Anne was annoyed today.
It had been a week after the event involving the archives, and Anne was convinced that the mountain pass should be free to pass through. But Hop Pop said that there was an update with the weather, and they had to wait another month for their quest to begin! Not believing the old frog, Anne wanted to see for herself.
And here they are now, Anne, Shadow, Kaemon, and the Plantars standing before a giant ice wall that blocked the way through the mountain pass.
"Well, Anne, I don't wanna say I told you so." Hop Pop spoke up.
"Yes, you do." Anne deadpanned.
"Okay, you're right. I told you so." Hop Pop said, chuckling.
"Sorry, Anne, but it's still gonna be a few weeks before that snowpack melts." Shadow said.
"But I've waited so long. Two months now!" Anne said with a groan. "And getting out of this valley might help me find answers on how to get home."
"I know it stinks, but how about some careless misadventuring to take your mind off it? I think there's a creepy lagoon nearby." Sprig suggested.
"I'm in!" Kaemon chimed in. "I wanna slice up some stuff!"
"Ooh! Think we'll find some bloated remains?" Anne asked.
"Here's hoping." Sprig said, the three laughing as they ran off into the woods.
"And while they're doing that, I'm gonna check out this scary forest." Polly said, hoping towards the forest, only for Hop Pop to pick her up.
"Oh, no, you don't. Not by yourself." The old frog said, sitting Polly in Bessie's saddle.
Polly groaned at this, "But why not?"
"'Cause you're a pollywog. You're too young to go off on your own." Hop Pop told her.
"But the other kids did." Polly pointed out. "Heck, Shadow lives by himself!"
"That's because I know how to live on my own." Shadow retorted. "And besides, it's not something I'd recommend picking up." He then heard a screeching sound of a creature, turning towards the forest. "Speaking of…"
Anne, Kaemon and Sprig ran from the forest, all three yelling 'Go, go, go, go!' before jumping into the saddles, Sprig in Bessie's while Anne and Kaemon in Ironhide's, Hop Pop and Shadow whipping the reigns to get the snails moving.
"Whew! Who knew leeches could run so fast?" Anne declared.
"Or had legs?" Sprig added.
"I'm still glad I got to see them!" Kaemon chimed in, holding up a bloody sack. "I'm thinking of Leech stir fry!"
"Truly a once in a lifetime experience." Sprig said.
While the kids were boasting about their encounter with the leeches, Polly seemed frustrated from the others bragging about how great it was. As they drove, Shadow started to see landmarks he hadn't seen before, before realizing that they hadn't come down this way before.
"Hop Pop, are you sure this is the right way?" Shadow asked. "I don't remember going down this path before."
"Of course I'm sure!" Hop Pop said confidently.
Suddenly, Bessie started sputtering before coming to a stop, whimpering in pain. Shadow pulled Ironhide to a stop, "Hey, what's wrong with Bessie?"
"Oh, shoot. Snail trouble, everyone. Snail trouble." Hop Pop said, looking at Bessie with a worried expression.
Sprig thought for a moment, "Hmm. Stranded, eh? Well, couldn't have picked a nicer day."
Just as he said that, rain started falling, making everyone glare at Sprig before getting out of the saddles, Ironhide rubbing against Bessie to comfort her. Hop Pop moved behind Bessie and tried to lift her shell up, but he ended up slipping on the mud.
"Whoa! Dang it. It's too darn muddy for me to squeeze under Bessie to see what's the trouble." Hop Pop said, getting back up.
Shadow looked around for something that could help, but found nothing. He looked up at Polly and smiled.
"Polly, see if you can squeeze under." He said.
"I'm on it!" Polly declared, about to jump off.
"Shadow, how can you irresponsible to ask Polly to do that?" Hop Pop scowled at the boy. "Polly, you stay up there where it's safe."
Polly huffed in annoyance, although Shadow seemed just as annoyed as he looked at the old frog, "If you have a better idea, let's hear it."
