The frog severed the filaments and swept up the gem with practiced ease, perhaps for the last time.

  The thing tried to float out of its grasp, but the frog's hand was steady and it had already dove into the nearest crevice.

  The owl was quick as usual, and it all but crashed into the ground, for their usual dance. It started clawing and kicking about, thrashing all over in the vain hope of hitting something. And though there was little trace of the elegance it had once possessed, its swipes were very wide and efficient.

  Not that any of that mattered, when its quarry was safely underground. For how much the creature had learned and adapted, the frog was always one step ahead. Only that first time with the salamander’s gem had been close.

  Each one afterwards had been smooth, and hearing the owl rage above, completely powerless, was almost worth it on its own.

  But it wasn’t enough to counteract the dejection that had seized the frog.

  The more time it spent here, the more its disdain for the thing grew.

  It might have made good on its objective to pilfer from the owl’s trove, but what good was that? A creature that had so much strength and yet couldn’t use it for anything other than tormenting its lessers... What was the point in challenging it?

  The frog felt like it had just wasted time. Made nothing of itself.

  Time had gone by, and it had stayed the same while the owl felt even further ahead, even more untouchable.

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  … as if in response to this very thought – to mock it – the creature screeched one last time, and finally left.

  The frog didn't wait much before getting a move on – this had become too commonplace to dither and an ambush was simply against that thing’s nature. But not before slapping away the piled up annoyances, as usual. It felt so fitting to get rid of two sources of vexation at the same time.

  As expected, there was nothing at all outside but utter silence. If only the frog could enjoy this properly…

  As it paced around sneakily, it confirmed the inkling that had been growing inside: each gem it examined felt no more appealing than rocks. Worse even, because rocks it couldn't feed on in the first place, while these things felt like they could, but only offering damage and degradation.

  Its discouragement was such that it felt like even the annoyance was agreeing with this judgment.

  Suddenly sick of how clearly pointless the search for an appetizing gem was, it got rid of this one too and crouched down.

  What should it do now?

  It had stayed here to spite the owl, to have some form of comeuppance...

  Maybe it could grab a few gems and simply carry them away on its way out? But that wouldn’t even make a dent in this stash.

  Truth was, it was impossible to keep pilfering.

  And maybe that was for the best.

  Despite the feelings of triumph for its small victories over the monstrous thing, the frog was tired of living this way, always skulking around, scurrying under rocks to avoid the ever-looming threat. Where had its real goals ended up? Wasn’t it searching for a way to get stronger? Wasn’t it searching for something to do? How was this helping with any of that?

  Only that first transformation with the lizard had truly felt worth it – it wouldn't go back on that for anything. But even that, what had it accomplished concretely? Besides making it feel inadequate. And other strange things.

  The more time went on and the better it got at moving, expressing its body or applying its will... the more incapable it realized it was. Such a strange and contradictory feeling, that it had doubted at first.

  It felt as if all it did… lacked depth. As if there was something in the world - something not the essence - that underlay all the really important… stuff. And gave them power and meaning, beyond what they should have.

  But it was just… the owl felt much deeper than the frog, of course, but even it…

  Sometimes when it watched the currents, letting itself be swayed by their flow, it thought it could feel something else, swaying along within them. And also…

  ...

  No matter. Thinking about this only managed to confuse it even more. It might be a mystery beyond its ken, or a simple product of realizing the gap between itself and the owl. Both things were equally likely.

  Whatever the truth, each subsequent gem it fed on had maybe only worsened its mood. Together with the other strange and inexplicable feeling it had.

  As if something was looming out there, something other than the owl.

  That a detail was missing, forgotten. And the more it missed, the more terrific this event would be. It was out there, rippling, while the frog was wasting away here, gathering the scraps of that hateful creature…

  But this one was definitely just its frustration acting up. How was it supposed to know these things? How could they be real? The anxiety ramped up from all this skulking around since the lizard must be playing tricks on it.

  In any case, instinct, feelings and reason all agreed that its time here was over. The frog was a creature of accomplishment, satisfaction and joy after all! This wasn’t the place for it.

  Pity was that its quest against the owl would have to be abandoned, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

  It would leave soon.

  … Soon after one last thing.

  After all, the gems and bodies out here might be useless, but that wasn’t the case for the ones inside the clearing…

  The frog approached slowly, toeing the line it knew so well, beyond which lay taloned death. And once again felt profound frustration.

  The gems were right there! If only they were the only thing it needed, it could probably grab them and run. Even if the owl did come rushing and chased after it, the frog should be able to get away and hide as always. Unfortunately though these gems still felt as appealing as ever, contrary to the ones outside, they weren't enough.

  But before feeling bad, it should try the plan. It was really, really happy with the plan. What a smart, superior mind it had!

  Judging by the screams of agony, the owl should have reached the latest scavenger group and be as far away as it could be. Time to proceed.

  It brought out the termite that had tried to gnaw its hand off, earlier. Termites were the perfect candidates to try this: silent and harmless. Or at least they were when something pulled out their pincers.

  It heaved up and threw the creature towards the unrecognizable body next to the badger's - the one the owl had been fighting after the snake incident. In the end, it had remained untouched, gem and filaments still inside. They would be the target if this worked.

  The termite bounced off the mangled flesh...

