Chapter 14: Capture the Flag Part 2 (1:24 PM)
"That was awesome! I can't believe that actually worked!" Peter beamed as the others cheered.
"Well, it was a good strategy, wasn't it?" Chase simpered.
"Yeah, and it's all thanks to you guys!" Rocky acknowledged.
"Hey, don't single yourself out, Rocky. You were a part of this too!" Sarah smiled while nudging Rocky.
"Oh right! I guess I still haven't gotten used to this."
"Don't worry, buddy! You're doing a great job! Just keep it up, alright?" Skye commented.
"You've got it, Skye!"
"So, do you think they'll start playing fair now?" Sarah asked.
"I'm not sure, but hopefully they'll talk it out. If not, then I guess we'll have to see what happens." Chase as Mira remained quiet.
"I'm sure they'll figure it out! I mean, they're pretty reasonable, aren't they?" Another pup thought out loud.
"I don't know… This might take a while." Peter sighed before Rocky turned to Mira.
"Hey Mira, are you sure you're okay? You don't look very happy." He asked as she lifted her head.
"Oh, I'm fine! I'm just thinking about a few things…" She sighed as Skye walked up to her.
"I'm guessing it's about him, huh? You know, he seemed pretty worried back there." She noted.
"Does it have anything to do with Leo?" She asked.
Yeah, I just didn't want to talk about it, you know? You see, back then, we were always talking about having fair games and stuff, but now that I think back on it, it must have been a different story for the rest of you guys."
"You mean… like, how you guys would always be on the same team?" A different pup asked.
"Yeah, about that. I always liked working with him and Colten, but you know…"
"Well, I hate to admit it, but although you guys always being on the same team kind of made things a little annoying, I guess you all have your reasons as to why you stayed together."
"Yeah, you and Colten do a great job keeping him together!" Another pup agreed.
"I guess so…" Mira replied before tilting her head. "Wait, what do you mean by-"
"So, why did you decide to join our team?" Sarah asked.
"Well, I brought up the same reasoning earlier, but I also wanted to get to know the news guys and Rocky a little more if I'm going to start working with them," Mira replied as Skye's ears shot up.
"Wait, does this mean...?" Skye beamed.
"Yeah, I'm in! I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Wooohooo!" The trio howled.
"It's great to have you onboard, Mira!" Rocky smiled.
"Yeah! There's going to be some holes along the way, but if we stick together, then I'm sure we can patch them up!" Chase assured.
"Right!" She agreed as Peter silently whimpered to himself.
"Peter…" Sarah tried to speak.
"N-No! I already told you, I'm fine! Just leave me alone…"
"Okay, if you insist…"
"Do you think we'll be able to work in the kitchen more often?" Another pup asks.
"Well, I already brought the idea up with Mr. Jordan, so if everything goes well, then we should be good to go," Skye said.
"I'm sure we'll do great! I mean, we've made it this far, haven't we? All we've got to do is just make sure that nothing goes wrong, and we'll be fine." Chase commented.
"Alright boss, so what's our next plan?" A pup asked.
"Boss, huh? I think I can get used to that!" He thought to himself before answering. "Well, assuming they've picked up on our previous strategy, it's probably best if we carry this out like the first round, except this time, we need to prepare ourselves in case they try doing the same thing as last time."
"Our best option would be to wait until there's a decent opening, and that usually happens whenever someone is in our base," Mira claimed.
"So, should we just wait until they come here?" Sarah asked.
"Not necessarily. Remember how Skye and I found an opening earlier?" Rocky mentioned.
"Oh right! So, we just have to wait until the path is clear?"
"Right, and if it seems impossible, then we can just make a distraction!"
"Yeah! If they've learned their lesson, then hopefully they'll start focusing on everyone, meaning if we push from two opposite sides, then one of us will eventually make it in." Chase said.
"And… what if we don't?" Peter asked.
"Well if that's the case, then I can try to rescue you guys if you're okay with me being the angel."
"I don't have a problem with that." Skye agreed as the rest of them nodded their heads.
"Yeah, me neither! Let's do it!" Rocky smiled.
"Okay, we'll make sure nobody leaves this base without getting tagged!" A pup assured as Sarah and Peter nodded their heads.
"Yeah! If Chase can do it, then so can we!" Sarah cheered.
"I think I'll try to go for the flag this time." Rocky thought out loud as Mira approached him.
"I've got your back." She promised as he smiled.
