Hello there, readers! This is the first installment of a new side-project of mine, called Found: Side Stories! It's as the title says, a collection of side stories that take place in the Found Universe! I am so excited to finally have started it, and I truly hope that you all enjoy it!

 

 

Found: Side Stories (Take Me Out of the Ball Game, Please!!!)

 

 

by

 

 

Elite Shade

 

 

 

"I still don't see why ya need me to do it," Yuri said as he walked out of Zach and Vanna's house, holding a baseball glove, casually tossing a baseball as he walked. Zach, whose face sported some faded bruises, grimaced. His left eye, which had been swollen shut, had thankfully opened again.

 

"I gotta help Pa with a... stakeout! Yeah! That's it!" the gray and auburn-furred wolf said, his tail wagging.

 

"A stakeout? Here? Fer what? Ostrich rustlers?" the black wolf cackled while Zach rolled his eyes.

 

"Look, Marcus needs the practice, Pa needs me, and I figured ya'd wanna spend some time with yer nephew. But if that's too much, I'll go ask Vern to do it. I mean, he actually loves spending time with his nephew," Zach said, taking the ball and starting to walk towards the ranch.

 

"Hey! I said I'D do it!" Yuri snarled, snatching the ball back.

 

"Thanks, Yuri!" Zach said, jogging off. Yuri rolled his yellow eyes and snorted, before heading around to the front yard, finding Marcus standing out front holding a baseball bat.

 

"H-hi, Uncle Yuri," the pre-teen human boy said, looking nervous. "Th-thanks for helping me practice."

 

"No problem, Marcus," Yuri said, reaching over and ruffling his nephew's headfur. The corners of his muzzle turned up at the sight of Marcus smiling. Without wasting any time, Yuri walked a bit away while Marcus readied himself to swing. Yuri wound up his arm and pitched. Marcus swung, the bat connecting with the ball. The ball soared right at Yuri, hitting him in the throat. Yuri doubled over, coughing, while Marcus ran over to him.

 

"O-oh no! I'm sorry, Uncle Yuri!" Marcus said, looking guilty.

 

Yuri waved his paw dismissively, and coughed a little bit more.

 

"It's alright, Marcus," Yuri said, rubbing his throat. "He's just a pup, it was an accident," he said under his breath.

 

"Wh-what?"

 

"I said let's try that again," Yuri said, giving Marcus a confident smirk. Marcus nodded, looking a little unsure, before returning to his original position. Yuri pitched again, this time ducking as Marcus hit the ball. Said projectile just barely missed his head.

 

"Okay, good job so far. But what ya wanna try ta do is hit that sucker up and away," Yuri said, going and retrieving it. Marcus nodded and practice-swung, now adding a bit more lift to it. He hit the ball again; this time it flew towards the house, bounced off the rain gutter and ricocheted straight towards Yuri. He narrowly avoided getting hit in the nose. A few more pitches and near misses, and some direct hits, Yuri was sporting a collection of lumps and bruises of his own.

 

"Alright, Marcus, how about we try something new? Ya know what bunting is, right?" Yuri said through partially swollen lips. Marcus nodded and demonstrated a bunt. "Alright, boy, then let's try that next." Yuri pitched and, sure enough, Marcus brought his bat forward, holding it out horizontally. The ball hit the bat and shot back. It headed down to the ground straight in Yuri's direction, with enough force to cause it to bounce up, smacking him right in between his legs. He let out a long, low whine as he fell to his knees, clutching where he had been hit, trying to catch the breath that had just been knocked out of him.

 

"U-uncle Yuri?" Marcus asked, dropping his bat as he ran forward.

 

"I'm alright, kid," Yuri said, struggling and just barely managing, to flash his nephew a good-natured grin. He stood, on shaky legs, the pain temporarily receding, until like the tides it returned and he choked down a groan. "I think that that's enough practice fer right now. How about ya go and do some of them sprints I saw ya practicin' before while I go and grab somethin'?"

