Outside the tea shoppe...

"I hate black licorice," said Anne as she inspected the bottles that were being placed in the crates by the Sundews. "But you're sure this will bring more money to Wartwood?"

"That's the plan," said Johan. "Once I get enough income, I can make the renovations and improvements for the town. I already took care of the town well. Next on my list, I would like to make advertisements and spread them around not just Wartwood, but all of Frog Valley."

"How's that going to make more money?" asked Anne as the two of them walked toward the Plantars' house with Sprig, Polly and Hop Pop.

"People will come far and wide for Wartwood's newest product, absinthe, to take a sample of it. And when they see how delicious it is, they will spread the word and more people will come. The more people come, the more money will be spent."

"How are are you going to make the advertisements?"

"That's where you come in, Anne."

Anne stopped walking. "Say what?"

"I need a mascot to use for the ads and the labels on the bottles. Who gets interested at looking at a blank sheet of paper with words on it?"

"You want me to be a mascot?!" Anne paused then asked, "Will I get paid?"

"Duh."

"I'm in! What do I have to play?"

"A green fairy."

"Huh?"

"Absinthe was known as the green fairy for its color and for the herbs used to make it. If I recall correctly, you said you played the fairy boy Peter Pan in a school play, right?"

"Yeah! And ended up crashing into the set! Stupid pulley system."

"Still, you played a fairy once. You can do it again. All you need is a green costume and makeup and pose for the ads."

"I don't like this."

"I'll double your pay."

"Deal!"

Sprig groaned. "Ugh, this money talk is boring. Thank Olms we're almost home, huh, Polly?" The little tadpole nodded.

"Now, now," said Hop Pop. "This money talk is actually pretty interesting. I mean, think of all the money we could get!"

"You will," said Johan. "With the joint business of planting the aniseed, fennel and wormwood, and the sells that will be made at the tea shoppe, you and the Sundews will be able to share the profits 50-50. By the way, Hop Pop, I thought I already gave you a large sum of money from one of the BOC's lockboxes. What happened to it?"

Hop Pop chuckled sheepishly, "You know the old saying, don't spend it all in one place? Well..."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" exclaimed Anne, Sprig and Polly.

Johan face palmed. "Santo cielo. You squandered all that money? What did you spend it on?"

"A new saddle for Bessie!" exclaimed the old frog. "She was complaining about the old one!"

The kids balked at him. "You spent it all on...a snail?" Anne asked, thinking she had gone insane.

"She said it was getting too small," Hop Pop insisted. "She's a growing girl! Besides, I have SOME money left. Enough to afford the herbs and plants needed for the absinthe."

"Ugh," groaned Sprig. "Back to being poor..."

Hop Pop opened the door and stepped inside first. "Just be glad we have enough money to afford a roof over our heads. WAAAAAHHH!" He screamed when he saw the state of his house. There were bite marks in the furniture, cobwebs covered the ceiling and floors, and chewed up remains of small birds, reptiles and rodents were stacked up in the corners. "How did this happen?!" he wailed. "Oh, my spoons!" He ran over to the wooden spoons scattered about the floor. "These belonged to my grandfather!"

"Whoa," said Anne. "Looks like a tornado burst in here."

Johan picked up a stool and inspected the bite mark. "A tornado with teeth."

"Very sharp teeth," said Polly.

Sprig let out a scream as he held up bits of sticks and leaves. "My action figures! They were in mint condition!"

As he got back up, Hop Pop angrily pointed a spoon at the kids. "Which one of you brought an unauthorized pet into my house?!"

"Not me," they all said.

Hop Pop slammed the spoon onto the floor and said, "Dang it, this is why I said no pets! This is just like Charlie Bigbottom all over again!"

"Who's Charlie Bigbottom?" asked Johan.

"Our pet tarantula," said Polly.

Hop Pop continued his rant, "Every time we get one, Sprig and Polly swear they're gonna take care of it! I mean, sure, they were there for all the cuddlin' and the snugglin', but who gets stuck doin' all the work? Good ol' Hop Pop, that's who! I swear to Frog, whoever brought a fuzzy critter into this house will be on dung duty for a month!"

Johan noticed Anne starting to sweat a little. "Don't worry, Hop Pop," he said to the old frog. "We'll find whatever did this. Sprig, Polly, you'll check upstairs. Anne and I will check the basement."

As the two humans walked over to the cellar door, Johan turned to face her. "Alright, Anne. I know Domino 2 did this. I knew this was going to happen."

