That's Why I Love You Chapter 41

I do not own Trolls or any of its characters or the title

*This is a genderbent fanfic of Trolls

Poppy and Branch just stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity. None of them dared to speak a word, especially not the ones they wanted to say. Not even their friends could say anything, for this wasn't their place to do so. They just watched and waited for one of the Trolls to make the first move. But the two of them seemed to be caught up in their own little worlds at the moment. Each was locked in a never ending gaze.

Pink eyes bore into blue ones while blue eyes pierces pink ones. Their eyes seemed to be doing the talking, but none of them could understand what the other was trying to say. Sometimes words were needed, but in this case, none of them could find the right ones. That was the effect the two Trolls seemed to have on one another.

Poppy's loving gaze, Branch's striking expression. The two couldn't be any more different… and yet these differences are what brought them together in the first place. It's what attracted them to the other, even if they never truly realized just how deep that attraction went.

Poppy and Branch continued to stare at one another, each afraid to say the words they had been looking for. They couldn't believe that their paths had lead them to this point, and none of them seemed to know what to do. There didn't seem to be a right answer to this situation. No matter what happened, it felt like someone was going to lose.

Was this the consequence of love?

All of her life, Branch had worked hard to stay away from those who threatened her sense of security. Branch had always considered Poppy to be a threat even when he was a potential ally. True he didn't go through the extent the other Trolls did to avoid her, but his very presence could hurt her in many ways. Sometimes she preferred the other Trolls hurting her compared to Poppy's ignorance unintentionally hurting her. At least when others did it, it didn't matter and she could easily forget it. But when it was Poppy doing the hurting, it was enough to send her whole world crashing down.

She knew that he didn't mean it… but that only made the pain worse. Ironically she would rather have someone intentionally hurting her versus unintentionally. How twisted was that? She was so unhealthy… for both this world and for Poppy.

He had to leave. That was final. By staying here, it could break what little sanity she had left. And after so many years of dealing with rejection and heart ache, she didn't think she could take it anymore. She just wanted things to go back to the why they were before. At this point she was starting to miss the days were she would be stuck in her bunker, back when she had a choice to avoid the world rather than interact with it.

But if that was the case, then she wouldn't have this baby right now. As much as she regretted the actions that led to their conception, she didn't regret who the father was. Out of all the Trolls in the world, she was glad that it was Poppy. However, she wished it was under better circumstances. But before she felt them move, she was in love. She loved this child with all her heart, to the point where nothing else mattered anymore. It was a hard decision to leave everything behind, especially Poppy, but she had managed to convince herself that it was for the best.

She had come to the realization that this child needed her more than anyone did. Her existence meant nothing to the Trolls, but to this child, her existence was everything. Besides, she had done all that she could for her kind, what good would it do for her to continue to stay with them? They had ignored her and shunned her, why stay when that was the case?

Even before making her decision, she knew one thing: she would never allow her child to be subjected to the horrors she had gone though. But in order to do that, she had to leave everything and everyone behind.

Now she was starting to question that decision all over again. This is what Poppy could do to her. The breaking process was starting to begin… and he needed to leave. Now!

And Poppy, well, he wasn't too sure what just happened earlier. Is this what they call an epiphany? Did he just have one?

All of his life, Poppy had done his best to make everyone happy. Making other people happy is what made him happy. He always thought that was his purpose in life, but there was just one person he couldn't seem to accomplish that purpose with. Branch, she was an anomaly of sorts. After all these years of knowing her and trying to get close to her… he can honestly say that he didn't know what made Branch happy. He was ashamed to admit that, it was definitely not one of his proudest moments.

But despite all of that, he still didn't want to give her up so easily. Letting her go now could possibly mean never seeing her again for the rest of their lives. And it wasn't just her, but the new little life she carried inside her as well. Poppy would live his life knowing there was another part of Branch out there in the world. Something he could never have either, just like the real Branch.

Both Branch and her baby deserved better… and he wanted to be the one who gave them that. However, that's when an important realization came to him.

Would he do this for anyone else other than Branch? Perhaps, but would it be to this degree? He wasn't too sure. There was something about the actions he performed in Branch's name that made them different from his previous ones. There was more to it than just a simple care between friends. Heck, he wasn't even sure Branch had ever referred to him in such a manner.