 

"A-are you sure?" Marcus asked, worried.

 

"'Course. If ya never learn anythang else, learn this. Yer Uncle Yuri is the toughest one in the family, got it?" he said. Marcus still appeared concerned, but looked to his feet and nodded.

 

"Okay, Uncle Yuri," he said, beginning his sprint training, mainly by sprinting around the house itself. Once he was sure Marcus was out of earshot, Yuri let out a groan, followed by some cursing.

 

"Owe me one? Nah, yer gunna owe me fifteen fer this, Zach," Yuri growled out, walking with a noticeable limp. He spotted a shed and went inside, looking for something he could use to put between him and Marcus when he would pitch. He stopped when he saw Zach' workbench. On it was what looked like a cross between some police riot gear and a catcher's armor, complete with a riot shield, which had been painted red with the words Coach's Shield painted on the front in white. Yuri let out a savage growl as his yellow eyes narrowed. "ZACH!!!"

 

Over at the Ranch, Vernon was standing mammaling the grill.

 

"I thought ya had ta go out on a stakeout fer Pa," Vernon said, looking at his bruised brother. Zach smirked and puffed out his chest.

 

"Oh that? That's been... resolved, fer the time bein'," Zach said, looking proud of himself.

 

"WHY YOU LITTLE!!!" Zach and Vernon both turned to see a black form charging in their direction. Vernon held up a paw and pointed to his wrist.

 

"Bracelet! Yuri, bracelet!" he shouted right before Yuri passed him by, and tackled the fleeing Zach. Rolling around and slamming him into the dirt. Vernon watched, confused, as the two rolled around, kicking up a cloud of dust.

 

"Vernon, why aren't you helping me?!" Zach cried, letting out a yelp as a fist collided with his eye.

 

"Sorry, I'm just amazed that fer once it's not me he's attackin'," Vernon said before getting involved and helping to separate his brothers. Once Yuri was pulled off of Zach, whose eye had swollen shut already again, Vernon looked between them. "Got that outta yer system?" he asked Yuri, who nodded.

 

"Yeah, fer now," Yuri growled while Zach flinched a little. "Looks like someone got back from their stakeout early," Yuri sneered while Zach gave a sheepish smile.

 

"I, uh, i-it was resolved," he said, looking away.

 

"Wait, yer mad because Zach got ya to help Marcus practice and then didn't go on a stakeout after all?" Vernon asked, confused, before frowning and crossing his arms. "If it's that such a big deal to ya, then I'll go ahead and help out with Marcus' practicin'." Vernon looked at his brothers, rolling his eyes. It was at that moment that a light bulb sparked in Yuri's head. He started to grin.

 

"Yeah. That's why, and that's a great idea, Vern," he said, holding back a cackle. "Before I came over here, I had Marcus start doing his sprint training."

 

"Well, these burgers are just about done. I'll finish them off and then head on over. And you two can try and calm down," Vernon said, looking Yuri and Zach over. "Gettin' all worked up like this is just puppyish. Really, guys, didja have to go and bruise each other that badly?" Yuri and Zach shared a look when Vernon turned to use the spatula to scoop the bug burger patties onto a plate. Yuri smirked while Zach sighed in relief, before the sharp pain of Yuri punching him, hard, in the shoulder made him let out a hiss.

 

 

A short while later...

 

 

"I suppose y'all thought that was purdy funny, huh?" Vernon growled, looking down at Zach and Yuri with two black eyes. All across his gray-furred body were welts. His forest green Just Ewe It shirt was ripped at the right shoulders, and Vernon was clutching his left elbow with his right paw. He was baring his fangs at the two wolves before him, making Zach cower and look away while Yuri, now sporting some bandages and holding an ice pack to the side of his head, cackled.

 

"It almost makes up fer Zach trickin' me!" Yuri said, while Zach whined.

