2026-06-08, 01:05 PM - Word count:
(This post was last modified: 2026-06-08, 01:07 PM by Bloodless. Edited 1 time in total.)
Environment can both accelerate or hinder one's growth.
It can spark creativity and innovation, passion and determination, or do nothing at all. Change has the same affect on people, even if they tend to be far more likely to attempt to reject change no matter how beneficial it might be or how vehemently they say they will accept it. Change signifies the end of one thing and the beginning of another, and in Dante's case that change was his environment. Dante had entered into the Academy Season a complete unknown to everybody but his close friend Sei, and being separated from him meant that he needed to prove he belonged in the league, prove that he could live as a Striker. He had his early difficulties connecting with his teammates, but once they began to mesh the entire Istanbul team had really proved themselves as a strong team ... and Dante Von Wolfe was someone who proved his value as a professional, a "product" in the business world of football.
The world saw an exciting young Striker with 2 Player of the Match Awards, 10 goals, and 5 assists, including an eye popping 4 goal performance where Dante scored an absolutely devious chip shot goal showcasing skill, technique, and immense composure in front of the net. Despite the international interest the young Canadian was garnering, internally Dante was grappling with a new truth slowly approaching.
His time at Istanbul was coming to a close.
13 Academy Match Days. A little over three months since he arrived in Istanbul, joining the Academy Season later then others, and he'd still done his utmost to make this team his own and succeeded, and although not winning the league title stung his pride, Dante knew that this was just the beginning both for himself and his now Istanbul Alumni.
Post final match Dante and his teammates went to a local restaurant that they all had been to plenty of times already, yet everyone ordered as if it was their first time there. A flood of food and drinks filled the table, while the atmosphere went from somber to joyous in the blink of an eye as people started eating and chatting, cracking jokes, and found themselves enveloped in the atmosphere. At some point they began talking about the draft coming up, with each person talking about their interviews with scouts and Managers of various organizations. It hit Dante at that point that everyone else was already looking towards the future, facing the truth that the people they had called teammates would become their opponents rivals which they needed to beat ... everyone except Dante who was still focused on the fact that this was likely their last night as a team. He could leave it behind, sure, but again ... they'd grown on him ... like moss!
Quiet had come over their large group separated amongst the many tables in the restaurant, and all at once Dante Von Wolfe stood up and stretched his arms above his head and let out a sigh. His face was blanketed by a neutral expression which he always found himself wearing, although by now his teammates had probably seen plenty of it not to think it strange. He had made himself the center of attention just by standing ... so now what? Should he just say it?
Dante was about to sit down when his wandering gaze happened to lock with his coach's, an attentive and determined expression on the mans face ... one might think it was @Afrhite who was standing with all eyes on him rather then Dante based on his facial expression.
Dante's right hand raised up near his face, snaking to the back of his neck as scratched it and let out a yawn. "Thanks for being great teammates ... and ..." His eyes sharpened, words carrying an underlying tone of fiery conviction. "I'm going to become the best Striker the world has ever seen. See you all on the field, don't fall behind." The young star said as for the first time in months his lips curled up into a wolfish smirk. It was a challenge ... a way for him to declare each of them as a friendly rival ... and hopefully push them to stay in touch, and watch each other as they grew into amazing players. "Ciao. I'll be sleeping in the forest tonight."
With that he gave a curt bow and exited the establishment, turning the corner onto the street as a light gust of wind brushed past him.
He gazed up at the full moon proudly displaying it's shining radiance on the night completely devoid of clouds, the stars sparkling like glittering gemstones in an endless pool of black.
Dante used to think that the moon looked rather lonely, but now he realized that it was surrounded by stars which it could see but never touch. The moon pulled them in yet even that celestial body was nothing compared to the earth upon which he stood. It was a bittersweet story, the fact that there was always another wall to climb, another obstacle in one's way ... but Dante also found the fact that there was always a bigger fish to hunt, or in this case another celestial body to break free of, a thing of serene beauty like a story which will never leave you satisfied because you never want it to end.
Dante whistled softly while walking under the moonlight towards the forest. "Guess I'm like the moon now, all alone ... then my teammates are the stars around me." It felt like Dante was cursed by his desire to become the greatest to push away others, but if the moon could make friends then maybe he could too. Still he felt more like a villain then a rival with his unshakeable, undeterrable fixation on scoring which cared not for whomever stood in his path, friend or foe be damned. The Striker pondered the thought a little more with with every step, the road beneath his feet turning to dirt and grass at some point as he veered towards a small forest near the Istanbul Academy Teams facilities, far enough away from everything that it felt like it's own little world yet close enough to civilization that he could easily return to safety and comfort if he needed.
