5. A Hard Death

Even if this chapter won't have Anne and Hop Pop hallucinating, as it's going to replace Stakeout, this is a very special chapter.

Why is it special?

Because this will be the first chapter of "Living in a Frog World" based on an episode of Primal! With the first season of the show coming to an end this Sunday, I knew I had to stop what I was doing and make this. It'll still have elements of Stakeout and even Flood Sweat Tears, but the main attention of the chapter is still the episode it's based on.

Now I know that I've promised to do a chapter based on the episode "Terror Under the Blood Moon," and I'm still going to. I just found out about a type of beetle called an elephant beetle.

That and the title of the chapter should give you an idea of what episode I'm doing. ;)

{Play Amphibia's theme: Welcome to Amphibia - by Celica Gray}

The intro opens up with Frank and Anne's hands on the Box of Calamity, mid tog of war for it when the two former friends accidentally open it. Light from inside the box shines brightly before it switches to a scene that shows Frank and Anne have stopped fighting for it, and with Sasha and Marcy, look inside. Suddenly there was a white light and everything when blank.

Frank was on the ground when the light faded, covered in mud with Anne next to him. When he woke up, he looked shocked to see he was in Amphibia with Anne. The two friends stood up and looked at their surroundings in awe.

The camera then zoomed out and showed the entire world of Amphibia.

(Now we find ourself)

The scene then changed to the town of Wartwood as the frog inhabitants go about their daily lives. As a pair of dragonflies fly past the camera, it followed them until stopping at the Plantar farmhouse while the sun was starting to rise in the sky.

(In the wild unknown)

When the camera changed to show the house's front door, Frank and Anne stepped out from inside and out into the world. Ready to take on the day. But first, they ducked their heads under some dragonflies that past them.

(With the frogs and toads)

The camera moves up to a window on the side of the house. Sprig opened the window with a telescope in hand. He looked through it at the horizon before slipping off the windowsill and started falling down.

(And we're far from home)

Inside the house, Hop Pop was reading one of his books in his study when Sprig's falling and screaming made him look at his window.

(But there's so much here to discover)

Down on the ground, Sprig had landed in Polly's bucket. His little sister responded by punching her brother in the butt. Sending him flying out of the bucket. She then dove back into her bucket of water.

(One leap after another)

Sprig landed on Anne's head, and the three of them smiled at one another. Then Sprig pointed at something. Frank pulled out his knife, and the friends rushed off into the unknown.

(Hop into the adventure)

The scene changed to show Frank, Anne, and Sprig hopping across multiple mushrooms that lit up when one of them landed on it.

(Gotta ribbit, ribbit)

(Jump on in it)

(Welcome to Amphibia)

The next scene showed Anne, Sprig, and Frank running for their lives from a giant chicken monster. Frank was holding one of the monster's giant eggs after they stole it from her.

(Life don't get much crazier)

The next scene showed Sprig, Anne, Frank, Polly, and Hop Pop fishing together on a lilypad before it suddenly rose up into the air. Underneath it was a giant fish that started swimming around as everyone started screaming. Frank, however, started stabbing it with his knife.

(When you've been hurled)

Another scene showed Sprig in a temple looking at something before Frank and Anne came rushing down the stairs beside him. Anne picked him up as they ran away from a giant boulder that came crashing into the temple.

(To another world)

The next scene showed a red, dark area. Anne and Frank had their backs together, and both having looks of determination. Anne raised her tennis racket, and Frank raised his mantis scythe.

(What you gonna do?)

Still, on the same scene, the viewer is suddenly pulled back to reveal that they were surrounded by hundreds of giant Man-Bat creatures and a giant Mega Spider crawling up from behind them. Towering over them.

(You gotta ribbit, ribbit)

The Man Bats started attacking as Frank and Anne rushed towards the viewer. Smashing, slicing, and killing any bat that came at them. Just as the viewer watched them go past the camera on both sides, the Mega Spider lunged at the fleeing kids. Its mouth opens as it comes towards the camera before the viewer is in the blackness of the spider's mouth.

(Jump on in it)

The scene changed again to show Anne's photo of herself, Sasha, and Marcy hanging from a tree in the middle of a rainstorm. A flash of light showed the infamous Toad Tower in the background.

(Welcome to Amphibia)

The final scene of the intro showed Frank standing in the middle of a road. He looked to his left and saw Anne walking over to him with a smile. Then Sprig came over to his right and jumped on Frank's shoulders.

(Life don't get much crazier)

Hop Pop and Polly walked/hopped over and joined the trio.

(So ribbit, ribbit live it in)

The camera zoomed out to show some of the townspeople with them. All smiling and staring at the camera. Then some frogs popped out from off-screen, from the sides and corners of the screen.

(Amphibia)

The intro ends with the title of the story.

LIVING IN A FROG WORLD

Part 1: Chapter Five:

a HARD DEATH

Another day in the world of Amphibia and the region where Wartwood was settled in was besieged by one of the worst rainstorms that its residents had ever seen. It was raining so hard that trees were being pulled out of the ground and were sent flying for miles. No one would dare to travel in this weather.

