Chapter Four

Jack had tried asking who Bunny was referring to, but the rabbit just went quiet on him. Eventually he told Jack, calmly, to leave his warren before he was thrown out. Jack would've made Bunnymund tell him twice on any other day, but the hurt in his eyes told him that it was probably better to leave the rabbit alone. So Jack left, shooting off on a cold rush of wind that would carry him to where he didn't yet know. Maybe he'd go play with Jamie, or perhaps he should work on inspiring more kids to believe in him while winter was afoot in the northern hemisphere. He was just deciding on flying off to see Jamie, when the wind shifted and took a hard right with a wail he'd never heard before. Jack let out a cry and tried to regain control, but it was no use, he was at the mercy of the blowing gale and he spin frantically, kicking and flailing and yelling at the wind to put him down! The only other time he'd had no control over the wind had been when he'd first awoken and the suddenness of losing that control made his heart race as all he could do was scream.

Finally the wind did drop him, right onto the ground of a grassy hill, under a giant oak tree. Jack pulled his face out from the dirt and looked around, curious as to where he was and what had happened. He stood up quickly, brushing grass and old leaves off his hoodie as he continued to spin about looking for anything of interest. "Wind?" he called tentatively, scared of losing control in the mighty drafts, but it was his only way of getting around. But the wind did not answer his call, it did not come rushing to his aid to take him anywhere. He called again and then a third time, worrying profusely when no reply answered him. Then a voice finally called out.

"The wind is at my command at the moment, Jack."

He spun around to face who had spoken, surprised to see a girl of about ten now, wearing a green dress covered in flowers, her long dark black hair braided falling in free tresses except where braid back to hold in the flowers that matched the ones on her dress. Mother Nature. At least he assumed it was her, since Bunny had mentioned she took the form of a child sometimes, it stood to reason that she could change her age on a whim. "Hey," he said, unsure of what else he was supposed to say. "You're Mother Nature, aren't you?"

"Yes," she said, her face a perfect neutral mask, betraying nothing of what she may have been feeling. "I suppose your Guardians told you all about me, haven't they?"

"Uh, just to stay away from you," Jack replied, starting to back away slowly. "I don't want to be a bother, so I'm just gunna go-whoa!" But a sudden wind pushed him back up the hill, and he stumbled until he nearly fell at her feet, catching himself just before he lost his balance entirely. He looked down on this child standing before him, not at all liking the sly smile that tugged at one corner of her mouth. It looked so familiar.

"How will you go anywhere without your wind, Jack?"

"I can still walk, can't I?" he asked.

"Is that what you want or would you like your wind back?"

Jack considered her for a moment. "What's the catch?"

"Clever boy," she said with a chuckle. "I just have a few questions, Jack. that's all."

"Okay." Jack decided answering a few questions couldn't hurt anyone, right? And if that's all this child wanted… "What do you want to know?"

"Do the Guardians still hate me?"

"I think hate is a strong word, dislike you maybe."

"Oh rest assured, jack, they do hate me. You can be honest. Nothing you say will anger me….yet."

"That's ominous."

She chuckled again, somehow familiar though Jack couldn't for the life of him place why. "Did they tell you why they hate me, or are the wounds still too deep for them?"

"Uh, no. Could you explain why they dislike you?"

Mother Nature took a deep breath, closing her green eyes. "Perhaps one day, but no I will not answer that for you today." She opened her eyes again, this time they were a deep earthen brown. "Have they told you about the great war against the darkness?"

"No, what is that?"

"You'll learn soon enough. What do you know about Pitch?"

"Just that he's fear incarnate and not really a great guy. How many more questions do you have?"

With a tilt of her head she countered with, "Did I say that you could ask any questions back?"

"Sorry, but I figured maybe we could make this a game."

"A game?"

"Yeah, 20 questions, a game I've seen kids play sometimes. I mean, usually the point is to guess what the other person is thinking about in 20 questions or less, but I figured we'd just ask each other questions until we were both happy with the answers." He smiled, trying to show her that he was a friend, that they didn't have to be at each other's throats right then, but the way her face stared blankly up at him unnerved him just a bit.

"No. I'm asking the questions. I will answer no more of yours."

Okay bitch, Jack thought and kept his smile on his face.