"Hey, look. There's a bed and breakfast just down the road." Anne said, pointing to a B&B in the form of a cozy looking cottage with a barn off to the side, the lights still on.
"Sounds like a good idea." Shadow said.
"Forget it." Hop Pop said, pulling a tent from the saddle and setting it on the ground to pitch. "We ain't spending coppers on lodging when we've got a perfectly fine tent—"
Suddenly, the wind blew the tent out of reach, Hop Pop and the others watching as it then got violently destroyed by a thunderclap.
"You were saying?" Kaemon said with crossed arms.
Hop Pop sighed, "All right, B&B it is. But no extras."
With the decision made, Kaemon reached into the saddlebag and pulled out a blanket and wrapped it around Bessie, "Hang tight, Bessie. We'll find you a comfy place to rest in a jiffy."
Shadow proceeded to do the same with Ironhide, "Keep Bessie company, alright pal?"
Together, the six of them rushed over to the inn. They then opened the door and got inside, shutting the door behind them, taking in the cozy atmosphere.
"Look at this place. So cozy." Sprig said.
"Reminds me of my old gram gram's house." Kaemon nodded.
Shadow walked up to the desk and rang the bell, and an elderly couple emerged from the back. They were both dark brown toads with light yellow stripes on their faces and backs and lighter underbelly. The most distinctive features were a pair of short horns atop their heads. The male toad wore blue, ragged overalls with a large pocket over a striped, brown shirt with folded sleeves. He appeared bald with bushy gray eyebrows and yellow eyes. The female frog wore a pink, old-fashioned dress with a white collar and light-pink fringes at the end of her skirt and shoulder. There was a yellow button located between her collar. She had gray hair tied into a bun and wore small-round spectacled.
"Oh, hey there. Welcome to the Dandy Lion B&B." The old male frog greeted with a kind smile. "I'm Teddy. This is my wife, Martha."
"Please, warm yourselves by the fire." Martha said, gesturing to the fireplace with chairs next to it.
"Oh, well, that sounds nice." Hop Pop said, he and his grandkids walking over.
Shadow, Anne and Kaemon made to follow, but Martha spoke up, "Oh I'm sorry, but we don't allow anything dangerous, for the safety of our guests." Shadow and Kaemon both looked at her with raised brows, as if to ask if she was serious. "You're gonna have to leave your weapons here."
Shadow placed a hand on the handle of his katana, "Well, I prefer to keep mine nearby for my safety, as well as my friends."
"Same here." Kaemon said, agreeing. "Asking a swordsman to remove their swords is like asking someone to remove their arm."
"Come on, guys, it's just for one night." Anne said, putting her tennis racket on the counter before looking at the innkeepers. "Sorry, they can get paranoid for no reason."
"We have every reason to have our swords at all times." Kaemon retorted, before seeing Shadow place his two swords on the counter.
"Just for one night." The boy said before taking a seat next to Anne on the couch.
Kaemon only stood there with his arms crossed, seeing the elderly couple looking at him, waiting for him to comply.
Getting the message, the newt sighed, "Fine, but I want them all back by morning."
He reluctantly pulled the sheathed swords from his sash and placed them on the counter, staring at the swords he had grown up with, before finally walking over to the group and sitting in a chair, his leg twitching anxiously.
"Wow, haven't come across a species like you before." Anne remarked.
"Same to you, dearie. We're horned bullfrogs." Martha said.
"Oh, so not from around these parts?" Hop Pop asked.
"Yeah, we traveled here a long time ago and just, you know, fell in love with the area. Isn't that right, sweetie?" Teddy asked his wife with a chuckle.
"Oh, we sure did." Martha said, rubbing her nose against his.
Kaemon rolled his eyes at such affection.
"So, I take it you'll be needing some rooms?" Teddy asked.
"Just one, please. We'll all pile in." Hop Pop told him.
"Oh, no need. We only have a couple of guests tonight, so the inn is mostly empty." Teddy insisted.
"We'll make you a deal. Six rooms for the price of one. What do you say?" Martha offered, holding up six fingers.
