Branch's head whipped around frantically as he looked at all the different trolls approaching him, the little puppy troll letting several soft whimpers of fear escape from his throat as he watched the surrounding threat...

     He wanted to run... he needed to get away... but the poor thing was trapped... petrified by fear...

     The trolls were all in front of him, and behind him was a large tree that he now had his tiny body tightly pressed into, the terrified child trying to get as far away from these creatures as physically possible...

"He's scared..." Poppy observed, speaking softly as to not frighten the little troll any farther. She could see the way he was looking around at everyone, trying to get as far away as possible as he shook fiercely in fear...

"Grrr..." Branch growled again, the tiny troll showing his teeth. He wanted these creatures to back off... he wanted them to stay away from him... he was scared of them...

At the sound of the puppy troll's growl, Creek quickly pushed himself in front of Poppy, holding up his stick threateningly to protect the young princess...

Branch's eyes widened at the sight of the weapon, staring up at the purple troll in pure terror as he whimpered softly, pushing himself even farther into the tree behind him, the poor thing having no possible way to escape the situation he had unfortunately found himself in...

"Stop it, Creek!" Poppy yelled, slapping the slightly older purple troll's arm. "Put the stick down! Can't you tell he's petrified!?"

Creek looked at the young princess for a moment, and then back to Branch, the young boy sighing in defeat as he lowered his stick, placing it gently on the ground in front of him...

     "Hey there, buddy..." Poppy said softly, slowly approaching the terrified puppy troll. "Grrr..." Branch growled again, slinking back even farther, the tiny creature making sure to keep his eyes locked on the approaching threat...

"It's ok..." Poppy assured gently, continuing her slow approach towards the terrified child. "I'm not gonna hurt you. No ones gonna hurt you..."

     Branch looked up at the pink creature that kept getting closer and closer to him, his eyes wide in terror as he whimpered softly, his ears drooping as he slunk away even farther...

     'S... st... stay away...' the petrified puppy troll whimpered, the poor thing shaking fiercely in pure uncontainable horror... 'P... p... please... stay... stay a... away f... from me...'

     "Don't be scared," poppy whispered, trying her best to calm the young child down. "What's you're name? Where's your family?"

     Slowly, seeing the way he acted like a dog, the young princess reached out to pet the little boy, hoping he would feel better... safer... with this kind gesture...

But before she could even lay a finger on his thick blue hair, Branch quickly snapped his teeth at the young girl...

He didn't bite her... he didn't want to hurt her... he just wanted to get away. Far, far away...

     "Ah!" Poppy gasped in shock at the sudden harsh movement of the puppy troll, the young princess immediately yanking her hand away as Branch quickly bolted past her, the terrified child running off into the forest as fast as he possibly could...

     "Get it!" Creek shouted out loudly, pointing angrily after the escaping puppy troll.
"Don't let it get away!" Peppy added in a desperate sounding tone.

     Following orders, the large group of trolls quickly took off in pursuit of the little puppy troll as he ran for his life, the poor thing panting heavily as his heart raced in pure and utter terror...

'Have to get away... have to get away... have to get away!' he told himself in complete panic, the young child running as fast as his four legs could possibly take him...

     His whole life, the little puppy troll had been told how slow he was... that he'd never be able to outrun a predator... but he was escaping these creatures! He was getting away!

     "Hurry!" Peppy yelled, leading the pack of trolls after the fleeing 'threat'. "Don't let it escape!"

     Quickly, a little country troll named Holly galloped up ahead of the rest of the group, the young horse-like troll twirling a lasso over her head.

     "Yeehaw! I got this critter, y'all!" she shouted out loudly, launching the lasso towards the running puppy troll...

     Branch ran, his heart pounding inside his chest when he finally spotted a small hole in the side of a rock wall that he could easily squeeze into. If he got into there... he would be safe!

     This was one of those rare moments where the tiny boy was actually glad to be so small. None of these creatures could get in there to chase him... they were all too big!

     Now filled with hope that he was actually going to live... Branch picked up the pace, heading quickly for the hole... heading for his only chance at freedom... his only chance for safety... his only chance for survival...