"Alright team, this is our last round, so let's make it count, alright?" Chase said before sticking his paw out. "Blue team on three! One, two, three!"
"Blue team!" They all cheered before splitting up.
Elsewhere...
"Okay, so what was that all about?" Joey mumbled as Leo kept his head down.
"S-sorry about that, Leo. I really thought she had the flag." He apologized.
"Huh? Oh, that's fine! It wasn't your fault after all." Leo replied before returning to his original position. "What was she talking about…?"
"Ummm…. Actually, it was his fault. If he didn't-!" A pup tried to explain before Avery cut him off.
"Whoa whoa whoa! I'm going to stop you right there because if I remember this correctly, none of us knew that Peter had the flag the whole time."
"Well, how do you think he got it in the first place?"
"Oh, I know! Maybe he cheated!" Another pup claimed before Joey raised an eyebrow.
"... And how exactly would he do that?"
"I don't know… maybe they-"
"Just… stop before you say something very stupid…"
"Who are you calling stupid!?"
"Guys, chill out! We don't need to get all worked up over this." Colten begged as Joey silently growled.
"Yeah, it's only a game. It's not that much of a deal." Avery added.
"Yeah yeah, I'm sorry. It's just that I've known Peter for a while now, and it's safe to say that he'll never cheat. He knows better than that."
"So, what do you guys think? I highly doubt they actually planned it out." Another pup claimed as Leo's eyes opened wider.
"Maybe they did..." He thought out loud as the others turned to him. "Think about it, that German shepherd was the first one to enter our base, and after he took a look at the cones, you guys said he stepped out of bounds, correct?"
"Yeah..."
"But what if he did that on purpose?"
"Why would he do that? There's no way we were going to let him leave." Joey mentioned.
"That's the point! They must have known we were going to guard the jail after he stepped out, so it was all just a distraction."
"And I'm guessing they figured out we were targeting Rocky, so they let him become the angel so he could distract us while at the same time, allowing him to stay in the game," Avery noted.
"Right! So while we were busy focusing on that, Peter and the others made their way into our base, and since Peter doesn't usually carry out flags, I assumed Skye had it this whole time, and… wow! I feel like an idiot..." Colten marveled as the rest nodded their heads.
"Me too! It's like they dug an obvious pitfall, and we just dove straight into it." Another pup agreed.
"And the best part is, he walked back to his base…"
"Well, this is embarrassing…"
"Yeah, we know better than this." Leo sighed while staring in Mira's direction. "I know better than this…"
"Uhhhh, you guys can keep your pup treats. I don't think I wanna focus on Rocky anymore." Avery croaked.
"Yeah, me neither. Let's just forget about our bet, okay?" Joey asked the others.
"Right!" They all agreed.
"So, what do we do now?" A random pup asked.
"Well, that last round was pretty interesting, but I'm sure we can still win this thing! We just need to make sure nobody leaves our bases while at the same time, focusing on their flag." Colten suggested.
"And since we're not focusing on Rocky anymore, it shouldn't be too hard!"
"There's a chance that they'll try pushing in from opposite sides, so let's have four of us defending each side, while the rest can either go for the flag or help out," Avery suggested.
"Sounds like a plan. Let's do this!"
"Yeah!" The pups finished before spreading out.
"Hey Leo, are you good?" Joey asked.
"Huh? Oh, I'm fine, really! Just thinking about a few things is all…"
"Oh, okay! I was just wondering because you've been staring at their team for a while now. Take care!"
"Yeah, thanks!" He replied as Joey walked away. "Well, at least I know she's still very important to me, but why am I still…?"
"Blue team on three! One, two, three!"
"Blue team!" The other team cheered as Leo's ears went down.
"She's next to Rocky again... Grrrrr! Why do I have to be like this? I mean, I already know nothing is going on between them, but it's just so irritating seeing them so close that I just want to-!" Leo growled before ripping out some grass from the floor. "Ahhh. Much better! ….Awww man! Now there's this noticeable patch on the-!"
"Hey, are you coming?" Joey asked from afar.
"Ummm, be right there!" He replied as he covered the ground. "Okay, maybe I'm just being a little too overdramatic about it. I mean, it's not like it's going to be permanent, am I right? I've just got to ignore them for now and focus on the game. I'm sure she'll come around eventually as long as she's not mad at me. I really hope she isn't because I don't think I'd know what to do with myself if she ends up disliking me. Besides, she still hasn't met my new kitty friend! Speaking of which, I wonder how the little guy is doing. It's only been a few hours, and I'm already starting to miss him. Maybe I should go check up on him after we win the match. Anyways, let me get back to it!"
