Autumn is a second spring when every leaf becomes a flower someone once said. Oakley, a spirit of that very season, is inclined to believe it. Not many others do as autumn is the oncoming darkness, the dying of summer and a time when other kinds of spirits roamed free. Luckily Jack Frost, the most famous of the seasonal spirits and recent Guardian, doesn't think so.
"I hear a congratulations are in order Jack." A very serene voice intones from the tree above Jack Frost's head as he plays with Jamie and his friends. Now that winter is coming it's time for Frost to return to his hometown of Burgess to play as much merry hell here as possible. There's not much he can do cooped up like the other Guardians. He needs to be out in the real world, creating as much fun as he can. He looks up from waiting for the kids to lace up their ice skates to spot Oakley lying on a tree branch in a position that can in no way be comfortable.
"Hey Oakley. Long time no see!" Oakley is one of his favourite of the many seasonal spirits. There are many across the globe, the Greeks famously has Persephone, the Japanese has their kami and so on. Oakley had existed as part of the Celtic people and was now wandering the globe, free to do as she pleases and more than happy to remain invisible. She was also one of the only ones to encourage Jack to interact with children. Many others said that it wasn't their place any more and to just let it go.
"Give or take a year Jack." She grins a wide pearly smile in his direction. Tooth would love her. Oakley and his paths can only cross at the end and beginning of their time. They will swap hemispheres when Oakley was at the end of her time there and Frost at the beginning of his. Oakley slips from her branch. Like all autumn spirits she falls like a leaf falls from a tree and gracefully at that. Her dress is even made of the vibrant leaf fires of autumn with acorns and various autumnal flowers braided into her hair. It was how she looked when she'd died, by an oak tree in a forest a long, long time ago. Longer even than North. She drops a tiny kiss on Jack's cheek but pulls away again just as fast. They can't touch for long. Their very nature stops them. Sure technically Jack isn't actually a spirit of winter but of ice and snow but he's so closely associated with it and what does winter do but kill autumn?
"You're a Guardian? One of the Big Four. Five now I guess." Oakley reaches out a nut brown hand and presses it to the tree she was in. All of the leaves start their slow descent back to the ground. They collect at the bottom which Jamie and the other children notice eagerly. After they skate they'll play in the leaves! "you know Daffodil was very impressed." Daffodil is a spring spirit and one of Oakley's friends. They actually meet more often then her and Jack. When it is summer and winter as the seasons in turn spring and autumn will meet in their hideaways just like summer and winter will meet when spring and autumn are everywhere.
"Jealous Oakley? That's not like you." Jack teases knowing very well this isn't the case. Oakley giggles and it sounds very much like the babbling streams Jack freezes for fun. She shrugs back at him. She isn't much of a talker, that is quite literally her nature, and when they meet usually it's him pushing the conversation forward. Often times Jack liked her quiet and they'd sit together as Oakley did her thing and played in the leaves.
"All your dreams have come true dear Frost." She says the term sarcastically, "I'm allowed to be a little jealous." That bit is said seriously. Oakley's never spoken about dreams before. In fact of all the childhood figures and spirits the seasonal spirits are the most content (save for Jack but he was a story before he was even created) as there are so many they are never alone. Compared to Jack Oakley has one hell of an active social life. Hey, she had dated a spring spirit for about three hundred years once, Daffodil's brother Narcissus. The only thing she might crave was being believed in or dying. Some of their kind felt that Manny had robbed them of their chance to die and were now chained to this world. However Oakley had actively protested the first and never mentioned the second.
"Woah – wait – you've never told me of any dreams Oak. What are th-"
"Who are you talking to Jack?" A young and earnest voice interrupts their chat, "another Guardian?" Jamie is grinning from ear to ear, eager at the idea of another Guardian he has yet to believe in. Frost chuckles at him,
"Yeah kid. She's the Guardian of Autumn. She brings you the leaves and the pumpkins!"
"And Halloween! She brings us Halloween?" Cupcake cries excitedly. Halloween is her favourite holiday. As a reformed bully she never gets to terrorise any more but Halloween might give her the chance. Oakley pulls a face. In her time Halloween was about making sure that the world of the living and the world of the dead never touched. Nothing to do with this trick or treating. Without warning she summons their mutual friend Wind to help aid her new flight. Floating can only get you so far. Winter is only a few weeks away and there are yet trees to completely deleaf and flowers to put to sleep.
"Tell you what guys, start skating and I'll be back in a second. Hey Oakley!" He cries, chasing after her, "tell me! What dreams?" He catches up with her easily just as she lands on her namesake, evergreens are her favourite trees. Instead of replying, although he didn't really expect one, she looks at him like he should know exactly what she means. She very suddenly grasps him around the wrist. Almost immediately her nut brown skin darkens, darkens, darkens and begins to wither away. In horror he yanks himself away, "what are you doing?" Was death her dream? She sighs. And then, for some mad reason, she laughs.
"Don't worry Frost. I have no wish to die yet. I'm happy as I am." She makes to drop another kiss on his cheek but out of fear for her safety he darts away. Settling back in to her serene self, she summons Wind and takes off into the fading daylight singing, "all the little birdies on Jaybird Street, love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet. Rockin' Robin."
To everyone else it'll sound just like a robin whistling his merry, autumn tune.