Chapter Text
Dear Branch of the Pop Trolls,
We are connecting you in regards of a one John Dory and his children. We are caring for them and will continue to do so till the 4th of this coming month. At that point, we will give them over to a foster family(s). We cannot guarantee that they will all stay together if this occurs, so we have notified you in an effort to keep them together.
If you are unable to take custody of the children by the specified date, please respond to this letter with either your refusal or willingness to take them in.I look forward to hearing from you quickly.
Best regards,
Ragions Protective Services
That’s it. That’s all that was written in the letter. After years of silence, that is the only form of contact Branch has had from John Dory, from any of his brothers.
If he was being honest with himself, he remembers very little of his brothers. He remembers how Spruce used to toss him around and swang him around as they walked around the marketplace in the old Troll Tree. He remembers Clay always being quick with a joke or a pun when he felt sad, but he also remembers Clay reading to him on rainy days. He remembers Floyd always having a comforting word or hug when the world around him got too loud or scary. But he remembered even less of John Dory.
He remembers the arguments between the older three while Floyd tried to calm everyone down. He remembers him always having something more important to do and never actually being there with them. However, if Branch thought about it, and really thought about it, he could remember small moments here and there. They weren’t memories but something closer to feelings. Warmth. The feeling of being held and protected. A melody that he could never place no matter how hard he tried.
And now he is on his way to meet the children of the brother he knew the least about before he disappeared for twenty years. Ones he didn’t even know existed. Muses it wasn’t even John Dory who contacted him it was the Rageons Protective Services.
Branch grip tightens on the steering wheel of the van, John Dory, what did you do?
— — — — —
Mount Rageons were tall, taller than the Bergens, but they were built very differently. While Bergens were more sturdy and stout, Rageons were thin and wiry. If Branch was being honest they kind of reminded him of noodles, very loud, flashy, and ignorant noodles. Finding the RPS was easy enough getting someone's attention was another story.
“Hello?” Branch called up to the desk. The blue-haired rageon didn’t pay any attention to him. They just played on their phone.
Branch let out a groan as he felt a headache building up behind his eyes. He cleared his throat before calling up louder, “Hello! Excuse me?”
The rageon finally looked up from their phone and looked around for him. They must never have to deal with trolls or small folk in general. “Well hello!” they yelled down with a smile when they finally located him, “Aren’t you just the cutest thing!”
Branch just let his face fall into a scowl at the comment, “Thank you.” he answered back threw his teeth trying to appear as friendly as he could. He really should have argued for Poppy to come, but he couldn’t do that, not with Bridget's wedding only a few days out. “I received a letter from here informing me about my brother and hi…”
“Oh!” they exclaimed, “You’re one of those trolls I've heard about on the news!” Before Branch had time to react the rageon was shoving their phone in his face, “You little guys have been all that people are talking about.” It was a news feed talking about two teenagers and their rise to fame. Branch tried to read more but was cut off by the rageon scrolling to the next feed. This one made his bristle with anxiety, there in big block letters was,
FIVE TROLL CHILDREN FOUND, TRAPPED IN SUPERSTAR’S VELVET AND VENEER DRESSING ROOM.
Branch felt his breath caught in his throat at the words.“What do they mean trapped?”
“Like trapped,” they answered as if he had grown a second tail, “I hear they were being kept in these diamond bottles.” Branch grabbed the sides of the phone trying to read as much as he could.
Okay, important information:
Five kids - Okay five kids. Five new nieces and/or nephews.
Oldest nineteen and the youngest five - Nineteen to five. Nineteen, only a few years younger than him. Branch had to grind his teeth to keep a growl from escaping his mouth. They put a five-year-old in a bottle.
Very minor injuries - Injuries? Why would they have injuries? How could they have injuries? A young troll could fall out of a tree and pop up like nothing happened, what did they do to hurt them?
They are recovering - They are okay, physically at least.
This is good information. Well maybe not good, but it was more information than what the letter gave me. However, there is still nothing about John Dory. Where was John Dory? He wouldn’t just let this happen. Not without a fight.
“Jubilee!” A new voice cried angrily, “What are you doing!” Branch turned to see a new older rageon with dark blue hair.
“Oh, this troll is here about the trolls that were found with Velvet and Veneer,” they answered back.
The dark blue rageon just gave a look of disbelief before “Go see if Ruby needs any help.”
“But” the younger tried to argue only to be cut off by the older.
“Now!” they snapped.
Branch watched the younger flinch before scurrying away.
The older watched the younger retreat before turning to Branch with a strained smile, “Hello, sir” they asked watching him, “How can I help you?”
