ANZAC Day (Australia New Zealand Army Core) is a day when Australians and New Zealanders celebrate peace and remember those who dies in World War 1. I wanted to somehow pay my respects this year since this is 100th ANZAC Day and since I just discovered Happy Tree Friends I figured I'd write this! Enjoy!
Dark grey clouds drifted through the sky as thunder rumbled in the background. A light green bear clad in military clothing walked up a hill towards two graves. Engraved on the headstones were:
Sneaky the Chamaeleon Mouse Ka-Boom
A true hero, a good friend He gave his life to protect those he cared about.
He will never be forgotten
May he rest in peace May he rest in peace
1990 – 2012 1899 – 2012
Flippy reached into his pocket and pulled out a photo of himself, a green chameleon and and orange mouse wearing a green beret posing and smiling. Written on the back was 'HTA Junior Cadet Training graduation. The soldier bowed his head in respect, tears glistening in his emerald eyes. "Sneaky…Ka-Boom…I'm sorry."
Flippy sat on his bed with his cadet-in-training uniform next to him, controller in paw. "Are you guys sure about this?" the orange mouse next to him asked.
"Hell yeah! You're goin' down Flips!" the chameleon on the bed across the room said, a competitive glint in his eye.
"It'll be fine Mouse Ka-Boom. It's just a friendly race! No big deal," Flippy comforted his concerned friend.
"Yeah, no need to be worried!" the chameleon added.
Mouse Ka-Boom rolled his eyes. "Sure thing Sneaky…"he said climbing onto the top bunk above Flippy, watching the countdown on the small TV screen.
"GO!" Sneaky yelled and they started driving. It was going pretty well and it was pretty much neck-and-neck between the 2 cadets. And they were into it. They were so into it. A bit too into it, they discovered when Sneaky knocked a plate of the bedside table and it crashed on the floor, splitting into a thousand pieces and going flying. Flippy quickly moved his leg as a piece of China barely missed him. There was a knock on the door and one of the older and more irritable cadets, Spike the Lizard, barged in.
"Keep it down guys, SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" he yelled shutting the door after him. The trio looked at each other and laughed. Flippy was happy to be with his friends.
Flippy fiddled with the dog tags around his neck. "Flippy? Are you OK?" he turned his head and saw his friend Mouse-Ka-Boom looking down at him worriedly.
"Yeah, I'm just…I'm scared, Ka-Boom." Flippy said. Suddenly the floor was quite interesting
Mouse Ka-Boom sighed. He looked around the camouflaged tent. 1 month ago the Tiger General announced war against Happy Tree Land and the Happy Tree Army needed all available troops to fight. Poor Flippy. He was only 17 years old – practically a kid still – and had only just passed Junior Cadet Training. Usually cadets were only deployable once they completed Senior Cadet Training. Ka-Boom was a year older than his friends Flippy and Sneaky, so at least had had some Senior Training, but Flippy…he'd had barely a week.
"It'll be OK, Flips," Mouse Ka-Boom reassured his bear friend, putting an arm around his shoulder. "We'll be fine, we'll get home safe and sound, you'll see…"
Flippy ran into camp holding a green and yellow music box in his paws.
"There you are Flips," Mouse Ka-Boom said
"We were startin' ta get worried 'bout ya." Sneaky, added. "What's that?" The green-scaled chameleon asked, pointed towards the box.
"I found it on the floor near the camp. I think its good luck!" Flippy held the box close, a soft smile on his face.
"I'm going to go check if General Rhino needs anything," he said, walked through the campsite to the general's tent. He pushed aside the curtains. "Sir, is there anything I ca-"Flippy froze in his tracks. General Rhino was lying on the table covered and blood as 3 tiger soldiers lounged around near him. One was reading a book, the other playing on a portable game device. They all turned to him and scowled. Flippy, shocked, backed away but tripped on a rock. He landed on his back and the music box went skidding across the floor and was quickly smashed by a navy blue boot. Flippy looked up to see a blue and white striped Tiger standing before him.
"Well well well, look what we have here…" he said and a deep, gravelly voice. "Lieutenant?"
The tiger next to him saluted. "Yes General Sir?"
Flippy gasped as he realised who the man before him was.
"What's your report?"
"All members of the HTA in this camp have been killed, apart from this one."
'Sneaky…Ka-Boom…' Flippy thought, eyes watering.
The Tiger General kneeled down to Flippy. "And what' your name soldier?" he asked.
