Faith and Guidance precedes the Miracle
Here's the next chapter of my story. I hope you all enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 2: Rumors and Attack
Ivy let out a sigh as she flopped down onto her bed within Bunny's warren. After the Guardians took Ivy on as an apprentice, they decided to give her and Jack bedrooms when either of the two needed to stay for the night, or needed to a quiet place to relax.
Ivy had decided to relax in Bunny's Warren after the long lecture that North had given her for running away from his lesson, while adding in her Guardian lesson that she needed to finish with him. Bunny's house within the Warren was built into a hill that looked out onto bright green land of the Guardian's home.
Ivy's bed was like a large nest with thick quilts, which Ivy buried herself in as she snuggle into their warmth. Ivy was more comfortable at Bunny's Warren than at any of the Guardians' homes, so she would often come and stay with him for a while. But she made a promise to not come around to visit or stay at the Warren when Easter came around, unless it was a serious emergency. Ivy knew how much Easter meant to Bunny and didn't want to burden him with her troubles, or interrupt him in his work.
Ivy let out a tired yawn and was about to fall asleep when she heard a knock at her bedroom door. She let out a groan as she slowly sat up to see Bunny opening the door and walking into her room, while closing the door behind him.
"Hey, Wolf-pup, you doing alright?" asked Bunny as he walked over to Ivy and sat down on the edge of her nest/bed.
"Yeah," replied Ivy with a weary smile as she sat up. "I'm just a little tired after such a long day."
Bunny let out a soft chuckle as he gently patted Ivy on the head.
"Can't really blame ya," said Bunny in sympathy. "North's a good bloke, but he can be a little over bearing at times. Though you did sneak away from your lessons to run off to Alaska by stealing one of North's snow globes, so I would say that North having you sit through the end of you lesson is a justified punishment. Along with helping the yetis making the toys for next Christmas."
"Yeah, I know," muttered Ivy with a sad frown upon her face. "I'm sorry that I ran off like that. It's just that...North expects me to know everything there is to know about being a Guardian. He wanted me to learn everything all at once, but I'm not that kind of person that learns about everything in one day. I'm still kind of new at this whole Guardian apprentice thing."
"I know, but don't forget that the Guardians and I are new at this teaching thing as well, Shelia," said Bunny with a smile. "This is the first time we've taken on an apprentice in over a century."
Ivy became quiet for a moment as she let her thoughts process what Bunny had said to her before she spoke again.
"Bunny...do you think I'll become a great Guardian like you and the others?" asked Ivy curiously in a soft voice.
Bunny sadly looked down at Ivy before he gently pulled her towards him to lean against this side.
"Ivy...the others and I were not always that perfect." Bunny softly said as Ivy looked up at him with a sad frown. "We completely cut ourselves off from human children as we became more focused on our work in making sure the children kept their belief in us. In the process we over looked or ignored you and Jack when you two needed us the most."
"I think Jack needed you guys more than I did, after all he's been alone a lot longer than I have." Ivy said as she let her head rest against Bunny's furry chest, while a smile came over her face. "All I wanted and wished for was to have a family that would accept me for who I am. And in the end, I winded up having you guys as my family and I'm grateful for that."
Bunny smiled down at Ivy as his heart grew warmer in happiness. Ever since Ivy and Jack came into the Guardians' lives, Bunny had began to see the young teenage girl as both a daughter and little sister. And when it came to Jack, Bunny saw him as an annoying little brother that would continuously get on his nerves once in a while. Yet, all-in-all, Bunny grew to like the winter spirit, even if he is too proud to admit it in front of the other Guardians.
He could still remember the day when MIM had chosen Ivy and Jack to be Guardians. Sometimes it felt like it was only yesterday to him. When he and the other three Guardians found out that the two teens were picked to be Guardians, Bunny hadn't been thrilled at the idea of having a human child and Jack Frost be a part of their group. Ivy was too young and didn't have any fighting experience, while Jack was an annoying winter spirit that messed up his egg hunts. But after getting to know them, Bunny found that Jack really did care about children and that Ivy was one tough fighter when it came down to fighting Pitch. It had been a total shock to the Guardians when they found out that Ivy was a Ōkami after their first encounter with Pitch. It was after discovering and getting to know Ivy that Bunny swore then and there that he would try, and help Ivy learn about her Ōkami Clan heritage.
