A/N: We'll finally be reuniting Poppy and her friends. Enjoy the mess! We don't own Trolls.

Bridget returned to her room to find that all of her trolls were done with their mating. Unbeknownst to her, two other trolls hopped off her apron and hurried to hide under a cart.

"Okay, little ones!" Bridget said, setting the box on the floor beside her table. "I've got a surprise for you!"

Unfortunately this, like every interaction she had with the trolls, caused a panic—the trolls in the tank all started running and screaming.

"It's the end of the world!" Cooper shrieked. "She's really gonna eat us after all!"

This caused everyone to scream even louder as they panicked more.

Bridget held her hands up haltingly. Why did they always have to act this way? "No, no! It's nothing like that!" She reached into the box and pulled out some troll-sized party supplies. "I just found some things to help you feel more at home, that's all."

All of the trolls stopped and stared at her, eyes wide. The trolls all cried out in shock.

"HUH!?"

"WHAT!?"

"WHA!?"

Under the cart, Poppy put a hand to her head and started swaying. "I can't take it anymore... I feel faint..."

"Keep it together, Poppy," Branch said quietly.

Bridget opened the tank and placed the supplies inside. "See, you can use these to build yourselves some homes! And these things are for baking, and... Well, I don't really know what this is...but I'm sure you do!"

"Ah, yes, I see," Creek said. "You're providing these things so that our mothers-to-be will have all that they require to raise happy young baby trolls. And, for the record, love? They're all ready now."

Poppy's face turned green. Her legs gave out as she slowly collapsed to her knees, putting a hand on her head as if she had a massive headache. Her friends were all ready to be parents? They'd all done this!?

Bridget's face lit up, and she said, "Oh! That's great! I'm sure Chef will be pleased when I tell her."

"No good... I can't..." Poppy moaned. "Hold me, Branch. I-I'm gonna—Urgh..." She fell fully to her knees, wrapping her arms around Branch as she collapsed against him, moaning a bit.

Branch looked at her, covering his concern for her with irritation at her instead. He hissed, "Poppy! Now's not the time for this!"

Poppy just kept moaning, feeling ill.

DJ walked up to Creek, confused. "Uh, I'm not sure I'm following ya, Creek. Why would these guys care if our kids are happy? I thought all they cared about was eating trolls like a bunch'a cannibalistic freaks?" She looked genuinely lost.

Only Branch cared, he was sure, but he was pretty sure she'd just misused the word "cannibalistic." Didn't she realize that cannibalism can only happen between members of the same species? Since when was DJ a bergen?

Creek looked at DJ uncertainly and started, "Yes, well—"

"Well, if trolls aren't raised properly, they aren't safe to eat," Bridget answered. "They'll make you sad instead of happy."

Interesting. So, essentially, she was saying that Branch wouldn't be eaten alive by the bergens. Well, that was one less way to die at their hands. On the other hand, since he would serve literally no purpose for them, he didn't have any illusions that they'd let him live if they captured him.

"Well, if that's the case, then I need some fresh ingredients so that I can prepare delicious treats and meals for Smidge. And some warm blankets—not the scratchy kind, the soft, cuddly kind. Oh! And do try to find some weight-lifting equipment. Smidge loves to get her exercise, and the baby will be that much healthier and happier if his mother is happy!"

If the bergens were trying to please them now, they might as well ask for things, right?

Bridget nodded enthusiastically, glad her trolls were finally comfortable enough to talk to her. "Okay! I'll see what I can do."

Eggs would be a tricky concept—she highly doubted they had any troll-sized eggs and didn't even know what creature would lay eggs small enough for trolls to use. But she'd figure out something.

Smidge turned to Biggie, eyes brightening and a smile on her face. She put her hands to her cheeks and cried, "Oh, my ga! That's so nice of you, Biggie! Thanks a bunch!"

"You're welcome, Smidge." He turned to the bergen and added, "And thank you, Idget, for being so gentle in your care of us."

Poppy gaped, surprised. The bergen was being gentle with her friends? This news was actually shocking enough to drive the sick feeling away for the moment. "Huh. Well, that's...kinda neat, I guess," she said, smiling in mild relief.

