Story:Ava and Scott: Scattered Images
Ava and Scott: Scattered Images
Written by Cherry
Google Doc (for better formatting)
February 22nd, 2026, Wilsonville, Oregon
༄
…
You got this.
You’re strong.
Capable.
Never let anyone stand in your way.
And if they do?
You—
“Yeah, yeah, I know, mom. But this is basketball, not war. Save that kind of talk for Aron.”
Ava lets out an amused snicker, phone held up to her ear as she stands off on the sidelines of the team’s practice gym in full uniform, covering the other to block out the loud dribbles on the hardwood and nets swishing. Her mother lets out an exhausted sigh on the other end, causing Ava to frown in worry.
“Sorry, sweetie. We’re just a little worried over here. They’re talking again about your brother doing another tour and…”
They both don't have to say it to communicate how that makes them feel. The last time he was deployed, they almost lost the house without his support. Still, she knows that they’re in a much better spot now than they were then in large part thanks to her league contract.
“Well, if they do make him go back, you can always hire help. Just tell me however much it is and I’ll gladly send—”
“Honey, you’ve already sent us so much… we’re all so grateful, but I don’t wanna feel like we’re mooching off of your success…”
Her brows furrow at that as if it's the silliest thing in the world, Ava rapidly shaking her head while she paces back and forth.
“Mom, please. You guys are why I’m here in the first place. Don’t even hesitate to ask, okay? Seriously.”
The line is silent for a moment, but she could almost hear the hesitant nod on the other end.
”We’re so proud of you, honey. I’M proud, that you’re my daughter…”
That hits Ava like a freight train. She takes a shaky breath out and raises into a proud and emotional smile, having to physically stop any tears from falling.
“T-thanks, mom… love you. Love you all. I gotta go, but give dad a kiss for me, okay? And tell the kittens I’ll be sure to get you all VIP treatment for the next game that I can.”
After saying their goodbyes, the call ends and Ava bends down to stuff her phone back into her Swashbuckler brand drawstring bag.
She turns back to face the sprawling gym, a sudden wave of pride washing over her as she takes in the view of her teammates shooting around, working out, or just talking amongst each other. She wonders if the feeling of surreality will ever fade, if this dream will ever stop feeling like… well, a dream.
The lynx takes a big breath in of the air conditioned gym air, then lets it all out. She glances down at herself in uniform, a warmth pooling in her gut as she straightens it out and dusts her jersey off before beginning her stretches…
…
Clang!
Damnit…
The wolf dashes for the rebound after the shot hits the outer rim and bounces off. He swiftly catches up to it and scoops it up, crossing it in between his legs and bouncing it to the other hand as if snatching an invisible defender’s ankles.
He drives for the corner and steps back, setting up behind the line before squaring himself up with the basket and looking up at the rim, cradling the ball at his core.
Too slow.
A good defender would’ve caught up already.
Scott’s vision tunnels, his breathing picking up speed. His eyelids flutter, the basket blurring and rims tripling up… w-which one do I shoot at…?
Shot clock’s winding down.
Everyone’s watching, Scott.
Show up.
S-show up…
His hands are shaking, claws threatening to pop the ball in his hands. He stutters in place, frozen…
SHOOT!
He grits his teeth, blinking away the noise. In one fluid motion, he hops and carries the ball up with him, then releases it with a snap of his wrist…
Thwack!
The shot is knocked off of its trajectory by an outside force, the ball careening off to the side and hitting a padded wall hard. Scott just stares on in startled shock, mind racing and wondering what the hell just happened.
He quickly finds out, as a tall female lynx lands into view, knees bending and straightening out after landing back on her feet.
“Get that out of here!” she laughs heartily, waving a finger to taunt the wolf after blocking his shot.
She… blocked me…
Who the hell does she think she is?
“Heh, sorry. I kinda saw the opportunity and had to take it,” the lynx rubs the side of her neck and smiles light-heartedly at the wolf after noticing how shocked he looks right now, frozen.
Scott’s quiet for a good few moments. A lot of thoughts are raging in his mind… but he does his best to calm them. She’s his teammate. This is practice.
