Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Prologue: The Beast and The Human

“Hey, boobchuy!”

Anne didn’t look up from where she was concentrating on unsticking her hand from the vending machine slot. Her earlier attempts met with a lot of trial and error, but she was confident this time she could –

There was an elbow resting on top of her head, and Anne blinked before wriggling away. Well, as much as she could now that she recognized the newcomers.

“Oh, hey Maggie.” Her smile grew a bit awkward at the other person. “And, Jamie, hi!”

As usual, she was met by indifference, but Maggie turned the attention back on her. “Word on the street is, you’re packing up with Waybright again.”

Packing up? Oh! Anne nearly forgot about today’s test. Granted she honestly wasn’t looking forward to Wolfeborne class every Friday but at least Marcy and Sasha were there. Before she could reply, however, Maggie interrupted once more. This time Anne had an uneasy feeling.

Especially when Maggie leaned her weight a bit over, with her elbow now adding an extra heaviness on Anne’s head. “Anyway, you’re cool, right Boobchoy?”

“It’s actually Boonchuy-

“Right, right,” at this point Maggie was now using Anne’s head as an elbow rest. The Thai American girl grunted but couldn’t get up from her position. Her snack unfairly being stuck and now this? This was not turning out to be a good morning. “Let’s just cut to the chase. Get Dessi or Rico to join in with you and Maurice today.”

“Her name’s Marcy – Anne then blinked, frowning. “Wait, you’re asking if Sasha could pack up with you and Jamie?” If that’s the case, why didn’t they just ask Sasha herself? Why go to her?

At least the weight atop her head eased up. Maggie clapped her hands, grinning. “Now you’re getting it! So, go and tell her now.” The young girl pulled at Anne’s hand, effectively freeing the previously stuck limb from the vending machine’s clutches.

“Wait, hold on,” Anne raised her hands up, forming a ‘T’. “Why do I have to do it? Can’t you go and ask her yourself?” Granted she heard about the other times their classmates wanted Sasha to join them, but the blonde always ended up with Anne and Marcy. Anne just figured her best friend didn’t want to join them.

Maggie blew a raspberry at the brunette, making Anne wince. “Duh! You don’t think I’ve tried? Waybright’s a lot of things but a listener ain’t one of them. Well, aside from when it comes to you and Mira.”

Anne didn’t get a chance to correct her again. A yelp escaped her mouth when she was suddenly tugged by the shoulders and unceremoniously slammed against the vending machine. “Hey!”

“Look, boobchuy. I don’t want to be that kind of kid, but my dads are already griping about me failing Wolfeborne 101, and Jamie’s moms are about to ground her too.”

“Isn’t it because you two never show up –

Another interruption, this time in the form of a fist slamming against the right side of Anne’s head. “Cutting classes is the better option when it comes to this. The whole class knows we don’t stand a chance to get on Waybright’s level, but some of us do want a fighting chance of not flunking it completely.”

The fists on her shirt eased up but Anne was still uneasy at the casual smile on her classmate’s face. “Sasha’s the one who wanted to pack up, you know.” And it was true. Sure, they were friends but if one of her best friends did want to group with another set of people, Anne didn’t mind.

“Seriously?” The tone of voice made the rocks inside Anne’s stomach heavier. She was used to Maggie’s teasing, but the blatant confusion and disbelief were unsettling. Especially at the girl’s next words. “She purposely wanted to pack up with a Normie spawn and a Hunter child?”

Now Anne was annoyed. She pushed at the hands gripping her, huffing. “Don’t call us that!”

“It kind of makes sense, Maggie,” Jamie finally spoke up, adjusting her shades with a frown as Anne was ignored. “Two wolf halves could still form one to balance out Waybright’s twos.”

Red reached the Thai American’s face. She tried channeling her inner Sasha, wanting to get out of here. “This discussion is over.” Her attempts to leave failed.

Maggie was snarling as she all but shifted there and then. Never mind if it was against school rules to do so outside of Wolfeborne class. Anne gulped as she was face to face with a red wolf. The voice of Maggie still pierced her head and Anne winced at the anger radiating out of the girl’s tone. I’m not letting some stupid half-mutt ride on Waybright’s easy-grade coattails!

And after those words were spat, she pounced.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHH”

The cry of the frog boy reached Anne’s ears, and the girl huffed before she paused in her running to look back. Her conscience was screaming at her to help while her survival instincts were all but metaphorically hitting her alarm bells, urging her to flee.

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Marcy listed down the facts. One, she was really in a strange new world and not in a dream. Two, she didn’t know these frogs and they initially also trapped her until she managed to get free (though she had to admit, the frog boy helped). But fact three, itself, was this.

Oum and Bee Boonchuy, while normies and born without the Wolf gift, didn’t raise a heartless monster.

With a growl, Anne shifted into her wolf form and then pounced on the red mantis. The creature itself screeched at the new predator that entered the fray, raising its sharp claws to defend itself from the bite. Its frog target, now abandoned, hopped away to safety.

Anne tasted an odd syrupy mixture from when her teeth made contact with the front leg, but she didn’t release her grip on the mantis.

“Hang on!” cried the pink frog before he looked around. He then found the remains of the rope.

What does it look like I’m doing?! Anne communicated. The frog boy nearly dropped the item in his shock, more so in wonderment than fear, before he shook his head and refocused on the task at hand.

With a leap, he wrapped it around the mantis, which flailed and screeched as it tried to get the predator away from its limb before he returned to the ground and started pulling.

The rope wouldn’t give, even with the help from the others. Anne had to fight the urge to spit out the awful taste. Then the mantis reached out, about to strike the older-looking orange frog and the tadpole atop his head. She heard Sprig call out their names in panic and Anne felt something burn bright within her chest.

She raised her paw and then brought it down with her claws digging deeper into the limb. And then she pulled.

A loud pained shriek echoed into the forest, a sound that revibrated a melody of despair and nearly cracked the glasses of some of the frogs assisting in taking the tall predator down.

When Anne landed, it was with a dull thud and the impact left the brown wolf winded. In her surprise, she dropped the limb she took before shaking her head to recover. She saw the end of an unoccupied rope and when the creature remained disoriented, she scooped it into her maw and tugged.

The other frogs followed at the shout of the pink frog. With great and combined efforts of everyone, they heaved with a bellowing ‘Pull!’ and then the mantis finally fell, unable to get back up again when its head hit the ground with a large crack.

“We did it!” shouted the purple polliwog. At the youngling’s cry, the townsfolk also cheered.

Anne panted but couldn’t help smiling at the joy and boisterous laughter surrounding her. The shift occurred once more, and Anne returned to her human form.

And returned the attention to her.

“Now that’s one predator out of the way, what will we do with this one?” The toad that spoke tapped his cane in idle thought. “Best we run it out of town, wouldn’t you all agree?”

“It’s odd!”

“It’s weird!”

“It’s dangerous!”

With every exclamation, it brought a sting of pain to Anne’s heart. She wasn’t expecting another betrayal, and with the last shift leaving her depleted of energy, Anne wouldn’t be able to change into her wolf form to defend herself.

But she didn’t have to. The frog boy, (Sprig, was it?), hopped in front of her. He got in between the mob and Anne.

“I just finished taming it!” Say what? Anne looked on while Sprig spouted on about how he managed to tame the beast or at least realized that she wasn’t going to harm anybody. And he was planning on taking her home to get healed and possibly help them out on the farm.

The townsfolk themselves seemed more at ease at the news and before Anne knew it, the mob left with their pitchforks and the downed mantis.

“Sprig! What have we talked about bringing wild animals home?” the orange frog groaned. “Never mind if it just helped us defeat a red mantis, looked intelligent with its gaze, could change its shape – He paused, finally looking at Anne. “…you’re not just a beast, are ya girl?”

Anne blinked. “No.” She scratched her head, before grimacing at the leaves stuck in her hair.

Sprig bounced towards his grandfather with a large grin. “Surprise! She’s good, Hop Pop. She’s like us! Well, not like us, us, but –

“Can you kill with those things?!” the polliwog interrupted her brother, pointing at Anne’s hands. “Your answer will affect my affections!”

The girl could only blink at the excitement brimming behind those eyes where she expected fear. “Uh, not really into that…but for self-defense, sure.” She shrugged and felt a small smile tug at her lips at the gasping awe of the young one.

“So, all that stuff you said to the mob,” Hop Pop returned the conversation to its original topic, “was a cover?”

Sprig lightly chuckled, unable to detect Hop Pop’s tone but he didn’t seem to be in trouble. That much, anyway. “I figured if the town could tolerate Mrs. Croaker’s Archie, then they wouldn’t mind another harmless creature living in Wartwood. So long as you don’t, you know, eat anybody.” He addressed Anne in the last part.

“Dude, dehumanization aside, I’m cool with it so long as I can – She nearly toppled over when she tried standing, but a pair of slimy hands kept her steady. The sensation was different, and she tried not to panic before centering herself. A lazy student she may be, Anne still managed to remember some lessons at school.

“You alright?” Sprig was looking up at her with visible concern, helping Anne control her fight or flight instincts. The gesture was appreciated.

Anne slowly sat back down. “Just…overwhelmed.” Understatement of the century but as Anne closed and opened her eyes, she figured there was nothing else to do but move forward when the talking frogs didn’t disappear. “I don’t suppose you know a place I can crash? Or maybe someplace I can get a decent meal?”

Her stomach grumbled in tandem, and she huffed. She tried not to wince at the slight fear that crossed the family’s features, so she mustered up a friendly smile at them.

“I won’t hurt any of you, I promise,” Anne had to get them to understand that at least. She didn’t…she didn’t like hurting people. Period. “I’ll get out of your hair as soon as I can catch my breath too.”

Sprig frowned, looking at his family. At Hop Pop’s nod, he turned back to the stranger from another world. “It’s gonna be a bit of a change, but I was serious about offering you a place in our home.”

Anne stared. “Just like that?”

Hop Pop stepped forward. “Well, we’re also in need of help around the farm this harvest season and if you can maybe pull your weight in, we won’t get no trouble.”

Polly grinned. “You’re on thin ice first, missy! Prove your loyalty and you won’t meet Doris!”

After that heartwarming – and slightly terrifying – exchange, Anne grinned. “T-Thanks, you guys. Just, let me get my stuff first.” She stood on wobbly legs, but they felt steadier now than before.

Sprig was at her side regardless, offering his help like it was a natural thing with an excited smile of his own. “Can’t wait to get to know you, Anne.”

The sincerity and friendliness were too genuine for it to be fake, and it brought a chuckle out of the girl. “You too, Sprig.”

She then blinked, just remembering she had buried her backpack underground. Anne raised her right hand to her face, hoping she can shift at least one more time, but nothing came.

Anne huffed before sheepishly turning to the family. “Do you have a shovel I can borrow by any chance?”

The attack never came.

Anne blinked her eyes open and felt relief fill her chest at the sight of another wolf. The blonde fur and slightly larger frame were one of the signs she needed to know that everything was going to be alright.

The second was Marcy’s hand rubbing circles on her back.

“Marcy!” Anne hugged her friend, sinking into the embrace and possibly to the floor as Marcy’s weak nerd arms couldn’t keep them both upright. At least the ground was preferable to what Maggie planned to do. “How did you- where did you –

“Perks of being always overlooked,” Marcy jutted a thumb behind her, “I can sneak out of the chess club room to call for help without being spotted. Kinda felt like I rolled a natural twenty on stealth, too!”

Anne chuckled. “I have no idea what those words mean but I. am. glad.” And boy was that the truth. She hated confrontation. With a fight? Yikes.

But speaking of fights…

The duo looked on when the blonde wolf puffed up, fur rising and making herself bigger as she snarled and growled.

Maggie’s ears were already pinned far back, tail between her legs, with Jamie already fleeing behind her.  H-hey, Waybright.

Golden brown orbs narrowed into slits. Run. Now. Before the second word was even uttered, Maggie hightailed out of there.

Marcy and Anne cheered, with Sasha huffing before approaching the two. The Thai American girl reached forward, hugging one of her best friends. Marcy followed and then began speaking a mile a minute about how the exchange reminded her of a scene in War of the Warlocks: The Prequel.

Sasha merely nodded before finding Anne’s gaze. You owe me a new pair of pompoms. Broke them when Mars came panicking. Anne pressed her forehead against Sasha’s, letting that be her answer. The wolf chuffed but shook her head. You gotta stop doing this to me, Boonchuy. As much as I love playing knight in shining armor for you two, this was a close call. Even for me.

“But you arrived just on time, right?” Anne teased, now that the adrenaline and fear were slowly fading. She honestly had nothing to worry about when her friends were there with her.

Marcy enveloped the wolf and human bodies with a giant grin. “That was still cool though! Have you seen Sashy running down the hallway? Gotta be a new record!”

Sasha snorted. “Would have made better time when you weren’t on my back, Mars.” It took a while, but Sasha finally shifted into her human form. Once done, she crossed her arms, yet a grin was plastered on her face. Anne knew it was fueled by the compliment Marcy purposely used.

“Sorry!” Marcy was grinning as well, “But can you blame me? You know I always wanted to try it! Kinda felt like Prince Nomomoke too!”

“Ugh, I hate that I know that reference.”

“Your smile said otherwise, Sash,” Anne usually didn’t tease her friend, but adrenaline still lingered, and thus fueled a bit more than her usual confidence. Maybe also to block out Maggie’s words.

The blonde huffed, looking away before she began walking to their class. “Whatever, Boonchuy. Now come on, nerds. Thanks to Anne, we can’t take our usual scenic route or we’ll be late, and we can’t have that when we got a test to ace.”

“And by we, you mean you, right?”

“Obvi,” and this was followed by another round of laughter.

Honestly, looking at Marcy who was on another rant about her latest easy win at the chess club, and Sasha’s story about a new routine for her cheerleading team, Anne never felt safer. She just knew, that when they were by her side, everything would just be okay.

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: The Beast and The Frog Family

Sprig remembered Charlie Bigbottom, the family tarantula. He was a tiny fella, adorable and deadly. He also left quite a mess in his wake, judging by the numerous rants his Hop Pop would go on between lectures on responsibility and proper pet caretaking.

But that was the old Sprig! Following Anne’s arrival, the young planter had finally experienced his first taste of genuine responsibility.

And it was addicting!

Sprig grinned, waking up when the first rays of dawn reached his window. He dressed and brushed his tongue, said good morning to every one of his figurines, and picked out his slingshot for the day and his journal, before sliding down the stairs towards the basement.

“Now hold up boy,” Hop Pop’s voice stopped him mid-reach on the handle. “You know Anne’s been knocked out cold for three days now.”

Sprig sighed, the energy he brought with him slightly deflating at the reminder. He nearly forgot, drat. One would think he learned by now from yesterday and the day before.

After settling in and sharing some of his old stuff toys with the new addition to their household, Sprig thought he could get to know his new friend the morning after. He was greatly surprised to find her asleep. If it weren’t for the breathing and murmuring, Sprig would have thought she died.

Someday he was going to accept it would be another dull day. Sprig prepared to turn around before stopping mid-rotation. A brilliant idea was beginning to form. A beautiful and amazing super brilliant –

“I’m just gonna check on her,” and totally not going to try and wake her up. Nope. That would be an irresponsible thing to do. And Sprig Plantar was already a changed man!

Hop Pop eyed him. “Don’t give me the scheming eyes, boy, and don’t die.” And with those parting words that sounded like a good enough blessing for Sprig, the young Plantar hopped down the basement.

The first thing he noticed was the new smell. Granted, it wasn’t that pungent compared to the lots of smelly things Amphibia had to offer but this new scent was…different.

“Kinda like that time I spilled Bog grog on Mrs. Croaker’s carpet made from a Wooly Mantis,” he mused aloud. He didn’t enjoy the lecture that happened, but it was when he first met Ivy at least, who helped him hide atop a tree.

He glanced down, fighting a smile at the thought of the Sundew girl. Though in his distraction he missed a step and came tumbling down with a squeak. The fall stopped when his back met something soft and furry. Opening his eyes, he gazed down in wonder at the feeling.

In her hummus form – humew? manhu? – Anne appeared to have the same kind of body parts, at least to the frogs. Sure, there were the blatantly obvious, like forward-facing eyes, claws ending where her webbed forefeet should be, and face bump. But Sprig knew hair when he felt it. And it was soft. So, so soft.

No, Sprig! Be responsible. You might wake her up. He bit his lip, crossing his arms to avoid reaching out to touch it again. Sprig pulled away, hopping off Anne and putting some distance between them. Just…observe. You can do that. He sighed, taking a breath before bringing out his journal. Might as well draw what he could before the time for chores.

He tapped idly in thought, mind finding the right shapes to begin. Sprig once saw a pack of wild Hybeenas travelling towards Wartwood Swamp. A small pack they were though, he could still remember the pup trailing behind two older Hybeenas. Their mane was brown – (With a hint of gold? Sprig rubbed his head) and glowing red eyes.

What color were her eyes again? Sprig pursed his lips, closing his own pair to summon the memory. Blue, right? Only Anne’s left eye glowed blue though.

His musings were then interrupted by a whine. Sprig nearly dropped his charcoal in shock. The sound came from the mattress stationed in the far side of the room. He furrowed his brows. “Anne?”

Another whimper pierced through the quiet and Sprig’s heart. He didn’t enjoy that sound. The frog boy crept closer, hands fidgeting with the hem of his vest. Anne tossed and turned in her sleep, rumpling the blanket he distinctively saw Polly dragging around, occasionally letting out sounds like broken wails.

Was Anne…crying? Sprig abandoned his stuff, taking care to walk as quietly toward Anne despite his own primal instincts screaming at him at this bad idea. Sure, Anne is still a predator and – boy, those are some sharp teeth – but deep inside I can tell that Anne has a good heart. I just need to get to know her better to confirm it.

“N-no,” whispered Anne, “s-stop, please. I’m sorry.”

Sprig frowned. “Anne. It’s okay.” He pressed a hand towards her head, shockingly before his mind processed what he was doing. His eyes closed as Sprig braced himself for pain, either from losing a limb or maybe an attack, but…nothing.

He opened one eye, and then the other followed. He was in awe when Anne leaned into his touch. Her eyes were still closed but her breaths eased up a bit. Even the whimpering abated.

Sprig’s eyes softened. “I got you, Anne. I’m on watch now, so your nightmares better watch out.” And that was a promise, one that unknowingly brought a smile to Anne’s lips.

Polly heard her grandfather sigh. For the fiftieth time. She resisted the urge to cause any undue chaos today too. Mostly because, well, there was a beast living with them now! Polly knew she was an anarchist but even she understood where to draw the line when her actions might leave her family more vulnerable with a predator around.

The day after the beast’s arrival, with Anne down in the basement – (The Basement, Polly shivered) – Polly saw Hop Pop taking out all the Plantar family beast taming tools and books. Sprig was given a task to buy a bestiary from Soggy Joe to get more information about Anne’s kind, but Polly was suspicious. She knew Soggy Joe was a hard-to-find fellow. When Polly herself was bribed with candy to go stay inside her room, her suspicions were doubled but alas, she was still a weak polliwog. The sweets were temptation incarnate!

Therefore, on the third day, Polly was three times as suspicious (and concerned but she will take that to her grave) to find her Hop Pop standing frozen in the kitchen. She could about guess what he was thinking with the way he was staring vacantly into space.

What if she has rabies? Or a carrier of a disease? What if this disease spreads and infected everyone in Amphibia? Like a new plague that will change our very way of living!? Rolling her eyes, Polly glanced at her grandfather and the bowl clutched tightly around his shaking hands. She had gone absolutely one day without snarking. That was one day too many! “Break that and we’ll be out of bowls at this rate.”

“I’m old! I can’t handle the unknown!” he shouted and seemingly not even noticing Polly’s existence as he placed the bowl down and ran towards his study. The doors closed with a loud slam.

Polly frowned. “Alright. So, it’s going to be that kind of day, then.” She eyed the bowl left on the counter, and then to the door of the basement as it opened with a soft creak. Her brother came up, frowning, before noticing Polly.

“Oh, is breakfast ready?”

“Hop Pop went on another old man breakdown.”

“Ah, alrighty then. Say, you wanna get something from Stumpy’s? I love Hop Pop, but I want to surprise Anne with something that can, you know, make her feel more at home.”

Polly eyed her brother, raising a brow. “The basement’s dank, dark, and isolated. You need more than food for that tall order.” She followed him up the stairs and to his room where he was now rummaging around for his savings. “And also, it’s really weird how responsible you’re acting now.” Too weird. There were some things that could never escape Polly’s observations. And with the way her brother (and consequently Hop Pop) was acting she could just spot, from a mile away, a steaming pile of du–

“What can I say,” his voice was muffled when he dug into his closet.

“What?”

“I said, it’s all part of being a grown-up now.” Sprig emerged wearing a scarf. A ratty old blue thing that even halted Polly’s next round of sarcasm.

She frowned when her brother fidgeted with the clothing. Polly hopped on his bed while he wrapped the scarf around his neck. “…you look like him.”

Pink hands paused mid-tying before Sprig smiled sadly at his sister. Polly knew he couldn’t keep this façade up for long. He sat down next to her, the bed squeaking before enveloping Polly into a hug. “And you look like her,” he toyed with the bow atop her head. “…I miss them too, but maybe they’re still watching over us.” His breath came out shaky when he finally admitted aloud what was bothering him these past days. No matter how hard he tried to bury it. Polly was glad about that. “I nearly lost you both to that mantis. Luckily Anne stepped in.”

Polly gaped. “What? I didn’t notice. I was too busy cheering on the old man when he was pulling.” Her expression twisted in distraught. Dang it. She was supposed to be an emotionless badass! Now she had to be honest and provide comfort?

“The mantis was about to target you two. I yelled but I guess with all the commotion you couldn’t hear me. Anne did though and the next thing I knew, one of her eyes glowed blue and she was beating the mantis!” He ended the tale by taking his sister into his arms, throwing her in the air, and catching her when she fell back down.

She giggled though she knew what he was trying to do. The things I do for my family. She poked at his face. “Stop storytelling with fake cheer, Sprig.” The polliwog poked him again. “I get it. I know.” After what they’ve been through, they knew the weight of those words.

And such two simple phrases immediately caused the floodgates to open. Sprig bawled while releasing faint hiccups and using the scarf to wipe at his eyes.

Polly murmured beside him, patting his head and repeating what their mom always told them whenever they had nightmares. She may have blurry memories about that day and about…them but she surprisingly remembered these words vividly. “I got you Sprig. I’m on watch now. And these nightmares better watch out.” She took out their mother’s Doris for emphasis, grinning widely.

A chuckle escaped the siblings there and then until the room was filled with mixed laughter and sobbing.

Hop Pop placed his hand down from where it was about the reach the doorknob to Sprig’s room. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but the words he heard rattled him regardless.

The elderly plantar glanced down at the book in his grasp, before shaking his head. He went down the stairs, feet light and silent, while he surveyed the living room. Pictures of family and all manner of knick-knacks filled every shelf, nook, and cranny. Mementos of the past and present, testing time’s grasps and mercy on whether they would also last into the future.

Hop Pop frowned, walking up to a crooked frame to fix it. His hand caressed slightly at the photo, the smiling faces of his grandson and granddaughter while in the arms of his son and daughter-in-law brought a small smile of his own out.

His gaze found the basement door and he sighed. With newfound determination, he descended into the cellar. There the orange frog found the curled-up form of Anne surrounded by old stuffed toys and covered by a familiar thick blanket. He watched her for a moment, heart warring between trepidation and sympathy.

Honesty first, though and that applies to my feelings on the matter too. Hop Pop sighed, before sitting down a few paces away from Anne. “Did you at least save some for Polly and Sprig?”

There was slight shuffling before the girl sheepishly rubbed at her head, the bowl of an unfinished personal Plantar recipe was on the ground, surprisingly finished. Not even a speck left. He had to stop himself from fleeing when she sat up. Hopadiah did sigh in relief when she continued to speak instead of lunging at him. “Sorry. I woke up and got hungry. My bad, dude.”

“It’s Hop Pop, actually.” He initially exchanged confused glances with the beast – Anne – before he forced himself to say what had been plaguing his mind. “I didn’t get to thank you after, though, did I?” This was a good start. 

The girl opened her eyes, disbelief tinging her look, and Hop Pop felt the tugging of guilt in his chest.

“Your other form must have tuckered you out.” He guessed, and when the other nodded to confirm, he continued, “You’ve been out like a firelight outta juice for three days now.” 

Anne blinked. “Three days?” He saw the way her hands fidgeted, turning into fists to hide her shaking. “I-I see.”

Hop Pop placed the book down between them, turning it so that it faced Anne. The new addition of the house had at least the right to know what he found. He told himself that the girl deserved nothing less but he would remain on guard. A youngling of a predator would still grow up to be one. Unless... well, Hopadiah didn't want to summon a Henderson. That family always seemed to have the worst of luck (and family dynamics) and he dared not utter their name now. “I’ll cut right to the chase then, Anne. You seem like a sweet girl. I know the typical tomfoolery youngsters even get themselves into, but I gotta know if any part in this book is true. If I might be unknowingly putting my family in danger.”

But I will be prepared. Hop Pop thought, staring determinedly into the eyes of the beast. I won’t make the same mistake again.

Anne glanced down to read the passage, furrowing her brows while feeling a pang of sympathy sting her heart. She gripped the book closer, making sense of the writing. Something else to focus on and preferable to the uneasy feeling in her stomach. “Y-You know about my kind?”

“It’s been written by an ancestor of ours, a thousand years ago, give or take. I’ve been doing my best to make hide or sense how you got here or what you are.” He rubbed at his neck. “I should have asked you myself instead of assuming.”

Anne eyed the drawings and words. Not much she can make out but after a bit of blinking, her vision briefly flashed blue, and then suddenly she understood the writings! She rubbed her head, feeling lightheaded again. “Whoa, did you see that?”

“Saw what?”

“Uh, never mind.” It was like one weird thing after another! Anne shook her head, forcing herself to focus. One thing at a time, Anne. She narrowed her eyes at one sentence. “Hop Pop, I think whoever wrote this observed Wolfebornes way back before I was born. Like, way old.” 

Hop Pop followed her finger to where she was pointing, and the diagram of the beast he saw her turn into was staring at the moon. With tadpoles in their maw. “So, you don’t sacrifice children to the moon?”

“We don’t and have never done that, period.” Or at least she hoped her race didn’t. Historical rewriting was a pain in the butt and definitely one of the top five evil things on her list. She shivered but she skimmed ahead to anything that could at least ease some of the elder frog’s worries about her. She stopped at one page that had a picture of a familiar object.

The 'dangerous' and 'destroy' written in bold red words sent another rock in the pit of her stomach. Her hand threatened to shake once more before she shook her head and adopted an easygoing smile. “Another wrong thing your ancestor wrote,” she surreptitiously and discretely turned the page, “we’re pack animals. We work better with more people than alone.” She also honestly wanted to move away from the next picture she found. It was some kind of twisted caricature of a black wolf with hundreds of eyes.

Hop Pop, for his part, now seemed a bit reassured at her words. “Ah, well thank you, Anne. I’d admit there’s still the primal fear, and I am working on it, but your words relieved some of my worries.”

The guilt rock in her doubled but Anne mustered up a grin, snapping her fingers to point at the frog. “No problem, bob.”

“It’s Hop Pop.” He then shrugged, scooping up the tome and the empty bowl. “But anyway, I know this isn’t an ideal way to start introductions. Why don’t we head on out to Stumpy’s for dinner and that way after working the farm, we all can get to know one another better.”

Surprise took hold of Anne’s expression before it softened at the sincerity brimming in the frog’s look. “I’d like that. Thank you.”

Hop Pop smiled once more before nodding and turning to leave. He made it about halfway until he stopped. “Oh. Do let me know if our noise gets too much for your ears too.”

“What?” Anne froze.

The elder man simply chuckled. “Girl, I’ve run away from a lot of predators in my time, and I know for sure they usually have good hearing. Just think about my offer.” He then walked up the stairs, silent as a lamb.

Anne rested against her mattress, idly scratching her head. If that was a way to scold her eavesdropping, it was a solid one. She smiled before shaking her head and twisting in the mattress to reach into her pack. Buried under her clothes and her scent, the music box was transferred to her lap so that she could get a look at it. Her chest tightened yet with steely determination she opened it.

Nothing happened.

She barely stifled the whine that escaped her but clenched her hands into fists again. She got this. The summer camp she enrolled in long ago at least provided her with the basics for survival. Paired with her wolf form, then chances to get back home were…well, maybe high!

“I hate math,” grunted Anne and her brows knitted as another thought came to her. Her hand reached into her backpack and pulled out her diary. Flipping the pages to the middle, a photo was nestled in comfortably like a bookmark. The lingering scent was comforting, an anchor that could tide the young girl over.

But for how long, that remained to be seen.

Anne pursed her lips but held onto her optimism. “Wherever you two are, I really hope you both are doing alright.” Her gaze found the stuffed toys and blanket with a stitched ‘H.P.’ in the corner, and the tightening in her chest abated. Even just a small amount. “…because I think I will be.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: The Beast and The Frog Boy  

“Sweetie, are you alright?” There was a knock on her door, but Anne was too busy trying not to cry in pain. “Anne?”

She thought she was big enough. She thought she could handle it but, it was too much! Anne whimpered and that was the only sound Oum Boonchuy needed to hear before she was opening her daughter’s bedroom.

Her eyes widened at the state when she crossed the doorway. The bedsheets were ripped apart, the end table and chairs were toppled over, and the toys were in varying states of chewed on and pieces. Yet she could not find her daughter. “Anne? Sweetie, mommy’s here. Please tell me where you are. What hurts?”

Anne’s eyes tracked the movement of feet, something burning within her chest urging her to pounce and sink her teeth at the moving object, but she held it at bay. That’s her mom, not a toy! She whimpered once again, feeling like her head was being split in two.

“Sweetie, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Just please, show yourself.” There was shuffling, as Oum tried searching for her missing child. She moved laundry baskets aside and opened the closets and door to the bathroom but there was no sign of Anne. “I want to think you’re playing a game, but this is not a joke Anne. I’m feeling worried. Please come out.”

Another whine. Anne didn’t know why she couldn’t stop. New smells and sights were overwhelming her. Her mom’s perfume. The soil in her dead plant. The moldy pizza that she forgot about. It was all too much.  Mama, I’m here!

The movement of feet paused. “Anne?” There was a string of soft Thai words before the sound of clicking – mom’s phone – filled the room. “Anne, I think I have an idea what is happening, but I need your father’s help to explain. Can you at least let me know where you are? Do what you did earlier again, sweetie.”

Anne blinked. What did she do, exactly? She didn’t know. The young girl concentrated but her head was pounding. Another whine, this time a pitch higher.

Oum’s feet moved faster, and then she was kneeling under the bed. “Oh, Anne.” Anne could finally feel relief beyond the drowning fear once she spotted the familiar face of her mother whose hand reached out to her.

But before Anne knew it, her maw instinctively opened –

“So how does this work, exactly?” Anne asked the frog boy.

Sprig was staring up with a large grin, the blue scarf tied around his neck bellowing in the wind under the late morning sun. “Usually, we start by taking in the scenery.” He gestured grandiosely at the field, timing it right when sunlight hit the area with an ethereal glow. “However, the pride and joy of the Plantar livelihood will always be the victim of our greatest enemy,” he shook his fist at something on the ground.

When Anne turned to look, she scoffed. “A weed?” She was then startled when Sprig hopped up to grasp at her face.

“No, Anne! Worse. Much worse.”

The ground shifted and the weed disappeared right before Anne’s very eyes, seemingly sucked into the ground. “What the – oh crud!” She fell back on her rump, staring wide-eyed at the giant beetle that emerged. Its mandibles opened and closed while the ‘weed’ between them flickered like an odd tongue. “What is that?!”

“A weed beetle,” Sprig took out his slingshot, a smile on prominent display. “Not really one that kills frogs though, but the damage they do to our crops is a lot. I hold the highest plantar family record when driving them away.” He took a shot, cheering when it hit one of the antennae. “One point for Sprig Plantar!” He reloaded while gesturing to his new friend. “Come on, Anne!”

The girl from another world glanced around, finding something she could use. If only she had brought her retractable racket. Her gaze landed on her hands then to Sprig. He seemed to be enjoying himself. With every weed beetle that emerged, he aimed and fired. Some missed, some didn’t but overall majority of the hits landed and sent the pests flying.

Anne smiled, her inner competitive spirit burning at the challenge. She focused, breathing in deeply, and tried to turn into a wolf. It took a while but once she managed to do so, she leaped and smacked her paw at the insect the moment it emerged from underground.

Anne stopped herself in time, eyes widening at what she almost tried to do.

“Sweetie, it’s alright –

She bolted. In her wolf form, she easily maneuvered and bypassed her mother as she ran out the door. Never mind the fear and concern she heard in her mother’s cry of her name. Anne was feeling nothing but shame.

Domino’s cat door fit Anne easily enough and before she knew it, she was out the streets and heading towards where she felt like she wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone again. For a six-year-old, that meant the playground.

Her new form managed to give her the extra speed and by the time she felt a little bit tired, she had reached her destination. The playground near her neighborhood was always secluded. The kids around her age preferred to visit the arcade than play on the swings or sandbox. Anne liked the playground and with this new perspective, it seemed to smell better than ever.

With her snout in the air, Anne gave a tentative whiff – hotdogs? pizza? She whirled, circling around, and trying to pinpoint the location but it smelled like they were everywhere! Her eyes found a green bin and she stopped herself from checking it. Because ew! That was a trashcan! Anne huffed, snorting, before moving towards the swing. She wanted to sit on it, but her paws couldn’t get a good enough grip.

“Need some help?”

Anne yelped, jumping in place before facing the source of the voice and then cocked her head. It was odd that this one had no scent on her.

The girl tilted her head too. “Huh. You notice I don’t have a smell, right?” She looked to the left and then right like she was about to tell Anne a secret. Anne leaned forward, curious too, but then blinked as a sudden wave of citrus and ink-filled her senses. “Oops, sorry. The scent blocker my parents made me wear always has a side effect.”

And before Anne’s very eyes, the girl her age shrunk down. And then a black wolf was in her place.

Y-You’re like me?

I guess? Anne was caught off guard when she heard it. The newcomer was wagging her tail, oblivious to the brown wolf’s surprise. Technically we’re like our wolf ancestors who have the gift to turn human.

Anne was gaping. How did you talk to me?

Talk? Like mind speak? I never got that far in my readings, but I think it has something to do with blood? The black wolf was pacing, muttering under her breath, and using words that Anne never even heard before. But then she stopped, tail once more wagging fervently. But enough about that, hi! I’m Marcy. Marcy W – would like some help?

Anne wondered why her new friend didn’t give her last name but shrugged and gave hers. Anne Boonchuy. And then she remembered why she was here in the first place. Her tail sagged, while her ears drooped. The memory of her mother’s reaction and voice pierced her heart.

“…I think you need to be human. I can help you if you want.” the black wolf – Marcy – was back in her human form.

Human? How?

Marcy blinked before she giggled. “Wow! So that’s what it feels like when another mind speaks. Cool!” She brought out a small colored notebook. “But anyway, I think I can help if I know some more about you. So, Anne – is it okay I call you Anna-banana? I don’t know why a banana specifically – though I do enjoy the fruit!” On and on, Marcy rambled while Anne didn’t seem to mind.

The voice was soothing, relieving some of the ouchies Anne was feeling in her chest. The questions too were a welcome distraction – though she had no idea why Marcy was gasping when she told her that her parents were just regular humans.

“Heads up!” Sprig announced before throwing the weed beetle toward Anne. He saw the way she locked her gaze with the pest and a shiver unconsciously made its way up to his spine. Especially when she leaped with strong hind legs before using a large paw to bat it away.

And that’s a total of fifty-one weed beetles! The mind-talking thing was also something to get used to, but he was Sprig Plantar! The pranker of peers, the weirdo of Wartwood, and the most fearless frog in the valley! He could handle having his new friend owning forty-two razor-sharp teeth when she yawned, and he definitely could cope with her fast-moving nature as she zipped from her spot to run up to Sprig in a blink of an eye. Yo! Did I beat your record or what?

Sprig scoffed, while also using that time to gather his thoughts. “You only beat me by one. But not bad, Anne.” He assessed the paw prints on the ground, one broken fence, and the fur shed on some of their produce. “Not bad.”

Anne was grinning, and Sprig got another close-up view of her sharp meat killing – nope! He laughed, both to hide his nerves and at the funny state, the brown wolf was now in.

Dirt-covered and with a little bit of bug residue from hitting too hard, Anne’s coat was a mess after just an hour of chores. Sprig said as much, unable to help himself. His new friend’s response was also comedy gold as the fearsome predator let out a yelp as she assessed her appearance. It was honestly sobering. It also helped soothe his primal instincts to flee once Anne was spinning around and yelling ‘Ew ew ew!’ over again.

“Right. Well, I guess that’s a sign we can head to the lake.” He was planning to surprise Anne and show her his many favorite spots to hang out in. The waterfall cave for one was the closest and definitely could help her feel more at home. “Hop Pop and Polly still had things to do in town, but with the pests gone Bessie can take watch.” The snail meeped in affirmation, and Sprig saluted at their honorary family member.

Anne chuckled at the theatrics, finally calming down when she heard the word ‘lake’. She was back in her human form, grimacing only at the state and sight of her uniform. Sprig distracted her before she would freak out again.

“Plus, now that our chores are done, I get to ask some questions and maybe answer some of yours.” He hoped he can remember some of it for record-keeping. Journals were not waterproof and by the time he remembered, he already lost about ten in the past. But this time, the new Sprig will remember!

Anne grinned, snapping her fingers to point at him. “Alright. Twenty-questions style, I can dig that –

“Dig what?”

– just let me get changed and we can head out.”

“Roger that!” Sprig was more excited than ever. He didn’t know Anne had a third form she could change into.

“Okay, so I guess it’s safe to say you are a rare case, Anne Boonchuy!” The cheerful proclamation rang throughout the empty playground as Marcy sat on the swing, a notebook on her lap.

Anne had managed to shift back into a human after Marcy shared her pill. She had no idea why it tasted so horrible though and why the girl looked more relieved when it was now gone. Oh, maybe this was a case of her parents’ warning her about stranger danger? Too late then but Anne was a hundred and two percent sure Marcy was nice and good. She helped Anne return to her original body, didn’t she?

“Seriously! There is about a one percent chance of two normies conceiving a wolfeborne!” Marcy babbled on, while Anne had to take a few moments to understand what ‘corn-seeing’ meant. But she heard enough about the last word.

“Oh, I’m part wolf?” She saw a book with pictures one time when her mama brought her to a library. Anne used it along with the others she collected to build a fort.

Marcy shook her head. “Technically you’re part human.” She shrugged. Then she took out a small book. Anne marveled at the golden engraving. ‘A Guide to Hunting Wolfebornes, by Wu, Tien.’ it read. Anne was hoping she read that right. She also noted Marcy looked sad when looking at the book, but she handed it over to Anne, which was nice of her to share. “You are born a wolf, hence the name.”

“That’s weird.” Anne looked closely at the pictures and then summoned the memories of her photos at home. She knew her baby photo like the back of her hand because she did once try drawing it on the back of her hand on a whim. The product was a mess of markers and colors but at least the baby photo was untouched. “Baby me didn’t look like a wolf.”

Wolfebornes aren’t supposed to be born humans.

She shrugged then she returned the book to its owner, but her new friend seemed frozen on the spot. Anne frowned but then blinked. Because it wasn’t Marcy that commented on that revelation, but a blonde wolf who popped out of the bushes and cocked its head at them.

Well, it turned out the change was only about clothes. On the bright side, he did learn a bunch of new things. Though he forgot those when he could only gape up at Anne following her last set of words. That’s not friendship, he had wanted to shout. Badly.

Sure, he didn’t have that many friends aside from maybe Ivy (who was more of an acquaintance), but even he knew the way Anne talked about her friendships felt so…wrong.

But the thing was, Anne believed those words.

Sprig scratched his head, while Anne began wading deeper into the lake. He bit his lip before glancing skyward, hoping there was a sign that would tell him what the responsible thing to do was.

Ah, frog it. He wanted to get to know her better, and what better way to do that than by trying to understand her thinking process. Yep. That sounded right and reasonable. Sprig grinned, getting a running start before leaping and curling into a cannonball. “Woohoo!”

SPLASH!

Sprig resurfaced, grinning at Anne who blinked before matching his smile. And so began the splash wars.

Until of course, a water snake just had to ruin their fun.

The third voice that surprised Anne for the day emerged. The two young girls by the swing looked on in awe at the large blonde wolf that approached. They could have mistaken her for an adult if it weren’t for her voice.

“Whoa! ‘The pizza eater’!” Marcy seemed the first to recognize her. “You’re real!”

Anne furrowed her brows. “Pizza eater?”

The blonde wolf chuffed. Dumb kids only call me that. Slow pizza eaters too.

“I wanted to confirm those rumors,” Marcy was looking at her with wide eyes, “but you never showed up when I leave my pizza!”

“Because you put pineapple on them!”

Anne’s world halted on its axis, slowly turning to Marcy with a look of betrayal. “You put, pineapple, on your pizza?”

“They’re delicious!” Marcy defended, a hand to her tummy.

“They’re evil!” both young girls said in unison. They then turned to the other, before laughing lightly at the synchronization.

Marcy pouted. “Now both of you are just mean.”

“We’re not the ones eating Bob the Sponge’s house!” Anne exclaimed while the blonde wolf huffed out, I just don’t like how it covers the meat taste.

Then Anne blinked, suddenly getting the bestest idea in the world. “Why don’t we get pizza together? My mom makes the super-duper, yummy-in-my-tummy pizza sandwiches.” She seemed to have already forgotten the earlier incident or at least appeared to have processed it. Now that she got a name for what happened, paired with new friends, then Anne was back to being the happiest girl in the world. That was the idea, at least.

I don’t even know your name, Normie. The blonde wolf grunted, before shifting to her human form afterward. “But I don’t mind free food.”

Marcy looked hesitant at the offer, but Anne stretched out her hand and gave her a winsome smile that got some of the Thai community sneaking her extra treats.

Anne gave her fingers a little wriggle. “Come on, Marcy! I might even, ugh, convince her to make you a separate one. With pineapples.” Her eyes then narrowed. “But you have to say sorry to Bob the Sponge afterward.”

The blonde girl that just joined them shrugged when Marcy looked at her for assistance. “So long as I get mine with more meat, I’m happy.”

Marcy took a moment to decide before a tentative smile reached her lips, slowly matching Anne’s as they grasped hands. “…deal!”

Anne sensed the danger before it arrived, though it was a near thing. The water snake hissed, locking eyes with the other predator it sensed. The only frog – and potential prey – in their midst froze but found comfort and protection at Anne’s side.

Brown orbs stared into unblinking serpentine ones. Anne understood another shift was in order, but she hoped this could be resolved without any violence. Sasha’s tips were always revolving about never backing down. She straightened up, hoping that with her height she could intimidate it while subtly preparing herself to shift. The water snake flicked its tongue yet did not break eye contact as it circled them slowly.

“So, come here often?” Sprig had to say, enough to hide the shaking.

“I don’t think it’s in a chatty mood, dude.” Her eyes couldn’t check for any quick exit, at the risk of tearing her eyes away.

“The worst thing you can do is break eye contact and run. The moment you turn your back on an enemy, it. will. pounce. You understand, Boonchuy?”

Marcy had frowned, pausing in her typing for their group project to shoot an incredulous look at the blonde on Anne’s bed. “That seriously won’t apply for all kinds of enemies though.”

Anne shook her head, gritting her teeth at the mixed messages of the memory. She fidgeted with her hand, really wishing she brought her racket. “Okay, I’m trying Sasha’s advice but right now I don’t think it’s working. What do you usually do when you can encounter snakes?”

“We usually play dead…or just end up dead.”

Anne frowned at the casual admittance. “This place is seriously dark.”

“It’s just about noon, Anne.” Sprig missed the point and then gulped immediately when the serpentine eyes locked on him. “Though, quite a nice time to meet death.”

Protective instincts bloomed quickly in her heart. “Not today!” Anne finally shifted, taking on the form of the wolf and barking.

The snake hissed and swiveled its head, finding an opening for a bite on the prey being protected by another predator. fOoLIsh, MUtt.

Anne was taken aback, while Sprig frowned at his friend. “Anne! You alright?”

The wolf said nothing, raising her ears to be alert as the snake descended under water. She picked Sprig up by the scruff of his vest and decided running was the next best option. Anne had to adjust balancing on all fours atop the Lilypad, wobbling and trying to recenter herself.

“We can’t lead it to the farm!” He warned her, and Anne nodded before changing course. The wolf unsheathed her claws, leaping before finding purchase on a lone tree submerged under water. It was thick and sturdy enough to hold their weight so Anne used it as a stepping stone to jump from one underwater tree to the next.

The water snake was still on their trail, only its head and mouth were visible as it welcomed some poor unfortunate fish that swam into its maw. It was craving for an amphibian, however, and it would not give up on its prey.

“It’s gaining fast, Anne!”

Then I’ll distract it so you can go – Hands pulled at her ears, nearly causing her to lose balance.

“Friend pull!”

Ow!

“None of that kind of talk, Anne. I’m with you,” Sprig twisted to make brief eye contact. “We are Sprig and Anne. We got this.” Even though she couldn’t see it, Anne understood he was smiling.

Warmth filled her chest and the words seemed to empower the girl. Then Anne grunted when her paws met thick mud, but she ignored it and the gross texture, running faster than she had ever run before. The enemy was keeping them in its sight. Anne had to worry about how long she was supposed to keep this up.

Sprig, I can’t hold onto this form for more than thirty minutes!

“That’s kinda specific, and unfortunate timing.”

Sprig!

“Right, right. Hmm,” Sprig tapped his chin while hanging from the wolf’s jaws, “I got it! There’s a waterfall near here. We can try and trick it into thinking we fell over – whoa!”

The duo just nearly escaped the tail that slithered and slammed itself in front of them, interrupting their course. Anne growled low into her throat. Alright, let’s say it works. How are we going to do it? Her eyes looked around, wary of another surprise attack as the snake submerged itself again. They needed to get to land.

“We jump inside the cave.” He pointed in the direction of the waterfall, and Anne grunted before nodding. Her paws pushed off the growing sturdy stalks, tapping into her instincts while finally finding land despite still being a wet rock. The water snake hissed but much to the two’s misfortune, it was still able to follow them.

Sprig was starting to get dizzy with the way Anne kept moving so fast. They were approaching the waterfall at least. He braced himself in whatever way he could, while Anne picked up her speed.

The hissing behind them grew louder. Sprig had no choice but to take out his tongue, wrapping it around the rock jutting out and hoped he was strong enough to hold both their combined weight. “Jump, Anne!” Despite it being garbled, he knew his new friend understood.

I hate this so muuuuuuch! The cry trailed off with Anne shifting back to human form. Her mouth no longer holding Sprig, she quickly grasped the boy’s legs while the water snake hissed past them, unable to fight the current and gravity.

Anne and Sprig sighed in relief, panting and groaning as they found purchase after the swing. They landed with a dull yet alive thud.  

Oum Boonchuy’s day had been a rollercoaster of emotions. First, there was the fear when her baby girl sounded so much in pain, then despair when Anne had left the house in a hurry. After nearly calling for nine-one-one, she just had a call from Bee that he spotted Anne on his way home, walking on the sidewalk.

And holding hands with two strange girls.

Now she knew her daughter was a people person. She got it from her father, after all, but Oum hoped Anne’s new friends had acquired permission before they followed Anne home.

Just was her luck that they didn’t. Still, her inner hostess took the reigns and ushered in the three children to be fed. And with pizza sandwiches of all food. Bee had taken to watching the girls while she checked her phone for any alerts of a missing dark-haired Taiwanese American girl and a blonde girl with Slavic heritage.

She then learned, after asking, that their last names were quite the eye-opener. Of all the ways fate worked, it truly had some sort of strange sense of humor for bringing a Wu child and a Waybright under a Normie couple’s roof.

Bee had looked at her with wide eyes but there was also an upturn of his mouth, to which she responded with a roll of her eyes. For what else could she do. It wasn’t funny that she just had turned down her mother’s offer of joining the Society of Peace only to learn her daughter was Wolfeborne days after.

It still wasn’t funny to find a daughter of an infamous clan of hunters – who sadly also was the only Wolfeborne – eating and talking animatedly with the scion of the Waybrights – the last and largest pack of pureblooded Wolfebornes – who just had finished her tale after being left alone in the woods for her proving. All the while her daughter blissfully was unaware and eating to her heart’s content about what she just had done.

But that was her Anne, and Oum had never thought she could love her daughter more until today. She was proud of her daughter.

After they bid goodbye and dropped the two children off, the Boonchuy family was seated in the living room for their family meeting. There was still one conversation to be had.

But before that, Anne finally burst into tears when she appeared to have remembered what she just had done, the distraction of her new friends’ presence now fading away to resurface a painful and recent incident. “I’m sorry I ran away, mama,” she bawled. “I- I thought I can do it on my own. I’m a big girl, right?”

“Oh Anne. I love that you have a big heart and I know you were trying to be a big girl.” She kissed her daughter’s forehead. “But sometimes, part of being big means knowing when something is too much. We can’t always handle everything on our own.”

Anne’s lips quivered, but there was confusion still in her eyes. “Okay…”

“Yeah Anne but you were so brave,” Bee added, taking his little girl into his lap. “You were still in control, you stopped yourself before you can hurt your mom.”

Oum made a playful pose, bringing her hand up for them to see. “At the risk of losing my favorite hand aside, I know my daughter. When she loves, she also protects. Her heart is bigger than anything in the world.” She hugged her family. “She would never purposefully hurt anyone.”

“We love our Anne!” exclaimed Bee, bringing both of his fists up like he was in a sports stadium. Oum joined in, proudly repeating the words. “We love our Anne!”

Anne giggled at her parents’ antics. “And Anne loves her family!” Her grin grew larger, showing the friendship bracelets wrapped around her wrists. “And her new friends!” Laughter filled the Boonchuy household after that remark.

“Sprig! Are you alright?! Talk to me, buddy!” Anne then squeaked when he sat up with his fists raised in the air.

“Let’s do that again!” Sprig grinned, now standing. Though he prepared himself for disappointment or rebuttal. The kids that he managed to rope into death-defying games always turned down a repeat…and his friendship.

He was pleasantly surprised to see Anne matching his excitement. “We showed that snake who’s boss!” She sat up, gesturing wildly. “I thought we were gonna get got but we didn’t! Gosh, I can still feel my heart pumping. That was the most fun I had in, well, days!” Anne sat back, leaning on her hands with a small chuckle. “Not bad for our first friend outing.”

Sprig’s heart would have grown three sizes if it had the capacity to do so. “You still want to be my friend?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I?” Anna tilted her head. “You still went with me, didn’t even leave or anything.” Her brows then pinched, with her right hand reaching to rub at her left arm. “Even when I put you in danger.”

Sprig grinned. “Something you got to know about Amphibia, Anne. Your life’s always in danger!”

“That’s kinda bumming.”

“And I don’t know what means,” he was still smiling, “though I get what you mean. So, I just try and always look at the fun things than the ones that could kill, and hey it’s working so far.” He was tugging her to stand, gesturing excitedly.

The ground they were on was at the mouth of the cave but there was space enough for a path, one that Anne followed closely behind Sprig. The waterfall on their right continued to rush down like a soothing song. Anne smiled, despite herself, as her ears picked up an almost…comforting note. “Do you hear that?”

“Nature’s music,” Sprig shrugged. “Took me a while to hear but it’s great, though I never get to hear it the way our…parents did.” He then shook his head before Anne could comment. By the time they reached the ledge, Anne gaped at the sight before them.

The mountains that surrounded the valley were huge, imposing structures, but the view from this area managed to allow a small window to see the rest of Amphibia. The land itself was vast, stretching on for miles until they disappeared into the horizon. The early afternoon sun gave the fields an almost ethereal glow, highlighting even the patches of dirt surrounding…buildings?

“What happened there?” Anne gave a curious hand wave. She gave a cursory glance to the patches of green and then compared them to the deserted plains.

Sprig followed her fingers and then shrugged. “Ruins of Despair. Saw it only in books. Some say grass couldn’t grow back after whatever was built there. Road travelers try to pass through as quickly as they can.” He sat on the edge, swinging his feet. “I used to come here as often as I can, wanted to spot Hop Pop first every time he visits.”

Anne smiled. “So, HP’s a traveler?”

“He was,” Sprig laughed lightly. “He brought the weirdest gifts too, plus stories. Oh! That reminds me,” he took off, back to the cave and leaving Anne to sit and stare out into the view.

Anne sighed before her brows pinched. The new world was quite bigger than she could imagine finally getting to her. Where could Sasha and Marcy be then? Did they even get here? Or were they stuck back home at the playground? Was Anne the only one who landed in Amphibia?

She shook her head. Optimism, Anne. Optimism. You will find a way home, and if not, then surely Marcy and Sasha are looking for you. Or mom and dad. Anne rubbed at her palms, before clenching them into fists. She had two more shifts left so maybe –

The wolf form replaced the human, and Anne had to adjust to the sights, smells and sounds once again before she focused. She tried listening through different pitches and tones, but nothing that resembled Sasha’s or Marcy’s howls. Just the musical notes of nature attempting to comfort a lost beast.

Anne sighed but grew determined. Although she had no idea if she was risking attracting other predators, she knew she had to try.

And so, she howled.

A long despairing yet hopeful sound, mixed with tinges of grief and fear but also assurance and a proclamation. But more importantly, a promise that she will get back home and to the people she loved. The sound carried over to the villages and towns, with the citizens looking up briefly before moving on with their day. Inside the woods, the smaller animals raised their heads in a panic, before fleeing and hiding. The bigger creatures, for their part, took a moment to act but they too saw no point in hunting down a predator when preys were already in a tizzy.

Throughout it all, Anne continued to howl, for as long as she could. Sprig listened with a small emphatic smile as he sat down next to her, drawing in his journal and not leaving his best friend’s side.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: The Beast and The Community (Part I)

Eventually, they had to go back to the farm after a lightning round of twenty questions. Sprig’s journal was brimming with a lot of information along with Anne’s after the frog boy gave her a spare. Anne wasn’t a writer or artist, but she could list down important details from time to time. And doodle. And use the papers for origami.

Yet there was still new information she could track, like how they shouldn’t have left the farm to be watched by a snail. Anne had stood with Sprig as Hop Pop returned with news and a scolding. She personally wished he started with the news but after enduring the lecture with her new best friend, Anne was now trying to process her current reality.

And that she wasn’t an amphibian and ergo, not a person in the villagers’ eyes. Though that wasn’t the most shocking part.

“I have to wear a what?” Anne raised a brow.

Hop Pop huffed but he too looked uncomfortable. “You heard me. Laws in Wartwood are a few and in between since most of us in the community can get along just fine. But there is one where we gotta follow if only to avoid repeating the incident with Mrs. Jonkins’s Fleafy.”

“And that’s putting on a collar whenever I visit the town,” Anne sighed.

Sprig sheepishly rubbed his head. “Sorry, Anne. When I told the mob, I thought it would be a lot easier for them to accept you when you’re a beast that was tamed to work on the farm.”

“In hindsight, that’s kinda true,” Polly added, before hopping out of her bucket to be in Hop Pop’s hands. “But the good news is though, you don’t have to wear a collar since the pet shop was closed. Millipede itch.”

“Yikes.” Sprig then turned to Hop Pop, “and the bad news?”

“We have no way to bring Anne into town.” The Plantar head scratched his chin. “I can always cook –

“Or,” Polly interrupted, “we find an alternative.” She hopped back into the house. She really didn’t want to eat her grandfather’s cooking tonight. “I need a good meal after all the excitement.”

Hop Pop frowned. “That cuts deep, Polly. That cuts deep.” He then shook his head amusingly before turning to the older kids. “Still, did you two have a peaceful morning at least? Weed beetles are a lot but they’re easy to get rid of.”

“Yup.”

“Totally.”

Luckily Polly returned before the elder could question further, dragging a familiar blanket. “Here, Anne. I figured since the idea is to let everyone know you’re with us, then this could be the next best thing.”

Anne picked it up. The stitches and hand-sewn patterns of stars and P’s showed it was a baby blanket of some sort and Anne felt warm at the thought that Polly was willing to let her borrow it. Her expression must have shown that however because the polliwog immediately scoffed.

“Don’t think too much about it, monster. I just want a good dinner, tonight.”

“Again that cuts deep, Polly.”

Anne laughed before tying the blanket around herself like a small cape. “Well, if this doesn’t mean Plantar. Then I don’t know what will.”

Sprig smiled, excitement returning. “Onward to Stumpy’s!”

“Woohoo!” the frog family - and one beast – cheered.

“So, tell me, what’s the best part about Wartwood?” Anne was curious. It wasn’t every day she got to visit another dimension and once she figured food and shelter were no longer a problem, Anne thought it would be nice to know a bit about the town she was in. Maybe even plan how to get the citizens to see her as a person since some had started screaming once they entered.

Sprig smiled, totally oblivious. “The town’s preservation instincts. Did you know Wartwood’s the most populated village in southern amphibia?”

“Oh yeah? How many people live here then?” Anne gave a brief wince at the sharp shriek alongside the breaking of glass in one villager’s desperation to hide.

“We’re consistently about eighty-eight,” Hop Pop then pulled out a list and his glasses. “But enough talk about that, we need some things to do first before we get some grub.”

Sprig and Polly groaned while Anne sighed. “Come on, Hop Pop. It’s Anne’s first time here, can’t we, you know, seize the day?”

“Carpe diem!” Polly added, raising her arms.

“We’re seizing the day by buying our next batch of seeds. The early morning rush by the seed store seemed to have ended, and I don’t have to walk that much now.” Hop Pop then scrutinized Anne who was flicking her eyes around the town, hands in her pockets. “Honestly, I’d rather we do things quickly. In and out, you know?” he ended that into a whisper.

Sprig whimpered, walking in front of his grandfather. “But Hop Pop, I wanted to show Anne everything.”

“And you will, but things like these can’t be rushed, boy.” He chuckled. “I’m surprised the townsfolk aren’t that much antagonistic.”

 “Wartwood will respond appropriately when the beast does prove too wild to be tamed,” an elegant voice cut in. The group stopped in front of a purple Newt, dressed luxuriously with a purple robe.

Sprig and Polly immediately stood in front of Anne while the girl herself raised a brow. “Who are you?”

The Newt looked on, staring up and pursing her lips. “So, it can speak.”

Anne burned with annoyance. “And it likes to be referred to as she.”  Her eyes then flickered to the box behind the purple amphibian, curious and prepared to approach but Sprig gripped her hand, giving a shake of his head. Polly seconded the motion.

Hop Pop sighed, cutting in the front before Anne could question. “Good afternoon, Lady Jacinda.” He gave an inconspicuous hand motion to his grandkids, one that Anne supposed to mean to leave. But the guards moved in tandem, not fully blocking but making their presence known to the children. All the while the townsfolk walked on with faint trepidation at the arising confrontation.

“Hopadiah.” Jacinda was humming now. The guards behind her continued struggling to carry a box and other groceries. “Imagine my surprise upon hearing the latest news. Just when I got back from my meeting at the Southern Toad Tower too.” Jacinda scrutinized the frog boy next while Anne just managed to stifle an instinctual protective growl. “Sprig Plantar, is it?”

Sprig caught the subtle look from Hop Pop and forced himself to be cordial. “Yes ma’am.”

“Congratulations on taming your first beast.” Jacinda was smiling at this point, contrasting the family’s uncomfortable expressions. “I didn’t know the Plantars also returned to dealing with animals or I would have ordered by now.”

“Ordered?” Anne whispered.

Polly supplied with a frown, whispering back. “Great-grandma used to branch out aside from farming. She was a hunter and noble folks needed someone to bring them exotic pets to flaunt to their friends and scientists.”

Hop Pop once more intervened while Anne was stunned. “We stopped doing that for a reason.” He then started ushering the kids away, walking backward to address the noble as the guards let them pass. “Sides, I’m sure you have better things to do with your retirement than talking to us dirty peasants, right?”

Jacinda nodded. “Forcibly retired I may be, I can still enjoy a hobby or two.” Behind her, the guards collapsed under the weight of the box. “Regardless, do let me know if you change your mind. I feel - ‘Anne’ was it? – can help me a great deal with my next project.”

“Not for sale,” Sprig grunted.

“Ditto,” Anne seconded.

“How much are we talking?” Polly asked. She then amended at the glares. “I mean, no way. Yep, totally what I meant.”

The purple newt smiled pleasantly. “As you say. Tata for now then.” She left, her guards crawling at this point with the box on their backs.

Once the coast was clear, Anne whirled to the family. “I have never felt so dehumanized.” She honestly didn’t know if she’d rather the frogs fear her or treat her like she was not a person.

“I’m willing to help you show the townspeople you’re not just a beast.” Sprig crossed his arms, turning to Hop Pop. “But why did you let her talk like that? Again!”

“Kids. There comes a time in your life that you’ll realize you got to pick your battles. Truth is some people are just more influential than others. Life got its own way of choosing who gets power and who doesn’t.” They were walking to the restaurant at this point, with the kids begrudgingly trailing and listening behind him. He figured he could get the seeds tomorrow, just so the late afternoon could be salvaged with a pleasant meal. “The best thing you can do is hope their character is worthy of the gift.”

He hoped they really took it to heart. He had to learn things the hard way, so he was hoping they could understand it the easy way and –

Nope. “And sometimes, you can just hope certain people will listen to advice when it’s given,” Hop Pop sighed when he saw Anne intervening in Albus and Stumpy’s argument.

Jacinda eyed the family behind her mansion’s fence. The group was an odd yet unremarkable sort, more so with the frog family and their history of failed Grub Hog watching and Potluck competitions. At least during the time of Gelamiah Plantar, they grew some modicum of fame until they abandoned their practice.

She shook her head, finding such a waste but she was a patient newt. Her eyes focused on the beast, and Jacinda had started formulating plans while entering her abode. Finding her office, she now had a new report to write.

Then she groaned.

The guards behind her seemed to be the lazy sort since her luggage was still not inside the living room. “The least you lot can do is arrive in a timely manner.” Jacinda huffed but she supposed good help was hard to come by these days. “And careful with the box!”

The crate was unceremoniously dropped, jostling the creature inside who finally let out a small squeak.

“Great,” Jacinda rolled her eyes while the guards started to sweat. “Just bring it to the usual room, I will be with it shortly. That would suffice in redeeming your incompetence.” They gave a hasty salute before taking the crate away.

One newt found the courage to approach, clearing her throat. “A letter had arrived for you, ma’am. The palace, specifically.”

“Excellent!” Finally, some good news after that dreadful talk with the brutish toad captain. Jacinda was smiling. “You may go Donna –

“It’s Bella, actually.”

– yes, yes, now shoo.” She had more important matters to attend to now. Jacinda had to resist running to her office. It was a near thing though. When she had arrived, she took comfort in her highchair before opening the letter.

It was blank yet it did not discourage the purple newt. With a bored hum, she took a vial from one of her drawer’s secret compartments and dropped a smidgen onto the sheet. It was like a ripple effect had overtaken the paper before words started appearing slowly.

Adjusting her glasses, she pursed her lips to focus on the cipher.

‘Your request to return to Newtopia was denied following the failure of accomplishing and/or progressing on the objectives for Mission 112951419. Recent findings and evidence of said mission submitted were inconclusive. Supplementary Mission 1751420.19 also exhibited no recent progress or completion. Penalties had been –

Jacinda ripped the letter into shreds. Her face burned with anger and embarrassment, but she refused to address the latter. She gritted her teeth, before finding some paper and quill. She had been patient, enduring errands in southern Amphibia despite the less than tolerable accommodations and conditions she was forced to face.

‘O. Your spies are much to blame than my apparent inability to provide sufficient progress on my assigned missions. It was their intelligence that triangulated the target’s location. I am doing a peasant’s work at this rate with the number of meetings I had alongside my own methods to pursue the target. Not to mention, this is more feasible than the other mission you have assigned to me!  I am the leading analyst in the Newtopian Stratagem Wing.  I have better things to do than chase mythic agents and the like. You and your network’s fear for this ‘Agent S' is bordering on the idiocy of toads. And I should know the accuracy of such observation! Find a way to bring me back or I will be forced to –

“What?!” Her temper flared after the fifth knock. The more it continued, the less she could finalize this letter.

Donna – Dora – whatever poked her head in to give a meek, “Mrs. Sadie Croaker is here ma’am.”

Frog it. She nearly forgot her meeting with the seamstress. Jacinda sighed. “Leave her in the living room, serve her the cheapest tea too.” The crate could wait a few hours more and she supposed without a meal, its content would be in a more compliant mood.

Regardless, duty calls, and she truly needed to complain about the new holes in her robes. Truly, the staff was lackluster if they failed to capture that darn tarantula that seemed to enjoy biting holes in her sleeves.

When she arrived after tucking in her important documents, Jacinda had mustered her cordial smile at the elderly frog. “Apologies for the delay, Seamstress.”

“Oh, just Sadie, dearie. You make me sound like that ole shut-in story for polliwogs.” Jacinda had no need – nor the interest - to study frog folklores. She just barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes before snapping her fingers.

The servants carried in the luggage filled with her favorite robes. All fourteen thousand of them. Jacinda smiled pleasantly at the bewildered look of the old frog. “Well, Mrs. Croaker, I do apologize for the short notice but apparently Wartwood continues to be festered with pests too competent even for my servants.”

Jacinda paid no mind to the winces and frowns of the underlings, finding the elder’s one-eyed gaze as Mrs. Croaker spoke. “So, the usual price again?”

“That and I might ask if you or anyone you know can create pet beds?”

The elderly frog was watching the employees load the bags onto a wagon before returning her attention to the noble. “Oh, are you adopting?”

The newt gazed back to the Leviathan-sized windows, gazing upon the early evening streets and back to the Plantar family that just exited the restaurant. “You could say that.”

“I know how to cook! I helped my parents at Thai Go almost every weekend. This isn’t new to me!” Anne ranted after they were asked to leave. Apparently, the customers were too scared to go in when the ‘Plantar beast’ wasn’t leashed. “I know proper menu formats and everything!”

Sprig was walking beside her, carrying their food. At least Stumpy allowed them to take the meal to go. “Maybe we’re quick to visit Wartwood. I mean our town motto is ‘Slow to accept and even slower to respect.’ We should have eased them in.”

“I don’t want to say, ‘I told you so,’ boy.” Hop Pop was walking beside him, Polly atop his head, one hand in his pocket, and the other cradling a cane. “Oh, who am I kidding. I do want to say that. I told you so!”

Sprig harrumphed, before hopping atop Anne’s shoulders. Anne adjusted to the sudden weight, flailing her arms. “Dude, warn me next time!”

“Sorry,” the frog boy scratched his head sheepishly, “heights help me think. It’s just, it sucks that they can’t see you the way I can.”

Polly giggled. “Not everyone has that weirdness us Plantars have. Hey, remember Uncle Al? So obsessed with single-tired irrigation systems he nearly decided to marry them?”

“That’s a thing that can happen back home too,” Anne supplied, “I heard there was one who married a cartoon character.”

“What’s a cart-oon?”

“It’s a – whoa!” Anne raised her hands, catching the meals when Sprig apparently dropped them. “Dude!”

“Boy, you nearly wasted food!”

“Sorry Hop Pop but look!”

Anne frowned, unable to find where he was pointing at but when webbed cling pads shifted her face to the right, she blinked while adjusting to the dark. “Can’t really see much at this time and in this form, Buddy.”

“Oh, well Toadie just posted something new on the message board.”

“You guys have a message board?”

Polly took a bite of her biscuit. “Literally a board for messages. Best places for vandalism though.”

Hop Pop frowned, glancing up. “Say that again, young lady?”

“I mean the best place to learn wonderful new information. Yep. That’s what I said.”

“Hmm.”

But Sprig was nearly bouncing atop her head. “And I got the best idea. Ever.”

“Better than that time at Croakers Cre-

“We do not speak of that time!” Sprig snapped at his sister and then cleared his throat. “No, I mean just look!”

“Again dude, can’t see.”

Hop Pop sighed. “Oh, for frog’s sake. Sprig, get down from Anne.” He took the flyer, ripping a copy. “Here, Anne. Though I don’t understand what’s all the fuss about. It’s just some help wanted requests.”

“Exactly!” Sprig was grinning.

Anne finally got what he was saying. “And to show the town I’m more person than an animal, I can offer my help to what they need!” She picked up her new friend. “Sprig, you’re a genius!”

“It’s what I do,” Sprig was laughing only to be halted by Polly’s snark.

“Debatable. How are you going to get people to accept the help when they’re too busy screaming?”

“…why are you always like this.”

Hop Pop shook his head fondly but at least they managed to start arguing within the property. “Well, there’s another day for that, as they say.” He then glanced up at the cloudless starry sky and breathed in the cool air. “Why don’t we eat dinner outside, been a while since we had a picnic too.”

The elder frog pointed at the spacious area by the cornfields.

“I’ll get the blankets while you kids set up.”

The arguments continued but at least Anne gave a lazy salute while watching in amusement at the siblings’ disagreement. Hop Pop nodded but while hesitating to go inside, he knew the first step to building trust was giving it.

And so, against his better judgment, he left his remaining family alone with Anne.

“What do you mean it escaped?!” Jacinda was not one for raising her voice. It was a blatant display of losing control and she was not. that. kind. of. newt. Yet somehow her staff remained so horribly incompetent that they failed to do one simple job. “And you opened its crate?”

The cowering guard – a tad shorter than her typical newt guards and seemingly just lost a tail, too – managed to stutter out a response. “I-It was crying, madame. I- I thought –

“Well, you didn’t.” Jacinda was seething at this point. “Find that purple thing, now, or I’ll have you rotting in the deepest darkest dungeon imaginable.” She wasn’t even done speaking before the guard had fled to carry out the orders. Jacinda sighed, pinching her brows. “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

Her eyes roved once more to the empty crate. The fool assigned as its guard was new, possibly foisted to this post by their superiors. Now all of them would be paying for this mistake. Simply one stress after the other.

Jacinda gnashed her teeth together as she stomped outside. The late evening air did little to cool her flaring temper. At least her meeting with the seamstress was concluded and thus, no one witnessed her yelling at the footnewt to open her carriage door.

“It couldn’t have gone far,” she told the driver. “Get us quickly to a forest path. The deeper the better.”

Bourgeoisie, the spikey turtle, gave a low rumble before pulling the carriage. The movement allowed Jacinda more time to think of a strategy for getting the escaped creature back. She reviewed her notes and findings.

‘Forest dwellers. Unknown species. Unknown origins. Tiny creatures the size of a golden beetle. Heavy sleepers. When awaken, they cocoon themselves into a shell-like, egg-like structure. Hidden nests inside tree stumps. Elusive yet not a threat.’  

Jacinda eyed the quick sketch of its cocoon and pursed her lips. It took them weeks to find another one like it, stumbled upon it by the road by some luck or another. Now it appeared to have hatched and fled. If they didn’t pursue it soon –

“WAHAHAHAH,” cried a voice outside her carriage. Jacinda grumbled about the sudden halt and so stuck her head out of the window.

Of course, the town’s crazy frog was here. Jacinda had no patience for his inane ramblings of moss men or his ballads.

“Oh, well met, Lady Jacinda!” One-Eyed Wally greeted. “Lovely evening, is it not?” He gave a little lift of his hat using his tongue while never breaking stride in his playing. “Want to hear my newest song about Jacinda the Fair?” he warbled.

“No.” The ‘retired’ emissary then told her driver to go, circling around the village nut with ease while at the back of her mind wondered why his voice was familiar. Still, she ignored it for now. The evening had little foot traffic and thus, made navigating the streets of the town easier than the day. Some reprieve at last.

