In the middle of a tempestuous rainforest, a small lonely frog shivered as rain hammered down on the trees above. The frog’s name was Kohle and sat curled into a ball, eating the remaining morsels of food collected during the day. Kohle’s best friend was Kane, who was an orangutan, but they had been separated whilst collecting food for the slumber party that night. They were planning to have a small feast, turn down the lights, and watch movies all night at home until they fell asleep, but the storm interrupted their plans. It had been sudden and unexpected, and Kohle couldn’t help but feel scared by its growing intensity. Hopefully Kane would arrive soon, and they could go back home right away before things got scarier.  

For now though, all Kohle could do was take shelter and wait. It felt like hour after hour went by, and Kohle continued to get more and more afraid. There was no more food, or heat, or proper shelter. Instead, the rain continued to get stronger, and Kohle continued to shiver. 

Suddenly, a sharp snapping noise pierced the air, causing Kohle to jump. 

“What was that?” Kohle thought, spinning around, looking for the source of the sound. There was nothing.

“Wow, I really am being a wimp!” Kohle thought. “It was probably just a stick or a twig or something. Oh, maybe it was Kane?” Kohle got excited for a moment, looking around once more, but saw no signs of the orangutan.

The hours kept drifting by… 

It was getting darker now, and Kohle was on the verge of tears. Not only was it freezing, but a cloud of anxiety crossed Kohle’s mind, "Where was Kane? Was everything okay? Had something serious happened?" It had been too long now. It wasn’t normal. 

Suddenly, Kohle heard another twig snap. Then another one snapped immediately afterwards. And then another. And then another. 

“What are these sounds?” Kohle thought, quickly turning around, pulse racing and heart bursting. “Nothing…must have been the rain hitting the leaves…” or so Kohle thought. 

There were more twigs now breaking from every direction, encircling the poor frog. 

They snapped and cracked, but another sound had now joined their orchestra. A soft sound that almost blended with the rain: a soft hisssssssss. 

Like every animal in that rainforest, Kohle could recognise that sound from anywhere. Grabbing a bright green leaf nearby, Kohle pulled it closer, trying to camouflage into its surface, but it was too late. 

A scaly head began to slowly rise in front of Kohle, a pink tongue flickering out like a whip. Two sharp eyes pierced Kohle’s heart; it was heading forward with complete determination. Undoubtedly, Kohle knew it was a snake! Kohle froze in fear as the ruby eyes stared unceasingly, creeping forward. Suddenly, there was another rustle, and to Kohle’s right, another snake poked its head through, and then another one on the left. 

"Oh no, how many are there?" thought Kohle, "Are there even more hiding?"

Kohle assumed that if there were others, they would have to have been visible by now. Not that it mattered. Three was already too many to handle. In fact, even one would have been too many for the small frog. The snakes slithered ever closer, and Kohle’s mind searched for happy, comforting memories to think of before the snakes took his life. Kohle wondered how many experiences in life would now be missed, and how much time had been wasted, just sitting around, not appreciating life? Kohle desperately wished that time could be repeated.

Resigned, Kohle’s eyes closed as the hissing slowly got louder and louder and nearer and nearer. 

Suddenly, a huge crash boomed through the rainforest, and a shadow cast itself over the nearby leaves. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, and as sunlight began to sparkle across the moisture of the forest, Kohle’s eyes opened and looked up, seeing Kane standing there, smiling. Kane put something on the ground softly, and then, with the speed of a hurricane, spun around, grabbing the snakes and throwing them into the distance. The snakes’ hisses echoed away until Kohle heard a soft thump, and then, silence. 

“What-what-w–” stammered Kohle, still shocked.

“Hey, don’t worry. Are you okay? Sorry I took so long, I got lost,” said Kane. 

“I was scared. I…didn’t know where you were…did you manage to find any food?”

“No. I'm sorry, for the food and for leaving you for so long,” said Kane, looking down, embarrassed. “But, hey, I managed to find something else I thought you might like.”

Kane picked up the objects he had set aside. In one hand was charcoal and a pad of paper, and in the other was a cuddly panda toy.

“Here. I got these for you,” said Kane, smiling at Kohle. 

“What are these?”

“They’re for you. They’re gifts. I thought this little guy could help protect you when I’m not around,” Kane said, pointing to the small toy. “It’s a panda named Koup. I’ve been making it while you were asleep. Been practising the good ol’ sewing skills, you know?” said Kane, briefly bursting with laughter. “It’s actually part of the reason I was late. I was excited to finish it up and give it to you, y’know? Sorry once again, I was just really excited,” Kane’s smile softened. “And I also got you these, a sketch pad and charcoal, just to get you started.”

“Get me started? For what?” said Kohle, slightly nervous.

“Ha ha ha! Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing to worry about! It’s just, you always tell me that you feel a bit scared of the world and…what’s the word you use?”

“Powerless?” Kohle mumbled.

“Exactly! But this? These tools? You can capture the world here however you want. You don’t need to be scared; I think the more you do this, the more you’ll see that there are amazing things out there, things we don’t normally appreciate. Trust me. Just try it out, but whether you love it or hate it, I’ll still be here to look out for you.”

Looking down at the gifts, a huge grin came across Kohle’s face.

“I love them,” said Kohle, trying to stifle the oncoming tears of joy. 

“I’m glad,” said Kane. “Alright then, should we go home?”

Kohle thought for a moment before looking up at Kane.

“Actually, let’s go somewhere. Somewhere new; I want to draw something I’ve never seen before. I want to…experience the world”. 

“Ha ha ha! That’s the spirit! Alright then, let’s go!” exclaimed Kane.

Grabbing one another’s arm, they laughed, running through the forest in search for inspiration.