But he did… once... years ago back when they were still children. He had called her his friend, much to her surprise. However, those feelings hadn't remained the same. They didn't disappear, but they had changed. They bloomed… blossomed into something more… something he couldn't comprehend and couldn't seem to find the right words to.

All he knew was that these feelings prevented him from saying goodbye or from moving on. This is what he wanted to say to her, but then she opened the door. And it seemed to him that she had something to say to him as well. Now he couldn't seem to speak anymore.

After another eternity of silence, Branch was the one who gathered enough courage to finally speak. She spoke the words she wanted to say to Poppy ever since he arrived here at the Rainbow Meadow.

"You have to leave."

Immediately, Poppy's heart broke in two as his eyes widened in horror. Those simple words were enough to break his spirit. Needless to say that he was not happy with what Branch had said. And it showed through his actions and words.

"What!" he gasped. "No-"

Branch knew what he was about to say, and she couldn't allow the pink Troll to have control over her anymore. He already did so much to impact her decisions, this couldn't be one of those times.

"This isn't up for debate anymore," she argued. "I have given you too much freedom when it comes to influencing my decisions, but not anymore."

That's when the two clouds moved closer to her, eager to help in any way they could, but Branch didn't seem to notice them as she continued her rant. Poppy, meanwhile, was frozen in place as Branch gestured to him. Her blue eyes now filled with a mixture of sadness and defeat.

"You need to leave Poppy, end of story. I have put up with your antics long enough because I felt sorry for the fact that you went through all of this for me, but no more," she explained. "I didn't ask you to do any of this, this was all your choice… how could I have known you were going to go this crazy because of me?"

Poppy was about to interject, but once again, Branch stopped him.

"It was all tolerable when it was just me," she added. "But it's not just me anymore Poppy."

She gestured to her growing stomach.

"It's this baby too, I have to think of them now. I have to think about what's best for them because no one else is going to do it!"

Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She couldn't show any weakness to Poppy.

"Not the village!"

They had already rejected her long before this baby's existence.

"Not the Snack Pack!"

They couldn't stand to be around her whenever it came to their fun activities.

"Not your mother!"

She could only protect her from so much.

"Not Creek!"

She hated that Troll with a fiery passion that just wasn't going to go out any time soon. Branch would go to her grave hating that snake. She most certainly didn't trust her around her baby. And what would Creek do if she ever found out that Poppy was the father? Out of everyone in the village, she was the most concerned about Creek's reaction. She had seen what the female Troll was capable of and it sent a shiver down her spine.

"And not you!"

That couldn't have been any truer. She had to forget about Poppy. She had been doing a good job at doing so before he came here. But now that he was here, alone with her. It was too much. She had tried to remain strong, but even the mightiest of oaks were capable of falling. She couldn't be that oak anymore, even if it mean sparing Poppy's feelings.

"None of you could possibly understand the turmoil I've been going through lately. You being here isn't helping at all. I can't take it anymore Poppy!" she screamed.

This finally caught the attention of the hummingbirds and glow bugs. They had been minding their own business before, but now that Branch's voice was ringing out, they were worried. They both started to gather around the two Trolls, concerned about what was going to happen.

Meanwhile, Poppy just stared at her, his eyes filled with sorrow over how the gray Troll was feeling. Is this what Branch had been keeping inside all this time? Is this how she truly felt about his presence here? It hurt, he couldn't deny that. It hurt him to know that he had been doing more harm than good by staying here.

This is why Poppy never wanted to be selfish. All his life he worked to be as selfless as possible. But this was the only time he ever allowed himself to work against his better judgement. Staying here with Branch went against everything he had worked hard to achieve. He had always put others before himself, but this was not one of those times where he didn't. And ironically, the first time he was selfish, it ended up hurting the one person he cared about the most.

He cared about Branch, but he was hurting her no matter what he did. He just couldn't win, he felt like he was fighting a losing battle. What was he supposed to do? He hated idea of Branch hating him, but he hated the idea of leaving her too. What was the right choice?

Branch continued her heartfelt statement.

"How am I supposed to go on when you're here! It's harder to forget about my past when a part of it is literally right here with me at the moment!" she exclaimed. "I can't keep my focus whenever you're around me, you do things to me that no one else has managed to do!"

