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Still distracted by his confrontation with Duke last night Kris didn't pay much attention to where he was going as he walked into the boy's locker room. He didn't display any outward signs of the frustration and anger he was feeling as he stowed his backpack and skateboard in his locker but his silence and obvious tension caused all the other boys to fall silent. Audio, who had the locker right beside his, looked up at him and frowned. "Something wrong Kris? Did your Dad do something?"

The other boy's innocent questions irritated him more than he cared to admit to and he was perhaps a little more abrupt with his, "No," than he needed to be. However when one of the new guys, a short stocky bulldog snorted it fueled the anger inside Kris and had him spinning on the shorter boy. "You got something to say?"

Startled by Kris' obvious hostility William backed up a pace and looked around. When the other boys all looked at him as well, his eyes narrowed and he puffed his chest up. "What? Everyone knows your old man is a useless drunkard! There isn't a guy here who hasn't heard about what he did to you at the end of last year."

As the other new members of the team started to form a circle around Kris and William, Audio who recognized the signs from when Kris and he had fought, slipped out the door into the pool.

"I don't care what you've heard you don't have a right to talk about my Dad that way!" His eyes blazing with inner fury Kris took a few steps toward the much shorter canine. "Take that back!" He could feel his hands curling into fists as he moved, fighting with the internal conflict that wanted to pound the shit out of this dog who dared talk bad about his father, and admitting to himself that what the boy was saying wasn't far off the mark lately.

The other boys all attuned to the raging emotions inside Kris started to quietly chant "Fight. Fight. Fight." around them. William's eyes widened as the larger Raccoon moved closer and he swallowed visibly, along with the news of Edmond having older more experienced men beat Kris up in the ring last spring had come the news that the Raccoon was taking lessons in fighting from several of the teachers at the school and that he was able now to stand up for himself with little difficulty. The chanting and shifting of the boys around them made the fur on the back of his neck rise and a low growl slip from his lips. If Kris wanted to fight a smaller opponent, he'd give the damned Raccoon a fight he wouldn't soon forget!

The sound of the chanting escalated as the two boys circled each other, the 15 year old raccoon looking like he knew his way around a ring like this and the smaller younger bulldog hunching his shoulders to make himself a smaller target and growling his warning into the echo of that chanting.

The door to the coaches office opened slamming against the wall with a loud crashing sound that startled everyone of the boys in the locker room. "What is going on in here?" Demanded a loud voice that seemed at total odds to the smallish body of the individual speaking. Jaz stood in the doorway looking from one boy to another, taking in the circle and the two who were obviously the intended combatants. "Kris, William, in my office NOW! The rest of you get your suits on and get into that pool in the next five minutes or I'll have you all here for detention all week swimming extra laps. Do I make myself clear?"

None of the boys really needed the addition of Coach O'Brien stepping quietly through the pool door as incentive to get moving. The circle cleared out with several boys darting under the horse's out stretched arm holding the door open, while the rest of them hastened to get their suits on and follow. Kris looked about like he was going to hit Jaz as he walked past the otter but managed to restrain himself until he was out of sight in the office, while William waited until the older boy had gone through before he collected himself and followed at a slower pace.

O'Brien's eyes, followed the bulldog as he paused to pat Jaz on the shoulder and nod approvingly to him for his handling of the situation thus far. "You're doing fine, get them sorted then send them to their laps." He turned and eyed the last few boys in the changing room menacingly until they too headed into the pool and he followed, clearly leaving the potential combatants to the assistant coach's mercy.

Inside the office Kris was pacing back and forth in front of O'Brien's desk while William sat in front of Jaz's smaller desk his eyes warily on the restless raccoon. Taking a deep breath Jaz squared his shoulders and stepped into the lion's den that was waiting for him. "Not a word out of either of you!" His voice was more normal now and he didn't think either of the kits noticed the trembling in it as he spoke. "I don't care who started it or why I just want it stopped. You are both on detention for the rest of the week. I'll expect you here right after your last class on days we don't have practice and for a half hour after practice on the days we do. William, if I ever find you in another altercation like this one I'll have a nice long talk with your father about your behavior is that understood?" He caught the younger boy's eyes to make sure the bulldog understood his meaning.

William's head came up and he swallowed hard at the dangerous look in the Assistant Coach's eyes. He nodded wide eyed and stammered a "Y-yes coach!" then realizing he was being dismissed scrambled for the door and out into the pool, no longer Jaz's concern.