"Heck yeah!" Sprig declared as everyone, with the exception of Kaemon, cheered.
"Score!" Polly yelled, hoping towards the stairs, only for Hop Pop to pick her up.
"Thanks. But we only need five. Polly here'll be bunking with me." Hop Pop said.
"What? Aw, Hop Pop!" Polly complained.
A moment later, Martha came back with a plate full of cookies, setting it down on the table, "Here's some fresh cookies."
"And we'll go put your snails in the barn." Teddy said, he and his wife leaving to get Bessie and Ironhide.
Everyone made to enjoy the cookies, even fighting over them, while Polly was the only one who didn't take a cookie, upset at her grandfather's overprotectiveness, while Kaemon reluctantly took one, still anxious.
"You know it's only for tonight, right, Kaemon?" Shadow said to the newt.
"Doesn't help me sleep any better." Kaemon grumbled. "I never go anywhere without my blades. Especially that one."
Kaemon pointed, Shadow and Anne seeing him point at one of the swords, specifically the one in the blue sheathe.
"What about it?" Anne asked.
"It used to belong to a friend of mine." Kaemon told her. "We were like brothers since birth."
Thinking for a moment, Shadow pulled something from his cloak and slid it to Kaemon, the newt looking down to see it was a tanto blade in silver sheathe.
"If it helps you sleep better, take this." Shadow offered the small blade.
Looking at it, Kaemon took the small weapon and slid into his coat, "Thank you, Master."
Shadow then pulled out another one in a blue sheathe before offering it to Anne, "Better to be safe than sorry." He told her.
The Thai-American girl looked at the weapon before taking it, stashing it under her shirt.
About an hour later, Shadow entered his assigned room, feeling refreshed from a shower in the clean bathroom for the first time in five years. Five years without a proper shower, having relied on a bathhouse he had put together when he first started living out on his own. Clothes in hand, he wore a bathrobe as he walked down the hall, passing by Anne, Sprig and Kaemon in their own rooms, the first two jumping up and down on the beds while Kaemon was already asleep.
"Whoo! Happiness, thy name is solitude!" Anne cheered, music playing loudly on her phone.
"Freedom! And check it out. A laundry chute!" Sprig said before jumping down a laundry chute. A few seconds later, he came running back up the stairs and to his room, laughing.
Chuckling at his friends antics, Shadow opened the door to his room and sat on his bed. He stretched his limbs a bit before seeing another door, getting up and walking over and opened it to reveal another bedroom.
"Hey, there's another bedroom connected to this one!" He called to the others.
Suddenly, Polly came bouncing in and pointing a flipper at it, "Back off! I want that room!" She yelled.
"Polly, get back here." Hop Pop said, walking in, wearing a bathrobe. "I already said you're not sleeping alone."
"This is so not fair." Polly complained. "I want my own room!"
"Sorry, kiddo. But you're just too young for that." Hop Pop said.
Shadow looked at them, thinking, before saying, "Actually, Hop Pop, she can sleep with me for the night."
"What?" Both said in confusion.
"She can have the other room and I'll be here to watch her." Shadow said. "It's a win for everyone."
"Well…" Hop Pop considered, wondering if it was a good idea.
"I'll leave the door open. And I'll go straight to bed. Pretty, pretty please?" Polly pleaded, giving the puppy dog eyes.
Hop Pop groaned, as though trying to resist, but sighed, "Okay, fine."
"Whoo! Yeah! Thanks, Hop Pop. You're the best." Polly declared, hugging her grandfather's leg.
"But that door stays open. And no jumping about. Shadow, make sure she goes straight to bed." Hop Pop said, pointing at the boy.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure she goes to bed before I do." Shadow nodded.
Alright, then goodnight, you two." Hop Pop said, walking out of the room, Shadow closing the door and picking Polly up.
"Alright, let's get you into bed." He said, smiling as he carried the pollywog to her room.
"Thanks, Shadow." Polly said with a grateful smile. "Have your old caretakers ever been so strict?"
