~ The Other Side of the Storm ~

Chapter 6

( A/N — BRIGGIE BONDING TIME HEHEHEHEHEH )

( A/N - also I realized that the picture Creek ripped up is also the picture Poppy used to replace that one- we're just gonna ignore that error and just keep swimming )

Biggie looked out of the ditch. It looked like they were in a completely different world. "Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

"What? Who's Toto? What's Kansas?" Branch carefully climbed up the ditch, struggling with his injured arm.

( A/N - it's not a tornado book without Wizard of Oz references- )

The forest was completely destroyed. Misty Meadows wasn't misty, it was just dark and debris filled. Trees were knocked down, bushes were torn out of the ground, it didn't even seem to have any other creatures in it.

"Which way's the village? I'm sure we can find our way now." Biggie, who's still a Troll, was being optimistic and put a smile on his face, pulling Branch out and ready for him to lead the way.

"Uh.." Branch couldn't recognize anything. Their tent was gone, their supplies were gone, there was nothing he could use to identify their direction.

He scanned the ground for any sign, but nothing was helpful– except for a paper that suddenly hit Biggie in the face.

Branch jumped up to grab it off Biggie's face and examined it. It was slightly faded from the wind, but he still recognized it. "It's one of Poppy's pictures of me, and her." He smiled at it.

"So, which way home?"

"I don't know, I don't know where anything is." Branch put the picture in his hair to keep it safe and tried to smell his way to the village, but the rain washed out every scent.

Biggie walked around for a few minutes, searching for anything that remained. He found something soft and white, and yanked it out from under the tree it was stuck under. "Isn't this Guy's hair?"

"That mean this must be where our site was." Branch remembered cutting Guy's hair to keep the tent on the ground. That obviously didn't work.

"Which means Troll Village is that way!" Biggie pointed in the direction they arrived in. Or at least he thought they came that way.

"No, i'm pretty sure we came from that way." Branch pointed in the opposite direction.

"Actually, we came from that way." Biggie continued to point in his direction.

"That way." Branch pointed in his direction.

"Branch, i'm positive we came from that direction."

"Biggie, we came from that direction." Branch started walking the the direction he was sure the village was.

Biggie wrapped his hair around Branch's torso and pulled him back. “We shouldn't take any chances- what if we get lost?”

“We're already lost.”

“But what if we get lost-er?”

“That's not a word.” Branch pulled Biggie's hair off of him and began to continue walking away.

“Can we please stay in the ditch overnight?” Biggie pleaded.

Branch looked up at the sky. “It's still really early, though. We can probably make it to the village before dusk if I'm heading the right direction.”

“Can't you navigate with the stars?”

“I can also navigate with the sun, though.”

Biggie sat on the ground, criss cross applesauce style, still committed to staying in the ditch for another night.