That's Why I Love You

by HotTopicLuver

Branch always knew she never belonged in Troll Village but when a certain event happens she is forced to leave without telling anyone. When Poppy discovers this he sets off on a journey to find her only to find out the reason why she left in the first place. Now their relationship will be put to the test while trying to protect each other from the looming threats around the corner.

10. Chapter 10

That's Why I Love You Chapter 10

I do not own Trolls or any of its characters or the title

*This is a genderbent fanfic of Trolls

Branch held onto the mother hummingbird as they flew towards a destination that she didn't know. She really wasn't expecting the hummingbirds to know a place like she was talking about but since they did that only eased her worries. She would soon be far away from Troll Village and hopefully away from Bergen Town as well. She hoped that whenever the hummingbirds were taking it her it would be safe for her to live and to raise her child at. She held on tightly as the hummingbirds swooped downward and flew faster than they did before. She felt the wind brush pass her hair as they did so and she had to close her eyes at some parts so nothing would get into them. Every now and again she would look at her little glow bugs friends just to make sure that they were still with them.

Suddenly she noticed that the hummingbirds were flying lower and lower with every turn. That was when she knew that they were almost to their destination. The mother hummingbird started to chirp at her mate and children as if signaling them to land, they flew lower and they were about to reach the ground. Branch made sure she was in a better position and she closed her eyes as she readied herself for the landing. The glow bugs noticed them and they prepared themselves as well. The hummingbirds continued to fly downward until they finally landed.

Branch felt the landing and she felt the solid ground underneath the hummingbird's feet. She finally opened her eyes and they were instantly greeted with the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. She gasped a little as she looked on with awe. She got off the hummingbird just to take the scenery in.

There standing right in front of her was a picture worthy sight. The hummingbirds had taken her to a small isolated patch of the forest where the tree surrounded a small area that was filled with rows of flowers, vegetation and bushes. Most of the bushes had fruit on them and there was an assortment of flowers with different kinds of colors. The flowers and vegetation made the area look like a meadow since they were scattered all over the place. Then there was a small stream of water than flowed to a small rock waterfall and led into another stream of water. The trees had full heads of leaves that acted as a nice cover up and they produced cool shaded areas. Amongst the vegetation were mushrooms that grew both on the ground and on the trees, there were also vines that grew stick on the trees and some had small flowers growing on them. Branch could also see that there were some moss on the rocks that were located around the waterfall area and stream areas. The sun was at just the right angle to hit the beautiful area with its rays of light. There were so many colors; it was like looking at a rainbow. It was truly a sight to behold and Branch was the one beholding it. She took small steps forward as if she was afraid that what was right in front of her wasn't real.

"I can't believe it," she whispered. "This can't be real."

Suddenly she felt the mother hummingbird gently nudge her forward as if telling her that it wasn't. Branch turned around towards the hummingbirds.

"How?" she asked. "How did you know that there was a place like this?"

The hummingbird adults started to chirp and they motioned their wings to point at a certain area of the newly discovered destination. Branch turned to see what they were pointing at when something caught her eye. She saw that there was a small nest located on one of the branches of a large tree. It was the hummingbirds' home! She was at their home! She tuned back to look at the hummingbirds with a shocked expression.

"You live here?" she questioned.

All the hummingbirds nodded their heads and they looked proud of the fact as well. Branch could understand why, this place was one of a kind especially when it seemed like no one else knew about it but some of the wild animals.

"Is this place far away from any predators?" she asked.

The male hummingbird nodded his head strongly and Branch took a good look around. She noticed that there were no signs of the Bergens home anywhere. Even though she was a child when she escaped from them she remembered the way to Bergen Town, remembering it allowed for her to avoid it. And she wasn't seeing any sign of Bergen Town here… and most importantly she was far away from Troll Village now. No one would find her because this was a place untouched by anyone. This made her very happy and relieved. Branch was finally free! She never felt so light! She was ready for this! The feeling she was experiencing right no was intoxicating. She couldn't stop the feeling. She was free! She brought out into laughter and she started to run to the area before her. She ran through the flowers, she touched the fruit that grew on the bushes, she climbed on the mushrooms and she played on the vines. It was all real, she wasn't dreaming. It was all real!

"It's not a dream!" she cheered. "It's real! It's all real! I'm free! This is what freedom feels like!"

She laughed some more and started to jump into the hair, that was when she noticed her little bug friends were doing the same. They were cheering for their friend in their squeaky voices. Branch realized that she forgot to untie the string that kept them attached to the male hummingbird. She quickly ran to them and she untied them. They started to fly around and they chirped their happiness, little smiles could be seen on their faces. Branch took the smallest glow bug and she started to twirl around while holding it in her arms. She laughed some more and she twirled some more before finally setting the little bug down and jumping into the air. As soon as she landed she walked up to the female hummingbird and nuzzled its head into hers.

