"Branch, I know I wanted you to come tell stories to the trollings but maybe you could try NOT giving them nightmares for the rest of the week." Poppy said to Branch but he didn't understand the problem.

"Oh come on," He said confused "I only told them a couple of bergen stories." Poppy looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Branch, you told them how a troll was digested!" She scolded at him.

"I learned it when I was younger." Branch stated.

"The oldest trolling was 4 years old!" Poppy yelled as he gently smacked him on the top of his head.

"Oh well it wasn't THAT bad," Branch tried to reassure her. "They'll be fine in a few days."

"More like weeks." Poppy muttered under her breath trying to avoid Branch's big, sensitive ears from hearing her. "Anyway, I need you to come with me to pick up Fluffy from the rivered trolls' village." Fluffy was Poppy's pet terra-fluff, like any of her kind she was covered in fur but she had teeth like razor-sharp knives and she didn't like Branch at all.

"What? No! why do I have to come?" Branch complained.

"Because you're my best friend," Poppy said sweetly, Branch went completely silent. "I thought you would like to come to the rivered trolls' village," But he wasn't convinced. He never knew much about the rivered trolls apart from that he didn't really care. He began to walk away.

"Oh really and what makes you think that I'll..." Branch's words were cut off when he felt something pin his tail to the ground stopping him from walking away. Poppy was stepping on Branch's tail and smiling at him.

"Because I'm the queen and you have to do as I say," Poppy said smugly. "Now let's go." Branch groaned and rolled his eyes.

***

The rivered trolls were very different compared to the so called 'music trolls', they hardly ever danced, hugged but very rarely they would sing, they weren't very colorful mainly just reds, browns and oranges but sometimes they can be greens, yellows and blues. They can extend their hair but they weren't able to change the color of it making it harder for them to blend in to their surroundings and unlike music trolls who are just fuzz rivered trolls had a thin layer of fur which would usually cause music trolls to stroke and hug them as if they were pets.

When Poppy and Branch got to the rivered trolls' village Branch was amazed by how practical everyone seemed, nearly every one of them carried a weapon from a spear to a bow and arrow.

'Why couldn't I have grown up here?" he thought to himself. His father was a rivered troll hence his ears. Rivered trolls' ears were very similar to Branch's, they were a lot more pointy and a little bit thinner and because Branch's mom was a music troll and his dad was a rivered troll his ears were very unique.

"Do you rule these guys too?" Branch asked Poppy.

"Well they have a leader, more like a chief but then again I'm the queen of the trolls so I can take charge of them," she said modestly. 
"There's also someone that I want you to meet," Poppy stated to Branch, "I think you'll like her, she's very tough and she just reminds me of you so much." Branch just shrugged and nodded with a little smile.

As they walked through the village Branch noticed something. There were lykars. Most of them had ropes tied around their necks with a rivered troll pulling them on the other end. No sea lykars though. Not like Spirit....

Branch really missed Spirit, she was the only thing that kept him happy when he was younger but he was happy now and that's the main thing.

Poppy didn't want to admit it but she had no idea how to get to the vet to pick up Fluffy, it actually seemed like they were walking around in circles.

"Um...I think it's that way...no wait...er..this way..." Poppy had no idea where they were going. She stopped by to ask someone but it took a lot longer than expected. Branch got bored until he pricked up one of his ears when he heard a strange grunting noise, being the paranoid troll he was he would have just ignored it and stayed away but he was curious so he decided to follow the noise and it lead him to a large wooden building, it was a stable and inside were lykars each in their own small pen. One lykar stuck its head over the gate of its pen and looked at him, Branch walked closer towards the lykar and he was in awe about how beautiful it looked.

"You're beautiful," he whispered to the amazing creature as he reached out his hand to pet it, he placed his hand on the lykar's forehead and stroked it down to it's nose, it was huge compared to Branch, its big, turquoise eyes looking into his.

"What are you doing?" a voice asked startling him he immediately turned around to face the voice and got into a karate-like pose ready to defend himself.

The voice belonged to a young rivered troll, she only looked a couple of years younger than Branch, she had tan colored fur with brown tipped hands, feet, ears and tail and had darker-colored hair, she wore a brown colored tunic with a belt around her waist and bandages around her elbows, a grey skirt and some brown leggings underneath, her hair was tied up in a plait and had a small notch in her ear and a similar one near the end of her tail but the most noticeable thing about her was that her left leg was replaced with a prosthetic.