"I heard that," she told him, a warning tone in her voice. "You ought to keep your thoughts cleaner than that." The smile was wiped from his face in an instant.

"How did you-right, not answering any more questions. Got it, sorry."

She took a deep breath, as if she didn't want to ask the next query. "What do you remember about your time before you became Jack Frost?"

Jack clutched his shepherd's crook and leaned on it a bit. "Not much. I know I had a family, I know descendants of them still live in Burgess. I know…." he hesitated unsure why he didn't want to talk about the next part. Maybe it was because it was how he came to be Jack Frost, maybe because he just wanted to keep some things private. But still he answered, "I know I had a sister that I saved before I was chosen to be Jack Frost."

"You weren't chosen to be Jack Frost, you were made to be Jack Frost."

"What's that mean?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"I'd tell you to go ask your Guardians, but not even they know about that. Have they told you about the relics yet?"

"Noooo?"

"Interesting, so then they still think the gift one is lost." Again she smiled. "Well, they'll figure it out in time."

"I'm really not allowed to ask any questions back?"

"I suppose I'm satisfied with the answers you've given me," She said with a bit of a sigh. For a child of only about ten, Jack couldn't believe how much she acted like an adult. "I shall answer only one question for you. Make it count, Jack."

He thought about it and a few questions instantly came to mind. What was the war on darkness? What was her connection to Pitch? What did she mean he wasn't chosen but made? Or why did she want to know about his memories? But then one question stuck out in his mind above all others and he figured it was the most important one to ask.

"Why do the Guardians hate you?"

She smiled widely, mischievous malice lacing her features and leaned in as if to whisper a secret. "Because I cursed Katherine the Very Brave."

And then she was gone.


He dropped down from the cold breeze that had carried him there and fell into a snowbank. Flying was still new to him and although he had been all over the world there were places he hadn't had a chance to land in and see for himself just yet. Such as was the place he just found, a village nestled among a thick forest and untamed vines encircling it. It was late into the night, so at first he didn't think much of the dim and nearly hidden houses that he counted off in the bright full moonlight. But he found a door here, a window there, the signs and markings of dwellings all around, the houses made to blend in with the natural environment.

Like a voyeur, Jack made his way toward the window of the only obvious house, the one made out of a giant oak tree in the center of the town. Even though he couldn't be seen, he still crept as if at any moment someone might see him approaching and throw open their door to chase him off. Reaching for a window, he peeked inside and found the house empty, devoid of any person or any sign of life living inside.

"You're not going to find anyone in that old house."

Jack spun around quickly, his one fear and hope coming true in an instant. There, standing in the worn path leading up to the door of the great oak, was an old woman. She too carried a staff and wore a thick winter coat and shawl over her head, for it was the middle of December. She cocked her head to the side as Jack said, "You can see me?"

"Young man, I haven't been able to see anyone in many, many years," she replied, and when she moved she waved the staff in front of her to avoid running into anything. She came closer to Jack then anyone had ever been and reached out a hand, which Jack hesitated to take hold of, fearful that he would pass right through her. He looked around for anyone else she could have been talking to but found only empty houses and no one else but them. "Are you gunna take my hand or not?"

Slowly jack reached out to her, and placed his hand in hers. When he didn't pass through her his breath quickened and he could feel the tears in his eyes. "I...I'm real," he said, a smile of pure genuine joy breaking over his face. "I'm real." then the tears began to fall and he started sobbing.

"Winter spirit, hmm," she replied, "of course you're real. Now, come down from that window and let me see you,"

"You-you said you couldn't tho?" Jack said, wiping at his eyes with his free hand. His crook fell from his grasp and he quickly tried to grab at it, but the old woman snatched it in hers before it hit the ground. Jack could only stare at her, astonished.

"I have my ways," the old woman said. "Now come on, come down from there," and she moved his staff to the crook of her arm so she could beckon him to climb down. With only a smidgen of reluctance, still scared at any moment he'd wake up and realize this was a dream or that she'd suddenly start ignoring him, Jack slipped away from the window and landed next to her, quiet as a gentle snowfall. "Now then young man, what would you like to be called?"

"Jack," he answered easily. "Jack Frost."

"Well then Jack, it's nice to meet you. You may call me Katherine. Now, would you mind if I took a look at you?"

