In The Rough

Chapter 3: Come Home

John Dory really didn't know what to think when he got the letter. He's been in the Neverglades for a little over two years now and he figured nobody knew where he was. How did someone send him a letter in the wilderness?

After waving away the messenger beetle, he turns the envelope over in his hand and sees his name scrawled across it. 'Jonathan Dorian'. Only one person calls him that.

"Fuck," John mutters. What does she want? He hasn't heard from Rosiepuff since before he left and he wasn't all too keen to see what she wanted from him. Cautiously, he tears the envelope open and pulls out the letter. Opening it, he's met with his grandmother's nice cursive handwriting and groans. He can barely read this.

Obviously, she didn't care to remember that I'm fucking dyslexic. John squints and tries to read it as best he can. 'Jonathan, I hope this letter finds you well.' He scoffs. Like you care. 'Unfortunately, if you are receiving this, I have already-' He stops. That can't be right, wait.

'Jonathan, I hope this letter finds you well. Unfortunately, if you are receiving this, I have already passed. I knew I needed to contact one of you in case something happened. Branch needs you. He's all alone now and he needs someone to care for him.

Come home. Love forever, Rosiepuff.'

Fuck, no, no, no. She can't be dead! She wasn't that old when I left, what happened? Was it the Bergens? John's eyes water and he feels a wave of grief. He might not have gotten along with her but she was still his grandmother.

John's eyebrows furrow. He reads the letter again, dread filling his stomach. What does she mean Branch is alone? What about my brothers? John sighs. They must've left after I did, fuck. I thought they'd stay with him.

John looks out from where he is and can see the very edge of the Neverglades before the wild forests in the direction of Bergentown. Squaring his shoulders, John Dory then pulls his pack on and starts his long trek down the mountain. Don't worry, B. Daddy's coming home.

-A Month Later-

Sneaking through Bergentown a second time was the most nerve wracking thing John's ever experienced, more than the first if he's being honest. Thankfully, Trollstice should still be several months away and it's pretty late anyway so John is able to sprint through the streets and into the cage without being noticed.

Climbing up the tree with his claws, he gets to the upper branches and swings with his hair to where his grandmother's pod should be.

Landing outside, John hesitates slightly before he knocks. Looking around, nothing seems different from the last time he'd been here. Clearly, someone has been taking care of the place.

The door finally opens, startling John, and when he sees who's behind it, his jaw drops. "Rosiepuff?!"

She grabs his arm and pulls him in. "Be quiet, you idiot, you'll wake up my neighbors." She slams the door behind them and turns to him, glaring. "Do you have any idea what time it is? You took your sweet time getting here, couldn't you have waited until the morning?"

John gapes at her in shock. "You- the letter said you were dead- what-"

"I lied. It was the only way to get one of you back here." Rosiepuff rolls her eyes. "Believe me, I wouldn't have contacted you otherwise but you were the only one that said where you were going so I didn't have a choice."

John feels a wave of anger fill him. "What the hell?! I thought you were dead, you b-"

"Grandma, what's going on?" John Dory snaps his head to the side to see a blue trolling in the hallway, rubbing his eyes sleepily. John's eyes widen and Branch looks up at him in confusion. "John Dory...?"

John's eyes water and he crouches down to be more level with Branch, smiling softly at him. "Hey buddy. You remember me?" Branch nods slowly. "It's been a while. You got so big!" John opens his arms. "Can I get a hug, little man?"

Branch immediately runs into his arms, wrapping his little arms around John's neck as he hugs him. "I missed you, Dory." Branch mumbles into his cheek, using his nickname for John, which makes the older troll tear up even more.

John squeezes him. "I missed you too, firefly, so so much." He kisses the side of Branch's head and stands, the boy still clinging to him as he turns to Rosiepuff. "I'll take him."

"Good. Your pod is still where it was, made sure it was vacant in case any of you bothered coming back." Rosiepuff huffs and then walks away. "Grab his stuff before you go. I'll still watch him every now and then if you need. I'm getting too damn old for this," she mutters the last part before disappearing into her room and shutting the door.

John glares after her.

"Dory?" John looks down at his son who's looking up at him apprehensively. "A-Are you going to leave again?"

"No, angel, I'm not leaving." John's heart cracks, guilt eating him up seeing how scared his baby looks. "You're gonna be staying with me from now on. How's that sound?"

Branch nods excitedly. "That sounds awesome! I missed you lots and I wanna be with you," he says, hugging John Dory's neck again. "Please don't leave again, Dory."

John chuckles sadly and squeezes him again. "I promise, buddy. Cross my heart and hope to die." He pulls back a little, Branch perched on his hip. "Let's get your stuff and we can go, okay?"

"Okay!" Branch wiggles to be put down and John kisses his face, making him giggle. "Stahp! Put me down, Dory!"

John laughs, setting the boy on his feet. He smiles as Branch grabs his paw and pulls him towards his room. That smile fades when he actually sees inside of the room. It's mostly empty except for a few pictures on the walls and a bed in the corner. There's just one stuffed caterpillar on the blankets and a small dresser that's too tall for Branch to fully reach by himself. It's not even secured to the wall!

John suppresses a growl. I can't believe she's kept him like this. That bitch. He walks over and helps Branch get what little he had out of the dresser then helps the boy pack everything into a suitcase he found in the closet. "You ready, Bits?"

Picking up his caterpillar, Branch looks back up at him. "Yeah, I'm ready!"

John grabs his paw with his free one, the other carrying the suitcase. He leads Branch out of the room and down the hall to the door, holding it open for the boy before walking out himself.

"Where are we going, Dory?" Branch asks, hugging his stuffie.

John grins down at him. "We're going to the pod we lived in with the bros. You remember it, right?"

"Kinda, yeah." Branch gets a thoughtful look on his face. "What about grandma? Won't she be all alone?"

John looks back at Rosiepuff's pod with a conflict feeling. "She's got friends, she won't be lonely, B." He looks back down at his boy and smiles. "Besides, you can still see her whenever you want. She can't say no to that cute little face."

Branch seems surprised by that and then his ears droop a tiny bit. "Oh. Okay."

"Branch?" John asks, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"Do you promise I'll still live with you?" Branch almost begs, his mismatched eyes big and hopeful.

John frowns. "Of course, buddy. Why-"

"Good! Cause I'm so excited to live with you again! I missed you and I wanna be with my big brother," Branch interrupts him, perking up and tail starting to wag. "You missed a lot and I wanna tell you everything. I want you to meet my friends too! They're really cool and nice and you'll like them, I know it-"

John smiles softly as his son continues to ramble excitedly. He's so glad he came back. Why did I ever leave this?