Author's Note: Here's one of the last updates I'm uploading before my break. I know I finished another break a short while ago, but something personal happened recently, so I'm getting used to the changes happening around my house. It's nothing bad, but it's gonna take some getting used to, so I just need a little time. Thank you for understanding.
So a major change is going to happen in this chapter that's going to affect the election storyline and Toadstool's story. I hope you like it.
Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Any and all comments are welcome.
Hop Pop walked along the aisles of the Grub & Go until he stopped to see a shelf of bugs that caught his eye. Anne and T'Challa stopped behind him.
"Oh. Pill bugs are on sale." Hop Pop said.
"Ooh. That reminds me. I'm gonna go grab some of that beetle jerky I like." Anne said before realizing the words that came out of her mouth. "Can't believe I just said that."
"I won't lie. I'm also starting to enjoy the beetle jerky." T'Challa said. "I guess it's an acquired taste."
The two broke away from Hop Pop who proceeded to continue shopping. They looked along the shelves until they found what they were looking for. The beetle jerky were tied in a small sack with a bold label on it.
"Score! Though, it looks like there's only one more." Anne said.
"We can split it." T'Challa said.
"Can do." Anne reached to grab the sack, but a tongue stopped her attaching itself to the beetle jerky first. It pulled the bag away from Anne and right into the hands of the tongue's owner: One-Eye Wally. "Hey! That was totally ours, Wally!"
"You snooze, you lose, scarecrows!" Wally replied before hysterically hopping away.
"Hey! Don't call us scarecrows!" Anne shouted.
"Anne, maybe you shouldn't let… Ow!" T'Challa was interrupted by Mrs. Croaker, who accidently bumped into him with her cart.
"Hey! Move your big behind, scarecrow! Croaker needs her cookies."
"Sorry, Mrs. Croaker." T'Challa said moving aside.
"Dude, are you really going to let her talk to you like that?" Anne asked. "She knows you're a prince from Wakanda."
"Well, we're not in Wakanda." T'Challa said. "Look, I don't like it, but what am I supposed to do? Claw her eyes out?"
"No. Of course not. But… WHOA!" Anne slipped on a wet spot on the floor and tripped.
"Hey! Didn't you read the sign, scarecrow!" a worker asked starting a laughing crowd pointing at Anne and T'Challa. The both of them exchanged a frown before leaving the store.
By the time Anne and T'Challa made it back to Bessie, Hop Pop had already finished his shopping and returned to his grandchildren.
"So did you get the beetle jerky you…" Sprig started to ask before finally seeing Anne and T'Challa's frowns. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Anne gave a heavy sigh. "Well, it's just… T'Challa and I have been here over a month now and the townsfolk still treat us crummy. I just wish they were a little nicer."
"Oh, that's just the way these frogs are." Hop Pop said. "Slow to accept, and even slower to respect. It's actually our town motto. You'll find a way to get their respect, in your own weird Anne and T'Challa way."
"I hope so." Anne said before turning to T'Challa. "Do you feel crummy too?"
"Of course, I do, but I expected something like this when I left Wakanda."
"What do you mean?" Sprig asked.
T'Challa scratched the back of his head. "Well… You see… It's hard to explain, but people who look like me have a history of not being accepted or respected. It gets violent and unbearable in a lot of places."
"Wow." Anne said showing empathy to her friend. "Sorry about that."
"You got nothing to apologize for, Anne." T'Challa said. "Look, it's just like Hop Pop said. We just need to be patient. We'll get our chance someday."
"Well, now that all that's settled, who wants pill bug pancakes." Hop Pop said.
"Ooh! My favorite!" Anne said before realizing the words that came out of her mouth. "I've been here too long."
"It's not that bad." T'Challa said.
The ride on Bessie lead the Plantars through the town square. The moment stopped all of a sudden when Bessie stopped and chirped wildly without warning. Anne got out of the saddle to ease her until they saw what spooked her.
A large cart was seen in the distance closing in on the borders of the village. It was decoraded with spikes on its wheels, skulls, and a tarantula which acted as its horse. Four toads were seen riding the cart. When they stopped in front of city hall, the surrounding townsfolk turned and walked away clearly.