(1:45 PM)
15 minutes have gone by since the final round began. Both teams had a few close calls, but the flags remained uncaptured. There, Chase ran to the opposite side to free one out of four of his teammates from the opposite jail.
"Phew! I think I'm starting to get tired!" He panted as Skye nodded her head.
"Yeah, me too. We've been running around quite a lot, haven't we?"
"You can say that again… This has definitely got to be the longest match I've ever played in my entire life." Sarah agreed.
"Well, at least they're starting to play fair now." Chase smiled.
"Yeah, I hope it allows Mira to take it easy a little bit. I've never seen her act like this before."
"Regardless, we should probably talk about it another time, because right now, they've got the upper hand," Skye suggested.
"Right! You ready to get back in there, Skye?" Chase asked.
"You betcha! Come on! Let's go!"
"Hey, wait up! Uhhh, don't worry, Sarah! I'll be back for you as soon as possible!" Chase promised before catching up with Skye.
"Take your time!" She replied.
"Looks like they're back at it again, so should we try a third time?" Avery asked Colten.
"Yeah, follow my lead, and turn around if you have to. The moment we pass, they're going to start coming in, so we need to be alert."
"You've got it!"
"Hey guys, they're coming in!" Peter warned Mira and Rocky. "Should we start moving out?"
"Yeah, third time's a charm!" Rocky replied.
"Let's be careful about it, okay? I think they're starting to pick up on our strategy." Mira said.
"Let's see, the last time we messed up was because they were waiting for Joey to enter our base so they could tag us without waiting," Peter remembered.
"That's going to happen no matter what, so we've got to be prepared ahead of-"
"I know! Why don't we just hop over them like Skye did to Colten?" Rocky interrupted.
"Ummm, none of us can jump that high..."
"We don't have to! We can just use each other's backs if you don't mind."
"... Is that even allowed?" Peter asked Mira.
"Well, they never said anything about it in the rules, so let's do it!"
"Great! Let's give it a go!" Rocky smiled before crossing to the opposite side.
"I think I like it better when he's outside." Peter chuckled.
"Three of them, incoming from the far right!" A pup shouted to Leo and Joey.
"Colten and Avery are in trouble! Let's go help them out, Joey! The others can take care of their trio."
"On it!" Joey replied before running to the opposite jail.
"Uh oh, let's make it quick, you guys!" Rocky warned as he entered the base.
"I've got the flag!" Mira said as the red team started entering the cones. "W-wait it hasn't-!"
"Got you both!" Another pup smiled as he tagged Rocky and Peter.
"Oh darn it! I wasn't ready yet!" Mira whined while trying to avoid being tagged.
"Come on, Mira you can-!" Peter tried to speak.
"No, I already stepped out. Darn it! That could have gone so much better!"
"Well, what'd you think was going to happen?" The pup smirked as Mira rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, I…" She paused as she noticed Colten, Avery, and a few others heading for their jail. "Wait, they all got tagged! We still have a chance! Come on, let's go!"
"Uh oh, they've got something up their sleeve! Hurry up, Joey!"
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Joey barked from across the field as the trio ran to their jail.
"Hey Chase, over here!" Rocky hollered as Sarah raised her eyebrow.
"Oh, do you guys have a plan?" She asked.
"Ummm… I think we're going to run out of time if he tries to recuse all four of us." Mira worried.
"Oh geez…!" Rocky mumbled before turning to Sarah. "There's not enough time to explain, do you think you can help out?"
"Sure, but what am I-"
"Great! Just wait for me at our base then run as soon as I get there! Go, hurry!" Mira cheered as Chase came back for her.
"Okay, okay, okay!" She stammered as they escaped.
"Hey guys, don't let Joey take them out of the jail!" Peter warned the others as Skye blocked his path.
"I've got him." Sarah grinned before tagging him.
"WOOOO!" They cheered as Chase turned around and went for Mira.
"Great, now focus on the base!" Mira commanded.
"Wow, this is becoming intense," Joey admitted before running back to his base.
"Heh heh. You're telling me!" Sarah grinned as Mira returned.
"Come on, let's go!" She said as they ran for the red team's base.