Poppy had been standing there, frozen in his place, until that very moment. His form perked up a little when he heard that. His expression became filled with wonder and curiosity, even if Branch was still using hurtful words against him. And the rest of the inhabitants seemed to follow his lead as they too listened closely.

"I hate feeling this way Poppy… I hate feeling so helpless! Whenever you with me, I'm not the Troll I try to be. I'm supposed to be better than that, I'm supposed to be careful, I'm supposed to keep my guard up… but I can't do anything of that with you!" she stated. "You break down everything I create, I can't protect myself from this world when you're constantly including yourself in my life."

She ran a hand through her hair, her heart was racing along with her thoughts. She didn't know what she was saying anymore. She was just going with what she had felt all this time, and it felt right to do so. She couldn't stop even if she wanted to.

"I know you know you have ulterior motives to staying here Poppy," she said. "This isn't just about you wanting to help me… you're trying to get me to go back to the village."

Poppy looked guilty as his face burned red. But he didn't try to argue since he was a bad liar, instead he just hung his head in shame. The clouds looked amused by this recognition, it was pretty obvious to them too. Honestly, it was kind of difficult to keep anything a secret from Branch when they were in her territory. This isn't like before, when there was a smaller space for her to inhabit. And especially when she was surrounded by more allies than before as well.

"You think that by flashing that cute smile of yours and by being as nice as possible, that you're somehow going to magically change my mind and go running back to Troll Village with you."

Poppy's face burned more with that comment. She thought his smile was cute? Cloud Guy seemed to agree with that observation as he gave the pink Troll a playful wink. But Branch didn't dwell on that fact for long. Instead, she just shook her head and turned to look away from Poppy too.

"However, I'm not going to lie, I've been trying to get you to leave on your own accord too," she admitted. "I guess we were both wrong in this situation."

The Prince of Trolls gave her a small shrug, he guessed so. As much as he tried to convince himself that Branch wouldn't do anything of the sort, he should have known better. He knew that deep down, Branch would try to get him to leave earlier. That's probably why she did her best to showcase her talents while here, to remind him that she didn't need his help and that she was fully capable of taking care of herself and the baby.

But to hear her actually admit that, he was surprisingly not angry or annoyed. Rather, he was somewhat relieved and happy. In a very strange way, that showed how much they were capable of thinking alike. Maybe they weren't so different after all. He allowed Branch to continue her speech, although she seemed to be reaching an end point as she covered her face with a single hand as the other covered her womb.

"I don't know what you want me to do Poppy," she stated. "You can't stay here but I know you're not going to leave so easily either. So what can I do… because honestly I'm all out of ideas."

Poppy felt bad again. He knew how much work Branch put into her disappearance and home here at the Rainbow Meadow. So him coming here really put a wrench in her plans, he felt bad about that. But at the same time, it felt wrong to leave. To leave Branch behind and forget about her… he just couldn't do it.

And these feelings… he knew they wouldn't disappear just by leaving either. He had to get through to Branch… somehow and some way he had to. That was the only option for him at this point. So he cleared his throat and regained his composure. As much as Branch's words hurt him, at the same time, he couldn't fault her for feeling this way.

"So… that's why you've been avoiding me lately," he commented.

He rubbed his shoulder a little before looking nervously at Branch, the gray Troll still refused to look at him. She didn't make any attempt to correct him, but her ears twitched a little, showing that she was listening to him to some degree at least.

"I'm sorry."

What else could he say? He wasn't mad at Branch, he was just upset how their stories didn't seem to have a happy ending that involved the two of them staying together. And Branch, well, she didn't seem to be expecting such an answer as she finally turned to look at him. Her eyes wide with surprise. But Poppy didn't stop there.

"I'm sorry that I've made you feel that way," he added with his head hung. "You're right, I can't truly understand what you've been through. I get why you're mad at me though."

He rubbed the back of his neck, his head still hung in shame as he did so.

"I guess I were you I would hate me too."

That immediately caught Branch's attention, her surprised expression only became more apparent. Her tensed body relaxed a little too. That's when she spoke yet again.

"You think I hate you?" she asked.