Her eye twitched at the wasted time but they were at least approaching the forest outskirts of Wartwood. She whirled to one guard, glaring. “Assemble three squads of seven soldiers each, comb the entire forest and don’t come back until you find new clues.”

The newts saluted before exiting the carriage. Jacinda waited in her seat, formulating a letter of new guard hirings. She was firing more staff than what she typically would, a new record indeed. Her teeth gnashed together as she glared at the forest.

“You will not make a fool of me. Not this time.”

“You get the feeling Hop Pop doesn’t trust me?” Anne opened the moment she could make out the elder frog’s figure disappearing and remaining inside the home. How hard was it to look for a blanket? Anne pursed her lips. “Like, at all?”

Polly paused in her punching her brother. “Nah, he’s like that all the time. Paranoid. Old. Boring. I’m surprised he didn’t get a panic attack, honestly.”

Sprig dodged the flippers. “Even when we were young he’s always been secretive and…jittery.” He then took out the flyer, interrupting before Anne could reply. “But enough about our grandpa, let’s check out our list of options!”

“What about the ‘getting them to accept help’, part?” Polly snarked, before dodging Sprig’s hand and landing on top of Anne’s head.

Anne, for her part, tapped her chin while idly taking out the food. They could at least start eating. “Well, back home we have these door-to-door salespeople. Dad always found some way to get sucked in trying out ‘free samples’ while getting them to eat at Thai Go.” A small smile tugged at the beast’s lips. “Mom had to ban him from answering the door forever so he would stop inviting new people.” She then blinked, shaking her head to focus. “But yeah, I think the key is to not only sell your product but also yourself.”

“You lost me.”

“I’m not selling you!”

Anne chuckled. “No, I meant…Confidence. Presentation. The whole she-bang.” When they continued to be confused, as far as she could squint with the lantern and all, Anne elaborated, “Like, how do you manage to sell your crops?”

“At the stand,” Polly shrugged.

Sprig scratched his head. “Yeah, never really thought too much about it. Hop Pop handled it mostly.” He looked skyward. “The stand was pretty much always there. Though maybe the Planter policy helped. And Mrs. Croaker, our loyal customer.”

“There we go, word of mouth.” Anne took a bite of the meal, while Polly and Sprig indulged in theirs. “We just need one popular person to impress, and they’ll do the rest.” She giggled. “Cool, that rhymed.”

“Well, if there’s one person anyone can’t ignore it’s One-eyed Wally.” Sprig was getting his excitement back as he pointed at the name on top of the help wanted list. “Alright, Anne. Operation ‘Get Wartwood’s Acceptance’ is a go! I’m with you, even if it will take us years even!”

Anne grimaced. “Hopefully not that long. Please.” Her eyes then scanned the field, finding herself somewhat lulled by the peacefulness of the night. The little chirps of the crickets, the faint buzzing of the fireflies. Even the occasional breeze ruffling the tall corn stalks was like listening to one of Marcy’s videogame instrumental soundtracks. “Still. Thanks.”

“We got you, Anne!” Sprig gave a thumbs up with his tongue stuck inside the food pan.

Silence reigned for a while after that, the kids eating quietly until Polly tapped her flippers together before blurting out, “Alright I can’t hold it in anymore!” She pressed her face together with the beast. “I got questions and I need some answers!”

“Polly!” Sprig scolded.

Yet Anne simply laughed, waving a hand. “It’s fine, dude.” She looked to the polliwog. “Well, what do you want to know? Though you might want to check out Sprig’s journal, cause I think he wrote some of the stuff we talked about down.”

“Nah. Knowing my brother he asked dumb questions like your favorite color or food.”

“Hey! True, but uncalled for!”

Anne blinked. Huh. Polly had a point. The twenty-questions session she had with the frog boy was fun though thinking back on it, she hadn’t really answered anything that wasn’t about dreams or hobbies and the like.

“You weren’t curious to know where I came from?” She asked Sprig who shrugged.

“I figured you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

“Not me!” Polly butted in. “How did you get here?!”

Anne had to laugh at the eagerness. “Well…maybe it’s best if Hop Pop is also here to hear this.” At least she’d avoid repeating herself while also preparing what to say and how to liven it up. Anne was always the go-to for the latest gossip back home, but she always hated having to repeat herself. Sasha usually intervened when their classmates grew too annoying and even saved her when the little white lie grew inconsistent.

“But his old man legs will take forever!”

“Ahem, excuse me. I’ll have you know it’s hard finding a picnic blanket we only used once every year.” Hop Pop supplied, before grimacing at the opened food containers. Anne didn't even hear him approach. “And starting without me, for shame. Even when I brought dessert.” He took out three tins of pie, settling them in front of each kid.

“Sorry Hop Pop, we got hungry.” Sprig chuckled. “But the good news is! Anne’s gonna tell us how she got here.”

The elder frog squinted at the beast. “Oh? What brought this on?”

Anne blinked but it took her a while to process the question. What indeed brought this on? Her doubt creeped in, as it dawned on her that she was about to tell her tale to this family. Granted they took her in and fed her, but were they really to be trusted? Sasha and Marcy had always remarked about Anne being too trusting sometimes.

Sides, the events prior to her arrival were…bad and she didn’t want them to think she was bad too.

Anne bit her lip, fighting down the shame that crept in. “Well, it’s obvious you have some questions, and I can at least offer answers. As much I can give them anyway.” She was starting to sweat while Polly and Sprig looked on eagerly, “And how I got here…I don’t know either.”

The kids visibly sagged while Hop Pop shrugged. “Oh well. We’ll find some answers some way or another. I already got contacts in mind though maybe it’ll help if we learned more about your kind. Just to narrow the search, if ever.”

Now that was an easier topic. Anne relaxed a little while the two youngsters’ eager expressions returned. “Well back home we’re actually called ‘Wolfebornes’ and being able to shift is not that uncommon.” Anne tried summoning all the ramblings from her teachers and textbooks.

Even Marcy had something cool to provide though it was hard to focus when Anne’s saving her from getting eaten by snakes or falling into trashcans.

“Okay so see, we got Normies or regular people. They’re born humans. Wolfebornes though were born, well, wolves. But after some magic nonsense or evolutionary thing – experts on that were still arguing actually – wolves got the chance to walk and think like humans.”

“Huh, why though?” Sprig tilted his head. “I mean, I’m okay being a frog. Never thought to be a toad or a newt.”

“Imagine me being a toad!” Polly grinned. “I’ll get legs and weapons!”

Hop Pop didn’t like the sound of that and subtly ushered Anne to continue, who obeyed. “Well, the popular theory was that it’s to be a balance for nature.” Anne launched into what she hoped was a good enough summary that eventually ended by the time the meals were fully gone.

The moon overhead was full, gazing upon the four seated on the picnic blanket. Anne supplied what other knowledge she believed to be useful, clinging desperately to that hope that Hop Pop’s contacts could find benefit in her information. Before the family and beast knew it though, the topic changed from Anne’s history to the Plantars, and then shifted to jokes and little family anecdotes.

Then Anne raised a question, after processing the day’s events. “So, the Plantars weren’t always farmers?”

“We dabbled in a few other jobs, here and there.” It was Hop Pop who answered as Sprig and Polly also looked questioningly at him. “Yet some way, our ancestors returned to farming. Answering nature’s call –

Anne snickered, and then hurried to stifle it at the look of Hop Pop. “Sorry. It’s a …different meaning back where I’m from.”

- humph. Well, as I was saying, answering nature’s call was one sign they were needed in the farm. A Plantar not in touch with nature was like having a night without the day. Death without life.”

“Huh. So you never had any dreams you wanted to pursue? Dreams not related to farming?”

“Impossible,” Hop Pop scoffed while looking away. A sign that Anne had taken to mean a possible yes.

Sprig raised his hand, answering enthusiastically. “I want to be an adventurer!”

“Be realistic, Sprig.” Polly scoffed, snickering slightly. “Like my dream. I want to overthrow the current political system and redesign it to prioritize and provide quality and accessible education for all!”

“You said realistic!”

“It is!”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

And there the two went again, quarreling and slapping one another back and forth. Anne laughed, while Hop Pop shook his head before packing away. His hands busied themselves before his curiosity got him asking, “What about you, Anne? I’m assuming you got your future figured out?”

Anne paused halfway in picking out the bugs in her dessert. “What? Oh.” Double oh. She wanted to groan too. What were the odds that she was a dimension away from home yet still was asked this question? “Ah, no. Cruising throughout life is more of my jam. It’s easy.” And who care if it’s not ‘right’ Mrs. Murphy! The beast inwardly huffed.

“I don’t know what jam got to do with it, but I think that kinda mindset’s gonna hold you back.”

Anne felt a burning sensation in her chest after those words. “Yeah well, I’m good. Thanks.”

Hop Pop eyed her while the kids continued arguing in the background. “Alrighty then. Suit yourself.” He had to remind himself that Anne wasn’t his grandkid. If his advice wasn’t being listened to, then there was no point wasting his breath. “Anyways, tomorrow we’ll need to be bright and early. Sleep well and – Anne?”

The beast – no, the girl – was panting, clutching her stomach after dropping her unfinished dessert. Sprig and Polly’s quarreling even halted at the sudden whimper out of Anne, with the former immediately leaping to Anne’s side.

“Hey, Anne? What’s wrong?” He looked on, brows knitted at the clenching and unclenching of fists. More importantly, the slowly growing claws. “Anne!”

“Careful boy!”

“I need Doris!”

Sprig ignored his grandfather and sister, gently placing a hand to Anne’s hair as the girl was on her hands and knees at this point. One of Anne’s hands was clutching her stomach, the other gripped her head. “Anne, come on. What hurts?”

It was a tense few moments, with nothing but the groaning and whimpering of Anne filling the space. Hop Pop and Polly stood frozen, not knowing what to do while Sprig grew more worried.

Then Anne looked up, and the frog boy was face-to-face with glowing blue orbs and snarling sharp teeth.

“The trail ends here,” Jacinda pursed her lips, eyeing every nook and cranny of the forest path. Her lantern provided sufficient light but still not entirely able to fully illuminate her surroundings. The guards that were at her side continued to search though it was proving to be more futile.

The emissary sighed. A sound that caused the guards to quake in their boots.

“Disappointing.” She stood, one hand behind her back while frowning. “I have expected better from Newtopia’s finest.”

Then there was the sound of running and Jacinda glared at the guard. She appeared to be one posted in the town itself. “B-Bad news, madame!” she cried upon approach.

“More bad news?” Jacinda groaned. “I’d rather you deliver it at least in a good way.”

Her sarcasm wasn’t detected however as the newt nodded before clearing her throat. She started by chuckling, laughing slightly. “Y-You must know, HAHAHAHA, the townspeople of HAHAHA Bog Bottom and Lilly Paddington are, HAHAHAHA, still angry about the higher tax rates, HAHAHAHA,” the newt banged a fist at a tree, wheezing. “W-Word is HAHAHA they’re planning a rebellion HAHAHAH,” she guffawed, “and now Mayor Toadstool – HAHAHAH – he’s in trouble, and he needs your he-help!” She was full on laughing at this point. “To fix this! BAHAHAHAH”

Throughout this report, Jacinda was looking redder and redder. “Frogs are rebelling?” She gripped the guard by her front uniform. “Where is Toadstool now? And quit laughing!”

That shut the guard up. “Swamp Shire, madame. Taking refuge in one of his estates.”

“So, word hadn’t reached the eastern side of the valley.” Jacinda let go, dropping the newt who plopped face first into the mud. “Keep it that way. Remove the messenger if you must – wait, on second thought.” She whirled, unsheathing her hidden poison-laced dagger, and swinging it at the unsuspecting guard.

A clean swipe to the exposed neck was all the purple newt needed. The rest of the guards sullenly watched their comrade gurgle on green blood, clutching futilely at the exposed wound. Jacinda paid the dying newt no mind, idly taking the cape to wipe at her weapon.

She fixed her guards with a glare. “You two, clean this mess up. You four,” she directed while they took away the corpse, “find me the other messengers. I can at least count on your consistent silence while silencing them, correct?”

They saluted as an answer. Jacinda nodded, finally satisfied and somewhat calm.

“Good. Report back to your posts after your success.” Another salute and they were off to carry out their orders. “Then you,” she addressed the last newt, “send a letter to the Newtopian barracks stationed in each major town. Tell them to tighten security. Enforce curfew. Shadow any suspicious activity. Above all, no word must spread about a frog rebellion.” She returned to her carriage, gritting her teeth.

Jacinda had a letter to pen to Captain Grime.

Chapter Text

Interlude: The Monster and The Human

“Alright, you dogs!” The harsh cry of the new coach produced a mix of reactions that ranged from glares, whimpers, and indifferent looks. “You’re in my class, you hear?! That means drop and shift now!”

A dozen more students groaned but not Sasha Waybright. With a smug grin, she shifted easily into her wolf form. The height provided when she looked like this allowed her to glance down to check on her best friends.

Marcy could easily follow her, able to shift easily too, but well…it was more of hesitation than having no skill. Honestly, Sasha pitied Marcy for being the only wolfeborne in her clan of hunters. At least these Wu descendants stopped the actual hunting part and simply focused on what all their ancestors believed to be more important; proving that the human mind was better than a wolf’s body.

A black wolf chuffed but her body language was screaming uneasiness and fear. Sasha opted it wouldn’t hurt to offer a little nuzzle before she turned back to the other member of her pack.

Anne was a rare case. Sasha didn’t believe it too when she first heard it, but she supposed it was possible for two humans – Normies – to give birth to a wolfeborne too. Though a human first and then wolf? Super rare.

A whimper interrupted Sasha’s musings and her urge to protect increased tenfold before she controlled herself. There wasn’t an enemy around, just Anne being the unfortunate victim of luck. Breathe, Boonchuy. You don’t want to make us look bad, right?

Kinda not the priority while I’m hurting, Sash! Sasha didn’t like her tone, and she growled softly as a warning. It at least reminded Anne who she was dealing with, whimpering a soft sorry of her own before concentrating on shifting again.

They were at least glad Sasha’s bigger frame provided decent cover. Fortunate too since the coach was preoccupied with screaming at the top of her lungs at one indifferent student who refused to shapeshift.

“The law made by the Society of Peace banned shifting, right? Technically this is illegal.” Sasha had to give Vince credit. When he was stoned, his confidence knew no bounds.

The coach, on the other hand, wasn’t impressed. “Incorrect, dog! The law provided a set of safety measures where Wolfebornes can practice and train their mind, body, and soul!” She pointed a meaty hand towards the framed certificate hanging on the wall. “This here’s permit the proof and now, if you’d rather give me lip than shift, I’d like to direct you to the principal’s office. Go!”

Vince shrugged but walked out of the gym, effectively excused via detention.

The coach whirled around, red in the face. “The lot of you! Trust that I know what I’m doing.” It was a surprise to hear her not shouting until it abated immediately when she returned to yelling at the top of her lungs. “Most of you might have been raised as normies, but my students are not! I’ll turn you dogs all into wolves by the time this year ends, or when I get fired!”

Sasha braced herself when Coach Jasper turned her sights on her. The blonde stood tall, tail lazily and slowly flickering behind her while her ears stood firm and at attention.

Coach Jasper huffed, but there was a proud glint in her eye. “As I expected from a Waybright.” Her eyes then narrowed at the cowering black wolf to Sasha’s right. “Really odd to find a Wu wolfeborne though.” Then she blinked before looking back at her list. “And where’s Boonchuy?” She raised a small pink note. The signature of the school nurse was on proud display. “I’ve been informed but I wanted to see for myself what’s all the fuss about.”

Sasha steadied herself, fighting the urge to lunge at the new coach when she went looking for one of her best friends. Luckily Anne came through, moving from under Sasha’s frame to poke her furry head out.

P-present, coach.

“By Yellow’s nose, you are a runt!” There was genuine disbelief tinging the booming voice. Sasha’s ears flicked to adjust to the volume, but a small snort did escape her. “Well, that’s that then,” Coach Jasper continued before she turned back to the center of the gym, shifting into a big white wolf, as natural as her shouting. Pack up, dogs! We’ll start with warmups in five!

Somehow the yelling was worse when it was inside their heads, but the students obeyed with varying states of interest and investment.

Sasha shook her head before glancing down at the small brown wolf. You gonna survive this, Boonchuy?

Anne chuffed in response. Long enough for you to win it as always, Sash. I got four more in me before I run out of shifts.

Marcy sauntered over, lowering her head to be nose-to-nose with Anne. Chin up, Anna-banana! We know you’ll have at least thirty minutes before Human!Anne pops in. Maybe not expel that much energy while Sasha’s girlbossing her way to the new coach’s good graces.

This thing will always go smoother when you’re following my lead, nerds. Sasha had to remind them. You’ll be fine even when you reach your last one, Anne, trust me. If not, Sasha did a couple of stretches, well, you really are full of luck since I’m on your side regardless. Her eyes then found a group that finally managed to look her in the eye. Its pack leader seemingly found the courage to do so, despite the blatant shaking of the red wolf.

Anne noticed her gaze and her ears pinned back against her head. Sash, I don’t want any more confrontation. Leave Maggie alone, you already scared her off anyway.

Marcy piped in. “Sides, you really need to save your energy for this.” She then blinked when Anne prodded her to return to her wolf form. Oops. Force of habit. They all knew it was more force than habit, but they ignored it when the coach yelled to get ready.

Sasha’s body coiled in anticipation. Fine but I can’t promise anything during the trial.

“Begin!”

The toads clashed, struggling to force the other into submission. It was a battle for dominance, with the audience cheering the fighting duo on. There were bets being placed, shirts being waved, and drinks being spilled among this rowdy bunch.

The doors slamming open however immediately silenced the crowd.

“Captain Grime!” Gary squeaked and at this, Braddock and Bog released their tongues to salute at their leader. The other toads tripped over themselves to do the same, but they did more tripping than saluting.

The captain of the south toad tower was growling. His form, menacing with authority and rage, picked up one soldier and threw him towards the tables. The cards collapsed on top of the poor sod, with his comrades slowly helping him up with quiet murmurs.

“You idiots!” It was a greeting and insult rolled into one that echoed throughout the common room. “Which one of you forgot to feed the monster?!”

There was a collective murmur before Fens and Mire exchanged looks and then turned to Bog. Their squad leader gave a discreet shake of his head. They pursed their lips while Captain Grime ranted about irresponsibility. Another look before they decided on a plan when they realized their favorite punching bag moved in front of them. With a grin, Mire and Fens pushed the toad forward.

“Whoa,” the light green toad squeaked, landing at the booted foot of his captain.

Grime glowered. “Of course, I should have expected this incompetence from you Percy.”

“W-Wait a minute sir –

Grime interrupted him, croaking briefly to make himself larger. “Because of your ineptitude, we lost another soldier.”

There was a collective gasp, while Percy stared up in shock. His eyes watered. One of the toads summoned the courage to ask. “Who was it this time, sir?”

“…Brian.” And there was another wave of gasping before they looked down, distraught covering every one of their expressions. Brian was a beloved soldier and a good warrior, not to mention he was also the South Tower’s accountant.

Captain Grime growled, picking Percy up. “We know this monster is dangerous. We know what it is capable of, yet something as simple as feeding it proved to be too difficult a task for the likes of you lot?!” He slapped a hand to his face before gesturing to the doors. “Now everyone, say goodbye to Brian.”

The crowd collectively gave sad goodbyes and waves as Brian the accountant carried his suitcase. “Sorry, guys. But Sasha’s right. I feel like I have more professional opportunities at the North Tower.” He bid farewell to his comrades and then left through the doors.

Captain Grime huffed, before returning his glare to Percy. “Fix this.” He then brought a sack over, pushing it towards the shaking toad, and then addressed the rest. “It can communicate through our minds, we don’t know how often, but we will tame it. Bog!”

Bog smugly stood, ignoring Braddock’s glare, before saluting his superior. “Sir!”

“Once the mountains are gone, you may begin collecting the taxes in Frog Valley. Plan and list down the necessary provisions with your squad” he then unrolled a scroll, tossing it to him, “but Wartwood takes priority. Brian confirmed it before he left, those frogs had the audacity to come up short.”

“Got it. Stop by that little village first.”

“Word came from high up as well. The little frogs are proving too disorderly in their stations. We must prepare to stomp out the sparks of rebellion immediately.” Captain Grime huffed. “I can’t expect you, idiots, to be the ideal soldiers, but the least you can do is assist me in turning this monster to our side.” He paced, muttering under his breath. “Maybe we can use it to scare the frogs into submission.”

He stopped at the table of cards and doodles, slowly raising his head to stare at the assembly line with a frown. The toads in turn gulped at his deafening silence. The captain broke it by flipping the table over.

“Listen to me loud and clear, you maggots!” His voice threatened to shatter the windows of the mess hall while the majority of the toads cowered. “If we succeed, the newts won’t shut our tower down,” he punched the pillar, “the newts won’t think about cutting our coffers out,” another crack appeared where his fist landed, “and the newts won’t relocate you all to Narwhal Lake!”

The pillar broke.

His subordinates whimpered, before gulping deeply and nodding at his words. Grime growled. “Dismissed.” He exited the room. The toads dispersed with Bog’s squad whispering to one another with a small grin as they pointed to the weakest toad of the tower. Bog himself chuckled, mockingly saluting at Braddock before tossing the sack he was carrying at Percy’s face.

She shot the group one more glare before helping Percy up who rubbed at his face. He glanced up in surprise at the hand offered to him. “Come on,” Braddock murmured, “I’ll bring you to Sasha.”

Percy blushed. “T-Thanks Braddock.” He ignored the snickering and usual sneers, managing to keep his head up as they made their way to the double doors. When they exited the common room, the green toad sagged. “…you believe me, right? It wasn’t my turn to feed her.”

“I know. Bog and his gang just skipped and decided to throw you under the barge.” Braddock tucked a stray lock that got out of her bun, fixing it idly. “I got time to kill, anyway. Just finished my garden.”

Percy smiled. “Can’t believe you actually took the leap.” He hugged the sack closer while walking, one hand limp and swinging alongside Braddock’s free one.

Braddock took a brief glance down before forcing herself to look forward. “Life as a soldier is stressful. She may look like a monster, but she does give sound advice.” They reached the stairs to the largest holding cell in the tower and climbed them.

Yeah, good advice. Percy fiddled with the string of the sack before finding the courage to speak. To really speak about what he wanted to do for a long time. Practice sessions with Sasha helped. “I’ll say. But hey, Braddock, if you’re not, you know, busy…” How did Sasha put it? Ripping off a band-aid? He didn’t know what a band-aid was though, but if it was something new and useful maybe the newts invented it. Either way, Percy was starting to sweat, especially at the smiling gaze of the pink toad. “Uhhhh…wanttohearmynewsonglater?!”

Braddock blinked but thanks to Sasha’s lessons, she was fluent enough in Percy-speak to understand the gist of it. When realization and understanding set, she ducked her head briefly. “W-we can hear it once we feed our grumpy friend.” Because darn it, it was too good to be true. He wouldn’t really be into her, right?

Unknowingly, hope bloomed into the green toad’s chest. Percy took a deep breath, reviewing the words said to him like a mantra, before taking the opening. “It’s…it’s a date, then.”

The two were heavily blushing following the proclamation. Their hearts hammered and threatened to burst until Braddock finally nodded to Percy, who sighed in blatant relief.

Their moment however was broken when a third voice offered her thoughts. Honestly, you two are adorable and I mean it as a proud friend, but maybe you can flirt after I had my lunch?

…and earning the top score is Pack Z!”

There was a collective murmur that reached Sasha’s ears; praise, admiration, and jealousy all mixing to fuel the blonde’s pride as she raised her head high.

Coach Jasper was grinning once Sasha led her friends to the front. “The best time I’ve seen in a long time. For the Body Trial, completing the whole course in ten and hunting down all the targets in under fifteen minutes. Overall, this team finished quickly before the rest!”

She flipped the papers on her board. “The Mind Exam after showed the pack to be in tip-top shape and still be capable of rational thought. Capable of even coming up with a sound and feasible strategy to hunt your targets. Perfect marks!”

Sasha huffed. Of course. She and her family personally didn’t like the human form, but they could admit the intelligence and cunning of humans were unparalleled compared to the common beasts.

“The last test, Soul Test, however…”

What? Sasha gaped, alongside the rest of the class. It was rare for a coach to have any criticism, at least regarding Pack Z. Anne and Marcy exchanged glances before looking worriedly at Sasha. The blonde wolf for her part couldn’t help raising her hackles.

Coach Jasper was undeterred, reviewing her notes like she was flipping a magazine. “Yep. This is for sure a B than an A+.”

Gasps and shocked squeaks escaped the students, all a witness to this new and odd development. The first time ever that Pack Z received a grade lower than an A+.

Not even an A- or a simple A.

What?! Sasha snarled. Marcy and Anne jumped in their positions before scrambling to calm down their friend. Two human hands enveloped the blonde wolf.

“Easy, Sash. It’s okay. It’s just a dumb grade.”

“Yeah, it won’t even put a dent on my perfect record with all my extra credits!”

Nuts to that! Sasha wasn’t listening, stalking toward the coach with disbelief clearly written in her eyes.

Coach Jasper, for her part, remained unbothered. “Yes, Waybright?”

…what went wrong?

A brow was raised. “You sure you don’t know?” She gave a lazy flick of her hand around the gym and Sasha narrowed her eyes.

She couldn’t see anything wrong. There was the obstacle course, slowly being torn down by the coach assistants. Not that there was much to be done since Sasha’s team obliterated the enemy and rival cardboards which would only slow them down.  They were even picking up the broken remains of the hunting targets, shaped like prey of all sizes yet all lost vital limbs by the end of the exam. Heck, her classmates who were back in their normie forms were giving her the usual reactions whenever Sasha’s pack accomplished the tests.

Though they were gaping more than seething with jealousy now because this darned new coach gave them a B!

Look, Coach J. Sasha began, turning back to the adult. I don’t know what really went wrong, because usually there’s nothing wrong whenever we finish the Soul Test. If Sasha was perfectly honest, she doubted there ever was one. She saw nothing of the sort that could gauge their ‘soul’ or whatever. Personally, the blonde thought the teachers told the class there was one last test to just keep them occupied for the period.

Coach Jasper stared at her for a long time and then let out a full-bellied laugh.

The sudden change in attitude lessened the stifling tension in the air. The students all remained uneasy regardless while their coach doubled over in laughter.

Sasha glared, growling low in her throat but the hands of her best friends were enough of an anchor to not let it reach a few decibels higher.

When Coach Jasper finished, she was still chuckling a bit before wiping a tear away from her eye. “It’s been a while since I had a laugh like that. Wow.” The remaining mirth was slowly fading yet it threatened to return at the look of the blonde wolf and her worried best friends.

Coach Jasper shook her head, tone tinging with seriousness. “Alright. I’ll give you a crash course on the importance of the Soul Test because apparently, your past coaches didn’t.” She flicked at the wolf’s snout, suddenly and quickly, that Sasha had the instinctual reaction to release a loud snarl, lunging with her maw.

The rest of the class shrieked at the action but more so with the sound. A bloodcurdling kind of noise that they never really heard before. Coach Jasper didn’t break her gaze with Sasha’s though, staring death in the eyes while sharp teeth enclosed her hand.

But there was no blood spilling or limb severing scenario that occurred.

Sasha paused before she could crunch, eyes wide and tail lowering at the realization. She immediately backed away, even shifting back to her human form to stare wide-eyed at the coach. An apology was clogging her throat while Marcy and Anne gave her a hug.

The coach, who simply smiled, raised her hand to the class to show it was intact and unhurt. She then addressed Sasha, a tone so patient and genuine that it caught everyone off-guard. “Like it or not, girl. You are a wolf and a human. The wolf gift was not just given to scare off the humans taking too much from nature, but it was also a way to be a balance for nature.”

She raised her voice to be heard by the others, but her gaze didn’t leave Sasha’s. “You are born a wolf, who can take the form of a human. That means you got the smarts of a human and the strengths of a wolf. But to be a Wolfeborne is finding the balance within yourself to use both aspects - not as a separate thing - but as one.”

Any luck finding a real decent meal around here? The glowing pink eyes of the predator were truly unsettling, but Percy and Braddock managed to push through their unease. Sasha proved to be a nice monster, even becoming a good friend in the weeks she had been here. Even offering amazing advice to those who listened.

Percy shook his head, the jester hat jiggling with the gesture before setting his bowl down from where he was sitting on the floor to face her. The bars were tall and thick, made from steel, and even glued with hornet stingers. “Sorry, Sasha. You know the captain’s orders.”

Ugh. I know. Try to get me to starve so I’ll be forced to obey or whatever. But look, the follower thing isn’t really my style. I’ve been raised my whole life to lead, and that’s not gonna change anytime soon. I’d sooner eat my tail before that happens.

“Still, we have got to make a new plan to get Grime to see you beyond…monster you.” Braddock toyed with her bowl and continued, “You said your kind can shift to another form right? Why don’t you?”

Sasha frowned. An annoyed flick of her ear was the only indication that the words were used poorly. I’m stuck. I don’t know why. I don’t know how. But usually, I’m good at turning back but now, a paw was raised, claws unsheathing but not threatening, I can’t. It sucks.

“Oh.”

“Well…it’s a good thing you can still communicate though.” Percy was ever the one to look at the bright side, never mind when the only light inside the dungeon was through the small gaping hole. He did reach out to offer a consoling pat but misjudged the stingers. He squeaked, but luckily it was a measly prick. Percy brought his hand to his mouth while a small drop of toad blood touched the dirty floor.

Sasha’s nose flared.  

Her snout lowered, following the new and enticing scent that pervaded her senses. She ignored the curious glances shot her way, too preoccupied with finding – there! Her tongue reached out, mere inches of touching the drop –

Then Sasha blinked, gathering herself, before grunting at the horrific realization. Please don’t tell me I nearly licked Percy’s blood off the dirty ground.

Braddock scratched her head, uneasily smiling while Percy gaped at his hand. “Okay, we won’t. But can we tell you it still almost happened?” Braddock joked.

Sasha glared.

“I didn’t know my blood smelled delicious!” Percy seemed more optimistic at this new development. “That’s kind of cool ac – oh, and now I get why it’s also bad.” The toads exchanged looks, a silent conversation occurring in their gazes, yet the blonde wolf understood the gist of it judging by their body language.

Sasha forced her ears to remain upright. She didn’t cower and she would be damned to let her fear show now. I don’t eat toads. Not really part of my daily diet back home.

She wasn’t one for assurances, Anne was the people-pleaser in their pack, yet she knew how to get the upper hand using words when violence wasn’t the first option. There were perks to having a pack that chose to be lawyers and business tycoons as their normie disguise.

I stand by what I said, though. I’m not going to eat you. Any of you. She needed them too much if she had any hope of finding the others, loath was she to admit that possibility. But seeing Anne’s shoe and recognizing the scent on a familiar hairclip, Sasha’s attempts to remain indifferent to the scary facts were slowly failing.

Percy and Braddock gave each other one more wordless glance before they smiled at the blonde wolf, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “We believe you.”

SQUAWK!

The three jumped at the sudden sound, with Sasha’s hackles rising. Her ears swiveled to pinpoint the exact location again, growling lowly when a second squawk pierced the air. Something then started scratching at the wall behind Sasha.

Footsteps increased in movement before Grime opened the door, nearly matching Sasha’s growling as he whisper-shouted his orders. “Kill the torches and assemble the garrison.”

“Sir,” both toads whispered back before setting off to fulfill their orders. Grime was then left alone with Sasha, but the wolf was too busy identifying the enemy’s position. The scratching continued, a sound of a beak faintly meeting stone. Like it was testing something.

Grime watched with idle curiosity once the wolf started barking back. He was prepared to shut her up but then debris came flying, breaking the wall, and sending the captain hurling a few feet away. When he recovered, he grunted at the sight of the birds – Herons! – trying to stab at his captured monster with their beaks.

He wasn’t planning to let another take what rightfully belonged to the South Tower. With a battle cry, he leaped and struck his sword on the conveniently marked x spot on one of the Herons. It screeched when his attack went through before it twisted, planning to take Grime inside its deadly beaks and swinging upwards.

Grime was pulled in the air, while the green heron swooped in to take a bite. “Come on! I’m not afraid of death.” He survived Beatrix’s cooking and his parents’ messy custody battle. Death was a mere blip to all that he went through. He held on to each side, refusing to let the bird close its mouth. “If I’m going down, I am taking you with me!” He knew, for all his bravado, the inevitable would come for him but he was ready to accept it regardless.

But then there was a snarl, and before Grime knew it he was back on the ground, landing on his back and staring up at the monster crushing the blue heron’s right wing with her powerful jaws. The sharp teeth came down, slowly being stained red until Sasha released her target to let out a howl.

Animalistic and bloodcurdling, this sound rattled throughout the tower and beyond. The toads exiting the gateway paused in preparing the catapults and arrows, freezing on the spot when the monstrous noise reached them.

The call of an apex predator.

Sasha’s vision went red when her tongue tasted the pleasant welcome inside her maw. A sweet, sweet welcome in contrast to the gruel she was forced to consume. With a brief lick at her chops, Sasha bared her teeth and stalked toward her delicious prey. Her mind lost every other thought except her quarry and the best strategy to take it down.

Grime wasn’t going to let the monster hog his glory, however. The moment the herons appeared to have sensed their match, they tried to flee. One of them only managed to successfully flap their wings. Therefore, the green one was Grime’s priority.

He picked up the remains of the chains and wrapped them around the bird’s feet as it attempted to escape. “Bring this one down!” Grime yelled at his subordinates, and they snapped back into attention. With a resounding heave, they placed the bolas atop the catapults and angled them at their target. “Fire!” shouted their captain and Fens grinned before hitting the release. The second followed. And then the third.

The first attempt missed, soaring past the heron’s head when it ducked to peck at the blonde wolf. It moved again, feet raising in tandem and thus, letting the second shot miss. The third shot proved to be successful when it wrapped around the heron’s body.

Grime saw the chance and urged the other toads to tie it down now that it couldn’t use its wings. The garrison followed the orders, waving more bolas and then swinging them over to the avian. Mire pulled at one end and in his concentration, he didn’t see the looming head of the heron until it grabbed him. He let out a high-pitched wail, flailing his arms as he was now airborne. 

Bog grunted. Seeing one of his team members incapacitated made him abandon the rope he was tugging. It was unfortunate for Percy however, who squeaked at the sudden pull of the creature now that Bog abandoned him. “Oh, come on!” he groaned, not liking how he would end up being the scapeworm once more if things went south.

Braddock just finished releasing the second to the last of her arrows before spotting Percy’s struggling. The female toad ran over the crumbling battlements, taking a thick line of chain with a hook at the end, before hurling it towards her target.

The Heron squawked when metal pierced flesh, letting out another monstrous screech as it moved to peck at Braddock.

“Hey! Peck on someone your own size!” The jester saw the movement and immediately called the enemy’s attention to him, one hand reaching behind him to bring out a horn.

HONK! HONK!

Grime looked on in disbelief before roaring at the heron too. He may have found these soldiers idiots, but they were his idiots! The noises coming in different directions disoriented the avians before the blue heron shrieked.

Sasha had dismembered its leg.

The big blonde wolf ran as fast as her legs could carry, biting and chomping on any available and convenient surface. The distraction of the toads allowed Sasha to take the opportunity to sink her claws into pliant bird flesh, ripping skin and feathers in the process. Blood spattered across the cobblestone floors of the courtyard.

Some of the soldiers below saw this and cheered at the display of strength while others looked on in fear at the savagery. Grime most of all finally cracked a smile – the first time the Southern toad garrison had ever seen him wear – as he lifted his sword with an emboldened battle cry. 

And the toads mimicked the yell, attacking with more gusto while the birds were flightless and caught off guard.

All the while a young blonde wolf feasted on the meat of the blue heron, taking the opportunity to end its existence with a well-placed bite on the neck. Her glowing pink eyes burned bright with animalistic rage and hunger. And consumed with those feelings, she failed to detect the slight contralto of a familiar howl.

It faded into the wind, unheard.

The bell rang, signaling the dismissal of classes and the freedom of students bored with learning. Sasha was the first to exit the classroom usually, but the blonde continued to pout and sit in her chair as her classmates ran out the door. Marcy and Anne shared a brief glance once they entered the classroom, their own classes were done for the day.

“Yo, Sash, are we still heading to the mall?” It was typically the athletic girl to break the silence, adopting her trademark easygoing smile. Anne then panicked, smile turning into a grimace, as her hands were out to readily catch Marcy, who jumped atop the desk next to Sasha with a grin.

“The Elder’s Amulet is finally out and I need your amazing skills to cut in line.” Inevitably the fall of Marcy Wu made itself known, with Anne groaning before accepting her fate of being a human cushion.

The mention of a mall and Marcy’s nerdy interests typically elicited a response – good or bad – but this time, Sasha merely huffed and turned away. “Not in the mood, girls.”

“Well, we can hang out in Anne’s place then.” Marcy volunteered, sitting up.

Anne lightly ruffled her hair. “Gotta ask the rents first, but I think they won’t mind.” She turned, smiling awkwardly. “If that’s cool with you, Sash.”

“Whatever.”

The silent treatment was truly unnerving. Sasha Anastasia Waybright was not a meek person let alone one who had nothing to say. The two worriedly glanced at the scratch marks on her desk and shared another glance.

Then they nodded, before Anne scooted closer. “Okay, time for a game of tag.”

At Anne’s sudden announcement, Sasha wanted to snarl out a ‘leave me alone’ but a quick swipe of a hand silenced it. Her hair fell out of its ponytail. “Boonchuy!” Her growl fell on deaf ears as Anne giggled, before running away and holding out Sasha’s scrunchie in the air.

“Oooh, are you gonna take that, Sash?” Marcy goaded, adding fuel to the metaphorical fire that was Sasha’s competitiveness and drive to win.

In a blink, Sasha shifted into her wolf form. She didn’t care if trouble awaited this action, the only thing she was focused on was taking control and showing them who was boss. Her senses sharpened as she bolted after the Thai-American girl, eyes tracking the movement of the athlete and legs matching the stride.

“Oh crud!” Sasha grinned at Anne’s shriek, gaining on her best friend fast. Marcy giggling and laughing behind her fueled the adrenaline pumping through her veins.

“You’re so gonna get it now, Anna-banana!”

“Why did I agree to this again?!”

Less talking, more running, prey. Sasha was laughing as she said this, leaping from locker to locker and leaving scratch marks while she hunted. Anne nearly tripped when she took a turn, smacking briefly onto a sign board before recovering and heading to the gym that was now abandoned.

Marcy was also in pursuit, occasionally tripping when she accidentally shifted back into her human form, but still managed to catch up with a giggle. Careful Sashy, there’s another predator prowling about.

Sasha scoffed. Sure there is, Banewolfe. This only made Marcy laugh harder, taking the jab in stride but she did pick up her speed. It was something that Sasha noticed and that immediately caused her to growl out in warning. My prey. Not yours.

And with those words, Sasha dashed past the bleachers. Her powerful hind legs allowed her to take a leap before she landed with a dull thud and turned so that she was now blocking the exit.

The prey was caught, with Anne smacking straight into Sasha and getting a mouthful of fur. The hunt ended with, to no surprise to the three, Sasha Waybright once more winning their game.

“Bleh! Every time,” Anne groaned yet a tired grin still reached her lips.

“Nice one!” Marcy congratulated, though she failed to read the sign that cautioned to watch one’s step. It was the end of the school day, however and the janitors were known to be very good at their job.

And that was by waxing the floors thoroughly. Anne winced while Sasha boredly watched the inevitable happen. Marcy finally skidded to a halt, shifting partway into her tumble until her human face met freshly waxed floor.

“Ow.”

Sasha huffed. Beat you nerds. Again. She took on a look of immense satisfaction when she shifted back into her own human form, snatching up her scrunchie from Anne who was now on the floor parallel to Marcy and panting from exhaustion. “Honestly, that was too easy. The easiest on record.” Her smile took on a genuine note, before she was pulling the girls up by the scruff of their shirts. They were limp as they slid on the floor, like a pair of potato sacks being hauled. “Now come on, losers at least deserve ice cream. My treat.”

“Cool!”

“I can’t feel my legs.”

Sasha huffed to herself amidst their remarks, deploring how she belatedly realized her smile took hours to leave her face.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: The Beast and The Community (Part II)

“Hey, Anne.” Sprig approached the slumped form of his best friend once he entered the barn. It had been weeks since the night of their picnic dinner. Since…things took a different turn than what he expected it would be. Instead of him and Anne possibly going on adventurers or planning to win Wartwood’s trust, he was now left helplessly watching the Wolfeborne stay in the same spot almost every day. “I’ve brought you chocopede pancakes.”

No answer.

Sprig frowned but seated himself as close to Anne as possible. The darned bars were in the way.  “I’ll say it again like I had been doing for the past weeks. You weren’t in control.” He dared reach out but as if sensing his touch, Anne leaned further away and tucked into her blanket. A blanket that was mostly shredded.

The frog boy sighed and pushed the tray forward. Loggle had managed to fashion a cage in a short amount of time. Since…Sprig went unconscious.

Imagine his surprise to find it housing his new best friend once he woke up two days after.

He glared at the bandages wrapped around his torso. The pain was barely registered throughout his family’s worried faces. The fact that he found no trace of his best friend after leaping out of the Sundews’ guest room told him enough.

Anne’s voice broke through his musings. “I…almost hurt you. And your family. I honestly don’t know why you’re still bothering to talk to me at all.”

He should be happy to hear that she was still responding at least but he wanted her to change that kind of thinking. “Because you’re my best friend!” He answered readily. Without doubt. Sprig tried wracking his brain for another reason. “Friends accidentally hurt each other, right?” He and Polly did when their roughhousing escalated due to flaring tempers. “But you didn’t mean it.”

“Friends don’t give friends scars!” Anne snapped, lunging forward as much as the chains connected to her would allow.

Sprig didn’t even flinch. “Again, you didn’t mean to.” He pointed at his right hand, also wrapped with clean strips of cloth. “Unless you meant for this –

“No! Never!” And his heart broke at Anne’s frail note. Like she was begging him to believe her even though Sprig wholly was on Anne’s side. That she didn’t mean for it to happen. “That’s not me. I don’t know – I don’t know why I lost control that night.”

“So, we figure it out together,” Sprig assured her. He wanted to help and unlocking this mystery would also be another great adventure and bonding activity with his best friend. He just needed to help her convince herself that she was not at fault. “You know I’ve promised to help you and that’s what I'm gonna do.” He glared at the lock. “I can even take Hop Pop’s key –

Anne growled. “I asked him to do this, Sprig.”

His hands paused from where they attempted to try picking the lock. “…what?”

“While you were recovering, while Felicia was patching you up. I told him to lock me up.”

That was a lot to process. The frog boy hid his clenching fists behind his back, fighting down the anger. “…you could have run away,” he settled to say as Sprig frowned. “Why stay?”

“I’m scared I’ll lose control again. What if I attack a traveler or another town?” The fact she was worried about that simply proved Anne wasn’t a monster. Sprig wanted to scream at this point while Anne knitted her brows, still lost in her memory.

Was she even sleeping? Sprig hoped her kind showed a lack of sleep differently than a frog’s because the bags under her eyes were concerning. “You won’t.”

Anne didn’t believe him. Again. She shook her head. “No. Until I can get back home, I’m dangerous. At least Hop Pop’s capable of stopping me.”

“You stopped yourself.” Sprig was angry at this point. Raging anger coursed through his veins. “I really want you to believe me when I say that I trust you. You will never hurt me – or anyone – on purpose. You hear me?”

“…whatever helps you sleep at night.” Anne returned to facing the back wall, curling into a ball. “Do yourself a favor, buddy. Just, forget about me.”

Sprig clenched his fists, finally standing up. “I’m not giving up on you. Ever.” He then hopped away, back to his house. A quick few bursts of breath did not quell his annoyance. He did not even bother knocking once he entered Hop Pop’s room.

“Sprig?” The elder frog squinted, wearing his glasses and clutching a heavy stack of papers.

“How could you?” The pink frog was furious. “It’s been weeks, and all this time you didn’t tell me it was Anne who wanted to lock herself up?”

Hop Pop pursed his lips but continued calculating taxes. “I’d rather she leave but this works too.” The callousness was shocking, so much in fact that Sprig had to brace himself against the door.

Sprig understood Hop Pop was the paranoid sort, but he wouldn’t really believe –

The frog boy groaned. “You know it wasn’t her fault!”

“Sprig, use your gentle voice inside the house.” Hop Pop saw his expression and set aside his quill. “And fault or no fault, it doesn’t change the fact that she hurt you.” He frowned, staring at the bandages. “Sprig, I almost lost you.”

“And I almost lost Anne!”

Hop Pop rolled his eyes, talking before his mind processed his words. “We’ll get you a new pet –

CRASH!

The sound echoed inside the study. Hop Pop looked on, eyes wide and stance frozen as his grandson broke a vase. A vase that a young pink polliwog made for his grandfather’s sixtieth birthday.

Now it was gone, laying on the floor in little pieces.

Sprig, who was no longer that polliwog, glared. “She’s a person, Hop Pop. How dare you think – that I’m just – 

“Sprig, I- I didn’t mean it like that.”

The frog boy wouldn’t listen. “Talk to me when you finally see her as just a lost and scared girl.” He left, not looking back while stomping toward the door. The paintings rattled while Hop Pop pressed a hand to his face, ashamed.

Neither saw the purple polliwog listening by the staircase.

Hop Pop continued to stare at the shattered remains of the vase, taxes forgotten. He knew he should have taken that break hours ago, now he had gone and misplaced his frustration. The Plantar head sighed, before picking himself back up and then cleaning up the mess. He’ll fix that later. Right now, he needed to repair his relationship with his grandson.

But he needed to do some thinking first. Deep, deep thinking. His gaze found the barn outside and steeled his nerves. He gathered the papers, arranging and hiding them inside his drawers. The elder frog frowned at the red bold letters before shaking his head. This needed priority. Hop Pop exited his study, glancing up. He debated checking on his granddaughter but usually at this time she was taking her nap. He hopped their arguing didn’t wake her yet there was no yelling to be quiet from Polly’s room. It was safe then.

He left the house, watching his crops in the early morning. Hop Pop greeted them each as he passed them. The elder Plantar gave Bessie a small pat on the shell, thanking her for guarding. Even it was unnecessary. Once approaching the makeshift cage, he knocked lightly at the bars. Hop Pop sighed, rubbing his head. “I reckon you heard that. Everything, rather.”

“…I wish I didn’t.” Anne’s eyes were puffy at this point. “I’m sorry I’m breaking your family.”

“No, Anne. I’m sorry.” Hop Pop continued as the girl gave him a bewildered look. “I thought I can be alright with this or adjust, but the truth is I’m just not ready to accept you.” He found Anne’s gaze, tearing up. “Because it would mean that I have to not only protect Sprig and Polly in this world but also accept the possibility of other worlds and the dangers that could cross over.”

“…what?”

“Amphibia’s already a dangerous enough place, Anne.” He massaged lightly at his knees with one hand, the other unconsciously holding a ghost of a cane but that too was lost during that…night. “And I’m old. I don’t know how many years I got left but I promised their parents I’d dedicate the rest of my days to protecting them. I thought I could, yet you’re a reminder that I can’t.”

Anne pursed her lips but found herself lightly chuckling. A sound that surprised them both. “This… is honestly a horrible apology.”

Hop Pop gave a teary chuckle. “I know. I’m horrible at that too. Sorry. Too much pride and… yeah.” He took out his key and while Anne immediately moved away before he could unlock her chains, he simply tossed it near her. It landed next to the uneaten tray of food. “But beyond that pride, I know when I made and am still making a big mistake.” He shoved his hands inside his pockets yet did not break his gaze with Anne’s. “I got a lot to do to earn your forgiveness, but I will try. For real this time.”

“And I want to trust you. All of you.” Anne immediately spoke, surprising Hop Pop this time. “I guess we both got some reflecting to do, and being here…well, that’s all that I can do. Been doing.” She sighed, rubbing her head. “Look. I know I said I didn’t know how I got here. But I do. Or well, got some idea.” She stared at him, a thing that had been silently unnerving him but this time, Hop Pop didn’t feel like he was being stared down by a predator. “Judge me again if you have all the cards, alright? I want to let you know everything. I’m sorry for keeping it a secret.”

Hop Pop blinked before he softened his look. “That can come later. Right now, why don’t you focus on forgiving yourself? Even if there’s nothing really to forgive.” He found the well-cared yet uneaten meal and the multitude of toys and pillows, pointing at it.

Anne followed his finger and lightly chuckled. A wet and exhausted laugh. “He doesn’t know when to quit. Honestly, he’s almost making me believe him.”

“Something you gotta learn by now regarding Sprig, Anne.” Hop Pop’s eyes watered. “When he loves, he loves with his whole heart. No matter what.”

Anne watched him take out a pocket watch. More surprisingly, in a seeming act of trust, Hop Pop gave it to her to hold and for safekeeping.  

“Just like his father, my dear son Anthony.”

Sprig kicked a pebble, muttering under his breath the whole way. The trail path deep into the forest usually calmed him down after a nasty fight with his family but today appeared to be a bad day even for it. “I don’t get it!” He sat on a log, staring idly at his reflection on a pond. “Why’s he gotta be stuck in his ways? He doesn’t know everything, no matter how much he tries to make us think that he does.”

He toyed with his father’s scarf, playing with the old accessory. It was one of the last things he managed to hold onto… before that day that changed Wartwood.

The frog boy shook his head. “Why doesn’t he trust me? Is it because I’m not…I’m not dad? Is that why?” Sprig glanced skyward, finding the sun overhead. “Mom’s always been smart. Maybe if she was here, she’ll have an answer for me. Or help me find it.”

The trees danced to the soundless tune of a cold breeze that passed by. He shivered at the chill but if the frog boy closed his eyes maybe he could hear a sign.

“Mom, Dad, wherever you two are…can you help Anne get back home?” The wind was silent, giving no answer. “She doesn’t…no one deserves to be separated from the ones they love.” Tears gathered in his eyes, dropping onto the pond. “It’s just not fair.”

He took off his cap, hugging it to his chest with nature’s music simply providing companionable silence.

Then the brush rustled, startling Sprig. The sound got his senses on high alert. Putting his cap back on and taking out his slingshot, he waited with bated breath until his eyes met –

A small purple creature with one eye.  

“AHHHHHHH!” Sprig fell on his butt, while the purple ball squeaked and then ran.

Sprig panted, before shaking his head and pursuing the creature. “Hey, wait! I’m sorry I scared you!” He leaped from tree to tree, using his cling pads to get a good enough grip. “Come back – whoa!”

He missed, falling onto the ground with a dull thud and scattering leaves. Sprig gave a quick shake of his head, feeling dizzy but refocused. At the end of what seemed to be a long chase, the frog boy finally found the purple thing. It was shivering.

Sprig furrowed his brows, gently approaching. “Hey, you okay?” A small squeak was his response and Sprig had to stifle a small chuckle at himself. He didn’t know why he was suddenly meeting new creatures lately, but he didn’t mind. He was happy to help and would have said as much if it weren’t for the clacking of steel boots.

Sprig froze, hiding alongside his new friend by ducking down. He waited before peaking when the footsteps abated. His brows were raised. There were more guards than usual in the forest and judging by the design on their armor – and the well-enunciated bad words they were spouting – they were from the Newtopian military sort too.

Jacinda’s specifically. He frowned. For as long as he could remember, Jacinda arrived at Wartwood ever since word – Wally – spread that there was a Mossman lurking about years ago. Sprig never thought nobles were also interested in legends. Then Hop Pop explained the real reason for the interest. That they were simply trophies or status symbols. The rarer the better, he had said. Sprig didn’t like the idea of these creatures being hunted just for that reason.

More so, he didn’t like Jacinda. Period. There was simply something off with the noble and he wasn’t entirely sold on the ‘retired’ story too.

Something shuffled closer to him and Sprig glanced down to find the purple ball shivering against his vest. He glanced at it and then at the soldiers. Were they… looking for this one?

He moved quietly, lifting himself using his fingers and slowly backing away. At a June bug’s pace.

“What are you doing?” Ivy whispered, appearing out of the bushes, and following his lead.

“Moving silently,” Sprig whispered back, belatedly realizing the sudden arrival. Then he blinked and would have squeaked out and given away his position too until Ivy slapped a hand to his mouth. He gave a warbled response as they successfully backed away.

Ivy removed her hand and Sprig repeated his question.

“What are you doing here?”

The yellow frog gave a lazy smirk. “Honestly? Messing with the guards.” They returned to the pond where Sprig originally sat. “They’re too snooty. Someone had to keep them humble.” She tilted her head. “How about you? Never pegged you as the kind to snoop on them.”

“I wasn’t snooping,” Sprig gave a small chuckle, “I was actually helping – hey, where’d they go?” When Sprig checked his vest, he found no sign of a purple one-eyed creature.

Ivy smiled while he spun around before furrowing her brows. “Whoa, wait. Sprig, your hand.”

“Huh?” He glanced down and saw the bandage was unraveled. “Yikes. Got carried away there.” Sprig gave a sheepish smile. “I don’t suppose your mom can help me the eighth time?”

Ivy laughed. “If you can catch her in a good mood today, sure. But I doubt that. The tea shop’s been filled with customers lately. I just had to sneak out to catch a break….and get my revenge on some rude newts.” She grinned. “The customers aren’t always right, you know?”

“If you say so,” Sprig chuckled. “Still, I gotta get this hand checked. Again.”

“What happened anyway? Mom wouldn’t tell me. Something about favors and secrecy, blah blah. I wasn’t able to eavesdrop the usual route too because well,” here she rubbed at her head sheepishly, looking away as if ashamed. “Your friend is really scary, so I admit I hid more than listened in.”

Sprig frowned. “Anne’s good. I don’t know why people can’t see that.”

“I get it. You have a good heart Sprig but think about it for a second,” Ivy explained, tilting her head. “Most of us folks don’t have a good history with, well, nature’s predators.” She made a gesture, taking her hands and stretching it upward. “Yet at least in that aspect, some got to record every encounter. How to avoid them or fight them, so and so, but Anne’s literally just a newly discovered species.” 

“Yeah but…” Sprig sighed. “I got overeager again, didn’t I?”

“Just a tad,” Ivy pinched her fingers together, “still, that’s the Sprig Plantar specialty. I can admire that about you. Being brave and befriending a strange creature. Choosing compassion instead of fear or ambition. You have a good heart on you, Sprig, really.” While she was talking she was idly redoing the bandage. Sprig belatedly realized that. “You get so focused, and nothing can stop you when you have something in mind.” Ivy smiled slightly. “Remember how you spilled bog-grog on Mrs. Croaker’s carpet?”

“I’m sure she’s hated me for life since you helped me hide and I avoided apologizing.”  

“For sure,” Ivy took a spare clean cloth, “but after you realized how wrong that was, you’ve done all you can to win back her approval until your grandpa had to intervene.”

Sprig smiled. “Getting chocopedes to learn how to be singing telegrams was no easy feat!”

“And it was over the top,” Ivy nodded, matching his grin. “Still, in the end, you found out that a simple apology was all Mrs. Croaker wanted.”

“…I think I’m getting what you’re saying.” Sprig looked at his hand, newly wrapped. “Thanks. For this and helping me with those chocopedes. Sorry I didn’t thank you back then.”

“No worries, I had fun.” She casually slugged him on the shoulder. “There’s never a dull moment with you,” Ivy blushed. Sprig rubbed at his arm, also blushing before the Sundew girl changed the subject. “Anyways, something else is bothering you. Right?”

“How can you tell?”

“You’re not with Anne. I’ve been stopping by your house to ask if you could spar a bit, but Hop Pop said you’re busy hanging out with her.”

Another thing that his grandfather didn’t tell him. Sprig didn’t like all these secrets. He frowned. “There was an incident. Which led to this.”

“…what?”

Sprig told her but emphasized that not once had the thought of Anne doing it on purpose crossed his mind. When Ivy said nothing, only patiently listening, he relaxed and told her the rest of his story.

Of his fight with his grandfather.

And at the end of his tale, he sighed. Talking about it got him reflecting on past events and taking in what Ivy said earlier, about him possibly being too eager, well…he knew Hop Pop was not entirely to be blamed.

“This sounds like it’s really been bothering you, Sprig. I’m glad you told me,” Ivy frowned.

He knew what would be coming after that sentence. “But you want me to forgive him,” Sprig sighed until he flinched at the shoulder punch. “Ow!”

Ivy giggled. “No, dummy. I wasn’t going to say that. By all means, don’t forgive him, or do. Whatever. At the end of the day, it’s your call.” She leaned back into the log. “I’m just here if you need someone to listen or a distraction. You know, ambush, games, or anything so long as you’re able to act like a kid and all. You’re too mature for my taste, but eh,” she ended it with a small blush.

One that was matched by Sprig once he processed those words. “Oh, I’m – I’m not that mature. Still childish, according to Hop Pop.”

“Well, I think that part is up for debate.” Ivy adjusted her cap, fidgeting with it. “But anyway, hoping I helped? Really sucks though that’s all I can do. My mom still needs me to work the whole day to prepare for Hiber Day tomorrow.” She ended with a roll of her eyes.

Yet a firefly approached Sprig’s head, hovering as a brilliant idea formed once more. “Wait a minute, Ivy you’re a genius!” He then started hopping, smiling, and gesturing with his hands. “Come with me!”

Ivy smiled, giggling before following the excited Plantar boy.

Anne was no stranger to listening to other people talking. Growing up, she was interested in learning about other people’s stories. Though even then, it depended on the storyteller. She tried to stay awake in between her dad’s game theories, her mother’s well-intentioned prodding of a career track, heck even her grandma’s mutterings of her food recipe’s origins. Gossip was at the top of her interests, usually, but hearing Hop Pop’s nostalgic retellings were on another level.

And she concluded that Anthony and Jessie Plantars were very cool people.

Anne smiled as she listened to the time they attempted to bake a cake for Hop Pop’s birthday, but it ended up almost eating them. Or that time they went on a family fishing trip and thought they saw a sod skink, so they cooked up a complicated plan to catch it, but it turned out it was actually a piece of driftwood, wasting the day making nets and bait yet still laughing about it. There were wholesome moments too where they told stories and provide comfort on a stormy night. Polly and Sprig woke up due to the thunder but were readily welcomed inside the living room pillow fort already assembled.

Little by little, Anne was getting a picture that despite the trials and challenges life threw at this family, their foundation was still built on love. Anne gave a small smile, finding it similar to her own but she knew she needed to stop those thoughts before she started bawling again. Though her nose started to twitch.

She rubbed at it idly, but then blinked when it continued. Anne glanced up, knowing she had no dust allergies so why – “Oh my gosh!” The moment the girl brought her gaze back down, she was staring at the block of ice standing outside her cage. “Hop Pop?!”

The elder frog said nothing, mouth still open mid-tale. Anne stood, waving a hand in front of his face. There was no answer.

She glanced down at the key. Thoughts in a conflict beyond measure but concern overruled all else. Because if Hop Pop was in this state, then most likely Polly and Sprig were too.  With a deep breath, Anne took the leap.

The cage opened with a soft whine and then Anne approached the frozen frog. “Dude? Hey? Is this…gosh, what did they call this again?” She knew she should have paid attention to Mrs. Berg’s science class. Gosh. Something about being high and a nation? Anne groaned but whatever it was called, she needed a plan on what to do next. She glanced outside the window, taking in the coating of white that suddenly arrived.

Her steps led her outside, one shoe and a sock foot at a time. Anne entered the house, scanning her surroundings and was glad to find Polly was accounted for in the living room. She furrowed her brows, wondering why she was also reading a thick tome, but she supposed young frog children had different interests these days.

She descended to the basement, finding her bag and a change of clothes. Anne rummaged through her belongings until a pocket mirror fell out and opened. The Thai-American girl glanced at her reflection before frowning and looking away.

“I don’t need my other form for this.” Her eyes found one of her textbooks and opened it to the appendix. “Hibernation! That’s the word I was looking for.” She then frowned as Marcy’s sticky note fell out. Right, she remembered they were due to present their group report project. About how wolves did not need to hibernate nor migrate, being able to easily adapt to the change in their surroundings and mark their territories, yada yada.

She blew a raspberry, pocketing the note.

Anne then sighed, shifting from one foot to another. “You got this,” she put on her mittens, “it’s like Christmas back home, but without the gifts and food. And the traditions with my family. Yep.” She shook her head. “You got this.” Doing a good enough job to convince herself, she left the basement and returned to the barn. She first took Hop Pop, bringing him safely inside the house.

With that taken care of she dusted her hands, pursing her lips. “Now to find Sprig.” It would be challenging without her tracking nose – No! She got this. Anne settled glancing down at the ground. Usually, those normie survival shows followed foot tracks but well, that wasn’t an option once she saw the blanket of snow covering for miles. She rubbed her head, wondering where he could possibly be.

“Squeak!”

Anne jumped. “What the - ?” There was a purple one-eyed creature standing by the end of the farm path. It didn’t seem cold too. “…I think I finally snapped.”

“Squeak, squeak!” It then made a small circle before running away.

That made Anne curious. She followed the small creature but stopped immediately when she seemed to sense… danger. Her eyes scanned the expansive white fields yet found no trace of other predators. So far at least. Anne placed her hands in her pockets, thinking. How would she protect the place and make sure none would trespass? She could maybe build a fence, but time wasn’t really on her side. 

Unless Anne marked the property as her territory.

Grimacing and glancing skyward, Anne glared at the floating specks of snow as if they were to be blamed for her situation. And for what she was about to do. She turned this way and that, finding privacy, before sighing deeply and lifting a leg.

Nature called and it was laughing at the girl. 

“You saw nothing,” Anne told the creature once the deed had been done and she was running alongside the strange one-eyed purple thing. “Got it? Nothing.”

“Squeak.” It jumped and hopped, spinning sometimes in place before running once more. Anne had no idea if it was leading her to Sprig but something in her gut told her to do so. Her eyes scanned the trees and scattering of prey, lingering a bit too much on the former before shaking her head to concentrate. She hadn’t eaten much earlier and she was starting to regret it now, but Sprig was the priority.

Anne wouldn’t forgive herself if something happened to him. She knew the rest of the Plantars wouldn’t too. The human girl leaped from log to bush. The creature stopped in front of a cave. Anne blinked. The feeling of danger returned.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Squeak! Squeak!” It even had the audacity to kick at her shoe before running inside.

“Hey!” Offended, Anne ran after her new companion and then froze once she reached the deeper end of the cave. A lot of the frogs from town were here. And bones. Anne shuddered as she walked by each frog and corpses of small prey, looking for Sprig while counting the ice cubes.

Hop Pop had said there were eighty-eight in Wartwood? She had a total of thirty in here. Anne bit her lip but then sighed in relief at the sight of her target. He also seemed to be holding hands with another frog.

Anne made a mental note of that before taking him and the mysterious frog girl in her arms. She was fortunate they were lighter. “Up you go,” She placed them on her back and then prepared to leave.

“Squeak!” The purple thing stood at the entrance. If it was possible, it seemed it was also glaring.

Anne frowned. “What?” It continued to squeak, increasing in pitch as it encircled the other ice cubes. “Do you expect me to save all of them?”

“Squeak.”

“Well, squeak you,” Anne huffed, “but it’s easier said than done. I got only two hands here.”

“Squeak!”

Guilt settled surprisingly at the admonishing tone. She rolled her eyes but did set down the frogs in her grasp. “Fine. Darn convincing purple thing serving as my conscience and darn my incessant need for approval. If my nose started growing long whenever I lie though, I’m going after you next.” The threat was empty as was her stomach, which rumbled after that statement. “You better hope you don’t taste delicious.”

She grunted, looking for something she could use to bring thirty blocks of frozen frogs back to Wartwood. Nothing but ice though.

“Squeak!” Anne turned around and came face to face with some moss and vines. She glanced down at the creature, looking entirely too pleased with itself.

“Well, that can work.” Anne approached the moss and vines, taking them into her mittens. The length of these could be good rope. She pursed her lips and then exited the cave, returning with some bark. “Now time to put those woodworking skills to good use.”

And to good use they were. By noon, Anne had a big enough sled to hold the frogs. It hoped it was sturdy enough too, but she was really out of options and fuel. Her stomach grumbled again but she pushed through, piling up the amphibians and pushing them out of the cave.

“Lead the way, Fuzzball.” She named the thing in the end because darn it, it was still cute!

Though cute didn’t mean good it seemed, as it burrowed under the snow after her request.

“Hey!” She dropped to her knees, peeking into the hole. “You’re just going to leave?”

No answer. Anne groaned. She was so going to eat that thing the next time they’d meet. For now, there was a mission to be accomplished and spite was a good enough motivation in the end. She ranted the whole time at the betrayal and her situation though when she did arrive in town, the sounds of her voice alerted a white weasel.

A white giant weasel took one look at her sled and the ice cubes with its beady red eyes and then screeched.

“Seriously?!” Anne furrowed her brows. It was another problem to be solved but this time she had no squeaking purple thing as a backup. Anne ducked out of the way as the weasel burrowed under the snow, movements agile and quick as it resurfaced from where she stood.

Anne’s back met the snowy ground as the predator hissed, slowly pulling the sled away too. Anne glared, grabbing onto one end and tugged. The sled slid towards her, yet she misjudged her own strength. It smacked against her until she and the frogs were sliding down a small hill. The weasel burrowed after her.

Anne climbed atop it, seeing the rest of the frogs scattered about in town. Anne didn’t know how to protect them, but she grew determined as the weasel’s attention seemed focused on her.

Possibly thinking she was a meatier and easier prey.

“You’re gonna have to try harder than that to get me then!” Competitiveness bloomed in her chest and her eyes briefly glowed blue, with Anne reaching a foot out to make a turn. With every ice cube she passed, she picked them up and repeated the process until she was sure she got them all. All eighty-seven of them? Anne furrowed her brows, wondering where was the last one. The burrowing predator was still in hot pursuit.

Anne needed a place to dump these frogs. She searched, squinting past the breeze and snow trying to buffet her vision until she found the town hall. “Gonna have to borrow that then.” She jumped off, letting the sled continue to slide towards the large double doors. At least they were safer inside.

Anne groaned once she faceplanted but sat back up with a cheer of that accomplishment.

Then pop went the weasel, resurfacing with a cry and throwing snow in the air as it screeched. Anne roared back. Her eyes looked around before taking a signboard nearby and swinging it at the mammal.

The attack was not effective. Anne went flying towards one of the market stands and then groaned at her landing. She shook her head, dizzy and hungry until she spotted some fruits on the ground. “I’ll pay for that later.” Anne yanked an apple and spun her body out of the way of sharp teeth. She took a bite and felt a bit of energy return. Anne threw the core at the animal’s eye, grinning when it was a direct hit.

It screeched, rubbing at its face and giving Anne time to recover. She panted, breath coming out in puffs. “Gotta find its weakness.”

“Squeak!” The sound was familiar, and Anne turned before glaring at Fuzzball.

“Oh, now you show up!” The girl then spotted a building conveniently marked ‘Ye Olde Weapons Shed’ and gave it an unimpressed look. “I’m still mad at you but this will do.”

Fuzzball entered through the crack. Anne scrambled to follow while the enemy was occupied.

Surprisingly it wasn’t locked despite the keep-out sign, and she knitted her brows at that. Opening the door, she squinted into the darkness before fiddling with the wall. Her hand grazed something and then the room was illuminated in a blue glow.

She sniffed. “Costmary?” she guessed but she would recognize that scent in her parents’ kitchen. A strong minty type of scent, one she accidentally opened a jar of when she was playing around with Marcy and Sasha. The smell was so pungent her friends had avoided Thai Go for a week. To Anne, it was not that different than the other herbs her parents used. “Why would someone plant these in a storage shed?”

There was no sign of Fuzzball and Anne sighed before accepting that she was abandoned again. She crossed the counter, supposing she could take a sword or a bow. A whimper sounded from behind the shelf. Anne tilted her head and pulled, curious to a fault. The whimpering grew louder until she managed to pull the shelf all the way back. She was surprised to find the source was a tarp covering a box-shaped thing.

Pulling it off, Anne gasped. There were pink weasels inside the cage. “What the – how did you get here?”

She knelt, finding a way to unlock it. Anne looked around the small room and then grimaced. Because atop a table of some sort was an altar with a painting of a dark evening sky with thirteen eyes looking down upon anyone who gazed at it.

“Creepy abstract paintings,” Anne muttered, fighting down a shiver before standing up and taking away the cage. She put the shelf back into place. “I’ll never understand art.” Anne then took a rusted blade, smacking it repeatedly against the lock, hoping it will weaken it.

Fuzzball popped back in, staring intently at the human girl.

“Is there anything useful you can do? Magic or whatever?” Anne snarked, but was also a little bit unnerved at the unflinching gaze. Then the creature blinked once, and the lock opened. “…huh.”

Fuzzball said nothing, leaving the room and out the small hole. Anne didn’t bother to follow.

“I’ll see you when I see you, I guess.” With that farewell, Anne carried the baby weasels out of the cage. They whimpered and snuffled but surprisingly settled against the crook of her arms. Anne took the tarp and made a makeshift nest. Then she returned outside, taking a moment to blink past the light.

Then a roar sounded from the square. Anne held a sword on one hand and the babies in the other before she followed the source, arriving just in time to find the parent bringing the frogs outside. At Anne’s entrance, it twisted to face her and screeched upon spotting its young.  

Anne gripped the weapon tight, taking a firm stance against the hissing weasel while hovering the blade over the sleeping babies. “Move away from the frogs.” She didn’t know if it could understand her, but she was so far out of options.

The weasel hissed yet surprisingly abandoned its prey, approaching cautiously.

Anne grinned though she had no idea if she could go through with the next part. Sasha’s way always involved getting the upper hand and one strategy was demoralizing the enemy if there was an opportunity. Her eyes scanned briefly to the resting kits and then back to the parent who almost looked…concerned.

Her hand shook before she readjusted her grip. Anne knew what she had to do then.

“Leave this town alone,” she was backing away, trying to lead it out of Wartwood and towards the farm. If she wasn’t mauled after this next part, then she counted that as a win and reminder to never do it again. “I got something else you can chew on!”

She ran, carrying the nest and trying not to jostle them. There was hissing behind her, and she truly was lucky her parents enrolled her in track and tennis.

“Hi, Bessie! Bye, Bessie!” she greeted the snail when she entered the barn, before finding the meal she hadn’t touched. She supposed the bugs that landed on it were good enough toppings for the parent roaring outside. Anne abandoned the sword.

With the nest in one hand and the meal in the other, Anne faced the other predator standing just the outskirt of the farm. Her territory was acknowledged, thankfully. The girl stood before the weasel, glaring at its beady red eyes.

“Take it and go,” She glared, baring her teeth while placing the nest and food down and pushing them towards the parent. Anne backed away, letting fate decide what would happen next.

The weasel sniffed the air as it approached before snuffling at the offerings. With a chuff, it hacked out a hairball.

Anne scrunched her nose. “Gross.”

Then the parent took the basket of food and its children, carrying both away and back to their home.

Anne let out a sigh of relief, not expecting that to work, yet she didn’t regret taking that route. Imagining if she did Sasha’s way though…Anne frowned. Alright so she was weak for a typical wolfeborne, so what. Hurting the weasel’s family to get the upper hand? It felt so wrong. Very wrong. Period.

“At least in the end the frogs were safe,” Anne murmured to the snail, who slowly popped her head back in. Then Anne blinked, gasping. “Oh my gosh, the frogs!” Anne ran back to town, hoping the weasel honored their truce. Passing by the stone arch, she sagged against the frozen form of Wally, exhausted yet happy to find everyone was accounted for. All eighty-seven of them.

Huh. Anne counted again but still came up with the same number. Maybe Hop Pop was wrong?

