Hello, everyone! I hope you've had a nice weekend, and that you're enjoying story four so far! Things are going to continue to move along here, so I hope you enjoy this update! Happy reading!
"Okay, so this is the swamp, pretty much, um… any questions?" Wick asked, smiling.
"I'm familiar with a lot of terrain similar to those I've seen here, Wick. Instead of giving me a tourist walk through, shouldn't we be planning fighting tactics?" The Captain asked, his crew nodding in agreement.
"O- Oh, um… okay… well, Oogie's got this bug army… they're pretty- they eat everything, and some of them have these big pincer things… so we should probably think about armor or something, right?" He smiled nervously.
The Captain sighed. "You don't know the first thing about battle, do you?"
"I know how to burn stuff to a crisp…" Wick chuckled a bit darkly, illuminating for a moment before the flames died.
"Not all foes can be… 'burned to a crisp.'" The Captain replied.
"Well… how about we call a meeting… you're probably an expert at fighting, being a pirate and all…" Wick smiled.
"It goes farther back than that. Trust me." Yukon said with a hiss, the Captain patting his coat a bit.
As Wick headed back to town to seek out the mayor, Gort groaned, tugging on his horns.
"That guy is SO annoying!" He exclaimed. "I want to just SMASH something!"
"Stand down, Gort." The Captain replied.
"This… Wick… is supposed to be some sort of high ranking position, and he doesn't even know his stem from his rump, QUAAACK!" Drake exclaimed.
"Pumpkins are pretty dumb, aren't they, sir?" Stick asked, his one eyeball blinking. "Scarecrows too, I say…"
"How someone like HIM managed to get to where he is and not have a single clue of how to maintain his post is beyond me! The very thought is absurd!" Yukon exclaimed. He instantly regretted it however, when the Captain slowly turned to narrow his eye sockets to slits. "S- Sir, forgive me if I caused insult, you know I would never refer to your-"
"Do not say anything of that sort around me again." The Captain merely said lowly, storming off towards where Wick had gone off. Gort nudged Yukon, shaking his head.
Wick nervously waved at everyone as he stood next to the mayor, all of the townsfolk gathering around the platform in the town square. They all wore annoyed and irritated grimaces, none of them liking Wick one bit.
"I would like to propose a question to our new 'guardian…' that's what this brainless excuse for a gourd calls himself; when are you going to accept defeat and just let Oogie come back!?" A witch asked, the crowd chattering and cheering her on in response.
"B- But I don't understand, Oogie was so mean to all of you! And to the mayor too!" Wick frowned. "I'm trying to make a nicer Halloween town!"
"That mayor is a joke, he can't even keep his head on straight!" A vampire shouted.
"You think he was mean to us before, he's going to retaliate against us all the worse when he's through with you!" the Werewolf shouted.
"Don't you see, I brought help!" Wick forced a smile, sighing with relief when the Captain and his crew arrived, ushering them up onto the platform. "They're pirates, so they can fight really good! Together, we can overthrow Oogie once and for all!"
"So we have to deal with your annoying voice all day?" The creature from the Lagoon groaned. "And you're SO clumsy, you sent a whole cart of hay into MY lake, and it took a week to clean it all out!"
"Sorry again about that…" Wick cleared his throat. "W- Well, the Captain here is going to make everything better!"
"Ha! You honestly think that some clicking, clacking assortment of bones are going to be able to stand up to Oogie Boogie and his insect army? They won't stand a chance!" Another vampire scoffed.
"HEY!" Gort suddenly shouted, raising an axe. "I won't take any disrespect against my captain! He's one of the fiercest pirates in all the seas! He has seen many battles, trials and tribulations! If you think you're so great, destroy this insect army yourself!"
"I will not take offense from a crass creature such as you and your company! One look at Oogie Boogie and your bones will crumble into dust!" The vampire rebuked.
"You dare to speak to me in such a manner?! I have faced ALL of your kind in battle! Yes, I have slain through hundreds of undead with less intelligence than a rock! I have relished in watching pompous vampires burn in their coffins! I have skinned werewolves lacking manners and honor both!" He clenched his bony fingers. "But out of all of the creatures I have encountered, I despise PUMPKINS the most!" The Captain exclaimed, failing to see Wick glance down at himself at that statement, frowning. "I fought the king of all pumpkins and vanquished him, for all they seek is to conquer and multiply with their stupidity intact!"
