Hi guys! My workload lightened so here I am again. Plus people, I have a question. My email says I get reviews and the link to the story says I have reviews. But when I click the reviews button, it only shows me a few of the first ones. If you know what's going on please help me fix it.
Disclaimer: No ROTG for me.
Ice spiraled along the Nightmare sand, freezing it as Jack's body fell. Sandy watched in shock as Tooth caught Jack and brought him down to the sleigh.
The ice had been released from Jack's body when the arrow had hit it. It crackled with blue light as it hit Pitch, who shrieked and fell down into the forest below.
Sandy quickly flew down to the sleigh, where Jack was laying, the arrow still protruding from his back. Bunny pulled it out and tossed it down with Pitch into the forest.
"Oh my god what the heck? We just woke up and you two were gone and we found you and then suddenly Jack fell and I caught him and now he has an arrow in his back and-" Tooth was cut off by North.
"Let Sandy explain." North said.
Signs flickered across Sandy's head. 'There was a Nightmare and we followed it after I accidentally knocked you all out. Jack was pulled into the clouds by black sand and I followed, and then Pitch showed up, I defeated him, and then he summoned the Nightmares. You guys showed up then, and we were fighting, and then Pitch singled me out. He was about to shoot me when Jack arrived and took the arrow. When he was knocked unconscious his body released some sort of ice wave, which froze the Nightmare sand and knocked Pitch out. Tooth, you caught him and brought him here.'
"Well, mates, we going to sit here and talk while Jack could be dying?" Bunny asked sharply. Tooth blinked. "Oh no I hadn't realized that. We should probably get going back to the Pole."
Oh my god! It's a linebreak! Who's excited?
Jack awoke to a snoring North sitting beside him.
"Wh-where am I?" He murmured, not yet strong enough to talk.
"JACK!" North boomed, waking up immediately and scooping Jack up for a hug. Blinding pain shot through his chest at the physical contact.
"Ow." Jack said weakly, struggling to push himself out of the Russian's grip.
"Sorry, Jack." Tooth said, looking apologetic. "We should've been there in time."
Jack shook his head. "It's fine. After all, it's not like it matters if I die. Pitch will just have to find a new slave."
Bunny appeared suddenly from a hole in the ground. "I see how it is. Keep the big scary rabbit away from the poor little guy."
"Who just got shot in the back with an arrow." Tooth said, glaring at Bunny.
"Besides, Sandy not here yet!" North said.
Sandy appeared next to North.
"He's here now." Bunny said. "And why didnt' you tell me he's awake, mates?"
Sandy tapped Jack on the shoulder and made a sand image of the globe. The 'lights' on the globe were rapidly going out.
"Guys," Jack began, wincing as North scooted a little closer. "Uh...Sandy has something to tell you."
Sandy made a bunch of flickering sand signs when he had everyone's attention.
"The lights...on globe...going out fast." North said, reading the signs.
Tooth gasped. "Oh no. We've been too busy with Jack and now they've stopped believing!"
Jack looked up, surprised. "You guys were busy? With me? B-but why?" He stammered. They had actually cared about whether he lived or died?
The surprise on his expression at being cared for and valued broke everyone's heart. "B-but I'm not important enough f-for that. Why would you guys l-look after me w-when the children might stop b-believing when you d-do?" He asked quietly.
"On the bright side," Bunny said, twirling a boomerang. "Easter is coming up and there's no way better to spark belief in children than Easter."
"Yes there is. There is Christmas." North said. It was obvious the two had been arguing about that for years.
"Shut up Santa Claus, Easter is closer." Bunny said grumpily.
"You are right Bunny, this year Easter is more important than the Christmas. But do not forget that Christmas sparks belief in more of the children than the egg hunts." North said.
"Did anybody hear him say that, mates?" Bunny asked incredulously. Nobody said anything.
"Well, I think it would be best for us to go help Bunny with the eggs." Tooth said.
"Oh and Jack? Here is your staff." North said, handing Jack his frost-covered staff.
"I-I can have it?" Jack asked, astounded. Sure, the Guardians had let him use it in battle, but that was only because he was able to at least fight. Terribly, sure, but he could still fight.
"Of course you can sweetie. We would never keep it away from you." Tooth said.
"Mate, you feel good enough to get out of the bed? We need to get the Warren and start the eggs." Bunny said.
Tooth helped Jack get out of bed. Jack was still shaky and he had nausea every time he stood up or sat down, but he was still relatively okay.
"Okay everybody, to the sleigh!" North boomed, already making his way out the door.
Bunny stopped him. "Oh, no. My Warren, my rules. Buckle up."
North's eyes widened. "Shostakovich." He muttered as Bunny tapped his foot and the ground opened up into a hole beneath them.
They slid through mossy green tunnels, which really didn't help Jack's nausea or the pain in his ribs and back. Finally, they landed on a ground with green, soft grass.
Jack groaned and struggled to sit up. It was a challenge, as Tooth was on top of him.
"Oh Jack I'm so sorry!" She gasped, standing up and helping him to his feet. Jack leaned slightly on his staff, as the pain in his back was still flaring, but otherwise he was okay.
"Buckle up," North commented. "Is very funny."
"Welcome," Bunny said, a smile tugging at his lips while he stood up and spread his arms to encompass the Warren. "To the Warren."
"Wait," Bunny said, ears twitching. "Something's not right."
Eggs fleeing from one of the tunnels only intensified the feeling of something being wrong.
The four Guardians dropped into defensive stances, Bunny taking out his boomerangs, Tooth pulling out a saber, North twirling his two swords around, and Sandy summoning some dream sand. Jack leaned against one of the giant stones and pointed his staff at the tunnel.
They all rushed forward to meet the threat, which was...a tiny little four-year-old blonde girl with green eye and an incredibly sloppy haircut, who toddled forward, chasing a butterfly.
