Anne and I went with Hop Pop to the store one day. "Pill bugs are on sale." Hop Pop said. "Oh that reminds me, I'm gonna go grab some of that beetle jerky I like, you coming, Rowena?" Anne asked. "Count me in." I answered. "Okay, kiddos, see you outside." Hop Pop replied. Anne and I walked down an aisle and found the jerky, before the last one was snatched by Wally. "Hey, that was totally mine, Wally." Anne snapped. "Ya snooze, ya lose, scarecrows." Wally guffaws. "Hey, don't call us scarecrows!" I shouted. At the same time, Mrs Croaker accidentally bumped into us with her cart. "Hey, move your big behinds, scarecrows, Croaker needs her cookies." She complained. Anne muttered to herself as she slipped on a puddle and took me down with her. "Hey, didn't you see the sign, scarecrows?" A frog joked as we left in embarrassment. "So did you guys get the beetle jerky you..." Sprig stopped. "Hey, what's wrong?" Anne sighed and lates her head on my shoulder. "Well, we've been here for over a month now, and the townsfolk still treat us crummy." I explained. "We just wish they were a little nicer." "Oh, that's just the way these frogs are." Hop Pop said. "Slow to accept and even slower to respect, it's actually our town motto." Anne and I smiled. "You'll find a way to get their respect, in your own weird human way." Hop Pop grinned. "Now who wants pill bug pancakes?" "Oh, my favorite!" I exclaimed. "I think we've been here too long."

On the ride home, we see a frog building a new statue of Mayor Toadstool. "Well, that statue's new." Hop Pop said. "And tasteless." Sprig added. Suddenly, Bessie stopped. "Whoa, hey girl, what's wrong?" I asked the snail. We turned around to see what Bessie was whining about, toads. Mayor Toadstool walked out of his office with Toadie to greet the toads. "Oh, good, you're here." Said the mayor. "Toadie, give them the list." "Who are those guys?" Anne asked. "Toads from Toad Tower." Hop Pop replied. "They rule over the entire valley." "Toad what?" I asked as Sprig showed us a map. "It's a big, scary, tower deep in the swamp, and the toads that live there are the valley's fiercest warriors." Sprig explains. "Whoa, cool!" Anne exclaimed. "Cool, yes, but they can be a rough sort." Hop Pop added. "It's probably for the best that we all stay clear of..." But we left before he could finish. "Hey guys, so you're from Toad Tower?" Sprig asked. "Sure are, runt." A toad replied. "My name's Sprig, actually." Sprig laughed. "Uh huh, yeah, sure." The toad said as he turned around at the sight of me and Anne. "Whoa, what are those?" "Long story." I replied. "They're some kind of gangly new critters I've never seen before." The toad continues. "I wonder what they taste like?" Another toad asked. "Whoa, hey, they're not for eating!" Sprig snapped, pulling out his slingshot. "Don't come any closer." Anne ordered as she pulled out her tennis racket. "Or your gonna get a taste of toad abuse." I added, grabbing my lucky driver. "Is that a challenge?" The second toad asked as Anne and I attacked her. "That was awesome!" "Well met, creatures." The first toad complimented. "I don't know what you are, but you've got fire." The toads left as Anne and I smiled at each other. Sprig groans. "Okay, kids, that's enough flirting with death." Hop Pop said. "Finally, c'mon guys." Sprig grunted. "I was thinking we could hang out with these guys a little longer." Anne suggested. "Anne's right, they seem pretty cool." I added. "Cool?" Sprig scoffs. More like smelly, not to mention creepy." "Wait a second, are you jealous we think they're cool?" Anne asked. "Ha, no!" Sprig exclaimed. "If you want to hang out with some grody toads, girls, be my guest." Hop Pop gets Bessie moving back to the farm. I can tell that Sprig didn't take this so well. I feel bad for him.

"Hey, we didn't get a chance to ask your..." Anne started. "Name's Bog, the silent one there is Mire, and Fens here you already met." Bog introduced. "Well, I'm Rowena and this is Anne, what are you guys doing in Wartwood?" I asked. "Every year, the town sends taxes to the tower, well, this year, they came up short, so the mayor gave us this list of frogs who didn't pay and we're just here to collect." Bog explains. "Say, we could use someone like you two." "Really?" We both asked. "Yeah, you've both got inside knowledge of this town." Bog said. "It'll make the whole job go a lot smoother." "I don't know, I'm not sure any of this is our business." Anne replied. "You know, the best part about wearing this badge is how everyone in this town will have to treat you with respect." Bog continues. Anne and I didn't hesitate.

Back at the farm, Hop Pop was playing chess with Sprig, who was still upset. "Got your last frog." Hop Pop said. "You lose!" "Guess who became Toad Tower's newest deputies." Anne announced. The Plantar's gasped. "Also, check out these cool swords that Bog gave us." "I still prefer my driver." I added. "Girls, when I said earn the town's respect, I didn't mean join a gang." Hop Pop explains. "I don't believe this." Anne scoffs. "They're not a gang." "Apparently, they're just here to do a job." I added. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have some respect to enjoy." Anne said as she pulled me out the door.

