"St Louis, Quadrant Four, central incisor, Quadrant One, second premolar…" Tooth flitted about the Globe room giving orders to her fairies.
North tried to wake up Sandy and Bunny alternated watching the globe and watching the window. North had activated the Aurora to summon the Guardians immediately after the Pennsylvania incident, and Tooth and Sandy had both arrived quickly. That was over an hour ago, and Jack Frost was still not there.
"Where could he be?" Tooth wondered, drawing her attention away from directing teeth for the first time sense arriving at the Pole. "I'm starting to worry."
"About Snowflake? Neh," Bunny waved his hand dismissively. "That Jack Frost's a larrikin. He's probably causing bingles and starting snowball fights." Bunny wanted to believe his own excuses for why Jack Frost had yet to arrive, but he had to admit to himself that it was at least a slight bit bothersome. He could never show that to Tooth, though.
"In the summer time? It's not the proper climate in any populated region for snow and ice. Something's wrong." Four Baby Teeth chirped and cooed in agreement, especially one in particular. She was smaller than the rest with a pinker complexion and a feather noticeably missing from her left wing. This was Jack's Baby Tooth; the one he had saved from the Nightmares at the Tooth Palace.
"Besides," Tooth continued, "Jack wouldn't just ignore a call like this. Something has to be holding him up."
"We start meeting without Jack," North announced now that Sandy was awake. "When he arrives we fill him in. If he does not come by end of meeting, we go and look for him."
Tooth and Bunny nodded. It was all they could do.
Above the Sandman's head, a wisp of gold formed a silhouette of Pitch followed by a question mark. He looked up at North.
"I do not know, Sandman," North replied. "Only that something bad is happening to lights on globe."
Bunny nodded. "This is bad oil, blokes." Feeling a glare from Tooth, he amended, "And sheilas."
As if on cue, another ripple began.
"Is happening now!" North exclaimed and pointed to Canada. Eastern Manitoba and part of western Ontario were practically pulsating.
They all watched in stunned silence as the ripple that affected two Canadian provinces raged on for a staggering fifteen minutes.
"How long has this been going on?" Tooth asked frantically.
"Couple weeks now," answered Bunny.
"I told only Bunny because I did not wish to summon all Guardians unless absolute emergency. But ripples are getting worse. Happening more often, lasting longer, and covering larger territory."
Sandy shook his fists in the air, a figure of Pitch once again forming above his head.
"I think it's time we lob in on Mr. Black," suggested Bunny.
"But how do we find him?" asked Tooth. "The only Guardian who's ever been to his hideout is…"
No one liked to think back to that incident, but they all knew Jack was the first legendary, let alone Guardian, to set foot in the lair of the Boogieman. Not counting the Baby Teeth, or course, but they could not possibly be asked to return to the place where they had once been help prisoner.
"We must find Jack," North said. "He will track down Pitch and help put end to ripples before they become worse."
