The next couple of days were fairly quiet, as Sprig and Anne didn't leave the house. Sprig didn't leave because he was still recovering from taking a boomshroom to the face while Anne didn't leave because she was still in shock and depression from actually killing someone. Today was going to be different, because Sprig noticed the temperature dip below the Frost Line for the third time. This made him gasp, he knew what was coming!
"HIBER DAY!" He screamed, echoing through the entire house!
"What!?" Hop Pop said.
"Hiber day?" Anne said, coming up from her basement room but looking a mess.
"We need to warn the town!" Hop Pop said.
Hop Pop got Sprig on his back and carried him into town while Polly hood after them in her bucket. Though Anne was hesitant to follow, she felt this was too important to not follow them and get a proper explanation. The entire time, Sprig was ringing a bell. The bell rang alerted the whole town, making everyone come from their houses gather in the town square.
"Alright, settle down, what's happening." Toadstool asked.
"Hiber Day is coming early!" Sprig shouted, shocking everyone in town. "I saw it in the temperature drip! It's gone below the line three times this week, that means Hiber Day is gonna be here before we know it!"
Everyone began screaming in a panic while Anne still looked confused but also worried.
"Umm, can I assume Hiber Day is a bad thing?" Anne asked, getting a few frog's attention.
"Yes, Anne!" Hop Pop said, "Every year, we frogs freeze, and the next day we thaw out, feeling rested and rejuvenated only problem is that someone goes missing each year."
"What?! Every year!?" Anne said in shock!
"Yes! And the worst part of it is that none of us are able to see what is doing it or do something to stop it. So, we've come to terms and prepare our goodbyes ahead of time." Hop Pop said as the town began saying goodbye to each other.
Friends, families, mother, daughter, fathers, sons; everybody was assuming one of them would be taken away and never seen again.
'Wait... I wouldn't freeze, wolves are meant for this kind of environment.' Anne thought.
"That's not going to happen this year."
Everyone turned to Anne, confused o what she meant before remembering about her wolf form! She was the town protected, she could protect them and stop whatever was taking them!
"I'm not letting anyone die this year." Anne said.
'And I won't kill again.'
"But what if the thing that's taking us comes and you have to fight it?" Ivy asked Anne.
"I'll drive it away. I'm a wolf, and wolves don't back down from a fight to protect their pack." Anne said, "This is no different."
"Good enough for me." Toadstool said, believing what Anne said since nobody knew what Earth wolves were like. "Alright people, let's go and get ready for Hiber Day and SURVIVE!"
"Wooooo!" The town cheered.
"We'll meet back up here tomorrow, that way Anne can watch us all." Hop Pop said.
Everyone nodded in agreement as they headed back to their homes to prepare but unfortunately, Sprig was almost TOO right about Hiber Day coming early since it hit halfway to everybody's homes, freezing everyone in ice.
"Oh no, everyone is scattered, how am I going to-" Anne picked up Sprig, "Huh, this is pretty light."
She then picked up Polly and Hop Pop before carrying all three of them back to the town square. Anne then worked to get the rest of the town assembled and did a headcount to make sure.
"That's everybody." Anne said with a nod.
She shifted into her wolf mode and began to walk around the frozen frogs.
'I'm not going to let them be taking, I REFUSE to let anyone be taken!' Anne thought.
Anne let out a howl, trying to warn anything to not come by. This was heard for about 6 miles outside of Wartwood, letting all manner of creatures hear and know of her. Especially the one responsible for the Hiber Day victims in the first place! It knew something that made that noise was some kind of predator, but knew that getting food was too important. It must feed, it must HUNT for its prey, and kill ANYTHING that gets in its way. It headed to Wartwood. Back in the town, Anne had changed back for a moment to make a fire for herself to keep warm a bit before she went back to protecting the town. She still had her senses on alert for anything that could try to take the frozen frogs and ready to change back to fight it.
'Nothing is getting through me.'
Anne stared at the flames for a moment before looking down to her hands, now clean from the blood of the bandit leader. Physically at least but mentally, she was still shaken up from it and hoped she wouldn't have to kill whatever was taking the frogs of Wartwood.
'I… I will never kill again.'
Anne shook her head and refocused, having some quick food to keep her strength up before she changed back into a wolf. She caught the smell of something. Something foreign and furry, something that's NOT a frog or a toad!
'The mysterious creature taking the frogs, it's coming!' Anne thought as she rushed to the direction and stood ready in front of Wartwood's frozen frogs. It was about to be a battle of predators. Anne watched as a large pink... ferret ran into the town.
'Well... that's... something.' Anne thought.
"ROOOOOAH!" It roared, revealing very sharp teach inside of its mouth!
Anne growled and barred her teeth.
'You won't get anyone!' Anne thought to the weasel!
