Chapter 2

The two twins named Slippery Jack and Oyster were just playing with their rocks, waiting for Fur Foot to come back. Beauty Stem was out looking for leaves while Shaggy Mane was still outside looking for more coil. Puff Ball and Elf Cup were watching them. Puff Ball acted as the third in command. So he watched over the kids.

The kids found round rocks that could be knocked into each other. They had invented a game where everyone gets five rocks, and they must knock all of the other rocks out of a square.

"OK, here I go." said Slippery Jack, waiting to flick his favorite rock at a smaller one near the center. "Hah!" He flicked it... but it flew off the rock and started rolling near the crevasse.

"No!" shouted Slippery Jack. "Not my shiny rock!" He ran to the crevasse to grab his rock, but he began to tumble into it.

"Aaah!"

"Slippery!" Shouted Oyster. She ran to grab Slippery Jack, but ended falling in herself!

"No!" shouted Elf Cup!

"Twins!" shouted Puff Ball as he and Elf Cup ran to the crevasse. "Twins! Please! Say Something!"

"I said don't call us that! Please get us out!" shouted Slippery Jack. The two were housed on a branch, one of two, that stuck through both sides of the crevasse.

"OK, OK." said Puff Ball, quite relieved as he leaned on the crevasse. "Just let me- woa, whoa!" Puff Ball began losing balance as the earth started the crumble underneath him. Soon, he himself was falling into the crevasse. And he fell on a nearby branch next to the twins. He was scared out of his skin! One moment, he felt like he would fall to his... toad splat. Another moment, he was holding on for dear life on a branch inside the very crevasse that almost swallowed a poor yet strong boy. He held on to the branch as if the branch was his mother.

"Happy place, happy place, happy place..."

"You mean the bed?" said Oyster.

"That wasn't funny, Oyster!" shouted a shaken Puff Ball.

"We told Shaggy Mane to leave the coil!" shouted Elf Cup from above.

"What do we do now?" shouted Slippery Jack from above

"The most we can do now is wait for Shaggy Mane!" shouted Elf Cup.

"What about Shaggy Mane?!" Shouted Fur Foot. Fur Foot brought back a vine to use for the shed, but the shed would have to wait. "How many people are in there?" said Fur Foot. Judging by how Elf Cup shouted into the crevasse, toadlets were trapped in there. What a day this has been.

"Puff Ball and the-" Elf Cup nearly said "twins," knowing how much it angered Oyster and Slippery Jack. "Oyster and Slippery Jack."

Beauty Stem ran closer to the crevasse. "Hang on! I'll get Shaggy Mane!"

"No!" said Fur Foot. "Shaggy Mane will be back any minute. For now, we all need to support the coil. OK, twins up first!"

"Actually, I might need to go first..." The poor Puff Ball was looking at the branch he was hanging onto, a branch that was cracking, tearing. It could be heard.

"Fur Foot! Puff Ball's branch is breaking! Let him go first!" shouted Slippery Jack.

Fur Foot was uncomfortable with leaving the youngest in there. "But..."

Oyster heard a crack in Puff Ball's branch. It wouldn't hold. "Our branch is fine! Drop the coil and get Puff Ball!" Fur Foot dropped his coil's end into the crevasse

Puff Ball looked up. "I'd usually let them go first, but I need help!"

"OK, Puff Ball! Where are you?" shouted Fur Foot.

Slippery Jack guided Fur Foot, since Puff Ball was to scared to think. "Bring the coil to the left! No no my left! Your right!"

"I am?" said Fur Foot.

"No, I mean your OTHER LEFT!" said Slippery Jack. "Now Puff Ball, grab it!"

Puff Ball was on the far end of the branch, while the rope was on the other side. "I can't reach it!"

"It'll hold long enough for you to cross it." said Oyster. "Just stand up!"

"You want me to WALK ACROSS THIS!?"

Slippery Jack shouted louder than before, both out of worry and annoyance. "It's supporting you long enough! Just walk across it!"

Puff Ball slowly stood up, really slowly...

And he ran across the branch which cracked under him and quickly grabbed the vine. "PULL!"

"Beauty Stem! Elf Cup! Behind me!" shouted Fur Foot. All three of them slowly pulled the vine and started bringing Puff Ball out of the dark.

"What's going on!?" Shaggy Mane called out as he ran to the crevasse.

Beauty Stem turned to him. "Puff, Oyster and Jack are inside there!"

"What are they really doing in there?"

The twins said "Don't ask!"

After Shaggy Mane started pulling on the vine, Puff Ball was out safe and sound, but very worried at what he got himself into, and what the twins are into. He looked sadly in the crevasse, and shouted "Are you OK?"

"Our branch is really strong!" said Oyster.

"Don't expect to live there, 'cause I don't want to lower food to you." said Shaggy Mane. His vine was tied across his waist, and the other end was tied to the rope the others were pulling, and that was tied to a large branch root that came from a tree outside and made its way into the cave. He turned to the other four toads. "See ya' back up here!" And he jumped into the crevasse.

"Shaggy Mane!" The toads shouted. But no worry was necessary, because Shaggy Mane landed on his legs with no pain as he slid carefully, but quickly, down the vine while holding the vine.

"Who needs a wind-ride?" Wind-riding is a term for riding on birds.