  The very moment it touched the ground, a terrible screech sounded out. That didn’t bode well, but it might have been a coincidence.

  The frog tried to relax and settled down to wait, watching the termite wiggle around. Now, this was when it would start scurrying away – the things could be pretty fast when they wanted to – and possibly ruin the plan. Or it would, if something hadn’t also pulled its legs off.

  All too soon, the screeching became louder and louder, and the frog turned its eyes to the awful visage of the owl gliding in, some unidentifiable creature in its claw and another that looked like a coyote, but decidedly wasn't, biting into its shoulder with no effect whatsoever.

  It dropped onto the termite, immediately turning it and the frog’s hopes into paste. Then, it was time for its two passengers, subjected to such whirlwind of violence that when the predator was done it was impossible distinguish their remains from the ground.

  The owl had truly become fierce. Even the smaller ones didn’t seem to want anything to do with it anymore, shying away and crying when it got closer the same as with any other predator. They must have realized what an awful thing it was.

  But this didn't concern the frog anymore.

  It had confirmed that there really was nothing for it here, because clearly it wouldn’t even have time to get the gems! It would have happily stolen a few, as this feeling of… overfulness, would surely go away in the future.

  They might make a good snack when the time came.

  The filaments though, its real objective, were completely out of reach, unless it wanted a more lethal repeat of the snake incident. The owl would turn it into dust before the transformation even got underway.

  With immense frustration, but taking care to be as sneaky as always, the frog slunk away. Finally free from this dreadful place.

  The frog tried to calm its inner turmoil, hiding in a shallow cave just outside of the owl’s territory, doing nothing but feeding every time it felt the need.

  It knew it should not tarry here, where it had suffered its worst time by far since it had climbed out of the ravine of its beginnings. It resented the place and resented the owl.

  There were things to accomplish: it had to find something to do, first and foremost; and it also had to find a way to become stronger. But it just could not bring itself to leave.

  Part of it might be leaving all those creatures’ filaments. Even knowing they were out of reach, leaving them here still felt bad. A new transformation would have been very nice.

  Leaving them to the owl felt worse, even when the creature was doing nothing with them. After all, the initial intent had been to swipe everything it could.

  But that alone was far from enough to keep it here, where even the rocks had started to look disagreeable.

  Though the predator wouldn’t come all the way here – it had been a long time since the owl had needed to go out to get into a fight - the frog's mind felt like it would fray with every screech.

  And the endless hordes of weaker scavengers that got scared off kept harassing it, thinking it an easier target.

  Fighting was so common here, the frog was even starting to get some appreciation for it – though it still didn’t like its context and consequences. In particular, it had found enjoyment in using its claws and coming up with increasingly creative and efficient ways to bring down its foes.

  But what was really keeping it here it, gripping it so hard it had no other chance but to stay, was that creeping feeling of something incoming. A terrific event out there.

  The feeling had become so prevalent it couldn’t be denied anymore, and so compelling that the frog couldn’t really pick a direction and start moving, for fear that it would be the wrong one. And so, it waited.

  And waited.

  And waited.

  And also it fought, because its life had been nothing but struggle since meeting the owl.

  The frog blamed it all on that awful thing.

  The rogue vedraka hovered high in the sky, looking down as the last fragment descended onto the world.

  She had done her best, left many close to where rifts were about to open. A good spread. If it were her power alone, she might be worried for its integrity, but the artifact was far too powerful, far too significant to be damaged by something like that. In fact, it was a wonder she was able to affect it in the first place.

  Hopefully the naradha had taken the hint and grabbed the fragment destined for them. If anyone could make it out of here, it would be one so resilient. And maybe they and the artifact could help each other, down the line. She had even left one to the collector. The thing wouldn't survive the collapse, but in case it did, at least it would bring something good to the place it inflicted its presence upon. And if it tried anything nefarious, it would find itself sorely wanting.

  With this, her responsibilities were met. She took a deep, dusty breath, and let it out in an explosive sigh, looking around. Lost. It was hard not to think of it like giving up, for what had this been if not preparing for her demise?

  ... Her years as an immortal had truly left her disconnected from common reality. It was normal to plan for beyond oneself. It had been normal even for her not so long ago. It was rational. Not only the unawakened, but even the vast majority of sidhas had to deal with mortality at some point, and prepare.

  It was rational. It was for the best. And besides, now that the artifact's independence was secured, she could focus on her own survival!

  ... Or rather, she could stop deluding herself and contemplate how thoroughly screwed she was.

  Her auguries had failed her. There was no supreme insight here. No hidden window to a mythical, undiscovered net. No nothing.

  Only she, a crippled naradha that couldn't even help themselves, and an abomination about to waste away.

  The realm was close to collapse, a major rip in the fabric looming ever closer. Perhaps more than one.

  Then she would be exposed to the cosmos.

  There was no way out.

  She adjusted the chain around her neck.

  ... Time for desperate measures.

  She relaxed her defenses, and felt the mysterious substance seep through, roiling against her skin. Her attempts to attune, or at least inure herself to it, had failed utterly. But since she had started doing this, simply basking in the scouring... it was almost pleasant. Bittersweet, like a caress with a brambled hand. Invigorating.

  Time to investigate this place properly.