"Well, my mother was the worry lot." Shadow told her. "She would worry over me and Apollo 24/7."
"And the dad?" Polly asked.
Shadow froze, his thoughts going back to his younger days, before he shook his head, "Well, to put it plainly, he was the opposite. While my mom practiced caution, my father was always throwing caution to the wind."
"I don't get it." Polly said.
'Pray you never do.' Shadow thought.
The boy tucked the pollywog into bed, "Alright, in ten minutes, I expect you to be in bed, missy." He said, like how his motherly caretaker would say.
"Okay, mom." Polly scoffed. "And Shadow? Can you close the door on the way out?"
Shadow rolled his eyes, but complied, shutting the door, then heard Polly sheering out loud, "Finally! Independence. Whoa!"
Chuckling, Shadow made to go to bed, but heard a knock at his door. Curious, he walked over and opened it, revealing to be Anne.
"Hey, Shadow." She greeted. "You got a minute?"
"Sure, I don't see why not." Shadow shrugged before gesturing her to enter.
Anne walked in before Shadow shut the door, "So, what brings you?" He asked.
"I was just wondering if there was anything else you can teach me about my powers." Anne said. "You did say there was more to it then what you've shown me."
"You're right about that." Shadow nodded. "Besides flight and enhanced…everything, there's also energy construct we can create."
"Like the Green Lanterns but without the Power Rings!" Anne declared with a toothy smile.
"Pretty much." Shadow nodded, holding out his hand to demonstrate.
Anne watched as a small black flame ignited in the palm of his hand, before it grew, taking form of a black bo staff, Anne's eyes widened in amazement.
"COOOOOLLL!" She squealed.
"All it takes is some level of concentration to form a solid construct." Shadow explained, dismissing the staff. "Just think of what you want to make and it will take shape."
Taking the boy's advice, Anne thought hard about she wanted to create. Coming to a decision, she cupped her hands and focused. After a few seconds, there was a spark, but it quickly faded, much to her dismay.
"No no, it's okay." Shadow said. "Just keep concentrating."
Focusing, Anne breathed in before letting it out, and soon enough, a blue flame ignited in her hands before taking the form of a small tennis ball.
"Oh my God, I actually did it!" Anne cheered, holding the construct with both hands.
"Amazing!" Shadow said, before walking to the other side of the bed. "Now, throw it here."
Anne threw the ball over to him, Shadow catching it before throwing it back, the two engaging in a back and forth with the ball, both laughing, before Shadow threw it back to her, Anne missing it before the ball ricocheted off the wall.
"I got it!" Anne said, moving to catch it, only to trip over something, landing on Shadow, who had moved to catch her before falling on top of him.
The two humans stared into each other's eyes, both red in the face, before Anne scrambled off of him, "S-Sorry." She managed to say.
"No need to apologize." Shadow replied, looking away.
There was a moment of silence between them, before Shadow noticed something sticking out from under the bed. Curious, he pulled it out, revealing a large suitcase.
"What the?" Anne said. "Did someone forget their stuff?"
Thunder clapped outside as Shadow opened the suitcase, revealing some clothes and various other items like soap, shampoo, a comb, and a picture of a female newt holding an egg tapped inside.
"I doubt anyone would forget this much stuff." Shadow said.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Polly suddenly screamed from the other room.
"POLLY!" Both humans gasped, rushing to the door and pushing it open. "What's wrong?!" Anne demanded.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH! FREAK!" Polly screamed, pointing to something in the corner of the room. To Polly, it looked like giant skeleton with glowing yellow eyes, curled up in the corner.
Anne turned the light on, and it turned out the skeleton was actually a random assortment of items, including a bowling ball, a mop, books, and a scarf on a stool.
"It's just a bowling ball, a mop, and other assorted items oddly arranged in the corner." Anne said, picking up the bowling ball, Polly sighing in relief as the human girl walked over. "Just your imagination, scaredy cat."
"I wasn't scared!" Polly was quick to deny. "I was just…singing."