The Cloud Twins, the hummingbirds, the glow bugs and the messenger bugs all looked at each other with somewhat excited expressions. They all knew that the gray Troll didn't hate Poppy at all, far from it. And this was the perfect time for her to say so. That's when Poppy looked at her, his expression filled with confusion.

"Don't you?" he asked.

Branch felt guilty. Yes sometimes she found him annoying and yes he had the tendency to disregard her warnings, but she could never calm to hate Poppy. She didn't even hate the Trolls back at the village. That feeling was only reserved for one person and thankfully she wasn't here at the moment. But Poppy… never. He could hurt her over and over again, and she could never find it in her heart to hate the pink Troll. She let out a small sigh as she shook her head.

"I don't hate you Poppy," she replied. "Believe it or not but hatred isn't one the reasons why I left the village to begin with. I don't hate you or the village or the Trolls."

She narrowed her eyes a little over that thought.

"Well that's not entirely true, but that's not the point," she added. "I don't do any of the things I do because I hate you Poppy, I just wish life was a little different… that's all."

Poppy listened to Branch's words carefully, and despite not dwelling on the subject for long, he knew exactly who Branch was talking about. How could he not? Branch had always voiced her annoyances with the Trolls, but there was only one that stood out from the rest. And it was the same person whom they had fought over not too long ago.

"Creek," he simply commented.

That name was enough to send a series of gasps throughout the crowd, the two clouds looked visibly uncomfortable with the name. And this didn't go unnoticed by Poppy. Branch, on the other hand, flinched a little at very mention of the female Troll. She didn't even bother to say anything. Her body became tensed once again as she crossed her arms and looked away from him. As much as this was a sore topic for her, Poppy knew it needed to be addressed.

"I know you might get mad at me but after all this time, why don't you like Creek?" Poppy asked.

Branch rolled her eyes before letting out a small snort. She didn't answer him, she just continued to look away from him. But this didn't satisfy Poppy as he continued to push the subject, despite knowing that it wouldn't be the best idea. However, he felt like he needed to know because he had a feeling that somehow Creek was involved in her decision to stay away from the village. If that was the case, then maybe he could fix it and make it to where Branch felt more comfortable coming back home.

"Branch," he addressed as he took a step closer to her. "Why?"

Branch closed her eyes, her expression contorted into frustration and a hint of fear as she allowed her thoughts to recall the events of the past. She didn't like remember what happened back then, but she had to. It was the only way to keep her safe from those who threatened to harm her. After all these years, she never forgot about the incident that lead her to avoid Creek like the plague. It only served to remind her why she had to keep her guard up all the time. It showed her that even when she thought she was safe, she really wasn't.

She had let her guard down once… and that was one time too many. Never again would she let someone get the best of her.


A young gray Troll wondered the area, she took in the scenery around her as she contemplated what was going on in the village right now. Probably the same old routine: sing, dance, party, repeat. Why else would it be any different at this point?

All the more reason to stay away from them. While the Trolls were busy living it up in their village, she was outside its invisible walls. However, rather than go on one of her supply missions again, she decided to just kick back and enjoy herself a little too. There was one good thing about parties, everyone stayed away from the forest area.

The Trolls didn't typically venture outside their village that often, but when they did Branch would often encounter them. And despite her best efforts to remain hidden, they would still catch her off guard from time to time. Needless to say that they were nothing but annoyances. Some would egg her on to join them in whatever activities they were doing and others would simply shun other and talk badly about her. Whatever, sticks and stones. Honestly, she preferred that compared to the latter. At least they left her alone when they shunned her.

And now since her chances of running into a Troll know were slim and none, she decided to take a moment to herself. She rarely did so, even for her young age. Some days she was busying collecting supplies and other days she was adding to her bunker. Everything revolved around her personal space.

But this wasn't one of those days. Believe it or not but even the gray Troll was capable of relaxing from time to time. Although her methods weren't the typical ones other Trolls were used to. Whereas they preferred the loud and interactive, she preferred the quiet and tranquil. And there was one place she knew she could find that, that's where she was heading at the moment.

In her arms were an extra pair of clothes, a towel and a bucket filled with some hygiene products. If Branch still had her colors, she was sure she would be humming at the moment. But she refused to focus on that as the view of the lake caught her eye. A small smile spread across her face as she reached her destination, she walked over to the edge and carefully laid out all of her materials in a neat pile.