Wick hugged himself, bowing his head. The Captain glanced over, doing a double take when he realized that he had hurt Wick's feelings. Everyone began to shout, the Captain shutting his eye sockets as he sighed. When he reopened them, he saw Sally peeking from behind a tree in the far back, her stitched brows furrowing as she frowned. All the arguing and the noise was becoming overwhelming, unable to bear it anymore. It finally boiled over as the Captain tugged down on his bottom jaw, emitting a fearsome roar as he exposed pointy teeth. The crowd all gasped in unison, some holding their hearts- literally, a few of the undead had to pop their unbeating hearts back into their chests from the scare. Silence followed, all attention upon the captain until the mummy spoke- somewhat.
"Mmphmph, mphmmph!"
"What was that?" The Witch asked. "Speak louder!"
"He said that was the scariest thing he ever saw with his own eye!" the melting man clarified.
The werewolf growled lowly, pondering. "Who are you, exactly, rrr…?"
"You may call me Captain. I no longer have a name to call my own. I have lived for many centuries, I have seen much battle. Thrice I have taken down an evil warlock when my hometown of Gallowmere was invaded! This warlock sent every creature he could find at his disposal after me… the ones I mentioned earlier, demons, goblins, even the townspeople themselves. I then took to sailing the seas, unmatched until I faced the likes of Davy Jones himself! I was out of commission for some time, yes… but if you've got a bug problem, then my crew and I will exterminate them!" He shouted, the crowd's morale beginning to increase. "I was a king's champion in life, a hero in death, and I shall wipe this town clean of Oogie's tyranny!"
As the crowd cheered, Sally smiled gently from the background, giving him a nod. As the Captain looked to her, he frowned lightly when he saw Dr. Finkelstein wheel up to her, angrily scolding her about something and dragging her back towards the watch tower. As the mayor took the speaker to finish up the meeting, the Captain did a double take to see that Wick had disappeared from the area, not seeing where he had gone. He decided to step down, the crowd groaning and shouting at the mayor to bring him back. The Captain wandered into the field just outside the square where limp scarecrows hung. He heard crows cawing as they flew overhead, and as he approached the sound of a voice speaking quietly, he saw Wick looking up at the moon.
"I don't get it, mister moon, sir…" Wick sighed. "You chose me to be a guardian… but, why? Everyone's right… I'm not smart… I'm not scary, and I'm supposed to be… I'm scary when I'm angry, but, Elsa taught me that being mean isn't a good thing. Can't I be scary without being mean? Can't I get everyone to like me? I don't… feel like a guardian." He frowned, hanging his head a bit.
The Captain's expression softened, hesitating for a moment before approaching a bit closer. "Wick?"
The Halloween guardian spun around, nearly losing his balance as he steadied himself. "You want me to leave, don't you? So does everyone else. Jack told me to just try to hold out, but I don't think I can."
"Jack?" The Captain asked. "That pale fellow, right? There are no others?"
"Yeah… wait, I don't know any other- oh, there's that Jack Sparrow from the Black Pearl." Wick smiled.
"Just as long as he isn't wearing a top hat." The Captain sighed. "Look, perhaps I was a bit too harsh back there."
"No, you're right. I know I'm stupid. I don't know how to do a lot of things, I always need help, and it takes me a long time to do even something simple the right way." His voice began to shake a bit then, and if he could cry, he would have started to. "I just want to be a hero like the other guardians."
Wick was a bit surprised when after a few moments, the Captain placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I said that to myself for a long, long time, Wick." He replied as his crew approached, stopping a few yards back. "Whether or not I'm helping you because of some bargain… you could have sent me back down into the sea's depths, left me to linger there for all eternity. But instead, you gave me and my crew a chance to redeem ourselves. I think it's time we both prove our worth here. If this- Oogie Boogie- stands in our way, then we'll send him to the brig…" He held out his hand to shake. "… together."
