"JACK! JACK?!" Tooth flew around rapidly, trying desperately to see through the blinding snow whipped around by Jack's emotional whirlwind. She soared through the air, dodging ice and snow, unaware of the black patch of snow following her across the frozen landscape. All that mattered was finding Jack and making sure he was ok. The patch grew in size as it chased her, leaving a trail of black behind them.
She screamed as loud as she could, trying to be heard through snow. The landscape around her was a confusing swirl and cold and white, flakes swishing past her head as she searched. In her frantic swerving, a chunk of ice flew at her from the side and clipped her wing, sending her into a downward spiral. She hit the ground with a loud THUD, making her groan at the cold as she tried to pull herself up. The dark mass quickly approached her, staying out of sight as she tried to fly again then circling her like a shark when it realized she wasn't going anywhere.
An evil, cruel laugh filled the air as she watched, eyes wide. The black shape began to grow in height, towering over her and forming a humanoid shape, "Well well... What's this? A grounded guardian? ALONE?! But how can this be?"
Tooth gasped loudly, crawling away as the mass took form, "P-Pitch...? How did you get out...?!" She backed up to an outcropping, frowning when she couldn't go any further.
The man laughed loudly, his formation completed and revealing how much bigger he's gotten, showing his increase in power, "Did you really think those nightmares could keep me trapped forever? Of course not... I've been out for sometime now... And I've learned a few new tricks." He pulled a babytooth from his cloak. The poor thing squirmed and screeched in terror, wanting so badly to be released.
The small guardian shrieked loudly, squirming toward him to reach for her baby frantically, "Don't touch her! Let her go, you monster!" She brought herself shakily to her feet, grasping at the air towards the small captive.
Pitch lifted the tiny Tooth out of her reach and squeezed it harshly, causing it to scream in pain before going deathly still. She stared on in horror as the former Babytooth grew in size, its skin slowly turning black as Pitch spoke, "Down underground, I learned that I can manipulate MORE than just the Sandman's dreams..." The small creature stretched and deformed into a giant black wasp creature with giant man-eating teeth and a deadly stinger. Its wings buzzed menacingly and it hissed loudly in her face, its once feathered body now covered with a hard black shell.
Tooth stared with wide, burning eyes, frozen tears running down her cheeks as she growled loudly at him, "Turn her back!" She turned her head to the side and screamed into the snow, "JACCKK!"
The dark entity chuckled cruelly at her defiance, reaching down with a clawed hand to pick her up by both wings, the good one and the injured one, causing her to cry out in pain and shudder in his grasp. He spoke with a dark, soft voice, heard only by her over the loud wind, "Jack cannot save you now... I've planned how to deal with him as well as your other friends..."
The snow beneath their feet began to blacken and sink, bringing them with it. She squirmed desperately in his grasp but could see he was too much stronger for her to handle. With a last ditch effort, she screamed again. Louder than before.
Her voice carried through the ice and snow, drifting on the wind like a passenger. Her scream of "Jack" echoed around the snowy landscape.
He heard it that time.
Jack sat in a small cave, staring up through a hole in the ceiling and watching the ice blow across from the storm. He knew it was mostly his fault for making Bunny made. But he was more responsible than the oversized furball knew. He didn't HAVE to ride Jack's tail ALL the time. He sighed loudly and it echoed around the blue, concaved walls.
But then he heard something, like his name, from far away. He poked his head out of the hole and listened again. He heard it clearer. It was Tooth screaming for him, and she sounded absolutely terrified.
Calming the storm so flight wouldn't be as difficult, he took off into the sky, staff clasped tightly in his hand as he sped through the sky.
He caught a glimpse of something black through the snow and as he got closer, he realized it had Tooth in its clutches and was sinking. His eyes widened in shock as he saw who it was. Pitch.
The dark man laughed loudly, the sound traveling and getting louder as Jack neared. All at once, the taller entity disappeared, leaving Tooth to sink in the black snow.
Jack landed in the snow with a soft thud, the crunch of the snow muffling the sound of his feet. He sprinted to her and threw himself down in the snow, wrapping his arms around her waist as the black sucked her in up to her hips, "Tooth! Hold on to me!" He grit his teeth and pulled on her, digging his fingers into her feather skin and yanking hard.
She wrapped her arms tight around his neck and pulled with him, her broken wing flutter a little painfully. After a few moments of struggling and going nowhere but deeper, she loosened her grip on him, "Leave. Go get the others and come find me. I can take care of myself."
Jack growled loudly and shoved his hands down in the dark snow to get a better grip on her, the black sludge splashing across their faces, "This is my fault! There's no way I'm leaving you!"
They continued to work against the dark mass, the snow storm growing violent around them once more as Jack's emotions spiked in misery and anxiety. He growled loudly and pulled back before he froze and noticed something. His hands buried deep in the snow had become compacted with the stuff. He was as stuck as she was. The winter spirit grunted and pulled, his back muscles straining as he yanked as hard as he could, before he stopped and stared at her with wide eyes. She understood too.
The feathered guardian reached up around him again and held him tightly as they were swallowed up, whispering comforts to him of rescue and escape. He held her tight, knowing she was just as scared as he was. Somewhere between being buried and breathing the cold air above, they were cast into a nightmarish and fitful sleep.
