The New Tribe
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians
Author's Note: I am seriously cheering= this is the first story I have ever finished! Well... I have one story I wrote to the finish, but that was was not well written (major plot holes and novice writing) and I ended the story by killing off my main character.
Real life side note: I like mashed potatoes but apparently they don't like me. When I make them they tend to be very runny or too thick, but the last two times I've made mashed potatoes (the latest in particular), I've gotten burnt by liquid mashed potatoes. Who does that? (Besides me apparently).
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Chapter 13: The Epilogue
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There was no drowsy moment when Jack's blue eyes opened. Startled at the close proximity everyone was to him, he opened his mouth to comment, but all that came out was a soft mew. With the sound, Jack's body reminded him how hungry and thirsty he was. Fortunately (and embarrassingly) everyone with Pooka ears could hear his stomach quite clearly.
"That's right! I had forgotten... When was the last time you ate?" The voice of Thaddeus questioned. Jack blinked, processing the question. He wasn't sure if he knew; other than the fact that the vile vial of shadows didn't count much for a meal.
"The last time I saw him eat was at the Underground." The voice of Matthew volunteered. Jack's blue-gray furry ears were swiveling about at attention, trying to pinpoint his friends' voices.
"That was more than a day and a half ago!" Thaddeus's voice cried aghast.
"I think there is some stew left." Willow's voice seemed to be coming in the same direction that a small blonde-auburn furred Pooka with reddish-orange markings was dashing away.
Sniffing the air, Jack sneezed, quickly overwhelmed by the new universe of a higher developed sense of smell. Looking down at himself, he realized his body's change in his mindscape had happened in the real world too. 'And that meant... Was he a Pooka now? And if that was the case...'
"Jack, it's me Emma!" A Pooka with a brown coat met Jack's blue eyes with her own brown.
'Emma? You're here?' Jack tried to speak, but it hurt and a whimper escaped him. He outstretched his arms instead and Emma gave him the lightest of hugs. His body then also reminded him that Jack had pretty bad bruises all over. Tears prickled his eyes as Jack ignored his hurting limbs and hugged Emma back. Opening his eyes and hearing his friends' happy voices, Jack realized his friends from the orphanage were okay too and had become mini Pookas. He had been worried for them ever since the nightmares Jack had had before Jamie rescued him.
After the long hug with his sister, it occurred to Jack that he was being held by large arms. 'Did I shrink?' He dismissed the thought for the moment and looked up. His awed blue eyes met Bunny's bright green eyes.
"Glad ta meet you, Jack. I'm E. Aster Bunnymund, but me mates call me Bunny."
Jack looked quizzical as he heard the odd pronunciation. Understanding his unspoken question (having been asked several times by the other kids), Bunny smiled, "My accent's Australian."
Jack nodded making two of his fingers bounce on his hand. The other kids who knew Jack brightened in understanding while Bunny and the other children looked confused.
"Like a kangaroo!" Josh made the same motion, giggling, "Bunny's a kangaroo!"
"Oy! I'm no kangaroo!" Bunny protested, but there was no real bite to his words.
Jack and the other kits giggled. (Well Jack's laugh was more of a raspy breath but it still counted). For now, Jack relaxed and stayed in Bunny's arms.
"I got the last of the stew... it's cold though." Willow handed the giant bowl to Jack. Bunny steadied the bowl when he noticed that Jack was unable to hold it. Jack smiled his thanks and shakily maneuvered the spoon into the vegetable stew. He spilled a lot, thick liquid dripping onto his thigh and chest as Jack ate what he could. But while it was less than lukewarm to the others, it was the perfect temperature for Jack. (For now at least).
"Mathew do you still have the medicine?" Thaddeus tugged on the other kit's shoulder, voice slightly above a whisper.
"Yep. I'll be right back." Mathew darted off.
"Good job remembering that." Willow praised Thaddeus. She was younger, but she didn't act like it most of the time.
"Yeah." Thaddeus rubbed his hand on his head.
Too soon, despite his hunger and Bunny reminding him to take it slow, Jack's stomach was full. At least he had managed to eat the entire bowlful. Looking around, Jack spotted a blonde leach on Bunny's leg. 'Is that Sophie?' Smiling in amusement, Jack reached out and tugged on the three-year-old's locks. Green eyes looked up and blinked,
"Baby Bunny!" Jack winced at both the name and the loudness of the shout of glee. Sophie extended one hand towards little fluffy Jack, while her three other limbs still clung to Bunny's resting leg.
