Falling in Snow

Chapter Two

E. Aster Bunnymund did not like snow.

He did not like the feel of it in his coat, he did not like the biting chill of it nipping at his skin, and he most certainly did not like running—or hopping—through the stuff when it was piled impossibly high over the ground as it was now.

The Pooka came to a stop and rubbed furiously at his arms, gaining only a bit of warmth for his efforts. The harsh cold wind of the subarctic climate kept him hunched over as he shook and his violently chattering teeth felt close to cracking. The snow was deep enough to reach just underneath his knees, and everything below them had lost feeling some time before. His nose felt like an icicle frozen to his face and his ears, his ears were a completely different story all together. No, Bunnymund did not like snow, and he allowed himself a moment to steel his resolve before he shot off back home. There was good reason for the guardian tunneling to Canada in the winter time when he would have much rather preferred to be at the Warren where it was marvelously, eternally, spring.

Eggs.

Or, if he were to go to the heart of the matter, the hunt. It was the hunt for eggs that dragged Bunnymund from his rounds back home and out to the snowy woods where he was now. Bunnymund took off again, following the scent of magic in the frosted air into the white buried foliage and trees of the woods. The magic had a subtle, yet very distinctive smell, and it was one that Bunnymund knew well—he had been trailing it for over a year. His good friend North enjoyed a great moment of thoughtfulness about a year before during his month-long Christmas celebration—North celebrated Christmas throughout the month of December and the eggnog and cake only saw more rum as the actual holiday passed—and gifted Bunnymund with brilliantly crafted wooden eggs carved hollow and stuffed with chocolates. The painted shell was very unlike North's usual work, but the colors reminded him of Sophie's own attempt at painting so it was lovely nevertheless. The magic that clung to the egg, as North described, was to help him find them wherever they might be hidden. The Guardian of Wonder had since hid them month after month so he could have, as Jack Frost supplemented quite amusingly, his very own Easter hunt. All year round.

It was such a touching gesture, Bunnymund initially had been very suspicious. It was in his nature to be cautious, but the Pooka could hardly deny a challenge either. Every time North gave him the signal, smile broad and eyes sparkling with mirth, Bunny tracked them down and hunted for them. Their locations differed drastically, from the high rooftops of Madrid to the homely farms of Mato Grosso. The prizes inside were just as diverse, ranging from chocolates, peppermints, stickers, erasers, coins—anything that would fit in the hollow it seemed. The contents always made Bunnymund curious enough to raise a brow, but North had no response for his questions outside of a hearty laugh and a mighty clap on the back for a job well done.

Nothing did come up from the gifts malevolent in nature, so Bunnymund continued his hunts, instincts sharp as they've been for centuries. The little journeys were always a thrilling change from his usual and sometimes mundane work in the Warren and provided for a great distraction. Despite whatever obstacles he faced, Bunnymund couldn't quit. Not when the children that raced out to find his eggs were so eager and unwilling to.

Besides, he was the Easter Bunny. How could he not find all the Easter eggs?

It was this last thought that gave Bunnymund the final resolve he needed. He could handle a little snow. He refused to let North best him in his own game. He only needed to track the eggs, find them, and then conjure up the next tunnel out of this snowy wasteland en route to his Warren where he could place all the goodies in their respective places and relax in warmth and comfort.

The magic was strong in his nose, meaning he was close. Bunnymund gave a triumphant whoop and scanned the area quickly for potential hideaways. Now it was only a matter of finding the individual spots—and Bunnymund had been hiding eggs for centuries. It did not take the Pooka long. North was clever, but Bunnymund had centuries worth of experience under his belt. He uncovered eight of them, tangled in bushes, nested in branches, and one dug deep underneath the snow and hidden underneath a rock—boulder—that took some effort to move. The last was hidden in a hollow in a tree where he had to fight off a duo of offended squirrels.

"Crikey, I need to get out of here" Bunnymund muttered to himself when he was done. Opening the pack he brought slung across his shoulder, Bunnymund observed his spoils more carefully, noting the etched patterns and twisting grooves and vibrant, albeit messy, swirls of colors. His whiskers twitched in satisfaction as he closed the pack again, a warm smile lifting the corners of his mouth. Pleased, Bunnymund wriggled a foot free of the snow and shook it as best he could while balancing on one leg. The Pooka had to stamp a few times to get to the ground, his foot working away the snow until he could feel grass underneath. A large hole swirled into existence, opening into a long winding tunnel that would bring him back home. He could practically smell the hot chocolate he was going to whip up and nurse just as soon—

Bunnymund paused.

It was faint, faint enough that he almost missed it. Bunnymund's foot settled in the frosted grass where his tunnel had disappeared amongst the snow. There was another magical scent in the air, practically unnoticeable with North's own magic pungent in his nose. It was weak, but the scent made his heart thrum erratically in his chest and his ears perk and his fur stand on end. He could discern that it was close and Bunnymund only took a moment to consider whether or not he should pursue it before he made his decision.

