NBA Fanfiction Collection (2018-2019)

James Harden has a Visitor in the Woods - 12/5/18

When the Iron Birds of the Flatlands trekked across the realm from battlefield to battlefield, Lord James Harden, The Bearded Dragon, was known to break away from the pack and train alone from time to time. Maintained mastery of his incredibly sharp curved sword, forged just for him in a far-away eastern land, required acute daily practice. And sometimes, this practice was best done alone. On one such occasion, Harden found himself in the middle of the forest of the Western Mountains.

As snowflakes fell gently around him, Harden posed with his right foot forward, his left hand holding his sword's scabbard up against his waist, and his right arm held level across his body with his hand gripping the handle of his sword. He leaned forward slightly and gazed ahead as if looking out at mountain peaks in the horizon. At the same time, his peripheral vision picked up on the trees blowing in the wind. He imagined an opponent standing in front of him and took care to ensure that his sheathed sword was hidden perfectly behind him as to not reveal it's length.

A large leaf fluttered in front of him and in one swift movement, he drew his sword, cut it in half, and re-sheathed. He assumed his original stance, took a deep breath and closed his eyes, reflecting on his cut. That was when he heard footsteps approaching from the dense trees somewhere out in front of him. Before long, the silhouette of Joe Ingles, The Splashing Cobra, spinning his mythical revolver on his finger slowly came into his view.

The jingling of his spurred boots suddenly came to a halt a few feet away, creating a crunching sound in the snow. Harden then focused all of his attention on the swaggering lord. Ingles continued spinning his weapon as he called out to The Bearded Dragon.

"Heh...I haven't left these woods since the last time you were here, mate. Good to see you again."

Ingles then swiftly jammed the weapon into his left holster in one movement and assumed the exact same fighting stance as Harden, with his right hand hovering over the grip. The two knights maintained their stances for what seemed like hours, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. Harden relaxed his focus slightly and remembered how he had cut Ingles' bullets in half in the past.

Harden blinked and before he knew it, Ingles had already drawn and fired his weapon three times. The echo of the blasts carried through the forest for several seconds as all the birds fluttered out of the nearby trees. He stood frozen in the snow for a moment before gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes hard, assuming the worst. A few more seconds passed by when he realized that he had not been hit. He looked up at Ingles and his smoking gun and before long, three leaves with holes in the middle of them descended slowly between the two lords. Ingles waited for them all to hit the ground before smiling at his opponent.

"Heh..."

The Splashing Cobra then spun the weapon three times and jammed it back into the holster again before dashing away into the dense trees.