Ghosts
By: Midnight E Siren
/set soon after the movie/
"What happened to your back, mate?" Jack cringed at the loaded question, desperately wishing that he had his hoodie to cover himself with.
A few short hours ago he'd been in Europe, bringing an ice storm to Austria, when he'd felt the urge to harass his favorite long eared Guardian. Like Hel was hot on his heels, he'd jumped on the back of the north wind and quickly surged to the sight of the one person he knew could get him into the Warren. Sita was the Shepherd of Spring, one of three spirits he could almost call his siblings. Long ago, Sita had made the parallel that Jack was the new baby that their mother, Mother Nature herself, had adopted without telling them. As with any youngest child, their mother had paid special attention to Jack for many years, more than she did with the other shepherds as he learned to use his powers.
Older sibling jealousy had come like a storm, and each of the other shepherds had done their best to go against their youngest. Sita had been the worst of them, spring and winter were always at odds and she'd always hated how he had to kill all her plant life each year. Over the years they'd slowly grown more used to one another but there was still that wedge of animosity between them that stopped any sort of true friendship from forming. Somehow the shepherds knew where one another were when they wanted to find them. Something deep inside Jack pulled him across the globe closer and closer he came until finally the wind dropped him in an almost too warm glade.
The signs of autumn crawled at the edges of the little clearing, Sita would not return there until her sleep took her. Long ago, he'd discovered and used the portal many times when all others were blocked off. Each shepherd of the seasons had a place where they could return to, the focus point for their powers. When they returned to their own point they were their most powerful, for at each of these locations laid the bones of their humans selves. Jack had first found Sita's point on accident, he'd been spreading winter when he'd mistakenly frozen her glade and her wrath had been near apocalyptic. For decades Jack had nursed the wounds he'd received, and for decades he'd made sure to give his sibling a wide berth.
Though he'd come to avoid the shepherd of spring, when she wasn't at her point he'd slipped into the fallen tree trunk that had grown from her bones and used the portal within. He landed softly in the outlying tree line, the glade was a large basin in the middle of an overgrown forest. It was clear and open with long grass and at the very bottom of the basin sat the fallen remnants of the very great oak that had grown from Sita's body. She had died thousands of years ago, a young village girl who'd had the ability to talk with the wildlife and see the fate through the rippling ponds. Her village had turned upon her when she brought a magical seed from the forest.
It had whispered to them that if they planted it in the center of the village that it would protect them and bring them wealth, but the villagers grew scared of the magic that Sita had discovered. They'd attacked her and chased her into the woods, desperately she'd swallowed the seed so the villagers couldn't destroy it. Sita died in the woods, and the villagers threw her body away in the basin. From her stomach grew the seed, nourished from her flesh and bones into the tree that was promised to look over the village. Though they'd killed her, Sita lived on in the tree and watched over her home, soon again though the villagers smelled witchcraft and cut down the 'devil tree'.
Sita had emerged from its remains, made into the shepherd of spring by Mother Nature, she mother begged the girl to look upon the village with kindness again. She could not, and with all the pain in her heart she ran away. Mother Nature had told Jack that Sita didn't return to her point until the village was long gone, the people gone and buildings overgrown with plant life. Over the centuries her tree withered and became a husk of its once great majesty, it petrified and Sita made her home inside it. Jack saw the pain she held when she looked upon the village, the same when he looked at Burgess and remembered his family and his home, lost and forgotten.
Shaking his head he slipped down from the lip of the basin, crouching in the taller bits of grass when he could and kept a close eye on the sky above. At the bottom was her tree, huge and looming over his slight frame as he quickly slipped in the open end of the hollow trunk. He gripped his staff tight in his hand, focus clamped down firmly on his powers so he wouldn't frost anything while he was still in Sita's domain. Moss and flowers coated the inside of the trunk, wider than he was tall by about two feet, allowing him to walk upright easily as he made his way deeper into the trunk. The opposite end of the tree had long since buried itself in the earth, making it the perfect portal into the Warren.
