I do not own Rise of the Guardians in any way, shape, or form.
Please enjoy.
As promised, Layla returned to the Warren on the eve of Easter. Bunnymund spared himself the obviously futile attempts to send her home, and instead poured all his energy into directing the prepared googies up the proper tunnels. Perched on a nearby rock, the daughter of Pitch Black and Lilliana Starfire watched the brightly colored "egg parade" with wide, glee-filled eyes.
"So pretty!" She clapped her hands appreciatively, an enormous smile plastered on her face. "There's so many! How many are there?!" she called over to Bunnymund, who shrugged.
"Can't really say," he said without looking at her. He was distracted by the task at hand, waving the occasional wandering egg back onto the proper path. "Hundreds. Maybe Thousands."
"Wooow…" she uttered, the emphasis she placed on that single word making Bunnymund chuckle.
She's easily impressed, ain't she?
Still, he couldn't help but feel enormously proud, so much so his chest actually puffed up a bit. Maybe having the kid come back wasn't such a bad idea after all.
As the last of the googies disappeared, Layla clambered down from her rock and scurried over to him.
"Can I hunt? Can I?" she asked eagerly, gesturing to the basket he had slung over the crook of one elbow.
He turned her down as gently as he was able. "Sorry kid. Gotta let the ankle biters have a go first, and they won't be up for a couple more hours at least."
"I won't take them all! Just a couple, I promise!"
"No can do."
She pouted. A wry smile touched his mouth at the sight of those pursed lips. "You pull that face on your father often?"
A truly wicked smirk replaced her frown. Without a single ounce of shame, she answered, "Sometimes. It doesn't work with Mama and she gets mad if I use it on Daddy too much. She says he spoils me."
A laugh burst out of him before he could sensor it. "I can't imagine."
She grinned, pleased with his amusement. Her next question came promptly. "So can I hunt later? I'll wait until the kids are up. We can all do it together!"
He shook his head at her tenacity. "Humans don't believe in you, kid," he reminded her. "Do you wanna give them all heart attacks from seeing eggs just up and wander off?"
"But if I wait until they're done the eggs will all be gone," she protested.
"Not necessarily," he replied, a plan forming inside his mind. "Each year there's always a few googies that get overlooked. I usually go pick them up so they don't go to waste, but if you want…"
She beamed. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes!" She was so excited she practically jumped up and down on the spot with each repetition of the word. "Can we do that? Please?"
"I wouldn't have suggested it if you couldn't. Meet me here first thing when the sun sets tomorrow. I'll take you to a good place."
"Yay!"
With that excited squeal, the girl instantly teleported away. Apparently she was in a hurry to go home and go to bed so she could wake up and have it be Easter even sooner. Bunnymund chuckled and shook his head as he turned his attention back to the tunnels. She may be theirs, but she's still a kid at heart.
He'd worried about that, about Pitch's and Starfire's ability to raise a child. Obviously they both had the capacity to love, as they deeply loved each other, but such devotion and emotion rarely extended to any other person or object. They were both damaged spirits with dark pasts, and the Guardian of Hope had wondered if that would have unintentional negative consequences on their child.
As things were turning out, though, he'd been concerned over nothing. The kid was a kid through and through, and she clearly had enough wonder and joy and light inside of her for a good dozen spirits.
I honestly don't know how they've done it, he thought with dry amusement. He would've never imagined parenthood suiting either of them, but he was truly glad that it did.
As was typically the case, Easter was a rousing success. The kids had themselves a grand time hunting eggs, and Bunnymund busied himself by journeying to several countries to oversee proceedings, just to be certain everything went off without a hitch. By the time the sun started to set, the ankle biters were tuckered out, but content, and stuffed to bursting with eggs and various other treats. Feeling immensely satisfied, the Pooka returned to the Warren. He grinned crookedly when he discovered Layla Black was already there waiting for him.
"How was it?!" she shouted the moment she caught sight of him. Her voice echoed down the tunnel as he approached, reaching him before he could properly greet her. "Did they have fun? Are there any eggs left for me?"
