Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Amphibia was the capital of the empire. 1000 years ago, humanity was conquered by the Amphibians. Human tech had no chance of beating the Amphibian armada and army. The Amphibians were just too skilled, too advanced. They were gonna wipe Humanity out, not long after stripping Earth of its resources. But something changed the king’s mind and he decided to enslave humanity. If humans were lucky, they would be sold as some pet. But most were forced to work on farms or in mines. They were much stronger and much tougher than the frogs and toads that originally manned said areas. Humans were raised from a young age by breeders or by certain farm families to work or be played with. Humans didn’t adapt well to the change at first, going from the dominant species of their own world to mere animals of another unfamiliar world wasn’t easy. But in time, and years of domestication, humanity accepted their fate.

That brings us to now. Anne was born and raised on a farm where her dad worked on the farm and her mom was a pet to the farm owner. The farm owner wasn’t mean. He understood humans were more than animals. Gave fair pay and reasonable work hours for his worker humans and allowed his pet humans to live like any Amphibian. Anne was a house pet, allowed to visit her dad on his off time, but mostly kept inside like many pet humans were. She didn’t have any friends, but her master was kind and didn’t mind being his pet. She knew she was lucky, she’d seen how other pet humans were treated. They weren’t allowed on furniture or to eat at a table. They were played with and mindless like some clueless animals. It was sad to see her own kind treated in such ways. Her owner allowed his pets and workers to eat at their own table, make their own meals, and the children were allowed to play with each other like frog children would. But her master was old, even by human standards. But he didn’t want to leave his pets and workers in the hands of frogs he didn’t trust to treat them the same as he treated them.

Anne knew her master probably wouldn’t live to see her 18th birthday, which for humans was considered adulthood or- by breeders- legal breeding age. She had a few friends that didn’t have the same realization she had, they were only 7 and she only knew because she overheard the frog talking to a friend about it. She was worried. Would she be separated from her parents? Would she never see her home again? Would she be treated like other humans were? It was terrifying to her. So when her master called for all his pets and workers to come to the backyard for a ‘meeting’, she was downright panicking. Her mother and father stood in the front of the group, and Anne was next to them.

“As you all probably know,” The old frog said, kindly. “I am getting older. I won’t be able to care for you all much longer, I know what I’m about to say might scare you, especially the children. But I’m going to give you to frogs I trust who will take care of you in- at the very least- a similar way that I have. I don’t want you all to be put into a situation too different from where you are now, but there are so many of you- as I took in as many of you as I could- that I couldn’t give you all to the same person or group of people. Some of you may be separated from your families and I’m sorry I couldn’t do better, but I will give you all the rest of the month off from your work to spend with the ones you care about.”

Anne knew this was coming, but knowing that fact didn’t make her possibly being separated from her mom and dad any easier. They only have three weeks to say goodbye. That wasn’t long compared to the years they’d been together on her master’s farm. She was born and raised here. What if her new master didn’t keep their promise to her master? What if they lied to get their hands on a human? On HER! She cried that night- like many other children- in the arms of her parents in the worker humans’ house, which was a medium sized barn that was fixed up to look like a house on the inside. Her mother smiled, saying everything would be ok. But her eyes held tears that clearly said otherwise. Anne was scared and upset. She’d never see her parents again. At the end of month, they would be gone for good. It was heartbreaking and scary. Who knows how they will be treated! How she will be treated! She’s a kid! She needs her mom and dad. But… as upsetting as it was… other humans seemed fine in their situations, not sad or upset- and while that might be because they’ve been trained to be mindless animals or work snails. She’d be lying if she tried to say they seemed unhappy. And many of those humans WERE kids, just like her.

Yeah, she can do this. Besides, she trusted her master. He was a kind man, but no fool. He’d never trust his humans to those he didn’t trust. And he wouldn’t trust anyone who would hurt them. Maybe she’ll end up with a nice family that treats her as one of their own. It would be fine, just like her mom said. Anne woke up the next morning, with red tear-stricken eyes. Her mother and father weren’t awake yet, which she kinda expected since her mom was always allowed to sleep in and her father had no work, master’s orders. So, Anne just curled up and sat in her mom’s lap for a few hours. After they woke up and spent a few more hours together. Anne smiled, despite last night’s news. Things would be fine. She was sure of it! Or was she…?

