A Little Winter Miracle

by LextheBean

Summary:

Branch is interrupted from his winter preparations by someone or something pacing above his Bunker. When he goes up to pick a fight for being so close to his home, he finds a colorful little surprise abandoned in the snow.

Oh god.

What the fuck is he supposed to do with an egg?

Chapter 1: Surprise!

Branch mumbles to himself as he triple checks his list again, going through the rations and supplies he's stocking away to last throughout the winter. Even a week before the official start of the season, the ground is white with snow and his claws ache with the cold. And judging by the growing depth of snow and speed of the wind, this winter is going to be one of the worst seasons he's seen in his lifetime. 

So, triple checking and super stocking the Bunker. That way, he can be extra sure that he doesn't need to leave it until the temperature begins to rise again. And as a bonus, staying in the Bunker for the winter means avoiding the undoubtedly dozens of pointless parties in the freezing cold surrounded by loud noises and bright colors that make his head spin.

He sighs and writes the final number next to the label of blueberries on the list. The only good thing about the cold; he can keep perishables fresh for longer during the winter months. They can last at least 3 weeks when stored in the top-most rooms of his Bunker.

His teeth bite down on the end of his pencil when his ears perk at muffled crunching coming from above him. Something is outside his home. Branch quickly drops his checklist and pencil off on a nearby shelf and grabs a metal skewer stick from his weapons bucket. He stops next to the elevator, listening carefully. They're definitely footsteps, but not of something big enough to be a Bergen. They're light and close together, more his pace when he's trying to make it home before nightfall. So, probably a troll.

Probably.

He waits, holding his breath and bracing for the inevitable pounding on his door. He expects it to be Poppy, pointlessly inviting him to another party. Surprisingly, the knocking doesn't come. The footsteps pace in a tight circle, walk around the large rock marking his shelter once, before they abruptly stop. He stays perfectly still for at least a minute, shifting his grip on his weapon when no other movement comes.

He slowly slinks away from the elevator, instead moving to one of his emergency exits. The elevator is too loud, and he doesn't want to alert the possible threat to his whereabouts. He sinks his claws into the compacted walls and climbs up the thin tunnel, ears straining to hear any movement from above him.

The wind is howling, he can hear it even before he lifts the secret hatch and is smacked in the face with ice cold air. He flinches back, blinking the cold out of his eyes before squinting and carefully lifting his head again to peek through the small crack. Seeing nothing in the immediate area, Branch adjusts his grip on his weapon and pulls himself fully into the open.

He's quick to slink into the shadows surrounding his rock, hating how much his dark fur contrasts with the glistening snow. He feels exposed. Standing where he had heard the footsteps, he can see the markings in the snow. They're already being covered up with fresh powder, despite the fact they're not even 10 minutes old.

The giant claw prints that cut through the snow on the boulder are more unsettling. They're not as new, but they've been here for about an hour, at the most. They're from a bird, he can see the ridges of where it had stood, but it's thankfully gone now. Birds don't tend to linger when it's this cold. Nothing does.

He starts to circle his rock, placing his paws in the footprints to keep his sound to a minimum. It was definitely another troll, a little bigger than himself, but the paw prints match his own. He keeps a grip on the metal stick, despite how the cold is biting at his paw pads. It stings, something he's pretty used to, and it keeps him aware of the moment. There's no sound or movement in the leaves surrounding him, not even a feeling of being watched that he knows to trust with his whole heart. He's completely alone out here.

It would be more concerning how fast the assumed troll had vanished if all thoughts weren't ripped from him the moment he takes 6 more steps forward and sees a brightly colored egg slowly being buried in the snow.

A dozen alarms blare in his mind as he drops any sense of quiet and stumbles quickly through the snow. It crunches as his paws make new marks and his tail lashes out, lifting the new powder up and making it harder to see. He drops the skewer and scoops the egg up, brushing off the snow and tucking it away against his chest. He grabs his weapon again and starts spinning around, suddenly feeling more afraid and exposed than he has in years. He sees where the paw prints stop, where they branch out from the circling around the boulder and stop as if they lifted themself into the trees. 

Fucking coward.

Branch doesn't waste time yelling out for whoever was cruel enough to drop an egg in an inch of snow. He has a sixth sense to know when there's someone within a 50 foot radius of him, and there isn't even a critter near him. He ducks down into the entrance of the Bunker, locking the opening behind him and quickly tossing himself down the elevator shaft. His mind is racing, logic and instinct fighting for control.

Instinct apparently wins as he drops any and all supplies stored in his hair and moves the egg from his vest to his hair. A total of 10 seconds later and he takes it back out to do an actual check of it. It's cold, of course it is, but there isn't a crack. The color hasn't faded, a radiant blue and streaked with red and gold, and the shell is solid and undamaged. Still, he's known for his paranoia. Branch fumbles through his supplies until he finds a flashlight and presses it against the side of the egg. Clicking it on, it shines through the shell.

It's definitely not a dud. That makes him angrier. And more afraid. He drops the flashlight and lifts the egg up, pressing his ear completely against it. He holds his breath, willing his heart to stop racing so he can actually listen, so he can know that this egg isn't-

There.

A gentle melody, something soft and hesitant, like it isn't sure it's allowed to exist. His breath shutters out of him, and with the confirmation, he quickly tucks the egg away into his hair. It's alive. It's safe. He'll keep it safe.

He stands there for a minute, gently arranging the egg to sit firmly in his hold, and takes a deep breath. He starts cleaning up his frantic mess to calm himself down. Does another check of his supplies. Throws another twig into the fire pit.

He lets the anger fester and burn. This is a live egg, it hasn't even had a chance to exist, and someone is cruel enough, has the damn audacity, to just leave it out in the snow to freeze and die. When he finds out who did this, he's going to make them regret the day they ever dared to step near his Bunker.

Even if that isn't entirely fair. He knows only the proclaimed "Snack Pack" and king Peppy know where his Bunker is. And even if he doesn't like them, and they don't like him, they wouldn't go around telling people where his safe space is. Poppy wouldn't let them. Even she has enough sense to know how badly that would end. 

None of the Snack Pack have had partners, let alone eggs, recently, so they're not the ones to have left it here. Which means somebody really did just leave it to die. There wasn't a body mark in the snow, the troll wasn't picked up by a bird or attacked by another critter. This was a willing abandonment, in a place they knew no one would find it until spring comes and the dead egg would have been picked up by a critter.

It makes him fume, shifting and puffing his fur out as his paws flutter around angrily. He's going to slap whoever did this. Or punch them. Maybe he'll even scratch them, leave a permanent reminder of how badly they screwed up.

He reaches up to readjust the egg again, and checks that his claws are sheathed before tracing the smooth surface of the egg. The anger suddenly is replaced with shocked horror.

He just picked up an egg from who knows where. Branch never thought he would be a parent, never even entertained the idea of a relationship or family, not after his past experiences. And now he has a helpless little egg nestled up in his hair.

 

What the fuck is he going to do?

Chapter 2: Paranoia

Branch doesn't sleep. He doesn't even try to, he knows it would be a waste of time. Instead, he stays up and paces a circle into the floor of his living room. He makes a plan, overthinks, panics, tears down his board to start all over again, and drinks way too much of his coffee preserves at once, but he doesn't sleep.

He cannot keep this egg. He's probably the worst troll in existence to take care of an egg. He doesn't even have experience past the age of 5 on how a kid is supposed to be treated, and honestly, he doesn't trust himself to work on what he does have! He absolutely, 100%, cannot keep this egg. The thought makes his throat dry and skin itch, but he knows he can't trust himself with a literal child.

So he paces and waits until he can hear the sounds of the village waking up and already starting to party. His ears fold back in annoyance briefly before he takes a deep breath and changes into some thicker clothes. He hesitates before grabbing a knitted hat to cover his hair and the egg. It's bound to be freezing out still, and he doesn't want to risk the egg getting too cold, even if it's still tightly packed away in his hair.

He grabs a backpack and a list of last-minute provisions he needs to find before the plants freeze and stop growing. Pulling the lever to lift the elevator up to the surface, he mumbles his plan back to himself. Find Poppy, explain his discovery, drop the egg off with her or a nursery or somewhere that isn't with him, and go back to work like nothing happened. It'll be officially out of his paws.

His tail curls around his leg and he blatantly ignores the suffocating anxiety that fills him.

The paw prints from the night are almost completely gone, only a faint indent of the path he and the other troll made left in the several inches of snow. He glares deeply at the thin path leading to where he found the egg. Storming past it, his tail swipes the snow over the remains of the path and covers the evidence of the other troll's movements. They don't matter anymore.

The music gets louder, and he can see the bright colors and lights break through the foliage surrounding the village. Each step he takes makes him more confident and terrified at the same time. Branch swallows harshly and shoves the last leaf out of the way, standing on the edge of the valley the Tribe has called home.

Of course, they're already beginning to decorate for whatever party or holiday they've decided to move up a week from the early snow. He looks over the trolls as they pull out blankets and baskets of fruits, streamers, and a god awful amount of glitter. He cringes just thinking about it.

Finally, he spots the princess and her friends. They're singing and dancing in a circle near the middle of the village, cheering about the snow, and then they split off to make snow forts. He can already see a couple of them packing snow together into ammunition for the incoming snowball fight.

Branch stalks around the edge of the clearing, staying to the shadows as best as he can and keeping light on his feet. He watches with disdain as more and more trolls join in, pelting each other with packed snow. He stops, staring at them. A shiver makes him fluff up and his paws shake with nerves.

Poppy looks up from her last throw and spots him.

Suddenly, the hours he spent thinking of reasons the egg would be better with them is overshadowed by a bone-chilling fear.

On a logical level, he knows, he knows that they wouldn't hurt the egg. It would be placed in a temporary nest, away from the parties and glitter cannons, and adopted once it hatched. But all he can think of is the pity he received when he was left alone as a trolling. Of how they all would squint their eyes and force on a smile and go "oh, poor baby" whenever he would flinch and cower at a loud sound.

All he can see is the egg being dropped, thrown around, put into one of those damned cannons and launched. A raw, animalistic terror fuels a rush of protectiveness in his blood, and he turns away from the group before they can start up the hill towards him. He faintly hears Poppy call out to him, he knows she saw his fear, but he doesn't care. 

They aren't safe, out here isn't safe, he needs to get the egg back inside his Bunker, right now and immediately. He spent his entire life building and remodeling and securing that Bunker, he knows it can keep the egg safe. He knows he can keep the egg safe. He can adapt, learn, change and protect. He's been doing it since he was 2 years old. 

He'll be damned if he stops now. He'll die before he lets anyone else hurt this egg.

He slams the Bunker entrance, tapping his paw aggressively as the elevator takes way too long to reach the bottom floor again. Branch sheds his winter clothes and picks the flashlight up from where it's sitting on the counter. He sheaths his flexing claws and gently removes the egg from his hair again, holding the light up against the shell. He strains his hearing and relaxes a tiny bit when the melody echos in his ears. 

Branch finally allows himself to heave a heavy sigh and drops back onto the patched couch, pulling the egg close against his chest. He slowly extends a claw and brushes through the tuft of royal blue hair on the top of the egg, removing tangles and checking for damage.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but uh... I've never handled an egg before. I know that isn't really... Comforting, but this is new to me. And it has to be new to you, too. You're still so small... Not even close to hatching, and your fucking parent-"

He takes a deep breath and puts his claws away, then pulls his legs up to tuck the egg against his body.

"But I'm going to protect you. I'll keep you safe, and I'll do my best to give you the life I didn't get to have. I'll try to keep you happy. I promise."

Notes:

My personal timeline is that Branch's brothers left when he was 2 years old, and his Grandma got taken and he went grey + the escape from the tree happened when he was 5. Just to clear up potential confusion

Chapter 3: His Bark is Worse

Okay. Game plan!

He still needs to go out and finish his stock for the winter, and he hopes that the egg stays an egg until, at the least, spring comes around and the plants start producing food again. On top of his previous necessities, he needs to go to the village and find things to build a nest with. He doesn't have very many soft things in his Bunker, but he also knows that trying to carry the egg around 24/7 will just cause headaches and he doesn't want to risk lashing out at the poor thing. Hence, building a nest is a new necessity. 

He should probably pick up a book or two on egg and baby caring. Having been the youngest and never really planning for this, he really needs outside knowledge on what the hell he's meant to do here.

After spending about an hour cradling the egg against his chest and willing away the anxiety, Branch stands up off of the couch. He tucks it under his vest for the moment and moves into his bedroom. He places a paw on his bed and scrunches his nose at the texture. While it doesn't bother him normally, now it feels far too rough for his liking. The bed is solid and cold, too rough and too hard and not enough of... Anything. He needs to fix that.

He crouches down to grab a pair of gloves from his emergency winter box under his bed and winces when he spots the critter trap next to it. That can't be there anymore, that's too dangerous. He grabs a stick to trigger it before pulling it out of the way. That's something else that he needs to fix before the egg hatches.

He has to fight hard to shove that visual from his mind.

Finding a matching pair of gloves, he pushes the box back under his bed and picks up the backpack hanging on the wall. It's still filled with sharp sticks and a pair of brass knuckles, but there's plenty of space for extra supplies. 

Branch grabs an extra basket on his way past the supply closet anyway.

He moves the egg back up to his hair and slips his winter clothes back on. The melody hums pleasantly in his ears and makes him want to hum along for the first time in years. He tsks before grabbing a loose piece of paper and writing down a list of things he needs. He cringes at how much of it he has to get from the village. Hopefully he can avoid the princess. Or anyone that doesn't have what he needs.

He really doesn't want anyone around him right now. Especially right now. His claws flex and he already has to force down a growl building in his throat. This is going to be a lot more difficult than normal. He usually has a better grip on his emotions, but apperantly having an egg in his care is sending him spiraling in 50 different ways.

Branch sighs and zips up his coat, wiggling his fingers to settle the gloves, and tightens the straps of his backpack. He checks that his egg is- his egg?- the egg is hidden fully under his hair and hat, moving any pieces of leaf stuck in his hair to strategically cover any possible slip-ups.

Finally, he steps onto the elevator and sends them back up to the surface. He taps his foot lightly on the way up, checking his clothing and list again before he steps out into the cold for the third time that morning.

He follows his own tracks back to the village, still hesitating at the top of the slope for a moment before sliding down. His tail flicks to remove snow from him as he starts making his way through the surrounding trolls. He ignores the looks he gets as he avoids them with ease. They're used to him appearing from time to time for supplies, but never once the snow falls. By the time winter hits, he's usually hunkered away for the next 3 months. So he understands their surprise, even if he hates it.

He keeps his head down and his body tight as he quickly makes his way to Miss Dandy's. She's one of the only elderly trolls left in the village, and he's known her nearly his entire life. She used to be a friend of his grandma.

He's glad that she's kind enough to talk to him like a normal troll instead of the infectious grey downer or a poor little baby that needs a friend. She's been one of the only reasons he hasn't left the village altogether.

"Branch! Dear, what a surprise! What brings you here today? You're normally hidden away by this time of the year."

She means well, he knows she does, but his ears darken with embarrassment anyway.

"Yeah, um. I just... I need a couple blankets. Uh... Part of my Bunker caved in last night from a critter, and I didn't have enough time to patch it before the cold got in. So..."

"Oh, goodness, of course! Here, follow me."

He follows her into her pod and shifts from paw to paw as she pulls open the ottoman in her living room. It's filled to the brim with pastel colored blankets, soft to the touch. He takes a glove off to run his paw over the texture and nods minutely. These'll be good.

"Take as many as you need, dear, it's no trouble at all."

"Thank you, Miss Dandy. What can I do in return?"

"Well, perhaps, when the spring comes again and you come out of your little shelter, you could visit and do a few puzzles with me. You know this old mind isn't as sharp as it used to be."

She smiles warmly at him and he feels his own mouth quirk up in return. After packing a couple of the blankets into the bottom of his backpack, he doesn't try to linger, waving a goodbye to her as he jumps off of the pod. He takes a second to check blankets off the list. 

He debates between the public library or leaving for the food for a moment, weighing pros and cons, before he starts his way out of the village once again. Not only is it more dangerous and harder to find the herbs and berries he needs in the dark, but there's a bonus of the library being much less populated at night. 

As he's climbing back up the snowy slope, he cringes as a bouncy voice calls his name from behind him. He was really hoping he wouldn't run into Poppy again today.

Begrudgingly, he turns around just in time to avoid her grabbing him. He ducks out of the way and his tail lashes aggressively over the snow, glaring at her.

"What do you want, princess. I'm busy."

"Yeah, I know, you always are, but I just- we never see you out during snow days! What changed? Did you change your mind about snow? Are you not hibernating this year? Oh!! Are you finally coming to a Snow Day party?!?!"

"No, no, and definitely not. I just- part of my Bunker collapsed and I needed extra provisions. Nothing else."

The lie falls from him easily upon seeing Creek's lazy grin behind her. She droops for a second before brightening again and pulling a flashy card from her hair. Oh, not this again.

Branch knows he's already scowling when she holds it out to him. He can tell from her friends' faces that they know what's about to happen step by step.

"Weeeell, I was just thinking that since you're still awake and in the village, I could formally invite you to the Snow Day feast tonight! An early snow is always so much fun!"

He takes the card and opens it just to entertain her, grimacing at the amount of glitter covering the small paper.

"Yeah, still a no. I'm just getting a few things I need and I'll be back in my Bunker for winter. Nothing's changing that."

"Oh come on, at least think about it?"

"No, Poppy. I'm not going to your stupid party. I'm getting some food, then I need to go and rebuild my Bunker before it gets even colder."

He tucks the card into his pocket and feels his fur stand on end when she steps closer.

"Well, maybe we could help you? More paws would make it go faster!"

"Absolutely not. You stay down here and entertain yourselves by being a bright and loud lure, and I'll stay safe inside of my Bunker. That's that."

He whips his glare at Creek when he mumbles under his breath.

"Not entirely safe if it collapsed, is it?"

"Fuck you."

They all blink at his blunt disrespect, and he turns sharply to escape the situation.

"Wait- Branch, wait! Can't we just-"

He feels a paw grab his arm and a snarl rips from his throat before he even recognizes it. It startles all of them, including himself, and Poppy quickly retracts her paw.

"No."

He scurries up the wall, claws digging through his gloves and heart thudding in his chest. He takes a second to glance back down at them once he's safely in the shadows again. He can't help but wince at Poppy's pure shock as she stares up at him, her paw held protectively to her chest.

He swings his tail out as he turns in a show of finality, ignoring the horror that the interaction put in his lungs. He's never snarled at another troll before. Let alone the future Queen.

What the fuck is happening to his self control? He's usually so much better than this! He would get it if she had reached for his hair, or did something that obviously threatened the egg, but he's never acted out so badly just from some push-back. It's how all their interactions go! She pushes towards him, he pushes away, she pushes back, and he leaves! What the hell made his traitorous body think it would be okay to- to literally snarl at anyone! Creek, maybe, he's let a few small growls slip through, but that was a full I'm-going-to-rip-your-throat-out snarl. 

He absolutely cannot risk a run-in with her again today, or for the rest of the season. He walks through the snow quietly, forcing his paws to stop shaking and reaches into his pocket to touch his list. The glittery card feels like a rock against his paw.

Chapter 4: A Fun Adventure

Branch takes a few minutes to pace a tight circle around a tree to try and relieve himself of the dread settled in his stomach. It... doesn't work. His paws are still shaking and his whole body feels like an exposed nerve, but he knows he doesn't have the time to waste on panicking. He'll do that later, after his errands, when he's alone in his Bunker and no one else can see him freak out again.

Well, one troll will, he supposes. But they're not really alive enough to judge him for it.

Speaking of, he reaches a paw up under his hat and gently touches the egg. He breathes out a brief sigh of relief because it's still nice and warm from his efforts. The same melody hums against his paw tips and he smiles. It's getting stronger. That means he's doing something right.

He secures his hat over the egg again before adjusting his backpack on his shoulders and starting off into the forest again. He knows, even without a map, exactly where the few different things he needs are. 

Blackberries are the closest. They grow only a couple minutes from both the village and his Bunker, and should hopefully still have a couple good bundles left. He needs to pick up some poppy seeds, he's been running low and he'll definitely need them to sleep because he knows himself well enough to know his anxiety about this egg is going to keep him up. Holly leaves are the farthest, even further than the river, and will take about an hour and a half to reach. He wishes he had thought to grab them last week when he was in the area, because he knows he'll need them. His annoyingly punctual winter fever is unbearable without the leaves. 

As he hops over a stony path, he hums and takes his list out to add to it again. Might as well get some fresh water and extra burning sticks while he's at it. There's a couple empty jars attached to the side of his backpack, and a small rope that he always carries so he can bundle twigs together and make them easier to carry. 

He nods to himself and tucks his list away again as he speeds up his pace. His white winter clothes might offer more camouflage, but he hates being so exposed anyway. His hair doesn't change colors anymore, it hasn't since he went grey, so he has to rely on the shadows to hide from any predators. The sharp contrast of the shining snow against his dark fur does nothing to comfort him.

The marked blackberry bush appears between the trees and he quickly launches himself up towards the top of it using his claws. He lands on a branch and waits for it to stop bouncing before ducking down and weaving himself into the maze of the bush. The thorns are annoying, and one catching his waving tail once, but he avoids any snags on his clothes. He smiles when he spots the berries tucked further into the bush, untouched by birds and other critters.

He stops in the middle of a large cluster and wraps his tail around the branch to secure himself. He digs his claws into the branch as well while he unclips the extra basket from the top of his backpack and pulls it in front of him. He takes a moment to wrap the tip of his tail around the handle and press it between his paws before reaching up to test a berry. 

He pulls off one small piece of it and pops it into his mouth, relaxing at the flavor. The tart flavor settles heavy on his tongue and makes him smile. Perfectly ripe. He reaches up and gives the whole berry a gentle twist, pulling it off the stem in one piece. He gives it a sniff, remembering the scent, and drops it carefully into the basket. 

He reaches for another one and sniffs it, flinching back at the bitter tang. Definitely not ripe. The next one he tests is a little underripe, but he can save it for later in the season. He pulls that berry off as well. Absently, he wonders if the baby will like berries too.

He repeats the process until the basket is heavy with the berries and his paws are red from a quick snack on one. He tucks the cover over the basket to lock the berries in place and uses the buckle to attach it back onto his backpack. He takes a moment to take his list out of his pocket and check off berries.

Branch makes quick and quiet work of sneaking back through the bush and out into the open. 1 down, 2 to go.

The poppy patch grows near the river, and he knows that there should be plenty of seeds left even at this time of the year. He plants them monthly to be sure that he always has access to the seeds when needed. Well, except in winter, but he can normally find enough to last the winter and the extra month it takes for the poppies to grow again.

It's about an hour walk, but it's already past noon, and he really doesn't want to be in the forest after dark. He tugs his already damaged gloves off of his paws and tucks them into his backpack, checking that everything is still properly secure while he's at it. He touches the egg again and gives it a light push to make sure it's stable as well. Then, he unsheathes his claws and quickly climbs up a tree, leaving small pinpoints in the bark. He brushes the snow off a part of the branch he stops on, making sure he has access to the solid wood. He grins, crouching low and digging his claws into the wood.

He loves doing this.

Using his tail and legs, Branch throws himself up and off of the tree, paws stretched out in front of him so he can grab onto the next tree and ricochet off of it, keeping his momentum. Usually, he would use his hair to swing between the trees as well, but it's still a bit preoccupied. 

He flings himself from tree to tree, using vines and his tail to swing when his paws aren't quite enough to cross a clearing. In any kind of weather, he loves this feeling. Being able to just run and leap and practically fly without the constant nagging fear that makes him hide. He's far enough below the canopy to not worry about birds, and high up enough that he doesn't need to worry about ground critters. Nothing can get him here, this is his domain.

He nearly cuts the travel time in half- only stopping once to take a breather- and slides down the side of the tree when the forest opens up to the river. His fur is fluffed up and his face hurts from smiling, lungs burning from the workout. His tail swings happily behind him as he walks to the waters' edge and starts to follow it east, towards the poppy patch. 

Blatantly, he realizes that the humming against his head is different, it feels like it's flowing through his bones. He feels a foreign sense of excitement, smaller and hiding behind his own, but there nonetheless. He smiles.

"Fun, huh? Yeah, it's always nice having that feeling. I'll have to teach you when you hatch."

His tail sways with his step and he chatters absently to the egg as he walks along the calm river. He realizes that despite having a fragile egg relying on him and himself being out in his least favorite environments, he feels... Content. Calmer. It's a feeling he hasn't experienced in a long, long time. 

He huffs, shaking his head lightly before he finally spots the red petals against the snow. He perks when he can also spot 3 greenish-brown seed pods laying on the ground. That makes it easier. 

He pulls the rope from his backpack and uses extra pieces to tie off the ends of the pods. Just to be sure they don't pop open and make a mess in his bag. He takes all 3 of the pods, checking that they're actually heavy with the poppy seeds still, packing them carefully into his backpack and dragging it down towards the water. 

He props his backpack up against the edge and disconnects the jars from the side, unscrewing the lids and taking care when he kneels next to the water. He doesn't need to soak his clothes, it's way too cold for that.

He dips the jars down into the running water and watches as they fill with the frosty liquid. Maybe he'll freeze one of them, to keep the water fresh for longer. He only has 2 jars, so it doesn't even take a minute to collect all he can and seal the jars again, tying them back onto his pack.

Lugging it back up onto his shoulders, he looks around for his log bridge. He sighs when it hasn't moved, thankfully, and makes quick work of crossing it. He can swim, but he doesn't really like the idea of dipping into the freezing water, and definitely doesn't want to risk losing his grip on the egg.

He has to walk this last trek, the trees are too far apart to swing between, and they're not the strong, solid ones of the Pop Forest. His paranoia hits him again and he starts sticking to the shadows of the tall grass and bushes again. 

Thankfully, he avoids any large critters, only seeing a couple sparkbugs that quickly skitter away into a burrow. He keeps quiet until he gets to the holly tree. 

"You know, holly is really interesting. These leaves-"

He pulls one off of the tree and sniffs to make sure it's not rotting.

"-are really useful for medicines that treat a couple different things, like fever and these ones specifically can be used for heart disease and high blood pressure. But, the berries are really poisonous, and can make you sick just from eating a little piece. So, the sharp leaves are good, but the hard red berries, you don't want to touch them."

He picks a stack of a dozen leaves and gently curls them around the poppy pods in his backpack. He decides to break off a couple twigs and circle the area for more burning wood before he starts his trek back, a bundle of sticks tied securely under the berry basket. He checks off everything but the books from his list and his tail curls with satisfaction.

Branch looks up at the sky and hums, picking up his walking pace.

"We should be back right before nightfall, and I can store everything away before we go back into the village for the books. And... I should... Probably apologize for snarling at Poppy. I know she was just trying to help, and usually I'm not- not that aggressive with her."

He sighs, tail dragging across the bridge with dejection before he drags himself back up into the trees. He crouches and his spirits lift when he feels the twin sense of excitement again.

"Already know what I'm doing, huh? Alright. Hold on tight!"

The rush home is just as much fun, and leaves Branch feeling loose and energetic by the time he ducks down into his Bunker again. He takes off his backpack and takes a moment to check the egg with the flashlight again before starting his unpacking. He puts the berries and one of the water jars in the highest floor of his Bunker, letting them sit in the cold rooms like the rest of his preserves. The twigs are set with the rest of them, in a burn box next to the fire pit. He tucks the holly leaves and pods away into his medical closet, the leaves going on a shelf with the bundles of other herbs, and the pods are set against the wall on their side, the ropes still holding them closed.

He tugs a blanket from the bottom of his backpack to twist and pack it into a semicircle on his coffee table, then carefully removes the egg and sets it in the center. He tugs the blanket a little tighter around its' base and sits down on the couch across from it.

"Right... Okay, what should I..."

He cuts himself off when he empties his pocket and his eyes catch on the bright invitation again. He forgot about that.

There's no way in hell he's going to go down to the party, he still doesn't want to see Poppy face-to-face for a while now. But... It does give him an idea.

He has to scavenge a little of his paper and map supplies, but he drops the colored paper, pencils, scissors, and tape on the coffee table.

"Alright. Let's get to work."

Chapter 5: Crash and Boom

It takes a grueling 2 hours to finish the card and he has to step away several times to keep himself from ripping it up. He huffs as he shoves it into his coat pocket and stands up to stretch his legs. A quick glance at the clock on the wall lets him know that most of the village is going to be at the dumb festival already, which means he'll be able to walk through the valley without being spotted.

His tail swings as he cleans up the paper and tape scraps, throwing them into the burn box and patting his paws together to get the little paper splinters out of his fur. This is why he doesn't like scrapbooking, it always leaves a huge mess, and god forbid a glitter tube is moved half an inch. He huffs again and pats himself down just to be sure before turning and stalking back to where the egg is nestled up. 

It's warm now, much better than it was the night before, and the colors have brightened significantly. The melody constantly plays in his ears now, low enough that a troll without his heightened senses couldn't hear it. It's comforting, a reminder that the egg is still alive and near him. He places his paw on the side of it, just resting it over the smooth surface and letting the gentle feedback of comfort linger in his bones. 

Branch hums softly, smiling, and carefully lifts the egg back up out of the blanket nest and into his hair again. His claws flex with remaining frustration as he picks up the leftover paper and felt, packing them into a neat pile and moving them back to the planning room. Glancing around, he decides that he needs to add "Organize Map Room" to his winter chores list. It's been a while since he updated the map in detail, and even longer since he bothered to refresh his sorting system.

He writes that down on the little reminder board hanging next to his kitchen before picking up his backpack and readjusting the straps after he slings it on. He pats his pocket again, thumbing the folded card to be sure it's actually there, and steps up onto the elevator. He makes sure the hat is secure over the egg again and starts picking at his claws. This will most likely be the last time he leaves his Bunker for the winter. At least, he hopes it is. It's never pleasant being dragged out of his sanctuary because a critter or an obnoxious troll is trying to sneak their way in.

It's snowing again when he climbs out into the cold. The wind is absent, thankfully, and the snow falls slow and light as Branch starts the familiar walk. He looks up towards the open tree canopy as his paws move slower than his usual pace. With the white snow contrasting the dark sky and the deep green of the forest's leaves splitting the monotone, the soft crunch of packed snow under his paws and swishing of his tail, he allows himself a moment to just enjoy it. 

Yeah, winter is his least favorite season. It's cold, food is hard to find, and people think packed snow is soft enough to pelt people with. But he does have a few fond memories with the snow. He faintly remembers his older brothers taking him out for his first Snow Day, placing him on a sled and pushing him down the Tree roots. He remembers sitting outside his grandma's pod with a mug of cocoa long after she had gone to bed, just watching as the snow drifted onto the Tree leaves and gliding around him in a beautifully unique dance.

He can't help the pang of longing he feels from the memories, only now noticing that he had stopped walking altogether. His fur is already dusted with snowflakes that he quickly shakes off and ducks his head, keeping his eyes focused down as he makes his way to the village.

He was right, there's barely a troll in sight, and those that are left are walking off towards the main clearing. He slides down the hill yet again, shaking off the clinging snow, and keeps his steps light as he darts for the public library. He really, really hopes no one sees him here. If someone asks him what he's doing looking at parenting books, there might be a murder today.

The library is blessedly empty, only lit by a couple of glowbugs. He still tries to duck under them, eyes scanning the shelf labels as he starts to circle the walls. He rarely comes here, only sometimes visiting to find information on any critter or flora that he doesn't know personally. Even so, he thinks the last time he was here was about 2 years ago, after an unfortunate meeting with a wild alligator. It was really comforting to find out that no, they are not venomous.

He scowls as he glosses over another shelf on decorating for different holidays, tail lashing out. It whacks into one of the lower shelves and makes him jump when a couple books fall to the floor. 

And then he panics as the entire shelf begins to tilt backwards.

These aren't secured?! Why aren't they secured!? That's a serious hazard- oh shit it's really going down-

He slams his paws over his mouth and ducks into a corner when the shelf drops to the ground, the books bouncing and scattering. Oh he's so unbelievably fucked. He really prays no one heard that.

After sitting crouched in the shadows for a couple minutes, straining his ears to see if any troll is going to come running, he slowly allows himself to relax a bit. It seems the other trolls are all too busy to have heard the crash. 

Branch slowly steps around the other shelves and starts picking up scattered books. None of the ones he picks up look damaged, thankfully, and he sets them aside in piles until all left to pick up is the heavy shelf. He sighs and wiggles his paws underneath the edge, bracing his legs, and-

"Need help there?"

He yowls, dropping the shelf and launching himself backwards and into a defensive position. His tail whips around wildly before his eyes actually focus on the troll in front of him. Immediately, his ears drop in shame and he straightens himself up, eyes dropping from the golden glitter troll who raises an eyebrow in surprise.

"Oh. Uh. Hi. Sorry, I've been... Winter messes with me."

"I can tell. Question still stands, though."

"Yeah. Yeah, actually, that would be... Please."

Boom smiles at him and they move to stand side-by-side, digging their paws underneath the shelf and bracing themselves.

"Alright. 1,"

"2,"

"3!"

They lift the shelf at the same time and make quick work of propping it upright again. Stepping back, paws still raised as the shelf settles for a moment, Branch glances over at the other.

"Um. Thank-Thank you. Sorry. About that."

"It's alright, Branch. You feeling okay?"

Branch's shoulders droop, sighing heavily. 

"Yeah, yeah, this is... This is kinda normal. I'm usually already in my Bunker by the end of the first snow, so I guess I'm a bit more jumpy than usual."

Boom hums and picks up a couple books, handing them to Branch so they can start putting them back on the shelf again.

"I did notice, you're usually pretty strict about your schedule. Did something go wrong in the Bunker? You're not hurt or, like, homeless, right?"

"No, nothing's wrong with the Bunker. Snow just came earlier than I expected and I needed to grab a couple things before I locked down."

Boom nods and reaches up to straighten a couple books on the top shelf. Good, those were bugging him. 

"Alright, just wanted to make sure. You gonna be okay?"

"Aren't I always?"

Boom grins, making Branch's traitorous body give a small smile back. No matter how much he tried to pull himself away from his former band, they'll always be a soft spot in his defenses. He just can't make himself hate them as easily as he can with everyone else.

"I suppose you are. Pop into the village when spring hits, alright? I like seeing for myself that you're alive and well."

Boom reaches up and pats Branch's shoulder gently, making him bristle and nearly bare his teeth at him. He doesn't, though. He doesn't think he would be able to come back from growling at Boom of all people. Instead, he drags his tail up to tap against Boom's back in return, a show of gratitude.

"If it'll keep you off my tail, sure."

"Good. I gotta get back to the party, they'll be wondering where I am."

"Alright. And, thank you, again. For the help."

"Anytime, Branch. Stay warm!"

"Yeah, you too!"

He watches the other walk away for a minute, toying with his claws and tail curling around his legs. He's about to turn around when he hears Boom shout back towards him.

"I'll tell the boys you said hi!"

He smiles, relaxing, and moves back inside to resume his search.

It takes a few more minutes to find the right section, a worryingly small selection of books. He takes one off the shelf and thumbs through it, then puts it back with a warm face. He already knows how to get an egg, he needs to figure out how to take care of one.

