Saxima Says: So, I'm back for a chapter two, and I'm happy to see that this story has been well-enough received. I'm happy the readers are interested. I'll try to update as regularly as I can - at least once a week, but since I've got to start getting ready to go to college and all that stuff, I don't know how often I'll be able to post new chapters and when I'll have the time to write. I hope you guys stick with me, now. Enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Rise of the Guardians.

- Suspecting Mother -

It had been a few days since Materi Zemli showed up at North's workshop, and since then, none of the Guardians had seen a single trace of her. Toothiana explained that maybe her appearance was for nothing, merely to say hi, but when North looked up at the Moon that night, he could feel it – in, yes, his belly – that her appearance wasn't only to see old friends again. He didn't want to worry the others, but he felt something serious was going to happen, soon.

While the Russian was making his way to the most secret part of his workshop, he had no idea that a shadow was slithering across the floor after him.

• - • - • - • - • - • - • - • -• - • - • - • - •

Today, Jack was giving a snow day to the children of Texas; Moon knows that they needed one. He always thought Texas was kinda funny because even if they would get just a little bit of snow, it was "OH NO, THE ROADS ARE MUCH TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE, SCHOOL IS CANCELLED, STAY HOME." He didn't bring ice or snow to Texas that often, so he knew they were unused to it, but the kids loved it more, treasured it more than other kids up in the northern parts of North America. He always enjoyed bringing snow to the Southern parts of the world.

In a suburb of Dallas, Jack sat in a tree, watching the smaller kids roll around and make snow angels with his newly fallen ice, thinking about Zemli and why she even showed up if she wasn't going to be around the others. It kinda irked him because he saw that they were happy see her, but she wasn't here! Still, they were all going about their lives and duties like she'd never showed in the first place – except for North . . .

Jack's pale face scrunched up while thinking about North. There was something wrong with him. He thought that he was good at keeping secrets and being all secretive and stuff, but if even Kangaroo could tell something was up, then the old man wasn't all as good as he thought. Still, what North was hiding couldn't be so serious, otherwise he definitely would have told his fellow Guardians – at least, Jack hoped he would have. He mussed his own hair; why was he even stressing out about this stuff? He should just being enjoying this time and making kids happy, not worrying about something he might just be making up in his head!

When he leaned back against the trunk of the tree and continued to watch all of the kids enjoying their rare snow, he saw an out-of-place shadow rush across the cold ground with speed even Kangaroo would marvel at. He raised an eyebrow, but when it registered that "Warning, shadows are bad!", Jack jumped off the tree and the wind caught him.

Riding the flow of air, Jack's eyes darted from here to there as the shadow on his snow made erratic movements. He was nervous that he knew what this shadow might be and who it might be from, but he waited and swerved through the trees he was being guided through. Eventually, the clutter of leaves and branches became too much for the wind to help out Jack, and so bidding it farewell, Jack began to leap through the series of branches. He was having a bit of a tough time trying to keep up with the slithering shadow, but eventually, it had led him to a clearing, one that he had never even seen before in all of his travels.

. . . And in Texas, of all places.

But Jack didn't feel like this was Texas, anymore. It was that same feeling whenever he visited North's workshop in the North Pole, Tooth's palace in Asia, or Bunny's Warren in Australia – unreal, surreal, and magical.

The ground shadow had made its way into the area, seeming to go through some sort of jelly-like barrier, easily loosing some of its girth in passing. Jack leaped to the ground, landing with barely any noise, but feeling the crunch of some leaves beneath his feet. With surprise changing the look on his face, he looked over his shoulder, only to see a clear and defined line where the snow stopped, ringed off perfectly as if a glass cup was entrapping this area from the rest. He looked forward and saw the shadow disappear into an uncommonly huge tree.

Jack looked skeptically at the tree, his head tilted down a little, I bet anything I know who lives in there . . . he thought to himself, swinging his staff over his shoulder and pushing his hand into the pocket of his iced-up hoodie. He walked in a leisurely manner, the shadow no longer being the bigger part of his interest as he made his way farther into the mystic space.

He breathed in the air around him and it was cold and crisp; the temperature wasn't so low that it could be considered Winter, but it was just low enough to be around Autumn. There was a very soft breeze mussing his hair, almost motioning for him to turn right, so that's what he did. The flora and fauna around him was changing, almost drastically, and the weather became decidedly warmer. Suddenly, he was walking on green-yellowish grass, feeling the eyes of small animals on him, and when he looked up into the sky, it was clearer and there was no gray, not like a few minutes ago.

The boy looked back to where he had just been and realized that it was almost like he went backwards – from Autumn to Summer. In excitement, he ran back, feeling the original crunch under his feet, and kept running, a few orange and brown and deep red leaves falling on him, and then he stepped into what felt the most familiar – snow. Clean, pure, white snow. He laughed . . . and laughed . . . and laughed – now this, this was a pretty amazing.

