Deep within the bunker John Dory stared at the clock. Seated at the new table his eyes narrowed with every minute that passed. Hair wild and attended managed to cover up his horns. Fidgeting with the smooth surface his grey fingers tapped one by one creating a brief sound. The sound would echo a familiar, voiceless melody to his ears. A melody John had been avoiding. He groaned smacking his palm directly into his face.

" Branch. Gosh Darn It! Where are you?" John pinched the bridge of his nose. " You were supposed to be here at ten last night and it's now eight thirty."

Bringing both hands down back on the table the older brother pushed his chair. Rising up he headed back to the shared bedroom. Glancing sharply at the neat and cold hammock he walked past it to the shelves. One of these contained an old scrapbook. A scrapbook that was older than John Dory himself.

The brown leather cover featured hand carved drawings decorating it filled with faint white lines. In the center was a white prism shaped like a heart. Not too big. Not too tiny. This scrapbook was different. It was added to by every known generation of their family. It was created post Troll Tree capture as a way to save and honour everyone's memory. John couldn't bring himself to leave this piece of history behind but, yet the same time refused to ever open it... Until now.

It was just a scrapbook, right? So why was he hesitant and scared even? It was unlikely John would face a jump scare from his family tree. This scrapbook was no pop up book. It was traditional and basic for Pop troll standards. However that was not even a concern. With somewhat shaky hands the greyish troll pulled but, then they stilled when Johnny's sights landed on the opening page.

A page with no photo or decoration. A blank page with a single sentence. Not too long. Not too short. Simple and clear but, carried a hidden sense of authority. John's prolonged stare studied the sentence on the center of the page as if searching for something more. In faded hand writing it said " In memory of our loss, fallen and taken. - Ruby Timberlake"

Reaching for the corner of the decolorized, brittle and rough parchment paper John pinched it turning the page over. On the other side was a family photo featuring ten family members. Two grandparents,three parents and five children ranging from six to nineteen. On the next page beside it were the names,dates and ages of each member.

Songbird and Rhyme Timberlake,the grandparents, were taken by the Bergens just as they were about to approach old. Grace, Rosa and Muse were taken as well the next year leaving their children to be raised by Ruby. The eldest of the five siblings who survived as long as they could. Only Ruby and Molly lived long enough to have kids of their own but, Ruby was blissed while Molly wasn't according to the history the pages spoke of.

Going deeper into the book, John got a glance into the past. Further he went the type of paper and style of the memorial changed. Some were more detailed than others. Each generation added their own mark of creativity for how to remember those who were lost. Flipping through the pages following the family tree grow more recent he landed on the most recent and last entry.

The page featuring Grandma Rosiepuff, Olivia, Noah, John himself and all of their brothers. Clay'a death date stood alongside their grandmother's and their parents' dates. A hollow hole carved its way deeper through the deformed and genetically reengineered man's heart making contact with his soul piercing it. Tears threaten to rise but, holding it together he hastily closed the physical holder of memories attempting to limit the power of their nature. The boom echoed throughout the room prolonging its welcome. Ticking from the other side of the room traveled taunting but yet an innocent bystander of a sound.

"Hear the clock ticking on the wall
Losing sleep, losing track of the tears I cry
Every drop is a waterfall
Every breath is a break in the riptide..." John wiped away a stray tear careful to not cut himself with his extended claw.

Restoring the book back to its rightful place the weight of it grew heavier and heavier before John let go. Cruel thoughts plagued his mind. His chest tightened crushing what remained of his heart's current state. Clay should have survived. He should had lived. It should have been him who escaped with Branch. Not John... John didn't deserve the second chances he received. Stepping back John sighed removing his fingerless gloves.

"Oh, how long has it been? I don't know. " John turned around.

Flickers of sorrow and regret never left him. He simply got better at disguising it in front of others. Specifically his people. The trolls if you can even still call them that. Branch? He was trickier to hide from. After all these years even as an adult the little guy still saw through him like he was glass. Cracked and dirty panel with rain beating down upon it. That was who John was.

