Jack slipped and slid through the field of playing children.
"Up you go." He pushed a little girl who had fallen over up and handed her a snowball. "Go get 'em kid."
She giggled and trotted off. Jack leapt up on top of the branch on a tree and laughed like the rest of the young ones. They tumbled and played with Jack's latest snowstorm and became as white as the ground itself. Jack looked up as the children started pointing upward. The Aurora Borealis showed off its colors in the evening air. To the children it was just pretty lights but to Jack it was a summons.
"What's up this time big guy?" Jack said as he took off waving back to the kids.
The winds carried him quickly to the Artic Zone.
"Hey Jack!" A voice called.
Jack grinned. "Hey Tooth, long time no see. You know what's going on?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing." Tooth sighed as they both alighted in the great room containing North's globe.
"Jack, Toothy. Welcome back." North opened his arms wide.
"Hey Sandyman, Bunny." Jack waved. "What's going on?"
"I don't know." North replied.
"But you sent the signal mate." Bunnymund said twining string around something in his paw.
North shook his head. "Nope. Manny did that."
"The moon again." Jack sighed.
Sandy looked up at the moon. What, he questioned silently.
"What is it Man in Moon?" Tooth asked.
And the moon told.
"We have to find a what?" Bunnymund jumped.
"A creature?" Tooth semi-answered.
"Let's get going then." The over-sized rabbit said. "Be ready."
Bunnymund watched them all standing up. "I told you to be ready."
Jack slipped easily to his feet. "That was fun." He laughed.
"Everything is fun to you." North grumbled climbing to his feet.
"Look!" Tooth pointed fluttering lightly.
A black streak darted passed.
"Hey." Jack shouted skimming over the grass that froze beneath his feet. "Here little ah… Cat… Bird… Thing."
Bunnymund hopped speedily next to him. "Watch yourself mate."
The bunny sped ahead and came up next to the vastly smaller black blur. He reached out and snatched for it. Both being jumped as it screamed at them in fright anger.
"Moon above what a sound." The grey rabbit complained.
The griffin streamed away. North suddenly appeared in front of it. He scooped it up.
"Ha ha! Gotcha!" He bellowed.
The griffin shrieked like someone was dragging a red hot poker down its spine. North dropped it. The little thing was in honest pain at his touch. It went to dart away. Tooth swooped it up lightly then dropped it after a similar reaction.
"What's wrong?" She buzzed, confused.
Bunnymund blocked off her next path. "I'm not touching it." He held up an arm. "Frost, you get it."
The griffin went to jump away and Jack moved. It leapt right into his arms. It just frozen, waiting then sighed in relief. The beak was buried into his shoulder and it chirped, shaking.
"Um?" Jack looked at the other guardian. "Help?"
Sandy dusted some of his silent, soft sand over it. Jack tucked the little creature in to his arms.
"Well, that takes care of capture." Bunnymund sheathed his boomerang. "Now what do we do with it?"
"I don't know." North said contemplatively.
"Listen." Bunnymund suddenly shushed.
The sound of tromping hooves and loud calls filled the woods.
"Hide." Tooth cried.
North gazed around and tucked his self into a large bush. Jack followed him along with the large rabbit. Tooth flew up into the leaves of the massive trees blending in perfectly. Sandy looked around confused then gracefully as he could dove into the occupied bush. He landed on top of Bunnymund.
"Watch it." He hissed. Hearing a bunny hiss was quite a comical thing to Jack.
The calls grew louder and closer. Jack tensed holding the black griffin tighter; he covered her beak with his hand. A mass of shadows flowed like spilled ink into the clearing. Nightmare horses poked their noses about whinnying. The small creature sleeping in Jack's arms twitched a bit, from fear he guessed. A figure stepped in after the Nightmares.
"Pitch." North growled as softly as he could.
The bogyman looked strange, like he did just before he was swept away by his own Nightmares. He was afraid. So were the horses. Were they afraid of the tiny creature in his arms? How was it that powerful?
Pitch sucked in a breath. "Lauren!" He yelled.
The griffin sat bolt upright in Jack's arms.
"Lauren!"
The Nightmares whinnied after him.
The griffin pushed away from him. "Shh. It's ok." Jack tried to comfort her with whispers. The creature just struggled harder.