He shook his head, before he realized her eyes were a milky blue color and her staff was the only way she could get around. "No ma'am, I don't mind...but, uh, how will you…?" His answer came in the form of a wrinkled and knobby old hand reaching toward his face. Since she was significantly shorter then him and seemed to have trouble standing up straight, Jack bent down to meet her. Her hands bore callouses that were rough against the skin of his face, but he held still under her touch as she felt her way around his face. The touch felt so nice, sending tingles running down his spine. Her fingers trailed lightly down one side of his face, moved across his nose then his cheek. They traced down until they found his chin then moved across his pale lips, which Jack couldn't help pulling into a smile as he again felt tears welling in his eyes. He never wanted this moment to end.

Her hand found it's way up the side of his face and stopped when it felt his tears. "Not used to being seen, are you?"

"No ma'am," Jack replied politely. "I can't help but think thsi is all a dream, and in a moment you'll be gone."

"A dream, you say? I know a thing or two about dreams. You should guard them well, the good ones you have. They'll steer you on the right path."

"Okay," he said, still smiling.

"What brings you out to Santoff Claussen?"

"Oh, uh, nothing really." Jack felt suddenly embarrassed he'd been caught snooping around. "I just saw this place from the sky and decided to stop by."

She removed her hand from his face and Jack instinctively reached for it, but stopped himself from grabbing her and making the old crone continue to stroke his cold skin. He never realized how touch starved he'd been until that single moment and now, well now he wanted to take his clothes off and let her touch wherever she pleased. But he knew that would be inappropriate, and so kept his thoughts to himself. Maybe one day he'd met someone who would run their hands all over his body, but today was not that day and he bit his lip to hold in his request.

"A flying sprite, hmm? It's been a while since I met one of those." She handed his shepherd's hook out for him to take and took hold of her staff, turning slowly and walking slow but steadily down the steps she'd climbed to meet him. Jack followed along, keeping a hand out as if he would need to grab her to keep her from falling at any moment, but when they made it safely to the ground he almost gave up. "Come around here and hold my arm if you're so worried about my falling," she told him, beckoning him to walk at her side. Jack skipped happily up to meet her, gladly taking hold of the arm she offered and walking along with her through the village.

"I used to live here, when I was a little girl," she told him. "This place was filled with so many wondrous things before…." her voice trailed off and, knowing sorrow well, Jack didn't press her for details she didn't want to share. "That was Old Williams house. He had three little boys, all named William as well, so we called them Tall William, Small William and the Youngest William. A little boy named Fog lived over there," she pointed with her cane, "sweet boy he was. And then Susie and Nellie lived over there, they were twins but couldn't have been more different."

"How are you so sure of the locations?" Jack asked, curious about this old woman in an empty village.

"Because I lived here for most of my young life," she replied. "And some of my adult life."

"What happened to everyone?"

"Oh, one by one they moved away, as you do I suppose. Some of them stayed, but most of the parents decided to seek a better future for their children and they couldn't do that here anymore."

"There's this tiny village called Burgess not very far from here. I like to watch a family from there, but the children are grown now and thinking about moving away. I can't help but feel a little saddened by it."

"Then let us not speak anymore of sad things. Tell me Jack, do you enjoy stories?"

He chuckled and decided he liked this old woman. "I do indeed," he replied.

"Then come with me and we'll find a little place to sit down and I'll tell you some of my stories."

He followed after her, his heart alight with a kind of Joy he'd hardly ever felt anymore. How wonderful indeed to have finally made a friend, to have someone see him, even if they were blind. He'd thought he would cherish this for many years, and indeed they did spend many years together. Jack came back every day to see her, and some days she was there and other days she was not. She began to tell him when she did plan on coming back, when her old bones could make the trip again. Jack once asked if he could come visit her where she lived, but she insisted that they meet in the old and abandoned village. She told him to make himself at home there, and for a time Jack built himself a treehouse and lived in it, just like the villagers did before he came to be there. One day she even gave him a long blue coat, with a silvery pattern all down the front and on the cuffs that mimicked snow. As he put it one his own ice added to it's beauty and he swore he would never take it off.

Then one day she stopped coming. And three days later Jack returned from an adventure out in the world to find a fresh grave.

And a headstone that read Katherine the Very Brave.