But something did dare.

As the rain came thundering down onto the ground and the sound of each raindrop landing together would have made it hard for anyone to hear what was around them, the ground started to rumble. It would fall silent for a moment before it rumbled again. Then the jungle floor started shaking from the massive and heavy feet that were stomping on the ground. Along with that footsteps came the trees being toppled over and crashing down onto the ground, as a herd of massive insects came marching through the forest.

These were elephant beetles—one of the largest land insects on Amphibia.

Larger than most insects, these bugs were black in color and covered in a coat of fine hair that was thicker on their elytra. Giving the beetles' bodies a yellowish color. The males had two horns protruding from the head and another from the prothorax. They were used for defense and competition. The females had no horns.

These titans marched through the wet woods as the rain came down on them. Nothing was slowing them down or was going to get in the way of their migration. Even the monsoon that was hitting their hard shells.

But not all of them were together.

Behind the herd was an older male that was struggling to keep up. Its hard exoskeleton was cracking, and its hair was disheveled. This male elephant beetle was one of the oldest means of the herd, and the journey this year has taken its toll on the creature.

As the herd continued ahead, it disappeared in the shower of water. Leaving the old male alone. He stopped for a moment before bellowing out a trumpeting cry for the others. But they could not hear him. Again he tried. This time louder. But once again, the other elephant beetles couldn't hear him.

He continued calling out for his herd. Trumpeting like an African Elephant.

But they weren't coming back for him. And it would be the last they'll ever see him again.

The sky was still dark, but the rain had fully ceased and cleared away for the old elephant beetle. Now able to see where it was going, it traveled through a narrow and rocky passageway. It's panting was heavy as exhaustion was beginning to settle in. But it couldn't stop. Stopping would mean that the herd would get further away. So, it traveled across the mud-covered ground. It's bug eyes wide as ever and unblinking. Its body was as tall as the cliffs on its right and left.

However, he came to a stop. In front of the elephant beetle was a steep slope.

The beetle looked down this slope for a moment. Then it slowly opened its elytons - the hard shells that protected the wings. It then opened its wings and prepared to fly when suddenly...

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Frank screamed as he jumped out of hiding on the right-hand cliff. Yelling a primal battle cry as he raised his mantle-scythe over his head. Frank swung down and stabbed the scythe's blade into the abdomen.

The elephant beetle reared up on its hind legs and bellowed out a cry of pain. It tried taking off but ended up crashing down onto the ground.

"Anne! I could use some help!" Frank yelled as he pulled out the scythe and started stabbing into the abdomen again. The beetle whacked him away with its elyton. Sending him into the mud.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Anne yelled as she charged out of the woods with a wooden spear and threw it at the elephant beetle. But it just bounced off its hard shell.

Frank growled in frustration and charged at the beetle again. Slicing off one of its back legs.

The elephant beetle howled in pain before turning again and caught Frank with the end of its horn. Then throwing him into Anne, making the two fall down a muddy slope before sliding to a stop. "Dude! Get off of me!" Anne said, pushing Frank off her.

"Shut up and keep it occupied!" He yelled, getting up and running back to the elephant beetle with his field knife. Anne frowned and chased after him.

The two partners rushed back towards the beetle as it turned to run away, but Frank got in front of it. Anne grabbed the mantle scythe, and they both sounded the beetle. With no other way out, the injured insect chose to stand and fight.

To get its attention, Anne yelled and swung the scythe wildly at it, while taking cautious steps towards it and then backing off to avoid getting hit by the horn. Giving Frank his opening.

With the knife in a reverse grip, Frank yelled and charged at the elephant beetle. He then jumped at it when the animal turned its head to him. Frank grabbed onto the horn and held on to it as the beetle shook him around. Trying to shake him off and even bite at him as he hung on. Frank climbed on top of it and slid down it to the hooked base.

And then Frank started stabbing the knife into its left eye.

The elephant beetle cried out in pain every time that Frank would stab into its eye, green blood squirting out as he pulled out the knife and then stabbed it back in. The insect stumbled around a bit before Anne came rushing in and cut off two of its legs. The elephant beetle let out a howl of pain before crashing down to the ground.

Frank stabbed it in the eye again, but to finish it off for good, twisted the knife inside its eye. Green blood came out of the insect's mouth before it finally died. More blood spilled from its blood as Frank and Anne stood around the animal they've hunted and killed.

The boy breathed heavily from the battle before pulling out the knife. Wiping the blade on his pant legs to clean it off the blood. Frank kneeled down next to the head of the elephant beetle and placed his hand on it. Near the eye, he stabbed out as he stared sadly into what remained of the eye. Whenever his grandfather would take him hunting, one of the things that he would tell Frank is that it's always generous to pay respects to the animal you've hunted and killed. Its death would give him warmth and food.

He stood up and turned to Anne. "Alright, let's get to carving and stripping this thing of everything that we can."

"...yeah, I'm not doing that. I'm still sore from when you crashed into me," Anne said with a frown, rubbing her back. Frank started climbing on the beetle's back to cut the armored wing covers off.

