Chapter Text
Everyone gathered around the table for breakfast. Marcy and Lily sat together while Andrias sat at the head of the table. Everyone is enjoying their breakfast in a calming atmosphere. Quiet and serene except for the sound of utensils clicking together.
However, Conrad was nowhere to be seen. This made Andrias a bit curious and a little concerned because he is usually punctual to be the first one waiting for everyone to eat breakfast together.
As a matter of fact, Conrad seemed to have disappeared since the Plantar arrived in the castle.
Andrias shook his head as he was confident that Conrad was fine. After all, he is powerful enough to take care of himself and is most likely busy with something.
“So, what is everyone’s agenda today?” Andrias asked.
“I’m going to be working on some painting today. Can I borrow the painting room, Andrias?”
“Of course, Lily. You can always use it. Don’t even have to ask.”
“Thank you, Andrias.”
“Marcy, I may need your help on some documents needing my signature. And I could use your helpful advice on a few things as well.”
“Always, Andrias.”
“As for you Plantars, you should explore the city with Anne. I hear it is her first time in the city.”
“I’ve already got an exciting day planned for us.” Hop Pop spoke up. That got everyone’s attention.
“Did Hop Pop say exciting?” Sprig asked suspiciously.
“Yeah, he did,” Sasha said. “You okay Hop Pop? You never say the word exciting and plan in the same sentence.”
“There can be a first time for everything Sasha.” Sasha rolled her eyes as Anne giggled. “Don’t worry. You’re old Hop Pop has this whole day planned out.”
Newtopia City is bustling with life as another day has arrived. The locals are spending their day shopping, driving to work, or serving the tourists who come for a visit with their families.
The Planters, Sasha, and Anne are in the city as Anne takes in the views, the people, and the smell. Anne is shaking with excitement that she can’t stop jumping from place to place.
“Oh! Look at this! Wow, this is so pretty! GASP! What is that smell? It smells delicious. Can we have some!” She looked like a kid who ate too much sugar until Sasha grabbed her by the waist and lifted her with ease.
“Whoa! Slow down, Anne.” Sasha smirked amusedly as Anne giggled. She puts her down. “Look, I get you are excited, but you need to stay close to us. You can easily get lost in the city if you’re not careful!” It warmed Anne’s heart to see how worried Sasha was.
“Sorry, sorry. It was just that the last time I saw this city, it wasn’t that BIG! I remember it was small, still adjusting! It’s amazing how you guys evolved to build this spectacular city!” Indeed, Anne is surprised to see how big and improved it has gotten and she wants to explore every inch of this place.
“And I promise you’re going to enjoy it! C’mon, Hop Pop said he had a plan on how to spend the day.” Sasha pointed with her thumb.
“Ooh! What’s his plan?” Anne grins as Sasha shrugs.
“I don’t know but he said it’ll be an unforgettable experience!”
It got Sasha excited when Hop Pop announced this morning. It got Sprig and Polly excited for the day as well, and Sasha will make sure that Anne will have the best time of her life.
However, they were disappointed by Hop Pop’s plan when he exclaimed, “CHEESE MUSEUM!!!” He opened a brochure to his grandkids about the ‘Wonder of Cheese Making.’ Which is what it said in the brochure. Anne tilted her head confused, not expecting this to be an unforgettable experience. But Sasha, Sprig, and Polly groaned like they were in pain.
“Hop Pop, you said this will be an unforgettable experience.” Said Sprig.
“It is! What better way to experience it than learning!” Sasha facepalmed.
“This is the last time we let Hop Pop decide on the event.” Polly muttered.
“Besides,” Hop Pop adds, “It is also safe when we stay inside the tour bus and explore Newtopia…And in compact vehicles and from a safe distance! Also, this is Anne’s first time coming to the city in a long time so we’re gonna spend the trip safely.” Hop Pop patted himself on the back for thinking this.
“Ooh! Look here,” He gives her brochure as the disguised Spirit reads it, “They even have a very aged cheese that has a distinguished nutty smell.” All Anne could see was that moldy cheese with green and black spots that would give a guy food poisoning and would want to be put out of his misery if they took one bite.
Sasha grabbed Hop Pop and whispered, “May I have a word with you.” Once they are out of Anne’s earshot with Sprig and Polly, Sasha starts to protest.
“Seriously, HP!? This is Anne’s first time coming to the city in a long time and you want to take her to a museum that smells like feet?”
Hop Pop frowned.
“Sasha, I understand you want to show Anne all the cool stuff Newtopia has to offer but things are not the same. Anne doesn't know anything about the city and this city is crawling with some shady character that will take on innocent girls, take them away, and do HORRIBLE THINGS TO MY SWEET ANGEL!!!” Hop Pop soon realizes that people are staring at the frog like he’s a mad frog and then walks away.
Sasha looks at Hop Pop as if she’s about to scold the old frog, “Don’t you think you’re a…little, I don’t know, bit overprotective over Anne?”
“Aren’t you a bit overprotective of her?” Hop Pop shot back.
“Says the frog who just handcuffed him and Sprig together.”
“What! Hop Pop, how could you?”
“This is for your protection, boy. I know you. The second you are out of my sight; you will land us all on a wacky adventure. Heck, if I had a tail, I would handcuff Polly and Anne to me so they could be safe.”
“You will never catch me, old man!” Polly scurried behind Sasha.
“Speaking of Anne, we should go catch up with her.” Sprig pointed out. He was dragged along with Hop Pop.
When they reached the area where they had left Anne, she was gone. They looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Spirit. She was gone. Sasha went into panic mode.
“Anne!” She called out. “Anne! Anne! Where are you?”
“Anne! My sweet angel is missing!” Hop Pop screamed, falling to his knees. “I can’t bear to think of all the terrible things that could befall her.”
“Stop panicking and get up. You are making a scene. You know Anne is more than capable of taking care of herself.” Even though Sasha said that she was worried too. “Let’s go search for her. She couldn’t have gotten very far.”
Anne had gotten very far. When she heard about the cheese museum, it was something that interested Hop Pop but not her. She wanted to see the improvements in the city. Not see cheese. No disrespect to her Hop Pop though. So, when the family was talking in private, and Anne saw the handcuff on Sprig, she decided to make her escape. It was more like she caught wind of something smelling delicious and walked towards it. Soon, she couldn’t see the family anymore.
“Uh oh! I know I shouldn’t leave them like this but, no disrespect, Hop Pop if I go to the cheese museum, I might get blinded by too much yellow and smell!” Then she got that whiff of delicious smell again. It smells crispy, maybe something is frying and it kinda smells like corn.
Then her nose seemed to be attacked by various aromas that made her gasp. She followed it and entered a narrow place where she saw vendors seem to stick together and offer different kinds of food. Anne’s eyes sparkled with delight and awe to see so many different foods cooked in different ways.
She sees some old newt flipping what looks like a pancake, but it has vegetables.
She sees a man selling drinks of fresh juice and using a coconut as a cup.
Anne heard of this; she believed it was called street food. Already feeling hungry as she begins to try the first dish of Newtopia, and she starts with something light. She looked to see what looked like a salad and it was serving it in a pineapple shell.
“Oh! What this?” She asked a middle-aged sapphire Axolotl woman and answered with a kind smile. “Oh! It’s called Khao Pad. You looked like a tourist, the first time coming here, I see?”
“Was I obvious?” Anne was feeling shy.
“Well, how about I recommend the best one.” She grabbed the pineapple shell and started to make a show for Anne as she tossed fried rice. Anne could smell the fragrance of jasmine, then she tossed vegetables and a scrumptious mix of soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and salt.
