The male toad leaped energetically past Christina in pursuit of the second fly, which had until recently been an athletic young blonde woman. She realised she had absolutely no idea what her new toad companion had been like as a human. Was he the kind of person who would have felt guilty at devouring a fellow victim of this cruel witches magic? It didn't seem like it as he bounded hungrily after his prey.
Christina silently willed the fly to escape. Though potentially spending the rest of her life as a fly would be a cruel fate for the poor girl, being gobbled up whole by a toad seemed even worse. Thankfully, the athletic prowess the young woman had displayed as a human seemed to have carried over to her new form, as she quickly and skillfully evaded the somewhat ungainly male toads attempts to snag her. Eventually, she made her way clear into the the distance, presumably to begin her new life as a small flying insect.
The witch chuckled as the male toad admitted defeat and sat placidly on the floor a few feet away from her.
"Good effort both of you!" The witch commended mockingly "I'm glad to see you embracing your new forms so enthusiastically. But being a toad isn't just about eating, it's about avoiding being eaten too. It's time for your next lesson"
The witch spied a fashionably dressed young couple enjoying a picnic by the side of the river nearby. They appeared to be in their mid twenties. The male was tall and slim with dark hair and a neatly trimmed beard that didn't really suit him. His date was a very pretty and elegant looking red haired young woman. With a wave of the witches hand, both were instantly transformed into a pair of very confused herons.
"There, these two should be much slower and less threatening than the regular predators you will be encountering" the witch smiled down at the two toads who were about to go from hunters to hunted "This is necessary practice for you. Run, hide, camouflage yourselves, dive under water or do whatever comes naturally. But I'd do it quickly if I were you"