The next book is more helpful, written by one of the only professionals in the village, and his brief glance through it makes him confident enough to tuck it into his backpack right away. It takes 4 more tries to find one on infant care after hatching, and he thinks that it should be enough to last until spring, at least. He doesn't know quite how old this egg is, but he wants to be ready in case it hatches during the winter.

He slips that book into his backpack as well, writing the titles of the books on a sign-out sheet just so the librarians know that the books will be returned. Then, he looks around the clearing before slinking out and quickly scurrying up a tree. It's easier to get to different pods through the trees, and especially without being seen. 

He leaps from branch to branch, slowly getting more twitchy as he approaches the royal pod. It's close to the party clearing, where he can see the bright lights and sparkle of glitter, and can hear them blasting their music through large speakers. His ear twitches at one of them, it's got a crackling to it that shouldn't be there. He hopes it doesn't turn into a fire hazard.

He shakes his head and silently slips down the vine of the royal pod, peeking over to spy through the crowd of trolls. He sees Poppy immediately, in the middle of it all and singing with her friends. He keeps scanning until he spots King Peppy sitting at the main table. Both of them are down there, which means he has the opening to slip into the pod.

He drops down the side of it onto the porch and presses a paw against the front petal. It opens for him easily and he shakes the snow off his paws before he walks inside. He scrunches his nose at the amount of pink decorating the pod, but quickly finds the closest table or counter to put the card on. A little drawer not too far from the front petal, the surface is cleared enough that he thinks she'll see his card among the knickknacks. 

So, checking that no one is around again, he tugs the card out of his pocket and places it carefully on the table. He pins it down with a button he found on the floor and instantly ducks back out of the pod, tail smacking the petal to close it as he leaves.

Branch climbs back up into the trees and glares down at the trolls below him again. They're being way too loud, and the bright colors make them so obvious against the snow. Despite the urge to drop down and yell at them about the Bergens again, he just scoffs and backs up a ways on his perch.

His tail swings, then he backs up another 3 steps, and takes a running leap from one tree to the next, knocking snow off his landing and down onto the other trolls as he goes. He grins at the startled sounds below him, ignores when they turn to cheers, and leaps to a lower branch.

By the time he reaches the Bunker again, his limbs feel heavy and a yawn stretches his jaw and chills his lungs. He's been awake for too long and it's finally starting to affect him. His tail and paws drag as he lowers himself into the Bunker and mindlessly picks up the forgotten blanket from the coffee table. He drops his backpack once he gets into his bedroom and only opens it to pull out the other 2 blankets stored at the bottom. 

He eyes his bed for a moment before climbing onto it and pushing his own blanket back to the edge. He starts to twist the blankets together and pack them into a deep nest, leaving one to lay over the egg afterwards. A rumble builds deep in his chest when he takes the egg from his hair and sets it gently into the nest. He pats the sides of the nest in and tucks the top blanket over it, being careful not to cover it entirely, and then takes moment to really stretch. 

His back pops and his claws flex before he turns on his side and draws his legs up, moving one arm under his head and the other around the egg. His tail drags his own blanket up and over his shoulders before it also moves up to curl around the egg carefully.

"G'night... We'll figure stuff out in the morn'n..."

He pulls himself a tiny bit tighter around his egg. The melody hums through him and his own deep rumble echos in the dark room. With a warm feeling settling in his heart, Branch drifts off into a comfortable sleep.

Chapter 6: Interlude: Party Princess

Poppy stares at the top of the valley where Branch's tail kicks up a light mist of snow as he vanishes. Her brain is still struggling to process what just happened. Her paw is still curled up against her chest as her friends quickly move around her, asking a million times if she's okay. 

"Uh... Oh, yeah, no I'm alright. He didn't..."

She's so confused. She's never heard a troll growl like that before, she didn't even know they could! Yeah, Branch grumbles way more than any other troll, but she never thought he could sound like a creature. She turns her eyes down and flexes her paw, shock slowly turning into concern as she thinks back.

"Hey, uh- did... Did he look scared to you guys?"

They stop and look at her like she's the one that growled. 

"Scared? He looked like he wanted to bite your head off, Poppy!"

"Honestly, I've never seen someone act like that before."

"Do you think it's another Grey Thing?"

Oh yeah, she forgot about that. A few years ago, they'd all gotten bored at a slumber party and starting putting together a list of stuff that made Branch different from the rest of the trolls. It's been a while since they found something new to add to that list.

Creek circles around to stand in front of her, placing a paw under her chin to make Poppy look up at him.

"Don't let his aggression taint your vibe, Poppy. The twins are right, it's most likely just another Grey Thing, right?"

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right. I hope he doesn't growl at anyone else, though, it's kinda scary."

Creek smiles at her and pulls his paw back to himself, then turns to address the whole group.

"I'm sure that's the last we'll be seeing of our drab fellow for a while now. We have a party to set up, don't we?"

Poppy smiles as the mood is suddenly lifted with the reminder and she pats down her winter dress as they start talking about what other decorations to add to the area. She cheerily joins in the chat, starting to herd her friends towards said party area. Creek walks next to her, only interjecting with ideas from time to time.

She glances at him and starts toying with her hug time bracelet. She knows it's probably just another thing about Branch that they'll get used to, maybe he's just tired of the snow already. Just another way he rejects them and pushes them away. But... But she can't help getting a bad feeling about it. 

He didn't act like this when they found out he had claws, or that he lived in a hole in the ground, or that his tail is way too long for a normal troll. He got mad whenever he was questioned about them, yeah, but he didn't growl.

He didn't look so scared.

As the excited chatting of her friends grows louder, she shakes her head to try and focus on the party. She's the party planning princess, it's her royal duty to make this party amazing! She can't let Branch stop her from throwing a good party!

She pushes the worry out of her mind quickly once they arrive, and is the first to grab a big roll of streamers and sprint towards one of the cannons. Her friends follow her lead, rapidly making extra decorations to hang from the branches or throwing glitter and streamers wherever they stick. 

It's a little before noon by the time they finish, and the party clearing is looking as amazingly fantastic as ever! Pastel and bright blue streamers surround the area, different little bobbles and paper-mâché decorations hanging from them and any stray branches that were strong enough to hold one. Which is a lot of branches, to be honest, and it's so amazing. Glitter is painting the snow and the glow bugs for the stage are being wrapped with the colored filters. 

Some trolls are already showing up extra early, carrying blankets and baskets of goodies that get set down on any nearby shroom that holds them. Seeing her subjects show up reminds her that she has a few more last-last-minute invitations to give out! She nearly forgot!

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go finish inviting people!! Save some glitter and cake for me!!"

"You know it, girl! See ya!"

She waves enthusiastically as she prances back towards the main part of the village. She only has a few people to give invites too, though she knows they already know that they're invited. She reaches up into her hair and pulls out the last few cards that she made that morning. Let's see, Aspen, Milton, Hazel, DJ Suki- she was already there setting up her speakers, she definitely knows she's invited- Honey, and- Huh. That's weird, she could've sworn she made 6 this morn-

Oh.

She forgot that Branch took his earlier today. 

Then she perks up, bouncing on her toes. Branch took his! And didn't destroy it first! Normally he crumples them up or tosses them into the mud, maybe he'll show up tonight! Yeah, he seemed in a worse mood than normal, but she chooses to look for the positive. He took the card with him without trying to break it first, so in her eyes, that means there's a chance.

She sings happily as she strolls around the village, handing out the other invitations whenever she spots one of the trolls she needs. The only one still in her paws by the time she hops into her pod to start baking is Suki's, and she can just give it to her when she gets back! 

For now, Poppy starts singing another happy song as she starts darting around the kitchen, grabbing all the baking supplies she can reach. Maybe she should make cookies. Or cupcakes! Or both! Her paws tap as she sets to work, making as many batches as she can before the party. She decorates them with colorful frosting and buckets of sprinkles, stepping back when she finishes her masterpiece.

"Perfect! Now to get them there... Oh!"

She runs to her room and finds her picnic basket, quickly hauling it onto the counter and starting to pack it full of the sweets. It doesn't fit them all, not even close, but she can make a couple trips!

With her sugary delights hanging from her paws, she hops off out of her pod and skips back to the party. Most of the village is there now, finishing with the sweets and DJ Suki's set. Poppy quickly empties out her basket and runs back to make the next couple of trips. On her last trip, she finally packs the last tray of cupcakes into the her basket, only to spot one that she had missed decorating. 

She pouts dramatically and reaches for her piping bag before pausing. The untouched cupcake is dark chocolate, which she made alongside her batch of strawberry cupcakes. She knows that sweets make all of her friends feel better when they're stressed about something, and maybe Branch prefers the bit of bitter anyway. 

She taps her chin before glancing at the time and deciding to tuck the cupcake into the fridge for later. She can finish it when she gets home from the party, they're all waiting on her!

She drops Suki her card as she hair swings over the stage to where the rest of the treats are. Her friend waves the card at her and then immediately turns her turntables on. With the last of the sunlight fading to stars, the party really begins.

It's as fun as ever- of course it is, she helped put it together- and she spends the first hours of the night dancing and singing with her friends, getting a sugar rush, and having snowball wars. Even her dad gets in on one! He has to go sit down afterwards, joking about how his old body can't keep up with them and waving away any concerns, but he still joined one!

She doesn't even notice how much time passes until there's a sudden mist of snow over them, appearing in a large flow that cuts through the middle of the party. She looks up curiously and just barely spots a long tail sweep snow away from the tree branch. 

Her good mood abruptly drains from her as she's reminded of their argument earlier. She knows she shouldn't be so worried about it, even she gets bad days sometimes. 

...

Okay, she like never gets bad days, but still! All of her friends aren't worried about it, she shouldn't be either. She just can't shake the feeling that this isn't just another Grey Thing. Branch looked just as surprised about it as they were, and the way his tail had dropped and started to curl around his leg in fear makes her ache to run after him.

Regretfully, she knows he wouldn't want to talk to her, especially if he isn't even coming down to warn them about Bergens or some other dangerous creature. He's avoiding her entirely, and she's not dumb enough to push that any further right now.

She tries to ignore the twisting of her stomach, but she sets down a cookie right after she picks it up, finding that she's lost her appetite. She worries with her dress and bracelet throughout the rest of the party, although she does manage to get back into the swing of things when she's pulled into a group dance.

The joy wavers after the party officially comes to a stop. Most trolls have headed back to their pods for the night, some have just passed out somewhere around the dance floor. Even Cooper is crashed out next to the stage. Poppy sighs, rubbing her eyes before jogging over to her dad. He yawns and smiles up at her as she places a paw on his arm, gently guiding him during the walk to their pod.

They talk about anything that comes to their minds- well, Poppy does most of the talking-, until Peppy kisses her goodnight and closes his bedroom door. She sighs, swaying back and forth where she stands in the living room. She has this weird feeling swirling in her chest, and despite still awake and on the tail end of a sugar rush, it feels like her chest is too heavy and her limbs are moving through bread dough. She needs something to do before she goes to bed, then maybe the feeling will go away.

She decides to clean up the living room a bit. She hadn't had the time to clean up her card supplies before she left this morning, so she sets to work picking everything up off the floor and dumping it into her crafts drawer. The ground is always covered in glitter, she can't even tell what's from today or last week, so she just picks up the markers and scissors and goes to put them in her little tool drawer near the front petal. 

When she closes the drawer, arms empty, she stops. There's a deep green card held down by a button that she knows for a fact she didn't make. It has her name written neatly in the corner, written in white. Carefully, she picks it up, and grins. It's obvious who this is from immediately, she's never seen this scrapbooking style from any of the trolls in the village.

Inside of the folded card is a little pink paper troll, leaning back and covering where her mouth would be. Facing it is a darker troll, obviously Branch, who is half-crouched and has his paws up and teeth bared in an angry motion. The little trolls are cleanly cut, although there's pieces that look like they've been taped back together, like one of Branch's arms. She runs a finger over the taped cut, which looks like he chopped off everything above the elbow. She smiles, then notices that there's a square indent around Branch.

Following the cut-out, she notices a tiny, uneven pull tab underneath the grey troll figure. She gives it a gentle tug, watching as the troll turns from angry and mean to sad and regretful. He even went as far as to remove the claws from the sad troll.

Next to the two trolls is a pressed Lobelia flower, the vibrant purple petals barely kept from covering the scene. It's taped around the stem, loosely enough that she easily slips it out and holds it up to see better. Finally, at the top of the card, covering a couple decorative white trees for background, are the simple words 'I'm Sorry'.

It's enough for her. He didn't mean it, and he even went out of his way to apologize to her for growling. He even crafted, just for her!! It makes her giddy, and she almost bolts right out of the pod to tell her friends. She restrains, somehow, and bounces in place for a minute before darting to her room and digging through her craft box. She finds a couple popsicle sticks, glitter glue, and stickers, and turns to the card.

She stops. She wanted to frame it, but now that she's about to, now that she has the tools for it, it feels... Weird. This doesn't feel like something that should be on display. He made this just for her, only for her. It's something so personal that she thinks Branch would be offended if she put even a speck of glitter on it.

She puts her supplies away and instead simply picks up the card and flower again, looking over the little troll figures and lifting a flower petal with her thumb. Her smile turns soft as she holds the apology in her paws, she can see the effort he put into it. 

She likes how he writes her name.

And looking at the scene again, watching the little troll change from angry to scared, it makes a puzzle piece fit into place. Branch is scared of the snow! Or- he's scared of being out in winter, which would explain why he always goes hibernating. In a way- and she's trying really hard to think from his perspective here- it makes sense. He's usually able to sneak around easily, but the snow makes his dark fur a lot easier to see, even in the shadows. Of course he's scared! Maybe she can find a way to help him not be scared anymore.

Oh! She'd forgotten again, there's a cupcake in the fridge that needs to be decorated! She looks around and thinks for a minute before she pulls a box down from her closet. She had a lot of special boxes that hold special stuff from all of her friends, but this feels like a special special thing. Poppy sets it down carefully over the necklace she made with her dad when she was a trolling, and a little hug time bracelet from when she was younger as well. She grew out of it, but for some reason she could never find it in herself to give it away. 

She puts her special box back where it was before holding the Lobelia to her chest and nearly running back into the kitchen. Her dad sleeps like a log after parties, so she doesn't hesitate to pull everything she needs from the cabinets and start singing a song. She pulls the singular cupcake from the fridge and drops it down onto the counter in front of her, paws placed on either side.

"Alright, let's get to work!"

Notes:

Surprise Poppy POV!
Don't worry, we'll be back with that good fluff next chapter

Chapter 7: New Routine

Branch slowly blinks awake, half-aware and very warm. He rolls onto his back and brings a paw up to rub his eyes as a yawn makes his jaw pop. He stretches over the length of his bed, tense muscles relaxing as he turns back onto his side and looks up at the clock on the wall.

He grumbles as he sees the time, the same as every day. He's glad that he doesn't wake up from the damn morning song anymore, but sometimes he really wishes his body had chosen any other time in the morning to set an internal alarm. Some other time that wasn't 5 am, a whole 2 hours before the rest of the village gets up to sing. At least when he's trying to hibernate, you'd think he could sleep in another hour at the least. 

He heaves a sigh and props himself up on his elbow, using his free paw to tug the top blanket off of the egg. He rests his paw on the side of it, feeling the warmth and melody radiating from it and dimming his annoyance. He leans down and gently bumps it with his nose, and swings his legs over the side of his bed in the same motion. His tail curls around the egg as he tugs each arm back behind his head individually to pop his shoulders.

He stands up to do a couple more quick stretches, popping his spine and hips, and stretching the bunched muscles in his legs and arms. He rubs his eyes again and runs a paw over his hair before carefully picking his egg up and cradling it in one arm. His tail drags on the ground as he leaves his bedroom and navigates his way through his Bunker. 

He walks straight past the stove and to the coffee maker, grabbing the coffee grounds from his cupboard and starting the machine with practiced ease. He leans against the counter, the egg still held against his chest as he tries not to drift while waiting for the coffee to finish. The comforting warmth pressed against his skin doesn't help very much.

His ear twitches when the maker dings and he grabs the pot to pour the coffee out. Then he pauses, realizing that his other arm is still preoccupied with the egg. He huffs and puts the coffee pot down just long enough to pull a ceramic mug from the cupboard and set it steadily down on the counter. He fills the mug up to the brim and doesn't hesitate to down the first mug in one go, sighing as he tries to blink the sleep away. He starts to pace a large circle around the kitchen and dining space, still carrying the egg and mug in each paw. Slowly, the caffeine kicks in and his mind starts to process the world again.

He sets his mug down to refill it, humming softly at the scent. This time, he ducks down to pull a fresh cinnamon stick from the cabinet below the coffee machine, breaking off a bit from the end and crumbling it into his coffee. Yeah, he likes a bit of flavor in his coffee once he's awake enough to recognize the taste, sue him. 

He adjusts the egg in his arm and leaves the coffee on the counter for now, instead moving over to his supply closet and grabbing a few ripe blueberries. He pops one into his mouth right away and drops the others off on the kitchen counter as he walks over to the elevator. His paw taps along to the egg's melody as he's lifted up to the higher, cold levels of the Bunker. 

Despite the other troll's diets, which is mostly just sweets, fruits, and berries, Branch is an omnivore. He knows how to hunt, he's survived on it for years, and he knows how to preserve the meat he catches. He moves into the back of the freezing room, reaching his box of prepared meat, and uses a towel to grab a small bundle of bacon. 

He leaves the icy room faster than normal, much more aware of the bright egg that he's carrying around. He switches arms on the ride back down, tucking the egg against his shoulder and checking that his claws aren't out. Once he's back in the kitchen, he sets the bacon next to the blueberries and grabs a couple slices of bread from the loaf. 

He hesitates when his arm starts to get sore already, not used to the awkward position, and glances around before he remembers something he saw in the village once. He walks back towards his bedroom, immediately grabbing the top blanket that he used in the little nest. He briefly sets the egg back down in said nest as he unfolds the blanket entirely. He hums, folds it in half, then starts to wrap it around himself. He wraps it loosely around his torso, wraps the ends tighter around his shoulders, then double-knots the ends together under the main sling. 

His puts a paw in the sling and pushes to test the security of it before gently maneuvering the egg into the makeshift sling, adjusting the blanket to cup the bottom of the egg and hold it leaning against Branch's vest. He very hesitantly pulls his paws away from below the egg, wiggles his shoulders, does a few turns, and grins as the egg stays secure against him. 

With his arms now free for use, he sets to work making a quick breakfast. The bacon takes the longest, so he cooks the toast first. He munches on his blueberries while it cooks, and adds a small amount of spices as he goes. He sets the toast aside to cool for a minute as he starts cooking the bacon. When it starts to sizzle, he adjusts the sling so the blanket is covering the front of the egg, keeping it away from the pan. He finishes off the toast by the time the bacon is done and puts that onto the plate to cool a bit as well.

His tail swings as he sets about cleaning while he waits, putting the pan and spatula away and sipping on his coffee as he wipes down the counter. Right after, he eats the bacon quickly and cleans the plate up as well. He refills his coffee, adds the cinnamon, and moves over to sit on the couch instead.

For a few minutes, he just allows himself to feel at ease. He slowly drains his coffee and his tail swings with content as the egg settles heavily against his ribs. It's quiet, except for the low music coming from his egg. Usually, morning music pisses him off to no end, but nothing about the soft humming triggers any anger in him. It's a little surprising, because he has gotten angry at the trollings for singing too, but this one echos a warmth into his body. 

The feeling is so foreign to him after years of only getting brief flickers of it, he isn't sure he trusts himself to put a name to it anymore.

He sets the mug on the coffee table once he reaches the bottom, sighing as he wraps an arm around the egg again. 

"Well, good morning."

The egg doesn't respond, expectedly, but he goes on anyway.

"I don't think I have too many chores to do today, not for the Bunker at least. Double check the supplies and stability, and organize the map room, from yesterday. Other than that, I really need to start reading about how to properly care for you. I'm... Pretty sure I'm doing alright so far. You're obviously alive, and you're not grey, so at least there's that."

He lifts the egg from the sling and shifts it into one arm again, reaching for the flashlight that he had left sitting next to the couch. He holds it to the side of the egg and turns it on again. He moves it around the shell a bit, viewing the tiny troll from several different sides.

Then he gets an idea.

"Hey... Do you mind if I take pictures? Then I can monitor your health and notice if there's a difference in your growth rate, or your song. I don't know if others check through their eggs, or if that's even a technique that the others know about, but I'd like to make sure you stay healthy."

He gently sets the egg against the corner of the couch, stands up to walk over to the map room, then quickly turns back and picks the egg up into his arms again before continuing.

"And-And I'd like to see you grow. I like knowing that you're okay, and that you're really alive in there. That you're with me."

He digs around until he finds an empty journal and his camera. He tucks them into his hair so he can grab the tape and a pencil before he moves back into the living room. He drops the supplies into the coffee table and starts taking apart his sling so he can set the egg up on the table. He secures it around the egg tightly, adjusting it carefully, and quickly pops his camera open to be sure it has film in it. Then he turns the flashlight on and places it on a couple books behind the egg, twisting it carefully until the light illuminates the entirety of the trolling through the egg's shell. He takes a quick picture of the transparent shell before taking the light away and taking another picture of the normal egg.

He tapes the 2 pictures into the second page of the journal, leaving the first for a title page, and starts writing a brief description next to each photo. The egg itself has a soft light blue base color, with a tuft of deep blue hair on top, and red and golden stripes circling it. The base has 4 golden petal-like designs sprouting from the bottom's center, and small specs of silver dotting the rest of the shell. He has no idea if it's the normal size of a troll egg, he doesn't exactly have experience around them.

He pauses on the clear picture. He stares down at the tiny trolling, at the proof of it existing immortalized in front of him. The baby is still small, the egg has to be a week old at the very most, maybe brand new when it showed up outside his home just a day ago. Seeing the tiny troll that he knows is sitting in front of him makes everything finally sink in.

He's raising this egg. He knows damn well he isn't going to give the baby away once they hatch. Which means that this is his. This is his egg, his baby. He's going to be a dad.

The thought brings a flood of confusing emotions that bring tears to his eyes. He feels terrified and excited and sad and so much more all at the same time. He quickly pulls back when a tear drips down onto the page and throws a paw up to wipe them away. He blindly reaches his other paw out to steady himself and it lands on the egg.

He chokes out a sob, biting down on his thumb to try and stifle them. He feels a secondary emotion bounce back towards him, a reflection of his own, confused and sad and worried. He takes a deep breath, swallows, and draws the egg up into his lap.

"I'm okay, I'm okay... Just... Like, a week ago, I never thought I'd get a family, I thought I can't have one. And suddenly I have you, and you need me, and that's really, really scary because I have no clue what the hell I'm doing but I'm- I'm going to try. To be good to you. I'm gonna try to be the troll you need, the people that I didn't have. I'm gonna keep you safe and take care of you, and I'm never going to leave you behind. Not like your parents did, not like my-"

He chokes on the word and takes a long minute to just steady himself, holding his egg to his body.

"It's fine. I'm okay. I'll be okay. And so will you. We'll both be okay. I promise-"

He's interrupted by a cowbell echoing faintly through the Bunker, and he groans.

"Oh great... The morning song. Sorry, buddy, this is something that happens every. Single. Day. I've tried to at least make it so I can't hear them down here but..."

He sighs, feeling annoyance bubble in his blood again and tail whapping against the couch as the village begins to sing. He gets up, gently moving the egg to one arm again so he can clean up and smiles as the sassy note that briefly echos in the egg's song.

"Yeah, I know right. Some people want to sleep in the morning."

He walks into the map room, dropping the supplies down on a table before placing a paw on his hip.

"Might as well start here. What do you think, hm? Should I start emptying the drawers, or should I tackle the map first?"

The egg fires back a little spark of joy that makes his grin soften. He gently lifts his egg up into his hair and flexes his paws, stretching his claws for the first time that morning. He ends up doing both, pulling out and emptying 2 of the 5 drawers onto the ground before he starts adjusting and adding to the giant map on the wall. He huffs when he realizes that he's only created more of a disorganized mess than it was when he started, an hour ago already.

This is going to be a long day.

Chapter 8: Bunker Work

A couple hours later, and the disorganized mess has turned into an organized disaster. He's dumped everything into a couple different boxes, split by the kind of supplies they are. Writing material is in one, stacks of different types of used paper in another, drawings, critter markers, connection yarn, pins, and miscellaneous supplies are spread around the floor, packed together in the spare boxes. Used and empty journals are in 2 piles against the wall, which he's currently flipping through and writing down a tally count on a loose notepad. 

So, it's better than it was before, but Branch is nowhere near done with making it neat and organized in a way that calms the twinge in his mind. Having his home be a mess makes him uncomfortable, and he has a different organization system for each floor and room of his Bunker. Some change, some have no reason to. His bedroom hasn't changed in years, but the storage closets are reorganized with every season. 

Branch pats his knee and nibbles on the end of his pencil as he scans through another journal. It's the third critter info book he's found and made, and he leans forward to stack it with the other 2. There's a couple neat stacks in front of him that help him gauge how much of a certain subject he has. He marks down another quick tally on his list and uses his tail to drag another random book towards him.

He's interrupted from his cleaning by a knock echoing through the Bunker, down the elevator and making his ears twitch. He knows exactly who it is, and he groans just thinking about needing to interact with Poppy at all for the next 3 months. He stays sitting criss-cross on the floor, ignoring the knocking before it finally stops. His tail flicks in annoyance as he opens the next journal. At least she got the idea and left.

Or maybe she got picked up by an animal.

He pauses, pencil end still between his teeth. No, he would have heard her scream if she was grabbed. Right? If he can hear someone pacing his home, can hear any time a critter scurries around the area, he would be able to hear Poppy scream.

Or maybe she didn't get to scream. He squeezes the pencil a bit before huffing and slamming it down next to the journal. He pushes himself to his feel and speed-walks to the elevator. She hasn't knocked again, or called his name, and even though he knows she just left, he can't help the little nagging voice telling him to check for a fight.

The anxious feeling just rises when he gets to the top floor and it's still quiet outside. He can tell that she isn't there, there's the light pitter-patter of a rolly-polly beetle a few feet behind the boulder marking his Bunker, but no trolls. Hesitantly, Branch reaches up and peeks through the "Go Away" mat.

He blinks, pushes the mat out of the way, and pulls himself up onto the snow to look at the gift closer.

Poppy left a small box in front of the Bunker. A quick glance around shows no evidence of a fight or a large critter grabbing prey. So she just walked away and left this box here for him. It isn't coated in glitter entirely, except for the deep purple ribbon. The wrapping paper is light blue with white snowflakes patterned onto it. He flexes his claws with strong hesitance when he sees the little folded card tied to the ribbon. He flips it open and relaxes a bit when he isn't shot with glitter right away. He's surprised to find that it isn't just another invitation.

'No hard feelings, promise! I thought you might like a treat to help you feel better, I know it always helps me!'

He tilts his head a bit and gently tugs at the end of the ribbon to loosen the bow and flip the lid off of the box. Inside is a cupcake, about the size of his paw, and lacking a large amount of Poppy's usual flare. 

A quick sniff tells him the flavor, and he's a tiny bit relieved to find that it's dark chocolate instead of something pure sugar, and the frosting is a simple vanilla. There's an undertone of other scents, probably from a baking spree, but the cupcake is actually pretty simple. The wrapper is brightly colored, but the frosting is a deep forest green, covered in cool-toned sprinkles and topped with a small, vibrant purple frosting flower on the top.

Despite himself, Branch's mouth quirks up in a surprised smile. Most of the sweets offered to him are neon colors and made with ridiculous and usually nauseating flavor combinations. He didn't even know Poppy was capable of making something less colorful than herself. He closes the box up and brings it into the Bunker, sealing the entrance again. He reads the card again and flips it over.

'P.S. Maybe you could come join me and the Snack Pack for ice skating in a few days? It'd be good for you to get out a bit more.'

Ah, there it is. His tail swings in annoyance, the tip lowering to brush the ground. He knows he doesn't join them for anything that normal trolls do, but he has his reasons. They just can't understand them.

'P.P.S. That sounds mean I don't mean to be rude I'm sorry! Please come join us? Creek won't be there, he's organizing the snow sculpture contests on Tuesday!'

He huffs, glaring at the card and closing it again. She just never learns that he's a lost cause. He's not putting himself at risk just to have a few hours of social interaction. He can live without it, he probably won't live with it. So there.

He stores the invite away on his card shelf, closing the curtains, and puts the cupcake on the counter for later. He's honestly a little impressed that Poppy didn't stick around to bother him in person about it, or even see his reaction to the sweet. Although, she probably just got bored of waiting for him. 

He hums and grabs a basket on the way back to the map room. He glances at the clock as he goes and briefly reminds himself to find a sustaining snack some time before he finishes the room. He doesn't eat lunch during the winter, not only because he doesn't use as much energy, what with being locked in the Bunker the whole time, but also to be sure he sustains his food supply until spring.

He reaches his free paw up to touch his egg, wondering if he should expand his Bunker for more storage now that he has a baby on the way. He should probably make a play room as well. And maybe find a better way to stay hydrated.

He cringes at the thought of his child living the same way he had planned for himself. He definitely needs to work on a fresh water source. Maybe he can dig a tunnel to the river so he doesn't have to go above ground to refill his supply. 

He puts the box down and grabs the notepad, flipping to a new page so he can write down a few ideas and reminders. Play room, softer bedding, more storage, fresh water, clear the traps. He underlines the last one to remember that it's more urgent. He has traps laying around everywhere, and subconsciously learned to move around them and lift his tail any time it would get too close. The kid won't have the same skills yet, so he definitely needs to clean those up sooner rather than later.

He grunts and drops himself to sit in front of his book pile again, flipping back to his tally list. He'll finish organizing the map room, find his blueprints for the Bunker, then start making a couple sketches for new rooms. He can do his security check before bed, it never takes long anyway.

He lets himself get zoned back into his work, sorting through his journals and making a quick system as he puts them back on the shelves, then tasks himself with organizing the rest of the supplies. The papers are stacked neatly by type and sectioned with dividers, and he crafts several small bins that he pours the markers and pins into. Everything is organized nicely and placed away onto his shelves and desks. The map is updated with a few details, and he moves the owl marker up to the top left, where they usually migrate to during snow. 

Patting his paws together to remove the dirt, he smiles as pride briefly blooms in his chest. Task 1, complete. And he knows exactly where he stored the Bunker blueprints, so he quickly nabs them from the drawer and brings the notepad with him. He sets it down on the coffee table, and remembers that he needs to find something to snack on, because he had forgotten while he was focused on cleaning. He starts to head for the elevator before stopping right as he passes the kitchen and instead takes the cupcake off of the counter. Might as well eat it now, it should last him until dinner. 

He settles down on the couch and flattens out the blueprints, quickly marking areas that he knows cannot structurally hold another room. He tears paper from the notepad and draws quick sketches onto them, with small indicators to remember what the room is for. 

"Maybe the play room should be down here, next to my bedroom. And when you get old enough, we can just turn it into your bedroom."

The egg warms for a second, seemingly happy at the suggestion, so Branch places the drawing down next to the top view of his bedroom. He sticks a few more papers down across the blueprints in places that could possibly hold more rooms, and writes a little question mark in the corner of spots he needs to double check before adding the rooms onto the official blueprints. He thinks for a long minute before deciding he can add another floor below his living space, one that would be used only for travel tunnels. It would take a while, but it should be done before the next winter if he digs a bit more every day.

The egg responds to his occasional questions and rambling, echoing his emotions back to him and sometimes adding a sharper note to their song. He repeats the questionable areas to himself before he gets up to go check them. The egg sings happily in his hair as he starts to paw at the walls of different floors and dig arm-sized tunnels to test the strength of the walls. It's a test he learned after the first few cave-ins from him digging in a bad spot. If his paw, without his claws, can move the dirt around with barely any resistance, the surrounding ground is way too soft to hold another room. If he needs to give a bit of force to it, then he can use it as long as he packs the walls in with supports, which are around every room anyway. 

He checks the few areas spread throughout his Bunker, then drops back onto the couch and pulls his paws up to cross in front of him. He picks up his pencil and gets to work on adding official designs to the blueprints. He goes quiet as he draws, intently focused on keeping the lines clean and calculating where the supports would need to go. His egg's melody helps him keep focus as he throws himself into his work.

If anyone asked later on, he would vehemently deny the echoing rumble that joins the song.

Notes:

What if I impulsively make a comic of this, what then

Chapter 9: Low Battery

The rest of the week sets in his new routine. He has the egg with him constantly, switching it between his arms, hair, and the sling as he moves around his Bunker. He does a check on the egg every morning with the flashlight, just to be sure, and sleeps with his body curled carefully around it. 

He starts work on the expansion right away, targeting the play room first. He's done this a hundred times now, his Bunker is filled with rooms that he built entirely by himself, so he has a clean and successful process. He makes sure to secure the doorway first, packing wood from tree roots into an arch, before he begins to clear out the room and plants supports as he goes. With every wooden support, he coats the section of the wall with a mixture of sap and clay, which strengthens the walls and packs the dirt into a solid surface. He's proud to say that he has the room built within 4 days.

It would have taken him less time, especially because he's in the Bunker 24/7 during winter, but he's been feeling more tired than usual as the days progress. He drinks his coffee, even tries nibbling on a raw coffee bean once, but there's always a lingering weight to his body. He's not exactly sure what it's from, because he's used winter for expansion progress before, but he survives with the lingering drowsiness.

No one else comes knocking on his door, thankfully. He thinks he might snap at them if he were bothered while working. Or during one of his rare breaks, where he has his egg settled against his chest and takes the time to read through the baby books. It's a little annoying how long it takes to get to actual information in the first one. He ignores the introduction, which is just the book congratulating him on having an egg. He eyes the little nest on his bed once while reading through it, deciding that he might need to venture out for more soft material. 

The egg has gotten stronger pretty quickly, and regularly responds to his rambling or feelings. The music it plays has a bit more diversity as well, changing with his own mood or the time of day. He wonders what the baby will look like, especially when he flips to the middle of the book and sees examples of healthy eggs. There's different sizes and patterns, but none of the examples are even close to his egg. There's examples of glitter trolls, fuzzlings, normal eggs, and all have fairly simple designs. Stripes or a shining shell or even little flower designs occasionally, but not only does his egg not match any of the common eggs at all, but it's noticably bigger. 

It's a little worrying, but it also makes him incredibly curious. Either his egg is an extremely unique case, or it's from a type of troll that isn't in the village. And isn't that a thought.

Branch yawns and it breaks him out of his train of thought, making him close the book and stretch from where he sits on his bed. He leans over to set it on his nightstand before picking the egg up with both paws and standing up to leave the room. He shifts the egg to one arm so he can rub his eyes and run a paw through his hair, cringing at a strand that bends out to the side. He pauses in the hallway just so he can reach up and wrangle his hair into cooperating, huffing when he finally gets it set right.

He heads into the main room and stops to think about what to do next, now that the baby's room is built and the clay paste is drying into the walls. He'll have to write down everything that he would need to build or find to put inside the room, but he doesn't have the energy to go hunt around for a bunch of baby supplies today. He knows the egg won't hatch for at least a few weeks, as long as it goes by the standard time period.