"But it feels like an eternity
Since I had you here with me
Since I had to learn to be
Someone you don't know." John clutched his chest as his claws retracted.

His grey eyes dulled even more gazing upon nothing in particular. They drifted around the room until those very eyes settled on an old frame family picture. A picture of him, Spruce, Clay,Floyd and Branch. Not in their band uniforms but them dressed only to impress themselves and be comfortable. Loaded with individuality. A moment of peace and healing. John's feet acted on their own accord towards the cherished memory.

"To be with you in paradise
What I wouldn't sacrifice
Why'd you have to chase the light
Somewhere I can't go?" John reached out to frame hesitantly.

His hand shook drifting towards Clay specifically. With his dark grey thumb it brushed against the thin glass wiping away a layer of dust. Before John even noticed he cleaned the whole panel with his palm. His eyes never broke contact with Clay as his hand wiped off the dust on his current patchy vest.

" King John! The enforcers returned but they brought guests. They're in the Critter Den." A troll rushed out of breath.

John snapped out of his sorrow replacing it with disapproving anger. " Tell Branch to get his ass inside before I march up there and drag him here myself."

Above ground within the Critter Den... Floyd's white patches had regained their colour fully. A sign that his session of getting treatment had reached the end of its course. Bruce and Clay were more resistant in comparison but, the enforcers had dealt with that before. Some folks just need to be held down when refusing care and treatment for their physical body.

No more burns or bruises. Colouring restored to being vibrant once more. No white or grey patches appeared in their hair. Blurred vision? Cleared and adjusted back to their original state. The healing effect of Branch's blossoming flowers and the rapid pace of shimmer went hand in hand in working miracles but, they weren't forever lasting.

Viva eventually woke but,by the time she did Branch was done working his magic. He had moved on to the next in need while the other enforcers brought food and water. Floyd sat on a bench petting a cuddly squirrel when a jacket landed on his shoulders. He was slightly shivering as his body temperature hadn't quite caught up yet with the warm environment.

" Mind if I join you?" Boom asked as his yellow sparkly skin brightened.

" Oh I- not at all. It's fine." Floyd stated flustered.

Boom nodded his head then sat down beside him. " Your friends are gonna be okay. Our Prince knows what he's doing."

" I didn't doubt that at all. I was just surprised and confused. That's all." Floyd looked away.

" Everyone feels that way. I seen it happen what feels like a thousand times but, yeah that just means we got ya and got to work just in time." Boom petted the squirrel too.

Got ya and got to work just in time? Floyd blinked searching for any signs of awkwardness or negativity but,the odd troll before him showed no signs of worry or discomfort. Rather he was content and considered what was near death situation a normal occurrence. Maybe it was since him and his rescue buddies most likely do this for living. It was like they were firefighters and medical care workers. Nodding his head Floyd decided to stay silent for a minute while he gathered his thoughts.

" I'm Boom. I'm an Arcane Enforcer. What brought to our side of the woods?" Boom broke the silence before it could linger.

"Aahmm oh " Floyd stammered. "I'm Floyd. Me and my family were just traveling through to meet someone. We were invited by my older brother. He told us to not travel at sight but, we didn't know it would be this dangerous out here at night."

Grey eyes lit up becoming full colour briefly just as a smile spread across the younger troll's face. Not out of recognition but, pure curiosity and eagerness. His goofy smile contradicted the display of power he had the night before. Boom was more opposite in personality than Floyd had assumed.

" Maybe we can help. We got maps. My buddies can show you way to wherever you're going. Especially our leader knows this forest like it's back of his hand. So what you say? Can we?" Boom scratched behind the squirrel's ears beaming as he leaned forward.

