...

It was this one night the end of the journey finally begun.

The time was showing two o'clock in the morning on the bracelet that Poppy was still wearing on her wrist the first time this horrific whistling sound reached her pointed ears; it was agitated movements that pushed back the leaves blankets that were covering them, mixed with the melody and chant of suffocation, even asphyxiation.

Princess Poppy had slowly emerged from her deep sleep before realizing what was happening in the moment; her precious, now romantic partner, Branch, was in the middle of a crisis, in huge need of pure, fresh air filled with oxygen. His own chest had took a full weird shape, she could see all the shape of his insides, pressing over his own self, trapping him in his own body.

She had jumped back to reality as if frozen water rushed over her whole body, pulling the blankets away from him to help his hopeless agitations, but she couldn't see what was the problem... Was he too hot? Too cold?? What was going on? Why was he chocking?!! Why was his chest looking that opressed??!!

- Branch, oh my gosh! She cried out, seeing him becoming pale as he missed oxygen, the under of his nose turning a weird shade of dark gray, Branch, stay with me! You gotta help me, Branch! Wake up! She told him, Branch!!?? Branch!!

She shook him, and he finally woke up very confused. She brushed her finger on his sweaty forehead so he would keep his blue pearls open to the world; the pink troll above him made him notice he wasn't breathing, not even he had noticed he was this close to die right there in his sleep. Unable to talk, but finally wheezing for some air, he wrapped his arms around Poppy, letting her rock him while he was trying to get back his ability to breathe.

All that was going through Poppy's head at the moment was confusion and fear... She was rocking him against her shaking body and he was holding into her as if she was a life line, she could feel his weak blows on her shoulders. She kept murmuring love words as panicked tears run down her freckled cheeks; what had just happened? What was this sudden axphysia crisis? Was he not telling her something? How could grossums's claws marks make him unable to take in air? Maybe it was a night terror that had caused this??

That was a logical explaination.. Right? If Branch would have been hurt, he would have told her right? He would tell her... He would...

So, trying convince herself a nightmare was the most logical explaination to what had just happen, she kissed his pale forehead, shushing him down so his breathing could get better.

- It was a bad dream? She asked, Was it?... Shh....

She was pretty sure she felt Branch's head move to do a nod. Or was she again trying to convince herself ?

Poor baby... She rocked him for a few more minutes, simply waiting for his breathe to get back to normal... The silence troll was still shaking, maybe he was cold? After all... His skin was still completely revealed to her.... Stupid! The cold most have caused that nightmare, right?

She grabbed their clothes, passing back his vest around his shoulders to keep him warm, pulling his shorts up above the bandage on his hip. She pushed their bed a bit closer, toward the nice, still dancing flames of the fire, she moved the wood a bit so it would lit up just a little more and spread more heat around the shelter. Branch coughed, he cried out in what seemed to be lot of pain. She helped him lay back down, her heart was aching.

No matter what she did, Branch was still struggling to breathe, and he couldn't talk without coughing more and more. He was wheezing more and more... She kept caress his thick hair, knowing he liked to feel her fingers rushing to place back his locks out of place. His eyes were filled with tears. She knew somehow he was hurting, and he couldn't tell her. He wouldn't tell her.

- I-It's okay Branch... Shh... It's over, you're okay, you're alright... I'll never, ever, leave your side...

She knew his life had been such a challenge, such a horrible experience to him and here he was suffering again. She knew he was scared to love and lose because of his past. She knew all of him, and she promised herself she wouldn't leave him. Never. He didn't have to be scared. She wanted to tell him he shouldnt be scared, that they would get back to Trollstopia, that she would bring him back home. In his bunker. Right at the start of this adventure, she had keep told herself, what would Branch do?

Yet, she couldn't act like him in this moment, scold him for a nightmare would be dumb as fuck.

... Welp here she was cursing, he had some effect on her.

Well, she decided that the best thing she could do here was to act like Poppy.

Just like Poppy.

The Poppy he fell for, fighted for, hoped for. The one he trully loved with all of his being that was, without her knowing, dying slowly.

