Previously, Grasshopper and Mantis were on the run inside the tunnels where they’d been held captive for who knows how much time. While Mantis clears their path, leaving a carnage behind, they move closer to the humid parts of the underground labyrinth.
We passed the cells I was held in and turned to the left, into a more humid and darker tunnel.
"I just need to get closer to my pal," she said.
"Your pal?"
"Yes. Unlike you, I have nothing to do with this war, but my connection with my pal is why they captured me in the first place."
"Why?"
"Not entirely sure. Maybe they want to control me so they can control my pal."
"Is he one of the leaders?"
"Not at all; the truth is that he couldn't care less about this war, just like me."
"I don't understand; what is your cause then?" I replied, but we stopped.
"It's not a cause," she said, "It's more like a pulse."
"A pulse? Could that be...?"
"Somehow, my pal and I share it."
A noise began, and the whole tunnel rumbled.
"You have it too," she said, and a big hole opened in the ceiling. Light and mud rained down, but where we stood was left intact. After a while of noise and confusion, a clearing lay before us.
"Let's go!" She said, and we started climbing the clearing. We climbed through the mud, and as we reached the surface, there was a turmoil of voices and noises.
"You brought us to the war zone?" I said. Ground and flying troops were everywhere, but they all seemed to be moving away from us.
"Yes, this is the war zone, but to be fair, all the land you know about has been a war zone since you were a small egg. Just trust me, we will be far from here soon if that is what you want."
I turned to where she was looking, and I saw him. It was hard to tell if he was looking back at us; his eyes on that big face were just staring at an unknown point, but that is how they all look.
"Good gracious!" I said.
My voice broke more than I liked, but it did not matter. My instinct prepared me to jump, even though I knew it was useless. Any survival action was futile at such a close range of a giant, big-faced bull toad.
"Stay, please!" She said, feeling the tension of my back legs on her back.
"I don't think there's running away from this one," I said, "I've seen them before. This close, anything that moves is history."
"I am counting on that," she said.
"You are?"
"Yes, this is my pal."
"What?"
"As you pointed out, we are in the middle of the war zone; based on how things are now, there is little chance of getting out of here alive unless..."
We moved towards the toad, who made a gesture as if he chewed. I assumed that was his way of agreeing with the Mantis. We moved to the side and started climbing on his back, a rough, dry skin that felt hard and flexible at the same time. At last, reaching to the back of this head, Mantis secured us with her claws on the huge wrinkles I assumed hid the toad's nape.
"I am heading east. Where are you going?" She said.
"My fellow soldiers are fighting in the north," I said, unsure.
"So, you will rejoin them in this mindless conflict?"
I kept silent; the truth was that I didn't feel like it anymore. The pulse that I had been feeling, the one that got me this far, urged me not to.
"Come with me, and once we cross the border, you can jump to wherever your hunger leads you."
"Ok, I'll go," I said, feeling the pulse stronger than before.
"Hold fast. I suppose you've never taken a toad ride!"
The bull toad jumped, and I felt like Mantis and I were part of him, a massive, heavy ball full of power. Plants, mud, and grass pushed away as we passed. It was not long before we reached a low valley full of enemies. Their main army was gathered there in battle formations.
Hundreds of insects lay upon us, some holding weapons, others with their natural ones, like three massive Titan Bugs in the middle of the field.
"Can we jump over?" I asked.
"I don't think so. We are on low ground," Mantis said, "but we'll make our way through! Nonetheless."
It was as if the armies guessed our intentions but were unsure what to do against a giant toad. At last, one of the Titan bugs yelled a warfare command, and all marched against us, but then, Mantis cried out.
"Hiya!"
The bull toad opened his mouth, and I felt a slight rumble. A projectile of tongue launched with such a speed that made my jumps pale. Dozens of enemies disappeared from the field, leaving a straight, empty trail. A crowd of screams was heard; legs, wings, and weapons flew into the air as the tongue retracted into our pal's mouth, which crunched them with the uncomfortable but necessary sound of our freedom.
"Go!" Mantis said.
Obedient to my friend's commands, the toad jumped ahead and landed where the empty trail ended. Many other insects tried to run away, but there was no way out, so another band of them was smashed and dragged by the immense power of the tongue. And the sounds of the chewing flooded my ears with goosebumps.
At last, only a few battalions stood in our way, but in the middle of them, a Titan Bug held his ground while his smaller fellows ran for cover.
"Can our pal eat such big horns?" I asked, a bit unsure.
"Probably not, but it doesn't matter."
The toad made a short jump and landed over the Titan Bug, who sank into the mud.
We kept jumping, and the turmoil of the battle was left behind. We crossed the border of what I used to call home, and new land and sky appeared around us. Then I remembered my species used to be travelers, moving from long distances into new territories, something I had been unable to do because of the war.
At last, our bull toad stood on a rock next to a light green water swamp.
"This is it," Mantis said, "here's where our ways should part."
"Oh," I said. Now that I faced the moment, I didn't feel like moving away from my new friends.
"It's either here or on the other side of the swamp, but we must part ways."
"Why?" I said.
"Don't you know by now?"
"Hmmm, no," I replied.
"The pulse is almost gone; if we stay together much longer, I will eat you, and my pal will eat me."
"But what was it then? The pulse? I thought it was... something special, something more!"
"Oh, it is indeed something special."
"Why does it have to end, then?"
"Because its purpose is now complete."
"What would that purpose be?"
"Survival."
And once she said so, my rear legs, like being controlled by an invisible power, made me jump very high. The toad and the Mantis looked tiny down on the ground. And while I was in the air, time seemed to run slower, so slow that I could feel something in my system; in my center, it was like a drum beat. It was a new pulse.
End of the story
About the drawing
The first idea about the whole story, was the drawing: a toad being ridden by some tiny folks (they were not originally insect beings) facing some insect foes. The question was clear: “How did they get into that situation?” It couldn’t be just a straight forward scenario, it had to have a build up.
Then, as the story started to unfold, the original mental image, the main characters on the toad, became more concrete and specific:
I really hope you liked the story, if you missed Part 1, go check it out, there’s a link at the top of this article.
If you enjoyed this story and like my work, please consider liking, sharing, commenting, or buying me a coffee. I would greatly appreciate it. Until next time.