Loyalty Among Worlds (Amphibia AU)

Over the next few days, Darrel and the Salamanders remained loyal to their word. While staying at the Plantar farm they helped out with harvesting the crops, cleaning up the house, and taking care of their slimy bunk mate, Bessie. Darrel didn't mind doing most of the work, because he's the kind of guy who knows that hard work eventually pays off.

Hop pop had never felt more pleased in his life. "I gotta say, Cronaxx. Your human companion is very helpful around here." Cronaxx smiled, "That's because he has good reason." The two elderly amphibians watch as Darrel finishes hoeing the fields. Around the same time, Anne brings out a sack of seeds and throws in a handful at a time. The two humans high five, as Sprig invites them out to play in the wilderness.

"You sure he's not using magic to plant the crops?" Hop pop asked. "Magic is not the solution to all our problems," replied Cronaxx. "Apparently, Darrel knows that," Hop pop said with a grin.

That's when they hear a loud bang in Bessie's stable. The two rush to find Tint covered in snail slime and Bessie coming out of her shell chirping. "Unfortunately, my nephew still has a lot to learn." Cronaxx gives Tint a washcloth to wash off the slime from his body.

Meanwhile out in the wilderness, Anne, Sprig, and Darrel, took their extra time to play baseball. Anne was up at bat, using the garden sickle Darrel used for the crops. "Hey Batta batta batta."

Darrel was behind her as the catcher, using only his bare hands. "Come on, boy oh boy oh boy. Right down the ol' alley. Put 'er over the ol' plate! Come on!"

Sprig prepares to throw a watermelon as their ball. He struggles at first, but musters all of his energy to throw it at them. The watermelon comes at them, and Anne takes a swing. She misses the watermelon, and it hits Darrel, knocking him down. At the same time, Anne loses her grip on the sickle and goes flying at Sprig.

"Sprig! Watch out!" Darrel grunted. Sprig ducks down only for the sickle to slice his hat in two. The sickle flies into the forest, until it hits a tree.

"Wanna go again?" Sprig asked. "Yeaaaaaah!" Anne cheered. "Wait, you have hair?"

As the three enter the forest, Darrel looks to his hands. They are shown to be a little red from the watermelon that splattered on him. "Are you alright, Darrel?" Anne asked. Darrel nodded, "I'll be fine Anne. My hands may feel bruised, but I'm fine."

Anne smiled in relief, "Okay. Oh sorry about your hat Sprig." "It's okay," said Sprig.

The three venture deep in the forest until they find the sickle wedged in a tree. "There it is," said Anne. As she grabbed it, she heard what sounded like a meow. As the two boys arrived, she shushed them and said, "Do you hear something?"

The three listen again, and they hear another meow. "Is that a cat?" asked Darrel. "Sounds like it's in trouble," said Anne.

The three rush to find the source of the sound. The three gasp as they see three giant wasps trying to sting the creature stuck in the mud. "Oh my gosh!" Anne cried. "We have to save her." "Right behind ya," said Sprig.

Darrel takes out his staff, but shakes in fear. "I hate wasps," he whispered to himself. "Why do they have to be wasps?" As he trembled in fear, a purple aura began to glow from the staff. Then it starts shooting shadow beams rapidly.

The wasps dodged the beams at the same time Anne pulled the creature out of the mud. "Gotcha." Darrel regains control of the staff and cries, "Anne! Let's get out of here!" Anne escapes the wasps and Sprig hits them with stones.

"Take that buzz brains!" Sprig cried. "Go sting someone your own size." "Don't agitate them! You'll make them more angry!" shouted Darrel. "Let's go!" cried Anne as the two humans hid in the forest. "Sprig out! Peace!" Sprig jumps backwards into a bush and follows his friends.

Anne and Darrel return to the tree where the sickle remained. Darrel dropped his staff and fell on all fours, breathing at a fast pace. Anne turned her attention to him, "Darrel, are you okay?"

