Calamity Return:
Wartwood: Anne Boochuy-Plantar
"Now remember, everyone," Mayor Toadie told the gathering. "Don't start playing until I give the signal."
A chorus of agreement went up, and the frog mayor of Wartwood smiled proudly. He looked off in the distance, looking for any signs of the Plantar arriving.
When he couldn't find any trace of the Wartwood's favorite family, Toadie turned his attention to the crowd and caught a few conversations.
"I can't wait to see Anne again," Wally said excitedly.
"Aya," Stumpy agreed, nodding. "I can't wait for her to try all the new dishes I cooked up."
Every conversation stopped when the town folk heard something, and the gathering looked in the distance. Toadie smiled when the familiar form of the Plantar's fwagon came into view. It wasn't long before the vehicle was in full view, and Toadie turned to the town folks.
"Okay, everyone," Toadie announced, "Get ready."
Toadie turned around as some picked up their instruments and others held up signs.
The air was charged with excitement as the Plantar's fwagon drew closer. Toadie raised his hand to signal for the band to get ready. The fwagon stopped at the Wardwood's entrance, and its mayor lowered his hand as the door opened.
The band began to play but stopped almost immediately as the Plantar and Longclaw families shuffled out.
Everyone stared at the three little beings in front of the two families. The gathering of frogs, newts, and toads familiar with the human trio stared at them with their jaws hanging and eyes wide.
The air grew thick with awkwardness as the town folks stared at the trio of little humans. For their part, Anne, Sasha, and Marcy just looked at the gathering with childish curiosity.
"Wow!" Wally suddenly exclaimed. "I didn't know humans grew down!"
That outburst knocked the town folk out of their stupor, and everyone looked at the one-eyed frog with mixed expressions.
"Wally…" Ivy Sundrew muttered, a slightly amused smile gracing her face.
The yellow frog with wild red hair turned serious as she walked up to her boyfriend. Ivy looked at Anne, and the Thai girl gave the frog a happy wave. Ivy smiled and returned the gesture before she turned her attention to Sprig.
"What happened, Sprig?" Ivy asked curiously.
The pink frog sighed faintly and looked at his current little sister. Anne looked at her brother figure with a cute smile, and Sprig returned the favor. The young adventurer looked at his girlfriend, his demeanor turning serious.
"It's a story," Sprig replied, then smiled, "But it's a cool one."
"That can wait," Olivia gently interjected. "These young ones had gone too long without proper outfits."
Sprig looked at the newt with a light frown. He looked at Anne and the others and the stains on their shirts. He looked back at Olivia and nodded.
"Hey," Sprig said, smiling at his girlfriend, "Wanna come with us? I can tell you everything."
Ivy smiled and got beside her boyfriend, linking their arms together. "It's a date!" she exclaimed, then kissed him on the cheek.
Anne saw this and squealed at the top of her lungs, looking at the two with sparkling eyes. Ivy looked down, smiling at the small human.
The frog couple, Polly and the Longclaws family, then headed into town, leaving Hop Pop, Grime, and Andrias to tell the town folk about what happened with the trio of humans.
(SC)
After spending some time getting the humans clothed, the group split up. Polly went to the farm to finish a project she didn't want to tell Anne about, and the Longcloaw family remained in the clothing store for…reasons.
That left Sprig and Ivy to look after Anne.
"I got a say," Sprig told Ivy, "Olivia knows how to pick'em."
The yellow frog nodded and looked at Anne. The current four-year-old was wearing lavender overalls and a lilac sweater. Strangely, Anne had decided to go barefoot. To complete the farmer look, Anne had a white and pink bandana around her neck with orange flame designs covering it.
"Well, now that Anne's all dressed," Ivy said, "What should we do?"
The answer came when the two frogs heard a growl. Sprig and Ivy looked at the current child as Anne blushed slightly.
"Anne," Sprig said, a look of concern crossing his face, "You can't be hungry again?"
Ivy was confused as she watched the human nod as the red on her face deepened. She saw her boyfriend's concern deepen, and her confusion only worsened.
"Hey, Sprig?" Ivy asked with concern, "You doing okay?"
Sprig couldn't hear his girlfriend, being lost in a not-to-old memory.
(SC)
Olivia, carrying Marcy, stepped into the living area of the fwagon, taking in how everyone was doing after that bit of excitement. No one seemed worse for wear, and the lady newt set the ex-ranger down.
