It's been just a couple of days since Darby and the salamanders started their journey, riding on the tiger beetles across the vast fields of Amphibia on their way to a place called Frog Valley, where according to the rumors, a rare beast was found in the swamps that Darby believes must be one of his friends. While the salamanders weren't sure about it, they didn't rule out that possibility.

They were coming across a sloping field, as the journey helped him clear his mind while he witnessed the beautiful landscapes they're passing by. While he's not much of an explorer himself, to see a unique fauna in this strange world was overwhelming for him. Darby spotted some frog people working in the harvest, before he and the salamanders spotted a small village ahead.

"Let's stop over there!" Gunther announced while he was leading, before he and the rest diverted the main road and headed towards the village.

Once they went in, the salamanders and the human hopped off their mounting as Darby kept wearing the cloak just like the last time.

"Alright, let's take a short break before we move on." Gunther said before cracking his back. He then handed a few waterskins to his grandson. "Filip, would you go to the well over there and fill these up?"

Filip nodded before taking them with him and walked off.

"As for you two, why don't you go to the inn and ask around if there's any news lately?" Gunther said while pointing at a two-story small building with a thatch roof. "I'll stay here to take care of the beetles."

"Wait, why me? Shouldn't I stay in disguise?" Darby asked with a hint of concern.

"Do not worry, no matter how strange you look, they won't even pay attention to you." Gunther reassured him before gesturing to them to move on.

"You heard the old man, let's go." Duncan said before heading towards the inn.

Darby followed the scarred salamander, and both went inside the tavern. Once they crossed the door, they looked at the place fairly empty.

"Alright, I'll go talk to the innkeeper. As for you, just don't let them see your face." Duncan said before he approached the counter where a middle-aged frogman was standing.

Darby looked around the place to watch a few frogs sitting on the benches while drinking and chortling in a calm environment. He then spotted a stranger who looked slightly taller than the rest of the frogs. He even had a long tail. However, Darby soon realized this stranger wasn't a frog, but a salamander or a newt, probably like Filip and the other venators. He appeared to be middle-aged, with gray skin and wore a blue-patterned yellow tunic with blue trousers.

"Excuse me. Mind if I have a seat?" Darby asked politely, gaining the attention from the stranger who just blinked at the question.

"Not at all, fellow traveler. I've never received such a question before, but I wouldn't mind having some company." The newt responded cheerfully, though that only made Darby raise an eyebrow at his remark, but shook his head.

"I won't take much of your time, sir. I'm just here to ask you about the rumors I've been hearing going on about Frog Valley." Darby replied as he sat across the table.

"Ah, now that's something I'd like to talk about. But first, allow me to invite you for a drink. Innkeeper! Bring one mug with the best you got for this fine gentleman here!" The newt called the owner for another drink.

"Y-You don't have to do that, I'm not gonna be here much longer…" Darby said as he pulled the cloak over his head more, feeling like a few glances were upon him.

"I just thought you'd need something to help with your dry throat. Let's get on to the purpose of the subject, shall we? You say you want to know what's going on in the Frog Valley, isn't it? I assume you're referring to the recent rumor about The Beast of Frog Valley." The strange newt asked as he took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, that's right. I wanna know more details about this… beast." Darby almost bit his tongue when he had to address one of his lost friends by the nickname, though he knew it was necessary to hide his true identity. "Do you know by any chance where we could find the beast?"

"I can't say I do, but the rumors are spreading like a wildfire. Though I do wonder, what is your purpose looking for the beast? Are you looking to exterminate her?"

Darby thought about playing it along, but something just caught him off guard. "I didn't mention the beast was a woman…" He muttered with an edge in his tone, but he had to keep his composure.

"And how did you know that beast was a female to begin with?" The newt said with a leering smile.

Darby's eyes widened as his breath caught in his throat. He couldn't believe that he just took the bait the new prepared for him, and now he just fell in his trap.

"You know, it's funny that you have the same traits some folks claim about how the beast looked like. Taller than the average frog, with long arms and legs, and of course, an unusual tone of skin." The newt pressured on as he twirled around his mug before taking a long sip of his drink.

"Just who the hell are you?" Darby seethed with an edge in his tone, furrowing his eyebrows to glare cautiously at the newt. Though it didn't help he was sweating out of anxiety because his cover was blown.

"I've been called by many names, but you can just call me Volos. Maverick merchant, at your service." The newt now named Volos introduced himself politely.

Despite the friendly tone, Darby still couldn't come to trust that so-called merchant. "Listen, I don't want any trouble. I just need to find her because she's not a beast. She's my friend."

"You don't have to explain, it's something that doesn't concern me after all." Volos reassured him with a wave, going back to be a laid-back merchant. "Last time I heard, she was spotted at a little town called the Wartwood Swamp. She might still be there, or maybe she just left. Maybe at the very least you might find a clue that could take you to her. But you should be careful if you intend to travel to Frog Valley. The roads are not as safe as they used to."

The gray newt then left a small pouch full of coins on the table before he got up from his seat. He gave Darby a polite nod before he walked away. "It was a pleasure to meet you, young man. I hope we can meet again. Perhaps one day when I'll be in trouble, I hope you'll be nearby to help."

"Wait, what do you mean by-" Darby stood up from the table, intending to follow Volos. But the moment he turned around, the newt was no longer around here. He didn't even see him leaving. "What the hell?"

"Darby, we're leaving!" Duncan called him as he was just heading to the exit, carrying a bag that seemed like he just bought some supplies for the journey.

Darby followed him outside as he looked around the village to find a glimpse of the strange newt he just met, it's as if he just… disappeared. "Hey, didn't you see someone leaving just now?" He asked Duncan.

"No, why do you ask that?" Duncan raised an eyebrow at the human.

Darby hesitated to answer, unsure if Duncan would believe that the stranger just disappeared out of thin air. He thought it would be best to skip that part. "Well, he told me that there's a village where she was last seen. I think it was Wart… Wart…"

"Wartwood Swamp?" Duncan guessed, making Darby blink in surprise. "Yeah, the innkeeper I talked with said the same thing. He even told me the swampers have captured her and they're trying to decide whether they should spare her or not."

The response made Darby stop his tracks. "What? T-They're planning to kill her?!" Darby said with shock written all over his face.

"I have no idea. But because you and your friend are not even from our world, the villagers may mistake her for just a monster." Duncan responded before noticing Darby was left standing. "Hey, if that's what you're worried about, we should move our asses if you want us to find your mate sooner."