But she better not try that shit again.
“R-right… that’s okay. Just kinda caught me off guard,” Scott finally responds curtly, voice low and barely above a whisper.
“Isn’t that what coach always tells us to be on?”
The feline grins playfully and takes a small step towards the wolf, offering one of her hands as a friendly gesture.
“I, uh, don’t believe we’ve had the chance to talk this season. Well, aside from, y’know, pass! Shoot! Blah blah, you get it.”
Scott eyes her with a sideways glance, a little overwhelmed by the sudden interaction. Especially after what she just did.
“Yeah, I get it. You’re… Ava, right?”
Ava nods rapidly, still holding her hand out with a friendly smile.
“Ava Lafferty. And you’re Scott Hayes! Rookie cluuub, heheh.”
Finally, Scott hesitantly reaches forward and takes her hand, giving it a firm shake before pulling away. He crosses his arms as his tail whips around behind him, betraying his inner emotions and turmoil.
“You’ve been such a highlight for our team this season, if I can say,” the lynx continues, arms absent-mindedly swinging at her sides, “I almost feel honored to have blocked your shot, Mr. Rookie of the Year.”
Rookie of the year…?
You haven’t even been rookie of the MONTH.
“Y-yeah, I wouldn’t say all that…” Scott murmurs, his gaze and volume faltering, “you can when I actually win it, but we still have a lot of season left, right?”
“Ooh, when you do? That’s pretty cocky,” Ava chuckles in a low tone, putting her hands on her hips and shooting him a sharp grin.
“I…” Scott pauses, huffing sharply and biting back a remark, “...I’d rather just focus on winning these next games. So, uh, thank you for reminding me to keep my guard up. Should get back to working out though.”
“Need a spotter?” Ava proposes with a raised brow and intrigued grin, then waves a hand with a teasing chuckle, “or are you a lone wolf?”
Sure you won’t just get in the way again?
“Why not?” Scott shrugs, the corners of his muzzle rising into a competitive grin, “but… if you’re gonna run with me, know that I don’t go easy.”
The lynx’s brows raise in excited surprise at the “warning”. She smirks in piqued interest, then holds her arms up in the air and whistles for a ball, one being passed right into her hands after a moment.
“When is practice ever easy? C’mon, best two of three. You can have first possession.”
Ava bounces the ball to Scott, who snatches it up and wraps it around his back. He jogs and dribbles to half court, stopping just before the line and turning back to face her preparing to defend him.
“If you say so. Just means I’ll also have the last possession.”
The wolf checks the ball to her in a bounce pass, Ava grinning smugly at the sheer confidence in Scott’s remark.
“What was it you said? Focus on winning?”
She checks it back, meeting Scott’s glare with one of her own as she drops into a low defensive stance, arms outstretched.
And I will.
Triple threat. The wolf clutches the ball tight. He scans the lynx from head to toe, noticing she’s playing a bit too lax on D. A quiet growl emanates from his chest before he makes his move.
He jabs his foot hard to the right, then starts his dribble, hesitating to the left. Suddenly, he crosses it over, ball slamming on the ground into his other hand before he drives to the right
Ava’s taken off guard by his sudden attack, but she does her best to keep in front of Scott. She hounds him as he goes to work, trying to poke and prod at the ball, but it’s almost like he has it on a string. She’s impressed. But he can’t say the same about her defense.
What is this, amateur hour?
The wolf stops on a dime on the wing, crossing the ball over in between his legs. The lynx actually stumbles a little, but quickly recovers, only for Scott to go behind his back and use the momentum to spin around Ava into the lane.
He barrels towards the basket, the lynx doing her best to keep up. But with enough room to operate, he carries the ball, takes a big penultimate step, then leaps into the air.
Ava jumps with Scott, holding an arm up… but it’s not enough.
After cocking his arm back, fangs bared, the wolf SLAMS the ball into the rim over Ava with a strained snarl.
When they both land back on their feet, the lynx doubles over, huffing and puffing. But she doesn’t have time to catch her breath after being put on a poster before the ball is thrown directly into her chest, letting out a breathless “oof” as she catches it.
