Another Friend in Amphibia

Chapter 10: Swamp Shire

Drake and Nyx walked silently through the woods. It was starting to get dark though it wasn't dusk yet but as long as Nyx wasn't scared, Drake believed he shouldn't be either. Afterall, Nyx probably has better instincts than he does. Drake kept himself covered with his new cloak as best he could. Although the hood limited his vision, it did help hide his appearance. The last thing he wanted was for people to see he was some strange monster.

"Nyx, where are we going?" Drake asked, not expecting an answer.

Nyx turned her head just enough to look at him. Drake could clearly see her rolling her eyes. Nyx was a strange animal for sure, she seemed to understand him even better than Anne's pet cat Domino. Then again, Drake generally didn't get along with animals.

Suddenly Nyx stopped. Outside the tree line was a series of buildings. It was some kind of town. Although it didn't have any walls. Was this the one he was going to meet Anne at? He noticed a sign on the road.

Now Entering Swamp Shire

"Well looks like we found civilization." Drake said. He began climbing up the nearest tree, using whatever tiny holes and branches he cling onto to push himself up. Once he reached the top, he pulled out a telescope and observed the area. Despite how late it seemed, the town was still somewhat lively. There were frogs walking around the town. Some lugging around bars of copper and steel. Just outside the town was a mine. In front, a toad seemed to be having a conversation with a newt. There was a river nearby, just like he expected. Towns either had rivers or were next to a sea. Drake continued to scout, hoping to find anything that vaguely looked like a human. Unfortunately, Anne couldn't be seen anywhere. The last thing Drake wanted to do was go door to door asking about her.

"I can't find her anywhere." Drake sighed in defeat as he sat on the tree branch. Then he felt something nuzzle him on the side causing him to jump. Nyx had climbed up the tree with him and was trying to comfort him. Drake lightly patted her on the head.

Drake now had two options. Go into the town or continue wandering aimlessly. Guess the town was the only logical choice. He grabbed the branch he was sitting on and lowered himself as far as he could before dropping. Luckily the fall wasn't that far so he was able to land safely. Nyx, on the other hand, not caring at all about the distance between the branch and the ground, jumped off without hesitation.

"I don't know what to do," Drake silently complained to Nyx. "We've been out here for days. I'm tired, hungry, and we still haven't found Anne. Dang it! We haven't even found that tower!" He didn't know how she did it, but Nyx went through this whole trip with a seemingly endless amount of energy. Drake, chose to suck it up to avoid losing time, only stopping for sleep or water. Nyx turned toward the town and tugged gently at Drake's arm. "Me? Go in there? I don't know... I don't really want to meet new people."

After hearing Drake's response, Nyx turned her head towards him. The look in her eyes beaming with encouragement, reminding him of how Sasha would inspire him to step out of his comfort zone. This gave him a small boost of courage and he slowly nodded.

"Okay, okay. I'll go and ask around or something." Drake mentally prepared himself, making sure his hood was still up and the cloak still wrapped around his body. He needed to keep a low profile, and this was the best he could do. Better to look conspicuous than be recognized as a horrifying creature.

Drake walked around the small town, unsurprisingly most of the stores were either already closed or were in the process of closing for the night. Some of the townies looked at him but none stared at him for an extended period of time. Everything was going according to plan. That was when Drake noticed what looked to be a bar with a large bouncer standing guard outside. The bouncer was a large axolotol that was almost as large as Drake was. Drake hesitated, he never been to a bar before. Not that he ever wanted to visit one. He remembered hearing stories about how bad it can be to go to one, all the fights and violence that can occur. Especially in movies. That was the opposite of keeping a low profile. Drake wasn't exactly comfortable going in there. However, it was the only place he could think of to get information. The town itself wasn't that big and it was unlikely he'll find a better place to go.