Once she’s done, she adds fried eggs and tasty-looking shrimp. She presented Anne with the dish.
“This is my #1 customer’s favorite dish; they can’t get enough of it! Try it!” Anne took the spoon and scooped up a good spoonful of rice, veggies, eggs, and shrimp. Then she took a bite, and her mouth was assaulted by an explosion of flavors.
“Soooo gooood!!!” She doesn’t understand why Hop Pop was so worried about shady characters, the nice lady cooked this delicious dish, and she has been so nice to Anne.
After a nice meal, Anne paid her and gave a tip but also asked her what the best place is to go first in Newtopia. The sapphire Axolotl, whose name is Dolores, told her if Anne went straight, she’d find a park called Coral Park, a place famous for corals that can live above the surface.
Anne thanked her. Anne decided to follow her advice and head to the coral. When she arrived, she saw so many amazing formations. Each one was shaped differently and in different colors. She marveled at them as she walked through each one. She remembered when these were barely starting to grow. She ran her hand along one of them. She could feel nature flowing through them. They were healthy. That was a good sign. The destruction and wilt hadn’t reached here yet. She was glad.
“Come on Goblin. Get down from there.” Anne looked over to see a small red axolotl girl jumping up and down under a coral. Anne noticed a gray kill-a-pillar kitten with a black head and a black tail. They had gray tuffs for ears. “Goblin.”
“What’s the matter kiddo?” Anne came over to them.
“Goblin won’t come down. She won’t climb down or jump down.”
“I’ll get her for you.” Anne bent down to the axolotl girl.
“Really?”
“Yes.” Anne patted her head. She walked over to the coral tree. She had to do this the old-fashioned way. She climbed up the coral tree to the bench where the small kill-a-pillar kitten was sitting. She cautiously reached her hand out to them. “Come here little one. Come here.”
The kill-a-pillar kitten easily picked up that Anne was the Spirit as all animals do. They instantly walked over to Anne’s hand. They rubbed their heads against her hand. She picked Goblin up and tucked them up close to her chest. Anne gracefully climbed down and handed the little Goblin to the little girl.
“Here you go.” Anne gently handed the purring kill-a-pillar to the small axolotl who looked at Anne in complete wonder and bafflement.
“Wow, Goblin usually lash out at strangers, but she didn’t attack you. She already likes you!” The little axolotl girl looked at Anne with a star-struck in her eyes as if she saw a real-life princess in one of her fairy tale books. “Are you a Princess?”
That caught Anne by surprise but they quickly chuckled and patted the cute girl’s head.
“No, little one.” She glances at Goblin and then back at the little axolotl and says, “I’m just good with animals, that’s it.” She winked at her.
It didn’t distinguish the little girl’s adoring eyes. Efty is her name, she introduced herself to Anne. They exchanged their talk and Anne told her about her baby precious Domino whom she had to leave back home. Efty even asks her what she would do when Goblin changes because she is worried that her parents won’t let her keep Goblin if she grows to be a monster, but she loves Goblin so much. She is surprised to hear from Anne that Goblin would never hurt her or her family because she formed a bond with the kill-a-pillar and even after Goblin transformed, she’ll remain loyal to Efty forever.
It was an instant relief to Efty as she thanked Anne by crashing her with a hug with Goblin being sandwiched between Efty and Anne making the kill-a-pillar meow loudly.
Anne bid Efty and Goblin as she cooed when Efty grabbed Goblin’s paw and did a wave to say bye to her.
“You know something, Goblin.” Efty looks around before she whispers to Goblin in her ear, “I still think she’s a Princess!”
If only she knew that she was more than that.
Meanwhile, Sasha, Hop Pop, Sprig, and Polly are still looking for Anne and they haven’t found her anywhere Hop Pop is losing to the panic.
“We can’t find her anywhere if we can’t find her anywhere then,” Hop Pop pale with dread, “MY SWEET GIRL HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED!” Hop Pop has come to life and before anyone near Hop Pop could react, the old orange frog starts to jump on one random guy who is minding his own business and looked startled when Hop Pop landed on his shoulder, fisted his knuckles on his shirt, and looking like a deranged lunatic, “YOU! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY GIRL? I SWEAR IF YOU LAY YOUR DIRTY FINGER ON HER I’LL-”
Sasha, Sprig, and Polly are quick to react as they pull Hop Pop away from the frightened man. Sasha was quick to apologize.
“Hehe! Sorry about this, dude.” The poor guy was too scared that he ran away, not wanting to deal with the old, crazy frog.
Sasha is embarrassed, tired, and overall worried but Hop Pop’s panic streak would never help find Anne like this.
“HP, I get you worried but you CAN’T just randomly accuse or attack the person you first see!”
Polly and Sprig hold onto Hop Pop, so he won’t do anything drastic until finally he calms down a bit and feels very embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me!”
“We need to calm down and search for Anne. Hop Pop, you are with me. Sprig and Polly will search for Anne elsewhere.” Sasha grabbed Hop Pop’s shirt and dragged him away with her.
Anne wandered through the shops of Newtopia. She saw so many fascinating things hanging from the walls and inside the shops. She would occasionally see things that reminded her of her friends, her adopted family and even her Sasha. Especially when she spotted a pink heron doll with blue eyes that had a grumpy face. It reminded her of her Sasha. As she was holding the doll in her hands to purchase it, she accidentally bumped into a small orange newt.
“Oh, I am so sorry.” Anne helped the newt stabilize herself. “I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“It’s quite alright dear. Accidents happen. You look like you are not from around here.” The little orange newt said.
“I’m not. I am visiting with my family. I come from a small little farming town.”
“Oh. What brings you all the way to Newtopia?”
“We are visiting a friend.”
“What are you doing out here by yourself?”
“I wanted to explore the city and my grandfather wasn’t really allowing me to.”
“Dear, all grandparents are like that. We worry for our children. I have seven children of my own. Come. Why don’t you walk with me? We do have some unsavory characters that hang around and I wouldn’t feel comfortable to allow such a beautiful woman such as yourself to wander around alone. Why don’t you join me, and I’ll give you an unfiltered tour of the city.”
“Sounds lovely…”
“Doris. And your name, my dear?”
“Anne Boonchuy.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Anne. Say, you would be a good match for my son, Georgie. He works in the museum. Or is that, Stevie?”
Anne giggled a little bit. She could tell she liked Doris. Anne allowed her to drag her around the shops and listened to the older newt talk.
“Tell me about this blondie you have been talking about.”
“Sasha is amazing. She is super strong. She is a lieutenant of one of the Toad Towers.”
“Oh. I remember hearing about a human who became a lieutenant. The first human to become lieutenant in a toad tower. Very impressive. Oh, wait. You are talking about the same human.”
“Yep. Sasha had mentioned it a few times.”
“I bet you are proud of her. I don’t see a ring on your hand. Color me surprised that she hasn’t married you yet.”
“Oh. Well, we aren’t really dating.” Doris blinked behind her round glasses as she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“But I assumed you were and the way you talked about her so fondly?” Doris noticed that Anne’s expression changed to a sad smile.
“Well, the thing is…. Sasha isn’t one for love. As much as I want to give my heart to her, she doesn’t want that. She’s been burned too many times. I get it but….I do want to show her that she can trust me to not hurt her like she had been hurt in the past.” Anne said as she hugged the pink heron tightly on her chest trying to gain some sort of comfort she could lean on. There was something about Doris that made Anne confide in her.
Doris is seeing conflict in her eyes mixed with hopeful desperation for the other to come clean and confess already to soothe her wild heart. Doris is smiling and she comes in front of Anne and then she starts patting her cheek to make her look up and comforting her like how she did with her grandkids.
