Chapter 16

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     "Daddy! Daddy!" Poppy cried out, as she ran back towards the dam. She knew Branch said not to be seen there, but it was the last place she had seen her father, and she still didn't know her way back to the village. Going to the dam was her only chance at finding help.

     "Ok..." Peppy said to himself, as he stood alone in front of the dam, trying to figure out how to take it down safely. "Maybe if we..."
"Dad! Daddy!" he suddenly heard in a loud cry of fear, his train of thought crashing off the rails. "Poppy?"

     Hearing his daughter's voice, he turned seeing the young princess running towards him.

     "Poppy? What are you doing here?" he questioned, not understanding why she wasn't with the others. "You're supposed to be in the vill..."

     She ran into him, hugging his leg tight, as she cried, unable to stop. She was too worried about Branch.

     "Hey... what's wrong?" he asked softly, concerned by his daughter's tears, as he lifted her off of the ground, giving her a big comforting hug.

     "They... they took Branch," she cried, burying her face into her father's shoulder.

     "What? Who took Branch?" Peppy asked confused. He didn't even know Branch was in the Enchanted Forest with them.

"The other trolls! They took him, daddy!" she wailed, tears streaming from her eyes. "I think they wanna hurt him!"

     "It's ok, sweetie," Peppy assured, trying to comfort his precious little girl, as he hugged her tight. "Everything will be fine."

"We need to save him, daddy!" Poppy cried, looking up at her father with tear filled eyes. "He... he was taken because of me!"

     Peppy had never seen his daughter this upset before. She was usually peppy, and full of joy. If she was this sad... something really bad must've happened...

     "Don't worry, sweetie," he said softly, wiping the tears from his daughter's eyes. "Branch is gonna be fine. I'm going to get him back."

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"Please! Let me go home," Branch cried out in fear, as the Enchanted Forest troll carried him through the forest. "I just wanna go home! Please! Let me go home!"

"Chief Tula," the Enchanted Forest troll said, stopping as he approached his chief, who had her back turned towards them.

She turned at the sound of her assistant's voice, her eyes locking on Branch, when she saw him hanging in the large troll's grasp.

The little grey troll whimpered softly, his ears drooping, as he looked up at the Chief glaring down at him.

"Found this one being suspicious over near that dam," the Enchanted Forest troll informed, holding Branch up for the Chief to see. "He was with a Troll Village troll. Unfortunately though... she got away. Thanks to him." He glared at Branch, who gulped, shrinking down a bit in his grasp. "What should we do with him?"

Branch's eyes widened at the Enchanted Forest troll's words.

'Wha... what should they do with me? Wha... what dose that mean?' he thought to himself, his heart racing in terror. 'I... I gotta get out of here!'

Quickly, Branch bit down on the Enchanted Forest troll's hand, as hard as he could.

"Ow!" the large troll screeched, instantly loosing his grip on the little grey troll he held in his grasp.

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