She sang.

Sleep little one...
Close your eyes...
Your body's cooling with the night...

Let your worries slip away,
Tomorrow is a brand new day.
Shimering moon and satin sky..
Soft wind breeze, it's a lullaby.. ~

The dreams are here to set you free,
The dawn will bring you back to me...

She noticed he had closed his deep, sincere blue eyes, his body could handle pain for a few more hours, rocked by her song and now sound asleep. She smiled, trying, trying so hard to convince herself that what she was unconsciously thinking was happening was NOT happening, staying up to watch over him and make sure he would sleep well. A good night of sleep.

- The dawn will bring you back to me...

At this point, the lullaby had become a prayer.

...

The morning came, The sun drew the lines of the landscape on the horizon.

Poppy had opened her eyes slowly,  confuse about the voices she was hearing outside... Was she only dreaming? Was it a illusion of her deepest wish in the moment? Or had she lost it already?

But she wasn't crazy... Right outside the cavern was a group of trolls, formed with Barb, Trollex, Smidge and Cooper. The search team had searched all night, having chosen to use the powerful sense of smell of their critters to trace the two missing in the dangerous forest. Lucky them. They were at a few meters from their shelter, and Barb knew... Right there. Pink hair on the ground.

She had gasped so loud the whole group turned toward the red haired trolls, holding up the tuf of the familiar hair in the air for everyone to see.

Behind the camera, in the Funk Trolls' immense spaceship, most of the team had fall asleep on their screen... Carol blinked her eyes open, hearing her group of searchers getting agitated. Thinking something was wrong, she pushed her hand on the button to establish the call connection and hurried to make sure the queen of rock and her friends were safe.

- Barb?? Barb what's going on??

- Carol!! We found hair!! The excited voice of the young woman was heard.

- WE FOUND HAIR!!!! I don't know what that means... Cooper added.

- What?? Carol couldn't believe her ears, Wait, wait-- Hair?!

The trolls around her had begun to awaken. to the hope that was starting to bloom into the room. They all gathered closer to Carol's micro to hear what was happening.

- We found a bit of Poppy's hair! Here!! At about 2 kilometers away from the river and...

- I FOUND THEM!!

Trollex had screamed at the top of his lungs when he entered the cave, one could distinguish his heart that was now racing with happiness at the sight of them; Poppy and Branch, hurt, tired, and looking miserable, but alive.

They were alive!

The search team had immediately rushed inside, relieved to finally find their friends, helping a poor confused Poppy to sit against the wall of stone. The team cheered loudly inside the spaceship. The message was spread in all of Trollstopia; the Queen of Pop and The Silence Troll were alive.

- Poppy! Can you hear me?? Hey, wake up!!

Her head felt dizzy, and she somehow managed to open her eyes to look at the blurry, bright moving figures around her... Was it?...

- Smidge?... Smidge is that-- Barb?? Guys ?!!

Now she was fully awake. She touched Smidge's arm to make sure she was there, that she was not in a illusion... But no, the warm contact of a clean, yellow skin made her heart miss a beat.

- GUYS!! She screamed out in joy, Oh my gosh, I knew it! I knew we would get rescued!! She cried out, sobbing in joy into Smidge's shoulder.

They were worried, horrified as they looked at all of her wounds; her leg being in the worst state... But Poppy knew her wounds could wait a bit more longer. Someone needed more help than she did in the moment. She pushed the bandages away, refusing the help and turned around; Trollex was already going toward Branch who was still sleeping, laying on the ground montionless... Or was he ?

- Branch? Trollex shook his shoulder.

Montionless.

Completetly montionless.

Branch. wasn't. moving.

- Oh no.... OH NO!!

ᵂᵉ'ˡˡ ᵈᵒ ⁱᵗ ᵃˡˡ ...

Forgetting the pain in her leg once again she pushed her friends away, rushing to her boyfriend's side and crashing against his chest. She grabbed his body, pulling him up against her, shaking him so he would open his eyes and smile at her again;

- BRANCH! She screamed at him, Branch, wake up! She begged him, C'mon, they found us!! We're getting back home, Branch!! HOME, you hear me?? BRANCH, WAKE UP!!

ᴱᵛᵉʳʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ...

Shout.

ᴼⁿ ᵒᵘʳ ᵒʷⁿ ...

Shout her fear, her panic, shake him, scream and shake his blood-stained body so he would give her a sign; a grumble, a growl... Anything. Anything!! He wasn't... No! He wasn't! He wasn't, she refused to believe he was gone!!

The sun was now shining inside their shelter, and she could see his pale skin, the black marks under his purple nose. Her whole body felt as if it burned her, no matter what she might be told, nothing could make her smile; her only concern was the unconscious troll in her weak arms; he wasn't breathing! HE WASN'T BREATHING!!

ᵂᵉ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ
ᴬⁿʸᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ
ᴼʳ ᵃⁿʸᵒⁿᵉ...

Seeing what was happening, the team went into action; Barb pulled Poppy away from his body, the pink troll shouting to let her go, to let her help Branch.

ᴵᶠ ᴵ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ
ᴵᶠ ᴵ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ
ᵂᵒᵘˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ˡⁱᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ?

Trollex and Cooper were put into action to check his condition; well tried to, they didn't know what to do, trying poorly to make him the CPR in a weak way. Smidge eventually lost patience and pushed Cooper and Trollex out of the way, jumping on the unconscious troll's chest;

- ENOUGH!! I'LL DO IT!!

ᴵ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ qᵘⁱᵗᵉ ᵏⁿᵒʷ...

She didn't know what else she could do, so she stood on top of him and used her hand to come into hard contact with his face. Hoping, praying it would wake him up. He couldn't leave, not like this, not now, and she wouldn't let him.

And it did worked. Branch opened his eyes, trying to gasp for air but all that came out was a horrible, loud hissing. He grabbed his throat, trying to just take in air... But his own chest wouldn't let him. He felt his upper body tight around his own self--

ᴴᵒʷ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ..

- Branch !!! The group shouted.

ᴴᵒʷ ᴵ ᶠᵉᵉˡ..

Poppy's shout was the loudest of course, and she had to free herself from Barb's strong grip to jump back unto his body. Branch looked around him, confuse, his vision was blurry, his heart was beating hard inside his broken rib cage. His chest was hurting, it was hurting so much, he groaned, but not a single sound came out, except this horrible hiss, the thin air that could pass through his air way. The voices of Poppy and others were mixed within a thick fog.

- Poppy, what's going? Barb asked, coming to help the Pink troll lift him up, making him hiccup what seemed like Barb's name, what happened to him??

- I don't know!! I don't know!! She cried out, last night he started have difficulty breathing and then I was sure-- Branch!

ᵀʰᵒˢᵉ ᵗʰʳᵉᵉ ʷᵒʳᵈˢ...

He was closing his eyes again, his face getting pale, loosing councious because of the lack of oxygen. Poppy did the first thing she thought of to get him back to reality– she crushed her lips again his.

ᴬʳᵉ ˢᵃⁱᵈ ᵗᵒᵒ ᵐᵘᶜʰ...

The group's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Poppy to kiss the silence troll out of nowhere. But it wasn't the question to ask right now-- Her cheeks swell in volume, she gave her oxygen to Branch at the same time. It revived him a little, enough for him to notice Poppy's tears, but it would never be enough to actually save him. They were running out of time.

ᵀʰᵉʸ'ʳᵉ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵉⁿᵒᵘᵍʰ...

- We have to take him to the hospital, now! King Trollex insisted, he needs medical help and it's pressing!

- The critters are too tired to get back that far and that quick!! Barb explained, poining to the flying creatures, They will fly more slowly than a snail!

They were trapped... What was left for them??

Branch's chest was hurting so badly.

- I'll bring them there.

They suddendly turned to the one who was proposing himself as a unexpected hero. Cooper stood with a serious and determined look on his face.

- Cooper... Trollstopia is about 30 minutes away!! Smidge screamed at him, unsure they could do it in time.