Darby snapped out before he understood his message and hastily followed the scarred salamander. But after hearing Duncan's words, he couldn't help but fear at the thought that one of his friends might be in danger. He could only hope that there's still more time left before the villagers would do something to her.

---

Darby and the salamanders followed the directions they gathered from other folks back at the pub. It had been two days since they left where they had started. Darby had never thought he would be in that kind of situation back on Earth, but to his surprise, he'd seen several wonders that were borderline out of one of J.R.R Tolkein's books.

On the first day, they came across a large bumpy marshland with moving hills they had to cross. The green hills shifted and moved like the beetles were walking on top of play dough. The water that came out from the marshes glowed with the rays of the sun, turning it a clear baby blue that looked like one of those ponds after the first day of rain. But underneath the crystal waters were bus-sized worms that nearly ate him, but luckily the salamanders saved his butt and slayed them.

The second day, they made their way through a dark forest with leaves so thick that they blocked out the sun. Darby gripped his sword as they made their way through the forest. The noises he heard made him wish that he could see what was happening, like being blindfolded during a horror movie. One of the noises came a little too close, reminding him that day when he found himself all alone in the wilds and the harrowing nights when they made him more paranoid.

Despite the trials and tribulations during their journey, Darby was starting to feel more calm to be around the salamanders. If they wouldn't find him from the beginning, he would've never had the odds to survive much longer, nor the chance to find one of his missing friends. Even it still came as a surprise that they were willing to help him, even though they barely knew him. Darby clearly didn't expect to receive such compassion from a bunch of strangers, not to mention who are bipedal salamanders.

On the next morning, Gunther announced they're now getting closer to Frog Valley and they just needed to use a path through the mountains. However, since the night started to fall, he suggested making a stop and taking a full rest for tonight. Everyone came to an agreement and set up their camp.

While the salamanders were preparing the dinner, Darby was sitting next to the campfire as he looked straight at the flames flickering.

"You're okay?"

Darby looked up to see Filip approaching him while holding two bowls. "Oh, hey. Yeah, I'm just very tired for this entire journey." Darby replied with a forced smile as he ruffled his hair.

"You know, you could just tell me what's on your mind right now." Filip replied with a frown of concern as he sat next to him. He could already tell something was bothering Darby.

Darby glanced at the young salamander in mild surprise before letting out a sigh as he knew this young lad was smart enough to know he was lying.

"Where should I start? First, I'm trapped in a world full of bugs and giant creatures where I'm not supposed to be. Second of all, my friends are missing and even though I'd find one of them, I don't even know if the others are still alive or if I would ever find them. But what got me thinking right now is even if I'd find all my friends, would we ever go back to our world or are we doomed to stay here forever? I still can't believe this is all happening and… I just don't know what the bloody hell I'm gonna do…" Darby finished before covering his face with his hands exasperatedly.

Filip's face softened as he placed his hand on Darby's shoulder to give him some comfort, before looking into the campfire.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could say something to make you feel better, but I got nothing. I don't even know how it feels to be so concerned for a friend." Filip responded before looking down somberly.

"You never had a friend before?" Darby asked, almost surprised.

"Never. I spent my entire childhood training with my grandfather to become a venator. I know that sounds harsh, but I don't blame him because he just wanted me to look after myself when he or my brother aren't around. But sometimes I wonder what it's like to have a conversation with someone else."

"Isn't that what you're doing right now?" Darby asked with an amused smirk.

"Well… more like I'm just lending you an ear, but I guess that should count." Filip said before he and Darby shared a laugh.

"I mean it, though. You've been open-up to me ever since we met and you never looked at me as if I'm like a… like a…" Darby trailed off as he tried to think of a better word.

"Like a complete stranger?" Filip guessed.

"I was about to say like a freak, but yeah." Darby snorted before clearing his throat. He noticed Filip was handing him a bowl to him, before he took it with a nod of appreciation. "Anyway, I know how hard it can be to try to make a friend, but at least you're a good listener. And sometimes, people need someone who can spare a moment to hear about their problems. And I think that's what makes a good friend."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So wait… does that mean we're both friends?" Filip asked with a surprised look.

"I didn't think about it, but maybe we are already." Darby raised his clenched fist and offered it to the young salamander with a smile.

Filip grew confused at the gesture, yet he chose to play along as he raised his fist before Darby tapped his knuckles with his.

"I'm feeling a little better. Thanks for the talk, mate." Darby said before he brought the bowl to his mouth and started slurping the soup.

"Hey, hey! I still didn't give you the spoon!" Filip laughed as he held up a wooden spoon to Darby.

"Oh, come on! You could've put it in the bowl in the first place!" Darby retorted as he wiped his mouth with an arm, yet he couldn't keep a chuckle back as he playfully pushed Filip back.

As they both continued to fool around with each other, Gunther and Duncan were watching them from afar as they were setting up a tent. Gunther looked pleased to see Filip getting along with the human. Darby sure earned his trust after bringing his grandson back in one piece. He would never forgive himself if something ever happened to Filip, even though he tried his best to raise him.

However, as Gunther glanced at his eldest grandson, he saw Duncan was watching dubiously at Darby as if he was making sure he wouldn't do something suspicious to his brother. The oldest salamander placed a hand on his shoulder, snapping the scarred one out of his trance before gazing at him.

"We can trust him, Duncan. I think we owe him one for looking after our lad." Gunther said reassuringly before he walked away.

Duncan's frown suddenly softened before looking back at Darby and Filip, as they both shared another laugh. This was hard for him to admit, this was the first time in years he saw his little brother wearing a big smile on his face, something that he should be glad to see him in good spirits. But can he really bring himself to trust this being from another dimension? Maybe it would be best to leave them alone for now.

---

The following day, after crossing the path in the mountains, Darby and the salamanders had reached the Frog Valley and they rode through the dense woods. Gunther had warned them that there were predators hiding in the tall trees of the swamp, which he advised to be cautious for a possible surprise attack. That wasn't much of a surprise for Darby since he could see this kind of forest was a home for insects, fish or some reptiles left behind from the Jurassic Era.

The green mossy ground made it have a friendly and mysterious feel to it, with large mushrooms that looked like they could make a home there. The humid air of the swamp made Darby feel sticky and sweaty under his jacket even more. As they got deeper into the marshlands, Darby wondered how the frogs could keep up with the humidity, but remembering what he learned back in school, the amphibians loved water and humidity.

"There it is. We finally arrived." Gunther announced as they were heading to a clearing where Darby could clearly see the settlement.

