A few days later
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     Down in the open field below the troll tree, Creek and Branch ran around in the fresh early-morning air, laughing and playing together as the two young children had the time of their lives.

     "Tag! You're it!" Branch shouted out joyfully, as he turned to run away from his best friend.

     The two children laughed as Grandma Rosiepuff watched from above, sitting safely on the branch her home was hanging from.

     She was smiling at how happy her grandson was, but at the same time... she was nervous... worried about his safety...

     Today was Trollstice, and the Bergens would be coming any minute now... it wouldn't be safe to be out in the open for much longer...

     The old troll watched for danger, woundering what was taking the tunnel so long to be built. They should have been out of there hours ago... but instead... they were stuck in the cage they lived in, forced to suffer the same fate as those who had passed before them...

     "Bergens!" a shout suddenly rung out through the air. "The Bergens are coming!"

     "Branch!" Rosiepuff shrieked out in fear, quickly jumping up to her feet. "Get inside!"

     Both children froze in place, looking up to see the whole town of Bergens marching towards the troll tree as they chanted loudly in pure joy.

     "Trolls! Trolls! Trolls! Trolls!"

     "Creek!" Creek's mother suddenly called from their pod.

     The two boys looked at each other for a moment in pure terror, before Creek finally turned, beginning to run home as fast as his little legs would take him...

     "Branch!" Rosiepuff called again.

     Seeing her grandson frozen in fear, she quickly rushed over to the young child, sweeping him up in her arms before quickly running to hide inside their pod...

     "Grandma," Branch whimpered in fear, hugging her tightly in pure terror.

     "It's ok, Branch," she assured in a gentle whisper, sitting down to hide in the corner of the room. "Everything will be ok..."

     Rosiepuff held her arms around Branch as he whimpered softly in terror, shaking fiercely as he cuddled up next to her, staring at the open doorway with wide fearful eyes...

     They could hear the Bergens outside stomping around their home as trolls screamed out in terror, running for their lives.

     Unfortunately... several of them weren't lucky enough to escape, getting grabbed in the hideous creatures hands before being taken away to their untimely, gruesome demises...

     Branch buried his face into his grandma as he cried softly, knowing exactly what would happen if those monsters found them... he had witnessed the same thing happen to both of his own parents a few years before...

     "Shh... it's ok... it's ok..." Rosiepuff whispered, trying her best to sooth her grandson in this terrifying moment as she hugged the young child tight, refusing to let go... "It's ok... you're ok... I won't let them get you... they won't hurt you..."

     Soon... all the noise stopped... pure silence filling the area around them...

     The two trolls remained sitting quietly in the corner of their house, still hugging each other tight as they looked around in fear.

     "Is... is it... over?" Branch asked, his voice trembling slightly as he looked up at his grandmother, his eyes sparkling with tears of fear.

    "I don't know," Rosiepuff whispered in reply, slowly rising up to her feet to walk towards the door. "Stay here. And don't move a muscle until I get back..."

     "Grandma..." Branch whimpered, grabbing gently onto his grandmother's hand to stop her retreat as he looked up sadly at the older troll.

     "Everything will be ok," she assured with a comforting smile, pulling away from him as she walked slowly to the door to look around outside.

     Trolls wondered around the troll tree, shouting out for their friends and family after the horrors that had just occurred only moments ago...

     "Rosa!?" one troll called out in a panic.
"Mom!?" a young girl yelled as she cried, looking around for her mother who she had gotten separated from in the mayhem.

     Some of them were able to find the trolls they were looking for, but others weren't so lucky... being separated from their loved ones for the rest of their lives...

     "Pansy!?" King Peppy shouted out in despair as he carried his newborn daughter through the village in his hair. "Pansy!? Where are you!?"

     Rosiepuff put her hand over her heart, beginning to cry at all the lives lost, and family's split apart... children were now without parents... parents without children... if only they could have gotten the tunnels dug before this tragedy had occurred...

     "Grandma?"

     She turned around at the sound of the tiny voice, seeing Branch standing right behind her, tears flooding his beautiful blue eyes.

     Quickly, she wiped away her tears, not wanting Branch to see her cry... she knew it would only worry him more...

     "It's ok, sweetie," she assured gently, bending down to hug the young child tight. "It's over now... it's all over now..."