Bunny gently rubbed his paw/hand up and down Ivy's right shoulder as they lapsed into a comfortable silence. Ivy leaned closer to Bunny's chest as she listened to the steady beat of his heart, and as she listened to it the young teen's eyes began to grow heavy. Ivy's eyes were just beginning to close as she grew closer to falling asleep on Bunny's chest when she was quickly startled awake by the door to her room being slammed open. Bunny snapped his head towards the door to glare at the intruder, who was none other than Jack.
"What are you doing in me Warren, Frostbite?" questioned Bunny in annoyance.
"It's North," answered Jack in a serious voice. "He wants everyone at the North Pole right away."
Ivy frowned as she and Bunny shared a look with each other.
"So much for relaxing," muttered Ivy.
The trio used one of Bunny's tunnels to quickly travel to the North Pole. Unfortunately, the tunnel entrances appeared ten yards away from the Workshop and the snow was so deep that it almost came up to Ivy's knees.
"Every time!" exclaimed Bunny as he wrapped his arms around himself to keep warm.
"What's the matter, Kangaroo? Can't handle a little cold?" asked Jack with a smirk.
"Now's not the time for joking around, Jack." Ivy said with a deadpanned expression upon her face. "Let's just get to the Workshop to see what North wants before Bunny and I freeze our toes off."
"Okay, okay," said Jack with a pout.
He called upon the wind to lift him up from the ground and carry him to North's Workshop before shouting over his shoulder.
"See you there!"
Ivy rolled her eyes before she changed into wolf form, which was the size of a small car. Ivy had been practicing her shape-shifting powers for a few weeks to see how big her wolf form could become. So far her wolf form only grew to be about the size of a small car, so she wasn't sure how big her wolf form can get...yet.
Ivy took off across the snow covered ground with Bunny hopping a few feet ahead of her, while shouting out a complaint along the way.
"I can't feel my feet!" shouted Bunny in distress, "I can't feel my feet!"
Ivy rolled her eyes in amusement, but did not comment on Bunny's distress. After about an hour of running, they soon reached the door to North's Workshop. Bunny gave the door a couple of hard knocks before it was opened by a yeti. Ivy let the Guardian of Hope go in first as she shrunk down to her normal wolf size before walking through the door. Once the yeti had closed the door, Ivy began to shake off the snow that clung to her fur. Some of the snow that flew off from her fur hit some passing elves in the face. Bunny and the yeti held their paws or hands up in front of their faces to keep the snow from flying into them.
"Steady on, Lass, no need to bring the outdoors indoors." Bunny said as he gave Ivy a look of displeasure after lowering his arms from his face.
Ivy stopped her shaking as she looked up at Bunny and the yeti for a moment. The yeti turned and grumbled something under his as the large creature walked away from them.
"Sorry," said Ivy with a sheepish smile after she shifted back into her human form.
Bunny only rolled his eyes at Ivy before he grabbed her by the back of her tunic and threw her onto his back. Ivy let out a startled yelp at the sudden action, and quickly clung to Bunny's shoulders as the Guardian of Hope took off down the hall, which lead to the meeting room.
"Every time!?" exclaimed Ivy in good humor.
Bunny only chuckled as he continued to run down the hallway. Once in a while, Bunny would throw Ivy onto his back and carry her around for a bit like he did the first time they met each other. It had become a habit for Bunny as he loved to carry his Ivy around on his back, but only if they needed to get somewhere fast.
It didn't take long for Bunny and Ivy to arrive at the meeting room where the others were waiting for them.
"Ah! Here you are!" exclaimed North as Bunny hopped up to the group.
"What took you so long?" asked Jack as he leaned against one of the chairs in the room.
"Sorry, had to shake the snow out of my fur." Ivy said as Bunny let her slip off his back.
"Yeah, and in the process got a few elves soaked too," added Bunny with a smirk.
Ivy gave Bunny a playful glare before Tooth flew up to her and hugged Ivy for a moment. The Queen Fairy then pulled back and began to fire off random questions that Ivy didn't have the chance to answer.
"Are you alright? You didn't catch a cold when you were out there, did you? How are your teeth, are you taking good care of them?"
