped at the now-restrictive collar of his robes, struggling to breath. Then he began to notice that the ground wasn't coming up to meet him quite as fast, then it was receeding, then it was coming back, but at a far less deadly pace.

Then his feet were on the grass, he was choking and coughing, he was trembling so bad he fell immediately to his hand and knees, his shoulder burned, and he was maybe crying a little bit.

But he was alive, and that made him feel perfect.

He looked up at the voice of the girl who had saved him as she asked if he was all right. She was kind of blurry through his tears and he was still coughing and rubbing at his throat, but he nodded and gave her a thumbs up sign. "Great," he croaked out between two coughs. "Thanks."\n\n

1 Saul wow, what a rush. 82 Saul 0 5

Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser

May 29, 2006 9:18 PM

What just happened??? by Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser

Chrissy had been flying beside Earl awaiting the quaffle when suddenly the boy wasn't holding onto it anymore. Chrissy had looked around frantically for a moment, wondering if maybe he had gotten angry with being yelled at and dropped it in a fit, but it didn't take long for her to realize that the firstie on her team had taken control of the quaffle and was now streaking down the pitch to the goals. Surprise registered as she watched him, but soon a squeal of delight left her when the boy scored the first goal.

"Alright Geoff!" Chrissy called out, happy that the first year proved himself nicely. But as soon as that happened, the game got going again. Chrissy was too far away to really see what was going on, but she knew the keeper threw the quaffle to whom she presumed was Lizzie, but then Lily was there and Chrissy became confused. Defensively, she was straddling her broom a few yards in front of the Crotalus goal, but she could see Lily fighting with a boy. One second they were fighting, the next a bludger smack the boy forcing him off his broom and over Lily's lap. Chrissy sat motionless as she watched the boy topple over and then free fall. Someone, somewhere, screamed.

And then there was Jennifer. Where had she come from? With her catching the boy, it seemed like normalcy returned. Chrissy flew closer, but still kept her distance. Should she say nice catch? Seemed like a rude thing to say considering she caught a student. And where was the coach? Chrissy chose to remain silent. At least no one was hurt.\n\n

0 Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser What just happened??? 0 Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser

May 30, 2006 4:54 PM

She shoots..... by Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser

Ack. The Pecari Chaser was buzzing around her like some annoying bug. Lily tried hard to fly on, tightly clutching the Quaffle while the kid was in her lap. This was crazy, there was no way, she was going to be able to make the goal with this obstruction slowing her down. She was going to have to throw it.

Lily was about to pass it to the nearest Crotalus Chaser, (One of the real Chasers. Not somebody who merely thought he was one.)when someone fired a bludger at them, hitting the boy knocking him off his broom. Lily was shocked. And a bit panicked. That ball could have hit her . It really did give her start. She gazed around to see who'd hit it and was even more shocked to see that it was Gwen . Lily was downright amazed. And a bit impressed. Maybe having Gwen on the team wasn't so bad. She'd just proved she could play.

Of course, Lily had to worry about the boy. He might have been on the other team but she didn't want him to be hurt...or worse.

Then she noticed the Pecari Keeper had left his post. The goal was wide open. Lily had an attack of conscious. Was it right to go for it when the Keeper had left for such a reason? She didn't hear a time-out called. Besides, the Crotalus goal had been open before and she was certain the Pecaris would have taken advantage of the situation if they'd had the chance. Then again, their goal had been open because their keeper was a moron not because he left to see if his injured teammate was alive.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Jennifer make the remarkable catch of the Pecari Chaser. She breathed a sigh of relief and sped towards the goal. Once she was closer, she threw the Quaffle towards it as hard as she could.....\n\n

11 Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser She shoots..... 45 Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Earl Valentine

June 01, 2006 1:01 AM

uh oh again! by Earl Valentine

Earl had just returned to his rightful position when a scream erupted from someone's mouth. It wasn't a scream of joy, but one of fear, making Earl's head turn so fast on his neck that it hurt.

After gazing the skies for several seconds, he finally saw where the scream was coming from: one of the Pecari chasers. And then he saw why. Another Pecari chaser was quickly hurdling to his death, but Earl didn't scream like other did. He just sat there, eyes wide with shock as he watch the boy fall and then miraculouslyy stop thatnks to hisQuiditch captain.

