Wader the Frog
Once upon a time, in the soggiest corner of the Whispering Wetlands, a young frog named Wader dreamed of adventure. He wasn't like the other frogs, who sat on lily pads and croaked about the "dire importance of algae." Wader wanted to explore the world beyond the wetlands, but he didn't know where to start.
One stormy morning, while Wader was hopping along the marshy shore, he stumbled upon a shiny, golden scroll half-buried in the mud. With a feeling of awe, he unrolled it to find strange symbols etched across the surface. At the bottom of the scroll, in shimmering letters, it read: "Solve the riddle, and rid yourself of all doubts."
Wader tilted his head. “A riddle, huh?” He scratched his chin (or where his chin would be if frogs had chins) and tried to stir up some ideas.
The riddle read:
“To start your quest and leave your home,
Find the place where the tide will roam.
The path is set, don't hesitate,
But know that choices hold their rate.”
Feeling both nervous and excited, Wader decided he would try to solve the riddle. But just as he was about to hop away, his grumpy neighbor, Old Mr. Tirade, waddled up and snatched the scroll.
“Bah! This thing is full of edits! Why, in my day, scrolls were perfect!” he croaked, shaking it like a wet newspaper. “Kids like you don't know the rates of trouble these things bring. Don't mess with it!”
Ignoring the old frog's bluster, Wader politely retrieved the scroll. He knew that sometimes, even the wisest frogs could be overly dramatic. As he hopped away, Mr. Tirade called after him, “Don't say I didn't warn you when someone dies, or worse! Frogs don't do well with quests!”
Though the warning was dire, Wader's determination only grew stronger. With a leap and a splash, he set out into the murky waters, the scroll clutched tightly in his webbed hands.