A/N: Here's the next one! Enjoy! Glad you guys liked the Steve Irwin reference. Every time I think of crocodiles, I think of my childhood hero.

Chapter Five – The Tank Trolls

It was a long, bumpy, terrifying ride in the saddlebag of the bergen who captured her. Poppy just curled up in a ball and sat in the corner of the cage, sobbing out her fear. By the time she tired herself out, it took another hour before she heard the footsteps outside change. The moose's hooves made a clip-clop sound instead of soft thudding through the grass and dirt of the forest. Soon, the moose stopped entirely, and the flap to the saddlebag opened. The older bergen slowly pulled out the wire cage. Though he smiled at Poppy kindly, she still cowered.

"Here, son." The older bergen passed the cage to the younger one. "Why don't you go introduce this little one to the others?"

"Thanks, Dad!" the younger bergen had lighter skin compared to his father, and a green mop of hair. He wore blue pants, a red-and-white striped shirt, and sandals with socks. The young bergen held up the cage to his eyes and smiled. "Hi in there."

Poppy still shook fearfully.

"Oh, don't be afraid." The bergen said. "I'm Gristle Jr. That's my dad, Gristle Sr. We own this pet shop." He pointed behind Poppy, and she saw a small white building with a sign above the door that read "Sr. and Jr. Pet Shop." Gristle Jr. brought Poppy inside, and she saw all sorts of things: toys, food, enclosures, and more animals. Lots of different animals, and very few Poppy recognized from the forest. Gristle Jr. continued to talk as he brought Poppy farther back into the store. "Dad saw you struggling out there, and I think we can help. We'll give you a chance at a longer life when you're domesticated. I think you'll be really happy here."

I was happy back there with my dad. Poppy wanted to say that, but she had a feeling this bergen wouldn't understand her.

Gristle Jr. approached a glass tank, filled with dirt and plants and rocks and pieces of wood. There were also several food and water dishes. "This will be your home, now." Gristle Jr. gently picked up Poppy, who was too afraid to try and wriggle away. "I think I'll call you….Pinkie! You'll meet your friends in there, too. I hope you all get along." He carefully lowered Poppy into the tank, and then dropped her crutches in there. "I don't know what happened to you out there, Pinkie." Gristle Jr. said, an adoring smile on his lips. "But I promise I'll take care of you." He returned to his father to help him unpack the moose and unsaddle them.

Poppy didn't like being trapped, but at least Gristle Jr. was nice. She picked up her crutches and leaned on them as she stood. Looking around, the interior of the tank did remind her very much of the forest where she was born and raised. But didn't Gristle Jr. say there were other trolls in here?

Poppy heard a rustle in the shrubbery, and she gasped. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She saw flashes of shadows, but no trolls. So Poppy tried hobbling around to explore her surroundings. As she pushed through the shrubbery, she saw a hole in front of her that led right to outside! What luck! "Freedom!" Poppy cheered, hobbling as fast as she could towards the outside.

THUNK!

Landing right on her tailbone, Poppy shook her head to get rid of her dizziness. She stood again and reached a hand out. Her hand touched the glass, and she realized she wouldn't be getting out this way.

"Told you she'd run into the glass!"

"I didn't think she was that dumb!"

Poppy gasped and spun around, but she saw no one.

"Shh! That's not nice! She's so little."

"So am I, but I'm almost totally grown up."

"You're twelve. I hardly call that grown up."

"Look at the little darling. She's probably younger than you, Smidge."

"Hello?" Poppy called out, and the whispers stopped. "Please. Don't hide."

"Should we reveal ourselves?"

"Well, it's not like she doesn't know we're here."

Poppy was on the verge of tears. "Someone please help. I want to go home. Do any of you know where my daddy is?"

Someone finally stepped out: a fifteen-year-old troll with lavender skin, blue-green hair, and indigo eyes. He had glitter freckles and wore a pair of yellow pants. He knelt to be more at Poppy's eye-level, and he smiled gently. "Love, your father's probably back at the other pet store."

