Avalanche of Love Ep. 03

Enjoying our snow leopards? I know I am! Writing sporting events is a lot like writing combat, you know? You have to keep things succinct enough for everyone to enjoy it, but not feel skimmed over either. This is my first sports story, so you know, growing pains and what have you. Let me know if it's too much on the details, okay lovely?

Well well... our twins are about to have their first professional competition together. You'll meet a few of the key players this episode and get to see how they handle things. It should be exciting- Wait, what? Shut up, of course, there's gonna be sex!

Let's jump right in!

The drone camera showed a sweeping panned out shot of the halfpipe as the sportscaster's voice called out, "Hello out there, and welcome to beautiful Mt Ochokah, famous for its picturesque views, its hot springs, but of course, the whole reason we're here today, for its prime boarding conditions!"

"I'm two-time Olympic medalist Jaron Randolf and with me as always is my lovely counterpart and four-time medalist Jasmine Sayotame."

"Thanks, for the intro Jaron. We've got a hell of a competition for you folks today. Well, at least we do on the boy's side of things!"

"Ha! That's right, Jasmine. There's some tight competition for the points leader on the male's side of things, but on the girl's side, Madeline Lashinger has all but wrapped things up for the year."

"That's right, she's finished first place in the last five out of seven meets, hasn't dropped out of the top three all year, and if she pulls off a win here, no one's catching up with her."

The camera finished panning across the resort and slopes before cutting to the two sportscasters standing at the top of the entry gate leading down to the halfpipe. Jaron was a tall but lithe greyhound with jagged blonde hair, ashy white fur, and dressed in a heavy skiing jacket. He held his microphone to his muzzle as he spoke out, plumes of mist coming forth, "Ah, for those of you at home that aren't familiar, here's the quick and dirty on how things work!"

His co-host Jasmine held her own mic up as she spoke, "Every competitor makes three runs down the pipe, pulling off their best tricks. The judges will score them based on height, the difficulty of their tricks, and how clean their run is. Only their best run will count." The other sportscaster was much shorter since she was a mouse with wispy brown hair and dark fur. She had a very thin but strong-looking frame, also wearing a heavy winter coat.

Jaron followed up, "Competitors are then assigned points based on their performance, the totals carrying over throughout the season, and at the end of the season, the one with the most points is crowned champion!"

The mouse flashed the camera a smile before continuing, "Now before we begin, why don't we ride along on the helmet cam and give our audience an up-close view of..."

"So, how does it feel to be here at the pro level, Kai?" Kayla put a gloved paw on her hip, grinning at her brother. They'd broken away from the competitor waiting areas to see one another before things kicked off.

Kai smiled and shook his head. "Feels surreal I gotta admit, Kayla... Still, I just got through qualifying, I don't expect to-"

She bumped her gloved paw against his muzzle. "None of that... Even if it's the end of the season, you go out there and board like you're trying to take the whole damn thing home, you got it?"

He huffed out against her glove, giving her a grin. "Alright, alright, but you better do the same. I wanna see you in the top five or better!"

Kayla showed him a haughty grin and glanced around before huffing out. "Give me a kiss, big brother... and I'll medal for you."

"Daaamn... really? Can't pass up that offer now can I, little sister?" He cooed back as the snow leopards stole a quick kiss behind the staging area, not lingering too long on one another's muzzles.

"Now you have to as well, Kai!" Kayla wheeled around on her snow boots and sauntered back to the staging area.

"Hey! Wait just a second, I never-" He hissed and gave chase but some event staff quickly found them and ushered them to their waiting positions, not allowing him to argue the points.

The women's competition always went before the men's, so Kai had to wait things out, playing the part of a spectator while his sister competed.

Kayla sauntered back into the waiting area, heaters going to keep everyone from freezing while they waited their turn. You'd expect a fiercely competitive attitude but most of the girls tended to be fairly supportive and friendly to one another, most of them...

"Gods... it sucks being at the top all the time, means I have to always go last! So, I think after I win this one, I'll just sit the last three out since you know, I'll already have the whole damn thing." The current points leader Madeline scoffed out while fiddling with her cellphone, most of the other girls in the staging tent just ignoring her.

