He remembered a promise.

But as Jack rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a gout of flame, he decided that action was more important than thinking. He rose to his feet, watching as the dragon turned back for another shot at him. It was mediocre, as dragons go. Scaled and large and - of course - breathed fire.

He suspected it was born from a European myth. The others usually had manes and antlers. Or had no legs. Or had a million different features, but in the end it didn't matter where it came from.

It was here.

It was trying to eat him.

Jack wondered how he was supposed to get in on the ground. He analyzed the situation. He could, of course, use the wind. However, that was only to help him in the air, and at the moment he knew he was safer on the ground.

Being in the air meant having no cover.

And he might be viewed as a real threat. Right now, the dragon was toying with him, testing him. While he didn't particularly like that, he thought that it was good he could play a weaker level for the moment. It gave him time to think and plan. Jack shifted his grip on his staff.

If he could gather enough energy to freeze the dragon's core - his belly, his breath of fire - then he might be able to take him down.

The problem was, he couldn't. It was verging on spring now, with winter blizzards fading into cool breezes and grass poking up through the melting slush of snow. He was a winter spirit. Direct warmth affected him, but so did the change of the seasons. His power was waning.

The dragon hovered in midair, wings beating powerfully as it opened it's maw. A jet of flame shot at him. Instead of dodging, Jack spun his staff while calling on the wind to deflect the heat.

It was still hot.

But Jack decided that maybe, just maybe, he should run. Live to fight another day.

Of course, he couldn't. The dragon was a little too close to the nearby towns, one of which seemed to not believe in advancements and was entirely in the Dark Ages, wooden huts and all. So running was out of the question. Instead, he hopped on the wind and let it carry him up into the clouds, watching the dragon crane it's neck to follow him.

Then the world was reduced to grey and white. Definitely a cloudy day, so maybe he could use that to his advantage. Then a fountain of fire shot past him, singing the sleeve flapping from his hoodie.

Or maybe not.

Jack gathered up the cold and waved his staff all around him, crystallizing the water in the clouds. Collecting it. Going beyond snowfall, straight into hail. Then he focused, shooting it all at the dragon.

Most of it shattered against the beasts scaly hide. The rest melted as he roared in fury, fire billowing from his mouth endlessly.

In an instant, Jack had formed a small, compressed blade made from ice, and threw it down the dragon's throat. Ordinary ice wouldn't be able to stand the temperature, but with the amount of energy he'd put into the blade, it managed to sink deeply into the dragon's soft throat.

The dragon did not roar.

It did not shriek, or scream, or anything that Jack had expected it to do.

It laughed.

Not in the way a human would, but the deep, grumbling coughs had an undeniable edge of humor to them. It looked up at him, it's tongue flicking out as it hissed. It stretched out it's wings and pushed down, rising quickly. In a minute it would be on him.

The wings caught his attention. Jack refocused, looking at the leathery appendages that were lifting the dragon into the air. They were thick, certainly, but definitely weaker than the rest of it.

He gathered up his power and let the wind release him.

He dropped like a stone, frosting the wing at the last moment and crashing through as if it were made of glass. He immediately called the wind, swooping low beneath the dragon's belly and emerging on the other side. It was twisting wildly, trying to react, but Jack wouldn't let it.

Instead, he ripped holes throughout the entire wingspan, tearing it apart until all that was left was a skeletal frame with tatters of skin attached. Hot, thick blood dripped from each wound, making it a little more difficult for Jack to navigate his way above the dragon.

It groaned as it crashed to the ground, making a dent in the grassy hillside. The dragon roared, releasing waves of fire in all directions as it contorted, clearly searching for Jack.

He hid behind a sturdy boulder and took stock of himself. He still had enough energy to hold his own, but it was quickly running out. The flames beginning to die down as the dragon ran out of breath. Jack searched for every scrap of energy, pooling it until he felt his power seething beneath his skin.

All or nothing, he supposed. He let the energy swell a little more until it felt like it would break him. Then he rode the wind straight up, giving him a view of the dragon.