Anne shook her head. She’ll ask him once they thawed then. For now, she staggered as realization set in. That she did it. That she managed to keep everyone in town safe! Her grin grew, despite the fatigue enveloping her entire body, at the realization that she also didn’t need to shift to do it. Anne laughed, slumping against the fountain.

The sun overhead watched the girl chuckle deliriously, the only witness to Anne’s tired state before shining down its light and bathing the town in its afternoon heat. While Anne watched the ice cubes melt, she frowned and felt like she was forgetting something important.

Yet nothing came to mind when Sprig’s ice prison shattered first.

Sprig shook his head before stretching. “Wow, I feel great!” He blinked, faintly registering the sight of the girl, “you should try this, Anne. Feels like one of those massages you told me – Anne!” He hopped up to his best friend’s shoulder, who instinctively caught him. “You’re here!”

Anne snorted. “Yeah, I surprised myself too.” Her eyes softened, finding Sprig’s gaze. “But you did a good job of convincing me. Thanks.” When Anne glanced at his hand, the frog boy shook his head immediately. He used the same hand to give her ear a faint tug.

“Friend pull!”

“Ow!”

“No more of that,” he embraced the beast, “I’m just…I’m just glad you’re back, Anne.”

Anne blinked, before returning the hug. She had experienced a lot of hugs, but the slimy texture and cold feeling of the amphibian was something to get used to. But she missed it too. “Same, buddy. Same.”

The shattering of other ice cubes interrupted their reunion. The citizens of Wartwood groggily murmured amongst themselves amidst the stretching, cheering, and hugging for being alive once more. Sprig pulled away to watch before spotting some of the broken fences and scratch marks on the houses and shops. “Whoa, what did I miss exactly?”

“A lot.” Anne gave a slight chuckle, though she sheepishly rubbed her head with one hand. “Apparently, battling a weasel on a hunt will not spare the town from property damage.”

“What?”

 “I’ll fill you in after,” then Anne yawned, “after, after. Gosh, I need a long nap.” And a massage. And a meal. Her stomach grumbled, making the girl blush.

Sprig chuckled before he blinked, assessing Anne. He eyed the frogs of Wartwood slowly noticing their presence and acted fast. He used his scarf and circled it around Anne. “Trust me,” he whispered before Anne could react, hopping down and standing protectively in front of Anne as the sheriff led the townsfolk in their approach.

Anne pursed her lips but nodded and remained silent. She fiddled with the scarf, hiding her nerves at the mob that was now standing in front of them.

“Young Plantar,” Sheriff Buck Leatherleaf greeted Sprig. “I don’t suppose I can take your beast in for questioning?”

Sprig waved a hand. “What’s there to ask, Sheriff?” He gave a nervous chuckle. “Honestly, I don’t think that’s necessary. Especially since she just saved the town from another predator.”

“And proof?” huffed the older frog. “It’s all nice and good to believe, son, but it doesn’t change the fact that your beast is out, and about the same time I got a missing guard after my final head count.”

Anne knitted her brows, speaking before she could register it. “I counted, there were only about eighty-seven of you.” She shrunk at the piercing gaze of the sheriff, never mind if she was a head taller than Wartwood’s head officer.

Sprig cut in with another shaky laugh, “But even if someone’s missing and possibly eaten, Anne wouldn’t do that.”

“I wasn’t implying, boy,” Sheriff Leatherleaf sighed. “Still, one guard not in her post and you almost breaking a law,” he gave a pointed look at the hastily tied scarf, “well, I’m afraid I have to conduct an investigation.”

“But I didn’t do it!” seethed Anne, causing the rest of Wartwood to instinctively recoil. Sprig held up a hand, looking at her with furrowed brows and the girl reeled in her temper. “Sorry. I mean, I didn’t do it. I don’t eat frogs.”

Sprig whispered, “Rea was a newt.”

“I don’t eat amphibians,” Anne corrected, “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want to go back home.” She didn’t mean to end that on a whimper, but it did. The stress of finding a way back returned but at least the slimy hand of Sprig was comforting.

The citizens of Wartwood murmured amongst themselves, before hushing at the arrival of Lady Jacinda. Sprig’s stomach sank at the sight of the purple newt, while Anne clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes at the noble. Especially at the slight smirk she briefly caught.

“Well, what a way to end the sudden Hiber Day. Winter came early, did it not?” Jacinda chuckled while the rest of the farming community didn’t. Her expression turned serious. “Regardless, I think I can speak for everyone that there are many unknowns to consider.”

“But,” Sprig prompted while fighting down a glare.

Jacinda frowned, “but we cannot escape facts. And one fact is that a predator had prowled into town unsupervised, and a town guard is missing.” She addressed the peasantry. “Perhaps we should not leave even one beast in the hands of a child. Wild animals are wild for a reason and cannot be easily…controlled.” Her eyes glittered. “Unless one had the proper resources.”

Sheriff Leatherleaf grunted, gripping his belt. “Suggestion?” Anne and Sprig glared at the purple newt who smiled at the question.

“I propose the Plantar beast be turned over to me. It is no secret I have enough land and an extensive reservoir fit to house all manner of creatures.” Her eyes softened when looking at each amphibian in Wartwood. “If it’s truly lost, then I can give it a suitable home for the meantime. I even have contacts I can use to help find its way back.”

Anne bristled at the proclamation. She eyed Sprig who gave a frown but a subtle shake of his head. So, he didn’t know if what Jacinda was saying was true too. Still, would this be worth the risk? Finding the expression of Sprig and remembering the current state of his relationship with his family, Anne knew she needed to stay and help fix what she broke first. “Thanks, but I’ll take my chances with the Plantars.” She just had a weird vibe from the purple newt, no matter what she said.

“Are you sure?” Jacinda tilted her head.

Sprig seethed, matching Anne’s glaring with his own. “Are you even going to give her a choice?”

“Of course,” the admittance was surprising. “Though a decision like this must also have the town’s best interest at heart. That includes you, actually.” The two froze when Jacinda’s eyes landed on the bandage wrapped around his hand. A silent implication.

And threat.

Yet Jacinda made no move to reveal such, addressing the citizens next. “So what say you?”

There were murmurs and uncertain glances. Sprig knew his town could be certainly wary of strangers, but they were not entirely heartless. Still, if they believed Jacinda was a better candidate to bring a lost creature home then it was no question of who would serve a better caretaker. And if sympathy wasn’t a motivator, then it would still be lingering fear. Especially if Wartwood was convinced that Anne had something to do with Rea’s disappearance.

Sheriff Leatherleaf sighed. “Anyone willing to vouch for the beast’s innocence?”

There was silence but then another frog stepped forward. “Did Anne really eat the guard, Sprig?” Ivy Sundew took a brave step forward, despite her mother’s urgings to be silent.

“No,” Sprig answered the same time as Anne did, certain and without a doubt.

Ivy nodded, adopting a lazy grin. “Well, there’s that. I believe him.”

“Ivy!” Felicia scolded, sharing a brief glance with Jacinda, before returning to shoot her daughter an admonishing glare. “Stay out of this, young lady.”

“I said what I said.”

The sheriff pursed his lips. “Anyone else?”

“We don’t know much about it,” Jerry said.

“It’s scarier than any other domestic animal.” Patrick tried to explain with a sympathetic smile.

Ferraiolo shrugged, “Mi fido di te, Sprig.”

Each citizen spoke up on their stance, yet the frog boy was dreading the result. It was almost tipping over in Jacinda’s favor. Then an orange hand raised. Sprig recognized it from anywhere as the sheriff squinted before beckoning the owner.

The hand revealed Hop Pop.

Sprig stiffened at the arrival of his grandfather, before glaring. It was over now. He wouldn’t understand. Though Hop Pop wouldn’t be that cruel, would he?

“Hopadiah Plantar,” greeted the sheriff. “What’s your opinion on all this?”

“I’m assuming you mean the missing guard and Anne being a possible culprit.” The eldest Plantar adjusted his ascot. “To tell you honestly everyone, the past few days got me dredging up old and horrible memories which I’m sure some of you folks remembered too.” He frowned. “The day two foul predators arrived and changed our town from a hundred and fifty to eighty-eight.”

Sprig froze, as did the rest of the town. It was an unspoken rule to never bring up the…event. Anne looked on, totally confused. “What is he talking about?”

Yet Hop Pop continued, pocketing his hands. “Amphibia life is short and dangerous. We know every day could be a possible goodbye if we’re not careful. Even then, no matter how careful we are life still finds a way to bring death.” He looked at each citizen. “We suffered loss, so we tend to get a bit lost. In the memories. In the pain. Too much sometimes we close our hearts to healing. Sometimes we hide. Sometimes we even misplace it.”

His eyes found Sprig, tears in his eyes.

“But a wise boy told me something. Told me something that stuck around despite the thoughts making it hard to think.” He smiled. “We grieve, but we are not alone when we do.”

Sprig clenched his hands into fists, recognizing that saying.

“I want Anne to stay. She’s not a beast nor a pet.” Hop Pop nodded to the tall girl, a small smile reaching his lips. “Anne’s my grandson’s best friend and I had never been glad he got another person who cares for him.”

Sheriff Buck Leatherleaf wiped a finger to his eye, while the rest of Wartwood used handkerchiefs and shirts. “Well said, Hopadiah. Well said.”

Jacinda was the only amphibian not moved by the speech, however. “All I got from your anecdote, Mr. Plantar, is that we are at risk of another dangerous predator in Wartwood.” She frowned at the looks she received from the peasantry and tried amending her statement, “Unless you have proof to show that ‘Anne’ is innocent as you claim she is? Wartwood’s safety is one of my main concerns, despite appearances.”

Anne snorted and Sprig scoffed but Hop Pop nodded. 

“Actually, I do.” A moment of rummaging through his pockets before he was holding up a ball of fur high above his head with a determined look.

Anne grimaced. “Is that a hairball?”

Hop Pop ignored her, setting down the sticky white mess of fur and mucus. “Soggy Joe can confirm it’s from a Snow Weasel.”

“Preposterous,” Jacinda huffed, approaching the Plantar head. “No amphibian had seen one alive in decades.”

“Except me,” spoke a muscular green frog who stepped forward, adjusting his outback with a faint tug while scrutinizing the hairball. He reached out with a finger, scooping up a dollop.

Anne winced. “Is he going to –

He ate it.

Sprig grimaced. “He did.”

The rest of Wartwood all showed varied signs of disgust, but they too waited with bated breath while Soggy Joe chewed thoughtfully. Anne at this point looked away. Sprig peeked in from time to time, before raising his hands up to cover his sight.

The outdoorsman spat the mess back out, coincidentally at the purple newt, before standing with wide eyes. “Holy honey thistle, it is from a Snow Weasel!”

Hop Pop nodded while the crowd murmured in faint trepidation. “Is that proof enough for you?” he addressed the sheriff as Jacinda was busy glaring at the survivalist and taking the offered handkerchief from a guard.

The town’s head officer glanced around the faces of everyone before he tucked in his hat. An unspoken agreement was had and so prompted his next decision. “I’ll be assembling a team then to avenge our missing comrade, but the Plantar Beast is cleared.”

The crowd gave soft claps but while some were indifferent and weary, they understood that Anne was providing a service to the town favorite in her own way too. Jacinda huffed, before dispersing with the crowd.

Sprig cheered, standing on Anne’s head while the girl chuckled. Then her brows furrowed. “Wait, by ‘avenge’ you mean you’ll be…hunting it?” She didn’t expect a response, but the Sheriff did turn back to answer.

“It’s dangerous and it messed with one of us.” He adjusted his belt with one hand while the other pointed to the officers that would be coming with him. “Wartwood’s always been about community,” he explained while the townsfolk started returning to their daily businesses, “and that means we protect our own.” Then the Sheriff left, leading his chosen squad.

Anne was frowning at that answer, prepared to say something back – share what she found – but she noticed Hop Pop’s approach.

He was fiddling with his ascot while Sprig crossed his arms. “You two alright?” the elder asked.

Anne watched the grandfather’s and grandson’s expressions. She spoke first. “Surprisingly, the weasel was open for a trade.” Hop Pop nodded as if getting her meaning and Anne smiled a bit. “And after a speech like that, even without much context, I feel I’m understanding a bit of Wartwood and where they’re coming from.” She subtly elbowed Sprig, looking at Hop Pop. “Still, thanks for bringing proof of my innocence, dude.”

Sprig huffed. “This doesn’t change anything.” He sighed at another ‘subtle’ elbowing. “But it could be a start.”

Hop Pop slightly smiled. “I’ve said words I cannot take back, boy, but I will do my best to redeem myself.” The elder rubbed his head, looking towards the assemblage of officers. “Good thing I’ve arrived in time.”

“But are they really going to hurt the weasel for revenge?” Anne frowned. “Because I am a hundred percent sure there is no Rea ice cube.” Anne also shared what she found in the shed but when she led the two of them back to the place, it was empty. It was just a simple wooden building with four walls and nothing else. “What the – I swear it was right here!”

“That’s a mystery to be solved by others, Anne,” Hop Pop sadly explained, “but I do believe you when you said you counted only eighty-seven. It’s out of our hands, though.” He saw her frown and added, “But if the Snow Weasel’s been elusive for a reason then it’ll be a while before they could track it down. For the meantime, I’d rather we focus on other things, like getting the townsfolk to see Anne the person than Anne the beast. Maybe even finding clues on how to get you back home.”

Sprig looked at him in surprise. “You’ll be helping? For real?”

“For real. Sides,” Hop Pop gave a small smile up at Anne who was still confused and subtly searching around for the shed, “after our heart-to-heart, I think I can see myself welcoming a new addition to the family, but it’ll take time.”

Anne poked her head back out, nearly hitting the doorframe in her surprise. At the nod, Anne was slowly acting like her cheerful self again. She snapped her fingers, pointing at Hop Pop. “Give me a month, tops. They don’t call me ‘likable Anne’ for nothing.” A shiver ran through her body though. She felt she was being watched. When she glanced upward though, all she saw was Jacinda’s back walking away. “Though maybe after we let the day’s events pass. Today was a close call and I am drained.” And unnerved.

Above all though, she was not going to let this mystery go.

Sprig nodded, agreeing. “Chances of you ending up in Jacinda’s hands are low but not zero. Avoiding the town for a while is a good idea.” He tapped his chin. “Though we really need to start working on that help-wanted list.”

“If I could make a suggestion,” Hop Pop cut in, “Why don’t we head on out to the Archives then?”

“The Archives?” Anne asked. They were heading back to the farm. The best part? They were less screaming when they saw the beast, but it was progress for Anne. “That sounds like a library.”

“Because it is,” the elder plantar was grinning in excitement. “Think about the history. The lore. The –

Sprig snorted. “Pass.”

“Ditto.” Anne scoffed, walking beside the family with her hands inside her pockets. “I’m in another dimension, who would spend that time reading dusty old books?” She gazed upward, frowning. “Though we’ll file that as a last resort.”

They reached the farmhouse with Sprig crossing the doorway. “Polly, we’re home!”

“That’s weird,” Hop Pop muttered when they heard no reply. Not even a shout to shut up “could have sworn she was sleeping before I left. Polly?” He climbed up the stairs while Anne collapsed on the couch.  

Sprig sat on her back. “So, tomorrow, got any plans?”

“To sleep. To eat. And repeat.”

The frog laughed. “We’ll try to do the first two, Anne. We originally thought you could have helped with Hiber Day plans. You know, packing and carrying, that sort of thing, but since that day has passed I think what we can do next is –

Hop Pop yelled, stumbling down the stairs yet continuing to shriek. The sound startled Anne enough, causing her to fall off. Sprig followed, landing with a squeak. “Polly’s gone!” Hop Pop shouted.

– is find my sister, and then we can answer Wally’s – say what!?” Sprig’s eyes widened.

Anne sat up. “What do you mean she’s gone?”

“Gone! She left, along with my broken cane!” Hop Pop was sweating bullets, waving the thick book his granddaughter left open. “Worst of all, she’s heading to the Doom Tree!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: The Beast and The Tree

“Pssst.”

Anne paused in her doodling to glance up before fighting the urge to snicker at Marcy’s detailed caricature of their teacher. Anne nudged Sasha beside her, who gave an uninterested hum and chuckled lightly at the drawing of the evil mustache ‘villain’ before returning to her mindless phone scrolling.

Anne giggled again, but it appeared it was the last straw for Mr. Moseby.

“Ms. Boonchuy…” Oh crud. Anne summoned her best smile while her classmates glanced her way. “Perhaps you can answer the question on the board. Hmmm?”

Oh crud. Oh crud. Oh crud. Anne stood up, trying to feign confidence as she walked forward. She almost lost her stride when a small note was surreptitiously passed to her. Feeling the familiar stickers of some game character she couldn’t remember, Anne fought to keep her smile down while approaching the board.

Mr. Moseby looked on with his arms crossed, the picture of stern and the ultimate buzzkill. And then Sasha gasped, “Mr. Moseby, Maggie’s totally staring at my tits!”

The class erupted in a cascade of giggles and snickering while the teacher shot a disgruntled look in the blonde’s direction, complimenting Maggie’s who blushed and yelled, “Did not!” An argument – and the distraction – began, giving Anne time to read the note and write down the answer.

By the time Anne finished, Mr. Moseby had sighed through his nose and muttered something about staying as a hotel manager before he glanced at the board. He gave a noncommittal hum. “Correct, Ms. Boonchuy. Your answer is correct.” Anne felt a slight sting in her chest at those words before she mustered up a casual smile.

“No problem, Teach.” She returned to her seat, fighting the guilt down and the feeling of disappointment from the educator. Sitting down, Anne crossed her arms and frowned.

Marcy gave a thumbs up before returning to her game. On the other hand, Sasha raised a brow at their friend’s posture. “Nice work. Fastest time you ever made,” she whispered.

Anne tried to smile, hoping it didn’t look like a grimace. “Yeah…” Her brows furrowed, indignance suddenly rising to the surface. Gosh, teachers just didn’t like her. Not even satisfied despite getting exactly what they were asking for. Anne huffed, yet it didn’t stop her from glaring at the words ‘Transformation Exchange’ serving as today’s topic.

Anne was starting to learn that Amphibia felt like Mother Nature decided to work at a fast-food chain and made everything fun-sized. Minus the fun part. There were bugs the size of a car, birds that Anne had to doubt were actually birds and all manner of creepy crawly slimies! Add the talking frogs, and the time thinking all this was just a nightmare had somewhat passed.

The last of the snow had melted, forming puddles and wet sludge as Anne drudged around the outskirts of the farm after Hop Pop’s news. Yet there was really no sign of Polly. Sprig had opted to return to his grandfather to offer comfort the moment the newt guards arrived. There was a wordless exchange there, judging by the orange frog’s posture, but Anne felt it would be too insensitive to ask. The least she could do was help find their missing polliwog. She even planned to shift into her wolf form, knowing how dire the situation was now.

Well, she tried to shift.

Anne looked at her hands, furrowing her brows while walking back to the house. She knew she wasn’t as great at this as her friends, but she still managed to shift even then. Now, she just couldn’t.

Her stomach rumbled, and Anne hoped everything would be back to normal after a decent meal. She made a promise, and darn it, she would keep it!

Dusk was slowly approaching, and the girl could still hear the guards talking to Hop Pop. She closed her eyes, stopping just a few feet away from the door to listen in.

“I’m sorry, but we really must wait a day to take this matter seriously.”

What? Anne furrowed her brows. A kid ran away, and the first thing this dumb guard did was tell the kid’s family to wait a day? Anne was seething, finding a window. She saw the newt jotting down Hop Pop’s retelling with a bored expression.

“We’ll update you as soon as we can, Mr. Plantar.” The guard drawled. “For now, stay and hope your tadpole returns.”

Pausing in patting his grandfather, Sprig waved his hands with a frown. “She’s heading for the Doom Tree! Isn’t that something urgent?”

The newt turned to their partner. Then they exchanged laughs. It threatened a growl to escape Anne’s mouth, protective instincts flaring at the sound. More so with the next words. “Little frog, I pity your lack of education, but Doom Trees aren’t real.”

“Yeah, just something adults tell their young so that they’ll behave.”

Anna saw the guard’s condescending smile before they addressed the glaring elder farmer. “You might want to avoid telling those kind of bedtime stories from now on.”

Hop Pop gritted his teeth. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.” He spotted Anne outside the window. Anne gave a guilty shake of her head, hating how her lack of Polly’s tracks or clues made him slump even more.

The newts nodded, armors clanking before opening the door with a confident saunter. Then they saw Anne standing, towering even. A bit of the bravado visibly lessened.

Sprig chuckled, especially when he caught her subtle wink. He relayed to Hop Pop what Anne seemed to be planning, who looked on in disapproval but didn’t seem keen to stop her.

Anne, for her part, trained her unblinking gaze at the newts, who cautiously sidestepped around her. Sprig’s scarf was still around her neck, but it was noticeable to the amphibians that she was provided free movement.

“Easy, now. Haven’t really fed her after the Hiber day commotion,” Sprig warned. “But sudden movements might startle her instincts to hunt.”

The snooty guard was the first to scoff. “Your advice is heard but unnecessary, child. We of the great Newtopian army are trained –

Anne gave a low growl, causing the amphibians to scatter immediately with a squeaked ‘Retreat!’ There was tripping and stumbling in their haste. Once they were away from the farm, Anne laughed. 

Sprig, too, clutching his sides. Anne grinned, entering the house and raising her hand for a high five. A tongue made contact with her hand. “Gross.”

As the human wiped it away, Hop Pop shook his head. “So much for lessening their fear of you. Do avoid aggravating the authorities, kids. Who knows when they’ll decide to retaliate?”

“Pshh, they’re a bunch of know-it-alls.” Sprig scowled, crossing his arms. “They’re not even taking us seriously.”

“Yeah,” Anne added, “Are we really going to listen to them and just wait?”

“Those jerks don’t care,” Sprig agreed, reaching for the door. “I say we search for her ourselves.” His hand was slapped away by his grandfather.

Hop Pop shook his head once more, bolting the door and ensuring they were out of earshot. “Kids. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but security grew tighter these past few days. Guards are more…tense and even abundant with their forest patrols.” He fixed up their dinner, forcing himself to be busy. “And patrols tend to make guards bored, and bored guards well…tend not to be the nicest amphibians.”

Anne frowned. “Really?”

“Back in my day, anyway,” Hop Pop amended. “Still, rather not risk unnecessary drama and conflict.”

Sprig tilted his head, hopping to his seat. “But if they’re a lot out in the swamps, then that means they could have seen Polly!” He toyed with his bowl until his grandfather gestured for him to eat.

“Really odd they didn’t,” Anne mused while nodding in thanks for the meal. “If they’re all about safety, then they wouldn’t let some kid slip out.”

“It was Hiber day,” Hop Pop tried to find a reason, even if he was also gripping his utensils tightly.

Sprig scoffed. “You’re taking their side?”

“I’m trying to keep a cool head, boy.” The elder sighed. “Still, if it comes down to it, I’d rather not have the newts in charge of finding your sister holding a grudge against us.” He glanced out the window, scowling. “And I’m hoping they’ll find her as soon as possible.”

“And we can’t go out to find her ourselves?” Sprig tried again while pushing the bowl toward his best friend.

Anne licked her lips. “I’m with Sprig on this one.”

“You were just bribed,” Hop Pop deadpanned.

“Hey, am not!” A beat before Anne sheepishly rubbed her head. “Okay, maybe a bit, but I think it’s also a good idea.”

A sigh was the response before Hop Pop fixed himself a bowl. “I get where you two are coming from but going out now will only do more harm than good.” He sat down and tried to eat. “I may not like it just as much as you two, but if they told us to wait then we will. Sides, Polly’s tough.”

“She’s a kid, Hop Pop.” Anne groaned.

“And you don’t think I know that?”

Silence permitted the dining room before the elder Plantar shook his head. “Our hands are tied. Tomorrow morning though, if Polly still hasn’t shown up, I’m heading straight to the Sheriff before they head out on their hunt.” He stood, adjusting his ascot. “For now, head to bed.” Hop Pop left; body slumping was the last thing they saw as he closed the doors.

Sprig turned to Anne. “You’re with me, right?”

“Duh!”

They shared a small fist bump. It would be dark soon enough, the perfect time to sneak out and find Polly. Anne finished her third helping, furrowing her brows while Sprig picked up the tome.

“Hey, so those things are really real?”

Sprig scoffed. “They are. They’re written by my ancestors who saw them with their very own eyes! Lost a few of them too. And some limbs.” They both grimaced before the frog boy continued, “Just because we didn’t come from some fancy school doesn’t mean we don’t know what we’re talking about.”

He flipped through pages, showing a diagram and even a sample piece taped to it. Unfortunately, the words were harder to make out, but Anne supposed there was enough to get the gist of it. It earnestly looked majestic, in a creepy sort of way. Like the weird statues in the museum school field trips. Anne took a small whiff of the leaf attached to the page, and she was already hit by a wave of a sugary scent. Kinda made her crave waffles too.

“Whoa, Doom never smelled sweeter.” Anne rubbed her nose and leaned back into her chair, swinging one arm idly. “I guess those guards haven’t seen one in real life. Heh, really funny to think what they would do if they did.”

“Probably run off.” Sprig puffed his chest, closing the book. “Not me! Sprig Plantar, befriender of beasts and helper of lost creatures.” The laughter eased some of his tension, though he was obviously worried. “But a horrible brother.”

“Friend punch!”

Anne’s hand shot up and lightly punched his arm. Though again, there were different species and strength levels. The impact sent the tiny frog flying into the couch while Anne scrambled to apologize.

“Shoot, oh my gosh,” She knelt by his side while Sprig shook his head. “Sorry, I was trying to cheer you up like you’ve done for me. You know, beating those thoughts out of you.” She managed to stifle a distressed whimper. Then a pink hand shot up to hold her hand as an assurance. It kept the bubbling guilt at bay. For now, anyway.

“You sure beat a lot of them out,” Sprig chuckled, eyes unfocused, but he did shoot a thumbs up at the two Annes. “T-Thanks, though, I needed that.”

“Really sorry about that.” Anne rubbed her head. “Though not for my intention, since you are a good brother. You’re planning to save your sister. I’m an only child, but even I know that’s not something a horrible brother would be doing.”

“Yep. Got it now. You sure convinced me,” Sprig massaged his head. “Pep talks really are different when you’re at the receiving end of them. And painful.”

Anne chuckled, but her brows were still knitted. “We’ll think of a less violent alternative. Right now, though, what else can we do to prepare?” She sat next to him, watching for other signs of an injury. “Anything we know that can help, weaknesses or bait? Stuff like that.”

Sprig picked up the book upside down. “Let’s see what my ancestors wrote here,” Anne adjusted the book so that it was correctly held, “huh, just says ‘Termites,’ which, in hindsight, makes sense.”

“Know a place where we can get some?”

“No, but maybe we can ask Loggle, the local woodsmith.” His eyes were still unfocused, addressing the vase instead of his companion.

The one who made that instant cage? Anne frowned. “Well…I doubt he has termites lying around.”

Anne was busy jotting down her notes. Sure, it cut back on her bonding time with her friends, but she was…surprisingly interested in the lesson for the day.

“Eldamar Canid’s Third Law of Being tells of a universal exchange when transforming. In modern times we call this ‘The Shift’ coming from its archaic definition of “A contrivance, a device to try when other methods fail” since it was the last resort of Canid after they –”

“Psst.”

Anne ignored Marcy.

“Hey, check this out.”

Anne ignored Sasha.

“- yet at the time of Canid they called it ‘The Exchange’ because there were traits that they had to give up to gain something new. Like this example.” The teacher took out a diagram of a wolf and a human. “Now, who can tell me the maximum limit of a wolf’s hearing?” He looked around. “Ms. Waybright.”

Sasha gave a bored hum, answering, “Eighty kilohertz, Mr. Moseby.”

“Correct.”

Anne pursed her lips, still refusing to look at Sasha’s phone displaying a missing girl from Connecticut.

“And the limit of a human’s?” A hand immediately shot up. “Ms. Wu.”

“Twenty kilohertz, which is twenty thousand hertz, which is also twenty million millihertz, Sir.”

“Correct.”

Anne’s mind twitched at the attempt to verify that conversion, drowning out Marcy’s fifth ‘Pssst’ as she quickly tried fitting that many zeroes. The teacher returned to the diagrams displayed.

“You have a wolf’s hearing reduced to that of a human’s, making the wolfeborne incapable of hearing the rustling of vegetation, for example, after the shift. Likewise, in that form, the wolfeborne has access to this,” he pointed at the hands of the human diagram, “and this,” he gestured next to the brain. “Even a human’s eyesight is better than a wolf.”

Huh. Anne frowned. If that was a thing, then would it also apply to…a human born with the Gift? Tapping her pencil, she was deciding whether or not to ask when the teacher finished speaking.

“…though I’ll let all the pairs – which I will be picking – discuss more on that and what else you lot want to add.”

Every student – sans Marcy – groaned at the mention of a project. Anne closed her notebook, tapping her feet while Sasha huffed next to her. “Finally, I didn’t expect you to go all nerdy like that, nerd.” Students began shuffling and exchanging seats as Mr. Moseby arranged the pairs. “Gosh, don’t let me be paired with Maggie. She really was staring at my tits.”

“Well can you blame her,” teased Marcy, a prelude to a joke, “you’re blessed with some Hakuna Matatas.” She ducked out of the way of a crumpled paper, giggling and grinning when it consequently hit Anne’s bully. “No regrets.”

“Your weird games are poisoning your human brain, dork.”

The two laughed, turning to Anne, but the teachers called the last pairs. “Krieger and Boonchuy, Waybright and Wu, and lastly Asmodeus and…Wu.” Mr. Moseby adjusted his spectacles. “Right, two of the same clan. Forgot. Cheyenne with Sasha and then Marcy with Vince.” He then clapped his hands before writing on the board.

All the while, the trio of friends glanced at each other in bewilderment. They had never been separated like this before.

Entering the woodshop after sneaking out was a feat Anne honestly never thought they’d pull off. Now, she learned that the pillow-under-the-blankets thing was a universal tactic that would work! She and Sprig had opted for a ‘sudden sleepover’ in Anne’s basement dwelling. Prior to the…incident, it was kept mostly clean by Sprig though he had admitted he rummaged around Anne’s things out of curiosity.

Anne had gasped, placing a hand to her chest at the betrayal, but he did find her fidget cube, so he was immediately forgiven. Didn’t even know the thing was there, buried under a mountain of clothes.

She had taken a small sniff and was calmed down once she detected the strong scent of ube and red velvet, though unable still to cover the familiar citrus and ink smell. Then her brows shot up when Sprig also took out a denim jacket, knowing the musky scent of jasmine and grass immediately before she relaxed at the wave of protection emitted from the items.

Sprig had asked about her reaction, and Anne was willing to share more about Marcy and Sasha, yet they both were distracted by the latest item they found. The pen with the fun clicker sound. Sprig was so mesmerized Anne thought it wouldn’t hurt to give it to him as a gift while she sorted through other stuff she didn’t know was inside her bag, like a sewing kit for Home Economics. Her mom must have packed it for her before…

Anyway, the accidental detour managed to convince Hop Pop they were ‘truly’ hanging out and thus, left them alone.

Sprig and Anne leaped into action when hearing the go signal, also known as Hop Pop’s loud snoring. Out the window they went.

After the initial faceplanting, startling Bessie, and hopping-over-fences montage, Anne and Sprig finally arrived at Loggle’s, which was surprisingly still open.

Entering the woodshop, Anne had the sudden urge to drag her claws on everything. She was now starting to understand how her baby precious felt every time her parents repolished and replaced old furniture. The scent alone and the feeling of smooth wood under her hand was an experience Anne didn’t know she had missed out on. Just something about how it seemed to hum with a faint…something. Like a connection, she couldn’t recognize.

Sprig approached the counter while Anne was distracted. “Loggle. Loggle. Loggle.” He pounded a fist on the surface. “Loggle. Loggle. Loggle.” If it was too purposely annoying, he could be forgiven for feeling a little miffed the woodsmith had a hand in jailing his best friend.

The axolotl opened the door from his workspace, apron on and dusting off many wood shavings while carrying a complicated-looking wooden clock.

“Oh wow, that’s cool.” Sprig shook his head, focusing. “But anyway, I need a jar of termites.”

The older amphibian hummed, taking care to hang his latest creation before staring at the newcomers. “Good evening to you too, young planter and – ah, the beast!”

Oh yeah, didn’t think about that. Sprig readied himself to jump to Anne’s defense before he turned to look. “What the – Anne!” He scolded, causing the girl to squeak and hide her hands behind her back. Beside her, the table had a noticeable scratch mark now.

“Okay, in my defense,” Anne opened her mouth, but no such argument came out. “Well, okay, I got nothing. Sorry, dude.”

Loggle harrumphed, approaching his creation. “You’re lucky this isn’t the final design yet.” He crossed his arms, leveling a look at the pink frog. “Nature’s trees should never be disrespected, though.”

“Uh, isn’t your profession making that point moot?” Anne caught her best friend’s face palm. “And I’m sensing I should shut up now.”

Loggle was offended at this point. “Disrespect? Disrespect?! You must know being a wood smith is dedicated to the worship of trees!”

“Now you've done it,” Sprig murmured as the elder walked over to his shelf and took out a heavy large tome. “This is giving me horrible childhood flashbacks.” He had remembered the last time he had messed up, giving voice to that thought.

Anne gaped once the book was opened, and a long list unfolded and rolled towards the end of the room. “I think I just unlocked unsolicited lore dump.”

There Loggle went, spouting in excruciatingly painful and specific detail defending his profession. An exposition so long and arduous, it wouldn’t even be included in the final draft if it had been a story chapter.  As he went on and on, Sprig had taken to wandering the workshop while Anne was busy suffering the consequences. At least Loggle wasn’t the sort to ask too many questions.

He spotted a jar labeled ‘Termites’ after rummaging through various wooden limbs, statues, utensils, and all manner of art décor. Sprig sometimes forgot the wood smith came from Newtopia. The frog chuckled at the fancy schmancy knick-knacks but had to tilt a head at one object.

“Hey, Loggle, I’ve never seen this one before.”

The axolotl paused mid-rant, moving away from his captive audience to cheerfully supply, “Oh, that! Yes, quite a tale for that one.” He gestured for the item, holding it high in the air. “I tried to recapture it exactly as my parents told me. About an ancient item so powerful it had been used for greatness by the ancient citizens of Newtopia. Stories that bordered on fiction since they said it was used to open gateways to other worlds. Alas, something happened that caused it –

He turned but found no sign of the kids. All that was left was a pile of coppers and a receipt with a hastily written ‘Termites’ and ‘urgent emergency.’ Loggle huffed, then he sighed.

“Ah well. Copper’s copper.”

The woodsmith idly carved, whistling a tune until the door swung open again.

“Welcome to Loggles. How can I help yooooooouuuuuu. Oh.” He stood, bowing lightly at the arrival of the important newt. “What brings you to my little shop, Lady Jacinda?”

Lady Jacinda huffed. “Let’s get to the point.” She snapped her fingers, and the guard unsheathed a dagger. “Do you know why I am here, Mr. Leopold?”

The woodsmith eyed the weapon and gulped. “I dooooooo. Not. I do not, ma’am.”

Lady Jacinda hummed, taking and twirling the blade. “Well, let me enlighten you.” She then accepted a letter, using the knife to cut it open. She ignored the sigh of relief as she adjusted her glasses. “I understand you have past experiences with metal?”

He gulped, the old wound flaring up as if summoned. “Way in the past, ma’am. Now I handle wood.”

“Well, I hope you retained some memory of that trade because you are now recruited to supply new armor and weapons for the military stationed in the valley.” Confetti was popped while the wood smith gaped. Jacinda smiled. “Congratulations, Mr. Leopold.”

Loggle frowned. “Milady, I’m quite honored, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t…wary of the sudden invitation.”

“Ah, my dear, you have been spending much time with frogs you forgot your place.” The newt gave a little titter and then snapped her fingers. “There is no need to be cautious and uneasy.” Her guards scrambled to move a table, using that as a makeshift chair. “We are proud children of Newtopia, are we not? We use our gifts to ensure order, to maintain the rightful peace and prosperity left to us by our predecessors.”

Her eyes found the wood carving of a music box on the counter. Loggle saw the glance, and he fidgeted.

“Mr. Leopold. What beautiful artistry.” She touched and lifted the object. “I was young when I too became enchanted by such myths. The Musician’s box. Tell me, you have also been told of the same tale as I?” Jacinda opened it, smiling. “The first amphibian, a musician, was enchanted by three songs no one could never quite mimic or capture. Sang solely by nature itself.”

The guards shuffled nervously as the newt continued, while the axolotl forced his hands to stop shaking.

“In their quest to do so, the musician made this. A music box that succeeded what they could never have done.” Jacinda frowned, setting the box down. “It had been passed down from generation through generation until… well, it was not a happy ending.”

“I’m afraid…I don’t quite agree, milady.” Loggle boldly gulped. “But it is a lovely warning to us who deal with art. How something of a masterpiece like that would be better left appreciated than possessed.”

Jacinda blinked. “Huh. An interesting perspective.” Her hand then brushed a faint indention, and her eyes traced the claw marks. “Oh, what happened here?”

The wood smith found the newt’s gaze and huffed. “Ah, Young Plantar and his Beast. Anne was her name, I think? Anyway, the youngsters arrived at my shop this late asking about termites.” He shrugged. “Dunno why they needed a jar, but a sale’s a sale.”

The newt hummed. “Very odd.” She eyed one of her guards, who gave a quiet motion and code. She did not like what she had learned. “Anyway, Mr. Leopold. Our business has concluded. Do expect the contract and orders to arrive tomorrow.” Jacinda then tilted a head, idly caressing the claw marks. “Oh, and a personal request. Separate from official business and such.”

“…yes?”

“I would like to buy this table, but perhaps fashion it to something different. Like a scratching post or anything similar?” Jacinda smiled. “Make it durable, above all. You know how rowdy young beasts could be.”

Anne fidgeted in her seat. In the front, Sasha was smirking at the annoyed expression of her project partner. Possibly boasting about the latest followers of their garage band as Sasha made air guitars and waggled her brows. Anne frowned and then looked over her shoulder. Marcy, too, was preoccupied with shyly talking to Vince before he seemed to say something back that caused the initial shyness to fade, replacing it with a quick tumble of words all relating to some game or show, judging by Marcy’s grin.

A sickly and heavy feeling tugged at Anne’s heart before she pushed those feelings down.

The two members of Pack Z were faring well, at least, a stark contrast to Anne, who was unfortunately saddled with Jamie Krieger. Anne hated teachers more than ever. Of all people, it just had to be the girl who didn’t like talking to her. Ever. Which was totally weird because she was Anne. Likable Anne! She’s the go-to person for the latest goss and respected enough by the band geeks and track team that she got called in to be the mediator!

So why would this girl not talk to her? Anne flipped through her notes while Jamie was writing. She tapped her foot. “So…”

“This partnership is strictly professional, and I have no personal desire to establish a meaningless conversation.”

Anne slumped, muffling her groaning behind her arms while tapping her foot in quick succession. She stayed like that for a while, letting the gentle hum of the classroom air cooler and the background chatter of her classmates lull her to sleep. Anne would have drifted off fully if it weren’t for a faint string of words. One that the speaker thought she wouldn’t catch, but…Anne did.

“Honestly, why did I get the weakest member of Pack Z.”

Anne clenched her hands into fists yet did not bring her head up. The sickly and heavy feeling returned, but Anne would rather eat a pineapple pizza than acknowledge the jealousy tinging the hurt.

She would just double the effort in getting her partner to like her. Yeah, that would solve it. With that idea in mind, Anne sat back up and started writing plans next to her finished half of the project.

Sprig was so going to scold his sister when they got home. Granted, he didn’t know why she thought it was a good idea to go on an adventure without them, but even Polly should know the dangers lurking in the forests. Especially at night.

He poked idly at the fire while instincts to flee continued to put his body in a never-ending shudder. Sprig forced those same instincts to quiet. He wasn’t worried.

Something wet dripped down on his hand, and he forced himself to look up.

A lizard hissed, opening its maw to flick its elongated tongue.

Sprig watched the intimidating creature with a bored expression. He saw it tilt a confused head before freezing at the sound of a growl. It fled, belatedly realizing another predator was prowling the area.

Footsteps grew louder before said predator emerged from the foliage, proudly waving around her bounty of mushrooms and berries. “Ha! No bugs for this girl, alright!” Anne did a little dance, a dopey grin stretching her face. She sat on the log across from her best friend. “Though, I might finally need help identifying if any of them are poisonous.”

“Anne. All of them are poisonous.”

The human growled again. “Darn it!” The sound unknowingly made more predators scatter and flee the area. Sprig was half-amused and half-concerned as Anne threw her third batch away. “Are you sure there’s no pizza or fried chicken in this crumby place?”

“Well, the ingredients you told me can be found if we look hard enough,” Sprig pulled the stick away from the fire, showing the final product. “But this ‘chi-ken’ thing might be more difficult to track. Why don’t you try fried crickets instead? Polly always loved them.”

At the mention of his sister, Sprig sighed while handing the stick. Anne chewed thoughtfully, eyeing him with sympathy. She swallowed. “Hey, you know we’ll find her, right?”

“Will we?” Sprig crossed his arms. “Anne. We’ve been searching for hours here.” He glanced up at the sky, finding the moon above, and did some mental estimations. “Two hours after midnight, specifically.”

Anne took another bite. “What do you want to do then?” She gestured to the forest. A wonderfully named place called ‘Mushroom Forest.’ “Sprig, we haven’t reached the finish line yet.”

“…is it wrong if I believe she hadn’t made it to the Doom Tree?”

Anne’s hand paused, lowering to her side as she regarded him. “What?”

“Anne. The only thing that’s been keeping other creatures away is because they’re afraid of you.” Sprig frowned. “Polly’s alone.” He took off his hat, scratching his head. “The thought’s been in my head for a while now, but I kept hoping we’ll run into her soon or she’ll, I don’t know, surprise us.” The pink frog clenched his fists. “But it’s bones upon bones of frogs.”

“But, no polliwogs,” Anne wanted to cheer her friend up. “That’s a good sign, right?”

“Monsters usually swallow tadpoles whole.”

Anne sighed. “This place is really bumming me down, and now it’s getting to you. Come on.” She finished her meal before standing and picking him up. “I don’t want to hear that kind of talk, buddy. We’re gonna ding dang find your sister. I promised, didn’t I?”

“…can you really keep that promise?”

“Buddy, back home, my promises are like gold. Solid and valuable.” Anne looked away, taking the map and following its directions. “When Anne Boonchuy’s got a plan, nothing can stop her!”

“Ugh, come on!” Anne tossed the paper away. Her latest plan to get Jamie to like her turned into one big flaming dumpster truck that crashed into another big flaming dumpster truck until she now had a big flaming dumpster truck sandwich! The girl scratched her head, huffing. “Maybe if I sell her my kidneys –

“Please don’t,” came her dad’s voice.

Anne jumped, scattering papers and pencils before she whirled to face her father. “Dad! You scared me,” she pressed a hand to her chest while Bee laughed. “Not funny.”

“Sorry, kiddo. It’s just I’ve been knocking for the past thirty minutes, and I got worried,” he raised a brow, “and rightfully so. Seriously, your kidneys?”

Anne blushed before crossing her arms. “Eavesdropping aside, what do you want, dad?” She saw his tennis racket and getup, answering her question. “Oh, sorry. I got held up.”

“I’ll say.” Bee approached the desk, carefully maneuvering around the scratch marks on the floor like it was second nature. “Though this doesn’t look like schoolwork to me.” He furrowed his brows. “Wanna talk about it?”

Anne rubbed her arm. “You…wouldn’t really get it.”

Bee frowned. “Oh. So, is this a wolfeborne thing, a girl thing, or an Anne thing? Because you know I’m an expert still on the last two topics.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, eyes brimming with concern. “And you know I’ll listen anyway, but only if you’re willing to tell me. Or not even me. Can be mom, grandma, or Marcy and Sasha.”

Anne tried not to flinch at the names of her friends, but there wasn’t really anything she could hide for a long time when it came to her parents. She still tried, though.

Bee Boonchuy saw through it. “Ah.” How could one syllable carry so much conflict? Anne knew the topic of her friends was sometimes…difficult whenever her parents brought them up. Which was, well, twice now after they had that roof dance party, and Anne was willing to take the blame. “Well…know that you’re not alone in this, Anne.”

The girl looked up, surprise evident in her features. Bee simply shrugged before smiling at his daughter and hefting his racket.

“How about a match with your old man to take your mind off it for a bit?”

Anne blinked, turning to look at the papers and crumbled notes behind her, then back to her dad. A smile pulled at her lips before she nodded. “Then we can go for some ice cream?”

“As long as you don’t eat it an hour before dinner, then I’m game.”

“Aww, what? Boo!”

They found Polly. Finally, after trudging through muck and maneuvering around roots and other shrubs, they reached the cave entrance listed on the map. Anne didn’t have time to stop running before Sprig leaped off of her head, tackling his sister with an embrace.

Anne watched the reunion with a smile, only dropping at the glare coming from the polliwog.

“Seriously? You brought Anne but not Hop Pop?”

“What?” Sprig’s mouth curled into a frown.

Polly pulled away, hopping back to the mouth of the cave with a huff. “I took Hop Pop’s cane to get a replacement but also because I knew you two would follow and look for me. But after all, she put us through, you’re still cool with her?!”

With every word uttered, Anne felt smaller and smaller. Sprig, though, felt disappointed. “Polly! What’s going on with you?”

“With me?” Polly echoed. “I could ask you the same thing, Sprig! I thought this whole responsible schtick would fade, but no,” she poked his face, “you’re running around getting yourself hurt and taking sides against Hop Pop!”

Anne winced, opening her mouth to interject, but Sprig spoke up once more, “Is this why you snuck out?”

“Duh, genius! Do you think I like being away from my family? I was trying to keep it together, to keep it from falling apart because – well, what else am I good for?!”

The last set of words rang out, echoing throughout the forest. Preys paused mid-skittering, and even the predators halted mid-hunt at the shout. Under this early morning sky, Sprig Plantar softened his gaze and knelt by his sister, who refused to look at him at this point. A futile attempt to hide her tears and sniffling, but he didn’t push her to face him. He sat next to the polliwog, back-to-back.

He glanced at Anne, who rubbed her arm awkwardly. The frog boy held up a hand, urging the girl to take it. Anne looked at him, unsure, but he gave another wiggle of his hand. She took it until all three of them sat in silence.

Polly sniffed again before finally sighing. “I’m sorry. Both of you.” Sprig waited for her to finish, with the polliwog leaning against the frog. “I know what happened…last time wasn’t anyone’s fault. I believe you, you know? Both of you.”

A teary pair of eyes glanced upward at the pink frog.

“But seeing you hurt, and then you and Hop Pop fighting…well, it got too much. I just felt helpless lately, okay. I know I’m just a baby still, but I figured if I could do this one thing, I’ve finally convinced myself I’m not the weakest here.”

Her chest burned with sympathy. And a familiar ache. Anne stared at her, mouth curling into disbelief. “Polly, you’re far from the weakest in my book! You got here all by yourself. Plus, finally sharing what’s been bothering you?” She fidgeted with her hands. “That takes courage to admit, you know?”

Sprig hugged his sister tightly. “What Anne said. Polly, you’re my little sister, and I’m your big brother. We both look out for each other and our family, alright? It’s never going to be a solo thing but always a group effort thing.” He sighed, rubbing his head. “For what’s it worth, I’m sorry I haven’t been hanging out with you. Once we get home, you can join us in planning how to get Wartwood to accept Anne.”

Polly’s eyes widened, sniffling. “Wait, really?”

“Really.”

Another embrace was shared then. A moment passed, and the polliwog looked up at Anne. “…I’m sorry I blamed you. I know that whatever you are, above it all, you care about my brother very much. You got him here alive, didn’t you? He wouldn’t have lasted an hour.”

“Hey!”

Anne lightly smiled. “It’s understandable, Polly. And I care about Sprig and you and Hop Pop. This family’s really growing on me. Watching out for you all is the least I can do.” Anne smiled awkwardly. “Just, also, thanks for giving me a chance. You’re honestly mature for a baby. Much mature than me.”

Then Anne’s frown deepened, rubbing her head.

“This got me thinking about a decision I could have done differently back home.” She shook her head. “But enough of the sad bits,” Anne stood up, planting her fists against her hips. “Well, frog siblings? Are we gonna get this cane or what?”

“Seriously, we’re going through with it?” Polly gaped.

Sprig eyed the taller girl. “Aren’t you a bit sleep deprived? You just fought a giant weasel, too.”

“Pssh, I can totally handle this.” Anne grinned. “Sides, I’m the scariest thing here, remember?”

“This Doom Tree could be immune to wolfebornes.” Polly mused. “It’s alright if we leave now, though. Maybe Loggle can make a new cane.”

Anne scoffed. “This is a special tree, with special wood.”

“Well, now I’m convinced.” Polly smiled, looking up at her brother. “What say you, brother-dear-pain-in-my-rear?

Sprig ignored the jab as he fidgeted before looking at the two’s expressions. He sighed. “Well, we’re here anyway. If Anne’s really sure, then I guess it wouldn’t hurt. But the moment it gets unsafe, we’re leaving.

“Heh, you sound like Hop Pop.”

“You take that back!”

Polly grinned, hopping briefly before grabbing his hand. “Never. Well, let’s do it then! Onward to adventure!”

They stepped inside, and slowly they delved deeper. Anne squinted past the faint light of the glowing mushrooms. It was a long walk. Then she sniffed before throwing a hand up. “Okay, it smells like my grandma’s attic.”

Sprig hummed, taking in the overturned desks and odd assemblage of furniture. “Did someone use to live here?”

Polly blinked at the skull heads they passed by. “Heh. They died.”

“Ah.”

Anne shook her head, but she was confident she could protect them if push came to shove. Though honestly, how deadly was a tree anyway?

…burning bright…

Anne frowned, blinking. Did she hear that right? She turned yet found nothing.

…expel … the night…

Anne glanced to the left, but there was nothing but the little fireflies and gentle breeze that came through, trailing towards the tree planted in the middle of the cave. “You guys hear that?”

…fight…the fall…of all…

“Hear what?” The siblings asked in unison.

Anne massaged her temples while they walked toward the center of the area. A beacon of faint red light showered the tree. The moon was high above, shining a beam down from a rabbit hole of some sort. After Anne squinted through the darkness, she could almost make out…something man-made. Or, well, amphibian-made. Anne wasn’t sure, but it looked like…a gem? “Dunno but hey, what’s that? Some kind of weird steam-punky nonsense?”

“I do not understand those words separately nor together.” Sprig then squinted before he laughed. “But if you’re talking about the moondial, then that’s what it is. A moondial.”

Polly hummed. “Yeah, Anne. Don’t you have those things back home?”

“Back home, we call those things obsolete.” Anne gave an idle glance, furrowing her brows at some of the things left here. They passed by a desk, broken beakers, scalpels, and other cutting tools Anne saw when she took that woodshop class back home.

“You weird beasts and your weird names,” Polly then gasped, ignoring Sprig’s look before pointing upward. “Oh! Check that out!”

Anne squinted. “Huh, yeah, that kinda looks like the broken cane.” Very high up, though, but nothing Anne the human could not handle! She rubbed her hands, grinning. “Alright. Operation ‘Get the fam to like Anne’ is a go!”

Sprig paused, tongue stopping before it could touch one of the jar’s contents. “Come again?”

But Anne was already climbing the tree. Sprig placed the jar down back on the desk and followed, leaping from one branch to another. Polly grumbled but crossed her flippers and decided to wait by a pile of sketches and numbers. Though did the root move a little bit to the left, or was Polly just imagining things?

High above, Sprig raised a brow. “Anne, I admire the enthusiasm, but I gotta ask. Are you doing this because of guilt? Or like, you’re trying to butter it up with Polly?”

“Very much, yeah.”

He stood on a branch, crossing his arms. “Anne, she already forgave you. Even if there’s nothing to really forgive. We’ve just been…going through some rough changes. Adjusting.” Sprig twisted to try and find her gaze. “You’re just gonna hurt yourself.” The branch under him snapped. “…oh boy.”

A hand quickly shot out and grasped his vest before he could fall, with Anne using the momentum to swing him around.

Sprig grabbed the scarf, sighing and murmuring thanks before he shouted, “See!”

“Hey, that point was meant for you, not for me, dude.” Anne then grinned once they reached the top. The texture of the bark was oddly comforting though the smell was something to get used to. She sniffed but ignored the foul-smelling slime as she got to work. She pulled, with the branch breaking cleanly.

Oddly, the tree also roared.

Anne and Sprig shrieked before falling. Polly rolled out of their way and pointed at the tree. “I think you made it angry!” Anne groaned but sat up to see the Doom Tree extending its branches. The appendages coiled and roiled, oozing once more a maple-colored substance. Anne sneezed, the scent now discomforting.

Sprig leaped to his feet. “We need to go, now!”

Then the Doom Tree opened its eyes, staring at the three of them with its beady orange glow. It then rumbled, chittering and clicking with its wooden sharp teeth. One limb raised and lunged.

Anne took the polliwog in her hands while she and Sprig moved away. The papers and desk behind them were stabbed cleanly. A long wail escaped its mouth, shattering the glass high above it while Anne recoiled at the noise.

“Let’sgolet’sgolet’sgolet’sgo.” Sprig pulled while Anne hurried to follow.

The Doom Tree was quick, skittering and flitting with its unnatural long limbs and elongated to serve as a blockade. All the while, its maw opened and coughed out ooze. Anne pulled the frog boy behind her, taking the attack to the face. She expected burning pain, but the sticky substance did nothing. She gave a tentative lick. “It’s maple? Though oddly sour.”

More wailing escaped the creature, swaying in place before approaching the children.

“Where’s the clawing and growling thing you got going on?” Polly murmured.

Anne didn’t answer. Granted, she thought she just had no more energy to do so, as earlier proved, but getting a taste of some sweetness did give her a little boost. Maybe it will work this time.

But… can I risk it?  She glanced down at the siblings. No.

Anne managed to defeat that weasel without the shift. Maybe she could do it again!

The human looked around before running backward with the amphibians in her grasp. The enemy followed, hitting and breaking beakers and desks in its wake to catch the three.

“I hope your plan involves more than running!” Polly screamed.

Anne frowned, glaring at the Polliwog. “You know your screaming isn’t helping!” Sprig nodded, twisting and ducking out of the pincer’s grasp. “Sprig, use your tongue to reach the rabbit hole.” She transferred Polly over to him. “I’ll be the distraction. Go!”

“What?!”

“Yeet!” Anne didn’t give him time to disagree, picking him up as well and throwing the two amphibians away. The human then stopped, waving her arms and getting the creature’s full attention. “Hey, Stick-face,” she then debated on continuing her thought, but if she was gonna die, then she would do it honoring her parents’ sense of humor, “better hope your bark is worse than my bite!”

She eeped immediately, dodging the pincer as it pierced the wall. Though it did manage to nick her sleeve.

“Man, this is a big cave,” Anne hissed but continued running, making a sharp turn.

She was greeted by a foul wave of death. Anne grimaced when she passed by the piles of bones, reaching a hand up to cover her nose. Her eyes caught a flash of a familiar painting, but she ran into something hard in her distraction.

Metal? “Ow.” Anne glanced up, gaping at the circular thing. Odd symbols and an…eye?

The hissing returned tenfold. Anne jumped before facing the Doom Tree. Its beady red eyes glowed a sickly amber. Its limbs writhed, and its maw salivated with maple ooze.

Despite it all, Anne stood her ground and clenched her hands into fists.

Nuts to this. Whatever qualms she had with her beast form, she knew it was preferable to being tree food. So, Anne took the shape of a wolf once more.

At least, that was how it was supposed to go. Anne blinked an eye open yet still found herself being a tall bipedal human. “What the –

She concentrated. Again. And again.

But nothing happened.

The Doom Tree growled lowly, reminding the girl of her audience. Anne sheepishly chuckled. “Heh, you mind waiting for a bit. Usually, this doesn’t take –

The Doom Tree lunged with a roar. Anne screamed, ducking down and crawling under the enemy as surprisingly sharp wooden claws clashed with metal. She winced at the sound it made, like forks being scraped against plates.

“Come on, shift! Change! Whatever synonyms you dig, fine, just turn me into a wolf!” Anne huffed under her breath, yet there was nothing. She groaned, going back to the main area of the cave. She was at least glad the amphibians were gone.

Anne ran for the exit, feeling like she lost it – welp, nope. Never mind. It grabbed her socked foot, causing the girl to hiss. She fought to dislodge the claw, kicking and twisting, but it persisted. Then it started pulling.

She scrambled for purchase, clawing at the ground and still kicking with all her might.

“Anne, get down!”

She instinctively obeyed, ducking and avoiding a jar. It hit the eyes of the Doom Tree dead-on. The enemy let go of its quarry to recoil and shriek. Then the ceramic pot opened, allowing for the swarm of termites to escape and hone in on its target.

Anne gaped, looking up to find the frog siblings hanging by the contraption. “Y-You came back?”

“Duh!” Polly shouted with a grin.

Beside her, Sprig stuck out his tongue. “Anne, grab on!” This was gross but better than dead. With a squeal, Anne jumped and grabbed onto the offered tongue.

There was a wail, and they turned to the Doom Tree. The termites were eating away the wood, but oddly enough, they turned black and fall off. Sprig, Polly, and Anne grimaced at what had just happened. The Doom Tree, though, simply shrieked again before gathering its bearings.

The human stepped and pushed against the cave walls, letting momentum bring her up. Her opponent skittered and flitted, using its long limbs to reach out. Anne moved and twisted before finding purchase.

She climbed out, huffing and panting. Her back against the grass, Anne gazed up idly and found the red moon. “Huh, pretty.” It was honestly mesmerizing before two frog faces pressed against her.

“Anne, are you okay!? Don’t ever do that again, please!”

“That was awesome! Do it again!”

Anne huffed at the mixed voices. “Winded, but still breathing.” She sighed. “This is my fault, isn’t it? I should have never pushed this. I thought I could protect you both.” Anne then raised a hand before Sprig could punch her. “Hey! You know I’m right this time!”

Polly raised a brow at the exchange. “Sensing some missing context here, but Anne, what you did back there was still awesome! You still protected us, right?” She punched her brother then, giggling at his betrayed look.

He frowned before he sighed and planted both hands against his hips. “Even if I am so mad at you for sacrificing yourself back there, it was noble how you wanted to keep us safe.” Sprig shook his head. “But please, can we get out of here now? I want to hug both of you without threats ruining our moment.”

A pincer shot up from the hole before Anne could respond. The three screamed, backing away as the doom tree forced itself to exit the narrow space, seemingly rising to the surface.

“Yoink,” Anne scooped the frogs again before bolting out of there.

“So,” Anne began, idly fixing up her digital home. Marcy brought her copy of ‘My Little Craftblock’ to their sleepover, which was seriously more tolerable than a three-hour movie. “How were your partners?”

The little simulation character wandered around Anne’s home, which was simply designed to mimic her real one. Though she was called boring for doing so, Anne liked it, and so long as they didn’t tell her to change it, it will stay like that.

Marcy was in the zone, unable to answer first. Too busy decorating her castle and ensuring her digital family was well-fed while stocking up on defenses. Sasha supplied an answer while her digital house burned, having just removed the door after setting the kitchen stove to explode. “Fine.”

“Good, that’s,” Anne frowned, “good. Dang, Sash, that’s cold.”

“Well, now they’re warm.” Sasha returned to her phone. “Seriously though, really weird to be separated like that. I got saddled with one of the Wu geniuses,” she frowned, “how did you survive, Roger?”

“Krieger.”

“Whatever.”

Marcy finished fixing up the little decorations in the digital living room, smiling proudly at herself and at the various hearts from the NPCs. It dropped immediately when she spotted Sasha’s charred ones. “I know a resurrection spell.”

She was ignored, with Sasha finding Anne’s gaze. “Ok, what’s up with you? Did she mess with you?”

“N-No, Jamie’s fine.” Anne petted her digital Domino. “She’s just…intense.”

Marcy raised a brow, preparing to comment, but her phone pinged. All three of their phones did. “Oh! Our grades are uploaded.” She clicked before smiling at the green and one hundred percent written on it. Both in the project column and peer evaluation. “Aww, Vince even wrote a nice comment. And…romantic poetry?”

“Ohhh, am I smelling a crush?” Sasha teased, laughing at the gamer’s blush before lazily clicking hers open. It was also green and a hundred percent. “Well, this other Wu seems to like me.”

“Sasha. That’s a death threat in morse code.”

“Still went to all that trouble,” Sasha chuckled. “She totally likes me.” Her brows then pinched, poking Marcy, who glanced up and then frowned. They both gazed at Anne, who was staring at her phone with a distraught expression. “What happened, Boonchuy?”

Anne wordlessly lifted the device. One column was green, and written on it was a hundred percent.

The other was a big fat zero, glowing red.

Loggle hummed while he absentmindedly finished the last order for the day. Really didn’t expect Hopadiah to have such mysterious friends, but it wasn’t the first time he was asked to make something without question. He patted the sack of coppers Jacinda had given for the ruined table before he squeaked at the sudden slamming of his doors.

“What the – Plantars?” He didn’t get to hear another response as the two kids and their beast ran up to him, telling him to help them fight this Doom Tree.

CRACK!

The wall was broken effortlessly by the Doom Tree.

By frog, it’s real! Loggle gaped, staring up at the tall, sinewy creature. He snapped his attention to the children. “What did you doooooo?!”

“Okay, so we sorta angered it,” Sprig began.

Polly continued, “because we took a branch from it!”

“You’re an adult, so please help us!” Anne ended while they all screamed as the Doom Tree roared. The smattering of its syrupy ooze scattered and spread across the woodshop, but the axolotl was too busy staring reverently at the creature.

He held up a hand towards the kids. “Show me what you took.”

Anne blinked before doing as he said. She then furrowed her brows when he started approaching possible death. “Dude! It’s dangerous!”

“It’s been hurt.” Loggle boldly came near the hissing and wailing Doom Tree. “Most of all, it’s been disrespected.” He adjusted his goggles, magnifying his view. He frowned. “It’s been very disrespected in a way that nature should never have been tampered with.” The woodsmith came face to face with it, holding up the broken branch. “A darkness of some kind has corrupted it, but its true light can still shine through.”

“Make sense, you bald geezer!” Polly shouted while Sprig slapped a hand against her mouth.

“Shh, look!”

Anne never took her eyes off it, the hairs in her body standing on edge as the creature spat and hacked, raising its pincer forward.

“Remember yourself, oh ancient one. Please, remember.” Loggle intoned, not even flinching as the sharp pincers reached out to the offered branch. The Doom Tree chirruped and chittered, taking the branch and lifting it so that it was eye level. “Do not embrace this fall, not when I know you can rise from it.”

Anne’s gaze did not waver from the sight. The Doom Tree stared intensely at the missing piece. Its pincer seemed to shudder and shake while the wailing increased tenfold.

Then in a blink, it snapped the branch in two before its other claw aimed straight for the surprised woodsmith.

Anne saw only blue. She moved, now standing in front of the axolotl before raising a hand and catching the pincer. The Doom Tree recoiled, trying to move while flailing with the other. Anne growled a loud rumble that pierced the air and the flight instincts of the amphibians.

Sprig gaped before joining Polly in the cheering. Loggle had taken a step back, falling on his behind to find the two beasts seemingly locked in a battle of wills.

The Doom Tree hissed, spatting more ooze. Thgin eht eraweb!

Anne furrowed her brows but did not bat an eye when it tried to stab her. She gripped it tightly before pulling the limb away, severing it from the torso. The Doom Tree shuddered before backing away. The glowing blue girl huffed, taking her new makeshift bat and turning to find another jar of termites.

When Anne spoke, the amphibians all witnessed the echo of other voices that accompanied her statement, complimenting baritones that highlight this being of immense power. “I’m giving you a chance to leave on the count of three.” She took a stance, muscle memory accommodating years of tennis practices. “One.”

Thgin eht eraweb! The Doom Tree drooled, yet it remained where it was.

“Two.” The hand holding the jar glowed a brilliant blue, extending to the ceramic container.

Thgin eht eraweb! Thgin eht eraweb! Thgin eht eraweb!

Anne closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Three.” She tossed the jar in the air before batting it with the limb she severed. It went sailing toward its target, hitting its mark dead-on.

An explosion of glowing blue termites was unleashed, eating away at the hissing and shrieking creature as it futilely tried pulling away. It was no use, however, and with every eaten part and piece, black sludge escaped it until the Doom Tree was slowly shrinking. Its amber gaze glanced at last to Anne, coughing one more set of ooze.

Uoy knaht.

Then the Doom Tree was no more.

“She did it!” Sprig cried, snapping back to the present to lift his sister. “Oh my frog, that was intense! And horrifying! But awesome!” He gazed up in awe at the beast. “So awesome!”

“I think I’m traumatized!” Polly cheerfully added while her brother swung her around.

Loggle stood shakily, adjusting his goggles while shivering. “It…can’t be.” His gaze was still trained on the glowing girl standing protectively in front of the amphibians, but once the last of the dark sludge stopped bubbling, Anne lost the tension in her body alongside her glow.

“Anne!” The Plantar siblings hurried to the drained beast’s side, worry evident in their features.

Loggle had so many questions, but then Hopadiah came running in. “Kids! I saw the broken doors of Loggle’s. What happened? Did you find – oh, my baby!”

The elder Plantar embraced the tadpole, tears in his eyes before he gaped. “Anne? What the – could somebody fill me in?!” He knelt by the beast’s head, pressing a hand to her forehead. “She’s burning up – wait, no, that must be her regular temperature,” Hop Pop frowned, “what’s the typical body heat of a mammal?”

“Ninety-seven tics above the frog line?” Polly mumbled, gazing worriedly at the unconscious girl. “Is Anne gonna be okay?”

Sprig patted Anne’s hair. He smiled lightly when she unconsciously leaned into the gesture. “She’s… tired. I think. She’s breathing at least, so that’s good?” The pink frog ended on a questioning note, frowning at his grandfather. “She didn’t get much sleep ever since…you know.”

Hop Pop matched his grandson’s frown. “We’ll watch her. If it’s like before, then I think she’s just exhausted.” He turned to the woodsmith. “Loggle, I have so many questions, but the first thing I'm afraid to ask is…how much do I owe you for the damages?”

Loggle did not say anything at first. One would have mistaken him for an ice cube if Hiber Day wasn’t already over. He then sighed. “On another day, I would have charged you a lot. And I do mean a lot. But lately, I got myself a new job, and well,” he rubbed his head, staring at the unconscious be- Anne. “She saved my life. Consider thissssssssss. Even.”

“Oh, Loggle I couldn’t –

“It’s a moot point, anyway.” Loggle interrupted, waving a hand. “With my promotion, there’s no use for this old place.”

“Psst, I think we should take it and go,” Polly faux whispered before going back to patting Anne. Sprig was planning a way to bring her back to the farm, attempting to put her on his back before he collapsed under the strain. Polly laughed.

Hop Pop shot her a look before he sighed. “Thanks a bunch, Loggle. But I’ll repay you someday.”

“Maybe you can start by taking good care of this,” Loggle took what he was working on and presented it to the orange frog. “Your friend stopped by and asked me to make this. My last project, so I made it extra durable.” He then side-eyed the children briefly. “Jacinda oddly enough gave me this tip, now that you got three youngsters staying with you.”

Hopadiah gazed at the newly made cane in his grasp and the familiarity of a certain insignia that revealed this friend of his before he processed the name uttered. “Jacinda?”

“Yep,” Loggle then took a cautious step forward, “and you didn’t hear this from me, but well, it sounds like she’s planning on adopting a beast soon.” He frowned, “And she’s dead set on it.”

The news sent chills throughout Hop Pop’s body before he shook his head. “T-Thanks for the heads up.” He found his gaze landing on the youths, who were still trying to find a way to carry Anne. “Maybe it’s really for the best we avoid town for a while. Just process and talk about a few things with my family.”  Hop Pop sighed. “Things are changing so fast these days.”

He then eyed the tiny hourglass by the handle.

“And I’m unsure if I’m- we are prepared for what’s to come.”

“Ms. Boonchuy?” Anne froze, stopping by the doorway. Sasha and Marcy lingered but murmured about staying outside.

Anne sighed, wondering what she did this time. She had decided to hide the results from her parents. It was just a dumb grade anyway and despite the sting in her chest, cuddling her friends in their wolf forms eased some of it away. “Yes, sir?”

“It has come to my attention that Ms. Krieger did not submit her peer evaluation?” Anne blinked. She looked over her shoulder at Sasha, who gave a smug smile. Mr. Moseby continued, “Unfortunately, the system software that we use automatically calculates input, and lack of it, well, messes with the numbers in short.” Marcy nodded with a frown, implying to Anne that she tried hacking it, but it would have been more suspicious.

Gosh, her friends were amazing. Anne stood up straight, facing the teacher, who sighed. “I’ll have a word with your project partner next, but there is something you can do to get the grade you deserve.” He rummaged around his desk before handing her a piece of paper. “You need to write a short essay.”

Wait, what? Anne gaped. “More work?”

“I wouldn’t really call a one-page, fifty-word essay ‘more work,’ Ms. Boonchuy.” Mr. Moseby sighed. “But yes. It is the most objective way I can think of on short notice. Sides, I’ve been impressed by your half of the project and am curious to hear more of your thoughts.”

Anne was already tuning him out, inwardly groaning and seething at Jamie for doing this to her. She left, barely hearing the topic she had to write. Once reuniting with the two, she slumped.

Sasha whistled. “Man, didn’t go well? I was sure he would have understood when I talked to him.”

“I have to write a fifty-word essay.”

Marcy snorted, with her eyes fixed on her switch. “There you go! Honestly, that’s easy. More time to complete our next quest, right?”

“No,” Sasha shook her head. “We’re going to the mall after this, we need slushies for this mood slump. Pronto.” She then chuckled. “Seriously though, this was a good deal. If you’re not feeling it, Mars can always write it for you.”

Marcy blinked, pausing her game. “Do what now?”

Anne sighed. “It’s not that. It’s the principle of the whole thing. I was robbed. This is injustice. Ugh, what is her problem with me!”

Sasha sighed. “Look, Anne, she doesn’t matter. Forget Crabber or whatever. We got you, don’t we? Quit being ungrateful since we just saved your butt. Now it’s time to celebrate!”

The way her friend phrased it did ease some of her tension though guilt replaced her indignation. Anne frowned, rubbing her arm. “I guess I could go for some slushies.” She turned to the gamer. “Mars, you really alright doing my essay for me?”

“No big, Anne-banana.” Marcy then frowned when her character died. “Welp. Wait, what am I doing?”

“My essay for me.”

“Ah, sure, no probs. Easy-peasy.” She then grabbed her two best friends by the shoulders, giggling. “Anything for our maknae,” Marcy teased.

“No,” Sasha immediately hissed, “I draw the line of using those!”

“Such disrespect for your unnie,” after hearing the blonde’s low growl, Marcy ran away with a laugh. Of course, it immediately turned into a groan once she fell down the school’s flight of stairs in her haste.

Sasha huffed, turning to Anne. “I’m not helping her.”

Anne sighed. “I’ll get the nurse. Again.”

“Worth it!”

It took a lot of trial and error, but they managed to bring Anne back to the farm using Bessie and the wagon. The snail was visibly weary of the predator’s presence, but the Plantars all showed her that the new addition was harmless.

It was honestly too easy. They took turns checking on her, adjusting hay to make it more comfortable, and even holding her hand whenever she whimpered in her sleep.