Chapter Text

Marcy was born in a breeder’s home. She spent a few years in a pet shop, where she was trained to be a pet. She was 7 when she was adopted by a lesbian couple who wanted a pet. They were kind and played with her a lot. Their names were Olivia and Yunan. She smiled at her owners as they gave her a treat for doing a trick. She didn’t know how to talk, she’d never been taught how, but she normally got her point across by making small noises and hand signals, even if her owners didn't always understand what she was trying to say, outside of expressing emotions that is. She didn’t mind this life. It had been this way for 1000 years. She came from a line of Asian breed humans. And a purebred line at that. She was expensive because of this. So, she knows her owners have a lot of money. The pet shop employees didn’t really understand that she could comprehend everything they were saying about her. But she didn’t mind. She had kind and caring owners, who gave her a lot of attention. Marcy was just playing with a ball, when she heard Yunan called her-

“Marcy!” The warrior newt called out as she and her wife entered the house. “We’re home!” Marcy ran into the room. Humans were bipedal, despite years of domestication, that couldn’t be bred out of them. So, most- if not all- humans walked on their back legs, Marcy included. Marcy smiled, as her owners pet her. “Hello. Who’s a good girl!” Marcy made a pleased sound-

‘Me! I am!’

“You are! Yes you are!” Yunan may be a warrior, but to Marcy she was like a mother.

“Marcy, we have something for you,” Olivia smiled softly, as she pulled out a small plush butterfly. “Here. We thought you’d like a new toy since your other ones are old.”

Olivia always talked to everyone- including humans- in a formal tone. Due to her years of serving the royal family, it was a habit she never really bothered to break. Marcy grabbed the plush toy and cheered. She hugged it. It was so soft. She hugged her owners as a thank you. The two pet her head and scratched behind her ear.

“Me and Yunan are gonna be going on a trip to Newtopia,” Marcy looked up at her owners, confused. Why were they leaving? “I have a very important thing I need to get done there. You will have a pet sitter, a good friend of ours. Hopediah Planter.” Marcy smiled. She knew the planter family. They often took care of the pets in Wartwood when their owners went on vacation or out of town for work. “They even have a pet human now, you’ll have a friend to play with! Doesn’t that sound fun!” Marcy nodded, excited. She couldn’t wait to meet another human.

Anne stood at the door waiting for Mr. Planter to pick her up and sign the adoption papers. Her master explained that he might be a little shocked at her similarity to frogs and that adjusting to her ability to speak, cook, and do other frog-like things might be difficult for him. Anne had said she would be patient and let him adjust to her. The doorbell rang and Anne went to answer the door, knowing who it likely was-

“Hello!” The 7 year old smiled and waved.

“You… can speak?!” A little pink frog said with stars in his eyes. There were three frogs at the door, one being a tadpole. Anne had already been told their names. Hopediah, Sprig, and Polly.

“Yup!” Anne’s master walked up behind her.

“Hello, Planters! This is Anne,” The old frog smiled. “Now you must understand she’s used to acting more frog-like than human-like.”

“Yes,” Hopediah said, a little stunned that a human could talk and open doors. “I see you’ve trained her well.”

“I prefer the term ‘taught’ over ‘trained’.”

“Yes, well where are those papers I need to sign?”

“Right here, Hopediah,” Anne’s master pulled out the adoption forms from his bag. “Sigh here. Here. And here.” He said, pointing to each line as he spoke.

“Done,” Hopediah smiled.

“Anne is yours now,” The old frog smiled. “Anne might be a little sad, since her parents were adopted by different humans and unlike most humans, and similar to many frog children, she had time to- and most certainly did- build a strong bond with them. To be separated from them at such a young age might be hard on her.”

“Mr. Planter?” Anne said, in her cute child voice.

“I- uh- Yes, Anne?”

“Do you live on a farm, like Master Prime does?”

“Yes,” Hopediah said, with a smile.

“Cool!”

“Hopediah, she’s a pet. NOT a worker,” Anne could tell it hurt her master to call her a mere pet, but she didn’t mind. Many frogs referred to her as a pet when talking to her master- Uh- FORMER master that is.

“I know that,” Hopediah said, slightly offended. “I already have a snail, I don’t need a worker. Polly and Sprig wanted a companion. You had many pets to offer. Plus, I didn’t want Anne to have to end up in a pound. With her level of intelligence- like you said yourself in your letter- she wouldn’t do well there.” Hopediah walked over to Anne and his grandkids. “Let’s go home, kids.”

“Yes sir, Master Planter!” Anne smiled, as she followed the frog children outside.

“Do keep her safe,” Master Prime said, as Anne paused just out of sight outside the doorway. “She’s special in a way that I can’t truly describe.”

“What does that mean?” Hopediah asked.

“You remember that Tadpole’s tale?” Master Prime asked the other frog. “The one about the other worlds' prophecy?”

“Of course, it’s told to every tadpole at least once.”

“I have to reason to believe-” Anne was distracted by Sprig calling her name.

“Anne! Come here!” Anne quickly caught up and sat on the back of the cart. “So you can talk?”

“Yup!” Anne nodded.

“You gotta tell me how a human learned to talk!”

“Ok!”