His eyes sway over to the dusty purple curtains covering the shelves and then he glances at the calendar in the same corner of the room. Poppy and her friends are going out today. He grumbles, ears folding back at the idea of excessive social interaction. Although... He should probably go out to find more blankets, knowing that the temperature is only going to continue to drop as the middle of the season approaches. He sighs heavily and makes himself keep his paws from dragging as he goes through the process of tucking a thicker blanket into his backpack and moving his egg into the backpack. He makes sure to tuck the blanket over the egg as well, hiding it completely from any cold air. That should work until he gets back.

He changes into his winter clothes and does a quick check in the mirror to make sure he doesn't look too much worse than usual. He doesn't, he looks tired, but aside from his crowfeet being more exaggerated today, he just looks grumpy. He hefts the backpack onto his shoulders and pushes the lever to lift himself back up to the surface. The snow has increased, about another inch, and it's soft enough that he has to stretch out his claws to keep from sinking into it.

The trek to the village feels longer than usual, and he's only encouraged forward by the warmth pressing against his spine, reminding him of why he's out here. His tail is starting to go numb, so he curls it up against the bottom of the backpack and hooks it through one of the clips right as he gets to the edge of the village. He bee-lines for Miss Dandy's pod, not even bothering with dropping down into the valley.

She's home, of course she is, and she seems thrilled that he's there. He tries to keep up conversation, he really does, but he can barely keep up with what she's saying. It doesn't last long, however, because she notices his tired behavior quickly and cuts off whatever she was saying with a question.

"Is something wrong, Branch?"

"No, no... Just tired... Need to find more blankets and soft stuff..."

She smiles lightly at him, he likes her smile. It's not like the others, hers isn't laced with pity. She's restocked her blankets already, and lets him pick a couple more with the promise that he'll return them as soon as he doesn't need them anymore. She just waves away his concern and squeezes his paw with both of hers. She does make him take a couple cookies and fill up a thermos with hot cocoa before he goes, though. 

The cocoa wakes him up a little bit, warms his body just enough to keep him upright. He readjusts his backpack on his shoulders and starts back towards his Bunker. His mind wanders as he goes, occasionally humming a couple notes with the egg's song. Soon enough, his ear twitches as it picks up the sound of laughter.

Ah. Right. How did he get out here? He knows there's a small pond near the village that's most likely frozen over, but it's east of his Bunker. He doesn't go to it often because of how unfiltered it is, and the large water snake that lives in it. It's an annoying filtration process and he prefers to enjoy the hike to the river for fresh, clean, and safe water. Either way, it's not too close to his Bunker, he must have stepped off of his trail at some point.

He hesitates, glancing between the sound of the laughter and where he knows is home. His paws twitch with the need to hide, but there's also a strong urge to go watch them and make sure they're safe. He groans, tail flicking with annoyance at himself, and starts to walk over the snow and to the frozen pond. It wouldn't hurt to check on them, then he can turn back and go home. They don't even have to know he's there.

He flexes his claws and climbs a tree right as he sees them thin out at the edge of the pond. He sits himself down against the trunk, pulling his backpack off and moving it around to hold against his chest. His tail stretches and wraps around the branch as an anchor so he doesn't fall. He can see them from his perch now, and Creek actually isn't there. Usually that's a trap, Poppy knows how much they don't like each other so she tells him that Creek isn't there to trick them into interacting. It goes about as badly as expected.

Speaking of, the princess and her friends are sliding recklessly across the ice. Some of them are making designs in the ice with their skates, while Suki and Poppy are racing from one end to the other, and Cooper is struggling to stay upright near the edge. Branch hums and wraps his arms around his pack, around his egg. He just sits there and watches them for a long time, slowly bringing the egg closer and tucking all of his limbs up around his backpack.

It's a solid 20 minutes before Satin and Chenille do another spin in their pattern, and Satin spots him up on his perch. She gasps, drawing the rest of the Snack Pack's attention up to him. He blinks slowly and lifts a paw to wave at them. They look hesitant to continue, which is nearly enough to push him to leaving immediately. Poppy grins and waves, and surprisingly, Cooper is the first to yell at him to come join them. 

He squints at them, shakes his head, and yawns. His claws flex and dig into the wood underneath him and he kneads lightly at the fabric of his backpack. He tries to process Poppy's voice calling up to him, shifting in tone from excited to mildly confused to very concerned, but he just can't understand words right now. He knows damn well by now that he's too tired to get home safely, with how he's barely aware of his surroundings. Maybe a nap wouldn't be too bad. His fur and clothes blend in with the dark wood and the snow on the leaves, so he's safe enough.

He squints down to try and focus on Poppy, loses the focus, and yawns again, which makes his jaw pop. He tucks his nose into the top of his pack, ears drooping in exhaustion, and his tail shifts to check the anchor he has on the branch below him right before his mind fades out to the sound of concerned voices calling his name.

Chapter 10: Branch Removal

Poppy honestly didn't expect Branch to show up at the pond when her and her friends were skating. She still gave him an invitation, holding onto the same hope she has every time that he'd join them, but she really thought he would ignore it again. Especially after she figured out his reason for hiding away during winter. So when Satin had gasped and drew their attention up to him, sitting high in the tree and hidden by the leaves, she was taken completely off-guard.

Her surprise turns to unbridled excitement when Branch gives them a little wave, and she frantically waves back. The others bounce off of her joy and Cooper props himself up to standing again so he can yell up to the troll.

"Yo, Branch! Come on down and skate! It's awesome!"

Branch shakes his head 'no' and yawns, which dampens Poppy's excitement for a moment. But that's alright! He looks more tired than he usually does, so maybe he just wants to sit and watch them. At least he came! This is the most he's ever been out during the cold so she counts it as a win.

She starts to get concerned when she realizes just how tired he looks. He's curled around his backpack like a pillow, and he isn't really looking at them. The longer she looks, the more frazzled he appears. His ears are droopy, his eyes are staring off into the empty air, and he's really loose-limbed compared to how tightly wound he usually stands. She skates close to the edge of the pond and cups her mouth to make herself louder.

"Branch? Are you okay?"

He doesn't even react to her, making her excitement shift to full concern. It must reflect in her voice when she calls out again, because it alerts her friends to the fact that something isn't right. This time, he turns his head to peer down at her for just a second before his eyes unfocus again. The others start calling up to him as well when he tucks his face into his backpack and stops responding. She panics when she sees him obviously pass out up high in the tree.

Poppy quickly kicks off her skates and flings her hair up to the tree that Branch is tucked away on. She hears her friends follow her lead as she lands unsteadily and quickly runs up to the unconscious troll. He doesn't react to them coming up to him, or to her leaning down to try and see his face. Oh, he's not sick, is he? He shouldn't be out in the snow if he's already got a cold!

"Branch!! Branch, wake up!"

She reaches out to pat his face, but quickly pulls her paw back when he growls lowly. Even though his fur puffs up a little more, he doesn't actually wake up or move away at all, just squeezes the backpack a little bit. She notices his tail twist a bit, sinking further into the ridges of the tree bark. Oh, that's neat, that must be how he doesn't fall off the trees-

No, focus, Poppy! Troll in danger! 

She hesitates when he growls again at her reaching out for him, trying to figure out what to do. She can't leave him up here, especially if he is sick, but he seems to know that they're getting too close to him.

"Poppy? What do we do? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, I-I don't know, gimme a sec. He still doesn't want to let me too close."

She scoots forward a little further, shifting down to her knees and trying to peek at his face again. It's no use, he's completely hidden his face under his ears and in the backpack. His hair is a bit more limp than normal, hanging down over the front of the backpack. She reaches out again to try and move it, and is met with the same subconscious reaction. Then she realizes a pattern. Every time she reaches forward, he curls around his backpack a little more.

"Branch, I'm not gonna take your backpack from you. We just want to help."

His growl tapers off into a quiet huff, and he squeezes the fabric in his paws. But he lets her closer. She waits a second, then lifts her paw and carefully reaches out. She relaxes when she gets her paw down on his arm, then scoots forward a little more to try to tilt him away from the trunk. His tail strains and holds him in place for a second.

"Branch, come on. We need to get you down, you might fall!"

His tail goes slack and he leans forward into her front, where she carefully wraps her arms around him to keep him stable. He still won't let her go near his face or the backpack, but at least she has him now. She looks back at her friends with worry covering her face.

"He doesn't want us to touch his backpack, but we can't leave him up here."

"Do you think we could carry him down?"

"Well, if we get him down, we can't just leave him laying in the snow. He might freeze!"

"But we don't know how to get into his bunker, we can't bring him there. And would he even let us carry him there?"

"Can we carry him? That backpack is like the size of him!" 

Poppy's mind races as her friends talk around her. She can't just leave Branch here, but they're right. She doesn't know where to take him, or if he would let them pick him up, or if they can pick him up. He obviously doesn't want to let them separate him from his bag, and together, they might way a couple pounds. They'd all have to carry him together to just get him out of the tree!

She still knows that she won't be okay just leaving him out here, though. Her friends won't either, they look just as concerned as she feels. Even if they don't get along ever, they're not going to leave him to freeze.

"Okay, here's the plan! We need to get him off the tree, then we can just... Make a sled! And move him around with that!"

"How do we get him down?"

"Um... Oh! Maybe we can make a hammock to bring him down-"

She goes to stand up and pull him up with her, and nearly slips off the branch when she stands much easier than expected. Several paws grab her dress to steady her, and she digs her fingers into Branch's coat to keep him against her. His tail has shifted into the grooves of the wood again and she'll take a minute to be impressed with that later, and probably write it down as another fact about the grey troll.

Ignoring that, she's shocked at how light he is, despite only being a centimeter shorter than her. Even with the backpack, he's a little lighter than most of her friends. She shifts him in her arms, tugs him up a bit, and turns to talk to her friends.

"Change of plans! I'm gonna carry him down because he's like as heavy as a ladybug."

They look skeptical, but she proves it by turning him to the side and scooping him up. His tail releases the tree and curls up to join his arms around the backpack. She can see a little bit of his face now, his ears have flopped back a bit following the change, and he doesn't look feverish. She still wants to see his whole face before she can be sure, though. Her friends mumble in surprise and curiousity when she turns around to show them the sleeping troll. 

"See? Easy as pie."

They all lower themselves to the ground carefully, their paws sinking into the snow a tiny bit when they reach the ground.

"Okay. Now what? We don't know how to get into his bunker."

"Well... We can take him to my pod! He can stay there for a bit, and maybe he'll feel better after the nap."

Smidge and Suki look a bit hesitant about it, but agree anyway. She hopes that Branch will loosen up when he's somewhere warm, so she can finally see if he's sick. She can't feel his fur through his clothes, so she can't tell if he's running warm or not.

They pack up their skates and snacks and start the walk back to the village. They go straight to her pod, walking around the edge of the valley so she doesn't have to lift herself up while holding him again. They need to hair swing from the edge over to her pod, but that isn't very far. She lets them come in behind her, leading the way over to her bedroom so she can set him down. Her arms barely even hurt from carrying him, but he doesn't ever look too thin, so maybe that's just another Grey Thing. 

She sets him down carefully on her bed, and he immediately rolls over onto his side. He kicks a leg up over the side of the backpack and wraps himself a bit more firmly around it, pressing his cheek against the top. Poppy perks and quickly circles her bed to lean down in front of his face. 

He doesn't look sick, he just looks exhausted. When she reaches forward and presses a paw against his forehead, despite his grumble (which is much better than his earlier critter-like growls), he isn't burning up with fever either. He's a little bit cold, if anything. She relays this out loud to her friends, who are watching them from all around. They all pause to wonder about the situation before Guy Diamond speaks up.

"Maybe he's serious about hibernating?"

"Really? I thought he just said that as an excuse."

"Well, it could be another Grey Thing. Maybe he really does have to sleep during winter to keep himself healthy."

They all murmur agreement, and Poppy relaxes with the consensus. Branch isn't sick, he just woke up from his normal sleeping time to come watch them. It adds a tad bit of guilt onto her relief, realizing that he probably got up to make sure they stayed safe. Still, it's nice to know that he's okay.

She goes to herd her friends out of her room when they all stop at the sound of purring. It's low and soft, but it sounds like the many critters she's befriended around the village. They all look around for a minute, Biggie even peeks out her window to try and spot what's making the sound. Poppy starts to move around her room before she realizes that it's coming from-

"OH MY GOD HE PURRS?!-"

She suddenly finds several paws slapped over her mouth, including her own. They all stare at Branch as he shifts a little bit, but he settles back into the bed easily, the soft purring continuing to emanate from him. They let out a collective sigh of relief and quickly hustle out of the room to keep from waking him up. 

Quietly, they start to gush about this new adorable information about the village's hermit as they walk away from the bedroom. They leave the pod right away, making up new plans as they go since their skating got cut short. Poppy wonders how long Branch will sleep in her room. Hopefully he doesn't decide to hibernate in her pod now, that would be hard to explain to her dad. But with how tired he is, she hopes he gets the sleep he needs to at the very least make it home. 

If he's still there by tonight, oh well. She can just have a sleepover at one of her friend's pods.

Chapter 11: Race to the Edge

He isn't safe.

The thought jerks him awake far earlier than normal and makes his fur stand on end. He feels disoriented and the next thing that processes is the fact that this is not his Bunker. He's in a pod, above ground, in the open. He's not safe.

His egg isn't safe.

Branch leaps off of the soft surface- a bed- and tucks his backpack against his chest, looking around wildly for an escape. Not the door, there could be someone that tries to stop him from getting to safety. Or they could try to take his egg. He won't let that happen.

The window! His tail lashes out and knocks into the bed and a chair and anything else in range as he runs over to the window and yanks it open. He can fit through this, easily. He's squeezed into smaller spaces before. He puts the backpack down before he throws his arms through it and digs his claws into the side of the pod. His tail twists around the backpack before he shoves his head through the window, quickly dragging the rest of his body with him. 

The backpack follows him out, and he quickly hefts it back onto his shoulders and climbs up to the top of the pod. His claws threaten to tear into the pod's vine before he forcibly retracts them and yanks himself up to the tree. Ducking under the foliage, he allows himself just a moment to feel a little bit of relief at no one waking up to come after them.

He's quick to start his sprint back to the Bunker, jumping through the trees and keeping himself alert to every sound that isn't him. He doesn't know exactly what time it is, but he knows it's early in the morning, and nocturnal creatures could be around to grab at him.

He makes it to the Bunker within minutes, landing softly on the snow next to the boulder. His nerves haven't settled. Even though he knows he isn't being watched, there's a predator somewhere nearby, and a big predator at that. He stops to glance around, ears swiveling to pick up on any crunching in the snow. It takes a moment to detect the sound, but he does hear the slow, even footsteps of a large animal.

He recognizes the pattern, large paws and wide steps, and the tiny crunch before the whole paw sets that indicates claws. A wolf. A damn pridewolf is hunting right now. What makes his anxiety really spike is the fact that the wolf is stalking back towards where he came, back towards the village. It's going to the village.

He hesitates, torn for a moment, before ducking down into his Bunker. He puts his backpack down gently on the elevator and sends it down, paws twitching as his egg goes down with it. But it's going down, away from the threat. Now he just needs to protect everyone else.

Branch climbs back out of his Bunker and quickly scurries up a tree again. His anxiety slowly steels into determination now that his egg is safely underground. He flexes his claws and starts hopping through the branches again as he listens to the slow rhythm of the wolf's steps. There's only 1 nearby, thankfully, but it would still take down several pods and kill numerous trolls if it got to the village. 

He lands on a branch and looks down towards the ground, immediately making out the dark fur of the wolf against the white snow. He eyes it for a minute as he tries to determine the best way to go about this. He's not armed right now, -which he really should be carrying something at all times, egg or not- so he can't attack it head on. But he knows this forest like the back of his paw, and he memorized each cave and cliff and river. 

He sighs quietly. It really sucks when his plan involves bait, especially when he is the bait. There's a steep drop-off that leads into a meadow not too far away, and he doesn't need to cross the village to reach it. He just needs to get the wolf to turn around and chase him all the way there. That's fine, it's certainly not the first time he's done something like this to protect the other trolls. 

He does a quick stretch, popping his back and shoulders before he drops to lower branches, being careful to balance his landing and not alert the wolf just yet. His fear is gone, he's entirely focused on the predator below him. It almost feels like the roles are switched, the way that the wolf doesn't know he's there as Branch slowly creeps closer to it.

Finally, he braces his legs and launches himself directly onto the wolf's snout, making it yelp in surprise. He digs his claws into it's fur, grins, and pulls a chirping taunting sound from his throat as he shakes his head and wiggles his ears. It works perfectly, the wolf is immediately snarling and trying to shake him off. He holds on for a second before throwing himself off and onto a tree. He clings to the bark and turns back to the wolf to echo the taunt again and begin the chase.

He throws himself from the tree right before the teeth snap down on empty air. He circles the wolf once, angering it as he dodges it's jaws, before he takes off into the forest. It's paws loudly crunch through the snow as it races after him, shoving past bushes and biting at his tail. Adrenaline makes him faster, switching to all fours as he jumps between the trees and sprints across the ground. 

Occasionally, he'll take a sharp turn just to piss off the wolf more so it doesn't give up. And just as he starts to slow down, he sees the drop up ahead. He puts all of his strength into leaping off of the ground and using his hair to drag himself out of the way last second. The wolf yelps as it slips over the edge and tumbles down the hill into the bushes below. 

Branch perches himself up on the tree he used, panting as he peeks over the edge. The wolf is alive, shaking off the snow and leaves as it drags itself out of the bushes. It turns around and tries to claw back up the hill to him, barking and growling, but the hill is too steep for it to climb. Branch takes a second to just catch his breath, wrapping his tail around the wood to secure himself as he settles down.

The wolf eventually gives up and turns to stalk away through the tall grass, away from the village. The troll finally lets himself relax more, sitting down fully and taking deep breaths to filter out the adrenaline. His lungs burn from the cold air and his limbs start to ache from his exhaustion and strain. He yawns as the sense of danger lessens.

Slowly, Branch drags himself to standing again and rubs the sleep from his eyes. He needs to get back to his Bunker before he passes out again. He faintly remembers passing out earlier in the day, when it was still bright outside and there were voices cheering happily below him. They must have found him asleep.

That makes him cringe, the fur on his neck standing up at the thought of being caught so defenseless. Although, he supposes he should be thankful that it was a troll that found him and not a bird.

He climbs through the trees much slower than usual, his exhaustion making him less confident about throwing himself around, but makes it back to his Bunker within half an hour. He slips through the entrance and climbs down the elevator shaft, dropping down gently next to his backpack.

He decides to leave the pack there for now, instead he simply removes the covering blankets and lifts his egg into his arms. Immediately, a sharp sense of concern is pushed through his paws and makes him smile softly.

"I'm okay... Sorry about that, I have to do that sometimes. Keeps people safe. I'm not hurt, though, just-"

He's interrupted by another yawn.

"Just really tired... Let's go to bed, properly this time, hm?"

He drags his paws on his way to the bedroom and takes a minute to securely tuck the egg into the nest, then pulls himself up to wrap around it. He hums a small set of notes to encourage the egg's normal melody and pulls his own blanket up over himself as he does. The second that the melody begins to sing through his fur, he's out like a light.

Notes:

Sorry about that, got caught up with schoolwork

Chapter 12: Sick Day

Branch sets back into his routine the next morning. He feels a bit more energized after sleeping for so long and decides to focus his energy on Bunker work. He spends the day scoping through every room and collecting every trap he has set down and open. Honestly, there's more than he remembers making, but he packs them all into a storage room anyway. He puts a padlock on that door to be sure it's secure.

He works throughout the week, switching between different tasks a couple times a day. He works on storage rooms and the water tunnel, then focuses on smaller tasks while the dug out walls are solidifying. He manages to put together a sturdy crib in his room, tucked right up against the head of his own bed. 

He's proud of how it came out, despite having no memory of his own crib and just a general understanding of it. The frame is made of strong wood, unpainted for now, and the side can slide up and down with a little lock on either side. He packed the crib with the softest material he has in his Bunker, and even struggled with making a pillow for several hours. So it isn't finished yet, but it's secure and soft enough to home his baby if it hatches soon.

He starts furnishing the play room as well, relying heavily on the books to know what he needs to make. It takes a few days to piece together a dresser and a rocking chair, which he sets aside once finished. Once he has most of what he needs, he'll bother with organizing the room. He makes a list of everything he can't get or make yet, such as carpets, beanbags (because they're soft and squishy and not a bruising hazard), baby books, teething toys, and more soft materials. 

He also notes things that he can make during his winter hiding. He wants to paint the walls of the baby's room, something soft but colorful, and he can make paint with the flowers he keeps tucked away in the back of the herb storage. Man, he loves being prepared for anything. He can also whittle some toys, some small things and one of those hanging mobiles to put above the crib. It'll take some time, but he has plenty of experience with carving. If he's being honest, painting them will be the hardest part to get right. 

Between chores, he reads the books he borrowed. They're really helpful with preparing for the egg to hatch, and they also teach him a little bit more about what's been happening. Apperantly, only the bonded parent/s can feel the egg's proper emotions. The song is much harder to hear for other trolls, too, which could explain how no one's noticed that he carries it with him all the time. No, that definitely does not make him cry, shut up.

The book also tells him that the drowsiness is normal, expected, and a good sign. Troll eggs rely on their parent's love and energy to remain healthy, on top of the temperature and shell care. With how long it took him to actually fall asleep during the day, he's been caring for the egg exactly as he should, and -despite his lack of colors- he is providing the egg with all the energy it needs to remain healthy. He does slowly grow more drowsy again as the week passes, and just goes to bed an hour earlier to make up for the loss.

The next time he takes a picture of the shell and the baby, he realizes another difference between his baby and the average trolling. Despite the egg itself only being a couple weeks old, the baby inside is large enough to match a 6 month old trolling. Trolls grow significantly between hatching and their first birthday, but this baby is already too large to fit into one paw. And it isn't a case like Biggie, the baby is still shaped more like himself, with long limbs and a thinner body. He makes sure to mark down his observations in the journal alongside the pictures. It makes his curiosity rise more, but he's absolutely not going to leave his Bunker again for another trip to the library.

He also notices some differences in himself now that he's awake enough to pay attention. Although his fur usually thickens during the winter -another thing that sets him apart from the other trolls- it usually grows in ragged and stiff. Now, though, his fur is soft and denser than normal, and even his hair is fluffier than he's ever felt it. The egg appreciates it, small warm waves that flow into him any time he tucks it into his hair or holds it against his chest, so he supposes it might have to do with his body adjusting to caring for the egg. 

He notices that retracting his claws when he handles the egg has become an instinct, too. He usually has to double check when he doesn't want to scratch someone or something. Realizing that he does it without thinking now makes him relax a little more and raises his confidence with carrying it around. 

Overall, he has a very productive week, especially after he adjusts his sleep schedule. He hates that he still can't sleep in past 5 am no matter how much he needs it, but it's better than it was before. He's still a little behind his planned schedule from how slow he had been moving the week before, mostly for the water tunnel. It's one of the only things he has to take time with, rushing would only risk a collapse, and that is something he absolutely is not going to dare try. Other than that, he has his plan set and tries to catch up on everything else he fell behind on.

Then one morning, he wakes up with aching limbs, a headache, plugged sinuses, and burning skin. God damn it. He forgot about his annual cold. He slowly drags himself upright, ears drooping down and hair hanging limp down his back. He just takes a minute to let his sore body settle from the movement, his chest burning from his struggling lungs and shivers already sliding in under his fur. The cold of his muscles make his skin burn more and he groans as he shrugs off the blanket. 

His skin itches as the fabric slides down his arms, making his fur bristle and his tail drag away to hang over the edge of his bed. He lifts a paw to set on the egg, and his high temperature must have woken it up because there's a sharp sense of concern pressed into his paw when it connects. He really hopes that this doesn't hurt the egg at all, he didn't see anything about parent sickness affecting the eggs in the books. 

"I'll be-"

He's quickly cut off with a coughing fit, bringing an arm up to grip his chest and wait out the pain. It takes about a minute for his lungs to settle down again and let him talk.

"I'll be okay. Just a cold. Happens every year, not fun."

The concern twists with fear right before he lifts his paw off to change into a robe, leaving it untied in an attempt to balance the heat and chill. 

"Takes a couple days, goes faster with holly tea. Gonna make it in a moment."

He doesn't really trust himself to carry the egg while he feels so weak, so he uses his blanket sling instead. He keeps a paw against the egg, but keeps the robe between it and his chest. He still feels a little paranoid about getting the egg sick somehow, he has no idea if it's possible or not. He still takes a second to wash his paws anyway.

Branch traces the hallway with a paw against the wall and makes his way over to his medical closet. He breaks a careful piece off of one holly leaf, pressing a bundle of paper over the break to keep it from drying out too fast. He yawns, coughs -which draws another twinge of worry from his baby-, and drags his paws as he moves into the kitchen. He sets the leaf piece down on the counter and grabs a jaw of water from the cabinet, pouring it into a small pot before moving it over the stove. He sets it on to boil as he moves around to collect the rest of the herbs he needs for his tea.

He grabs a bag of ground ginger, a piece of a lemon, and a peppermint leaf. The lemon and peppermint help with the flavor and, more importantly, help lessen the coughing that makes his ribs burn. The ginger and holly are the herbs that help his body kill off the virus quicker, usually dropping the natural 5-7 days to 2-3. His ear twitches a little when he hears the water start to boil and moves back over to it, quickly grabbing a spoon as he goes. He tears the holly up a little more and drops the pieces into the boiling water, waiting a few minutes to let the leaves soak into the water. He slowly adds the other ingredients, throwing in a spoonful of the ginger, squeezes the slice of lemon into the pot, and throws the entire peppermint leaf into it last, then stirs slowly to let the herbs mix together.

Once he deems it finished, he moves the pot aside and turns the stove off. He washes the spoon right away, tucking it back into the drawer it came from and leans over the counter while he waits for the tea to cool down enough. His eyes are drooping, his tail is dragging on the ground, and his ears are ringing from how long he's been standing up. He leans his forehead on one paw and tries to take deep breaths, no matter how much his body shudders with them. 

After a couple minutes, he pours the tea into a large mug and moves over to the couch. He sits down heavily, sighing and groaning as he leans back. He takes a long sip of his tea, already feeling the hot drink dispell the clogging in his chest. He adjusts the egg to be sitting comfortably in his lap, smiling lightly when it pushes more emotion towards him. He takes another long sip before putting a warm paw on the side of it.

"Just a flu. Been happening since I was a baby, it gets better soon. This helps it a lot. Clears out my chest and helps my body fight off the bad. I'll get stronger in a couple days, okay? Don't worry."

It still pushes more worry towards him, although it's weaker now. It starts to sing to him, a new song that he doesn't recognize from the village. It's softer in tone, a little slower, but still has a light and cheery feel to it. He smiles and runs his paw over his egg's shell as he slowly drains his tea. He gets up twice to refill his mug before he finally moves over to a little book pile on the side table. He had set the series aside after the egg's surprise appearance, so he picks up the top book and leans back against the arm of the couch. 

The baby twinges curiosity towards him, apperantly sensing the heaviness of the book when he uses both arms to adjust it in his lap.

"It's- uh- it's... It's a romance book, I just started it before- well, before you. The second in the series. It's about a cursed prince and his guard."

The curiousity spikes with interest, making him smile. He clears his throat to test his voice before offering.

"You want me to read to you?"

The interest shifts into excitement and he laughs softly.

"Alright, alright. We might be here a while, and I'll probably have to get up to make more tea. So... Get comfortable."

It's melody hums against his front as he opens to the page he left on, clearing his throat again before he starts to read out loud. His voice is still kept low, not wanting to risk straining his throat more than he already is. The egg perks with an emotion through his skin occasionally, but otherwise just sings quietly and lets him read. 

About 4 hours later, after blatantly ignoring the morning song that comes through his Bunker muffled and quiet, he's gotten a third of the way through the book. He's had to stop to get water a couple times, or just let his voice rest for a few minutes before continuing. Then, suddenly, a loud thumping is thrown down the elevator. He jumps when it starts, quickly fumbling to not drop the book on his egg, and sets it aside. The pounding continues after a 5 second pause and he groans. Not again.

He drags himself into standing, adjusting the egg in the sling, then pauses. He really hopes that they'll leave quickly, but he knows most trolls -especially this one- won't leave him alone that easily. His hair is still hanging loosely around his face and down his back, so he can't put the egg in his hair to hide it. He seriously does not want to leave it alone in the Bunker if he does need to go chase them off, but he also does not want anyone to know about the egg. They might take it away from him.

The pounding continues in cycles, then turns constant. Shit, she really is not leaving. He looks around in a panic, trying to figure out what to use as an excuse to pass off the large bundle against his chest. He hesitates, stumbling around for a second before he grabs another blanket and wraps it opposite of the sling. It covers the egg entirely, not a single color poking through, and he shoves a couple small things in alongside it to make it look less egg-shaped. Oh he hopes this works.

Very hesitantly, he trudges over to the elevator and pulls the lever to make him go up to the top room. His shivers as the temperature drops the closer he gets to the surface, quickly taking a second to close and tie his robe entirely to cover as much of his skin as possible. Yeah, he has shorts on, but the rest of his fur is still exposed to the cold. He tucks his nose down against the blanket too, tail coming up to curl around his legs. 

The knocking still hasn't stopped, it's making his head hurt even more than before, and he drags himself over to the apperantly useless "Go Away" doormat and steps up on the stool. He throws it open, making the other troll yelp and back up a few steps. He knew it was her, no one else is that persistent. Poppy's eyes widen as she looks at him, no doubt looking as exhausted as he feels.

"What do you want."

Notes:

So, a fair warning: midterms are coming up really quick and homework has been heavy recently, so updates are going to be a bit slow for a couple weeks. I like to write when I can, but I do need to focus on passing my classes over writing this. So, it'll probably be a few days between chapters at least.

Chapter 13: Delivery!

When Poppy returned home after her sleepover, she wasn't surprised to find Branch gone already. Disappointed, but not surprised. It was a little concerning when she walked into her bedroom to find everything aggressively rearranged and the window left open, but nothing was broken, so she just took the time to put everything back how it was before continuing her day. 

Her friends aren't surprised when she tells them either, a few mumble about how he left her room a mess, but it's forgotten fairly quickly. Most of them stop worrying when they hear that he got up and left on his own. Still, Poppy continues to worry, just a little bit. He passed out on a tree! She doesn't think she's seen him even sleep, like, ever! Especially not outside!

She wants to check on him, honestly, but unfortunately she's kept busy for the next week. Between her princessly duties and throwing parties to story time with the trollings and singing routines, it's usually really late by the time she's free. Even though she knows the way to his bunker well enough, she doesn't think Branch would be happy at all to see her standing outside his home so late at night.

So, a full week passes with zero sightings of their grey friend, and she finally, finally, has the time in the day to go check on him. She couldn't sleep as early as normal last night, she just had so much sugar in her system, so she stayed up and made more decorations for the next party for today. That gives her a couple hours in the morning to go check in!

She packs a couple cookies into a box, tucks it into her hair, and skips her way out of the village not long after the morning song. She's hums as she walks over the snow, her tail swinging behind her happily. A couple songbirds and critters sing in the trees around her, filling her with joy when they start to sing together. She has no idea how Branch can do it, not sing when the forest is filled with such amazing music.

The critters go quiet when she gets close to Branch's bunker, another thing she's used to. This little clearing that Branch calls home is always weirdly quiet of music, only occasionally having a bird chirp overhead. She can't find the doormat with the snow covering the ground, so she just steps up to the rock and starts knocking.

She knocks in a pattern for several minutes, waiting and listening for any sounds from the bunker below her. When there's no noise at all, not even that weird grinding sound that happens whenever Branch comes up to yell at her, she start to knock faster and consistently, worried that something might be wrong.

She still doesn't hear anything else through her knocking, and she's about to start shouting for him, right before snow suddenly shoots up next to her. She yelps and stumbles backwards a few steps, looking down into the now-open hole at the other troll.

"What do you want."

Branch looks awful. She can tell immediately that he's sick with something. His ears and eyes are drooping, even though he's sending her an annoyed glare. His face is darker than usual, his voice is quieter and crackly, and his fur is glossy in a way she rarely sees on any trolls. The official give-away is the fact that his hair is laying limp around his face, a few dark strands hanging down to cover one of his eyes slightly.

"Branch! Oh my goodness, are you okay?! Why didn't you say you were sick, is this why you passed out? Have you been sick this whole time? Does this happen every winter, is that why you don't come out?"

She kneels down on the snow and presses the back of her paw against his forehead, ignoring the small flinch away. He's burning up, and his paws are shaking when he bats hers away from his face.

"No, I'm fine. It happens. What do you want, princess."

No no no, she can't just ignore this! Village or not, she will not stand for one of her subjects sitting through an illness alone, and probably without medicine!

"Stay here, I'll be right back!"

"Poppy, what-"

She turns on her heel and runs back towards the village, Branch's confused stuttering muffling underneath the crunching snow. She can go to Dr. Moonbloom and get some medicine for Branch, then he'll feel better and maybe he'll come out for the rest of winter and party with them! Or, at least come out more. Having him just be there is already a huge step!

"Hey Poppy, what-"

"Not now, got an emergency! Sorry!"

Cooper blinks, stunned for a second before he runs up alongside her. A couple more of her friend group catch up when she passes them as well. They don't even question her until they all start the climb to the doctor's pod.

"What's going on? Is someone hurt?"

"Branch is sick, like burning sick! I gotta get him medicine!"

"He's sick? You don't think it's cause he slept in the snow, do you?"

"Well- I don't know. Maybe? But I'm gonna get him some medicine so he'll feel better!"

She bursts into the pod, arms spread out and tail puffed up.

"Doctor! I need medicine!"

"Princess Poppy? What's wrong?"

"I got a sick troll that I need to get medicine to."

The doctor nods and quickly starts searching through her medicines and notes as Poppy rapid-fires what symptoms she saw. Guy has to put a paw on her shoulder to remind her to breathe as she works herself up more and more. She gasps in air as the doctor walks back over and gives her a paper bag.

"Make sure they take it twice a day and they'll be good as new in a day or so. And make sure they rest!"

"I will! Thank you!!"

Usually, she'd stay to chat, but if Branch has really been sick the entire week then she wants to get this to him as soon as possible. She puts the bag into her hair next to the cookie box and turns to her friends once they're back on the ground.

"Branch might bite us if we all go to his bunker when he's sick."

"Probably. We have to go finish some new outfits for the party tonight, anyway. Oh, we still need to get that new fabric too!"

"Right, right, okay, I'll see you guys tonight!" 

Satin and Chenille wave as they run off into the village, quickly bickering about designs as they go. Cooper and Guy look a bit more worried, about her or Branch, she isn't really sure.

"Do you think you'll be okay going on your own, Poppy?"

"Of course! I already saw him a little bit ago and he didn't yell at me, so he really needs these. Are you two gonna be at the party?"

"Well, of course! We wouldn't miss-"

Three identical chimes, their bracelets lighting up and they throw themselves into a group hug without a second thought.

"Hug time!"

They squeeze each other for a few seconds, laughing and shuffling around a bit to get better grips on each other, until the small flowers close back up again.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world! Just be back soon, yeah?"

