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Not A Nest (part 1)
Before first movie: Princess Poppy's impulse to explore the forest leads to close encounters with a certain gray troll.
- Years Ago -
Moreso than other trolls, Poppy enjoyed exploring the forest. Life and color decorated the world. She wanted to see as much of it as possible.
The sheer size of Troll Village gifted her with tons of adventures. Most of the trolls stayed around the troll tree but they had a whole forest that went beyond that. Somewhere out there, at the edge of the woods, sat the village boundary. Someday she'd be big enough to see it herself.
The older she got the further she went. Some of her quests took her beyond the tree where not even her friends were willing to follow.
"Pleeease come with me? Please please please?"
"I dunno Princess Poppy," little Cooper said, scratching a furrow in the dirt. "Mom says it's more fun to play by the tree. I don't really want to go out there. It's mostly older trolls anyway."
He was right of course; only the bigger kids ventured that far, but Poppy needed to see what the big deal was! Yes the teachers said adults went to the forest to meet each other, but Poppy sensed there was more to it than that. She wanted to see the world.
Cooper wouldn't budge. Neither would anyone else.
"Branch?"
"No. It's dangerous."
Poppy tipped her head. "Dangerous how?"
"There's bergens."
"Oh. I only wanted to see the forest. There's no bergens there."
Branch shook his head and withdrew further into the shadows, shrinking in on himself like a frightened critter. He spent more time than any of the other kids near the outskirts yet not even he would go check out the village nesting grounds.
x x x
She got used to traveling the woods by herself. It wasn't nearly as fun alone, but it wasn't bad. A princess ought to know her own village.
One of her favorite places so far was a daisy forest. She skipped through the tall green stems and watched big white petals bob overhead. Hints of their yellow centers peeked between petals.
A slip of pink caught her eye. The color didn't quite belong in with the daisies. As she drew closer she noticed the rosy blossom decorated a dome weaved out of daisy stems. The trollmade structure this far from home surprised her. It looked big enough to hide in.
She circled the hut and sure enough an opening in the front acted as a doorway. This was someone's nest!
Poppy's fur spiked with anxiety. Quietly she backed away. The feeling harried her further and further back until finally, like stepping over an invisible barrier, it stopped. She rubbed her arms and stared at the daisy field, unsettled by how fast her instinct took over.
She hadn't meant to invade anyone's privacy. Shame shivered through her fur. Trolls didn't approach nests uninvited. A nest was a personal space, a vacation getaway from the crazy communal lifestyle at home. Everyone respected the boundaries of a nest and its private courtyard.
Accidents happened, though. It'd be alright.
The mistake haunted her for days until her dad finally convinced her to share the embarrassing story.
"I found a nest on accident."
He chuckled. "You didn't bother them too much, right?"
"Dad!" Poppy's tail flared. Of course not, she wasn't a creep. And it hadn't been anything like the silly play-courting at school. The weird feelings freaked her out, honestly.
Her dad's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Don't worry, you'll get better at spotting them. I used to wander too, you know."
He'd never talked about that. Curiosity smoothed her fuzz. "Really?"
"It's a leader's instinct to know their territory."
Oh. That explained a lot. He should've told her sooner! No wonder all her friends were hesitant to head away from the troll tree even though she wanted to see it all. She was the Princess. But really, geeze dad, did he have to keep so many secrets?
Even after their conversation the nest incident stuck in her mind. She avoided that area all summer until the cooler weather would've sapped the pretty daisy dome of all its structure, encouraging the owner to craft a new nest elsewhere or chill out until next season.
x x x
Just like dad said she kept stumbling upon nests. The anxiety at seeing one diminished with each discovery. In fact she started to become fascinated with the differences between hideaways. Colorful grasses decorated springtime spots. Summer brought flowers, fall the hues of crisped fallen leaves, and winter beautiful shiny ice flakes hiding warm snow embankments.
Some trolls built with simple elegance. Others created intricate detail work. Nests might be pure natural material or incorporate ribbons, glitter, and items brought from home. A crafty troll could even keep their place sturdy all year long… up until a critter or force of nature or personal preference took it down, of course.
Knowing the location of each season's favored spots was a huge help. Once she knew a troll had claimed a territory, avoiding it was a cinch. She had fun appreciating everyone's creativity from a distance.
Despite her growing fascination with nests she never felt like crafting one herself. She wondered if someday she might, since scrapbooking was awesome, and she loved handicrafts. Yet the itch to build a project so huge she could walk around in it never struck.
