If I run, Koa thought, she'll shoot me. I can't be chased by her
like Sergeant Larson was.
Instinctively, she retracted her claws and jammed them into the bark of the
tree. Slowly, her back legs clawed the trunk, and she began to climb. Chiroke
was silent; she knew that she might accidentally alert Roque to what Koa was
doing. Koa was now high up in the tree, which she could see was enormous, much
bigger than she had expected. She stood upon tangled branches and picked up
her weapon. Her eyes searched below for Roque.
"KOA! KOA! KOA! ROQUE IS CLIMBING THE TREE, TOO!" Chiroke screeched as loud
as she could.
"Huh?"
Koa jumped in terror at the snap of a trigger. A huge white beam of light screamed
across the top of the tree. The sound made the trees nearby shake terribly.
When the blast died down, Koa the Wocky hung tightly from a branch only a few
inches from the charred limbs of the tree. But she was not stupid; she pounced
across to another branch, and to another.
Koa shot her Lightning Gun but missed the speedy Roque. Both NeoPets dashed
from branch to branch around the trunk, scattering leaves and snapping bark.
They were on opposite sides, but neither dared to shoot, because that could
sever the trunk and send the tree top--and both of them--hurling to the ground.
And of course, that would be an illegal action in war games.
Seeing an opportunity, Koa got her paws free and clutched a branch above her.
She hung idle for a moment as the branch dipped down. Then she climbed onto
it. But there was a dash of red! Roque was up there, too!
But before she jumped back down in fear, Koa saw that this was not Roque at
all - it was the red flag! She gasped. So this was why Roque had climbed the
tree instead of trying to hit Koa from the forest floor!
"Koa!" whispered Chiroke. "Roque's gonna' get you! You better hit her fast!"
Koa said nothing. She was looking at Roque, who was on a lower branch. The
Lupe was pointing her Grand Lightning Beam at her, and she was pointing her
Lightning Gun at Roque.
And they both pulled the trigger...
FSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The area was filled with tremendous light and immense sound. Chiroke held
onto a single twig tightly and shielded herself with her green wings. Her feathers
ruffled wildly from the impact. Seconds later, the heat ended and the light
vanished. Chiroke squinted her eyes and looked around.
"Koa!" shrieked the Pawkeet.
"Chi..." the faint voice of Koa said. Chiroke's eyes came upon the Wocky. Her
claws were deep in the bark of her branch and her yellow fur was wildly puffed
up and her Lightning Gun was hanging by its strap.
"Koa! Oh, you weren't hit!" Chiroke yelled with excitement.
"Ch'roke...shhh...the branch..."
Chiroke looked at the branch. It was charred deeply from the Grand Lightning
Beam's blast. In fact, it was barely attached to the tree. Koa looked below
to the ground. The branch creaked a little and made a sudden, dangerous jerk.
"Don't fall, Koa!" screeched Chiroke. "The flag is right here!"
Sure enough the little red flag was still on the branch, flapping in the breeze.
"Where's Roque?" Koa questioned.
Chiroke fluttered away to look. She came back and said, "There's just a yellow
armband with ash on it. Roque was fragged."
Koa felt like jumping up and down with glee, but she remembered that she was
on a branch that could snap and send her hurling into the ground at any second.
But she'd beaten First Sergeant Roque! She wished that she'd been able to see
Roque, scorched and defeated.
CRRACK!
The wind incited Koa's branch to drop down a little. Koa's fur was standing
on end. Chiroke fluttered wildly and tweeted in panic.
"I'm going to try and walk over," Koa stated. She slowly took a step, and then
another.
CCRRRRRKK!
The branch was now diagonal. Koa held on tightly with her eyes shut and her
teeth clenched. Hang on, she thought. Her claw grabbed on further.
CCCRRRRKKKK!
The Wocky yelped as the branch became practically vertical. Leaves floated
down to the ground far below. Chiroke was shielding her eyes with her wings.
Koa shook with fear.
SNAP!
And that was when the branch became severed. Koa's body jerked down, and she
screamed. Chiroke squawked. Koa fell, flailing her paws, for half a second,
and then she felt a sting on her back fur...
