"Whoa!" Nimbus shouted as he avoided an ice vine from Eira in the sparring area. Meanwhile, I was sitting in a chair reading, glancing up at them every now and then with an amused look on my face. "Father, did you see that!? That's cheating!"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I must've missed it." I chuckled sarcastically as I went back to my book. I saw it alright, she had not only used the vine whip, but she also caused frost to form so that he couldn't dodge it as easily, but he had somehow successfully dodged it anyway.
"Oh! Now you're just playing favorites!"
I rolled my eyes as I let out a combination of a sigh and a groan, and I grabbed my staff, pointed it at him, and shot electrical ice at him, knocking him off his feet and directly onto his backside. I placed my book in the chair, saving my place, and I walked over to Nimbus as he got back up. "Nimbus, I don't play favorites. You know that your opponent won't be fair, and you challenged your sister to a sparring match. Am I wrong?"
"No." He groaned out. "You're right, as always."
"Um no, I'm not always right. That would be your Mother." I smirked slightly.
He returned the smirk and shook his head. "She's not always right either. Her first sparring match with you proved that much."
"Hmm...let's see...the year is 1866...that means our first sparring match was...YIKES! That was a hundred and fifty-four years ago! I can't believe it's really been that long..."
"Yes, well, you certainly knew how to make a fool out of me in front of my children." I turned around and saw Emily gracefully walk towards us, and I couldn't help but grin at her words. "That wasn't me, love. That was all you. You're the one that got too cocky and confident."
"I don't quite remember it that way."
"Of course you don't." I chuckled low and kissed her cheek. "Is lunch ready?"
"Yes, I came out to get the three of you."
"What are we having?" Eira asked as she walked over to us.
"Some fruit, cheese, veggies, bread, and lots of spaghetti."
"OH! My favorite!" Eira jumped up and down as she ran back to the castle. "C'mon Father! C'mon Nimbus!"
"Well, isn't she excited?" I laughed out as I held Emily's hand in mine, and we started to walk towards the castle with Nimbus following behind us.
"Well, it is her favorite after all. I didn't think anyone could put away as much food as you or me, and then we introduced her to spaghetti."
"That's very true."
oOoOoOoOoOo
"And that's the last dish!" I sighed as I put away the last dried plate.
"Thank you for helping with the dishes, Jack."
"You know I'm always happy to spend more time with you. Even if it is washing twenty plates, twenty cups, forty forks, and twenty spoons."
"Yes, well...we had more spirits at dinner than usual."
"I know, and none of them other than The Nine, suspect or know about the Snow Queen."
"Yes, and I'm just thankful they stopped by for a quick meal. I don't see my other children nearly enough. It was nice."
"Speaking of which...it's been fifteen years since you punished Wolfina...to the day in fact." I told her as I turned around, dried my hands on my apron, and leaned up against the counter.
"I'm surprised you remembered." She dried her hands with a dry wash cloth as she too leaned her lower back against the counter, but it was the counter to my left and adjacent to my counter, and she was facing me.
"Well, I married you, which makes your children my children too. I didn't just mean it for The Nine. I meant it for ALL of your children. Although, I know for a fact I had never seen you as fierce as you were that day. It was almost frightening, and would've likely scared me half to death if I didn't know you."
"I'm sorry..." She whispered out as her eyes became downcast as she looked at the dried wash cloth in her hands.
"Don't be. She deserved every amount of fierceness from you. She had one of her abominations murder a child."
"You're not really being convincing if you're trying to get me to go release her from her punishment."
"I shouldn't have to be convincing." I told her with an upside down smirk. "You told her that she would be released in fifteen years, and that's today."
She placed the dry wash cloth on the counter while looking up to me with her head still tilted downward. "I know, but...it was a child...If someone had done that to my children..."
"Your children know how to fight."
"EXACTLY!" She turned around and placed her hands on the counter, clearly upset with having to release Wolfina today. I walked over to her and placed my left hand on her back, trying to convince her to continue, and she let out a sigh, letting me know she was going to do just that. "Jack, what if I extended her punishment?"
"Then that would be unfair. She had accepted and put up with her punishment for fifteen years. You haven't heard any word from any of the wolves, which must mean she hasn't been up to anything."
"You're right...but it was a child! There was so much blood! That little girl..."
I pulled on her arm lightly to turn her to face me and I wrapped my arms around her. Now more than ever, I was thankful that I was a few inches taller than her. I petted her hair as she clutched the back of my shirt. "I know, but perhaps...perhaps she needs a chance to grow into her new powers. She obviously didn't know how to properly deal with it, and for that, a little girl suffered. She needs to grow, Emily, and to do that, you have to let her out of her punishment."
