"99...100! Ready or not, here I come!" Jackson paused and scanned the area to see if his yell had caused anything to stir. His brown eyes glistened with excitement, sure that his shouting may have troubled her enough to jump out, scream, or something. However the woods remained silent, untouched and full of leaves. Pippa was a good hider; she wasn't going to reveal her spot so soon.

The leaves crunched under his bare feet as he walked. Autumn had just set in, and it was at that inbetween kind of weather, where the sun can't make up its mind to shine or not, and the cold and heat have epic battles against each other everyday. Today, the warmth won obviously, so he didn't bother to put on his long underwear that morning or his leather cape. Why lug around things that only make you itch if you don't need them?

Jack peeked behind a giant rock, grinning when there was no one behind it. She had chosen a really good spot this time. Hide-and-go-seek was one of their favorite games. No matter what the weather, they always managed to work it out somehow. If it was raining, they camouflaged themselves with mud. If it was snowing, they brought a blanket and buried themselves in the snow. And of course, pleasant weather provided all sorts of good hiding spots, which Jack chocked up for the disappearance of his little sister. He spotted a particularly large, round tree. Grinning like a madman, he tiptoed over to it and grabbed its bark..

"GOTCHA!" he yelled around it to an empty space, then groaned, rolling his eyes away from the tree. Good heavens, he was going to have to get more creative.

Pippa was older now. Seven years old, he could scarcely believe it. She picked hiding spots almost as good as his these days. He remembered when he had to pretend he couldn't find her, slowly sneaking to other areas around where she hid (rather obviously) and exclaiming in fake disappointment at not finding her. He would hear her giggle, convinced that he could never find her and that she had won the game. Most of the time, this was the case. But when she learned the tricks to hide-and-seek though as she grew, her hiding spots became harder to find and less obvious. As was the case today.

"Pippa!" Jack called out, cupping his hands over his mouth. "Ma says she made doughnuts!" He smirked, eagerly waiting for her reply. He could just see her appear from behind a tree, running up to him with those big brown eyes asking about what kind of doughnuts she made. And then he would have to look sorry and apologize for tricking her while she whined about it not being fair. But she never said a word. 'Dang, she really IS getting good,' he thought. So much for being able to trick her anymore into talking.

Jack kicked at the leaves, closing his eyes as they flew up and then fell around him. The wind lightly blew through his hair, ruffling the brown stands over his eyes. A bird squawked from above him, peaking his interest enough to try and find where it was coming from. He looked up and saw the hawk circling above the trees to the west. Maybe Pippa had ventured into its territory, the overprotective bird swooping to the rescue of his trespassed home. He had found her many times in that direction before, so he thought he might as well give it a go.

He wished he had his staff. His hand felt empty without it. Jack usually carried it around when he went anywhere, not necessarily just for safety, but out of habit. He felt not completely whole without it. Being a shepherd boy, he spent most of his time tending the sheep, meaning he had his staff to lean and pull sheep away from trouble with. They were off in the pasture today under Pa's care though. They had a visitor who was interested in starting a sheep farm, and had volunteered to take over Jack's position for the day for practice.

Hearing a sudden cry, Jack was snapped out of his thoughts. He stopped dead in his tracks and whipped his head toward the sound. It was coming from the direction he was headed to. His breath hitched in his throat, his feet instantly bolting forward as a ball of dread grew in the pit of his stomach. Pippa better not be tricking him... Then again, she was doing the hiding, and he was doing the seeking. That wouldn't make sense.

Losing his sense of direction momentarily, he paused to listen. And before he could doubt it ever happened, there it was again, the shrill and frightened scream. Jack started towards it, his gut twisting and churning at the worst imaginations of what he might find. He came to the top of the hill, the trees suddenly dropping along with the ground as it slid in a steep slope to a lower level. Jack's heart stopped as his eyes scanned to the bottom of the hill..

Pippa was surrounded by coyotes. She stood there, her back against a tree, whimpering in pure fear as tears streamed down her little cheeks. One of the five coyotes was crawling closer to her, its fangs bared and spit drooling from its black lips.

The sound of the snarl ripped into Jack's chest, yanking out all sense of reason from him. Before he could even think, his mind went completely blank and he let out a furious yell, setting his eyes on the coyote and running straight at it. Down the hill he sped, reaching it faster than he ever could imagine doing in his right mind. In one quick movement, he grabbed ahold of its tail and swung it around smack against a tree. The coyote howled in pain, whining as it hit the ground. The other coyotes jumped on Jack with no hesitation, triggered by the sudden action.

