When I awaken, I am startled since I don't recognize this place, but it all comes back to me in vivid flashes. I grip the soft blankets and sit up quickly, first peering at the place where I had last seen him.

How could I have fallen asleep like that, especially in front of a Troll? Did I want to die? Get eaten?

I don't see anything or anyone, and I look all over the place, my breathing hastening in fear. I study the shadows in every corner, expecting something to appear, but nothing does. 

That Troll, where is he? 

Last night he had kidnapped and threatened me.

What if…

I then remove the blankets and begin to check my body for any missing parts. Luckily, after my assessment, I find nothing is out of place or eaten. I'm okay so far, just a slight body ache from my fall, but other than that, I am okay.

Though, where is he?

If he isn't here, has he gone back to watching the borders of his tribe? Or is he doing something else that Night Dwellers do?

But what do Night Dwellers do when they are not eating humans?

I shiver, getting grotesque images in my head, my imagination running wild. They were probably making more of themselves, more Night Dwellers.

I shake my head to dispel such awful thoughts, and it is then I am reminded of my hair. That Troll had undone a part of my braid. I feel the rest of my head. The other braid is fine, but my bangs are sticking straight up, the ones my grandfather has always called the 'cow lick' because it appeared as if a cow has licked my hair.

I must look so silly, but my looks aren’t a priority now. I need to escape. Thoughts of my messy hair are the least of my worries.

I slowly get to my feet and tiptoe toward the exit, waiting for him to jump on me from the shadows the whole time.

But the clawed hands never reach out to grab me. I peel back the flap of deerskin and look outside.

I see no one but just a few fires. The rest of the village is blanketed in darkness. There is a big possibility the Trolls are roaming around, despite my eyes not seeing them.

Do they even sleep while it is night? If not, where are they?

I swallow hard. There is no noise anywhere and nothing to be seen but the orange, yellow, and reds of glowing fires. I step outside the hut cautiously, careful to avoid the light from all their fires in front of the other huts.

Are they inside? Is now the perfect time to tempt fate and attempt an escape?

I gather some courage from deep inside me and move to the edge of the cliff, where these huts are clustered. Peering down, I see a single fire at the base of the mountain. It is faint, but it must be the same one I was at not too long ago. There is also a guard there, from what I have heard the Troll who brought me here say.

How will I get past them? Then there are other Night Dwellers in the forest and also more Trolls.

The wind blows against my dress, and the sensation of falling down this cliff makes me queasy. I will not survive that fall, for sure. I back away from the edge so that I can begin my journey. Until I bump into something.

Something very hard and very big and very muscular. Something that wasn’t there a moment ago. 

The big thing that is behind me is very much alive and breathing.

I freeze, my heart stopping for a second, then pounding rapidly.

How did I miss someone so huge?

I slowly turn to meet the eyes of an angry Troll, and I know it is not the one I encountered yesterday. This one is much larger than him, with skin as dark as the night and black hair that travels down his back. His eyes are also the color of blood.

He rips me away from the edge, and I can only whimper as he has a tight grip on the back of my dress. He pushes and thrusts me toward the middle of the village.

"What is a human woman doing here sneaking around?" he growls, his voice gruff, then he gives me one more shove, sending me into an open patch.

Is he talking to me?

I turn to face him, then back up little by little. I start to see more Trolls stepping out from the shadows and into the light. They are all bare, the dark orange lines and markings on their skin shining. I notice they are all men. 

Where are all the Troll women and children?

Another Troll speaks out loud. This one is also large but with pale skin, red eyes, and short white hair. Half his face is scarred brutally, and his words are slurred, "Jumoke brought her here. I saw him carry her in. Perhaps when he comes back with the women and children, he can explain what she is doing here...alive and roaming free…unwatched."

Jumoke... So, that was his name. I didn't think Night Dwellers even had names like us.

"So, he didn't trust any of us to watch her. Do you think he is planning to replace the other one with her?" asks another Troll with white hair, his high ponytail done up in a braid. Similar red eyes stare back at me. He seems to be the youngest Troll here, baby-faced as compared to the rest, and his tusks are also the smallest.

"Tch, he would be an idiot. Humans are not to be trusted," the dark-haired one grunts, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Even though this one is fat and appears harmless, I don't doubt she wouldn’t gut a few of us as we rest."

"Humans like her don't exist anymore. They're no better than the Vonkill Tribe or daemons," sneers the one with a half-scarred face.

“Or a Helak.” Someone else grumbles out the name.

"Agreed. What shall we do with her, Trolgar?" another one joins in from around me, and I can't help but look beyond the cliffs of the mountain, wondering if it is better to jump than be eaten.

That will be, for sure, my last resort.

Trolgar opens his mouth to speak when I see the familiar face of the Troll who kidnapped me the night before.

Jumoke comes from the side of the mountain ledge with a few Troll women and children trailing behind him, some carrying babies in a wrap. All of the females are wet, appearing to have just bathed.

I can smell the scent of flowers coming from their bodies, and although I would hate to admit it, the Troll women smell better than me currently.

So, they do keep clean after all. It will also explain why no foul scents came from the bodies around me, unlike what I've been told many times before in the past.

"You will do nothing with her. The human lassie is mine," Jumoke answers Trolgar, and he touches the larger Troll's shoulder, grinning, but I don't believe it to be friendly. "I'm choosing what to do with her and no one else."

"What if she proves to be dangerous?" questions Trolgar, glaring at the smaller Troll touching his shoulder.

