Over the next few days, the house was fully repaired after the attack from the Elephant Beetles' herd. Frank and Anne's wounds have healed thanks to Hop Pop's medicine. They were back to harvesting crops, cleaning up the house, and taking care of Bessie the Snail.
Today was one of few days that the kids would have a break, and they decided to play some baseball. However, with only three of them, they didn't have enough players to play the game properly. They also didn't have a bat or a ball or a mitten. So, they came up with a new game.
The goal was to see how close you can get to cutting a watermelon thrown at you down the middle. Whoever did wins the game.
Being a baseball play himself, Frank was the first one up to bat, using the mantis scythe that he used not only for defense and hunting, but for the crops as well. Stepping up to the plate, Frank lightly hits the sides of his shoes on the scythe as if it was a bat before getting position. "Alright, Sprig! Show me what you've got!"
Struggling at first, Sprig managed to roll the first watermelon onto the pitching mound. Then, using all of his strength, he threw it at Frank. The moment Sprig threw it, Frank went through the motions and took a swing. Cutting the melon in two.
The three friends walked over to the two halves, and Frank picked them up. Placing them together, he saw how close he was to cut it down the middle.
"Wow, Frank! You almost got it!" Sprig said, pointing at the melon.
"Bet I could do better," Anne said with a smirk.
"Oh, is that so?" Frank asked with a smile, taking it she was challenging him. Holding out his scythe to her, he said, "By all means, Anne, show us what you've got."
"You've got it." Anne took the weapon as Sprig ran back over to the pitching mound. Anne walked up to the plate and got ready to swing. "Hey, Batta Batta Batta!"
Mustering all the energy his little arms could give, Sprig threw the next watermelon at Anne. As it came towards her, Anne took a swing. But she missed the watermelon and lost her grip on the scythe.
"Ah, whiffed it," she said, before gasping when seeing the scythe going straight for Sprig. "Sprig!"
"Huh?"
"Watch out!" Frank ran as fast as he could and tackled Sprig to the ground, just in the nick of time. The scythe flew over them and into the forest, hitting a tree. The trio starred in the direction it flew off, with Sprig standing on Frank's shoulder. A moment later, his hat fell apart. Having been cut sliced in two halves. Revealing Sprig had orange hair.
"Wanna go again?" he asked the two humans.
"Yeeeaaahhh!" Anne and Frank cheered.
"Wait, you have haired," Anne asked, pointing at Sprig's hair.
Soon the three entered into the forest to look for Frank's scythe. While they were walking, Frank felt slight discomfort and pain in his ribs, and he placed his hand over where it was hurting the most. Anne saw this and became concerned, knowing there was a bruise there. Out of the two of them, he was getting hurt the most, and the Elephant Beetle attack was one of the worse fights they've been in. How Frank was still alive after what the patriarch did was a mystery. How they were alive at all was an even bigger one.
Walking closer to him, she looked at him with worry. "Hey, are you okay, Frank?" She asked.
Frank quickly took his hand away from where he had it and waved it at her. "I'll be fine, Anne. Really. Just a little sore, that's all."
Anne smiled in relief as the three ventured deeper into the forest. After walking through a large bush, Anne saw the scythe. "Oh, there it is," she said, pointing to it as the weapon was lodged in a tree.
Frank walked over and yanked out of the tree. But just as he was about to walk back, he heard what sounded like a meow. "You guys hear that?" He asked.
"Hear what?" Sprig asked as he and Anne joined him. Frank held up his hand, silencing them as they listened for the sound again. Another meow echoed throughout the forest.
"Am I the only one that's hearing a cat?" asked Frank.
"Sounds like it's in trouble!" Anne said before running off in the direction of the meowing. Frank and Sprig glanced at one another before running after her. The trio ran until they came to a clearing and saw the source of the sound in front of them.
They gasped in shock when they saw three giant wasps flying around a small creature stuck in the mud. The meowing was being made by the creature, as it struggled to escape while the wasps stung the ground around it.
"Oh my God! We have to save her!" Anne exclaimed before rushing towards the animal.
"Anne, wait! Don't go out on your own!" Frank said before running after her.
"Right behind ya!" said Sprig, pulling out his faithful slingshot.
Sliding across the ground, Anne reached the creature in distress and grabbed hold of it. Pulling with all her might, she freed it from the mud. Lying on her back and holding it up. "Gotcha!"
