Hi everyone, finally back from my Christmas vacation which means back to work. BTW how was everyone's Christmas? I got a new laptop which means no more typing on a stupid tablet.

Anyway you've all waited long enough so here you go.

Branch sat on the beach alone as he stared at the moon. Most everyone else had gone to bed for the night pitching up tents and shelters made out of whatever leaves and sticks they could find.

But Branch had way to much on his mind to sleep. The enemy was still out there, he knew Grim would eventually find him, he was an excellent tracker, and he would not rest until Branch and his entire fleet was destroyed. But how could he stop them? Raider had told him that the only way to ensure the dragons survival was to send them away to the hidden world, But could Branch really part ways with Melody? Could the rest of his tribe part ways? The dragons had been a part of their world for so many years, could they really be willing to part ways with them just like that?

Melody walked up to her rider, rubbing her head on. Branch's palm as he struggled to figure out his next move.

"Good to see you have my back girl, no matter what," Branch chuckled as he rubbed his dragon's head. "I'll admit this is the toughest predicament I have ever been in. I always thought I could think my way out of anything, but I have no idea of how to stop Grim. Raider is saying the only way to stop him and all hunters permanently is to send you away to the Hidden World, but I just don't know if I can. That's a one way trip and trolls can't enter into it." Branch sighed "I wish my grandmother was still here, she would know what to do. I can't figure this one out on my own."

"Oh Branch when have you ever been alone."

Branch turned around and saw Cloud guy walking up to him, taking a seat next to Branch he looked up at the sky and sighed as he admired it's beauty.

"Beautiful isn't it? I always did enjoy staring at the night sky, looking at the stars and the moon, "really is breathtaking. Of course it shouldn't be a surprise someone like me would admire that being a Cloud after all."

"Cloud Guy," Branch asked, almost in tears, wanting to get straight to the point. "I need to know, Raider believes that the only way to save the dragons is to send them off to the Hidden world where the Hunters couldn't find them. Please, if there is any other way tell me, I don't want to say goodbye to Melody, or any of our dragons."

Cloud Guy was silent for a couple of seconds then he turned to Branch. "You always knew that you couldn't hold on to them forever Branch, even if you tried to deny it and lie to yourself you knew the day would come when you had to say goodbye."

"I don't want to though, these dragons are a part of my life that they are a part of every troll lives. To force them to go away, even for the sake of protecting them, How can I explain something like that to everyone, to kids, to my friends? What will we do when the dragons are gone? Even before we made peace with the dragons, our entire lives evolved around them, training to become dragon killers, taking our offspring to you to see rather they would fight the dragons. We even had our non dragon hunters make weapons for the dragon killers to use against them so they wouldn't feel left out for god's sake. What on Thor's green earth can we do without the dragons for Thor's sake?"

"My dearest Branch," Cloud Guy replied as he put dug his fingers in the sand and watched as the sand fell from his fingers. "Life existed before the dragons, life will exist after. You want to believe that all of life revolves around trolls having dragons but that couldn't be farther than the truth. Dragons wasn't the first animals on this Earth, and they won't be the last. Evolution will continue and life will evolve rather you will or not. Trolls and Dragons may have learned to coexist without one trying to kill the other, but they were never intended to stay as house pets. Dragons are still wild animals, and even though some wild animals can be tamed and domesticated, not all can, and even those that do, their wild DNA is still intact. They will survive, just as much as the trolls will. Will it be easy to let go? No, but in time you will understand that despite the tough decision that it was indeed the right one, and once you accept that you made the right decision, you will begin to heal."

Branch looked down at Melody who stared at him back, they both knew that Cloud Guy was right, and that despite the pain that it was indeed time. Branch put his hands on Melody's cheek, and they both closed their eyes as they touched foreheads, tears flowing from Branch's cheeks.

"Your right buddy, it's time." Branch then turned back to Cloud Guy. "Even if the dragons are protected in the hidden world, how are we going to stop Grim? He won't stop until we are all dead."

"Wars are not without sacrifice, that is one thing you have known from the beginning. Your parents, Rosiepuff, Oaken, they all knew that, and at the end they were all willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for their tribe, the question is are you?"

