[center][h1][b][u]A Troll Who Fled[/u][/b][/h1][/center]

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A massive ape lumbered through the woods, as quickly as his arms and legs could carry him. He smashed through branches and bushes as though they were leaves in the wind, not even acknowledging the obstacles in his desperate attempt to escape. There were half a dozen cuts and lacerations on his body, cuts which were nearly finished healing and oozing their last drops of blood. Despite his extraordinary stamina, his breath was running short, and he knew that even in a fully healed and energized state he would be no match for his pursuers.

Every instinct had compelled him to fight back, to charge the attackers despite the odds. Yet after watching his entire pack get torn to shreds, and taking half a dozen wounds himself, he had defied those core instincts and done what they had not; he fled.

Two of the attackers had pursued him, while the rest stayed behind to devour his kin. Two more of the creatures had spotted the chase and decided to join in. The four of them had been slowly gaining, and now, he knew, they were mere feet behind him. He did not look back, for such an action would slow him down. He knew they would catch him anyway. All that could be done was delay the inevitable.

Then the earth began to shake. There were massive thundering sounds, accompanied by the cracking and splintering of trees. He knew not what it was; the beasts behind him presented a far more immediate threat, and the sudden noises did not appear to throw them off their bloodthirsty chase in the slightest. One of the ghouls pounced on him from behind, and the two rolled in the dirt, the troll doing the best he could to fend off the slashes from its distant claws. The other ghouls surrounded the two, beating their chests or roaring in excitement. 

A claw slashed into his shoulder, and the troll knew he would not prevail - even if he defeated this attacker, the other three would tear him to shreds and then eat them both.

Suddenly, the thundering noises were not so distant, and finally the three ghouls halted and looked up from the brawl. Then one of them simply ceased to exist. It was replaced by a massive fist, which arrived with an earth-shattering slam that threw the other two off their feet. The other ghoul was too focused on the troll, and it didn't truly understand the severity of the situation until two huge fingers plucked it from its prey. After that it was gone; a distant spec against the light of the Lustrous Garden.

Only then did the two remaining ghouls abandon their game. They ran. Then the trees and bushes began to shake, and half a dozen trolls appeared as if from nowhere. One pinned the ghoul down, and another three proceeded to beat and mash it into a gory pulp. The other two trolls set their gaze on the remaining ghoul, and lunged toward. The last ghoul knew it was outmatched, and so it turned back around to run in the other direction...

...only to be intercepted by the fist of its former victim. The punch struck its face head-on, and the sheer force knocked it onto its back. But the wounded troll did not relent. It gripped the fallen ghoul by the top of its head, lifted it up, and then slammed its face into the bark of a nearby tree. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. He did it until the bark was broken and gone, and tree itself seemed almost on the verge of falling over. Then he threw the wretch to the ground, its head little more than a shattered skull of crushed brain and splintered wood.

When the rage faded, the troll became aware of his surroundings. At least two dozen other trolls had emerged from the woods, their eyes on him, and a massive beast loomed over them all. It was tall - taller than the trees, even. But it had the look of a troll - more troll than ghoul, at least - and it was not hostile.

It stared down at him for what felt like ages, before at last it made a sound. "Follow."

With that scant word, it turned and lumbered away, the other trolls leaving with it. With them they took the two ghoul corpses that were still usable. The Troll Who Fled looked on in confusion, and then, after a moment's thought, he followed.

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[hider=Summary]
A troll is fleeing from some ghouls, but gets rescued by Gorm, and more than two dozen other trolls. It turns out that Gorm, in order to fulfill his duty to protect the trolls and hunt the ghouls, has decided to assemble a pack and go on the offensive. The troll decides to join.
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