Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Anne was knocked to the ground as the Tax Toads began to move back to the Plantars.

"Now that she's been dealt with, let talk." Bog said, raising his weapon to the Plantars as the town looked on in horror.

Before he could use his weapon he was tackled by a furry creature that held him to the ground and bit down on his arm.

"AAAAAAAAH!" He screamed in pain, feeling his blood gushing as he looked at the strange beast!

The town looked at the beast, seeing a large Northwestern wolf, with dark brown fur that became lighter near its stomach. The wolf let go of Bog and ran over to put itself between the Plantars and the Toads. It growled and barked at the Toads, it's message loud and clear.

'Leave them alone! GET OUT!'

Bog looked at his blood fall on the ground and then back at the wolf.

"Kill it!" He said.

Fens and Mire looked to each other before rushing at the wolf with their weapons at the ready.

"Grrr!" The wolf growled before charging at the two toads.

They weren't ready for its speed, as it easily managed to avoid their weapon strikes and then jump on Fens. It then jumped off her and onto Mire. The wolf knocked him to the ground and then turned back to Bog. The wolf growled as Bog held his weapon.

"Fine then, I'll deal with you personally." He said.

He charged at the wolf, but the wolf was smarter than that. She knew that she had the advantage. She sprinted at him, and then jumped over him. Bog was confused and turned around, only to get punched and knocked to the ground.

"Stay down." Anne said as lightning flashed behind her, illuminating her eyes, which were still a wolf's eyes, "I promise you won't get the chance to leave if you get back up."

"W-What? But I knocked you out!" Bog says before looking around, not seeing the wolf anymore! "And where did that damn beast get off too?!"

"You're looking at her." Anne said with a small growl.

"I'm a predator, a beast like you've never seen before." Anne said, "I will not hesitate to destroy you if you ever try and mess with my frog family again, and you better hope my pack doesn't find out."

She wasn't going to mention that her pack was still in the Human World, she just needed to get a little fear into him.

"You-"

Anne quickly shifted back into a wolf and growled at him. She wasn't afraid of hurting him, but focusing on him, resulted in Mire slamming a hammer against Anne's front leg. She let out a yelp before she was hit in the side by the hammer. She was knocked to the side and shifted back, unable to hold the form while in pain like this.

"Not so tough now, are you beast?" Bog asked, smirking, "Let's finish this."

Before he could raise his weapon, he was hit by a rock. He turned and saw the towns folk grabbing whatever they could to throw at the toads.

"You get away from her!" Wally said.

"That's our human you're messing with!" Felicia Sundew shouted!

Anne smiled, even after learning her secret they would defend her. Suddenly Sprig came out of the woods.

"Stop everything!" He shouted, getting everyone's attention! "I know what happened to the town's tax money! The original money!"

He brought them to the statue. Fens slammed a hammer against it and statue, breaking it and revealing dozens of coins.

Everyone gasped at the sight of the coins before they glared at the person that had the statue made, Mayor Toadstool!

"You stole our tax money!"

"You we're gonna let them repo your own citizens?!"

"This is low even for a toad!"

"Uh... as Mayor, I pardon myself." Toadstool said, before running off.

A mob formed to chase after him, while the Plantars were checking on Anne.

"Are you okay, Anne?" Hop Pop asked.

"Yeah... my arm hurts though." Anne said.

Hop Pop took a look.

"Good news, it's not broken, bad news, it'll probably be in a cast for a few days, maybe a week." He said, "What about your ribs? You were hit pretty hard there when you were that... thing."

Anne let out a pained breath and lifted the side of her shirt to reveal a large dark purple bruise that took up most of her side.

"Oh, that's pretty bad, but nothing a few days of bed rest and some medicine can't fix." Hop Pop said.

Anne smiled and put her shirt down.

"Now that that's out of the way... WHAT WAS THAT!?" Polly asked, "You became some kind of... creature! It was awesome!"

"She did what?" Sprig asked, not being there for the fight.

"Anne turned into some fury creature with glowing eyes and sharp teeth! She beat the toads easy before they got the drop on her!" Polly said with excitement.

"But I'm just as curious as well, can all humans turn into animals?" Hop Pop asked as he helped Anne stand up.

Anne used her good arm and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Yeah... we have these things called Spirit Animals that we can become." Anne said, "Mine is a wolf, an apex predator. I was trying not to use it here because everyone was pretty nervous around me when I got here, I didn't want to cause any other problems."

"Well, that explains the fur that keeps appearing in the basement." Hop Pop said.

"Yeah, sorry." Anne said sheepishly, "I tend to shed when it gets humid."

"But it's always humi- OH!" Sprig said with his finger out. "But how are you not bald?"

"There's a difference between hair and fur, plus it always grows back when I transform." Anne said as she saw the toads returning everything they repossessed.

"Come on, Anne, let's go get your arm and ribs wrapped up." Hop Pop said, "Kids, you help return the stuff."

"You got it, Hop Pop." Sprig and Polly said.

"I guess I won't be able to shift for a while." Anne said, "Don't know how my body would react to shifting while injured."

"I was thinking the exact same thing." Hop Pop said as he helped Anne back to the house, going slow to not aggravate her side wound.

Hop Pop got Anne inside and had her sit on the couch.

"Now, I'll go get something to wrap your arm and ribs in, just stay here and be careful."

"I will, don't worry." Anne said.

Hop Pop nodded to Anne as he went to get the bandages, leaving Anne to lean back on the couch and breath easily.

"I'm a lone wolf... away from my pack." Anne said, looking out the window at the sky, "How am I meant to find you guys if I can't even handle a few toads with my Spirit Animal?"

A wolf getting beat by toads, it would make Anne laughingstock if her family heard about this. Even if the toads were man sized, a wolf should never lose to an amphibians!

"Anne, I'm back with the... what's wrong?" Hop Pop asked.

"It's nothing." Anne said.

"Anne, I know a lie when I here it, come on, tell your Hop Pop what the problem is."

Anne sighed.

"In my world, Wolves are meant to be pack hunters." Anne said, "I tried fighting on my own and I lost, I'm not a predator that can hunt and fight by themselves, I'm not... A wolf isn't meant to be alone. I couldn't even beat a bunch of stupid toads."

"Anne, I want you to know, it doesn't matter if you're alone or not, all that matters is what you're fighting for." Hop Pop said, "What were you fighting for against the toads?"

"I was fighting for Wartwood, for the people, for this family."

"And that's what matters. It doesn't matter if you fight alone or with someone, as long as you're fighting for others, you will never truly be alone."

Anne smiled at his words, feeling more at ease and comfort. Maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought it was. After she got wrapped up, Anne went to help unload the stuff the Toads took, after that, Hop Pop wants her to rest.

"Now don't push yourself, Anne. Only light lifting." Hop Pop said as he walked with Anne.

"I know, Hop Pop. Don't worry, I know my limits." Anne said to him.

Anne slowly helped return all the items. The toads got into their wagon with the money and began to leave.

"So, do we tell General Grime about what happened?" Fens asked Bog as she drove the cart.

"Of course, we do." He said as he nursed his bandaged arm, the one Anne bit into. "He and the Lieutenant will want to know everything."

They rode to Toad Tower, which was fairly bare, but there was a noise coming from deep in the tower. It was clear there was a duel going on. They walked down and found the fighting ring, seeing several toads on the ground and a large creature on its hind legs. It roared and Grime clapped eagerly.

"Well done, Lieutenant!" Grime said, "Now if only all the toads had abilities like these!"

The creature turned to Grime and walked towards him, revealing to be a large, brown, grizzly bear before it began to change and become a blonde girl in a battle armor.

"I know, right? Most people would kill for a spirit animal like mine but they can't be as lucky." She said while popping her neck.

"Captain Grime." Bog said, "We've come back from the frog town, we found out the mayor was hiding the tax money."

"Ah, typical, I've never liked that Toadstool, I don't trust him." Grime said, "But, as long as he keeps those frogs in line, he can keep playing his little games."

"That's not all, we learned something important... there's a Human there."

"A human?" Grime said in surprise.

"A human?!" Sasha asked in shock, rushing to Bog. "What did she look like?!"

"She looked similar to you but with brown skin and a head of hair like a bush. She actually helped us repo the town before she defended them by turning into some hairy, four legged creature." Bog said before pointing to his injury. "Nearly bit my arm off, too."

"Anne." Sasha said.

Sasha smiled before frowning; she was happy to know Anne was alright but upset that she was siding with the frogs.

"We need to get her." Sasha said.

"In time." Grime said, "Sending an army to a town that had a hostile moment with the tax collectors would only create chaos throughout the valley. We need to wait and then strike, lure them into a false sense of security."

Sasha growled like a bear but she knew he was right, just barging in to town and demanding Anne would only end barely. They may have just been frogs but they were stronger if they banded together and had a good enough reason to fight.

'Don't worry, Anne, we'll be reunited soon.'

Chapter Text

The next day, Anne was sitting on the couch, using her good arm to play on her phone.

"Breakfast is almost ready, Anne." Hop Pop said from the kitchen.

"I'm coming, Hop Pop." Anne said, "Need any help?"

"No, you just rest, don't want your arm to get any worse." Hop Pop said.

"It's not a big deal, HP, it's not like I was mauled or anything." Anne said, "I can at least move the plates to the table."

Anne put her phone away and got up, holding her side a bit as it was bandaged under her shirt. It wasn't as bad as before, but it was still tender.

"Geez, frog forbid you get mauled." Hop Pop said, "Here, I'll let you carry the plates to the table, but one painfilled groan, and you're sitting down."

"Okay, deal." Anne said as she went to grab the plates, bringing them to the table.

She set them down and began to set them down on the table. It was easy enough and not too strenuous. Anne could tell Hop Pop was listening the entire time, just wanting to make Anne sit down and rest. Too bad for him she had finished without any sign of pain.

"Told you." Anne said.

"Very good, Anne." Hop Pop said.

Hop Pop went back to cutting, and Anne's face turned to a look of pain. She was good at keeping pain hidden, but she defiantly didn't expect her ribs to still hurt this much.

'Keep it together. Just take it a bit easier from now on.' Anne thought with some breathes before taking a seat at the table.

"So, where are Sprig and Polly? Doing some chores?" Anne asked.

"Yeah, they should be in any second." Hop Pop said.

There was a crash and Hop Pop and Anne looked at each other.

"I think they're coming." Anne said.

Right on cue, Sprig and Polly rushed to the table for breakfast and sat in both sides of Anne.

"Hi, Anne!" They both said.

Hop Pop sighed, he'd figure out what broke later.

"Hey, guys." Anne said with a wave of her good arm.

"So, how're you feeling, Anne?" Sprig asked.

"Doing pretty good. Not one hundred percent but I'm still good." Anne said as she held up her broken arm.

She moved it a little too far.

"Ow." She said, "Okay, maybe, I'm not doing THAT good, but I'm still doing good."

"And that just means you need more rest." Hop Pop said to her, walking to the table with breakfast.

"I know HP." Anne said, "Man, I really want to heal up, it would be cool to run through the woods in my Spirit Animal without having to hide."

"Could you take us with you?!" Polly asked.

"Yeah, that sounds so cool!" Sprig said with a smile.

"No sprinting." Hop Pop said as he passed out breakfast to all of them, "Besides, that's a while from now, she still has to heal enough to get the cast off."

"Okay, Hop Pop." They said before looking at breakfast.

It looked like a type of stew filled with beans, bugs, and more meat than usual.

'He must've taken my diet into thought.' Anne thought, since predators needed more meat than most, 'That was thoughtful.'

"By the way, Anne, everyone in town has been talking about you." Sprig said to her.

"Really? Anything good or bad?" Anne asked before taking a bite of her stew.

"Well, nothing bad, but just be aware, when you're healed, you may want to be prepared to answer a lot of questions." Sprig said.

"Mostly from Maddie, that girl has been FREAKING out since you revealed your spirit animal magic or whatever she said." Polly said.

"Yeah, probably should've expected that." Anne said.

"These also Ivy, she wonders what kind of adventures you've been on before coming here." Sprig brought up.

"Oh, boy, that's going to be a long explanation." Anne said.

"How long?" Sprig asked.

"Possibly hours at best." Anne said as she ate more stew, enjoying the meat more than the bugs.

All she had to do was wait a few more days and then she can get her cast off. But what would she do until then? She was going to have to stay inside and not move.

'Oh, god, it's like when I was a pup all over again.' Anne thought, 'At least this time I can see and hear.'

Becoming your spirit animal at a young age can be cool but it can be hard to properly control with little to no experience. Especially if you're like Anne, who was part of the population that was born while her mom was in her Spirit Animal form, which means she was also born as her Spirit Animal. Still, it was better than Marcy, she had to hatch out of an egg. Once breakfast was done, Anne was brought back to the couch and back in her phone to pass the time. It was going to be a long week.

Chapter Text

After the week was done, Anne watched the cast come off with glee.

"Finally!" Anne said, before shifting into her Spirit Animal.

She howled with joy as she stretched in her wolf form, making sure she was limber enough for a quick run now that her side and arm were healed.

"Now hold on Anne, don't go out and run. You just healed." Hop Pop said.

Anne looked down.

"I just don't want you to get hurt again, why don't you go out and hang out in the town, show everyone that you're healed."

Anne whined before turning back, sighing because she knew Hop Pop was right. A small period of hanging out could be good for her.

"Okay, Hop Pop." Anne said as she walked to the door with Sprig and Polly, "Come on guys, let's go walk around town."

"Sure! We can stop by Maddie and Ivy along the way." Sprig said with a smile.

"Yeah... that's not going to be fun."

Maddie, she was just a little too creepy at times but she had a good heart. And Ivy, she was like Sprig except more fearless and hungry for adventure! They can also be a little much, since Anne had a feeling they would be asking her about her Spirit Animal and... possibly things that would help them on their own "Special" interest.

'I better mentally prepare.' Anne thought as the trio walked out of the house and walked through Wartwood.

As they walked through Wartwood, Anne was greeted by the towns people.

"Hey, Anne! Glad to see you're alright!"

"How's your side? I could give you a remedy for it."

"Way to go for showing those toads what for!"

"Wow, that's a lot different than a week ago." Anne said.

"Well, what do you expect, you helped the town from those toads." Polly said.

"You're basically a celebrity now." Sprig said with a smile.

"Man, that's really cool." Anne said, "I finally belong here."

"You always belonged here, as least to me." Sprig said with a smile.

"Thanks, Sprig."

"AMBUSH!"

Sprig was quickly knocked to the ground by Ivy, who seemingly fell out of the sky.

"Ahahahahahaha!" Polly laughed at her older brother.

"I got you again, Sprig!" Ivy said before noticing Polly and Anne. "Anne! You're better!"

"Yep, got full movement of my arm." Anne said, moving her arm to prove it.

"Cool! So, sorry if this is random, but….can I ask you something?" Ivy asked.

'Just like Sprig said.' Anne thought.

"Go right ahead." Anne said to her.

"How does your spirit animal work?"

Anne had to admit... she had no clue, no one really knows where it came from, it's just... been something people have been able to do since long before the Middle Ages.

'I suppose I could try to make something up to sound official or real.' Anne thought.

"Honestly, I have no idea but I have a theory." Anne said as she scratched her head. "Legends says that spirits animals a spirits which help guide or protect people on a journey. Over time, humanity began to connect further with their spirit animals until one day, we found that our connection grew so deep, we were able to become them. For me, my culture is very close and supportive of each other, so our spirit animals are wolves. "It's just... been like that. It has been that way for... thousands of years."

"Whoa!" Ivy said with awe, her eyes wide in wonder.

"That's so cool, Anne!" Sprig said.

'Yeah, it totally isn't made up.' Anne thought.

"Can you tell us what other spirit animals humans can turn into?" Polly asked.

"Yeah, yeah! What else have you seen before?" Ivy asked.

"Well, I really only know my friend's forms." Anne said, "Like I said, my culture/family is a giant wolf pack, but other than that, I don't really know."

"Oh? What do your friends turn into?" Ivy asked.

"Well, my friend Sasha is a bear, and my friend Marcy is a bird."

"Oooh, cool!…..What's a bear?" Polly asked as they continued through town.

"It's a large animal, with claws that could separate your limbs from your body." Anne said, "Something you never want to mess with."

"Cool!" Ivy said, thinking the beast would be cool to see and to fight!

"Tell me more."

The group jumped as they turned to see Maddie standing next to them, not noticing her there at all!

"Maddie, where did you come from?!" Sprig shouted in surprise.

"You just arrived at the bakery." Maddie said as she gestured to her family's bakery.

"Oh, I didn't notice." Sprig said

"So, keep talking, I want to hear all about Spirit Animals." Maddie said.

"Yeah, tell that cool origin story again!" Ivy said with a smile.

'Oh, geez, I have to lie to another child?' Anne thought.

"Alright." Anne said, "Legends says that spirits animals a spirit which help guide or protect people on a journey. Over time, humanity began to connect further with their spirit animals until one day, we found that our connection grew so deep, we were able to become them."

"Fascinating." Maddie said with a smile. "Go on."

"Well, some people can pass on their Spirit Animals to their kids, for example back home, I'm part of a massive pack of wolves."

"How many?" Maddie asked.

"About 80 or so, I haven't counted in a long time." Anne said with a shrug, "And that's not counting the babies and children, or the pack leaders."

"What the pack leaders?" Sprig asked.

"They're the oldest, the leaders of the pack, they make all the decisions of the tribe." Anne said, "Interesting fact, my grandmother is actually the head of it."

"Wow, so you're... royalty?" Polly said.

"I mean... I guess." Anne said, "My mom is meant to take her place within the next year, and then after her it's my turn, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that."

"You're gonna be a pack leader some day? That's so cool!" Ivy said to her.

"And I'm sure you'll be a great leader, Anne!" Sprig said with a thumbs up.

"Compared to how the rest of them are, I don't think so." Anne said, "They've done a lot of great things and I'm... just not like them."

"Of course you're not. You're you, just be that." Maddie said.

Anne smiled.

"Thanks Maddie."

Maybe she had a point.

Chapter Text

Later, as they walked around town, they were stopped by Loggle who randomly measured Anne.

"Uh... what's going on?" Anne asked.

"It's a surprise." Loggle said.

"Okay…..but can you stop? It's a little creepy." Anne said to him.

"Sorry, just a bit more and….done." Loggle said before he went back to his store. "Carry on."

"Does anyone know what that's about?" Anne asked.

"Nope." Polly and Sprig said.

"Not really." Ivy said.

"Loggle is a bit strange to me." Maddie said, causing everyone to look at her. "Yeah, I said it. I'm not ashamed."

"I mean, can't deny that." Sprig said, "You remember that muscular wooden statue he made of himself?"

"I try to forget about it." Anne said.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Ivy said with a nod.

"I was haunted by that." Maddie said as they continued to walk through town. "So, Anne, think you can give us an up-close view of how you hunt?"

"Wow... uh... that depends." Anne said, "I would need something that isn't too dangerous, a wolf is a pack hunter, so it would have to be something not much bigger than I am."

"What about a grub hog?"

"A grub hog? Like the one from Grubhog day?" Anne asked.

"Yep. It's the most harmless creature around these parts, should be the easiest prey a predatory could hunt alone." Ivy said to her.

"I guess that would work." Anne said, "Come on, let's get to the woods."

The amphibian kids nodded in excitement as they went into the woods with Anne, who shifted into her wolf form and began stalking around.

"Fascinating." Maddie said as she pulled out a notebook, writing down what Anne was doing.

She began sniffing the air and got low to the ground slowly approaching. She hoped that the grubhog wouldn't notice her, since wolves were ambush predators, if she gets spotted then her hunt is ruined. She came upon a bush and got ready to attack when the bush hissed. Anne suddenly had a bad feeling about this, even more when something came out from the bush... it was a giant red mantis.

'Oh, that's not good.' Anne thought.

"ROOOOOH!" It roared as it swung, making Anne jumped back to dodge as she growled at it.

"A mantis?!" Sprig said in shock.

Anne put herself between the group and the mantis. Looks like the hunt for a prey just turned into a battle between predators! Anne let out a bark, directed at Sprig, indicating that he needed to get the others out of here.

The mantis roared again as it charged, making Anne charge as well! The red mantis slashed but Anne dodged between its legs, biting and ripping one off! The mantis retaliates with another strike, this time hitting Anne and knocking her to the ground. Anne whined in pain but powered through it and moved from under the mantis to jump and bite one of its arms! It began to shake its arm, trying to get Anne off. As this happened, Sprig, Polly, Ivy, and Maddie returned with some of the adults. The Mantis slammed Anne against a tree. In exhaustion, Anne shifted back to her normal form. The mantis turned its attention to the group of adults and began moving towards it. Anne saw this and picked herself up, grabbing an old farming hoe that was on the ground nearby. She ran at it and jumped, slamming the hoe blade through its chest.

"ROOOOOH!" It roared in pain as it tried to shake Anne off, but the human girl wasn't letting go before using her strength to force it to the ground!

She pulled the hoe out and then swung at it's head, cutting it off. Anne fell to her knees and looked around.

"Is... is everyone okay?" Anne asked.

Anne was immediately swarmed by the townsfolk, all trying to make sure she was okay.

"Us?! You take on a red mantis and you're worried about us?!" Felicia Sundew asked.

"Kid, you've got guts but not a lot of brains!" Ms. Croaker said as she tapped Anne's head with her cane.

"Well, I couldn't let the mantis hurt anyone, especially Sprig, Polly, and the rest of the kids." Anne said.

Hearing their names, the group of kids rushed to Anne and hugged her. The adults thought this was adorable, but also saw Anne was bleeding and went over and helped her.

"Come on, let's go get that covered." Felicia said, "I have a kit at the tea shop. Ivy, come with us, you can help."

"Okay, mom." Ivy said as she and the other helped Anne stand up and guided her back into town.

All that recovering and Anne was back to being patched up. At least this time it was just some small cuts, nothing major.

The Sundews and the Plantars were now inside the tea shop as Felicia and Ivy were patching up Anne, seeing her cuts shut while bandaging any bruises.

"I told you to take it easy and the next thing I know, you fight a red mantis." Hop Pop said.

"We didn't expect to run into one, Maddie just wanted to see how I hunted. I was looking for a grub hog." Anne said to him, "And there was one nearby, I had its scent."

"Anne, just try and take it slow, we don't want you to get hurt for the ceremony this afternoon." Felicia said.

"Ceremony?" Anne asked, "What Ceremony?"

"It's a surprise."

"If you want to attend it, you'll have to SIT AND HEAL!" Hop Pop shouted at Anne as they finished bandaging her up.

"Relax, Hop Pop, I'll be fine, it's just a few scrapes and cuts." Anne said, "They'll be fine in just a few days."

"They will, because I will be accompanying you everywhere you go until then." Hop Pop said.

"What? Ugh!" Anne said with a groan.

"Don't groan me! It's for your own good!" Hop Pop said to her.

"I have to agree, I don't want to have to fix you up each day." Felicia said.

"Maybe I could make a magical solution?" Maddie asked, feeling a bit responsible for this. "Just a small potion to help you heal faster."

"Actually that's-" Anne said.

"No magic! The lesson only sinks in when you heal naturally!" Hop Pop said.

"I feel like Anne needs to learn that." Hop Pop said.

Anne's eyes changed to wolf eyes and she growled at Hop Pop.

"O-o-on second thought... maybe Maddie has a point. hehe." Hop Pop said.

Anne didn't want to do it at first but she felt that she needed to reinforce that she was a predator and could do as she pleased if she wanted too. Anne's eyes returned to normal and she nodded.

"Maddie, could you go do... whatever it is you do." Anne said, not really understanding magic.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Maddie said as she rushed back home.

"So... is there a ceremony frequently?" Anne asked.

"Nope, this is a special event, so you're pretty lucky to see it." Felicia said, wrapping Anne's elbow in a bandage, "There, try not to do something dangerous like that again. Come back and see me if you need something."

Anne nodded to her as she got up, exiting the tea shop with the Plantar Family with her. They arrived back at the farm and went inside.

"Alright, kids, you all need to get ready, the ceremony is in two hours." Hop Pop said.

"So soon? Must be a big deal." Anne asked.

"Bigger than you could imagine." Hop Pop said to her.

"Alright, we'll get ready." Anne said, "... Well... Sprig will, I only have my uniform and Polly's a baby."

Later, the entire town was present at town center.

"Wow, everyone's here." Anne said.

Maddie walked up to them and handed Anne a bottled potion.

"Here, this should help with your cuts." Maddie said.

"Thanks, but do I drink it or pore it on my wounds?" Anne asked, looking at the potion.

"Drink it but I like that questioning." Maddie said with a smile and a nod.

Maddie walked back to her family, as the mayor, who was still not well liked after the... stunt earlier this week, walked on stage. He was covered in injuries wrapped in bandages, and had a broken right leg and left arm. Yet, he was still here to for the ceremony.

'It can't be another thing for himself after the last blunder.' Anne thought.

"Welcome, wonderful people of Wartwood, I am proud to present the new statue for out town." Toadstool grabbed the tarp covering it, "Behold, the town protector."

The tarp was removed, revealing a statue of Anne, with a wolf behind her. Anne gasped at the sight of it, seeing both versions of herself in dramatic poses. Herself as a human was standing, a sword in hand while her wolf form was growling with her mouth open.

"Woah."

"I hope you like it, Anne. It was a bit of a rush job, but I think it turned out wonderful." Loggle said as he walked up to Anne and the Plantars.

"It's... amazing." Anne said, "You didn't have to do that for me."

"After all you did for us, despite how we treated you before, you're the most deserving of a tribute like this. Especially since Toadstool is such a snake." Wally said to Anne.

Anne smiled; she was a protector.

'I'm going to make sure this town is safe.' Anne thought, 'Starting tonight.'

Chapter Text

Later that night, Anne waited until everyone was asleep before sneaking out. She pushed the basement door open, got out and slowly shut it before tiptoeing to the back exit of the house. Once outside, Anne did a quick look around before she shifted into a wolf. She walked around the border of the town, wanting to make sure the town was safe. After what happened with the toads and the red mantis, Anne was even more adamant than ever to protect her new home. Her new pack. She sniffed the ground, looking for the scent of anything that doesn't belong.

'Nothing around here, better keep looking.' Anne thought, planning to keep watch all night.

Anne kept walking around town, catching the scent of something, but whatever it was, was at least six miles away. Even if Anne wanted to chase it down, there was no point as they are gone.

'Still, whatever it was, was too close for comfort, I'll have to be on guard for that same scent if I come across them again.' Anne thought.

Anne went back to guarding the town. To her surprise, she wasn't the only one out at night, as she nearly gave Mrs. Croaker a heart attack.

"Oh, Anne, it's just you." She said.

Anne tilted her head in confusion, curious as to why she was out.

"Oh, I just enjoy taking a little nighttime walk every once and a while." She said, understanding the head tilt, "Why don't you join me."

Seeing nothing wrong with this, Anne agreed with a nod and took a walk with Mrs. Croaker. It wouldn't do any harm since she could still be on the lookout for unfamiliar scents in the area. Plus, Mrs. Croaker gave her a few head pats. Yeah, she was a wolf, but she enjoyed getting treated like a dog sometimes, there are benefits to it. Not the stereotypes but still, the benefits were nice. Plus, it reminds her of when she was a pup. Since she was born as her Spirit Animal, she spent the first several months of her life as a wolf pup, so her parents used to train her with bacon strips... right now that's about as close as she can get to her parents.

'I can't hope for bacon strips here…..or can I?' Anne thought as she continued to walk with Mrs. Croaker, 'Wait, do they even have bacon here?'

Anne was knocked out of her thoughts when she heard something moving in the bushes, as well as pick up the scent she got earlier. She let out a small growl.

"Hmm? Something wrong, Anne?" Mrs. Croaker asked, seeing her ready to attack.

Anne nodded towards the bush before slowly approaching it, ready to attack and see who she was smelling. She jumped into the bush and growls and screams were heard, attracting the attention of the rest of the town. A toad tower spy came rushing out and Anne jumped out after him, growling.

"Aaaaah!" he screamed as he turned to run but Mrs. Croaker knocked him down with her cane!

"Another toad, eh?! Good nose, Anne!" Mrs. Croaker said.

"Alright, what's going on out here?" Toadstool asked as him and the rest of the town out.

"Anne found this Toad sneaking around." Mrs. Croaker said.

"Another one?" A frog asked.

"Why is he here?" Wally asked.

"I think Anne is about to find out." Mrs. Croaker said as Anne stalked to the road and held him down, growling in his face!

Anne snapped her jaws at him, making him scared.

"I... I won't tell you why I'm here!" He said.

'Oh you won't, will you?' Anne thought as she bit his shoulder, not drawing blood but making him scream in pain!

"If you saw what happened to your friend when he came back to the tower, you'd be wise to talk." Croaker said as she decided to interrogate the toad for Anne. "Now tell us why you're here."

"C-c-captain Grime heard about a strange creature and wanted me to find out about it!" He said.

"Is that all?" Mrs. Croaker asked.

Anne growled at him.

"Y-y-yes, that's all!"

Anne growled at him again before changing back to human, glaring down at him.

"So, your boss wanted to learn about me from those three jerks?" Anne said to him.

"I-I-I was just told to spy on the town and look out for you!" He said, putting his arms up, "I swear I don't mean any harm!"

Anne glared at him a bit more before she got up, moving back from the road.

"Get out of here. And tell your boss that Wartwood is off limits. So long as I'm here." Anne said to him.

"Y-y-yes ma'am!" The toad said, before running off.

Everyone threw stones at him, wanting him out and shouting for him to never come back.

"Three cheers for Anne!" Wally shouted as the toad had left their line of sight.

Once again, Anne was cheered for getting rid of a Toad from the town.

Chapter Text

A couple days later, Anne and the Plantars were packing for a camping trip. Sprig was especially excited because he wanted to teach Anne how they hunt compared to how she hunted. Even wanted to teach the family hunting dance. Anne on the other hand was scratching like crazy.

"Dang fleas." Anne said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a flea collar.

"What's that?" Sprig asked.

"A flea collar. Helps keep fleas off me." Anne said as she put the spiked collar around her neck, "It's not uncommon for a lot of people to wear them. And since I'm currently living in a swamp filled with bugs... I'VE BEEN GETTING FLEAS LIKE CRAZY!"

"Something tells me you don't like fleas." Hop Pop said, with ringing in his ear.

"You wouldn't like them if they kept biting you ALL DAY!" Anne said as she scratched her hair to get some fleas out of her hair.

"Well, they don't bite us, but I happen to lick some fleas." Polly said as she stuck her tongue out to catch the fleas and eat them. "They're surprisingly crunchy for small guys."

"Polly, what have I told you about doing that?" Hop Pop said.

"Only do it if they're prepared correctly?" Polly asked.

"Exactly." Hop Pop said, "Don't worry, Anne, when we get there, you can jump in the lake to get those fleas off."

"Good." Anne said as they loaded up Bessie and prepared to head out.

"So, where is this place, HP?" Anne asked, still scratching.

"Just the Plantar family camping spot." Hop Pop said to her.

"Okay, where is that?" Anne asked.

"Just a few miles outside of Wartwood. Don't worry." Hop Pop said to her.

"I hope we get there quickly." Anne said, scratching more, "Ugh, why is this collar not working!?"

"Maybe it only works on Earth fleas?" Sprig asked, not fully understanding a flea collar.

"If that's the case, you'll just have to wait to take a bath in the lake when we get there." Hop Pop said to her.

Anne growled and scratched behind her ear.

'God damn Amphibia fleas! You just had to be stronger than normal Earth fleas!' Anne thought.

She was scratching all the way to the camping spot before Anne rushed off Bessie and into the lake!

After a few seconds she re-emerged.

"Ah... sweet relief." Anne said.

"We've got some soap if you need it." Hop Pop said as everyone else got off of Bessie.

"I'm good for now." Anne said, "I just needed them off."

Anne continued to wash herself in the lake as the Plantars set up camp, not caring if her clothes were getting wet. She just wanted to get the fleas off and the itching to stop! She got out and shifted into her wolf form, shaking herself dry before returning to normal. She didn't know how but her clothes somehow became dry as well. Another advantage of being a wolf.

"Nice, dry, and itch free." Anne said with a smile.

"Great, now that you're all done, I want to see how your hunting does compared to the Plantar way." Sprig said.

"Really? Even after I've got attacked by a red mantis last time?" Anne asked him.

"Yeah but that won't happen this time. We've been coming here for years and no mantises have ever come here while we're here." Sprig said with a hand wave.

"Uh huh, and you're sure that it's safe?" Anne asked.

"As sure as the world is flat." Sprig said.

'Does Sprig go to school, or is the world here actually flat?' Anne thought.

Anne wasn't too sure about this, but this is the first time she could truly show that she's a powerful hunter, even without the pack. Anne decided not to ask any further because the answer may be more confusing that she things it will.

"Okay, lead the way." Anne said.

Sprig took Anne by the hand and lead her away from camp, showing her all a Plantar does when hunting for something. Including... the Plantar Family Hunting Dance.

Anne watched as Sprig performed the dance, finding it strange yet also enticing. Like a hypnotic spell was being placed on her as Anne saw some sort of energy was coming out of Sprig.

'Whoa.' Anne thought as she shook her head, fending off the hypnotic trance. 'That dance really does work.'

"And that's how we Plantars Hunt." Sprig said, "What do you think?"

"I think… it affects my wolf as well." Anne said.

"Really? Cool! It works on Earth animals too! Now you can use it when you get home!" Sprig said to Anne.

"Hmmm, good point." Anne said while rubbing her chin.

'This dance is gonna make things CRAZY when I show it back home.' Anne thought before they began hunting for something.

"Alright, Anne, you try and track something down, then I'll do the Plantar Family Hunting dance." Sprig said.

"Sure, but be careful where you point that dance." Anne said before shifting into a wolf, sniffing the ground.

She walked in a circle a little before picking up something. She bit on the back of Sprigs shirt and tossed him onto her back. She took off into the woods.

"Yeehaw!" Sprig called out, enjoying the sudden ride, "We should do this more often!"

'Of course he would say that.' Anne thought to him.

Anne could focus more on that later after she and Sprig found something to hunt. Sprig got off and looked around.

"Somethings... wrong." He said.

Anne heard a crack in the woods and growled. Sprig got ready for anything as he pulled out his slingshot. Something was coming to them.

"Stay ready Anne, who knows what's coming." Sprig said.

'You don't have to tell me twice.' Anne thought as the scent of this creature was getting strong and she could smell blood mixed in.

A LOT of blood mixed in, proving this was a dangerous creature. VERY dangerous as a paw came out from the bushes. Anne barked at it, trying to scare it off. This didn't seem to work as something came out, something big and ferocious. Almost as ferocious as Anne.

'What the heck is that?!' She thought as she looked to Sprig.

"Anne... we need to get out of here." Sprig said.

The creature was a muscular beast covered in grey fur with 4 glowing yellow eyes set on the front of its head with possesses mandibles, a pair of expandable jaws lined with sharp teeth that can retract, and a long scorpion tail ending with a hooked stinger!

"That's a Scorpileo, one of the worst predators you can come across. Even worse than a mantis!" Sprig said.

'Scorpileo? That is one messed up horoscope.' Anne thought, getting between Sprig and the beast, then growling.

Sprig didn't like this or the fact that the Scorpileo acknowledged Anne as a challenge by growling back.

"Anne, no! You cant fight it! It's too dangerous!" He said to her.

"Ruff!/(I have too!)" Anne barked to him.

Anne looked at Sprig, nonverbally saying that he needs to run. He didn't want to, not if it meant leaving Anne to this beast! She growled at him again, giving him extra incentive to leave or she would MAKE him leave.

"D-d-don't worry, Anne, I'll go get help!" Sprig said running off.

Anne turned back to the beast and jumped. The Scorpileo roared before jumping at Anne, it's Naw opened to bite into her! The two hit each other, knocking each other to the ground. Anne got up first and ran at it, biting down on its leg, only for it to shake her off and throw her into a tree.

"YIP!" Anne let out in pain, looking to the beats before dodging it's stinger!

She ran and circles around it as the beast returned its stinger to its side. She was quickly running out of energy, she knew she wouldn't be able to do this forever, she needed to think of something to stop it long enough for her to get out of this situation. The Scorpileo cornered Anne and began stinging at her again, forcing Anne to dodge in the cramped space.

'Think! Think! What could I do to beat this thing?!' Anne thought.

Anne tried to run past it and was knocked away, hitting a rock and shifting back from exhaustion.

"Think Anne, think!" Anne said, "What can possibly stop this beast!"

That's when it came to her... the Plantar Family Hunting Dance.

'If it can work on me, it can work in this creep.' Anne thought as she took a breath, calming herself and remembering what Spirg said to do. 'Calm my breathing, listen to the rhythm of nature, let it guide you and become the hunter.'

Anne closed her eyes and listened to the woods around her. The growls of the Scorpileo faded away as the noises of the woods became a like song to Anne, making her move into a frog hopping position as she nodded to the song. She started to repeat the dance, first shaking her body in specific movements. In the eyes of the Scorpileo, Anne began to give off the same hypnotic energy as Sprig did to make it follow her movements.

"I am the leaves. I am the evening dew." Anne said as she choked the air above her. "I am the wolf….and I am the hunter!"

She jumped forward and back before flopping on the ground like a fish. She then stood up and slap her cheeks with her mouth open to make nose! Then, spinning and busting a shuffle dance move! A wood pecker began tapping a tree before Anne grabbed it and began slamming her head into it repeatedly! She finally slammed her hands on the ground, which made the Scorpileo charge at her. Anne shifted into a wolf and used her speed to run out of the way, with the Scorpileo's head getting stuck in a space between two trees.

'HA!' Anne thought as she turned and shifted back.

"In your face, Scorpileo!" Anne said.

The trees started cracking and Anne quickly began to run before it got free. She made it back to the camp grounds as Sprig had just finished telling them of what happened with the Scorpileo before he left.

"Anne, you're back!" Hop Pop said in relief.

"Yep, and we're finding somewhere else to camp." Anne said.

"Wait, you didn't kill the Scorpileo?" Polly asked with wide eyes.

"Nope! We need to go, now!" Anne shouted.

"Alright, kids, let's go!" Hop Pop said, hearing a roar, "I think camping is overrated anyways."

They all loaded the wagon and headed back home before the Scorpileo found them.

"Good thing we left, right Anne?" Sprig said.

"Yeah." Anne said before she started to lightly scratch and then start scratching more, "AH! I got fleas from that stupid beast!"

Chapter Text

The next day, the family decided to have a relaxation day. Sprig and Polly were on the couch while Anne was in wolf form, taking a nap on the floor. After all the chaos they dealt with, they needed this since they somehow ended up in the center of it all! Anne more than everyone else!

'I feel like I'm the main character of a TV show.' Anne thought before using her back leg to scratch behind her ear.

"This is the life, eh kids? A nice quiet day at home. The farm work is done, and the town is quiet." Hop Pop said as he drank some tea while reading the paper.

"Yep, nothing could ruin this day." Sprig said.

'And he's just jinxed us.' Anne thought, opening her eyes.

Just as Anne thought that, an explosion went off in the middle of town.

"Sweet frog!" Hop Pop shouted as the house shook!

"Duck and cover!" Polly shouted!

Anne jumped on the couch and looked out the window, seeing smoke coming from the middle of town, and another explosion went off.

'Trouble!' Anne thought as she shifted back to normal!

"Something is going down! Something big!" Anne said as she ran to the door, kicking it down and rushing out.

"Anne, wait!" Sprig shouted as he ran after her.

"Kids!" Hop Pop said, running after them.

Polly just looked at them run.

"Eh, I'm not moving." Polly said.

Anne and Sprig made it to the center of town, seeing the statue destroyed and fires spreading.

'What the hell caused this?!' Anne thought as she noticed some frogs working to put out the fires.

Something blue was thrown at a building, blowing up, and causing part of the building to get destroyed.

"Aaaah!" Frogs screamed.

"Was that magic?!" Anne asked, remembering that Maddie could throw spells in blue pouches.

"No, it looks like... boom shrooms." Sprig said.

"What!?" Anne asked, "What are those!?"

"They're mushrooms that blow up." Sprig said.

"Those are a thing here?!" Anne asked in shock!

First giant bugs and now exploding mushrooms?!

"Yep... and there's one heading for us so we should probably move." Sprig said.

The duo looked up to see a boomshroom falling towards them before they jumped out of the way!

"Yeah! Now that's a good explosion!" Someone shouted in glee!

Anne looked up and saw a group of dirty frogs.

"Now that we caused some chaos, let's loot the place!"

"Loot? We're getting attacked by bandits?!" Anne asked in shock.

"Yeah, buts this is uncommon! No bandit comes to Wartwood!" Sprig said as he got up. "We need to stop them!"

Anne let out an inhuman growl.

"I agree."

Anne got up and rushed to the bandits, seeing two of them heading towards the bakery to start. Anne shifted and ran at them. She jumped and knocked one down, before turning and biting down on the other's arm.

"Aaah!" He screamed before Anne shook him and slammed him back and forth to the ground!

The other frog got up and tried to knock Anne down, but Sprig fired a rock from his slingshot at him.

"Aaaah!" He said before Anne threw the second frog into him, making them back hit the ground again unconscious.

Sprig jumped onto Anne's back as she ran through the town, looking for anymore bandits.

"Over there!" Sprig said, noticing another explosion nearby.

Anne barked in agreement. Anne rushed to the explosion and saw the town market was greatly damaged. Anne growled and started to sniff the ground, looking for a scent.

"Uh, Anne, I don't think you need to find a scent." Sprig said, pointing to something.

Anne looked up and saw 3 more bandits ransacking the market, one was grabbing the surviving coppers from the wreckage as the other two were keeping a family at blade point. Anne took off quickly, jumping onto one of them and growling at the others.

"Aaaah!" He screamed!

"What the heck is that?!" Another asked before Sprig kicked them to the ground and shot mud in the face of the other!

"She's better than you, that's all you need to know." Sprig said.

"Yeah!" Said the frog family as they got up.

"Can you guys find some rope so we can tie them up?" Sprig asked them.

The frogs nodded as Anne and Sprig fought against them. It was a surprise when the apparent leader showed up. He threw a boomshroom and it hit Sprig, launching away and knocking him out. Anne noticed this, as did most of the town. Anne shifted back and ran over to Sprig.

"Sprig! Sprig, speak to me!"

Anne held her head to his chest, hearing a faint heartbeat. Anne's eyes turned blue for a second and she stood up. She looked at the leader.

"You." She growled.

"Yeah, what of it?" He asked, not scared of Anne. "You gonna cry for your little frog friend?"

He was laughing, until Anne was in front of him. She grabbed him by his shirt collar and lifted him in the air.

"You hurt my best friend!" She said, "Now... I'm going to hurt you!"

Anne threw him to the side, causing him to hit a wall. The frog could barely groan before Anne charged and kicked him into the wall, creating a hole! She transformed into a wolf and grabbed him by the shirt before throwing him out! She jumped onto him and began biting down on him, not hesitating to deliver all the pain he just delivered on Sprig.

"AAAAAH!" He screamed in pain, feeling Anne tear into the back of his neck! "Get this thing off me!"

Anne didn't stop, she bit down more. She started shaking him and didn't stop until she heard a snap. She dropped the body and shifted back, blood on her mouth and looked at the rest of the bandits.

"Leave."

The bandits could only shake in fear of Anne before gazing down to their leader again, seeing him dead and covered in his blood! They dropped their weapons or loot before running and hopping out of Wartwood as fast as they can! Anne ran back over to Sprig.

"Come on, buddy... wake up."

She shook him a bit as she listens to his heartbeat, glad it was still beating but he wasn't waking up yet.

"Anne!" Hop Pop shouted as he rushed to them, gasping at the sight of his grandson! "SPRIG!"

"We... we need to get him somewhere." Anne said, "Somewhere they can help him."

"I-I got it! Follow me!" Hop Pop said as Anne gently picked up Sprig and followed him.

He led her to Maddie's house, with these injuries, it could be the only place that could help.

"Set him down in the couch!" Maddie's father said as he let them in. "I'll get Maddie."

Anne and Hop Pop set Sprig gently on the couch, making sure not to aggravate his injuries. Anne began to zone out, putting a hand against her mouth, when she felt that it was wet. She pulled her hand back and saw the blood.

'I... I killed someone.' Anne thought, 'O... oh, God... what have I done?'

She didn't even think about it, she was so angry about them attacking Wartwood and hurting her best friend! Her mind went blank and she followed her instincts, she killed another person to protect her pack. She's... never actually killed before, sure she ate dead things, but she never actually killed another human, and while they weren't actually human, they were as close as you could get without being one. She gagged, holding her mouth before she pushed it back down.

"Is-Is there a bathroom nearby?" Anne asked as Maddie and her father came back.

"Down the hall." The father said.

Anne quickly walked past them and into the bathroom. Her legs gave out and she fell to the ground as soon as she closed the door. She began to hyperventilate before she grabbed their toilet and vomited into it! She fell back against the wall, lost in thought. Lost in what she did and what others would think when she returned home or ran into her lost friends here in Amphibia.

'What have I done?'

Chapter Text

The next couple of days were fairly quiet, as Sprig and Anne didn't leave the house. Sprig didn't leave because he was still recovering from taking a boomshroom to the face while Anne didn't leave because she was still in shock and depression from actually killing someone. Today was going to be different, because Sprig noticed the temperature dip below the Frost Line for the third time. This made him gasp, he knew what was coming!

"HIBER DAY!" He screamed, echoing through the entire house!

"What!?" Hop Pop said.

"Hiber day?" Anne said, coming up from her basement room but looking a mess.

"We need to warn the town!" Hop Pop said.

Hop Pop got Sprig on his back and carried him into town while Polly hood after them in her bucket. Though Anne was hesitant to follow, she felt this was too important to not follow them and get a proper explanation. The entire time, Sprig was ringing a bell. The bell rang alerted the whole town, making everyone come from their houses gather in the town square.

"Alright, settle down, what's happening." Toadstool asked.

"Hiber Day is coming early!" Sprig shouted, shocking everyone in town. "I saw it in the temperature drip! It's gone below the line three times this week, that means Hiber Day is gonna be here before we know it!"

Everyone began screaming in a panic while Anne still looked confused but also worried.

"Umm, can I assume Hiber Day is a bad thing?" Anne asked, getting a few frog's attention.

"Yes, Anne!" Hop Pop said, "Every year, we frogs freeze, and the next day we thaw out, feeling rested and rejuvenated only problem is that someone goes missing each year."

"What?! Every year!?" Anne said in shock!

"Yes! And the worst part of it is that none of us are able to see what is doing it or do something to stop it. So, we've come to terms and prepare our goodbyes ahead of time." Hop Pop said as the town began saying goodbye to each other.

Friends, families, mother, daughter, fathers, sons; everybody was assuming one of them would be taken away and never seen again.

'Wait... I wouldn't freeze, wolves are meant for this kind of environment.' Anne thought.

"That's not going to happen this year."

Everyone turned to Anne, confused o what she meant before remembering about her wolf form! She was the town protected, she could protect them and stop whatever was taking them!

"I'm not letting anyone die this year." Anne said.

'And I won't kill again.'

"But what if the thing that's taking us comes and you have to fight it?" Ivy asked Anne.

"I'll drive it away. I'm a wolf, and wolves don't back down from a fight to protect their pack." Anne said, "This is no different."

"Good enough for me." Toadstool said, believing what Anne said since nobody knew what Earth wolves were like. "Alright people, let's go and get ready for Hiber Day and SURVIVE!"

"Wooooo!" The town cheered.

"We'll meet back up here tomorrow, that way Anne can watch us all." Hop Pop said.

Everyone nodded in agreement as they headed back to their homes to prepare but unfortunately, Sprig was almost TOO right about Hiber Day coming early since it hit halfway to everybody's homes, freezing everyone in ice.

"Oh no, everyone is scattered, how am I going to-" Anne picked up Sprig, "Huh, this is pretty light."

She then picked up Polly and Hop Pop before carrying all three of them back to the town square. Anne then worked to get the rest of the town assembled and did a headcount to make sure.

"That's everybody." Anne said with a nod.

She shifted into her wolf mode and began to walk around the frozen frogs.

'I'm not going to let them be taking, I REFUSE to let anyone be taken!' Anne thought.

Anne let out a howl, trying to warn anything to not come by. This was heard for about 6 miles outside of Wartwood, letting all manner of creatures hear and know of her. Especially the one responsible for the Hiber Day victims in the first place! It knew something that made that noise was some kind of predator, but knew that getting food was too important. It must feed, it must HUNT for its prey, and kill ANYTHING that gets in its way. It headed to Wartwood. Back in the town, Anne had changed back for a moment to make a fire for herself to keep warm a bit before she went back to protecting the town. She still had her senses on alert for anything that could try to take the frozen frogs and ready to change back to fight it.

'Nothing is getting through me.'

Anne stared at the flames for a moment before looking down to her hands, now clean from the blood of the bandit leader. Physically at least but mentally, she was still shaken up from it and hoped she wouldn't have to kill whatever was taking the frogs of Wartwood.

'I… I will never kill again.'

Anne shook her head and refocused, having some quick food to keep her strength up before she changed back into a wolf. She caught the smell of something. Something foreign and furry, something that's NOT a frog or a toad!

'The mysterious creature taking the frogs, it's coming!' Anne thought as she rushed to the direction and stood ready in front of Wartwood's frozen frogs. It was about to be a battle of predators. Anne watched as a large pink... ferret ran into the town.

'Well... that's... something.' Anne thought.

"ROOOOOAH!" It roared, revealing very sharp teach inside of its mouth!

Anne growled and barred her teeth.

'You won't get anyone!' Anne thought to the weasel!

The weasel just roared back as it got ready to attack and take a frog with it! Anne ran at it, moving very good in the snow. Unfortunately, the Weasel was also quick in the snow, and it tunneled in the snow, something Anne couldn't do. So her choices were to rush back to the townspeople to protect them or rush into the tunnel after the giant weasel to stop it. She didn't think she would be able to fit into the tunnels, so she ran back to the towns folk. She quickly sniffed around for the weasel and found it was their yet before seeing it burst from the ground, RIGHT BEHIND SPRIG!

'NO!' Anne screamed as she barked and jumped at the large pink rodent!

She bit down onto it.

"ROOOOOAH!" The weasel screeched in pain, thrashing around to shake Anne off but her jaws were too strong!

It used its front limbs and began to hit Anne.

"Grr!" Anne growled but pulled back before biting back down in the same spot!

She was pried off and thrown away from the weasel. Anne tumbled against the ground before got back on her feet and shook off the dirt!

"Grrr!" She growled as the Weasel hissed at her!

Anne ran and tried to jump back on the weasel, but was hit before that and thrown into the statue, hitting it hard enough to force a shift back to human.

"Aaaah!" Anne shouted, hitting the ground as she held her side in pain. "Crap, that one really hurt."

Anne started to get back up, when the statue fell on her, breaking several bones.

"Aaaaah!" Anne screamed in pain.

Anne tried to get out from under it. She looked up and saw the weasel grab Polly and retreat to the woods.

"No!" Anne said, as her vision began to get black, "Not... the... baby."

Anne went limp and the world turned to black. This was it, she was broken, bleeding, and she was on the verge of freezing to death. The last thing she'll ever see is how she failed the town, how she failed the Plantars, the same family that took her in, the same family that would do anything for. Anne's eyes shot open and flashed blue. She used the arm that wasn't trapped under the statue and dug her hand into the ground.

"No!" Anne said, "I'm not going to let them down! I won't fail my pack!"

Anne used all the strength she could muster and slowly dragged herself out from the statue. She stood up, and fell down from a broken leg. She coughed up blood into the snow and looked up.

"Well... I guess I'm going to use three legs instead of four." Anne said, before shifting into her wolf form and sniffing the air.

She caught the scent and ran after it. She followed the scent all the way to a cave a mile away from the town and rushed in. She saw Polly stuck to the roof.

'Polly!' Anne thought as she stopped next to a rock to rest.

She felt the ground rumble and the Weasel came up from the snow. Anne moved to hide as it began sniffing around, trying to find whatever was in the cave that it could possibly be looking for? It seemed to be distracted trying to search though

'This is my chance.' Anne said, trying to avoid coughing up more blood.

Anne watched as the weasel moved to pluck Polly from the ceiling and set her down before chittering in another direction. Anne turned to it and gasped as she saw a nest of small baby weasel, the giant beast was actually a mother trying to feed her kids.

'Oh... this makes my heart hurt... no... that internal bleeding.' Anne thought, 'I still can't have it feed Polly to its kids, I need to stop this.'

She watched as the mother picked up Polly and began to crush the ice in its jaws, planning to pre-chew her for the babies. Anne had to act fast before the pup of her pack was crushed Anne ran and tackled the weasel, making it spit out Polly. Anne growled at it.

'You're not eating her!' Anne growled out, standing in front of Polly.

The weasel growled at Anne. Nobody steals from her children, NO ONE, and the weasel mother was going to prove that to this small brown furry creature! The two predators ran at each other. Anne jumped into the air and dived at the weasel, as it roared with it's jaws open! The wolf almost fell in before Anne switched back and grabbed it by the ear to pulled down to the ground!

"I won't let you hurt my pack member."

"Roooah!" The weasel mother let out as she began to thrash around before Anne managed to keep her down in the ground!

"You don't need to hurt them!" Anne said, "I can help you."

The weasel roared again, struggling yet also asking how Anne could possibly help her!

"Together, we could find something that better than a tadpole." Anne said, "Just let me have my friend and I'll help."

The weasel seemed to understand this, slowly ceasing her thrashing and letting Anne let go of her.

"Come on, I'm going to help you."

Anne picked Polly up and got on the weasel mother, letting her take them back to Wartwood to put Polly back with the others.

'Now, where is food?' Weasel mother asked Anne via growls.

Despite not understanding her, Anne knew what she was saying. Anne sniffed the air, catching the scent of blood, and where there's blood, there's an injured animal.

"This way." Anne said as she began limping towards it. "Oh right, forgot the busted leg."

They found the body of a scorpileo.

"Here." Anne said, "Take this to your kids."

The weasel licked Anne's cheek, making her laugh. Back at Wartwood, Anne looked at a clock, counting down the seconds to the frogs thawing out. They broke out and noticed that everyone was there. They went to thank Anne... and noticed the many wounds and cuts she had. Anne let out a painful chuckle as the adrenaline has worn off.

"You should see the other guy." Anne said.

Anne's eyes closed and collapsed face first.

"ANNE!" Everyone screamed as Anne lost consciousness, hearing them rush to her before everything became silent.

Chapter Text

Anne woke up and looked around, seeing that she was in the basement.

"Oh, how long was I out?" She asked.

Anne saw a calendar and her eyes went wide.

"I've been asleep for a month!?"

Anne got up, feeling much better since most of her injuries have been healing. She climbed up the ladder and went into the living room, where the Plantars were.

"Anne! You're awake!" Sprig said, "And you picked an amazing time to wake up too! They're going to announce the winner of the Frog of the Year award today!"

"Frog of the Year?" Anne asked, moving to sit in the couch. "What's that?"

"It an award to celebrate the frog who has done the most to benefit and help the community of Wartwood within a year's time." Hop Pop explained.

"Alright then." Anne said, "Can someone tell me what's happened since I was... asleep?"

"I can!" Polly said, about to be hard and blunt, "Sprig tried to confess his love to Ivy! And it failed spectacularly!"

"Shut up!" Sprig shouted with a blush on his face.

"No!" Anne said, in surprise, "You have to tell me what happened!"

"You kids can do that later." Hop Pop said, "It's time for the announcement, let's go."

The family got up, with Hop Pop handing Anne a hiking stick to help her walk with no room for argument and walked into town as everyone gathered in the square for the results. Everybody was happy to see Anne awake and mostly healed after worrying for a month. Anne had to sit down when they arrived. Walking took a lot out of her.

'Jeez, I hope I don't get into another fight today.' Anne thought.

"Alright, everyone, settle down." Toadstool said, walking onto the stage.

Everyone did as he said as Toadstool saw Anne in the crowd.

'Local hero is awake, good.' He thought, thinking Anne was more useful than the sheriff. 'Oh that's a good publicity act, make the town protector the new sheriff.'

He would think more about that later, he had to reveal the Frog of the Year.

"Now let's see who the winner is." Toadstool said, "And the winner is... Anne Boonchuy."

"WHOOOO!" Everyone cheered and clapped while Anne looked surprised from her spot.

"Me?" Anne said, "Uh... Sprig, I need help getting up to the stage."

"Sure, Anne." Sprig said as he helped Anne stood up and helped her to the stage, walking stick and all.

When Anne got there, the crowd clapped.

"Thank you, thank you, but I feel like I don't deserve this really? I've been here less than a few months and most of the time, I was just causing unwanted trouble." Anne said as she scratched her head, "But, I have also left my blood, sweat, and tears on the ground for this town... mostly the blood."

Barely anyone laughed at the morbid joke she told, understandable since it wasn't that funny.

"Still, it's an honor to be nominated. Thank you all for this." Anne said with a nod.

"Oh, Anne, we might want to let you know about the celebration." Hop Pop said.

"Celebration?" Anne asked.

"Of course, to go with the award, the is a large celebration that the whole town participated in every year." Toadstool said as he turned to Anne. "Usually, the awardee is meant to plan it but this year, messing as your injuries have not fully healed, you will have some help from a group of your choosing."

"Okay then, then I promise this will be the best party ever!" Anne said, making the crowd clap.

'I just need to know what the celebrations in the past were like for examples.' Anne thought as Sprig helped her off stage.

"Alright, Plantars, let's get back home so you can help me." Anne said.

"You could say "please," you know." Polly said to Anne. "Just because you're injuries doesn't mean you can be rude."

"Please." Anne asked.

"No." Polly said.

"Of course we'll help you, Anne." Hop Pop said to her, ignoring his granddaughter.

"Let's go!" Hop Pop said.

The family rushed back to the house and helped Anne learn everything about the Frog of the Year celebration party. That's when Anne noticed something.

"Hey, it's a full moon tonight." Anne said.

"Yeah, what about it?" Sprig asked.

"Wolves are active at night, and we howl into the air so we can communicate with other packs." Anne said, "People in my world say that wolves are attracted to the Full Moon, and while that's a bit of a myth, I do enjoy nights with a full moon... that's it! A party that has a theme of the full moon!"

"A full moon celebration? Anne, that sounds so cool!" Sprig said with his arms up.

"It does sound unique." Hop Pop said with a smile.

"Now, we need to get some people to help." Anne said, "Hop Pop, I need you to get Stumpy to handle food, Polly I need you to get Loggle to make a statue, Sprig... do you know any musicians in town?"

"You're looking at one. I'm the best fiddle player in town." Sprig said with pride.

"Fiddle as in violin?" Anne asked.

"If you want to get technical, yes but I prefer to call it a fiddle." Sprig said as he rushed off to his room and came back with the instrument. "Shall I play a sample?"

"Sure."