Darrel nodded, catching his breath. "Yeah, but just remind me that I hate wasps!" Anne grinned, "Still can't get over what happened back then?" Darrel shook his head, "I was young. And a few wasps were near my ear. Of course I'm not over it yet."

Anne smiled, "Hey, at least we saved this little fella." Darrel and Anne look at the creature, which turns out to be a caterpillar, then Anne gives off a high pitched shriek.

Sprig arrives immediately hearing Anne shriek. "What's wrong? Are you stung?" he takes the sickle and announces, "We'll have to amputate." Darrel stops Sprig before he could do anything else. "Calm down Sprig, we're not stung," said Darrel.

"He's right," said Anne. She takes out her phone. "This caterpillar looks exactly like my cat domino from back home." She shows a photo of her cat to Sprig and then shows the caterpillar with the same resemblance.

"Oh yeah," said Darrel. "I see the resemblance." Anne put her phone away and said, "I loved my cat more than anything in the world. She was irreplaceable, but now I found a replacement."

Then Anne announced, "Let's take her home with us." Sprig wasn't so sure about this. And neither was Darrel. "I don't know Anne," said Sprig. "that's a wild animal. I'm not sure bringing it home is a good idea."

Darrel nodded in agreement, "I have to agree with Sprig, Anne. And besides, caterpillars eventually change into butterflies. Who knows what he could turn into?"

Anne however shrugged it off. "That's ridiculous. My cat back home was a stray when I adopted her. Besides, I know how much you like Domino, Darrel. You used to play with Domino all the time when you and Sasha visited."

Darrel was shocked. He thought back to the times he and Sasha visited Anne's house to hangout. Most of the time, Sasha was talking with Anne. Darrel, being the kind of person who talks less, spent most of his time with Anne's cat Domino. He shows his videos to Domino, leaving her mesmerized. But when Anne saw him spending time with her cat, she smiled.

"You saw me playing with your cat?" Darrel asked. "Of course," replied Anne. "All it took was love, patience, and… love." "You said love twice," said Sprig. Anne brings the caterpillar up in Darrel's face, giving him her big puppy eyes. "Well I do love cats…" said Darrel.

Before he could do anything else, Anne hugged him. "Thank you thank you thank you." "But on two conditions: One, Sprig has to be on board with this. And two, we keep an eye on him at all times. I'm not sure what this caterpillar is going to look like in its final phase of metamorphosis."

Anne brings the caterpillar up to Sprigs face, and the caterpillar licks it. Immediately, Sprig said, "Sold."

"It's settled," said Anne. She takes the sickle from Sprig and announces, "I hereby dub thee, Domino 2." A ray of sunlight shines on the caterpillar as Anne knights her. "Come on girl, let's go home."

As the three prepare to leave, Domino 2 stands still. Then, falls to her side. "Uh, is it broken?" Sprig asked.

Then, Darrel got an idea. "Anne, can I see your backpack?" Anne nods, "Sure, why?" "I got an idea." As Darrel looks through her bag, he finds a toy mouse and rattles it in front of Domino 2. "If this worked on Domino 1, then maybe…."

Domino 2 was mesmerized by the toy, and surprisingly Sprig too. They slowly ventured their way back home. "I can't believe that worked," said Darrel. "That was clever thinking, Darrrel," said Anne. "Thanks Anne, it takes a friend to know a friend's cat."

Back at the Plantar farm, Hop pop was chopping worm bits for lunch. Darrel walked into the kitchen, "Hey Hop pop." Hop pop turned to see him. "Oh hey Darrel, what do you want?"

Darrel could feel a strict sense in Hop pop's guts. So he said, "I just want to ask you something, if that's okay?" Hop pop nodded, "Okay, what is it?"

Darrel took a deep breath and asked, "Have you ever had a pet around the house before me and Anne arrived?"

Hop pop was surprised he asked that, "I hope you're not asking about getting a pet. Because the answer is no." Darrel shook his head no, "I'm not Hop Pop. It's just that my family had pets back home, and I was wondering if you knew how hard it was to take care of them."