He pointed his staff as the dragon inhaled, and let the cold rip through the staff. It slammed against the dragon, freezing it's jaws, around it's flaring nostrils. Jack could see his power spark and snap as it crackled over the dragon's body. It froze the entire dragon's head, coating a little ways past the chin and down the neck.

It crashed to the ground, the entire body going limp.

It did not take as much power as freezing the dragon's core would have. To freeze a place of constant heat took too much power. Still, the effort left him exhausted. Breathing heavily, Jack landed lightly on the ground, leaning on his staff.

Was the dragon really down? Usually it would at least be -

Later, he would blame how tired he was. He would argue that usually dragons, at least European dragons, behaved like mere beasts and were not tricky or cunning. How was he supposed to have known that this one was different? That it would play dead, only to lash out at the last second?

That it would reach out blindly with it's claws, tearing a large gash in his stomach?

He grunted in pain, skipping back out of reach. There was no way he was fighting back - he literally had no energy left. "Take me away, wind," he said, and the wind complied. It wrapped around his tired, battered body, lifting him above the clouds.

The dragon was defeated. At least weakened to the point where it wasn't an immediate threat to the surrounding people. It had no fire, and it had no sight. It had no way to eat, and it could just barely breathe.

So Jack left.

Baby Tooth hefted the tooth in her hands. An incisor from 51 East Street, fallen out of the mouth of a little girl. She'd been very cute, still really small. Baby Tooth smiled at the memory, thinking about tucking the quarter beneath her pillow. She loved seeing the children like that!

A wave splashed up in front of her, making her squeal as she fluttered higher to avoid it. She breathed a sigh of relief. That was close! She couldn't get wet, and if she dropped the tooth! It would be horrible!

She supposed the simplest thing would be to fly higher, but she was a little tired. Baby Tooth laughed at herself as she flew a ways up. At least enough to avoid the waves. The sea was the fastest way back to the Tooth Palace, and she wanted to hurry! Her mother was depending on her!

She was so caught up in her thoughts she didn't notice anything different about the sky around her. She didn't notice the body falling past her.

But she definitely noticed when the resulting splash almost caught her. With an alarmed squeak, she swerved to avoid the water and hovered, confused. Baby Tooth clutched the incisor closer, looking around. Nothing seemed different. Did a fish jump out of the water or something?

With a sigh, she started to turn away when a flash of white caught her eye. She shrieked. Jack! What was Jack doing, facedown in the middle of the ocean?! Why wasn't he moving? Was he breathing?

Any tiredness was forgotten. Baby Tooth gripped her tooth with determination, zipping over the ocean as fast as possible.

Her mother would know what to do.

Her mother made everything better.

Baby Tooth sped into the Tooth Palace, depositing her precious cargo into it's container before going to the central area. There her mother fluttered, giving out instructions to the millions of her sisters that went out into the world. Going to get the teeth of other children.

She flew in front of her mother, chattering frantically. Her mother saw her and gave a few more directions before asking her what was wrong.

In response, Baby Tooth told her.

She told her how Jack had fallen from the sky.

She told her how she had needed to leave him.

What could she have done? She was small and tiny, and couldn't lift him or help him. Her weak wings wouldn't have even nudged his weight, and she'd been carrying an important memory. So she'd left him, but that had been a long time ago. Too much time. She was worried, she was panicking. Her mother had to save him. She had to help.

Her mother was outside almost the instant she finished speaking.

Baby Tooth followed quickly, worried out of her mind. Her mother let her, though her wings beat almost too fast for Baby Tooth to keep up. Yet even with all that speed, Baby Tooth couldn't help worrying.

What if they were too late?

What if Jack drowned?

Then her mother was lifting the boy and Baby Tooth choked back another cry as she saw something else she'd failed to notice. Where was his arm?! Her mother already seemed to know - of course, she'd gone to the recent Guardian meeting - and merely lifted him, worry plain on her face.