 

"I love that pup more than anythang, but I just needed a break. And I didn't want ta hurt his feelin's," Zach said, looking down at his feet.

 

"What I wanna know is, if you had a full suit of armor just fer the job, then why didn't ya tell US about it?!" Vernon snapped, a low growl in his voice.

 

"Well, when I got Yuri to do it, I figured he woulda changed his mind the second he saw the armor," Zach yelped and Yuri reached over and punched him in the arm again. "'Course I would!" Yuri hissed. "I woulda just talked Marcus into doin' somethin' else with me."

 

"And the reason ya didn't tell me?" Vernon asked, still glowering at Zach.

 

"W-well... it didn't come to mind..." Vernon narrowed his eyes and leaned over. He reached out with his free paw and flicked the end of Zach's still-tender nose. Zach whined and clutched the nose in question.

 

"What's goin' on out here?" The three turned to see Wade coming out of the house, where some happy squeals could be heard, suggesting that Paige and her new aunties, Sadie, Rachel, and Quinnely were having a lot of fun together. The lighter black-furred wolf looked between the three and crossed his arms. "What happened? Ya three get into a scuffle?"

 

"We were just discussin'... who was gunna help Marcus practice fer his upcomin' game," Vernon said, smiling at the corners of his muzzle. Yuri and Zach both had to hold back chuckles.

 

"Oh? Well maybe I can help in that department," Wade said, puffing out his chest a bit, "seein' as how unlike the rest of y'all, I'm the only true athlete amongst us."

 

"How many mammals didja end up puttin' in the hospital again?" Yuri asked Wade, cackling. "Was it thirty or forty?"

 

"I don't know fer sure, but I know at least three of them was you, Yuri," Wade said with a snicker.

 

"I left Marcus to practice his swing, and his bunting," Vernon said, unaware that he and Yuri were both wincing when he said bunting. "Over by Zach and Vanna's place."

 

"Nice, Vernon, way ta uncle," Wade said, shaking his head. "I'll have that boy swingin' fer the fences in no time flat." As Wade walked away, the three brothers shared a chuckle.

 

 

Again, a short time later...

 

 

The dark-furred wolf stood before his snickering brothers, staring daggers at them. He was holding an ice pack to a lump on his forehead. Underneath his shirt, he had some bandages wrapped around his chest.

 

"I bet y'all thought that was very funny," he said, his voice hoarse, as he too had taken a direct hit to his throat, just like Yuri.

 

"I dunno, mam', we thought yer powers would cancel each other out er somethin'," Yuri cackled. "But it looks like 'ol Marcus has got ya beat there."

 

Wade scowled, just as Trent walked on up. The white wolf paused as he looked at his four brothers, smirking.

 

"Now what happened here?" Trent asked, clearly amused.

 

"Marcus needed ta get some practice in before his big game," Zach said with a sigh, motioning to Wade.

 

"Oh," Trent said with a chuckle, "so ya thought it would be a good idea ta give Wade the bat, huh?" He looked around at his brothers, feeling a sense of nostalgia. "Is Marcus alright, at least?"

 

Zach opened his mouth to respond when Wade cut him off, and Yuri, thinking as quickly as Wade, clamped Zach's mouth shut. "He's fine, he's practicin' buntin'."

 

"Well then, how 'bout I take over with the practice? That way Marcus won't end up in traction before the big game." Wade smirked.

 

"Well, iffin' ya wanna, be our guest," he said, tossing the ball to Trent. The white wolf took one more look at his brothers, before chuckling and heading in the direction of Zach and Vanna's house.

 

"I got five bucks that says Marcus'll lay him out on the first pitch," Yuri said.

 

"Marcus hits hard, but Trent's tough. I got ten that says he gets knocked out the third time Marcus beans him," Wade said as the four moved to get a better view, seeing Trent walk up to Marcus.