After the day’s events, and the siblings’ retellings throughout the trip back, it was safe to say the frog family needed to talk. Sprig was the first to hop out, leading the entourage in depositing Anne on the couch. He sighed, patting her head again. She was still knocked out; it probably would be a while before she woke up. Sprig sat beside her, wordlessly opening his arms to accommodate Polly, who also curiously watched the sleeping beast.  

Hop Pop watched them, smiling slightly at the care and attention being showered to this stranger. No, a guest is a more apt term currently. He promised he would try, but Newtopia wasn’t built in a day. Hop Pop was honest enough to admit he needed time.

Right now, though, he just needed to embrace his family. He sat against the couch, unsure, but then two grandchildren snuggled up against him, and all his worries and stresses faded away. The grandfather relished the embrace and comfort, fighting down a new wave of tears before he sighed. “Y’all be the death of me, you know that, right?”

“We’re keeping your senior years lively, at least?” Sprig chuckled weakly.

Polly agreed. “That’s part of the package to this whole parenthood thing, Hop Pop.”

“I know, I signed it after skimming the fine print,” Hop Pop wheezed out a soft laugh, “but seriously, kids, what happened? Plantar feelings-session starts now.” A flipper was raised. “Okay, Polly, you first.”

The tadpole fiddled with her flippers before she sighed. “I felt…useless and helpless. After the incident – no, since I learned we nearly died by that red mantis attack when we didn’t hear Sprig’s warning. I just wanted to do something useful, and well, you two fought, and I wanted someone to blame, and…anger is easier to feel than hurt. I hate this vulnerable feeling, but I hate how I feel like I’m failing my family more.” Polly sniffed, glaring at the dust, and pointedly refused to look at them. “I mean, seriously, I don’t tolerate a lot of people, but you all seemed to have squirmed your way into my cold dark heart. Just, I hate it when you two have a fight. Please don’t have another one at least for a year.”

An embrace was the response to the polliwog once she finished. Then two cheek kisses. The Plantar family relaxed in the warmth of their little group.

Hop Pop turned to Sprig next, who nodded. Taking off his hat, the pink frog struggled to find the words while his family patiently waited for him. There, he admitted, “It took me a while to understand, but I get how I came across as overeager and impatient. I just really wanted to show everyone that my new and first real friend is amazing.” Sprig toyed with his hat. “I know the other kids my age…could never really get me. It sucks and still stings how I’m closer to adults than my peers, but well, Anne’s not an adult. She’s around my age, and she’s fun and kind.” He smiled, finding hands against his shoulder. “I wanted the people I love loving who I love too, but I ended up…saying some mean things instead. Or neglecting people I didn’t mean to neglect.”

Two kisses were given once more as Sprig finished. He relaxed, lightly sniffling before accepting the handkerchief.

Hop Pop rubbed his head, the final frog to share. “You know since…we lost your parents, I kept blaming myself.” A hand and a flipper squeezed his two hands. “Still, I know I gotta protect you two. Do my best to step up and pick up where they left off,” he frowned, “I thought raising young kids was the same as adopting a sad and lost teenager, but once I learned the great big difference, I was more terrified I’d hurt you both than any other dangerous thing could.” He turned to Sprig. “And I did, said some things I cannot take back,” then found Polly’s gaze next, “and I assumed and underestimated the impact I have or what I do. I want to be better, and I want to change. I just hope you’ll be patient with me if this old coot’s making a lot of hiccups through this new thing.”

Sprig kissed his right cheek while Polly planted one on his left. Hop Pop finally allowed the floodgates to open, embracing them tightly. Soon enough, all of them were bawling and sobbing. Like a family.

Little. broken. But still good.

Anne’s one arm fell off the couch, draping against the sleeping frogs who ended up passing out from exhaustion hours later. Anne listened to their gentle breathing, snoring, and croaking. Then she smiled before drifting back to sleep.

Yeah, still good.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: The Beast and The Wild Unknown (Part I)

The kids had been forced to stay within the Plantar Farm for three weeks. Hop Pop had suggested that the town and the forests would be off limits for a while, giving them (and their grandfather’s blood pressure) a break.

How were they supposed to know "a while" meant twenty-one days?

So there Sprig and Polly were, sitting by the windowsill. Outside was a warm sunny day, with nary a cloud nor amphibivore in the sky or ground. But their attentions were focused elsewhere.

“Is she still at it?” Polly snickered, finishing her drawing.

Sprig gave a sympathetic chuckle. “Yep.”

The subject of their amusement was none other than Anne. After waking up and recovering from the events of the Snow Weasel and Doom Tree incidents, the beast confidently stated she will be fine with the arrangements placed.

It took her three days before she regretted agreeing to Hop Pop’s new rule.

They were starting to discover Anne never fared well with boredom. Sprig had actually written down some of the odd things he observed Anne doing, next to the other lists he made out of boredom too. If there weren’t Polly’s diagrams and drawings in his journal, it was filled with little notes of food, sleeping habits, and body label types that all three of the Plantars had compiled.

Sprig rubbed his head, thinking that he should have also included Anne herself about this. Yikes. Curse thy Plantar trademark hyper fixation tendencies!

Still, either it was just an Anne thing or Wolfeborne thing, it was interesting to note certain behaviors his friend had presented. Sprig kept meaning to ask but ultimately forgot to do it.

Sprig frowned, flipping the entries that made him half concerned and amused the past few weeks.

Day Six.

Sprig put down his book to stretch, scratching his head. They were hanging out in his room this time. His eyes found Anne who stood frozen in front of a mirror. Weird too that she was in her blue quadrupedal form. “Anne?” There was a low growl that escaped his friend’s throat before she started barking at the mirror.

And the sound threatened to shatter glass.

He jumped up in his seat. “Anne?!” Sprig readied his slingshot, fearing it was an enemy bug or something else much worse. When he took a closer look, oddly, it was just Anne’s reflection to be the enemy. “Hey. Hey. Easy, there.” He dared to stand in between the reflection and his glowing best friend.

Once a pair of his eyes found blue ones, Anne shook her head. Her hair returned to its brown and curly state alongside her bipedal form. She rubbed her head weakly. Then she blinked. “Oh, hi Sprig. What’s up?” He wanted to talk about what happened but then Hop Pop called them for lunch.

And nothing moved Anne faster than a promised meal. Sprig frowned but shrugged, thinking he could ask her next time.

Day Twelve.

“Hey Sprig, look what I found!”

Sprig was cleaning the living room when he turned to the open entrance. Harold just made a mess after Anne had whacked him too hard. So now they were door-less for the whole day. At least the pest decided to be a pest somewhere else. Anne wanted to fix the door and had gathered some sticks.

But well…said sticks were, in fact, a tall mushroom.

Sprig gaped as she effortlessly carried the thing, which appeared too long to fit through the broken doorway. “Umm, Anne?”

“I got it,” she was bouncing excitedly, voice echoing again that the pink frog supposed was a side effect to her blue form. Anne took a step, and the rest of the doorway gave way. Now there was a mushroom in the living room and a very proud glowing blue bipedal Anne standing in the center.

Sprig saw the other’s pleased expression and didn’t have the heart to tell her how much trouble they would be in.

Day Fifteen.

“I’m gonna get a drink,” Anne announced with a yawn. They finished solving a puzzle in the living room floor after the incident with a competitive game of Worms and Stairs. Polly had left in a fit of loser rage while Hop Pop discouraged them to play that for a while.

Though the pink frog’s smug victory dance didn’t help matters, they supposed.

Sprig nodded to her statement, packing up but he furrowed his brows. He realized she was heading to the bathroom.

“Umm…Anne,” he scratched his head, pointing, “the sink’s down here.”

The beast took a moment to process the words before she rubbed her eyes. Like the past few days, the blue tinges faded and presented her default pair of brown orbs. “Right. Right. Yep. Forgot.”

“Uh huh.”

Day Nineteen.

Whistling, Sprig descended the basement steps cheerfully. Despite being in farmhouse arrest, he figured they could take a small hike around the farm or play a game after finishing their gruesome chores.

The pink frog then blinked, finding the mess of feathers scattered around the room.

Anne, in her beast form and surrounded by a blue aura, froze at his arrival. Surprise carried over to her eyes before the aura and her quadrupedal state faded, leaving Anne to look around in a daze. Her mattress and pillows were shredded beyond repair.

She blinked. “…wasn’t me.”

Sprig crossed his arms. He was starting to believe that to be the case as Anne promptly passed out.

Now it was day twenty-one and Sprig decided to file this as another odd Anne behavior.

Sorta.

Anne was taking her tenth lap around the farmhouse. She woke up believing she could run circles forever and never grow tired! At least that was what Sprig believed she claimed when speaking in quick succession.

Sprig honestly was worried about Anne at this rate. He turned to his sister. “Should we call in professional help? Like a wolfeborne doctor?” Was that even a thing? It sunk in that they weren’t really prepared in case Anne got sick or had needs that they didn’t know she could need. And who knew if she would take well with the medicines used for amphibians?

Polly came in as the voice of reason. “There’s not a lot of things we know about her kind though maybe this is just a regular Tuesday for her?”

“…maybe.” Sprig closed his journal. He needed to ask all his questions now, just to get some peace of mind. The beast appeared to be slowing down, giving the pink frog this window of opportunity.

Anne’s body then screeched into a halt once finishing her circuit, popping her head through the window.

The siblings toppled over in surprise while Anne said, “Hey, you two.” She grinned and Sprig had a distinct impression, that if she was in her beast form, her tail would be wagging. “My memories’ kinda blurry but it just hit me I never actually asked. What happened before I passed out at Loggle’s?”

Sprig gaped while Polly raised a brow. “Now you ask us that?”

“Hey! It slipped my mind.” And this wasn’t the first time this happened. Anne could recall brief flashes. Key events. Like when she…hurt Sprig and took down the Doom Tree. The context spoke for itself. But Anne truly wondered about the ‘how’ part.

And the why.

Sprig furrowed his brows. “You really have trouble remembering when you’re in your blue form?”

“My what now?” Then a scent suddenly took hold of Anne’s concentration. Her head shot toward the entrance of the farm, and then she ran once more. She began circling the approaching orange frog, talking a mile a minute. “Hey, whatcha got there? Smells great! Oh, more turnips? Did you cut your hair? But really wow what is that smell?!”

Hop Pop fumbled with the latest bag of groceries as he was startled by the excited arrival. “What the – Anne can you please give me some space?” He frowned while the two children approached. “What’s gotten into you?” The question was directed at both the Plantar siblings than said beast.

Anne still answered, voice echoing with faint tinges of baritones and other pitches as her eyes flashed blue. Then they dimmed back into her default browns. “Sorry, sorry, but there is this cool smell that got me suddenly happy and hyper, and I don’t know why!” Anne circled him again, trying to find the source. She was visibly attempting to restrain herself, but she continued dashing around.  

Sprig tilted his head before going over to the bag of groceries. Anne hopped in place while he rummaged around. His hand emerged with a small flowering plant. It looked soft, with its feathery white leaves. It looked kinda like a little parasol. “Ah, Anix.”

“Gesundheit.”

“No, Anne. That’s its name. Or well, it’s also called Aniseed.” Sprig rubbed his chin. “You never saw one back home?”

“If I did, dude, I wouldn’t be able to call it other than plant or flower.” Anne’s foot made a little tippy-tappy movement. “But darn it, it smells soooo good. Gimme!”

Hop Pop took the bundle before the girl could. “Hold on there. This wasn’t part of my grocery list.” He moved away from the towering glowing blue-haired beast, uneasy but he stood his ground. “I can’t believe I was charged for something I didn’t even – nope.” Hop Pop checked the receipt. “Nothing.” He checked the bag again and the things inside it. Sprig held the bundle while Hop Pop removed each of the bag’s contents.

“Hair products. Three Bugball player cards. Green bonnets. Theatre binoculars. Mothwing cream. Pet brush – oh my frog!” Hop Pop wrung his hands together. “Darn it! I must have switched bags with Lady Pimpinella.” Hop Pop pressed a hand against his head. “She’s the only one at the store I know with a Wormwood Pug.”

Polly giggled while watching Anne and Sprig play an impromptu game of keep away. The tadpole turned to her grandfather. “So? Just bring it to her and say it’s an accident.”

“Kiddo, she’s a Townie! You know, of the upper crusts in Wartwood?” Hop Pop was on his knees, staring down on the ground. “I’m gonna be accused of thievery!”

Sprig hopped and leaped away from Anne, standing next to Hop Pop. “Don’t worry Hop Pop. Judging by the things she bought, she sounds like a down-to-earth kind of frog. I mean, the fact she was the one who bought the stuff meant she’s not snooty.” He sidestepped Anne. “Maybe.”

“You don’t know the rich, boy! There’s machinations and various mind games at work when it comes to them.” Hop Pop had a faraway gaze. “One day you’re auditioning for a play at a small town up north, the next you’ve accidentally spilled a cup of buggacino onto a passerby. Later, you learned he was actually the director from an elite family. Next thing you know, you’re blacklisted from the place after mistaking the director’s husband as the co-star for that kissing scene!”

He panted, finishing his tirade and standing in front of his pile of sweat and regret.

Polly raised a brow. “Are you sure it isn’t because you just –

“In short they are enigmas that can ruin your dreams!”

Sprig frowned, hanging limply in Anne’s arms like a makeshift stuffed toy. He was caught but he wasn’t one to reject free cuddles. Even if the actual flower was Anne’s target. “Hop Pop, we really need to watch your blood pressure. But if it makes you feel better, maybe we can return it. Right Anne?”

“Anix go brr.”

“After the effects of this thing wear off.”

Hop Pop sat up. “What? No, absolutely not.” He crossed his arms. “I thought we’re keeping a low profile here.”

“We’ve been cooped up in here for three weeks, Hop Pop.” The tadpole hopped and landed on her grandfather’s head. “Please? I mean, I don’t mind not seeing people but I’m starting to feel a little bit sorry for Anne and Sprig.” She huffed. “Sucks to be extroverts, I guess.”

Sprig glared. “Polly’s daily jibes aside, I’m with her.” He clasped his hands together, widening his eyes. “Please let us go?” Paired with Anne’s glazed look, Hop Pop had a hard time saying no.  

The elder Plantar sighed. “Well, I guess we’ve given Wartwood time to recover from that Hiber day fiasco. But –

“Yahooo!” Sprig and Polly cheered. “New adventure!”

- you come straight back to the farm. No, detours. Understand?”

The two saluted. Sprig then blinked before taking Anne’s hand to do the gesture too. “Hopefully this will wear off in an hour.”

Jacinda calmly sipped her tea as the latest report reached her desk. The floor of this room had a map of the valley. Beneath her, were various big pins, figurines, and flags. Her guards stood at attention while one newt moved the pieces as he spoke.

“…and word from Captain Bufo came in, something about cannibal sightings? Though I’m not one to trust a toad, the news is still concerning.”

Jacinda huffed. “Your job is to spy, Agent. You only need to relay information, not personal feelings on the matter.” She sipped before narrowing her gaze. “However, I am starting to doubt your competency. You are lucky it was simply Leopold Loggle who saw the Doom Tree. No one would believe him if he talked but this was still a risk.”

“Then do you wish me to…” the spy made a gesture, dragging a finger across his neck.

The noble raised a brow. “Such a brute. You have been spending too much time with toads. Ugh. I cannot bear the sight of you.”

“B-But –

“Guards, see our guest out. Permanently.” The panicked begging was ignored as Jacinda stood and roamed the map. Once the doors were closed and the silence of the room reigned once more, the purple newt sighed. “There is no true fun in finishing the game of Flipwart quickly.”

One of the guards gulped before bravely raising a hand. “M-Ma’am. Permission to…ask freely?”

“Go on,” Jacinda moved pieces and figurines.

“T-The Plantars, ma’am. The woodsmith said they were there too.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“And the…beast.”

“Also, correct.”

The guard gulped once more before stating bluntly. “A-Are you…keeping that a secret, ma’am?”

Jacinda hummed, not answering. She took the latest wooden piece, the white Heron Rider, and pushed it towards the town of Bog Bottom. Then she stood back, clasping her hands behind her. “Like I said. To end the game of Flipwart early is not fun.”

“…am I going to be silenced for asking these dumb questions?”

“Truly, you have the mind of a toad general.” Jacinda turned back to the guard who was now being restrained by her comrades. “But I shall make it as simple as possible for you. The answer to your last question is yes.”

After sending the second amphibian to execution, Jacinda pleasantly asked for a tea refill. Earnestly, it was a slow morning. Even for her.

There was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal the butler. “Milady. Hannah Hopper is here.”

And there went her peaceful morning. Jacinda sighed. She handed the teacup back to the butler, adjusting her outfit. “If that frog’s blood wasn’t so blue I would have sent him to hang with this nosy business of his.” She massaged her temple but ordered to bring the reporter to the common room.

It was always a pain to handle this one, but it would never bode well to make an enemy out of an elite, no matter where they came from. And only a fool would fight an enemy in their own territory.

Jacinda needed to put the Archers to some good use and the reporter was one piece that was already in a useful position.

When the newt crossed her expensive double doors, she forced a cordial smile on her lips. She opened her mouth to greet the newcomer, but she was interrupted by a mic being shoved near her face.

“Ace Reporter, Hannah Hopper, of the Wartwood Gazette.” The young frog said over a mouthful of bread from Flour and Daughters Bakery. “Tell me, Milady, have you heard about the incident of the woodshop weeks ago?”

“You mean the gas leak?” Jacinda tittered while pushing the mic away and sidestepping the crumbs gathering on her carpet. “Yes, it was a shame, but the owner had to relocate eventually so it worked out in the end.”

“And this new place just had to be sold and turned into another one of your Moving and Junk services?”

Jacinda sat down, primly helping herself to a biscuit. “My dear, the wild these days are teeming with more dangerous things. If I can be of service in helping cargo reach their destination, then it will be done.”

Hannah hummed while writing furiously in his notepad. “Tongues wagged a bit about some illegal activity. Any comment?”

“If these are the same tongues that have any modicum of credibility and truth, then all I will say is you best not waste much time chasing false leads.” Jacinda adopted a maternal look. “Little one, I do have to ask again. Are you truly satisfied with this kind of profession? Forgive my bluntness, but it is quite beneath your status.”

“Status or none, the truth is what matters in the end.” The young frog adjusted his reporter’s cap. “No one helped me solve the mystery behind my parents’ deaths. All they left me was grief, their wealth, and a dead end of some Bed and Breakfast up north.” He clenched his fists dramatically. “The missing truth haunted me, but so help me frog I will not let another – whoa, it’s the Beast!” He took off, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

Jacinda blinked before finally allowing a scowl to twist her expression. Truly, she hated Wartwood nobility the most. Dreadful manners and deplorable waste of wealth. Recovering herself, she sighed and asked the butler what was next on the day’s agenda.

Not before relaying to her underlings about moving Archer Two to G4.

“Are you sure you’re really okay? We can turn back if you’re not.”

“Dude, seriously, I’m fine now.” A beat before Anne pleaded, “but please keep those things away from me while I try to save what remained of my dignity.”

“You puked, Anne. That’s totally normal.” Sprig assured, while holding onto the grocery bag. The Anix was placed in a tightly sealed jar and buried deep and at the bottom of the bag. Anne still walked a few paces away from the pink frog.

Polly was on top of Anne’s head. Anne’s blue hair disappeared again after the Anix rush faded. “It was totally funny too.”

“Hey! There’s a bunch of new things I’m slowly discovering, alright?” The girl from another world had gaped once she was told about this other transformation. Never would have believed them too if it weren’t for Polly’s accurate drawings. Anne sighed, not liking how it added to the pile of crazy that was her nature. “Maybe it’s some kind of…weird Wolfeborne reaction. You know, the normie equivalent to a peanut allergy.”

“Now you’re not just making sense.” Polly tapped a flipper against her cheek. “Still though, there’s not a lot of things you really know about your kind? What, did they forget to write it down or something?”

Anne shook her head, catching the tadpole quickly when she was accidentally dislodged. “Maybe? Look, I know I tend to sleep through a ton of lectures but I’m a hundred percent sure no one talked about this glowing blue thing I got.”

Unless it’s just really a weird ‘me’ thing.

The thought didn’t comfort Anne one bit. Luckily her stomach grumbled afterwards, so Anne decided to focus on that instead. “And welp, I’m not gonna start dissecting some philosophical or evolutionary mumbo jumbo with no brain fuel.”

“Bold of you to assume you got a brain to use.” Polly shook her head before giggling at the playful tickling from the large beast. She turned to Sprig who was tensely walking down the streets of the Wartwood upper district. “Now you look like you could use some teasing too, Hop Pop Jr.”

“Anyone feel like it’s too quiet?” Sprig muttered, ignoring the taunt. Despite the slightly cleaner paths and shinier and bigger houses, this was still part of Wartwood and usually farmers and townies alike roamed the streets talking shop or negotiating businesses.

Suddenly a green frog stood in front of the group. Anne instinctively growled at the new arrival. The reporter hesitated then, before taking a pencil and writing in his notebook. “Easy now. Just jotting down some little descriptors and – done. Alright, so where were we? Oh yeah, eek!”

Anne stopped growling and rubbed her head, embarrassed. They all watched the noble flee the scene. She sighed, pressing her palms to her face. “What’s happening to me.”

Sprig gave a little pat. “We’ll figure it out. But hey, at least with whatever’s going on lately, your first reaction is to always protect us.”

Anne smiled a bit, squeezing his hand.

“We’re earnestly the coolest kids in Wartwood,” Polly added with a grin. “How often does a frog have a predator at their beck and call?”

Anne playfully gave her a noogie. “Not a servant, Polly.” She then furrowed her brows. “Anyway, I guess I should go apologize for scaring him. Who was he anyway?”

“Local reporter. The only reporter in Wartwood, actually.” Sprig explained as they made their way to one mansion up ahead. “Honestly, the paper’s not much popular. Now Duckweed’s food reviews, that’s more interesting.”

Polly nodded as they reached the gate. Anne whistled appreciatively at the fancy surrounding this rustic town. “There’s nothing like reading about someone’s hopes and dreams getting crushed so eloquently.” The three kids stared up at the tall imposing guard post. Mossy cobblestone walls stretched on for miles and around this property while above each were spikes that discouraged would-be robbers or trespassers too.

Sprig and Polly rarely ventured this far out or found a reason to, but they weren’t going to miss out on an opportunity to touch something fancy. He grinned at Polly who took the other end of the bell. He then gestured for Anne and with excited smiles, they were ringing the bell.

Two armored newts immediately came into view and looked down with matching grimaces. “Oi! What are you two doing out here?”

Anne sighed but accepted her fate of being overlooked.      

Sprig cleared his throat. “Hello! Us three are here to deliver Lady Pimpinella’s things.” He chuckled nervously, especially at the spikey spears being waved around. Since when did the guards become so aggressive?

A familiar growl sounded behind him, interrupting his musings. He subtly waved a hand to Anne, hoping she will stop.

The guards were unamused, so Sprig hurried to explain, “You see it’s a funny story, actually. We –

“Lady Pimpinella’s not here, brats.”

Polly glared. “You’re the brat!”

Sprig laughed again, standing in front of his sister. His instincts were telling him to leave immediately but he didn’t want to end up empty-handed. “Okay, well where can we find her? This is actually very important.” He gave his best smile and innocent eyes. That usually worked with the adults he interacted with. “Could you kind folks help us young kids –

“No.” The guards then turned away.

Sprig blinked before he shrugged. “Well, we tried.”

Anne huffed in response, staring at him in disbelief. She felt the hand tugging her and pulling her away, but she was sick of how these newts treated her bumpkin family. “Hey!” She rang the bell, ignoring the surprised looks and mutters from the two siblings. “Hey!”

The newt guards returned with a grumble. “What is it – oh, wait,” he squinted at the bipedal beast then at the frogs. His comrade whispered something to him, and he nodded. “Are you all here for the Wild Fest at Camp Phlegmington this weekend?”

“Wild Fest? Uh, yes.” Sprig quickly hopped on top of Anne’s head. “That is something we are planning to attend. Yes. The Wild Fest.”

Polly dryly whispered, “Wait a go.”

“Shut up.”

Anne blinked while the newts muttered amongst themselves. “Wild Fest?” she asked. They spoke low and seemingly in a code that Anne didn’t understand, despite her good hearing.

“Big celebration nobles throw.” Sprig rolled his eyes, whispering while the guards were distracted. “Basically, they think they’re like superior hunters when they can bring home a wild predator for the whole town to see and gawk at. Then they start bidding for the auction.”

Polly added, “Just insecure people flaunting their wealth, skills, and junk.”

“Oh, like Tok-Tik. Gotcha.” Anne then crossed her arms, waiting until the guards returned. They then dropped a pendant, shaped like a moth. Her eyes focused on its descent but resisted the urge to grab it in her mouth and chew on it.  She shook her head. Seriously? What is wrong with me? A crumpled flyer was next.

Anne furrowed her brows at their disrespect while Sprig caught the items.

The newt guards boredly explained. “That’s your ticket for the contest. Good luck, yada yada yada, odds be in your favor and all that. Good day.” They disappeared once more.

“Sheesh, they really like their job,” Polly chuckled as they began walking away. The tadpole gestured for the pendant, oohing and aahing at the design. Silver, with a moth motif that signaled it belonged to House Geometridae. “But anyway, this is so cool! We’re invited to our first Wild Fest. Sprig, can you believe it?” She wore the ticket, smiling up at her brother.

Then she frowned.

“Sprig?”

The pink frog and human stood frozen, gazing at something by the entrance of the farmer’s market. Polly followed their line of sight and gasped as a small family of farmers tearfully closed their stand. Their wagon was filled to the brim with baskets and decorations.

Anne knitted her brows, approaching unconsciously to get a closer look. “What’s happening?”

“They lost their stand.” Sprig patted her head. “It, uh, it happens when rent’s not paid.” He rubbed his arm, unable to look at the crying family any longer. “We should go, Hop Pop might get worried.”

Anne clenched her fists, especially when one farmer was practically on the ground clutching at the guard’s boot. His begging cries were heard loud and clear.

Her temper flared though once the newt unsheathed their sword.

“Anne. No. I know what you’re planning to do, but no.” They wouldn’t seriously harm them, right? The pink frog never expected those guards to use drastic measures. Sprig gripped her hair firmly. He knew his words weren’t heeded as blue slowly replaced brown. The beast started stalking towards the group.

Polly was pulling at Anne’s fingers as she was carried. “Don’t be an idiot!”

The newts noticed their approach and the aggressive guard’s grip on the blade wavered. “Move along, citizens. This…” Despite wearing a helmet, it was obvious this one was staring up at the eyes of a predator. “Th-This doesn’t concern you!”

“Anne,” Sprig whispered, “leave. Now. Please.”

“What’s going on here?” came another voice. All eyes – except for the beast’s – turned to an approaching purple newt with familiar regal robes. The Plantar siblings tensed at the other’s arrival. Hopping down, they stood protectively in front of Anne, whose gaze was still locked on the sword-wielding newt.

The guard’s body language visibly relaxed while the frogs cowered. “I was just following orders, milady. Then this two showed up sicking their beast on us.”

Jacinda hummed. Her gaze fell to the small farm family who just lost their stand, eyes softening. “Ah. You are the Uperodons? My condolences. It is unfortunate these things happen, but while such are inevitable did my guards tell you about the Farmer’s Loan Program?”

The family slowly shook their heads while Sprig and Polly exchanged glances. There wasn’t one they heard about. Ever. They felt uneasy but Anne seemed rooted in her spot still. To the beast, there was a threat direr than snooty nobles.

Jacinda was unphased, narrowing her gaze now at the guards. “You, fools. Those were my orders, weren’t they? Explain yourselves of this incompetence.”

The first newt gulped. “U-Uh we thought that –

“And there lies the problem. You tried to think. When obviously you do not have the capacity to do so.” Jacinda shook her head before leveling another friendly look at the farmers. “Come. Shall we discuss this over at my home? I should also provide compensation for this atrocity. Newtopia does not tolerate such brutish behavior.”

“O-Oh we couldn’t,” muttered one member of the family.

“I insist.” Jacinda smiled. She ordered the other guard to lead them to her mansion, with strict instructions to leave all weapons behind. They had saluted before obeying quickly. Anne’s gaze found the blade left behind, wielder-less, and the tension in her body abated.

Sprig gazed up at his best friend. “Anne, you okay?”

“I’m…fine.” Anne knitted her brows, massaging her temple. While recovering, she did note how the purple newt was watching silently.

Sprig did not believe Anne, but he sighed, settling with addressing the noble. His Hop Pop taught him what he needed enough when dealing with these sorts. “That was… nice of you to do that for that family, milady.”

Polly nodded, but was still wary. “Right on time too.”

Jacinda tittered, waving away their suspicious tone. “I was on my way here, but an old friend dropped by to send me an invitation.” She smiled serenely. “I may not be born in Wartwood yet I do enjoy the little celebrations they put on.” Her gaze found the tadpole’s, specifically at the pendant. “Oh, and you are participating in this event?”

Sprig stepped in front of his sister with a cordial smile. “We’re still thinking about it.”

“Ah, well an opportunity like this is rare. Best to seize it if you could.” Jacinda noticed Anne’s unwavering stare at the weapons. She hummed, approaching the pile and picking one up.

The tension in Anne’s body returned tenfold. Her mouth pulled back, and sharp fangs jutted out from the girl’s mouth. Sprig and Polly were startled but Jacinda hummed once more before throwing the sword away. It landed carelessly in a ditch. The rest followed until all sharp swords were gone from sight.

Anne blinked and she groaned, patting her cheek. “Ow.” Sprig and Polly hugged her, murmuring their concerns.

“Your kind appears to be quite sensitive to danger.” Jacinda tilted her head, calmly hiding her hands in her long sleeves. “It pulls at the core of your being. The source of who you are.” She gave an inquisitive hum. “But you are not…whole. Truly fascinating.”

The brunette frowned, rubbing her jaw before daring to ask. “Meaning?”

Jacinda laughed. “Just a theory. Let’s just say, every being has their way of reacting to…well, anything. Pain and danger are the most common variables though and it is quite telling how someone responds to such.”

Polly gave an unimpressed snort. “That’s a lot of words just to say her instincts reveal her character.”

Sprig hissed a soft scolding of his sister’s name before smiling once more. “Well, this has been informative. Thank you, Lady Jacinda. We best be going now. So, goodbye!” He started leading them away.

“Of course. Of course. And if you changed your mind, know I will be rooting for you all.” Jacinda gave a dainty wave of her hands as they walked away. Anne carried them back but not before hearing the soft mutter of the newt. Like it was meant for the girl’s ears only.

“I am especially curious how a Wolfeborne would perform.”

She froze, turning. “How do you –

The newt was gone.

Anne gaped while above her head, Sprig sighed. He wiped at his brow. “Gosh, that was a close one. Seriously though Anne, what happened? Why’d you suddenly,” he mimed growling.

Polly giggled despite the tense encounter. “No, make it scarier.”

Sprig pulled at his mouth, hooking each forefinger like they were fangs.

“There we go. You honestly look better that way.” Laughter was pulled from the tadpole as Sprig wrestled with his sister. While the smaller sibling cried for mercy, the older one returned to his best friend, waiting for an answer.

But that was the thing, Anne didn’t have one.

She sighed, scratching her head. They walked and talked, with other amphibians finally out in the streets. The frogs were clutching some pamphlets too while crushing an important-looking letter.

Sprig frowned when he saw more families looking on the verge of tears or despair. Rare were the angry frogs though. There were some new swears he learned just now too.

Seeing the two frogs and the beast’s approach distracted the farmers enough, giving a momentary glance at the trio before they went back to their tasks. At least the screaming at the sight of Anne lessened. Of course, there was the occasional sweating and crying alongside warning looks.

Marginally better for a town that was slow to accept and respect.

Sprig offered consolatory pats when he noticed the deepening of Anne’s frown. They were nearing the farm at least.

The beast herself walked and tried to ignore the sting of the citizen’s gazes. Being an outcast was not something Anne especially enjoyed. It took her a while, being a new transfer in middle school, to finally earn a place among her peers. High school became slightly better, but she knew it was mostly due to Sasha’s influence on the popular crowd. Even Marcy garnered a few silent admirers as her name appeared on every examination scoreboard.

But Anne…what was Anne in the face of that? Sure, there was her varsity and she tended to be a gossip source too but that was the average stuff. Other kids could fit those attributes.

Without those, what made Anne unique was just that she was someone with out-of-control wolfeborne shifts.

A whine unconsciously left her lips. She then ignored the worried glances of the siblings as Anne wondered if it was a good idea to ask Hop Pop about these…changes in her.

Like maybe something in that book he showed her might reveal something.

She debated even cornering the newt. Jacinda appeared to know more than she let on. Though that thought was immediately buzzed away. Her senses told her that noble was dangerous with a capital ‘D’ paired with a red highlighter.  

Anne was not going to bring that kind of trouble to this family.

“It’s one mystery after another,” Anne muttered. She turned to the siblings, speaking louder, “I don’t know what’s happening to me lately. I mean, I never got like this back home.”

Not since I was young, but I didn’t lose control unlike here. Anne groaned.

“Maybe it’s…like losing your tail as you age?” Sprig offered then he tapped his chin. “Gosh, this is gonna sound awkward, but I can tell you about the life and death of us amphibians. See, it all starts when a –

“Nope. Nope. Nope. Not gonna have The Talk even in another world.” Anne remembered the first one she had for her normie form. Then came the Wolfeborne version.

Nope. Never again. Nope times infinity.

Anne shuddered. “After I purposely bury uncomfortable memories away, let’s head inside and tell Hop Pop what happened. Rip the band-aid off.” The Plantar head deserved to know, that was for sure.

The siblings sighed at the reminder, knowing they broke the ‘no detour’ condition. Polly whispered, “If he gets mad, I’m throwing Anne under the barge.”

“Hey, I heard that!”

Sprig shook his head, pointing at the amulet. “No matter what, I think he’s not gonna like this.”

“I love this!”

Polly whispered to her brother, “I think he snapped.” Sprig chuckled lightly before returning to watch his grandfather with worry.

In front of them, Hop Pop was pacing back and forth on the front of the couch. He was opening various crates, old books, and even jars that held so many questionable scents. The last part was the reason why Anne was writhing in agony.

“My lungs! They’re burning!” She whimpered.

“Anne quit being dramatic,” Polly smirked.

“You literally don’t have a nose!”

“Dunno what that is but still, sucks to be you.” She at least had enough empathy to toss a gas mask at the beast.

Sprig gently approached Hop Pop, and even closed the jars in his path. There was still the lingering smell, but it wasn’t potent enough with the open windows. “Hey, so I gotta ask, why is this good news for you?” He chuckled nervously. “I thought you’d be, I don’t know, distraught. You know at the Uperodon’s case and the overall Wild Fest thing.”

Hop Pop grasped his shoulders. “It’s still good news because my grandkids are now reaching for the stars!”

“Say what now?”

“Don’t you get it, boy? This is a great opportunity! Rubbing elbows with Wartwood’s elite. Making connections.” He gasped, eyes sparkling. “Maybe even build lucrative business relationships. We’ll be set for life if you managed to court or get courted by them!”

Polly raised a brow. “Wow. So romantic.”

“It’s roman-pragmatic.” Hop Pop corrected. He then took one book out, slamming it onto the coffee table. “There was only one Plantar who managed to join the Wild Fest. One. And his name was Roderick Plantar.”

They all looked, even Anne recovered enough, at the frog in the picture. It was disconcerting that the square-shaped mustache was the first thing she saw before she shook her head and read the text.

“The first ever frog to capture a…sand liger?” Anne then looked down at the next section with a grimace. “And the first one ever to be eaten on stage in front of a crowd. Woof, if that doesn’t make you memorable nothing will.”

“Yep. But this time, a new star will rise and redeem the family name!” Hop Pop grinned, hugging the three children. “Oh, I am so proud of you all.”

“By sending us to our doom, yep,” Polly squeezed out of the embrace, “no one told us people died in these competitions. So, count me out!”

Hop Pop rubbed his head. “Well, safety precautions weren’t that effective back then but maybe this time would be different. I mean, they got practically the whole town signing up.” He furrowed his brows, uncrumpling the flyer given to them. “Wow. Open to the public? What could the target be that they were willing to let non-townies join?”

Sprig shrugged. “Didn’t say. All the guards did was toss us that. And this pendant.”

“Let me see that.” Hop Pop then eyed the jewelry once it was in his grasp. “Ah alright. Anne, I need a favor.” He urged them to go outside where the afternoon sun was proudly up in the sky. “You need to spit on this.”

Anne blinked. “Say what?”

Polly burst out laughing at the words. Sprig followed though he did his best stifling them at the glare from his best friend. It didn’t work that much.

Anne pinched the bridge of her nose. “Every day, my life is making less sense.”

Hop Pop rolled his eyes. “Shush. Look, it’s safe to assume the guards gave you this once they saw Anne?”

“Well, technically, I told them we were planning to join after they asked if we were planning to join.”

Polly added with a sarcastic, “Quite convincingly in fact.” She dodged the punch sent her way, sticking her tongue out.

Hop Pop nodded. “Well, there you have it.”

“Still missing some context, HP.”

He sighed. “Of course, they didn’t explain it well enough. Look here.” He took a stick and started drawing on the ground. “Now I don’t know if they changed it but back in my time we got a thing called Beast Polo. The fancy folks rode their beasts, while hitting this ball and getting it to reach the goal.”

“Sensing I’m not gonna like where this is going.” Anne then sniffed, before rubbing her nose. Why did she suddenly crave seafood? She turned and surveyed the farm while Hop Pop continued to explain.

“For Wild Fest, they do the same but instead of hitting a ball to reach the goal, the goal is to hunt down a target first while surviving the natural traps of mother nature. Plus of course, the other beasts of the players.”

“Yep, called it.” Anne sighed. She returned her attention to the frog elder, crossing her arms. “Okay, so what does that have to do with spitting on a pendant?”

“To let the other participants know you’re a friend, not the target.” They all jumped at the new voice that appeared. A frog came out from the bushes.

“Soggy Joe!?” Sprig gaped.

Anne started to growl again, instinctively standing in front of the frog family. Odd she didn’t sense the intruder’s scent though.

Then something was tossed in the air. Anne unconsciously caught it in her hands. Anne got the answer to her previous questions once she looked down and her mouth watered.

The rest of the amphibians grimaced, in contrast, with the elder Plantar going, “Joe! What the heck is that?!”

“And how long were you hiding in the bushes, weirdo?” Polly waved her pin roll threateningly.

Soggy Joe was unbothered, pointing. “That is meat. Carcass from a blue blossom-shell crab, rather.” He crossed his arms. “Best way to a tameable beast’s heart is through their stomach.” The survivalist frowned squinting at the eating girl. “Though I’m afraid I can’t quite call your friend here one.”

Sprig sighed in relief. “Good. So, you can see she’s a person –

“This one’s domesticated already. Too soft. Not to mention, getting used to being given food. It cannot survive in the wild.”

- never mind.” Sprig facepalmed while Anne blinked before glaring at Soggy Joe. The meat was gone and devoured, but her disposition towards the newcomer remained hostile at those words.

She pointed a finger at him. “Et tu?! I am not soft.” She crossed her arms. “Don’t you know I lasted a week when I landed here?”

Soggy Joe huffed. “Well out there, youngling, surviving is forever.” He gestured to the diagrams and pendant. “And my conscience cannot allow a weak creature to join in on a dangerous expedition.”

Anne growled. Weak? Seriously?!

“What are you, the fun police?” Polly groaned.

“One of the organizers actually.” Soggy Joe hefted up a badge from his beard. “Heard your name being updated and I ran here as fast as I could.”

Hop Pop squinted before he sighed. “It’s legit. And smells horrible.”

“Point is,” Soggy Joe glared at the affront to his magnificent beard, “we can’t have another Plantar possibly dying in front of a crowd.” He shrugged, grimacing. “Bad for advertising. Anyway, that’s all. Bye.” He then bid farewell, turning about-face.

“Well, that’s a relief.” Sprig shrugged. “Glad we skipped out on this dangerous new adventure, huh Anne?”

Anne frowned, clenching her hands into fists. “Oh, I am not skipping this.”

“Say what now?”

The wolfeborne approached, running up and tapping the leaving frog. “Hey, what’s it gonna take to prove I’m not soft?”

Polly turned to her family. “Maybe he kinda has a point, Anne.” She giggled at the looks shot at her.  Hop Pop raised both hands in a soothing gesture, moving closer to the wolfeborne.

“Anne, maybe you could sit this one out.” He rubbed his neck. “I think I got overeager too. You and Sprig don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, we do,” Anne declared, ignoring Sprig’s hasty ‘No we don’t!’ as she planted her fists against her hips. “Aside from your future, my pride as a Wolfeborne is at stake.” She gritted her teeth, poking the unimpressed survivalist’s hat. “We may not know much of our history, but what we do know is that we are the apex predators of apex predators.” Anne stood tall, towering over the amphibian.

Soggy Joe eyed her before he chuckled. “I don’t doubt that lass.” He narrowed his eyes. “I just doubt you.”

Sprig intervened. “Okay, that’s enough poking the beast, Joe. You can leave now.” He turned to Anne. “And you, maybe we can start another adventure. One that doesn’t involve me possibly being eaten in front of a crowd. Unless you can convince Ivy not to watch.”

Anne ignored her best friend, glaring at Joe. “If you’re confident you got the skills for surviving longer then show me. Though I don’t know what can prey do but flee.”

Polly ‘Ooohed’ with a smirk. Sprig gasped, shouting a scolding, “Anne!” Even Hop Pop was uncomfortable at the exchange.

Soggy Joe raised a brow, before letting out a deranged laugh. He laughed and laughed, spittle flying. The Plantars grimaced while wiping their faces.

Then Soggy Joe stopped. “Now that sounds like it came from a beast. Alright, kiddo. You and Young Plantar shall meet me here tonight. Bring nothing but yourselves.” He then disappeared back into the bushes.

Anne huffed. She took the pendant thing, gathered up her saliva, and spat on it. The metal dissolved, with a small moth emerging from the ichor. Then it flew away.

Turning her nose up, Anne marched back to the farmhouse.

Sprig groaned, glaring at Anne. He exchanged looks with Hop Pop who shrugged but gave a comforting pat. A beat later, the elder added, “So…is it too soon to bring out the courtship kit this weekend?”

CLICKETY-CLACK. PING. CLICKETY-CLICKETY-CLACK. PING.

Ace Reporter Hannah Hopper paused to take a sip of his own homebrew tea. Then he returned to typing. He knew while the idea was still fresh in his mind, he needed to put it into writing. The first ever encounter with the Plantars’ Beast was a stroke of luck. The reporter had wanted to take a closer look and capture the new species’ description first.

He pursed his lips, leaping away from his desk. He found the tome, an old bestiary. Possibly dating back to a thousand years. Maybe even beyond that. Hannah slurped thoughtfully. In that tome, it was said that these predators were the top of the food chain in some distant place. They had roamed the lands in four legs, tracking prey and establishing territory for more convenient hunting grounds. If the resources were depleted, they moved away.

Kind of like the conquerors of old amphibia. Hannah dared to muse. His eyes found the notes of Mycroft Newtback. These were the last tomes his parents borrowed three years ago before they disappeared. Codes and riddles were the modus operandi of the ancient amphibians but Mycroft seemed to have cracked a few.

It was obviously unfinished, sadly.

Hannah hopped once more to another section of the room. A wall littered with various strings and clippings. He tacked one in, taking care to place it next to one with a picture of a mushroom. Then he pinned a small length of string to the paper displaying ‘Bog Water Canyon???’ written in a hasty script. The reporter sighed, looking away from the board to gaze at the recent note from his contacts. ‘Sand Wars reaching its climax’ it read.

“If the only war is about to end, do you know why they need more weapons, Loggle?”

The axolotl hummed, taking another sip of Felicia’s tea. He had been staying at Felicia’s Tea Shopppe since that…encounter. He knew if word got out, he would be branded as nutty as One-Eyed Wally. But he needed to tell someone.

Who better than the only reporter in Wartwood with zero following?

“I dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo – not.” Loggle sipped some more of the tea. Ever since he was ‘recruited’ to return to metalwork, his wound had been flaring as if aggravated just by the sole reminder. “I do not. All I know is that it’s to ‘ensure order’ or something along those lines.”

Hannah Hopper hummed. “We’re missing something here. Something obvious.”

Loggle watched the young frog and he let out a small chuckle. “Reminds me of your parents when they hit a snag in their paper. Pity too, they were the finest archeologists to ever graduate Newtopia University.”

“They died, trying to find some ‘truth’ buried in our history.” Hannah Hopper murmured. “They focused too much on the past.”

“The past’s just as important as our present, kid,” Loggle gave a hearty reminder, “beauty of our origins, they’re one of the many parts that make our identity. No matter what we do to bury it.”

“But why bury it in the first place?” Hannah followed another string. This led to the word ‘Leviathan’ and they were both lucky the room they rented was secluded. Anything showing remotely doubt or disdain to the crown would be met with the word ‘treason’ or ‘traitor’ if some opportunistic noble found out, hoping it could lead them higher in the social ladder. He turned to the axolotl. “Are you sure you told me everything?”

Loggle pursed his lips. He took another of Felicia’s sip and gave a confident, “Yep.” His mind tried to find other pieces of information of note.

But his mind was blank.

Hannah Hopper sighed as the elder shrugged before he finally bid goodnight. He frowned yet gave a distracted goodnight of his own. The reporter was out of tea anyway. He took a moment to peek outside yet found none in the hallway. Huh, they must be preparing themselves and their chosen beasts for the Wild Fest this weekend.

A perfect opportunity to walk undetected. Hannah Hopper climbed down the steps, only to fall immediately on his butt. Drat.

He sat up, wincing and frowning at the broken remains of his teacup. Hannah turned to glare at the one who bumped into him only to find no one there. All he saw was a crumpled piece of paper that he immediately pocketed once another approached.

Hannah blinked, tension easing a little once finding the proprietor. “Oh. Good evening, ma’am.”

“Evening, Hannah. Care for some oolong tea? Or are you in a jasmine mood tonight?”

“Maybe next time, Felicia.” The young frog laughed. “It’s getting late. I might worry my butler again if I stay out too long.”

“I see, well you know the drill. Don’t forget to clean up any messes you left.” Felicia grumbled to herself. “Please. It’s bad enough some of those brutish guards weren’t taught any proper manners. Absolutely horrid.” And there she ranted some more while brewing herself a cup.

Hannah came back to his room, quest for tea forgotten to read the note once safely inside. He barely withheld his gasp and shiver as he read its contents.

‘Tonight. Mossman Glen. Full moon.’

Anne huffed, muttering under her breath as she sewed the shredded blanket of Polly. She was back in the basement, wanting to cool off after angrily wolfing down her meals and finishing the rest of her chores. The others gave her a wide berth – sans Sprig who tried to understand why she did what she did – and thus, left Anne mostly alone.

Despite the somewhat calming nature of washing dishes or cleaning tables, she was still so angry.

She glared at the blanket. “Soft? Psh. I’m not soft. Sure, a little domesticated, but would a softie beat a giant weasel? Heck, a Doom Tree?” The needle pricked her finger. Anne shrieked before whimpering. “Owie.” Anne took it into her mouth while she continued sewing. “I’ll show you who’s soft.”

“Anne, you really should open up,” Sprig said in greeting, opening the latch and descending the steps. It took a while for the pink frog to find Anne. He knew he should have checked the basement first. “Come on, what was that all about?”

Maybe it was being fed up with his persistence or being annoyed by the hundreds of times he tried getting an answer from her, that caused Anne to huff. Well fine, Anne would play this game. “Proving a point.” Anne shrugged, finishing her sewing. “Look, trash talking’s part of those and sure what I said wasn’t… nice, but he started it. My honor was at stake.”

Sprig eyed her. “And there’s no other reason you wanted to go through with this?”

“Trust me. Challenges were all the rage back home. It’s no big deal though. I know what I’m doing when it comes down to it.” Okay that was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.

Sprig raised a brow, not buying her casualness. The perceptive little bugger he was. Anne tried to stifle a groan as he asked, “So, you’ve been to one of those challenges?”

Welp, he got her there. Anne refused to back down though. “…well, never been in one. But I watched a lot enough.” Granted Death’s Duel was an archaic practice but from what Sasha told her and what Anne saw, the packs never ended up fighting to an actual death because they surrendered early on.

They earnestly didn’t last long when Sasha Waybright was the combatant.

Anne frowned, glancing down at the blanket. Seeing that, Sprig sighed before he sat in front of her. “Okay, what’s this really about?”

“I just said –

“The truth, Anne.” The pink frog stared up at the brown eyes of the beast. “Please. For me? But also, for you.” He rubbed his head, frowning. “It’s just… whatever this is, it looks like it’s upsetting you. I want to help.”

Anne could lie. Be stubborn. Insist that that was the truth. They didn’t need to talk about this dumb thing that’s been bothering Anne since she was old enough to understand how she was just -

But what was the point of lying, really?

Anne faced the young frog boy whose gaze was unwavering and resolute but also sympathetic and concerned. She rubbed her arm. Anne heard them speak up about that feelings-session and maybe…opening up won’t be so bad. It was weird though, because she never…really told anyone about this.

It took a while before the brunette finally shook her head with a sigh. She chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Alright. You win.” Anne then fiddled with her hands, unable to maintain eye contact. She needed time to gather her thoughts. But Sprig was patient. He understood.

Maybe he could also understand…this.

Anne bit her lip, fighting the sudden tears that gathered in her eyes. She didn’t know why she started crying or why her chest felt like it would burst any moment. Yet these words and focusing on this hurt that she had buried for long was…well it was starting to crack through the floodgates. Things she could have told her parents but never got the chance.

Then a cold hand moved, intertwining with Anne’s. Anne glanced to the source and found he was trying to reenact the handshake they’ve been working on the past few weeks. It wasn’t perfect yet, just more complicated.

But the motions were soothing, familiar, and it lessened the pressure in her chest a bit.

Anne sniffled before she finally admitted, “Back home, I guess I’m regarded as the weakest member of my pack. I’ve been told that I am the weakest member of the pack. Nobody seemed to disagree. Not that I told anyone about…that.”

Sprig furrowed his brows while Anne adjusted, pulling away to lean against her hands.

“But it makes sense, you know? I know I’m not the strongest,” like Sasha, “or the smartest,” like Marcy, “I’m just…me. And I’m totally different from my kind.” Anne huffed, glancing wryly at her hands. “I told you Wolfebornes are creatures born as wolves and they received the gift to turn human, right?” Sprig nodded. “Imagine the opposite of that.” She showed five fingers, waving it like she was greeting someone. “I’m born human. I should be considered a normie, but I can shift.” Though lately that’s not something I can control anyway.

Anne tried to focus. Marcy had mentioned it was like wearing another set of clothes. Sasha said it was like breathing wrong. For Anne, shifting was like trying to focus on a math problem. She could handle basic addition. But when human form plus an uncontrollable shift plus glowing blue equaled Anne, she was beyond confused.

Sprig’s voice put her back on track. “And that’s…rare?”

“So rare,” Anne rested on her mattress, staring up at the mossy ceiling. A beat and then Sprig followed, resting his head against her shoulder. She sighed, patting him on the back as they both stared up. “It’s just…lonely I guess? No one can really get it.” They didn’t understand the sting of being called a runt. Of the confusion whether to introduce herself as a wolfeborne or normie. Of not being able to relate to certain wolfeborne practices like a Proving or being surrounded with a big pack.

Anne rubbed her head. “I just figured, if I can try to act like a Wolfeborne, I can make my existence make sense, you know?” Anne huffed. “I don’t know. I guess I just ended up acting like a jerk.” Sasha and what those teen magazines said made it look effortless and cool.

“…I’m unique for my kind too.”

Anne blinked, before gazing down at him. “What?”

“My color, it’s also rare in frogs.” Sprigs opened and closed his hands, sighing. “Growing up with my family made me pay less attention to that fact but other kids…have friend preferences I supposed. Them or their family don’t want to take chances with the odd little pink frog of the valley.” Sprig chuckled, “I won’t fully get it though.” Anne recognized the confusion in his eyes. The longing to understand how other people could be capable of not just liking another.

Anne had tried to ignore that question then, since her friends told her those didn’t matter. Who cares if not everyone liked Anne, right? Yet looking at Sprig, Anne had to wonder if the hurt will ever go away.

Sprig nodded, as if reading Anne’s mind. “I really won’t get it, but you know what I think.” He smiled. “I think…existing shouldn’t be earned or proven? It just… happens and that’s amazing every time.” He chuckled, gesturing airily. “So yeah, it’s amazing we exist. It’s amazing we happened. Whatever form we are and are becoming and choosing to be, we don’t have to have an excuse to be. You get what I mean?” Anne gazed at him, surprise in her eyes.

He rubbed at his head, suddenly self-conscious. “Or not. Forget it. Maybe there’s just something in us that unconsciously fears the unknown –

A warm body pressed against him, embracing him tightly. “You’re a wise little dude, Sprig. Thanks.”

Sprig blinked before finally processing the hug. He sniffed, shaking his head. “I was trying to comfort you, you know.”

“You have.” Anne sighed. She pressed her cheek atop his head while he sniffled and hugged back. “I’m glad I met you.”

“And I’m glad I found you.”

They chuckled. They embraced in silence for another moment until Anne sat up to wipe her eyes. “Okay. I get it. I get how dumb this is now. Let’s call this off –

“Nope.”  

“…no?” Anne tilted a head. She saw the determination in his gaze. “What do you mean, no?”

“We’re showing Soggy Joe and those rich folks what we’re made of.” Sprig stood and smiled up at Anne. “It’s important to you, so it’s now important to me.” He held up a hand. “We’re Sprig and Anne, against the world.”

Anne laughed. Is he really serious? Sprig waited for her to clasp his hand with his, wiggling his fingers invitingly. He is. She grinned.

“Spranne against the world, bud.”

A human hand touched the frog’s own, moving in tandem as they exchanged a series of complicated handshakes, releasing a bubble of giggles and laughter once it ended and failed.

“Spranne against the world.”

It wasn’t perfect. But it was theirs.

“Are you sure they’re ready?”

…

“As you wish.” A hand reached out, pulling the lever. The cage opened, and nine glowing pairs of amber orbs ambled out.

The same hand presented a dead moth coated in saliva.

“Find one of the stars. Test its might or snuff out its light.”

Chapter Text

Interlude: The Monster and The Toads

The beating of the drums matched the pounding of the frog’s heart. Thousands of toads spat, hooted, and jeered the rebel’s way as the drummers continued to play.

He did not falter at the least. He knew he fought for something right. His eyes scanned to some of the other frogs ‘lucky’ enough to be chosen to watch his execution. Just a few, for dead frogs told no tales.

Then the drummers stopped, the last of the beat fading once the Captain of the South Tower emerged from above. The rebel gazed bravely up at Captain Grime.

Grime, in turn, sneered before raising a scroll. “Fergus Ronald O. Gordon. You have been accused of instigating a coup in Lily Paddington, supplying weapons for the rebels that evaded capture, and withholding key information of their headquarters.” Grime glared. “How do you plead?”

The drumming continued once more, as most of the toads booed and threw produce at him. Fergus still stood strong and tall despite his measly height. “Guilty and without regrets. My ancestors are smiling down upon me, Toads, can you say the same?”

Grime shook his head as the toads grew louder. He raised up a clawed hand to halt their noises. “Very well. Charged with treason against the crown, the punishable sentence should be ten years rotting in the dungeons.” Fergus frowned at the next set of words. “But orders have changed for this continuous outrage, lately. And so, Fergus Ronald O. Gordon, you have the chance to keep your life.”

The north cage was slowly being opened. The drumming became louder and louder. The rebel blinked as the toad guards to his sides removed his manacles and even left him with a sword. He was too stunned to think of escaping as the portcullis was lifted high. He stood, brandishing his blade cautiously while Grime chuckled low.

“If you can survive an hour facing Champion.”

And from the darkness, emerged two glowing pink eyes with a mouth that curled into a snarl.

“Welcome back, Mr. Waybright.” The butler greeted the moment the Wolfeborne crossed the double doors. Davor Waybright nodded, tiredly shrugging off the normie work clothes that were dirtied. It was the result of an ambush from a pack of playful siblings and litter of adopted pups.

He breathed in deeply, feeling like himself again once entering the Waybright estate. They were not hailed the largest pack for a reason and immediately numerous familiar and unfamiliar scents welcomed him home. He stretched and nodded to the guards posted in their places. This was a sanctuary and while they had signed what was needed for the Society of Peace to keep the hunters from messing with them, his wife was still weary.

It was expected. Peace felt like…a dream once it was achieved.

Davor’s footsteps led him up the stairs. He dodged the strategically placed and subtle marks that he knew outliers or outsiders wouldn’t even dare touch. To enter the territory of a mother uninvited would warrant suspicion.

Of a Wolfeborne mother, it was instant death.

He knew his trek allowed his wife time to register it was him though he suspected she already expected his arrival just as he drove past the gates. Davor smiled once he opened the doors to the den. Nothing else mattered but the two centering his universe.

This one’s a fighter. Davor Waybright laughed, having just arrived back from work and couldn’t wait to return to his wolf form. His eyes found the large pup, oddly big for her age of two months, chewing aggressively at the deer leg.

“She’s taken to meat like her mother,” Alexandra Waybright factually declared, running her hands through blonde fur. Judging by her own work clothes and still being in her normie form, she went straight into the nursery den the moment she arrived.

That would explain the energy of the ambush earlier, Davor thought. None dared to get in the way of his wife. Well, except for a one or two Moon-Moon, but that was a given. New pack members thought they could get away with anything. It was imperative they learned discipline.

Alexandra tilted a head at her mate once he approached.  “What took you so long?”

Darn normies charging less than what our meat’s worth in trade. Then another bumped into me and spilled my coffee on my way to the car. The dark blonde wolf shook his head. And don’t get me started on the new tax rates in the mail!

“World domination is not too late of an option,” smirked Alexandra.

Davor chuckled.

They were lucky the Society of Peace was used to his mate’s diabolical jokes. It was only to mess with the paranoid hunters in the meeting room, more so the newest batch of hunters thinking they could sway the neutral party to their favor and push for tighter restrictions against Wolfebornes.

Despite progress, it felt like they were still in captivity. One way or another. Davor shook his head, ridding himself of those thoughts with a small huff. I don’t think that will solve our problem.

In a blink, a towering brown wolf stood before Davor. Love, you’re my world.

Aww, love you too. It took a minute until it finally clicked. Oh. It should not be possible for a wolf to blush yet here Davor was. Alexandra laughed and playfully bumped against him, causing him to chuff. You’re horrible.

It’s what you love about me, don’t lie. The wolves exchanged nuzzles, relishing in the warmth and contact. Because of their normie professions, they hadn’t been able to spend much time in the last few months. They knew they would be busier than ever too in the upcoming days.

Alexandra was planning her trip to Asia with half of the pack. Expected considering she was the ambassador for Wolfebornes in America. Peace talks with other branches of the Society of Peace were gruesome and took so long before they could reach a consensus. Lately, at least they didn’t involve more Death’s Duels.

It was unbelievable! Alexandra groaned and ranted to Davor about the last meeting in Europe. All they were ever doing, all they had ever done, was keeping Wolfebornes and the gift from declining and causing more deaths. They wouldn’t accomplish that by fighting to the death every time they disagreed. It wasn’t helping matters that some normie started talking and polluting the pack members’ brains about subtypes. Of an alpha and omega.

Davor tilted his head while snuggling closer to his daughter. Are there Moon-Moon normies too?

Alexandra snorted and made a mental note to publish another article and memo to new members of the pack and then sending it to her other siblings. They needed to update the masses before that mentality would lead to more trouble in the future.

Hey, look. Davor’s voice brought her back to the present and when she looked down, she couldn’t help but snort.

The messy eater continued to bite on the bone now despite her eyes drooping sleepily.

A stubborn one. More from you than me, Alexandra teased. Her ears then swiveled to the left, in the direction of the gates opening. And then a scent crossed the sanctuary. An unwanted and trespassing scent.

Davor rolled his eyes at the jibe though, picking up the pup who refused to let go of the bone and bringing her to the bed. Once they settled, he waited for the bigger wolf to join them only to tilt his head when she shifted back to her normie form. Lexie?

His mate didn’t answer, only striding forward and reaching out to his head. He felt a pinching sensation, like a tic pulling at him. When the hand retreated, Alexandra glared at the tiny device blinking red. Davor Waybright growled low, eyes narrowing into slits. The sound woken up the pup, though, so Davor did his best to stop while curling his head against his whimpering daughter.

Alexandra breathed deeply, still staring at the tiny spy camera. Her blood boiled in indignation and paired with the coincidence of the newcomer’s arrival; it was not turning out to be a good day.

“…I’ll be back.” She pressed a kiss to her worlds’ foreheads before leaving the room.

Protective and righteous anger bloomed within the mother’s chest as she ran down. Just in time to see the mansion’s doors opening. An elderly normie strolled forward, bravely ignoring the snarling and growling of the Waybright pack members.

What was more irking was the purple pass around the human’s neck. The symbol of the Society of Peace was proudly displayed. It meant one thing and that was no harm would come to the human unless Alexandra wanted the neutral side to get involved. Still, a call would have been nice. The mother mentally seethed.

“Is this a bad time? I heard from my sources that you’ve just tuckered in your young one.” The old woman began, finding the eyes of the Ambassador by the top of the stairs.

“Indeed.” Tension coiled within the very being of Alexandra Waybright. Crushing the spy camera, she wiped the debris off her suit while stepping down the flight of stairs. She doubted she could even prove it was the old woman and her clan, sly snakes the lot of them. “What brings a hunter, an unarmed one at that, willingly to our territory?”

Regina Marisa Wu chuckled pleasantly, cane clacking with every step. “The kind that was sent to pass a message, for starters.”

The rebel lasted for half an hour. Most of the toads groaned as the event ended quickly for their liking but it was inevitable. Bog chugged on his grog with a belch, bored beyond measure. Down below, the cleaning frogs cried while ridding the corpse.

He huffed once the toads started chanting Champion’s name. A newly earned title for Sasha. Bog shook his head. The original name sounded like a pet name, and he was still convinced this one was just a domesticated thing with a bit of feral energy. Like Leechihuahuas.

“Wow, that’s the fastest record yet to date,” Fens commented beside him. “Though maybe she got bored toying with the little frog.”

Mire warbled in Frog Latin, causing Fens to nod.

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Bog huffed, hardly paying attention to his teammates. The monster was now running laps around their new coliseum. After the heron attack, rebuilding the tower went up to schedule by using some of the villagers near them. The frog rebels thought their disrespect would go unpunished, but Captain Grime knew waiting until they let their guard down was the right call.

Now they had proven a point.

Once the frogs were returned to their proper posts, they would be spreading tales of the Monster of the South. A fearsome beast, large as a house, with sharp claws that could rend wood and metal easily, more so soft flesh. Paired with powerful jaws that some saw personally tore through the neck of a swarm of hybeenas, the monster’s glowing pink eyes could stalk even the most hidden of prey once she had taken in their scent.

Bog crossed his arms with a grumble. Fine, they were lucky it was now on their side, but he still didn’t like the rumors that the captain was making it his lieutenant. Preposterous.

His eyes glanced up and he nearly choked on his drink. He wiped his chin and rubbed his eyes, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. But it was real.

Captain Grime was happily smiling.

He quickly punched his comrades’ shoulders, giving a wordless jerk of his head. They looked confused but following his gaze, they nearly gasped aloud.

Luckily all eyes were still on the monster who began taking on the new opponent pushed in. This time, a Barbariant was found skittering around the tower. It was oddly alone and had a dark red set of antennae, yet the toads were sure it was still no match for Champion.

Bog shook his head while watching the captain. Grime wasn’t the sort to show emotions, least of all happiness. Amusement was the closest to it, like extorting new produce or weakling toads straining under the strict training regime.

Champion circled the prey first, finding an opening as the Barbariant skittered and flashed its mandibles. The toads were beating heavily on the drums while the rest made bets. Grime most of all showed excitement as he leaned forward to watch, clenching his fists with a smirk as Sasha gave good hits and powerful swipes that left dark tar-like liquid on the floor.

But Bog also saw, that for every powerful hit and strike against the monster, Grime would wince or knit his brows. Like he was…concerned.

Champion let out a loud snarl. The barbariant chittered in response. Its mandibles clacked against the cobblestone ground of the coliseum, missing the blonde predator. The Monster of the South Tower stalked forward, fur bristling and tail raised as Sasha locked her gaze onto the enemy. This may have been the time for training, but Grime appeared prepared to call this bout off.

Then the predator lunged.

Pawprints left faint indentions on the ground as rocks were kicked back at a sudden speed before the monster body slammed the Barbariant.

It hissed upon impact of the far wall, with the toads shrieking and yelling in fear. The insect struggled to recover as the amphibians moved away from the bleachers above it.

Grime wasn’t able to hold back his cry of “Sasha!”

No toads heard his concern, too busy staring in awe at the battle ongoing. It was rare to find an opponent that their champion struggled with yet here was it, a Barbariant proving to be Sasha’s match.

More sharp pincers grabbed and nipped, taking tufts of fur and slicing through flesh. The toads winced but kept cheering on their champion. With Grime’s being the loudest.

Sasha’s eyes glowed a brighter pink.

It was like gazing at the sun, forcing the soldiers to look away. Then the monster opened her maw, sharp dangerous rows of teeth were flashed as she leaped up, powerful hind legs propelling her forward before taking the head of the barbariant in her jaw.

Once she got a good grip, she ripped it cleanly off its body.

“Gross.” Grime drawled as the toads gaped. Then he announced the winner of this fight, causing the toads to recover. “Our Champion is victorious once again!”

They started clapping and hollering, throwing even slices of meat and snacks that they knew the predator enjoyed. The head of the Barbariant landed with a heavy thud, dripping a dark tar-like substance. They chanted Sasha’s name, alternating between her real one and her title. The monster threw its head back to howl loudly and proud. More cheering was the result.

Then she stopped and she turned her snout to the floor. Sasha started coughing out a dark ichor.

Grime leaped from his post, running up to the heaving blonde monster. “Champion?” He whirled to the soldiers. “Get the healers! Now!” The toads scrambled to follow orders.

Amidst the chaos, Bog tapped a clawed finger against his chin. His eyes found a familiar weak toad who ran inside the battlegrounds, bringing a bucket of water. Bog smirked, mind finally forming a fun idea to test his little theory.

“Look who just got back from her Proving,” Sasha’s cousin teased once they drove away from that Thai Go restaurant. It was a surprise they had been called up by a normie couple while they had been in the office, preparing for their latest criminal defense case. Sasha was lucky they were still in the area and had nothing scheduled.

What was more surprising was to find Sasha in her human form. The lawyer did not comment on this new development.

“Though it’s odd you allowed yourself to be picked up like a stray, kiddo,” they said instead. Their little cousin always tended to sneak inside other properties, like toy stores or parks. This was the first time Sasha was apparently caught. “What happened?”

Sasha huffed, crossing her little arms. “None of your business, Sam.” Sam noticed the two small bracelets wrapped around the prodigy’s wrists and they smirked.

“Aww, are you keeping your little friends a secret now?”

“Eyes on the road, Moon-Moon.”

The insult was felt immediately as the older wolfeborne snarled. Their car windows were closed, but still, the sound was heard by the drivers beside them. “Hey, watch your tone ungrateful brat! I didn’t have to save your butt, but I did.”

 Sasha snorted. “That’s the best argument you got?”

“I can always let you walk.” A pair of eyes were rolled. “That better, Your Majesty?”

“Like you could,” the seven year-old pillowed her hands behind her head, even making a show of placing her feet against the dashboard. “I survived not one, not two, but three weeks by myself.”

Sam said nothing at that. Curious, Sasha raised her head, but the adult was frowning. She poked their cheek until they swatted her little arm. “Quit it.”

“You looked sad, dumb-dumb. What, mad I beat your record?” The fact she easily read a normie’s body language spoke volumes to Sam. They took a moment to gather their thoughts before they responded.

“I’m more disappointed that your parents had you go through with it.” The admission was not what Sasha expected. Luckily they reached a traffic jam, so Sam could face their youngest cousin. If they were in their wolf forms, Sam’s ears were pinned back. “Know the reason why I kept calling you kiddo, kiddo?”

“Because you’re a dumb adult who likes messing with me?” Sasha tilted her head.

Sam chuckled. “That too but most of all, I see you as you are. A kid. Look, I don’t know if it’s just me but the adults around you lately have been giving you more responsibility and tasks than what’s typical or appropriate for your age.” Like they’re preparing you to lead the pack. Sam thought.

Sasha frowned. “I don’t get it.” She crossed her arms again. “Doesn’t that mean I’m better?”

The lawyer chuffed. “Better is not the synonym of good, Sasha.” The cars started moving, and so Sam returned to the road. “Just…promise me one thing?”

“I’m not giving you a portion of my dinner. Or dessert.”

“No, I wouldn’t dare.” Sam rolled their eyes with a small chuckle. “But seriously, can you do that? Can you promise your favorite cousin this one thing?”

“Who said you’re my favorite?”

“I’m the only one whose number you bothered to memorize.” Sam countered with an unimpressed look. “But fine, be that way.” It only took a minute before the child’s curiosity got the better of her. They smirked as another poke was made to their cheek. “Yes?”

“…what’s the promise?”

They were approaching the Waybright estate and already the atmosphere seemed to change as other scents appeared. Sasha gave an instinctual growl before it registered that all appeared to smell like allies. If there were foreign odors, the howls surrounding the place eased some of the two Waybrights’ tension. They were welcoming the latest wolfeborne who finished her Proving.

Sam placed a hand on Sasha’s shoulder before the young girl could open the door. “Sasha. Promise me you’ll never lose yourself.” The howls were getting louder, and Sam knew their time was up. That was what happened to banished members.

They may have not aged down the message to a more appropriate audience in a bid to say it quickly, knowing there was never going to be a chance like this again. “Find an anchor that can keep you grounded.”

Sasha tilted a head when they pointed at her bracelets.

Percy walked the halls carrying a green backpack. He was so excited to show Sasha what he found. While the rebuilding efforts continued, Percy managed to find something buried under wreckage and debris. It was near where Sasha landed and had been confiscated while Grime got to the bottom of the monster’s existence.

Percy had been in charge of keeping it safe but well, he didn’t. He was so wracked with guilt that he did his best to replace or fix what he could. Luckily Sasha didn’t seem too bothered or she would have said something.

Braddock noticed his approach. She was posted as today’s guard, keeping visitors and toads from sneaking a peek at the champion and interrupting her nap. The healers and scholars they had initially approached from the nearby town arrived hours earlier. After they had just finished patching up Sasha while murmuring amongst themselves, one walked up to speak with Captain Grime.

Braddock wasn’t one to trust newts. Especially this lead doctor. What kind of name was Dr. Littlepot? Really weird name for a weird-looking newt too. The tail looked fake to Braddock, honestly.

Either way, the newts had acted more shady than usual. She caught ‘a fast-healing factor’ and ‘fascinating find’ in between their excited mutterings. Grime appeared to be more guarded too. Yet he merely nodded as they left, passing an egg-shaped thing to the bowler hat-wearing amphibian.

Percy waved happily and all Braddock’s thoughts halted as a blush made its way to her cheeks. “Hey, Braddock!” He grinned as he greeted the warrior. He was carrying a green backpack over his shoulder until he was now standing in front of her. “How’s your day?”

“Uh, boring. To be honest.” Braddock was still getting used to someone asking that. Or even bothering to know about her day. How did one talk normally to an amphibian again? She gulped before matching his smile with one of her own. Albeit not as confident as his. “Yours?”

Percy rocked on his heels, smiling widely. “I finished my little project!” The hallways were barren at this time, so it allowed for the green toad to be more of himself. He wiggled excitedly. “I hope Sasha’s gonna be happy when I show her what I got.”

