Chapter 13: Capture the Flag Part 1 (12:45 PM)

"Alright pups, on your marks…Get set... Go!" Mr. Jordan announced as the runners started heading towards the middle of the field.

"H-hey guys? Please try not to get caught! I'm not sure if I can help you if Leo is the one defending the jail…" Peter warned as the game started.

"Don't worry, Peter. You're trying something new, so don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best, and we'll see how it goes!" Skye said.

"Okay, I'll try."

"How about you, Rocky? Do you think we can go for the flag?"

"Uhh… S-sure!" He hesitated as the other team stared directly at him. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

"Okay, you take the right, I'll take the left! If you see an opening, go for it! Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Alright, let's do this!"

"Looks like he's coming this way! Gotta make sure the others don't catch him first before I lose my pup treats!" Joey thought to himself as he made his way towards the center of the field.

"Back up Joey, this one is mine!"

"In your dreams, dude!"

"Guys, I really think we should be focusing on their flag..." Colten complained.

"Oh relax! We'll get to that right after I take out the trash!"

"You mean right after I take out the trash?" Joey smirked as Colten rolled his eyes.

"You guys are unbelievable…"

"Skye, look! They seem a little distracted, so now's your chance! Hurry!" Rocky whispered.

"Oh! Wish me luck!" She replied before heading to the opposite base.

"Hey, pay attention! Someone's coming this way!" Colten barked as the others faced Skye.

"Wait, what!? How did she-!?" Joey stammered.

"Go already!"

"Okay! Okay!" He replied as they chased after her.

"Uh oh… Keep going, Skye!" Rocky shouted before following her. But as soon as he crossed the boundary, Joey quickly turned around.

"Oh no, you don't!" He smirked as he and the rest of the team rushed to pile on him.
"I got him first!"

"No, I caught him first!"

"No, I did!"

"No, me!"

"Umm… g-guys…? I c-can't… breathe!" Rocky croaked as Leo watched from a distance. And without hesitation, he rushed over to the pile.

"Whoa! Guys, get off! You're going to suffocate him!" He worried as he pulled a few of them off the pile. "Are you okay, dude!?"

"I'm fine… Just a little surprised is all…"

"Here, come on. Let's get you back to our base." Leo replied before helping him up. "That was way too rough you guys! Please consider being careful next time."

"Yeah, yeah… my bad," Joey admitted as they walked away.

"Oh, and if it makes anyone feel any better, Avery caught me first…" Rocky muttered.

"Ha! In your faces!" She laughed.

"AYYYYYE!" The other team cheered while staring in Skye's direction.

"Wait, what just happened…?"

Earlier…

"Uh oh... Keep going, Skye!" Rocky yelled from across the field as Colten started chasing after her.

"Shoot! I think he got tagged!" She thought to herself as she made it to the base. "Okay, I just need to make it back to our base before I get caught, but where's their flag…?"

"Joey, block the other side!" He commanded before looking around. "Joey…? Joey! Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

"Looks like I've got company."

"Fine, I'll do it myself! 10...9...8…7..."

"Come on…! It has to be around here somewhere!"

"6...5...4...3…"

"I'm going to get caught at this point!" Skye worried as she approached the base boundaries.

"2...1!" Colten finished before attempting to spring at her. But before he could reach, Skye quickly backflipped over him.

"Got yo-! Wait, what the!?" Colten gasped as he tripped over the boundary.

"AYYYYYE!" The other pups cheered as they saw him fall out of bounds.

"Whoa! I didn't know she could do that!" Mira marveled as Chase howled.

"Woohoo! Way to go, Skye!"

"Phew, that was close… Okay, so it must be over there!" Skye thought to herself before tipping over the last cone and taking their flag.

"Yeah! Come on!" Her team cheered as Colten stood up.

"Stop her, guys!" He barked before rubbing the top of his head. "Ow… ow… ow… I seriously did not expect that!"

"Go go go go go!"

"I've got her!" Joey said before she slipped past him. "I don't got her…"

"Dang! She's hard to catch!"

"Hold on, I'm almost…!" Avery said before barely touching Skye's left paw. "Got you!"

WHEEEEEP! The whistle blew as Mr. Jordan raised his arm.

"It wasn't safe, and the flag was returned!"

"Awwww, and she was so close!" Peter shouted as the rest of the team followed.

"Yeah! I think that was the best run I've ever seen in my entire life!" Sarah agreed as Peter turned away.

"Yeah, well good for you…" He muttered as his tail lowered.

