Hey! I felt that it needed a bit of elaborating, so I decided I should write down the things what was in my head about the ending of the previous chapter. I spent a whole day thinking about the possibilities, so it seems guy, it won't be just one chapter. According to my plan, it will have 5 chapters. I have my notes for all of them - so hopefully it will be indeed finished (once). Right now, I feel with my current busy schedules (hell with the uni and working...), I'm uploading a new chapter every two weeks (it can be less, can be more, but I try to go with it).
(Note: a few chapters will be from other POVs to see the whole picture, but mainly I'm focusing on Jack)
(Note2: "the Wall of Memories" is my idea, I think Tooth might have a place for the boxes to keep similar like parchments are kept. I wonder if in the books there is a word for that...)
Summary: They got an alarm, Tooth needs everyone to find out the case and what should they do...
"You ain't comin'?" Bunny asked Jack who was balancing with every step on a thicker branch murmuring something obsessively under his nose. It was enough that Bunny couldn't find the spirit for days, but now the teenager was just behaving like he couldn't hear Bunny at all. What a wanker! They had more serious things momentarily than counting how many steps it would take to reach one and the other end of the branch…
As still no answer came Bunny frustratedly formed a ball from the dirt (in the lack of snow), and threw the youngster with it, just on the right moment when the boy lifted one of his legs to the air. Normally there should have been snow just as usually the winter spirit's attendance made snow appear where he was, but right now it needed some improvising if Bunny wanted to get the new Guardian's attention. Much to his luck (and for the centuries practicing with the boomerangs), Bunny had good aim, the ball made a great hit and Jack lost his balance, falling off to the ground between the bushes.
"Hey!" came an exclaimed voice immediately.
"It's not funny when someone's doin' with you, eh, mate?" Bunny jumped to the youngster and helped him up. "Now, you're at least listenin', Frost."
"No, it's always funny." Jack corrected Bunny as he was rearing himself up, and getting out a few leaves from his snow-white hair. But then, the younger spirit seemingly realized what the other had said. "Did you just call me Frost?"
Bunny slightly smiled, but this time he didn't want to get on their usual rally. Maybe Jack sensed too that right now it wasn't just a simple occasion for a mocking meeting, he also got right to business. "What is it?"
"Tooth." Bunny said seriously and tapped the ground; a hole right away appeared under his paw. "She says somethin' is wrong with the Tooth Boxes. We better get a hurry."
Jack took a hesitant step back. "I- "
"Come on," grabbed Bunny the youngest Guardian by his shoulder, after all, they didn't have time to be behindhand "if it is Pitch again I swear, he won't miss just a bloody tooth this time."
"Bunny, wait- " dwelled Jack again, but Bunny just jumped with him to the hole. Whatever Jack was intended to say, it could wait, he thought.
Just as fast they disappeared from Burgess, they bobbed up in the Tooth Palace. After all, traveling like that was the fastest, even North couldn't question that. (Especially counting with that North's globes could have been used by everyone - most of all could have been stolen accidentally by the smallest cutest ankle-biter in the world if someone wasn't watching…) But this way, well, after all, only Bunny had "magic" paws.
As they arrived Bunny forthright was searching for Tooth, they couldn't waste time if that was about indeed Pitch, as he presumed. But then a moving in his eye corner made him turn back. Jack was obviously marking if he would fit into the slowly narrowing bunny hole.
"What the heck are you doin'?" Bunny hauled the Guardian.
Jack seemingly winced by the voice. "I- I have a few things to do." Bunny raised his eyebrows suspiciously. There was something dodgy with the winter spirit, but Bunny yet couldn't tell what was it, and it annoyed him more and more, minutes by minutes.
"In the middle of summer?" Jack marked him, visibly more determined now and with a face that told he was a bit affronted by the question.
"What do you think, how polar bears survive global warming?" Bunny opened his mouth, then closed. Well, at least, that explanation sounded reasonable.
"It can wait," he said then.
"Oh, yeah? Tell it to the bears. They will love it!"
