Anne wants respect from the frogs of Wartwood, all the while Leo doesn't want any of them to be terrified of him, when a few toads ride into town wanting to collect the taxes that haven't been paid, it gives the two of them a few ideas.
...
...
Leo awoke with a start; not like he'd had a bad dream or anything like that. He was groggily taken out of his slumber but a repeated wet sensation on the left side of his face. Turning to see what it was, there on the other side of the barn he'd been sleeping in was Besse the family snail, absent-mindlessly nibbling on his white hair, soaking it at the side.
"That's enough," He instructed to the creature aloud, tiredly getting its mouth off of his head and back to her nest at the other end of the barn.
This was where he'd been residing for the past week, he didn't mind it all that much. Besse acted as an annoying yet frequent alarm for when it was time for breakfast, and the hay was a surprisingly soft mattress and pillow all in one.
Performing the morning chores Hop Pop had requested of him since he'd started bunking there, Leo collected both the food and water for Besse and placed the two bowls between her, "Here's you breakfast Besse, I think there's a few beetles in there today so enjoy, I guess?"
Once again, he found himself talking to the larger snail. All he'd get in response was a happy gargling sound from the creature but he appreciated it enough, to complete his short to-do list the ghostly faced boy pulled out an overgrown weeds from the barn and dusted out the freakishly large cobwebs.
"Leo! Breakfast!" Just like it had for the past week, Anne's voice came from the window of the Plantar's house, signaling that it was time to eat.
He stepped out of the small, dingy barn. He'd admitted that it was nice to sleep in, but looks were an entirely different story – it could easily have been mistaken for someone murder shack.
But Leo had to admit he was enjoying his stay at the farm, even it hadn't been for a long time. Especially compared to Anne, who had been here for the tail end of a month. A single week had gone by without anything to important occurring, apart from a few monster of the week escapades.
And yet... "Just delivering to the Plantars, you don't need to be scared Jerry. You've known Hopediah for years."
"I can take those if you want, I'm making my way in now," Leo suggested, speaking in his usually deadpan tone holding his hand out to take the letters.
In an instant, the green frog stood in statue esc pose scattering all the mail he had on hand due to his locked-up hands, "You dropped your-"
"N-N-No it's f-fine! Just get back monster, I can do it myself!" The smaller frog scrambled to collect the other letters before hurrying off, his eyes filled with nothing but fear and distain.
Exhaling it off, Leo stepped into the house and over to the kitchen. Sulking down into the chair that had been provided for him, "You ok Leo?" Anne's voice creeped up behind him taking her own seat across the table.
"Yeah, lemme guess you had a rough night sleep, I had a hard time trying to get those bed bugs off Anne's face...almost killed her," Sprig commented, not paying attention to the horrified expression Anne had on her face.
Leo did the same, taking a bite out of the cricket invested meal Hop Pop had placed in front of him, "No, well the bed bugs were a problem but Besse did a good job at scaring them off. It's just, why are the frogs still scared of me? It's been a week; do they seriously still think I'm some kind of monster..."
"Don't fret too much on it, Leo they just ain't used to you yet. Heck, I don't wanna be harsh but you are still living in the barn, right now your just someone who occasionally helps us out.."
They were indeed harsh words, but it was a hard pill Leo had to swallow, "Yeah dude, I've been here for a month and they still call me scarecrow, maybe it's because I'm so skinny. I'm a growing girl you know!" Anne huffed into her seat.
"I don't know, you could stand to put on a few muscles. Especially in Amphibia where everything can kill you," Leo said blatantly, stuffing the lump of cricket meat into his mouth.
"Wait, you're fine with eating bugs? Anne wouldn't stop complaining about them, for week!" Polly added with her usual eccentric flare.
Anne frowned a little, both at what Polly said and the fact that she was in fact, currently swallowing part of the cricket, she finished the meat with a strong reluctance.
"Food is food. As long as its edible and won't kill me, I'll eat it."
"Really, anything!" Sprig challenged handing his hat over to him, "Then eat my hat!"
Shoving it away, Leo continued with his meal, "...Let me rephrase, anything that is functionaly edible and will properly sustain me. Is that technical enough for you?"
"You're no fun, I bet you could've eaten it in one go as well!"
"Sprig...it's your hat why would you want that?" Anne questioned in a confused manner.
"To see if he can do it!" Sprig responded with almost no hesitation.
"I'm not eating your hat," Leo persisted now staring the frog boy down. Before anything could get any worse though, Hop Pop intervened with even more food, "Hush! The both of you and eat your food! Make it snappy as well, we're heading into town to do some shopping."