"S-Sophie?" Jack asked disbelievingly.
"Someone explain to me how she got here." Bunny huffed, shoving his boomerangs back into their sheaths. North also resheathed his swords, Tooth did the same, and Sandy dropped the wall of dreamsand.
North's eyes lit up. "Snow globe." He said, patting his pockets.
"Elf, elf, elf." The blonde girl called, happily abondoning the butterfly and following one of the small, pointy-hated creatures that had apparently fallen down the tunnel with them.
"Ooh, I bet she's a fairy fan!" Tooth said happily, fluttering over to Sophie and striking a pose. "Look at all the little teeth, with blood and gums on them!" Tooth trilled, proudly displaying a collection of small white teeth.
Sophie stared in horror and then began to cry.
Jack stepped forward timidly. "Uh, I-I could maybe do something...but I'm invisible." He whispered.
Bunny came forward too. "Mate, if you can do anything, please do it. Her wails are killing my ears. They are very sensitive. Stupid little ankle biter." The last sentence was muttered.
Jack caused a tiny snowflake to fall on Sophie's nose. The little girl looked up and saw a tiny snowfall collecting around her. She giggled and happily jumped around, trying to catch more flakes on her mouth and on her nose.
Jack watched with a sort of wistful happiness and a bitter sadness, looking at the scene and remembering that all this could've happened every day if Pitch hadn't captured him. No, if he hadn't been so stupid as to be caught and so weak and cowardly for not fighting back.
"I have to admit," Bunny said quietly behind Jack. Jack jumped. Pitch had done that so many times. The Pooka caught sight of Jack's startled expression, but he still kept going. "You really are good with children."
"M-maybe you could ask her if she w-wanted to maybe p-paint eggs?" Jack asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Bunny considered that and smiled. "Good idea."
"Hey, little ankle biter." Bunny said, crouching down beside the tiny girl. "You wanna paint some eggs?"
"Okay!" The little girl giggled happily, taking the offered paw and letting Bunny lead the way to the dye river flowing through the Warren.
Jack watched sadly and happily, the sadness coming from a spot deep inside him where it still strummed with hurt every time a child ignored him. The happiness, however, came from a place where golden warmth seemed to spread every time a child laughed in front of him, because of him.
"You know," North remarked, coming up beside him. "For all his appearance as one of those fierce, uncaring warriors, Bunny does have a very soft spot for children.
Tooth, North, Jack and Sandy watched the odd pair of the warriorlike Easter Bunny and a tiny little blonde toddler walk towards the dye river.
And then it hit him.
For the first time in over a century, he was talking, actually talking, with people that weren't Pitch. He was actually interacting, well, sort of, with children. He was out in the real world.
Could he, would he, dare he, should he break free from Pitch's chains?
"Hey, Jack," the Tooth Fairy said softly. "Are you okay?" Jack nodded, managing the faintest trace of a smile. "Do you want to go for a walk?" Tooth asked again.
Jack nodded and the two of them, Tooth and Jack, set out on a lush, green path, the trees on either side bursting with wildlife. Colorful flowers filled the space, birds chirped, lions and cheetahs and who know what else growled, sticks snapped, sun shone through the canopy, frogs croaked, and basically life filled the space. It was so unlike the bare, dark rooms of Pitch's lair that Jack wanted to strangle Pitch. All these years he had been kept away from this?
"You know Jack, I'm really sorry." Tooth said after they had walked for a while in silence.
"W-what for?" Jack asked softly. He mentally beat himself up for once again stammering over a simple word.
"For not knowing about Pitch." The fairy replied simply. "We could've helped you, you know, saved you, protected you. I just feel as if I've failed you somehow."
"But if you c-came then Master m-might hurt one of y-you by accident. I-I'm not worth th-that. What if one of you d-died?" Jack said quietly. It just occured to him that he had just contradicted Tooth.
"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Of course, y-your opinion is correct and I-I'm wrong." Jack whispered, staring at the ground.
"That's not true and you know it, Jack. Your opinion is correct." Tooth said.
Jack shook his head. "I'm not smart enough to form a correct opinion. Yours must be correct."
And then he realized he had contradicted her twice and he ducked, expecting a blow. Tooth gently lifted his chin up so he was facing her. "Listen, Jack, you're opinion is worth something. You are worth something. You're very smart, too."
"Tooth!" A voice called. It was North's. The Russian poked his head through a tree branch and gestured for Tooth to come.
"I'm sorry, I have to go." Tooth said, darting into the trees. Jack stayed there,thinking, for a long time. Tooth had said he was worth something and his opinion was correct. That was impossible. Jack was stupid, weak, cowardly, worthless, useless, and a winter spirit to boot. Nobody liked winter spirits.
He was so lost in thought he sidn't notice the miniature tooth fairy hovering beside him until she shouted in his ear.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, Baby Tooth." Jack said, jumping. The fairy cocked her head. Baby Tooth?
"I-I'm sorry." Jack stammered. "I-I just d-din't know your n-name and I j-just thought of it."
The fairy shrugged and gave Jack a tyumbs up.
Then a coil of black sand, rope-like, burst out of the trees and lashed itself to Jack's cuff. Jack stopped struggling immediately and lay stil. Pitch had come back for revenge, he was sure of it.
And then he was dragged into the jungle.
Ooh, cliffhanger. Just wondering, what do you think would happen if Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Jack Frost, Carter-Sadie Kane, Katniss Everdeen, and Septimus Heap all got together to read one another's life stories (or watch the movies)? If you haven't heard of Septimus Heap, I encourage you to read it. It's very good. I kind of just thought of that and thought it would be a cool story. Should I write it?
Good bye my wonderful reader cookies.
P.S. Review!