"Thank you," she said. "Thank you so much for this."

The mother hummingbird nuzzled her back and chirped some more. Branch then turned to the other hummingbirds.

"Thank you all for this," she stated.

They nodded their heads before nuzzled Branch as well. They knew that Branch would be happy here because they were happy here. This was as close to paradise as one could get. Branch started to unpack the supplies from the hummingbirds and she found a place where she could make her home. There was a mushroom that stood out from the rest. It was a light purple mushroom with rainbow polka dots at the top. It was the perfect size to start a home at. Branch took out some of her tools and got to work. She craved into the mushroom to reveal a somewhat hollow center, that worked to her advantage as she craved some more. The hummingbirds and glow bugs noticed what she was doing and they helped her as much as they could. The glow bugs chewed away at the mushroom while the hummingbirds used their thin beaks to create small holes in the mushroom as a way for Branch to get air as she worked. Branch was able to get a decent amount of the mushroom before finally resting. She admired the work they were able to accomplish. The hummingbirds didn't realize that they created windows with the holes they created. Meanwhile, the glow bugs helped her with creating a decent sized place to put her supplies and to recreate some aspects of her bunker.

"Okay guys I think we should start moving some things in," she said.

The glow bugs nodded their heads and they pushed the supplies to her. She looked at the hummingbirds once more.

"Thank you again, I can never full repay you for what you've done today," she stated. "I have decided that this will be my home from now on… and it was also be the home of my child."

She rubbed her belly as she said this and she smiled gently.

"I hope you don't mind sharing your home with me."

The hummingbirds chirped in reply and they shook their heads, it was their way of saying that they would be happy to have her at their home. Her smile grew bigger and she bowed her head in appreciation.

"I'm going to get to work then; I'll be busy creating a home for today."

At that the hummingbirds nodded their head and allowed for her to do what she had to do. They flew up to their nest in order to get some rest after the day they had. With everything all said and done Branch got to work. Once she turned her attention back to her new home she saw that there were some small rocks located beside the mushroom, she took the largest of them all and placed it inside the mushroom. She placed the rock at one of the corners; it would act as the foundation of her bed. She then unpacked the fabric and blankets and pillow she had packed. She arranged the supplies to make it look like a bed; it even had the consistency of a bed even though there was a rock beneath it all. She allowed herself to lay on it for a couple of seconds; it was really comfortable to sit on. She then took one of the bigger cushions she packed along with another larger piece of fabric. She laid the fabric on the ground first and then she placed the cushion over it. Their arraignment made it look like a small living room, a somewhat empty living room but she would add more to it once she got everything settled for right now. She remembered that she had some light bulbs in her bag along with a lamp that she thought might come in handy if she were ever in a situation where it was too dark for her to see. She took them out and placed them next to the cushion. She would also have the glow bugs to provide light for her just in case if anything were to happen to the light bulbs and lamp.

"Alright guys I'm gonna need some more rocks to create a counter for the jars and the food I have."

The glow bugs heard her request and they started to push some of the rocks into the mushroom. Branch arranged to where they formed a decent sized counter to place all the stuff he had. She unpacked the jars of preserved fruit, nectar, honey and chocolate and placed them on the counter. During her time at Troll Village she managed to save some vegetables as well such as potatoes, leeks and peas but she would have to cut them up sometimes due to how big they would get. That made it difficult to take back to her bunker so she would have to ration and store them. They had their own jars and she placed them right next to the others. She then pulled out the other food she had such as a bag of bread, cheese and seeds and placed them on the counter. Then there were the water jugs she had, she placed them at the bottom of the counter. She then placed the food utensils next to them. Once she was done with the counter she moved onto another corner of the mushroom. She saw that there were some areas where the glow bugs chewed on, the left some bits unchewed making them look like shelves. She could work with that, she started to place the unpacked books onto these selves. Most of them were the ones she took from the library about Troll pregnancies while others were her own personal books that she had for years. They were mostly about survival and some were just journals about her personal experiences along with some poetry and others were actually small photo albums filled with past memories. Then there was the invitations she kept from Poppy, they too were also past memories. Past memories that hurt her, she kept them as reminders though. Plus she would like for her baby to have something that related to her past and that related to their father seeing as how they would never know him. She finished the makeshift book shelves and moved onto another corner of the mushroom, she placed all the tools and hand crafted weapons there. Once she was done unpacking all that she had she took several steps backward to admire her work. It wasn't home yet but in due time it would feel like that. She was going to live here from now on so she might as well get used to it. It would also be the place for her to have and raise her child at. Once the baby was born it would be easier for her to remodel some more but for now she liked what she had done. The glow bugs seemed to agree with her as she placed some extra fabric over the areas where the hummingbirds had pecked out, they formed the curtains of the windows. She then walked outside to get a good look of the mushroom.