But then a wasp dived down with its stinger to kill her and the creature. She rolled out of the way, and Frank ran in to swing and cut off the lower half of the abdomen. The wasp shrieked in pain as it flew around before falling and dying.
"We've gotta go, Anne!" Frank held out his hand, and Anne grabbed it. He pulled her up as the two remaining wasps were about to attack. Before they could, Sprig hit them with stones.
"Take that, buzz brains! Go sting someone you own size!" Sprig exclaimed.
"Stop pissing them off and run!" Frank shouted as the two humans ran past Sprig and into the forest.
"Sprig out! Peace!" Sprig said, jumping backwards into the bushes and following after his friends.
Frank and Anne kept running until they were deep in the forest, far away from the wasp. Once they stopped, Frank let go of Anne's hand, dropped his scythe, and leaned forward to put his hands on his knees. He panted heavily for a moment as Anne looked at him. "Dude, are you okay?"
"Yeah...Yeah…" Frank panted with wide eyes, trying to catch his breathing for a moment. "I'm just...I really hate bees!"
"Wait…" Anne stared at him for a moment before giggling and then laughing. "You're scared of bees, aren't you? Dude, I've seen you kill, like, a ton of insects in this world, and you're telling me you're scared of a little bee."
"Hey! I'm not scared!" Frank yelled at her with an embarrassed blush that covered most of his face. "I...I just don't like them," he said, looking away and crossing his arms.
"Well, as least we save this little fella," Anne said with a smile as she took a look at the creature. This made her let out a high pitched scream that started Frank and made him look at the animal, which turned out to be a caterpillar.
At that moment, Sprig arrived immediately after hearing Anne's scream. "What's wrong? Are you stung? Quick, Frank!" He picked up Frank's scythe off the ground and raised it up. "We'll have to amputate!"
Frank grabbed the scythe and lifted it up. Pulling Sprig up with it before he let it go. "Chill, Sprig. Everyone's fine," he said.
"He's right. This caterpillar looks exactly like my cat Domino from back home," Anne said, taking out her phone and showing the two boys a photo of her cat. And the resemblance was strong to the black cat with white stripes along its torso and a white chest.
The caterpillar meowed before purring.
"Huh. Now that I see it, they do look alike," Frank said, rubbing his chin.
"I love my cat more than anything in the world," Anne said, putting her phone away. "She was irreplaceable. But now I found a replacement. Let's take her home with us!"
Frank and Sprig glanced at one another before looking back at Anne. Neither of them so sure about taking home the caterpillar. "Eh, I don't know, Anne. That's a wild animal," Sprig said, pointing at the black and white creature.
"Yeah, I'm not sure bringing it home is a good idea," Frank said, putting his scythe on his shoulder.
"Pshh. That's ridiculous," Anne said, shrugging off her concerns as she snuggled the caterpillar to her face. "My cat back home was a stray before I adopted her."
"But Domino was a cat, Anne. This is a caterpillar," Frank said, trying to make her see reason.
"And cat is in the word caterpillar." Anne retorted.
"For the love of... Anne, we can't take home the caterpillar! We don't know what that thing will turn into," Frank said, pointing to the creature.
Anne gasped dramatically and covered the caterpillar's ears. "Don't call Domino 2 a thing," she said to him.
Frank laughed exasperatedly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh my God, she named it," he whispered under his breath before he asked her, "Do you even know how to take care of a caterpillar?"
"It'll just be like taking care of Domino 1," Anne insisted, still holding onto the caterpillar. "All it takes is love and patience and... love."
"You said 'love' twice," Sprig said.
"Please, Frank?" Anne asked as she hugged the caterpillar and gave her friend a show of her big puppy eyes. Being a dog owner and lover, Frank never stood a chance whenever his dog gave him his puppy eyes. But Anne's puppy eyes showed him an adorable side to Anne that he's yet to see. He tried to maintain his frown as he looked at her. Not wanting to give in to the temptation of her cuteness.
In the end, he sighed. "The things I do for love. All right…"
Anne suddenly ran up to him and hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she yelled excitedly.
"But she's your responsibility, Anne," Frank told her after she let him go. He then looked down at Sprig. "What do you say, buddy?"
Anne brought the caterpillar up to Sprig's face, and the little cute creature licked him.
"Sold!" Sprig said immediately.