"Of course, I'm just gonna go make sure he gets better real quick!"

They nod and Poppy takes the chance to step back and start running back towards the village's entrance. She turns to wave back at them real quick.

"See you guys later!"

"Bye, Poppy! Tell Branch we said hi!"

She grins and runs, quickly focused on her quest again. She's been out for long enough, she needs to get these back to him! She follows her paw prints back to the rock and starts pounding on it again, chanting his name until the square in the snow opens again.

"What?!"

"Branch! I brought you medicine!"

He blinks, his nose scrunching a bit before he grumbles.

"You didn't need to do that. I'll be fine in a few days."

"Well, it'll help! Can I come in?"

He stands silent, one paw holding the trapdoor up and glaring down at the snow like it offended him. Finally, he huffs, coughs, clears his throat, and mumbles.

"Fine."

He ducks down, giving her space to slide down into the hole next to him. She feels giddy as she drops down onto a stool that she didn't know existed, she's never been in his bunker before! Branch is usually incredibly defensive about his home!

And she now sees why. Once her eyes adjust to the darkness, her smile drops as she looks around the room. His bunker isn't really as big as she thought. Or furnished. It's just a big room, lit by small glowing mushrooms, and pretty empty. There's a circle of traps, next to a table and a single chair with a mug set on top of it. She doesn't even see a bed, just a bunch of supplies and what looks like a tangle of moss shoved in a corner. She really hopes that isn't what he sleeps on. And it's barely even warmer than outside was, no wonder he got sick! 

He wanders around for a second, grabbing the moss ball and dragging it over to the table, then plops down onto it. He sits a bit awkwardly, only now drawing her attention to the weird large lump strapped to his chest. She hesitantly steps closer, pulling the box and medicine bag out of her hair and setting it on the table next to him.

"What's that?"

She can't help but reach out to poke at the oddly shaped blanket against his front, only to have her paw smacked away.

"It's a heating pack. For my lungs. Don't touch it."

"Okay, okay, sorry. Here, this is medicine. Dr. Moonbloom said to take it twice a day, in the morning and at night. I guess you could take it now, it probably won't be too much of a difference cause I don't really know when you usually get up."

"Poppy."

"Maybe take it right before you go to bed? I don't really know what it is, but she said it would make you better quickly! And then maybe you could come out and join us at a party-"

"Poppy."

"And you don't have to sing! I know it can be hard, even for trolls that do sing, right after being sick cause it messes up your lungs and throat and stuff, so I get it if you don't want to sing! But maybe you can come and make friends! And then we can introduce you back into dancing and hugging and-"

"POP-!"

Branch breaks off into coughing, bringing an arm up to cover his mouth as his claws dig into the table to keep himself upright. Poppy flails for a second, not sure what to do, before awkwardly patting his back until the coughing subsides. He groans, sinking down into the moss and drawing his knees up over the heating pack. His tail drags across her paws as it curls up towards him and flops over his lap and paws. He looks exhausted, breathing heavily and dropping his chin onto his knees as much as he can.

Poppy stands next to him, waiting for a second and fiddling with her paws. She looks him over again, realizing that his fur isn't only glossy but... Longer? She tugs at a tuft of her own fur and yep, Branch's fur is definitely longer than hers by nearly a whole centimeter. She's never seen that happen before.

"Um... Are you... Okay?"

"I'll... I'll be fine... Happens... Just... What's the box?..."

"The- oh yeah! It's just a bunch of cookies. I thought you might like them, before I got here and saw you were sick. Maybe you can save them for when you aren't sick, though!"

"Mm..."

He reaches for the mug, which Poppy gently nudges closer to him, and takes a long sip of whatever sort of drink is inside. She has no idea how he made a hot drink, there isn't even a fire pit in here. 

"Hey, Branch? Can I ask a question?"

"Mm... Fine, what is it..."

"Why is your fur so long?"

He freezes, claws scratching at the mug in his paws before he forcibly puts it down and grips the fabric of his robe instead.

"It's my winter coat. It keeps me warm."

"You grow different fur???"

"Yes."

He glares at her, daring her to say more on it. Instead, she tries to change the subject. She leans up on her toes to glance into the mug, curious about the brown drink. It smells herbal, maybe a tea? Where did he get a tea??

"What's that?"

"Medical tea. Lemon, ginger, peppermint and holly. Helps with colds."

Now, she might not know much about herbs, but she's definitely seen the outcome of holly. She's seen a couple poor critters that ate holly plants, and they're usually dead. Her fur puffs up in panic, reaching to grab the mug away from him. But even when he's sick, he's faster than her, and snatches the mug out of her paws before she can even grab on.

"You- you can't drink that! Holly's poisonous!"

"Berries."

"I- what?"

"The berries are toxic. Leaves are fine, when used in tea."

Huh. That's new.

"Really?"

"Mhm. Used it for years."

She sits down in the chair across from him as he takes another drink. Anything she's ever heard is that you can't eat holly at all, she never thought it could be used to help illnesses.

"Can you tell me more?"

He eyes her skeptically, his ear lifting slightly, before seeming to sense that she's genuine. If he knows more ways to turn apperantly not-poisonous plants into medicine, she could bring it back to the doctors and it could help a lot of people. He takes another drink before clearing his throat and starts telling her. 

He starts off brief, explaining uses or differences in short sentences. When she keeps asking more and more questions, he slowly relaxes down into the moss and talks more and in more detail. He has to pause to drink sometimes, but she learns a lot more about the forest's flora than she thought there was to learn. Some things she didn't know were edible just need to be treated right to eat, like the cashew nuts and some types of mushrooms. Even belladonna can be used as medicine when treated correctly! 

He gets more comfortable as he talks, answering her questions whenever she interrupts with one and slowly adjusting himself into his soft seat. His legs fold into a loose criss-cross, knees still lifted off of the moss, and one paw is cradling the pack to his chest. It must be helping, along with the tea, because his voice gets clearer as he talks. It stays soft, much quieter than normal, but this is the most relaxed she has ever seen him.

She supposes it's because he's tucked away in his own home, whether she's there or not, so he feels safe enough to let his guard down a bit. His tail sways over the ground sometimes, dragging across it and digging an arc into the dirt behind him. He goes quiet after a while, and for once, Poppy doesn't feel the need to break the silence. It's comfortable, strangely enough. Both of them stay in their seats and just experience each other's company. 

She's so stuck in her own thoughts, recounting everything she's learned from Branch, that she doesn't even recognize the quiet song humming through the air. Only when Branch breaks her out of her thoughts by setting his mug down does she hear it. It's quiet, barely there, and she can't really place where it's coming from.

"Do you hear that?"

"Hm?"

"That song."

Branch pauses, his claws flexing again before he stretches his paws and seems to force them back in.

"Probably just someone from the village. The Bunker isn't sound-proof."

"Oh. Yeah, that makes sense."

They go quiet, it feels more awkward this time. She doesn't even know how long she's been here, not until her bracelet chimes and the flower unfolds.

"Don't even think about it."

She huffs, but closes the flower manually and stands up.

"Well, I should probably get back to the village."

"Mkay."

"You get better, yeah? I'll come check on you!"

"Please don't."

"Oh, why not?"

"I-"

He seems to stop and think again, his eyes drifting to the side of her instead of looking up at her.

"I'm going back into hibernation once I'm better. I won't hear you."

"Oh. You really do sleep during winter?"

"When I'm not sick."

She shrugs her head, humming. Makes sense, it's hard to sleep when your chest hurts and your body burns.

"Alright then... Well, get better soon! If you do wake up early, come down and join us!"

"Not a chance."

"You say that now, but I'll see you someday!"

He grumbles as she lifts herself onto the stool and pushes the trapdoor open.

"Poppy?"

Said troll looks back over her shoulder curiously, but Branch isn't making eye contact. His paw is flat on the table, next to the cookie box and the paper bag.

"...Thank you."

She smiles, tail wagging with glee.

"No problem, Branch! See you soon!"

He mumbles a goodbye as she pulls herself out and closes the door behind her. She starts skipping back towards the village and humming to what she remembers of the song she heard in the bunker. 

That's weird. She swears it was still playing right before she left, but now it's back to quiet. Of course, the forest's critters begin to sing again the closer she gets to the village, but that song she heard next to Branch is completely gone.

She shrugs. It's probably nothing.

Chapter 14: Urges

The medicine Poppy left did help more than he expected, his cold cleared up within a day. It was just a mixture of some pollen and different types of herbs, but that mixed with his own treatments broke down the illness faster than normal. He's glad to be back to himself so quickly. Thankfully, it seems Poppy took the message for once and doesn't come knocking after her delivery. He half expected her to ignore his refusal, like she always does, but his Bunker stays silent.

He throws himself back into Bunker work once his body stops hurting, aiming his focus on expanding and reinforcing the walls and tunnels. He does several sweeps of every room in the Bunker and only relaxes when he's sure he got every single trap picked up throughout the place. The baby continues to grow steadily and Branch catches himself purring more often than not now, which is incredibly embarrassing.

He checks his stocks, reorganizes his room, slowly eats his way through the mixed cookies that Poppy left with him, and even tries to cover up the paranoid writing on the walls. That takes longer than expected, because much of it is carved into the walls instead of just written down. He cringes as he starts patting plaster onto the most-used wall, wishing he had at least gone with the dirt walls instead of taking a knife to the tree roots that weave through his Bunker. 

He goes back onto his normal sleep schedule a few days after he gets better, feeling weirdly pent up and itchy. Even as he puts all of his energy into the Bunker and the egg, he realizes that the feeling is just getting worse. His tail swings constantly, his fur stands on end, and his brain just will not shut up. It takes him an absurd amount of days to realize what's bothering him.

He has cabin fever. 

That's. Hm. That's never happened before. Normally he feels so much safer hidden away from the world, where predators can't dig down to him. But now he feels antsy, and he keeps pacing when he's talking to himself or the egg. On top of that, knowing that he's feeling like this for the first time in literal years only serves to make him more anxious and makes his tail lash out more. 

The egg whispers to him when he paces. It isn't words, they're much too young for words, but he understands the meaning. He knows that they're trying to calm him down, they can feel how irritable he is. But the feeling won't go away, no matter how he distracts himself. He doesn't want to go up, but he really, really needs to.

Unfortunately, his body screams louder than his fear. Just over a month into winter and Branch finds himself gearing up to go outside for the 5th time. He quietly groans to himself, annoyed at the betrayal of his own mind. He doesn't get why it decided to go haywire this year, it shouldn't be this bad, even with the egg. No other troll parent he's seen has changed behavior so drastically. It kind of makes him mad.

Either way, he tucks his egg into his hair and tugs a hat securely over it, then layers himself up with a solid coat and pants. The temperature has dropped a lot by now, so he takes the time to wrap thick bandages around the majority of his tail to fight away frostbite. He's had close calls before, back when the Bunker was still only a few rooms deep. He's not risking his tail just to calm down his shuffling. He tugs a pair of gloves on as well, the ones that are already ruined from his claws. He doesn't have to worry about shoes, thankfully, because his paws are the most temperature-resistant part of him. He could probably walk on dry ice and get away with just some chills.

The elevator ride up feels taunting, moving too slowly for his nerves but also too fast for his anxiety. It's late at night, so he'll blend in better than if it were daytime, but he's still going up into the cold, by himself, for literally no necessary reason. He moves slowly from the elevator to the trapdoor, flexing his claws and steps pausing a couple times. He doesn't turn back, though, and carefully steps up the stool and pushes the trapdoor open. It's heavier this time, the snow having heightened by nearly an inch.

There's barely a breeze, just a light dusting of falling snowflakes that catch on his fur as he drags himself up and onto the snow. He drops the trapdoor behind him, swiping his tail over the snow to erase the square line and even out the terrain again. He looks up and around, and pauses. Well, he's out here. Now what?

He stands there silent for a minute, trying to figure out what he needs to do to get rid of the contained energy in his muscles. Then he just starts walking. He's not entirely sure where he wants to go, but he knows that he needs to walk. He makes sure that his tail hovers above his own tracks, not trusting himself enough to find his way back without them. He ducks through shadows and under hanging leaves, scurrying through the tunnels created by the thick snow and foliage. There isn't another soul out this late at night, most critters are probably hibernating anyway. Like he'll go back to doing as soon as he pacifies the urges making him move.

Eventually, the trees begin to clear and Branch finds himself standing on the edge of the same frozen pond that he looked over not long before. The marks in the ice from the others are long gone, covered with new layers of ice and snow. His claws dig into the snow bank lightly, testing. He's never been ice skating before. Back before he was grey, he never got the chance, simply because there wasn't anywhere to go. The Tree didn't exactly have large water sources to freeze over, and he wanted nothing to do with it by the time they left. So he just... Never tried it.

He lightly stretches a leg out and presses a paw down on the ice. He flexes his claws, scraping them against the ice in a test before he anchors his paw down and brings his other leg and body forward. His heels slip a little, but his claws keep him in place and upright. His tail flicks nervously.

He slowly retracts his claws halfway, allowing himself enough space to slide around. He twists his left paw and gently pushes himself forward, only to instantly have his legs twist and arms flail out to stable himself. One leg flies into the air and he lands heavily on his back. He groans, sitting up and rubbing right where his tail connects before he begins to push himself up again. The egg sends him a wave of worry, reacting to his momentary pain, and he mutters quietly to it in reassurance. He keeps his claws a bit more extended, praying for a little more control as he nudges himself forward again. It's slow and choppy, but he starts to find his balance on the ice.

His tail swings and twists to keep his balance, arms swapping from full length to bent against his sides and folding against his front like a raptor. The egg nudges concern and curiosity whenever he makes a turn or topples a little, but he keeps himself from falling again. He starts to gain confidence, pushing himself around with sideways paws and flexing claws as he makes a large circle around the pond. He thinks back to what he's seen other trolls do what he was younger, remembering the intricate designs they would carve into the surface of the ice. He hums and looks down at his paws, wondering if he would be able to create them as well.

He tries to take a few sharper turns first, falling onto his side when he tries to take one too hard, and quickly decides that he is not experienced enough for pictures. He sticks to circling the pond, skating closer to the center and carving easy figure-8's into the ice. It's relaxing, in a way. The sound doesn't grate on his ears like skates do, more natural sounding instead of metal screeching. There's no one else out to judge him, nothing here to take him by surprise and attack him. Just Branch, his baby, and the pond.

"Maybe we can do this when you hatch... It could be nice..."

The egg nudges more concern towards him, although this time it's layered with happy hope. He smiles softly, ears lifting as he does a quick little spin and succeeds without falling over. It's a little like dancing, honestly, with coordination and careful footwork. He just needs to keep his paws separate and be careful of his weight being thrown around as he leans into a turn. He could probably teach them this, once he's done it a few more times.

God, he's really losing his mind.

His skating is finally cut off when he yawns, jaw clicking and cold icing his lungs. He looks up towards the sky, seeing that several hours have already passed somehow. It's really late, and if he wants to sleep at all tonight, he needs to get back home now. He slides himself over to the snow bank again, slowing down to brace for the switch of terrain. He does trip over the snow, landing on all four paws before climbing up towards the trees again and shaking himself off a bit.

The walk back is just as slow and quiet, with Branch hiding in the shadows of the forest and making sure to cover his tracks this time. Wouldn't want some winter critter to find his home. He had to dodge a snow fall once when he smacks a leaf out of his face without thinking, ending with his arm and part of his face being buried in white. He sticks his tongue out when the egg taunts him during it.

He has to dig a little bit to reach the trapdoor, leaning forward and scooping snow out of the way in pawfuls, throwing it to the side. He manages to wiggle his claws underneath the mat and pull it up, squeezing himself all the way through the opening before dropping it and dragging his paws straight to the elevator. It creaks as it descends to the main floor, reminding him to do maintenance on it tomorrow.

He yawns again as he sheds his winter clothing, tugging the bandages off of his tail and tucking them away in the closet before crawling right into bed. The egg sings happily upon being back in the nest and seems to settle once Branch curls up around it. Branch is relieved to feel that his own body has calmed down, no longer rejecting the security of the Bunker, and he sets a paw up on the egg.

"Bedtime, it's late. Still have stuff to finish, you know."

It hums back to him, warming under his touch, and lowers the beat of its music to a quiet melody, something like a nursery song. Branch smiles, tucking his nose into the nest blankets and letting the quiet song drag him into the next 3 hours of sleep.

Chapter 15: Follow the Leader

Branch knows that a storm is coming when he finds frost coating the elevator shaft. Winter is already halfway through, and the temperatures have reached their lowest so far. He went out for a stroll a couple more times after his skating, but he knows better than to challenge the freezing winds that started to shake the trees. He immediately sets about wrapping the elevator's stem, securing them with rope to keep the mechanics safe from freezing and long-term damage. He'll just have to climb for a few weeks instead of risking the elevator's strength.

He's quick to start securing the higher floors as well, covering the higher roots with tarps to protect them from the cold. He covers his meat supply to protect from frost burn, having learned the hard way how much it can damage the food. It doesn't affect him, but he'd rather keep it fresh, not dry and tough. By the time he's completely finished the top rooms, the lights in his Bunker are swaying from the rattling wind outside. He knows it isn't the worst yet, the temperature is still dropping and making his fur bristle from the chill.

He climbs back down to the bottom floor when he's done, bringing the egg out of his hair and holding it to his chest. It bounces fear towards him, obviously aware of the wind beating through the forest above them. He sits down on the couch and runs a paw over the colorful shell, gently shushing his baby.

"It's alright. The Bunker's sturdy, nothing can hurt us in here. The cold can't reach down this far."

It echos back to him, still scared and worried, but the baby starts up it's song again after a little more cooing. He drags his legs and tail up around the egg too, circling it with his body. It calms a little more in turn, and Branch sighs. He sets his chin over the floof on the top of the egg and listens to the howling above him. He can already hear branches creaking from the force of the storm, accompanied by the whistling of the wind weaving through the forest. On top of that, he can even hear... Someone yelling?

His ears perk up, twisting upwards and straining to hear more. There's several voices, actually, slowly getting louder. He can't quite recognize them with how muffled they are by the storm, but he can understand the stressed pitch in their shouts. He stays silent, listening as they move closer to the Bunker and their shouts start to take form.

"-never find them! I should have brought them in hours ago, this is all my fault!"

"Hey, hey, we'll find them! They can't be that far!"

Branch sits up straighter, muscles tense as he listens to them. 

"They'll freeze out here! Delilah! Maddie! Marsh! Oh, I never should have let them go out!"

"We'll find them, Emmy, they'll be okay!"

"Sawyer, Rai, please! Answer me! No, no, they're not gonna be okay! They might be buried in the snow already, we'll never find them!"

"Yes, we will! We just have to keep looking!"

"I'm a horrible mother!"

Branch launches himself to his feet. He can barely hear Cooper shouting back to her through the ringing in his ears. His instincts are screaming at him, telling him to do something, because even if he doesn't like the village, they're still his Tribe. He has to protect his Tribe. And even if they weren't, these are children. Little kids that have zero survival skills, lost in the forest in what has to be the worst snow storm in years. He has to do something.

He runs to his room and sets the egg down in the nest, throwing on his winter clothes and hurriedly wrapping his tail. 

"I need to go up and find those kids, they don't stand a chance out there. And the other trolls don't know anything about tracking, they'd never find them. I'll be right back."

He puts a paw on the shell in a gentle pat, nearly flinching back at the force of the fear that launches into him.

"I'll be okay, I won't take long."

Another wave of fear, a jumble of empty thoughts that he can't quite understand. He puts both paws on the egg, worried and stressed, his tail lashing behind him.

"I need to go, they'll die. I promise, I'll be back soon, okay?"

A wall of stubbornness is pushed through his paws and it clicks.

"No, you have to stay here. I won't risk you, too."

The wall broadens, layering the fear, and he bounces on his paws for a second. He doesn't want to bring the egg out into the storm, but he knows that leaving it here is only going to scare them more. Another push of fear and stubbornness, and he caves. 

"Oh- fine, fine, but you're staying in the backpack."

He quickly stuffs several blankets into the backpack, insulating it as much as he can before gently bundling the egg in another blanket and tucking it into the center. He ties the top down and uses an extra rope to secure the top flap down completely. He shrugs the backpack onto his shoulders and ties the straps together across his front with another rope. 

He feels a little push of victory and rolls his eyes at it before he starts climbing the elevator shaft. The other trolls are gone, he can't hear them anymore, but the winds sound even worse as he pulls himself into the top room. His fur bristles and his tail lashes as anxiety settles in his stomach. He cannot believe he's about to do this.

When he pulls himself out of the Bunker, he gets blasted with a cold that seeps straight into his bones. The paw prints of the other trolls are already being covered with the snow that fills the air. He can't even see a foot in front of him, and he's barely able to keep his eyes open against the wind. He drops down to all fours, his claws digging into the snow and his hair folding back against the wind to drape over the backpack. He needs to find these kids and fast.

He ducks under the foliage for a bit of cover and starts trekking through the storm. He keeps his body low to cut through the winds and speeds up to a trot, making a wide circle around the village first to try and find a trail. He finds the prints of the other trolls out searching, 3 groups of 2 in total, but no smaller tracks to follow. The mother did say that they were out hours ago, their tracks would have been covered by now. 

Branch picks up into an even run, widening his circling to try and cover more ground faster. He passes by one of the groups once, but they obviously don't hear him as he runs past. He wasn't even a few feet from them, they'd walk right past the kids at this point. It's getting darker out, too, so they're all running out of time. 

His nose twitches and he plants his paws to come to a stop, instantly spotting the colorful ribbon lodged into the snow. He stalks closer and tugs it out, sniffing it to catch the scent properly. It's still strong, this is a recent drop. He pulls it close to his chest and starts wandering around the area, nose close to the ground. When he finally catches another trace underneath the smell of fresh snow, he perks and puts the ribbon in his pocket. He circles the spot for a second, finds the direction of the path, and breaks into a sprint. He's running out of time.

The snow is getting worse, the trees are slowly vanishing into the snow, but he needs to find them. He can't let a bunch of trollings die in the snow, especially when he's so close. He can feel his egg's fear ripple through the backpack and against his back, and it just pushes him faster. He needs to get all of these kids out of the snow immediately, right now. 

Finally, he spots several sets of little paw prints in the snow, fresh enough that they haven't been completely covered. He turns sharply and charges after them, opening his mouth and letting out a high clicking that he didn't know he was capable of. He clears his throat and shouts instead.

"Kids! Can you hear me?!"

"Help!"

He perks, lifting his head and squinting through the snow. He starts hearing snow crunching as he follows the paw prints, and finally sees the small group appear through the snow. The oldest can't be over 10 years old, and the youngest is hidden against her chest, small enough that they can't be over a couple months.

"Over here! We're here!"

He stands up the second he can make out features on them, quickly stretching his arms out and circling the group in together. 5 kids in total, ranging in ages, and shivering worse than the surrounding leaves.

"Hey! Hey, hey, I'm here. I'm gonna get you all home. Is this all of you?"

The oldest nods, her lip quivering as she tries to adjust the baby in her arms. The tiny trolling is asleep, not shivering or crying, and that over everything is worrying. Branch pulls his coat off without a second thought, wiggling it out from between his back and the backpack. His fur puffs up against the cold, but he ignores it. 

"I'm gonna wrap them in this and carry them, okay? And you four, you're gonna hold on to each other, and hold on to me. I know how to get back. Is that okay? Can I take them?"

"She's cold, I don't know what to do-"

"I know, it's gonna be okay. I'll get you all home, you're all gonna be okay."

He gently reaches out and scoops the baby up from the oldest's arms, then carefully sets the baby into the center of his empty jacket. He zips it up and ties the sleeves tight over the chest, making an effective sling that he slips over his head. He drags his tail against the wind and pushes it against the side of the group.

"Keep one paw on me and the other on each other, okay? Tight line, we'll be okay."

It takes a second of adjusting before he has the oldest's paw held in his and four tiny paws clinging to the length of his tail. His fur bristles briefly at being touched, but the feeling is drowned by a flare of protectiveness. He has the children, he's going to get them all home.

"Do not let go!"

He uses his free arm to hold the jacket sling tighter to his chest and starts trudging back through the snow, slower than before. The end of his tail wraps around the last kid's back to keep them in pace as they walk against the wind. His arms are freezing, he feels exposed with his dark fur a hard contrast against the snow, but he locks his jaw and keeps walking. The tracks are gone, that's fine, he doesn't need them now. He remembers the way.

It takes a horribly long hour to fight against the worsening snow and reach the edge of the valley, the drop nearly invisible from the snow. He flexes his tail to signal a stop, turning to shout to them.

"We're at the edge, we have to slide down! Come here, sit next to me!"

They hesitate before following his command, coming to sit at his feet.

"Hold on to each other, I'm going to follow you down! Keep your legs and tail up!"

The oldest keeps her legs braced against the side to hold the group in place, waiting until Branch gently presses against her back to tell her to go. He sees her take a deep breath before letting them slide down the steep wall, their screams being taken by the wind. Branch moves over a few inches and quickly follows them down, keeping the baby cradled tight against his chest and sliding down on his side to keep pressure off of the backpack. 

He bounces to his paws the second he hits the ground and takes the few steps over to the young group again.

"Here, take my paw! Let's get you kids somewhere safe."

Several paws latch onto his arm, one grabbing at the side where his vest would usually be before joining the others. He curls over the baby a bit, even though the wind is a bit calmer in the valley. It's still not good, still beats against his fur, but he can hear through it now. And with his regained hearing, he picks up the sound of sobbing. It's heart wrenching, the troll sounds destroyed, but he recognizes her voice. He also recognizes Cooper and Ablaze's voices trying to talk to her, so he quickly turns and guides the trollings back to their mother.

"Hey! Over here!"

He tugs his arm forward once he sees the group in front of him. He sees Cooper straighten up from where his head was dipped down to the troll on the ground, and is able to see their faces brighten as he gets closer. The trollings are able to see their mom now, all of them gasping or crying out. 

"Mom!" "Mama!!" "We're okay!"

The three younger trolls let go of Branch's arm, running forward as their mom looks up and cries out, getting up to run and meet them. The oldest stays next to him as he steps closer, gripping his arm and looking between her mom and the sling. Branch waits until he's settled next to the group to take the sling off of his neck and unzip it. 

"We need to get inside, right now."

The mom- Emmy?- gasps when she looks up and sees her baby cradled against his chest. He manages to keep a cringe from his face, looking her in the eye to convey how important this is.

"We need to go, get up."

She blinks before nodding and getting up. She still holds her three children closer to her, the oldest yet to let go of his arm. 

"Come- come here, this way, my pod is this way."

Branch nods, ears twitching as the other trolls move to block the kids from the wind- and subsequently, him as well. His tail curls closer to himself as they walk through the snow and approach a low hanging pod. Emmy pulls the front petal open and they all quickly file in, the pod closing behind them. While the others start getting the other kids out of their frozen clothes, Branch drops to his knees. He looks up at the oldest and talks quietly.

"I need my arm back for this. Can you do me a favor?"

She nods, looking nervous as ever.

"I need you to go warm up a towel, okay? Not burning hot, just warm. Can you do that for me?"

She gulps, but nods and runs off into the next room. Branch quickly brings the baby out of the jacket and starts inspecting her, biting his lip when he sees that the tips of her paws, ears, and tail have started turning a waxy blue, the fur stiff and flaky. Frostbite, but still treatable if he acts quickly. 

"Someone get warm water."

The other trolls all freeze when he talks, staring at him like they forgot he was there.

"Now!"

They quickly jump into action when he snaps at them, Ablaze running into the kitchen to get a bowl of warm water just as the kid comes back and hands Branch the warm towel. He mumbles a soft 'thank you, good job' and sets the baby in the center of it. He takes one side in his paw and gently starts rubbing it against the baby's fur, working carefully to raise her temperature. Her breaths are shallow and stuttery, but at least she's alive.

Ablaze sets the bowl of slightly steaming water in front of him along with another towel, which Branch quickly dips an edge of it into the bowl. He uses his thumbs to press the warm towel against the baby's torso and face, ignoring the puttering around him as he works the warmth through her thin fur. He leaves the warm towel draped over the baby's torso and takes the soaked towel from the bowl. Ever so carefully, he presses one of the hurt paws into the soaked towel. He holds it there for a few seconds before moving to another one of the frostbitten limbs.

The other trolls all circle around him, muttering worryingly and pacing from place to place. The oldest stands next to him, following any quiet orders he gives, and watching her baby sister get warmed. He has her rewarm the water twice before the waxen color fades to a reddish-purple, the fur having fallen away from the cold patches to expose the skin beneath. The baby's breathing has picked up, but she stays asleep, if a little fussy. He coos softly to calm her as he warms each part of her carefully.

"I need a bigger bowl. Do you mind getting me something that she can fit in?"

The oldest sister nods and runs off, coming back with a shallow bucket. He guides her through pouring the water into the bucket, with the help of their mother. He puts a finger into the water to test the temperature before very carefully setting the baby's body into the water, keeping her head elevated. He's handled enough hypothermia and frostbite scares in his life, he knows they need to be submerged completely to let the blood and muscle warm back to normal. 

The mother hesitantly steps forward after a few silent minutes.

"Will... Will she be okay?..."

He looks up at her, sighs softly, and nods.

"She'll be sore, tired, and the frostnipped spots will take a bit for the fur to grow back, but she'll be fine. There shouldn't be any long term problems. You should still take her to a doctor once the weather clears, just to be safe."

She nods, looking from him to the baby he's still supporting. Her eyes are glassy, and he's worried that she's going to break down again when she drops down to her knees, but she hugs him instead. He freezes, ears pinning back, but doesn't pull away.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

He stays quiet, waiting for her to pull away before he nods slightly as a welcome. He focuses on the baby again, using a paw to gently run water over her ears, hair, and very carefully over her face. Finally, she starts to stir and blinks blearily up at them. Branch lifts her out of the makeshift bath and wraps her in the warm towel again, swaddling her like he's been practicing before slowly handing her to her oldest sister. 

"She'll be okay."

He stands up, stepping back when the other kids start to crowd the baby to look at her, talking rapidly and apologizing. He sighs softly, tail twitching as anxiety starts to set in now that the adrenaline is fading. He doesn't like being in pods.

One of the other trolls takes the bucket and bowl away, the others starting to settle down now that everyone is safe. The baby is passed to the mother, who is still kneeling on the floor next to her children and crying softly. Branch looks between each of the trolls in the room, meeting Ablaze's eyes last. His fr- the other troll smiles at him, pride sparkling in his eyes. Branch drops his gaze, his face burning slightly.

"Um... Mister?..."

The oldest is tugging on his arm, asking for his attention. He looks down at her, concerned and curious.

"Yeah?"

She looks nervous, shifting on her paws.

"I'm sorry for getting lost. And for scaring everyone."

"I don't think it should be me you apologize to, but I doubt you did it on purpose. Accidents happen, and everyone is okay."

The kid nods, then hesitates again and opens her arms out wide. It takes him a second before he smiles softly and drops down to a knee, lifting an arm in offer. She perks and quickly clings to him, squeezing around his neck.

"Thank you. Thank you for saving us. You're really brave."

"Of course, I couldn't leave you all there. I told you I'd get you all back, didn't I?"

She smiles when she pulls back, rocking on her heels.

"I'm Delilah."

He smiles, holding a paw out for a shake.

"Branch."

She grins as she shakes his paw and steps back when he gets up.

"You should get your family to bed, it's been an eventful day. I think you mom could really use a nap."

She perks and nods, puffing up her chest. Before she can run back to her family, he gestures her closer. He leans down and cups his paw near his mouth, mock-whispering like it's a secret.

"By the way, I think you're really brave, too."

She beams up at him, bouncing on her paws, and hugs him one more time before running back to her family. He sighs, picking up his ignored jacket and wiggling it back on. He zips it up and adjusts his backpack. The baby is babbling softly to her siblings, little paws kneading the air. Seeing that everyone is safely inside, now, he decides to head back to his own home. He needs to get back before the storm gets any worse.

"Branch?"

He turns back to find Cooper walking towards him, looking concerned.

"You're going back out there?"

"Yeah, I need to get home before it gets worse."

"But- it's really bad already."

"Which is why I need to go now, so I can get back without something falling over and blocking me."

"You could stay here."

He looks back towards Emmy, his tail flicking as his muscles flex. He needs to get out of this pod.

"Just until the storm lightens, at least? I don't want you getting hurt."

"I'll be fine."

"Are you- are you sure?"

He takes a deep breath.

"I've survived in the woods my entire life, I can get back home. Thank you, but I need to go. Pods make me... Nervous. I'm sorry."

"No- no, it's okay, just be safe. Please? Can I give you something to take with you?"

"No, I just need to go. If I'm carrying anything, it'll slow me down."

She looks a little dejected, but nods.

"Please be safe."

"I'll be fine. You keep everyone in here until the wind settles down, and keep her warm."

She nods, and Branch turns away to exit the pod. Ignoring the worried looks from the other trolls, he slips out of the front petal without fully opening it, quickly dropping down into the snow. Crouching low again, he stalks back out of the valley and into the blinding snow coating the forest once again.

Notes:

I can't explain how excited I've been to write this and the next couple chapters.

 

Edit: Just changed the chapter title because I liked it better

Chapter 16: A New Song

He was wrong. He was so, so wrong. Nothing is okay.

The snow had gotten so much worse in a matter of minutes, and Branch can barely see his paw held out in front of him through the white cover. He thought he knew where he was going, he's lived in this forest for almost 20 years! But the wind is throwing off his balance, and he can't see any of the trees anymore, and his panic is setting in heavily as he tries to find some sort of marker as to where he is. 

He can't even go back to the village, he's already tried. He has no clue where he is, or which direction he came from, and he's pretty sure he's running in circles. His tracks are covered before he can turn around to follow them, so he can't get back to the valley like he usually would. And on top of that, the branches he knows are hanging over him keep creaking and cracking threateningly, making him jumpy and frantic to find any sort of shelter. This, this is why he doesn't go out during winter!

He wishes he had stayed with the other trolls, even though he knows everyone would have been uncomfortable. At least he wouldn't be trapped out in the blizzard, with his backpack pulling on his shoulders and chest every time the wind shifts. He tries to call out a sound of distress, but his voice is carried away before it can form a proper word. His tail fights the wind to tuck between his legs, the bandages wrapped around it coated in snow like the rest of him. 

The darkness doesn't help, making him practically blind to everything, and he kind of wants to cry. He hasn't felt this helpless in years. He's been alone since he was a kid, but he feels beyond reach, trapped in the whirlwind of the storm. No one would be able to find him if he died out here, not until the snow thaws in the spring. 

And his egg- god, his egg, he should have stayed back in the pod just to keep his egg safe, he should have known how bad the storm was going to get. 

His paw stops higher than the rest of his steps, hitting something solid instead of sinking into the powdered snow. He drags his claws against the surface, perking when he feels the jagged scrape of claw on wood. A tree! He can't even see the form of the tree towering over him, which is terrifying, but at least he found something to crowd against. 

Branch digs his claws into the tree root, following it up towards the base of the tree. The roots climb upwards as he gets closer, and he crouches down against the snow once his paw presses flat against the trunk. There isn't many trees around the village where the roots lift the tree above the ground, and even fewer that he uses. Maybe...