“Set back up. I don’t have all day to beat you,” Scott remarks with a cocky grin, but it isn’t all in good nature. That Ava can immediately tell.
A little confused by the attitude shift, she huffs softly and brings the ball back over to half court, watching the wolf as he slicks his mane back and straightens out his jersey nonchalantly.
“Yeah, yeah. If you wanted to play hard, you could’ve just said,” Ava grins, trying to stay light-hearted and competitive despite the growing tension she can practically feel from him.
“Are you even capable?”
That one felt like a genuine and scalding query rather than a remark made in the heat of competition. Nevertheless, Ava throws the ball back to Scott from her chest, scoffing, the light mood slowly beginning to deflate.
“Come find out.”
After getting the ball back, Scott doesn’t waste time. He picks up his feet and makes a drive for the left. That almost catches Ava off guard, but she manages to react in time, now knowing how the wolf wants to play.
She doesn’t allow him an inch of space to work comfortably this time, playing physical with him now. Scott doesn’t react much to it, even leaning into it as he slams the ball down onto the hardwood with each dribble, back shoving against her in the low post.
“You… really don’t mess around, do you, Scott…?” Ava comments, not letting him back her down so easily though with little grunts of exertion.
No. I WIN.
Finally, the wolf fakes a spin and whips back around to face the lynx. He swiftly wraps the ball around his back and goes for a drive, but suddenly stops and steps back deep within mid range, hopping up for a J before releasing the ball at the apex of his jump.
However, the ball loses a lot of its momentum after Ava hops with him and manages to graze it with her hand up. It lands short of the rim and bounces away after hitting nothing but air.
“Damnit…!”
You let her block you again?
HER??
She’s NOTHING compared to you.
A fucking deep reserve nobod-
“Hey.”
Ava firmly calls out. She’s clutching the rebound, stood in front of Scott and staring on in worried confusion.
“You alright, Scott? We don’t gotta keep playing if you-”
“No.”
The lynx pauses, noticing the cold, resolute determination in the wolf’s glare.
“Check up.”
Despite the pit she feels in her stomach, she nods weakly and walks slowly over to get on offense. She wants to object and say something, but something about him tells her he won’t listen.
So, with a small sigh, Ava gently bounces the ball to him, but Scott instead whips it back before instantly hounding her.
Almost knocked off of her pivot foot by the force, she quickly regains balance and huffs sharply, growing annoyed instead of worried at how he’s acting. So, she decides to just give him what he wants.
Being closely guarded and harassed by the wolf, the lynx turns about in the triple threat, trying to find an escape route. When she does, she starts her dribble by hesitating with an in and out to the left before crossing over and driving right.
Not as quick or deep with her dribble package as Scott, Ava still holds her own as she makes it out to the wing, but is stopped after almost getting ripped during her drive.
Forced to shoot, she glances at the wolf, feeling a little intimidated by the fire behind those eyes, but she doesn’t let it dissuade her. She pump fakes, then turns on her pivot, and with as much strength as she can muster, she bumps him with her shoulder and hops back, letting a fader loose with the wolf’s hand in her face.
Ava catches herself as she stumbles, watching the ball travel to the basket with bated breath…
Swish.
She… scored?
For Ava, it feels hollow. All she can focus on is how poorly Scott has been reacting thus far, and she has a feeling-
“That’s gonna be the LAST point you score on me…”
The wolf snarls in the lynx’s face, and she flinches back at the intensity he’s showing. Though, she collects herself and straightens back up, meeting Scott’s glare with one of her own, more scolding than anything.
“It’s not that serious, Scott. Calm down. We’re just practicing.”
The ball rolls at their feet between them and Scott snatches it. He then shoves it into Ava’s arms, brushing past her with a collision of shoulders.
“Then let’s practice.”
The lynx is still there for a moment, in disbelief at how fast Scott switched up on her. She scoffs, shaking her head in annoyance, but the worry grows again. What was up with him…?
Dropping it for now, Ava just gets back into position and they check up. But this time, Scott isn’t just playing physical. He’s playing rough.