Sprig smiled as he prepared his fiddle, taping his for before playing a beautiful and high speed country song. This was joined by Polly bouncing in her bucket to stomp while Hop Pop clapped.

"Get it, boy!" He said happily, loving his music.

"Wow, you're really good with that." Anne said.

"Thank you." Sprig said as he stopped playing, bowing as Polly and Hop Pop clapped. "I'd be happy to play a little moon song for tonight."

"Alright, you go get some other musicians and the rest of you go do your missions." Anne said, "I have a little designing to do."

Anne hobbled to the basement hatch and went into it. Later that night. The entire town was dressed up for the celebration, heading to the venue near the mayor's office. They entered and saw a large wolf statue howling at the moon. They all wondered where Anne was, when they saw a wolf on a roof. Anne howled at the moon before jumping down and shifting back. She stood up before the crowd in white suit pants, white dress shoes, a light blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a white vest, and a white coat on her shoulders. Anne also had a cane in her left hand for class and balance since she was STILL not fully recovered.

"Welcome everyone, to the Full Moon Celebration." Anne said with a smile, "A nice little Frog of the Year party, that also celebrates something about my Spirit Animal. Enjoy."

Everyone walked into the celebration and began to mingle, finding it very beautiful with its moon theme and mystical music.

"Not a bad party, Anne." Hop Pop said.

"Thanks, HP."

"Miss Frog of the Year, there's someone waiting for you on the bridge." Toadie said, "They say they're a friend."

"A friend?" Anne asked before heading to the bridge, cautious about who this "friend" is.

Anne limped to the bridge, seeing a hooded figure. The figure turned and looked at Anne.

"Anne!" Sasha said, removing her hood.

"Sasha!?"

Sasha smiled as she ran to her friend, who moved as fast as she could, before they hugged each other. The two began jumping in joy.

"I can't believe I found you!" Sasha said.

"I can't believe you're here… ow! Okay, no more jumping." Anne said, as she pulled from the hug and help a hand against her ribs, "Kind of got hurt a little while ago."

"Hurt? What happened?" Sasha asked as she looking over Anne, seeing some injuries on her arm.

"Long story short, I tussled with a Scorpileo on a camping trip before dealing a giant weasel mother on Hiber Day." Anne said as she scratched her cheek. "Was out for a month before I was able to move again today."

"Wow, you've become something of a local hero, haven't you?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah, I have." Anne said with a smile, looking out at Wartwood.

"Anyway, it's good to see you." Sasha said, "We came as soon as we heard."

"Wait... we?"

Anne looked behind Sasha and saw a bunch of glowing eyes.

'Oh, this is bad.' Anne thought.

Chapter Text

The front Toad walked up and stands next to Sasha.

"Greetings, Ms. Anne. We've heard a lot about you." Grime said with a smirk, looking over Anne. "I must say, they don't do you justice. You have the presence of a warrior!"

"Thanks." Anne said, her instincts telling her this toad was INCREDIBLY dangerous.

"Now, if you don't mind, we have an announcement to make to the town." Grime said, "Toads, advance."

Anne watched as the multiple eyes moved to reveal an army of toads, marching into Wartwood like an invasion force! Which it was!

"What? No! Stop!" Anne said as she turned around, wanting to stop them.

She didn't care if she got more injuries, Anne needed to stop them now! Sasha stopped her.

"Relax Boonchuy, they aren't going to hurt anyone." Sasha said.

"You don't know the toads like I do!" Anne said to her.

"Actually, I do. I've been staying with them and I can vouch for them." Sasha said with a smile.

"Wait, you've been with the toads this WHOLE TIME?!" Anne asked in shock.

"Yep." Sasha said.

"And you LIKE them?! Did you not run into the three that broke my arm when they came to collect taxes?!" Anne shouted as she pointed to the arm they broke months ago, "What about that spy!?"

"Don't worry, they've been dealt with, and the spy was just to confirm that it was actually you without sending more toads to town and causing a panic." Sasha said, "Come with me, It'll be explained."

Anne didn't look too sure.

"Come on, Anne, me and you, the wolf and the bear, the two top predators around. Just like home."

'Sure, just like back home….' Anne thought, thinking back to how she was before coming here.

She may have been a wolf, but she was just a follower, not thinking about anything or trying hard in life as long as she was part of a strong pack with a leader. And lately she had a feeling that Sasha wasn't the best leader. And it wasn't just because Anne was now pack leader/protector of Wartwood. The more time she spent in Wartwood, becoming friends with the townspeople and growing as a person and wolf, the more she thought back to how she was back on Earth and…she now HATED how she was before now. Especially with following Sasha's lead and getting into trouble. Still, she would follow and see where this goes. Anne followed Sasha and the toads back to Wartwood, seeing the Full Moon Celebration/Frog of the Year Celebration ruined and the people afraid/angry at the toads for crashing.

'That's strike one.' Anne thought as she moved away from Sasha, walking to the frogs as they began to crowd her with questions.

"Good evening, people of Wartwood!" Sasha said.

"Who the bullocks are you?!" Wally shouted at her.

"Good question! My name is Sasha and I am a good friend of Anne's!" Sasha said with a fake smile, gesturing to Anne.

"Yeah." Anne said, very weary of Sasha.

"Anne, can we trust her?" Sprig whispered, already getting a bad feeling of Sasha.

"…Stay on guard, pass the word." Anne whispered back.

Sprig nodded. Sprig began passing the word in a low town as Sasha continued to speak.

"We've come with amazing news." Sasha said, "We're here to... invite you to a party!"

"A party?" Anne asked.

"A party?!" Everyone but the frog asked in shock.

"After we heard about Sasha's friend was here, we had to rush over." Grime said.

"What about that spy!" Mrs. Croaker said.

"That was just to make sure it was actually her." Grime said, "So, what do you say? Doesn't a party at Toad Tower sound fun?"

"Fun? With toads? You must be crazy!" Mrs. Croaker shouted while waving her cane in the air.

"Unless Anne says it's safe, we ain't going nowhere!" Felicia Sundew shouted.

Anne thought about it, she knew this was dangerous, and she didn't want to put everyone at risk, but she also knew this could help her find out a way home.

"It's alright, we'll go. I'm curious to see what a "toad" party is like." Anne said as she turned her head, mouthing in silence to everyone.

'Keep on guard.' She mouthed to them.

The towns folk nodded as a party bus pulled up.

"Great! Now, if you would all step into the bus, we'll get you to the tower in style." Sasha said with a smile.

They piled up into the bus. Anne was going to, but Sasha stopped her.

"No, you're with me." Sasha said.

"What? Why?" Anne asked her.

"To catch up, duh. Besides, we can all use a break from being so close to slimy or mucus covered amphibians every now and then." Sasha said as she led Anne away from the bus.

"Uh, sure." Anne said.

Her instincts were screaming at her again as she followed Sasha, being separated from her pack made her edgy.

'God, is this how mom feels when I leave without her knowing?' Anne thought.

They headed to Toad Tower.

"So, what's been happening, girl?" Sasha asked.

"Like I said before, nothing much. Just trying to get by in Wartwood. Ran into some problems but it all worked out, until I had to show my spirit animal on Tax Day." Anne said, reminding her.

"Oh yeah, again sorry about those toads." Sasha said.

"Yeah, that wasn't fun." Anne said, crossing her arms, "... I don't suppose you've seen Marcy, have you?"

Sasha let out a sigh as she shook her head.

"No, I haven't seen head nor hair of her since we got here. A part of me hoped she was in Wartwood with you, but I guess not." Sasha said, genuinely sad.

If there was anything she was honest about, it was caring about her friends. No matter how manipulative it was, she still cared.

"The longer I go without seeing her, the more I fear-"

Anne cut Sasha off.

"Don't even think like that, she's smart." Anne said, "If anyone could adapt to a place like this, it would be that bird brain."

Sasha chuckled.

"Yeah, that girl can be the smartest bird in the flock even with her head in the clouds." Sasha said.

"We just... need to keep hope that we'll find her." Anne said, "I mean, I haven't been out of the valley, so there's an entire world I haven't checked yet. She's bound to be out there somewhere."

"Yeah, flying around or cooped up with a book." Sasha said.

"I'd rather her be flying." Anne said, "She has coordination when she flies."

"Really? Remember the time she flew into a hot air balloon?" Sasha asked.

Anne chuckled a. It at this but stopped, trying not to find that memory funny.

"That was just one time." Anne said to her.

"And the other time with a giant card dealership balloon?" Sasha added.

"Well-"

"And the time she flew into a car windshield?" Sasha asked, "She was in the hospital for a week after that one."

"Well, yes but they glare got in her eyes." Anne defended Marcy. "And she could still fly afterwards."

Soon, they arrived at Toad Tower. Anne was still kept away from her pack as Sasha wanted to shower her where she's been staying in the tower.

"And this is where I've been staying." Sasha said.

When Sasha opened her room doors, Anne was left in awe and jealousy as her room as basically a first class hotel suite! Throw pillows, statues of her, and a huge table that could hold a feast of food!

'And yet I've been living in a basement for all this time.' Anne thought as she looked to Sasha, who smirked.

"And if you think it can't get any better, it does. I have a working, HOT shower." Sasha added.

"You have a shower!?"

"And that's not all." Sasha said, snapping her fingers.

A chef brought in several trays. Some with normal people food some….

"Meat." Anne said, drooling at the raw meat.

"Come on, girl, did in!" Sasha said.

Anne didn't waste time shifting and digging into the meat. It had been so long since she had a BIG meat meal and Anne didn't want it to go to waste or let Sasha eat it! Afterwards, she could talk a nice, long shower BEFORE getting back to being suspicious of Sasha and the toads. Sasha grabbed a taco and began eating it, smirking as she believed she got Anne to let her guard down.

'All according to plan.' Sasha thought before wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"It wasn't easy to find all the ingredients but with my help, I managed to get the toads to expand their menu to include tastier, human food from our world. The very same food your frog friends are enjoying right now." Sasha said.

Anne shifted back and wiped the blood off her mouth.

"Speaking off, I should go check on them."

She got up but Sasha pulled her back down.

"Relax, they're fine. They've got food, fun, and each other." Sasha said as she gestured Anne to the shower. "Why don't you take a shower? After what you said about being the town protector, you deserve it."

"Uh... okay."

Anne wouldn't deny the shower but she would still be on guard because it seemed Sasha was purposefully keeping her from her pack. Sasha smiled.

"Also, try the shampoo. It does wonders for lush and shine." Sasha said before pulling a leaf out of Anne's hair. "And gets nature out too."

Anne just nodded to her.

"Got any towels?" Anne asked as she walked to the shower.

"Fresh and folded with robes too." Sasha said with a smile. "Try not to use all of the hot water, I want to take one too."

"Eh, go catch some salmon." Anne said, walking into the bathroom.

"Very funny." Sasha said as she crossed her arms.

'Once she's fully relaxed, I'll tell her the plan.' She thought, 'I just need to manipulate this a little longer.'

Meanwhile in the "party room" of the tower, Wartwood was enjoying rare food and mild chatter with each other but they didn't let their guard down like Anne told them. After all that's happened before and Anne being suspicious of her "friend," they were going to keep on their toes. Sprig was the most suspicious. He kept an eye on all toads and found the one sweating them most at the doorway. He must know something and Sprig walked to find out what.

"Hey there, friend." He said as friendly as he could.

"I'm just going to go look for my friend-"

"No ones allowed to leave." He said.

"I can't?" Sprig asked him, tilting his head. "Why not?"

"The Lieutenant wants to spend time with her friend without interruption. Nothing more." The toad soldier said, slightly sweating.

"Oh, okay." Sprig said, before jumping on the table, "Hey everyone! We're not here as guests, we're prisoners!"

"What?! No you're not!" The guard said as everyone stopped acting jovial and got serious.

"Anne was right, this was a trap!" Wally shouted as he threw his plate on the ground.

The guard got even more nervous.

"Where is Anne?!" Ivy shouted, grabbed a fork as a weapon!

"Let us out of here!" Polly shouted as she pulled out a medieval flail!

In Sasha's room, Anne and Sasha were drinking hot chocolate.

"So how is it?" Sasha asked with a smile.

"It's alright but I've heard some pretty good hot chocolate back in Wartwood." Anne replied to her.

"Well, don't worry, you can have all the hot chocolate you can drink after this whole thing is over." Sasha said.

"What thing?"

"The rebellion."

"What rebellion?" Anne asked, putting her hot chocolate down.

"Apparently, there was a frog that stood up to a few toads, became something of a freedom fighter." Sasha said, pulling out a poster of Hop Pop.

"Hop Pop?!" Anne asked in shock!

'When was this?! Sprig never told me about that!' Anne thought, now regretting being in a month long coma.

"That's way you call him? His full name is Hopediah Plantar." Sasha said as she put he posted down.

"Anyway, him standing up to the Tax Toads lead to several rebellions starting up through the valley. So Grime is going to feed him to that." Sasha pointed out the window to a giant carnivorous plant, "So, I made a deal with the toads, after the rebellion is over, they'll help us find Marcy and find a way home."

Anne stood up and headed to the door.

"You okay? Is it flea season?" Sasha asked.

"Y-y-yeah, I... need to go get my flea collar." Anne said, quickly running out of the room.

Sasha took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Oh she's totally freaking out."

'I need to find my pack!' Anne thought, her instincts being completely right but to trust Sasha or the toads!

She saw a spare armor plate, sword, and cloak. She smirked.

'Time to play a little dress up.'

In the banquet hall, the toads struggled to get back control. Anne, dressed as Sasha with a fake voice as well, opened the door.

"Stop, I'll deal with these frogs."

The toads saw her, thinking she was Sasha and smiling smugly at the frogs.

"Oh you're gonna get it now, frogs." One toad said.

"The commander won't be merciful to you!" Another one said with a smirk.

They left and Anne took the hood off.

"Hi!" She said.

"ANNE!" Everyone shouted in glee, seeing their town protector was here!

"You're okay!" Sprig said with a smile.

"So are you guys!" Anne said as the Plantars rush to hug her. "Alright everyone, we need a plan to get out of here or else we're in big trouble."

"Yeah, we're-"

"Prisoners, I know, but it's worse than that. The toads are going to kill Hop Pop." Anne said.

"Me?!" Hop Pop shouted in shock.

"You apparently stood up to the toads and inspired revolution all around the valley. Which I might add, WHY did you not tell me about it!?" Anne asked him.

"Oh, that? That was just before you caught up with them on Tax Day." Hop Pop said calmly, "... I'M GOING TO DIE!"

And instantly slapped his face, knocking him out of his panic.

"No! No one is going to die! We are going to get out of here alive. Now, does anybody have any ideas? There are no wrong ideas." Anne said to everyone.

"I've got an idea." Wally said with his hand up.

"I think we should blow this place sky high with these Boomshrooms." Wally said, opening his vest.

"1, no, we're all INSIDE the place! 2... do you carry those around with you at all times?"

"Mostly." Wally said.

"We're still not doing that plan." Anne said.

"Oh, I get you." Wally said, winking, but looking more like blinking.

Anne missed it and went back to trying to find a way out. She continued looking around before finding a large grate in the middle of the floor.

"That's it! We'll escape through this!" Anne said as she pointed towards the grate.

"Through the sewer? Ew!" Felicia said with disgust.

"It's our best chance to get out quick and easy." Anne said as she walked to the grate and pulls it up.

"Everyone in." Anne said.

With no complaints, except from Felicia Sundew, everyone got into the sewer tunnel and followed Anne to safely while in the very back, Wally was planting his Boomshrooms all along the tunnel.

'Anne won't mind me planting these since we won't be in the tower anymore.' He thought to himself, finding a perfect loophole.

"A little gift for our gracious host." he said.

At the front, Anne found a way out. She exited and was met with toads.

"Ah, crap."

"Yeah, crap." Sasha said with a chuckle before she walked to Anne and pulled her out of the sewer hole.

Everyone in Wartwood was pulled out and brought back to the tower, to the very top with Grime was waiting for them.

"Found these prisoners trying to escape, Grime." Sasha said.

"What are you doing!?" Anne whisper-shouted.

"Quiet, I'm trying to get us home." Sasha said.

"Very impressive, Sasha. Always playing Flipwart when everyone else is playing Bog Jump." Grime said, confusing Anne and Sasha. "They're games and Flipwart is more complicated, you outsmarted them Sasha. You were one step ahead of them."

"Oh! Thanks, I do impress." Sasha said with pride.

"I beg to differ." Anne said.

"Enough, bring me the prisoner!" Grime said.

The toads grabbed Hop Pop.

"No!" Anne said.

Anne broke free of Sasha's grip and shoulder checked one of the toads, taking his sword and knocking the other one out with the flat side of it. Anne stood in front of Hop Pop with the sword. The other frogs began revolting, which led to Sasha getting annoyed.

"Enough!" Sasha yelled, "Anne, what are you doing? Don't you want to go home? See your family?"

"Y-y-yeah, but-"

"Then put the sword down. Now." Sasha said, as Anne put the sword down, "Good girl, see now-"

Sasha was hit in the face with mud.

"What the hell!?"

Anne looked down and saw Sprig with his sling shot.

"For Anne's friend, you don't know her very well." Sprig said.

Sasha wiped the mud off her face and growled.

"I've had enough of you."

The frogs looked in horror as Sasha began to shift, turning into a large grizzly bear. Sasha roared and ran at Sprig. She swung her paw at Sprig and hit. She turned around and shifted back with a smile, until she heard Anne scream. She turned around and saw that Anne had jumped in front of Sprig, getting her left eye caught by Sasha's claws. Her head was bleeding violently from it and Sasha ran over.

"Oh my god, Anne are you okay!? I didn't mean to hit you!" Sasha said, "I'm sor-"

Sasha was cut off when Anne shifted into her wolf form and bit down on Sasha's right shoulder. HARD.

"AAAAAAH!" Sasha screamed as she felt to the ground with Anne still biting into her shoulder!

All Anne could see was red, and not because of the blood… okay partially because of the blood. She said she would never take another life, but what Sasha just tried to do was unforgivable! Anne let go and shifted back. Blood ran down the side of her head and dripped onto the floor. Sasha held her shoulder as blood ran down it. She couldn't feel it and was unable to move it. They both knew that this was only going to end in a fight.

"I don't care if I'm still hurt... I'm going to kill you." Anne said.

Sasha's eyes narrowed as she used her left arm to pull out her sword.

"Not if I kill you first."

Anne picked up her sword with both hands and charged at Sasha. Sasha put her arm up, but without her other arm to help, her grip on the sword was weak. Anne easily knocked it out of her hand and then began to try and stab Sasha. Sasha managed to dodge several of them, but got a small cut on her cheek. Sasha shifted into her spirit animal and swung her paw at her, going through the shirt with ease and causing Anne's stomach to start bleeding from the painful gashes. Anne hunched over in pain and gave Sasha the perfect chance to claw Anne again, this time hitting the right side of her face, this time not hitting her eye, but getting very close to it. Anne was knocked to the ground. She got up and shifted into her Spirit Animal, growling and barking at Sasha, which was met with growls and roars from Sasha. The two predators ran at each other. Anne jumped and managed to cut the other side of Sasha's face, but Sasha was barely phased by the cut, despite the blood coming down. Sasha stood on her hind legs and swatted Anne on the back, sending Anne to the ground with a few re-broken bone and several long claw marks on her back. The wolf girl pushed herself up and ran around Sasha, biting towards her limp right arm and making her roar in pain! The bear pulled and threw the wolf away, making her tumble across the tower roof before she stopped herself at the edge!

"Anne!" Everyone from Wartwood shouted as they watched in worry.

Sasha ran and bit down on Anne's neck, making the wolf start to use her hind legs and start clawing Sasha's stomach.

Both of them began bleeding profusely, worrying both frogs and toads as they stood back and watched!

"Hop Pop, we have to do something or they'll kill each other!" Sprig said to his grandfather!

"What do you expect us to do!" Hop Pop said, unsure of what they could do to separate them.

Anne managed to get free, and jumped onto Sasha's back, biting down on her back and using her paws to dig, making more cuts. Sasha roared and began to shake to get Anne off. Anne was knocked off and Sasha swiped her paw, hitting Anne's front leg and making several long cuts. The two bleeding beast breathed heavily before charging again, this time they shifted back to Human and began punching each other. Anne threw a punch at Sasha's jaw, knocking a tooth out, while Sasha kicked Anne in the stomach, making her hunch over. Sasha pulled out her dagger and began to stab Anne's back.

"AAAAAAAH!" Anne screamed before elbowing Sasha away with the knife still in her back!

Anne grabbed Sasha by her hair and headbutted her in the face. Then again. And again! And again! And again! And again!

After several headbutts, giving Sasha a broken nose and making blood run down her face along with several bruises, Anne dropped her and stepped on her neck.

"It's over, Sasha, I'm taking my pack and we're leaving." Anne said.

Right as she said that, the tower started shaking. Everyone stumbled in place as Anne stumbled back to the ground, the Plantars rushed to catch her.

"Wally! Did you plant those Boomshrooms?!" Anne asked the one eyed frog.

"You said not to plant them when we were in the tower, we're supposed to be away from the tower when they went off!" Wally said to her.

Anne made a frustrated face and made a motion with her arms like she wanted to choke Wally. She decided that she could MURDER him later!

"Everyone off the roof!" Anne said.

Anne was about to, when she felt a sharp pain in her back. Sasha was twisting the knife deeper into Anne's back.

"No, we aren't finished yet!" Sasha said.

Sasha pulled the knife out and was about to attack when the roof began to give way. Sasha fell a little before she managed to catch the ledge. She looked up and saw Anne glaring at her, before turning her back. Sasha lost her grip and began to fall, only barely getting saved by Grime a couple dozen feet from the ground. Anne and the Plantars began to get everyone off the roof. They ran down to the bottom floor, taking the party bus from earlier. They all began to get away from Toad Tower, that's when Anne blacked out from blood loss.

Chapter Text

When Anne woke up, she looked around and saw that she was in her room, with bandages covering almost all of her body. She tried to stand up, but fell to the ground. She dragged herself to the stairs, managing to see her reflection in a metal cauldron. She reached up and touched the scars on her face, unable to look at her clouded eye. She was now blind in one eye.

"Oh god." She said, before noticing one thing.

She wasn't wearing a shirt! She covered her chest and looked around, seeing it on the makeshift table that's in there. She grabbed it and looked at it, seeing it the areas that were cut were loosely stitched back up.

'At least I don't need new clothes for now.' Anne thought as she winced while putting her shirt back in.

Anne slowly crawled up the stairs and opened the hatch. She looked around for anyone around before crawling up to couch to sit a bit.

'How long was I out this time?' Anne thought.

She reached for a calendar, only to miss. Having no depth perception is going to take some getting used to.

'How am I going to explain the whole half-blind thing to my parents?' She thought.

After a few more tries, Anne managed to grab the calendar and look at how much time has passed since Sprig seemed to label it.

'Day 7, so I've been out for a week.' Anne thought, thinking it wasn't so bad compared to the month prior.

"Now where is everyone?" Anne asked.

Luckily, the door was opened and the Plantars came into the house from the market.

"Alright, so when Anne is awake, then we can-"

"We can what?" Anne asked.

Everyone turned to see Anne on the couch, placing the calendar on the coffee table.

"Anne!" They called out, dropping some things they were carrying.

"Hey." Anne said, "So, what happened while I was asleep this time? I still feel numerous injuries, most of which were probably still recovering from before my last coma."

"Nothing much…..aside from making another statue for you." Hop Pop said before pulling out a small pouch. "Maddie also whipped up something to help you heal faster too."

"Great." Anne said, "Anyone have a cane? I might need one with my vision now."

The family went to help Anne, picking up their dropped items and going to her. Sprig helped her stand and guided her to her cane before Hop Pop gave Polly the sack of healing medicine from Maddie to give to Anne.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Anne asked.

"Oh, we were just talking about how we're going to get you home." Hop Pop said, "We bought a new wagon for it. Now that you're up, we're one step closer to leaving."

"Leaving? You mean the exit out of the valley has finally melted?" Anne asked.

"Exactly." Hop Pop said with a nod.

"Now we can leave and explore outside of frog valley!" Polly said.

"Yes!" Anne said raising her arms, "Ow!"

"Easy, at least wait until you get the medicine." Polly said as she threw the sack at Anne.

It exploded in a close of white powder, covering Anne from head to toe before her injuries began glowing and healing faster.

"Oh wow, that's good... smells nice too."

"She added some lilacs for scent. Maddie said not to do anything strenuous for 45 minutes and your injuries will be mostly fixed up." Hop Pop said as he pointed to the couch.

"I'm going to have a lot of scars, won't I?" Anne asked.

"Sadly, yes."

"Now come on, get back to the couch." Sprig said, as he held Anne back to the couch.

"I'm coming." Anne said, sitting on the couch.

"To make the time fly, we can tell you everything that you missed." Polly said as she hopped to the couch. "Like how Sprig and Ivy had their first date!"

"It wasn't a date!" Sprig quickly said as he blushed.

"Yes it was!" Polly shouted with a smirk.

Anne let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Tell. Me. EVERYTHING!" Anne said, looking towards Polly!

"They went on a picnic at the lake at night when the fireflies were out."

"That's a PERFECT romantic setting." Anne said with a nod.

"You said you wouldn't follow us!" Sprig shouted at Polly.

"I lied. Moving on." Polly said quickly.

"Get this... they had their first kiss."

"No!" Anne said in shock.

"Yes!" Polly replied.

It's a good thing Sprig is already pink, because he was blushing more than he ever has before.

"Can you just stop?" Sprig asked as he pulled his hat over his face.

"Don't worry, I'm almost finished." Polly said to him.

"And they totally messed it up!" Polly said, "A fish jumped between them before they could kiss!"

"What? They kissed a fish?!" Anne shouted in shock.

Polly was struggling to breath at this point. Just retelling it was as funny as watching it.

"Okay, enough of this, Polly, Sprig, go get ready, while I make sure Anne is ready for travel." Hop Pop said.

"Okay, Hop Pop." They said as they left Anne as Hop Pop sat next to her.

"So, aside from getting a wagon ready to travel, what else has been going on since toad tower?" Anne asked.

"Well... that... girl you know managed to escape with the Toads, I have no idea what will happen to them." Hop Pop said.

"Sasha." Anne said with some distain on her voice, moving a hand to her eye.

"Anne, calm down, they're gone now." Hop Pop said, "There's no need to get angry over what has happened."

"Speak for yourself. What happened actually had it coming for a long time." Anne said as she moved her hand away. "I just didn't know it until I met all of you. I... don't know what I'm going to do if I see her again, I may try and kill her."

"But isn't she your friend?" Hop Pop asked her.

"Not anymore, I'll help get her home with Marcy, but I won't call myself her friend anytime soon." Anne said, "Not after everything that happened."

"I can see that." Hop Pop said with a nod, "Now, just stay here, I'll get you something to eat."

Anne nodded to him as she rested against the couch again, taking a breath to calm herself down and fell her injuries still healing quickly.

"Oh, Maddie's a miracle worker."

Magic was a miracle in this world, good or bad. Even if Anne was cursed once, it was still amazing.

'Marcy would love to learn magic.' Anne thought.

Anne closed her eyes.

'I'm coming Marcy... stay safe.'

She just sat and breathes with her eyes closed, taking in her senses, before Hop Pop returned with some food.

"Here you go, Anne." He said, offering Anne a bowl of beef and bug stew.

"Thanks." Anne said, trying to reach the bowl, but missing, "Okay, this is getting annoying."

"If you need help, maybe Wally can give you some advice before we go. He's dealt with tone eye for his whole life." Hop Pop said as he set the bowl in Anne's lap.

"Maybe."

Anne focused back on the stew and ate some with ease since it was right in her lap. After that, and her body healing, Anne was back up and moving. Enough so Anne could help with the last bits of packing for the family wagon or "Fwagon" as Hop Pop likes to call it. Once they were all packed, Anne got happy.

"Alright, let's go!" Anne said.

"Anne, are you sure about this?" Hop Pop asked.

"Yes, I've waited long enough." Anne said.

With the help of her cane and Sprig, Anne got up front to sit next to Hop Pop as someone came towards the farm.

"Hey, who's that?" Anne asked.

"That's Chuck. He is the best carpenter in Wartwood. He'll be looking after the farm and making any repairs while we're gone." Hop Pop explained.

"Howdy." Chuck said with a tip of the hat.

"Hi." Anne said.

Hop Pop threw Chuck a key, which he caught, before cracking the reins on Bessie to get her moving with the Fwagon. And off they went, on a journey out of the valley.

'So long, Wartwood. I'll see you soon.' Anne thought.

It wasn't long before they left the valley, coming up upon the Ruins of Despair. Instantly, Anne felt amazed yet cautious at the same time. The sight of these frog like buildings gave off an ominous feeling and her instincts were telling her of danger dwelling inside of them.

"Hop Pop, what are these?" Anne asked.

"These? They're the Ruins of Despair, these been around even longer than Wartwood. Nobody knows why they were made or what lies inside but what we do know is that a great danger is held within." Hop Pop said as they passed one.

"We should check it out!" Sprig said.

"What? Did you not hear what I just said, boy?!" Hop Pop asked in shock of his grandson!

"Come on, what could go wrong?"

Anne gave him a blank look while shaking her head at him.

"Never say that out loud, things will always find a way to go wrong." Anne said before the Fwagon shook and became slanted! "Case in point."

Looking over the side, everyone could see a wheel had broken and fell off from its pegs.

"Ah, dang it!" Hop Pop said, "That's what I get for buying something that someone died it. You kids stay put while I fix this."

"Wait someone died in this?" Anne asked as Hop Pop got down and went into the Fwagon for the spare wheel.

Sprig knew this was his best chance to get to see the Ruins.

"Just a little peak won't hurt." Sprig mumbled as he hopped off, gaining Anne's and Polly's attention.

"Hey!" Polly called out.

Hop Pop looked at Sprig running off.

"Dang it, boy!"

"Don't worry, Hop Pop, I'll get him." Anne said.

Still holding her cane, Anne rushed after Sprig as he approached one of the Ruins of Despair.

"Uh, are you going to go after them?" Polly asked.

"This wheel ain't going to fix itself." Hop Pop said.

"So I should?" Polly asked, gesturing to herself.

"Frog no! You're just a pollywog, it's dangerous!" Hop Pop said to her.

"Anne can handle this herself." Hop Pop said.

"You mean with her multiple injuries that just healed and her now blind eye?" Polly asked with a blank tone.

Hop Pop froze for a moment before continuing to work, a bit faster than before.

'She'll be fine. She'll be fine!' Hop Pop thought to himself.

Anne slide down the incline into one of the Ruins.

"Sprig, enough messing around!"

"It's fine, Anne! Get down here, you gotta see this!" Sprig shouted, having reached the bottom.

Anne landed on the bottom and looked around.

"Woah, are those... computers?"

"I think. What are computers again?" Sprig asked as he looked around, seeing a factory set up with large computer screens and keyboards in front of glass windows.

Beyond said windows, appeared to be some sort of assembly line with covered belts.

"Sprig, I think this is a factory." Anne said, "What did it make though?"

"There's one way to find-"

"Pull that lever, and I will bite your arm off." Anne said.

"Please, we both know you would never do that." Sprig said.

Anne just crossed her arms.

"Don't test me." Anne said as her hood right eye flashed wolf like.

Sprig and Anne stared at each other a moment, not moving from their spots to see who would make good on their promise. Anne would bite his arm off or Sprig would flip the lever.

"Hey, what's that!?" Sprig said, pointing behind Anne.

"You really think I'm going to fall for that?" Anne asked him.

"Anne, I am serious! Something is behind you!" Sprig shouted, still pointing.

He... wasn't wrong. Something was behind her, something... big. Sprig tackled Anne out of the way as an axe landed on the spot Anne was standing. They looked up and saw what looked like a robot, with an axe instead of a hand. It was in major disrepair, looking like it hasn't been repaired in centuries.

"Intruder alert, intruder alert!" It said in a deep voice!

"A robot?! This is a robot factory?!" Anne shouted in shock!

"What's a robot!?" Sprig asked.

"The thing currently blocking the ONLY exit!"

"Destroy intruders! Destroy intruders!" The robot shouted as it held up the axe arm!

"Sprig, run!"

The duo jumped to both sides as the axe hit the ground, rushing back to the entrance to climb out of the factory!

"Destroy intruders!" The robot repeated!

The robot reached its other arm out and grabbed Sprig.

"Sprig!" Anne said.

The robot pulled him back and raised its axe. Anne's eyes flashed blue for a second and she attacked. The robot dropped Sprig when the scared wolf bit down on it. Sprig was surprised as Anne attacked the robot, biting through it!

'Don't touch him!' Anne thought as she ripped out the metal and began biting into the wires!

"Errors! Error! Error!" The robot said as it began flailing around.

Anne jumped off and picked Sprig up by the back of his jacket. She ran out of the ruins, just as the robot blew up.

"HOLY FROG!" Sprig shouted as Anne set him in the ground and slammed the door shut!

She panted like a dog before she changed back, putting a hand against the door as she still panted.

"And….THAT…is why…..YOU DON'T RUN OFF IN DANGEROUS RUINS!" Anne shouted at him before realizing she left her cane. "And you owe me a new cane, Sprig!"

"Sorry." Sprig said.

"What in transition happened down there?!" Hop Pop asked as he and Polly rushed over to them.

"Turns out the ruins weren't as abandoned as you think because something big, metallic, and deadly just tried to kill us before I destroyed it!" Anne said, "Get in, we're leaving before something else happens!"

Anne didn't give them any chance to reply as she grabbed them all, despite her adjusting to her new one eyed depth perception, and rushed to the repaired fwagon! She threw them inside before jumping to the front and snapping the reigns!

"HIYAH, BESSIE!" Anne shouted as the large snail took off speeding away from the ruins!

Chapter Text

A couple days later, they were coming upon their first town.

"Bittyburg, sounds interesting." Anne said as she read the town sight.

"Don't get too excited, Anne, it's just an ordinary small town."

"I know but still, this is the first place we've seen outside of Wartwood. I want to check it out." Anne said as Sprig was whittling a new cane for her.

He found a strong looking branch along the way and decided to owe up to his mistake from before.

"And your cane may be finished by the time we make it there." Sprig said, "Sorry... about the previous one."

"It's fine. Just be sure to think and look more before you jump into a situation." Anne said before feelings shiver down her back.

'Why do I feel a sense of irony saying that?' Anne thought as the fwagon made it to Bittyburg.

"Oh wow, this is a small town." Anne said.

The town was incredible small, like the size of toy doll houses while the frogs were the size of toys!

"So, I would ask if we're just passing through, but I think we would cause damage if we took the Fwagon through there." Anne said.

"Well the path through town looks wide enough but I think it's best we stir the fwagon around the town." Hop Pop said to Anne.

"Agreed." Anne said.

"Can't we still explore a bit? Maybe we could restock on stuff we need too." Polly said, wanting to tower over the smaller frogs in the small town.

"I don't know, after the previous incident, I don't want to risk it."

"It's a small town. Everything should be fine if we watch where we step." Sprig said as he stop whittling, seeing his finished work on Anne's new cane. "Plus, it'll give you a chance to test your new cane."

"Fine." Anne said.

Parking the fwagon on the outskirts of the tiny town, the Plantars and Anne go off to explore the tiny town for all it could offer.

"Geez, some of them are as big as a Copper." Anne said.

"I've heard of frogs like this but I've never seen them in person." Hop Pop said as they walked through the town, greeting all of the "bitty frogs."

Suddenly they heard a noise. This caused the bitties to stop and worry, recognizing that sound as the Plantars looked confused by it.

"What is going on?"

"The Hassleback Gang is coming!" One said.

"The Hassleback Gang?" Anne asked, confused.

"They're a gang that has been attacking the town for as long as its been here!"

"They always demand a "protection fee" but we need protection from them!" Another one said as they all ran inside of the tiny buildings.

Anne let out an inhuman growl.

"Anne, down girl." Hop Pop said.

"But these people need help." Anne said to him.

"Anne, you just recovered."

"And you said I should think before I act. Don't you think you should take your own advice?" Sprig asked Anne.

"Unlike with the ruins, I'm thinking of a way to beat this gang."

"By yourself? Anne, that's dangerous and reckless!" Sprig said.

"And that's coming from Sprig of all frogs." Hop Pop said to Anne.

"More dangerous than fighting a bear on a collapsing tower?" Anne asked.

"Maybe not but it's still dangerous!" Hop Pop said before seeing a group of amphibians walking into the town.

"Alright, Bittys, time to pay!"

The group that stood in the center of town was a large female toad, two gruff looking male toads, a knife wielding female newt, and a frog with a large mustache.

'Wait, they can have facial hair?' Anne thought.

Sure, she assumed some of them could have head hair but she didn't think Amphibians could have facial hair.

"B-But Mama Hasselback, we already paid you for "protection" last week!" The Mayor Bitty said as he walked out of his office.

"Well, the charge has gone up."

To prove her point, Mama Hasselback pulled out a giant rolling pin and slammed it into the ground.

"So fork over the coppers or something might happen to your quaint little town." She said as her family chuckled at this.

"Hey, leave them alone!" Anne said.

The Hasselback Gang looked towards Anne, seeing her scar covered body and glare as she held her staff with both hands.

"And who do you think you are?"

"I'm the one that's going to knock you out of this town... for good." Anne said.

The gang laughed.

"And how are you going to do that, String Bean?" Mama Hasselback asked.

Anne smiled and dropped her cane. She fell forward and shifted mid fall, landing on all four paws and growling at the gang.

"Aaaah!" They all let out in surprise, stepping back.

"What the frog is that?!" Ruth asked, pointing towards Anne with a knife.

Anne ran, jumping onto one of them.

"Aaaah!" Judro screamed, his arm bitten into by Anne and bleeding, "Get it off! Get it off!"

The others have a chance to help as Anne began to thrash Judro back and forth on the ground before throwing him at Mama, making her fall to the ground!

"Get it!" Talbert shouted as he and Heathro jumped at Anne!

Anne ran out of their reach before turning and biting down on them.

"My leg!" They shouted before Anne dragged them away, slamming them into a few buildings before turning around and throwing them out of town!

"You monster!" Ruth shouted, pulling out two knives and charging at Anne!

Anne beat her to it and jumped on her. She dodged a blade and bit her hand, making Ruth scream in pain before Anne ripped the knife out of her hand and spat it out! Anne growled as she looks at Ruth.

'Give. Up.' Anne thought as growled to her, glaring at her with her single eyes and making Ruth shiver in fear.

The scars and clouded eye did nothing but add to Anne's intimidation. With a single step forward from the wolf, Ruth fell to the ground in fear and began to try and crawl backwards away from Anne. Anne ran and jumped at her, barking and growling in her face.

"Aaaaah! Please don't eat me!" Ruth screamed, covering her face as she began crying out of fear!

Anne shifted back and threw a strong punch at her, knocking her out.

"You probably taste like crap anyway." Anne said before looking to Mama Hasselback, who was gathering her family in a pile. "And then there was one."

Anne threw Ruth onto the pile, making Mama Hasselback angry as she picked up her large rolling pin.

"You are gonna pay for this! Nobody does this to my family!" She screamed.

"Well I did... now leave this place!"

"Leave?! Why don't you make me?!" Mama Hasselback shouted before she charged at Anne!

She swung her rolling pin and Anne dodged, slamming it to the ground as the town shook a bit.

'I'm getting pretty good at using my other senses to see instead of just my eyes.' Anne thought.

She dodged two more swings before jumping and kicking the large toad in her face, making her stumble back!

"Aaah!" She let out, holding her face, "You brat!"

She rushed back at Anne and jumped high into the air, thinking that she could CRUSH Anne under her boots. Literally! Anne rolled out of the way.

'I can't let her do that again, she might bring down some buildings if she misfires!' Anne thought, dodging another rolling pin attack and grabbing her cane.

"En Garde!" Anne shouted, holding her cane like a sword.

Mama let out a frustrated growl.

"I'm gonna smash you into a puddle!" She shouted as she ran at Anne.

"That doesn't even make sense, you smash something to pieces, you don't liquify it!" Anne said.

"It does when you smash it repeatedly! It's called "pulp!"" Mama shouted as she continued to swing, making Anne dodge and jump before getting smacked in the face! "Ugh!"

"Still not right!" Anne shouted as she jumped over Mama Hasselback and kicked the back of her right leg!

Anne shifted into her wolf form and bit down on her leg.

"Aaaah!" She screamed, falling to the ground!

Anne let go of the leg and jumped onto her, sinking her front paws, specifically the claws, into her arms. Anne let out a deep growl and moved her lips back, revealing her very sharp teeth.

"Aaaah!" Mama Hasselback screamed as she looked back at Anne, seeing her ready to kill her!

Anne shifted back, still keeping the menacing look.

"Leave." Anne growled, "NOW."

Anne moved off of the large toads pointing towards the outside of town.

"Pick up your family and leave." Anne said once again, "And if you ever come back, there won't be enough of you left to bury."

Mama Hasselback took this threat with a nod and got up, picking up her family before hopping out of Bittyburg. Anne glared at them until they were gone. She let out a sigh as she relaxed, relieved that they were gone as the Bitties came out from their homes.

"They're gone! The Hasselback Gang is really gone!" One said before they all cheered.

Anne sat on the ground and let out a breathe.

'I really need to take it easy.'

"This calls for a celebration in honor of Anne, the furry fury!" The mayor shouted as the town cheered.

'The furry fury?' Anne thought, 'That better not stick.'

Still, the Plantars stuck around for the celebration and even managed to restock on some small supplies. LITERAL small supplies.

"Well, this will be interesting." Anne said, loading all the supplies that were able to fit in one bag.

"Yeah but I'm sure we'll make it last." Polly said but it was mostly a lie.

"We'll just use it sparingly." Hop Pop said as they loaded into the Fwagon.

"Well, let's get going." Anne said, "Hopefully we won't run into anymore problems."

Elsewhere, the door to one of the ruins was opened and two figures moved into it.

"Alright, let's get what we came here for." Grime said.

Sasha walked passed him, wearing a cloak that covered her body completely, with a hood that went over her head. She had bandages over her cheek, and even had a gold tooth to replace the one that Anne knocked out.

"Yeah... let's hurry." Sasha said, with a sour tone.

Chapter Text

A couple weeks later, the Plantar's were riding through quarrelers pass, when a freak storm hit.

"THUNDERSTORM!" Hop Pop shouted, pulling Bessie to stop! "We gotta find some place to hunker down!"

The wind began to pick up and a lightning bolt came down and hit the ground in front of them. Bessie was spooked and began to move quickly and erratically. The fwagon hit a pot hole and Polly and Sprig were knocked off, falling right off the road and into a ravine filled with water, while Anne, Hop Pop, and Bessie were knocked to the ground, slightly under a makeshift cave of fallen rocks. They were knocked unconscious. The next morning, Anne woke up, her vision fuzzy.

"Huh? What?" Anne mumbled, raising herself up and rubbing her eyes.

"Hop Pop?" Anne asked, seeing his limp body, "Hop Pop!"

Anne quickly tried to get up, but fell down because her limbs were still sore from last night. She began to crawl over and began shaking him.

"Hop Pop!? Are you okay!?"

She moved her ear around his chest, listening for any heartbeat.

'Come on!' She thought before hearing his heart beating, feeling a large wave of relief. 'Oh thank you god!'

Hop Pop groaned.

"W-w-what happened? Am I in frog heaven... I doubt it... I have a dark, mysterious past." Hop Pop said, "Wait, Sprig! Polly! Where are you!?"

"Hop Pop, slow down, you might hurt yourself." Anne said.

Hop Pop leaned up, ignoring any pain, and looked around for his grandchildren.

"Where are they? Where are we?!" He asked.

"A cave. The fwagon hit a pole thanks to the storm and we got separated." Anne said, remembering the cause of the crash. They... they fell into the ravine and landed in water, so they might be okay... we just need to track them."

Elsewhere, Sprig was dragged onto land.

"Come on, Sprig, wake up!" Polly said.

She began slapping him several times with her stumps before he awoke and got another slap by accident.

"Ow!" Sprig said.

"Good, you're up!"

"Ugh, yeah. And my face hurts." Sprig said, rubbing his cheeks.

"Sorry not sorry but I had to wake you up." Polly said as she gestured around the area. "Because we need to find a way OUT of this place!"

They were at the bottom of a ravine, too steep to climb out, and too tall to hop out.

"Maybe there's a cave we can get higher."

"Then let's look around for it. Before the storm kicks up again." Polly said to her brother, hoping back into her bucket.

"Agreed."

The two of them began walking down the ravine, searching for a cave to use so they could get out as the last remnants of rain was battering their bodies.

"I hope Hop Pop and Anne are okay." Sprig said.

"You don't think they-"

"Anne is too stubborn to die." Sprig said, before they went back to silence.

'True.' Polly thought as they confused through the ravine. 'Plus, Anne could probably sniff us out and find us first.'

Pretty soon, they found a cave.

"This should help us find a way out." Sprig said as he picked up Polly by her bucket.

"Yeah but why are you carrying me?" Polly asked.

"So we don't get separated. It's dark in here." Sprig said as he walked into the cave, "Let's hope this leads the right way."

"You and me both." Polly said as she began looking around the cave.

They entered the cave and noticed that it began to get dark. Before long, they wouldn't be able to see. So Sprig began walking a bit faster to find a way back to Anne and Hop Pop.

"Hey, I think I see a light!" Polly said, "Maybe it's the way out!"

"Can't hurt to try."

Sprig and Polly began moving towards the light, not realizing something was moving in the dark towards them. They made it through the hole and landed in a pile of bones.

"Aaah!" They both let out, jumping in fear.

"Why are all of these bones here?!" Polly asked in shock and fear.

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out." Sprig said.

"Really? You don't?"

"We would be happy to tell you."

The sudden voice made Sprig and Polly jolt in fear, holding each other tightly as they looked around the cave!

"W-w-who's there?"

"Don't be afraid, it's just us."

Suddenly, two large serpent like heads slithered out from the darkness over Sprig and Polly. Smiling down at them to be friendly when they were actually terrifying.

"H-h-hi." Polly said.

"W-W-Who are you?" Sprig asked, slowly stepping away from them.

"Oh, why the rush for answers?" The Blue olm asked.

"Yes, it's too soon, why don't you stay for dinner!" The pink one said, before lunging.

"AAAAH!" Sprig screamed as he jumped high, dodging the creatures!

"RUN!" Polly ordered him, still being carried.

"Quickly, in there!" Sprig said, seeing a crack in the wall.

The two siblings got into the crack, safe inside as the two serpents heads crashed against the wall!

"No! We lost them!" One said.

"Typical, I should've know you would be too slow!" The other Olm said.

"Me?! You're the one that was dragging behind, Lysil! You made us miss them!" The other Olm shouted at him.

"Ugh! It's days like this I wish I wasn't attached to you, Angwin!" Lysil shouted at her brother.

"Just... find a stick or something to get them out of the crack."

"Fine. Let's find a stick." Lysil said as they turned around revealing they were conjoined twins, slithering back into the darkness to find a large stick.

"We need to get out of here! They won't be gone forever." Polly said to her brother.

"Agreed."

Sprig peaked out a bit before rushing out while holding Polly!

'Anne, where are you?!' They thought, trying to find her and Hop Pop or an exit.

On the trail, a brown wolf was sniffing the ground, trying to get the scent of Sprig or Polly, but was unsuccessful.

"Anything, Anne?" Hop Pop asked, riding with the Fwagon being damaged and Bessie a bit shaken up.

Anne shook her head, before going back to sniffing the ground.

"Daggnabit." Hop Pop said, wishing they found a lead already!

They spent too long recovering the Fwagon and getting Bessie back at the front, who knows what's been happening to Sprig and Polly by now?! Sprig looked out, looking for the Olms, but not seeing them.

"Coast is clear." He whispered to Polly as she was looking forward.

"Okay, let's go."

Sprig moved faster than before, hopping to get great distances, as he and Polly continued to explore the cave. They tried to stay quiet, hoping to not attract them. They did hear a stick breaking, making Sprig whipped in fear.

'Don't hear us! Don't hear us! Don't hear us!' He thought.

Sprig and Polly waited a bit before they moved again.

"Where did they go?!" Lysil shouted at her brother.

"I don't know! They must've slipped away!" Angwin shouted back!

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you to do something so simple!"

"Don't blame this on me just because you can't sniff out a pair of frogs! You're the better tracker!" Angwin shouted at her.

"A tracker is only as good if the body can keep up!" Lysil shouted back.

"Why you little!"

The two began fighting, which gave Polly and Sprig the chance to escape.

'Geez, is that how we are?' Sprig and Polly thought, comparing their sibling relationship to the conjoined Olms.

"I see a light." Polly said, quietly.

Sprig looked ahead and felt joy, seeing a small light ahead and a possible exit out of the cave!

"Come on."

He took off running as fast as he could as a twig snapped under his foot, alerting anyone that had sensitive enough hearing to pick it up.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yes, I heard it! It must be the frogs! We can't let them escape!" Lysil shouted.

"Sprig, run!" Polly said, "And don't drop me!"

"I know! And I won't!" Sprig shouted as he continues to run, hearing the olms slithering far behind them and getting closer!

They barely made it out of the cave, but found themselves near the top of the ravine, even higher than the road.

"Aaaah!" Sprig screamed as he stopped near the edge.

"Uh... how do we get down?" Polly asked.

"I want to say "jump" but it's too high!" Sprig shouted before a rush of wind blew behind him!

"There you are!" Lysil and Angwin shouted, towering over Sprig and Polly!

"I don't think we have a choice!" Sprig said, jumping off.

They landed on the ground and saw black. Next thing they knew, they were getting licked. Sprig slowly opened his eyes and saw a familiar wolf.

"Anne?" He mumbled.

Anne shifted back and stood up.

"Hop Pop! I found them!"

Sprig looked to his side and saw Polly was alright too, her bucket was broken but she was still alright.

"I'm coming!" Hop Pop said as he cracked Bessie's reigns to make her faster, "Kids, oh thank Frog!"

Hop Pop stopped the Fwagon as Anne picked up Sprig and Polly.

"We were worried sick! I'm glad we found you guys before something found us." Anne said.

"Actually…" Polly said before pointing up to the edge where they jumped.

"We can discuss this later." Hop Pop said, "Let's just get out of here."

Anne nodded as she walked inside with Sprig and Polly, allowing Hop Pop to get them moving away from the ravine. Once they were out, they stopped on the side of the road.

"Why the stop, Hop Pop?" Anne asked.

"Just a small moment to let Bessie rest. The trip is the most stressed on the transportation instead of the travelers." Hop Pop said, pulling out some berries for Bessie.

"Okay, what happened in that ravine?" Anne asked, "You two look scared."

"Well, we weren't exactly ALONE in that ravine." Sprig said, holding a cup of tea.

"We ran into something BIG when we found a cave, looking for a way out." Polly said, sitting in a new, backup bucket.

"What? What was it?" Anne asked, "Was it Sasha coming back for revenge?"

"Nope, not her but something just as bad." Polly said.

"What was it?"

"Some large serpent thing that was conjoined twins, but they were blind." Sprig said as he pointed to his eyes.

"Olms." Hop Pop said, "No one has seen one in nearly a thousand years."

"Olms? What are they?" Anne asked.

"Olms are one of the oldest living species in Amphibia but most are said to dwell underground." Hop Pop said, "I can't imagine why they would be in a cave this close to the surface."

"Me either but I don't want to know." Polly said as she shook her head. "Running into those creeps once was enough!"

"Yeah, let's get going as soon as possible." Anne said, "That place is dangerous."

"Agreed." Sprig said as Hop Pop finished feeding Bessie.

"Alright, kids, let's keep going."

With a small crack of the reins, Bessie began to move again at a steady pace as the rain clouds were clearing up to reveal it was now nighttime.

"You know, we really haven't had a moment to enjoy the beauty of this place." Anne said.

"Yeah, even if everything could kill us, you gotta love how beautiful the world can be as well." Sprig said.

"You know, I've always wondered... why is the moon red?"

"Red? You mean your moon isn't red?" Sprig asked her.

"Not every night. It's mostly bright white and varies from that but red is sort of rare. It's just surprising to see that you guys have a red moon every night." Anne said as she pointed up to the moon.

"Ever want to go to the moon?" Sprig asked.

"One day, it would be pretty cool." Anne said, "Probably won't happen though."

Chapter Text

After a several days of nonstop driving, they arrived at the capital of Amphibia... Newtopia. The capital of all of Amphibia, a shining city of culture with massive walls and a shallow lake surrounding it.

"Wow, this place is big." Anne said, "It is big, right? Its not just my eye playing tricks on me?"

"Nope, it's huge! We're approaching the gate now, it's even bigger than that Toad Tower!" Polly shouted as they looked up at the gate!

"I think it's as tall as Wartwood is wide." Sprig said.

'Come on, Marcy... be in there.' Anne thought.

The Fwagon came to a stop as Hop Pop looked up for a gatekeeper to open the gates and let them in but there was nobody.

"Hello?!" he shouted out!

A small window... door... thing... opened and a newt popped out.

"You can't come in."

"What?!" Anne called out, not understanding him.

"I said you can't come in! The city is closed!" The newt shouted so the could hear him.

"What, until when!?" Sprig asked.

"Until the Barbariants are dealt with!" the newt said!

"The what?!" Polly shouted.

"The creatures that made those holes!" The newt said as he pointed to the shallow lake before shutting the tiny door.

"They're afraid of a couple ants?" Sprig asked.

"I don't know, they seem very nervous about it." Anne said, "I think they might be a little more dangerous than the ones I know."

Suddenly, they were surrounded by giant ants.

"Okay, that's bad." Polly said.

"Guys, get behind me." Anne said, shifting into her wolf form.

She was about to attack when she heard a screech... a familiar screech. They all looked up and saw a Golden Eagle. Anne shifted back and watched the bird.

'Marcy.'

The Plantars didn't know what this creature was but they were entranced by it as it dived down towards them! She let go of the bags in her talons and hit the water in front of the ants with oil. She flew over and grabbed a torch from the top of the wall. She dropped it on the oil and it caught fire. The ants hissed in pain from this as the Plantars seemed to be safe instead of catching on fire like the large ants. The bird began to fly down and became a girl when she hit the water. She pointed her wrist and fired an arrow from a mini crossbow attached to her wrist. It hit an ant in the eye and killed it. The rest of the ants began to retreat.

"Ha! Attack pattern 263 is a success!" Marcy said as she pulled out a notebook and pencil.

'Attack pattern 263?' They thought in confusion.

"Another win for the eagle guard!" Marcy said.

Anne took a step forward.

"Marcy."

"Anne?" Marcy asked, looking towards her and gasping.

Not just in shock to see her but in shock at all the injuries she had! Anne ran at Marcy and tackled her with a hug.

"I'm so glad I found you!" Anne said.

"A-A-Anne... your eye.'

'Of course she would notice right off the bat.' Anne thought as Marcy put a hand in her face to look at her eye more.

"It's a long story. I just... we can worry about that later." Anne hugged her tightly, "I can't believe I've found you!"

"Uh... Anne... little tight... I have hollow bones, remember?" Marcy asked, "Being crushed is worse for me than most humans."

"Oh! Sorry!" Anne said as she quickly let go.

Fun fact about people with bird spirit animals, they all possess the trait of hollow bones that allow birds to fly so easily. Even in human form. It also means they can get broken bones quite easily. It's partially the reason Marcy doesn't really participate in Gym Class. But what she lacks in bone strength, she makes up for in speed and intelligence.

"I have so many questions." Anne said, "How long have you been here? Are you preening properly? Do they have your favorite bird seed here?"

"Can you get us into the city?" Sprig asked, seeing as that was the BIG question.

"Answering the important question first, no. Not until the Babariants have been dealt with." Marcy said to Sprig

"That's a problem, we might know a way back home and need to speak with someone about it." Anne said.

"Tell you what, help me get rid the ants, and I'll see if I can get you to speak with the King." Marcy said.

"You want our help?" Hop Pop asked.

"Yeah, like I said, my bones are hollow and I'm more brittle than most people. I could use the back up since most newts aren't very good on missions." Marcy said.

"Not to mention that Anne's wolf has sharp hearing and smelling, and she can hold her own in a fight."

"Don't we know it." Polly mumbled as Anne nodded to them.

"Sounds great to me." Anne said, mostly because she wanted to protect Marcy.

"Don't we know it." Polly mumbled as Anne nodded to them.

"Sounds great to me." Anne said, mostly because she wanted to protect Marcy.

"Great, come on!"

Marcy transformed back into a golden eagle and flew off, making Anne rush after her with the Plantars following.

"Come on guys, try and keep up." Anne said.

"Easy for you to say! I'm old!" Hop Pop shouted.

Anne rolled her eyes. She stopped and changed into a wolf, turning around to scoop up the trio on her back before running after Marcy again!

"Whoa!" Sprig let out, hanging on to Anne's fur.

"YEEHAW!" Polly shouted in glee.

The two animals stopped in front of a hole and turned back.

"This is it. The Barbariants main nest is right down here." Marcy said as she pointed towards the hole.

"Okay, so what's the plan again?" Polly asked.

"We have to get these to the queen's room." Marcy said, holding up a special mushroom.

"Hold on, I think we've seen that kind of mushroom before." Sprig said, pointing to it. "Are those Boomshrooms?"

"They're similar to Boom Shrooms but not quite. These are Stinkshrooms, when they detonate they release a scent that the Babariants can't stand." Marcy said, "We have to get these right in the queens area, drive her out, the ants will follow her."

"And the gas isn't deadly to us?" Anne asked out of caution.

"Well, no. So long as you don't inhale it too long or else it will liquify your organs." Marcy said to them.

"... So yes." Anne said.

"Well, yeah, but as long as we leave quickly, our organs will be fine. The newts are very specific in their research. Now come on." Marcy said, jumping into the hole.

"Marcy, don't just jump in!" Anne shouted, grabbing the Plantars and jumping in after her.

The group landed in the hole and began to look around. The entire tunnel system underground was quiet, and no other ants were in sight, possibly because they needed to expand the system to try to breach Newtopia.

"Alright Anne, I need you." Marcy said, "Birds don't have the ability to smell, so while I can move easily through here, I can't navigate. Not to mention wolves have better eyesight in the dark than me."

"So you need me to sniff the queen out?" Anne asked, "Easy."

She fell onto all fours and shifted midfall. She began sniffing the ground, tracking the queen with ease as she had a rather heavy scent compared to the other ants. Anne began to move quickly through the tunnels. Everyone else rushed to follow her while receiving bundles of Stinkshrooms from Marcy.

"When we reach the queen, move silently and place them around the cave for maximum coverage." Marcy quickly explained, "She's basically blind, but she can hear really well."

"Just like Anne!" Polly said.

Anne looked back at Polly with a blank growl, making her raise her nubs in surrender.

"Sorry, half blind. I meant half blind." Polly said.

"Am I ever going to learn about what happened to her eye?" Marcy asked.

