Hi, everyone, MarcellusMiro66 here! This is Episode 2 of "The Hanging Tree". Previously on "The Hanging Tree"...
(~****~)
"I'm...going to save Poppy and Branch...and the others..."
. . .
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"
. . .
"... Maybe. But it's a risk I'm willing to take."
. . .
"Well...you can't do it alone."
Episode 2: "The Call Two Arms"
The sunlight finally shone through the forest canopies after a few hours. In the hours that passed, the two female Trolls set up camp up in the trees away from the clutches of any predators. Harper and Mandy were tired out from the hiking that ensued, their sleeping bodies sprawled across their respective beds in the midst of their well-deserved nap. The former woke up first ‒ complete with a weary yawn and stretching arms ‒ a few minutes before the latter. A few steps out from beneath the mushroom was all that was required to let the sunshine shroud her. Harper then let her head hang in despair and regret. Maybe I was a little over my head to think that was going to work...
Yes, Harper was portrayed as adventurous and overconfident in the heat of the moment that was her fire-forged determination to help the Princess and Branch. Aside from her passion for painting, she was so caught up in the heart of the swashbuckling stories told to her and the other children by Poppy and her father King Peppy. The invincible and handsome hero, the hero's beautiful love interest, the comic relief sidekick, the dastardly villain, and the hero's journey to stop the villain and save the world. The archetypes were all there...and it was tired and clichéd. Namely, the love interest playing the stereotypical "damsel in distress" on more than one occasion really started to grate on her nerves. She was young and naïve back then; she knew better now. Nowadays, most females in the village knew how to handle themselves, but the fact bothered her that some knew how to do, but decided to conform to gender stereotypes anyway.
That was then. This is now. And for the sake of their kingdom...they were going to buck that trend.
"Ah! Look out!"
DONK!
I'm sorry, did I say "they"? I meant "Harper and Harper only". The turquoise Troll's eyebrows significantly lowered down and turned around to find her yellow companion rubbing her forehead and groaning in pain.
"Mandy, do you want to wake up the entire forest like last night?"
"Well, Harper, that was last night. This is first day. The first day of an adventure beyond borders!"
Harper looked at the readers and then back at Mandy, "Was that sarcasm?"
Mandy dropped the faux-happy act and grumpily huffed, "That was sarcasm." She then plopped down onto the ground and pulled at her eyes. "I'm sorry, Harper. Girls like me aren't fit for bone-cracking, blood-shedding journeys like this."
Harper joined her not soon after. "Girls who are more concerned about their appearance and reputation rather than the well-being of others and their own?"
"... Sure. Let's go with that."
"Mandy, you chose to go with me because you had no choice, but I didn't say no."
"That's not completely true. I only went with you because you can't possibly survive in the forest alone...and because I had no choice."
"You know what I mean, do you?"
"Yes, I do. You do realize though that we're over our heads going on this...voyage?"
Harper nodded and breathed, "Yes, I do. But..." She then stood up and stuck out a hand to help Mandy up. "It can't hurt to try, right?"
A moment passed before Mandy took Harper's hand to be hoisted up and responded with, "No... I guess not."
HISS!
Harper and Mandy gasped in terror again before glancing up. It seemed to occur to the latter just now that she forgot to inform the former of their sleeping place choice as a result of their weariness. As of this moment...they were right underneath a spider's web. Mandy was clearly horrified at their predicament, but Harper was clearly not amused. Not at her friend (as much as she needed/wanted to be), but at the spiders who seemed quite at depth in being something of a moment killer... No pun intended.
"Uh...Harper?"
"Don't do anything, Mandy. Don't breathe, don't scream...and don't run."
. . .
"RUN!"
Harper, Mandy, and the spiders looked up (and turned around in the two girls' cases) to find a hooded figure swinging towards and landing in front of them. It was presumably another Troll, judging by the figure's shape, size, and stature. He unsheathed a sword and unmasked himself, but didn't leave his identity to be revealed. Dual-wielding both his green hair and bladed weapon, he charged into combat with the eight-legged freak of nature. Utilizing his sharp foil to cut their long legs in half and his green hair as a whip to further back them away from the girls, he failed to notice the other two arachnids lowering down on him. Harper drew her dagger and charged into battle with him. For starters, she took out one of its eyes and completely blinded it; she then used her hair to wrap it around its neck, forcing it into a chokehold. The green-haired male Troll as his assistant managed to flip the spider on its back before throwing it off the tree, knocking the other two down with it in the process.
The turquoise Troll took a breather or two before turning to face Mandy, a frustrated scowl present in her eyes but not on her face. "Mandy... I know how this adventure stuff is new to you, but...feel free to step in any time, okay?"
The yellow Troll clearly understood her friend's agitation and apologized, "Right. Sorry, Harper. I just didn't feel like cramping on your style...or Aspen's."
Aspen...? Harper turned to face the third Troll among them. Indeed, without the hooded cloak and with a much better look of him, the green hair and red eyes immediately identified him as Aspen Heitz, the resident skateboarder of the village.
"Aspen! What are you doing here?"
The Troll in question nervously scratched the back of his head and chuckled with that same emotion, "Oh, well... I saw you leaving Branch's bunker with a bag of his supplies, and apparently, so did Mandy. When she left to follow you, I decided to follow right behind her, but not before I grabbed some supplies of my own." He then flashed his own backpack before continuing on, "I was wondering why you two would be leaving during nighttime, but after overhearing your conversation... I now know the reason why. So... I want to help you girls save the other Trolls."
Harper was touched by Aspen's speech. Mandy was touched by...something else.