"There's no need to deny it. Everyone is afraid at some point." Shadow said, before noticing a signature on the bowling ball. "Hey, it looks like this ball belonged to someone."
"Aww, does that mean I have to move back in with Hop Pop?" Polly complained.
"No, but something isn't right about this place, the more I think about it." Shadow said, setting the ball down. "Why don't we go check on Bessie? Figure out what's wrong with her?"
"I like that idea." Anne nodded in agreement.
The trio made it to the barn, removing the crossbar and pushing the door open, Bessie and Ironhide at the center of the barn.
"Bessie!" Anne said, walking over and petting the snail. "Don't worry, girl. We're gonna get you fixed up."
Bessie chirped as Anne petted her head, while Shadow checked on his steed, "You did good, buddy. I'm proud of you." He said, petting the snail, who chirped in response, before rubbing against Bessie's neck, the female snail purring in response.
"Aww, I think they like each other." Polly said.
Shadow grabbed a lantern from a wooden post before walking behind Bessie, "Alright, Polly, you get under there and see what's wrong."
"You got it, chief!" Polly saluted.
Shadow then kneeled down and lifted Bessie's shell up for Polly to crawl under, the pollywog crawling until she found something.
"I found it!" She called.
"Pull it out!" Shadow instructed, the pollywog came out pulling out Bessie's tail with, to the shock of the humans, a bear trap clasped painfully on the snails tail.
"What the? A bear trap?" Shadow said in shock before carefully removing the bear trap.
"So that's what was slowing Bessie down." Anne said. "But what's it doing in the middle of the road?"
Shadow threw the trap to the side, landing in a puddle, when they heard a chirping sound. And it didn't come from Bessie or Ironhide. Turning around, the trio nearly gasped at what they saw.
There were dozens of snails completely populating the barn and stables. When they saw the trap pulled from Bessie's tail, they crawled forward, some trapped behind the doors of the stables, but some were able to stick their heads out. Others just sat in the back of the barn, unable to move. All were looking at the horrified trio, begging to be helped and whining in pain.
What made them pale the most was some of the sables on the shells. Some were simple passenger saddles, others looked like they could carry big families, others had logos of mail of bakery companies. There was even on that had a 'just hitched' sign on the side of its shell.
"Oh God…" Anne said in shock.
Shadow was deathly silent, his eyes glued to the poor snails, his eyes flickering to black, his anger boiling inside.
"What is this? What's with all these snails?!" Polly exclaimed, starting to freak out.
"Leftovers from our previous dinners."
The three turned to see a large figure wearing a black cloak and holding an ax standing in the doorway. Their eyes glowed a bright yellow before they pulled the hood down, revealing to be Martha Dandy Lion.
"Martha?!" Anne gasped in shock at the sweet old lady's appearance, her anxiety getting higher when the bull frog started to approach with the ax.
"I'm quite stunned; you ate my cookies, I'm sure." Martha said, rubbing a finger against the head of the ax. "Were they not sweet enough? Did I goof the recipe for the slumberdoodles?"
Upon hearing that word, Anne realized something, "You mean those cookies were meant to knock us out?" She asked, pointing a finger at her.
"Oh yes. It's much easier when we start cooking." Martha said with a smile and nod, stopping a few feet away from them. "Still, if that fails, well, we don't mind a messy dinner."
Upon hearing this, Polly gasped in horror, "You're a cannibal!"
"Ding, ding, ding! My, aren't you a smart one." Martha smiled sweetly, before that smile turned into a bloodthirsty, toothy smile. "Your brains will make a fine dessert."
"But why?" Anne asked, unable to fathom why such a seemingly sweet old lady would resort to such atrocities. "What could have led you to doing this?!"
"What can I say? Sometimes, you just can't resist!" Martha said, about to charge.
"Did those victims include children as well?" Shadow asked darkly, his eyes turning black.
"Oh, most definitely." Martha said with a chuckle. "Sometimes, the youngins make the best-"
Boom!
Suddenly, Martha's chest exploded out her back, the cannibal staring in shock at the young boy's arm piercing her chest, looking up at his now dark eyes.