“Don’t ever give up on her, Anne. I can clearly see how much this blondie means so much to you. Take this advice from an old newt, I was happily married to a sweet newt for 52 years but before my marriage with Jerry, we had to walk through turbulence. There were times that Jerry seemed to love to annoy me to the extent, and there were times we argued until our lungs burst from yelling. However, what made me marry him was he was quiet so that I would finish my puzzle, he was always respectful to my wants and needs, and on every anniversary, he would only bring one single of my favorite flowers because it reminded both of us of when a sweet newt came to me with a single flower in his hands and asked me on a date.”
“Oh wow, Doris, he sounds dreamy!” Anne gushed as Doris nodded in agreement with a soft, sad smile.
“He was.”
Anne gasped lightly, “Oh! I’m sorry,”
“It’s alright, dearie. I miss him every day and I’m grateful to him that he made me a happy woman with seven beautiful boys, 16 grandkids, and one more is on the way!” She giggled and looked very content.
Anne could tell that Doris’s love for Jerry was unbreakable even when death separated them. Anne can easily tell that Jerry sounds like a charming newt and lived a happy life. Then she hears Doris speak, “And I think that blondie of yours cares for you so much.”
“Yo-you think so?” Suddenly, Anne was feeling shy.
“I know so! Love is a mysterious but powerful thing. Don’t worry, I’m sure that Sasha of yours will finally cave into her feelings and confess her love to you.” Anne blushes when Doris adds, “When that happens be sure to invite me to your wedding, ok.”
“Okay. I promise I will.”
“Good. Now you better run along dear and go catch up with your blonde love.”
“Thank you, Doris.”
Anne felt lighter than ever after talking with Doris. She walked through the streets of Newtopia, heading back to the location where the family was. After wandering through the streets, she realized that she was lost. She couldn’t find where the castle was nor did she know where the cheese museum was. She circled the area three times.
She had a look of panic on her face. She tightened her grip on the stuffed animal. She didn't know where she was. She collapsed onto a bench.
“Hey dear, why the long face?” Anne looked up to see a purple axolotl smiling at her.
“I think I’m lost.”
“Oh no. So, you aren’t from around here?”
“No. And I decided to wander off without my family in a place I don’t know. Now I’m lost and don’t know where my family is. They don’t even know where I am.” Anne sniffled a bit, before wiping her eyes with her arm.
“Hey now. Don’t cry. What some gnatchos?”
“What’s a gnatchos?”
“My own special design. They are nacho chips with my own special sauce filled to the brim with ingredients.”
“Thank you.” Gertie handed Anne the basket filled with a pile of purple nacho chips, a cheese sauce, and jalapeños. When Anne tried to pay, Gertie waved her hand. “They are on the house. You look like you need it.”
“Thank you, Gertie.”
Gertie sat down next to her. “So, does your family look like you?”
“Well, they aren’t really my family. More like…they adopted me into their home when I had none. They have treated me kindly when I had been hated for so long.” Gertie blinked in surprise and shock causing her to remove her head from the palm of her hand when she was leaning. Gertie grew concerned for Anne.
“Hated? How can anyone hate such a sweet little woman like you?!” Anne flinched when she realized she let those words slip out of her mouth. Thinking quickly, she answered.
“I-I was a weird kid, an orphan too! I ‘uh’ the people in town don’t seem to take kindly to strangers and ‘uh’-” Whatever Anne was going to say Gertie already had a realized expression on her face.
“Ooh! You’re from Wartwood, right?” Anne nodded in confirmation. “Yeah, I know the place.” Gertie understands. “The place is peaceful and all, but their motto just leaves a bad image on the town and the people. I feel you, girl. But you have a family who cares about you and they’re probably worried about you too.” Gertie said and made her frown a little. “Why did you wander off if you don’t mind me asking?”
Now, Anne felt like a child about to get scolded by her parents. She is embarrassed.
“Well, my grandfather wanted to take me to the cheese museum because he said it’s safe, but it sounded boring, and this is my first time in the city!” Anne was careful with her words as she continued, “So when they were looking away, I walked away to see the sights, try new food, and buy some stuff. This is the first time I disobeyed my grandfather and now, I feel bad about it, and I have no idea where they are.”
She shyly looked at Gertie and the purple Axolotl didn’t look disappointed or mad but smiled in understanding. “You must be his little angel if you always listen to your grandpa, huh?”
“Yeah, he always calls me his sweet angel!” She put on a small, soft smile.
“I know parents and grandparents can sometimes be hard on their kids but that shows how much they care about them and how they would do anything to keep them safe. I mean take my dad for example, that guy was so protective of me that he actually put me in a bubble dome to protect me from the cruel world!” Gertie laughed as Anne giggled.
“Really?”
“Oh! Yeah, he did! It was embarrassing but no matter how many times he embarrassed me, he was there for me when I needed him, he even built me this food cart here for me!” She patted the cart like it was her snail.
“This is amazing, I’m happy for you that he supported you!” Anne remembered the food Gertie offered. She can really smell fried corn. Then Anne gasped when she recognized the smell. “Wait! I know that smell! I was actually wandering away from my family because I smelled something so good and it was your ‘um’ gnatchos, did I say it correctly?”
“Yeah, I’m really surprised you are actually able to smell it. That’s quite a nose you’ve got there, Anne”
“Well, new smells always excite me because I’m dreaming of opening my own restaurant!”
Gertie’s face lit up in excitement. “Really? That’s awesome!”
They start to exchange conversations mainly about food, as Gertie shares her advice with Anne about opening into the food business. When Anne tasted Gertie’s gnatchos it was the most amazing thing she ever tasted.
Crispy.
Spicy.
Melted mixed cheese.
Anne complimented her cooking and her creativity.
Sasha and the Planters regrouped back to the same spot.
“Well, did you two find anything?” Asked Sasha but Sprig and Polly looked worried and tired but shook their heads.
“We asked everyone here and they’ve said they haven’t seen Anne after we described her.” Sprig and Polly look ready to burst into tears.
Hop Pop looks ready to tear this city apart.
“I don’t understand! Where could she be?” Then Hop Pop runs ahead as three of his grandkids follow close behind him to make sure he doesn’t attack anybody.
Then, they saw he pulled a photo from his pocket and they took a picture of them together huddling close for a family photo after Anne became an honorary Plantar. Hop Pop began to show the picture for anyone to see. They were literally shoving it right in front of their faces.
“Excuse me, have you seen this girl?”
One newt shook their head. Another human said no.
“Please, have you seen her? She’s all alone and I can’t find her!”
“I’m sorry, but no!”
“Please, sir! Have you seen my Anne? This is her in the photo!”
“Sorry, sir.”
Hop Pop felt as if the world had swallowed his precious angel whole as he clenched the photo and gaze zeroed on Anne smiling at the camera. “ANNE, WHERE ARE YOU?”
Sasha, Sprig, and Polly felt the same as Hop Pop. They are deathly worried about Anne’s safety as they haven’t any clue of her whereabouts.
But as the prayer has been answered, a middle-aged purple newt walks up to Hop Pop.
“Excuse me, did you say you were looking for Anne?” Sasha noticed a sapphire axolotl.
As for Anne, after finishing Gertie’s gnatchos, thanked her for the meal and the direction that would help her get back to her family.
But while she was walking, Anne got a funny feeling as if she’d been followed and got a terrible vibe too. Then someone jumped in front of her startling Anne.
“Hey there, cutie.”
