The front Toad walked up and stands next to Sasha.
"Greetings, Ms. Anne. We've heard a lot about you." Grime said with a smirk, looking over Anne. "I must say, they don't do you justice. You have the presence of a warrior!"
"Thanks." Anne said, her instincts telling her this toad was INCREDIBLY dangerous.
"Now, if you don't mind, we have an announcement to make to the town." Grime said, "Toads, advance."
Anne watched as the multiple eyes moved to reveal an army of toads, marching into Wartwood like an invasion force! Which it was!
"What? No! Stop!" Anne said as she turned around, wanting to stop them.
She didn't care if she got more injuries, Anne needed to stop them now! Sasha stopped her.
"Relax Boonchuy, they aren't going to hurt anyone." Sasha said.
"You don't know the toads like I do!" Anne said to her.
"Actually, I do. I've been staying with them and I can vouch for them." Sasha said with a smile.
"Wait, you've been with the toads this WHOLE TIME?!" Anne asked in shock.
"Yep." Sasha said.
"And you LIKE them?! Did you not run into the three that broke my arm when they came to collect taxes?!" Anne shouted as she pointed to the arm they broke months ago, "What about that spy!?"
"Don't worry, they've been dealt with, and the spy was just to confirm that it was actually you without sending more toads to town and causing a panic." Sasha said, "Come with me, It'll be explained."
Anne didn't look too sure.
"Come on, Anne, me and you, the wolf and the bear, the two top predators around. Just like home."
'Sure, just like back home….' Anne thought, thinking back to how she was before coming here.
She may have been a wolf, but she was just a follower, not thinking about anything or trying hard in life as long as she was part of a strong pack with a leader. And lately she had a feeling that Sasha wasn't the best leader. And it wasn't just because Anne was now pack leader/protector of Wartwood. The more time she spent in Wartwood, becoming friends with the townspeople and growing as a person and wolf, the more she thought back to how she was back on Earth and…she now HATED how she was before now. Especially with following Sasha's lead and getting into trouble. Still, she would follow and see where this goes. Anne followed Sasha and the toads back to Wartwood, seeing the Full Moon Celebration/Frog of the Year Celebration ruined and the people afraid/angry at the toads for crashing.
'That's strike one.' Anne thought as she moved away from Sasha, walking to the frogs as they began to crowd her with questions.
"Good evening, people of Wartwood!" Sasha said.
"Who the bullocks are you?!" Wally shouted at her.
"Good question! My name is Sasha and I am a good friend of Anne's!" Sasha said with a fake smile, gesturing to Anne.
"Yeah." Anne said, very weary of Sasha.
"Anne, can we trust her?" Sprig whispered, already getting a bad feeling of Sasha.
"…Stay on guard, pass the word." Anne whispered back.
Sprig nodded. Sprig began passing the word in a low town as Sasha continued to speak.
"We've come with amazing news." Sasha said, "We're here to... invite you to a party!"
"A party?" Anne asked.
"A party?!" Everyone but the frog asked in shock.
"After we heard about Sasha's friend was here, we had to rush over." Grime said.
"What about that spy!" Mrs. Croaker said.
"That was just to make sure it was actually her." Grime said, "So, what do you say? Doesn't a party at Toad Tower sound fun?"
"Fun? With toads? You must be crazy!" Mrs. Croaker shouted while waving her cane in the air.
"Unless Anne says it's safe, we ain't going nowhere!" Felicia Sundew shouted.
Anne thought about it, she knew this was dangerous, and she didn't want to put everyone at risk, but she also knew this could help her find out a way home.
"It's alright, we'll go. I'm curious to see what a "toad" party is like." Anne said as she turned her head, mouthing in silence to everyone.
'Keep on guard.' She mouthed to them.
The towns folk nodded as a party bus pulled up.
"Great! Now, if you would all step into the bus, we'll get you to the tower in style." Sasha said with a smile.
They piled up into the bus. Anne was going to, but Sasha stopped her.
"No, you're with me." Sasha said.