"Well, it would have been easier if you had stuck to the plan," Frank argued as he made it to the top.

"Yeah? Well, I thought that my plan would have worked too," Anne said back at him. "And besides, it's not like your plan would have worked too."

"Ugh! Fine! Whatever. Just make yourself useful and cut off the legs so we can make a sled," Frank ordered, before going back to cutting off the large piece of armor from the beetle. Anne glared at him before huffing and began chopping off the rest of the legs. Grumbling under her breath as she did so.

"I don't get why we're out here doing this," she said.

Frank managed to get the first cover off. It became loose like a blanket, so he rolled it up. When he heard Anne, he looked at her and said, "Really, you don't know?"

Flashback

Truth be told, the tension that's been building between Frank and Anne has been building since the beginning of their stay at the Plantar house. Although they've been able to get along with one another relatively enough, there were still times when the two would get on each other's nerves and would begin an argument. However, it all came to a boiling point yesterday when the two were sleeping in the basement together.

On that night, Frank was sleeping soundly under the covers when his body was suddenly hit with a cold blast of air coming from a window that Anne had opened. When Frank woke up and saw her opening the window, he frowned.

"Anne! Close the window! It's a freezer in here!" He said, pointing to the window.

"Are you kidding me? It's like an over in here," Anne argued back. Frank wanted to yell back at her but stopped himself. He rubbed his eyes and growled before taking them off and got up.

"Alright, Anne," he said, walking up to her. He paused when he felt himself stepping on something. Looking down, he saw he was standing on one of her bras. Shaking it off, he continued. "We've been living together for over a week now. I didn't think it would have come to this, but we need to set some ground rules if we're going to be living together in the same room.

Anne scuffed and crossed her arms. "Like what?" She asked smugly.

"Well, for one thing, the window. And no keeping me up after dark with your reading!" Frank exclaimed.

"How does reading keep you up?" Anne threw her hands up.

Frank narrowed his eyes at her and held up a pinecone. He took a bite out of it and started eating it. Making sure to slowly chew, so that his partner heard the crunching sounds. "Ring any bells?" He asked rhetorically before swallowing.

"Y-Yeah? Well, what about your snoring?" Anne asked, pointing at him. Remembering all those nights, she was kept awake because of his loud snoring. "I can't sleep when you open your big mouth and let it all out for the world to hear."

"Well, what about when you leave your dirty clothes all over the floor? Can you do something about that?" Frank asked. His voice getting louder than normal. Pulling out his knife, he reached down and lifted one of Anne's socks. "This room isn't a hamper, you know!" He flung it away.

"Well, what about taking a bath once and awhile? You've been wearing those same smelly clothes for days now!"

"I don't have any other clothes, and why would I take a bath? All I'm going to get is a bunch of leeches?" Frank glared at Anne and pointed at her face. "And it's not like I can get into the bathroom if I wanted to when you're in there!"

"Well, it's not my fault I'm busy when I go in there," Anne said, butting heads with Frank as the two glared at one another. Gritting their teeth.

"You take two fucking hours!"

"Then go out into the lake!"

SLAM!

Suddenly the door to the basement slammed open, and Hop Pop came marching down with Polly in one hand and Sprig behind him. "What the blue Frog is going on down here?!" the elder frog yelled, looking enraged that he and the rest of his family were awoken by the humans that lived in their basement.

"We're trying to SLEEP!" Polly yelled at the teenagers.

"She/He started it!" Frank and Anne yelled at the same time. They looked at one another, appalled. "What?! Me?! Why you…!"

"STOP!" Hop Pop yelled out loud, startling the two. "Now, here's what's going to happen. We're all going to go back to bed, and we're all going to sleep. And if I have to come down here and stop your fighting, you're going to be sleeping in the stable!" He yelled out furiously at the two before slamming the door behind him. Leaving Frank and Anne in a moment of stunned silence.

Meanwhile, in the living room.

"Guys, this is really bad," Sprig said, grabbing his head with a look of concern.

"They're just getting used to each other," Polly said, brushing off the two humans fighting.

"Polly's right, Sprig. They're still trying to recollect what they lost," Hop Pop said wisely. "I'm sure they'll be able to find a solution to their problems."

Sprig jumped onto the table and grabbed Hop Pop by his face. "But what if they never do? Don't you remember what happened to the Hendersons next door? They used to argue all the time, and look at what happened to them." He pointed out the window.

Right at a destroyed looking treehouse that was sinking into a lake of green water. The house looked like it's been dead for years, with nothing growing around the rotting tree that had its windows bard up. There was a for sale sign out in the front, but the door was open. Wally then walked out of the house with a stack of plates. "Nothing like scavenging the remains of a broken frog family in the night," he said, placing the plates in a cart with more dishes and utensils. Wally then ran as fast as he could with his loot.

"If we don't do something now, it won't be long before their bickering tears this family apart!" Sprig exclaimed, pacing around the room.

"I still think we should just give them time," Polly said, yawning. "Now, can we please go back to bed?"

The frogs walked upstairs and down the hallway. "Polly's right, Sprig. Not like we have a lot of options. You can't force people to get along," Hop Pop said, as Sprig stopped at his door.