Wick blinked a bit, taking in these words, looking from the hand to the Captain's face. Wick beamed then, surprising the Captain when he nearly tackled him in a hug, lifting him off the ground. "You mean it? Boy, you're a real pal, Captain!"
"Alright, alright, put me down before you disintegrate my spine!" The Captain exclaimed, dusting himself off when his feet touched the ground. "You should consider using that as a fighting tactic, you could crush someone with that grip…" He shook his head, adjusting his hat. "Now… let's go back to the watch tower. You will provide me with what you know about Oogie and his army… and I am going to teach you how to fight like a hero."
"Okay!" Wick beamed, taking to the air as he cheered. The Captain and his crew watched him until he accidentally shot a fire blast into the air, the witches shouting at him. "Sorry!" He could be heard exclaiming, the Captain groaning as he placed a hand on his forehead.
~North's Workshop~
"O- Okay Phil, slow down, Alice needs to translate…" Jack said, Bunny rummaging around behind them.
"Where in the bloody hell is Tooth?" He huffed, pacing around tensely.
"This is what I'm getting, pardon any need for correction, Phil." Alice said. "All was well, everything was going normally in preparing for Christmas which is only a few days away… when suddenly, the lights went out. North went into a panic, told everyone present to hide the toys and then hide themselves as quickly as possible. There was a struggle, what sounded like a reindeer had escaped, incessant giggling as if from children, and then nothing. He was gone."
Phil nodded, still shaken up from the whole ordeal.
"So, where did you hide the toys?" Jack asked.
"Is that really necessary right now?" Alice asked with slight annoyance.
"Well, there may be a clue, or something, I don't know…" Jack said, scratching his head.
"I'm here!" Tooth shouted suddenly as she appeared, catching her breath as she fluttered over to them. "Bunny, Sandy's not going to be able to make it here, he still has so much damage to fix from-"
"I get it, it's alright, I won't hold it against him." Bunny replied, running a paw through his head fur.
"Have we found anything?" Tooth asked, seeming a bit out of sorts as the others shook their heads, continuing to investigate. When she heard the sound of jingling, she turned, one of the elves hopping about and trying to get her attention. "What is it, little one?" She asked, the elf a bit distressed as he furrowed his brows. He bit his lip, pointing down. "What are you trying to say, that- Alice?"
"Coming." Alice answered, crouching down as the elf leaned up to her ear, making what sounded like to the average ear, airy sounds. She tilted her head, getting back to her feet. "Tooth, do you know anything about a… lower level of the workshop? One that was off limits?"
Tooth's face paled then, Bunny nearly putting his neck out as he whipped his head around. Jack raised a brow at them, confused. "Calm down, you guys, jeez… yeah, North mentioned it to me when I became a guardian, because you know, I like sneaking into places, so he warned me not to go below the sleigh departure level, he was pretty serious about it. What does that have to do with-"
"We have to go there. Right now." Tooth said, her face paling further as she fluttered towards the elevator.
"Woah, wait- I just said that North told me to NOT go down there!" Jack exclaimed.
"He told us all that, mate. But if something happened down there, then we're all rabbit stew." Bunny said, all of them following her.
As she frantically pushed the button, she bit her lip as worry etched into her features. "I want you all to listen very carefully." She started. "North told me that under no circumstances is anyone, not even the elves or the yeti, to go below the sleigh departure level. He said he was keeping something down there that could never, EVER, get out. Because if it did… it would spell trouble for not only him, or the guardians… but for every single child in the world."
Jack scoffed. "Boy, when he told you that, he made it seem like it was worse than Pitch, huh?"
"Absolutely, Jack." Tooth replied without a hint of lightness in her answer, making Jack's smirk fade.
"Tooth, did North disclose exactly what he was keeping here that was such a great threat?" Alice asked.
"No… he refused to tell me. He only told me that no one was to come down here, the warning, and what to do if it- by some horrible mishap- it DID manage to get out. I only hope I'm wrong. When North is THAT serious, it's usually pretty bad." Tooth said.
"Well blimey, if it's worse than Pitch, and he was pretty bad, you're not kidding." Bunny commented.
