Disclaimer: "Happy Tree Friends" is a copyright of Mondo Media

Happy Tree Friends: Camp Sanguine

Chapter 01 – Newcomers

Flippy groaned disappointedly in the backseat. "Of all the fun stuff we could do, you send us to camp? Why!" he whined. Captain sighed heavily. "Flippy, we've been through this already," he said, "Besides, your sister pretty much seems excited about it."

The teen glanced sideways at his sister. Although they are twins, one would think they weren't. Flippy looked like a younger Captain as they shared the same hair colour and physique; the only difference was that he inherited Starlight's green eyes.

Moonlight on the other hand, had their father's blue eyes; she's part-albino due to being born with white hair, contrasting their mother's wavy black mane; around her neck was a star pendant matching Starlight's. She was gloomily staring out the window at the passing trees. She then averted her gaze to the floor and began combing her fingers through her hip-length hair, muttering curses as she hit some tangles.

"Quit complaining and think of the fun stuff you'll do," their mother insisted, "Unless you want to go back to military school." Flippy rolled his eyes and slumped in his seat. He hated that school; hated it so much he swore he'll burn it down if he's ever close to that place. 'Speaking of burning…' he thought, glancing once again at his sister. Her blue eyes were glued back to the scenery outside the window. He remembered what was mentioned in one of the letters he received while he was away…

"Dear Flippy,

Sorry about not writing as often as we did before, but your sister needs our presence in the hospital. She's been treated for 1st degree burns and the doctor says she may have suffered mentally more than physically. We'll try and keep in touch as well as update on your sister's condition. Till then, take care!

Missing you,

Mom & Dad

PS: I hope you don't mind Moonlight wearing your clothes until we get her some new ones."

Despite what had been mentioned, Flippy didn't notice any burn marks or other blemishes scarring her almost-pale skin. Then again, he had been away for several months – plenty of time to recover from such an injury. Now extremely bored, he looked out of his window and caught a glimpse of a wooden sign.

CAMP SANGUINE

1 mile away

"Why is it called 'Camp Blood'?" he asked as they drove past the sign; Moonlight suddenly seemed interested and looked away from the window. "An asylum used to stand on the same location," Captain replied, "It was shut down and demolished a few years before the camp was built. As for the name, your guess is as good as mine." Flippy and Moonlight looked and shrugged at each other.

They arrived at the camp entrance a few minutes later. No sooner had they exited the vehicle, another car had pulled up beside them; two boys about their age stepped out and walked to the trunk. They both wore jeans, but one had blue hair, wore a blue hooded jacket over a black shirt and a red blindfold (with eyeholes) tied over sky-blue eyes; the other had red hair, a red hooded jacket and a blue blindfold tied over blood-red eyes.

"Alright, you two take care and try not to get into trouble," said the boys' driver. "We won't, Dad…" they assured, waving as their father drove away. "I can't believe I'm stuck with you," the blue-haired boy muttered as he glared at his brother. "Likewise…" growled the red-haired boy, "I can't stand staying under the same roof with you, and yet here I am, in the middle of nowhere –"

He stopped in mid-sentence as the green-haired teen approached them. "What are you looking at?" he asked as he glared at Flippy, who glared back; the two started a stare-down. "Splendont!" the blue-haired boy scolded as he shoved his brother away, "Excuse him; he's pretty rude at times."

"Splendid, I'm not rude – you are since you shoved me away!" Splendont argued as he shoved his brother back. Before Flippy could interrupt, Captain beat him to it. "Hey, Flippy!" he called, "Your mother and I are heading off now. Take care of your sister, alright?" Moonlight hugged their parents one last time before watching them drive down the road; grabbed her duffel bag and joined her brother as introductions were exchanged.

"Aren't you a bit young to join the army?" Splendid asked as he noticed Flippy's dog tags. "It was Dad's idea – kinda worth it," the young war veteran replied. "On another note, are you guys supposed to be superheroes?" Moonlight inquired as she noted their attire, "Or are you just big fans of them?"