"It's settled." After setting the caterpillar on the ground, Anne took the scythe from Frank and held it upside down like a wand or a sword. "I hereby dub thee 'Domino 2,'" she announced, knighting her new pet as a ray of light shined on the caterpillar. She then handed back the weapon to Frank. "Come on, girl. Let's go home."
The trio turned and started walking away, but stopped when they realized that Domino 2 wasn't following them. They looked at Domino 2, who just stood there for a moment before falling over on her side.
"Uh, is it broken?" Sprig asked.
"Well, she is a caterpillar. They don't do much," Frank said.
"Hold up. I got an idea," Anne said, taking off her backpack and opening it. Frank and Sprig waited as she rummaged through it before pulling out a pink mouse toy. "This worked on Domino 1 without fail."
Anne rattled the mouse in front of Domino 2, getting the little creature's attention. With a meow, she looked up at the toy and became mesmerized by it. However, Sprig did too. Domino 2 got up and started walking towards Anne.
"Wow, that actually worked," Fran said with an impressed look.
"That's a girl. You can do it. Come on," Anne said, before she and Frank started walking away with Domino 2 following them.
"I want it. Give it to me," Sprig said with a possessed voice, following the two humans while reaching out for the mouse.
"Maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad," Frank said, smiling. "But what are we going to do about Hop Pop? You think he'll let you keep Domino?"
"Don't worry. I've got it covered," Anne said confidently.
When they got back to the Plantar Farm, Anne told Sprig to wait outside of the house while she and Frank went to talk to Hop Pop. Walking into the kitchen after hearing sounds coming from it, the two humans found the elder frog chopping a worm into small bits.
"Hey, Hop Pop," Frank said, casually greeting the elder frog.
"Hey, Hop Pop, old buddy, old pal," she said with a smile, trying to butter him up.
"What do you two want, Anne?" Hop Pop asked, already knowing that the two were just coming to him because they wanted something. Having heard that same line from Sprig and Polly before.
"We were just thinking. Doesn't this house feel empty to you?" Anne asked.
Hop Pop turned his head and looked at the piles and piles of dirty dishes that were needing to be cleaned. "Not especially."
"You know," Frank said with a smile, "somethings the only thing that you need to liven up a house is to have a pet around. I remember Roger would always be in the kitchen, just waiting for me to drop a piece of food…"
"Great idea, Frank," said Anne before turning to Hop Pop. "What about we get a pet-" Hop Pop stopped by pointing the cleaver he was using at her.
"Absolutely not! Every time we get one, Sprig and Polly swear they're gonna take care of it!" Hop Pop told the two humans, who were looking at the cleaver the old frog kept swinging around. "Like this one spider we had, Charlie Big Bottom. I mean, sure, they were there for all the cuddlin' and the snugglin', but who gets stuck doin' all the work? Good ol' Hop Pop, that's who!" He then started chopping up the worm into even small pieces as he vented his frustration. "I swear to Frog, whoever brings a fuzzy critter into this house will be on dung duty for a month!"
Frank chuckled nervously before saying, "Well, you're the frog of the house." He then started backing away with Anne next to him.
"Damn right I am! I told Charlie Big Bottom to stay out of the-!" Frank closed the door after he and Anne made it outside, where Sprig was waiting for them. Leaving Hop Pop to continue ranting.
"Well, that was a bust," Frank said.
"Then it's time for Plan B. We're gonna have to sneak Domino 2 inside," Anne said.
Frank looked at her with a frown. "How are we going to do that? If Hop Pop finds out about Domino 2, we're going to be shoveling shit for a month!"
"Hey, guy. Should we be concerned about this?" Sprig asked, before lifting up his left leg. Showing Domino 2 biting on his leg. It didn't hurt too much, but it did make the young frog start to be concerned.
Also concerned for his friend, Frank grabbed Domino 2 and pulled her off of Sprig's leg. "Why'd you do that?" Anne asked, looking a little upset. "That was called 'play biting.' And it was cute."
"Anne, I know what play biting is like, and that wasn't play biting," Frank argued before looking at Domino 2 while still holding her. "Besides, I'm pretty sure she was tasting Sprig." To prove his point, Domino 2 licked her lips.
"That's ridiculous. Trust me. I know cats," Anne said, shrugging off the concern the two boys had.
"Again, this isn't a cat, Anne. Domino 2 is a caterpillar," Frank said with a scowl.
Anne shrugged. "Same thing."
"No, it's not!"
"Just help me sneak her into the basement," Anne said, taking Domino 2 from him.
