It should be illegal for me to come up with ideas at one in the morning...or post them at midnight; this is the third time it's happened.

-crossover-

Jack Frost had learned very quickly that many animals could see him. Those who couldn't see him were able to sense him, and he always had fun messing with owners of the dogs and cats who growled at him. Seeing the expressions on their faces was enough to cheer him up most days.

Adult animals weren't as fun to play with, but the younger ones were. A bobcat would consider eating him while a dog would chase him. But a young fox or horse would gladly play with him if he had something for it to snack on. It was a good way to ease the loneliness Jack felt, but he often had to avoid large predators like any other person.

Jack could remember most of the animals he had played with or taken care of over the years, but there were a few that he could never forget. Like the lost cat he had found or the bird that had fallen out of its nest. Jack loved animals, but he knew better than to get too attached to them. As a spirit of winter who was invisible, he had to travel too much to care properly for a pet, and compared to him, they didn't live very long.

Jack wondered if his life would ever end, but he didn't worry too much about it most of the time.

Because of how long he had lived and how many new places he traveled to each year, Jack had seen many fun games and activities in his life. But hunting was one of the things he never enjoyed.

It was necessary in most places, and Jack understood and accepted that. But it just wasn't something he had ever seen as fun. He didn't see the point in killing something if it was just for decorations or was going to be thrown away soon after dying. So whenever a chance came up, Jack would often mess with hunters and their supplies And if they killed an animal Jack had taken care of or played with, he made sure they would regret it.

So when he heard a hunting dog barking loudly while he passed over a rural area, Jack decided to check it out. Just to see what was going on and maybe play a prank on the hunter, and then he would keep moving after the hunt was over. But his plan didn't work out as he had hoped.

Jack landed in a field near a farm and listened as the dog's barking became louder. It sounds like they're heading this way, Jack thought as he waited. Out loud, he commented to the wind, "Do you think it's a rabbit? Or what?"

The wind responded by gently pushing him in the direction he was supposed to be going.

Jack waved it off impatiently as the dog's barking got louder. "I have time! It'll just be a minute."

If the wind could sigh, Jack would bet that it did then.

A young fox suddenly appeared at the edge of the forest, carrying something in its mouth. Jack blinked in surprise. "What the - ?" The fox ran out of the forest and closer to the farm.

Jack didn't see the dog or the hunter yet, but he knew there wasn't a good chance that he could help her. The dog couldn't be too far behind and the hunter would have a gun. Jack felt bad for the fox and thought it would have a better chance of getting away if it had put whatever it had down. Jack tried to get a better look at what the fox was carrying and realized it was a cub. The fox was trying to save her cub.

It took him less than a heartbeat to decide to intervene.

"Wind! Go that way!" He pointed in the opposite direction just as the dog appeared. The wind obeyed and the dog barked in annoyance. It turned around and sniffed around in the forest, trying to find the scent again. Jack knew the wind could only obey for a while, but the vixen had taken the opportunity to find a place for her cub to hide.

Jack landed on a fence, where the vixen placed her cub next to a wooden post nearby. She never glanced at him, but the cub looked at him fearfully while his mother soothed him. Jack smiled reassuringly at the cub as the dog began barking in excitement.

The wind had righted itself, and the dog had found the trail again.

"No!" Jack raised his staff to defend the two - but the vixen had already raced away, leaving her baby behind.

The dog spotted the fox running over a small hill and started running after her, barking. Jack couldn't see the vixen anymore or even the hunter, but the dog was still barking as it ran to catch up to the fox. In the seconds it took Jack to catch sight of the fox again, the hunter had suddenly appeared and saw the vixen.

There was a loud gunshot, then another.

Jack fell from the fence, shocked. The wind fretted over the boy's fall, concerned. Jack ignore the wind and stared at the hunter and his dog as they approached the dead fox.

"No, don't be dead," Jack begged softly as he stood up slowly, trembling. "Please be okay."

It wasn't the first time Jack had seen a fox die, but it was the first time he realized that the fox may have had a cub to feed and care for. A cub that still needed its mother.

An owl flew down to meet the hiding cub, but Jack didn't notice as he flew toward the vixen, falling to his knees near her body with a look of horror on his face.

The dog growled and barked at Jack, but he ignored it as he stared at the vixen, digging his fingers into the dirt in frustration.

She can't be dead, not when her cub still needs her - Jack shook his head, panicking. What should I do?

The hunter didn't see Jack as he patted the dog's head and murmured, "Good boy, Chief," and moved toward the fox. The dog glared at Jack, who watched helplessly as the hunter casually took the vixen away. Jack heard the man mutter, "Good riddance," before Jack remembered the cub.

He quickly stumbled to his feet and flew back to the fence to make sure it was okay. Even if the mother had died, at least the cub would be okay. Jack would make sure of that.

He arrived in time to see an elderly woman talking quietly to the cub. She looked around and said out loud, "I wonder where your mother is."

Jack winced and glanced at the cub, who stared at him and the woman curiously.

"It's okay," Jack assured the cub, smiling. "You'll be alright. This lady will take care of you."

She seemed to be thinking the same thing as she picked up the cub and carried him into her house.

Jack sighed in relief. The cub would be fine. He flew to the window and watched as the elderly woman fed the cub and put him to sleep. Jack stayed and watched over the two for an hour or so before the wind gently reminded him that he needed to move on.

Jack reluctantly began his journey again, but he promised himself that he would return in the winter to check up on the cub and the lady.

Years later, when Jack finally got his memories back, he realized that the cub's mother and himself weren't so different; they had both died trying to save someone close to them.

-crossover-

This is what happens when I watch Disney movies while trying to come with ideas for other stories.