In a strange world as a Doppelganger

Chapter 27 - Toad be or not Toad be.

Two days have passed since leaving the goblin village behind.
After returning back I checked in with my roommate, who seemed to have been enjoying all that space alone since I've been gone.
More importantly though I needed to get to work on a multi-step idea that had sprung to my mind after my second transformation.

All of yesterday and today I have been by the river. The tense truce with the frogs being upheld by being under constant watch.
I don't mind though, I have no intention of crossing over to their side... yet.
Observing them over some time and getting some ideas from things I saw around the goblin village, I do my best to weave river straw into lengths.
Making a rope is much harder than I anticipated, not gonna lie.
But my backup idea, hunting for silk in bugland, is less than appealing as is.

I swear some of the frogs are laughing at me from time to time, it's not exactly discreet. My attempts at making rope are not the best and my clawed fingertips aren't exactly made for these kinds of delicate tasks.

The plan, I'll share it with you, is to make a rope, climb up to the canopy, stare at the frogs until I hopefully turn into one and in case I'd lose consciousness a longer time the rope will keep me safely fastened hidden among the leaves.

I should probably add a few steps to said plan and make sure the ropes hold my weight.
I also tried turning into that molerat but nothing happened no matter what I tried.
The thought of having to kill something to turn into it crossed my mind, but seemed a bit excessive.

The stupid skills also aren't helping at all. I tried checking a length of rope I made to see if it would show up as rope. Sadly, just straw. Which did make me start over because there's no way I'm trusting my life to something less than safe.

Too many close calls.

As the sun sets there is a thought that fills my brain though. What to do to level up? It seems I still can't expect myself to gain any useful insight. And it's getting on my nerves to be the only thing in this entire forest at level 0. It's really annoying and feels like I can't do anything significant or go anywhere new. Seeing as I could die at every turn.
Bloody luck that I've even made it till now.

No mate how robust it feels it never changes to being considered a rope by the voice in my head.
I eventually lose my pantience and stomp off.

On the way back I see a curious creature. Imagine a deer but smaller and stockier, and only a single antler that grows like a comb from the forehead and back across the head.
Since I wasn't paying much attention to being quiet it quickly spots me and thunders away into the forest.

As I'm working on some minor expansion to my hole, I suddenly get this feeling.
Like a feeling akin to the question "why?". Why am I here, is there a purpose?
Should I be going on some grand journey of selfdiscovery?
Even if that was the point I'm not sure I'd get far in my current state.

As night falls I go to sleep without any fuss and as soon as I wake up, with renewed determination, I return to the stream.

There's a rope on my side of the river...
Just laying where I had been sitting the past two days.
Sure as the sun in the sky I inspect it and [Rope - Straw] springs into my brain.

It's a fair amount even! Definitely more than I needed.
I lock eyes with the first frog person I see, raise the rope and give a grateful nod.
I get a quized look back but I don't have time to find exactly who did this.

Promptly I start climbing a tree that looks to have a dense enough canopy to at the same time hide and protect me.

Giddy with excitement I lay down on a thick branch and look down at the river. I had to go a few rows into the woods to find an appropriate tree but I can still make out their shapes through the leaves.
I start examining them as best I can, their movements, body language, any details at all and I focus on etching them into my brain.
Slowly I feel a headache coming on and eventually I must have passed out.

Waking up I almost fall off the branch!
While the ropes feel tight around my body, everything is slippery!
My frame is hunched somewhat but a layer of mucus covers me and I find it hard to stay still.

The sun is just about setting, a few hours I was out but not as long as the first time I became a goblin.
The damned knots though!
I can't seem to get them open with my current slippery fingers.

A few minutes of adjusting and breathing, I slowly start lulling away into unconsciousness again.
I wake up yet another time, before sunset, in my usual featureless form. Untying myself and climbing down the tree I spot the small antlered creature again.
It's further away and in the progress of scraping bark off a tree with it's horn.

For a moment I consider just sneaking up and striking it, hoping it's weak. But hesitation comes as I remember my own vow, to be careful.
I'll make a mental note of where I've seen it and see if I can't get an ambush on it next time.