I'm back already? Why yes, yes I am. It's a miracle, folks.
For any of you who are wondering why Bunny was being so hostile to North last chapter, I do have an explanation that you may or may not agree with. Bunnymund is extremely protective of Jack at the moment, and is in a certain semi-permanent state of subconscious 'mama bear' mode. So, even though he realizes that North won't intentionally do anything to harm Jack, he's simply being cautious. That, and the fact that he is also injured, isn't helping with his slight bipolar moods. On top of all of this, since Jack is currently unconscious, (or semi) state, Bunnymund's locked down security on everyone, including the other Guardians.
So, if that helps any, I'm glad. If not, oops?
A quick shout out to Thaliag.2 for being the hundredth reviewer!
Remember to drop me a review at the bottom of the page. What you like, dislike, critisism, anything! I appreciate each and every one of you people who take the time to do so, and it definitely drives me to power out these chapters!
Warning: There is a lot of angst and hurt in this fic.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians.
Summary: He'd always been alone, always taken care of himself. Why would anything change now?
o-o-o-o
The Nightmare darted from shadow to shadow, all senses on high alert as her wild eyes surveyed the mossy Warren that housed the ever present rabbit. Her nostrils flared as she caught sight of one of the stone easter eggs that had helped bring the downfall of her master, and she flew into its shadow, hiding her presence to the best of her ability. Fortunately, she had had a great many years to perfect this art, as she had been the first of the Nightmare King's mares.
She remained acutely aware of the fact that if she was found out, she would be on her own. There would be no backup arriving from the remainder of the herd, as they were out on their own missions, readying the world for the newest assault.
Sudden murmurs caught her attention, and she found herself drawn towards the sounds. As far as she could remember, there was no other Guardian that resided other than the Easter Bunny, but it was possible that he had company. She gathered her legs beneath her, and as the stone egg lumbered by a rather large shadow, she leapt for it.
A little known fact about the Nightmares was in fact the startling amount of intelligence they possessed. It was easily able to be compared to that of a human. They were fairly instinctual other than that, relying on their senses to get them where they needed to be. Perhaps that was why they were so heavily feared.
She trotted along the wall, her steps silent on the moss that gently encased her hooves with each long legged step.
The murmurs grew louder as she came to the entrance of a shallow cave, the opening quite tall. Pausing, she breathed in deeply, catching the familiar scents of rain and cold and something sweet that she didn't know the word to describe.
That accomplished, she pressed herself into the walls surface, becoming nothing but another shadow rather than a solid form. It was only then that she slunk in, sticking to the shadowy parts of the small cave seamlessly.
The two figures that she finally caught a sight of brought a sense of smug satisfaction to her chest. The boy that had so often spoke of by her master was lying limply against the moss, the rabbit curled protectively around him as he murmured and brushed his hair out of his eyes. The look that crossed his features was one that the Nightmare didn't recognize. After all, she didn't know what caring or protectiveness were. She had only known fear and pain.
She had to alert her master to this immediately. Turning, she went to leave, but in the process nearly blinded herself with sudden sunlight, which made her stumble with a click against a small rock.
If she could, she would be cursing in several different languages. Picking herself up as fast as she possibly could, she darted into the deepest shadow she could find and melded herself against the stone to become one as the rabbit bolted upright.
She held her breath for what seemed like eternity as the wary creature drew its weapon and slowly made its way through the cave, eyes examining every square inch of surface that he could see. The Nightmare waited, patiently, as this process continued for several minutes. During the entire time, she was waiting for her chance to run, the chance to escape back to her master and share her information, to which she would be rewarded.
Apparently satisfied, the rabbit turned, walking back towards the boy that he so carefully guarded, and the Nightmare took the chance to run.
Thankfully, she wasn't seen, and she bolted from the Warren as quickly as she was physically able.
Yes, her master would want to hear of this news immediately.
o-o-o-o
His features remained neutral as the Nightmare shared the information she had gathered about the Guardians, waiting until after she had told him everything to feed her the fear that he had absorbed from some of the children nearby. With great care, she nuzzled at his hand with what could be called affection before backing away and disappearing into the shadows that were ever present in the cold, damp city.
"So, E. Aster has taken the brat in. This could prove beneficial to my plans, indeed." Pitch murmured to himself, the sound echoing despite the quiet tone he'd taken. "It seems that I will be taking down two birds with one stone."
He had to act soon, lest this opportunity be lost. Though from what his Nightmare had told him, the boy wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. It didn't matter. This was the final push that he needed to put everything into motion. The Nightmares would be mobilized as soon as they returned from their various missions around the world. There were several that would be staying in the major populated areas, if only for spying and continuing to feed off of their fear and grow stronger.
Yes. Now there was only the waiting game. And the Nightmare King could wait a little longer.
It would all be worth it in the end.
o-o-o-o
The Nightmares flew across the skies, their black tails banners as the sand flipped through the slight breeze that lightly disrupted their coats. They had recieved their orders, knew that there was no longer any point in hiding in fear when the entire world would soon be spread out at their hooves.
The moon shone down on them, only amplifying their shadowy ash hue, and then they came upon the golden dust that they had come to thrive upon. The gold spun through the skies gently, looking as soothing as sunbeams as images turned and flitted lightly among it.
The Nightmares dove for the dream dust, their whinnies of triumph echoing in the sky as the golden dream dust lost its hue, turned black as the mares themselves as it continued on its path, the small Guardian that directed it still blissfully unaware that the dust had once again been altered so that the children would not recieve the sweet dreams they thought they would be getting. No, they would be having nightmares, named after the black dust that the Nightmare King had created.
