Chapter One

Not Alone

Darkness. That's the first thing I remember. I was vaguely aware of my surroundings, which felt like nothing. It felt like I was floating in mid air, but there was a pressure that made it different. It was cold, and it was dark… and I was scared.

But then, then I saw the moon. It was so big and it was so bright. And it seemed to chase the darkness away. And when it did… I wasn't scared anymore.

I felt myself being pulled. But felt no arms around me. I remember wondering if someone had ever put their arms around me, but I couldn't recall a time when anyone did. In fact, as I thought about it more, I realized I couldn't remember anything that didn't involve dark, and cold. I… didn't even know my name…

I faintly heard a cracking sound, like someone was breaking something. And for some reason, I was instantly filled with fear. I didn't like that sound. But, I couldn't remember why. All I knew was I didn't like it and I wanted it to stop.

I felt my face press up against something cold, and smooth, and hard. I immediately recognized it as ice. But, if there was ice… where was the water? It was then that I realized I couldn't breathe. No air was reaching my lungs. And I found the water… I wasn't floating in mid air, I was drifting through water!

But before I could pound against the ice, I was pulled further, the ice above me breaking with the same cracking sound. I would have cringed or flinched but I was too focused on the air that was now reaching my lungs. As soon as my face broke the surface of the water- which should be freezing me to the bone, why am I not cold?- I tried to draw in as much air as I could with a gasp.

I was still being pulled but I was too focused on my breathing to realize I was now actually floating in mid air. I almost panicked but an intense light hit my now open eyes. I squinted up at the moon in the sky. It seemed to glow brighter for a few seconds. And a sensation of relief, and peace flooded through me, because as soon as it stopped glowing, it was as if I received a message.

Jack Frost

That was my name!

I felt myself being lowered to the icy ground and vaguely felt the ice reforming under my feet, but I was too busy looking at my hands. They were so pale… I noticed I was wearing a brown cloak with a white shirt stained from use under a brown vest. I looked at my legs to find pale brown pants with leather straps wrapped all around my calves. I also had no shoes on and I again wondered why I wasn't getting cold. I looked at the ice and saw I had messy hair as white as snow and icy blue eyes.

But the weird part was that my eyes were almost… wolf-like...

I looked back up at the sky, and the moon was still there. But the gleaming, inviting glow was gone, replaced by a hollow shell of rock. I felt saddened for a moment, then confused as I looked around.

Why was I in the woods? And why was I in this- I cut my thoughts off as I noticed the ice cracking again. I jumped, not wanting to go back in the water… so dark…

I watched in awe and shock as someone else came out of the ice. It was a girl, she looked no older than 17. She had white hair- just like mine- and it came down past her feet. She wore a brown dress that came to her ankles (but you could tell there were pants underneath it- kind of like mine) and had a thick, leather strap around her waist. She wore no shoes.

But the strangest part about her was that she had the ears of a white wolf- instead of a humans'- sticking out of her hair.

The girl landed on the ice just like I had and looked around her. When her eyes landed on me my heart felt like it just stopped. She was beautiful. And she had the same eyes as me, too!

As soon as she saw me she ran to me and hugged me tight. I instinctively hugged her back just as tight. I didn't know why, but the hug felt so right, and letting her go felt so… wrong. She pulled back and smiled at me, sharp canines showing through. I smiled back and held her at arm's length. I looked into her eyes and felt another sensation. But this one was different than the one I felt with the moon. It was like a connection that we couldn't be separated from, a spell that couldn't be broken as we looked into each other's' icy, wolf-like blue eyes.

Zima Frost

I went to step back and get another look at her when my foot hit something. We both looked down and I saw a Sheppard's crook lying on the ice. I tapped it with my toe and frost spread over the area I touched. Eyes wide, I tilted my head to the side curiously and bent down to pick it up. But as soon as I did I felt a surge of power run through me and a blue blast of power came from the end. I dropped that end of the staff and frost went all over the icy surface. I turned and looked at Zima, her eyes were wide but her ears were perked up in curious interest.

I couldn't help but find it adorable.

I chuckled and got up with my staff and grabbed Zima's hand and led her to one of the trees growing by the shore of the pond. I touched the crook of my staff to one of the tree trunks and frost spread over the area it touched. While still holding my hand, Zima reached out to touch the frost covered trunk. She laughed as she felt it and turned to me with wide, adorable eyes, pleading for me to do it again. I simply smiled and touched my staff to another tree close by.

And, still holding my hand, Zima reached out to touch it. She smiled again; her canines showing making her look like an excited puppy. This seemed to fuel an adrenaline rush for me and I rushed toward the pond 'dancing' around its' surface dragging the crook of my staff behind me along the way. All the while, Zima was giggling and smiling and I just loved it!