Madeline was a rabbit, her nickname from her fans was 'Snow Bunny' since she had pure white fur and even had her blonde hair bleached white, sporting naturally red eyes that just made them pop on all the white. She was small but just like you'd expect from a rabbit, had plenty of oomph in her legs, able to get disgusting height for her tricks, her small frame giving her even more hang time as well.

"What do you think, Gina?" Madeline drolled out as she glanced over at the persian cat nearby. Gina Rodriguez was a bit taller than the rabbit and currently in second place in point standings. She had an almost charcoal-colored coat of fur with sharp green eyes and messy dark hair. The cat had won a lot of popularity in the last few seasons, especially with fellow boarders, mainly for her down-to-earth attitude.

Gina simply smiled at Madeline before shaking her head. "I wish you luck, don't think I'll be just letting you have it."

"Luck?" The rabbit gave a loud guffaw of a snort. "Luck is what you wish for low talent riders, not elites like us, Gina!"

"Is that right? Well then, I hope you have a safe couple of rides then." She flicked her wiry fluffy tail a few times before turning away, showing she wasn't going to play the rabbit's game.

Kayla had heard most of the exchange before she pushed into the staging tent to join the rest of the competitors. She saw Madeline cut her red eyes to her and just knew it was coming.

The rabbit called out in a jovial tone, "Fee-fi-fo-fum, here comes the-"

"Stuff it, Maddy," She hissed through her teeth before stalking over to a chair to take a seat.

"Hoo, touchy today, eh Kayla?" The rabbit called out but then just rolled her eyes and turned back to her phone.

The rabbit wasn't far off though. Kayla was the biggest competitor of the females, like, literally, she was the largest girl in the whole pro tour, surrounded by smaller, lighter females. You'd think having that extra muscle might lend for more air, but you also had more weight to get off the ground. Simply put, a smaller girl could gain speed faster and maintain more altitude.

That's not to say it wasn't possible, one of the greatest snowboarders of all time was a lioness, but she also was an oddity in a sport filled with smaller species.

Kayla checked her own phone, smiling a little as she got a text from Kai that simply read, "You got this, little sister <3".

"Alright ladies, let's get this show on the road!" One of the staff called out cheerfully.

"You know what? I don't think I'm even going to make a show of it, I think I'll just lay something down to put it to rest on my first run, then watch you all scramble to keep up!" Madeline huffed out haughtily.

Kayla was currently ranked eleven in the overall point standings and it was a ten-girl competition, she'd drop third since two below her also qualified. One of the girls wiped out the other put on a fairly middling run of 54.2.

She dialed the music in her earpieces to something angry as she stalked out to the entry gate, but paused it for the introduction, they were required to pose for the camera and listen to at least part of the host's spiel that played out of loudspeakers near the tent.

"So our next competitor is Kayla Hannah, this is her rookie year and she currently stands just out of the top ten in points," Jaron spoke out to the viewers as she saw the camera close up on her, giving it a quick two-fingered salute through her glove while locking her board tightly into place.

"Her twin brother Kai is actually debuting later today on the men's side of things, so it's a family affair!" Jasmine chimed out.

"Kayla is the biggest competitor on the female side of things, how important is that, Jasmine?"

"Oh, it's huge, Jaron! She has to work extra hard to get the lift on her jumps and that weight is going to just pull her down even faster, so she'll have to time her tricks and approach perfectly."

"Huh, is there any advantage to that size, Jasmine?"

"Oh sure, if she can approach and really kick off with her legs, she could get some monster air, something we've not seen out of her this season, unfortunately, I have a feeling-"

Kayla turned on her angry rock metal and snarled as she put her phone away, "Not seen yet, bitch..."

She had been kicking her tail with her brother, she had to put on a good show for him, she just absolutely had to. Kayla didn't care about the stupid rabbit, she just needed to show Kai she meant business.

Beginning her approach she just tuned everything out but the run, angry music blaring in her ears as she dropped into the pipe. She kicked off and even she hadn't expected that kind of height, she was really dialed in as she grabbed her board, executed her trick, and lined back up. Her knees were bent and she hit the pipe at just the perfect angle, getting full speed from the approach.

