Call of the Wild (rewrite)

Chapter 64

     After lunch, everyone was full, their stomachs satisfied with the delicious meal they had just eaten.

     "That was delicious," Poppy praised, rubbing her tummy.
"So good..." everyone muttered in agreement.

     "Well... when you live alone for so long, you kinda need to learn to cook for yourself instead of always going to the market," Rose said with a slight shrug, as she cleaned up everyone's dishes, placing them neatly into the sink. "Maybe later I'll even make you all some of my famous fluffleberrie cake. My grandson used to love it."

     "That sounds great, Rose," Poppy said. "What do you say, Branch. You up for a little dessert?" No answer... "Branch?"

     She looked down, realizing the little puppy troll was laying on his back, sleeping peacefully at her feet, as his hands twitched slightly with his dream.

     "Well... someone's tired after their lunch," Guy laughed, seeing Branch was completely knocked out.

      "Grrr..." Branch growled in his sleep, moving his arms and leg as if he were running from something. "Arf! Arf! Grr..."

     "Wonder what he's dreaming about?" Riply asked curiously, looking down at the little puppy troll with a slight smile. "He's probably kicking some Party Crasher butt!" Smidge suggested with a laugh.

     "Arf! Arf!" the little puppy troll yipped loudly, his three legs seeming to move faster than before.

     "He sounds scared..." Rose said, looking down at him as he growled viciously in his sleep.

     "Ok..." Smidge said, her smile fading as she rethought her suggestion. "So maybe the Party Crashers are kicking his butt..."

     Actually... Branch was having the best dream of his life. He was dreaming about running with his family again, Poppy right there beside him, all of them perfectly happy just being together. What could possibly be better?

     Poppy looked down at Branch sadly as she thought about what Smidge had just said.

     'Maybe the Party Crashers are kicking his butt...'

     The little yellow troll's words repeated in her head over and over like a broken record, as the young princess looked down at Branch's missing leg, the stub where the leg used to be twitching along with the rest of his three limbs.

     The Party Crashers had hurt him before... what was stopping them from doing it again...

     "You ok, Poppy?" Rose asked, noticing the child's sad expression.

     It took a while for her to answer, but Poppy finally spoke what was on her mind...

     "M... maybe... when we go fight the Party Crashers... Branch should... stay here..." the young princess suggested sadly, still gazing down at her best friend as he continued to dream.

     "You know he won't let you go without him," Rose stated, walking back over to sit at the table with the others. "He's attached to you..."

     "Y... yeah... but... he's already been badly injured because of these creatures. And if he comes... we'll just be bringing him right to Bash..." She raised her head, looking around the table at all of her friends as she continued. "He wants him dead, guys. I... I can't let that happen... I can't let them hurt Branch..."

     She lowered her head once more, closing her eyes in sadness.

     With a slight smile, Rose put her hand on Poppy's shoulder, trying her best to comfort the young child.

     "We'll all be there to protect him, Poppy," she told her in a gentle voice. "We won't let anyone hurt him. Just like he won't let anyone hurt us..."
"That's what I'm worried about..." Poppy said with a quiet sigh. "He's hurt because he was trying to protect me. He'll just put himself in danger again. To save us..."

     The four trolls looked at each other, and then at Branch, who was still sleeping peacefully on the floor. Then they looked back at Poppy, her head low, and eyes closed. They knew she was right... they couldn't protect Branch... not if they let him leave the safety of the underground bunker...

     "I think I have an idea..." Rose finally said after a long moment of silence, a determined smile popping up onto her face. "I've been working on a simulation room down here in the bunker. It was designed to create a virtual environment where I could interact with simulated trolls... but I'm sure I can reprogram it to help us train for the upcoming battle. To help all of us train... that way... we'll be ready for anything..."

     "And it'll help Branch stay safe?" Poppy asked, looking up at Rose with hope glistening in her eyes. "Absolutely," Rose smirked with a slight nod.

     With a smile, Poppy looked back down at Branch, who was starting to wake up from his much needed rest.

     The little puppy troll let out a big yawn, before beginning to roll around on his back, struggling to get up onto his three feet.

     "Arf! Arf!" he barked, trying but failing to roll off of his back.

     Finally, he gave up on his desperate attempt to get up, looking over at Poppy for help.

     "Stuck," he admitted softly, a little embarrassed.

     Poppy couldn't help but chuckle softly at how adorable this little troll was, before getting up to help him flip over.

     "Thank you," he thanked, jumping up to lick Poppy's face great-fully, but instead of laughing like she normally did when he lovingly kissed her cheek, she just looked down at him with a serious face.

     "Branch... I need you to listen to me, ok?" she told him in a caring tone, gently pushing the puppy troll off of her. "We're gonna go do some training. So you can learn how to protect yourself instead of risking your life to save everyone else. You can't protect us like that, Branch. You just can't... You need to think of yourself first..."

     He shook his head at the young princess' words, looking up at her with a large smile on his adorable little face.

     "Branch protect Poppy," he said, smiling wide at the love of his life.

     She sighed at his response, kneeling down to him as she placed both hands gently on his shoulders, gazing straight into his crystal blue eyes to try and make him understand.

     "I know you want to protect me, Branch... but you need to protect yourself too..." she told him. "I don't want to lose you, Branch. I... I can't lose you..."

     He looked at her, seeing the tears beginning to form in her eyes.

     "Training," he finally repeated. "Branch do training for Poppy."

     He smiled, licking her face again, ready to do anything if it meant he could make Poppy happy.

     "Ok..." Poppy said softly, before turning back to Rose. "Let's get to that simulation room..."