"Says the girl with white hair – are you really a teenager?" Splendont remarked, snarling as Splendid punched his arm. "That's okay; I get that a lot…" Moonlight calmly replied, "Especially from jerks like you." Splendont's eye twitched. "Why you little –!" he half-yelled before attempting to slug her, but was held back by his brother. Flippy couldn't help but snicker while Moonlight smirked smugly.

"Newcomers, eh?" a voice called from the entrance, "About time you got here." The four teens turned to a tan-haired man waving at them. "Come on in!" he added. Figuring they'll settle this dispute another time, they grabbed their duffel bags and followed the man onto a dirt path. He introduced himself as 'Camp Director Pop' and explained he had been working at this camp for as long as he could remember. "It's been a while since we had newcomers, considering this is the least known camp in the world," he added.

As they trudged on, Flippy saw something out of the corner of his eye. "What's that?" he asked as he stared at a pile of debris almost hidden by some shrubs. "It's just some leftover rubble from some old building that used to be here – don't mind it," Pop replied. Flippy and Moonlight looked at each other as they recalled what Captain said earlier.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

Camp Sanguine looked like the most peaceful place they had ever seen. To the north, a shimmering lake with colourful canoes floated lazily as they were tied to a small dock; a small office is located nearby, next to three red-and-white cabins. To the west, a low and wide concrete building – the dining hall. Outside, a round dirt area surrounded with wooden benches served as a campfire site. Glancing to the east, they noticed other teenagers engaged in activities like archery, baseball and soccer.

"Nice place," Moonlight noted. "Already liking the scenery?" said Pop, "Then you'll love everyone here." Leading them to the north, he explained the first cabin is for the camp staff, the middle for male campers, and the last for females. He then excused himself and went into the office; came out seconds later holding a sheet of paper. "Alright, new campers – here are the rules," he announced.

Rule 1: 'Lights out' at 10pm; wake up at 7am

"Fine with me – I've had worse," said Flippy. Splendid shrugged indifferently while Splendont rolled his eyes.

Rule 2: Sneaking around or staying out past the 10pm curfew is prohibited

A series of frustrated groans and sighs escaped the group's mouths. "Whether you like it or not, that's how it is," Pop half-scolded.

Rule 3: Boys are not allowed into the girls' cabin, and vise versa

"But we get to mingle with each other, right?" asked Splendont. "As long as you stay out of each other's cabin, that's fine," Pop replied. He further explained that if they need anything, they're welcome to visit the Camp Office. "Now, let's go meet the counselors," he said as he led them to the counselor's cabin; knocked the door.

A tall, skinny, blue-haired man answered it. "Boys, this is Lumpy – he'll be your counselor. The one behind him at the desk is Mole – the girls' counselor." Moonlight peeked around Lumpy and saw a purple-haired man running his fingers over some raised dots printed on paper. "Yes, he's blind –" Pop whispered.

"But that doesn't mean I can't hear you," Mole continued for him as he stood up; tapping his walking stick as he made his way to the door. He then held out his hand; Flippy stepped forward and shook it. "Ah…you must be Flippy – you have the same firm handshake as your father," Mole noted, "How's Captain doing, by the way?"

"He's doing great for a pilot retiree," Flippy replied, "You know him?" Mole explained that he, Lumpy and Pop used to be high school buddies when they were younger. "And this must be your twin, Moonlight…" he continued as she shook her hand, "Such a light grasp – a signature of your mother's." Moonlight giggled, thanking him for the compliment.

"You can tell who we are by a handshake?" Splendid asked as he and his brother shook his hand. "Being blind does have benefits," Mole replied, "And what a grasp – you boys work out regularly?" Splendont admitted that they do, although not the kind of 'workout' he would imagine. "I see we're getting on quite well," laughed Pop.

THOWK!

