Page 221 of Fallen Nocturne

I turn my head just in time to see it.

A frog.

It’s the size of Judge, Rainer’s large dog. Maybe bigger, with bulging yellow eyes and slimy green skin and a mouth that opens wide.

“Hello…?” I mutter quietly.

A tongue shoots out as fast as lightning. It wraps around my fish and yanks it right out of the trap.

“NO!” I scream.

But it’s too late.

The tongue vanishes between the frog’s wide jaws. I see the fish’s tail still sticking out. Then the frog gulps, and a lump travels slowly down its throat.

I stare at the frog. The frog stares back at me.

Then it croaks, proud and satisfied.

“You…” I can barely breathe through the rage and despair. “You ate my fish!”

The frog blinks slowly, unconcerned.

“That was my fish!” I’m screaming now. “I caught it! I was going to eat it! You can’t just—”

The frog turns around and starts hopping away like it didn’t just steal my dinner.

“No!” I drop the empty fish trap and grab the first thing I can find. A long, thin branch that fell from one of the trees. “No, you don’t! Come back here!”

I charge after the frog and raise the stick like a sword.

The frog hops faster, bounding across the riverbank with those powerful back legs.

“Give it back!” I shout, chasing. “Spit it out! Vomit it up! Give me back my fish!”

The frog croaks again. It sounds like laughter.

“Don’t you laugh at me!” I swing the stick and miss. The frog is faster than it looks. “I’m hungry! I need that fish! You probably have lots of fish! You’re a frog! You can catch fish whenever you want! But I—”

My voice cracks. Tears are streaming down my face now. Hot, angry, desperate tears.

“I’m just hungry,” I whisper. “Please. Please give it back.”

The frog doesn’t care. It just keeps hopping away from the river and into the forest.

I follow it because I can’t just let my fish disappear into the frog’s belly. I will chase this frog to the end of Astefar if I have to. I will make it give back my fish.

“Please,” I beg as I run after it. “Please, Sir Frog. I’m sorry I yelled. I’m sorry I tried to hit you. I’m so hungry. Please.”

The frog hops and hops and hops. I follow it through the trees, over fallen logs, and around bushes until finally—

The frog stops.

It sits down perfectly still on the mossy ground.

I stop too. I’m breathing hard with tears still wet on my cheeks.

“Please,” I say one more time. “Please give it back.”