Two Slender Black Shadows

 Five minutes elapse.

Where are they? asks Terence.

Listen, says Quiet-Tartus. 

Everyone listens.

They hear a short high-pitched bleating.

Sheep! says Terence.

Better not be, says Quiet-Tartus. Sheep are easy-beats!

The bleating gets louder. 

Graceful tree frog runs gracefully down the trunk of a tree.

They're coming, says Graceful They just needed to get ready.

Why did they need to get ready? asks Shorty-Tartus.

They know you have feathers, says Graceful.

Do they know it's a costume? asks Quiet-Tartus.

They do, says Graceful. They want to look equally fearsome.

How many are there? aske Terence.

Just two, says Graceful. Here they are now.

Two slender black shadows leap down from a tree.

Heeee-ya!

Yikes! says Quiet-Tartus. 

Ninja costumes! says Shorty-Tartus.

They might not be them, says Terence.

We are them! says one of the slender ninjas.

Gaius steps out from behind a tree, where he has been observing.

May I interrupt the proceedings? asks Gaius.

What for? asks Graceful. 

These frogs are covered from head to toe in black garments, says Gaius. Our two frogs have come here in good faith. They wear only feathers. May I ask on behalf of our team that your ninjas reveal their bodies, before recommencing.

Ninjas never reveal their bodies! bleats one of the ninjas.

Then the contest is off, says Gaius.

The Slender Bleating ninjas consult with one another in whispers.

Slowly they roll up their costumes, revealing slender bodies with light brown backs, a wide longitudinal stripe down the middle, cream coloured bellies and black vocal sacs.

They roll them down again.

They are definitely them, says Letitia.

We said that, says one of the ninjas. Now to compete!

Wait, says Terence. You can't just do ninja fighting.

Why not? asks a ninja.

Because my team only does boxing, says Terence.

We don't know boxing, says the ninja. 

It's like punching, says Terence.

How about a series of contests? says Graceful. Like one, ninja fighting, two, boxing, three, making the best noises, and four.....ummm

Riddles! says Terence.

Both teams agree this is fair.