"Darn it! Nice tag!" Skye said before dropping the flag.

"Thanks! You had a nice run, and I actually mean that! I don't think anyone has ever outsmarted Colten like that! Let alone put him in jail!" Avery replied with a smile.

"Well, I should be heading over as well. Good luck, okay?"

"Yeah, you too!" She waved as Skye headed towards Rocky.

"That was amazing, Skye! When did you learn how to do that?" He asked while wagging his tail.

"Just now, actually! I wasn't really thinking about it, and it just happened!"

"Well, you managed to get Colten out, so let's hope our teammates take advantage of that."
"Right!"

Meanwhile on the other side...

"Is something on your mind, Chase?" Mira asked.

"Yeah, but we'll have to wait until everyone gets back before we can talk about it." He replied before noticing the opposite team defending their jail. "Which might take a while…"

"Well, one thing's for sure, your friend is full of surprises..." Colten sighed while making his way towards their jail.

"Yeah, that's Skye for you! She might not be the biggest, but she definitely has her benefits. That's why I want to do whatever I can to keep her, and my friends safe because I believe we're all special. And I know that sounds a little chiché, but it's true if you think about it." Chase explained.

"You know, there's this guy that usually comes to visit every once in a while. I keep forgetting his name, but he told us something similar to what you said about being special." Mira mentioned.

"Yeah, it's like no matter how many times you hear about it, it always sounds motivational." Colten smiled. "I think it'll be nice if you guys could meet -"

"CHAAARGE!" Joey shouted as his team started rushing towards their base.

"Wait, what the!? They're all coming in at once!?" Mira gasped.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting," Colten smirked before sitting down.

"Uh oh! Come on, Chase! We can't let anyone take the flag!"

"I know! I know!" He panicked as he rushed towards the crowd.

"Oh, wow! He's fast!" Colten marveled as his team's angel entered the jail.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" He whispered as he got up.

"Guys, watch out for Leo!" Rocky hollered as Leo started running back with their flag.

"Oh, crud!" Chase mumbled before chasing after him. But before he could tag him, his front paws were already in the base.

WHEEEEEP! "Point, red team!" Mr. Jordan announced as they tumbled to the ground.

"YEAH! WE DID IT!" Avery howled as Peter entered their jail.

"That was close!" Another pup responded with deep breaths.

"Awww! And I just got here!" Peter mumbled.

"Wow Skye, you weren't kidding. Chase is pretty fast!" Rocky acknowledged.

"Wait, did he tag that many people!?"

"Yeah, about five of them, and then went after that one guy!" Skye said.

"And he was that close…?" Peter shivered before thinking to himself. "Who is this guy…?"

"Come on, let's head back to our base," Rocky said as he left the jail.

"Phew… I let my guard down this time, but next time, I'll be a little bit more focused." Chase smiled as he stood up. "Anyways, that was a nice run, buddy! Great job!"

"Y-Yeah… you too." Leo panted as Chase helped him up. "How is he not tired!?"

"Well, I'll see you around!"

"Okay…" He waved as Chase went back to his base. "I almost ran my fastest, and he still caught up to me like it was nothing…"

"Leo!" His teammates cheered as they gathered around him. "That was amazing, dude!"

"Yeah! I can't believe that actually worked!" Joey smiled.

"Heh. It was all thanks to you guys after all! I don't think I would ever make it out if I went in on my own."

"Are you kidding? You're the fastest pup here! Of course, you could have made it on your own!"

"No, did you see how fast that German shepherd was going?" Avery asked.

"Yeah! That dude was like a bullet!" Another pup added. "He tagged all five of us then still went after Leo!"

"Well, what do you think?" Joey asked Leo.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's faster than I am, which means we have to keep an eye out on him. You guys can continue your little minigame, but please watch out for Chase, alright?"

"You've got it, dude!" A different pup replied as Colten made his way to the group.

"Okay, that was a risky move you guys, but I'm glad it worked out!" He began.

"Thanks, Colten! We didn't know what to do without you, so we just kind of rushed in there without a plan."

"And it worked! See? I told you guys we'll be fine without Mira."

"Wow, you're right! I guess I was worried about nothing. " Avery smiled.

"Wait, you were worried?" Joey snickered.

"Well, yeah! She usually does most of our capturing, but I'm sure we'll be okay!"

"Speak for yourself…" Leo muttered as he stared in their direction.

Meanwhile….

