Curse of the Weretroll (rewrite)

Chapter 3

     Of course... of course he was out of burn solution the one time he actually needed it!

     Ok... so maybe not the one time... to be quite honest... he tended to get a lot of burns... embarrassingly in the exact same way...

     The gray troll groaned in frustration as he searched his shelves, holding out his hand to make sure nothing accidentally rubbed against it...

     "Crazy prepared..." he grumbled softly. "Yeah right..."

     Ok... this was ok... all he had to do was go to the store and buy some more before the blisters set in... right?

     Wrapping up his hand in a soft bandage so his injury wouldn't get dirty or infected, Branch couldn't help but wince in pain...

     Once he was finished, he composed himself back to his usual demeanor, heading up his elevator to head into the village...

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     Ugh... Troll Village... so full of light, love, and noise... lots of noise...

     Branch hated it here... he much preferred the quiet seclusion of the forest, which is why he scavenged for his survival supplies instead of just buying it at the store which admittedly was way easier...

     But right now... he didn't have much of a choice... he had to get that cream... fast...

     He could already feel the blisters forming on his aching hand, the gray troll struggling to hold in his looks of pain as he walked through the center of the village most trolls called home. He didn't want anyone seeing his weak side... it would make him vulnerable... he couldn't be vulnerable... it was simply out of the question...

     Whispers immediately erupted through the unusually quiet area as the neighborhood trolls noticed the village grump passing by...

     "What is he doing here?" one asked in a slightly irritated tone.
"Shouldn't he be locked away in that fear hole of his?" asked another.

     Branch was quite used to the whispers by now... he heard them every time he had to travel into town...

     'Party pooper... gray freak... useless runt... menace to society...' Those were the most common of the whispers, the trolls creating them thinking the village grouch couldn't even hear their hurtful words... but he could... he could hear them all... every single one of them...

     Ignoring the comments to the best of his ability, Branch continued on, finally making it to the village market.

     "Cupcakes... cupcakes... cupcakes..." Branch read off the signs signaling what would be displayed in each isle. "Geese... how many cupcakes does one store need..."

     There! Practical matters!

     The gray troll headed into the dark secluded isle, groaning in disappointment when he saw absolutely nothing on the shelves except cob webs from lack of use...

     "Of course these idiots don't have anything useful..."

     "Branch," he suddenly heard in a greeting tone from behind him...

     Startled by the sudden voice, Branch spun around, calming down instantly when he saw an older orange troll standing behind him with a kind smile.

     "Oh... hey king Peppy," he greeted with a silent sigh of relief. "Can I help you with something?"

     "I think I should be the one asking you that question, Branch," Peppy chuckled softly. "What did you do to your hand, my boy?"

     Branch looked down at his bandaged hand for a quick moment before hiding it behind his back...

     "Nothing, really..." he shrugged, lowering his gaze so he wasn't looking the king of trolls' in the eyes. "It's fine..."

     "Burn yourself repairing one of Poppy's invitations again?" Peppy smirked, Branch looking up at him in shock.

     "How did you..."
"I know thing's Branch. Now... let me take a look at that hand..."

     Branch sighed, unwrapping his hand to reveal the blistering red burn mark scarring his gray palm...

     "I think we can take care of that..." the old king stated kindly, taking a close look at the injury. "Come with me, Branch..."

     He started to walk away, Branch smiling slightly before following...