"Balsamic mushrooms, meatloaf, chunky... sun-dried tomatoes," a stout teen by the name of Tobias Domzalski dreamily described, peeking into a brown lunch bag.
"And cardamom," James "Jim" Lake Jr., a lanky teen with raven hair, added. He handed another brown bag to the young woman standing next to Toby.
"Daring today, aren't you, Rookie?" You teased him, "This is definitely an awesome upgrade from MREs and cafeteria food. I am forever in your debt."
Jim reddened at your praise. "What's life without a little adventure?"
"I've heard so much about your cooking from Nana and your mother, especially Tobster."
Toby took another sniff of the bag. "I can't eat this, I'm on a diet."
"You've been on a diet for 14 years, Tobes," Jim said, mounting his bike.
"I know," Toby replied, nonchalantly.
"You're 15!" You said, "C'mon, we don't want to be late for school."
"Long-term goals," Toby explained, "My body's still changing."
Toby kept the lunch bag, packing it in his backpack before you all set off to the boys' high school, which was going to start in a few minutes. With Jim leading, you in the middle, and Toby lagging behind, you three cycled down the road.
Since you got back from your deployment a few days ago, you would ride Toby's spare bike with them to school and you'd make small talk to catch up with the latest news. This morning, however, Jim was running late and Toby didn't want to leave him behind.
Jim and Toby might as well be surrogate brothers with the way they looked out for each other. It reminded you of you and your squad's comradery. Then again, you were forced to bunk together, but you still had each other's backs through thick and thin.
"I'm right... I'm right," Toby gasped, "I'm right behind!"
"Ugh! It's 8 o'clock!" Jim called out, pedaling faster.
"We're going to get suspended," Toby anxiously shouted back, "on account of meatloaf!"
"We should take the canal!" You decided, "it'll give you guys a few minutes."
Jim immediately took your word and booked it down a dirt road, leading toward the said canal through the forest, with you veering in after him.
While the bikes traversed over bumpy gravel, it caused Toby's words to become choppy, "Not the canal!"
"Oh, live a little, Tobes!" Jim yelled, before jumping a make-shift ramp.
"I think it's the living he's worried about!" You shot back. You turned your head and smirked at your step-brother.
"I heard that!" Toby gruffly replied.
"Don't you want a little excitement, Toby?"
"No!"
You and Jim laughed at his answer.
"It's a small town," you said, "You've gotta make the best of it somehow."
As the edge of the canal came closer and closer, the trees and bushes were a blur at the corners of your vision. Jim sped up before flying off the edge, landing perfectly and skidding to a stop at the bottom. You leaned forward on your bike, pedaling harder. Your hair whipped wildly behind you as you sailed down the slope and began to cross the canal. You looked behind you to see your brother hesitate at the lip of the edge.
"Come on, Tobes!" Jim encouraged him.
You barely reached the other side when a voice resonated in your ears.
"James... Lake!"
"Shit!" Startled, you ran over a rock, losing control of your bike. You crashed to the cement ground, skidding a couple feet before stopping.
Toby narrowly ran you over. Instead, he went up the other side slope and wheeled back and then ended up face-planting beside you.
"Ha! How awesome are we?" Toby said, sarcastically, "Awesome!"
You picked yourself up and dusted off your clothes, grateful you didn't scrape yourself. You abandoned your bike to help your brother. "You okay, Rookie?"
He grabbed your hand and lifted himself up. "I'll be fine, thanks," He replied, taking off his helmet.
You grinned at him, relieved. You turned and saw Jim set his bike down and remove his helmet also, his gaze fixed on a pile of crumbled stone. Strange... You three gathered around it.
"Did you guys hear that?" Jim quarried, studying the pile.
"Hear what?" Toby replied.
"Jim... Lake!"
The three of you staggered backwards and fell on your asses, shocked by the unknown voice.
"That!" Jim tried crawling back to the pile, "That pile of rocks knows my name!"
"Watch it!" You shot both your arms out, stopping Jim and Toby from getting any closer to the rubble, "the voice came from those rocks. We don't know who put them there."
"It's a pile of kayspar. Last time I checked, minerals don't talk," Your brother reasoned.
"Then there's gotta be a walkie-talkie in here or something," you added. You lowered your arms, letting the boys investigate the pile. You followed them, cautiously raking your hands through the pieces of rock, searching for any clues as to where that creepy voice came from. In front of Jim, you spotted a mysterious blue light coming from beneath a rock.
