In a small village far far away... a little blue troll named Branch ran around happily, his best friend Creek chasing after him, the two children laughing and having fun together, neither one of them having a care in the world...

     "I'm gonna get you, Branch!" Creek shouted out with a laugh, chasing down the little blue troll ahead of him...

"Oh no you're not!" Branch shouted back as he ran as fast as his little legs would take him, the young boy laughing hysterically, not paying attention to where he was going... "You can't get me! You can't get m... whoa!"

With a quick shout of surprise, Branch suddenly tripped over a small root sticking out of the ground, the young child beginning to tumble perilously down a steep hill that sat previously unnoticed in front of him...

"AHHHHH!"

     Creek's eyes widened in horror with a quick gasp of alarm as he watched the situation play out, Branch's tumbling body abruptly coming to a halt, the young troll falling unconscious immediately as his head banged brutally against a dense boulder...

     "Branch!" Creek shouted out, his voice filled with worry as he quickly ran down the hill, dropping down to his knees next to his best friend, beginning to shake him back and forth. "Branch!? Branch!? Are you ok, mate? Can you hear me?"

But the little blue troll didn't respond... instead he just lay there on the ground, not moving an inch, the rock having made a massive gash in the side of his head that blood no seeped out of...

"No... no, no, no, no..." Creek muttered softly, looking around in a panic. "Help! Someone help!" he finally wailed out at the top of his lungs, not knowing what else to do. "My friend is hurt! He needs help!"

There was no reply... Unfortunately... no one was around to hear the child's cries...

"Oh no..." he muttered softly to himself, looking around for any signs of other trolls coming to the rescue...

Nothing... they were completely alone... why had they traveled so far from home!?

Slowly, the young boy looked back down at the lifeless child before him, rising up to his feet as he began backing away slowly in fear, his eyes wide as he saw the puddle of blood forming under his friend's limp body...

Would he be blamed for this? He didn't want to get into trouble...

No... that didn't matter... what mattered is that his friend was hurt... he needed to help him... fast...

"Um... uh..." he muttered softly to himself, looking around for a solution, an idea finally popping into his head. "Don't... don't worry, Branch. Just... just hang in there, ok?" he said, his voice shaking in panic as he turned his gaze back to the blue troll who still lay motionless on the ground. "I'm going to get your grandma... she'll... she'll  know what to do..."

Of course... Branch didn't answer... he hadn't even heard his friend speaking to him... the little blue troll was no longer there... not anymore...

Panting heavily in fear, Creek finally took off in the direction of Rosiepuff's Pod, leaving his friend behind as Branch's skin unknowingly began fading into a dull grey...

—————

"Well, you done done me, and you bet I felt it. I tried to be chill, but you're so hot that I melted. I fell right through the cracks. And now I'm trying to get back," Rosiepuff sang softly as the old troll baked some of her famous Fluffleberrie cake.

The super secret recipe was her grandson's favorite, and it was a special occasion. Branch would be turning four years old in just a few hours, and she was excited to celebrate this miraculous moment with him. Her only remaining family member...

"Before the cool done run out. I'll be giving it my bestest. And nothing's gonna stop me but divine intervention. I reckon it's again my turn. To win some or learn some..."

As she sang, finishing up the preparations, the old troll began to dance towards the oven, placing the cake pan gently inside.

"But I won't hesitate no more. No more," she sang, setting a timer for three minutes. "It cannot wait, I'm yours!"

"Mrs. Branch's grandma! Mrs. Branch's grandma!" Creek shouted out in a panic, suddenly running right into the old troll's pod.

She turned at the sound of his voice, smiling kindly over at him.

"Hello, Creek," she said sweetly, but her smile quickly faded away once she saw the terror on the young boy's face. "What's wrong, little one?" She looked around a bit, quickly noticing Branch wasn't with him, even though the two boys had left together earlier that day... "And where's Branch?"
"He's hurt!" Creek cried out in response, worried about his friend.

Rosiepuff's eyes widened at the young child's statement, becoming instantly frightened for her grandson...

"Where is he?" she asked in a serious tone, trying to hide her fear so she wouldn't worry the young boy in front of her...

"This way!" Creek informed. "Quick! Follow me! He's hurt bad!"

Quickly, they both ran off, heading towards where Creek had left Branch alone...

—————

When they finally arrived at the location they were desperately trying to reach... Rosiepuff gasped as she saw Branch laying colorless on the ground. She knew only two things could cause a troll to lose their color, and she had a bad feeling she knew which one had caused this...

"Branch!" she yelled out in terror, quickly running over to her grandson, and dropping down to her knees as she lifted the young child into her arms, placing her ear down onto his chest so she could listen closely for a heartbeat...

Silence...

"No..." she gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief. "No... please no..." She looked down at her lifeless grandson, tears flooding from her eyes in complete despair... "Branch..."

"Is... is he going to be ok?" Creek asked in a quiet whimper, beginning to cry softly as he saw the worry on the old troll's face.

She was almost never sad... The only time Creek had ever seen her cry was the day when Branch's dad, her son, had been taken away by the Bergens...