"What are you talking about? She's only taking care of them so they can be used as food later! And get off me!" Branch countered, pushing Poppy off and moving a couple of steps away to prevent her from grabbing him like that again.

Poppy stood up with a sheepish grin. She kept her arms down in front of her.

"Oh, it's nothing," the bergen told Biggie. "I mean, I don't want to hurt you guys, so I need to be careful."

She might have been getting too used to being called Idget, Bridget realized. She didn't even comment on it.

Bridget turned to leave, telling the trolls, "I'll be right back! I'm going to see if I can find what you're looking for!" Silently she added, And I also need to tell Chef the trolls are all ready. With that, Bridget hurried out of the room to accomplish these tasks.

"Well, that's odd," Chenille said after the bergen was gone.

"Why is she being so nice?" Satin asked. "She's talking to us like we're not food!"

"Who knows?" Creek responded. "But, for now, let's just be thankful that everyone is ready to serve. I was a tad bit worried about you for a spell there, DJ. I am so very grateful you decided to cooperate."

"Yeah, well, what else could I—" she started.

"That's it!" a voice cut her off. "I can't take even one more second of this!"

The nine trolls in the tank all exclaimed, "Poppy!?"

"Was that really—" Guy started.

The Snack Pack looked toward the other side of the room just in time to see a pink troll running toward the table, a determined look in her eyes. She quickly leaped into the air and used her hair to grab a nearby broom handle, using it to swing higher up. Poppy landed on the table right in front of the troll tank.

"Poppy!" Biggie cried, a smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Branch glanced over his shoulder, checking that the coast was really clear, as he ran across the room to join Poppy. Not particularly wanting to draw attention to himself, he climbed up onto the table discreetly, climbing up the leg of it.

"What do you think!?" Poppy said to her friends as Branch climbed onto the tabletop. Her friends' attention was entirely focused on her, so he went unnoticed for now. "I'm here to rescue you!"

The Snack Pack cheered in excitement. Some cried, "Alright!" while Smidge and DJ cried, "Awright!" Some said, "Yes!" and others, "I knew it!" Then, much to Branch's irritation, they started dancing and singing, "Celebrate good times, come on!"

Even worse, Poppy joined them. "It's a celebration!" she sang.

This whole thing was loud enough that Branch wouldn't be surprised if a bergen came charging in here, wondering what they were all so happy about.

"SHH!" Branch commanded, darting forward and gesturing at them to be quiet. Not that he expected them to listen.

The Snack Pack stopped dancing and stared at Branch, suddenly realizing he was there. Several of them let out horrified or surprised gasps.

"Hey! It's Hidey-Hole Troll!" Cooper said.

That was probably the least offensive thing one of these guys would call him.

"Oh, my goody gumdrops," Creek said, looking nothing more than shocked. "Poppet, just what, exactly, is he doing here? No one's seen him in years!"

The lack of open hostility immediately made Branch like Creek most. Not to say that he liked any of them, but he hated Creek measurably less than, say, Guy Diamond. Especially after Guy's reaction.

The glitter troll put his hands to his face, his eyes wide with horror. "It's the end of the worrrrrrrld! Poppy's bad habit has finally gotten the best of her!" He wobbled a bit, looking unwell, before falling over backwards, having seemingly fainted.

So Branch was a "bad habit," huh? And that was why Branch officially hated Creek less than Guy Diamond.

"Really?" Branch asked, irritated at the theatrics. "Now?"

"Uh, Poppy? Where did you even find him?" Chenille asked. Whispering behind her hand, she added, "And why did you want to?"

"Because! Who else do we know who knows more about bergens than anyone? I'd never have been able to even get here without his help!" Poppy answered, still all smiles, as if her friends weren't currently freaking out on each other.

"Yeah, Poppy, that's great, glad you guys are all enjoying your reunion. Can we continue this great conversation later, maybe?" Branch said, sounding friendly and a bit cheerful other than the sarcasm on the word "great." "Say, when we're not standing in a bergen's room with all of your friends locked in a tank!?" he snapped.

"Uuuh..."