Wartwood was a quaint townlet, much like any other farming community Darby and the salamanders had passed by as some frogs were seen coming out to tend to their gardens. Most buildings were carved from the stumps of trees or made from toadstool mushrooms. Almost all the frogs he could lay his eyes on were dressed as if they were reduced to the bottom of the social ladder, as farmers, traders and small time business owners.

As they were crossing the bridge splitting the river, Darby looked at the archway with two frog statues facing each other, with the welcoming sign carved over it, but under there was a hanging wooden board with a town motto that says: 'Slow to Accept, Even Slower to Respect.' A very close-minded way of thinking if Darby had to say, but part of him wondered if there was more to it.

Stopping at the center of the town where a small statue was mounted on top of a fountain, Darby and the salamanders saddled off their beetles.

"Hmm, looks like everything is quiet around here." Gunther said as he looked around, yet he didn't notice any trace of disturbance around the town that could make the townsfolk look unsettled.

"She must be around here. Maybe the villagers have her locked up somewhere." Darby suggested with a glare as he looked sharply at some of the frogs.

"Calm down, Darby. We're not sure about that yet and we shouldn't cause trouble. Frogs here don't take that kindly since they're not used to seeing strangers outside of Frog Valley, especially us, the venators." Gunther replied in a low tone as he noticed a few eyes casting upon them. "It's best we don't carry our weapons here, the less we look threatening to them, the better. Me and Duncan are gonna start looking for the mayor."

"Sounds good, Darby and I will go to that little dinner over there, we might hear some interesting stuff in there." Filip pointed at the run-down building made out of a log sitting in the pond with a board hanging above the entrance that was written 'Stumpy's Diner'.

"Alright, but don't snoop around and try not to cause trouble. If you learned anything, we'll meet right here next to the fountain. And Darby, don't let them look at your face." Duncan said before he and Gunther split.

"… I swear to bloody God, if they did something to her…" Darby muttered as the cloak shadowed his deep frown, fearing the worst likely outcome he couldn't stop imagining in the past few days.

Sensing the change of tone in his voice, Filip reacted quickly and placed a hand on Darby's shoulder. "Darby, we'll find her. I promise." He said with a reassuring tone.

Darby looked at him before letting out a breath to calm his anxiousness. "Alright, let's go to that dinner then.

---

Going through the swinging doors, Darby and Filip went inside the dinner building with the expectation that there's some gossip floating around. But instead, they found the place was nothing but a dirty slump that stinks of damp, moreover it was almost empty. The furniture looked like they weren't cleaned for months, probably for a few years, judging by the cobwebs. It sure looked like this hole would be a suitable home for rats and flies.

"I wish this fantasy world had someone who's called a sanitary inspector." Darby sighed, shaking his head as he pinched his nose to not smell the stench.

"I don't know what exactly that is, but I have to agree with you." Filip replied, as he gagged at the smell. "Let's just hope they have"

Darby and Filip went towards the bar counter, only to stop for a moment as they wiped the moss off the stool-sized mushrooms before sitting on them.

Suddenly, a sizable frog with scars wearing a greasy chef's hat peeked out the serving hatch window to see the new customers taking their seats. He went back to the kitchen for a brief moment before he got out through the doors, holding a couple of bowls in his arm. Darby noticed one of his legs was missing and was replaced with a peg leg. One of his hands was also missing, but instead it was replaced by a hook. It was actually a spatula.

"Here you go. Two bowls of slop." The cooker said begrudgingly as he placed the blows on the counter. Oddly enough, Darby noticed he was speaking in a thick accent, probably Irish or Scottish.

"Um, excuse me, we haven't ordered yet." Filip said, almost taken aback by the cooker's action.

"I know. But does it matter? Whatever. Enjoy it or not." The chef retorted without care before he went behind the counter.

"He should at least bring us some napkins…" Darby whispered to Filip with a hand covering his mouth.

"Shhh! Remember what Gunther said!" Filip hissed before clearing his throat. "Um, thank you very kindly, Mr. Cooker! I'm so hungry!" He faked his tone before he grabbed a spoon and stirred the soup, though he didn't dare to take a bite.

Darby looked at the bowl with a grimace as he noticed something just moved inside. He pushed the bowl away as he tried not to barf.

"Say… I never saw you two blokes before. Are you new in this town?" The cooker asked while leaning over the counter, eyeing at the newcomers, but more particularly at the hooded stranger.

"Oh yes, we're travelers and we just happened to find your little town." Filip replied, though it's obvious they can't reveal the true purpose of their arrival. "We decided to stop here to get some rest before we move on. Although, we couldn't help but hear some rumors about… something about the Beast."

Darby glanced at Filip before realizing that he's asking the cooker indirectly for information.

"Is that so? Well, if you're looking for someone who'd tittle-tattle with you, you got the wrong person." The cooker said before he made his way back into the kitchen. But then he stopped halfway there and turned back to the strangers. "But if you're gonna break my back over it, you could talk to this fella over there. He's the one who saw the beast."

Darby and Filip craned their heads to the side and saw a turquoise frog sitting a few feet away from them, yet snoozing over the counter. He wore a flat broad-brimmed dark blue-violet hat with a low top, decorated with a red reed. Black denim shorts with an open indigo vest and an old, stitched scarf.

Exchanging a look, Darby nodded to Filip before they approached the dozing frog, though at this moment they were hoping he's really sleeping.

"Um, excuse me. Wake up." Filip said as he shook the frog by the shoulder, but that didn't wake him up. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

"OI! GET YOUR BLOODY ARSE UP, YOU BLUDGER!" Darby shouted before slapping the back of the head of the frog.

"Aaaahhhh!" The frog jumped up from his seat while waving his arms before falling to the floor.

"Darby!" Filip shouted, shooting a glare at Darby for his rashness.

"What? I just wanted to make sure he wasn't dead." Darby replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"Jumping June bugs! Who's there?! Where am I?!" The frog sprung up to his feet and looked around frantically.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're still at dinner. We tried to wake you up, but my partner didn't mean you no harm. Am I right?" Filip turned at Darby with a scowl.

"Alright, alright, I'm sorry I freaked you out." Darby rolled his eyes exasperatedly.

"Oh, that's fine. Hitting me is how people say good day to me." The frog said before suddenly a rock hit on his head. "Ow! Good day, Mrs. Croaker!"

"Good day!" The voice of an older lady sounded from outside.

Darby blinked in disbelief as they both were coming to a distinct impression that this town might be full of weirdos. Even Filip was bewildered, even though he met all kinds of people around Amphibia.