Frank groaned in annoyance, but also in defeat. " Fine. Sprig, you distract Hop Pop and keep his eyes off the basement door while Anne and I take the caterpillar down there."
Sprig saluted before going over to the door. Slowly opening it, he looked inside and saw Hop Pop was still ranting on about having to take care of the family's last pet. Seeing that he wasn't going to come into the living room and facing away from the front door, Sprig signaled for the humans to come inside. Frank entered the house, opened the door to the basement, and then signaled for Anne to come.
Just as she was about to reach the basement door, Domino suddenly sneezed.
"What's that?" Hop Pop turned around while still holding the cleaver.
Frank, Anne, and Domino were gone. Then Sprig popped up in front of his grandpa with a nervous smile. "Uh, hey, Hop Pop, what's the worst thing Charlie Big Bottom ever did, since we're talking about Charlie Big Bottom?"
"Heh! How can I even choose?" Hop Pop exclaimed, going off on another rant. Unbeknownst to him, Frank and Anne were hiding behind the couch with Anne covering the caterpillar's mouth. When Hop Pop looked away, the two crawled over to the basement door and opened it. Anne crawled down into it first, before Frank followed her and shut the door.
Frank sighed in relief before walking down the steps to join Anne and her caterpillar. "That was close," he said, sitting down on his bed.
"Eh, it wasn't so bad. At least we got inside," Anne said with a shrug. Frank rolled his eyes in annoyance before walking up the stairs to do his chores. Hopefully, he won't come to regret this.
When the next morning came, Frank was awakened by the sound of something cuckooing like a rooster. Opening his eyes a little, Frank groaned. "Another day…" he sighed before trying to sit up.
However, as he did, Frank felt his arm being restrained by something sticky and strong.
"What the?" He pulled his arm hard, and the thing holding his arm ripped. Freeing him. Looking at the arm, Frank was shocked to see what looked like a spider's web hanging from it. "Wait…"
Frank reached for a mushroom light and turned it on. Light returned to the room, and it was a complete mess. Cobwebs surrounded his bed, and there were webs all around the room. Scratch marks were on the walls and even the sacks.
"Oh my God!" Frank yelled with his hands on his head. Freaked out by the state of the room. Pulling out his knife, Frank cut himself out of the cobwebs that were warped around his legs and jumped off the bed.
"Anne?" He ran over to her bed and threw the covers off. Finding his girl companion sleeping with her hair covering her eyes and Domino 2 sleeping on her stomach. Frank pushed her hair up and away from her eyes. "Hey, wake up, wake up!" He yelled, shaking her with his other hand.
"Huh?" Anne woke up to see Frank looking down at her with a worried look on his face.
"Anne, what happened to the room? Are you okay?" He asked with concern.
"Hmm? Yeah, totally," she said with a tired smile. "Domino 2 just had a bit of a rough first night indoors." Frank let her go, and she rolled back over on her side to get some more sleep. However, in doing so, revealed cuts and scratches on the left side of her face and back.
"Eesh, Anne. Domino scratched you up real bad," Frank said with a frown. "Why didn't you wake me up if you were having trouble?" He then slapped himself on the head with his eyes widening in disbelief, gesturing to the web-covered room. "How did I even sleep there all of this?!"
"You were pretty out of it once you were finished with work, so I didn't want to wake you up," Anne said with her eyes closed.
Frank was a little surprised by this, and it made him smile a little. But then he looked around the room again and started to become a little worried. "Hop Pop is definitely gonna notice something," he said.
"Oh, this is nothing. We just have to keep an eye on her while she's adjusting," Anne told him before pulling out Domino 1's mouse toy, and Domino 2 woke up. She played with the caterpillar, and Domino 2 tried reaching for the toy. "Isn't that right, Domino 2?"
Feeling a little skeptical, Frank turned towards Domino 2. The caterpillar looked at Frank, and her pupils slowly started to widen and then cover the yellow of her eyes. Reflecting the image of Frank inside both of them as she drooled. Like she was hungry.
A little nervous, Frank grinned slightly and sweated a little. "This is still fine," he said, before he was shot in the face with Domino 2's cobweb, knocking him onto the ground. "Ah, my face!"
"That's just how she says 'I love you,'" Anne said before kissing Domino 2 on the head. Frank groaned in annoyance as he pulled off the web.