Hop pop nodded, "Oh, I know just as well as the next amphibian. Every time we get a pet, Sprig and Polly swear they're going to take care of it. Like this one spider we had, Charlie Big-Bottom. I mean, sure they were there for all the cuddling and the snuggling. But, I end up doing all the hard work."

Hop pop chops more worm bits while he vents, "I swear to frog, whoever brings in another fuzzy critter in this house will be on dung duty for a month."

Darrel nods in understanding, "Thanks for clearing that up Hop pop." Then, he walks out the front door, where Sprig, Anne, and Domino 2 are waiting.

"Okay, so it's clear that Hop pop doesn't want any more pets in this house," said Darrel. "Then, we're going to have to sneak him inside," said Anne. "I can't be any part of what happens next Anne," said Darrel. "If Hop pop catches Domino 2, it's dung duty for a month."

"Should we be concerned about this?" Sprig asks, showing Domino 2 munching on his leg. Darrel felt very concerned, but Anne. "That is called play biting. Isn't it cute?" Sprig was a tad worried when Domino 2 started licking his leg. "Yeah, kinda looks like she's tasting me."

"That's ridiculous," said Anne. "Trust me, I know cats." Darrel spoke up, "But that's not a cat, Anne. That's a caterpillar." "It's still the same thing," said Anne. "It's a completely different thing!" Darrel argued. "Just help me sneak her into the basement," said Anne.

Darrel groaned in defeat, "Ugh, fine. Sprig, I got Hop pop to talk about Charlie Big-Bottom. See if you can keep him occupied until we get this critter in the basement."

Sprig went into the house first and saw Hop pop still venting about his experience with their last pet. It looked like he wasn't going to look at the living room anytime soon, so Sprig signaled them to the basement door. But just as they were about to reach the door, Domino 2 sneezed. It startled them all, including Hop pop. As he turned around, Sprig got in his face and got him to look away from Anne and Darrel.

The two successfully sneak down with the caterpillar and sigh with relief. "Okay, that was way too close." Anne shrugged, "At least we got her inside." Darrel shrugged in annoyance, "Yeah, at least."

Darrel climbs out to join Tint and Cronaxx. "I'll catch you later Anne, I'll be in Bessie's stable if you need me." But before he could, Anne stopped him by saying, "Hey, thank you for helping me Darrel." Darrel turns around to see Anne smiling at him. Seeing her smile made him give in and smile back. "You're welcome Anne. That's what friends are for."

The next morning, in the stables, Darrel stretched as he prepared for a new day. "Good morning, Tint," said Darrel. Tint was hand standing as his way of preparing for the day. "Good morning Darrel. Today is going to be a great day."

"How so?" Darrel asked. "Because we're going to connect with nature, as part of your magic training," replied Cronaxx. Darrel smiled, "Okay."

So the Salamanders packed lightly and prepared to venture into the wilderness. They spot Hop pop harvesting in the fields. "We're going to be gone for the day Hop pop," said Cronaxx. "We'll be back by sundown." Hop pop nodded, "Okay, look after yourselves."

The trio venture into the forest and reach higher ground by climbing up trees. The three look over the horizon to see the same wasps that Darrel, Anne, and Sprig fought against. Darrel sat down looking a little agitated.

"What's wrong, Darrel?" Tint asked. "It's those wasps out there," Darrel said pointing in their direction. "I had a bad experience with wasps when I was 9 years old. I got curious what their nest looked like up close and a couple wasps got near my ear. I got scared and one of them stung my arm."

Cronaxx listened and smiled, "Do you know why those wasps did that?" Darrel looked confused, "Because they were mean?" Cronaxx shook his head, "It's because like you, they felt threatened. They defended their home, because like you they have family."

Darrel looks at the wasps with realization, he watches them working together as one cohesive unit. After pollinating giant flowers, harvesting nectar, they return to their nest providing the food they gathered to their newborn larvas. Darrel smiled at what they're doing.