"Anyway, what does a young salamander and an ominous-looking stranger in a hood need from Wally One-Eye?" Wally chirped while hopping side to side.

"Oh, yeah." Filip cleared his throat. "You see, we were hearing rumors that there was a beast luring around your town. We've been told that you're the one who saw the beast."

"You mean the monster from the woods? Of course, I've seen it with my own eye!" Wally exclaimed extravagantly while pointing at his only eye opened.

"Can you tell us what she - I mean, what it looked like?" Darby asked, holding on his breath as he hoped this was about one of his missing friends.

"Oh, that creature was the most hideous thing I've never seen! It had a huge head, a weird stubby bump in the middle of its face and long spindly legs! Like you have!" Wally pointed at Darby's legs.

"Oi, my legs look just fine for your information." Darby retorted while crossing his arms, offended.

"So what happened after you saw it?" Filip inquired in an intrigued tone.

"I went back to the town and raised the alarm to everyone! We thought we could chase the monster out of our land, but what we didn't expect was that the monster saved us when a giant mantis tried to eat us!"

"She did?" Darby muttered in surprise, trying to think who would've done something brave, although reckless. "And then what happened?"

"Well, we didn't want to be fooled by that act of kindness! The Plantars said they would keep an eye on it. But mark my words, someday that monster is gonna go nuts and eat us all!" Wally finished the story as he made his way out of the dinner.

"Wait, who are the Plantars and where are they keeping it?" Filip asked as he and Darby followed him outside.

"Oh, they're a farmer family, good folks by the way." Wally said, but then he stopped his tracks and turned around, giving them a suspicious look. "Say, you're asking an awful lot of questions… Are you both some kind of hunters?"

Darby and Filip froze as they realized they were doing the exact same thing Gunther told them not to.

"Uuhhh… Well…" Darby tried to come up with an excuse, but suddenly Wally jumped on him.

"Listen, I know what you're here for. But don't fret, I'm on your side." Wally whispered to the hooded stranger.

"W-What?" Darby said, very confused at his remark.

"If the beast is what you're looking for, go to the Plantar family's farm, outside of town in the Northeast. That's where they're keeping the beast. Just pretend I didn't tell you everything…" After giving away the information, Wally hopped off Darby. "Well, it was nice meeting you, fellas! Hope you're enjoying your stay in our muddy swamp!"

Wally then took out of his pocket an accordion and started playing a tune and sang it as he walked away, leaving Darby and Filip perplexed.

"So… I guess we got ourselves a new lead." Filip said, barely reacting to this turn of events.

"Come on, we gotta find her before anyone else finds out about us!" Darby replied before he and Filip went Northeast as Wally pointed at where they'd find the farmer family's dwelling.

---

After finding a path that leads out of the swampy forest and to an open field, Darby and Filip had spotted a large, old farmhouse made of a stump of a tree with a large branch protruding to the side. Moss and grass prominently grow over the stony walls of the building. It appeared to have three floors with a small wooden chimney sitting atop the roof. Out of an opened window on the third floor, a telescope was held by a piece of stick. In front of the house, there was a garden of vegetables guarded by a frog-scarecrow and on the other side was a small hatch.

"This must be the place." Darby said as he and Filip stood at the entrance of the fence. Taking a deep breath, he clenched his fists as he held hope that inside the house, finds one of his missing friends.

"Darby, before we go in there, whatever those farmers are doing to your friend, you must stay calm." Filip gave him advice as he placed his hand on Darby's shoulder.

"I know, I just hope they never laid a finger on them." Darby replied before they made their way to the porch.

Darby knocked on the yellow wooden front door and waited for a moment until the door was opened by an elderly frog with reddish-orange skin and white tufts of hair on the sides of his head. He wore a grayish-green waistcoat with a buttoned yellow shirt and light blue ascot and grayish-brown trousers with light brown socks that slightly cover his feet.

"Hello?" The older frog asked, though he was almost surprised to find a salamander and a tall hooded stranger standing at the doorstep.

"Good day, sir. Sorry to disturb you, but we're here to ask you a couple of questions if you don't mind." Filip said with a polite smile.

"And who are you supposed to be? The debt collectors? I have you know that I'm an honest citizen and I pay my taxes, no matter how wrongful this sounds!" The elder frog responded with a grumpy tone.

"What? No, we're not tax collectors! We're here because we're looking for someone who's missing." Darby said as he folded his arms across his chest, wearing a deep frown under his cloak.

"Someone who's missing? What do you mean by that?" The elder frog asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically.

"This might sound very strange, Mr. Plantar. But we've been hearing rumors about a stranger who was found in a town just a few miles from here. But we've been told that she's now living in your house. We believe that she's the person my friend here is looking for and we would like to know if-" Filip tried to explain further, but suddenly Hopadiah raised his hand.

"I'm gonna stop you right there, young man. I don't know who the blazes told you about that, but there's no one living on my farm but my grandkids!" The frog stepped out of the door, outright denying the claim.

"Really? And where you're grandkids? I don't see them inside." Darby said inquisitively as he looked up to notice no one was found inside the house.

"Hey, who told you you could pry my privacy?" The old frog pushed Darby away. "If you must know, my grandkids are playing in the woods. Now, I don't know who you are or why you're looking for a nonexistent person, but you both get out of my property or you'll be in a lotta trouble!" The elder frog then slammed the door closed.

"Hey, who do you think you are, you cocky old wanker! Open the door!" Darby snapped as he began pounding the door.

"Darby, that's enough! You're only making it worse!" Filip yelled as he held him back and moved him away from the house.

"He's lying! I know he's hiding her inside! I'm not leaving until he tells me where she is!" Darby tried to push Filip away.

"Darby, just listen to me!" Filip held the human by the shoulders so he could look straight at him. "I know how bad you want to look for answers, but what if you're wrong about it? Not only we'll get in huge trouble, we would have to leave this town forever and we might never get a chance to find your friends again! Have you thought about it?"

His words were enough to make Darby stop forcing his way back to the door, as he looked at Filip with a stunned expression on his face. "But… but…" He tried to justify his recent actions to no avail.

"Here's what we're gonna do. We go back to the town, meet my brother and my grandpa, tell them what we learn and maybe we'll get more clues. I'm sure we'll come back to this farm, but only when we're completely sure she's inside that house." Filip finished as he gave Darby a calm smile.

Darby stared at the young salamander for a moment before looking back at the house. He still wasn't fully convinced though, the fact that the old frog refused to give them answers and dodged some of the questions seemed awfully suspicious to him, Filip even was aware of that.

