Here's the second chapter! You guys will be seeing some of Jack, now n_n
Enjoy!
-300 years later-
The girl in the red cloak hummed to herself as she walked about the large forest that surrounded and mostly enveloped the small suburban town of Burgess. It was wintertime, and Christmas was slowly nearing. Christmas spirit filled the air with its exciting energy. Trees were bare- their branches covered in snow- and the ground blanketed with at least a foot of the white winter miracle. The red-cloaked girl seemed at home in the dense forest, for she made her way around confidently, if not a little bit comfortably, as if the forest were her home. She lazily brushed her fingertips against the trees that she walked past, turning their bark from gray to a strong, healthy brown, and summoning bright green leaves from the bare stems of the thick, proud branches.
It was an odd sight, indeed. There was quite a large amount of spring-looking trees scattered about the wintry forest in no particular order. Some of these leaves even sprouted flowers! The strangest part… was that the trees came back to life at the touch of the mysterious girl.
The girl was pale as the snow she walked upon, her short, raven black hair framing her young-looking face. But her eyes… her light blue eyes seemed to be hundreds of years old. She was quite an odd looking sight indeed, this girl. It seemed as if she had stepped out of a children's fairy tale book. Her white dress hung upon her as if it were made especially for her. Her red cloak's hood was drawn up, covering her hair from the snowfall, and the back of the cloak billowed behind her as she walked, slightly brushing against the ground. Her emerald amulet slightly glowed with mysterious power as it rested upon the hollow of her neck. But the oddest thing about this girl had to be her bare feet. Indeed, her feet were bare upon the snow- not showing even the slightest sign of any sort of discomfort. She was truly an odd specimen, but somehow enchanting at the same time.
The raven-haired girl stopped in her tracks, and drew her fingertips away from the trees as she spotted an injured bird upon the snowy ground, small droplets of red staining the slushy ice beneath it. The girl dropped to her knees in front of the bird, her humming turning into an ancient song as she gently picked up the small flying creature. She softly shushed the tweeting creature, running a finger along its feathery back as she paused her singing to speak calmly to it. "It's alright, it's alright. Do not fret, my friend. You shall be alright," She whispered to the creature, her voice alluring and tranquil.
The brown bird quieted as the girl picked up on her singing, her voice rising as she observed the bird's injured wing. It seemed as if the animal had cut his inner right wing upon something, for there was a huge gash, and plenty of feathers were missing. The red-cloaked girl placed her fingertips upon the wound, the bird's blood smearing upon her fingers. She closed her eyes, and sang her ancient song, allowing her magic to do the rest. The amulet upon the girl's neck shone brightly, and her fingertips began to glow a light green. Within seconds, the bird's wound was gone and the girl withdrew her fingers from the now-missing cut. Feathers had replaced the bird's injury, and it almost seemed as if there was never anything wrong with him to begin with. The bird chirped happily, and it flew from her hand, and up to her face, seeming to rub its beak against her nose as a thank-you.
The girl smiled and laughed as she spoke, "It is no problem, my friend. Now go! Your family awaits you."
With one last chirp, the bird flew off, leaving the girl all alone, just as she has been for hundreds of years. The girl resisted the urge to sigh. I am never alone, she constantly reminded herself. I've got my forest friends… and the trees and plants… I am not alone.
But still, the girl could not help but yearn for friendship- a human friend that would respond with words when she spoke to them. The girl almost laughed at her ridiculous dream, at times. She knew she would be forever doomed with loneliness. That's how it always had been, for the past three hundred years. And that's how it always will be, she reminded herself.
"I've got you now, Jack!" A brown-haired boy named Jamie yelled among a burst of giggles. He and his friends threw snowballs at their friend, pelting what seemed to be ten balls of slushy ice at the poor child named Jack.
But Jack was not a child. He was a winter spirit, and a Guardian of Fun. He was the one and only, Jack Frost.
Jack chuckled as he dodged the snowballs with inhuman agility, and then straightened up with a bright smile, his ice blue eyes playful. He gripped his shepherd's staff tight in his left hand as he lifted up his right hand, palm up. "Oh have you now?" He questioned the boy as he smirked, a snowball forming within his palm. The children screamed playfully as they hid behind their snow fort, but Jamie was not quite fast enough, and Jack's snowball pelted into the back of the retreating boy's puffy jacket. Jack let out a whoop of triumph, and hovered above the snow-covered ground as he did a flip in the air.
