A few days after the incident at the inn, Anne, Shadow, and Kaemon went with the Plantars, walking through the forest, carrying buckets filled with various berries. Anne, Shadow, and Hop Pop carried baskets on their backs, while Kaemon and Sprig carried their own.
"Now remember; green and red, be well fed." Hop Pop said, pointing at the bush before gesturing to another. "Blue and red, instantly dead."
Having picked up a lot of berries, Sprig began chewing a large amount of green and red berries in his mouth.
"Oh, wait. Or was that, 'Green and red, instantly dead'?" Hop Pop said.
Upon hearing that, Sprig instantly spat the berries out before following his grandpa, his tongue still hanging out.
Shadow hummed blissfully to himself as he picked several berries from a bush and putting them in the basket on his back. Anne, on the other hand, seemed bored, picking up a mushroom.
"Hmm. Yup, that's a mushroom." She said before looking over at Shadow. "Seriously, how do you not get bored over this?"
"It wouldn't hurt to gather berries and other herbs." Shadow said. "You never know when you will need extra flavoring for drinks or potions."
Anne sighed, turning away, before seeing something run through the bushes, startling her.
"Did you guys see that?" She called, turning to the others.
"See what?" Shadow asked, setting some purple and green berries into his basket.
"There was something in the woods." Anne said, pointing to where she saw the figure.
Shadow looked to where Anne was pointing and looked but saw nothing. Wanting to make sure, he used his sensory to see, yet found nothing.
"I don't see anything." Shadow said, before returning to his work.
Anne looked to where she saw the figure, thinking her mind was playing tricks on her, but saw the figure again, rushing through the brush.
"Huh? What the heck?" She said, walking through the bushes to see what the creature was.
Coming out on the other side, Anne stood before a small slope that was a few feet off the ground, where several bushes can be seen down below. Anne then tried to slide down, but it proved to be too steep, the girl yelling as she tripped and fell. Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled through the tall grass, before stopping, and what she saw made her gasp in astonishment, and her eyes widened.
Walking across the clearing with rays of sunshine shining down, a considerably large humanoid, ape-like creature walked slowly, reminding Anne of Bigfoot. But unlike the mythical cryptid, this creature's body was covered in green moss that flowed like hair, had big glowing eyes and tree branches on its head like antlers. On the branches and its body were several small white flowers that attracted butterflies.
The creature let out a low growling as it sniffed in the air, peacefully walking around.
Anne was in awe, her eyes twinkling at the sight of the creature, "Whoa."
"Anne!" Suddenly, Shadow called out, startling Anne.
The creature looked in her direction with a soft growl before running off in the other direction on all fours.
"No, wait. Come back!" Anne yelled, standing up and attempting to run after it, but it had already disappeared into the forest. "You're so cool." She said, distraught and lowering her hand.
"There you are." Shadow said, walking out of the grass, with Kaemon and the Plantars following behind. "You just wondered off."
"Dude, you scared it off!" Anne said, turning to him with widened eyes and throwing her hands up.
"Scared what off?" Kaemon asked with a raised brow. "Were you hunting?"
"No, no, no, no." Anne quickly said, waving her hands. "There was this magical creature made of moss. It was beautiful."
Shadow raised an eyebrow, looking in the direction behind Anne, but saw nothing. Kaemon looked in that direction, a hand above his eyes, but saw nothing, turning back to Shadow before shrugging.
The Plantars, on the other hand, all started laughing.
"Good one, Anne. Saw the ol' 'Moss Man,' huh?" Sprig said jokingly, snapping his fingers.
"Yeah, that sounds about right." Anne said.
"What is this 'Moss Man', exactly?" Kaemon asked.
"A popular myth around these parts." Shadow told the newt. "There have been many that claim to have seen it, but no concrete evidence of its existence."
"That's because the Moss Man's just a myth." Hop Pop said, waving a hand dismissively. "Only crazy people and gullible tadpoles believe in it."
Anne gave the Plantars a strange look, as though they each had grown two heads. "Wait. You're telling me you guys," She then pulls up her phone and showed several pictures. "have giant fire-breathing beavers and mutant centipedes, but you don't believe in this?"