While Poppy tried to find her voice, Branch jumped into the air and used his hair to grab the lid of the tank and pull himself up. He got to work on the latches, undoing each one by one. Suddenly he was glad he worked out so much. Two of the latches were a little stuck, but he managed to get them after a brief struggle. Once the four latches were undone, he tried to pry the lid open (still standing on it), but found it to be extremely heavy. Somehow he doubted getting off the lid would make it any lighter, although that probably wasn't helping him.

"It's too heavy," he called down to Poppy. "I can't lift it alone."

"Right!" Poppy reached out with her hair and started pushing on the lid from down below. The trolls in the tank joined in. With the combined efforts of ten trolls, they managed to push the lid off and slid it behind the tank.

As the lid fell, so did Branch, sliding off the lid behind the tank. He cried, "Whoa!" as he lost his balance and landed on the table.

With the lid removed, the Snack Pack grabbed the edge of the tank with their hair and pulled themselves up. They vaulted over the wall of the tank and landed on the table in front of Poppy.

"Poppy! I'm so thankful to see you safe!" Creek said, hugging her.

Poppy returned Creek's embrace, and her other friends joined in, smiling as they started a group hug. This was the first hug Poppy had been given in days, and she was loving it. Branch came walking around from the back of the tank.

"Oh... I'm glad you're safe, too, you guys," Poppy said to her friends. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"We missed you, too, Poppy!" Smidge said. "It's just so good to actually be able to touch you again!"

"While I appreciate you haven't seen each other in about a week," Branch interrupted sarcastically, "we have to leave! Unless you all want to finish your reunion inside the tank!"

The trolls broke up their group hug, pulling back and looking at Poppy in concern. Only one didn't look worried, and that was Creek—he merely looked curious. Once again, Branch officially hated him less than the rest.

"And speaking of, whatever possessed you to seek out this traitor troll here?" Guy asked. "I mean, sure, he seemed to know a lot about the bergens, but—"

Poppy glared at Guy, annoyed. She couldn't say she hadn't expected this, but it still wasn't right that he was treating Branch this way. After all, he'd come all this way, risking life and limb and ridicule to help them all. Talk about unfair. "Branch is not a traitor! He's saved my life more than once on the way over here!"

"What!? Poppy, you can't be serious!" Biggie cried.

"But I saw him leave you to that bird, Poppy!"

"It was you!?" Branch demanded, furious.

Everyone turned concerned looks to Cooper.

Satin cried, "Oh, no! Cooper! Why did you say that!?"

"He's likely to attack you now!" Biggie added.

Branch waved his hands dismissively—he'd worry about the fact that the snitch was right here later. Then he could pulverize Cooper for what he'd put him through. "You know what? Forget it! It's not important right now. What is important is getting you guys out of here before the bergen comes back!"

Too late—the bergen was back.

"Hey, I've got some flour and eggs for you!" she said, coming through the door with her arms full. She was pretty excited, and Chef had just told her to treat the mothers like royalty to ensure the babies would be happy when born. "I know the eggs are a little big, but—"

She cut off, dropping everything she'd brought. The trolls were outside of the tank. They were supposed to be inside. "Hey, what do you think you're doing!?" she cried, worried. "Get back in your tank!"

The trolls all freaked out and started running all over the place.

Bridget ran after them, crying, "No! Stop! Chef's gonna be so mad!"

As Bridget ran for the table, Guy ran up to her and sprayed glitter in her eyes. DJ, Satin, and Chenille ran behind a stack of dishes. The others all ran in search of a hiding place, too.

Branch, on the other hand, wasn't looking for a hiding place—he needed a better weapon. Nothing he had on him would be good enough for fighting a bergen. Chances were he wouldn't win, but he could at least buy the others some time to get away. Sure, he hated Poppy's friends, but he didn't want her getting eaten or bred.

Biggie, Smidge, and Fuzzbert hid in a caddie, but they kept poking out of the holes to see if the coast was clear. Unfortunately for them, it wasn't. The bergen saw them, and she kept trying to grab them in a mock game of Whack-A-Mole. Poppy and Creek ran behind Branch, where they found Guy and DJ as well. The four hid back there, Poppy feeling that they were safer near Branch anyway.

With four trolls, including the one he actually liked, needing protection near him, Branch grabbed a spork and started twirling it. Bridget's attention turned to Branch as he shouted out. She grabbed a frying pan and let out a battle cry.