Anne stepped back and back away to the dark alleyway that the man forced her in and blocked Anne’s only escape, and two more emerged from behind the man. Two big black newts are grinning evilly.
Anne can easily take them down, but she promises her family not to reveal her identity as a Spirit to the world. Yet.
She is cornered.
“It’s okay, kitty. We don’t bite…Much!” He and his goons chuckled darkly, and it made Anne quiver as she hugged the pink heron tightly in her arms. But Anne’s face shows no fear. Nervous, yes, but not fear. “I’m not scared of you! Now, leave me alone, or else!” She won’t show her power but she can still fight back.
However, the three bullies are chortling loudly as if they heard the best joke ever. “Look at her, boss! She got fire.” One of the newt guffaws while his human boss seems to be excited.
“All the more reason to fu-” The guy didn’t see her fist as Anne punched and broke the guy’s nose causing him to back away and scream and curse as blood dripped from his nose.
The black newts are shocked that the girl is gutsy enough to break their boss’s nose and they didn’t expect her to be that strong or fast.
Anne didn’t use her powers, but she could defend herself very well. However, Anne flinched when the guy snapped his head up and he is looking pretty pissed now.
“You’ve done it, you little slu*t! When I’m through with you, you’ll be BEGGING FOR MY MERCY!” They all advanced on her causing Anne to step back until her back hit the wall, trapping her.
As the three were getting close to Anne, none of them sensed a large, intimidating, and livid figure towering over the bullies and only saw him and blinked when she recognized him.
“King Andrias!”
However, the three scoffed as the boss said, “Do you think we’re stupid to fall for such a lame trick?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” The man and the two newts spin around and indeed towering over them is none other than King Andrias in the flesh.
The jolly newt King is now expressing an impressive level of wrath but is more controlled; they can sense his strength and might emit from him that it became hard to breathe.
Andrias begins to speak with the power of a King of Amphibia, “Now, I’m going to give you two choices! The first choice would be to step away from the lady, and if you have any ounce of dignity you’ve left you would serve your time and get your life straight, or if you three decide to run away because you’re too much of a wuss to face the reality of life, the punishment would be sending you three to the dungeon in Toad Tower, clean the gutter, and serve food to the hungry toads and humans for about 30 years for disturbing Newtopia’s peace, sexually harassing innocent ladies, selling illegal drugs, and the list just keeps piling up because, you know, I’ve been getting reports from you three and you always escape. So, what is going to be?”
The three glanced at each other and they made a run for it which came to no surprise from Andrias.
“Toad Tower, it is then!” He shrugged as he lifted his tail and pounded on the ground causing it to shake as the bullies trembled and fell on their faces.
Then newt guards appeared by the alleyway entrance and began to handcuff those hooligans and drag them away to send them to Toad Tower.
Once those three are taken away, King Andrias’s demeanor changes into worry like a worried father as he kneels on one knee and looks over Anne for any injuries.
“Anne! Are you all, right? Are you hurt? What are you doing here all alone?”
“I slipped away from Sasha and the Plantars when they weren’t looking. I wanted to explore the city for what it was. Then I slowly realized I had gotten lost. Now I can’t find them.”
“And I’m sure that the recent situation with those ruffians was traumatizing. Come with me. I know a great place that serves some of the best ice cream around.”
“I will take you up on that offer Andrias.”
Andrias held his tail out for Anne to take, similar to how Sahsa held her arm out for Anne to take. Anne allowed the king to lead her away to an ice cream shop. It was rather big. Andrias opened the door for Anne to enter before ducking down and entering himself. Anne could see a large glass counter with rows upon rows of ice cream. Anne peeked in the container and saw so many flavors of ice cream. Some normal like vanilla and chocobeetle and then some strange flavors.
“Your majesty, greetings.”
“Hello, Robert. One pint of my usual. And what would you like Anne?”
Anne couldn’t decide. Then a flavor caught her attention. It was a mint chocobeetle chip. She pointed at that one.
“I’ll take that one.”
“One mint chocobeetle chip coming right up.”
Once they got their ice cream, Andrias led Anne to a table, one that seemed specifically built to accommodate the large king. Andrias instantly began to dig in. Anne scooped a chunk out of the ice cream and moaned in delight.
“Oh. This is delicious.” Anne said.
“I told you so. Now, why did you slip away from the Plantars?”
“Because Hop Pop wanted to take us to a cheese museum. Sure, it sounded interesting but….. I wanted to see the city for what it was.”
Andrias hummed. “Our city is rather large and we do have some unsavory characters running around. You ran into some of them. I would hate for anything terrible to happen to you.”
“I know. I was planning on meeting back up with them when I got turned around.”
“You remember where you left them?”
“It was near the castle.”
“They are probably looking all over for you. If you want, you can stay at the castle and I will send word to Lieutenant Waybright on your location.”
“I don’t want to trouble you Andrias. Just point me in the right direction and I will go straight to the castle.”
“Nonsense. I don’t want you to be left alone. Why don’t you keep your old king company? I am very interested in the life of Anne Boonchuy.”
“Okay. But I must admit that there isn’t much to me.”
“I doubt that. So, where are you from?”
“I was once from….” Anne attempted to think about villages she could use to say she was from. She didn’t want to tell Andrias she had lived in the forest with the Mossman. That had made too many people suspicious of her already. Then an old village name clicked in her head. She was sure it was still around.
“I was from Dawnblood Island. I eventually had to leave because of the rot infecting the waters and the land. I made my way through the forests and woods until I came across Wartwood and was then taken in by Hop Pop.”
“Did you say Dawnblood Island?”
“Umm…yes.”
“You have traveled a long way.”
“Yeah, I have.”
“Any family?”
“No. They passed. It has been just me.”
“So you’ve been alone for most of your life?”
“I have gotten over the fact that I’m alone. But I have Hop Pop now. He is like a grandfather to me. And Sprig and Polly. And Sasha and Marcy and Lily..”
“He seems to have the uncanny ability to adopt kids. He essentially took in Sasha when she wasn't around the tower. He took in Darcy when she needed a family. They are close.”
“I appreciate him taking this strange girl into his home.”
“He must sense good in you.”
“So, what about you, your majesty? Any family of yours?” Anne knew the answer.
“My father passed away some years ago due to a mysterious illness. But if I am being honest, I do not miss him one bit.”
“Why?” That was news to her but she didn’t know the Leviathan patriarch after King Ludo. And that was around the time Anne had disappeared.
“The man was a tyrant. Anything I tried to do wasn’t good enough for him. He would criticize my every move. I think he liked to nitpick me. I once asked him if I could have a pet. You know his answer?” Anne shook her head. “He told me no. I always wanted a pet. Most of Amphibia’s creatures that can be pets are too tiny for someone of my structure but I wanted one. It’s why I do not care when it comes to Marcy and her bird. But I could never ask her to get rid of Joe Sparrow.”
“How come?”
“Because I am not cruel like my father and because that is a bird that both she and her mother helped heal when he had been injured. Joe Sparrow is one of the few connections that Marcy has to her mother. Master Darcy’s bird had disappeared around the time when she died.”
“What does Darcy’s bird look like?” She sees Andrias smiling softly and in sadness.
“It was a large raven. He was a strange color. A large purple raven. He might look intimidating at first glance, but he was such a mother hen when it came to Darcy, Marcy, or Joe. He hated it when I called him mother hen though.” He chuckles as Anne giggles.
“You miss her? Darcy, I mean.”
“…Oh, Anne! I miss her every day. She was my best friend.” Anne comforts the old King by simply putting her tiny hand on the newt’s giant index finger. She understood how much it hurts, and yet here he is. He raised Marcy with Olivia and Yunan’s help to see Marcy grow to be a strong and independent woman—someone who could carry her mother’s legacy and be Anne’s champion.