Jack kept running, and soon he found himself in an area that smelled of fresh rain and clean grass. He flexed his toes into the ground and felt like he could be in Bunny's Warren right now. There were flowers of all kinds everywhere, and the trees were just crawling with life. The air was fresh and the perfect temperature that seemed to fluctuate between a comfortable warmness and a comfortable coolness. He loved this almost as much as his frozen lake, and even though he had never been here before, he felt so . . . at home. Man, this place was just too cool!

He fell onto the soft grass and looked up at the pure blue sky. Was it even real? This whole place looked like something straight out of one of Sandy's dreams – and at the center of if all, the giant tree stood, strong and proud. A small cloud passed over him, casting a dim shadow, and then he remembered – oh crap! The shadow!

The Winter Spirit shot back to his feet and looked around almost frantically, catching, barely, a glimpse of the dark spot gliding up the trunk. Willing the wind to come back and help him out a little, Jack used his springy legs to launch him up into the tree, that on this side of the giant circled area was filled with green and healthy leaves. There was a clear enough path to the center of the tree, and when he found himself there, there was a small hollow that peered down to the inside, and there were four distinct lines that trailed out from the hollow that seemed to split the giant tree in fourths.

It clicked; the four seasons: Winter, Fall, Summer, and Spring – that's what this area was!

Jack bent over and found that he was just skinny enough to fit into the hollow, but he looked in first. There, standing in front of an unlit fireplace in the quarter-side of Winter, was Zemli, and it looked like she was talking to . . . talking to the shadow! Talking to the shadow? What was she talking to it for? Her tanned face was a mix of calm and focused, but the tree was so tall that Jack couldn't make out anything that she was saying.

. . . Why was Mother Nature talking to that shadow? He had a pretty bad feeling about this – she wasn't in league with . . . Naw, she couldn't be! But . . . It had been a long time since he'd seen any shadows running in the world, and she shows up, and now he sees one? This was just too much for him to pass up – he had to tell the others, or at least warn them. Then again, this could be nothing . . . Ahg, he just didn't know!

He waited a little more, and she still talked to it with her child-voice, her face remaining passive. Jack couldn't take much more of this. He didn't know why she was talking to that shadow, but the longer she did, the more it started to bother him. What if she really was working with – But she's a Guardian, she can't do that!

Ugh, maybe he was just thinking too much into it.

A familiar chime hit his ears and Jack looked up into the sky – the Norther Lights. His mind quickly drifting away from Materi Zemli, he sprung into the sky, "To North's workshop, wind!" he called, and then he was gone.

Down in the hollow, the small Materi Zemli was yelling at the shadow, "I don't know what you want with me, but go away before I make you!" she cried out frustratedly. This shadow was too familiar to her and she didn't want to think about where it came from, and she just wanted it to go away. She was on the verge of tears, too, and the last thing she wanted was for this hideous thing to see her cry like a little girl – despite her being – like – a – little . . . girl. She sighed.

In its own language that Zemli could barely understand, the shadow said something, and she picked up the words "Black" and "watching you", but that was all. She was nervous and scared, to be honest. While she was a rough n' tough girl who had seen hundreds of years go by and fought many dangerous battles with the forces of evil, she was still just a child, sometimes.

Finally, the shadow pushed her temper and she threw her small hands out in front of her, a light beginning to flow brightly from her palms. From behind the shadow, potted plants began coming to life, their vines and leaves being laced with threads of light, and in a flash, they wrapped around the surprisingly thick shadow, and with the clenching of her green eyes, the vines and threads constricted the shadow until it was no longer.

Almost tiredly, as if she'd gone through the most horrible battle of the century, Zemli dragged herself to her largest and most comfy chair in the quarter of Autumn. Her small figure curled up in it, and she turned her head to look up through the hollow in her giant tree home. Just in time, she had caught the remnants of the Northern Lights – should she go? She hadn't seen any of the others for a few days, but she was busy ushering animals to their hibernation . . . Surely, they knew that!

She was tired . . . but . . . She needed to get there.

• - • - • - • - • - • - • - • -• - • - • - • - •

"Damn this cold!" Bunnymund bit out, dusting the frosty snow off his gray fur, "I don't know how you lot can stand this bloody weather . . . It's a right nightmare, let me tell you."

He, Tooth, Sandy, and Jack were making their way through North's Russian-styled castle, looking for the jubilant man. None of them had seen a trace of him since they had arrived, which made them slightly worried since North wasn't one for playing jokes. Since this was the first day of December, he had many things he needed to be doing in preparation for his big night. The more they walked, the more they worried. Even the Yetis, a bunch that made fine and attentive workers, were moving slower than usual, trying to spread word that their boss was unseen.

Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy noticed that Jack was a lot quieter than he usually was, and having a pessimistic view on his behavior, Bunny suspected that he was up to something. Still, when he looked at the usually-grinning face of Frostbite, there was a little bit of worry in his brow.