Slowly the petrified wood gave way to true stone, though more and more moss covered it and the downy moss beneath his bare toes became soft grass. The east wind rushed through the tunnel at him, touching his face with familiarity and greeting him warmly. At his back the north wind surged up to meet the east and Jack left the two to swirl together franticly in a playful typhoon. His path brought him to a rock face deep within the warren, obscured by giant fuzzy leaves whose fibers stuck to Bunny's fur and drove him mad. He'd never look for Jack's secret entrance there, and the winter shepherd had never been more glad for it.
With a quick glance about the clearing of the Warren he dashed across the green valleys and over crystal clear pools, bringing with him a cool breeze that always followed. Frost sometimes escaped his hold touching a flower here or the edge of a leaf there, nothing damaging but it left a trail for Bunny to potentially follow. Only minutes passed but he soon reached the corner of the Warren that Bunny had made his home in and the egglets had already noticed him. Some had already started to scurry off in search of their protector as the egg golems surged up, sensing another spirit in proximity. A grin split his face when Jack saw the warrior egg spin their heads around to their battle visages.
He'd always loved messing with the stone golems, they always reacted to his presence as a threat but they never did anything until he made the first move. With a grin still plastered across his face, he hopped up onto one of the fallen stone pillars, crouching with his staff over his shoulder and searching the valley for a tuft of blue fur. The warriors followed him when he jumped down from his perch, trailing along lazily as he went in search of Bunny. Egglets followed him, crowding around his feet without touching him, those that did were momentarily graced with frost before it melted in the temperate climate. When he heard the telltale swish of the long grass his face split in yet another grin, casually glancing over his shoulder at the small parade that he'd accumulated.
The golems turned and stared at a clump of bushes, sensing their owner hiding there. "Bunny, you really gotta figure out a way to hide better, in your own home no less." he laughed before raising his hands over his head and stretching. "I thought rabbits were good at hiding in holes?"
He heard the frustrated sigh before he saw the rabbit trudge out from his hiding place, Jack quickly hopped up onto another pillar easily out of reach of Bunny. "What'dya want Frost?" he asked, crossing his furry arms and tapping a foot.
"Nothing." Bunny's ears dropped suspiciously as Jack tried to suppress his smile, turning his back on the furred guardian. "Just thought I'd stop by and say hi."
"You never just stop by to say hello, mate." he could almost hear Bunny's eyes narrow and his suspicion kindle. "Alright, what did you do?"
"Nothing!" oh, Jack was having plenty of fun now, it was amazing how much he could do by simply sitting still. "I have done, nothing."
A beat passed before the warrior eggs wandered off in the direction that Jack had come from, some silent orders having gone between stone and owner. "Well if you're done doing whatever you're doing, could you rack off? I'm working." Bunny started to walk away just as Jack was innocently assessing his toes, wait Bunny was leaving and with him went his fun.
"Aw, come on Bunny why're you so grumpy today?" Jack whined, stretching backwards over the pillar to get a better look at his companion. "You need to loosen up."
"I've got eggs to paint, Frostbite. Go freeze some of North's elves if you're that bored." when he fell out of sight Jack hopped up and followed him, staff over his shoulder and a wide grin plastered on his face.
"Aw, come on Bunny you always have eggs to paint." he followed the rabbit along the well worn trails until he could see the river of color where eggs were testing the waters and emerging as little spherical rainbows. "They paint themselves!"
Bunny snorted, walking over to a flat rock where his painting supplies was spread out and dozens of egglets were playing a the edge of the river. Many already had dizzying designs painted across their shells with splashes of every color in the world and even more swirling in the ever flowing river. Jack made himself comfortable in an overhead tree, resting his back comfortably against the trunk as he watched Bunny paint below him. They sat like that for what seemed hours, with Jack watching each and every paint stroke and the furred guardian trying his very best to ignore his unwanted visitor. His power slowly laced down the trunk of the tree Jack sat in, sending swirling frost ferns across the bark and down to where Bunny sat.