“I’m certain that Darcy is grateful for you taking good care of Marcy. I think she knew you were the right person for the job..”
“….Thank you, Anne.” He smiles in gratefulness.
They start to have a happy conversation as they share stories of funny events that happened to them when all of a sudden, a loud booming voice causes the large newt King to shiver in fright.
“KING ANDRIAS LEVITHAN!!!” Uh oh, full name, that can’t be good.
Anne turned to see a very huffed Lady Olivia with her face scowled darkly and growling. So…Unladylike from Olivia which makes Anne kinda worried, but the young lady newt seems to direct her attention…Behind her.
She looks back and bites her lower lips to prevent her from laughing when she sees Andrias hiding behind Anne in a sad attempt to hide if it weren’t for his hulking body hiding behind a petite human.
Lady Olivia’s patience is running thin.
“I can see you, you know!” Then the scolding begins. “How many times have I told you not to sneak out of the castle when work must be done? But here you are, in the ice cream parlor with Anne! Hello, sweetie. And you even drag Anne to your misadventures! You are King, you are a PRIME example and a very important icon in Amphibia, do you want everyone to think that you are neglecting your duties and responsibilities as King?”
Now, Anne understands why Andrias is here, but she feels awful that he’s getting an earful and begins to defend him.
“Don’t be mad at him, Mrs. Olivia. I got into trouble with some bullies and King Andrias saw me and saved me. He didn’t drag me into this at all. He was keeping me company and keeping me safe.”
Olivia blinked in surprise. “Bullies?” She looks up to meet Andrias as he stands up.
“I spotted Anne all by her lonesome when three guys, one man, and two newts were following her. I stopped them before they could harm her. They were the ones with long piles of urgent complaints.” He hinted at who he was talking about and Olivia understood.
“I’m so very glad you are safe, Anne. I suppose I’ll let it slide…This time!” She pointed a finger at Andrias. But then grew worried when looking at Anne. “But Anne, why were you alone? Aren’t you with your family?”
Anne explained to her everything that happened that day and then Olivia gave her a light scolding.
“You should never have left in the first place. Now, Hopidiah and the rest of your family are probably worried sick about you! But I’ll let you off with a warning and let’s hope you won’t do it again, hm?”
“Yes, Mrs. Olivia.” The newt smiled and silently gushed about how polite the girl was.
“And I told you before to call me Olivia. Now, I know a shortcut to get to the castle, but you must remain there until your family can see you, understand? Come, let’s go.”
Meanwhile, Hop Pop, Sasha, Sprig, and Polly looked at the sapphire Axolotl and it was Dolores.
“I’m sorry but I can’t help but overhear that you knew Anne?”
“Y-yes, she is one of my grandchildren! Have you seen her?” They looked at her with hopefulness and replied with a grin.
“Of course, she was in the street food alley and tried my Khao Pad. She was a lovely thing. Are you all her family?” Then Sasha answered quickly, grinning and filled with relief.
“Yes! Do you know where she went?”
“Oh! She asked me what the best Newtopia tourist attraction was, and I told her about Coral Park. She could still be there! I’ll give you directions.” They thanked her so much and they were quick to leave for Coral Park.
However, if they stayed a minute longer, they could’ve seen Anne walking back to where she had last left her family. But they did not.
They were quick to make their way to Coral Park. They began to call out Anne’s name over and over again. A little axolotl came up to them.
“I heard you were looking for Anne. I know her.”
“You do?” Sasha asked. “Did she have long curly, beautiful brown hair?” The axolotl nodded. “With caramel skin and these bright brown eyes that carry so much kindness and happiness in them.” The axolotl raised an eyebrow before nodding. “Where is she?”
“She helped save my kill-a-pillar kitten, Goblin. She was kind and sweet. I think she is a princess.” Sasha couldn’t help the smile on her face. That sounded like her Anne.
“Yep. That’s my Anne, all right.” Sasha smiled at the girl. “Know where she went off to?”
“Yep. She went that way.” The girl pointed in the direction of the many shops of Newtopia.
Sasha grabbed the frog family in her arms and made her way in the direction. Sasha looked behind her shoulder.
“Thank you, kid.”
“No problem. And kiss the princess.” Sasha blushed a little bit. Sprig snickered.
“Shut up, squeaky toy. Anne needs us.”
They walked all through the shops, looking around for signs of Anne. Sasha slipped into a shop that seemed to sell stuffed animals. One caught her eye. It was of a blue-colored kill-a-pillar. An odd color for sure but Sasha was instantly reminded of Anne and Domino. Sasha didn’t know why she was pulled towards the toy. She grabbed it and quickly purchased it. She quickly joined up with the Planters family.
“Sasha, what did you buy?” Hop Pop chided her for it. “We don’t have the time nor the coppers to be spending money on something fruitless.”
“Hop Pop, you do realize that I have a job and make my own money.”
“Right. Forgot. Now come on. We dilly-dallied around long enough. Anne needs us!”
Sasha rolled her eyes. But he was right. Anne was lost and they just needed to find her. They continued to shout Anne’s name.
“Hey, I hear you calling out for an Anne?” A large axolotl heard Anne’s name and asked them.
“Yes. Have you seen my grandbaby?” The axolotl laughed.
“Ah. You are the grandfather she talked about. Wasn’t expecting a frog to be her grandfather.”
“You met my sweet angel? Tell me where she is?” Hop Pop jumped onto the stall. Sasha just grabbed his collar and pulled him off.
Anne wasn’t kidding when she mentioned her grandfather was overprotective of her, Gertie thought.
“Hoho! She wasn’t kidding about you being overprotective.” That got Hop Pop to blush, “And don’t you worry, Anne is safe. I showed her directions on how to get back to her family. But if you’re here then Anne could be back to where she was supposed to find you, guys!”
They gasped as Hop Pop bellowed. “SAY WHAT!? Anne went back!”
Sasha quickly said, “C’mon, we need to head back! Anne could be looking for US!”
Polly started to groan, “UGH! Let’s go already before she disappears again!”
Now, they run back to where they first lost her, and they hope they find her in one piece.
Meanwhile, Anne has been looking around for her family and she even calls out to them if she can spot them but so far, they are nowhere to be found. She bit her lower lip in guilt. No doubt her family is probably out there looking for her.
She is feeling guilty for making her family worried, including Hop Pop and Sasha. She knew she was wrong, but she did it anyway.
She better sit here and wait this time until her family comes back.
She held onto the pink heron and walked up to the fountain in the center and waited there so that her family could easily spot her. She hopes that Hop Pop and Sasha are not too mad. Perhaps, she should come up with an apology for leaving them and making them worried. She debated between going to the castle and staying inside.
She rehearsed a good apology when something caught her ears that caused her eyes to glow blue instantly.
No one around can hear it, but Anne can. She looks around and closes her eyes to focus on the sound.
A distressed, pitiful whimper that caused Anne’s heart to break. Someone is in trouble and it’s coming from…
Anne opened her eyes and she stared intensely at the ground.
As for Sasha and the Planters, they kept on running until they could see the castle in the background, where they knew Anne could be waiting there.
However, when they got there, they were looking for Anne. She was nowhere to be found. They even went inside to see if Anne had decided to stay there. They saw Lily and Marcy who both shook their heads that they hadn’t seen Anne at all.
They went outside again to look for her if they had missed her, but fate seemed to laugh at their suffering for never finding Anne.
Polly is losing it.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! We went on a wild goose chase, and we STILL couldn’t find Anne!? Now, WE’RE BACK FROM WHERE WE LOST HER IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!”
