Geronimo [Dreamworks Trolls]

Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I was having a muse-block for Trolls stuff, but it's all good now.

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The family slept for most of the day while other trolls kept guard around the village and in the valley, making sure that the strange giants didn't come back. A few of the more adventurous ones even followed down the path that the giants had left through, and others went to Bergen Town to tell everyone there what had happened.

Around sunset, Poppy woke up to find Branch gone. Of cooourse he had already gotten up and left her sleeping. He was probably already making escape plans and defense plans and all sorts of things. Preparedness was his middle name. Or it was if "Bergens are Coming" wasn't already his middle name.

She considered rolling over and sleeping for a little longer, but she knew that Branch probably needed her to calm him down. If someone didn't soothe his anxiety, if would get out of control. Plus, she did want to check on the kids, especially Rosie.

Rolling out of bed, she stretched and headed out into the hallway, her crazy bedhead straightening itself out as she walked. By the time she reached the living room, her bright pink hair was back to its normal straight fluff.

Branch was sitting at the table, looking at a map of the valley, with Bramble sitting beside him. It looked like the two of them had reconciled, at least to a point, which made Poppy smile. Good, she hated it when her family was fighting.

"Sooo, how's it going?" she said as she walked over and bent down to hug Branch from behind. He reached up and patted her arm in an absent-minded way.

"We're figuring out how to defend the village," Bramble said, sounding very official for a teenage troll. "I think we should put boobytraps right here." He pointed to a spot in the forest near the most likely path the giants would take if they were trying to find the village.

"We could dig pits," Branch said, "Big pits."

"Very big," Bramble said with a nod.

"You know, they might not even come back," Poppy said, trying to add some realism to her husband and son's plans, "It might have been a fluke that they were ever here in the first place, you know?" She held up her hands as they both stared at her. "I mean, I think we should prepare, but we shouldn't go overboard." She put a hand on her hip and looked pointedly at Branch. "Right, Mr. Overly-Prepared-Bunker-Guy?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Branch said, suddenly very interested in the map in front of him.

"Okay, Mr. I'd-Drink-My-Own-Sweat..."

"Ew, Dad, she's joking, right?" Magnolia's voice drifted into the room before she did, a look of utter disgust on her face.

Beside Branch, Bramble was looking at his dad with pride. "That is awesome..."

"No, it's not," Magnolia protested. She sat down at the table and peered over at the map. "What're you guys doing?"

"Protecting the valley," Bramble said proudly, "We're creating traps."

"Should we talk to King Gristle and get his help, too?" Magnolia said, "Since Bergens are bigger than us and everything, they could help a lot."

"Are you saying that Bergens are better than Trolls?" Bramble asked, his eyebrows raised, eyes narrowed.

"Did I say anything like that?" Magnolia asked. She unbraided her hair, which allowed it to explode into a poof of pink fuzz, and then she started combing it out with her favorite pearl-handled comb. "I'm just saying that their height could be useful."

"We're already talking to them about helping," Branch said, "So it is a good idea, Magnolia."

"Just not an original one," Bramble said, sticking his tongue out at his sister.

A tendril of her hair twisted into a rope and flicked him on the shoulder. "Be quiet, Bramble."

"Kids..." Poppy said, a strained happy warning in her voice, "Don't start now, okay?"

"Fine." "Okay, but she started it."

Poppy rolled her eyes at the children and then crossed out of the living room and out onto the veranda. Below their treehouse, the troll village was starting to come alive with nightlights and glow bugs and luminescent mushrooms. There was a bit of fear in the air since no one was sure about how their new problem was going to be handled, but it was mostly just a subtle feeling of unease. Poppy leaned against the railing, or she did until Branch's hair looped around her waist and pulled her back.

"I don't like it when you do that," he said.

"Do what?"

"Lean against the railing," he said, "It could break or bust or you could lose your balance."

Poppy laughed. "There are nets. And I have my hair. And, remember, I'm practically indestructible."

"Yeah, see, practically doesn't mean definitely."

Poppy grinned and stole a kiss from her silly, overprotective husband before pulling back and resting her hands on his face. "You're really worried about the giants, aren't you?"

"How could you tell?" he said, a blush coloring his greenish-blue cheeks.

"You always get extra protective when you're worried. Remember that time we had a bumblebee invasion, and you decided to wrap the kids up in bark armor?"

"Can we not relive that," Branch said, a slightly haunted note to his voice. He hugged her to him. "I just want to make sure that we'll all be safe if they decide to come back." Shaking his head, he met her eyes. "I thought they had taken Rosie... I need to make sure that doesn't happen, and that they don't take anyone else." He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers. "Okay?"

"Okay, but don't stress yourself out," Poppy said, rubbing her nose against his. She pulled back. "Don't go all bunker-Branch on me."

"What was wrong with bunker-Branch?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

Poppy made a face and then gave a huge, dramatic frown before deepening her voice. "Hi, I'm bunker-Branch, and I'm antisocial and hate hugs, and I think Poppy's ridiculous, and I want everything fun to go die in a pit..."

Branch reached out and covered her mouth to stop her from continuing, though he was laughing. "I wasn't that bad!"

"Oh yes you were," she said when she pulled his hand off her mouth. "So grumpy."

"Dad!" came a yell from inside the house, "Magnolia won't let me have the map."

"He's been looking at it for hours," Magnolia replied.

"Give it back!"

"I'm hungry!" That was Rosie's more muffled voice. A second later, she burst out into a made-up song about how hungry she was, hungry enough to eat a stink bug or a fly or an earthworm.

The job of being parents was extremely full time... "I think I'm going to revert to bunker-Branch."

"Oh no you're not."