"Whoa, easy there karate paws." she laughed, "What are you doing here? aren't you supposed to be with the other musical trolls, singing songs and giving everyone a headache?" she asked sarcastically.

"Well you're one to assume aren't you?" Branch scoffed, this troll was talking to him as if he was stupid.

"Do you like lykars?" the troll asked.

"Huh?"

"I just asked you a question, do you like lykars?"

"Yeah I-I've had a history with them." Branch smiled, the troll smiled back. "Is this one yours?" he asked pointing at the lykar he was petting.

"Yeah, he's a beauty isn't he?" She said as she scratched her lykar under the chin, "His name is Manta." she climbed up onto the top of the gate sitting on the edge, Branch wrapped his long, blue hair on the gate and swung up next to where the troll was sitting.

"He must be really fast." Branch complimented, "his stream-lined body and long legs must make it impossible for anyone to keep up with." The troll was amazed by how much Branch knew about lykars.

"Manta here is one of the fastest lykars in the village." she replied. Branch admired Manta's beautiful markings running down his back towards his tail, they looked like waves and swirls as if the ocean was marked onto his back. "I'm Tekai by the way."

"I'm Branch." he replied and smiled.

"Branch?" Poppy called out to him, seemed as she was finally done asking for directions.

"Sorry I gotta go." he said to Tekai, she waved at him as he left the stables.

"There you are Branch! where were you?" Poppy asked but before Branch could answer Poppy saw Tekai walking out of the stables. "Tekai!" she called.

"Oh hi your Majesty," Tekai called back.

"Please Kai, you can call me Poppy." She turned to Branch "Branch this is who I wanted you to meet, this is Tekai." Branch's eyes went wide. Poppy said that the troll she wanted him to meet was tough, Tekai didn't seem that tough.

"Wait, THIS kid is the so called 'tough one' that you wanted me to meet, she's a little..." Branch didn't want to say anything else so he just lowered his hand indicating that Tekai was short.

"HEY!" she blurted, she didn't take the comment too well, "Who says I'm not tough, I could easily kick your a-"

"OKAY BREAK IT UP YOU TWO!" Poppy yelled, "see what I mean, she's just like you Branch." Tekai smirked but Branch just rolled his eyes. "Anyway Tekai, do you know where Olive is?"

"Oh right, you're here to pick up your terra-fluff aren't you," Tekai realized "Follow me."

When the three of them got to the vet there were terra-fluffs playing everywhere with an olive- colored troll sitting with them.

"Hi Olive, Queen Poppy is here to pick up Fluffy," Tekai announced.

"I can see why you call her Olive." Branch whispered into Tekai's ear.

"Oh yes, of coarse your Majesty," Olive said as she picked Fluffy up who was playing with the other terra-fluffs. "Luckily her paw wasn't that bad, it just needs to stay bandaged up for a couple of days, it was just a bramble in her paw." Fluffy jumped out of Olive's arms and joined back in with her friends limping slightly with her bandaged paw. "So Tekai, are you taking Manta around the forest again this evening?" Olive asked, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah I'm gonna sneak him out when the riders are making their way to the arena, so Clay doesn't suspect anything," Tekai stated, "I'm taking him to the top of the cliffs today."

"Wait what?" Branch interrupted.

"Well because Manta hates being in the lykar races I make it up to him by riding him around the forest, he loves it." Tekai answered.

"You race lykars?" he questioned.

"I know, horrible isn't it." Tekai replied, "but according to Clay it's 'a rivered troll tradition'."

"Who's Clay?" Branch asked.

"Wow you ask a lot of questions." Olive laughed.

"Clay is basically the biggest, self centered jerk in the world!" Tekai grunted.

"Tekai!" Olive yelled and laughed, she knew that Tekai was right.

Their conversation was interrupted when the terra-fluffs started making adorable noises which caught Poppy's ears.

"Awww Fluffy wants to stay here with the others," Poppy cooed as she watched them play.

"Any day now!" Branch groaned but he saw that Poppy wasn't moving, "ugh fine I'll get her." He bent down to pick up the terra-fluff.