It wasn't long before the three humans were gathered together, but before they could get to doing anything, their stomachs growled rather loudly.
Olivia was the first to look at the trio of humans. She narrowed her eyes, studying how the three were holding their stomachs.
"...When was the last time you three ate?" the newt of high society asked curiously.
Anne looked at Sasha, who then looked at Marcy. Finally, the three looked at the newt, adopting bashful expressions.
"...A while," Sasha replied bashfully.
Olivia stared at the trio for a second, then stood up. She went to the cupboard and rummaged through them. She found something and began to work.
It didn't take long for the newt of high society to fix a quick meal and return to the table. Olivia set the large dish down, and everyone looked at it.
The dish consisted of noodle worms heated up real quick with some sauce. It wasn't anything too special, but the trio of humans looked at it as if they hadn't had anything to eat in ages.
Before anything could blink, the three humans were on top of their meal, eating like wild animals.
The frogs, newts, and one toad could only watch in shock as their charges ate their meal, causing stray pieces to fly in all directions. A noodle went straight for Sprig, but he was too dazed by all he was watching to move, and it hit him right between the eyes with a wet splat.
As the group continued to watch the humans, they didn't see the faint glow in Anne's eyes.
The trio finished their meal, and Sasha let out a slight burp afterward. The noise got Anne's attention, and she looked at her girlfriend, giggling when she saw how Sasha looked.
The blonde looked at the Thai girl with a slight but cute scowl. The look didn't last as Sasha saw Anne's state, and she joined in the giggle fit. It didn't take long for Marcy to join, and soon, all three were laughing themselves silly.
The frogs, newts, and one toad watched all this with growing smiles. Sprig went to take a picture, but he remembered that he had left his phone at home. So, he settled on burning this image into his memory.
Olivia watched the current toddlers for a minute before she stood up and went to the counter. She got a washcloth and wetted it. Then, the newt returned to the trio and began to clear the three the best she could.
(SC)
"AMBUSH!" Ivy's scream knocked Sprig out of his thoughts more than the impact of the tackle.
The pink frog grunted as he hit the ground and looked up at Ivy. The yellow frog just gave her boyfriend a cheeky grin as she hopped off him and offered him a hand. Sprig took Ivy's hand, and she helped him to his feet.
"You good now?" Ivy asked, still concerned.
Sprig stared at Ivy for a second, then looked at Anne. He saw the human still holding her stomach and getting squirmy. The pink frog smiled at his sister, then looked at Ivy.
"...Yeah," he replied confidently, then looked at Anne again. "How about we head to Stumpy's?"
Anne gasped as her entire face lit up like an exploding star. With a cheer, the Thai girl hurried down the road.
Sprig's smile grew as he watched Anne for a second, then looked at Ivy. He offered his hand to his girlfriend, and Ivy took it. The two then hurried after their little human.
The Thai toddler gasped as she looked around. The streets were as lively as she remembered, and she saw toads and newts roaming the streets. The Thai girl squealed when she saw a toad help a newt who had fallen.
"Like what you're seeing, Anne?" Sprig asked happily.
Anne looked at her current big brother and nodded energetically. Sprig smiled and laughed at Anne's energy, but a low growl from the human's stomach reminded everyone they were heading for a late lunch.
So, Anne, Sprig, and Ivy went about their ways.
The two frogs and a lone human were about halfway to the diner when they encountered something that soured their good moods: a group of toad children were bullying some polliwogs, using their size to their advantage.
Sprig scowled at the sight. Despite all the progress that has been made, some still cling to the old caste system that kept Amphibia divided for so long. Thankfully, there were those who had embraced change, and an adult toad was already heading to the altercation to stop things before they got out of hand.
"Alright, you all," the adult toad told the younger ones, "Break it up."
The toad children looked at the older toad with menacing glares. The adult toad wasn't intimated; he crossed his arms over his chest and returned the glare.
Sprig looked at the older toad, and from the way he moved, the frog could tell the toad was once a soldier. He turned his eyes to the younger toads, and from how they moved, he could see that the kids also saw this.
"Don't give that attitude," the older toad retorted commandingly. "You all know it isn't right to pick on a couple of polliewogs!"
