Frog
A quiet watcher on the bank — until its tongue darts out.
A small blue frog sometimes sits beside clean water. For a long while it seems merely to wait. Then its tongue darts towards a fly, draws back into its mouth, and the animal settles again. A short sideways leap takes it to the next spot on the bank. Sometimes it disappears into the water and surfaces elsewhere a little later.
A blow can wound a frog while its body is reachable. It does not fight back, but seeks distance or escapes into water. While fully submerged, it cannot be struck.
Short paths along the bank
Frogs stay near clean water in forest and swamp. Short sideways hops carry them across clear stretches of bank. Their legs extend for a moment before they land again. Now and then the leap carries one into the water. A small splash marks the impact as the frog disappears immediately beneath the surface. It remains hidden for a while before leaping out at another bank of the same body of water. Where little dry bank remains or the water is heavily polluted, suitable places are scarce.
Stillness and a quick catch
A resting frog may occasionally try to catch a fly from an ordinary swarm. Not every wait ends in a catch. Danger takes priority: the frog abandons the attempt, leaps away or seeks cover in clean water. It is not prey; if it dies, only a tiny carcass remains.
Nights on the bank
After dark, frogs stay on the bank instead of diving again and again. Then they call almost without pause, in long runs with quiet stretches in between. Each frog keeps its own rhythm. When danger comes near, the calling stops; the frog leaps away, often into the water, and stays silent for a while afterwards.