"Relax kid," he reassured her with a quiet laugh. He clapped a paw on her shoulder and passed her an empty basket with the other. "Come on. There's a little meadow in Belgium calling your name."
"Yay!"
In spite of her eagerness to reach their destination, Bunnymund kept the pace slow, hopping rather than bounding so that her little legs could keep up. She skipped along beside him, humming merrily as they went. He wondered at the tune; was it something she'd heard before or were the notes pulled at random from her imagination? It didn't sound familiar, but Bunnymund's experience with music, both human and spiritual, was unfortunately quite limited. His sensitive ears didn't tolerate the ruckus too well.
Well, wherever the tune came from, it wasn't a bad choice. It was juvenile, but certainly tolerable.
They reached the designated meadow without incident. Once there, Bunnymund directed the girl swiftly before her boundless energy sent her careening into her hunt without bearing.
"Right. Now there's ten googies in this field, just ten. And don't you go wandering off into the trees—I hid them all out here in the grass."
"I wouldn't get lost," Layla assured him, bouncing eagerly on the balls of her feet.
"Maybe not. But still…stick where I can see you."
"Okay, okay," she agreed with the slightest hint of impatience.
"Ready?"
"Yes!"
"Go on then!"
With a squeal of delight, she took off at a full sprint. He laughed as he watched, wondering just how in the heck she planned on finding anything when she was running so fast.
By pure luck, it turned out. Halfway across the meadow she spied something on the ground. Skidding to a sudden halt, her feet went right out from under her and she fell hard on her bottom. Bunnymund winced, but the impact had absolutely no effect on little Layla at all. Recovering quickly, she scuttled across the ground, clambered upright again and held her arm aloft, waving her prize excitedly for him to see. He nodded his approval.
"Nice work!" he called. "Now go find the others!"
With a nod and a grin, she tucked the little blue egg into her basket and went off looking for more. For several minutes he watched in contented silence, during which time she found two additional prizes for her basket. Then the wind shifted, and he lifted his head to sniff at the air.
Odd…
Turning to get a better angle, he inhaled deeply. His brows furrowed.
He knew that scent—in fact he knew all three scents—but why in Moon's name would they be here?
Bunnymund cast a glance at Layla, who was bent over scooping up her fourth egg. At this rate she would be done soon, but not soon enough.
Company had already arrived unannounced.
Moving with care so as to not catch the girl's attention and alarm her, Bunnymund traversed the edge of the tree line. Slowly but surely, with one eye on the forest and the other on Layla, he made his way towards the source of the scent, hoping the intruders had come simply to satisfy their curiosity and not to start a problem.
Unfortunately, with this lot, the latter was almost certainly the case.
After crossing about a quarter of the meadow's circumference, Bunnymund stopped. With the sun set and the moon yet to rise, dark shadows had begun to creep out of the young forest, making it difficult for even his sharp eyesight to pierce the gloom. Though he made sure to keep one ear turned outward so as to track Layla's location via her distinctive giggles and pattering footsteps, the sole focus of his gaze lay within the darkened trees.
"I know you're in there," he called. "Come on out."
His voice was calm, but far from amicable. He was wary of these spirits, as most reasonable creatures were, but until he knew for certain what their intentions were he thought it prudent to act with restraint. Had he been alone he would've told them under no uncertain terms to rack off and leave him be, but he wasn't alone, and as such it would be unwise to incite them unnecessarily.
The safety of the child currently in his care had to come before all things, even his pride.
Thankfully, Bunnymund didn't have to extend his coolly-spoken invitation more than once. As soon as those words left his lips, he spotted movement. A figure emerged, then two more, although the pair kept back in the shadows. The first spirit, however, came right out into the open, stepping onto the grass to boldly face the guarded Pooka. He was handsome enough, Bunnymund supposed, but there was a certain element to his gait and arrogant smile that made him appear quite repugnant, like a womanizing human who had no qualms whatsoever about making himself known as such. It reminded the Guardian of the many reasons why this spirit's most prevalent nickname was Pride.