"Other pet store?" Poppy repeated.

"That's where several of us came from." The boy explained. "My name is Creek. Hang on." He turned to the seemingly empty tank. "Come on out, mates! Let's welcome our new tank-mate properly." More troll teens emerged from their hiding spots, surprising Poppy. She hadn't realized there were so many in here. One troll even carried a glowworm wearing a top hat. Creek put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "All right, mates, you know the drill. Say your name and your age and….how about we say our favorite hobby?" The other trolls nodded in agreement.

"My name's Suki. I'm fourteen years old. I love writing music."

"I'm Biggie. I'm twelve years old, and I love playing dress-up with Mr. Dinkles."

"I'm Satin, and this is my sister, Chenille. We're thirteen and we love to make clothes."

"I'm Guy Diamond, and I'm eleven! I love to dance!"

"I'm Smidge! I'm twelve, and I love lifting large rocks for weightlifting practice!"

"And I'm Creek, as I said before." Creek said to Poppy. "I'm fifteen, and I love meditating. That's Fuzzbert over there." Fuzzbert made a strange garbling noise. "Yeah, sometimes it's hard for us to understand him, too. But he wants you to know he's thirteen years old and he loves playing the kazoo. Now you tell us who you are."

Poppy swallowed. "I'm Poppy. I'm ten years old. I love reading. And I shouldn't be here. I want to go home."

"This is home, kiddo." Guy Diamond said. "Besides, based on what happened to your leg, I'd say you're better off here."

"Yeah, where'd you come from, anyway?" Suki asked.

"The forest. I was taken from the meadow." Poppy replied timidly. Everyone gasped in shock.

"The forest?" Creek repeated. "You really should consider yourself lucky. Gristle Jr. might have saved your life."

"Yeah, you'll be safe and happy with us." Satin said.

"We'll take good care of you." Chenille promised.

Poppy's lower lip trembled, and she broke down into tears. "But I want to go home! I wanted to go back to my daddy!"

Creek pulled Poppy into a comforting hug. "Poppy, it'll be okay. You'll be safe here. No one will ever hurt you."

Poppy sniffled, rubbing her eyes dry. She jumped when she heard a loud THUD, and the trolls turned to the window. It was now open after something ran into it. A wingdingle flew up and perched himself on the windowsill's plant box. Remembering her father's warnings about the dangers of wingdingles, Poppy hid behind Creek.

"Hey guys!" the wingdingle greeted.

"Hi Randy!" the trolls, sans Poppy, said back.

"How was your trip to your brother's nest?" Biggie asked.

"Lovely!" Randy said. "He's got some little ones running about, and they already love their Uncle Randy. How are things going in here?"

"Same, as usual." Suki said. "With one exception." She nodded to Poppy, and Creek encouraged her out of hiding.

"Well, hello there!" Randy greeted. "Who are you?"

"She's Poppy." Smidge said. "Gristle Sr. found her out in the meadow."

"Oh, from my neck of the woods, eh?" Randy chuckled. "Don't worry, little lass. I only eat fish."

"Randy's a good friend of ours." Guy Diamond explained to Poppy. "Always keeping us updated on the things going on around Bergen Town."

"Hey!" Gristle Sr. shouted as he marched over. "Those aren't your trolls. Scat!"

"Oops! Gotta go!" Randy laughed. "Nice meeting you, Poppy!" The wingdingle flew off, and Gristle Sr. shut the window again. He muttered to himself as he marched off.

"Why don't we give you a tour?" Creek offered. "We'll need to find a good place for you to sleep."

Poppy wasn't sure she had a choice, so she followed Creek while the rest of the pet shop trolls followed her. They spoke words of comfort, steadily easing the young troll's fears. After walking around and through the entirety of the tank, Poppy realized Gristle Jr. really did his research in order to make a proper habitat for the trolls.