"Well, yeah, we've seen those." Sprig said, picking up Polly in her bucket. "Look, your world might have stuff like flying machines and magic memory boxes. But we don't have weird stuff like that here." He then huddled with his family, giving adorable eyes. "This is just a normal town."
Anne gave a deadpanned look before snapping, "You're talking frogs!" She then calmed down and taking in a breath. "Never mind. I'm done talking about it."
"I am NOT done talking about it!" Anne yelled, making the others groan in annoyance.
For the past few hours, Anne been trying to get them to talk about the Moss Man, but with every attempt, they would remind her she was done, then a few minutes later, she was right back on the topic.
"Still?" Polly asked, the six of them walking back to Bessie and Ironhide carrying their baskets of berries and groceries.
"I'm tellin' you guys, I saw it, I saw it, I saw it!" Anne insisted, frustrated that they didn't believe her.
"Careful, Anne." Hop Pop said, teasing her. "You keep rantin' and ravin', you'll put One-Eyed Wally out of a job."
"Guys, please don't tease her like that." Shadow frowned.
"Come on, Shadow, you can't deny it." Sprig said, pointing at Anne while holding two bags of berries. "She totally does sound like Wally."
Anne gasped at the audacity of the claim. "You take that back. I am not a weirdo like Wally." She said, turning around and crossing her arms. "I'm a strong, sane woman who saw the Moss Man!"
Suddenly, Wally appeared next to Anne, tip-toing and twirling, while playing his accordion.
"So! You've seen the Moss Man too, eh?" The kook said, giggling a bit.
"I assume you've actually seen the thing before?" Kaemon asked the town kook.
Wally then tossed his accordion aside, "I've seen it once. Deep in the moors where it makes its home and feeds on mist. Skin of moss, it had." He then got closer to Anne and Kaemon. "Took me hand clean off, it did."
"You still have both hands, Wally." Shadow pointed out.
Looking at both hands, Wally gasped, "Lefty! When'd you get back?"
The Plantars giggled at Wally's antics, Anne pointed at them and said, "Stop it! I know it sounds crazy when he says it. But I saw what I saw."
"Whatever you say..." Polly said before snickering. "One-Shoed Anne."
"Huh?" Sprig said, not getting it, before realizing what his sister meant. "Oh, I get it. Like One-Eyed Wally. Sharp as ever, sis." The then high-fived each other.
Hop Pop laughed, "You might as well start learnin' the accordion and sleepin' under bridges!"
The Plantars all laughed, as well as Wally. "Wouldn't want to be that guy." He said, completely unaware that everyone was poking fun at him, before walking off.
"Okay, enough!" Shadow said, raising his voice, see Anne crossing her arms uncomfortably. "Let's just head home."
The Plantars soon left, leaving the humans and newt alone, Shadow seeing how miserable Anne looked. "Anne, don't let it bother you." He tried to cheer her up.
"How can I not? They don't believe me!" Anne exclaimed, throwing her hands up before looking at her teacher. "You believe me, right?"
"I believe you saw something." Shadow told her. "Whether it was the Moss Man or not is debatable."
Unsatisfied, Anne turned to Kaemon, "What about you, Kaemon? Do you believe me?"
Kaemon paused for a bit, unsure how to respond, before turning away, "I don't have the nerve to answer."
Anne lost it and yelled in deranged fury, "RRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Later that night, Anne had trouble sleeping, tossing and turning in her sleep, dreaming of no one believing her and calling her the 'new Wally'. As she laid on her back, with sweat on her forehead, she could hear her friends mocking her, calling her 'One-Shoed Anne', before seeing an image of Wally, but when he turned around, it was her head on his body.
"Welcome to your future."
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Anne screamed as she sat up.
Breathing heavy, Anne managed to calm herself down before jumping out of bed, "I know what I have to do."
Getting dressed into her school uniform and skirt and grabbing her backpack, Anne went for the door, but when she opened it, she stopped with a yelp when she saw Shadow just outside her room, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts and his hair hanging freely.
"Anne, I heard you scream. Is everything alright?" He asked with concern, before noticing how she was dressed and carrying her backpack. "What're you doing?"
"Shadow, I can't take it anymore!" She told him. "I need to prove that I'm not crazy!" She then pointed at how he dressed. "Also, I didn't know you had other clothes besides the long-sleeved ones."
