Here's chapter 3!

I know that I've been away more than usual, but you know how hard life is when work, writer's block and even the COVID keeps you away from this site. But I hope this update reminds you all that I'm still here and I haven't forgotten you.

Warning: this chapter might have sad, drastic scenes.

Disclaimer: I don't own Trolls, but I do have the film "Brother Bear".

Anyway, enjoy!

Reby Montana - Well, people do drastic things for the sake of others, especially for those they love. He would know if he understood their language or even had a chance to listen. I believe it's nobody's fault. It's just misfortune for happened.

Brother Bond

Chapter 3: Spiritual Transformation

Tonight is truly a tragic night for the tribe had lost a brave, kind, and noble member. When they heard the news of Soren's fate told by the brothers after they've returned, the whole village fell into despair.

But none of the members were as sad as their leader, Rosiepuff and her grandsons. Though it wasn't the first time she performed the funeral ceremony, deep down, she was heartbroken. She was not only bidding farewell to a fellow member, but a member of her family. First, it was her own son and his wife, Branch's parents, and now, her eldest grandson, Soren, who had his whole life ahead of him, only to end so soon.

During this evening, all members gathered inside of the cave where Branch's ceremony was held during the day. All the adults carried lit torches towards the cave and the children stood besides their parents with solemn faces. They managed to find Soren's body for the funeral though the brother's didn't dare look. They wanted to remember him when he was alive. The men wrapped his body and placed him on top of the built bonfire. Branch and Creek then brought Soren's jacket, broken spear, and his totem to Rosiepuff whom then blessed the items by sprinkling shaman dust over them and then placed them on top of Soren's body with a heavy heart. She lit the bonfire and the blazes burned ever so brightly. Branch and Creek sadly watched as Rosiepuff summons Soren's spirit and sends him to join the Great spirits at the northern lights above them.

Once her task is done, Rosiepuff joined her grandsons and wrapped her arms around them for comfort. Branch, though sad at first, felt only anger and hate in his heart as revenge fueled his thoughts. He left Rosiepuff's arms and disappeared during the ceremony while Creek stayed with his grandmother, both crying in each other's arms.

Branch gathered his weapons, sharpened his arrows, and packed minor supplies for a task he had in mind. Once he's finished, he headed towards the ceremony and waited for it to be over.

Soon, the fire burned out, leaving only a trail of smoke and ashes and the ceremony was finished. After the rest of the village had already gone home, Rosiepuff left Creek alone to continue mourning in front of the smouldering flame.

Branch then appeared behind his brother with two spears at hand. "Are you ready?"

"For what?" Creek asked confusingly when he turn to face him.

"To trap the troll. We're going after him," Branch answered, tossing the other spear to Creek.

Creek looked at the spear and sighed. "Brother, I know what you're feeling, but killing the troll is wrong," He said, throwing the spear to the ground.

"Wrong? Our brother is dead and it's because of that demon!" Branch shouted in disbelief. "The chimera may have wounded him but I saw the troll on it. He must have sent it to us in the first place!"

Creek sternly face him. "I don't blame the troll, Branch."

"What do you mean?" Branch asked and when he saw Creek's face without muttering a word, he assumed that his brother blamed someone else for Soren's death. With a glare, he only muttered, "I see. You're blaming me, is that it?"

Creek denied it. "No. That's not true and you know it." Truthfully, Creek was blaming himself. If he hadn't fought with Branch before, Branch wouldn't have left and Soren would have been alive. All of it could have been avoided if he wasn't too hard on his brother. "Look, it doesn't matter whose fault it is. What matters is that you are not going out there if revenge is on your mind. Soren wouldn't want that! Soren gave his life so that we may live."

"Soren's not here, Creek!" Branch argued. "That troll is a problem and if he isn't stopped, he might cause pain and suffering for other people later on!"

"And what if you get hurt?" Creek asked Branch, expecting to reason with him. He then grabbed his spear to keep him away from this dark path. "What if you get in trouble? Killed even? Then Soren would have died in vain! Killing that troll won't make you a man."

Branch pushed Creek's hand away in anger, thinking his brother doesn't want to avenge Soren. "Oh, now who's trying to be smart. You think you're so better than me!"

"I'm trying to follow my totem! Why can't you do the same?" Creek asked.

