The blistering cold morning wind was starting to cut through the small town of Plainfields as most of the people were starting to rise out of their warm slumber with the dawn approaching. The children were still asleep in their cozy beds dreaming about all their favorite things. The adults that had to work early started to bundle up in warm clothes to keep themselves warm before walking out to warm up their cars. Within the hour, most of the adults were leaving for work and the children were woken by their parent. They soon started to rise out of bed to start another day to have fun with their friends or parents.
One particular Guardian was ready to start the New Year with some winter morning enjoyment, one of which he knows the children love. The children started to rush to their windows with their eyes still blinking, trying to wake up and see if the magical white, cold, fluffy snow was going to fall today. All the while the adults turned on their television to see what the weather was going to be like for the week, hoping it doesn't snow at all and cause them more things to worry about.
As the winter Guardian known as Jack Frost, made his way through the town as fast as the wind could carry him, he started to summon snow in his wake. As he flew past the houses, he caught glimpses of children of all ages jumping up and down behind their window with smiles and laughter. Jack laughed out as he got his self-esteem up to create more snow. Once he made his rounds around the small town, he flew to a nearby park and waited for one of his favorite moments to come along. He soon could hear the sound of small boots crunching the snow underneath in the distance and were making their way to the park where Jack was at. You could hear the adults in the distance, telling their children to put mittens on, or to wrap a scarf around their necks. Other parents told their children to come home at a certain time or before breakfast. Soon the bobbling heads of the children, wrapped in warm clothes, started to make their way over the hill and into the park. Jack, who was balancing gracefully on the top of his staff, jumped down and was ready for his daily fun routine.
As the children met with each other to find out what they could play, a snowball flew out of nowhere and hit one of the kids on the back, suddenly another one flew and hit another kid in the leg.
"Okay, who's throwing the snowballs?" the child that was hit first spoke with mischievous glistening in his eyes as he bent down and gathered snow between his mittens.
He started to pack it tightly to create a snowball. He turned and threw it at the closest kid next to him and in return was hit in the face by another kid. Thanks to Jack, the children started to throw snowballs at each other, while they were laughing and giggling around the park. Jack moved in and started to create snowballs with the greatest of easy. He launched five of them, all hitting their targets perfectly. The children giggled some more as they threw more snowballs at each other. One of the children fell backwards on the ground and started to move their arms and legs to create a snow angel.
"I'll make one too!" said one of the children who was watching.
She fell backwards on her back and was creating a snow angel. Soon all the children were on their backs, making snow angels, getting up and observing them, only to make more of them. Jack watched with fascination as the blanket of snow he placed down earlier was turning into a work of art of snow angels. He called for the wind to take him to his next destination where he could create more fun and enjoyment for the children.
As the night was covering Plainfields, the families were inside their warm houses either eating dinner, watching a movie, or doing many other things a family would do. Their parents coming home from work would gather their children up in their arms with a warm hug or kiss. As Jack made his way through the town again he decided to see what the people were doing. He peered inside the windows and watched a family enjoy a board game together as shouts of "Yes!" and "No!" were making their way around the table. Jack chuckled to himself and decided to go to the next house. Inside this house there was a family of three children with their parents, nestled around the fireplace telling the children a bed time story of the classical "Frosty the Snow Man."
After his long enjoyment of watching people, he went back to the park where he and the children played snowball fights and snow angels. He stood on top of a statue that was shaped like a lion that was centered on a fountain and looked up at the full moon, which shone down on the town and made the snow glitter to life.
He started to think of the past, before he was a Guardian, and all that he went through to try to get people to notice him, especially the children. Then being encountered by the fully fledge Guardians and being told that he was the next Guardian to protect the children from Pitch Black, the creator of fears and nightmares. Also the discovering of his own past since he wasn't able to remember what happened prior to becoming the Jack Frost that he is now. So many thoughts crossed his mind as he stared at the moon hard, as if he would be able to look through the moon and see the all the answers. Then another thought crossed his mind.
"I know that I'm a Guardian now and my job is to protect and give the children fun, but nothing much has changed since I've become one," his voice wasn't regretful by all means, but inside he was still lonely since only a handful of children have seen him.