"Over there is the clearing where we play ball." Creek said. "There's another water dish. They're scattered around the area. Just fish out a cup from the dish and use that to drink. The food dish is over there in the corner, and Gristle Jr. feeds us thrice a day. There's lots of shade, and we play plenty of games to keep us occupied. If you come over here, you can see most of the pet shop." Creek led Poppy to the glass wall that faced the interior of the store. From there, Poppy saw other animals in their habitats. They looked content and even happy. Evidently, Gristle Sr. and his son took good care of the pets they kept and sold.

"Now we just have to find you a place to sleep." Suki said. "What was your old home like?"

"Daddy and I stayed in a pod, hanging from a tree." Poppy said.

"What about your mom?" Smidge asked.

Poppy shrugged. "Never met her. Daddy doesn't like to talk about her."

The trolls of the tank exchanged sad looks, understanding at once. "Well, maybe you'll fit best in a hammock." Satin suggested.

"We can make it for you!" Chenille offered. "Just tell us where you want it."

Poppy looked around. She did a perfect double-take when she noticed something close to one of the side walls of the tank. It looked like an owl statue, like one used to scare away pigeons, but the statue had softer eyes and was in the form of a snowy owl. There was a hole down near the bottom, and one up by one of its extended wings. The way the wings and the bird were positioned made it look like an angel.

"Can you put my bed near that thing?" Poppy requested. "Wherever you think is best, but near that. I feel safer with that thing."

"Can do!" the twins said, immediately running off for the supplies.

"Why don't you guys go see if there's anything left from dinner?" Creek suggested. "I think Gristle Jr. dropped off some food while we were on our tour for little Poppy." The other trolls nodded and hurried away.

"So, are you the…..uh….." Poppy tried to think of the right word. "The la-fa?"

Creek chuckled. "I think you mean 'alpha,' and no, not really. I'm more of the beta. That's the second-in-command. Branch is our alpha. He's the oldest, beating me by a few months. He actually lives in that thing." He jerked a thumb towards the owl statue.

"How come he isn't out here?" Poppy asked.

"He's….shy, I guess. Or I guess reserved." Creek said. "He likes to keep to himself. But he'll come out eventually, and then you'll get to meet him. Just don't be too alarmed by his appearance."

"What do you mean?" Poppy asked.

"You'll know when you see him." Creek said, leaving it at that.

With the help of her new friends, Poppy soon had her own little bed where she could sleep that night. She wanted nothing more than to leave and go home, but she was thankful for the kindness of these trolls. Now, she had a hammock just her size, strung up sturdily between two pole structures. Smidge brought her a pillow, and Suki had a blanket to spare. Guy Diamond, Smidge, and Fuzzbert took the leftovers from their dinner and brought them to her, but Poppy didn't eat much. The pet shop trolls asked Poppy all sorts of questions about the forest, and it amused Poppy to hear of their enthusiasm on the subject. Gristle Jr. bid the trolls goodnight on his way to bed, and Randy even stopped by on his way home to chat. As night fell and everyone drifted to sleep, Suki helped Poppy climb into her hammock.

"You're going to like it here." Suki said. "Don't you worry about a thing."

"Thank you." Poppy said politely, pulling her blanket over her. She didn't want to tell Suki that she'd rather die than stay here, away from her father. As Suki left and Poppy settled for sleep, her thoughts wandered back to her father. He must be so worried about her. Unless he had already been killed. That thought made Poppy wince, and she burrowed deeper in her hammock.

Poppy glanced up to the owl statue. In the light of the moon, the statue seemed to glow with a comforting light. She wondered if Branch was already asleep, or if he watched her now from the eyes of the statue.

Fuzzbert woke Poppy the next morning to have breakfast, and the trolls all gathered around to eat the berries and nuts Gristle Jr. left for them.

"Is Branch going to join us?" Poppy asked.

