Curse of the Weretroll (rewrite)

Chapter 50

     "AHHHHH!" Branch screamed as he jumped up in his bed, sweat pouring down his face as the poor boy panted heavily, looking around himself in complete panic...

     He was... in his bunker?

     "It... it was just a dream?" the young gray troll asked himself in a muttered whisper, his heart still racing in terror from the nightmare he had just woken up from. "It was just a dream..." he sighed with relief, his nerves finally beginning to calm down as he wiped the sweat from his face with his pajama sleeve... "Just a dream..."

     Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

     The survivalist jumped at the sudden sound of banging on his un-welcomed hatch, his heart sinking instantly at the horrifying noise...

     Someone was there! It was just like his dream... they all knew his secret! They were going to kill him!

     Panicking, Branch quickly hid under his covers as if that were going to save him from his untimely gruesome demise...

     "Branch!?" he suddenly heard in a shout from outside his bunker, followed by more excessive banging on his hatch. "Branch!? Are you in there!?"

     Poppy... it was just Poppy...

     Relaxing slightly, Branch sighed in relief at the realization it was just his friend...

     But wait... she still knew his secret... she still could have told someone about what he was!

     "Branch!?" Poppy yelled out from above ground. "Hey, Branch!?"

     The village grump knew from experience that she wasn't going to leave until he showed himself... but what if it was a trap? What if the entire village of trolls was up there with her? All of them just waiting to ambush him!

     "Hello!? Branch!?" the young princess called out again, continuing her banging.

     She was sure to attract all the predators in the forest if she didn't stop with all the racket... he had to go up there...

     With a quick gulp of terror, Branch slowly climbed out of bed, heading begrudgingly towards his hatch...

     After riding up his elevator, the little gray troll finally opened up his door, instantly seeing Poppy standing over him with the largest smile ever plastered clearly on her face...

     "H... hi... Pop... Poppy..." he stuttered nervously, his voice shaking fiercely as the young boy remained slightly hidden inside his bunker, his eyes scanning the area around the young princess to make sure she was actually alone...

     Poppy looked down at him, the young girl raising a slight eyebrow in confusion at the way her friend was currently behaving...

     "What's wrong, Branch?" she asked in concern. "Why are you..." She paused gasping in realization as she figured out why the poor boy was so scared... "Are you worried I told someone about the wolf thing?" she asked sympathetically. "Don't worry... I didn't tell a soul." She paused, thinking for just a moment before finally continuing. "Well... except for my dad..."

     Branch gasped at the young princess' words, the little gray troll literally almost passing out from fear, but Poppy just chuckled, catching his attention before he could fully lose consciousness...

     "I'm kidding, Branch," she laughed, trying to relieve some of the tension. "I didn't tell anyone... I promise..."

     Well... that was a relief... he knew Poppy wouldn't hurt him... which meant he was still safe...

     "Do you want to head down to the lake?" Poppy asked cheerfully, seeing that Branch had now significantly calmed down. "I can help you practice using your new wolf abilities. I see you can't control it sometimes... like with the ball..."

     Suddenly terrified once again, the survivalist looked at the love of his life in pure horror as his dream played over and over in his head on repeat, the image of the horribly mangled king sticking in his mind and refusing to leave...

     What if he ended up doing that to someone in real life? Even worse... what if he did it to Poppy? He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he ever hurt her. Or worse...

     She was right... he couldn't control the wolf inside him... he was dangerous... he was a monster... he was a dangerous monster...

     "I... I'm sorry, Poppy, but... but I... I can't..." he stuttered nervously, his heart racing anxiously once more...

     "What?" Poppy questioned in pure confusion, the young princess wondering why her best friend didn't want to hang out with her. "Why not?"

     "I'm sick," Branch lied immediately, before faking a cough. "Very sick... like... like super contagious sick. (Cough! Cough!)"

     "Oh..." Poppy said slowly, looking her friend over for a quick second. "Is that why you're sweating so much?"
"I sweat an average amount!" Branch snapped, before realizing he was indeed sweating quite a bit... once again... Poppy was right...

     He wiped the sweat from his face before looking back to Poppy, the young girl clearly seeing his concern for her...

     "I... I have to go," he finally informed in a soft sorrowful voice. "I don't want to hurt... I mean... get you sick..."

     "But..." Poppy started, Branch quickly closing his bunker hatch back up before she could finish, the young boy heading down his elevator in disappointment...

     Poppy looked at the closed hatch for just a moment, and then suddenly smiled, her optimism once again taking over her actions in a positive way.

     "I'll make him some soup," she told herself cheerfully. "That'll help him feel better."

     Quickly, without even a second thought, the young princess ran off to make some soup for her bestest friend in the whole wide world...

     There was no way she would let him be alone in his time of need. No... she would always be there to help him... always...