Shorty-Tartus Is In

They continue through the rainforest, to the mangroves.

What DID we learn? asks Quiet-Tartus.

Don't be in front, says Terence.

He was at the back, says Quiet-Tartus.

Or the back, says Terence.

What a wonderfully diverse trail, says Gaius. Look, mangroves!

They look at the mangroves.

Auk Auk!

Auk Auk! screams Quiet-Tartus. 

He hops off to the side.

Gaius stops. So does Terence.

Roo-kai hovers above them.

He can see Quiet-Tartus climbing a brown stick of mangrove.

He's found one! says Roo-kai.

Sure enough, two Screaming Tree Frogs emerge from the mangroves, onto the trail.

Meet my new gang member, says Quiet-Tartus.

Not so fast, says the new gang member. I need more details. 

Yay! says Terence. Let me give him the details.

Okay, says Quiet-Tartus. 

Terence did not expect Quiet-Tartus to say that.

Well, says Terence. We are science people, and we found this guy, and he came with us to here and I found another guy but I squeezed him, and then these girl guys came along and wanted to be in the gang but they couldn't because they were girl guys...

Where are they? asks the new gang member.

On the beach, doing star jumps, says Terence. 

Go on, says the new gang member.

So we needed a replacement, says Terence.

Who for? asks the new gang member.

The squeezed guy, says Terence. He wasn't dead, but he was too squeezed to go to Queensland, and then a snake ate him so he couldn't even stay here.

A carpet python, says Gaius. Fear not, it's some distance behind us.

I'm not afraid of carpet pythons, says the new gang member.

That's good, says Terence. So, the details are, you do some training with this guy, and then come to Queensland with us, and fight the tree frog gangs there.

Just the two of us? asks the new gang member. 

You get your own gang name, says Terence. I forgot to say that.

But it can't be Quiet-Tartus, says Quiet-Tartus. That's my name.

Ha ha, laughs the new gang member. As if I would choose Quiet-Tartus!

What's wrong with Quiet-Tartus? asks Quiet-Tartus.

Quiet? says the new gang member. Is that what you are?

That's the point, says Quiet-Tartus. It's like when you're really tall and your nickname is Shorty.

Is it? asks Terence.

Not always, says Gaius.

Okay, my gang name will be Shorty, says the new gang member. That's my condition.

Shorty-Tartus, says Quiet-Tartus. That's MY condition.

The new gang member thinks for a moment. Shorty-Tartus.

It's quite catchy.

Okay, says Shorty-Tartus. I'm in.