WARNING! THERE IS SOME TRIGGERING STUFF IN THIS CHAPTER! LIKE VIOLENCE, IMPLICATIONS TO SEX, AND HARSH WORDS. I DON' T THINK IT'S TOO BAD (LIKE I'VE SEEN WORSE) BUT JUST TO BE SAFE. PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS CHAPTER IF YOU A EASILY TRIGGERED! THANK YOU!

Chapter 4

Making Frie- Enemies

260 or so years later and we learned a lot. Like we learned to avoid other spirits.

And staying true to his word, the Summer spirit, Blaze kicked me into next week the next time we saw each other. And he brought friends.

I was spreading a light snowfall during the last few days of Winter (Zima wasn't feeling too well so she stayed home- it wasn't anything serious, she just spent too much time in a warm climate so she was curled up in the snow in our root cave) when I ran into… them.

I felt a pull in Wind- just like the first time- so I landed. I held out my staff defensively when I saw a smiling Blaze come out of the shadows melting my snow along the way- again. I would have changed forms, but I only do that when I think Zima is in danger so I can protect her better. But since it was just me I didn't. I felt two more pulls in Wind and got confused.

My confusion soon went away when I saw two more spirits come out behind Blaze. They looked exactly like him except a little younger. They walked over to me and stopped a few feet in front of me.

"Well, well, well. If isn't our favorite frozen popsicle!" Blaze greeted in an overly friendly voice. He walked up to me and grabbed a bit of my midnight blue hoodie. I switched out my brown cloak for it few days ago when my cloak started to fall apart.

Zima also got new clothes. She kept her pants but she got a white tank top with a light blue sweater to go over it. Its sleeves were long so they always cover part of her hands and it comes up to the middle of her stomach leaving her white tank top to stick out. Neither of us wear shoes still.

"And look! He got new clothes! Well, we don't want to ruin your new attire during your lesson so- here, let me help you with that." he then forcefully grabbed my hoodie and ripped it up and over my head. I tried to fight but the other two Summer spirits had grabbed my hands and tied them behind my back with rope. I forced down a scream at their touch. They did the same to my ankles and kicked me to the ground.

My staff was thrown a few feet away when my hoodie was ripped off of me so I couldn't fight back as they started to kick and stomp on me in all places. I held in screams and yells of pain but a few unwanted grunts and whimpers made it out. The kicking and stomping stopped and I was dragged by my feet to a tree and my hands were untied. I saw this as my chance so I lashed out and attacked the one closest to me but Blaze came up and grabbed me by the neck- hard. I whimpered at the burn.

He grinned and threw me up against the tree and my head hit the trunk. My vision swam but I would not lose consciousness, who knows what they'd do to me then. My hands were tied behind the trunk of the tree and suddenly Blaze was right in front of me… holding my staff. My eyes widened when I saw it.

He grinned and just started beating me with it. I almost cried out when I heard a few cracks, but I didn't. I didn't want Zima here. It seemed to go on forever until it finally stopped. I groaned in pain.

"There. That should teach you not to mess with our season. What's wrong Frost? Your puppy not here to save you? Speaking of which, where is the little mutt? I should teach it a lesson too." I growled, and his eyes widened. "You're a Frost wolf, aren't you? I thought those things went extinct! Ha! Well, learn something new every day, huh? Anyway, the mutt, where is it?"

"D-don't you t-touch her." I managed.

"It's a girl?..." he paused as the gears turned in his head. Then he seemed to lighten up. "Oh Man In Moon! She's a Frost Wolf too! Well, maybe you wouldn't mind if I brought her home with us. The boys and I haven't had some fun in while, have we boys?" he turned to his friends and they shook their heads. I growled a warning.

"Don't you dare! I'll kill you!" I started struggling against my bonds, bearing my sharp canines. I wouldn't be surprised if my eyes were glowing then. Blaze actually took a step back.

"You're an alpha…" he whispered. I stopped struggling and looked at him confused. But he didn't seem to notice as he was yelling. "Oh Man In Moon! He's an alpha! Run!" then he and his friends sprinted away from me and lifted into the air. And soon, they were gone.

I was left staring at the spot where they disappeared from, wondering what Blaze meant by me being an alpha. An alpha of what? Then I noticed that I was still in my bonds, and that's when the pain hit. I groaned and looked down to assess my injuries.