He took another second to register that the boy was safe and let out a 'Whoop!' of relief before leaving his hoops and joining the two on the ground. Earl bent down and looked inthe boy's face and grinned.

"Maybe I won't be the one everyone's gunna be talking about after this. At least you're not dead." The he flew off back to his goals before Jennifer had gotten her time-out.\n\n

0 Earl Valentine uh oh again! 67 Earl Valentine 0 5

Stephen

June 01, 2006 11:26 AM

Never fear! by Stephen

Jen was there. Miracle of miracles.

Stephen didn't even take the time to make certain she had Saul, confident in the abilities and good judgement of his friend, and thus by the time she had Saul safely on the ground and was signalling for a time out, he already had his back to them and was racing back towards the goals.

And just in time it seemed. Lily had her arm back, and the quaffle was flying. Stephen raced it to the goals, the air rushing through his hair, billowing his team robes and making a general nuicance of itself. There was no way he'd be forgiven two misses, despite excuses. Fido performed admirably, at one point adjusting his direction to force Stephen to lean closer in and cause less wind resistance. The quaffle was almost there, but then so were Stephen and Fido. It was just about as neck and neck as a race between a boy on a broom and a ball could get.

With a last ounce of effort, Stephen gripped the broom tightly with one hand, and pushed himself forward, off the broom. The move pulled Fido completely off his course, but it also put Stephen just far enough forward that he was able to knock the quaffle off its course too. As he continued to swing forward and then down the quaffle passed the ring, inches away from scoring a goal. Stephen let out a deep breath he hadn't even been aware of holding and then swung his other arm back onto Fido's shaft and pulled himself back up.

He took it a little easier, retrieving the quaffle, but the adrenaline rush was still there, flushing his cheeks and making his eyes dance as he picked up the ball, flew back up and threw it to the nearest brown-robed chaser.

"Much as I do like my position," he called loudly after it, "I'd also like to see that ball go a little further the other way. Sorry Lils," he added, giving Lily an unabashadly unapologetic grin. "Maybe next time."

\n\n

39 Stephen Never fear! 0 Stephen 0 5

Elizabeth

June 02, 2006 5:17 PM

Yes, well... anyway... by Elizabeth

Of course it was a miracle. Jennifer had saved Saul from what was certain death and immediate interring in the middle of the quidditch pitch. Her senses were returning to normal as Saul was on the ground, looking shaken, but alive nonetheless. It was only Liz's keen presence of mind that made her think about the abandoned broom still hanging in the balance. Making quick progress, she arrived at Saul's broom and then proceeded to bring it down to him.

As soon as she reached where he was, she released the broom so that it was at a height that he could easily climb on. A feeling of relief accompanied her sigh upon making sure for herself that Saul was okay. Alright, so he'd seen better days, but if he could get back on his feet, they'd be okay. In the meantime, Lizzie made a mental note to make sure and thank Jen for saving the other Chaser at the risk of possibly losing the snitch.

Taking a second look at the boy, Liz felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. He was on his hands and knees, and if she wasn't mistaken, looking like he was ready to give up to the field whatever it was that he had eaten for breakfast that morning. Flying lower to the ground, Liz took a dangerous step and hopped off her broom for a second. Bending over next to the kid, she talked to him in the most calming and encouraging voice she could muster in the current situation.

"Hey Saul," she started, surveying the tear he had aquired in his run-in with the bludger, "Are you going to be alright? Look, I'll help you to your broom, you just gotta get up for me, alright? Okay?"

She took a second to look him in the eyes to make sure he was getting all that she was saying. Taking care not to pull on the shoulder that had just been hit, Lizzie tried to help the younger player up. He was lighter weight, and Liz was a strong girl, but he'd have to help. Besides, she had to make sure that Saul was able to support his own weight. He did, after all, fall to the ground right after Jen had set him down.

"Saul? Come on, we've got to finish the game," she said a little nervously as she looked up just in time to see Stephen's excellent save. She sent a small silent prayer to whomever that Stephen was as good as he was at his position. It gave them a little slack, which they desperately needed with two thirds of their chasing team on the ground. \n\n

0 Elizabeth Yes, well... anyway... 0 Elizabeth 0 5

Eduard Grimaud

June 04, 2006 12:41 AM

Here I come by Eduard Grimaud

Eduard had been sitting low in the game. After seeing what happened to the other two seekers, he was glad that his natural instinct to show off had been quenched by his nerves. The Grimaud family was all in all Machiavellian; he had been taught to watch from a distance then swoop in for the kill. The air was rife with cheers, one Pecari yelling at him 'Do something Grim!'