That frog had to be hiding something, but even though Darby was sure of that, it wasn't enough to give him the right to try to kick the door down. As much as he hated to admit, Filip made a very good point. If it weren't for the salamander's intervention, maybe things would go horribly wrong because of him.

"Fine, let's go find them quickly." Darby sighed before he and Filip ran away from the farm and made their way back to Wartwood Swamp.

Meanwhile, the elder frog peeked out of the window, only to find that the couple of shady strangers was no longer seen in the farm. He got out of the house while looking around to make sure they were gone.

"Now, what are those guys up to?" He muttered with his eyes narrowed.

"Hop-Pop! We're back!"

The elder frog looked to the side and saw three individuals coming out of the forest and approaching the farm.

One of them was a young frog with hot pink skin with tufts of orange hair sticking out of his dark forest green hat, with a pair of goggles hanging sideways. He wore a sleeveless jacket with golden buttons and a pair of dark pants with the sleeves rolled up.

The other frog was a young girl with short orange hair and yellow polka-dotted bow on top of her head, wearing stained mechanic overalls, a left glove, and had some bandages on her arms and legs.

The last one, out of the other frogs, was a human. A light brown-skinned young woman of almost twenty years with a lean muscular body that was accompanied with an hourglass shaped body that had a pronounced top and bottom. She had messy auburn hair tied in a ponytail, with some leaves and a twig stuck in her head. And sported a beige tank top that showed off her midriff, a pair of hunter green cargo shorts with some stains on it and dark boots.

They were heading back to the farm after getting some buckets of manure for Hop Pop, yet little do they know that they just got unexpected visitors.

"Sprig, were you being followed?" Hop Pop asked as he approached the youngsters.

"No, why? Is everything alright?" The young frog man asked with a worried look.

"Yeah, Hop Pop. You look like someone just stepped on your garden." The frog girl teased with a chuckle.

"As a matter of fact, that's exactly what I'm about to tell you. There's some strangers who are looking for you, Anne." Hop Pop said to the young human in a serious tone.

"Wait, for me? By who?" Anne asked in surprise.

"I'm not sure, but whoever they are, I don't like it. And the worst part is that they might be back in a moment." Hop Pop looked towards the entrance of the forest where the strangers came from.

"Oh, hell no! If they wanna mess with us, we're gonna make them regret it!" The frog girl said with a scowl as she dropped the bucket and slammed her fist into her hand.

"Not so fast, Polly. We'll be prepared for that, I can guarantee. But first, we have to make a plan to keep Anne safe. Now listen to me, here's what we're gonna do." Hop Pop said before he gathered everyone and whispered to them.

---

Meanwhile, Darby and Filip just arrived back at Wartwood Swamp, albeit a little tired after walking back and forth across the swampy woods. They headed back to the town center under the impression that they can't find any more clues, but also that Duncan and Gunther might be waiting for them at this moment.

Their thoughts were proven right when they spotted Duncan and Gunther standing next to the fountain.

"Hey, guys!" Filip waved at them, gaining their attention. "How long have you been waiting for us?" He asked while he and Darby approached them.

"Not much, actually. Did you two have any luck?" Duncan asked while he was sitting on the edge of the fountain.

"Well, sort of. But what about you? Did you find the town mayor? Filip inquired, noticing that his brother and grandpa were seemingly calm for some reason.

"We did, and we learned something interesting that Darby might wanna hear." Gunther said before smiling at Darby, earning a surprised look from him.

"At first the mayor started to get suspicious of us and refused to answer our questions. I met all kinds of assholes before, but that mayor was a real bastard." Duncan said with an exasperated look.

"But before he was about to kick us out of his office, I had to use some magic to pacify him and make him cooperate with us." Gunther added with a hint of humor in his tone. "Luckily, the mayor told us everything we needed to know. Your friend is being watched by a farmer family who's living not too far from the town."

At that moment, Darby reached a realization that felt like getting hit by a nickel in his head. "So the old wanker wasn't so innocent after all… " Darby growled with an intense look in his eyes.

"Darby, please take it easy." Filip tried to calm him down.

"Wait, you went to the farm house?" Duncan titled his head sideways.

"We did, we talked to an old farmer about it, but he denied he was keeping her inside the house and kicked us out of his farm." Filip explained before glancing back at Darby as he was becoming livid.

"Why am I not surprised? I say we should pay him a visit." Gunther sighed before moving forward, tapping Darby's shoulder as he passed by.

"Yeah… We should pay him a little visit already." Darby hissed and followed the older salamander from behind.

"Great, can't this get any worse?." Filip shook his head in disbelief.

"I will remind you what you said after we see how worse it gets." Duncan replied with a snort, earning a groan from his young brother as they followed Gunther and Darby.

---

Moments later, the group returned to the fields, but just when they were getting closer to the farm, Darby began to get ahead in a haste. Even though Filip tried to convince him that he should think before taking actions, at some point Darby had reasons to be angry, especially at the fact that he knew from the beginning that his missing friend was in that house, yet the frog refused to admit it.

"Darby! Just wait!" Filip shouted as he tried to catch up with him.

"No! I'm done being a nice guy! I will get the bottom of this right now!" Darby snapped as he was about to get through the gateway to the farm.

While Gunther was about to stop him from doing something stupid, he caught out of the corner of his eye a piece of wire stretching across the path where Darby was about to cross.

"Darby, stop!" Gunther shouted, but it was too late when Darby just stepped on the wire before a loud click sound reached into everyone's ears.

Before Darby realized, he saw something flying out of the garden and by the time he looked at what it was, he was suddenly hit by a cluster of rocks, with a few of them hitting his torso before the last one hit across his face. After that, he landed on the ground in a heap.

"Darby!" Filip cried out as he crouched next to Darby, pushing him around as Gunther and Duncan closed in to check on his face.

"Uggghhh… Does it look bad?" Darby groggily asked as he clutched his aching head.

"You're not bleeding at the least, but those rocks hit you pretty good." Duncan chuckled, pointing at the bruise on Darby's face.

"They must have set traps shortly after we left! I never thought they could do something like that." Filip deduced as he looked over the trap device that was hidden among the vegetables in the garden.

"Then we should watch our step, but we're not here to hurt the frogs. We just need them to give us answers. You understand, Darby?" Gunther told the human as he pulled the young man up to his feet.

"Y-Yeah… I'm sorry, everyone." Darby looked down in a hint of shame as he still felt his head throbbing in pain. However, when he looked back up, he noticed something odd that got his attention. "Hey, where did those plants come from?"