She then started to strip, her clothes gently fell onto the grass. She also took the time to loosen the tie in her hair, she let out a content sigh as she ran a hand through the now free strands. If there was one thing a Troll took great pride in it was their hair, that much she couldn't deny.

Branch fixed her discarded clothes and placed them in the corner with her hair tie. Once that was done, she stretched a little before finally allowing herself to sink into the watery depths of the lake. She let out another contented sigh as she did so, the coolness of the water felt so refreshing against her near bare skin.

She dipped her head backward, enough to soak the entirety of her hair, before leaning on the side of the lake's rocky boundaries. Branch wasn't in any rush to bathe herself, she just wanted to relax and forget it all at the moment. During times like this, nothing else mattered. It almost felt like the world itself stopped moving.

After a few more minutes of just allowing her body to soak in the water, she started to wash herself using the soap she had brought. A lavender scent filled the air as she adorned her body with the substance, she used a sponge to make sure she got every spot cleaned. She then moved to her hair. She let out a soft moan as she massaged her scalp and made sure every strand was covered. After everything was done, she pulled out the bucket and started to rinse herself until she was as clean as could be.

Overall, she felt very relaxed at the moment. Definitely a good day for her, and that was saying something.

But that was about to come all crashing down. Branch's sense of security and comfort were about to be violated by the worst of people.

The gray Troll had her back turned to the rocky shore, she was too caught up in her joy to pay attention to the stranger behind her. They had been watching her for a while now, they had seen her bathe in privacy and waited until the right moment to sneak up on her and give her a taste of torment. It was now!

One second Branch was rinsing out her hair, and the next thing she knew, something was pushing her into the water! A heavy force threw her off balance! Branch only had time to let out a gasp as her head became submerged in the watery surroundings. Water filled her mouth, so much so that she started to choke! She did her best to spit it out, but that only allowed for more water to fill her airways. She coughed and choked some more.

Her lungs were screaming for air, and her body was fighting to reach the top. Branch struggled to reach the surface but she saw that something was preventing her from doing so. It was a hand! She followed that hand to a blurry image of a person. Someone was holding her down, and it was on purpose! Branch could tell because the force of it was enough to keep her in her watery prison!

The gray Troll continued to struggle, her body fighting with every fiber of her being. Her survival instincts kicked in to the max, but the water was like a heavy blanket. Her lungs were starting to burn and her body was growing tired from the surroundings. But she still kept on struggling. She was getting desperate, who could possibly be holding her down?

A Bergen? No that was impossible, she would've heard them coming from a mile away! Besides, the blurry figure was much too small to be a Bergen. Branch knew that there was a lot of people in this world who didn't like her, but going this far? What had she done to deserve this? Branch started to scratched at the perpetrator's arm, her nails doing their best to dig into the flesh, but that didn't stop the person from shoving her deeper into the water.

Never in her life had she felt this afraid before. Her grandfather's demise was the closest she ever came to true fear, but this time no one was here to save her! She was on her own. She couldn't call for help! Nobody could hear her. Nobody knew she was gone. She was all alone.

She was truly alone.

She was going to die alone.

And nobody would miss her.

She was scared.

Her vision started to blur and her body started to give way. She could feel her body start to shut down as the fight for air lessened. It was pointless, she was helpless as she slowly started to surrender to the darkness. Everything became dark and gray, such a fitting end for the only gray Troll.

Branch was just about to close her eyes and let out her last breath when someone pulled her to the surface. As soon as the water left her head, she let out a large gasp. She was soon thrown to the grassy floor, she didn't even care about the harsh force. She quickly started to breath in that sweet air. The water that had filled her lungs forced itself out of her body as she tapped her chest. A mixture of pants, coughs and forceful breathes consumed Branch as her vision slowly started to return. Her weakened body began to regain its strength, slowly but surely she recovered from the traumatic event.

After several more coughs and breathes, Branch was able to sit up from her spot. Her panting didn't stop though as she removed the wet strands of water that decorated her face. But as soon as she started to do so, her ears were met with a familiar, yet unwelcomed force.

"Pathetic."

Branch's heart immediately stopped beating, but it wasn't because of the water this time. Slowly, she turned around. The shadow of the perpetrator overcame her as she did so. Her eyes widened with horror over who was standing behind her.