They were both worried. Baby Tooth hovered before his face, seeing that he was unconscious. Water dripped from his hair, his hoodie, and, no, oh no, where was his staff? Baby Tooth tried to ask her mother, but she was already carrying Jack back.

Baby Tooth looked down, surveying the ocean's waters. There was no sign of the wooden staff, though it should be floating on the surface. It was wood, after all. Did that mean it had drifted somewhere? Baby Tooth knew that was bad. She'd witnessed what had happened when Pitch had broken it.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she turned towards home, following in the wake of her mother. Jack's health was the most important thing, and she had no way of finding the staff.

She flew close to her mother and perched on her shoulder, telling her about the staff.

In reply, her mother nodded, but said the same thing she was thinking - that they had to take care of Jack first.

Baby Tooth fretted and worried.

She missed the piece of wood drifting past them as they went, hidden by the constant motion of the sea.

Jack woke up instantly. He'd trained himself long ago not to wake up the normal way. No, there was no room in his life for the grogginess and disorientation left over from sleeping. Instead, he opened his eyes, fully alert and ready to fight.

Only, there was nothing to fight.

He sat up, a slight wince his only acknowledgement of the gaping wound in his stomach. It was only a flesh wound, as well as iced over. It could wait while he figured out where he was. He slipped out of the bed he had been placed in, walking over to the window.

His first clue should've been that everything was pink and gold.

However, he didn't realize he was in the Tooth Palace until he saw the towering walls of rock, and the little tooth fairies flitting past his window. He blinked, then clambered out the window, balancing easily on the thin ledge. He had to find Tooth. He couldn't find his staff anywhere.

He ignored the cheerful and concerned chirping of the tooth fairies as they spotted him, choosing to leap agilely from ledges to balconies, making his way to the central area. When Jack landed lightly behind her, Tooth spun and beamed. "Jack! You're awake!"

"Oh. Yeah," he replied, a little thrown off by her enthusiastic greeting. Then he relaxed and smiled. "Thanks for picking me up, Tooth. Nice to wake up in a bed for once."

Her face fell at his statement. "Oh, sweetie, I wish you were more careful. What happened to you?"

He shrugged. "I got caught up in a fight. Have you seen my staff?"

"No, I'm sorry," Tooth apologized. She gave a few instructions to her fairies before telling him, "Your staff had disappeared by the time I came, and we didn't have the time to look for it. Honestly, I have no idea where it is." She smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure you'll find it."

Jack sighed. "Can I catch a ride home?"

She blinked. "Oh! Of course! But, um, I'm kind of - no, Middle Street, not Madeline Street! - I'm kind of busy right now. Would you mind waiting a bit? There'll be a lull soon, I'm sure."

"Nah, that's okay," Jack told her, grinning. "I appreciate the thought though." He waved at her once before hopping off the edge, sliding down the spire to land lightly on one of the rocks. He stretched briefly before eyeing the landscape before him, made up of jutting mountains and forests taking root wherever they can.

He admired the view for a moment. Then the wind whistled around him impatiently and he laughed. "I should probably get going," he agreed.

He knew he'd dropped unconscious somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. That explained why Baby Tooth had run into him. She'd probably found him during a delivery.

Without his staff, he had no way to cross the vast ocean unless he -

Heck.

Why not?

He dug around in the pocket of his hoodie, pulling out the possession he'd 'borrowed' from North's a few visits back. It was a snowglobe. He wondered if it could lead him to his staff. He shook it lightly and said, "My staff." Then he tossed it to the ground.

Unfortunately, it just bounced a few times before rolling to a stop. He stooped to pick it up and tossed it from hand to hand, thinking. Where should he go?

He should probably check on the dragon to see if it started rampaging again.

He should probably go to North's and give back the snowglobe, as well as see if the Guardians knew anything about the dragon.

He should go home and try to recover from his fight.

He should do a lot of things, really.

