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Travel's And Scares

It's been a few days of rest when they started walking again into the forest. Branch was on his shoulders, since he can't walk around yet. He was also carrying both their bags. Other trolls had offered to help, but he declined them. He doesn't want to bother them or have them find Branch's journal.

Right, his journal, he still can't wrap his mind around it. When his little brother told him about his dreams and told him they all came true. He was surprised, sure he remembers him mentioning it when they had that argument but…

He isn't quite sure if he believes it. He's sure Branch wouldn't lie about this, but it just sounds like nightmares to him. But he doesn't want to risk trolls thinking Branch is crazy because of his dreams.

They continued along in the foliage, all being quiet to not attract predators. It was kinda weird to see everyone so quiet, he's used to the loud, bustling, eccentric trolls. But to be fair we don't want to be eaten.
Though there are a few that are chatting quietly.

“Floyd?” Branch whispered over his shoulder. 

“Yes?” He whispers back, “What is it?”

Branch looked forward and said, “Where do you think we'll live?”

He just sighed, “I don't know B. Probably in a forest.”

Branch shook his head, “That doesn't sound right, i think-” Branch suddenly stopped talking.

He turned his head to look at his brother to see what was wrong, but saw something he didn't expect. Branch's eyes were glowing slightly and looked like there was a galaxy in his eyes. He had a distanced look. It startled him badly when he saw them, it made gasp. “Branch?” He said quietly, freaking out a little. He shook his brother a little, and started to panic when Branch wasn't snapping out of it.

“Branch!?” He said louder, shaking his brother in a panic. After a moment Branch came out of it and gasped. His galaxy eyes disappeared and his distant look was replaced with a scared and panicked look. 

He sighed in relief that Branch was no longer in whatever state he was in. But his face quickly turned into worry. Branch looks like he's about to have a panic attack. He stepped out of the group and went out a bit into the forest, and set Branch down.

“Hey B, look at me.” he said, putting his hands on his shoulder.

Branch looked at him, desperately taking in breaths. “Copy my breathing.” he put a hand on his chest and took in, a slow breath in and slowly breathed out. Repeating the motions as Branch tried to copy his breathing. Eventually Branch calmed down, and hugged him tightly. “You ok B?”

Branch shook his head no and said, “Something is wrong.”

Confused and worried, he asked, “What's wrong?”

Branch looked up at him with tears in his eyes and said in a shaking voice, “They're hurting.”

“Who?” He said a little desperately, trying to figure out what's wrong. But he didn't get an answer, instead Branch started to mumble, face in his chest.

“Branch?” he said hesitantly, he isn't sure what to do. Branch is just speaking gibberish, and looking like he's about to panic again.

Suddenly, after a moment of silence Branch yelled, “Fire, there's a fire coming!” Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out. He just held his brother closely after that. Fire? What did he mean?

“FLOYD! BRANCH!”

He jumped at the sudden voice and turned towards it. He saw at a distance two adult trolls calling out their names. How long were they gone?

He quickly got up, making sure his hold on his Branch is tight and called out, “We're over here!”

The two made their way over and he got a better look at them. One is a glitter troll, all white, and the other looks very fashionable. He's seen these trolls before. 

“There you two are!” said the glitter troll, once they finally came up to them. The fancy looking troll looked at them and said, “You made the king very worried when he noticed your gone.”

He shrank a little at that. He didn't mean to make Peppy worry. But he needed to take care of Branch. 

“Let's not scold the kids.” The glitter troll said, noticing the haunted look on his face. “What happened?”

“I…” he started, but he couldn't get the words out. What's he supposed to say? He started to tear up a bit, shaking a little. The older trolls look at him with concern.

“Branch…he…I…I…we!” He continued to try and explain what happened, but he was ao freaked out on what happened to his little brother. Tears of frustration and worry slipped down his face as he tried to explain.

Then the fancy looking troll put a hand on his shoulder, making him stop and look up in surprise, and said, “How about we head back to the others?”

He just nodded his head and rubbed his eye. They guided him back to the group, offering to carry Branch and the bags along the way but he refused. He can do this on his own. 

After a while they made it to the rest of the group, ignored all the questions, and walked up to king Peppy.

“We found them.” The glitter troll said, looking concerned. Peppy just nodded, and turned to him. “You ok?”

“Can we just go.” he said, not answering Peppy's question, not looking at him. He didn't notice Peppy turned towards the two trolls that found them, and mouthing what happened. The two trolls just shrugged and mouthed back later.

Peppy just sighed and said, “Let's keep moving.” And they began to move.

He was about to move forward when Peppy put a shoulder on him and said, “Stick close to me.” 

He just nodded, and stuck close to Peppy. He wasn't in the mood to argue. He's more concerned about his brother.