4

Tooth awoke and stretched her arms. The dream ship was still flying and Jack was still sitting by her side.

"Good morning." She said and Jack turned to face her.

"Morning," he muttered. "You know, you were talking in your sleep. What were you dreaming about?" He asked.

Tooth racked her brains searching for the fading dream all she could bring up was pitch black's face and she shuddered. She didn't want to worry Jack.

"Flying with my mother." She lied.

"Flying?" Jack asked a little confused.

"She flies planes, they're similar to the dream ship but they work a little differently." Tooth explained.

Jack nodded in understanding. "Must be nice having a family waiting for you." He said with a sad smile.

Tooth remembered their conversation last night about him having no memories. "Well I'm sure you have a family waiting for you somewhere." She beamed.

Jack looked at her and just shook his head. "What family? I'm a nutcracker, I was made and then abandoned." He said bitterly.

Tooth didn't say anything, knowing that no words of comfort would be any use to the nutcracker. Instead she stared at the ground noticing that the snow had disappeared, he had now been replaced by pinks, greens and reds.

"Where are we?" She asked, standing up and holding onto the edge. She peered slightly, wanting to take a closer look.

Jack stood up beside. "The land of candy, we're just south of Bunny's Warren, we should be there in about fifteen minutes."

Tooth started to lean even further, it was so bizarre! She just had to look.

"Be careful." Jack warned.

Tooth ignored him. "I'll be fine!" She waved him off and began to lean even further until her foot slipped.

There was a terrifying five seconds before she felt an arm pull her up again from the edge and the two of them backed away from the edge, further into the dream ship.

"What did I just say?" Jack asked turning her to face him.

"Be careful, I was just looking!" Tooth huffed, slightly miffed that he was treating her like a child. She blushed slightly of embarrassment.

"Yeah and you did the opposite of that!" Jack sighed. "Just don't do it again, we're already in enough danger as it is with Pitch Black following us! Now come on, I'd bet you want to see the land of candy in all his glory!" His tone changed quickly and there was a smile on his face.

Tooth just watched as he walked to the front of the ship, he seemed to have gone back to his happy self again.

"Tooth?" Jack called.

"Coming," She replied. "Just getting over my brush with death."

"What twice over?" Jack fired back as she joined him at the front.

"And who's fault is that?"

Jack laughed. "Yeah, with Pitch Black chasing us but look we're almost there!" He pointed at the ground and Tooth could clearly see that the ship was beginning to descent as she made out tall candy canes.

The ship lowered itself lower and lower to the fall until it landed with a thud onto the ground. Tooth was knocked off her feet but Jack caught her hand so they fell together.

A few minutes passed by silently as the two of them got up to their feet. The dream ship started to disintegrate, towering sand columns began to fall to the floor on which Tooth realised was grass but it was a very light shade of green. Soon the dream ship was nothing more than a pile of a sand, the only evidence it had ever existed.

Jack was watching Tooth stare at the grass.

"The grass is mint according to Bunny though of course I've never eaten it, being a nutcracker and all."

Tooth batted her eyes. "Any moment I'm going to wake up, this is too surreal. This whole place feels like I've walked into Charlie and The Chocolate factory."

"That book you really liked?" Jack asked.

Tooth nodded. "It's still creepy that you know these things about me."

Jack just shrugged his shoulders. "Well what do you expect when all I ever heard was your seven year old self stories and interests. You know, you treated me like I was real and I loved you for that. Of course I was sad when you never came back but when I saw you again, I understood."

"I wish I could remember what I said but it was so long ago…sorry." Tooth apologised.

Jack laughed. "What are you apologising for?"

"Because I left you alone, I stopped visiting my uncle's North you see and you must have been so lonely…" Tooth stopped staring at the mint grass.

She felt Jack's wooden hands on her shoulder in a matter of seconds. "It doesn't matter about that. How were you supposed to know that I was in a dormant state? Come on let's get a move on."

Tooth nodded and followed Jack. They went through a candy cane forest, a lollipop field where the lollipop seemed to sway in the breeze and a strawberry laces jungle until they came to a massive hole in the ground. In front of this hole was a gigantic chocolate Bunny.

"That's a little obvious isn't it?" Tooth said as she eyed it up. "And doesn't it melt?"

