Pain. Pain was all Raff could feel. Pain pierced his mind and coursed through his torso. His arms were limp and useless, his legs two fiery balls of pain. His only thought was to make pain go away. With a Herculean effort, Raff slowly opened his eyes and peered through the narrow space between his eyelids. Above him was a sky of clear blue flecked with short, white streaks. Just as Raff was beginning to relax, a wide, green face suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Weel then, look who 'tis, th' li'l streamdog. Ye took quite a fall over there, ye did. Mighty grand a'venture that musta been; I thought those Strenkans was gonna catch you, but you was a mighty bravebeast jumpin' in them rapids", the little treefrog said, talking in a fast-paced, animated voice.
"You saw th' whole thing?" Raff shouted indignantly, despite the shooting pain it caused him. "Why didn't ye 'elp me?"
"Why didn' I 'elp ye? Well that bes a good question, sir. Well, ye see, there warn't much of a way I could've 'elped ye escape from them vermin. Ye were pretty much in a fix right thar, wit' no noticeable way out. What use would a single li'l treefogger be again' that murd'rous 'horde o' vermins? No offense ma kind sir, but your anger bees misplaced."
"Well, I guess ye are right. And ye have spared me life s'far, so I'm probably obliged to pay ye a bit o' respect," Raff conceded sarcastically, certain the frog did not have the will or ability to harm him.
"Weel then, I see ye've jus' now come 'round to ma way o' thinkin', eh?" the oblivious treefrog said. "Now that we bees seein' eye to eye, I would be obliged ta take ye back to ma wee home, iffen ye don't mind stayin' a while to rest them sizeable wounds o' yers."
Raff agreed and got up slowly and painfully to follow the irrepressible treefrog to his home, the treefrog chattering gaily along the way.
"I been livin' in these here trees a great long while, but I ain't never seen a streamdogger o' such great wallopin' strength as you, ma huge, brawny wee sir. I bet ye could lift my tree right out o' th' groun' an' wear it as a hat for th' rest o' your days. But l'il Grontetta wouldn't be too partial to that, would she? Nay, I don't think she would. She likes have everythin' jus' perfec' all da time. She is a right nice little lady 'tho'. Keeps the house spick 'n' span and I ain't never seen a reason to complain. But dear me, I bet you ain't never seen a female treefrog, ma fantastic furry friend. Them females, they's the most beautiful, colyful, kind, respectable, smooth-skinned, small-jawed, perty little creatures ye could ever find in da whole wide world."
And so the treefrog rambled aimlessly until Raff had the mind to cut in. "Say, ma li'l treefrogger, what did ye say your name was?"
"I didn't, ma roarin' rambunctious ruffian, but ma name bes unknown even to maself. When I was merely a wee babe, ma family was killed by th' Strenkan army, and I was the only one ta survive. I don't know why, I guess they spared me for some reason o' their own concoction. I've always felt sorta guilty 'cuz I survived and they didn't." The voice of the normally happy-go-lucky frog trailed away and he lapsed into a momentary silence. Raff could have sworn he saw a lone tear running down his naked green cheek.
Raff was surprised and stunned. He was silent as well for a moment, but gradually felt it was acceptable for him to speak. "Well, what shall I call ye then?"
"Mos' beasts jus' call ma Noname, on accounts o' me not havin' a name. It ain't ma first choice, but I get by wit' it jus' fine"
Raff sighed in agreement and continued to walk. The rest of the trip was passed in silence; Noname was apparently lost in thought.
Eventually, the two beasts reached an open clearing. It was littered with stumps and logs of all shapes and sizes. To Raff's surprise, Noname smiled and said with a proud flourish, "here we are!"
"You mean you live in a log?" Raff asked, bewildered.
"But o' course," Noname informed him. "Th' Strenkans don't expec' that there are creatures livin' in th' logs. They look in th' trees, on th' groun', and in th' river, but they don' never look in th' logs. I've got the ideal hidin' spot for me and me old lady. Lemme show ye." With a look of glee, Noname, apparently forgetting his earlier solemnity, bounded into the middle of the clearing and disappeared.
Raff, frustrated bewilderment etched on his tired face, stepped warily towards the place where Noname had disappeared. As his foot hit the ground where he had last seen Noname, he felt it give way, and before he could stop himself, he was falling headlong downwards through a dark tunnel. However, his fall was short-lived. Before he could so much as get his bearings, he landed on a fluffy, soft cushion. He was immediately buried in it, and had to struggle wildly to find his way out. When he was clear of the furry mass, he looked about. The cavern he was in was pitch black, except for two points of light directly in front of him. Peering closer, he saw they were eyes.
Raff shivered and slowly stepped backwards. From in front of him, he heard a soft clink of metal. Raff flinched as the cave was filled with light. Standing behind a fire and holding a chunk of what must have been steel in his hand was Noname, shamelessly smiling at his little joke. Next to him was another treefrog, obviously the female Noname had been talking about. She was brightly colored and a good head taller than her mate. Her eyes were narrow and pointed at the end, but they glowed prettily in the firelight. Raff was certain that he would be attracted to her if he were a frog.
As Raff took in his surroundings, he heard Noname say almost smugly, "Welcome to our beautiful home." He gestured at the well-decorated and furnished room around them with an air of practiced pride.
Looking around him, the first thought that entered Raff's mind was that it was all perfect. Behind him was a huge, circular bed covered in a white fluffy material; he was still not sure what the stuff was made of. In front of him was a dark tunnel that Raff imagined led to further reaches of their underground abode. On the walls and ceiling were paintings depicting a variety of great battles and deeds. Fighting against unimaginable odds were mice, otters, squirrels, and even some animals he did not recognize. Those he had never seen before seemed to all be of the same species. They looked to be slightly bigger than a large mouse, but, unlike mice, they had no tails. He knew they must be exceptional warriors because the depictions of them were numerous and greatly glorified. Although the rest of the room was enviable, the walls and ceiling outdid it all. The dining area, fireplace, rocking chairs, love seat, and bed were all dwarfed by the huge domed mural that spread across the dwelling.
Turning to the couple, Raff voiced his awe. "This. . . . is amazing," he said. "Truly amazing."
The couple nodded silently in agreement, sharing the wonder of their historic home.
Breaking the spell abruptly, Raff pointed out, "I thought you said you lived in a log."
"No, no," Noname told him, "that was only for th' sake of th' element of surprise, ye see."
Raff began to nod slowly in agreement, but saw a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. "Duck!" he commanded urgently.
Without question, Noname threw himself to the ground, dragging Grontetta with him. An arrow whizzed over their heads and buried itself in the wall inches from Raff's head. A second arrow flew into the corridor and pierced Raff's ear, pinning it against the wall. The two tree frogs screamed in terror as a group of Strenkan rats emerged from the tunnel at the end of the room. They were armed to the teeth and had their weapons drawn and ready. Noname and Grontetta cowered on the ground, praying theywould be spared the death they had lived in fear of their entire lives.
