Amber, thanks for the reviews! As for pairings, I guess you'll just have to wait and see! Heehee!
A snowball to the face isn't quite how I imagined waking up. I yelped, preparing for a sudden onslaught. Wolf merely opened one eye before closing it again and shifting his mass to curl tighter to shut out the fact that we had company. Familiar laughter reached me in my little hollow and already I was grinning with narrowed eyes.
"Jack!"
"Wake up, sleeping beauty!" he snickered.
"You're gonna get it!" I threatened, scrambling from beneath the sheltering stone with laughter. I scooped up a handful of snow before lopping it at his face. He dodged his head to the side, turning as it past to watch it hit a tree ineffectively. "Missed me!" he declared as he turned back, only to catch my second one full in the face. We both burst into laughter before a more massive scale assault began. I used the trees as a shield while Jack used them more as a jungle gym. He hopped up the branches to get better angles, though it limited his ammo whereas I had plenty. I needed it. He was fast!
While we played, Wolf finally crawled from beneath the stone. He gave a toothy yawn, bowing down to stretch out his front legs, his tail wagging once in greeting before he sat to watch our shenanigans. I could tell Jack was gearing up for a finale when he got that mischievous look in his eye, but he never got the chance to implement his grand invasion. Wolf tackled him as soon as he landed on the ground again, his long tongue slobbering through Jack's white hair and leaving it sticking up at odd angles.
"We win," I said with a laugh, offering a hand to help him up. He accepted and immediately began rubbing at his hair to pat it back down into submission while I giggled at how silly it looked.
"This time," he agreed. Without warning, he wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled me into a noogie.
"Ah! Alright, you win, you win!"
He released me after a short laugh before tilting his head to the side, icy blue eyes peering at me. "You haven't come back to the Pole," he pointed out.
I lowered my gaze, making myself busy with untangling Wolf's fur. "Not yet," I agreed.
"Why? We've been worried."
"But I talked to Sandy last night," I said, feeling certain that he would have told them as well.
"That's why we're worried. His message was a bit muddled, but from what I can interpret, he was saying you seemed down." Jack walked barefoot through the snow, hopping on top of the rock that served as my shelter away from the Pole. His feet dangled while he patted at the rock, a signal for me to join him. "So what's up?"
I climbed onto the rock while Wolf settling beneath me in the snow. I curled my toes into his fur, giving his back a bit of a massage with them. I really didn't want this conversation to happen. But Jack's earnest gaze and worried eyes were well on their way to convincing me it may be best to talk sooner rather than later.
"I don't know how to be a Guardian," I admitted. "And I didn't want you guys to be disappointed. No one can see me and I just don't know how to help besides fighting off nightmares."
Jack laughed heartily, making my eyes widen with alarm. What was so funny about that?
"Alice, I was invisible for three hundred years before I figured it out. Give yourself some time! It'll come to you," he assured, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder.
I dropped my head, unable to look into those confident eyes. "I dunno…"
There was silence for a span and the three of us just listened to the sound of the forest around us. A quiet rustling of dead leaves had Wolf's head swiveling to catch sight of a young buck catching his antlers in a tree above. I shook my head with a small smile before sliding off the rock and then from Wolf's back. The deer looked at me – right at me! – as I moved forward. I raised my hands and proceeded slowly. I watched his nostrils flare uncertainly, but he allowed me to grab hold of his antlers and gently press his head down. He resisted at first before allowing it. Finding himself free of the branch, he pranced away with high steps before looking back at me. "I didn't know animals could see me," I murmured.
Jack jumped from the rock clear of Wolf since the canine had looked up at him with bold amber eyes when it seemed as if the boy would climb down the same way I had. I missed the exchange, but the pair was reaching a mutual understanding and respect for each other. Jack reached out to grab my hand. Wolf stood in response, looking at the connection sternly. The winter sprite didn't seem to feel bothered in the least by it. "Come on. I want you to meet someone."