Chapter Text

Sasha’s parents were the chieftains of the Waybright tribe. A tribe of what the Amphibians called ‘Wild Humans’ or ‘Savage Humans’. The Waybright tribe was one of the oldest tribes and was led by Sasha’s family for nearly 40 generations. Their ancestors had been brought to Amphibia like many other humans, only instead of being broken like many others, they escaped to the forest where many died but many others survived and created tribes of humans who work together to survive. They grow their own food, train their own warriors, gather their own water, hunt down the bugs for both meat and to protect their tribe. They were thriving and had been for nearly 1000 years. Sasha was the best warrior in the tribe. She had been taught from a young age how to be a tribe chief as she would one day take over the tribe. She was already a great warrior at the age of 7. She had been helping out around the village with chores since she was five, and she had mastered a spear and bow and arrow at 6. She smiled everytime she stood at a tribal meeting between the different tribes. There were 100s of tribes in total, but only a few dozen were a part of the tribal council. The tribal council was a group of chieftains from different tribes that met up once a year to discuss land, resources, and the location of Amphibian owned lands nearby.

The point of the meetings was to make sure all tribes involved were on good terms and safe from the Amphibians. Often domesticated humans would run away from their owners, pet shops, or pounds, and may be accepted as part of different tribes. It was important to know who was from where and who was a part of what tribe for the safety of different tribes. Despite it being important to know about all members of the tribes, only the chieftains and their heirs would be allowed at the meetings. The less people at the meetings, the less likely they are to be spotted by the Amphibians.

It was actually during one of these meetings that this first started. Sasha was just standing like normal, when the Toad army struck. She watched as the adults were slaughtered and her and the other heirs were taken hostage by the toad army. They were thrown into a prison cell. Them!? The future heirs of the tribes! These toads had some nerve. Sasha huffed. She would figure out a way out, her tribe needed her. She couldn’t care less about the other heirs, but she wouldn’t want to use that excuse when asked where they were and how she escaped. Plus, they might be of use to her own escape. A toad guard came to bring their food, it was bland and sludge-like in both taste and flavor, but it was food nonetheless. Which meant they weren’t wanted dead. Which was good for Sasha and the others. But if they didn’t want them dead, why did they want them? Why did they kill their parents? Sasha had so many questions, and- while she DID want answers- she refused to plead or cry in front of them. She needed to make them think she had control of this situation. The other heirs were scared or crying. Eventually, Sasha finally felt like she had enough control of her emotions to demand answers without sounding scared or upset-

“YOU!” Sasha said to the toad who gave her routine food, with as much anger as she could muster. The toad seemed shocked that a human could speak. “I demand to speak to your chief!”

“Chief? You mean Captain Grime?” The pink female toad asked.

“I- yes!” Sasha stated, the other heirs- with tears in their eyes- watched as the heir of the Waybright tribe stood up to their captors. “I demand to speak to Captain Grime!”

“I- sure?” The toad was still in a bit of shock. Sasha stood close to the bars of her cell. A few minutes later, a toad with one blue eye with a scar over it and the other eye was yellow. He was scary, but Sasha stood her ground-

“My soldier says you can speak, human. I highly doubt that,” Sasha’s eyes narrowed at the toad’s voice. “You are mere animals. Nothing more.”

“I AM NO ANIMAL!!!” Sasha growled. The toad was taken back. “I demand you release me and the others!”

“A human that can speak…” The toad muttered, before laughing evilly. “ I wonder what else you can do?” Sasha huffed, feeling ignored by this toad-

“Did you not hear me!? Hello!?“ Sasha growled in frustration again.

“I’ll make you a deal, human.”

“Sasha! My name is Sasha!” The 7 year old huffed, crossing her arms.

“Sasha,” The toad muttered. “Fine, Sasha. Show me what you can do and I’ll let you all go.”

“Wait- really?!” Sasha didn’t think that her plan would work. She was shocked. No way it was that easy… right?

“Yes. But only if you impress me.”

“Fine!” Sasha huffed, keeping her arms crossed with a smirk. “I’ll show you exactly what I can do! And you’ll be glad to let us all go!”

“We’ll see about that,” The toad let Sasha out of the cell. “Follow Percy.” Said toad waved. “He will show you to the training area.” Sasha nodded and followed the other toad to the training yard. There was a shed there, full of weapons. Sasha pulled out a spear first. She smirked.

“Let’s do this,” Sasha got on guard as she stood on the dirt ground, ready to fight.

There were a few toads willing to up against a child. Sasha smirked, as the toads charged at her. She used the wooden end of the spear to knock out one of the three toads. The second toad ran at her with a battle cry and an axe, she jumped back, and swiped the spear low to the ground, sweeping the second toad off his feet. The third toad looked nervously between her companions and the child holding the weapon. She dropped her mace and hid behind their spider barn.

“My my,” Grime clapped. “Good work, Sasha.” The toad walked up and held a sword to her throat-

“H-hey!” She said, her child-like fear coming to the surface once again.

“You're much too dangerous to be let go, but, if you’re willing to sell out your fellow humans. I can make sure you are treated like a queen.”

“What?”

Chapter Text

“What?” Sasha was confused. Amphibians would never treat her as anything more than an animal. Her parents told her that repeatedly, the runaway domesticated humans of her tribe said that every time they talked about their time as pets. Still, she was curious so she asked- “What do you mean?”