"What? Why?" Anne asked her.
"To catch up, duh. Besides, we can all use a break from being so close to slimy or mucus covered amphibians every now and then." Sasha said as she led Anne away from the bus.
"Uh, sure." Anne said.
Her instincts were screaming at her again as she followed Sasha, being separated from her pack made her edgy.
'God, is this how mom feels when I leave without her knowing?' Anne thought.
They headed to Toad Tower.
"So, what's been happening, girl?" Sasha asked.
"Like I said before, nothing much. Just trying to get by in Wartwood. Ran into some problems but it all worked out, until I had to show my spirit animal on Tax Day." Anne said, reminding her.
"Oh yeah, again sorry about those toads." Sasha said.
"Yeah, that wasn't fun." Anne said, crossing her arms, "... I don't suppose you've seen Marcy, have you?"
Sasha let out a sigh as she shook her head.
"No, I haven't seen head nor hair of her since we got here. A part of me hoped she was in Wartwood with you, but I guess not." Sasha said, genuinely sad.
If there was anything she was honest about, it was caring about her friends. No matter how manipulative it was, she still cared.
"The longer I go without seeing her, the more I fear-"
Anne cut Sasha off.
"Don't even think like that, she's smart." Anne said, "If anyone could adapt to a place like this, it would be that bird brain."
Sasha chuckled.
"Yeah, that girl can be the smartest bird in the flock even with her head in the clouds." Sasha said.
"We just... need to keep hope that we'll find her." Anne said, "I mean, I haven't been out of the valley, so there's an entire world I haven't checked yet. She's bound to be out there somewhere."
"Yeah, flying around or cooped up with a book." Sasha said.
"I'd rather her be flying." Anne said, "She has coordination when she flies."
"Really? Remember the time she flew into a hot air balloon?" Sasha asked.
Anne chuckled a. It at this but stopped, trying not to find that memory funny.
"That was just one time." Anne said to her.
"And the other time with a giant card dealership balloon?" Sasha added.
"Well-"
"And the time she flew into a car windshield?" Sasha asked, "She was in the hospital for a week after that one."
"Well, yes but they glare got in her eyes." Anne defended Marcy. "And she could still fly afterwards."
Soon, they arrived at Toad Tower. Anne was still kept away from her pack as Sasha wanted to shower her where she's been staying in the tower.
"And this is where I've been staying." Sasha said.
When Sasha opened her room doors, Anne was left in awe and jealousy as her room as basically a first class hotel suite! Throw pillows, statues of her, and a huge table that could hold a feast of food!
'And yet I've been living in a basement for all this time.' Anne thought as she looked to Sasha, who smirked.
"And if you think it can't get any better, it does. I have a working, HOT shower." Sasha added.
"You have a shower!?"
"And that's not all." Sasha said, snapping her fingers.
A chef brought in several trays. Some with normal people food some….
"Meat." Anne said, drooling at the raw meat.
"Come on, girl, did in!" Sasha said.
Anne didn't waste time shifting and digging into the meat. It had been so long since she had a BIG meat meal and Anne didn't want it to go to waste or let Sasha eat it! Afterwards, she could talk a nice, long shower BEFORE getting back to being suspicious of Sasha and the toads. Sasha grabbed a taco and began eating it, smirking as she believed she got Anne to let her guard down.
'All according to plan.' Sasha thought before wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"It wasn't easy to find all the ingredients but with my help, I managed to get the toads to expand their menu to include tastier, human food from our world. The very same food your frog friends are enjoying right now." Sasha said.
Anne shifted back and wiped the blood off her mouth.
"Speaking off, I should go check on them."
She got up but Sasha pulled her back down.
"Relax, they're fine. They've got food, fun, and each other." Sasha said as she gestured Anne to the shower. "Why don't you take a shower? After what you said about being the town protector, you deserve it."
"Uh... okay."
Anne wouldn't deny the shower but she would still be on guard because it seemed Sasha was purposefully keeping her from her pack. Sasha smiled.