"Be gentle Sophie. Jack is hurt remember? And... messy. Let him get cleaned up first." Jamie was still human, Jack realized as the younger boy sat up from where Jamie had been sitting and scolded his younger sister. Then again, Jack remembered that the Call for the Pooka had only been for him and not for Jamie. Jack bounced a little, waving a greeting at the Bennett siblings.
"Hi Jack," Jamie gave a largely relieved smile, "I'm glad you're awake."
Jack gave a return grin to say silently, 'Me too.'
It took Mathew a bit longer to return as the medicine bottle was harder to hold onto with his smaller paws, but he made it, "Here you go Bunny."
"Thanks, ankle-biter. Hey Jack, open up."
Unsuspecting in his distraction, Jack opened his mouth. In entered the spoonful, down his throat, Jack making disgusted faces. Still, it did taste better than the shadows... slightly. But then Jack spotted colorful eggs walking! Fascinated, Jack wriggled out of Bunny's arms and bounced on a purple and blue dyed egg with little legs. Or Jack would have if he hadn't gotten stuck in the air. Jack yelped in confusion then in surprise as he slipped out of mid-air and back into Bunny's arms. The older Pooka chuckled.
"Think she's telling you to rest up. Be gentle with my googlies; they're for Easter."
Jack peered up inquisitively, trying to convey his question in a thought, 'She who?' Jack tried to speak, but even with the medicine, Jack couldn't use his voice yet.
At first Bunny thought Jack's questioning face was about his googlies and so the Easter Bunny explained their existence, but at the end of his explanation Jack gave him a look that said, 'That was interesting, but I wanted to know about this 'she'.' And so Aster repeated the tale of the Winter King and the Wind Rider that he had told the other kids while Jack was still caught up in fearling influenced memories of the massacre.
"Did the Winter King's magic look like a frozen lake?" Jamie asked at the end of the second telling. Somehow Sophie was no longer clinging to Bunny's leg, but was instead wrapped in Jamie's arms.
Bunny thought about it, "I never saw it, but it would make sense. Did you see it?"
"Jack fell in it." Jack's shudder confirmed Jamie's information. An invisible hand combed Jack's fur in a gesture of comfort, buffering the closeness of Bunny's tightening hug.
"Fell in it?" Bunny repeated in dread.
Jamie's voice grew increasingly hysterical, "He saved me and then I thought he was drowning when the lake lit up and Jack somehow absorbed it. And his brown eyes became blue!"
"Hey, hey Jamie. It's alright." 'It was a lot harder to offer comfort when you were so much smaller than the person you were trying to calm down,' Emma thought, 'I can be hysterical that my brother nearly died again by drowning later', "Jack's okay, you're okay and we're okay. Please calm down Jamie."
Jack squirmed and Bunny loosened up on his hug. Jack inched closer to Jamie, mindful of the gentle breeze and other children as he made his way to Jamie. Jack nuzzled Jamie's hand, breaking the brown haired boy's sadness into smiling sniffles. When Sophie tried to pet Jack, her hands would slide off on the barrier of air. Far from being disappointed, Sophie climbed out of Jamie's lap and ninja-ed over to the Easter Bunny's free arms. Bunny chuckled softly.
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After a second dosage of medicine, Jack was able to speak in tiny whispers. While it was semi-odd to hear his friends' voices coming from their new bodies, and odder still to need to get used to his higher senses, it was even more annoying to know that everyone else was speaking at a normal level and then hear the few snickers when his small voice became squeaky. The medicine seemed to also be working on his bruises. Already Jack felt less sore.
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Now that Jack had awoken, the Guardians began approaching the human children about potentially being adopted and by whom. All were cautious, most agreed, and a couple refused. Those that had agreed were introduced in person to the families. Again all of the children were cautious, most 'clicked' with their new families and a few took a lot longer to become comfortable with new parents. Of the orphans who had refused, one had gone on to become a cabin boy (and one day the second-in-command) of a ship. The other two went on to become traveling medics (after being trained first by Bunny and then by promising physicians).
The kids from the Underground built successful lives and while they lost belief in the Guardians after a while (for most), each one of them remembered and made it a point to share the story about the Call of the Pooka. It became a popular tale among kids, spreading through siblings, friends, acquaintances and eventually the grown-up children of the Underground's descendants.