A mixture of teal and green colored hair stood tall and proud as purple skin shined in the sunlight, a peach nose was held up high in the air as blue eyes glared daggers at her. And the face was contorted into a smug expression, smirk and everything. There was without a doubt who it was standing before her.

Creek.

Branch's horror never left her face as she quickly jumped on the defense. All the while, Creek never flinched. Instead, she looked bored and somewhat annoyed as she looked at her arm. Branch looked at it too, and she saw the evidence that clarified Creek's role in her attack. Small scratches adorned the purple's Troll's arm, and she didn't look too happy over that fact.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked.

Branch couldn't believe what she was hearing! She either didn't realize or care what she had just done! And knowing Creek, it had to be the latter. Branch's quickly shook the water off her person, so her hair finally stood tall and proud too, albeit somewhat fizzy and damp. Nevertheless, a Troll's hair was their best protection. Her eyes flared at the Troll before her, although Creek continued to disregard her.

"What was that!" Branch yelled.

Creek gave her a small scoff before shaking her head a little.

"What was what?" she asked innocently.

Branch let out a growl.

"I know a cliché of a clique girl is being brainless, but I expected more out of you Creek," Branch insulted.

That seemed to have struck a nerve as Creek finally looked to her. Her expression now filled with anger and hatred.

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed. "Who are you calling brainless?"

"Do you see anyone else here?" Branch questioned. "I was not direct enough?"

The purple Troll growled a little, her entire look contrasted the peaceful image she had created for herself. Out of all the Trolls, Creek was the one Branch tolerated the least. There was just something about her that made her uneasy. That whole innocent and playful persona just didn't sit right with her. It seemed forced… and at times Branch could've sworn that she saw another side of the female Troll. Much like the other Trolls, Creek had the tendency to make off handed comments about her. However, they were always played off as something to be taken lightly and well-meaning. Branch had to admit that she never paid it too much mind because she didn't interact with her too much, even if she found her to be just as annoying as the other Trolls.

But this seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back. If Branch needed proof of Creek's insincere persona, it was now. Creek had just tried to drown her! But once again, she didn't seem to care as she just gave the gray Troll a small wave of her hand.

"My, what rude manners you have Branch," she commented. "I've never met such an inconsiderate Troll before… but I suppose I have to forgive for that."

Branch was starting to see red, she could feel her blood boiling with anger. She knew she wasn't popular, but did she really deserve such a fate?

"Are you kidding me? Forgive me? Forgive me!" Branch exclaimed. "You have the audacity to say that when you just tried to kill me!"

Creek rolled her eyes, clearly unamused.

"Oh hush, if I wanted to kill you, you would still be in that lake."

Branch's anger was replaced with shock. She knew what Creek had done but she didn't think she would actually admit it aloud. And to actually say what her intentions were sent shivers down her spine. And she didn't stop there either.

"I must admit though Branch, it's very bold of you to display your body so openly like that," she remarked. "I would think that you would keep yourself hidden given your… gray appearance."

She gave Branch a devious smirk as she leaned her face into her hand. She even went the extra mile and stared at her body. Her eyes scanned every inch of her, from her shoulders down to her ankles. Everything was on display for Creek to see. It was then that Branch remembered that she was naked.

She let out a small gasp and blushed a little as she quickly gathered up her clothes and placed them on her person. She didn't even care that her body was still wet or covered in grass and dirt bits. She didn't even bother to tie back her hair. However, she was embarrassed to know that her attacker had seen her in such a vulnerable state.

"I didn't think anybody would be out here at this time," Branch argued. "Especially when a party was going on in the village. I'm surprised no one has noticed that one of their disco balls has gone missing though."

Creek looked annoyed with the insult.

"Flattery will get you nowhere Branch sweetie," she said condescendingly. "I was just out enjoying one my nature walks when I happened to come across an unsightly visage."

She gestured to her as she made that statement, Branch couldn't help but feel the embarrassment come flooding back to her. She already knew how ugly she was because of her gray colors, she didn't need someone to point that out to her! Especially not this Troll!

"Big words for such a two faced snake," Branch stated.

Once again, Creek just gave her a small wave of her hand.

"Honestly Branch, I figured you of all Trolls would appreciate my actions," she said. "After all, it must be so horrible to live life like this."

