Author's Note: I realized I forgot to respond to the first comment. This chapter may provide a clue, but does anyone want to guess which reindeer was in the first chapter?

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.


Metazoa

Chapter 3: Present - 2

"Baby Tooth, you sure Jack is coming today?"

The little hummingbird-like fairy squeaks an affirmative as she shares North's worried look.

"What exactly you tell him?"

A series of fast squeaks and chirps has North scratching his long beard and nodding. "Okay, you say I have prepared big tour of workshop for Jack since he no have good look before, but since I'm busy with Christmas preparations he can only come today?"

"Ya know Frostbite," Bunnymund pipes up from behind them, leaning against the fireplace as he watches Tooth and Sandy entertain their guests. "He's probably waitin' till a few days before Christmas t' come here. I mean, why take a nice organized tour of Santa Claus's workshop when he can catch 'im by surprise? Now that he's a Guardian, the yetis will let 'im in."

"Da, that is true, but Baby Tooth asked nicely, no?" Baby Tooth nods furiously as North glances at her hopefully. "He will not want to disappoint her, but he is hours late! Where could he be?" The Guardian of Wonder throws his hands up in frustration.

"…Then again mate, maybe he ain't coming at all," comes the Easter Bunny's whispered response. North and Baby Tooth stare at him in shock, but Bunnymund does not look at them. "Think about it," he continues, cutting off whatever protest they were about to retort with. "We had one another when Manny chose us during the Dark Ages. Sure, we didn't exactly welcome every new spirit he picked, but Frostbite's probably the youngest when he was chosen. He's practically a kid, and we'd left him alone for centuries."

Ears drooping, Bunnymund's face falls in regret and sadness as he finally looks at them. "Mother Nature told me the wind's been the only friend he's ever had till Manny told us t' get 'im. He probably thinks we're hosting a pity fest. We sought 'im out only because Manny told us to, and now that he's one of us, he thinks we're obliged t' take 'im in as family. Seeing how the kid's been fine by himself all these years, maybe he has no problem goin' back t' being independent."

The truth hurts, but North has to agree with Bunnymund. Having experienced what it's like to have no believers, the Guardian of Hope finally understands what Jack has gone through during the past three centuries. There is actual physical pain whenever a human walks right through a spirit, and coupled with the shock of realizing you're invisible, that no one can see or hear or touch you, the feelings of loss and emptiness are multiplied tenfold.

And Jack had done so much for them despite his initial misgivings about the Guardians. He restored the last believing child's faith in them, reminded them of the joys of playing and interacting with the children, and even managed to turn fear into a game of fun.

They may have failed Jack by abandoning him in the past, but they have eternity to try and make it up to him, North vows. The surprise party to celebrate his new status as a Guardian and the defeat of Pitch seems like a good, promising step.

But where is Jack?


"Okay, okay. Ladies, let's get organized! Who do we have here?"

Chirps. "The Leprechaun and the Groundhog? Check!"

Squeaks. "Cupid and Muse? Check!"

Excited squeals. "Ooh, Sam Hain? Didn't think he'd show up. And Cloud too? Check!"

With the help of her mini fairies, Tooth quickly takes stock of their guests, making sure there's enough food to go around. At the same time, the yetis bring out trays filled with plates of cookies and cups of hot chocolate from the kitchens while the elves' antics simultaneously serve as entertainment and walking hazards.

Tooth spins around when she feels hurried taps on her shoulders to find Sandy and the Spirit of Daydreams looking worriedly at her.

"Sandy? Cloud? What's wrong?" she asks, frowning in concern.

A combination of dream sand and white vapor conveys the mute spirits' urgent message: the stables holding North's reindeers have been damaged and the animals are running loose around Santoff Claussen. The two have volunteered to help the yetis reign them back in but had decided to alert Tooth about the situation first.

"All right, but be careful. And good luck! I think North mentioned how Comet likes to run out into the mountains. Or was it Dasher?"

Sandy and Cloud share a glance before shrugging together. With a final wave to Tooth, the two quickly follow a few yetis out the door towards the stables.

"Problems?" asks a cool voice right behind her.

Tooth lets out a high-pitched shriek and jumps in surprise mid-flight. She turns swiftly to find Mother Nature standing stoically nearby.

"Mother!" she greets happily, flying over to her. "Oh, North's stables were damaged and his reindeers are loose, but Sandy and Cloud and taking care of it. I'm so glad you could make it! How are you?"

"I am well, thank you for asking."

"We were afraid the other spirits wouldn't show up and we didn't know if they were busy or if they didn't like Jack or – I mean, we could have at least gotten all four seasons here. Where are Summer and Autumn?"

"Sandra and Faulkner send their sincerest apologies and their regards, as does Father Time. Nevertheless, the turnout is better than I expected."

Tooth nods. "Well, I was hoping more would come but I guess this is better than just the Guardians," she shrugs. Around her, the mini fairies chirp in agreement. One of them looks around and squeaks questioningly.

"What's that? Oh! Mother, where's Animalia?"

The nature spirit raises a delicate brow. "She insisted on a race to Santoff Claussen. Evidently she has not yet arrived, but she'll be along shortly."

"Ooh, who did you bring this time?" Tooth asks excitedly.

But before the spirit can answer, an explosion at the top of the globe sends everyone to the ground.


Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Comments are greatly appreciated :)