This was a piece I did for the first day of Trollhunters rarepair week. I wrote for all seven days and will now be posting them on here. All involve Draal, but not always the same pair.
This new world looked as if it was dying. Draal decided that it had to be as the trees grew barer with every day that passed. Even in the old world when winter came there were still trees that kept their leaves, and rarely a time of hollow feelings. At least not where he and his father had come from. Some of the other trolls talked about how they missed such a season and many called it by the human word of fall.
It was a fitting name, Draal decides as he walks over to an empty tree. He carefully rests his hand against it. The bark was colder than it had been earlier in the year. It felt as cold as the stone of their dead. The exterior was rougher then stone. Fall, when nature dies, and the humans remember their dead. Vendel warns that snow will be coming soon and with it longer nights. Which means the humans will be on higher alert as they fear the dark more then they fear each other. That was wrong, Draal thought. One should always fear their own kind more than the night that protects all. Vendel wants to continue moving west. He says there is a heartstone there and a place we can make our home. Draal hopes that is true. They could make a place there for their own dead. For the trollhunters of old and new.
Would there be Fall there?
"Enjoying the Autumn weather?" Comes the low growl of a sickeningly familiar voice.
"Bular," Draal growls as he jumps away from the tree. "How did you find me?"
Bular laughs and ignores Draal's question. "Father not around? I'm surprised he let you out after your last endeavor."
Draal glares back not fond of the teasing. He takes note that Bular hadn't reached for his weapon yet. A sign that he was not there to fight, yet. If not to fight or take Draal's life why would the troll come so close? Why would he make his presence known?
"Nomura captured me," Draal explains knowing which endeavor Bular spoke of. His attempt to try and spy on the gumm-gumm plans.
The larger troll shakes his head finding the lie amusing. "You did not act like a troll caught. You acted like," Draal rolls away using a tree trunk to toss his body up and fall towards Bular. His horn was caught in Bular's hand. The younger troll knows he will be tossed. When his body flies again he expects to feel the dying bark of a tree or perhaps one of the stone laid about among the foliage. When he could feel only soft grass Draal wonders why his enemy had not thrown him harder, or even farther away. When he opens his eyes he sees only the changing leaves above at first. A few were now a vibrant red instead of the comfortable green he was used too. The orange leaves held his eyes longest as they seem to embody the feeling of this Autumn.
Draal was not one to be distracted by a pretty sight for long. A fact Nomura was once disappointed by when their little tussle came to an end. He spies Bular still standing in the same place, leaning against the tree now instead of standing on his own. He is smiling and Draal wants to smack the smile off of his face.
"I'm not here to fight you," Bular explains. "If I wanted to then you would have been dead before you even knew I was here," he pats the handle of the sword attached to his back. A simple gesture to show he wasn't really fighting. Draal was outmatched either way.
"I'm not here to kill you," Bular says beginning to sound agitated. "I was out looking for food. Humans are rare in this area." He explains.
"Then why aren't you attacking me?" Draal asks sitting up.
"You sound so trite." Bular smiles at Draal. "Like it, it's a human word for sad. They like making new words for ones they already have."
Draal pushes himself up and rests his back against the closest tree. "What does it mean?"
"Sad," With that Bular's smile fell. He looks away from Draal and out past the trees. Towards the direction of where the sun would rise. "Night is quieter here. Probably from the lack of humans," Bular assumes. "Most of the ones in this area are the quiet sort."
"Then why don't you go eat them? Perhaps they won't scream." Draal retorts growing tense as he expects Bular's reaction.
The other troll just growls. "I'm not hungry."
"You came out looking for food."
"And then I found you. Standing out in the open like a brand new troll who has seen the surface for the first time."
"I like this weather," Draal admits watching the same sky. A leaf falls down right on top of his head. He leaves it alone, deciding the cold plant felt nice against his skin and horns. It does cause Draal to smile. Just a little.
"So do I," Bular admits folding his arms across his chest. "Autumn is nice."
"Fall," Draal corrects but he knows both are correct. He can not just let the Gumm-Gumm be.
"Human words." Bular growls but neither of them move. For one moment two enemies could put aside their difference and enjoy a moment. Just a moment, Draal decides. So his father never finds out.