Pippa and the other youngsters who had not gone to the Warren, often found baskets of wonder and hope during the harder times. Food was always a blessing. Some, hearing about the successful adoptions of their other friends asked for a new home and family as well by wishing letters to the Guardians.
Monty's parents were so relieved that their boy was home that they picked up the speed in training him in family 'techniques' when they heard that it was the reason the kids had escaped. Plus Monty was on his way to becoming a pretty good blacksmith, despite not looking like a mountain of muscle.
Cupcake hugged her mom tightly, who hugged her daughter just as closely back. Cupcake's father, unlike Monty, was a mountain of muscle (not as tall or large as North however) and easily gathered them both into a giant's hug.
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Jamie and Sophie knocked on the door of their home eagerly, opening the door to see their mother, frozen as she saw her offspring for the first time in a very long time.
"Momma, momma!" Sophie cried,
"Mom!" Jamie and his sister ran into Lila Bennett's arms.
"Jamie! Sophie! You're okay!" After she had partially recovered from stunned amazement, Mrs. Bennet sobbed in relief as she clung to her children.
"You're safe." their mother repeated as she rocked her children.
"And so are Cupcake and Monty." Jamie beamed.
"That's good." Mrs. Bennett murmured. Sophie began to squirm out of the hug.
As the precious moment ended, Mrs. Bennett sniffed, "You two need a bath."
"Aw, mom!" Jamie half-heartily protested with a smile.
"Color bath!" Sophie clapped her hands, "Bunny! Hop, hop!" the little girl bounced.
Normally an adult would have smiled indulgently, but this adult was a worried mother who believed in the tales of Atlantis, "Bunny? What Bunny?"
Jamie shuffled a little, "The Guardians saved us." Gratitude and curiosity filled Lila Bennett's eyes, "And the Easter Bunny is one of them."
Mrs. Bennett paused, not sure if she believed or if she was hearing right, "A man named or nicknamed Easter Bunny?"
"He's actually a Pooka and yeah, that's basically his name, E. Aster Bunnymund."
"What's a Pooka?" Jamie's mother asked slowly.
"They look like bunnies, but they are tall! And they're warriors and artists."
"And where's this Pooka?" Lila Bennett paused, thinking. Sophie had stopped 'hopping' and curled in her mother's arms again.
"Probably back in the Warren. Oh! He saved Jack and Emma too! But Jack got hurt and so people are being over-pro-dective."
"It's pronounced overprotective," Mrs. Bennett absentmindedly corrected, "Jack and Emma as in the Overland children?"
"Yeah, the bad guy captured Jack and me. The others had already escaped."
"Jack and I. Who was the bad guy? Were there other children not from Burgess then?" his mother stressed. Unconsciously she was already on the verge of believing in the spirits of childhood.
"Pitch, the boogeyman. And no, just Jack. He attacked the Underground in Philmark, but Pitch only took Jack."
"The Underground? But what about-?" Mrs. Bennett started.
A knock on the door interrupted her, the door opening soon after, "Dad? Mrs. Bennett? Jamie! Sophie! You're okay!" Pippa rushed in and swept everyone into a group hug.
"Pippa are you alright?"
The tall girl paused, "Mostly, I'm worried for a friend. A bad guy kidnapped him and the Guardians went to go save him." As the two children caught each other up on what had happened, fitting their pieces of the story together, Lila Bennett found herself also believing in the Guardians: Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and the Easter Bunny. But hold on...
"Jack nearly drowned again? And he became a Pooka?"
"Turns out that his family had stories of the Pooka like our family has stories of..." Jamie stopped, his gaze flickering to Pippa.
"Stories of what?" Pippa asked, now holding on to Sophie.
"You can tell her, but Pippa please remember they are family stories." Jamie's mother admonished. Pippa nodded her agreement.
"Atlantis was real..." Jamie started. He wasn't as good of a storyteller like Jack, but he was close and getting better.
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Later that night, while Pippa slept on a cot not far from her father's side (when Pippa's father was awake, he was able to sit up, but not walk yet) in another room and Sophie snoozed away, Jamie woke his mom up.
"Mom?" he whispered.
"What is it Jamie?" his mother yawned.
"I kinda left a part of the story out when I was telling Pippa."
"Oh?" Was that good or bad news? Lila wondered, mom instincts acting up.
"You know about the magic in the tales in Atlantis?" Jamie
"Yes... Jamie do you use it?"
"...Yeah."
"That's wonderful Jamie!" Lila Bennett breathed in awe, "What are you nervous about?"