I was covered in bruises and little cuts. Honestly, I was surprised I didn't have a black eye- but I did have a busted lip. I could feel my ribs were bruised and I already knew a few were a least cracked, courtesy of Blaze's shoe. I tried my bonds again and found out my shoulder was dislocated.

Great. Just… great.

I still had those burns on my neck, wrists, and ankles. But they were already starting to frost over so I wasn't really worried about them. I started struggling even harder when I noticed how dark it was getting.

'I've got to get to Zima! Come on, Jack! Struggle harder!' I thought angrily at myself. I don't know why, but the wolf in me thought she was in danger and with her in the state she was in… I struggled even harder against the ropes, my mind playing out scenarios of Zima being hurt by those low life rat bags. I didn't even notice the snow- that was already falling heavily when Blaze mentioned taking Zima from me- start to fall more harshly.

I finally got free with a satisfying RIP! This is when I noticed the blizzard.

"Oh, no… No no no no!" I yelled out. I tried to stop it but I was so frustrated with myself and worried about Zima that I couldn't control my emotions. Plus I was in a lot of pain, so I wasn't strong enough. I suddenly heard a loud crack in the woods behind me and I whipped around. I had to hold in a scream because I jarred my ribs and my shoulder.

But when a 6' 1" kangaroo-rabbit-man-thing with boomerangs on his back and a basket of colorful eggs in his hand came out of the woods, I completely forgot about my injuries and just stared at him in awe and shock. This thing had greyish-white colored fur and what looked like black tribal markings all over him. His boomerangs were in a nice leather holder on his back and- again- he was carrying a basket of colorful eggs.

I perked up. Maybe he could help me.

"Huh?" I wondered to myself as he stomped up to me angrily. And any hope of him helping me flew out the window when I saw his face. He was looking at me with hatred and anger. I felt my eyes widen and I backed up slightly. I did not want to get beat again.

"You! Did ya cause this storm?!" he asked in an Australian accent. I slowly nodded my head, looking down and tensing up, ready to protect myself as much as I could with what energy I had left in me. "Ya cancel'd mah 'oliday! Ya bloody frostbitten popsicle! People're dyin'! Ya need tah stop!" he continued to shout angrily. I flinched when he raised his (paw?) at me, like he was going to hit me.

He looked confused for a moment, but then he continued to yell.

"Well, don't'cha have anythin' tah say f'r yerself?!"

"I-I'm s-so-sorry about the b-blizzard. Bu-but there we-were th-these S-Summer spirits threatening me an-and b-bea-" I was cut off by the kangaroo-rabbit.

"No! No bloody excuses! Tha's all you bloody Winter spirits do is make excuses! Well, I've had 'bout enough of yah and yer excuses!" he yelled and I shrunk back at the volume of his voice. I really hadn't meant to make the storm… They were threatening Zima and beating me up… I had no idea… I sort of tuned out his rant with my thoughts, but I did catch the last of it. And it hurt worse than my ribs and shoulder.

"Yer nothin' but ah mistake! All yah do is mess everythin' up! Man In Moon shouldn't 'ave made you! Yer a murderer and you bring nothin' but cold and death! Why don't yah do the whole world a favor and just get lost!" I stumbled back against a tree, my eyes wide with hurt and shock, and held back a groan of pain. Satisfied that I was taught a lesson, the rabbit left. He tapped the ground twice with his overgrown foot and a hole opened up. He jumped down and as it closed up, a single flower was left in its wake.

'He's right you know… you're nothing but a dirty, no good, murderer… you should just get rid of yourself… You'd be doing the whole world a favor… Even Zima wouldn't miss you…'

I quickly pushed those thoughts away as I struggled to stand upright. I gripped my staff tight and flew into the air with great difficulty.

As soon as I got home and Zima saw me- obviously feeling better- she bombarded me with questions as she began to heal my wounds. I told her what happened and everything that they said. She began to cry as she told me that I wasn't a mistake or a murderer and it wasn't my fault those people died. I told her that I knew that it wasn't my fault and that nothing was going to happen.

I felt sick lying to her like that, felt like I was ripping out my own heart and throwing it in a shredding machine.

But I put on a brave face for Zima, I wouldn't- couldn't let her see how hurt I was… how broken… I would put on a brave face for her so she wouldn't have to see that side of me, the darker side.

But I would also put on a brave face for everyone else. I don't want people to think that they can get to me so easily…

And it was then when I decided I had to toughen up. For me and for Zima.

Cause no one messes with Jack Frost and his mate. No one.