Chapter Twenty-Four

A Proper Scolding

"Tooth, what's wrong? You've been fluttering about for hours." Bunny asked her. Tooth looked at Bunny with wide, worried eyes.

"It's Baby Tooth...she can't find Jack anywhere. She can always find Jack, the wind helps her but today it's just...sending her in circles."

"Hmm- Oh, North." Bunny said; North had just stepped into the lounge to join his team members. "Have you seen Jack anywhere? Seems that Baby Tooth is worried about 'im."

"Jack? Have not seen, not since attack in park." North said, placing a tray of mugs and cookies onto the coffee table. He stood slowly, eyes narrow as he thought. "Have not even seen him in workshop; Jack loves workshop."

"Ah! North!" Dawn cheered, sauntering into the room; Bunny noticed howDawn seemed awfully comfortable walking around, as if she was so perfectly welcome there. "I've been looking for you for days now. I have some things to discuss with you."

"Did not know, my apologies. Yeti's usually tell me when guests are here. They usually like guests, hah!" North said, grinning, hands on his hips.

"Mmhm...oh, there are less of you than normal." Dawn said, taking in the group of Guardians; even Sandman was there. "Where is your...winter child?"

"Winter Guardian." Bunny corrected her. "And, we dunno. Tooth seems to be worried he's gone missing."

"Oh, hopefully he's finally understood what's happened then, good." She said, walking over to help herself to a cookie from the tray. North quickly held the tray up from the coffee table, where it sat just out of her reach due to his height.

"What happened, exactly?" Tooth asked, slowly hovering where she'd been standing.

"I simply told him the truth about what happened with this whole Guardainship business, you four really should have already. It's cruel to have let him believe it for long."

"What did you tell him?" Tooth asked, narrowing her eyes at the Spring Spirit.

"That the Man in the Moon made a mistake, that's all."

The room was silent, apart from the sound of ceramic smashing apart when North dropped the tray of mugs; luckily they hadn't been filled with hot liquid yet.

"What?" North asked. "Why you would tell...but there was no mistake!"

"Of course there was! That child can't be a Guardian, he shouldn't even be a spirit!" The woman argued, ready to defend her stance. The child was a mistake. Why couldn't anyone else see it? "He's reckless! I understand you North, and you, Tooth but Bunnymund! A blizzard on Easter?! You're going to forgive that?!"

"He's a child, he was learning!" Tooth shouted, then looked at Bunny apologetically. "Sorry, I-"

"It's fine Tooth." Bunny said, nodding at her gently, then looking at Dawn. "You don't get to call her Tooth. What were you thinking, telling Jack that it was a mistake that he was chosen?"

"Where could he have gone?" Tooth asked, not bothering to hide how worried she sounded. It had taken months for them to find him the last time.

"That little house, I'll betcha." Bunny said confidently.

"Ah, good idea Bunny!" North said. "You must leave, we must go find Jack."

Dawn was ready to argue but was quickly ushere dout by Phil the Yeti, while the Guardians readied themselves and headed off via a snow globe portal to the little cliffside cottage. It was turning dark; the cottage wa slit up from inside with a gentle orange glow, creating a sort of halo of light outsdie on the snow with the cottage in the middle of it. They searched close to the house, over the cliffside and through the nearby forest but there was no sign of the Winter Spirit.

They tried the pond next and again, there was no clear sign of the boy anywhere they could find.

Bunny saw it by chance, off to the side; his staff, partially buried in the snow off to the side of the pond. There was always snow near the pond, no matter the season. Tooth found something else, further away from the pond. Jack Frost's blue hoodie was caught up in the branches of a tree, just out of her arm's reach. It was lucky she was able to hover up to reach it.

"Blimey...why would he leave that behind?" Bunny asked when he saw what Tooth was clutching in her hands.

"I believe, perhaps, we need Eros." North suggested, resting a large hand on Tooth's shoulder to try and comfort his fellow Guardian. Bunny nodded but didn't say anything. It was quick, getting to Eros' cabin in the woods with a snowglobe portal. The wooden cabin was lit up by orange lights from inside as well, a welcoming sight amongst the darkness of the woods. The door opened while they approached to reveal Eros standing there, leaning against the side of the door frame. Bunny wanted to wipe the curious smirk off the man's face.