Somehow, he's incredibly lucky, because when he pushes his paw down into the snow, he finds the small weaving of twigs that he tied around a smaller root; his own marker for one of his emergency hides. He instantly starts digging, claws grabbing onto slowly freezing clumps of snow and throwing pawfuls to the side. He pushes his face into the pit several times before he's able to wriggle his body through the makeshift tunnel. After the tug that pushes his backpack and chest through the hole, he drops down several inches into the burrow. 

Everything is still dark and cold, but the dirt is free of snow and the other openings have been packed with icy snow, trapping heat underneath the tree. Branch pushes himself away from the opening and presses himself against the opposite wall. His breathing is rapid and whistling, and his body won't stop shivering from the cold and fear that burns through his veins.

Okay. This is okay. This is good. He's in shelter, a strong, stable burrow that he knows will last him through the storm. He's safe, he just needs to calm down. Breathing fast only makes your chest hurt, slow down.

He forces his breath down to a shaky pace, flexing his claws against the ground and puffing his fur up to try and expell the fear. He doesn't stop shaking, from the cold or the adrenaline, he isn't sure. Carefully, he drops down to sitting and unties the rope holding the backpack on him. He relaxes a little more with the backpack off of him, dragging it in front of him to get the top untied and open. His fur begins to bristle when he flips it open, reaching in the tug his egg out of the tiny nest.

He's slammed with a suffocating wave of terror the moment his paws touch the blanketed shell. His heart sinks as he realizes that his baby is scared, so scared that they aren't even attempting a song. He quickly pulls it out and into his lap, drawing his legs and tail up to circle the egg.

"No, no, no, it's okay, it's okay, shh, I'm here, we're going to be okay. We're not in the storm, okay? Not anymore, we're safe here, it'll be okay."

For the first time, it doesn't work. The egg doesn't respond aside from several random, high and out of tune notes that display their fear. He shouldn't have brought them along, he should have left them in the Bunker, warm and safe. Of course they wouldn't like the snow, they were abandoned and left to freeze!

He opens his jacket and pulls the egg against his chest, fluffing his fur up as much as he can and attempts to wrap himself fully around it. His own anxiety is growing again from his inconsolable baby, he doesn't know what to do. The egg isn't listening to what he says, it's not responding when he tries to convey comfort through the warmth, he doesn't know what to do. What helped him when he was a baby? He doesn't remember being an egg, obviously, and the only times he was really scared and had someone to help-

Oh.

Oh boy.

He chews on his lip, tail flicking over the egg's shell as he weighs his options. It doesn't take long to come to a decision, he'll do anything to comfort his terrified baby. Adjusting his body to curl over the egg more, Branch takes a deep breath, and opens his mouth.

"I remember tears streaming down your face, when I said I'll never let you go,"

He clears his throat, trying to get rid of the shake in his voice from so long of disuse. 

"When all those shadows almost killed your light."

His paws flex, his dark fur blending in to the deep soil surrounding them. The blue of the egg's shell is a hard contrast against his own colors.

"I remember you said 'don't leave me here alone',"

The lullaby feels foreign now, it's been years since he's heard it, and he was never the one singing. The last time he heard it was his 4th Trollstice, when he was hiding underneath the bed and his-... And she was trying to coax him out.

"But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight."

His heart aches with each word, every note that fills the space. He doesn't recognize his own voice, this voice has never sung a single note. He didn't think it ever would.

"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down,"

Apperantly, he was wrong.

"You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now,"

The egg has stopped the crackling notes, the fear still aching in his mind, but they're listening.

"Come morning light, you and I'll be safe, and, sound..."

He swallows to try and steady his voice another time, and realizes that his egg is picking up a melody again. It isn't their usual one, but instead, their notes are tentatively meeting his own. He hums the notes of what would be a guitar solo, the egg carefully matching his song and following his lead.

"Don't you dare look out your window, darling, everything's on fire,"

He remembers the flames that always accompanied the beginning of a harvest, and he remembers her guiding him further into their pod, away from the horror outside.

"The war outside our door keeps raging on."

The fear is slowly ebbing away, his fur softening out of the bristles as the two calm each other. He wonders if the baby can feel his memories like he can feel their thoughts.

"Hold on to this lullaby... Even when the music's gone..."

He swears he can hear an echo of her voice, a soft, aged voice whispering in his ears and coating his song with a gentle layer of love. 

"Gone..."

Branch misses her. He misses her hugs, and her baking, and her smile, and her little crafts that she would make with him.

"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down,"

He misses how she would always make him feel loved, even when he thought he didn't deserve it.

"You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now,"

He misses her. He misses all of them.

"Come morning light, you and I'll be safe,"

The egg's notes grow louder as his voice strengthens, his tail and paws tightening around it.

"And,"

He misses his family.

"Sound..."

He misses when they cared.

"Oooo~"

A symphony of voices sing in his memories, a harmony he only got to hear together once in his life. 

"Oooo~"

All of them layer behind his own voice, a perfect echo to his soul as tears threaten to spill.

"Ah laa~"

He lets them slide down his cheeks, dripping onto his jacket and slipping down the side of the fabric into the dirt.

"Ah laa~"

If he closes his eyes, he can almost believe that they're sitting next to him, singing along.

"Oooo~"

Grandma sitting next to him, Floyd on his other side, Clay, Spruce and John all surrounding them. 

"Oooo~"

He remembers the only time the five older trolls sang this to him, although it's faint. He remembers how safe he felt.

"Ah laa~"

He doesn't need the details.

"Ah laa~"

He just knows that they cared. They loved him. They made him feel safe.

"Just close your eyes,"

The other voices go quiet, his own voice more sure than it's been in ages.

"You'll be alright,"

His egg sings along, their notes wispy and soft to match his own quiet words.

"Come morning light, you and I'll be safe,"

Something shifts in his chest, down to his very core. 

"And,"

It feels like something connects after being undone for a long, long time.

"Sound..."

He feels a wave of warmth course through him, making his body relax as the fear dissipates from both him and his egg.

"Oooo~"

The harmony picks up again, this time matching his without the delay. 

"Oooo~"

He feels warm, comforted in a way he swears he remembers from when he was a baby.

"Oooo~"

He closes his eyes and leans fully back against the burrow's wall, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling.

"Oooo~"

He always wondered what happened to them after they all split ways. Maybe one of them has kids, too.

"Oooo~"

Maybe they met other trolls, found love, found success. Maybe they're happier on their own.

"Oooo~"

He wonders if they think about him as much as he thinks about them. If they looked for him.

"Oooo~"

He doesn't like that he still hopes to see them again. They don't deserve that hope.

"Oooo~"

He wishes they hadn't left. He misses having a family around him.

"Oooo~"

The egg warms under his paws, making him pull it closer to his chest again, a finger tracing the stripes circling the shell.

"Oooo~"

He thinks that he might have a family now, after all. It might be different than what he'd hoped for, but he loves them anyway.

"Oooo~"

The other voices fade away, leaving only his own voice and the gentle humming notes of his baby singing with him.

"Oooo~"

The memories fade with the song, leaving just Branch and his egg curled up in the burrow. Despite the storm still raging just outside, they send content and happiness between each other. Branch runs a grey paw over the flecks of silver on the shell and smiles, love joining the emotional mix. A few more tears slip free when love flows right back into his paws, shooting up through his blood and settling in the previously hallow space in his chest.

He chuckles wetly when the egg chirps a couple notes out, suggesting another soft melody for him to pick up. After a moment to breathe, he does pick up the notes, digging into his old skills and begins to improvise the song. The music feels wonderful, not overwhelming and grating like it usually does. It feels like hope, like a step forward.

It feels like home.

Notes:

What's a Trolls fic without a song chapter? First time I've tried to merge a song with writing, I hope it went well.

Song is Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift, if you're wondering
https://youtu.be/a7kU8GPLn_E?si=FfMwsc5rO_14VuDG

Chapter 17: Morning After

Branch sings with his egg until the wind dies down and the snow blocking the entrance of the hideout glows with sunlight. He doesn't even realize that the storm has passed at first, too distracted by the music that echos in the burrow. He perks when he does notice the reflecting light, quickly gathering the backpack and rope and standing up.

"The storm stopped. How about we get home so we can try to rest, yeah? And get warm."

There's a quick chord of disappointment at the songs stopping, but then the egg sends hope and excitement through his paws. He smiles and nudges his nose against the egg's shell before moving to bundle it in the backpack again. It hums happily upon being wrapped in the blankets, warmed by sitting against Branch for several hours. Branch takes a second to secure the ropes around the backpack again, then ties it across his chest to keep it pressed against his back.

The snow is stiff when he tries to paw at it, solid from the low temperatures of the storm, so he digs his claws in to break apart the ice. He shoves chunks of icy snow away from the entrance, slowly but surely, until he makes a large hole in the snow to wiggle his body and backpack through. He fluffs his fur up and shakes out each limb, brushing the snow and dirt off of him, then checks the wrappings around his tail. Positive that all appendages are safe from the cold, Branch grips the straps of his backpack and looks around.

The forest really does look different in winter, all landmarks and natural paths are hidden entirely by the deep snow. Thankfully, he can figure out the general area depending on which burrow this is. He knows he has 3 burrows around the village, so he just needs to figure out which direction leads him back to the valley. He turns and tests the bark with his claws before scurrying up the trunk of the tree, kicking snow off of the branch he stops on. 

It's easier to figure out his location up high, he has a wider view of the area and distant sounds travel better without the foliage on the ground muffling it. The trees all look the same still, so he can't find his way with just his vision, but his swiveling ears pick up the echo of music coming from his right. He triple-checks the strength of the rope ties holding his egg safely against him, then climbs across the branch on all fours. For once, the village's songs are useful.

He crouches down, tensing up his legs and eyeing the distance between one tree and the other, then leaps into action. Flinging himself from tree to tree, he can already see the damage that the storm has caused. Every few trees, he sees branches on the ground, some winter bushes have been nearly flattened by the wind, and most of the trees have a wall of ice along the bottom of their trunks. There's no evidence of any critters, most likely all of them have hidden themselves away from the snow long before the storm got worse. 

He slows down once he finds the trees clearing, the valley dropping down below him and already colored with the other trolls. He trots to the end of the branch he's on, peering down at the villagers as they finish their singing. He must have been in the burrow longer than he thought, it wasn't even the morning song that brought him here.

He can see a couple groups of trolls splitting up to deal with damages from the blizzard. A couple pods have fallen from the trees, and an entire branch is downed across the center of the village, thankfully having no pods crushed underneath it. A few are trying to brush the snow off of the still hanging pods, one of the only things he's ever seen them do in the name of safety. He can see Poppy and her friends gathering rope to try to lift one of the fallen pods into the air again, talking loudly and attempting to twist the rope around the entirety of the pod. 

He looks over the rest of the trolls, spotting 2 standing outside of the doctor's pod, one's arm looks pretty twisted from what he can see. They must have been in one of the downed pods. They don't look all that upset about it though. As he's watching them, tail swaying behind him, the family he was waiting for walks out. Emmy steps out, thanking Dr. Moonbloom as she cradles the baby against her chest, and Delilah is herding her younger siblings out to play in the snow. He relaxes upon seeing the baby reaching towards the other children, letting himself breathe a sigh of relief that cuts off by a yawn. He really needs to stop pulling all-nighters.

Branch lays down against the wood, tail twisting into the grooves of the bark and locking him in place. He's not tired enough to pass out here like last time, but he doesn't mind laying down for a few minutes, just watching the community come alive underneath his watch. He even sees King Peppy wandering around within the crowds.

He watches the Snack Pack fight the downed pod for nearly half an hour before he gets up and stretches. They're not doing it right at all, they haven't even gotten the rope up onto a branch yet. He hops across the trees to get closer before crouching down, eyeing the distance between him and the ground carefully. He braces himself, adjusts his paws, and throws himself downward, twisting in the air to land on all four paws quietly behind the struggling group. He flexes his paws as he stands, stretching away the light ache from a large drop. He crosses his arms and watches them for another minute before making himself known.

"You're doing that wrong."

They all shout and fall over, and Branch's tail sways in amusement at the cloud of snow they kick up. There's a couple groans as they try to untangle themselves from the rope and sit up. Cooper, despite being the most tangled, is the first to grin up at him. Branch sighs and moves over to unwind the length of rope from the long troll. Poppy quickly speaks up once she gets herself free.

"Branch! You're here?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because you're doing that wrong."

A couple of the others huff at this, the twins putting their paws on their hips once they're able to stand up as well.

"Well, let's see you do it, then!"

"Okay."

Most of the group blink in shock as he gathers the rope and undoes their shotty ties, pulling the rope all the way off of the pod. He runs a large length of the rope diagonally across the pod, then double-knots it together tightly. Cooper, Poppy, and Guy move closer to observe him as he does the same tie again in the opposite direction. He ties a connecting rope across the bottom of the pod, tugging to ensure that it won't slip from the makeshift net. Finally, he ties 4 cords on each side of the net and climbs up to the top of the pod, tying the set together into one large tether.

Cooper whistles in awe when Creek picks at the binding, showing how strong Branch's technique is. Even he raises an impressed eyebrow, making Branch feel a snarking pride. He doesn't wait for their approval or questions, quickly biting down on the very end of the tether and launching himself upward. There's a few shouts of surprise as he scales the side of the valley, and then the tree directly above the group and pod. 

He stops on a lower branch, climbing out to about halfway before bouncing to test the strength of the limb. He ignores the loud questioning below him, quickly patting down a section of the snow to make a groove. It keeps the rope from wandering, and also protects the rope from snapping against the bark. He nudges at the packed snow before guiding the rope through the groove and dropping down again, the end still locked between his teeth. He only pulls it into his paws when he lands fully, giving a light tug to test the strength. After knowing that the branch will withhold the weight of the pod, Branch looks over at the other trolls expectantly.

"I can't pull this up by myself."

"Oh!"

Poppy jogs over, followed by the rest, and Branch pulls on the rope enough to give them all space. 10 pairs of paws- and Smidge's hair- grip onto the rope tether and Branch shuffles his paws to brace himself.

"On 3, everybody pull. 1. 2. 3!"

Branch digs his claws into the rope as the group pulls as one, the pod shifting upright before steadily lifting from the ground. He eyes the length of the pod's broken stem before stopping them once he thinks it's close enough to the branch.

"I need you guys to hold it there while I attach the stem, can you do that?"

"Um... Wait, just a sec- hey! Over here! A little help please!"

Poppy waves to a couple trolls passing by, asking for assistance as Branch flexes his claws again. They quickly bound over, as well as a few other stray trolls, and quickly take Branch's place holding the rope. He ducks out of the group and instantly scales the valley and tree again, climbing over to the tether. He pushes the rest of the snow out of the way and wraps his tail around the bark, carefully using it to hang down from the branch and reach the pod's stem. 

He pulls himself back up, stem grasped in his paw, and settles himself on the branch. One loop around the branch itself with the vine, then Branch starts picking at the surface of the tree. The top layer of bark comes up easily with his claws, and he digs a small dip into the wood before he feeds the end of the stem into the tree. He presses the bark down over the connection again, holding it until he feels the bump smooth out and sees the colors of the pod brighten from the corner of his eye.

"Alright, ease up a bit! Don't drop it yet!"

The group of trolls give the tether some slack, and Branch sighs when the pod doesn't drop any further from the lack of tension. He throws a thumbs-up down to the others before gently climbing down to the top of the pod and beginning to take apart the web of rope. He drops it all down to the snow before following it down, his fur puffing up when the group of trolls move towards him. 

He steps away from an attempted hug, from Poppy of course, and begins to gather the rope into one big loop.

"See? Way easier."

"That was amazing! How do you know how to do that?"

"Mostly from setting traps or moving fallen branches from the paths. There's a couple more that went down, right?"

Poppy smiles a beam of sunshine and nods, quickly guiding the growing group off towards the next fallen pod. Branch only moves to the front of the group once they stop around it, the three of the Pack that got a good look at his work following him up. He hands them a length of the rope and instructs them on how to replicate the knots he uses. Cooper moves over to him as he's working on the bottom rope, dropping his head down to level next to Branch.

"Hey man, you doing good? That was a nasty storm yesterday."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Got stuck outside last night, so that sucked."

"Oh, what?! Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yep, found a burrow to use."

"Oh, awesome!"

"Mhm. Besides, everyone survived, didn't we?"

Cooper laughs with genuine happiness, his paws stomping excitedly as Branch stands up and brushes his paws off. It draws a couple curious stares, which makes Branch bristle with unease, but he quickly shakes it off and climbs up to connect the tether. The process continues from there, speeding up with the next pod after Poppy gets the hang of the constrictor knot. Branch hums with a bit of pride as he looks up at their finished work, then can't help but grin when his egg reflects his pride back to him through the fabric of the backpack. 

Some of the trolls wander off quickly to celebrate a job well done, and the Snack Pack lingers around him for a moment. Creek and Poppy step out of the group first to talk to him.

"Branch, thank you so much, that helped a lot!"

"Uh, yeah. No problem. You would've been there for hours if I didn't step in."

"Yeah, probably. We can't even get up in the trees like you can!"

"Yes, I must admit that your wild nature came in handy, this time."

And there goes his good mood. What a bitch. His face strains as he tries not to drop into a snarl at the condescending comment.

"Right, it's almost like I know what I'm doing."

Creek does that thing where he tilts his head and smiles in a way that feels stupidly mocking, and it makes Branch's claws flex against his sides. His tail slashes behind him, kicking up a mist of snow as he pulls his shoulders up. The only thing keeping him from snapping at the purple troll is his egg's worry nudging against his spine. DJ Suki realizes the tension first and skips forward to separate the two before he really tests Branch's patience.

"Either way- you really helped us a lot today Branch. Thank you. You're pretty cool, dude."

His fur flattens again as he relaxes, pointedly ignoring Creek now and turning his attention to the rest of the group. He's not used to seeing them smile at him. It makes him feel weird. 

"Yeah. Again, not a big deal. Just thought you needed help, so. I'm gonna go home now."

"Oh, what? You're not gonna hang out with us?"

"Poppy, no offense, but I just want to get home."

Creek steps up to her side again, making Branch tense and he feels his egg press an ounce of annoyance through him, mimicking his own. The rest of the Snack Pack move up to talk to him and suddenly he starts feeling fidgety. His tail flicks behind him when Biggie talks, sparking a chain reaction through the group.

"Come on, hang out with us!"

"Yeah, Branch, just for a bit!"

"We won't even touch you for hug time!"

His heart starts to race as his ears pin back, feeling horribly cornered as they all start to talk over each other. Poppy suddenly looks concerned, but now she's too close too and he just needs to-

"I DIDN'T-!"

They all stop at his outburst, including Branch, who's caught off guard by the pitching chirp that layered the words. He clears his throat, steps away from the group, and turns his eyes away.

"I didn't sleep last night. At all. So I just want to go home and go to bed."

They deflate at that, looking mildly guilty for hounding him, and a bit concerned. They're probably thinking about when he fell asleep in a tree a few weeks ago. Which sucks, he doesn't want their sympathy. Cooper looks more worried than all of them, apperantly still being the only one that knows he was out in the storm at all. Poppy toys with her paws as she looks at him and he really just wants to leave.

"I-I'm sorry, Branch, I didn't know..."

"I know. I know you didn't. I just... I need to go, okay? Sorry."

He turns and starts to scale the valley wall again, trying to get away as fast as possible. He can feel the worry radiating from his baby and he really just wants to get back to the safety of his Bunker and curl up in his bed with his egg. He flinches when Cooper shouts up to him.

"Take care, dude! Hope you sleep well!"

He looks down over his shoulder, noticing that the other trolls have already started to move away from him, but Cooper remains looking up at him. He sighs shakily and offers a smile down to the funky troll, which makes him perk up and smile back, stomping in the snow before taking off after his friends. 

Branch climbs the rest of the way up and immediately sets off towards his home. His body feels twitchy and his claws won't listen to him, constantly flexing around nothing. His tail covers his tracks with the snow as he speed-walks to his Bunker, only relaxing once the trapdoor shuts over him. He climbs down the elevator shaft and goes directly for the kitchen. 

Branch takes the backpack off and unties it, leaving it on the ground for now in favor of lifting his egg against his chest. His fur fluffs up to cover as much of the egg as he can while he digs through his cabinets for an easy meal. He ends up just putting together a jam sandwich, eating it quickly and cleaning up immediately after. His egg sings against him and he finally gets to relax, allowing the exhaustion to overtake him. It's been a very emotionally draining 24 hours.

He unwraps his tail on his way to his bedroom, bundling the bandages into a ball and setting them on the nightstand for now. He sets the egg in the blanket nest so he can shed the winter clothes finally. He takes a second to really stretch out, making his muscles tense and shiver with the strain before crawling into bed. Humming quietly with the egg, he brings his own blanket up around the both of them, his chest aching with the gentle love that loops between them as he drops into sleep.

Notes:

That should be the last of the angst for a bit, don't worry.

I should mention that this fic is going to be really long. I intend to get through all 3 movies, and probably a little bit after and in between.

I'm glad that you all like my dumb little story, though! Thank you all so much for the support!

 

Quick Edit: I don't mean dumb in a bad way, I just use it as another form of 'silly'

Chapter 18: Dropping In

Somehow, he sleeps all the way through the night, waking up at 5 am like he usually does. He only realizes how long it's been when his stomach protests loudly upon getting up. He did fall asleep in the middle of the day, after all. So, after securing the egg up in his hair, Branch heads out to the kitchen. He starts a pot of coffee before climbing through his Bunker, gathering ingredients for breakfast.  

He gathers a pretty easy breakfast: a couple cuts of meat, a pawful of sunflower seeds, and a nice big strawberry. He feels more awake than usual even before he downs his first mug of coffee. He would pass it off as the extra sleep, but there was a time where he slept for nearly 3 days straight and he still woke up tired. Admittedly, it isn't too much above his normal drowsiness, but he's surprised that he can climb the entire elevator shaft without falling.

Breakfast is swift, he munches on the seeds and cuts up the strawberry while the meat cooks on the stove. He hums with his egg when he isn't eating, paw tapping the ground as he goes about his morning routine. It takes 3 cups of coffee for him to realize that he has the urge to sing for the first time in 2 decades. It's enough of a shock to give him pause, he kind of thought the song in the cave would be a one time thing. He quickly shakes it off, though. He might sing around his baby, but there's no way he's going to suddenly go back to impulsively singing every 5 minutes.

He decides to paint the baby's room today. The room is sturdy and the last step before he starts organizing the furniture that he has is to decorate the walls. He drags what he does have out of the room first before climbing the elevator stem again to reach one of the storage rooms. He weaves through the shelves and gets to the flower petals and starts sorting through the colors. 

He has a large range of flowers tied away against the wall, ranging from bush flowers, like the pink rhododendron bundle, to single flowers, like the purple and yellow pansies. There's even a few roses in a variety of colors, just because he isn't color picky when it comes to something with health benefits. For now, though, he grabs a large bunch of light blue hydrangeas to use as a base color. He hopes to put designs on the walls later, but he needs to practice first. He's not the best at art. 

He climbs down to another storage room to hunt down a mortar and pestle, which he's pretty sure he still has. Granted, it's been a long time since he's had to grind up a large amount of anything, and he keeps his smaller one down in the kitchen for coffee. It takes nearly 10 minutes for him to locate it, he really needs to clean out his storage rooms next, but he then drops down to the main floor and sets everything on the floor. He picks the petals off of each flower and drops them into the bowl, being careful not to drop in a piece of a leaf as he strips the bundle. 

The grinding sound is grating on his ears and makes him wince as he crushes up the blue petals, but he pushes through it. He's going to be doing it more often anyway, he better get used to it now. He taps the pestle off once he's done and moves the mortar up onto the counter, then gets a pot of water up to a boil on the stove. He runs around and gets a bottle of vinegar and a bucket while he's waiting, thinking for a moment before he finds a little bottle of lavender as well. He turns the heat off and dumps the petal dust into the bucket, then mixes a small bit of vinegar into the water and starts pouring it into the bucket as well.

After mixing it together into a thick liquid, he adds a small bit of lavender just to get rid of the sharp scent of vinegar and paint. He cleans up all of the items he used before moving the heavy bucket into the play room. He pauses, looking around at the room before ducking back out and hunting down one of the glowing mushrooms that light his bunker. He tilts his head to see under the cap and gently digs out several spores, cupping them in his paw to keep them from slipping out onto the ground. He doesn't want to uproot some misplaced mushrooms anytime soon.

He slips on a work apron on his way back, hoping to keep the paint from his clothes and fur when he begins. He looks around the room again before carefully selecting a few places to pack the spores into the walls. He tucks a group of them into one section of the room and dedicates it as a nap corner. He already left a paintbrush in here a few days ago, when he initially started actually planning the interior, so he picks it up and begins to paint. 

Branch gets about a quarter of the walls painted when there's a knock that echos through the Bunker. It isn't Poppy's knock. He drops the brush into the bucket and yanks off the apron, dropping it on the floor. He focuses his hearing upwards as he begins to shift towards the elevator. Several pairs of paws, small, but not enough to be the Snack Pack, and too many to be just Cooper. He can't make out the quiet conversation the trolls are having, nor can he recognize the voices through the layers.

He climbs up the elevator silently, fur puffing up in preparation for a fight. He flexes his claws and stretches up on the stool, baring his teeth right before he throws the trapdoor open violently.

"What do you-! Oh! Uh."

He was expecting the screams, he was not expecting the faces of his startled ex-bandmates. Ablaze and Trickee have fallen back into the snow, and all of them are staring at him in shock. There's an awkward silence for a few seconds before Branch's ears drop and he averts his gaze.

"Um. Sorry."

Boom snaps out of it first and helps Trickee up before moving closer to the opening.

"It's good, man. I can't imagine you get many visitors here, anyway."

"No, not usually. Wait- how did you even find me?"

"You showed us where you were gonna build your bunker when we were kids."

"Oh."

He forgot about that. Honestly, he didn't expect them to remember such a small detail from so long ago. He even says as much to them.

"I'm surprised you remembered."

"Well, we were walking in circles for the last hour, but we got here eventually."

"Right. Right. Um. Do you... Want to come in?"

They all perk and nod, quickly dropping in once Branch moves away from the entrance. Hype stumbles on the landing a little bit, but he manages to close the door behind him anyway. He can already tell that they think the top room is his entire bunker by the way their faces scrunch near their eyes as they look around.

"Wow, Branch. This place is... Um..."

"This isn't the only room. I barely use this one."

"Oh thank goodness."

He steps back towards the pit that is the elevator shaft and hesitates.

"You guys can climb, right? The elevator is out of commission right now because of the cold."

"Oh, yeah, we can-"

"No, not at all. I've seen Trickee fall over just trying to climb a root."

"Hey! Like you can talk! You just tripped!"

Branch smiles as the two begin to bicker playfully, feeling his fur fluff slightly from the casual banter. Boom peers down the hole hesitantly, eyeing the distance to the bottom with doubt. Branch taps his arm with his tail to get his attention.

"It's not as bad as it looks, you can just slide down the stem to the bottom. You can even use the other rooms as anchors for your hair if you want to drop down that way."

He relaxes a bit and nods, stepping away to get the other boys to focus. Branch steps back against the edge of the elevator hole and smiles.

"See you down there, guys."

He steps back and lets himself fall for a second just to hear the shouts of surprise above him, then wraps a paw around the dense stem and tightens his grip to stop about a foot below the top. He looks up and grins when the group peeks over the edge, probably checking to see if he's a troll pancake at the bottom. They seem to relax when they see him smiling up at them, and he starts sliding down again when Ablaze starts to position himself on the step as well. He lands quickly and steps away just in time to hear them start yelling as they slide down, probably faster than they should. 

He's right, they go way too fast, and they land one by one in a pile on the floor, thankfully unharmed aside from the weight of the other trolls. He laughs lightly and steps over to offer them a paw up, dragging them all upright again. It takes them a few seconds to orient themselves, and he likes the looks on their faces much more when they look around the Bunker this time. He fluffs up more with a bit of pride as he leads the way further in.

"This is my Bunker. More specifically, my living room. The kitchen is off to that side, on the other side of the wall, and my bedroom is down that hallway. You guys want anything to drink?"

They shake their heads silently, still looking around in awe, and Boom presses a paw against a wall as if checking the stability. Branch shrugs and moves over to the couch, pulling the pillows off to sit on the floor. He's glad he has enough now, he wasn't ever expecting company, but he's happy that he doesn't have to make them sit on the floor.

"Branch this is incredible."

"I know. But thank you anyway."

They slowly make their way over to the couch where he's sitting next to the coffee table, taking their spots sitting around it as well. Ablaze stretches out on the couch as Boom and Hype drop down on either side of Branch, Trickee climbs up onto the couch's back and puts his paws down on top of Ablaze's back.

"So. What brought you all here?"

It seems to remind them that they came to visit for the first time ever, it certainly has to be for a reason. He hopes they don't need something. He'd help them, of course, but he doesn't want to just turn into a useful acquaintance. Hype sits up more next to him.

"Right! Well, we were talking about yesterday, what with all the snow and stuff-"

"Yeah, that was a really bad storm. Once of the worst I've seen, honestly."

"Yeah, really, what was up with that- but then Ablaze said that he saw you out in the storm. And man, what were you thinking-"

Ablaze sits up against the arm of the couch, interrupting.

"I told you what he was doing out there."

"Still! I still can't even believe you were out in the storm doing stuff!"

Trickee leans forward, tail smacking Ablaze on the ear to stop the argument before it can start. 

"Point is, we started putting out heads together about a bunch of stuff we've heard over these last few months, and we're worried, dude."

Branch blinks, his fur bristling slightly when he senses where this conversation is going.

"Worried? Why? There's no reason to be worried."

"Are you sure?"

"Nope! None at all."

Boom reaches out and puts a paw on his arm, making his tail flick and his muscles tense. 

"You're acting different than you have in years, Branch. We just want to know what's going on. You aren't hurt, right?"

"You know what, I'm super thirsty, I'm gonna go make some more coffee-"

He jolts up onto his paws and manages to speed-walk to the doorway to the kitchen before Boom calls out again.

"Branch. Please. We just want to know what's going on."

He stops, hesitating hard.

"Why do you think something's going on?"

"Well, it's just..."

"You're out, man. We barely see you for years, and now you're in the village more during winter than you have been for the whole year. And- it's not bad, but it's really different from how you normally act."

"You aren't being blackmailed by that purple guy, right? I swear, if he-"

"If anyone is pressuring you into pushing yourself out, tell us, Branch, we'll beat them up."

"If it's anyone, I really hope it's that damn ꪀꪖꪑꪖᦓꪻꫀ jerk, I've been wanting an excuse-"

Branch takes a shaky breath as they continue to talk to him, his body shivering with the tension building in his chest. He has to tell them. They know him too well, lying would only make this worse.

"Okay-"

What's surprising is that he wants to tell them. He's scared as all hell, don't get him wrong, he has no idea how they're going to react- but he wants them to know. He thinks that, out of everyone, he wants them to be the ones by his side if he needs it. 

"It's- it's not blackmail. Promise. Um."

His baby echos his nerves and pushes a light wave of comfort through his blood. It gives him just enough courage to face this. He turns around and slowly steps closer to the coffee table, overly aware of the pairs of eyes on him.

"Please don't freak out?"

Slowly, he reaches up and gently pulls the egg out of his hair, holding it against his chest for all to see.

Notes:

Sorry for the big cliffhanger, I literally had to split the chapter in half because of the length.

Chapter 19: Found Family

"WHAT?!"

Branch flinches at the collective shout, and turns the egg away when Trickee attempts to launch off of the couch. His paw catches on Ablaze as he tries to get up as well, causing both to topple to the ground. One of them manages to grab onto Hype's jacket and drag him down as well. Boom barely gets the chance to stand upright before his tail is trapped under the others and he falls backwards when it knocks his feet out from under him. 

Branch stares at the pile of trolls in front of him as they groan quietly, hesitantly taking a step closer to peer down at them.

"Um... You guys okay?"

Trickee knocks Ablaze in the jaw with his skull when they try to get up again, and Hype does succeed in standing up, right before he stumbles over the coffee table trying to get to Branch. His tail shoots out and catches Hype before he can faceplant into the floor, stabilizing him until he can stand on his own paws completely. Boom hasn't tried to stand up, instead just propping himself up and staring at Branch with an open mouth.

Ablaze and Trickee somehow manage to untangle themselves, cradling their sore spots and looking up at Branch and his egg. The longer they go without talking- although it looks like they're trying to find the words for whatever is running through their heads- the more his nerves burn under his skin and he subconsciously curls a little bit over his baby.

"Guys?"

"Wh- how- who-"

Boom finally stands up, looking a little stunned, and moves over to stand in front of Branch.

"Who?"

Branch's tail flicks behind him with anxiety, swallowing dryly before answering. He can feel his paws shaking.

"Just me."

"And how?"

"They were abandoned in the snow."

Boom looks down at the egg, then flicks his gaze back up to meet Branch's eyes head-on.

"Are you sure about this?"

He really thinks he might pass out from the indescribable fear racing through him. Behind the gold troll, he can see several emotions spread across the other's faces. Hype looks confused, Trickee looks so torn between happy and furious that his orange fur is turning red, and Ablaze is slowly grinning from ear to ear.

"This is the most sure I've been about something in my entire life."

"Mm."

He nods a little, looks down to inspect the egg again, then raises his head like he's about to declare war. 

"Thought of any names yet?"

Branch's whole body slumps with a sigh of relief as Boom smirks with the question, the weight evaporating from his lungs at the acceptance. His sigh sets the others all into motion. Ablaze leaps to his paws and jumps up onto the couch, shouting with excitement, and the other two start smiling as well as they move over to circle Branch. Trickee smacks him in the arm, still grinning.

"What the hell dude! How long have you been hiding this from us?"

"Uh-... About... 2 months?"

His awkward grin turns into a genuine smile when Trickee scoffs and throws his paws up dramatically. 

"Seriously?! Here I thought we knew you."

They all laugh together as the last of his fear fades from his body. There was never anything to worry about, anyway. He knows them, and they know him, of course they'd be happy for him. Ablaze ends up grabbing his shoulders from the side and shaking him enthusiastically, only stopped when Hype threatens to:

"Scramble you if you don't stop scrambling him!"

Slowly, the excitement dies down to a maintainable level as they settle back down in their seats. Branch is sitting on the couch next to Boom now, Trickee sitting on the coffee table, and Ablaze and Hype on the pillows on the floor. Branch keeps the egg in his lap, glad that he doesn't need to hide it anymore. The conversation is easy after that, they all talk about how Branch has been doing with the new addition. He talks about the renovations he's been doing, the changes he's felt in himself, and he even shows them the journal he's been making of the egg's growth. 

They take everything in stride, happily chatting about this and that, asking if there's anything they can do to help him and pretty much claiming the title as his baby's uncles for themselves already. 

"Actually, there might be something you can help me with."

"Yeah? Anything, Branch, we're happy to help."

"I was working on painting the play room before you guys came by. I could use a few extra paws, and hopefully some artistic skills."

They all light up and quickly follow him into the half-finished room. He doesn't have many paintbrushes, but they make do.

"Sorry I don't have other aprons, we could try and find something to cover your clothes?"