"Also, try the shampoo. It does wonders for lush and shine." Sasha said before pulling a leaf out of Anne's hair. "And gets nature out too."
Anne just nodded to her.
"Got any towels?" Anne asked as she walked to the shower.
"Fresh and folded with robes too." Sasha said with a smile. "Try not to use all of the hot water, I want to take one too."
"Eh, go catch some salmon." Anne said, walking into the bathroom.
"Very funny." Sasha said as she crossed her arms.
'Once she's fully relaxed, I'll tell her the plan.' She thought, 'I just need to manipulate this a little longer.'
Meanwhile in the "party room" of the tower, Wartwood was enjoying rare food and mild chatter with each other but they didn't let their guard down like Anne told them. After all that's happened before and Anne being suspicious of her "friend," they were going to keep on their toes. Sprig was the most suspicious. He kept an eye on all toads and found the one sweating them most at the doorway. He must know something and Sprig walked to find out what.
"Hey there, friend." He said as friendly as he could.
"I'm just going to go look for my friend-"
"No ones allowed to leave." He said.
"I can't?" Sprig asked him, tilting his head. "Why not?"
"The Lieutenant wants to spend time with her friend without interruption. Nothing more." The toad soldier said, slightly sweating.
"Oh, okay." Sprig said, before jumping on the table, "Hey everyone! We're not here as guests, we're prisoners!"
"What?! No you're not!" The guard said as everyone stopped acting jovial and got serious.
"Anne was right, this was a trap!" Wally shouted as he threw his plate on the ground.
The guard got even more nervous.
"Where is Anne?!" Ivy shouted, grabbed a fork as a weapon!
"Let us out of here!" Polly shouted as she pulled out a medieval flail!
In Sasha's room, Anne and Sasha were drinking hot chocolate.
"So how is it?" Sasha asked with a smile.
"It's alright but I've heard some pretty good hot chocolate back in Wartwood." Anne replied to her.
"Well, don't worry, you can have all the hot chocolate you can drink after this whole thing is over." Sasha said.
"What thing?"
"The rebellion."
"What rebellion?" Anne asked, putting her hot chocolate down.
"Apparently, there was a frog that stood up to a few toads, became something of a freedom fighter." Sasha said, pulling out a poster of Hop Pop.
"Hop Pop?!" Anne asked in shock!
'When was this?! Sprig never told me about that!' Anne thought, now regretting being in a month long coma.
"That's way you call him? His full name is Hopediah Plantar." Sasha said as she put he posted down.
"Anyway, him standing up to the Tax Toads lead to several rebellions starting up through the valley. So Grime is going to feed him to that." Sasha pointed out the window to a giant carnivorous plant, "So, I made a deal with the toads, after the rebellion is over, they'll help us find Marcy and find a way home."
Anne stood up and headed to the door.
"You okay? Is it flea season?" Sasha asked.
"Y-y-yeah, I... need to go get my flea collar." Anne said, quickly running out of the room.
Sasha took a sip of her hot chocolate.
"Oh she's totally freaking out."
'I need to find my pack!' Anne thought, her instincts being completely right but to trust Sasha or the toads!
She saw a spare armor plate, sword, and cloak. She smirked.
'Time to play a little dress up.'
In the banquet hall, the toads struggled to get back control. Anne, dressed as Sasha with a fake voice as well, opened the door.
"Stop, I'll deal with these frogs."
The toads saw her, thinking she was Sasha and smiling smugly at the frogs.
"Oh you're gonna get it now, frogs." One toad said.
"The commander won't be merciful to you!" Another one said with a smirk.
They left and Anne took the hood off.
"Hi!" She said.
"ANNE!" Everyone shouted in glee, seeing their town protector was here!
"You're okay!" Sprig said with a smile.
"So are you guys!" Anne said as the Plantars rush to hug her. "Alright everyone, we need a plan to get out of here or else we're in big trouble."
"Yeah, we're-"
"Prisoners, I know, but it's worse than that. The toads are going to kill Hop Pop." Anne said.