Ivy let out a groan as Tooth poked her fingers into the young teen's mouth. Ivy shook off Tooth's fingers before glaring at her with her hands placed on her hips.
"I'm fine Tooth," said Ivy in exasperation. "Stop worrying so much. I'm not made of glass you know."
"I know sweetie, but I can't help but worry about you sometimes." Tooth said with a small smile as she flew back to give Ivy some space.
Ivy let out a sigh before she heard two familiar chirps. She smiled when she saw Baby Tooth and Fayette flying towards her as they excitedly chipped their greetings to her.
"Hey, girls," greeted Ivy as she held out her right hand to them.
Baby Tooth landed on Ivy's hand, while Fayette landed on the teen's left shoulder. Ivy smiled at the two fairies before she turned her attention on Sandy, who waved happily at her as he held a cup filled with eggnog within his left hand. He was floating near one of the tall pillars that had a small balcony for the elves within the Workshop. That was when Ivy noticed one of North's elves leaning over the balcony as it began to lap up the eggnog that Sandy had held near the pillar.
"Uh...Sandy," spoke Ivy as she pointed to Dream Weaver's cup with her free hand.
Sandy looked at Ivy curiously for a second before he turned his gaze to his cup, and frowned in displeasure when he saw the elf lapping at the eggnog within his cup. Sandy quickly pulled his cup away as the elf fell off the balcony and landed on the ground with a thud. Ivy let out a giggle along with Fayette and Baby Tooth before North cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.
"Alright, now that everyone is here, we can get down to business!" spoke North in a booming voice as he took on a serious expression. "There is trouble blooming again."
At the word 'trouble' Ivy and the rest of the Guardians grew tense with concern.
"What's going on, North?" asked Jack in a tight voice.
"Something is stirring within the spirit realm," answered North as he paced in front of the group. "Something terrible I'm afraid. Rumors have been going around of spirits disappearing."
Ivy and the four Guardians looked between each other in shock at what North had said. Bunny's face hardened as he turned his eyes back onto North again.
"What do you mean spirits are disappearing?" questioned Bunny firmly.
"Is what I say," said North as he turned to look at his team members. "They just...vanished into air that is thin."
"There's got to be more to these rumors, North." Ivy spoke as she placed Baby Tooth on her right shoulder before taking a few steps forward. "Has there been anyone within the spirit realm that might have witnessed these disappearances?"
"No," replied North with a shake of his head. "These disappearances have been happening at random, and no one was there to witness it."
"Do you think these disappearances are Pitch's doing?" asked Ivy with a worried look on her face.
"Nah, it couldn't be him, Pup," spoke Bunny as he wave of dismissal with his right paw/hand. "We'd defeated that slime ball about a month ago. It would take a lot long for Pitch to get back to his full strength."
"Still, it could be possible," cautioned Ivy as she turned to look at Bunny. "Remember, you guy's told me once that you thought Pitch had gone out with the Dark Ages, but he winded up coming back in the end."
"That maybe so, but there's no way that he could've bounce back that fast after the whooping we gave him." Bunny argued as he crossed his arms over his furry chest.
Ivy let out a sigh while blowing a strand of hair out of her face.
"Okay, suppose you're right about Pitch not returning, then who or what else do you think it could be that is causing spirits to disappear without a trace?"
"Who or what doesn't matter," interjected North firmly. "All that I know is that something very bad is going to happen. I feel it"-North then leaned forward and placed his hands on his midsection-"In my belly."
Ivy frowned as she shared a look with Bunny and Jack before letting out another sigh.
"North...I have nothing against your gut instinct, but we need to have a lead on what is happening within the spirit world." Ivy said as she walked up to North and stood in front of him. "Haven't you ever heard of the phrase 'Look before you leap'? We can't just jump into action without-"
"Ivy, you are still young," interrupted North as he patted Ivy lightly on the head. "You still have much to learn about being a Guardian, and you can't always expect to have a plan without having a little gut instinct."
Ivy frowned as North walked away from her with a chuckle. Sandy floated over to Ivy and gently patted the young wolf-girl's left arm. Jack walked up to Ivy's right side to give her support before he spoke.
"Well...let's not forget that Ivy has shown to have a sixth-sense when it comes to predicting what will happen before it happens." Jack reminded the team as he placed a comforting hand on Ivy's back.
