Calamitous Intervention

Luz or Beast?/Best Fronds

In front of an old, rundown restaurant named Stumpy's Diner, a turquoise frog exited the diner. He had a dark blue hat on his head, black shorts, and an old scarf with stitches. "Goodnight, ye frogs!" he called out in farewell. "See you in the 'morrow!" He hopped on a nearby rock and walked away, waving to two frogs sitting down with drinks by a worn-down wooden patio table.

The turquoise frog's name was Wally, whom the town called a lunatic. He didn't watch where he was going and bumped into some barrels, falling over ungracefully. The two frogs at the table saw his misfortune and burst out laughing together.

Ignoring this, Wally got up and trudged through the forest while playing his accordion and humming to himself. That was until he heard rustling and cracking next to him, causing him to freeze on the spot. He spun around, getting nervous. "Hello?" he called out, worried that a night critter had found him. But, oh, what he found was so much worse.

Behind him, a shadowy figure approached from the bushes, and Wally gasped, turning around, his eyes becoming as white saucers. "What's that?!" He stumbled back as the figure approached him, trying to speak to him, but its voice was drowned out by his screams. "No! No, no, no, no!" He took another step back.

The figure grinned, looking terrifying in the dark, and he cried out, his voice echoing across the wilderness. "NOOO!"

Chapter Three - Luz or Beast?/Best Fronds

After that horrifying night, it was now daytime when the inhabitants of the town known as Wartwood went about their daily business. One of the butchers sliced a centipede-looking creature in half, but didn't expect its top half to suddenly come alive and scurry away, nearly tripping up a frog who was climbing up a nearby house. Sitting on the ledge of the fountain in the center of the town was a couple who were about to kiss, when a massive dragonfly dove out of nowhere and snatched the man, carrying the screaming frog away, much to his partner's horror. Just a regular day in Wartwood.

A couple of young frogs hopped around, laughing while playing with each other. As that was happening, a rental snail pulled up, trying to eat a leaf on a pole that an old, orange frog was carrying. His name was Hopediah "Hop Pop" Plantar. Unfortunately, his snail had gotten sick today, so he had to use a rental again.

Next to him sat a short, pink frog with a dark forest-green hat, goggles, a sleeveless jacket, and black shorts. His name was Sprig Plantar. Also in the cart was a pink tadpole in a wooden bucket filled with water. She had a yellow bowtie, and her name was Polly Plantar, the youngest in the family.

They pulled up next to the Grub 'n' Go, where Hop Pop stopped the cart, and turned toward the two frog children. "All right, kids. I'm gonna do a little shoppin'. You watch the cart," he told them.

Sprig leaped up and back-flipped onto the edge of the cart. "You got it, Hop Pop!" he replied. "I'll defend this cart with my LIIIFEEE!" He enthusiastically dragged the last word out while pounding his chest like a gorilla.

"Sprig, I was talkin' to Polly," Hop Pop corrected, much to the boy's shock.

"What? Polly's a baby!" Sprig protested.

In response, Polly jabbed her flipper at him. "You're a baby!" she retorted angrily.

"Polly's got more responsibility in her little flipper than you have in your entire body," Hop Pop explained.

"Ridiculous!" Sprig scoffed. "What makes you think I'm irresponsible?"

"Oh, gee," Hop Pop replied sarcastically. "Let me think. How about the time you put something in the pot while I was cooking dinner and made a huge mess, the time you crashed through my room while riding a cowapillar, or the time you forgot to turn the lights off, attractin' massive fireflies?"