Ch. 2~ Returning
He's at it again. Bunny thought as he tried to hide his eggs through the snowfall. It was snowing harder now as the laughing jackal flew overhead again. "Rack off, ya bloody show-pony!" he yelled up to Jack Frost.
"Aw, c'mon, Bunny. Lighten up. Learn to have a little fun." The winter spirit landed on a tree branch, leaning his staff on his knee.
"I've gotta job to do, and, as always, you're messing it up."
"Snow makes the hunt more interesting," Jack whined.
"Ya mean more deadly. Ya do realize that you can make the little ankle-biters sick doing that?"
As if on cue, a warm wind started blowing from the south. With it came the scent of blooming flowers. It blew away the snowflakes and melted the ones on the ground.
"What the…" Jack dropped to the ground.
"Oh, for the love of springtime. Thanks!" Bunny yelled into the air.
"Who are you talking to? What just happened?"
"Mother Nature takin' care of me. Apparently she's none too happy with ya messing with me either."
"Mother Nature?"
"Anyway, if ya ain't got anythin' better to do, why don't ya go make sure the googies make it to the sites?"
"Fine, I guess, this one time," he said sarcastically.
"And don't you dare freeze 'em, or I'll make sure to ask for a warm front."
Not half an hour later, as Jack supervised an egg hunt, the Northern lights lit up. Something was wrong. Giving up on the light snowfall he'd conjured, he shot off towards the Pole. Upon arriving, Baby Tooth flew up to him and snuggled against his neck. Jack laughed and petted the tiny Tooth Fairy.
"Jack, oh, it's good to see you." Toothiana came flittering over to him. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Not a clue. Shouldn't North be telling us that?"
The big man clapped him on the back, letting out a hearty laugh, "Right you are," he said with his thick Russian accent. "Manny has recently brought something to my attention." North looked around. "Where is Bunny?"
"North, it's Easter. He's out doing his job." Toothiana told him. "We'll fill him in later. Now, what's Manny told you?"
"Hm? Oh, yes. There must be something big on the way, because Manny has decided on a new Guardian."
"Whaddya mean 'new Guardian'?" Bunny walked in. "Googies are all in place, and I need to be here." Jack briefly noticed Bunny limping as he hopped to the fire. Cold feet. "Anyway, has he told ya who yet?"
"Not yet. He was waiting for all of us to be here. Eh, Manny?" he called up to the sky. Man in the Moon aimed his rays at the Guardian's symbol on the floor. Sandman started making pictures over his head, asking what it was all about. There was a wolf shadow on the floor. A sudden howl tore through the air, shaking them.
Bunny shivered. "Oh no, not again."
"What is it?" Jack asked.
"The very essence of fear, a minion of Pitch." Tooth explained. "If he's coming out, it's only a matter of time before the other do too." The Moon's beams became more focused, pulling up the Guardian's Crystal. The Crystal itself was making strange images. Roses, trees, moon, sun, stars. Sandy's images made question marks, then other symbols that Jack couldn't understand.
"Is it Cupid?" Tooth asked.
"Can't be," Bunny said, "he's not a Guardian of Childhood."
The Moonbeam finally began to take the shape of a person. The figure was wrapped up in a rose vine, her hair blowing around her head like a halo. In her hand, an engraved staff worn smooth. She wore shorts with thigh high socks and soft boots. Her shirt's sleeves were long and flowy, the right side hanging off her shoulder, and the other arm wrapped up in a form fitted sleeve under the loose one. Her face was one of pure calm, with a warm smile and soft eyes.
"Aurora Natura?" North's face showed uncertainty.
"Who?" Jack raised an eyebrow.
They all turned to him. Toothiana fluttered to him. "Jack…you don't know who Aurora is?" He shook his head. She guided him to the Crystal. "Look at her. What do you see?"
He studied the image for a moment. "Flowers…wind…warmth?"
"Exactly!" North whooped. "Phil, Tom, would you mind going and fetching Madame Natura? And be gentle with her. You know how she is. Don't use the sack!" Phil garbled at him, sounding something along the lines of "Yeah, yeah."
Tooth flittered forward. "North, let me go talk to her. You know how she is, she'll come along easier if we have a little girl chat first."