After dodging a bludger aimed directly at his head, he twisted in the air and went for the quaffle, being adamantly at the Pecari keeper, Saul. Like a shot from nowhere, he dashed in and caught the quaffle in mid air. The other team looked somewhat suprised, as if they'd forgotten there was another chaser. He took advantage of the momentary lapse in concentration to zip away on his broom. Ducking, dodging and weaving between players, he flew towards the other end of the pitch. This was what Grim had been waiting for - the chance to score.

As he approached the goals, he fainted one way, and the keeper followed his move. Ducking quickly the other, he threw the quaffle as hard as he could. It soared through the middle ring. He couldn't hear anything; his head was buzzing with excitement. But would it keep up, he wondered, or was it impossible to win with only one chaser? \n\n

0 Eduard Grimaud Here I come 0 Eduard Grimaud 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

June 04, 2006 3:12 PM

a little better by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Saul looked up from his position on the ground when he felt more than saw or heard (his eyes were fixed on the wonderful, spendid, steady, and now non-lethal ground, and he just wasn't listening to anything else) someone on the ground beside him. He half expected to see Coach Fox, but it was Liz, the only Pecari Chaser who wasn't a first year.

He smiled weakly at her, and the idea of getting back up on his broom right now was kind of terrifying, but he was a Pierce and a member of the Pecari Quidditch Team, and the show must go on. The show always goes on. He nodded and took a deep breath, then let her help him him to his feet.

His legs were still unsteady and his knees wanted to give out again, but he wouldn't let them. The game was still going on. They had to get back on their brooms and back into the air. She directed him to where his broom was hovering over the ground, and he grabbed onto it, letting it take a good portion of his weight. "I'm good," he told Liz, lying to himself more than he was to her. But it was neccessary. The show must go on and he wasn't dead. He wasn't even seriously hurt (his shoulder would beg to differ but he wasn't listening to it). No excuses.

He mounted the broom and lifted a few inches into the air. That was okay. Actually, it was better than standing. "I'm good," he repeated, this time a little more confidently. "Thanks, Liz." He was ready. Mostly. He looked up, way up, to where Eduard was taking a shot.

His knuckles went white on the broom shaft. Or, maybe, he wasn't quite ready after all.\n\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser a little better 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Ash and Sorrel

June 05, 2006 9:29 AM

'TIME OUT'... It's more than a chocolate bar. by Ash and Sorrel

The opening goal had been a kick in the nuts, and things didn't seem to be getting any better. The rhythm of the game seemed all wrong. Jennifer kept joining the main action, and Stephen kept grinning at everyone, including the other team. It was like no one was taking it seriously. Until the Bludger. One Crotalus Beater seemed to be taking her duty very seriously all of a sudden. The twins, who had been aiming for the other Bludger, with the goal of sending a double force attack, preferably on the Seeker or Keeper (depending on how fortune fell), split. Ash kept with the Bludger they'd been working on, whilst Sorrel dived after the other one. It was a gutting feeling knowing she wasn't going to make it. She was still miles away when it hit.

Unlike most of the other players, she didn't freeze up. She was used to rough matches, and threw herself forward on her broom, plummeting after Saul. Doubling up for double force attacks was a good strategy, but it left a lot of the pitch unguarded. The sheer size of that space hit her now. Even as she saw Jen diving closer to Saul, she kept going. She landed on the ground as Liz was hauling him back onto his broom.

"Hang on," she gasped, panting a little for breath, "Jen called 'Time Out'," she gave the other girl an appreciative nod, and half a smile, "He's got time to calm down a bit," she said. She'd never really minded getting straight back up after falling down, but she knew not everyone was the same, and he looked shaken. "And his shoulder," she added, "How hard you get hit?" she asked Saul. "You need a medic on that? Don't be shy to say so. It's not being brave, it's just being plain stupid playing on when you need attention."

Meanwhile, up in the air, Ash had abandoned the other Bludger (though he was still keeping an eye on both) when he'd seen Jen signal 'Time Out'. He was dropping down to use the time to get and give some feedback from the team, when he realised they were all still going. He checked the pitch below, where Saul and the others were still huddled, before throwing himself into the scoring area where Edwuard was, and the current action was going on.