"Nah, we're good. Paint isn't the first- or worst thing to taint this jacket. Glitter is horrible to get out."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

He puts the egg back up in his hair as they each find something to paint with, and they all get to work on covering the rest of the empty walls with color. Conversation flows easily as they work, bantering and laughing with each other like no time had passed at all. The room is painted in no time, barely an hour, and somehow Trickee and Hype end up painting each other as well. There's paint caking their faces and clothes, yet they're still grinning and laughing as they chase each other with the brushes. Branch simply steps out of the way.

He pats his paws off once they finish coating the doorway, stepping back towards the middle of the room to observe their work. Not bad for just a few hours of work. They might even get to start designing today if the paint dries as it should. It'll need to be double layered to keep the color vibrant, but it still might be quick enough to get started before the end of the day. He turns back to his group, taking the apron off and setting it next to the paint bucket.

"You guys want lunch? And... A washcloth? Or a few."

"Yeah, I could eat." "Heck yeah!" "Ohh sweet!"

He chuckles and leads them back out, quickly scurrying around to find some towels and water for them to clean themselves off with. 

"Please don't sit on my stuff before you get the paint off. I need to hop upstairs to get ingredients, alright?"

"Yes, sir! We'll be here."

He smiles and quickly ducks up the elevator shaft, climbing easily up to the storage rooms. He hasn't cooked for someone else since he was a kid, so he has to take the larger portions into account. Maybe a soup would work. Not meat, he doesn't even know if normal trolls can process meat like he can. Maybe a potato soup? Yeah, he can do that.

He gathers the ingredients quickly, stacking the potatoes, pigmy carrots, flour, butter, and a celery stalk into his arms before sliding back down and slipping into the kitchen. He drops everything on the counter and immediately starts prep work, washing and peeling the vegetables before chopping them up. He can hear the others chatting in the next room as he fills a pot with water and turns the stove on to boil. His egg hums happily in his hair, seemingly content now that Branch has fully relaxed around his group. 

He has to keep checking the quantity as he measures and adds the ingredients into the pot, nervous that he won't make enough to feed all 5 trolls. He adds a couple herbs and spices as he goes, taste-testing every so often to be sure that he's cooking it right. The others slowly migrate into the kitchen as well, not minding Branch's lack of involvement in their conversation as he stirs the soup.

Finally, he moves the pot off to the side and turns the heat off, then searching through cupboards to find enough bowls for them all. He really should get more dishes, especially if this is going to be happening more often. 

"Food's done."

"Oh, nice!" "Thanks, dude!"

He smiles and starts pouring servings into the bowls, handing them off one by one. They move back into the living room once Branch is sure everything is turned off and they all have a bowl in their paws. Once settled into their seats again, their soup having enough time to cool so it wouldn't burn their mouths, they dig in. There's several sounds of surprise that melt into happiness as they start eating. A couple ecstatic compliments make Branch's ears burn and he ducks his head to hide a smile. 

He honestly missed this feeling, being so comfortable around a group of trolls. The last time he ever had someone in his home was a sleepover back when they all still lived in the Tree. It's hard to believe that 20 years have passed since then, and yet, they're here. They're all here together, just enjoying each other's company and laughing with him like nothing has changed at all. He kind of wants to cry.

"You know, you never answered my question."

"Mm?"

"Do you have any names picked out?"

"Oh. Uh..."

He puts his spoon down in his empty bowl and sets it on the side table, leaning back into the couch.

"Not really, I haven't thought that far yet."

"Haven't thought that far? You've had this kid for 2 months!"

His ears flush again as he huffs.

"I've been a bit busy, you know!"

They laugh lightly before Hype perks up.

"Could we help? Like, bounce names off of you and you can see if there's a couple that you like?"

He pauses to consider it, bringing the egg down into his lap again. It's not that bad of an idea, he isn't the most creative with naming things.

"Alright, fine. You've pulled my tail, or whatever. Go ahead."

Boom grins while the other three shoot to their feet and start rattling off random names.

"What about Wren?"

"Or Lolly?"

"Or, or Hazel?"

He chuckles at their enthusiasm, but none of the names sound quite right. He hums, gesturing for them to continue. The names are nice, Boom even offers "Rose, if they're a girl", which makes him choke up a little bit. 

"Could just call them Sugar."

"Seriously?"

Ablaze just shrugs and goes back to firing off whatever name comes to his head. Eventually Hype puts his paws down on the coffee table, leaning over with a challenging smirk.

"Alright, speed round. Ready?"

"Go ahead."

"Olive, River, Bonnie, Aspen, Azalea, Madeleine, Coral, Alder, Juniper, Clover-"

"Wait, wait, stop."

"What?"

"Go back."

Hype tilts his head but slowly backtracks through the names. Suddenly, the egg sings again, sending excitement through his paws and warming against his chest.

"Alder?"

It pulses excitement again, then does something that Branch has never heard of. The shell color changes, completely. The colors shift to bright blue and gold and pink before returning to the normal coloring. They all stare silently as it settles back in Branch's lap.

"Wow. That's new."

"I know some trollings can camouflage early on, but that's insane."

Branch just nods a bit numbly before he shakes his head and lifts the egg up to inspect it. Nothing seems physically wrong, and nothing has changed when he shines the flashlight through the shell again.

"Well, it seems that their name is Alder."

The egg shifts again, only for a second, and the illuminated baby inside stretches out until the colors return to their softer pallet. Branch smiles softly as the other trolls cheer around him, Boom reaching over to pat him on the back.

"Guess the theme runs in the family, huh?"

"Shut up."

He laughs, paw rubbing Branch's shoulder with excitement. He doesn't even feel the urge to push it off. 

Notes:

See why I had to break it into parts

Chapter 20: A Touch of Color

The rest of the day is pretty casual, all things considered. The other trolls help Branch clean up the kitchen before they start painting on the next coat of color in the playroom. They even manage to stay relatively clean by the end of it. It's still not very late by the time they finish, so Branch takes the chance to give them a more thorough tour of his Bunker. 

He finds himself pretty excited to show them around, actually. He rarely gets the chance to show off to someone else without obvious judgement from the other trolls, but Kismet are genuinely curious about his life. As an added bonus, he gets to teach them how to climb as well. It goes about as well as expected.

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

"No! I got this!"

"Dude, just use your hair!"

"I don't need it!"

"You're not even an inch off the floor!"

"Branch doesn't use his hair!"

"Trickee, he has claws!"

"And I've been doing this for literal years."

"Just let him help, man!"

"You can't make m- HEY- PUT ME DOWN-"

It's a bit of a disaster at first, but they slowly get the hang of it. Enough, at least. Branch shows them how to find the holds in the elevator walls and stem, and he teaches them how to use their tails for anchors. Theirs aren't as effective as his is, a normal troll tail doesn't even reach the ground and theirs aren't nearly as strong, but it's enough to give them a bit more confidence when moving from floor to floor.

He shows them his sorting system, his map room- which they actually let him explain in detail, and he has to stop himself before he talks for hours-, the progressing river tunnel, the elevator mechanics, and he sternly warns them not to open the room with his weapons and traps locked away. He trusts them not to use his tools carelessly, but he had just crammed all of his traps into the room. Opening the door would most likely make them spill out and would hurt one of them. 

At the easy agreement to the rule, he feels a little shocked by it. He hasn't been around his friends very much lately, more often than not he's approached and bothered by the Snack Pack or other trolls, and they don't quite understand the meaning of boundaries. He's not used to people just agreeing to his follow his warnings. He shakes it off quickly, though, allowing himself to focus on finishing the tour. 

They manage to get all the way through the Bunker with the others slipping down the elevator only a few times. No one is hurt, Branch is always able to grab them if they can't catch themselves. He can't help the sting of pride that tingles under his skin, echoed by Alder's own. The entire tour is only met with excited astonishment, and his friends are genuinely thrilled to learn from and about him. He answers any questions they have about his home and lifestyle, and there isn't an ounce of pity hidden in their reactions. They mostly seem impressed.

Once they start lowering back down, they help him gather other flower petals to bring down to the main floor so they can make new paints. He isn't quite sure how the villagers make paint, if it's any different than his way, but he guides the others through the process when they ask to take his place. Hype pipes up with a semi-baby voice when Branch voices his question of why.

"I didn't think you would really want to do this part."

"Well, we can't have the parent-to-be exhausting himself, now can we?"

Branch punches him in the arm, but hands off the pestle after a short demonstration. They each take turns with different paints, and Ablaze nearly cracks the mortar from how hard he's pressing down before Branch stops him. They're all laughing as he grins sheepishly and steps out of the way so Branch can finish the mixture. 

The playroom is mapped out first, the group brainstorming designs for the walls on top of Branch's general idea, then they begin to apply the new colors. One area is painted with a deep blue to mimic the night sky, where the glowing mushrooms will grow to look like stars, and the rest of the room is sectioned off to match different biomes. Half of the room get a layer of green on the bottom of the wall to mimic grass, where a forest and a flower valley will be painted over it, and the last section is left with a mixture of light and cobalt blue, which will be detailed to look like water. They're still talking about how to blend them all together as they paint, but no details will be finished by the end of the day.

They get so sucked into their conversation that it's only a matter of time before Trickee picks up a sentence said and instinctively connects it to a song. Everyone freezes as he slaps his paws over his mouth, tail dropping and eyes flying over to Branch. His whole body is tense, hesitating as he fights with his thoughts and emotions. He's spent years yelling at anyone that dared to sing with him nearby, it's habit, but he hasn't felt so comfortable around another troll since he was a child.

With a gentle press of encouragement from his egg, Branch huffs and lifts a paw.

"One song."

They all stare before Trickee smiles cautiously.

"You're serious?"

"One song, and don't expect me to join in."

The caution evaporates into blinding joy as he bounces on his paws, quickly crouching down to pick up his fallen paintbrush. The others slowly join in on his excitement and grin at each other while Boom looks strangely soft when Branch sees him smile. His ears burn as he turns back to the wall and picks up his painting again. 

He glances back over when his group start to pat the beat on the ground. He knows this song, it's one of their really old ones, when they first became a band. One of the prototypes that never reached the public, and they ended up reworking it with a code to make it truly their own. Some of the words sound like gibberish to anyone else, but it's just their own incomplete language. It's nice hearing it from them as adults, it makes him feel oddly nostalgic as they begin to sing, and he turns around to simply watch them.

Alder begins to match their song as well, so Branch pulls the egg out of his hair and holds them against his chest, giving them clearer access to the music. Hey, if he's not going to sing around the egg much, might as well let them get it from his friends. They won't feed his child the tooth-rotting beats like the villagers would. 

Branch finds himself smiling, his tail swaying behind him as they twist and dance through the song. The little melody grows louder, matching the pace, and it makes him happy to know that his baby has accepted his friends as much as they've excepted Alder. He never thought about having any sort of support system, and until now, he was terrified about anyone finding out about the egg. Now his baby won't be alone if something happens to him, and he'll have backup if anyone dares to challenge Branch's parenthood. 

The dance is ended abruptly when Boom trips back into a bucket of the green pain, shouting in surprise as his fur is drenched with color. The singing bursts into laughter for a moment before they actually help him up, laughing more when they see the total damage. The paint has splashed all the way up his back, and his tail is completely coated, looking more like a leaf than Branch does. Branch shakes his head and sighs happily, quickly walking out to find the washcloths and a bowl of water.

It's a team effort to get the paint completely out of Boom's fur, and to finish the rest of the room before it gets too dark outside. They refrain from anymore music, something that Branch deeply appreciates, until they finally finish and it's time for the group to go home. Getting up the elevator with the others takes longer than usual, but he helps them up whenever they get stuck. Branch decides to walk them back to the valley, just to be safe. And possibly to spend more time around them. 

Branch doesn't originally notice when Boom moves to walk next to him, jumping when he finally notices the gold glittery fur in his peripheral. He raises an eyebrow at the gentle smile.

"What?"

"It's just nice to see you like this again."

"Like what?"

"This. You're happy." 

Branch scoffs, cocking his head sarcastically.

"Really, what gave that away?"

"Your eyes."

That makes him pause, and the others slowly stop when they realize him and Boom have stood still. Branch blinks and tilts his head with confusion.

"My eyes??"

"Mhm."

"What about them?"

"They're blue."

He freezes. Blue? That's- that's not-

"Are you serious?"

His voice is wobbly, straining with emotion. If this is a joke, he doesn't think he can take it. He turns to the others.

"They're blue?"

But they all beam at him, nodding excitedly. Branch reaches a paw up, feels Alder twinge with worry in his hair, and hovers his paw right under his eye. 

"But- that's... That's not..."

Ablaze starts digging into his pocket and hands Branch a small mirror. His paws are shaky when he reaches out to take it. He still hesitates, bracing for the worst before he flips it open. The mirror is immediately dropped into the snow.

They're right. His eyes, which have been a dull silver since he was just 5 years old, are blue. 

He didn't even know that was possible. It's rare enough for a troll to go grey, let alone for a grey troll to live as long as he has, but there has never been a single rumor about a grey troll getting their colors back. And- and even if there was, it's been 20 years.

20 years of living in fear. 20 years of being practically shunned by his own kind. 20 years of casting himself to the shadows, where his drowning attitude and dark colors belong.

20 years of thinking he didn't deserve happiness.

He doesn't realize that he's crying until he's enveloped in a hug. Trickee is the first to pull him close, followed by the rest of his friends. His tail curls around his own legs as he clings to them, slowly lowering down into the snow. There's so many emotions racing through his head that he can't name any of them, not the ones coming from himself. He doesn't know how he's supposed to feel about this. 

The others don't talk, they just hold him as he cries. They hold him until his shaking lightens to shivers and his claws retract so he's just holding on to their coats with his plain paws. He feels safe with them, he feels cared for. Alder sings an echo of his own maelstrom of emotions, pushing forward worry and joy and comfort. Not even a year ago, he didn't have any of this, he never even dared to think he would get it.

Now he's here, with a baby on the way, held by a group that are more his brothers than his actual blood ever were, and physical proof that he's healing. Slowly, just a small touch of color, but it's more than he's had his entire life.

Surrounded by snow and warmth and love, he smiles.

Notes:

Hi :)

 

Wow 20 chapters in and still not at the first movie

Chapter 21: All Work Some Fun

Over the next week, Kismet continue to come by the Bunker to work on the playroom. With each new coat of paint, the colors shift into a proper picture, each biome painted in a different style due to their personal techniques. There is a couple casualties during the process from play fights, but they're covered fairly easily. 

Between each painting session, they either camp out in Branch's living room or work on other chores throughout the Bunker. They even make some progress on the river tunnel- something that surprised Branch when they offered to help expand it. Most trolls enjoy painting, but he hasn't met any that cared for the grueling work it takes to dig a whole tunnel. Granted, they don't get super far, but it's more progress than Branch has been making on his own.

Something else that shocks Branch is the fact that he's looking forward to their visits. 2 months ago, he would've locked them out after the first one, if he let them inside at all. Now he finds himself craving their company, and their joy seems almost infectious considering how light he feels being around them. 

On top of that, he finds himself using the mirror more often lately. He can't help it, seeing his own blue eyes- it's still hard to grasp that fact- staring back at him makes him feel strangely proud, and his egg always reflects his pride back at him. Alder can't even understand the weight of this change, but they're proud of him regardless. It's enough to make him fluff up whenever he catches his own gaze.

Needless to say, the 6 of them as a whole have been making a lot of progress, on person and project both. And as Branch returns to the living room after cleaning up the dishes, Hype on his tail, he finds that he still feels active. The last details are drying, so he can focus on filling the room afterwards, and he decides that maybe they could do something outside for their break.

"You guys wanna go on a walk?"

They all perk up, quickly agreeing and jumping up to get their coats back on. Branch steps into his bedroom to change as well, being sure to wrap his tail again and tucking his egg solidly under a hat before walking back out to join them. It's still cold out, but spring is approaching and the temperature has risen enough that Branch trusts his own body to protect Alder from the chill.

The warmer temperature also means that he could start using the elevator again, and save his friends from struggling to climb up and down the stem. They've gotten better, but it's a long climb for someone without claws. Hence, they all pile onto the elevator slab before Branch pushes the lever and it lifts them up to the top room. 

"This is still cool as hell dude."

"I know. But thank you."

They all laugh when Trickee knocks him in the arm for that. He jumps out of the Bunker first, helping pull them out one by one before sealing the door behind them. The snow is soft under them, the ice having broken apart into powder again, and their paws sink in a couple centimeters with each step. Branch's tail sweeps snow back over his prints out of habit, covering his own tracks and only leaving the ghost of his steps behind. 

The snow flurries over them as they begin to walk through the forest, talking nonsense to each other. Branch doesn't talk too much, happy to just listen to his friends chat around him. Alder hums happily in his hair, encouraging Branch's own content to rise more. Eventually, Boom speaks up from the left of the group.

"You guys want to play Questions?"

"Uh, yeah!" "I'm in!"

Branch shrugs.

"Sure, why not. Been a bit."

"Alright, alright, I'll start. Hm... Who's most likely to... Get scared by an inanimate object."

"Hype." 

"Wh- hey!"

"Dude, you have like no awareness of your surroundings. You've been scared by your own shadow before."

"It was late! I was tired!"

"You screamed so loud I could hear you from my pod."

Hype stutters before scoffing, folding his arms and grumbling in his own defense. 

"Fine. Well, let's see... Who's most likely to name their kid after their friend?"

"I'd say Branch, but..."

"Look, I like you guys, but not a damn chance."

"Understandable. I'll say Boom, actually."

"That's... Yeah, that's something I'd do."

They all chuckle before continuing.

"Who's most likely to drop something important?"

"Trickee. Or Hype. You're both clumsy as hell."

"Ay! I would not!"

"Yeah! We're not that bad! It's just... Balance is hard on uneven floors."

"God, how we managed to go 2 years performing, I will never know."

Hype smacks Ablaze on the back of the head, but he's laughing too. Branch takes a second to think of a question before taking his turn.

"Who's the most creative?"

"Honestly, Trickee. Just look at his hair."

"Excuse you, I don't know whether to be offended or thankful. My hair looks great!"

"Never said it didn't, but you do change the streaks like monthly."

"Sometimes blue is better than white, sue me!"

"Okay, okay, chill out."

Trickee huffs and flips his hair dramatically, putting his paws on his hips.

"Okay, who's the most responsib-?"

"Boom."

Trickee doesn't even get to finish the question before Branch, Hype, and Ablaze answer unanimously. They all burst out laughing, tails wagging with glee as they try to calm down. Boom just rolls his eyes with a smile spread across his face. He cuts in when they slow down to just fits of giggles.

"Who do you guys think is the strongest?"

"Ablaze." "Branch." "Probably me."

They all look at each other, Ablaze and Branch turning to stare incredulously.

"Are you kidding? I'm like twice as big as you!"

"I'm compact, Ablaze, I've been living in the forest for years. I'm literally built to hunt."

"So? I could pin you, easy!"

"You want to prove that?"

The two grin at each other as they square up, already sizing the other troll up. Branch quickly pulls his hat off and tucks Alder into it before passing them off to Boom.

"Here, hold them for me."

"Aw, what?! Why does he get to hold them first?"

"Because! He's responsible!"

He laughs at Trickee's groan before running after Ablaze into a clearer spot. The other three follow them, and Branch hears Hype whisper to Trickee behind him.

"10 coins on Branch."

"I'll take that."

"Don't bet on us!"

They shuffle apart so Boom is between them right as Branch and Ablaze begin to circle. Branch flexes his claws to be sure they're hidden away before lowering himself onto all fours. Ablaze just smiles more and his tail swings behind him. He's crouching a bit as well, shoulders set and arms spread on either side of him. 

"Come on, give me what you got! I can take you!"

"You really can't! Like he said, he's actually built for this!"

"Yeah, man, you're kinda screwed."

Ablaze huffs before he finally takes the first lunge. Branch acts quickly, ducking underneath him and launching to take his place on the other side of the circle. Apperantly, Ablaze is planning to play dirty, because he grabs Branch's tail and drags him into a tumble. Well, two can play at that game. 

Branch twists from where Ablaze has a grip on his shoulders, bringing his bottom paws up against the other's chest and kicking forcefully. His double kick launches the other troll into the air with a surprised yelp, and gives Branch enough time to quickly turn over and throw himself forward. He bounces off of a nearby trunk and connects with Ablaze's back mid-air. They slam into the snow, rolling for a second before they stop with Branch's paws planted firmly along Ablaze's entire back. One paw pushes his face down into the snow and Branch lowers his head after a few seconds of struggling.

"Give?"

Ablaze fights for another moment, struggling to gain traction on the soft snow, before he flops and slaps a paw down in defeat. The others cheer or groan respectively as Branch grins and stands up, tugging the other troll up by his collar. He doesn't look particularly pleased about losing, but he smiles anyway when Branch helps brush the snow from his fur.

"Damn you, I wasn't ready. And it's not fair, this isn't where I do my best, it is for you! I'll take you again, any time!"

"You think this was my best? Ablaze, it's winter!"

There's a moment of silence as Ablaze stares at him.

"I immediately resend my offer because that is a terrifying thought and I do not want my ass beat on solid ground."

They all laugh as Branch moves over to Boom, resting his paw on his egg after brushing the snow away. For a second, he thinks he hears someone gasp behind them, but after listening to the surrounding forest for a moment, he doesn't hear or scent another troll nearby. He hums before taking his baby back and tucking them gently away into his hair again.

"I did warn you, I hunt to survive, and they're usually bigger than you. Of course I can take you down. But, if you really want to challenge me at my best, we should take this up into the trees."

"No, no, no thanks, I want to keep my bones in place, that'd be great."

Branch laughs, honestly laughs, and presses the back of his paw against his friend's arm. Ablaze lifts his own arm so they twist together and grip each other's shoulders, which quickly turns into each of them linking their arms to form a wall with Branch in the middle. His tail wags behind him, kicking up snow in a light mist. It takes a minute for their happy chatter and laughter to calm down into an easy quiet, only interrupted by Alder's songs.

Then he notices confusion cross their faces, one by one. Branch tilts his ears, chirping quietly with curiosity before clearing his throat and actually asking.

"Something wrong?"

"Do you guys hear music?"

"Yeah!"

"It's not even like singing, or an instrument, it's just... Music."

They drop their arm chain as the others begin to look around to find the source. It takes a moment before Branch perks and quickly reaches up, pulling the egg from his hair and holding them against his chest.

"What the heck, it just got louder!"

"Guys."

They turn to look at him, frustrated and confused. He just smiles and gestures them closer. Their frustration turns into more confusion, but they listen to the silent request. Trickee looks ready to pull on his hair when they hear the music only get louder.

"Dude, what?..."

"They like you."

They blink blankly at him before looking down at the egg. Understanding blooms across Boom's face first, and he jerks up to look at Branch.

"Wait- that's?-"

"Mhm."

"But, I thought only the parents could hear their music!"

"Parents and whoever they choose as family, apperantly. I thought everyone could hear them at first, because most of the time, a lot of trolls are talking about an egg singing. I guess Alder's just picky."

They all gape in shock as the meaning sets in. Suddenly, Hype straightens up with tears in his eyes, trying and failing to hold himself together. Trickee and Ablaze don't even try, immediately breaking down with happy sobs and shouts. Boom has a fist pressed against his mouth and his head turned away. Branch knows that technique, though, so he steps closer.

"You okay?"

"Mhm. Perfectly fine. Feel like a million dollars."

"So, no tears?"

"Nope. None at all."

His voice is straining so thin that it's pitching into high notes, and his eyes are shining with tears when Branch gets a glimpse. 

"GOD DAMN IT YOU CAN'T JUST SAY STUFF LIKE THAT!! DO YOU KNOW HOW THAT FEELS ON MY HEART?!"

He laughs softly at their dramatic displays, turning to look at the three on the floor.

"Do you guys want to touch their shell?"

"YES. YES I WANT TO TOUCH THE EGG. I WANNA FEEL MY NIECE OR NEPHEW."

They stumble onto their paws again before they all hesitate around him, fiddling nervously.

"Just be light with them, okay? If you break them, I break you."

"I don't doubt you for a second."

Hype hesitantly lifts his paw first and reaches forward, lightly pressing a finger against the hard shell. Alder's shell shifts to bright yellow for a moment, signifying that they accept. Carefully, Hype presses his whole paw against the shell. Ablaze follows his lead, placing his paw next to Hype's. The shell shifts color again, and again when Trickee joins the them. Boom puts his paw on Branch's shoulder in support, smiling at the group. Alder's shell blinks with different bright colors before it settles again, and they slowly remove their paws.

"They're so warm..."

"I'm gonna cry again."

"Don't cry again, you're gonna pass out, and I'm not dragging your butt home."

"Guys, come on. We have to set good examples now."

"Yeah, Ablaze, no swearing."

He groans, but nods. They all smile and enjoy a minute of quiet, just listening to Alder's melody between them. Then Boom glances up at Branch with a silent question. Branch sighs and lifts Alder back up into his hair, only barely muffling their song.

"You can sing, but can we walk back while you do it?"

They all grin and agree, quickly starting the trek back to the Bunker. They start improvising a song, feeding from Alder's music for a beat as they walk. Branch doesn't join in with their dancing and singing, although he feeds the urge by gently humming alongside them. Baby steps. 

The village is strangely quiet today. Not silent, but more quiet than usual. He can barely hear them as they approach the Bunker. Maybe they went off to do an activity in the forest. That thought does make him nervous, builds the itch to go search for them and ensure that no predator gets to his Tribe. He resists, but his claws flex against the cold anyway. Not being 100% sure always makes him antsy.

The itch doesn't go away after they get into the Bunker, or throughout the next few hours before his friends go home to sleep off the exhaustion that tunnel work brings. He walks them home, calming his nerves a little bit once they're safely in a pod, waving goodbye right as the front petal closes. 

Finally, he gives in and quickly scales a tree. There isn't that many trolls in the village that he can see, but now he can hear them further into the forest, across the valley. He steps back, crouches low, and launches himself across in one strong jump. He checks the grip his hair has on his baby once he lands before he starts leaping again. Alder sings with excitement at the travel, which also helps to make Branch relax a little bit more. 

He follows the sounds of singing to a clearing, where most of the village are spread out in the snow. Many are having a snowball fight, while some are on the side of the clearing, building snow forts and snow trolls, among whatever other structure comes to their minds. Branch pulls himself up into a pine tree, hiding himself in the needles high above the villagers. 

Focusing, he doesn't sense any other creature or critter near them, only the trolls playing below him. His tail wraps into the wood as he sits down, and he digs his claws in to ensure he doesn't fall as he starts to observe the others. He's surprised to find the entirety of the Snack Pack on the very edge of the clearing, surrounding Poppy as she talks to them. He can't hear what they're saying, but she looks oddly distressed, something he doesn't see on her face very often. 

He's about to get up to move closer when she sweeps her arm out, her head following the motion of her paw, and her eyes widen when they meet his own.

Notes:

Sorry for the late chapter, I was hit with a sudden writer's block, and just a general burn out. Hopefully it goes away once the quarter's over and I can get back to regular posting.

Also, this might be the last Kismet chapter for a bit. We're approaching the end of winter!

Chapter 22: Caught Red-Handed

Notes:

⚠️WARNING: There is blood described in this chapter! Nothing overly gory, but there is still blood!

Poppy is excited, as she usually is. A group of trolls went wandering yesterday and found a big clear spot absolutely covered with open snow! So now she's hopping around the village, telling everyone about it and showing them the path to get there. Her friends along with several other groups of trolls are already there, and she took it upon herself to spread the word to every troll she can find.

A few trolls decline the offer, preferring to stay in the village so they don't have to climb out of the valley and through the snow, but she sends most of the trolls on the path there by noon. A rather amazing job-well-done if she'd say so herself. She waves another group over and cheerily starts talking.

"Hey, hi! Do you know about the big snow clearing?"

"Snow clearing? No, we haven't heard about it."

"That's alright! There's a big clearing we found just off past the marketplace! We're having a big snow fest there, and I'm going around to make sure everyone knows about it!"

"Oh, that sounds super fun! We'll head right over!"

"That's amazing! Here, I can show you-"

"Oh wait! We saw some trolls going up into the forest earlier, over that way. I don't think they've come back yet, so they'll probably still be over there if you wanna tell everyone."

Poppy looks up to where they point, feeling her tail droop a little when she recognizes the direction to Branch's bunker. Ohh, that can't be good. Still, she smiles at the group and thanks them, showing them to the start of the path.

"Just follow the paw prints and you'll find it! See you there!"

"Thanks Princess Poppy!"

She waves before quickly starting her way up towards where they had pointed her. Branch has been nicer lately, but there's no way he'll take random trolls stumbling upon his home kindly. 

The paw prints are faint when she finds them, a group of 4, so they must have left a couple hours ago. She fidgets with her bracelet nervously as she starts following the trail, really not liking where it's leading her. It's possible that they miss his bunker entirely, and they're just following the path that Poppy has taken a dozen times already.

When she reaches the boulder marking his bunker, she isn't sure if that's true. The prints move erratically before they suddenly deepen, they're newer, and they're walking off deeper into the forest. She tilts her head at the odd space between the paw prints now, 3 pairs on one side and only 1 pair walking a few inches away from them. Did something happen? She hopes they didn't fight over anything.

She keeps following the prints until she starts hearing voices, then speeds up into a jog to catch up to the group when she starts to understand what's being said. Or, shouted, actually.

"Come on, give me what you got! I can take you!"

It sounds playful, but something about the entire scenario makes her fur stand on end. The paw prints disappear around some bushes, so she peeks through the leaves to see the commotion. 

"You really can't! Like he said, he's actually built for this!"

She freezes, numb with shock at what she sees. She recognizes the band, she listens to their music even if they haven't made a new album in years, but that isn't what makes her freeze. 

One of them is circling with Branch, arms spread in an obvious challenge, and Branch is down on all four paws like a creature. Branch's back is to her, so all she can see is his ears pinned back and his tail swinging slowly, threatening. This can't be right. He... He's loud when he's mad, yeah, he yells and shouts threatening warnings and, more recently, growls, but he's never... He's never attacked someone.

"Yeah, man, you're kinda screwed."

The purple troll- Ablaze, if she remembers right- huffs at his friends before he suddenly throws himself at Branch. Poppy feels like stone, frozen in place and her blood running cold, making her skin prickle with goosebumps. She can't feel her face but she can feel her fur puff up as she witnesses the fight. She's never handled something like this before, trolls don't ever get into physical fights over something. 

Trolls should know better than to pick a fight with anyone, let alone Branch.

They roll over the snow and come to a stop just a foot from her, and she sees a flash of Branch's teeth before he twists and launches Ablaze into the air with a kick. Her paws start shaking when Branch pulls himself up and throws himself forward to bounce off of a tree, grabbing onto Ablaze mid-air. Her eyes follow them as they tumble through the snow and he pins Ablaze down by the head.

She finally snaps herself back to her senses when Branch lowers his head, why aren't the other trolls doing anything? She has to move, she can't let him- can't let him kill a-

"Give?"

She pauses, blinks, and feels another wave of shock and confusion roll over her when Ablaze stops and smacks a paw into the snow. Branch steps off of him without a moment of hesitation while two of the other band members groan, and he even pulls the troll upright in the same movement. She can see his face now, he's halfway turned towards her as he's patting snow off of Ablaze's fur and clothes, and he's...

Smiling.

"Damn you, I wasn't ready. And it's not fair, this isn't where I do my best, it is for you! I'll take you again, any time!"

She pulls a leaf further in front of her, curiosity keeping her from walking out and ordering them to tell her what just happened. She should, it's her princessly duty to protect the trolls, but she's never seen Branch fight someone, or... Or play? Were they playing? Branch hates playing! And she can count the times he's smiled on one paw!

"You think this was my best? Ablaze, it's winter!"

There's a long pause as Ablaze stares at the grey troll. She feels torn between staying hidden and watching, and stepping out to stop what could possibly turn into another fight. Fight? Were they fighting, or was it really just play? The most she's seen of that kind of play is trollings tackling each other, and even then, they don't ever hold the other down. Plus, they're usually taught not to if they're caught. Play-fighting can still hurt!

"I immediately resend my offer because that is a terrifying thought and I do not want my ass beat on solid ground."

But Ablaze is smiling, and they're all laughing- Branch is laughing too. He looks so comfortable around them. Poppy's never seen him so at ease. Even back in his bunker, he was still a little stiff around her, but he's completely relaxed now. She hates to admit that she feels a twist of jealousy form in her tummy.

Branch moves over to the lead singer, Boom, and Poppy spots something in the glitter troll's arms when he turns towards Branch. She barely has a second to wonder before Branch lifts a paw and brushes the thin layer snow off of-

She realizes her mistake the second the gasp escapes her, quickly pressing her paws over her mouth and ducking behind a tree just as Branch begins to turn her way. She waits until she hears him talking again to peek past the bark.

"I did warn you, I hunt to survive, and they're usually bigger than you. Of course I can take you down. But, if you really want to challenge me at my best, we should take this up into the trees."

She needs to go before she gets caught, Branch would definitely be mad if he caught her spying on him. And she has a feeling he'll be much less playful about it when he does.

"No, no, no thanks, I want to keep my bones in place, that'd be great."

With the group- the entire group, all 5 of them- laughing carefree behind her, Poppy turns and starts sneaking away, keeping her steps light to keep herself unknown before she takes off running. She feels like she's seen something she really was not supposed to, several somethings, actually. She has no idea what to focus on.

Branch has friends? Branch is friends with a whole band?? One of Branch's friends has a BABY???

Her mind is running so fast that she feels like she might explode from the thoughts and emotions fighting inside her. Everything she just saw completely opposes the Branch she knows, and- and again! An egg!! Oh she has to tell everyone-

No! No, she can't. If they haven't announced the egg, it's probably for a good reason. But even leaving out the egg, Branch has friends!! Actual friends that made him laugh!! He was happy!!

And she's trying really hard to not be upset about the fact that it wasn't her! She's happy for Branch, it's good to know he isn't always alone, but when did that happen!? What did they do that she didn't?

She runs all the way to the snow clearing, stopping to catch her breathe only once she sees her villagers through the plants. Her lungs burn a little from the cold air, and she puts her paw on a tree to keep balance as she leans over and heaves large lungfuls back into her body. Wow, running that far is hard.

She waves down her friends when they spot her, concern forming around them like a cloud as she straightens herself. She opens her mouth to tell them, then shuts it again. She can't tell anyone! She just went over this, it's obviously a secret! And maybe it's still new! She doesn't want to risk Branch's friendship with the other group by everyone finding out!

She easily breezes over their concerns, assuring them that she was just running here, that she's not hurt. Her mind won't stop playing tug-of-war about telling her friends, so she tries to distract herself by playing. After the Snack Pack are sure that she's okay, they all run back into the snow and start joining and creating games. 

As always, they have a ton of fun! They have snowball fights, make snowmen, build igloos, draw, sing, dance, all sorts of stuff! But- but she just can't get it from her mind! Poppy knows that she's acting weird, she's probably acting too weird about it, but she can't help it! This is ground-breaking news, people!!

So, obviously, her distractedness draws her friends' attention. Creek is the first to pull her aside, the others all following him.

"Poppy? May I talk to you?"

"Oh, yeah, sure, what's up, Creek?"