"There!" you said. You pointed at a rock in front of Jim, something beneath it glowed. The teen picked up the rock and he found a circular object. His eyes widened.
"Huh," he flipped it over, "it looks like an amulet."
"I wonder who it belongs to."
Toby was on his feet, demanding, "Who's doing this? Come out now!"
Jim was mesmerized by the amulet. It was no longer glowing, but there was something about the object that made you shiver.
"May I see?" You asked.
Jim handed the amulet over and you turned it in your hands. The face of the amulet was blue, encased in silver metal. It had strange designs etched into the casing. Once your fingers grazed the symbols, your heart stopped and all you could see was covered in white light.
Flashes of silver metal. Armor.
A long, glowing sword swinging at monsters. Daylight.
Multiple warriors holding the same amulet and looking at it in wonder. Pain, suffering...
The burden of holding a sacred responsibility... death.
Menacing red and yellow eyes surrounded in black, a monster, a dark beast who brings destruction.
A barrage of scenes you've never experienced flooded your vision, overwhelming the senses. Then, a single word whispered by dozens of different voices in your ear.
"Trollhunter."
You tore your eyes away from the object, the images faded away as quickly as they came. You thrusted the amulet back into Jim's awaiting hands like it burned you.
"It may look nice, but there's something about it..." You shuttered.
You didn't know how to explain them, but these visions you received chilled you to your core. They occurred when you met someone new via physical contact. The "best" way to get "visions" was by the good ol' handshake, then you can get a glimpse of something traumatic or life-changing about a person. It's part of the reason why you didn't shake hands with anyone anymore, except for your family. It was a problem in the military because of formality.
"Are you okay?" Toby asked, confused at your sudden mood.
"I-I'm fine. The amulet was just cold to the touch, spooked me," you waved a hand to reassure him.
Your brother and Jim squinted at you, skeptical. These two have never known about your... ability... make that plural. And that amulet gave you the strongest images you've ever seen. It was special, but in what way?
They focused back on the amulet and Jim held it to his ear.
"Hello? I'm listening."
You chuckled. "I don't think that's a phone, Rookie."
Suddenly, the high school's bell rang in the distance, snapping you all out of your reveries.
"Oh! Final bell!" Jim pocketed the amulet and scrambled to his bike.
"We're gonna be so late, our kids will have detention!"
"I'll see you guys later," You told them, "be careful."
You watched them as they pedaled off, waving farewell. When they disappeared over the edge of the canal, you decided to probe the rocks a little further.
These didn't look like normal rubble from an excavation site that was haphazardly dumped into the canal. It looked like something, like a statue, was thrown off from the bridge and shattered into pieces upon impact. You looked up at the bridge above you, using your hand to shield your eyes from the sun. How could someone lug a statue over the bridge's guardrail? How and where could they even get this supposed statue in the first place, especially of this size and material?
"It chose a human," a faint voice whispered.
You tensed when heard stone scrape against stone following the voice. You turned your gaze to the storm drain. More disembodied voices? What the hell was going on here?
A feeling of eyes burning holes into you caught your full attention. An unusual scent wafted into your nose.
Petrichor and earth.
You sniffed the air again, looking for whatever could be listening. The smell seemed to be coming from behind the bars of a large storm drain poking out of the canal's slanted wall. There were no clouds in the sky, nor had it been raining earlier today or yesterday, so the scent couldn't be from rain. Just then you caught a glimpse of yellow lights in the shadows!
You sucked in a breath. Maybe it was the trick of the light?
You got up and walked toward the drain, finding that weird scent growing stronger. Once you got close, some lights, six of them to be exact, flickered from behind the rusted metal bars.
Eyes! Those were eyes!
The orbs gasped before disappearing.
"W-wait!" You shouted after them. "Get back here!"
You sprinted to the bars, ramming into them to try to get through.
But it was too late, whoever spoke was gone, disappearing into the sewers. Your shoulder twinged in pain. You shouldn't have tried to break through metal in this form... Disappointed, you reluctantly went back to your bike and rode to the forest, trying to shrug off what just happened and clear your mind.
Maybe someone was pranking you.
~*~*~*~
Hours later, you were coming home from your "afternoon walks."
As in, "an-escape-from-human-life-to-be-a-bear-in-the-Arcadian-woods afternoon walks." You weren't gone for long... at least you thought you were.