Sprig is close to crying. “I don’t understand, where could she be?”
Hop Pop and Sasha are so close to tearing the city to shreds if they could find Anne this way! Sasha clenched the toy in her arm and started to call to her.
“ANNE! ANNE, ARE YOU HERE? ANSWER ME!” Sasha is sweating, paling, and panicking.
The thought of Anne lost and gone terrified her more than anything she felt. She was supposed to keep an eye on her, she was supposed to keep her safe! How could she lose sight of her?!
“Did you see that crazy chick? I saw her jump into an open sewer!” It’s a newt talking to another newt.
“What? Why did she do that?”
“Beats me.” She shrugged. Sasha, who overheard their conversation, suddenly got a bad feeling about this. She went up to them.
“Excuse me, you said a girl jumped into a sewer! What does she look like?” Sasha asked them.
The two newts looked at Sasha and one of them replied, “Um, it was a human. I think she had curly hair. You know her or something?”
Sasha could feel her soul seeping out of her body.
“Where did she go?” Sasha pushed through the crowd.
“She went down the sewer.”
“The sewer!? Why did my sweet angel go down there?” Hop Pop was now panicking.
“Hop Pop, calm down. Here.” Sasha tossed the toy into Hop Pop’s arms. “Hold this for me.”
“I’m going down there with you.”
“No, you are not. You stay up here with Sprig and Polly.”
Sasha took her cape off and wrapped it around Hop Pop. She hooked her fingers around the ladder leading down to the sewers. The sewers were an engineering marvel when they were first introduced. It was all thanks to Darcy. Sasha remembered that Darcy created the sewer system when she was only thirteen years old. An incredible feat for one so young and yet, she knew Marcy had once struggled to stay out of her mother’s shadow. But that was done to Marcy blaming her mother for leaving her alone. Now that they knew she was murdered, Marcy loved anything that was related to her mother. She wanted to honor her mom’s memories.
Sasha’s feet hit the stone and she looked up and down the long corridor. There was no sign of Anne. She began calling out to Anne.
“Anne! Anne! Where are you?”
Sasha heard a small noise. She turned her head towards the sound and walked in that direction. While Sasha was in the sewers, Hop Pop grew impatient the minute Sasha left. He tossed the toy into someone’s arms and rolled his sleeves up.
“Hop Pop, what are you doing? Sasha told us to stay here.” Sprig asked.
“I’m going down there to find my sweet angel. Who knows what dangers lay down there.” Hop Pop performed a few squats before jumping in. “I'M A’COMING ANNE. OLD HOP POP IS HERE TO SAVE YOU!”
Polly and Sprig just slapped their foreheads. “Hop Pop.”
“Guess we got to save him.” Polly sighed.
Polly and Sprig both jumped into the manhole and landed in the sewer water.
“Ew. This water has a gross feeling.” Sprig whined.
“I mean, this is everyone’s po…”
“Nope. Don’t even say that word. Don’t even think of it.”
Polly punched his arm.
“Come on crybaby. Let’s find Sasha, Anne, and Hop Pop. Before Hop Pop tears the sewers up brick by brick.”
The Planter siblings walked down the sewer way, following the sounds of Hop Pop’s screams.
While Sasha searched for Anne, Anne was currently listening to the sound she had heard. It was getting louder and louder, and when she turned to the left, she froze in her tracks instantly and gasped with her eyes growing wide.
Sasha continued the path where she first heard a sound, she hoped it was Anne but the dimming light and the horrid smell were making her stomach turn but she is a trained soldier, she has been through worse things than this, and she is determined to find Anne and get her out of this place.
It’s a good thing she kept her pink sword for precaution. Suddenly, Sasha heard a strange heaving noise, and it was coming from behind her.
A creature?
Sasha has no idea what lives down here but the sound of footsteps is getting closer. Sasha was quick to hide, pressing her back against the wall as she pulled her pink sword from her hilt and gripped it tightly, waiting till it got close.
Closer.
Louder.
It’s running and heaving rather fast. Whatever the creature is, Sasha will handle it. She was a hunter before.
With her senses sharp as her sword and her resolve as steel, and then the creature came into her view and Sasha made herself known by jumping in front of it and letting out a fierce battle cry. The so-called creature happened to be Hop Pop screaming in fright and panic.
“DON’T SLICE ME! IT’S ME!!!”
The sword froze, so close right between Hop Pop’s eyes, causing the old frog to fall on his butt.
“WHAT THE f*ck HOP POP! I specifically told you to stay up there with Sprig and Polly and…” Then she pinched her nose and groaned, “That’s just great, if you’re here then there’s no doubt Polly and Sprig are down here too!”
Hop Pop regained his composure.
“First, don’t scold your grandfather. Two, I’m a parent and it’s MY job to protect my grandbabies from any possible danger, and three… Um, I probably should’ve told Sprig and Polly not to follow me here.”
Facepalm from Sasha echoes through sewer tunnels.
“This is WHY I told you not to follow me. Now, I must keep you safe, find Sprig and Polly, and look for Anne in a sewer!”
“I’m perfectly capable of protecting myself, thank you.”
“You know if you weren’t so overprotective-”
“ME!?”
“YES! All Anne wanted is to see the great sight of the city since we got here, and you wanted to drag her to a smelly cheese museum!”
“I ONLY WANTED THIS TRIP TO BE SAFE! IS THAT SO WRONG?”
“YOU DIDN’T EVEN BOTHER TO ASK WHAT ANNE WOULD WANT?!”
“WHAT I WANTED IS TO MAKE SURE TO KEEP ANNE SAFE AND WELL-PROTECTED!”
“WHY ARE YOU SO HELLBENT ON KEEPING HER SAFE? ANNE WAS FINE WHEN SHE WAS ON HER OWN!”
“THAT’S EXACTLY WHY!!!”
“Huh?” Sasha’s anger faded when he saw Hop Pop’s lower lip tremble and he spoke softly, “Anne was on her own for who knows how long. She never had anyone to look after her except herself. Poor girl has been alone, and I just wanted to give her something that she needed…A parent. I want to experience all the joy the city has to offer but when you’re a parent, Sasha, you set your priority on keeping kids safe at all times, even if things don’t always work out that way. That doesn’t stop me from trying to protect Anne and all of you…One day, Sasha when you become a parent, you’ll understand what I went through.”
“Hop Pop, you know that I don’t want kids. You know that I’m afraid of somehow messing them up like how I was.”
But she knew Hop Pop was right on one thing. Anne needed a family.
“You are right, Hop Pop. Anne needs a family. You want to protect her as you protected me.” Hop Pop raised his eyebrow. “But I think you still should have asked Anne what she wanted to do. She was so excited to see the city as it is now.”
“You are right too Sasha. Let’s find Anne and reunite with her. We can make sure to let her choose the activity tomorrow.”
“Fair deal. Now come on. I heard something this way.” Sasha pointed in the direction heard the noises from. They decided to travel down the sewers to where they heard the noises.
As Sasha and Hop Pop walked away, Sprig and Polly were around the corner.
“I thought I heard Hop Pop’s scream from way over here.” Sprig said.
“Yeah. Same here.”
“We should do what Sasha does and listen to the sounds of the sewer.” Sprig cupped his hand to his head.
“Sprig, we aren’t trained in that art, unlike Sasha.”
“Well, we can start now.”
They closed their eyes to hear. They could hear the rushing of water. The dripping of water droplets from the pipes. Then they heard singing. It sounded like Anne singing. They both opened their eyes.
“I hear Anne!” Sprig and Polly shouted at the same time.