- That's if you walk! I'll be running! He explained, That's the fastest way we got, Smidge ! Branch is my friend, I'm not letting him die!

ᴵᶠ ᴵ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ
ᴵᶠ ᴵ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ...

The feared word has been said, reality hitting them in the guts. Cooper grabbed Branch's vest with his teeth and lifted him unto his back. The gray troll let out a horrible quiet cry, almost falling off... He wouldn't hold on alone.

- C'mon Poppy, get on! Cooper urged.

The minute that followed, Poppy was riding on the giraffe troll's back as he went like an arrow through the now way more familiar forest. Pressing against her back, luckily still conscious and his throat whistling horribly with his arms wrapped around her was her precious Branch. She squeezed his hand, he hadnt even the streghts to squeeze back.

Poppy was terrified, and gosh, she blamed herself, she blamed herself so much that tears had made her particially blind to the mystical tall trees around them. Why did they have to fall into this crazy river?? Why did the forest, which she thought was so beautiful, destroyed their two bodies without any mercy, and now be so close to snatching their lives?

ᵂᵒᵘˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ˡⁱᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ?...

Why not her? Why Branch?

Now she could feel it; the strange shape of his chest on the left side... How had she been so stupid? There was something that was broken. She didn't know what, but she knew it was something broken inside of him, and it was killing him, and he hadn't said anything at all to her.

' I promise, I'll get you home'

Of course... Of course!

She had a urge to slap him when she realized but restrained herself... he knew it. He knew from the beginning that he was dying. He had refused to tell her anything, why do this to her?? He was going to die for all that's trolly! For once she even wished that the fuzz-odils had forced him to sing a song in the type of 'I'm dying Poppy, but I didn't warned you' even though he hated singing, just because he was the biggest idiot !!

ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʷᵉ'ʳᵉ ᵗᵒˡᵈ...

Another hissing close to her ear was enough to bring her to her breaking point still. She screamed out, crying her sorrow and confusion;

- D-Don't you dare die, you idiot! Hh!! Don't you dare die, Branch! She squeezed his hand harder, feeling Cooper run faster to get to Trollstopia the most quickly possible.

ᴮᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ʷᵉ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵗᵒᵒ ᵒˡᵈ...

She didn't understand why he chosed not to say anything, to let himself die.

Cooper's race led them through the forest, reaching increasingly familiar landscapes; the mushrooms recovered from their roughness to reassuring colors and the plants around here were indeed edible. Poppy's heart made a jump when they passed by the gray troll's bunker.

ˢʰᵒʷ ᵐᵉ ᵃ ᵍᵃʳᵈᵉⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ᵇᵘʳˢᵗⁱⁿᵍ ⁱⁿᵗᵒ ˡⁱᶠᵉ...

But it wasn't there they were going, Cooper kept running, his four legs about to gave up under him. Carrying Branch and Poppy wasn't an easy task, but the adrenaline pushed him to his limits.

- MY SON ! Essence's voice tickled Poppy's ear.

Cooper literally crashed to the ground, making the poor couple fell on the soft grass of home.

Trollstopia.

The chaos that was going around them was immense. Trolls rushing to prepare stretchers, carry them to the hospital that was literally just in front of them. Dr. Plume was trying get back into control.

ᴸᵉᵗ'ˢ ʷᵃˢᵗᵉ ᵗⁱᵐᵉ
ᶜʰᵃˢⁱⁿᵍ ᶜᵃʳˢ
ᴬʳᵒᵘⁿᵈ ᵒᵘʳ ʰᵉᵃᵈˢ...

Their eyes met, both laying on the ground.

-.... Home, Branch said in a hoarse whisper.

They were home, they were trully home. They did it.

It was this moment Branch closed his eyes.

ᴵ ⁿᵉᵉᵈ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵍʳᵃᶜᵉ
ᵀᵒ ʳᵉᵐⁱⁿᵈ ᵐᵉ
ᵀᵒ ᶠⁱⁿᵈ ᵐʸ ᵒʷⁿ

- N-Nono! Branch! Poppy raised on her knees, Branch, p-please!