"You who prey on children don't deserve to live."
With that statement, he then pulled his arm out before swinging, his hand severing the old lady's head from her shoulders, the head rolling on the ground, a look of horror on her face. Anne and Polly looked on in utter shock, even some of the blood had splashed onto them. This was just like before with the toads from Toad Tower when Shadow was lost to his rage, only it was on a smaller scale here.
"Shadow?" Anne said, hoping he wasn't too lost.
Looking over at the girl, Shadow's eyes faded back to green, the black aura fading away before he closed his eyes and breathed.
"It was just like last time." Polly said. "Only he had those weird veins popping all over his face."
"It took everything I had to keep myself from going completely berserk." Shadow admitted, flexing his fingers. "I realize now how out of practice I am when controlling my emotions."
"Wait, what about those cookies?" Anne asked. "How come it didn't put us to sleep like the others?"
"The power within us is slowing it down to a snails pace." Shadow explained. "With enough training and evolution, it can make us immune to any sort poisons or disease."
"What about the others?" Polly asked with a worried expression. "What if they have Kaemon and my family?"
"Then we invite ourselves to dinner." Shadow said darkly, staring out to the Bed & Breakfast, a furious expression on his face.
"Wait, let me handle this one." Anne said. "After all, it wouldn't be right to let you do all the work, and someone's gotta get these snails out."
Shadow considered it before nodding, "Make sure it hurts."
As it turned out, Polly's fears were true. Kaemon, Sprig and Hop Pop were taken by the bullfrogs. And due to their lack of immunity, they succumbed to sleep by the time Martha grabbed them. Teddy had tied them up to a long stick and placed them over the fireplace to be spit-roasted, their favorite way to cook their victims.
With the three set in place, Teddy sat at the dinner table across from his two sister's-in-law.
"All right, time to pick a card." The male bullfrog said, setting six cards on the table. "Juliet, I think you went first last time, so, Juniper, you go first."
Juniper picked one of the cards and flipped it over, revealing a crude drawing of Hop Pop, "Ooh. Looks like I've got the geezer. Aged to perfection. Juliet?"
Juliet picked the next card, revealing to be Anne drawn on it, "I got the tall one. Talk about your drumsticks."
"Well, I guess I'll just have to be happy with the boy." Teddy said, picking up the card with Sprig on it. "Cook time will be much shorter. Delicious. Martha will get the dark-haired boy, and we'll have the pollywog and newt for dessert."
"Sorry, but dinner's canceled."
The bullfrogs gasped before jumping from their chairs, all turning to see Anne standing in the doorway, covered in blood, and tennis racket in hand, and a deathly stare on her face, as her eyes glowed blue.
While this was happening, Polly was sneaking through the air vents, just above them, and seeing the bullfrogs backs to the others, Polly jumped down and started making to undo to restraints on her family.
"Wha-What're you doing here?!" Teddy gasped, getting nervous. "Where's Martha?"
"In the stables. Had a little accident when she made my teacher angry, real bad heart burn before losing her head. Literally." Anne said, wiping some of the blood from her face. "But don't worry about the wasted meat. Turns out, the snails you had in there didn't mind, considering how long you kept them locked up."
"You…you killed my wife?" Teddy said, getting angry.
"No, no, my teacher killed her." Anne corrected. "I don't think you're understanding." She then shrugged. "Oh well, time for you to face the wrath of…"
Holding a hand up, she then conjured her tennis ball construct before throwing it up in the air.
"MY SPIRIT BALL!"
With a strong smack of her tennis racket, she sent the ball rocketing towards Teddy, the bullfrog yelping before ducking under, the ball going right over his head.
"Hah! You missed!" Teddy taunted.
The ball, however, bounced off the wall, hitting him in the back of the head, hard, knocking him to the ground, before it proceeded to bounce all around the place, before managing to hit the other two bullfrogs, knocking them to the ground.
Catching the ball with her free hand, Anne blew the smoke off, "I never miss." She said before running over to Polly.