Once they reached the bottom most level of the workshop, Tooth gasped when the first door was hanging ajar, heavy locks and bolts broken and shattered, littering the floor. Bunny took the lead, slowly pushing the door open a bit more, the creaking of the hinges making the tense atmosphere more eerie. There was a long hall down to another door, a thick, metal bolted one that had been completely knocked down. The walls were simply thick sheets of ice, being that this level was well under the mountain's surface. They all took note of deep claw marks in the ice walls, small amounts of fur lying about. Bunny crouched down, sniffing a few hairs for a moment before curling his lip.
"Anything?" Alice asked.
"Nothing I'm familiar with… but it does not smell pretty." Bunny replied.
They continued until they all made it past the knocked down door, Jack taking Alice's hand to help her step over it. Inside the enclosed space, they gasped as more claw marks laced the walls in thicker concentrations, as if it had been done continuously and gradually over time.
"Well, whatever it was that North had kept in here… it was no object. This… something was- is, alive and breathing." Alice said.
"Look at this…" Jack breathed, going over to pick up a broken chain, some of the links at one end covered in blood. "Who knew North had such a dark side… what in the hell does all of this mean?"
"Jack, you should know North well enough by now… don't you remember his little demonstration of his 'center?' One of the dolls contained is his 'mysterious side…'" Alice said. "Whatever he kept down here, he obviously thought it was better for everyone that this thing remained unknown to us."
"Well that was a real smart move, wasn't it? Now we've got some psychopath on the loose, and we don't even know what the bloody hell it is! And we can't very well ask North about it because he's gone AWOL! I swear, he's got more air in that over-sized hat of his than brains!" Bunny threw his hands up.
"Listen…" Tooth got everyone's attention. "… North told me one other thing. That if… whatever this was down here… ever got out, that the answers we would need to know about it are kept in his memories. This is the only reason why he told me as much as he did."
"Which is pretty much still nothing, you're saying." Bunny replied flatly.
Alice approached one area of the room, looking at words carved into the wall with a mixture of more claw marks and blood. "This is in Russian." She said, looking over at Tooth. "Can you translate this?"
Tooth fluttered over, narrowing her eyes. "'Y nakazhu greshnikov terrora i otchayaniya… moy mest' budet narisovat' mir s yego krov'yu.' Oh dear…"
"Oh, now what?" Bunny groaned.
"It means… roughly translated… 'I shall punish sinners with terror and despair… my vengeance will paint the world with his blood.'" Tooth answered.
"'His blood?' Whose blood? He's out to kill someone… you don't think he means North, do you?" Jack asked. "What IS this thing, a werewolf?"
"I don't know, but I'm not spending another second in here… and for the record, I HATE werewolves." Bunny said, making his way out of the enclosure.
As Alice went to follow him, she stopped when she stepped on something, swaying a bit to keep balance. She glanced down, tilting her head as she bent down to pick up the object. It was a pointed and hard object, slightly ridged. "Tooth… what do you suppose this is…?" She asked, the fairy fluttering over to inspect it.
"I think… this looks like some sort of- like the tip of a horn…" Tooth replied.
"A horn? Like something from a ram?" Alice asked.
"Yeah…" Tooth said, blinking a bit. "You don't think that came from-"
"I'm not sure. I think I require another moment with Phil." Alice said, moving quickly towards the elevator to head back up to the main floor. Once there, she spoke with the yeti briefly, nodding firmly before approaching Bunny. "I may need your help with something." She and Bunny headed to the stables where the reindeer were kept, stopping to face him. "I understand you can speak to other animals, am I correct?"
"Yeah… what, you think the reindeer know something?" Bunny raised a brow.
"Just ask them this." Alice whispered into his ear, Bunny nodding. He approached the reindeer, Alice watching curiously as he communicated with them. His ears flickered and twitched a bit, turning back to Alice.
"They said they had been secured in here for the night. None of them were harmed by whatever fiasco happened here." Bunny replied.
"Did they see anything?" Alice asked.
"Not a thing. They heard a lot of noise though… they said that was enough to keep 'em a bit spooked." Bunny replied.