"Well-"

Sprig was cut off when Anne growled at him.

"A-A-Anne will tell you... when she's comfortable with it." Sprig said.

Anne nodded to him before she went back to sniffing out the queen, missing a questioning and worrying look from Marcy.

'What happened to her?' Marcy thought, noticing the scars she didn't notice because of Anne's clothes, 'What did she fight to get like this?'

That was almost all Marcy could think about as they continued walking to the main nest. Marcy felt shame, they ended up here because of her.

'I never wanted Anne to be hurt and if she's like this, I hate to assume how Sasha is doing. Despite having a bear spirit animal, she's not invincible.' Marcy thought, 'I just wanted to be with my friends.'

Unknown to her... her friends may never be friends again. The group had managed to reach the heart of the hive, seeing the queen ant laying the eggs as possible hundreds were around her.

"Alright, time to spread these out." Marcy said, handing out the stinkshrooms.

The group, with Anne turning back to normal, nodded to Marcy as they each took a bundle of mushroom and moved around the cave quietly to plant them. Marcy and Anne were pretty close to each other.

"So... what happened to you?" Marcy asked.

"Now is not the time." Anne said, "And frankly, I don't want to talk about it at all."

"But I do. Seeing you like this, it's scary Anne. It's scary to think about what happened to make someone I care about look like this." Marcy said with a frown.

"Like I said, I don't want to talk about it." Anne said, with a growl, "And I don't want to talk about Sasha either."

"Sasha? What does Sasha have to do with this?" Marcy asked.

"That bitch has everything to do with it." Anne said, "I hope she rots in hell."

"A-A-Anne, what-"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Anne yelled.

Not only did this scare Marcy, making her fall back with tears forming a bit, but this alerted the Queen Babariant to them being in her nest! She looked around, looking for what made that noise. The frogs and humans quickly hid, being silent as they could be to not let the queen find them as she moved from her spot. It moved close to Anne and Marcy. Both of them hid behind a large rock and didn't move as the queen approached them.

"Look what you made me do! Now the-" Anne whisper shouted before seeing Marcy face, silently crying as she tried to make it stop.

Anne felt a little guilty.

"Marcy... I'm sorry." Anne said, "I didn't mean to yell at you it's just... what happened was bad, and it honestly changed me. Even thinking about it brings back some bad memories, memories of the person I don't want to be."

"I-I get it but…..this is all my fault! If I didn't show you guys that stupid box, you wouldn't have been hurt like this." Marcy whispered, still crying.

"Marcy, it's not your fault. You had no idea that box would bring us here." Anne whispered.

"But-But-" Marcy whispered before Anne pulled her into a hug.

"But nothing." Anne said to her, "Now come on, let's stop a giant bug."

"O-Okay." Marcy whispered, slowly leaving the hug even if she didn't want to.

'Maybe later, we could hug again. I miss them.' Marcy thought.

"So, Marcy, we can't place anymore as long as she's right next to us, what's the plan?" Anne asked.

"Hmm, one thought comes to mind, but you won't like it." Marcy whispered.

"What?" Anne replied.

"I transform, fly away, and screech to draw the queen away." Marcy quickly said.

"What!" Anne whispered shouted, "That's too dangerous!"

"I know but it's the only way! I'm the best chance at keeping my distance from the queen while you guys finish!" Marcy whispered back.

"I can do it!" Anne whispered back.

"Now with those injuries! Not to mention you're half blind!" Marcy whispered.

"But my hear and smell are amazing." Anne said.

"Anne... I have to do this." Marcy said.

"Marcy, no! Please…..I just got you back. I can't risk losing you when I just found you again." Anne whispered.

"Anne... I promise, I'll be back." Marcy said, "I just have to keep her distracted long enough for you guys to finish planting the stinkshrooms."

Anne bit her lip, trying to think about something to say to talk Marcy out of this but found nothing coming to mind. She could only sight in defeat before nodding to Marcy.

"Okay, but you better come back." Anne whispered to her.

"Hey, who do you think you're talking to?" Marcy asked, "I'm better than an ant, I'm a raptor."

Anne rolled her... eye. Marcy loved to refer to herself as a raptor, AKA, birds of prey consisting of Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, and others.

'A silly raptor.' Anne thought as Marcy jumped into the air and transformed into her eagle form.

Marcy screeched as she fly up to the ceiling of the cave, drawing the attention of the queen as she looked up to the noise. The queen focused on Marcy, giving the others the chance to finish the mission. Anne moved faster than before, wanting to finish the plane and leave before that thing caught Marcy. After, Anne placed the rest of the Stinkshrooms before looking up.

"Marcy, come on!"

She screeched back as she flew towards a wall, flying down to the floor before circling to the queen and flying under her as she crashed! She shifted back and went in front of Anne.

"Alright, time to set them off."

"Got it. And how do we-" Anne asked until Marcy pulls out a match.

"Okay, I wasn't expecting that." Anne said.

"Yeah, you may want to take a head start." Marcy said.

Anne shifted into a wolf and quickly gathered the Plantars, while Marcy flicked the match, letting it land right in the middle of a couple of the shrooms.

"Bombs away!" Marcy shouted as she shifted, flying as fast as she could out of the cave!

The match caused the shrooms to go off, releasing the toxic chemical. The queen screeched as the toxic smell rushed into her nose, making her shake her head before rushing out of the cab as fast as she could. The rest of the soldiers smelt it as well and fled, leaving the eggs laid inside to perish once they hatched. The two animals made it out of the hole and shifted back.

"Alright, I think that's taken care off." Marcy said, "Now let's get into that city!"

"Here here!" Hop Pop shouted.

"Finally!" Sprig said with a smile.

"Are there more stinkshrooms inside?" Polly asked.

Marcy ignored that last one and went over to the gate.

"The ants are gone! Open the gate!"

"They are?!" The gate keeper asked, opening the tiny window.

"Yep! They're all gone!" Marcy shouted to him.

The gate opened and the Plantars were introduced to the beauty and awe of Newtopia. A beautiful city but some things falling apart after so many years.

"Wow, you've been here the entire time?" Anne asked.

"Yep." Marcy said with a smile, "More or less."

They were suddenly surrounded by guards.

"Sprig, what did you do?" Hop Pop asked.

"Don't worry, guys, they're just protection for someone important." Marcy said, as someone came up to them.

"Master Marcy, the Legendary Eagle Guard."

Marcy bowed a bit.

"Lady Olivia."

Being in the presence of a royal newt, Hop Pop went to his knee with a bow as the rest of them bowed like Marcy.

"No need for that, Hop Pop." Marcy said as she gestured to them. "Olivia, this is one of my friends, Anne. And the family she's been staying with, the Plantars."

Lady Olivia decided to ignore the injuries of the new human for now, she knew all too well how some people can get when asked about traumatic events, she learned that after seeing her wife after some of her early missions.

"It's a Pleasure to meet you, Anne." Lady Olivia said, "I take it the mission was a success?"

Marcy pulled out a severed ant head and threw it in front of Olivia.

'Wait, where did she get that?' Anne thought.

"Ah, still fresh I see." Olivia said, "I'll have a servant gather that, in the meantime... King Andrias wishes to speak with you. Why don't you bring your friends with you?"

"The king of Newtopia?!" Hop Pop shouted before fainting.

"I think that's a "yes."" Polly said as Anne and Sprig helped Hop Pop up.

"Sorry about that. I guess meeting the king is a big deal to H.P." Anne said.

"Nonsense. It's understandable, even a few people here still faint." Olivia said as she gestured for them to follow her. "Right this way, and please, be careful with our fair city. As you can tell, time has begun to take it's hold."

Looking around, everyone could see the ancient city was falling apart with natural decay and cracks on nearly every building.

"We'll do our best." Anne said, putting a hand on Sprig to keep him close.

"Great, see you later, mo- I mean! Lady Olivia!" Marcy said, "Guys, come on, now."

Marcy put her hood up and quickly began walking away, embarrassed, while Lady Olivia smiled.

'That girl, if only she understood that I see her as family too.' Olivia thought as she led Anne and the Plantars away.

They arrived at the castle... and their necks hurt because of looking up.

"Ugh, I'm gonna need a neck brace after all this." Hop Pop said, rubbing his neck.

"Why is everything so tall, anyway?" Anne asked Marcy.

"Because it's to fit the king. Trust me when I say this, he's HUGE!" Marcy said with a small giggle.

"Is he compensating for something?" Anne asked with a smirk.

"Damn you and your Shrek quotes." Marcy said with a laugh, "I'm supposed to be that person."

"Hahahahahaha!" Anne laughed with Marcy.

"Who's Shrek?" The Plantars asked, being left out of the loop.

"Not important right now." Anne said, "I'll tell you later."

"Come on, let's go!" Marcy said.

Marcy lead the group inside of the castle, the halls pristine and maintained with care. Murals of previous kings and other royals hung on the walls as they looked around.

"Wow! This is even fancier than fancy!" Polly said in awe.

"This is the fanciest place I've ever seen. I feel like I can't even stand here without getting something dirty." Hop Pop said.

"There are over four thousand servants in charge of cleaning this place, 24/7." Marcy said, "If there is so much as a speck of dust, they'll come and clean it."

"Really?" Polly asked.

"Really." Marcy said with a nod.

Polly smirked before trying to clear her throat before Hop Pop covered her mouth.

"Don't even think about it, young lady. We are guests." Hop Pop scolded her.

Polly crossed her arms.

"Fine." Polly said as they continued towards the throne room.

'I'm still going to test it.' Polly thought as Sprig thought the same thing.

"Alright, now, before we go in, I have to warn you, he gets... excited when he meets new people." Marcy said.

Marcy then pushed the doors opened and led the Plantars and Anne into the throne room, right to where the king sat in an intimidating shadow. Not to mention he was about 30 FEET tall! Marcy bowed.

"King Andrias, the mission was successful." Marcy said.

"We'll done, Eagle Guard!" Andrias said.

Andrias got up and walked to the group, making them even more intimidated by him up close! He gazed down at there and smiled brightly, making the intimidating aura disappear.

"Ahahahahahaha! Welcome to Newtopia!" He said to them in a joyful and boisterous voice, "Come here!"

He scooped up the Plantars and giving them all a hug.

'The Plantars flinched from the sudden embrace, not expecting to be hugged by the large king.

'Is this guy like a real Santa?' Anne thought.

"And you must be Anne." Andrias said, putting the Plantars down, "Marcy has spoken highly of you. You look... a lot different than what she says."

"Yeah, I can assume. Probably more scarred than you expected." Anne said, scratching her head a bit. "Let's just say I've been through a lot since I got here."

"I can see."

"And if you're wondering how she got them, it's best not to talk about it until she's ready." Marcy quickly said.

"Right, I understand." Andrias said with his hand up and a nod.

"Okay, now that we got passed the scarred part, can we figure out how to get home?"

"Oh yes, but for that, we would need the box. It was what brought you here and in turn, can help you return." Andrias said as he walked back to his throne and pulled out a large book from behind. "It says so right here in one of Newtopia's oldest books."

"The music box? Hop Pop, didn't you leave it with some contacts in Amphibia?" Anne asked.

"Uh... yes."

"Well, I have a Photo of it." Anne said, "Would that help?"

"It couldn't hurt." Andrias said.

Anne pulled out her phone and quickly pulled up the picture before showing it to Andrias, who kneeled down to see it.

"Marcy, didn't you say the stones were colored? Look at this, they... they're grey." Andrias said.

Anne looked at it.

"Huh... I never noticed that before." Anne said.

"This will require further study."

"And what about us? Can we do anything to help?" Sprig asked him.

"No, no, you've done more than enough with this new information and dealing with the ants. For that, consider yourselves my guests with all expenses paid!" Andrias said before he pulled out a gold credit card, "Here, take this. It's the royal credit card, unlimited funds. Use it for your stay and anything you'd like. Souvenirs, food, lodging."

"Anything?" Anne asked in surprise, taking the credit card. "I didn't even think this place would have credit cards."

"Me either but that just proves Newtopia really is the more advanced city in Amphibia." Marcy said as she turned to them. "But you better be careful with that. People will do ANYTHING for that card if they know it has unlimited funds."

"Wars have been waged for less, so be vigilant." Andrias added.

"Don't worry, your Highness, I will guard this with my life." Anne said.

"Yeah, she will!" Sprig said with a wave of his hand.

'I can't wait for her to let me use it.' Sprig thought.

'There's not way I'm letting Sprig use this.' Anne thought.

"Splendid." Andrias said, "Marcy, show them to the best hotel in the city, and then come back here to help research."

"Yes, sir." Marcy said with a salute, "Follow me!"

Marcy led the Plantars back into the city, giving them a small tour of the city where their hotel is in. They went inside and unpacked, which made Anne place the card on a nightstand. Doing a lot of moving while on the way here, led to her being able to move easily with one eye, the other advanced senses she has didn't hurt either, she doesn't even need her cane anymore... she still has it, because she liked that Sprig made it.

"You guys are getting the King Suite, best view in the city." Marcy said, "Except for the Ferris wheel here... or when I'm flying."

"Ferris wheel? The hotel has a ferris wheel?!" Sprig asked in excitement!

"Yes it does!" Marcy said, before walking to the window and opening it, "Well, I have some work to do. Enjoy your time in Newtopia. Eagle Guard, out!"

Marcy sat on the windowsill and fell backwards. She shifted into her Spirit Animal and flew away.

"That…was so cool!" Polly shouted.

'And so dangerous!' Anne thought, despite Marcy having an eagle spirit animal.

"Alright, after the adventure we just had, I think we should just rest for the day." Anne said.

"I completely agree." Hop Pop said with a yawn. "I think we should all take a nice long nap and be refreshed for tomorrow."

Sprig reached for the credit card when he heard a growl. He turned and saw a very annoyed wolf.

"Aaah!" Sprig let out, taking some steps back as Anne looked at him.

'Don't even think about it.' Anne thought as she grabbed the card with her teeth and curled up one of the beds with it.

"You shouldn't have done that Sprig." Hop Pop said.

"Man, I'm kind of missing the Anne that first arrived." Sprig said, "She was a lot... happier and rebellious."

"Anne changed, Sprig, she's going to do whatever it takes to keep us safe." Hop Pop said.

"I understand that... I just don't like how that happened."

"None of us do, Sprig." Hop Pop said, looking at the sleeping canine, "None of us do."

Chapter Text

The next day, Anne was the first to wake up. She let out a small canine like yelp as she stood up and stretched on the bed before she shifted back to human.

"That was the best sleep I've had in months." Anne said to herself.

She walked to the window and saw the sun begin to rise. Anne smiled at the warming rays before taking a deep breath, sighing in relief of the fresh air.

"I could get used to this."

Anne reached into her pocket and pulled out the royal credit card, seeing it was still with her and Sprig hadn't used it while she slept.

"Good."

Anne turned to the Plantars and saw them sleeping peacefully in hotel robes and towels on their heads.

'Guess they embraced the hotel lifestyle after I went to sleep.' Anne thought as she walked to the service phone in the room. 'I think I'll surprise them with some room service breakfast. Yeah, I could get used to this card.'

Anne made the order and went to the bathroom to shower, looking forward to modern fixtures again while in Newtopia. She... may have spent five minutes just kissing the sink faucet, but she spent the last several months in a basement, can you blame her?

'Whoever judges me for this, can kiss my furry ass.' Anne thought before getting into the shower and feeling the hot water, 'It reminds me of the first time I experienced rain as a puppy.'

After Anne was done, shot turned into a wolf and shook her fur dry as much as she could before wrapping herself in a towel. She couldn't wait to see this city. But first, she would have breakfast, check with the King and Marcy, and THEN take a large tour over the city. Anne knew it would some time, but she was more than willing to wait if it meant that she would get back home. A knocking came and knocked Anne out of her thoughts.

"Room service, Ms. Boonchuy!" The newt said through the door.

"Thank you!" Anne said.

Anne walked and opened the door, taking the cart as the newt held his hand out for a tip. Anne reached into her hair and pulled out some coppers, placing them in his hand.

"Here you go." Anne said with a smile.

"Thank you for your generosity." He said with a nod before leaving.

"Alright, breakfast."

The smell of the food, various fruits and meats on the cart, helped the family slowly wake up and yawn as they sat up on the beds.

"What smells delicious?" Polly asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Sprig asked as he opened his eyes, filling them with wonder. "Fancy breakfast!"

Anne grabbed a lot of meat.

"Yep and fancy meats too. I can't wait to see how they compare to Wartwood." Anne said, taking a big bite of the juicy and tender insect meat, "Oh, this is better than anything I hunted down with my parents."

"What about back in Wartwood?" Hop Pop asked, coming over to take some food himself.

"Still not better than this." Anne replied.

"Oh, it can't be that good." Hop Pop said, taking a bite, "Oh my frog! This is the best thing I've ever eaten!"

"Give me some!" Polly shouted, jumping face first into one of the dishes and eating without shame. "So good!"

Sprig came over and ate too. He nearly ate the whole plate before spitting it back out while chewing his food!

"Oh, this is so good."

"Less talking and more eating boy!" Hop Pop said to him.

Sprig saluted him.

The group went back to eating breakfast, slowing down to eat at a more rational pace before they were finished.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Sprig asked as he saw Anne was already dressed.

"Well, it's going to take a bit of time before Marcy and the King learn more about the box, so I think we should just explore the city today."

"How about we check out the Ferris Wheel first? It looked so cool!" Sprig said with a smile.

"Sure" Anne said.

After they finished breakfast, the group got dressed and exited their room to explore the hotel a bit.

"Man, this place is huge."

"It's almost like a mall instead of hotel." Anne said as they looked around.

"What's a mall?" Sprig asked.

"Like an indoor market but bigger and with more stands." Anne explained, "Maybe I'll show you if you ever end up in my world."

"I'd love that. Can't wait to see what kind of produce you have in your world." Hop Pop said, still thinking like a farmer.

Anne rolled her eyes.

'Of course he would think about that.' Anne thought as they came to the line for the Ferris wheel.

"One ride and then we explore the city." Anne said to the frogs.

"You got it!" They said.

The group waited patiently for their turn as Sprig looked around the hotel down more to take it in.

'I wonder what other things are here.'

As Sprig thought this, a random bellhop newt was sitting down and having her lunch break. The meal? An ice cube sandwich.

'Uh… that doesn't look right.'

He felt bad for the bellhop, silently hoping her life would get better someday. If only he knew that someday was going to be today.

"Sprig... what are you thinking?"

"Huh? I'm not thinking anything!" Sprig said as it was almost their turn for the Ferris wheel.

"Yes, I can see it on your face." Anne said to him.

"It's... look, we can talk about it later." Sprig said.

"Hmmm." Anne said, narrowing her eyes at him.

'He's thinking of something, and I don't know what it is.'

Anne moved a hand into her pocket to keep a firm grip on royal credit card in case he tried something. It's not that she didn't trust him, it's... okay, she didn't trust him.

'Keep an eye on Sprig and a hand on the card.' Anne thought, as it was their turn.

"Four please." Anne said to him.

"Certainly, Ma'am." The newt said.

Anne knew they were looking at her scars, but they were able to mask it with the customer service voice, and frankly she was annoyed by it.

'That's it, I'm buying a hoodie or something.' Anne thought.

To pay for the ride, Anne pulled out the royal credit card. This made the newt's smile turn more greedy as they swiped it to charge them and tip.

"Enjoy the ride."

Everyone got into the Ferris wheel car as the door shut behind them, sitting on both side.

"Oh boy, this is going to be fun!" Sprig said.

"I've never been in a Ferris Wheel before." Polly said with a smile. "I hope it's fast!"

"Um, no it's not. Ferris Wheel as mostly slow but relaxing." Anne said to her.

"Oh." Polly said.

'That's disappointing.' Polly thought with a frown.

"I'm sure it can be exciting without being fast." Sprig suggested.

"See, Sprig gets it."

"I hope it's relaxing. These seats are already a dead five away." Hop Pop said as he leaned back, sighing in relief. "So good."

Anne took a seat and leaned back.

"Damn, these seats are nice."

They felt the ride begin and slowly rolling up.

"Oh, this should be good."

Sprig looked over the edge and saw how high they were getting, able to see the entire hotel and it's stores.

"Wow, there's so much to do here."

"Yeah but let's just relax and enjoy the view." Anne said before yawning.

They made it to the top and saw the sun rising higher in the sky. The sight was awe inspiring, making everyone gaze in amazement and let their guards down. Especially Anne as Sprig were very close to right now, close enough for one to grab something from the other.

'Incredible.' Anne said.

'I guess this isn't so bad.' Polly thought with a smile.

Sprig smiled at the sun before gazing towards the golden card in Anne's pocket. With Anne's guard let down, he figured this was his chance.

'I won't take it for too long.' Sprig thought, slowly reaching and sliding it out of her pocket. 'Just a few places of interest.'

Soon the ride stopped.

"What's going on?" Hop Pop asked.

"Don't worry, it's just the ride stopping." Anne said to him.

'Now's my chance.' Sprig thought.

Without thinking, Sprig jumped out of the cart and swung off on his tongue!

"What the hell?!" Anne shouted.

"Sprig!" Hop Pop shouted.

Anne felt her pocket and let out a growl.

"I'm gonna eat that frog one day. He took the card!" Anne shouted as she gazed down at ground level. "SPRIG!"

On the ground, Sprig was hopping away.

"Anne's gonna maul me for this but it'll be worth it!" Sprig said as he hopped onto the table with the bellhop newt.

"Aaah!" She screamed in surprise.

"Oh, sorry!" Sprig said, "I was just excited to see everything around the hotel. Maybe you can help me see what's exciting to experience."

"Well, I am an employee. But I'm just a bellhop, name's Bella." Bella said.

"Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet ya too, kid but I don't have much left of my break, so…" Bella said, gesturing to her melting ice sandwich.

"NOPE! Starting off, we're getting you some real lunch." Sprig said to her, "Now follow me."

"What? But-" Bella said before Sprig slapped her sandwich away.

"No buts, you're getting treated to lunch and more by me!" Sprig said before showing the royal credit card. "As a special guest of the king, I have access to this!"

"The royal credit card?!" Bella asked in shock.

"Indeed!" Sprig said, "And I'm going to help you with it."

Seeing her lunch was ruined and this frog was determined to "help" her, Bella decided to smile and nodded to him as she got up from the table.

"Okay, lead the way." She said.

"Great, let's get going... because my friend/adopted older sister is probably going to kill me for taking the card." Sprig said.

"Kill you?" Bella asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it. I'll live! Let's go!" Sprig shouted, pointing towards a restaurant for deluxe burgers. "First stop, proper lunch!"

A short time later, the ride stopped, and Anne stomped off.

"He's dead."

"Now, Anne. Just calm down-"

"I am going to drag him into an alley, go full wolf, and bite his leg before slamming him back and forth against the floor or walls until his guts spill out!" Anne said, cutting off Hop Pop!

"Oh ho, I like this violent Anne." Polly said, "Her best friend trying to kill her really changed her!"

"Not now Polly!" Hop Pop said as Anne began sniffing around for Sprig.

"Anne, I think you're acting a little too intense." Hop Pop said.

"The Sprig is putting the pack in danger. I need to find him." Anne said, "I won't let anyone hurt the pack."

"Anne, if this is about Sasha-"

"Sasha threatened my pack, I can't have the pack get hurt again."

"Anne, we aren't a pack, we are a family." Hop Pop said, "And family doesn't hurt each other for doing dumb things, we help each other."

"I know that but sometimes, there needs to be a little tough love to make sure a pup doesn't do something risky and foolish." Anne said to him.

"Anne-"

"Wait, I have his trail."

Anne pointed towards the path he was and began walking after Sprig with Polly and Hop Pop following her. With Sprig, he and Bella had been having the time of their lives around the hotel stores. After a big lunch, they began to explore more and do more such as test fancy furniture, try on new clothes, and even broke things on purpose just to pay for them in the end! Bella's boss almost fired her for this but Sprig covered for her that he was a guest of the king and even got her a raise.

"Oh, this was great!" Sprig said.

"SPRIG!"

"And I'm dead."

"Come on, I'm sure your friend won't be mad." Bella said before Sprig began pulling her away in a rush!

"Oh no you don't!" Anne said, grabbing Sprig and holding him above the ground, "What were you thinking!?"

"Anne, just let me explain!" Sprig shouted at her as Anne shook him and the golden credit card fell out.

"You took the credit card and ditched us at the top of the Ferris wheel! What good reason could there be for that?!" Anne asked before looking at Bella. "And who are you?!"

"B-B-Bella the Bellhop!" Bella said as she held her hands up!

"I... I took the card because I wanted to help her!" Sprig said, "I was going to give it back afterwards!"

Anne looked at Sprig and took the card back, before she dropped him.

"Fine, I'll let this go, only because you did it to help someone." Anne said.

"But why her exactly?" Polly asked, pointing towards Bella.

"W-Well, I may have been eating an ice cube sandwich when he first saw me." Bella said, poking her fingers together nervously. "I also…..may have told him my life was going nowhere and I have a mountain of student debt from Newtopia college."

"And her job as a bellhop didn't pay much until I helped her get a raise and barely anybody tips her." Sprig quickly said, making Bella sad again.

"Yeah…..that too." Bella said, looking at the ground. "This day has actually been one of the best days I've had in a long time."

Anne let out a sigh and began to walk away.

"Fine, you're free to go."

Anne walked off, she needed some time alone.

"Anne?" Sprig asked but got no reply.

She even gave the credit to Hop Pop as she left. Anne went to the room, she needed time to herself.

"Huuuuuh, being a pack leader is a lot tougher than being a pack member." Anne said as she laid back down on a bed.

"Hey, Anne?"

Anne looked up and saw Sprig.

"Oh, hey."

"Something wrong?"

"... No." Anne said.

"I think you're lying." Sprig said, sitting next to Anne, "What's the problem?"

Anne closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm... I'm trying to make sure what happened at Toad Tower never happens again." Anne said, "I'm trying to keep my family safe, I'm trying to be the pack leader, like I will in the future... every time someone in the family goes out and does something dangerous... I can't help but think about Sasha and what she did, about how she would've killed Hop Pop if I wasn't there."

"Anne, you don't need to do that." Sprig said.

"But I do! I need to be a leader, I need to keep everyone safe!" Anne said, "How can I not!?"

"Because... you aren't a leader here, and you're not part of a pack... you're part of our family, and we help each other, no matter how dumb and danger the things we do are." Sprig said.

"He's right Anne." Hop Pop said, coming into the room.

"Stop putting so much pressure on yourself." Polly said to her, being carried in by Hop Pop.

"I don't want a repeat of what happened." Anne said.

"And we don't want you to become someone you're not." Hop Pop said, "When you killed that person that hurt Sprig, how did you feel?"

"I... I felt horrible."

"And how do you feel about killing someone now?"

Anne looked down, she actually WOULD kill someone now if they hurt her family... and she enjoys the mere thought of it.

"I feel good….and I'm scared of that feeling. I don't want to ENJOY killing people." Anne said, hugging her knees, "Even... I even imagine ripping Sasha open and feeding on her organs... I know what she did was horrible, but I don't actually want to kill her... I'm afraid I will next time I see her."

"But even after what she did, you still don't want to kill her, do you? Because a small part of you still wants to be friends again." Hop Pop said as Anne nodded.

"I can never forgive what she did, and I honestly want her to die... but at the same time... I just don't know what to do."

The family could watch as their human friend was conflicted in such a way they could never understand or relate. Her animal instincts, rational mind, and caring heart were clashing in a fight for dominance, and they didn't know how to stop it.

"I don't know what to do, I'm... I'm scared of what might happen if I make the wrong decision." Anne said.

"You don't need to worry about that Anne, we'll stand by you, no matter what." Hop Pop said.

"Between us, I'm fine with killing Sasha." Polly said.

"Polly!" Sprig whispered to her! "Not now!"

She replied just by punching him in the shoulder. Anne gave a small smile.

"Hehehehe." Anne chuckled at her.

"Come on, Anne, let's go take a look at those shops, see if we can get you something to take your mind off this."

"Well…I do think I could use a hoodie to hide my scars." Anne said, gesturing to her arms.

"Or a cloak, imagine how cool that would look!" Sprig said.

"It does sound pretty cool." Polly said, thinking about Anne with a mysterious cloak.

"Yeah, yeah." Anne said, "I get it, the scars and eye with a cloak make me some kind of cool mysterious warrior."

"Exactly!" Sprig said with a grin. "Now let's get that cloak!"

"I still prefer a hoodie." Anne said as she got up.

A little while later, the group were walking around the city, with Anne wearing a black cloak... what can she say, she did in fact look cool with a cloak. They were surprised when a Wild Marcy appeared... okay, technically they found a Golden Eagle but come on, how many eagles are in Amphibia, they've been all around the place and haven't seen one except Marcy.

'She's one of a kind.' Anne thought as Marcy changed back to normal and landed before them.

"Hey, we're cloak buddies!" Marcy said.

"Hehehe, I guess." Anne said.

"Well, I think you look better in a cloak." Marcy said, "Imagine you, me, and Sasha in cloaks, we'd look epic!"

Anne looked down, she had to tell Marcy about Sasha sooner or later, but she didn't even know how to start... and she didn't have to.

"I think bear girl would look better in a coffin." Polly suddenly said.

"Polly!" Hop Pop said, "We don't say that out loud... even if it's true... Sprig, Polly, why don't we leave Anne and Marcy to talk about this... privately."

Sprig didn't say anything as he nodded rapidly, picking up Polly and leaving with Hop Pop as the moment felt EXTREMELY awkward right now.

"Anne, what's the matter? What happened with Sasha?" Marcy asked.

"It's... not important." Anne said, "Can... can we just go hang out for a bit?"

"Anne, I know that look. You wanna say something, just say it. Please." Marcy said to her.

"Marcy... drop it... please." Anne said.

"Not if it's bothering you." Marcy said as she grabbed Anne's hand and began leading her away. "Come on, I have the perfect place we can talk alone."

Marcy dragged Anne away.

'No! This is not how I wanted to tell her about Sasha!' Anne thought, trying to break free but Marcy's grip was too strong!

If you have a bird or prey spirit animal, you practically have an ironclad grip!

'Damn her and her ability to lift a deer!' Anne thought.

Eventually, they reached Marcy's perfect spot to talk.

"Uh... Marcy... why are we at an empty fighting pit?" Anne asked.

"Oh, well, I was actually on my way to bring you here anyway, because I got a wonderful teacher to teach you how to sword fight." Marcy said.

"Really?" Anne said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, really." A voice said, before a tall pink newt landed in front of Anne.

"Gah! Who the heck at you?!" Anne let out as she jolted in place, seeing the new newt in armor.

"Anne, let me introduce you to-" Marcy said before Yunan held her hand up.

"Allow me, Eagle Guard." Yunan said before clearing her throat, posing dramatically. "My name is General Yunan, Scourge of the Sand Wars, Defeater of Ragnar the Wretched, and the youngest newt to ever achieve the rank of general in the great Newtopian Army!"

"I'm assuming that she's told you about... my wolf?"

"Indeed! She's told me all about your spirit animal and its abilities, I'm impressed but you can't rely on them all the time. A good soldier needs variety in their move set." Yunan said as she popped blades out of her wrists. "Now pick a sword and let's get training!"

"Fine." Anne said, before looking at Marcy, "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."

It was clear that Marcy wanted to know what happened between her and Sasha, so getting her annoyed is a way to get her to talk... Anne knows this because Marcy's done this before!

"I have no idea what you mean." Marcy said with an "innocent" smile before walking to a sword rack. "Now come on, these are some of the better conditioned swords. You'll need one if you're training with Yunan."

"She's right you know." Yunan said with a smile yet feral grin.

"You underestimate me." Anne said.

"And you overestimate yourself." Yunan said before swiftly slashing the ground next to her, leaving a giant gash! "Overconfidence can be a killer."

"I've fought against worse, have you not seen what I look like?"

Anne gestured to her scars and to her eye.

"Have you seen my body under this armor? They're real battle scars, not those bug bites." Yunan said to Anne.

'Okay, I feel like I will end up regretting this.' Marcy thought.

"If you say you're so tough, then grab a sword and let's dance! Marcy was a quick study, I'm eager to see how you compare!" Yunan shouted at Anne.

"Fine." Anne said, grabbing an old looking sword.

"Wait, Anne, that's a-"

"It's fine, Marcy. Let's see how long she can last with a blade like that." Yunan said, holding her blades up.

Anne held the sword up. She saw her reflection in it, as well as its cracks, chips, and dull color. It was, in a way, just like Anne had become, hardened by battle but still strong.

"Yeah, this sword will do just fine." Anne said with a small smile.

"Then bring it on." Yunan said.

"Sure!" Anne shouted, charging Yunan and swinging wildly!

Yunan blocked each swing as she walked backwards from Anne, feeling the power behind them while seeing the sloppy swings.

'She has strength, but no skill.' Yunan said.

At another swing, Yunan blocked and slide to the side to let Anne fall down before kneeing her in the stomach!

"Guh!" Anne let out in pain!

"Sloppy swings leave you open!" Yunan said as she used her tails the throw Anne back!

Anne rolled on the ground and groaned.

"I'll remember that." Anne said, getting up. "Let's try something else then!"

Anne turned and threw her sword at Yunan, making her deflect it into the air!

"A warrior never throws away their weapon!" Yunan shouted before seeing Anne jump into the air.

"That's the idea!" Anne shouted, transforming and grabbing the sword with her mouth!

Anne jumped at Yunan. She slashed at her once more but this time mixed in her wolf speed and claws to making Yunan block or dodge the wild attacks.

'Her rhythms changed and she's more unpredictable, impressive.' She thought, 'Maybe I did underestimate her.'

Deciding to change tactics, Yunan deflected a sword slash before running around Anne.

'She's half blind, which means she can be easily snuck up on.'

With her tail, Yunan slapped Anne across the face and made her stagger! The wolf growled at this. She swung again, but Yunan jumped and slapped her head again, making sure to avoid her line of vision. Anne growled and swung her head, throwing the sword at Yunan.

Yunan dodged the sword before Anne tackled her, tumbling along the ground as she tried to bite the newt's face off!

"Anne!" Marcy shouted in worry.

"Oh! She really is wild!" Yunan said before kicking Anne off and into a wall!

Anne turned back and ran at the newt, sliding under her strike and reclaiming her sword.

"Not bad but it's time to get serious!" Yunan shouted as she went on the attack this time!

Yunan didn't hold back, she pounced at Anne. Yunan didn't hesitate as she slashed rapidly at Anne, forcing her to block them with both hands on the sword handle! Anne tried to block another strike from Yunan, but the sword was knocked out of her hands and Yunan's blade sunk into Anne's shoulder. Anne let out a pained groan.

"Anne!" Marcy said, scared for her friend.

Anne simply stood up and grabbed Yunan's wrist. She slowly pulled Yunan's blade out, without making a single noise.

"What? Are you not in pain?" Yunan asked in surprise.

"No, I've just been in worse pain than anything you can dish out." Anne said, glaring at Yunan as her eye became wolf-like.

Anne lifted a hand threw it, punching Yunan and sending her to the ground.

"I was mauled, stabbed, lost my half my vision, but that made me stronger, I became someone who vowed to protect my pack, I became someone who couldn't be knocked down." Anne said, "I wasn't just physically hurt, I was emotionally hurt as well, because that's what happens when you have to fight you best friend after they tried to kill the family that took you in."

Marcy gasped at this, covering her mouth at the shock of this reveal! It was even worse than she thought!

Anne walked off, hitting Marcy in the shoulder with her own shoulder.

"Happy now?" Anne asked, leaving the place.

"A-Anne, wait!" Marcy said as she rushed after her! "I'm sorry! I d-"

"I know what you wanted but somethings can't be helped with! Ever since that day, I've had nothing but negativity towards Sasha! Half the time, I try my best not to think about killing her the next time I see her over trying to find a way to patch things up but the former is stronger than the latter!" Anne said to her.

"Anne, I'm sure if we try we can fix-"

"I will never be her friend again!" Anne said, "That is a fucking promise, there is no fixing what happened! I can't forget it, because she left a permanent reminder!"

Anne pointed to her eye.

"Anne-"

Anne turned away from Marcy.

"I have to go bandage my wound." Anne said, "I hope you learned what you wanted."

Before Marcy could say anything else, Anne turned into a wolf and ran back to the hotel. Leaving Marcy ridden with guilt as Yunan retrieved Anne's dull sword.

"I must admit, she had some skill." Yunan said.

"Yeah….she is." Marcy said, feeling like she was close to crying.

"I need to go." Marcy said, turning into her Spirit Animal and flying after Anne.

Yunan watched Marcy fly away from the field as she looked back at the dull sword, seeing a bit of Anne's blood managed to splatter on it.

'These humans are unlike anything I've ever come across. They are more evolved yet they hurt all the same.' Yunan thought as she turned back to seeing Marcy fly away. 'Their bond and their emotions, they are hurting so much yet they hide it so well.'

'She really does have a warriors heart.'

Yunan turned to leave, still holding the sword as she gave a small nod.

"Yet even a warrior's heart can be fragile." Yunan said to herself.

She definitely wanted to keep training her. And maybe Olivia could help Anne with her emotions as well as Marcy if she feels as strongly about this as Yunan predicted. In the sky, Marcy was looking for Anne. With her vision, it wasn't hard… also, she was the only other human in Newtopia and she was currently sitting on a bench, lightly crying. Marcy landed on the bench and looked at Anne.

"Go away, Marcy, I want to be alone." Anne said, looking away from the bird.

Marcy turned back and sat next to her.

"Anne, I'm-"

"Why couldn't you just drop it?!" Anne said, "Every time you try and get me to talk about it, I have to relive that moment in my head, the feeling of her claws on my skin, her biting down on my neck!"

Anne reached up and grabbed her neck, rubbing the bite mark on it.

"I nearly died… I… I still get nightmares about it." Anne said.

Marcy didn't say anything as she moved closer and hugged Anne, putting her face into her shoulder.

"I…I'm sorry. I can't think of anything else to say other than that. I shouldn't have butted in and I'm sorry for being so nosy and stupid." Marcy said.

"Sasha and I aren't friends anymore, we never will be again." Anne said, "Because no matter how hard she can try, I'll never be able to forget what happened."

"Anne-"

"I'll work with her to get home, but that's it." Anne said, "And I'm only doing that for you."

Marcy sighed but nodded to this.

"Okay." Marcy said, "I... I'm sorry."

Anne sighed a bit as she hugged Marcy back, rubbing her back.

"I know…..and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have blown up at you like that." Anne said, apologizing as well, "I guess... I'm just a different person than I was when I first got here."

"That's not exactly a bad thing. We've both changed for better…and worse." Marcy said as she pulled away.

"Always the optimist." Anne said.

"Hehehe, yeah but someone has to be. Hope only dies if you become hopeless." Marcy said with a smile.

"God, that sounds corny. Where did you learn that? Hahahahaha?" Anne asked with a laugh.

"I've been learning lots of things since I got here." Marcy said, "Both for the box and for myself."

Marcy reached into her side pocket and pulled out a notebook, handing it to Anne.

"What's this?"

It's a special notebook I've been keeping. It's full of everything I've learn so far in my personal growth, not in knowledge but in my heart." Marcy said with a small smile.

'Not THAT but still, this is all me.' Marcy thought.

Anne opened it, seeing a lot of notes and drawings.

"Wow, you've been through a lot since we got to Newtopia." Anne said as she read the journal.

"I had to train a bit first, actually broke my leg the first few hours I was here. Ehehehehe." Marcy said with a nervous smile, rubbing her head, "Thankfully they have free healthcare."

"Really? So even in the multiverse America is the only place without it?" Anne asked.

"I guess so. The medical technology here is next level too. I was only in that cast for three days, that's how good it is." Marcy revealed.

"Wow. I don't suppose they could heal this?" Anne asked, gesturing to her blind eye.

"Maybe." Marcy said with a shrug. "I think they could actually grow you a whole new eye and surgically implant it."

"I... don't know what to say about that."

"Hey, why don't we go hang out." Marcy said, "This time for real, let me make it up to you."

"Promise?" Anne asked her.

"Spirit animal promise, cross my heart and hope to die." Marcy said, drawing an X on her heart and holding her hand up.

Anne took the hand.

"Great, let's go, I'm feeling hungry." Anne said.

"Up for another burger?" Marcy asked.

"Make that three and you got a deal." Anne said with a smirk.

"Sure, heck we can make it four for you and two for me." Marcy said, "Let's go!"

The two friends left the bench and headed back to the beetle burger stand.

'Maybe hanging out with Marcy is what I need.' Anne thought.

Chapter Text

Almost a week later, Anne was squeezing water out of her hair when Marcy came rushing up to her and the Plantars.

"Anne! Anne! Anne! I have- what happened to you?"

"Sprig nearly got eaten by Manta Rays at the aquarium, and I had to save him... we're now banned from there." Anne said.

"I regret nothing." Sprig said with his hands on his hips.

"Sprig!" Hop Pop said, scolding his grandson.

"Well, sounds… eventful."

"More than you think. So what's the happs, Mar-Mar? You got news for us?" Polly asked.

"We found a bit of information about the Music box." Marcy said, "I am heading to Newtopia University to do a bit of research since they have one of the biggest libraries in all of Amphibia."

"Newtopia University? The greatest school in all of Amphibia?" Hop Pop asked in awe.

"The same one Bella has a mountain of student loans from?" Sprig added.

Marcy nodded.

"It's my dream for one of my grandchildren to attend that school." Hop Pop said, holding onto Sprig and Polly.

He looked at his grandkids and then grabbed Anne's wrist and pulled her close.

"I would like all THREE of my grandkids with me while I daydream, Anne." Hop Pop said.

"Day dream?" Anne asked before they could all suddenly see Hop Pop's day dream!

They were all in a fancy mansion with Sprig and Polly in the pool while a very old and weak Hop Pop was in a wheelchair that Anne was pushing.

"Uh... is this normal?" Anne asked.

"Usually." Sprig asked, "Just ride it out."

"Aaaah, seeing my grandkids living wonderful lives, I can finally go in peace." Older Hop Pop said, slowly closing his eyes.

"Um, not to complain, but why am I still a pollywog?" Polly asked, looking over herself.

"And why am I still here?" Anne asked.

"Shut up, I'm dying in peace." Hop Pop said to them.

"Okay, this is weird." Anne said, pulling away from Hop Pop.

"Um, what just happened?" Marcy asked, not seeing the flashback.

"Hop Pop had a weird dream." Anne answered.

"Wha-"

"Don't ask, I don't get it either." Anne said, "Let's go to the University."

With that STRANGE situation still in her mind, Marcy lead the Plantars and Anne to Newtopia University.

"Oh my, I can't believe we get to see Newtopia University in real life." Hop Pop said, "I've only seen pictures."

"Really? But I could've sworn I saw a picture of-"

"Hey, Marcy, what's your favorite equation?" Hop Pop asked, cutting her off.

"Where do I start!" Marcy said, gleefully.

Almost like she was a college student, Marcy began giving the Plantars a full tour of the campus.

"And here is where the head master's office." Marcy said, "He's a very friendly guy, also a bit old."

"Do my eyes deceive me?" A voice said, "I don't believe it, Hopediah, is that you?"

They all turned and saw an elder newt, most likely the head master.

"Hop Pop, you know this guy?" Anne asked.

"Know me? Why, he was once my finest teacher back when we had an agriculture course."

They all looked at Hop Pop in shock.

"Well, if you listened to me when I talked about my past you would know this." Hop Pop said, "Besides, it was only for a year."

"That's still incredible! Not just anyone can teach at Newtopia U! You're probably one of the best farmers in Wartwood to have been able to teach here!" Marcy said to Hop Pop with a whole new light of respect.

"Indeed he was." The Head Master, before greeting the others, "Greetings, I am Professor Herringbone, headmaster of Newtopia University."

He looked at Sprig.

"Ah, this must be your grandson, he's a lot bigger than you spoke of."

"He's a growing boy." Hop Pop said.

"Wait, you've been speaking about me to him? Since when?" Sprig asked, pointing to himself.

"Well, you were only a tadpole when I taught here." Hop Pop said, "But I told him it would be a dream if you were to go here."

"And I can make that happen if I see the same promise that he sees in you." The professor said with a smile.

"We are offering a program, if you're interested, I can bring you to my office and give you a rundown of it."

"Really? But-"

"He'll take it!" Hop Pop said, covering Sprig's mouth. "Polly too."

"You don't speak for me!" Polly shouted at him as Sprig pulled his hand away.

"Can I at least have some time to think about it?" Sprig asked the professor.

"Sure."

"Great, so now on with the tour?" Marcy suggested, still acting as the tour guide.

"Sure, let's go." Anne said, thankful SHE wasn't "offered" a spot.

The last thing she needed was to try and get a degree to a world she doesn't even live in.

"Oh! Another human! Do you wish to attend as well?" The professor asked Anne.

"No thanks." Anne quickly said, waving her hand at him. "I'm not as smart as Marcy, so going to college here wouldn't do me much good. Besides, Marcy and I have work to do."

"Work, you say? Well, if Marcy is a part of it, it must be VERY important." The professor said with a nod, taking his leave.

"Alright you two, have fun!" Anne said, quickly walking away before Hop Pop could sign her up as well.

"Wait for me!" Polly shouted as she hopped after Anne in her bucket.

Hop Pop looked at Sprig.

"Sprig, this is a great opportunity!" Hop Pop said.

"I guess but aren't I too young to attend college right now?" Sprig asked.

"Yes but It's never too early to plan for your future when you ARE old enough to attend this fine institution." Hop Pop said, slapping Sprig on the back, "Now why don't you try? For me?"

"Hmmm." Sprig hummed as Hop Pop have him the "guppy" eyes as a form of begging. "Okay…..but only a trial run."

"That's my boy!" Hop Pop said.

'I hope I don't regret this.' Sprig thought.

With Anne, Polly, and Marcy, they were in the library, checking whatever they could find about this 'Temple' Marcy found.

"So you're saying this temples could recharge the gems?" Anne asked.

"Yeah, the gems have been around for as long as Amphibia has existed. Maybe even longer." Marcy said.

"So... we need the box?" Polly asked.

"Yeah, I'll go look for Hop Pop, see if he can get his contacts to get the box here." Anne said.

I'm actually jealous, I didn't think anyone but the king could have contacts for ancient artifacts." Marcy said.

"Honestly, Hop Pop has been around for a while, if anyone would have contacts it would be him." Anne said, "He did say he had a mysterious past, and since we learned that he was a teacher here, that doesn't really surprised me."

Anne got up and headed to look for Hop Pop.

"I'll keep looking for more information with Polly." Marcy said as Polly was actually reading a book.

"Better than being tricked into a scholarship." Polly mumbled.

Speaking of school, Sprig came out dressed in the school uniform.

"Oh, my boy is growing up so fast." Hop Pop said.

"I'm still not comfortable with this uniform." Sprig said, pulling the collar a bit. "Do I really need to wear this for just a trial run?"

"I'll admit it's designed for a newt more than a frog, but it is the mandatory uniform." Hop Pop said, "Now go make the family proud!"

He slapped Sprig on the back to send him off in his first trial day of college, so proud as a tear fell from his eye.

'It all starts today.' Hop Pop thought, crying a bit.

"Hey, HP, I need to talk to you." Anne said, walking up to them, "Hey, Sprig, looking smart there, buddy."

"Don't feel smart. Just feel choked up, literally." Sprig said, pulling at his collar again. "Wish me luck, though."

"Ah, they grow up so fast." Hop Pop said.

"Yep, so, HP, can you contact your... contacts?" Anne asked, "We need the box here so we can work at recharging the stones?"

"Oh... uh... yeah, I will go send them a letter, see if they can get it sent out by the end of the day." Hop Pop said.

Anne felt something was off, but the closer she got to getting home, the more she began to ignore her instincts. That and she was trying to ease up on being a leader, her adopted frog family was right, she wasn't a pack leader.

"Okay." Anne said.

Hop Pop felt a sense of relief as his secret was safe once again….at least for now.

'I shoulder go send out a letter to someone in town, someone I can trust.' Hop Pop thought.

He needed to get that box here, soon. If he didn't... he'd lose Anne's trust forever. Back in the library, Anne sat back down with Polly and Marcy.

"Okay, find anything important?"

"No./Yes." Polly and Marcy said before looking at each other.

"I didn't find anything but she must've." Polly said, throwing her book away.

"Expected." Anne said.

"And you'll never know guess what I've found!" Marcy said with a smile, holding up the book in glee.

Before Anne could guess.

"I found a map to the first temple!" Marcy said.

"A map? Like an actual map?!" Anne asked in surprise.

"YES! It's a bit old but if we combine that with the map we have today, we have an exact location while taking into account any geographical changes to the landscape around it!" Marcy said with a wide smile.

'All I did was leave her alone for a minute.' Anne thought.

Just as before, Marcy was a genius when it came to something she's passionate about.

"Now, all we need is the box and we should be able to head out." Marcy said.

"I was just saying that to Hop Pop, he said he's gonna send a message to his contact later." Anne said with a smile, even when her instincts were conflicting with her trust in Hop Pop's words.

"Great, so now we have to wait." Marcy said.

"Yeah but what do we do now? Sprig's trial school thing is probably gonna take a while." Polly suggested.

"How about we explore a little? See more of what Newtopia has to offer." Anne said to her.

"I'm fine with that!" Polly said.

"Are you guys sure? There are some sort of seedy parts of the city." Marcy said, warning them.

"Do I look like someone to mess with? Besides, I've got a bone dagger in the Fwagon to bring with me." Anne said.

"No you don't." Polly said, pulling the bone dagger from her bucket. "I got it right here."

"Wait, how'd you get that?" Anne asked, "I put that on the high shelf."

"How'd you get it?" Marcy asked.

"I got it from General Yunan after our last practice session." Anne said.

"You don't think I can climb? I got mad muscles in these stubs! Kapow!" Polly said as she flexed her stubby arms, showing impressive muscles! "Check it!"

"Okay, now I gotta sketch this!" Marcy said as she quickly grabbed her journal and began drawing Polly flexing. "I didn't think pollywog could have such developed arm stubs!"

"Marcy, focus on getting the threatening weapon away from the baby instead of drawing it!" Anne said.

"If you want it, take it! Seriously, take it!" Polly said, offering the dagger to Anne while still flexing.

Anne let out a deep growl.

"You wanna test me, Polly?" Anne asked her. "I am a wolf, we don't do well with challengers."

"I-I-I was just kidding." Polly said, putting the knife down.

"Good girl." Anne said, petting Polly a bit and taking the dagger. "Don't put me in a position like that again, please."

'Anne has changed even more than I thought.' Marcy thought.

She was more assertive, more aggressive, and more protective. Almost like Sasha but in a good way, Marcy could just tell. She's a real pack leader in the making, even if she doesn't see it.

"So, how do you think Sprig is doing?" Marcy asked.

"Probably hating this school trial. I'm not sure of his official stand on school since Wartwood never rebuilt there's." Anne said with a shrug.

"Never rebuilt-What!?" Marcy said.

"Oh yeah, something destroyed the school back home but was never rebuilt. I never got an answer why." Polly said with a shrug.

"Me either. It's literally still smoking too!" Anne said with a nod.

Marcy pulled out her journal.

"Note to self, send funding to Wartwood to get school rebuilt." Marcy said while writing.

"With someone to overview construction. The mayor is kind of corrupt." Anne added.

"Yeah like REALLY corrupt." Polly said with a nod.

Marcy wrote that down.

"Got it. Education is important but I have to wonder how their society has been since they've just given up on the school system?" Marcy asked, looking towards Polly.

"It's not bad. We just learn more from our families than a teacher." Polly said as she shrugged.

"Awe, that's pretty sweet." Marcy said.

"Yeah, unless they say something boring." Polly said.

"Not ALL of Hop Pop's stories are boring." Anne said to her, "I mean, he was a damn teacher at the most Prestigeous school in Amphibia."

"Yeah we'll try to transfer that to kids! It's SO boring!" Polly shouted.

"Well, why don't we go explore the city." Anne said, tired of being in the school.

"But Anne-"

"We will stay away from the seedy parts, okay?" Anne said, cutting Marcy off with her worried.

"Now are you coming with us or not?" Anne asked.

"Okay, I'm coming." Marcy said.

Marcy quickly closed the books and her notebook before getting up to follow Anne and Polly out of the library. What could go wrong?

SEVERAL HOURS LATER:

Marcy, Anne, and Polly walked back to the fwagon, covered in ash and a bit of fire.

"We must never speak of this again." Anne said.

"Agreed." Polly and Marcy said.

They entered the fwagon and saw Sprig and Hop Pop.

"Wow, what happened to you three?" Sprig asked.

"You don't want to know." Anne said, "How'd college work out for you?"

"Eh, I told the Headmaster that I wasn't ready after taking some of the classes, but you never know, maybe in a couple years I'll be ready." Sprig said.

"Maybe but then who would I annoy just for a smile and a laugh?" Polly asked, hopping over to her brother and nudging him a bit.

"Hehehe, yeah but I could visit on holidays." Sprig said, nudging back with a smile.

"In the meantime, I still have you two for a little longer." Hop Pop said, hugging them.

Suddenly a small fly came in.

"Oh, letter." Hop Pop said, "It's... my contacts, they say the box is almost here."

"Great! I'll go-"

"No!" Hop Pop said, "I mean, they don't know much about you, they may freak out, I'll go and get the box. You stay here and have fun with your friends... and clean up, you smell like rotten cheese."

"That was Polly's fault!" Anne said as Hop Pop headed to the wall of the city.

"Hey, you wanted to stop at the nacho place!" Polly shouted, pointing at Anne.

'What the heck did those three get into?' Hop Pop thought.

Hop Pop made it out of the walls, right as the moon began to rise. After a bit, a large bug flew down with the music box. On it was a note from Loggle, who Hop Pop had get it. Hop Pop took the note off.

"Dear, Hopediah, you wouldn't believe how hard it was to find this thing, first it was taken by this bug creature for a mating- yeah, yeah, whatever, at least now I have the music box, and Anne will never know I buried it."

"You what?"

Hop Pop turned around and saw Anne.

"A-Anne!" Hop Pop said in surprise and shock!

'When did she even get here?! When did she even follow me?!' Hop Pop thought as Anne slowly approached him.

"You BURIED the box? You never sent it to a "contact" at all?!" Anne asked, growing outraged.

"I-I-I-"

"What were you thinking!?" Anne yelled, "It's so important for me to get back home and you just decided to throw it in a hole!?"

"I know it's important to you but-"

"BUT WHAT?!" Anne shouted, ready to turn into a wolf right now!

"This box is dangerous! I did some research on it and found out it's real name is the "Calamity Box!"" Hop Pop said, quickly explaining himself. "I was just trying to protect, not hurt you!"

"Then why did you lie to me!?" Anne shouted, "You could've told me this and I would've help find a place to put it where no one would get it!"

"I-I just didn't want to risk it! After…After I lost Sprig and Polly's parents!" Hop Pop shouted, gripping the box tightly as he began to cry from the memory.

Anne took a step back.

"W-w-what?"

"T-There was a disaster years ago in Wartwood. A heron attack." Hop Pop said, remembering that horrible day, "I... I was out of town... Sprig and Polly survived... but their parents... weren't so lucky. Anne, you know how important family is, I know you care about this family, can you blame me for wanting to keep the only family I have left safe?"

Anne looked at the box.

"No, I can't blame you... but I'm still angry at you, if you just told me from the start about how dangerous this was, I would've understood." Anne said, taking the box, "I don't blame you for keeping Polly and Sprig safe... but you did just lost my trust."

And just like that... Anne walked into the city, leaving Hop Pop alone.

Chapter Text

A couple days later, they all piled on Marcy's bird, Joe Sparrow to head to the first temple.

"And you're sure Bessie will be okay?" Hop Pop asked.

"Don't worry, the King said that the newts bringing her and your cart back to Wartwood will be extra careful." Marcy said, climbing onto Joe's back.

"Uh... why do you have a bird, can't you fly already?" Sprig asked.

"Well, I got a bit lonely without Anne or Sa- She who will not be named." Marcy said, trying to avoid making Anne upset, she seems extra angry lately, "And since Joe is a bird, surprisingly closely related to Human Raptors believe it or not, I can understand him."

"Caw!" Joe Sparrow said to her, nodding to Marcy.

"Alright, we almost ready?"

"Yep. Everything's just about ready." Hop Pop said, taking a small glance at Anne. "We're ready to go when you and Joe are ready to fly."

"Well let's go then!" Marcy said.

"Caw!" Joe Sparrow cawed in agreement as Marcy transformed into her golden eagle form and flew into the air.

Anne and the Plantars held on to Joe as he unfurled his wings and flew into the air after his feathered friend.

"So, what do you think we'll find?" Sprig asked.

"Hopefully a way for me to get home." Anne said.

Hop Pop gripped the reigns tightly at that, feeling enormous guilt for what he did.

'I hope I find a chance to make things right.' Hop Pop thought.

It would be hard, but he would do what he needed.

"Think we'll find buried treasure?!" Polly asked, excited and slightly greedy.

"Maybe, just maybe." Anne said, giving Polly a tiny smile.

'Especially if Hop Pop has been around.' Anne thought.

He would know a bit about "buried treasure" but she wouldn't hold it against him MUCH. Not if he learned his lesson and didn't do it again. Still, she was still upset. It would take a LOT of time for her to come even close to forgiving him. Or even talking to him. After a bit of time, Marcy began to fly down,

"This must be the place." Anne said as Hop Pop snapped the reigns.

"Take us down, please Joe." Hop Pop said to the large bird.

"Caw!" Joe Sparrow let out.

Joe followed Marcy as she landed and turned back.

"This is it. This should be the exact location of the first temple." Marcy said, pulling out her notebook.

Joe landed and the group got off.

"Uh, you may have over hyped this place." Anne said, looking at the porta potty.

"Well this stinks." Polly said, yet making a joke as well.

"Wait, no it doesn't." Sprig said, sniffing the air around the porta potty. "I don't smell anything bad."

"That's not what I was talking about." Marcy said, "THIS is the Temple."

Marcy motioned to the very large building behind her.

"Okay, I'm half blind, what's your excuse for not noticing?" Anne asked the Plantars.

"Hey, I've never seen a temple before. I didn't know what to expect." Polly said.

"Me either, a temple could look like anything to me." Sprig said.

"I'm old." Hop Pop said, making everyone look at him. "What?! It's true! My eyes aren't what they used to be!"

"Well, moving on from that, let's go!" Marcy said.

The group walked/ran up to the top of the temple as Joe Sparrow was left outside. He began pecking the ground.

'Ah, nothing like a nice union break.' Joe thought, enjoying eating some bugs from the ground.

It should be a while before Marcy and the others get done, meaning Joe could just relax until they were done. Marcy, Anne, and the Plantars entered the temple, the entire place covered in cobwebs and dust, looking like it hasn't been touched in centuries, which it probably hasn't.

"Dusty." Anne commented, wiping her nose. "So much it's messing with my sense of smell."