"What? Do you really think love has anything to do with being a man? Did everyone believed that I was going to spent one second with these tiny troublemakers for my rite of passage?! A man wouldn't just sit there and do nothing!" Branch retorted back. "I'm going, with or without you, and you can't stop me." Having had enough of this useless argument, he began to leave.

"Branch!" Creek grabs his shoulder and forced Branch to face him. He gently tried to warned him of the mistake he'll make. "Please, don't do this. It'll only upset the spirits."

Branch scoffed. "Spirits! Thanks for your knowledge, genius."

However, before he could leave, he halted in front of his grandmother whom had a pleading look on her face. She understood that Branch was upset but she quietly pleaded that he wouldn't go down this dark path. He then pulled out his totem from his neck.

"Grandma, I always thought you knew more about the spirits than us and I know you believe that spirits have a reason for everything. But what was the reason for Soren's death?" Branch asked her. She didn't say a word. "You always said that spirits are never wrong, but for the first time, they made a huge mistake...and this totem proves it."

Branch angrily ripped the totem off of his neck and threw it into the ashes of the burnt firewood. He then left without word, determined to avenge his brother. Rosiepuff sadly watched him go and then picked up his totem, cleaning off the ashes.

Creek knew that Branch's actions might not end well. With Soren gone, now he's in charge of him. Losing Soren hit him hard and Branch, though he wouldn't want it, needs his protection more than ever.

"I got to stop him," Creek whispered. He took Branch's totem from his grandma's hand and later, hugs her. Grabbing his spear, Creek runs off after Branch.

Rosiepuff sadly watched both her remaining grandsons leave before looking up to the sky, praying for their safety. She called out for Soren's spirit, hoping he hears her. "You left too soon, Soren. Your brothers need your guidance. They need you now, more than ever. Protect them, please."

She felt the wind blowing her face and the sky suddenly lit up by the northern lights. At this very moment, Rosiepuff knew that it was not only Soren who have heard her but the rest of the spirits as well as they flew across the sky, honoring her wishes.

The next morning came, though it was nearly dawn by the time Branch arrived at the glacier where the fight took place. By the water's edge, there were some wet paw prints from the lion as well as the troll's small footprints. They were still fresh, judging from the moisture felt on his hand. Branch then followed the prints with determination. He ran through the forest while ignoring other forest creatures in his way, past a mass waterfall, and found trees with broken branches that caught some fur from the animal.

With each passing step, Branch only thought of getting revenge on the troll and if he had to kill the lion to get to him, so be it. He quickly jump over a ledge and landed in a field of berry bushes where the tracks ended. Quietly, Branch scanned the area, but there was no sight or hair to be seen. It was quiet. Too quiet. This is where the path led him, so where were his targets?

Suddenly, he heard a stick snap. He quickly got down, hiding from plain sight. Taking a deep breath, he silently crept through the bushes with his weapon in hand, ready to strike. However, as soon as he slowly rose from his hiding spot to face his target, the culprit turned out to be only a squirrel. He gently spooked it off and shoved his spear to the ground. Branch decides to take a break and grab some berries to eat. Just as soon as he was about to eat his snack, he heard a roar behind him.

He silently hid under the bushes and noticed it was the same black lion from before. And he was not alone for the same troll was on his mane. It doesn't seems that they found Branch, but they were looking around for something because the troll was calling out in the open.

"Tala! Skoriot issi ao, ñuha riña?" The troll called out.

Branch saw his spear within his reach. Quietly, yet nervously, he slowly reach over to grab it, but then stopped when he noticed the lion bending down to look through the bushes, sniffing around. The lion recognized the scent he picked up and roared, alerting the troll.

"Arghurys!"

Taking some deep breaths, Branch took the risk and leaped towards the spear, grabbing it and made a defensive position. But realized that both creatures are nowhere in sight. Hearing a roar, he noticed the lion with the troll on its mane dashing away from their enemy. With an angry glare, Branch commenced his hunt and chased after them. He followed them towards some fog shrouded cliffs, not caring of the dangers he might come across.

The black lion and troll quickly crossed over a raging river, walked over some rocks, and through a cliff path until they reached a dead end.

Soon enough, Branch managed to catch up to them. "I got you now!" He stopped at the same dead end, only to realize the targets have disappeared. Looking around, he heard something behind him. It was them, climbing up the steep cliff side. Branch quickly began to climb up as well, hoping to cut them off at the top.

