I do not own Rise of the Guardians.

Chapter 2: Wind is not enough

Claire had been trekking through the woods for days. She was tired of them and longed for some comfort. Sure, the chill of the late autumn night did not bother her. Her limbs were not tired. The night had just started so there was no need to sleep yet. But the branches kept snagging her clothes, and mud made them dirty. She had leaves, twigs, spiderwebs and who knows what else stuck in her hair. After all this time in the wilderness, she looked haggard and you know what they say about looks. What you wear influences how you'll feel. She was definitely feeling it.

It didn't help that she was still wearing the clothes he gave her. Brown leggings, long violet skirt, white rather revealing shirt, embroidered dark violet vest hugging her ribs tightly and accentuating her boobs, and a matching jacket. His gypsy fantasy. She was glad it was all torn up by now. She couldn't wait to get out of this stupid costume and wear some simple jeans and a tunic - her go-to comfy clothes.

Her eyes stung and tears threatened to come as she remembered what she was running from giving her the motivation to keep going.

"I know deep down you want me," he had said to her when she refused him yet again. "Just give it time and you won't be able to resist all of this," he added running his disgusting hands down his body. "We've got all the time in the world."

Why was her luck so treacherous to give her a sire like Oriol?

No. She would not cry. She would never shed a tear over him ever again. She was free now would do whatever it took to shape her own destiny.

"I will never be like you, Oriol!" she yelled into the night picking up her pace.

She heard a thumping of a heart. She smelled the air and recognized the scent of a buck. All her attention was focused on it now. She silently prepared herself and sprung on it immediately. She was quick and efficient. When her fangs penetrated the tough skin, the toxin was released and the animal relaxed. She drank from it while it slowly dozed off. She hated hunting the innocent animals but it was a necessity. She was careful to pick the strong ones that wouldn't be too weakened by the loss of blood. In areas that had a lot of predators, she would even hang around her pray to defend it after feeding until the animal woke up and was able to run away. This area was deserted so she could let this buck sleep it off.

Claire continued walking and sighed. This feeding wasn't enough, really. First of all, there weren't many animals in this area so she didn't get to feed often. Second of all, there's just so much animal blood can do in terms of nutrition. She was starving. Her body demanded human blood.

"Fine," she said to herself. "I'll find a town. I'll find some unlucky humans there and pounce on them while they sleep. Ooooh. Maybe I'll get a bath!"

She perked up at the thought of submerging herself in a warm scented water and continued her trek more enthusiastically.

While flying slowly high above the clouds, Jack was deep in thought. He wasn't sure why he said those things to Jamie in the first place. As much as he loved his best friend, he knew he wouldn't understand. Heck. He honestly didn't understand it all either. Too many thoughts had been bugging him recently.

Wind ruffled his hair trying to cheer him up and he smiled at it. Wind had been his companion from the very beginning. Sometimes, she was the only one he could talk to. But let's be honest. She was not enough. That's why he had always longed for human interaction. He was human once, it only made sense that that's the only type of comfort he would know to seek but what if he was missing the point? What if his attachment to his lingering human emotions and needs was in fact what was holding him back from being happy?

The other nature spirits he had found were much older than he was. Some were thousands of years old, others maybe millions or maybe they were timeless. Compared to his three centuries… Humph. He was a baby spirit by comparison. He wondered if maybe with time, he would become more like them - all nature and no longer resembling a human, at least not on the inside. It was bound to happen eventually. Should he attempt to fight that process? Should he fight to keep his humanity? Was there a point to it?

It seemed that holding on to his human needs only brought him misery. He could watch humans go on with their lives but could never be a part of it. Those special humans, like Jamie, gave him the companionship he craved so much but they would grow old and die and leave him alone yet again.

Jamie was already an adult. Jack closed his eyes already dreading the day when he would lose him. Could he go through the heartache of losing a best friend every few decades over and over again century after century? Why would he do that to himself?

He was tired of the turmoil in his head and decided to take a rest. Night had fallen already. He wasn't exactly sure where he was. He was traveling north so he was probably somewhere in Canada by now. He found a spot to rest on a halfway fallen tree. The large trunk was slightly curved and would provide a cozy perch just a few feet above the ground. He settled himself there and closed his eyes waiting for Sandy to send a peaceful dream his way.