"Well unless someone has been here recently, I don't think you'll need it." Marcy said before pointing to some old writing on the walls.

"Okay, Bird Brain, do your thing." Anne said.

Marcy nodded before she pulled out her journal, quickly using some notes she'd taken to help her translate a bit before speaking out loud.

"Keeper of the box, one strong of mind, three trials await, that will return the stones' shine." Marcy read.

"So we have to face three trials in this place before charging the gem?" Anne asked.

"Seems like it. Yeah." Marcy said, "Luckily, I was preparing for this, there should be some kind of puzzle to look for."

"A puzzle? Like a literal puzzle or metaphorical?" Sprig asked.

"Either." Marcy said as they all began looking around the surprising well lit temple area. "Make sure every corner or shadow is checked. We can't be too sure."

"It could be anything."

"Like this?" Polly asked, pointing to an old newt skeleton she found.

"Not that, Polly." Hop Pop said, quickly pulling her away from skeleton.

Anne walked around, before tripping over some small cube. She landed flat on her face and growled.

"I hate being half blind!" Anne said, grabbing the cube, "What even is this!?"

Suddenly she was floating and surrounded by a green orb.

"Whoa!" Anne let out, gaining everyone's attention as they turned to her.

"Ah, she's trapped by some kind of dark magic!" Hop Pop said.

"No, that's the puzzle!" Marcy said.

"It is?!" Anne asked, struggling to stay up straight.

"The cube you found is the puzzle!"Marcy said, transforming and flying up to Anne in the bubble.

"Well, I don't have the brain, nor the vision for this." Anne said, tossing the cube to Marcy.

The bubble around Anne popped and made her fall as Marcy caught the cube in her talon, making the bubble form around her as she transformed back.

"Alright, let's see how you work." Marcy said to the cube.

"Something seems... off." Sprig said.

"What's the worse that can happen?" Anne asked.

Marcy turned a section of the cube, making that section of the room move.

"Aaaaah!" They screamed while Marcy was perfectly safe inside of the bubble.

"Huh?" Marcy let out, looking to everyone. "Did something happen?"

"Marcy, be careful! That thing controls the room!" Anne said.

"What?!" Marcy asked in shock. "But that means, if I try to solve the puzzle, you guys could get hurt!"

"Don't remind us!" Polly screamed.

"Marcy, try and be careful, I'm fast enough to catch the Plantars if something moves." Anne said.

"Are you sure?" Marcy asked, hesitant.

I"'m sure. Just focus on what you do best and solve the puzzle." Anne said before transforming into a wolf. "Ruff!"

The Plantars didn't need to know what that mean to climb onto her back like she was a horse.

"Okay." Marcy said.

Focusing back on the cube, Marcy put her worries to the side as she began solving it as the room began shifting again! Anne ran and did everything she could to make sure the Plantars were safe. Running against every turn, jumping over every gap forming, and sliding down any ledge that suddenly popped up!

'Is this what it's like to be the bull in a mechanical bull ride?!' Anne thought.

"Almost... got it!" Marcy said.

"No pressure!" Polly shouted with her nubs up. "Seriously, take you time! This crazy fun!"

'It's not fun for me!' Anne thought, growling a bit.

With one final turn of the cube, the room stopped and the door opened.

"Yes!" Marcy said, floating down to the ground as the bubble popped. "Anne, are you okay?!"

She looked around and saw the brown wolf huffing exhaustedly as the Plantars slowly got off, allowing her to fall to the ground and transform back to normal.

"Y-y-yeah... I'm good."

"Do you need a drink? I can run back to Joe Sparrow and check if he has water." Hop Pop said, rubbing Anne's back.

"I've actually got some right here." Polly said, pointing to her bucket. "Just drink from my bucket."

"Ew! Polly, that's gross!" Sprig shouted at his sister.

"Guys... I'm fine." Anne said.

After catching her breath, Anne pushed herself to her feet and rolled her shoulders before Marcy came to her with a canteen.

"Still, drink up. We don't know what the rest of the temple will have." Marcy said with a smile that said 'please drink it.'

Anne took it and drank from it.

She didn't want to say it but she was thankful Marcy saw right through her stubbornness sometimes, Anne really did need some water.

"Aaaah. Thanks." Anne said, handing the canteen back to Marcy.

"No problem, but I think it will only get harder from here."

"I figured but I think will be fine. You managed to solve that puzzle in no time flat. I'm sure the rest will be a cake walk." Anne said.

"There's an old saying. The hardest part of a journey is always the first step." Hop Pop said.

"I don't think that will work here, these aren't designed like that." Marcy said.

"Then we'll just have to adapt." Anne said, walking to the door.

"Man, she is focused."

"Yeah, kind of reminds me of a pack leader." Marcy said following after Anne.

The Plantars looked at each other, knowing that Anne as a pack leader was just begging for trouble. Mainly because she always throws herself into danger to protect her pack and all the scars she had to prove it!

'We need to hurry!' The Plantars thought, rushing after Anne and Marcy.

"Aright, what's this next challenge going to be? Another puzzle?" Anne asked.

"Very likely, but I don't know much until we see it." Marcy said as they all came upon a room with different colored tiles.

"Is this the place? It looks like a dance hall." Anne said as Marcy gazed at the tiles.

"I'm not sure." Marcy said, looking up to the writings. ""A dangerous room. What to do? Don't be jealous of my hue." Hmm, sounds like a color coordination puzzle due to the colors of the tiles."

Marcy picked up a rock and threw it onto one of the tiles.

The moment it touched the tile, flames burst out to turn the rock into ash!

"Aaaah!" Hop Pop screamed, holding his grandkids close! "This room is more deadly than the last!"

"Marcy's lucky! She can just fly over the tiles!" Polly shouted.

"Not technically true." Marcy said, shifting and flying to one of the green tiles.

Everyone flinched and turned away but saw no flames coming from the tile.

"The tile didn't burst into flames?" Sprig asked as Marcy transformed back.

"That's the riddle. It's the hue of the tiles that show the safest path." Marcy said.

"Huh?" The Plantars said.

"Jealous of my hue. Green, the color of envy." Marcy explained.

"I have a few green friends that would be very offended." Hop Pop said.

"And I am sorry about that. Plus, in our world, green is a good color for lots of things. But my point still stands, green is the safest path across this room." Marcy said, jumping to another green tile and being safe. "See? Only problem is I need someone to step on the other one to open the door."

"I'll do it!" Hop Pop said immediately.

He didn't want his grandkids getting hurt if this failed, jumping from the ledge and onto the first green tile which was once again save.

"Hop Pop, are you crazy!" Anne said.

"Yeah! Where have you been hiding this?!" Polly shouted.

"I'll be fine."

Hop Pop was about to jump when a wolf rushed passed him and landed on the tile.

"Anne?!" Hop Pop shouted in shock.

Anne landed on the other green tile, making the entire floor turn green. The door opened.

'This girl is crazy!' Hop Pop thought

"There we go. Nearly easy peasy." Marcy commented as Anne turned back to normal.

"Yeah, just one more room to go." Anne said, rolling her shoulders.

"We're dominating!" Marcy said.

"We should still be cautious! The first room was dangerous and the second room was less so but we don't know what this third one will be like." Hop Pop said.

"Oh relax. We're fine." Polly said.

"Yeah. With Anne's instincts and Marcy's smarts, we can do it!" Sprig said, being positive.

They came upon a giant game of Flip Wart.

"….Okay, this is something I was NOT expecting." Marcy admitted, gazing at the board. "Seriously, I didn't expect a giant board game to be the final trial of the temple."

"Aw man, I was expecting something cool! Not boring!" Polly shouted, complaining!

"Well, I am the greatest Flip Wart player in Amphibia, I can do this." Marcy said.

"And what about us?" Anne asked.

"We can just watch Anne. It's a good thing, you can rest." Hop Pop said, putting a hand on her arm.

Marcy placed a piece on the board and an opening... opened under Polly

"Dang JINX!" Polly screamed as had fell down!

"Polly!" Everyone shouted.

"What happened?" Marcy asked, turning around before an opening appeared on the Flip Wart board.

Coming up, Polly was now clad/trapped in a stone Flip War piece with muscular arms, a sword, and shield.

"I don't think I'll be getting a rest anytime soon." Anne said, understanding what's going on.

"Check me out! I got a sword and shield!" Polly shouted.

"Uh oh. Looking over the board again, some pieces are missing. I think you guys are gonna have to play as the missing pieces." Marcy said, stretching her collar a bit. "But it's okay. I can find a way to win without you guys getting hurt. No problem."

'Uh oh, Marcy is getting competitive.' Anne thought.

"Uh, Marc-"

Anne didn't finish that sentence as Marcy placed the rest of the pieces, giving each of the Plantars and Anne a role. As Polly was testing he'd sword as a tool, Sprig popped up with a stone spear, helmet, and chest plate.

"Aw man. I think I'm a pawn." Sprig said.

"HA! You got the short stick." Polly mocked as Hop Pop came up.

"Oh! Fancy." Hop Pop said, wearing stone armor, holding a scepter and having a fancy hat. "I think I'm a bishop."

An opening formed beneath Anne.

"Damn it."

Anne fell through and popped up... on the other side of the board. While the Plantars were a rook, a pawn, and a bishop; Anne herself was a Heron Knight with black stone armor, helmet, and jousting spear on a stone heron!

"I have to play one the opposite side?!" Anne asked, looking over herself.

"Traitor!" Polly said.

"This is not my choice!" Anne said before ring rings appeared on her wrists, making her freeze like a statue. "Shit! I can't move now!"

The same rings appeared on the Plantars arms too, making them immobile as they struggled to move.

'Oh, this is going to suck.' Anne thought.

"Okay, okay, this is a bit problematic but I can still work with this! I can still win without hurting anyone!" Marcy said as she steeled her nerves and cracked her fingers. "Alright, let's play some Flip Wart!"

"If I lose my other eye in this, I'm killing someone." Anne mumbled.

As the game began, the Plantars and Anne watched as some of the pieces were destroyed in such graphic and horrific ways!

'This is so cool!' Polly thought!

'I'm gonna die! And I haven't even made up with Anne yet!' Hop Pop thought.

'Please don't send me next!' Sprig thought before he began moving forward. 'Frog damn it!'

Sprig was moved forward, coming into range of a bishop. His wristbands glowed and moved his arms for him, making Sprig slice through the bishop with his spear!

"Phew, I was worried there for a second." Sprig said.

A line appeared on the statue piece, cracks slowly spreading before it exploded in a cloud of dust in Sprig's face.

"….Cuh! My mouth was open!" Sprig said with a cough.

"Alright, I think I got this game in the bag." Marcy said.

Marcy continued to play the game, moving pieces to destroy the enemy while protecting the Plantars and prevent Anne from hurting them against her will.

"Okay, last move!" Marcy said.

With a single move, Marcy made one of her last pieces move to the king of the opposite side. It was preparing an attack that would result in checkmate or Flip Wart in this case that would win the game and defeat the temple's final trial... if the king didn't jump above the blast.

"What?!" Marcy shouted in shock.

"What?!" The Planatars shouted.

"What?! That's cheating!" Anne shouted in anger, glaring at the king piece! "The temple just fucking cheating, Marcy should've won!"

Marcy became competitive.

"You may cheat, but I am still the best Flip Wart player in all of Amphibia!" Marcy said.

Marcy moved another piece, then the other side moved a piece, then she moved a peice, the cycle went on for a few minutes, and Marcy had forgotten about the Plantars, she was just focused on proving that she was smarter than this temple. That's when the other side decided to move Anne... right in front of Hop Pop.

"No!" Polly and Sprig shouted.

"Anne, try to fight it! I can still figure this out!" Marcy said, looking over the board.

"What do you think I'm doing?!" Anne asked, using her bit of strength to stop herself from raising her spear. "Hop Pop, block it!"

Anne swung, hitting Hop Pop with the lance, knocking some teeth out.

"Aaah!" He screamed in pain before raising his shield but it was destroy with another swing!

Anne hit him again, then again, then again.

"No!" Anne said, "I'm mad at you but I don't want to hurt you!"

"Well, you being mad at me does hurt me!" Hop Pop said before he was hit again, his stone scepter breaking. "I've tried my best to make up for what I did."

"I know!" Anne shouted, hitting him again. "You buried the box to protect us but you still lied about it! I want to forgive you, I don't want to be angry! But I can't help it!"

"Then tell me what I can do! What can I-"

"I DON'T FUCKING KNOW, OKAY?!" Anne shouted, everything and everyone freezing as her voice echoed through the room.

"Huh?" Marcy asked, stopping her reach for a piece.

"I don't know how long I'll be mad at you and I don't know when I'll forgive you but I will! I know you did it to protect us and if I'm honest, I'd do the same! So please, just give me some time and some space, okay?" Anne asked him, crying a bit as she still tried to resist hitting him.

Anne put her hands up, doing her best to resist, but struggling. This was going to be the final blow.

"No, no, no!"

Marcy looked at this and then at the board. She made an important decision, the life of someone wasn't more important than this game. She threw her hands across the board, scattering the pieces.

"I forfeit, just stop everything!" Marcy said, but it didn't stop, "I must have to flip the big version!"

"We'll hurry!" Sprig said, trying to move so he could stop Anne.

"You idiot! Throw the spear!" Polly shouted before throwing her sword and shield at Anne.

Sensing this, the game made Anne swing to destroy them before turning its attention back to Hop Pop. Not wasting any time, Marcy jumped onto the board and rushed to her king.

"Your highness, it's time to step down!" Marcy quipped.

Marcy used all her strength and flipped the king. The moment the king hit the ground, everyone froze in the board before all of the chest pieces crumbled to dust. Including the pieces that trapped Anne and the Plantars.

"We're free!" Sprig said.

"Sorry, arms but this is goodbye." Polly said to her stone arms before they turned to dust.

Anne shook Hop Pop a bit.

"Hop Pop, are you okay?" Anne asked.

"Y-y-yeah, just... going to need a new pair of dentures."

To prove his point, Hop Pop pulled out his dentures to show some of the teeth were cracked and broken.

"We'll get you new ones."

The two were soon tackled into a hug by Polly, Sprig and Marcy as they all spoke at once about being glad to be okay. Marcy got a sad look.

"I failed, I can't charge the stone."

"Hey, it's alright. You didn't know the temple would cheat. We can find another way to charge the stone." Anne said, putting a hand on her arm. "You made the right choice saving us over winning."

"I know but this was important to us. If we can't charge all three stones, we can't get home." Marcy said, still sad.

"That's true but your lives are more important than the stones. Never forget that." Hop Pop said.

Green arrows formed on the ground, they were pointing them back the way they came, showing the temple only hand one entrance and exit.

'Is this place mocking us?' Anne thought, glaring at the arrows a bit.

"Alright, if I failed, I fail with my head held high."

The group followed the lines outside of the temple, going back through Marcy's previous victories until they found themselves before Joe Sparrow and the outhouse again.

"Uh... is the Out House glowing?" Anne asked.

"What?" Marcy asked, looking up again.

"The out house is glowing." Sprig said, pointing to the outhouse as it glowed with symbols all around it.

Marcy was confused and opened it, revealing Amphibian writing.

"Only the worthy will have the wisdom to choose whether it's more important to win, or have the humility to lose. A choice was made to save thy friends and, honestly, doesn't that make you a winner in the end?" Marcy read.

"So... we did it!?" Anne said.

"Yeah, yeah we did it! I was so focused on winning that I didn't see the truth behind the final trial! Being smart isn't always about right and winning, it's about making the right calls when they're needed." Marcy said with a smile, looking to Anne. "And I did make the right call by choosing my friends over a game."

"Don't give the temple a chance to change its mind, charge that stone!" Polly said.

"Oh yeah! The box!" Anne said as Marcy quickly pulled it out and pulled a gem out. "So how does it work?"

"Just watch and be amazed." Marcy said, moving the gem over the "toilet hole."

"Uh, I wouldn't touch that with your bare hands." Hop Pop said.

He was ignored and the gem was placed down. A tiny thin podium rose and caught the gem, making the symbols in the outhouse glow brighter. The gem began to glow and began to become green. The symbols slowly retracted around the outhouse, seemingly flying into the gem as it shined brighter and brighter! When it was fully green, Marcy took the gem, and a green beam came from it.

"This must be pointing to the next temple!" Marcy said.

"Really? So we don't need to make another map? We just follow the gem?" Polly asked as Marcy picked it up.

"We'll need to triangulate the position first but yes. We can just follow the gem." Marcy said, seeing the beam not stopping no matter what gets in its way.

"Yeah, that's cool, but... why don't we deal with that another day." Anne said, "This was a lot more challenging than we thought."

"Yeah, my face needs time to heal." Hop Pop said.

"Okay, then let's get to Wartwood, I can't wait to see this place." Marcy said.

"Wartwood? Are we that close to home?!" Sprig asked in shock and excitement.

"Yes, we are! I've got the map right here!" Marcy said, putting the gem in her bag and pulling out a map, "And your snail and wagon should be back home by the time we get there."

"Really? Sweet!" Polly said with a smile.

"Also, don't worry about all the gifts. I already had them taken care off." Marcy added as she got up from the outhouse.

"Gifts? What gifts?" Anne asked.

"The list of gifts you guys had. You know for all of your friends in Wartwood? I found it in the Fwagon and decided to take care of it for you!" Marcy said with a smile.

"Let me guess." Anne turned to the Plantars, "You forgot."

"Of course not./Yeah we did." Hop Pop and Polly said before looking at each other.

"Ehehehe, maybe a tiny bit." Sprig said with a nervous chuckle.

"Next time I'm in a fucking coma, can you guys just not leave the house?" Anne asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

The family just laughed nervously at the sad joke as they go back on Joe Sparrow.

'So, how was the temple?' Joe asked Marcy, cawing.

"Very frustrating but very educational." Marcy said with a nod, "Now come on, I want to see this Wartwood place."

"Okay, okay. Let's head home." Hop Pop said, taking the reins of Joe Sparrow. "Even from the sky, I know Frog Valley like the back of my hand."

Anne sat next to him.

"Hey... uh... I'm sorry." Anne said, "About what happened back there."

"It's alright, Anne. You had every right to hit me. Even if the temple made you do it." Hop Pop said as Polly and Sprig jumped in Joe Sparrow, cracking the reigns.

"No, I mean... about being so angry at you." Anne said, "Ever since I got here, things have been hard and I've been taking the brunt of it to protect you guys. When I found out you lied, I... I just felt like all the pain I was taking for you guys... I felt like it was worthless. Like, if you couldn't trust me enough to tell me-"

"I understand, Anne." Hop Pop said, "I get it. I should've been more upfront about is. When we get back, I'm going to show you something I did find out about the box. Hopefully it can begin to fix this."

"Yeah, hopefully but I think we're off to a good start." Anne said, smiling sadly at Hop Pop.

Chapter Text

A little while later, the bird landed outside the Plantar family home.

"And she's still standing. Just like I said." Hop Pop said.

"Yeah, I guess you were right about that tulip guy." Anne said with a small smile.

"Of course, I was, he's the go to guy for this."

"I like tulips." Chuck said, coming back with some groceries in his hand.

"Chuck! Just the frog I wanted to see. Nice job housesitting for us." Hop Pop said as everyone got off Joe Sparrow.

"I grew tulips." He said.

To make his point, Chuck pointed to some freshly grown tulips he planted near the door just to make the farm look a bit better. Marcy seemed to like this as she flew down and transformed back to normal before them.

"Tulips, one of my favorites!" She said, taking a gentle sniff, "Such a wonderful smell."

"Yeah, Chuck grows the best tulips in town." Polly said, hopping next to Marcy.

"Speaking of wown, I'm going to go check on the town." Anne said, "After that we can take a look at that thing Hop Pop was talking about."

"Wait, let me come with you!" Marcy said excitedly.

"Why?" Anne asked.

"I want to see Wartwood with my own eyes. See how much it's changed from what o read in the books from Newtopia." Marcy said with a smile. "Plus, I want to see all the friends you've made here."

"Uh, they're a little... wary to outsiders." Anne said.

"Oh I'm sure it'll be fine. You've told them about me and…..HER, right? So they should know I'm nicer." Marcy said with a smile.

"Yeah but still, Sasha left a very bad impression." Anne said, "Just... try and keep the questions to a minimum."

"Okay, I promise. Not too many questions." Marcy said, zipping her lips.

Anne nodded to her and began walking into town as the Eagle Guard followed her. When the towns folk saw Anne, they greeted her.

"Anne! You're back!"

"Great to see you!"

"How was Newtopia?"

It was obvious to Marcy that Anne was very liked by the townspeople, like a local celebrity. Even had a statue of herself and her wolf form on display in the center of town!

'Oh my god, that is so cool!' Marcy thought, taking out her phone and taking a photo of it.

"Yeah, that was because I held off a bunch of Tax Collectors." Anne said, "Got my arm broken that day."

"Oh yeah, you told me about that." Marcy said, hissing at the memory.

"Say, who's this Anne?" Ivy asked, pointing at Marcy as everyone looked to her.

"Everyone, this is my other human friend, Marcy." Anne said.

"She's been in Newtopia the entire time." Anne said.

The townsfolk looked a little wary.

"Is she like the bear girl who is with the toads?" Wally asked, narrowing his eye at Marcy in suspension.

"No, Marcy is NOTHING like Sasha." Anne said firmly.

"For one, my spirit animal is not as monstrous as a bear. Instead it's majestic and cool." Marcy quickly added, "And I can fly."

To show her point, Marcy transformed into her eagle spirit animal and flew into the air!

"CAW!" Marcy let out.

'Please don't get eaten.' Anne thought.

Everyone looked up to her in awe, surprised by this transformation as it was completely different from what they've seen before. There was some talk of her.

"What is she?"

"She's kind of cool."

"Her spirits animal is so small but I feel intimidated."

Marcy flew down and landed on Anne's shoulder.

"If you have any questions on what she is, Marcy is a golden eagle." Anne said, "The smartest eagle of the eagle family. Which fits, because she is the smartest person I know."

"Hey! Wood and stone carving takes a lot of smarts." Loggle said, crossing his arms. "Remember who made your statue?"

"I never said it didn't." Anne said, "I'm just saying, she is literally the smartest person I've ever met. She's literally solved severe problems in Newtopia, when most newts couldn't even begin to come up with solutions."

"Caw!" Marcy cawed in agreement, smiling as an eagle.

Marcy flew to the ground and shifted back.

"Tada! And if that's not enough, I helped the Plantars with all of your gifts and they should be arriving by this evening!" Marcy said with a smile.

There was murmurs of approval.

"Hmm, alright but we're gonna keep an eye on you just to be safe." Toadstool said.

"Agreed, sir." Toadie said with a nod.

"Okay, come on Marcy." Anne said, "Let me show you the rest of the town."

"Right behind you, Anne!" Marcy said with a smile.

Anne showed Marcy the main area of town. From the town hall to the bakery shop to the farmer's market. Marcy was given a full tour to see every nook and cranny of the town.

"Wow, this small little town is amazing!" Marcy said.

"Even the burned down school?" Anne asked her.

"Aside from that, but still this place is pretty cool! It's had something even Newtopia doesn't have!" Marcy said with a smile before pointing to the bakery. "Like a real spell caster living in the town!"

"Yeah, Maddie is pretty cool... she's also kind of like my doctor."

"Like a witch doctor?" Marcy instantly asked.

"I prefer the term "spell healer.""

Both of them jumped as they saw Maddie standing behind them, holding a bag of groceries from the market.

"Hey, Maddie." Anne said.

"Hello, Anne." Maddie said before looking to Marcy. "You must be Marcy. The eagle girl."

"Yep!" Marcy said.

"Are you like the bear girl?" Maddie asked.

"Maddie!" Anne said.

"Anne." Maddie said.

"I'm not. I'm very nice and I'm very curious. Can you do actual magic?" Marcy asked Maddie.

"You're interested in magic?" Maddie asked.

"Heck yeah!" Marcy said with a rapid nod. "I have ALWAYS been fascinated by magic, even trying to find out if our spirit animals are magic back on Earth! Not even Newtopia has a magic user and to actually see one is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Really? Just to see me?" Maddie asked, blushing from the praise.

"Tell me everything about you!" Marcy said.

"But aren't you with Anne right now?" Maddie asked.

"No, we just finished the tour of the town and Marcy can just fly back to the farm." Anne said with a soft smile, "Why don't you show her a little magic and she might show you a little something?"

"Okay, follow me, tweety." Maddie said.

"Eagle but who cares? I'm gonna learn magic!" Marcy said with a smile, following Maddie to her home.

"Ah, well, Marcy made a new friend." Anne said, "And nothing blew up today. I consider that a good thing."

Outside of the town, a metal frog robot was walking, by the rate it's going, it would be there by nightfall. It's reason for coming to Wartwood? Not even the frog robot knew itself. Later that night, it made it into Wartwood. It looked around the town and scanned for anything to catch its attention or to find a purpose for itself. It did find something... a small pink pollywog.

"Aaaah, nothing like a nightly hop to feel at home again." Polly said.

Polly heard something and looked around.

"Huh?" Polly let out before finding a shadow over her, looking up to see something large with glowing eyes standing over her.

"…" the robot said nothing, just scanning Polly with curiosity.

"…Hello!" Polly said without fear, waving to the robot.

The robot cocked its head to the side, and copied the wave gesture.

"He…llo?" The robot copied, a bit confused by this as well.

"Oh, you're so cool!" Polly said, "Hm, maybe Anne knows more about you! Wait right here, okay?"

The robot, though confused, seemed to trust Polly already and nodded to her request to wait for this "Anne". Polly hopped back to town and found Anne.

"Anne!" Polly called out.

"Huh? What's up, Polly?" Anne asked as she turned to her.

"I found something weird and cool and I need you to look at it." Polly said.

"Uh... okay?" Anne said, a little confused.

Polly lead Anne back to where she left the strange yet cool frog robot.

"Here it is." Polly said.

Anne looked at it and gasped. It looked just like the robot from the Ruins factory, only... less dangerous.

"You found this here?" Anne asked.

Polly nodded.

"This is just like when we were at the Ruins of Despair." Anne said, "If it's here... someone must've activated the factory."

Anne was nervous, she could only think of one person that would do that.

"Polly, can you get this... thing to the farm, without causing chaos? I... I need to talk to Marcy about something."

"Okay, I guess I can do that. Come on, buddy. Let's get you somewhere safe." Polly said to the robot.

"Bu…ddy?" The robot said, confused by this word.

"It means "friend." You know what friend means right?" Polly asked the robot.

"Friend? Friend…." The robot said before looking to Polly, smiling with its eyes and nodding. "Friend."

"Great!" Polly said, hopping away with her new friend.

Anne shifted into her wolf form and ran through the town, looking for Marcy. She occasionally stopped and sniffed the ground, catching the scent of book ink and bird seed. Marcy's signature scent.

'Marcy is definitely going to flip when I tell her this.' Anne thought, gaining her scent before following it to the smell of fresh yeast. 'She must still be with Maddie at her family's bakery.'

Anne ran there, not stopping until she made it. She opened the door and had a panicked look.

"Marcy!" Anne called, "I really, REALLY need to tell you something!"

"Huh?" Marcy and Maddie let out, looking to the door.

"What is it?" Marcy asked.

"Polly... found something." Anne said, "And... I might... I think... I'm afraid Sasha is the one that sent it."

"Sent it? Sent what?" Marcy asked, standing up from the couch.

"Just... follow me!" Anne said.

Anne turned and shifted into a wolf, running off to the Plantar farm as Marcy rushed out the door.

"Wait up!" Marcy said as she quickly transformed into an eagle and flew after Anne!

"I'm coming too!" Maddie said, quickly hopping after them.

She just wanted to see what was going on. Making it back to the farm, Anne shifted back and sniffed around for the robot before finding its scent leading inside.

'Good, Polly is hiding it like I said.' She thought as Marcy and Maddie stopped behind her.

"It's inside." Anne said as Marcy landed and changed back.

"Now... uh... brace yourself."

"Brace ourselves for what?" Maddie asked.

"For this." Anne said, slowly opening the door and revealing Polly in the living room.

With a huge, metallic frog with glowing eyes. Aka, a frog robot. Marcy immediately was amazed by it.

"A ROBOT?!" Marcy shouted as she rushed over the robot, immediately looking it over, "Where did it come from!? How did it get here!? Oh, this is the greatest day ever!"

"I don't know. He just showed up and I kind of liked him." Polly said with a shrug.

"You mean he just walked into town and nobody noticed him?" Maddie asked as she approached the robot. "Does he even have a name?"

"While Anne was gone looking for you, I named him Frobo." Polly said.

"Ah, short for "Frog Robot," right?" Marcy asked, pulling out her notebook and scratching Frobo

"Yep!" Polly said.

"Hmmm, the symbol on his chest. It's for all of Amphibia." Maddie said, noticing the robot's chest plate. "But I've never heard of robots from any history books."

"Do... you think... Sasha sent it?" Anne asked.

"Hmmm, I'm not sure. Do you know where this thing came from?" Marcy asked.

"It came from some old ruins outside of Wartwood, some sort of factory, there was something like this in there but looked far more dangerous." Anne said.

"Hmm, I doubt it, she's not smart enough to build something like this." Marcy said.

"I guess you're right... but something about this does concern me... who else would be accessing those factories?" Anne asked.

"Whoever did, they must not have done a good job at building this." Marcy said, "It's doesn't seem to have complete coding, it's still learning."

Looking at Frobo, everyone but Polly could see that he was copying Polly's movements and habits.

'This is going to be a weird time.'

It got even weirder as Sprig and Hop Pop walked into the room, gazing at Frobo for the first time.

"SWEET MOTHER OF FROG, WHAT IS THAT?!" Hop Pop shouted, pointing to Frobo.

"COOL!" Sprig said with wide eyes.

"Where did this thing come from!?" Hop Pop said.

"We're trying to figure that out." Anne said.

"What does it do?" Spirg asked, moving closer to Frobo.

"Not sure. Marcy says it's still learning and copying Polly." Maddie said to him.

"Hey, Frobo, try this!" Polly said before jumping up and suddenly rolling into a ball, rolling around the room.

"Uh, Polly I don't think-"

And Frobo began to copy it. He jumped up and rolled into a large metal ball, smashing the coffee table before rolling with Polly!

"My table!" Hop Pop shouted.

"Polly, make it stop!" Anne said.

"Lead it outside!" Sprig shouted, pointing to the front door!

"No! Just stop rolling!" Hop Pop shouted.

"This is going to be a long night." Anne said, pinching her nose.

Chapter Text

A few days later, the group was relaxing, with the Plantars on the could doing individual things, while Anne was in wolf form, sleeping on the ground. The door was kicked open and Marcy ran in.

"I triangulated the location of the second temple!" Marcy said.

"ROW?" Anne let out, standing on her feet and shifting to normal. "Already?"

"Dang girl, you work fast." Polly said, stopping her drawing with Frobo by her side.

"Maddie was a big help too. Her experience scavenging for potion ingredients makes her a wiz with old maps." Marcy said as she walked in, putting her map on the rebuilt coffee table,"Now, it's somewhere in the mountain, so it will be cold."

"Cold?! It's gonna be freezing! It's not as bad as Hiber Day but it's still slime freezing!" Hop Pop said, shivering already.

"We're gonna need heavy coats for that. Think you can hook us up from Newtopia, Marcy?" Polly asked her.

"Way ahead of you. I already requested some after finding the temple." Marcy said, having sent Joe Sparrow with a request to the king.

"Well, I think I'll be fine." Anne said, "Wolves do well in the cold."

"The same could be said for eagles but they go through a change in behavior to help to survive the coldest months." Marcy said.

"Really? What sort of behavior do you get, Marcy?" Sprig asked her.

"I mostly just hunt for food and stay in the nest." Marcy said, "Eagles can last in the cold as long as water isn't frozen, but we aren't as adapted as wolves or bears for it."

"Well, that's interesting to know but it's good to know you both will be fine compared to us at the mountain." Hop Pop said.

"May Frobo come with you?" Frobo asked them.

"Well, Marcy, do you know if he will do good in the cold?" Polly asked.

"I'm not sure. I'd have to pop him open and study him a bit, but his armor looks strong enough to resist the cold and ice." Marcy said.

"He might be useful." Marcy said.

"So he can come? Sweet!" Polly cheered for her new friend.

"Sweet!" Frobo copied, pumping his fist.

"Polly, stop doing things that he will copy." Hop Pop said, "I don't want to call Loggle to fix the table again."

"I am! He's not breaking anything, is he?" Polly said, gesturing to Frobo. "Besides, what's so important to break on the way up the mountain?"

"Knowing this group, we'll find something." Hop Pop said.

Everyone but Marcy let out a chuckle at this, knowing how much trouble they get into without meaning to.

"Well, guess all we have to do is wait until the supplies from Newtopia arrive." Marcy said.

"What do we do until then?" Sprig asked.

"No playing with the robot in the house!" Hop Pop quickly said.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I need to stretch my legs." Anne said, "And find out who's been marking my territory around the town."

"Marking?" Sprig asked.

"It's what certain animals do to establish a place belongs to them or they protect it." Marcy explained.

"No, I know what Marking means. I'm asking what could possibly mark where Anne had already marked?" Sprig asked.

"Simple, Sprig. Another predator that wants to claim it or a prey that doesn't know it's marked." Hop Pop said.

"You know, I should probably follow her." Marcy said.

"You're worried she might get hurt?" Sprig asked.

"A little, yeah." Marcy said before she quickly followed after Anne.

The wolf ran around the woods, sniffing a bit, while the Eagle watched from a branch.

'It wouldn't surprised me if Anne claimed this whole forest around Wartwood.' Marcy thought, watching Anne track the new scent in her territory.

While Anne's nose was better than Marcy, Marcy's eyes were designed to see up to three miles away, which is why she wasn't surprised when she saw someone in the woods far away from them.

"CAWWW!" Marcy screeched, getting Anne's attention before she flew towards the person.

'Marcy must've found them. Good!' Anne thought, running to follow the eagle.

The two got to the place the person was at and Marcy shifted back.

"What the- the footprints just disappear!?" Marcy said.

Anne raced up behind her and shifted back, kneeling down at the end of the trail.

"They can hide their feet but they can't hide their scent." Anne said, sniffing for them again.

To her surprise... they can... because the scent was gone.

"No fucking way, I lost their scent!" Anne shouted, slamming her fist into the ground!

"Whoever was here is gone now." Marcy said, "We should head back."

"But this thing is still out there. What if they attack Wartwood?" Anne asked.

"We'll defend it, together." Marcy said with a smile.

Anne sighed and Marcy led her home. From behind the trees, someone watched them.

"Is she the one we've been waiting for?"

This person was watching from the trees, high enough to avoid Anne's scent or Marcy's eyes. They watched from above to see they had tracked them this far as a test, mostly for Anne, and it was safe to say she passed.

'Hm, I'll see you at soon.' The old newt in black said.

With a snapped of their fingers, the newt disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Chapter Text

After arriving back at the house, the group got ready to leave. Apparently Joe Sparrow arrived with the winter coats while Anne and Marcy were tracking the intruder but came up short.

'At least one good thing came from today.' Anne thought.

"Okay, we've got what we need, we're ready!" Marcy said.

"Then lead the way, Marcy." Sprig said as he, Hop Pop, and Polly got on Joe Sparrow.

"You got it!" Marcy said.

"Come on, Anne." Sprig said to her, seeing she was still not on the giant sparrow.

"I'm fine. I can run and follow." Anne said to him.

'And maybe I'll pick up the scent of that thing from before again.'

"Okay, if you're sure." Hop Pop said to her.

"I am. And it helps me stay in shape." Anne said before transforming into a wolf.

"Let's go!" Marcy said, shifting into her eagle form and flying into the sky.

Joe Sparrow took off after his friend as Anne followed from below on paw. At the same time, she was trying her best to catch the scent again. You never know if you'd pick it up along the way, Anne could never know in a world like this. And she wanted to be prepared for anything. After a while, they made it to the mountain. Just as they expected, it was covered in snow and ice like a winter wonderland that made the frog shiver from the cold while Anne and Marcy were just fine. Marcy flew down and landed on Anne's head. Anne sniffed the ground. Joe Sparrow landed next to them and allowed the Plantars to get off.

"Okay, now where do we go? I'm already freezing!" Polly said, wrapped in a ball of her coat.

Anne walked up and used her fur to keep Polly warm.

"Oh, now that is nice." Polly said, feeling even warmer than before.

"Okay, so where do we go from here?" Sprig asked Marcy.

Marcy looked around before screeching and flying.

'This way!' Marcy was trying to see.

They couldn't understand but it was enough for Anne to quickly grab each Plantar frog with her teeth and put them on her back before following after Marcy! Anne felt like she was in her natural environment, the snow, the cold, she was a true wolf here.

'Funny. I never really cared when I was one Earth but now, it's different…I'm different.' Anne thought, continuing to follow Marcy/hunt for who invaded her territory, 'Wait, the scent... they're here! The thing that was in wartwood is here!'

Looking around more, Anne saw an igloo in the distance with smoke coming from a makeshift chimney! This mountain must've been their home!

'Now I've got you!' Anne thought, rushing ahead of Marcy towards the igloo!

She burst in and saw... a sign.

'Out to lunch!?'

"Um, Anne? Where are we here?" Sprig asked her.

"And who is out to lunch?" Polly asked, seeing the sign too.

Anne growled.

"Ah, I see you've arrived." A new voice said.

Anne turned to the entrance and saw an old looking newt, wearing a black and gold robe. Anne sniffed the air, and knew she was the one in Wartwood.

'YOU!' Anne thought as she shifted back, accidentally knocking the Plantars off her back.

Anne walked up to the newt.

"You were in Wartwood, why!?" Anne said, "Who are you!?"

"I was watching you." The newt said.

"Watching me?! Why?!" Anne asked before Hop Pop pulled her back.

"Calm down, Anne! You don't want to cause an avalanche." He said to her.

"You don't even know how important your role in this world is." The newt said, "I know why you're here... Anne Boonchuy. You're here to charge the stone and restore power to the music box."

"What? How did you know?" Sprig asked in surprise!

"You been spying on us, lady?!" Polly shouted, hopping forward.

Anne calmed them down.

"You know about the music box?" Anne asked.

"Indeed, I am part of a sacred order, we've been searching for the lost music box for centuries."

"Centuries?" Marcy asked, standing by the doorway. "I think I've read about the order in Newtopia."

"A scholar, very astute." The newt said with a nod before looking back to Anne, "You have been through many battles, young one. Do you posses the heart of a warrior?"

"The heart of a warrior?" Anne asked.

"One who fights for others, not for herself. To protect and nurture, not kill and glorify. That is the heart of a warrior." She said, pointing her staff where Anne's heart is. "I will ask again, do you possess the heart of a warrior?"

"I'm Wartwood's protector, I will defend it and its people with my life." Anne said.

"So you say." The Newt said, "If you believe yourself worthy, then I shall lead you to the Temple!"

"You can? Cool!" Sprig said with glee.

"But what about Marcy?" Polly asked, pointing to the eagle ranger. "She mapped out a route."

"You may have a route, but that will not be able to protect you from the dangers of the mountain."

"But Anne can." Hop Pop said, gesturing to Anne.

"One warrior is not enough, no matter how strong her heart is." The newt said, shaking her head, "Besides, even if you do go without me, you will never be able to reach it. For only those worthy can enter it!"

"Worthy?" Anne asked.

"Yes. You may have the heart of a warrior but first, you must prove you are worthy of it." The newt said before walking towards the door. "Now, we must be off. The cold will only get harsher when the night falls."

Anne shifted into her wolf form, ready for the cold. Marcy didn't hesitate to change as well, flying out for a bird's eye view as the Plantars moved back to sit on Anne's back like a horse. Anne kept her eye on the newt, she didn't really trust her.

"Follow me, warriors of heart and wit." The newt said, leading them through the snow.

'Heart and wit?' Anne thought.

The more she was around this newt, the more curious Anne was about what she knew. About the box, about the temples, and about her and Marcy.

Maybe the newt even knew about the OTHER ONE.

Marcy was thinking the same thing as she flew above them, taking an occasional glance at the newt woman as they followed her.

Eventually, they came upon the first obstacle to the temple. Climbing up the mountain.

'It's times like these I hate that I'm a wolf, not a goat.' Anne thought as she watched as Marcy easily flew up.

"I want wings now." Polly said, watching Marcy fly.

"Yeah, me too." Sprig said.

"Well, looks like we're doing this the old fashion way." Hop Pop said, already rolling his shoulders.

"Indeed. Now hurry up, I wish to make it to the top this century." The newt said.

.Everyone looked up to see the newt woman was already on the move, climbing like she was a young newborn newt instead of an old one!

"Dang, that lady's got some hop in her legs." Sprig said, looking up to her.

"Yeah." Polly said, also looking up.

"Okay, kids, let's get moving." Hop Pop said.

Shifting back to normal, Anne began climbing with the Plantars up the mountain. The cold still didn't bother her but the snow against her skin was a bit annoying.

'Oh god, I wish I was a goat instead of a wolf right now.' Anne thought as she used her fingers to grab a crack.

Suddenly, a click was heard and Anne froze at the sound of it.

'What was that?!' Anne thought before she felt the side she grabbed begin to fall.

Moving quickly, Anne pulled her hand away and jumped to the side as the snow began to fall from the wall! As well as head right for her pack, the Plantars.

"Guys!" Anne shouted!

Forgetting about climbing the mountain, she let go of it and transformed into a wolf! She ran down the cliff as fast as she could to reach them before the snowfall did!

"RUFF!" She barked at them, getting their attention.

By the time they looked up, the snow hit them. The newt woman watched, wondering what Anne will do now.

'What are you willing to do for your friends?' The newt thought.

Anne didn't waste time, and began to furiously dig through the snow.

'Where are they? Where are they?' Anne thought, sniffing while digging for them.

Marcy, after seeing what happened, flew down next to Anne and transformed back to dig for the Plantars as well.

'Hm, she's going to dig them out, but will she continue if it may cost her her own life as well?' The newt thought.

For the next few minutes continued to dig before catching the smell of something, digging even faster than before, until she reached down with her teeth and pulled out a cold Polly!

"A-A-ANNE! Thank frog!" Polly said, shivering.

Anne let out a bark to Marcy, who understood what Anne wanted. She grabbed Polly and moved her away from the snow, before digging again and finding Hop Pop.

"I saw my life flash before my eyes! It wasn't fulfilling enough!" Hop Pop blurted out as Marcy grabbed him.

"Lucky for you, you've still got plenty of years left!" Marcy said to him.

Anne kept digging, looking for Sprig, and the newt watched, before hitting the mountain, causing another avalanche.

'Will she keep looking for her friend, or will she save herself?' The newt thought.

"Anne! Look out!" Marcy said.

Anne looked back and saw more snow coming towards her. She began to dig faster, soon finding Sprig. She didn't even let him talk, she bit down on his jacket and threw him away, right as the other avalanche came down and buried her in the snow.

"ANNE!" They all screamed.

They began to dig through the snow, hoping to save Anne. A couple paws dug through the top of the snow pile and Anne climbed out, shaking snow off her fur.

"Anne!" They said again, this time in relief as they rushed over to her.

The wolf girl shifted back to a human, holding herself as she shivered a bit.

"I-Is everyone okay?" She asked them.

"Are we okay!?" Hop Pop said, upset and worried now. "Anne, can you stop nearly dying every ten minutes?!"

"Yeah! I'm too young to be having a heart attack out of worry!" Polly shouted at her.

"I'm not trying to make you worry! I'm trying to protect you!" Anne said, despite still shivering. "You guys are my pack and it's the pack leader's duty to protect the pack."

They've tried so hard for Anne to understand that she doesn't need to be a pack leader, but after all the near death experiences, she needs to have some sense of protection, and being the Pack Leader seems to be the only thing that gives her that.

"Anne, we don't need you to protect us! We need you WITH us, alive and well!" Hop Pop said, taking off his coat so he could share with Anne.

"Here here!" Sprig said with his arms up.

Marcy walked up to Anne.

"Anne... never scare me like that again." She said before hugging Anne tightly, feeling tears building up in her eyes. "Please."

This made Anne feel a little guilty from her actions, she wanted nothing but to protect them from getting hurt but instead she caused them to be emotionally hurt.

"Don't worry, Marcy, I won't." Anne said.

Anne slowly hugged her back as the newt mage continued to watch from above, nodding as she got her answer about Anne.

'A selfless heart that puts others above herself, even at the risk of her own life.' She thought.

"Come on, we need to get to the top as soon as possible." Anne said.

"What you need is to rest and warm up. You're freezing." Marcy said to her.

"We can set up camp to rest and head for the temple later." Hop Pop suggested.

"No, we're getting this done." Anne said, "We need to in order to get home. I... I need to get back home."

"What does it matter if you're dead?! Nobody wants that!" Sprig shouted!

"The boy is right. We are taking a break and warming you up. End of discussion!" Hop Pop said.

"But-"

"End of discussion!" Hop Pop said, firmly.

This caused Anne to growl at Hop Pop, being reminded of her enemy/former friend!

Marcy grabbed Anne's shoulders.

"Anne, calm down." She said, also keeping Anne from suddenly attacking Hop Pop.

All because those three words reminded her of a certain bear girl.

Remembering that SHE was not here, Anne took a few deep breaths to calm down before nodding to Marcy.

"Okay, let's take a breather." Anne said before looking around. "And where's our guide?"

"Watching." The Newt said, suddenly appearing next to them.

The others screamed and Anne just looked at her.

"How do you do that?" She asked.

Magic." The newt said simply.

Anne glared at the newt, disliking the simple answer.

"You have anger problems." The newt said, "Is it because of the person that caused those scars?"

"That's none of your business." Anne said.

"But it is since you still need my help to get up the mountain." The newt said before tapping her staff, teleporting them all to a random cave in the mountain. "Such as providing us with shelter."

"Woah, I really need to get me one of those." Hop Pop said, looking at her staff.

"It is but a small portion of what I can do." The newt said before tapping her staff again to make a roaring fire next to them. "There, rest now by the fire."

Seeing the fire and feeling the warmth, everyone moved to sit around it as Marcy put down a satchel full of food.

"Here." Marcy said, passing around the food.

She made sure to pack a lot of meat, as Anne would need it.

"Thanks." Sprig said, taking some food.

"Did you pack enough?" Hop Pop asked, taking some food.

"I always do." Marcy said as she handed Anne twice as much.

"You are a very smart girl." The newt said.

"Oh it's nothing, I've just always been a bit smarter than most people but I can be sort of empty headed too. If it wasn't for Anne having my back, who knows what would've happened to me." Marcy admitted.

The newt smirked, intrigued by this.

"Really? Can you tell me more?" The newt asked.

"I mean, what can't I say about Anne?" Marcy said, "She is loyal, caring, and from what I heard, she is willing to fight anything if it means keeping others safe."

"Even if she's gets more battle scars?" The newt asked.

"Doesn't matter how many I get, so long as my pack is safe." Anne said, taking out a knife from Marcy's bag.

Anne then began using the knife to carve a bear out of a piece of wood, making it look exactly like a brown bear from Earth.

"No matter what." Anne said as she growled, before shoving the knife into the bear's front right leg.

Everyone but the newt woman flinched at this, knocking exactly what Anne was talking about and who she was imagining staving with that knife.

The leg fell off and Anne tossed the rest of the bear into the fire. Seeing this action, the newt woman came to a solid conclusion as she shook her head at this.

"You have a hole in your heart." The newt said.

"A what?" Anne asked her.

"A hole in your heart, though it is righteous and pure, this hole is one of darkness and anger. Unless you find a way to seal this hole, it will grow bigger and bigger." The newt said to Anne.

Anne simply blew her off, rolling her eyes.

"Whatever." Anne said as she growled.

While Anne didn't think much about this, everyone else took this to heart and grew even more concerned about her.

"Whatever indeed, but even if you are worthy of heart, you must confront this person who put that hole in your heart. Not with violence but with words." The newt said to Anne.

Anne looked away, like she would ever want to even be in the same state as her!

'I don't care what she says, the next time I see Sasha I'm ripping her throat out!' Anne thought.

After a while, they got back to making it up the mountain.

They were walking along a new path instead of climbing, something slower but safer. Anne went back in her wolf form to sniff for any dangers ahead while Marcy was back to being their eagle in the sky.

The newt watched them.

'Hm, nice teamwork, one uses a strong nose, while the other uses their incredible sight. Cover each other's weakness with their strength.' The newt thought.

They soon arrived at their next trial as Marcy flew down to land on Anne's head as she sat at the sight of it.

'It's... nothing.' Anne thought.

There had to be a mistake, there was nothing there, it was just snow. No Temple, no trial, no nothing.

"Um, Ms. Guardian newt?" Sprig asked.

"Yes, child?" The newt replied.

"Why are we just staring at snow?" Sprig asked.

"Because, this is the entrance to the temple." The Newt said, before pointing her staff at Anne, "Are you ready, creature?"

Anne shifted back to human as she stood up, looking at the newt with no hesitation.

"I am." She says.

Before anyone could respond, the newt grabbed her arm with her tail, and the two disappeared into thin air.

"Anne!/CAW!" The Plantars and Marcy screamed/screeched in worry!

Elsewhere, Anne and the Newt reappeared on top of the mountain.

"Are you ready for your biggest test?" The Newt asked.

"Yeah, if it means getting back home, then I'm ready for anything."

"Good." The Newt said before she lunged at Anne.

"!" Anne jolted before ducking back, dodging a swing at her! "What are you doing?!"

"Your final trial!" The newt said, whipping her tail at Anne.

"I'm not going to fight you!" Anne said, dodging the tail.

"If you truly possess the heart of a warrior, you must learn when to fight battles!" The Newt said, "So what will it be? Returning home... or refusing to fight?"

"I... I'm not going to fight someone without cause!" Anne said.

"But what will happen when you run into your blonde friend?" The newt asked.

"Sasha is NOT my friend!" Anne yelled.

"You lie! I can sense it in your heart!" The newt said.

"Then maybe your old age has caught up with you, because I am NOT Sasha's friend, I will kill her the next time I see her!" Anne shouted.

The newt still didn't believe Anne as she continued to attack, making the human dodge more and more until she had enough and changed into her wolf form!

"GRRRR!" Anne growled, warning her one last time.

"I do not fear you, child." The newt said.

'You will!' Anne thought as she lunged forward!

The newt woman blocked Anne's teeth with her staff, slowly moving back before pushing Anne aside!

"You must confront this Sasha to heal you heart! Killing her will solve nothing!" She shouted!

'You're wrong!' Anne thought, growling again as she zig zagged to her and bit into her tail!

"Aaaah!" The newt screamed before she spun her staff and whacked Anne right in the muzzle. "I am trying to help you, child! Why must you be so stubborn?!"

Anne turned back and rubbed her nose, having reached her limit with this stupid fight!

"You've been watching me, you brought up someone I don't want to talk about, and you tried to attack me!" Anne said, throwing her hands apart. "I'm done with this!"

Anne ran at her and tackled her. She raised her fist and was ready to end this.

"Are you really the heart of a warrior?" The Newt asked, unafraid. "Or are you a merciless killer?"

Anne closed her eyes and lowered her fist, standing up and turning away.

"Maybe I am." Anne said, finally being honest with herself. "Maybe I am a killer, maybe I want people to die, maybe that makes me a bad person, but I will gladly take that burden so that others don't."

The newt woman stood up, nodding at Anne's answer.

"And that is what makes you worthy." The newt said, making Anne turn to her. "Willing to shoulder something like taking a life, risking your own to protect your friends, but you still must look in yourself and learn to forgive those that have wronged you... that is your final trial."

"And what about the gem?" Anne asked.

"You will still be able to charge it but your heart must still heal." The newt said before spinning her staff, summing Marcy's bag and the music box.

"Just one question... who are you REALLY?" Anne asked. "Because you seem like more than just some random newt."

"I am Valeriana, a newt that is part of a special organization dedicated to the Box and learning how it works!" Valeriana said, tapping her staff to change her robes from dirty and black to pristine and white.

This shocked Anne, making her forget her anger for a moment. Right in front of Anne was an expert on the box that might be even better than Andrias!

"Now, tell me what you wish, child." Valeriana said.

"Oh... I want to charge the box... and go home." Anne said.

"Then so be it!" Valeriana said, nodding.

Using her tail, she took the gem from the box and placed it in the middle of her cane. Suddenly, ancient writing appeared below as the gem began to charge…slowly.

"So, how long is this gonna take?" Anne asked.

"Sorry, this thing is pretty old." Valeriana said, gesturing to her staff.

"I can assume." Anne said, standing awkwardly before looking over the edge of the top. "What about everyone else? Are they safe?"

"I'm sure they're fine." Valeriana said.

"AAAH!" Everyone else screamed.

"That doesn't sound fine! Hurry it up!" Anne shouted at Valeriana.

"I cannot rush this. It is a delicate process." Valeriana replied, looking at the charging gem.

"Then it will have to do!" Anne said, grabbing the box and the nearly charged gem. "Send me to them, hurry!"

Valeriana nodded and waved her staff, sending Anne back down the mountain. She didn't waste time and shifted into a wolf with the bag around her neck!

She rushed towards them with her nose picking up on what sort of creature was attacking them! She burst through some bushes and saw... them cooing over a small bird.

Her ears flipped while her tail went limp, staring in surprise as the "danger" they were in wasn't dangerous at all! She nearly didn't get the gem charged because she was worried about her pack!

"Oh Anne, you're back!" Marcy said, "We were looking for you but then-"

"We saw this cute bird and Marcy said he has the cutest high pitched voice!" Sprig said.

The bird in question then let out a cute squeak like chirp, making them all fawn over how cute it was. Though Anne didn't look impressed as she was still flipping her ears in surprise.

'They screamed…..for this?' Anne thought.

"Anyway, did you get the gem charged?" Marcy asked.

Anne transformed back and nodded to everyone, showing the box to them with the blue gem next to the green gem.

"One more gem to go." Anne said, focusing more on the gem than the cute bird.

"Great, now let's get out of the cold!" Polly shouted.

Everyone turned to leave the mountain as Anne carried the box in her hand, unaware that the blue gem flicked between blue and gray for a moment.

Chapter Text

After a couple days of relaxing, the group was back in Newtopia, getting ready for the third temple.

"Are you sure you all are ready for this?" Andrias asked them.

"We will be fine, your majesty. After plenty of time to rest, we're ready for the final temple." Marcy said with a smile.

"It's just that this is the most dangerous temple, anyone that's tried to conquer it before, has never returned."

"They didn't expect people like us to try." Anne said, gesturing to herself and Marcy.

"Uh, speaking of people like us... Anne, have you thought about changing your outfit?" Marcy asked.

"What's wrong with it?" Anne asked.

"Uh, there's more stitches than shirt." Marcy said.

"It's still a shirt." Anne said, crossing her arms. "Plus, it doesn't really matter when I transform into a wolf."

"Anne, do not even get me started that please. The point is you need a new outfit and protection!" Marcy said to her, "Besides, I can see blood on it!"

"What? I thought those stains washed out." Anne said, too casually while looking over her shirt.

"Okay, now that is concerning when you're desensitized to your own bloodshed." Andrias said to her.

"My thoughts exactly!" Hop Pop shouted with new worry. "Before we go anywhere, we're getting you some armor, young lady!"

"Oh, come on! Only a portion of it is my blood!" Anne said.

"Still, you could use more protection, Anne." Sprig said, twiddling his fingers.

"Yeah; battle scars are cool but too many can get ugly!" Polly added.

"Marcy, I understand you want what's good for me... but do you think pain does anything to me now?" Anne asked, "My pain tolerance is very high now, that it would take a family of bears to hurt me... also after the haircut incident back home, do you think I'm going to let you even think of trying to give me a make over?"

"Okay, that's fair but I won't be the one making you over." Marcy said.

"Haircut incident?" Sprig asked.

"Wedon'ttalkaboutit!" Marcy quickly said before refocusing. "I know someone else that can help you find the protect you need."

"Oh, I'm going to hate this." Anne groaned.

Allowing herself to be dragged, Anne and the Plantars followed Marcy through Newtopia to a special ship where Marcy got her armor and weapons repaired.

"Oh, yay." Anne said sarcastically.

Marcy pushed Anne into a room.

"Now you just undress and I'll get the person in charge of this." Marcy said.

Anne rolled her eye but turned around and began to pull off her shirt. Marcy got a quick glimpse at more scars on Anne's back that she didn't even know existed. She closed the door and had a regretful look.

"Oh Frog... it's worse than I thought." Marcy said quietly, "Don't worry Anne, we'll get you something that will cover your scars."

Anne didn't hear that from the closed door. The next time the door opened, it was a very... stylish Newt.

"Hello all and what can I help you with?" He asked with a sort of accent.

"I guess you're the person Marcy sent for?" Anne asked.

"Indeed, and I can see why." The newt said, looking at Anne's shirt, "Is that blood?"

"it's not mine." Anne said.

"Some of it's her's." Sprig said.

"MOST of it is not mine." Anne said, correcting herself as she glared at Sprig, "Why are you even in here?! I'm literally changing clothes!"

"I wanted to see what you look like after this."

Giving him a flat look, Anne shoved Sprig away before heading back to change into whatever outfit or armor this newt or Marcy wanted her to try on.

"This is going to suck."

"Don't be like that, Anne! You'll love it!" Marcy said from outside.

"I really doubt it!" Anne said through the door.

"Trust Bernardo!" The newt said, waiting for Anne to come out. "I know fashion and I know armor!"

"Fucking ridiculous." Anne mumbled.

She came out, wearing a giant suit of armor.

"That armor is stylish, fierce, and formidable! Not even a blade of tempered steel could pierce it!" Bernado said with a snap.

Anne was not a fan, especially since she couldn't see out of it.

"Does the helmet have to have such thin eye holes?" Anne asked.

"Those are meant to protect the eyes, but I have to admit they were not built for your big eyes." Bernardo said to her.

"My eyes are big?!" Anne asked, offended by that.

"Hm, let's try another!" He said.

Bernardo clapped his hands and summoned his assistant, letting them drag Anne back into the changing room before helping her into another outfit/armor. This time she came out dressed in all black, with a staff that had a skull on it, with a hood covering her head.

'Why are they so focused on covering my head?' Anne thought.

"What do you think of the sorcerous ensemble?" Bernardo asked Anne.

"Not really useful to me since I can't use magic." Anne said.

"Hm, perhaps something that resonates with you."

"Like barbarian?" Marcy asked.

"YES! My thoughts exactly!" Bernardo said.

'I could bite her, birds have weak bones.' Anne thought.

The assistant came back and pulled Anne away, changing her against her will into barbarian woman armor!

"Hey, watch where you put those hands!" Anne shouted, "Okay, this shows too much skin!"

"Yes, in sacrificing armor, the outfits shows off your more feminine nature. A deadly warrior princess, yes?" Bernardo said with a nod.

"I'm not wearing something that would get me arrested back home!" Anne said.

"But what about here?" Sprig asked her.