"See, Mandy? Aspen remembers that it's Branch, not Broth."
"Yeah, yeah. Got it. Please don't remind me."
"Wait, Mandy thought Branch's name was Broth?"
"I know, I know. It was stupid. My mistake."
"Aspen..." Harper started, "Did anybody else follow you or us here?"
"You're darn tooting right somebody else followed you lot here!"
Harper, Mandy, and Aspen gasped in surprise and glanced up again. This time, instead of spiders greeting them, it was two other female Trolls swinging down from the branches above. The first girl had magenta skin, fuchsia eyes, candy-floss hair, and a dark yellow dress with an orange ombre effect. The second girl had bright purple skin, dark blue eyes, bright blue hair, and a bright yellow dress with a green ombre effect.
The middle girl gasped again, this time in pleasant shock. "Moxie! Cookie! What are you girls doing here?"
"We're here because of you two," Moxie crossed her arms.
"Something about you and Harper saving the other Trolls from the Bergens," Cookie merely shrugged.
Well, this is rather convenient... Harper thought to herself as she and Aspen watched the three female Trolls converse with each other. The latter turned to the former for clarification, "Is that everybody? Everybody that wants to join in on the journey?"
"I think so," Harper nodded in confirmation. "Or, at the very least, I hope so. We can't afford any more Trolls to become in harm's way."
"True," Aspen nodded in agreement before he realized something. "Well, look at you. The all mighty and commanding leader of this...Snack Pack."
It took a minute for Harper to fully comprehend what Aspen said, but a chuckle soon escaped her when she did, "Snack Pack? Aspen, I'm not exactly either of those things you described me with."
"Well, it's mostly true...in terms of the leadership thing."
"Sure. Let's go with that." Harper then walked off to retrieve her backpack, which she slung over her shoulder. "All right, everyone. If that's everybody, then we need to keep moving."
"Harper, are you sure this is a great idea?" Cookie rubbed the side of her arm in uncertainty.
"No," The turquoise Troll merely stated the obvious, "but I'm sure it's a good one." Before she performed a bait-and-switch.
Moxie and Cookie exchanged uncertain glances before sighing in resignation. The former remarked to the latter, "Well...what have we got to lose? I mean, besides our lives?"
"No one's going to die, you two," Mandy commented. "At least, I hope..."
Mandy was right. Harper persisted in being resilient throughout the journey so far, but the pressure above her was threatening to break the ground beneath her. She had the weight of her newfound teammates and their fates resting on her fragile shoulders. In spite of all of this, she...strove to remain brave on the trek and (dare she say not) welcome the horrors of the real world with open arms.
The call to arms... I accept you.
At The Same Time. . .
Climbing up the Tree of Spiders, Dusk and Dawn found their journey interrupted by the sudden appearance and disappearance of a falling aforementioned spider. Exchanging glances for a brief moment, they then glanced up to find the voices they were following coalescing with three others.
"You think it's them?"
"Let's hope. Harper's gonna need all the help she can get." Dusk then scanned around the area, "We should wait here, though."
"Oh, to avoid suspicion of a third party following them?" Dawn rubbed her chin and nodded in understanding, "Smart, smart."
"It's not supposed to be smart..." The blue Troll huffed under his breath. The orange Troll noticed, however, and a sad smile crossed her facial features.
"Still, though... Why are we doing this?"
"They will lead us to the Bergens, who in turn will lead me to Chef. She's nothing more than a wicked, selfish, and traitorous creature who should've never been unleashed onto the face of the Earth. Sadistic and ruthless, she'll do anything to restore her place in the limelight...including murder. She took away my hope...so I will take away hers."
'A revenge story, huh?'
"... I take it she killed a loved one?"
"... Yes... And I'll never forget the day she did..."
Dusk then unsheathed his machete to sharpen while Dawn watched. She felt unhesitant sympathy for her companion run through her blood. He seemed so... So helpless. Strip him of his weapon and sarcasm, and he's just another normal Troll. Even without either of those two signature traits, he was somewhat appealing, charismatic, and... so lovely. Yes, even if there was a better term for it.
"We'll find her..."
"... I'm sorry?"
"Don't be. We'll find...Chef...and make her pay for what she did to you."
Dusk knew what Dawn was doing, and sighed in exasperation. "Thank you, Dawn." He thanked her anyway, something which she gently smiled at and returned the thanks, "You're welcome." Scanning around like he did before, that smile of hers grew into its former glory.
"Do you want to start singing that song?"
Dusk shot a "Are you effing insane?" look at Dawn and immediately deadpanned, "No."
"... I'm going to anyway."
As one to do, Dawn broke into song and served as the pallet cleanser to Dusk's tense moment.
("You're Welcome" – Dwayne Johnson)
So what can I say except "You're welcome"
For the tide, the sun, and the sky
Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're welcome
I'm just an ordinary Troll-guy
So what can I say except "You're welcome"
For the tide, the sun and the sky
Hey, it's okay, it's okay, you're welcome
I'm just an ordinary Troll-guy
This continued for the duration of their journey. And sure enough, Dusk joined in with Dawn.
'The call to arms... I accept you.'
From a dark section of the forest, the shadow took form and watched the two continue upward. It smiled in anticipation of what would arrive much sooner than later.
"Soon, revenge shall be mine...and you shall be begging for mercy before I take your life."
The shadow instantly dissipated.
A/N: Rogue One is also one of my influences. The majority of the team has united, just a few more members and you've a team. The plot and subplot will cross paths eventually. Also, I don't own (in addition to the songs they belong to) Trolls, The Hunger Games, and/or Moana; if I did, well... Make of it what you will.