Alice approached them then, glancing around. "Do any of you know anything about this?" She asked, slowly withdrawing the horn tip to show them. When she did, she and Bunny both reeled back a bit when the reindeer became frantic, thrashing about in a panic within their stables. She quickly tucked it back into her dress, Bunny having to calm down the frightened animals. "Were you able to get anything out of that?"
"Not really, but from what I can tell, they sense something very, VERY bad about whatever that came from." Bunny said. "So, what was the point of all this?"
"Bunny, when Alice is onto something, she's usually on point." Jack defended, he and Tooth entering the stable area.
"The point… is that it was no reindeer that Phil attested to catching a glimpse of." Alice replied. "From what the reindeer disclosed, and the evidence in the lower level… this is a different creature entirely."
"Well… we can go to Punjam Hy Loo… North's memories are there, maybe they will have more information about this creature and how to stop it." Tooth said.
"That's all fine and dandy, but then how do we find out where they went?" Bunny asked. "Jack and I both tried the snow globes, and it isn't working."
"Look… I know this seems to bring about the grimmest of possibilities… but I have a gut feeling that North is still alive." Alice said. "He may, however, be incapacitated and in need of aid."
"Huh, he sure is rubbing off on you, isn't he?" Jack said, Alice nudging him lightly.
"We've got no time to waste, let's just go to Tooth's palace and see if there's at least SOMETHING worthwhile in that noggin of his." Bunny said.
Without hesitation, the four set off to Punjam Hy Loo, leaving the yeti and elves to continue cleaning up and try to resume protocol for the approaching holiday. When they reached their destination, Tooth searched through her vaults as quickly as she could, fluttering about as she muttered to herself. Finally, her feathers puffed up, removing a tooth case from the wall.
"Found it! Who's the most organized fairy ever?" She said, but her proud moment soon melted back into seriousness, remembering they had an important task to complete. She approached the rest of the small group, exhaling slowly. "Well, this is it… hopefully we've got something in here…" She said before waving her hand over the case.
As the case twinkled and opened, they all looked into it, peering into North's childhood memories. They saw him being cared for by an older woman in a log cabin, working with elves and learning to carve toys out of wood. They saw him befriend woodland animals, growing kinder and stronger by the day as he labored to collect firewood. It was then they saw him with another young man with red hair like he, about his age.
"So, are you ready for the journey to Somber Town tomorrow, -?" North asked.
Tooth blinked, shaking her head when the last part of his sentence was muffled. They then began to see entire sequences, or portions, blurred, unable to be seen, and the sound remain muffled.
"Uh, are we experiencing technical difficulties?" Jack asked.
"I- I don't understand, this-… this has never happened before." Tooth bit her lip, trying to fiddle with the tooth case to no avail. "It's as if these memories were tampered with somehow."
"Well isn't this wonderful?" Bunny groaned, tugging on his ears. "North tells you the answers are in his memories, and we can't even bloody make them out!"
"Is there anyone who would be able to decipher this, Tooth?" Alice asked, trying to maintain rational thought.
"There's only one person I know who would be able to help us for sure…" Tooth sighed. "… but he's dead. Ombric, he… would have known how to fix this."
"Well…" Alice replied, sighing as she got to her feet. "We will simply just have to start searching blind."
"Ohh no! That is not happening!" Bunny exclaimed. "I'm nearly ground down to the hide helping Sandy deliver dream sand all over creation because of his bout with those bloody pirates, now this! I've got my own holiday to work on, Alice! I'm not going to have enough supply for Easter and it's going to put us guardians even further in a hole than we already are!"
"Bunnymund, if you haven't noticed, Christmas is three days away; if we don't find North and return him to his post with haste, we may not even make it to Easter." Alice replied.
"You don't think I already know that? How many of us are going to struggle to stay afloat, Alice? You've got Sandy picking up the pieces, that talking fruit barely able to stand on his feet in Halloween Town, literally, and now this!" Bunny shook his head. "Hell, I haven't seen my bloody wife in WEEKS, and you just expect me to put up with this, to just 'search blind' for North who could be in who knows what condition right now?!"
As Alice's brows furrowed deeply, Jack held a hand up. "Okay, just… just calm down, Bunny, shouting isn't going to solve anything, alright?"