Sprig and Polly's demeanor's both shifted fairly quickly, looking downtrodden at the news, "Do we have to go. I was planning to rearrange my slingshot collection today," The pink frog groaned.
"And my bucket isn't gonna clean itself," Polly explained, showing off the mold beginning to form around it.
"I don't mind going," Leo put in, raising his hand for some inexplicable reason. Anne said the same scoffing down the rest of her food at a moment's notice, "Yeah HP let us humans handle the shopping today!"
Hop Pop kept quiet at their suggestion, beginning to consider it, "Well fine, you two will probably be better at carrying thing than this lot."
Hurrying off of the table, the two Plantar siblings didn't bother to listen to what their grandparent had to say, going off to their respective room, "Yeah, well good luck with that bye!"
"Right..." Hop Pop said distantly, spotting Anne and Leo already waiting outside atop Besse, "Well, let's get going then."
Once at the store, Leo wandered about. Not really looking for anything in particular, mainly just watching the frogs stepping in and out; picking out different foods before placing it back and choosing something else.
It might have been a bit creepy to stare at the creatures walking past him, especially since they were already put off by him, but he did it anyway.
In the next isle over, Leo overheard Anne arguing with what seemed like Wally. Wartwood's very own Boonie.
"Come on Wally you know that beetle jerky was mine!" The teenage girl argued, getting nothing but a scoff from the frog, "Doesn't really matter, does it scarecrow?"
As he hopped away cockily, he happened to run into Leo as he turned to the isle, he looked up to meet the boy's searing red eyes, seeming like they could tear into him with just a single glance, "I'm pretty sure that's hers."
Leo really had tried his hardest to sound the least threatening he could, but his voice had ultimately sounded like it belonged to a deranged psychopath. The blue frog shivered on the spot, dropping the beetle jerky between his hands running out of the store in an instant, "That's not what I wanted to happen..."
"Whelp, don't worry about it too much Leo. At least you got me my jerky, it was the last one as well!" Anne spoke cheerfully going to reach for the jerky on the floor, slipping in the process landing right on her face, much to the enjoyment of all of the frogs in the store.
"You should look where you're going scarecrow!" Miss Croaker, a much older frog nonchalantly shoved her shopping cart into the fallen girl, she quickened her pace as she passed by Leo.
Holding his hand out, Leo helped Anne up watching her storm out of the store.
"You alright Anne?" Hop Pop questioned, sitting atop Besse with his collected groceries in hand. Leo was out not to soon after her, shuffling his hands into his pockets, furrowing his brows in a small semblance of annoyance, it was the first level of emotion the older frog had seen the boy display.
"Uh! It's just that I don't understand how this town can still treat me so crummy, I thought I was alright with it but why don't they like me yet!?" Anne exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air letting out a scream of irritation.
Leo stared at his own face through the black screen of Anne's phone, "Why do I have red eyes I just...don't want people to be scared of me."
"That's just how these frogs are you two. Slow to accept and even slower to respect; it's even our town motto."
"Stupid motto.." Anne mumbled, getting atop the snail.
"Don't worry Anne I'm sure you'll find your own way to get the town to respect yah."
Just as he was about to, on the other end of the town. Leo spotted a dust cloud forming at the sight of another wagon swiftly approaching them, "Something's coming, and fast," He warned plainly.
Hop Pop spotted it as well, he recognized them all too well, "It's the toads."
As they came into view, Leo realized they were in fact riding in with a large tarantula. Three large bullfrogs or toads as Hop Pop had stated, each with their own distinct color and weapon in hand, Leo hadn't even spoken to them and could already tell there wasn't anything good that could come from it.
"Those toads from toad tower, they control the entire valley, why they're here though is beyond me.."
When they'd finally pulled up to outside the town hall, Toadstool the town's mayor hurriedly made his way over to them, making sure no frog or human could get in the way of him, "Oh good you've arrived, here's the list."
"Hey, Leo. Those guys are kind of cool right?" Anne questioned him, sharply puncturing him with her elbow.
Taking a few moments to catch his breath from the winded gut-punch he'd received, "I guess...there just toads, aren't they? I don't really get what you find cool?"
"Meh...Your no fun. Anyway, let's go over to them!" Anne said, with no regard of what his answer actually was, stringing him along. Leo didn't bother to fight back, partly for the reason that he might've ended up kicking her to the ground and because he did sort of what to know what the toads were about.
"Hey guys! I hear you're from toad tower."