One of the toads cracked his red head and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Nothing like cracking your neck after a long drive. Ain't that right?"
The doors of city hall opened and Stan Leap walked right out. He had a long piece of paper in his hand. "Well, it looks like we're here."
"We're right in front of you, aren't we?" asked a female toad.
"Enough stalling, Leap." The red toad said. "You got the list?"
"Right here. Chief Treasurer Toadstool gave it to me." Stan Leap said holding up the paper in his hand. "But before anything, you should know that I think there must be some kind of mistake. I've looked through the list myself, and I can't imagine any of these frogs skipping out on their taxes."
"Or maybe you're just too soft to imagine it." Said a third toad. This one had an orange head with a black hairstyle on his head that matched the beard covering his chin. Along with his purple armor, he also had a left hand that seemed to be made of metal. "Toads are realists who know how to get the job done. If you can't imagine a single citizen showing any sign of insubordination, it's any wonder how you became mayor in the first place. Thankfully, the higher-ups at Toad Tower were able to appoint one of our own into your council."
"Yes, I know." Stan Leap said under his breath. He proceeded to hand his list over to the fourth toad, one with a helmet that concealed his entire head.
From afar, Anne and T'Challa watched curiously. "Who are those guys?" Anne asked.
"I take it those are the toads we've heard about?" T'Challa asked.
"That's them all right." Sprig said. "The toads up on Toad Tower are the fiercest warriors in the valley."
"Cool." Anne said.
"Cool, yes, but they can be a rough sort." Hop Pop said. "It's probably best that we all stay clear of…" He stopped himself seeing Anne, T'Challa, and Sprig walking towards the toads. "Oh, dang it. There they go."
The toad with the black-bearded chin was already at the far side of the cart when the kids approached the others. He and his fellow toads were picking out weapons from the cart.
"Hey, guys!" Sprig greeted. "So are you from Toad Tower?"
"Sure are, runt." The red toad replied.
Sprig laughed. "My name's Sprig, actually."
"Uh, huh. Yeah. Sure." The red toad glanced back to finally look at Sprig. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he gasped upon looking right at Anne and T'Challa. "Whoa! What… are… those? They're like some gangly new critters I've never seen before."
"I wonder what they taste like." The female toad said enthusiastically.
"Hey! We're not on the menu!" T'Challa shouted.
"Don't come any closer." Anne warned pulling out her tennis racket.
"Is that a challenge?" the female toad asked pulling out a spiked club before attacking.
The fight was short. After the toad took two swings in which Anne dodged, the human girl swung her racket letting the strings hit her hard on the face. It left an imprint on her face which left most of the other toads silent before laughing.
"Whoa. That was awesome." The toad said after taking a racket to the face.
"Well met, creature." The red toad congratulated. "I don't know what you are, but you've got fire."
Finally, the orange toad emerged from behind the cart. "Hey, mucus-brains, what's the hold up? We're not being paid to roughhouse with the…" He stopped when he finally noticed the humans. Unlike the red toad, however, his surprised expression was less shocked. "No way. I can't believe it."
"Believe it, Klaw." The red toad said. "That female critter definitely has spirit. Sure surprised Fens."
The orange toad, the one called Klaw, stared silently for a moment before smiling and approaching the humans. He held up his metal hand offering a shake. "Well, strange creatures, if you have Bog's respect, you certainly have mine. They call me Klaw. I'm sure you can guess why."
"Because of your hand?" Sprig asked.
"Sprig, that's not nice." Anne said.
Klaw chuckled dropping his arm. "It's fine. It's not a big deal really. I mean, when you lose something more important like your mind, a missing hand is no biggie."
"Wait, what was that about your mind?" T'Challa asked out of concern.
"My companions here are Bog, Fens, and Mire. And you are…"
"I'm Anne. This here is T'Challa, and Sprig here's already introduced himself."
"Yeah, I don't care." Klaw said earning an angry glance from Sprig. "Say, maybe you could show us around? We could use someone with inside knowledge of this town for our job."
"We could?" Bog asked.
"Yes. Just follow my lead." Klaw said quietly.
"That's all nice and all," T'Challa said, "But I don't think we're interested. Nice meeting you though." He grabbed Anne's hand and walked away with her. As he left, Klaw made an evil grin on his face.