"It's just- you seem... Your aura is frazzled today. Has something happened while you were out inviting, earlier?"

Her tail swings nervously and she fiddles with the end of her dress. No, Poppy! You can't!

"Nothing bad, promise!"

"But something odd did happen?"

Oh gumdrops, she can't lie to her friends! Okay- give her some credit, she kept it secret for this long!

"Okay, okay, but you can't tell anyone! You promise?"

They all raise their pinkies and cheer "Promise!" at the same time. It warms her heart to have such amazing friends. Her fidgeting gets worse before she waves her paws around in the air.

"Alright, well, I was out telling everyone where we were and what we were doing, and a couple trolls told me there was a group that went into the forest, so I went after them, cause, ya know, I had to invite them too."

"Obviously." "Of course!" "No troll left behind, we got you, Poppy."

"Yeah, so I followed their paw prints and they just kinda split off randomly and it was starting to get weird because they started walking separately, then I got to these bushes and I heard like, taunting coming from the other side, and when I looked, I saw Branch circling Ablaze!"

They all gasp, looking very concerned. Biggie squeezes Mr. Dinkles close to his face in fear, and the twins grip each other's paws while covering their mouths.

"Exactly! And I was about to step in when Ablaze just jumped at Branch! And they started fighting! Branch even had him pinned down!"

More horrified gasps, Cooper shrinking into himself a bit and Creek stepping forward with a paw out.

"Is the other troll okay?"

"Yeah, that's the thing! That's the weird thing! They weren't actually hurting each other, and Branch even brushed the snow off of him when they got up! They were- I think they were playing."

"Playing?" "Branch??" "Branch doesn't play."

"Are you sure he was unharmed, Poppy?"

She looks at Creek, a little surprised about the accusation, even though she just said that they didn't hurt each other.

"Yeah, they were both fine. And they- they were smiling. The entire band was there, by the way- and Branch was smiling with them! Guys I- I think they're Branch's friends!"

They all looks even more perplexed by that, although Creek looks... Upset? That's an odd look, especially compared to his usual calm expression. She swings her tail and quickly goes back to her story.

"He was so relaxed, and smiling, and they were all just- well, like us! They all looked like friends!"

"Branch made friends??"

"With someone that isn't you???"

"I know!! It makes me feel so weird! Like, I'm proud, but my tummy feels all squirmy when I think about it."

Creek's face contorts even more, but Cooper and DJ Suki smile.

"That's good, right? Even if his first friend isn't one of us, he's branching out and talking to people."

They all snicker at the accidental pun before Poppy blinks and gasps. The distress bleeds back into her skin as she remembers her other discovery, and she waves her arms around to get their attention again.

"Wait, wait, there's more! There's something I saw that's WAY bigger than-"

She sweeps her arm up and out for dramatics, only to meet a pair of eyes watching them from high above the ground. She gasps and freezes, feeling like she just got caught with her paw in the cookie jar. Only, maybe, 200 times worse. She stays frozen with her arm outstretched long enough for the rest of the Pack to follow her eyes and spot Branch up above them.

He blends into the shadows and snow perfectly, shrinking back when all 10 of them turn to stare at him. Awkwardly, her shock twists into a nervous smile, waving shyly when his eyes land on her again. She sees him tilt his head, squinting, before he lifts a paw in a halted wave back at them. It's barely visible with how much he's blending in to the shadows, but she was looking for it, and she would perk up excitedly if she hadn't just been caught red-handed. Can he hear them? Does he know she was talking about him?

Did he see her earlier?

She doesn't even know how long he's been sitting up there watching them, he's really hard to see! 

"Heeeyy Branch! How uh- how's the sky up there?"

His face scrunches a little and he tilts his head more, slowly shifting up into a crouch instead of sitting on the branch. Suki tries to call him down, with Cooper and Biggie joining her, the others all still acting a little skeptical. Creek looks like he bit into a sour candy. 

Branch doesn't come down, and Poppy isn't sure if she's disappointed or relieved about that. On one hand, she always thought that she would be his first friend, and she wants to know every detail she can get about his apparent friend group. And the egg, goodness she wants to know about the egg. But also, she really doesn't want to tell him that she saw him earlier, because he has a glare that could rival her dad's disappointed look.

Branch just continues to stare at them, tilting his head and eventually he lifts his eyes away from them. Her shoulders and tail droop a bit, along with some of her friends', but Chenille shrugs.

"I'm not sure what we were expecting."

A quiet murmur of resigned agreement, Creek still hasn't moved from where he's staring up at the grey troll. They start to regroup and sit down in the snow, but Smidge looks up again and her mouth pushes to the side in the way it does when she's thinking.

"He looks... Weird."

They look up at him again, and yeah, his posture has changed. His fur is puffed a bit more, and he's staring clear over the villagers, into the trees on the other side. His ears are twisting, tips pointed upwards and facing forward, and his entire body is a bundle of strain. He's not trying to hide anymore, he looks like how Poppy saw him a few hours ago, bunched up and poised. He looks like he's going to-

Snow billows outward from the tree as the troll throws himself forward, faster and farther than Poppy thought possible. She covers her face when it flutters down over them, and looks back up just to see Branch's tail vanish around another tree trunk. Something about the way he stood makes the fur on her neck stand up. Something feels wrong. Wronger than seeing him with his friends did.

She's up on her paws again and following him before the others can finish clearing the snow from their hair. They shout after her, and she hears them stumbling behind her, but she has to keep running. This is a different panic from earlier, this panic feels prickly. Like all of her fur turned into needles, pressing into her skin and making her twitch away from it.

The sound of their paws over the snow is suddenly drowned out by a growl that makes her freeze in place. They all stop around her, fur fluffed up and tails tucked between their legs. She feels a stab of ice press down her spine, and her heart is racing in her chest. This is a new feeling, a weird one that makes her want to run and hide. It feels like when she's scared that she won't have enough glitter to finish a birthday card, but a bajillion times worse.

She's scared. Her and her friends are all horribly scared. She's suddenly aware of their bright colors against the snow, as she listens to two sets of snarls echo from in front of them. Her mind is screaming at her in a weird voice that kind of sounds like Branch when he's talking about Bergens.

Run, run, hide, get away! Get to Tribe, hide them, run!

But.

But Branch went that way. He's over there, she can't leave him.

She makes her paws move, much slower than before, and much slower than she probably should be moving, but she moves forward underneath the foliage. She hears the others whimper and follow her into the bushes, and she almost tells them to go back. There's a yowl, and yelp, and the smell of metallic... Something floods her nose. She freezes again, nearly dropping to her knees and burying herself in snow as a creature snarls in front of them.

She pushes herself forward as fast as she dares, peeking through the leaves and covering her nose as the smell gets stronger.

She sees Branch growling at a massive creature, a thing that has to be around 2 feet tall, with 6 legs that end in sharp claws and a jaw full of teeth. It's spiked tail is lashing behind it, tearing at tree bark, and it's- ears?- are pinned back, red liquid spilling from a tear in one. There's a ton of scratches across it's face as well, and a space where a tooth was supposed to be that's dripping blood onto the snow. 

It growls and puts a leg forward, only to flinch and back away when Branch snarls something vicious and swipes at it, his tail waving menacingly behind him.

The creature growls lowly, quieting when Branch lets out a rumbling snarl and stretches himself into a wider stance to make himself look bigger. It barks at him once before turning away and limping into the forest. Branch's fur lowers once it's out of sight, but she still can't bring herself to move when he walks over to a group of roots on all four paws. He pulls his hat on over his hair, then finally stands up.

She sees him wince, he turns around so his right side is closest to the Pack, and she finally sees where the metallic scent is coming from.

He lifts his arm and bundles his white jacket up just as Poppy becomes aware of her friends sneaking up next to her. She doesn't hear their gasps and yells, her ears are ringing and her nose burns.

Because she knows the smell of blood now, and she can see that there's two giant gashes ripped across Branch's exposed side, dark blood staining his fur from grey to black.

Notes:

I am free!
For a week at least, so I hope to update every other day, if I can. Thank you for your patience!
It gets worse before it gets better :)

Chapter 23: Troll Down

Notes:

⚠️ WARNING: Blood and wound descriptions in this chapter! They're more detailed than the last chapter, so read at your own risk!

Poppy seems frozen in place for a moment before her friends all turn to look at him. The sudden attention makes his fur bristle and he scoots back further into the shadows. The entire pack is there this time, and he doesn't like how Creek especially is staring at him. He draws his attention back to Poppy when she moves, bringing her arm back towards her and twisting her face into an awkward smile. She waves her paw almost hesitantly.

He stares at her for a moment before haltingly raising his own paw and waving back. His tail tightens around the wood under him when the odd expression doesn't shift. It doesn't really suit her face.

Branch sees her mouth move, faintly hears her voice join the collection of sounds and cheers, but she's not loud enough to make out proper words. He scrunches his face up and tilts his head to convey as such; she needs to speak up. He drags his paws up under him to balance in a crouch, digging his claws in to keep steady.

Poppy's friends start to call up to him, although Poppy herself seems to fidget and stay quiet. That's... Weird. She's usually the loudest in the village, she takes pride in saying as such. Still, though, he can't hear what any of them are saying. He sees vague hand motions, pointing at him and gesturing around erratically. 

He tilts his head a bit more to get them to speak louder, but either they can't see him too well or they don't understand the display at all. He tilts his head the other way in another attempt, and simply stares at them for another few minutes before his ear flicks minutely.

He lifts his head to stare over the clearing, twisting his ears forward to filter through the cacophony of sounds. Shouting, singing, cheering, more singing, the crunching of hundred of little paws running over the snow, but- 

There!

His ears go up and forward, honing in on the long and low crunch of huge feet sinking deeper into the snow than any troll could. A predator. Something large, coming straight towards them, with several pairs of legs, judging by the overlapping steps. He runs through his knowledge of carnivores in the forest, it definitely can't be a tarantacapuff, and it has too many legs to be a wolf again. 

His fur puffs up as it gets closer, his tail unwrapping from the branch and curling between his paws to brace against the wood. His whole body tenses up as he shifts his legs slightly to lean forward more, ducking down to aim before launching himself across the clearing in a powerful leap.

He doesn't stop to think, sprinting towards the predator and finally placing the beast. A Clawlossus, it's name given to it due to the creature's size. While not the biggest of threats in the forest, it's certainly the strongest, and could probably take down an unsuspecting Bergen if it was desperate enough. It could definitely clear out at least half of the village if it got there.

Branch won't let it get there.

He stops when he sees the dusky green of it's fur and the spiked club tail pushing bushes down behind it. Silently, he slinks down the tree and ducks into the deep bundle of roots at its base. He doesn't like having Alder so close to the threat, but he certainly isn't going to fight with the egg tucked in his hair, so he quietly pulls his jacket and hat off before pulling Alder out of his hair too. He nudges assurance towards his baby when concern and confused fear is pushed through him, hoping that his silent comfort is enough to keep them calm for now. He tucks the egg into his hat and wraps his jacket completely around the bundle, hiding any colors. 

He hides the bundle under a very low cluster of the roots and pushes some snow to blend it further into the ground. Once he's sure that his egg is safely hidden, he drops to all fours and starts stalking forward to intercept the Clawlossus. It pushes it's snout through a dense section of bushes right as Branch slinks into the open. 

It doesn't notice him until Branch plants his paws firmly and growls, drawing it's attention and making the creature bare it's teeth. He knows it doesn't see him as a threat yet.

It will.

He jumps back when the beast lunges towards him and snaps it's jaws where he was standing. He takes the chance to sink his claws into it's nose, yanking his body forward and onto it's face when it rears back. He slams into it's forehead and digs all of his claws in right as the Clawlossus starts to shake it's head to knock him off. Branch snarls in response and slashes his claws through it's fur as he climbs it's face. 

Making sure to leave as many scratches as deep as he can, he leaps from one side of it's skull to the other to avoid the several sets of claws reaching up to swipe at him. The creature twists around and swings it's head towards a tree, forcing Branch to jump off so he doesn't get crushed. He doesn't stay off for long, ricocheting off of the bark and aiming for the side of the creature's face. 

He digs claws and teeth into the long ear and uses it to keep momentum as he swings onto it's shoulder. He feels the skin give under his paws, just in time for him to stick the landing and press down into the groove where shoulder meets spine. He spits the tear of flesh from his mouth as the beast twists around towards him, snapping it's jaws at him and snarling.

He takes the chance to grabs onto it's muzzle again, clinging to the side of it and barely avoiding snagging his legs on one of the large teeth. He's still growling back at the Clawlossus as he drops down just slightly, just enough to be aline with one of the uneven canines. Branch wraps his tail around the protruding tooth, braces his legs on the ones next to him, and pushes as hard as he can.

The tooth rips free with a crunch, making the beast yowl in pain. He realizes his mistake a moment too late when he sees claws in his peripheral, knowing that he can't dodge it a split second before pain bursts from his side. He yelps as he releases his grip on the beast and tooth, thrown down into the snow from the force of the hit. The adrenaline drowns out his pain a moment later, allowing him to pull himself back up onto all fours.

The creature faces him with a bloody mouth, growling low, but Branch can tell there's a difference. It's unsure now, he's made himself a threat, proven a point that he can hurt it. It moves a leg forward and Branch retaliates by snarling as loud as he can, lurching forward and swiping his claws up at the beast's face. It flinches back a couple steps, growling lowly in a last attempt at threatening.

Branch snarls deep in his chest, feeling his ribs shake from the strength of his voice, and stretches his legs out further to square his stance. His tail waves behind him, fur puffed in an obvious display of rage. He can see the moment that the creature understands that it has lost. This is Branch's territory, his Tribe, and he will not let this creature any further.

The Clawlossus barks with a cracking voice before it turns tail and limps away, swaying lightly as it disappears into the trees. Only when he can't hear the steps does he allow himself to relax, fur laying flat again as he bee-lines for his egg. He chirps exhaustedly in reassurance when he's instantly met with terrified concern, he'll be okay. He wished that Alder couldn't sense his pain.

He pulls the egg up into his hair and the hat over them in a single move, then grabs his jacket and stands up. The movement makes him wince as a new wave of pain blossoms from his side. Right, he nearly forgot about that.

He turns so that the sunlight shines directly on his wounded side. He can't quite twist enough to see the full damage, so he tenderly lifts his right arm to feel the wound. Bundling his jacket up with one paw, he takes stock of the possible damage. He can feel the strain in his muscles, and doesn't feel the distinct emptiness and chill that comes with exposed bones, so it's most likely just a flesh wound. Two of the creature's claws have drawn sharp slices through his skin and fur, but his muscles feel whole, if stinging from the winter air directly interacting with it. 

Carefully, Branch presses his jacket against the wound to stave off the blood flow. He hisses in pain, tears springing to his eyes already and vision spinning. Maybe he lost a little more than he thought, or his pain tolerance has dropped. It has been a few years since he gained a serious injury, after all.

His head snaps up when he hears several paws and shouts coming up on his wounded side. Naturally, he spins around so his injury is facing away, using his weakened arm to hold the jacket in place and lifting his bloodied left paw in defense. He relaxes for a split second before tensing again upon recognizing the Snack Pack. Shit, they must have followed him.

They're talking too fast, and their paws are waving around him nervously, too afraid to touch. The adrenaline is draining from his system entirely, making him stumble and nearly drop to his knees. Instead, 4 sets of paws grab on to his arms and shoulders, keeping him upright. It takes a second to process the movement in front of him before Poppy's paws lift his face up, making him focus on her.

"-anch, Branch! Answer me! Are you- oh gosh you're bleeding so much- we need to get you to the doctor's pod! Branch!!"

They're all asking if he's okay, even Creek looks terrified and worried. He must look like death warmed over if even he's concerned. He clears his throat and tries to respond, to tell them that he'll be fine, he's had worse. All that comes out is a stilted clicking, tapering off into a weak whine. He clears his throat a second time and tries again, only to get the same results. 

He shakes his head a bit to try and clear the pain from his mind, to no avail. For some reason, words have just... vanished from his vocabulary. He can understand them, but he can't make his throat form the letters, just the primal sounds that no other troll can understand. 

He tries to stand upright, only to list to the side and be caught by more of the Pack. This isn't good. Usually he can treat it right away, because he normally has a medical kit tucked away in his hair, but he left it at home. He needs to at least wrap it properly.

He stopped paying attention to what the group was saying to him, so it takes him by surprise when Cooper suddenly lifts him up onto his back, the others help balance Branch until he leans forward against the long troll's neck. He weakly wraps his arm around Cooper for stability and readjusts his jacket against his wound. He hisses quietly, underlined by a low click of distress.

The Pack surround him as they start to move, towards the clearing if he has to guess. They keep trying to talk to him, but his mind feels thick like syrup. His ears droop from the ringing and his tail sways uselessly off to the side. It only seems to increase their worried chattering. Blindly, he adjusts his hold on Cooper and looks back down at the ruined jacket.

His attention is slowly dragged to his bloody paw, and it takes a solid minute to process the detail hidden in his dark blood. It almost makes his mind clear with the weak flutter of happiness that he feels.

His blood had turned a solid, deep ink color when he turned grey all those years ago, losing all color and shine that runs through a troll's veins. Now, though, he can see the tiny specks flickering in the light, the annoying joy that accompanies the glitter now hiding in his black blood. Another sign of his healing. Ironic, considering the circumstances.

He flinches when several of the Pack suddenly start shouting, waving their arms and calling desperately for... Someone. Probably the doctor. That would make the most sense.

Cooper turns his head back towards him to try and talk, his words only barely piercing the fuzz that fills Branch's brain.

"You doing okay, dude?"

Branch blinks slowly before nodding slightly, making another weak attempt at speaking. His soft chirp makes Cooper relax, his whole body loosening against Branch's, and he turns back when a short purple troll runs up to them. His quiet cooing does nothing to calm his egg, or the other trolls that circle around him. Before he knows it, they're moving again. The world is a blur of white and brown, occasionally interrupted by green or bright color.

He's starting to feel cold by the time the scenery suddenly shifts, and the air against his skin warms more. Still, his body feels like ice, expanding from his wound outward though his limbs, and his throat begins to taste like bile. He's lifted off of Cooper rather unexpectedly, instead moved to what might be a bed. The jacket is swiftly pulled from under his arm, making his throw out a hissing growl when it drags against his exposed muscle.

His claws flex instinctively as his arm is pushed out of the way, but he refrains from swiping at whoever presses a burning liquid into his wound. He knows the feeling, the familiar pain helps ground him just enough. He can recognize the medical equipment around him, smells the disinfectant, and can tell the difference in the several paws that help him sit up.

He raises his arms are best as he can- which isn't far without assistance- and focuses on remaining conscious as the maybe-doctor wraps bandages around his torso. He grits his teeth through the pain, failing to hold back a pained snarl when they press a bit too hard on the wraps. 

When something is pressed against his mouth, he jerks back, immediately regretting the harsh movement. He shakes his head when they try to offer it to him again, and seemingly take the rejection easily, for once. He's lowered gently, so gently, down against the bed, and a blanket is pulled up over his freezing body. 

He doesn't want to sleep, but he knows that he will anyway. He always needs to nap after a larger injury, and this one is certainly one of the worst. He just wishes that him and his baby were safe in the Bunker instead of here. His ear twitches slightly as he hears a disagreement from at his side, followed by many paws dragging against the floor and leaving, probably pushed out by the doctor.

His ear flicks again and brushes against the hat still on his head, safely hiding his egg from the other trolls. Good. He twines his hair into the edge of it, just to be sure that no one can take it off, before he lets the fog overtake him, whispering comfort to Alder until his exhaustion finally drags him down into an uncomfortable sleep.

Notes:

This was my first time writing a fighting scene, and at like 1 in the morning so I really hope it made any sense at all

Chapter 24: Black and Bloody

Notes:

⚠️ WARNING: Blood and wound descriptions in this chapter!

This should be the last chapter with blood, at least for a while. There might be hints at it after this, but nothing detailed or focused.

Branch's hiss of pain breaks through the shock and Poppy physically stumbles forward. Her movement unfreezes her friends too, as they gasp again and all rush towards him. Branch bristles and whips around to face them, lifting his claws up in front of him in a threat. Upon actually seeing them, he relaxes and his claws slip into his paw, only to reveal the blood soaking into his fur.

They crowd around him when he sways, spouting concerns and questions to him, even though he doesn't respond. Actually, he's not really reacting at all, his eyes are a little spacey and it feels like he's looking through them. Poppy's paws twitch between reaching for him and fiddling against her dress. 

When his legs suddenly buckle and he tilts forward, they simultaneously shout and reach out for him. Guy and Biggee grab an arm each, Smidge supporting the arm that he has wrapped across his chest, and Poppy presses her paws against his shoulders from his front. After keeping him upright for a second, Poppy lifts her paws up to his jaw and tilts his face up to meet her eyes.

"Branch, what happened?! What was that?! Branch?"

He's still not really looking at her, and she's never seen him so silent and- weak? They're still having to hold him upright so he doesn't fall over. It's scaring her.

"Branch, Branch! Answer me! Are you- oh gosh you're bleeding so much- we need to get you to the doctor's pod! Branch!!"

He blinks and finally actually looks at her before sweeping around and across the faces of her friends. She sees him swallow, his throat working as he clears it, before he opens his mouth to finally respond. Instead of words, Branch makes a strange chittering sound, kind of like a bat critter she's heard during night. His face scrunches slightly before he repeats clearing his throat and clicking at them.

"Okay, Branch, we really need to get you-"

He shakes his head and keeps making the sound, ears pressing back a bit when he does. Can he not speak? She's never seen that happen before!

He pushes them off and tries to stand up straight, only to nearly fall over again. This time, the Pack catches him and don't let go when his eyes start to drift again. He's still bleeding, the black blood dripping down his leg and staining the snow beneath their paws. They have to get him help, right now!

"Guys, we need to get him back to the village!"

"I can carry him!"

"Cooper, are you sure?"

"Yeah! You said he was light, right?"

"And that way, we don't need to touch his side!"

There's a couple nods of agreement and Poppy quickly agrees as well. She's still worried as Cooper slips underneath Branch and lifts him right up onto his back. Her paws reach out helplessly when Branch sways again, but the twins manage to keep him balanced long enough for Branch to act on his own. He leans against Cooper and wraps his free arm around his neck loosely, his tail laying limp at his side instead of wrapping around Cooper like he does with the trees.

That's also a bit worrying. She's never seen Branch so unaware of himself. Even when he was asleep, he could keep himself upright and secure. If they don't get him to a doctor, and fast, he might-

He hisses and clicks quietly, head ducking down towards his wound. She realizes that his white jacket has turned black as well, the blood soaking through the fabric and staining his fur even more. She quickly takes a step back, looking back to where they came, and shouts back to them.

"Come on, we gotta hurry!"

They all pack in close to Cooper and Branch, ready to catch him, as they start running back to the villagers. She sees Branch's ears slowly droop, hanging down against his jaw, and he leans fully against Cooper's neck as they go. He's blinking slower and his breathing is stuttery, and it only increases their worry when they each notice it. 

Right as Poppy starts to hear the villagers through the trees, she sees Branch move out of the corner of her eye. She sees him look down at his bloody paw, and his eyebrows raise slightly like he's surprised that it's bloody. Did he forget that he's hurt? That's bad, isn't it? He shouldn't have forgotten something like that, that has to be bad.

The very second that they burst out of bushes, Poppy starts waving her arms in the air and shouting for a doctor. There's very few doctors in the village, and she really hopes that one of them knows how to heal something this bad.

"Help! Please! Our friend is hurt, really badly, we need a doctor!"

Poppy looks back when she hears Cooper talk, and Branch responds with a quiet chirp, lower than she's happy with. He looks exhausted, and he's pale even through his fur. Somehow, he looks even more dull than normal.

Dr. Moonbloom is the first to run over, weaving between the gathering trolls to get to the Pack. Her paws fly to her mouth to stifle a gasp when they clear a path to Branch, but she quickly comes over to look at him. While she inspects the dark jacket and stained fur, Branch starts making a quiet coo sound, like a bird. Dr. Moonbloom's nose scrunches in confusion for a split second before she turns to lead them back to the village.

"I need my tools to treat this bad of a wound. Hurry, I need him in my pod, he's already lost way too much blood!"

They quickly follow the small troll and race through the trees, all of them breathing heavily by the time they see the colorful pods against the brown and white. The doctor points them to a bed immediately after bursting into the pod as she pulls gloves on and grabs some sort of medical kit. Poppy and Guy pull Branch off of Cooper's back and lay him down on the bed, stepping back as soon as he's down.

Poppy winces as Branch growls at the jacket being pulled from under his arm, tail curling between her legs as Dr. Moonbloom takes her place and presses a bad-smelling liquid against Branch's wound.

"Sit him up, I need him upright to reach the whole wound."

Poppy and several others lurch forward to do as they're told, slowly levering Branch up until he's sitting almost upright. She sees Creek eye the long claws before moving around and supporting Branch by pressing his paws against the other's spine. Her breath catches in her chest when their movement moves his fur around, briefly flashing patchwork skin underneath it. Are those scars? Is that what they look like? Why does he have so many?

Branch raises his arms slightly, paws turned outwards and away from the doctor as she works. His whole face is twisted in pain, snarling so harshly that she can see his chest vibrate with it, claws flexing in the air. She's distantly awed at the fact that he can keep himself from hurting any of them, even though he's in so much pain.

"He needs to hydrate, someone get a glass of water."

Poppy blinks and glances over her shoulder to watch her friends scramble around. Soon, someone passes her a small cup of cold water, and it nearly slips from her paw when she takes it from them. She swallows harshly at the reminder of the blood on her, on all of them, before carefully lifting the glass up to Branch's clenched teeth.

"Branch, we got you some water, it'll help-"

But the second it taps against his lower lip, he jerks his head to the side and cries out in pain. The sound makes her heart leap to her throat and stay there, paws shaking as she offers the cup again.

"Branch, please, you need to drink-"

He doesn't even open his eyes to look at them, just keeps shaking his head and leaning away from the cup. Poppy whines in distress and looks to the doctor for guidance. She doesn't know what to do. Dr. Moonbloom glances up at her from where she's taping the bandages down, glances at Branch, then the glass, and back up at Poppy.

"He's too stressed to recognize it right now, it might be better to wait until he's aware again. Just set it aside and help me lay him back down."

Poppy steps back as the doctor and her friends slowly lower Branch down to the bed again. Creek tucks the blanket up underneath Branch's arms, flinching back when Branch sinks his claws into the fabric. She stares at him as his face twists into distress, ears slowly going limp against the bed as his body sinks into the bed. She kind of hears people talking nearby, sees them moving around her, but she just... She can't tear her eyes away. Branch's cry of pain is echoing in her ears, and she doesn't realize how bad she's shaking until there's a paw pulling the cup from hers.

The doctor is arguing with the Pack, and Poppy finally turns away from Branch when DJ sets the cup down. Dr. Moonbloom starts waving her arms towards them, stepping forward to herd them out.

"The patient needs to rest, and you lot need to go clean yourselves up. Shoo, shoo!"

"But-"

"I need a sterile room when I do the stitches, which means all of you need to leave, lest his wounds get infected. Now, go!"

Poppy shrinks into herself a bit but hustles her friends out of the pod with heavy paws. She stares at the pod when the petal closes before turning to look at her friends. She doesn't know how to feel, what she's supposed to do. She's never thought about someone getting as hurt as Branch just did. She can tell that they're lost too, the way they silently look around the group.

Most of them have some black blood on them, on their paws or arms or front. Cooper's entire side is streaked with black, making his fur flat and sticky, and Guy is staring down at his stained paws, looking like he might faint. The metallic smell makes her nose burn and her eyes water as her brain throws pictures of Branch to the front of her thoughts, bloody and dizzy and weak. She's never seen him so weak before. She's never seen him so hurt.

The doctor was right, they need to clean off. She looks down at her paws, stretches her fingers out and feels the blood slide through her fur. It makes her shudder, and she wants to run in and cry at his side. If she hadn't gone after him...

"We-"

Her voice shakes when she speaks, so she swallows and clears her throat, trying to act like her dad does. Her friends need a leader right now, and she needs to be that leader! Come on, Princess Poppy, you can do this!

"We should go wash off."

There's a couple small nods, all of them still look a little stunned, and a couple are starting to shake as they look at the patches of black. Poppy nods and takes a steady step forward, leading the way to her own pod. Her paws are shaking, and she catches herself reaching for the hem of her dress, so she balls her paws up into fists in front of her. The squish of the blood makes her shudder and stretch her paws out as much as she can. She doesn't like that she knows she won't forget the feeling anytime soon.

She goes straight for the sink, turning the water on and scrubbing at her fur. She steps aside to let others join her as the blackness slowly rinses down the drain, swirling hypnotically. She sees Biggee, Cooper, and Creek walk further into her pod, probably to use the bath so they can get all of it off Cooper. 

Her paws ache when she finally steps away to dry off, even though her clothes are still stained in places. She loved this dress. She kind of wants to burn it now. Wearing it feels wrong, having it feels wrong, because she's always gonna know that it was covered in blood once. She shakes her head, pressing her paws against her eyes, and collapses onto her couch. The smell of blood lingers around the pod. One by one, her friends join her, sitting on the couch or around her on the floor. No one speaks for a long time.

The silence doesn't help, but for once Poppy doesn't know what to say. She can still hear Branch's pain, can see it, smell it, feel it on her skin. She's seen scraped knees before, even a couple broken bones in her life, but no one's ever bled that much. She's never genuinely feared for someone's life before like she just did. She can't stop thinking about it. What if she didn't follow Branch? What if they didn't see him leave? What if they didn't know he was there, fighting that giant- thing? Would he have made it back? Or- or would he still be out in the woods, bleeding into the snow?

Poppy chokes back a sob. Is this how he feels, all the time? She knows he's okay now, he's with the doctor, he's fine, but she can't stop. She can't stop thinking about what could have gone wrong, what could still go wrong. Is this how he feels about the Bergens? About the creatures that live around them? She saw the scars across his body, how often does this happen?

How long has he been fighting to keep them safe? How often have they brushed him off for it?

Her hug time bracelet chimes on her wrist, and for the first time in her life, she wants to close it. The happy chiming from all of their bracelets feels out of place with the situation. She looks around at her friends, swallowing hard when she sees tears shining around the circle of them.

"H-He's okay."

There's not even words, just a couple murmurs, and more glances at the shining bracelets. Poppy whimpers, scoots off the couch, and presses herself against Cooper's side. It triggers all of them into moving, and the group hug feels heavier this time. It doesn't feel light and pleasant like usual, it feels nearly suffocating, but comforting as well. She grabs at whoever she can reach, clinging to her friends long after the tiny flowers close up. She makes herself feel happy that she has friends like them.

She jerks into standing, grabbing at her ears as her fur puffs up with alarm.

"We need to tell his friends!!"

There's collective gasps and they scramble to stand up, stumbling over each other. How could she forget! They need to know, Branch is their friend! She wipes her face off and quickly shakes off, trying to push away the bad thoughts about Branch and-

"Split up, we gotta tell them! I'll take Ablaze, you guys spread out and find the others, okay? Guy, Satin, Chenille, you go find Trickee. Biggee, Smidge, Fuzzburt, you guys go after Hype. Cooper, Creek, DJ, you take Boom!"

The Pack brush themselves off and feed from her energy, nodding and shaking themselves off. She smiles, making herself fluff in with confidence and runs out of the pod. 

"Meet back here tonight, okay? Sleepover!"

"Woo!" "Sleepover!" "Alright!"

There's a few other cheers, although a couple are still struggling to smile as they start to split up. She sees Cooper hesitate heavily before following his group. She wants to call out to him when she sees his ears and tail drooping, but they're gone before she can. She'll have to talk to him later, he seems especially sad.

She shakes her arms out and takes off running towards the troll's pod. He might not be there, but it's a good place to start! The lights are shining through the windows of the red and gold pod when she gets closer, using her hair to pull herself up to its' front. Maybe he is home after all, that makes it so much easier!

"Ablaze! Ablaze!! It's an emergency, come out!"

She knocks on the side of the pod until the petal opens, Ablaze standing there in just shorts and a shirt. He looks around, holding a spoon up above his head before his eyes land on her. He blinks and lowers the spoon, tilting his head.

"Princess Poppy? What's-"

"Branch got hurt!"

Okay, she could have said that better. Ablaze's eyes go wide and he drops the spoon, staring at her. She quickly tries to fix her outburst.

"He's okay now, he's in Dr. Moonbloom's pod right now, he was fighting this big creature in the forest and it scratched his side and I think she said something about stitches? But he was bleeding a lot and I miiight have seen you guys earlier so I thought I should probably tell you and your friends that he got hurt, cause. He's your friend too. Right?"

Ablaze is pale and his mouth is hanging open, his tail hanging limp behind him. He opens his mouth a couple times before blinking and looking up at her again.

"You said Dr. Moonbloom?"

"Yeah, he's sleeping right now-"

Ablaze drops out of the pod without letting her finish. It takes a second for her to catch up to what just happened before she closes the front petal and rushes to follow him. Jeez, he's fast! No wonder they're friends! Branch can move fast when he wants to, and obviously Ablaze shares that with him, because Poppy can't catch up to him even though her fall was way more controlled.

She sees her friends running towards the pod as well, with Hype and Boom leading them. Both of them look panicked, and they practically break through the petal to disappear inside. Poppy stops to catch her breath once she reaches the front petal opening again. She hears them talking to the doctor again before she looks up.

The Pack stay outside of the pod, afraid to invade, but Branch's group has already taken positions around his bed. Boom has a paw on the side of Branch's head, grazing the hat still covering his hair, while Hype is holding his arm and Ablaze is talking frantically to the doctor.

She feels like she shouldn't be seeing this. They all look scared, even though the doctor responds calmly to their frantic questioning, and she thinks she can see Ablaze's eyes brimming with tears. This feels weirdly private, she feels like she's overhearing someone share a secret with their friend. She feels like she's spying on them again, like she did earlier today.

Hesitantly, she pulls herself and her friends back from the pod, putting her paw on Cooper's side to start guiding him away.

"Where's Trickee?"

The twins shrug, Guy still looking a little nauseous next to them.

"When we told him, he took off running into the forest." 

"He told us not to follow him, so we came back here instead."

"Huh. That's... Weird."

They shrug again, so she lets it go. They try to chat idly on their way back to the royal pod, talking about this and that to try and shake away the prickly feeling under her fur. Cooper doesn't say a word on the way back, and she nudges him gently after the others go in.

"You okay?"

"Huh? Oh- yeah, yeah. Just... I'm just worried about him."

"Hey, he'll be okay... He's Branch! He's not gonna let this keep him down."

"I know, I know, I just... I can't stop thinking about it. I've never seen someone like that."

"Me neither, it was scary. But... It's over now, right?"

"Yeah... Right..."

"So, let's go in, and have a good night, okay?"

"Yeah, you're right..."

He still doesn't look much better, but he gives her a small smile. Poppy stays still as he walks in to join them.

She stands there, watching them for a moment. Her skin is still tingling underneath her fur, and she can't bring herself to step forward and join them. It's over, she knows it is. Branch is okay, his friends are with him now, and they're all okay. So why does she still feel like everything is wrong? She feels wrong in her own skin, her head is buzzing unpleasantly, and her chest feels too small for her heart. She looks down at her paw.