 

"Hey, no placin' bets regardin' ta my son's self-esteem!" Zach growled, getting punched in the arm again by Yuri.

 

"Ya don't get ta lecture us, Zach," Yuri growled while Trent walked away from Marcus, stopping once he was far enough. "Mr. 'I gotta go on a stakeout!'"

 

"Vern!" Zach whined. The much larger wolf turned to regard Zach, before turning back to watch the events unfold.

 

"I got twenty that says Marcus gets him in two hits," Vernon said with a chuckle. They watched as Trent pitched the ball, which Marcus hit. It soared right over Trent, surprising the four, before it hit a tree branch and went hurtling right towards the back of Trent's head. They saw Trent get right back up, rubbing the back of his head and grabbing the ball. He then turned in their direction, to see all four waving to him and smiling.

 

"Okay... it'll probably take five hits before he goes down fer the count," Zach said, pulling out his wallet.

 

 

Yet again, a short time later...

 

 

"I cannot believe you five," Xavier said with an exasperated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Getting into a petty squabble over who gets to help Marcus with his practice?" The wolf lawyer looked at his five brothers and crossed his arms. "Honestly, you all act like bigger puppies than our new little sisters." Trent released Wade from the headlock he had him in and tossed their lawyer brother the ball, which Xavier caught.

 

"Oh yeah?" Trent asked, crossing his own arms, "Well then why don't you go an' help the pup?"

 

"Fine. I may not be as 'enthusiastic' about it as the rest of you, but perhaps Marcus needs to interact with an actual grown-up," Xavier said, adjusting his glasses as he walked over to Zach and Vanna's house.

 

"Sometime's it's just too easy," Yuri said with a grin.

 

"Think we might be able to talk Ulric into it next?" Wade asked.

 

"Nah," Vernon said, waving a dismissive paw, "he'd never go fer it. 'Sides, he an' Honey are out in the forest, lookin' fer ghosts."

 

"He sure has perked up since he got over that whole Catsquatch-troll posting thang," Trent said while the five watched Xavier walk up to Marcus.

 

 

Later still...

 

 

"I hope that you five had yourselves a good laugh. I only brought the one pair of glasses with me," Xavier said, his tone very cross. In his light and dark gray furred paws he held up his smashed glasses. He looked around at his brothers, a lump growing right between his eyes. His lip was partially split and starting to swell as well, and his tailored suit was torn in several places. The brothers snickered, not improving his mood.

 

"To be fair," Vernon drawled, "it started as just Zach tryin' ta get outta practicin' with Marcus fer one day, and it just kinda snow-balled from there."

 

"I don't suppose any of you stopped to consider that someone could have gotten seriously injured?"

 

"We did, that's why we kept passin' the buck," Trent chimed in, to a chorus of nods.

 

"I can't believe my ears," a new voice chimed in, drawing everyone's gaze to the open sliding glass door. There stood Malcolm, the chubby auburn wolf frowning with his paws on his hips. "So while y'all were passin' the buck, none of ya thought about how that might be makin' Marcus feel?" Unlike with Xavier's scolding, this had the Hunter boys looking uncomfortable and shifting their feet. Undeterred, Malcolm continued his lecture.

 

"That boy is a sweet pup who just wants ta spend time with his new family. And all y'all've done is toss him from one to the other like he's a hot potato without any feelin's."

 

"H-honey Buns," Xavier said, his speech starting to be affected by his swollen lip, "Marcus is a wonderful pup and nephew, b-but any ball he hits is a serious hazard."

 

"Yeah!" the other Hunter boys chorused, showing off their injuries, to which Malcolm snorted and rolled his eyes.

 

"So y'all got some bumps and bruises. Yer all adults, and y'all need ta start actin' like it," he said, grabbing the baseball out from Xavier's paw, turning and heading towards the clearing next to Zach and Vanna's house, where Marcus sat on a tree stump. "Now, iffin' y'all don't mind, I'm gunna go and spend some quality time with my nephew."