"Little late for egg playing, isn't it?"
Moon's name, even his voice was greasy. Bunnymund had to suppress a shudder just from hearing it. He covered his discomfort well by scowling.
"What are you doing here Zviad?"
"Same as you, Aster." He grinned, pleased at being able to turn the tables on the Guardian by also addressing him by his less-than-popular first name. "I came to enjoy the hunt."
"Well it's too late. Easter's over."
"True." Wine-colored eyes flicked to something over Bunny's shoulder and back again. The arrogant smirk widened. "But that doesn't seem to be stopping you."
Bunnymund's paws itched to reach for his boomerangs, but he restrained himself. Barely. Although their ill-intent was blatantly obvious, so far these three hadn't displayed any aggression. He couldn't be the one to antagonize, not when Layla played just a short distance away. Just as Zviad had done, he allowed his emerald gaze shift, settling his attention briefly upon the spirits who lingered in the woods.
"You two looking to play too?" he called, his every syllable dripping with cynicism.
"Oh, don't worry about them," Zviad smoothly replied before the others could even make an attempt at answering for themselves. "They're just here for the view."
"I see."
Swift pattering of tiny feet made Bunnymund's stomach lurch. Not now kid! As desperately as he wanted to say the words aloud, he knew he could not, for it would only goad these three into attacking.
No matter what, he couldn't let them know that he was in a tight spot because he'd been caught alone with a child.
Huffing from exertion, little Layla appeared at Bunnymund's side.
"I can't find the last one," she complained. Clutching the basket in one hand, she hastily shoved thick black curls out of her face with the other. "I've looked all over!"
She wasn't paying the newcomers one bit of attention. It was as if, to her, they were completely invisible. Bunnymund would've laughed if the situation hadn't been so serious.
"That's fine, kid," he said, touching a paw to her shoulder and casting a warning glance at Zviad, who was eyeing Layla with a look of sheer delight alighting his disgustingly handsome face. "We can always find it later."
"But I've only got nine!" Layla protested. "And I don't wanna come back 'cause then it won't be Easter anymore."
Without warning, Zviad suddenly burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he nearly fell over, clutching a stitch in his side. Bunnymund glared at him, but the arrogant spirit just wouldn't relent.
"Now this is precious," he crowed. "An Easter-loving Black? Why, Aster, I had no idea you and Pitch were so very fond of each other!"
Bunnymund bristled. Far more than the unsubtle insinuation that he and Pitch had had a love-child together, he raged at the fact that this damned spirit was insulting Layla when she stood not three feet from him. More than anything else at that moment, the Pooka wanted to grab that guffawing spirit by the shoulders and rip out that insolent tongue with his teeth.
Layla, for her part, was still ignoring the infuriating spirit of vanity and arrogance. Her olive green eyes were presently fixed upon the ground, and when Bunnymund's own eyes trailed over the same spot, he felt his stomach drop down into his toes.
Lying there in the grass, scant inches from Zviad's left foot, was the tenth egg.
Noticing the two spirits staring, Zviad quieted down enough to focus. When he saw the egg, he leered at Layla.
"You want this?" he asked silkily.
She nodded eagerly. "Yes please."
"Layla," Bunnymund quietly cautioned, but Zviad spoke over him.
"Here," he offered, and with his toe knocked the egg just hard enough for it to land—strategically placed, no doubt—directly between himself and Bunnymund. "Come take it."
Bunnymund snatched instinctively for Layla's sleeve, but she evaded his grasping fingers by mere millimeters. "Layla!"
Completely distracted by the sudden appearance of the elusive egg, she did not heed the warning in his voice. Young and innocent, she had no idea that Zviad was toying with her, that right now his mouth was opened wide in a triumphant smile as he watched her scamper toward the final prize. Bunnymund longed to stop her, but if he made any sudden moves the others would claim he was attacking them and any ensuing violence would then become his own fault. And with Layla now directly between them, there was simply no chance at all for her to escape such a scenario unscathed.
