Another Friend in Amphibia

Chapter 1: A Strange New World

Drake found himself laying on the ground in some strange forest. The difference in scenery was disorienting. One moment he was in the city and the next he was in the wild with trees on all sides.

Drake stood up to get a better feel for his surroundings. "Hello!? Anne? Sasha? Marcy?" Drake called out. There was no answer.

Drake started to walk around aimlessly hoping to find someone or something familiar. The wildlife was incredibly strange. It still had recognizable aspects to it like bushes and trees yet there were large glowing mushrooms illuminating the ground.

He ignored it and continued walking. "Is anyone out there?" Drake called out again.

Suddenly a skittering sound could be heard. Drake stopped and went quiet as he tried to figure out what was going on. Whatever it was, it was getting closer fast. Drake picked up a nearby rock to use as a weapon as he waited for the approaching creature. He braced himself for whatever was coming. Then he saw it. It was a massive bug with what looked to be hundreds of legs. It clung low to the ground and had two antennas in front. Drake stared at it in horror then threw his rock at it.

The rock hit the centipede in the face, and it screeched at him. Drake took a step back then ran away as fast as his legs could carry him. The centipede began to give chase. It was traveling like a train. Drake knew there was no way he would be able to outrun it. He ran into a much denser part of the forest hoping the uneven terrain would slow down the centipede. He jumped over a fallen log, looked back and saw the centipede hadn't slowed down at all. It was weaving its way through the thick vegetation better than he had.

He tried to formulate a plan when he realized he left the forest and entered a swamp. The centipede was almost right on top of him. Then a large thump was heard, and he looked back to see a bird's leg standing on the centipede. It was some kind of giant heron, larger than any he's ever seen or heard of. It lowered its head and grabbed the centipede. It started to struggle.

Drake felt a mix of shock and relief, but he realized it was probably best if he used the opportunity to get away unnoticed. Who knows what these birds would do if they noticed him? He started to back away quietly hoping it wouldn't see him. He found a nearby rock to take cover behind and sat down. Not long after the giant bird flew away.

Drake was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. He stood up and prepared to walk away again but then he heard footsteps nearby. Drake was still exhausted and wasn't sure if he could escape if he chose to run again. He grabbed a nearby tree branch and was prepared to fight to the death. The footsteps were getting closer but whatever it was, luckily it wasn't traveling as fast as that centipede, nor did it seem to be as large.

Drake took a deep breath turning his fear into anger. Then he screamed as he charged at the tree line. He started swinging the tree branch around like a baseball bat hoping to land the first hit. Then he managed to hit something.

"Ouch!" a feminine voice reacted. Then there was a thud. Whatever it was, it fell to the ground.

"Ahh!" Drake continued to scream like a mad man as he focused his attacks on where he thought his opponent was. Landing more hits.

"Ah! Hey! Stop! It! Ow!" then a hand grabbed the other end of his tree branch. "Enough!"

"Wait a minute." Drake noticed something was off. It was a human hand. He let go of his stick and dug through the bushes. Then he saw a blonde girl that had bruises mainly on her arms. She was laying on the ground clearly injured. "Sasha?"

"Drake? Is that you?" she responded. "What the heck!? You hit me!"

Drake threw aside the branch and grabbed her hand. "Oh my gosh, Sasha. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was you. I thought you were another one of those things."

"It's okay." He pulled her up and the two hugged. "I'm happy to see you too. Are Anne and Marcy with you?"

"No, I haven't seen either of them since I got here." Drake answered. He sat down next to a tree; he stared straight up. "Ugh I'm so tired!"

Sasha sat down next to him. "So... any idea where we are?" Sasha asked.

Drake just shook his head.

"Well hopefully we'll find Anne and Marcy soon. If you're here, they probably are as well."

Drake stood up. "Do you have a plan?"

Sasha got up as well. "Yes actually. First off, we're never going to find Anne or Marcy if we're dead. So, we need focus on ourselves first. Get some shelter. That kind of stuff. Once we're ready, we can start looking for them." She started to walk off in a random direction.

"I think I understand." Drake replied as he followed Sasha. Suddenly he stopped. "Wait! Look over there!"

There was some kind of stone tower nearby. It didn't look abandoned from as far as either of them were concerned. Drake swore he saw movement at the top but from this distance, it could have easily been just an illusion. Best case scenario, there would be someone who could help them. Worst case scenario, they'll have a roof over their heads for a night.

The duo walked in the general direction of this mysterious tower. Neither dared to speak in fear of attracting another creature. Then there was a snapping sound. "Ahh!" Sasha screamed as she tripped. Her leg had been caught in some kind of trap.

"Hold on Sasha! I'll get you out of this!" Drake got down to examine the trap. It was a simple rope trap that ensnared her left leg. Drake grabbed the rope, but he couldn't find a knot to loosen.

"It came from over there!" they heard someone shout. They could hear footsteps approaching. Whoever they are, they probably weren't friendly.

"Sasha! What do I do?" Drake tried to pull the rope apart.

Sasha had a panic-stricken face. "Drake. Get out of here. I'll get out of this somehow and come find you."

"What?" Drake was shocked.

"You heard me. Get out of here while you still have a chance. I'll be fine." Sasha insisted.

"But I can't just-"

"Don't argue with me. Save yourself first. End... of... discussion." Sasha ordered. She had that face that meant she was serious and there was no room for negotiation.

Drake stood up and prepared to run but had one last look at Sasha. He was still hesitant to leave her behind. Sasha nodded her head, and he booked it as fast as his legs could carry him.

Drake ran as far as he could hoping nobody was following him. He looked around but it seemed like nobody was nearby in fact he had very little indication of how far he got. It was getting dark, and he was too exhausted to keep going. There was a nearby cave. It wasn't the best place to spend the night, but it was probably better than being out in the open. He forced himself to walk the last bit of distance and approached the mouth of the cave.

"Hello? Anybody here?" Drake called out. There was no response. He felt a little stupid calling out to nobody. What if they weren't friendly. Drake walked inside and leaned against the wall. Left alone with his thoughts.

Drake started reflecting on how he just left Sasha to die. Some friend he was. It felt like a cowardly thing to do but he tried to rationalize it by telling himself it was what she told him to do. He was just following her directions. He didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't his fault.

He took a deep breath. In the morning he could go back and try to look for clues. He was getting ready to sleep when he heard more footsteps running towards him. He started to turn around but was a second too late. Something hit him in the back of the head knocking him out instantly.