"Come on Lauren. Where are you?" Pitch was searching the trees.
Suddenly a Nightmare was directly in front of them with its monstrous muzzle nearly in their bush. It whinnied and Bunnymund nearly gave them away by covering his ears. Jack rubbed his ear with one hand unfortunately uncovering the griffin's mouth. She stayed quiet until Pitch's next call of Lauren. She let out a high pitched shriek. Sandy collected dream sand to fight.
"Lauren?" Pitch turned. The Nightmares looked about and the one closest reared.
The griffin dropped to the ground after nearly tearing Jack's arm off with her sharp little claws.
"Run!" Jack shouted.
The little thing did run, and it was fast too. It blurred away in a straight line, directly towards Pitch. Pitch dropped to his knees and opened his arms. The griffin hopped right up into them.
"Oh thank the moon you're ok." Pitch said to the griffin. "I'm so sorry I lost you Lauren. Can you forgive me?"
The griffin chick squawked and nibbled his ear.
"What in the name of molars is this?" Tooth gasped from her place on the ground. All the Guardians were standing about in various stages of fleeing.
Pitch stood looking confused. "What are you all doing here?" Lauren climbed his robe and hung around his neck tiredly. "Especially you." He frowned at Jack.
"What do you mean especially me?" Jack leaned on his staff. "I'm the only one she likes … other than you apparently." He said rather proudly.
"What's going on here?" North growled as Sandy threw up a question mark letting the golden whips dissipate.
"What is that thing?" Bunnymund crossed his arms holding his weapons. "Another Nightmare."
Pitch shook his head. "They're much more important. If fact, these Omens are the most important thing that I do."
"Omens?" Tooth looked at the big Nightmares approaching Pitch.
"Mmhmm." Pitch nodded absently watching the Nightmares sniff at the griffin to see if she was alright. He turned back with a sigh. "They are Nightmares but not."
"Speak in a straight line." Bunnymund said menacingly.
"Very well." Pitch held up a hand and scratched one of the Nightmares. "Omens are the terrifying dreams that make humans, not just children, want to avoid an object or a course of action the next day."
"That's cruel." Jack huffed.
"Not so. They are to avoid that action because it will kill them." The Guardian's eyes widened. "Omens are meant to save lives. They aren't as nondescript as Nightmares so they are fashioned specifically by me, of course, and used up in one night." Pitch looked sadly at the griffin on his shoulder that was jealous of his attention to the Nightmares and nosing through his hair.
"But it's broad daylight." Bunnymund pointed out the sun.
Tooth put her hands to her mouth. "Does that mean this omen…?"
"She didn't make it in time." Pitch whispered. "Some intervention of the moon or sun and she is the only omen that never made it to her child."
"Were they killed?" Jack asked mournfully.
Pitch breathed deeply and looked at him. "Why can she only stand your touch?"
"My touch?" Jack looked at the ice on his fingers.
The griffin leapt down from Pitch's high shoulder, gliding a bit. She trotted over to Jack. He knelt down and stroked her head. Her golden eyes sparkled hiding a Nightmare to save a life.
"My touch." Jack said again. "My omen."
Tooth gasped. "Oh Jack."
"That day." Jack looked up seriously. "You tried to send her to me? And she never made it?"
"Yes." Pitch said. "She never died because she never delivered her message and I must say I've grown quite fond of her. She was a vision of you and your sister drowning. Not what would have actually happened but you would have stayed off the ice regardless. It might have saved you and I'm sorry Jack Frost."
Jack petted the griffin and looked at his fellow Guardians. She stared into his eyes and there was a burst of behind them. Ice blue and faces swirled around behind the gilded lenses.
"Well I guess there's nothing more to be done about it." Jack suddenly laughed making the griffin jump playfully.
Pitch smiled brilliantly as the griffin spun back to him. She batted at his heels. "Hey!" He danced away. "Come here you."
Her tail sailed through the air making a whipping sound. The Nightmares kicked up their heels. Pitch hugged Lauren to him and mounted one of the closer ones.
"Pleasure seeing you as always." Pitch drawled humorously then said seriously. "I really am sorry, Jack."
Jack simply waved it off. "No need to be, we are only where we need to be."
Thanks to The Quote Queen who really can work under pressure and during a Holiday too!