Fair warning, this chapter's a little heavy. Please proceed carefully if you're in a bad headspace right now.
OoOoOo
John Dory was someone else who reminded Branch of himself. They were both survivors, they were both isolationists who were so used to being alone they couldn't function well in front of others. Although, their circumstances were different; Branch had hidden himself from an unapproving world, JD had run away from his responsibilities.
Still, he had to hand it to his older brother. Despite being almost as clumsy as Poppy- seriously, how did every nook and cranny in the forest end up tangled in her hair?- John Dory was pretty stealthy. "So, bud, what exactly are we looking for?" he asked quietly.
"A secret room, a secret bunker, anything we aren't supposed to find," Branch whispered back, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Wasn't that obvious? His ears flicked as he listened closely, but nothing. Just the normal sounds of a forest. He didn't see any building she could be being kept it in either. There was no trace of Poppy here.
The thought made his feet feel heavy as he dragged them along the dirt. Had Rhonda made a mistake? Was his theory wrong? Maybe Poppy's captor had cut through here unnoticed somehow which was why the armadillo bus was picking up her scent. Had he been wrong to accuse the Putt Putt Trolls?
"B," said John Dory, catching his attention. "Come look at this."
Branch looked over to his oldest brother's direction. His flashlight was pointed at the ground in front of him, where two sets of tracks coincided side-by-side. They were both troll-sized, though one was noticeably smaller. They were also inconsistent, as if the trolls they belonged to couldn't decide on one direction.
The bush that surrounded the area seemed like it was torn off, damaged. There had been a struggle.
Branch simultaneously felt a sense of hope and dread. This could be proof that Poppy was here. But the tracks abruptly ended. It was a dead end.
He sank to his knees, fingers curling harshly around the dirt. "Fuck," he hissed, digging so harshly into the hard dirt that his fingers began to throb. Where were they supposed to go from here? He felt like he had been so close to finding her, only to have her ripped away from under him once again. He was failing her; she could be seriously hurt or dead because he had let her down.
First Grandma, now Poppy. How many times are you going to fuck up?
If this is the shit that happens to everyone who stays, it's a good thing your brothers left when they did.
This is what you do, you lose people.
"Branch!" He was vaguely aware of someone- John Dory probably, unless he left again- grabbing his shoulders. "Branch stop, you're gonna hurt yourself!"
Hurt himself? He blinked, realizing that his hands had moved from the ground to clutching his arms. They were jabbed into the flesh so hard that he was surprised he hadn't drawn blood. But the pain was dull, he could barely feel it through the fog surrounding him. His fingers tightened their grip.
"Branch," John Dory snapped. "Stop it."
Suddenly, his brother felt way too close. Branch's jaw clenched. "Let go," he demanded. But John Dory didn't let him go. Instead, his arms wrapped around Branch as he brought him against his chest.
A hug, John Dory was giving him a hug.
Branch bristled at the realization, a snarl forming on his lips. "Let go," he repeated, trying to break out of his brother's grip. But while gathering and building his bunker had made him fairly strong, the wilderness had done tenfold for JD. His older brother held him tight, successfully forcing his fingers away from his arms.
Branch thrashed. "I said let go!" he shouted, his voice echoing into the night. "Leave me alone, John Dory! That's what you're good at, right? You had no problems fucking off for twenty years!"
A distant, rational part of his head knew that what he had just said wasn't right. That he was yelling himself raw at his brother for all the wrong reasons. That John Dory was doing the right thing. But he couldn't get past the anger, the worry, the hurt. It was all rolling around inside him at once and it wouldn't stop.
Someone make it stop.
Branch kicked and kicked and kicked, but his brother wouldn't let go. John Dory just held him, quiet as Branch raged at him until his throat hurt. He wasn't sure how much time had passed until he gave out. All he knew was that he was exhausted.
Once he had stopped, John Dory shifted so that he was practically cradling Branch. "I'm not leaving you, B," he promised softly.
Branch weakly bared his teeth. "I don't believe you," he spat through his burning, teary eyes. How could he?
"I know," JD murmured. "And that's okay. You're allowed to be mad at me, you're allowed to hate me." He delicately took Branch's stinging arm into his hand. "But you're not allowed to do this, bud. We can't have this."
Something inside Branch cracked at the gentle way his brother spoke to him. Why? He had just spent the better part of an hour yelling at him. "I... I didn't mean to." For some reason, he felt like his brother needed to know that.
"I know you didn't."
His bottom lip trembled. "I miss her so much," he confessed, a sob building in the back of his throat. Warmer and brighter than the sun itself, Poppy had cared for him even when he'd despised himself. She had been what kept him alive all those years. "I just want her back. She's everything to me, JD, I can't lose her."
"We'll get her back," John Dory swore.
"B-But the trail," Branch reminded him. He felt like a child, so upset and petulant that he was whining to his big brother, begging him to fix the problem.
JD thumbed away a tear he hadn't even notice escape. "That doesn't mean she's completely lost. They could be up in one of these trees. Or they could have taken her on a critter. Whatever happened, we'll find her. You can't give up, Branch."
He pressed his lips together. "I'm not," he insisted.
John Dory grinned. "Atta boy, B." He stood, pulling the younger troll up with him. "You're not giving yourself, or Poppy, enough credit. The two of you have survived hell and back."
That was... true. Only they were usually together. But Branch didn't voice this. "Yeah," he said, wiping his nose. "I guess you're right." He couldn't lose hope, the minute he accepted Poppy's fate was the minute he sealed it. She had taught him that there was always a bright side, so he was going for look for one.
He had to, for her sake.
His brother chuckled. "I honestly feel bad for the poor sap who took Poppy Seed," he joked. "She's probably giving 'em hell as we speak."
Branch gave a dry, startled chuckle. "Yeah," he agreed. Of course she was; she was a fighter through and through. She was probably making her kidnapper regret their life choices at this very moment.
"You guys find anything?"
Him and John Dory both jumped. "Floyd!" they both snapped at their brother.
Floyd laughed. "Sorry," he said unapologetically. "You guys were taking a while, I was getting worried."
Branch frowned. "Floyd, you shouldn't be out here alone," he warned. What part of being careful did his brother not understand? He was still recovering!
"I wouldn't be if you weren't taking forever," the redhead replied easily. "Did you find anything?"
John Dory pointed. "The trail ends here," he relayed. "Looks like there was a scuffle."
Floyd observed the area thoughtfully. "Probably had to knock her unconscious," he assumed. "If Poppy was fighting- and we know she was- they probably couldn't walk with her and restrain her at the same time. It would make sense if they knocked her out and then either took a critter or climbed into the trees."
JD blinked. "You got all that from this?" Branch shared his bewilderment, that was... scary. Smart, but scary.
Their brother shrugged. "It's just a guess." He put his hand on Branch's shoulder. "We should head back and tell Clay and Viva what we found, you look exhausted, bud."
Branch wanted to argue, but stern looks from his older brothers shut him down; he knew they weren't going to budge. "Fine," he relented. He allowed the two of them to lead him away, but couldn't help the pit forming in his stomach.
Could Poppy afford for them to wait?
OoOoOo
Branch's breakdown was inspired by one of my own. I mean, I've had a lot but this one in particular is one of the ones I'll always remember. I was arguing with my mom about something, and I just got so frustrated that I just started digging my nails into my face. I don't even know why, probably to stop myself from getting physical. This is not a healthy or normal thing, I know that now.
On a lighter note, I headcanon that Floyd listens to a lot of True Crime which is why he made that prediction. I hope you liked it and please review!