A/N:

Yes, yes, this is Sol 3. I did keep my promise. What, don't you trust me?

To all the people who asked whether Feral!Jack will show up again: while there won't be an official sequel to "Ferality" as such, the feral side of Jack will show up a few more times in future chapters.

Also, I'm happy to say that I finally stumbled across a theme song for the Sol arch! It's "Friction" by Imagine Dragons. While it is a bit of a...unique song, I feel it fits the Sol arch well, and I actually rather like the song itself. It is unique, though, as I've said before, so it might not be your 'type' of music, but I guess don't knock it 'till you've tried it?

Warning: Physical abuse.

Disclaimer: I don't own RotG, or Imagine Dragon's "Friction".

"Get down with the victim
We both know you need them
You're stuck in the middle
Of all irrelevance
And your heart is beating
'Cause you know that you gotta
Get out of the middle
And rise to the top now

When you've made it
Won't ya tell me what to do
'Cause I'm playin' it all wrong
When you made it, when you made it
Won't ya tell me what to do
'Cause I'm playin' it all wrong

You can't fight the friction
So ease it off
Can't take the pressure
So ease it off
Don't tell me to be strong
Ease it off
You can't fight the friction
So ease it off"-"Friction" by Imagine Dragons

"Hey Tooth. Do you have a moment? I kinda need to talk to you about something..."

Despite the nonchalant tone that Jack used, Tooth noted a desperate urgency underlying his voice. Taking only a moment to let one of her more experienced fairies take over for a little while, she turned away from her job to speak to Jack. "Yes?"

If she'd been concerned before, she was far more so now. Although there was nothing she could pin down with any precision, it was obvious that Jack was anxious and stressed, hood shrouding his face in thin, spidery shadows as his fearful gaze darted everywhere, looking for danger. Her worry spiked when she noticed the way he carried himself, as if there were injuries he was trying to account for, and when he remained silent, she darted towards him. "Jack? Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

He seemed to snap out of his little daze, a faint flash of fear traveling across his pale face before his blue eyes turned steely with determination. He edged closer towards her, still holding himself awkwardly, and looked around before lowered his voice to a nervous half-whisper. "There's a...problem. Something I need to warn you about."

That sounded...ominous. A small pool of dread began to build in her chest. "What is it?"

He clearly wasn't entirely sure how to word his statement, a few incoherent stutters leaving him before he fell into silence, trying to find the words he needed. It took a few moments for him to gather himself, but when he was able to speak, his words chilled Tooth to the bone. "There's...someone here you shouldn't trust. Someone dangerous. At least, I think he is."

"Who?"

His mouth snapped shut with a dull clack, and he appeared to be struggling to answer the question. Hastily, Tooth changed the topic. "I understand if you can't tell me, Jack. But at least tell me what makes you think that he is 'dangerous'."

He looked down and away. "...I...have some evidence."

"...Can you show it to me?"

There were a few moments where nothing happened, Tooth waiting as Jack fought to find the courage to give the last bits of information that would reveal all. In the end, he decided that it would be far easier and more effective for him to use actions instead of words, and without a sound, he took a deep breath before pushing up his right sleeve to reveal his injured wrist.

Tooth's heart stopped in her chest as she stared at the blackened and shredded flesh, still encrusted as it was with streaks of dry blood. Her stomach twisted when he spoke again, confirming her worst fears. "There's...more where that one came from."

Biting her lip, she reached out for his wrist, gently cradling it between her fingers as she looked at the wounds from all sides. Suddenly, she spoke, voice stiff with barely stifled rage, the fiery anger of a queen burning in her eyes. "Who did this to you?"

His voice shook. "I can't-"

"No, Jack, you can and you will. Now tell me, who did this to you?"

Her fury mounted when he still hesitated fearfully. The Jack she knew would never have been too terrified to tell the truth. Reluctant yes, and proud certainly, but terrified never. Whoever had done this to him had damaged him more than just physically, and she would gladly travel to all four corners of the world in order to find the bastard who had dared to do this to her Jack.

"Jack," she insisted, when he continued to stall, "Tell me."

His resolve crumbled suddenly, and he tried to pull away, to no avail. "...Nevermind. It's not important-"

"It is important!"

"No, it isn't! Just forget about it, it's no big deal-"

"It is a big deal, Jack, stop trying to deny it! I know it's hard," she added quickly, when he looked like he was about to refuse again, "but we can, and want to, help you, and we can only do that if you tell us what's wrong."