At first the guardian of hope tried to ignore it, Jack's ice was something that they all had to get used to, wherever he went the cold followed. Once upon a time Jack had told them that it was overflow from his powers, his body was too small to hold everything in so it leaked out of him in the form of frost ferns. The north and east winds rushed up through the branches swirling around the shepherd who could only laugh excitedly when he felt the air around him buzz playfully. With his staff gripped tight in his hand he leapt from the tree and into the welcoming arms of the wind. He'd heard Bunny's worried voice call out to him, but he was too far gone in the energy that swirled around him. East caressed his face like the warm hands of a friend while the North snatched him away and tossed him through the air.
They effectively played keep away with him, and he was more than happy to close his eyes and let himself be thrown and caught in midair, knowing that a wide grin was spread across his face. He tumbled and soared through the air, sometimes giving one or the other a slight advantage by angling his pliable body this way or that to change his course. If he opened his eyes he could see the blurs of green swirl around him, he didn't know if he was upside down or cock-eyed or laying back. Jack trusted the winds more than anything in the world, they would always be there even when the others would be gone. Again he was tossed through the air by the north and he felt himself falling, the east caught him but lost its grip and let him fall again.
He twisted and rode along the north's back, waving at Bunny as he passed by the wide eyed rabbit. "You alright up there mate?" he called, standing up and ready to catch the spirit if needed.
Jack laughed and twisted again, jumping from north to the east and tumbling head over heels when it threw him upwards. "Better than okay!" he exclaimed, whooping with joy as the north picked him up out of the east's grip yet again. "You gotta try this sometime Bunny!"
"I'm gonna stick here on the ground, mate. You have fun up there." he replied, sitting back down and resuming his painting.
Jack noticed when the rabbit's green eyes flickered up at him, on any sort of particular drop of his body he could see blue fur ruffle nervously. He laughed, sometimes if he closed his eyes he could almost imagine the two winds as some sort of relatives. As if Jack were just a small child they gently tossed him back and forth, causing a surge of adrenaline that could only make him laugh. With him came the laughter of the two winds as well, something that he could only feel. It filled him with an emotion that couldn't be described, something warm and happy that made him feel safe, it bubbled up inside him and escaped as laughter.
As the wind launched him upwards he felt freer than he ever did, nothing ever felt as much like freedom as the open sky. He felt himself fall, the wind carding through his hair, kissing his fingertips as he spread his arms wide. The wind wasn't there to catch him. Panic flooded his mind, he half twisted his neck around and for a moment saw the river of color rushing up to greet him before it was suddenly over his head. With his eyes slammed shut, he flailed in the not-water, it was as viscous as water but he knew the dyes that swam in its gentle flow.
It was much deeper than it looked with the eggs swimming in it, his toes touched the bottom and he knew he'd sunk deeper than just a few feet. The dark tendrils of his memory wove their way through his mind and around him the water turned bitterly cold. Again he thrashed in the depths, kicking as hard as he could on the bottom when he felt a hand rip him up and out of the river. When he felt grass beneath his hands and air surging through his lungs he felt safe again, felt the winds touching his back and face in a panic. He waved a hand impatiently at the apologies that were swirling around him, taking in deep lungfuls of air as he pushed back the pain and fear that threatened to tumble out.
"You alright mate?" Bunny rushed into his field of vision, gripping his shoulders and steadying the winter spirit.
He took a few more deep breaths before he replied, his heart was still thudding away in his chest. "I'm good, I'm good, just–" Jack's lungs clenched, almost losing air again when he noticed that his staff was gone. "I'm okay."
When he looked down Bunnymund's chest was coated in a plethora of colors, it coated his arms up to the elbows and was dripping down his long legs. A groan almost slipped out of him when he thought about how many colors of the rainbow he must have been. With a final once over his companion produced the long scrap of wood and handed it to the winter spirit who snatched it up. He allowed himself to be half dragged towards the little hut that was built into the side of a hill across the river and a short ways away. Jack was left outside the hut while the pooka trudged inside, when he returned he grabbed a handful of the blue hoodie and dragged him around the side of the hill.