Just as Sprig was about to open his door, his eyes widened, and that's when an idea started forming in his head. He grabbed his door handle while staring at Hop Pop and Polly. "Of course not, Hop Pop. He opened his door and stepped halfway behind the door, still staring at the elder frog and the polliwog.

"Of course not." He then stepped behind the door but didn't close it. Hop Pop and Polly stared at the door and waited for only a second before the red frog peaked out from behind the door.

"Of course-"

"Just go to bed!" Polly yelled.

When the next day started, Frank and Anne were back to being civil again but were trying not to interact with one another all too much. They were on the back porch with Hop Pop and Polly. Anne was reading a magazine with Polly, Hop Pop was sitting on a crate, enjoying the view, and Frank was sitting on the edge of the platform with a spear. He looked at the water for any fish to stab and catch. Something that he's been doing every morning since their stay with the Plantars.

Narrowing his gaze at a single fish, Frank was about to strike…

"WE'VE BEEN ROBBED!"

"AAAAHHHH!" Frank yelled out, startled, and fell into the water. Making a big splash.

"SAY WHAT?!" Hop Pop yelled, standing up on his crate with big eyes and grabbing his head.

Anne giggled before Frank's head came up from the water and frowned at her. "Sorry. Sorry. It's not you. It's just that Hop Pop delivered the perfect sitcom catchphrase."

"Must be painful to make so little sense all the time," said the old frog.

Frank climbed out of the water and back onto the patio. "What do you mean we've been robbed?"

Sprig quickly brought them over to an underground locker that the family had to store insect meats. How the frogs were able to make a freezer room or why the family had one in the first place was beyond Frank's understanding, but he didn't question it. In this world, anything was possible—even electrical power out in the mind of nowhere in a swamp.

A few seconds after going, Hop Pop came back out with wide eyes. "It's all gone! Everything's gone. Without that meat, all we'll have left are the vegetables and my prize-winning' corn!"

"You've won prizes?" Anne asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm pretty sure he was making an expression, Anne," Frank said with a slight frown.

"The injustice! The outrage! We wouldn't survive with the meat! We've got to go out and find more!"

"But all the butcher shops are closed," Hop Pop said.

"Then, we must hunt for our food!" Sprig exclaimed, jumping onto the handle of the steel plow.

Frank thought for a moment before looking up with a smile. "Well, I've hunted before, so I'll go and get us some more insect meat," he said and was about to go off to find wherever he could hunt and kill for the family.

But he was stopped when Sprig quickly said, "Not so fast, Frank! You can't go alone. That's why…" the red frog pointed to the other human. "Anne's going with you!"

"Say what now?" Anne and Frank asked simultaneously.

"Well, obviously, Hop Pop can't because he's too old."

"That's far," Hop Pop said with a shrug.

"And I can't, because I have the attention span of a…" Sprig trailed off when a small butterfly flew past his head. Distracting him easily. "Oh, look at that."

"Why not Frank and Polly?" Anne asked, holding the little polliwog as the others looked at her. "Seems like a winning combo to me."

"You want to send a baby out to hunt giant insects in the forest?" Frank asked incredulously.

"Just asking, Frank. Ugh." Anne rolled her eyes and handled Polly to Hop Pop.

Frank sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't like it. Anne wasn't the best when it came to helping out around the farm. Out of the two of them, she was the slacker, and Frank would have to pick up the pace for her. But Sprig was right. He couldn't go alone, and Anne was the only one who could assist him in bringing down some of the giant bugs that were in Amphibia. Secretly, he'd hoped that they could work together like when they fought the praying mantises.

"Alright, is we don't have any other choice. Let's be honest, though. I'm going to be the one to do all the work," he said, turning and walking away.

"Why would you say that? Are you saying I can't hunt?" Anne asked as she followed after him.

"Have you ever before?"

The two humans were gone. Leaving Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly standing in front of the meat locker's door. Watching as Frank and Anne walked away while arguing.

"Sprig," Hop Pop said.

"Yes," asked Sprig.

"You do realize you might have doomed this family to starvation and sent Frank and Anne to their deaths, right?" Hop Pop questioned his grandson with a frown.

"Absolutely. But now those two have to spend the whole time together and bond!" Sprig exclaimed with confidence before turning and walking towards the house.

"Sprig, you can't manipulate people like this!" Polly said as she was carried by Hop Pop back to the house. Sprig opened the door for his family to enter the house.

"I can, and I did. And it's going to save this family," Sprig proclaimed. Determined to keep his family from ending up like the Hendersons.

"You're still in big trouble!" Hop Pop yelled from inside.

Present

"Oh yeah. Don't why I forgot," Anne asked after constructing a sled from the legs of the beetle. On it was chunks of insect meat and the wing covers that were tied down. Frank was at the front of the elephant beetle, trying to hack off its horn with his scythe. Grunting with each swing and cut he made to the base of the horn.