Sprig heard a gasp and looked at Anne. The Thai girl was looking at the scene with great admiration, eyes sparkling. He smiled, glad that his sister figure was further seeing how all her hard work had paid off.
"Beside.."
Sprig looked back at the group of toads and frowned when he noticed the older toad's demeanor had changed. The toda was now grinning aggressively, showing off his sharpened teeth.
"...If you went a real challenge, go for the older frogs," the older toad told the younger ones aggressively. "They put up a slightly better fight."
Sprig groaned as he watched the younger toads' expressions mirror their elder. The pink frog was gaining some respect for the older toad before he said that.
Sprig guessed that human saying about old habits dying hard was true after all.
Sprig wasn't the only one disappointed with this development; he looked down when he heard Anne growling. Before he could stop her, the toddler marched up to the group of toads.
Anne put her hands on her hips in a scolding fashion and glared at the four toads. She tried to look intimidating, but she looked cuter than anything.
The group of toads looked at Anne with confusion, with the older toad cocking an eyebrow.
"That's one weird-looking frog," one of the younger toad commented awkwardly.
Sprig made a face as he stared at the frog; sure, Anne looked different, but she had become quite famous. So, for someone not to know even Anne's common features was a little weird.
Anne, for her part, ignored the younger toad's comment and continued to glare at the group.
"...No bully," Anne told the group, her face twisting into a cute scowl.
The group of toads exchanged looks, more confused by this strange creature's comment. They look back at the human toddler, and the older toad smiles surprisingly gently.
"How about you go and play," the elder toad said with a rough gentleness. "Adults are talking."
Anne didn't like that answer, her face flushing as her cheeks puffed out. She balled her hands into fists and got closer to the toad.
"No!" Anne said defiantly. "Say sowwy!"
The group of toads was starting to get annoyed with Anne. The older toad scowled, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared menacingly at the Thai toddler.
From his spot, Sprig had watched everything unfold and was growing concerned for Anne. He could see the older toad reaching his limits and was afraid something terrible might happen to Anne if something wasn't done.
Sprig looked at Ivy and saw that she realized the same thing. The couple nodded and moved closer to Anne, planning on stepping in case things got nasty.
"Now listening here, missy," the older toad said commandingly. "Think you should keep that little nose of yours out of other's business before it gets bopped."
That comment made Anne madder, and her eyes started glowing. The toads didn't see this, and the older one moved to push the human out of the way.
"NO BULLYING!" Anne screamed, a blue fiery aura exploding around her.
The toads and everyone in the immediate area gasped at the sight. The toads gawked at the human, realizing who she truly was.
"Wait!" the older toad exclaimed. "You can't be-"
The toad didn't get to finish his sentence as Anne punched him. The toad grunted as he was sent flying down the street. Every bystander watched as the toad disappeared down the street before they turned their attention to Anne.
The human was panting as she glared at the younger toads, her aura dimming. The younger toads couldn't stop the sweat from running down their brow from the glare.
"Umm," one toad stammered, "W-We're going now!"
The toad children then ran off before anyone could say anything. For a moment, the area was in an awkward silence as everyone looked at Anne. The aura around the human was gone now, and she was holding her stomach as she caught her breath.
"...She may be different," a random frog said, a hint of nostalgia in their voice, "But that's Anne boochuy-Plantar, alright!"
That comment snapped everyone out of their stupor, and they went about their day. Sprig walked up to his sister, frowning as he studied Anne. The young adventurer saw Anne wobbling slightly, and her eyes were half-closed.
"You doing good, Anne?" Sprig asked.
"...Hungwy!" the Thai girl muttered.
Anne's stomach growled loudly, and this caused a smile to bloom on both frogs' faces. Sprig leaned down and picked up his sister. Anne wrapped her arms around Sprig's neck and leaned into his shoulder, quickly falling asleep.
Ivy watched all this with a growing smile and held out her hand. Sprig smiled at the gesture and gently took her hand into his.
Together, the frog couple resumed their walk to Wartwood's number one eatery.
(G Corner)
During the drafting stage of this chapter, I had something different in mind for Anne's "knocked-down" outfit. Originally, Anne was going to wear a simple lilac sundress with a pair of sandals. During the conflict with the toads, she would lose her right sandal. Also, the bandana was going to be on Anne's head.
But I'm planning on using that outfit down the line. Also, if you're wondering, that toad's going to be fine.