It only took a few moments before they were on their way, continuing their bold flight through the skies.
o-o-o-o
Jack was still groggy when he finally managed to shag the dogged fever that continued to drag him into fevered dreams that made no sense to his confused mind at all. Bunnymund was a frequent occurrence, something that only confused the Winter Spirit more. Was it reality? Or was it memories? Or was it just his sickly imagination creating some kind of new personification of the Pooka?
He didn't know, and he doubted that he would know, for a long while.
His body was in pain, though the comforting presence of Bunnymund was definitely helping his battered and bruised body to stay relaxed at the moment. That, and the soft murmurs that the Pooka continued to whisper as he swept his sweat soaked bangs back from his forehead.
He shifted, trying not to allow himself to whimper as his shoulder and chest throbbed. As if reading his mind, Bunnymund shifted himself so that the Winter Spirit would have a more comfortable position.
Bunnymund was being so very protective and gentle. It barely made any sense to Jack. He'd tried to kill himself. Why was the Pooka trying so hard to keep him alive? All he was doing was keeping everyone in danger. He was a liability, someone who would be considered the weak link in a fight. All he'd done was split the Big Four into different opinions, different directions, because of his reckless and immature actions. He should be dead. But he wasn't.
"Why did you save me?" he asked before realizing that the words had left his lips.
Bunnymund turned his head to look straight into Jack's icy gaze, his own eyes serious, though he was curious behind it all. Why wouldn't he have saved the younger Guardian? Sure, there was the primary thoughts of 'he's another Guardian', but there was something else that he couldn't place. Why had Jack fallen? There was that snagging little thought in the back of his mind that told him that maybe, just maybe, Jack wasn't as okay as everyone seemed to think.
"Ah couldn't let ya die, Frostbite." he murmured in return, keeping up the eye contact. "Yer a Guardian too, now. And Ah've had a feeling that you're not as healthy as everyone else thinks you are."
"That's it, then?" he croaked in reply. "Because I'm another Guardian now?"
"No, that's not it." Bunnymund sighed in return. "Ah'm worried about you, Jack. Me. On mah own. No other influence."
Jack was struck silent by that statement. He didn't know what to think by his words. He wasn't familiar with someone actually caring about what happened to him. It was foreign on so many levels that he was sure that he was hallucinating.
His reaction to that, of course, was to stare at the Pooka like he was the one insane rather than him.
"Why?"
Bunnymund found himself wondering why there was such a conflicted look in Jack's eyes as he asked the one word. He found himself pressing his nose against his forehead, the only way that he was able to comfort him at the moment considering that the rest of his body was blotchy and bruised.
"Ah don't know, Frostbite. But Ah know there's a reason out there somewhere." he replied quietly, his eyes looking skyward to the small gaps in the ceiling of the cave that let in the soft sunlight. "Somewhere." he repeated.
Jack shuddered lightly against him as another bout of shivering struck, and all thoughts of conversation were lost as Bunnymund wrapped himself around the Winter Spirit to keep him warm.
He didn't know why he had saved Jack. He honestly didn't. But he knew that eventually he would figure it out. Although he didn't appear to be the brightest of the Guardians, Bunnymund was actually very smart. He could figure out most problems with minimal effort, and he had a feeling that this particular situation had been planned by the Man in the Moon.
"Ah hope he knows what he's doin'." Bunnymund muttered to himself as Jack relaxed against him and began dozing off once again.
o-o-o-o
"Ready yourselves." Pitch ordered, his tone leaving no room for any protests. Not that his Nightmares would protest against him anyway. They were loyal to a fault, unable to comprehend what should happen if they decided to become seperate from their master. They needed orders, something to keep them busy as they went through their 'lives'. "Soon, the mighty shall fall, and it will be the reign of Pitch Black, the Nightmare King, forevermore."
The Nightmares reared, trumpeting their eerie cries of battle as they shifted in the dark, their eyes gleaming with the promise of fear and revenge. They would no longer have to hide in the dark as their master did. They would be able to be as free as the wind as they stold the happiness from the people of the world, ruled it with their towering shadows.
"But there is one thing standing in our way." Pitch continued softly, nearly crooning the words into the Nightmares ears as he passed. "The Guardians."
A collective silence fell through the cavern, and none of the Nightmares dared to make a sound. Their master's moods could change as quickly as their forms could shift into shadows, and they continued to be wary of the ashen skinned man even now. His amber eyes were nearly sending sparks through the air as he spoke, the hidden rage and regret sounding through the cavernous city unintentionally.
"Now, you are all ready. We have been preparing for this day for hundreds of years. You shall not fail me, never shall you fail me. Because should you fail.." he continued for several more steps before whirling, eyes blazing, "Each and every one of you will be destroyed by the Guardians. And I will not stop them."
The Nightmare that he had paused by didn't dare even breathe as Pitchstayed there, eyes wild and teeth bared savagely, her eyes gleaming with the fear that they thrived on, ears pinned back as far as they could go. Her back legs were near trembling as the muscles there stiffened, ready for the fight or flight situation that was taking place in front of her.
"Now, go. The time is now. Go, my pretty little Nightmares. Go and bring the world to its knees with your fear."
He was motionless as the herd of Nightmares surged upwards, their ashen forms vanishing as they disappeared into the faint grey light that shone bleakly high, high up, almost unable to be seen due to how small the light looked from his position on the floor.
"It has begun." he smiled, his sharp teeth bared. "By the time the moon has risen, the Guardians will have fallen."