"Nah. He usually takes his breakfast before we do and goes back to his owl." Smidge said.

Poppy looked to the owl statue. "Branch likes to be alone, doesn't he?" The other tank trolls nodded.

Their breakfast was interrupted by the door to the shop swinging open so fast it banged against the wall. The customer slammed the door shut behind her, and Gristle Sr. let out a growl.

"What do you want, Chef?" Gristle Sr. demanded.

The tank trolls gasped. "Just act normal." Creek whispered. "Just be very, very calm." Poppy wasn't sure what was going on. She didn't like how tense everyone looked. She stole a glance to the bergen at the door, and she saw this female bergen had purple-gray skin, pale blue hair, and wore a chef's outfit, hence her name.

"Well, let's see." Chef mused in response to Gristle Sr.'s question. "I'm in a pet store. What reason could I possibly have for being here?"

"I told you that I would never sell you another pet!" Gristle Sr. said. "Not after what happened to the ones you always returned."

"It's not for me." Chef said. "My rotten little stepdaughter's birthday is next week. I figured that, if she had a pet to keep her occupied, she'd leave me alone more often."

Gristle Jr. had been sweeping the floor by the trolls' tank, but he perked up when he heard Chef. "Bridget's birthday is next week?"

"Oh, right. She's having a party this Friday." Chef pulled out a bright pink envelope and threw it like a frisbee. Gristle Jr. caught it excitedly. Despite what Chef said about her stepdaughter, Gristle Jr. knew that Bridget was kind and gentle and oh so sweet. Gristle Jr. had had a crush on her for ages, and discovered that she certainly blossomed in her teenage years.

Gristle Sr. narrowed his eyes at Chef. "You swear it's for your stepdaughter? You won't be touching the animal or returning it?"

"Yes, yes, whatever. Now may I go browse?" Chef demanded.

Gristle Sr. did not like Chef one bit. However, he knew his son had a crush on Bridget, and he also knew Bridget was nothing like her stepmother. So he gestured for Chef to go ahead into the shop. Chef meandered down the aisle, pretending to look at the other creatures when really she was making a beeline for the troll tank.

"Hide!" Creek hissed. The trolls scurried away into the foliage of their enclosure. Poppy tried to hurry after them, but tripped and hit the ground.

Chef peered into the tank, and she spied Poppy first. The sight of a handicapped troll piqued her interest, and already she imagined the things she could do to the little creature while her daughter wasn't looking. "I'll do you a favor and take that pink one off your hands. She must be quite a burden."

"Oh, Pinkie's not a burden." Gristle Jr. said. But Chef didn't listen to him.

"Well, Gristle?" Chef asked the owner of the shop.

Gristle Sr. thought for a moment. He had caught that troll because he wanted his son to give the creature a better life. He feared what would happen if she went to live with Chef. Then again, if the troll belonged solely to Bridget, surely she could be trusted. "Very well. Why don't you and Bridget come down to the store next week, on her birthday, and she can pick out whichever troll she'd like. Is that all right with you, son?"

"Yeah!" Gristle Jr. nodded. "Bridget's nice. She'll take good care of whichever troll she wants."

"Very good. But keep that pink one reserved. I'm sure I'll be perfect for my stepdaughter." Chef marched from the store, slamming the door shut after her. Gristle Sr. sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Gristle Jr. understood his father's concerns about leaving a pet with Chef. But as long as it was Bridget taking care of the troll, Gristle Jr. knew everything would be fine. He continued his sweeping.

Back in the tank, the trolls emerged from their hiding places looking scared. "Oh man, this is bad!" Guy Diamond gulped.

"What are we going to do?" Biggie whimpered.

"Everyone just calm down!" Creek said, though he looked just as anxious. "I'm sure we can figure this out."

"Why?" Poppy asked worriedly. "What's wrong with that bergen?"

"She's a troll killer!" Smidge said.

"Smidge!" Creek hissed, not wanting to scare Poppy.