"There's standards here!" Anne shouted at him, "Also... this makes me feel weird, I don't like showing this much skin even before my scars."

"You still want to show you scars?" Hop Pop asked.

"Young lady, why are you so proud in showing off those ugly battle scars?" Bernardo asked.

"They're not ugly." Anne said, walking back into the changing room and taking off the barbarian outfit, "These scars helped reveal the person I can be proud of, not some girl that took the easy way, but someone that's willing to fight and protect her friends and family. Sure, they may have been painful, but it's that pain that helped remind me that there's nothing I won't do to protect my family."

While everyone was moved by these words, none were more emotional than Marcy as she knew Anne longer and knew the kind of person she was before coming to Amphibia.

'She really has become different, she's grown stronger.' Marcy thought, 'And I... tried to hide those scars that mean so much to her.'

Marcy began to cry a bit out of shame, wiping away some tears.

"Bernardo is moved! Such passion, such fire in your voice! I have decided not to give you something to hide your scars but I will give you something that shall still protect you!" He said, with his finder in the air.

"Like what?" Anne asked.

"Simple, yet elegant! An armored vest with arm and leg brace! You shall be protected but your scars shall remain uncovered." Bernardo said as he nodded to his assistant.

"And as a bonus, this shall help."

He held out a sword covered in a golden covered sheath.

"This was taken from a newt that had a habit of robbing trains using children pretending to be orphans."

"Really?" Anne asked as she took the sword. "How far did that con go?"

"Surprisingly long." Bernardo said as the assistant came to Anne with the armored vest, arm braces, and leg braces. "Try them on and show us the warrior inside!"

Anne did so. Gazing at their favorite human, everyone was in awe of the armored vest with matching braces on arms forearms and lower legs. The sword was firmly tied to her hip as the scars on her arms were proudly displayed as well. The golden colored armor looked great on Anne, with some light blue markings on the neck hole and shoulders.

"Well?" Anne asked, pulling her sword a bit and brandishing it.

"Awesome!" Sprig and Polly shouted.

"Like a true warrior."

"I can see your legend right now." Hop Pop said, waving his hands in the air.

"You look amazing." Marcy said, smiling at her.

"Thanks." Anne said before looking to Bernardo. "Can I assume King Andrias will cover this?"

"No. This is on the house, for your warrior spirit and your moving story of your scars!" The fashionable newt said.

'I could get used to this.' Anne thought

Chapter Text

Once the business of armor and weaponry were dealt with, the group headed off to get to the third temple and charge the final stone of the calamity box.

'This is it.' Anne thought, 'The final temple.'

Once they reached the temple, everyone saw it was built near an active volcano! Lava and intense heat filled the air as they stood before it.

"They built it here of all place? Why?" Anne asked, pulling her collar.

"The scrolls said the toads wanted this temple to be a challenge." Marcy said.

"Mission accomplished."

"Finding it was the easy part, beating it is the hard part." Polly commented.

"Don't remind me." Hop Pop said, sweating from the heat and from worry.

"Well the sooner we start, the sooner we finish." Anne said.

"Exactly, so let's do this." Marcy said, walking to the door as a message appeared. "And here's our first riddle on how to get in."

She looked at her notes and her mood changed.

"What the- Lift to enter, Bruh?" Marcy said, "That can't be... what!?"

Marcy looked back over her notes to see if she read that right and she was, but that's what confused her! It's too simple!

"This has to be some sort of mistake." Marcy said, scratching her head. "Or a trick or something."

Frobo walked up and lifted the door.

"Told you it was a good idea to bring him!" Polly said.

Frobo smiled at them as everyone walked into the temple, the heat being even more intense as the Plantars instantly shriveled up into dehydrated forms!

"Oh man, I knew it would be hot, but not this hot!" Anne said.

"I'm sweating like crazy." Marcy said, waving a hand in her face.

"Let's get this stone charged and get out of here." Anne said.

They walked through the hot temple, with Frobo being the least effected but his metal shell was getting hotter. Too hot to touch as Polly couldn't ride on his shoulders. They found themselves next to across from a bridge. A message revealed.

"Whoa there boss. Think you're strong enough to get across?" Marcy read.

"Across what?" Sprig asked.

"It looks like a simple path over lava." Anne said, "Easy."

A chest opened and revealed Hammers.

"Hammers?" Polly asked.

"I detect life inside of the lava." Frobo said, scanning the lava river.

"Life?"

Pointing to the lava river, Frobo's warning was proved to be right as giant monster worms jumped over the bridge!

"Roooooah!" They roared!

"Don't worry, I got this!" Anne said, grabbing a hammer, "Holy shit, this is heavy."

Anne lifted it with a loud groan.

"Anne, you know Frobo could just lift it for you." Polly suggested, her voice hoarse and dry.

"No, I got it." Anne said, still struggling.

Anne ran and swung the hammer, hitting the worm... thing. It didn't do much. Anne got in front of the Plantars until a hammer hit the worm, this time, they all looked. Another worm rose from the lava rose, and was cut through the middle... by Sasha. In one arm, her typical sword, her other arm... completely covered by some kind of cape.

"Sasha?!" Marcy said in shock.

"SASHA!?" The Plantars shouted in shock.

"YOU…." Anne said, glaring at the girl.

The two scared girls stared at each other for a minute before Sasha ran and grabbed Marcy by the wrist.

"Let's go!" She said, pulling them through the path.

"Hey!" Anne shouted, quickly grabbing Marcy's other wrist! "She's not going ANYWHERE with YOU!"

"It's either that or death Anne!" Sasha said.

"Don't say my name, you don't deserve to say it after everything you've done!"

"Guys, this isn't really the best time!" Marcy shouted to them.

"Exactly! Now come on!" Sasha said.

"Let her go and we'll go!" Anne said, glaring at Sasha!

"RAAAAAH!" A worm monster screamed, coming at them from the lava!

"Frobo, save them!" Polly screamed for her robot friend!

Frobo did so. Jumping up and rolling into a ball, Frobo knocked the worm into the lava before he landed in the bridge.

"Must save everyone." Frobo said, picking up all three humans before stretching his arm to grab the Plantars!

His metal skin was hot to the touch but they didn't complain as Frobo super jumped to get them to the other side of the bridge. They ran to through the door into the next room, where Anne went over to Sasha, murder evident in her eye. Marcy had to get between them.

"Okay, how about we just calm down and try not to kill each other." Marcy said, "We're all friends here, right?"

"No, we aren't." Anne said, "I will never be her friend, not as long as I remember what she tried to do, and I will... because she left a permanent reminder."

Anne pointed to her eye.

"Yeah?" Sasha let her cape drop revealing her arm, "So did you."

Marcy looked at the metal arm that Sasha had, which had sharp claws at the end of the fingers.

"Your bite damaged my nerves, and the wound got infected, and I had to get my arm amputated." Sasha said.

"You deserve worse." Anne growled.

"Worse than this?" Sasha asked, gesturing to her arm.

"You tried to feed Hop Pop to a giant fly trap! Yes, you deserve me worse!" Anne shouted!

"THAT'S ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" Marcy shouted, "WE ARE ALMOST DONE! CAN YOU TWO JUST STOP ARGUING FOR FIVE MINUTES SO WE CAN CHARGE THE FUCKING STONE!? YOU CAN KILL EACH OTHER AFTER!"

Anne and Sasha jumped back at this, never EVER hearing Marcy just explode like that on them before. Heck, they had never even heard her yell out of anything but excitement before.

"She…..does have a point, we do need to charge the stone." Sprig said, poking his fingers.

Anne growled.

"Fine, but I'm watching you." Anne said, glaring at Sasha.

"Then I guess it's a good thing you have a blind spot." Sasha said.

"Grrrr!" Anne growled, reaching for her sword before Marcy stopped!

"No swords! No fighting! You don't even have to talk to each other!" Marcy said, getting in between the two. "Until we are out of here, I am going to act as a barrier between you two!"

The two glare at each other.

"Fine." Anne and Sasha said to Marcy, turning away.

"This just got real." Sprig whispered in fear.

Sasha looked over at the door.

"Grime, you coming or not!?" Sasha yelled.

"He's here too?!" Hop Pop said in fear, hiding behind Frobo.

"Coming, lieutenant!" Grime shouted but sounded as hoarse as the other Amphibians.

And he was just as shriveled.

"Sorry, this thing is a lot heavier to carry shriveled muscles." Grime said, carrying a large hammer with jet thrusters at the end.

"You didn't need to bring that, you know. You could've left it outside." Sasha said to him.

"Are you kidding me? This is a legendary weapon, why would I do such a thing?"

"Because you shriveled and dehydrated." Sasha said to him.

"I am fine, truly." Grime said, even though he was shaking out of effort to hold the hammer up.

With a sigh, Sasha walked to the toad and took the hammer as everyone just watched.

"Come on, let's go." Sasha said.

Not saying anything, Marcy and Anne walked away with the Plantars and Frobo following along with Grime and Sasha walking from behind. Silent as they could be aside from their footsteps, while the Plantars were taking small glances at Sasha's robotic arm.

'Did she go to the same factory?' Sprig thought, remembering the ancient robot factory.

That could explain where Frobo came from.

But that just raised more questions. Like if Sasha has an arm like that, does that mean the toads somehow took over the factory and made more?

'We gotta talk about this when we're away from Sasha.' Sprig thought.

He wasn't the only one thinking about Sasha… but he wasn't thinking about gutting her and devouring her heart like Anne.

'You must confront this person who put that hole in your heart. Not with violence but with words.' Valeriana's advice echoed in Anne's mind.

'I'm meeting with her but all I want is to kill her.' Anne thought.

The only thing she wants from Sasha is to use her bones as a chew toy. Hopefully she wouldn't taste like crap. Eventually, they reached the second trial of the toad temple.

"A barbell and bench?" Anne asked, raising a brow.

"I'm sensing a theme here." Polly said.

Marcy did too as she read the riddle on the exit door.

"Sup, brosef? Do you even lift?" Marcy read.

"Okay, move out of the way, let the girl with the metal arm do this." Sasha said, walking over to it.

"Careful. This might be a trap." Hop Pop warned.

"Don't be ridiculous. This temple was built by toads, was it not? If so then all these trials are strength based since we are the physically strongest of all species." Grime said, bragging and explaining.

"The same could be said for Bears being among of the strongest animals in Earth." Sasha said with a smirk.

'In your delusional dream.' Anne thought, rolling her eyes, 'Everyone knows a pack of wolves can take a bear.'

With that in mind, Sasha lanes back in the bench and grabbed the barbell before easily pushing it up.

"Boom." She said confidently as the door opened. "Told ya."

Anne looked at Sasha, not trusting her.

"This should be the final room. Everyone be on your toes." Marcy said as Anne pulled out her sword. "And NO backstabbing, Anne."

"Fine." Anne said, promising not to stab Sasha in the back….FOR NOW.

'She did the same to me, I AM going to return the favor.' Anne thought as she still remembers Sasha literally stabbing her in the back.

"So, what is this one meant to be?"

The last room of the temple appeared to be some sort of arena with lava flowing from the walls and stalagmites/stalactites all over. Glowing appeared on the wall.

"You've got skill, there's not doubt. But it's time to learn what true strength is about." Marcy reads.

"So it's a fight for the final trial? Easy." Sasha said with a smirk.

She said that, and the gravity got heavy.

Everyone dropped to the floor, shouting from the pain of the sudden gravity.

"What the fuck?!" Anne screamed!

Sasha struggled the most, as her arm weighed her down more. "I guess the gravity is part of the trial." Marcy said, grunting as she tried to stand.

"Then what's the main part?!" Sprig asked.

Suddenly, a giant horn toad made of stone jumped to the ground, clad in nothing but wrestling spandex as it roared to the ceiling.

"That."

The stone toad began to flex his muscles, mocking them as he awaited someone to challenge him,

"Lieutenant, Plantars, any suggestions?!" Grime shouted, too weak.

"Maybe Frobo could do something, he's not effected!" Polly said, noticing her robot friend was still standing.

"That won't work, he's not designed for combat." Marcy said.

"That would explain the gardening tools in him." Hop Pop muttered.

"Doesn't matter! Frobo is wicked strong, he can take that stone creep!" Polly said before pointing to the stone toad. "Go get him, buddy!"

Frobo walked towards it.

"Frobo will win." Frobo said as the stone toad looked at him.

"Grrr!" It growled before flexing some more and putting his fists up! "Come at me, bro!"

Frobo threw a punch, with all the strength of a baby. The stone toad looked at him, laughing a bit before pulling his arm back.

"You can't dish it out but let's see if you can take it, bro!" The stone toad shouted!

With a flick of the finger, Frobo was sent to the other side of the room.

"UGH!" Frobo let out, being left in a crater in the wall.

"Frobo!" Polly shouted at her friend.

"I'm sorry, Polly, but I told you he's not a fighting model." Marcy groaned.

"So it's up to us." Anne said, pushing herself up with the help of her sword.

Marcy tried to get up, but her hollow bones made this near impossible for her.

'Aaaah! Curse you gravity!' Marcy thought as Sasha slowly got up as well.

"I'm gonna smash this fucking statue!" Sasha said, not letting her metal arm weigh her down.

Anne and Sasha slowly began walking towards the statue, neither liking this.

"Hehehe, come at me bras!" The stone toad said, flexing some more.

"Ugh, enough with the bro talk!" Anne shouted.

The two went to attack only for the gravity to get heavier.

"Aaaah!" They screamed, hitting the ground again!

"Hehehehehehe!" The stone toad chuckled.

"We can't get close!" Sasha said.

"We need to lose some weight!" Anne shouted, dropping her sword as it formed a small crater.

The gravity forced them to the ground.

"Aaaaah!" They screamed from the gravity once again.

"We can't do this!" Sasha said.

Anne thought about it for a second.

'You still must look in yourself and learn to forgive those that have wronged you.'

"S-Sasha!" Anne called out, gaining her attention.

"W-What?!" Sasha asked, trying to turn to her.

"You... are the strongest one here... you can do this." Anne said.

"Go grizzly girl and show that toad what's what!" Marcy shouted in agreement.

"Yeah? And why are you trying to give me encouragement?" Sasha asked Anne.

"Because, someone told me I need to let go of my anger." Anne said, "And I've been nothing but angry with you, I have forgotten about some of the good times we had together. I had forgotten that... we're friends."

Even if Sasha could be controlling and stubborn, that didn't change all the good times they had to go along with the bad times. A fifty-fifty split but the good outweighed the bad JUST a smidge.

"We all want to go home, return to our families, so get up and finish this!" Anne said.

Sasha looked at the stone toad and began to stand back up.

"You want a fight?" She threw her cape off, "You got one."

The cape slammed on the ground, creating a crater. She took the armor on her boots off and threw them behind her. They dented the wall.

"How heavy is that armor!?" Sprig said.

She unlatched her arm and it dropped. It formed the biggest crater of all as Sasha stood up fully, her arm numb for all to see.

"Aaaah, now that's better!" Sasha said before grabbing her sword, "Now then... let me show you why the Bear is the most dangerous predator in North America!"

Sasha charged at the stone toad as it grabbed a spike from the ceiling and ripped it over!

"Let's go, bro!" He shouted, swinging at Sasha!

Sasha's sword dragged behind her as she ran. She ducked under the swing as she slashed at one leg, making the toad groan in pain!

'That's one leg!' Sasha thought as she got back up and charged again.

She sliced at the second one, making it fall to its knees.

'That's two.'

Sasha ran up the toads arm and held her sword tightly, before jumping in the air and using the increased gravity to her advantage. The stone toad raised his arm to block but ended up getting cut through!

"Aaaaaah!" It roared!

'That's three!' She thought, landing on a crater.

The toad fell.

"Any last words, bro?" Sasha mocked the fallen stone toad.

"RAAAAAH!" It just roared, crawling towards Sasha with his remaining arm.

"You're determined, I admire that. But this ends now." Sasha said, preparing for a final slash.

With that slice, the Toad was "dead". Sasha put her sword in the shealth as the gravity greatly lightened and allowed everyone to stand up again.

"I can breath easy again!" Hop Pop said happily.

"Oh, thank frog, my hollow bones weren't going to last much longer."

"I expected nothing less, Lieutenant." Grime said as Sasha walked back to her arm.

"Thanks." She said, picking it up and reattaching it before seeing Anne standing before her.

"Hey... thanks for that."

"Yeah, well... I'm not someone that likes to lie." Anne said.

"Yeah…..you were always the most honest one of the bunch." Sasha commented.

"Hey, as much as I enjoy this, we do have the stone to charge." Marcy said.

The two turned to Marcy as she approached with the music box in hand.

"Marcy's right." Anne said, pulling the single gray gem out, offering it to Sasha. "You do the honors."

Sasha took the gem and smiled a bit, before placing it in the pedestal that rose from the ground. The symbols around the arena glow as a flash of pink light blinded them all, making everyone turn away as the gem was filling with the same pink light. Sasha picked the fully charged stone. A new phrase revealed itself as Marcy looked up to it.

"Congrats, brah. You finally know what it takes to go the distance. For what is true strength without persistence." Marcy read with a smile.

"Strength and persistence, huh?" Sasha said, gazing at the gem.

Marcy took the gem and placed it in the music box.

"It's finally done. Now we just need Andrias's help to find out how to work it so we can get home." Marcy said, putting the music box in her satchel.

"Actually, I've been gone from Wartwood for a while." Anne said, "Can we stop by there for a few days, besides, who's to say someone hasn't been following us to steal the box? After all, we didn't know Valeriana was following us."

"Who?" Sasha asked.

"Tell you later." Marcy said.

"Anne has a point, I think we could all use a bit of a rest after this." Hop Pop said.

"I guess so." Marcy said, putting the box in her bag. "We can just send a message to the king instead. I'm sure he can wait. Now, let's go get these frogs some water."

"First, we get Frobo." Polly said, reminding them of her friend still in the side wall.

"Don't worry. We're not gonna forget him." Anne said as she walked towards the robot. "Give me a hand, will you Sash?"

"…Sure." Sasha said, smiling at hearing her nickname once again, "So, where did this thing even come from?"

"Well, there was a factory-"

"Was it... frog shaped?"

"Yeah, why?"

"GRIME! YOU SAID THE THING WAS TURNED OFF AFTER WE MADE MY ARM!" Sasha said.

"I did! I'm positive!" Grime shouted at her!

"Then explain him!" Sasha shouted, pointing to Frobo.

"I... well... I destroy things, I don't do the whole, factory thing."

"So you guys did make Frobo?" Sprig asked.

"We never made robots! We just needed to make Sasha a new arm! We were lucky enough to figure it out with in creating one robot by accident!" Grime said as he managed to reclaim Sasha's armor and cape.

"Might want to take a pit stop and see if the factory is actually shut down." Anne said.

"Agreed, we don't need more of these." Sasha said.

Polly imagined it, finding the through of more Frobos to be really cool! Plus, he could have more robot buddies!

"Are we sure shutting down the factory is a must?" Polly asked.

"Yes!" The entire group said.

"We don't need an army of robots on our hands Polly. You remember what happened when Frobo arrived in Wartwood." Anne said.

"You panicked horribly?" Polly asked.

"You destroyed part of the house."

"That was not my fault!" Polly said.

"He was copying you!" Anne said as she grabbed Frobo's left arm before recoiling! "Ow! Hot! Damn I forgot the heat!"

"I got this." Sasha said, using her robot arm to grab Frobo.

Sasha pulled him out of the wall.

"Frobo is thankful." He said to Sasha.

"It's the least I could do after you at least tried against the stone toad." Sasha said, putting Frobo down, "Now, can we leave before something else happens?"

"Gladly." Anne said with a nod.

"I can't wait for have a tall glass of water." Sprig said as they began walking out of the temple.

As they did, Sasha and Grime stayed in the room.

"Don't forget the plan." Grime said.

"Don't worry, I haven't. We get to Newtopia and then we can lead our rebellion." Sasha said, "Just have to wait a little longer so they don't get suspicious."

"And be wary of the wolf. No telling how much stronger she's gotten." Grime whispered.

"Trust me, I know." Sasha said as she put back in her armor and cape before grabbing the legendary hammer. "I guess being here brought out the true wolf in her."

"Come on, we should hurry up so they don't get suspicious."

Sasha placed the hammer on her shoulder before she and Grime made their way to the exit, the lava river actually being calm this time as no worm monsters tried to eat them.

'Everything is going to plan.' Sasha thought.

Chapter Text

They group made it back to Wartwood, with Anne glad to be back in her "Home".

"It feels good to be back." Anne said before taking a deep whiff, taking in the air of her territory.

"I'm sure everyone else will be happy to see you too, Anne." Hop Pop said, fully rehydrated like Polly, Sprig, and Grime.

"Ah, it's nice to take a couple days to relax after that." Marcy said.

"I'm just glad we made sure the factory was shut down." Sasha said.

"I still think more Frobo's would've been cool." Polly muttered, crossing her arm nubs.

"I do too but too many could've been bad." Sprig said, being reasonable.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day Sprig was being responsible." Anne said.

"That must mean something bad is coming." Polly said, joking a bit.

"Not funny, sis." Sprig said.

"Yes it is." Polly said as she jumped in Frobo. "Come on, Frobo! Let's head home."

"I'm going to go check out my territory, see if someone's been there." Anne said.

"Again?" Marcy asked.

"You can't be too careful." Anne said.

"Besides, I need a calming run." Anne said, shifting into a wolf and running into town.

"Okay, so what about us?" Sasha asked, gesturing to herself and Grime.

"I suppose we'll have to calm down the town once they see you." Hop Pop said.

"Yeah, you did hold us prisoner last time you were here." Sprig said.

"Once again, that was just the job." Grim said to them.

"You still enjoyed it too much." Sprig said.

"Trust me, if you're this annoying all the time then I won't be doing that again."

"Good. Now, just wait here and we'll come back for you." Hop Pop said.

When people saw the wolf, they waved to her.

"Hey, Anne's back!"

"Hey Anne!"

"Good to see you!"

Anne just barked in response as she kept running through the town. It felt nice to be greeted with smiling faces and waving hands after a crazy journey. It helped relax her as she sniffed for any animal that tried to invade her home. She made sure the entire town was fine and didn't smell any animals.

'Everything is good. Time to head home.' Anne thought, turning forwards the Plantar family farm.

She made it home and walked over to a small water hole made for her. She started lapping it up.

'Nothing like a fresh drink of water while on patrol.' Anne thought, finding the water to be pretty good even if it's not from a glass.

Anne shifted back and walked into the house.

'I wonder if I should check on Maddie? She'll be happy to hear Marcy is back in town.' Anne thought.

First thing she did though, was sit on the couch and close her eyes.

"Aaaaaaaah." Anne released in relief, leaning back to relax on her favorite spot on the couch.

Not just to sight but also to take naps on when she was in wolf form.

"After that crazy adventure, I am ready to just sit back and relax."

"Us too, Anne." Sprig said as he walked into the house, after seeing Ivy of course.

"I wouldn't mind if we can just relax for a month before going back to Newtopia." Hop Pop said.

"No offense, but I do want to go home soon." Anne said.

"We know but still, let's just enjoy our down time for the moment." Hop Pop said, walking to the kitchen.

"Yeah. Besides, we still need to deal with Sasha and Grime staying here." Sprig reminded.

"Yeah, that's going to be a struggle."

"Where are they anyway?" Anne asked.

"Waiting outside the town for the signal to come in." Sprig said as he pointed to Hop Pop. "Hop Pop said he'd go tell them."

"I'm trying to figure out how to do this without causing panic."

"But what if someone notices them?" Anne asked.

"I'm sure they know how to hide, Anne." Hop Pop said.

"I hope so." Anne said.

"Where's Polly by the way?" Sprig asked.

Suddenly, the door opened as Polly came in with Frobo carrying her.

"Ah, it feels so good to be home!"

"How did we get here before you? You left before us." Sprig said to her.

"Did a quick detour to the market. I shared stores in exchange for snacks." Polly said.

"Of course you did." Anne said.

"Plus I looked for any paint for Frobo, I think he could use a cooler look." Polly said, patting he friend.

"As cool as that sounds, let's put a pin in that until after Sasha and Grime can come into town without a panic." Anne said to her.

"Yeah, so, any ideas on how to let the people know?"

"Hmmm, maybe say she's our prisoner?" Sprig asked.

"Our prisoner?" Anne asked him.

"Yeah. Like we ran into her on the way home and fought her again. You won and took her prisoner so she and Grime could face punishment from the king. It's a long shot but MAYBE it could work." Sprig said, making up a story.

"Uh, we'll keep that as a back up."

"Yeah, Sasha might kill you for that." Polly said.

"No more talks about killing!" Marcy said, walking in behind Polly and Frobo. "Just got back from visiting Maddie by the way, she says hi."

"Yeah, cool, hey, you're smart, any idea of what to do with Grime and Sasha?"

"Hmmm." Marcy said as she rubbed her chin, "Maybe just tell them the truth."

"Telling the truth? Do you not remember what I told you what they did?" Anne asked.

"I know but maybe telling the truth about why Sasha and Grime are here would help ease them more than a lie about them being your prisoners." Marcy said.

"She has a point, lying only leads to problems." Hop Pop said.

'Believe me, I know all too well.' Hop Pop thought, remembering how he lied and hide the calamity box.

Anne nodded.

"Yeah, he's right." Anne said.

"But how are we gonna do this? What if someone attacks them and it starts a whole riot?!" Polly shouted.

"Me and Anne can go, both of us there should keep things calm enough for us to explain." Marcy said, "Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"

'Why do people in the world keep fucking jinxing themselves?' Anne thought.

"Come on, let's go." Anne said

Getting up from the couch, Anne lead Marcy outside and headed back towards the outskirts where Sasha and Grime were still waiting.

"Okay, so here's what we're going to do." Anne said, "We're going to tell the people what you're doing here."

"Really? Are you trying to get us killed?" Grime asked.

"No, we're not. We're just trying to make sure everybody understands that you're not here to cause trouble." Marcy said.

"Which you aren't." Anne said, "And you won't, I'm giving you a second chance, but if you do betray my trust again... I will kill you."

"You've changed." Sasha said, "We all have."

"We know." Marcy and Anne said to her.

'I'm not that clumsy girl anymore.' Marcy thought.

'I'm not an Omega wolf anymore.' Anne thought.

Sasha felt her heart skip when Anne threatened to kill her, it made her think, but at the same time, she knew she had to take over Amphibia.

"I'll behave. I won't even fight back if they throw stuff at me or give me dirty looks." Sasha said holding up her flesh hand. "Swear to god on Earth and the gods or god of Amphibia."

"Good."

"Well, let's get this over with." Grime said as he stood up. "If they actually do throw stuff at us, I'll endure it too. And admire them for striking a toad without fear."

"Not much fear here, lot's of hatred."

"I stand by my comment." Grime said.

"Okay, let's get this dealt with." Anne said, "Because I am hungry and Hop Pop is making a big dinner."

"How big?" Sasha asked, feeling hungry herself.

"Big enough to feed about half my pack." Anne said.

Sasha's stomach growled, she hasn't eaten that much lately.

"Let's get this over with. I don't care if frogs throw rocks and maybe slime at me." Sasha said.

"It's mucus." Grime, Anne, and Marcy corrected.

"Whatever."

The group began the walk into town, Sasha and Grime holding firm expressions as the townsfolk began noticing them. Many seemed to glare at them, some mothers sent the children into the house. Others were slowly reaching for anything that resembled a weapon or large rocks close by to attack if necessary.

'I was right.' Grime thought, not reaching for his sword or dagger or the legendary hammer.

He and Sasha were just going to take their attack UNLESS they used blades.

"Okay, Marcy, can you get the town to gather in the town square?" Anne asked.

"Sure, Anne." Marcy said.

Marcy shifted and flew into the air.

"How long do you think this will take?" Sasha asked.

"Possibly a few minutes, longer if they want to hurt us." Grime said as they kept walking.

"Kay." Sasha said, sitting in the base.

'Still can't believe she got a statue here.' She thought, SOMEWHAT jealous of Anne.

Marcy flew and landed on Anne's shoulder.

"Caw!" Marcy said, making Anne nod.

"Thanks. Everyone should be here in a couple of minutes." Anne said to Sasha and Grime.

"You can understand her like that?" Grime asked.

"We have a system for this stuff. If I ask her to get something done, one caw means it's done, two caws means it's not finished." Anne said.

"Smart. Marcy's idea?" Sasha asked.

"We both came up with it actually. We even have one for when I'm a wolf." Anne said with a grin.

"Cool." Sasha said.

"Maybe we can come up with one for you." Anne suggested.

"Yeah, maybe." Sasha said with a smile.

"Alright, Boonchuy, what did you call everyone here for?" Mayor Toadstool said.

"And why are THEY here?" Toadie asked, glaring at Sasha and Grime as he held a branch.

"That's what I wanted to talk about." Anne said, "Unfortunately, I need them in order to get home, so they have to be with us for a bit. I wanted to warn the town that they would be here. Thankfully, they won't cause any trouble."

"How can you be so sure?" Mrs. Croaker asked.

"Because if they do, I will gut them alive." Anne said.

To make her point, Anne drew her sword a bit as she kept a watchful eye on Sasha. Sasha held her hands up, clearly not wanting to do something that would make her mad. This also showed off her metal arm, putting the frogs on guard again.

"Drop the gauntlet!" Toadstool shouted.

"That is no gauntlet. That is the lieutenant's new arm. Your wolf protector bit into her old arm so hard, she had to get it replaced." Grime explained.

"Everyone calm down!" Anne said.

"We're trying but we can't help it! Not after last time!" Wally said, spinning her accordion around like nunchucks.

"Again, I will make sure they cause no trouble." Anne said, "Trust me on this."

Marcy changed back to human as she put a hand on her heart.

"I'll also take full responsibility for Sasha too." Marcy said, "Between the two of us, we should keep them under control."

"With some added help from us." Hop Pop said as he, Sprig, and Polly walked through the crowd.

"Hop Pop, aren't you supposed to be making dinner?" Anne asked.

"About that-"

"Ah ah ah!" Anne said, putting a hand up, "We'll talk about that later."

"But it's a reasonable explanation. Besides the cooking can wait, needs to simmer." Hop Pop said.

"Okay, just, bring Sasha and Grime with you to the house, Marcy, go with them, I'll calm the town down." Anne said.

"Okay but are you sure?" Marcy asked.

"I can. Just go and make sure Hop Pop doesn't burn dinner, I'm not the only one hungry." Anne said, hearing Sasha's stomach growling.

Marcy saluted Anne.

"Aye aye, wolf captain. I've been meaning to try some recipes I learned in Newtopia anyway." Marcy said.

"You learned to cook in Newtopia?" Sasah asked in surprise.

"Well, I learn the recipes BUT I couldn't cook them." Marcy corrected.

"Just go." Anne said.

The group made their way back to the Plantars farm as Anne did her best to calm the town down since two of its worst enemies were going to be staying for who knows how long.

"Now listen, I am going to make sure that everything will be fine, it's just a few days and then we head to Newtopia and head home." Anne said, "Come on, Guys, do you think I would do anything to put you in danger?"

"No, but still, Boonchuy. These are dangerous people. That bear girl is like a monster! Even worse than a red mantis!" Toadstool said.

"I'm aware, in case you forgot, I already fought her." Anne said, "I can handle her."

"What if she has a deadly surprise in that metal arm of hers?" Wally asked.

"He's right. Who knows how tricked out that thing is." Ivy said.

"And that's something I will deal with."

"Marcy too but still, you guys may need an edge if she tries something." Maddie said, rubbing her chin. "I could make something JUST in case."

'Even if you say no.' Maddie thought.

"Uh, I know better than to say no, because you'll do it anyway." Anne said, "Just make sure whatever you make doesn't kill anything."

"I promise but the results might be different." Maddie said.

"Yeah... sure." Anne said, "Everyone can rest well, because I'm going to make sure nothing happens."

Her smile and confidence seemed to be enough to put them all at ease, getting the frogs of Wartwood to lower their weapons as they had complete trust in Anne.

"Okay, we good? Because I got to get back to the farm." Anne said.

"Yeah, we're good. Carry on with your business, people." Toadstool said to all of them.

Anne shifted into a wolf and ran to the farm. She was looking forward to the large meal Hop Pop was making, whether it be stew, roast, or a casserole. Or maybe all three, Anne was excited. Her mouth watered just thinking about it.

'I better hurry before Sasha eats most of it!' Anne thought, reaching the farm in record time.

She quickly changed back to a human and walked to the door, pushing it open to be greeted by the delicious smell.

"Oh, that smells good."

"Tastes good too." Sasha said, her mouth full of some of the food.

"Sasha, I said to wait!" Hop Pop scolded her.

Sasha just rolled her eyes, Bears eat a lot she can't help it, it's getting close to the point where she would start gaining weight for hibernation.

'Wait, does my hibernation cycle even apply here?' Sasha thought as Anne came to the table.

"So what's on the menu, Hop Pop?" Anne asked.

"Well we've got gumbo, fried mosquito, cricket legs, casserole-"

"How did you make all of this in such a short time?" Grime asked in surprise.

"Hehehe, chef's secret." Hop Pop said with a smirk.

"Now everyone dig in!"

Anne and Sasha graciously did, both grabbing a large cricket leg to start. The two devoured them.

"It's like having two Annes." Polly whispered, watching them eat.

"I was going to say two lieutenants." Grime whispered.

"This brings back old memories of an eating contest." Marcy said with a grin.

Two vicious predators in an eating contest, what could've gone wrong?

'I hope they don't reach for the same thing.' Marcy and Hop Pop thought, thinking they would getting into a fight for the food.

Nobody needed a mess made of the house. Thankfully it wouldn't come to that. After dinner was finished, Hop Pop showed Sasha and Grime to the couch where they would be sleeping.

"Sorry but it's all we have." He said as Grime sat in the couch.

"If is fine, Hopediah." The toad said with a nod.

"I spend months sleeping inside a basement with my parents, I can easily handle the couch." Sasha said.

"Months?" Hop Pop asked.

"It's what humans with bear spirits do. They eat large amounts of food before sleeping through the winter months. Sasha says it's "hibernation." Somewhat like Frost Day." Grime said.

"Well, technically I don't sleep the entire time, I just sleep through most of it." Sasha said, "I sleep like... 200 out of the 213 days."

"213 days?!" Hop Pop said in shock.

"Yeah, bears sleep like that every year." Sasha said with a nod.

"And the winter is when the wolves come out." Anne said with a smirk, "We're built for the cold."

"You say that about every season." Sasha said, rolling her eyes. "I get it. Wolves are the ultimate animal."

"And don't you forget it." Anne said.

"Well, unlike you two, I can fly, so I'm better." Marcy said.

"Just cause you can fly and look down in people doesn't mean you're better." Anne and Sasha said.

"Jealous." Marcy said with a smirk, "You guys don't understand how amazing it is to fly."

"Didn't your parents push you out of the nest?"

"A-a-all birds do that with their chicks!" Marcy said.

"And do all birds fail to fly four times?"

"I DID NOT FAIL FOUR TIMES!" Marcy shouted as her voice cracked, blushing brightly.

"Sure." Anne and Sasha said with smirks.

Marcy huffed as she stomped out of the house to go sleep in the Fwagon.

'She'll get over it in the morning.' They thought.

She stuck her head back in.

"I will not get over this by the way!"

"You will, bird brain!" Anne said.

"You're too sweet to hold a grudge." Sasha said.

Marcy let out a loud breath through clenched teeth. Marcy slammed the door and transformed, flying off to cool off with a couple of laps around town.

"She'll be fine."

"Yeah, it's not like any other birds fly over the town." Anne said with a shrug.

Anne went back to eating.

"You're still hungry?" Sasha asked.

"I like to get up early for patrols. I need all the strength I can get, plus I'm Thai. Eating food with bugs is sort of normal." Anne said, "Besides, don't act like you aren't devouring this as well."

"I won't but I at least want leftovers for if I get hungry at night." Sasha said to her.

"Don't worry. We've got plenty." Hop Pop said.

At least, he hoped they did, he tried to make as much as he could for the animals.

"Well, I for one think I've eaten enough. I'll turn in for the night." Grime said before laying on the couch.

"Yeah, I think they're going to be at this for a while." Sprig said.

"Yep. It should be fun until we head back to Newtopia." Polly said, hopping to her room.

"If that isn't the truth." Hop Pop said.

Chapter Text

The next day, Anne woke up. It was a little before dawn and she wanted to do some patrolling around Wartwood like she said yesterday. She stretched and smirked.

"Time for the wolf to howl." Anne said, walking out of the basement.

She stealthily walked to the door. She looked around to see Sasha and Grime sleeping/snoring loudly, sprawled over the couch.

'And she's not even a bear right now, yet she snores like one.' Anne thought with a smile.

Anne slowly moved past her. She didn't want to literally wake a sleeping bear. When the door closed, Sasha's eyes opened. Anne ran through the woods, feeling the wind against her fur. A nice morning run to go along with watching the perimeter of her territory of Wartwood. Her nose caught a familiar scent.

'The Scorpileo.' She thought, 'It's getting close to Wartwood!'

This would've been the second time Anne faced it and this time, she was going to make sure it stayed away or stayed DOWN for good. She ran after the scent hating that it tracked her down, but wanting to make sure it's going to be kept down this time. Anne growled as she rushed through the first before reaching the end if the trail. She saw it, and it saw her. It remembered her.

"Grrrrrrr!" They growled at each other, moving in a circle around each other.

Anne lunged at the Scorpileo.

"ROOOA!" The Scorpileo roared, jumping at Anne!

Anne took it out before, but she had both eyes at that point, so she was easily able to be blindsided. The Scorpileo dodged to the right, exactly where her blind eye is and claws into her side! Anne was knocked to the ground with blood dripping from the large cuts on her side.

'Ugh!' She thought, trying not to change back from the pain. 'Damnit, he got me!'

Anne powered through it and stood back up, growling at the Scorpileo as it prowled towards her. It was about to attack, when it got blind sided and bit down on by the jaws of a massive grizzly bear.

'SASHA?!' Anne thought in shock!

Sasha roared at the scorpileo. The Scorpileo roared back as it got up, aiming its stinger at Sasha but the bear dodging and used her metal arm to grab it!

"ROOOOAH!" Sasha roared before biting the tail and ripped it in half.

The scorpileo roared in pain and was about to attack Sasha, before Anne used the distraction to jump onto its back and began biting onto the back of its head.

"ROOOOAH!" The Scorpelia screamed in pain, trying to shake Anne off while Sasha kept tearing into it.

They both got an idea and began pulling in opposite directions, still hanging on to the Scorpileo. The scorpileo roared in pain as Sasha and Anne ripped it apart. Anne still having the head in her mouth while Sasha had the body in her paws. They both dropped the pieces before roaring/howling into the sky.

"ROOOOOOOAH!/HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!" They let out.

Two of North America's most powerful predators, working together, a sight to behold. Anne let out of bark, which Sasha seemed to understand. Anne wanted her to join the patrol.

The bear girl nodded to the wolf, especially since Anne was still injured on her side.

'Even when she's grown so much without me, I'm still looking out for her.' Sasha thought.

The two walked around the woods that covered the town. Anne took the lead and showed Sasha her usual route, walking around the while town. The two occasionally sniffed the ground, looking for any intruders. Anne found no new scents while Sasha was just sniffing around for something that wasn't frog or toad. She new what certain large insect smelled like but she wasn't smelling any of those either. With no possible intruders, the two began the trek back to the farm.

This time, they both changed back to humans as Anne held her side in pain.

"Another scar to add to your collection?" Sasha asked.

"Yeah, I try not to brag." Anne joked before Sasha gave her cape.

"Here, use this to wrap yourself until we get back to the house." Sasha said, "You know, most of the predators in North America are defined by their scars."

"Don't need to remind me." Anne said, wrapping the cape around her body to stop the bleeding. "I chose a specific set of armor from Newtopia because I didn't want to hide my scars."

"I don't really have that problem." Sasha said, looking at her arm.

'Though there probably has to be a limit on what counts as trophies and what counts as insane.' She thought, clenching and unclenching her robot arm.

The two made it back to the Farm.

"Morning, Anne….and Sasha?" Hop Pop asked in surprise, seeing Sasha coming back from patrol with Anne.

"Hey, HP." Sasha said, nodding to him.

"Hey, we were patrolling." Anne said.

"And you got injured AGAIN?" Hop Pop asked, seeing the blood.

"Yeah, the Scorpileo was prowling around the town until Sasha backed me up." Anne said.

"If it wasn't for the fact that you would bite my arm off, I would lock you in the house." Hop Pop said, "Come on, let's get you stitched up."

"I'm guessing you're used to this by now?" Sasha asked as they all walked inside.

"Very much and that scares me too. I'm too old to be desensitized by all this blood in my daily life." Hop Pop said.

"How this girl hasn't bled out yet is beyond me." Hop Pop grumbled.

"Wolves are resilient." Anne said.

"Not THAT resilient!" Hop Pop said.

"Bears on the other hand." Sasha said before Hop Pop pointed at her.

"Don't you start! I don't need to be sewing up TWO animal girls!" Hop Pop shouted at her.

Sasha put her hands up.

"Hey, I'm not the one covered in blood." Sasha said.

"Not yet." Anne said as a joke, nudging Sasha. "You could tear a mantis to pieces and bath in its blood."

"I never said it would be my blood." Sasha said with a smile.

"Oh, no, there's two of them now." Hop Pop said.

Anne went to sit on the couch as Hop Pop went to get the first aid/sewing kit. With Anne, it was practically one and the same now.

"So, how was the patrol?" Sprig asked, jumping to the couch.

"It was good. Ran into the Scorpileo but Sasha backed me up." Anne said before looking to Sasha. "Which reminds me, how-"

"I heard you leave." Sasha answered, "You aren't the only one with great hearing you know."

"I know but I thought my hearing would've picked up on you before hand." Anne said to her.

"I picked up a few tricks from the toads. They can be surprisingly stealthy when they want to be." Sasha said.

"She is right!" Grime said as he was doing pull ups at the back door frame.

"If we don't want you to know we're there, you won't." Grime said.

"Then why did I pick up a spy shortly after the tax toads?" Anne asked, smirking.

"... Well, I never expected a nose like yours."

'Sasha told us about wolves and their sense of smell but it's even stronger than she said!' Grime thought.

"Yeah, Anne told us dogs in her world have the BEST noises for tracking." Polly said, sitting at the breakfast table with Frobo.

"Well, it's hard to argue with that." Sasha said, "Bloodhounds are the best example of that."

"Wolves are the original bloodhounds." Anne said. "All dog species evolved or devolved as some would say, from wolves."

"With how some of those breeds look I'd argue with that." Sasha mumbled.

"What?" Anne asked.

"Nothing." Sasha said with a smile.

"Let's get you fixed up." Hop Pop said, arriving with the first aid/sewing kit.

Hop Pop began stitching Anne's wound closed, it would leave more scars, but what's one more to add to the collection?

'Damn... she's not even flinching... she's fucking smiling while getting a needle put into her side!' Sasha thought.

"Anne, don't smile. It's creepy." Hop Pop said to her.

"I can't help it, it tickles now." Anne said, giggling a bit.

"It does?" Sprig asked.

'What the hell, this is not the Anne I knew... this one could actually hurt me if she finds out about my plan.' Sasha thought.

Sasha subtly moved to grab her metal arm, remembering the fight they had back on Toad Tower as both humans and animals. Their skills had become completely different in their time here yet they were almost equals in that moment….no. Anne was STRONGER in sheer willpower alone. Sasha had to be held down as her arm was amputated, it hurt that much. Anne was laughing as she was getting stitched... if Anne wanted to, she could kill Sasha before Sasha could react.

"Sasha? You okay?" Anne asked her.

"Huh? What?" Sasha asked.

"You kind of spaced off there." Hop Pop said, having finished sewing up Anne. "I guess that happens when you see someone actually laugh at their own pain."

"Yes, that was a bit….unnerving." Grime said.

When even the toads, a group known for reviling in pain, find it disturbing, then it must be unnatural.

"Please tell me that's just a phase." Sasha said.

"Nope. It's not." Marcy said, walking in, "So, sounds like it's been an interesting morning."

"Yeah but now I'm curious." Anne said.

"About what?" Polly asked.

"How does a Scorpileo taste?" Anne said.

"I mean, we can go back and eat it." Sasha said, "And Marcy can join us, many birds pick the meat off carcasses."

"You do?" Hop Pop asked Marcy.

"Yep. All predatory birds do on Earth." Marcy said with a nod, "I'm game if you guys are."

"Then let's go." Anne said, standing up.

"What about the breakfast I was planning to make?" Hop Pop asked them.

"Sorry, HP, but a carcass can only stay so fresh for so long after dying. Plus, it's been a while since I ate out with my best friends." Anne said, gesturing to Sasha and Marcy before noticing Sprig. "Best HUMAN friends."

Sprig nodded, accepting that he was Anne's best frog friend.

"Besides, we can save your food for lunch, the old HP meal never goes bad." Anne said.

This made Hop Pop happier since Anne not only loved his cooking but was eager to have it at a later time instead of another insect carcass.

"Come on, let's go!" Anne said as her, Marcy, and Sasha ran/flew to the carcass.

"Bring me back the stinger!" Polly shouted last minute.

The three made it to the corpse with ease and the wolf and bear began devouring it, with the eagle taking small strips of it. It was a good meal.

Chapter Text

Afterwards, they walked back to the farm. It was quiet, as none of them could understand each other in their spirit animal forms, but they didn't want anything trying something with them. Though it did make Marcy fell the need to sing something catchy like Hakuna Matata. But she knew that Anne and Sasha would not be happy.

'Maybe someday.' Marcy thought.

'This is nice. I hope we can do this again.' Anne thought, smiling as a wolf.

'Everything may change after the plan.' Sasha thought, still worried about her plan.

Mostly because, and she never noticed this before, Anne was the perfect height to reach her neck. Anne could attack her right now and rip her throat out if she wanted to. If something goes wrong and she finds out about the plan, then she KNEW Anne would fulfill her promise and kill Sasha.

'I need to talk with Grime when we get back.' Sasha thought, thinking of certain changes to make sure the plan didn't end in her dying.

Thankfully, the walk back was pretty calm, though the bird sitting on her head was a bit annoying to Sasha. But she allowed it since Marcy was one of her best friends. And the only one that couldn't actually kill her... if she could be a bit more careful with the Talons though, that would be great. Once they were within farm distance, the trio turned back to humans as Polly and Frobo were playing in the front.

"You're back! Did you bring me the stinger?!" Polly asked.

"I got it but why do you need it?" Sasha asked, pulling out the Scorpelio stinger.

"I wanna turn it into a weapon for Frobo!" Polly said.

"Uh, I don't think-"

"Don't." Anne warned, "Just don't. When Polly wants something, nothing will stop her."

"Just like you and being a pack leader! Not to mention that sick bone knife you got!" Polly said with a grin.

"Which I still have and find cool." Anne said as she took the stinger and tossed it to Frobo, "Don't maim yourself."

"No promises! Come on, Frobo!" Polly said, hopping into the house.

"Frobo is excited." Frobo said, following Polly.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" Marcy asked.

"I usual train but I think I can skip a day." Sasha said with a shrug, looking to Anne. "Do you know if there's a spa in town or something?"

"There actual is one, yes." Anne said with a nod.

"It's so relaxing." Hop Pop said.

"But kind of expensive. Hop Pop managed to get a discount though." Sprig said.

"And I'm kind of offered free things all the time." Anne said, "Saving the town on a few occurrences, kind of gets some benefits."

"That she doesn't like to use too much. She's a real humble girl." Hop Pop said with pride.

"Be a little greedy girl, you risked your life who knows how many times." Sasha said, "Start using your perks."

"Yeah, I did sometimes in Newtopia but never too much to seem like an arrogant jerk." Marcy said with a small chuckle.

"Well, that's just not the kind of person I am." Anne said.

"We know but still, let's use it just this once for a spa day." Sasha said.

"Fine."

Both Marcy and Sasha cheered a small bit at this while Anne rolled her eyes at them.

"Come on, let's go." Anne said with a smile.

"Be sure to watch your new stitches, Anne! Don't want them to get infected." Hop Pop said to her.

"I know." Anne said.

The trio left the house and went to the Wartwood spa, where the staff was happy yet hesitate to offer them first class service. Happy because it was Anne and Marcy, hesitant because Sasha was with them. But they did, because Anne has done so much for the town, plus, if Anne says it's okay, then it's okay.

"Alright, here are you robes and you can change just down the hall." A frog said.

"Thanks." Anne said.

"Do you have any lockers where I can store this?" Sasha asked, gesturing to her metal arm. "It's not entirely water resistant."

"To the right of the changing rooms."

"Thanks." Sasha said, nodding to the frog.

'She can take it off?' Marcy and Anne thought in surprise.

That was something they didn't expect.

They walked to the locker room of the spa, where the trio changed into extra long robes before putting their clothes in lockers.

"Okay, this is gonna hurt a bit." Sasha muttered as she undid the special latches on her metal arm.

She let out painful grunts as the arm was detached. Anne and Marcy moved to help, only for Sasha to hold her hand up.

"It's fine. I'm used to it." Sasha said, pulling it off to reveal a metal cap covering her nub, "There we go."

Sasha put her metal arm in a locker with her clothes before staring at her empty sleeve.

"Let me tie that." Marcy said, walking to her and tying the empty sleeve.

"Thanks."

The trio headed towards spa area as their first treatment. Massages.

"So, you ever been here before?" Sasha asked.

"No." Anne said, "I've wanted to, but I was seen as a freak, and then I became the protector and my whole life became busy."

"I've been to the spa to Newtopia but I don't want to make comparisons." Marcy said.

"Now come on, let's go relax."

The trio moved to the special massage tables and each laid on one.

"What would you all prefer?" A frog asked as other frogs moved to the tables.

"Well girls?" Anne asked, "I'm not sure what the different types here are, Marcy, do you know what they are?"

"Do you guys know deep tissue?" Marcy asked the frogs.

"Maybe stone?" Sasha asked, suggesting another type of massage.

The frogs went to work.

"We'll start with a nice deep tissue massage before moving onto hot stone." The prime massage frog said as they each took one human.

'This will be nice.'

The three closed their eyes with hums, enjoying their surprisingly delicate and mucus covered fingers as they massaged their backs.

"Yeah, we needed this."

"Especially me. A soldier can carry a LOT of stress." Sasha said with a small grin.

"I can tell." The frog masseuse said, working on Sasha with some difficulty. "I may need the essential oils to help relax your body."

Well, Sasha wouldn't say no to that. Especially with how stressed she's feeling about her secret plan, that oil would be a godsend.

"Go for it." Sasha said as the frog quickly went to get the oil.

The girls enjoyed their nice peaceful day. Massages, manicures, pedicures, even hot rock treatments that just melted all of their stress away. Which was good, because soon they would be more than stressed.

Chapter Text

After a few days, where the trio got into mischief and adventures, such as making a band and singing in front of the town, the group decided it was time to head back to Newtopia with the completed box. It was finally time for them to head back home.

"You know, we've been here for months trying to find a way home, but now that we actually have a way home, I-"

"Don't know if you're ready to say goodbye?" Marcy asked, cutting Anne off.

"Surprisingly, yes. I've sort of grown attached to this place. I've even gained my own pack with Wartwood." Anne said with a small grin.

"Well, you have the box, you can come and go whenever you want." Sasha said.

"I guess but we still don't know exactly how to use it. Only King Andrias." Anne said to her.

"Maybe after he answers any questions, he could teach us how to use it? Or maybe we could use some old yet advanced technology to make a sort of portal device? I mean, Frobo is evidence that this world has some advanced lost tech." Marcy said to them.

"Guess we'll figure that out when we get there."

"Yeah, I guess." Anne said before turning to Hop Pop. "We good to go, HP?"

"Ready and waiting for you three! Joe Sparrow is ready to go too." Hop Pop said, gesturing to Bessie and Joe.

"Then let's not waste anymore time."

"Alright, you heard the wolf leader! Let's move, people!" Sasha said in agreement.

"I think I'll ride on Joe until we're half to Newtopia. Wanna save my strength." Marcy said.

"Smart." Anne said.

"I think I'll ride with Marcy. I wanna feel like I'm flying." Polly said.

"But then you couldn't be with Frobo since he's too heavy to ride Joe Sparrow." Sprig said.

"Frobo will be fine in the fwagon."

"What if he gets lonely?" Anne asked.

"He can arm wrestle with Sasha." Polly said, pointing to the robot arm girl.

"It's true." Sasha said.

"Where's Grime, by the way? He isn't coming with us?" Hop Pop asked.

"He said he'll meet us there. He went to check in on the other soldiers and make sure they're okay. Not causing trouble and stuff." Sasha said to him.

Anne didn't see anything wrong with that, so she just nodded.

"Sounds good to me." Anne said, getting into the Fwagon.

She spent weeks in this thing, but felt a bit sad that this would be the last time she was in it.

'I hope we actually find a way to go back and forth, I'd hate to just up and leave my pack suddenly.' Anne thought.

The trip began. Joe Sparrow took to the sky while Bessie drove down the road, passing by everyone in Wartwood as they waved them goodbye again.

"Get back soon!"

"Good luck!"

"Come back and visit if you do find a way home!"

Anne waved.

'Goodbye but hopefully, just see you soon.' Anne thought with a sad smile.

They made it out of the valley. Anne watched as Wartwood grew smaller in the distance, but keeping it in a big place in her heart.

"Don't worry, you'll see them again." Sasha said, noticing Anne. "You're their pack leader, after all."

"Yeah... you know, back home I never wanted to be the future pack leader, I was an Omega, the lowest rank, barely higher than the pups, everyone figured I would never be as good as my grandmother... I've changed so much." Anne said, "When I get home, I'm going to prove everyone wrong, I'm going to make sure I become a great Alpha."

"And make a new pack on Earth?" Sprig asked.

"Not a new pack, an addition to the great one I already have." Anne said, smiling at him, "It was the thing I was meant to do since I was a pup."

'Only this time, I want it.' Anne thought.

"I'm sure it'll be great, Anne." Sasha said to her before looking at her robotic arm. "For me, I don't know what kind of bear I'll be in the future."

"Maybe you'll be the bear in bear wrestling." Anne suggested.

"Hey! To me, that sport is a joke! I will not be declawed and muzzled just because a man wants to prove his machismo!" Sasha said to her.

"I already seemed to declaw part of you." Anne said.

Sasha gave an a blank look at that joke.

"Wow. Funny. This arm doesn't have normal claws but it's wicked strong. I've been thinking of getting sword attachment." Sasha said, holding up her metal arm.

"Yeah, that's something you would do." Anne said.

"What can I say? I learned I'm pretty good with a sword here. Who knew cheerleading would lead to swordsmanship?" Sasha asked with a shrug.

"It's a surprise, that's for sure."

'And it won't be the last.' Sasha thought.

Chapter Text

After a while, they arrived at Newtopia. The guards welcomed them with smiles as Marcy flew down to land in the Fwagon, waving to them. She turned back to human.

"You guys ready?"

"We're ready, Marcy." Anne said, holding the box in her hands.

"Let's POP this sucker open!" Polly cheered, sitting on Frobo's shoulder.

"Then let's get to the castle!" Marcy said.

They group left the Fwagon and Joe Sparrow as they walked through the city to the castle.

'It's almost time.' Anne, Marcy, and Sasha thought but for all different reasons.

For Anne, it was time to go home. For Marcy, Andrias said before she left with Anne and the Plantars that the box could be used for her and her friends to go on more adventures. For Sasha... it was time for a revolution. Whichever one comes true, is up to when King Andrias gets the box.

"You've returned safely!" Andrias said, smiling as the group walked up to him.

"And with the box fully charged." Anne said, holding the box in her hands. "Now, you just need to show us how it works."

"Gladly." Andrias said, popping his hands. "Let's see if this old king can work some "magic." See what I did there?"

The group had a small laugh as Anne held the calamity box out to him.

'Now's my chance.' Sasha thought, already seeing Grime in position.

She reached behind her back and grabbed a knife. She threw it and it hit Anne's hand, the blade going clean through. Anne dropped the box in shock and bit back a scream. While the box was falling, Grime came out of his hiding place and grabbed it with his tongue.

"ANNE!" The Plantars said in worry!

"What is the meaning of this?!" Andrias asked in shock to Grime.

"Sasha! What are you doing?!" Marcy asked her.

"Oh, don't worry about that Marcy." Sasha said, as Grime handed her the box, "Just... leading a revolution."

"Revolution?!" Anne shouted, gripping the knife and slowly pulling it out of her hand.

"Yeah, the whole, Newts in control thing just doesn't work with me." Sasha said.

Andrais clenched his fist. 1000 years and his goal was so close, he can't let them take the box from him!

"This will not stand! Guards!" Andrias shouted as he pointed to Sasha and Grime. "Seize them!"

Instead of being worried, Sasha and began chuckling at the giant newt "crying wolf" for his guards.

"Oh, I think you'll find your guards to be quite occupied at the moment." Grime said.

"Isn't that right, Grime?" Sasha asked.

"Indeed, after all... I wasn't here at the start for a reason."

A BOOM was heard outside of the castle, making everyone turn to the balcony of the throne room to see smoke rising from the city!

'No!' Andrias, Yunan, and Olivia thought as the latter two rushed and saw the city had practically turned into a war zone!

Newt guards and toad soldiers clashing all over the city as the citizens were running away to find safety! With the King distracted, Grime slammed the hammer into Andrias' knee, taking him down.

"Ugh!" Andrias grunted before Grime forced his head to the ground!

"Stay down, your highness, or this will be more painful." Grime said.

"Attention Guards of Newtopia, stop your fighting, or else the next thing to get damaged, will be your king's skull!" Sasha said from the balcony.

"You're bluffing!" One soldier said, holding off a toad.

"Oh really?" Sasha asked before nodding to Grime.

Understanding her, Grime used the hammer and smashed the king's hand into the ground!

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" Andrias screamed.

That made all of them stop.

"Now that you know we mean business, surrender your weapons to the toads!" Sasha shouted.

All the newts listened. Anne growled and shifted into her wolf form.

'I'm going to end her!' Anne thought.

She ran, but was then held down by toads coming in.

"Put a muzzle on her." Sasha said.

"Anne!" The Plantars screamed before toads held them at weapon point.

"Sasha, no!" Marcy said before a toad grabbed her arm to keep her in place!

Anne struggled as the muzzle was put on her snout, growling and glaring at Sasha!

'I should've ripped our throat out when I had the chance!' She thought, her trust betrayed AGAIN by the bear girl!The toads put a blindfold on Marcy, a little trick Sasha told them about birds.

"Take them to the dungeon." Sasha said.

Frobo tried to fight and stop them but a toad jabbed him in the back and fried his inner workings. It didn't destroy him but it made sure he was going to stay down for a while. The toads put a collar on Anne and dragged her and the others to the dungeon. The wolf girl continued to glare and growl at Sasha as the blond walked towards the king with the music box in her hand.

