"Branch?.....Is Branch here?"
"He is probably on his way! Don't worry trainer Durum he will come." A sparkly troll exclaimed.
"He better be.." Durum said with hard eyes looking at the glitter-troll.
"Gulp.."
"I'M HERE, I'm here!"
The blue-is troll exclaimed while panting from The running.
"So, are you blind Branch? Can't you see the sun? It is past the meeting time!"
"Sorry, trainer Durum... won't repeat it.."
Branch's ear twitched as he heard a few harmful chuckles behind him.
"NOW, LET'S BEGIN! The usual, sit up on your horse and canter to the pole and back. GO GO GO!!" Durum shouted.
Branch quickly jumped up in the saddle that immediatly fell off, since he had been in a hurry and forgot to attach the saddle correctly.
He now heard roars of laughter around him.

"OH I KNEW YOU WERE STUPIIID BUT THIS IS NEW!!" A green troll laughed.
"YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD ATTACH ITSELF!!?" A red troll laughed.
"HOW DID YOU EVEN SURVIVE YOUR PAST TRAININGS AND THE WHIP!!!? Another troll laughed.
"Are you okay!" A glittery troll asked.
"Ugh..." Branch smiled quickly to his glittery friend, but quickly frowned as he put on the saddle correctly. The other trolls were still laughing, almost so much that they fell of their horses.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, RIDE!!!!" Durum shouted.
The trolls shut their mouths and cantered away.
"And for you, Branch..." Durum came closer to him.
Brownie stroke his ears backwards.
"Y-yes Durum?"
"Don't.Repeat.This." He said with a hard voice and hard look. He took his whip out to give him one quick lash, to show he was serious.
Branch stood straight and closed his eyes hard as the whip hit him on the arm.
"Won't happen again trainer Durum..."
"Good.. now sit up and go"
"Yes"
Branch sat up on Brownie, and Brownie stroke back his ears once more and showed his teeth at Durum before they took off. It was meant as a threat.

Brownie loved Branch, but he couldn't defend him against Durum. He had tried before, but it ended with Durum hitting both Branch and himself, so he didn't dare to bite or kick him again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"That was the last delivery for today.."
The pink troll put her pole in her hair as she walked towards the end of the town.
Her head was still filled with questions. She wanted answeres. She wanted to stop thinking about....him.
"HAHAHAHAHAAAAA"
Poppy heard roars of laughter coming from behind a few houses.
She was curious, and something in her told her to go toward the sounds.

"HAHAHAHAAAAHAHAAAAAA, YOU REALLY ARE HOPELESS!!! JUST LIKE YOUR NAMEEEE, WE COULD BREAK YOU WHENEVER WE WANT!!"
He felt angry but also hopeless. He didn't like to fight, and dummies like them just tried to grab attention whenever they could. The best would be to just ignore them, they don't deserve the attention anyways..
"Ooooo what's wrooong Braaaaaanch? Are you ignoring usss?" The troll made funny faces as he spoke, then he took off and threw himself on top of Branch, making them both fall to the ground.
"WHAT THE HAIR IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Branch let out as he pushed away the troll.
He regretted it shortly after. He gave them attention.....that could only end one way..

"Oooooh, so NOW you open your pie-hole! Well, well. It's time to close it again."
"Oh boy.." Branch let out.
*SMACK, SMACK, SMACK*
"YEAAAAH"
"GET HIM, KAKÓ!!"
"LET'S MAKE HIM CRYYY, HAHAHAA"

"HEY!!"

Everyone turned around.
Kakó stopped hurting Branch and looked up too.

"What are you all up to?"
She looked at them with a hard gaze, as she held one hand on her hip.

Branch's eyes lit up for a second. It was her...

"Pff, why do you wanna know, pretty giiirl" One of the boys said with a flirty smirk.

"Why won't you tell me, jeeeeerk" The pink troll replied smiling teasingly.

"Oooooh, she got ya, Anóitos" One of the other boys chuckled.

"SHUSH... you dare talk to us like that?"

"Well, apparently, I do"
She smiled and looked at Branch.
Branch gave off a slight chuckle in response.

"QUIET You lil.." Kakó held up his fist in a threatening way as he looked at Branch.

Poppy frowned a bit.
"So. Are You guys hurting eachother, oooor what? That doesn't seem okay."

"Pff, we do what we want, and why are you here anyways?" Anótios asked, a bit frustrated with the girl's behaviour.

"Well, I heard laughter, but this doesn't seem like something funny. Can you guys please stop hurting that troll?" Poppy nodded towards Branch who was sitting and staring at her.

He was so confused. Why did she try to help him? Why did she try to stand up against five mean male-trolls because they we're hurting HIM?

The guys laughed.
"Is she serious!!? HAHAHAAA" a green troll named Stultus laughed.

"She must be crazy if so, HAHAHAAAA-" a red troll named Nocere laughed.

"PFFFF, and what if we won't stop!? HAHA" A purple troll named Stultus laughed.

"Well, if You won't stop, then I gotta stop you"
Poppy smirked.

......
"BAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAAAAAAA"
The guys laughed so hard that tears rolled down their cheeks.
But they soon stopped as they saw that Poppy still looked at them with a confident grin.

"What? Are You guys scared of a giiiirl?" Poppy smiled as she took out her pole from her hair, getting ready to fight.

"Well. She's asking for it" Kokó said.
All the guys came closer to the pink troll who still smiled.
Branch sat on the ground, not knowing what to do. He weren't strong enough to take them down right now, but he didn't want them to possibly hurt that girl..

*BAM*
All five trolls fell down to the ground.
Poppy had quickly started spinning, holding her pole low so that the pole could fell them.
Now the guys sat up, while looking at her. They looked like confused idiots. Which they were.

Branch gaped. He was happy and surpriced.

"So. Are we gonna end it there or are you guys still dumb enough to challange me?"
Poppy smiled.

"URGHHHH, GET HEEEEER!!!"
The guys jumped up from the ground and ran towards her with their fists ready to punch.
Poppy swung her pole, hitting the trolls as she parkoured around in the small crowd.

Branch just sat there, looking at the pink troll in amazement. He couldn't move. He just stared.
It all seemed to happen in slow motion.
*BANG, BOOM, PANG*
The pink troll jumped around and smashen her pole on them. Sometimes she kicked out her leg or arm too. It almost seemed like she was playing? She smiled, did It mean she enjoyed It?

All the guys was laying om the ground, in a tangled mess. They were panting and looked at The pink troll with a bit of respect in their eyes.

"So. Are you stopping this sh*t now, or do I need to convince ya more?"
Poppy stood in front of them as she looked down at them. She looked big, and mighty. Almost like a godess.

The guys frowned and ran away to the village.
Branch looked as they ran away. He was simply amazed. She had scared them off! Without hurting them much too! Just maybe a few hits, but no blood. And she had done so to save him?
He stopped thinking as a pink hand came down towards him. He looked at her face. She looked kind, and also proud.

"You okay?" She asked softly and helped him stand up.

"Y-yeah, thanks to you.."

3/11/2020