His heart hammered against his ribs. Faced with such a wretched predicament yet helpless to do anything to prevent it, all he could do was stand there rigid as a statue and hope that his presence alone would be enough to dissuade these foul spirits from acting upon their dark thoughts.
If they touch her…I swear to all that exists, if they lay even one finger on her…!
Having reached the egg, Layla stooped down to pick it up, her inattention preventing her from seeing the speed with which Zviad moved. The very second her fingers touched the bright pink shell, an expensive leather shoe stomped down hard, crushing the googie and her tiny little hand along with it.
"Zviad!" Bunny roared. In an instant his boomerangs were in his paws, the promise of vengeance clear in both his stance and his burning emerald eyes. If this despicable situation was not immediately rectified…!
"Sorry," Zviad cooed, not sounding the least bit apologetic. He shifted his foot from side to side, grinding poor Layla's fingers into the dirt. She winced, and Bunnymund's sensitive ears detected the faint breath of a whimper. Rage burned inside of him, but when he made to drive the spirit back the two in the woods moved closer, gathering their magic until the threatening aura of it hung thick in the air. The Pooka froze, fuming, every last ounce of his hate burning through his emerald eyes as his mind raced to find a solution.
"So you're the one everyone's been babbling about." Zviad's voice was cool and quiet, and he was no longer smirking. If anything, those dark purple eyes showed disapproval, perhaps even anger, and a surprising level of contempt. "The spawn of Pitch Black and Sun Woman's bastard daughter…I was expecting more. Quite frankly, you're not all that special. I could crush you right here if I wanted to."
"Not likely, rat!" Bunnymund shouted. His arms swung back to let fly with his boomerangs, but he caught himself at the last moment when Zviad waggled a condescending finger in his direction.
"Ah-ah, mustn't be too hasty now. Who knows…I might just…overreact."
He pressed down hard with his foot, leaning a significant portion of his weight onto Layla's trapped hand. Bunnymund did not move apart from his heaving chest, for each breath escaped him in a harsh gasp as he struggled between protective rage and fear that the kid might get hurt if he tried to intervene.
Satisfied that he'd secured the Pooka's cooperation (however reluctant said cooperation was), Zviad's smile returned. "There's a good bunny."
"Get off…"
Bunnymund's ears twitched. Even Zviad appeared surprised that Layla had spoken, but the tiny, quivering voice also made him feel smugly superior to her.
"What was that?" he asked, feigning deafness by tilting his head so that his left ear was turned towards her.
"Get off," she repeated, a little louder this time.
He mocked her yet again. "Say please."
She lifted her head to look at him for the very first time, and in a much stronger voice (one which reminded Bunnymund far too much of Starfire when she grew angry) commanded the arrogant spirit, "Get off of me! Now!"
Surprise briefly arrested his face, but Zviad recovered quickly. With a careless laugh, as if he couldn't care less about the little girl's sudden show of courage and strength, he lifted his foot. Freed at last, Layla scrambled back to Bunnymund.
"Bunny, it broke," she whimpered, clutching the broken egg in her swelling hand.
The Pooka was hasty in his reassurances; he didn't think he could handle a fit of tears, especially not from her. "That's okay kid. Don't worry about it." When her lip quivered, he redoubled his efforts. "Look, I'll get you a new one. When we get back to the Warren I'll pick out a nice big one, and I'll even let you paint it. How's that sound?"
Sniffling, she brushed curls out of her eyes with the back of her hand and nodded, though she still looked rather dejected. Bunnymund couldn't blame her. At least when Jack interrupted Easter it was before things got started, and whatever chaos he sowed was purely for the sake of innocent mischief; Zviad and his lackeys were doing it simply to be cruel.
They're too cowardly to face Pitch or Starfire one-on, so they haveta take it out on their kid!
The thought infuriated the Pooka to no end.
"This is pathetic," Zviad complained, shifting his weight from foot-to-foot as he eyed the pair with disdain. "I'm bored. You puny spirits deserve each other."