"Dangit, Jack!" Jamie protested, brushing snow off his jacket, but a cheerful smile still playing upon his lips, deep brown eyes gazing admiringly at his friend.
Jack laughed playfully, still floating in the air casually, but starting to float back to the ground. "Sorry Jaime, you gotta be quicker than that!" He called to his best friend- and first believer. Jack stood upon the ground, and rose up his head cockily. Jamie pouted, his freckled nose wrinkled as he looked at his friend.
But that was when Jack heard it... a song. It barely made its way to his ears, but he could faintly pick up on it. Somebody was singing… Jack glanced at the forest, distracted. The music was coming from there. His pepper and salt eyebrows furrowed with confusion, and he surveyed the forest, listening with his incredibly sharp hearing. It sounded like a girl singing. He had never heard the voice, before, and it entranced him. Jack gripped on tighter to his staff, instinctively. Who could that be? He wondered.
That was when an icy snowball pelted the back of his head, knocking him forward partially as he stumbled to regain his balance. Mouth dropped, Jack turned back to gaze in disbelief at his friend. Jamie wore a smug smirk, his hands behind his back as he widened his eyes innocently among his winter friend's stare. Jack let out an astonished laugh, still shocked. "Did you just-"
"You gotta be quicker than that, Jack!" Jamie taunted him, pelting another snowball that Jack luckily dodged this time.
Jack laughed and rested his cane comfortably upon his shoulder. He wanted to depart and find out where the mysterious singing was coming from. "Hey- I'll see you guys later. There's something I gotta do," Jack informed them all. The children groaned in protest, and Jack laughed. "Don't worry everybody," he told them with a smile as he began to float in the air, ready to take leave. "I'll be back tomorrow!"
The kids all gathered around Jamie, waving up to the winter spirit. "Bye, Jack!" They called.
With a smile and a wave, Jack sped off towards the forest, eager to quench his intense curiosity. He flew above the forest, noticing with confusion the scattered green, flowery trees. "What the..?" He whispered to himself, eyebrows furrowed. He continued to search the forest, scanning the grounds from above until he spotted a flash of red. Jack silently lowered himself to the trees, and perched upon a branch to get a closer look at the red object. It was a cloak, clothed upon a strange-looking girl. Jack looked closer, observing the young lady.
She appeared to be singing to herself, walking past the trees gracefully. Jack took this close-up opportunity to take in her features. He had never seen her before- that he was sure of. He would have definitely remembered her. She appeared to be seventeen or eighteen, around Jack's age. The girl had short black hair, and skin almost as pale as the winter spirit, himself. Her eyes were a light blue, and her nose was sprinkled with light freckles. She wore a strange white dress that flowed about her just like her cloak. Her hood was drawn up, the red a huge contrast against her pale features. Jack felt his heart speed up- probably from curiosity and excitement at seeing a new face, he supposed.
That was when Jack noticed the girl was barefoot, just like him. His eyebrows rose slightly, and he let out a quiet laugh, his lips curving into an amused smile. That's odd. Normally humans do not walk around without shoes… especially not in this snow. Jack was about to get down from his hiding spot to get a closer look at the girl, when something caught his eye. The girl's amulet- it was green and shone with a soft light. Jack's eyebrows furrowed yet again, his curiosity heightening.
Just as Jack decided to go up to the girl, he froze. A wolf appeared from the trees, approaching the girl with a menacing growl. The girl stopped in her tracks, facing the wolf. She did not appear afraid, but instead began to hesitantly approach the beast. It snarled and let out a threatening bark. The raven-haired girl appeared to softly speak to the dog, but Jack was too distracted by the vicious creature to catch what the girl was saying.
"Hey!" Jack yelled as he jumped off the tree and flew to the girl. "Back off! Run, now!" He instructed her, hoping she could see him as he landed in front of her, putting himself between the strange girl and the predator. Jack held up his wooden staff, the cane beginning to glow with power as a cloud of frost rose from the sturdy wood.