The salamanders looked where Darby was pointing at and saw a couple of odd-looking plants guarding the path towards the farmhouse. Unlike the rest of the plans they've seen, they have spikes across the lobes.

"Venus flytraps. probably the kind that grows in a short period of time. Didn't think someone would plant those in their farm." Gunther said, furrowing his brows in deep thought as if he tried to guess who would get their hands on something like that.

"Wait, are those things gonna try to eat us if we try to pass?" Darby asked with a concerned look.

"There's only one way to find out." Duncan said before he took a couple of iron grenades out of his belt pouch. He then cast a flame spell on his finger tip and lit the fuses and suddenly threw one of them to Darby. "Here, use this."

"Dude! Fuckin' hell!" Darby shouted as the bomb bounced off his hands before fully catching it, but since the bomb was a few seconds away from exploding, he threw straight at the plants while Duncan did the same.

As they expected, the venus flytraps snapped their mouths open and out of instinct they swallowed the bombs. Darby and the salamanders backed away before the carnivorous plants suddenly blew into smithereens.

"Heh, that wasn't a bad throw there." Duncan grew a taunting smirk on his face.

"Next time you throw me the bomb before lighting it, you asshole!" Darby shot an angry glare to Duncan.

"Guys, that's enough, we have to get to that house right now!" Filip argued as he stood between them.

"He's right, but watch your step, they might have set more traps for us." Gunther then took the lead as the others followed him on their way towards the farmhouse.

Suddenly, a window from the second floor was slammed open before a small frog girl with a bow in her head jumped on the ledge.

"Hey, you longneck jerks!" She shouted, catching the attention from the intruders. "You better stay away from our turf or get ready to feel the pain!" She then picked up a lumberjack ax and threw it.

"Whoa, look out!" Filip cried out and everyone jumped away before the ax landed on the ground.

"What the hell is wrong with everyone in this world?!" Darby shouted vexingly as he stood back up. "Oi, little pipsqueak! Why don't you come down here and say that to our faces!"

"Who are you calling pipsqueak?! Oh you're gonna go down first! Take that!" The frog girl shouted before she threw a hammer at Darby, but he ducked his head before it could hit him.

"Listen, we're not here to hurt anybody! We just wanna talk!" Filip tried to speak to the girl as he stepped forward.

"Lies! You're not gonna get your hands on, Anne!" The frog girl shouted.

"Polly! You weren't supposed to say that!" The familiar voice of the elder frog came from inside the house.

"Oops…" Polly's eyes widened before she looked back at the intruders, but little did she know that one of them was taken aback the moment she mentioned a name.

"Anne…" Darby muttered in shock as memories of her flashed through his mind. And then, without much thinking, he dashed towards the house.

"Darby, wait!" Filip tried to stop him, but the young man was already out of his reach before he and the other salamanders followed him.

"Aaaahhh! He's coming!" Polly shouted before getting back inside.

Ignoring the calls from the salamanders, Darby raised his foot and kicked the door open. Inside his subconscious, he didn't know what he was doing at this moment, but the moment that frog girl mentioned the name of Anne, he felt the urge to find her by any means necessary. However, he was experiencing a mix of emotions that he couldn't tell what he's feeling right now. Is it the joy upon hearing her name again, or the opposite?

---

"Anne! Where are-" The hooded one didn't notice a string of rope stretching across the entrance of the house. And by the time he stepped inside, his foot was caught by the rope. His sight suddenly went dark when a bucket full of manure fell on his head, completely blinding him as a strong stench wafted through his nostrils. "Aaaaahhh! What the-"

"Now!" Sprig shouted before he and Anne pushed the intruder into an opened door that leads to the basement as the sound of his body hitting down the stairs echoed.

"Yeah, that's what you get, sucker!" Anne laughed before she slammed the door shut.

"Anne! We got more company!" Sprig yelled before aiming his slingshot at the salamanders who just went through the door. "Stop right there!"

"Yeah! One more step and you'll be history!" Polly exclaimed as she stood beside her brother, slamming a rolling pin into her hand.

"Right on!" Anne joined in while cracking her knuckles.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, take it easy! We didn't mean to give you any trouble, but this is all a misunderstanding.!" Filip held up his hands.

"He's right." Gunther said as he stood in front of the frogs and the human. "We're only here because we're looking for-"

"Gunther…"

Gunther blinked in surprise when he heard a voice he didn't hear after a long time. Turning to the side, he saw the elder frog standing in the living room, holding a pan in his head he meant to use as a weapon. However, he didn't seem very pleased to see an old face.

"Hopadiah…" Gunther muttered with a look of surprise, but there was also a hint of remorse on his face.

"I should've known you would show up sooner or later." Hop Pop said with his furrowed brows.

"You know them, Hop Pop?" Sprig asked as he, Anne and Polly were stunned at the unexpected twist.

"Wait, you know this old shrimp?" Duncan looked at his grandpa in disbelief.

"We do, but it's a very long story." Gunther replied, letting out a tense breath through his nose. "It's been a long time since we last saw each other, Hopadiah. To be honest, I completely forgot you still live here."

"Time flies, isn't it?" Hop Pop said with a hostile tone, before he stomped his way across the living room. "You're here looking for Anne, is that it? You're thinking of finding her and hunting her down like all the monsters you slay, do you?"

"Wait, wait, what exactly is going on! I'm so confused!" Sprig yelled as he pulled his hair, having a hard time to make sense of what was happening.

Hop Pop let out a sigh. As much as he felt this wasn't the right time to explain everything to his grandkids, he knew it's best to just get to the point.

"These are the salamanders, kids. They also call themselves the Venators."

"The Venators?" Anne asked, raising one of her eyebrows in confusion.

"A mysterious group of warrior sorcerers and monster hunters. People of Amphibia say that they're the protectors of our kind, but I see them as nothing but mercenaries who will just kill a monster as long as they get coins." Hop Pop responded as he shot a disdainful glare to the salamanders.

"Hey, what do you know about us, asshole?" Duncan growled as he stepped forward, but Gunther shot his arm to stop him.

"Duncan, please stay calm." Gunther hissed before looking back at the Plantars, but then he got full attention on the young woman. "So you must be Anne. Everyone in Wartwood Swamp was talking about you."

"You don't say…" Anne said with an unfriendly tone.

"You better stay away from her, barbarians." Hop Pop frowned as he took a step forward boldly. "I know she's not like the rest of us, but what I also know is that she's not a monster!"