"Uh, sir," Bog said, "I respect these strange creatures and all, but do we really need help?"
"Of course not, you oaf." Klaw answered. "But I need to know more about those two."
"Why?" Fens asked.
"Let's just say Grime has a certain interest in critters like those two."
Hop Pop waited until the kids returned to Bessie. "Okay, kids. That's enough flirting with death. Let's head home."
"That sounds like a good idea." T'Challa said.
"Fine by me." Sprig said.
"You sure, T'Challa?" Anne asked. "I was thinking we could hang out with these guys a little longer. They seem pretty cool."
"You call that cool?" T'Challa asked. "I've been getting nothing but off feelings about them since they arrived, especially that Klaw guy."
"He's right, Anne. They're very creepy. And smelly." Sprig said.
"Are you jealous I think they're cool?" Anne asked.
"No!" Sprig answered. "If you wanna hang out with some grody toads, be my guest. No skin off my skin."
T'Challa sighed. "You sure about this, Anne? This seems like the start to one of our weekly situations where we might find ourselves in over our heads."
"I'll be fine." Anne said.
"If you're sure, then all right." T'Challa said joining the Plantars in Bessie's saddle. "Just don't take too long."
After her friends drove off, Anne turned back to the toads and returned to them. Klaw smiled seeing her and welcomed her back.
"I see you've reconsidered." Klaw said. "Say, where's your buddy?"
"T'Challa's not available right now, but at least you have me." Anne said. "So what is it that you need me for?"
"We just need someone who knows their way around this little town." Klaw said. "Every year, Toad Tower gets taxes from the villages we govern to help finance our system. Well, this year, they came up short. So with this list the mayor gave us, we'll find the frogs who didn't pay and… 'correct' this mistake. So what do you say?" Klaw pulled out a badge that looked like a frog's foot. "Care to assist?"
"Oh… Um… I don't know." Anne said. "I'm not sure any of this is my business."
"I understand," Klaw said, "But this badge does have a certain privilege: anyone who sees you wear it will have to treat you with respect."
"GIMME THAT DING-DANG THING!"
"Got your last frog." Hop Pop said ending the board game he played with Sprig. T'Challa watched with interest. "Whoo! You lose. Oh, yeah!"
"You know, we have a similar game back at Earth." T'Challa said.
Before anyone could say anything more, Anne entered the house wearing a shoulder pad, a sash with her new badge, and a sheath with a sword in it.
"Guess who became a Toad Tower deputy!"
"WHAT?!" everyone gasped.
"Also, check out this cool sword Klaw gave me." Anne said pulling out her new sword. She swung it around and stopped when she cut through a coathanger. "I can fix that."
"You're actually going around town with those guys?" T'Challa asked. "Didn't I tell you those guys seemed like bad news?"
"But they're not." Anne said. "They're just here to do a job. And Klaw wants me to help them."
"That's another thing." Hop Pop said. "I've heard unsettling tales about Klaw and his ruthlessness. If he's asking for your help, it's only because he wants something from you."
"What could I possibly have to offer him? I only just met him less than an hour ago." Anne said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some respect to enjoy."
After Anne left the house, T'Challa and Sprig exchanged looks of concern. The human headed to the door, but Sprig opened the window.
"Hold up. Where are you two going?" Hop Pop asked.
"If you're right about this Klaw guy, there's no way we're just going to leave Anne alone with him." T'Challa said.
"Me and T'Challa are going to go follow them." Sprig said.
"That's all well and good, Sprig," Hop Pop said, "But can you at least use the front door like T'Challa."
"No." Sprig replied before crawling out the window.
"Well, if you need us, you'll know where we'll be." T'Challa said. He exited through the front door and tapped his talisman to put on his Black Panther outfit. He began his prowl toward the same direction as Anne left to.
As T'Challa and Sprig left, Anne stuck her head out. "Don't die!"
As the toads drove around town, Klaw turned to Anne who sat right next to him. "So you and your fellow giant new to Wartwood?"
"More or less." Anne said. "We've been living there for about a month."
"I see." Klaw said. "And where are you from?"
