The Owl and the Frog

Chapter 25: Old Friend, New Foe

So I wanted to let you all know that I'm going to start posting original writing on my DeviantArt account. Mostly poems, but I might put a few short stories on there too. If you like my fanfiction, I would love to hear what you think of some of my original stuff.

In that same vein, I will also use DA to post updates about "The Owl and The Frog". Maybe some behind-the-scenes stuff or commentary on things, so feel free to check that out too.

Finally, this chapter took a while to write, partly because it was very long but also because I ended up changing the scene between Luz and Sasha three times. I wasn't happy with it the first time, so I went back and basically rewrote the whole scene. So obviously, that took a long time too. And just as a heads up, the next chapter is probably going to take a while to write too. There's a lot happening in it, so it will take a long time for me to write it.

With all that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!

Luz was busy in the basement. Uodeela had given her a few extra sets of clothes that she had lying around, as well as a bag to put them in. Luz began looking around the basement and putting her meager possessions into the bag. She had already put a few things in her backpack and was trying to decide what she might need for her journey to Wartwood. Uodeela had told her that she would take care of the major necessities (food, water, etc.) so as not to cause Luz to worry about what she should bring. Uodeela mentioned that there was a small chance that the information she had about her friend being in this town was wrong, but that they would worry about that if it came up. Luz was more worried about what would happen if she found Anne, who was still angry at her. The thought had been gnawing at her in anticipation of her trip to Wartwood, but she tried not to focus on it. Instead, she tried to think about what she would say to Anne upon seeing her again.

"So, Anne," began Luz, practicing out loud, "it's great to see you again! You look great! Not that you didn't look great before, but... Nah, that doesn't sound right."

Luz thought for a few minutes before speaking again, "I realized that it was wrong to kiss you without permission, but let me explain why I did it. You see, we were dancing, and the music was perfect, and you looked so beautiful and... Ugggh! No, that's not it either."

Once more, Luz thought for a bit before speaking, "Anne, I realize what I did was wrong. I'm sorry for kissing you without permission, and you have every right to hate me for it. If you really don't want to be friends anymore, then... then... that's okay. I won't bother you anymore... and I'll accept..." Luz paused before continuing, "I'll accept your decision... Why was that so hard to say?"

Deciding to take a break from packing and her speech to Anne, Luz went back upstairs. The living room was empty until Uodeela came in.

"How's the packing going?" she asked.

"It's going okay," replied Luz. "What's harder is trying to figure out what I'm going to say to Anne when I see her. That part is proving particularly tough."

"Well, even once we hit the road, we'll still have about a week of travel for you to think more about what you want to say. Speaking of which, I need to figure out where I can get a snail for us. One that comes with a travel wagon would be nice," said Uodeela.