Nests made up only a small part of the song and dance of troll romance. Courting was all about meeting someone special and getting to know them outside the village, away from all the fireworks and glitter. Poppy's face burned just thinking about it. What would it be like to hold tails with someone more than a friend? She'd ask if they had a spot in the woods, and they'd say yes—would she like to see it? She'd meet them in a grass field and they'd frolic and play.
She giggled and clapped her hands to her cheeks, tail swishing back and forth. Daydreaming about courting made her insides flutter with a funny mix of embarrassment and eagerness. She'd never known a troll so personally.
Caught in a daydream she wandered away from the troll tree into the deep forest.
"Princess Poppy?"
The surprise in her older classmate's voice snapped her back to reality. Aspen peeked out from behind a giant mushroom stem.
"Oh, hi Aspen!" Weird... she didn't feel like pouncing on him for a hug. Actually she was really sprinkling nervous. She'd seen trolls in the nesting grounds before but never spoke to or approached them.
Aspen remained partially hidden by the mushroom, hair curling downward with shyness. "How come you're this far out? Are you, um, seeking?"
"Hmm." She rocked back on her heels. Was she? "Maybe?"
"Okay. I'm new at this, s-so..."
Aspen came out of hiding. Above his stylish shorts burnt umber spots flecked his orange fuzz. The color turned pale along his belly. His aesthetically pleasing fur pattern didn't help her jittery nerves.
He took a step forward. Poppy took a step back. He waited, tail swishing in the grass. Poppy willed herself to stay in place as he started to circle for a better look.
He came closer, and, eep! Poppy's feet moved on their own. Her hair latched onto a tree branch and pulled her up. "I'm sorry!" she called down. "I don't know what's wrong with me!"
"Nah it's cool. The practice helps. Gotta trust your instinct, ya know?"
"Y-yeah! See you later!"
Blushing furiously, Poppy ran all the way home feeling absolutely foolish. She'd rejected Aspen! She hated hurting trolls' feelings! What terrible princess turned away her own people?
She smacked her cheeks. This was not dancing or hug time. It was normal to say no. She mentally repeated "normal to say no" until it kinda sorta maybe sank in.
Still, the awkward event put her off forest trips for a while.
x x x
The number of summer breaks she had left as a student were dwindling. Soon she'd get her first summer vacation as a fully fledged Princess. No more kiddie pool, hello 'you must be this tall to ride' water park! Though it was a little strange knowing she'd be considered an adult soon. She didn't feel any different.
Err, apart from gliding between crushes like a flyer bug on malted milkshakes. Every troll was so exciting and different but also not quite right. They felt like nearby puzzle pieces, not the one that'd snug up nice and cozy next to her. The perfect troll she'd bond with and promise to love forever.
Eee! She just had to find that troll as fast as possible!
x x x
Poppy bounded in circles around Branch on the bunker's front lawn. No matter what she did he refused to play. Often he shooed her away.
Today he was too busy whittling sticks to puff up and demand alone time. A pile of shavings settled around his feet. He flicked his wrist and another bark flake fell into the pile.
Poppy borrowed the scrap of wood and kept circling. For someone who lived in the land of romance Branch sure seemed resistant to it. "You haven't even looked at the nests around here?"
"I'm not going to court anyone. Ever. It's stupid."
"It's not stupid, Branch, it's fun!"
"No. I'm not doing it."
"Oh come on. It's not that bad. I mean, just think, you could have someone to obsess about bergens with." She flicked the wood chip, tossing it around a bit before batting it at him. He ignored it. The chip bounced off his arm and fell in with the rest.
"You don't get it Poppy. What's the point in dating a troll who's just going to get eaten?"
She burst out laughing. "First of all, woah, way to be morbid Branch. And secondly that's like saying—" she mocked a low voice "—what's the point of being in love when one of us will eventually die?"
"Now who's being morbid?" Branch mumbled.
Poppy ignored the snide remark. "I mean, if you know a party's going to end, doesn't that mean you should go to it now? You can't hide from love your whole life just because of something that happens to everyone."
"Watch me." He stomped off. Wood flakes trailed after him.
"Branch, where are you going? Ugh, get back here! Branch!"
Sugar. Oh, well. Since it seemed like he wasn't going to court anyone on his own, she made a mental note to keep an eye out for trolls that might be a good match, just in case.