What would be considered a foul in a normal game, Ava decides not to call here, just letting out little grunts and scoffs of annoyance every time the wolf whacks her or reaches in too far.
“Hey! C’mon, cut it out!”
He’s not listening, the wolf’s feral growls and snarls loud in the lynx’s ears. Her ears lower on instinct, feeling more like she’s looking at a wild animal rather than her teammate.
Ava quickly shakes the feeling off and hardens, taking the ball and attempting a drive, but she’s stopped by Scott’s constant reaching and bumps. Then, with her back turned to the wolf, her head turns and she’s met with his hand whacking her in the muzzle. Hard.
“Agh, what the-!”
The lynx reacts instantly to the sudden hit, hand flying to hold her snout while dribbling, before she suddenly blindly whips her elbow back and-
SMACK!
Freezing up as soon as she feels her elbow hit something soft and the sound of a pained whine, Ava tears her arm away and whips back around to look at where Scott is. She immediately realizes what happened as she watches him stumble back holding his nose, eyes tightly shut.
“O-oh, shit, Scott…” the lynx turns to him fully, letting the ball drop out of her hand as she takes a tentative step towards the wolf, “I-I’m sorry, I was trying to…”
However, her voice falters as soon as Scott lets go of his muzzle, the front of it painted red with blood as more of it drools down from his nostrils. His eyes flutter open and he stares down at his hands with a wide, flickering gaze and furrowed brows.
“O-oh, God, I-I’m so, so sorry, I’ll go get the team docto-”
“STOP!”
The wolf’s broken shout echoes throughout the gym, causing Ava to freeze in place and the sounds of their teammates all around them to die down. He glares at her predatorily, hunched over with his hands flexing at his sides, those sharp claws of his shimmering all the lynx can focus on now.
Ava’s fur stands on end as she tears her gaze away to look at Scott’s face. His snout is scrunched up in a snarl, crimson continuing to pour from his nostrils and stain the front of his teeth as it drips onto the ground in small droplets below him.
“S-Scott…”
The ball the lynx had dropped rolled over to Scott’s feet, and without hesitation, he kicks it back eerily gently, slowly rolling over until lightly tapping Ava’s foot. She glances down at it, then back up at Scott, her pupils fearful pinpricks.
“Pick it up, and finish the game.”
She can’t believe her ears. He’s quite literally losing a scary amount of blood before her, but he’s still setting up on defense again…
Ava swallows hard, her hands shaking as she hesitantly and weakly nods. She slowly leans down and picks the ball back up, holding it in her unsteady hands and staring down at it. There’s a few drops of the wolf’s blood smeared over it.
But, worried about what would happen if she didn’t, she took a shaky breath before beginning to slowly dribble it in one hand, turning her head back to look at Scott. He licks his matted chops and wipes the rest with his forearm, the flow a little slower now as he stalks closer to guard the lynx.
“Scott, please-”
“PLAY!”
Ava whimpers fearfully and stiffens up, then suddenly drives towards the basket with her eyes shut tight, blinking away tears. The wolf gets out in front of her, the lynx feeling more like prey running from a predator than anything.
She forces her eyes open and locks onto the approaching rim despite the big, bad wolf chasing her. She then carries the ball and takes unsure gather steps before finally leaping. Scott follows suit right after, taking off into the air with her.
The lynx raises her arm with the ball in her hand, slowly rolling it off of her finge-
SLASH!
A howl of pain escapes Ava as she releases the ball prematurely and her hand flies to her shoulder. She tumbles to the floor and lands on her side, hissing and whimpering as a sharp and burning throb sizzles through her arm.
Slowly, she peels the shaky hand away, going rigid and cold once she sees the shallow, yet gory gashes running down from her shoulder to her collarbone.
“W-wha… what the FUCK?!?”
The lynx’s head snaps over, her gaze landing right on Scott, vision tunneling and growing wet with tears seeing the wolf tower above her.
The fur across his body is frazzled and pricked up, currently staring down at the floor and panting hard as a low growl emanates from the base of his throat. Crimson is still dripping from his nose, but even more now is dripping from his claws.