He visits Jamie from time to time and catches up on what has been happening over the years and also plays with him and his friends that are able to see him. He loves the winter enjoyment of bringing fun and happy times to the children; to be able to interact with them at all made him happy in the very least. But he was missing something and he couldn't place his cold finger on. He had the other Guardians by his side since he joined them in the battle against Pitch Black and also sees them when it's just to talk or for minor emergencies. He couldn't believe those 300 hundred years of living alone without a true purpose and now he is here; guarding the children and creating winter and fun.
"So Man in the Moon, what is the next step to being a Guardian?" Jack asked as he stood up tall and raised his arms up to his sides to make himself known, his staff in his hand still. The wind knowing his summoning came and took Jack into the air.
"If there is anything else to becoming a Guardian" he mumbled lowly as if Manny, Man in the Moon's other name, would hear him.
He just let the wind take him anywhere this time, since there was no point in going back home yet. Even though it was dark, it was technically early since the winter solace had that effect on the world. Nine hours of daylight was the only downfall for the people on this side of the Earth. They couldn't enjoy being outside long and made people tired faster, but at least some of the children come out and play at night when it's not so cold. As he was floating by the town and was getting into the urban country, he couldn't help but notice a house that was on a small hill that was surrounded by trees. It was almost completely covered by the trees, but not all the way. He never noticed this house in the day light, but something about it at night caught his attention. Maybe it was the lights that were still on that made the forest have some sort of life. Or maybe the small stream of smoke going into the sky and creating a welcome home feeling is what caught his eyes. There was something there and he decided to find out what it was since there wasn't anything to do at the current moment.
As he was approaching the house, he couldn't help but glimpse at the surroundings below him. To people it would have been just another forest with its forest like themes, but there was something else. There were little streams here and there flowing down the hill, nightly creatures that come out to hunt or stretch their legs or wings, open spots where the trees haven't grown making it look like it was lighted into a shape, thanks to the moon. Maybe the way the moon shone down on it was the key to its aura; it made it look like the forest was coming to life. As he was getting closer he saw that the house wasn't too big and not too small, since it was made out of log wood it almost became one with the forest and seemed very welcoming. It reminded him of the town he grew up in, everything back then was made of wood and other material that was of the earth, but in this day of age, houses are built less of nature and more manufactured. Nothing like he used to live in.
He was well away from the house as he started to circle around it and take in the details, such as the way the log cabin was built, the chimney that was made of large stones, and how the light in the windows brought it to life. He noticed something odd outside the house that was near the top of the roof. There was a small balcony on the top floor that was connected to a room. On the balcony there was a form of a person looking out towards the forest and beyond the forest was the town of Plainsfield.
Jack started to move closer to the figure, until something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned and saw the sky was lightened up by the northern lights, with their colors of blues, greens, and yellows, and all in between.
"North," Jack proclaimed to himself.
North must be calling the Guardians to come to his home. Jack turned back toward where the figure was standing and notice the person was gone. Must of went back inside, he thought as he was about to call to the wind to take him to North's.
"Wind, take me to North's place!" He called out aloud and the wind came and took him as fast as it could go.
"Jack, glad you could make it!" North's thundering voice that was heavily thick with a Russian accent called out as he walked to Jack and patted him heavily on his shoulder.
"So what's the emergency this time? Hopefully it's not to deal with the elves again," Jack said as he moved his shoulder around that North patted on, or to say pounded on.
"No, the elves didn't let loose the Reindeer again, though that was quite a chase," North looked out toward his shop with Jack watching next to him, peering down at the elves that were still hurting themselves on accident in the foolish of ways. Good thing the children don't know about this, they would be quite shocked.
"Yeah, it took two days to find them all and the one I chased after didn't like me one bit," Jack said half heartily as he turned around and was walking towards the fire place that had an old picture above it that was of North and the Yetis.
"So, what did you call me for?" Jack asked with a slight irritation since it wasn't a big emergency from the way North was acting. Jack knew that he didn't have anything going on tonight that was important, but he didn't like being called without a reason either.
