Branch ran as fast as he possibly could, traveling deeper and deeper into the forest until he just couldn't run any farther, the throbbing pain in his hip only getting worse...
"No... no, no, no..." the survivalist muttered softly to himself, looking in fear at his hairy hands. "Don't change, don't change! Control it, Branch!"
He tried so hard to transform himself back into a normal troll... but his fur only seemed to grow longer, sharp razor-like claws poking their way out of his fingertips... even a fluffy tail sprouted out of his body...
"Control it... control it... control it!" Branch shouted at himself, shutting his eyes tight to focus all his concentration on turning back into his troll form...
Nothing was working! He was still uncontrollably transforming into the beast that lurked wishing him, the gray troll's heart racing in terror...
"Grandma believes in you..." he finally whispered, loosening up his body as the young Weretroll began to relax. "You can do it... you can do it..."
Slowly... the little troll's fur began to fade... his claws retracting back into his fingertips, and tail disappearing completely...
Taking a deep calming breath, Branch finally opened his eyes, smiling as a small chuckle escaped his throat...
"I did it..." he whispered in disbelief. "I actually did it! Woohoohoo! Yeah! I did it!"
Slowly... his smile fading slightly from his face... Branch looked back down at his hands, a questioning thought popping right into his head...
Could he control his transformation the other way too?
Focusing on his hands, the young boy watched as fur began to pop up yet again, this time at his command...
Another smile popping onto his face, Branch put himself onto all fours, focusing on becoming the wolf...
If he could learn to control it... he might be able to stop himself from wolfing out in public... and hopefully prevent himself from accidentally harming another troll...
Much to the little Weretroll's amazement... it actually worked!
Branch, now completely in his wolf form, howled out in pure joy, beginning to hop around, the young boy ignoring the pain this action caused to his injured hip...
"Arf! Arf!" he barked in victory, running all around the small area in overwhelming excitement to a degree that he never thought was possible for him to feel. "Aaaooooo! Arf! Arf! Aaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooo!"
—————
Poppy walked cautiously through the woods, searching for any sign of the dangerous monster being near by...
Footprints... stray fur... the sound of a cracking branch... But... there was nothing...
With a sigh of defeat, the young princess turned, about to give up the search and head home, when... a sudden noise rang out through the air... a terrifyingly familiar noise...
"Aaaaoooooo!" the sound rung out loudly, echoing from off in the distance...
Poppy froze at the bone chilling sound, the young girl recognizing it instantly...
"The wolf..." she whispered, her eyes widening in shock as the princess quickly took of running towards the direction the sound had traveled from...
—————
Finally, Poppy arrived at a small clearing, an area between the trees where she saw a beautiful lake, the wolf laying right at the shore of it as if simply enjoying the view, not even realizing that the young princess was standing right there behind him...
"Ok, Poppy..." the young girl whispered softly to herself, trying to works up the nerve to do what she had to... "You can do this. Kill the wolf... protect the village... avenge Branch..."
Finally, with a deep calming breath, Poppy pulled a knife from her hair, the young princess slowly heading towards the wolf...