It was easy to see from here, shining high in the sky. Stationary. Finally.

  After so much time skulking around the wider world, hiding and running away from far scarier things than it could ever have imagined...

  After so many sightings that vanished before it could even start to move, or just drifted away to the horizon faster than it could run, taunting it...

  After so many attempts with no progress whatsoever...

  A prize that had felt unreachable.

  This time, it wouldn’t escape.

  A loud crush from behind reminded the frog that it had to think while moving. Breaking line of sight was frustrating – as if merely looking away for a moment would make the thing disappear – but it would have needed to do so either way, unless it wanted to jump down the cliff. It resumed the march.

  Of course trouble would come as soon as it stopped lying low, but there was no way it would have missed this chance. Perhaps if it had been more daring, it would have caught up to the shiny long ago. Maybe even immediately after the plateau! And spared itself this never-ending chase throughout practically every corner of the new world. Maybe achieved something in other situations as well...

  It came up to another sheer wall, that it had to step back and take a running leap to overcome – a bit scary with all the screams drawing near, but far from enough to deter it, anymore. It slammed against the rocky surface and then vaulted up awkwardly, with its lame body, but quickly enough.

  … Or it might’ve gotten itself killed. To think that the beaver would turn out to be a virtuous example! It was just so incredibly hard to find a creature both complex and peaceful! Even those that were clearly not predators would rather stomp it to death before letting it get anywhere close. And most things around weren't as simple or unbalanced as the crab. Certainly not those worth interacting with.

  Some things it had seen... and it would take much less than them to end one modest frog: smarts aside, it was still one of the weakest around. A harsh truth that kept getting shoved in its face. In fact...

  It jumped sideways and the fuzzy pursuer darted past it… and down the slope, screaming in rage. Seeing it tumble down was quite enjoyable, slam after painful slam. The final, loud impact in particular.

  Unfortunately they were still too low for it to be fatal. But there was no need to worry: it had gained some time, and if the height wasn’t enough, then there was much more it could climb. This one didn’t seem like the kind that learned.

  It got back moving.

  … Then again, there was a limit: caution didn’t mean always running away. So many things it might have missed!

  If it was smart about it, it really could afford to be more adventurous: starting with strange wonders rather than predators was the right choice. As long as they weren’t too ridiculous.

  It couldn't be faulted for skipping out on the last one it had met. Even if it hadn't been immediately threatening, there was something in that hulking mass of dead bodies - crawling over the plains in absolute silence, as one whole - that just didn't sit right with it. Even if it had been absolutely sure that the thing wasn't a proper creature – and that if it were, it wouldn't have been strong – that was just a bit too outlandish for a first contact.

  Same thing with the one before, the grinder, where dust, and rocks and creatures that were unfortunate enough to stumble in were dragged under, with no apparent reason. Why would it ever go there willingly?

  Or was it that floating boulder, the one that screamed, that came first?

  It finally reached a high enough peak – not the summit, but still quite high – and walked right up to the edge, one step away from death.

  … No, that one was soon after the valley that made creatures disappear out of thin air – disturbing stuff that – which was definitely a long time ago.

  The shiny could be seen once again from here, and the frog couldn’t help but admire it. To be true, it still didn’t know why it wanted to reach the thing so badly.

  It hadn’t done anything particularly interesting, and there was nothing to suggest that it would be beneficial in any way. And yet… There was just this yearning, deep inside, that had only grown stronger and stronger with every rare appearance. That if only the frog could have it...

  Yet more annoying screams, growls, and the shaking ground signaled the impending arrival of its foe and the end of its contemplation.

  … In any case, all would be different from now on! What use was there in exploring the world, if it was going to run away from anything interesting? What use even in having transformed in the first place, if it was going to suppress its curiosity and hide away from everything?

  It might as well have stayed in its ravine.

  It might as well have stayed in its crack in the ground.

  No more! It was high time: from now on, the frog would be more adventurous!

  At the last moment, it ducked low, almost to the ground. The fuzzy creature went right over its head, plummeting far below.

  As it got up, the frog also took the time to slap the annoyance away.

  This time it should be enough... judging by how late that satisfying crunch came, it must have been.

  … And the change would start with that shiny thing in the sky!

  After checking if something could be salvaged down there, at least. Probably not, but it would be loath to let something else take the spoils, if it could.

  The frog emerged from the fuzzy creature – way too fuzzy and battered to be identified better – and shook the excess out of itself and the gem. This one was strangely similar to its container, all covered by thick hair, but incomparably more disgusting.

  Surprisingly, its first impression had been confirmed. To think that of the many creatures it had been forced to kill since the crab, this would be the one that felt alluring… Still far from a good match to transform and probably wouldn’t amount to much, but better than nothing.

  The gem floated out of its grasp in that familiar way, and felt weak enough that it shouldn’t even stand too much in the way. Barely more than a slight tingling.

  Which was good right now: the shiny had started descending onto the ground ahead. If it didn’t hurry, another might snap it up.

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  It dashed forward, the gem following behind lazily.

  It had thought its transformation into frog had been good, but it must have been wrong. The missing arm was the worst offender – really bad mistake that one – but there must be a deeper reason: this fuzzy creature had been easy enough with trickery, but if it had been forced into a direct confrontation…

  Its strength just wasn’t much, all in all. Something that was going to cost it once again, considering where the shiny thing was about to- no, where it had just landed.