"You've got this guys!" Chase encouraged as the others cheered. "I think I've used up all of my energy…"
"This is going to be tricky...!" Another pup mumbled before following them.
"Crap…! Hey Leo, I think they're going to need some backup!" Joey stammered as Mira and Sarah entered their base.
"On it!" He replied before heading towards their direction.
"Uh oh, he's coming!" Sarah gasped.
"Okay, stand over there, and brace yourself!"
"Wait, what are you trying-!?"
"Just trust me, alright? I'm going to try and use your back to jump over them, is that alright?"
"What!?"
"Heads up!" Mira barked as Sarah braced herself.
"Oh gosh! Make it quick!" She fretted before Leo tagged her.
"Got you, and got-!"
"Alley-oop!" Mira howled as she jumped over Leo and the others.
"What the!?"
"AYYYYY! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!" Her team cheered as Leo tried to understand what just happened.
"I…! H-Hey, get back here!" He faltered before chasing after her.
"Whoa, that's a new one!" Mr. Jordan thought to himself as he grabbed his whistle.
"D-Don't let her get away, dude!" Joey shouted before turning to Sarah. "You guys are insane!"
"Hey, don't look at me, it wasn't our idea!" Sarah giggled. Go, Mira!"
"I don't think she can outrun Leo, you guys!" A different pup claimed as they crossed the middle of the field.
"Almost got her…." Leo grinned.
"She's not going to make it…!"
"Come on, Mira! You can do it!" Rocky howled as Leo turned his head.
"Wait, when did he-" Leo wondered before tripping over himself. "Whoa-!"
WHEEEEEEP! "That's game!" Mr. Jordan announced.
"SHE DID IT! WOO HOOO!" Her team howled as they ran to their base.
"WE WON! WE ACTUALLY WON!" Peter beamed.
"... I did not see that coming," Joey said in a surprised tone.
"Yay, Mira!" Sarah cheered while Leo kept his head on the floor.
"Damn it, I screwed up!" He groaned before punching the ground as hard as he could.
"Phew, that was close!" Mira smiled before noticing Leo on the ground. "Oh, shoot! Are you o-"
"MIRA!" The others screamed as they carried her away.
"W-Wait, I need to check if he's-!"
"Three cheers for the blue team! Hip-hip, Hooray!"
"G-Guys!"
"Hip-hip, Hooray!"
"Really, I-!"
"Hip-hip, Hooray!"
"Ugh.."
"Leo!" Colten shouted as he, Joey, and Avery ran up to him. "Shhh... There, there! It's fine, it's fine, it's fine! Calm down!"
"But, I messed up! I hesitated, and I don't know why…!" He mumbled before curling up into a ball.
"I know, I know! It's fine… It's fine! You had a good run, dude!"
"Yeah, I mean it was a pretty close match after all. Anything could have happened, really!" Avery agreed. "Did you see the way she jumped over you guys? That was insane!"
"Yeah, I can't believe she did that! Do you think it has something to do with the new guys?" Joey asked.
"Guys now is not the right time for that." Colten disputed as Leo lifted his head.
"No, no. It's fine! I think I need to get a drink of water…" He said while staring in Mira's direction.
"Do you want me to come with you? You look like you can use an extra paw."
"Yeah, sure I guess…"
"Ummm, we'll clean up the field so you don't have to worry about it. You go get some rest now, you did a great job!" Avery complimented.
"Thanks, but it would have been better if I caught her…"
"Well, not everything has to go our way, am I right?" Colten grinned.
"Right... Well come on, let's go. Thanks again, you guys." He mumbled before standing up. "She didn't even want to help me…"
"Don't worry about it, dude. It's the least we can do!" Joey replied as Leo's tail remained down.
"Mira…"
Meanwhile with Mira and the others…
"Ugh..!" She mumbled before noticing Colten and two others heading their way towards Leo's direction. "Okay, at least he isn't alone… Maybe they'll handle this better than I would."
"That was amazing! You guys are amazing! We're all amazing!" Peter howled as the others agreed.
"I'm…tired!" Chase panted before dropping to the ground.
"Daang! Did you see how fast you were running, dude? That was incredible! It's like you saved all of us at least three times before running out of energy!" Another pup claimed.
"Yeah, that was awesome, Chase! Way to go!"
"Hey, don't forget about the rest of you guys. I mean, earlier you were having trouble tagging the quicker pups, but afterward, you made it look so easy!" Skye added.
