Chibi discovered the frog first.
It was sitting beside the fountain in the Altdorf square, half buried in spring mud and looking extremely pleased with itself.
Chibi crouched immediately.
“Important discovery,” he announced.
Mara looked up from where she was examining a small patch of white flowers growing between the cobblestones.
“What kind of discovery?”
“Frog.”
She leaned over slightly.
“That is indeed a frog.”
“And it’s very green.”
“That’s usually how they operate.”
The frog blinked slowly.
Chibi leaned closer.
“Where did it come from?”
“The river, probably.”
“Why come here?”
“Maybe it likes cities.”
Chibi looked around the square.
Markets had returned to Altdorf with full enthusiasm. Merchants shouted prices, carts rattled over wet stones, and children ran between stalls as if winter had personally insulted them.
“Cities are loud,” Chibi said.
“Yes.”
“Frogs are quiet.”
“That’s also true.”
Before Chibi could continue his investigation, something moved beside the fountain.
Another frog hopped into view.
Then another.
Chibi blinked.
“Oh.”
Mara glanced over.
“That’s new.”
“Yes.”
“Spring,” she said.
Chibi nodded thoughtfully.
“Things are multiplying.”
He liked that word.
Multiplying sounded important.
Then suddenly a pigeon exploded upward from a nearby roof.
Another followed.
Then a whole cloud of them lifted into the air as if something had frightened them.
Chibi watched the sky.
“That’s strange.”
“Yes.”
“Pigeons are not normally dramatic.”
“No.”
At that moment a dog tied outside a butcher’s shop began growling toward the road leading out of the city.
Chibi followed its gaze.
“What’s down there?”
“The forest road.”
“Oh.”
He looked back at the fountain.
Five frogs now.
Then something small sprinted across the square.
A rabbit.
It didn’t slow down.
Another followed.
Then a third.
Chibi stood up slowly.
“All right.”
“Yes.”
“That’s suspicious.”
Mara nodded calmly.
“Rabbits don’t normally visit cities.”
“No.”
“Especially not crowded ones.”
“No.”
Chibi folded his arms and studied the road.
“You ever notice something?”
“What?”
“Animals leave places before people realize something’s wrong.”
Mara smiled slightly.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“They listen better.”
Chibi looked at the growing frog population again.
“Seven frogs.”
“Yes.”
“That’s too many frogs.”
“Yes.”
He looked toward the forest road once more.
Beyond the city walls the woods of the Empire stretched dark and quiet beneath the spring sky.
“You think the forest is getting crowded?” he asked.
Mara followed his gaze.
“Yes.”
“That would explain the frogs.”
“And the rabbits.”
“And the birds.”
“Yes.”
Chibi considered this very carefully.
“Well,” he said.
“That sounds like the forest’s problem.”
Mara shook her head gently.
“Not always.”
“Why not?”
“Because when the forest gets too full…”
Chibi raised an eyebrow.
“Yes?”
“…things start looking for more space.”
Chibi looked at the frogs.
Then the rabbits.
Then the road.
“Oh.”
“Yes.”
“That might become our problem.”
“Yes,” Mara said softly.
“I think it might.”
Above them the swallows circled the rooftops of Altdorf.
Spring had arrived.
Life was multiplying everywhere.
And somewhere beyond the city walls,
the forests of the Empire
were beginning to run out of room.
SPRING & REBIRTH
🜍 Month 3 · The Turning of the Year
🜍 Week 2 — The forests grow crowded
Story: The Woods Are Too Full
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying Game — The Old World
👉 Read the full longform chapter on Ko-fi / Patreon
👉 New chapter every week — escalation follows structure
🎲 Play epic.
📖 Feel the story.
💛 Join the family — Mythveil awaits.