She pulled away from the hug and nodded her head. "Will you go with me?"
"Of course, and if she acts up again...perhaps banish her to the rain forest where she can grow and hone her skills rather than taking it all away. She has to learn, Emily, and at least there...she has a far less likelihood of hurting innocents, because she will be banished into the wild."
"That's a good idea. Let's go."
oOoOoOoOoOo
Emily teleported us to where she sensed Wolfina's life source and we were surrounded by wolves once we got there. "Ah, Mother and her mate." I heard one of the wolves speak in a reverent tone. "What brings you to our pack?" I looked to where the voice came from and it was the wolf directly next to me, and he was looking up at me. He had ash gray fur with some white here and there, and his eyes were a golden brown.
"You're the Alpha, correct?"
"That is correct."
"Wait, how can I understand him?"
"It must be part of Manny's gift to you, you haven't been directly spoken to by the animals until today. Interesting...anyway, the spirit I had sent here, her name is Wolfina...where is she?"
"She should be returning from a hunt now."
"Kinro, who are our...guests?" The familiar voice came from behind and she had a rabbit in her mouth, which promptly dropped once she saw us. "Mother? Jack Frost!?"
"Your fifteen years are up, Wolfina." Emily waved her hand and a golden wave of light surrounded Wolfina in her wolf form, and it transformed her back into a human spirit.
She patted at her clothes and then looked back up at us. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome. Don't ruin this chance you've been given. Banishment is next. This was just a power dip. If I have to punish you again, you'll be alone in the rain forest."
"I understand." At her tone, I felt something severely off, but I put it away as being around wolves, and being able to understand them, along with the fact that Wolfina was now in human form again.
"Good. Let's go, Jack."
oOoOoOoOoOo
"Alright...alright..." I laughed out as I was on my backside from sparring with Eira. "You win this match."
"HA! I finally won one!"
"Yes, but remember...that's ONE."
"Oh, don't worry Father, I will eventually catch up to you, and I'm sure Mother will console you."
"And you're being a smart mouth." I chuckled out as I got up from the ground. I was about to say something else, but I soon saw a wolf rushing towards me, and I recognized him. It was the wolf that spoke with us three months ago. "What's wrong?"
"It's been three months since you and Mother released Wolfina from her punishment, but she's acting up again! She's worse now! She's turned three of my pack members into giant wolves, and I saw her commanding a Wendigo! She's going after humans! Small humans...what is it you call them...CHILDREN! She's going after Children!"
"Thank you for telling me, but why tell me and not Mother Nature?"
"Because, you are her Alpha."
"I am, huh?" I couldn't help the small satisfied smirk that appeared on my face, and honestly I didn't care if anyone saw it.
"Yes, and the two of you gave birth to an Alpha pup!" The wolf walked up to Eira and nudged his head against her side in a knowing manner. "She is strong in both spirit and heart. She is a determined one, stubborn, kind, patient, strategic, and a warrior. She's an Alpha pup!"
"But she's physically eighteen and mentally twenty..."
"She is still your pup and will always be so. Now, come, show me to Mother so that I may tell her as well."
"No need. I'm here. Tell me, why did you not come to me before Jack?"
"Jack is your Alpha. I had to tell him first."
"He's my..." Her eyes became wide as she stared at me with a surprised expression and she blinked a few times as a blush started to appear on her face. "Well...that certainly explains a few things..." She shook her head and looked at the wolf with a concerned expression. "What is it you have to tell me?"
"Wolfina is apparently acting up." I answered with a disappointed expression. "He says that she's transformed some of his wolves from his pack, and he saw her commanding a Wendigo."
"Wendigo!? Where! And how on earth is she controlling them!?"
"Last I heard, she was heading south." The wolf answered apologetically. "I don't know where she is now, but she's still in North America. As for the how...I don't know that either."
"Thank you, I will create a portal for you to return to your pack. They need you." She waved her hand, created a portal made of green and gold, and the wolf gave her a brief nod before running through.
Once he was gone I wasted no time. I held out my palm and conjured four sprites. "Klaina, Keelo, L'teal, Aelro!"
"Yes Jack?" They chorused together with worried expressions.
"I need all of you to search for Wolfina and tell me where she is. Klaina, I need you to go to the South East of North America. Keelo, I need you to go to the South Center of North America. L'Teal, I need you to go the South West of North America, and Aelro...you're the fastest...I need you to look along the center of North America. Fly as fast as all of you can and search for any gigantic wolves, Wolfina, and Wendigo showing strange behavior. Go!"