"...I'm going to need a teacher. Not just the stories."
Understanding filled his mother's brown eyes, "And there's not many if any teachers at all. What did you have in mind?"
"Well... North was actually an apprentice of an Atlanteon wizard."
Lila was quiet for a while, "I want to meet him first before I agree to anything." Jamie nodded, still growing excited, but trying to keep his happiness muted enough so he could go back to sleep.
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As the other human children were either taken home or given a new home, Jack grew restless and began experimenting with his ability to 'fly'. Jack grew suspicious when he couldn't really go too high- something or someone seemed to be making sure he wouldn't be injuring himself more. In a series of amusing guessing games, Jack figured out that not only that Wind Rider, his magical mother, was there, but the two found a simplistic way to communicate with mainly 'yes' and 'no' and 'other signs to communicate. Jack was excited to find out that Wind Rider would teach him how to ride the winds and communicate easier with her as he recovered.
Bunny didn't seemed surprised at all when he discovered Jack's novice attempts at speaking to the wind. Tooth and North didn't notice, but Sandy did although he didn't say (with his sand) anything about it.
The other kits were saddened to discover that they couldn't learn to fly, but were distracted by Bunny's lessons. Yes Jack could fly, but a few couldn't stand being off the ground once they had learned how to connect with Earth's magic and make tunnels. And all of the children didn't want Jack's nightmares. Jack still screamed and sobbed in his sleep until Jack made it to what he called 'the barrier' in his mindscape. Sandy had made it a habit to come into the Warren to check on Jack when the young Pooka slept (and to make sure Jack was sleeping).
The next time Sandy popped into the Warren, Jack was twitching in his sleep. Sandy was alarmed to discover that Jack had yet to wake since the last time the Sandman had visited. Even so, Jack had somehow moved in his sleep... to the other side of the Warren. It was a mostly hidden part where Bunny had built a monument to his people long ago. It had been recently been cleaned off, but there was also a newer monument, with an increasing number of names being written onto it. Thaddeus quietly explained that Emma had been the one to suggest the idea to Bunny so Jack could have some peace while the newest Pooka was awake. Gathering the children, Sanderson once again entered into Jack's mindscape.
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Almost immediately Sandy found Jack, who wasn't going through a memory at that time, but was trapped away from the barrier, his legs stuck under a pile of rubble. The fearlings looked pleased with the fear and panic they were gathering, taunting Jack with sharp claws and fierce teeth instead of just making the boy endure the memories. Sandy managed to prevent another fearling induced memory so soon, digging the rubble away. Jack flinched as Sandy outstretched a hand, but hesitantly grasped the limb anyway. Jack apologized before he thanked Sandy tiredly as a sand carpet took them to the barrier.
"Pitch?" Sandy asked quietly.
For a while Jack didn't answer. As they passed beyond the barrier, Jack turned his head away to avoid looking at Sandy or the dreamsand carpet and spoke,
"It, he..." Jack took a shuddering breath, "Pitch was horrible. More terrible than he is now. He personally killed Cookie, Wisper, and Breeze. But before he killed them..." Jack hiccuped, "He squeezed every drop of fear that he could out of them. He feasted on their terror. The only release or freedom from him was death." Jack broke down and cried, "I got chased in between memories and the buildings fell down. My legs were pinned by rock and wood and the fearlings scare me."
Sandy rose up and wrapped Jack up in a hug. Jack shrunk down to Sandy's size to be comforted better. The Sandman wiped away Jack's trickling tears when they were no longer a torrential downpour and rocked Jack like a child.
"I wan' Bunny." Jack's sniffling voice, almost lost in the hug, pleaded.
Sandy nodded, "Let's go find your center then."
Jack pulled back and wiped his eyes, "This way."
Jack lead Sandy to a growing ice tree, gesturing to the branch leaning against the trunk of the chilly tree.
Sandy paused, "That's your center?"
"Is something wrong? It's the staff I used to use when I was a shepherd's boy." Jack anxiously fiddled with his hands.
"No, just... It looks more like your center's channel than what your center would look like."
"Channel?" Jack queried
Sandy nodded, looking a bit sheepish, "I didn't have much time to explain last time, but I messed up instructions last time. A channel directs or restrains all this blue and green magic around you, but your center is the magic that comes from inside of you." Sandy poked Jack gently where the boy's heart was.
"Then how did I wake up? Will something happen since I recognized my channel as my center? Can it be fixed?"