"That's actually a long story." Anne said. "Do you believe in other worlds?"
"Kid, when you've seen as much as I have, you learn to believe anything." Klaw said before holding up his metal hand. "I got this thing after poking around the Ruins of Despair. Made of some strange machinery. But enough about me. So you're from another world."
"Well, yeah. Though, I don't know exactly how we got here though. And now, all we want is to find a way home." Anne said.
"I see. Very interesting." Klaw said rubbing his beard with his metal index finger.
The toads' cart stopped in front of a rustic shack. The mailbox read "Wally".
"All right." Bog said. "First name on the list: One-Eye Wally."
"So how does this work?" Anne asked. "Do we remind Wally how much he owes or…"
"Just watch and learn." Klaw said. "It's go time, toads."
Without warning, Bog, Fens, and Mire crashed right through Wally's cluttered-up home. They caught the hobo frog in the middle of his bath.
"Jumping June bugs! What's all this about?" Wally asked surprised.
"I, uh, guess you owe the town money?" Anne asked unsure.
"Rubbish." Wally replied. "I may live in squalor, but I always pay my taxes."
"Mayor Leap's list says otherwise." Bog said. "If you've got a complaint, take it up with him."
"Well, since you haven't paid, we're going to need to have some compensation." Klaw said. "Bog, Fens, Mire, take whatever you believe is sufficient."
The toads proceeded with taking Wally's stuff. The four of them broke doors and swiped whatever they could while Anne just watched with doubt beginning to fill within her. During the raid, Klaw found the same sack of beetle jerky that Wally took from Anne earlier and passed it to her.
"Help yourself, Anne. I'm allergic to beetle jerky anyway."
"Klaw, this seems a little extreme." Anne said.
"That's just how things are." Klaw said. He looked back at everything his comrades held in their hands. "All right, toads. That should be enough. Now, let's get to the next house."
The toads excitedly left the house with everything they took. Before following them, Anne quietly gave the beetle jerky back to the sad Wally. She rejoined the toads leaving Wally very thankful.
From across the yard, Sprig and T'Challa (who still had on his Black Panther costume) watched in hiding as the toads left Wally's house with much of his belongings.
"That's weird. Wally always pays his taxes." Sprig said.
"This seems to be about that list Mayor Leap gave them earlier." T'Challa said. "I overheard him say that he doesn't believe any of those frogs wouldn't pay."
"So what does this mean?" Sprig asked.
"I don't know." T'Challa said.
Just then, the bushes rustled nearby and Sprig and T'Challa went into hiding. Sprig leaped deep into the bushes while T'Challa jumped high to the tree branches above. The both of them then saw Toadstool and Toadie passing by. While Toadstool carried a small sack between his two fingers, Toadie carried an enormous one on his back.
"Come on, Toadie." Toadstool said. "While the townsfolk are preoccupied, we've got this chance to set up Mayor Leap for good."
"Coming, sir." Toadie strained. As he passed Sprig's hiding place, a copper coin fell out of his bag right into his hand. Once they were gone, T'Challa returned to Sprig.
"A copper coin? Toadstool? A hole? In the bag?" Sprig asked.
"Something tells me those two are up to something." T'Challa said. "I'll stay on the toads' trail and keep an eye on Anne while you see what Toadstool's doing."
"On it." Sprig said hopping toward Toadstool's direction.
T'Challa watched as the same scenario that happened in Wally's house repeated. The toads barge in, the tenants claim they already paid, the toads take lots of their stuff, and Anne gives them a small gift to apologize. First, at Felicia's Tea Shoppe when Anne gave Felicia and Ivy their #1 Mom mug. Then, at Loggle's wood shop when Anne returned Loggle's cane. And at Mrs. Croaker's home when Anne helped her keep Archie's bed without the toads knowing.
After leaving Mrs. Croaker's home, Anne voiced her concern. "I don't know, guys. This whole thing feels… wrong."
"The law's the law, Anne." Klaw said. "Or in my case, the 'Klaw' is the law. Hehehe. I kill myself."
"Well… who's next on the list?" Anne asked.
Klaw opened up his list and looked through it. "Some goober named Hopadiah Plantar."
