Been busy with some uni stuff lately, but I'm not dead, I swear! Also spent some time working on the Au questions, I really love replying to those :) (thanks!)
Still have some things to share (some older than others), so when I get the chance, I'll probably make posts about them
In the meantime, have this animatic I made for the Au! (long intro)
Branch is really going to have a hard time being the clan's "outsider" while also feeling a little admiration for it. All because a certain "almost leader" keeps finding reasons to send him invitations to clan meetings
(She always picks the best leaves for his invitations)
Did the dogs find the rest of the village/clan thanks to Creek?
Indeed!
Since Poppy couldn't convince the others to follow her and stayed behind to help Bridget, Creek didn't waste any time.
(I mean, it is a long journey from Bergen Town, "the dogs territory" to Pop Village, "Popclan" after all)
So, after Branch left with the others, during the time Poppy was helping Bridget, Creek showed the dogs the way to reach Popclan. Not only that, but he also made sure they would catch them with their guard down. He reached the village before the dogs to ensure his life debt was fully repaid.
When he realized Poppy wasn't there and asked where she was, he saw it as an opportunity to make the clan focus on something else. Grabbing her cowbell, he presented it as if she were gone for good. Just as he had planned, everyone was left devastated, and with the village's spirits at their lowest, he gave the signal for the dogs to attack.
(In parallel to the movie, Creek receives Poppy's cowbell at the beginning as a gift from her for being such a loyal and dedicated apprentice.)
What would have happened if they decided to follow Poppy's plan instead of Branch plan
It will basically follow the lore of the og movies rlly. They'll probably end up making peace with the dogs, with a slightly more stubborn Branch along the way (he'll come around eventually) ;)
Can you explain what is happening to Poppy in the animation
Sure! Ok so first of all, srry for any bad english (it isn't my main)
Welp, there's already quite a bit of building behind it, but I'll do my best to explain what's going on!
Basically, it's mostly the same story as the first movie (funnily enough, this AU could also work with Trolls in a way), except this time the Snack Pack doesn't really follow the whole "let's rescue Creek" plan. After surviving capture by the Bergens (represented as dogs), they start leaning much more into Branch's survival focused mindset and lose a lot of their optimism. Branch is even more closed off than usual, constantly criticizing Poppy's leadership and pointing out how her decisions are putting their clanmates in danger. Eventually, the Snack Pack chooses to follow him instead, leaving Poppy on her own. Although she still befriends Bridget, she decides that checking on her clanmates is more important than risking everything for someone she isn't even sure is alive.
By the time she returns to Popclan territory, it's already too late. The dogs are attacking her clanmates. Poppy tries to help however she can, but eventually realizes that she was wrong and that the entire plan had been a terrible idea. Overwhelmed with guilt and blaming herself for everything, she becomes increasingly defensive and cautious. Running on pure instinct, she eventually flees the camp and collapses from exhaustion. Bridget finds and helps her by getting her far from the dogs but eventually having to return to them. Poppy is later found by Barb, who takes her in and converts her into a member of Rockclan.
(Not all of the Popclan members died during the attack, as Branch managed to get some of them to safety. He had tried to help Poppy as well, but by that point, she was too far gone, terrified, defensive, and haunted by memories of his own harsh words)
Branch comes to realize that being a leader isn't as easy as he once thought. What Popclan truly needs is Poppy. With that in mind, he sets out to find her.
Poppy gets progressively more hopeless throughout the animatic, so that's why that last line!