Just as the group was about to give up and retreat back to the living room area above the workshop, there was a loud yell that startled them. Suddenly, it was a race between the four present Guardians towards the sound – one that Bunny ended up winning, but they were all to worried to even care how they'd all gotten there. It was a part of the workshop only Jack had been to, once before, when North confronted him about what his Center might be, and since then, no one had been allowed in.

Jack blew open the door with the forceful bluster of wind, and just as they quickly peered in, they could see shadows of lanky and inky shapes slithering up towards the ceiling, only to disappear moments later. The entire space was in shreds – all of North's most precious items were on the floor, scattered, some broken, too. The only question was – where was the Russian?

"Bloody hell!" Bunny exclaimed, "What in blazes happened in 'ere?" - that's what they all wanted to know.

"Does anyone see him?" Tooth asked fluttering about the space, "I – I don't see him!" she said, slightly frantic. A man as big as North couldn't be hiding anywhere in this room.

Jack looked around, behind the fallen over table, behind the chair, and they were all looking when they heard footsteps behind them, and then a voice, "Oh my gosh," it was Zemli, "What happened to North's workshop?" she cried, looking almost moved to tears. Jack glared at her, thinking they weren't real and that she had something to do with this.

Before he could act on his rising anger, there was a jingle, and the other four Guardians turned to the golden spirit; there was a giant arrow above his head pointing around a bookshelf and they crept towards it, Bunny holding out his arm to shield the others, just in case it was an unwanted sight. That, it most certainly was.

North was face flat on the stone floor, no blood around him, thankfully, but he was out cold, and by placement of the fallen-open books around him, he'd been hit by some of them. Who could have done this? It had something to do with those shadows, and . . .

"Awfully convenient for you to show up just now," sneered Jack at Zemli, whose striking green eyes grew wide at the accusation, "Where have you been?"

She looked completely aghast, and almost to the point of tears, but she stood her ground, "I've been getting animals and stuff ready for their annual hibernation, for your information," she said in a small, but strong voice, "Some animals do not like to be out when it gets cold you know."

"A likely story!" Jack boomed over-dramatically, making Bunnymund roll his eyes, "Then why were you talking to that shadow in your tree-home-thingy?" he inquired, and this was what made the other Guardians look at the little girl questioningly. They were completely forgetting about the old man face down in the snow. Despite their strength and wisdom, the Guardians had rather short-attention spans.

"That shadow invaded my home and I was trying to get rid of it!" Zemli testified in a defensive tone, "I don't know what it was doing there, but it was there before I came back to my tree!"

The other three looked back to Jack expectantly, who was trying to come up with something to say, but when he drew up blank, she just huffed at him childishly and made her way to look around the bookshelves, "Oh, my poor North . . ." she lamented softly, with a mother-tone that warmed even Jack's heart, and then turned to the others, "We should get him to the hospital wing . . ."

"But he's a pretty big guy," Bunny commented with a small laugh, "How are we gonna move him?"

The hummingbird Guardian flew around North's large figure, trying to discover a way that they small five could lift the one big him. A pulley system? No, that'd take forever to set up! Their combined strengths? That might actually work . . . Magic? That was always an option – and it did sound better than them wearing themselves out by carrying him all the way to the infirmary . . . "We'll have to work together on this one, guys." she announced, and they all looked at each other.

It was . . . a chaotic journey to say the least, especially with the Yetis working full-speed and bustling everywhere , trying to get things done in their boss' stead. At least twice, a fight had almost broken out between Bunny and Jack because one or the other thought the other wasn't cooperating. Eventually, Sandy and Zemli used cuffs made out of their respective powers to keep the two apart. At last, the five Guardians brought the incapacitated North to the infirmary and laid him down in the largest bed, for he was a very big man.

"Alright, spill it Shorty," Jack immediately said, pointing his staff at the small Zemli, "What'd you do to him?"

Her tanned face twisted into a sad frown, "I do not know why you are suggesting that I had anything to do with this." she replied to him, her face going red in embarrassment – she really disliked arguing among anyone and with anyone, "What you saw in Drevo Zhizni* was me trying to get that shadow out of my house . . . And nothing more. I do not know what it was doing there, but all I did know was that I was tired and I wanted the shadow beast gone."

"Okay, you two," Tooth announced, putting herself in between the two young Guardians with a stern look on her face, "That's enough. We've got to focus on figuring out what we saw in the private workshop and why shadows are staring to appear everywhere . . . Definitely not a good time to be arguing among ourselves!"

Sandy, with his eyebrows raised and looking at the ground, beat his sides with his fists and sighed, looking awkward like he always did when an argument broke out.

They five felt the rumble of a loud groan throughout the room, and they all turned to North.

I do apologize if any of the characters seem . . . OOC, I do what I can with what I've got.
I hope you decide to leave a review, and then read the next chapter!
[ * Drevo Zhizni is a rough translation of Tree of Life, in Russian ]