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It was a warm summer night, with the forest echoing with the chirps of crickets and frogs in the distance. The season had been good for everytroll and with Bruce visiting from Vacay Island, the bros decided it was the perfect time to go camping. John Dory had camping down to an artform and had Rhonda ready and a campsite prepped before it even started getting dark.
Everything was going well. Almost too well, which was probably why the universe decided to throw them a curveball.
(‘.’()
Poppy put aside her ukulele to take the marshtato on a stick from Viva. “But you can’t have done that,” she giggled at JD’s pouting face as his brothers laughed at him.
“That’s what we told him!” Clay snorted and had to catch himself before falling off of the log he was sitting on.
“But all John heard was ‘John Yes’ and well,” Bruce continued with a mischievous smile and twinkle in his eyes. John now looked nervous. “I have the pictures to prove who was right.”
“You what?!” John nearly shrieked. Everytroll else near fell out laughing as John dove for Bruce, who saw him coming and jumped out of the way. John chased him around the campfire space, the others turning or pulling their legs up to keep them from tripping. “Shred them—no, burn them!”
“Make me, fishboy!” Bruce cackled as he juked to the side, JD having to roll to avoid a complete wipeout. Bruce made a mistake here though as he stopped running to laugh, and JD pounced on him from the ground with surprising ease. “Oi!”
“I’ll give you the works, on Muses!”
“You're surprisingly spry for a old man,”
“I’m not That old!”
“Doth protest much!”
“ I know where you sleep!”
“Ok, maybe we should tone it down,” Floyd chuckled with a gesture of his free hand, the other holding his half eaten smore. He gestured his head towards the other occupied campsites; only two had their campfires still lit, one going out as he spoke. The troll waved to them before entering their tent, the glitter of their skin reflecting the light off of the moon and stars. “It's getting late, wouldn't want the Queen to issue a noise complaint.”
Branch snorted so hard that he winced afterwards as Poppy fell into giggles at the thought. Clay was pouting now but it was clearly fake.
“But old guy fighting,” he fake whined and that had both Bruce and JD stop to frown over at him before continuing, though now they were whispering as they wrestled. Branch wished he had a camera to capture this moment but Poppy’s had run out of film earlier and besides, the flash would be murder on the eyes.
JD had finally grabbed Bruces’ ear, ready to give him the works, but before he could stick his finger into his mouth his ears twitched. Rhonda, who was parked nearby and had been sleeping through all their antics, startled awake, sniffing the air. Bruce went to push JD off of him but stopped when JD shushed him. Everytroll stopped laughing, eyes wide on JD as his ears twitched around, moving up and down, his head moving as well. Branch started doing the same, subconsciously surprised that his other brothers and Viva followed, though it seemed Branch and JD’s ears moved the most.
At first all they could hear was the remaining campfires being put out and other trolls going to bed. There was the river nearby bubbling along, any Techno Trolls having moved upstream to their camping spots a long time ago. The light summer wind rustled the tree leaves. The crickets were silent.
JD moved off of Bruce slowly, making not a sound as he helped Bruce up to his feet, his purple haired brother setting his arms in a boxer's ready pose. Rhonda got up to her feet as well, her eyes set to dim as she looked around. She seemed to narrow the source of the scent to across the river, deeper into the woods. Poppy held her hands to her mouth, the desire to ask what was going on barely held back. She’d gone through enough to trust that whatever had her family in this state, they didn’t need to be distracted by questions. She did get up as well, ready to move.
Rhonda suddenly crouched down as a low growl filled the air.
“Sugar Honey Iced Tea,” JD cursed, startling the others. He turned, and with one smooth move picked up the bucket of water they had next to the fire and used it to douse the flames. The camp dropped into near pitch black, the only lights from the moon, stars and Rhonda’s eyes. “When I say run, get to the trees. Poppy, Viva and Clay, you three grab the other campers and get them moving too, I don’t care if you throw them into the river and go that way, just stay off of the ground.”
“What’s coming JD?” Floyd asked as Viva nodded and switched her marshtato stick for one of her sticky hands she always had in her hair. Poppy squeezed Branch's hand and followed after her sister and Clay as they slipped away, silently, to the three tents. Floyd had gotten up now, his crutch in his hand and holding him steady.
John, instead, replied conversationally. “You know how Rhonda licks to mark friends and food?”
He asked, digging three cookie stars out of his hair and handing them over to Floyd.
