Doxix

Exurbia | 1x1

"You knocked another troll out and brought him to my house?!" Lucy screeched, making you wince and raise your hands in defense. You glance back at the troll. He's stirring, but for the time being he seems to still be unconscious.

"I couldn't leave him there!" you insist, expression pleading. "I mean, what was I supposed to do?! What if he'd died?"

"Trolls die all the time from murder whether intentional or not, as far as I know!"

"Not by me, they don't!"

"Grrhhh."

You pause and notice Lucy turn rigid as well. Inhaling deeply, you squeeze your eyes shut for a brief moment before looking at the human in front of you and desperately saying, "Please tell me that was your stomach."

Lucy shakes her head, nodding forward. A clear indication for you to look over your shoulder. When you do, it's just in time to watch the troll snort like a hoofbeast and then tumble to the floor. He starts clawing, as if temporary blinded, at the wood. "Oh boy," you say, putting a hand to your face before cautiously approaching the troll. "Hey guy," you mutter, "Listen. Might not wanna move around too much. I think you've got some serious injuries, and I really don't want to be the one to put you out of your misery in the sense of, you know, culling you. Let me help you."

Exurbia | 1x1

One of the major things about being in the troll society was not showing weakness or bother. So when the troll spat in your face, you didn't even flinch. You continued to hold your glare on him, piercing through his skull like pins and needles. A low growl is wrenched from your throat, and without thinking, you raise your fist and deliver a nice, hefty blow to his face.

And it promptly knocks him the fuck out.

"Oh, shit," you mutter as the troll turns limp. You let him go and he crumples on the ground. Okay. Probably shouldn't have let him go. Swiftly, you hook your arms underneath his armpits and start pulling him back toward Lucy's house. Good thing it's the next house over.

You heave him inside -- the humans never lock their doors -- and place him on the couch. "Lucy?" you call. A muffled reply comes from the kitchen. You make your way there and run into her in the hallway.

"What's up?" she asks, looking over your shoulder. Her eyes widen in surprise. "Another troll?"

"I kind of knocked him out."

Exurbia | 1x1

"So then, my choice here is simple," you snarl, baring your teeth. You start to re-approach him slowly. There are some humans watching discreetly, but you know they wouldn't dare get involved. "I'm a regular here. I have this entire human neighborhood at my disposal. Hundreds of us," you grab the front of the troll's shirt and pick him up, then slam his back against the wall of the house. "And one of you."

Exurbia | 1x1

You stop in your tracks.

Then, for dramatic effect, you slowly turn around to face the troll and scowl at him. "Well," you snarl pointedly, "They'll only have our heads on stakes if someone rats us out. Won't they?"

Exurbia | 1x1

Shoo?

It takes you off guard and you look at him incredulously. He just shooed you like you were some stray or pesky animal. How degrading. With an irritated huff, since you have no desire to get into another scuttle, you wrench the box from his hands and shove it safely back into your pocket. "Don't shoo me," you growl, although with so much sass that you're not used to possessing. With that, you turn and start to make your way back to Lucy's house.

Exurbia | 1x1

Then, just as you almost find the courage to pull yourself up and go back in search for the box, you hear a voice. It isn't a human voice. Human voices are softer and quieter. It's definitely a troll voice, and that means it can only be the troll that you just had the scuttle with. You inwardly groan, but keep low the ground as you make your way down the staircase. You look back to see if anyone had opened the front door - they hadn't. Good. You didn't want Lucy to end up getting hurt. Or her mother, for that matter.

As you start inching along the dirt path, you see the troll sitting up against the wall of a nearby house. In his hands is the box. Just as you expected. He's going to take it and try to sell it or pawn or something. No way. You will not let that happen. That is Lucy's birthday present.

"Hey," you growl, approaching him. You gesture at the box in his hands, "That's mine."

Exurbia | 1x1

@effervescentF I'll post on this account from now on.

Exurbia | 1x1

For the next several minute, you don't stop and you don't look back. You don't until you reach Lucy's house. You race up the steps of the porch and then collapse in front of the door, heaving in gasping breaths and looking back at your path, half-expecting the troll to have followed you. But it doesn't seem like he did.

Exhaling with relief, you reach into your pocket. It's empty. The small box containing the golden chain necklace you were going to give Lucy for her birthday is gone. You must have dropped it in the struggle, and you groan inwardly. You start fiddling with and twisting the ring on your thumb, anxiously biting your lip and going over what on earth you could do to get it back. If the troll noticed it on the ground, he probably took it and will probably sell or trade it. But there was still the possibility that he hadn't noticed it.

Frowning, you place a hand to your chest and press lightly. The spots where his horns had punctured you are achy, and the slightly damp spots indicate that it had literally punctured you and was bleeding. Your back is still throbbing from the impact of being thrust against the wall. This was not how you expected this day to go.