She marked visiting Branch off her checklist for the week and bounced into the woods in search of her own romance.
x x x
Even if Poppy had never seen a single nest before she could've pointed out DJ Suki's. Random bits of broken records and string and even a few instruments stuck from the leaf thatch. None of the windows had the same shape. A skewed doorway topped off the eclectic heap of whatever.
Poppy loved it.
Feeling bold, she snuck up to Suki's territory. The red troll lounged on a rock, sunning herself with nothing on except a pair of headphones. Tousled thick feminine fur stuck every which way.
Poppy got a quiet thrill out of slowly edging into Suki's court. She stepped silently, wondering how far she'd get before surprising her friend.
Suki rolled over. "Hey dude what's up?"
Impressive. "Wow, you're good. You knew I was here without even looking."
"Nah, I can always tell when someone finds my spot. It changes the vibe. In a good way, y'know."
They stared at each other for a bit. Suki's tail swayed lazily over the rock.
When Poppy approached, Suki didn't hop away. The other troll remained right where she was, sunny beam lighting up apple bright fur.
Poppy strolled straight up to the rock. Unlike some of her first bumbling attempts at courting this felt easy and fun!
Suki chuckled. "All right, you found me. Now what? Wanna play a game?"
They spent the next hour mixing music on Suki's woofer bug. Afterwards they sunbathed on the rock, same as any troll did at the troll tree, except it was just the two of them.
From then on they began hanging out a lot more both at the tree and at Suki's court in the nesting grounds. Summer gave way to the oranges of autumn. Not once did Suki ever invite Poppy to her nest itself, and not once did Poppy ever ask, and they both seemed content with that. Besides, Poppy knew Suki had her heart set on another troll.
"When are you going to invite Hazel?" Poppy asked one afternoon, stretched out on the sunning rock.
Suki's smile faded. She looked away. "I… uh. Yeah."
"Huh? Did something happen? Ohmygosh, are you two having a fight?"
"It's not like that, it's… when I built this place I was really hoping she'd come find me, y'know?"
Poppy nibbled her lip, thinking of a certain gray troll who'd moved his house into the nesting grounds with the backwards intention of not wanting to be found.
"I mean don't get me wrong," Suki said, "I've met tons of cool trolls out here, but it's always like I'm missing some spark or something."
Getting the two potential lovers to cross paths was the big hurdle then. While Poppy shouldn't outright give away someone's private spot, a little hint couldn't hurt.
She waited a few days, then used her hiding skills to take cover in the bushes on the way to the cafe where Hazel waitressed. Right about now… oh, there she was! "Psst. Hazel. Have you tried seeking in the southwestern part of the forest? Look near a big red mushroom."
Hazel's fur puffed in surprise. "Wha? Hey, who's there?"
But Poppy had already disappeared, bounding through the leaves to escape.
x x x
The next time Poppy approached Suki's court she did it with caution.
In the space where there was usually only one troll there were now two. Mission success. With a grin and a flick of her tail Poppy scurried up a fallen log and vanished deeper into the woods.
x x x
Birthdays came and went.
Poppy knew every nest in the forest. Many she discovered herself during her random joy strolls. Others the villagers secretly mentioned, hoping she might drop a hint to a potential partner. Some trolls invited her directly. Those visits often turned into a fun bout of tag, board games, hide and seek, or any of the other numerous activities her people enjoyed. Though she did learn she preferred games with physical activity over, say, reading a book.
The one troll she hoped would invite her still hadn't done so. She wasn't that impressed by Creek's nest, but she could look past that… and also pretend she hadn't seen it, didn't know where it was, and hadn't been annoyed at the fact he'd had company when she'd finally gathered the resolve to approach.
It wasn't his fault. He had no idea she was crushing on him.
She wanted him to notice her.
"Ugghh," Poppy groaned at her mirror, not 157% satisfied with her makeup. She soaped it all off.
Who knew courting could be so sprinkling frustrating? One second she'd be full of dreamy imaginations. The next she'd be upset Creek hadn't paid her any special attention. Sometimes she wanted to grab him and shout her feelings. The passive aggressive thoughts make her fuzz itch.
Maybe Branch was rubbing off on her, turning her into Grumpy Poppy. She pictured herself storming around demanding more glitter. Hee hee.
She combed out the tuft on the end of her tail. Branch hadn't been around much lately. He was such a grumpy goof… she missed him when he disappeared like this. His absence didn't help her yucky mood.
x x x
Princess Poppy sat in the troll tree. She sniffed. She folded one leg over the other. Undid it. Folded the other leg over. Her ears swiveled, tracking village voices, matching names and faces to each sound. Her foot bounced while her tail flapped back and forth, restless.