“I mean,” Captain Grime smirked. “Tell me where the human tribes are and my army will give you the life of a queen. Servants, wonderful food, soft and comfortable rooms.” Sasha had to admit that sounded amazing, but just one little problem-

“I don’t know where exactly the other tribe are? I can walk to them, but I can’t give you an exact place.”

“Then, walk us to them,” And that’s how the army ended up following a 7 seven year old aimlessly through the wilderness of Amphibia’s Frog Valley. They didn’t even know for sure if this kid knew where she was going. Then, the army heard voices near a river. Sasha smiled-

“We need water to survive, so we always set up our villages around rivers or ponds,” The girl explained to Grime, who refused to let this kid out of his sight since she was clearly a match for his soldiers.

“Surround the village,” Grime smirked, as he turned to see the cages they brought with them. “Capture their young, kill the rest…” Grime turned to Sasha. “You might wanna look away for this kid.”

Sasha nodded, and closed her eyes, as she heard screams. She was scared and felt guilty about causing this, but she needed to protect her tribe. She could protect her tribe by keeping the location of her tribe hidden, they likely assumed she was dead anyway- considering they likely found the bodies of the chieftains by now. Sasha looked away as the kids were dragged, crying, screaming, some even kicking, and thrown in the cages, which were locked after kids were inside them. Sasha followed the toads back to the tower and Grime kept his promise. She was given the most comfortable bed ever. She had a view of the entire valley from her open and big window. She was given delicious meals, and as long as she led the toads to different human tribes every so often she got to keep her new life. Eventually, she started training the toads and upping their confidence, the same way she had been taught in her tribe. She still didn’t really know what she thought of Grime. Her former captor-turn-leader. But he seemed to like her well enough. But he often questioned why she was so… nice… to the toad army. Sasha huffed and said-

“If you want followers who are loyal, they need to like you!” Sasha stated calmly. “My former teacher once said- ‘Those who follow with fear will betray, those who follow with loyalty will die, and those that follow with love will cry’.”

“Which means?” Grime asked with a raised brow. Sasha huffed. She was prone to mood swings, as Grime had learned quickly and gotten used to at this point-

“If your followers fear you they will always betray you in the end, as soon as they question that fear you lose all control over them! Those who follow loyalty will be willing to die for you. Loyalty can’t be earned by being feared, but it can by simply telling people what they want to hear! You don’t even have to mean it! And when loved ones die you will cry at the loss.”

“You’re pretty wise for a kid your age,” Grime nodded.

“I was gonna be a chief, mom and dad made sure I knew all I needed,” Sasha shrugged. “They made sure I would never lead by fear. Instead instilling my tribe with loyalty to make sure our warriors always protected the tribe.”

“That explains why the savage humans would rather die than leave their territory and pack behind. Are all humans as smart as you?”

“No, not all humans. Most of the kids my age didn’t know what a spear was, much less how to wield one. Same for the location of other tribes, it was just a chief thing.”

“I see,” Grime smirked. “I guess I’m lucky to have found you. I need to go do something, Sasha.”

“What’s that?”

“Nothing you need to worry about,” With that, Grime left and Sasha went back to her room to eat her delicious lunch.

Grime smirked as he looked at the captive children. He could make a fortune selling these young humans to different rich families. It was their best source of income, since Newtopia refuses to pay half the tax money as they once promised the toad army. They could barely afford food until Grime came up with the idea to take wild humans from the wilds of the valley. There were two problems they quickly found when starting this tradition, one they had no clue where the settlements were, which they never really fixed until recently with Sasha, who he was considering making his lieutenant when she was old enough, and two, adult wild humans were untameable. They’d grown up in the wild as savages and could not be easily domesticated which became a problem for selling them. They fixed that by only taking the children. But that came with its own problems, humans were very VERY protective of their young like many other creatures were. So, they solved it the only way they knew how. The same way they dealt with traitors. Eliminate the problem. Without any older humans to protect them the young were easily trained by pet stores and breeders to be domesticated. So Grime smirked as he made a deal with a breeder for some of the humans he’d captured. He never told the king about his sales and never sold to citizens of Newtopia or guards who weren’t toads because technically this service was illegal. The kingdom of Amphibia had certain qualifications for selling humans, one of which being wild humans were off limits. It's considered poaching like hunting protected wildlife. Not that Grime cared, and while he wasn’t interested in getting arrested, Toad Tower needed money for food, water, weapons, and other supplies. He would never let the king know about their illegal human trafficking ring they had going on. Never ever.

Chapter Text

Sasha was 8 years old now. She was worried. She was running out of tribes to rat out and she didn’t want to know what would happen to her tribe or to her life in Toad Tower. She needed a new plan for the future, one more sustainable than taking out dozens of tribes in a few months. And she thinks she has one. It wouldn’t be perfect, and maybe Grime wouldn’t even accept the idea, but like frog she won’t try to keep her pampered lifestyle! It was too good to lose and go back to fighting to survive in the wild or to be sold as a pet or to be killed as she could possibly be too old to tame. She would not let that happen.