  The gem finally disappeared and the vague tingling morphed into that widespread, pleasant flow the frog had quite missed. But that it couldn’t really enjoy now.

  It was a tiny, secluded valley, positively brimming with creatures. The vast majority were meerkats, all on the same side, dominating the place and quickly proving that fact to any that thought otherwise. But there were many more dangerous things laying about, and predators skulking at the borders.

  The kind of packed place the frog would have avoided in the best of circumstances. And the shiny had landed in the very middle of it. On a boulder, in perfect view.

  It was hard not to feel taunted, as if the thing had a mind of its own and was using it to provoke as many creatures as it could, to make the frog’s life as hard as possible. But worse than any supposed slight: it had already lost.

  The shiny treasure was already on the ground, after all. Any moment, one or more of these creatures would...

  … do nothing at all?

  The shiny was within easy reach, free for all nearby to take... but completely ignored.

  It was astounding: that thing was so clearly immensely precious. They should all want it! And yet they were lazing around – or even passing right by! – without a care.

  One snail straight up crawled directly over it in one essence-writhing moment… but nothing particular seemed to happen, and the simple creature just continued on uncaring, shiny treasure still in its place.

  Simply absurd.

  But there was no reason to complain about good luck, was there? This area was far from the battlefield it had expected: the meerkats were keeping everything pretty peaceful, and they seemed willing to let most similarly peaceful things pass by.

  They wouldn’t refuse a simple frog, right?

  As it hauled itself over the boulder, the frog was even more astounded that everything had gone smoothly: no predators waiting in ambush, no rival to challenge it.

  Couldn’t these creatures see what an exceptional treasure laid in their midst? Why weren’t they doing anything? The shiny was right here, dazzling in its splendor.

  And much more. Up close, it finally had a glimpse of what exactly had been so attractive about the thing: there was a quality to it, significant and ineffable. As if it was something massive, but just out of sight, so that rather than the thing itself, only the effects of its presence were actually there.

  … the frog’s thoughts weren’t making much sense right now.

  Fortunately, there was an easy way to understand more.

  Though… could it really be this easy?

  No trap? No nothing?

  At this point, the only obstacle was getting past the shine, so strong up close that it would be forced to crawl forward, completely blind. But it didn’t hesitate, lest the shiny disappear mysteriously or a nearby creature change its mind, or any of the many things that could and had already gone wrong in the past.

  It kept approaching. And as it got closer, it knew what was missing: it wasn’t the danger, or a trap. This simply wasn’t the entirety of what it sought. Just a speck. A shard left behind. That must be why it was so easy to take.

  … Not that the frog would ever refuse something this marvelous just because it wasn’t entirely what it wanted.

  In fact, as its hands closed in, it found that it didn’t care if the thing was authentic or not. It wanted this. And so it would take it.

  It only needed... to... reach a bit-

  It disappeared out of thin air. Leaving the frog stunned and still blinded, though sight was coming back quickly now that the glare was no more.

  … What had happened? Where did it go? The thing had been right here, for sure, but… but there was no trace.

  It was gone.

  Even the annoyance had gone away on its own, and they rarely did that.

  … Did they ever? Had the shiny even been there at all, or had it been a delusion? Should the frog start to worry about fake things that weren’t really there? If nothing else, it would explain why every other creature around had been so oblivious.

  By all means, it should have felt frustrated when denied the true prize, especially after such a long search. But there was this enormous feeling of… satisfaction, and accomplishment: that what it had done, though not even close to its original objective, was still important, the best it could hope for right now.

  And of closure. That it was finally free to focus on something else.

  It got up and looked around distractedly while feeding, trying to get inner balance through the outer one.

  Now that this pursuit wouldn’t consume so much of its time anymore, it could go back to its real objective: finding something to do.

  And the very next interesting thing, the frog would approach it! No matter what!

  The dreg had stood on top of a mountain, in this bleached, forsaken world.

  And stared death in the eyes.

  But once again, death hadn't come. This particular shape of it hadn't even deigned to acknowledge its challenge. It had just flied away, perhaps to scatter more crumbs for these insignificant little creatures.

  Were any part of it still capable of feeling, the dreg would most likely feel… slighted.

  That one was clearly part of their little order - there was no mistaking the self-important swagger.

  Their kind were always so quick to pass judgment. Leave it to the dreg to find the pacifist one. Or perhaps this vedraka had determined that life, for such a lowly thing, was the greater punishment.

  Another excuse to waste time gone, when there were already so few. Another barrier torn down.

  It could only hope that it was mistaken. After all, this very same Echo had foreseen 'transformation' at the end of its previous path, and look how that had turned out.

  It was a meager one, for auguries were unreliable, especially if divined so amateurishly. But they tended to be painfully accurate when predicting something horrible. And the dreg getting its hands on the anomaly would probably qualify.

  Though it had forgotten almost everything, it still remembered enough to know that it wouldn’t have wanted for things to go this way.

  It didn’t need that pretentious prick. It didn’t need anything much: just dither around enough for the realm to run its course. It shouldn’t be long now.

  Everything would be right, then. Truly a small effort. Easy.

  It moved anyway. To become the very thing they'd told it was, what it had denied until the very end. Or so it remembered.

  But maybe there was something…

  The collector.

  It would never mistake their kind. Never again. The resentment was enough to overpower even its base nature.

  For that, it could make a little stop on the way.