"I have other clothes." Shadow said, before getting back on topic. "But are you certain you actually saw something?"
"I AM certain!" Anne exclaimed. "I know what I saw and I'll prove it's real so no one will call me crazy ever again!"
Shadow considered this for a moment before nodding, "Very well, then I'll come with you."
"Wait, really?" Anne did a double take. "But I thought you didn't believe me."
Shadow went to his room, at fast speeds, before coming back just as fast, dressed in his usual clothing and cloak, Black Hope katana and odachi sword strapped and putting his hair in a ponytail.
"I said that I believe you saw something." He corrected her. "And that whether it was the Moss Man or not was debatable. But if you're certain it was."
"Which I am!" Anne declared.
"Then I'll help you find it." Shadow said. "But we can't rush in blind. We'll need an expert."
"And where are we gonna find that?" Anne asked. Shadow gave her a raised brow, as if to ask 'are you serious'. That's when Anne realized something. "Oh."
Back in town, Wally was walking through town, playing his accordion. It was almost tradition for him, much to the annoyance of the frogs that were trying to sleep.
" I lost me true love by the old willow tree... " He sang, before two hooded figures grabbed him and turned him around, Wally screaming at the sight of two hooded figures, one with glowing white eyes and the other with green eyes. "Angels of death! You've come for me at last!"
"Wally, calm down, it's just us Anne and Shadow." Shadow said, as he and Anne pulled down their hoods, Anne wearing a gray hoodie.
Seeing it was only the two humans, Wally sighed and chuckled in relief, "So it is. Whoo! Deja vu. You jumped me before?" He asked, pointing a finger, which Anne lightly slapped away.
"Listen, Wally, you said that you know where the Moss Man might be, correct?" Shadow questioned him.
"I did?" Wally said, wondering if he did.
"Yes!" Anne insisted. "Take us there so I can snap a pic of it, prove I'm normal, and never be associated with you ever again." Shadow raised a brow at her. "No offense."
Wally blinked at this, before declaring with a smile, "Okay."
"Please!" Anne pleaded desperately, dropping to her knees and bending down on her elbows and face. "I just got people to stop calling me the town monster. I can't become the town weirdo!"
"Anne, he already said okay." Shadow said with a slight frown.
"Oh... Thanks." Anne said, getting up.
"But!" Wally exclaimed, getting close to them. "The journey will be fraught with peril." He then picked up his accordion and starts playing while singing. " Ohh, the Misty Moors are dark and gray... "
"Hope he doesn't play that thing the whole way." Anne said with a chuckle, the two humans following the kook.
8 hours later…
Wally did in fact play his accordion the entire trip for eight hours in a jolly manner, the two humans following behind, and while Anne looked deprived of sleep and having bloodshot eyes, Shadow seemed perfectly fine.
"Shadow, seriously, how do you put up with this?" Anne asked her teacher.
"I've learned to get used to it after five years." Shadow shrugged. "Sometimes, I even join him with a harmonica."
"Wait, really?" Anne asked.
To prove his point, Shadow pulled out a harmonica before playing it, joining Wally with music, Anne slapping herself for jinxing it before sobbing angrily as she moved forward.
Soon enough, the trio reach the side of a tall mountain, carefully shimmying across a narrow ledge with what looked like a bottomless pit of mist down below., Wally still playing his accordion and now telling a tale of how he got his instrument.
"Why aren't we flying around this?" Anne asked.
"It's not a good idea to rely on your powers all the time." Shadow replied. "Besides, it's important to train your body in situations like this."
"...and with his dying words he told me, 'Wallace, take this accordion, find my killer and defeat him with the power of song.'" Wally finished the tale, turning in a 180 and facing the humans. "Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about yourself."
"Hard pass." Anne declined. "That's kind of personal and you're kinda basically an unstable stranger."
"You shared it with me, and we were strangers." Shadow pointed out.
"That's different." Anne defended.
"How so?" Shadow asked.
Anne paused a bit, unsure how to respond. What was she supposed to say? Sure, she shared her life with him, but it was because he was the only human she's met in Amphibia that she felt comfortable around.