How can you help me?! You can help me by telling me what's going on! Or what were Velvet and Veneer doing to them? Or tell me where my brother and his children are… Children focus on them. You need to make sure they are safe, John can take care of himself. He would want them to be taken care of, wouldn’t he? Honestly, he didn’t know what John would want, but Branch knew what he wanted, “I got a letter from you about my brother and getting custody of his kids?” Branch answered, trying to sound as calm as he could, but that didn’t stop his tail from twitching back and forth in irritation. He watched as the strained smile morphed into one of sympathy.
“Yes,” they started out uneasy, “we sent out letters to your other brothers as well.” they continued before moving to dig through the desk, “You are the first one to arrive.” They murmured before pulling out some paper and starting to organize them, “We didn’t know you were coming. If we did we would have had someone… better equipped to inform you about your brother and his children.” Once they were done talking they reached down to give him some papers. “Now if you could give me your names and which brother you are then you can take these and fill them out.”
Branch took the papers, unlike the letter he received, these were not small folk sizes, “Yeah. I sent a letter before I left, but it must be running behind.” He said uneasily, “My name is Branch and I am John Dory’s youngest brother.”
“Okay,” they responded before there was a small hue in the conversation as they wrote down his information. “Anyway, I assume you are here to resume custody of the children.” their voice turned professional like they had done this several times before tapping the papers in his paw, “These papers will allow you to get temporary custody-”
“Temporary?” Branch interrupted, surprised. That's not right. In the village, after the escape, orphan trolling was placed with whoever was willing to take them. There were no temporary placements. Once a trolling was placed there was no moving or switching. He should know he was one of them, for a while, until they just stopped trying and left him to his own devices.
“Yes.” Their voice was official as they continued to talk, “We don’t know how these cases are handled in your community, but here you have to be evaluated on whether you are equipped to take on a child, let alone five.”
“And if I’m not equipped?” evaluated? Why would he need to be evaluated?
“If you are not equipped…” they trailed off for a moment, “Hopefully one of your siblings will be able to take them.”
“If not, they will be separated.” Branch said coolly as anger started to rise in his chest, “And that will be decided by your people.” They don’t know anything about us! Why should they get to decide? “People that know nothing about me or my kind and didn’t even know five children were being held captive by two ‘Superstars’.” He finished bitterly as he stared the rageon down.
They didn’t answer for a while. They just stood there in mild surprise before letting out a sigh, “Yes,” they agreed quietly, “If you or your sibling can not take proper care of them, they will be separated.”
A familiar twist of dread pulls in the back of Branch's mind,That’s not going to happen. That is never going to happen, not to them. “I need a pen.”
— — — — —
Once Branch finished all the paperwork needed to be done he was finally able to see his new nieces and nephews. While he was getting the papers filled he managed to get some information about them. Apparently, he had three nieces and two nephews. Five. There are five of them. The oldest was nineteen from what rageon at the desk said, she was the loudest of them when they found them in the dressing room. She had, allegedly, attacked one of the police forces when they had tried to pick up one of the others. Next, was a nephew who was fourteen. They think he’s fourteen. There wasn’t a lot to say about him, only that he was quiet but was always watching. Next were twins, maybe around ten, one boy and one girl. The rageon just says they were quiet, like the older boy, and only answered when a question was directly pointed at them. The last was a small girl no older than five. She did not talk to them, only whispered to one of her siblings when she needed something.
It wasn’t much but it was some kind of information. Information that he needed because he knows nothing about these kids. He hated not knowing. For years knowing kept him alive. Knowing what food to eat and what was poisonous. Knowing how to set traps for different critters. Knowing how to clean a cut so it wouldn’t get infected. Now he is about to walk into a meeting knowing almost nothing and he hates it.
They were being kept in a separate room and had been there for a week. Once they had been rescued from their…. cages they were kept in cages like the Bergens did to them before the escape. They were checked by doctors and nurses to the best of their ability, but many don’t have medical knowledge of trolls. Another negative outcome from, not just Pop but the whole of the Troll Kingdoms, being isolated for so long.
When Branch finally arrived at the door, he paused. He’s never been good at this, meeting new people, or even doing something new. He wished Poppy was here, she would know what to do and what to say. Guilt quickly washed over him. These kids have gone through something traumatic and here he was hiding like a trolling. Taking a deep breath, Branch pushed the door open. He was met with a large room with a rageon-sized bed in the corner. On top of the bed, he could see five figures sitting in a small group.