Look at her. “S-Scott…” Pathetic. “W-why…?” A WASTE of roster space. “F-fuck, this hurts…” NO ONE would mind if those minutes were given to you. “What’s w-wrong with you??” YOU can make it happen.
“HEY, ASSHOLE!”
...what?
“Fucking stop! Wake up and look around you, you dumb fuck! Look at what you did to your own goddamn teammate!” Jonna Blaise, a fellow Swashbuckler, scolds the wolf as she’s crouched down to tend to the injured lynx.
“Shit… how bad does it hurt, Ava?”
“I-it stings, and burns…”
“Alright, let’s get you up, okay?”
“We’ll get you some help.”
I… I did it again…?
J-Jak…
Ava…?
No…
I didn’t mean to…
...did I?
Frozen in place, Scott forces his head to turn. His hand is still up in the air as if about to strike, claws dripping red. He gasps shakily and rips it out of stasis, frantically shaking it to try to get the blood off, but it’s no use. He stares down at his palms, trembling, legs suddenly feeling like jelly.
N-not again… please…
Dazed, he stumbles back, vision tunnelling and heart pounding in his ears. His head snaps back up to watch Ava limping off, arm around Jonna, but still looking back over her shoulder at Scott, her gaze cautioned.
The wolf’s eyes darted around the gymnasium, landing on each of his teammates for brief moments, just seeing their mixed reactions to the scene making him sick to his stomach.
Wh… what have I done…?
Ava’s and Jak’s faces after what he’d done to the both of them flash in his mind. The fear in their eyes, the sickening sights of the aftermath, it was too much to bear.
Before Scott knew it, he was backpedalling. Then, he was sprinting, whipping around and making a beeline for the exit.
He slams his body hard into the door, but quickly realizes it’s a pull, so he rips it open and slips out as fast as he could.
I-I can’t be here… I…
Dashing down the halls, the wolf finds and pushes into the locker room, heading for the restroom in a frenzy.
Once inside, he stops at the sink and grips the ceramic edge, heaving breathlessly before meeting his own pencil pricked gaze in the mirror.
The front of his muzzle is stained red and his fur is bristled, claws matted with dried blood. His hand is trembling as he reaches for the tap, turning it on and doing his best to clean the stains off of his hands and face.
C’mon, c’mon…
Scott frantically cleans himself as best he can, ears ringing as he battles for breaths his body won’t allow him to take.
Please, wash off…!
After splashing his face with water, Scott stares back into the mirror and just looks at himself, the state he’s in.
His breathing slows, but a sudden heavy wave of nausea hits him hard.
What am I doing…?
He glances down at his jersey, then suddenly grips the collar and tries to tear it down the middle in a frenzy, teeth gritted. He rips it open halfways before just hastily throwing it off of himself and tossing it into the sink under the running tap.
The wolf stares down at the jersey with his name and number on it getting drenched by water, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths.
Scott-
“NO!” he bellows out, his eyes shutting tightly, but quickly reopening them once the images of Ava and Jak’s fearful faces appear in the darkness.
“Just fucking STOP! I can’t do this anymore!”
Scott stares at his own reflection as he heaves and fights tears, but they prick at the corners of his eyes anyway.
“I-I’m not hurting anyone anymore just to get what I want, no, I won’t!”
Shaking his head rapidly, he blinks away the tears as they begin to fall and roll down his cheeks, going to wipe them away with his hands, but stopping after seeing the red stains on them.
“I never wanted this… I just want…”
...what do I want…?
I…
“I just w-want someone to say they’re proud of me…”
“This can’t have all been for nothing…”
“It can’t…”
Mom.
Dad.
Bitter rage boils in his gut as his teeth grit and muzzle scrunches, a growl sounding out, but it quickly dissipates to a weak whimper.
…Ivy.
Oh, Ives…
Scott looks back at himself in the mirror, his eyes red and puffy. He wipes his face with his wrists and takes a deep, shaky breath, sniffling while glancing down at his jersey soaking in the basin.
Would you still be waiting for me…?
After all this time…?
I… I have to find out.
I just…
…have to be anywhere but here.