His mind twisted that thought into another analogy, how he was in-between worlds at the moment lost between the passion to score goals and the divide of loneliness it created with his teammates. But why should he compromise? Maybe he was a villain, an antagonist to both teammates and opponents alike as he selfishly aimed to crush whatever was in his way and become acknowledged as the greatest Striker ... the greatest Player of not only their generation but the history of the sport.
The moonlight now came in rays as he moved further into the forest, until he came to a tall tree weathered by the ever fearsome march of time tucked away between two cliff faces.. Despite having just played an intense match earlier that night, Dante found himself jumping upwards and grabbing onto a thick branch. He waited a moment and hung there, before he used his upper body strength to hoist himself up until he could swing a leg over. Using the balance he had developed to withstand the physical encounters with defenders on the pitch he stood up with ease. His far improved jumping was used to grab onto the next branch higher up, over and over putting his determination to the test. By the time he was almost at the top, Dante had clearly ascended far too high to jump or fall without injuring himself yet he showed the composure of a seasoned pioneer and jumped off the tree ...! Onto the rocky outcropping the tree was beside with a roll to disperse the force of the jump. From there it was just a short climb to get to a small plateau which reached above the tallest forest trees, where he finally laid down and stared up at the now uninhibited sky once again.
He had come to this spot a lot during the past few months, using it as a secluded spot to think and rest in peace ... and he wanted to etch the beauty of Istanbul into his mind once more before he inevitably had to leave. Everything from meeting his teammates for the first time, scoring his first goal as a semi-professional player, to the moment he cast aside his old self so he could accept a new version and take another step towards his goals. The interview with Croney, his match against his closest friend S. Sei who had played with the Sydney Academy Team, his incredible chip shot, every practice which went into building him into the player he was today ... and last but not least, his friends and teammates who had been spurring him on. It was time for Dante to move on, however he resigned himself to spending just one night reliving those cherished moments.
"Goodbye Istanbul, thanks for the memories." He muttered before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.
![[Image: BJGDOdU.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/BJGDOdU.jpeg)
Hello everybody, I'm the writer Dante/Wolfe/Bloodless/Sawyer of course! Thanks for reading, the large amount of people that actually read my posts is honestly absurd to me and super motivating! Thank you for joining me on this mini-journey throughout my Academy Season!!! Now that I've been drafted, this lil' series was bound to end ... despite it saying Finale though, like my boi Dante it's time for a new chapter of our adventure!
To be Continued in: "New Hunting Grounds".
It can spark creativity and innovation, passion and determination, or do nothing at all. Change has the same affect on people, even if they tend to be far more likely to attempt to reject change no matter how beneficial it might be or how vehemently they say they will accept it. Change signifies the end of one thing and the beginning of another, and in Dante's case that change was his environment. Dante had entered into the Academy Season a complete unknown to everybody but his close friend Sei, and being separated from him meant that he needed to prove he belonged in the league, prove that he could live as a Striker. He had his early difficulties connecting with his teammates, but once they began to mesh the entire Istanbul team had really proved themselves as a strong team ... and Dante Von Wolfe was someone who proved his value as a professional, a "product" in the business world of football.
The world saw an exciting young Striker with 2 Player of the Match Awards, 10 goals, and 5 assists, including an eye popping 4 goal performance where Dante scored an absolutely devious chip shot goal showcasing skill, technique, and immense composure in front of the net. Despite the international interest the young Canadian was garnering, internally Dante was grappling with a new truth slowly approaching.
His time at Istanbul was coming to a close.
13 Academy Match Days. A little over three months since he arrived in Istanbul, joining the Academy Season later then others, and he'd still done his utmost to make this team his own and succeeded, and although not winning the league title stung his pride, Dante knew that this was just the beginning both for himself and his now Istanbul Alumni.
Post final match Dante and his teammates went to a local restaurant that they all had been to plenty of times already, yet everyone ordered as if it was their first time there. A flood of food and drinks filled the table, while the atmosphere went from somber to joyous in the blink of an eye as people started eating and chatting, cracking jokes, and found themselves enveloped in the atmosphere. At some point they began talking about the draft coming up, with each person talking about their interviews with scouts and Managers of various organizations. It hit Dante at that point that everyone else was already looking towards the future, facing the truth that the people they had called teammates would become their opponents rivals which they needed to beat ... everyone except Dante who was still focused on the fact that this was likely their last night as a team. He could leave it behind, sure, but again ... they'd grown on him ... like moss!
Quiet had come over their large group separated amongst the many tables in the restaurant, and all at once Dante Von Wolfe stood up and stretched his arms above his head and let out a sigh. His face was blanketed by a neutral expression which he always found himself wearing, although by now his teammates had probably seen plenty of it not to think it strange. He had made himself the center of attention just by standing ... so now what? Should he just say it?