You just... went on a little trip to let your inner beast out. Mainly to help prevent you from exploding in the future... and the sun happened to be non-existent as the moon crept its way in the sky. No biggie!
Nana and Toby were probably so worried right now.
On the way to your house, you saw that the Lakes' car was absent from their driveway. Miss Barbara's hospital must've been under-staffed... again... You lumbered to his porch and rang the doorbell, patiently waiting for him to answer. You heard someone on TV talking about the new Food Magic Blender in the living room. Didn't Jim have homework to do?
The white door opened, revealing Jim.
"Afternoon, Rookie," you greeted.
"'Sup?" Jim opened the door wider and gestured in. "C'mon in."
"Did you eat yet?" You asked, ruffling his hair. "I think you're growing too fast. You need some meat on those bones."
"Hey!" He swatted your hand away and you mocked the pain.
"But yes, I made myself some dinner," He answered, "did you eat?"
"Yeah, I ate a big dinner, so I'll be good until... uh, maybe midnight."
Jim laughed. Yeah... you caught a deer and devoured the thing like a cheeseburger.
You stood at a solid 6'4", having about a head height difference from Jim, who stood at about 5'6". He was like another little brother to you.
"I saw your mom wasn't home," you said, letting Jim lead you both into the adjacent living room and plopped down on the couch with him. "So I decided to see what's going on. I hope my spontaneous visit is welcome."
"Hey, it's alright, I appreciate you checking in on me," He grinned at you, and you flashed him a smile as well. "She's working another double shift so I'm left to look after the house alone."
"Psh, that woman needs a vacation," you said, "she's turning into a workaholic."
"No kidding."
There was a pause, just resting in each other's company. Then you remembered the amulet.
"Hey, has anything happened to that glowing thing, yet?" You asked.
Jim pulled the object out of his book bag and looked at it. "Not yet."
"I am Gun Robot, pick up your phone--," A metallic voice commanded. Jim's ringtone. He picked his phone up and answered.
"Hey, Tobes."
You took the remote from beside Jim and changed the food channel to the marathon premiere of Gun Robot. Turning your attention on the TV, watching said machine constantly announce who he was while a pink space ranger fought him. Jim ended his call with your brother when he started to fiddle with the amulet.
"Nana finished making dinner, so you might wanna head over..."
Then the amulet started to blink.
"Whoa," you breathed.
Jim held it up for the both of you to see.
"Uhm, Hi. How are you doing?" Jim spoke to the thing like it was a person. "I'm Jim. But then, you knew that because you said my name earlier, which is... weird."
You snickered.
"And now I'm talking to an inanimate object," Jim sighed, embarrassed.
Trying to lift the mood, you exclaimed, "You better talk again, or you're going up on eBay!"
Your giggles were cut short when a loud clatter boomed from the basement.
"Raccoons!" Jim groaned.
You both rose from the couch and padded over to the basement door. Jim nabbed a broom from the kitchen while you grabbed a potato sack.
Jim looked at the sack in your hand then at your face.
"What?"
"Really?" He raised a brow.
"We've gotta catch the 'coons somehow!" You replied. He shook his head, grinning at your antics.
Jim opened the door, putting on a brave face and ominously descended the stairs with you at his heels. Peeking around the wooden beam, you both searched the dark for any sign of animals. There were dusty shelves filled with boxes and other items kept in storage. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Nothing was ripped open or scattered...
In a flash, something moved in front of the furnace, stoney footsteps leaving bits of rock trailing behind it. Holy crap, there is something in Jim's basement! You maneuvered around Jim and turned on the lamp at the foot of the stairs. The teen gulped.
The light illuminated little to nothing of the entire cellar.
As you both crept further into the basement, you were investigating some boxes when that weird scent came back, petrichor.
That was definitely not what raccoons smelled like.
Jim gripped the broom so hard, his knuckles were turning white.
"You see anything?" You asked him.
"No--, AH!" Jim screamed.
"What?!" You whipped around, hands raised. Well, as best as you could while holding a potato sack...
Jim calmed, "Sorry. It was just my reflection..."
Then, there was a crackle and the lamp's lightbulb burst off, leaving only the furnace's fire light to see. You both yelled in fright.
Looking back, there was nothing there...
Sighing in relief, you went to search the shelves on the far side of the basement, while Jim crouched before the furnace, looking at the rocks.