"TIME OUT" he roared, making a big 'T' with his arms, "It means you stop effing playing! Didn't you hear?" he yelled at anyone who was in range, "Didn't it occur? Half the players are on the bloody ground! Including one of the ****ing Seekers!" As it wasn't his Seeker, this was potentially a good thing, but - as she had just saved the life of one of his players - he felt inclined not to cheat her.\n\n

0 Ash and Sorrel 'TIME OUT'... It's more than a chocolate bar. 0 Ash and Sorrel 0 5

Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker

June 05, 2006 2:43 PM

Shivers You're scary when you yell.. by Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker

Everything happened so fast, Ginger had no idea what to do when she heard a scream. She had been battling with Jennifer, and she suddenly saw her abbandon her post. This was a perfect opportunity to go after the snitch herself, and win the game. But there had to be a very good reason why she was going a completly different direction. She looked down to where Jennifer was diving, and felt her heart sink when she saw Saul falling. She gasped, and abandoned her post as well. This wasn't Jennifer yelling at her own teammates like she was doing earlier in the game. She was saving one of Ginger's team mates. Saul was someone that Ginger wanted to get to know better, and talk to. He seemed like a very nice person.

She flew near all of the commotion, and landed on the ground to see that Saul was okay. Ginger looked at Jennifer, and thought about what would have happened to Saul if she hadn't caught him. It was interesting to see tha things were doing okay. It was only going to be a matter of time before the game was going to be back on, and that Ginger would have to participate in this horrible battle again. She decided that it would be okay to hover a bit, and see what was going on. She realized it still wouldn't be an entirly good idea to stop looking for the snitch completely. She hovered a little to keep an eye out for it.

When the boy Craven shouted, she jumped a little. She was lucky that she didn't lose her balance, otherwise Pecari's seeker would have to be saved, and that would have created a depressing irony. She wasn't going to go after the snitch if she saw it, unless the game was going to be back on by then. She flew up a bit higher, and sat there. She wasn't going to move from this spot until she the game was back on officially, and when her captain's would make sure everything was okay. \n\n

0 Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker *Shivers* You're scary when you yell.. 1484 Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker 0 5

Amy Fox

June 06, 2006 6:41 PM

CROTALUS +10 (GOAL) (nm) by Amy Fox

0 Amy Fox CROTALUS +10 (GOAL) (nm) 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Amy Fox

June 06, 2006 7:04 PM

Scratch that goal- TIME OUT!!!! (nm) by Amy Fox

0 Amy Fox Scratch that goal- TIME OUT!!!! (nm) 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Coach Fox

June 06, 2006 8:48 PM

Back in the air...now. by Coach Fox

Amy watched as the game commenced, keeping out of the way of the action. Her arm itched to grab a Beater's bat and hit the Bludgers a few good times. There had been ample opporunity to disarm more than one of the players and yet, in her opinion, the Beaters seemed to have completely failed in that notion. Of course, she had to remind herself that these players were just children, not professionals who had been playing for years. These children were practically new to the sport as she herself had once been. But still...the lost opportunities were astounding.

That was until one of the players had managed to not only hit one of the players but had also hit him off his broom. Of course, it took her a few moments to realize that there would be no referees there to slow the boy's descent to the ground. This was not a professional game after all and she was not only the coach, but the only referee.

Realizing her error, she retrieved her wand from her pocket, another wasted five or six seconds and set herself up to not only cushion the ground but to slow his speed. He would sustain a few injuries but all would be fine. She had just begun the charm when something blurry zoomed into her eyeline and grabbed the boy. Blinking once, twice, Amy soon realized that it was in fact a student and one of the team captains at that.

Was the child insane? She could have ripped her arm out of the socket.

It soon seemed that chaos was breaking loose as players seemed to be flying to the ground left and right. The girl, that Captain, called a Time Out, one that Amy barely heard as she was making her way to the ground.

Why were they stopping the game? She technically hadn't okayed the time out so everyone was supposed to still be in there air and on their brooms. The kids was still alive and all was fine.

Finally reaching the ground only moments after one of the Craven twins (she had been warned about them) yelled that Jennifer (who she assumed was the name of the other captain- she really did need to be better with names) had called time out. Time out. Time out. Boy these kids were definitely a lot different than the ones in the other game.

