Instantly overwhelmed Amiel began to panic.
"We're never going to win, Hippos and Buffaloes, you're not even as big as their heads."
In the background a loud countdown had begun.
Five.
"You take on the buffalo. Get onto its back and hold on for dear life."
Four.
"How does a drakeling get on a buffalo's back?"
Three.
"Wow, that sounds like the start of a really bad joke."
Two.
"I'm not joking," Amiel was almost crazy with fear, " how do I?"
One.
"Simple. Follow my instructions, on off, on, off. When I say attack you give it your everything."
"Go."
It was an absolute cacophony of sounds.
Despite the crowd Amiel heard him say, "Stick to the buffaloes left. He broke his leg as a calf and turns slower."
The trouble with fighting a hippo is that its hide is almost impossible to break through and its bite is way worse than a crocodiles. Stamina on the other hand is lacking.
Ches raced up towards its gaping jaw and slashed it with a needle. Spinning, he turned to flee. The enormous hippo was about to take off when the little chameleon spun again and slashed its nose again. With a bellow the hippo sprang after him.
"Dodge left."
Amiel dodged right and it confused the buffalo for a moment. Ches started racing towards the young drake.
"Toward the hippo, run."
Following his instruction she turned and together they raced at the buffalo. The hippo was right on their tails.
"Jump with all you've got."
The hippo leapt after her, seeing Amiel as the easy target. Unfortunately for him she threw herself on the ground.
The pair's opponents crashed together. A cracking sound came for the injured buffalo.
"Now jump on its back and do not let go."
As she scrambled on the huge beast's back the animal went psycho. It was like a rodeo with the benefit of the rider being able to dig four sets of claws into her mount's back.
The hippo, meanwhile, got up shaking its head. All Ches did was execute another three deep slashes on its nose, right near the sensitive part of its nostrils.
For the next two minutes Ches scampered around slashing at the hippo's snout while avoiding the tusks. Amiel was bouncing up and down tearing deep strips along the bovine's spine.
It actually was funny. Two lizards taking on their oversized opponents. Ches started to sing.
"You light up my life. You give me strength to carry on."
The crowd started to giggle. It was a falsetto voice.
"You are so beautiful to me."
Enraged the hippo doubled its efforts as Ches yelled "Use its ears to steer toward me."
Then he launched himself at the hippo's face. His bottom claws grabbed the grey eyes his top claws twisted its ears.
Using the surprisingly little ears to steer he sent his new mount at Amiel.
Once again the two clashed together.
The pair continued to fight for the next three minutes clashing violently into each other.
Eventually, Ches decided that he'd had enough fun. He pulled the needle out from his belt again. Whispering in the hippopotamus's ear he said in a menacing voice, "Announce your defeat or this skewer announces that your poor eyesight has become no eyesight. They say there's a world of difference between the two."
In rage and panic the beast dived into a forward roll trying to crush the little lizard.
At that point the crowd burst into peals of laughter again. It should be said that hippos do not forward roll well.
Finally, fearful and completely embarrassed the hippo and then the buffalo acknowledged their defeat.
Amiel got off the buffalo's back green as a cucumber. In a very unprincesslike manner she went over to the corner and chucked her guts up.
The crowd, who had enjoyed the spectacle to now started to boo. Blood thirst is something that builds in a society as this lot wanted death.
Ches just waved his little claw at them.
"Maybe you'll get to see some monkey brains. Though knowing the competition here it's unlikely."