"Master Jim!"
"AH!" Jim screamed again, dropping his broom and falling backwards and then hitting his head on a pipe.
"Master Jim, we have found you--!"
Jim screamed again, louder.
Out of reflex, you pulled the potato sack over a person's --thing's??-- head. You then kicked them away from you.
"What the fUCk--," You yelped.
The person you kicked stumbled wildly, trying to get the sack off of their head. "I can't see! I'm blind!"
Your ankle rolled on a rock, causing you to topple over. As you fell, you curled in on yourself, preparing to make acquaintances with the hard floor, but you were caught. You cracked an eye open, searching for whatever stopped you.
Big emerald eyes met yours and your body went rigid.
"Hi," it greeted you in a rumbling voice. It made your insides tremble.
"Oh, hell no!" You shouted, scrambling up from the person, --IS IT EVEN A PERSON? As soon as you were on your feet, you shoved them away, panic fogging your mind.
Your hand went to grab a handgun, but you realized... you didn't wear it anymore.
"Jim, we have to leave, now!" You grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. He was screaming bloody murder at the sight of two large beings in the teen's basement. Before you could take another step, the largest of the two beings snatched Jim from you and dangled him upside down.
"Jim!"
He was going to get eaten!
The biggest guy had grey skin made of stone with a deep green mane that covered his chin, shoulders, and back. Four short horns stuck out from the top of his head with a purple-black koala-like nose. His big arms had grooves carved into his skin like some sort of tattoo. His entire frame almost took up half of the basement. His shaggy looks reminded you of a Wookie from those space movies.
The other finally got the sack off of his head, revealing his long face. His rock-like skin was blue-green that was also carved with various arching lines, he had six eyes with an orange nose in the middle and four arms. He wore leather pants that were held up by suspenders with two leather pouches attached to his waist. He was about a foot taller than you.
Wait... those eyes are familiar!
"What in Deya's Grace are you doing, Ursa?" The blue one scolded you. His tone of voice snapped you to attention. "We are here for diplomatic reasons! Why did you kick me!"
Ursa...?
"You snuck up on us!" You shot back at him, "How was I supposed to react? I don't even know what you are."
Another scream erupted from Jim's raw throat, his high pitched voice ringing in your ears.
"Stop screaming!"
"Are you going to eat us?" Jim questioned the big green guy, frightened.
"Oh, gracious!" The blue one laughed, "no we won't. Humans don't particularly have a great taste." The big guy nodded his head, agreeing with the other. Jim's body trembled like a leaf in a storm, his hands covered his eyes in terror.
"Then what are you, who are you, and why are you here?" You growled. The blue one seemed perturbed by your aggressiveness, if only intimidated.
"I am known as Blinky," he said, "And my old friend here is Aaarrrgghh."
"Three R's," the big one explained, holding up three fingers. He too looked alarmed by your attitude.
"P-P-Put me down, please?" Jim begged, his hands still covering his face.
"Yes, please put him down," You fumed at 'Aaarrrgghh', "I don't want to have to get physical."
You pushed up your sleeves, feeling the beast within you roar in rage. If he hurt Jim in any way, there would be hell to pay.
Aaarrrgghh waited for Blinky's confirmation, who gestured to put Jim down. The big guy did so then patted Jim's head. Then, he shuffled a half-step away from you, watching you timidly. Jim was frozen in his spot, wide-eyed. He looked like he was going to soil himself.
"Now, where was I?" Blinky thought for a moment, putting a hand up to his chin.
"Uh..." Aaarrrgghh also thought, "Master Jim... found you..." He counted off his fingers.
"Ah, yes, thank you."
Blinky dramatically started again, turning his attention to Jim. "Master Jim, you have been chosen. The amulet of Daylight challenges you to ascend to the most sacred of offices."
"Orifices?" Aaarrrgghh said, confused, "What orifices?"
"Pretty sure it's offices," you corrected.
"It means responsibility," Blinky explained, sending a grateful glance at you, "Unbeknownst to your kind, there is a secret world, a vast civilization of trolls lurking beneath your very feet, hidden from view."
You felt uncomfortable being thrown in with the rest of humankind, as Blinky mentioned. You were not human. You may look like them, but you were... different.
"Tro... Tr-Trolls?" Jim's face paled.
"Trolls?" You cried. "Impossible. We've dug far beneath the earth and have seen nothing of the likes of you. Why make yourself known now?"