Her second had just as much air, so she added an extra twist into the maneuver before dropping back into the pipe. By now she could hear the crowd, they were actually starting to overpower her own music.

By the time she ground her board to a halt, her heart was pounding in her head. She pulled the earpieces out, hearing the crowd roaring for her as she blinked her eyes wide, seeing the camera shoved right in her face. She mewed out and gave an awkward grin before lifting her goggles up and waving.

"What in the world was that?!" Jaron called out, shock and awe in his voice.

"That was Kayla coming out and making a statement, that's what that was! I've not seen air like that out of her in... ever! I don't think I've seen that kind of amplitude in the last five competitions!" Jasmine huffed out, sounding more excited than anything else.

The moment caught up to her as she realized she'd just put down a monster of a run. She showed her teeth in a cocky grin at the camera and gave it a finger gun. "Beat that, Kai!"

Kayla waited anxiously for her score before the judges got back to her, it was the highest she'd ever pulled off, an 86.5, giving her a commanding lead. A few moments later Jasmine trotted over, her tail whipping about as she shoved her mic into Kayla's face.

"Kayla! Where have you been keeping that all year!?" The mouse gave her an eager grin.

The snow leopard rubbed the back of her head and laughed. "What can I say? I do my best when my brother's around! He's my biggest inspiration and competition!"

"That's amazing, I can't wait to see what he brings to the competition later to answer you, but congrats on the best run of your career!" Jasmine slapped her shoulder as she broke away.

Kayla rode the lift back up to the top where Kai was waiting for her, his tail wagging like a dogs would as he ran over to her before she even got off the lift. "Kayla, holy shit!"

"Right?!" She clenched her paws into fists. "Gods... all I could think of was you, Kai... I just... I wanted to make it worth it, worth dragging you back into my life."

He just hugged her but he didn't kiss her since they clearly had cameras on them, looking like two excited siblings sharing a moment. "Gods, Kayla... I'm so proud of you, that was amazing!"

She pushed him off her with a grin and met his eyes. "You better beat my score later, Kai! If you don't..." Her blue eyes sparkled as she puffed out hotly, "I'll be in charge, big brother..."

He gave her a crooked grin and nodded. "Sounds fun, I'll throw the competition!"

"Shut up, asshole!" She gave a laugh as she pushed him again and they started walking back to the staging area.

Kayla sauntered back into the waiting area with a big grin on her face as all the other girls cheered her on with congratulations. All but one of them anyway.

"Kayla! What a run, that was so amazing! I don't think I've ever seen a girl your size get that kind of air!" Gina purred out excitedly.

"Hey, are you calling me fat, Gina?" Kayla showed her a grin.

"She's calling you lucky, don't think it'll hold up." Madeline snarled from her seat.

Normally Kayla didn't entertain the rabbit's trash talk, but today felt like the day to do so. "Oh yeah, little bunny? Well, I guess you better go out there and one-up me, so you can sit and watch the rest of us struggle to keep up, eh?"

"That's the plan. My highest score is a 92.7 this season, so don't think your little 86 is worrying me," Madeline hissed out before tucking her phone away and meeting the snow leopard's blue eyes with her red ones.

"Cool, but I'm not competing with you, I'm competing with someone you can never beat, but by all means... good luck, Madeline." Of course, Kayla had heard their exchange earlier, watching the rabbit twitch an eyebrow and ear, showing her teeth in a snarl.

Gina went right before Madeline and brought in a very respectable 79.2 with her initial run. Then it was the current point leader's turn. Madeline just nodded at the camera as she strapped her boots in. Her board was covered in elaborate art with the top sponsor's name on it.

"Do you think Madeline is going to answer Kayla's challenge, Jasmine?"

"She's going to have to if she wants to wrap up the points competition! She better bring one dynamite run to match that one though!"

The rabbit glared at the camera at those words before putting her own earpieces back in and kicking off. Dropping in she went up for her first trick, more spin and flow to it, hanging longer in the air before landing, then moving on to the next side of the pipe. An end over end with a corkscrew, sticking the landing had the whole place screaming as she went up for her third.

She had the air in spades like she always did and when she brought her board to a halt, she already had her goggles up pointing at the camera as she huffed out, "That's how it's done." The whole crowd roared their approval as the rabbit unlocked her boots and sauntered back to wait for her score.