"…"
"Not very talkative, eh? I should've known. Well…I have an offer for you,"
Flippy didn't want to listen to a word he had to say.
"I will give you a chance to live…if you join us."
Flippy just glared at the tiger.
"Hmph. I understand," he said, pointing a pistol at Flippy, who closed his eyes, waiting.
"Urk!" Flippy opened his eyes to see a tiger soldier kneeling, clutching his chest with a knife in his back. A gunfire was heard and a soldier on the other side collapsed clutching his arm. A small bomb was thrown onto his chest and went off finishing him off. A green chameleon came into view swinging a knife in his hand. An orange mouse hopped down from a tree.
"Sneaky! Mouse Ka-Boom!" Flippy said, relieved.
"In the flesh!" Sneaky replied.
"I told you we'd be fine," Ka-Boom said. He quickly whirred around and shot a tiger who was about to stab him. Sneaky used his camouflage and scampered away as soldiered looked around only to be stabbed as Sneaky came back into view. Flippy turned to the Tiger General and threw a knife at him, hitting him right in the eye. General's vision turned red and distorted but he fought back none-the-less. Flippy took out 2 long knives and caught the general's sword just as it was about to cut him in half. Flippy pushed back and then suddenly pulled back. The Tiger General was caught of guard and stumbled forward, and Flippy used his bot to push him over. Flippy was standing above the Tiger General, pointing a knife at him, about to finish the job when-
"Agh!"
"Sneaky!" Flippy turned around to see Sneaky behind him impaled with a knife. He fell to his knees and collapsed. Flippy kneeled next to his fallen friend. "Sneaky..."
"Ugh…heh heh, oops..." Sneaky wheezed, coughing up blood.
"Sneaky! We need to get help, I'll-"
"No. There's no point. Ya…ya gotta win this. End this. For me. For Happy Tree Land. For us…"
"See ya Flips…" Sneaky went limp as he closed his eyes for the last time.
"Sneaky…"
"Uh…Flippy?" Flippy looked up to see him and Mouse Ka-Boom were surrounded by angry tiger soldiers. The Tiger General walked over, bloodied and bruised. His right eye was closed as blood seeped out, dripping onto the soft green grass. "Flippy, run," Ka-Boom whispered.
"What?"
"RUN!"
"No, I can't leave you!"
"Flippy, you need to run." Mouse Ka-Boom said, putting his paws on Flippy's shoulders
"No, I can't just leave you here!" Flippy protested, tears filling his eyes
"I'm not giving you a choice," Ka-Boom said. He pushed Flippy through the tigers and the green bear tripped on a stone, tumbling down a hill.
"Oof! Ah! Ow! Ugh…" Flippy rolled down the hill eventually reaching the bottom. "…Ka-Boom!" he started climbing when a large explosion when off at the top of the hill. "Ka-Boom…"
When he reached the top of the hill, there was very little trace that any life had once been there. The whole area was singed and the grass was burned. A burnt lumps were around, others just piles of ash. Flippy noticed he had stepped on something and lifted p his boot to see a ripped green beret on the ground. He picked it up and looked inside
Property of Mouse Ka-Boom
There was a tear through the name but Flippy knew what he said e bowed his head and cried silently. He put on the beret just as General Rhino ran in followed by 7 soldiers. "Flippy! What happened here?"
"It's over"
Flippy took off his beret and looked inside. Faded inside was Property of Mouse Ka-Boom. After he had fixed it up he filled in the rest of his friend's name. He held it close to his chest and looked wistfully at the sky.
A bridge came down from the boat and hundreds of soldiers walked down. They stood to attention on the dock. General Rhino bestowed them their medals and then let them go see their families.
Flippy saw his parents in the crows and ran into their paws, crying happy tears. A pair of chameleons and a pair of mice walked over and looked at Flippy. The green bear bowed his head. He took off the beret and gave it to the mice. They looked at each other and bowed their heads. Flippy gave them a reassuring hug, inviting over the chameleons. One big group hug later, Flippy pulled away and smiled sadly. The female mouse gave him back the beret. Flippy looked up curious but they refused to take it back. Flippy put the beret back on and smiled.
"Your son died to kill the Tiger General. He ended the war. He was a true hero."
Flippy stared into the distance, remembering Sneaky and Mouse Ka-Boom. He put the beret back on and walked down the hill, the clouds parting, a rainbow shining through. It as a new day.