"Evening, what can I help you lot with?"

Tooth was fighting back tears and couldn't speak, so Bunny told Eros what had happened.

"We've lost Jack."

"He seems like someone hard to keep track of-"

"No, he's gone again. Dawn...said something to him. We found his staff in the woods, and his...hoodie." Bunny said, glancing at Tooth who was still holding tight to the blue fabric. Eros moved out of the way so they could enter the cabin where they were greeted by warm dry air and the smell of cinnamon.

"I told you to keep that door shut! It's cold out there!" A familiar voice came from another room. A moment later, pale blonde hair stepped into view from the other room, glaring at Eros. "Oh, what are you lot doing here? Eros didn't mention you were vsiting. There definitely are not enough cookies for all of us."

"That's because you won't share." Eros said, rolling his eyes. She scrunched her nose up at the comment but didn't argue. "I didn't know they were coming, apparently they've lost the ice kid."

"...He's not exactly a quiet kid, how the...how did you lose him?" She asked; Eros coughed out a laugh at her avoiding any naughty language. "He also doesn't blend into much"

."...Apart from snow. Which he can make." Eros said, rolling his eyes again but laughing when she gave a huff and left the room. "I am almost definitely not getting any cookies now. So, I'm gonna guess you want me to track him or something?"

"If-"

"How am I meant to track someone who can travel on the wind? People who fly don't typically leave tracks."

"He can't travel without the staff." She told Eros, coming back into a room with a cookie in each hand. She held one out to the side for Eros, who took it without looking and bit off a chunk of it. "What did she tell him?"

"That...it was a mistake when he was made into a Guardian." Tooth whispered, staring at the fireplace across the room. "She told him that Manny made a mistake."

She raised an eyebrow and stared at the Guardians. Eros had been watching her; she held the other cookie out for him, which he grinned at and took it without protest.

"And you disagree with her?" She asked.

"Of we disagree with her!" Tooth shouted, hovering a little, raising herself from the ground to gain some height on the girl. It was easy to forget Tooth was a warrior. "How could we agree with her?!"

"No, you disagree with her now."

"How dare-"

"Don't talk to me like that, Toothiana. We both work with memories, yours just work differently. I can see what your memories of him are. Of you not being surprised when the attack happened. You immediately believed he had betreayed you! None of you considered any other option!" She told them; Eros was rather impressed by seeing this young girl, new to the spirit world, scolding the Guardians. He knew he liked her for a reason. "So don't come here unaccounced and expect Eros to solve your problem!"

"We just-"

"Does he even want to be found?"

"What you mean?" North asked.

"He's probably upset and hurt, he probably doesn't want to see anyone. Why would he? Give it some time, if he wants to be alone, let him be alone. You aren't his parents, you're meant to be his team mates. If he comes back, don't freak out about it being a whole thing. Just let him come back without any drama."

"You could leave his hoodie here, if you like." Eros offered. "He might be more comfortable coming here for it, rather than the North Pole."

"That's...a good idea." Tooth said and passed the neatly folded hoodie to Eros. He said his farewells to the Guardians and when they had left, he went to his kitchen to find her glaring at the tray of cookies she'd made.

"The kid would probably like some." He said as handed her a hankerchief so she could wrap some cookies up to take with her. She didn't speak as she wrapped four of the cookies in the blue and green checkered hankerchief. He walked her to the front door and stood outside with her, watching the trees sway in the night breeze. The air smelt like rain; he knew she loved rainy days, hopefully it would pick her mood up.

Pick her spirits up. Heh.

"You're a good big sister." He said without looking at her.

"Shut the hell up." She said, but after a pause, leant over and hugged him, which he returned. He leant down just enough to rest his chin on the top of her head. "Thank you."

It was a whisper, but she hoped it was loud enough for him to hear.

Eros smiled at the words; he'd imagined them, but never thought he'd ever really hear them. Not the way she meant it.

Thank you, for all of this.