Realizing the kid was on his feet, she turned to the two captains that were on the ground. "You called a 'Time Out'. I'm giving you one minute then I want all of you back in the air and resuming this game. If the kid wants a replacement to take his place, then that's fine but I want all of you back in the air pronto." She felt a slight bit of respect for the injured kid as he didn't seem to be blubbering as many who had been hit tended to.

Mounting her broom once more she nodded at the players, "One minute, remember, and then I want all of you back in the air. No exceptions. I'll be blowing the whistle on the dot." With that, she pushed off her broom and was once again in the air.\n\n

0 Coach Fox Back in the air...now. 0 Coach Fox 0 5

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

June 07, 2006 7:23 PM

One minute should be enough by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

One minute time out? That was good. It took away the urgency to get back in the air right now. He was pretty sure Pecari didn't have any alternates, so there wasn't really any question of whether or not he was going back into the game.

But he did roll his shoulder, lift his arm, and make sure he still had a full range of movement. It did hurt. It hurt quite a lot, actually, and he was sure he was going to have a huge bruise there later, but it wasn't anything debilitating. "A tylenol would be nice," he said to the air partway between Sorrel and where Coach Fox had been, not really sure who he was supposed to be requesting medical attention from. The obvious answer was Fox, but she'd just flown away. He turned more back to Sorrel. "And I'm definitely going to the Infirmary after the game, but I should be okay for now."

He looked up again, the height not quite as daunting as it had been a minute ago. "We Pierces are hardy stock," he insisted, talking more to himself than to Sorrel now, convincing himself he could do this. "Simon once finished a set after falling off a stage onto his head." Which didn't really say a lot for his family's sanity, but that wasn't really the issue at hand.\n\n

1 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser One minute should be enough 82 Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser 0 5

Sorrel

June 09, 2006 9:53 AM

Accidents happen... To anyone by Sorrel

Sorrel bit her lip very hard until the coach had taken off again. Only then did she let the large stream of insults and curses (Muggle variety) escape under her breath. The woman was mad. Mad and a total bitch. Having done nothing to try and help Saul, she was now forcing him to play without even checking whether he needed medical attention! Sorrel would never admit to being anything but rock hard and ruthless on the pitch, but injuries happened and were meant to be dealt with. Some 'professional'. Sorrel's fingers clenched around her bat. She couldn't wait to hit something very hard. And, whilst she was obviously going to play to her team's advantage, if the coach was in the way of any of her shots, she wouldn't be at all sorry...

"You're a brave man," she told Saul, patting his good shoulder. "I don't have anything," she said apologetically. Her mum had often used pain relieving charms on them. She'd been semi-conscious a lot of the times it was used on her, but she'd heard it used on Ash. "I know the word for a spell, but... I don't want to botch it and make it worse. I'm not even sure of the wand movement. Sorry dude," she shook her head.

"We better get this show back on the road," she sighed, mounting up her broom. "Thanks Jen," she added, "You were awesome."\n\n

0 Sorrel Accidents happen... To anyone 0 Sorrel 0 5

Geoffrey S.

June 09, 2006 10:41 AM

Game's back on now, right? by Geoffrey S.

He hadn't really thought it'd go in. He'd hoped, sure, but thought it would? Not at all. He hadn't really socialised too much, but even he had heard enough about Stephen Baxter to learn that the older boy was one of those naturally gifted people, effortlessly popular, and good at everything he wante to be. People talked.

He was still in some kind of shock when the older boy shouted something at him, and could only nod vaguely until his captain came up and was talking to him. Those words got through loud and clear.

"That really was a beautiful shot. I told you when you signed up that all the stuff your mother was telling you wasn't true, and here you are. You have no idea how glad I am that you decided to sign up, and how wonderfully you really are doing."

He felt strange. Unable to even stammer thanks for what was the first real compliment that he ever thought he'd recieved. He wondered if she was right, but his mother had always dismissed Quidditch of having any worth. Even as the awkward smile had started to grow on his face it faltered. His mother wouldn't see this as a good thing, it'd just be one more thing to sneer about. Even with this depressing turn of thought he did manage to listen to Jen's instructions, but by the time he'd managed to collect himself enough to try and do as told it seemed that Gwen had pre-empted them.

Things seemed to get crazy for a while after that, what with the boy falling, and half the kids on the pitch going after him and then the shouting. Geoffrey hovered at the edges, not really sure about what to do, not sure what he was supposed to do. He dithered there in the air while the boy on the other team shouted about time out, and Amy Fox went down and made it official, and then hesitantly made his way towards the side where the Crotalus Keeper was looking after their goals.