“Captain Grime, sir!” Sasha stated, as she saluted the toad.

“Ahh, Sasha,” The Toad smiled. “At ease, what can I do for you?” Sasha relaxed and took a small breathe-

“Sir, I have an idea for a more sustainable form of selling humans.”

“Really? What is it?” Sasha felt that guilt she always felt when selling out her own kind, just for personal comfort-

“W-well…” Sasha muttered. “I was thinking that you could capture young humans and have a hired trainer train them to be pets and then… breed-” Sasha hated that word. “-them to have their young ready to sell. If you trained the humans to think giving up their young is normal, you won’t run into the same problem you used to have with adult humans.”

“That is a great idea, Sasha!” Grime knew he made the right choice picking Sasha for this role, they had an entire valley under their control, they could build a breeder’s den for them anywhere they wanted. Why hadn’t they thought of this sooner!? “Sasha, I wanted to ask you something.”

“What is it, Grime?” Sasha asked, curiously.

“How would you like to be my lieutenant?”

“Wait? Like your second in command, lieutenant?!” Sasha had stars in her eyes. “OH MY FROG! YES YES YES!!!”

“Ok then, Lieutenant!” Grime smirked, as Sasha saluted him. “We have one more raid to go on for this plan. Do you have a village to lead us to?” Sasha smirked. She did.

Sasha walked around the area. There was one tribe that was known to have a large territory and was a rival/enemy to her own tribe, The Tibleright Tribe. Time for revenge for all those times they destroyed or took from her old village. Sasha smirked as she saw the village-

“There,” she whispered to Grime.

“Good work, Lieutenant,” Grime whispered to his soldiers- “You toads know the drill! Move in.”

Sasha had never really been able to stomach the smell of blood or the sounds of villagers screaming in pain. But this time it was different. It was still a bit sickening, but this village had been a problem for not just her village and tribe, but every tribe that was on the Tribal Council. It was deserved. And now their actions have doomed their descendants to the worst fate a wild human could face- Domestication. She smirked, as she looked down at the children in the cages, many her age or younger. One girl her age cried and she spoke-

“Why are you working with THEM!” The 5 year old pointed at the toads. “You’re a human! Just like us!”

“I’m nothing like you, brat,” Sasha huffed, glaring at the child. “And I’m no human,” Grime turned in her direction, curious about the conversation. “Humans are animals, meant to be below Amphibians, below US.” Grime chuckled, darkly.

“Indeed, Lieutenant,” He walked up next to the human he took in. “You may look like a human, but you are an Amphibian and you can’t argue that.”

Before their raid on the Tibleright Tribe, they set up a large building, with many rooms for the humans they planned to raise. There were rooms where the humans slept, where they would be trained, where they would do their business, where they would eat, and many MANY more rooms. All ready for the breeder to arrive.

Sasha stood next to Grime, in full armor. Her armor was red, with a long-sleeve gray undershirt and pants, she wore thick brown boots. She had a sword on her belt and a hood and mask covering her face. All in all, she looked like a Newt Guard without a tail. They wanted to hide the fact she was human to avoid her being treated like an animal instead of an Amphibian. Sasha smirked under her mask as the trainer finally arrived at Toad Tower, escorted by a few of their own soldiers.

“Captain Grime!” The trainer bowed. “You wished for my services?”

“Rise, and yes I did.”

“Who’s this Newt?” The toad asked, as he stood up and locked eyes with Sasha.

“I am Lieutenant Sasha Waybright,” The blonde huffed. “Second in command of the Toad Army.”

“Oh, I see. Where are the humans I am meant to train?”

“This way,” Sasha replied, coldly. She walked away towards the building where they kept the human children.

“So, you want them to be trained to be bred?” Sasha buried the guilt. This was HER plan after all.

“Yes,” Sasha said, flatly. “We wish to become breeders, but we need these ones trained properly. We will pay you for your services of course.”

“Very well,” The toad said, calmly. Which was a shock for Sasha considering she’d only met ruff and tumble type toads before. “I shall get to work.”

Over the next few weeks, Sasha stood guard as the trainer trained the human children to obey commands and train them to not question when told to do something. They wouldn’t be taught how to breed until they were 18. Which was years away, so for now they would be taught to obey. During this time, Sasha would occasionally give orders to the humans to see how far along they’d come. Some were more… resistant… than others. But by the end of the first two months, all of them had accepted their fate. Sasha smirked, maybe this crazy plan would work after all.

