Chapter Text
Basil and Ocean had escaped with their little ones. Eight year old John Dory ran ahead of them, Spruce trying to keep up. Clay was hiding in Ocean’s hair, Basil a bit slow due to his pregnancy. It had been about a week since they had escaped, it was frightening and enthralling as they made their way through the woods.
“Slow down John!” Basil called. John smiled at them, his goggles still a bit too
big for his head, the last of his baby teeth had fallen out.
JD tried, but they were still working on his brakes. John slid out of the
grass and into the open. It would’ve been fine, but they heard a growl. Basil felt his
heart clench, but he didn’t think he just ran out. He was on all fours by the time he had run out. Basil was over John, his baby frozen as the larger creature snarled in his face.
Basil tried to push his oldest back, but he knew as soon as he looked away
the wolf-like creature would be upon them.
“Run,” He hissed, he could feel his son shivering. He let out another snarl,
the thing backed up, but not enough. He heard another run out. In his perifriel he
could see Ocean who looked just as puffed up. “What are you doing?”
“Kids are safe, I was going to grab John, but there’s something moving in the
Grass.”
Basil’s heart stopped, but he couldn’t look away. The creature was a good head taller and had a mouth of sharp teeth. He was going to be stupid.
Ocean couldn’t protest before Basil had lunged and bit down on the thing’s
throat. It shook and yelped, but Basil held on. Ocean scruffed John and carried
him up the tree with the other two . He kissed each of their heads and went down
to help Basil. He lunged and clawed the creature’s left eye before getting his own
grip in.
“Dad! Pa!” John looked in horror as Clay called out, the two year old had no
idea the danger he had put them in when the moving grass stopped. He got in front
of his siblings when another troll popped up.
They were duller than the pop trolls, Their fur was a dense, burnt orange color. Their hair was evergreen. Their eyes were a grayish green. They wore a green and blue flannel and jeans.
“Those ya parents?” The troll asked, his accent strange.
“Ya,” John whispered, terrified. His Pa was trying to protect them, and the unborn egg. Sean seemed to notice that too because he made a howling, cooing noise.
Before John could respond two other trolls appeared and a third ran towards the creature.
The larger purple troll signed, both trolls that had appeared were an ashy purple color. The older female had black hair, her eyes a bright blue, she wore a dark green peasant blouse and a black skirt. Both appeared to be wearing eyeliner. The younger male’s eyes were grayish green too, his hair was a grayish blue, he wore a similar outfit to the first troll, but his shirt was black.
“My mam asked if you were okay,” The second purple troll said. John zoned back in.
“We are, but our Pa and dad…,” John paused as he watched his Pa go flying. “PA!”
“Don worry our da and mam will help them,” The orange troll soothed. The female troll had climbed down and grabbed their pa by the scruff. John shook as he didn’t respond. He looked to the other orange troll, who shared their gray green eyes, who shared this troll’s color, and the other troll’s hair. He lunged for the thing’s throat. “I’m Sean.”
“Ash,” This one was clearly older. He pushed them back, John felt relieved he didn’t have to see the fight.
“John Dory. These are my brothers Spruce and Clay.”
When it died down John noticed Ash relax. What he wasn’t expecting was Sean to scruff Clay and carry him down or Ash do the same to Spruce. John climbed down himself, struggling to keep up with the trolls that had his brothers. He followed them away from the area with the creature and to a camp a few feet away. John nearly cried in relief when he saw his parents, Ocean was washing his mouth out and Basil was getting his ribs wrapped.
“Boys!” Basil tried to stand but was pushed down by the female troll. Spruce and Clay ran to their pa. John ran to his dad. “Oh thank goodness you’re okay. I can’t thank you all enough.”
The female troll signed something at Basil, John didn’t know what she said, but his Pa did. His Pa said, “I don’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense,” The older man said. “We have an extra tent and it’ll be safer for your little ones.”
John felt like he missed a lot, but he was excited to have warm food and a shelter. Ash had taught them some games and Sean seemed excited when he realized John and him were a year apart, the same age for a week.
John learned the adults named Rhiannon and Otter. They were folk trolls. They traveled from place to place. Rhiannon couldn’t speak, so someone had to translate when she signed.
They were going to be staying with them until they found their footing. John didn’t know what that meant, but he liked the tent they were in. He liked the two older boys, their mother, and their father. He liked that they could just play without being worried about attracting predators. He loved that Pa and dad just seemed to relax. He was happy to be here.