Bunnymund was a Guardian, he could not walk away now when there was something potentially afoot, something potentially dangerous. And he felt it, the danger, or something that wasn't right. The Pooka placed a paw on the boomerang resting in the holder against his hip, his claw tracing the grains in the wood as his eyes bounced quickly over trees, logs, brush. He tread as carefully as he could through the snow swallowing his steps, taking his time although his nerves were tense and eager. His nose twitched as the scent became just a bit more perceptible to his senses. He was close to the edge of the woods where it bordered a small, gray, nondescript road peeking through the white of winter fall. Homes lined up on the other side, huddled together closely underneath the piles of snow that buried them. The air was still and quiet, as if the town was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

Bunnymund took a step back and dropped on all fours, ears rotating and nose twitching again discerningly. There was something here, he could feel it underneath his skin even despite the snapping cold. Frozen tail forgotten, Bunnymund bounded through the edge of the woods, sniffing as best he could through his freezing nostrils. Hopping through heavy scrub and clusters of skinny trunks reaching up towards the first rays of morning, Bunnymund slowly began to realize that these woods were familiar. When he came to a stop next, it was because he recognized suddenly where he was. The woods looked different, dazzling white against dark bark and deep green spruce, pine and fir, but it was the very same woods he had ventured to before, long ago. Almost as if in reminder, the magic he had been tracking surged. It emanated in the air fiercely, curled down his spine and made his breath come quicker.

He didn't realize he was moving until he was standing in sight of the road again, looking down at a shrub not unlike the rest. It was a Taxus Canadensus, or a Yew, a beautiful shrub and one that he counted amongst his favorites. The leaves hung heavy underneath the snow as if trying to conceal a secret, the foliage of needles thick enough that he couldn't see directly within its spindly branches.

He was hesitating. The acknowledgment was a blow to his pride, but the sudden brunt fact prompted him into action, despite the slow coils of realization that curled up his arm as he reached into the depths of the brush. Through the gangly branches and leaves his paw finally enclosed around something hard and cold and it made his heart stop.

Bunnymund gasped and ripped his arm out, eyes widening at the round icicle in his paw.

"M-my googy!" he exclaimed in horror. He tore at the brush again as he cradled the frozen egg and dug out more and more of them. "I don't—this isn't possible"

The Pooka went through all the bushes in the area and uncovered more of the old Easter eggs, frozen and tinged with age and sickness. The painted shells he had worked on with so such diligence and pride were cracked and peeling and chipped away. He found more than he cared to count, too many to carry in his arms. He knew they were spoiled, dead. The little magic that clung to them were remnants of the enchantments he had given them over a year ago. Their little legs were still present, frozen stiff and angular as if they had been in motion before they stopped suddenly in their travels. Bunnymund picked up as many as he could, and carefully, one by one, packed them away in his pouch. Bunnymund did not miss how dull and sick his own eggs looked against the new bright wooden eggs that were North's own. He felt a twinge of guilt he couldn't place and grief, grief because some group of children had not had Easter and because his beautiful eggs had somehow never made it out the woods they were waiting in. Any merriment Bunnymund felt earlier was left behind as he hopped out into the street.

As he stood there in the dead of morning in the dead of winter with his rotten Easter eggs hanging at his side, the silence of the winter air was suddenly disturbing, the impassive faces of the houses unsettling. The stillness of the day had lost its serenity, and in its place, was a great sense of foreboding. Bunnymund couldn't shake the thought that something had happened in this town and the answers were lost to the disquieting calm and snow. He was more than relieved when he conjured up a tunnel and dropped down into the welcoming darkness, leaving the chill behind.

He should have known his troubles would not end there.

Hopping as fast as he could through the long winding tunnel trailing through the earth, Bunnymund was too preoccupied with his rampant thoughts to properly process the scene in front of him before his feet slipped abruptly. The poor Pooka slid gracelessly against a path of melting ice as it twisted and turned wildly through the passageway. He cried out and tried to regain his footing as the world spun around him, claws raking against the ice until he was finally hurled into the air through a magnificent frozen hoop.

When he fell, it was in a heap of tangled limbs and matted fur. It took a moment before Bunnymund could stand without dizziness threatening to send him over again, and he had to hold clumsily onto the wall for support. Groaning through his fingers, Bunnymund looked dazedly to see what in the world had happened, his eyes widening in disbelief when his brain finally caught up with his eyes.

Melting ice swirled in brilliant spirals and twists around the ground and ceiling like some child's toy track. The moss that grew in vibrant carpets of green against the rock glistened with the dripping water, matted down and slick from the massive amount of it falling from above, soaking the floor. And worse, worse still was the fact that he was not alone. His egg sentinels were strewn and rolling throughout the tunnel like giant loose marbles, feet kicking uselessly at the air as their heavy bodies lolled around the ice and rounded walls again and again in a pathetic clamor of chaos. The standing were knocked back down to roll again and bump against others that were struggling against their weight to manage the same, the sound of stone grinding and banging against stone filling the space.

