Disclaimer: I wish I was a Guardian...or could talk with one, but no, I own nothing but this plot line and a couple characters...
Summary: Rabbits are quick, agile, hardy, and can be very temperamental. Getting them to hold still is just about impossible, tell that to Bunnymund when it comes to a matter of life or death.
Thank you to: VampyreAbsol and lady of the winds for the follows!
Chapter Seven
Fall Down
xxx 1/06/2013
Jack had never seen Bunny so upset, yes he'd been in pain and depressed when Pitch had blocked his tunnels and destroyed the eggs.
Kate had taken Sophie and Jamie outside, Sarah had come over to help with a "family problem" and was sledding with the two kids. Sophie had seen the video on accident and had started laughing uncontrollably, hugging Bunny repeatedly and teasing the Pooka. That had helped, but as soon as Sophie had left, the realization that now thousands of kids had lost hope and many more were following was beginning to seriously affect the Easter Bunny.
Jack hadn't been there when Bunny had shrunk after Pitch's attack, and now he wished he wasn't there for this one. Bunnymund was kneeling on the living room floor, arms wrapped around himself as he shook in grief and pain. He''d already shed his leather arm bands, the trap, and the ties on his feet, and Jack was pretty sure he'd already lost some height as it was.
The Pooka shivered violently, breath coming in faint gasps as the news told of the global panic of children. Kate had vanished, off to try and reverse some of the damage while North had gone back to the Pole to find the people responsible for this. Sandy was struggling to keep control of dreams while Tooth was working overtime to make sure everything was kept in order to avoid anymore panic. The kids were fine with Sarah, but Jack was left alone with Bunny to make sure the Pooka survived this.
Bunnymund groaned, hunched forward and folding in on himself, shrinking another foot or so and beginning to shift his form. The strong, straight back had a faint curve to it, and the structured face was smoothing out already.
"Bunny? Is there anything I can do?"
The Pooka shook his head with a groan, eyes closing tightly as once more he seemed to fold in on himself again and lose size. At this rate it wouldn't be long before he was a normal looking bunny.
Jack moved a little closer, keeping his finger tips a cool temperature before rubbing the bunny's shoulders, trying to ease some of the tension in them.
Bunny gave a weak grin, leaning against Jack as his strength gave out, even if it meant coming in contact with the freezing Guardian. Jack threw a blanket over him, backing away as the Pooka thrashed and screamed once before going still, the blanket limp on the floor.
The teen waited silently as something moved underneath the blanket, pulling itself free with an exhausted grunt.
Bunny collapsed onto the floor, a mere two inches below him as he curled into a tiny ball.
Hope was just about gone...
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Sophie was nearly breathless as she leaned against the tree behind her, Jamie was still sliding nonstop down the hill...
Sarah was unconscious in the snow.
"Well-well...Look who we have here my pretties, a little girl..."
Cethin smiled maliciously, stroking a gargoyle as they crept towards the little girl.
"Get her!"
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Jack was nearly in a panic as he spun in a circle, one hand holding his staff at the ready, the other keeping Sophie tight to his side to protect her. Tooth was guarding Sarah and keeping any fearlings away from her, North had his hands full with Cethin's swordmanship skills while Sandy was struggling to keep Jamie safe at the same time as turning nightmare sand back into gold dream sand. Kate was nowhere to be found, but Jack assumed she was in the air and fighting her one opponents.
North yelled out a Russian curse before ducking under Cethin's blades, stabbing the dark man through his stomach and pulling back.
Cethin growled before vanishing into the wind, taking his gargoyles with him.
That left Pitch's fearlings...
"Oh Guardians!"
They all turned, seeing a black sand wolf growling deeply and bringing its catch back to Pitch, shaking its mouthful of blood soaked fur before dropping the prey.
Bunnymund yelped in agony as he hit the cold gravel, crying out as a a heavy paw dug into his back when the wolf pinned him down. The wolf's paw just about smothered the little Pooka with its massive size.
"Looks like a stalemate, give me the children, or the rabbit dies."
"Bunny! No! Bunny!"
Sophie broke from Jack's hold, only making it a few feet before Kate scooped the girl into her arm's and handing her to Sandy to put to sleep.
"Try and take them Pitch!"
The boogeyman snarled, but stepped closer to the fiery girl, the wolf retreated back after biting into Bunny again, holding the limp bunny in its mouth.
Bunny groaned this time, eyes squeezed shut in pain as the wolf shook its head roughly.
"Kate..."
"Come here Pitch."
The flames racing up and down Kate's arms had darkened into a smoldering color, rivaling Pitch's coat in color and fear. She seductively motioned him closer before pulling him in for a kiss.
Of fire.
"Wind! Get Me Outta Here!"
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Jack dove into the cold lake to rid his skin of the heat from Kate's flames. The South Wind had swept both of the teen spirits up in a flurry of burning ice, along with Sophie who had taken off after Bunny when the wolf dropped him when Pitch jerked away from Kate.
Now Jack was frozen and comfortable again as he guarded Sophie holding the bleeding Bunny in her lap while Kate scouted for a safe place to hide. Judging by the terrain, they were somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
Jack settled to his knees next to Sophie, fingers gently stroking the only clean patch of fur on the Pooka. As he rubbed the soft cheek, Bunny curled closer to his touch, desperately wanting to feel safe.
Kate reappeared from her run, sliding to a stop and crouching behind Sophie to keep the girl warm. She gasped almost silently, tears in her eyes as she looked over the Pooka.
The Easter Bunny was nearly completely coated in blood, especially his back and sides. The weak breaths were just barely moving the tiny body's ruined fur; Kate leaned down, softly kissing the black and grey fur on the bunny's forehead before removing her scarf.
"Sophie, let me wrap up Bunny so he doesn't get cold, I found a neat place to stay for tonight, we're going camping."
The three year old was oblivious to the danger they were in as she let Kate wrap the shivering Pooka in her scarf and hand the bundle to Jack so she could carry the toddler.
Jack held Bunny to his chest, each breath from him he held until he felt the faint whisper of the shallow ones from Bunny on his neck, the Pooka had nuzzled against the only warm part of Jack, his hoodie collar.
They were in for a long night.
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Jack sat at the entrance to the cave, the fire Kate had started had kept the cave plenty warm for the others but not Jack. Sophie was asleep, wrapped in Kate's coat while the phoenix used melted ice Jack provided to slowly clean Bunny's fur.
The Pooka was either unconscious or too weak to move, even as Kate rubbed her now bloody scarf against the bite wounds to clean them of all nightmare sand.
Her sharp gasp caught Jack's attention, and he risked moving near the roaring fire to see what was wrong.
Bunny wasn't breathing.
Kate was openly crying, her face against the wet fur that was still caked with blood. Jack lightly fingered the soft tufts of fur that stretched from the Pooka's cheeks, the fur was stiff and cold.
Jack left Kate's side, going back to guarding the entrance to the cave as Kate wrapped Bunny once more in the scarf, banking the fire to keep it safe for the night while she curled around Sophie to share body heat. The winter spirit leaned against the rocks, staring at the dark night and dead surroundings.
Hope was gone...
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