Finding the one for me pt1 Creek and Branch

Finding the one for me.

The first gift:

Branch was always grey, but lately he was even more grey than normal, along with this fact was also the fact that he was being a lot more introverted as well as feeling even more depressed than he usually was. Even though he seldom came into the troll village, when the other trolls had seen the survivalist in the village they had all known that something was bothering the grey troll and they felt sure that for once it wasn’t his usual preoccupation with the Bergens coming for them. As much as the other trolls wanted to ask him what was wrong they didn’t want to inadvertently make either the other troll worse or bring the grey troll’s anger down on them. When it became clear to Poppy and the rest of the snack pack that none of the rest of the residents were going to ask what was wrong with Branch then they after a short discussion decided that they would have to find out from the other troll what was wrong with him. The princess was glad and proud to find that all of her friends were brave enough to join her in approaching the grey troll with their concerns.

So it was that together the friends set off to look for Branch, they eventually located the survivalist in a clearing in the forest, the survivalist had his backpack with him, but very unusually for him the grey troll wasn’t gathering things for his bunker, instead he was settled on top of a small rock staring at the sky. The friends all quickly shared concerned looks, before they walked over to Branch, once they were close enough to the grey troll for him to hear them it was Suki who out of the group said softly to the other troll. “Branch?”

Having been so completely lost to his thoughts that the survivalist had for once been unaware of the snack pack approaching him that the grey troll jumped slightly when Suki addressed him. Quickly he then turned to look at them all, Branch let out a deep sigh, right now as far as the survivalist was concerned them being here was the last thing he needed right now and he asked in a tired and listless voice. “What do you all want? If it’s to invite me to yet another party I’m not interested, so please go away and leave me alone.”

Hearing those emotions in his voice the friends once more looked at each other with worry, Poppy stepped forward from the group of trolls and spoke to the grey troll this time. “Branch, your usually grey, but lately you have seemed well…To be a much deeper shade of grey and more depressed than you normal are…We are worried about you, won’t you tell us what’s wrong?”

As Poppy asked him this question, Branch let out another deep sigh, when he did this the grey troll went an even deeper shade of grey and the snack pack had to admit that the usually determined troll looked utterly defeated before he muttered out. “The season for finding a life mate is coming soon, I felt that I…I well wanted to find a troll to be my life mate and woo that troll as tradition dictates should be done…But then I realised that it would be pointless for me to even think about seeking a life mate…I mean look at me, what troll in their right mind would ever want me…Why did I ever think that my trying to woo a life mate was a good idea?”

Creek swallowed hard he’d had no idea that the grey troll was thinking of looking for a life mate, knowing that he was made him feel like his worst nightmare and greatest dream was coming true all at the same time, as terrified as the idea of wooing a troll as a life mate made Creek feel, he couldn’t help but here at long last was the chance he had been waiting for to make Branch his and the purple troll had no intention of passing it up. Wanting to help the other troll to feel less depressed over his current situation the guru walked over to Branch, he gently lay a hand onto one shoulder of the grey troll and then addressed him in a serious but gentle voice. “Hey, maybe you won’t need to seek one, maybe a troll will seek you out instead.”

Slowly the survivalist looked up at him, as he lets the words of the spiritual troll sink in his grey colour lightened slowly but surely back to its more normal shade of grey and the other trolls in the clearing are all glad to see this. Eventually their gazes met both of the male trolls blushed slightly and then Branch spoke to Creek in a small but hopeful voice. “Do you really think that might happen?”

The purple troll swallowed hard, he’d never heard Branch so vulnerable before now, Creek quickly discovered that he couldn’t look away from the intense gaze of the other troll as he said to him with honesty. “Of course it will happen, look Branch you have a lot to offer another troll even if they may not see it at first, if any troll took the time to look beyond your fear of the Bergens they would see you for who you really are Branch a wonderful troll.”

“Thank you Creek, I believe that is the nicest thing any troll has said to me for years…I’ll admit that I didn’t expect you to say that to me.”

The guru felt shame wash up over him as the grey troll confessed this to him, hastily he pushed this feeling back, he instead concentrated on the troll he intended to make his life mate and then said to Branch. “You looked so very sad and defeated…Even I couldn’t be as unkind as to kick you while you were down.”