Branch flicked his hair out to the edge of the bed and made his way to the top. He landed with a small, quiet thump. They hadn’t noticed him yet, softly he cleared his throat, “Uh,” Branch started, causing five pairs of eyes to snap to him, “Hello.”
“Who the hell are you?” John Dory's eldest, his niece, asked with a glare. She was a Pop Troll or at least had the look of one. She wasn’t gray like he once was, but had more of a faded or muted blue coloring with dark teal hair that could have once matched his older brother. She wore her hair differently from him, instead of the standard updo that was popular for most Pop trolls, she had her hair lying down with a majority flipped to the right side. On the left, he could make out what once were braids running down the side of her head. They were disheveled and tangled now. Come to think of it now he looked at the whole of her, she disheveled. The well-loved jacket was crumpled and torn in several places along her shoulders and upper arms. Mud caked her pants and stained her paws turning her already dark blue fur into a dirty burnt brown. Branch hoped it was mud. The only thing that looked like it was well taken care of was the goggles on top of her head.
Branch felt his stomach twist with anxiety as a realization appeared in the back of his head. She looked like John Dory. A very haggard and windswept version but it was him. It was as if he looked at John Dory to see if he was a girl. It was weird after not seeing or hearing from him in twenty years. Before he could answer her, he assumed her brother moved to stand behind her. He was different. He was taller than Branch, with muted dark blue hair and lime-colored fur. However that wasn’t the part that surprised him the most, it was the hooves and the small horns that peeked out of his hair.
Country troll? No, he may lean into the country aesthetic but he didn’t have enough legs for a standard country troll. Adopted? No, he was definitely John’s kid, he shared the same blue eyes as John Dory’s doppelganger- John’s eyes. Mixed genre? Most likely maybe even a mixed subgenre if the horn were anything to go off of. John knew about the other tribes, maybe knows more than any other Pop troll, and has for a while. Guess hiking the Neverglades trail can only last for so long.
What were his other nieces and nephews like? As he shifted to maybe get better at his new nieces and nephews, only to be blocked by the two eldest repositioning themself in front of their younger sibling.
He turned his attention back to the eldest of his new nieces and nephews, “Branch.” he answered, earning a confused look from the two, “My name is Branch. I am your dad’s brother, one of his brothers, the youngest one.” Did they know about him? Did they know about any of them?
Branch watched as the boy’s gaze turned to his sister, it was clear he was unsure of him and looking for some kind of reassurance from the older. Only the girl didn’t return his look instead she glared- no a glare is too nice of a word this is more of a glower- at him. It was as if she was trying to set him on fire with her eyes.
“Lair.”
Lair ? Branch felt the fur along his shoulders bristle. She has some nerve to call him a liar, especially when she didn’t even kn— Don’t get mad, don’t get mad. Remember what the rageon at the desk said, the oldest was more defensive. She doesn’t know you. Getting mad won’t help anyone. Take a breath. “Excuse me? I’m not lying.” He answered back trying to sound calm. It came out more defensively than he meant to, but his new niece didn’t back down from the challenge.
“Yes, you are.” she threw back, with a hiss, her tail lashing out behind her, “Dad’s brothers are dead, I know I was there.”
Dead. Dead? Why did she think he was dead? Does John think he's dead? Any anger Branch felt at her accusation melted away. Branch never thought any of his brothers were dead despite the years that passed. “I’m not dead?” His brothers aren’t dead either…right? He would have heard something if they were….wouldn't he? What if they were dead and he just didn’t know? Twenty years was a long time, clearly, he was talking to his brother’s nineteen-year-old daughter!
She just gave him a bored look as she looked him up and down, “Well, no shit.” she deadpanned, “The troll you’re trying to impersonate is. If you are going to pretend to be someone you’re not, you might want to check your information about them. If you did, you would know Branch and the rest of Dad’s brothers have been dead for almost twenty years.”
Almost twenty years. John Dory thought he was dead for twenty years. Branch swallowed the dread building up in his throat, but he had to ask “Why does he think they are dead?”
“No one could survive what happened in that tree. He looked, but with the amount of damage and…” she glanced behind herself before looking back at him, “and everything else. He said no one could possibly survive.”
The realization hits him like a ton of bricks, John went back to the tree. He went back to the tree after they had escaped and thought they were all dead. It was hard to stop the relief and happiness from appearing on his face, He had come back. Someone had come back for him. Someone cared enough to try and find him. Did anyone else come back? Did anyone else try to find him only to be met by the broken remains of a long-dead Troll Tree? He quickly tries to school his face into a more neutral expression, but Branch has never been good at hiding his emotions causing his niece to scowl at him. Before she could say anything, “We escaped!” he blurted out leaving her surprised by his quick outburst, “I don’t know when you returned to the tree but everyone escaped a few months after he left.”