Bridget tried to hit the gray troll with her pan, but Branch caught it with his hair. This left them locked in a battle of might as he tried to push the pan away and she tried to push it on top of him so she could catch him.

"Get out of here!" Branch yelled to the others as he wrestled with the bergen. "Now!"

Most of them hurried to obey, not too concerned with leaving the traitor behind. Poppy's eyes widened, however, and she cried, "What!? But, Br—"

"Go!" Branch cut her off as Creek came up behind her, a concerned look on his face.

"Branch! I can't just—"

Creek cut her off by taking her hand, saying, "He's right, love. We must get the others to safety!"

Poppy pulled away from Creek, looking worried. "We can't, Creek! We can't leave Branch alone like this! What about no troll left behind!?"

Was she honestly the only one who cared about that these days? Creek was the only one of her friends who didn't hate Branch without cause! He should have known they couldn't just abandon him like this!

Tired of wrestling with something so tiny—and amazed that he was so strong to begin with—Bridget took one hand off the frying pan and reached for the troll. Since he needed all of his strength to fight back the bergen, Branch wasn't able to stop her as she snatched him up off the floor. In retaliation, he bit her hand as hard as he could. Unfortunately for him, Smidge had gotten her used to being bit already, so he had to get a little rougher.

Branch tore at the bergen's hand with his teeth, like a wild animal. He wasn't letting go until she let him go.

"Ouch!" Bridget cried. She dropped the frying pan and took the troll by the hair, pulling him off her hand. Some of her skin came off in his teeth. "That hurt!" She looked at her bleeding hand.

Branch kept squirming around, trying to get loose or attack the bergen. Bridget's attention was drawn quickly back to him. Is he really a troll? she wondered. He doesn't act like one...

Poppy's eyes widened even further, and she cried, "Branch!" She charged at the bergen, a vicious look in her eyes.

Creek reached for her, eyes wide in horror. "Poppy!"

The rest of the Snack Pack stopped halfway to the door and turned back.

"Oh, my ga! Poppy!"

"Come back!" the twins cried.

"Poppy, what are you doing!?" Biggie asked.

Poppy charged at the bergen with a battle cry and lashed out with her hair to whip the hand holding Branch—a trick she'd learned from him.

"Ow!" Bridget cried, dropping the troll.

Poppy ran to catch him. He landed bridal style in her arms.

"Poppy! Are you insane!?" he demanded.

"You're welcome! Now come on!" She set him on his feet, and the both of them ran for the door.

Bridget recovered quickly and reached for the cage, grateful it was modified with a detachable bottom. Cage in hand, she ran to the door and shut it, blocking the trolls' escape route. Startled, the trolls ran quickly toward the window. Two of them didn't get away, though—Bridget removed the bottom from the cage and slammed it down on top of Branch and Poppy.

The Snack Pack made it to the windowsill before they looked back, noticing Poppy's absence.

"POPPY!" Cooper cried.

"NO!" Smidge yelled.

Creek looked on in horror. "Poppy!"

Poppy reached out for her friends, worried. She'd come here to save them, not end up like them! "Guys!"

Bridget slipped the detachable bottom under the trolls carefully, being sure not to let them out. To her relief, the trolls (when the gray one failed to take advantage of the tiny gap she'd opened) scrambled onto the cage floor. Good thing, too, because she was pretty sure their legs would get caught and mangled otherwise. She clicked it into place and picked the cage up, saying, "Come on, you two, let's get you into the tank."

This wasn't going well at all. They'd come here to save Poppy's friends, and now Poppy and Branch were in the same position. Branch could get himself and Poppy out of here—he had the right supplies for it. Assuming, of course, that the bergen let him live. If he was the only male troll she had, the odds went up—Poppy couldn't breed without a male, after all.

Besides that, the rest were still free. They might have a hard time getting out of Bergen Town by themselves, but at least they had a chance. Branch looked at the trolls on the windowsill and pointed at the window behind them, silently mouthing, "Get out of here!"

Unfortunately, like before, they didn't listen to him. They looked at each other, worried about their friend and princess. Clearly none of them wanted to leave her behind.