"Right away, Jack!" They shouted and vanished, teleporting to the locations I gave them.
We waited for about an hour in anticipation, and they all returned. L'teal shook her head, as did Keelo and Aelro. Klaina floated forward and nodded her head. "She's in Burgess."
"Again!?"
"Well, it was where I made her a spirit..." Emily admitted. "...but usually spirits don't hang around where they were made..."
"I do."
"You are an exception, believe me. Alright, let's go before she hurts anyone."
I tapped my staff to the ground, and I made a portal appear. "Eira, come on. You'll be a great help."
"Okay!" She walked through the portal and was then followed by Emily and then myself.
Once we walked through, I immediately noticed men, women, and children running away screaming. "Seems like she's already started causing trouble." I sighed regretfully, but then I heard a sickening, yet familiar growl behind me. I turned around and there was a Wendigo that stood about eight feet tall. "Snow Queen, don't let it scratch or bite you!"
"Understood!"
We all backed away from it, and started attacking from a distance. It didn't take long to take it down. Eira wrapped it up in sharp ice vines, I froze it's entire body using frost on the pond, and had it crawl up his body, and Emily used her vines and sliced at him, and then she used her own fire elemental power to burn him, briefly melting the pond, but he was soon turned to ash, and I froze the pond once more. "One down..." I heard Emily breathe out. "...who knows how many more to go."
"Oh, that was my only one for now." We turned around and saw Wolfina coming towards us with a wolf on either side of her as she rode atop of her own giant wolf. "As you can tell, I've gotten stronger, but perhaps I need to pick my Wendigo more carefully."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Why do you think!? It's your fault I'm like this! I was content in accepting my punishment, but then I learned about Jack and the Snow Queen living in the domain with you, and that pissed me off, but as I was a wolf, I learned from the other wolves and other animals that all of the spirits have a place in your domain in your castle...but not ME! You told me to stay out of the domain! Why!?"
"That is NOT true, and you know it!" She spat out. "I said you could be in the domain! I told you that I would prefer if you were out in the real world with the wolves, but I still made the offer just as I do for all of my spirits!"
"All I heard was that you would prefer if I stayed out here, and I listened to you. Then, one of the wolves I was watching noticed I got a cut on my leg, they tried to lick it, and they grew to be like these giant wolves! I made another one, and then another. I can do this! ME!"
"Just because we can do something, doesn't mean we should!" Eira snapped as she had her palms at her sides, facing Wolfina, creating an aura of ice magic around her hands.
"Well said, Snow Queen." Emily praised, but her gaze was fixed dangerously on Wolfina. "Wolfina, I warned you. I told you if you acted up again, that I would banish you."
"HA! I would like to see you try! From this day forth, you are my enemy!"
"So be it! Jack, Snow Queen! You have your opponent! Weaken her as much as you can, I'm going to see if there's any that need rescuing while you battle!"
"Yes, Mother Nature!" Eira and I said together, and as Emily left us, and went behind Wolfina, we immediately started attacking her. I flew up into the air, and used my electrical ice beams from my staff to knock her off of her wolves, while Eira apparently took a page out of my book and sent small sharp shards of hail towards her wolves, effectively killing them in the process, and scratching up Wolfina once she landed on the ground.
"Stay down!" Eira growled as she wrapped Wolfina in vines.
Emily came back with pure fury and rage in her eyes as she glared down at Wolfina. "FIVE CHILDREN!? WHY ARE YOU ATTACKING CHILDREN!?"
"Because, the adults that CAN hunt will listen to their fears and concerns if they see wolves in the forest. I can't have that!"
"Yes, well, I warned you, and now you face banishment. You will be banished to the rain forest either until I decide you've learned your lesson, or until something kills you." She waved her hand and caused a portal to float up in the sky, and she had it slam down on Wolfina, causing her to disappear entirely.
"Are you sure?" Eira questioned cautiously.
"This was Jack's ruling. Not mine." Emily huffed out with frustration in her eyes. She then turned her gaze at me, and I could still see the fury in her eyes. "Jack, although I can't do much if she attacks other spirits, because we can face off with her in battle, but...if she starts to go after innocents again...innocent mortals and children...I will have to dispose of her. I hope you understand."
"As long as you don't ask me to kill, I understand perfectly well." I admitted as I looked into her eyes.
At my words, she seemed to relax as she let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Let's go home."