"That's why you have to hide her," said Anne as she opened the cellar door. Cobwebs were all over the place, claws scratched into the walls and floor and in the center of it all, resting on Anne's sleeping bag, was Domino 2. "At least until I can convince Hop Pop somehow."

"Are you nuts?! Where am I supposed to hide that thing?!"

"Maybe, I don't know, your room?" she asked as she picked the caterpillar up and handed her to him.

"What?! Are you kidding me?! Sylvia will kill me if she finds this in her home! Besides- GAH!" Johan yelled as Domino 2 scratched his face. "She doesn't like me."

"Well, think of this as an opportunity to get along." They heard footsteps coming. "Hurry!" Johan ran out of the cellar just as Hop Pop opened the hatch upstairs. "Oh, hey, Hop Pop! As you can see, no intruder down here, but it is a mess!" The old frog stared suspiciously at her.

"And that's why we have Domino 2 in my room," said Johan to Ivy as the caterpillar stretched out on the bed and scratched the covers.

"And you're sure Mom and Grandma won't find her?" Ivy asked, unsure.

"No, I'm not. But I made a promise to Anne and I want to keep it. At least until Anne convinces Hopediah to let her stay at the Plantars'."

Ivy looked at Domino 2. The caterpillar locked eyes with her and licked her lips. "JoJo?" asked Ivy, a little nervous. "Did Anne feed this thing?"

"She said she ate the house, so she should be full. Why?"

"I don't like that smile she's making."

Johan looked at Domino 2. "We'll keep her here in my room. How hard can it be?" He tried to pet her head only to get bit. "Apparently, very."

Johan built the caterpillar a cat hotel for her to rest in, but she didn't seem to be interested in it as she tried to walk out of his room. Quickly, he slammed the door before she could get out.

Somehow Domino 2 managed to escape because Johan saw her crawling onto the Sundews' dinner table and eating Sylvia's sandwich. Quickly, he summoned DARE to grab her and bring her to him. He fled just as Sylvia returned to find an empty plate. "Ivy!" she called out. "Did you steal my lunch again?!"

Johan balked when he saw a dead stinkbug as big as a ferret lying in his bed. Domino 2 meowed at him, then rubbed her head against his thigh. Cautiously, the boy scratched her back and she purred. "I didn't know caterpillars could purr."

Domino 2 snuck up behind Felicia while she was serving food to the customers and tried to lick her leg, only for Johan to grab her and zip off before she could get caught.

Domino 2 meowed as she left even more "presents" on Johan's bed. "Ooh, that's..." He gagged at the sight of the huge pile. "...a good girl." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pink mouse cat toy that Anne gave to him. "Anne told me this belonged to Domino 1," he said as he gave it to the caterpillar. "I really don't want to meet Domino 3."

"JoJo," Anne silently called out. "Ivy said you would be in here?" She opened the door to the guest room to find Johan fast asleep on the bed with Domino 2 in his arms. "Aww..."

Johan slowly awoke and saw her. "Anne? What are you doing here?"

"A cousin of that sleaze Suave Rico is looking for you. He's waiting outside the tea shoppe."

"Tell him I'll be right down...after I clean Domino 2's litter box."

"You have a litter box?"

"It's what I call the space under my bed."

"Eww. Tell you what," said Anne. "I'll take her off your hands and you'll go talk to Rico's cousin."

"Thanks," he said as he got off the bed and left.

Domino 2 wrapped herself halfway up in a cocoon and Anne cooed, "It's all worth it when you get to watch your adorable little boo take a nap." She kissed the caterpillar on the head. "Sleep tight, my precious baby angel." She left to find a shovel for the mess under the bed. That's when the caterpillar finished cocooning herself.

Johan found Rico's cousin, a newt named Palmate, standing next to a snail-driven cart. "Sup. My cousin Rico said you're the guy to call to get a job done?"

"Depends on the job," Johan said.

"Well, in this cart is full with a whole lot of stuff the toads confiscated from people who didn't pay their taxes. Half of it is food, the other half is clothes, jewelry and furniture."

"Toady repossession?"

"Hardly. Most of these are family heirlooms. The people would pay big bucks to have it back. All you have to do is drive me around Frog Valley and return this stuff to their owners and keep me from ending up in jail or six feet under."

Johan held up his hand. "I'm not going to extort poor people just so they can get their prized possessions back. We'll give it back to them for free, while at the same time, take money out of the toads' pockets." He chuckled. "Maybe that'll somehow get them to realize Passione is not something to fuck around with."

"Seems like a waste of money," said Palmate.

A screech made Johan look up and he saw a wasp fly off, carrying a brown caterpillar in its mandibles. "Sembra il bruco di Anne," he said to himself. "Poor caterpillar."