"Do not speak to me about not being able to be there for Emily." Alice said, her voice beginning to tremble. "My son- my… very vulnerable son… is currently living on his own in a place he has never seen in his life… and his only companions are a boy the same age as he… and the offspring of my greatest enemy. His life is in danger… and I want so badly to hold him, to- attempt some form of atonement to him for not being able to save him, his sister…" A tear ran down Alice's cheek, Bunny's expression softening as she shut her eyes tightly.
"Alice, I didn't mean it like that…" Bunny said quietly. "I was just-"
"But I am here." Alice cut him off, opening her eyes. "I am here, because I am a guardian. And as a guardian, we are all tasked with an obligation to the children of this world and to each other." She took a step back, looking at the other three as her expression hardened, becoming serious. "The same is expected of all of you. When one of us falls, we must be there to pick them up. We were not chosen by the moon to live in the lap of luxury and suckle from the nectar of idleness… we were chosen because of our sacrifice, that which we must continue to do!" Alice glanced at Bunny. "We are going to find North regardless of the cost, regardless of our familial obligations, because this is who we are!" She shouted. "It is time to stop sulking and do your job!"
Bunny exhaled slowly, his ears drooped a bit as he nodded. "You're right, Alice. I'm sorry." He said quietly.
Alice gave him a firm nod, wiping her face. She allowed Jack to place a supportive arm around her, glancing over at Tooth. "Is there no one else that can help us uncover North's memories? No one in Ombric's company?"
Tooth thought for a moment. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go to Santoff Claussen and ask… we've got no other options as far as I can see at this point."
They all agreed, all making their way to Santoff Claussen as quickly as possible. Once there, and they were granted passage inside, they made their way to Ombric's tree where the Spirit of the Forest and Katherine still lived. Once inside, the Spirit greeted them warmly.
"Welcome, fellow guardians… you all seem troubled; is there some way I could be of assistance?" She asked.
"I certainly hope so…" Tooth replied, producing the tooth box. "We're trying to look into North's memories… something has happened, he's missing. We think everything we need to know is in these memories, but they have been tampered with somehow… if we can't see them… we have nothing to help us save him."
"Well… this is certainly disconcerting. I am afraid I possess no expertise in these matters… Katherine, however, may be able to help." The Spirit replied.
Alice nodded, going in the direction that the Spirit indicated. Once they all reached her, she stood, gently placing down a white goose she had been petting to curtsy lightly. "Hello, it's nice to see you all again."
"The same can be said on our end." Alice said. "Unfortunately, I will have to apologize beforehand for the circumstances that brought us here…" She sighed. "We need your help."
"Oh… i- is everything alright?" Katherine asked with a hint of worry.
"No, I'm afraid not. North has gone missing, and the only clue we have to point us in the right direction are his memories…" Alice said.
"Problem is, we can't make them out." Jack said. "Something's keeping us from actually seeing them."
Katherine's face paled. "No…" She breathed, looking up at them. "I will help however I can… if you please, may I see his memories?" Tooth fluttered forward, handing Katherine the tooth box. She inspected it carefully, pursing her lip as she opened it. It twinkled, and she tilted her head when she experienced the same problem as the other guardians. "I see… it seems that North placed some sort of enchantment on this… presumably in case this fell into the wrong hands. What these memories contain, perhaps he was afraid they would be used against him by his enemies."
"Makes perfect sense, but it doesn't help us now." Bunny said. "How can we see them?"
"Hm… I'm not quite sure I know how to reverse the enchantment, or if I even can…" Katherine bit her lip. "Perhaps there may be something kept in Ombric's books… I wrote many for him, all stories pertaining to his life, adventures and experiences. He and North were very close, there's a chance that maybe he knew something."
"I hope so…" Tooth said, she joining the other guardians in following Katherine into the vast library.
Going to end this here! So, will the Captain be able to help Wick in the fight against Oogie Boogie? Will Katherine be able to uncover North's memories? Where is North now, and what is the creature that escaped from below his workshop? Stay tuned for more! I hope you enjoyed, and thank you again for reading! See you next time!