Viable Variable (Amphibia)

Chapter 3: Garden of Eatin'

Another land far from most, another land icky and gross. This other land populated of Frogs and Toads, while this other land full of dangerous roads. Be careful of the choices you make, for they themselves aren't worth the wake. A choice will be made to live or die, your friends will say and promise, but lie. The life of your own or the life of another, this life unfolded with flames from dear father.

The prophecy echoed in Richards head, there was still so much he didn't understand about it, what did it mean by this 'other land' and even his own father? He hadn't the foggiest idea

"Ugh... what happened...?" He sat up and looked around, there was tall houses made of a nice white color, each one laced with a gold finish and marble statues filling every corner, this would've been pretty normal for anywhere Richard had been, after all he had seen houses like the Northwest Mansion in this place, he looked around more, it was night, so not many people where out, he stood up, there was a small indent of his own body in the dirt next to a fountain, he looked at the area he had landed, there was 3 fountains surrounding a tall flagpole, he read the flag "Ribbiton's Ribbins?" He glared at the image of a frog with ribbons lacing it's webbed feet "nasty."

He looked back at his surroundings and saw a carriage "what is this? The 1800's?" Richard thought to himself, he pulled out his phone and saw a missed notification from his father and mother and then one from an unknown number, he checked the one from his mother first

'Where are you? School ended 3 hours ago! I get you'd want to study with that Marcy girl but it's late! Come home! I'm getting worried' he looked at his surroundings again "don't think I can right now..." he sat down against the flagpole

He then read the text from his father 'your little girlfriends dad took on a business trip, he agreed to it earlier today, and said he may just full on move to the destination, I need your opinion, what do you think I should do?' He smirked "thanks for both assuming and asking me first..." he rolled his eyes, then noticed that he didn't have any bars, it hadn't dawned on him that he wasn't in LA until he saw the 0GB on the top of the screen

He looked at the text from the unknown number "woah what is that?!" It was a picture of two power conductors, and his old friend Maxwell standing in front of it, his metallic hands in a power pose as he pointed at the devices "what the? 'I can finally come home'?" He read the subtext on the image "was this from Max?" He heard a gasp, the carriage had pulled up in front of him, he looked up and saw the carrier in a hood, Richard waved "heya bud." The carrier fainted

"Uhhh... you ok?" He reached for the carrier before a large frog hopped out of the carriage "why aren't we moving?!" The color drained from Richard's face "what are you?!" The frog looked at him "what are you?!" The voice was feminine "I've seen exotic creatures, but you can talk?! Really, what are you?"

The sun had started rising by this point, revealing the frog to be colored a beautiful shade of blue, Richard stood up "I'm a human being. I'm from earth." He had a killing headache, so he knew that he wasn't dreaming "what are you?"

"A frog? Just like the rest of us." She held her hand out as a bell rang, many-a-frog started exiting their homes and walking into the light of the sun, basking in the day, many of them gasped and/or fainted when they laid eyes on Richard

"Woof, do I really look that bad?"

Another frog came up to him from behind, this one had prepped white hair and a monocle, he was very obviously a guy, but his voice sounded similar to that of his own fathers, just ever so slightly older "oh and what do we have here, Merida?" He poked Richard with his cane "ow!" He smacked the cane away "oh, and a feisty one!" The frog added, Merida, the frog that had spoken to Richard beforehand got fully out of the carriage "not my creature Mr. Ribbiton." She picked up her fainted carrier and placed him back on the carriage, waking him up, they started to leave, without so much as saying goodbye to one another, which slightly confused Richard