"Me?!" Hop Pop shouted in shock.
"You apparently stood up to the toads and inspired revolution all around the valley. Which I might add, WHY did you not tell me about it!?" Anne asked him.
"Oh, that? That was just before you caught up with them on Tax Day." Hop Pop said calmly, "... I'M GOING TO DIE!"
And instantly slapped his face, knocking him out of his panic.
"No! No one is going to die! We are going to get out of here alive. Now, does anybody have any ideas? There are no wrong ideas." Anne said to everyone.
"I've got an idea." Wally said with his hand up.
"I think we should blow this place sky high with these Boomshrooms." Wally said, opening his vest.
"1, no, we're all INSIDE the place! 2... do you carry those around with you at all times?"
"Mostly." Wally said.
"We're still not doing that plan." Anne said.
"Oh, I get you." Wally said, winking, but looking more like blinking.
Anne missed it and went back to trying to find a way out. She continued looking around before finding a large grate in the middle of the floor.
"That's it! We'll escape through this!" Anne said as she pointed towards the grate.
"Through the sewer? Ew!" Felicia said with disgust.
"It's our best chance to get out quick and easy." Anne said as she walked to the grate and pulls it up.
"Everyone in." Anne said.
With no complaints, except from Felicia Sundew, everyone got into the sewer tunnel and followed Anne to safely while in the very back, Wally was planting his Boomshrooms all along the tunnel.
'Anne won't mind me planting these since we won't be in the tower anymore.' He thought to himself, finding a perfect loophole.
"A little gift for our gracious host." he said.
At the front, Anne found a way out. She exited and was met with toads.
"Ah, crap."
"Yeah, crap." Sasha said with a chuckle before she walked to Anne and pulled her out of the sewer hole.
Everyone in Wartwood was pulled out and brought back to the tower, to the very top with Grime was waiting for them.
"Found these prisoners trying to escape, Grime." Sasha said.
"What are you doing!?" Anne whisper-shouted.
"Quiet, I'm trying to get us home." Sasha said.
"Very impressive, Sasha. Always playing Flipwart when everyone else is playing Bog Jump." Grime said, confusing Anne and Sasha. "They're games and Flipwart is more complicated, you outsmarted them Sasha. You were one step ahead of them."
"Oh! Thanks, I do impress." Sasha said with pride.
"I beg to differ." Anne said.
"Enough, bring me the prisoner!" Grime said.
The toads grabbed Hop Pop.
"No!" Anne said.
Anne broke free of Sasha's grip and shoulder checked one of the toads, taking his sword and knocking the other one out with the flat side of it. Anne stood in front of Hop Pop with the sword. The other frogs began revolting, which led to Sasha getting annoyed.
"Enough!" Sasha yelled, "Anne, what are you doing? Don't you want to go home? See your family?"
"Y-y-yeah, but-"
"Then put the sword down. Now." Sasha said, as Anne put the sword down, "Good girl, see now-"
Sasha was hit in the face with mud.
"What the hell!?"
Anne looked down and saw Sprig with his sling shot.
"For Anne's friend, you don't know her very well." Sprig said.
Sasha wiped the mud off her face and growled.
"I've had enough of you."
The frogs looked in horror as Sasha began to shift, turning into a large grizzly bear. Sasha roared and ran at Sprig. She swung her paw at Sprig and hit. She turned around and shifted back with a smile, until she heard Anne scream. She turned around and saw that Anne had jumped in front of Sprig, getting her left eye caught by Sasha's claws. Her head was bleeding violently from it and Sasha ran over.
"Oh my god, Anne are you okay!? I didn't mean to hit you!" Sasha said, "I'm sor-"
Sasha was cut off when Anne shifted into her wolf form and bit down on Sasha's right shoulder. HARD.
"AAAAAAH!" Sasha screamed as she felt to the ground with Anne still biting into her shoulder!