The trolls you knew only came from story books and movies. So, how could this be?
"Trolls. Yes, trolls. And it is now Master Jim's charge to protect them," Blinky replied. "For he is the Trollhunter."
Both you and Jim choked on air.
"Trollhunter," Aaarrrgghh repeated, giving you jazz hands.
"This honor is yours to accept," Blinky said to the lanky teen, "So what say you?"
Jim's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he fainted. His body collapsed hard on the concrete floor with a dull "thump!"
"Is that a yes?" Aaarrrgghh asked. The two trolls stared at Jim in concern.
"No!" You answered him, dropping to your knees. You crawled to Jim and cradled his head, checking for any injuries.
"Did we kill him?" Blinky tapped his fingers nervously.
At this moment, you realized these 'trolls' weren't malicious. If they had any intent to harm you or Jim, they would've done so. These trolls showed some kind of concern for your friend, so they could be trusted... right? For now, you lowered your guard.
You allowed a laugh to escape you, "No, he just had a fear overload and then..." you clicked your tongue for emphasis, like you were turning off a lamp. "...lights out."
Blinky nodded in understanding.
"We will be brief then," he said, turning to leave up the stairs with Aaarrrgghh in tow.
"Wait," you held a hand out to them. They heeded and turned to you.
"I didn't introduce myself," you carefully placed Jim's head on the floor and dusted yourself off. "I'm Y/n, Jim's friend, slash, step-sister."
You looked at trolls, "I'm sorry for my actions, I was freaked out so it was instinctual."
"It okay," Aaarrrgghh assured, "You strong." You grinned sheepishly and he smiled back.
"We can continue another day," Blinky said. "We will need Master Jim awake to listen."
You nodded, "Let me walk you out."
You went back for Jim and carried his unconscious body out of the basement with the trolls following you. After setting the ravenet on the couch, you led the two to the back door.
The door creaked when you opened it. You stepped outside and held it open for them. Blinky came through easily by ducking his head a little. These guys were very tall. But when Aaarrrgghh tried to copy Blinky, he got stuck. He desperately tried to pull himself through but he couldn't.
"Heh, stuck," he drawled.
"Give me your hand," you asked Aaarrrgghh, without thinking.
He looked at you cautiously before slowly giving you his hand. A prickling sensation from your joined hands sent a shiver up your spine, and then your vision went white again.
Monsters... wait, trolls!
A welp taken away from a beloved home.
A large horned troll who's carvings glowed blue held his ugly sword up to the night sky, calling for war.
New comrades.
A bridge threatened to swallow anything into a shadow realm.
A change in ways. Pacifism.
A giant black bear with a silver crescent on her neck. Ursa.
The series of episodes faded away and you gripped his hand tighter, a weird feeling creeping its long fingers along your mind. You settled back into reality, shakened.
"Suck it in, Chewy," you said, pulling his arm as hard as you could. Within seconds, you heard a "pop!" and the next thing you know, you're being smushed into the ground.
Aaarrrgghh was free from the doorway... but he fell on top of you. Panicked, he clambered off of you.
"Ursa okay?" He gasped, worried.
...Ursa? What the hell??
"Y-Yes, I'm fine."
Aaarrrgghh took your hand and pulled you up with ease, as if you only weighed as much as a feather. Your face flushed.
"You're free to go, now," You said, shaking the dirt and grass blades from your hair.
"Thank you, Lady Ursa-- I mean, Y/n," Blinky bowed his head, "We will meet again."
The big guy reached his hand and gently patted your head. You tensed a little at his contact.
"Bye, bye, Ursa."
You waved goodbye as you watched the trolls leap the wooden fence and disappear into the forest.
"Take care, Chewy, Six-Eyes..."
Your smile fell from your face, replaced by a look of bewilderment.
Well, shit, trolls exist now and there's more than one.
Nothing in all your life had prepared you for that. Then again, you reminded yourself, you were not human. As far as you knew, you were the last of your kind. But, if you existed, then there was the possibility that more "thought to be mythical" creatures existed as well...
Why did the trolls call you Ursa? Maybe they mistaken you for someone else? But that doesn't make any sense. Perhaps there were people who knew about these creatures? Was the government involved? You hoped not.
You sighed. Another thought lingered in your mind and you were almost frightened by it.
Was that giant bear in your vision of Aaarrrgghh's mind really you?