Before Anne could answer, a part of the cliff gave out from under her, causing her to fall over the ledge, but Shadow managed to catcher her by her leg. Anne calmed herself as best she could, but just as she was about to fly up, her phone fell out of the pocket of her backpack.
"NOOOOOO!" Anne screamed as her phone plummeted, but it was thankfully caught by Wally's tongue, pulling it back up and caught by Shadow.
"Nice save, Wally." Shadow said before pulling Anne up.
"Wally, you saved my phone!" Anne said in amazement.
"Don't mention it, love." Wally smiled. "I know how much that thing means to you."
"Oh... Thanks." Anne said with gratitude. "Now, let's hurry up and get that photo!"
The trio moved on, unaware of the stranger in white watching from a distance.
The three traveled through the entire day before arriving at some ruins, deciding to make camp for the night. After setting up camp and starting the campfire, the three sat against the log, with Anne showing Shadow her handshakes.
"Okay, you ready?" Anne asked her teacher with a playful smile.
"I'm ready to do my best." Shadow chuckled.
The two got their hands ready before engaging with a choreographed hand slapping.
"Clap, pull it back, fist bump, flip it up, lock it in, twist it, twainst it, not against it, spank the baby, where's the baby? There's the baby, shake hands with the baby." The two said in perfect sync before clapping their hands together and declaring, "SHADANNE AGAINST THE WORLD!"
The two humans laughed out loud, Shadow especially laughing like a kid having fun at the park. "Wow, I don't remember laughing this much in so long." He said.
"Wow, that was incredible." Wally said, sitting nearby while eating soup. "I'll never look at normal handshakes the same way again."
"Thanks," Anne said with a chuckle. "My friends used to think my elaborate handshakes were silly."
"That's ridiculous." Shadow waved it off. "These handshakes are fun!"
"He's right, Anne." Wally said. "Heck, I never care what other people think of me."
Anne scoffed at this, "Easy for you to say. Back home, your reputation is everything."
"And lucky for you, you're not home." Shadow told her. "Anne, the way I see it, you've got a great opportunity in front of you. Whole new world, new people, free to be whatever you want."
"Shadow's right, Anne." Wally said, setting his pot off to the side. "I mean, just look at the man himself! I don't know what he's like wherever he's from, but here, he can be whatever he wants! Like a hero!"
Anne thought this over before smiling at the wisdom in the kooks words, which was surprising, given who they were coming from.
"That's... kinda genius, Wally." Anne said.
"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup." Wally said, hands behind his head before falling asleep.
Anne looked at him and said, "Hey, dude, you still awake?"
"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup."
Shadow removed his cloak and placed it over Wally as though it were a blanket, Anne pulling Wally's arms to his sides.
"Weirdo." Anne commented with a chuckle.
"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup." Wally began snoring.
The two humans watched the frog sleep before looking up at the stars before falling asleep themselves. However, the white cloaked stranger landed softly, the white cloak shining from the flames of the camp, their masked face looking down at the two humans with the single crimson eye, specifically down at Shadow, glaring with murderous intent, before shifting their focus on Anne, the Thai-American girl sleeping soundly next to the boy, her head resting on his shoulder. The masked stranger then stretched out a hand, reaching downward to Anne's neck, seemingly intending to choke her.
Suddenly, Anne stirred in her sleep, her eyes cracking open to see a blurry figure before her, but when her eyes fully opened, the figure was gone.
Confused, Anne turned her head and looked about the camp, but saw no one. She shrugged before going back to sleep, unaware of the stranger hiding their presence from the trio.
The next day came, the trio continued their journey, the area becoming misty as they ventured onward, passing by several broken frog statues and yellow flowers. It was so misty that it was impossible to see two feet in front of them, only managing to make any progress thanks to Shadow and Anne's enhanced senses.
"We've finally made it. The Misty Moors." Wally declared, his accordion over his right shoulder before handing the lantern to Shadow. "Time for the Moss Man summoning ritual."
"Summoning ritual?" Anne repeated with a raised eyebrow.
Soon enough, Wally started playing his accordion again, but rather than singing a song, he was mostly chanting gibberish, much to Anne and Shadow's confusion.
"Uh... Are you sure this is gonna work?" Shadow asked.
