Shady

“No frogs don’t have families they put eggs in water and then hop away,” Tasia argued. “And then they swim until their tails fall off. Then they can come out. ...

“Because… you gotta.” Tasia looked at her mother for help, but Aashi only smiled, leaving her to work out her argument on her own. “What’s the point in frogs existing ...

“Because.” She gestured. She didn’t know how to explain something so obvious.

“No.” She shook her head earnestly. “You gotta catch them.”

“They pee a lot.” Tasia wrinkled her nose.

“…the ones without the warts.” “Toads,” Aashi supplied. “Yeah. I like frog-frogs not toad-frogs but I like toad-frogs sometimes if there aren’t any frog-frogs.”

“… probably,” Tasia agreed. “Like frogs!”

Tasia blinked at him. Wasn’t the land the point of the war? She didn’t understand why he shouldn’t get it. “…yeah.”

She nodded glumly. “Well… hopefully he gets land so he’ll be happy and stop trying to war you.”

“I could talk to him,” Tasia offered.

“Oh.” Tasia nodded in agreement. That was lining up with her understanding of war so far. “Well… can his mama tell him to be nice?”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“…because he doesn’t like his gift?”

“…why?”