"Now, you're going to tell me how to work this box." Sasha said with a small smirk, taking a knee in front of his face, "Because if not, well." Sasha held her metal arm out and her claws got sharper, "I'll show you how different this is from my normal arm."

Andrias growled at her before Grime held the hammer at his neck.

'How dare they hold THAT hammer at my neck!' Andrias thought, remembering the hammer belong to a dear friend.

"Maybe he just needs some time to cool down." Sasha said, "Guards, bring him to the largest cell you can find."

"Yes, Lieutenant!" The toads said, rushing to get Andrias.

"Those two as well." Grime said, pointing to Olivia and Yunan as they tried to sneak away.

As this happened, in the hall, Anne was growling as her leash was pulled.

"Come on you mangy beast brat!" One toad said, dragging Anne.

Anne growled more.

"Grrrr! If the Lieutenant didn't want you alive, I'd kill you myself and throw you to the mantises!" He said as the other guard punched Anne in the side, making her whimper in pain.

"Keep her moving! Or else you won't be able to see your little frogs ever again." The second toad said.

Marcy heard the whole thing, she may have been blindfolded, but her hearing was still incredible and since she was in front of Anne, with her hands tied behind her back, while the toads were distracted with Anne, she took her chance and began to undo Anne's muzzle. The sound of the muzzle hitting the ground made the toads blink for a second, before Anne lunged at them and bit down on one of them.

"RAAAAH!" Anne screamed, beating a toad mercilessly!

She bit down onto his neck and shook him like he was a chew toy.

"Aaaah!" The toad screamed in pain before Anne threw him into the wall!

"You freak!" The other toad shouted, rushing at Anne.

The wolf girl glared at him before shifting back and reaching into her shirt, pulling out her bone dagger and slashing at the toad! She then looked at the one that punched her and muzzled her. She ran and began stabbing him.

"UGH!" He grunts in pain as Anne held him down, continuing to stab into his stomach.

She shifted back into a wolf and bit down on his neck, giving it a quick snap.

"NOOO!" The other toad screamed!

"Grrrr!" Anne growled, looking at him with blood on her mouth!

The toad jolted in fear and turned to run away, making Anne chase after him before jumping! She shifted back again and drove her dagger into his head, killing him and slamming him to the ground! The group, minus Marcy, looked a bit concerned. Anne licked the blood around her lips and looked at the gang.

"I made a mistake in trusting her." Anne said, violently pulling the dagger from the toad's head, "I'm going to end this... permanently."

"P-P-Permanently?" Hop Pop asked with a stutter.

"Yes. PERMANENTLY." Anne said, walking towards the exit, "I've given Sasha enough chances."

She turned to walk away as Sprig helped until Marcy's hands and take off her blindfold. Marcy blinked a bit to get used to the light and paled when she saw the bodies and Anne with blood dripping from her hands.

"A-Anne?" Marcy stuttered in shock.

Anne kicked the door open and stormed out. Marcy snapped out of it and ran after her.

"Anne, wait, we can't fight Sasha!" Marcy said.

Anne grabbed Marcy by her shirt and held her close.

"Why not!?" Anne demanded, "I am going to rip her throat out and devour her insides! She has manipulated me too many times!"

"Because, there will end up being too many toads here." Marcy said, pointing out the window, where an army of toads could be seen coming, "We have, at most, thirty minutes before Sasha's full army gets here, and then we'll be overrun."

Anne turned and growled at the sight of them but she couldn't argue that Marcy was wrong about this. If she wanted her revenge in Sasha, she'd have to deal with those toads first.

"Fine." Anne said, letting Marcy go. "So what's the plan?"

"Simple, we shut the gate to the city. That way, the toads can't regroup for a larger attack." Marcy said, pointing to the top of the gates.

"And we need to get the King out of the cell they put him in." Hop Pop said, "He can help get order restored."

"Okay, we split up then." Anne said.

"Split up? Are you sure?" Marcy asked, worried

"It's the only way we can do both without the toads catching in before we can stop them. Me and Sprig will head towards the gates while you guys find King Andrias." Anne said, pointing to Marcy, Hop Pop, and Polly.

Marcy figured she'd let Anne try this. She was born to be a leader.

'And hopefully heading to the gate wills stop Anne from killing Sasha. Even if she did this, she's still our friend.' Marcy thought.

Marcy was always a lover, even if she became a fighter.

"What about Frobo?" Polly asked, worried about her robotic friend.

"He should be in a cell too and maybe I can repair him if the damage isn't too bad." Marcy said.

"You guys go get him, Sprig and I will get to the gate.

Not waiting for their answers, Anne shifted into her wolf form and growled for Sprig to her on her back. He wasn't going to argue with her. The moment he did, Anne rushed out of the balcony and began running across the rooftops to reach the city walls. He struggled to hold on.

"Anne, can you slow down! I'm slipping!" Sprig said, struggling like he was riding a grasshopper!

'Sorry but we can't stop until that army is shut out!' Anne thought, continuing at her fast pace!

She ran and jumped on top of the wall, biting down on the neck of the toad that was guarding it.

"AAAA-" SNAP!

The sound of his neck breaking cut off his screams as Anne tossed his body aside while Sprig jumped off her back. Anne turned back and the two went to close the gate, but it wouldn't move.

"Ugh, what is with this thing?!" Anne shouted, trying to push the giant wheel to shut the gate.

"I think it's because of that!" Sprig said, pointing to another wheel across the opening. "We must need to turn both of them to shut the gates!"

"Okay, Sprig you-"

Anne was cut off when she looked behind Sprig.

"Sasha." Anne growled, looking at the backstabber and Grime.

"Anne, you need to listen to me." Sasha said, "The King isn't who he said he is."

"I don't believe a damn word that comes out of your mouth!" Anne said, pulling out the sword she got from Bernardo, "Sprig, get the other wheel, I'll deal with Sasha."

"Got it!" Sprig said, jumping off the walls.

"Grime, stop him!" Sasha said, grabbing her sword.

"Right!" Grime said, jumping after Sprig.

The two amphibians moved to get their respective job done, while Anne glared at Sasha.

"Anne, you need to-"

Sasha barely had time to block, as Anne thrusted her sword at her.

'Oh Frog... she's going for kill shots!' Sasha thought.

And the kill shots didn't stop as Anne kept attacking, forcing Sasha to block and dodge as she was pushed back!

"Anne, will you just listen to me?!" Sasha asked, blocking with her metal arm!

"I've listened to you enough!" Anne shouted, pulling out her bine dagger and slashing at Sasha!

She blocked with her sword again as she stumbled back, seeing Anne wielding both sword and dagger. Anne threw the dagger at Sasha, who barely dodged, then shifted into her wolf form and held the sword with her mouth.

"GRRRR!" Anne growled as she rushed at Sasha again!

She swung her head, slicing Sasha's side.

"Ugh!" Sasha groaned, falling to a knee as she held her side.

'That hit but where's the blood?' Anne thought, sniffing the air and finding only a LITTLE iron in the air.

'My mesh armor held but I still got hit.' Sasha though, feeling a shallow gash even with the mesh under her shirt.

Sasha knew this was bad, Anne was actually trying to kill her. Sasha had only one option outside of returning her deadly attack. RUN! She attempted to get as much distance from Anne as possible. Anne turned and saw Sasha running away, making her FURIOUS as she gripped her sword tighter in her teeth!

'Running away? You DARE run away after everything you've done?!' Anne thought in fury.

Anne threw the sword, hitting Sasha right in the leg.

"Ahh!" Sasha said as she fell to the ground with the blade going through.

Anne ran and jumped onto Sasha, trying to bit on her neck. Sasha held her robotic arm up so that got bitten instead, while using her other arm to remove the blade from her leg.

'I've never been more glad to not have nerves.' Sasha thought.

"Anne, please! I don't know want fight you, just listen to me!" Sasha said to her.

Anne just kept biting Sasha's arm.

"Fine!" Sasha said, kicking Anne off her.

Sasha transformed into a bear, roaring at Anne as she got up!

'I'll make you listen to me!' Sasha thought!

'This time, I'm going for the throat!' Anne thought.

The beasts lunged. Anne, no longer having her sword, jumped at Sasha, forcing to bear to block with her other arm instead the metal one, as that fell off. The familiar taste of Sasha's blood filled Anne's mouth. It almost made Anne excited and happy that she was getting her revenge for Sasha's betrayal! Sasha stood on her hind legs and threw Anne off her. The wolf flipped in the air and landed as she skid back, the distance increasing between them. Both predators growled at each other. One was out to kill and the other wanted to at least make the other submit, but both were too stubborn to listen to reason! They ran at each other. As the two animals clashed on the wall, Sprig was clashing against Grime as he tried to reach the second wheel!

"Stop running, boy! You don't know what you're doing!" Grime shouted at him.

"I'm running away from the guy that has tried to kill my family." Sprig said.

"I'm not trying to kill you this time! I'm just trying to hurt you and hospitalize you!" Grime shouted, powering up the hammer rockets. "I'll just break a leg, promise!"

"NO!" Sprig shouted as he jumped away faster!

"Huh, that usually works." Grime mumbled.

Grime jumped after Sprig once more and managed to beat him to the second turn wheel!

"Listen boy, what we're doing is protecting Newtopia! The king is not what he seems!" Grime shouted at him.

"You're just lying like Sasha!" Sprig shouted, pulling out his slingshot.

"I don't want to hurt you, but if you don't listen, I will." Grime said, lifting his hammer.

Sprig jumped back as he slammed into the wall, firing mud balls as Grime blocked them.

'I gotta find something harder!' Sprig thought.

He found one of the sewer grates.

'Perfect!' Sprig thought, jumping towards it as Grime followed after him.

"Stop running and listen, boy! The King is dangerous, he seeks to destroy us all!" Grime shouted.

"I won't be fooled by you!"

He swung at Sprig again but missed and destroyed the ground under it. Sprig wrapped his tongue around the sewer grate and threw it at him. Grime raised the hammer to deflect it but it left him open for Sprig to aim at his good eye.

"Got ya!" Sprig shouted, firing at his eye.

Grime held her eye.

"Ah! You insufferable frog!"

"And don't you forget it!" Sprig shouted, jumping and drop kicking Grime to the ground, which caused the hammer to slam on his head!

He then hopped as fast as he could to get back to the gate dial to close it. He began to try and move the wheel but the wheel wouldn't budge, that just meant that Anne wasn't turning the wheel on her side!

'Anne, please hurry!' Sprig thought, still pushing.

On the wall, Anne was on the back of the bear trying to bit down on the back of Sasha's neck.

'Get off of me!' Sasha thought as she roared, trying to shake Anne off her back!

Anne held firm, making sure her claws were sunk deep in the bears back. Once she managed to her a firm enough grip, Anne bit down into Sasha's neck as she roared in pain! Sasha rolled over, breaking a few of Anne's bones in the process.

'Get off me, Anne! I don't want to kill you!' Sasha thought.

Unfortunately, the wolf didn't share that sentiment. Anne dug her teeth deeper and planned to rip out as big a chunk as she could from Sasha fucking neck! Sasha swung her paw, hitting Anne in the side.

"YIP!" Anne let out as she rolled against the wall ground.

Sasha bit down on the back of her neck and slammed her on the ground.

'I'm sorry but I need you to fall asleep for a bit!' Sasha thought.

Anne growled and fought back, biting Sasha on the side of her head.

'I'll kill you before you can kill me!' Anne thought.

Sasha felt Anne's teeth connect with her face. Because of this, Sasha began to roll them around as she tried to her Anne's teeth out of her face! She used the advantage that Anne doesn't, a bears ability to stand on their hind legs.

"ROOOAH!" Sasha roared as she stood up, shaking around and launching Anne away to the edge of the wall … and right next to her sword.

Anne turned back and picked up her sword, not letting her injuries stop her from continuing the fight. Sasha also turned back and hugged for air, bleeding from near her eye socket where Anne bit her.

"Andrias has been lying to us! He doesn't want to help us, he's just been using us!" Sasha shouted at Anne. "Us and Marcy from day one!"

"Lie all you want." Anne said, "It will be the last time you do!"

Anne rushed at Sasha with the sword.

"I'm not lying about this, Anne!" Sasha shouted, putting up her metal arm to block the sword. "There's a literal drawing on the wall of the castle to prove it!"

Sasha used her metal claws and knocked the sword away. She then grabbed Anne by the arms, pinning them at her sides.

"Just stop and listen!"

Anne delivered a strong kick to Sasha's knee, making Sasha scream in pain as a bone was very clearly cracked at the least. She let go and held her leg, giving Anne the chance to kick the remaining leg out from under Sasha, sending her to the ground. She tried to pick herself up, but Anne grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face first into the stone ground. Then she threw Sasha to the ledge, and made sure she was stuck between her and the wall. Anne began delivering painful knees to Sasha. Her head, neck, chest, anywhere that would cause Sasha pain. Blood began to pour from Sasha, and she tried to push Anne away. Only for Anne to grab her by the neck and throw her to the ground, before grabbing her sword and slamming it onto Sasha's chest, just above the heart, pinning her to the ground.

"Give me a fucking reason! Give me a mother fucking reason not to kill you now!" Anne screamed at her.

Sasha glared at Anne, unable to say anything through the pain. Anne stood up and went to the wheel.

"That's what I thought." Anne said, pushing the wheel and feeling it moving this time.

The gates closed.

"We did it!" Sprig shouted loudly in glee.

"Hehehe, yeah. We did." Anne said, able to hear him.

Sasha looked horrified.

'No! Without the army, everything falls apart! We can't stop Andrias!' Sasha thought, trying to get up but was in too much pain.

The last thing she saw was Anne's foot slamming down on her face, knocking her out.

Chapter Text

The next time Sasha woke up, she found herself tied up in chains with Grime and the rest of the toads inside of the city. Her and Grime were grabbed and brought to the throne room with the Anne, the Plantars, Marcy, Olivia and Yunan.

"Anne, Marcy, Plantars, Olivia, and Yunan; I can't begin to thank you all enough for stopping this heinous invasion!" Andrias said with a proud smile.

"Think nothing of it, your majesty. The honor was all ours." Yunan said with a bow.

Anne held the box.

"Okay, big guy, we're ready to head home." Anne said, before glaring at Sasha, "Where I'm finishing this."

"Excellent." Andrias said, reaching for the box again.

"Anne, don't!" Sasha said.

"Silence!" Yunan said, covering Sasha's mouth with her tail.

Sasha could only watch in growing despair as Anne put the calamity box in Andrias's hand, making him smile happily as he closed his hand around it.

"After so long, I have this box once again." Andrias said.

"Wait, again? I thought you said you've never seen it before." Anne said, confused.

"That's because he lied! Like we've been telling you!" Grime shouted.

"I apologize, everyone. I haven't been exactly truthful with you." Andrias said as he turned to walk/pace, "You see, this box was lost, nearly a millennia ago. My ancestors used to travel to other worlds. Now with this in my possession, I can restore our city to its former glory!"

He pressed on the floor and a pillar rose from it. He place the box down and the castle started shaking.

"What is going on?!" Olivia asked, holding on to Yunan to stay stable.

"The castle is SO MUCH more than you all believe." Andrias said, gesturing to the nearby balcony. "See for yourselves."

They ran out and saw that the castle was flying.

"I knew Newtopia used to be more advanced but this is unreal!" Marcy comments.

"So this place is where Frobo came from?!" Polly asked in shock.

"Now that the box is back in my possession, I can finally continue my families legacy!" Andrias said, "Conquering other worlds!"

"What?! You said your family were explorers!" Sprig shouted in shock.

"Well, it's only a half lie, they did explore the worlds... before taking all the resources."

"Taking all of the resources?! So you're going to destroy Earth?!" Anne shouted as she glanced at Sasha, who had a look of fear at Andrias like her.

'Goddamnit, why did you have to be right?! I almost regret wanting to kill you now!' Anne thought.

"Anne we have to stop him!" Sasha said.

Though Sasha was right, a new thought came to Anne's mind. Something that shook her to the core as she slowly turned in their general direction.

"Marcy…did you know about this?" Anne asked, deadly serious as the temperature in the room dropped.

"I-"

"Oh, I could tell you a lot." Andrias said, cutting off Marcy, "Like how she got you trapped her... on purpose."

"On purpose?!" Everyone said in shock, looking at Marcy.

The eagle girl had a look of horror as she gulped, unable to look around at all of their eyes.

"I-I-I didn't think the box would-"

She didn't finish that as she had a very angry wolf pounce on her.

"Anne!" The Plantars shouted!

"Marcy!" Yunan and Olivia shouted.

"ANNE, DON'T!" Sasha screamed.

All of them were ignored as Anne growled down at Marcy, showing eyes of anger, rage, and sorrow! She had been betrayed, not by one best friend but BOTH best friends! Anne was breathing heavily and growled at Marcy. Marcy was scared, never actually seeing how sharp Anne's teeth were.

'O-Oh my god.' Marcy thought in fear, gulping nervously as Anne barked in her face!

'EXPLAIN!' Anne thought but her nearly feral growl got the point across.

"I-I-I didn't mean for any of this to happen! Really! And I didn't know that box was magic! I-I-I just wanted…..to make my last day back home with my friends matter." Marcy said, her fear being replaced by sadness. "Before I met up with you guys, my dad told me he got a new job and….I was going to move away."

Anne didn't stop snarling.

"I-I didn't think the box would work a-and I just wanted mo-more time with you guys. And I….I…I didn't want to be alone." Marcy said, giving into her sadness and crying.

Marcy closed her eyes, preparing for whatever Anne was going to do. She felt Anne's hand grab her shirt collar and pull her to her feet.

"Marcy... what you did was unbelievably stupid, and I am actually furious with you." Anne said, angrily might I add, "The only reason I don't rip you apart, is because we have bigger problems right now."

Anne shoved Marcy back. Anne turned around and glared at Andrias, who was silently watching the fall out with the Calamity Box next to him.

"The box, give it back." Anne said to him.

"And why would I do that? Even if I DID give it back, I am the only who knows how to work it and get you all home to Earth." Andrias said with a grin. "It's quite the conundrum, is it not?"

"Listen here you big blue bastard, you're the third person to betray me today, I am NOT in the mood to mess around." Anne said.

"Do you think you have any right to make threats in MY castle?" Andrias asked her.

"Not when we tell everyone who you really are, psycho." Anne said, grabbing the handle of her sword.

"Go ahead. I don't care. I have better soldiers at my beck and call." Andrias said before snapping his fingers, calling forth dozens of robot toads like Frobo!

Only they were more advanced and stronger looking.

"Dispose of her." Andrias said.

The robots moved towards Anne, only for a bear to bite down on one of them and threw it away from Anne.

"RAAAAAH!" Sasha shouted as she began attacking more robots.

"How did she get out?!" Andrias asked before glancing towards Yunan. "General!"

"I didn't do anything." Yunan said, with a smirk.

"Me either." Olivia said with a small grin.

Behind her, the chain holding Grime fell as he smirked and grabbed the hammer.

He ran at the robots, hitting one with the hammer.

"YAAAAAH!" Grime screamed.

"To arms!" Polly shouted, pulling out a flail from somewhere unknown. "AAAAH!"

She lunged at the robots.

"I'll get the box!" Sprig said, hopping towards Andrias and the box.

"Frobo, back him up!" Polly said to her friend.

"Okay!" Frobo said, running after Sprig.

Anne lunged at the robots and bit down on one. The wolf girl was going to go WILD and destroy everything that gets in her way!

'I swear, if Sprig betrays me, I'm killing everything in this room.' Anne thought.

Even if Hop Pop already betrayed her trust by hiding the box, Anne learned that he did it for good reason and forgave him for that but not a second time. Polly? She was a blank slate but push comes to shove, Anne is gonna maul on her. She can only handle so much before she breaks. As both sides fought each other, the only one not fighting was Marcy as she was on her knees and watching the chaos. Neither side thought it was worth fighting her since she was still coming to terms with what was revealed. She didn't know what to do.

'All of this is my fault, I never should've suggested that stupid box.' Marcy thought, glancing at Sprig and Frobo as they fought with Andrias. 'I have to fix this somehow.'

Marcy stood up and pointed her crossbow.

"You think you can beat me, boy?!" Andrias asked with a grin, blocking a mud shot.

"I can at least try!" Sprig shouted.

Andrias lifted his foot, before a cross bow bolt hit his knee.

"Aaaaah!" He screamed in pain, holding his knee.

Marcy shifted and flew at him.

"Marcy?" Sprig and Frobo said in surprise.

The golden eagle flew past them and flew around Andrias, who was doing his best to swat at her! Scratching any showing skin on him before flying at the Calamity Box! She grabbed the box and flew to the other side of the room.

"No!" Andrias roared before Sprig kicked him in the face!

"Go Marcy, go!" Sprig shouted.

Andrias growled and grabbed Sprig.

"ENOUGH!" He said, "Put the box down... or else!"

Everyone stopped fighting as they turned to the king, where he was holding Sprig outside of a window! Anne's eyes went wide.

'NO!' She thought, shifting back to human.

"Put him down!" Anne shouted.

"You want to rephrase that? Cuz if I do, it's about a 1000 foot drop to the ground." Andrias said, looking outside. "Not even a frog could hop back from that. Put the box down."

Everyone turned to Marcy, who turned back to normal and held the box over the edge of another window.

"Put Sprig down inside first! Then I'll give you the box!" Marcy said, wiping her eyes clean.

"Marcy, sweet innocent Marcy, you put the box down or else... you will all be killed." Andrias said.

With another snap of his fingers, a new type of Amphibian robot dropped down from the roof and held everyone but Marcy to the ground!

"Now, what will it be." Andrias said.

"Marcy, do what he says!" Anne said.

"No! You can't trust him!" Sasha shouted.

"Tick tock, Marcy." Andrias said, releasing one finger from his hold on Sprig.

"Okay, okay, you win!" Marcy said, putting the box on the pedestal.

"You got what you, now let him go." Anne said, "He's my best friend, in this world, or any world."

Sprig smiled at her.

"That's the thing about Friends, the more you love them, the more it hurts to see them go." Andrias said, "Allow me to demonstrate."

He let go of Sprig, letting him fall from the floating castle. The world seemed to stop spinning in that moment. Polly and Hop Pop started crying, while Anne felt her heart shatter. Tears started to fill her eyes and she looked at the ground. She started breathing heavily before that breathing turned into growls. Her eyes changed, even the blind one, into bright blue wolf eyes. The gem on the box began to flicker and blue energy began floating towards her. The group looked concerned, while Andrias watched in confusion.

"No... it can't be."

Marcy saw an opening and jumped out the window, shifting into her Spirit Animal and dive bombing towards Sprig. In the castle, Anne began to stand up.

"She's still connected to the stone!" Andrias said, "But that's impossible!"

Anne took a step forward.

"Give him back." She said, a tear rolling down her face, "Give him back!"

A powerful blast was released with her scream, making her disappear as she moved at high speed.

"Where'd she-"

Andrias was hit by Anne and sent flying backwards. His crown got embedded into the wall. Andrias looked up and saw a large white wolf with glowing blue eyes, and a blue glow covering her.

"What in Amphibia?!" Andrias shouted in shock.

"ANNE?!" Sasha asked in shock, never seeing this version of her spirit animal before.

Anne got low to the ground and flashed her teeth. She growled at Andrias and let out a bark, which resulted in a large soundwave being released and hitting Andrias.

"AAAAAH!" Andrias screamed, crashing into the far wall.

"Um, is this a human thing?" Hop Pop asked, looking at Sasha.

"This is NOT a human thing." Sasha said, still in shock.

"Frobots, attack!" Andrias shouted, pointing at Anne.

Anne ran, at speeds that no wolf should ever run. All the robots that tried to attack were destroyed, turned to scrap metal just by getting too close as Anne focused on Andrias! The white wolf lunged.

"RAAAAAAH!" Anne screamed/roared as Andrias put his arm up.

An energy shield formed from his gauntlet to protect him as Anne's energy covered fangs clashed against it! Anne jumped off and let out a howl, releasing waves of powerful energy. Andrias tried to block but his shield was shattered, knocking him back again as he crashed through the far wall! Anne growled as she walked towards him, before shifting back and standing up, her hair and eyes glowing blue.

"Give him back! Give him back right now!" Anne shouted, grabbing her sword and charging it with her energy.

Anne was about to charge, when she suddenly felt incredibly tired. She fell to her knees and used her sword to stay up a bit as the energy around her began to flicker and fade. Polly and Hop Pop ran over to her to check on her.

"Looks like she can't control it." Andrias chuckled.

"Anne!"

Anne looked over and saw Sprig running towards her.

"Sprig? You're... alive!" Anne said, hugging him.

"Marcy saved me just in time."

"Marcy?"

"I'll admit, even I'm surprised. Somehow you still have the gift Kid, which means." Andrias held up a flaming sword, "I cannot let you live!"

Frobo jumps in front of the Plantars to protect them, attacking Andrias but getting impaled by his sword.

"A last moment stand to protect your masters. Admirable but pathetic." Andrias said before yanking up, destroying Frobo's body will his head remained intact.

"Frobo!" Polly said.

Suddenly the castle started to shake. Andrias looked and saw Marcy with the box, opening a portal.

"Please work, please work, please work."

"The box!" Andrias said, trying to run after Marcy, before Sasha and Grime got in the way.

"We'll hold him off, just go!" Sasha said, charging at him.

Anne and the Plantars went through the portal, before looking back at Marcy. Andrias made quick work of Sasha and Grime, which Anne noticed.

"Marcy, hurry!" Anne said.

"I just need to-"

Blood fell on the floor as Marcy looked down, seeing her chest being split by Andrias' sword, right through the heart. Blood was pouring out of the wound, and began to pool in her mouth.

"Now look what you made me do." Andrias said.

"MARCY!" Sasha and Anne shouted.

Marcy began gasping for air, and barely managed to get a sentence out.

"I... I... I'm... sorry." She gasped out, before her eyes glazed over and fell to the floor.

She dropped the box and it closed the portal. Anne and the Plantars woke up hearing loud beeping, looking around and seeing a place that was foreign... to everyone but Anne.

"No way." She said, looking at the big sign on the hill, "We're... in LA."

Chapter Text

The frogs looked around in surprise, taking in all of the new buildings, the new sounds, and the new smells as they were now in an entirely new world! Almost nothing could shock them more than this moment.

"Urp! What the?" Polly asked, feeling weird and looking down to see- "Hey! I got legs!"

Hop Pop looked down and saw that it was true, it must've happened when they were going through the portal.

"My little baby is growing up!" Hop Pop shouted, scooping up Polly in a hug.

"This just keeps getting weird." Sprig said as Anne stood up.

She looked around some more before taking a deep whiff of air.

"Oh, pollution, how I've missed you." Anne said, "We should get off the freeway."

Anne changed into a wolf and allowed the Plantars to get on her back before she ran out of the highway. All the way to her home. She looked at her hands and then at her house.

"Guys, wait here, I'll let you know when to come out." Anne said.

"Can do, Anne." Hop Pop said with a thumbs up.

"I still need to get used to my legs, so standing by is cool." Polly said.

"And don't mention anything about Sasha's betrayal, or Marcy's Betrayal, or Andrias' betrayal, or my blue powers."

'No doubt mom or dad are gonna scream when they see my eye.' Anne thought as she rang the door bell to her home.

She waited for a few seconds, hearing footsteps coming towards the door.

'Here they come.' Anne thought, gulping before taking a breath to calm herself.

The door opened and revealed a woman who looked just like Anne, but older and with a small bush of hair in her head. Anne smiled and waved a bit.

"Hi mom." Anne said.

Her mother gasped as she dropped the mixing bowl she held, nearly crying from the sight of her daughter.

"Anne?" She asked, reaching out to her.

She immediately pulled her into a hug. Another person looked around the corner of the house, wondering what the racket was.

"Dad!" Anne said.

The man gasped, dropping his gaming controller before rushing to join the hug!

"My little pup!" He shouted.

Her parents shifted into wolves and began licking her face.

"Ahahahahahaha! Hey hey! Cut it out!" Anne said before falling to her but, still hugging them and letting them lick her face.

'God, I never knew how much I missed this.' Anne thought.

The parents didn't stop for a few minutes. It was long enough for the weight of the situation to come to their minds, pulling back and shifting back to humans!

"Where the hell have you been, young lady?!" Oum shouted at her.

"We've been worried for months!" Bee shouted, throwing his hands in the air.

"It's, uh... a long story." Anne said.

"Well, start telling it! And where are Marcy and Sasha too?! Their families nearly destroyed the town looking for them!" Oum said, crossing her arms.

"That…..is gonna be even harder to explain but I think I can with a little help." Anne said before turning to the side. "Guys, you can come out now."

The Plantars came out.

"Hi, Anne's mom and dad!" Sprig and Poll said, excited.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Boonchuy, hahahaha. I'm sure this is very confusing." Hop Pop said nervously.

Confusing was an understatement... they passed out.

"I…expected this." Anne said as he walked to her mother. "Come on, help me carry them to the den."

They lifted the parents up and brought them into the house.

"This is a lovely home, Anne." Hop Pop comments.

"Yeah, it's nice. I missed it." Anne said as they put Oum on the couch and Bee on the lazy boy.

Right next to the one thing Anne loved.

"Domino!"

"Meow." A cat with black and white fur and green eyes meows, looking up to Anne.

"Oh!" Anne said as she scooped up the cat, snuggling her face into the cat's stomach. "I missed you so much, my little kitty!"

The cat, Domino, seem to miss Anne too as she purrs from Anne's snuggles. Anne refused to let her go.

"Anne, why is that?" Sprig asked.

"It's my pet cat, Domino!" Anne said, showing her to Sprig. "Isn't she adorable?"

"Uh... sure." Sprig said.

"This reminds me of that monster you brought into the house." Hop Pop said.

"That was an accident and we promised never to speak of it again." Anne quickly said, hugging her cat. "Besides, original Domino won't turn into a crazy monster bug. That doesn't happen here."

"People here have the ability to become animals." Sprig pointed out.

"Yeah, but... that's normal." Anne said.

"Meow." Domino said, snuggling Anne again.

"But you're a wolf, isn't that a problem with a cat?" Polly asked.

"No. Domino has been with the family for years. She's basically a part of the family pack." Anne said, "Besides, she's so cute!"

"Eh, I'll still be ready for an attack. Especially since I got legs!" Polly said, holding up Frobo's head.

'What are we going to do with that?' Anne thought.

How exactly could they find a way to save and fox him? His mainframe or brain frame or whatever could still be intact but what would they do to power him up? Hook up a car battery?

"Ugh." Anne's parents let out, slowly waking up.

"Okay, here we go." Anne said.

"My head. What happened?" Bee asked, holding his head.

"I think Anne-" Oum gasped as she stood up, looking towards Anne and making sure it wasn't a dream!

She noticed something about Anne.

"What happened to your eye!?"

"I... got injured trying to protect others." Anne said, choosing to leave out the part about Sasha.

"And your arms?!" Bee shouted, looking at his daughter's arms.

"Same answer." Anne quickly said as Domino patted on her arm scars.

'Please don't ask me to take off my shirt.' Anne thought, knowing that they will want to see if she has scars on her torso.

"How many more scars could you have and who exactly were you protecting?!" Oum asked, crossing her arms.

"Was it these little guys?" Bee asked, pointing to the Plantars.

"Yes, I was protecting them." Anne said, "And I will keep protecting them, no matter what.

"Protect them? Why?" Oum asked them.

"Well, they took me in and looked after me. And….I kind of took to them like they were MY own pack." Anne said.

Anne made sure she was between her parents and the Plantars. She didn't want there to be anything trying to get the Plantars away from her.

"Your OWN pack?! You are too young to have a pack of your own!" Oum shouted, taking a step forward to her daughter.

"That wasn't your choice to make, mom! I took them as my pack and I don't regret it!" Anne shouted back at her.

"I've changed, mother, I am stronger than I was before, I understand responsibility, I have finally accepted who I am!"

Oum growled at Anne, only for her to growl back more ferociously, making both parents take a step back. Anne always backed down when a higher wolf growled, she never challenged it.

"This is MY pack and they are under my protection." Anne said, still protecting the Plantars, "From you or anyone else!"

They saw a fire in Anne's eyes, one that they have never seen in her before, one that made them realize that Anne has changed, and she may finally be ready to take her birthright as the heir, whenever her grandmother stepped down and Oum took over at least.

"Okay, okay, let's all calm down before things get out of hand." Hop Pop said, quickly getting between the trio.

Anne stayed quiet.

"Hop Pop is right, fighting won't help anyone. Let's just start over and properly introduce ourselves." Sprig said, walking to Bee and holding his hand out. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Boonchuy. I'm Anne's best frog friend, Sprig."

They cautiously shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sprig." Oum said with a shaky smile.

"Question, are you always this mucusy?" Bee asked, feeling it in his handshake.

"Not really but we can talk about that later." Sprig said.

Anne started to calm down a little.

"Just out of curiosity, where EXACTLY did you go for the last few months?" Bee asked out of curiosity.

"Well, it all started like this."

She began to explain the story of how and what happened in Amphibia, excluding a couple of details. If her parents were confused before, which they were, they were now. It was understandable since their daughter was basically in danger 24/7, adopted an entire frog village as a pack, and fought in a war that last only a day! They were stunned.

"So, any questions?" Polly asked, sitting on the couch with Frobo's head by her side.

"Yes."

"Several actually. Like what has Anne been eating if you are all frogs?" Oum asked.

"The bug food isn't exactly that bad. They have huge ones that taste really good after being cooked." Anne said with a small lick of her lips, "Then of course, there was nothing better than hunting down the bugs and eating them raw."

This surprised the parents, as Anne has never shown any interest in hunting before.

"You hunted?" Bee asked.

"Yeah and you should've seen her! Anne was amazing, not to mention she took down a Scorpileo!" Sprig said in excitement.

"A what?" Bee and Oum asked.

"Think of it like a mix of a scorpion and a lion." Anne quickly said, "It's... hard to explain."

"But it helped Anne become a better person and a better wolf." Hop Pop added.

"Yep!" Anne said.

"Plus she's got this cool sword and bone dagger!" Polly said, pointing to the weapons on Anne's waist.

"Polly, don't point those out, I think they've heard enough craziness."

"Let me see those weapons." Bee said.

"Dad, they're-"

"Now, young lady. I am still your father and if you have weapons in this house, then I will know of them." Bee said firmly, holding his hand out.

Anne took her sword off her belt and handed it to him, before repeating the process with her dagger.

"Anything else?" Oum asked as Bee looked over the weapons.

'Dang, these are real! And super cool!' He thought, nerding out a bit.

"Nothing else but the armor I'm wearing." Anne said.

Anne took the chest plate off, having her shirt soaked in sweat from the fight.

"Dang, you were really sweaty under that." Sprig comments.

"Too sweaty." Oum said, scrunching her nose.

"Yeah, I was wearing metal in a swamp and in LA." Anne said, "Hot, Humid, and metal, not good combo."

"Then please take a shower. I'll get back to making lunch." Oum said.

"Cool." Anne said, moving up the stairs.

"We'll keep your…pack company." Bee said, putting the weapons aside.

"Good, because if something happens to them." She glared at her parents with a look that made them go pale, "I'll kill you."

She went up the stairs, leaving the parents to stare at each other. What happened to their daughter? It was like she was a completely different person and a completely different wolf, not longer a lazy wolf but an apex predator. They shared a look.

'We should inform the rest of the pack at the temple. Just so they can be prepared for when they see Anne again.' Both parents thought.

They knew that would be an important thing to deal with, as the lost heir had been a big topic of discussion among the wolves. Especially with the wolf elders of the pack, they will have some very serious words for Oum and Anne. It was going to be an interesting meeting. Anne walked into her room, looking at it like she had never seen it before. Like it was completely foreign to her now.

"Home sweet home, I guess." Anne said.

Sure she could smell her scent, but it just felt... empty. Like all of her growth and experiences from Amphibia changed her to the point where she could hardly recognize it. There was nothing of the pack here, nothing of her spirit animal. She hated it.

'I need to get back.' Anne thought, grabbing some clothes from her closet and walking to the bathroom.

The lack of fear creeping up was unnerving. She wanted to feel that brush with death, that feeling of adrenaline, she didn't have that here. Amphibia had made Anne stronger, her senses more sharpened but it also made her a bit more feral and on edge. But it was a good edge that helped Anne grow stronger in the first place. She didn't want to lose that.

"We need to find a way back as soon as possible." Anne muttered to herself, walking into the bathroom.

After her shower, she never realized how much she took running water for granted, she went downstairs. Anne had finally changed her clothes for the first time in MONTHS as well as having TWO shoes on her feet for a change. It almost felt... weird. Like she was used to having tattered clothes from nearly constant battles.

'God, I feel like a veteran for some reason.' Anne thought.

She walked to the living room. Where all of them were sitting on the couches and talking a bit.

"Alright, so, there's probably a lot to talk about." Anne said, "Especially about what to do going forward."

"First, temple." Oum quickly said, needing to notify the pack of Anne's return.

"Which we will go do, you four will stay here for the time being." Bee said, not wanting Anne to show up and get bombarded with questions about her scars.

"Fine by me." Anne said, grabbing the remote and turning on the tv, which was the news.

"And the search for the last two Black Panther spirit animals is still on going." The reporter said, "It is unsure of who attacked their residence in Gravesfield Connecticut, but the authorities are doing everything they can to find them."

"When did this happen?" Anne asked.

"Dang, really?" Anne asked in surprise.

"Really." Bee said, nodding

"What's a panther?" Sprig asked.

"It's a species of cat." Anne said

A few minutes later, her parents left and Anne was watching TV. Little did she know, in a few seconds... a fucking robot broke in through the backdoor.

"AAAAAH!" The Plantars shouted, jumping up from the couch.

"What the hell!?" Anne shouted.

The robot was clearly from Amphibia, which made Anne growl.

'Damn you, Andrias.'

The robot scanned the group, confirming that these were the targets it was eliminate before retrieving the calamity power.

"Guys, get behind me!" Anne said.

They didn't hesitate as they quickly jumped behind Anne, who reached for her sword but forgot it wasn't on her hip anymore. She had no idea where her parents put it.

'Okay, plan B."

She shifted and growled at the robot.

"Grrrrr!" Anne growled at the robot.

"Hehehehehe." The robot actually chuckled at Anne, changing its left hand into a buzz saw!

Anne charged at it, and while she was able to avoid the blade, the other hand swatted her away and she hit the wall. The blade almost hit the Plantars, which Anne noticed. She felt rage at her pack almost being hurt. Anne got up as both her eyes, even the blind one, turned blue and her fur turned white. This shocked the robot as its scanners were going off the charts!

"Calamity energy detected!" It said, focusing only on Anne.

Anne charged and bit down on it. Her teeth sank into the metal as the robot stumbled into the backyard!

"Anne!" Sprig said, running destroyed back door.

The white wolf didn't care about anything around it, she just wanted to destroy this thing. with a firm chomp, Anne cut the robot's arm off before landing and roaring at it as a blast of energy hit it in the chest!

'Whoa! I have energy blasts?!' Anne thought.

She was a little out of it during her fight with andrias, so she doesn't remember them. But that didn't stop Anne from firing more energy blasts, destroying more parts of the robot as it tried to cloak itself.

"Damage extensive, cloaking malfunctioning." It said as it flicked between visible and invisible.

The wolf growled at the robot. It still tried to fight as it produced a laser from its remaining hand, aiming at Anne. The white wolf was too fast for it. Anne blitzed to the robot, ripping a it's legs out as it fell to the ground!

"Whoa!" Sprig said in awe.

The robot realized that it had not prepared enough for this.

"Retreat! Retreat! Must retreat!" The robot said as it transformed its hand back, stretching it to grab a tree!

It zoomed away and swung from tree to tree in the neighborhood.

'And stay away.' Anne growled.

The energy slowly faded as Anne's fur turned brown again, her legs slowly growing weak before falling to the ground.

"Anne!" Sprig said as he, Hop Pop, and Polly rushed to her.

"Anne, wake up!"

Anne slowly changed back to her humans self, mumbling a bit as she was so exhausted. The Plantars had to help her up. They brought Anne back into the house and laid her on the couch.

"I'll get her some water, you two watch her." Hop Pop said.

"You got it, Hop Pop!"

Hop Pop rushed to the kitchen as Anne slowly turned up, staring at Polly and Sprig.

"I'm inside?" Anne asked.

"Yeah! You just went crazy on a robot and destroyed it like it was nothing!" Polly screamed. "It was awesome!"

Anne groaned.

"Ugh, we gotta fix that door before my parents get home." Anne said.

"We'll worry about that later, you need to rest first." Sprig said as Hop Pop came back with a glass of water.

"Exactly. Whatever that was seems to take a lot out of you." He said as Anne took the water.

Anne drank it, downing it in seconds.

"Aaaaaah." Anne sighed in relief, wiping her lips. "Thanks."

She looked back at the busted door.

"One of you knows how to fix a door, right?" Anne asked.

"Don't worry Anne, I've had to repair a lot of things in my day." Hop Pop said.

"Mostly stuff Sprig broke." Polly said quickly.

"I apologized for those." Sprig said.

"The point is, I can fix the door. I just need the tools, they can't be that different here." Hop Pop said.

'Note to self, keep Hop Pop away from the power tools.' Anne thought.

After several minutes, the door was looking good.

"And done!" Hop Pop said with a smile, clapping his hands clean. "Now we just need to paint over the cracks."

It wasn't like before, mainly hammered back together with boards and some wood glue.

'Hopefully they don't notice.' Anne thought.

"So, you have a paint?" Sprig asked.

"Yeah but not any that matches the door. I might need to run to the store to get some." Anne said.

"I'll be back, I need you guys to stay here."

"But Anne, we can help." Sprig said.

"Do any of you actually know where the store is?" Anne asked.

They did not.

"But you're probably still weak rom that power surge." Polly said, pointing to Anne's still wobbly legs.

"Doesn't matter." Anne said.

"But Anne." Sprig said.

"No butts, dude." Anne said.

Anne shifted and ran out the door. With how fast she had gotten from Amphibia and how skillful she is, Anne could make it to the store in a matter of 7 to 10 minutes. Then she would put her hood up and sunglasses on. Anne didn't want anyone to recognize her and cause a scene just because she returned after a few months being gone. And... you know... they whole eye thing. That would just get her stared at by little children and people who just liked to stare, again too much attention. She had a limited time.

'Get in, buy the wood paint, and get home.' Anne thought, grabbing a hand basket.

Shouldn't be too hard. Anne walked through the store, heading for the paint and decor aisle without drawing any attention.

"Alright, what color was the door again?"

Anne lowered her sunglasses a bit to look at the colors more clearly, needing the color to be an exact match or her parents would know. She found the color and grabbed it. A single can would be more than enough.

$7.99, good price." Anne said as she checked her wallet, seeing old but still usable human currency.

She paid and left.

'Just as planned, in and out.' Anne thought.

"Boonchuy?" A person called out.

"Shit." Anne muttered as she walked faster than before.

The last thing she needed was this.

"Hey, wait up!" The person shouted, running after Anne. "I wanna talk to you!"

"I don't have time!"

Anne transformed into a wolf, holding the paint in her mouth as she ran off.

"Wait!" The person said before transforming into a cheetah!

'Oh, come on!'

The only person Anne knew that had a cheetah for a spirit animal was her old school bully, Maggie.

'Okay, Cheetah's can run fast, but they can only do it for a short period of time, I can out run her.'

"RUFF RUH!/Try and catch me, bitch!" Anne shouted as she ran faster.

"ROOOOOW!/Oh it's on, Boonchuy!" Maggie roared, running after Anne.

They each kind of understood the tone, but they couldn't understand each other, as they weren't part of the same Genus, as Wolves were canines and Cheetahs are Acinonyx. But it didn't matter as they raced through town, dodging people and cars. Maggie was persistent but she wasn't going to give up. Anne was smart though, she knew Maggie was reaching her limit.

'You've been running for too long, Maggie.' Anne thought, 'A cheetah can only run at full speed for thirty seconds before they need to rest.'

So Anne kept running as Maggie was indeed slowing down but was still trying to keep up.

'No! Come on body, don't give out on me now!' Maggie thought, starting to pant.

Anne jumped over a fence, finally escaping her.

'So long, Maggie.' Anne thought.

She raced back home. Anne saw her house in the distance and changed back while grabbing the wood paint from her mouth.

'And hopefully mom and dad aren't home yet.' Anne thought.

Thankfully, they weren't.

"Great. Now to paint the door and that robot attack will have never happened." Anne said, walking into her house.

She wasted no time. She ripped the top off and went to the shed to her a paint brush, quickly painting the door.

"Okay, guys, watch out and let me know if my parents come home."

"Sure thing, Anne!" Sprig said with a thumbs up.

The group watched the front door.

"So, how was the store?" Polly asked, still watching the front door.

"Fine. Nothing I couldn't handle." Anne said, painting.

After several minutes, she was done.

"Alright, door is fully fixed." Anne said, walking to put the bucket and paintbrush in the shed, "And now we just sit on the couch and act natural."

"Sure, Frobo can join us too." Polly said, pointing to Frobo's deactivated head on the couch.

'Note to self, fix Frobo.' Anne thought as they all went to the couch and watched tv.

It didn't take long for the parents to return home.

"We're home." Bee said as he and Oum walked into the den.

"We've been here."

"Anything happen while we were away?" Oum asked.

"Nothing much, just sitting around and watching tv." Anne said, "How did it go with the pack?"

"That meeting went…well." Bee said, not exactly being honest.

Anne gave him a blank look, her blind eye making it seem like a glare that was looking into his soul. Almost exactly like an alpha would.

"Mom?" Anne asked as she glanced at her mother.

"... The pack leaders want to see you." Oum said, "In a week we have to go back."

"Ugh, well at least a week is better than nothing." Anne said with a groan. "At least it will be nice to visit the temple again."

"In the meantime, try not to cause any trouble."

Anne rolled her eyes at her mother.

"I'm not the same omega you raised months ago, I've changed." Anne said to her mother.

"I know it's just... I'm so worried that something will happen to you."

"Mom, I'll be fine. After everything I've been through, there's nothing in this or ANY world that I can't handle." Anne said, turning back to the tv.

'That's what worries me.' Oum thought, glancing at Anne's scars and blind eye.

Chapter Text

The next day, Polly was in the garage, trying to fix Frobo. After Anne showed her the wonders of internet videos, she watched as many could about mechanical engineering and circuitry to fix her friend while giving him a brand new body. It was... well, there's not much to say, she wasn't very good.

"Okay! Time to test it out!" Polly said, proud of her accomplishment.

Her "accomplishment" was a body made from a watching machine, spare gutters, pipes, and old paint cans. Not to mention the wiring was from whatever she could find around Anne's house or inside of the "car."

She turned it on, and lasers fired from it.

"AAAH!" Polly screamed as the lasers tore through the garage roof!

Polly quickly shut off Frobo, making the lasers die down from his eyes.

'I didn't know he could do that!' Polly thought in shock.

Footsteps quickly approached and opened the door.

"What was that!?" Anne asked.

"NOTHING!" Polly shouted as she turned to Anne.

Too bad for bad for her that Frobo's new body was smoking a bit from the failed attempt.

"Really? Then why are you trying to Frankenstein Frobo?!" Anne shouted, pointing to Frobo.

"What's a Frankenstein?" Polly asked.

"That doesn't matter." Anne said, "Polly, you shouldn't be doing this by yourself. It's dangerous."

"But I can handle it! And I need to fix Frobo!" Polly said.

"Then how about you contact experts about it?"

"Experts? Who would possibly be an expect in robotics?!" Polly shouted.

"There's lots of people online that know this stuff?" Anne asked.

Anne opened her laptop and typed robots into the search bar.

"These two seem like they know what they're doing."

"Who?" Polly asked, walking to the laptop.

"Ally and Jess, the IT Girls." Anne said, playing their video, "They're fairly popular."

Polly watched the video and could see what Anne was talking about, they did seem like they knew what they were talking about. Even showing some of the robots they created in the video. Polly decided to keep watching, while Anne left. And the more she watched, the more she learned from them. Amazed by the skills and the robotics they created in their lab together. She had to call them.

"ANNE! GIVE ME YOUR PHONE!" Polly shouted, running off to find her.

"Why?"

"I need to call Ally and Jess for help, NOW!" Polly shouted at her.

Polly found Anne's phone in the kitchen.

"Got it!" Polly shouted before running back to the garage.

"Hey, wait!" Anne shouted.

Polly began to use the phone.

"Come on! Come on! Come on! Come on!" Polly muttered as she dialed the number for the IT girls.

"Polly, give me my phone!" Anne shouted, banging on the door.

Anne slammed into the door and broke it open.

"Hello?" Ally asked, answering the phone.

"Hi, my name is Polly! Please come to 301 Lee Street, West to help me with my robot!" Polly shouted quickly.

"Polly, give me my phone!" Anne shouted, marching to Polly

"Hurry!" Polly shouted.

Anne grabbed her phone and hung up.

"A little rule in this world, don't randomly invite strangers into your home unless it's absolutely necessary." Anne said.

"Frobo IS necessary!" Polly argued.

"Maybe to you, but outside of this house, that's a strange request to everyone else!"

"And they'll answer it! They love robots!" Polly said.

"And they'll see you guys! You'll be exposed!" Anne shouted.

"I'll wear a disguise! I just want Frobo back already!" Polly said.

"Why?! No offense but why is he so important right now?!" Anne asked.

"BECAUSE HE'S MY FIRST REAL AND BEST FRIEND!" Polly screamed as her entire body turned red.

"Polly, you don't know what you're doing." Anne said, "This can backfire massively."

"I'm fixing my friend! There's nothing wrong with that!" Polly screamed before she huffed deeply, trying to calm down before getting emotional. "I..I…I just want him back. I just want my friend back."

"Polly-" Anne stopped when she saw the pollywog beginning to cry.

"N-Nobody my age would play with me. Nobody liked what I liked back home." Polly said, her tears hitting the floor. "Even if he's a robot, Frobo was the first person to play my games and liked them."

Anne let out a sigh.

"Just... try and be careful, okay?"

Polly nodded as she kept crying, trying to dry her tears. Still feeling bad for making her cry, Anne picked up the youngest of her pack and hugged her.

"Don't worry, I promise that Frobo will be back to normal one day."

'And if they do show up, hopefully it will be today.' Anne thought, now hoping that Ally and Jess will come just so Polly would stop crying.

She had enough on her plate right now, she didn't have time to deal with this as well. After Polly stopped crying, Anne went to help her find a disguise for if Ally and Jess arrive. The two of them went through some of Anne's old clothes and found some that fit, dressing Polly up as a little janitor or an engineer of sorts in overalls and a long shirt. And to hide that she had no hair, Anne gave her a baseball cap to wear.

"There, that should help."

"Thanks, Anne." Polly said as she twisted the cap backwards.

"Just don't blow up."

"Don't worry, I'd never blow up Frobo." Polly said.

"I meant blow up the house but it's the same thing." Anne said.

The doorbell rang, drawing their attention.

"Okay, remember, no talk about Amphibia."

"Yeah, yeah! I know! Just tell Hop Pop and Sprig!" Polly shouted, rushing to the front door.

'It has to be them! I had to be!' Polly thought, wanting it to be Ally and Jess.

She opened the door. Polly was met with the sight of Ally riding on the back of a panda.

"Hi!" Ally said happily, jumping off the panda.

Which then shifted into Jess, who waved at Polly.

"Hello!" Jess said.

"Woah, cool!" Polly said. "Was that your spirit animal?

"Yeah. A cute but fearsome panda bear!" Jess said with a wink.

"And fast since panda can run up to 32 kilometers an hour." Ally said.

"Cool."

"Judging by your voice, are you the one who called us?" Jess asked as she kneeled down to Polly.

"Yeah, that was me! I need your help fixing my friend, his name is Frobo!" Polly said before pointing to the garage.

She led them there.

"He's right in here." Polly said, opening the door and showing them Frobo and his "body."

It then fell to pieces as the head clattered to the floor.

"We see what you mean."

"Ooooh! But you managed to do a good job for a prototype." Jess said as they walked past Polly to the robot. "Especially the head, it's perfectly intact."

"Though he looks more advanced compared to the rest of the robot. Maybe he's from another type." Ally said, picking up Frobo's head.

"There was... an accident... with the rest of the body." Polly said.

'Don't tell them about Amphibia like Anne said.' Polly thought.

"Well, even without that, I think we can help you make him a new one." Ally said as Jess looked over the remains of the second body.

"And we can still use some of these parts." Jess said with a thumbs up. "With our help, we'll have your buddy up and working in no time."

"Yay!"

'Just you wait, Frobo! You're gonna be your old self in no time!' Polly thought as she rushed to help Ally and Jess.

Unknown to the trio in the garage, Anne was peaking in from the door to check on them. She wanted to make sure nothing blew up.

'You both better know why you're doing.' Anne thought, not wanting her pack's "pup" to be sad again.

She left to go check on the others. Which was just Sprig and Hop Pop, in disguised, watching a Thai soap opera with her parents.

"I don't know what's going on but I love this." Hop Pop said, not taking his eyes off the tv.

"So, beautiful!" Sprig said.

"I know!" Bee said, wiping away a tear.

"Did I miss anything?" Anne asked.

"No, but who was at the door?" Oum asked.

"No one important." Anne said.

"Really?" Oum asked, glancing to the frogs. "And where's Polly?"

"She's busy. Don't worry." Anne said to her mother, "I made sure everything is going to be fine, she is safe, nothing should go wrong."

"But she's your pack's pup. Are you really-"

"You don't know Polly like I do, mom. She'll be fine." Anne said, cutting off her mother. "Don't worry too much."

In the garage, Ally and Jess were looking at Frobo. They were looking hmm over without opening his head up without Polly's permission.

"Hmm, this is a very interesting robot."

"Did you design him?" Jess asked.

"No, I just sort of found him or he found me. But I remember what he looked like before he broke." Polly said.

"Can you draw it?" Ally asked Polly. "It can be the start of a proper blue print."

"Sure!"

Polly jumped into the work bench and grabbed a pencil before drawing Frobo from before he was destroyed. It wasn't exact but it was good enough from her memory. And she may have added a few details that would make him look cool.

"Done!" Polly said with glee, showing them her drawing of Frobo's potential new body.

The looked at it.

"Interesting design. Can you tell what he could do before he broke?" Ally asked.

"TONS of stuff!" Polly shouted before listing everything Frobo could do.

It was... strange to the two girlfriends, but still, it was nice to see someone so young try and get into robotics.

"Alright, went can't make it so he can do ALL of that but we can make it so he can do most of it." Jess said with a smile.

"If we all work together, we can get this done in about 2 hours." Ally said with a nod.

"Woo!" Polly said.

"You wanna help?" Jess asked.

"YES!" Polly screamed as loud as she could.

The trio got to work. The noise of them working filled the house, making the Boonchuys and the two Plantars cover their ears.

"What are they doing?!" Bee shouted.

"Fixing Polly's robot!" Anne said.

"Frobo?!" Sprig and Hop Pop said in surprise.

"Yeah!" Anne said.

"Is that a good idea?!" Oum shouted, covering her ears.

"I hope!"

To help block out the noise, Anne turned up the volume on the Thai soap opera. In the garage, they were making good progress on Frobo. They had already finished the refined body for Frobot, much better than the original and welded together than the original Polly made.

"Alright, this should be enough to activate him." Ally said, welding Frobo's head on the body.

The eyes lit up.

"He's activating!" Jess said, clapping her hands quickly.

'Come on big guy, come back to me.' Polly thought.

The eye blinked slowly, gazing around the garage at Jess and Ally before setting his gaze on the shortest one.

"…Polly?" Frobo asked, his voice the same.

"Frobo!"

Polly jumped for joy and hugged Frobo's face tightly, rubbing her face on his forehead without a care.

"I missed you buddy!"

"I missed you too, Polly." Frobo said with a grin.

"It's so beautiful, isn't it?" Jess asked as she and Ally watched.

Ally nodded her head.

"It's truly wonderful!" Ally said.

Polly started crying tears of joy. All that was left was to give Frobo some arms and legs, then he would be as good as new.

"Alright, let's get this done and see what he can really do." Jess said.

"Agreed." Ally said, popping her fingers. "Then we can take a food break."

"Yeah!"

Polly jumped off Frobo and grabbed some tools, ready for action.

"Let's do this!"

Ally and Jess liked Polly's spirit, grabbing tools as well before joining her to finish Frobo. It was a long process, but he was good as new.

"One more bolt." Ally said, tightening the last arm bolt. "And done!"

"Frobo is back!" Jess cheered.

"Yes!"

The trio stepped back and watched Frobo look over his new body, which looked very similar to his old one but made of white and black metal without the armor shoulder pads and crown on his chest.

"Well, Frobs? How is it?" Polly asked.

"It is perfect, Polly." Frobo said, giving the trio a thumbs up. "Thank you all."

Polly was happy.

"Come on, Frobs! Let's go show everyone!" Polly shouted, pointing to the garage door.

"Guys, look!"

Everyone turned from the tv and looked at Polly, who was riding on top of Frobo's head and his new body!

"Frobo!" Sprig and Hop Pop said in surprise.

"The robot?!" Bee asked in surprise.

"Isn't he amazing!?"

"That is what you spent hours building in my house?!" Oum shouted in shock.

"Yep! Now Frobo is back!" Polly said in glee.

"And he's been upgraded." Jess said as she and Ally walked up from behind Frobo.

"Yeah, look!" Polly said, pressing a button.

A coffee came out of his chest.

"Did you put the coffee maker in his chest?" Anne asked.

"No. We put reused an old on in your garage." Ally said, taking the coffee mug and taking a sip.

The Boonchuy parents had to admit, they liked that.

"What else can he do?" Hop Pop asked.

"Nearly everything he could before but now he can do this!" Polly said, looking down to Frobo. "Transform, Frobs!"

"Sure." Frobo said before getting on his hands and knees, transforming into a small jeep.

"Tada! He's like a toy car for kids but metal and can go up to 60 miles an hours!" Polly said, in the driver's seat.

Polly did some donuts.

"MY FLOOR!" Oum shouted at the donuts.

"I'm next!" Sprig said, excited.

Anne shook her head and smiled, it was a nice little moment, much needed after the chaos of the last several days.

'At least Frobo has a disguise for when we go out in public. Hopefully that won't end badly.' Anne thought as she got up and walked to Ally and Jess.

"Thanks you two. Really." Anne said before pulling out her wallet.

"Oh, you don't have to pay us. Working with a unique robot is enough." Ally said, holding her hand up.

"Well, feel free to come by and check up on him." Anne said, "After you call of course."

"Gladly!" Jess said with a panda smile. "Any friend fixed by the panda girls will always be called ahead of time."

"Panda girls?" Anne asked.

"Jess is a panda and I'm a red panda." Ally clarified, giving their spirit animals.

Anne chuckled a bit.

"A true match."

"STOP DRIVING INSIDE OF MY HOUSE!" Oum screamed as Polly was now driving Jeep-Frobo around the den.