Leaves were disheveled and blew around in all directions as Jack attacked the coyotes in a blind fury. He grabbed one's leg and rose it sideways up into the air, hearing a snap as gravity pushed down on the rest of its body. With the other hand, he grabbed another's ear and yanked its jaws away from clamping on his head. He twisted around, just in time to see one pounce at him, bringing his knee up right into its jaw and kicking it off. The fight felt almost unreal, like he was detached from his body and yet able to react to every attempt the coyotes had in sinking their teeth into him.

"Pippa! Run!" he screamed above the barking, the idea of a coyote getting her while he fought sending an electricity of fear through his body. "Run!"

Jack caught the glimpse of her hair flying in the wind as she ran into the woods, away from the fight. Thankful that she left without arguing, he kept the coyotes busy for a few minutes to give her a head start, it feeling as if it were hours. His mind spun wildly, the sweat pouring and slapping as he slung his thin body around. His feet felt the dirt cake under his toenails as they shuffled and danced in this dangerous tango. He had fought off these hideous beats before to protect the sheep, but that was only two dogs at the most. Five was coming close to looking impossible. Jack could feel the fiery bolts of energy slow in his muscles as the time dragged on. He wasn't a buff, strong boy like that guy Carl from school was, he was just a thin twig running on pure fear. But he kept going, waiting for the right time to get loose, and knowing that every second he kept them busy he gave to Pippa for her escape. Finally, at one point, he noticed a wolf limping towards him from the tree, another stumbling along with it, one shaking its head to keep its wits, and the other two suddenly kicked off as he rammed into them. Jack ran for it.

He zipped into the direction Pippa went, his eyes searching earnestly for his little sister. She was still so small, her legs short and stubby, so she couldn't have gotten far. Rounding the side of a hill, he spotted her, stumbling and crying face-first into the leaves. He never slowed for even a second, reaching his arms out and scooping her tiny body into his arms. He felt her instantly claw him, crying out from the sudden movement.

"Shh! Shh! It's okay!" he whispered into her hair, the stolen breath from his lungs making his voice calm and soothing.

The teen continued to run, all feeling now lost in his legs. His feet were numb to the rocks that he jumped on and slipped over. Pippa's arms clenched tighter around his neck as he quickly regained his balance. They came to a small creek, the water being parted into the air straight up on either side of them as Jack trod through it, reminding him very briefly of Moses and the Red Sea. When they made it to the other side, he stopped, instantly turning around and yelling in utter frustration. The coyotes were right on his tail down about a quarter of a mile away. All that fighting and then running, all for nothing! They still were going at it at full speed! But the energy in his thin body was gone, the adrenaline run out. And he knew it. He looked over to the hill that rose from the ground about a long, tedious mile away... then down at Pippa, sweat from his forehead streaming into his eyes.

"Pippa... Baby, I can't... I can't-.. Go on..." he panted heavily, his lungs burning with fire. He suddenly collapsed to his knees. "Oh no," he gasped under his breath. His body was literally giving out on him.

The little girl whimpered. "But Jack, we have to! You have to!"

Defeat slowly leaked into his mind, the feeling of being still served as a wave of cool relief flooding his entire body. The idea of just laying down sounded so good... But he had Pippa.

"Pippa.. Go. Now. ... Our house is right over there, right over the hill. You're strong, you can make it.. Go get Pa, I'll keep the coyotes distracted.."

She grabbed his collar and tugged on it hard. "No! They'll eat you! You won't get home!"

Jack found himself chuckling weakly, still out of breath. "That's the idea, lil' lady. I'll stall them while you get to safety.. I'm just so tired, darlin'... I don't think I can make it." He swallowed, his limbs shaking uncontrollably as he placed her feet on the ground, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I can't carry you anymore. Look, I can barely stand now. I can't get you there in time, the coyotes will get us... Go on. Run home, you can make it in time. Go before they see you!"

Pippa's nose scrunched like it always did when she was angry. "NO, Jack! I'm NOT leaving you!" She pushed his arms off and grabbed his white cotton shirt, pulling it out from being tucked in his pants as she heaved Jack forward. Not gaining any progress, she reset her grip on his shirt, pulling so hard she fell to the dirt. Jack's heart broke at his sister's fruitless attempts to drag him with her to safety. Lowering his face, he yanked the shirt from her and placed a hand on her back to push her forward to get her going.

