INSIDE THE HOSPITAL, Felicity stopped shaking and her eyes widened. Kacheek's
hair and tail stood on end, still, straight.
"What's going on out there?" he wailed.
They wasted no time. Bundling down the stairs,
they bounded to the exit doors and slipped through the doorway.
"That voice… Voltager!" breathed Felicity aghast.
"She's really offended Aqua this time."
"Or is he just a big meanie?" said Kacheek hastily
and then wished he hadn't. Felicity glanced on him eye to eye with a 'be quiet'
expression, Kacheek silenced.
A series of thuds caught their two pairs of
ears; Felicity turned her head sharply. Near one of the bushes that rustled,
she saw Voltager's tail, limp and still.
"That way!" ordered Felicity, pointing toward
the bush. She advanced, pulling little Kacheek behind her.
"Oh no...." She hid her face. Kacheek couldn't
help himself. He sneaked around her and glanced down at Voltager. Alarmed, he
looked directly up. Aqua was standing above her with a claw outstretched, ready
to swing. Then Kacheek glanced round at Felicity. Clearly, she was mumbling
something. He edged closer to her, ears twitching, and then he heard it, the
mumbling was at Aqua, a feeble mumble.
"Aqua, why do you want me this time?"
Aqua froze. Kacheek stared in horror, half expecting
another outburst. Before he could say a word, Aqua had swung the claw on his
hand high into the air, taking aim straight for Felicity. To his surprise, she
wouldn't move out of his way. His hand was still up in the air and he hesitated
to swish; Felicity still didn't budge. After a second or so of waiting, Aqua
returned his claw, embarrassed and frustrated.
"I tried to destroy her before, but why can't
I do it now?" He'd unintentionally voiced his thoughts, and once he took a glance
at the expressions on the faces, Felicity's with fear and Kacheek's overwhelmed
with anger, they've known it. They've realised who he was.
Voltager was lying on the ground motionless,
half beaten in. Aqua drew his attention from Felicity and Kacheek and turned
on Voltager, who slowly sat up.
"I don't know what you want, Aqua, but…" she
started, but Aqua wasn't having any of that.
"You know exactly what it is," he said curtly.
"I've had enough of your stupid excuses Voltager Shoyru. I'm not taking any
more of it from you!"
"How can you be sure of that?" she said quickly,
without thinking. As a result, a searing pain suddenly jolted through her left
leg. She screamed again, high pitched and hysterically agonised. Aqua withdrew
his claw that had quickly dug into her leg and jerked, sharply.
Kacheek clutched his mouth and gulped, looking
on at Voltager's leg, pained. Voltager looked at her leg and drew her face away;
she had seen a massive, scar shaped like a tornado swirl and she too, gulped.
Neither moved. Felicity was more scared than ever. Aqua decided that his work
was done, and that they'd got the message. He'd voiced this extra thought before
he took off on his wings, high above the hospital in moments, and speeding off
into the distance.
***
Back in the hospital, Gerald had rushed down
the stairs, his ears sharp with static. In a second he was out of the door and
onto the front where the Shoyrus and stunned Kacheek were.
"What was all that commotion?" he demanded fiercely.
Then he gaped as he saw Voltager's hurt leg. "Kid, get in here quickly," he
told Voltager hurriedly.
Voltager knew better than to say anything, and
so she went in without question, but with painful difficulty.
"Next to the Shoyru there," he added, pointing
to Shoyru's stretcher, which was made so that it was a little higher. Shoyru
seemed OK, but it was hard to tell when he was fast asleep.
Voltager again obeyed.
"You too, Blue and Kacheek," added Gerald.
"I'm Felicity, but never mind," said Felicity
quickly. Kacheek was weak and hardly stood up. His arm was still getting better
all the time, but shock made it feel worse.
Felicity was also in shock, but knew that she
was in a fit state to help. She picked Kacheek up lightly and carried him into
the hospital. Just as they'd got in, Gerald flipped the doors shut.
"Right," he said roughly. "Nobody else comes
in or out now!"
Kacheek was about to speak, but Felicity clamped
his mouth shut. She did not want him to evoke any more panic on himself.
"Gerald," Felicity asked calmly, "I don't think
you should lock those doors. What if Goldy and Red were to come back?"
"I can't let anybody else in," Gerald snapped,
trying not to sound irritable. "I might accidentally let in one of the Shoyru
Gang Shoyrus! If that happens, somebody will get hurt!"
"But," argued Felicity, "Goldy and Red will
be Gold and Red Shoyru! I don't think that the Shoyru Gang Shoyrus will be Gold
and Red!"
"It may not turn out the way you think," said
Gerald painfully, trying to sound reasonable. "We have to take our chances."
He looked into Felicity's solemn eyes. "I'm sorry," he quavered, "but this is
my job. There are many pets around in this hospital."
"I haven't seen anybody else around," Kacheek
blurted out, hastily.
Gerald sighed. "Look Kacheek, try to listen more!"
he said sharply. "I was going to say that they were to stay upstairs on the
upstairs floors by strict orders from Linda. We can't let anybody else roam
around here while this is going on downstairs. I'm not going to risk transporting
this Shoyru in case anything goes wrong. But anyway, just why did the two Shoyru
leave?"
