Trolls: Depressing Cannibals

Shrek had been right about a few things. There had been a window. The other was something did break.

Shrek had also been wrong. Like the window was not open, and when the two spooning teens were shot through, the glass broke all over Branch's bare back.

Branch hissed as broken glass sliced his skin. Luckily. Very luckily they had landed in somewhat of a cloud like figure that cushioned their fall.

"Branch," Poppy slowly crawled out his grasp. She saw bits of sharded glass deep in his skin. "Stay still..." She reached for something in her big head of hair and set it aside as she carefully started to pick the glass out.

"Thanks Poppy," Branch said feeling her fingers ever so slowly take out the pieces of glass. He flinched at the touch. "Not so hard."

"Sorry, there turn around. I saw you get some on your arm too," when he turned he noticed that she was avoiding his eyes. Why? Oh wait... he suddenly remembered the events before the ground shook. He averted his eyes. For some time there was a moment of silence. Could this be anymore awkward... he jumped as something covered his skin. He spotted a split shell.

"You were carrying ointment?" Branch asked surprised looking at her. His eyes started to wander down but stopped at her chest forgetting that they were both not wearing much. "Where? You don't even have any clothes on."

"My hair," Poppy said focusing all her attention on his cuts ignoring his comment because she realized they were both practically naked from earlier. "I mean I do have a lot of it. It's so big I carried my guitar. Branch I'm worried."

"About..." he said trying not to let his eyes wander any further south. "Oh," he almost forgot about their other companions, "Don't worry about Mandy and Aspen. I'm sure they can help each other out."

"Okay," she responded still applying the ointment.

"Hey Poppy," Branch said placing his other hand on her shoulder. "Thanks."

She didn't look up, "No problem. Plum taught me everything I know."

Branch raised a brow, "Dr. Plum? When?"

"When you were still recovering from sleep," Poppy gave a painful smile. "You sounded like you were in so much pain," her eyes narrowed remembering his horrifying screams, "I even had one of those nightmares."

"Really?" Branch asked stupefied never realizing that someone so happy like Poppy was capable of having those kind of dreams. "What was it about?"

Her fingers stopped. She still wouldn't meet his gaze. Ignoring the pain in his arm he used both hands and placed them on either side of her face to make her look at him. "Come on Poppy, you can tell me. That's what friends are for. Right?"

He wasn't sure if that was he best thing to say to her as he caught some pain flash in her eyes, but she eventually relaxed under the his touch. "It was about losing you."

On instinct he brought her into a hug, "Don't worry Poppy. I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"

She wrapped her arms around him. "Okay," she whispered enjoying his warmth once again, yet she knew that this was it. Nothing more than two good friends comforting one another. Reassuring that they'd be there for each other no matter what difficulties they faced. After a few moments of being wrapped in each others embrace she felt him shift and he had kissed her forehead once again. When he pulled away she held down her blush. "B-Branch, you're really making it hard for me."

"What do you mean?" He gave her a confused look. "I thought friends gave each other hugs."

"Well you just kissed me," she held her blush down while trying not to stare at his lips. "On my head. Again."

"Well my grandma used to give me kisses all the time," he shrugged already use to all there previous kisses, "I don't see why you're getting so embarrassed. I mean we've already kissed before." That made the pinkette go completely red, "Why? Don't you like it when I kiss you? Do they bother you?"

Poppy wanted to be taken by the Giant at this moment because Branch was apparently very clueless, yet he sure had a way of hitting her personal spots. Yes I like your kisses but I'm going to take it the wrong way... She dismissed the thought. "No they don't bother me, never mind," she cleared her throat and started looking around. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure," Branch said scanning the empty sky. He looked around the area again, "There!"

"Those caves?"

"Come on," he said about to get up but instantly fell. "Dang it!"

"What happened?" Poppy helped him stand. "Is it your foot."

"I think it's my knee," he said leaning on Poppy. "I need to wrap it in something."

"Um... oh here!" She pulled out a dark bandanna. "Don't worry I'll tie it for you."

"Alright," he said taking deep painful breaths as she tied the thing tightly around his patella. "There. I'll help you off," he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they both carefully made there way down the fluffy cotton onto the dead grass around them. "You think we can make it?"

"Yeah don't worry about me," he said picking up a rather long thick stick and used it as a cane. "See. I can manage. Thanks anyways."

"No problem," she said as they made their way towards the caves. "So one of these caves might lead us to the Bergins. Right?"

"That's what I'm hoping for," he said looking once more at the empty wasteland except for the cotton they fell on.

There were at least twenty that the pinkette counted. "There's so many of them. I wonder which one?"

Branch looked around each cave trying to identify anything left behind. "I don't know."