The two creatures reached the top and ran until they stopped at the edge. They tried to go the other way only to face a rocky wall filled with boulders that were threatening to fall.

"Konīr's daor ñuhoso hen!" The troll cried out.

Branch suddenly appeared behind them, and the two creatures turned to face him. Knowing their lives are at stake, they have no choice but to fight the young man. "It's just you and me now!" Branch readied his weapon.

Meanwhile, Creek managed to reach the berry bushes where he found Branch's footprints next to a lion's pawprint. Following the tracks, Creek hurried towards the direction they took.

Branch and the duo circled each other, not breaking eye contact and waited for the other to make the first move. The lion roared and charges towards the human. Branch charges head on with spear on hand, only for the lion to leap over him safely. The lion counterattacked by lunging towards him with claws unsheathed. Branch kept dodging until he fell backwards and the lion grabbed his pants, only managing in ripping half of it, sparing Branch.

Branch tries again to attack with his spear, only for the lion to grab it with his fangs and swung him around in a full circle. He flung Branch towards the rock while the troll threw the spear towards the rocky wall. They both charged towards him, but Branch used his bow to hold them back.

Creek arrived at the cliffs and saw Branch with the lion and troll on top of him, pinning him down. "Branch!" Creek gasped and ran ahead to find a way to reach him in time.

Branch lets go of the bow and crawled underneath the animal and climbed on top of the rocky ledge on the wall. The lion chased after him, swiping his claws but couldn't reach Branch. Instead he tackled the wall, shifting the rocks until they fell while attempting to make the boy fall. Branch then caught sight of the spear near him and ran towards it. The troll realized what he attempts to do and leaped on the ledge and grabbed the spear with his hair as soon as Branch had his hand on it.

"Keligon ziry! ivestragī jikagon!" The troll yelled as he and Branch fought for the spear.

"I don't know what you're saying, but it won't change anything! You took everything from me!" Branch growled and kicked the troll away. Hearing the rocks shifting above him, he got an idea, a crazy one. Not wanting him to escape again, Branch took out an arrow and pierce it onto the ground, trapping the troll's clothes in place.

"Skoros issi ao doing? ȳdra daor! kostilus, iksan iā kepa!" The troll pleaded, trying to get unstuck.

Hoping to get both creatures at once, he then stabbed the spear onto the wall. Using it as a ledge, he slammed his body onto the wall, causing a rock slide that crashed down on top of them as they all yelled and roared, waiting for their end.

The lion's roar echoed throughout the cliffs followed by an eerie silence which Creek managed to catch before continuing his mission.

When the rock slide finally stopped, some rocks shifted until Branch dug himself out of them with his spear on tow. He survived with only a few scratches and dust, and his clothes were slightly ripped from the rocks. He panted heavily, trying to catch his breath until he noticed the rubble next to him. He then began digging through the rock pile until he stopped at the sight of the limp body of the troll. His eyes closed shut, his body lifeless, and not a single breath escaped from his mouth or nose.

Branch took the body and place it on the center of the ground, realizing that he succeeded in his battle. He looked around to see that not even the lion was around, assuming he perished in the rock slide. Thinking he had avenged his brother, he let out a loud angry yell to the heavens, alerting Creek down below as he quickened his pace on his search for Branch.

Branch closed his eyes in anguish while trying to calm down his rage. Unbeknownst to him, the sky had already darkened, shrouding the whole area in dark clouds. Suddenly, blue streaks of lights appeared and slowly descended from the sky. Noticing the dancing blue lights, he heard whispers coming from them but couldn't make out what they're saying. He gasped as a blue waterfall began falling from the sky and dashed towards a rock at the edge of the cliff. He looked in shock and awe as the water began to spread everywhere.

Down below, Creek continued his search until he noticed the cliff, in which Branch is located, completely covered in a dense fog as thunder and lightning struck around it.

After carefully testing the water, Branch slowly walked towards the glowing blue waterfall with his spear in hand. He curiously analyzed the mysterious water until finally touching it with the tip of his spear. Suddenly, a wave of yellow, orange and red lights bursts in front of him along with images of various animals and creatures appearing with it. He jumped back in fright, only to realize he was surrounded by the northern lights and that the animals weren't attacking him. Branch couldn't believe the scene before him, feeling shocked, amazed and terrified at the same time. Everywhere he looked, there were lights dancing around and the spirit creatures, both big and small, either ran, flew, or even swam within the lights. It was truly magical.