Braddock smiled. She realized it was easier doing that lately when she was around him. “I’m sure she’ll like it.” Knowing she was risking protocol here but darn it she wanted to spend more time with him. “Let’s go.”

Percy bounced in place while Braddock cautiously looked around before opening the doors. The room they entered was the biggest room they could make it. After numerous observations, trials, and errors, Grime finally figured out that the monster needed room to expel excess energy caused by boredom. Therefore, it became a daily thing that complimenting the toad training, there would be hunts and expeditions. The kitchens had never been more stocked, too.

They cleared away from villages and towns however as the scholars warned that the monster might go on a rampage when not fully eased into the new environment. Fleeing creatures could trigger its instincts to hunt anything that moved and released fear pheromones. The newts also encouraged toad interaction so that the predator would know its allies, a boon to the tower as it now pushed the soldiers to be braver in the presence of the Champion.

It personally wasn’t anything new to Percy and Braddock. They spent the most time with Sasha before and after the heron attack so there was not much of a difference. They eyed the chewed and damaged furniture, broken stuff toys, bones, and overturned drinking bowl.

Okay, so a bit of a difference. Percy approached regardless, waving the backpack in the air. “Hey, Sasha!”

The champion raised its head, gaze locked on the two newcomers before she returned to her nap.

Braddock chuckled. “Maybe we could come back – Percy!” She scolded but the excited toad moved forward so that he was now in front of Sasha.

“No worries, Braddock. It’s just Sasha.” He patted the space next to him. Braddock hesitated before the warrior sighed and accepted the invitation. Percy opened the bag. “Look, Sash. It took me a while, but I got most of your things back.” He raised a small tome, a book with odd writing he couldn’t read. “Here’s your book. Your strange tiny snake. Your two fluffy red balls. Your two stuffed toys. Your tiny blue magic box,” he stuck out his tongue, finding the last item. “And your photo.”

The last one got the monster to open her eyes. Percy didn’t even flinch as the gaze of the predator locked on the picture in his claw.

“Yeah, I thought it would be the first to go but it’s surprisingly hidden and protected well.” Percy placed the photo down as Sasha approached it. “I guess this is your hummus form. Are those two members of your pack?”

The monster said nothing, merely staring intensely at the image.

Braddock frowned, turning to Percy. “It’s been a while since she talked to us. Or, well, anyone. I got time to ask around for a bit but not even one toad heard Sasha speak again.”

“Because why would Champion waste its time talking to you two?” Grime’s voice pierced the comfortable atmosphere.

“The next normie I see, I am killing them.” Alexandra Waybright growled as she entered the shack within the estate on a rainy Monday evening. She had finished even checking for more cameras by the gates, and the trusted techies of the neutral side proved reliable enough.

Davor Waybright set down the butcher’s knife, raising a brow. “I take it the meeting with the IRS did not go well.”

“I am tired of playing by their rules. By their games.” They knew who she was specifically referring to. But they hated being reminded of that conversation. The matriarch huffed, sitting on the sofa and withholding the urge to claw at it. “In my great grandfather’s time, we did not need to worry about these kinds of things!”

The patriarch frowned, removing his butcher’s apron and sitting next to his distressed mate. He appeared to have returned from a successful hunt judging by the loud howling and snarling in the common area. The forests surrounding their land were generous this week. “I understand your frustration. More than anything.” He sighed. “But you know why we continue tolerating these conditions. Why we have decided to stop fighting too.”

“Fighting is easier.”

“Not everyone is a born fighter.” Davor reminded her before he pressed a kiss to her palm. They sat in silence before he broke it, playfully nudging her with his shoulders. “You know what I tolerate the most about this form?”

Alexandra rolled her eyes. “The ability to open doors or use their darn confusing technology?”

A hand intertwined with hers, grasping tightly. “I have another way of feeling you close to me,” Davor answered, paired with another kiss on the back of Alexandra’s palm. “It is interesting, how humans can communicate feelings through physical touch too.”

“The hugs are very warm,” the brunette begrudgingly agreed. She then sighed. “I just…want more for the next generation. For our daughter.”

Davor hummed. “I think she is content. Immensely lately too since she told us she wants to enroll in a human school.”

“The same one as her friends, yes. Don’t remind me.”

“Do you not approve of her friends?”

“The hunter child and the odd-smelling normie spawn?” She rolled her eyes at the scolding glance. “I mean the two nice children. Do not get me wrong, my love, I am supportive of this relationship. It is the outsiders I feel who will not understand them.”

He blinked before considering his words. “I see. That is cause for concern.” Davor hummed. “But I think she will destroy them immediately. She is capable.”

Alexandra snorted. “Yes. I suppose you are right. Again.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “I wish to lighten the burdens of this pack, especially after those darn new laws, but I do not know what else to do.” 

“We have done enough,” Davor reminded her. “And sure, it is…going to be a challenge to support almost all the lone Wolfebornes in America but we will endure. Besides, we also have stipulations. We control who joins.” But they tried to accept all, as much as they could until the new members were independent.

“There are no financial troubles in the wild.” She growled again before sighing and rubbing her temples to cool her temper. “Still, I will not ignore those we can protect. It is in our nature.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “I just wish the normie laws are not proving to be an obstacle.”

“Actually,” Davor tilted a head, as he was reminded of the suggestion of his siblings when he hunted with them. They were the most integrated and updated of all wolfebornes regarding human systems and functions. The best pack of lawyers and business tycoons. “I think there is a way we can work around it.”

“Oh?” his wife tilted her head, “How?”

“They called it a ‘divorce’ if I am not mistaken.”

“Captain Grime, Sir!” Braddock and Percy shot up with a salute. They gulped, sweating at the displeased expression of their superior.

“Explain yourselves. Now.”

Braddock glanced at Percy. “It was my fault. Sir. It won’t happen again.”

Grime approached until he was now towering over the two toads. His one good eye narrowed before he huffed. “Get out of my sight. Both of you.”

They quickly fled. Percy then paused by the doorway, preparing to take back the items but one glare from the captain quickly changed his mind.

As the doors closed, Grime shook his head and approached the resting monster. He then glanced down to see the photo and other items. Surprisingly, they were not immediately chewed on or destroyed.

“I can only assume these have sentimental value?” There was no response and Grime grunted before moving toward the pack. After gathering some scholars and threatening them into secrecy, he was still unable to know if there were more of her kind out there. A new species of predator suddenly appearing outside his tower should not be possible.

He stopped inches away from touching the items at the warning growl he got. Grime huffed, before glaring and then moving to the table. He would give her this, only because of her efforts in today’s match. Reaching out to one of the tomes, he opened a dark red notebook and turned to the last entry.

Observations of the scholars were not fully complete. They merely speculated that whatever her kind was, she had ties to the Carnivora Order in the official Amphibian Taxonomy and that was it. Sasha was not something any amphibian had a record of. Unless one had slightly unorthodox channels.

Grime huffed, placing the crumpled note of the lead doctor he worked hard to contact. ‘Wolfeborne’ it said and nothing else. The captain crossed his arms. “I wasted an antique egg for this?” He addressed the said ‘Wolfeborne’ who was now pacing the room. “Anything to add, Sasha?”

But once again, there was only silence as the response.

Grime did not enjoy being ignored. He marched over to the monster who was now nosing around the pack. “Do not growl at me.” While the rest of the toads preferred to gaze at the champion in the distance, Grime had no such hesitations. Whatever this new behavior or ploy was, he was not going to fall for it.

Though he was starting to get curious at whatever motivation or plan she was plotting when her snout got stuck in the pack. Grime couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him suddenly at the sight.

“Truly you are something to be feared,” he approached, ignoring the warning growl again. “You’ll have more than your pride to worry about when this gets stuck further.” Grasping one of the straps, he pulled it free. More items dropped to the floor as a result. Sasha shook her head before she started running around the room.

Grime huffed as he gazed at the mess before begrudgingly cleaning them up. He was curious to find one paper that fell out of a book, wrinkled, and seemingly folded again and again. He lifted it to reading height and pursed his lips. Odd symbols littered the piece of parchment, one he could not read. There were some water stains of some kind too. He grimaced, about to shove it back into the pack, but then it glowed a faint pink tinge.

And before his very eye, he could read that it was a custody agreement letter. “What manner of sorcery is this?!" Yet curiosity won him over as his eye scanned the contents, blinking at the two lines with signatures. The third line, however, was blank.

Grime stared at it for a moment, before lowering the letter. He found two front-facing eyes staring back at him. “You are a child?”

Sasha bit the paper, tearing it into shreds. Then she went back to her destruction of the other items, like the stuffed feline and odd yellow rodent thing.

“Sasha, explain this,” he needed answers, stepping in the way of the tall four-legged monster. A monster pup if he read the torn parchment right. “Where did this come from? Who wrote it? Was it your rancher?”

Sasha said nothing, simply content with destroying and running around the small place.

Grime growled. “Enough!” He stomped his foot, banging his fists against his chest, and croaked loud and clear. The challenge was heeded, as the monster immediately whipped its head toward the fearless captain. “Explain yourself now – ah!”

He was sent careening across the room by the smack of a blonde paw. The far wall received a toad-sized crater as a result, but it was reinforced enough during its creation. Grime ensured this one would not escape easily.

Grime grunted, standing up and glaring at the Wolfeborne. He eyed the tail flicking lazily and the hunched form of this predator. To his immense surprise though, Sasha started coughing again and all aggression was replaced by unexpected concern once the monster collapsed.

He rushed forward, eyeing the dark ichor that was spat out again before he sighed. Grime took out the vial he got from the doctor and dipped it in the discarded water bowl. He picked it up and then placed it in front of the sick creature.

Sick child, he reminded himself, still in disbelief at what he had learned. So many mysteries yet to be unlocked. “Drink.”

Stubborn eyes met his own, forcing a groan to escape the captain.

“Drink or you will die.”

At least a growl was preferrable to silence. Believing he needed to inject this instead, he was then surprised to see the predator drink.

The tension that unconsciously enveloped him was drained immediately. Grime shook his head, reaching a hand hesitatingly before lowering it to his side.

“You had me worried there, Champion,” Grime grumbled his admission, sitting next to the drinking monster. “If this was another ploy, you certainly succeeded in scaring me.” There was no response, causing him to sigh. “Silent treatment aside, I did come here to sing your praises. The valley’s frog rebellion had quieted once they learned the demise of their members. For how long, that remained to be seen. You had been instrumental in quelling the chaos that threatened our way of life.”

Once Sasha finished drinking, she stood and started pacing the room again. Grime sighed.

“It is not easy being the captain of an entire tower, just so you know. Every living toad, competent or otherwise, is under my responsibility and authority.” Grime huffed, pointing at the unresponsive child. “That means you too, surprisingly. Strength is rewarded amongst us toads while weakness is punished. You more than deserve your luxuries after your past performances.”

But should she be punished for being this weak right now? He stood, going back to his desk and ignoring that thought.

“Still, I supposed you can no longer participate in executions in your present state.” Or expeditions. Forever. His gaze returned to the shredded paper, finding a somewhat surprising kinship with the monster despite everything.

No. Do not be foolish, Grime. He knew he should start making arrangements for Sasha soon, passing her to more capable and non-military hands lest he became fully attached. Grime was not blind. He had reviewed his actions in the past days and hours. He knew that what he displayed was weakness by Toad Law.

He was lucky it was overlooked.

“Where are you going, twerp?”

Sasha rolled her eyes, ignoring the jibe. A cousin or adopted member of the pack, she surmised but the middle schooler had no time for a challenge. She needed to pack some things she would need for her first day of human school. It was difficult to hang out with Marcy and Anne lately since they said they needed to prepare for school soon.

Sasha had then thought of a great idea, one she proudly proclaimed as they finished eating ice cream in the park. And that was how she became a middle-school student of Saint James.

Today was orientation and Sasha was not going to be late when Marcy and Anne texted that seats were on a first-come basis. She was not going to sit anywhere but next to her friends.

First, she needed to find her missing stuffed toys.

Sasha looked around, checking every cabinet and under her bed. Though once she went back to her desk, she caught a faint whiff of another scent. Correction, scents. Familiar, stupid, and infuriating scents.

“Where. Are. They?” Sasha glanced up at the idiot that dared take what was hers.

The Moon-Moon though made a show of yawning. “What are you talking about?”

“…alright. A duel. Right now.” Sasha snarled, but then her gaze found more eyes outside her room. They had gotten bolder when her parents left the estate, thinking that despite putting Sasha in charge the pup was an easy target for their games.

They would learn that there was a reason Sasha had a whole floor to herself.

“Time to show 'em what a real alpha looks like,” chuckled the challenger. More challengers outside the room echoed their agreements.

Ugh, seriously? Sasha cracked her knuckles, glancing at the time and growling under her breath. At least she could use her annoyance and frustration to fuel her. Hopefully, that would beat that mindset out of them too.

Percy and Braddock found themselves hanging out in the latter’s garden. Usually, toads would just take what vegetables and fruits they needed from frogs, a ‘simple’ payment in exchange for keeping them safe from monsters attacking small towns that could not afford Newtopian protection.

For Braddock, a toad wanting to try gardening was rare and unheard of. So, it was really an honor to Percy that she brought him. Percy understood this as he gaped and looked around. “It’s amazing, Braddock.” He eyed the meticulously planted squashes, turnips, and even some watermelons arranged in neat rows.

The she-toad released a sigh of relief at his words. She knew Percy was not the type to judge but it was still a surprise he wasn’t making fun of her. He was even complimenting her!

“Oh, you even have Barrel’s Code? I thought they burned all copies,” Percy gaped, taking the tome from the table next to the small plantation.

Braddock smiled, rubbing her head. “Yeah. Rebellious tadpole me managed to keep and hide one.” She sat next to him as he opened the old book. “Despite being written by a frog, it feels like I got to know more about Barrel the Brave than what the newt texts published.”

“He’s not really named ‘Igor’? Wow.” Percy was in awe. A moment passed and they sat in silence. The he-toad read while Braddock tended to her garden, humming. Percy then spoke, “Do you ever feel like…we’re too harsh with the frogs?”

Braddock choked mid-hum. She coughed, patting her chest while Percy was at her side immediately in concern. The warrior managed to recover, wheezing, “Please don’t say those things around other toads.” She gulped. “Especially around Captain Grime.”

Percy rubbed his head, knitting his brows. “What’s the deal?”

“Percy, that almost sounded like you’re…questioning our way of life?” Braddock had no other way to explain it. Every toad given to the military understood that –

She should have slapped herself at the realization. How could she forget that Percy signed up in his later years? He didn’t pass the Newt’s assessment for politics and no other tower wanted to take him.

Except for the South Tower.

Percy smiled sadly at Braddock’s look. “Sorry. I know that’s – I know I’m not the ideal toad.” He glanced at the worn-out tome. “I just grew up with stories around Barrel the Brave and figured, well, I thought I could help? You know, like in his code?”

A servant of the crown. A hero to the helpless. A nightmare to monsters. Those were the main things repeated by their superiors and what toads passed on to their young.

But reading the banned book, Barrel, at his core, was a true defender, a funny toad, and a loyal friend. The author had emphasized those qualities more. Even sharing seemingly personal and real anecdotes.

Braddock hummed, eyes softening. “I get it. But Percy, that’s the way how things are.” She shrugged. “It’s not going to change any time soon.”

“It’s changing now, with the rebellion.” Percy then set the book down. “But yeah, that was just a thought. Sorry, I’ll keep it to myself now.”

Braddock frowned, biting her lip. “No, you can talk to me about it.” What was she doing? Oh, they were going to get in so much trouble if someone heard them. “I don’t – I don’t mind. I even think that’s an interesting insight. Maybe even what Barrel would think.”

“Really?” How could Braddock resist that happy face? Heart hammering in her chest, Braddock nodded with a small blush. Percy smiled. “Thanks, Braddock. Sometimes I really wish I’m just like you.”

The pink toad frowned. “You’re pretty cool as yourself, Percy.” When he didn’t look convinced, she listed down his achievements per claw. “I mean, you’re the first who befriended an unknown creature. You even wanted to leave but you didn’t.  You stayed.”

“I just,” Percy was blushing now, “I just want to help Sasha get back home now. I mean she helped me find the courage to follow my dreams.” He rubbed his arm then. Braddock noticed with a start that there was also a bruise.

“Where did you get that?” She hadn’t noticed its presence.

Percy glanced at it and waved dismissively. “Nothing.” At her look, he wilted. “I guess it’s the price of being a weak toad.” He chuckled, trying to wave it away.

“Percy –

“It’s fine.” Percy tried to avoid the topic but saying those words were starting to bring up a bad picture in the pink toad’s mind.

Braddock frowned, eyes still staring at the bruise while the other started fiddling with his instruments. “If having a heart is their basis, then I am weak too.”

“What?” Percy gaped, nearly dropping his horn. “Braddock, you’re tough! Tough as beetle skin!” His eyes shone with blatant admiration. “Calling you weak is a lie.”

“And you being a weak toad is also one. No matter what Bog said.” Braddock smiled even as he looked surprised. “Percy. You’re compassionate. You’re kind to a strange lost creature. You make it a point to ask me about my day. That’s not weakness, that’s remarkable.”

The jester blushed, fiddling with his hat. “I-I guess, coming from you, it couldn’t hurt to be true.”

A friendly punch to his shoulder was the response. “Believe it.” Then Braddock glanced down before she gave another response. A quick peck on the cheek.

Percy gave a goofy grin before returning it too.

“Aww, isn’t that disgusting?” Bog’s voice himself, of course, had to ruin the moment.

“…teen magazines?” Sasha heard Anne’s voice as she rounded a corner. She knew she was late for their student orientation, but her darned cousins and adopted siblings started buying into that weird alpha and omega wolfebornes nonsense and kept challenging her duel after duel. They were lucky it wasn’t to the death or Sasha would seriously kill them if they got her missing out on her time with her best friends.

Sasha approached the small crowd of middle schoolers. Granted she knew her, Marcy, and Anne were new transfers but getting that much attention was faster than Sasha expected.

Upon seeing the grinning two older girls towering over her best friends, the blonde felt this was the bad kind of attention. A low growl escaped her as she quickened her stride.

“I do not understand how body part sizes have anything to do with daily competence or personal worth,” Sasha heard Marcy supply before the shorter girl hid behind Anne at the gaze. Like they were something to be gawked at.

Sasha took a brief sniff, furrowing her brows. All of them were normies.

Her brunette friend, in contrast to the ravenette, was looking in awe at the magazine in her grasp like it was a holy relic. “It says here about sixty percent of omegas are shy people?”

No way. Sasha stalked forward, gritting her teeth and narrowing her eyes. “That’s a load of crud.”

The crowd parted as the blonde pushed her way to the center. Her glare intensified at the sight of two smirking senior girls. One had long dark hair while the other wore her red hair in pigtails. Sasha flared her nostrils again before she inwardly grumbled. They were just two normies, thus the blonde can’t challenge them to a duel unless she wanted to get in trouble.

“Oh, now there’s an alpha,” announced Pigtails Girl.

It was really tempting to be in trouble then.

Sasha crossed her arms. “Like I said, that’s wrong. Don’t believe everything you read.”

“But Sasha,” Anne’s eyes sparkled, “they said teen magazines never lie.”

Marcy poked her head up. “I’m too scared to correct her right now. Can we please go and hide from all these eyes?”

The blonde rolled her eyes. “I said it’s wrong, Anne.” She took the dumb object and flung it at the mean girls’ feet. Twin glares met her narrowed ones, but Sasha ignored the older girls. “Now let’s go, I want a tour of this place.” Sasha started leading Marcy and Anne away, pulling them by the hands while glaring at anyone who tried to stop them.

Numerous sights and smells were different in this form, but Sasha could still tell who the Wolfebornes were and who were the normies. Right now, the former was just them three.

“Maybe we shouldn’t have skipped the orientation assembly,” Marcy supplied once they reached the bathroom. Sasha stood guard, locking the door. “We didn’t know we were gonna get ambushed by old students.”

Anne sat on the counter, swinging her legs. “We were trying to wait for you but then they said they won’t let late arrivals in. Can you believe that? Adults are the worst.”

Sasha was so going to kill her packmates once she got home. “I got held up.” She crossed her arms. “But anyway, can y’all promise to forget about what those dumb girls said.”

“What? That you’re our alpha?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose. “That’s not a thing.”

“Well…despite the misinformation, I can see why they would think that,” Marcy muttered weakly. “You always know what to do or say. We tried to get them to back off, but nothing worked until you showed up. You saved us from that crowd.”

Anne grinned. “Yeah!” She pulled the two in a hug. “Sides, even if it’s totally fake, it could be our inside joke then. Our alpha, riding in to save the day.” She blinked. “I think that’s how middle school works, actually.”

“Kindergarten was simpler,” groaned Marcy. Anne nodded.

Sasha, though, crossed her arms at that. Was it possible that middle school operated on a hierarchy? At least for normies? The blonde frowned. If that was the case, she could protect her friends better if the others knew she wasn’t to be messed with.

Marcy fiddled with her hands. “Just, can we not get into another one of those things again? I really didn’t like it.”

“Yeah, I wanted to meet new people too but woof, that was intense.”

Seeing their expressions brought a surge of protectiveness to envelop Sasha. She took them by the waist, pushing them to the exit. “You got me now and I’m not gonna let those dumb-dumbs go unpunished.”

She was going to learn how this thing worked and she’ll come out on top like she always did.

Sasha raised her head.

Grime raised his head too, leaving his desk. “Sasha?”

The monster said nothing, standing up and heading to the double doors. They were locked yet it didn’t stop the incessant scratching and pawing.

Grime huffed. “You have a perfectly good spot in the back room,” yet he obliged all the same. He needed a break anyway.

Typically, the soldiers were down at the mess hall, indulging once more in tomfoolery or another when they should be training. He made a mental note of his schedule and shouting at his subordinates was still early. Sasha though padded towards the halls with nary a care. Grime noticed it was a purposeful stride, however. The gait started to pick up.

And then before the captain knew it, Sasha was sprinting down the hall.

If this was an escape attempt, it was a horrible one considering this was far from the exit. It was simply leading into the abandoned gardens. He raised a brow at the sounds of…fighting? Was some soldier actually training?

Sasha chuffed, before bursting through the doors.

Walking down the hallway to get to her locker should have not been eventful. Yet of course, it just had to be another encounter with the two popular jerks.

Days passed since their first meeting and Sasha managed to mimic their behavior after much observation. Other peers gave them a wide berth because of it as Sasha adapted. Better to protect her friends if no one approached them but Anne just had to be friendly to anyone. It made her an easier target.

Marcy at least seemed content with just the two of them, but Sasha cannot take any more smart lingo without feeling dumb herself. Sasha needed to keep Anne in check or else the brunette would be a walking target until they graduate.

Like the ones lining up to give their lunch money to the seniors.

Ugh. How original. Sasha scoffed but seeing Anne preparing to approach the ‘popular’ girls again she sighed before finally cutting in line to the front of the lunch-money train. They were blocking her locker too so might as well kill two birds with one stone. It could also be good practice for the skills she learned from observing them.

She snatched the spiky headband from the redheaded senior first. Sasha then tossed it to her peer over her shoulder, not breaking eye contact with the disgruntled older teen.  

“Look, evil-queen bee wannabees,” Sasha poked Lady Pigtails first, “why don’t you run along and focus on forcing nerds to pass your senior year for you both, so you two can fail college admissions,” Sasha poked Forehead Galore next, “and get your parents to bribe the admissions officers,” she crossed her arms, “until you both amount to nothing but washed-up and friendless slobs.”

The crowd and her friends behind her gasped but Sasha paid them no mind. When the two remained silent, Sasha nodded, preparing to leave as she gathered her textbooks from her now free locker.

But then a hand reached out to pull at her ponytail.

A big mistake.

Yet before she could react, one of two things that can affect the blonde intervened. “Sasha, don’t,” Anne whispered immediately. She had seen some of Sasha’s matches and could already notice the Wolfeborne’s tells once provoked.

Marcy added, “This has an eighty-five percent chance of falling into their favor. A classic ‘adult entering the scene with a big misunderstanding’ trope.”

Sasha clenched her right hand into a fist.

“Please, you’ll get hurt.” Anne continued pulling at the blonde’s hand. Even the middle schoolers were silently begging Sasha to walk away.

But that was fear talking. These two jerks were ruling the school with fear.

Was that how school politics worked? Sasha wondered as Forehead Galore’s hand refused to let go of her ponytail. The ruler of the school determined by being the biggest jerk?

If that were the case, then Sasha would be the biggest jerk around. It wasn’t enough glaring at anyone who tried talking to them or taking space at the cafeteria table first.

It wasn’t enough. She wasn’t enough.

Sasha glared, hands shaking with palpable restraint. Then her ears then picked up a familiar set of high heels.

It was the principal, approaching in a few minutes. The two senior girls were preoccupied with yelling and saying all kinds of mean things that Sasha honestly tuned out. Her pack members said worse, anyway. Sending words that cut when brute strength wouldn’t work.

Wait. A plan formulated in her mind immediately. She processed what Marcy said earlier. Of course!

Widening her eyes and thinking about that sad movie she and Anne watched, Sasha could feel her eyes tearing up. Adding a quiver to her lip, the wolfeborne let loose a loud wail and bawled freely just as Principal Murphy turned a corner.

“What is the meaning of this?!” was the adult’s immediate response seeing one of two senior girls holding a crying middle schooler by the hair.

Lady Pigtails started waving her hands, caught off guard. “T-This isn’t what it looks like –

Sasha sobbed louder, warbling, “They’ve been bullying us!” It was a challenge to keep from smiling when Anne pitched in her agreement. Her friends were fast on the uptake.

“Y-Yeah! Sasha was trying to get them to stop but they pulled her ponytail!” Anne frowned, patting her ‘crying’ friend.

Marcy then silently held up her phone. Sasha didn’t realize the girl was recording. A video was on display – and slightly edited without Sasha’s confrontation. Honestly, Sasha was proud of her girls.

And it seemed to convince Principal Murphy, who also received the backing of more middle schoolers.

They all shouted varying comments which boiled down to ‘Sasha was being our hero!’ and ‘They kept taking our lunch money!’ as each middle schooler bravely spoke up.

Principal Murphy had enough evidence and leveled a stern stare at the two seniors. “My office. Now.”

Sasha was let go and was immediately greeted by her friends’ hugs. Yet Sasha was still reeling from the praises and her win. She grinned as her peers cheered once the principal and seniors left.

It continued even for the whole day, with Sasha receiving gifts that ranged from sweets to chips to sodas, and even notebooks with helpful answers to assignments. The blonde relished the attention and adoration.

Relished the respect of her peers.

Anne whistled, gazing in awe at the pile of candies once they regrouped in the cafeteria. “Wow, they really love you.” Anne made grabby hands but then pouted when Sasha smacked her hand away.

Marcy finally lowered her hood once the last of their peers left their table. The last one invited them to a house party to celebrate Sasha. “They seemed like they are willing to do anything for you now. You, the True Alpha of Saint James,” Marcy teased.

Sasha chuckled, playfully elbowing Marcy before shoving a portion of the sweets to Anne, finally giving in to the girl’s puppy dog eyes. “Shut it, Wu.” She offered some to the gamer who shook her head. Sasha shrugged. “Still, worked in our favor either way. Once those two meanies are gone, nobody will mess with us ever again.”

Plus, I won’t hear more about that dumb thing in school too. And that was the goal, wasn’t it? Mission accomplished.

Sasha then turned to the cafeteria, where most of the students chatted but occasionally shot friendly and admiring glances in their direction.

Though, this was a nice bonus too.

Percy groaned, holding his cheek. His back met the barrels but at least the banned book cushioned his fall. Braddock knitted her brows, rubbing her arm too. Her foot slyly covered the tome using the broken wooden pieces and debris.

A foot away from them, Bog chuckled and settled the club over his shoulder casually. “Nothing but trouble.” Mire recoiled at his side, groaning and clutching his head.

“What the heck, Bog?!” Braddock seethed, raising her fists up after delivering a satisfying black eye against Mire. Not even that toad’s helmet protected him, but Percy was still tense. How they always found him was a mystery but now he was burdening Braddock with his problems.

He stepped up, raising his hands in surrender. “Look we want no part in this –

“Too bad, weakling.” Fens interrupted with a chortle. Three of five toads had weapons drawn. Braddock glared but didn’t want to risk it. They were seriously outmatched.

Bog approached, spitting acid near their feet. He laughed at their disgust and panic. Few toads mastered that technique anyway. “It’s nothing personal,” he shrugged, resting his club on the ground and leaning on it.

“Yeah right,” Percy grunted, but there was confusion in his eyes, “what did I ever do to you, Bog? Seriously, I’m minding my own business!”

“Your existence is my business.” Bog chuckled. “The valley’s got some frogs rebelling, and the captain thinks it’s our fault being weak when there is only one toad here who fits that category really well. It’s just horrible that we got sorted in that label, wouldn’t you say?”

Mire warbled in agreement.

“Yeah, Mire. Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Then a snarl was heard. A loud, spine-chilling, and hair-raising sound that pierced the air. Bursting through the doors, all amphibians briefly saw a giant blonde beast pouncing on Bog and pushing him away from the bruised and injured duo. Braddock frowned at the destruction surrounding her garden, sighing while Percy patted her comfortingly.

The squad leader’s comrades, on the other hand, stood frozen at the sudden arrival. They exchanged glances first but then they recovered, charging at the beast with a cry. It only made Sasha growl louder, before revealing her sharp teeth and lowering to take a bite at the struggling amphibian under her paw. Seeing the action, Bog yelled at his comrades to help him faster.

“ENOUGH!”

The shout halted pointy incisors from touching amphibian flesh. All eyes turned to Captain Grime by the doorway of the abandoned garden room.

“S-Sir, this monster has gone feral –

“Be silent, Bog.” Grime’s orders were absolute when he pinned a glare at the grappled toad. “Do not think of me a fool. Especially by what I am seeing.” He did not need to mention the two soldiers slowly ambling to the chairs.

Bog squirmed uneasily but the paw held him in place. “I was only eliminating weakness, sir.”

“Or attacking two unarmed toad soldiers. Your fellow soldiers, might I remind you.” Grime seethed, stomping over to the quivering squad leader. “Dishonorable. Where is your pride as a warrior? To choose a target so greatly beneath one’s skills is a waste of time. And such a disgrace.”

Grime shook his head, crossing his arms behind his back as he glared at each toad.

“It’s like saying you won a fight against a frog.”

Sasha turned to Grime, causing the captain to huff.

“You’re the executioner, different thing. That’s just a regular Tuesday for you.” Grime marched forward. “Release him. He is not worth your energy.”

A heavy silence reigned the area. Mire and Fens uneasily exchanged glances then back to their leader. Bog for his part glared at the beast but the bead of sweat running down him revealed his unease too.

Percy and Braddock watched this standoff. The former, more so not liking the way Sasha licked her chops. Before the green toad knew it, he opened his mouth and said, “Please, Sasha. We don’t hurt allies.” He rubbed his arm. “We’re better than that jerk.”

Bog glared at him, offended but Percy remained a resolute stare at the large predator. Braddock offered her aid too, approaching and placing a claw on Sasha’s paw.

Another moment of silence passed until Bog was let go.

The toad coughed immediately, gathering his breath before crawling away from the monster. Grime though was not done with him and Bog’s group yet.

“You have kept your life, due to the mercy of the same beings you disrespected.” Grime glared. “But expect nothing of the same from me. I can tolerate a lot of things but what I cannot stand the most is such undisciplined behavior.” Grime pointed his sword at the three toads who flinched.

“You and your squad will be in latrine duty for a month. Maybe even a week in the pain room.”

The toads gaped. When nothing else followed the statement, Fens muttered, “…is that it?”

“I’m sorry, are you questioning my authority?”

The silence was enough of an answer, causing Grime to croak and huff. He then walked towards the garden, eyeing the frozen couple before he nodded. “Bog’s group is dismissed. You two,” an eye narrowed, “stay.”

Once Grime was sure they were suitably alone, he frowned at the two toads who remained grasping hands. Of course, as if his job wasn’t difficult enough. He massaged his temple, yet he seemed to find the monster’s gaze who now wandered over to the two toads. Almost protectively curling into them.

“Attachments are forbidden in the tower. You two know this. It is the first rule of every toad soldier in the garrison.” Grime huffed. “Loyalties will be tested and divided when it should solely be to the crown of amphibia. And nothing else. That is our way of life. That is our lot. That should be enough. Anything else would be branded as a failure of even calling ourselves a toad.”

He eyed the hunched form of the wolfeborne.

“…but I present you two options.” He ignored their surprised expressions, clasping his hands behind his back. “First, you can cease this relationship. Terminate this affair and carry on with your duties.” He glanced at their faces, knowing their reactions without them saying anything. “Second option, you two take Sasha and leave the tower.”

“…sir?” Braddock gaped.

Percy was dumbfounded too. “You’re – you’re letting us go?”

“I am banishing you three,” Grime grumbled. “But yes, in a sense. Wherever you two may end up, I know you would also do your best to care for this child.”

The last word immediately clicked in the two toads’ heads like a crossbow trigger, whipping their heads immediately to the captain. “Child?!”

“Regardless,” Grime carried on like he didn’t just unveil a mind-blowing announcement. “Those are your options. Decide now.”

How about option three?

A voice spoke inside their heads. They all jumped before turning at once. And they all gaped at the tall blonde Wolfeborne looking at them, tail lazily moving behind her.

We do things my way.  

“Maybe you should ease up on these dummies, wouldn’t you agree?” the butler said in greeting, entering Sasha’s personal training room.

The blonde girl shifted into her human form, wiping her face with the offered towel. “Dad can afford more,” the bitter tinge was evident in the teenager’s tone.

“I’m not talking about the wooden ones, Miss Waybright.”

Sasha scoffed, before approaching the table where her phone was perched. She turned off the recording and sent it to her mother without bothering to wait for a reply. Walking past the family butler, mindlessly nodding at his reminder of a newbie coming in, she roamed the halls of her floor with her chin up high. After establishing that this was Sasha’s territory, the riffraff of her pack had begrudgingly stayed away from the upper floor of the mansion.

The butler told her to ‘ease up’ on them? Doing that would only invite them to try challenging her again. Sasha already had her hands full navigating school social politics.

Following the orientation day and the latest incident, the two seniors that had messed with her friends were no more. Unfortunately, new more jerks continued to be terrors in secret.

She had tried protecting her girls as best as she could but paired with crummy schoolwork, keeping her pack in line, and other activities she was interested in trying out, her schedule was packed most days. It wasn’t helping her nerves that Anne kept wanting to befriend almost all sorts of mean and wrong students. That sweet naïve girl.

Sasha reached her room and collapsed on her bed after closing her door. Her phone buzzed, and hoping it wasn’t her mom, she smiled when the ‘Sashannarcy’ group chat appeared. She clicked it on, and the blonde allowed herself to get lost in her best friends’ memes, infodumps, animal and insect pictures and just…anything.

It was peaceful.

Time flew by quickly it seemed because then there was a frantic knock on the door. Sasha groaned, nearly pulling it straight away from the hinges but the distress smells and whining down below were explanation enough.

The new pack member was in trouble. Protective instincts took hold of the prodigy and then she was running down the hallways, phone still gripped tightly as she quickened her pace in her normie form.

She forgot to shift.

Sasha grunted as a gray wolf came barreling into her, knocking the air out of her lungs. And her phone. She snarled as much as she could in this form, but the darn confident wolf was unbothered. Behind this idiot, was the cowering newbie who was licking his injured paw. Sasha was supposed to show him around today.

“What the heck?!” she yelled at the snarling gray wolf. Another whimper and her heart faltered at the sound. The shout was not helping calm the newbie’s fears. Sasha softened her voice after that, knitting her brows. “H-Hey, it’s alright. Let me handle this.”

The opponent scoffed, snapping powerful jaws in warning. Look here y’all. It’s the omega posing as an alpha.

Not this again. Sasha groaned before flipping on her back and shifting in one fluid motion. The height difference helped change the playing field. A circle of wolves watched this challenge unfold.

It took minutes until Sasha came out on top.

Please don’t tell me you heard that garbage from a dumb normie. When the idiot said nothing, Sasha chuffed. Dingus, here’s a fact check. She pressed her paw down against the whimpering wolf’s throat. And you know what, this goes to all of you!

The sight caused a few others to ease away with their tails tucked under them.

Our parents, Sasha fought not to visibly roll her eyes, are the dominant breeding pair. You can say they’re the alphas, but really, using a normie term would only make them laugh. Worse case, mad. Sasha then eased away, huffing. But I don’t care.

Confusion was visibly present in the pack’s eyes at those words. Sasha chuffed. The gray wolf stood back up yet crouched low and weary.

So go ahead, Sasha narrowed her eyes, use it. Claim it. But know this, you won’t prove anything. You won’t even get anything by acting like a jerk.

Except it can protect one’s friends. Though Sasha obviously kept that thought to herself.

We’re the wolfebornes. Not just dumb animals or humans. Sasha then snarled as the idiot attempted to interrupt. So, act like it. The warning was present. Visible even. The other wolves lowered their heads. Others were hunched or returned to laying on their sides.

This idiot though, had the audacity to bare her teeth at Sasha. And that was Moon-Moon’s big mistake.

Sasha lunged at the smaller wolf, ignoring the surprised whimper and yelp. She snarled, using her big paw to swipe at the challenger’s snout, who cried and whined before moving away to rub at the small wound. Three angry but visibly small claw swipes appeared on the gray wolf.

The idiot still tried to act tough.

Sasha huffed. She decided she was bound to banish someone again but then a familiar tune was heard. It momentarily took Sasha’s attention, happy to find a reaction to her reply in their group chat. Even with the brief distraction though, the gray wolf thought it would succeed in beating Sasha Waybright.

The puny wolf was nothing compared to the prodigy.

With a bored look, the blonde wolf shifted to her human form. Dingus reacted too late at the smaller frame of her opponent and thus, misjudged the arc.

In she went through the window, landing with a loud crash.

Sasha smirked, crossing her arms at the disoriented and soon-to-be-banished member of the pack. She retrieved her phone, texting her parents about the updates while ordering the rest of the pack to throw this idiot out. No one could tell if Sasha smiled because of the heart reactions to her message or of winning this match. Not even Sasha herself.

This was a close call, however. She glanced at the newbie, grin faltering when he flinched at her gaze. Sasha watched him cower and run to other older pack members. Away from Sasha.

She clenched her fists to her side as she marched back upstairs. She could have prevented this. If she just remembered the time. If she was more in control. If she was better. If she was enough –

Sasha shook her head. Her eyes narrowed, daring others to challenge her again as she glanced over her shoulder. None seemed willing which was good.

Showing weakness, like her earlier misstep, was not something she could afford in this world if she wanted to protect the people who needed her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: The Beast and The Wild Unknown (Part II)

What pulled Anne back to consciousness was the squeaking. Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she blinked as she looked around the space after finding her phone. Was time even the same here? Oh well.

She squinted at the brightness before adjusting and learning it was just a few minutes before dinner time. Right, following that heart-to-heart session she had fallen asleep for a bit. She found Sprig’s napping form beside her, croaking. 

Anne smiled, hand scratching idly under her chin before finding the scarf still around her neck. She never got around to returning it to him, but he didn’t’ seem to want it back yet anyway. Her brows pinched when she saw how Sprig shivered while his hand was searching and reaching beside him. Her eyes found the blanket she finished repairing and then wrapped it around him. His shivering stopped.

Welp. Soggy Joe isn’t here yet. More nap time for me. Anne chuckled and prepared to lay back but then movement caught her eye. By the corner where she buried the music box was Fuzzball, the one-eyed purple thing.

“What the – hey,” she crawled towards the creature, before processing that it was stealing the music box. “Hey,” She hissed and then lunged towards it, lucky that it couldn’t move quickly due to the heaviness of the item. Once the box was in her grasp, she took the squirming being by the leg and lifted it up. “You are a mischievous little thing, aren’t ya?” It blinked. “Oh no, don’t try to cute your way out of this.”

A beat passed with Anne and the creature having a staring contest before the former gave in with a giggle.

“Aww, how can I resist you little fella.” She placed it on the ground, chuckling when it circled around yet tried to reach for the music box again. “Nuh uh. Not for you, pal. But you can – ow!”

It kicked her again.

Anne glared, rubbing her shin. Then Fuzzball gestured to the box. “Like I said, not for you. If you need a box, I can find one? Domino gets cranky when she’s away from hers, that lovable diva.” Anne set the antique aside to find a spare crate or anything she could use to satisfy this thing’s box-loving urges. She was sure there was one lying around – aha!

“Here you go – nope.” She picked up the music box again, returning it to its buried spot. Anne then took Fuzzball and walked over to the opposite side of the room. “Stay. Here.”

Anne set down the cereal box after emptying its contents. She blinked, staring at the mess behind her before she shrugged. She’ll clean that up later. Right now, the priority was getting this tiny thing to calm down and stop being so fiendishly adorable.

The girl giggled, watching Fuzzball pop in and out of the box. Dusting off her hands in satisfaction, she turned back to the music box. She frowned. Since…getting it and burying it, Anne honestly forgot about that thing. If it didn’t seem to be the key to going home, Anne would rather she forget about it completely. It was a reminder of what she had done, after all.

Anne crossed her arms. On the other hand, she knew she should tell the Plantars. Maybe they knew a way to get it to work or someone who can fix it so she can go home. Also if the book Hop Pop had shown her before really said this thing’s dangerous, then all the more reason she should tell them.

But they might think I’m a thief. A liar. A horrible person. Anne bit her lip. She supposed she… needed more time. How to ease it in the conversation. Slip it gently, like admitting she had detention to her parents before the principal could call their house number. That sort of preparation.

Anne nodded, feeling more confident. Anne knew she couldn’t exactly go ‘Hey, Hop Pop. Remember that time you showed me that book? Turns out I actually have that really dangerous thing! It’s how I got here, actually, so sorry about lying too. No harm done, right?’ without losing the Plantar Family.

Honestly, maybe I should figure this out first. Check if it’s harmless. Who knows, the book could just be exaggerating. She already established she didn’t want to hurt this nice froggy family so this was a good step in the right direction. Maybe it had something to do with her weird blue thing too.

Anne turned to look at Sprig’s heavily sleeping form and then back to the music box. Sticking out her tongue, she moved the music box around and poked it in places that looked pokable in curiosity. A little voice in her head that suspiciously sounded like Marcy claimed that this might be a bad idea. A classic game trap thingy.  

Anne snorted. She got this.

Then she squeaked at the sound the item made, fumbling with it immediately before throwing it back into the hole. Her heart hammered, beating erratically.

“Squeak.”

Anne found Fuzzball again, who was now standing beside her and glancing at the antique. “What? Got bored, already?” Her brows shot up once seeing the shredded cereal box. Or well, the dissolved version. Anne knelt beside it, grimacing when it bubbled into dark ichor and eroded beyond the ground.

“Squeak.”

“Sensing you’re more dangerous than you look,” Anne carried the music box and started making her way up the stairs. “I’m gonna put this thing where you can’t mess with it.”

“Squeak?”

“And no, I’m not telling you where.” Anne opened the latch of the basement, squinting and adjusting to the dark. Reaching the living room couch, she sat down with a sigh as the house’s and outside’s background noise was almost lulling her to sleep.

Pressing her fingers together and under her chin, Anne wondered how and where she was going to hide this until the door opened. With a startled cry, Anne dove in front of the music box and draped herself against the coffee table, whistling.

Hop Pop raised a brow at the teenager, planting a hand on his hip while cradling the basket of goods. “You alright?”

“Yep. Totally fine. Very fine.”

“…o-kay?” Hop Pop then shook his head, ambling to the kitchen. “Anyway, want to help me make dinner? Could use some extra hands for this.”

His back was turned, giving Anne time to bury the music box in between the couch cushions. Then she stood, nose sniffing the air. “Ugh, what is that?” The mushroom lights were tapped on as Anne passed them by.

“Ole Plantar Gumbo Surprise,” Hop Pop grinned excitedly. “Says here in the book it’s mighty filling. It’s what hunters like Roderick Plantar back in our day ate to not lose much energy.” He gestured to the book beside him while he messed with the jars and other items he brought out earlier.

Anne sniffed again before she grimaced. “Is the surprise some moldy smelly sock?”

“How d’you know?”

While Anne looked on in fear, Polly hopped down the stairs with a yawn. “Evening, family and potentially yucky dinner.”

“Hmph.” Hop Pop rolled his eyes while the two girls snickered. He asked Polly to get the glasses and Anne to chop the vegetables. “Put food on the table and this is what I get.” He then took a sip from the ladle, eyeing the clock. “Anyhow. Joe might drop by in a few hours. Best we start packing too.”

Anne nearly nicked her finger in surprise. “Wait, you’re coming with?”

“We’re all coming along on this.” Hop Pop corrected. Then he rubbed his head, a bit sheepish. “I know I got a tad eager myself but if you and Sprig are still set on this then this is the least I can do to support you both.”

He quickly arranged the plates.

“Sides, from what Polly told me I got nothing to worry about all along.” Hop Pop smiled at Anne. “You’ve proven yourself mighty protective of them earlier in the day and these past weeks. Never saw you in action but now I’m twice as excited to see what you can do out there!”

Anne felt her stomach drop at that. That sounded like…expectations. “O-Oh…really?”

“You should have seen Anne, Hop Pop!” The tadpole said with a large grin. “She was like ‘wappow!’ and ‘roar!’ and then ‘grrr’ and then –

Anne tuned her out. Her mind went a mile a minute – a new record for her even, her friends would joke if they heard the cogs grinding rapidly inside Anne’s brain. Because this…this was scary but painfully familiar. The ‘I wish sometimes you’ll take school seriously’ kind. The ‘when will you grow up?’ type.

The ‘I KNow yOu aRE A SmARt gIrL aNnE BUt yoU’Re JUsT nOt ApPLYinG YoUrsELF’ sort of talk.

All those usually brought a sense of guilt and fear of disappointment in the girl. Ones she worked hard to squash and ignore. Just her luck those feelings would follow her to another dimension.

- wow,” She heard the elder frog say, finally returning to the conversation. “You did all that, Anne?”

The awe in his voice alongside Polly’s praises was making the rocks in her stomach heavier. Anne gulped, finding herself laughing and waving her hand. “Psh. Every word.” Beside her, Polly let out a wink. The tadpole had good intentions of hyping Anne up, but she was not stopping Anne’s stomach from doing flips.

“Well, now I can rest easier.” Hop Pop wiped his brow. “It’s actually nice to have another one I can trust around here.” Hop Pop patted her hand. “Thank you, Anne.”

The word trust circled in her head like a dizzying fly, unable to stop buzzing near her ear. The metaphorical fly transformed into a metaphorical last straw that broke the metaphorical camel’s back. Poor camel.

Anne’s eyes found the couch before she coughed, the meal entering the wrong pipe. She coughed and coughed, then she patted her chest, standing and waving away their concerns.

“I – uh, gotta call Sprig. Yep, still sleeping that heavy sleeper. Don’t want him to miss this dinner. Very delicious. Thankskaybye!” Anne ran down the basement, unable to do anything else but flee as she felt their gazes burning the back of her head.

She eyed the place, unsurprised that Fuzzball was nowhere to be seen again. Reaching her mattress, she woke up the croaking frog boy. “Wha-wazzit? Do we go now?” Sprig shot up, making a fighting pose while blinking blearily.

Anne chuckled, even if her stomach felt like a bunch of knots about now. “N-Not yet. Just wanted to wake you up. It’s, uh, dinner time.” Anne hugged her knees closer to her chest, burying her head.

Sprig frowned, shaking his head to clear the fog of sleep. “What happened?”

“Not now, Sprig.” A beat before Anne added, “please? Not now.”

The frog boy’s frown deepened. He lifted his hand before he dropped it to his side. He was starting to understand that Anne took a while to open up and though he could push, he didn’t like the…heartbreak in Anne’s plea.

“Alright. But you know I’m here, okay Anne? I’m not going anywhere.” He didn’t wait for a response, climbing up the steps to the basement. He paused, wanting desperately to fix this but something told him now wasn’t a good time. Sprig followed his instincts and hoped they would not lead him astray.

Once the latch closed, Anne took a deep breath. Stupid. She was being stupid and overreacting like she usually did. This was why she rarely decided to do these open-feelings thingy. Now it was harder to stop being a crybaby. One talk wouldn't solve all her problems.

She pressed her hands to her face, shaking her head. She got this. Anne got this.

Standing up, she rummaged around for her backpack before taking out the teen magazine. One of the things she knew she could count on for answers. It made some sense to Anne, anyway. Why would it lead her astray?

This family was counting on her to be their protector. To provide. To be in charge of their safety. Maybe it can make up for lying to them.

Anne nodded to herself and to the poster she opened on her usual page, hanging it above her bed now. She had taken the Alpha Quiz but while she never got a high enough score to be considered one, there were rules on how she could be.

She nodded again. Anne was ready to find her inner alpha.

Wartwood was not a place often visited. Surrounded by massive and wide forests reaching high above houses and huts, this swampy area was locally known to have always been filled with the most dangerous and threatening of creatures eager to make meals of the reckless amphibian.

Ace Reporter Hannah Hopper was debating putting himself in that category of reckless amphibians.

He glanced down at the crumpled note and then back to the empty glen. Arriving early before the given time, Hannah was met with nothing but the silence of nature. The young frog sat on the log, tapping his pencil while waiting.

Gazing up, he saw the clouds slowly parting and the red moon was fully aglow. He glanced again and around the place. Then he sighed, closing his notebook.

“Of course, this was a prank.”

“Or an opportunity for a dramatic entrance,” drawled another voice.

Hannah squeaked before whirling in place, pointing his sharp pencil like a weapon. The hooded figure remained standing and from the reporter’s viewpoint, the only visible thing was the frog’s mouth and unruly chin puff.

The newcomer raised both hands in appeasement. “Apologies. I couldn’t help myself.”

“Who are you?”

“And skipping to the important questions, alright. I respect that.” The hood obscured the majority of the figure’s eyes and head as the mouth curled into a smile. “Call me, Apothecary Gary.”

Hannah jotted down the name. “Alright. Thank you for being forthcoming.”

“I know right? Thank you for not running away screaming. Really, you would not believe the number of amphibians who did when I reached out.” Apothecary Gary then waved a hand. “Anyway. You are exactly the kind of frog I need to help me.”

“…help you?” Hannah pursed his lips. “Look, I’m flattered but. Well, I want to know why you have reached out to me first?”

The robed amphibian nodded. “Understandable. Short answer…” He placed two items on the log beside the reporter. Two familiar items. These were white robes, an insignia of a blue hourglass motif each. Hannah gaped while the newcomer continued, “…your parents owe me a favor.”

“Where did you – do you know what happened to them?!”

“Settle down, kid. First things, first. They’re dead. Plain and simple. Cannibals, ugh.” Apothecary Gary frowned at the look he received. “Ah darn. Frogs are sensitive, forgot about that.” He awkwardly gave the distraught reporter a comforting pat. “Anyway, I need help as I said but I think we need to talk in a more comfortable and private place.”

He started walking while gesturing for the reporter to follow him. Against all logic, Hannah did. This lead promised answers and while not the kind he wanted or expected; it would be helpful not to ignore them. Grief and panic would just have to be put on hold again to satiate his curiosity. His quest for the truth!

They delved deeper into the forests. The grass seemed to part, and moss appeared to coil and roil, moving out of Apothecary Gary’s way. A growl sounded in the distance while another hissed to the side. Tiny creatures scattered and fled back into their bushes and dug holes to burrow in.

Seeing and hearing those, the reporter gulped.

The hooded frog scoffed, in contrast, as he waved in the direction where the sound came from. “Territorial disputes. So uncultured, but the ecosystem just welcomes all kinds of crazies, am I right?”

They reached a little shack and to Hannah, it looked like it was seconds away from collapsing. He gaped at the axe abandoned on a stump, the corpses of bugs, small mammals, and even the smelly clothes, that were hung outside.

“It just occurred to me that you could possibly be leading me to my death.”

Apothecary Gary chuckled. “I had a lot of chances to do that. But no. Though try not to anger my roommate if he’s here, got a temper that one.” He opened the door and strode in, gently walking past fragile vases and knick-knacks. “Collector types do value these more than life, to be honest.”

He patted the couch.

“Excuse the trash and organized chaos.”

Hannah Hopper sat down next to a cushion that said ‘Bless this Mess’ before he gazed around. Glass frog dolls were all over the place and appeared to be handmade.

“Want something to drink? Like juice? Or do you want to eat instead?”

“I’m good, thank you.”

“Alright. Now, where was I?” The frog tapped his chin. “Oh right.” He snapped his fingers and then dramatically continued his tale again, “Old as the soil that touches Amphibia, we have crawled the planes of living peacefully but something happened. The arrival of the Great Calamity brought forth our sentience.” The stranger in the hood stopped, gazing at the moon outside the window. “Yet we were mostly wiped out by The Night.”

Hannah shook his head, focusing on that part. “Great Calamity? The Night?”

“Your history has many puzzles removed.” Apothecary Gary chuckled. “The cause to be two groups of your people, if I understand it. I’ll answer those in a bit. Can I please continue my dramatic exposition?”

“Oh, sorry. Continue.”

“No need to apologize. I can understand your curiosity. I’m just milking this opportunity because it’s been so long since I had someone to talk to, you know?”

At the young frog’s nod, he cleared his throat.

“Nevertheless, only one of my kind remained. I escaped while the other was taken into their custody. I had stumbled upon your parents and their order while I roamed, looking for traces of my fellow mushrooms.”

The hand stopped writing in the notebook. Hannah Hopper raised a brow. “Sorry. I just need to clarify. You said…mushrooms?”

Apothecary Gary smiled, then unveiled his robe.

Wet socks. Were. The. Worst.

Anne tried to stifle every shudder that escaped her as they trekked deeper into the woods. The muddy, moist, and sticky ground was not doing Anne many favors. Made worse by her one exposed sock-foot. Yet with every step, she glared back at the survivalist who kept shooting her judgmental looks. Or maybe it was normal annoyance, considering they managed to convince Soggy Joe to let Hop Pop and Polly tag along and bring supplies.

“Well fine. But I need you all to sign a waiver that I will not be liable for any deaths of an elder and tadpole in this expedition.” He had said and the four agreed in unison.

Anne felt proud of herself for her part in making that happen. But it wasn’t going to stop there. After gathering herself after her self-pep talk, Anne was ready to show the Plantars why she deserved their trust and admiration. Anne made her mental notes, having memorized the magazine column by heart at this point.

Rule#1: Always be confident. You’re in charge. No matter what.

Anne frowned. Okay, that was honestly going to be a tough start. In her pack back home, she was never the leader. No, her inner voice scolded, be confident! She imagined Sasha beside her, rolling her eyes at the frogs that were leading the group and then moving to the head of the line.

Anne huffed, standing straighter and marching to the front. It was easier with her height and long legs, and when Soggy Joe looked up he merely raised a brow. “Yes?” Behind him, Sprig was also looking confused.

She could feel herself starting to sweat at the eyes on her before she cleared her throat.

“I’ll lead.”

Soggy Joe crossed his arms. “Do you know where you’re even going?”

Anne took a moment to look at her surroundings, before squinting. Okay, so maybe in this form it was harder to see in the dark.

“Oh, are you going to transform into your other form now?” Hop Pop asked with stars in his eyes. Polly mimicked his expression, waving her flippers. “Go, Anne!”

Anne chuckled, while her body suddenly felt hotter and sweatier. The rocks in her stomach at this point could form a tower. “S-Sure.”

Sprig eyed her. He approached while his family was cheering on the brunette. “You know you don’t have to right now,” he whispered. “Don’t you, like, have a limit? Thirty-minutes, right? Plus, we still don’t know why –

Anne felt her chest burn at his words, cutting him off, “I got this, Sprig.”

He looked at Anne, silently gaging her before the pink frog sighed. Then he stood back with an encouraging smile.

Anne took a deep breath. Yet before she could do so, she wobbled when the survivalist went on ahead. At her look, he shrugged. “We’re wasting time here. Best you save your energy, anyway. Once we reach camp, you can pull out all the stops you’ll need.”

He walked away, unbothered by Anne’s glare. Hop Pop and Polly followed, patting Anne and telling her she could show them later.

They were agreeing with Soggy Joe?!

Anne huffed. A beat paused and then she found Sprig’s eye, who gave her an encouraging squeeze of the hand. The gesture succeeded in calming her down. She nodded before shaking her head at his wordless questions. Anne would just show him. Show them all what she could do.

The group finally stopped in a wide clearing. Dark as it was, it was a suitable enough spot for a small camp. Soggy Joe said as much, after tasting the muck.

“Alright. This here’s our base of operations.” He gazed up, chuckling deeper. “And the moon’s about full too. Excellent.” Another deranged laugh escaped him.

“Dude. Seriously. Dial it back down, will you?” Anne snarked as she helped Hop Pop set down some supplies. She smiled when he gave his thanks, not seeing the approving nod from Soggy Joe.

When she turned back to face the survivalist, he gave a short and blunt, “No.” Soggy Joe then turned away, continuing. “Now, know this, for nature is a cruel and unforgiving mistress.” He held up a hand to the sky, dramatically looking up at the moon. “The weak shall know no mercy. The careless shall fall for any trap. And the faint of heart will succumb to –

He eyed the distracted teenager who was now pushing the logs for the frog family to sit on.

“…are you even listening?”

“Doom. Death. Despair. Yep, got it.” Anne snorted at his look, dusting her hands. “Can we get on with this?” She did a couple of stretches, psyching herself. “I can’t wait to show everyone why they don’t mess with wolfebornes.” Anne cracked her knuckles.

“Overconfident, are we?”

Anne scoffed, but she knew there was one fact that remained upon arriving here. One that never failed her so far. “Well, I think it’s safe to say I’m still the scariest thing in these parts. Sprig back me up, buddy.”

“Oh, the scariest. When we were searching for Polly out in the woods, other predators gave us a wide berth.”

Anne shot Soggy Joe a smug look.

“Well…except the Doom Tree that tried to kill us and didn’t seem scared of Anne.”

Anne dropped her smug look, staring at her best friend in betrayal.

“But uh, she still came out on top.”

Anne crossed her arms, once more feeling proud and smug.

The survivalist rolled his eyes just as Sprig added, “And does all of this have to be so… serious? The Wild Fest should be this fun thing, right?” He sat on the log, kicking lightly his feet.

Hop Pop coughed pointedly after fixing the fireplace. “All in all, I think they both have a point, Joe.” He then smiled, placing two thumbs up at the youngsters. The orange frog wasn’t kidding when he said he would be supportive.

Anne felt a little more confident after that. She smiled, raising a hand for a high-five to the elder. Hop Pop raised a brow at her gesture before he shrugged and shot out his tongue. Another mental note, teach these frogs how to high-five Earth style.

“Hmph.” The survivalist shook his head while Anne wiped her hand. “Alright. You want to have fun? Then I’ll get you your fun.” He took a stick, drawing on the ground. “But first, three tips. These are what you need to remember in the wild. I called them ‘F.I.T.’”

“Fit?”

Sprig hopped onto her head, suppressing a yawn. This was the longest they all stayed up, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t excited about this too. “Acronym, Anne.”

“Oh, I totally knew that.” Anne and Sprig sat down while Polly brought out a book to read, already losing interest. Hop Pop however gave silent cheers, bringing out the banner he hastily made.  

Soggy Joe chuckled at his audience before he shook his head. “Tip number one, Focus. Specifically, focus on your goal.” He pointed at the frog boy and alien girl. “Nothing else matters but the objective. That’s one of the keys to everything.”

“Focus, eh?” Sprig pushed himself off the log, landing atop Anne’s head. “Soooooooo, in the wild fest, that means we gotta focus on tracking this target creature basically?” Sprig grinned down at his best friend.

Anne matched her best friend’s smile. “Sounds doable.” A beat and she added with a smirk, “Honestly, that is too easy.” A quick solution to this problem? Anne knew then that it was time to bring out the wolf. She needed to be able to see better in this area and the nose of that form was better.

So, with all the concentration she could muster, she took a deep breath.

Nothing happened.

Anne blinked, staring at her hands and then her feet. Still human. She turned to find the confused expression of Hop Pop and the grimace of Polly. “Right, forgot that you’re having trouble with that, “the tadpole muttered.

“Trouble with what?” Hop Pop asked.

Anne hurried to say it was nothing, just jitters. After giving a pointed look at Polly, Anne closed her eyes again to focus. She clenched her fists to the side. Come on. You’re an alpha. Be the alpha! You got this! Confidence!

Anne opened one eye, only to find Soggy Joe raising a brow at her. She opened the other, seeing Sprig giving his unwavering support with a thumbs up. The brunette heard him whispering ‘I believe in you’ and the words sent warmth blooming in her chest. She nodded and closed her eyes again.

Moments passed. Silence reigned the camp before Soggy Joe spoke, “Are we expecting something to happen?” Crickets chirped from the darkness of the forest.

Anne sighed, exhaling sharply with knitted brows. “You know what? I don’t need my other form.” She crossed her arms, adopting a casual posture and leaning her weight to one cocked hip. “Just to even the playing field. We can’t really make this too easy.” She continued at the skeptical looks she received and purposely ignored Sprig’s frown above her, “Let’s just bring out whatever creature we’ll chase. That’s what you’re getting to, anyway, right?”

The question was directed at the survivalist who stroked lightly his beard. “Yes. But…you know, I can help with this problem I’m seeing.”

“There’s no problem,” Anne snapped.

Sprig simultaneously asked, “Really?” The frog boy shrugged at the glare he got.

To the side, Hop Pop whispered to Polly, “Sensing I’m missing a lot of contexts here.”

“She’s having trouble with her other form, lately,” the polliwog casually admitted.

The response was instantaneous. “N-No I don’t!” Anne huffed, face turning red. “Look. It’s just…” Think, Anne. Think! Anne’s eyes searched the campsite before she stared at the pot Hop Pop brought. An idea instantly formed. “I’m just hungry.”

All frogs looked at the tall creature with varying degrees of suspicion. “Hungry?” Hop Pop repeated. “Didn’t you eat dinner?”

“I guess it wasn’t enough.” Anne mentally winced then at her words, especially at the pinching of the elder’s brows. “Look, it’s no one’s fault. I guess I just needed more meat.” She gestured to the area. “And hey, this is a good spot to hunt now. Really get to sink my claws into the bottom of this food chain.” You’re doing great, Alpha! Anne gave herself a mental high-five.

Sprig though gave his best friend an unimpressed look. “That –

“Makes sense,” Soggy Joe interrupted. He continued as all eyes turned to him. “At the end of the day, the wild is wild for a reason.” He gestured airily to the supplies the Plantars brought. “All these are never always accessible.”

“It’s here, ain’t it?” Polly rolled her eyes.

“You’re just teaching it –

“Not an ‘it’, Joe.”

- her how to be dependent on you.” Soggy Joe huffed. “If a predator wasn’t equipped with the proper tools for survival, they will die in the wild.” He patted his vest. “By the moon, I can tell we’re going to take a lot of work to prepare you for the wild fest. No, prepare both of you.”

Sprig paused mid-sip of his flask. “Pardon?”

Anne added, “Look. I am prepared. I’m just hungry. No big deal!” This was getting out of hand. She took a deep breath. She needed Rule#2, asap.

Establish dominance. Be bigger. Be louder.

Anne towered and loomed over Soggy Joe who was busy muttering about training obstacles and courses. She then poked his hat, letting it drop to the dirty ground.

“How about this? I’ll go around, hunt my meal, and then we can get back on track.” With indignation blooming within her chest at what kickstarted all this anyway, Anne added, “You think I’m soft, right? Well, let’s see if you’ll change your mind after I –

“Hunt me?”

- hunt you down – wait. What?” Anne furrowed her brows. “Hunt you?” She made a face. “Dude, I don’t want to eat you!”

Even the Plantars shuddered before they glared at the nonchalant blue frog. Soggy Joe ignored the looks, ruffling through his vest before presenting a tightly sealed jar covered in a cloth of strong-smelling fragrance. Anne’s nose twitched at the scent. Then her brows shot up when Soggy Joe opened it.

Meat. More crab meat.

Her mouth watered unconsciously, eyes zeroing in and tracking the item.

Then Soggy Joe closed the jar, covering it again with the cloth. The survivalist adopted a neutral look at the tall creature. “You want food, right? More than that, we’re killing two love-doves with one stone here.” He returned the jar inside his vest, not minding the brown orbs fully trained on his movements. “You’ll be testing out these so-called hunting skills of yours and – when you do prove your point – you’ll get a meal. How does that sound?”

It was too good to be true. Anne’s mind was a little bit hazy at this point, but Sprig’s voice snapped her back to the present.

“Psh. As if Anne’s really going to –

“I accept!” The brunette then coughed at the Plantars’ expressions. “What?”

Sprig gaped, falling off Anne’s head and landing on the ground. He stood back up, waving his hands. “Anne! You can’t be serious. We have a perfectly good meal right here,” he said this just as the bubbling green pot emitted a cloud shaped like a skull. “But maybe there’s a point in this.”

Hop Pop frowned. “Counterpoint. Maybe it’s not a good idea to…uh…tempt Anne’s instincts.” He winced at the glares from the best friend duo. “Sorry, I’m just covering my bases!”

“That’s actually tip number two in F.I.T.” Soggy Joe remarked. “Instincts. As in, deep down, domesticated or otherwise, a beast would still follow its instincts.” He shrugged. “Food will be no problem for them eventually. It’s the competition that’s gonna be the tricky part.”

Polly groaned, dropping her book. “I cannot read with all the noise!” She pointed a flipper at Soggy Joe. “He’s willing to be hunted.” She pointed at the Thai girl and pink frog boy next. “Anne gets food if she succeeds and you two get to prepare for the wild fest! Ugh! What’s not clicking here?!” Polly panted, inflating and deflating before she calmed. “Just for everyone’s peace of mind though, no one is gonna get hurt?”

“She won’t get the chance,” Soggy Joe scoffed.

Anne narrowed her eyes. “My target’s the jar.”

Sprig eyed the two before he shook his head. Then with a leap, he sat atop Anne’s head again. “This is so complicated. But I am morbidly already invested!” He pointed at his sister. “Count us down, sis!”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” But the tadpole stood at attention with a large, excited grin. She rummaged around for a white handkerchief before approaching the edge of camp. “On your marks?”

Hop Pop waved a hand. “Hey, now. Are we really doing this?” He was ignored.

Soggy Joe smirked again while Anne huffed.

“Get set?”

“Seriously. Can’t we all just sit quietly and just eat what we have? I could add some spices, too!”

Sprig cracked his knuckles before regretting the action.

“Oh, Frog.”

Polly eyed the pursuers and quarry then threw the cloth at her grandfather’s head. “…Go!”

Hannah Hopper gaped, looking at the disrobed frog.

“My eyes are up here, buddy.”

The reporter shook his head but did bring out the picture of a mushroom he had his contact sketch. It was uncannily similar. “You – oh frog, what have I stumbled into?”

“The truth,” the mushroom – amphibian? – shrugged. “I have searched and searched yet yielded no results.” Apothecary Gary frowned. “Honestly, it was lonely. I was debating rebuilding my lost species by mind controlling all of Amphibia.”

Hannah looked at him.

“Debating, being the keyword here. Sheesh.”

Glancing back to his mess of notes and handwriting, the reporter scratched his head. “So, you, the mushroom, are called ‘Gary’?”

“The apothecary part was added since I had to make a living. I got some healing properties too than nefarious qualities.”

“Right. And the frog you…borrowed?”

“Lloyd? Ah, an underling of the same cult that captured my fellow mushroom.” The mushroom-controlled body leaned to a faux whisper. “Guard got hungry. Goodness, The Night should really do well in taking care of their employees and followers.”

Hannah leaned against the couch. “This is a lot to take in.”

“Look, I get it but basically it boils down to this.” Gary tapped Lloyd’s temple. “From what I have seen from these memories, the invasion is upon us, and the lost legacy shall return with a rebirth, affecting all life as we know it.” The frog body murmured. “But it wanted a rebellion first. To draw the light of the stars. Then revolution.”

“Rebellion?” Hannah Hopper jotted that tidbit down. “Rebellion of what?”

“Of what could no longer be.” Mushroom Gary leaned further. “Frogs at the bottom. Toads in the middle. Newts on top.” He got up and gently moved aside a curtain to reveal a blank wall. He asked for the pencil and Hannah obliged. “The prophecy has begun. The old bloodline wishes to undo it, but it cannot be.”

Gary finished his drawing to reveal figures of three entities that looked like – the Plantar beast?!

The reporter gaped, realizing he had more questions than answers. The first came to the forefront immediately, wanting confirmation. “Which bloodline?” Yet deep down, Hannah knew the answer already when the other finished drawing a crown.

“One that exalts The Unnatural Thing.” Gary shuddered, eyes turning a flash of amber before returning to purple. “The Leviathan Line.”

With Sprig serving as her eyes, there were so many sounds and smells assaulting Anne’s senses still. Amphibia was truly different at night. Fireflies floated and buzzed, dancing in the air like yellow and purple lights. Rodent-hissers hissed and scurried away alongside their young, bouncing and leaving tiny pawprints on the dirty soil. The foliage seemed to move in tandem with the camouflaged predators crawling about. Even the bird-mosquitos cawed from high above before swooping down to eat unfortunate prey.

“Ah, and here we have mother nature’s many horrifying mistakes.” Sprig chuckled atop Anne’s head. “Frog, I love Amphibia.”

Anne squinted at the dark but when the fireflies danced by, she managed to make out a…

“Is that seriously a coconut-crab with a deer upper body?” Anne shuddered when the freak of nature continued to gaze at her. Front-facing eyes pierced her soul as it seemed to skitter up the tree. Where its hooves should be, there were fingers grasping and pulling up a satchel of some sort.

Anne shuddered again, with Sprig following suit. “They’re Coco-No Crab-Deers, actually.” He kept his gaze forward. The shadows crept higher at this time, with the trees stretching upward almost menacingly. “A-Anyway, got Joe’s scent yet?”

Anne shook her head. Her eyes scanned the ground before groaning. There wasn’t much she could do in this form. She tried shifting but her darn wolf form wasn’t working. Anne closed her eyes once more, stopping. Sprig nearly fell off at the abrupt halt.

Come on, Alpha! You got this! Your pride is not the only thing at stake here! Moments passed but still feeling human fingers instead of wolf claws got Anne to inhale in annoyance.

Then new scents seeped into her mind almost immediately. Anne recoiled at the surprise, before righting herself. Sprig glanced down. “Anne?”

He was ignored. Anne sniffed again.

Petrichor. Corpse. Mucus. Dead plants. Rotten eggs. Swamp. Heart. Capital.

Anne grimaced, overwhelmed while twisting in a full circle. Are we… in the heart of the swamp? She covered her nose. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I think we found the swamp’s capital city.” Anne was starting to feel sick.

“Capital? Anne, what’s going on?” When Sprig pressed against her she was suddenly assaulted by the smell of…rotten fish? Anne fought not to gag, moving her head away from the pink frog boy. “Hey!”

Sprig adjusted, wobbling and nearly falling off Anne’s head. The girl for her part shook her head. “Sorry dude. It’s just…gosh, you smell horrible.”

“What – way to make me feel insecure, Anne!” Sprig crossed his arms. “They said this is the right kind of pungency for frogs my age!”

Anne held up her hands. “No, I mean you – well okay not enough time to unpack that – but no, listen. I can smell now. Or well, more.” Bending down to the ground, Anne sniffed tentatively. A well of information shot through her senses, nearly overwhelming her again before Anne focused and pinpointed smells as best as she could. “It’s just basic surface-level stuff to me in this form but when I’m a wolf…it’s different.”

“You lost me, Anne.”