Bridget took her two new trolls over to the tank and tried to dump them in. However, seeing the tank, Branch grabbed Poppy's arm tightly with one hand and grasped the bar of the cage with the other. When Bridget tipped the open cage over the tank, neither one fell in.

Frustrated and reluctant to reach inside, Bridget shook the cage, saying, "Come on, just get in the tank!"

Branch tightened his grip on Poppy's hand, making sure neither of them fell in. "Why are you still standing there!?" he demanded of the other nine.

"We're not leaving without Poppy!" Biggie answered.

"That's right!" Smidge agreed.

"We would never abandon a friend if we could help it!" DJ added harshly.

So much for Poppy's theory that him saving them would change their minds. Clearly they'd never considered him a friend. Well, that was fine—he didn't like them, either, after all.

Everyone else started speaking all at once, agreeing with the others. Branch barely hid his annoyance at them. How blindly loyal could they be? There wasn't anything they could do to help Poppy right now! They couldn't help but leave her here!

While Branch was irritated by the Snack Pack, Bridget came to a realization. There was nothing else for it. She would have to physically remove the trolls. She reached up into the cage, still holding it at an angle.

Seeing the bergen's hand coming, Branch pulled Poppy up and stuck her hand on one of the bars, saying, "Hold on tight, and, whatever you do, don't let go!"

If the others wouldn't leave without Poppy, then he'd just have to get Poppy out of here. Branch reached for his machete, pulling it out, as he let go of the cage and landed on the hand.

Poppy's eyes widened in shock and worry. She reached out for him with her free hand. "Branch!"

He was going to get himself killed if he wasn't careful, and she didn't want to see that!

Branch stabbed his machete into the palm of Bridget's hand, holding onto it tight with both hands. He was hoping he'd hurt the bergen badly enough that she'd drop the cage, maybe with the added bonus of tossing it toward the window by accident. He knew full well his tiny little weapon wouldn't hurt this bergen badly enough to stop her.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Bridget yelped, pulling her hand out of the cage. "What is that!?"

This bergen was tougher than he'd thought. She managed to keep her grip on the cage with Poppy inside.

Okay, that didn't go as planned. I have to make her drop that cage so Poppy can get away! The others won't leave without her! I just have to get this bergen to put the cage down, then keep her distracted so the others can escape.

He doubted he'd make it out of this alive. He also doubted that his sacrifice would change anyone's views of him. Could somebody remind him why he'd come along?

He'd worry about that later...if he lived long enough. With that idea a bust, Branch pulled his weapon out of Bridget's hand and ran up her arm. He hoped she'd panic; but, even if she didn't, he'd just slit her throat.

Bridget's eyes widened, seeing the murderous glint in the troll's eye. She quickly put the cage down inside the tank, then grabbed the troll off her arm. With him secured, she took the tiny weapon from him.

Poppy's eyes widened in horror. "NO!" she cried.

Trapped again, Branch bit the bergen's hand and tore at it.

Bridget flinched. His teeth weren't that sharp, but he definitely bit more fiercely than Smidge. The fact that his teeth had managed to find the same patch of skin as before made it hurt a bit more, too. "You're aggressive, aren't you?" she asked, quickly placing the little weapon beside the tank and pulling the troll off her hand by his hair.

Branch kept squirming around, trying to swing up to her hand so he could do something, anything, at this point.

"I don't think you'll be any good for breeding..."

Looking at him, he was definitely gray—no good for eating, either.

Poppy gasped, eyes widening. She'd heard what that bergen had said about gray trolls being inedible, and there wasn't any way Branch would live long if he had no use. She ran out of the cage, reaching for the edge of the open tank with her hair. Unfortunately for her, Bridget grabbed the lid and slammed it down onto the tank, forcing Poppy to pull back before her hair could get caught.

She was trapped. He was going to die, and there was nothing she could do about it.

The Snack Pack gasped, now very worried about their friend. "Poppy!" they cried.

Desperate now, Poppy yelled out to Branch. She hoped he'd listen to her for once, but his previous track record didn't bode well. "Branch, stop! Don't fight it! It's too dangerous!"

She had a point—he was caught, and he wasn't getting any closer to being free. He knew he couldn't count on the others to do anything to help, and Poppy herself was captured as well. Continuing this fight would do nothing for him, and Poppy would still be in trouble.