Slowly, Rosiepuff looked over at the young purple troll, wiping away her tears as she gave the child a small smile, not wanting to worry him...

"He'll be fine," she assured, her voice cracking slightly through her tears. "Run along now. Give Branch some air... he just needs some space..."
"Is... is he..." Creek started, looking at Branch as he lay motionless in his grandmother's arms.

"Creek..." Rosiepuff said sternly, cutting off the young troll's question. "I promise you... he will be fine. Please... just go home..."

The little boy nodded slowly, looking at Branch once more as he gently placed a comforting hand on the grey troll's arm, shuddering a bit at how cold his skin was...

"Get better soon, Branch..." he whispered, finally turning to run home as he was told...

Once Creek was gone... completely out of sight... Rosiepuff slowly and gently placed Branch back on to the ground, looking at the massive gash in his head which was still gushing out blood...

"Oh Branch..." she muttered softly, her heart aching in sorrow. "I hope there's still time..."

Making sure absolutely no one was nearby, Rosiepuff looked around the area before slowly placing her hands on Branch's chest...

"Please work... please work..." she whispered softly to herself, closing her eyes gently as she pressed down lightly on her grandson's heart...

Rosiepuff held her hands perfectly still, her eyes shut as she took several calm deep breaths, concentrating with all her energy on what she was trying to do...

"Come on, Branch... come back..." she whispered after a few seconds of absolutely nothing happening, making sure to keep her eyes shut... "Please come back..."

Suddenly, her hands began to glow lightly, Branch's heart slowly beginning to beat once more as the wound on his head closed up, disappearing completely as if it had never even been there in the first place...

'Cough... cough... cough...' Branch suddenly began to cough, his colors quickly flooding back into him...

Rosiepuff gasped at the uplifting sound, her eyes opening wide to look down at her grandson in relief...

"Branch? Branch, can you hear me?" she said, her voice shaking a bit as she placed a gentle hand on the young troll's cheek, feeling his warmth begin to come back to him...

Slowly, his eyes blinked open, gazing weakly up at the old troll who still held him in her arms...

"Gran... grandma?" he said softly, a bit confused of what was happening...

"Oh, Branch. You're ok," Rosiepuff sighed with relief, hugging the young boy tightly.

"Wha... what happened?" Branch finally asked after a moment, Rosiepuff helping the young boy up to his feet.

"It doesn't matter, sweetie," the old troll said gently, gazing into her Grandson's beautiful blue eyes. Eyes that she thought she'd never get to see again... "You're ok now. That's all that matters," she continued, hugging him tight once more...

"I saw daddy..." Branch suddenly said, hugging his grandma back as if he had no idea how strange those words were... "He wanted me to be with him... but I told him that I wanted to stay with you..."

Rosiepuff smiled down at her grandson, gently stroking his hair.

"He told me he understood... and that it wasn't my time yet anyways..." he continued. "And he also told me to tell you that he misses you... "

Rosiepuff chuckled softly, gently pulling away from the hug to look her grandson in the eyes.

"Well I miss him too," she said, kissing Branch's head gently. "But I would have missed you so much more..."

Branch couldn't help but giggle as his grandma tickled his tummy, blowing playfully into his neck.

"Grandma!" he laughed, gently pushing her away. "Stop it! That tickles!"

Finally, Rosiepuff pulled away, her smile fading slightly as she saw the blood still staining the young child's brown overalls...

"Branch..." she said, her voice sounding slightly serious all of a sudden, the little boy looking up at her as he listened intently. "You can't tell anyone about what happened today... ok?"

"Why not?" Branch asked, cocking his head slightly in confusion, the little boy looking more adorable than usual...

"The trolls..." She paused, sighing deeply before continuing, looking down at her grandson sympathetically. "They just wouldn't understand the things I can do... the things you'll be able to do someday..."
"What kind of things?"  Branch asked, curiosity flooding his tiny body.

The old troll chuckled at the little boy's sparkling eyes, rising up to her feet as she lifted her grandson off of the ground.

"I'll tell you when you're older," she told him, kissing his forehead gently. "And when you come of age... I will be right there to teach you everything you need to know..."
"When is that, grandma?" Branch asked curiously. "Tomorrow? Please say tomorrow!"

He smiled up at his grandma, getting overly excited as he began to bounce slightly in her arms.

She chuckled again, booping his nose playfully, and he laughed, the gesture tickling him slightly.

"It won't be for a long time, Branch," she said gently. "But when the change does happen... you can't tell anyone..."
"I can't?" he questioned, his smile fading. "Not even Creek?"
"Not even Creek," she said. "It'll be our little secret. Ok?"
"Ok, grandma. I won't tell anyone," Branch promised, smiling up at her once again.
"That's my boy," Rosiepuff laughed, ruffling his hair a bit. "Now... what would you say to a slice of my famous Fluffleberrie cake?"

Branch's eyes widened, his mouth watering at the suggestion...

"Yes, please!" he said excitedly.

"Ok, than..." Rosiepuff laughed. "Let's go get you some of that cake."
"Yay! Fluffleberry!" Branch cheered with a quick laugh as Rosiepuff walked towards home, carrying him with her...