Bunny brought him to a little clearing where a stone well and a small garden sat, tools laid about around a shed and Jack spotted a small shower head with a stool beneath it. He winced at the thought of being doused in more water but with the pooka's firm hand on his arm he didn't have much choice.
"Put these on and I'll clean you off." Bunny sighed, handing Jack a pair of baggy cloth shorts and turning his back.
He did as he was told, pulling his hoodie and blouse over his head and cringing when he saw the patterns of bright dyes staining the once pristine blue fabric. They were both flung over the edge of a nearby wheelbarrow, his pants were a bit better off but some of the darker dyes had stained the edges. All in all he was annoyed and embarrassed, his skin was only lightly stained thankfully and what strands he could see sticking to his cheeks he'd gone from snow white to abalone shell. When he pulled the shorts up and tied the cord Bunny grabbed him again and sat him down on the stool under the little shower head having him lean back against the wall. Water rained down on him with the squeak of a faucet, he flinched and waited for the liquid to freeze over him like it usually did but when he opened his eyes he realized it was colder than he'd expected.
The pooka's body appeared in front of him as paws carded through his hair, he turned for a moment and picked up a bottle off a little shelf that had been built on the side of the wall next to the makeshift shower. Some kind of liquid was poured into his hair before the paws returned, color washed down his arms and stained the earth under his multicolored toes.
"You sure you're alright mate?" Bunny asked as he scrubbed at Jack's now brightly colored hair. "You're still shakin'."
"Yeah, well drowning kinda sucks you know?" more than anything he was embarrassed, if not a bit mad at the winds for dropping him in the river in the first place.
"You're immortal, mate. You don't have to worry about drowning." Bunny replied casually, pouring more of whatever he was using to remove the dye into Jack's hair. "I've fallen in the river before too, nothing to really worry about."
"I drowned okay?" the winter shepherd sighed heavily, wrapping his long arms around his torso. "When I died, I drowned in the pond in front of my house. So yeah, I was a little freaked out."
The paws in his hair stilled for a moment and Jack found his toes extremely interesting. After a moment the scrubbing resumed, a bit more slowly as the pooka rubbed in the solution and washed out the last of the dye from the white locks. Carefully Bunnymund kneeled in front of the winter child, cloth and cleaning solution in hand as he began scrubbing the spirit's face. Jack's arms clutched tighter around his chest, slowly the guardian of hope moved down from his face to his neck and collarbone.
"This stuff'll stain you quick if you don't get it off." Bunnymund grumbled, rubbing at a bright splotch of gold that refused to come off the spirit's collarbone. "Sorry about the river Frostbite."
"I died." Jack shrugged, making Bunny wince. "It happens, I don't think I've been underwater since it happened. Water always freezes when I touch it."
"Yeah, well the river's not really water so it doesn't really surprise me that it just let you fall in." the pooka replied, running the wash cloth over almost white shoulders.
"The winds are usually there to catch me." blue eyes glared up at the open air above them, he felt the distant rush of wind crying mournfully to him. "I'm not done being mad at you two."
Again the north and east winds cried, rushing through the trees and plants with worry. Unable to abandon their shepherd they paced through the air worriedly, hoping that their frost child would forgive them soon. Jack scowled when Bunnymund chuckled at him, moving to the winter child's shoulders while said spirit glared at him, when he was done he reached over and turned the shower off.
"Alright, stand up and turn around, I'll get your back and then you're on your own mate." the pooka said as he stood up to retrieve more of the stuff that he'd used on Jack's hair and poured it into a basin filled with water.
Nervously Jack wrapped his arms tighter around himself, mind whirring and trying to come up with a reason to deny the pooka. He watched as his brightly colored clothes were added to the cleaner filled basin and the easter guardian turned back to him with a confused expression on his face. Jack couldn't very well see his back, he could be a peacock from the shoulders down for all he knew unless he got a mirror to help.
"Come on mate, if you don't get it off it'll take weeks to fade." Bunny urged him, shooing off some of the egglets that had started crowding around the water basin. "Frostbite?"