Branch stopped struggling, much to Poppy's relief.

Bridget looked at the troll, then down at the tank and the cage. She opened the tank, tossed Branch into the cage, and quickly locked the door. As Bridget latched the lid back onto the tank, Poppy ran over to the cage, frantic.

She gripped the bars, crying, "Branch! Oh, thank cupcakes! Are you okay?"

Well, other than the rough treatment and the fact that he was most likely about to suffer a miserable death at the hands of a horrible, blood-thirsty bergen, yes. He sat up and said, "I'm fine."

Poppy looked up at the bergen again with worry. She wasn't a fool—she knew as well as Branch did that his life was still in jeopardy, even more than her and her friends. He'd just violently attacked a bergen, after all. Even if he survived, she was sure they'd hurt him, trying to get him to "behave" himself.

With two trolls secured, Bridget moved toward the windowsill, saying, "Okay, so you're all worried about your friends, right? Why don't you come with me? I'll put you back in your tank, and you can all be together."

The Snack Pack looked at each other, then sighed, holding their hands up in surrender. Branch groaned—he knew they were all done for now, thanks to Poppy coming back for him.

Well, Bridget had just learned something about trolls: They don't leave each other behind. That could come in handy if they tried something like this again. She picked up the rest of the trolls and brought them over to the table, putting them back in the tank. With eleven trolls now rather than just nine, she latched the lid.

Creek ran over to Poppy and hugged her again. "Poppy! I'm so sorry, love! But we just couldn't leave you behind!"

Oh, but leaving me's fine, Branch thought. Guess it makes sense. Who wants a traitor along for the ride?

He knew they didn't like him. He knew they hated him. But it didn't make it hurt any less. Sure, they'd never actually been friends, but he'd been forced to hang out with them enough that he'd thought there was a slim chance they'd care about him at least a little. He should've known better—like everyone else, they'd never wanted him around in the first place.

Poppy pulled away from Creek and headed toward the wall of the tank, still worried. "But what about Branch?" she called up to the bergen, glaring slightly. "What will you do to him!?"

"I don't know," Bridget answered. She picked up the troll care book and started looking through it for information on aggressive trolls.

Poppy stared for a bit as her fears for Branch's safety grew. That wasn't a good answer. Branch was in serious trouble. She ran back to the cage that sat in the center of the tank as her friends all watched, horror-struck. Even Creek looked less than pleased.

No... It couldn't be... Creek eyed the gray troll, now suspicious. Could they have been right all these years? Could she actually...

Poppy grabbed the bars of the cage and frantically looked at Branch, pleading, "Branch, please! Apologize to her!"

"What!? Why? What good's that going to do anyone?"

"Branch!"

Bridget, meanwhile, found the section about aggressive trolls and started reading. She quickly realized this was above her pay grade.

"Please, Poppy, she's a bergen! She's not going to care if I apologize!" Branch snapped. Any more than your friends would!

Yes, this might have been bad timing for those thoughts, but, all things considered, he didn't have anything better to worry about. If he did somehow manage to get out of this cage, Poppy's friends would probably finish him off for the bergen. Smidge, if he remembered right, was very violent.

Poppy turned to the bergen, looking frantic. She had to find a way to save Branch from whatever was coming. "Hey! W-what would you do if Branch said he was sorry for acting up!? A-and he promised not to do it again!?"

While this exchange happened, Bridget learned more than she cared to about aggressive trolls. Apparently she would need specialized equipment to handle this...along with a certain disregard for another creature's comfort. Bridget wasn't cruel, and she wasn't eager to start being cruel.

According to the book, aggressive trolls were, apparently, fierce fighters who would do anything to keep the other trolls safe. They were known to overestimate themselves and would sacrifice themselves to save the others, even taking on enemies they could never hope to beat. If they weren't the leaders, they often became leaders by marrying the prince or princess. The only ways to deal with them were to either properly contain them or kill them.