They started to race towards where they had heard the singing. Polly and Sprig run faster when Anne's singing voice is getting closer. They can finally reunite with Anne at long last.
However, their hopes were shattered when both of them froze when they heard a loud, thunderous rumble that made them quack with nerves.
“What was that?” Polly asked nervously.
“I don't know, it sounds pretty close” Sprig whispers low in hopes it won't attract the monster who made the growl.
“Wait! If the monster is close then Anne could be in danger!” Polly hissed in worry as Sprig gasped.
“Oh my frog, you're right! We gotta find Anne before-” However, Sprig was too late when a large shadow covered both Sprig and Polly, causing the poor children to gulp and pale in dread.
They don't want to look but fear mixed with curiosity forces them to lean back their necks and their pupils shrink in terror.
A giant gator towers over Sprig and Polly, beady eyes full of hunger as it drools, sharp claws that could tear your flesh from your bones, and teeth that are razor and deadly.
Sprig and Polly stood for what seemed like a minute before their brains yelled at them to run for their lives, and they did with a terrifying scream and the large gator made chase with “Ho Ho.”
Meanwhile, Hop Pop and Sasha are still looking around to spot Anne, Sprig, or Polly. Sasha trained her ears for the sound she heard minutes ago but to her dismay, it was silent. “I know it's close by. Anne was singing but not anymore.” It started to make Sasha worried, including Hop Pop.
“Let's try calling out to her. Maybe she can hear us and lead her to us.” Sasha wanted to go with Hop Pop's idea but something in her gut told her not to do it. It's her hunting instinct that she always relies on when she used to hunt down big creatures in the woods. A dangerous flesh-eating predator is lurking in the sewers.
“No, it's too risky! Whatever lives down here, it's big…Pretty big! If we call Anne or Sprig or Polly, we'll put them in harm's way. We don’t even know if the creature will listen to Anne. Especially if the rot got to it. We need to stay calm and most importantly, be very, very quiet!”
It's almost as if the entire universe seems to take immense pleasure in making things worse and complicated for them.
Sasha and Hop Pop flinched when they heard a loud, panicked scream. They recognize that scream.
“Wait! That's Sprig and Polly!”
As soon as Hop Pop said their names, Sprig and Polly appeared from the corner and they kept on running as they ran past Hop Pop and Sasha.
“RUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!!!” Both kids screamed at them to run now.
“Run? Run from what?” Hop Pop should've never asked because his answer came much sooner.
The massive gator appeared behind Sasha and Hop Pop as it drooled to see more food. Sasha was first to notice, and she paled when she saw it. She tapped Hop Pop’s shoulder as she got his attention and she pointed at the gator.
As soon as the old frog looked up, he shriveled in pure horror. Sasha was quick to jump when the gator tried to swallow her, then she gripped Hop Pop by the shirt and ran.
Sasha ran as fast as she could as the giant alligator chased after them. All Sasha heard was Ho Ho. She was definitely going to be hearing that in her nightmares if she lived through this ordeal. The group continued screaming as they were chased.
“Let’s go down this tunnel. It could be an escape route.” Sprig pointed towards a tunnel.
The group ran into the tunnel only to see it was a dead end.
“Dang it boy! You led us to our doom.” Hop Pop whined.
Sasha pushed the frog family behind and pulled her sword out. She held it in front of her. She would be damned if she didn’t try and protect her family. The alligator walked closer to them, still repeating his Ho Ho. Sasha swung her sword at the gator.
“Get your disgusting, drooling jaws away from my family.”
Sasha swung once more, and the alligator caught her heron blade in its jaws. She backed up into the wall along the Planter family. She held her arms wide out to try and protect them.
The alligator’s jaws drew closer, and Sasha could smell its breath.
“Well, this is it. Hop Pop, I always thought you were a grouchy old man but damn it, I love you.”
“I love you too Sasha.”
“I love you too, Sprig. You may be annoying, but you are my little annoying brother. I love you too Polly. You are insane and I love it.”
“I love you too Sasha. You are my big sister.” Sprig was gripping her leg.
“I’m too young and pretty to die!” Polly screamed. She was hugging Sasha’s legs.
“I just wished I told Anne how I felt about her!”
“Winnie, stop.” The alligator stilled and looked behind themselves. Sasha’s eyes widened when she spotted Anne.
“Sasha? Hop Pop? Sprig? Polly?”
“Anne!”
Sasha trudged through the muck to hug Anne. She squeezed the Spirit tight. She then gripped her arms.
“Where have you been? Do you know how worried we have been?”
“My sweet baby angel!” Hop Pop hugged her waist. “You are okay. Can you forgive this old frog?”
“Hop Pop, what are you talking about?”
“I just wanted this trip to be safe and fun. I wanted you to not feel alone.”
“Oh! Hop Pop, I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn’t have walked away from you all. I just wanted to explore the city.”
“I should have asked what you wanted to do Anne instead of doing what I thought would have been best for you.” Hop Pop grabbed Anne’s hand and patted it. Anne bent down and pulled him into a hug.
“I probably should have voiced my opinions sooner.”
“So, Anne…What is with this giant alligator?” Sprig asked.
They all look up at the giant alligator, as he still has Sasha’s pink heron in his mouth.
Sasha exclaimed, “HEY! Give me back my sword, you overgrown lizard!” Sasha tried to grab her sword, but Winnie seemed to move away as he growled at Sasha.
Then, Anne walks up to Winnie with a scolding look that makes everyone around her flinch and back away. Winnie the giant alligator is whimpering like a baby spider, but Anne won’t budge and says in a commanding voice.
“Winnie, drop Sasha’s sword now!” Anne crossed her arms. It's amazing but it’s terrifying to see how scary Anne could be and to have that power to make a two-thousand pound alligator whimper and whine.
Winnie is reluctant not to drop his new chew toy, but Anne is narrowing her eyes like a mother scolding her child if they don’t do as they are told. Winnie gives in, not wanting to make the Spirit upset with him. He puts Sasha’s sword right in front of her boots. Then Winnie crawled on his stomach and whined for forgiveness and Anne instantly crumbled into a gushing smile.
“Aww, I could never stay mad at you, Winnie.” The gator’s tip of his tail starts to wag happily as he soaks the Spirit’s attention in. “You’re such a sweet boy, yes, he is! You’re my precious baby! Yes, he is. Yes, he is!” Then Anne starts to give him scratches under his scaly chin.
Sasha picked up her sword but without averting her gaze from this strange yet spectacular sight. She knows Anne can communicate with any living creature, big or small. Now, seeing how such a gigantic animal becomes like a spider and receives scratches from her.
She watches as Winnie licks Anne’s face and her curly hair, earning a jingle bell giggle from Anne. Even the Planters are awed by the sight.
After they calmed down, Sprig grimaced by the smell, “Can we leave already? I don’t want to stay a minute longer in this place!” Polly agrees even though the smell didn’t bother her the slightest.
“Yeah, and maybe we can get this big fella away from Newtopia too!”
All of a sudden, the atmosphere turned melancholy in seconds as Sasha and the Planters looked at Anne and Winnie with sorrowful expressions, and then Anne spoke while caressing Winnie to soothe him.
“Winnie can’t go back because his home is…Gone!” Winnie didn’t whimper or cry but the look on the poor gator’s face was stricken with grief. Anne continues, “He told me that his home and his family are gone because the rot has spread and reached Winnie’s home. He was young when it happened, and he ran away in fear and found refuge in the sewers.” Anne’s eyes glow blue in anger before they fade away.