The red toad didn't pay Anne any mind, sorting through their assortment of weapons, trying to find the right one amongst the vast amount they had stored, "Sure are kid, why don't you just run along. We've got a lot to do tod- Woah, what are you two!"
Finally turning to face Anne, the toad was flabbergasted to see two gangly looking creatures staring back at him. They both definitely looked off putting but the white-haired boy was who was standing out the most to him at the moment.
"You sure are something, I can see a fire burning in those eyes of yours!"
"Is that a joke? Because their red right? Anne told me a need to work on my social cues," Leo disregarded what the Toad had said going off on a tangent of his own.
"I just want to know what they taste like!" the female toad, abruptly named Fens spoke with some sick glee.
"Just try it," Leo hissed lowly, his robotic voice actually working in his favor for once, making him sound much more threatening.
It didn't take even a second for him to brandish out his own weapon, that being the scythe Hop Pop had provided him for some easy farm work whenever he wasn't around.
Anne did the same, instead holding her tennis racket firmly standing her ground beside him at a moment's notice. Before any altercation could happen, Bog the same red toad and proclaimed leader of the three of them held his arm up, stopping Fens immediately.
"Heh, I like you two. Not cowering like the weak, scared frogs of this town. We live for that fear, and you two are just what we need to help clean up and collect all the taxes that haven't been paid," Bog explained pulling two metal badges out of his back pocket, handing it to them both.
"Really?" Anne smiled, taking the badge with a swelling sense of pride. It was the first time that any other frog, outside of the Plantars had actually praised her.
The fellow toads all introduced themselves. With the female being Fens and the metal encased one known as Myers, breathing heavily and deeply through their mask, managing to send a worrying chill down Leo's spine.
"What do you say then, creatures?" Bog questioned, "I can see it in your eyes, you have the power to use your fear to demand respect from others."
For a brief moment, Leo considered it. A week of being weighed down by constant screams and insults that had been hurled at him at every giving second, he'd spent in the market of Wartwood. So maybe the fear he had over the frogs could be used to get them in line and possibly understand him.
Anne and Leo turned to each other, both wanting two different things but in a silent agreement that this could be exactly what they needed, "We're in."
Once they arrived back home, the two humans now had a sword sheath that hung around their shoulders, Leo admitted to himself that he appreciated the frog emblem around the strap of it but refused to reveal that to Anne.
"You joined the toads!" Sprig exclaimed just as shocked as Hop Pop, "But there dangerous!"
"Sprigs right, when I said you could get the towns respect this wasn't what I was talking about! And Leo, I expected better from you, why would you out of all people want to join a gang?"
"To do something, everyone in Wartwood is scared of me. Maybe with this, I can make them fear me for a different reason," Leo explained, gripping tightly onto his sword sheath.
Everyone but Anne felt a little sick at his reasoning, it didn't help that he'd said it with such an emotionless face, he was serious, "Besidesss, you guys are overreacting they aren't a gang. There just here to enforce rules and they deserve respect! So, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to enjoy it!" With that the brown-haired girl slammed the door behind her.
"Leo, you should know. No matter how hard you try getting people to follow you fear won't work," Hop Pop warned, his words not falling under deaf ears as he closed the door much carefully.
All the while, Sprig creaked the windows open, "What are you doing boy?"
"Come on Hop Pop we both know that those toads can't be trusted. I need to watch out for Anne and make sure she doesn't get into anything reckless."
As the froggy boy leaped from the window, Hop Pop was unable to make a note on watching out for Leo, even if he didn't trust the boy just yet; that didn't mean he wasn't worried.
Making their way over to Wally's house, Bog and his crew all held a grin as they approached the house.
"So, even if they fear me? I can use that?"
"Just watch Leo, you'll learn how to use the fear they feel to make an example of these frogs," Bog expanded upon, pulling out his own specialized hammer as he broke the door down.
"Ah!" Anne shrieked, somewhat surprised by the altercation.
Wally, who was currently in the tub washing himself, "Jumping-June bugs what's this all about!" He let out a shrill voice, doing his best to cover himself up.
"I...guess you owe the town money?" Anne answered quizzically, not really sure what she should be doing.
'Is this really the best way to get someone to pay their taxes, it seems a little much..'
Leo, on the other hand saw the fearful expression Wally now had as he begrudgingly handed over his belongings watching his own home become a smashed shell of what it once was. He stopped for a slight second, not sure if what he was doing was right.
But then he remembered what Bog had said to him. So, with a reluctant swing of his sword he sharply sliced through a wardrobe, "Hah! Well done, Leo what else would expect from such a feared creature such as yourself!"