Slowly something which had all the eyes of the troll’s in the clearing widening happened to the survivalist, Branch smiled slightly at the other male troll before saying. “Thank you Creek, to all of you as well for coming to check up on me.” The other trolls all gave the grey troll smiles, Creek reluctantly took his hand off of the shoulder of Branch, the grey troll slowly came up onto his feet and then looked around at them all, before turning his tell gaze back to Creek. “You’ve given me a lot to think about…I hope none of you will be offended if I go back to my bunker now, so that I can think about what Creek has told me?” Quickly all of the snack pack smiled at Branch and shook their heads at him, he gave them a nod of thanks, the survivalist walked across the clearing, but before he left it the grey troll lifted a hand he waved in a friendly way to the other trolls, who quickly waved back, then once he had done this Branch turned back to his path which he knew would take him home and then vanished into the forest heading back to his bunker.

When Branch arrived home he settled his back pack down near the entrance to the bunker, he walked across the floor of his home and then sat on his sofa. The survivalist found himself wondering if Creek would be right, if maybe another troll would be able to see him for who he was rather than the colour of his hair and skin, Branch held his hand out in front of him and looked at his grey hands with sad teal eyes. The grey troll let out a sigh, then he became aware of the fact that there was something was waking up deep inside something which Branch had been sure had died a long time ago hope.

It was later in the day when the grey troll became aware of movement above his bunker, curiously but cautiously Branch unlocked the hatch, he peered out to see what was happening and then as he noticed what was sitting on the grass near the hatch to his bunker the survivalist’s eyes went wide. Placed on the grass was an exquisite single moon flower, a lily like grey bloom which emitted a silvery glowing light, when picked these flowers didn’t die they in fact remained alive and were therefore seen as a sign of faithfulness and enduring love amongst trolls. Branch drew in a sharp breath, he knew that these moon flowers were extremely rare and therefore valuable amongst trolls, so to be given one as a gift like this was tremendously unusual. Unsure as to why he was being gifted with such a rare and exquisite gift the grey troll slowly climbed out of the bunker, he cautiously approached the moon flower, when the survivalist reached it Branch realised there was a note accompanying the flower. Carefully the grey troll bent down, he gently lifted both items them up, the survivalist then placed the moon flower into his hair where he knew it would be safe, Branch was totally unaware of the fact that as he rested it behind one of his ears against his jet black hair it glowed slightly brighter than before.

Happy that this rare flower was now safe from any kind of harm the grey troll opened the note up, he read the words which were written in the note to himself. ‘Branch, I wish to make you mine, I desire to have all of your heart and the whole of your soul.’ As he finished reading the note in the hands of the survivalist shook slightly, he could hardly believe that this had just happened to him of all trolls, this was a formal wooing claim and it had been made on him. Branch was aware that whoever had sent him the note and the flower would be somewhere nearby watching him waiting to see if he would accept or deny their claim. The grey troll gently slipped the moon slower back out of his hair, then he gently placed a kiss to it, slipped it back into his hair and then bowed these were both signs of acceptance to the one seeking to woo him.

From high up in a nearby plant eyes watched his reactions to this opening gift in a formal wooing, the watcher was exceptionally pleased by the other troll’s positive responses to their first gift and then when Branch kissed the flower and bowed the watcher felt joy and excitement flood threw them. The watcher could hardly wait to give the one they were wooing the next gift and note, they hoped whole heartedly that they would be able to win this unusual but wonderful troll for theirs forever more. The watcher kept their eyes on him until Branch had made it back to his bunker and gone back inside once more. Only then did this silent watcher allow themselves to breathe a sigh of relief and bath in the warm glow happiness which had been caused by Branch accepting their wooing.
The survivalist made his way back into the main room of his bunker, he sat back down on his sofa and gently drew the moon flower out of his hair, it was truly one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen, then slowly a memory wormed its way passed the state of shock he was and the eyes of the grey troll widened. Quickly but carefully he placed the flower back into his hair, before standing up, walking over to some brown curtains and pulling them back to reveal books, quickly Branch ran his finger over their spines until he came to the one he was looking for. Carefully the survivalist eased the book out, he flicked through the pages until at last Branch found the page he was looking for, it was on wooing traditions and sure enough his memory proved to be correct, the first gift given in a formal wooing was supposed to represent how the troll giving the gift perceived the troll receiving the gift. The mouth of the grey troll opened wide, because he realised that this meant that the one wooing him considered him to be like a moon flower, rare, faithful enduring in love and though grey, full of light and handsome. This realisation made the grey troll blush, he closed the book, then reached up to gently touch the moon flower in his hair, slowly the survivalist smile to himself ever so slightly, he closed the book placed it back onto the shelf and went on with the work he had been planning to do that afternoon stopping every so often to touch the flower in his hair and smile again.