"Yes, yes," said North with a nod of his head. "But she still needs to work on her timing to warn us about what is to come with her future sight."
Ivy let out a growl of frustration when North brought up her future sight. Her future sight was the one thing that she hasn't mastered yet within her Guardians training. North's constant mention of it, while trying to help her improve it, was stripping Ivy down to her last nerve. Bunny was also annoyed that North would keep mentioning Ivy's future sight as well. Bunny had learned from Kiba a long time ago that when the first child born into the Alpha family gains their future sight, they'll need time and patience to get an understanding of their powers. Also the power of future sight was something that only happens when the bearer, who discovers this power for the first time, only gets them when they are asleep. It will take some time until Ivy is old enough to fully grasp her powers, and will be able to call upon her powers willing while being awake.
"North, Ivy is still too young to control her power yet," spoke Tooth as she flew up to North. "Remember what Kiba had told us when he first got his future sight?"
"Yes, I know," said North with a frown. "Which is why we should intense her training..."
"Intense my training?!" interrupted Ivy as she stared at North in shock and disbelief.
Baby Tooth and Fayette quickly flew off from Ivy's shoulders before flying over to their mother's side while they glared at the Guardian of Wonder in disapproval. Bunny quickly stepped forward as he protectively stood near his adopted sister.
"North, now's not the time or place to talk about Ivy's sightseeing powers right now." Bunny spoke with a look of anger and displeasure. "We need to figure out what's happening to the spirits that are disappearing."
"Yes, yes," said North with a wave of his right hand. "We do need to focus more on the rumors than anything else."
Ivy let out a sigh of relief before giving Bunny a grateful smile, which he returned with his own. Jack stepped forward as he ask North his own question.
"So...where have these disappearances been happening?"
North took on a thoughtful look as he began to think over Jack's question, while stroking his white beard.
"From the information that was given to me by other spirits, the disappearances have been happening in British Columbia, Richmond."
"That place?" questioned Jack as he shared a look with Ivy before turning his attention back onto North, "Are you sure?"
"I'm positive," answered North with a nod. "The ones who gave me this information are close friends of mine."
Ivy frowned as she thought over the information that North had shared with them. She then turned to look at the other Guardians.
"Do you think we should look into this?" asked Ivy with a serious expression, "I mean, if these rumors are true then maybe..."
North interrupted Ivy as he continued on with his ramblings.
"My friends have told me that they had heard of rumors about suspicious dark figures roaming around the streets of Richmond at night. They were told that the dark figures were wearing strange old cloaks made of leather, and fur of animals."
"Then how about we..." started Ivy, but North interrupted her once again.
"They tried searching for these strange figures, but so far they have not found any clue or seen any sign of them."
Ivy let out an exasperated sigh before she turned away from the group, and made her way to one of the couches within the room. She sat down with a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest, while she silently watched as North rambled on about what he had learned from his sources.
'Well...he is the leader of the Guardians,' thought Ivy. 'I'm just the baby of the family, so they're not going to listen to what I have to say.'
As North ramble on about what he learned, one of the Guardians, Sandy, noticed that Ivy wasn't with them. He turned to look behind him to see Ivy sitting on the couch that was far away from the group. Ivy gave Sandy a small wave before the little man made his way over to her.
"Hey, Sandy," greeted Ivy with a small smile as the Dream Weaver came to stand in front of her.
Sandy gave Ivy a light frown as a question mark appeared over his head as he ask the young teen what was wrong. Ivy let out a sigh as she turned her gaze towards the other Guardians. Bunny, Tooth and Jack continued to listen to North's rambling, while not realizing that Sandy and Ivy were absent from their group.
"I don't know," replied Ivy quietly as she looked back down at Sandy. "I guess it's just me being silly."
Sandy tilted his head curiously at Ivy before he motioned for her to continue on with her explanation.
"I've been thinking about what my roll is among the Guardians," explained Ivy as she turned her gaze up towards the beams of the ceiling. "I know I'm still learning about what it means to be a Guardian and what my center is, yet...I can't help but feel like I'm out of place here. After all, all five of you are much older than me, no offence."
Sandy waved a hand to show that he wasn't offended by what she had said, before Ivy continued on with her explanation.