He wasn't entirely sure how it happened, but once the minute was up and the game restarted, someone - he wasn't sure who - had thrust the quaffle in his direction, and then, holding the quaffle tightly tucked under his arm he was making his way up the pitch again, towards Stephen's end. But by then the confident bubble that had hit him before was almost entirely gone. He was nervous. That other boy was back in the game, sure, but it looked like it had really hurt, and here he was with the quaffle in hand. A target.

Seeing red to his side, he paused only a moment to be sure it was another chaser, and then threw the ball in the other player's direction. \n\n

39 Geoffrey S. Game's back on now, right? 0 Geoffrey S. 0 5

Jennifer

June 09, 2006 5:05 PM

Back to regular old quidditch by Jennifer

Alright, Jennifer's sensible side told the rest of her as she waited for the minute to be up, rubbing her arm a little. No more snatching falling boys out of mid-air. It doesn't matter how good you are at dives. Adolescent boys are a lot heavier than snitches, and you could have easily hurt yourself. Or him.

She sighed, figuring it was pointless to tell the voice to just shut it, since that would no doubt spark an internal argument, and the middle of a quidditch match was a less than ideal spot to start developing schizophrenia. So she just continued to hover, wincing slightly as Saul started coughing and rubbing his throat. She hadn't meant to strangle him, but it was the first thing she had thought of. "Sorry about that," she said quietly, before everyone else descended. "It was just the easiest thing to get a hold on."

A few seconds later, chaos seemed to hit the pitch. While some, like Lily, seemed to be remembering what they were supposed to be doing, others, like Earl, decided to come join the fray on the field. Shaking her head slightly, she decided that she and Earl were going to have a long talk before the next match. A very long talk.

After that, everything got even more confusing. Lily had shot, Stephen had saved it, and had passed it to the final Pecari Chaser, Eduard, she thought, while at the same time Lizzie joined her and Saul in the center of the pitch, bringing Saul's broom. Just as the action above them grew even more heated, with Eduard taking a shot, Jennifer recalled that she had called a time-out, or tried to. Since the game was going on nonetheless, though, perhaps she hadn't managed to properly convey that.

Apparently she had, though, and everyone else had just not been paying attention, since immediately after that Sorrel descended onto the growing group on the ground, and Ash was up near the Crotalus goals yelling at Eduard. She wasn't really friends with the Cravens, more of good acquaintances, but she still returned the half-smile Sorrel gave her. It was the only thing one could really do under the circumstances.

And then Coach Fox showed up, and the entire confusing circumstances were worked out. Jennifer would have liked to have a slightly longer time-out, if just to say a few words to the rest of her team, but with the minute they were given, it seemed pointless to have any of them fly down, so Jennifer just took to the air once more. Little Geoff seemed to have gotten the quaffle once more, and was heading down the field. But, she reminded herself once more, she needed to focus more on the snitch, and less on her players.

Clearing her mind of everything, just as she had tried to do before Saul's dramatic fall, she caught up once again with Ginger, and, with a quick nod, started looking for the snitch again. This had been a very strange game so far, but things seemed to be settling down once more.

Still, she concluded finally as she surreptitiously rubbed her still aching arm, while she hoped desperately that she managed to get the snitch, this was probably going to be one of the few games where she wouldn't mind that much if she was beaten to it. Oh, it would still bug her, but so much had happened...and, if it came to that, she would have a surefire way to deal with any arrogance from her friends on the Pecari team, and that would make losing, if she did, a little easier to cope with.
\n\n

0 Jennifer Back to regular old quidditch 0 Jennifer 0 5

Ginger Silverstein

June 11, 2006 4:30 PM

"Only those who try will become." by Ginger Silverstein

The game was back on, and soon enough Jennifer was near her again. Ginger was worried about Saul, and she was worried about what was going to happen. However, she knew that she didn't have anytime to worry now. She had to keep looking for the snitch, and she had to look out for Jennifer to see if she saw the snitch. Ginger figured that if Ginger saw the snitch, there was a possibility that she could get it. If Jennifer saw it, then she knew that chances of her getting to it first were very unlikely.