"I just wanted to catch up with what you've been doing is all, I know Christmas was only a week ago and the others are more busy then I am at the current moment, so I thought I would ask about how your years of a Guardian has been," North's humble voice was that of a welcoming gesture as he sat down near a large table and moved his hands over the table to signal Jack to come sit.
Jack shrugged his shoulders like that of a teenage that was slightly irritated to be invited to talk about his Guardianship like it was a child's school day. At least, that's what Jack thought anyways.
"Well, now that it has been five years since I've been a Guardian protecting the children, nothing much has happened since I became one," Jack said as he sat down and rested his staff across his lap.
Jack was staring down at it in deep thought, he couldn't help but think back to when he was on the fountain in Plainsfield, looking up at the moon and questioning his purpose once again. Jack was feeling that nothing much as change in terms of being seen and believed in like the other Guardians.
"Something is troubling you though, is it the children not being able to see you still?" North questioned as he leaned across the table to look at Jack closely and to let Jack know that he has his full attention.
"Well, you could say that," Jack looked up at him and North noticed something in Jacks' eyes that still have been there since Jack looked at him when he came into his shop.
"But there is something more than just the children, you were able to make some believe in you, which I've known you have been fighting for since you've became Jack Frost," North sat up straight and stood from his chair as he walked casually to the fire place and stood in front of the warm heat that came from it. Jack followed his movements with his eyes and was wondering what he was thinking. Maybe North, since he's been the longest living Guardian, at least he thinks so, might know of his feelings that even he can't figure out.
"You know," North turned and looked at him with a soft expression that carried a small smile, "it can be troubling being a Guardian. There will be times when you will be down for reasons you can't explain, and then the next thing you know you'll be up and happy again as if it never happened." North's movements as he walked towards Jack and explaining to him his reasoning's was very flamboyant, since he loves to make expressions with his body during his speeches.
"Believe me North, I know very well how that feels, but lately it seems to be something else I can't explain, a different type of… loneliness," Jack started to get up from his seat with his face toward the ground, until he heard the heavy footsteps of North starting to approach him quickly.
Jack looked up with enough time to sit up straight that resulted in falling back and hitting his back against the back seat of the chair hard. North had both his hands on Jacks shoulders and was looking at him with a very surprise looked, as if Jack mentioned that his home was on fire.
"A different type of loneliness how?" North said with his face only a foot away from Jack's face, Jack was becoming very uncomfortable being approached like that, so he swiftly moved under his arms and out of his grasp without too much force and started walking backwards away from him.
"I don't know, just, there are times when I go back home and realize that there is really nothing there for me," Jack's awkward tone gave North an idea of what Jack was saying, it's just that Jack doesn't truly realize this feeling yet, since Jack Frost was a young boy when he became a Guardian, it only made since after three hundred years of being alone. First Jack needed someone to believe in him, and now that this is slowly happening Jack is now recognizing new feelings he's never experienced. Maybe his interaction with others is bringing this out.
"Well my boy, that is something there, the only advice I can give to you is to go out and explore the world, but really look into the daily lives of the people, and not just children," North explained as he walked past Jack and towards the work shop where the Yetis were working.
"Explore the world? You think that after three hundred years of roaming around and seeing people's lives that I need to keep doing the same thing?" Jack was perplexed by North's advice. Seriously, he thought, I already know everything about the world! Right?
"That may be true, but apparently there is something else out there that you have yet to discover for yourself." Jack started to follow him, but changed his mind since he was getting tired of the conversation.
"Well then, if you excuse me, I'm going to explore the world for the next hundred years and possibly figure out what you mean," his sarcasm was slightly heavy with his normal attitude when he's angry, he flew out the window where the moon normally shone into North's home and unto the magical device on the floor where Man in the Moon made his calling. North walked towards the window that Jack flew from with a deep expression before calling out.
"Don't forget to keep protecting the children while you're searching!" He called loudly, he was pretty sure Jack was long gone before now.
As Jack flew out into the night with bursts of angered energy, he was starting to slow down as he entered another town that he knew too well. There had to be answers somewhere, but he was wondering if this feeling he had was just a phase he was going through. It couldn't be that bad, but he had to know. He slowly made his way to a familiar house that was lived in by a familiar person; the first person to actually see him and believe in him
"Maybe Jamie knows something."