The wind blew over the hills and whistled as it tickled speckles of snow on the ground. The snow fragments were like diamonds, refracting sunlight and glittering brilliantly. The wind's kisses on the ground were the only sounds in this cold and lonely, yet beautiful land.
Jack Frost sat on a stone in the middle of this lonely land. He scrapped his staff on the ground making random shapes in the snow. Jack wasn't happy at all. His face was literally frozen in a depressed and lost expression. He felt empty inside like he was missing something. He had spent most of his days in this mysterious, isolated place by himself and his daily trips to visit the children of various towns and cities throughout the world who wished for a snowy paradise, soon became rare. He noticed how many children would stop looking at him, noticing him, or even call his name. At times when he thought the children were waving at him, soon became moments of dismay when he soon realized the waves weren't for him but for someone behind him.
He got up abruptly as he thought about it and thumped his staff on the ground in front of him with anger. The bottom of the staff made a crackle sound as it made contact with the ground. Ice and frost emitted and cracked the ground around the staff as it plowed through the snow violently. Jack raised his hands, with the stick in one hand, and ice columns rose from the ground around him in a circle. He released the staff from his hand- his palm red from the intensity of his grasp. He dropped down and sat with his arms wrapped around his bent legs.
He looked up to the pale half moon which could be barely seen during the day. "What's the point of giving me this gift and making me a guardian if no one will appreciate me. One day they see me and next day they don't. Fewer and fewer of them are believing in me." He sighed and looked down at his pale bare feet and mumbled, "Maybe I'm just meant to be alone. Ice is hard, cold, and causes frostbite. Why would anyone want that over the warmth and light and comfort of the sun or even a flame. I'm the reason why they slip on asphalt. Why they cover themselves with endless blankets at night during winters. Why plants and trees turn to twigs. It's all me."
He buried his head into his folded arms which rested on his knees. He sat there unmoving in his ice cage for several moments. Then there was a sudden touch on his shoulder by a small delicate hand. He whipped around, midway managing to pickup his staff and point it at the one who place their hand on him. He lowered the staff when he saw who it was.
"Tooth? What are you doing here.", He finally asked after his long gazed at the little fairy.
"I came to visit you. I just wanted to see how you were and I didn't mean to disturb. But when I saw how sad you were, I couldn't help but come over to you."
Jack looked down with a sad face. "Oh... Thanks. Did you... hear?"
She knodded and lifted his head by his chin. "Listen to me. You are not greater than cold, frostbite and what not. You have amazing abilities to bring happiness and joy to children around the world. You saved them from Pitch's nightmares. You're also one of most amazing guardians I've ever met. Few have what it takes to even be a guardian. You have something special within you- something magical that the Man in the Moon noticed."
Jack was quiet for a few moments as he thought about what Tooth said. He finally asked. "Then why are fewer of them believing in me then? None of them ask for me to play with them anymore... Not even Jamie."
Tooth gasped with surprise. "Jamie...? How could he not believe... that's impossible."
Jack eyes soon began to fill with tears, his pupils reflecting like mirrors. Streams of tears ran down the sides of his cheeks but then froze to frost as tiny crystals because of the cold air.
"Oh, Jack!", She said brushing the frost from his cheeks and wrapping her arms around him. "I'm so sorry."
Tooth eased off Jack and looked at him. "This doesn't make sense. There's aren't any nightmares to make them not believe. Pitch is gone forever...", He turned to Tooth. "Right?"
She turned away with a troubled look on her face.
"Tooth?", Jack looked at her with worry.
She sighed. "He's not exactly gone."
"What do you mean? Didn't he get sucked into the ground and was consumed by his own nightmares?"
"Well. Yes. But he didn't perish from that. He was banished to the underworld and imprisoned for eternity. His powers were also taken from him."
"Then what could be causing this?"
"I don't know, Jack. I don't know. But it seems like something North should know about. Let's go.", Tooth said.
With a burst from the ground, Jack and Tooth set off and headed for the North Pole.