Kris was another matter altogether. "Mr. Blackwood, you've been caught fighting before this. I understand there were mitigating circumstances in the last instance but this time I feel it's a pattern forming and I won't have it." He held up his finger as Kris opened his mouth to say something. "I don't care what he said or did to make you want to hit him. You are older and larger than that boy by more than a little and I will not have bullies on my team. Am I making myself clear?" At the Raccoon's mute nod he relaxed a little and let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Alright out to the pool with you and when you come for Detention tonight you'll be spending it in the counselors office. No arguments. I need you to find a better way to deal with your anger and you're going to talk to a counselor about it until you find a way understood?" He waited for an explosion, knowing how hard it was for himself at that age to take orders from someone who didn't want to listen to his side of a story.

But the expected explosion didn't come. Instead he was rewarded with a soft "Yes coach." from the taller boy and a relaxation of the tense muscles in the boy's shoulders and arms.

"Alright, you take a few minutes to get yourself back under control and into your suit then get into the pool to do your laps and I will see you this evening when I introduce you to the counselor." He messed with a few things on his desk giving the boy a chance to collect himself and head back into the locker room.

As the door closed behind Kris Jaz fell into his chair and stared at the wall for a few minutes letting the shaking he'd been holding back have it's way with him. He'd known that dealing with teenagers would come with some difficult spots like this one but he'd expected to be a bystander not the one who had to deal with the issue himself.

When O'Brien told him to handle it he'd nearly declined from nerves, but he'd done it. He'd stood up and not only defused the situation but kept the respect of the two boys in question. Taking a deep breath he stood up and headed through the door into the pool. If Kris wasn't out in another five minutes he'd have to go and check on the boy but it wouldn't do for the lad to come into the pool and not see him. Might make him think that the Assistant Coach wasn't up to handling things.

* * * * *

Kris was distracted when he came out from the changing room. O'Brien hadn't said a word to him about the almost fight in the locker room and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad. Okay so Assistant Coach Jaz was going to make him go see the school counselor for a week because of it but he wanted to apologize to the Coach and that kid, william, for his behavior. After all the dog was just saying what everyone else thought about his Dad. He just couldn't shake the feeling of dread that he had had ever since Duke had caught him and Sean on the computer last night.

"Looks like its just you and me then."

Kris looked up to find that all the other students had paired off and were doing some kind of breathing exercise leaving the otter with only one name without a partner. "Ah, sure." even to himself that sounded sullen and moody.

"I'm guessing you missed the assignment considering you didn't seem to hear a word the coach said just now?" He wanted to wipe the friendly smile off the otters face but held himself back.

"Yeah I... had something on my mind. Looks like we're doing deep breathing to prolong our time underwater. Coach usually has us start with that at the beginning of the year." It was almost natural to fall into position with his feet shoulder width apart and his hands loose at his sides, shoulders back and chest open.

Dastinon mirrored the raccoon's posture and both of them started taking long breaths and holding them for a count of ten. The otter's brown eyes kept looking at him, making him feel a little uncomfortable as the exercise went on. When they switched to stretches Dastinon tried to start a conversation again.

"I heard about what happened in the changing room." he pressed on even when Kris gave him a dirty look. "I don't know what William was talking about but it seemed to really get under your skin. I guess I get that, if someone was to talk bad about my guardian I'd want to pound on him too."

For a moment Kris was silent, mulling over what the otter had said. "No one really understands how it is between me and my Dad. I mean how it used to be before I disappointed him so badly." Kris found himself saying before he had a chance to consider if the otter would be likely to keep it confidential.

Before he could make up his mind Dastinon chuckled softly. "Don't worry, I'm pretty good at keeping secrets."

For a few minutes they were unable to talk as they stretched out their upper bodies and arms but before they headed for the starting blocks at the far end of the pool Kris managed to get in a few more words. "Thanks for understanding... about keeping it quiet I mean,"

"No problem," was the immediate reply, "I get needing someone to talk to that doesn't judge." He offered a last smile before they separated and took up positions on the raised platforms.

* * * * *

At lunch Kittara waved from the table she'd saved getting Kris and Audio's attention. The boys joined her silently as she started to talk, "I already heard! I'm horrified for you Kris! To have to see old Mrs. Darling for a whole week!" She moaned in sympathetic distress as she patted his hand.

"I don't see what's so horrible about it. I've been to see school counselor's before." The raccoon replied as he picked up his sandwich and took a bite.

Audio's eyes widened and he looked at Kris as if he was seeing a man eating his last meal. "You haven't heard about Mrs. Darling? Oh you poor boy!" He tisked and shook his head a little as he picked at the french fries on his plate.