Sasha felt sorry for Winnie and looked at the gator in pity, “So then, what now? He can’t stay here. Pretty soon, someone would notice Winnie and it’ll be a matter of time before they can send hunters down here!”
“Anne, I know you want to help him. But I don’t think our farm has room for him!” That made Polly and Sprig pout sadly, and Anne didn’t protest.
“I know, Hop Pop. But he needs a new home. He can’t stay here; the food is bad here and look what dirty water did to his skin. If he stays here for another year, he’ll get sick and then die!”
“Well then, where are we supposed to find him a home? It must be spacious for him to walk around, with plenty of clean water to swim in, and tons of food for him to eat! But most of the locations have villages and towns nearby and they’ll be petrified if they see him! How are we going to find a home big enough for him and someone not afraid of him!”
As Sprig points out what Winnie needs Anne seems to get an idea as she bursts into a smile.
“I know just a place and…A nice Newt who will gladly take Winnie in!”
As the group exited the sewers, a newt was standing in front of them. She was an older newt.
“Doris!” Anne shouted. Sasha joined her in front of the newt. She could see the stuffed kill-a-pillar she had bought for Anne but there was a pink heron in her arms as well. “Thank you for looking out for me and my…toy?” Anne noticed the other toy in her arms.
“I was so scared when I saw you jump down there. But I kept a very good eye on your gift. Also, you.” Doris pointed to Sasha. “I kept your toy safe as well. That old frog tossed it to me.”
“I…thank you.” Sasha bowed before taking the stuffed toy. Sasha looked over to Anne, who took her stuffed animal.
“Now, let’s get Winnie to the castle.”
At that moment, Winnie popped out of the sewer manhole. The citizens let out screams.
“Everyone please stop screaming!” Sasha shouted. Everyone stopped screaming. “I am a hunter. Do not worry. I am simply delivering the animal to the king.”
Andrias has just finished the last of the report and lets out a sigh of relief. “Finally!” He opens and closes his hand from holding his pen for too long causing his fingers to cramp. Olivia rolled the paper and put it on top of the pile.
“Well, you could’ve finished it early if you hadn’t sneaked out of the castle!” Olivia pointed out. Marcy and Lily both hid their giggles behind their hands. Andrias shot them a glare. Marcy turned her head away to whistle. That made Lily giggle harder.
“I was taking a short break, Olivia! I was going to come back!”
“Perhaps, next time you’d leave a note, your highness. Or not use Marcy and Lily to try and help you hide your escape.” She turns away to order the knights to take the scrolls while Andrias is sticking his tongue at Olivia. Marcy and Lily continue to giggle. “I saw that!”
Andrias yelped, he swore that the woman had eyes on the back of his head.
Suddenly, the door opened, and one new knight announced the Plantars were here.
“Welcome, my friends! Anne, good to see you’re back with your family!”
“It’s thanks to you and Olivia for showing me the way.”
“Glad we could be of service.” Andrias bowed before winking at Anne.
“I have a special gift for you, Your Majesty.”
“A gift?”
Anne waved her hand to have Andrias follow her. Everyone followed the king and the Spirit out to the courtyard. There in one of the ponds was Winnie, the alligator. Andrias let out a small gasp. Lily gasped, forcing Marcy to tug Lily behind her.
“Anne, why is there a gator in my castle?”
“So, I found this gator in the sewers. He had lost his home because of the rot and was all alone. If he continues to stay down there, he could get sick. He needs someone to watch over him and protect him. I think you could be that person. He is a large beast. Perfect for someone of your stature. You did mention that you also wanted a pet.”
“I did say that, didn't I?” Andrias suddenly broke into laughter. “I did tell you that. But Anne, he is perfect. Thank you.”
He gently patted the top of her head with his palm. She giggled. Andrias went over to Winnie and patted his back. Winnie rolled over and Andrias tickled his underbelly. “Oh who's a good boy? Who is a good boy? You are. Yes, you are.”
“His name is Winnie.”
“Well then Winnie. Welcome to your new home. I’ll make you get a collar and let’s get you cleaned up from that horrible stench I smell. Must be from the sewer.”
“What is that foul smell?” Olivia came out.
“Olivia, meet our newest member of the household, Winnie.” Andrias stepped away to reveal Winnie. Olivia let out the loudest scream before kneeling over. Sasha and Marcy started to laugh loudly as Anne just stared at the fallen advisor. Lily helped the poor newt up, all the while trying to hide her amusem*nt. “Oops. Didn’t mean to spook her.”
When they arrived back at their room, Sasha had her back against the railing of the balcony. She stared at the toy in her arms.
“Hey. I was wondering where you were.” Sasha looked up to see Anne standing in the doorway with a smile on her face. She was carrying the stuffed heron in her hands. She walked over to join Sasha by the balcony. “Sorry, I had run off on you.”
“Eh. I understand why you did. But you made us worried.” Sasha bumped her side with her elbow. “Was that you singing down in the sewer?”
“Yeah. I was singing to Winnie because he was upset. I’ve been told by Valeriana that my singing has a calming effect.”
“I agree. Your singing is beautiful.” Anne blushed. Sasha looked down at the heron toy in Anne’s hands. “But that’s a cute heron you got there. They looked a bit grumpy.”
“Yeah, they are. I thought it was cute and reminded me of someone dear to me. That’s a cute toy too. When did you get that one?”
“When we were searching for you. I passed this toy store and saw this kill-a-pillar. I thought it was cute and reminded me of a certain someone.” Sasha held the toy towards Anne. “I actually bought this for you. It reminded me of you and Domino.”
Anne was taken back for a moment. She softly smiled at Sasha as she took the stuffed toy. She held the heron out towards Sasha.
“It’s funny. I bought this one for you as well. It reminded me of you.”
Sasha was touched. She took the toy from Anne, briefly touching her hand. It sent a tingling sensation in Sasha’s fingers from the touch. Sasha looked at the pink heron in her hands.
“Am I really that grumpy?”
“You were when I first met you.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I won’t argue with that. I was pretty grumpy.” Anne pressed her body into Sasha’s side. Sasha laid her head on top of Anne’s, before kissing the top of her head. “Thank you, Anne.”
“Thank you, Sasha.”
Sasha smiled. She slipped one arm around Anne’s shoulders to pull her closer. Sasha just stood there with Anne tucked in her side.
“I will promise to always be by your side,” Sasha whispered.
“And I’ll always be by yours.”
Even if you don’t want to give love a shot, I’ll still give you my heart.
Andrias unrolled his maps. Winnie slept in the new bed that Andrias had bought for him and it was the perfect size. He was grateful to Anne for gifting him Winnie. But something was nagging at him about where Anne said she had come from. He was pretty sure that the island didn’t exist anymore. But maybe it did because why would Anne lie?
Andrias pulled another map and as he unrolled it, he finally found the name of the island he had been searching for. Dawnblood Island.
But this couldn’t be right…Then he grabbed his history books. He flipped through it until he found what he was looking for.
Dawnblood Island was destroyed in a tidal wave about five hundred years ago. So, the only way Anne could have been from there is if she was much older than she looked and almost immortal. But she looked to be around the calamity trio’s age. So then how?
Unless…Andrias paled. What if Anne was the Spirit? But then if she was the Spirit, then why was she so helpful and so kind? Was it a ploy or was she being honest?
Andrias looked over at Winnie.
The Spirit was a being feared throughout Amphibia due to her destructive powers. The creatures feared her might and she could force them to listen to her, all the while they were forced to cower under her presence. But Winnie didn’t cower under Anne at all. He seemed to enjoy her presence. He nuzzled her head.
“Who are you, Anne? I feel like I can trust you. But there’s something more to you.”