"Pfft! I say good riddance," said Palmate. "I'm glad it got eaten!"

Johan gave him a confused look. "Why do you say that?"

"That was a coastal kill-a-pillar. It's one of the most dangerous carnivorous insects in all the land. Sure they look cute, but when it becomes a kill-a-moth," Palmate chuckled. "It's a nightmare!"

A shiver ran down Johan's spine when he heard that. "Is that so," he asked nervously. "Uh, just out of curiosity, do these killer caterpillars come in a wide variety of colors? Like black with white spots?"

"No."

"Oh, thank God."

"They get white spots when it's time for them to pupate."

Johan's face went pale. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNEEEEEE!" he screamed as he ran for the Plantars' house.

"Hey! What about the job?!" Palmate shouted.

Meanwhile, Anne left the house with a shovel only to get caught by the frogs. "What are you doing with my shovel?" asked Hop Pop.

"Oh, this? I'm just going to do...uh...some gardening, yeah! Let's go with that!"

"But the garden is in the back," said Hop Pop.

"It looked like you were heading for the Sundews'," said Polly. "Do you have to dig a body? If so, I WANT IN!"

Anne shook her head, "No, no, no! Nothing like that. I just wanna...just wanna..."

"Just wanna what?" asked Sprig.

"Hey, I'm trying to think of an excuse to clean up baby precious, okay?"

When Hop Pop heard that he realized, "'Baby precious'? That's a pet name, for a pet! You sneak a pet in here?"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Anne. Hop Pop frowned at her. Finally, she caved. "Fine. I did have a pet! And I asked JoJo to take her to the Sundews' because she chewed up the furniture."

"Ah-ha! I knew it!"

Suddenly, JoJo came running up the trail toward the farmhouse. "AAAAAAAAAANNNNNEEEE!" he shouted.

"Oh, look," said Polly. "It's JoJo."

Anne waved to him. "JoJo, what are you..."

"MUDA!" POW! He punched Anne in the gut and she fell to the ground. "JoJo, what the heck?!"

"You idiot! I knew there was something I didn't like about that caterpillar," he exclaimed

"What are you talking about?" she asked as she got up. "Domino 2 is the sweetest, most precious..."

"MOST DANGEROUS BUG IN ALL OF AMPHIBIA!" Johan shouted.

"Huh?"

"That was the larval form of a coastal kill-a-moth! You've been taking care of a predator all this time! And now, it's in the Sundews' house!"

Anne couldn't believe what she was hearing. "No, no, no! You're wrong! Domino 2 would never..."

Polly raised her flipper. "Hi, Polly here. I got a question. Why did you come to us instead of RESCUING THE SUNDEWS?!"

Johan realized his mistake and face palmed. "I'm an idiot."

To Johan, Anne and the Plantars' horror, the Sundews' house was completely coated in a silk cocoon. "A kill-a-moth tactic," said Hop Pop. "They trap their prey in their own houses and feast on them!"

Johan pulled out the kaiser blade and sliced open the way to the front door. He was about to open the door when Anne stopped him. "What are you going to do?"

"What is necessary to save them," he said.

"Wait, you mean kill her?! No! I won't let you!"

"Anne, we're in this mess because of you!"

"Then let me take care of it! She's my responsibility!" Johan thought it over, then handed her the kaiser blade. They stepped into the house to find cobwebs everywhere, but there were no sign of the Sundews.

"JoJo," they heard a whisper.

"Edera?" called out Johan.

"Shh!" they heard Felicia. "Ivy's Invisible Touch is hiding us, but that monster is still looking for us!"

"What did you bring into my house," Sylvia's voice snapped.

"Guys, don't blame JoJo," said Anne. "Blame me! I'm the one who goaded him to bring Domino 2 here!"

"Domino 2? You named that beast?!"

"I think you're overreacting. There's no way my little angel is a monster."

A hissing sound made her and Johan look up. Clinging to the ceiling was a monstrous white moth with orange wings, red eyes and a feline-like face. It smiled at them with hunger. Inside her mouth was a long, barbed proboscis tongue. "Domino 2, is that you?" asked Anne.

"Shh," shushed Sylvia. "These monsters respond to sound."

Johan whispered, "Anne, take the Sundews and get out of the house."

"What?! I'm not going to let you kill her," snapped Anne. "Besides, I can't see them."

Before Johan could respond, Polly burst in with her flail and shouted, "Alright, Ivy! We're here to help!"

"POLLY, NO!" shouted Hop Pop.