All Anne could see was red, and not because of the blood… okay partially because of the blood. She said she would never take another life, but what Sasha just tried to do was unforgivable! Anne let go and shifted back. Blood ran down the side of her head and dripped onto the floor. Sasha held her shoulder as blood ran down it. She couldn't feel it and was unable to move it. They both knew that this was only going to end in a fight.
"I don't care if I'm still hurt... I'm going to kill you." Anne said.
Sasha's eyes narrowed as she used her left arm to pull out her sword.
"Not if I kill you first."
Anne picked up her sword with both hands and charged at Sasha. Sasha put her arm up, but without her other arm to help, her grip on the sword was weak. Anne easily knocked it out of her hand and then began to try and stab Sasha. Sasha managed to dodge several of them, but got a small cut on her cheek. Sasha shifted into her spirit animal and swung her paw at her, going through the shirt with ease and causing Anne's stomach to start bleeding from the painful gashes. Anne hunched over in pain and gave Sasha the perfect chance to claw Anne again, this time hitting the right side of her face, this time not hitting her eye, but getting very close to it. Anne was knocked to the ground. She got up and shifted into her Spirit Animal, growling and barking at Sasha, which was met with growls and roars from Sasha. The two predators ran at each other. Anne jumped and managed to cut the other side of Sasha's face, but Sasha was barely phased by the cut, despite the blood coming down. Sasha stood on her hind legs and swatted Anne on the back, sending Anne to the ground with a few re-broken bone and several long claw marks on her back. The wolf girl pushed herself up and ran around Sasha, biting towards her limp right arm and making her roar in pain! The bear pulled and threw the wolf away, making her tumble across the tower roof before she stopped herself at the edge!
"Anne!" Everyone from Wartwood shouted as they watched in worry.
Sasha ran and bit down on Anne's neck, making the wolf start to use her hind legs and start clawing Sasha's stomach.
Both of them began bleeding profusely, worrying both frogs and toads as they stood back and watched!
"Hop Pop, we have to do something or they'll kill each other!" Sprig said to his grandfather!
"What do you expect us to do!" Hop Pop said, unsure of what they could do to separate them.
Anne managed to get free, and jumped onto Sasha's back, biting down on her back and using her paws to dig, making more cuts. Sasha roared and began to shake to get Anne off. Anne was knocked off and Sasha swiped her paw, hitting Anne's front leg and making several long cuts. The two bleeding beast breathed heavily before charging again, this time they shifted back to Human and began punching each other. Anne threw a punch at Sasha's jaw, knocking a tooth out, while Sasha kicked Anne in the stomach, making her hunch over. Sasha pulled out her dagger and began to stab Anne's back.
"AAAAAAAH!" Anne screamed before elbowing Sasha away with the knife still in her back!
Anne grabbed Sasha by her hair and headbutted her in the face. Then again. And again! And again! And again! And again!
After several headbutts, giving Sasha a broken nose and making blood run down her face along with several bruises, Anne dropped her and stepped on her neck.
"It's over, Sasha, I'm taking my pack and we're leaving." Anne said.
Right as she said that, the tower started shaking. Everyone stumbled in place as Anne stumbled back to the ground, the Plantars rushed to catch her.
"Wally! Did you plant those Boomshrooms?!" Anne asked the one eyed frog.
"You said not to plant them when we were in the tower, we're supposed to be away from the tower when they went off!" Wally said to her.
Anne made a frustrated face and made a motion with her arms like she wanted to choke Wally. She decided that she could MURDER him later!
"Everyone off the roof!" Anne said.
Anne was about to, when she felt a sharp pain in her back. Sasha was twisting the knife deeper into Anne's back.
"No, we aren't finished yet!" Sasha said.
Sasha pulled the knife out and was about to attack when the roof began to give way. Sasha fell a little before she managed to catch the ledge. She looked up and saw Anne glaring at her, before turning her back. Sasha lost her grip and began to fall, only barely getting saved by Grime a couple dozen feet from the ground. Anne and the Plantars began to get everyone off the roof. They ran down to the bottom floor, taking the party bus from earlier. They all began to get away from Toad Tower, that's when Anne blacked out from blood loss.
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