"Oh, crud." Anne gasped. "Klaw, that list has to be wrong. I know that frog. He's totally honest."
"Anne, let's think about this logically, shall we?" Klaw asked. "Paying taxes is allowing money to be sent to Toad Tower. Well, this year, no money got sent to Toad Tower. If we didn't get the money, then where is it?"
Sprig followed Toadstool and Toadie back to city hall. The two of them sneaked over to the treasury office where Toadstool opened up a secret latch in the floor. He and Toadie opened their bags and poured most of the coins they had into it. Toadstool stopped Toadie before he could finish.
"Hold it, Toadie. Let's not hide all of the money."
"But sir, don't you need the money to fund your campaign?" Toadie asked.
"That I do, which is why I'm keeping most of it." Toadstool replied. "But for my plan to be complete, we have to hide the rest of it in the mayor's office. The townsfolk are already losing faith in Leap after he had to quadruple the taxes thanks to a certain forged letter from myself. Now, I imagine they'll keep losing confidence in him as a mayor since the toads are taking their stuff thanks to a list that came from him. And once they leave, we'll 'accidently' reveal the hidden money in Leap's office. The old coot's reputation will be ruined forever, he'll be run out of town, and I'll win the election unopposed. It's flawless, Toadie. The perfect plan."
"Master stroke, sir." Toadie said.
"Quickly, now." Toadstool said. "Leap should be back any minute, so let's hide the rest of the taxes in his office before anyone notices…"
"THE TAXES!" Sprig shouted revealing himself. "You fiends! I overheard everything! Everyone's going to be furious when they find out about this!"
"Well, then it's a good thing you'll never get to tell them." Toadstool said before jumping towards Sprig. The young frog, however, managed to leap out of the way and run out of city hall. Toadstool and Toadie chased after him.
Thunderclouds rumbled the sky as the toads confronted Hop Pop and Polly at their front porch.
"Like I said, I already paid my dang taxes!" Hop Pop insisted. "You can't come in here, and that's final!"
"Well, you've certainly got quite the attitude for a frog with only one leg." Klaw said.
"Are you blind?" Hop Pop asked. "I have both my legs."
"Really? Oh, that's right. I was thinking about the last old farmer who didn't pay his taxes and talked back to me. I got so angry, I ripped his leg right off of his body. The funny thing is…" Klaw narrowed his eyes threateningly, "You're beginning to remind me a lot of him."
"Klaw, wait!" Anne pleaded. "I'm telling you, he paid his taxes! He… He made me watch." She shuddered.
"Anne, I admire your loyalty to this bumpkin and this dirty town by letting them keep little trinkets." Klaw said catching Anne by surprise. "Yeah, don't think I didn't notice you sneaking things behind my back. I let you do it because I'm curious about you. But enough is enough. I got a job to do. So what do you think, fellow toads?"
"Well, how about that thing?" Fens asked pointing at Bessie.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!" Hop Pop shouted.
"I'LL BITE YOUR FACE OFF!" Polly threatened.
"Good eye, Fens." Klaw said. "That snail should cover everything. Let's get snatching."
The toads closed in on Bessie while Anne sweated nervously. She looked down at her badge before looking back at Bessie. She strained and gritted her teeth until finally…
"STOOOOOOOP!"
The toads stopped and turned to Anne. Klaw gave her a disappointed look. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me, you one-handed jerk. Keep your claws off that snail. Better yet…" Anne joined Hop Pop's side and put her foot down. "Get off our property!"
That's when the rain started to pour down on everyone's heads. As the tension grew, a crowd began to gather around the Plantar yard made up of nearly every citizen in Wartwood. They were impressed at Anne standing up to the toads and ripping off the badge she was given.
"All I wanted was this town's respect. But just because these people treated me crummy doesn't mean I'm going to do the same to them. I'm done with this. I don't care if they've broken the law. You can't treat people like this!" She raised her badge up and threw it into the mud.
After staring at the badge halfway in the mud for a minute, Klaw raised his soulless eyes at Anne. He raised his metal hand up and snapped his mechanical fingers signalling his toads. Fens surprised Anne by pushing her from behind and shoving her in the mud. Hop Pop and Polly tried to go to her aid, but Mire grabbed them both and held them back. Fens planted her foot on Anne's back keeping her from getting up.