She stopped falling! "Whh-?" she said.
"Hold still...ghah, you're heavy!"
Koa recognized that voice! It was Bernise, the Pteri she had encountered earlier!
The bird NeoPet had grabbed Koa with her talons and was now flying her to safety.
Chiroke looked down, gasped, then chirped ecstatically.
Bernise the Pteri could barely hold on to the Wocky, but the ground wasn't
far away. Koa felt the breeze in her fur. So this is what it's like to fly!
she thought.
Slowly Koa came to the forest floor. She breathed a sigh of relief. Bernise
landed on the ground next to her. Then, Chiroke flew down and perched nearby.
Koa panted, "Thank you, Bernise! You saved my life!"
"No problem, Koa...It's my job," the Pteri replied.
"Uh...Koa," Chiroke said. "What about the flag?"
Koa was silent. She exhaled and inhaled quickly as she looked around. And there
it was, the little red flag, flapping with its pole sticking out from the fallen
branch that Koa had been on.
"Ha ha! There it is!" Koa laughed.
"Well, whaddya know. Not a scratch either," Bernise said.
"Congratulations, Private Koa. You've done it. You've won it for Alpha."
Koa and Chiroke jumped up and down and danced like morons. Bernise continued,
"C'mon, I'll take you to the safehouse. Grab the flag."
Koa sang, "We wo-on, we WO-on, ha ha ha ha ha-ha!" She stepped over to the
charred branch and pulled the red flag out of it, then skipped over to catch
up with Bernise.
***
The white pavilion was filled with NeoPets, all in a formation, perfectly still,
perfectly quiet, and in uniform. First Sergeant Roque the Lupe was at the front.
She spoke:
"In ordinance with chapter 3, division 6 of the Neopian Military guidelines,
it gives me great pleasure to award the War Games Medal to one cadet that has
outshone the others in this competition. This cadet has shown bravery, strategic
intelligence, and leadership while playing in this game. When I call your name,
sound off with 'Here, First Sergeant!' and double-time it up here..."
Koa the Wocky took a breath.
"Koa!" said Roque.
"Here, First Sergeant!" Koa shouted.
"Front and center!" Roque replied.
Koa stepped out of the formation and scurried to Roque. She stood in front
of her, saluted, and said, "Reporting as ordered, ma'am."
Roque held in her paw a shining golden medal, cased in a blue container with
a clear front. The Lupe handed it to Koa, saying "Congratulations." They shook
paws.
"Post," said Roque.
They saluted each other, then Koa scurried back to her place in the formation.
The other NeoPets in the company applauded. Koa smiled and gazed at her cased
medal.
"At ease," Roque said. The room came to silence, and she continued. "In ordinance
with chapter 3, division 6 of the Neopian Military guidelines, the following
cadets are awarded the positions as follows. To be Cadet Corporal, Koa."
Huh? thought Koa. Applause filled the pavilion once again.
"Koa, front and center," Roque said.
Koa stepped out of formation, scurried to Roque, and saluted with the usual
"Reporting as ordered, ma'am." She was still surprised and confused, however.
Roque handed Koa the gorgeous insignia and said, "Congratulations." They shook
paws.
"Post," Roque said. They saluted. And Koa went back.
"You're a Corporal now?" Avery the Chia asked. "You deserve it Koa!"
"Congratulations, Miss Koa," Jerrio the Skeith told her.
"Cool, can I see your medal?"
"I saw you on the camera, Koa! You were really good!"
"Can you teach me how to be a good fighter?"
Koa was bombarded with questions and praising. She felt like a million Neopoints.
After the awards ceremony was over, she left to go back to the bunker with the
other female NeoPets. They, of course, asked her dozens of questions, which
she answered with pride.
On her bunk, she found Chiroke, her Pawkeet, fast asleep. Koa took her golden
medal and insignia and attached them to her uniform. "I couldn't have done this
without you, Chiroke," she whispered. The Pawkeet just chirped in her sleep.
Koa was exhausted, too, but she knew she wouldn't be able to doze off immediately
after a day like this.
So she sat down in the nearest chair, sipped a mug of hot Borovan, and hummed
her favourite NeoQuest tune to herself.
The End | 