"Yeah, she's a good friend! If that's her you're looking for, you're gonna get through us first!" Sprig added as he stood beside his grandpa.

"Damn straight!" Polly growled as she also joined in.

While Anne was surprised to see these frogs standing up for her, she couldn't help but grow a smile as she was deeply moved by their selflessness.

There was a moment of silence as the tension filled around the house, as everyone in the room didn't stop glaring at each other. At some point, the frogs were expecting that the salamanders wouldn't take their word seriously and say something like they cannot leave until they've fulfilled the contract.

However, what they didn't expect was that the older salamander, Gunther, snorted before letting out a heartful laugh. "You're right about one thing. We know she's not a monster."

"Huh?" The frogs were taken aback at his words.

"We didn't come to hunt you down, Anne. We're here because we were helping a poor bastard who was looking for you." Duncan said to the human with a scoff, earning a surprised reaction from her.

"Yeah, when we heard about the rumors about the Beast of the Wartwood Swamp, Darby thought it was one of you. So we came all the way here because he wanted to see you again." Filip explained with a smile.

"Wait, did you say Darby? Darby is with you?!" Anne exclaimed with shock written over her face.

"Hold on, isn't the guy in a hood we just pushed into the basement?" Sprig asked with a raised eyebrow.

Suddenly, a door was slammed open and everyone flinched before watching a dark brown-haired young man slowly stepping out of the basement. Stopping in his tracks, Darby turned to face everyone to let them see he was covered in manure and some bruises from head to toe.

"Darby…?" Anne gasped with her hands covering her mouth as she approached him.

The young man stared straight at Anne with an inexpressible look that made everyone but Anne think that he's not actually happy to see her again.

"Oh my God! It's you! I can't believe it's really you!" Anne exclaimed happily before she sprung forward and wrapped her arms around Darby, hugging him tightly. However, Darby didn't react to the gesture. "Oh Darby, you don't know how happy I am to see you again!

Filip thought he should intervene before things could get worse, but when he tried to make a step, Gunther tapped his hand on his shoulder, before the young salamander looked at him and saw he shook his head.

"Wow dude, this is crazy! And best of all, these frogs are gonna help us find our way home!" Anne pointed to the Plantar family, though she didn't notice they were looking anxious when Darby was trying to restrain a livid look on his face. Unaware of it, Anne continued as she wiped some of the manure off his face and his jacket. "We just need to find Sasha and Marcy. We can explain everything that happened between us, and we can all agree that it was just a big misunderstanding. Right? DB?"

After a prolonged moment of silence, Darby took a deep breath before taking a few more steps, passing Anne by. At some point, Anne was also starting to feel nervous, but before she could think of asking him if he was feeling fine, Darby spoke.

"I just want you to know that even though you're part of the reason why we're stranded in a world we don't know about. Not to mention that you just dropped a bucket full of manure over my head, and pushed me into a basement. My mom taught me that seeking revenge can't solve all your problems." Darby said with a seemingly nonchalant tone.

"Oh, that's good." Anne tried to smile, but a drop of sweat rolled down her temple.

Darby then turned back at her with a soul-piercing glare that left her frozen. His hand then gripped around the collar of her top and pulled her towards him. "But right now she's not here… Is she?" He said gravely.

"No…" Anne gulped.

"Exactly."

Realizing she's totally screwed, Anne tried to run away, but Darby pulled her by the arm, making her lose her balance. But instead of falling to the ground, Darby crouched down and placed her face down on his leg. He then placed one of his arms on the back of her neck, not enough to hurt her, but at least to keep her immobile.

"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing!" Anne cried out before she felt her shorts being pulled down. At that moment, her eyes widened when she realized what he was about to do. "No, no, no, no! Darby! Wait! We can talk about-

*Spank*

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKK!" She squealed when she felt a jolt of pain in her backside.

The frogs and the salamanders were completely flabbergasted as they witnessed Darby giving a classic punishment that anyone could give to a child, but in this case, to a grown woman like Anne.

"Aaahhh! Stop, let me go, Darby! Everyone's watching!" Anne cried, but that didn't stop Darby from spanking her once more.

"You're not going anywhere! Not until you say you're sorry!" Darby shouted before bringing his hand down to her cheek with a loud slap.

"Aaahhh! It stings! No more, please!"

"Wrong answer! Say you're sorry!" Darby continued to scowl at her as he spanked her more. "Are you sorry yet?!"

"I think I peed a little-hah-hah-hah-haaaaa!" Anne began to cry like a child.

"What in the world am I watching?" Filip asked with a dumbfounded expression.

"I have no idea, but I'm starting to like this guy." Duncan chuckled as he continued to watch in amusement.

"Um… Should we help her?" Sprig asked nervously.

"And then what, getting spanked too? No way, I'm out." Polly replied before backing away.

As everyone agreed that it would be a risk to intervene, Darby kept bringing down the unconstrained force of his right hand down to her backside, to the point her cheeks were already getting red.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Anne knew that even though she would bring herself to the lowest level, she would prefer this instead of spending a full week without being able to sit.

"You're sorry for what?" Darby demanded before slapping her butt once more.

"Aaahh! I'm sorry I stole the box in the first place! I'm sorry I was responsible for sending all of us to a world full of frogs, even though I didn't know that would happen!" Anne apologized with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Aaaand?" Darby raised an eyebrow as he held his hand up to the ceiling.

"And I'm sorry I placed a trap to put a bucket full of manure on your head and pushed you into the basement!" Anne yelled at the top of her lungs.

Darby's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he knew there are more things Anne should apologize for, including the actions she made years ago, but he knew this was becoming so awkward with the frogs and the salamanders watching this scene. So maybe that should be good enough for now.

Letting out a sigh, Darby let her go and raised up to his feet.

"Dude, that was so uncalled for!" Anne moaned with a pout, as she pulled her shorts up and rubbed her aching butt, but Darby just ignored her.

"Alright, Darby - that's your name, right? Did that get out of your system?" Hop Pop asked with his arms crossed.

"Yeah… I feel a lot better than ever, actually." Darby replied with a pleased smile.

"Good, because now it's time you tell me WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Hop Pop shouted, holding up his hands in frustration.

"Right, right, Anne must have told you her side of the story." Darby glanced at Anne suspiciously, as she just looked away. "But first, can someone help me wipe all this manure off me? I'm starting to smell like shite!"

"I'll go help him." Filip sighed as he took Darby outside.

"Hop Pop, what should we do about them?" Sprig asked as he looked over Gunther and Duncan.

