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A rustling noise interrupted his comment.

They froze. Dewey flitted onto Paige’s shoulder, a paw gripping her head.

“What was that?” Paige whispered.

“Not sure,” Dewey hissed.

“Should I keep going?”

“Sure, why not? Nothing to be afraid of, right? I mean, the trees have gotten thicker and darker. The trunks are twisted and gnarly. The sky is growing darker with each step. And I’m pretty sure those are storm clouds overhead. But, yeah, why not?”

Paige shot him a glance before she flicked her gaze at the gray cloud drawn above them. A thick, jagged bolt of lightning struck from it. She inched forward until raindrops hung in the sky.

“It’s raining,” Dewey breathed.

Paige ducked and slid past a raindrop, then turned sideways and side-stepped around another. “Sort of. We can just avoid the raindrops by walking around them.”

“Illustrated rain,” Dewey said with a nod. “Way better than real rain.”

Another crinkling noise and the patter of footsteps.

Paige stopped again and snapped her head in the direction of the sound.

“What is that?” she questioned.

“I wonder how close we are to the bridge.”

“Do you think it’s a troll?”

“Maybe,” Dewey said.

They stood for a few breaths, their ears straining for more noise in the thick forest. None came.

Paige took another step forward. The rustling sounded again. Her muscles stiffened, and she froze mid-step. Her heart began to pound in her chest. Dewey clutched her tighter, the claws of his back feet digging into her shoulder.

“Make a run for it,” he whispered.

Paige nodded and swallowed hard. She launched forward, racing down the dirt path that wound through the forest.

The trees began to clear, and Paige surged forward, hoping to leave behind whatever lurked in the dark forest.

“There, Paige,” Dewey shouted, pointing ahead of them. “The bridge! Run!”

Paige pushed her legs harder, the muscles straining to propel them the last few feet toward the bridge. As she stepped from under the canopy of trees, she stopped.

Something stood in her path, preventing her from crossing the bridge. Paige skidded to a halt, her arms flailing to remain upright. Her jaw dropped open, and she stared at the creature blocking their path.

Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. “Is that…” She cocked her head to the side.

“A troll,” Dewey said with a nod.

Paige’s top lip rippled as her nose wrinkled. She stared at the small, greenish-colored creature in front of her. A tangle of green, moss-like hair topped its head. Standing no higher than her waist, it stared up at her with large green eyes. A button nose sniffed in her direction, and a mouth that appeared to be pulled into a constant smile wiggled.

It tugged at its moss-covered coat and shuffled in its suede boots, a walking stick covered in flowers tapping as it approached her.

“Hey, little fella,” Paige said, her mouth curling into a sweet smile as she stared down at the cute creature.

“Paige,” Dewey muttered under his breath. “I wouldn’t.”