"Well, you said she needed to answer and it looks like she did, Jasmine!"

"Ain't that the truth, but that's not the Madeline we're used to seeing. You could see a lot of her landings were a bit choppy, she got amplitude but not as smooth as we're used to."

"Well, let's see what the judges have to say, Jasmine!"

Madeline gapped her jaws at the score, an 86.2,.3 off from Kayla's. She clenched her teeth and glared before stomping back over to the lift, completely ignoring Jaron who was trying to talk to her.

Madeline stomped back into the tent, Kayla just staring at her, a faint smirk curling up at the corner of her muzzle. "Good run, Maddy," The snow leopard purred out.

On the second run the contestants dropped in following the order of lowest score to highest, so Kayla would be dropping last this time. She hadn't even been really watching much of the competition, talking to Kai on the sidelines while waiting, but she came back to the staging area when it was getting close to her turn.

The crowd screamed and cheered at the score that dropped, an 87.0 clearly answering Kayla's score this time, but it wasn't Madeline that landed it, it was Gina. When the persian walked back into the tent, Kayla was there cheering her on like she'd done. "Holy shit, Gina! Couldn't let me have the limelight for once?" Kayla gave a laugh as she slapped the other cat on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm still in the points running, I gotta put it all out there too, ya know?" She purred cheerfully and smiled at Kayla. "Thanks though, watching you like that, I just knew I had to step it up!"

"Yeah, that's real competition, right? Rising to our competitor's challenges!" Kayla clenched her gloved paws into fists.

"What is this, a fucking boxing movie? Shut up..." Madeline snarled as she stomped over to the gate.

"Good luck, Maddy! Try to get out of third place!" Kayla called out with a taunting hiss.

The trash-talking seemed to work this time, the rabbit actually wiped out trying to pull off a more elaborate trick, meaning she was still stuck with her original score. Madeline was furious but tried to keep it together on camera. Kayla was already set to drop in before the rabbit got back up the staging area.

"You're a sweetheart, Gina... but this competition is mine, gonna give my gold medal to, big brother!" Kayla dialed her music extra loud so the fans wouldn't drown it out this time and dropped in for her second run.

The snow leopard wowed the fans with plenty of air and pizzazz and when the snow settled, she had an 87.2, retaking the lead once more from Gina.

"Kayla! You're a monster, today!" Jaron pushed the mic into her face as she grinned.

"Just putting on a good show for my brother, Jaron... it's his debut and I promised to medal for him today!"

"Well, unless some serious shake-ups happen in the final round, you're on that track! Good luck, Kayla!"

No such shake-ups occurred. Gina couldn't beat her current score and Madeline almost had a run that might have cinched it but failed to stick the last part of her landing.

"The highest you'd finished all season was seventh before this competition, Kayla, now you've got your first gold, how does that make you feel?" Jasmine hummed out as she pushed the mic into her face.

"You mean my brother has his first gold. This one's for you, Kai, you better medal later and give me yours too!" She showed her teeth with a proud grin at the camera.

"If your brother is fueled half as much by your love as you seem to be by his, I think we're going to see some real fireworks in the men's competition later! Congratulations, Kayla!"

Jaron called out as the camera shot moved back to him, "And what a shake-up in the points standings. Madeline Lashinger was poised to finish her season off, but not only has she failed to do so, but Gina Rodriguez has closed that gap and with only three competitions left in the season, it's going to be a nail biter!"

"But what a performance out of Kayla Hannah, this jumps her from eleventh to sixth place in the points standings. We see a few more like this out of her and she might finish top five for the season." Jasmine chimed in while looking at the camera.

"That's right Jasmine, and if she comes back next season this hungry, we could see a real shift in the power dynamics! Alright, we'll go back to you at the studio, Chaz, we'll see everyone in about half an hour for the men's competition!"

When Kai first walked into the waiting area for the boys, he was immediately swarmed by every other guy there. The other nine guys all took turns shaking his paw and giving him a hug, welcoming him to the big time as well as the family. Once it settled down it was a very jovial air, most of the guys watching the girl's competition on the TV, some playing around on their phones.