Amphibia: Calamity Warriors

Amphibia: Calamity Warriors

Chapter Two: Best Fronds

After the events with the mantis and dealing with the mob, Shadow and Anne walked through the forest, carrying the carcass' of the dead mantis', Shadow leading the way to his hut that was set up far from town. Actually, Shadow was easily carrying the body of the red mantis, severed head, limbs and body, while Anne struggled to drag the carcass of the green mantis, even though its meat was partially harvested.

Anne couldn't help but admire the cloaked stranger's strength, being able to carry something of such size, especially being able to kill it.

"Hey, I gotta ask." She spoke up, as she was barely able to pull her mantis over a small incline. "How are you able to carry something of that size?"

"When you live here as long as I have," Shadow called over his shoulder. "You learn a few tricks."

Anne blinked at this, unsure what he meant by that, "What's that mean?"

"Stick around and find out." Shadow replied plainly. "Once you earn my trust, maybe I'll tell you more."

"'Maybe' doesn't guarantee a lot." Anne said.

After trekking a bit further, the two made it to a clearing where a medium-sized hut stood, made out of logs and large leaves, two windows and a door on the front, a chimney on the roof with a small covering to keep the rain out. Off to the side was a small farming plot with several farming tools nearby with a few barrels of seeds. A few yards away was an outhouse that seemed to have a terrible smell come from it. Near the hut was a small shack used for butchering meat and prepping them for consumption, or wrapped up for trade. Nearby the hut was a bathhouse and off to the side was a snail stable, where a black snail with a silver shell resided.

"Here we are," Shadow said. "Home sweet home."

After dropping off the mantis carcass' off at the butcher shack, Shadow led Anne to the inside, the inside being quite spacious with a bed on one side with a nightstand near the head of the bed and a dresser near the foot, a cooking station with a sink at the center underneath the chimney, and off to the side of the hut was a pile of wool and hay.

Anne looked around before seeing Shadow set his katana next to the bed.

"Make yourself at home." He said. "Just don't mess with anything important."

Nodding, Anne picked a spot near the wool before looking over at Shadow, "Thanks for letting me stay, even though you-"

"Not another word." The cloaked stranger held up a hand. "I'm not gonna leave someone in need or stress Hop Pop out more than he already is."

Anne couldn't resist a smile at such care, but her eyes nearly bulged out of her head when he took off his cloak and gloves. Underneath, Shadow looked like a walking entity composed of mostly shadow with an eye!

Shadow took notice of her shock, "What?"

Anne could barely form a sentence before the words finally came out, "Wha-Wha-WHAT THE HECK?! WHY DO YOU LOOK LIKE A LITTERAL SHADOW PERSON?!"

Shadow blinked once before realizing, "Oh this? I mostly keep this on when in town. Hold on."

Like something out of a comic book, the shadows pulled away, revealing his true form; light skin, long jet-black hair held in a ponytail, and a pair of bright green eyes. Anne could guess that he looked about as young as her and about her height, if not slightly taller.

"Ah, that's better." The young boy sighed contently. "Sometimes, I just feel that shell weighing me down."

Anne stared with wide eyes, not only from how handsome the boy looked, but also at the fact that this is the first human she's come into contact with since she came into this world.

"You're human…" She said. "Just like me…"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Shadow said jokingly.

Anne only approached him, looking into his eyes, Shadow only staring back in confused silence.

"What're you doing?" He asked, slightly uncomfortable with how close she was to his face.

She suddenly pressed her hands against his cheeks, ran her fingers through his hair, then ran her hands down his chest, feeling how toned his torso was.

"Whoa, you're ripped." She commented.

"Well, you gotta keep in shape to last out here." Shadow chuckled.

Anne then grabbed his right hand, pressing her palm against his, their fingers lining up, his hand slightly bigger than hers, the two looking into each others eyes, in complete silence, before Anne hastily backed away, her face bright red.

"Sorry!" She quickly said. "It's just…you're the first human I've met that isn't a frog!"

Shadow was silent for a moment before giving a friendly smile, "It's okay. It's actually nice to see a fellow human."

Anne eased up on that, when Shadow opened the door.

"Anyways, get yourself comfortable while I wrap up the mantis meat." He said as he stepped outside. "Don't let the bed bugs bite!"

He closed the door behind him, only to stick his head back in, "I'm serious; they'll drain you in seconds."

And then he left, leaving Anne by herself. The Thai girl laid out her sleeping bad next to the pile of wool, looking back at the door before back at her bag before pulling out something covered in cloth, undoing said cloth and revealing a small box, ornamented with gold and five grey gemstones, depicting a frog in the tropical woods, praising the gems behind an engraved sun design. It also had a small key on its right side as an accessory.