She still looks skeptical.
Slowly he reached into his hair and pulled out a picture, “I know you don’t trust me and I wouldn’t either if I were you but I’m telling the truth.” He walked forward and held the picture out to her. He hadn’t shown anyone this picture, not even Poppy. It was a picture of him, his brothers, and his grandma on his last birthday before the final concert that ruined everything. He had been two and thought it was a good idea to start throwing cake leading to all of them, except his Grandma who knew to stay away from the carnage, to be covered in cake in the picture. It was the last time he felt whole and it was the last picture he had of all of them.
She took the photo and for some reason, he may never know she relaxed. A small smile spreads across her face as she runs her finger over the picture.
He was about to ask for it back when a pair of bright green cat-like eyes peeked over her shoulder. A techno troll? They had the coloring and look of one, grayish dark midnight blue scales with navy accents and white freckles across their cheeks. His hair had more of a pop troll look but had a techno troll texture and was pulled back into a messy bun of gray-tinted dark midnight blue hair with neon green, purple, blue, and pink streaks, one for each color.
They were young, Must be one of the twins they talked about. Maybe ten they said. Briefly, their eyes met before they shrunk down behind their sister. Okay, they are scared. It makes sense. Just don’t scare them more. With a breath, Branch just waved at them. Hoping that all the practice to appear more inviting with Poppy worked for once. It must have been because a reptile-like hand returned the wave, their hand faded from the dark midnight blue to an aqua blue.
“Iris.” Her voice cut in like a knife, breaking the moment he had with her sibling. She held out the photo back to him, “My name, it’s Iris.”
“Cash.” His nephew said suddenly. Between the conversation with his new niece, Iris her name is Iris, and the small exchange with one of the twins, he has forgotten about the other troll standing a few feet away.
“Nice to meet you,” he said with a smile hoping it would have the same effect as it did with his younger sibling. It didn’t he just stared at him inquisitively like Branch was a puzzle he couldn’t figure out.
“This is Ronen,” Iris said moving to the side so he could get a better look at the green-eyed trolling.
The small troll, wearing a black and neon-accented hoodie and sweatpants, walked forward with a smile, “Hi.”
Now, with a better look, he could see they were more techno troll than pop troll. Like their brother, Cash, they also had a surprising look to them. They were half his height which was standard for most ten-year-olds, but most ten-year-olds he’s met didn’t have reptile-like feet and claws or a long lizard-like tail. The more Branch looked at them the more he wasn’t so sure they were part techno troll, but some sub-genre he has yet to meet.
“Hi.” He smiled back, causing Ronen’s lizard tail to flick from side to side at him being acknowledged, before turning to the next sibling.
“Here is Wynona.” They were not twins, whoever thought they were was an idiot and should really reevaluate their job. Because this is a half-rock troll, not a techno (?) troll. She had grayish-pink and orangish hair cut into a messy bob with gray-blue fur. She didn’t say anything to him, just watched with unblinking, familiar, purple eyes. Her eyes were the same color as Floyd's. It never occurred to him that any of John’s kids could look like his brothers but here it is. Staring at him with a mix of anxiety and hesitation.
“Lastly we have, Jolene.” Iris finished as she pulled the youngest into her lap. Five. That's how old she was supposed to be five years old but she appeared much younger and she was gray. So very gray. A very familiar gray.
They were all forms of gray. They all stood out in their own way. Anyone could see they were a mix of very different trolls forming a very different kind of family. But that didn’t hide the fact that they were all in various stages of graying. Something else must have happened. Something that could make an adult troll start to go gray.
“Where is your dad?” He asked, whatever was wrong he could talk to JD about it, he would know what was wrong. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the group of them flinch while Iris just tightened her grip on Jolene. That’s not normal. What is he missing? Where is John Dory? , “What?”
“You don’t know?” Iris asked unsure.
Should he? The rageon at the desk didn’t mention anything about him and when the younger one was showing him the different newsfeed no one talked about an adult troll being found. Worry began to crawl up his throat. Did they not find John? Was he still with the two teens that had kidnapped his niece and nephews? No, someone would have had something to say if that was the case, but where was he? “No.” Branch answered her honestly, “Have they not told you anything?”
“They haven’t told us anything.” Cash answered quietly.
