Meanwhile, Cooper wandered an uncharted area of the Troll Kingdom. To catch you readers up, Cooper believed that there were other Trolls just like him, and when he saw a picture on King Peppy's scroll, he saw that one of them looked almost identical to him. Since then, he's been out searching for them and where they could be. He looked around and saw a four legs underneath a leaf.
Cooper: Trolls that look like me! Yes!
Without thinking, he ran forward, and he was in for a surprise. Instead of Trolls, he came across strange looking birds.
Cooper: Oh...hello there...
There sure were a lot of them, and they were examining Cooper very closely, but what happened next completely caught him off guard. Instead of cawing or...whatever a bird does, they were trumpeting like horns overwhelming him completely. One of them nearly swallowed him whole before he managed to get away. They all stared down at him nearly sending him into panic, he suddenly pooped out a whole cake and candles...and somehow fire.
Cooper: Happy Birthday...?
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Back on the river, Biggie and Hickory were sitting by a fire while Branch was keeping a vigilant eye out for any potential danger. He couldn't help but feel that there was something off about him, something he was hiding. He didn't seem like other Trolls, and it was strange that he had offered to help them out of Lonesome Flats and somehow already knew they were Pop Trolls.
Branch: What are you hiding, Hickory...?
Poppy sat down next to Branch twirling the hibiscus he gave her earlier in her hand. Branch couldn't help but notice how vulnerable she looked after what she had been through. He could only imagine what had happened after she escaped from Barb. When he found her, she was out like a light, covered in bruises and had blisters on her feet...and her arm was banged up. Luckily, she was recovering nicely, just her arm was still healing.
Branch: Poppy, c'mere.
Poppy looked up at Branch as he carefully removed the filthy bandage from her arm, it was still pretty banged up and only showed a few small improvements. Branch replaced the old bandage with a new one and secured it around her arm before cutting it.
Branch: Is that better?
Poppy: Much better.
Poppy later let out a soft yawn and took a pillow out of her hair before laying down.
Branch: Poppy?
Poppy: I might call it a night soon...
Branch nodded, understanding how she might've been feeling right now. She only slept for a few short minutes since her disappearance, and it's been almost 2 whole days, she must've been exhausted.
Branch: ...Poppy, you know I never intend to hurt you, right?
Poppy: Yeah...
Branch: So, um...about what I said earlier...I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, Poppy, I just want you to be vigilant. This is still entirely new compared to what you and I are used to, we need to be on high alert. And right now, we're not sure who we can trust. I've been keeping an eye on Hickory, and there's something strange about him that I just can't put my finger on, just stay alert.