She swears she can still see the black staining her fur.

Notes:

Sometimes I forget how many people read this

Chapter 25: A Day at the Doctor's

Branch feels the pain in his side before he even processes waking up. The second thing he recognizes is the foreign worry squirming under his skin. He blearily sends reassurance back to his egg, a sub-vocal hum resonating through his bones and nearly dragging him back to sleep. But his internal clock tells him that he's been out for a while, and he has a feeling that Alder wouldn't be happy if he went back under so soon. Unsurprisingly, his egg sends him a disgruntled flick of emotion as confirmation.

Resigning himself to facing the day and his injury, he slowly works his body back online. His muscles are fuzzy and weak in a way that tells him he's somehow gotten a painkiller in his system, but he can feel the uncomfortable stretch of his skin on his side. Tiny lines along two stretches of pure ache; someone put stitches across his wounds. There's a blanket tucked up near his collarbone, and he can sense several other trolls around his bed. He'd be more freaked out about that if he didn't recognize the smell of the doctor's pod again.

A quick checks tells him that his hair is still weaved into his hat, hiding Alder from any prying paws, and with that last bit of confirmation, he blinks slowly and winces as light assaults his eyes. Once his vision clears, he relaxes as he recognizes 3 of his friends sitting around his bed. Ablaze and Hype are both passed out in chairs on his left side, heads pressed awkwardly against each other, and Boom is reading silently at his right. No one else is in the doctor's pod, even the other beds are empty, thankfully. Boom has one paw on the side of Branch's bed, set so close to him that all Branch has to do it flex to alert his friend that he's awake. Boom is standing instantly, dropping the book in his seat and paws hovering anxiously around his form.

"Branch! Thank the stars you're awake. Are you alright? How are you feeling? Is- Is the- Are they okay? Are you both okay?"

Branch tries to reply to him, but can only respond in chirps and clicks. He grunts in frustration, because he knows that other trolls can't understand him like this, and just nods instead. Boom relaxes a bit, then hovers a paw above his head as if to be sure that Branch is telling the truth. Alder's song has slowly evened out as Branch woke up, and is back to it's soft yet slightly agitated melody. Boom relaxes completely, leaning out of Branch's space and looks up at the others.

"Hey, wake up. Boys. Wake up!"

Ablaze snuffs, but that's the most reaction that Boom gets from them. He sighs and brings his fingers up to his mouth.

"You might want to cover your ears."

Branch blinks before dragging his paws up and cupping them over his ears, bracing himself as Boom inhales. The front petal slams open at the same time that Boom forces out a loud and sharp whistle. The two sleeping trolls jolt awake shouting, tripping over themselves as they rush to stand up. Trickee comes running into the room with a bundle of fabric in his arms, flinching back at the sound but stumbling forward undeterred.

"I GOT- ow- I GOT IT!"

He dumps the bunch at the end of Branch's bed, much to his own displeasure, and starts rooting through the blankets until he lifts up a familiar green vest. Branch perks up immediately and tries to work himself into sitting up, clicking demandingly and reaching a paw out for it. Ablaze leaps forward and helps support him as he leans against the top of the bed, and Trickee tosses the vest over to him. 

With a little more struggle than he would prefer, the comfortable weight settles over his shoulders and chest, and Branch relaxes back into the bed. One paw grips the bottom edge of it, running a thumb around the shape of the fabric leaves. He hums quietly and clears his throat, smacking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. Hype grabs a cup that was sitting on a nearby table and offers it, which Branch gladly accepts. The water's only room temperature, but he chugs it all the same. 

Finally, his mind clears completely as he sets it down in his lap and looks up at the worried faces around him.

"How long was I out?"

His voice is a bit broken, but he's glad that his words are back. It seems to comfort the others as well, as they all sink down into various seats, Trickee perching next to the pile of blankets. Boom is the one to answer.

"A little over 13 hours, I think. I don't think you were out long before they came and got us."

"Wait, what? Who's-"

Oh. Right. The Snack Pack saw him nearly bleed out after fighting the Clawlossus. That's... great. 

"They came to tell us what happened, since apperantly we were discovered."

"The Princess said she saw us in the forest yesterday."

Damn it, he knew he heard something.

"What were you fighting?"

"Oh, uh. It's called a Clawlossus. They don't come around here very often, and it's gone now."

Trickee leans forward with a gleam in his eye, looking somewhere between proud, excited, and nervous.

"I'll say! I had one of the princess's friends take me out to where you were, to check for Alder. I found that thing's tooth in the snow. It's huge, how did you do that, dude?!"

Branch relaxes into the conversation easily, distracting himself from the soreness tugging at his side by relaying the fight to them. The group is a mix of appalled and amazed as he describes the creature and how he chased it off, throwing questions at him constantly. His body is slowly strengthening as the medicine wears off, and the ache in his side turns sharper as they fall into comfortable chatter. He shifts occasionally on the bed, cushioning his waist with two of the blankets that Trickee had brought with him while they fly from one topic to the next.

_________________________________________________

Despite his best efforts, Branch still goes tense when the doctor arrives. He hasn't actually been to the doctor's since he escaped his last foster pod and started his Bunker. His tail flicks in agitation as Ablaze and Hype move out of her way, spine stiff against the top of the bed and claws flexing in the blanket over his lap.

"Good to see you awake, Branch. How are you feeling?"

"Alive."

"That's always a good thing, but I meant your side."

"Yeah, right. It's sore, but it's not bleeding."

"Good, good. And the pain?"

"I can handle it."

She hums, unamused, but doesn't push him. Instead, she circles the bed and Branch raises his arm delicately so she can inspect the bandages. He winces when she prods at the edges, but refrains from snapping at her. His fur stands on end until she steps away to pick up a clipboard and pencil.

"I'll get you a prescription for the painkillers, and keep you here for a few days to be sure that you don't get worse. In the meantime, I do have a few questions for you."

He internally groans, almost positive that he knows where this is going. Then he stiffens.

"Days?"

"Of course. There's always the risk that you sustained an infection, despite how quickly you were brought here. Not to mention, I have no clue what that creature could have done to your system-"

"It's not poisonous."

"What?"

"The Clawlossus doesn't have any venom or poison. It's just sharp. There's nothing that it would have pushed into my body aside from it's claw."

"Hm. That's good to know. Still, you suffered a serious injury, it's best that you rest."

"Can't I rest in my own home? I've handled injuries before, and I know how to treat my own wounds."

She still looks unconvinced, so he draws his shoulders up and puffs his fur out, stubbornness written across his face. They stare at each other for a long minute before she huffs and jabs the pencil down against the clipboard.

"Fine. How about you stay here for another day so I can monitor your health, then I'll let you go home."

"Deal."

He would still rather be back in the Bunker now, but he knows how to quit when he's ahead. He resigns himself to sinking back into the bed, regretting it already when she shoos his friends out of the pod, talking about doctor-patient confidentiality. He waves tiredly at them as they're practically herded out of his view, and sighs when the petal closes behind them. He feels even more uncomfortable now that he's alone with Moonbloom.

She collects her clipboard again from where it had been set on a small table, and drags a chair over to sit next to his bed.

"Now. I have a few questions about your anatomy."

Oh, going straight into it. Alright then. The faster he gets this over with, the faster he can be left alone. He grumbles but waves a paw in the air to motion for her to continue.

"You have features that I haven't seen on a troll before. Your claws, for one. Are those natural?"

"Yes, they just grew in one day."

"Fascinating... And you don't know what caused them?"

She writes something down on her clipboard. His ear flicks at the grinding sound of the pencil.

"Probably the same thing that caused the rest of my body."

"The greyness?"

He digs his claws into the bed below him and takes a deep, steady breath. Alder echos worry into his skull.

"No. Living out in the forest."

"We all live in the forest."

"Not the way I do. You all don't climb like I do, you don't hunt, you don't dig, or travel, or fight, or live like I do. My body adapted to match my environment and lifestyle. There's nothing more to it."

"Very interesting..."

More writing, more grinding. There's a sharp lump in the pointed lead that catches the paper and makes it cry.

"What about your blood? And your fur?"

He feels a low growl building in his chest. He doesn't think he'll be able to stay here for another day if she's going to keep interrogating him.

"Those are from being grey."

"But your other changes aren't?"

"If they were from that, it would have happened in the first year, not slowly."

More writing. His hackles raise.

"Hm... You seem to be healing quite quickly for such a nasty wound."

"I'm used to it. And I heal faster. It'll be gone in a couple weeks, at most. Are you done?"

The purple troll huffs, clearly wanting to ask more, but simply nods and jots down a few final notes. Smart move. He's only a few wrong words away from snapping at her, and he knows she can tell. His tail is flicking against the bed, his ears are pinned backwards, his claws are tearing holes into the fabric of the blankets, and his face is twitching to keep from growling at her. He hates when people pry.

"I'll get you that prescription by tomorrow. For now, drink plenty of water and get some more rest. I'll be back to check on you in a few hours."

His nose scrunches upward and he flashes his teeth at her for a moment before he manages to drag control over his muscles again. He just nods and glares down at his clenches paws until she leaves. 

Once he's alone again, he releases the deep snarl that he'd been fighting back, face scrunched in defensive fury and tail swinging wildly over the edge of the bed. It only lasts a couple seconds, just enough to release the pent-up frustration, then he shuffles back against the pillow. He takes a long breath, holds it, then releases it through clenched teeth. He really wishes he was back in the Bunker.

He turns his head and angles his ear towards the front petal, listening for voices outside. He hears the doctor and some slightly familiar voices talking right outside, before all 4 walk away from the pod. Only when it's silent does he finally pull the hat from his head, pulling his egg from his hair and down into his lap. He softens his disgruntled muttering to a rumbling purr when the shell presses against his skin, moving a thumb is circles over a cluster of speckles. 

He always knew that he hated doctor trips, even before he lost his colors, but this was worse than he remembered. He'd entirely expected to bitch and complain throughout the entire check-up, but he had to physically refrain from lashing out and scratching her. He blames it on the questions. Even before Alder was dropped at his doorstep, he'd hated being questioned about his odd body and behavior. The other trolls always looked at him like he wasn't one of them when asking him about it. It made him feel like a creature rather than a troll.

He looks down at his baby when he sees the colors shift in hue, flashing brightly before fading through a collection of deep blues and purples. He hums, setting his chin over the tuft of fur on top, and tries to reassure his egg that they'll be back home soon. Then he can recover in peace and get back into schedule. Already, tasks are organizing into a list in his mind, things that he needs to get done before spring arrives and Alder hopefully hatches. And his body itches to get up and get started, making him shift around to try and settle comfortably again.

Branch sighs and tucks a blanket up around the colorful egg. It's going to be a very long day.

Notes:

HELLO. I AM NOT DEAD. I'M SORRY.
This work is not and will not be abandoned! Life has just been kicking my ass lately and I did not realize that it's been nearly 2 months since I updated this.
Updates will most likely remain slow, but not to this length again. Maybe a week or 2 between them at most.
I enjoy writing this story and I'm glad that all of you enjoy it too!

Chapter 26: Visiting Hours

Branch doesn't see much of the doctor for the rest of the day, aside from 2 irritating check-ups and when a few other trolls come in for minor pains. A sprained ankle, a couple of bruises, and a cold, all of which are treated quickly and leave within minutes. He stays silent when others are in the pod, keeping his eyes focused on the blanket or supplies on the wall. He blatantly refuses to answer any more questions during the second check-up.

Even though the clock on the wall tells him it's only been a few hours, it feels like he's been sitting in the doctor's bed for days. His friends haven't come back yet, and he has nothing to make the time pass faster. Heck, he's gotten bored enough to count the stitches on his vest to try and distract himself. It doesn't work.

He's aggressively telling himself to take a nap just so he can be unaware of every single mind-numbing second that passes when there's several sets of paws outside and a light knock on the front petal. The doctor isn't in the pod with him, and he's unfortunately too sore to get up and dig through her medical supplies for whoever is outside, so he simply turns his muzzle into the pillow and goes back to trying to sleep.

His ear twitches when the front petal peels open and tiny paws enter. There's 1 adult with a group of 4 trollings and a cooing baby, if he's hearing right. His fur prickles slightly when they don't move any closer.

"Um... Mr. Branch?"

He blinks and turns back towards the opening, wincing as the twist pulls on his wound. He hadn't expected any visitors outside of Kismet and maybe the Snack Pack. He's definitely not prepared to be faced with a familiar family of 6.

Delilah, the oldest trolling, is standing at the front of her siblings, with Emmy standing behind them carrying the baby in her arms. He blinks at them again before slowly heaving himself into sitting. The little lavender trolling is holding a wrapped bundle, covered in stickers and at least 3 different types of ribbon. When he sits up, she shifts her weight and shuffles over to his bedside, looking nervous.

"Uh. Hi? What are you doing here?"

"We heard you got hurt!"

The other trollings all crowd in next to Delilah, peeking over the edge of the bed and eyeing the bandages wrapped around his waist. He tugs his vest over the patch on his side where it's slowly staining again. Nothing serious anymore, but the movement sure hasn't helped the wound heal. One kid reaches over the side of the bed to point at it.

"Is that where you got hurt?"

"Yes, it is-"

There's a chorus of gasps as they stand on their toes to get a better look. Their fur is all puffed up and their little faces are scrunched in concern.

"-but I'll be alright. All patched up and everything. Just need to wait for it to stop hurting."

They let out a collective sigh of relief, although Delilah still has her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth twisted in a worried frown. The look tugs at his heart in a way he isn't used to, and a way he doesn't like, so he tried to reroute the conversation. Again, he notes the package held against her chest and draws their attention to it instead of his side.

"What do you have there?"

She looks up at him, down at her arms, then draws herself up with an excited smile. She holds it up towards him with her tail wagging behind her, stretching up over the side of his bed. Hesitantly, he takes it from her to look at it. Whatever it is, it's wrapped in crinkly and colorful wrapping, bunched at the curves and flat against the top and bottom. It's oddly shaped and squishy, almost feels plush when he presses his fingers against the top.

Confused, he glances up at the trolling only to find them all staring at him expectantly. Then it clicks.

"Oh- wait, is this for... Me?"

"Mhm!"

"We wanted to thank you for what you did. They wanted to make you something, without freaking you out over the glitter and glue and all that."

Branch just stares at the mother as he processes this information. He can't remember the last time he got a gift from anyone but Poppy. Everyone stopped trying to give him stuff shortly after he became a teenager, because he started destroying everything they gave him. In his defense, most of them were either loud or shot him in the face with tiny glitter canons. God he hates those glitter canons.

He looks down at the package in his paws again, trepidation making his arms tense. Surely this isn't some prank, right? If she says there's no glitter, than they wouldn't lie and ruin his fur with the stuff. Right?

His claws flex as he carefully pulls the ribbons off of the bundle. Little strips of tape are covering the entire surface of the wrapping paper, and he tries to pull them off as effectively as possible without his claws catching on whatever is underneath. His ears twist backwards whenever the paper tears, wincing at the loud sounds, but he successfully gets the wrapping paper off of the gift and set aside.

It's a doll. The entire doll is patched together with square and circular and oddly shaped cuts of felt, some pieces are patterned, some are blank, and the felt is a mix of dark colors. Dark green, blue, purple, brown, black, and grey, some obviously dyed to look darker than they are. One ear is pointed upwards while the other matches the downward turn of his own. None of the limbs are the same size, all end in white and pale pink pads stitched into the paws. The tail is curved and cornered in 4 different spots before ending in the same black fluff that sprouts from the head. The green vest is uneven and the brown shorts are covered in heart and star patches. A bright red heart peeks out from behind the mismatched vest. Two black circular buttons and a heart one make up the face. The cleanly embroidered smile is the only neat part of the entire doll.

The doll is soft and rough, patchwork and neat. It's messy and imperfect and twisted in ways most trolls would have scoffed at.

It's him.

He hasn't adored a gift like this in years.

"Aww, the eyes are wrong!"

He blinks away the sting in his actual eyes before looking up at the pouting troll.

"We got the color wrong! Yours are blue..."

He laughs softly, carefully wiping away the tears that threaten with a thumb before sitting back against the headboard.

"Don't worry, you couldn't have known. They weren't like this last time you saw me."

"Oh. Well... We can still fix it, if you want."

"No, no, there's no need. I love it. Thank you."

They all smile up at him and bounce around each other, giggling happily. The youngest walking trolling -Sawyer, maybe?- stops to point at his lap, where the wrapping still lays. He has a lisp when he talks and Branch can see a missing tooth when the kid grins up at him.

"There's a card there, too!"

Moving the doll to one paw, he sees that there is indeed a card under it, made of yellow construction paper. He flips it open without setting the doll down, keeping his claws sheathed to not tear the paper. The kids are good at scrapbooking, apperantly, because there's 6 little paper trolls glued against the paper, lined up from tallest to smallest, left to right. He doesn't miss how it's mimicking the way they walked in line through the snow storm a few weeks back. Large writing is scrawled across the top, purple marker lines striking together to make the simple words 'Our Hero' above the trolls.

There's another card under it, separate, and visually rushed. The little scrapbooked troll inside in just him with a frown on his face, in a bed, and with several little red hashes across the body and head. 'Get Well Soon!!' titles the page, and the entire group has signed it. The back of it has 6 paw prints on the back, one from each family member, including Emmy and her baby. Their names are written under each paw print.

He smiles, takes a few deep breaths to keep from outright sobbing in front of this family, and carefully sets the cards aside on the table to keep them from being crushed in the bed.

"Thank you, so much. They're amazing."

They start bouncing around again, happy to have their gift received, before Emmy gets them to settle down when a couple try to climb on the bed with him. They don't stay long after that, when their conversation is interrupted by the doctor's return. Emmy gets the medicine for the baby, which he learns is Rai, and they're shooed away from his bedside shortly after. Emmy sends him an apologetic look as she's herded towards the front of the pod with her children in tow. Branch calls goodbye as they go, the trollings happily waving back to him before they're out of sight.

Kismet visit again after Branch gets a nap in, bringing several board games with them to kill the time. Branch is incredibly thankful for that, because he's still extremely bored waiting for the 24 hours to end, and they spend a couple more hours playing as many games as the group could sneak in. Branch smacks Trickee with a pillow when he teases about the card and doll.

He feels more at ease by the time they have to call it a day, and Branch tries to work in another nap after hugging them goodbye. He jokingly threatens to strangle them if they dare tell anyone about the hugs, and Ablaze mocks back that his life would be so very bleak without them. He just smiles and he waves them away.

The next time he sees someone in the pod, he can see through the window that it's just past sunset. The forest is still tinted with pink, but shadows are stretched and engulfing the snow and trees. He's staring at the doll again when he hears the front petal peel back carefully. Although he had expected a final check-up before everyone went to bed, he was still hoping that she would forget it and he could just sleep through the rest of his time in the pod.

When he dejectedly looks up at the entrance, expecting the doctor, he's surprised to find Poppy peeking in. She looks hesitant, and a little spooked when she meets his eye. Branch quickly puts the doll down with the cards next to him, using his arms to nudge himself further against the top of the bed for support.

"Princess Poppy? What are you doing here?"

"Oh- well- I just wanted to um... See how you were doing. I was gonna come say hi earlier, but then Harper needed my help with a paint order, and the twins needed me for one of their projects, and then your friends were already in here so I didn't want to bother you then but maybe I should have left a note or waited or at least checked on you some time before-"

"Poppy!! Slow down! Breathe."

She takes a dramatic inhale, puffing her chest out, before blowing it out and slouching forward again. It's weird to see her so nervous. She's normally radiating confidence and positivity. Now her nervous fidgeting with her dress and shuffling paws make his skin prickle with unease.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, thank you. Sorry about that."

"Of course."

There's an awkward silence as they avoid looking at each other. She hasn't come any closer.

"Um. Are you?"

"What?"

"Okay? I mean obviously you're not okay okay, but are you like, okay? Does it still hurt? Is it bad? It looked bad. I'm sorry, I shouldn't say that, you probably know how bad it looked-"

"Poppy, keep breathing. Yeah, it kind of hurts, but it's not as bad as before. It's closed up already and the doctor's been giving me painkillers to keep it from stinging. I'm uh... Sorry you had to see that."

"Nononono Branch you have nothing to apologize for! If anyone needs to apologize, it's me!!"

Branch blinks at her, her pink face twisted in distress, and he tilts his head in confusion.

"What?? What would you apologize for? You couldn't have known it was going to happen."

"I should have! It's gonna be my job to keep up all safe soon, and that includes you! I didn't even think that-"

"That's my job."

"-you've been getting hurt by stuff to keep up safe and- what?"

"No offense, Poppy, but you're not really built to defend. Not in that way."

"It's still my duty as princess to keep you all safe..."

"In ways that you can, yeah. You can't fight those creatures."

She wrings the end of her dress in her paws, tail hanging behind her.

"Still... You've been warning us about stuff like this for so long and we just ignored you and now... You're hurt... You've been hurt... And we didn't even know it..."

"I didn't want you to."

"Why not?"

Branch shifts on the bed, skin crawling at the unexpected conversation. He's still not very good at emotions with people that aren't his group, and he's never had to really explain himself to someone. Alder sends warmth and reassurance through his skull, making him wince slightly from the growing headache, but relax all the same.

"Because you'd try to change it. You'd try to make me stop, and I can't do that. Protecting the village is what makes me useful, it's something I'm good at, and I don't regret it. I don't regret my scars, because they've helped me learn and improve. You all don't know about how dangerous the woods can be because I keep the threats away as much as I can. I'm sorry that you saw me get hurt, and I'm thankful that you brought me back to help me, but this isn't going to stop me."

When he's done, he hears her sniffle and feels his blood run cold. When he looks back up at her, she's moved closer, and her paws are over her mouth. Hot tears are running down her cheeks and her tail is tucked and shaking.

"Poppy-"

"I... I had no idea..."

He sighs.

"Again, I didn't want you to. It was... Easier. To keep you all safe. Please don't ask me to stop."

"I... Okay. I won't."

His muscles release the built-up tension and he heaves a sigh of relief, flinching at the tug on his side. She finally steps up to his bed, still crying, but the sadness is seeping into concern and determination.

"Are you okay?"

"It'll be fine within a few days. Just need to be careful about stretching that side for a bit."

"If you're sure..."

"I am."

They go quiet for a long minute, Branch awkwardly flexing his paws as Poppy's eyes wander around his bandages, her paw hovering like she wants to reach out and touch.

"Is there something I can do?"

"Not really, my body heals fast as long as it's not infected."

"No, no- well yeah, that's good to know- but I mean, is there something I can do to help? To help you keep us safe?"

Branch clicks his teeth together in surprise, tilting his head a bit and chirping out of habit. He certainly wasn't expecting her to offer to help him, even after everything from the past day or so.

"Well... Maybe just listen to me when I say that some places are dangerous? I've had to chase away so many people from quicksand pits and creature hunting grounds."

"Yeah, okay. Yeah! I can do that."

"Thank you."

Branch leans back against the bed, emotionally exhausted from today, and picks at a loose thread in the blanket. Poppy watches the movement as he retracts and extends a single claw to dig at the string.

"Hey, Branch?"

"Yes?"

"I just- um..."

He really doesn't like seeing her hesitate this much. 

"Do... Do those hurt? Your claws?"

"My claws?"

He's tense again, fight or flight. He doesn't like being reminded of just how different he is from the other trolls. His claws are something that wars for first place with his lack of colors over what people dislike about him the most.

"No? Why would they?"

"It's just- they're not- I don't see them on other trolls, and they look really sharp. Do they hurt when they go in and out?"

Branch shakes his head and slowly forces himself to calm down. She's just worried, maybe curious too. She doesn't mean anything bad with it.

So, hesitantly, he lifts a paw up for her to look closer at. He uses another claw to push his fur aside so she can see the little slit at the end of his finger.

"They did when they were first coming in, when I was a kid, but now they just slide back and forth without catching. Like a box knife."

She lights up in recognition as the comparison and nods before leaning away from his paw. Her fur is settled again, even though her eyes keep drifting down to his side. She rocks from heel to toe a couple times before pressing her paws together in front of her.

"Well, um. Okay! Do you need anything?"

"Mm, no, not really. I'm just tired."

"Okay! Yeah, that's fair. I'll just. Let you go to sleep. I'll come see you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, Princess."

"You can- you can just call me Poppy. You know that, right?"

"Hm. Okay, Poppy."

She smiles at him, smaller than her usual grin to any tiny bit of positive reaction from him, but nods again and waves at him several times as she backs out of the pod.

"Goodnight, Branch!"

"Goodnight Poppy."

"Get well soon!"

"I will."

"Okay. Good. Bye bye!"

He sighs when the petal closes, and he listens as Poppy hovers in front of it for another few breathes before walking away. He sighs and carefully maneuvers himself into laying on his side. His head is aching from holding his egg in his hair for so long, and he gently pulls them down and against his chest instead. Branch is pretty that he wouldn't be getting these headaches if Alder were normal sized, which about half of their current size, but he'll push through it. Just a few more hours, then he can curl up in his Bunker with his baby. He pulls the blanket up and covers Alder completely, tail coming up to twist around their shell.

A quick check to make sure there's no eavesdropping trolls hanging around, Branch hums a quiet lullaby to his baby as he soothes them both to sleep.

Chapter 27: Unexpected Development

Branch hasn't felt so relieved to leave a pod in his life. Between being bedridden, the overwhelming smell of antiseptic, the containment of the pod itself, and the frequent pestering from the doctor, he felt one wrong step away from biting someone.

The morning wasn't bad, in all honestly. Poppy and Kismet had both visited at separate times, for just a few minutes each, and he'd only seen the doctor once today to get the final check and go-ahead to leave. No one else had bothered him, no one had discovered Alder, and no one had dared touch him again today. All things considered, he should feel excited to go home.

But everything negative seems to have built up within a few hours. He's been uncaffeinated for over 3 days, he had to shove his pillow over his head to block out the very loud morning song today, he's fidgety from staying in one spot for several days, and especially from being inside the damn pod for more than a few minutes, his head is throbbing from carrying Alder in his hair for so long, and his social battery has dropped into the low, low negatives. 

Once he gets the clear to escape, he hastily gathers the cards, doll, his ruined winter coat, and a bag of his prescribed medication, and nearly ran out of the pod. The smell of the snow calms some of his nerves once the front petal closes behind him, his fur softening from bristles into fluff. He flexes his claws in the fabric of his coat and readjusts his footing, grimacing as pain beats against his ribs. Taking a deep breath, Branch shivers as much of his frustration out as he can and steps forward to make his way home.

He becomes immediately aware of the eyes that turn on him with every step he takes, despite sticking to the valley wall to avoid the crowds. Groups of trolls whisper to each other, watching him with an annoying mix of caution, concern, and the usual uncertainty. It makes his fur bristle again and teeth grind, which he stops instantly when it causes his skull to throb behind his eyes. He winces when Alder presses worry into him before the emotion shifts downward into his spine, away from his skull. He rumbles low in his throat to assure them that he'll be okay, and it seems to appease his egg.

His foot drags with every step, the stitches in his side making it difficult to fully lift his leg. He has to take the long way out of the valley, there's no way he can scale the sides in this state. He glances up at the distance between him and the incline, and internally groans when he spots a chunk of the Pack in the way. There's other trolls, but they all shuffle out of his path, glancing down at his bandages peeking out from beneath his vest. But he knows the damn Pack too well, they won't just let him go.

<?>

"Just some of Poppy's friends... Hopefully it doesn't take too long..."

He's so focused on Biggie, DJ Suki, and Guy Diamond walking towards him that he doesn't even notice something's changed until they're just a few feet away. Not with the other trolls, they're looking at him in the same way all the others were, but with that questioning note. He stumbles when he realizes that the baby's question was separated from their song, nudged to the front of his mind instead of traveling through his bones. 

He only gets a couple seconds to process the new communication before the Pack is around him, shifting their weights and glancing at each other. Branch blinks, looks up at them, then folds his arms the best he can with his stuff tucked against his chest.

"Do you need something?"

They look between each other again and open their mouths a few times before avoiding his eyes. Suki is the one to finally step forward and speak.

"How are you feeling?"

He was expecting it, but it still knocks him off balance. They look genuine, and he knows very well that the are not good actors. And logically, he knows they wouldn't play around with him being injured, but he's still hesitant to trust their kindness, no matter how frequent it's becoming.

"I'm... I'm fine. I'll heal soon."

"Yeah. Okay. It's not too bad?"

"I mean, it hurts, but I've had worse."

Their faces twist in empathized pain, and the look makes his fur bristle against it. They shake it off quickly again when he shifts to step away from them. 

"Can we walk you home?"

They're all reaching towards him, as if afraid he'll just keel over if he so much as moves a finger. His tail swishes agitatedly, and he quickly takes a couple steps out of their reach. He watches as they sheepishly bring their paws back to themselves and begin to fidget. Looking over to the valley entrance, he weighs his options. Yes, he could get back on his own; it's a bit windy and cold but not nearly as bad as it has been, and he can walk without support.

But it could be nice to have a little extra security, even if it's just to get back to his Bunker. The walk will take longer than his usual trip due to being literally grounded, and if the situation calls for it, it could be safer to have someone with him that can camouflage. Blue eyes be damned, his grey fur still sticks out like a sore thumb against the snow.

Branch sighs.

"Fine."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, alright. Let's go. No hugging!"

They quickly pull back again and apologize, moving awkwardly around each other before following after him. They give him an arms-length of space on either side, his flicking tail making sure they don't come any closer. Biggie eyes his limp with worry.

"You don't need a crutch?"

"... No? My side is hurt, not my leg."

"But you're still walking funny."

"Yeah, I'm stiff. Stitches tend to do that."

"Oh."

He hums, focusing on keeping his reaction to a minimum as he carefully climbs out of the valley. The slight incline isn't nearly as difficult as scaling the side would be, but any bit of strain tugs on his stitches and sends a zip of pain through him. Unfortunately, he's very aware of the trolls still watching him and the trio hovering closer any time he sways. The concern would be nice if it wasn't so annoying. Just because he's hurt doesn't mean he's helpless!

He pauses when they get to the top, taking slow, deep breaths and letting his arm sag to relax his side. The shift makes his nose scrunch, and he counts Alder's songbeats until the pain dulls again. When he glances at the group, they look slightly frightened. Guy is leaning over to peek underneath his arm at the bandages, Suki is glancing between him and the trees, and Biggie is not-so-subtly trying to hide behind them.

"You know, you don't have to do this, right? I can get home just fine."

"No, no, we can do this. It's just a bit more... Intimidating, you know?"

"Mm. You'll be fine."

They still look uncertain, but shuffle a bit closer, taking small steps away from the village. Branch sighs, begging for patience.

"We'll be fine. Hurry up, I want to get home."

They keep looking around, but begin following him again. He pulls his tail up to loop around his arm, tucking it away so they don't accidentally step on it. Seeing how nervous they still are, Branch takes the time to lift his nose into the air and search for any unwelcome scents.

"Um... What are you doing, Branch?"

A few critters, mostly just insects, and the very faint smell of a bird, at least a day old. Nothing dangerous is close enough to bother them on the trio's trip back to the village. Good.

"Smelling for creatures."

They skip a step in confusion, glancing at each other again before mimicking his actions. The image is so ridiculous that he nearly laughs. Guy turns in a full circle before giving up, looking at him for guidance. That's... New.

"All I can smell is snow."

"Well, yeah. My nose is stronger than yours. I can smell critters that you can't."

"Oh. Uh... Is there?..."

"No, nothing nearby. Nothing comes around too often anymore, they know better."

They collectively sigh in relief, even though they try to hide it. Biggie quickly tries to cover it up by continuing.

"Know better??"

"I've lived out here for 20 years, and you've seen what I can do. Even creatures are smart enough to know when to back off."

He winces a little at his wording the moment it's out. He's not trying to be mean, he just really isn't used to filtering what he says anymore. Thankfully, they don't seem to take offense. Actually, they all look a little awed. Suki speeds up to walk next to him instead of behind.

"You scared them all off? Do you do that often?"

"Eh, like I said. There's been less and less over the years. I started discovering a boundary in my teens."

"How'd you do that?"

He's still a little skeptical about their curiousity. After so long of being rejected over and over again, you can't blame him for it. But, how often has he gotten the chance to talk about his security to someone actually interested?

For the rest of the walk, he talks about how he achieves his title as protector. He talks about how he followed migration patterns and saw how they'd move around the valley, discovered how far out he could shove his territory, and recounted a couple fights he had when he was still developing. They give him their rapt attention and actively ask questions when he mentions something they don't understand or didn't know. By the time they arrive at his Bunker, Branch feels a little lighter. 

He leans against the boulder as they check again that he has everything he needs, and he reassures them that nothing is going to attack them on their way home. Only once they've left his sight does he heave up the doormat. Even if his mood has lifted, his body still aches and his head is killing him, and he desperately needs to just collapse on his own furniture and do something.

He drops his bundle from the doctor's pod onto his bed and quickly moves Alder down into the blanket nest. He groans as the pressure in his skull eases, bringing his paws up to massage his temples. He slowly changes out of his clothes and slips on his robe, dragging his feet across his room to grab some supplies from his nightstand. His baby journal, a flashlight, his camera, a pencil, a half-finished wooden figure, and his whittling tools.

He climbs up onto his bed and perches himself in the nest, tugging his egg up against his chest. He's met with a thrum of warmth as he settles in, his relief reflecting back from his baby.

"Nice to be home, isn't it?"

A happy tilt to their song, and a lazy sweep of color over their shell. He smiles and pics up the flashlight and camera. Pressing the light against the side of the shell and flicking it on, he leans back far enough to press his shoulders against the wall and lifts the camera up to his eye.

"Say cheese!"

He clicks the picture before turning the flashlight off and snapping another quick picture. He sets the camera and light aside and picks up the journal in its place. He leans over Alder and props the book up on his feet so he can write without leaning it on the egg. He defines the pictures, as per usual, then writes down a note underneath about the new form of communication. It wasn't the same as how they have been communicating, where Branch feels their emotions and general thoughts run through his bones. This time, it felt as though Alder had spoken directly to him, and he wonders if this is something all parents experience or if it's another thing that differs between the books and his baby.

"It's probably fine, right? You're certainly different than the eggs I've heard of. Do you know something that I don't?"

<♡>

He laughs softly and closes the book.

"Yeah, I love you too..."

Branch organizes his tools at his side and picks up the piece of wood. He usually has no trouble getting right into a project, but something doesn't feel right just yet. There's an itch building in his mind that has nothing to do with his headache, and the Bunker feels a little too quiet.

"Hey... How do you feel about a song, Alder?"

An excited pitch in their melody before it shifts into a proper beat. He listens for a moment to step into the rhythm before he picks up the first knife and begins to carve into the wood. As he falls into the familiar motions of carving, he softly sings along to his baby's music.

Notes:

Returning to the fluff :]

Notes:

We have fanart!!

By Mariana_Trench:
https://www.tumblr.com/marinaratrench05/743056161305198592/from-an-awesome-dadbranch-that-ive-been-obsessed?source=share

By That_one_user_who_readzzz:
https://www.tumblr.com/thatoneuserwho/749495591920336896/a-little-winter-miracle-anonymous-trolls?source=share