Taking one more look at the door, Anne looked at the box before placing her hand on the lid, bracing herself as she pulled the lid open…

…nothing happened.

Opening and closing it several times, Anne sighed in defeat before putting it away in her bag.

"Guess I'm gonna be here a while."

Deciding to put the thoughts away for now, Anne laid down on her sleeping bag before drifting off to sleep.

The next morning soon came, Shadow getting up earlier than usual, yawning as he stretched his limbs before getting out of bed.

"I had such an interesting dream." He said out loud. "I dreamt that I took in a human like me."

A snore reminded him that he wasn't alone, the young man looking over to see Anne lying on her sleeping bag near the pile of wool, snoring rather loudly.

"Oh." Shadow chuckled lightly before walking over and getting down on one knee. "Anne-"

Anne suddenly sat up with a scream, "Guys, I just had the craziest dream! I was trapped in a world full of frog peop-"

She stopped when she looked up at Shadow, "Oh."

"Sorry to disappoint." He said with an apologetic smile.

"Right, this isn't a dream." Anne said before Shadow pinched her cheek again. "Ow!"

"Just dissuading any doubts." He shrugged.

There was a knock at the door, Shadow standing up to answer, opening the door to see the Plantars just outside.

"Hey, Shade." Hop Pop greeted. "Hope you don't mind, just came to drop Sprig off!"

"It's all good, Hop Pop." Shadow smiled. "It's always a good day to see you."

"Hey, Anne!" Sprig waved at the human girl. "Hope you slept well!"

"Careful, boy!" Hop Pop shouted, pushing the little frog boy back. "She might be hungry."

"For your guts!" Polly exclaimed, holding up a rolling pin.

"Guys, relax." Shadow said. "She's not gonna eat anybody."

"Yeah, especially someone who clearly doesn't bathe." Anne added, pointing at Hop Pop, who appeared quite filthy with several flies buzzing around his head.

Hop Pop caught of one the flies with his tongue and pulled it into his mouth, "Fair point."

"See? I told you she's harmless!" Sprig declared.

Hop Pop huffed at this, "For now." He then walked off, before Polly jumped out of her bucket and stopped at the doorway, "Just give me an excuse to use ole Doris here." She then patted the side of her rolling pin for emphasis before hopping after Hop Pop.

"I think the little one wants to kill me." Anne said.

"Eh, they'll get used to you eventually." Shadow shrugged.

"So, you must be excited to be trapped in another world." Sprig declared. "Very jealous."

"Being trapped in another world isn't as fun as you might think, Sprig." Shadow said.

"Yeah, I miss my home, my stuff…" Anne paused before looking over at a picture that was held against the wall before pulling it down, holding it close. "Especially my friends." She held it out to Sprig, who took it to look at it. "Without them, I just feel kinda lost, you know?"

Sprig held the photo up to Shadow, who took it and took a look at it, the photo showing Anne and two other girls; both dressed similarly to Anne, one with lighter skin and blonde hair held up in a ponytail, a beauty mark underneath her left eye, and almond-shaped blue eyes, while the other had olive skin, short black hair and dark brown oval eyes.

Shadow and Sprig looked at one another before smiling, then turning his gaze back to Anne, "Well, until we get your situation sorted out, why don't Sprig and I be your friends until then?"

"Really?" Anne said. "You guys?"

"Sounds great!" Sprig declared. "What do you guys normally do?"

"Oh, we do a lot of stuff together!" Anne smiled. "Marathons, dumb TV shows, drink boba till we vomited, hung out at the beach."

"Well, we do have a lake nearby." Shadow said. "But I'm not sure if-"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Sprig declared, interrupting the boy. "Would going there with us make you less homesick?"

Anne gave it some thought before nodding, "Alright, let's do it!"

After brushing her teeth, Anne went to the bathhouse to change, changing into a sleeveless black swimsuit with cyan linings, a pair of light purple short, and a pair of dark aquamarine sandals with yellow stripes. After applying sunscreen and grabbing her beach towel, she stepped outside to Sprig and Shadow waiting for her.

"Weird that I had my swimwear in my bag before I dropped in this world." Anne said before shrugging it off.

"You ready to go?" Sprig asked, placing his goggles over his eyes.

"Yeah-yah!" Anne declared with a raised fist.

"Alright, follow me." Shadow gestured for them to follow. "I know the way to the lake."

"Wait, how come you're not changed?" Anne asked, confused by him still wearing his cloak.

"I'm not much of a swimmer." Shadow shrugged. "I prefer to just enjoy the scenery."