The girl did not run, though, and for a second Jack felt the disappointment at the idea that she wouldn't be able to see him. He quickly turned back his head, looking at the girl incredulously. Her eyes met his, and his previous assumption was quickly thrown away. She could definitely see him. "What are you doing?" He asked her, urgently. "Run! Now!" He ordered her. If she could see him, she must have heard his order. But the girl did not move, she only continued to stare at him with wide-eyes, disbelief playing clearly upon her features. Jack turned back to face the wolf, realizing that he had no time to argue with the girl as the animal barked again, beginning to advance on Jack. A serious look enveloped Jack's face as he held his prized staff forward, prepared to freeze the dog.
That was when the girl finally spoke. "What do you think you're doing?" She screeched, her face wild with fear. Before she could stop herself, she summoned a strong wind that pushed back the surprised white-haired teen, knocking him into a tree. The winter spirit passed out, slumped against the thick trunk of the pine tree, his magic staff at his feet. The girl placed her hand over her mouth, surprised at what she had done. She faced the injured wolf, again. She had to heal the creature so she could tend to the boy, but the predator was restless, now, the fur upon his back spiked with anger, his growling rising.
The girl tried hushing the dog, and began singing softly as she advanced slowly to it, holding out a pale hand in a friendly gesture. "It's okay, little pup. Do not worry. I want to help," She explained, her voice slightly high with fear for the boy that laid passed out beside her. "I only want to help," She repeated as she tried to clarify her intentions. Slowly, the girl came within a foot of the uneasy creature.
The wolf stopped growling, but still held a defensive position as the girl placed a hand upon its snout, singing softly. The dog calmed, and allowed the girl to heal its broken front paw, only growling from time to time to remind the girl who the dominant creature was.
When the wolf was finally healed, it hesitantly nuzzled against the girl, giving her a thankful lick upon her hand. "You're welcome," she whispered. "I must attend to this boy, here," she spoke, gesturing to the white-haired boy that had tried to save her. "He means you no harm, I promise," she explained to the wolf. The creature glared at the boy uncertainly, but seemed to nod as it straightened up, and began to walk away after giving the girl one last loving wet kiss upon her cheek. The girl smiled as the wolf disappeared within the forest, and quickly rushed over to the boy, dropping onto her knees at his side.
"I am so sorry," she whispered, placing a hand upon the boy's forehead. He was freezing, his body temperature below normal. The teen stirred slightly at the red-cloaked girl's touch, and murmured incoherently. He was still very much passed out. The girl then observed the strange boy's features, taking him in.
His hair was white as a cloud, with hints of gray highlighting his messy locks that seemed to stick up everywhere, yet still looked soft as freshly fallen snow. His skin was paler than the girl's, and he wore a blue hoodie that hung upon his slender frame loosely, and at first glance seemed to have a white snow pattern upon the top, until she observed more closely and realized the pattern was indeed an intricate design of actual frost. Her eyebrows furrowed, the girl noticed the boy's brown pants that seemed centuries old style-wise, and his bare feet. Just like her. Hesitantly, the girl withdrew her hand from the boy's forehead, and leaned in close to observe the teen's face. His facial features were fair and delicate- yet still held a strong look to them. He was strangely cute, in a boyish way, and he seemed to be slightly older than her.
Then the girl noticed the shepherd's staff that lay upon the boy's feet. It seemed like an ordinary staff, now that it was not within the teen's grip, but she knew it contained some sort of power, for she saw it glow merely minutes ago when the boy stood in front of her, trying to protect her.
Hesitantly, the girl reached out to the wooden staff, and picked it up, finding it to be surprisingly light in weight. The staff did not glow in her hands, but she observed it, feeling entranced anyways. The wood seemed to spiral, giving the cane an abstractly beautiful composition. Feeling like she was intruding in the boy's belongings, she stopped her prying, and placed the staff down by her side. She looked back at the teen, and she knew that this was no ordinary human by her side.
He had seen her.
Pushing her questions aside, the girl decided that she must bring the teen to shelter before he died from the harsh cold. She picked up the surprisingly weightless boy, along with his staff, and flew him to safety.
Yayyyyy end of chapter two :D I like this one a whole lot more than the first one. Now things are starting to pick up n_n
Sorry if those of you who are following this story got an email notification about a new chapter before I even posted this up! I'm still learning how to work my profile, and might've accidently gotten that email sent out before I even finished this chapter D: sorry, I'm still a newbie.
I'm gonna try and post up chapter three within a day at least, seeing as I have no life, and a lot of homework I don't wanna work on n_n yayyyy
Thankyou for reading, and please review! :D Critiques and even encouraging reviews will be much appreciated
Until next time!
