The witch went off to her crystal ball. She left a magical message informing everyone in the magical community that she had two frogs to sell. And just any frogs, naturally. Transformed men that had retained their memories and minds. The perfect fun to train as pets, then! What was more, they were ruffians and louts that deserved their fates. They were as mean as they were stupid. To try stealing from a witch, really! The witch suspected that witches themselves would be more interested, rather than warlocks, sorceresses or wizards, let alone other creatures, but one never knew.
As she sent her message about frog purchase, the three thieves were attempting to escape. But their jumps achieved nothing at all. They couldn't even speak, which resulted in loud and unintelligible croaks anyway. But John noticed that when HE jumped against the glass of the jar, it wobbled. Lightly, but it wobbled. Quickly he thought up of a simple plan. It was simple indeed, but could be effective. If he made the jar topple, then he could jump inside it to provoke it rolling and then fall off the edge of the table. There, it would shatter. Risky, but feasible. So he proceeded to hurl himself against the walls of his prison, not thinking about all the things that could go wrong. Like the witch coming back soon. The glass not shattering. The glass shattering and wounding him because of the shards. Fortunately the jar toppled and John hopped forward, rolling the jar to the edge of the table. Damon and Chris watched him with eyes even bigger than their new enormous frog eyes. John braced himself as the jar fell off, sensing the void and the noise informed him that the jar DID break. Immediately after, loud footsteps informed him that the witch was coming fast towards him. He hopped frantically towards the door. He'd come back and get help. Somehow.
"You ingrate! Come back now! You have a purchaser and a new master..."
Ha. Fat chance. This incentive was definitely not going to make John return. He turned his head around, croaked a mocking goodbye and...
Smacked into something hard and leathery. A something that picked him up in a massive hand.
"Thank you," breathed the witch. "He escaped and..."
"And all is well. The cheeky transformed human that I was looking for," said a deep male voice.
He tapped John's head with his finger in an affectionate manner.
"I'll take him. He'll be perfect."
"Yes, of course," said the witch quickly.
The man was clearly a warlock. He had a long coat, a top heat, shiny leather boots and was dressed in silk and velvet. His clothes had a lot of esoteric symbols stitched upon them. He paid the witch with a few gold coins and conjured up a brand new jar from the broken remains of the one John had managed to shatter open. Great. Here he was, back to square one, in the same reconstituted jar and in bag of a stranger who was a warlock and who had plans for him, certainly none in his favour. He barely stole a glimpse at his two friends, still frogs like him, before darkness swallowed him. Which would be bought and who would stay? What would become of him? He could only guess and be frightened.