Branch stared at the fire wide eyed, in disbelief.

"Is... is that... me?" He asked, pointing to the fire figure of him as a baby.

     Chief Tula nodded. "It is," she said. "You are a water spirit troll. That is why you and Aqua have bonded. It is also why when Aqua got hurt, you also felt the pain."

     Branch looked over, seeing Aqua in the pond, shaped like a dolphin, jumping in and out of the water, or at least what little water there was left.

Branch stood, and walked over to the pond, Aqua spotting him, and swimming over.

Aqua tuned into a dog, and then climbed out of the water, sitting next to Branch, as it leaned into his leg.

He looked down at it, and then the water. He remembered when he had been here as a kid, it had been so deep, but now it was basically just a puddle.

"The water..." he said softly. "It's going away because of the dam, right?"

     Tula nodded.

     "And when the water is gone..." Branch questioned, turning to look at her.
"Aqua goes with it," Tula finished.
"All because of us..." Branch said, softly, lowering his head, as his ears drooped down.

     He sat down on the ground, Aqua jumping into his lap.

     "I'm gonna save you," he whispered to Aqua, as he pet it's head, gently. "I promise..."