Feeling he was missing something Kris looked from one of the foxes to the other. He swallowed his mouth full of sandwich and asked, "What? What is it that you're not saying?" then took another bite.

Kittara and Audio shared a meaningful look before Audio whispered fearfully, "You tell him I can't bare to."

By this time Kris was starting to feel like the foxes were pulling his tail or something they were acting so overly dramatic. "Just tell me already!" He set down the half sandwich he'd been eating and looked from one to the other of them.

Looking like she was condemning him to the ninth circle of hell, Kittara wiped her lips with a napkin and sat up straighter in her chair. "Mrs. Darling is crazy! She went loopy last year and tried to talk one of the students into suicide!" Her eyes widened as she said the last word to emphasize the horror of it.

Kris snorted and shook his head. "I heard that too, it was just a kid trying to get attention by telling tales." He rolled his eyes and picked up his sandwich again.

"Oh yeah?" Audio put in, "Then why did they take her away to the hospital tied to a gurney?" He pointed at Kris with one of his ketchup smeared fries as if to ram his point home.

"Who knows? Maybe she had a heart attack or a stroke or something?" Reaching over Kris stole the offending french fry, popping it into his mouth making a show of chewing it as he looked Audio in the eyes.

"Hey!" The small fox yelped but was ignored as Kittara spoke up again.

"Kris I'm serious. She's demented. I had to go see her when I first got here cause of Mom and Dad. She isn't living in the same world we are. She told me they'd gone on a long trip and would be coming back when I was older and more able to communicate with them." Her blue eyes clouded up with the memory of that conversation. Both boys reached out to squeeze her paws in support as they both knew that Kitt's parents had died in a plane crash leaving her Mythic's ward.

"Maybe she was just confused...?" But it was getting harder for Kris to make excuses for a woman he hadn't even met yet.

"Kris her office is decorated like a funeral parlor!" Audio leaned toward him and whispered conspiratorially. "They say she's looking for a way to join her dead husband."

Which made Kittara nod and add, "She keeps his picture on the wall surrounded by lilies and candles and it always smells like incense."

Before Kris could say anything he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Dastinon standing there holding his lunch tray. "Kris I wanted to ask you, who is your personal coach? I mean don't get me wrong Coach O'Brien is good, but with your abilities I figure you have a personal coach like I do." He nodded in greeting to both of the Foxworthy's but his attention was mostly on the raccoon.

"I...ah...don't..." Clearing his throat Kris tried again. "I haven't got one here. We couldn't find one in the area that would take a new athlete." He didn't add that his father refused to pay what some of the coaches wanted and was rude to any of the males that he thought were remotely effeminate so they turned him down as a prospective trainee.

"Well if you don't mind a recommendation..." He handed the raccoon a small business card and smiled. "Tell her Dastinon sent you in. She's good, made the world Olympic team three times and placed every time." Then he walked away leaving the three kits at the table to stare after him in confusion.

* * * * *

Kris found it hard to concentrate for the rest of the day. He was so distracted that he didn't hear Mr. Mitsuda calling on him to recite Peter's lines from the first meeting with Wendy until Kittara turned around and poked him.

"Kris he wants you to read Peter. Look fourth from last line on page four. Lilly's just said Mother's line and Jordan said Nana's so it's your turn here..." She looked rather miffed at him for missing his cue.

He stumbled through the next few lines making the class erupt in snickers before the teacher called a halt. "Kris perhaps you should stay after class today. Dastinon would you pick up the character of Peter where Kris left off please?"

As if to add injury to insult the older otter seemed to have no trouble picking up the scene and carried it easily. Kris was more than a little relieved when the bell rang signaling the end of class. "What's gotten into you Kris? You were fine at lunch?" Kittara asked as she gathered up her things in preparation for heading to art, their last class of the day.

"I guess it was just the name of the characters, made me think about having to go see old lady Darling after class is over and I lost track of what I was supposed to be doing."

"Then perhaps," Mr Mitsuda said approaching the two, "You should go and meet the counselor now. It will help take your mind off the inevitable meeting and you might benefit from speaking with someone outside your problems."

The rabbit sounded more like he was giving a command then offering a suggestion and Kris' shoulders slumped as he sighed. "I suppose so Sir. Excuse me Kitt?" Having gathered up his personal items while they were speaking he slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed down the hall toward the administration wing. Behind him he could hear Kittara and Mr. Mitsuda having a soft conversation but he couldn't make out the words.