"Cloud Guy? Are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"I have seen how this war will end, and even though I cannot tell you how it ends I will tell you this, a chief must be willing to risk it all for their people, and give their life if they must. You want to stop Grim, you want to save your tribe, you must be willing to make the ultimate choice when it comes down to it, and be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

"No," Branch thought, "My family, Poppy, and Scarltt?" he wasn't ready. Fighting over what he was told Branch ran towards the woods, Cloud Guy still hollering out to him.

"You cannot change the future Branch, like it or not you will have to face your destiny, your legacy, and the legacy of your tribe and the dragons depends on it."

Branch ran for almost ten full minutes in the woods until he fell to his feet in tears. "I'm not ready for this," Branch cried "Please, there has to be another way. Grandma, I wish you were here right now to tell me what to do."

"My dearest Branch I am always here."

Branch looked up as a bright line shined in front of him, then he gasped.

"It can't be."

But it was, the Spirit of Rosiepuff was standing right in front of him, but not just Rosiepuff, but his parents and Oaken too.

"My sweet Grandson," Rosiepuff smiled "So grown up now, chief of Troll Tree, and a father. I couldn't be more proud."

"How could you be proud of me?" Branch replied "I got our home destroyed, because I picked a fight with the wrong people, I started a war because I thought I could save a bunch of animals that Trolls killed for centuries. I tried to wipe away centuries of bad blood between Trolls and Dragons and all it has done is get trolls killed. I thought I could save them, but I couldn't. And I got you and Oaken killed in the process. I am no leader, I am definitely not no hero. Maybe things would have been better off if I left things as it was."

"Branch," His mother replied "You doing everything you have for the dragons, has been one of the greatest accomplishments any troll has ever done."

"You have changed history" His father added "You have done everything that your mother and I could only have dreamed."

"But people are dying because of my choices. I am likely to die. I know as Chief I am supposed to be willing to give my life, but I am scared. I never wanted this duty, I never wanted a war. But we are in one."

"Sometimes, peace cannot come without war," Rosiepuff replied "Sometimes, if you truly believe in something then the only way to get it is to fight for it."

"None of us want a war son," Branch's dad added. "But sometimes it is the only way for there to truly be peace. There is evil in the world, and they sometimes will not go away unless you take actions."

"But what if I die doing this, I have a family now, a daughter, she's only five and she is everything to me, I don't want to leave her."

"My baby," Branch's mother replied with a loving voice. "You was only a baby when we died, you were asleep in your crib the last time we saw you, we knelt down and gave you a kiss on the cheek and then left to try to free the demon dragon. We failed, and it cost us our lives. We knew there was a chance we wouldn't make it out, but we went out there anyway, not just because the dragons was in danger, but we knew that as long as the demon dragon was forcing the dragons to invade the Troll Tree that you were in danger. We put you Branch ahead of our own lives, now as a father you must be able to do the same."

"I'm scared though."

"That's okay, fear is a good thing," Oaken replied "but don't let it consume you. None of us regrets the decision we made, even when it cost us our lives. You don't know how this will end, but in time, the answer will come to you, and whatever it is, you must be willing to accept it, for your tribe's sake."

Then the spirits was gone, and Branch found himself alone in the woods. Branch sighed, he didn't want to die, that much he knew, but they were right, he had to be willing to accept his fate if his tribe's survival depended on it. And he would be damned if he let his tribe fall just because he was too scared to give his life. If Scarlett's future depended on him dying sending Grim and his army to hell, than so be it.

Above the clouds a lone dragon hunter spotted Branch in the woods. During their retreat a hunter followed the trolls from a distant in order to get back word to Grim about their location.

Now he had them, and this time, they would make sure they couldn't flee. The hunter flew back to his tribe, it took all night and he was exhausted by the time he arrived but he made it, and the

second he touched down he marched straight to Grims office, who was studying a map looking for Branch's location.

"I found him Grim."

"Where?"

"On the north side," The troll pointed at the northern part of the map. On an inhabited island untouched by trolls. They are probably hoping on making it their new home."

"Well done," Grim replied standing up. "They are probably going to be expecting us next time so I want every last man and the gas sprayer available. I want no survivors this time, Branch andhis entire tribe will fall, then there will be nothing standing in our way from hunting every last dragon on this miserable planet, to extinction."