"... Your staff likely was powered by your wishing and allowed you to connect to your center. What did you feel when you wished to wake up."
"I don't... happy I guess. No, joy. Pure Joy and Happiness. What does that mean?"
"That's your center. Joy is what your innate gift is." Sandy smiled encouraging at Jack.
Jack thought about it, "So I didn't need the staff to wake up?"
Sandy shook his head, "No, but it probably helped. However, because of that, you are tied a little more to your channel than you should be."
"...?" Jack tilted his head, "What do you mean?"
"If your staff is broken, you will likely feel that pain." Sandy explained solemnly.
"Wait! Do you mean the branch here or the one in real life?" Jack asked, trying to rein in his emotions,
"The one in real life."
"Is there a way to fix it so I'm not that connected to my magical channel?"
"There are ways to fix it, but it's probably best if we wait until you are healed." Sandy thought for a couple of moments, "And find the real staff."
"It should be near the lake near Burgess that I nearly drowned to save Emma in." Jack reached out to grab his mindscape staff before pausing, "Do I still need this to wake up?"
Sandy shrugged, "Go ahead and try without it."
So Jack did so, but didn't reenter the living world, "Guess I need this for a while." Jack sighed as he reached for his staff. He saw Sandy disappear and felt himself waking up as he grasped his magical channel.
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Jack coughed as he woke up.
"You gave us a scare kiddo." Bunny was holding him. Jack must have been thrashing during his nightmares again. Jack winced and smiled weakly,
"Me too." Jack snuggled into Aster's fur and the other kits joined them, cuddling with Jack until they were asleep (courtesy of the Sandman) or Jack was calm again. Bunny was technically their magical parent now. He acted as a new father did. DNA-wise however, all the children had their mortal parent's genes. And magically wise, the Call of the Pooka only worked because E. Aster Bunnymund existed, but the kids had their own magic from the change from human to Pooka and not Aster's magic.
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Pitch scowled as he heard the reports about the Pooka from his nightmares. The original stories from Jackson had spread rapidly after the Underground children began getting adopted. He couldn't make the children forget about the Call of the Pooka en mass unfortunately. The worst he could do was give the children who heard the tales nightmares to fear it. There was a downside to that as abusive caretakers sometimes took advantage of that fact and would accidentally send the child away when they used it. So the 'caller' for lack of a better term didn't really have to believe much in the Pooka. That was the difference between a stranger who believed completely (like Blad) and made the call for a child to be taken away and a lacking guardian. Kids on their own could also make the call if they believed.
What frustrated the King of Nightmares the most, however, wasn't just the fact that those human children were becoming Pookas. It was the fact that it was incredibly and increasingly difficult to track or count how many children had used the Call of the Pooka. The only way to keep an eye on the numbers was to see which children eventually disappeared after having a nightmare.
The Warren's magical barriers, especially since being recently strengthened, kept Pitch and his minions out and away from the new kits. That meant no unnatural nightmares for the children turned into Pooka unless they slept outside the magical haven. And Bunnymund was unlikely to let them leave on their own for a couple of centuries or at least until the kits could fight and knew not to sleep outside. Only natural nightmares caused from stress and/ or memories could occur in the Warren, but Pitch could not monitor them, because natural nightmares did not turn into Pitch's shadowy minions without the master of fear nearby. The only strong potential source of nightmares in the Warren was Jack, but for the same reason that the Sandman couldn't turn the fear-filled memories into dreams, Jack's absorbed copied memories could not turn into Nightmares, Pitch's favored shape for his minions. If Nightmares had formed anyway, they would have arrived already. At least then Pitch would have an idea of the numbers of the new Pookas. It was a shame, Pitch thought, that until the experiences ran their course, Pitch couldn't give Jackson anymore nightmares, but then Sandy would be able to give the boy dreams. Although Jack could have gone insane or died from too many overwhelming experiences. Still could if Jack hadn't yet. He would keep his Nightmares on alert for the storyteller just in case the boy survived. The king of shadows had a feeling that the boy would become a greater enemy if he ever woke up and stayed sane. If Pitch was lucky he would catch the white-haired, probably white-furred Pooka now, within a couple of centuries before the Man in the Moon decided to do something annoying like make Jackson a guardian. How had Jack managed to flash freeze the Nightmare King anyway? Pitch doubted that it had been Jamie. The boys were interesting but their powers made them more so.
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Time passed as it was wont to do. Pippa's father recovered and courted the widowed Mrs. Bennett, making their children real siblings when they did get married. Pippa and her father adapted easily to the Bennett family secrets after being exposed to the stories of Atlantis first.