Joy stroll time. But to where? She'd just been out; nothing had happened since yesterday. There wasn't anything new to see and yet the urge to explore had gotten worse. She blew a bang out of her face.
"Dad I'm going out!" she called.
"Huh? Alright, have fun sweetie." Her dad sounded confused. Poppy had her own pod; she didn't need to update him on her whole schedule.
"If I don't come back host a search party!"
At least somebody would know to look, now.
Poppy leapt off the tree limb and swung away. Pods flew by. Trees swept past her vision. She left the heart of the village.
Further ahead would be Aspen's current nest (he'd become a great builder but still hadn't paired up). Just north of that Tug had her place, and there were a couple more beyond that. Poppy zigzagged around everyone's courtyards, avoiding them.
Abruptly the forest ended. A field of towering grass extended between her and the next set of trees. This was it: Troll Village's boundary. Nobody went further than this. If she left there would be no more trolls.
Poppy knew the boundary all the way around. She'd joy strolled the whole border, one section at a time. Her years of wandering were how she'd found Branch's bunker. Not even he went out this far.
She wanted to see more. To go further.
Poppy stepped into No Troll's Land.
Tall grass surrounded her. Thick green blades looked sturdy enough for climbing if needed. As she walked the treetop leaves overhead changed to clear, open sky.
She found a twig and wrapped her tail around it. Point downward she dragged the stick in the dirt behind her so she'd know the way back. She wouldn't go too far. Excitement fizzed.
A pretty beetle species she'd never seen before and its tiny beetle family crossed her path. Imagine all the neat critters that lived here!
Inspired, she danced further into the prairie. The canopy of leaves from the next forest peeked into view above the grass tops. A couple minutes later familiar mossy dirt terrain greeted her. Aww, she'd hoped it'd be different somehow.
She skirted this new forest's edge, enjoying the wide blue sky. A fuzzy layer of green softened her footfalls. Tufts of short grass stuck out around boulders. Climbing one of those would give a great view of anything fun nearby.
Crack!
The sound snapped from the woods. She ducked behind a large fallen stick, hair turning green to match the plants. Rustling noises up ahead stopped. Something out there moved.
Oh. Uh. She was really far away from home, wasn't she? She hadn't exactly said where she planned to go. She hadn't wanted her dad to actually worry. It wasn't like she'd trekked out to Bergentown. Even a trip there couldn't be all that bad, right?
Maybe the critter in the woods was friendly. It hadn't moved since she hid. One peek. A quick peek, above the stick, no big deal.
In a lightning fast motion she popped her head over the wood and ducked back down. Her heart hammered in her chest because she'd seen, in the clump of grass opposite, a splash of black. She was pretty sure she knew what it was.
She peered over the stick. Across the lawn she could barely make out fuzzy black fibers inside a clump of tall grass, followed by startled gray fur, and a pair of wide blue eyes fixed right on her.
Branch and Poppy stared at each other.
No way. No. Way.
Poppy's ears flicked up. Through the grass curtain she saw Branch's perk in response. Apart from that neither moved.
An insane, intense curiosity hijacked Poppy's thoughts. What was he doing out here? She didn't even need to look to notice the area picked clean of any debris, neat and tidy and organized. Had she accidentally skip-hopped into Branch's court? All his complaining about trolls wasting their time flirting with each other, and yet he'd set up all the way out here where no troll ever went? When? Why? She had to know.
Poppy placed a hand on the stick's scruffy bark. Branch blinked but otherwise remained motionless with his ears perked. So far so good. She put her other hand up and slowly, smooth as a smoothie eased her way over the stick. Her tail brushed over bark. Feet touched green.
Branch watched her totally owl-eyed. If she hadn't been in his personal space before, she was now.
Poppy took one careful step toward his hiding place. He flinched. He knew it was her and still he hid in the grass like a timid fuzzbug. She got the sense if she wasn't gentle he'd bolt immediately.
With painstaking slowness she moved an unsatisfying amount closer. Branch crouched lower in the grass, his nose disappearing in the thick of it. Any second he'd run. How close would he let her get before that happened?
Halfway there gray ears started quivering and Branch bunched in on himself.
She halted, unfinished step hanging in the air. She'd never seen him so spooked.
Her foot settled on the lawn. She let the gradual motion carry her down until she made it all the way to sitting. Her tail curled over her toes while she tried to contain her energy and questions and become as small as possible.