That was the beginning of a long few days of Frank and Anne trying to keep Domino 2 out of sight from the rest of the Plantar family. Thinking it was would be better if the caterpillar had something to hang out on, Frank built her a cat tree from logs, branches, and boxes. It seemed to make Domino 2 happy, as she was popping out of one box and then another- somehow. But when Anne and Frank tried to see where she was in the cat tree, they heard the sound of a meowing from the stairs and saw Domino 2 opening the door and walking out of the basement.
The two freaked out before Frank ran up the stairs to try and catch her. Domino 2 entered into the kitchen as Hop Pop was trying to make a sandwich and ate it the moment he wasn't looking. Frank quickly grabbed her and ran out of the kitchen before Hop Pop could turn around. Leaving him baffled as to where his sandwich went.
Later that day, Frank and Anne came back to the basement after a hard day of work and were disguised to see a chewed up bug on her bed. Domino 2 turned to them and meowed. While Frank was still grossed out, Anne thought it was cute. Thinking it was a gift.
However, things almost went bad when Domino 2 tried to eat Polly. Using her webs, she lowered down to the polliwog with her mouth open. But Anne quickly grabbed her and ran before Polly, who was reading a book, noticed.
When the two friends returned from working the field, Anne cringed but smiled when she saw that Domino 2 brought her another 'gift.' This time in the form of a large pile of dead and mangled insects.
Frank was sharpening his knife when he heard the sound of laughing. Looking up, he saw Anne playing with Domino 2. Spinning around while holding her caterpillar. Frank's scowl turned into a smile. He hasn't seen Anne this happy in a long time, especially since coming to this world. The young boy understands how she was feeling. They both were far from home in a world of whimsicalness and savagery. Having Domino 2 with her was like having her cat, a piece of her home, with her.
Domino 2 was a troublemaker, but he had to admit, she's pretty darn cute. Just like Anne.
Frank's eyes widened, and he blushed brightly. Where the hell did that come from!? Did he really just think that Anne was cute? Well, she was. He shook his head and quickly got back to sharpening his weapon. Trying to ignore those thoughts. Anne was happy. That's all that mattered.
On the third day of having Domino 2 with them, Frank was out in the field sweating from hard work as he picked carrots from the ground. His m65 jacket was hanging on a fence post, leaving him with his white t-shirt.
Frank grabbed another carrot by the leaves and grunted as he pulled as hard as he could, until the vegetable was pulled out of the ground. Panting from exhaustion, he threw the carrot over onto the wheel barrel he was using. It landed on the other carrots that were there.
Standing up, Frank whipped the sweat from his brow and turned his head to look at the setting sun. A moment later, an apple was offered to him. "Need little something for your troubles," Hop Pop said with a smile.
Gratefully taking the apple, Frank bite into it. He hadn't realized just how hungry he was. "Thanks, Hop Pop."
The two watched the sunset before Frank saw a flock of wasps coming in their direction.
"Oh crap!" Frank reached and grabbed it from the ground. Ready for a fight. But then the wasp just flew over them and went over to some giant flowers. Once there, they started pollinating and collecting the nectar from the flower.
"Wait, what? Why didn't they attack us?" Frank said, confused.
"Boy, just because they're big and scary doesn't mean that they want to kill you," Hop Pop said with a voice of wisdom. "They're just animals, and sometimes animals have to fight when something threatens them or their family."
Frank took Hop Pop's words to heart as he looked back at the wasps as they worked. He smiled at them and leaned against the wheel barrel. "I guess you're right. Just like us," he said. Hop Pop nodded. However, that got him thinking, and he turned his head towards the elder frog. "Hey, Hop Pop, if that's the case, why would a bunch of wasps attack a caterpillar."
Hop Pop put his hand under his chin. "Well, that depends. Wasps wouldn't attack unless it were a Coastal Killapillar. They're dangerous amphibivores that start off as cute and cuddly caterpillar before they turn into a vicious monster."
Frank stared at Hop Pop with a look of shock, but then terror started to settle in his chest. Anne and Frank found Domino 2 when the wasps were attacking her. Was she really in danger? Or were the wasps defending themselves…
...from Domino 2?
Sweeting droplets the size of bullets, Frank pulled the collar of his shirt and laughed nervously. "Uh, the caterpillars wouldn't happen to be black with white stripes on its back and a heart-shaped spot on the chest."
"No. They're just black."
Frank sighed in relief.