Chapter Text

Anne smiled. She and her friend Marcy were 8 years old and having what Master Plantar called a ‘play date’. They’d been hanging out for over a year now. Marcy didn’t talk, but neither did most humans. Her owners had been shocked when they first met Anne and found out she could speak. Ms. Yunan and Ms. Olivia were both very kind and from what Anne had picked up from Marcy’s affection towards them, they must be kind and caring to her. It was hard to communicate with Marcy sometimes, considering unlike Anne she never learned to speak. But her hand signals and overactive emotions were enough to get across most of what the other girl wanted to say. Marcy was interesting to say the very least. Anne had never talked to a human that was treated like a normal spider pet until she met Marcy. So, it was a new experience. Marcy seemed excited to hear Anne speaking like a frog. Anne was just happy that Marcy was happy.

“Hopdiah,” Anne heard Ms. Yunan speaking. Marcy must have too, considering she turned her head to her master's voice at the same time as Anne. The two girls creaked open the door to hear more without drawing attention to themselves. “Why have you been looking at those books? You haven’t stopped borrowing old books from the library in town since you got Anne?”

“I was curious about that too?” Ms. Olivia sipped on a cup of tea that Master Plantar provided for her.

“It’s just…” Master Plantar sighed. “Anne’s old master said something about how he thought Anne might have something to do with an age old prophecy and I’m trying to figure out if there’s any merit to it.”

“You mean the one about the calamity box?” Ms. Olivia asked. “The one the king uses to travel between the worlds in his empire?!”

“Yes,” Master Plantar grumbled. “I’m trying to find out what the exact wording of said prophecy was to see if it’s possible, but no old book I read has the exact wording. They claimed to have a ‘copyright free’ wording.”

“Oh, well I know it quite well actually,” Ms. Olivia said, as if it were common knowledge. “It was important for every newt in school to learn it for history class. It states- Ahem-” Ms. Olivia cleared her throat. “‘Three stars burning bright, come from beyond to expel the night. Should they fight or embrace the fall? Their choice will determine the fate of all’. It was quite ominous and was unclear if the chosen ones would choose to save us from this unknown fate.”

“I see, anything else?” Master Plantar asked, with a curious expression.

“Well, there’s supposed to be three. So if Anne IS one of these chosen stars. Who are the other two?”

Sasha smiled, as she ate a lunch of the rarest bugs in the valley. Taken from one of the farming towns that farmed large and rare bugs for food. It was the most delicious meal that she’d had yet. And all because she came up with this plan to raise humans to be pets. She gulped, guilt clear on her face. She hated feeling guilty about all this. They came from a tribe known for terrorizing other tribes, she should be glad the adults were killed and their descendants were doomed to this fate…

But they’re only children. They did nothing wrong…

A voice in the back of her head spoke quietly. Sasha covered her ears and shook her head with her eyes closed. No. She did NOT feel bad about this. They may be children, but it was their parent’s punishment. That sentence didn’t help… UGH! Why was she feeling guilty, her tribe wasn’t in danger. She shouldn’t care about other tribe’s little brats! But… she does… Now these kids will be raised in captivity under the rule of Captain Grime. Once they are old enough they will be forced to breed over and over again. Making children for Grime to sell.

They’ll be raised to believe that they have no say over what happens to their young. They’ll never be given the time to grow attached to or raise their own children. And when they become too old, they’ll likely be forced to have another generation for the toad’s to exploit and be killed, never knowing what freedom is ever again. Sasha stood up and angrily marched outside to the training yard. She needed to distract herself.

She punched the training post and punching bags so hard it hurt her hand. But she kept punching. Maybe it was her anger, maybe she was trying to build up her pain tolerance, maybe she felt she deserved the pain. Whatever it was, she kept at it. Punching, kicking, and hitting the post with her fists, legs, and wooden training sword. She needed to let out some steam. So, none of the toads bothered her, even Grime. Sensing she was having a bad time. They left her to work it out herself, like they would any other soldier. She huffed, she wished she had some equals that would understand her. But it’s not like she had some big destiny set out for her by some great frog to share with her non-existent friends.

Marcy smiled, as she arrived home from her play date with Anne. They had become quite close, with Anne realizing early on that she wasn’t just making cute sounds, but actually trying to communicate. Anne had tried teaching her words, but it was no use. She’d gone so long without speaking she no longer had the capability to learn how to speak. It was sad, but true. She walked around the house playing with her toys and just overall having a good time. She didn’t care that she couldn’t talk. It wasn’t that big of a deal. She communicated well enough. She got along with her owners and first friend. They understood what they needed from her- most of the time. As said before, it had been this way for nearly 1000 years. Nothing needed to change. Humans were below Amphibians. It’s not like she had some big future where she freed humans predetermined for her or anything. She was happy where she was.