Then she waited. If he wanted to be closer he'd come out. If not, then…
Branch stopped shaking. He observed her from his hiding spot, attention shifting from initial shock to the caution she was more familiar with. He moved forward a fraction, the grass twitching in his wake. When she didn't attack him with affection the fronds parted. Branch crept out into the open.
It took every drop of self control to stay small and non-threatening. The prize she won was absolutely worth it.
Before her very eyes Branch's attitude softened into curiosity. The usual suspicious edge dropped out of his gaze, his ears stayed upright, and his tail swished calmly behind him.
The visual thrilled her. She'd never seen a curious Branch. He'd probably never seen her quiet.
Without the energy of a thousand trolls bearing down on them the atmosphere changed. For the first time they encountered each other as individuals separate from the loud, colorful collective. This wasn't anything like a casual visit to his bunker mat. Not even close.
Every second Poppy remained still she made more progress with Branch than she had in months. She swallowed a squeal and reached down to hold her tail still so it didn't thrash with glee. Would he hug, or dance, or sing if no other trolls were around? Would he let her get a nice long look at his fur pattern? Even here in private he kept it covered with a leafy vest.
Branch's ears swiveled back and forth to listen for possible interruptions but his light gaze remained dedicated purely to her. No smile of course, but the way all the stress lines slowly vanished from his face was captivating.
His tail continued to swish with interest. She wondered if he even realized he was doing it. More often than not the fluff-tipped appendage betrayed feelings that didn't match his words. Branch was strange that way.
Normally, now that they had each other's attention, one of them might sing, or dance, or initiate a game. Poppy drew a blank on an activity that wouldn't send Branch skittering for the hills.
His expression began to twist with self-frustration. It couldn't be her fault since she hadn't done anything… yet.
Maybe he couldn't choose what to do next?
Branch huffed and tilted his head quizzically. The tilt was a little gesture asking permission to appreciate her fur pattern. Aww, he was so sweet and earnest about it. He already knew she didn't have a pattern and she currently had her outfit on besides. Yet there he was, head tipped.
Her heart hurt a little—asking for such a small thing clearly made him nervous, and it shouldn't.
Okay, she could guide him!
Her giddy grin as she let her tail uncurl from her toes made Branch more nervous, she could tell, but he'd be fine. Branch was always fine. She reigned in the impulse to bounce. It'd be so easy to hop up and move closer to prove it was alright. She could grab him by the ears and insist everything was fine.
A lifetime of Branch experience told her not to move. Gaaah!
Branch stayed far away and tested a single step to the left. Then he started to walk a wide circle. He kept moving until he disappeared from her peripheral vision.
Unlike any other troll he moved in such silence she didn't know how much longer it would be until he came back around.
She waited.
What was taking him so long?
And then, since he was quiet and she couldn't see him, she realized this had to be a huge elaborate prank. He'd done this whole routine of seeming vulnerable to get her to let her guard down, and now he'd do something awful. Bucket of ice water. Gum balloon. Net trap. Haha, well not today Branch.
Poppy leapt to her feet and whirled around.
Oh. She'd been wrong. She caught him mid-stride finishing up the circle.
The sudden motion puffed up all of Branch's fur. He bolted for the woods. All of the magic shattered into a bajillion tiny pieces.
"Ugh, Branch, come back!"
"G-go away Poppy!" he stuttered from somewhere far off, not sounding at all as angry as he wanted.
"Branch I'm sorry!"
No response. No hope of finding him in unknown territory.
Poppy tried anyway. She spent the rest of the afternoon nosing around because if Branch had a nest it seemed like she should know about it. Courting was a huge step for him. He definitely deserved more friends than he seemed to think he had, and a playmate would give him a focus other than obsessing over bergens. It'd be win-win-win.
Plus, she really wanted to see what kind of nest Branch built. It must be as bizarre as his underground house—which he'd also never let her see inside—so maybe his nest was a burrow? That must be why she couldn't find it.
She rushed home when it began to get too dark, excited about the challenging new scavenger hunt. Back at the troll tree she bumped into Suki.
"Woah. You look excited. Finally get in with Creek?"
"What? Oh." She'd completely forgotten. "No, I…" the meeting with Branch hung on her lips. "I'm just really excited about tomorrow's festival!" Also true.
She wanted to blurt out her whole adventure and how surprisingly different-but-not-different Branch acted in private. Yet she pictured the curious tail-swishing gray troll and his perked ears and… maybe this would be their secret, just her and Branch.
Poppy didn't mention it to anyone.
Tomorrow she'd go see him again.