"Guys, guys!" reached them just now Tooth in a hurry. She must have heard the whole discussion, and thought eftsoons to intervene before they, two would have started another of their famous common debates "If Jack has things to do…"
"Why are you defendin' 'im?" crossed Bunny his fore-foot. This wanker was just dreaming if with Tooth's approval, he believed, could gone walkabout from the responsibilities!
"Jack…" she started, but before Tooth could have continued the winter spirit shook his head. It supposed to be invisible, but Bunny had the right eyes (and nose) to sense such mysteries. Those two were hiding something. He was on to bring it up to Tooth when a rough landing followed by cursing interrupted Bunny from the planned interrogation. Tooth happily flew up, catching the source of the noise.
"You all came! " cheered the female Guardian. Bunny along with the unwillingly walking Jack followed her.
North got out from the slightly leaned sleigh and greeted them. "Of course we came," he said with a quick hug and then with a small patting woke the sleeping Sandman up on the back seat. Sandy slowly blinked a few and marked his surroundings. Blimey, he seemed knackered!
Bunny couldn't have got surprised if the small man would have just sleepwalking by them. Sandy was never having a whinge about it, but after centuries it became clear he had peak times too. On summer the nights were shorter and Sandy had to be twice as fast to visit every child. Bunny silently wished for him that this urgent meeting wouldn't last long and his friend could rest before and other night shift would come.
They slowly reached the enormous endless hall – as Tooth called it, the Wall of Memories – and Tooth flew to a part that seemed much dimmer and stopped them there. The shelf looked like as it would have been standing there for centuries. It was old and haunting. Bunny could tell it smelled from fading memories. They were standing at Tooth's earliest collected boxes. This place made Bunny feeling cold under his fur. For a moment, he thought Jack was making the coldness just to play with him, but the winter spirit gazed to the floor. The winter spirit seemingly wasn't frothing much to be here.
There was certainly something with him, Bunny realized, Jack should have been amazed by this place, just as he was when they had taken him to North's Workshop. Jack was after all a child (well, an endless one), and every child wanted to know the secrets behind the myths. But right now, the winter spirit wasn't behaving like it wouldn't have concerned him, nah, he avoided to look to the shelves.
"I thought Pitch has the Tooth Boxes." North pointed and Bunny turned his eyes from Jack to North. So, that was the eerie feeling that disturbed him!
"He did." Tooth admitted embarrassedly and looked to the walls thoughtfully. "The memories inside are not just to help children remember. You see, these are the oldest ones. As they grow up, they still need their memories. Each box has its place, and each has to be returned. If people have their memories, they can't let it go. It could haunt and affect their lives. We help them to remember, but it's just a reminder if they need it, you see." she described their purposes, but worriedly glimpsed to a certain part. "Our mission is to responsible for them, all of them and…"
North stepped closer to the winged Guardian. "Tooth, to issue."
"Right, right, sorry." she flew back to them and tried to concentrate. "A Tooth Box is missing." Bunny immediately put together the pieces and looked to Jack, who just right at the same moment raised his head.
"I gave it back!" exclaimed the winter spirit against the charge.
"He really did." Tooth confirmed it. And it was indeed the truth, but then…
"Whose's missin'?" Tooth flew up to the top of the missing part and worriedly gazed at it. "Tooth, whose's- ?" Bunny tried again, but at first, the female Guardian was too high, he should have shouted and on the other hand, a constant jingling annoyed him as much that Bunny couldn't concentrate (the curse of the long ears he was much sensible to high sounds). Since Sandy had realized he could get their attention by the elf's bells, he was always keeping one of the little creatures' pointy hats, just for sure.
"Sandy!" North got out in fine the high-pitched bell from the Sandman's fingers. "What is it?" Sandy crossed his arms and pointed to the wall and showing above his head a small picture of Pitch. "We know Pitch had them," North said as if Sandy would have told something already known, but as a question mark was formed by the dreamsand and Sandy pointed to the ground, it clogged together.
"If Pitch had them, how those are here now." Bunny translated in shock and turned towards Tooth, who was flying back to them like she would have felt trouble in the air. Something was really etching with these boxes, he could tell.
"Tooth, how did you get boxes back?" North asked seriously as she landed next to them. "What did you do?" this was the tall man's strict voice what against even Buddy didn't have the guts to act.