“I thought you were being funny!” Floyd hissed.
“Nope! Rhonda is an omnivore. She’d eat anything small enough to fit in her mouth. That Crimp back at Mt Rageous was pretty lucky. She's also prey. And if Rhonda is willing to eat meat, what do you think eats her? ”
Across the river in the bushes the air was steadily filling with rising growls. The bushes rustled, but not from the wind, as two glowing eyes appeared.
“I’m guessing that,” Floyd said, JD nodding.
“Bros, that is one of the few creatures out there that hunts Armadillos Buses. And it’s not supposed to be here.”
The creature moved out of the bushes and stalked closer. A cloud moved in front of the moon, turning the night to pitch darkness other than the glow of the eyes. JD swallowed and finished gravely. “A Bobcat.”
The moon pushed the cloud out of the way, and in that moment the Bobcat jumped over the river and landed on the other side. It was a huge catlike creature with dark spots, large pointy ears, and claws made out of metal. The paws looked like scoops turned upside down and dug into the ground. Its eyes glowed orange. And it had eyes on Rhonda.
“Run!” JD shouted and it was everytroll for the trees. Floyd and Bruce ended up reaching the same branch and helped each other up, JD and Branch making it to the next one. Looking back down was a sight to behold. The Bobcat had pounced at Rhonda but she jumped high into the air. The Bobcat wasn’t deterred as it jumped on top of a hill and followed. The two creatures were playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse, with Rhonda jumping, sprinting, or rolling out of the Bobcats’ large claws and lunges. Sometimes it moved the claws together as one but most of the time separated. The night was full of noise now but thankfully no trolls came running, having been led to safety by Poppy, Clay and Viva.
“Is there anything we can do?” Branch asked. John looked grim as he shook his head slowly, his eyes on Rhonda.
“Right now we’d just get in her way. Rhonda usually protects herself from predators by running or digging underground, but if she does that Bobcat might go for the easier meals—” John jerked his thumb towards the village. “—back there. And singing doesn't work on them, so that’s out.” Branch looked thoughtful at that, an idea forming in his head.
“Then she needs to lead the Bobcat back to the woods,”
“Yeah, but the Bobcat knows Rhonda can swim herself away, see how it's blocking her from getting too close to the water?”
“So what can we do ?”
JD frowned as he pulled his grappling hook out from his hair. “I need to get to Rhonda and help her get away, even use the hustle button if it gets dicey.”
All three brothers looked at JD like he was insane. “JD, you’d be ripped to pieces before you could open Rhonda’s door.” Bruce said, deadpanned, as below them the Bobcat’s claws ripped a small tree out of the ground. The creature threw it at Rhonda but she rolled out of the way, the tree hitting a boulder used for diving hard enough to shatter.
“Oh ye of little faith!” JD said with a flourish, but everytroll was distracted by a crash as Rhonda over-corrected her roll and ended up crashing into some empty tents. Whether it was by luck or instinct, Rhonda used this to her advantage and kicked the tent remains in the Bobcats way. It roared in anger as the cloth and poles got stuck on the Bobcat's face and paws. “I just need the right opening and I can make the jump.”
“What you need is a distraction and a plan.” Branch said, pulling some acorns off of the tree with one hand, Bruce doing the same, and pulling a map out of his hair with the other. “We’ll keep the Bobcat busy and in one area so you can make the jump. Once you get to her, have Rhonda lead the Bobcat to this area,” Branch angled the map to hopefully catch the light and made a circle in an area not far from there into the woods.
JD looked surprised for a moment, not used to getting help with these sorts of things, then grinned with pride. “Alright Bitty B! On the count of three—”
“Don’t call me Bitty—,”
“—’Cause the fight is getting a little close for comfort.”
“One two three!”
Branch and Bruce threw their acorns at the Bobcat, one hitting it in the head and the other the nose when it turned towards them. Seeing the trolls, the Bobcat angrily tried to get them but it couldn’t jump high enough. The brothers moved anyway, tossing the acorns as they did. Floyd waited until JD had a clear shot to Rhonda and with scary accuracy threw the three cookie stars. These landed in a line in front of the Bobcat and it had a moment to blink before the stars grew then exploded into glitter, getting all over the ground and, most importantly, the creature's face.
It reared back, roaring in pain as it tried to clear its face but its claws were too big to really do much. Branch could relate: it took a long exposure to troll glitter to be used to the stuff and whatever JD had in those stars was top shelf stuff.