"How disappointing." Klaw said extending his razor sharp fingers. "You know, not a lot of people stand up to me, but nobody stands up to me and lives to talk about it. Any last words?" He raised his claw up ready to strike.
Anne shifted her eyes nervously until something caught her eye. She looked back at Klaw and smiled. "Does Toad Tower have a panther protection plan?"
"What?" Klaw asked slightly lowering his hand. "What's that supposed to… OOF!"
A black, catlike foot struck Klaw from the side sending him flying across the yard. The Black Panther then surprised the confused Fens by spin-kicking her removing her from Anne who returned to her feet.
"Thanks for the help, buddy." Anne said.
"Glad you managed to stand up to these jerks." The Black Panther returned.
After recovering, Klaw gasped at the sight of the black cat-like creature towering at Anne's side. "What in Barrel's name is that?!"
"This is the Black Panther!" Anne introduced as she pulled out her sword and her tennis racket. "And together, we're going to run you toads out of town!"
Klaw growled. "We'll see about that. Don't just stand there, you morons! Crush them!"
Fens ran at Anne throwing her club, but Anne used her sword to deflect it. Bog meanwhile swung his hammer at the Black Panther, but he flipped out of the way and countered with a dropkick. Seeing his toads on the losing side, Klaw growled and slipped a dagger from behind him. He thrusted his dagger sending it flying right at the Black Panther's back. Thankfully, Anne saw what he was doing and jumped to deflect it with her sword. That was poorly timed however. At that moment, the Black Panther jumped again to dodge another hammer strike from Bog. Instead though, the hammer hit Anne's weapons and knocked them out of her hands. She reached out to get them back, but at that moment, Fens returned to Anne and swung her mace right down at Anne's arm.
It connected.
Anne's scream of pain echoed throughout the acre. The Black Panther turned to Anne and gasped. He rushed to her aid as she held onto her badly injured arm. "Anne! Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine!" Anne replied through her gritted teeth.
"I wouldn't lie if I were you." Bog said as he, Fens, and Klaw surrounded the two. "Looks like it's three against one now."
"You think I can't take you all on?" The Black Panther asked.
"You try that." Klaw said. "Only if you step away from the girl, you can be certain we'll finish her off. Now, why don't you be a good ebony kitten or whatever and…"
Klaw was interrupted again. A handful of mud raced over and hit him in the face. The one who threw the mud turned out to be Sprig, who leaped in from outside. "You leave them alone!"
Sprig was joined by the rest of the townsfolk who looked angrily at the toads. They all stood up to them surrounding them from all sides voicing their protests.
"Yeah. You leave Anne and the Black Panther alone!"
"They're with us!"
"If you got a problem with them, you got a problem with all of us!"
Klaw growled before shouting angrily. "So you all want to die to protect these creatures?! Fine by me! You've all been whining headaches! And I'll be happy to… Hey!"
Once again, Klaw was interrupted. The Black Panther grabbed him by the front of his outfit and held him up to confront him face to face.
"Listen, and listen good. Anne is my friend. Everyone in town is my friend. Therefore, they're under my protection. I don't care if you're the official protectors of the valley. That doesn't give you the right to pick on those who you believe are lesser than you. Go back to whoever sent you here and give them this message. If you power-abusing bullies ever hurt these frogs or any of the innocent frogs in this valley, then I'm coming to Toad Tower myself and I'll make everyone there wish they were never born."
The Black Panther dropped Klaw back into the mud and returned to help Anne up.
"Not gonna lie." Anne said. "That sent chills down my spine."
"Sorry."
"No. I like it." Anne smiled. Under his mask, the Black Panther smiled back.
The last of Wartwood's citizens finally caught up with the crowd. Toadstool and Toadie made it, but by the time they got to the farm, they were out of breath.
"Oh, boy. I gotta cut back on them cricket nuggets." Toadstool said.
"Arrest that toad!" Sprig pointed at Toadstool. "He stole the town's money and was keeping it all for himself! And worse than that, he was planning to frame Mayor Leap for the crime!"
Everyone gasped turning their attention at Toadstool. Stan Leap gave him a very suspicious glare.