Just then, a glowing butterfly flew past the boys face. "Wow." He whispered, raising a finger and allowing the butterfly to land on his finger.
Anne, on the other hand, gasped when she saw it, "Butterflies!" She yelled, startling the boy and causing the butterfly to fly off, before the girl chased after it.
"Anne, wait!" Shadow called out before giving chase.
"Oi! Where are you going? I'm only halfway done." Wally complained before going after them.
Anne didn't stop, continuing her chase after the butterfly, the same kind she saw when she first saw the Moss Man. She ran blindly through the mist, only stopping when she lost sight of it, before another flew in front of her, joining with several other butterflies. She tried to reach out and grab them, but they scattered, flying away. Anne gave chase before running right into a moss-covered wall, causing her to fall back on her butt.
"Anne!" Shadow called, catching up to Anne. But just as he was about to help her up, they both looked up and gasped.
It was the Moss Man himself, holding out a hand for the butterflies, letting out a soft, low groan as it turned its head to the humans. Shadow looked up in awe at the sight of a magnificent creature, while Anne fumbled for her phone, almost dropping it, then got the camera opened to take a picture, only for Wally to come running into them, knocking them over.
Startled, the Moss Man groaned before running away on all fours.
"It's actually real!" Shadow exclaimed.
"Quick! After it!" Anne shouted, running after it, with Shadow and Wally following after her, easily keeping up, with Shadow carrying Wally, before following the Moss Man to the face of a cliff, said Moss Man having already made it to the top, leaving several mossy footprints on the face of the cliff.
"Ready, Anne?" Shadow asked.
"You bet." Anne smirked.
The two flew upward before settling on the edge of the cliff, the three seeing the Moss Man sitting alone with the butterflies landing on his fingers, letting out low growling sounds as he enjoyed the solitary life.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Anne whispered.
"He looks so at peace." Shadow agreed.
"I never thought it was real." Wally added.
The two humans seem to agree before realizing what he just said.
"Wait, what?" Anne said, looking at the kook.
"I thought it was a myth. I mean, it's preposterous." Wally said, much to the shock of the two humans.
"But you- I don't- What?" Anne yelled, grabbing her head in frustration.
"So, you took us all the way out here based on a lie?" Shadow said with a glare.
"Yeah. I mean, we had fun, though, didn't we?" Wally asked with a shrug.
"That's not the point!" Anne yelled, exploding on him. "I didn't come all this way for fun! All that time wasted, and I could've easily gone back with no proof! And then everyone would think I was like you!"
Silence fell, as Wally looked back at her with surprise from her outburst, before lowering his head in sadness. "What's so bad about being like me?" He said before walking past them.
"Wally..." Anne said, realizing just how badly she had hurt him. "Oh, woof. I really screwed up."
"Yes, you did." Shadow said, frowning in disappointment, before taking Anne's phone. "Go talk to him. I'll get those pictures."
Nodding, Anne went after the kook. "Wally. I didn't—" She began as she caught up to him, Wally stopping but not turning, only keeping his eyes closed and his hands in his pockets.
Anne sighed and recomposed herself, "That's not what I meant. I'm sorry. It's cool you don't care what people think about you." She then sat next to him as he turned to look at her. "And I'm glad we came out here together."
Wally turned to her, narrowing his eye in suspicion, "You mean it?"
"Totally." Anne said, holding her hand out.
Seeing this, Wally smiled and the two tried to do Anne's handshake, "Clap it, pull it back, fist bump..." But the handshake quickly fell apart as Wally didn't know how to do it like Anne and Shadow did it, only watched. But even Anne didn't seem to know what she was doing. Likely because she forgot.
Soon enough, they walked over to Shadow, who was taking various pictures of the Moss Man, said Moss Man sitting there staring back, watching him curiously.
"It's a good thing he hasn't run off during your outburst, Anne." Shadow said, taking another picture.
"We are so lucky to be this close." Anne said in awe.
The Moss Man looked at the trio, his attention turned to Anne before holding a hand out, a yellow flower blooming from the palm of his hand.
"Looks like a gift of friendship!" Wally said with excitement, although he kept his voice down so as not scare the creature away.
Nodding, Anne accepted the flower before putting it in her hair, "I humbly accept this gift."