Anne smirked, it was nice to have some nice calm moments.

Chapter Text

A few days later, Anne decided to introduce the Plantars to some human culture. Thus, she took them to the L.A. Museum of Natural History.

"Did you guys really have to bring him?" Anne asked, walking beside Jeep Frobo as Polly was driving AGAIN.

"And why am I in the back seat?" Hop Pop asked as Sprig was in the passenger seat.

"I go by my own rules!" Polly said.

Anne sighed.

"You know the museum might not let him in, right?" She said, pointing to Frobo.

"I hope they do. I could get used to this "Jeep" thing." Sprig said.

Anne just led them there.

"Four tickets, please." Anne said once they got to the museum.

"Do you have any children with you?" The man at admissions asked.

"Two and one senior citizen." Anne said.

"Okay. Then that will be $16." He said.

She paid and they went in. And they for some reason, let Polly drive in while driving Jeep Frobo.

"Polly, don't leave skid marks please." Anne said.

"Fine." Polly groaned.

"You know, let's just focus on the culture and not speeding through the museum." Hop Pop said.

"I agree." Anne said, "Maybe this place can teach us how to get back to Amphibia."

"Maybe but I don't know. How rare and cool would it be to find something from Amphibia right here in L.A.?" Sprig asked, excited.

"Rare, but, we've done more rare before." Hop Pop said.

"Let's just enjoy the museum and see if we get lucky." Anne said.

And in they went. They walked through about three exhibits before stumbling upon something that looked EXACTLY like something from Amphibia. A vase or pot of some sort with frog hieroglyphs and the royal symbol on it.

'Oh you have got to be shitting me!' Anne thought.

You know, she wasn't going to argue, after everything she's done for others, it's nice to get a lucky break.

"Hot dog! We found it!" Hop Pop said in surprise.

"Yeah!" Sprig said before jumping towards it.

Anne quickly grabbed him by the shirt and held him in the air!

"Sprig, read this sign." Anne said, holding him out to a sigh.

"Do not touch the art." Sprig read.

"Exactly." Anne said.

"So what? We can just-" Anne cut Polly off.

"Find the curator and ask questions about! Good idea, Polly." Anne said, putting Sprig back on Jeep Frobo. "All of you just stay here, DO NOT touch the art, and I'll be back."

She left, but not before putting a finger to her eye and then giving the "I'm watching you" motion with her hand. If they knew what was good for them, they would obey her as their pack leader... But, when did they ever do that?

"I better hurry." Anne said, speed walking to find the curator before an alarm goes off.

Anne found the curator office.

"Hello? Curator?" Anne asked as she knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Anne opened the door and walked inside, seeing a dark skinned woman with glasses and a colorful shirt at her desk writing on some papers.

"You're the Curator?" Anne asked.

"Sure am, names Dr. Jan, how can I help?" She asked.

"I just came to ask about one of your exhibits. One that looks like a frog vase." Anne said.

"Oh! You like it?!" Dr. Jan said, grinning widely at the mention of it, "I've studied it a lot, and can't seem to find anything like it anywhere else!"

""Really? Can you tell me where you found it? My friends and I are really interested in it." Anne said.

"That's the thing, it was found long ago, before the United States existed, possibly before the New World was discovered." Dr. Jan said, "It's possibly close to a thousand years old."

"That old?" Anne said in surprise.

"YES! Let me show you!" Dr. Jan said, grabbing Anne and dragging her out of her office.

'I know nothing about her, and yet I like her just because of her optimism.' Anne thought.

Dr. Jan brought them back to the exhibit, where Jeep Frobo was left ALONE.

'Oh shit, where did they go?' Anne thought.

Anne growled.

"Is there a problem?" Dr. Jan asked before pointing at Frobo. "And why is that in the museum?"

"My friend was driving it and didn't want to leave it outside. But she left it here." Anne said, looking around, "And they can get into a lot of trouble when not being watched."

"Oh I'm sure they aren't that bad. I'm assuming they are kids, right?" Dr. Jan asked.

"Two kids and an elderly." Anne said, "It's... I need to find them before they break something."

"Don't you think you're worrying too much?" Dr. Jan asked.

"You don't know them like I do." Anne said before shifting into her wolf self and walking to Frobo.

She sniffed, picking up the scent.

"Um, Anne, was it? I'm sorry but spirit animal transformations sort of aren't-" Dr. Jan didn't finish as Anne ran off after the scent.

Dr. Jan ran after her to make sure nothing went wrong.

'Where are you guys?' Anne thought with a growl.

She followed the scent all the way to the other side of the museum.

'I was only gone a few minutes! How did they get this far away?!' Anne thought.

Something was heard behind her as Anne looked back to see Jeep Frobo was following her and Dr. Jan.

'Great.'

Anne went back to sniffing out the Plantars before she reached the end of the trail and turned back to human.

"They're here." Anne said.

They were over in the evolution of amphibians area.

"Anne, why didn't you show us this first?!" Hop Pop asked loudly.

"Because we found the vase near the entrance." Anne said, "What did I say about staying by the vase!?"

"I had to go to the bathroom but I didn't know where it was." Polly said.

"Plus, Hop Pop said she couldn't go alone. But we didn't touch any exhibit, so that's good." Sprig said with a thumbs up.

Anne closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. She took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"I guess that's fine, and you didn't break anything, so that's better. Now, let's get back to the vase and see what ELSE Dr. Jan can tell us about it." Anne said before gesturing to Dr. Jan.

"Hello!" Dr. Jan said.

"Hi, names Sprig!" Sprig said, extending a hand.

"Hello, Sprig." Dr. Jan said before shaking his hand, feeling how SLIMY it was.

'That's a strange feeling for a young boy.' She thought.

Anne led them back to the vase.

"Here it is. The vase older than the US itself!" Dr. Jan said with a smile, gesturing to the vase.

"So, what do you know about it?" Polly asked.

"Well, as I told Anne before, this vase is theoretically older than the United States. And its markings and hieroglyphics are like nothing ever previously recorded before." Dr. Jan said, "Perhaps the frog person is some kind of deity."

"Not any deity I've seen before." Hop Pop said, adjusting his disguise glasses to look closer.

"Well, many different civilizations have different gods." Dr. Jan said, "There is a good chance there are ones we've never heard of before."

'Yeah, she's right there.' Anne thought as she recalled the "gods" she heard of in Amphibia.

They just went by "Frog" or "Toad" or even "Newt." Literally the three main species of Amphibians.

But Anne knew this was the key to getting back to amphibia.

"Did you find any clues on it? Like using a black light to find hidden writing?" Polly asked.

"Hiding writings? Like in Spy movies?" Dr. Jan asked with a chuckle.

"Hey, you never know."

"She does bring up a point. Maybe someone wrote a message or something in the vase." Sprig said while trying not to touch it.

Dr. Jan Chuckled.

"Maybe I'll do that later. But I'm glad you're so interested in the vase, it really makes my job worth it." She said to the group.

"Yeah, it's just... really amazing." Anne said.

"Yeah, it is. It's the only one of its kind in the whole world. I've tried looking for anything like it but nothing comes up." Dr. Jan said.

'Okay, that might make things a bit harder.' Anne thought.

This meant that this is the only clue/artifact from Amphibia on Earth. If this couldn't get them back home, nothing could.

'We need it.'

"Dr. Jan, I know this seems random, but if you find ANYTHING new with this vase, please call me." Anne said, quickly giving Dr. Jan her number.

Dr. Jan was a bit confused, but took the number.

'This vase must be really important to her for some reason, even if it is the first time she's seen it.' Dr. Jan thought as Anne guided her friends away.

Though, as she watched them leave, Dr. Jan could've sworn she saw some sort of TAIL poking out from Polly's raincoat.

'Huh, that's strange.'

Dr. Jan continued to watch as Polly, Sprig, and Hop Pop got back into Jeep Frobo before driving behind Anne.

'Something tells me that I should keep an eye on them.' Dr. Jan thought.

She liked challenges, and this would be the greatest.

An hour passed before the Plantars and Anne headed towards the exit.

"That was awesome!" Sprig said.

"Yeah, but... what do we do now? We need that vase."

"We can wait, Hop Pop. Dr. Jan might actually find something and call me." Anne said.

"Or we could just steal if and find the answers ourselves." Polly said.

"We are not robbing the museum." Anne and Hop Pop said.

"But Anne!" Sprig and Polly whined.

"No buts!" Anne said.

'I know they respect my authority as a pack leader but I hate that I have to reinforce it sometimes.' Anne thought as they exited the museum.

Especially when they suggest completely illegal like breaking into a museum.

'If Anne doesn't want to break in, that doesn't mean we can't.' Polly thought, glancing down at Jeep Frobo. 'Frobo's got just what we need to get that vase.'

And so, a plan began to form.

-11:36pm-

Everyone in the Boonchuy household was asleep, enjoying their time in the land of dreams before the next day. Well, almost everyone. Sprig and Polly were getting ready for the heist. Both of them wearing dark/black clothing to blend with the night while also disguising themselves.

"Okay, you got everything?" Sprig whispered.

"Yeah, it's all inside Frobo." Polly whispered back.

"Great, let's go."

Sprig and Polly went to the backyard, where Frobo was waiting for them in his new robot form. He even had a special silent mode that muted his heavy movements. The trio began to move. Inside, Anne's nose started twitching, and she opened her eyes, one revealed to be a wolf's.

'Someone has left without permission!' Anne thought, her instincts screaming at her to punish the one who went against the pack leader's orders.

"Hop Pop, wake up!" Anne said.

"Aaaaaahh!" Hop Pop screamed as he jolts up. "Where's the fire?!"

"There's no fire yet, but I'm about to light one under someone's ass." Anne said.

"What does that mean?" Hop Pop asked before Anne picked him up.

"Sprig and Polly are gone. Most likely to steal the vase, after I ORDERED against it." Anne said, dragging Hop Pop outside of the house.

She shifted into her wolf form and made sure Hop Pop was on her back before running. The smell of Frobo's oil was still fresh, so it was easy for Anne to pick up even if she KNEW they where they are going. At the museum, Polly and Sprig looked at the entrance.

"Okay, so how are we gonna do this?" Sprig asked. "This door looks super locked up."

"Leave that to Frobo." Polly said, looking to Frobo. "Do your thing, Frobs."

A small buzzsaw came out of Frobo and sawed the lock off.

"Bingo!" Polly said with pride. "I helped put than in you know!"

Frobo retracted the saw and pushed the doors open, scanning the area for any kind of alarms in the area.

'This is easy.'

The trio walked inside of the museum after Frobo have the "okay" that it was safe. Outside, Anne arrived. Hop Pop nearly fell off as Anne growled at the open front door.

'I am going to TEAR THEM A NEW ONE!' Anne thought as Hop Pop got off her.

"W-Where are the kids?" Hop Pop asked, holding his head.

They walked inside... and they weren't the only ones. The recently repaired robot was following them. In the museum, Sprig and Polly arrived at the vase, completely surrounded by red lasers.

"Hmm, how should we do this?"

"Simple, just like in spy movies, we can deflect the lasers away and take the vase." Polly said before looking up to Frobo. "Bust out the mirrors, buddy."

Frobo let several mirrors out.

"Mirrors ready." Frobo said at a low volume.

They walked next to him as he reflected the lasers.

"Awesome! Now Sprig, use your tongue and grab the vase." Polly said, pointing towards it. "But be careful or you'll break it."

"No worried, watch and learn sis." Sprig said.

Before they could-

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING!?"

Polly and Sprig jumped from this as Frobo instantly pulled his mirrors back and turns around to aim a cannon at-

"ANNE?!" Sprig and Polly screamed, seeing their "pack leader" was glaring down at them.

Anne growled.

"What did I say about this vase?" She asked.

"Anne, we can explain." Sprig said, shaking in fear as he raised his hands.

"What did I said about this vase?" Anne repeated, growling louder as her eye shined in the darkness.

"Don't steal it."

"And why are you here now?" Anne asked, looking at Polly. "Well?"

"We….are here to steal it." Polly said, looking at the ground.

"Oh, words cannot describe how mad I am right now." Anne said, "Only positive is that this can't possibly get worse."

The robot from earlier crashed through the ceiling.

"HOLY FROG!" Hop Pop screamed, clinging to Anne as the robot landed before them.

"Hehehehehehe." It snickers as the group took in its appearance.

It was now made of random metals to make up for the parts it lost, most likely from the L.A. junkyard. It saw Anne and made a buzzsaw with its hand.

'Just fucking great. This might just went from bad to worse.' Anne thought as she transformed into a wolf.

"Frobo! Attack mode!" Polly shouted, pointing at the enemy robot.

Frobo complied. Frobo's hands popped open to reveal a sword covered in electricity from his right while a cannon blasted come out of his left hand.

"YAH!" Frobo said, rushing forward!

He took the robot on in combat. Saw and sword clashed as sparks flew, making a lot more noise than was needed.

"Come on, we gotta get out of here!" Hop Pop said.

"But the va-" Polly jumped back as Anne growled at her!

'WE LEAVE NOW, DISOBEDIENT PUP!' Anne "said" to her.

Polly didn't understand her, but she knew Anne was angry. So she simply gulped and nodded to her as Anne forced her and Sprig onto her back.

"Ugh, here we go again." Hop Pop muttered before jumping on himself.

Anne began to run, until she was hit in the side and knocked to the ground.

"Ugh!" The Plantars grunted as they rolled on the ground.

"YAAAAAH!" The enemy robot screamed, jumping to attack Anne again!

"Anne!" Sprig said, quickly pulling out a slingshot.

He launched a rock. It bounces off the face, making the robot hiss at Sprig before activating the saw again.

'Okay, not smart!' Sprig thought.

Anne quickly got up, limping a bit.

"Grrrr!" She growled, still up for a fight.

"Hehehehehehe." The enemy robot chuckled before it was hit with a laser!

"Don't forget me." Frobo said, his cannon aimed at the enemy.

He blasted it. The stealth Frobot hissed as it blocked the shots, slowly being pushed back.

'That's right. Distract him and I'll finish it.' Anne thought as her eyes flashed blue.

Suddenly, the doors opened.

"FREEZE! LAPD!" A policeman shouted.

He saw the robot, as did Dr. Jan, who had called when the silent alarm was tripped.

'Oh my.' She thought.

"RAAAAAH!" The robot screeched as its saw spun!

"WEAPON!" The officer shouted as he fired his gun at the robot!

A bullet broke its left eye, making the robot hiss and spark in pain as it covered its face! It used its cloaking tech and turned invisible.

"It's gone?!" Dr. Jan said in shock.

"It could still be here!" The police man said before aiming at the sprinklers. "Sorry about this!"

He shot the sprinklers, making it rain in the museum to try and reveal the invisible robot. Though they didn't do anything, as it did leave. Dr. Jan went over to Anne, who was very clearly injured.

"Anne, are you okay?" She asked gently.

"Grrrrr." Anne growled softly at her.

She had been through far worse, a fractured front limb (AKA her right arm) is pretty much nothing.

"Anne, please. Let me help you. I don't know what's fully going on but I want to help." Dr. Jan whispered to not alert the policeman.

Anne closed her eyes.

'Fine, do anything you can.' Anne thought before shifting back to human, ignoring the pain in her arm.

"Let's get you to my office so I can help you."

With the help of the Plantars, Dr. Jan briskly lead Anne to her office while the police officer was reporting the break in.

Dr. Jan sat Anne into a chair and got a first aid kit out.

"Now, explain to me what happened."

"Ask Polly. This was all HER plan." Anne said, casting a disappointing glare at the "pup."

"I mean... are you surprised I would do something like this at this point?" Polly asked.

"Well excuse me for thinking you'd learn to make a good choice and not a stupid one." Anne said bluntly, mostly from the pain. "Let me remind you that you are in my pack and as pack leader, my orders are ABSOLUTE. So how do you think I feel when you blatantly disobey when I told you to wait?"

"So, what exactly did you break in here for anyway?" Dr. Jan asked, "And what was that robot thing?"

"I don't know if you'd believe me if I told you." Anne said.

"Anne, I just watched a robot try and kill you... not much is out of the realm of possibility." Dr. Jan said.

"Well….you'd be surprised." Hop Pop said, scratching his head.

"So, are we going to tell her everything, Anne?" Sprig asked.

"Might as well. Just so Polly doesn't plan another heist." Anne said.

"I regret nothing!" Polly said.

"I regret some things." Sprig quickly said.

"Moving on, please explain?" Dr. Jan said as she began patching up Anne's arm.

"Well, it all started a few months ago." Anne said, going through her time in Amphibia.

The good times, the bad times, the weird times, and the VERY deadly times.

"Oh my." Dr. Jan said at the end of the story.

"Yeah, it's been a "tough" ride." Anne said as her arm was put in a sling.

"So that's why you were so interested in the vase. It could be a clue to get you back." Dr. Jan said as she turned to Polly and Frobo, who was back in Jeep mode. "That's why you were so adamant on stealing it."

"Which you WILL be getting punished for." Anne said, "And don't think I forgot about your involvement Sprig."

"I know." Sprig said, nervous and gulping.

"Well, I think you should head home and get some rest, it's been a bit of a night." Dr. Jan said.

"I agree. We all need our rest." Hop Pop said with a nod.

"But the vase! Did you check it for-"

"POLLY! Enough." Anne said with a glare at her.

"Actually, I was going to try that in the vase tomorrow morning but it looks like the museum is going to be closed for a while. So, I might as well do that now." Dr. Jan said as she got up.

Dr. Jan returned with the vase. She placed it on her desk before opening a drawer, pulling out a pen sized black light.

"Ready?"

"Ye-!" Polly was pick up and had her mouth covered by Sprig.

"That's enough for one night." He whispered.

"Go on, doc." Anne said to her.

She shined the light, revealing a message. Dr. Jan gasped in awe of the hidden writing, following by Polly cheering loudly in Sprig's arms.

"I KNEW IT!" Polly shouted.

Anne gave her a look.

"I've never seen a language like this before. It could take some time to translate." Dr. Jan said.

"Actually, I've got some notes from my friend before coming home. I'll translate it later." Anne said, pulling out her phone.

Anne took a picture of the words.

"Let's go home." Anne said, standing up.

"Please let me know what you find. This is VERY interesting." Dr. Jan said with a smile.

"Sure, don't worry." Anne said with a nod, "Come on, let's go home."

Anne got up and picked up Polly, holding her firmly as she walked ahead as Sprig and Hop Pop got in Jeep Frobo.

"I'm driving this time." Hop Pop said.

Dr. Jan watched as they walked away.

"Well... that's not how I thought today would go." She said, "I better call the janitor."

Chapter Text

Today was the day, they were heading to the Temple to speak with the pack leader, and that meant that Anne would have to bring her own pack for their "approval" to be their pack leader. Anne was a lot different than they remembered. She wasn't a proud wolf, she never showed any care for anything, many questioned whether or not she could rule the pack one day. But the girl that stood before them, covered in scars and glaring at them like a hardened warrior, was absolutely nothing like she was before. The pack leader walked up to her, sniffing to make sure this is truly her granddaughter.

'Even her scent is different. Stronger, more musky with nature and blood.' she thought, sniffing all around Anne.

'Nice to see you too, grandma.' Anne thought, watching her grandmother/grand pack leader reintroduce herself to her scent.

Anne's grandma let out a bark to the Betas, telling them to meet her in the den for discussion. She let out a few yelps, telling Anne to leave and reintroduce herself to the others, they had been wondering where she went. She also said she'll send Oum to find her when they have finished speaking.

"Okay." Anne said.

Anne put her hands in her pockets and walked out of the room.

'Better check on Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly to make sure they're not getting into trouble.' Anne thought.

As she walked, she looked through the temple. It felt weird to be here. Not only because it had been so long since she came her but because she was getting looks from other members. Most likely cuz of her scars or the new air of authority Anne was giving off, an authority that matches that of a pack leader.

'It doesn't matter. I may be "part" of this pack, but none of them are apart of mine.' Anne thought, somewhat cold.

She used to be the "Weak Link" the worst wolf... she used to backdown if a pup growled at her... now most of those that thought her as nothing smell an aura of power and blood coming from her.

A ball rolled up to her feet, making Anne stop and gaze down at it as some pups ran up to her before stopping. Just looking up to her, seeing her scars and sensing her aura of authority, they both whimpered in slight fear before Anne kicked the ball away before walking over them.

"Watch where you play next time, you could hurt someone." Anne said to them, leaving the random pups behind.

Anne opened the doors to the front of the temple and walked down the stairs to the rest of the temple.

"Now, if I were HP, Sprig, or Polly; where would I go?" Anne muttered to herself.

She shrugged a bit and walked to the places she figured they liked. This was part of the territory, the packs home for well over 150 years, it makes sense that she would know some places. She arrived at the nursery, where the pups were. It was the only place in the entire temple that young pups could learn about both their Thai heritage as humans and their wolf spirit animal heritage as wolf pups.

'Alright, let's see if Polly is here.' Anne thought, looking into the open doorway of the nursery.

Anne peered in, seeing Polly interacting with the pups.

"Hahahaha is that all you got?!" Polly said, wrestling with some of the pups while keeping her disguise on.

Anne gave a small smile.

'Glad that Polly is having fun.' Anne thought before going to find Sprig.

He would be somewhere outside, he rarely hangs out inside.

'Maybe he's playing Sepak takraw (kick volleyball)?' Anne thought as she headed to the court within the temple grounds.

Not surprising, he was there, and he was dominating.

"Coming at ya!" Sprig shouted, jumping in the air with a flip and kicking it down at the other players.

"Whoo, get it Sprig!" Anne said, cheering him on.

Sprig saw her and gave a thumbs up, landing perfectly on the ground as the next round began.

'This my new favorite Earth game! I've gotten introduce it to Wartwood when we go back.' Sprig thought with a grin.

Seeing Sprig was having fun and getting along, Anne left to find the last member of her back. The elder, Hop Pop. She could only imagine where he would be (Sarcasm).

"Amazing!" Someone shouted.

"Where has this guy been? He's an amazing dancer!" another person shouted.

'Of course, he's in the Khon Dance studio.' Anne thought with a grin.

She decided to leave them to their new hobbies.

But that just leaves her to think to herself, what was she left to do with her pack busy having fun in the temple? She went to the festival outside.

'I never really did enjoy it before I left but maybe I can today.' Anne thought, keeping her hands in her pockets.

She decided to put sunglasses on.

'Just so people don't stare at my eye.' Anne thought, not bothering to cover her other scars for now.

She walked to the front, where there were tents and shops set up.

"Maybe a little lunch." Anne said to herself, getting looks and hearing whispers once again.

She didn't know if they were talking about her scars, or the fact that she's returned from being missing. But neither mattered. Anne was back, she was stronger, and she was a pack leader now. What they thought of or said about her doesn't matter or bother her anymore. Anne just hoped that nothing bad would happen, she was tired of her blood leaving her body.

"Can I get a bag of Water Bugs and Beef?" Anne asked a food stand vendor.

If there was one thing Thai culture and Amphibia culture shared, it was eating certain bugs.

"Coming right up." He said to Anne.

'Meat is meat.' Anne thought.

Anne still ignored the looks she got before one of her aunts walked up to her.

"Anne? Is that you?" She asked in complete shock, up close and personal.

"Yeah." Anne said.

"W-What happened to you?" She asked, looking Anne over.

"I... I learned." Anne said, "I learned that who I was before is not the kind of person or wolf I should be."

She took her sunglasses off to look at her aunt.

"I learned a lot while I've been gone, and while it was painful, I don't regret it."

Her aunt was silenced by the sight of her eyes and her words, never in all her life expecting such wise, warrior like words from her niece at such a young age.

"Here you are, Water Bugs and Beef." The stand attendant said.

"Thanks." Anne said.

Anne took the bag and walked away, leaving her aunt as she ate the meat. Anne kept walking around. The sun was shining, the Thai Temple pack was getting along with her pack, and the food was so good. Almost nothing could ruin this day.

Almost.

A certain robot just had to be the one ruining the day. And this time, it wasn't alone. It had dozens of drones.

"Hehehehehehehe!" It chuckled, looming over the temple grounds with the drones flying in the air.

One of them flew down and produced a speaker from its back.

"Remember, failure will not be tolerated a THIRD time." Andrias said through the bug drone.

The robot had no intention of failing.

"Grrrr!" It growled, spinning its buzzsaw arm in anger.

'I will not fail.' Is what that meant as the drone flew back to the others. They had one goal... Kill Anne.

"YAAAAAAAH!" the robot screamed, pointing to the temple!

The dragonfly swarm drones flew off, heading to the temple to cause destruction. Anne smelt something. She stopped mid walk, crushing the bag of her food as she recognized this scent but found it multiplied somehow. She let out a growl.

'The robot, it's close!' Anne thought, throwing away her bag and rushing off to her family's car.

The reason? She secretly packed her sword just in case of trouble like this. And Hop Pop called her paranoid at times. She's not paranoid, she's a survivor, and you get like that by being ready for anything. Reaching the car, Anne opened the trunk and pulled out the blade before-

"Anne, what are you doing?" Bee asked, standing behind her.

"Just... making sure that my sword was polished." Anne said, "I like to clean it regularly, you know. Helps keep it from rusting."

"But why is it in the trunk? Why did you bring it to the temple?" Bee asked.

"Look dad, just-" Anne stopped talking when she heard a loud buzzing sound, looking up to the sky, "Oh no."

"What are those?!" Bee shouted, looking up.

The dragonfly drones began to attack the temple, scaring people and attacking randomly to draw Anne out. Anne wasted no time in going in to fight them. She transformed into a whole and held the sword in her mouth, rushing off as Bee tried to stop her!

"ANNE!" He shouted, transforming and running after her.

She wasted no time in throwing the sword at one of the drones. Stabbing through, the drone fell as everyone, and every other drone turned to see the cause. Many of the temple pack were shocked to see a scarred wolf walk up to the downed drone and transform back into Anne, who then pulled the sword out and gazed up at the drones.

"Stay away from them." Anne growled.

The drones then began to swarm around Anne, producing lasers cannons from their backs and blasting at her! They didn't kill but they hurt a LOT. Anne was sent to her knees, but quickly got up. She began rushed to the stands, transforming and using them to get to higher ground to attack the drones! She didn't care about the burns on her back, she just wanted to destroy these things that were threatening her pack.

"Anne!" Sprig shouted as he, Hop Pop, and Polly ran to the scene.

Anne ignored him as she jumped off a tent stand, getting into the air, and transformed into a human as she dived into the swarm!

"RAAAAH!" She screamed, slashing at drones relentlessly.

She was blasted by another laser, which sent her to the ground.

"Ugh!" Anne said as she crashed to the ground!

She breathed heavily and began to pick herself back up.

"That all you got?" Anne asked, spitting some blood away.

"YEEEEEEEEEEH!" The stealth robot screamed, jumping into the air and aiming at Anne!

Its saw arm was ready to slice her to pieces before Anne blocked with her sword, forcing Anne to a knee while in a deadlock! Sparks flew as the robot chuckled, having the upper hand as he gazed down at Anne. Anne pushed the robot back, and then swung her sword at it. The robot blocked it and then it shoved a sharp blade into Anne's chest, making her drop her sword and gasp for air.

"ANNE!" The planters screamed.

The elders and Oum rushed out to the scene and gasped, the mother slowly crying as she saw a blade sticking out of her daughter's chest! Anne's eyes began to close, and the robot took the blade out. Anne fell to the ground and just laid there. One of the pack members threw a fruit at the robot, which made it turn its attention to the crowd. It produced a laser from it's back. Anne's blurry visions saw this and she let out a growl, as her eye turned blue and her blind eye became a blue wolf's eye. A flash of blue light exploded from her, sending all of the drones and the large robot away from her! The white wolf growled, ignoring the glowing blue blood dripping from her fur. Everyone in the temple pack gasped in shock of Anne, feeling an even greater aura of leadership and power coming from her than before!

'Stay away from my pack!' Anne thought.

Anne blitzed forward and destroyed half of the stealth bot in one attack!

"GAAAAH!" It screeched, falling to the ground!

The dragonfly drones prepare their lasers for attack before Anne gave a roar and unleashed multiple energy blasts! They were destroyed. It was almost like fireworks as everyone watched in awe, except the Plantars and Boonchuy parents as they kept their gaze on Anne and her still bleeding chest. Exhaustion began to set in. Her body was slowly flicking between white and brown as Anne dropped to the ground.

"ANNE!" Sprig, Hop Pop, Polly, Bee and oum shouted, rushing to her.

Next time Anne woke up, she was in the den.

"What happened? Was it all just a dream?" Anne muttered before leaning up then wincing.

Looking down, she saw that her chest was wrapped in bandages and a blood stain on the front. What happened was NOT a dream.

"Add that to the collection of scars." Anne mumbled

Anne looked to the side and saw her sword in its sheath, grabbing it to use as a cane and stand up. She breathed heavily as she pulled her tired body up.

'Shit, that's knife hit really took a lot out of me. Nearly took my life if it wasn't for that calamity energy.' Anne thought.

Anne slowly began to walk out of the room. She needed to find someone to explain what happened after she passed out and maybe tell her how long she was out of it THIS time. Thankfully, her mom came rushing up to her shortly after she made it out of the room.

"Anne, you should be resting!" Oum said.

"I'm fine, mom." Anne said, pushing her mother's hands off. "Where are Sprig and the others? And how long have I been out?"

"We took them home… yesterday."

"Home?" Anne repeated.

"We're still in the temple." Oum clarified.

"Let's get you back into the bed." Oum said, "You need to rest more."

"I'm fine." Anne said, "I've been through worse."

"Well, as the new Pack Leader, it's my job to make sure the pack is safe."

Anne looked at her mom.

"What?"

"After you risked your life to defend that temple, your grandmother decided it was time to step down and let me take her place." Oum said, "Making you the new heir."

"So soon?!" Anne shouts, nearly falling if her mom didn't catch her. "But grandma-"

"She knew the pack is in good hands with me as the new leader. Just like it will be when it's your time." Oum said, "Now rest."

Oum pushed Anne back to the den and made her lay down on the couch again, taking her sword so she couldn't get up again

"Just stay here and rest, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Mom, I've been through worse." Anne said.

"And that's exactly why you're resting. Disobey me, and you'll be babysitting the tribe's pups for a month." Oum said.

"Fine."

Anne laid back in the couch and let herself rest, seeing her mother watching her for a moment before taking her leave with Anne's sword.

"Ugh." Anne said.

'Guess I'm fucking stuck here for who knows how long. Great.' Anne thought, staring at the ceiling.

Her eyes slowly began to close. Anne drifted back into a nap, resting to regain more of her energy and speed up her healing process. In the hall, Oum was very concerned. And it wasn't about her new title as the Pack Leader of the Thai Wolf Temple, it was about Anne and apparently some crazy, godlike power she had inside of her... and that robot. Where did it come from? Why was it after her daughter? And…are there more of them somewhere? She could only hope nothing bad happened because of this... little did she know.

Chapter Text

In Amphibia, Marcy was floating in a healing pod. Why you ask? Because after she was stabbed in the back by her former friend, King Andria, he wanted her to be treated immediately and healed back to full heath. She was being monitored for the last several months and she was nearly back to full health but that would be more of a bad thing than a good thing if someone didn't cut in. Andrias watched her.

"Let me know when she's ready." Andrias said to a robot, "The Core is getting impatient."

"Yes, King Andrias." The robot said with a nod.

Andrias left after this, glancing back to Marcy for a moment before continuing on his way.

'I am sorry, Marcy but it has to be this way.' He thought.

In another part of the castle, Lady Olivia was pacing.

"Come on, Olivia. You can't just sit back and do nothing anymore." She said before glancing to the side, seeing the landscape of Amphibia around the castle barren and dying. "Your family has protected this land for generation and you are just letting it happen because the king has secretly been a mad tyrant all along. You need to do SOMETHING."

She didn't know what to do though, that's the problem. Despite his mad tyrant turn, she was still loyal to the throne. To disobey that…it would go against everything her family stood for. It only got worse with each passing moment.

"Lady Olivia." Someone said, bring Olivia out of her thoughts.

The lady in waiting turned around to see the youngest general in Newtonia standing, General Yunan.

"General." Olivia said, "What can I do for you?"

"I saw that you seemed troubled. I thought I'd come and ask how you are doing." Yunan said.

"I'm fine." Olivia said but it was a lie.

"Things surely have changed." Yunan said.

"Not for the better but you didn't hear that from me." Olivia said.

"Sure." Yunan said, not believing her. "But in a new subject, have you heard of Marcy's condition?"

"Not much, just that she's being held deep in the castle."

"Have you looked for her?" Yunan asked.

"Only small amounts. She's most likely in the forbidden area."

"The place on the king enters?" Yunan asked.

"Yes. Why do you ask?" Olivia replied.

Yunan went and looked out the balcony.

"The King is paranoid, I've heard him talking to someone, but no one is in the room with him."

"I have noticed that as well." Olivia said.

'Who HASN'T noticed that?' She thought.

The two were nervous around him right now. They thought they could trust the man, that he had Amphibia's best interests at heart, but it was all a lie. And Marcy paid for it the most.

"…We need to get Marcy and leave." Yunan said out of the blue.

"Agreed."

Looking at each other and quickly getting on the same page, both newts nodded before turning to exit the balcony.

"So, how do we do this?" Yunan asked.

"We will wait for nightfall and sneak down to the forbidden area. From there, we will search for Marcy and get out of the city before the King gets wise." Olivia said softly.

It was the only option they had.

"What if we run into trouble?" Yunan asked but she knew the answer.

"…Then we deal with them. Robot or amphibian." Olivia said, accepting that they were about to commit treason.

If anything, Andrais did first, this was evening it out. A few hours later when nightfall came, Olivia and Yunan assembled in her bed chambers with the general holding a fencing saber in hand.

"I didn't know if you were battle capable but I brought you this." Yunan said, handing the saber to Olivia.

"Thank you." Olivia said, taking the sword out of the sheath and examining the blade.

It would do, even if she hoped she didn't need it.

"Let's go." Olivia said, climbing up the walls.

"I'll get the door." Yunan said, pushing the door open.

There was no turning back from this. The duo climbed on the ceiling, passing by guard patrols as they stealthily headed towards the lower sections of the castle.

"Are you sure this will work?"

"I can only hope."

They reached the staircase down to the forbidden area, with a single torch being the only source of light in front of the doorway with a pot full of grass across from it.

"Here's the doorway, how do we get in?" Yunan asked.

"I think I have an idea." Olivia said, drawing her saber and sticking it in the fire.

She heated up the blade. One the metal was nice and hot, Olivia removed it from the fire and moved to stab it into the hanging pot of grass.

"Wait for it." Olivia said as the grass slowly started smoking.

The grass started to burn. And she pulled her saber away, watching as the grass slowly began to set on fire.

"How does this open the-"

"Shhh."

The grass slowly lit ablaze, becoming a second torch and activating the door's secret mechanism to open it.

"There. Now let's hurry." Olivia said, crawling into the door.

Yunan followed. The door shut behind them as the duo continued to crawl in the ceiling.

"Why are we still crawling up here?" Yunan asked.

"Possible security measures on the floor." Olivia said, focusing ahead. "We can drop down once we get to Marcy. Now shush."

'Is she talking back to me? Sassy.' Yunan thought with a grin. 'I like it.'

The two continued to go to the forbidden section of the castle. Looking down, they saw things they never thought could be in Newtopia. Such as a highly advanced lab set up and strangely tiled walls and most importantly... Marcy.

"This is... creepy."

"I have to agree. But at least we know Marcy is alright." Olivia comments even though she frowns. "But why is she dressed in that armor?"

"That's something we can figure out later."

Both of them slowly moved to the ground, looking around for any robots around before Olivia looked over the nearby dashboard.

"Okay, let's see if I can find a way to get her out." Olivia said.

"Or I could just cut it open." Yunan said before popping out her blade and slicing off the top of the tube Marcy was in!

She pulled her out and put her on the ground. Olivia moved to Marcy's side and removed the air mask, letting Marcy breathe normal air for the first time in possible weeks.

"H-Huh?" She let out, slowly opening her eyes as she looked around.

Everything was blurry.

"Huh? What?" Marcy let out.

"Marcy? Marcy can you hear us?" Olivia asked.

"Come on, Eagle Guard. Show us your gumption." Yunan said, lightly slapping Marcy's cheek.

"Yunan, careful, she has hollow bones." Olivia said.

"I know. That's why I'm slapping her very lightly." Yunan said, still lightly slapping Marcy.

"Y-Yunan? Olivia?" Marcy mumbled, hearing their voices.

"Yes, it's us."

"We're going to get you out of here." Yunan said.

"Out of where?" Marcy asked as his vision cleared up, revealing the makeshift lab in the forbidden area, "W-w-where am I?"

"You're in a lab. Andrais brought you here after he stabbed you through the chest." Yunan said, slowly picking up Marcy.

"What? B-But how am I not dead?" Marcy asked, feeling her chest quickly.

She didn't feel anything, except the armor.

"The King saved you, for what reason we don't know but we're not staying to find out. We're leaving the city now." Olivia said.

Olivia helped Marcy up and they began to try and leave. That is until they tripped some sort of laser sensor and the door shut in front of them! They should've stayed the roof as they escaped.

"We're locked in here." Yunan said, "There has to be another way out."

"Then let's find it befor-"

"Um, guys?" Marcy asked, looking around them. "Is it just me or is fog rolling in?"

"Fog?" Olivia and Yunan asked before noticing the lab LITERALLY becoming foggy, "What is this!?"

"Get behind me!" Yunan said, getting in front of Marcy and Olivia to protect them.

The fog blinded the three of them. Before any one of them knew it, the room had changed around them and turned into the outer terrain of the city?

"Wha-How did we get out here?" Marcy asked.

"I'm unsure." Olivia said, "Marcy can you change into that bird form of yours and fly away? That may be the best chance of getting you out of here."

Marcy tried, but she was so weak and tired that the furthest she got was a couple feathers coming from her skin, before they retracted.

"I-I can't. I'm too weak from being…you know." Marcy said, remembering how she was "killed" by Andrias.

Suddenly, the fog came back. It swirled in front of them, making Yuyan prepare for anything until it vanished to reveal….

"Is that a grubhog?" Olivia asked.

Yunan jumping into Olivia's arms with a scream.

"GRUBHOG!" Yunan screamed in terror.

"…What is going on?" Marcy asked in surprise, looking at Yunan.

"You, one of the bravest, reckless and fearless generals in ALL of Amphibia; are scared of an innocent Grubhog?" Olivia asked, trying not to laugh.

"Yes! I know but I had a bad experience as a child! One of those little maggots nearly bit my arms off in school!" Yunan said as she pointed a shaky finger at the Grubhog.

"I think I've eaten things bigger than this." Marcy said.

Right as she said that, the grubhog grew and became more monster like.

"ROOOOOOOOAH!" It roared at them!

"AAAAAAAH!" They screamed in terror!

Before they could react, Yunan hopped to the floor before picked up Marcy and Olivia then running!

"We're getting out of here!" She yelled.

"How!?"

"I don't know! But it's better than being eaten!" Yunan shouted as she continued to run.

More fog rolled in. It made the trio stop as it swirled again, forming some random regal newt in a dress.

"Mother!" Olivia said in shock.

"Mother?" Yunan and Marcy said in surprise.

'Oh I think I know what's going on.' Marcy thought.

"Olivia, how could you let his happen? Look at what has become of our home!" She shouted, gesturing to the wasteland around the castle.

"I-It's not my fault! I tried to stop it but the king wouldn't listen!" Olivia said.

'So this fog makes us experience our fear?' Marcy thought.

"You failed, Olivia! You failed our family and our home!" Olivia's mother shouted before she grew larger, transforming into a giant monster!

"No!" Olivia said, trying her best to look away.

Yunan took off running again, still carrying Marcy and Olivia as the monster grubhog and monster mother chased them!

"Guys! I think I know what's going on" Marcy said to them.

The fog rolled in again, this time for Marcy. The hallways of her high school appeared around them, making Marcy curse under her breath as she could assume what her fear was. She turned and saw her friends. The scars they had were gone... in a way... instead of scars, they were fresh wounds, dripping with blood.

"Marcy... you did this to us." Anne said.

"We trusted you and you did this to us!" Sasha shouted, screaming as she gripped the place her arm used to be and made more blood come out.

'It's not real! It's not real! It's not real!' Marcy thought, looking awe from her "friends."

Marcy walked backwards and tripped over Sasha's severed arm.

'It's not real! It's not real!' Marcy thought, kicking the arm away.

"Marcy!" Olivia shouted, rushing to help her up.

"OLIVIA!" The monster mother shouted.

Marcy closed her eyes.

"MARCY!" Fake Anne and Sasha screamed, rushing at her.

"It's not real, it's not real, it's not real!"

Marcy shut her eyes and prepared for their "attack" but it never came as they just turned to mist upon contact. She felt her heart race. Her theory was right but that didn't mean it didn't scare her as much as it should've! It was terrifying, and it felt like her heart was going to break out of her chest!

"Ugh! Aaah!" Marcy screamed in pain feeling her heart beat getting faster!

'I-Is this a heart attack or a panic attack?!' Marcy thought, her fear only adding to this.

Her biggest fear right now was that it was both, she doesn't think she could handle that.

"MARCY!" Olivia and Yunan shouted in horror.

They both rushed to help her as their worst fears for in their way, but it they didn't compare to see the human they care about having a heart attack/panic attack.

"MOVE NOW!" Olivia and Yunan shouted, drawing their blades and slashing through their fears.

They rushed to her. Yunan got to her knees and pulled Marcy close as Olivia knelled next to them.

"Marcy! Marcy! It's alright, we're here!" Olivia said.

Marcy's breath was sporadic. So much so that she couldn't head properly, so all she could do was gaze up at them with her beady eyes.

"Marcy! Everything is going to be okay!" Yunan's muffled voice shouted.

Everything was spinning, blurry... but she could make out some giant black shadow like figure. Yunan and Olivia were grabbed by it and thrown to the side, and that's when everything went black. Marcy was quickly in a dream, where everything was fine.

"Huh? W-Where am I?" Marcy asked.

'Marcy.' A voice whispered.

"Huh? W-w-who's there?"

A bright door opened and she felt drawn to it.

'I am your friend, Marcy.' The voice said, drawing Marcy in as she walked towards the bright door.

She entered the door and found herself in a room full of puzzles.

"Woah, this place must be challenging my intellect!" Marcy said.

In real life, Yunan and Olivia were watching as the helmet that was placed on Marcy's head opened. Her body gave a sinister smile.

"Hello there."

Chapter Text

After a few days, Anne was allowed to move again and was brought home. But even so, her parents had turned their protectiveness up to 120.
"I'm not a pup anymore, I can handle myself!" Anne said.
"And that's the problem! You clearly can but you are completely covered in scars, missing half your vision, and we literally watched you get stabbed in the chest by a killer robot!" Oum said, "Which you still haven't let us know on what that is by the way."
“You mean we didn’t tell you about King Andrias secretly being evil with an army of robots at his command?” Sprig asked.
“SPRIG!” Anne shouted at him.
"No, no you did not. Please, tell us more," Oum said, glaring at her daughter.
“Well, one of his factories is responsible for creating Frobo!” Polly said, smiling as Frobo nodded in agreement.
Anne quietly snuck away and answered a call from Dr. Jan.
“Yeah, Dr. Jan?” Anne asked softly.
“ANNE! YOU NEED TO COME TO THE MUSEUM! You’ll never guess who I called!” Dr. Jan said in excitement.
"Does it involve a way back to Amphibia?" Anne asked.
"Just get here! I have a person that can help that I can call to meet here!" Dr. Jan said.
“Wait, a person who can help?” Anne asked, confused.
“There’s this scientist that I know of called Terry, she’s one of the smartest people I know, if there’s anyone that can get a portal working, it’s her!”
“And you know her how, exactly?” Anne asked.
“She frequently visits the museum,” Dr. Jan said.
“Just get here! This is going to blow your mind!”
Dr. Jan ended the call as Anne looked curious and hopefully at her phone.
‘Maybe we should meet this friend. Maybe they can help us,’ Anne thought as she walked back into the den.
Plus... getting away from her parents for a bit might be useful.
“Hey, guys, I got good news," Anne said, gaining everyone’s attention. “Dr. Jan says she has a friend who’s been studying portals and thinks they can help us get back to Amphibia.”
"Really!?" Sprig asked.
“That’s great!” Hop Pop said.
“Let’s go!” Polly said as Frobo transformed into his jeep form.
“No!” Oum and Bee shouted.
“Anne, you just got out of the hospital and now you want to go off on another dangerous lead?!” Oum shouted.
“It will help get the Plantars home AND get my friends back,” Anne said.
“We still think you should stay home and rest more before jumping into possible danger again,” Bee said, crossing his arms. “A few days at least.”
"Relax, I'm just going to the museum."
“The same one that was attacked a while ago?” Oum said, remembering the news.
“And the one we-“
“VISITED. And no other robbery has happened since, so it’s fine if we go back there. It’s perfectly safe now," Anne said, cutting off Sprig.
Anne was currently glaring at Sprig.
‘Why can’t you read the room, Sprig?!’ Anne thought, sometimes hating how empty-headed Sprig could be.
“Regardless, you are not stepping out of this house! Not without us going with you!” Oum said, her hands on her hips.
“Do you really want to do this?” Anne asked them.
“So long as you live under our roof, YES!” Oum yelled.
"Fine, then you can drive."
“Let’s race!” Polly shouted, still in Jeep Frobo.
“No racing!” Oum and Hop Pop shouted.
“…….Maybe later,” Bee muttered softly, glancing away.
"Polly, can you please leave Frobo here?" Anne asked, "It'll only be an hour."
“But what if we need him?!” Polly asked.
“We don’t need him to make more donuts on the museum floor," Anne said blankly.
"Fine," Polly said.
Polly pouted and Frobo whined a bit as he slowly drove away to the garage.
"Come on, it won't be that long."
“Yeah, we’ll be back before you know it, buddy!” Sprig shouted at the frog robot transformer.
"Come on, let's go."
The Boonchuys and the Plantars, wearing their disguises, assembled in the car before driving off to the museum.
'Alright, this will be easy... hopefully.' Anne thought.
The drive to the museum was nice, quiet, and safe; just as Anne’s parents wanted it to be as they were visibly relaxed when they arrived. They barely got out of the car when Dr. Jan came out to greet them.
“Anne! Plantars! You’re here! Great!” Dr. Jan shouted as she greeted her parents. “Mr. And Mrs. Boonchuy, pleasure to meet cha! Anyway, you would not believe what I've found!"
“Lead the way, doc!” Hop Pop said with vigor.
“Yeah! Show us what ya got!” Sprig said with a nod.
Dr. Jan led them to the office. Inside, they saw the same vase as before on her desk as well as the friend Dr. Jan was told them about sitting in one of the chairs.
"Okay, what have you found out?"
“First, let me introduce you to my friend. This is Dr. Terri, a scientist from the local research facility.” Jan said, introducing Terri.
"Nice to meet you." Anne said.
“Likewise. Even more so even.” Terri said in excitement as she got up and shook hands with Anne.
"So, has Dr. Jan filled you in on... everything?" Anne asked.
“She did and I almost didn’t believe her until she showed me the vase and the hidden message. There is no other recorded language like it on Earth.” Terri said, excited. “Or the unique material it’s made off.”
“Material?” Hop Pop asked.
"Vases have come in many different shapes, sizes, materials... but this one... it's like nothing on earth."

“Well, during my last visit, I brought this over.” Terri said, reaching into her lab coat and pulling out a special device. “I was carrying this experimental scanner my boss was working on to tinker with at home but when I passed the museum, it started going off.”
"Oh?" Anne asked.
“What’s so special about it?” Bee asked, interested in the scanner.
“Its main objective is to scan for special properties and minerals. And when it came face to face with this vase, it nearly went haywire and fried itself!” Terri said in excitement. “I have to keep it off just to keep it from frying again.”
Safe to say the interest meter has gone up.
“And what does his mean about a portal Dr. Jan told Anne about?” Polly asked.
"That brings me to my next point." Dr. Jan said, "There's another message on the inside."
“A second message?” Sprig asked in surprise.
“Uh huh, come and see!” Dr. Jan said, gesturing for them to come to the vase. “I’ll show you with the blacklight.”
The text was in the Amphibian language, which reminded Anne about the previous message.
"Oh, I almost forgot." Anne said, "I looked through Marcy's notes and translated the previous message."
“Oh! Then can you tell us what is it? Along with this one?” Dr. Jan asked, leaning the vase down and shining a black light inside.
Anne pulled out Marcy's journal and looked at the message she translated before.
"Find the Mother of Olms, she will lead you to your destiny." Anne said, "Which... does not really answer any questions."
“And what exactly is an “Olm?” It almost sounds like your mother’s first name.” Bee said, gesturing to his wife.
“I believe I can answer that.” Hop Pop said as everyone turned to him. “Back in Amphibia, Olms are a race more ancient than all others combined. Some say they’re long gone while others say they are in hiding.”
"Well, that doesn't really help, then." Anne said, "And I truly doubt they’re talking about Olms here, as they're just normal animals."
“I guess that’s something we’ll take care of once we find a way back.” Sprig said with a shrug. “What about the second message? What does it mean?”
Anne moved closer to the vase and looked inside, seeing the message and grabbing a pen from Dr. Jan’s desk. She started translating it and realized something... it was instructions on how to build a portal.
“Holy shit….” Anne said in awe.
“ANNE!” Oum, Bee, and Hop Pop shouted from the foul language.
"We... oh frog..." Anne said, her words starting to fail her.
The rush of hope and sudden adrenaline was too much for Anne, almost making her pass out as she stumbled to stay standing.
"Anne, we need to talk about you blacking out so much." Hop Pop said, seeing her nearly pass out... for like the 100th time since he met her.
“Are you not getting enough to eat? What have you eaten since you came back?” Oum said, rushing to help Anne stay stable.
"Mom, I'm eating enough." Anne said.
“Then why do you keep fainting?! Was there something in those giant bugs you ate in Amphibia?” Bee asked his daughter.
“The bugs were fine, dad! I just got overwhelmed by what I translated, it could be the only way to get back to Amphibia.” Anne said as she moved back to the vase and wrote down the portal ingredients/instructions.
"Also, it's usually from blood loss." Sprig said, “Not food.”
"SPRIG!" Anne said.
“Once again, you are going to worry me into the grave.” Oum said blankly.
"Hey, I'm not afraid of a fight if it means protecting others." Anne said.
As Anne finished writing down what was inside of the vase, Dr. Jan and Terri moved to look over her shoulder at the translation.
“Guys? Personal space?” Anne asked them.
"Sorry."
“This is just so exciting! Maybe this information will be enough for our portal experiment to finally work!” Terri said as she and Dr. Jan backed away.
"Yeah, well, it might be a while before that, this is just step one." Anne said, "Use the power within.... power within? What could that be?"
“Maybe something in the vase?” Sprig asked, jumping on the desk and picking up the vase.
“I don’t think so, I’ve looked inside AND outside of the vase. There’s nothing inside of it.” Dr. Jan said.
"Hm... let's just go slow and figure it out in time." Anne said.
Anne took the vase from Sprig and put it down on the desk before looking over the list of instructions/ingredients again.
"Huh? A lot of these have alternatives in this realm... weird."
‘Maybe it’s a parallel universe similarity kind of thing?’ Anne thought as she gave Terri the list.
Terri looked over the list.
“Mmm, interesting. I think I can get this stuff by this afternoon and have you guys meet me at my lab.” Terri said with a smile.
"Perfect." Anne said.
“What do we do in the meantime?” Polly asked.

“How about we go back to the Thai temple?” Sprig asked.
"Might be the best option." Hop Pop said.
‘No doubt the temple pack is going to be happy I’m okay. But I wonder how they’ll react to seeing me after the whole robot incident.’ Anne thought.
As they went to the temple, little did they know, they were being watched.
“Eyes on the suspects. Proceeding with caution.” The person said, driving behind the Boonchuys from a distance.
In the Boonchuy vehicles, Anne was thinking to herself.

'What's going to happen when we get back? What if this is a one way trip? What happens if this doesn't work?'

Even when a solution was so close and possible, Anne was still thinking about all that could go wrong. They had been on Earth for months and she could only imagine what’d happened on Amphibia since.

‘I can’t think of that right now.’ Anne thought, shaking her head to stop her worries for now.

"Anne? You alright?"

“Huh? What? Sorry, I was lost in thought.” Anne said to Sprig.

“Well, we’re here at the temple.” Sprig said as he opened the door. “Let’s go! I’m up for more foot volleyball!”

"Yeah, I'm not surprised."

“Oh don’t be like that. I’m sure you love playing as much as Sprig. Just as much as I love that dancing department.” Hop Pop said with a smile.

“You do know your dancing is terrible, right?” Anne asked him.

“Not in THIS world!” Hop Pop said, walking towards the dancing department.

Anne decided to follow her mom. She might as well learn a bit about being a pack leader instead of just doing what feels right by instinct.

"So, what does a pack leader do?"

“She makes sure everything is running smoothly. Check supplies, make sure the pups are healthy, and attend meetings with the wolf council on other matters.” Oum explained.

"Okay, that sounds pretty simple." Anne said.

“It’s not as easy as it sounds. Plus, there are meetings with the other spirit animal packs or tribes in L.A.,” Oum said to Anne.

"I've tried forgetting about them," Anne said, remembering what happened when she was younger and another pack tried to take over their territory.

A pack of bloodhounds to be exact, people with canine spirit animals similar to wolves.

Before she went to Amphibia, Anne thought they could get along because of their similarities and pack mentality.

‘I really was a stupid kid back then, wasn’t I?’ Anne thought.

A mistake she wouldn't make again.

“Anne, we’re here.” Oum said, knocking Anne from her thoughts. “Last chance if you want to leave.”

“It’s fine, mom. Let’s go to the meeting.” Anne said, looking at the door to the Thai Wolf Council room.

"I have to learn... I carry on a legacy, hundreds of years old... I want to carry it with honor." Anne said.

‘She really has grown from being away for a few months. I hardly recognize her.’ Oum thought as she felt a new sense of pride in her daughter’s maturity.

They entered and just like before, Anne saw all of the elder wolves sitting and waiting as her grandmother was still there. Acting as the first advisor to the new pack leader, her mother.

“Greetings, everyone.” Oum said as she and Anne bowed.

They came down and sniffed them, making sure the scent was right.

The wolf council still weren’t used to Anne’s new smell but they would have to get used to it in time as Oum took her place at the leader’s spot.

As this was happening, a van pulled up outside of the temple.

“I’ve arrived at the Thai Wolf temple. The girl and her family have entered the premises.” The man said.

"Good, do you see the creatures anywhere?"

“Negative. They’re most likely inside of the temple, but it would be surprising if they’ve been integrated into the Thai Wolf Pack. It might make things difficult going forward.” The man said.

“Do whatever you see as necessary, Mr. X.”

"Copy that." Mr. X said as he adjusted his suit before casually walking into the temple, looking around with a friendly grin on his face.

‘The best hiding place is in plain sight.’ He thought.

Hiding or not, nobody could truly hide their scent and his scent immediately caught attention.

His scent was different, not just in the term of not being a wolf, but something different entirely.

Fast. Feline. Predator. There was no mistaking it, it was a cheetah.

‘What is a cheetah doing here?’ All of the older pack members thought.

Cheetahs aren't really a threat to wolves, as even a lone wolf is still stronger than a cheetah... not to mention that cheetahs actually get bullied by birds in the wild, so they aren't really that good at much besides running.

Still, it raised questions how this cheetah/man could just walk into their temple with so much confidence.

“Alert the council.” a man whispered to another, who nodded and transformed out of sight before running off.

The wolf ran towards the Den, the council room.

“And that handles the business of the upcoming full moon.” One wolf elder said. “Are there any objections to it?”

Nobody said anything, not even Anne as she was paying close attention to the meeting.

“Then this meeting-“

Suddenly, there was then a howl. Altering the elders and Anne. They turned to the doorways and saw a wolf bursting inside, transforming into a man as he kneeled before them.

“I’m sorry for breaking in during a meeting but a mysterious man just entered the temple grounds. From his scent, he’s a cheetah, and from his stature, he’s calm and collected.” The man quickly said.

“A cheetah? Here? What reason does a feline have to be here?” The council asked among themselves.

"Keep an eye on him, we shall arrive shortly." The pack Leader, Oum, said.

“Yes, pack leader.” The man said with a bow before he turned back into a wolf and ran out.

Anne watched him leave with a curious yet determined gaze. This was something she had to check out for herself, her instincts were telling her this cheetah man was more dangerous than he appeared.

Little did she know how accurate that was.

Back at the temple grounds, Mr. X was looking over a food stand for anything that caught his eye.

Even someone like him needed to eat.

“Do you have any specials?” He asked in Siamese.

"Ah, you speak the language." The vendor said, also in Siamese.

“A bit. I learned it when I was stationed in Phuket a while ago. The service and all.” Mr. X said in English as he looked over the food. “It’s been a while since I had genuine Thai food. Do you give samples?”

“Sure. Just a moment.” the vendor said, now in English.

The vendor pulled out a tray of sample foods.

Mr. X took one and ate it, humming with a smile at the taste.

“Aaaah, now this is good food. I’ll take one bag, please.” Mr. X said, glancing around for where to do next.

“Coming right up.” The vendor said.

From behind, some of the other wolves looked at him, not trusting him.

‘Now, if I was a suspicious creature, where would I be?’ Mr. X thought before seeing the Takraw/Foot Volleyball court, where loud cheering was heard. ‘Let’s try there.’

He began to walk over and observe before being called back.

“Excuse me, sir. Your food.” The vendor said.

“Oh! Sorry, my good man. I was lost in thought.” Mr. X said with a chuckle as he quickly went back to take the food and pay for it. “Keep the change.”

He went over to the court and could see various Thai temple members, both as wolves and humans, knocking a ball back and forth over a volleyball net. But one of them caught Mr. X’s attention the most, one that was short but with very strong legs by his jumping ability.

'Oh... this is almost too easy.' Mr. X thought as he ate some of the food he got and sat on a bench, continuing to watch the game while paying the most attention to Sprig and his movements. 'He's fast. Agile. And has reaction time to match.’

“Heads up, Spring!” One man said, kicking the ball into the air.

“I got it!” Sprig shouted, jumping with a backflip and kicked the ball.

Sending it flying and crashing into the sand on the other end of the court. Scoring his team the winning point.

‘And those legs have more power than you think too. Interesting.’ Mr. X thought.

“Phew! Good game, guys! I’m gonna take a break!” Sprig said, wiping his forehead.

“Sure man. Take it easy.” A man said as he gave Sprig a water bottle.

‘Now that I know where one of them is... let's see if I can find the others.' Mr. X thought.

Mr. X seemed to finish his food already, having eaten all of it while just watching the game, before he crumbled up the bag and got up from the bench to explore more of the temple.

Gathering intelligence was sometimes his favorite part of the job. And the easiest.

