Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes in exhaustion and worry- an action that was becoming quite frequent to him. It'd been a week since the dark haired Goddess had slid away from them, leaving behind only shadow and a pile of problems for him to worry over. He knew they had to find her her, otherwise Pitch would rise, but how could they possibly get to her? She moved through shadow. She was the Earth, every part of it was a part of her. The girl was ancient, and powerful. There was no way they could get her. Jack groaned and ran a hand through his mussed hair, making the white strands stick up like he'd been electrocuted. He walked alone, his bare feet hitting the ground silently. He stood in the middle of a park, the dark night sky a vast blanket above him. There was a few stars, but they weren't as beautiful as they usually were to him. He didn't know where he was; all he remembered was jumping out the window and letting the wind take him where it would, hoping to get away from the stress' of North's place. It was a catastrophe, they were stuck there at least five hours every night, planning and thinking, stressed and on a tight time schedule. Things weren't going as well as they could.

A soft voice came behind him, it's tone light. "Jack."

Jack whirred round, his staff raised. It was her. "You."

She walked up to him, her long hair swishing with every step, shining in the moonlight. It was past her hips now, even longer than he remembered. Shadow fell upon her face, accenting her high cheekbones and full lips. Her eyes were wide and startling, the metal colour glinting as she looked at him. She was deadly, but beautiful. He couldn't deny that. Her pale grey skin looked lighter in the moonlight, more silver, like her eyes. Jack felt himself momentarily losing it before he shook his head and glared at her again.

She looked at him, lifting her head towards the sky. "Me. Mother Nature, or whatever."

Jack took a tentative step towards her. "What's your real name?"

She looked at him, a dark eyebrow raised. "I have many, just like you. Different cultures, religions and stories all about me, they all have their own version and names. Greeks call me Gaea, or Demeter. But you, however," She said, walking up next to him. "can call me Ravenna."

"Ravenna." Jack whispered it, savouring the taste of the name on his tongue. It was different, unique, yet sounded dangerous at the same time. He looked at her and that's what he saw- a large glossy Raven. Everything about her radiated power, and now she had a name to match.

She gave him a smile, but it held no warmth. "Like it? I picked it myself. Wanted something different."

"What are you doing here?" He struggled to keep his voice steady.

"Here as in this place, right now? Or here as in Mother Nature, risen again?" She asked, her breath tickling his cheek.

Jack took a deep breath and stared into her ashen eyes. "Both."

"I'm just here out of curiosity. I've heard a lot about you, Jack. The boy who defeated my father. You could have ruled with him, yet you turned him down. Why?" She asked, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"He wanted to rule. I wanted to protect. Simple." Jack said, his voice detached.

He found that the closer she was to him, the harder it was to look. His eyes wanted to shift away, to look slightly by her head, to skim past her, but they didn't. He kept his stare, blinking frequently. There was that same grey covering her, dampening her features.

Finally, he blurted it out. "Why are you so hard to look at?"

Ravenna laughed and placed a hand on his chest, making him recoil, but she didn't mind. "It's a skill. See, I'm Mother Nature, Jack. I'm Earth, matter, everything. I am life and death, an endless cycle of growth and repair and destruction. This isn't my true form. I'm much more...God-like, shall we say. This, this is a dulled down version. The grey over me, it's like a shield, to stop you from staring at me. If you saw my true form, it would burn your eyes out. Plus this helps me sneak around more."

Jack was silent, the information going round in his head. That was something, wasn't it? Was it useful? Something he could tell the Guardians? Jack tried to think, but he found the words got muddled in his head, refusing to come out his mouth. "Can you drop the shield, but still keep that form?"

Ravenna pursed her lips and stared at him, her hand moving up to cup his neck. Every instinct screamed at him to pull away, but instead he leaned into it. She smiled at him. "Yes, I can."

Before Jack even had to ask, she closed her eyes and suddenly, the grey was gone. Jack blinked at her and stared- she was truly beautiful now. Without the grey to mask her, her features seemed sharper, more in focus. Her nose was straight, and her jaw smooth. Jack gasped and felt his hand reach out, but he quickly pulled it back. Laughing, Ravenna shook her head, her silky black strands falling like a waterfall down her back.

Jack closed his eyes and breathed deeply, wondering how he could get some information out of her. What could he ask that would be useful? She wouldn't tell him how she could be caught, would she? Indecision pulsed through him, and Jack breathed out slowly.

"How did you know I was here?" He said, his words clipped.

"The earth is a part of me. I can tell exactly where you are, at any given time. Having Pitch as my father means I can travel by shadow if I want to get to you fast. Like tonight." She said, their faces almost touching. She had to admit, Jack was stunning. He had a strong jaw, and pale white skin. His eyes were as electric blue as the hoodie he wore, and even though he was skinny, she could see the outline of his muscles. His hair was long and white, the messy layers making it stand up when he ran his hand through it. He was like nothing she'd ever seen. A pure picture of winter.

Jack nodded quietly, looking at her coldly. "Okay. Why did you come?"

Ravenna faltered. Why had she come? To rub it in his face he'd never catch her? To kill him? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that she felt drawn to him. He was unpredictable. Exciting. A force of nature. "Because, for some reason, you interest me, Jack Frost."

Jack raised an eyebrow, a harsh laugh escaping his mouth. "Either that or you want to kill me."

She tilted her head. "Now now, who says I'm going to do that? I might just let you live, after all this. Who knows?"

Jack leaned in next to her ear, his icy breath making her shiver. "I'd rather die than live in a world with you and Pitch."

Ravenna drew back sharply, her demeanor hardening over. Why did her heart race when he leaned next to her? She was ancient, a Goddess, she wasn't meant to feel like this. This boy, he was nothing to her. A tiny speck of existence, and one that shouldn't be doing this. Angered, she sank into the shadows and appeared behind him in the blink of an eye, her arm wrapped around his neck tightly, She herself leaned in, with a voice just as cold as Jack's. "That can be arranged, boy."

Jack gasped and clawed at his throat, his eyes wide. Ravenna flung him onto the ground, the moonlight now making her features look terrifying. Her skin looked darker and her teeth looked sharper, just like Pitch's. Then he blinked, and she was back to normal. Looking down at him with something like tiredness, she tossed her hair over one shoulder and placed a combat boot on Jack's chest, pressing down lightly. "Don't anger me, Jack. Not if you want to make it through this. I'm older than time, and stronger than you. You're nothing but an ant under my boot, and a very squashable ant at that."

Jack waved his hand and ice shot out, wrapping up her body at full speed. He stood up quickly, staff in hand and braced himself, waiting for her to fight back. He didn't know if icing her saved his life or ended it prematurely, but in that moment he didn't really care. "Yeah? Well, I'll be fighting every step of the way. Just you watch me."

Smiling slightly, Ravenna nodded and the ice turned to water, falling at her feet, yet somehow not getting her wet. He had guts, trying to ice her like that. She should have been mad. She should have killed him- that's what Pitch would've done. But, instead, she found herself admiring him a little, and that thought alone made her feel confused. She didn't like the feeling. "I look forward to it. Goodbye, Jack."

Before she disappeared into the shadows, her soft lips pressed against his cheek, and she was gone.