"CHOOSE A CAVE WISELY!" A deep voice boomed before them. They quickly whipped their heads around on the alert. "FOR ONE WILL LEAD TO BERGIN KINGDOM AND THE OTHERS TO CERTAIN DEATH!"

Branch held a protective hand in front of Poppy. "Who said that?"

"IT WAS..." That's when they spotted a man with a cloud of white hair in nothing but dirty overalls and a pair of long socks leaning against the cotton they climbed off of. "Me," he started walking towards them. "Hey guys hows it going? I'm the Cloud Guy I noticed that you guys landed in my truck of soft cloud and I just wanted to warn you one these caves leads you towards the Bergins and the others to... CERTAIN DEATH, DEATH, DEATH, DEATH..."

He continued talking and the two teens gave a look of disbelief.

Luckily Poppy snapped out of it first and asked politely, "Do you think you could tell us which is the right one?"

"You bet," he said casting her a smile one that didn't settle right with Branch. Especially when the two teens were dressed as they were. He got in front of Poppy.

"Great!" Poppy said oblivious to her current state and was about to walk towards the guy until Branch kept his hand out eyeing the man suspiciously.

"No, that's okay we're fine," the brunette gave the guy on last look. "Thanks."

"Branch," Poppy laughed nervously as Branch tried to hull them away from the mysterious stranger. "He's trying to help us."

Branch glared back at the man currently scratching his teeth. "I don't like the looks of him."

"Well he seems to know what he's talking about," Poppy argued.

Branch looked back at the caves. Better than risking our lives any more than necessary, "Okay fine," the dark teen annoyingly looked back at the stranger, "Which way do we go?"

"First," the man said with a lazy smirk, "You have to give me a high five. Then I'll tell you."

"What?" The boy asked in disbelief.

While the girl jumped for joy, "Oh, I love high fives! I'll do it."

The stranger put a hand up, "Oh, I know you'll do it," then he gave an all knowing smirk towards the boy. "But will he?" Branch sent him a glare but the man ignored it, "All right, dumpy diapers, up high!"

Branch crossed his arms in defiance, "I don't do high fives."

"Slap it, boss."

"Not gonna happen."

"Party on the top floor."

"Nope."

"Little slappy, make daddy happy-"

"That's weird."

"Come on, just one little high five."

"Oh, no, thanks. I'm good."

"Here, just do this..." the man clapped his hand with the other. "But with your hand."

The teen smirked, "Thank you for that demonstration," then frowned, "Really clears up exactly what I will not be doing."

Poppy couldn't believe Branch's stubbornness right now, "Branch, it's a high five! The others lead to certain death! Get perspective."

"All right," The man said with a glint in his eye. "Look Kid, I'm gonna let you slide with a fist bump," just as Branch made a fist the man started to play around with it, "Whoo. Shark attack! Nom-nom-nom-nom. Jellyfish! Hand sandwich. Turkey. Snowman. Dolphin. Helicopter. Last in a zoo."

"What?" The teen said in confusion.

"Gear shift," the man made car noises with his mouth as he grabbed hold of Branch's fist and steered it in different directions. Then he let out a snort at the boy's face, Poppy giggled at the sight of a dumbstruck Branch thinking he looked cute. "Okay, okay, okay. Now I'm thinking we hug."

The dark teen couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. He growled and ignoring the throbbing pain in his knee he broke his cane in half and two sharp sticks were looking deadly in the hands of the furious teen. The man nearly wet himself as he took off in the direction of a cave in terror. Branch started to chase him. "That's right. You better run, Cloud Guy!"

"Wait!" Poppy quickly started to follow them in panic, "Branch your Knee!"

The teen ignored her shouts blinded by his anger hunting the Cloud Guy, "I'm gonna tear your little cloud arms off your cloud body, and high five your face with them!"

"He's just a Cloud Guy!" Poppy couldn't see through the cave's darkness but followed Branch's shouts. "And your knee is going to get messed up!"

"Get back here-"

"Branch! He can help us!" And you need to rest your patella! "Come back!"

"I'm gonna kill you-" Branch stopped when he saw the town ahead of him. "Whoa. We're..."

"Are we?" Poppy finished stepping out looking at a dark sky above.

"Ta-da! We're here!" The Cloud Guy looked at the two teens with a satisfied smirk. "Phew... You guys are a lot of fun. You know, I gotta go. Got some cloud stuff to take care of. Catch you on the way back?" He said making his way towards the cave then with a whisper, "Unless you die."

As he disappeared the two looked as they stood on the edge of a cliff looking down at the town below. It was weird to the pinkette because although these Bergin people sang a song they were all monotone and were songing with no emotion.

