The Lost Tribe

Chapter 3

It was early in the morning and Poppy was waiting at Branch's bunker. Since Aria seemed to be more reclusive, Poppy thought it would be a good idea to visit her early in the morning, when less trolls would be out and they wouldn't suspect anything. She did wonder why her dad warned her about Lost Trolls though. Aria seemed friendly enough, even if she was a little skittish. But maybe if Poppy showed her that she had nothing to be afraid of maybe she would open up more and show King Peppy that Lost Trolls weren't so dangerous after all. However, she couldn't do any of that until Branch was out.

"Branch! Get your grayish-blue butt out here!" Poppy yelled. Branch opened the trap door and crawled out. He had tired eyes and his hair was a complete mess.

"Why did we have to get up so early?" Branch groaned.

"I thought you were usually up with the sun!" Poppy said confused.

"Well I was! Until some beautiful pink-haired troll told me to lie-in more!" Branch grumbled.

"Awwwhh Branch you think I'm beautiful?" Poppy cooed as she hugged him. "You're adorable!"

"Don't try to sweet-talk your way out of this, I'm still tired!" Branch grunted. "Besides, don't you think Aria is kind of suspicious? I mean she was snooping around the outskirts of the village and freaked out when other trolls approached us last night."

"She's probably just shy!" Poppy assured. But Branch wasn't so convinced

***

Poppy and Branch arrived at the clearing where they found Aria. However, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Aria?" Poppy called out. Nothing. "Aria?!" Still nothing. "ARI-" Aria suddenly jumped from a tree branch and landed between Poppy and Branch, covering their mouths with her hands.

"Shhh!!" Aria whispered. "You don't know who could be lurking."

"There's no one around." Branch grunted. "We got up stupidly early so there wouldn't be!"

"Honestly Aria, it's safe." Poppy assured. Aria still looked concerned, but just shrugged it off.

"So now that you're not freaking out," Branch started. "What's a Lost Troll like you doing in the outskirts of pop village?"

"Well...I just wanted to get away from my tribe for a little bit," Aria stated. "It can get pretty chaotic every now and then. Also I just love to explore."

"So there's more of you?" Poppy asked, excited.

"Yeah! There's lots of us!" Aria replied. "We live down by the coast."

"Oh, by the techno reef?" Poppy asked as she pointed to the left. Aria grabbed her hand and moved it to point the opposite direction.

"No, that coast!" Aria corrected. "On the other side of the island."

"Gee, you're a long way from home." Branch stated.

"Yeah, I guess I just wanted a change of scenery." Aria shrugged as she leaned against a nearby tree.

***

After a few hours, Aria seemed to be getting more comfortable with Poppy and Branch. She told them about her home and her tribe, and in return they told Aria about their history with the bergens and their journey to save all music. But while Poppy was happy talking with Aria, Branch on the other hand, was suspicious of her. Poppy also kept on dropping hints about coming to see more of the Troll Kingdom.

"You know, if you wanted a change of scenery..." Poppy started. Aria perked up, intrigued. "You could come and see pop village." Aria's face dropped.