The Moss Man then gave one to Wally, the kook gladly accepting, before turning to Shadow, who was smiling and waiting patiently. Before he could approach, however, the Moss Man smelled a scent from Shadow. Something familiar.
Something…frightening.
With a frightened growl, the Moss Man turned and ran on all fours, much to the trio's surprise.
"Wait!" Shadow called, reaching out, but the Moss Man was already gone.
"What was that about?" Wally asked.
"I don't know. I didn't even do anything." Shadow said with a sad expression. "I didn't even get a flower."
Feeling bad for her teacher, Anne saw a similar flower in the ground before picking it and presenting it to him.
"Here's my gift of friendship, Teach." Anne declared, presenting the flower to him.
Smiling, the boy accepted the flower before putting it in his hair, the two smiling at how the other seemed cute with the flower before the trio decided to head back to town.
Shadow, however, looked back to where the Moss Man ran, wondering what could have caused it to run away, before catching up with his companions, the white cloaked stranger watching from the mist.
Soon enough, the trio returned to town to recount their journey, as the townsfolk gathered around, interesting in hearing the tale, especially since now three people claim to have seen the mythical creature of legend.
"So there we were, our bodies ravaged." Wally told the story from a small box, Anne holding his accordion while Shadow held his harmonica.
"We were mildly tired." Shadow corrected.
"Hanging on the edge of the cliff," Wally went on.
"We weren't even close to the cliff." Shadow pointed out.
"The beastie staring down at us, lickin' its mossy chops." Wally finished.
"It didn't even lick." Shadow said, Anne giggling.
"Any proof?" One frog woman asked.
"Actually, yes." Anne said confidently before pulling out her phone and showing the various pictures of the Moss Man, the various frogs murmuring in awe at the pictures.
Finally, the town would not think Anne was crazy, the girl sporting a grin on her face.
Until one frog said something that killed her pride, "This have to be fake." He said. "Some newt in a costume."
"These are totally legit." Anne protested.
Despite Anne's protest, however, everyone else seemed convinced already before dispersing, going back to their daily routines.
"Well, tough crowd." Shadow said, putting away his harmonica.
"Even with those pictures, nobody believes it." Wally frowned. "Now everyone thinks you're as loony as I am."
Anne mulled it over before shrugging, "You know what? I'm good with that."
"Wait, really? What a turnaround." Wally said.
"Are you sure you're okay with that, Anne?" Shadow asked.
"We know what we saw." Anne said, taking hold of her teacher's hand and wrapping an arm around the town kook. "And a good friend once told me; it doesn't matter what other people think of you."
Shadow smiled at this. "Wow. Sounds like something I've been telling you since day one." He said with joking sarcasm.
Anne lightly punched Shadow's arm, chuckling, before Wally said, "That's a good line. Would your friend mind if I used it?"
"It was you, you fool." Shadow said.
Wally cackled, "Yeah, I know. Or was it?"
"You goofball." Anne said, slapping Wally on the back.
"Well, best be heading off." Wally said, walking off while playing his accordion and singing, Shadow and Anne watching him leave.
"Anne! Shadow!" Polly yelled as she hopped over to them, with her brother and grandfather following behind. "We heard people at Stumpy's saying you're as weird as Wally."
"You must be pretty upset." Sprig said with great pity.
Anne scoffed at this, "Honestly, guys, I don't mind."
"You don't have to be strong for us." Hop Pop said, rubbing Anne's hand as gently as he could. "Let it out, girl."
"Guys, she said she's fine." Shadow spoke up, trying to get them to stop.
"You must be bothered too, Shadow." Sprig said, hugging Shadow's leg. "You poor thing."
Now both humans were annoyed, the two humans looking at each other before nodding with a smirk. Together, they both roared and started chasing the Plantars, Shadow with his sword raised over his head while Anne foamed at the mouth.
"I'm One-Shoed Anne!"
"And I'm Dark-Skinned Shadow!"
"They're deranged!" Polly screamed.
They soon ran past the Flour bakery stand, where Kaemon was with Maddie the whole time, apparently, watching Maddie cut out some gingerbread men, the two looking up to see the chase, both looking on in confusion before looking at each other, shrugging, then going right back to what they were doing.