"I ain't happy I'm feeling glad," a girl kicked her kite in disgust. To the right there were two men kicking each other in the butts, "I got sunshine in a bag, I'm useless," then not to far a woman was chopping off the flowers from each stem, "But not for long. The future is coming on." A man further down kept swatting his own face in boredom for flies kept swarming around his head, "I ain't happy I'm feeling glad," behind him a lady with a stroller walked by as the infant squeezed milk into its mother's face, "I got sunshine in a bag, " a woman above dropped green gunk from her window, "I'm useless." There sat a man underneath as the gunk fell on top of his head, "But not for long. The future is coming on," another man passed by him tearing pages from a book, "Is coming on, is coming on, is coming on," then the most depressing thing was a man burying himself alive as a frog croaked, "Is coming on, is coming on is coming on."

"Wow!" Poppy said having her heart broken at the depressing scene. Mainly because these people resembled Branch, a boy that wasn't truly happy. "They're as miserable as you."

However so caught up in her own thoughts she didn't notice the look he gave her. Is that really how she sees me? He thought a bit hurt. I'm just trying to be cautious. I mean it's not like I completely unhappy... "Hey Poppy- " Branch fell. Not off the cliff but dramatically enough to get the girl's attention. The pinkette knew without even having to check anything his knee gave out.

"I tried to warn you," she said applying more pressure with the bandanna. He didn't say anything because deep down he knew she was right but he didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"There it's fine now," she offered him a hand but he shooed it away and got up by himself. The teen tried to ignore the hurt look on her face. Then quickly changed the subject. "Alright first we have to get off this cliff then find out where they're keeping everybody," Like my grandma.

The pinkette shook off the negative feeling and smiled, "Right! Now, come on! Let's go save our friends!"

"Your friends," Branch corrected as he hobbled after her.

"Our friends, don't fight it," she replied when she spotted an elevator not to far. "Look! An elevator!"

"Wait!" Branch tried to reach her before she pushed the button. "Isn't it a little convenient that there'd be an elevator at the top of a cliff?"

The doors slip open, "Well it's either this," she pointed at the elevator, "Or that!" She pointed at the rocky mountain they were currently on. "And with your knee I think you'd have a better chance of coming-" she stepped inside, "With me!"

He sighed. There was no point in arguing, "Fine. Scoot over," the doors slide close and there was only one button to push that read, TOWN. The elevator was rather slow as they waited. "Hey Poppy we're going to need disguises."

"Why?"

"I noticed everyone is colorless and depressed and you-" he started to look her up and down realizing that she was the most colorful thing by far. "Well one we're not exactly dressed. Second your bright pink hair, velvet eyes, and sunset tan stick out in this grey world," she wasn't sure whether or not he was 'checking-her-out' or simply analyzing her, "You stick out like a sore thumb."

"Really, what about you?"

"Well if I recall form earlier, 'they're as miserable as you' so," he frowned upon the memory and she flinched. "I should be just fine."

The elevator was slowing down. "Don't you have any clothing in that hair of yours?"

"I think I do actually," she reached up and took out a grey shirt. "I think my Little Prince-" Branch rolled his eyes at the mention of the little brat, "-offered me a shirt in case..." she blushed at the memory of the littl boy saying in case Branch decided to strip in front of her again. "I doesn't matter!"

She thrusted the shirt towards him, "Here."

"What? No, for you Poppy," he rolled it up and looked at her, "Here put your hands up."

"Branch I can dress myself."

"Yeah I know but I already have it so," she obeyed and he put it over her huge head of hair. He tugged the hem all they way until it reached over her mid thigh. "There we go. We can't have guys ogling those nice legs of yours."

She nearly choked on her own saliva. "E-Excuse me?"

"Yeah your legs," he looked down then met her rather red cheeks, "Is it from all that dancing. Your dancer legs."

"Oh yeah," she exclaimed with enthusiasm. "I forgot you haven't even see me perform! Don't worry after we rescue everyone and get back to town I'll make sure you have a front row seat to my performance."

"If we make it back," he said feeling the elevator come to a complete stop. "If."

"No Branch," she said squeezing his hand to reassure him. "When we get back!"

The door opened and the first thing they saw was a giant poster. It read, 'New Colored Meat! Sure To Make You Happy Once Again!' underneath a picture of her father along with the rest of the people served on a platter big enought for the Kingdom.

"Poppy," Branch eyes widen in horror. "I think I know what the Bergins are." Cannibals.

"Are they going to-" He felt her shake.

"Yeah they're..." he squeezed her hand for reassurance, "Going to eat them."

Thanks you for staying with me and following!I really appreciate it! I made this one pretty quick so sorry if it seems rushed but I'm trying to finish up before I take off to Bootcamp. So stayed tuned for more frequent updates!