Taking one last look at his name on the ruined jersey, he gently shuts the water off before turning and stepping out of the restroom…
…
“Ms. Lafferty?”
Hearing her name, as well as some all too familiar meows, hisses, and laughs in the hall, the lynx looks up from her hospital bed to see a nurse in the doorway.
“Your family is here to see yo-”
The nurse isn’t even able to finish their sentence before two little lynx kittens barge in, pouncing on each other and landing out of view.
“Cassi, Issac, get up from the floor!”
They do as Ava’s mother, Anna, demands, popping back up at the foot of the bed, but not before exchanging smacks and hisses. Anna sighs wearily then turns her attention to Ava, full of worry and maternal concern.
“Oh, sweetie, we hopped on the first plane as soon as we heard. Are you okay? What happened? Did someone do this to you?” Ava’s mother asks as she inspects the bandages wrapped around her shoulder and chest, trying not to either cry or burst into rage at the sight.
The last question made Ava’s mood falter, knowing full well what the answer is. But the last thing she wanted was for her mom to worry.
“I’m okay, mom. It was an accident. All stitched up and healing well, the doctors said.”
Anna does sigh out in relief upon hearing that. She takes a seat on the edge of the bed and brings a hand to Ava’s cheek, gently caressing it as if she was but a fragile kitten.
“Oh, my baby girl… I missed you. We all did.”
Her mother’s loving touch made Ava instinctively lean into it, nuzzling her palm and purring with a comfortable smile on her muzzle.
“I miss you guys too… more than anythi-”
Interrupting the tender moment are her little brother and sister, both jumping onto the bed and bombarding Ava with hugs and nuzzles.
“Big sister!” “We missed youuu!” “We watch you play all the time!” “Uncle Otto makes us watch…”
Laughing heartily at her siblings' affectionate assault, she wraps the two kittens up in a big, purring hug, despite her mother’s unheard pleas to not pop her stitches.
“Aww, I missed you guys more! But you two better not be giving mom and Aron a hard time at home, I can still take away your Christmas presents, y’know!”
They both pout and whine, rapidly shaking their heads and putting on their signature innocent kitty eyes.
“Mrreow, we’re good! We’re good!” “Yeah! Please don’t take our toys, Ava…” “Pleeease?”
She chuckles at their pleas and ruffles the fur on their heads playfully.
“Yeah, yeah, alright. But I’m always watching… now go play, I wanna talk to mom.”
The two kittens nod excitedly and hop off the bed, going back to scrapping on the floor in a pile of yowls and hisses.
Ava’s mother sighs softly and shakes her head, “I would’ve left them at home, but with Nora out of the house, Aron swamped at the base, and your uncle doing… who knows what, I had to bring them with me.”
Waving a paw dismissively, Ava chuckles softly, “no, it’s good to see those stinkers. I really do miss home, as much as I love my career.”
“Your career is getting you hurt, sweetie. Seriously, what happened…?”
Her smile falters, again. The memory of her own teammate hurting her like he did was still fresh, and it was even invading her dreams. But she also didn’t want to blow it out of proportion by making it public… that would only harm her future with a controversy.
“I told you, mom. It was an accident. Really, I’m fine,” she reassures, taking her mother’s hand and squeezing it gently.
Despite Ava’s reassurance, a mother still worries, and it shows. Anna sighs softly and squeezes her daughter’s hand back, sparing a warm smile her way.
“Okay, sweetheart. Well, we’ll be here for however long it takes you to get better, so we’ll come visit every da-”
“Actually, mom? I have the week off, and… I think I wanna spend it at home with you guys. The doctors told me I could get discharged as early as tomorrow so long as I just change the dressing and stuff.”
Hearing that, Ava’s mother beams, nodding and smiling widely.
“That sounds great, honey. I know your dad, brother, and uncle will all be happy to see you, since we barely got you back for Christmas.”
Ava beams back at her mom, leaning in and nuzzling her cheek with her own affectionately.
“I can’t wait to see them either…”
…
Knock, knock, knock.
Please… I need to see you…
Creeeak.
“...”
“...Scott?”
“H-hey, Ives.”