"Chase, Skye, you guys are amazing! I mean, you said he was fast, but I didn't know he was that fast!" Sarah complimented as they made their way back to their side.

"Yeah! I think that was the best run I've ever seen in my entire life!" Another pup agreed.

"Thanks, guys, but did anyone notice something odd about that match?" Chase asked.

"Yeah, I think a majority of them were focused on Rocky for some reason."

"As if we didn't already know why, but don't worry, I'll be fine." Rocky chuckled as Mira tilted her head.

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean…?" She wondered.

"Still, shouldn't we ask them to stop? This might get out of hand…" Skye worried.

"We can either do that, ignore them, or do both," Chase suggested as Skye raised her eyebrow.

"What do you mean, Chase?"

"Think about it, if they're after Rocky, then why don't we just give them Rocky while indirectly calling them out?"

"I'm listening…" Rocky grinned before moving closer.

"Okay, so I may be overthinking things, but I'm pretty sure the others are aware of Skye and me, so we'll have to trick them twice if we want this to work out. I'll go ahead and purposely step out of bounds so Rocky can try to recuse me, while Skye and three others can go for the flag then run out of bounds at the same time. If I'm right about this, then they'll either focus on Rocky, and/or Skye, so someone else has to take the flag without them knowing. If this all works out, then not only would they leave Rocky alone, but they'll also learn to focus on other teammates as well!" Chase explained before Mira backed up.

"Wow.. that actually sounds like a good idea!" Sarah acknowledged as Peter nodded his head.

"Yeah… I think I might fall for it too.."

"W-Wait, what if this turns out to be some kind of misunderstanding?" Mira complained while defending her friends. "There's no way they'll actually fall for this…"

"Honestly, I'm hoping it is, but we'll have to see how it goes first," Chase replied.

"Alright, so we'll need someone who usually doesn't go for the flag. Any sug-" Sarah said before the others interrupted.

"Peter!" They all whispered as Peter looked surprised.

"Oh right… I'm always in the back, so they'll never expect it." He agreed.

"What would you like to do, Mira?" Skye asked.

"Umm… I think I'll stay back for this round. You know, just in case things don't work out…" She hesitated before sitting down.

"Okay guys, let's do this!" Chase howled.

"Wait, before we get to that, I want to see how many backflips she can do!" A female pup grinned while pointing at Skye.

"Oh, okay!" Skye said before backing up.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…!"

"Okay, I think I'm getting a little dizzy." Skye faltered as they laughed.

"Why are they counting for?" Leo thought out loud as the others stared in their direction.

"I don't know, I guess they're enjoying themselves," Colten answered. "Come on, let's get ready for the next round you guys."

"On it!" They replied before breaking off.

(12:55 PM)

"Alright pups, round 2! On your marks, get set, go!" Mr. Jordan exclaimed as the pups scattered.

"Remember, keep an eye out for those two, alright?" Colten whispered as Joey's ears shot up.

"Guys, look! He has the angel's vest!"

"Really? Oh, this is going to be great!" Avery grinned as Leo took a step back.

"Darn it! That means we can't place him in jail..." He thought to himself. "Well, I guess I'm not going after him then. Hopefully, he stays away from Mira…"

"Guys, I thought I told you to leave him alone. He's trying something-"

"Hey! The shepherd is coming this way!" A different pup warned as Chase made his way to their base.

"Yeah, way to go Chase!" His team pretended as Skye and others spread out.

"W-What!? Don't let him escape!" Leo barked as they all went after him.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on it!" Chase grinned before sniffling the cones then pointing at one of them. "Alright, bottom right! Good luck you guys!"
"Hey, he stepped out of bounds!" Joey gasped as the rest of them cheered.

"Oh darn it! Guess I'm out!"

"Guard the jail and don't let him escape!" Avery commanded as the others went towards the jail.

"Well, looks like we're off to a great start." Skye giggled as Mira gave an uncertain look.

"Come on guys, you know better than this…" She whispered while biting her lip.

"You guys ready?"

"Yeah, let's do this!" Peter silently howled.

"Okay, Rocky! You're up!"

"You've got it, Skye!" Rocky whispered before running to their base. "Hold on Chase, I'm coming!"

"What are they doing…?" Leo wondered as he noticed Mira's expression.

"You aren't going anywhere, Rocky!" Avery barked as everyone except Colten and Leo started chasing after him.

"That's our cue!" The third pup said before they slowly walked into their base.

"I got him this time!" A different pup smiled as the rest of them proceeded to tag him late.