He slowly blinked and looked to the coyotes again. They were gaining ground fast, their wounds forgotten. Blood shone in their black eyes, the thought of food being their only goal. Time had been precious, and due to Pippa's stalling, they would now see her trying to get away and attack her before she even made it to the hill, regardless if he tried to distract them. And he just lay there, waiting for the coyotes to reach them and eat them both. Meanwhile, a glorious array of tall trees surrounded them. What was he thinking?!

Jack stood up and grabbed Pippa by the waist, trotting over a few paces to a giant oak tree and holding her up into its branches. "Grab it!"

She clung to the branch, swinging her little frame under another before reaching up to grab higher. Jack finished pushing her up and then looked behind his shoulder, just in time to bring his hands up and grab the snout of a coyote from clamping onto his face.

It snarled and spit all over him, slamming Jack into the tree and crouching over his body. He yelped, hitting the blasted animal across the face and kicking its stomach, scrambling quickly to his feet. He got a good hold on the branch, pulling his arms up along with his body when a sharp pain cut through one of his legs. Suddenly, he was yanked down, the wind forced out of his lungs as his chest hit the tree branch, caught only by his stick arms clinging to the wood.

"Jack!" Pippa screamed again, her eyes wide and red with tears as she sat on a higher branch.

Her brother looked up and squinted at her in a daze, the pain of the coyotes teeth sunk into his calf fogging his brain and vision. He could feel the blood dripping from his calf down his heel, and he cried out in pain as the dog whipped its head back and forth to try and force him down. Jack's arms drained to a numbing white against the bark of the limb, his breath unsteady as he locked Pippa's eyes with his. He smiled, a simple small smile. "Pippa, it's gonna be okay."

She reached her hand down as far as she could, gasping at the weight of gravity. "No, you're not!"

He stared at her, an unreasonable haze of love and pride overtaking his senses as he felt his fingers and arms slowly release their grip. He had the best sister in the world. Daggone it, here she was, had plenty of chances to get to safety, and she continually put herself out of it for him. She dangled at a high branch, the distance between them impossible for him to simply reach up and take her hand. But she reached for him anyway. Pippa only had to lean down just a little more before she lost her balance and fell out of the tree to join him as the feast of coyotes. His eyes snapped open, and his letting go stopped.

With an agonizing shout, he used his other leg to kick the coyote right in the eye, over and over. The wild dog yelped, releasing its hold just enough for Jack to rip his leg out of its teeth and retreat up into the branches in one swift movement. Up and up he climbed, joining the level his sister was at. Crouched on the branch, Jack watched as the other coyotes finally joined their comrade at the base of the tree, their aggravated snarling ringing in his ears. He plopped his rear down, letting out a long breath as his head spun.

"Jack!" Pippa squealed, reaching from the branch beside his and clamping her arms around his torso.

"Whoa whoa whoa, be careful!" Jack warned, immediately tightening his hold on her to prevent her from falling. He sighed as she sat back on her own branch.

The dogs continued to snap up at them from underneath, their noses curled in anger at their loss of dinner. Jack stuck his tongue out at them. "Yeah, you just WISH you had us for dinner. Yeah, we were nice and juicy too. That little bite from me was just a teaser, huh?" He tried to smother the shakiness in his voice with humor.

Pippa giggled, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear before gasping. "Your leg!"

Jack looked down and nearly fell out of the tree. His calf had ugly teeth marks sunk into it, his skin ripped off along one side and dangling from what looked like churned hamburger. Blood flowed with every pulse of his heart, streaming across the tree branch, and dripping onto the dogs below. He wasn't sure if it was that he finally had the chance to think straight or if it was the sight of the wound registering in his mind, but the pain suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks and his stomach twisted sickeningly. Scratches and nicks he didn't even remember getting flared a bright red and throbbed. He could feel the color draining from his face due to lack of blood, replaced by the twinge color of ill green.

"You okay?"

He hissed inbetween his teeth, grabbing his leg at the knee. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Pippa voice softened to a low whisper. "I wish Pa was here."

Jack looked up at her, taking in the sadness that lined her round face. Wishing Pa was here was her was of saying that she was scared. And after all they just went through, who could blame the poor kid? But something inside Jack naturally snapped to attention. He looked up at the sky and pointed. "Look how high up we are, Pippa."

She sniffed, following his finger with her eyes. "Yeah, pretty high."

Jack smiled at her. "Pretty high indeed. Like birds are. Yeah! We're kinda like birds! Sitting in a tree, away from danger, safe and sound to enjoy the view of the pretty sunset."