She soared through the air, and made sure she kept an acceptable distance away from Jennifer. She looked around, and felt her heart jump as she saw a little glimmer of gold. She hoped that Jennifer didn't notice it, she was going to pretend she didn't see it for a while. She waited for the snitch to move. The snitch fired upward, and Ginger sped off in a sudden burst toward it. Ginger swerved to the right to dodge a bludger.

She followed the snitch up until it started to get cold, and a bit too high. Ginger was just close enough to start reaching for it. She scooted her cold, small body to the top of her broom, and reached out for it. She moved closer to the end of her broom, she started to shake as she began to lose her balance. Before she fell, she managed to grab the snitch out of the air.

She had done it, she had actually managed to get the snitch. The statistics were beaten, and Ginger managed to get it. Jennifer had done so much though, she was a very good quidditch player, and ontop of that she saved Saul! Ginger decended to the ground with her hand up, the snitch was beating it's little wings against her hand. She smiled at Saul, and winked. She smiled at Jennifer, "Great game," seh said sweetly. She couldn't believe she had done it.

\n\n

0 Ginger Silverstein "Only those who try will become." 1484 Ginger Silverstein 0 5

Amy Fox

June 11, 2006 4:39 PM

Pecari Wins! (nm) by Amy Fox

0 Amy Fox Pecari Wins! (nm) 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Coach Amy Fox

Quidditch Match: Crotalus vs. Pecari by Coach Amy Fox

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">And so it begins by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser</font>

<font color="red">*cue dramatic music* by Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser</font>

Stephen Baxter, Pecari Keeper</font>

<font color="brown">Dude... you're going the wrong way by Stephen Baxter, Pecari Keeper</font>

Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser</font>

<font color="red">What are you doing??? by Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser</font>

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Chasing, he's Chasing. by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

Jennifer Z, Crotalus Seeker</font>

<font color="red">Seeking a Snitch by Jennifer Z, Crotalus Seeker</font>

Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker</font>

<font color="brown">Seeking a Snitch by Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker</font>

Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser</font>

<font color="red">Just... here... ish by Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser</font>

Stephen</font>

<font color="brown">Why... so you are! by Stephen</font>

Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Indeed, he is. by Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser</font>

Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser.</font>

<font color="red">Interception by Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser.</font>

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Hey! That was mine! by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater</font>

<font color="red">It seems to be hers, now. by Gwen Carey, Crotalus Beater</font>

Jennifer</font>

<font color="red">But can you multitask? by Jennifer</font>

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Superman! Or not. by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser</font>

Earl Valentine</font>

<font color="red">uh...oh... by Earl Valentine</font>

Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser</font>

<font color="brown">Yeah, this is a problem by Elizabeth Lavine, Pecari Chaser</font>

Stephen</font>

<font color="brown">Oh.... shhhhhhiiiii- COACH!! by Stephen</font>

Ginger Silverstein</font>

<font color="brown">Let's just say I'm better at it than m by Ginger Silverstein</font>

Jennifer

An interception of my own by Jennifer

Saul

wow, what a rush. by Saul

Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser

What just happened??? by Chrissy Mathers, Crotalus Chaser

Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser

She shoots..... by Lily Collins, Crotalus Chaser

Earl Valentine

uh oh again! by Earl Valentine

Stephen

Never fear! by Stephen

Elizabeth

Yes, well... anyway... by Elizabeth

Eduard Grimaud

Here I come by Eduard Grimaud

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

a little better by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Ash and Sorrel

'TIME OUT'... It's more than a chocolate bar. by Ash and Sorrel

Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker

*Shivers* You're scary when you yell.. by Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker

Amy Fox

CROTALUS +10 (GOAL) (nm) by Amy Fox

Amy Fox

Scratch that goal- TIME OUT!!!! (nm) by Amy Fox

Coach Fox

Back in the air...now. by Coach Fox

Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

One minute should be enough by Saul Pierce, Pecari Chaser

Sorrel

Accidents happen... To anyone by Sorrel

Geoffrey S.

Game's back on now, right? by Geoffrey S.

Jennifer

Back to regular old quidditch by Jennifer

Ginger Silverstein

"Only those who try will become." by Ginger Silverstein

Amy Fox

Pecari Wins! (nm) by Amy Fox

<font color="red">cue dramatic music by Earl Valentine; Crotalus Chaser</font>

Shivers You're scary when you yell.. by Ginger Silverstein Pecari Seeker