Hop Pop looked at the older salamander warily, still having doubts about letting Gunther stay in his house. The other salamanders might be an exception, but Gunther was the least person he would want to see.

However, when Hop Pop glanced at Anne, she was giving him a look that he could tell she was asking him to let them stay. Anne's reunion with one of her lost friends didn't go as she would've hoped, at the very least it didn't turn out worse as they feared though. It seemed like something else was going on between them that Anne didn't tell him yet.

As for Darby, Hop Pop wasn't sure if he's the kind of person Anne claimed to be, but he actually would like to hear the young man's side of the story, especially about 'the box' he mentioned.

Hop Pop turned back to Gunther. "You're doing this for that young man?" He asked, mentioning Darby.

"That's the reason why we're here." Gunther nodded.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, Hop Pop gave in. "In that case, I will let you stay here. But that's not gonna change between us, Gunther. I'm doing this because I'm helping Anne." He then walked away.

"What happened between you and that old frog?" Duncan asked his grandpa with a low tone.

"Like I said, it's a long story…" Gunther responded before walking away.

"Hey Anne, is your bum okay?" Sprig asked as he went to check on Anne's behind.

"Hands off my ass!" Anne slapped Sprig's hands before he could touch them.

---

Behind the farmhouse, Darby was only wearing his underwear as he was bathing in the lake. While it might not get rid of the smell of manure in his body, at the very least he wiped all the stinky dung stuck all over him. As for Filip, he was helping him clean his clothes. Though they both didn't share a word since they came here and it was starting to feel awkward for Darby.

"Hey." He tried to block the silence. Filip looked up to see him, though at that moment Darby looked away while rubbing the back of his nape. "Sorry about what you had to see back there. There was a lot I needed to get it off my chest."

"Oh, it's okay. I mean, I expected your reunion would be pretty, but I guess that's my fault for having so many expectations." Filip let out a chuckle as he finished cleaning the jacket and placed it along the rest of his cleaned clothes. After that, he hovered his hands over Darby's laundry and cast a magic spell that released a heat wave to dry them up. "Darby, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure." Darby said before splashing more water on his face.

"Are you and Anne really friends?" The question took Darby by surprise as he looked at him shockingly. Realizing the choice of words he made, Filip waved his hand and continued. "I-I mean, I just didn't expect you would be very upset instead of being happy to see someone who's been missing. But then, I remember you said back at our manners that you and your friends got into an argument. So… I just wanna ask, what exactly happened between you and the others?" He corrected before focusing back on his clothes.

Darby looked down to the water thoughtfully. It was something that he wouldn't share for anyone for personal reasons, but on the other hand, he knew it wasn't fair of not telling Filip what exactly happened moments before they got sent to another world.

"I… I saw them stealing the box from a local store." Darby replied as he looked at his own reflection on the water, before Filip glanced at Darby in shock. "Yeah, like what you heard back in that house, Anne and her friends stole the same box that sent us to another world. Of course, she didn't know that this would happen, but that wasn't an excuse for her to commit theft. When I saw them doing it, it made me feel angry, because it's been years since the last time I saw them. And just when I thought I'd be happy to see them again…" Darby paused as he breathed out through his nose.

"So you and your friends fought because of that." Filip deduced with a saddened look.

"Yeah. I tried convincing them that they should do the right thing, but they refused because… well, they were just afraid of facing the consequences." Darby continued as he remembered how anxious Anne was about going to jail.

"Even so, you didn't wish something worse would happen to them, did you?" Filip inquired as he just finished drying her clothes.

"Of course not. It's just… it can be so frustrating when you try to reason with them, and yet, they never listen to you." Darby replied as he walked towards the shore and got out of the lake. "Hey, do you have something I could dry myself up with?"

"Here you go!"

"Huh?" Darby turned around, only to be blinded when something was thrown to his face. "Hey! What was t-" He trailed off when he pulled it off and saw it was a piece of towel. Looking up, he saw the person who threw the towel, no pun intended, was the young frog named Sprig.

"Hey, so uh… I know we all started off on the wrong foot, but I thought we could at least try again." Sprig then extended his hand. "Hello, my name is Sprig. And sorry about that trap I put at the door.

While Darby hesitated, he accepted the handshake. "Uh… nice to meet you. Name's Darby." After the gesture, he pulled his hand back, only to see he got some slime.

"I know, Anne told me about you lately." Sprig smiled, but then it disappeared as he averted his gaze. "So… hey, I don't know what happened between you and Anne. But, I thought you should know that she missed you and she was worried about you. Also she's my very first friend. When we met, she saved me when I was tied on a rope, even though she was the one who set that trap up."

"Heh, don't tell me she thought about eating you." Darby chuckled as he began to dry himself with the towel.

"She did! But she was just desperate because she was lost and starving. So I decided to help her." Sprig continued as he took a seat on top of a stump. "Of course, things didn't go so well when the townsfolk found us and tried to kill her. She thought I set her up. And when I thought things wouldn't get much worse, we were attacked by a giant mantis!"

"I think I heard that before, but then someone saved you from that mantis. Was it Anne?" Filip inquired as she stood next to the young frog.

"Yup, she sure did! I was trying to distract that monster, but when it almost tried to eat me, Anne saved my life! After that, I convinced the townsfolk to give her another chance and… well, you know the rest." Sprig finished.

"I wish I would've been there to see all the stuff she did." Darby said while wearing a small smile, thinking that at least something didn't change about her. "Thanks for telling me all of this, Sprig. And… I'm sorry we made you feel threatened."

"Oh, don't worry about it. We just had to do something to protect ourselves and our friend. But Anne's friend is a good friend of mine!" Sprig replied cheerfully before winking at Darby.

Darby was surprised at the frog's words that he couldn't think of how he could respond to that.

"Well, I'll see you back at the house." Sprig stood up and made his way back home, but then stopped for a moment and turned around. "By the way, even though she did all those things, I'm pretty sure she felt sorry for it. And I hope you can give her one more chance." He then left.

Darby looked at the frog leaving, but the moment he was now out of sight, Darby grew a doubtful look. What Sprig didn't know is that he did give Anne a chance, more than a few times as far as he remembered, and she just didn't do what she promised. He did want to give her another chance, but how many times would he give her to her and she would just waste it?

"You're okay, Darby?" Filip asked in concern as he handed him his clothes.

"Yeah… I am. It's just… I just hope Sprig's right about Anne." Darby said reluctantly, before he started to get dressed. A minute later, he put on his last piece of clothing, which was his jacket. "Alright, let's go back in there. I feel like there are still more questions that's left to answer."