"Just a few more minutes!" Shoyru called to Wingman, as they were getting ready
to leave. Their vacation was a splash, and Shoyru had recovered from the injuries
in the previous fight. Their week had been a fun one, with plenty of friends
to meet up with and play, with lots of swimming, entertainment, rides and many
more. But they couldn't afford to stay any longer, for they had to find a new
home. The last NeoHome was destroyed by a huge tornado, which swept into the
forest with devastating results. Their destination was hoped to be a better
one.
Wingman and Kacheek were waiting for Shoyru.
"Come on now, we've got to leave!" Kacheek hollered. With that Shoyru leapt
to his feet again and rushed to the exit gates.
"The train from here goes back to Neopia, in the southern forest," Wingman
explained. "It's near all those shops and the auctions." Kacheek followed a
map with his paw, and came to a bunch of shops with forest next to it.
"Is that necessary?" Shoyru laughed, flapping his wings, "We could get there
by flight, just like we did when we left."
"In the FAR south of here!" Wingman snapped, irritably. "Not from our old home,
you mutt."
Shoyru nodded.
"OK," he said. "Let's take the train."
"And let's not ponder too much now!" Kacheek squeaked. "We're going to be late!"
With no more conversation, they headed for the train station. They were running
along the busy streets, dodging people and any waste bins in the way. An occasional
trip over prams and peoples feet became more of a problem. Wingman took to the
air about one metre and started flying, to speed up to the station. Shoyru did
likewise, with Kacheek on his back. Doing the same manoeuvre as before, dodging
peoples heads to avoid collisions. Suddenly, the pets noticed something among
the crowd. A boy's arm, with a stone in it, had swung in their direction. As
the stone left the arm, there was a faint, whooshing sound, as it collided with
Shoyru, sending him and Kacheek flying into Wingman. After a squealing cry and
a large thud, another stone collided. Then they heard only faintly a smack and
reprimanding from the boy's mother.
"Simon!" the voice bellowed. "How dare you hurt those creatures! Get back into
the car! No sweets or ice-cream for you!"
The boy flounced off in a sulk. Whereupon the mother smacked him again, opened
their car in the car park nearby, and shut him in. She rushed back to the pets,
now weak as can be; to try and help them, but on the way tripped over one of
the stones that Simon had thrown, and pounded on the floor.
Wingman, quivering with anger and fear, stood up weakly, injured by the stones.
"Is, IS EVERYBODY OK?" he yelped. Shoyru and Kacheek stood up, shaky with worry
and injury.
"I...I think so," Shoyru stammered, trying to catch his breath. Kacheek shook
himself and tried to stand straight, but he suddenly tumbled and tripped on
his tail.
"Kacheek!" howled Shoyru, leaping to his rescue. "Take it easy, bud." Despite
the hurt arm and leg, Shoyru propped the Kacheek on his back.
"OK, let's continue," said Wingman, looking very unsure, having nearly forgotten
what they were after." They limped along the pavement, and there were many people
backing off and staring and saying, "Oh, are you all right?" The friends paid
no attention. They just limped helplessly along the path. Then Shoyru fell to
the ground with a thud.
"Shoyru, please try and get up," croaked Wingman feebly, falling to his knees.
Showing no mercy this time, Shoyru rose to his feet and trudged along the path.
Then, a large, white, brick building with a Roman Numerals clock came into sight.
"It... it looks like we're here," Shoyru gasped, breathless. He collapsed,
and Kacheek slipped off.
"Eeek!"
"QUIET!" Wingman yelped in sudden surprise. "Look there!"
The two friends, still lying motionless on the ground, spotted a train rumble
into sight alongside the opposite platform. Between the two platforms, the train
screeched into a standstill.
"Rats!" Wingman yelled, and cursing under his breath. "It means climbing all
the way over the bridge above us, but we're not nearly strong enough for that
now!" Despite this, they were already struggling over the bridge, then stopped
to make a run for it.
"Suppose I could fly over, without taking the bridge?" Shoyru offered, between
gasps. "I may be hurt but my wing's in decent shape. It'll be quicker."
Wingman gasped at him in horror.
"We'll get ZAPPED by those live-wires!" he snapped. "We'll just have to make
the best of it. I'd rather die of tiredness, or being trampled under somebody's
foot, than come to that!" Using the bare minimum of their strength that was
left, they charged over the bridge, and down the steps on the other side.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the platform that awaited them, a group of Shoyrus,
laughing and pushing each other around in a rough sort of manner, were grouped
together and ready to board the train.
A smaller group within wasn't ready; they were sniggering and laughing uncontrollably
now, whilst the other subgroup was tapping their feet and waiting for them.
"Stop it!" bawled the leader. He was furious, nevertheless determined to get
them moving. They hardly noticed the trio of injured pets tumbling the stairs,
until a few seconds later when they tumbled at lightning speed towards the leader.
With one tremendous POW, he thundered into a station wall. The three friends,
however, were crumpled into a ball and unable to move and hardly breathe.
Suddenly the spell broke, and as the train slowly left the platform, all the
Shoyru began chattering at once, some saying how rude they were to interrupt,
and others saying that they should be dumped in the track, for what they've
just gone and done. Only one took pity on the trio.
However, the leader was very angry indeed.
"HOW DARE YOU SPOIL EVERYTHING, YOU MORONS!" he boomed. "NOW WE'VE MISSED THE
TRAIN, THANKS TO YOU!"
The one kind Shoyru blurted out to defend them.
"It wasn't their fault they bumped into you!" she hollered. "Just look at the
state of them!" Whereupon the leader angrily spat at the creatures crumpled
in a ball and scowled back.
"Oh, PIPE DOWN BLUBBERING, FELICITY!"
The little blue Shoyru, shedding tears of anger and determination, rushed to
the gang's aid. She bandaged a few grazes and bumps, and turned to face the
angered team of Shoyru.
"Oh, what has got into you Felicity, you stupid girl?" shouted an angry voice
in the group. Felicity faced him eye to eye, glaring, and shouted back, even
louder.
"ME?" she squealed, pointing at the injured group, who were slowly recovering.
"What's got into YOU! I'm telling you, if you want to be thoughtless brats,
I'll let you! But DON'T DRAG ME IN!"
The leader, even redder than before, whipped his tail around and caught Felicity,
sending her flying across the platform. Finally, Wingman awoke from faint. He
slowly uncurled himself and stood, weakly.
"Uhhhh, what?" he gaped, almost speechless. Shoyru and Kacheek were still down
on the floor, tired but recovering. The other gang were still chattering.
"Now we have to wait twenty minutes for that next train, right, Master?"
"Indeed," the master replied. "Stupid rats, bursting in on me like that."
Felicity was running back down the platform with a hurt head. She skidded up
to Wingman, and picked him up on her back, and slid Shoyru and Kacheek on with
him.
"FELICITY!" the master screamed. "COME BACK AT ONCE!"
"Never!"
To be continued... | 