"I feel like I'm being treated like a baby within the group, and that I'm not really...respected sometimes. Well...more like North doesn't seem to see me as part of the team. I know that all of you care about me, but it always feels like North's pushing me in my Guardian lessons with him. Both to be a strong Guardian like you guys and to have better control on my future sight powers."
Sandy nodded his head in agreement to what Ivy was telling him. North had been pushing Ivy harder than Bunny and Tooth when it came to the girl's training. Yet, Sandy knew that North was only trying to help Ivy in her studies. He told Ivy this through his sand pictures, which appeared above his head, while making sure that they were moving slowly so that Ivy could understand them.
"I know he's only trying to help, Sandy." Ivy said once she interpreted what the sand images mean. "I just wish that North wouldn't push me so hard in my training and-"
Ivy quickly cut herself off when she suddenly felt an ominous aura within the room as a cold shiver ran up her back. Her wolf ears quickly appeared on top of his head as Ivy sat up straight on the couch. Sandy noticed this and became concerned when Ivy stood up from the couch. Sandy floated out of the way as she started walking around the room with an intense expression upon her face. Sandy wasn't the only one who noticed Ivy's actions. Bunny, who had secretly been listening in on Ivy's conversation with Sandy, became curious about Ivy's abrupt silence. He turned around to see what was going on and saw Ivy wandering around the room with an alert look upon her face. The others noticed Bunny turning away from the conversation before they turned their attention on Ivy as well.
"Ivy?" asked Jack in concern.
Ivy didn't respond as she only looked around the room intently, before she stopped in her tracks. Ivy quickly turned her head upwards towards the rafters of the workshop. She began to growl as she began to slowly shift into her half-wolf form, while bearing her fangs into a snarl. Bunny and Jack also became tense, while North, Tooth and Sandy had expressions of worry and confusion.
"Ivy, what is-" started North.
He never got to finish his question as Ivy suddenly leapt high into the rafters, while swiftly shifting into full wolf form. When she did, Ivy collided with something that was hidden within the shadows and knocked it out of the rafters. The figure landed on the floor with a thud with Ivy standing over them while letting out a ferocious growl. The figure that Ivy knocked down from the rafters made the Guardians go on high alert.
Ivy, her wolf-form now the size of an adult tiger, pinned down a creature with black, distorted, skin. The creature wore ragged clothing made of different animal skins, flat leather boots and armor. In the creature's pinned right hand was a spear with animal teeth, which dangled where the spearhead was attached to the staff. The creature's face was grotesque and distorted with its nose hooked upwards, and long jagged teeth that grew out of its bottom jaw.
Ivy snarled at the creature that she had pinned to the floor, while the creature struggled to push Ivy off of its body.
"What in the world?" whispered North as he and the other Guardians stared down at the creature in shock.
That was when things became chaotic and the only warning the Guardians and Ivy had were the startled shouts of yetis. A war cry rang throughout the workshop as more creatures, like the one Ivy had pinned to the ground, ran or leaped out of the shadows. The creatures surrounded the Guardians and Ivy before they charge forward to attack them. Ivy was knocked off from the creature that she had pinned to the ground and was almost pinned to the floor by one of the creatures. But the creature was quickly thrown off of her by Bunny, who held a expression of rage.
"Keep your grubby hands off my kit!" shouted Bunny in fierce anger.
Ivy quickly shook herself before she began to participate in fighting the creatures that had invaded North's home. Ivy tore through the invaders ferociously, while gaining a few scratches in the process. Everything became a blur to Ivy as she fought with the creatures, but the confusion around her slowed when she felt familiar set of large hands grab her by the scruff of her neck. Ivy recognized that the hands belong to North instantly before she even caught his scent. She then felt North's the hands suddenly pulled her away from the fight, before she found herself falling into an open portal made by one of North's snow globes. As she fell through the portal, Ivy saw the four shocked faces of Jack, Sandy, Tooth and Bunny as they watched helplessly as she disappear into the portal. Ivy also saw North's face, which held an expression of sadness upon his features. The faces of her adopted family were the last things she saw before her vision turned dark...and she knew no more.
To be continued
Here you all go, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you all leave a review to tell me what you think of it so far.
White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!