Felicity gulped. Kacheek was busy helping Voltager
to a stretcher while the hurt leg hung painfully. Then Felicity answered, hesitantly.
"They went to find Goldy's girlfriend," she
stammered.
Gerald gasped. "What is this girl's name?"
There's no point in trying to get out of this,
thought Felicity. If I tell the truth, this Gelert is probably trying to help
me. His temperament doesn't always explain that though.
"Sky_Diver3001," said Felicity.
Again, Gerald gasped, and even Felicity could
see that there was a tiny tear in his eye. Something was wrong, but what? Why
would telling her name be wrong? Kacheek has barely turned from both stretchers,
but he was mostly hanging around near Shoyru's stretcher. Shoyru showed no sign
of movement or anything. Everything about him was still normal, nothing yet
had gone really wrong. Nearly a minute of silence had passed, and Felicity was
almost impatient for a response.
"They've got themselves into danger for nothing,"
said Gerald, finally.
"Sky_Diver3001 is alive and happy, living with
her owner Jackie!"
"But…" started Felicity, "how do you know that…"
"How would they know whether or not she's in
danger, then?" finished Gerald. "She might not be."
"What are you talking about Gerald?" cried Felicity.
"As was already stated, the Shoyru Gang is at the height of their powers! What
MORE needs to be said?"
"They're going to get themselves into danger
for nothing!" Gerald said curtly.
Felicity felt like her body was hurt pretty bad.
If Sky_Diver3001 was safe and sound, she'd want Goldy and Red to be too.
"You should have stopped them Felicity," said
Gerald, his voice breaking a little. "They should have made contact via post.
That was the obvious answer!"
Felicity's heart began pounding, fast. Her voice
trembled and began to stammer out of control. Her mind raced. It's true. Why
DIDN'T they make post-contact? They're going to risk themselves instead?
"We can find out what's going on," pressed Gerald,
dragging Felicity down the corridor before she could have a chance to think.
Kacheek wasn't being transported, so he rushed to aid the two hurt Shoyru.
Meanwhile, Gerald was trudging hurriedly down
the corridor.
"In here," ordered Gerald, thrusting open a door
at random, somewhere down the corridor near the lift. Once he'd got in, he realised
he'd burst in his study. He burst out again, muttering.
"Darn, no TV in there," he growled.
Felicity looked up. "I'm sorry, TV?"
"News, you stupid!" barked Gerald and then added,
as he heard a flap, flap and another flap, at the door, "OK, maybe I don't need
one." He dashed to the front entrance, still dragging Felicity along. To Felicity's
surprise, there was a newspaper on the floor, and a letter attached to it.
Gerald snatched the newspaper up and began scanning
it with his eyes. Meanwhile, Felicity took up the letter and began to read aloud.
"To my pen pal. Goldy and Redshoyru are here.
It was a harrowing journey from that hospital, but they got here quickly. I
am sorry to say that Goldy's girlfriend isn't around… We don't know where she
is. She could be anywhere. She vanished moments before Goldy arrived, and he
didn't even see her! Please read the paper I sent. Your friend could still be
alive. If you see Sky, please write back quickly! If she's been kidnapped, there's
only a small chance of surviving… Can you guys help? Speak to you again
soon. Please take care! Signed- BluAngelFyre," she finished reading. "Oh no…."
"Look!" Gerald said hurriedly. "It says that
WingedDaemon had been kidnapped too! AND there's been a report of another missing
Shoyru, a red female Shoyru!"
"The female Shoyru must be Sky!" Felicity yelped
in horror. "And Wingman's full name might be WingedDaemon? It's possible!"
"Don't get too excited," said Gerald grumpily.
"But anyway it says- 'It is possible that the missing Shoyru WingedDaemon (Wingman)
and a female Sky_Diver3001 have been taken by the Shoyru Gang, currently unidentified.
None of the Shoyru Gang have been seen, although there was one recent suspect.
This Shoyru has been reported to Old Japanah Town's police and news spread across
Neopian towns and cities. It was seen as an unusual blue Shoyru that had been
seen flying around earlier tonight. The suspect had been lost later on and nobody
has yet managed to track its course.'" He turned the page and continued. "'The
two missing Neopets were last seen in two different places. The fears of abduction
and crime have made a dramatic increase--three Neopets have now been taken,
one other has been found destroyed, identified as Inferno, brother of two unusual
Shoyru.' Well, at least there is still hope," finished Gerald. As Shoyru still
remained quiet and still, Voltager stood up slowly. The cut on her leg was getting
better, but the scar remained and she was pained.
"So Wingman is…still alive?" she said painfully.
"There is a possibility," said Felicity uncertainly,
"but they're looking for Sky, Goldy's girlfriend."
"What," said Voltager, strained with fear, "is
going to happen to them all? And Shoyru?"
"We don't know," Gerald sighed with less of
a grunt, and more of a sob.
"I hope my family haven't gone far... I didn't
see Linda, Gina or Geraldine after they came down here. I think they've gone
off…but where?"
The End
Stay tuned for Battle of the Shoyru Gang 4! | 