Once again, she gestured to Branch.

"Look at you, all gray. Not a speck of color to be found anywhere… is there really any hope for you Branch? Can you truly call yourself a Troll when you look like that? Trolls are supposed to be beautiful and colorful," Creek stated. "Not depressing and pitiful like you… one might even go as far as to label you as… ugly."

Those words cut Branch deeply… she didn't even care about this person and yet somehow her words had such a negative effect on her. She knew all of this already! But why did it still hurt? However, Creek wasn't done just yet, she gave Branch a pouty face as she held her hands close to her chest.

"My intentions were pure dear Branch, I just wanted to see if I could erase that sinful color away from you. You were already bathing, but you weren't successful in getting that horrid color out. You're still as gray as before," she explained. "Wouldn't you rather have color instead, even if it meant dying in the process of achieving that color?"

Branch couldn't believe what she was hearing. There was not a trace of remorse in her tone, she truly believed what she was saying. This Troll… she was insane! She was demented! Her cruelty rivaled that of the Bergens! At least they never hid their intentions, they never acted like they were doing the Trolls a favor by eating them! But Creek… she put on a front, even when she was trying to hurt someone.

She had just tried to kill her and she tried to justify her actions. And the worse part about this entire situation was that no one would believe Branch even if she told a single soul about this incidence. Creek had set this all up perfectly. No one was here but them, no one could have heard Branch's dilemma, no one seemed to have noticed that Creek was missing and no one would ever believe that the two would ever be alone together.

The odds were stacked against Branch, Creek didn't even need to point that out to her. She knew though, she knew what she could get away from and that's why she had done it to begin with! She was messed up, she was crazy!

Branch had to leave, what was the point of even arguing with Creek? She truly believed her words, and Branch just wanted to get away from her! She didn't even care that she showed Creek weakness, she just had to get away!

"You have issues Creek!"

After that, she quickly picked up her belongings and ran away from the site. It was no longer the perfect sanctuary for Branch. She would never step foot in this place ever again, that much was for certain. It was all too traumatic for Branch, it would serve as nothing but a reminder of how she had been violated. But before she was completely out of reach, Branch heard Creek's final words to her on the matter.

"You're a freak of nature, you freak of nature!"

Branch would never let her guard down again… this incident proved to her that she couldn't trust anything or anyone. She had been right in keeping everyone away. She would forever be alone.


Branch slowly reopened her eyes as she gripped her arms tightly. Whenever she looked at Creek, she was reminded of that day. She stayed away from the female Troll, she avoided her like the plague. She even went as far as to bathe at night time and in different bodies of water every time she did so. She never bathed in the same area more than twice. She had learned from her mistake of keeping her guard up.

But then someone like Poppy came along to tear down those guards. And the last thing she wanted was to create another traumatic event like that. She didn't expect anyone to understand her past, especially moments like that. All the more reason to keep them to herself, with the exception of some people.

Branch looked to Cloud Gal and Cloud Guy, they gave her a sympathetic look. They had listened to Branch's story, they didn't even question anything she told them. They had no right to, she hadn't done anything to make them not believe her. Branch had always been straight forward with them because they weren't from the same background as the Trolls. They weren't like the Trolls because they never questioned or criticized what she did, rather they accepted her with open arms. The same went for her critter friends.

The bottom line was they had all heard about this Creek and even though they had never meant her, they already disliked her. They couldn't believe someone was capable of such cruelty. And it all made sense to them why Branch was so hesitant to tell the village and Poppy her secret. They had heard how Poppy and Creek were close, and if she found out that Branch was carrying Poppy's child, how would she react?

Whatever the case, they couldn't blame Branch for not taking that chance. All the more reason to protect herself and her child. And all the more reason to stay by her side in the process.

Branch continued to ignore Poppy, much to his annoyance and frustration.

"Branch why?" he asked.

But she just shook her head, clearly not going to give him the answer. So Poppy was left on his own to figure things out. He had to get to the bottom of this… somehow. But where could he start? He tapped his foot a little before finally coming to an estimated guess.

"Is it… jealously?" he asked curiously.

I wanted to continue but this chapter is already long enough as it is, next time will be better I promise! ;)

Please review and leave comments, thank you for your time.