JD didn’t miss his chance and with a silent fistpump swung down then flipped in the air (“showoff!”) landing on top of Rhonda, who saw him coming and held still for his landing. She popped open her door and JD slipped inside, rushing to the driver's seat. A second pair of feet landed behind him and JD turned, surprised to see Branch as the door closed.
“Branch?!”
Branch moved up and gripped onto the back of the driver's seat. “I need to be in range for the traps I have in mind to work,” he said matter of factly. JD bit back his instant scolding. Branch couldn’t have mentioned that before? Instead he focused on Rhonda, knowing to trust she’d let him know when she was ready for him to take over. The two trolls waited for the signal from Rhonda, getting shaken around as she fought. It was even scarier up close, giving the brothers a better view of the Bobcat through the windshield.
“It looks like a young adult, I think, given the size. Starved a bit too,” JD mused out loud. “Probably why it risked tracking Rhonda this far into the forest, something must have happened to it.”
Rhonda made a sound that JD seemed to know was the signal and he grabbed the wheel and turned sharply to the left. Branch, wishing he had a seatbelt, held on tight to the headrest as they headed for the river, avoiding the Bobcat’s swipes and with a leap they cleared the water. Rhonda turned and stuck her tongue out at the Bobcat and this had it near shrieking before moving back to make the leap as well. Rhonda didn’t wait to watch, turning back and with Branch watching the rearview mirrors they drove into the trees like a bat out of hell. The Bobcat followed close behind, retracting his claws.
It was now a very intense game of chase as Rhonda had to go fast enough to outpace the predator behind her, but not too fast to lose it or have the Bobcat lose interest and go back to the campsite and village. It also was late at night and the moonlight could only do so much with the thick canopy above.
“Almost there,” Branch said suddenly, pulling a remote out of his hair. By now the brothers had all learned of Gary the Remote and the teasing had tapered off. He also pulled a bag with gumdrop shaped earplugs from his hair and handed two to JD, taking two for himself and popping them into his ears with JD doing the same. “When I say stop, have Rhonda pull to the side and cover her ears.”
“Roger roger!” JD saluted and as they pushed into a clearing area he gripped the wheel hard enough for his fingers to pale.
Then Branch yelled “Stop!”
JD pulled sharply to the right this time and Rhonda Akira-swerved perfectly to the side. The Bobcat was shocked and drove right past them without being able to stop. Branch pointed Gary at the bushes right beside the Bobcat and pressed the big red button. JD did the same but on Rhondas’ dashboard, causing her shell to puff up around her ear holes. From the outside she looked like a huge soccer ball with eyes and a mouth.
From out of the bushes and trees speakers appeared poking out of the brush. Calling what started playing ‘sounds’ would be generous. They’d be better described as noise created from the fourth ring of the afterlife. It was like a mob of toddlers screaming at the Highest of Pitches, nails on chalkboards, glass being cut, anxiety and panic in sound form.
Even with the warning what sounds they could still hear had the brothers fold their ears to their heads. Rhonda shook but managed not to bolt away, the sound waves battering her shell. And the Bobcat? It freaked out, roaring and trying to block its ears, running in circles until it realized where the noise wasn’t and peeled out. Branch kept the racket going for a minute more then pushed the red button again, stopping the speakers and sending the night into silence. The ringing in their ears was the only sound left, other than their heartbeats in their chests and Rhonda’s engine revving.
…
“Branch…what in the heck?” JD said when the ringing went away and he felt safe to take the gumdrops from his ears. Branch smirked like a proud gremlin and spun Gary in his palm.
“That was my Noise Wall trap. Not everything out there can be charmed or soothed by a song, we learned that the hard way over the years. Then last year Poppy and the Snack Pack wanted to help some wild critters and even though I warned them to leave them be, they ended up ignoring me.”
“So they effed around and found out?”
“Yep. Not only were those critters horrible house pets, when they tried to fix their habitat it just made them more visible to their predators. We had to use Suki’s boombox and a noise mix she was working on to get the predators to leave. Afterwards I asked for some extra speakers, and with some tweaking I have a wall of sound all around the village. I just had to get close enough to set it off because I was worried the range was too far from the beach.”
JD laughed and wrapped an arm around Branch into a hug, of which he only struggled a little before giving in. “That’s my baby brother!” and Branch couldn’t help himself. He grinned.