"It's almost perfect," she said. "It just needs a door."

At that the glow bugs squeaked and chirped, they then started to scurry away much to Branch's confusion. She saw that they disappeared into the trees surrounding the area. She was about to call out to them when they came scurrying back with a prize. It was a piece of tree bark. Branch smiled at their action.

"Why you little helpers," she playfully commented.

They happily chirped and they jumped into the air, they handed the piece of bark to the gray Troll. She took and made some adjustments by breaking out the excess; she then took it inside the mushroom house. He used her tools and the excess bark she broke off to create the hinges for the door. The glow bugs watched Branch work. It looked like she was getting lost in what she was creating. There was a look of tranquility on her face as she worked to create something for her new home. They couldn't understand how the other Trolls didn't see what talent she had when it came to survival and working with what she had to make something useful. She had so much to offer and yet no one saw it, they only saw what they wanted to see. But no one cared enough to see beyond that. They couldn't help but wonder how Branch managed to live in a place like that for so long. It was no wonder she ran away when she found out about her pregnancy. If they already saw her like that what would they see after they found out about the baby she was carrying? Either way they were happy to be by her side through it all and they would continue to stay by her side even after she had the baby.

Time passed as it always did and Branch was finally finished with the door and with placing it where it needed to be on the mushroom. She wiped the sweat off her head and she massaged her shoulders, she stretched a little too. She looked around to see that the sky was beginning to darkened and the stars were beginning to come out.

"Well that's that," she stated. "Who's hungry?"

Nothing needed to be said as Branch decided to make an actual meal rather than just snacks like they had been doing since she left. But first she had to find some sticks.

"Come you guys let's get some firewood for tonight's dinner."

The glow bugs followed her as she looked around to find some sticks. Luckily she didn't have to look far as this place had an abundance of resources. The little bugs would pick up a stick or two while Branch would find the bigger ones, she was careful with how she lifted and how much she got for the baby's sake. Once they had a decent amount they went back and started to form a small fire pit along with the structure that would hold the meal. She rubbed two sticks together and created enough friction between them to start a trail of smoke; she then blew the smoke so it would start a fire. Her efforts were rewarded when a small flame appeared and she blew a little more until more flames erupted.

"Done," she stated.

The small fire captured the attention of the hummingbird family and they couldn't help but join the small group. Branch threw some more sticks into the fire pit she created when she saw the hummingbirds land right in front of them. She immediately smiled.

"Would you like to join us?" she asked.

The little colorful birds chirped their reply and they sat next to each other as they waited. Branch's smile grew and she quickly went inside to bring out the ingredients. She was making pea soup with toasted bread and for dessert there would be chocolate. She used some of the water she stored and poured it into one of the pots she had. She wouldn't have to worry about water now since there was a stream next to her new home. She then started to mash the peas in another bowl before pouring the contents into the pot filled with water, she added a little bit of leek in the soup to give it some flavor. Once she was done she took the pot outside and tied it on the wooden structure, it was positioned over the fire. While she was waiting for the soup to boil she brought out another jar of nectar for the hummingbirds while the glow bugs snacked on some of the pollen they found on the meadow of flowers. It had been a while since they had seen a feast such as this and they didn't want it to go to waste. Branch smiled as she watched her friends eat their meals in peace while she waited for her own. She stirred the soup every once and a while, she tasted it to make sure that it was done right. Once it was done she went back inside and brought out some bread to toast along with a small bowl for herself. She carefully untied the pot and poured some of the soup into the bowl. She then used another stick to toast the bread with. Once that was done she had her dinner and she was happy with the fact that she was finally able to eat a meal in peace without worrying about her past. The glow bugs would take a little sip of the soup she had in the pot while she ate hers in peace. The hummingbirds were perfectly fine with the nectar she provided for them. Branch had no problem sharing with them and the glow bugs since they helped her get this far, she still found it ironic that she relied on them rather than her own kind. She also found it ironic that they were willing to give her chances and listen to her. That was more than what she got back at Troll Village. This was a foreign feeling to her. Here she was sitting around a cozy fire with her friends while eating a good meal. She wasn't used to this. For a long time she had eaten alone and she had spent many nights alone… expect for that one time. The one time that changed everything. She shook her head to forget about it; instead she recalled how her grandfather used to make her meals when he was still alive. She remembered how he took care of her after her parents deaths. What she was doing right with these creatures made her think about a family. This was like looking at one of those family portraits she would see and hear about. It was a very odd looking family but she was fine with that. She was odd, she accepted that and she was okay with that as well.