Anne groaned. “Just watch my back. I still can’t see but now I think I can navigate a bit better.” At least that was the plan. Anne wracked her brain, trying to remember some lessons or some rants from her friends. “Marcy said something about being able to make out ‘territorial signatures’ around the area when we’re in our wolf form? Something like that.”

She groaned again but the memory of her friends hanging out in her room for their ‘Group Study’ was popping up something else. Anne had an assignment about that and while not finishing it completely, she did recall the last thing she wrote before she decided to watch cat videos instead.

Anne snapped her fingers, the answer hitting her like a pillow from the pillow fight Sasha had instigated at that time. “It’s like reading signs left by other animals and insects. Like a graffiti tag!” Pleased with herself, Anne knelt to try again. She took a sniff, clenching her fists as a burst of information filled her head again.

Prey. Prey. Predator. Corpse. Prey. Corpse. Corpse. Cor – fruit?

Anne raised her head, blinking at the innocently looking apple-like shape on top of a crate a few feet from them. She chuffed, unimpressed as they approached.  “You’re seeing this, right? This is obviously a trap.”

“Could be.” Sprig tentatively answered. “Or it could also be a distra – AAAAAAAHHHHH.” The frog was knocked off Anne’s head.

“Sprig?!”

Anne whirled to face him before she grunted. Looking down, she saw there was a red stain on her shoulder. She glanced back to Soggy Joe who lowered his blow dart.

“And you’re dead.” He bit into a red berry, casually leaning against a tree bark.

“What the heck dude!?” Anne approached the adult, mouth curling to reveal a few incisors. She didn’t know where he came from. All of a sudden he just appeared. There was no scent on him. And she sure as heck didn’t hear him!

Sprig picked himself up, groaning before wiping his mud-covered face. “That came out of nowhere.”

“Exactly,” groused Soggy Joe. “Focus, I told ya.” He pointed around. “A lot of these here woods can offer all sorts of new obstacles and surprises. And distractions.” His eyes narrowed, flitting from side to side. “You’ll never know what to expect – WAH!”

The cry startled the duo, making Anne fall on her back, accidentally crushing Sprig who groaned.

Soggy Joe then started laughing. “Ah, you’re right. This is fun.” He disappeared once more into the bushes just as Anne and Sprig pounced.

They groaned when he evaded capture. “Urgh, darn it!” Anne pounded a fist against the bush, before wincing at the pricking of some thorns. “Ow.”

“Maybe we got a tad overconfident.” Sprig spat out some leaves.

Anne shook her head. “We’re just the right amount of confident. Come on, I’m not giving up. Are you?”

“No way!” The two sat up again, performing their handshake. They then started dashing out, though another mistake was not looking where they were going as they fell over the hill edge.

Watching the duo now rolling down below, a shadow loomed over the broken bush. Specifically, at the speck of blood dripping from a thorn stem.

Below, the world spun in Anne’s perspective as she rolled down the hill. She tried twisting and turning, her eyes flashing a brief blue until immediately fading when sticks and branches whacked her on the face like a pop quiz. Distantly, she wondered about the score she got on that unfinished assignment before she more leaves and twigs made up her view.

She groaned in frustration, finally tucking into herself like a ball. Her body glowed blue yet surprisingly she managed to move away in a hard left. Unfortunately, it still didn’t stop gravity from giving her a harder time.

With her face pressed against mud and Sprig whimpering on her back, Anne sighed before she clenched her hands into fists. I’m a horrible Alpha.

So many questions swirled in the reporter’s head. One was predominantly louder than the others. “What must I do?” Hannah gripped the frog-mushroom’s shoulder. “Why me? Why tell me this and -”

“To reveal the truth.” Gary frowned. “You are honestly the only one who accepted my invitation for this chat. Fates may have decreed my meeting with your parents, or this was just an absurd amount of luck.” He shook his head. “Either way, before you do anything, you must be wary of the Night.”

“The Night. You kept mentioning that.” Hannah tapped his pencil against his notebook. “What really is it? And the Great Calamity. And the Unnatural Thing.” Dread gripped his entire being. “Are we in danger?”

“I will reveal all that I can but there is not much time.” Mushroom Gary’s eyes glowed a sickening amber, causing the reporter to jump away in fear. Then Gary – or Lloyd’s eyes, technically – flickered back to purple. “It got its own hooks on this host. It doesn't sense me yet but I can't know more until it passes. Just remember there are nine major seats. They are the heads of the cult.” Gary tapped his temple again, purple and amber fighting for dominance. “This agent hasn’t seen them, so we need to draw them out first.”

“…by sharing the truth.” Hannah was already calculating the amount of ink and paper he would need.

“Bingo,” Gary grinned, “you may just push them to a panic for the time being, throw a worm into their barrel of apples so to speak. More importantly, push the three stars on the right track even if they would not know of your aid.”

Gary walked over to a section of the room. An indoor garden. Flowers managed to bloom despite the gloomy area they were in. Hannah was enraptured, touching the petals.

“This may be their story, but our role is just as important for them to fulfill theirs. Every creature, whatever size, whatever fate, and whatever skill they do or do not have, all living things naturally matter and are subject to what is natural." He groaned yet held up a hand to Hannah before the reporter could approach. "The Night and the Unnatural Thing are challenging this but nature does not discriminate.”

Gary then glanced back down, and Hannah followed, gasping at the sight of three small flowers turning to dark ichor.

“But if disrespected greatly, it will not hesitate to take.”

Anne and Sprig groaned, face-planting on the ground as they returned to camp. Hop Pop and Polly watched them, ambling forward.

“I…hate…him,” Anne huffed.

Sprig shared his muffled agreement. They had many attempts and roadblocks before they decided a break was needed. Any speck of Anne’s confidence was instantly drained with every failure. That and smacking into all sorts of thorny bushes and annoying giant bugs were enough to humble anyone at this point.

Polly laughed. “What happened to you two?” She then shrieked when Soggy Joe emerged from behind her. “Sheesh, you just come out of nowhere, huh?”

“Masking my scent and walking as quietly as a whisper can help one avoid some predators.” Soggy Joe approached the groaning duo, turning to Hop Pop who was now fixing them a meal. “Honestly, with all the ruckus these two made, I’m surprised they weren’t mistaken for prey.”

Anne was about to shoot him a rude gesture she once saw a senior make, but she was too tired to lift her hand. She settled with a glare. “Again, scariest thing here. Not once have we run into a predator giving us a hard time.”

“Oh, there’s worse things than the common amphibivores, lass.” The shadows obscured most of the survivalist’s facial expression as he sat down on the log.

Sprig hopped and sat beside Anne. “Oh, I’m smelling a scary story!”

“That or it’s just Hop Pop’s cooking,” Polly snickered.

Hop Pop harrumphed, lightly smacking the tadpole’s head before he eyed the youngsters. “I don’t think a scary story is what we need right now.” Shadowed movements and eyes writhed and blinked deeper into the forest, but the orange frog forced himself not to gaze for too long. A typical amphibian night always was more trouble than a typical amphibian day.

Anne found the frogs’ tense forms before she forced herself to chuckle. She sat up, wincing a bit before massaging her sore muscles. This was an opportunity to salvage her confidence and alpha status! “I for one love scary stories.” The lie wasn’t that big of a deal anyway. Like Anne kept saying, she was the scariest thing here.

Soggy Joe sniggered. “Then listen well. For you may not have heard the tale, of the mudmen!” At his shout, all three frogs pressed together to Anne. The brunette gulped, unconsciously wrapping her arms around the family too. Soggy Joe stood, sinking into the mud. “They said they were born deep in the bowls of the bog itself, stalking the inky night.” His eyes flittered up to the moon. “And lusting to devour any reckless frogs that might have wandered into their domain.”

He brought up a frog skull. “Aye. A tadpole’s tale this is but be warned. When you encounter one, a dozen more are sure to be there. Hiding. Hunting. Biding their time to strike.” Soggy Joe then tossed the prop away, dusting his hands. “The End!”

Anne stayed seated for a few minutes, heart hammering and hairs standing on edge. Sprig was the first to speak. “Wow! Good story, Joe!” He didn’t move from his spot hiding behind Anne.

“I think I’m having second thoughts about staying here,” Hop Pop chuckled, still clutching onto Polly tightly.

“I’m morbidly curious to see one right now,” murmured the polliwog. She pointed at the frog boy and the girl from another world. “Hey, what if you two hunt one for practice?”

Anne shook her head, snapping out of it. “Psh. Joe said it himself. It’s a tadpole’s tale. Like I’m going to waste my time looking for myths.” She made a show of checking her cuticles, saddened to see how dirty they were. “Sides, I don’t think those are worthy prey even if they do exist.”

Soggy Joe adjusted his hat, laughing a bit. “Prey? Lass those can be considered predators if you’re not careful enough.” He shrugged. “Though I can agree they may not prove to be a challenge for a capable beast such as yourself.” Twin glares were the response, but he shrugged them off.  “While these sorts do enjoy gobbling up frog flesh, they said that there’s two weaknesses to them. Daylight and being clean. Very easy to fight them if it comes down to it then.”

Anne rolled her eyes. “Don’t think I’m done chasing you, Joe.” She amended at Sprig’s pointed cough. “We. We are not done chasing you.” She took a vicious bite of her smelly porridge in the meantime, glaring at the survivalist.

Soggy laughed once again. “Persistent, are you? Fine by me.” He sat back down on the log. “Though I’m in a giddy mood now, so let me let you in on a secret.” Joe leaned forward. “Know how I keep escaping you two?”

“Luck?” Sprig guessed.

“Experience?” added Hop Pop.

“Anne and Sprig are more incompetent than we thought?” Polly then shrugged at the glares she got. “What?”

Soggy Joe turned to Anne, as if waiting for her guess too. The brunette huffed at that, chewing thoughtfully before grumbling. “You cheated. Somehow.”

“…well, technically you’re all kinda right.” A hand flicked like a magician’s sleight of hand trick and then a bottle of something was atop his palm.

Anne spat her food out immediately. “W-Where did you get that?!” Her eyes were wide, staring at a familiar-looking bottle.

Soggy Joe raised a brow, not expecting that reaction. “It’s an old hunter’s recipe.”

“No, that can’t be right.” Anne would know that tiny vial anywhere. “One of my best friends, Marcy, uses that to hide her scent.”

Hop Pop frowned. “Why would your friend hide her scent?”

“It’s a thing she needs to do,” Anne shrugged. “Her family’s not exactly…welcoming to Wolfebornes.” She shook her head. “But getting back on topic, how can the same container be here?” Then she blinked. “Wait, old hunter’s recipe?”

A wail interrupted her questions. Anne shot up, alert immediately, and standing protectively in front of the frogs.

Then silence.

It was eerie. Not even the crickets and background noise that usually accompanied the forest were heard. Just, plain silence. Anne didn’t like it, eyes flitting through the darkness.

“J-Joe, what was that?” Sprig asked, readying his slingshot.

“Hmm,” the survivalist waited for a moment. Another wail pierced the air and Soggy Joe frowned just as two out of three Plantars shuddered. “Initial pitch sounded like a magpie or a rhino beetle. All sorts of territorial disputes are common here.” Another wail, this time followed by a hiss. “Victim of a slaughter snake, possibly.” He adjusted his hat. “I’d better take a look, and offer help if I can.”

Anne followed him. “I’m coming too.” That sounded like someone in trouble, and it was calling Anne for some reason. She guessed because it was her alpha instinct to protect!

The Plantars stared at her. “What?”

“I’m the scariest predator around here, remember? I can help.” She glared at the blue adult frog who scoffed. “What?”

“Nothing.”

Sprig took a step forward. “Count me in too.”

“Sprig!” Hop Pop gaped but at the determined look of his grandson, he sighed. “I’m guessing you want to see what’s all the fuss about too, Polly?” He asked the tadpole.

“Heck yeah!”

Anne chuckled at the family before turning with a glare once more when Joe scoffed. “Dude, seriously, what’s your problem?”

“My ‘problem’ is that I know my limits, youngling.” He swept a hand to the packing farmers. “And keeping all of you safe is going to be harder than ever.”

The brunette crossed her arms, bristling. “I can protect them just fine.”

Soggy Joe stared up at her, frowning. “We’ll see.” And that was the end of it. Anne glared as the survivalist led the way. She glanced at the Plantars, helping them pack and carry some supplies.

“Thanks, Anne.” Hop Pop dusted his hands as the taller creature adjusted the new weight over her back. “You sure it’s no problem?”

“Totally sure.” She nearly toppled when Polly hopped on top of her head. “I got this.”

The elder hummed, eyeing her critically. “Alrighty but tell us if it gets too much. We can lighten the load too.”

“Uh-huh.” Yet it was obvious the girl was no longer listening as she trekked.

Ace Reporter Hannah Hopper needed to get back to Wartwood. Gary had said that it was starting to reach out and urged the frog to leave. He thought about asking more but Gary said that the reporter was welcome to come back after sharing the truth about the rebellion first. Time was of the essence, after all, and Hannah understood he needed to act fast.

Honestly, the quiet allowed him to reflect on what he just learned. Hopefully reaching home, he could process everything and publish the truth in a way that wouldn’t immediately cause the populous to doubt whether it was true or not. Hannah blinked, frowning.

Okay, that would prove harder than he initially thought. To do that, he needed proof. Stone-cold proof. Something that even he could throw at the face of the public and they were forced to realize this bruising of a reality. The reporter needed to call for many of his connections and even plan more investigations for verification. Lists. Frog in Heaven he needed more lists –

“Ow,” Hannah rubbed his face before grimacing at the texture of mud that was now in his hand. It wasn’t mud but denser. Clumps of black ichor reminded him of holding moss. He dared look up and felt immediately all the temperature in his body drop to a chill at what he saw.

Nine pairs of eyes stood before the reporter. Nine eyes in total amassed this mud-covered face, glowing a sickening amber as its pupils focused entirely on the frog.

Only eyes.

No mouth.

Yet for some reason, it still managed to scream.

Anne had a problem. Alright, there were two problems. The first was that she belatedly realized she was able to see in the dark even in her human form now. She chalked it up to her blue thing which easily solved problem number one.

Problem number two was that she got separated from the group.

“I knew I should have turned left. Or was it right? Ugh,” Anne groaned. But it wasn’t entirely her fault. That was what she kept telling herself. There was something in the woods when they stopped to take a quick break. That something turned out to be a bushy and weird-looking squirrel.

But it was still a squirrel and that eventually triggered her instincts to chase it. She distinctively remembered the Plantars calling out to her and Soggy Joe making another comment that she tuned out.

The squirrel thing became the priority but as a result, Anne was now lost once it climbed up a tree and threw an acorn at her.

It was enough to jar her back into her senses but by that time, Anne couldn’t pinpoint the scent of her froggy family. There was just too much, and they honestly smelled almost the same as anything in these parts. It was distracting!

“Stupid,” Anne pressed a hand to her forehead once she came to stop by a small mud puddle. She glared at her hazy glowing blue eyes that reflected from their surface. “Hope you’re happy, Wolf Me.”

Then a hand shot out from the puddle to grasp her leg.

“…of course.”

Anne screamed as she was pulled below. She kicked and writhed and twisted and turned. The hand continued to hold her with its iron grip. Anne growled, focusing desperately. She needed her wolf form, now more than ever!

She was pulled into another turn. The muddy waters were not doing well helping her focus. Anne pulled and scratched at the hand with her blunt fingernails. Come on! Work with me here! A growl started low in her throat, growing louder and louder before her nails suddenly grew. Anne didn’t question it, using that time quickly to scratch at the slimy hand holding her ankle.

Anne was let go. She hurried to swim up, believing that was the only way to go next. There was light coming from above, confirming her suspicions. Once resurfacing, she took in a lungful of air to recover. Looking down at her mud-soaked hands, Anne frowned when she saw her regular human hands.

If this is just a prank done by my wolf form, I swear - She hacked and coughed, releasing a spray of dirty water. Anne tried not to gag at that before shaking her head. Then she glanced up, finding two pairs of glowing eyes amidst a muddy face. It was clutching its injured hand tight, but the girl understood anger when she saw it.

Anne chuckled, despite herself. I’m in danger.

The Plantars had started to panic when Anne didn’t come back yet. They had been waiting for hours, the moon already crossing past its zenith. In a few more hours, perhaps, the dawn would approach.

But any second now, Sprig was tempted to venture out. The elder Plantar busied himself checking their supplies. Polly was helping, adding a checkmark on the list they made. They all were noticeably trying not to think about the worst-case scenario, but it failed. The Plantars were worried sick.

Sprig had enough. “Ugh, I’m going after her!” He was immediately held back by Soggy Joe.

“Coddling her will not do anyone good. We must not interfere any more than we have.”

Two pairs of eyes looked at the survivalist while Polly huffed. “It's not coddling. We're just having her back.”

"No." 

Hop Pop frowned. “We got some copper matches. Maybe we can signal our location?”

“And get the attention of whatever more predators are out there? No.” The survivalist took well to the glares shot at him. “Calm down, Plantars. You lot are way overprotective.” Soggy Joe sat down, crossing his arms. “Here’s tip number three, for you all. Trust. As in trust that wild animals eventually learn that they only have themselves to count on. That they can do it without us interfering with the natural order of things.”

Sprig groaned, throwing his hat down. “I’ve been trying to tell all of Wartwood this! Anne’s not just a wild animal. She’s a kid, like me!” And sure, whatever’s going on lately was making her act…more feral than the typical Amphibian, but it doesn’t make her an animal. To Sprig, she’s just Anne.

“I’m sorry, what?” Soggy Joe was visibly confused. “You got a pup all this time? No wonder she’s not trained yet.”

Hop Pop sighed, patting his grandson’s back. “Look, Joe. Believe it or not, she is a person. Not quite up to Amphibian standards, I’ll admit, but she is. So, we appreciate it if you talk about her and to her like she’s one.”

“In hindsight maybe we should have had her apply for a Citizenship Certificate,” Polly murmured.

The rest of the Plantars blinked before they simultaneously face-palmed. “It slipped my mind.”

“Ditto.”

Soggy Joe blinked. “Wait, y’all are serious? I thought you lot just enjoyed these pet talks too much. I’m not one to judge.”

“Pet talks that lasted for hours?!”

“Like I said, I’m not one to judge.” He shrugged. “My mama’s conversations with hers would span the week. Even months.”

“She can hold and initiate conversations!”

Soggy Joe raised a brow. “So could Parrot-Wasps.”

“Huh, fair point.”

Sprig sighed, ignoring Hop Pop and Polly. He approached the survivalist, frowning. “Bottom line is, Anne needs us. Now.”

Soggy Joe stared at him, pursing his lips. He opened his mouth to say something but then a wail sounded behind them. It was a long guttural moan that struck primal instincts to flee. 

And then there was a scream.

Anne stared up at the approaching creatures. Tall and lanky yet surrounded by mud, they wailed and writhed. One approached, lumbering with its arms outstretched and weapons drawn.

"Mudmen?! They're real?!" She ran as fast as she could, passing by a boiling pot, but there was not much she could go. Fences stood high above her with a barbed outer layer.

Anne clenched her hands into fists, turning to face more of these mud creatures. She needed to get a grip. She was an alpha dang it! She got this.

Anne prepared to shift again but then there was bubbling from the mud puddle across from her. Another creature resurfaced. Anne blinked, squinting to get a better look. It was…another frog?

Then the newcomer started to bounce in place, waving his hands. “Guys, there’s a bunch of frogs near here!”

Anne blinked, more surprised to hear a response coming from her assailants. “Humph, are you sure it’s not another prank? Fergus, Conan, and Hazel still haven’t shown up since then.”

“I can smell them! Trust me!” He hopped excitedly before diving back down into the puddle.

These are frogs too?! Anne eyed the group who appeared to be distracted now. She didn’t like the sound of the tallest one though.

“Alright. We abandon the little thing, but first bite of these frogs belongs to me. Got it?”

“Got it!”

Bite?! Her eyes found the weapons and tools in their hands and then to the pot in the center. Now she could make out knives, plates, and other kitchen supplies and ingredients if what those jars labeled as 'spices', 'sugar', and 'pepper' were truly what they were. They can’t be – they’re not going to seriously eat them, are they?”

“Oh boy, can’t wait to eat them frogs.”

“You said it, Jack!”

Anne gaped. If these were the same frogs she came into the forest with, then she needed to protect them! The girl stood up, calling out to the cannibals.

“You can’t just eat them!”

They paused, one foot dipped into the puddle, and turned to the source of the shout. ‘Jack’ the leader stood at full height, towering over the human. “Law of nature, thing.”

“You know I’m starting to get sick of all these nature rules and laws,” Anne then gave a running start, ducking under the lanky frogs who were startled at the action, before she made a dive back into the mud puddle.

Ew. Ew. Ew. Those repeated inside Anne’s mind as she swam through murky and dirty waters. Resurfacing, at last, brought Anne instant relief before she scrambled to get out.

She glanced over her shoulder and groaned at the exiting cannibals. Shifting into her wolf form, Anne dashed full speed ahead as she’d let her nose guide her to the Plantars. Anne was not going to let them become food!

Wait…

Anne stopped, planting her forepaws on the ground and screeching to a halt. She glanced down at her wolf form. Looking around, she found another puddle. Anne glared at her reflection. Seriously?! Now?!

The cannibals’ shouting interrupted her rising tirade, forcing a huff out of Anne. She needed to focus then. Finding the Plantars and Joe was the goal right now.

Sprig? Polly? Hop Pop? Anne called, reaching out to them. She hoped they were close. Soggy Joe?

Nothing.

Anne’s ears swiveled and turned, while her tail flicked back and forth. Agitation was radiating out of the young wolf before Anne shook her head. Focus, Boonchuy. You got this! Taking calming breaths, she closed her eyes and let the sounds and smells wash over her.

Too many smells assaulted her senses.

LeftMineAcornsLeavesCorpsePreyPreyPredatorAmphibianPetrichorCorpseRottenEggsRottenEggsRottenEggs.

Anne ran, passing by multiple aromas. It was harder to focus on Sprig, Polly, or even Hop Pop. They smelled like what this swampy forest was. Horrible!

She passed by the Coco-No Crab-Deer, which used its hands to point to the left path. Anne took to the right immediately.

Come on, Boonchuy!

Anne panted as she ran through some vines and slid down a small hill. She didn’t know where she was going but she needed to be far away from the cannibals.

Anne breathed in again. CorpseFruitMudSkunkCrabmeat –

Crab Meat? Anne stopped, finding a long winding path hidden behind bushes once she poked her head through them. Could it be? Anne didn’t wait to confirm as shouting sounded over her shoulder. The cannibals were still close. With a chuff, Anne shimmied and crawled further until she went back to running. I’m coming everyone, hang on!

SPNK. SPNK. SPNK.

Then the sloshing footsteps halted. One dark gooey liverwort-like hand lathered up the wall before pressing the frog skull into the sticky mess like a decoration.

Hop Pop, Polly, and Sprig grimaced, shivering. The sight of their captor upside down remained to be unnerving, with it silently sticking objects against the wall and putting wood together. Like it was building something.

“So, Joe, any ideas on how to get out of here,” Hop Pop whispered.

The survivalist had his eyes closed. “We wait.”

“You said that ten minutes ago!” Polly harshly whispered.

Sprig tried squeezing out of this dark ichor slime with no progress. He sighed, before watching to his right at the scribbling reporter. “How did you end up here?”

“Long story. Not enough time to share.” Hannah cheerfully showed his notebook. “That’s why I’m already writing my will and last thoughts.”

“Heh. I wish I was that prepared.”

“I have an extra if you want?”

“Oh, sweet. Thanks, Hannah.”

The thing growled, a bubbling and gurgling sound when it approached the frogs again. It stared up at the amphibians before plucking the notebook and charcoal from the reporter. The creature then slathered it with more dark goo, before it pressed it against the wooden table-like thing it was making.

“…I’m just numb at this point.”

Hop Pop squinted, pausing in his wriggling. “What is it, anyway?”

Polly huffed, rolling her eyes. “One of the mudmen. Duh!” She glared down at the thing. “You won’t eat me alive, sucker!”

“Polly, please try not to tempt it to eat you as a corpse then.”

Sprig huffed, eyes bulging with all the effort he was exerting to get free. He sighed, exhausted. Then he glanced around, noticing strange other objects stuck in goo. Foreign items. One was a paper bag with an odd symbol. Sprig squinted but couldn’t read it.

Then it glowed blue and the word ‘Bleh’ on it in fancy writing was clear as day. Sprig gaped. Then he tried to reach for it.

The creature briefly glanced up at him.

Sprig paused, now whistling innocently.

The creature turned away, causing the pink frog to sigh. He settled with glancing at the other items since that was the only thing he could do right now apparently. Besides the ‘Bleh’ paper bag, the other item was a long rectangular shape made of leather with a strap that reminded Sprig of a camping backpack. Though, it was oddly designed to look like a…what was it called on Anne’s magic box thing? A cat? Sprig made a mental note to ask Anne about that when they reunite.  

Last was a pink item. Its handle was about the length of a sickle but then it oddly had a plate-like circle thing on one end than a barb-curled hook. Its face was also filled with a string of crisscross, kinda like a net.

The creature wailed again, capturing Sprig’s and the rest of the amphibians’ attention. Sprig squinted, now confused to see a small potted plant, a rose, now situated in front of the thing. The nine-eyed monster raised a slimy and dripping hand, pressing it to its face before scooping up more goo. Ichor of black-like cream with hints of amber seemed to slough off it, reaching the floor.

A droplet landed on the growing flower which caused it to quiver. Then it died.

“…well, that’s not good.”

Anne stomped and rushed through muddy grounds with all the speed and energy she knew she could exert. The trees maintained their silent vigil, standing tall as sentinels covering the majority of the sky and stars. And yet the moon remained witness to the growing panic of the wolfeborne as it bathed the swamp forest with a light red glow.

The brown wolf then collapsed, stumbling as four legs shifted and retracted into two and a pair of arms. Anne groaned, hating how she still needed to contend with a time limit. She could try and shift again but she had already used up four.

She had one more in her, but she had to make it count.

Anne glared, punching the ground and ignoring the speck of mud that splashed against her face in response. “Come on!” She warily eyed her surroundings, not much different in a way that creepy swamp forests were while looking for missing amphibians. “J-Just think about Rule#3. Alphas work better when alone. T-They don’t need anyone. I got –

Anne breathed deeply, cutting herself off and choking her sob down. She tried not to get lost in her panic and fear that these cannibals had already captured her friends.

Wobbly legs threatened to collapse under the girl, but Anne forced herself to stand and walk. Her only solace was that her nose led her closer to where they were.

THUNK!

Anne gripped her nose, whimpering at the pain. What did she hit?!

She looked at the circular metal structure, one that was kind of familiar. The first thing she saw at a closer glance was the nine tiny amber circles in a pattern with reverse L-like shapes that spun in a counter-clockwise effect. Like a timer.

Brows furrowing, Anne picked herself up. She also grimaced at the crab meat that was now on the ground, covered in mud. Yuck.

She backed away, surveying her surroundings. She had entered a small clearing with dead leaves covering every corner and inch of the ground. High above and in front of the girl stood a wall of mountainous rock coated in moss and vines. And in the center, was the circle metal thing.

“…welp, might as well. Boop.” She pressed a hand on the metal.

Something clicked, before the metal opened with a groan, rolling to the right to accommodate the visitor. Then Anne glanced behind her at the sounds of feet stomping through muck and three voices arguing. She thought she had lost the cannibals by now. With a huff, Anne squared her shoulders and entered the darkly lit hallway. Whatever was at the end of this, Anne knew she would take her chances if it meant bringing the frogs back home safe.

Nature was replaced with a hospital-like corridor that seemed to stretch on for forever. She passed by other tables too, with beakers and other equipment that reminded her of the science labs back home. Other papers with odd writing and symbols were of no interest to the girl once the sounds of her steps reached her ears.

SPNK. SPNK. SPNK.

Anne grimaced, glaring at her dirty shoes and sock. She also fought a shiver enveloping her body when her exposed sock-foot adjusted to the cold linoleum floor. Anne was just tempted to hop along further using just her shoe-covered foot, but time was of the essence. She heard screaming.

“Guys!” Anne panicked, sprinting down now. More desks and books and beakers and all kinds of science junk passed her by before she stopped, facing an open doorway. And she fought not to scream at the thing standing under the amphibians stuck to the ceiling.

Tall as a pine tree, the dark muddy creature wobbled in place. It dripped with ichor like an ink-drenched brush. And in its grasp was Hop Pop, who screamed louder.

Anne ran forward, knowing that these cannibals were still amphibians. She shoulder-checked it, expecting to distract it enough to drop the orange frog.

Anne passed through the black goo. “Ew.”

“Anne!” cried the frogs. The reporter gaped at the new arrival, before furiously fumbling for his extra pencil and notebook.

“Don’t touch the stuff unless it’s fully dark!” Sprig immediately warned.

Anne had no time to question him. The nine-eyed thing immediately touched its face again, making a ball with hints of amber-orange swirling in its surface and chucking it at the newcomer. The mudball reach the far side wall with a splash once Anne ducked. A few droplets spilled on Anne’s raised hand who winced at the burning sensation.

Brown eyes were wide open, staring at the redness of her skin. “What is that thing?!” The pain felt like when she accidentally spilled tea on herself. Somewhat mild, but very unpleasant.

Polly grumbled at being stuck, looking down at the brunette. “Mudman. Isn’t that obvious?”

“No,” Anne hissed, doing her best to jump out of the way of more mudballs like a dangerous game of dodgeball. “Those are frogs in mud disguises who just want to eat other frogs!” Desks and bookshelves eroded and burned away.

Still clutched in the thing’s hand, Hop Pop paused in his screaming. “Say what?”

Soggy Joe wiggled as he slowly sunk deeper into the ceiling. “Sensing we’re missing some context here, but it might still have the same weaknesses!”

Anne groaned. “I don’t exactly have cleaning products on me right now!” Her back met the wall, looking up at the frogs. Then her brows knitted. “Wait, is that – oh crud!” A droplet spilled on her exposed leg, forcing another wince from the girl. “Sprig, pass me that paper bag! The one that says ‘Bleh’ in fancy writing!”

The pink frog wiggled, reaching for the item. It was still out of reach.

Beside Sprig, Hannah stopped writing once he saw the nine-eyed thing approaching Anne. He looked at anything he could use before finding his pencil. His finely sharpened pencil, engraved with his name. “Will this help?”

The young plantar saw the offered item and nodded. Sprig’s tongue shot out, warbling his thanks before he used the sharp point to cut through the paper bag. A pink ball with a tag fell out of it, landing just in time in Anne’s hand.

Anne then tossed it upwards in a panic as a fist tried to hit her. The girl used her last shift and caught the tag in her maw, glaring at the enemy that roared at her at this point. Its face which had no mouth opened, displaying a gaping orifice with muddy strings still clinging to the lower jaw.

Anne growled back, posture hunching, hackles rising, and tail tucking and unmoving under her belly.

Then the wolf pulled the tag. Time to wash away your bad vibes, dude! Using her paw, Anne smacked it towards the ambling nine-eyed creature and celebrated when it was a direct hit. Peony Princess Bath Bomb, do your thing!

“Humph, you sure it went right inside?” Jack the cannibal asked by the open doorway. They had followed the thing in this clearing. Old as the place was, they never thought they would be standing in front of the Swamp’s Ancient Circle. Which was somehow opened.

“I’m telling ya, the footprints don’t lie.”

Another cannibal sniffed. “And the scent. Though, now I’m smelling…peony?”

A wave of purple glitter shot through the entrance, hitting the cannibals directly. Bubbles of the pleasant smell assaulted their senses and seemed to wash over them all. And they screamed once the last of the foams faded to reveal their sparkly clean amphibian appearances.

They ran away, horrified by this unholy event. One of the three though scampered at a sedate pace, looking over its shoulder to stare at the entryway with a calculating look. The frog walked over to a tree that housed a beehive kiosk and picked out a beephone the cannibal could use.

There were calls that needed to be made.

Anne coughed, slowly picking herself up and back on all fours. She turned, surprised to find the frogs coughing but now on the ground. Alongside other items. She never expected she would find another tennis racket here. Plus her... duffle bag? She thought she lost these after opening the box. No. Not the priority.

She abandoned the items, running to the Plantars. With relief palpable in her eyes, she landed on top of the frog family. Are you guys alright?

“I got some bubbles in my eye!”

Polly chuckled, waving flippantly at her grandfather. “He’s fine.”

Sprig enveloped the wolf in his own hug, gripping tightly the brown fur. “We were so worried!” He pulled away, smiling. “It’s a good thing you found us in time. A true hunter when it counts.”

Anne huffed, pleased with herself. She did it! She was an alpha now. All by herself, she protected them. Her giddiness screeched to a halt once she saw Soggy Joe. Anne’s ears immediately pinned against her head, slowly approaching the survivalist.

Soggy Joe picked himself up, rubbing his rear while looking at the hugging family. Then he saw Anne. “Good work out there. I guess now you proved me wrong that you ain’t soft.” He chuckled, before walking over to one section of the room. Anne realized that the crab meat jar was broken.

“Dropped this during the skirmish, but I have more back home if you don’t like the smell of peony on your crab meat, pup.” Soggy Joe then amended at the three looks shot at him behind Anne. “Anne. Sorry. Guess I’m rethinking about a lot of wrong things tonight.” A beat and he rubbed his beard. “I guess technically, it’s also today. Bah, never really good with timekeeping.” He laughed. 

Anne eyed the food, then turned away with a huff. It helped me find you all. Honestly, all credit can’t go to me. Anne found the eyes of the Plantars once Hop Pop’s pain subsided. And speaking of honesty… I… The wolf stammered. …the truth is…

“Yeah, Anne?” Sprig tilted his head, smiling encouragingly. Polly was in his hands who gestured boredly as if to say go on. Hop Pop even smiled despite his red eyes now.

Anne’s tail was tucked between her legs. It was now or never. She thought she had time to prepare to tell them about the box but if any day could be their last…well, Anne didn’t want to leave with regrets. And this was the right thing to do.

But a long wail pierced the air, interrupting what Anne was about to say. All eyes turned to the source, startling as the dark inky creature continued to rise slowly from the floor. Ace Reporter Hannah Hopper, who was writing next to it, suddenly jumped back. “Um…I think this is our cue to leave, right?” He didn’t wait for the response or an agreement, turning tail and fleeing the area.

The Plantars and Soggy Joe though stayed behind to watch Anne approach the nine-eyed thing. The brown wolf observed the items were now on the floor, its sticky confines no longer holding them stuck to the surfaces. But what was more interesting to Anne was the odd structure made from wood.

Hop Pop was the next to comment, following the quadruped’s gaze. “It looked like it was…building a stand?”

“Does it matter what it was building?” Polly removed the clumps of goo from her ribbon. “It tried to eat us!”

Sprig furrowed his brows, mostly reminded of how it hurt his best friend when he saw the marks on Anne’s legs. “And did you see the weird mud balls it made?” He then gaped when the room was encased in blue light. The pink frog squinted past the brightness, finding Anne’s entire wolf form now glowing blue.

Anne, for her part, ignored the commentary happening behind her. She continued to approach the writhing creature, tail flicking up and down. Then she pulled her lips back, snarling as it finished reforming. It tried to get up.

Another snarl was Anne’s response to the movement, and the warning was thankfully heeded. The nine-eyed thing stayed put. At that, Anne moved closer –

“Anne, what are you doing!?” Sprig cried out.

Let me try something. The brown wolf looked down at the pink frog still clinging to her. Just…trust me, okay?

Sprig stared at her for a good long minute. He glanced at Joe, who gave a nod, then to his family. Hop Pop rubbed his head but smiled. Polly gave a roll of her eyes and a shrug, but she did nod too. At those non-verbal responses, Sprig backed away. He found Anne’s eyes. “Okay.” I trust you.

Anne blinked at the sudden voice inside her head, yet he didn’t seem to notice. She filed that to another weird thing to unpack before she returned to the task at hand. Or at paw, in this case.

Focus. Anne reminded herself. She needed to focus.

Approaching until she was within touching distance, Anne eyed the creature. She took a tentative sniff. More information shot through her mind again.

Peony. Ink. Moss. Worms. Corpse. Prey. Predator. Rotten Fish.

Anne recoiled, shaking her head. She didn’t know what she was looking for but something in her urged her to stay. To do something. She tried again, this time with communication. Hello? The girl addressed the thing directly.

Su. Pleh. The enemy said. It ended with a cough.

Anne crouched low, growling at the thing. The amphibians that were left warily watched the exchange.

Su. Pleh. It spoke again.

But something else was calling Anne. Something was pulling her to act. But what?

S-u. P-l-e-h.

The letters shifted inside her mind. Anne concentrated, eyes glowing a bright blue.

Us. Help.

Anne groaned, wincing at the throbbing in her skull but she pushed forward. She was glowing. Brighter. And brighter. And brighter.

Help. Us.

Until the whole area was illuminated in blue.

The frogs shielded their eyes, wincing at the brightness. The sudden flash of light was not something they expected, momentarily blinding them.

Seconds passed. Minutes passed. Then the glow started to dim.

Sprig was the first to lower his hands, blinking to adjust before gasping. Hop Pop soon followed, rubbing his eyes while staring slacked jawed. Polly gaped, pointing.

But it was Soggy Joe who spoke first. “Oh. My. Frog.”

Anne swayed in place, blue fur turning back to brown. Then she shifted into her human form, collapsing. Sprig hopped, catching her before she could hit her head. Brown orbs fought to stay awake, finding the worried face of a pink frog.

“Heh…did we…do it?”

Sprig chuckled, glancing to the unconscious amphibians that suddenly appeared in place of the nine-eyed monster. Three farmer frogs groggily woke up, those that the Wartwoodians recognized as the Uperadons. The other three were snoring lanky frogs.

Hop Pop frowned. He eyed three green patches on the ground. When he knelt, he was surprised to find…moss? His observations were interrupted by Polly’s cheering.

“Dang Anne! You were awesome!”

“Amazing!” Sprig added with a laugh, helping his best friend sit up. “That was incredible, how did you know it would work?”

Anne continued to shakily sit up, leaning against her best friend. She found Soggy Joe’s eyes and couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. “I guess it was just…instinct.”

“Indeed,” Soggy Joe approached with a smile. “That was truly impressive, Anne.” He rubbed his head. “To unpack all this would take the whole day.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Anne then laughed when Polly jumped into her hands, going on a question-spree. Groaning interrupted the lightened atmosphere as the six frogs came to and sat up.

Sprig gaped, staring up at the taller and lanky frogs first. “Oh, wow. You’re all pretty tall. Hi, I’m Sprig. And you are?”

“…hungry.”

The pink frog tilted a head. “Odd name, but cool.”

“Hey,” Anne spoke, drawing their attention. The brunette forced herself to stand, approaching the three cannibals with a huff. “We just saved your butts. Tell your friends to call off this frog-eating business.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Sprig gawked.

The apparent cannibals though exchanged glances. Anne’s narrowed eyes flashed blue briefly. The three paused and then they shrugged. “Lost my appetite anyway.” They left, with Anne not breaking her stare and the tension in her body until she could no longer smell them.

Once that was done with she sighed before finding the farmers next who were now freaking out. Hop Pop and Soggy Joe were already there doing damage control. But when asked how they got here they said –

“They don’t remember anything?!” Polly stared.

Sprig approached. “You don’t remember your stand closing? Or that meeting with Jacinda?”

“What…stand?” Palpable confusion and fear crossed all three of the Uperadon’s expressions. “What …meeting? A-And who… is…Jacinda?”

Anne knelt by their side, body shaking with effort, but she needed to ask, “What was the last thing you remembered? Anything about the farmer’s loan program or bad guards, ringing any bells? Anything?”

The frogs exchanged glances before they wearily shook their heads. “A-All we know is that we…are…a family. T-Then, nothing else.”

Soggy Joe approached the farmers while the Plantars and their Anne grew worried. “You can stick with us for the time being. At least, until we get back to Wartwood.”

“W-What’s…Wartwood?”

“…I’ll tell you all on the way,” he began herding the confused amphibians out, shooting a worried look of his own at the four. “I don’t know what happened here and I’m still confused. But I found it odd our resident noble reporter fled before this.”

Hop Pop placed the tadpole atop his head before holding onto Sprig and Anne’s hands. “You think he had ties to what happened?”

“I don’t want to leave anything else up to chance.” That was the last thing he said before he left, Uperadons family without memories in tow.

Sprig frowned, squeezing the hands intertwined with his. “Jacinda’s just as one clue as any.”

“Let’s pay her a visit then,” Polly grinned, punching her flippers together. “Something’s really not right with that noble lady anyway.”

Hop Pop tsked. “Before we do anything rash and possibly upset powerful amphibians, maybe we can do the safer option? Like checking the scene of the crime?” He gestured airily to the area with a pointed look.

“That could work,” Anne finally pitched in, feeling some of her energy returning. Her blue form was draining, that was for sure, but she settled with burying more questions about that for the meantime and instead turned her attention to the three clumps left on the floor. “Found the first clue.”

“Moss,” Hop Pop intoned. “That would explain the nine-eyed thing’s weird texture. Like it was…preserved in a way?” He scratched his head again. “Honestly, best we leave this up to the professionals. I’ll give the Sheriff a call. See what he thinks about all these.”

“Or we can help solve this mystery,” Anne supplied. “I’ve watched enough movies and tv to know where this is going.”

“Anne, we literally don’t know what those are,” Polly drawled. “But I understand and fully agree with the first part!”

Sprig hopped in front of his family, grinning. “The Plantars are ready to uncover truths and dark secrets!” He punched the air. “I mean we did survive that horrifying encounter, traumatized sure, but. we. survived!”

Hop Pop raised a hand. “Okay, how about we talk about this once we head to camp? I can already feel my blood pressure spiking and I think I’m going to pass out now from the stress.”

No sooner than saying his announcement, Hop Pop’s eyes rolled back as he fainted. Anne was quick to catch the orange frog, turning to the tadpole and young frog. “Dudes, what do we do?!”

“Ah, he’ll be fine.” Polly waved a flipper, now transferring to Anne’s head. Anne’s brows knitted, picking up Hop Pop, the racket, and her cat duffle bag before leading the way to the exit.

Sprig nodded in agreement, taking one of the three moss evidence and pocketing it before catching up. “You should have seen him when Polly learned a new bad phrase.”

“Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me.” And without preamble, Polly pointed at the room and let her voice carry out into an echo. “Bathe in salt you son of a slug!” She crossed her flippers, pleased. “There’s no beating Team Plantar, you hear us!”

Anne paused, processing what just happened before laughter bubbled into her chest. It escaped, with the cackling doubling as Sprig joined her. Then moments later, all three children walked back to camp with mirth in their hearts after the horrifying ordeal.

But while their laughter echoed throughout the dawn-kissed forest, Anne promised herself that she would tell them the truth once it was safe. 

Inside the map room, the purple newt reached out a hand and took a calming sip. “Donna, move Freddie Pawn to F3.”

The maid, Bella, mentally sighed at the wrong name uttered but obeyed the orders of the noble. While watching the newt struggle to push the life-sized Flipwart piece, Jacinda set down the report and nodded with a pleased smile. Finally, there was progress in one of her missions – if what her underlings had reported were indeed true.

Although she had her own report ready in mind to send to the capital, Jacinda opted there was no harm in… omitting certain parts of the story. It was already enough that Amphibia was on the right path of reclaiming what was truly theirs. Her colleagues didn’t need to be bored with the full tale.

With a pleased hum, she told the maid that she was dismissed and left the map room. Her light walk ended with her standing before her favorite and new addition to the mansion. Opening the double doors, she was met with a spacious area.

Purple colored the walls with flecks of silver, like twinkling stars. The scratching post was placed in one corner, complimenting the various durable toys and items she had commissioned. In one closet, the new clothes she had purchased were already pressed and laundered alongside the latest and fashionable collars and leashes that were similar enough to Newtopia’s style. It had cost her quite a bucket of coppers getting them, but she supposed the purchases were worth it. The bed and two bowls were quite adorable.

Jacinda smiled, nodding in satisfaction before closing the doors. She could be forgiven for the skip in her step. Just for today.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: The Beast and The Wild Unknown (Part III)

In Anne’s dreams, there was a park.  Her parents were there by the picnic table.

They smiled. Then there was her phone with strong internet connection, playing cat videos on loop.

Anne gasped, running towards them.

…burning…bright…

Anne hesitated, glancing around the void and looking for the source of the voice. Then she blinked again. Sitting across her parents were her best friends. Her heart skipped a beat. “Guys?!” Tears in her eyes, she ran faster.

“Come on, Boonchuy!” Sasha yelled. Marcy was beside her, waving a pack of cat-shaped chicken-nuggets.

Anne stopped. She smiled sadly, rubbing her arm. “This is a dream, isn’t it?”

Darkness replaced the park, leaving Anne alone with the void.

…expel…the night…

She glanced up. There was blood. She tasted blood. And heard the screams of three frogs.

Felt anger. There was also anger because why could she not hunt this prey down. Why did it keep escaping her? Taunting her?

Anne held her head.

…fight…the fall…

Then there were butterflies and fireflies, and trees, and forests, and lakes around her.

The wind sang. Sweetly. Gently.

Anne growled. “Where are you?!”

…of all…

Gone. Then darkness.

Until nine-eyes opened and stared at Anne. Angry eyes. Burning amber bright eyes were narrowed at her from the void.

In the real world, Anne tossed and turned in her bedroll, gripping her blanket tightly. The light burns from last night glowed a brief dark orange.

In Anne’s dream, sweat dripped down her brow as the ground below her disappeared. She was falling.

Then hands were clenching and unclenching. Nails were elongating and extending. Teeth were sharpening and growing.

…burning twinkle…bright twinkle…

Ears shifting and changing. Fur rising and falling.

…expel little…the night star…

Face curling and twisting. Bones snapping and rearranging.

…little star…how I wonder…

Eyes narrowing and pinpricking. Bloodlust rising and rising.

…little star…how I wonder…

Rising. Rising. Hunger. Hunger. HUNGER. HUNT.

…what. you. ARE!

“AAAHHH!” Anne sat up, clutching her chest and panting. She breathed deeply, in and out. Then she coughed, accidentally swallowing a stray blue butterfly. She spat it out and shook her head. Then she exhaled and inhaled again. The misty air was calming.

Shakily, she brought her hands up.

Just human hands.

Anne felt around her head, feeling human ears. She shakily crawled towards her duffle bag, rummaging around for a mirror. She opened it, checking her teeth and eyes.

Human.

Snapping it shut, Anne left the mirror and stood. She checked the sky and winced at the brightness of the sun. Her eyes scanned their camp. The Plantars were sound asleep, so that was a relief. The Uperadons too were nestled against each other. But where was Joe?

HUNT. FROG. PREY.

Anne shut her eyes close, pressing a hand to her temple to try and quell the throbbing. Her feet led her to the sleeping Plantars who were snuggled close. She raised her hand, hoping they didn’t mind one more body in there but as she did, she grimaced when her hand was partially shifted. Her nails were longer and sharper while covered in fur. Anne immediately moved it away from the vulnerably sleeping frogs.

She stepped away from the Plantars.

Maybe she could handle this alone, anyway. Like through…jogging. Yeah, maybe a jog would clear her head. She did stuff like that back home and they (mostly) worked. She rummaged around her duffle bag for her jogging outfit. Once she finished changing, she placed the bag near the Plantars, taking care to not wake them up. Anne listened to their croaking and snoring, letting those sounds calm her racing heart. Their shivering was a concern though.

Her eyes glanced up, seeing the open sky through the leaves of the trees, and realized they were a bit exposed too. Anne pulled up her sleeve, moving things to build a quick shelter around them. She then took her blanket and wrapped it around them as the finishing touch, making her more relieve to see it covering the Plantars like a tent.

BECAUSE THEY’RE MINE.

Anne recoiled at the thought, before scowling. Bad, Wolf. Bad. A growl was trying to reach her throat, so she hurried to exit the grotto to avoid waking the frogs. Once at a sufficient distance, the growl escaped and caused the eating critters around her to scatter and flee. Anne face-palmed and then shook her head.

Another growl escaped her. Predators raised their heads, saw the lone bipedal creature, and then decided it was more dangerous than them. Anne eyed the dust clouds with their shapes with an unimpressed look until she sighed.

She did her stretches and warmups and then took off into the early morning forests of Amphibia, confident she could make her way back ho – to the Plantars.

Anne gripped her mother’s hand tightly as they entered this scary looking building. It was large, like a castle, and even the guards here were scary when they eyed her and her mom.

“It’s alright, sweetie. Remember, this is just where Grandma works.”

And that was another thing that Anne didn’t get. Sure, she understood why they need to fly all the way here.  Though Anne just wanted to meet grandma and her surprise, why did they have to stay for a month without her dad, or Marcy or Sasha? Anne whimpered. There was no Marcy and Sasha here in Thailand. Anne then hid behind her mother’s leg when the doors opened and the smell that immediately greeted her reminded Anne of the hospitals back home, but this wasn’t the same. For one, there were no scents.

Anne rubbed her nose, brows pinching when she couldn’t detect anything except her mother’s jasmine shampoo. “This place smells very weird.”

Oum’s brow pinched. “We can turn back.” Anne never saw her mom this tense before. Maybe because Dad couldn’t come with them too?

“But then we won’t see Grandma,” Anne tilted her head. “Plus, she said she has a surprise!” And who was the eight-year old to turn down surprises? Maybe it could be that new tennis racket she saw on tv or a videogame or new running shoes or new manga or zoo book or –

(There you are!) A short elder woman greeted the newcomers in Thai. Brenda Braly ambled over, hugging her adopted daughter first. (Oh, it has been ages. Oum, you rarely call these days. Do not tell me you changed just because you are living in the Americas)

Oum performed a wai, thumbs at nose height and fingers sitting between the eyebrows as she pressed her hands together. (Hello, mother. And we had been adjusting since I last called but I think we are finally settled.) Anne frowned. She could feel the tenseness of her mother in waves. The girl pursed her lips, the urge to protect suddenly taking hold of her. So despite feeling shy and wary, Anne stepped out from behind her mother’s leg and shifted.

“Anne!” Oum shouted the same time as Brenda Braly cooed.

(Ah! Is this Anne? My goodness she is more adorable when I first saw her, Oum. Oh, but why is she so skinny? Have you been feeding her well?) Anne blinked, not expecting to be cuddled so fiercely. She flailed at the embrace, doing her best not to bite the human or hurt her with her claws. Anne wanted to scare the one making her mom nervous, not hurt her! (Hello, little one. Come. Come, let’s get you something to eat first before we begin the tests.)

Anne shifted back into human form as Grandma carried her. She didn’t speak much Thai, but she still understood some of the words. Food being one of them! Anne wiggled, excited to try out new things.

(Mother, please be gentle with Anne.) Oum followed. “And we agreed, she needs to know first what you and your crew are planning to do.  She should want to undergo the tests first. That was the deal.”

Anne looked at her mother. “Tests? What tests?” Though she was immediately distracted when they entered the cafeteria. Her stomach rumbled, and she wanted to be put down so she can race through the many stalls.

Brenda giggled, watching her granddaughter go. Then she turned to Oum. (Yes, Oum. Goodness, I may be old, but my memory is sharp as ever.)

Oum winced. (I did not mean –

(Bah, you are too tense!) She pinched Oum’s cheek, laughing. (I stand corrected. You have not changed. What, not even that lovely Bee of yours managed to temper your control issues?)

(I do not have control issues, mother) Oum sighed then gawked at the order her daughter was making. “Anne, do not eat too much! Your California stomach may not – oh dear, there she goes.” Anne was already whimpering after taking a bite of the Pulut Durian, hurriedly washing it down with water.

(At least she is very brave. Reminds me of a similar girl when I used to bring treats in the orphanage.) Brenda sighed at Oum’s look. (Truly, Oum. You should not have visited if you are going to be tense throughout this. And not another apology. Like I said, you do not owe me anything. I am happy if this is just a family visit, and not because the Society of Peace also instigated this.)

“I – I thought it’s the least I can do. And maybe this would be good for Anne. You might even answer some of our questions.”

(But?) Her adopted mother still knew her too well.

Oum sighed, grasping her own arm in comfort. “I feel this is just too much. It might be overwhelming for her.”

“ ได้อย่างเสียอย่าง ” Brenda intoned. (You have to lose something to get another thing.) Oum frowned, making the elder sigh. (That is the opinion of the Wolfeborne-Human Mediator of the Society of Peace in Thailand. But as your mother?) She patted Oum’s shoulder, before walking towards Anne. (I want nothing more than to have no harm come to our family, but your daughter drew eyes from some parts of the world the moment she told a hunter and wolfeborne child that she was born human despite having The Gift.)

She held up a card. There were three words on it, with empty circles adjacent to the words.

(I am willing to do my part to maintain the peace. They want her labeled and I cannot stress enough that if she isn’t then…)

Oum sighed, clenching her hands into fists. “They will have to deal with me first.”

(And me and all my connections) Brenda smiled. (But let us hope we will not get to that, when the answer can be easily given by your daughter.) Anne finally finished her meal, settling with a bowl of hot Guay teow. She burped, and then saw her mom and grandma.

Oum smiled, taking the tissue to clean her up while The Mediator sat down next to Anne. (Little one. I hope you had a good meal.)

Anne squinted at the elder then to her mom to confirm what she heard. Her mom translated, making her nod enthusiastically. “Thank you!”

(You are welcome. Now Anne, I just need your help. You see this?) She gave the card. Anne read it and nodded. There were three circles, and to the right side of each were words. Wolfeborne. Human. Unknown. Anne then raised a brow at the box of crayons given to her. (We just need you to choose. Which of the words do you think you would like to be called?)

Anne looked up at her mom. “Is this the test?”

“It’s one of them.” Oum explained what it was for as much as she could. Anne managed to follow a bit, but ultimately understanding that her mom trusted her to do this, and that Anne could say no if she didn’t want to continue. But this looked so fun! Anne stuck out her tongue in thought, scratching her head at the choices. “No pressure, sweetie.” Oum smiled, ruffling her head. “Just color the one that is right for you.”

She looked at the box, choosing the yellow crayon. Then she read each word. “Wolfeborne.” The crayon hovered above the circle, as she glanced at the next one. “Human.” Anne hummed, before finally reading the last one. “Unknown.” Anne glanced at her mother. “What’s ‘unknown’?”

Oum opened her mouth then closed it, finding the right words to explain it. A hand touched her shoulder, making her look down to see her adopted mother with a questioning look. One that said, ‘May I’? and Oum tentatively nodded.

Brenda smiled at Anne, offering her hand. (I can show you what it means. If it is alright with you?)

Anne looked at her mother who gave a supportive thumbs up. Anne smiled, assured at that. “Sure!” So, there they walked, entering a hallway of strange exhibits with glass covers. In front of those were shiny gold plaques. They passed by adults who tried to be subtle in their gawking. Anne shied away from their stares until she saw something that interested her. She pointed, smiling. “Wow! What’s that?”

(Interesting, aren’t they? It is truly fascinating studying where The Gift originated, more so what it has given to some of our population.) Brenda pointed at one before Anne. The young girl stared in awe at the picture of a human woman, but she had…wolf ears? There was also another, a man this time but his eyes were a piercing amber and smiling to reveal sharp teeth. (Throughout history there are Wolfebornes and Humans. But there are rare cases too, of those being born human yet getting the The Gift later in life. They are so rare though and did you know you are actually the third case to date?)

Anne looked at the portraits again. So that made her have something in common with them. Which was neat! Her dad said that was how usually friendships started, due to having something in common. Anne wished she could know where to find these people then, she loved making friends! She tilted her head, staring outside the window. Though her best friends were still best, of course.

She tuned in back into the conversation. (…and the rarest if I have to say because you can surprisingly pass off as human if you want.) Brenda poked Anne’s nose. (Now choose wisely, little one).

Anne tilted her head. “Oh. Hmm. Okay then.” She was brought to another room. Adults came out and placed a small chair and table. Anne unsurely sat down.

She tapped the crayon against her chin, while more adults subtly wandered in and observed. They waited with bated breath as Anne finally nodded.

“I choose… none!” Paired with her cheery answer, she then drew herself with the yellow crayon and proudly presented it to the adults around her, leaving the three circles unshaded.

The forest greens and reds and oranges passed by in a blur the more Anne sped up. Her heart hammered with the usual thrill from her sports and active activities. From Muay Thai, to track, to tennis, to dance… they all gave Anne that rush. And now she’s rushing through bushes and vines, leaping and bounding over fallen logs and rocks, laughing and giggling at the wind whipping past her and tickling her hair.

Then she was on fours, the brown wolf replacing the human girl as she took a leap against the tree. Claws caught and pushed against the tree barks, elevating Anne a bit off the ground like she was doing wall run stunts. Anne ran, zipping past even the usual predators hunting in the morning as she left a trail of blue in her wake. And she was a blaze of blue, going fast and being so fast that she might as well take that jump over the cliff and reach the other side!

Anne’s eyes narrowed and locked onto their target, powerful legs kicking and pushing as she took the leap. And Anne felt, even for a few moments in the air, free. The world seemed to have slowed down. A large dragonfly swarm was beside her, buzzing gently and frantically as a new predator was apparently now airborne yet did not attack when the wolf was not interested in taking their mosquito morning meals.

Anne was free.

But movement caught her eye. A familiar scent reached her nose. Anne realized it was the scarf. Sprig’s scarf. It fluttered in the breeze, apparently unraveled. Anne, in her panic to get it back, shifted to her human form to grab onto it. Her right hand caught the edge of the soft fabric, while her left managed to cling to the cliff edge. “Phew,” she chuckled. She hefted herself up, collapsing and breathing deeply while staring up at the blue sky.

She pillowed her hands behind her head after wearing the scarf again. Clouds lazily moved about up in the sky which was a clear blue. Anne giggled, finding shapes that looked like her cat, ice cream, shoe, music box –

The music box. Anne squeezed her eyes shut. Right, she was going to tell them about the music box. Her heart hammered. She forced herself to not think about that for a bit. After all, the sky was nice and cool, and she could be forgiven for a few minutes of relaxing. Her eyes glazed, mouth curling into a frown. But then this reminded her of picnics with her parents, and if they were busy, then hanging out at the park with Sasha and Marcy.

Anne sighed. “Mom. Dad. Sasha. Marcy.” She sat up, bringing her knees close to herself and hugging them. “I – I hope you guys are looking at the same sky as me. It’s, heh, it’s filled with funny cloud shapes.” She quickly wiped her eyes and sighed again.

Anne tapped her knee.

“I…I don’t get it. I’ve been here for almost, well, never really kept count but let’s say for a lot of days now.” She fidgeted, standing so now she was pacing. “A lot of things are happening to me. And I mean a lot. Like, what’s up with this blue thing? Because I apparently turn blue now.” She grasped her arm. “And my wolf form. Woof. Don’t get me started on that but I think it’s broken.” She ignored the growl that unconsciously escaped her. “See! Ugh, and then we’re attacked by weird monsters.” She acted like they were listening.

“Okay, so the first one’s actually a mantis, then snow weasel, but the last two, oh man! I was attacked by a tree. A tree. And then this last monster actually turned into frogs and some moss, but then these frogs may have lost their memories? Also, I don’t know what else to do to make the townspeople not afraid of me! Which also sucks because why can’t they just like me?!” She panted, breathing deeply and gripping her hair.

The wind was silent as it ruffled her hair. Trees gently swayed in a calming little dance. The sun bore down on her but said nothing. Anne didn’t know what she expected. “Like, there’s so much I don’t know and it’s making me…it’s making me scared okay?”

Anne huffed, hugging herself now while staring forlornly at the sky.

“I’m scared and I know I shouldn’t be. I’m a…a wolfeborne. A wolfeborne who could also be an alpha if I work hard enough.” Anne frowned. “But I sucked at that too.” Her hands reached up, suddenly feeling an itch under her chin and she grazed the scarf around her. “Sprig knows a bit of what I’m talking about, and it was nice having someone to listen but he’s still, I don’t know. A frog kid? I don’t want to put this on him. I already put a lot on this family. But I like them at lot.”

She faintly remembered her dream. A memory. The stench of blood. The fear. The thrill of the hunt –

Anne shut her eyes closed. “I really like them a lot and I don’t want to lose them.”

“It seemed it was a mistake to have her choose early.”

Anne heard one of the adults say behind the doors. The moment Anne revealed her answer, more adults approached and entered the hallway of exhibits. They then decided to talk with her grandma and mom in another room while Anne was left on the bench outside alongside an intern.

 (Why choose to begin with? This is only for record keeping purposes. Maybe she can answer and update it when she pleases?)

“This is unprecedented!”

(Bah, will you two shut it? I don’t know why you all are even here, goodness. This is beyond your jurisdiction.)

“By law she is a citizen of our country.”

(Leave us. I am still the head of this research and I need the room to think.)

“It’s still a wolfeborne!”

(Do not talk about my daughter like that!)

Anne winced at the smack of a table and sound of shattered glass. She glanced at the intern who also winced at the sound. “Well, thank goodness this is my last day.”

Anne frowned. “Excuse me. Can you explain what happened?”

The intern glanced down, adjusting his glasses. “Sure thing, stringbean. Dunno the whole story but the gist is the higher ups aren’t too thrilled to be wrong.” He shrugged. “They were sure you can still be classified as a wolfeborne, yet they’re more butthurt you’re no longer able to be experimented on.”

Anne didn’t like the sound of that, even if she managed to not fully get it. “W-Why?”

“Now that’s the question, ain’t it? Just be glad the representative for the hunters has little leeway here.”

Voices returned full force behind the door until her grandma spoke the loudest, getting Anne’s attention.

(Enough. I have made my decision. If you have any more issues, take it up in our next summit.)

“You are on thin ice as it is, Mediator.”

(As well you because goodness, the manners on you is atrocious.)

“MANNERS?!”

(Regardless the potential risks this would –

“I think we should go. Our opinion is obviously unwanted here.”

Anne ducked her head, moving behind the intern and out of the line of sight of the adults leaving the room. The mix languages were giving her a headache, but she needed to focus on her family’s voice. She didn’t know what she did.

The intern adjusted his glasses. “Looks like that’s it, stringbean. Catch you never, I guess.” He wheeled away on his skating shoes, before pausing by the doorway. “Though piece of advice? If you’re gonna have to choose again, own it. And be proud.” The kid stared, more confused than ever as he left.

Then Anne stared sadly at the card. Her drawing still had a smiley face and the wolf beside it too was eating the unshaded circles. Maybe they just didn’t get her artistic vision. Shaking her head, Anne listened in again.

(Well, that was a waste of a breath. But now it is settled, just give me a call whenever she wants to update that card.)

“Mother, is it really alright? The others sounded –

(Bah. None of their words matter much in my circles, Oum. Be glad we do not have to do more tests even. The child gave an answer and clear explanation of her thought process. It is enough in my book. The paperwork and how to pitch this to my colleagues will be admittedly challenging, but I do so love a challenge. Now relax, Oum. You are looking more stressed since you got here.)

Anne frowned, looking back at the paper and the three circles. More confused and with a feeling of fear and unease, Anne pulled away and went back to the cafeteria, believing some food might make her feel better.

Behind the door, Oum finally sat down yet continued to embrace herself. “I just… do not want to impose so much already. Especially since I did not follow in your footsteps.”

Brenda sighed, sitting down next to her adopted daughter and giving her a side-hug. (You do not owe me that Oum. What you do is simply what you have been doing since you told me you wanted to move abroad with your partner – following your heart.)

Sprig shot up, blearily looking around and rubbing his eyes. It was odd though that it was darker than when he usually woke up – oh. He eyed the makeshift tent but upon recognizing the blanket, Sprig smiled. “Thanks, Anne.” He crawled out, whispering an apology when he hit Hop Pop and Polly, until he was out. He breathed in the morning air, even a bit of the mist managed to enter the grotto campsite they found.

He yawned, scratching his back before looking for Anne. Sprig stopped mid-step when he saw Joe cooking in the firepit. “Oh, hey. Morning, Joe.”

“Morning, Young Plantar.” Soggy Joe handed him a plate of pancakes.

Sprig thanked him before digging in. It was silent as they ate. The Uperadons were still sound asleep as well as Hop Pop and Polly. “So, Joe. Crazy night, huh?”

“You said it. Though I expected the beast – sorry, Anne – I expected Anne to lead us most of the time last night. Or present more leader traits of her species.”

“Lead?” Sprig raised a brow. “Wait, species? You know what Anne is?”

“Didn’t you?”

The pink frog frowned. “She told us herself. How did you find out?” There wasn’t a book or anything he’d heard about but if there was one, maybe it could also help Anne figure out more about her blue thing or why her other form was being weird.

“Some folks I know. I left early to meet with them, and decided pancakes sounds good for breakfast too.” He poked the pancake batter and sprinkled in more flies. “Turns out they said there’s been scientists before that published an old paper. As in really old. Written in ancient amphibian than anything. Recently, I heard it’s been updated but my circles never got around to finding the source.” Soggy Joe tapped his chin. “You know if you two are up for it. You can do a presentation at the Wild Fest. Show all of Wartwood what Anne is.”

Sprig frowned. He’ll have to ask her. But this was great, there was a lead! “Joe, where can I find this old paper? Or your friends?”

“Well, my friends are the types to…let’s say not speak much with outsiders. As for the paper, it’s at the Town Archives, is where I’ve heard they’ve last seen it. There’s this old glass case but no one remembered who owned the lock or got the key.”

Sprig hummed. Okay, so maybe they should have taken Hop Pop’s advice.

The other frog continued, “But holy honey thistle. I really couldn’t believe it until I saw it.  You’ve seen those teeth?” Soggy Joe gushed. “Not to mention she glowed blue? You know around here blue means it has the most potential to lead?” Soggy Joe then amended at Sprig’s look. “Ah right, not just a regular beast. Gonna have a hard time thinking that, sorry, but can you blame me? By frog, you are living with a thought-to be myth. Quite a find.”

Sprig sighed. “Look, Joe. Anne’s just Anne.”

“Anne’s a wolfeborne. Not much talk about those, I’ll admit, but when you’ve been living with my kind of circles you tend to hear stories you couldn’t believe.” He eyed Sprig. “But I’ve never heard tales of when they glow blue from time to time.”

 “Oh, that’s just a thing she does. She says it’s a side effect or new thing. We’re working on it, though.” The frog boy blinked, okay not now specifically, but they will get there. He coughed and gestured airily, continuing, “She has no control over it, and maybe that’s why she’s having trouble using her other form, but it’s not harmful in case that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Ah, but you don’t think…hmm, probably not true anyway. Never mind.”

“What?” Sprig prodded. “You’re being weirder than usual, Joe. No offense.”

“None taken.” The survivalist adjusted his hat, staring into the fire before taking a mouthful of food. He swallowed. “But if you ask me, I think that, maybe, that there’s side of her’s a defense mechanism. I’ve heard that they can take on two forms, right? Well, if what you say about her…blue thing…is true, then maybe a part of her’s in conflict. Like one form – possibly the wild one – couldn’t decide if she’s a guest or a pet or an outsider and it’s fighting to adapt.”

Sprig stopped mid-chew. “What?”

“See, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“No, it’s just. She isn’t and if she feels like we’re treating her like that then she’ll tell me.” Sprig frowned. Would she? They did try that feelings-session but Anne wasn’t all too willing to share again. Hmm, she did want to try telling them something before she got interrupted by the nine-eyed thing. He made a mental note to ask her about that. “She’s lost though. We’re just giving her a home.”

“But does she think it’s one? I mean, and I am totally and only speaking from my experiences with wild animals here, creatures taken from the wild ended up struggling to adjust finding a permanent home.” Soggy Joe gestured around them. “The environment changes, and everything should too in order to adapt and survive. Something permanent is not so easily found, more so accepted.”

“She knows we are helping her, not keeping her. And she would say something if there’s something wrong.” But Sprig was sure she saw their house as a home enough, right?

“You sound so sure.”

“What are you saying, Joe?”

“Basically, I have some questions. First, what is Anne actually to you?”

Sprig answered immediately with a confident smile. “She’s my best friend!”

“Not a beast? Or pet or wild animal? Maybe a farm animal too if –

Sprig adamantly shook his head in response.

“Not even once that crossed your mind?”

Sprig scowled. “The first time I found her out in the woods, sure, but I realized she wasn’t a beast at all.”

“And what do you know about her, then? How can you tell you are her best friend not just her owner?” With each question, Soggy Joe stood and casted a shadow over Sprig whose expression dropped to confusion and doubt. “How can you show that you are what you say you are?”

Sprig frowned, matching his height. “I don’t know.” He poked Joe’s chest. “But I know in my heart Anne was meant to be my best friend and nothing’s going to change that. I’ll do whatever it takes and what I can to be the best best friend too, but I will never ever think or see her as anything less than that.”

“…good answer.” Soggy Joe sat back down with a small laugh. “You and Anne are indeed ready for the Wild Fest.”

Sprig blinked. “What? That was another test?”

“The last assessment.” Soggy Joe presented a green card. The coat of arms of House Geometridae was proudly on display, with moth motifs serving as the borders. “Just sign your name here and a pawprint of Anne.” The adult’s signature was on the bottom, certifying the legitimacy of this pass.

Sprig read it again before he hesitatingly signed it. “Why did you need to know all of that?” He fiddled with the card, liking how smooth and shiny it was.

“Because, Young Plantar, I believe frog and creature need to work together as equals to accomplish a lot. You can’t be that when someone’s holding a leash over the other.” Soggy Joe frowned. “I’ve already seen my fare share who wants to believe the opposite, some crueler than others.” He patted Sprig on the shoulder. “It’s real fortunate you see her for what she is.” Soggy Joe then laughed, adjusting his hat. “Frog, I can tell you two could make this year’s Wild Fest very interesting, I can’t wait.”

Sprig smiled unsurely, then looked at the empty bedroll. “Yeah. I guess…”

Anne gripped the straps of her cat dufflebag tightly. Over her shoulder, she saw Marcy and Sasha staring at the doors to their respective classrooms too. Knowing they were just a room over plus paired with recess and lunch time, managed to ease Anne a little.

Then with a deep breath, she opened the door. Already she was assaulted with laughter and conversation and…growling? Inhaling deeply, she eyed the classroom. She noticed the humans first since they talked and communicated in quick succession about last school year’s activities and parties that Anne half-followed, holding their gadgets and waving them around. She also figured not staring too much at their human forms was a dead giveaway.

The wolfebornes mostly uttered wolf sounds in between human speech. A snarl there. A low growl here. Either way, they looked like they didn’t mind being loud and obviously unhuman if Anne was being honest. While some were seated far back having a play tussle, others stuck closer to the windows to watch the cars pass by or stick their head out to feel the breeze of the morning day.

Anne gripped her bag again. She walked, approaching one of the free chairs in the center and tried not to grimace at the eyes trained on her when the furniture screeched. Attempting to look busy, Anne removed some books and her pencil case. She then felt two shadows approaching her before they stopped. They stood in front of her now. A human and a wolfeborne.

“Hello,” one of the humans began. “You’re one of the new ones, right? I would have seen you in the orientation earlier for the wolfebornes.”

The wolfeborne spoke up next before Anne could reply, “You don’t smell like one though.”

Anne shrunk in her chair. “Umm…sorry?”

“It’s all good!” grinned the wolfeborne. “I’m Dessi. Wanna sit with us?” This was followed by a crash, making all heads turn to look at the broken chairs and at the whooping of the winner of the tussle. “Ignore Rico though if she challenged you.” He glared at their friend. “Keep it playful!”

“It is playful!”

“We told Carlos they should have walked away from trying that, Gabby,” one of the humans boredly commented, not looking away from their phone.

The human standing near Anne winced, rubbing her head. “Yeah, you might need to call a nurse for them, Bridget.” Then they smiled at Anne. “I’m Gabby by the way, student body president.” Two students left the room to head for the clinic.

“Of the humans,” Dessi corrected with a smirk, playfully punching the redhead’s shoulder. The students returned with a bored-looking nurse.