The invasion of space did not stop from blushing any further. Rather it made his shade turn purple on his cheeks. Floyd's breath hitched as Boom's nose almost brushed against his. They barely knew each other but yet being so close physically carried power. An unknown effect. It was just there creating flutter within Floyd and Boom didn't even seem to notice he was causing it. He was clueless to how sweetly he was stirring the imaginary pot. How could someone like Boom sound so hopeful and naive when he performs a job that would most likely age him mentally?

" You don't have to but it would be appreciated. " Floyd held eye contact hoping to not appear awkward.

" So who's your brother you been searching for? Do you have a picture of where you're heading?" Boom smiled.

" We do. I think Bruce has it. We're not sure if that is where our older brother actually is but, sure that's where he might be waiting for us. I have four brothers. Clay, Bruce and me were hoping to reunite with our big brother and baby brother after they... Disappeared. Their names are John and Branch. They're pop trolls just like us. " Floyd brought his hands into his lap.

Pop trolls. Boom hadn't identified with that label much. Did they sing in Pop? Yes but, Pop simply wasn't enough to describe what they have become. Sometimes he even forgot that they were originally normal Pop Trolls before the mutations altered them.

" What a coincidence. Branch and John just happen to be the names of my best friend and his older brother. They're Prince and King of our tribe. John practically raised us all. You should totally get to know them before we send you off. " Boom scratched under the squirrel's chin.

Floyd chuckled. " I guess it is."

Back within Rhonda Branch threw a blanket over a certain pink troll's shoulders. His grey appearance became something she couldn't tear her sights away from. His triple fox tails wagged grabbing her attention in an instant. Poppy never seen or met a troll like this before. His seriousness, colouring, an angelic melody for a  voice and his unique traits. All so captivating.

" Stay still and right there, Miss Pinky. Can't risk you moving too so-" Branch said checking the first aid kit for a temperature measurer.

" Actually it's Queen Poppy but you can just call me Poppy."

" Prince Branch. Why are you stroking my middle tail?"

Branch glanced down at her hands gently running her fingers through his tail blooming thornless roses. An unconscious action. The Pop Queen didn't realize she had even grabbed his tail or held it until it was mentioned. She looked down puzzled with his hands still feeling the soft and silky smooth black fur that matched his mane. Looked so groomed and well taken care of.

" So soft- oh sorry! I didn't realize. My bad. Let's start over. Hi. I'm Poppy. Thanks for saving us and helping us out last night. I don't remember much but, whatever you do was awesome. " Poppy offered her hand to shake.

Branch glanced down at her palm with an unreadable expression before eventually giving in. He gently grasped her hand maintaining serious and stone faced before shaking her hand. His touch was just as soft as his tails.

" Yeah. Just don't do that again. Wait here." Branch let go and stepped away creating distance. He won't admit it but he actually doesn't mind it when someone touches his tail. Nobody ever did though until now. Nobody was as impulsive about it until Poppy got her hands on him but, if he allowed her to stroke or pet his tail what was gonna stop everyone else from following her example? One person was okay but he would rather not be grabbed by multiple people. Enough folks are already oddly feral him than he preferred so better not risk it but, Poppy? She can be his exception.

Approaching the kitchen he picked up a glowing red berry. " You're not allergic to anything, right?"

" Nah. I'm good. 100% definitely not allergic. Unless you count the one time I ate a bad berry and turns out it was poisonous but, after a while it wore off and I just went back to normal and walked it off. The berry apparently does that to everyone so technically no allergies?" Poppy rambled.

Branch paused concerned whipping his head towards her modified. " What do you mean you just walked it off and lived after eating a gone bad poisonous berry?!"

AN: Hey Cupcakes. So still sick. Rewrote this chapter cause I found an even better song for JD to express himself. The song is "Eternity" by Alex Warren. Sorry for not publishing an update for so long. I was going through mental health stuff and my family life is very complicated right now so writing had to put on the back burner. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

XOXO

Stay Sweet, Cupcakes.