Pippa caught on real quick. "If we're birds, then I'm a robin."

"A robin?" his nose wrinkled.

"Yes, a robin. They're cute and little."

He slowly took the edge of his shirt, gathering the material. "Sounds just like you. I guess it does suit you. So you're a robin. And what am I?"

She swung her legs back and forth, squinting one eye in thought. "So what are you?"

The thin material easily ripped across the bottom as his hand pulled it along. "Hmm... How about an eagle."

"You're not bald!" she laughed.

"Maybe not, but they're pretty awesome. And that's me all over," he looked up from his work, smirking.

She leaned over and punched his shoulder. "Jack, you're crazy." He chuckled, wrapping the ripped piece of material right above his knee. This would stop the bleeding. "But it is true."

Jack yanked down the two sides tightly against his skin, eyes questioning his sister. "Pippa, I was joking."

She shook her head. "I wasn't."

Jack held her gaze for a moment, the thought turning over in his head. He didn't have to believe it, but he could pretend for Pippa's sake. Then again, it felt pretty good to have his little sis say that about him. A warm smile pulled the corner of his mouth. "You're pretty awesome too."

Pippa leaned over as far as she dared, wrapping her arms around his middle. She smiled into his chest. "You're going to need a new shirt."

Observing the tears that gashed the cotton in rows and the ripped bottom, he nodded. "Yup."

"Ma won't be happy," Pippa giggled.

Jack sighed. "No. She threatened to make me sew my next shirt if I rip this one up. But... Maybe she'll reconsider, because of how I ripped it."

Pippa's eyes glazed over, staring blankly at Jack's bloody leg. He could almost see the guilt dripping from her shoulders as they started to sag. Jack caught her chin before it fell to her chest, lifting it up with his finger.

"Don't start blaming yourself, little miss. You know better." His warm smile never wavered.

She sighed softly, her eyes not meeting his. "But if I hadn't-"

"Nah uh un! No buts. It was a freak accident."

A laugh suddenly flickered through her solemn expression. "Which is usual for anyone when you're around."

Jack faked shock, placing a hand on his heart and dramatically gasping. "Pippa! How could you say that?"

Pippa stuck out her tongue at him. "You know it's true."

"Yeah, well," he shrugged, "at least I'm interesting."

Silence settled down around them as the sun dipped into the ocean of the horizon. Jack glanced below them, seeing the wolves sitting at the bottom of the tree. They snarled when he made eye contact with them. Nope, they weren't going anywhere for awhile. With the disappearance of the sun came the cold, biting at their exposed skin and thin clothes. Jack started to regret not putting the long underwear on today. And if he was cold, then Pippa certainly was freezing. He reached out an arm to her, supporting as she climbed over into his lap. Darkness enveloped the woods, dragging the shadows from the trees and stretching them out on the ground beside them. Pippa yawned.

"Tired?" Jack asked her, shifting slightly under her weight.

"Yeah... I wish I could fly."

He blinked. "Fly?"

"Yes, fly. So we can get home, and not have to worry about the coyotes."

Jack laughed. "Oh, flying would have SO many purposes than even that.. Just imagine all the chores that would be cut short, heck even eliminated!"

Pippa huffed. "You're ALWAYS trying to get out of work, Jack"

"I hate work!" Jack's arms went up for emphasis.

He looked down to find her smirking. "What else is new?"

His smirk matched hers. "You're a trip. And also my sister, which explains that!" He pointed to her face.

Pippa laughed, picking up his brown bangs and pulling them straight out. "You need a hair cut."

It wasn't long before Pa found them, using his gun to scare off the offending dogs. Jack and Pippa stumbled home into bed, exhausted from the day's events. Ma dressed Jack's wound, giving him a waving finger and muttering about him being the death of her. Pulling the curtain that divided their bedroom out, she left the room, bidding them a good night.

"Psst!" Jack called out in the darkened room.

"Yes?" Pippa asked.

"Lets not do that again, okay?"

Jack heard her sigh long and deep. "Agreed."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*G*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Since many of you wanted me to, I decided to make this into a series of one-shots, dedicated to Jack and his sister. I'm the oldest of a whole crew of kids, so I have TONS of stuff I can write about just off the top of my head even. It will be random adventures that the two had before Jackson became Frost, and i hope you enjoy them.

Thanks for reading! Would a review be fun to do? 'Cause it'd be fun to have. :D