 

The six brothers all watched him go, each of them feeling properly embarrassed for how they'd acted. Zach yelped as Yuri, Vernon, Wade, Trent, and Xavier each punched him in the shoulder for starting all of this. Zach grumbled and rubbed his sore shoulder, while he and his brothers stood and watched, with Xavier feeling nervous for his mate as he held up the partially unbroken left lense to watch. He saw Malcolm put his arm around the boy's shoulders and give him a side hug. They seemed to talk for a bit, Marcus perking up and looking excited. Malcolm smiled and the two took up their positions. Malcom pitched the ball and Marcus swung. The ball connected with the bat making a satisfying CRACK sound, soaring up and away into the forest. Malcolm nodded and walked over to Marcus, hugging the boy again, before sending the boy to the shed to get another ball. While Marcus jogged off to do just that, he turned to look at his mate and brother's in law, smirking knowingly.

 

"Huh, that was purdy anti-climatic," Vernon said, scratching his head and wincing upon grazing a bump. Just then, all of their phones started buzzing simultaneously. Pulling them out, they were surprised to find they had gotten a group text from Honey.

 

So a baseball just came out of nowhere and hit Ulric in the head. He's currently hiding in a log, terrified that there's a giant dome over us and that it was a chunk of it having broken off and fallen. Might be late getting back before dark. Gunna try and coax him out with ice cream.

 

The six brothers shared a silence. "Welp, that's every one o' us... if this was a lottery, Marcus woulda hit the jackpot," Vernon said, the others nodding along.

 

"Seriously, that's kinda impressive," Zach said, his brothers turning to glare at him. He put up his paws in surrender. "What? It really is!"

 

 

Much later...

 

 

It was nearing sunset at the Ranch, with the growing almost purple dusk in the east and the bright orange sky to the west. Vanna was walking, having left Rose with Audrey. Marcus had seemed a little down during the big family dinner and after being excused from the table walked off outside. Vanna, worried for her oldest kitten, had gotten the story out of her mate and his brothers, which went to explain why they were all covered in bruises. Sure enough, she found him sitting near their house on a tree stump. He was holding his baseball bat. He had lovingly cared for it, making sure to regularly polish it with beeswax.

 

"What's wrong, Honey?" she asked, taking a seat next to her son. The human boy looked up at the tigress and looked down at his bat.

 

"I-I hurt Papa and my uncles," Marcus said, his voice laced with guilt. Vanna wrapped her arm around him, pulling the boy into her lap, nuzzling the top of his head.

 

"I heard. But it was an accident, sweetie," she said. Marcus shifted uncomfortably.

 

"But almost every time I hit the ball, someone gets hurt," he said.

 

Vanna elected to not tell Marcus about several other times where he had hit a ball and mistakenly thought no one had been struck by it. "Honey, those are just coincidences."

 

"But... maybe I should stop playing baseball. At least if I do, no one will possibly get hurt." After hearing Marcus say this, she turned him in her lap so that he was facing her.

 

"Marcus, do you like playing baseball?" she asked.

 

"I don't like hurting anyone," he said, looking away.

 

"That's not what I asked, sweetheart. I asked you if you like playing baseball."

 

Marcus looked away, and nodded.

 

"Then that's all that matters," she said, giving him a big hug that he was quick to return, before she stood up and set him down. "Now, batter up," she said, holding a baseball she picked up from right next to the stump.

 

"B-but, Mama!"

 

"Marcus, do you trust me?" she asked, seriously.

 

"... Yes, Mama," he said, looking worried.

 

"Then batter up," Vanna smiled, walking away and waiting for Marcus to get into position. The human boy did, looking grim. Vanna pitched the ball, and Marcus swung. He was trying to miss, but the bat hit the ball, sending it rocketing right back at Vanna's face. Her right paw a blur, she caught the ball just inches before her face. Over on the Ranch porch, the brothers were all out and watching, their jaws open. Vanna casually tossed the ball to herself, catching it. "See, honey? You hit the ball and no one got hurt. Accidents happen, sometimes with strangely greater frequency for some than for others, but you cannot live your life being afraid."