Sprig lead everyone to the treasury office where Bog proceeded to open the secret latch on the floor. Once everyone saw all the tax money inside, they all turned to Toadstool who walked backwards out the front door.
"People, I can explain. I needed the extra money for my campaign. Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy your love?"
"That still doesn't excuse you for trying to frame me." Stan Leap said.
"Oh, and Mayor Leap," Sprig said, "You remember last week when you got that letter from Toad Tower telling you to raise the taxes? Yeah, Toadstool faked that too."
"Oh, is that so?" Stan Leap said glaring back at Toadstool. "Toadstool, you always were a corrupt, underhanded, weaselly miser."
"But that's what makes me the best choice for mayor." Toadstool said.
"I oughta lock you up and throw away the key!"
"Ahem." Klaw cleared his throat.
Stan Leap gave a reluctant sigh. "Unfortunately, though, since you're the only toad in the city council, the people in Toad Tower won't allow me to do that."
"Really?" Toadstool asked happily. "Oh, happy day!"
"Don't think you're let off the hook that easily." Stan Leap said. "You embezelled, you stole, you forged, and you attempted to assault a child. That's more than enough grounds to get you disqualified from the election."
"What?" Toadstool asked. "Oh, come on, Stan. We don't have to go that far, do we? I mean, you can still pardon me, right?"
"Pardon you?!" Stan Leap asked loudly. "You're lucky I'm not firing you! Now, I suggest you take the rest of the day off. Or better yet, the week. Consider it a suspension. Without pay."
"Oh, frog dang it." Toadstool frowned.
Everyone gathered around the toads' cart just outside of the city entrance. Before leaving however, everyone was given their belongings back and the tax money took their place.
"Oh, and tell Captain Grime we'll expect a refund if you don't mind." Stan Leap said.
"Excuse me?" Klaw asked angrily.
"The people of this town paid four times as much as they were required to do." Stan Leap explained. "As far as we're concerned, three-fourths of that money is rightfully ours."
Klaw growled. "Fine. We'll sort it out and send you a refund shortly." He returned to Anne who had a cast covering her right arm. "If it was respect you were looking for, Anne, you sure lost mine. You, your other human friend, and your frogs should consider yourselves lucky, but we'll be back. And we won't be alone."
"They don't need your respect!" Hop Pop yelled.
"Yeah! They've got ours!" Wally agreed just as the cart drove off.
Once the toads were out of earshot, Bog spoke to Klaw. "What are we going to do, Klaw? If the rest of the valley gets word about this Black Panther, we could be looking at a revolution."
"We'll worry about that later." Klaw said. "Right now, I just want to focus on those humans."
"Why?" Fens asked. "I know they're unusual, but what why were you so interested in them in the first place?"
"Back at Toad Tower, Captain Grime has a couple of special prisoners." Klaw said. "As soon as I saw Anne and T'Challa, I already knew they had something to do with them. I just needed them to corroborate with the same story the prisoners have been telling us. But today's events have been more exciting than I care to admit. So we're going to tell the captain everything, even that mysterious Black Panther."
After the toads were out of sight, T'Challa pressed his talisman again. His Black Panther talisman removed itself from his body and returned into its compartment.
"Why'd you wait until now to take the suit off?" Anne asked.
"Because Anne, the toads just learned that there was a Black Panther protecting the innocent frogs." T'Challa answered. "As far as they're concerned, he and T'Challa are different entities, and it's better to let them think that. After all, the Black Panther is a symbol, and seeing a man behind that symbol would loosen its meaning."
"Three cheers for Anne and T'Challa the Black Panther, defenders of Wartwood!" Wally yelled.
"Hip, hip, horray! Hip, hip, horray! Hip, hip, horray!"
"Oh, thanks, guys." Anne said tearing up. "Now, who wants to sign my cast?"
"I'll do it." T'Challa said taking a pen. He wrote his name down earning a heartfelt smile from Anne.
After a while, Anne and T'Challa had gained the acceptance of the town. Now, they have their respect. The time had come for a new chapter of their time in Amphibia. What they had no idea though was that even if Wartwood was looking brighter, a dark shadow was growing in Toad Tower.