     But... unfortunately... just as the little puppy troll was about to make his way inside the small hole to hide from these monsters that were currently chasing him down... the rope suddenly wrapped tightly around his neck, yanking the poor boy back a bit as he yelped out in fear...

     "I got it, y'all! I got it!" Holly shouted out in victory, the little country troll pulling Branch back towards the group as he whimpered loudly, the horrified child trying frantically to pull away as he was helplessly yanked towards his doom... "Wooooooooooo-hoooooo!"

     "Arf! Arf!" the puppy troll barked loudly, trying desperately to escape the rope entangling him. 'Let me go! Please! Let me go!'

     His voice was filled with terror as he cried out for his life, begging for these creatures not to hurt him...

     But unfortunately... none of the trolls seemed to notice his fear. None... except Poppy...

     "No!" the pink troll shouted, quickly running over to try and free Branch. "Don't hurt him! Don't hurt him!"

     She tried to run over to the screeching puppy troll, but Peppy quickly grabbed onto her, holding his daughter back...

     "Stay away from it, Poppy," the king warned, extremely worried about his precious little girl.

     "Let him go!" Poppy begged, the young girl trying with all her might to pull free from her father's loving but extremely tight grasp. "He's scared! He just wants to leave! Let him go!"

     "We can't let it go!" Creek shouted sternly in reply to the young princess' words, the purple nuisance stomping over to the little pink troll. "What's stopping it from coming back? It could be dangerous!"
"Does he look dangerous!?" Poppy yelled, gesturing to Branch, who was still tangled up in the rope, trying desperately to pull himself free, Holly slowly yanking him closer and closer to her...

     "It ate all our food, Poppy," a large blue troll named Biggie said, walking towards her. "What if it eats us next?" He shuddered at the thought, hugging his pet worm, Mr. Dinkles, tightly in his arms...

     "He's a troll!" Poppy cried out, pointing over at Branch. "Not only that... he's a child! Same as me... Same as you!"

     Biggie looked back at Branch, seeing him chewing at the rope that held him, the little puppy troll yelping out in fear as he whimpered loudly...

     "Doesn't act like one..." the large blue troll muttered before beginning to walk away, making sure to keep Mr. Dinkles close to him...

     "I say we eat it," a rock troll with a red Mohawk suggested with an evil grin, rubbing her hands together as she licked her lips at the thought.

"Barb!" Poppy yelled out in shock, turning to glare at her bestie times infinity plus one, offended by the suggestion...

     "What?" Barb questioned with a shrug. "It ate our food. We'll starve! Besides... we need to eat it before it eats us! Who's with me!?"

She pulled a fork and knife out of her hair, looking over with an evil smirk at the defenseless puppy troll who's eyes widened in horror at the sight of her...

     "No one's eating or hurting this... this... whatever it is..." Peppy announced, putting a gentle hand on the lilac colored rock troll's shoulder to hold her back. "You're letting him go?" Poppy asked with a smile as Barb pouted, crossing her arms in angered disappointment...

     Peppy looked down at his daughter, sighing as he lifted her off of the ground.

     "We can't let it go..." he said softly, hoping to not upset his daughter any farther. "Like Creek said... it could be dangerous..."

     "So you're just gonna hold him captive!? Like a prisoner!" Poppy yelled out in disbelief, feeling several tears beginning to form in her bright pink eyes as she looked straight up at her father.

     "Until I figure out what to do with it..." Peppy sighed. "Yes..."

     At the sound of those horrible words, Poppy looked back at Branch who had now been forced down onto his back, the poor child crying out in fear as Holly hog tied him up, the horse-like girl wrapping the rope tightly around his ankles and wrists so the prisoner couldn't get away from his torturous fate...

     "Aaaaoooooooooooo!" the poor boy howled out in pure terror, struggling with all his might to break free. 'Let me go! Let me go!'

     "Tie it to that tree over there," Peppy ordered the little country troll, pointing over to a nearby tree...

     Holly nodded in response to the order before lifting the completely tied up puppy troll into her arms, and carrying him away as the poor thing cried out in pure terror, wiggling around in his captor's grasp, the helpless child trying desperately to escape...

     'Please!' Branch cried out in loud whimpers of fear. 'Don't hurt me! Just let me go! Let me go!'