"Well, at least it was soft…" He mumbled while slightly looking in Skye's direction.

"Wow, you guys suck at this!"

"What do you mean? I tagged him the last time!" Avery growled.

"I know, but you couldn't get him this time! Now get back to your side, Lamebrain!"

"I know, I know…. Sorry, Chase!" He replied as he tried not to smile. "I know I said I didn't care at first, but now I'm actually hoping this works out…"

"Nobody is looking, right?" Peter asked as he approached the cones.

"I don't think so. Hurry!" The fourth pup replied as Peter grabbed the flag.

"Hey Skye, is it okay if I walk back just to prove a point?"

"Sure! That'll be a great idea! Are you guys ready?" Skye asked.

"Yeah, let's do this!"

"Okay, I'm heading off! Keep an eye on each other!"

Meanwhile on the other side...

"You guys don't have to be rude about it..." Colten mumbled as Rocky walked back.

"We're not being rude, we're just playing the game, dude!" Joey smiled.

"No, you're bullying him-" Colten paused as Skye ran by. "Hey wait, when did she!? The flag! Guys, she has the flag!"

"Wait, what? She's going to get away!" Avery gasped as Peter slowly walked back to their base. "Not on my watch. You guys go get the others!" Leo commanded before running off.

"Well, I mean, they already crossed the line, so what do you want us to do about it?" Avery mumbled before turning her head. "Hey Colten, do you think you can take their flag?"

"Umm, there's too many pups surrounding their base. Just give it some time." He replied.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mira whimpered as her ears went down.

"Ooooh, I see what they're doing." Mr. Jordan smirked before picking up his whistle.

"Aaaaaaaand…. Got you!" Leo barked as he tackled Skye.

"YEAH! NO CAPTURE!" His team cheered as Rocky and Chase gasped.

"Okay… that hurt." Skye thought to herself as Leo silently growled.

"Hey dude, show some respect! She's a girl!" A random pup barked as Leo's ears perked up.

"H-Huh!?" He gasped before quickly backing away from Skye. "Whoa! S-Sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"Oh no, you're fine! Although I must say, you've got some pretty intimidating claws there." Skye commented as Leo's eyes opened wider

"In-Intimidating!? No, no, no! They're not intimidating! I promise! I mean, I know I have a hard time controlling them, but trust me, I am not someone to be afraid of-!"

WHEEEEEEP! "Point, blue team!" Mr. Jordan announced as his team stopped cheering.

"Wait what…?"

"Hey, no! He tagged her, Mr. Jordan!" Joey complained as Peter sat down.

"Yooooo hoooo! Looking for something?" He waved as their jaws dropped.

"Way to go, Peter!" Their team cheered as Chase left the jail.

"Huh!?" Joey and Avery gasped before turning to Colten.

"Whoops… my bad." He hesitated with a nervous smile.

"How did he…?" Leo faltered as Skye stood up.

"Well, that happened…" Skye sighed as Mira approached them.

"Unfortunately, you're right, Skye. I honestly don't know how to feel about it. I thought you guys knew better than this."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Leo asked as his ears went down.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! Unless everything I've said meant nothing to you!"

"N-No! You mean a lot to me, I swear I-"

"Look, I probably shouldn't have come here, because I really don't feel like having a discussion right now, so I'm just going to head back. I'll talk to you later…" Mira sighed before walking off.

"W-Wait! Mira, I- Whoa!" Leo cried before tripping over a rock. "Please don't go…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy, alright?" Skye said as Leo wiped his face.

"But I've never upset her like this before, and I don't even know what I did wrong!"

"It's okay, it's okay! Just take some deep breaths, and stay calm."

"Ooooh…What am I going to do? She doesn't even want to talk to me!"

"I know, just give her some time to get her thoughts together, and I'm sure she'll come around. In the meantime, I think you should probably talk about it with your teammates."

"I don't know where to start… Do you know why she's upset?"

"Maybe, but if she really means a lot to you, then I think it's probably best if you talk about it with the others."

"Well, can you at least give me a hint? P-Please! I'll do anything!"

"Whoa, there's no need for that! Trust me, I'm sure you can do this without any hints. I believe in you."

"You really think so?"

"I'm sure of it! Here, let me help you up."

"Uhhh… Skye, was it? S-Sorry about the tackle again…"

"Don't worry, we're cool! Anyways, I should be heading back now. Good luck, alright?"

"Thank you…" Leo sighed as his tail remained low. "I think I'm going to lose my mind…"