But... he was smiling. He was happy, he was happy he brought her home. He was still dying, but he knew that if he didnt make it... Poppy was home.

ᴵᶠ ᴵ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ
ᴵᶠ ᴵ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ
ᵂᵒᵘˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ˡⁱᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ?

Soo he felt trolls lifting his body in a stretcher, carrying him to an hospital bed that had been bring outside. Poppy who was already up clentched into the side of his bed on wheels, her eyes filled with tears, she tried follow, running on her literally open-flesh leg.

- You're g-going to b-be alright!... She sobbed, grabbing his hand and squeezing it so hard he let out a cry, Please don't give up, You need to live Branch! I need you to live!

- I---Iihhh!! P-Poppy!... He gasped her name in pain.

ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʷᵉ'ʳᵉ ᵗᵒˡᵈ
ᴮᵉᶠᵒʳᵉ ʷᵉ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵗᵒᵒ ᵒˡᵈ
ˢʰᵒʷ ᵐᵉ ᵃ ᵍᵃʳᵈᵉⁿ ᵗʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ᵇᵘʳˢᵗⁱⁿᵍ ⁱⁿᵗᵒ ˡⁱᶠᵉ...

A kiss, a kiss again right in front of everyone, just before they had to be seperated, and Branch panicked. He panicked because he couldn't see Poppy anymore. In fact he couldn't see anything.

She watched him go... The world stopped around her, she just watched him being taken away from her, right in a room where they would take care of him. All this adventure, all the obstacles they had been through together crashed back in her guts; the good and bad... and she sobbed. She sobbed hard, she knew why Branch was afraid to love now.

ᴬˡˡ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᴵ ᵃᵐ
ᴬˡˡ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᴵ ᵉᵛᵉʳ ʷᵃˢ
ᴵˢ ʰᵉʳᵉ ⁱⁿ ʸᵒᵘʳ ᵖᵉʳᶠᵉᶜᵗ ᵉʸᵉˢ, ᵗʰᵉʸ'ʳᵉ ᵃˡˡ ᴵ ᶜᵃⁿ ˢᵉᵉ...

Panic, panic. He couldn't see anything, he couldn't see or hear Poppy anymore, only the chaos of the doctors talking around him, talking about a broken rib pressing against the pleura.. They had to do a massage. To replace the rib. A needle sank into his vein, a painkiller, it hurts still. It hurts so bad. He wants the pain to end. He wants to close his eyes and sleep... But Poppy told him he couldn't sleep. Where is Poppy?

ᴵ ᵈᵒⁿ'ᵗ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ʷʰᵉʳᵉ
ᶜᵒⁿᶠᵘˢᵉᵈ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ʰᵒʷ ᵃˢ ʷᵉˡˡ
ᴶᵘˢᵗ ᵏⁿᵒʷ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ᵗʰⁱⁿᵍˢ ʷⁱˡˡ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ᶜʰᵃⁿᵍᵉ ᶠᵒʳ ᵘˢ ᵃᵗ ᵃˡˡ

Trapped. Hands trapped him down on the bed, but he couldn't see... He couldn't see who was holding him down, he tried to scream when they moved something inside of him by force. Nothing. Nothing was coming out.

ᴵᶠ ᴵ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ
ᴵᶠ ᴵ ʲᵘˢᵗ ˡᵃʸ ʰᵉʳᵉ
ᵂᵒᵘˡᵈ ʸᵒᵘ ˡⁱᵉ ʷⁱᵗʰ ᵐᵉ ᵃⁿᵈ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᶠᵒʳᵍᵉᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ʷᵒʳˡᵈ?

Poppy, he wants Poppy, he's afraid, no he's scared, terrified, horrified! Poppy he needs Poppy! He wants to scream, shout, roar, howl to the moon but nothing - -  nothing but - finally.

... gasp.

- 𝙋 𝙊 𝙋 𝙋 𝙔 𝙔 𝙔 𝙔 !!!

Poppy heard. She felt relieved.