"..Right."
"Isn't this a little far?" Anne queried, awkwardly standing amongst the chaos.
"The law is the law Anne, besides it's not as if we enjoy it!" Bog brushed it off, gleefully bashing through a window as he exited the house. Leo followed after him, witnessing Anne give back one of the stolen belongings, feeling guilty.
Unbeknownst to the two of them though, Sprig was watching them through a pair of binoculars hiding beneath a large group of shrubbery, witnessing Toadie and Mayor Toadstool sneaking throughout the woods, dropping copper coins as they did.
Every step the fat toad made cause the bag he was holding to jingle, "C'mon Toadie we've got to hurry and get this to the town center!"
"Right away sir.." The smaller frog groaned carrying the much heavier sack with great struggle.
'What's the mayor doing with all that money? And where's he taking it? So many questions!'
Deciding to leave Anne be for the time being, Sprig followed after the mayor determined to find out what they were up to.
The rest of the day continued with Leo becoming less and less reluctant to destroy the townspeople's houses, mainly due to Bog's encouragement. Anne on the other hand, had been secretly returning some of the frogs stolen items, she didn't need to know if they were grateful or not, she just knew it was the right thing to do.
It only served to make Leo feel worse than he already did, the frogs had all done what he'd said and had listened to his orders, it was clear that they were now going to follow his fear, and have no power against it.
But did it feel good, reprimanding? Leo couldn't say.
"I'm really not sure about this, Bog. It all just seems a little too far," Anne said with a hesitant tone.
"It has to be done; these frogs have got to learn somehow."
Leaning against the wagon, Fens shoved a mouthful of pet food down her throat, "Yep, has to be done," She repeated her voice incredibly muffled.
"I guess."
"Besides," Leo added, "I'm sure they'll pay next time."
He knew it sounded wrong, but he had to convince himself that what he was doing was right, "Who's next on the list?" Leo asked, trying to shift the subject.
"Eh...just some nut named Hopediah Plantar," Bog answered skimming down the list, with his pointed finger.
Both Anne and Leo glanced to one another, the prior look much more frightened, 'Oh crud..'
"Look, Bog. I know that frog, he's definitely paid his taxes, that list has to be wrong!" Anne persisted, hoping to possibly get them to move on.
Bog was having none of it however, already on board of the cart, "Anne, you might know him, but the tower didn't get any taxes, so where are they!?"
Anne tried to come with an explanation but fell up short, Leo tugged her sleeve to catch her attention, shaking his head, wordlessly telling her to leave it.
"I already told you that I paid my taxes, so yah can't come in here and that's final!" Hop Pop protested, firmly standing his ground against the three toads, Polly sitting firmly atop his head.
Bog grit his teeth, feeling somewhat frustrated by the frog's insistence. Now, feeling much more determined to crumble the frog standing before him, "I don't like your tone frog!" He snarled, getting Fens to hand him his traditional hammer holding it against the dirt.
"Hop Pop did you seriously pay?" Leo questioned, trying to somber down the confrontation. Not wanting to get any worse than it already was. That was until Anne got in his way, turning his head to hers.
"Trust me Leo, he paid. He...he made me watch!"
Thinking back on it, Anne remembered the time she was almost sliding off of her chair in Hop Pop's room, "And then you add a deductible, and guess what Anne, you're a deductible!"
"Kill me!"
"That doesn't matter. It's what they all say! Now, to compensate we'll be taking the snail, that should suffice!" Bog decided, snapping his fingers, getting Fens and Myers to tug on Besse's reins.
Leo found himself moving forward slightly, stopping when Bog turned back to him. He didn't want them to steal Besse, it was part of the Plantar family they couldn't just take it.
"Stay away from her!" Hop Pop demanded.
"I'll bite your face off!" Polly shrieked.
Acting first, Anne pushed through the toads, "Get your claws off that snail!" She ordered, now standing with Hop Pop, "Better yet, get off our property!"
Thunder suddenly clapped through the sky, signaling the oncoming downpour. Spitting down onto the frogs, toads and humans.
Bog's face distorted into a grim one, baring his teeth at the girl, "Care to repeat that?" He snarled, practically daring her to reiterate what she'd said.
Anne steeled her resolve, not backing down any further, "I said...get LOST!" This time, she stomped her feet to emphasize her point, "NOW!"
Many of the frogs from Wartwood, who were already approaching the farm. They were all shocked to see someone standing up to the toads who'd been terrorizing the valley for years, Leo watched it as well.