"As I said, I will take care of it." His hand slips from Trolgar’s shoulder, and he walks up to me. I take a step back, trusting him more than the others, but not by much. 

"Shall we go, lassie? I will be taking you away from these brutes for a little while. They're a bit cunty lately."

He grabs my forearm, dragging me in the direction he has just come from, when Trolgar speaks up, "You know you can't replace her? Right?" This causes the white-haired Troll to stop and frown, his eyes narrowing in anger at the other Troll.

Then Trolgar's 'female' interrupts this confrontation, as the Troll woman touches his arm and whispers, "Leave it be." She is smaller than him in comparison, with darker skin and light brown hair. Her eyes are the same shade of red as most of her tribe. She is also carrying a baby on her hip. Her tusks look larger than her face. 

Trolgar pauses and looks down at the female, who has now cast her pleading expression on Jumoke, probably silently asking him to not hurt her ‘husband’ or ‘mate’ or whatever they call the paired Trolls. 

So, Jumoke must be the stronger one?

As for that female Troll, for a moment, she didn’t look like an evil Night Dweller but more like kind and innocent. Is that even possible with them?

Jumoke’s grip around my forearm is tighter, and he drags me with him down the ledge in silence, uncaring if I am stumbling all over the pathway. He seems to be in a bad mood now, which worries me greatly.

They keep mentioning a 'her' and Jumoke replacing her with me. Could they mean the human woman he mentioned who ran up to him long ago? Who exactly is he replacing?

I'm confused. I didn't even think Trolls could argue amongst themselves like humans or show any human behaviors. Also, do they wed? I doubt it. It seems I’m trying to humanize them.

He suddenly glares at me, making me shrink back. "Didn't I ask you to stay put? Why were you out? Trying to escape again? Haven't you learned your lesson from before?"

"You did, but I-I... " I stutter nervously.

What is a good lie as to why I would be out? I was looking for a way to escape him; that’s true. But I need a lie now to escape his wrath. It is then I feel the familiar pressure in my lower abdomen and other regions.

"I had to pee, and I couldn’t exactly do it in the hut," I finally answer him, my cheeks getting red.

Where are we even going?

The narrowing of his eyes stops, and he doesn't seem to be as angry. His gaze averts to the front again. "Oh. There’s some shrubbery coverage below where you can go. Sheesh, you should have just told me that. No need to get embarrassed."

We finally get to the bottom of the mountain. But by the time we get there, I am panting and out of breath. I am not used to walking in fast strides like the Trolls. My legs are not as long as his.

He pushes me toward the bushes. "Go."

My cheeks grow hotter, and I am sure the blush now covers my entire body. Growing more flustered by the second, I make my way in between the bushes and trees. "Can't you at least turn around?"

He frowns, turning around. "Whatever, lassie. It isn't like I am interested in watching you piss."

I pull my dress up along with my slip and squat in the bushes, making sure every article of clothing is pulled away from my body. 

This is so degrading.

My eyes glare at the Troll as I have only him to blame for all of this.

I relieve myself, and when I'm done, I pull a few leaves off a branch and wipe myself before dropping my dress once more.

"Are you done?" he complains, his eyes shut.

At least he has some decency for a Night Dweller.

I step out of the bushes, refusing to look at him. "Yes. Where are we going?"

"The waterfall. You need a bath. You stink. You reek of human stench too, far more than yesterday." He is not afraid to be brash with his words as he opens his eyes.

What does he mean by human stench? Sweat or something else or just being a human?

And if he were a normal human man, I would have certainly hit him by now. But I am afraid that showing my temper to a Troll would definitely mean an early death for me.

He begins to walk, dragging me along, manhandling me once more. 

I ask, "You were with the women during their baths, right?"

Or they seemed to come from the waterfall. Perhaps they came from somewhere else?

"I was."

"Why?"

"To watch."

"You mean you're a pervert?" The question leaves my mouth before I have had time to think about my choice of words.

But why would the women allow him to watch them bathe?

Why am I even asking myself this? They're Night Dwellers. Of course, they do not care about being nude.

He growls, getting frustrated with my question. "No. Watch over them. I was there to make sure the other tribes wouldn't try to steal one of our women or children. They've been known to do that, and once they're stolen, they're gone. Forever in most cases. The twins go through women like crazy. They are never satisfied. You definitely wouldn't have lasted long, lassie. Be grateful I was around, and you came to Snowfire lands."

I'm lucky? And what does he mean they go through women quickly? Sex? Why would a Troll have sex with a human?

"Oh, I'm sorry your women have to go through that. I should have guessed it was something to do with the other tribes." That is all I can mutter in response, my eyes looking at my boots in shame.

And why would I be grateful? My fate with him is still the same, except for the part he has kept me around longer than what the twin chieftains would have. And why should I feel bad for their women? Their women would not pity me.

This night just keeps getting confusing.

We make it to the waterfall, and my eyes widen to see the waters glistening a bright blue, illuminating the land around it. Beautiful flowers of different colors grow all around, some of their petals float to the top of the waters like lily pads once they have died up.

So, this is what I smelled on the Troll women earlier. It's an intoxicating scent. The waters must only glow like this when night falls.

The Troll then sits on top of a large rock, then leans back leisurely, looking at the sky. He suddenly straightens up and grins at me, and I don't like the tilt of his lips. I also loathe the expression in his eyes, especially when they leave my face to gaze down at my body.

"Now undress."

Why is it that I don't find his words surprising?