AN: This is something that I've been thinking about for at least half a year. I thought long and hard about it and I just want to see it through. Not much else to say, let's see how it goes.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN TROLLS (2016). IT IS OWNED BY DREAMWORKS.
Branch! Branch! Where are you?! Branch! Ahhhh!
Branch suddenly found himself lying in his bed half asleep, with unshed tears glazing his eyes and an unsettling feeling in his stomach. Before being able to even contemplate going back to sleep, he felt his body drop.* Letting out a startled gasp, he clung to the sides of the bed like his life depended on it. After a few minutes of steady breathing, he turned on his light just for peace of mind. His clock showed that it was 5:00 in the morning. The gray troll sighed, getting out of bed. He was fully awake and knew that trying to go back to sleep was futile when he felt this unnerved.
It had been almost two weeks since he moved away from Troll Village. Well, it wasn't away from Troll Village as much as adjacent to Troll Village. It was far enough that he didn't feel suffocated, but close enough that he could keep an eye on things.
Not that they would notice.
Branch shook away that thought as he walked down the hallway. He smiled to himself as he admired his home. Trolls usually lived in pods way up in trees, but not him. He lived in an underground bunker that he built with his own hands. It took him weeks to figure out the perfect design, but months to actually build it. While searching the forest for a suitable spot to live, he found a particularly large ditch. He was going to write it off as a safety hazard until he saw potential in the large space. A space big enough for any and everything that he needed to live on his own. All that hard work paid off like he never would've believed.
Not too shabby for 15 years old, he thought with pride.
Branch made it to his destination, the kitchen. The kitchen itself was nothing special. It was big enough and quite functional by his standards. However, what made this room feel different from the others was that the floor was hardwood and not just hardened dirt. Ebony was an extremely rare wood, one that he didn't expect to find deep in the forest. It gave him bittersweet comfort as it reminded him of someone he loved dearly.
After heating up the kettle on the stovetop, he got out the ingredients that he needed as he waited for the water to boil. Branch hated waking up in the middle of the night back when he lived in a pod. When he couldn't go back to sleep, it was easier for certain unwanted thoughts to come to mind, so he would have to find something to do. Thankfully, there was always something to do in his bunker, even if it was as simple as making a snack. On top of that, there was no one that would wake up if he was making too much noise.
Branch felt himself relaxing as the sweet smell of fresh hot chocolate filled his nostrils. He sat in his small dining area, waiting for it to cool down some. Looking into the steaming cocoa, he felt that he was still missing something. His half lidded eyes widened when he remembered what that something was. The young troll went to his herbs and spices cabinet, pulling out a bag of mentha leaves. Branch took a few and gently placed them in the hot chocolate. He took a long sip of the drink, enjoying the warmth it sent through his body, then set it down with a hum of satisfaction.
When he finished his drink, he found himself staring down at the leaves leftover in the mug. As he continued to stare, his mood shifted from content to melancholy. It was an almost comforting sadness until memories started kicking in. Images of him as a small child with his loved ones flashed through his mind. It wasn't long before he felt tears in his eyes, which he blinked away. He needed to stop before he started thinking about the not so pleasant memories. Before his mind forced him to look back on things he couldn't change.
Branch suddenly decided that some time on the treadmill would do him good. He rinsed out his mug in the sink, then headed straight for his exercise room.
Many miles away from Troll Village, a lone troll laid rest under a tree in the forest. All of a sudden, she woke up, scanning her surroundings with a trained alertness. Once relaxed, she sat up in her makeshift bed and gazed at the fire nearby. The fire was constructed of troll hair which was pitch black, so the troll had used what few resources she had to create an artificial warmth and glow without burning the hair. It had depleted some, but the troll decided that it was fine since the sun would be up in a couple of hours. She reached into her hair and pulled out a map. It wasn't as precise as she would've liked, but it did confirm that she was in the right territory. At least, that's what she hoped to be true. It shouldn't take more than a day's walk, if it is. She put away the map and focused on the serenity of the fire. When the sun came up, she'd leave. This time, she wouldn't stop until she found them.
AN: Thank you for reading. I hope that it intrigued you. More will come soon. Feel free to leave a comment.