True Colours

Chapter 7 - The Siblings Join In

The beady eyes of a couple of spiders, stared down at the unconscious prince before slowly descending towards him. They gathered on the ground and surrounded him, getting closer and closer.

They were just about to bite down when black hair whipped out and snatched Popper away. The spiders all turned around, only to see Branch and (Y/N), glaring them down.

However, the spiders were not yet deterred, hissing and sprinting towards the siblings. (Y/N) gasped out in fear and, in a panic, threw a pan at them from her backpack. The arachnids were stunned for a moment, before hissing and charging once more.

"Uh-oh..."

Branch quickly jumped into action, swinging his hair around before whipping it forward and at the spiders' feet, ordering them all to get back. He managed to get them to scuttle back enough into a cave...at least, that's what it appeared to be, until it slammed shut around the spindle-legged creatures, with two red eyes staring down at Branch. He was prepared for the worst when the large creature simply shut its eyes and went back to sleep.

He sighed out in relief, but not for long, as his sister worriedly called out, "Branch!"

He turned around and gasped when he saw her kneeled next to Popper, who was still unconscious and not responding, as (Y/N) placed her ear worriedly to his chest.

"I don't hear anything!"

"Hang on!"

Branch raced over to some lightning bugs, snatching two up in his hands. His sister, following his lead, plucked a sharp thorn off a nearby plant. They reconvened around Popper, (Y/N) using the thorn to cut away the webs that encased him.

"Okay, now stand back." Branch ordered.

Kneeling next to the prince, he rubbed the two bugs together, causing them to charge up, then pressed them to Popper's chest, waiting for a reaction.

And he got one as the pink Troll instantly sat up and sang out, "Get back up again!"

"W-What?" (Y/N) questioned, staring down at Popper with concern.

He looked over, smiling at the siblings. "Branch! (Y/N)! You are both right on time."

Branch rolled his eyes while (Y/N) helped Popper to stand up. "Oh, right. Like you knew we were coming."

"Yes! I figured after the third hug time, getting eaten by a Bergen wouldn't seem so bad. And I knew (Y/N) wouldn't let me be out here all on my own."

(Y/N) blushed profusely at his confident statement - as he was definitely not wrong in saying so - while Branch added, "And I figured there was no way you could do this by yourself. Guess we were both right."

"All right. Let's do this! Sooner we get to Bergen Town, sooner we can rescue everybody and make it home safely."

Popper began to confidently walk off but Branch's voice quickly halted him. "Wait, wait, wait. What's your plan?"

"I just told you. To rescue everyone and make it home safely." Popper stated, as if it were obvious.

"Okay. That's not a plan. That's a wish list."

"It is a little simplistic...and optimistic." (Y/N) piped up, though mumbled the last bit so just her and her brother could hear.

"Oh! I suppose you guys have a plan?"

(Y/N) just gestured to her brother. "Branch?"

He smiled, clearing his throat, before shifting into plan explanation mode. "First, we get to the edge of Bergen Town without being spotted. Then, we get inside by sneaking through the old escape tunnels, which will then lead us to the Troll tree. Right before we get caught and suffer a miserable death, at the hands of a horrible, bloodthirsty Bergen!"