Shrugging it off, Anne followed the human and frog boys, although she was wondering about something.

'Does he not know how to swim?' She thought. 'Hydrophobia maybe?'

Although the walk to the lake was taking a bit longer than they thought, they didn't complain too much.

"Isn't this great?" Sprig declared with a jump. "Three pals out in nature, havin' a blast!"

"It is nice." Shadow admitted with a shrug. "Although I prefer the solitude, personally."

"You're missing out, dude." Anne said as she walked up beside the taller boy. "Seriously, having friends to have fun with make the world go round!"

"Only for a few, Anne." Shadow replied plainly.

Anne frowned at this, "Did you…have any friends before?"

"Besides Sprig and the Plantars, not really." Shadow said with a shake of his head. "There were some a few years back that I was close to, but they're gone."

Anne felt her heart ache at this. Someone saying that someone close was gone usually means that they're dead.

"Well, how about I be your friend?" She smiled. "That way, you won't be so lonely!"

Shadow looked at her before turning his gaze towards the forest, then back to the girl, who seemed giddy, then back to the forest, then back to Anne, who was now posing in a goofy manner, making him chuckle.

"I like your energy, Anne." He said. "Alright, I accept your friend request."

"Alright!" Anne threw a fist in the air as though she had been told she had won at life, before pulling the two boys in and pulling out her phone that had a cat case. "Smile!" She stuck her tongue out, Shadow gave a small smile, while Sprig tried to smile. Anne pushed a button and the camera flashed, "Whoa, that turned out good."

She showed the boys the picture, Shadow almost chuckling at how funny Sprig looked, "I'll admit, I could've given a better smile."

"I don't know what's crazier; that you just stole my soul with a tiny flash box, or that we look amazing!" Sprig declared before handing the phone back to Anne. "I gotta say, this friend's business is amazing!"

"Wait, you didn't have any frog friends before I showed up?" Anne asked.

"Uh…" Sprig paused for a moment to think before answering. "Kids around here don't really get me, except Shadow here!"

Anne gave a small smile before lightly punching Sprig in the arm, "Well, hey, they are missing out," She then pulled Shadow and Sprig closer. "Because you've got two awesome friends right here!"

Sprig smiled as the trio marched onward, "So, is punching part of friendship?"

"Absolutely!" Anne declared.

Although she would come to regret saying that when she was met with a powerful punch to the back of her head, sending her to the dirt and knocking her out cold.

"Whoa, I think she's out!" Sprig exclaimed. "I didn't know you guys were that close already!"

"Oops." Shadow, on the other hand, thought he may have gone overboard.

"Feeling any better, Anne?" Shadow asked.

"Ugh, my head," Anne groaned, as she rubbed the back of her head. "I still feel that punch."

The three kept going, Shadow carrying Anne on his back, before they arrived at their destination.

"We're here!" Sprig declared, as they looked out onto the lake. It was one of the most beautiful sights Anne had ever seen since falling into this world, the water sparkling, glistening water so clear that she could see the bottom, wild lily pads floating around the surface with vibrant colors.

Shadow sat Anne down so she could approach for a closer look, "It's so beautiful."

"Sometimes, I'd come down here to meditate or draw." Shadow said. "It's a great source of inspiration."

"You ready, Anne?" Sprig exclaimed, excited to get in the water.

"Yeah! Woohoo!" Anne shouted along with the frog, the two running down to the water, but stopped in front of a wooden sign that said 'DON'T SWIM' in what looked like red paint, said paint trailing off after the M.

"This wasn't here last week." Shadow said with a raised brow. "What could've happened to make someone put this sign up?"

Anne looked at the sign with narrowed eyes, a finger running against her chin, before she looked at the lake, a rainbow forming over it.

"I know exactly what's happened." She declared. "Some jerk just wants to keep this beautiful lake all to themselves! Well forget that!"

She made to approach, but Shadow put his arm out to stop her, "Anne, someone clearly wrote that in a hurry." He pointed at the way the words were written. "As if they were afraid of something."

"Or maybe they just had bad handwriting." Anne waved it off as she removed her backpack and sat it off to the side. "Come on, don't be a buzzkill!"

Sprig looked up at Shadow, who seemed very annoyed with Anne right now, who was taking her flipflops off before dipping her big toe into the water.

"Ooh, that's nice."

Suddenly, before she could go in further, Shadow grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back sharply.

"Hey!" Anne exclaimed, trying to pull away from the dark-cladded boy's grip. "What are you doing?"

"Anne, something is obviously not right about this lake." Shadow said sternly. "You don't ignore the obvious signs of danger that says you shouldn't be here."