Gabby rolled her eyes at him. “True but I’m sure come reelections you all will learn to love me.” Their ominous tone didn’t hold. The two fell over with laughter soon after the words were uttered. Like an inside joke.

“You didn’t sound convincing at the assembly room.”

Anne felt out of place. The two sounded like they bonded in such short time. Looking around closely, it seemed almost everyone managed to find a friend or group during the orientation Anne and her best friends skipped.

Anne didn’t come back by the time they had to leave the grotto campsite. Sprig had opted to wait for her, but Hop Pop sadly had to remind him about the stand, the farm, and the chores left to do. Sprig was unsure at first before he reminded himself that he trusted Anne. She’ll drop by when she was ready.

“She could have left us a note,” Polly muttered. They returned to the farm, with Soggy Joe vowing to inform them if Anne came back while he sheltered the Uperadons for the time being. He only requested they inform the Sheriff discretely about what they witnessed, in exchange. The Plantars agreed it was a good idea.

Hop Pop finished penning the letter to said sheriff, watching the mosquito messenger fly off. “I don’t think any of our usual methods are brave enough to reach her.” He glanced at Sprig who was staring outside the window. “Best we just wait and trust our Anne knows her way back. In the meantime, why don’t you man the stand today, Sprig while we handle the chores here.”

The last words startled the children. “Really?” Sprig gasped, pressing into his grandfather. “By myself?” He had to double check and his eyes boggled when Hop Pop nodded. “But you denied all my requests to do that! All hundreds of them, I kept count!”

“Yeah, who are you and what have you done with our Hop Pop?!” Polly waved Doris threateningly.

Hop Pop chuckled, ruffling his grandchildren’s heads while checking the mail. Then he quickly hid the letters from view. It worked for Sprig who bounced around and cheering. Polly saw what he did and raised a brow. “Still me, but I figured Sprig had shown he’s up for dangerous tasks lately. Handling the stand would be no big deal in comparison.” He ignored Polly’s piercing stare, patting Sprig’s shoulder. “Might even give you something to do while waiting for Anne to get back. Till then, make us proud boy!”

Sprig grinned, saluting. “I won’t let you down, Hop Pop.” He hugged his grandfather again, ignored his younger sister’s grumbling when she was embraced too, before he leaped out the door. “Wohooo!”

They waved at him until he was no longer visible. Hop Pop closed the door and then found Polly staring at him. “You’re up to something, aren’t you?”

“Can’t get anything past you, huh?” Hop Pop chuckled. “But just trust me, alright? I know you two are growing up but there’s just some things you shouldn’t be handling yet. Not while I’m still kicking.”

Polly stared at him, matching his gaze. Then she sighed. “Alright. I trust you. But you’ll tell us what’s up, soon, right?”

“If I couldn’t handle it anymore, then yes. Now why don’t you head on up for a quick nap before we take care of the farm? Last night’s really messed with our sleep schedules so I don’t want you so cranky to a murderous degree again.”

Polly frowned. “One time. That was one time, Hop Pop.” She then giggled at his look, hopping to kiss him on the cheek and bid him goodnight, even when it was mid-morning by then. “Wake me up for lunch!”

“Noted. Remind me to get Bessie to send Sprig’s too.”

The door then opened and in walked Principal Murphy. “Okay class. Your teacher assigned for your homeroom period got a bad case of the ‘Kdrama Fever’ and therefore couldn’t come in today.” She blinked, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know why we allowed that in the contract. Anyway!” Principal Murphy picked up her board. “Thank you all again for enrolling in our school. You are one of the batches of the first ever Wolfeborne-Human Integration Program and we expect to see new bonds forged and even stronger ties to form.”

Students returned to their chairs. Idle conversations were made in low whispers while others discretely texted their friends to communicate. Anne sat down, belatedly realizing she should have sat next to the first human and wolfeborne who were nice to her.

“Now, let’s go with the classics and have our introductions first. Gabby, why don’t you start?”

Gabby grinned, nodding before standing. “Hello! I’m Gabby Reynolds. She/They. Thirteen. Human. And I know with your support and by voting for me, we can redesign the uniforms to be new, trendy, fashionable, and most of all comfy!”

Anne smiled, clapping alongside the audience. One by one students introduced themselves. Some were on the level of energy with Gabby’s, others on the scale of shy and indifferent. Others were also loud, in a way that oozed with confidence. Some even with a touch of parental spoiling. Anne made mental notes on how to befriend everyone. They were all so cool!

“Dessi Gomez. He/They. Eleven. Wolfeborne. And I might consider running for student body president too. Just for funsies.” The wolfebornes laughed and offered their support just as Dessi took his seat, laughing at Gabby’s faux look of betrayal. They then exchanged fist bumps with the winner of the tussle earlier. Rico, if Anne remembered correctly.

She listed all potential new friends, nearly missing her turn to be called.

Startled, Anne stood. She didn’t start yet though since the classroom’s phone rang.

“I’m sorry. Hold on.” Principal Murphy took the call with furrowed brows. “Hello? You know this is used only for – what? Oh, my goodness. Alright, call the nurse again.” She sighed. “Continue with the introductions, students. I’ll be right back.” The adult left the room.

Not expecting that, Anne gulped. She then found Gabby and Dessi’s encouraging looks from the back of the class.

 “Hey everyone!” Gosh, she didn’t prepare for this. She blushed at the volume, but she got smiles and more nods now. “I’m Anne Boonchuy. She. Eleven.” Here she faltered, especially when she heard snickering from the two students seated next to her. “And umm… I love tennis, boba and hanging out with my best friends in the whole world, Marcy and Sasha.”

She was about to sit down but one student, a human, blurted, “And you’re a human?”

“Uh…yes?” Anne coughed. “I mean no!”

Another one spoke up, wolfeborne, who took a pointed sniff. “Wolfeborne, then? Though you don’t smell –

“I’m a wolfeborne,” Anne insisted. Her best friends were, so she should be too. Right? That was one of the many things they had in common.

Gabby stood, taking the attention off the tense middleschooler. “Thanks for sharing, Anne. How about we get Carlos, next?”

“Boo, Carlos!” another student said.

“Be nice Tommy!”

“I would if he didn’t break my cousin’s heart!”

“I didn’t know he was your cousin!”

An argument emerged soon after among the humans with a drama that seemed to be going on for a while. Though it was surprising that wolfebornes also pitched in, due to family relations or connections with the main squabbling love…rhombus? Anne shrunk, not knowing how to pitch in or understand them. She was still so out of place.

Then there was a tap on her shoulder. Anne turned, finding the students she heard snickering. But she was the only one not in a conversation, so it was better than sitting awkwardly as more drama unfolded. Right? Mentally preparing herself to make a new friend, Anne smiled. “Hi?”

“How do you say your last name again?” There was a smirk on the first student’s features.

Anne furrowed her brows. She glanced unsurely at Gabby and Dessi, but both seemed busy to keep order now. Anne answered. “Boonchuy.”

Another snicker was the response. “Yeah no.” Anne felt uneasy with the intense stare. “I’m thinking, ‘Boobchuy’ would be more fitting. Wouldn’t you say, Jamie?”

There was another snicker from behind the book. “Agreed, Maggie.”

“Yeah, let’s go with that.” The girl, Maggie, smirked.

Anne furrowed her brows. She looked at the two, casually relaxed. They didn’t seem to belong to the pack of wolfebornes nor the group of humans. For the first time, Anne couldn’t pinpoint if the two were humans or wolfebornes. And it was so cool! Now she had someone who was similar to her. Or at least, they had some things in common.

“What are you?” Anne smiled, leaning forward.

The student raised a brow. “Wolfeborne. She’s one too.” Anne tried waving hi to the other girl. She was ignored by Jamie. “But oddly, you’re not. Are you?”

Anne frowned, dropping her smile. “I am one.” It took a while until Anne decided that she could be a wolfeborne then. Marcy and Sasha were happy when she told them, and grandma was all too willing to update her record. Her parents even brought cake. Though despite all that support, why wasn’t it enough? Anne mentally blocked that out, but she did add, “technically, anyway.”

“Boobchuy, you’re either that or a normie.” Maggie then ended the conversation before Anne could reply, taking out a familiar magazine. Anne grappled instantly for a chance to have something in common once she saw that. Her mom told her to have fun at school while her dad encouraged her to make more friends. Right now, Anne wasn’t having fun yet, but she will be once she made more friends! She was sure of it.

“Oh, I read about that. I’ve never tried reading magazines before though, only manga and zoo books.” Anne wilted when there was no reaction. She still tried.

Anne recounted the encounter she had with the seniors and then gave detailed stories about her best friends before they transferred here, all their adventures and hangouts. And it worked, these were what got Maggie and some of the class to listen in. They asked questions mostly about Marcy and Sasha, but Anne was always happy to talk about her best friends in the whole wide world.

And while it wasn’t like the fun thing she saw with Gabby and Dessi’s companies who shared and listened to each other’s tales, it was still better than sitting through homeroom alone.

Hop Pop entered his room, locking the door. His cheery atmosphere faded before he forced himself to approach his desk. He set the letters down, massaging his temples. The official seal was all but taunting him as he opened it, placing it next to the other ones sent out.

He already prepared himself for the red bold letters of ‘DUE’ and ‘EXPIRED LOANS’. What he didn’t expect was the date.

“End of the month?” He gripped his receding hair, blinking quickly thinking that would make those disappear. They didn’t.

Hop Pop glanced at the calendar and gawked. There wasn’t enough time to earn that many coppers! He took deep breaths. “Easy now, Hopadiah. You could always take another loaner.” He knew he had contacts who owed him some favors too back in the day, though that would mean leaving Wartwood for a long while.

He sifted through the letters, pausing when he saw another one. An advertisement of the Farmer’s Loan Program. Hop Pop pursed his lips. Didn’t the kids say the Uperadons also enrolled in one? He set it aside, deciding to check and hear their opinions first. At least he had two options now.

Then he paused at the purple envelope, with the name ‘Jacinda’ in elegant prose. Hopadiah felt dread wash over him like a barrel of cold bug-o-rade. He shakily held it up, torn between throwing it immediately in the trash or in the fireplace. Whatever it held, it was not good. Hop Pop shook his head, moving to throw it in the trash since it was closer, but he heard a distinct clink.

Brows furrowing, he shook the envelope. It was heavier than a letter should be. Curiosity getting the best of him, he took the letter opener to look inside. And he nearly dropped it in surprise.

Shakily, he took it again and removed the contents. There were five gold coins on his desk and two pieces of folded paper wrapped in twine. Not wanting to believe it, he took one and bit into it. He lost a tooth, but it was better than thinking he lost his mind!

“Gold. Five gold coins.” He gaped. That was about five-hundred coppers. Just one of these could pay their rent for three months. He shook his head, slapping it. “There’s a catch to this.” Yet against his better judgement, he opened the top of the folded parchments first.

‘Hopadiah. If you are reading this, then it is safe to assume you have seen the gold. Now indulge me by reading the rest. I know I have made no secret of my wealth, my utter disdain for this simple life, and my intolerance for the uncultured oafs and riffraff populating this town. What I may have hidden however is how I value honesty, something I’m sure you also hold in high regard. Now believe me when I honestly say that people in Wartwood are disappearing. The Sheriff had yet to make a formal announcement of three other missing frogs and how I know is because I have a well of connections. And through my sources, there is a growing fear. This fear eventually will take hold of the Wartwoodians and I am inclined to believe they will turn their eyes on you and the Plantar Beast. For this has never happened until she had appeared but that is mere conjecture for one such educated as I. Majority of Wartwoodians, are not.’

Hop Pop rolled his eyes. This was the usual song and dance with Lady Jacinda. He might as well turn in and throw it away. To frog with the gold and what she was offering – he paused, catching a specific word. Then he had to reread it again, before picking up from where he left off to try and make sense of the context.

‘But my main point is this, Hopadiah, all I have can also be yours. A paltry portion of my wealth could buy this entire town if I so inclined but that is not what I want. What I am interested in, and assuming what you want as well, is far simpler but possibly aligned in the end. But we shall discuss that once we settle this matter first. You are no noble yet with the qualities the simpletons said about you could be deemed noble.  So, with those admirable traits I dare even write, I am now formally asking for your hand in marriage.’

Hop Pop paused his reading. He took off his glasses, seeing them foggy than his usual. He got up his chair, finding his cleaning cloth and then wearing it back after wiping it. He continued where he stopped.

Yep, he was not hallucinating the writing on it.

‘…hand in marriage. It has been some time since I engaged in such courtships – strictly Newtopian – but I am remiss to deny the way frogs perform such rituals intrigues me. So, this weekend at the Wild Fest, come find me after all the festivities have been accomplished. The Firefly Formal seems like a poetic start, for while it signals the end of the festival, I hope it can also be the prelude to new beginnings.’

He set down the letter, leaning against his chair in a daze. Hop Pop shook his head, wanting to fold it and never read it again but he also caught the end notes.

‘P.S. Newtopian courtships on my end shall also influence in my pursuing of you should you accept. With that, in a separate letter there is puzzle poetry detailing in exquisite, esoteric, and erotic detail –

“Nope.” Hop Pop didn’t need this threatening his blood pressure again. He tore the letters into shreds and not content, he even threw it into the fireplace. The elder frog sat back down yet what knowledge those had given him continued to haunt him like a looming shadow.

Anne fiddled with her phone, playing her game. She couldn’t help it if this was boring. After two years having Mrs. Berg as one’s science teacher (heck, even Marcy – the self-proclaimed studious student - also found Mrs. Berg’s class boring) Anne believed she could be forgiven for not paying attention. She was at least glad Marcy and Sasha were there to suffer with her, after requesting they share every class, and the principal surprisingly approved it.

But today appeared to be a different routine because the class were ushered into the bus and brought to the zoo. They followed their teacher, oohing and aahing at this and that while Anne agreed. Everything looked so cool! They were given an open-space private conference room by the staff. Anne immediately saved her best friends their seats. Moments later though as the adults started talking, the new sights bored her again but luckily nothing like Slacker Stackers couldn’t fix!

“Alright class, settle down now. So today, I asked my colleagues here to bring some baby animals for our End-of-the-Year Report! This year’s theme: The Science of Social Bonds. Or Symbiosis. Either way, this is not an excuse to interact with these lovely animals for the whole period.” Not one student believed their teacher but they were more interested now, especially when multiple adults with zookeeping outfits entered.

Anne glanced up from her phone and tried not to squeal. Those were animals being carried! Majority of the class also gushed, and Anne freely allowed herself to do so too. At least this wasn’t considered lame by most of her classmates. 

The science teacher, Mrs. Berg, cheerily waved at her colleagues before gesturing to the animals being carried. “Now quick reminder, everyone.” Mrs. Berg wagged her finger then in her place was a gray wolf. You may shift into your wolf forms if you want but you all must take good care when interacting with these adorable creatures. The wolfeborne teacher then strutted away to nuzzle some foals.

Students oohed and awwed at the critters around them once they were allowed to finally interact with them. There were kids, goslings, hatchlings, foals, cubs and so many more Anne honestly lost count. She cooed at one baby otter, approaching immediately. “Hey there little fella,” Anne held out her hand only to frown when it shied away from her. The handler matched the brunette’s expression.

“That’s odd. River never turns down making a new friend.” Case in point, one of Anne’s classmates – Gabby – approached. The baby otter chirruped when it was transferred to the newcomer.

Gabby smiled. “Oh my gosh Anne isn’t this the most adorable little fella you’ve seen!?” Her finger rubbed under the otter’s chin while they turned to the brunette. “Wanna hold em?”

The question seemed to be understood by the baby who took another sniff at Anne before seemingly crossing its arms in an ‘x’ position.

Anne glared at the otter while the handler offered apologies. “Yeah, maybe next time.” Gabby raised a brow before she shrugged and returned to their snuggling.

Anne wilted when Gabby and the otter turned away. She tried approaching the other animals but was met with the same reactions. A weasel even picked Jamie Krieger over her. Which was unbelievable considering she was likeable Anne! There was no way Jamie could be that approachable.

She pocketed her hands into her skirt pockets, huffing softly and ducking away at the snickering of some of her classmates. Wandering back to Sasha and Marcy, she was surprised to see they too were occupied. Marcy was listening to the handler of the kid, furiously writing down notes for the report and oblivious to the baby goat gnawing on Marcy’s sleeve. Sasha was curled behind Marcy, napping in her wolf form while a gosling slept atop her head.

Once sitting down, Anne fought a snort once seeing a page of Marcy’s notes dedicated to a drawing of the two napping creatures. The goat handler then bid adieu. Marcy was adding more details to her drawing, completely unaware that the paper was now being eyed by the baby goat who didn’t follow the handler. Anne held it back before it could nibble on the paper yet yelped when it struggled and whined, running away from Anne.

“Why do they hate me?” groaned the brunette, laying against Marcy’s side.

Marcy didn’t register the question. Anne sighed but she expected that. She eyed the sleeping baby goose on top of Sasha’s head. Crawling quietly, she crept closer and reached out with a finger. So help her, she was going to befriend at least one of them!

POKE.

SNAP.

Anne’s other hand shot up to her mouth to muffle her scream. It was still loud, however. Sasha stood up in alert, as well as the other wolfebornes in their vicinity. Sasha immediately eyed what caused it before she chuffed. Seriously, Boonchuy? The gosling continued to hang off the brunette’s index finger.

One of the handlers approached. “Oh goodness, this never happened before. Ryan had always been such a sweetheart.” They worked to remove the baby goose while Mrs. Berg arrived.

Anne, what happened?

“I…” Anne fumbled, a blush coating her cheeks but before she could continue Sasha stood in front of her.

It bit Anne. It drew blood and I think she needs medical attention!

“N-No I –” Anne wilted at her friend’s look. “I mean yeah!” She elbowed Marcy who finally raised her head from her notebook and spotted the other people. “Right, Marcy?”

Marcy sat up, startled but then Sasha established a private mind speak link with her. Catching on immediately, Marcy nodded her head.

Mrs. Berg hummed. Oh dear. Three of my students shared their side of this little truffle-kerfuffle. The handler fumbled to defend the gosling. Okay, how about let’s hear from little Ryan then?

Anne blinked, confused while Sasha huffed, Shoot. Forgot about that. Marcy was squealing in excitement, notebook at the ready.

Then in Anne’s head, she heard a tiny voice. she poked me! this meanie poked me while I was napping on my bed!

Not your bed, twerp, Sasha growled.

Anne gaped, while Marcy exclaimed, “Oh my stars it has an adorable voice I cannot. Ryan I have so many questions okay so first how old are you, what’s it like being a baby goose –

“The point,” Mrs. Berg shifted back into her human form, “is we now cleared up this little misunderstanding.” The human handler was flabbergasted. “Thank you for your assistance. How about you take Ryan back while I talk to my students.” After the nod and an angered quack, the two left.

Anne remained confused. “What was that?”

“Mindspeak? Didn’t your parents teach you about that?”

Anne wilted. Sasha coughed, back into her human form too. “That’s well and good Mrs. Berg but maybe we better bring Anne to a clinic, don’t want to get her wound infected right?” She then looked at Marcy who blinked and then started waving her hand frantically.

“Oh my gosh Anne let’s go see that bite I think I saw a clinic this way,” Marcy started pulling on Anne before their teacher could say anything. Sasha walked backwards with an innocent smile.

“We’ll get her fixed up in no time!” She turned, laughing alongside the other two now once they left the area.

Anne panted, wheezing with faint chuckles. “Well, that worked.” She giggled, the other two matching the sound. “Okay, so where’s the clinic?”

Sasha scoffed, chuckles fading with a smirk. “And hang out here longer? No way.” She then started walking away. Marcy and Anne exchanged looks before the former shrugged and pulled out her notebook to finish the report, walking behind Sasha.

“What?” Anne gaped while following Sasha and Marcy. “Dude, are you – look out!” She held onto Marcy’s bag too late. Marcy fell into the trashcan, throwing her notebook in the air in surprise. Anne sighed, helping an embarrassed Marcy up before recoiling when the notebook landed on her head with a loud thunk.

Sasha turned to say something to the slowpokes only to raise a brow at the two’s current states. She checked her phone. “Huh, fastest record to date.”

“Oh? New high score then!” Marcy exclaimed, laughing and doing a victory dance.

“That’s not a good thing,” Anne groaned, rubbing her head before standing. Then she let out a surprised squeak as she was pushed against Marcy. The smaller girl wasted no time in pulling the tennis player into doing the victory dance, spinning around.

Laughter escaped Anne despite herself. She and Marcy twirled while following behind Sasha who shook her head at them. Though they both saw the smile the blonde failed to hide.

Polly knew she should have taken her nap, but she was struck with an idea lately.  She hopped to her bookshelf where there was a lot of tomes she finished reading or loved to read.

Wart and Peace. The Great Gnatsby. Of Moss and Man. Fergus Frog Finds a Friend.

Polly stopped. She took Of Moss and Man, by W. R. and placed it on the floor. Polly then took the moss she pickpocketed from her brother when he gave her an annoying hug. She thought it would be a funny prank but now having it made her realize it could be from a mossman!

Polly just needed to test it. She placed the moss on the ground, then waited. The book said that from it, usually flowers bloomed on its own. Minutes ticked by. Nothing happened. Polly blew raspberries at it.

Should have figured it was a tadpole tale only. But so was the mudman. Polly saw that and even survived that. She tapped her flipper. There wasn’t anyone who had seen a mossman, except for One-Eyed Wally. He’s the town kook though. Someone has to be crazy as him to believe there’s a mossman. Polly sighed, seeing the dead end, and closed the book.

She rolled down the stairs, thinking lunch could kickstart her brain. This was a mystery she knew she could help in; Polly was sure of it. Polly paused by the last step however when she saw a strange purple thing standing on the couch. “What the – hey!” She launched herself at the one-eyed thing which giggled in response before burrowing into the cushions.

Polly took hold of Doris, glad she still didn’t unpack, and waved it threateningly before stabbing the sofa.

THUNK.

Polly blinked. “What the…” She tentatively removed the rolling pin, peering in. Then she gasped. “Whoa…” Polly pulled out a box with three jewels. “Freaky.” She stuck out her tongue while poking it in various places, opening and closing it. She giggled when it made a squeaky sound. “Someone’s gotta oil the hinges on this old thing. Stay here.” Setting it down on the coffee table, she hopped towards the kitchen for a quick meal and maybe something she could use as grease. Then she blinked. There wasn’t food being prepared yet. She puffed her cheeks. “Now I’m hangry.”

Polly rolled towards her grandfather’s door, punching it repeatedly.

“Hop Pop! Where’s lunch!?”

“In a bit, just finishing some things! You can grab a snack first!”

Polly paused. She was about to punch the door again until his words surprised her. First letting Sprig handle the stand alone and now letting Polly spoil her appetite? What the heck was going on with her grandpa?

Shaking her head, Polly decided food was a priority. Then it was interrogation time. She reached into the cabinets, hopping ability no match for the high cupboards. With a triumphant huff, she took stock of what she could nibble on for the time being. She thought she saw some beetle jerky by the jars of …green and blue berries?

Polly frowned, taking one jar. She tapped her chin. “Green and red, instantly dead.” She recited Hop Pop’s berry-picking rhyme. “Blue and red, be well-fed. Purple and green, heals the spleen.” Polly gasped, nearly dropping it. “Green and blue, beware this hue.” She furrowed her brows. Why on Amphibian was this here? And not just one jar, but the tadpole estimated at least twenty more.

She dropped down, taking the jar with her. Glancing wearily at Hop Pop’s closed door, Polly rolled back into the living room and grabbed the music box. She placed the jar inside it and decided this thing could be placed inside her room for safe keeping.

Weird things were really happening lately, but Polly decided it was time to uncover them!

Her stomach grumbled. She huffed.

But no one uncovered mysteries on an empty stomach.

Anne nervously sat down in the restaurant a block away from the zoo, waiting for Sasha to get back with their orders. “Dude, are you sure this is really a good idea?” She fiddled with the tissue from the dispenser while Marcy finally finished all three of their reports.

“Relax, Anna-banana!” Marcy giggled when the brunette did the opposite. “The important thing I’m sure Mrs. Berg would care about is if we submitted all our reports on time. Think of this as just a well-deserved break. Like Sasha said.” She angled her head to the side and placed a hand on Anne, smiling unsurely. “Plus, anything that gives us more time to hang out is always a good idea, right?”

Anne finally relaxed at the hand on her shoulder, gripping it tightly. “Always.” She breathed deeply. “You’re right, as usual.” She laughed, finally pillowing her hands behind her head. “Maybe I’ve just been so worked up by the animals who didn’t like me.”

“And that’s one of the things that makes them so different from us,” Marcy gushed, before playfully poking Anne’s nose. “Because we would always like our Anne.”

The two snorted, until it became a poking war. Sasha arrived just when Marcy accidentally hit Anne in the eye. Seeing that, Sasha rolled her eyes. “You know we just finished bandaging that bite. Don’t tell me we need to put one on your eye.”

Anne wilted. “Uh, it’s all good,” Anne gave a thumbs up, showing off the bandaid with a character Anne didn’t honestly know about. She then rubbed her hands together before taking her drink. Anne sighed, drinking happily now. Sasha sat, wordlessly raising her arms as Anne and Marcy snuggled into her.

“Uh, Sashy you forgot the sprinkles in mine.” Marcy opened the cover.

Sasha huffed. “Darn normie couldn’t follow basic instructions.” She stood, passing hers to Marcy while getting the sprinkle-less cup. Sasha marched back to the counter, surprising the barista when the wolfeborne opted to go and make the drink herself as she stood behind the counter.

Marcy watched her go before she returned to the conversation while Anne chuckled at their best friends’ antics. “It is odd though that animals can establish a small mindspeak link with us wolfebornes.” She hummed. “Imagine the possibilities if humans can also overcome that barrier.

Anne snorted so hard the milkshake came out of her nose. When she winced and tried to recover, she managed to say despite the stinging. “Uh, Mar-Mar. Your wolf form popped out.”

The black wolf still sitting like a human tilted her head before she looked down and noticed paws encircling the cup. Oops. Marcy shifted back. “Time sure flies so fast.” Anne snorted again before helping her. She reached into Marcy’s bag and picked out the familiar vial, pouring it onto the cup.

Marcy grimaced after drinking it. “Okay, now where was I?”

“I’m more interested in how we get all those animals to like me,” Anne frowned. “I can’t be less likeable than Jamie Krieger too!”

“Who?” Marcy asked.

Sasha returned with her drink and with a slice of cake. The two wordlessly opted not to ask. “Alright, isn’t this better than whatever boring science thing back there was?” She slurped, one hand resting on the backrest while resting her legs on the unoccupied chair. “Now what’s this about Crabber again? Didn’t we already solve that problem?”

“It’s the animals this time, I think,” Marcy explained while sipping more of her cup. “And something about not wanting to be less likeable like our classmate? Sorry, Anne. You lost me.”

Anne fiddled with her straw. “It’s just…it sucks.” There wasn’t much of an explanation Anne could offer. She cocked her head, deciding it was time to change the subject. “How can wolfebornes even talk to other animals anyway?” What happened earlier was so cool and nothing like Anne experienced before.

“You just do?” Sasha raised a brow. When Anne slumped against the blonde, she rolled her eyes and poked Marcy. “This is your thing. Nerd out now.”

The aforementioned nerd squeed, eyes shining, before she rummaged around her bag. “Okay so I had been looking into some old archives in our family library when we visited Taiwan. Thanks for buying your and Anne’s tickets, by the way, Sashy. Now the books from other libraries didn’t say anything. But!” She gushed. “There’s blood on account of that mindspeak we do but it has another link!” Marcy waited for the dramatic reveal. “Symbiosis!” Anne smiled unsurely. Marcy sheepishly rubbed her head. “You know, the topics we learned? Commensalism, Mutualism, and Parasitism!”

Anne’s eyes glazed throughout each word, something that had to be pointed out to Marcy after Sasha elbowed the dark-haired girl.

“Hmm, well in a short but not really that accurate summary, uh, one benefits and the other is just neutral for commensalism. Mutualism is when both parties in the relationship benefit while parasitism is one-sided only.” The quick explanation then returned to an upbeat tone. “I read ahead though, and I saw Predation. Another kind of symbiosis!”

“Maybe use bullet points next time, Mar-Mar.” Sasha rolled her eyes again, before pointing at Anne. “Basically, anything that you can kill in one swoop than long term has a chance of letting you talk to none-wolfbornes.”

Anne blinked. “Oh.” Though if that was the case, then wouldn’t that mean humans could fit in that category? Like… her human parents. She shook her head. “That’s neat. Man, I wish I grew up with learning that stuff. More interesting than reports and junk.”

“You can learn these from said reports and junk,” Marcy reminded with a giggle, waving her book. “Here. Oh, and this. And this one. This too. Might be useful too. Oh, and this –

Marcy piled book after book until there was a stack so high up it threatened to wobble from the height.

Anne glanced around the tower. “How did these fit inside your bag?”

Sasha snickered.

The Plantar Family Stand. Their pride and joy and their bread and butter. Home to the freshest vegetables this side of Wartwood. Well, one of them at least but what they were mostly known for was their policy on honesty.

Sprig chuckled, finishing polishing the counter. That rhymed. “Alright. My first solo business venture. Lay it on me, Wartwood.” A few leaves drifted by, yet no customers approached. Sprig pressed his lips together, one hand tapping the counter. The other stalls received a few passersby and looky-loos, with the farmers and business frogs alike selling their products and services. There was Jiminy of the Cricket Stand, napping. Gentle Jon with his expensive jellies, looking intimidating. Becky with her Bug-Buns, smiling. Even Maddie was there, preparing the dough from her family’s bakery.

Sprig waved at them all but only the latter responded. He tried not to shiver at the unflinching stare she gave him when putting the bread in the oven. Wait, did one look a bit like him –

“Incoming!” A frisbeetle soared high above his head, then a green frog – about his age – jumped high to catch it. Sprig watched in awe as the farmer kid caught it after a twirl.

Ivy and three more frogs ran up to congratulate their playmate. The former then spotted Sprig, making her smile and wave. “Oh, Sprig! You’re here!” She approached the stand, smiling wider when he sheepishly waved back. “Wanna play with us?”

Sprig opened his mouth, a yes prepared on his lips, then he caught the nervous looks from the other frog children. He wilted, weakly saying, “Uh, you go on ahead. I’m on stand duty today.” He then blinked before he presented one sample of their latest crop of scream-beans. “But before you go, are you interested in buying some beans everybody’s been screaming about?” He squeezed it.

“End my misery!” the scream-bean screamed.

Ivy giggled. “I’ll ask mom if she needs a jar of them. Oh, well if you can’t play maybe we can hangout with you for a while. Right, guys?” She addressed her playmates.

The blue frog, Linda, was pushed forward. “Uh, yeah. Maybe next time.” She rubbed her head but not looking at Sprig.

“Ah what? Come on, it will be fun!” Ivy frowned at them. “Tydus. Larry. Linda. Owen. Come on, isn’t Sprig your tadpolehood friend?” She pocketed her hands, elbowing him. “Really sucks I didn’t meet him first when I moved here. I only heard the infamous ‘Monster Bone’ incident in passing.”

Sprig chuckled. Then he glanced again at the other frogs’ uneasy expressions. “It’s alright, Ivy. I’m working too so I might not be a lot of fun right now.” He emphasized by fixing the vegetables and taking inventory.

“You’re never fun to begin with,” muttered one of the group. He was elbowed immediately followed by a hissed ‘Tydus’ before the green frog, Larry, rubbed his head. “Sorry about that. What Tydus meant is we’re, uh, on a curfew. You know how it is lately with the rumors of frogs disappearing.”

“Frogs are disappearing?” Ivy and Sprig spoke in unison.

Tydus, the green frog with a feathered hat, raised a finger. “Yeah. I’ve heard from my folks is caused of your beast, actually.”

“Tydus!” Linda sighed.

“What! It’s true!”

Sprig frowned. “Is not! Anne’s not a beast and she’s not responsible for frogs disappearing!”

Larry scratched his butt while spitting on the ground. “Uh. How do you know that then?”

“Because she’s my friend and she’s not like that.” His words didn’t convince the others – except Ivy who fought to keep the peace.

“Guys, settle down. We don’t know for sure what the adults’ saying are true anyway. No word from the Sheriff yet either.” Ivy smiled at Sprig. “Also, Sprig is Anne’s best friend, so he knows her best.” Ivy then raised a brow. “Where is Anne, anyway? Usually you two are inseparable.”

Sprig faltered. The other kids waited for his response. So he blurted out an answer that he thought could lessen their fears. He doubted it would go over well when he admitted he didn’t know where Anne was. “Uh, she’s at the…farm. Yep. Napping! At the farm. Which is the location where she is. Currently. At the farm.” He started to sweat.

Ivy raised a brow again, while Owen asked, “Then it’s true she just sleeps all day so she’d have nough energy to hunt down prey?”

“Oh! And it’s true she’s from another world?” Linda added.

“Did she really beat the snow weasel?” Larry asked.

“Does she like crickets?” Tydus tapped his chin. “Coz I heard she’ll be friendlier if you gave her some?”

And more and more questions bombarded Sprig, who didn’t get a chance to respond to at least one yet. He helplessly glanced at Ivy, not knowing how to handle all this attention. Usually, they avoided him if they could have helped it, unless they were asked to buy from the Plantar Stand and even then, they directed conversation with Hop Pop than Sprig. This was…new. And scary. And exciting!

Ivy crossed her arms, smiling lightly when Sprig grew more confident and answered once there was a pause in the questioning. Then he went on anecdotes to what he and Anne had been up to the past few days. The group of frogs his age sat down, listening in awe and amazement.

And if Sprig may have embellished and tweaked a few parts of the story, well, could he really be blamed when the clapping and smiling directed at him never felt so amazing? Plus, it was making Anne less scary to them and that was always a good thing in his book!

When Anne snuck out after receiving a text from Sasha, she was more than willing to do so once she got bored of reading all the books Marcy lent her. While a bit of guilt did seep in when Anne disobeyed her parents’ grounding conditions, Anne never saw what the big deal was when she and her best friends wandered a bit before returning to Mrs. Berg’s class. The teacher still accepted their reports (courtesy of Marcy’s amazing generosity and willingness to do all their work) while telling Anne’s parents they weren’t present the whole time. She didn’t get a bad grade. She still attended the rest of the boring lectures.

What more did Anne need?

She rid the thoughts that was clouding her mood immediately once Anne arrived at the skatepark. And there were other kids her age too! Anne smiled, approaching while her heart hammered at the thought of meeting new people. Though she got better at getting most of her classmates to like her and listen to her, this was different and more important. Because these were Sasha’s friends too!

“Finally, what took you so long?” Sasha was in her human form, smirking at the growling and snarling of the fifth loser of…the skate race? Anne guessed the play-wrestle ended just how it always would, judging by the ruffled and tired faces of at least ten wolfebornes here. Their mistake however was thinking they could beat her best friend at this too.

Anne walked up the edge of the ramp with more confidence, smiling down at Sasha. She raised a brow when the blonde looked away though.

Welcome to Paradise. A purple wolf in a daze on the ground said. Anne didn’t point out it was actually just a skatepark.

Sasha skated up the ramp, circling Anne. “Say your usual friendly intros so we can get out of here already.”

Anne rubbed her head sheepishly. Sasha knew her well. So, she shyly waved at the other wolfebornes she knew from school though most didn’t wave back. Popular kids rarely interacted with Anne. Her nose twitched and when Anne concentrated for a bit, she detected there were even humans in this group.

One, a human with a spiky headband, made eye-contact who smirked. “Waybright’s been showing us some moves,” she said.

Anne wondered why she looked or sounded familiar but then the purple wolf spoke up once he shifted into his human form. Vince, if Anne wasn’t mistaken.

“Next time, I’m fighting Rico. Why’d you hit me so hard?” groaned the spiky haired boy.

“Had to since most of you all are a bunch of domestic dogs.” Sasha laughed as an empty can soared past her head. It hit Anne though who winced. “Hey!” she snarled, standing in front of Anne.

“Accident!” Vince winced while the girl – Cheyenne, Anne finally remembered – giggled. “Sorry, dude!”

Anne waved a hand. “It’s alright. No big deal, Sash.” She placed a hand on her best friend’s shoulder. “Anyway, why am I here again?”

Sasha scoffed but she calmed down a bit. Anne was confused again when she immediately pulled away. “Helping you be more in touch with your wolfeborne side, obvi?” Anne fought down a nervous chuckle as the blonde casually rested on a pile of sleeping wolves. Some from her cheerleading squad, Anne mused. “We got humans here with hunters’ knowledge who might help.”

“Hunters?” Anne gaped.

Sasha laughed. “No worries. It’s the adults who want our kind gone, not our peers.” She glanced towards Cheyenne with a raised brow. “Right?”

“I’m still a Wu but I think they won’t mind if I teach you all some manners too,” Cheyenne stood, sashaying to the brunette. “But yes, I plan to kill no one but your heartstomper of a friend here.”

Anne gawked, feeling protective at those words until Sasha rolled her eyes. “She’s kidding. Cheyenne’s kidding.” Then when looking back at the confused teen, blue eyes noticeably softened. “She’s got a book she’s willing to show you, but it can’t leave her side or sight. Just check it out if there’s something in there that can help you.”

“And if there isn’t?” Anne frowned while the book was opened. Her skin tingled.

“We get the heck out of here to find answers the hard way.” Sasha pursed her lips, not liking the taste in the air. “Hurry it up though. I don’t like the smell of wolfbane any more than you do.”

Anne was startled at those words. “Wolfbane, like poison?” She warily eyed her classmate. “Why would someone put that in a book?”

“You’ve never really met hunters huh?” Cheyenne drawled.

Anne rubbed her arm sheepishly. “Yeah.” Coughing into her hand, she checked out the tome. There wasn’t anything new from the books Marcy lent her. There were at least pictures of berries and food that did not bode well for wolfebornes which was helpful. But when it came to Anne…nothing.

She sighed, crossing her arms. She shook her head at Sasha who frowned. Then the blonde scoffed. “Figures.” She picked up her board. “Well, let’s get out of here. Later, dogs.”

Anne gawked. “Sash, you can’t talk like that about your friends.”

The blonde blushed, especially at the snickering from the popular crowd. Then she scowled at Anne. “I can and I just did. Now let’s go.” She pulled at Anne’s hand, ignoring the brunette’s protests when they skated away. Anne wilted at the coldness in Sasha’s body posture.

Anne didn’t know why but she felt guilty. “Dude, look, I just didn’t like how you treated them. You’re calling them dogs!”

“Listen, Anne. Have you even tried getting into a long convo with the popular crowd?” When Anne said nothing, Sasha scoffed. “Of course, you haven’t. Now which one of us is in one?”

Anne frowned. “Okay, but I don’t get it. Why do you treat friends like that?”

“They’re not really my real friends, you know? They’re just…useful.” Sasha then shook her head. “Look, just don’t do what you did again and we’ll call it even.”

Anne was confused again but she felt the tenseness in her best friend’s shoulders, so she nodded her head.

“Meow!”

Anne shot her head up, jostling the board on accident. Sasha wobbled, off balance, and they crashed onto the sidewalk. She seethed, though there was a small blush coating her cheeks while she stared up at Anne. “What gives – Anne?! Where the heck are you going?!”

Anne gestured quickly and vaguely, only apologizing and babbling incoherently as she got off Sasha and ran. Anne knew what she heard though.

Her baby precious was in trouble!

Hop Pop exited his room in a daze. There was no tadpole in sight though so he mused that she must have found a snack she could munch on. He rubbed his head. He hoped that didn’t spoil much of her appetite as he began fixing up their lunches. Hop Pop packed Sprig’s kit first. While he could be using his old recipes again, maybe it was worth trying to make something new. He had already been making new and different decisions so far, what was one more? Hop Pop wracked his brain for what to make before a thought popped up. That ‘omelet’ recipe Anne talked about during the kids’ farm arrest sounded interesting.

He pursed his lips at that. While Anne and Sprig were glued at the hip since then, Hop Pop was mighty surprised she was also interested in befriending him and Polly. Though he didn’t think much on the latter, the fact she sometimes initiated conversations with him was nice. Sure he saw the usual glazed look his grandkids had when he went on about taxes, care and maintenance of Bessie and other farming and life skills he got from the years on this world, but the comments in response to his anecdotes were still engaging and funny.

Plus, the work around the farm went more smoothly too as another set of hands helped. He could do without another set complaining though but that was life he supposed. Hop Pop finished Sprig’s lunch and went out to hand it to Bessie.

He gave her extra treats as she took off, then returned to the kitchen and the three plates. Hop Pop looked out the window. “Guess she could drop by around this time soon.” While the worry for Anne didn’t leave, after what he had seen her do had got him a tad confident that she could handle things out there. The worry about her surprisingly lessened as well. Hop Pop rubbed his head, gaze finding the cupboard above them.

Then Polly’s bucket trudged down the steps. The tadpole found her grandfather’s gaze and then the food. “Finally!” She parked her bucket at the usual spot, rubbing her flippers together. “Come to mama.” She dug in. She then gasped. “Hop Pop, I think I’m hungrier than I thought because this tastes the best!”

Hop Pop scoffed, playfully poking his granddaughter’s ribbon. “Hush you. I just thought it would be a nice change. Anne’s recipe sounds mighty interesting when she talked about it. Couldn’t hurt to try.” He nibbled on his meal and by frog, it was the best thing he had ever eaten.

“Okay, Hop Pop,” Polly swallowed her food, the fast eater she was. “Spill it. All these new things are, well, freaking me out a little. What’s up with you?”

Hop Pop chuckled. “Am I that set in my ways?” At the tadpole’s look. He sighed, rubbing his chin. “I guess it might have to do with that nine-eyed thing. Really thought I was gonna kick the bucket at that time.” He frowned. “Saw my life flash before my eyes, no joke but then it all came to me. Just, an epiphany.”

Polly looked confused but she raised a flipper as if to say go on.

Hop Pop scratched his head but elaborated as best as he could. “I dunno about some but sometimes frogs my age tend to look back a lot. We go on about the old ways, what we missed and what we could compare it to today’s modern confusions. Like furniture for instance or how hardy we are for surviving without indoor plumbing.” He laughed while Polly surprisingly listened. “It’s just…while there’s beauty in the past, maybe I can also miss out on the wonderful surprises of the present too. Like I’m missing out that you kids might not always be kids forever, growing up and ready to make your own stories. Or that I’m…avoiding opportunities I could never think of taking but it might not be so bad in the end?”

“Yeah… you overthink a lot, Hop Pop.” Polly giggled while Hop Pop shook his head with a sigh. Then she snuggled closer to her grandfather. “But you’re here with us and doing what you can. I think that’s enough for me. Sprig and Anne too.”

He didn’t think to count Anne, but it felt…right now that was brought up. Hop Pop laughed softly. “And I thank frog each day,” he hugged her. “Just, if I asked you kids about…a decision that could maybe support us and do good for this family for the long run, would you ask me to make it?”

Polly raised a brow. “If it’s gonna make you happy too, then sure!” The answer was quick. Like factoring Hop Pop’s happiness was also a must.

Hop Pop smiled. Nothing honestly would make him happier to see his family well-cared for. He rubbed his head. “Yeah, I guess that’s one thing to think about.”

“I’ll give you another, Hop Pop.” Polly stated as she finished eating. “Now I know how much you like keeping secrets from us, but I could use some answers about now. And your insights if you could.”

Hop Pop blinked. “Yeah, I guess it’s best we clear the air at this point. Going forward, I can tell we’ll need it to handle what comes next.” He tapped his hand on the counter. “If Anne and Sprig don’t mind, maybe we can skip the Wild Fest and head on straight to the Archives then? More answers might find us there.”

Polly nodded. “Great, but you could also give me a bit of answers too. Because you would not believe the things I found around here.” She gave him a pointed look, but Hop Pop raised a brow.

“Oh?” Then again, his tadpole was real smart. He smiled slightly, hoping it wasn’t that but then again, there wasn’t much one could hide in this family for long either way. “Alrighty then. Hit me.”

Polly grinned, playfully punching her grandfather before she headed on upstairs. Hop Pop placed the empty plates, cups, and utensils near the sink while mentally going over his reasons and explanations for doing what he did.

Then he nearly dropped a plate once hearing Polly’s scream. He ran up, ignoring the burning of his knees while waving a fork threateningly. “Polly what happened?!”

“They’re gone!” Polly frantically upended the shelves and flipped books around. “Son of –

“That better not end with what I think you’re about to say, young lady!”  

- Good and loving gastropod parent.” Polly sighed. “Sorry, Hop Pop, but I was sure I left them right here!”

“Left what exactly?” He knelt down and picked up the items, placing them back on the shelves.

“The box with three jewels and a jar of green and blue berries!”

Anne ran as fast as she can, breathing deeply and forcing herself to keep going. The brown wolf spent all that time straining to hear Domino again. She wondered if her baby precious got out because she left the window open.

Anne almost didn’t know how long she was out here until her last shift finally lasted, turning her back into a human. She rubbed her face, squinting at the dark but there was no sign yet. “Domino!”

She glanced behind her and didn’t find Sasha too, but she was confident her friend can track her down if she wanted. For now, Anne was on the hunt. She glanced at her hands. “Come on.” Ever since she could remember, she could shift about only five times. Each one proved harder to do when she did. Anne didn’t know what would happen if she went over five.

“Meow!”

Anne abandoned that thought as she ran towards the direction of the cry. “Domino? I’m coming!” She winced when she tripped on some untrimmed bushes before stopping in front of an abandoned house. Why was Domino –

“Meow! Meow! MEOW!”

Anne pushed past her fear, circling around the house and finding a fence. Her heart dropped once seeing her baby precious.

And she smelled blood!

Anne gripped the fence. The barrier creaked and clinked as Anne climbed over it, hurrying to save her cat from the – was that a snarling stray dog? Anne paused, frozen on the spot. The angry and dirty mutt drooled and barked while its paw held onto the tuxedo cat clawing at it to get free.

“Get away from my baby!” She looked around for anything she could use and found an abandoned pipe. Anne waved it around to try and scare it.

It didn’t work. Anne gasped when she was ignored. The stray dog then opened its mouth, about to eat her cat.

Anne panicked and so, without any other idea or option, she shifted the sixth time that night.

Sprig saw a drawing of Anne on the newspaper, halting Bessie on their way home.

‘Bog Bottom Rebellion gains steam. Toads and Newts unreliable?’ was what the front page of the Wartwood Gazette said. Sprig turned it over, more interested on the section where the drawing was said to reveal more. He read the column quickly and smiled. Sprig took it, nodding in thanks to the seller, and prepared to head home.

Then he backtracked, frowning as more newspapers were on the ground with the frogs stepping on them carelessly. Sprig sighed, thinking he shouldn’t have wasted the coppers, but he shrugged it off. Today was a good day after all! He hummed, while trying not to hop higher than his usual.

The kids his age listened to him and talked to him! Sure, there were more questions about Anne but he shared all he could remember from the journal he was keeping about her. They ended up liking Anne and thinking she was cool too! Sprig smiled, unable to contain his excitement. Especially when they said they’ll be rooting for them now at the Wild Fest instead of their usual contestant. Which was even better!

He passed by an apothecary caravan and paused. Sprig entered. He hoped Anne was home soon, because he belatedly remembered she got hurt last night by…whatever that nine-eyed thing was. Sprig rang the bell, delighting at the sound.

“You’re just in time. I was about to close up shop.” A hooded frog stood behind the counter, steepling his fingers. “What can Gary do for you?” The mushroom lights in the room glowed purple.

Sprig blinked, trying to look at the frog in the eyes but they were covered. “Well, my friend got hurt. Minor burns, I think? Anyway, maybe you have something that’s also good for non-amphibians?”

“Non-amphibians? Like for spiders? Or are we talking about the warm-blooded types?” The shopkeeper leaned closer with every word spoken.

“Uh, warm-blooded I guess?” Sprig didn’t actually know. He frowned. That was another thing on his list to ask Anne. Soggy Joe’s words earlier came up, but he shook his head to rid those. “Just, nothing too strong? Please.”

Gary rubbed his chin. “Alright, I think we can work something out.” He rummaged around his counter, leaving Sprig to stand to the side.

The pink frog tried not to stare too much at the hooded frog. Though honestly, it was harder than it seemed. He busied himself by looking at shelves while waiting for the apothecary to finish the potion. Sprig toyed with the book spines until a title interested him.

He took it. “The Moon, The Sun, and The Stars. Hey, this was my favorite bedtime story. Well, one of many anyway." Sprig grinned, wondering if Anne would like it too. “How much is this?”

“That old thing? Hm, let’s say fifty coppers.”

Sprig gaped at the amount. He frowned.

Then three potions were placed on the counter, with Gary saying, “But how about this kid. Sixty coppers for these potions, that book, and I’ll throw in another one for free. I’ve been meaning to clean up some old stock and could use the free space.”

The hooded frog placed down a tome. Sprig read the title but there was none. Just a black widow cover, though the hourglass-like design was blue instead of red.

“Spooky, but you drive a hard bargain. Sold!”

Anne groaned, gently pushing away at the tongue licking her cheek. A beat then a paw was on her cheek. She felt the love of her cat almost immediately and this energized her. She sat up, hugging Domino. “Oh my baby,” she sobbed. “Your loving touch fills me with joy every time you grace me with your love!”

Then she blinked.

“Wait, how did we get in the playground?” Domino mewled, bringing Anne’s attention back and the girl shot up. “Oh my gosh you’re still injured!”

“Mew?”

“Hang on, and if you see a light do not go towards it!” Anne went around to look for the first aid kit really quick. She thought her dad’s overpreparedness was annoying, but she was glad he was once she found it resting under the picnic table. Anne opened it, putting away the bandaids that had cartoon stickers Marcy liked and reached for the gauze. “Mom and Dad will know what to do once we get home but for now this will have to do.”

Anne smiled, satisfied with her work. Then she snuggled her cat again. Domino hung limply but allowed it with a satisfied purr. Hearing that brought all the day’s tension to a halt. Anne sighed into the fur. “You’re okay now. We’re okay.”

Then her phone pinged. Anne opened it and grimaced at the flake of blood on it. Her unease doubled immediately at one text from Sasha wondering where she was, the seventy-eight ones from her mom and, the one hundred and two from her dad since her mom’s phone battery ran out it seemed. Anne prepared herself for a lecture as she decided texting Sasha would give her time to work up an explanation.

She snuggled Domino while waiting for Sasha to pick her up. Anne didn’t know what happened, but she was tired as heck. She also shot a quick text to get her slushies if it was possible. Moments passed and Anne tried wracking her brain for anything that would explain how she got here. By the time Sasha arrived with an annoyed look, Anne decided to file that for another time as her eyes zeroed in on the drink.

The taller girl moved it away from Anne. “Your parents were annoyingly persistent I kidnapped you.”

“I’ll explain once I get home,” Anne pouted when the drink wasn’t given to her, waving a hand casually, “they’re just doing the usual concerned parents schtick. Now gimme!”

“Humans parents are really that afraid something will happen to their kids, huh?” Sasha raised a brow, but finally decided to give the energy drink.

“I think all parents who freak out like that do it because they care.” Anne broke the seal and took a sip. Then she grimaced, not seeing Sasha’s look. “This isn’t my usual.” Blam Berry Blitz, the tag read. Anne grimaced again. More like, Big Blegh Barf.

“It’s the latest thing. Everyone wants to try it.” When Anne looked skeptical, Sasha rolled her eyes. “The popular kids loved it, but if you don’t want it –

“Nope!” Anne took it and downed it. Then she burped, blushing.

“Gross.” Sasha huffed, staring at the injured cat instead. “Anyway, I guess you found the demon in the end.”

“Domino, Sash. Come on,” Anne finished the drink, thirst outweighing her dislike for the taste. “Oh, maybe you can ask her what she saw? Do that wolfeborne thing?”

Sasha scoffed. “I am not going to make a link with that evil spawn.” She glared when it continued to stare at her with unblinking eyes. Anne got in between them.

“Worth a shot. Anyway, it’s so weird actually. I tried to shift more than my usual, but I can’t remember anything.” Anne picked her cat up and then wobbled, Sasha saw and immediately caught her. “Oh, thanks dude.” And adding more to Anne’s weird day, Sasha looked away again. Anne raised a brow, about to ask but a yawn escaped her.

Sasha finally chuckled, shaking her head. “Come on, Boonchuy.” She gestured to her skateboard.

“I’m gonna fall off,” Anne blearily tried to stay awake, but she yawned again. “Yeah, maybe just text my parents to pick me up.”

The blonde scoffed. “After all the trouble I went through? No way.” Then in a blink, she shifted. The blonde wolf picked up the board with her maw, then tilted her head.

Anne yawned again but groggily got on Sasha's back. “Y-You’re the best, you know that?”

Obvi.

Anne glanced down when her cat sneezed. She snuggled Domino closer. She heard Sasha chuff once more but didn’t think much of it as the movements and fur around her lulled her to sleep.

Anne gaped at the empty campsite. First, she thought they were frognapped again but there were no other intruding scents in the area. They left? Anne stood in the middle of the misty and empty grotto, groaning. She belatedly realized maybe she should have left a note before she ran out. Though in her defense, she fell asleep by the cliff and woke up with the stars out.

“Great,” she waved away some stray blue butterflies flying around. At least her things were brought back to the farm too. She walked around, checking for a sign of a struggle or what until her socked foot stepped on something smooth. Anne glanced down and recognized it was a sealed envelope.

Anne opened it, reading the contents quickly and sighed in relief. It turned out Joe said he brought the Uperadons to a friend who could shelter them, but Anne hurriedly skimmed through that to find anything – there. Anne smiled, reading Sprig’s note. He said he trusted her to find her way back to them but also to watch out for…okay that was a long list of predators, but Anne was confident she could handle them. She also was surprised to find Polly had written something too. About how she ate her pancakes.

“Wait, they had pancakes?!” Anne groaned. She totally missed out on some. Sure, there were bugs, but she could always pick them out. It sucked she missed out on some syrupy goodness though. And eating breakfast with them in general. Her stomach grumbled, pitching in its thoughts too. With a huff, she finished reading the note and then blinked. Hop Pop said they would go looking for her if she wasn’t home by tomorrow, but she zeroed in on the ‘home’ part.

Home. Anne tried not to read too much into it. She smiled, nonetheless. She pocketed the note, nodding and heading back. Then she hit something as she turned.

She rubbed her head, staring up and then blinking at the tall moss creature. Its glowing blue eyes stared down at her. Anne gaped. “Whoa.”

It gently brought its hand down.

“Uh, hi.” Anne eyed its hand warily. Then unsurely shook it. Its hand was soft and okay, some of it clung to her hand. She wiped it on the ground. “Nice to meet you? I’m Anne.” It said nothing. “Okay, so I’m gonna go now.” Anne side-stepped it, relaxing when it didn’t move to block her way. She stepped forward, glancing behind her.

It was still there, but now looking at its flower. The new creature almost looked sad too.

Anne seriously needed to move but she was curious. She approached the new creature again. “Hey, you alright?”

It said nothing but gave the flower to Anne. Anne blinked. “Thank you?” She tucked it over her ear. “Are you just luring me into a false sense of security before you eat my innards?”

It cocked its head at her.

Anne chuckled. “Okay, big guy. I’m convinced. I don’t think you are.” She looked around. Maybe it was lost too and got separated from its family.

SNAP.

Anne turned her head, hearing the sound. A snap of a twig, maybe. Anne glanced behind her, and the moss creature was also looking at the direction. It then walked towards the source of the sound. Anne unsurely followed. She vowed she’ll run away the first thing something tried to digest her or eat her or maim her, but her new friend shouldn’t be sad and alone. No one should be.

She distinctively recognized the path she took during her first days here. Anne traced her fingers on the claw marks, then stared at her hands. They were human again.

“I’m gonna figure this out.” Anne nodded her head in determination. She walked again, following a little behind the moss creature while they passed the time in silence. Mostly. “Hey, so you got a name?” Anne asked after a beat. “Welp, then you’re Bob now. I’m gonna call you Bob in my head.”

Bob stared at Anne, but it seemed to nod its head. Anne smiled, before laughing at the craziness of it all.

They finally stopped in a clearing, where on the ground were three odd circles. Some kind of ritual thingy happened here. It reminded Anne of the ones she sometimes saw in Marcy’s games or in the shows all three of them watched when they were younger. There were even creepy candles and hooded dark maroon robes on top of piles of flowers.

Bob stared down at it, stomping before kicking the robes away. Anne focused on the three circles. She squinted and then she knelt by the outer ring, pressing a finger into it. Nothing happened.

Anne raised a brow, turning back to the moss creature yet Bob didn’t approach. Like Bob was almost…afraid of it. Bob even backed away when it saw Anne standing near the ring.  Anne pursed her lips, planting her hands against her hips. “Okay there are three circles. Two smaller rings on top of the bigger circle.” Yep, this was quite a puzzle. Anne walked around it and saw one smaller ring had a jar of green stuff. The other had an unconscious frog in a cage.

Ah, nuts. Maybe Anne should have focused on that part first. “Hey, are you alright?” The frog was still breathing. Anne stepped around the circle, grabbing the cage. She wobbled at the weight, losing balance and landing on the outer ring. Anne closed her eyes, expecting the worse.

Again, nothing happened.

Anne opened one eye, finding the moss creature covering its eyes too. She huffed. “Thanks a lot, dude.” The moss creature removed its hands, staring once more at Anne.

She shook her head, standing and taking the cage and jar. She placed the jar near her companion while she worked to remove the frog from the cage. Honestly, Anne had no idea why a kid was there. It wasn’t even locked when Anne touched it. “Hey, so before you inevitably freak out. I’m here to help.”

The frog said nothing, blearily rubbing her eyes. “Okay.”

Well, that was easy. Anne chuckled. “Right, well let’s get you home. You remember the way?”

“Uh…yeah. It’s real fuzzy but I remember.” The frog kid pointed in the direction to Wartwood. Anne adjusted her scarf but figured it wouldn’t hurt to bring this kid home.

“Alright, let me just say goodbye to – and never mind.” Anne saw the moss creature was gone, alongside the jar. She blew raspberries at the possible direction where Bob went to. “I’m already numb to the weirdness at this point.” Anne stood, holding her hand out. “Okay, lead the way…” She trailed off, expecting a name.

“Nelly.”

“…Nelly. Okay, Nelly. Let’s head home.”

Anne groaned as some of the students snickered. While it looked funny to have stuffed animals coming out of her locker and burying her, Anne didn’t like it. She already got an earful from her parents but it went one ear and out the other as she focused on what the vet told her to alleviate Domino's pain. The grounding sentence also extended, which wasn't making Anne's day any better.  As the icing on her horrible and pineapple-like cake, Anne now had to adjust to her new reputation of an ‘animal scarer’ . It was at least not that catchy than last years’ titles but still!

She huffed, finally shutting her locker close and opting she could sell or donate some of these. The joke didn’t land much anyway when these things were very cute.

She walked, carrying her stuffed toys of shame before she stopped to find an arguing duo. It was Tamiko and Bert, the captain of the track team and head of the band geeks respectively. Anne raised a brow, finding Dessi who was cleaning their camera. She asked him what was going on.

“It’s about the school dance and who should play for the opening and closing night.” Dessi shrugged.

Bert sighed, smiling exasperatedly. “I’m just saying, this is our specialty. We are literally made for this.”

Tamiko responded with a small groan. “We do know how to play instruments. Sides, I’m more concerned about your band. You all need a break to enjoy it too.”

“We are willing to sacrifice for the enjoyment of everyone.”

Anne scratched her head. “How about one plays for the opening night and the other plays for the closing night?” The two stared at Anne, surprised to hear that.

Tamiko eyed Bert. “Well, that sounds reasonable.”

“And a surprisingly easy solution we have overlooked. Thank you, Anne.”

Anne didn’t know if that was sarcasm but then Dessi whistled, gaining all of their attentions. “I need to test my camera, help me?”

Bert shrugged. “Be in a minute then.” He held up his hand, smiling. “So how about it, Tam?”

The athlete shrugged. “Just don’t push yourselves too hard, Bert.” The two clasped hands and then she eyed Anne. “Get over here, Boonchuy.”

Anne blinked, not expecting that but followed along, making a pose while pointing at the two’s joined hands. Tamiko then told Dessi to take the shot.

FLASH.

Anne blinked away the spots. Her schoolmates laughed, waving goodbye. Tamiko then backtracked, presenting a flyer. “Hey, so my girlfriend told me to hand these out, but I got track in five. Could you do me this favor? I’ll owe you.”

She read the flyer. It said there were tryouts for tennis varsity. Anne gaped. “Whoa, varsity? They finally opened a slot?”

“Yep. I heard Cheyenne backed out to get a shot at the orchestra this year.” Tamiko waved goodbye. Anne was too stunned to wave back. The gears in her head turned, mindlessly passing the flyers around while saving one for herself.

By the time she spotted Marcy playing her switch at the cafeteria table, Anne pressed against her with an excited squeal. “Marcy, guess what?!” She recounted everything, not waiting for a response while taking out her lunch and speaking in quick succession. She invited Marcy over so she could help Anne plan how to convince her parents and then stopped, also remembering she was still in trouble with said parents.

That got Marcy’s attention. “What? What happened?”

“Ah, well, so I kinda sorta maybe snuck out to hang with Sasha and the popular kids last night but it was no big deal though! What’s a bigger deal I think is that I might have also made Sasha mad when I called her out on being a bit mean to her friends,” Anne winced while Marcy’s brows shot up. “But then she actually told me they weren’t her friends which is odd because she has a lot of common with them too, right? Doesn’t make sense to me.”

Anne bit into her sandwich.

“Anyway, then while I got new stuffed toys too after some kids pulled this prank on me, I actually did something cool like getting the track team and band geeks to split the load at the school dance. Honestly, forgot we have that but anyway, something cooler than that, though is – hey, what’s up on your end lately?”

Marcy seemed distracted, even abandoning her game. Weird. Anne snapped her fingers at her.

“Hey, Earth to Marbles. You alright?”

“Oh, sorry. What was the question?”

“Like how are you?”

“Ah, I’m good. Totally good!” Marcy smiled, glancing at her journal briefly. “But uh…let’s backtrack. I didn’t know you and Sasha hung out last night?”

Anne blinked, slapping her head. “Ah shoot. Sorry, it slipped my mind.” She grinned sheepishly. “Maybe we can do something next? Just us?”

“It’s fine. I’m glad you two had fun.”

“Oh, okay then. Now this next plan to save my reputation is foolproof.”  Anne grinned, slamming the try-out flyer. “Boom, baby! Varsity. There’s finally an opening. I was sure they would never let anyone else join!” Anne gushed but then raised a brow when Marcy kept glancing at two papers nestled inside her journal. “Okay, what’s that you got?”

Marcy threw it inside her bag immediately though the movement caused her elbow to hit the table, jostling and tipping the drink. Anne screamed, moving to catch it and sighing in relief when she did. She was getting good at this.

Marcy giggled, rubbing her head sheepishly and said nothing more as she took a drink of the juice.

Anne opened her mouth to tell her to be careful at least but then the doors swung wide open. The chatter in the cafeteria dimmed as Sasha walked in, holding the door open for…Cheyenne? Anne exchanged glances with Marcy whose eyes boggled. They watched their best friend then reached out and grasped hands with the silver-haired girl as they made their way over to their table.

Marcy spat out the drink, spraying Anne’s face. Anne was too stunned to duck away in time.

Sasha sat down, raising a brow at them. “Yo.”

“H-hey.” Anne managed to say, mechanically finding some tissues.

“S-sup, Sash?” Marcy weakly asked. “S-Sup, Cheyenne.”

Cheyenne waved at Anne first and then smirked at Marcy. “Hey, Cousin~”

Anne walked, carrying Nelly. It was odd that another amphibian wasn’t freaking out, but Anne chalked it up to the girl’s sleepiness. “So, Nelly. Your folks home?”

“I think so.” Anne adjusted the kid once they reached a shack near a lake. The Plantar’s farm was almost visible from here. There was also a small candlelight by the hill up ahead. Her nose twitched, and Anne blinked. Was Sprig near?

Figuring she’ll know later, she finally crossed the fence of the property and approached the door. She hesitated though upon seeing a sleeping water snake next to it.

“Uh, is this really the right spot?” Anne was hoping she wouldn’t need to fight a snake to end her weird day.

“Yep. That’s just Timmy, he’s nice.” Timmy yawned, showing sharp fangs that glinted against the light of the lantern.

“A water snake pet named Timmy. Alrighty, then.” Anne shook her head with a small chuckle, before knocking on the door. She remained tense as Timmy opened one eye and closed it.

An elderly frog stood by the doorway, startling at the sight of Anne. The young frog waved, getting the other frog’s attention. “Whoa, Nelly! Where have you been, youngster?” She wagged her finger at the girl. “Don’t you know this one’s too old to be babysitting you?”

“You’re not that old, Mrs. Croaker

“I was talking about Timmy.” Mrs. Croaker shook her head, sending Nelly off to bed with a glare. Then she glanced at Anne. Anne fidgeted under the old woman’s gaze. She was about to excuse herself, but the one eye of the frog softened. “Glad at least those rumors turned into a bunch of malarkeys.”

Anne’s eyebrows shot up. “Rumors?”

“That the Plantar Beast stalks the night, gobbling frogs up. Yet here you stand, with Nelly still intact.” She shrugged, then closing the door at Anne’s face, ending that conversation.

Anne blinked then she huffed, turning around to finally head back to the farm. Her ears managed to pick up a bit of dialogue though as she crossed the fence to take the hill shortcut.

“So, what did you find?”

“First, maybe I can stop playing as bait this time?”

“Take it up with The Guild, Nelly.”

eNjOYinG yOuRseLF?

Anne froze, as the last voice said that in her head. She glanced over her shoulder, finding Timmy’s unwavering gaze. She chuckled nervously, waving goodbye at the watersnake. Once running away, she scoffed and crossed her arms. But this encounter pushed her to keep trying now that she learned rumors were messing with her chances to make friends here too. She wasn’t going to get beaten by whatever weird nonsense thrown her way.

Chest burning with new-found resolve, Anne glared up. “Bring it on, Amphibia!” she yelled at the star-filled sky. Her cry echoed throughout the quiet fields and hills, but Anne felt freer now that was off her chest. She breathed, taking in the fresh air of the night and continued up the hill, only stopping when she saw a faint light shining a few paces away from her by the dry-stone wall fence. Her nose followed, picking up a familiar scent.

“Sprig?” she approached the dry-stone wall and leaned over to find the sleeping pink frog behind it. There were two books beside him and three potions. She jumped over, landing and sitting next to him. “Dude?”

She poked his shoulder, causing him to move and stretch. “Anne?” Sprig groggily blinked but managed to sit up and hug her. “You came home.”

Home. That was a loaded word. She leaned against the wall. Then Anne smiled. “Yeah, dude. I guess I did. Sorry you had to wait out here. You could have stayed at the farm though.”

“I wanted to see you first.” He gestured to the potions. “For your burns.” The pink frog sleepily opened the jars, unable to fully open them until Anne helped him out. “Here – oh, but they healed up already.

She glanced down to where he was looking. “Huh. Welp, and that concludes my crazy day.”

“Heh, don’t worry.” Sprig yawned . “I found a lead actually. At the Town Archives.”

“Ugh, we’re seriously going to read boring books?” Anne groaned.

Sprig chuckled, picking up what he bought. “Sometimes they’re not boring.”

“I doubt that.”

Anne took what he offered, reading the tome. It looked like a bedtime story.

Sprig yawned again. “I did too. Back when my mom and dad used to read us these.”

Anne glanced down, finding him fiddling with the pages. Anne returned to the book in her hand. “Oh.” They sat in silence, the sound of flipping pages, fireflies, and crickets filled the hill.

“Anne?” Sprig glanced up at her after a moment, “You know we’ll get you home, right? I promised and I’m not going to go back on it, but in the meantime…you know you have us too? And you’ll tell us if you’re not happy?”

Anne blinked, glancing down to see his unwavering stare. Her smile softened. “Yeah. I’ll tell you.” She shook her head, laughing lightly. “Hope your day was peaceful though?”

“Could have been better,” Sprig blinked, shaking his head lightly. Anne adjusted so he could lean more comfortably. “You make it better.”

Anne smiled, wiping a hand briefly against her eyes then using it to cradle him.

“How was yours?” he asked.

“Crazy, but nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“Tell me?”

“…sure, buddy.” And there the two sat, books in hand, voices in between the silence, and tales and questions exchanged. But this night under this star-filled sky was one they wouldn’t trade for anything.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: The Beast and The Wild Fest (Part I)

Anne pressed her hands together, covering her mouth. “Okay, let’s run this again from the top.” She then took a ruler, smacking it on the chalk board. On top, the words ‘The Truths’ were written in a hasty hand. Sprig finished his doodle, just to cut the tension in the living room.

Honestly, he and Anne didn’t expect this kind of thing to happen upon entering the Plantar Home at midnight. Anne specifically never expected them to know the truth before she could tell them. She also didn’t expect Hop Pop could do that.

Polly, as bluntly as she could, summarized what everyone revealed hours earlier. “Hop Pop has been secretly feeding you green and blue berries which is said to be bad for amphibians, but for non-amphibians they’re…” she trailed off, gesturing for her grandfather to continue.

Hop Pop stood by the windowsill, trying not to make eye contact as he answered. “They’re used to make animals…more docile. It’s an old Plantar recipe.”

Sprig coughed. “But luckily, they didn’t work on Anne. Right?” He added a question mark beside the word ‘berries’ on the board. Anne gritted her teeth but nodded, despite herself.

“It turned out,” Polly continued, “Anne also knew how she got here. She lied about this jewelry box thing?”

“Music box,” Anne corrected, also avoiding eye contact.

Sprig hastily wrote the words ‘lied’ and ‘music box’ before rubbing his head. “So, what made it so bad again? Beside the lying part.”

Hop Pop frowned while Anne flinched. “An old dangerous relic.” His brows furrowed as Hop Pop stared up at the teenager. “I asked you the first few days you lived here but you didn’t say –

“You also didn’t say anything about this month’s rent,” Sprig interrupted, pointing at the word ‘rent’ and crossing his arms. “We already established you both kept important secrets and now we’re just trying to -

“I didn’t try to poison anyone!” Anne snapped.

“No,” Hop Pop countered, glaring, “you just acted selfish and hid this danger from us!”

“I was planning to tell you! But what about you huh? How long have you been feeding me poison berries!”

“I stopped when I baked that pie! And you had more chances to tell the truth! Just when I trusted you –

- I also trusted you, you know! How was that okay?!”

“Hey!” Polly yelled over the yelling, “indoor voice!”

The Plantar siblings stood in between the two. Sprig glanced up at Anne while Polly frowned at Hop Pop. Anne’s eyes shined with unshed tears before she looked away with a glare. She gripped her arm.

Hop Pop’s expression softened. He sighed, looking down while rubbing his head. “I’m sorry I shouted.”

“…same.”

Sprig and Polly glanced at each other. “Okay. Good. Maybe.” The pink frog shook his head. “This isn’t how I pictured my day to end. Maybe we can sleep on this. Give our heads time to cool off.”

“You both know I was just looking out for our family,” Hop Pop pleaded. “I made a mistake, that’s on me. But I stopped the moment it didn’t work.”

“But if it did, that would still be alright with you, wouldn’t it?” Anne scowled. The grandchildren stared at their grandfather, waiting for his answer.

Hop Pop frowned, and then looked away. Ashamed.

That was answer enough. Anne scoffed. She looked away, yet her gaze found the frog children. Her eyes then landed on the scar of a pink hand.