"Bunny's a pooka, he likes the dramatics but and no he put a spell on it so it wouldn't. That chocolate bunny's basically just a sign for me and Sandy to find him. Now come, let's jump down."

Before Tooth could protest he grabbed Tooth's arm and the two of them plunged into the darkness. For the next ten minutes Tooth stumbled through an earthy tunnel in darkness until she saw a shaft on light. She carried on walking until she came out out into one of the prettiest places she had ever seen.

To her right there was a large waterfall that cascaded down into a river. The river was surrounded by a large settlement of tents. By the tents, several children played although they were dressed in rags. Tooth realised that she was in a valley as on the walls stood several figures of bunny head's. She wondered where they were.

"Welcome to the warren!" Jack announced. Tooth just stared in awe.

"This is where he lives?" She asked in surprise.

"Well yes, it's a safe haven for the children who as I can see have all grown up. Now let's go and meet Bunny."

Tooth followed him down the hill and noticed that the tents were getting closer and closer. They were about to reach the camp when a gigantic hole opened and a grey blur darted up. It took a few moments for Tooth to register to what she was seeing.

It was a large bunny or 'pooka' as Jack had called him. He was very tall as he stood on his hind legs. His fur was grey and covered in strange patterns almost looking like tribal markings. On his wrist was a brown bracelet with an egg shaped dome, a green jewel glittered out of them.

"Jack!" The bunny said hesitantly and walked towards the nutcracker. A few minutes passed until the pooka wrapped his arms around him.

"What are you hugging me for?" Jack spluttered in surprise.

Tooth giggled enjoying as the nutcracker became flustered. She had to admit it was kind of cute.

"I missed ya, even if ya are kind of annoying, ya gumbie." The bunny replied and finally let him go.

Jack dusted his arms off and cleared his throat. "Right, I presume Sandy told you what happened and where I disappeared to?"

Bunny's smile became a frown but he nodded. "Yeah but I'm glad to see that ya safe, how long has it been? "Bout 10 years?"

"Yes but I was okay, that's all that matters. Sandy woke me up and brought me back here."

"Speaking of Sandy, where is he?"

Jack and Tooth shared a dark look.

"He didn't make it to the dream ship. He stayed back to fight Pitch Black." Tooth answered for Jack.

Bunny let out a soft 'oh' and nodded in understanding.

"Who's the shelia?" Bunny questioned after everyone had time to gather themselves up.

"I'm Toothiana, but you can call me Tooth." Tooth introduced herself and she offered Bunny her hand. He took it and shook it.

"Call me Aster." Aster said with a smile.

"Or if you prefer Bunny, it sounds much better!" Jack chimed in with a laugh.

Bunny or Aster scowled as he looked at Jack. "No it doesn't ya goddamn nutcracker, I'm gonna get ya for that!" He shook his fist at the nutcracker and gave chase to him. Jack just laughed as he began to run.

Tooth shook her head and watched as the two chased each other. She could already see that the two got on in the way rivals do. She made her way over to the children and decided that she was going to introduce herself but she stopped outside a tent where she could hear a small sobbing girl.

She opened the tent and peered in. There wasn't much except a camp bed where a small girl lay her face down in a pillow and her long brown hair sprawled around her. Tooth could hear the muffled sobs.

"Hello?" Tooth called out.

The sobs stopped and the girl sat up to face Tooth. Her heart face shaped was framed by brown bangs and her eyes were the like oak. She didn't look any older than fifteen.

"Who're you?" She asked rudely whilst rubbing the tears from her eyes.

"I"m Tooth." She told the girl.

"I'm Emma." There was a silent pause as if Tooth was supposed to know who she was. "I'm the princess." The girl added and Tooth stared in shock.

Sorry it's been so long but my exam was over and good news for me! I'm going to university but it's so expensive, it's only eighteen hours a week but I don't know how busy I will be I'm making no promises on updates on the story but I'll try and get one update for at least all the stories before I leave on the 19th September.

Replies to reviews:

freakybubbletea: His situation will remain unknown for now but things are going to get a lot more complicated from now on!

FlightFeathers-If only, I hope you enjoy the princess's reveal anyway!

XxthedarksideXx- It's more of a mix for the concept however Tooth's background is actually unknown only referred to as Southeast Asia but each to their own interpretation.