He looked at her apprehensively. "What if you don't believe me?"

"There's no chance of that happening. I know you would never lie about something like this."

He bit his lip, considering. There were a few minutes of tense silence, during which Tooth waited expectantly for his next words.

What she heard, though, was not what she'd been expecting to hear.

"...It was Ra. Ra did this."

She should have expected this. No one fitted the description, the burns, like Ra did. She should have expected this and accounted for this possibility, yet she was still floored by the glaringly obvious.

Now that the truth had come to light, however, she needed to fix this mess somehow. Had it been a simple summer spirit, a lower-class being, she would already be out the window and in search of blood, but Ra was a god, and those who defied gods, even weakened ones, would suffer consequences. Tooth may have been part-deity, for her mother had been a Sister of Flight, but Ra was a god, and not just any god, but the king of the Egyptian gods. She had only the four other Guardians to call to her aid, while Ra had dozens of powerful deities on his side. To fight him, to rebel against him, would be sheer madness.

As much as it tore at her heartstrings to do so, she couldn't help Jack. Not without harming him, and the other Guardians, more. If she wanted to keep him safe, if she wanted to get him out of this situation with as little damage as possible, she had to not only refuse to help him, but deter him from trying to help himself.

He was still looking at her expectantly, waiting for her to believe him. She did believe him, truly, but she had a job to do, and to accomplish it, she had to lie. I must be cruel to be kind, she told herself firmly, even as her very conscience revolted, even as her motherly instincts demanded that she rip into shreds the very man who had harmed him.

Putting on her best doubtful face, and ignoring the thoughts telling her to do otherwise, she spoke in a disbelieving tone. "Are you sure?"

He stared at her as if he'd just been slapped. "Yes."

No don't how could you you know he's right you know it why don't you help him? "Really? I doubt Ra would do something like this. Are you certain you're not mistaken?"

He gawked at her in utter betrayal and shock. "Am I certain—of course I'm certain! I was there, I saw him-"

Evil hurtful don't deserve to live coward liar can't you see he's hurt " Jack, you're obviously confused. I understand that you're stressed out and agitated, we all are, so I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you accuse our guest of something which he isn't capable of doing. Now, why don't you go get some rest, and we'll talk about that burn of yours later, hm?"

He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked, spat upon, and set on fire, all for no clear reason. It was a few seconds before he spoke, voice suddenly rough and bitter. "You think I'm crazy, don't you? You think I'm mad? Lost a few marbles? Got touched in the head?"

No you don't he's clearly not mad tell him you believe him he needs your help "I think you're overly paranoid and eager to accuse others, as well as difficult to reason with. Probably because you haven't been sleeping well, which is why I suggest you go get some sleep."

"...I'm not insane, you know."

"I never said you were, Jack. Now go sleep."

"Tooth-"

"Jack, I have work to do. Go take a nap, we'll discuss this later."

As a finishing touch, she glared at him, and he recoiled slightly before nodding and swiftly flying away.

As she numbly turned back to her job, guilt churning in her chest, she directed a mental prayer at whoever may be listening, hoping fervently that she was doing the right thing.

"I saw what you tried to do, back there."

Once again, he was cornered like a frightened rat, unable to run away as Ra held him against the wall. The sun god's handsome face was twisted in savage wrath, his grip verging on the agonizingly tight. There was no way out except to bear it, for Ra was hell-bent on teaching him a lesson, and he had no way of escape.

Abruptly, he was slammed into the wall, and he looked up to the sight of a pair of hazel-amber eyes glaring him down.

"I told you, " the sun god said, grinding his teeth in anger, "I told you not to tell!"

He cried out for what seemed to be the hundredth time, as burns were once again painted and traced over his skin, like a shining spider's web of scars. Blood rose to the surface, along with yelps of pain and hopeless sorrow, and no matter how he tried to squirm away, the agony never ended and the tears never stopped.

The familiar cold chill, that he thought had left him when he'd joined the Guardians, now wrapped itself around his heart anew. He was alone again. Just like before, just like he'd always be. He'd been a fool to hope otherwise, an idiot to dream he'd ever have someone who cared about him.

He was Jack Frost, a winter spirit, a nuisance, and a troublemaker.

No one ever, ever cared about Jack Frost.

A/N:

Aha.

Ahaha.

Ahahaha.

AhahahahahahahahahAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAAHHA-::goes to bed::

(Got questions? PM me)

(Techie out.)