Dante was about to sit down when his wandering gaze happened to lock with his coach's, an attentive and determined expression on the mans face ... one might think it was @Afrhite who was standing with all eyes on him rather then Dante based on his facial expression.
Dante's right hand raised up near his face, snaking to the back of his neck as scratched it and let out a yawn. "Thanks for being great teammates ... and ..." His eyes sharpened, words carrying an underlying tone of fiery conviction. "I'm going to become the best Striker the world has ever seen. See you all on the field, don't fall behind." The young star said as for the first time in months his lips curled up into a wolfish smirk. It was a challenge ... a way for him to declare each of them as a friendly rival ... and hopefully push them to stay in touch, and watch each other as they grew into amazing players. "Ciao. I'll be sleeping in the forest tonight."
With that he gave a curt bow and exited the establishment, turning the corner onto the street as a light gust of wind brushed past him.
He gazed up at the full moon proudly displaying it's shining radiance on the night completely devoid of clouds, the stars sparkling like glittering gemstones in an endless pool of black.
Dante used to think that the moon looked rather lonely, but now he realized that it was surrounded by stars which it could see but never touch. The moon pulled them in yet even that celestial body was nothing compared to the earth upon which he stood. It was a bittersweet story, the fact that there was always another wall to climb, another obstacle in one's way ... but Dante also found the fact that there was always a bigger fish to hunt, or in this case another celestial body to break free of, a thing of serene beauty like a story which will never leave you satisfied because you never want it to end.
Dante whistled softly while walking under the moonlight towards the forest. "Guess I'm like the moon now, all alone ... then my teammates are the stars around me." It felt like Dante was cursed by his desire to become the greatest to push away others, but if the moon could make friends then maybe he could too. Still he felt more like a villain then a rival with his unshakeable, undeterrable fixation on scoring which cared not for whomever stood in his path, friend or foe be damned. The Striker pondered the thought a little more with with every step, the road beneath his feet turning to dirt and grass at some point as he veered towards a small forest near the Istanbul Academy Teams facilities, far enough away from everything that it felt like it's own little world yet close enough to civilization that he could easily return to safety and comfort if he needed.
His mind twisted that thought into another analogy, how he was in-between worlds at the moment lost between the passion to score goals and the divide of loneliness it created with his teammates. But why should he compromise? Maybe he was a villain, an antagonist to both teammates and opponents alike as he selfishly aimed to crush whatever was in his way and become acknowledged as the greatest Striker ... the greatest Player of not only their generation but the history of the sport.
The moonlight now came in rays as he moved further into the forest, until he came to a tall tree weathered by the ever fearsome march of time tucked away between two cliff faces.. Despite having just played an intense match earlier that night, Dante found himself jumping upwards and grabbing onto a thick branch. He waited a moment and hung there, before he used his upper body strength to hoist himself up until he could swing a leg over. Using the balance he had developed to withstand the physical encounters with defenders on the pitch he stood up with ease. His far improved jumping was used to grab onto the next branch higher up, over and over putting his determination to the test. By the time he was almost at the top, Dante had clearly ascended far too high to jump or fall without injuring himself yet he showed the composure of a seasoned pioneer and jumped off the tree ...! Onto the rocky outcropping the tree was beside with a roll to disperse the force of the jump. From there it was just a short climb to get to a small plateau which reached above the tallest forest trees, where he finally laid down and stared up at the now uninhibited sky once again.
He had come to this spot a lot during the past few months, using it as a secluded spot to think and rest in peace ... and he wanted to etch the beauty of Istanbul into his mind once more before he inevitably had to leave. Everything from meeting his teammates for the first time, scoring his first goal as a semi-professional player, to the moment he cast aside his old self so he could accept a new version and take another step towards his goals. The interview with Croney, his match against his closest friend S. Sei who had played with the Sydney Academy Team, his incredible chip shot, every practice which went into building him into the player he was today ... and last but not least, his friends and teammates who had been spurring him on. It was time for Dante to move on, however he resigned himself to spending just one night reliving those cherished moments.
"Goodbye Istanbul, thanks for the memories." He muttered before closing his eyes and drifting to sleep.
Hello everybody, I'm the writer Dante/Wolfe/Bloodless/Sawyer of course! Thanks for reading, the large amount of people that actually read my posts is honestly absurd to me and super motivating! Thank you for joining me on this mini-journey throughout my Academy Season!!! Now that I've been drafted, this lil' series was bound to end ... despite it saying Finale though, like my boi Dante it's time for a new chapter of our adventure!
To be Continued in: "New Hunting Grounds".