"Those spots don't come in until they're about to transform into their killing form." Frank gasped in horror. Which didn't go noticed by Hop Pop, and he looked at the boy suspiciously. "Wait, why do you ask?"
"Oh my God, ANNE!" Frank turned and bolted for the house with his scythe in hand. They were all in danger because of him, Anne, and Sprig.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Anne and Sprig were eating a heavy amount of food after a long day of working and keeping Domino 2 away from the rest of the family. Just then, the door swung open, and Frank rushed into the kitchen.
"Anne! Sprig!" Frank yelled. The sudden entire started the two and got their full attention. He ran to the table and looked at them with big eyes filled with fear. "Where's Domino 2?!"
"Whoa! Frank, what's going on?" Sprig asked, confused as to why he was freaking out.
"We've made a terrible mistake, and now we're all in danger!" Frank exclaimed, still in a state of panic.
"What the heck are you talking about?" Anne asked, a little worried after seeing the way Frank was acting scared.
"Anne, Domino 2 wasn't-"
"Who's Domino 2?" Anne and Sprig gasped in shock with their eyes widening. Frank turned around and was met with the sight of Hop Pop standing behind him with a stern expression. "You want that sounds like? It sounds like a pet name! Did you kids sneak a pet in here?" He questioned, pointing an accusatory finger at them.
Anne laughed nervously. "Wh-What? No! Nooooo, we wouldn't have done that," she said anxiously while Hop Pop gave her a 'are you sure you want to lie?' face.
Frank said, "Hop Pop, you've got to take Sprig and Polly out of here now!"
Suddenly there was a loud banging that came from below the floor they were standing on. The force of the impact was strong enough to shake the house. Silencing the family and two humans.
"Kids."
"Yeah?" Frank asked.
"What was that?" Hop Pop asked, turning towards them with a suspicious glare.
"Mmm, basement ghost?" Anne lied with a shrug.
"Don't be ridiculous. Basement ghosts don't sound anything like that…" At that moment, the reality of the situation sank in for Hop Pop. Now he knew why Frank asked about killapilars. "Oh, my Holy Frog..."
"I'll go deal with Domino 2. You guys get out of here," Frank said before walking towards the basement door. Scythe still in hand.
"Wait, Frank!" Anne followed him, before Sprig and Hop Pop followed after them.
Frank opened the door to the basement and started cautiously walking down the stairs. The basement had even more cobwebs with larger scratch marks on the floor and walls. Frank looked around for Domino 2, but he looked towards Anne's bed when he reached the bottom of the steps. He and everyone behind him gasped in shock.
When Anne last saw Domino 2, she was sleeping after wrapping her lower-half in her webbing. But now, all that was left was an open cocoon that was made from webs. A green mist was rising from the blossomed opening. Frank walked towards the cocoon, and his eyes stung from the horrible smell. It made him cover his mouth and nose with his left arm.
"What the heck is that?" Anne asked, freaked out by the sight of the cocoon.
Frank looked inside it and found it to be empty. "We're too late," he said, looking back at the others. "Domino 2 must have transformed."
Anne gasped in fear. "Domino 2, where are you? Baby precious!" She called out for her pet.
"Anne, don't!" Frank rushed over and covered her mouth. "Domino 2's killapillar. A predator!"
Anne pulled away from him and looked at Frank in disbelief. "What are you talking about? Domino 2 isn't like that," she said defensively about her pet.
"Not when they're a caterpillar," Hop Pop said, squinting his eyes. "But when they turn-"
The four suddenly hear something crawling on the ceiling. Sending a chill up their spines. They moved closer together in a group looking around the basement for any sign of Domino 2. Frank held the scythe with both hands, ready to defend himself against whatever the caterpillar turned into.
However, all four backs were facing a dark, shadowy part of the basement. And from that corner of the basement opened a pair of glowing red eyes and a blood-curdling grin filled with rows of sharp pale-yellow teeth.
As sweat formed on his brow, Frank looked around until he felt something breathing down the back of his head. The moment he felt it, his eyes widened, and his pupils shrank. As the large creature swooped down, Frank turned around when the killapillar appeared in front of them. Now in its butterfly form.
The killapiller's appearance took on the form of a cat-butterfly hybrid and had grown considerably in size, with the body and wings similar to that of a monarch butterfly and a white feline's head and legs.
The killapillar let out a screeching roar while bearing its claws, making the two frogs and humans scream in terror. However, as she looked at it, Anne suddenly realized who it was.
