As they told him, in Wartwood, Anne was reading... on the ceiling. She was in a crouched position, using a web to dangle a book from the ceiling. The basement door opened and Hop Pop came down.
"Anne, I wanted to let you know we're going to the archives in a couple of days." He said, "Uh, could you get down here? Looking up at you is going to give me neck pain."
"Oh, sure Hop Pop. In a second." Anne said before she grabbed her web and jumped off with a flip to land before him. "Now what did you say about going to the archives?"
"Well, the ice is going to melt in a few weeks, which means we'll be able to go and learn more about your music box, which means we need to prepare for it."
"Really?! Sweet!" Anne said with a smile, they could finally explore outside of the valley!
"And that's why we have to be serious, we can't lose focus." Hop Pop said, "This is the biggest thing we've ever done."
"Don't worry. I won't, I promise!" Anne said as she turned to begin packing for the trip, one step closer to getting home, "Just need to wait a little longer."
Anne looked at a photo of her best friends, Sasha and Marcy with herself in the middle, the only thing that kept her going in this crazy world besides her powers. She'd stop at nothing to find them and find a way to get them all home safe and sound. The next day, Anne was making breakfast for the Polly and Hop Pop. She shot a web and pulled a knife over to her.
"Anne, not that I don't appreciate this, but could you please walk and get a knife?" Hop Pop said.
"Sorry, Hop Pop." Anne said.
Soon, she was done and put them in front of them.
"Here you go, a wonderful creation from the Human World... omelets."
Anne presented the food to the frog family with flare as they looked at the food in curiosity. This food was entirely new to them and they were cautious of it.
"Are there bugs in it?" Polly asked.
"No, they're better... try it." Anne said.
They began to eat it and instantly feel in love with them.
"These are amazing!" Hop Pop said.
"I've seen the future and it's omelets!" Polly said.
Suddenly Sprig came rushing in, screaming.
"Guys, you're not gonna believe this!" Sprig shouted before noticing the omelets. "Oh! What are these? They smell good."
"Omeletes." Hop Pop said.
"Oh." Sprig said, "AHHH! Hiber Day!"
"Hiber day?!" Hop Pop and Polly said in shock!
"Hiber day?" Anne asked, confused.
"Come on Anne, we have to warn the town!" Hop Pop said.
Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop rushed out of the farm house while Anne stayed behind to put the omelets away in tupawares before running after them. Seeing as they were a decent way from town, she shot a web and swung towards them. She swung next to them, making sure to keep her eyes peeled in case someone saw her.
"So, does someone want to tell me what's going on?" She asked.
"We'll explain it when we get to town!" Hop Pop said.
'Seriously, what is the big deal?' Anne thought as they reached the town square where all of Wartwood was assembled.
"Alright, what's with all the yelling?" Toadstool asked.
"It's the third day the temperature has gone below the frost line." Sprig said, "Which means... Hiberday is upon us."
"Hiber Day?!" The Town shouted in shock.
"But it's still early!" Wally said in a panic.
"We're not ready!" Mrs. Croaker said.
"Can some PLEASE explain to me what Hiber Day is?" Anne asked, getting everyone's attention.
"Hiber Day is when the weather gets very cold, making us frogs go into a day long hibernation that will leave us rested and rejuvenated." Hop Pop said.
"Oh, that sounds nice." Anne said.
"Well it's not! Every year, someone goes missing during Hiber Day, never to be seen again."
"Come again?!" Anne asked in shock. "Someone goes missing EVERY year?!"
"Yep, it's a sad, sad event that we can't control." Hop Pop said sadly.
"Yes you can! You can just stay awake or barricade yourselves somewhere save!" Anne said to him.
"Anne, this isn't something that can be stopped, we've tried everything." Hop Pop said.
"Well, I haven't." Anne said, "I'm going to protect the town!"
The frogs gasped at Anne's proclamation, ceasing their possible goodbyes to each other as is tradition for Hiber Day.
"You're going to protect us?" Loggle asked Anne.
"Heck yeah, I am! I've got the strength, the speed, and the senses to keep ANYTHING from taking you guys away." Anne said as she jumped in the air and flipped 4 times before landing back in the ground!
The frogs clapped in surprise.
"Alright everyone, meet back here tomorrow and Anne will protect us." Hop Pop said.
"And I will make it official! I hereby deputize Anne as the town protector for Hiber Day!" Toadstool said as everyone clapped again.
"Now everyone get ready!" He said as the town dispersed.
"Anne, are you sure you can do this?" Hop Pop asked as the Plantars and Anne walked home.
"100%. Besides, I've face much worse things than this." Anne said to him, "Besides, how hard could this-"
Anne looked at them and saw them completely frozen.
"HOLY CRAP!" Anne shouted before looking around town!
Everything was covered in ice and snow, making her shocked how fast a winter climate could hit in less than a second! Everyone else in the town was frozen as well, all in various movements or positions!
"Oh man, this is bad." Anne said, making a web cocoon around the Plantars, "I got to get them and the rest of the frogs back into town."
Anne picked them up and carried them back the center of town, it was the best place to watch everyone and keep them safe from whatever was taking them.
"Huh, either I'm stronger than I thought, or you guys are extremely light." Anne said as she looked up to the Plantars in her web cocoon, "Actually, it's probably a combination of the two, I do have super strength."
Moving to hold the family in one hand, Anne set the Plantars down in the middle of town before she rushed back to the farm to get some winter clothes to keep herself warm. After doing that, she got the rest of the town ready.
"Alright, now I just have to wait." She said, crouched down on the roof of a building.
A high vantage would help her see exactly what was taking the frog people and help Anne preventing it by getting the drop on it before it could see her. After an hour... she was struggling to stay awake. This was incredibly boring.