Branch chewed on some of the chocolate and she gave some of the crumbs to the hummingbirds and glow bugs. She was sure to only give them a little since she didn't want them to get sick or anything. She had finished with her dinner and she even had a little soup left over for next time. Overall today was a good day for Branch. Something was finally going right for a change. She continued to eat the sweet treat and she looked up at the starry sky. She never got a view this nice back at the village; then again she never really went out after it was dark for safety reasons. She really couldn't believe how much beauty she had been missing out on. She would make sure her child saw the beauty of the world while staying safe. She caressed her belly a little and smiled gently at it.

"In three months you'll be here," she commented. "I wonder what you'll be. A boy or a girl?"

To her didn't matter. She wasn't concerned about gender since she would love her child all the same. She would love and care for her no matter what. She never thought about being a mother before it actually happened to her but she was already experiencing so much joy from just carrying the child in her womb that she knew would be would experiencing even more joy when the baby was born. She couldn't wait to hold the pod in her arms and she couldn't wait until the pod opened to reveal her baby. Even though she was going through a difficult time she was proud and happy to be a mother. She would be both a mother and a father to her baby and she had accepted that. And she was fine with it as well. She learned to accept a lot of things during this time of her life. It was a time where she had to grow up and to learn to face another part of reality. She finished the chocolate and she took a drink of water to wash it down. She let out a sigh of relief and was about to call it a night when the glow bugs brought something to her. Her blue eyes widen and a sad smile appeared on her face when she saw what it was. The flower had carried a flower to her but it wasn't just any flower. It was known as a poppy flower.

A poppy as in Poppy.

The glow bugs saw that there was a small patch of poppy flowers but only this one was blooming while the others were still in the bud stage. They thought they would show her a sign that she was doing the right thing and that everything was going to be okay. The poppy flower was a metaphor for Poppy. They were showing her that he was there with her in many ways even if he wasn't psychically there. Poppy would always be with her and they wanted her to know that… even if she didn't believe it. Still it didn't hurt to try. Branch took the flower and smelled it, she chuckled a little.

"It even smells like him," she commented. "Oh Poppy… if only you knew but it's for the best that you don't."

She then looked up at the sky once again while holding the flower close to her.

"I will take care of your baby Poppy," she firmly stated. "I will love it enough for the both of us. I know that you will never know but I still promise you this. I will love our child with all of my heart and soul. I promise you my love."

She then placed a small kiss on the poppy flower hugged it gently. She then stood up with the flower still in her arms. She looked around to see that her new haven looked just as beautiful at night as it did during the day. It still looked like a rainbow even in the dark, an idea came to her.

"I think this place needs a name," she said.

She then turned to the hummingbirds and the glow bugs.

"What do you guys think?"

They looked at each other before turning back to her; they nodded their heads in agreement. Branch smiled and she looked at the wonders around her.

"I think I have a good name for it," she said. "Rainbow Meadow… because there are so many colors and it's as peaceful as a meadow."

They creatures didn't make any arguments as they cheered for the gray Troll, they liked the name. From now on this haven was now known as Rainbow Meadow, a place of new beginning and a place where she would raise her child with her new friends by her side. She would be happy here.

"Rainbow Meadow it is," she stated. "Now why don't we all call it a night, it's been a long and crazy day."

Nobody argued with her at they were tired from the day as well. The hummingbirds stretched their wings and started to fly back to their nest but before they did the mother hummingbird nuzzled Branch and she nuzzled her belly as well. Branch giggled a little as the feather tickled her and she laughed again once the other hummingbirds repeated the mother's actions. Branch guessed that it was their way of saying goodnight.

"Goodnight to you too," Branch responded. "Thank you again."

The hummingbird family chirped and then they flew back to their nest leaving Branch with her glow bug friends. She poured some water over the fire pit so that the fire wouldn't spread and then she motioned for the bugs to follow her into her new home. The glow bugs went inside and Branch followed them, she still held the poppy flower given to her by the glow bugs. She closed the door and went to her bed. She didn't even bother to change into her night clothes this time; she was too tired to do so. The glow bugs snuggled around the bed she made as Branch covered herself with the blankets. She held the flower as she went to bed and she looked at it for a good while before placing it at the side of the bed. She looked at the glow bugs and smiled at them one last time before finally falling asleep, she also said one last thing.

"Thank you, that was most wonderful."

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