The weasel just roared back as it got ready to attack and take a frog with it! Anne ran at it, moving very good in the snow. Unfortunately, the Weasel was also quick in the snow, and it tunneled in the snow, something Anne couldn't do. So her choices were to rush back to the townspeople to protect them or rush into the tunnel after the giant weasel to stop it. She didn't think she would be able to fit into the tunnels, so she ran back to the towns folk. She quickly sniffed around for the weasel and found it was their yet before seeing it burst from the ground, RIGHT BEHIND SPRIG!
'NO!' Anne screamed as she barked and jumped at the large pink rodent!
She bit down onto it.
"ROOOOOAH!" The weasel screeched in pain, thrashing around to shake Anne off but her jaws were too strong!
It used its front limbs and began to hit Anne.
"Grr!" Anne growled but pulled back before biting back down in the same spot!
She was pried off and thrown away from the weasel. Anne tumbled against the ground before got back on her feet and shook off the dirt!
"Grrr!" She growled as the Weasel hissed at her!
Anne ran and tried to jump back on the weasel, but was hit before that and thrown into the statue, hitting it hard enough to force a shift back to human.
"Aaaah!" Anne shouted, hitting the ground as she held her side in pain. "Crap, that one really hurt."
Anne started to get back up, when the statue fell on her, breaking several bones.
"Aaaaah!" Anne screamed in pain.
Anne tried to get out from under it. She looked up and saw the weasel grab Polly and retreat to the woods.
"No!" Anne said, as her vision began to get black, "Not... the... baby."
Anne went limp and the world turned to black. This was it, she was broken, bleeding, and she was on the verge of freezing to death. The last thing she'll ever see is how she failed the town, how she failed the Plantars, the same family that took her in, the same family that would do anything for. Anne's eyes shot open and flashed blue. She used the arm that wasn't trapped under the statue and dug her hand into the ground.
"No!" Anne said, "I'm not going to let them down! I won't fail my pack!"
Anne used all the strength she could muster and slowly dragged herself out from the statue. She stood up, and fell down from a broken leg. She coughed up blood into the snow and looked up.
"Well... I guess I'm going to use three legs instead of four." Anne said, before shifting into her wolf form and sniffing the air.
She caught the scent and ran after it. She followed the scent all the way to a cave a mile away from the town and rushed in. She saw Polly stuck to the roof.
'Polly!' Anne thought as she stopped next to a rock to rest.
She felt the ground rumble and the Weasel came up from the snow. Anne moved to hide as it began sniffing around, trying to find whatever was in the cave that it could possibly be looking for? It seemed to be distracted trying to search though
'This is my chance.' Anne said, trying to avoid coughing up more blood.
Anne watched as the weasel moved to pluck Polly from the ceiling and set her down before chittering in another direction. Anne turned to it and gasped as she saw a nest of small baby weasel, the giant beast was actually a mother trying to feed her kids.
'Oh... this makes my heart hurt... no... that internal bleeding.' Anne thought, 'I still can't have it feed Polly to its kids, I need to stop this.'
She watched as the mother picked up Polly and began to crush the ice in its jaws, planning to pre-chew her for the babies. Anne had to act fast before the pup of her pack was crushed Anne ran and tackled the weasel, making it spit out Polly. Anne growled at it.
'You're not eating her!' Anne growled out, standing in front of Polly.
The weasel growled at Anne. Nobody steals from her children, NO ONE, and the weasel mother was going to prove that to this small brown furry creature! The two predators ran at each other. Anne jumped into the air and dived at the weasel, as it roared with it's jaws open! The wolf almost fell in before Anne switched back and grabbed it by the ear to pulled down to the ground!
"I won't let you hurt my pack member."
"Roooah!" The weasel mother let out as she began to thrash around before Anne managed to keep her down in the ground!
"You don't need to hurt them!" Anne said, "I can help you."
The weasel roared again, struggling yet also asking how Anne could possibly help her!
"Together, we could find something that better than a tadpole." Anne said, "Just let me have my friend and I'll help."
The weasel seemed to understand this, slowly ceasing her thrashing and letting Anne let go of her.
"Come on, I'm going to help you."
Anne picked Polly up and got on the weasel mother, letting her take them back to Wartwood to put Polly back with the others.
'Now, where is food?' Weasel mother asked Anne via growls.
Despite not understanding her, Anne knew what she was saying. Anne sniffed the air, catching the scent of blood, and where there's blood, there's an injured animal.
"This way." Anne said as she began limping towards it. "Oh right, forgot the busted leg."
They found the body of a scorpileo.
"Here." Anne said, "Take this to your kids."
The weasel licked Anne's cheek, making her laugh. Back at Wartwood, Anne looked at a clock, counting down the seconds to the frogs thawing out. They broke out and noticed that everyone was there. They went to thank Anne... and noticed the many wounds and cuts she had. Anne let out a painful chuckle as the adrenaline has worn off.
"You should see the other guy." Anne said.
Anne's eyes closed and collapsed face first.
"ANNE!" Everyone screamed as Anne lost consciousness, hearing them rush to her before everything became silent.
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