"Er Branch..." Tekai interrupted as Branch held one of the terra-fluffs in his hands, "that's not Fluffy." She was right Branch picked up one of the other terra-fluffs. So where was Fluffy? Suddenly Branch felt several sharp pains stab into his backside causing him to yelp in pain.

"OWWW!!" He cried, Fluffy had sneaked up behind him and bit him on the butt, she held on for a couple of seconds before letting go and running to Poppy.

"Are you okay?" Poppy asked Branch who was rubbing his rear. Poppy tried very hard not to laugh.

"Never better!" he replied sarcastically, Tekai on the other hand was on the ground laughing hysterically, tears forming in her eyes, slamming her fist into the ground. Branch glared at her not impressed.

"OH MY GOSH!" she panted while still laughing, "that just made my day."

After finally getting Fluffy to leave the vet Poppy, Branch and Tekai made their way to the edge of the village where Tekai said goodbye to them.

"Aww bye Tekai." Poppy cooed as she threw her arms around Tekai bringing her in for a hug nuzzling her face into her ear.

"Poppy what did we say about boundaries?" Tekai asked, annoyed trying her best to get Poppy to let go.

"Sorry Kai, you're just so cute and furry." She said as she let the rivered troll out of her grip, Tekai then approached Branch.

"Hey Branch?" Tekai asked, "I was wondering if you wanted to meet up at some point."

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"It would be nice to get to know another troll who appreciates lykars as much as me."

"Sure, why not?"

"See ya." She said as she waved to him.

"I think you two got along really well together." Poppy told Branch as they made their way back to their village.

"Yeah she's alright." Branch admitted, "but I don't think she reacted well to being called short."

***

"Spirit," Askar whispered, "Spirit wake up." Spirit lifted her head and scratched her eyes with her claws.

"Askar?" She yawned, "what's going on?" Askar used his nose to point over to the edge of one of the concrete pools, Spirit dove off the ledge that she was sleeping on and into the water with Askar following behind. They swam over to where he was pointing, Spirit slid out onto the ledge and raised her head to try see what was going on. When she realised what was happening her eyes widened. "The truck," she gasped.

"They called the truck in, they're going to take you to...the place." Askar was in disbelief, he didn't want to lose his best friend. "You have to get out of here." Spirit nodded back.

Spirit was in one of the tanks when the trainers came out with ropes, they threw one around her neck and one around her tail and they pulled her out onto the ledge. Spirit started thrashing around squealing and grunting desperately trying to escape until she whipped her head around and grabbing the rope in her jaws, pulling it from the snatcher's hands then she got to her feet, lucky for her the snatchers had left the metal gate open when they came in so she made a break for the gate leaving the snatchers behind in her dust.

"Didn't I tell you to shut the gate you idiot!" One of the snatchers scolded at the other.

"Didn't I tell YOU to shut the gate?!" He scolded back.

Spirit ran out of the gate, through the main offices inside and out of the main entrance, she didn't look back she only thought about what to do now. She had nowhere to go now and if she returned to the aquarium the snatchers would have her killed. A thousand regrets ran through her mind as she reminded herself why the snatchers were going to take her to grey truck, every lykar that was sent on that truck never returned. Just like her mother did. Spirit's head was in the clouds and she didn't notice a spear fly past her stabbing the ground just centimetres away from her, she kept on running but then stopped dead in her tracks. She forgot about the ropes that were around her neck and tail and they got caught on the spear that was thrown into the ground, she tried to pull away but the ropes were all tangled up, she heard the snatchers chasing her, shouting and yelling at her but she didn't stop tugging on the ropes. Another spear was thrown cutting across her shoulder, Spirit grunted in pain but she didn't stop pulling. She looked down at her shoulder and saw fresh blood start to pour out of the wound, she didn't let that stop her and with one final tug the spear snapped, untangling the ropes and she was free. She ran towards the cove and dived into the water, she dove deep into the water so that the snatchers would lose sight of her and when the coast was clear she swam back up to the surface. She was exhausted, she struggled as the ropes continued to get tighter and tighter around her body, her limbs couldn't take it any longer but she tried her best to force them to keep going but she began to grow tired.
Spirit looked up at the crescent moon shining into her blue eyes, her vision was fading, she could feel the world around her spin as if she was in a twister. She looked at her shoulder again her grey fur was stained red with blood. As she looked up at the moon again her eyes began to slowly shut until all she could see was darkness.