"Domino 2, is that you?" she asked, reaching with her hand before Hop Pop stopped her by shushing her.
"Shh. These monsters respond to sound. Let's back away slowly and quietly," Hop Pop said in a whisper. The four did just that. Backing away from the killapillar to escape the basement and trap Domino 2 down there until they could figure out how to get rid of her.
"HEY, FAMILY! What's happening in here?!" shouted Polly after busting open the door.
Domino 2 let out a screeching roar, prepared to attack. Polly screamed in terror as Frank rushed at Domino 2 and tried to attack her, but the killer butterfly flapped her wings and created a strong gust of wind that sent Frank crashing to the ground.
"Frank!" Anne rushed over and helped him up.
"Run, kids!" Hop Pop yelled, and the Plantars ran out of the basement, with Sprig yelling about not wanting to die in a basement.
Frank and Anne were about to leave when Anne stopped and turned towards Domino 2. Frank turned around and saw Anne approaching Domino 2. "Anne? What are you doing?!"
"Domino 2? It's me, Anne," she said, trying to calm the monster down. And for a moment, it seemed to be working. Domino 2 stopped flapping her wings and lowered down to the ground. "We bonded. I gave you treats. You gave me dead things. Don't you remember?"
She placed her hand on Domino 2's head. Frank stared with amazement, thinking it had actually worked.
Domino 2 then suddenly bites down on Anne's arm.
Anne screamed in pain and agony as the teeth sank into her arm, drawing blood. Domino 2 then threw her to the right and into the wall.
"Anne!" Frank yelled before he was knocked to the side by Domino 2. The killapillar then crawled out of the basement.
Getting back up, Frank ran over to Anne as she was holding her bleeding arm. "That...wasn't play biting," she said in disbelief.
The two then heard the screaming family upsets. Frank pulled out his knife and ran upstairs. When he reached the living room, he gasped when he saw what was going on. Domino 2 was on her back and tossing the Plantars up and down. She's gonna bite their heads off as soon as she's done toying with them.
"I would like to get off the ride now!" Polly screamed.
Frank ran and jumped over Domino 2, grabbed the frogs before landing on the ground. He set them down before turning to face a now angry Domino 2.
Domino 2 lashed out at him with her long, spike-covered tongue. Frank ducked under the attack and rushed at the killapillar. But Domino 2 swatted him away from her claw. Frank yelled in pain as with his white shirt cut and scratch marks on his chest. And landed hard on the ground and got up before Domino 2 shot a web at him.
Getting back up to his feet and got ready to fight. "Alright, Domino 2. You ready to lose all 9 lives?!" He yelled in anger.
Domino 2 roared at him.
"Hey, Domino 2! Over here!"
Frank looked and was shocked to see Anne, with a blood-covered left arm, waving the mouse toy above her head. When Domino 2 turned her head towards Anne, Frank started to get scared. "Anne! Are you crazy?!"
But it was too late. Domino 2 turned from the young man and charged at Anne.
Anne said, "Oh, crud." She turned and rushed out of the house with Domino 2 chasing after her.
"ANNE!" Frank yelled as Domino 2 smashed through the wall of the house. Frank ran as fast as he could behind the killapillar as it started to fly after Anne.
Jumping up, Frank grabbed onto the backside of Domino 2 and started climbing onto her back. Once he was on her back, the boy looked to where Anne was going and gasped.
"ANNE! LOOK OUT!" He yelled.
Anne stopped in her tracks. Just inches away from running off a cliff. With her safe for now, Frank started stabbing the back of the killapillar and then stabbed her right wing and cut downwards. Domino 2 screeched in pain before crash landing on the ground. Frank jumped off before she crashed and ran over to Anne.
"Anne! What the hell were you thinking!?" He yelled at her. "You could have-"
He was interrupted by the sound of the wounded predator meowing angrily. Turning around to see the injured Domino 2 getting back onto her paws, Frank got in front of Anne to protect her.
"Stay back!" Frank shouted, swinging his combat knife. Domino 2 growled and started at the two humans. Ready to pounce.
"Frank, I'm so sorry," said Anne, looking down at the ground with a guilty expression. She looked down at her injured arm. "This is all my fault. I thought I could change her. Making her be like Domino. But I guess I was wrong."
Domino 2 started coming closer to them. Hissing and growling. "Anne, it's okay. I know you miss your cat, but it's time to let Domino 2 go," Frank said sympathetically, looking back at her.