At long last, little Layla Black had had enough. Her head whipped around with a speed that shocked even Bunnymund, and the voice that left her mouth was far too deep and menacing for her petite child's body.
"Be silent!"
Zviad's purple eyes grew enormous. His mouth sagged open in shock, revealing perfect white teeth. Bunnymund stood stiff, frozen from the shock of seeing those stark, bottomless black holes that had replaced Layla's beautiful green eyes. Her own mouth was twisted into a sneer, one which perfectly displayed how threatening her pointed teeth could appear.
"The pathetic one here is you!" she declared. The words were neither shouted nor roared, and yet they echoed in the spirits' ears like an impending explosion. "Your glimmer is cold and colorless! Anyone can see that you are nothing!"
In spite of his growing fear, the spirit of vanity and arrogance glowered. "Who are you to judge me?!" he snarled haughtily. "You're just some bitch hybrid child!"
An arm rose at once to thrust a tiny finger in his direction. "Your time will come, spirit of vanity, and when you walk the dark road to the void you will no longer question my right to judge your worth!"
True horror finally crossed that handsome face. Bunnymund likewise realized precisely what sort of spirit Layla Black was, and instinctively took a step back from her. Those eyes…those eyes…they were as dark and unrelenting as the void itself, and that finger, still pointed directly at Zviad's chest, no longer bore resemblance to an act of childish defiance. Every spirit in the clearing now understood that this little child, who had been ruthlessly mocked and ridiculed not moments ago, was far more powerful than all of them combined.
Zviad gulped. But pride, his true center, refused to let him back down, no matter how dire the circumstances.
"As if I have to fear the void!" he blustered. "Spirits are immortal so long as they are not stupid, and I am far from a fool!"
"Your time will come," Layla stated with grim confidence. "And much sooner than you think."
Those bottomless eyes flicked towards the two spirits half-hidden in the trees, who balked the moment her attention fell upon them. She addressed them in the same hauntingly foreboding voice as she had their leader.
"Spirit of envy, spirit of ignominy—your glimmers likewise grow dim. Do not let them fade entirely or you too will suffer the same fate."
Zviad barely spared his comrades a glance before sneering, "What makes you think they'll wind up better than me? The void is the void, it isn't as if those pathetic wretches will fare any better."
Layla's lips drew back further still, only this time when her teeth were revealed it was because she was smirking at him.
"Because, spirit of vanity, spirit of arrogance…if all fare equally in destruction and death, why is there a need for one such as I?"
She laughed, then, a deep, rumbling laugh that echoed inside her chest. The poor girl was sounding more and more masculine to Bunnymund by the minute.
"Leave this place," she commanded, "all of you, lest you tempt my wrath further!"
The two lesser spirits needed no prompting. They vanished at once, leaving Zviad the Proud alone. He stood there for a long minute, fury and insult and fear alternately playing across his expressive face. In the end, though, he realized his precarious position and perfectly understood that remaining there in the Belgian meadow would be foolish. He may be arrogant, but as he'd said himself he wasn't completely stupid. With a curl of the lip to signal his immense displeasure, Zviad vanished in a cloud of glittering dust and dark purple smoke. The magic smelled strongly of sandalwood, a scent which deeply offended Bunnymund's sensitive nose.
The moment he was gone, the immense power that filled the meadow likewise disappeared. Layla's body visibly relaxed, and when she turned her head to look at Bunnymund her eyes were back to their normal size and color.
"Sorry Bunny," she said softly. Her attention trailed to the ground as she shuffled her feet. "Did I scare you?"
"Nah," he assured her, moving close enough for their noses to almost touch. "I wasn't scared."
"Please don't lie," she whispered, her lip quivering.
"I ain't lying," he said honestly, a little confused as to why she would think that. She lifted her head and stared hard at him as he continued, "It was definitely shocking, a kid like you having power like that. I wasn't expecting it is all. But I wasn't scared, I swear."
