Emerging from behind a fallen fir, four padded toes cautiously sought a grip on the damp outer bark. After a moment, a pair of eyes appeared, soon joined by the rest of the determined amphibian. The green tree frog climbed atop the decaying log and surveyed the landscape before it.
Ahead were a series of puddles intermingled with trees and ferns. Setting its sights on a nearby fern, the frog took aim, readied itself, and then sprung… through the air with outstretched limbs to catch the soft foliage. Yet, upon landing, the fern yielded and tipped the jumper backward into a puddle, sending up a spray of murky water.
“Whoa!” came a startled response from nearby.
Rising to his feet, the tree frog glanced around, only to lock eyes with another frog sporting a confident grin. This stockier and orange frog exuded a commanding presence without trying.
“You, okay?” the stranger asked in a deep voice.
After quickly wiping his eyes with a wet foot, the green frog replied, “Sure.”
“Wouldn’t catch me trying to land on that stuff.” He motioned towards the delicate foliage of the fern. “I’m built different.”
“I don’t think I should’ve either.”
The pair looked at each other for another hard moment before the bulgy one spoke again. “I’m Norm.”
“…Teddy,” the green frog reluctantly replied. He’d never seen this guy before and wasn’t used to having too much company. He readied himself to jump again to get clear of the puddle.
“I’m heading this way too,” Norm said, lifting a meaty foreleg in their facing direction.
“Well, I’m not quite sure where I am heading. I’m sort of just…”
“Following your gut?”
Teddy glanced at Norm in a manner that revealed he was about to say the same thing.
“Yeah, me too,” Norm said.
Resigned to the reality of their newfound traveling companionship, the pair set off to navigate the rest of the water-logged ground under the canopy of ferns.
Teddy proceeded with a measured rhythm, carefully selecting optimal landing spots with each deliberate hop. In contrast, Norm's movements were less precise, alternating between hopping and walking, his sturdy frame resting wherever pleased.
“It was strange,” Norm said. “I was just out waiting for a meal to crawl by, and I just got a feeling to try this way. Like, I’d be luckier over here, sort of thing,” Norm said. “What about you?”
“Something like that I suppose,” Teddy replied. He felt that the nature of the encounter was becoming increasingly unusual.
“Funny how these things work, isn’t it?” Norm said.
Jumping through a dense thicket of bracken, they emerged from the leafy canopy to behold some lights ahead. Moonbeams began to filter through the foliage, casting gentle rays, while a refreshing scent of mint wafted on the breeze.
Any thoughts of hunger had vanished, replaced by increasing curiosity and a hint of adventure. It was a place neither of them had been to before.
After traversing an obstacle course of gnarled surface roots from an old willow tree, the adventurers emerged bathed in light. Their eager gaze caught the shimmering reflection of moonlight bouncing off a body of water that extended before them – a tranquil pond.
Teddy descended the gentle embankment to the pond’s edge and plunged his front feet into the cool water.
"Whoa!" Norm exclaimed for the second time that evening. Teddy glanced back, noticing Norm's wide-eyed stare directed towards the opposite side of the pond.
Scanning the pond's perimeter, he couldn't believe what he saw. Hundreds of frogs converged on the water's edge, each of varying shapes and colors, all gazing wonderfully at the amphibious gathering spectacle unfolding before them.
“Where did we all come from?” Norm asked.
“I'm not sure… but this feels like the place to be,” Teddy replied as a chorus of croaks began to reverberate around the pond.
to be continued….