"And I thought Sprig was the forgetful one," Frank teased Anne light-heartily, before taking another swing at the horn. Before, there were squishy snapping to each cut made, but this one created a hard snapping. Dropping the scythe onto the ground, the boy grabbed the horn and snapped it off with a hard yank.

He grabbed his scythe with the horn on his shoulder and walked over to the sled. He placed the weapon on the pile of meat that they've carved out of the elephant beetle. He then took a long line of rope and tied both ends to the horn to create a makeshift handle.

"Alright, let's get this back to the house." Turning back to Anne, Frank held up the horn for her to help him pull the sled.

"...Yeah, I don't know. All that hard work and hunting really hurt my arm," Anne lied, pulling the same trick that she'd use to get out of some of her job. Frank frowned at her, not at all buying her soreness for a moment. "Why don't I go on ahead of you and be like your guard? I mean, you can't defend yourself when you're pulling right."

Not waiting for a response, Anne pulled out her tennis racket from her backpack and started walking towards the house. Frank continued to frown at her before letting out a sigh. He then placed the horn on his shoulders and started pulling the sled on his own.

"Why do I even bother?" He grumbled to himself.

As Anne walked ahead of him, Frank slowly pulled the sled all by himself. The Plantar farmhouse wasn't too far, but their journey was about to become even harder. A mist was rolling in as the rain started coming back. At first, it was lightly drizzling down before coming down in buckets.

Frank's bare feet stomped in the mud as he pulled the sled. He was fighting not only against the rain that was drenching his clothes and skin, the blowing winds that were stinging his skin, and wet clothes with freezing temperatures but now the ground that was trying to get him stuck. Frank pulled harder on the horn to pull the sled that was getting stuck in the mud. Looking ahead of himself, he could still see Anne's silhouette through the mist that descended on them. But the mist was getting thicker, and soon, she disappeared.

As for Anne, she was continuing to walk on ahead of Frank. With a hand up to shield her eyes from the rain coming down on her, Anne squinted her eyes to see where she was going. Shivering at the cold wind and rain.

But soon, she looked ahead, and her eyes widened when she saw the outline of Sprig's home. She gasped with a smile and turned back to Frank. "I see the house! We're almost...Frank?" Her smile faded.

There was no one there—only the thick mist and rain.

Anne waited for a moment, and as the seconds started passing, the more worried she was becoming.

Suddenly Frank's voice could be heard as a scream of pain.

"FRANK, I'M COMING!" Still armed with her tennis racket, Anne rushed back towards Frank. He was in trouble, and she had to save him.

Following the sounds of his screams, yells, and loud grunts, Anne picked up the pace. Following her own footprints in the mud. But the further she ran, the more she worried if she had overshot him. If she was too late to have him every time he screamed.

But soon, she found him.

And he wasn't alone.

Standing on top of the sled, Frank was trying to fight off a pack of ants the size of wolves surrounding him.

One jumped at him, and Frank sliced it in half with his scythe. Then another one jumped out his back, but he grabbed it and threw it into another ant.

"Get away from him!" Anne yelled as she charged at the small pack. Knocking away an ant with each swing on her racket. Frank pulled out his knife and stabbed the head of another ant that came climbing onto the sled.

As the two humans were reunited and were ready to fight off the ants, the four remaining ants backed off and ran away.

When they were safe, Frank jumped down from the sled. Anne looked at him with a look of guilt as Frank panted and rubbed his own arms to warm himself in some way. She looked away from him again, but the guilt remained. Anne tried to ask him if he was okay and placed a hand on his shoulder. But Frank shrugged off her hand and walked to the front of the sled and grabbed the horn. Anne walked over and grabbed the horn with him.

He looked at her as she tried to smile, but Frank scowled and started pulling the sled with her. Not talking to her as the two pulled their kill together to the house. Wanting for this hardship to be over.

When night came, the rain had stopped, and the sky was cleared up again. The remaining members of the pack of ants that had attacked Frank and Anne walked in a single file line. A line that consisted of hundreds of other ants marching towards the old elephant beetle's carcass. Covered completely in hundreds of ants, the sight of it would make a grown adult shiver. Once an ant ripped off a piece of the beetle with its jaws, the drone would get in another line that went all the way back to the hive.

The ants worked as ants do to stripe the elephant beetle of everything when the ground started rumbling. They all raised their heads and looked in the direction it came from. Suddenly and as quick as lightning, the ants scurried away.

It was none other than the herd. The elephant beetles have come to find their lost brother. Led by the beetle patriarch, with a distinctive tattoo-like marking on his horn.

The ants ran away from the herd as the beetles formed a circle around their fallen brother. The patriarch stared down at the elder beetle's body before letting out a mournful trumpet. Just like real elephants, these beetle mourn the death of one of their herd. Lowering his head down, the patriarch rubbed his horn against the elder's carcass.

But with his head low to the ground, the patriarch noticing a strange set of footprints in the mud. They weren't from the ants, and they weren't from the frogs. This creature had a flat foot with five toes. There was another set that had toes, but they were both together.

The patriarch looked at Frank and Anne's tracks, along with the sled's tracks. Anger filled the elephant beetle, and he let out another trumpet—this time of fury.