"Grandpa!" Sophie cheered as a huge giant of a man entered the house, gifts stacked in his arms.
"Hi North!" Jamie waved from his desk beside the fireplace, struggling to think of something to write to his crush.
"Hello Apprentice!" Father Christmas boomed, eyes twinkling merrily.
"Grandpa! Grandpa! Look at what I can do now!" Sophie bounced as she tugged on North's arm, showing him that she could finally make a ball of light magic. North praised her achievement and Sophie beamed.
Pippa entered the room with freshly baked treats, "The goodies are done!" she announced, "Hi Grandpa! Want to taste test?"
"Always." North bit into a flaky pastry. Pippa had been doing well as Burgess's baker.
Not long after, Sandy and Tooth arrived, appearing visible and human to the other mortals around Burgess by use of magical amulets. It had become something of a tradition to meet up at Jamie's home twice a year after the entire group (Guardians, yetis, elves, fairies, googlies, humans) met up at one of the Guardian's homes. Once after Easter and once after Christmas.
Next three of the Pooka arrived, the younger two having recently mastered a couple of shape-shifting forms. Emma appeared as the older human version of herself, while Jack appeared the same as when he had still been human. He couldn't shape-shift his human form, something that Aster had mused might have been a side-affect from the clashing magics or from the dunking Jack received in the Winter King's lake. Each of them were holding a basket of chocolates, not to be outdone by North. Previously before Jack or Emma could hold a shape-shift, they had also used the amulets.
Monty and Cupcake were the last to arrive, holding hands and blushing as they admitted they were finally dating. Jack teased Jamie when he figured out that Jamie was trying to write to his crush who lived in another town. But eventually Jack settled down, placing his staff next to the table, and leaned over to help Jamie write the letter out. (Even though his help was mostly making Jamie laugh).
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Because Jack had 'absorbed' the Winter King's magic (and some of Wind Rider's), Jack felt a strong pull to bring about Winter in the areas that needed it. Mother Nature came around the Warren one day and promptly told the Pookas that Jack had new responsibilities to do. She almost immediately knew Jackson was the Winter King's son as soon as she laid eyes on his small furry presence. Her assumption was probably helped by the snowflakes Jack had been crafting at the time. She explained that Jack couldn't just stay in the Warren. His powers would not allow it. Mother Nature gave Jack a new title, saying,
"This name is both from Manny and I." The daunting lady maneuvered the newest immortal into the streaming moonlight, declaring, "Jackson Overland, as the Winter prince, you will be known as Jack Frost in the immortal/ spirit realm."
Despite his utter dislike of the cold, Bunny insisted on watching out for Jack as he went about Winter duties, which apparently included the end of autumn. At least until Jack, who disliked being guarded as he gradually grew used to his powers, suggested a rotation of Guardian 'guards'. North and Sandy didn't mind the winter chill as much as Bunny and Tooth did. And occasionally (more so after Jack could shift to his taller human form), Jack would be allowed to fly on his own (always with Wind Rider) until a curfew of sorts. While Bunny was strong and fast as a Pooka enough to defeat predators or predatory spirits, Jack was not, barely snack size. In his human form, despite his age to be seemingly 'frozen' at 14, Jack could at least defend himself more.
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Jack smiled, content to hover in Wind Rider's embrace as he looked over heavily frosted forests, slightly frosted crops, piles of white fluffiness (not fur) growing in gradual drifts away from settlements. His sharp blue eyes picked out the various frolicking, hunting, or hiding animals. If his white hair had been messy before, it was always sticking up now. He wore simple but durable human brown clothes, a shepherd's staff in hand. A flick of feathers drew Jack's eye to the hawk dive-bombing. It was Royal! Jack had saved the bird from poachers and now they occasionally raced each other on the wind.
Jack chortled joyously as they flew higher and higher. Royal glared competitively at Jack as they climbed the atmosphere. Jack smirked back. They reached a point where the air was hard to breathe and mutually decided to start falling from there. Good thing Bunny wasn't here. He'd have a heart-attack. Jack imitated Royal's position as he dived, faster, faster, Wind Rider laughing and encouraging them on, faster... closer, closer, and then they both pulled up, climbing again.
"JACK!"
Whoops, guess Aster came and got a heart-attack anyway. Jack smirked, enjoying life as he flew alongside Royal, being chased by the older Pooka.