"Come on, Anne. Stay awake. You gotta be ready to…protect….the town." Anne said as she began drifting in and out.
She fell off the roof and landed in a pile of snow. Her head shot out of the snow.
"I'm up!"
Anne looked around before she remembered that everyone was frozen solid and couldn't see how she flopped just now.
"This is so boring!" Anne said, "And a bored protector is a bad protector."
'What can I do to NOT be bored? Play on my phone? That will distract me. Unless….'' Anne thought before she got up and began swinging around town.
She began shooting web lines all around every corner and connecting them into an alert web that she can make in the center of town. That way, she can relax and wait for something to trip one of the web lines and alert her to something coming.
"You would think my Spider Sense would alert me to it, but no! It just does whatever it wants." Anne said, playing on her phone.
The spider send was useful but sometimes it could be either too late or too early when giving Anne a warning of what was attacking her. And it didn't even give her a big enough range outside of few meters in front of her or around her. She noticed one of the webs shake. That meant that danger was near and it was time for Anne to get serious, putting her phone away and getting up from the center of the web.
"Okay, whatever you are, let's do this." Anne said to herself before making a thick layer of webs around the towns people as a last minute barrier.
She shot a web and swung to a nearby roof, looking around for danger. Hopefully her spider sense would work this time when she needs it, not only for herself but for the town as well. Her spider sense went off and she went stiff. She slowly turned around and saw a giant ferret.
"Huh?" Anne let out, confused by the giant rodent, even by this world's standards.
Suddenly, it roared at Anne and revealed a maw of sharp teeth! Anne shot a web and swung to another roof, as the ferret slammed it's front paws on the place she was standing.
'So this has been what's been taking people?!' Anne thought as she landed on the roof, turning to it.
Anne noticed it sniff the air, then look down.
'No, I can't let it attack them!' She thought.
"Hey! Over here!" Anne said, shooting a web ball at the ferret.
The ball hit the ferret in the back of the head, angering it as it turned it roar at Anne!
"Uh-Oh." Anne said.
She needed to lead it away from the town and the people. Anne jumped from roof to roof as the ferret chased after her, leading it out of town as she kept hitting it with web balls to keep its attention on her. She made it to the woods, swinging from tree to tree, when she made it upon a cave.
Anne didn't know what was inside before jumping in, leading the ferret in as well.
"Okay, got it away from the town. Let's see if I can trap it in here!" Anne said as she stopped running, turning around to face the large rodent.
"HHHHSSSSSS!" It hissed at Anne.
"Nope!"
Anne dodged as the ferret tried to bite her, still angry and now hungry from being away from its meal!
"Okay, then, try this!" Anne said.
Anne shot two webs past the ferret, and used them to fling herself at it. Kicking it in the face.
"Rah!" It roared before biting at Anne, snagging her by the coat and shaking her around!
"AAAAAAAH!" Anne screamed before her coat tore and she was flung to the ceiling, before quickly attaching to the ceiling, "Alright, I'm done messing around!"
Anne glared at the ferret as it growled up to her, keeping its eyes on her. Anne jumped from the ceiling with a battle cry as the ferret roared and jumped at her! The ferret bit down on her leg and threw her away, but Anne fired two webs and slingshot herself at it. Anne threw a strong punch, knocking the ferret down. Once it hit the ground, Anne quickly began webbing it to the ground to prevent it from attacking again before she landed in front of it.
"Yeah! That's right! Fear the spider!" Anne said, bragging a little.
There was a small whimper from behind a moss curtain. Anne stopped mid cheering as she turned to the noise, seeing the moss move to reveal the ferret was a mother. She was taking the townspeople to feed her babies.
"You're... you're trying to feed your children." Anne said.
Anne got an idea.
"If you babies are hungry, I can get you something even better than frogs." Anne said with a smile.
The babies couldn't understand her, so they just cutely tilted their heads at her.
"Good thing I brought this with me." She said, reaching into her hair and pulling out her omelet.
She still had it in the Tupperware and began making it quickly to give to the baby ferrets, who were enticed by the smell. The mother was as well as it struggled in the web before Anne freed it.
"I got some for you too." Anne said, giving the mother ferret some omelet.
When she was sure they were fine, she headed back to the town. Though she was cold and had to use her own webs to make a new coat, Anne made it back to town in record time and checked on all of people of Wartwood.
"Everyone's still here." Anne said to herself with a sigh. "Not a single frog out of place."
She felt the sun beat down on her, which meant, this was almost done. Anne let out a sigh of relief as she sat down on a log, watching as the ice and snow began to melt, freeing the towns people.
'That... was horrible.' Anne thought.
A giant winter ferret? That was something not even Anne thought he she would face, before or after she came to Amphibia. Hopefully, she won't EVER have to face it again. The frogs looked around and noticed that they were all still there. Nobody was taken! Just like Anne promised!
"We're alive!" Wally cheered before the whole town began cheering as well!
"Anne did it! She kept us safe!" Ivy shouted as everyone turned to the human.
"Yeah... it... oh boy, that thing that kept taking you was hard."
"You saw the thing that was taking us? What was it?" Sprig asked as he hopped next to Anne.
"A giant ferret." Anne said to him.
"Is that why there's a tooth in your leg?" Polly asked, looking at Anne's leg.
"A what in my leg?" Anne asked before lifting up to her left leg.
Right there for all to see and gasp at, Anne had a large tooth stabbed into the lower part of her leg, with some blood dripping out. She must still be full of adrenaline from the chase and fight, that she didn't notice she was injured.
"Uh... does anyone know how to remove this?" Anne asked, "Because the adrenaline is wearing off and I'm... about... to."
Anne passed out.
"ANNE!" Everyone shouted as they rushed to her.
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