With a deep breath Jack stood up and pulled the stool away from the wall, he turned around and sat back on the stool hoping that it would give way and he would fall into the ground. The pooka returned to the spirit and started on Jack's brightly stained back, bright splotches of gold and pink had dripped down his skin and swirled together in a muddled design. As he scrubbed the dye seemed to be coming off less and less, running his fingers over the skin of Jack's back he was surprised to feel deep ridges and mounds of raised flesh. Scars crisscrossed along the pale skin, some stained a dark blue like burns while others were a shade paler than the rest of his back. Jack shuffled nervously beneath his paws as he traced the marks, wiping at more of the dye to reveal more and more.
"What happened to your back, mate?" Bunnymund asked, staring at the spider's web of cuts and burns that had long since healed.
"Three hundred years of being the black sheep of the spirit world?" Jack replied tartly, running a hand over his neck where he knew a nasty wound had once sat from a harvest spirit. "I'm a winter spirit, given the job as a Seasonal Shepherd raised by MiM and made into a Guardian at three hundred years old when there are thousands of older spirits that believe they should've been chosen before me. I've spent the last three hundred years trying to hide from all the spirits that have been trying to kill me."
"They can't all have been bad Frostbite, didn't you meet any other spirits? The other Shepherds?" the water started falling on his head again, washing out the remainder of the solution as more scars were revealed.
"Nope and the other Shepherds all hated me, I was the red headed stepchild that mom brought home one day without telling anyone." Jack grumbled, watching a few stray egglets gather between his ankles and enjoy the cold spray. "They're okay with me now, Sita wants nothing to do with me especially.
"Other spirits think that winter spirits are fragile, that's why we're so volatile and defensive, I can't tell you how many other spirits have tried to get to me." Jack continued mournfully, picking at the edges of his shorts. "After a while I just started freezing anyone that got too close."
"Out of necessity, eh?" the pooka scratched idly at his chest fur, finishing off the last of the dye that stained Jack's back.
"Don't you dare say you're sorry, kangaroo." blue eyes whipped around to glare at the pooka. "It's none of your business to feel sorry for me and I don't need any pity."
"Alright, alright. I'm not saying anything." still, Bunnymund ruffled the spirit's slowly freezing hair comfortingly. "Get yerself cleaned up and you can help me paint some eggs."
"What about my clothes?" Jack cried indignantly as his fellow guardian got up and stared trotting back to the river.
"Let 'em soak and they'll be good as new, Frostbite." he called over his shoulder before rounding the corner and disappearing from sight.
Jack grumbled a few nasty things about rabbits before he turned and began washing the dye that Bunny hadn't gotten off. It took nearly an hour to get completely clean, and Jack's skin had turned an interesting shade of reddish purple where he'd scrubbed too hard. The scars would always be there no matter how he tried to wash them away, when he joined Bunnymund the pooka sent a look at the raw skin. A single look from Jack silenced him, they'd shared enough for the day and the winter spirit was ready to go hide in a snowbank for a week. Indignation continued to bubble up inside him even when Bunny handed him a brush and some paint, and he took his frustration out on the egglets that gathered around them.
His own eggs were nowhere near as detailed as the pooka's were but after a while Jack had figured out that if he dipped a finger in the paint and frosted the side it made a better pattern. Soon enough a gaggle of multicolored, frosted eggs were running around bumping into their companions and spreading the little bits of fern frost. It took hours for his clothes to get clean, and even longer to dry before he could pull them back on and re-frost them.
"Thanks, Bunny." Jack mumbled before he gripped his staff tight and leapt up to be carried off by the winds.
"Anytime, Frostbite." the pooka called back, watching the winter spirit go before he turned back to the eggs that were waiting to be painted.
It wasn't much, but Bunny was going to make sure to chase the dark past that clung to Jack away, and the other Guardians would be there to help too. Jack was part of their family now, and he was going to stay there whether he liked it or not.
Good news! I'm back! Woo! So I brought some brotherly Jack and Bunny with me, and we get to run around the Warren and learn about the shepherd of spring. Hurray! This on is a bit longer than the others too so that's awesome. Hope you all liked this update! Happy reading my lovelies! R&R!