"Well, I- " Tooth started and her face slowly turned to red, even it seemed unimaginable under his feathers. "I was just- "
"I did it!" Jack said suddenly and Tooth relieved a sigh, that felt she was holding it for such a time. So, that was that they had been hiding! – Bunny realized, just as that technically Jack didn't say a word since they had arrived. That was why he had stayed rather in the background and tried to be out of vision. "She was afraid and I just wanted to help," Jack explained, but North didn't seem eased.
"Why didn't you tell us?" North started. "What if Pitch- "
"I was quick as a bunny."
"Oh, no," Bunny was shaking his head. "you don't make me part of this, mate. North is right." he said and exceptionally he really did agreed with North. "You didn' have to play hero."
"Bunny is right. You should have told us. If it is Pitch, you don't go on an alone mission. It's in Rule 1. Tooth, you should have been more responsible."
"It was really nothing, there wasn't anyone and Pitch- " was Jack trying. "Pitch doesn't mean danger anymore, we defeated him." Bunny scoffed at the idea.
"Yeah, nah. You're wrong here, Frost. He will be always a problem. Maybe not today or tomorrow but give him a few centuries and things will be again like in the Dark Ages, believe me, you don't want to see that."
For a moment they all stayed in silence, Bunny wondered if what he had just said was too strong but Jack had to learn and Tooth had to remember, crossing ways with Pitch wasn't like playing with dice. They couldn't trust in their luck.
"I- " Jack voiced but got stuck and instead of finishing it, he fixed his eyes on something, Sandy was looking at him with a question mark above his head. "I don't understand." the Sandman swept down a little sand from his hand and pointed to his own eyes then to Jack. "I'm not sleepy." Sandy didn't persist and rolled his eyes and repeated the question, but instead of the dreamsand part, he formed a mare above his head. " Fear? I'm not afraid."
Bunny followed the whole, technically one-sided conversation and he strongly disagreed, it was declining. Jack was afraid. "That's what I said; even Pitch's Lair could cause harm. You were too much down there, and even if Pitch might be defeated now, fear got stuck on you." was Bunny thinking aloud.
"What have I done?" Tooth cried out in realization.
"I'm not." was Jack trying to convince them, but all he got was gross ears. Bunny didn't want to point to the winter spirit that he could even hear the boy's heart pounding. Usually, he couldn't hear it, because the constant small ice-cracking what followed the new Guardian's steps covered any other voices but now…
Bunny turned to Sandy, the man small had better eyes to everything and he could notice anything that they, others couldn't. And Sandy right now was just as sussing about Jack like he was. There was something that they all didn't notice, but what was it?
"Whose's box is missin'?" Bunny asked Tooth remembering the unanswered question. "You know everyone whose tooth is here, then whose it is?" North just now realizing the missed fact, turned to her too.
"It's- it's Pitch's." Blimey!
"He must have hidden his when he stole them." North assumed. It was reasonable, Bunny could see too. He even didn't want the others to see his memories, and when it was about Pitch, he was sure that creep had decided to keep his from Tooth and her fairies. For the Boogeyman, childhood memories could have been worked like weaknesses against his monstrous self, he didn't want anyone to believe he had been something else, then the Nightmare King once.
"He should keep it if he wants it." Bunny declared and albeit he wasn't stoked with the idea, it seemed the most logical. And on the other hand not that Pitch would have been watching his memories back just as Tooth had said earlier. The man wasn't from the ones whom a heartful picture would have affected and changed. The Boogeyman was after all now stuck in a dark corner alone for centuries, far away from his box anyway. "It will be right."
Tooth silently nodded. Pitch was dangerous, it was better to let him keep it than hazarding to get the box to its rightful place. "Then it is decided," Bunny stated as Tooth too agreed. "Case is closed, everyone can go home." he tapped immediately on the ground. But most of them stayed motionless.
"What?" Sandy was glancing at him like he would have liked to escape from a bigger issue, but then it hit him. Even if they all had thought it was the big issue (and really that was why Tooth had called them), but there was something else. As Bunny faced with the Sandman forming from dreamsand a staff within his hands, nodding silently towards Jack, Bunny finally saw it. Jack was missing his staff. "You've got to be kidding me!"