They will follow the trail and take their revenge.

The horn of the elephant beetle was inside the Plantar home. Leaning against the wall. Hop Pop and Polly wrapped the chunks of meat in paper for storing away in the living room. Sprig looking at the door to the basement. "Why aren't they saying anything," Sprig asked.

"Sprig, I know you want to help them, but can't you just let it go for now? They just came out of the rain from a hard hunt and fighting off a pack of ants," Hop Pop said. Sprig walked over to him and his sister.

"Okay, I know that things didn't work out the way they were supposed to, but now the flowers of friendship have a chance to bloom once again," Sprig said with hope in his voice. He zoomed back over to the door of the basement and listened in on the two humans.

"And you're not at all ashamed about almost getting them killed, are you?" Polly asked.

"Kinda."

Down in the basement, Frank had his grandpa's m61 jacket off and hung it near the window. He had a towel wrapped around his body to dry himself off. Anne was sitting up in her bed reading. Or so it seemed. The truth was that she wasn't reading. Anne glanced at Frank from time to time, wanting to strike up some kind of conversation to lighten the mood. She still felt bad for leaving him to pull the sled and causing him to get attacked by those ants.

"Frank?" She spoke up, trying her luck.

"What?" Frank asked, still not looking at her.

"Do you think we'll ever get home?" She asked.

Frank's scowl lightened as he turned to look at her. "I...I don't know," he admitted, laying down on his back. "I'd be lying when I say I don't think about it. Along with other things."

"Like what?"

"Like how odd it is that we're here together," Frank said with a kind smile. He walked over and sat next to Anne and continued as she listened. "Maybe it's just me, but I can't help but think that fate brought us here for a reason. Two former friends being forced back together in another world."

Anne laughed at this, and Frank joined her. When she stopped, Anne laid back on her bed with her hands behind her head. "Yeah, I guess that's one of the few good things to come out of this mess," she said with a small smile. Frank smiled and laid down with her.

Up in the living room, Sprig was becoming ecstatic. "It's working. They're connecting," he whispered with a big smile. Polly and Hop Pop didn't care and continued packing meat into a large box for storage.

But the moment would end as quickly as it began.

"Of course, my situation's way worse than yours," said Anne without thinking.

The moment she said that Frank's anger made a U-turn and surfaced back up again. "And there you go again, ruining the moment," he said, sitting up. He turned to Anne with a glare and pointed at her. "We're both in the same situation, so could yours be worse than mine?"

"Uh, hello? My friends are still out there all alone and came here by yourself!" Anne said angrily, sitting up.

"I came here with you! Because of your stupid decision!" Frank yelled furiously.

"That's it!" Anne rolled up her sleeve and jumped at him. Knocking him to the floor and they started fighting one another. Days of pent up frustration finally boiling over as the former friends wrestled and punched each other. And it was all heard by Sprig, who gasped in horror, realizing that his 'ingenious' plan was ruined.

"No, no! This can't be! Now they're actually fighting!" He exclaimed. "And actually fighting this time!"

"Oh, no. What a surprise." Polly said, not at all surprised that Frank and Anne were fighting.

Suddenly the entire house shook as something rammed into it. The frogs were startled by the impact and stood up as something else hit the house. Down in the basement, Frank and Anne stopped fighting for a moment when a third impact rocked the house. They rushed up the stairs as small rocks and dirt fell on them and threw the door open.

"What the hell's going on?!" Frank yelled over the constraint slamming.

They all ran out of the house to see just what was attacking them and the frogs and humans' faces turned into looks of terror.

Standing in front of them and the house was the elephant beetle herd. The massive insects towered over the humans and frogs as they glared down at them. The patriarch let out a snort, making steam shot out of his nostrils.

"Well, we're dead," Polly said while Frank pulled out his knife.

The patriarch looked at each member of the frog family and their feet. But they didn't match the footprints they found in the mud. Then he looked at Frank and Anne and their feet. A perfect match. Even though it wasn't about to express itself, the beetle's glowing yellow eyes held within them hatefulness that was felt by Frank and Anne. Giving them a shiver down their spins.

"Is it just me, or do they all look pissed off?" Anne asked. Frank gave her a look.

The patriarch stood up on his hind legs and raised his front leg.

"Run!" Yelled Frank.

The frogs and humans scattered before the large legs crushed them. Frank, Anne, and the Plantars then made a run for it. The frog family jumped up into the air and hopped across the backs of the elephant beetles to escape them. But they were ignored as they weren't the targets of the mammoth-sized insect's wrath.

Frank's path was blocked by a leg that got in his way. Making him run into it. The beetle he was under tried to stomp on him with its six legs, but Frank stepped out of the way each time it tried to kill him. But he was also trapped.

Anne screamed past him as another beetle chased after her. "Anne!" Sprig said as he jumped over to her. Landing beside her. But then another beetle came charging at them, forcing the two to split up.

Seeing an opening, Frank jump forward, out from under the elephant beetle, and rolled on the ground. Getting back up, he ran towards Anne to help her. But he stopped when an elephant beetle came towards him and swung its horn into the ground. Kicking up dirt and flinging Frank across the field. Sending him towards another insect that swung it's horn at him and hit him in the stomach. Knocking the wind out of his lungs and sending across the field again.

