~When allies turn and friends betray, an enemy in darkness seeks light of day. Discord and Chaos join hand in hand, veteran heroes must rise and stand. Against this foe, the winter moon, shall prove a brilliant and potent boon~

Chapter One - Jack

Word Count: 735

Jack perched lazily on his staff, taking a moment to revel in the joy he was spreading, watching his first believers pelt each other with lethal projectiles of compacted ice. Yes, it was by far his greatest snowball fight in the last fifty years. Mostly because he was actually included in it on a physical level; something he was reminded of as a snowball exploded against his chest, knocking him off his staff into the snow.

"I hit Jack!" Jamie exclaimed, fist-bumping the sky. With a manic grin, the boy climbed onto his haphazard fortress and pointed at Jack with mock superiority. "Surrender your scepter, peon, and I may yet show you mercy. Kneel before Jamie, Conqueror of Winter!"

Jack made a show of staggering around before collapsing at Jamie's feet with a laugh. He hefted his staff up with a dramatic flourish, pointing the crook at his friend. "I admit defeat, oh mighty warrior." He convulsed and rolled his eyes back, going limp as Jamie pulled his staff from his grip. Wind's gentle fingers tousled his hair and he resisted the urge to laugh as his ethereal partner whispered a plan to him. "Yes," he whispered lowly, his lips barely moving and his voice no more than a breath of air itself.

Above him, Jamie was cackling like a madman, bouncing around on his snowbank. "Victory! Vicor-oof!" A sudden gust of wind pushed the boy backwards into a pile of fresh powder and blew Jack's staff up into the air.

"Better luck next time, kiddo," the winter spirit consoled, catching his staff and dusting Jamie with a fresh layer of soft snow while he muttered something about using the wind not being fair. "Snowball fights are my business, remember?"

"Sore loser…whoa!" Jamie pointed a finger at the sky as he stood up, mouth hanging open. Jack followed his gaze and felt his stomach twist. Glittering across the sky, bright despite the light of day, stretched the northern lights. The Guardians were being summoned.

"I gotta go. Catch up with you guys next time, okay?" With a final flurry of snow, Jack took to the air on a chorus of goodbyes, urging the wind to carry him north.

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In what seemed like no time at all – he could swear he was able to fly even faster since taking his oath – the northern branch of Santoff Clausen loomed ahead, cozy outbuildings dotting the pristine ice. Yetis could be seen trudging through the snow and Jack couldn't help but feel a certain warmth swell in his chest as he came closer to the workshop. As he came home. As much as he had longed for a family and a place to call home in his three hundred years alone, he hadn't realized just how much he had missed it until he had found his memories and joined the Guardians. Looking back, he saw how big a miracle it was that he had survived so long on his own. He knew he couldn't do it again, knowing what he did now.

With these happy thoughts giving him a toasty feel, he swooped down out of the sky and dove through the always-open window that led to the globe room…easy access for all flying Guardians and Manny's moonbeams. He laughed at a joke Wind was telling him as he entered the workshop, but his mood quickly soured as a silver arrow pierced through the hood of his sweatshirt, just below his ear, and pinned him to the wall. "What the hell?" he yelped, trying vainly to free himself.

"My, such language. I thought you were a protector of innocence?"

Jack's gaze dropped to the floor, lighting on a young girl who stood gazing up at him, a bow held loosely in her hands. She looked young, but had the same ageless feel that many spirits had. Something about her was…unnatural. "Who the hell are you?"

The girl frowned, nocking an arrow and aiming at him once more. "Mind your tongue, Jackson Overland, or this arrow will find a spot softer than cloth. I am an agent of your man in the moon and am to be respected." She waved her hand and the arrow holding him vanished, dropping him roughly to the floor just as the other Guardians arrived. She turned towards them and inclined her head in a courteous bow. "I am Artemis and I require your help."

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Remember, precious readers. Reviews are lovely things that are proven to be stimulating food for the Muses.