Polly had just managed to undo the binds on the Plantars and Kaemon with her teeth, Anne laying them down.
"Rise and shine, fam!" Polly screamed, before smacking them one by one, starting with Hop Pop.
"Huh? Wha- What's goin' on?" Hop Pop said, startled to have been awakened.
Polly then slapped Kaemon, the newt grunting before groggily saying, "Five more minutes."
Then it was Sprig's turn, as Polly slapped him. "Hi, Polly." He said, as though it were normal.
"Hey. We gotta get out of here!" Polly exclaimed.
They soon made to run, Anne following behind, only for Teddy to grab her by the leg, but Anne grabbed the pot full of marinade and lifted it over her head.
"My marinade!" Teddy cried before Anne slammed it over his head, spilling it everywhere.
"Marinate this, you cannibal!" Anne yelled before running after the others, but stopped when she saw two barrels labeled 'baking soda' and 'vinegar', an idea hatching in her head. "Finally. A chance to use everything I know about chemistry." She said, cracking her knuckles before pulling out the tanto Shadow had given her and popping the corks, allowing the contents to spill out before running for the exit.
With their stuff and weapons gathered and the snails freed from the traps and released, the Plantars, Kaemon and Shadow made for their respective snails, Anne soon joining them, laughing as she got on next to Shadow.
"Bessie, things are gettin' messy!" Hop Pop yelled, Bessie chirping before taking off.
"Ironhide, time to roll out!" Shadow yelled, Ironhide chirped before following after Bessie, followed by the freed snails.
Back in the kitchen, Teddy was being helped up by Juliet and Juniper, the male bullfrog growling in fury, "I'm gonna eat those kids raw!" He roared with anger.
However, the sound of liquid leaking made him pause. "Hey, do you hear that? Did you leave the sink running?"
Looking around, his face turned to horror when he saw the barrels of baking soda and vinegar leaking before mixing into each other.
"Oh, dear."
A moment later, the inn exploded in a massive explosion like a volcano science experiment, killing the murderous cannibal family in one fell swoop, ending the night of terror for good.
"Chemistry wins! Yes!" Anne cheered out loud as the group fled away from the area.
After the Plantars returned home, Shadow, Anne and Kaemon returned to the hut, all three tired from the event with the cannibal family, Kaemon practically passing out on the floor, along with Anne and Shadow.
"Well, tonight was quite eventful." The newt admitted.
"Well, one thing's for sure," Shadow said, sitting up. "Polly proved to be quite independent herself."
"Yeah, but there's nothing wrong with taking your time in growing up." Anne chimed in.
After everyone washed up and made for their respective rooms, Shadow wrote in his journal, detailing everything that happened. Sure, it was frustrating that they had to wait a bit longer before leaving the valley, but after what they went through tonight, he more than happy to wait a bit longer.
After writing another entry, Shadow closed his journal and got into bed, before seeing Anne in the doorway.
"Hey, dude?" She said, getting his attention. "Can I ask a favor?"
"Depends." Shadow said.
Anne seemed to hesitate before asking, "Can…can I sleep with you for tonight? In the same bed? Tonight's events were a tad traumatic." She really felt nervous asking this. If it were Marcy or Sasha, it wouldn't be a problem, since they were her gal pals. But Shadow was a boy! A boy she was really developing feelings for in their short time together and made her blush so easily.
Thinking it over, Shadow lifted the covers, "Get in here, you weirdo!" He said with a laugh.
Smiling, Anne got into bed next to him, the two snuggling together and closing their eyes, before they saw Kaemon standing in the doorway.
"Room for one more?" The newt asked timidly.
The two humans looked at each other, as if considering, before nodding, Shadow gesturing to the other side of him. "Get in."
Smiling, Kaemon crawled in next to his master, the three closing their eyes to sleep…
Only for an audible fart to be heard.
"Gah, seriously, Anne!?" Kaemon said.
"Deal with it!" Anne shot back.
Shadow only chuckled, before sleep claimed him.