Again, Bridget wasn't cruel. However, killing seemed cruel to her, and containing them involved locking them in an aggressive troll cage—a strong metal box, essentially, with tiny holes in the lid and chains wrapped around it to help hold the lid in place. The trolls contained in such cages were to be isolated from the others and broken. During the breaking process, the cage couldn't be opened, and any food or water given to the troll needed to be inserted through the tiny holes very carefully. If done incorrectly, the trainer would be attacked. The most effective way to break an aggressive troll was to starve them, but it also took the most time. Once finished, however, the troll would always behave from then on.

When Poppy interrupted Bridget, she was looking at a heading that read "Hopelessly Aggressive Trolls." She was actually grateful for the interruption—with how this section was going, she was pretty sure that section would tell her to kill the troll if she couldn't tame him.

Bridget lowered the book, thinking about the troll's proposal. "Well, if he said he wasn't going to do it again, then I wouldn't have anything to worry about, would I? I guess it would be okay to have him around then," she answered after a bit. I mean, it's better than trying to tame him. I don't think I can stomach the idea of being so mean to something so small...

Besides that, with how the Troll Care room looked, she didn't think she'd be finding an aggressive troll cage, anyway. Did they actually have any of those available?

Branch gaped, stunned. That wasn't consistent with anything he knew about bergens.

Poppy smiled, worry replaced with excitement. "Great!" She turned to Branch, a little anxiety creeping back in—he could still ruin this, after all. "Well, Branch!? What do you say!?"

She really hoped he'd agree to this. She knew full well he wasn't actually sorry and would try to escape again, but she hoped he would at least pretend to agree to this.

Guy leaned toward Cooper, looking mildly annoyed. "Oh, please," he said quietly. "As if he'd actually do it."

Cooper nodded in agreement with Guy.

Branch recovered his voice and said, "Uh..." He looked up at the bergen and asked, "You're serious?"

Bridget nodded.

Branch just stared at her for another moment before he shrugged, getting to his feet. "Then I guess...ugh..." He didn't want to do this, but dying for his pride wasn't something he needed to do—especially since he didn't really have any pride to protect. "I'm sorry for attacking you. I promise it won't happen again." Privately he added, As long as you keep your hands off Poppy.

The Snack Pack all gaped, shocked. They couldn't believe he'd actually agreed to that. "WHAT!?"

"Oh, my ga!" Smidge said, hands on her head. She seemed horrified.

"Well, okay," Bridget said. She walked over and opened the tank, removed the cage, and held it up to eye level as she asked, "You're not going to try to escape if I let you out of the cage, are you?"

Branch looked down at the other trolls. He wondered if they'd feel like he was even more of a traitor if he agreed to that. Or would his "betrayal" be to say he's going to try to escape? They'd probably think he just wanted to save himself, regardless of his answer.

"Oh, he's definitely not going to agree to that one!" Cooper said.

Everyone but Poppy and Creek looked at each other and nodded in agreement.

Poppy smacked herself in the face, annoyed. She glanced at the others, asking, "Really, guys? Really?"

Guy shrugged, confused. "What?"

Poppy just put her hand to her face again and shook her head. Honestly, these guys could be irritating. What did they think, that Branch would try to escape for his own sake?

Branch watched this exchange. He wasn't sure what the implications were for that, but he had a guess: They thought he'd refuse and try to save himself only. They didn't even need to say much for him to feel terrible around them. He had to get them all out of here so he could get away from them quickly. This was absolutely the worst for his mental health.

The miserable gray troll looked at Bridget, choosing to focus only on Poppy's reaction. At least she still saw something good in him. "No," he answered.

"Huh!?" the Snack Pack cried out, shocked.

"Oh, my ga!"

Creek crossed his arms in mild amusement as Poppy wiped the sweat from her brow in relief. Bridget nodded and unlocked the cage. She opened the door and held her hand out, palm up, for the troll. She didn't want him having to jump so far, worried he'd hurt himself.

Branch didn't trust this creature, but it seemed he was okay for now. He nervously stepped into her open hand, and she lowered him to the floor of the tank, where he hopped off. Later he'd wonder if he wouldn't have been better off in the cage.

Now that all of the trolls were in the tank and seemingly calm, Bridget replaced the lid, took the small weapon, and left to put it somewhere safe. She also planned to wash her hands and bandage the wounds. Her left hand just needed a bandage over the small bite, but the other one needed wrapped up.

She was learning that trolls could be very dangerous.