Ch.4 - A problem
.
.
Sleep didn't come, she guessed it wouldn't now that she was a spirit, hunger and thirst also didn't seem to bother her despite the hours past. She had cried herself dry however and was beginning to regret sending Bunnymund away. Muse was alone even if there were other beings in this realm they were obviously few and far apart. Although Bunny and Jack seemed friendly and helpful she couldn't exactly call them friends, and she only half-knew where to find one of them. She stood and pondered whether to try and reenter the Warren or to just explore the area around her. A sign on the far side of the lake proclaimed it simply Burgess Lake. Exploring would be the best bet she decided since the last talk with Bunny hadn't ended so well, and frankly she was too embarrassed to speak with him again. Out into the surrounding woods she ventured, taking her time and admiring the effects of the bare trees against the setting sun. Soon the moon began to overtake the sun and she came to clearing of rocks, at the edge of which she paused. Something was off about the place she thought trying to place a finger on it. She stepped closer into the clearing searching for whatever was throwing off what would be a scenic display. It was then she felt a familiar nudge, glancing down she spotted one of Bunny's blank eggs near her ankle.
"Hello there," she smiled gently picking up the little thing as it kicked its tiny feet. It must have followed her and Bunny up through the hole.
"You really shouldn't be up here, it's not anywhere near Easter nor are you painted."
It just squirmed in her hands, anxiously even. Something was definitely off about this place she thought feeling a sense of dread crawling up her neck. She would have left right that instant if she hadn't heard the moan.
.
.
.
"Aw come on Phil, I'm a guardian now too, everyone else gets to come in when they feel like it," Jack whined at the Yeti standing before one of the doors into North's castle.
"Grrragh gana haugh!" the Yeti snapped back angrily gesturing to the door behind him then back at Jack and crossing his arm in a firm 'no!'.
"Phil, my Yeti," Jack began, hovering up so as to throw an arm around the yeti's shoulder, "We've been civil for a while now and- HA!" he froze Phil's arms to his side and dodged as the yeti attempted to tackle him, only succeeding in falling face first into the snow.
"Should've done that years ago," Jack smiled and opened the door to the castle. "Grumph," went the frozen yeti, making Jack stop. A year ago he would've left Phil to lay in the snow for however long he was in there, but now... Jack grabbed one of the yeti's feet and struggled to pull him into the warmth of the castle. Phil turned his head and looked questioningly up at the impish guardian.
"Don't look at me like that, you'll thaw," and with that Jack zipped off into the workshop ahead. The elves seemed ecstatic to see Jack floating around the shop, while the other yetis glared at him for interrupting their work. Eventually he made it to the door he was searching for and knocked.
"North?"
.
.
.
"Hello?" Muse called out to the darkening clearing, holding the egg tight she inched forward following the cries to the center of the clearing. The voice sounded was deep and truly in agony, but oddly muffled. The moan grew in volume until she pinpointed it at a soft circle of dirt.
"Oh no, Jack?! Bunny?!" She lunged forward, setting the egg down, and began frantically digging at the hole. One of tunnels must have caved in and someone, even if it was Jack or Bunny, was trapped under the cold, hard dirt. The egg kept bumping her ankle, but she had no time to fret with it now. A sharp crack ripped the air and the ground gave beneath her, sending her tumbling down into darkness. She landed sharply upon a ledge and began bouncing down a flight of hard, stone stairs and skidding to a stop with her legs dangling over an abyss.
.
.
.
"A new spirit eh?" North spun away from his desk, ice doll in one hand cookie in the other.
"Yeah, it's weird right," Jack replied from his perch on the windowsill, "we haven't had one in over a hundred years."
"True, but Manny must have reason, yes?" He stared out the window past Jack, "speaking of which."
Jack turned and saw the moon rising high into the sky, smiling he asked, "you really think he'll have anything to say about her?"
"I doesn't matter much one way or another does it?
"Meh."
Jack jumped down from the sill and followed North out to the front of the Globe as the ceiling above began to open for the sky.
"Manny, old friend what is-" North stopped dead staring at images rapidly flashing across the floor from the moon's light. Pitch, Muse, caves, stone, and a barrage of unrecognizable shapes filled the floor.
"What's going on?" Jack asked, he had never spoken with the Man in the Moon since his rebirth and wasn't quite sure what was going on, it kind of reminded him of Sandy except something about the normally calm and mystical moon doing it terrified him. North began rummaging in his giant coat and pulled out two snow globes, which he pitched to Jack.
"One to get Teeth, one to get to Pitch's hole."
"Wait! What's going on?!
"No time! Go!" North set off for his sleigh leaving Jack to himself. Something was going horribly and there was no time to ask questions, with one last glance towards the shadows on the floor Jack tossed the globe and entered the Tooth Palace.