"We did, didn't we?"
"Yeah, you should be proud of yourselves! That was really awesome!"
"I can't believe you actually jumped over them like that, Mira! You should have seen yourself, You looked amazing out there! When did you plan that out?" A female pup asked.
"As much as I would like to take credit for it, that was actually Rocky's idea."
"Wait, really!? Rocky, that was your idea!?" She gasped as Rocky turned to them.
"Umm, yeah! We talked about it with Peter before we got captured. There was a slight change in plans, but I'm glad it all worked out in the end. But really though, it's not that much of a big deal." He chuckled.
"Not that much of a big deal, are you kidding!? Where have you been all of this time!? You could have been so useful when we were doing that egg-dropping activity!"
"Oh, you're right! That would have been easier!" Peter agreed. "Well, if you don't mind, we'd like to have you all on our team again sometime."
"Really?" Rocky gasped while wagging his tail.
"Yeah! This turned out to be a really fun experience, so if it's okay with you guys…!"
"I'm okay with it as long as we can mix things up a little from time to time." Skye smiled.
"Me too! What about you, Mira?" Chase asked.
"Ummm… sure, why not? I'll have to make sure it's okay with the others though."
"Cool! This calls for a celebration! We've still got about an hour and a half left until we have to go back, so let's take this time to get to know each other!" Skye suggested.
"Alright, let's go!" Sarah howled before they all ran into the building.
"I hope he's okay…"
(10:00 PM In the Kennel)
Hours passed ever since the pups finished their game and prepared the dough for the next day. Since then, Leo remained by himself in the kennel to calm down after the loss. A few moments later, Mr. Jordan's voice could be heard from a distance.
"Alright pups, it's bedtime! Come hither!"
"Dough is done, clean up is done, today has been a great day, hasn't it?" Chase grinned.
"Definitely, and I bet tomorrow is going to be even better!" Rocky added.
"I'll see you guys in the morning. Good night!" Mira commented.
"Good night!" They all replied as they entered the kennel.
"Hmph…" Leo grumbled before pretending to be asleep.
"Oh, there he is! I was wondering where he went after we finished making the dough. What has he been doing all of this time?" Mira asked herself before settling down. "Well, I guess he's already asleep, so maybe I'll talk to him in the morning. I hope the others were able to cheer him up."
"Whatever, I guess she's fine without me anyways. I'll just lay down here before a little bit…" Leo sighed before slightly opening his eyes. An hour later, all of the pups except him were asleep. He tried his best to close his eyes, but no matter what, something kept bothering his mind. That's when he realized…
"You know, I think I forgot to check up on the little guy after the game was over. I wonder how he's doing…" Leo thought to himself as he rolled over to his side. "If only there was a way I could check up on him right now… Nah, that would be ridiculous. I mean first, I'd have to find a way out of this cage, and second off, I'm not allowed anywhere near the cats' room without permission, but still… Something is telling me that I should do it, that there might be something wrong, but I can't…"
Silence...
"Wait a minute, why is the cage open…? I swear I heard Mr. Jordan locking it." Leo wondered before pushing on it. "No, the lock is just broken! How come they haven't noticed this yet?" He smiled as he quietly opened the cage. "This must be a sign, so there's definitely no way I'm going to miss this! I should probably keep quiet about the lock though. I don't want everyone to be sneaking around because of me. Hopefully, nobody notices I'm gone…"
(Later in the hallway next to the door…)
"Let's see… how am I going to get inside…" Leo said to himself before sitting down. "What was I thinking…? I mean, yeah I want to see him and all, but what am I going to do when I get inside? What if he's already forgotten about me?… I guess this wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe I should-"
Meow!
"Wait, what the!?" He gasped as he noticed the kitten behind him.
Meow!
"Oh my gosh, you scared the crap out of me! What are you doing out here?" He chuckled as the kitten nuzzled against his side.
Meow!
"Yeah, I missed you too! I can't believe you're actually here. How did you…?"
Meow!
"Huh?" He wondered as the kitten was staring at an open vent nearby. "The vents!? Are you insane? You could have gotten hurt!"
Meow!
"Well, I guess you were having a bad day too, huh? I was actually coming to check and see if you were doing okay. Did you know I was going to be here?"
Meow!
"Yeah, I know it's a ridiculous question, but to think that we would meet up here at the same time."
Meow…
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere," Leo said as he laid down. "Come on, let's get some rest."