He walked towards the more modern buildings and up the steps, continuing to look around the temple.

'I've always wondered what a place is like compared to my church back home.' He thought.

The sound of music drew his attention, making Mr. X gazed into a room where people were wearing costumes while dancing to music.

'Could it be one of the others?' He thought as he leaned against the doorway to watch until a very short man came out.

“Make way! Art is about to be made!” He said confidently.

“Go on, Hopediah! Show us that magic.” One of them cheered for him.

That made Hopediah happy as he danced to the music, more irrationally and strangely than a human could do, but in a way, it was entrancing and beautiful.

'He’s old but he’s surprisingly quick on his feet. Still, he'll be easy to take.' Mr. X thought.

With two of his targets confirmed, Mr. X left to find the last and smallest of the trio he came to find.

'The little one should be the easiest. Once I find her.’ Mr. X thought as he went back to the lower floor, still searching for the youngest of the mysterious creatures he’d seen with the Boonchuys.

"Hey."

Mr. X turned around and saw Anne, who was checking her nails while leaning against a wall.

‘When did she sneak up on me? I didn’t even hear her sneakers squeaking Mr. X thought, glancing at Anne’s shoes.

"What brings you to our sacred grounds?" Anne asked.

"Just looking around," He said, shrugging casually. "Who might you be?"

Anne faced him, revealing her blind eye.

"Anne Boonchuy, heir to the pack, and protector of those in this temple," Anne said firmly.

“Oh! Heir to the pack? My apologies.” Mr. X said with a short bow. “I didn’t know I was in the presence of royalty.”

“Save the bowing, this isn’t England and you’re not one of the pack.” Anne said as Mr. X raised his head. “But onto WHY you’re here. This is wolf territory.”

"And they call me quick." Mr. X joked.

“Stop joking and answer the question. The pack has been on edge since you got here and that is a BIG problem.” Anne said with a growl, glaring at Mr. X.

"Well, then I guess I should cut to the chase." He said, moving closer to Anne to stare down, "You have something that I want."

“Something you want? What could I have that you would want?” Anne asked.

“No nothing much. Just……three little people that your friendly government had no records on. Do you know some people like that?” Mr. X asked, adjusting his collar.

‘He works for the government and knows about my pack?’ Anne thought, her instincts in full protective mode now.

"You know, funny thing about wolf packs... we're very loyal to those close to us, friends or family..." Anne growled, showing off some very canine like teeth, "And those that try to break that... well... we have a good meal after that... so if you so much as harm one person in this temple... you’ll have hundreds of wolves on your ass."

Mr. X put his hands up to show he meant no harm. Even if he knew how dangerous and protective animal packs can be, he still had a job to do.

“I get that, but you have to understand things from my viewpoint and my orders. A job is a job after all.” He said to Anne.

"I don't care." Anne said, intensifying her glare. "If you want them, you have to get through me."

“Sigh……I assumed as much.” Mr. X said, lowering his hands and reaching for his watch.

'Time to put the dog to sleep for a bit.' He thought.

Quickly pushing a button on the side of his watch, Mr. X fired a tiny sleep dart at Anne. Hitting her right in the neck as she stumbled back.

“What…was that?” Anne asked before losing consciousness, falling to the floor.

“Sorry, kid. But my job overrules all animal and pack laws.” Mr. X said before picking up Anne. “Now, just gotta hide you before anyone finds you.”

He looked to see a janitor’s closet close by, smiling as he opened it and set Anne on an empty mop bucket.

“Sleep tight, kiddy.” Mr. X said before he closed the door.

'Now to continue my mission.' He thought.

He continued walking through the upper floor, searching for where a young boy or girl would be right about now before it hit him.

‘Children’s class. Or a pup nursery since they’re wolves.’ Mr. X thought.

It was his best bet.

Upon reaching the children’s class/pup nursery, Mr. X peaked inside to see they were all in the middle of a Thai language lesson.

One of them really stuck out compared to the others. One that was shorter, rounder, and actually shaded pink like something not of this world!

‘Could they truly have accepted something like that as one of them?’ Mr. X thought in surprise before he refocused.

Now that he knew where they were, he needed to come up with a plan. And Mr. X LOVED himself a nice sneaky plan to capture government targets.

'Sometimes my job is just so fun.' He thought with a small giggle.

Meanwhile back in the meeting room, Oum was beginning to worry and wonder where her daughter ran off to.

‘She should’ve been back by now.’ She thought.

That's when all the lights went off in the temple. This made everyone jolt up in shock, some of them shifting into wolves to properly see what was going on or hear any commotion outside of the council room.

Suddenly, a fast moving creature ran past them.

‘What was that?!’ One of the council growled out.

‘It was fast, faster than a wolf!’ Another said as they stood up. ‘It’s the cheetah!’

Everyone in the council started running after him. Whatever the cheetah/Mr. X wanted, they would make sure he wouldn’t get it…..unless he already has.

‘ANNE!’ Oum thought as she halted and began sniffing for her daughter.

The fact that she wasn't here is what truly concerned her as Oum ran off to find Anne as the rest of the council rushed after Mr. X.

But he had tricks up his sleeve.

‘First, I’ll get the youngest one.‘ Mr. X thought as he outran the council.

Thinking Polly would be the least likely to fight back.

“WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!” Polly shouted in the nursery, looking around in the dark.

“Everyone remain calm and stay together.” The woman in charge of the nursery said.

Suddenly something came in through the vents and began to fill the room.

“What’s that gas?” One of the kids asked before they began coughing.

One by one, they began to pass out. Thanks to her years of foul smells, Polly had some resistance as she was the last one awake and covered her mouth.

‘W-What is going on?’ Polly thought, looking through the darkness before seeing a glowing pair of eyes. ‘I-Is that Anne?’

The eyes slowly got closer as a growl came out, making Polly stumble back as she did NOT recognize that as Anne’s growl. That was someone else!

“W-Who are you?” Polly asked before falling back, losing consciousness.

Mr. X quickly returned to human form and picked her up.

“That’s one down. Two more to go.” Mr. X said, walking out of the room.

‘Now to stick this one in the van and come back for the other two.’ Mr. X thought before he dropped something.

A gift to the pack to keep them off his tail.

Back with Anne, she had groaned as she rose from the floor and held her head in pain.

“What the frog happened?” Anne asked.

"Anne!" Oum yelled

Hearing her mother, Anne jolted up and looked to see Oum opening the broom closet door.

“There you are!” She said before helping Anne up. “I don’t know why-“

“The cheetah guy!” Anne said as her memories came back. “I found him and he knocked me out! He’s trying to take Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop!”

Anne stumbled out of the closet... no that was not a metaphor... and started to sniff the air, but the "gift" he left... released a potent smell in the air that made it near impossible for the wolves to pick up his scent.

“Fuck, I can’t smell him anymore," Anne said before she started running, making Oum follow. “Come on, let’s just hope we can get to them before it’s too late!”

The two shifted into wolf form and ran at full speed.

Being the closest spot, the two of them headed for the performing arts part of the temple to find Hop Pop. What they saw when they arrived was a group of unconscious performers.

‘He beat us here!’ Oum growled as Anne began sniffing and looking around for her adopted grandfather frog.

‘I can't pick up his scent!' Anne thought.

‘Shit! That means he’s already got Hop Pop!’ Oum thought with a glare as Anne turned back to normal.

She punched the wall in frustration.

“Fuck! I hate cheetahs even more now!” Anne said before rushing out of the room. “We have to hurry before Sprig is taken too!”

Her rage was building up inside of her. So much rage that her calamity powers were flashing in her eyes, but she knew she had to suppress them or else the government would know about them.

‘I’ll have to do this without relying on them.’ Anne thought as she transformed back to a wolf.

Her and Oum then headed to the courtyard. Seeing various other members of the temple knocked out or injured and licking their wounds. Some of them even looked fresh, meaning Mr. X was still here.

‘I can make it! I can make it!’ Anne thought as she and Oum ran towards the sound of commotion.

“Get away from me, you weird cat!” Sprig shouted.

In the sports field, Mr. X looked forward to this target.

‘The old man and little creature girl were too easy. This one is more of a challenge.’ He thought as he chased his last target, who was hopping around the temple stands to escape him.

Seeing this, Anne growled and charged at him.

‘Get away from my brother!’ Anne thought, using a little calamity power to blitz to the cheetah!

BOOM!

‘What was that?!’ Mr. X thought before Anne slammed into him, making him crash into a food stand!

Standing in front of the wreckage, Anne growled at the cheetah.

“Anne! Thank frog, you saved me!” Sprig said with glee as he hopped onto her back.

Anne wasn't moving, not until she tore this feline bastard apart!

“Ugh, what hit me?” Mr. X asked, coming out of the stand in human form while adjusting his glasses.

“Anne did!” Sprig shouted as Mr. X turned to them.

“You?! You should still be asleep in the broom closet!” Mr. X said in shock.

‘I used an elephant tranquilizer on her! How is she already awake?!’ He thought.

‘Where are Polly and Hop Pop?!’ Anne shouted in her mind while barking at Mr. X.

“Let me guess, you want to know where the other two are?” Mr. X said, fixing his suit. "They're safe... for now."

Anne growled louder as she stalked slowly towards Mr. X.

“BUT that can change on a dime if you don’t cooperate.” He said, putting his hands behind his back.

“You think you can just bust into their temple and make demands!?” Sprig shouted with his arms in the air.

Anne lunged at him, but Mr. X easily dodged it.

“Ah ah ah. Temper, temper.” Mr. X said before Anne lunged at him again.

Like playing limbo, he once again managed to avoid her.

“Girl, I can read you like a comic book!” Mr. X said as Anne turned to him again.

‘Then avoid this!’ Anne thought as she lunged again.

Mr. X rolled his eyes as he dodged the attack, only for Anne to turn human mid jump and kick him in the face!

“Read this, asshole!” Anne shouted as she landed and used Muay Thai, sending an elbow to his chin!

But to her surprise, he quickly caught it.

“……” Mr. X said nothing as he fixed his glasses and glared down at Anne and Sprig. “Okay, I think this joke has gone on long enough.”

He pushed her back and sent a spinning back kick into Anne’s stomach, knocking her back.

“Anne!” Sprig let out as Anne moved to hold and protect him from the fall.

“Little girl, you might have SOME skill in Muay Thai, but I have YEARS of combat training and experience. Do you really think you can beat me in a physical fight?” Mr. X asked, rubbing his bruised cheek.

Hearing him taunt her, Anne’s temper had far surpassed its limit!

“I am going to fucking kill you!” Anne shouted as her eyes flashed blue.

Mr. X was surprised by that. Not just by the sudden death threat but by the sudden flash of blue in her brown eyes.

“Save some for the rest of us.” Oum said.

Mr. X turned around and gasped, seeing Oum standing with about 30 wolves at her beck and call.

‘This many have recovered already?! What is with this wolf pack?!’ He thought in shock.

Mr. X knew he had to be careful; he only had one chance at this.

“Ha! You’re out of luck now, buddy! You can’t take on all of them!” Sprig said before glaring at Mr. X. “Now tell me where my sister and Hop Pop are or I’ll give you a lashing you’ll never forget!”

‘Ew.’ Anne thought, knowing Sprig meant lashing at the man with his frog tongue.

Acting fast, Mr. X reached into his pocket and threw something to the ground.

“LOOK OUT!” Sprig let out before lashing his tongue out, quickly catching the object and pulling it into his mouth.

“What?!” Mr. X shouted in shock.

“Ha! In your-“ Sprig shut his mouth as something exploded in it, making his cheeks expand.

Smoke came out of his mouth and he fell to the ground.

“SPRIG!” Anne shouted in worry.

“Ugh…..That was nasty.” He groaned out, alive but a little sick.

With Anne distracted, Mr. X took his chance. He turned back into a cheetah and bolted, making the rest of the pack rush to stop him from leaving or else they would lose two of their members!

Unfortunately, he was more prepared for something like this.

Cheetahs are not just fast but they’re agile too, using their tails like gear shifts to make split second turns to dodge terrain or enemies.

‘I may only have two of them but that is more than enough. I can get them back to base and see what they are.’ Mr. X thought.

Seeing the rest of the pack falling behind, Anne growled as she continued to chase after Mr. X.

‘No! You will not get away with my family!’ Anne thought, her eyes flashing blue again.

Using more calamity energy, Anne ran fast enough to follow Mr. X wherever he went. Knowing that eventually he would stop from exhaustion or lead her right to where Hop Pop and Polly were.

'I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!' Anne thought, before her powers started to flicker.

Her speed kept increasing as Mr. X looked back, seeing Anne’s cold blue gaze as if she was hunting him!

BA-DUMP!

Until Anne suddenly stumbled and passed out.

‘Huh?’ Mr. X let out as he came to a halt, confused by the sudden drop. ‘Did she just pass out mid chase?’

Well, he wasn't going to waste this opportunity.

So with a Cheshire grin, Mr. X continued to his van with Hop Pop and Polly tied up inside. Even if he didn’t get Sprig, his mission was a success.

Next, came the fun part. Getting information from them.

Chapter Text

A few minutes later, Anne woke up from passing out so suddenly.

'Fucking blue powers.' She thought.

Calamity power was great but it was so tiring to use. Even in smaller bits, the built up downside was too big.

"Anne! You're okay!" Sprig said as he, Oum, and Bee ran up to her.

"I beg to differ." Anne said, picking herself up.

"Where did that lowdown cheetah go?" Bee said with a growl.

"I… I don't know." Anne said in shame.

Oum looked around as she quickly changed into a wolf and sniffed around for Mr. X's trail. Nothing could help them find him but she only found….nothing.

She let out a howl, calling for the pack to go into the temple and lock it down.

"How is everyone?" Anne asked concerning the rest of the pack.

"They're fine." Oum said after she changed back.

"Nobody was hurt. Just a little droosy from that weird gas that man used." Bee said, crossing his arms.

Anne started to move to find where he went, but then fell down to her knees, still weak from her calamity powers.

"Anne, stop! You need to rest." Sprig said, going to help her up.

"No. Hop Pop, Polly; he took them. I have to get them back!" Anne said.

Anne had many things that people would call problems, being stubborn was one of them.

"You can't get them back if you work yourself to death finding them." Bee said, helping Sprig get Anne up. "You need to recover."

Anne was clearly angry but they were right, no matter how much she hated it!

"Fine!" Anne yelled.

"Good and don't worry. I'm going to have all able pack members search the city for that Cheetah. We can use this needle he shot you with to track him." Oum said as she pulled a plastic bag with the tranquilizer needle inside.

"We better." Anne said.

Anne was guided back to the temple, where she saw various members of the pack checking on others and making sure they were alright from being hit with Mr. X's knockout gas or tranquilizers.

Some looked fine and others looked a bit sick but all of them were alive and breathing.

'That's good at least.' Anne thought with relief.

Once in the infirmary of the temple again, Anne was set in the couch as the pack healer/nurse attendant looked her over.

'I am really getting tired of this.' Anne thought with a frown.

"It's becoming worrisome how reckless you have become, Anne." The nurse wolf said.

"If you were where I was, you'd understand I needed to be reckless to survive." Anne comments, caressing her blind eye for a moment.

"She's not wrong." Sprig muttered, looking away.

"Well here, reckless means you have an increased chance of dying." The nurse wolf said.

"Plus you can't rely on your instincts, sweetie. You gotta use your head and outsmart this cheating cheetah." Bee said, punching his hand.

"A cheetah is just an overgrown house cat that can run fast." Anne replied.

"Anne! We did not raise you to be racist, true or not." Oum said as she crossed her arms. "And besides, cats are known to be crafty. Even if that old bully of yours from your school isn't that crafty."

"Wait, you know about Maggie?" Anne asked.

"She came by with condolences after you disappeared months ago. She really seemed sorry for everything she did to you." Bee quickly said.

'Oh I doubt that.' Anne thought, huffing a bit.

Bully or not, Maggie's mom probably made her do it to be nice. Anne wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.

"Alright, she looks fine but keep an eye on her for any more of this recklessness." The nurse said.

"Gladly." Oum said.

Anne then stood up to life and immediately tried to come up with a plan to find Mr. X.

'Sniffing the dart could work but it might have residual chemicals or be scentless.' Anne thought.

She couldn't figure out a way to find him without there being some kind of downside.

"Anne, you hungry?" Sprig asked suddenly .

"I'm fine. Why?" Anne asked.

"Just thinking that maybe some food will help you think." Sprig suggested.

"I don't know if it will." Anne said.

"Some brain food will help regardless. Come on." Bee said as he and Sprig led Anne out of the room.

"Pack leader, if I may, it's shocking to see how much Anne has grown since she returned." The nurse said to Oum. "It's almost like seeing an entirely different person."

Yeah, it was a shock to us as well." Oum said with a nod.

"And her scars, she's got as many as the strongest members of the pack have." The nurse said.

"I think that's because she is the strongest in the pack now." Oum said with a sigh. "No matter how much I don't like it."

The nurse let out a sigh of her own as she nodded and she rubbed her forehead temple.

"I didn't want to admit it because she's so young but yes. I can't deny that your daughter IS the strongest wolf in the pack now." The nurse said before looking at Oum. "And with that title, comes its own danger."

"I know, but it's part of being high ranking in the pack." Oum replied.

"I get that but what about her as your daughter?" The nurse asked.

"…I just have to guide her as best as I can. No matter how much it worries me." Oum said, walking out of the nurses office.

And it did in fact worry her. VERY MUCH!

'The life of a warrior is too heavy to bear for someone Anne's age. I need to make sure she doesn't collapse from the weight of it.' Oum thought as she went to find her family.

Right to the open courtyard area near the food stands.

But Anne was too on edge to even sit down and eat. She chose to stand and leaned against the table as she ate her food, not even bothered by the looks she got from Bee and Sprig.

"Anne, please sit down. You'll collapse again if you don't." Bee said, eating a Thai peanut chicken wrap.

"I can afford to sit down too long, I need to figure out how to find Hop Pop and Polly." Anne said.

"We'll think of something together but being on guard like that will make you paranoid." Sprig said, eating some rice with water bugs and grasshoppers.

"And that helps me think better!" Anne said.

"Did she become like this over her stay in Amphibia?" Bee whispered to Sprig.

"Kind of. Becoming a pack leader for our town made her really stressed." Sprig whispered back.

"I can still hear you guys!" Anne shouted, making them jolt. "We are literally less than three feet away from each other!"

"So that means you don't need to yell at them." Oum said, walking up to them. "They're just worried about Hop Pop and Polly you just like, so please just calm down Anne."

Anne gained a pained look on her face, as if the idea of calming down hurt her more than any other injury.

'God, I changed too much in Amphibia. I barely know how to relax anymore.' Anne thought as she forced herself to sit down, with her joints popping being loud enough for them to hear.

"…Did that hurt, Anne?" Sprig asked suddenly.

"Very." Anne said as she "calmly" ate her food, some simple chicken with a side of yellow rice.

"... I'm going to look up a therapist for you after this." Oum said.

"No therapy." Anne said quickly.

"Okay… …. …Now that you've "calmed down" a bit, let's get to work on making a plan." Bee said to everyone.

"First we need to find out where Mr. X even went with Hop Pop and Polly." Anne said quickly.

"Yeah, where would a guy who could turn into a big cat run off to?" Sprig asked as he scratched his chin.

"Possibly some secret hideout nearby." Bee assumed, tapping his lip. "Maybe an abandoned warehouse or a business cover front?"

"You watch too many spy movies but you're not wrong if he is with the government." Oum said to her husband.

"Yeah but don't forget we live in L.A., do you have any idea how many empty buildings there are? Hell, our entire city is known for the amount of homeless people there are!" Anne said a bit loudly.

"Language." Oum said firmly.

"And actually, the homeless community of L.A. is viewed as a neutral pack." Bee said.

"I didn't need to know that, but still! There are too many abandoned buildings to check." Anne said, jabbing her finger into the table before she put her head in her hands.

Letting out a long sigh of frustration.

"Mmmm, if the homeless community of the city is a pack, maybe we can reach out to them? See if they have seen anything unusual?" Sprig suggested.

"That's a long shot, Sprig. We would need to know if they have a pack leader or council to ask for their help." Oum said with a sigh. "But it's a decent idea if our trackers can't find a lead."

"We can't wait that long, mom!" Anne said as she looked up to Oum.

"Then what do you suggest, Anne? Hacking the city camera system? We don't know anyone smart enough to do that." Bee said, shaking his head.

Anne jolts from this, remembering that she just made new friends with a scientist working on the portal to Amphibia and two genius engineers helping build it!

"Terri, Jess, and Ally!" Anne shouted, making everyone jump a bit.

"Huh?" The others asked, mostly from hearing loss at Anne's sudden shout.

"Terri, Jess, and Ally! They're geniuses! If we ask them, maybe they can hack into the city cameras to find where that government jerk went!" Anne said with a smile.

"But wouldn't that be sort of…illegal?" Bee asked gently.

"So is kidnapping." Anne said, quickly becoming blank.

"She's not wrong…maybe it's worth a try." Oum said with a sigh, shaking her head. "I can't believe I'm going to allow this."

"Great, I'll call them right now!" Anne said.

Anne pulled out her phone and dialed Terri's number, putting it on speaker for the table.

Every second it rang, Anne felt her anxiety raise... she really needed to get some anxiety pills after this now that she thought about it.

'Come on, come on, answer already!' Anne thought before finally getting a person.

"Hey, Anne!" Terri said with glee.

"Oh thank god. Listen Teri, I really need your help right now." Anne said.

"Besides on the portal, which I'm making the program for now?" Terri asked, typing on a computer.

"Yes. Polly and Hop Pop have been kidnapped and I need you to hack into the city cameras to find the vehicle that took them." Anne said, getting straight to the point.

Terri paused for a moment after hearing this.

"That's all? I do that when I'm bored." Terri said.

"You what now?" Bee and Oum asked in surprise.

"Great!" Anne said with a grin.

"No problem. If you'll just give me a second to save my progress , I can check the cameras." Terri said before sipping a drink over the phone. "Excuse me, thirsty work."

In the warehouse housing the portal, Terri began typing on her laptop and only after a couple of minutes, she opened the Los Angeles traffic security camera footage.

"Alright I'm in. I'll check the footage from the last 2 hours. Who or what do you want me to spot?" Terri asked on the phone.

"Any vehicle that looks suspicious." Anne said over the phone.

Terri looked around before seeing a vehicle with the words "Not Government Property" on it.

"Found it and I have to say, it is the dumbest looking ice cream truck I have ever seen." Terri said blankly.

"An ice cream truck? That's stupid, Summer's already over." Bee said over the phone.

"To be fair, even in the fall, it's pretty warm here." Anne said.

"Either way, this works for us. Where was that truck heading, Terri?" Oum asked.

"I'm checking right now." Terri said as she focused on the street address. "Looks like they took a road out of the city to an old building."

"How far?" Anne asked.

"Into the desert, a couple miles at least." Terri said.

Back at the Thai temple food court, Anne leaned back with a groan.

"Great." Anne said.

Most Wolves and the harsh desert climate do not mix well. At least not the kind that Anne was.

Not to mention it was mainly coyote and vulture territory, anyone found dead there was their meal.

'No wonder that cheetah slipped there, it's basically no man's land where few tread.' Anne thought. 'But in order to save Hop Pop and Polly, I have to take the chance.'

"Can you make us a map? Even if it won't get us completely there, it could get us a good distance." Sprig said kindly into the phone.

"I'll see what I can do." Terri said.

"That's great. We're gonna get ready on our end, so please send the map to my phone when it's done." Anne said.

"Will do. See you later, Anne. All of you." Terri said before the phone call ended.

"Well, that helps a bit." Anne said.

"But now we're back to your problem. You have to be PATIENT and wait for her to send the map to you." Sprig said to her.

Gazing blankly at Sprig, Anne took in air through her nose before letting it back out through her nose.

"I'm going to get more food." Anne said, standing up and walking to another food stand.

"Not too much!" Oum said as her mother.

"Yeah, yeah." Anne said with a dismissive wave.

Groaning and dragging her hand through her hair, Oum glanced at her husband.

"Ugh, that girl is not going to stop until she destroys all her problems or eats them away." Oum muttered.

"Yeah, she's at that age I guess." Bee said with a shrug.

Waiting in the food line, Anne clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.

'We're so close! So fucking close! I just have to wait a bit longer, just wait!' Anne thought as her instincts were screaming at her to go without the map.

She had to fight her instincts, as doing that would cause more problems. No matter how much she WANTED to right now as she reached the front of the line.

"Give me an extra large number 3 please." Anne said to the food stand attendant.

"Do you want fries with that?" The attendant asked.

"A BASKET of them, please." Anne said.

"Right away." The attendant said with a smile.

-One large and an angrily eaten meal later-

A ping came to Anne's phone on the table, making everyone at said table glance at it.

Anne lunged at her phone and opened it, looking at it as hard as her eye will let her.

'Here's the map. I hope it's up to snuff.' Terri texted as a PDF of the map was attached.

'It's perfect.' Anne thought with a smile.

"Alright, we have a map, let's go." She said, glancing up to everyone.

"Not yet. First we have to clean this mess up. We're wolves, not pigs." Oum said, gesturing to all of the food wrappers on the table.

"Fine, let's make this quick." Anne said

"Just like cleaning my room back home." Sprig said with a fond smile.

That just made him miss his grandpa more and want to rescue him even more.

'Don't worry Hop Pop, Polly; we're coming!' He thought as they all cleaned up the table.

-In an undisclosed location-

Currently with Hop Pop and Polly, they were in a dark room. Both of them are still unconscious and strapped down to examination tables before bright lights shine down on their faces.

"UGH! Shut off the lights! I'm still sleeping!" Polly shouted.

"Hm... no." Mr. X said.

He snapped his fingers and made the lights brighter, nearly blinding the both of them as they screamed in pain!

"SON OF A FROG! IT BURNS!" Hop Pop shouted in pain.

"Good." Mr. X said.

"SHUT IT OFF!" Polly screamed. "PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF FROG!"

"Mmmm, okay, since you pleaded so nicely." Mr. X said before snapping his fingers, turning off the bright lights. "So how was your little nap?"

"Where are we? And what did you gas me with?!" Hop Pop asked.

"I'm the one asking the questions here." Mr X said.

Hop Pop and Polly looked up to see Mr. X approaching them, gazing down at them with a smug grin.

"Who the heck-?!" Polly had her mouth covered by him.

"Again, I'll be asking the questions, little ball thing." Mr. X said before turning to Hop Pop. "Let's start with the older and wiser frog alien."

The smile he gave didn't sit well with Hop Pop.

"…I am getting very disturbed right now." He admits.

"Good. Nervousness makes it easier to get information." Mr. X said before slamming his fist next to Hop Pop's head, startling him! "Now! Question number one, where are you from?"

"The most beautiful farm in all of Amphibia."

"A farm in Amphibia, huh? Sounds nice." Mr. X said, leaning closer and looking deeply into Hop Pop's eyes. "And where exactly is such a farm? Another planet, perhaps?"

"Planet? You're just as crazy as everyone else that thinks the Earth is round!" Hop Pop said with a bountiful yet fake laugh.

"The Earth IS round, science proved that hundreds of years ago." Mr. X said.

"Science, bah." Hop Pop said as he rolled his eyes. "Just goobledegook."

"Hmm, if you don't want to talk, maybe I can ask the younger one? She might give me some answers with a little persuasion." Mr. X said, glancing at Polly.

"Do your worst." Polly said with a glare.

"Hehehehe, you're a tough cookie. I like to break tough cookies." Mr. X said with a chuckle. "Bit. By. Bit."

Polly just spat at him, making Mr. X dodge the loogie.

"Do you worst, punk! I'll never talk!" Polly shouted.

Mr. X chuckled as he walked over to a cabinet, opening it to reveal several types of surgical tools, syringes, and vials of miscellaneous liquids.

Suddenly Polly and Hop Pop lost all defiance and became extremely nervous.

'Anne, please hurry!' They both thought as Mr. X grabbed a syringe and filled it with a strange blue liquid.

-Outside of the building, about 2 miles away-

After following Terri's map and hiding the car behind a large rock formation, Anne burst out the door in wolf form and rushed to the building to save her family/pack members.

With how she was feeling me a little calamity energy, she closed the distance quickly

'Gotta find a grate to sneak into!' Anne thought, glancing around to see any cameras or guards around the building.

She even sniffed the sandy ground to trying and find a trail from Polly, Hop Pop, or Mr. X.

'Mmmm, I've got traces of Polly and Hop Pop's spit. They must've been drooling after being knocked out.' Anne thought, following the scent's trail.

Soon, she wasn't alone as Sprig and her parents managed to catch up with her.

'Anne, you need to stop running off without thinking.' Oum growled to her.

'They're too close! I can't stop yet!' Anne growled at her, her good eye flashing blue for a second.

Oum didn't back down but allowed Anne to keep sniffing until she stopped.

'I found the trail!' Anne growled as she moved faster to a back entrance to the facility.

Where two guards were stationed, armed with heavy tranquilizer rifles.

"Shoot! How do we get past them?" Sprig whispered.

Anne's plan was to get low to the ground, get close, and ambush them.

'Anne, wait!' Bee said/growled to her, holding her back. 'I have an idea!'

'What is it?' Anne asked/growled, barely holding back.

'Sprig could surprise attack one of them while we get the other one.' Bee suggested.

'But that could put him at risk of getting captured too.' Anne growled.

'It's the best chance we have of knocking them out without causing alarm. Plus, we can steal their I.D. bags and get in easier.' Bee growled with a shrug.

Anne growled/groaned as she threw her head back.

'Fine!' She let out.

Sprig was a bit confused but he picked up a little "wolf growl" since he met Anne, so he kind of understood why they were saying.

"Guys, am I part of the plan?" He whispered as the trio looked at him, all nodding. "Great! What is it?"

Anne shifted back to human and whispered the plan into Sprig's ear or where an ear would be.

"Still great!" Sprig whispered with a thumbs up.

Sometimes, he is way too enthusiastic about things.' Anne thought.

She pulled away as Sprig jumped and clung to the building wall, crawling towards the guards from above. Anne held her breath as she watched him disappear from her sight, hoping things would go well.

She transformed back into a wolf and peaked around the corner to watch with her parents.

'It's Sprig time!' Sprig thought before launching his tongue, wrapping it around the neck of a guard and choking them!

'Woah, he's really good.' Anne thought in surprise.

The other guard gasped in shock of his ally being choked as Bee and Oum rushed at him, taking him to the ground before he could alert anyone. Mainly biting down on his throat and cutting off his air supply until he passed out.

'Step one is done.' Anne thought.

After both guards were choked out/mauled into unconsciousness, with the mauled one being treated by his torn clothes to prevent infection, the group used their ID badges to get into the facility.

"Let's get in there and save them." Anne said.

"Maybe you guys should take their clothes too to blend in?" Sprig suggested, pointing to the unconscious guards.

"No time." Anne said, quickly opening the back door. "Let's go."

Anne knew if they took too long, then there wouldn't be anything left to save.

They shifted back into wolves and Anne led them inside, picking up the scent of Polly and Hop Pop easily compared to the other scents inside.

'We're getting close.' Anne thought.

As Anne tracked the other Plantars, Sprig, Bee, and Oum were on the lookout for any guards that would make their rounds in the path they took.

'We're so close. I can practically taste Hop Pop's skin mucus.' Anne growled as they got closer.

Despite trying to be stealthy, a few guards managed to spot them and tried to stop them... that wasn't going to happen.

Anne, Bee, and Oum went for non lethal bites to their collars; breaking them and sensing the agents into shock before dragging them out of sight.

'That was scary but cool!' Sprig thought Anne sniffed the floor again.

'We're close.' She thought.

She picked up Sprig and set him on her back before running off, making her parents rush to follow.

'We must be close!' Sprig thought as he forced himself not to cheer from this ride.

Eventually, the group came up on two metal doors.

'They're in there?' Oum asked as she could smell them.

'Yeah, they are! Let's get inside now!' Anne said as she transformed into a human and used the keycard.

The doors opened as everyone prepared themselves for whatever they would find on the other side.

"Here we go." Sprig said, gulping nervously in hopes his family was okay.

Once the doors opened and they quickly went inside, Bee and Oum stood guard as Anne and Sprig went ahead.

Inside, they found two metal tables... that were completely empty.

"What?! They're not here!" Sprig shouted in shock. "But you sniffed that they would be here!"

'They're not here?!' Bee let out a bark as he and Oum looked into the room.

Anne shifted to human and looked around, wondering the same as Sprig.

"Where are you?! I know you're here, you damn cat man!" Anne shouted in anger.

The doors suddenly closed shut and the lights in the room turned on as a hidden door opened at the side of the room. Anne growled as Mr. X revealed himself... before seeing Polly and Hop Pop safely standing beside him.

"Polly! HP!" Anne said, happy to see them safe.

"You're okay!" Sprig shouted as he hopped over to them, hugging them both tightly.

Anne smiled at their reunion before growling at Mr. X, who was standing there completely calm.

"YOU!" Anne said as her eyes flashed blue.

"Whoa, girl! No need for that hostility anymore, it's all good." Mr. X said with his hands up. "We're all friends now."

"HOW ARE WE FRIEND NOW?!" Anne shouted, stomping closer to him.

"Anne, Anne. We get that you're mad, furious in fact , but just let us explain." Hop Pop said, getting in between her and Mr. X.

"You need to take a chill pill, seriously." Polly said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, you're too high strung all the time. It's really a buzz kill."

The growl that came from Anne at that comment couldn't even be described as predatory, that was straight up DEMONIC.

"Now hang on, that was not technically her fault. She and Hop Pop are sort of…unfiltered at the moment." Mr. X said, patting Polly's head.

"Unfiltered? What do you mean by that?" Sprig asked as Oum and Bee turned into humans.

"I used a truth serum to get them to give me information." Mr. X said.

"YOU WHAT?!" The Boonchuys shouted in shock.

"What's truth serum?" Sprig asked, confused.

"Mr. X says it's a little chemical thingy that makes anyone the truth about anything. Really unpleasant and rude if you ask me." Hop Pop said.

"Yeah, like how I secretly love eating bugs slowly so I can feel them fighting to stay alive." Polly randomly said.

"... Honestly, I wouldn't even say that's a secret." Anne said.

"It's not when I just slowly swallow them whole." Polly said in a chilling whisper.

"…I don't feel safe around you sometimes, Polly." Hop Pop said.

"Ditto. That little one is VERY scary but moving on, we are on the same side now, Ms. Boonchuy and parents." Mr. X said as he looked at Anne and her parents.

"Really? That's all it took?" Anne asked, raising a brow.

"Well, the authors want to speed things up a bit." Mr. X said, glancing at the fourth wall for a moment, "But that's besides the point, if there is an invasion coming, it's my job to make sure it's stopped."

"And with King Andrias on the warpath, we need all the help we can get." Hop Pop said.

"Plus with their tech, I can give Frobo a full body again!" Polly screamed in excitement.

Not able to argue with their reasonings, Anne groaned loudly as she dragged her hand down her face.

"Ugh, fine." Anne said.

'I was SO looking forward to mauling someone who deserved it.' Anne thought. 'Guess I'll just save that energy for Andrias.'

"Great! I look forward to working with all of you." Mr. X said before Oum marched up to him.

"Oh no! We aren't square yet, mister! You still gotta answer for all the chaos you caused at the temple!" She said, pointing at him.

"You got a lot to answer for, buddy." Bee said as he crossed his arms.

Instead of looking worried, Mr. X just looked amused.

"I expected that but I'm sure we can work something out." He said, holding his hand out.

CRACK!

"Oh we will!" Oum said with a glare, crushing his hand as she "shook" his hand.

'…Okay, wolves are not only vicious but they hold a MASSIVE grudge... noted.' He thought, trying not to scream in pain.

Chapter Text

"Alright, let's get this done." Anne said, waiting on the sidelines for the portal to be finished.

"Do you just not understand the concept of patience?" Mr. X asked Anne, sitting next to Anne in the warehouse the portal rested in.

"I do, and I have been... for months since we came back." Anne said.

"Honey, that's nothing. Do you know how long soldiers have to wait for shore leave? Myself included before this job." Mr. X commented to Anne.

"No, and I really don't care." Anne said, rudely and uncaring. "The second world I care about is in trouble… my pack and my… friends… in trouble right now, and I need to get back."

She struggled to use the word "friends."

Friends that had betrayed and hurt Anne in ways she could've never thought.

Sasha, as she had joined the toads and tried to execute Hop Pop in a crazy scheme to rule all of Amphibia's lower class/frog class.

Marcy, whose fault it was that they ended up in Amphibia because she was too scared of moving away from her friends.

She truly wondered if "friends" was the right word to call them after everything that happened.

"If your friends are as tough as you are, they'll be fine until we get there." Mr. X said, patting Anne's back.

"You're right on that at least." Anne muttered.

Anne didn't actually know if she was going to actually be able to not rip their throats out when she saw them.

'I'll think about that after we stop Andrias and his crazy ass plans.' Anne thought as Sprig, in his human disguise, came over with refreshments.

"Boba tea anyone?" He asked with a smile.

Well at least she could always count on Sprig, the most loyal and honest friend Anne had… EVER.

"Thanks, Sprig." Anne said as she took one.

"You got mine how I like it?" Mr. X asked as he took his.

"Green tea flavor with extra sugar." Sprig said with a nod.

"Thank you." Mr. X said before he took a sip. "Hmm… not bad."

"Great. Glad I didn't screw up the orders." Sprig said as he drank his own, which had some Thai bug snacks to make his boba tea crunchier.

Drinking her tea and sighing in relief, Anne decided to walk away for a moment. She needed a minute to herself.

She had everything she needed to get back to Amphibia right now but was still too antsy! Still felt like she could be doing so much right now.

'I can't help but shake off this feeling that something is wrong,' Anne thought as she went outside of the warehouse and drank more boba tea.

Gazing at the random traffic outside of the gates of the warehouse to act as some sort of guard.

She didn't show it but she was nervous. Something bad was going to happen, she just knew it. And if Anne wasn't ready for it, it would just spell disaster for everyone like when Andrias sent the stealth robot to kill her.

'What if he sent another robot or more than just one?' Anne thought before thinking of Wartwood. 'What if they're all over Amphibia like an invasion force?'

Anne nearly crushed her boba tea at the thought and horror of Andrias putting Amphibia under martial law and using hundreds of robots to do it.

He had all those ancient factories at his disposal, so it was painfully possible.

'... Andrias.' Anne thought, actually growling at just the thought of him

"Hey Anne! There you are!" A voice said, making her turn to it.

"What's up, Polly?" Anne asked the pup of her pack in her human child disguise.

"I wanted you to be the first one to see Frobo's new body! The stuff Mr. X let us use is really useful!" Polly said with excitement.

"Alright, lead the way." Anne said, finishing the rest of her boba tea and following Polly back into the warehouse.

To a specific lab area the pollywog was given for making repairs/improvements to Frobo.

And it's safe to say, Anne was VERY impressed.

"Dang, girl, you've been busy!" Anne said, now seeing an upgraded Frobo. "Looking good, Frobs."

"Thank you." Frobo said, winking with a peace sign by his right eye.

His new body was almost exactly like his old one, only for it to be in a pink, purple, gold, and white color scheme with longer shoulder pads, leg guards, and antennas on top of his head. A very "anime girl" kind of color scheme.

"He doesn't just look good, he's packing tons of weapons!" Polly shouted with glee. "Show her, Frobs!"

Nodding, Frobo transformed his arms into laser cannons, his chest opened to reveal twin gatling guns, and his back and shoulders opened up to reveal shoulder and back mounted missile turrets.

"…Please tell me you didn't rob a gun store." Anne said.

"What? No! As cool as that would be, all this came from Mr. X! He said anything we need, we got it!" Polly said as she climbed up Frobo and sat in a cockpit/built-in bucket seat attached to Frobo's back. "It even has a place for me to watch Frobo's back!"

"And it has guns too?" Anne joked.

"YEP!" Polly said as a gatling gun turret pulled up in front of her. "And that's not all! Check this out!"

She tapped Frobo's shoulder and a new opening came, shooting a soda can out.

"A soda dispenser? Isn't that risky since they can be shaken up inside of Frobo?" Anne asked.

"You don't think I wanted that?" Polly said as she shook up the soda and aimed it, letting it blast right down her gullet. "Delicious!"

"Hehehehehe. Never change, Polly. Never change." Anne said with a chuckle.

'At least with someone like Polly, we have a wild card against Andrias.' Anne thought with a small grin.

Soon, the portal was done.

"We did it! We freaking did it!" Terry screamed in excitement, hugging Ally and Jess close.

"Heheheh, yeah! I would have to say this is the most exciting thing we've ever created!" Jess said as she smiled.

"Now all that's needed is to open the actual portal." Dr. Jan said, ready to press a button, "Everyone prepare yourselves."

Everyone was assembled in the main area and stood close to the back wall as Ally and Jess gave a countdown.

"Three!" Ally shouted.

"Two!" Jess shouted.

"One!" They shouted together. "Activate portal!"

Dr. Jan happily pushed the button as the machine hummed to life.

Creating...a VERY SMALL portal opening. Not enough to go through but enough to let them SEE Amphibia.

"Uh... why is it so small?" Anne asked as she got closer with the Plantas, before seeing something coming into view. "Oh no. Red Mantis, incoming!"

Before long, the mantis turned to the portal and stuck its giant claw through as Anne pulled the Plantars away.

"Close it!" She demanded.

Dr. Jan quickly slammed the button down, shutting down the portal and cutting off the limb from the Red Mantis.

'Well...that FELT like Amphibia.' Anne thought, somehow feeling joy from the near death experience.

"Well, the portal worked, so that's a good thing, but it fell sort of short from what I was expecting. But that's just me." Mr. X commented.

"Uh... I'm sure that can be fixed." Terri said, looking over the machine blueprints again.

"But what's there to fix? We did everything right." Ally said as she picked up a notebook, opening it. "Going off the notes of Terri's old mentor, we should've been able to make a bigger portal than the one she discovered."

"Maybe there was something we missed? An unknown element?" Jess asked, looking at the notebook.

Anne looked at them working and got worried.

The portal worked, they could finally return to Amphibia, but it was too small for them to use.

What was missing? What could be the key to making the portal big enough for them to walk through without risk? Soon, her worry began to turn into anger.

'After all of this time and effort, it still doesn't work!?' She thought, marching towards a wall.

She began to clench her fist as her calamity energy sparked, struggling to control herself after hitting the biggest dead-end ever!

And at her boiling point, Anne punched the wall and put a massive dent in the concrete.

This also alerted everyone towards Anne, making them focus on her instead of the portal.

"Anne! I know you're upset but bringing the house down won't fix it!" Mr. X shouted at her.

"Maybe not, but it'll make me feel better!" Anne said, her voice echoing from the calamity energy.

Suddenly, alarms started beeping, making everyone look at the portal. Seeing it sparking and starting up again, ON ITS OWN!

"What is going on?!" Mr. X shouted as Terry, Ally, and Jess rushed to the controls.

"We don't know! This shouldn't be happening! It's almost as if something forced the portal to open!" Terry said, trying to override this sudden override.

It was then, it hit Anne! Something that was so obvious yet so forgettable!

"Wait... the gems powered the portal." Anne said, holding up a hand, "And if I have the power of one of the gem... then I should be able..."

Focusing on her calamity energy more than her anger, Anne slowly "commanded" the portal to enlarge and become 3 times its original small size.

"It's working!" Sprig said, pointing to the portal.

"The portal's power levels are reaching new heights! This is incredible!" Jess said with excitement, looking at the machine's readings.

'Thank you, weird blue powers.' Everyone that didn't know about the calamity energy thought.

"Alright people, this is not a drill! I repeat, not a drill! Plantars, get ready to head into the portal with Anne!" Mr. X said to the frog family.

"And Frobo!" Polly said in glee.

"Of course, and Frobo, too." Mr. X said with a smile and a nod.

Anne chuckled a bit as she kept focus on the portal, maintaining its size, while the Plantars switched their human disguises for their normal clothes. Or lack of clothes in Polly's case minus her bow.

"Whenever you're ready, guys." Anne said.

"Ready, Anne!" Sprig said, holding a rather hefty duffel bag full of souvenirs for his people of Wartwood.

"Just let me recount my Earth seeds first." Hop Pop said as he checked a satchel full of various types of seeds from fruits and vegetables he loved here on Earth.

'Plantars Farm is gonna be on the map with these babies!' He thought since most Earth fruits and vegetables didn't exist in Amphibia.

Especially avocados, those were a game changer.

"I'm good! Got my tool kit and my Frobo buddy!" Polly said, climbing up and sitting in the cockpit behind Frobo's head.

Despite being happy to return, Anne still had this nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen. She didn't know what, but something big was coming in the near future.

Soon they were all ready as Anne turned to her approaching parents, seeing them trying not to become emotional from "losing" their daughter a second time.

Only this time, they have more hope that she'll come back home.

"Mom, Dad, I... I'm sorry I have to leave again." Anne said, frowning sadly.

"N-No. We understand. The second world you came to know as home is in trouble." Bee said, trying not to cry from sadness or pride. "Just be careful and try not to come back with more scars."

"DON'T come back with more scars. You hear me?" Oum said, also trying not to cry.

"I won't and don't worry, I'll make sure to keep my good eye intact." Anne said, pointing to her right eye.

"Do not joke about that!" Her parents shouted before they hugged their daughter.

"Just please come back, okay?" Oum asked softly.

"I will." Anne said, hugging them with one arm.

After a few moments, Anne and her parents broke away as she moved towards the portal with the Plantars at her side.

"Ready, Anne?" Sprig asked.

"... I'm ready. No more stalling." Anne said before she turned to Mr. X. "Once we go through, take this machine apart. We can let anyone outside of this warehouse know of it."

"Okay but how will you get back if we take it apart?" Mr. X asked.

"The same way I, Sasha, and Marcy got to Amphibia in the first place; with the calamity box." Anne said before gaining a small glare. "After I rip it from Andrias' fat hands along with ripping out his throat."

Her eye flashed blue for a brief second before she walked through the portal. The Plantars and Frobo quickly followed before the portal closed and the machine shut down.

"And that's that." Mr. X said before turning to Terri, Dr. Jan, Ally, and Jess. "You heard Anne, ladies. Save the blueprints and readings before tearing this bad boy down. With any luck, the world won't be in danger if we need to build it again."

'Hopefully, if we do build this again, it will be for diplomatic reasons.' Mr. X thought before glancing at the Red Mantis limb. 'We'll have to call the clean up crew to get rid of that too.'

Chapter Text

The portal closed behind them, and Anne was left in stunned disbelief. The wonderfully dangerous yet beautiful world she once knew was NOTHING like it was when they left.

The lake they saw was polluted and green, ash covered the sky like an apocalyptic snowstorm, forests were reduced to empty fields, and all signs of animal/giant bug life was nowhere to be seen.

"... Andrias." Anne said as she growled, clenching her fist, "He's ruined this world, destroyed our home, and killed... who knows how many."

"Oh my frog." Hop Pop said with wide eyes, nearly dropping his bag.

"Our home… it's horrible." Sprig said, sounding hopeless.

"We need to get to Wartwood and make sure that… that at least some people are alive." Anne said, forcing her anger into focus.

"Frobo, take us home please." Polly said, even though she was feeling depressed from this.

"Understood." Frobo said as he picked everyone up and produced rockets from his feet, flying them to Wartwood.

It didn't get better.

The more they saw of the landscape, the more they saw what damage Andrias did to Amphibia.

More destroyed forests, countless polluted lakes, fields of crops reduced to nothing but weeds…it would take YEARS to undo this damage if Andrias wasn't stopped soon.

'You… You fucking monster!' Anne thought with a growl before Wartwood came into view.

It was still standing but it looked like nothing she remembered. A complete ghost town that appeared to have been ransacked a while ago.

"Oh no." Sprig said.

"This is almost as bad as the heron attack years ago." Hop Pop said as Frobo landed in the middle of town.

"At… least it's still standing, right?" Sprig said.

"Yeah, but where is everyone? Did they skip town because of Andrias?" Polly asked, looking around.

Also wanting that question answered, Anne turned into a wolf and sniffed the ground for any scent of life.

She caught a scent, but it wasn't anything she could remember.

Suddenly, it happened. A massive worm creature rose from the dirt, wearing some kind of collar.

"ROOOOOOOH!" It roared at them with glowing eerie blue eyes.

"AAAAAAH!" Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop screamed in fear!

"GRRRRRR!" Anne growled in defiance.

"Kill it, Frobo!" Polly shouted as the robot turned to the worm creature.

Frobo's eyes turned red as he showed his weapons, only for something else to blast it from behind.

"Huh?" everyone let out in confusion.

'What the heck?' Anne thought as she tilted her wolf head.

On the roof of a dilapidated house, there were four silhouettes. One of them was holding a smoking rocket launcher.

"Bullseye!" That one said before they all jumped down to the ground.

Anne smelt something... familiar.

Something that put her at ease as the unknown people walked towards her, Sprig, Polly, Hop Pop, and Frobo.

They saw all four were wearing suits of armor before three of them removed their helmets.

"Well, look who it is." Mrs. Croaker said with a grin.

"About time you guys got back!" Ivy said happily, gazing mainly at Sprig.

"With our pack-leader back, we can win this war!" Wally said happily.

Then the last person came up.

"I don't believe it." She said, taking the helmet off, "You're... alive?"

It was Sasha, the very same girl with a bear spirit-animal that tried to force a takeover with the toads, and failed.

Her and Anne stared at each other, silence filling the air. Despite everything they had been through, that doesn't erase the pain the other had caused.

"Yeah…and so are you, it seems." Anne said, looking over Sasha and how much she had changed over the last few months.

There were a few more scars on her face, her metal arm was dented and scratched, and she looked like she had lost a lot of body weight.

'Holy shit, she looks horrible.' Anne thought as her expression faltered for a moment.

"Yeah… I know I look like crap. War against a tyrant king will do that to a girl." Sasha said, glancing at the dead giant worm. "Especially against these mind-controlled creatures, they don't know the meaning of the word stop unless you kill them or destroy the mind control device."

"Mind control?" Sprig asked.

"This helmet and collar thing!" Ivy said, running over to the dead worm and pointing to the helmet. "Andrias has this weird mushroom spore that can cause mind control. Maddie's been studying them at the hideout and trying to make a counter."

"Great, mind control mushrooms, as if things in this place can't get weirder." Anne said, rolling her eyes.

"You haven't seen anything weird yet. Wait til you see our base!" Wally said.

"Which reminds me, we should head back now before the robot sentries notice." Sasha said before eyeing Frobo. "…I take it this one is on our side because of its anime-style glow-up?"

"Yep! So don't double-cross us again." Polly said, aiming her minigun at Sasha. "Got it, bear girl?"

Unaffected and uncaring, Sasha ignored Polly and started walking towards their base.

'I didn't expect that reaction.' Anne thought as Mrs. Croaker gave a sigh. 'What happened while we were gone?'

-Line break-

"The farm? At least this place is still standing." Hop Pop said with a smile, gazing at his mostly intact home.

"But how is this your base? It's a bit too small." Polly said as they went into the house.

"Yeah... about that." Sasha said, knocking her fist against the fireplace.

The house began to shake a bit as the chimney began to part, revealing the hidden pathway that led underground.

"You would not believe how lucky we were to find this." Sasha said with a small grin.

"You guys found the tunnels under the house?!" Sprig asked, "How!?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about those." Hop Pop said, scratching his head.

"Enough talk, let's get inside before anything finds us." Sasha said

"Yeah, everyone else is waiting for us." Wally said, walking ahead.

"Everyone else? You mean the rest of the town?" Anne said in surprise.

"Heck yeah! You guys have a giant cave system down there, it's super cool!" Ivy said as she pulled Sprig in.

'Everyone is alive. My pack is safe.' Anne thought, feeling some relief wash over her.

"Alright. Let's get down there then." Anne said.

The group moved through the entrance as Sasha hit a brick to shut it down, allowing them to move to the largest chamber. Where a giant base camp/village was made to house everyone in Wartwood.

"Whoa, how long did it take to make all of this!?" Anne asked as she and the Plantars looked around in surprise.

"I'd rather not say." Sasha said, "Just know it was also while we were attacked."

"Nobody died, but there were some injuries. Some are still recovering, let me tell ya." Croaker said with a sigh.

"How injured?" Polly asked as Frobo scanned the camp.

"Minor broken bones, small laceration, and recovering from short term comas." He said.

"Yep, that's about right. Anyway, I have to tell the people about you guys." Sasha said.

"I'll go with you. It'll be easier with visual proof." Anne said to Sasha.

"Sure. They are your pack after all." Sasha said back.

They two walked towards the statue in the center, an awkward silence was present.

Both of them knew why they were silent and both were somewhat fine with it, they didn't feel the need to talk unless it was necessary.

Once they reached the stage, Sasha took a deep breath.

"ATTENTION!" Sasha shouted like a drill sergeant, getting everyone's attention. "After all the attacks these past few months, I come bearing some good news."

"Did we get a new food-supply delivery?" A random frog citizen asked.

"That is coming in 2 days. Just wait. And I'm talking about something else. More specifically someone else." Sasha said before moving to the side.

She gestured for Anne to step forward.

Gasps were heard, followed by a dropped pot breaking and a male frog passing out.

"Hey, everyone. I'm back." Anne said while being calm.

While simple and short, it was enough to fill the bunker camp with hope and thrilled rejoicing. More rejoice than they had had in months since the robot invasion started!

"She's back!"

"Our pack leader has returned!"

"We can win this war now!"

"Well, as you can see, Anne and the Plantars are back, and they're here to help us stop Andrias!" Sasha said.

'That's true but we need to learn more about what's been happening first.' Anne thought but she was still determined to kill Andrias with her claws and fangs!

"Does that mean she'll become our leader now?" Felicia Sundew asked as Ivy walked up to her.

"Not yet, first I need to brief her on everything she's missed up to now." Sasha said before looking at Anne. "Speaking of."

Sasha grabbed Anne's wrist and pulled her away to a private room filled with maps, plans, and various sat in the corner sharpening an axe.

"Commander you're- Anne, you're back?!" He said in shock.

"We need the room, Grime." Sasha said.

"Oh this is the talk you were telling me about, isn't it?" Grime asked before nodding. "Don't mind me, I'll leave you to it."

He left the room.

"Talk? I assume it's about more than just filling me in on what's been going on here?" Anne asked.

"Yeah, it is." Sasha said as she walked to some chairs in the room. "Please, have a seat."

Anne sat down and Sasha sighed.

'Okay, here goes nothing.' She thought.

"First… I'm sorry... about everything." Sasha said, "I messed up, I know, and I know our friendship is over... but can we at least work together long enough to save Marcy and Amphibia?"

"I think that's obvious but before I answer that, tell me what's been going on with you. You look like you're gonna fall over any second." Anne said, looking at Sasha's skinny frame again.

"Ever since Andrias revealed his true colors and we retreated to Wartwood, I've… made sacrifices to keep this place safe… because it and the frogs here are important to you. My body, my mind, and my spirit-animal, I've pushed it to its limits, because I promised no one would die under my watch. I've eaten less so others can have more, I lead most of the nightly patrols, I've dove head first into battle to keep others safe, and I've gotten less and less sleep from the fear of a surprise attack."

"…Why?" Anne asked, feeling shock and concern wash over her expression for a moment. "Why do all of this to yourself?"

"Because It's the only way I can atone for what I did on Earth and here." Sasha said, gazing at her metal arm. "I don't want anybody else to suffer or die because of me."

Sasha let out a sigh as she remembered Marcy's despair from her secret revealed, how she just wanted to keep them together despite taking them all to this strange new world.

"I... I just need to help end all of this and then, you can do what you want with me after." Sasha said, combing her hand through her hair.

"What you need is to rest. I'm glad you're willing to atone for what you've done but running yourself into the grave isn't the way." Anne said.

"Why do you care if I live or die? I thought you wanted me dead after what happened in Newtopia." Sasha said, glancing at Anne.

"That hasn't changed, but regardless of how either of us feels, we need EACH OTHER to end this. Alive and well." Anne said as she stood up, glaring down at Sasha. "So after you explain everything currently happening to me, you're going to eat a big meal and sleep until tomorrow. Frobo and Polly can handle patrol duty from now on."

Sasha could feel a shiver run down her spine from Anne's glare, feeling her absolute authority as pack leader pressing down on her.

"…Okay." Sasha said with a simple nod.

"Good." Anne said firmly with a nod.

She got up from her chair and went to find Grime, who was waiting outside of the room pretending not to listen.

"Oh! Are you two finished speaking?" He asked "innocently."

"Get Sasha a big meal, now." Anne ordered.

"Uh... yes, Ma'am!" He said, saluting.

He ran off as Anne went back into the room to stand beside Sasha, looking over her damaged robotic arm.

"Take it off. Frobo will repair it." Anne ordered.

"It's fine. I-"

"I am in charge now. So… Take. Off. The. Arm." Anne demanded.

Sasha groaned but unlatched her arm.

Allowing Anne see her stump for the first time in months. It had healed, but it still looked bad where it had been stitched.

"Has anybody seen this? To make sure it wasn't infected?" Anne asked.

"The blue frog girl from the bakery. She used magic to make sure." Sasha said.

"Well, I can attest, Maddie is pretty good at making sure wounds heal." Anne said.

Anne set the mechanical arm aside as Grime came back with a big bowl of roasted beetle with mash potatoes.

"Here it is! Don't ask me how I got it or complain when or if some of the people wonder why I had it." Grime said as he put the meal on the table. "Eat up, lieutenant."

Sasha had to admit, it did smell good. REALLY good.

"You heard him. Eat, then take a nice long sleep but don't hibernate." Anne said, forcing a fork into Sasha's hand.

'Even when she hates me, she's still funny.' Sasha thought with a small grin.

Well, Anne had always been funny, but, Sasha could focus on that later as she began eating the meal slowly…then eating like she was in an eating contest from how hungry she really was.

Being a bear, she was a specialist eater, but her main food source was meat, and she has gone a LONG time without meat.

"Dear gods, look at her." Grime said in shock of Sasha's savage eating.

"That's what happens when you starve yourself and it's not part of your religion. It's called "fasting."" Anne said, glancing at Sasha. "And she clearly did for too long."

"I see." Grime said, still watching Sasha eat until the plate was empty.

She even started licking the plate to get every little bit of food left on it.

"Okay, now this is getting weird." Anne said as she snatched the plate from Sasha. "Bed, now."

Sasha didn't say anything and went to bed.

The moment her back hit the sheets and mattress , she felt a comfort that almost felt foreign as her aching body was finally allowed to relax as she slowly shut her eyes.

It didn't take long for her to sleep, she was out almost instantly.

"Finally, she's sleeping soundly." Grime said with relief.

"Yeah, I'm actually glad she is." Anne said as they left the room to let Sasha sleep in peace. "Okay, Grime, what's been going on?"

"Well…it might take a while." Grime said.

"I have got all night, so start talking." Anne said with a firm expression.