"You're right, Cronaxx. I know that now." Tint smiled, "Magic exists in many forms that surround life itself. Magic is not a practice. It is a living, breathing web of energy that, with our permission, can encase our every action." Darrel looks to the wasps that stare at him from a distance. He nods at them and they fly into their nest.

Then, Tint spots another wasp carrying what looked like Domino 2. "Looks like that one's hungry," he said. "Looks like he did us a favor," said Cronaxx. "Why?" Darrel asked. "It's just a caterpillar." "That is a Coastal Killapillar," Tint explained. "They are dangerous amphibivores. Sure they look cute, but wait until they change into monsters."

That horrifying description put Darrel into a shock of realization. He, Anne, and Sprig, had basically put them all in danger. He jumped down the tree from branch to branch, and reached ground level.

"Darrel! What's wrong?!" Tint cried. "Anne and the Plantars are in trouble!" Darrel shouted as he raced back to the house. This concerned Tint and Cronaxx and they followed him soon after.

Back at the house, after a long day, Anne and Sprig were in the kitchen eating pounds of food. Hop pop spotted them and said, "Woah there, hungry much?" Sprig and Anne turned around with food in their mouths. "We've been running around all day. We're starving," said Sprig.

This got Hop pop curious, "Running around? Doing what?" The two looked at each other, and quietly said, "Oh nothing." "I mean who's to say really?"

Just then, the door swung open and Darrel rushed to find the three in the kitchen. "Anne! Sprig! Hop pop!" The sudden burst got their full attention. "Darrel, what's going on?" asked Hop pop. Darrel looked at Anne and Sprig, knowing they were going to get into trouble.

Darrel said, "Hop pop, we're in danger. We've gotta get out of here now!" That's when they hear a sudden bang from the basement. "What was that?" Hop pop asked. "I really hate to think what's down there," said Darrel.

Hop pop opens the door to the basement filled with cobwebs and scratch marks. The four gasp at the site of an open web covered chrysalis on Anne's bed. "Oh no," said Darrel. "We're too late." Anne turned in fear, "You don't think..?" She turns her attention and shouts, "Domino 2, where are you? Baby Precious!"

"Wait. Baby Precious?" Hop pop then realized something. "That's a pet name, for a pet!" He turns his attention to Sprig, "You sneak a pet in here?"

Sprig was in a tight spot, but Darrel cut the tension. "It's worse than a pet Hop pop. We snuck in a predator." Hop pop was surprised, "YOU WHAT?!" "Wait, a predator?" asked Sprig.

Darrel nodded, "Yes, a Coastal Killapillar. They are more dangerous when they change into their mature states." Anne didn't want to believe him, "Really? How bad can they be?"

Hop pop squinted his eyes and said, "Very bad, Anne." Then the four hear something crawling on the ceiling. They stayed in a group until Darrel felt something breathing down the back of his head. He turns to see the killapillar swoop down and reveal its butterfly stage.

The creature screeches with its claw-like legs, it's dominant red eyes, and flaps with its powerful wings. Anne suddenly realizes, "Domino 2? Is that you?"

Hop pop quickly shushed Anne, "These monsters respond to sound. Let's back away slowly and quietly." The four do just that, in hopes to trap Domino 2 in the basement.

However, all that changed when, "HEY FAMILY! What's Happening In Here!?" Polly shouted as she busts open the door. Domino 2 screeches, ready to attack. Polly screams and the Plantars run out of the basement.

Darrel was about to leave, but saw Anne trying to calm it down. "Domino 2? It's me Anne." Domino 2 calmed down, and landed in front of Anne. "We've bonded, I gave you treats. You gave me dead things." Anne walked up and placed her hand on Domino 2. "Don't you remember?"

But, Domino 2 was too hungry to resist instincts. She blows Anne and Darrel out of the way, knocking Darrel into a pile of boxes. The boxes pinned Darrel to the floor, and he could only watch as Anne ran up with the toy mouse in her hand.