Layla held his gaze a minute more, and though he was a bit shaken by the hardness of those olive green eyes—eyes that, mere moments ago, had been empty and black and truly intimidating to behold—he stared right back at her without flinching. After a while, she nodded her head, a small smile touching her mouth.
"Okay."
"'Okay?'" he repeated stupidly. "That's it?"
"Yup."
"You believed me just like that?"
"You didn't lie," she stated matter-of-factly. Glancing down at the broken egg in her hand, her smile wilted. "Can we go get my new egg now?"
"Sure," he agreed heartily, more than happy for an excuse to lighten the mood. Rapping his foot against the ground to open a tunnel, he said, "Come on, kid. Let's go back."
Back at the Warren, he made good on his promise to find the biggest egg for her to paint. The events of the evening quickly forgotten, Layla threw herself into decorating the googie, slathering it in bright red paint before covering it in silver and gold dots of various size. Bunnymund found himself stifling a chuckle; the color combination reminded him all too well of Layla's parents. He wondered if her choices were intentional, but decided not to ask. The poor kid had been through enough already, why not let her relax and have some fun?
Fun, he thought with dry amusement. Great, now I'm starting to sound like Jack.
"Done!" Layla announced happily. She brought the egg over for Bunny to see.
"Brilliant," he praised, turning the googie over in his paw to inspect it with a critical eye. "The color's nice and even, even if you did smudge it a bit."
"Where?" she demanded, moving closer and putting her face real close to the egg.
"Here," he said, but instead of pointing out a flaw in the egg his finger flicked the tip of her nose.
She pulled back with a squeal, giggling wildly. "Bunny, stop! Don't lie about things like that!"
He chuckled. "You did well kid," he replied honestly, handing the egg back to her. "For a first timer anyway."
She stuck her tongue out at him playfully. Skipping away to retrieve her basket, she carefully tucked the egg inside, patting it affectionately before hoisting the basket up onto her arm, preparing to depart.
"Now don't you come back until next spring," he warned. "I only do Easter once a year you know."
"Aww, but I like it here."
"Come on, I just got done with two solid weeks of preparations. I'm due for a good rest."
She pouted then grinned broadly as she announced, "Okay. I'll go visit the others!"
"Others? What do you mean?" he asked, deeply confused. As she giggled conspiratorially, he sought verification by asking, "You mean the other Guardians?"
"Yes! I haven't met Toothiana or Sandman yet. I think I'll go see one of them."
"You go ahead and do that," he managed around a smothered laugh. Yes, let the little ankle biter go bother someone else for a bit. He had a feeling the hyperactive, ever-jabbering Tooth Fairy would have a blast with this girl.
And she'll keep Sandy up and on his toes all night, I'll bet, he thought with wicked glee. Yes, Jack was definitely starting to rub off on him for sure.
"Bye-bye!" Layla called, and he smiled as he returned the wave.
"See ya, kid. Don't bother Sandy too much; the man's got a lot of work to do."
"So does Toothiana," she pointed out amicably.
"Yeah, but she's used to talking people's ears off."
She pressed a hand to her mouth in an attempt to stifle a fresh wave of giggles. "You're funny."
"No I ain't," he said with mock seriousness. "Now go on home before your parents come looking for ya."
"You talk about them a lot. Are you scared of them?"
"Only when they're mad," he replied, earning him an appreciative laugh from the child. "Now go on."
"Bye!" she said a final time before disappearing into a shadow portal.
Bunnymund heaved a sigh, letting all the tension that had built up over the past few days just flush right out of his body. Easter was over, and it was finally quiet in the Warren again. Time to get himself some much-needed shut-eye.
Down in the depths of a certain shadow realm, Layla spent a considerable amount of time showing off her prized egg collection. As she proudly displayed each one in turn, rattling off the details of her hunt with exuberant glee, her parents exchanged looks. Her overprotective father was immensely irritated over the whole thing, and while her mother was annoyed as well she smirked at the sight of her husband, who struggled to remain calm as he suffered through pretending to be genuinely interested in his daughter's evening.
It served him right for doting on her so much.