The frogs who'd mocked her just earlier that day and for the duration of her stay in Wartwood watched in awe. Leo was just a stunned, why was Anne backing and standing up for the people of the town?
Answering his question, he watched Anne tear the badge from her sword sheath staring back at her own reflection, "I might have wanted this town respect, but I don't want to earn it means I treat them as crummy as you do, even if they've done the same to me. It's just not right!"
She tossed the badge into the mud; finishing it off with a stomp of her foot. Not looking too pleased, Bog once again snapped his fingers, getting Fen to appear at a moment's notice and kick Anne into the same filth.
"Considering you want to throw our badge into the mud, I suppose that's where you belong," The red toad grinned with his usual deep voice, seeming as if he was towering over Anne as he raised his metal hammer up into the air.
Leo subconsciously gripped the longsword attached to his hip; Anne had stood up to them the second she realized she was in the wrong.
So, what was he still doing here? Standing with the toads who'd ruthlessly bullied the frogs of this town with no regard for their feelings, he was just as bad them, just as the town viewed him, a monster.
Bog lifted the hammer, a spiteful glint in his eyes, "It's time you see what happens to traitor's Anne!"
"STOP!" Leo bellowed with as much volume as he could muster, swung the sword into Bog's armor carving through it, sending both him back and a bleeding slice across his spine, "This isn't right!"
Not wasting another moment, he slammed the hilt of the sword into Fen's stomach staggering her to the ground, "Sorry about that...took me a little while to come back to my senses."
Helping her up, Anne unsheathed both her tennis racket and short-sword, now standing back-to-back with Leo, waiting for the two toads to recover and attack again, "Why fight it, Leo? Why stand with these frogs, when these frogs still fear you even now, when you're defending them!"
Despite his words, Leo didn't falter this time only holding the sword even higher, "What does that matter! I get it, with my eyes and even hair, I look different to even Anne, but trying to control them just because they fear me...it isn't right, not in any way! These frogs can hate me all they want, but I was shown just a few seconds ago that it doesn't matter, what matters is doing what's right!"
Unknown to the white-haired boy, his speech had somewhat resonated with the townsfolk.
With no other words being exchanged, Bog and Fen charged at the humans. Anne intertwined the sword with her racket, catching it between the strings throwing the sword to the ground – Leo stopped Bog from getting in her way, somehow maneuvering around the slashes clashing their swords together.
"You get away from those two!" Miss Croaker ordered, circling the toads with a mob of toads.
"Yeah, if there gonna defend us then we'll do the same!" Wally added.
Thankfully, before the situation could get any worse. Sprig came hopping from the bushes rushing over to the two of them, "Anne, Leo!"
Toadstool followed quickly behind, rushing to catch the smaller frog, "It's the mayor, he's got the tax money you want!"
Bog and the rest of the toads came to a halt, growling back at the toad their swords now held out at him, "What is he on about!?"
"Well...uh, I can explain."
Now back in the center of Wartwood, Bog reeled his hammer back and smashed the concrete behind, pouring copper coins from out of it, "What's the meaning of this Toadstool!" Bog spat out, now directing his anger towards the mayor.
The rest of Wartwood followed, chasing the Toad into the forest.
Once the problem had been sorted, Bog had reluctantly agreed to return all of the towns stolen belonging, Leo was glad that wasn't any further arguments over that, the stuff belonged to them fair and square.
"Well Anne, if its respect you wanted, you lost mine. And Leo, you might as well have lost any kind of control you could have had over these frogs."
His eyes glinting somewhat, Leo made sure to bulge his bloody eyes back at the toad, "Thanks, but I'm good where I am thanks. You best get going before you get another scar.."
Even Anne shivered at the threat, stepping away from them both. Bog didn't say anything in return, instead dropping the last item off of the cart, but even he had to admit...Leo had in fact intimidated him.
"We'll be back, with re-enforcements!" Bog warned.
And just like that, the toads were gone as quickly as they'd arrived.
"We've most likely just enraged all of the toads in the valley," Leo commented, his quip going unheard by everyone.
Now all at the entrance of Wartwood, the town began to let out cheers for Anne, praising the fact that she'd rescued them and that she was now a hero. Leo watched it was a smile, retreating back into the town, getting frightened looks from some frogs.
But for now, Leo was content with that. Maybe he'd be seen for the somewhat normal kid he was, and maybe they'd always fear him...but that didn't matter.
Because, just like Anne. He'd done the right thing.
...
Bit of a long chapter so I'm sorry for those who don't like those kinds of chapters, but there was just a lot I wanted to put into it, so I hope you enjoyed how it turned out!