"Anne! Don't do this!" he cried. But Anne didn't hear him. He tried to free himself from the boxes, but he couldn't. The boxes were too heavy to push off his back. Darrel grunted in frustration, until he remembered what Tint told him about magic. 'Magic can encase our every action with our permission.'

Darrel decided to try and perform magic to get the crates off him. He closes his eyes and focuses his energy performing a levitation spell. The magic flows in his heart, and creates an aura making the crates float up.

Darrel crawls out, takes his staff, and runs out to find Anne. Cronaxx and Tint arrive just as Darrel ran out. "Hop pop, what happened?" Tint asked. "A giant monster almost ate us," Polly replied.

Out in the wilderness, Darrel rushes out and finds Anne trapped and Domino 2 closing in on her. Darrel cries out, "NO! ANNE!" Then, Darrel's staff glows bright green and gets in front of Anne. "Leave her alone!" he shouted. Domino 2 stares at the staff and suddenly sits down.

Darrel watches in awe as he uses magic to stall the beast. "I'm sorry Darrel," said Anne. "I thought I could change her. But I guess I was wrong." Darrel nodded, "It's okay Anne, let's just keep her as far away from the Plantars as possible."

Anne looks at the toy mouse she used to lure Domino 2 out of the house. Then remembers all the good times she had with her. She closed her eyes and said, "It's time to go."

Darrel breaks the spell, and Anne throws the toy mouse. Domino 2 flies after it, and disappears in the trees. Darrel walks up to Anne's side and the two humans fall on their knees. "Sayonara, Domino 2." "I'm sorry Anne," said Darrel. "For what it's worth, I miss your cat too." With tears in her eyes Anne hugs Darrel, and Darrel embraces.

Back at the Plantars, Hop pop, Cronaxx, and Tint proceed to gather up all the cobwebs Domino 2 left behind. "And look who's cleaning up after the pet, good ol' Hop pop that's who."

"Technically it's a predator, not a pet," said Darrel as he and Anne arrived back safely. "Hey," said Anne in a depressed way. "Guys! You're okay!" Sprig cheered. "Tell me that thing is gone," cried Polly.

Darrel nodded, "Yeah it's gone, Polly." Anne put her hand on her arm and said, "I'm so sorry guys. I had no right to put you all in danger. No matter how much I miss my cat. I hope you understand."

Hop pop looks ready to yell at Anne, "Understand? Understand?!" until he reveals bottled up tears in his eyes. "I miss Charlie Big-Bottom with all my heart and soul!" He cries his heart out and Darrel gives him a hug. Polly kills the mood saying, "Can we please fix the GIANT HOLE IN THE HOUSE?!"

The very next day, Anne was sweeping the cobwebs off the walls and floors. Darrel comes down along with Sprig. Anne looks at them and says, "Just goes to show you. You can't take some wild animal you found in the woods, have it live in your basement, and think everything's going to be okay."

Sprig and Darrel look at each other and smile, "I don't know," said Sprig. "Sometimes it works out." Anne looks at her living quarters and realizes, "You're talking about me right?"

Darrel shrugs, "Maybe. Oh, Anne? Sprig and I made you something." Darrel shows Anne a stuffed replica of Domino 2 with buttons for eyes. "Sprig helped me collect Domino 2's hairballs to make this."

Darrel gives the stuffed animal to Anne, "Is it okay?" Anne stared down at what Darrel and Sprig made for them. "Do you hate it?" Sprig asked. Then, out of nowhere, Anne hugs the stuffed animal along with Darrel and Sprig. "I LOVE IT!" she cried. Sprig was shocked, but Darrel was happy.

Back in Bessie's Stable, Darrel was relieved that he and Anne got to live another day. "I'm very impressed," said Cronaxx. "Your desire to save your friend, helped unlock your abilities to tame that mighty beast." Darrel shrugged, "I guess in a way, my heart asked the magic for help." "We should keep practicing that focus, so you can perform magic whenever you want," said Tint. "That's not such a bad idea," said Darrel. The two rushed out of the stable and went to an open field to help Darrel practice.