Her eyes glistened and then she closed them. “I…get it.” Anne scoffed, rubbing her eyes. “Whatever. So what if I should have also told you about the box –

“Anne no –

Anne raised a hand, interrupting Sprig. Hop Pop grimaced and looked down to avoid his grandson’s glare. “I could have told the truth any time. That’s true. I’ll…live with that mistake. I did have plans to tell you that night though. Back at that weird cave thing, but I was interrupted before I could.” Anne sighed. Hop Pop stared, surprised, then crossed his arms and avoided Polly’s glare this time. “I tried to…well, looked how that turned out. It doesn’t matter now.” Anne glanced at Polly who stopped looking at Hop Pop in disappointment. “It’s really gone?”

“I looked everywhere but yeah. That and the jar.” Polly frowned. “Maybe that weird one-eyed thing stole it. It did try to –

SMASH.

All three frogs jumped at the sound, staring at Anne who sighed and removed her hand from the hole she made in the board. Sprig was immediately at her side, but she stepped away from him. He persisted, latching on to her hand and massaging it. Anne smiled weakly. “It’s my only lead to get back home. That’s how I got here.” Anne cradled her hurt hand, moving away from him again.

Hop Pop gripped his cane. “Legends say it only opens to those who had bad intentions. No story ever told of the good it could do.”

Sprig stared at his grandfather. “It’s just that, though, right? Stories. I’m sure Anne got here on accident.” He paused, hands shaking lightly. “Right?”

Anne looked away. “I…stole it.”

Hop Pop closed his eyes. Polly’s eyes widened. And Sprig…Sprig lowered the hand that was reaching towards Anne.

Then used it to throw down his hat. The action surprised everyone in the room, but Sprig shook his head. “Then you made a mistake. You both made mistakes.” Sprig’s eyes shined with determination pointing at Anne and Hop Pop. “So let’s put our heads together and plan how to fix this. Alright?” He held his hand out, palm facing down. “We’re still Team Plantar!”

Polly immediately rolled to his side. “I second that.” She raised a brow at the other two.

Hop Pop frowned. “It’s not that simple.” He eyed Anne. “Right?”

“Maybe,” Anne pocketed her hands. “Though if it’s a solution you want. Then I have one.” Her expression turned serious, especially when she eyed each amphibian. “Let’s try this thing we have back in my world. We call it…”

The Plantars leaned forward in curiosity.

“…Hakuna Matata.”

Sprig blinked. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Tuna Enchilada?” Polly raised a brow.

“Hakuna Matata.” Anne then took the chalkboard and chucked it outside the window. There was a loud crash. Hop Pop jumped at the sound, unconsciously standing in front of his grandkids. Anne pressed her hands together, smiling widely and ignoring how that action stung. “It means no worries. Basically, we take all the bad thoughts and stressful junk and shove it deep. Deep. Deep. Down. Until we forget it exists!” She grinned wider and was silently glad when Polly and Sprig moved forward and away from Hop Pop’s protective stance.

“…Anne, that sounds unhealthy.” Sprig fiddled with his hat once he picked it up.

Anne’s smile dropped before she scoffed, waving her hand. “Says you. I’ve been doing that for a while and just look at me now.” All amphibians worriedly looked at the brunette’s unkempt hair, heavy eyebags, and a left hand that was now half-shifted into sharp claws.

Polly deadpanned, “You’re right. You are a perfect picture of health.”

Hop Pop immediately shushed her, then hesitatingly approached the biped. “Anne. I know emotions are running high around here but hiding and not processing feelings might not be good in the long run.” There was still turmoil, no doubt about that, but it didn’t stop from worry sinking into his tone of voice when he looked at her. Especially at her hand. Now he just needed to figure out who the worry was for.

Anne blew raspberries in response, chuckling and looking away. “We’re stressed, that’s the main problem, and so the quick solution is to obviously destress.” She walked towards the couch, picking up the abandoned flyer of the Wild Fest. “So this weekend, let’s relax and have fun out there. That’s what we’ve been preparing for, anyway? Right? Right. That looks fun. I like fun. Love it even!”

Hop Pop shook his head. “Ignoring and hiding this kinda thing is what led to this.”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Anne finally scoffed.

“Pot and kettle, Anne.” Hop Pop glared.

“Whatever you say, poisoner.”

“You’re not dead, right?!”

Sprig sighed, standing in between the two again. “Okaaaaay. How about let’s all take the weekend off and not think about all this,” he gestured to the board outside, “for the meantime. Then come Monday, we talk. For real. A good ole fashion Plantar-feelings session. How does that sound?”

Polly raised her flipper. “I agree.” She glared at Hop Pop when he didn’t answer. Then shot an exasperated look at Anne. These two were really stubborn and coming from her that was saying something.

“I still think there’s nothing to talk about,” Anne wilted at her best friend’s pleading look, “ugh, but I guess if everyone’s game so am I.”

Polly smacked her grandfather’s shin.

“Ack!” He faltered at the tadpole’s look, “well, I could go for a break too, I suppose.” Hop Pop warily agreed. “So, I guess it’s settled then?” The teenager and elder exchanged tense glances before looking at the Plantar siblings.

“Alright. Operation: Hakuna Matata is a go.” Sprig smiled, placing his hand in front of him. “Team Plantar on three?”

Polly followed her brother, then glanced at the remaining two.

Hop Pop coughed. “I think I should, uh, recalculate the expenses for the time being.” He hurried to say, sweating. “Just to see what we can scrounge up to sell at the Wild Fest. Might as well use that time to sell our crops in the interim.” He faked a smile.

Anne nodded. “I’ll help. By totally harvesting some. Outside. I mean.” She coughed. “I think I got chores I forgot to do too, and I work better at night.” The two fled, moving in opposite directions as Anne was now outside and Hop Pop locked himself inside his office.

Sprig watched them go and then face-palmed.

Polly rolled by his side. “Well, that failed. They’re not even trying to hide it, really.”

Sprig sighed, planting his hands on his hips and puffing his cheeks. “This would not do.”

“Yeah, it’s not like you can orchestrate a scenario where Anne and Hop Pop are forced to confront their issues and make up.”

Sprig nodded. “True. That could get needlessly complicated. Plus, manipulating people is bad.”

“So bad! Very unethical!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“So…you think they are ready?”

Another voice squawked, “Think they’re ready?”

“Squeak.”

A gravelly voice chuckled. “Not to disagree with this ancient one. Ain’t no doubting what I’ve seen, but eh, isn’t it too soon? I just gave them the green card too.”

“There’s no time for lollygagging, dearie.” A click of a cane. “The enemy’s getting bolder, and they know we’re on to them. I had to take care of Nelly myself and Loggle’s still missing.”

“Squeak. Squeak.”

“Oh, you’re right. I also forgot to mention the Uperadons still can’t remember anything. Their memories are gone, which could mean their souls are long gone too.”

A wave of uneasy silence settled into the group. Then another voice broke it. “So…how do we even know the prophecy is talking about them, specifically? Just asking. Not doubting.”

There was a swish of a robe and a box being placed on a table. “We continue to hope. We have been for about a thousand years. What are a few months more?”

“Squeak.”

“I know. I can’t believe it too. The box. It’s truly real.”

“It’s inert,” huffed another voice, a deep baritone followed by a click of a tongue and pocket watch. “I’m wasting my time here.”

“You’re welcome to leave. We both know you’re not much of a collaborator anyway.”

“I do work best alone.” The figure chuckled. Then there was a tip of a hat before the closing of a door.

A sigh escaped chapped lips. “She will know what to do when the time comes. I can feel it.”

“Which is, um, tomorrow.”

“Oh. That is not a lot of time then.”

“Squawk. Not a lot of time.”

Another thud of a cane. “Hmm, how about we bring in –

“No. I don’t support doing that. I’ve seen him lately and he already has his hands full –

“Dearie, if this goes topsy turvy, there might not be a world left for his family. Or anyone’s.”

“Enough. Let us see what tomorrow will bring. We can contact our friend inside to check.”

“This friend of yours is a backstabber, I’ll tell you.”

“Squeak.”

“The ancient one’s got a point.”

“He’ll always be loyal to the winning side. So, my friends, let us just hope she wins.”

“Squawk. Hope she wins. Hope she wins.”

Polly stifled a yawn as she hopped down the stairs. She blearily glared at the clock, hating how it was around three in the morning. Though the reason for waking up was important anyway. Anything for her family usually was.

Still, the things I do for you all. She mentally grumbled, preparing to sneak into Hop Pop’s room to mess with his alarm clock. The phase one of her and Sprig’s plan should go off without a hitch.

CREAK.

Polly paused, staring up at Anne who had just opened the basement door, bags in hand.

“…sup.”

“Hey.”

Polly stifled a groan this time, already piecing together what was happening. She moved away from her initial destination, rolling over to the couch where Sprig was knocked out cold and snore-croaking. “You’re gonna sneak out and leave, aren’t you?” She harshly whispered.

“Psh. No. Whaaaaat? No. Psh. Okay, yeah.” Anne huffed, setting her things down with a dull thud. “But could you blame me? I know when I’m unwanted here.”

“Anne, Sprig literally didn’t leave your side until you refused a sleepover. And even then, he chose to sleep on this couch.” Polly frowned while Anne looked over in surprise to find said pink frog who continued to sleep heavily. “You’re his best friend, Anne. Possibly the first in a long while.”

“Yeah and as his best friend, I’m doing what’s right.” Anne huffed again. “This is what’s best for him.”

“No, you think that’s what’s best, but did you ever ask him what he thinks?”

“He doesn’t know any better.” Anne rolled her eyes. “I’m keeping him safe. I’m keeping all of you safe. Like a true protector.” Anne sighed, pointing at the polliwog. “So I’m done with this talk. Okay? End of discussion.”

Polly glared, slapping the finger away. “No. And I’m gonna say this slowly so that it’ll get through your thick and weirdly-shaped skull.” Polly continued, interrupting before Anne could defend and or be offended by that comment as the tadpole hopped up. Anne automatically caught her. A flipper poked Anne. “We don’t need a protector, Anne. We don’t want a protector. We just want you.”

The two stared at one another for a long time until finally, the tension in Anne’s shoulders abated. Only a little. “I…don’t know what else to do.”

“You talk to us.” Polly then amended when she saw Anne glaring in the direction of Hop Pop’s room. “Well not all of us right now. I’m not expecting you and Hop Pop to be all buddy buddy again. Let’s be real.” She jumped, landing on top of Anne’s things. “But Sprig and me are all tympana, okay?”

“I don’t know what that word means but I guess by context, you’re telling me you both are willing to listen.” Anne then smiled, glancing down. She closed her eyes and then opened them after a deep inhale. “Okay, I might…take you up on that. Thanks.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “Heh, I really can’t believe how mature you two are.”

Polly shrugged. “Eh, age’s not really the standard for that if you ask me.” She then turned to Hop Pop’s door. “But I gotta tell you, for all his faults, Hop Pop did try his best for us. Played all the roles, friend as one and family as another that it kinda blurred together. Just…we’re a big deal for him and there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for us. Doesn’t get it right sometimes.” Polly frowned, looking at Sprig then back to Anne. “But we all make mistakes.” Polly looked up pleadingly at Anne. “So don’t make the mistake of leaving us. At least without saying a proper goodbye.”

Anne grasped her arm, smiling unsurely. “Well, when you put it that way?” She then embraced the polliwog who groaned how she hated it yet there was a flipper returning the hug all the same. Polly could admit there were a few tears shed but that was as far as she was admitting it happened. “Again, thanks. For…well all that.” Anne then turned to her bags once Polly pulled away.

And she returned her things back into the basement.

Polly sighed in relief. Anne walked back up, approaching the couch and sitting next to Sprig, wrapping Polly’s newly sewn blanket. Polly watched the two of them, smiling. “Oh, I fixed this by the way.” Anne opened it a tad so Polly can squeeze in. A place for a third. Leaving no one behind.

Polly smiled and jumped in, snuggling close. She figured she’ll just wake up earlier than these two to mess with Hop Pop’s alarm. She yawned, blearily blinking as Anne conked out next to her, snoring.  Polly then took her brother’s and Anne’s hand into her own flippers, knowing it was going to hurt her reputation of being a heartless badass. Still, falling asleep, her final thoughts were enough to give her restful dreams.

The things I do for family. Ugh.

Morning dawned and with it, another day. Though it was not just any day as well but a Friday. The people of Wartwood murmured amongst themselves excitedly as the herald of the town hopped up the roof of City Hollow. She panted, wiping her brow before taking out the horn. She inhaled, body puffing up, then blew into it.

A long-drawn-out sound echoed throughout Wartwood, reaching from the main town to the farms around until it faded into the wind.

“Oh, why did I volunteer to do this,” were the last words the herald spoke as she collapsed.

The people cheered, then went to their stalls and homes to prepare for the journey to Camp Phlegmington. There were two paths to reach the camp. One of course was the “commoners’” path. A common path that needed the snails to reach it. Also typically used by the commoners. The other path, on the other hand, began beyond the gates of a mansion. The mansion of House Geometridae specifically.

And today, it was wide open with signs that said, “Welcome All”, causing the farmers to grin and faint in awe. It was not really every day the public were invited to a noble’s event. The only downside was that snails weren’t allowed on this path. Those who were eager to sell their products usually set up shop outside the gates. Now, they had the chance to sell it within the grounds of Camp Phlegmington itself.

Some farmers screamed and ducked, however, when a snail pulling a fancy chariot passed by them, exiting the gates. It moved and swerved out of the way of amphibians, who were carrying barrels and sacks and pushing wheelbarrows, until it parked near the town hall. The carriage driver let go of the reins and hopped down, reaching the door before grunting. The door was opened by its occupant first, hitting the smaller toad.

“Ah, nothing says good morning like buying an outrageously expensive exotic animal with your ill-gotten wealth on your way back to Wartwood.” Mayor Toadstool breathed in, stepping out of the lavishly decorated snail and onto Toadie. “What’s on the day’s agenda, Toadie?”

Toadie squeaked before smiling and standing back up after the other toad reached the ground. He then unfolded a long scroll. “First order of business, sir, to check on the Wild Fest preparations. Soggy Joe had already sent in the list of contestants approved. I double checked and our sponsored contestants are there too if we want to keep being ahead of the popularity polls. Perks of having local celebrities backing your campaign, sir.” He reached behind the cart, struggling to carry the crate. It had four holes on top to give the sleeping animal inside some air.

Toadie walked behind the mayor, reading the rest of the list sent to him. “The extra booths and cottages are also installed and put up for those who want to use them. Especially since the farmers are invited to the camp itself this year. Really strange. Hmm.” Toadie continued, “Anway, the usual suppliers are eager to begin selling their wares for the contestants at least. Some of the Townies also donated money for extra cottages and cabins and replacing faulty structures and facilities. Which means we now have some added coppers in our private coffers.”

The mayor chuckled. “While I do love the sound of that, that’s the boring stuff, Toadie. I mean I’ve been doing nothing but campaigning in this here valley and for what? We all know I’ll run unopposed.” He scoffed. “Give me something new this time,” Toadstool walked to the double doors of City Hollow, faltering upon seeing the newt guards that opened them. “Well, that’s mighty quick. These are some mighty new newt guards. This is why you’re the best unpaid assistant a mayor could ask for, Toadie.”

Toadie blushed before shaking his head. “Sir. This is not my doing.” He checked the list, starting to sweat both from the weight of the crate and from this new development. Lists should never lie. It was one of the few trustworthy things a toad could count on. “The money we may or may not have embezzled has no receipts on new guards.” Toadie then left the crate by the doorway, hurrying to take the newspaper and mug of coffee on the table. He passed the items to Toadstool, who finished adjusting his jacket in front of the mirror, before returning to the crate.

“Oh? Very odd.” Toadstool crossed the doorway, raising a brow at another pair of guards. “Then who could – oh for the love of Frog.” He halted mid-step, stunned. The newt sitting on his chair was one he should have known would be there. Toadie collapsed under the crate after hitting the mayor’s back.

Lady Jacinda raised a brow, pausing mid-turn of a book page. “Quite a warm greeting, Frodrick.”

The mayor composed himself. “Ah well I didn’t expect to work so soon after campaigning throughout the rest of the valley.” He sheepishly sat down on the small stool, finishing his mug and setting it down near Toadie. “Thought I could catch some little sleep before attending Wartwood’s annual Wild Fest.”

“You can sleep when you’re burrowed deep beneath the soil.” Jacinda then rolled her eyes when the toads clutched each other in fear. “But that’s just a saying. I make no threats, only promises. You know this.” She gestured to the map of Frog Valley behind her. “Regardless, how could you let things escalate, Frodrick?”

Mayor Toadstool cleared his throat. “Now see here, it may not look like it, but it’s not really my fault.” Jacinda raised a brow but did not say anything. He took that as encouragement and continued, rummaging in his pockets. Satisfied upon finding what he was looking for, he placed it on the desk.

Jacinda took the item, a shell egg. An infuriatingly familiar shell egg. She narrowed her eyes. “Where did you find this?”

“On the road. Near the Town Archives when we passed it by.” He fiddled with the newspaper. “I don’t get what’s so special about this thing, but it matches what you want us to lookout for. And you did say when that appears, no good can turn out of things when it’s near?” It was obvious he was trying to sell that the rebellion of some frogs wasn’t his doing.

“Hmm.” Jacinda then shook her head, tossing the item to her guards who fumbled to catch it. “I see. Well, luckily The South Tower is now handling matters and I have better things to do than babysit you toads.” She leaned forward, setting aside her book and sitting properly. Her eyes landed on the newspaper.

Mayor Toadstool followed her gaze and lifted it up. “Huh, how did this reporter know –

“How indeed.” Jacinda tapped her fingers on the desk. “Lucky for you that this is my area of expertise and has been dealt with accordingly.”

The mayor croaked, pulling on his shirt collar at her look. “U-Uh, do I want to know?”

“That depends. Do you really want to know?”

Mayor Toadstool gulped, one hand going to comfort a shaking Toadie while the other was raised in appeasement. “Ah isn’t it a bit, umm, extreme, milady.” He coughed, amending upon her glare. “I mean. It’s just these frogs here aren’t the type to care anyway. Everyone in this podunk town’s all content to go on about their usual lives. They’re incapable of any funny business, let alone be inspired to rebel by a few words on paper I’ll tell ya.”

Jacinda scoffed at the toad’s ignorance. She stood, looming over the mayor. “I will take that bet. Prove me right, and it will be on your head.” He gulped but nodded with a sheepish yet confident smile. She supposed there was a use for him. The newt was already doing enough field work to last her a lifetime. Jacinda snatched the newspaper from him, ignoring his surprise and affronted look as she walked out.

She eyed the crate on top of the assistant and then ignored it, unfolding the newspaper. Her guards followed behind her, discreetly reading. Jacinda smiled despite herself, finding the drawing of the Plantar Beast. “An adorable likeness, would you not say?” The guards didn’t answer, snapping immediately to attention once they had been caught.

Jacinda chuckled. She tossed the newspaper to the guards as she entered her own carriage, then returned to reading the book she brought with her. Frog courtship rituals were surprisingly interesting, and the marriage passage took most of her attention.

Specifically, the ownership of the spouse’s properties upon their untimely demise.

“MEEP. MEEP. MEEP!”

Hop Pop patted Bessie’s head to calm the snail down. “Whoa, girl. It’s alright.” Bessie still unsurely meeped, eyeing Anne who was done bringing in the last of the boxes of produce. Polly and Sprig were already resting after hauling the sacks and seedboxes into the cart. Unknown to two of this group, the siblings didn’t get much sleep.

It still didn’t mean they were exempted from this kind of work. Polly was at least glad Anne didn’t go through with leaving, or at least waited for the right time that she could. She also couldn’t ignore how Anne was wearing her backpack.

Anne, on the other hand, raised a brow at the lack of energy from these two and then shrugged. Her attention was immediately pulled by Bessie who meeped again after Anne set down the items. “What’s going on with your car?” Anne crossed her arms. One of her hands remained half-shifted. One of her ears too.

Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly politely did not comment, as the former answered, “Don’t know what a car is but Bessie’s only this worked-up around predators and well…”

Anne scoffed. Sure, like I’ll buy another excuse from you. “Bet you taught it to do that too,” she muttered under her breath.

It was still loud enough to be heard. “She’s a she and no, I didn’t.” Hop Pop glared. Anne matched the expression until Polly groaned.

“Don’t make me separate you two!”

“(S)he started it!” They said in unison.

Sprig sighed while massaging his head. He really should avoid missing out on sleep. Four in the morning was the earliest on record for Sprig. The pink frog stretched, hopping and slinging an arm around Anne. “Okay so Bessie’s out. I’ll walk with Anne while you guys head on to Camp Phlegmington.” And by walk, maybe he could just hang up here for an hour. Maybe get some nap time. Zzz.

Anne balanced Sprig again when he nearly fell off. The brunette caught the elder frog’s look and scoffed. “Are you sure, Sprig?” Anne sweetly asked. “Hop Pop might think I’ll just gobble you up.”

Hop Pop seethed then hmphed. “Y’all might find the music box robber on foot, anyway, considering someone just carelessly placed ancient and dangerous relics inside couch cushions!” He then flicked Bessie’s reins, urging her on and pulling the cart away.

Anne glared. “That’s a weak snarky retort just so you know!”

Sprig pressed a hand to his forehead, groaning. “Anne, I know Hop Pop’s…a lot,” Sprig was still working on his own feelings about what his grandpa did, “but I thought we’re gonna take the weekend off.”

“Yeah, I could but your old man’s on my case the whole morning!” Anne shook her head, crossing her arms as frog and earthling walked. Or well, Sprig rested and tried to stay awake on top of Anne’s head. They passed through Wartwood where loads of wagons and snails were on the move. Other frogs opted to go on foot too, bringing with them picnic baskets and blankets and fishing supplies.

Frogs barely glanced at the duo at this point, murmuring amongst themselves about the possible bets to be made on winners of the main event while sharing the possible stocks and merchandise they could sell and buy.

Sprig waved at the frogs he knew, while Anne huffed and gestured as she ranted. Sprig also raised a brow when a tail appeared behind Anne but did not comment.

“I even made my own breakfast since he apparently forgot. I don’t buy that whole ‘I slept in because my alarm didn’t work’ schtick. That’s my thing. Then I found out my hairbrush was on his side of the bathroom, my hairbrush Sprig!” Anne growled low. “But he accused me of taking his favorite weird foot floss thing! Why would I even take it?!” Anne walked and fumed, oblivious to the sheepish look of the frog above her.

Sprig fiddled with his hands. “Huh, yeah. Weird.” He managed to say. His eyes flittered frantically to the side, looking for a quick distraction, and pointed. “Oh, Anne. There’s someone I want you to meet.” He hopped down and pulled on her hand, tugging her towards a tea-pot shaped building.

Anne sighed but followed after her best friend. She watched boredly when Sprig walked up to a frog with red braided hair who was fixing up her own wares to sell.

“Hey, Felicia, have you seen –

“Ambush!”

Anne’s instincts flared up, running and shifting until she was in front of Sprig. “Ah, no Anne! She’s a friend! Ivy’s a friend!” Sprig hurried to say. He smiled at Felicia and Ivy who landed a foot from where he initially was. He also noticed the looks from the frogs who were still in Wartwood. “Anne’s just protective but she’s nice. Anne, meet the Sundews. The Sundews, meet Anne.”

Felicia frowned, staring at the brown wolf about the height of two big toads. “Sprig, wasn’t she the one who bit –

“A big misunderstanding.” Sprig smiled wider while his other hand pressed against Anne.

“Hello?” Ivy unsurely greeted, smiling unsurely. “Sorry. I’m used to greeting Sprig that way. It’s, well, kinda our thing.”

Anne continued to stare at the uneasy expressions of the two frogs. She forced herself to calm down. Come on, wolf me. You heard Sprig! Ugh why are you like this? It took quite a lot longer than Anne wanted it to but after a beat, she returned to her human form. Well, almost anyway. Anne glanced at her half-shifted hands, huffing. You’re really not selling them on this whole ‘not a beast thing’ wolf me.

Sprig sighed in relief beside her. “See. Okay, so again, Anne meet the Sundews, Felicia and Ivy.” He smiled while Felicia narrowed her eyes at Anne, holding onto her daughter protectively. Ivy waved a hand.

“Hiya.”

Anne cleared her throat. “Hi. Sorry, about…that, but I promise I don’t make a habit of hurting frogs.” She smiled, looking around to change the subject. “Oh, wow, I love the design on this place. You know, back where I’m from teashops are a hit.” Anne then silently cheered at the surprise on the elder frog. “Yep, totally a hit.”

“Well, glad that the appreciation of fine tea is also prevalent in other places.” Felicia clapped her hands together. “You could learn a thing or two, Ivy.”

“Mom,” Ivy groaned. Sprig chuckled then stopped at her glare. “Anyway, I heard the kettle’s boiling.”

“Oh my tea!” Felicia hurried back inside.

Anne and Sprig watched her go before the latter was tackled to the ground. “Ack.”

“Hey, I didn’t get to finish my ambush so,” she booped his forehead, “Gotcha.” It made the both of them chuckle.

Anne focused on their exchange than what her other form almost did. Easier to handle than dumb problems, yep. Anne watched them with a small smile as they appeared to have gotten lost in each other’s world, ignoring Anne and other walking frogs as they made whispered conversations.

Wait. Raising her brow and looking at Ivy now, Anne realized she looked kinda familiar too. Then Anne smirked. Oh la la. Now she remembered. Her expression turned into mischief as she approached Sprig and his lady frog ‘friend’ when the latter pulled the former up. Anne almost forgot to ask about the frog Sprig was holding hands with since that Hiber day fiasco.

Anne coughed, making herself known. Sprig blinked and then pulled away. “Oh, right. We better get –

Anne interrupted him, holding out a hand to Ivy. “Hey. Glad to put a name to a vaguely familiar face. A very familiar face that Sprig also knows.” Anne wagged her brows.

Sprig’s eyes darted towards Anne. “Uh, what?”

Ivy matched his expression before her eyes shined in awe once seeing Anne, specifically at the half-shifted hand. Anne belatedly realized that. “Oh my gosh, finally I got to meet you and wow, looking closer you are so cool! Well, cooler with that tail, oh and that ear, and the claw! Wow your claw!” She hopped around Anne, who didn’t expect that reaction. Anne’s tail also wagged at the attention, making Anne grimace.

Wrestling with her tail, Anne huffed while Ivy continued to speak. She managed to grab it with her claw just as she heard the end of Ivy’s ramblings.

“…and okay I can see how you tore that water snake into shreds,” she poked at Anne’s hand, “and gave that weasel a scar. Sprig told it way cooler though.”

Well, at least she didn’t run away. Anne gave her credit. Though, after processing the words, she frowned. “I did what now?” Anne glanced at Sprig who coughed.

He totally forgot he may have exaggerated some stories of his and Anne’s adventures. Avoiding the look of his friend, he clapped his hands. “Well, this distraction backfired. We better go now so bye and see you later!” Sprig started pulling Anne away, but the taller girl stood firm.

“Hey, hold on.” Anne grinned. While she could find the time to unpack that, her priority lay in Sprig’s potential love romance. Anne had tons of advice that she could now pass on to Sprig. Honestly, this new info was more interesting. “Wanna walk with us, Ivy?” She added a wag of her brow when she said this, shooting pointed looks between the confused frogs. She hoped Sprig would get the hint.

He did not. Sprig continued to raise a brow at Anne while Ivy shook her head. “Oh, ah, thanks for the offer but I still gotta help my mom bring in some merchandise.” Ivy jutted a thumb behind her and to the open door. Anne managed to spot some tea mugs and scarves with a water strider design on it. There was also a tray of cupcakes that depict an elder frog riding the water strider. “We’re still on the Lord Patterson-Yvette Club, you know or else we wouldn’t hear the end of it from my grandma.”

Sprig smiled lightly. “Ah, no worries. Oh, wait, you’re on team Patterson? I heard he’s aiming for champion this year!”

“I know right? My grandma thinks he’s got a real shot. Might help the tea shop be more popular too if he wins.”

Anne tuned their conversation out. Her eyes only focused on their body language, and it was so obvious how they liked each other! They were nervous. They were smiling. They were blushing. If that didn’t scream attraction, Anne would personally eat her own tail.

Once Ivy waved goodbye, Anne and Sprig returned to their path to Camp Phlegmington. However, the former kept shooting pointed looks at the latter while stifling her squealing. Sprig finally noticed the smile and raised a brow. “You okay Anne? What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing,” Anne grinned, trying to be coy. She lasted about a minute as she stood in front of Sprig. “I just didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

“…what?”

Anne giggled. “No need to hide it, bud. I just wished you told me, your best friend, about your lady friend. Could have given you tons of dating advice too.” And she had loads of it – oh, she unslung her backpack, rummaging around for her magazine for this.

“Whoa, timeout Anne.” Sprig nervously raised his hands to form a ‘T’ and shook his head. “Ivy and I are just friends. Well, acquaintances but we got close lately, sure, but it doesn’t mean I want to date her.”

Oh, you sweet summer child. Anne shook her head at him, tsking. He should have known better when a shipper smelled a potential ship. “Dude, do you know how many soulmates start out as ‘just friends’? Like two-thirds at least!” Anne managed to fish out the right magazine, opening it to a page of two women kissing. “See this, nine out of ten people mostly stay awake regretting missed love opportunities!”

Sprig gripped the magazine. For a moment it glowed blue and the pink frog could now read the writing on it. He blinked. “Huh. Well, it says here that six out of ten also tend to project onto others about their –

Anne took the magazine back. “Okay, the math doesn’t matter. It’s evil and unreliable, anyway.” Anne hugged the pink frog, one hand wrapped around his neck while letting her now human hand make gestures in the air. Like she was capturing a picture that they both could see. “But Sprig. Buddy. My dear pal. You should not let this one pass you by!” She clenched that same hand into a fist, raising it up the sky. “And I swear by my good name, I will help you win your true love!”

Sprig blinked. Anne really looked into this. He thought about every interaction he had with Ivy. Could it really be romantic? Anne sounded so sure too. “You’re really sure you know what you’re talking about?” Sprig raised a brow.

“Dude, trust me. And the magazines. They never lie. See.” Anne showed him the cover. ‘Technically true and barely probably false,’ a portion of text said.

“Huh, well I’m convinced. I guess…this couldn’t hurt?” Anne cheered, causing Sprig to chuckle. “Let’s do it then. Though can you also promise to make things right with Hop Pop too if I do –

Anne tuned him out again. Honestly, she stopped listening once he agreed. Her mind was already churning out ideas. Amazing ideas. Grand ideas. The best Anne-deas known to frog and man!

This weekend break is turning out to be the perfect break I need. Giggling to herself, she continued onto the path, now nearing the gates of the mansion, while rubbing her hands together, oblivious how her wolf hand and ears and tail were gone. Butting in Sprig’s potential love story. Just what the doctor ordered.

Hop Pop smiled contentedly on the path to Camp Phlegmington using the commoner’s trail. While a longer route to reach their destination, seeing the passing greenery and clear open sky was enough to calm the morning’s usual aches.

And also, the unusual ones too. Hop Pop mused. He tried not to get worked up again when he remembered how he woke up late. Maybe some whistling would clear my head.

He whistled for a good while – ah nope. He was still mad. In his mind’s eye he could picture the exact scene of him setting the alarm last night. It should have gone off and woken him up but as a result he lost time making Anne’s breakfast.

While he was angry at the kid, it doesn’t mean he wanted her to starve. He made her food always for last because then it would be easier to transfer the flies and bugs coating her meal to Sprig and Polly evenly once he saw the finished product. Like the pillbug pancakes, he couldn’t possibly just ole willy nilly choose a number of pillbugs. They should be equally distributed, and he’d loathe to have leftovers. There was a system to this and by frog he would not suffer odd numbered bug coatings!

He huffed. Not like she appreciates my hard work anyway. And then she goes and messes with my prized ribbiton ribbons. Toe crusties aren’t going to floss themselves Anne! You’re lucky I found it on your side of the bathroom. Don’t even know why you…need…some. Wait a minute.

Hop Pop eyed his silently reading granddaughter. She was quiet. Too quiet on this trip. Typically, Polly would comment on his horrible whistling or threaten to disembowel him if he didn’t finish a vaguely told anecdote from his old adventures on the road.

But nothing.

He eyed her again, trusting Bessie to warn him if they got off road as he stared at her unflinchingly.

Yet she wouldn’t crack.

Hop Pop smiled. Two could play that game. He adjusted in his seat. “Have I ever told you about a time… a friend I know worked for some secret shadow-y organization?”

There you are. Hop Pop saw the hesitation of turning a page, but Polly remained buried in her book. He chuckled a bit.

“Well, I ain’t allowed to share much details but back in the day my friend got mixed up with some… let’s say bad folks. My he was really rough around the edges, headstrong, but while his heart was in the right place, that didn’t mean things would always go the way he planned it.”

Hop Pop tapped his cane idly.

“Luckily, he found some good ones too and he got out. Found the light and all that jazz, but actions have consequences Polly. And sometimes they could cost…a lot.” He closed his eyes, shaking his head. At this point Polly was looking at him now.

Polly frowned. “What happened next?”

Hop Pop smirked, recovering before chuckling. “Ah, but first, will you tell me a tale of your own? Say, maybe something related to what happened this morning?”

He saw the way her eyes narrowed at being found out, but she remained aloof. “Dunno if I could write a whole tragic play about your and Anne’s fight on the spot, Hop Pop.”

Hopadiah rolled his eyes but unable to respond when they reached the parking lot. It was almost full. “Hold that thought.” He squinted, trying to find an empty spot.

Polly jumped on top of his head. “Oh, there!” She grinned, rolling over to Bessie’s head next. “Bessie, ten meters on your left.”

“MEEP. MEEP.”

“Polly what did I say about sideseat drivingggggggg!” Hop Pop screamed as Bessie zoomed past the other snails, causing them to spin and twist while the frogs yelled. “Sorry about that!” He apologized while trying to hold onto the reins. “Bessie come on!” Hop Pop was ignored.

“Just admit I’m Bessie’s favorite Plantar,” Polly blinked innocently before laughing maniacally and holding onto her ribbon as Bessie rushed forward.

“Debatable – ack, watch out for – sorry! Rogue snail here – I’m terribly – oh Frog Bessie heel!”

Bessie finally stopped, but only because the empty slot was now occupied by a fancy-looking snail. Hop Pop and Polly got thrown off by the abrupt halt, tumbling out of the seat and onto the ground in a heap.

“Hehe, snailed it.”

Hop Pop picked himself up with a groan. “I’m so proud and at the same time mad at you.”

“Deal with it!”

Shaking his head with a small smile, he dusted himself off while picking up the tadpole and putting her back on the seat. Then turned, finally seeing clearly what took their spot.

And it was fancy-looking snail alright, with the saddles changed to accommodate a box that housed all sorts of items. Hop Pop squinted. “Wait a minute. Action figures. Shirts. pillows. All with the face of – Monroe.” Hop Pop frowned, especially from high above a wheat fly soared and circled the air before lowering and hovering near the Plantars.

“Hopadiah,” the rider crooned, one hand in a closed fist to his hip while holding the reins with the other. “It’s been a while eh?” The wheat fly buzzed. “Oh, one second.” Monroe then smirked as his beast companion soared high above once more and over the heads of passing snails. Frog and Fly basked in the awe and pointing of the amphibians down below. “Now for the finishing touches, Rinia.”

Rinia the wheat fly buzzed again before swooping towards the fancy snail. The cargo specifically was the target and once it was within the creature’s grasp the duo flew up and dumped the items, making it rain of customized paraphernalia featuring the face of Monroe.

Hop Pop huffed when he was buried under piles of pillows, digging himself out while the amphibians clapped again. Monroe and Rinia landed, bowing. The former then hopped off his steed, patting her head. “Thank you, winner.” Monroe boasted, causing Hopadiah to roll his eyes. “Oops, I mean, Monroe Jr. but same thing anyway, amiright Hopadiah?”

Hop Pop grumbled while feeding Bessie some leaves, guessing they’ll just double park. Polly took a glance at the large T-shirt on her and made a face, tossing it away and bringing out her book.

Monroe continued as if prompted. “You know, I didn’t expect you to show your face in this kinda crowd. Remember last year’s barn-dance fiasco? Hahaha!”

Hop Pop sighed. “Look, Monroe. If you gotta be insufferable could ya at least not do it in front of my granddaughter?”

“Oh, I don’t think you could even hide the fact you’re a loser from your family, Hopadiah.”

Polly frowned. “You’re right. My grandpa’s a loser, but at least he knows it.”

“Hey!”

She moved her flippers in a casual gesture. “Honestly, I pity the fool who doesn’t know he’s one more.” She grinned at Monroe’s offended look after pointedly looking at him. She then pointed behind her. “So take a hike, old man!”

“Well now that’s just rude.” Monroe harrumphed, marching away with his wheat fly.

Hop Pop shook his head with a small chuckle. “Thanks Polly. I think.”

“Eh, you know I’m the only one allowed to say you’re a loser.”

“Of course.” Hop Pop sighed before he patted her head, then looked around for their cabin. “You know it’s really different from last year’s event I’ve remember. We never went beyond the gilded and highly decorated gates that housed the cabins and cottages alongside the fancier parts of Camp Phlegmington.”

Polly breathed in the air. “Whoa. You can really smell the privilege.”

“Say what? Don’t hog all of it girl!”

One frog tentatively approached after seeing and hearing Hop Pop and Polly standing to the side and breathing heavily and loudly. “Hopadiah Plantar, I presume?”

Hop Pop blinked, mouth puffing up after inhaling. “Uh, yeah. That’s me.”

“House Warthall has overseen the lodgings of every peasant. You and your family are in Cabin A.”

Hop Pop gasped, exhaling and nearly spitting at the servant’s face, as stars filled his eyes. “Cabin A? Oh, lead the way!”

Polly frowned. “What’s in cabin –

She was picked up and placed on a fancy pillow.

“You know what, I could get used to this.”

Hop Pop squealed, forgoing the pillow as he raced after the well-dressed servant. Other well-dressed frogs scrambled to carry their luggage.

“Whoa mama!” Anne exclaimed, eyes widening at the sights before her. So far, her eyes could see more frogs, from tadpoles who hopped and played to working adults and froglets who cheered when they finished hanging the decorations. Tents were pulled up, merchandise was placed, and activities like gamebooths and picture stands were set up. And cottages and cabins. Lots of em.

Then she felt her nose twitching at the scents that punched her in the face. Anne sneezed.

Sprig jumped at the sound. “Whoa, you okay Anne?”

“Yeah yeah, just my nose is overwhelmed I guess?” It had been a while since she got used to the smell of rotten fish and the murky musk of the swamp and petrichor, but it was mixed with all kinds of other smells too.

Sprig glanced around and saw a swarm of moths flying above them. He leaped, plucking one as they started making another circuit. “Is this what you’re smelling?”

Anne glanced at the saliva coated moth and grimaced after sniffing. The smell was stronger. “Yep. Now I regret knowing.”

Sprig chuckled, letting the moth go while wiping his hand. “That is so cool though.” He pointed. “Oh, Anne, we’re just in time for the Parade of Beasts. I heard it’s a once in a lifetime show!” He pulled again, eyes shining in wonder.

Anne laughed, running next to him until they stopped by a barricade. There was another one about a few yards away, effectively providing an empty path and space. Anne turned to the right, seeing the forests and trees, while on the left stood some individuals. Well-dressed frogs waved and smiled at the guests. Behind them was a long blue ribbon.

Frogs beside Sprig and Anne murmured excitedly while a few side-eyed the latter. Anne ignored that though, oohing and ahhing at the streamers hung up and abound. The drummer began a small beat.  The group of well-dressed frogs clapped politely in tandem before one stepped forward.

She wore a puffy green dress and bonnet, waving her opera glasses while presenting her hand above her. “Citizens of Wartwood! Welcome to our 999^th Wild Fest. Straying a bit further from tradition, however, we decided to open our gates and invitation to all of Wartwood.” She spoke with a cadence of a friendly nun if Anne was being honest. “I, Lady Pimpinella of House Geometridae, believe the hunt this year will be our finest yet!” Servants brought in various trophies and portraits.

“The past few years, we have taken the time to track and capture dangerous beasts migrating to our lands and becoming unusually overpopulated. This year, our experts found that those numbers have tripled. We cannot know for certain what changed or caused these patterns but that is why we must do what we do best.”

Scattered applause and cheering filled the area as Lady Pimpinella tittered. Anne zoned out most of the speech when Sprig was snoring again. She chuckled, picking him up and putting him on her head, and then froze when new scents hit her like another punch to the face.

Swarms of moths trailed above, making Anne cover her nose. She also grimaced when a drop of saliva coated her shoulder. “Eww.” What was more disconcerting was the information it presented as Anne’s nostrils unconsciously flared to take in the smell.

WAX MOTH. WHEAT FLY. WATER STRIDER. WHITE MILLIPEDE. WOOLY MANTIS. WHITE ERMINE. WORMWOOD PUG.

Anne shook her head, clearing the onslaught of new knowledge and species. Pressing a hand to her temple to rub it, Anne looked around to distract her from the throbbing. There were trees and shrubbery by the forests near the audience, swaying gently in this mid-morning day. Then it moved more harshly and rustled roughly. The ground also started to shake.

Anne glanced around, worried alongside the amphibians but the nobles within the area were calm. Anne debated shouting out a warning but the noble from before had beaten her to it. “Now behold!” Lady Pimpinella smiled. “Let us welcome our friends who will help us in our endeavor!” A loud bark escaped from the forest. Then in a blink, a figure emerged. Anne gaped at what she saw.

Leading the charge of other creatures, a large moth first soared and flew around with another loud bark. Anne squinted at its face and saw it looked like a pug too. Its wrinkly pudgy face of cuteness morphed into a somewhat smile, tongue hanging and drool dripping. It then turned to look behind him where more creatures emerged.

Anne and the frogs beside her looked on in awe at the various beasts that crawled, soared, and leaped. From the white millipede to the wooly mantis, these newcomers approached the nobles and bent their heads. The nobles bowed in turn and the frogs clapped again.

Another amphibian stepped forward. Anne blinked when she noticed he was a toad. More so, the mayor apparently based on the sash around him.  “These creatures were saved by frogs who heard their cry for help, having arrived in their time of need.” The mayor smiled. “Now they opted to return once a year to repay that kindness in our main event.” Sashes were given to these creatures while the crowd clapped and hollered. A smaller toad also appeared, struggling to lift the heavy scissors. “So, let’s take the time to enjoy the day.” The ribbon beside him was cut. “For tonight, the hunt shall begin!”

All of Wartwood cheered and then started to disperse. Anne grinned, checking out the place too with a giggle. Yet her stomach grumbled when she picked up a certain smell.

Cheese.Crickets.Tomatoes.Onions.Fresh Cilantro.

Anne blinked, mouth nearly watering. “Sprig, why do I smell nachos?” She poked him.

Sprig blearily opened his eyes and then raised a brow at that. A moment passed and his smile widened. He hopped down and started pulling at Anne’s hand. “I heard Jiminy has the best cricket nachos this side of Wartwood. Come on, we gotta try some!”

Anne grinned, processed one word there, and grimaced. “Wait, crickets?”

“You can pass them to me if you want, now come on!”

The duo laughed as they ducked and weaved out of the busybodies with Anne oohing and ahhing at everything. With Sprig leading the way, Anne followed happily with a giggle. They passed by a tent where a water strider was standing and an elder frog with a scarf brushing one of her long limbs.

Patterson, I really do not like that big comb. We established this. I need a tinier comb for my hairs.

Anne blinked, letting go of Sprig who obliviously continued his quest, and backtracked upon hearing that voice in her head almost on instinct. She pushed open the curtains, tentatively peaking around. A vanity table stood off to the side and a fancy carpet was on the ground, cushions and blankets atop it.

Then Anne heard a hiss from above. A large oblong head twisted and tilted itself downward before two circular orbs of blackness peered at Anne, two tiny tusk-like whiskers twitched as its maw opened to chitter. Outsider.

“Uh, hey. Sorry to barge in.” Anne raised both arms in appeasement, glancing up at the tall creature. “Just heard that you might need help.” Anne didn’t know what came over her. This was a spontaneous thing. Then a snore caught her attention, making the brunette look to the side.

Anne realized that they were not alone in this tent. A long limb immediately stretched, almost moving protectively to the old frog sitting on a rocking chair who had apparently fallen asleep mid-combing one of the legs. The water strider chittered again. Look away, outsider. It made a move to stab at Anne.

Anne growled, narrowing her eyes as they unconsciously flashed blue. The sound caused the old frog to snap wide awake, blearily looking around before seeing the two. “Yvette!” The elder frog scolded. “Do not be so rude.” He squinted in the direction of the blurry Anne, then took a moment to find his spectacles. He grumbled how he misplaced it. He patted his scarf and coat pockets, but it was nowhere to be found.

While he was occupied, Anne returned her attention to Yvette. Anne shook her head. “Dude, chill.” She smiled again, smiling. “I might be able to help actually.” She strode forward like she owned the place.

Yvette chittered, mandibles clacking but not attacking. Yet. You do not smell like an ally. It crept closer. What are you?

“Uh, someone who could maybe tell your friend here he’s using a big comb.” Anne then plucked the tiny comb from the dresser and then the old frog’s spectacles that were just hanging up his head. “Here ya go, dude. F.Y.I., Yvette here wants a tinier comb.”

Lord Patterson blinked, surprised now that he could see. Then seeing Anne, he jumped but uncertainly took the offered comb. “Oh, thank you sweet thing.”

“It’s Anne, actually. And you’re welcome.” She snapped her fingers, pointing at the water strider whose aggression lessened a tad. “Us girls gotta stick together when it comes to grooming and appearances, right?”

I can step on water surface tension using these tiny hairs. It’s not just for grooming. Yvette grumbled.

“Sure.” Anne snorted, offering a salute before walking out of there.

Lord Patterson continued to hold the item in disbelief while Yvette snuggled the frog.

Once leaving the tent Anne walked around, eyes wide with some of the creatures roaming free and interacting with amphibians. Anne saw some of the well-dressed frogs earlier standing beside these creatures, beaming with pride or retelling stories of their adventures. Anne noted the farmer frogs weren’t running and screaming or giving out wary looks too, which was so unfair.

Anne huffed and sidestepped the frogs who finished placing new stalls, as case in point, they looked at her with worry. Odd too, they were looking around her. Like they were expecting another person – oh yeah. Anne huffed again. They were probably looking for the ‘owner’ of this ‘beast’. Anne crossed her arms, tempted to kick one of the stalls out of spite.

And really, there were many stalls if Anne was being honest. From armor for both amphibians and creatures, to accessory and pampering stations. Other activities Anne could see also included sailing in the lake and skiing with a large…fish? Anne gaped, moving out of the splash of the water with a grunt. She turned to the areas assembled in the clearing. There were game booths like axe throwing, fishing pond, mosquito darts, beetle net hunt, and dunking berries.

Okay, Anne had to grin slightly. This was like the metaphorical baby of a county fair and zoo back home. Of course, with walking and talking frogs instead of earthlings but this was the closest thing to Anne’s home!

Anne breathed in and she was also surprised to find savory meals and snacks and drinks. Her stomach grumbled again, and she patted it in sympathy. Anne looked around, standing on her tippy toes and smiled when she and Sprig made eye contact at the same time. She saw Sprig waving at her, before pointing at the nacho flies. There was cheese staining his cheeks at this point. Anne laughed, waving and preparing to approach.

“This has to be a mistake. My family’s stall has been supplying protein snacks for the contestants for years.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Flour. But until we can know for sure, your stall is under inspection.”

Anne heard the conversation happening behind some stalls. Anne turned, spotting a blue frog wearing a baker’s apron. She furrowed her brows when the baker sighed before he nodded in understanding at the Sheriff.

“Let’s head down to the camp’s station and try to sort this out. Maybe you can help me make sense of some evidence too,” the Sheriff said.

Anne locked eyes with Sheriff Buck Leatherleaf, who merely tipped his hat at Anne upon spotting her, yet he said nothing else before dragging the baker away.

Anne raised a brow but before she could follow, she stopped when she felt three pairs of eyes staring at her next. Anne paused, looking down at the source. The source was tadpoles, a triplet of tadpoles, who rolled up to Anne. “Wow, Ginger, look at her,” a tadpole with a single curly strand of hair spoke first.

“What is it, Lavender?” Another tadpole, hairless this time, replied. Though not waiting for a response, she pointed at Anne. “Are you a weirdo?” Ginger asked.

Anne frowned. “Not gonna answer that. Hey!” Lavender the tadpole climbed on top of her, reaching Anne’s hair. Anne tried to call for Sprig, but he was busy indulging some nachos.

“Rosemary, she’s so fluffy!”

The last tadpole with three strands of hair, Rosemary, giggled and poked at Anne’s remaining shoe. “Her foot’s weird too.”

Anne frowned. “Okay personal space here – ow!” A tadpole pulled on her ear when Anne tried to remove the polliwog. Polly wasn’t this annoying! Anne grimaced again, then stifled a chuckle as a flipper poked her near her tickle spot. “Quit it! HAHAHHAAH!”

The tadpoles giggled, more flippers poking and coaxing more peals of laughter from Anne who couldn’t twist and duck out of the way. Some frogs came to watch, cooing at the sight and then murmuring amongst themselves about getting a turn while looking for the owner of the beast. Anne was too busy gasping from breath to correct them.

“Rosemary, Lavender, and Ginger Flour!” Another frog approached, about Sprig’s age. Anne had to freeze when she caught sight of her, uneasy with the sharp tools and – was that a bird skull? – hanging on her belt loop. The watching frogs also caught sight of the newcomer. They ran away instantly, whispering about the witch about to curse them for staring. The ‘witch’ ignored them, visible eye focusing on the tadpoles. “You three are in so much trouble when dad finds out you –

She paused, staring up at the Plantar Beast who was now wiping her eyes from the laughing tears.

“Girls. Don’t. Move.”

“What’s wrong Maddie?”

“We’re just playing with our new friend.”

“Even if she’s a weirdo.”

Anne saw the newcomer reaching for her pouch. She didn’t like the piercing look of the frog’s one visible eye. With a wheeze from the fading chuckles, Anne hurried to speak. “O-okay, tired of being… called a weirdo. Let’s introduce, phew, let’s introduce ourselves first before things get a bit out of hand.” She cleared her throat, recovering. “I’m Anne Boonchuy. Not Plantar Beast or Weirdo. And no – I don’t eat children.” Her eyes finally found Sprig’s eye, gesturing to her situation. Some help he was.

Sprig paused in shoveling cricket nachos into his mouth. Taking in the situation, Sprig swallowed before thanking Jiminy, pocketing something in his vest and nearly tripping before reaching the assembled group. “Hey, Maddie! And whatever Anne said, she’s right!” He burped, giving himself also a moment to think of something else. By now, he could understand the context of what’s happening at this point. “Sorry. But yeah, Anne’s just Anne. A friend. Oddity from another world, sure, but she doesn’t eat children –

“Or any amphibians,” Anne coughed.

- or amphibians.” Sprig smiled, waving his hand casually. He saw the leftover cheese and used his tongue to lick it clean. Nachos were the best, sue him. Anne grimaced while dusting herself off and picking herself off the ground.

Maddie frowned, lone visible eye looking at Sprig’s hand. The scar was more visible up close. The best friend duo winced with the pink frog explaining, “Ah, an accident. I…uh…”

“Psst. Tell her you fell.”

“Can you get scars when you do?”

“I don’t know. I panicked.”

“Ah, no worries.”

Maddie stared, unimpressed while the tadpoles rolled over to her side. “We can hear you two.” She sighed. “But, since my sisters are intact anyway, I guess I’m convinced.” She leaned closer, making Anne step back a little. “On an unrelated note, may I take a sample of your blood?”

“Uh,” Anne smiled nervously. “For what?”

Maddie glanced behind her, seeing the tadpoles looking at her in curiosity, then back to Anne. “Reasons.”

Sprig coughed, stepping forward. “Maybe we can put a raincheck on that. Oh, look. There’s Barry.” The aforementioned candy frog was carrying a box of sparkling blue berries. “He has the best candies in Wartwood, Anne. Let’s go.” He started pulling her away. “Talk to you soon, Maddie!”

Anne giggled and sheepishly waved goodbye to the Flour daughters. “Nice meeting you but I don’t want to lie so I do mean this has been a creepy and personal-space defiling but definitely interesting meeting!”

Maddie frowned while her sisters hopped over her shoulder. “Can we also get candy?”

“No.”

“How about an Anne?”

“No.”

“Juggle time then?”

“…fine.”

The triplets cheered while their big sister walked and juggled them. Maddie glanced behind her shoulder, narrowing one eye and accidentally making eye contact with Sprig. She looked away to return to their cabin, a blush hidden from the pink frog boy.

Said pink frog boy merely saw the eye contact and walked forward again, shivering. A beat passed and after peeking again, he concluded that they were sufficiently away from Maddie. Sprig sighed in relief while Anne raised a brow at the sound. She glanced behind her and then back to Sprig, seeing his uneasy body language.

Wait a minute. Could it be…Anne tried not to jump to conclusions. For one second. Anne lasted for one second then her brain jumped through many hoops before it did a split and waved a giant flag with the words ‘POTENTIAL SHIP!’ written in capital glittering letters.

Anne wiggled in place before she leaned down and smirked. “So, Wartwood has nice…kids around your age.” Anne needed to do more research. Compile all moments that these two interacted and talked and then analyze their reactions. Possibly even add the compatibility of all three frogs being in a relationship if the stars indeed aligned.

Sprig was oblivious to Anne’s scheming, suppressing another shiver. “You can admit she’s creepy. She can’t hear you right now, so she’ll possibly won’t kill you.” Sprig waved a hand away.

Anne was about to respond until they reached a stall. It was decorated to the brim with all sweet and sugary goodness. The frog behind the stall even seemed to match the aesthetic by giggling and pressing his hands to his cheeks, gasping at the duo’s arrival.

“Oh ho ho. Why if it isn’t Sprig Plantar and –

“Anne Boonchuy.” Anne didn’t know how many times she’d introduce herself but darn it, she would keep doing it until it would stick.

Barry blinked, not expecting to be interrupted. “My, oh my. Alrighty, ‘Anne’,” he giggled, bending down to whisper to Sprig. “How did you train her to talk?”

Sprig and Anne sighed. “She’s actually a person Barry. Not a beast.” 

“Sure sure,” the salesman then produced a set of lollipops from his hand. “Now before I was interrupted, I was going to show you my latest stock. Especially since, if I heard it right, you’ll be attending the main event tonight?”

Sprig and Anne exchanged looks. “Uh, yeah, we’re planning to have fun and maybe win it.”

“With a bit of aiming to win it,” Anne added while glancing around the inventory. There were a lot of sweets. Chocolates. Lollipops. Cotton candies. Candy canes. Caramel apples. There were even chocolate marshmallow bars! “Oh, Sprig, can we get some of these?”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Barry frowned, tutting at Anne before staring at Sprig. “While I do appreciate a sale I cannot in good faith allow you to feed some of these to your beast –

“Not a beast.”

- I also can’t have my business being slandered by a new case of beast sickness like the others. Hohoho.” Barry smiled, producing a jar of blue jelly. “Here, though. Blue-moon berry jelly. Best treat in the bizz through the years.”

Anne raised a brow at the news. “Gonna ignore the treat bit. Let’s focus on the first thing. There’s a bunch of other animals getting sick lately?”

Barry raised a brow. “You are very articulate.” He giggled, ignoring the glare upon patting Anne’s head. “But yes. Dreadful really.” Barry adjusted his hat before Anne could swat at him. “Rumor is The Flour’s Bread and Pastries stall, one that usually serves healthy snacks for the contestants you know, is under inspection when Lady Warthall’s White Millipede started coughing up a storm. Dark ichor too. So dreadful.”

Sprig and Anne exchanged looks. A wordless conversation was had before Sprig grasped Anne’s hand again. “Huh, well thanks for telling us, Barry.”

“Aw shucks, any time. Oh, and here, so you’ll have a Barry-good day hohoho! On the house,” he passed the treat and a lollipop to Sprig. “Good luck on the main event. Maybe even tell others about Barry’s Blue-moon berry jelly!”

The two waved goodbye before Anne hurriedly gripped Sprig’s shoulders. “Dude, you don’t think –

“That whatever’s going on is another clue to what we encountered last time?” Sprig gasped, pointing.

Anne matched his pointing. “And that whatever it is, we can solve our current case.” She and Sprig high-fived. “Oh yeah, baby. Spranne against the world!” First a potential ship, now a lead? This was shaping up to be a fun-filled weekend for Anne. Hakuna Matata Method, you never fail me. Anne gave herself a mental pat.

“Spranne against the world!” Sprig grinned, then blinked, waving the treat. “So, guess we don’t need this right? Totally forgot to buy you some nachos, sorry, but we can pass it by on the way to – where are we even going?”

Anne grinned. Perks of good hearing and tons of gossiping experience under her belt, Anne snapped her fingers to point at him. “I heard the baker’s heading to the camp station with the sheriff. We can stake it out.”

“Will we have time though?” Sprig pulled out another flyer from his vest pocket. “Jiminy gave me this. It’s the itinerary, I think?”

Anne squinted, not surprised that Sprig was given this at this point. Miffed? Definitely, but unsurprised. Reading the flyer, Anne realized there was an opening ceremony scheduled before the main event. “Oh, boo. Can’t we just skip it? It’s like orientations and junk, right?” Anne knew she had skipped out on a lot of those in her time.

“I don’t know.” Sprig scratched his head. “We might draw more attention if we don’t attend.” He pointed at the paper. “Apparently that’s where they introduce the contestants of the main event.”

Anne groaned. “Then before it starts it is! Come on!” Maybe if they were quick, they could find time searching for clues. Anne could also get in writing scenarios and ideas on how Sprig could confess his love to Ivy, or Maddie. Or both! Anne giggled, rubbing her hands together. Coming up with a ship name is the best part too! Sprivy? Spraddie? Spraddivy?

Sprig though, was unaware of his best friend’s plotting. “Okay, but can we find Hop Pop and Polly first? We should tell them where we’re going before they freak out.”

Anne pouted. Especially when hearing that name brought an unpleasant feeling again. Anne then squashed it before using her new ship’s canons to set it on fire and sink it to the depths that Anne fondly called the Compartmentalizing Sea.

“Ugh, fine,” she said, indifferently.

A well-dressed frog wearing purple and white finery stopped in front of a lavishly built and structured cabin. It took a long while to reach it, but Hop Pop hoped it was worth the aching knees and joints as they all finished the climb. The servant leading Hop Pop and Polly then opened the door. “On behalf of House Warthall, we hope the accommodations are to your liking.”

“Phew, thank you. Thought we won’t have a spot left, honestly.” Hop Pop then whistled at the fancy cabin provided. The interior itself seemed to shine, practically or metaphorically shouting to the heavens ‘I’m rich. In your face’ that made anyone who looked agree. “Swanky.”

Polly giggled and jumped on the bed, calling it hers.

“Anything else you need, Mr. Plantar? I have been tasked to ensure your weekend stay will be a memorable one. Though Lady Irene requests you join her for lunch if you are able.”

“Oh?” Hop Pop hummed, while Polly raised a brow. “If this is about the land discussion we had last year, I’ll have to politely decline. Though she’s welcome to pop in if she really thinks it’s an emergency.”

“As she expected. Good day.”

Polly hopped on the next bed, landing with a soft bounce. “For someone who fears the rich, you sure are chummy with them.”

Hop Pop chuckled. “I just know how to handle them back in the day, though it’s not the same as being comfortable.”

“Mysterious. Anyway, what’s that talk about the land?” There was a knock. “Hop Pop. Door.”

Hop Pop opened the door to let their luggage in, tipping the helpers when they were done. “Well, bout time you learn a bit about our family trade. See, while some farms here are owned by the townies, we’re one of the few lucky farmers who own our land. Course every year you have to prove it, and that’s what I do on the Annual Crop Conventions held at Swamp Shire.”

Polly faux snored.

Hop Pop sighed. “One of these days I’ll get you kids interested in what I do.”

“But that day is not today,” Polly then sighed. “Anyway, you can now admit you caught on to what Sprig and I’ve been doing this whole morning. Your smug smile is super annoying.”

Hop Pop chuckled. “Yeah, the manipulation almost worked until you kids misplaced my prized Ribbiton Ribbons. Why would Anne take them, anyway?”

Polly groaned. “I told Sprig that part was left out of the plan.” She then waved a flipper. “But can you blame us? We just want you two to get along again. But you’re making it difficult. Ideally it should just be one of you but you’re both doing it.” Polly pointed at him, giving him the stink-eye while he unpacked one bag. “Don’t think I don’t know you’re still holding on to some secrets, Hop Pop. I’m more perceptive than Sprig.”

“And at times I find that a curse than a blessing,” Hop Pop scratched his head. “Look, it’s somewhat sweet what you two are doing but it’s really not that simple.”

“You can make it simple.”

“I wish. But there’s forces out here and there that’s…complicated. I tried my best to keep my family out of it.” A mirror fell out of the bags Hop Pop was sorting. He saw his reflection and sighed. “I’m…not mad that she lied or kept it secret for long.” Was he though? Hop Pop had a hard time telling. He sighed again. “But I’m more furious about her getting the box and how careless it was hidden.”

Polly crossed her flippers. “In Anne’s defense I did take it to my room.”

“Because you spotted it easy enough.”

Polly huffed. “I cannot believe we’re having this kind of problem all for some dumb box. The thing is just from a bunch of old stories,” she eyed him when he didn’t correct her. Still, she saw the way his hand clenched around his cane. “But if it’s true then, Anne probably didn’t mean to steal that thing specifically. Shoplifting’s not really a clear plan-to-execution thing if one’s desperate. Don’t ask how I know that, by the way.”

“Obviously.” Hop Pop sighed. “Intended or not, Polly, that thing should have never been opened to begin with. Now it’s causing trouble.” About right near his doorstep too if his hunch will be right. Glad at least we’re not at home for the meantime, he mused.

“Just over this one box?” Polly scoffed.

“More like the kind of trouble involving people who know that it exists for real,” Hop Pop’s eyes glanced at his cane’s engraving. He scratched his head. “Please, Polly. Let’s just change the subject.”

“…fine.” Polly huffed. A beat passed. Hop Pop managed to unpack two bags now before Polly spoke again, “How about the issue with the stand thing? How are we going to fix that?”

Hop Pop wilted, dropping his scale model of the Green Lady ship. “Can we also not talk about that?” He rubbed his toes before he picked it up and placed it on the nightstand.

“Nope.”

The elder sighed, scratching his head while unpacking his ascots. “Okay, I should have expected that. Anyway. There are about three options I can choose. I could take a loaner –

“Not with that Loan Program!” Polly warned.

- I know. Thanks for that heads up. That’s one though. Another is considering leaving Wartwood for a while. Not far, but I know some contacts who owe me favors back in the day.” He eyed her. “But that would mean leaving you kids alone with the farm, and I don’t know how to feel about that.”

Polly raised a brow. “Okay, we’ll consider that Plan B. What’s the last option?”

“I…accept Lady Jacinda’s offer of a courtship. Then possibly marriage.”

“What the heck!?”

Hop Pop sharply turned to Polly, about to scold her but she was only gaping in incredulity. He processed the voice and then turned towards the doorway, seeing Sprig and Anne and with a box of nachos on the floor.

Hop Pop gasped, pointing at Anne. “Did you teach my boy horrible words?!”

“Dude, I’m surprised as you!” Anne glared and then pouted upon spotting the nachos on the floor. Poor nachos.

Sprig shook his head, going over to grip his grandfather’s shoulders to shake him. “Hop Pop, you can’t accept Jacinda’s offer! She’s evil!”

Hop Pop took the shaking in stride. “No, she’s rich. There’s a difference. I think.”

Anne added her two cents, gesticulating wildly. “Why the heck would she even wanna date you? Aren’t you like a hundred years old?”

“Not helping your case and I am a crisp sixty-six!” Hop Pop floundered.

Polly finally kickstarted her brain, laughing loudly. “I’m waiting for the punchline, Hop Pop. Any time now.” He remained serious, making the tadpole deflate. “Oh.”

Hop Pop shook his head, stomping his foot. “Look, all attacks on my eligibility and attractiveness aside, I think this is the lesser of three evils.”

“Aha! So you do admit she’s evil!”

“Figure of speech, bro.”

“Drat.”

Anne approached, kneeling beside the elder frog. “Look, HP. I know we have our differences right now, but it doesn’t mean I want you to go through with something like this.” Anne snorted. “This should be romantic and junk. Not professional and boring.”

Hop Pop stared, unimpressed. “You had me on the first half, not gonna lie.” He sighed, massaging his temple. “I don’t know how they do these things back in your world, Anne, but round here sometimes marriage can be a convenience. Who knows, maybe Jacinda and I could learn to l – ” Hop Pop choked on the word. “L-L –

“You can’t even say it!” Sprig, Anne, and Polly griped.

“I know! But I’m desperate alright!” Hop Pop sat down. “We can’t afford to lose the stand, but I don’t know how we’re going to come up with that much money by the end of the month.”

“Huh, well the old man’s got a point,” Polly grimaced. Anne crossed her arms, pursing her lips.

“Then, then,” Sprig fumbled, looking around for a sign or anything he could – Anne’s magazine! He jumped, reaching for the magazine jutting out of Anne’s backpack. “Then I’ll be the sugar baby!”

Anne winced. “Maybe I shouldn’t have shown you that part of the magazine.”

Hop Pop scowled. “And like heck I’m going to let Jacinda court you!”

Polly coughed. “You said a horrible word.”

Sprig shook his head. “No, not Jacinda. Ivy Sundew!” Sprig pressed a fist to his heart, standing tall. “With Anne’s romance advice, I can win Ivy over and save our stand!”

“Dude, doing that – while somewhat noble – is so not romantic!” Anne gaped. She hurriedly turned to Hop Pop. “HP, do something!”

“Don’t shout at me, Anne,” Hop Pop then frowned at his grandson. “And why Ivy Sundew specifically, boy?”

Sprig blushed at that question. Honestly it was just the first name that popped into his mind. “Uh, I don’t know. I mean the Sundews are well-off and –

“Aha!” Anne interrupted, pointing. “You do like Ivy!” A beat and then she frowned. “While that makes me feel some form of validation, this is still not going the way I wanted it to go.”

“But it is to me!” Hop Pop’s eyes watered before he hugged his grandson. “I can’t believe it. All this time thinking I have to look for a perfect match, but there you are doing it yourself.”

Polly deadpanned, “Are we seriously going to let my brother do this?”

“Polly’s right. Why stop at the Sundews? I heard the Flours are more fortunate!”

No. No. No. Anne liked her ship becoming canon like any other shipper, but this was not how she wanted it to go. There should be flowers! Confessions! Daring adventures of romance and drama! Not this boring sack of doing it for a good cause! Anne harrumphed, crossing her arms. “Well, I’m not going to let my advice be misused like this.”

“Hmph, one would think you’re going to be the number one supporter on this,” Hop Pop commented. Then he shrugged, waving his new handstitched banner. “Guess that’s my title now. Heh heh!”

“What the – how did you make that so fast?!”

“I have talents that attracted my fair share of admirers!”

“Fine! Now I’m weirdly more invested because I hate losing!”

“Why are we even yelling!”

“I don’t know but I’m winning!”

“No you’re not!”

“I think I’m already having second thoughts.” Sprig sat down next to his sister, twiddling his thumbs. “But at least they’re in a truce kind of thing now?”

Polly sighed, resting her cheek on her flipper. “I’m too uninterested for this.” She also hated how she missed out on sleep when the solution turned out to be simple in the end.

Just have the two project their missed love opportunities on Sprig. Go figure.

Jacinda hummed as she walked up to her cottage. While she deplored the pests and tomfoolery she was seeing, at least she had a place away from all that. Her eyes then caught movement and she pursed her lips.

Unfortunately, it didn’t mean that pests would entirely be avoided.

The purple newt gestured to the guards and servants, pointing at her luggage. Then another maid approached to provide her with new slippers. All frogs and newts hastily tried to follow after the retired emissary entering the drawing room. “Leave me. Have lunch prepared for me in, shall we say, a few minutes.”

Jacinda then closed and locked the door, rolling her eyes at their scrambling. She clasped her hands together, narrowing her gaze over her shoulder. “Next time, avoid sneaking up on me like that, Gary.” They were meeting a bit earlier than scheduled.

“Sorry, my spores sometimes alter the perception of time. Blame the psilocybin.” The hooded figure waved a careless hand away. “Anyway, just wanted to report in. Heh, get it? Report in?” Gary removed his hood, presenting the purple eyed gaze of the reporter’s body. “No? Lady you are a tough crowd. And I should know, it’s starting to get crowded in here.” Gary giggled, tapping his temple.

On another day, Jacinda would have more patience for this thing’s humor. Right now, she would not suffer the lackadaisical way she was appraised. What were her colleagues thinking using this thing anyway? What was the point of sending this fungal annoyance beside cleaning up trash?

Unless …it was to show Jacinda was being replaced. She managed to stifle a scowl, masking her expression into a neutral one as she smiled tightly. “Hilarious. Now that that is settled, what else do you need? I have my own assignments after you failed yours.”

“Well, Cindy, can I call you Cindy? What the heck I’ll just call you Cindy.” Gary smirked. “For your information Cindy, I didn’t. While the reporter did spill the beans, you’ll find the frogs here are just content stepping on them last I checked. And I did check. Twice.”

Jacinda pursed her lips. “Oh? I was not made aware of that fact.”

“Cause you aren’t built for fieldwork.” Gary sat down, crossing one leg over the other. “Plus, maybe if you got one of these,” he patted one of the mushrooms, “you’ll get the news faster. Instant messaging is the future than letters nowadays.”

Jacinda finally scowled. “Well, thank you for that information. You may go.”

“Eh, hold on there. Can’t a mind-controlling mushroom catch a break? I mean it is the weekend.” He glanced down to the opened balcony doors, spotting the hustle and bustle of Wartwood. “This looks fun.”

“Absolutely not. You may interfere with my assignment.”

“Which is?”

Jacinda scoffed, moving towards the Flipwart table and assembling the pieces. She then lifted the Bishop, placing it next to the Heron Rider. “I’m not one to spoil surprises, Gary.”

“Hmm, figures.” Gary then stood, clapping his hands and smiling. “At least you gotta tell me how long did you even have the robes I used for? And how did you know they would trick the reporter?”

Jacinda scoffed again. “Let’s just say the skeletons in one’s closet have no longer a use for them, and we’ll leave it at that.” She folded her hands. “Now indulge me with a query of my own. What on Amphibia have you told your vessel? It must have been a long distraction for your spores to kick in.”

Gary shrugged. “Eh to put is as vaguely as your answers,” the mushroom smiled cheerily, “everyone wants to think they’re special one way or another. That something they do will always be worth something.” He picked up the Tower piece, ignoring the other’s affronted look as Gary fiddled with it. “What life doesn’t tell you, that it’s only about the select few who are. Who are truly superior, in a sense.” He eyed Jacinda. “That’s what my kind failed to see. Which led to their capture.” The piece was placed back down. “And to my freedom.”

Jacinda raised a brow. “Truly. Selling out your entire race to my king is indeed diabolical. The rumors do you no justice.” Her eyes then narrowed. “It can’t help but make one also think you might repeat that decision, should it suit you.”

“Milady.” Gary pressed a hand to his chest. “You should also know that I will always be loyal to the winning side.” Gary bowed humbly at the end of that statement.

Jacinda nodded. “Hmm, backing the wrong beast is often a mistake made by fools.” She steepled her fingers, still glaring.

“Luckily,” Gary cheerily stated, “we are not.”

The ground started to shake, but the two did not break their staring contest. From the view of the opened balcony doors, from high above this hilled cottage within Camp Phlegmington, the mountains surrounding the valley started slowly clearing.

Jacinda captured the opponent’s g-pawn piece. “Indeed.”