Doing his best to contain the nervousness he felt from being in the presence of one of the few beings in existence whose powers surpassed that of the Man in the Moon, Pitch made sure that his voice carried nothing but respect as he addressed the silently watching entity.
"I must say, I wasn't expecting for you of all people to come to my rescue. But I am most gratef"
"I did not save you for your sake Pitch Black. So if you wish to cling to your meagre existence a while longer, I suggest you keep silent until I have finished explaining why I am here".
Wisely keeping his mouth shut after that mild, but no less deadly rebuke, Pitch listened with an air of nervous attentiveness as the robed being proceeded to inform him of the reason for its intervention.
"I have had my eye on you for some time now Pitch Black, and I must say that I am extremely disappointed by your actions. Using the powers the moon man gave you to become all powerful, putting innocent children in danger just because you feel cheated, and robbing the Guardians of their ability to perform their chosen function. All of which is something that I do not approve of".
He was sure that if it hadn't been for Death's presence, he would have been torn to pieces by his nightmares by now. For it was never a good thing to have a force of nature displeased with his actions, and as he had just discovered, he had managed to piss off the most powerful force of nature there was.
"However, while your own actions are far from praise worthy, the same could be said for those the Moon has seen fit to steal from my clutches".
Eye's widening in disbelief at what he just heard, Pitch couldn't help the small gasp that passed his lips, something which managed to seemingly escape his robed victor's notice.
"While they have their use in ensuring that the soul's I collect aren't overly tainted by the rigors of their brief period of existence, the fact remains that because of their inability to properly maintain the balance means that far too many of them are forced to make my acquaintance before they have reached the natural extent of their lives".
Pointing a thin, almost skeletal finger at the boogey man, Death allowed a small portion of its power to briefly glow in its sunken eyes as a warning to the recovering Pitch.
"Make no mistake Pitch Black. Your actions are also inexcusable. And if it wasn't for the fact that your needed to create the balance I seek, then you and I would be meeting on far different terms then we are now".
Feeling the blood drain from his already ashen face as he endured the anger of the oldest and most powerful being in existence, Pitch fell to his knees in utter terror as a familiar tool materialized into Death's right hand.
With a quick slash that was near impossible for his eyes to follow, the boogey man watched in fearful wonderment as Death's scythe created a swirling portal of shadow before gesturing with his hand.
"Come Pitch Black. It is time for me to have a little chat with the one's responsible for your current…condition. And it is a conversation that I would have you be part of".
Knowing that it was pointless to refuse, and secretly gladdened that he was not the only one who had managed to irritate the one being who all human's believed in, Pitch quickly moved to follow the being's order.
For as he knew, Death was always prompt in arriving on time for it's appointments, and god help the poor soul who had the nerve to try and alter Death's already busy schedule.
...
And thats another chapter for done :)
Next time will see how the rest of the Guardians deal with the Death at their door :)