Branch saw the fish swimming by him, followed by a pack of spirit wolves that ran around him until they left. Suddenly, a great griffin appeared and landed in front of him where it quickly morphs into Soren in an ethereal form. Branch gasped in shock at seeing the image of his dead brother right before him. "Soren?"

As Soren approaches Branch, a look of sheer disappointment was on his face due to his brother's actions. He felt that it wasn't necessary for Branch to kill the troll because he willingly gave his life to protect his brothers. He turned to his left where both brothers saw the troll's dead body dissolving away as its spirit joined the Great spirits until no trace was left behind.

When Branch looked back, Soren had already vanished. Suddenly, a pair of claws gently grabbed him, causing him to drop his spear. Then he was being lifted up by Soren's griffin form, high into the heart of the lights. Unbeknownst to Creek, who continued climbing the cliff in an effort to get to Branch, he didn't know of the magical occurrence that befell to his young brother. As punishment for his actions and to teach him to see through a new point of view, Soren then used his wings to surround Branch in a magical aura that took the image of a troll's face for a second.

Branch suddenly felt himself changing and in an instant, as the magical lights swirled around him, he transforms into the very thing he despised: a troll. His body had shrunk where his clothes fell off, leaving only a piece of his ripped pants on him, his hair stretched upward and into a cobalt blue color, ears grew longer and downward, and his skin turned into a glimmering teal color with a lavender nose. Once the transformation's complete, the spirit gently lowered the unconscious troll Branch back down on the cliff.

While Creek struggled to climb where he lost his spear in the process, the spirit then quickly disappeared into the heavens as soon as Branch started to stand weakly on his legs. Lightning struck in the clouds and then a heavy rain began to fall over the area. Near the rock wall, the rock pile moved until suddenly, the black lion escaped from the rubble, panting heavily after a near death experience. After recovering a little, he noticed a troll ahead, not realizing of the transformation that had occurred. But before he could get to him, he halted when he saw a hand appearing on the cliff.

Creek finally reached the top of the cliff and looked to find a troll staggering a bit and the black lion not far, but what made his blood run cold was Branch's shredded clothes on the ground and no sign of his brother anywhere.

"No!" Creek yelled in shock, thinking his brother was devoured by the lion after the troll defeated him, and backed away from the two. Branch turned around, but his vision was blurry that he couldn't see his brother or even the lion that had survived. Before he could gather his surroundings, lightning struck in the middle of the three, causing a frightened Branch to back up, only to fall of the cliff and right into the raging river rapids below.

While underwater, Branch hit his head onto a fallen tree. He managed to swim up the surface, screaming while trying to fight against the strong current. But then the force pushed him against a rock, hitting his head with it which knocked him out.

The river drifted the troll over small waterfalls and into calmer waters where the waves carried him onto the shore. Sound of footsteps rustling in the grass came towards him. A big shadow loomed over him as it grew closer where lightning revealed a dark figure with green eyes.

Back on the cliff, Creek slowly walked towards Branch's spear and ripped clothes. In his mind, he blames himself for not being there to help him, let alone save him. He just lost Soren and the thought of losing Branch so soon after that caused him to shed tears. He recalled of their argument before all of this happened.

"I don't blame the troll, Branch."

He never thought trolls could be dangerous or even attack without a good reason, but after losing both brothers at the hands of the same troll, he just couldn't bear it.

"A man wouldn't just sit there and do nothing!"

Creek pulled out Branch's totem, remembering Branch's words which hit him hard. He thought if he had done something sooner, none of this would have happened. With a new mission in mind, he grabbed Branch's spear and wrapped the totem to it with determination and anger. No matter what comes across his path, whether it is man, beast, or creature, he'll avenge his brothers...and take down the troll.

But little does he know that the troll he's decided to hunt isn't the same troll from before but his own little brother.

Hope you like it!

Valyrian translation:

"Tala! Skoriot issi ao, ñuha riña?" (Daughter! Where are you, my child?)

Arghurys! (Hunter!)

Konīr's daor ñuhoso hen! (There's no way out!)

Keligon ziry! ivestragī jikagon! (Stop it! Let go!)

Skoros issi ao doing? ȳdra daor! kostilus, iksan iā kepa! (What are you doing? Don't! Please, I'm a father!)

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