Another elephant beetle was about to impale him on its horn when it missed. But the sharp end of its horn scratched across Frank's chest. Cutting a large tear in his white T-Shirt and slashing a scar into him. It didn't kill Frank, but it did draw blood.

Frank landed in the mud on his back. He had lost his knife, and the patriarch was charging at him with his head lowered and horn ready to impale the human. Not wanting to die like that or be trampled, Frank rolled out of the way.

As for Anne, she escaped another attempt on her life by the elephant beetles, but just like Frank, another one was over her. Trying to stomp on her with its massive legs. As she dodged the legs, she looked back at Frank and gasped in terror.

The elephant beetles completely surrounded him. As he ran to help her and escape, a beetle swatted him away with its horn. Sending him to another beetle. Frank's body slammed into its horn, before the beetle slammed its head into the ground. Frank groaned in pain as he got back up.

"ANNE! OVER HERE!" Anne turned her head to see Sprig and his family waving to her near the cornfield.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Polly shouted.

"I've got to help Frank!" Anne yelled back before jumping up front under the beetle. Right before it slammed its body down to crush the girl. She ran to Frank but was hit in the chest by the patriarch. Anne screamed as she flew into the air before landing hard on the mud-covered ground. The Plantars went over to help her. But the patriarch was stomping towards them.

Even as his body ached with pain and agony, when Frank saw his friend and froggy family about to be killed by the patriarch, he spurred into action.

Another beetle charged, but Frank jumped onto its head. The insect reared its head back and let out a cry before trying to shake him off. Frank held on for as long as he could before seeing his knife on the ground.

Jumped off, grabbed the knife, and rushed to help the others.

"I just want everyone to know this is all Sprig's fault!" Polly screamed as the patriarch marched closer towards them.

"I know! I've learned my lesson! I promise I'll never manipulate people again!" Sprig yelled, bursting out into tears.

"I don't think we're going to long enough for you to regret it fully!" Anne yelled as the beetle let out a roaring trumpet.

"Not today!" Frank yelled, jumping onto the horn of the patriarch. Frank was about to start stabbing its eye when the male beetle, startled by his action, started shaking his head around. Again, the teenager lost his knife and held on as tight as he could as his body was violently swung around in the air.

And then, with an angry trumpet, the patriarch of the herd charged at the house and rammed into it. Breaking down the front wall. When he pulled his head back out of the house, Anne's heart sank when she saw Frank wasn't on the horn anymore.

"NO!" Anne screamed, fearing the worst. Noticing the knife, she grabbed it and charged at the elephant beetles. Ignoring Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly's cries for her to stop. "VENGEANCE!"

Anne jumped on one of the beetles before hopping across three other ones. On the last one, she jumped onto the patriarch's back and started stabbing at its head. The patriarch roared in pain, but it didn't die. His exoskeleton resisted Anne's anger-fueled stabs. But the weapon was starting to break though he was starting to leak some green blood.

Meanwhile, in the house, Frank was lying on the ground with a moaning of pain. He was bruised up really bad, and his strength was starting to fade fast. He slowly sat up and opened his eyes.

And saw the horn of the elder elephant beetle in front of him.

Anne screamed as she was thrown off the beetle's back. She looked up and gasped when the patriarch raised up its head and horn. Ready to bring it down on her for a killing blow.

Anne closed her eyes and waited for death to come to her.

"GET WAY FROM HER!"

Hearing Frank's yell made Anne's eyes snap open wide and gasp in shock. Her partner was running towards her and jumped in front of her, holding the elder beetle's horn. Seeing the horn, the patriarch took a few steps back as Frank swung it wild. He stopped and raised it like a baseball bat.

"You want her? You're going to have to go through me, you sonsabitches!" Frank yelled at all of the elephant beetles.

"Frank, don't!" Anne said, worried.

The patriarch came back towards the two humans and just stood in front of them. Staring down at Frank. When he moved closer, Frank yelled out a battle cry and swung at its head. Hitting it and making the patriarch move back to avoid another swing.

"Come on! I'm right here!" Frank yelled at the mammoth-sized insect.

Oddly though, it didn't attack. None of the elephant beetles attacked. The patriarch just stared at him as Frank stood protectively in front of Anne. Ready to die to protect her.

This change of attitude greatly confused the two humans, with Frank panting from exhaustion. "Uh, what's up with them?" asked the Thai-American girl as Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly came over to them.

"Yeah! Weren't they just trying to kill us," asked Polly.

"Please don't remind them!" Sprig exclaimed.

Frank stared at his own reflection in the eyes of the patriarch. Then a thought entered into his mind as he looked down at the horn in his hands. His theory all but confirmed when the lead elephant beetle let out a low moaning sound.

The beetle he and Anne killed was a member of the herd. They weren't attacking them because they wanted revenge. They just wanted the horn of the comrade.

As the realization settled in for Frank, his expression turned to a look of shame and sadness. To make things right and to end the fight, he held the horn up to the patriarch.