Chapter Text

Ever since King Andrias took the throne of the Boiling Isles from the Emperor a few years ago things had changed greatly. Humans were brought to the Boiling Isles as ‘gifts’ to show that the new king meant well and wanted to show what he could offer… Well, culturally and economically wise that is. He kept the coven system as it had become a big part of witch and demon culture. However, he DID allow wild magic as long as it wasn’t used against the crown. Which meant King Andrias had the support of wild witches and coven witches. Luz was raised in Amphibia as a pet human. She was deemed cute enough to sell, if she didn’t do weird things that people found off putting. Luz’s master was a wild witch known as Eda the Owl Lady. She was like a mother to Luz. Eda bought Luz because- her words not Luz’s- ‘Us weirdos have to stick together’. That, and if Luz didn’t sell as a pet or worker she would likely be… uh- let’s just say she wouldn’t get to see another day. Lu shuttered at the thought. Eda had a little demon child that Luz got along with greatly, the child was named King and called himself the king of demons. While that title would more accurately describe King Andrias than King himself, it was still fun to indulge in his childish desires. Luz smiled as Eda just got home from work selling human things to pet owners looking for toys for their human pets. She made a fortune doing that, by the way.

“Luz! King!” Eda called out, as she dragged her bags of coppers and human knick knacks into her home’s living room.

King Andrias had made all the realms under his control use Amphibia’s money system to keep things simple. Luz had been sitting on the floor, next to the couch, reading a book about a witch called Azura. She stood up and walked over to her owner. She tapped Eda’s shoulder. Luz could speak, but it was limited. Eda tried to help her learn to talk, but Luz could only properly pronounce a few words. So more often than not, Luz used non-verbal ways to communicate with Eda and King.

“What is it kid?” Eda asked, turning to face the human. Luz may technically be her pet, but Luz knows Eda views her as her own adopted child like King. “Anything wrong?” Luz nodded her head, then she pointed at one of the objects in the pile of human things. Eda looked and saw a stuffed animal. It was a snake. She looked back at Eda with puppy dog eyes. “Oh! You want the snake?” Luz nodded, her hands in a begging position. “Fine, it wouldn’t sell anyway.”

Luz smiled, and cheered as she picked up the stuffed animal and ran to her room with a smile. She opened her door and entered the room. She looked at her pet bed and basket of toys. Eda practically spoiled her with whatever Eda could spare. Luz didn’t ask for many things, but Eda cared enough about her and King to give them something they asked for if they’d been good. Luz loved living with Eda. She was kind, caring, and the best mother- I mean… OWNER… a human could ask for.

Hunter didn’t know what to think about King Andrias. Hunter had been raised in the palace of the covenheads for as long as he can remember, while he was never really abused per say. He felt neglected, due to his status of basically a former prince. His uncle was the Emperor of the Isles. So followers of King Andrias, especially wild witches, hated him. It’s not like it’s HIS fault his uncle was a crazy tyrant that turned people to stone for disagreeing with his beliefs. He never even got to meet his uncle! His only family! Because his uncle had been arrested and executed by King Andrias. The only reason King Andrias didn’t do the same to Hunter had something to do with what the new king said- ‘You’re a child. One related to Belos, but not guilty of the man’s crimes. Don’t go against me though or you will regret it’.

Hunter had only been 5 when King Andrias took his uncle’s throne and told him that. He may have been a child, but he could somehow sense that something was just… off… about King Andrias. Something the young witch REALLY did not want to test out. With his uncle being gone from his life, he had been alone. That was until Darius and Eberwolf came into his life. Eberwolf became like an older brother and Darius was like the father he never knew he needed. They became his new family. Hunter was ten now and while out and about just outside Bones Burrow he bumped into a green haired girl he’d seen around town before. She wore a green shirt with a plant growing out of a patch of dirt on it. Along with gray pants and black shoes. She seemed distracted. When Hunter walked over to her she seemed to be on the verge of crying. Almost like he just happened to miss something important.

“H-hey are you ok?” Hunter asked, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“H-hun?” The girl turned to face him. “O-oh I’m f-fine.”

“I-I’m not the best at reading people…” Hunter muttered. “But I know that’s a lie.”

“My best friend just told me we can’t be friends because I’m just a half-a-witch.”

“Half-a-witch?” Hunter had a raised brow.

“It means my magic is weak…”

“Oh…” Hunter sighed. He didn’t even have magic. ”At least you have magic.”

“You… don’t have magic?” The girl’s teary eyes were wide, as she stood up.

“No…” Hunter sighed. “I’ll leave you alone now. Nice to see you- Uh- whoever you are.”

“Willow.”

“H-hun?” Hunter turned around from where he was about to walk away and faced the girl.

“Willow,” The girl smiled, as she wiped away her tears. She reached out for a handshake.  “My name is Willow. Wanna be friends?”

Chapter Text

Anne was playing in the yard with Sprig. They were playing catch. Polly and Hop Pop exited through the front door of the house, smiling. Sprig was the first one to notice them-

“Hey, Hop Pop!” Anne turned to face Master Plantar and waved.

“Anne, Sprig,” Master Plantar smiled. “Polly has just suggested a fun activity for the day.”

“What is it, Master Plantar?” Anne asked, tinting her head in confusion.

