The Adventure Of The Frogsloth, Entries Nine and Ten

Hey Jammers!

Very sorry for the late post, I realize that most of our readers are in bed right now, having sweet Animal Jam dreams! Or dreaming of flying, one.

Heeeeere's the Frogsloth!

Dear Diary,

Swampweed tea?

I wanted to gag. That, however, would not have been polite, and who wants to offend something - er, someone they've been searching for relentlessly?

I stopped, and considered the fact that it didn't really taste that bad. Kind of like... well, like tea. I took another sip.

The Frogsloth was watching us, and I thought I saw a suspicious twinkle in his eye. He wants to see how we'll react, I realized, and smiled at him briefly.

Poor Lieutenant was greener than when he ingested the damselfly (excuse me, the Calopteryx Splendens), but he swallowed anyway.

There was a moment of silence, with our eyes locked on those of the Frogsloth.

(**Author's note: In all photos of the Frogsloth, he is shown as a Sloth wearing a Frog Hat, consequentially having four eyes. This is not the case. Everyone's favorite cryptid has two eyes like any other animal in Jamaa, however "froggy" they may be.

Chalk the bad pictures up to that same phenomenon that makes all photos of Bigfoot look like your Uncle Phil in a gorilla suit.**)

Then, after a tense moment of amazement and disbelief, the Frogsloth began to tell us a story.

Until my next entry, Diary.

(DXplorergirl)

Dear Diary,

The Frogsloth leaned back in his chair. Folding his claws philosophically, he began to speak.

"Well, I am sure you are curious as to who I am, and why I live -" he motioned around, "- out here. I shall do my best to satisfy your curiosity."

"You're just gonna tell us?" I was shocked that he would consider spilling everything to two kids who suddenly stumbled upon his bug-hunting spot.

He remained silent for a few seconds before answering. He seemed to be the "think before you speak" kind of Jammer.

"If I told you to turn around now and go back to whatever server it is you came from, would you do it?"

I shook my head, and acknowledged he was right. "No."

"No," Lieutenant echoed.

"No," the Frogsloth said. "You came here for answers. This way, perhaps you will consider every side, before deciding who and what I am, and what you wish to do after knowing the truth."

And so the Frogsloth began his story.

"I was born Walter A. Strongsloth, on the 18th of May," he paused for an instant, "1899."

Perhaps the only way to describe my expression would be, "O.O".

"Wow," Lieutenant said, "...You are old."

I flicked his giant ear with my paw. "Shhh! Be nice," I whispered.

The Frogsloth continued unperturbed.

"My father was Admiral Strongsloth, and won great fame in the Third Phantom War. My mother's maiden name was Dove Prettyjammer. I had an ordinary childhood, as far as can be expected, when you look like a frog.

I excelled academically, however, and at the age of eighteen, I attended Havarti University. It was one of Jamaa's most prestigious colleges."

"Still is," Lieutenant cut in. "But what are you doing out here?"

"I left the university under rather... strained circumstances."

"What kind of circumstances?" I asked.

"Aside from the usual persecution from fellow-students, and alienation from most professors? There was one, though, Professor Vontoes --"

My eyes opened wide at the unusual name. Maybe he's related to Baron Vontoes! I'd like to ask Uncle Baron... if he's even still alive, after being away all these years.

"-- He seemed to take an interest in me. In the end, though, he was a professor of science, and I believe I was little more than an interesting puzzle to him."

"But what happened?" Lieutenant was insistent.

Pause. "I was asked to dissect a frog."

I cringed. "Ooh."

"So you just went and hid?" Lieutenant asked. "What about all the people who needed to know about you? Know your secrets?"

"And what makes you think I want people to know my "secrets", as you call them?" Walter snapped, leaning forward in his chair. "What makes you think that I don't have a right to live my life, just like anyone else in this world?"

He's right, I thought. A battle was played out in me, between the desire for Jamaa to know the truth, and he fact that Walter was a Jammer like us, not some creature we could drag out into the light, to serve our purposes. It was won before it had even begun. ...We've got to leave him alone. We can't do this.... I realized. We just can't.

"You - you're a scientific marvel," Lieutenant said, surprising me. "We need to understand the properties that make you who you are, a-and use them to help Jamaa to be better!"

As little as I really knew about him, that didn't seem like something that would come out of his mouth. Walter's face hardened as he looked at us.

"There was a young reporter several years ago. A Kangaroo. He was quite inquisitive. It took me quite a while to get rid of him.... I have the feeling it will be even harder with you."

My eyes flickered to the weapons on the wall.

Huh?

(DXplorergirl)