Giving a low trumpet, the larger elephant beetle lowered its head and stepped back a bit. It then walked forward, sliding its horn under the elder's horn. Frank released his hold as the patriarch raised its head, and the horn slid down to the male's head. With its head close to him, Frank reached not and placed his hand on it.

"I'm sorry," he said to the beetle.

The patriarch trumpeted before turning away. The rest of its herd did the same. Frank, Anne, and the Plantars watched as the elephant beetles left the farm in ruins. Their trumpeting echoed even when they entered into the forest, and then the sounds disappeared. Leaving only the sounds of the crickets and the soft wind blowing.

"Oh, my frog! That was the most terrifying thing I've ever experienced!" Polly screamed.

"I thought we were goners!" Sprig said, grabbing his head.

"Me too. And you...defended me?" Anne asked, turning to Frank with a look of astonishment.

"Yeah, of course, I did," Frank said with a smile. Placing a hand on her shoulder. "Friends have each other's back no matter what."

"That's right," said Hop Pop, pacing in front of them to give his sagely froggy advice. "Sure, the two of you are going to fight and argue, but as long as you have each other's backs and stick by each other's side like true warriors, then I'd say it makes you better friends than you were before."

Frank and Anne looked at Hop Pop with looks of astonishment. Realizing he was right, they turned to each other and smiled. Then they hugged each other. As they held each other tighter, they were suddenly hit with the pain and agony their bodies were subjected to by the elephant beetles.

"Yep, everything still hurts," Anne groaned as she and Frank sat down on the ground and then laid on their backs. Both friends groaning and moaning in pain.

"Don't worry. I've got just the thing to fix the two of you up," Hop Pop said with a smile and walked towards the house.

"Wow, Sprig, I guess I owe you an apology. You're dumb ol' plan actually kinda worked," Polly said in disbelief at how. Even if it wasn't Sprig's intention for all of them to get attacked by a herd of beetles, it still got Anne and Frank to resolve their issues.

"Thanks, Polly," said Sprig with a smile. But then that smile changed to a look of terror. "But I'm going to follow your advice next time.

As Frank and Anne laid next to each other on the ground, the teenage girl asked, "What do you think they're going to do with that horn?"

"One knows? Maybe we'll find out one day," Frank said as they stared up at the stars above and the red crested-moon.

As the sun rose into the sky, and a new day began, the elephant beetles reached their destination. There before them was something very few if any amphibians have ever laid their eyes on. Situated in a circular rock formation was a beetle graveyard filled with their ancestors' lifeless remains and other members of the herd.

The patriarch made a rumbling growl before leading his herd down into the graveyard. The elephant beetle marched slowly as they passed the lifeless hushes of those that have passed. Careful as to not stomp on even a leg sticking out.

The beetles then came to a stop when the patriarch. Lowering his head to the ground allowed for the elderly male's horn to slide off his own. Then the beetle pushed the horn to be respectfully among the rest of the dead.

The herd remained silent before the patriarch began a ritual that no amphibian has even gotten to see before. Making a rumbling, grunting sound, the patriarch swayed his body back and forth. Then ever male and female, from the eldest to the calves, followed in the ritual. Their mournful rumbling could be heard throughout the valley they were in.

As they sang their song and swayed their bodies, male members of the herd would come to run their horns over the now dead beetle's horn, while the females did so gently with one of their front legs. Saying their final goodbyes to their deceased member.

AN: This may be my favorite chapter for "Living in a Frog World!" Easily! The action, the comedy, the tension, and the emotions. I know it's not Stakeout, but I hope this was more than enough to please everyone.

In case you don't know, this chapter was based on the Primal episode "a COLD DEATH." Honestly, out of all the show episodes, it's one of the more heart-warming ones. The chapter follows the events of the episode while also blending in moments from "Flood, Sweat, and Tears" and, of course, "Stakeout" from Amphibia. And honestly, I like how it turned out. All I had to do was switch out the mammoths for elephant beetles, and I was able to create a great blend of Primal and Amphibia.

The only real difficulty I had when it came to doing this chapter was coming up with moments that would have Anne and Frank fighting. More specifically, when they actually start physically fighting. So, I just traded Sprig's problems with living with Anne and had them be Frank's. I mean, sure, they've been getting along with each other in past chapters, but that doesn't mean that they can't get into fights. After all, this story is about rebuilding their friendship and for the friendship to turn into love, plus, it gives these two cute moments like when they get along and a chance to work out their differences.

And so with the itch that was this chapter finally scratched. I'm going to work on "Become ONE," but also be working on another chapter of "Godzilla: the Titan-Slayer."

Sigh…

I can't wait to get some of these stories done (The Living Dead and Weirder Things being close to the end). That way, I don't have so much to try and get to.

Thank you very much for reading. "Living in a Frog World" will return. Please be sure to Favorite and Follow if you like the story and review it so that I know that I'm doing good and improving. If you have any questions or discussions you'd have for me, please in a Review or a PM.

Thank you for reading. May God bless you, and if I don't have something out for Saturday, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!