Too late. Domino 2 saw the Plantars and flew toward them. Before they could escape, Domino 2 caught them and began throwing them up and down in the air. "She's gonna bite their heads off as soon as she's done toying with them," said Anne. That gave her an idea. "Keep her busy, JoJo!" she said as she dropped the kaiser blade and ran upstairs.

"Anne, where are you going?!" Johan shouted. Realizing he was alone, he approached the monster. She saw him and dropped the Plantars as she growled at him. "Domino 2? It's me, JoJo. I gave you back scratches. You gave me face scratches. You were Anne's first friend when she came to Amphibia! Don't you remember?" The kill-a-moth made a sound that sounded like a jaguar's roar. "Apparentemente no."

Domino 2 flew at him, but he struck first by jumping onto her face and stabbing her in the head with the knife. She let out a roar of pain and used her paws to try to flick him off, but he held on and repeatedly stabbed her. Finally, Domino 2 flew up, then slammed into the ground, knocking Johan off and allowing her to pin him to the ground and bite into his left shoulder. "AAAHHH!" Struggle as he might, he couldn't get up, but he still had a Stand. "Sorry, Anne, but I gotta defend myself!" DARE appeared and proceeded to pummel the giant moth.

"MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA! MUDA!"

Domino 2 was sent flying off the boy, allowing him to get up and reach for his pistol, but before he could shoot, he and Domino 2 heard a jingling sound. They turned to see Anne holding the pink mouse cat toy. "Hey, Domino 2! Over here!"

"Anne?! What are you doing with that?!" Johan shouted.

"Taking responsibility as a pet owner!" The moth took one look at the jingling toy and her eyes lit up with excitement before she chased after Anne. "Oh, crud," she said. She took off running with the moth chasing after her until she came to a stop at the edge of a cliff looking over the forest. She turned to see Domino 2 stalking toward her. She sighed sadly as she said, "Oh, Domino 2, I thought I could change you, but I guess I was wrong. I'm sorry I couldn't make it work."

She lifted up the cat toy, took a deep breath and activated her Ripple. "It's time to go." And with a great, Ripple-fueled throw, the toy was launched into the forest with the moth flying after it. Anne exhaled, turning off the Ripple effect and fell to her knees. "Sayonara, Domino 2."

She heard footsteps approach her and she turned to see Johan approaching. "Anne?"

"You were right, JoJo. You can take the animal out of the wild, but you can't take the wild out of the animal. No matter how much they remind you of something from home." She sniffed a little and a tear fell down her cheek.

Johan pulled her to her feet and pulled her into a hug. "I get it," he said. "I miss home too." Anne returned the hug and cried. A few tears ran down his own face as he patted her shoulder.

"And don't forget the corners," Sylvia snapped at Johan and Anne as they removed the cobwebs coating the house with feather dusters.

Hop Pop chuckled. "I'm just glad that it's not ME cleaning up after the pet this time."

"At this rate," said Johan. "It'll take all day."

"I deserve it," said Anne. "I put two frog families in danger and got you got bitten. I had no right to put you all in danger, no matter how much I miss my cat. I hope you understand."

"Understand? Understand!" shouted Hop Pop. Then he began to wail, "I miss Charlie Bigbottom with all my heart and soul!" He hugged Anne and sobbed into her shirt. She awkwardly patted his head.

"Hey, get back to dusting, you two," Sylvia shouted.

"Yes, ma'am," said Anne and Johan at once.

"And when you're done, you can fix the giant hole in the house that monster made!"

Ivy and Sprig found Anne and Johan sitting on the couch in the tea shoppe's dinning room. "Hey guys," they said. "Hard day's work?"

"Very much so," said Johan as he looked at his splinter-covered hands. "There was a lot of wood to work through fixing that hole."

"Well, just goes to show ya. You can't take some wild animal you found in the woods, have it live in your basement, and think everything's gonna be okay," said Anne.

"I don't know," said Sprig cheerfully. "Sometimes it works out. Right, Ivy?"

"Mm-hmm," she said. "JoJo is proof."

The boy raised an eyebrow at her. "Mi hai appena chiamato un animale selvatico?"

"I don't know what you said."

"Hey, um, I made you a little something," said Sprig as he showed her a badly made plush toy made in the coastal kill-a-pillar's image. "I used Domino 2's hair balls as the fur. Here ya go." Anne took it and stared into its button eyes that were barely hanging on by a thread. "You hate it, don't ya? It's too ugly, isn't it? You know what, give it back to me-"

Anne grabbed Sprig and pulled him into a hug. "I LOVE IT!"

To Be Continued...