Instead, Jack tossed the snowglobe again and said, "The Warren." The portal opened up, and he stepped through the swirl of light and color. Sunlight and the smell of plants greeted him as he stepped onto the soft grass. It was warm, but magically so, and didn't affect him. It was almost pleasant.

He took a moment to enjoy it before calling out, "Bunny! Hey, are you in here?" He listened, then shouted, "I know you're here, kangaroo!"

"Oi! Could you stop calling me that!"

Jack chuckled quietly as he sat on a moss covered rock with his legs crossed, waiting patiently. Soon enough Bunny came into view, looking slightly irritated. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "And why didn't I sense you come in?"

"It's a funny story, actually," Jack replied. "But first, did you hear about this dragon?"

"A dragon?"

"Yep."

"A dragon."

"Uh huh."

"Jack, please don't tell me you tackled a dragon on your own."

"Okay. I won't tell you."

Bunny groaned, slapping one furry paw to his muzzle. "Why would you tackle a dragon on your - you know what, never mind. Least you didn't lose your other arm or any legs." The rabbit sighed and looked him over. "Incidentally, why are you here? You don't seem to be in pain."

Jack pulled apart the remnants of his hoodie and his shirt, revealing the thick coating of ice he'd placed over his wound. "As a matter of fact, the dragon caught me at the last minute. It's healing, but I was hoping you had some medicine to speed the process along." He grinned disarmingly. "I've got a lot of walking to do. Hard when you have a hole in you."

"Right," Bunny said, unconvinced. He poked the ice. "Melt it. I can't see what I'm dealing with."

Jack obliged, holding back his hiss of pain when the blood started flowing freely again. Bunny grimaced. "Wait here," he said, hopping away.

"I was totally going to go running instead," the youth said sarcastically, just loud enough for Bunny to hear. He settled back down on his rock and considered trying to nap while he waited. But in no time Bunny returned, a bowl of green gooey paste in his paws.

He made Jack take off his jacket and shirt before applying copious amounts of the goo to his wound. It was cold, and Jack sighed in contentment. Then Bunny bound his stomach with cotton bandages, almost too tight for Jack to breathe. "There we go," Bunny said.

"Thanks a lot," Jack said, wriggling back into his shirt and hoodie. It took some time, trying to use only one arm, with Bunny eventually helping him out.

Bunny nodded. He started gathering up his things, but Jack added, "Could you keep an eye out for my staff? It's gone missing."

"Missing?"

"Yeah."

Bunny heaved a sigh. "I'll keep an eye out, mate, but you should probably forget about it. It's as good as gone."

Jack grimaced. "I kinda need that for my powers, you know?" He gestured to himself. "What kind of winter spirit can't make snow or ice, or even fly?" He stood and brushed himself off, looking around. He figured he could take one of the tunnels out.

He started walking towards one, but Bunny pulled him back. "Whoa, not on your nelly! Come on, we're going to North's. At least he'll have room for you to be wandering around."

"But I need to go home!" Jack protested.

"You can go home after we find your staff," Bunny said, tapping his foot. They dropped down into a tunnel, and Bunny easily landed on his feet. Jack fell in a crouch, keeping his balance as well.

He looked very put out, but just grumbled, "Fine."

Bunny had expected to have to stroll along to keep pace with the troublemaker. Instead, Jack was like a bullet, a blur of white shooting past him. Bunny hastily caught up, surprised by the youth's speed and strength.

He filed the thought away for later as sunlit holes and mossy stone passed by, darting over the earthy floor of the tunnel. Soon the telltale cold filtered into the air, and they emerged in the snowy landscape of the North Pole. "It's freezing," Bunny complained.

Jack just laughed. "Last one there's a kangaroo!" he shouted, running lightly over the snow.

"Oh, you don't wanna race a rabbit, mate!" Bunny shot back, ignoring the cold as he pushed himself. His paws dug into the snow as he bounded after the kid. Suddenly, lights flashed across the sky, shining with beautiful colors.

A brilliant aurora borealis.

The two Guardians exchanged looks before running faster, the race forgotten.