"Ugh, come on." Anne scoffed before the boy released her. "I thought you were trying to be my friend."

"I am, but-" Shadow tried to say.

"Well, this is what friends do, in case you didn't know." Anne rolled her eyes. "They help each other get the things they want."

"Huh?" Sprig blinked at this.

"Look, if a friend likes a pencil case, you get it for them." Anne explained. "If your friend likes your new shoes, you give them to her. And if your friend wants you to steal a crazy music box from a thrift store," She hesitated with the last one, as she turned around and crossed her arms. "Even if you really don't want to, you do it, okay?" She cast her eyes downward. "Cause if you don't…they might not want to be your friend anymore."

Sprig looked at Shadow, who was giving a blank stare, before his eyes narrowed, "Sounds to me like you had terrible friends."

Anne suddenly spun around at him with daggers in her eyes, "You take that back! My friends would never do that to me!"

"Really?" Shadow raised a brow. "Because from what you just said, your own 'friends' treat you like a footstool if you let them."

"You don't know that!" Anne shot back. "Sure, we may have our spats, but it's better than being alone!"

"Better to be alone than being a sycophant!" Shadow retorted with his arms crossed.

"A what?" Anne questioned.

"A doormat. A flatterer. A bootlicker. Need I go on?" Shadow said. "Anne, if you don't stand up for yourself, everyone's just gonna walk all over you and throw you to the side when they no longer want you!"

"How would you know that? You haven't even met them!" Anne scowled. "In fact, I bet you probably never had a single friend in your life!"

Sprig gasped at this, looking up to see Shadow's expression darken, his eyes seeming to flicker between green and black, as though struggling to contain some level of anger.

"You'd be surprised by how many friends I used to have." The teenager spoke, his voice surprisingly calm yet dark. "Friends I held close to my heart, even after they died."

Anne's face softened, her eyes shifting into surprise, her mind absorbing what he had just said, as the boy turned away.

"You're right; I've never met your so called 'friends', and I don't think I ever want to." He said over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed at her. "But don't you dare claim what I do or do not know; especially about friendship."

He then walked off some distance before sitting on a rock, crossing his legs and arms. Anne stared in silence before sighing, simply sitting on the ground and pulling her knees to her chest, her heart aching from the words exchanged. A part of her wanted to admit that he was right, that there was merit to his words, but at the same time, she believed there was good in her friends.

She then sighed in frustration, "God, I feel terrible."

"That was pretty harsh, Anne." Sprig said as he sat next to her. "He may not show it, but he feels things too, like the rest of us."

Anne looked down at the frog boy, "Did he ever tell you about his past?"

"To be honest, he always came off as pretty distant sometimes." Sprig said. "Sure, he'd hang out with me, Polly and Hop Pop, but he mostly spends his time in his hut, keeping to himself."

"But why?" Anne asked. "Doesn't he get lonely?"

"Maybe, but he'd never tell." Sprig said with a shake of his head. "I think he just prefers to be alone, for one reason or another." He looked back over at the boy with the cloak, his eyes closed and hands folded atop one another. "But I try not to pester him about it, because it might not be something he wants to talk about right now."

Anne thought it over, looking over at the meditating boy, before sighing, then getting up and walking over, the boy not even reacting as she approached, as he stayed in his seated position.

"Can I help you?" He asked calmly, as though he knew she was standing before him. While he remained calm, Anne could hear a bit of venom in his tone.

After careful consideration, Anne finally spoke, "I'm sorry for what I said."

Shadow opened his eyes, looking up at her with a softened expression, as she continued, "I admit, I should stand up for myself more, but I see the good in everyone I'm close to. I've known these friends since we were little, and I can't bear the thought of them getting hurt. I didn't like what you said, but that didn't warrant anything that came out of my mouth, and I'm so sorry for having said such stupid things."

Shadow took in what was said, hearing the sincerity in her words, before looking out to the lake.

"Your words did hurt, Anne." Shadow stated. "And maybe it wasn't my place to judge, but I only want you to understand where your friends might be getting toxic in some areas."

Anne nodded, as the boy stood up, "I'll forgive you, but do not let this happen again."

"I promise!" Anne declared with a salute.

Satisfied, Shadow pulled out what looked like a sketchbook and what looked like a writing utensil, "Go have fun. I'll keep watch in case something does happen."

Smiling wide, Anne ran back with Sprig and jumped in the water, Sprig joining after, Shadow simply watching the two splash around, having fun, while drawing in his sketchbook, already drawing several pictures before starting a third drawing. Occasionally glancing up towards Anne, Shadow drew more until his drawing finished with Anne standing in a neutral pose, a smile on her face.