She’s never been allowed to leave her Master’s residence. It wasn’t exactly ILLEGAL for pet humans to be allowed out in public. It was just the rule in most places they had to be on a leash. And her previous master did not like leashing humans. He preferred to let them roam free on his land. Where no one could force those unfair rules on the humans he took in.

“The zoo!” Polly yelled out, interrupting Master Plantar. Sprig got excited. Anne was confused.

“What’s a zoo?” Sprig gasped-

“You’ve never been to a zoo?!”

“No. I was never allowed to leave my old Master’s property for my own safety. I figured it would be the same here.”

“Really?” Sprig asked, now just as confused as Anne. “With how much you act like a frog, I thought you’d be free to go anywhere you want?”

“No matter what I act like, I am still a human. I can’t change that,” Anne shrugged, having long since accepted the fact that most Amphibians would only see her animal. With only a few exceptions. “Besides, do zoos even allow pets?”

“Most pets? No,” Hop Pop stated. “But human pets are an exception in some zoos.”

“Why?” Sprig asked.

“Apparently, since most Zoos have animals that would normally be really dangerous. It’s good to have domesticated animals-” Hop Pop paused looking at Anne, who just smiled at him. “Uh- well- anyway… to make the tadpoles and kids feel safe. As long as the human is trained, has an ID tag, and is on a leash at all times. We are allowed to bring them with us.”

“Wow, Hop Pop!” Sprig had stars in his eyes. “How do you have so much knowledge of these kinds of things? Is it old age? When I’m old like you, will I know all these facts too?!”

“I’m not old…” Master Plantar grumbled. “But no. It says the rules on the backside of this, here, flier.”

“Ooohhhh,” Anne and Sprig said at the same time.

“Well, I think it’s a great idea!” Sprig jumped in the air. Anne nodded in agreement. Sprig calmed down and had a more sad tone- “Are you ok with a leash Anne? I know frogs aren’t ok with being led around like some… animal…”

“As long as the leash is long enough for me to stand upright. I don’t have a problem with it. I was on a leash for veterinarian visits.” Anne shrugged once more. “It’s how things have worked for 1000 years. It’s not like I have the power to change anything about it myself. That’s just how it is.”

“If you say so…” Sprig sighed. Anne looked at him concerned but didn’t say anything else.

“Let’s get going already!” Polly made a ‘tch’ noise.

“To Bessy!” Master Plantar cheered.

Master Plantar smiled, as he ran off with his three grandkids behind him- Anne paused- was she starting to see Master Plantar as a grandfather? No. She was his pet, below him. She knew that. She heard Sprig call her name and she quickly caught up to Master Plantar’s family.

Vee put on her uniform for the Zoo staff. Vee is what is known on the Boiling Isles as a basilisk. A shapeshifter. Her whole life she’d been chained up in a cold damp cell, experimented on by the Emperor’s Coven. But then one day, King Andrias came and freed her kind, giving them citizenship in his new empire, as they were very similar to Amphibians. It was good for her. She moved to Amphibia, where she met humans for the first time. They were overall cute creatures. Amphibia wasn’t too different from the Boiling Isles. Well, except for the water and rain not melting someone’s face off with a single touch. Plus, she got to get away from the place that was her own hell on the Isles. With the Emperor gone and King Andrias’s protection, no one would be hunting her or her family. But her family wanted to stay in Bones Borrow, while she moved to Amphibia’s capital city, Newtopia. The newts looked the most like her kind so she felt at home in the city and she got less weird looks than she did in the other towns she’d considered settling down in. But the price was steep, so she got a job at the local Amphibia Zoo. It paid quite well believe it or not, at the very least enough for her house and weekly groceries.

She smiled, as she cleaned out the mantis cage. She walked around the zoo feeding the large bugs that- if they could talk and had sentience- would probably be considered normal people in the Boiling Isles. Maybe that was why she liked to take care of these creatures, they reminded her of where she grew up and where her family was. She may have not had the… best… experience in the demon realm, but it was still where her family was and the place she called home for many years. She liked all the creatures in the zoo, the big bugs, the giant birds, the bats, the humans… Oh did she not mention the zoo housed humans alongside more dangerous creatures? She didn’t? Oh! Well it does. Humans were the easiest to take care of, since they didn’t try to kill her, unlike the other animals. She did have one favorite human, their name was Masha. They were cute. They had black hair and blue eyes. They wore the traditional wild human attire- similar to frog clothes only made out of lefts and batskin. Most pet and worker humans wore clothes bought from pet stores. The clothes kept the humans warm since they didn’t have fur that extended over their bodies. She smiled, as she walked over to Masha’s habitat-

“Hey Masha!” The human walked over to the zookeeper. “I got your favorite this time! Tomatoes, you have no idea how hard these are to get, the plant tries to eat you!” Masha nibbed on the tomato, as Vee kept talking while fixing up her habitat. Vee sighed. “Sometimes... I wonder if you can understand me.”