Then, the wind suddenly picked up and threw me up in the air. I let out a surprised yelp as did Zima. My arms flailing, the wind gently pushed me back and forth and I started to grow scared. But, pushing my panic aside, I couldn't help but feel safe up in the air like that. But I also couldn't help the fact that I knew I would feel better if Zima was here with me. I looked down at her (seeing the frost I created on the ice out of the corner of my eyes) and she was looking up at me with scared eyes and I didn't like that. But I didn't know how to get down. Or how I even got up there in the first place.

I wanted to come down.

But as soon as that thought crossed my mind, it seemed like the wind just dropped me. I could hear Zima's scream as I hit what seemed like every tree branch in the forest. I thought I was going to die until I finally landed on a thick tree branch. I was breathing heavily from the adrenaline rush when I looked over to the horizon. There was a flicker of light in the distance.

A fire.

And where there was fire there was people. Right?

I climbed down the tree and as soon as I reached the bottom I was engulfed in a giant hug. I could hear Zima crying and I held her tight rubbing small circles in her back to sooth her. She pulled back and I could see tears staining her face. I used the pad of my thumbs to wipe them away.

"I-I th-thought you w-were going t-t-to l-leave me f-forever." she stuttered out. I simply pulled her into another hug.

"Zima, nothing in this entire world would ever make me want to leave you for any amount of time. I promise, I'm always going to be right here. I won't ever leave you." I assured her. I pulled back and looked her in the eyes. And we started to get closer and closer, and soon our lips met in the middle and I kissed away her fears, completely forgetting about the fire I had saw. You'd think kissing someone you just met would be weird and unthinkable. But this just felt right. And I couldn't explain it.

We pulled back and smiled at each other, her canines shining in the moonlight. I rubbed her right ear and she leaned into the touch. Then I remembered the fire I saw and got excited.

"Hey, I saw a fire not too far away from here. Why don't we go there and ask for help? Surely someone knows what's going on." I asked. She nodded and without even thinking I wrapped my arm around her waist and thought about flying. Then, we were both picked up kind of unsteadily. I got our balance and took off for the fire.

When we reached the fire, I realized it was a village. I thought about landing when we got close enough but we landed in a snowdrift very ungracefully. I had turned Zima around so I would take the fall but it didn't hurt, not really anyway it was more exciting than painful. We both got up and laughed while Zima brushed some snow off of me. We walked around, trying to get someone's attention. But it seemed like everyone was ignoring us.

"Hello, ma'am. Ma'am?" I tried to ask a nice lady but she ignored me to. I looked over at Zima and she was having no better luck. I walked over to her and grabbed her hand for reassurance. Then I saw a young boy chasing after a dog looking like he was having a lot of fun. And I thought surely a child wouldn't ignore us. Right?

"Oh, ah, excuse me, can you tell us where we are?" I tried to ask but then something unthinkable happened. He ran right through me. Like I didn't even exist! I jumped back and gasped. It was almost painful. But then it just seemed like the whole village was walking through us.

"Hello?! Hello?!" we tried to call out to anybody that could help us. But no one did. I grabbed Zima and held her close, walking away from the people and back to the woods. Back where no one could hurt us again.

By the time we got back to the pond- don't ask why we went back there, it just felt right- Zima was full on sobbing as she clung to me. She was scared and honestly, so was I. But I had to be strong for her right now. I lead her over to the roots of a big tree right next to the pond and lightly guided her under them. It was nice and cozy and just felt… right. I remember thinking a lot of things felt right.

We huddled close at the back of our little root cave and I just let her cry and let it all out, whispering soothing nothings in her ear. There wasn't much for me to say other than, "It's okay", and "I'm here," over and over again.

Soon her shakes died down to shudders as she was on the verge of exhaustion. She blinked up at me, unshed tears pooling in her already red eyes.

"J-Jack," she asked in a shaky voice. "W-what's ha-happening?"

"I don't know snowflake," I tried to sooth her using a soft, calm voice. "But whatever it is, we'll figure it out. And don't worry, I won't ever leave you. Ever. I'm always going to be right here. You're not alone."

She nodded and laid her head in the crook of my neck and nuzzled close- a very unironic wolf-like gesture- and took a deep breath, taking in my scent to calm herself. She looked as if she were about to doze off, but before she did, she whispered one last thing to me.

"I love you, Jack."

I didn't even hesitate to reply. "I love you, too, Zima." I cuddled closer to her and held her tighter. And somehow- with Zima safe in my arms- I knew everything was going to be okay.