 

"... Okay, Mama," Marcus said, sharing a smile with his adoptive mother. He took the offered ball and his bat and headed inside, still smiling. As Zach walked up to his mate, he saw her turn so her back was to the house, clutching her right paw.

 

"Ya okay, Kitten?"

 

"I'm fine, Goofball. I just need to get this paw in some ice," she said, wincing as she smiled.

 

 

Epilogue...

 

 

Dorian watched from where he sat on his porch, drinking a glass of lemonade, as Zach pulled up with Marcus in his cruiser. His head was bandaged as well as his paw, with some scratch marks on his muzzle. He smiled as he saw Marcus, wearing the forest green and brown baseball uniform and cap of his team, scramble out of the car. The boy excitedly ran up the porch steps to greet his grandfather.

 

"We won, Grandpaw!" Marcus exclaimed, looking like he wanted to jump for joy.

 

"Well that's great, son. You hit some home runs, huh?" Dorian asked, smiling.

 

"Yeah, five of them! And hardly anyone got hit at the game! Especially since Papa brought his special Coach Shield with him!" The older law wolf smiled, spotting the painted riot shield in the back of the car. He would have to talk to Zach about taking equipment from the station, even if it hadn't seen any use since being acquired.

 

"Well I'm proud of ya, son. Now, how 'bout you head on inside and tell your Grandmaw all about it while I have a little chat about work with yer Pa?"

 

"Okay!" Marcus said, opening the door and darting inside. Dorian watched as Zach walked up.

 

"So we got some interestin' calls today while ya were coachin' in today's game," Dorian said.

 

"Oh?"

 

"Yeah... got about five different accounts of mammals near the baseball field getting struck with baseballs. There was Mrs. Yakington, who had been sitting down to brunch in her kitchen when one came right through her open window. Then there was old Mr. Hoofter, who was mowin' his lawn when one clocked him in the side of the head. Bein' a ram, he wasn't hurt too badly, although the mower ended up goin' over his mate's new rose bushes as well as the flowers of their neighbors. That was followed up by a delivery mammal, this giant of a horse fella, who was deliverin' some very fragile and expensive wine glasses. He got hit in the throat, which caused him to drop and fall onto the package. After piecing the events together, I found that I was hit by the fourth one, while I was drivin' my cruiser." Dorian hooked his thumb over to the other cruiser in the gravel. Zach looked and winced at the sight of the broken driver's side window.

 

"And what about the fifth one, Pa," Zach asked, feeling worried.

 

"Well that's just it. Old Mr. Flattail, the ostrich rancher," Zach nodded, familiar with the older beaver in question, "well he was working on breaking in a new male fer his flock, when a ball hit him in the head, knockin' him out cold right then and there. The male ostrich bucked him off and somehow not only got loose from his own enclosure, but let out the rest of them, causin' a stampede. But it gets better; they get free from the ranch and go everywhere, a group of them causin' a truck that was haulin' a bunch of chickens and roosters to overturn. Thankfully, no one was hurt too badly, but all them other birds got loose too. So now, all across the Northern and Southern Meadowlands we got ostriches, chickens and some very nasty roosters," Dorian emphasized this by pointing to his scratched muzzle with his bandaged paw, "and Avian Control from every district are currently coordinating with each other to round them all back up. In a little while, I'll have to get back out there and work with them."

 

Zach stood there, looking at his Pa, neither saying anything for the longest time.

 

"No matter what, we don't tell Marcus," Zach said.

 

"Agreed," Dorian responded.

 

 

And there it is! That was the first installment of Found: Side Stories! I really do hope that you enjoyed it! Please consider leaving a comment or review, and thanks for reading!