"Sniffles, watch your aim!" Pop scolded as he pulled out an arrow stuck into the wall, inches from Lumpy's head. "Sorry!" a blue-haired boy wearing glasses apologized. "I knew we should've built a fence around the archery field…" the tan-haired camp director growled.

…but he wasn't the only one growling…

"Uh…excuse us!" Moonlight half-yelped, dragging her green-haired brother to the side of the cabin where they won't be seen. "Flippy, calm down…" she begged as she hugged him, "Take a deep breath – AH!" She was brutally shoved off as he shoved her to the ground; gasped as she recognized golden irises instead of his usual greens. "Stop!" she yelled as he stalked towards her, fists clenched tight as he grinned evilly.

SPLASH!

Flippy coughed and sputtered as water dripped down his hair onto his army outfit; shook his head as he remembered where he was. "Ah…s-s-sorry about that," a shy voice apologized. The twins turned to a red-haired girl holding a now-empty bucket. She had matching ruby orbs and wore a red-and-white T-shirt over faded jeans. "U-Uh…um…I'm sorry!" she stuttered before they could say anything, running off and scattering some dandruff flakes behind her.

"I see you've met Flaky," said Lumpy as he approached them, "She was last year's newcomer – still the same as when she first arrived." He then asked what the earlier commotion was about. "My brother has some 'issues'," Moonlight explained as Flippy helped her up, "He wasn't completely himself when he returned from military school."

"What do you mean by that?" Splendid asked as he and Splendont approached them. "I'll explain later," Flippy replied. Thinking it may not be that serious, the red-and-blue twins shrugged and followed Flippy to the boys' cabin while Moonlight dismissed herself.

The cabin was cozier than they imagined. Bunk beds stood against the walls, mostly empty and unmade. There were some lockers next to another door, which happened to be the bathroom. "Well, look what we got here…" a sea green-haired boy with a tattooed eye mask announced, "Hey Shifty, wake up!" An identical boy wearing a fedora groaned sleepily. "Lifty, not now…" he mumbled.

"Not you guys…" Splendid groaned disdainfully. Shifty recognized his voice and woke up; immediately sat up, wincing as he hit his head on the top bunk. "I'm staying on the top bunk from now on!" the fedora-wearing teen demanded. He then stood before Splendid with a mischievous smirk on his face, much to the blue-haired teen's annoyance. "You guys know each other?" Flippy asked.

"High school nemesis – no further explanation needed," Splendont replied. He then glared at Lifty as he watched him climb down from the bunk bed. "I guess I'll leave you guys to catch up," Flippy suggested as he edged around the boys, only to have his path blocked by Lifty. "Hey, check this out," the green-masked teen said as he noticed his dog tags. His then-interested brother left Splendid to study the army-clothed teen.

"So…we've got a soldier in camp," Shifty noted, "What are you gonna do? Order us around?" He was answered by being pinned to the wall with one hand, choking as his air was cut off. "Don't mess with me…" the war veteran growled darkly. Lifty shrunk away slowly as golden irises glared at him…but then relaxed when they blinked back to grass-greens. "Sorry!" Flippy apologized as he released Shifty.

The sea-green twins glanced quickly at each other and ran out of the cabin. "I don't know what you did there, but thanks…I guess," said Splendid, "He was getting on my nerves." Flippy smiled sheepishly and the three began to unpack their duffel bags; chuckled as he watched Splendid and Splendont argue about their bunk positions.

Meanwhile for Moonlight, she had just settled in when she glanced at herself in the bathroom mirror; gasped as her golden-eyed reflection stared back with evil intent. The white-haired girl shook her head and looked again, sighing in relief as she looked at her own pale blues. 'I can't tell Flippy yet…' she thought, 'But it won't be long till he finds out.'

[Sorry about the long wait – bad case of writer's block and I had a tight schedule to keep up with. I'll try to keep posting up new chapters, though.]