The toads took us over to Wally's house first. "Alright, first name on the list." Bog said. "So, how does this work?" I asked. "Do we remind Wally how much he owes or..." Bog kicked down Wally's door as we came in. Apparently, Wally was in the shower. "Jumping June bugs, what's all this about?" Wally asked. "I guess you owe the town money?" Anne questioned. "Rubbish, I may live in a squalor, but I always pay my taxes." Wally retorted. "The Mayor's list says otherwise, and since you haven't paid, we'll be taking your stuff." Bog explains as the two other toads take Wally's stuff. "Here you go, girls, little something extra for you." Bog gives Anne the beetle jerky from the store earlier. "Bog this seems a little extreme." I commented. "It's just the way we do things here." Bog replied as he ran out of Wally's house. Anne gives the jerky to Wally. "Here, take this back." Anne said as Bog called for us. "Thanks." Wally whispered with a smile after we left.

The next stop was Felicia's shop. Anne and I just stood there next to her and Ivy. I gave them a mug I found on the floor. The toads took us to Loggle's shop and took his belongings and we gave him a cane. Something about this doesn't make any sense, the townsfolk of Wartwood don't seem like the type of frogs to not pay their taxes.

We just finished with Mrs Croaker's house and others and collected their stuff. "I don't know, guys, this whole thing seems... wrong." I commented. "The law's the law, Rowena." Bog said. "It can be tough, but this kind of work needs to get done." "I guess that makes sense, who's next on the list?" Anne asked. "Eh, some nut named Hopediah Plantar." Bog answered. "Oh crud." I whispered to Anne. "Bog, that list has to be wrong, we know that frog, he's totally honest." "Rowena, the tower didn't get any taxes, okay?" Bog asked. "And if we didn't get the money, then where is it?"

We got to the house as it was about to rain. "Like I said, I already paid my dang taxes." Hop Pop snapped. "You can't come in here and that's final!" "I don't like your tone, frog." Bog grunted. "Or did you forget who you're talking to?" "Bog, I'm telling you, he payed his taxes, he made us watch." Anne explains. "Anne, they all say they've paid." Bog argues. "I don't care what you think you saw, the list don't lie, where should we start?" "How about that thing?" Fens suggested, pointing at Bessie. "You stay away from her!" Hop Pop yelled. "I'll bite your face off!" Polly added. "Good choice, that snail should cover everything." Bog said. "Mire, Fens, Anne, Rowena, move out." "You monsters!" Hop Pop screamed. "Stop!" Anne yelled. "You keep your claws off that snail!" I added. "Better yet... get off our property!" The rain was coming down harder. "Care to repeat that?" Bog asked in anger. "She said get lost!" Anne snapped. "Now!" Suddenly, the townsfolk gathered around the farm. "All we wanted was this town's respect, but, just because these people treated us crummy, doesn't mean we're gonna do the same for them." I explained. "I'm done with this, I don't care if they've broken the law, you can't treat people like this!" "Me too!" Anne yelled as we threw our badges and uniforms to the ground. The townsfolk gasped as Fens pushed Anne to the ground. "Anne!" Hop Pop exclaimed as he grabbed his garden hoe, but him and Polly were grabbed by Mire. "How disappointing." Bog said. "Do you know what we do to traitors in the tower?" "You're about to be a pill bug pancake." "Your foot's about to be a pancake!" Anne shouts as she moves out of the way before he hits Fens's foot. She grabbed her sword and tennis racket and started to fight. Bog knocked Anne's sword and racket out of her hands and Fens breaks her arm. "Anne!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and I grabbed my sword and my driver, and for a few seconds, I felt like I was unstoppable. "You're gonna regret that." I was later joined by Sprig, who used his slingshot to hit Bog with some mud. "You leave them alone!" Sprig exclaimed. "Yeah, you leave our girls alone!" Wally added. "They're one of us!" "If you've got a problem with them, you've got a problem with all of us!" Mrs Croaker snapped. The toads surrendered and dropped the Plantar's and they ran toward us. "Hey, what took you so long?" Anne asked. "Sorry, I got tied up." Sprig replied as Mayor Toadstool and Toadie ran through the bushes. "Oh, boy, gotta cut back on them cricket nuggets." The mayor panted. "Arrest that toad!" Sprig ordered. "He stole the town's money and was keeping it all for himself!" The townsfolk gasped. "May I?" Sprig asked Bog. He handed Sprig the mallet, but it was too heavy. "Actually, I think you should do the honors." Bog breaks the statue, which contained all the tax money. Bog growled at Mayor Toadstool. "People, I needed the extra money for my campaign." He explained. "Do you have any idea how much it costs to buy your love?" The townsfolk threw veggies at him as he ran off.

After the mayor was gone, we helped the toads return the belongings of the frogs. It was a struggle for Anne, since she had a broken arm. "If it was respect you were looking for, you sure lost mine." Bog groaned. "You've got a lot of nerve, I'll give you that, we'll be back, and we won't be alone." "They don't need your respect." Hop Pop said. "Yeah, they've got ours!" Wally added as the toads left Wartwood. "Three cheers to Anne and Rowena, defenders of Wartwood!" "Aw, thanks guys." I thanked. "Now who wants to sign my cast?" Anne asked. "Me!" Sprig exclaimed. "I'm her best friend!"

Something has been on my mind ever since the toads left. A part of me was hurting when Anne broke her arm. Call me crazy, but I think I might have feelings for Anne.