But Smidge didn't hear Creek's warning, still talking to Poppy. "She takes a troll every time she comes into the shop, and then she experiments on them! She tortures them! When she's all done, she returns the troll to the pet store. But the troll always dies from being hurt so much!"

Now, Poppy began hyperventilating. Chef had chosen her, which means she'd be next to be experimented on! "I can't go with her!"

"Poppy, calm down." Creek jumped when Poppy hobbled past him as fast as she could. "Poppy!"

"I have to get out of here!" Poppy cried desperately. "I want to go back to my dad!" She made it to the other side of the tank, where she tripped (again) and bounced and rolled across the ground. She landed on a blanket, and ended up going right through a hole in the corner of the tank. She grabbed the edge of the hole, dangling precariously over the darkness below.

"Poppy!" the tank trolls cried as they searched for her.

"Help me!" Poppy screamed.

"Oh my gah!" Smidge gasped as everyone hurried over.

"Hang on, Poppy!" Guy Diamond called.

"Nobody touch her!"

Everyone froze just before they reached the hole. They glanced up to the owl statue, and a figure emerged from the hole near the wing: a troll with grey skin, black hair, and icy blue eyes. He wore brown shorts and a green, leaf-designed vest. The shadows cast by the morning light streaming through the window shrouded the right side of the troll's body.

The grey troll stared down at the group below. He jumped down, using his hair to swing himself to the floor of the cage. "Nobody touch her." He repeated, walking up towards the hole. The tank trolls stepped aside, allowing the eldest and wisest troll in the tank—their leader—approach Poppy.

"Are you gonna help me?" Poppy asked hopefully.

"No." the grey troll said. "You got yourself down there, you can get yourself out."

"But Branch—" Satin piped up timidly.

"I just want to see her do it!" Branch snapped. Poppy whimpered, struggling to keep her grip on the edge of the hole. Branch looked down to her with a mildly softer gaze. "Take it easy. All you have to do is haul yourself up."

"I can't!" Poppy said. "I have a bad leg!"

"Never stopped me." Branch turned to walk around the edge of the hole. As the right side of his body came into the light, Poppy gasped. Branch had scars—burns and cuts—on the right side of his face and all over his right arm. That arm even sat limply in a sling, and looked like it had no muscle since Branch couldn't really use it anymore. Branch crouched down and stared at Poppy in the eyes. "Think about what you need to do, and how you need to do it. Then go."

Poppy never had someone have so much faith in her. She took a deep breath and thought about how she could crawl out. Well, first, she needed to stop dangling. So she swung her elbow up, then the other, and now she had a better grip. Branch stepped back, and the other trolls watched hopefully. Poppy hauled herself up a little more so her stomach leaned on the edge. She looked to Branch, who nodded encouragingly. Poppy swung up her good leg. It took a few tries, but she managed to hook her heel on the edge and maneuver herself around so she could pull herself up. She did a little roll and sat up to realize she did it. She actually did it, all on her own. She smiled at Branch.

"Very good." Branch nodded.

The trolls cheered, gathering around Poppy and returning her crutches to her. Poppy blushed at all the attention. She was so proud of herself for being able to do something physical on her own. Creek grabbed the blanket and covered up the hole again.

"You know, she's from the forest, just like you." Creek noted to Branch.

Branch nodded slowly. "Yeah. I can tell."

Creek smirked. "I recognize that look. Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

Branch chuckled. "Yeah. Tonight, we're giving her a proper welcoming."

A/N: Okay, that should be all the casting choices except for some of the creatures we'll see later in the story. This story is not going to follow Finding Nemo word-for-word. In fact, there's a very specific reason I have Rosiepuff and Branch in their roles (plus, I'm kind of addicted to those characters, LOL).

The reason I put Peppy and Rosiepuff in those roles was mainly because I want to focus a story on some background characters we didn't get to hear from much in the movie. I might try some more of that in my other stories.