Branch let out a sigh before he clapped his hands together, “We're going to fix that.” he said making his way to the edge of the bed. Before he hopped off he looked back, they all just stared at him in confusion. Were they not coming with him? “You can come with me if you want, you know.” The moment the words left his mouth they were up and following after him. They were thin, far too thin for it to be healthy. Okay, ask about John Dory and food.
— — — — —
Hospital. They were taken to the hospital.
This is not how Branch wanted to see JD again. Branch wanted to see him dancing around with a smile on his face. Instead, he is lying motionless on a bed like he is already dead. He wasn’t the blue hue he remembered from his childhood replacing it with this icy cold pale blue. His teal hair has turned into an ashy white leaving nothing but the very tips of his hair its normal color. It was like someone had completely sucked all of the color from him leaving him with a ghostly appearance. This isn’t right. He’s too quiet, he’s supposed to be loud. He’s supposed to be annoying, anything but this.
Branch glances over at his nieces and nephews and realizes this is a terrible idea. He should have never brought them here. They should not have to see this. Iris stared at him as if he was going to wake up at any moment. Cash was looking at the steady beeping of the machine, the only thing indicating that JD was alive. Ronen and Wynona stood together hand in hand and watched their two older siblings unsure of what to do next. And Jolene, Jolene didn’t look anywhere, just stared blankly at the floor as she half hid behind Iris. None of them are saying anything. Should he say something? Maybe they want to say something, but they don’t want to in front of him. They don’t know him.
Breaking the silence, “I am going to go talk to the doctor.” Iris was the only one who turned to look at him, “I’ll see what I can find out. If you have anything to say, do it because when I get back we are going to head out.”
This caught Iris by surprise, “We’re leaving?” she asked in disbelief.
Five pairs of eyes focused on him. Branch let out a sigh, “For now, I need to get you back to the village so I can get all of you settled in. Once that's done, I am going to come back and see if we can get your dad moved to a troll hospital.” they all looked uncertain, “I know you may not like it but JD, your dad, would want all of you to be taken care of first.”
Iris opened her mouth, most likely to argue, but was cut off by Cash, “Okay.” he answered for the group, “we’ll go with you as long as we can come back with you when you come back.”
Branch nodded, “You can come with me if you want.” With the discussion over, Branch left to find a doctor. Once he left the room, Branch let out a breath he didn’t reason he was holding but the world still felt like static. J D was not supposed to look like that! It felt wrong. Everything feels wrong. He couldn’t hear, he couldn’t see, and his tongue felt like sandpaper. He had felt like this only once before and that was when his Grandma died. Tears burn his eyes, but he can’t cry not yet. There is still so much he has to do.
“Sir?” a voice cut through, “Are you alright?”
Branch looked up to see the blurry form of a rageon in a nurse uniform, “Yes,” his voice cracked, he was crying and he didn’t even know it, “Sorry, it's been a long day” he answered as he rubbed his eyes, “and there has been a lot of emotions.”
“Can I help you with anything?” they asked with pity in their eyes.
“Yes,” he said, forcing the tears to stop, “can you find me someone who can tell me what happened to John Dory.” Within minutes, a doctor stood in front of him.
“What happened to my brother?” he asked, wasting no time for pleasantries.
“Your brother was drained of his ‘talent’.” the doctor answered calmly.
“ Talent ?” Branch asked, confused.
“Yes, it is akin to a life essence for you trolls.”
“Why did they need his talent?”
“They used his talent to make their own singing voices better.”
“They were using him like a drug?” Branch said blankly but his tail didn’t hide the anger he was feeling. This felt familiar too.
“Yes, like a drug.”
“How long was he there?”
“From the deterioration of his color, around two months.” The Doctor answers.
Two months. JD has been here for two months, and no one knew- he didn't know, “Do you know when he will wake up?”
The doctor at least had the decency to look uncomfortable. “We do not. The device he was placed in was a one-of-a-kind and was invented by their assistant.” They continued “And we are unsure about what kind of effects it had or will have.”
A mix of dread and anger mixed in his stomach, “What do we know?”
“He is stable and the possibility of him dying should be slim to none.” The doctor answered, “Any injuries he received have been taken care of and are healing nicely,” Injuries? No one said anything about other injuries, “and his emergency contact has been notified of his condition.”
“Okay,” Branch muttered. They weren’t any help, not really. They contacted JD’s emergency contact, which was good. Spruce was most likely to be the one listed. However JD needs a troll doctor or at least someone who knows our biology, “Thank you for the information.” Once the doctor left him alone, Branch pushed the palms of his paws into his eyes. He was about to go back into JD’s room when he heard a voice he never thought he would hear again.
“Branch? Is that you?”
It was Floyd.