Call of the Wild (rewrite)

Chapter 34

Late that same night, Poppy awoke to a strange sound ringing softly through the air.

     "Hugh?" she muttered softly, slowly sitting up as she rubbed her eyes sleepily. "B... Branch?"

     To her surprise... it wasn't Branch howling this time... it was him crying...

     Surprisingly, much to the young princess' dismay... it wasn't even a whimper like he usually did. It was full on tears, and gasping for air...

"Branch?" she questioned softly, her voice full of worry. "What's wrong?" But he didn't answer... he just kept crying, his back to his best friend so she couldn't even see his face.

Slowly, she pushed herself up onto her feet, making her way towards the puppy troll to see what was going on. It was then that she realized he was sleeping...

His hands and feet were moving rapidly, as if he were running away from something, and he was crying out in fear.

"Hey... hey, Branch. Wake up. You're having a nightmare," Poppy said quietly, shaking him gently, but he didn't wake up... he just kept on dreaming...

"No..." he whimpered quietly between gasps of air, his voice filled with pure and utter terror. "No, no, no..."

His feet began to kick faster, as he cried louder, his wails of fear echoing through the forest.

"Branch! Wake up!" Poppy yelled, worried about her friend, shaking him a little harder, seeing that his nightmare was getting worse. "Branch! Wake up, Branch! Wake up!"

"MOM!" he screamed out suddenly, quickly jumping up out of his sleep.

He panted heavily, as he looked around in fear, finally spotting Poppy through the darkness. She was staring at him in concern, not saying a single word...

Quickly, he looked away from her, trying desperately to hide his tears, so she wouldn't see him crying. He really didn't want her to know he was sad...

"It's ok, Branch," Poppy said softly, trying to comfort her best friend. "I miss my mom too. And... my dad..."

He looked up at her, tears staining his dark grey cheeks.

"My mom was eaten by a Bergen," she continued. "What happened to your family?"

Still crying, he looked away, not wanting to answer. It just hurt too much...

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Poppy told him kindly. "But you should know..." She took his chin gently in her hand, turning his head so she could look deep into his crystal blue eyes. "You can always tell me anything, Branch. I just want to help..."

He looked at her for a moment and then finally sighed, deciding it was probably best to just get this painful loss off his chest...

     Unfortunately, he didn't yet know the word for the creature that attacked his family... so instead... he just acted it out.

"Raw! Raw, raw, raw!" he growled threateningly, swiping his hands through the air like claws as he stood up on his two back feet. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWW!"

     Poppy knew instantly what he was trying to say...

"Growl Beasts..." she said softly, lowering her head in depressing realization.

Branch dropped back down to his four feet with a slight sigh, before slowly walking away from Poppy as he looked up at the moon in sadness.

"Aaaoooooooo!" he suddenly howled loudly, stopping to listen for a moment, his ear twitching a bit.

Poppy was confused by this. It was something he did constantly, and yet this time... it seemed different... it seemed... like he was trying to tell her something... but she didn't know what...

     "Aaaaaaooooooooo!" he howled again, stopping to listen afterwards, Poppy just staring in non-comprehension.

He was trying to tell her why he howled at the moon every night. It was because, when he lived with his family, if any of them ever got separated from the pack, all they would have to do is howl, and wait for a reply. Then they could just follow the sound back home.

Although he knew they would never answer... there was still a part of him that hoped they would. One of these days... if he just kept howling... maybe his family would hear him. Maybe he would finally be able to find them...

"Aaaooooooooo!" Branch howled one last time, almost beginning to cry again as there was no reply.

     "What's wrong, Branch? Why are you doing that?" Poppy asked, wanting to understand... wanting to help her friend feel better...

     "Family... lost..." he answered softly, lowering his head, as his ears drooped down in sadness.

It was then that Poppy understood, her eyes widening in realization, as her heart sank into her stomach, feeling the same ache Branch did every day...

With a sigh, she finally stood, slowly walking over to sit next to him, as she put her hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"It's hard being alone," she told him softly, knowing exactly how he felt. "But you don't have to be alone anymore. I'm here. And I will never leave you."

Sniffling, he leaned over to hug her, feeling his heart lighten up a bit, making him feel somewhat better.

At first, Poppy was shocked by this sudden action. He had never hugged her before... usually, she was the one hugging him...

Finally, she smiled, liking the feeling of this hug, and then hugged him back, as she whispered in his ear; "We are a family now."