He looked up to see the two wave at him, the boy waving back before returning his attention to his sketches, but froze before slowly looking back up, his sights set on a massive snake right behind them!

Acting fast, Shadow quickly got up and darted towards them, grabbing them both and moving out of the way before the snake lunged forward, diving underneath the water before resurfacing, Shadow jumping on a lily pad and setting the surprised duo down.

Once again, Anne was surprised by not only the speed of the young boy, but by how he managed to traverse the waters surface so quickly, taking note on how far they were from the shore.

"Did you seriously just walk on water?!" She finally asked in shock. "That's straight out of an anime!"

"It's a skill I have." Shadow shrugged. "One of the first of many skills I had to learn when I was young."

"Even I can't do that!" Sprig exclaimed.

A roar from the snake drew their attention, the snake raising out of the water, revealing its large, dull brown body with a light gray underbelly. It had brown spot with a darker shade of outlines across its back, its eyes orange with light red, slit pupils staring at them. It opened its mouth and hissed, revealing the fangs sticking out of its lower jaw. It also had transparent pink salmon-colored spines along its back towards its tail as well.

Not even bothered, Shadow pulled his katana from its sheath, "Wait here, you two."

Anne and Sprig watched as the boy ran across the water, sword in hand, the snake roaring as it lunged forward, mouth wide open, as it swallowed Shadow whole before diving beneath the water.

"SHADOW!" Anne screamed in horror, before picking up a stick, her face riddled with anger, "VENGEANCE!"

"VENGEANCE!" Sprig screamed as well, pulling out a slingshot, the two jumping upon another lily pad, aiming to attack the snake…

…only to stop when they saw the water turn red, then several pieces of the snake started floating up to the surface.

"What the…?" Anne gasped, utterly shocked at what happened.

Suddenly, something flew from the water before landing on the lily pad next to them, a soaked Shadow standing up and sheathing his sword, flipping his hair back with one hand.

"We're definitely eating good tonight." The boy declared with a smile.

The Thai girl and frog boy's jaws hit the floor at such a sight, before seeing him jump to the shoreline and pulling some rope, the pieces of the dead snake being pulled from the water.

"Was he always able to do that?" Anne asked, still awestruck.

"Ever since he got here." Sprig nodded, just a shocked.

After the events that transpired at the lake with the snake, the trio decided to return to the hut, Shadow wrapping up the snake meat, before they all decided to settle for board games. They went on for several hours.

"Come on, mama needs a new pair of shoes!" Anne declared as she rolled the die in her hands. "Seriously, I do need new shoes."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, Shadow getting up to answer, opening the door to see Hop Pop.

"Hey there!" The old frog greeted. "I hope they weren't too much for ya."

"Quite peachy, actually." Shadow said with a smile. "It's always nice to have company!"

Hop Pop smiled at this before turning to the young frog boy, "Alright, kiddo, let's head home!"

Nodding, Sprig got up, "See you later, Shadow! Bye, Anne!"

The two humans waved goodbye as the two frogs left the hut, when Polly hopped through the threshold, holding her rolling pin, "Aha!"

"'Sup, Polly?" Anne greeted with a smile.

Polly lowered her rolling pin, "You're not gonna eat us, are you?"

"Nope." Anne replied simply.

"You're not even gonna try." Polly said as her tiny tadpole arms drooped to her sides. "Dis…appointing."

She then hopped away after her brother and grandfather, finally leaving the two humans alone.

Anne got up and closed the door before sitting back down, "Hey, I'm sorry I almost got us killed today."

"No need to be sorry." Shadow said, that smile never leaving his face. "On the bright side, we can add snake meat to the menu!"

Anne smiled at this, but then it went right back into a frown, "I'm also sorry about the things I said. I was wrong." She rubbed her arm. "I was way outta line and had no right to say those things. I know nothing about your past and have no right to judge, no matter how upset I was."

Shadow stared blankly for a moment before speaking, "Your words were hurtful, but I understand where you're coming from."

"You do?" Anne asked with surprise.

"We need connections in order to live happily in this world." Shadow declared. "However, that doesn't mean we should be blind to the toxic behavior of our friends, especially when we know it's damaging." He then placed a hand on Anne's shoulder. "Tell you what; you tell me about your friends and I'll tell you about mine. Perhaps sharing experiences, we can understand each other better."

Anne smiled brightly, "Oh definitely! You got a deal!"

Chuckling, Shadow stood up, "Well, I need to finish prepping that meat. Go ahead and get some rest."

Anne watched him leave, before she pulled up her picture of her friends.

"Sasha, Marcy, I hope you guys are okay." She said with a smile. "Because I am."