Anne looked down at the toy mouse, and her mind started flashing back to all the good times they had with Domino 2. But Frank was right, and this thing wasn't her cat. She was going to see her cat again. But not today. She closed her eyes as she cried before looking at Domino 2.
"It's time to go!"
Anne threw the toy off the cliff, and Domino 2 two jumped into the air. Flying over Frank and Anne as it tried to flap its wings. But the large tear that Frank left took away her ability to fly. Domino 2 screeched as she fell from the sky. Her life ended when she landed on the sharp edge of a sharp rock that pierced her chest.
Covering her mouth as she gasped in horror, Anne fell to her knees. Frank walked up to Anne's side and kneed down beside her. Placing an arm around her for support. The two watched as Domino 2's body stopped moving and became limp.
Anne sobbed a little before saying, "Sayonara, Domino 2."
"I'm sorry you couldn't make it work out, Anne," Frank said. "If you want, I can go and find the toy." Being to sob again, Anne threw her arms around Frank and pulled him into a huge, which he returned. Whispering to her that it would be okay, as the killapillar's corpse remained where it was—a stark reminder of the wondrous world of Amphibia's brutal nature.
"And look who's cleaning up after the pet! Hop Pop, that's who!" Hop Pop ranted as he paced back and forth in front of Sprig and Polly.
At that moment, Anne and Frank came walking back into the house. Safe and sound. "Hey," Anne said in a melodic depressed voice.
"Anne, Frank, you two are okay!" Sprig cheerfully exclaimed.
"Tell me that thing is gone!" Polly pointed her little flipper at them.
"Yeah, it's gone for good," Frank said, looking at Anne with a sad look.
Anne sighed and grabbed her injured arm. "I'm so sorry, you guys," she said to the Plantars, and even to Frank again. "I had no right to put you all in danger, no matter how much I miss my cat. I hope you understand."
Frank placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled softly. Showing her that he understood. Sprig shared this same smile, while Polly looked blankly at them. However, Hop Pop looked ready to tear her a new one. "Understand?" He asked, walking towards the two humans, before throwing his head up. "Understand!"
Frank and Anne looked a little nervous. But then Hop Pop looked at them with big eyes filled with bottled up tears.
"I miss Charlie Big Bottom with all my heart and soul!" Hop Pop started crying a river of tears before walking over to Anne and hugging her legs. Anne looked at Frank with a look that asked what she should do.
"Just let it happen," Frank said, patting Hop Pop's head as the old frog continued crying his heart out. "I think he needs this."
Polly said, "Uh, can we please fix the GIANT HOLE IN THE HOUSE? THIS THE SECOND TIME!"
The very next morning, Frank came down into the basement while holding something behind his back. He found Anne still sweeping up what was left of the cobweb from the walls and floors.
"Hey Anne," said Frank, wearing his m65 jacket again. Anne turned to him before he threw something at her.
She caught it and was surprised when she saw it was her cat's toy mouse.
"I figured you want it back," Frank said, blushing while looking away.
Anne smiled and held the toy close to her. "Thanks, Frank," she said before going over to her bed and sitting down on her.
Still holding something behind his back, Frank asked, "Are you holding up okay?"
Anne sighed and leaned back on her bed. "Yeah, I guess. Just goes to show ya. You can't take some wild animal you found in the woods, have it live in your basement, and think everything's gonna be okay."
Frank smiled and walked over to sit next to her. "Maybe you're right. But then again, the Plantars took us in," he said. Anne looked around at both of their living quarters and smiled.
Frank then started blushing brightly before coughing into his fist. "Hey, um, well I...um." Frank struggled to form the proper words. In the end, he held out the thing he was hiding from Anne. "Here."
Anne looked and was surprised and touched to see a well-made stuffed doll of Domino 2 with button eyes. She took it from Frank and stared at it.
"I-I knew how more the little guy meant to you, so I wanted you to have something to remember her. Sprig helped me collect Domino 2's hairballs to make the fur," Frank said, blushing with embarrassment. He didn't know why he was blushing. All he was doing was giving something to Anne.
When Anne didn't show any reaction to the stuffed animal, Frank started to doubt himself. "You hate it, don't you," he said before sighing. "This was a bad idea. I'll take it back-"
"I LOVE IT!" Anne cried as she suddenly hugged the stuffed animal and Frank.