Bunnymund immediately forgot the pain in his backside. Grinding his teeth fiercely enough to hear the sound, Bunnymund felt his paws clench into shaking fists as he imagined getting them around the neck of one deviant winter spirit in immediate need of a discussion.

"JAAAACK!"

"You are thinking that is better? How is that better? Look how mine shines like Rudolph's nose!"

Frowning, the other occupant of the cramped wooden table made some very pointed grunts as he gestured meaningfully toward his creation. It was a doll, a fabric doll with dainty features sewn in and a head of silky fine hair. The occupant—a Yeti as he was known to most—rubbed the material of her cotton dress against his fingers and grunted again in a tone that suggested there was no need for argument.

Seated in front of him was his superior. He was Santa Claus to most children of the world, but North, the Guardian of Hope to those closest to him. He turned imploring blue eyes to his friend and made a sound in his throat in disagreement before he shook his head.

"The dog Pookles told me Parris was first place in contest and she has been on Nice List since last Christmas. She wants shiny doll so she gets the shiny doll!"

The Yeti rolled his eyes to the ceiling and shook his own head. He garbled something in his own language as he passed the doll over to the ex-bandit, looking so expectant despite his furrowed brows and frown the North took the proffered toy with a chuckle.

"You want me to feel clothes?"

Phil nodded and leaned in closer as a bright smile lit up North's features.

"Yes, yes" North was now nodding along with the Yeti, his expression now that of one in concentration. "This is good material, very good"

The slam of the door as it burst open and crashed against the wall rattled the two out of their conversation. Tiny elves stumbled in in fright, scrambling over themselves to escape the vicinity of the Pooka towering over the room as they ran to the safety of North's chair, hiding in shivers behind his boots.

North took in the gray disheveled fur, sticking every which way in a tangled mess and had to cough into his fist to conceal the laugh bubbling up his chest. His friend looked absolutely livid, green eyes turned to fire in a glare that would have terrified North had he been anyone else. Bunnymund's whiskers twitched cutely—North had to bite his knuckles to keep from chortling out loud—before he spoke, his accent even more prominent now that his fierce temper was triggered.

"We need to talk" he ground out between clenched teeth.

North exchanged a look with Phil across the table and turned back to Bunnymund, huffing and dripping on his wooden floors as he stood in the doorway. He stroked his beard thoughtfully, hoping the action would help him to look serious and not positively amused and on the verge of laughing.

"Has Jack done something?" North asked innocently. His dark brows went up as he waited for an answer.

Bunnymund ignored the snigger that came from Phil at the question and narrowed his eyes. "Yes, an' that bloody little blighter will be wearin' my foot in his arse when I see 'im"

Blue eyes widened comically at that and North pursed his lips. "Oh?'

"But that's not what I wanted to talk about" Bunnymund sighed, and suddenly, he looked so tired and worn and scared that North didn't know what to do at first. He could feel the tension from Phil beside him too and North's frown deepened. Worry crept into his voice when he spoke again and made him stand from the table, earlier conversation forgotten.

"Tell me what it is troubling you, Bunny"

Bunnymund didn't respond immediately. North was standing in front of him when the Pooka finally nodded. Green eyes turned back to him, dark with foreboding.

"You're not gonna believe this, mate" he said.

And North couldn't.

Authors Note:

thankchaoforspellcheck: That is so cute their pairing name is an actual name :D That proves it was meant to be! And thank you, I'm glad you like it. I'll keep on writing until my fingers run away from over work :D

nightmre13: Sorry, sorry! XD Sorry it took so long for a new chapter, I was working out where I would be going with this. And then I left you with another cliffhanger…kinda, lol 3

every1's Beta: Are you an actual Beta? :D And I saw them, they're so cute! I love it 3 Thank you, I'm hoping I can make this good for you guys (like it is in my head) and thank you for the follow *hug* I know! There' some Jackrabbit on archive if you need a fix XD They have some good ones.

xXDante-kunXx: Lol, sorry about the cliffy! There's going to be a lot of those though, (I'm so evil mwahahaha). The egg sentinels are defending Bunnymund's Warren because they sensed an intruder. They always get edgy when Bunnymund's away :D

prophet: No spoilers! And I hope I can keep everyone IC

royedugawa: I'm glad you liked this, thank you so much! Don't worry, I decided to put the slash in the sequel, lol. I got a lot of people who wanted it so yaaah…

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

What's going on? Things are going to be picking up a little bit, so stay in tune! Review and let me know what you're thinking~ I love the feedback and it's awesome motivation. And thank you to everyone who's following and who favorited. I'm going to work hard to post up the next chapter soon.

Dueces!

Edit: Kinda reedited too O3O