The Frogmen of the Apocalypse: Gongaga
By TacomaSquall
Chapter 2
I raced into the wood, as close as I could guess to the direction I had seen Patter leave. I couldn't shake the pain I saw in his expression, in that fleeting glimpse a few moments before.
I crashed through the undergrowth, heedless of the branches of trees that I pushed through. I had been running for maybe five minutes, when I stumbled. I was tripped up by a resilient bush. It was unwilling to let go of my foot, which was snagged between two of its limbs. Windmilling my arms for a moment, I barely caught my balance.
As I straightened, I realized that I had no idea where I was. The lights of town had been eclipsed by the gloom of the forest around me. My eyes had adjusted to the gloom, but I still was not able to see very far.
I cried, in a forlorn voice, "Patter? Please come back. We need to talk."
"He's not here," A soft voice answered from ahead of me.
"But we are!" Another voice, this one brimming with girlish exuberance.
"Yeah, we're a lot more fun than old, stuck-up Patter is!" A boyish voice chimed in.
I walked forward, hesitantly. "Who are you?"
"I'm Sky," a reedy voice piped from the forest canopy above. A slender Frog dropped to the ground.
Another one came from the bushes beside me. "I'm Orlehn," the Frog intoned in a surprisingly deep voice.
"I'm Ricia!" This came from a roly-poly Frog who hopped from ahead.
"He's Tanis, and I'm Tika." The speaker was one of two Frogs that were colored brown, instead of the green of their fellows. In the gloom, they were even harder to see than the green Frogs.
"I'm Splash." This came from a Frog whose skin was a brilliant emerald color. His skin glistened as if it were wet from water. I was surrounded by the Frogs who had spoken, and about a dozen more!
They milled around me, not quite daring to touch me, but wanting to. Then, a deeper voice, from outside the throng spoke.
"Younglings! Remember the first rule!"
"Yes, Hieros," the Frog children chorused in unison. They backed away from me, and arrayed themselves in three rows of five each. Then they began to sing!
The song of the Frogs was nothing like a normal song. The soft, warbling voices of the Frogs took hold of my senses, and I seemed to hear the suggestion of words underneath.
Come, play with us. Climb the trees and swim the streams. Join us in our song. Be one of us.Suddenly the song broke off.
The Frogs looked at me in surprise. Ricia stepped out from the others.
"Hieros! She's not changing!"
"Children, go back to the village. I shall deal with this interloper." The Frogs scattered into the forest, racing and hopping away from me.
Out from the forest strode a strange being, about four and a half feet tall. It was vaguely frog-like, but it had a carapace on its back, and its skin was a dusty brown in color, which made it far easier to see in the gloom. As it walked forward with fluid strides, it drew a sword from a sheath on its back. As the sword's blade met the air, the blade ignited, lighting up the forest. "I cannot allow you to return to your town, human. If I do, the children will be endangered."
In horror, I realized he meant to kill me! I tried to run away, but my limbs wouldn't do anything. Paralyzed by terror, I froze, hoping that this was a bad dream I was about to wake up from. With wide eyes, I saw him draw his sword back to swing. I closed my eyes, unwilling to look at Death as it came for me.
"Master, NO!" Patter's cry came from behind me. "It's my fault she's here."
I opened my eyes and started crying in relief.
The shelled Frog (I later learned they were called Sahugin) halted his swing. Anger and concern fought an open battle for mastery of his features, until they were both replaced by a deep disappointment. "Patter, I have told you that we cannot seek contact with humankind. We are no longer of the people we came from."
"I know." My friend sounded very chastened. "I saw her and her family when I was out on a hunting trip across the river a few months ago. She's an artist, and I wanted her to draw Tara for her Transformation Day, next month."
"She wears a Ribbon."
"Yes, I noticed that."
"It makes her immune to the Song."
Patter nodded. "I know. When we met, she had been attacked by a Joker, and I couldn't let her die!"
"Your compassion does you great credit, my pupil, but remember that humans have betrayed us in the past when we have sought their companionship, friendship, or aid. We cannot risk our last settlements." Hieros was no longer angry at Patter, and seemed to be turning this meeting into a lesson. "There's no help for it. We are going to need to take her to see Tara. The Old One can make her judgment." The Sahugin sheathed his sword. As the sword drew near the sheath, the flames winked out of existence, leaving a blade that scarcely seemed warm.
Patter took my arm, and we started walking further into the forest. "Why did you chase after me?"
"I needed to know why you ran away from me when I was …" My voice trailed off.
"With your friend?" There was an undercurrent of tension and pain in the Frog's voice.
"Yes. When I was with Jon." I looked at Patter closely. His eyes were moist, and then I gasped. A transparent membrane had just closed over his eyes!
"You remind me of someone I used to know…"
"What do you mean?"
Hieros shot a glare at the two of us. "Stop it! There are some creatures in these woods that the two of you do not want to run into, and they flock to the sound of prey."
We walked on in silence. Patter hung his head in dejection and whispered, "I'm sorry I got you into this."
To be continued …