Shark Wars by Ernie Altbacker

winning team were charged with getting the fish. It was called wahoo work. Gray had heard this term from sharkkind in Goblin Shiver but never knew what it meant until now. Wahoo work was any menial, embarrassing job. Ha!
    The wahoo divided up the meal and took positions of honor above the sharks. They then proceeded to critique the two teams’ performances in the Tuna Roll from best to worst. This they called rolling abuse. Not all of it was abuse.
    â€œStill the baddest fin in Atlantis! Wa-hoo!” was how Wisko led off Goblin’s rave review to the fin-slapping applause of the rest of the wahoo. Ripper, Velenka, and Streak were also praised. Thrash got angry at his so-so grading and needed calming by Goblin, who reminded him it was just a game. Churn received some razzing but took it in stride. The whitetip still scored more points than any of the Rogue team members besides Gray.
    Wisko gave Gray a tail slap to the flank to begin his heckling. “Wide load here had the best showing by a rookie I’ve ever seen in my life! Wa-hoo!”
    Gray wasn’t sure he liked the “wide load” comment but knew it was said in a spirit of friendship, though Barkley was laughing a little more than necessary.
    Another wahoo commented, “You’ve got yourself a keeper there, Goblin!”
    Striiker and Mari were made fun of, but their performances were pretty good. Shell ate a wahoo during the roll, so even though he got an earful, he didn’t mind.
    â€œThis sawfish bit me and still couldn’t slow me down!” said another wahoo. “Laaaame!” He proudly showed a small divot taken out of his tail. Snork chuckled, a little embarrassed.
    Gray was sure there were more comments to come about Snork, but Barkley interrupted. “Why don’t you quit picking on him and shut up?” said the dogfish. Bad move. Everyone’s attention turned completely to him.
    â€œLook who suddenly got his big fins!” said Wisko. “Dog breath, the world’s worst Tuna Roller!”
    The rest of the wahoo joined in. “Bark for us, dog breath! That’s what doggies do! Bark! Bark!” Soon the entire pack of fish were barking —they were making some kind of noise anyhow; Gray wasn’t sure if it was actually how a landshark dog sounded or not.
    â€œYou’re not even a real shark, doggie fish!” yelled another. And those were some of the nicer comments. It got worse when Thrash joined in.
    â€œMaybe we should make him wear one of those, what is it—a collar —around his neck like those landshark things!” added the tiger very unhelpfully. “Wisko and the others can trade off on taking him for a swim!”
    Goblin and his Line laughed right along with the wahoo. The rest of Rogue struggled not to laugh, except for Mari. She was genuinely upset at the treatment Barkley was receiving and glared at anyone from Rogue who was laughing.
    Gray felt ashamed for his friend, but a chuckle escaped his teeth before he could stop it. It was an accident, but Barkley saw. The look in his eyes told Gray that he had totally betrayed him with that snicker. “You’re a krill-faced whale!” the dogfish yelled, close to tears.
    â€œHey, you didn’t mind laughing it up when they called me ‘wide load’!” Gray was getting annoyed now. Barkley was always running his mouth about things he could do well at, like school, and making fun of others who weren’t good at it. “You can fin it out but you sure can’t take it, huh?”
    Barkley rushed him. For a moment Gray thought he might take a chunk out of his side, but the dogfish whooshed out of Slaggernack’s to the derisive hoots of Goblin Shiver. Led by Wisko, the wahoo sang a mocking song about dogfish. Gray later learned that they had a song about everything .
    â€œYou all suck algae!” Barkley yelled on his way out as the wahoo began barking a chorus in their song. Wow.