The Adventure Of The Frogsloth, 20th Entry

Hey again, Jammers! 

Today's chapter of The Adventure Of The Frogsloth is very long, so please know that there will be only one installment this week instead of the customary two short posts.

Here's another action-packed episode from the diary of our intrepid adventurer!

Dear Diary,

The hostiles advanced across the living room floor. (All except Horty the Elephant. He was still in the process of getting his large bulk through the doorway.)

"Nice place ya got here, Doc," the Lemur said, arrogance practically dripping from his voice. "And who are these two kiddos?" He smiled a malicious, pointy-toothed grin.

Woah! Yuck! How could something so small be so threatening? His eyes were the creepiest of all. They made me want to squirm.

Suddenly, the smile dropped from his face. "Horty, help me grab the kids." He began barking orders. "Parker, Sneed, go look around. See if we got any more unwanted variables." His eyes narrowed.

He took a small crossbow from a belt around his waist and pointed it at us. The short arrow's metal tip gleamed at us, and five more were ready to slide automatically into place when that one was fired.

At his orders, the Goat and Falcon broke away from the group, and started poking their noses into different rooms.

"Nothin' here!"

"Here, either!"

"Do it right! You two could overlook Aparri if he was tapin' a video right under your noses!" The Lemur shook his head at his cohorts, letting out an exasperated sigh.

I, for one, hoped that they wouldn't do it right. Walter's in there! My gaze flashed for an instant past the bedroom door where the Frogsloth had gone.

A gigantic trunk slid around my waist, causing me to yelp in surprise. I was lifted by the enormous Elephant thug and effortlessly suspended, my back paws dangling more than a foot off the ground. In every book I had ever read, struggling only made it worse. Ow. Ow. Ow. Stop squeezing.... I mentally begged, my face scrunching up in pain.

"Hey, raisin bread!" A shout came from the kitchen. Guess the searchers' stomachs got the better of them. Cupboard doors banged. They had the nerve to loot Walter's pantry!

"Mmph, 's fresh, too," the second voice said with its mouth full.

The Lemur leader growled in annoyance, rolling his eyes at his unruly henchmen.

"Parker! Get in here!" He motioned with the crossbow. Parker the Goat came through the kitchen doorway, grumbling and stuffing his mouth with raisin bread. Crumbs fell onto his orange fur and dark clothes.

"Aw, c'mon, Killer," he said around a mouthful of bread. "Not now...."

Killer? (O.O) Oh dear.

"Gimme thaaaat!" Killer snatched the raisin bread from Parker's hoof and replaced it with the crossbow. "Keep 'em in line." He stalked off, I assumed to do the same to Sneed.

"Aaaah, Keelow," Parker muttered under his breath.

Oh. He said Keelow. (-.-) Whew.

Parker shifted the crossbow in his hand, smiling cruelly at us. I chanced a look at Lieutenant's eyes. They were a perfect image of terror.

"Hey, look at this," another remark came from the kitchen. A cupboard door slammed. So Keelow wasn't immune to the siren song of food either.

"Yo, boss!" Parker shouted. "Whadda I do with 'em?"

"What do you think? Tie up the professor. We don't need those two."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Uncle Baron broke in. "What are you -- Don't you touch her!"

"Heh, heh." Parker laughed humorlessly as he ignored him, looking down the shaft of the crossbow. The Elephant's grip tightened on me. "And nobody's gonna know to even look for 'em once they're six feet under the swamp."

Oh, dang.

(DXplorergirl)