North, Tooth and Sandy stared at the fading memory with an array of emotions.
Jack was watching them warily, not sure of what they will do with thing new information about Bunny and his 'relationship.'
"Mate...?" Bunny's voice comes from behind him.
He turns to the Pooka, when did he move to the back of the group, and looked him over.
Bunny was crouching low, paws playing with each other and ears folded back. His eyes would flicker between Jack, the other Guardians and the ground every few minutes.
"Look mate…See..Um…Well what I'm trying to say is…' Bunny sighed regretfully and looked at Jack sadly. 'What I'm trying to say Fros-Jack is…I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I was so cruel to you when I didn't even know why you made it snow. I'm sorry I said such harsh and untrue words to you…And most of all I'm sorry if you can't forgive me."
Bunny finally lowered his head in shame, not wanting to see the look on Jack's face.
Bunny heard foot steps move closer to him and thought it might be Tooth, likely to come knock one (or all) of his teeth out. Not that he could blame her, he had been horrible to Jack without real reason, and he deserved some sense knocked into him. The others have actually been pretty quiet and he wondered how they felt about it, about him, now.
"Bunny? Can you look at me when I'm talking to you?" Jack's voice comes from where the footsteps had stopped. Bunny realized it made sense it had been Jack walking to him, the only other that walked was North and his footsteps weren't nearly that quiet.
Bunny looked up at Jack; he could see the conflict in Jack's ice colored eyes. Jack's hands were tightening and loosening around his staff; the only outside show of his struggling thoughts.
"I use to hate you for what happened that day,' Bunny internally winced at Jack's bluntness but knew it was needed. 'I thought you were a jerk with a huge ego. Then…then when and after we fought Pitch, I got to know you and the others better.'
Jack sighed and ran a hand though his hair. 'I'm not saying I'm completely forgiving you yet, but…the past is the past right?"
Bunny looked surprised before he smile thankfully at the younger spirit. "Thanks mate."
Jack smiled back and the others finally moved forward to close the gap between them.
Tooth looked at the two warmly before giving Bunny a sudden glare that made him take a step back. She floated closer to him, their faces almost touching. "If you ever do something like that again, and not just to Jack, I will personally make sure you lose all your teeth."
Bunny sputtered as the other three male Guardians couldn't help but laugh at his scared face.
This went on for a few minutes before the next memory came, saving Bunny from Tooth and the others' laughing.
Jack was somewhere in Europe that he didn't remember the name of. He wondered if he should try to remember the names but shrugged it off. It didn't really matter; he never really stayed anywhere long in less he was at his lake or visiting Luka. He should probably visit her sometime; but he had been really busy lately.
As he was about to go flying back to his lake, it was almost sunset, he saw a bonfire in the middle of the woods. Normally he would ignore it, just some teens/adults on a hiking trip or whatever; but he suddenly noticed the sound of eerie music in the air. It sent tingles down his spine and he wanted to fly away as quickly as he could…but he couldn't.
Against his wish his body slowly started to lower him self toward the bonfire and music.
What surprised him was the fire seemed to give off no heat at all. If anything it seemed to send cold breezes though the area, and cast moving shadows everywhere.
What scared him was the music, which was still sending tingles though his body, and the people (if he could call them that) that were making it.
There were at least 15 of them making a wide diamond around the bonfire. They were all cloaked in black and dark red, like drying blood, and singing in deep voices and a strange language. Each had a mask in the shape of an animal, but all was twisted in horrible evil grins.
They stopped and Jack felt the tingling leave. The people began to talk among themselves, but he just wanted to jump in the air and fly away from this creepy scene but his body felt heavy. He realized that he had left his staff at the tree line of the area and was going to grab it when one of the men(?) spoke.
"Alright, quiet down and listen up.' A man with a lion's mask says with authority. The others slowly quieted down and after a moment of silence the man continued. 'I brought you all here to recite the annual obituaries. As always we will begin with 'A' and end with 'Z', are you ready to being Boiles?"
A more round man with a toad mask nodded. "Ready."
The lion man nodded back. "Alright."
The toad man and four others in different masks brought small flutes and hand held drums from their cloaks and began to play.
"And a one and a two…' Boiles says as the he and the others get their instruments ready.
"A estas por sukceno
Kiu Dronis en lageto
B estas Billy
Kiu estis manĝita de Ghouls
C estas por Curt
Kun Malsanoj de la cerbo
D Ĉu Ĉar Daniel
Elreliĝis en trajno
E estas por Erik
Kiu estis enterigita vivas
F estas por Frank
Kiu estis ponardita Tra La Okulo'
G estas por Greg
Kiu mortis en la ventro
H estas por Heather
Kiu sigelitan en tombon'
They sang with sick glee that made Jack shudder. He wasn't completely sure what they were singing but something felt horribly wrong about it, evil about it.
Jack gasped as the tingling returned and he was being pulled to the middle of the group…and started dancing around the fire. He couldn't get his legs to stop spinning him in circles and his arms seemed like dead weight as they swung this way and that.
What was worse was he could feel tightness in his chest, like his lunges weren't getting enough air.
'Unu post unu, Ni Bite La Polvo
Ni Piedfrapu La Balde kaj komenci Rust
Give Up La Fantoma Kiam Via Numero OKAZAS
Ni Ĉiuj Fall Down
Cindroj en cindron, Ostoj algluota
Vi forvelkos Forigu En Via ripozejo
Eterneco en ligna Case
Ni Ĉiuj Fall Down"
Jack gasped as what looked like 3D shadows joined him in the dance, only they were crying and shouting in misery. There were 4 in all, the shadows and Jack danced around the fire against their will (or at least that's what Jack could guess with the sudden light headedness hanging over him) as the masked people continued to sing.
Bunny jolted up, worry and fear lit his eyes. "You were caught by the Laughing Coffins?!"
The other big four gasped as they too finally recognized the terrible cult.
"Who are they anyway?" Jack asked. He knew they would see what he had (accidentally) done to get away and he was feeling sick just remembering.
"They were a cult that would call on ghost and spirits with their music to doom them basically. It was nearly impossible to get away from them if you heard the music and we lost a good many spirits before they seemed too disappeared suddenly a few years back." North spoke calmly, but his voice was strained like he was thinking of the spirits they lost.
Jack knew they would find out that the Laughing Coffin's 'sudden disappearance' was his fault so he kept quiet.
Jack was breathing shallowly now, his eyes starting to drupe as a numb light feeling spread though his body. Still his body continued to dance and the cloaked people kept singing.
"Mi estas por Issac
Kiu perdis la Fronto bremsoj
J estas por Johnny
Kiu mordis Serpentoj
K estas por Kimmy
Kiu estis pafita en la kapo
L estas por Larry
Kiu Bled Kaj Bled
M estas por Marie
Kiu Bruligita To A Crisp
N estas por Nick
Kiu Was Pummled Per Pugnoj
Ho Is For Olivo
Kiu vivis Vivo Tro Rapida
P estas por Pat
Kiu glutis Kelkaj Vitra
Unu post unu, Ni Bite La Polvo
Ni Piedfrapu La Balde kaj komenci Rust
Give Up La Fantoma Kiam Via Numero OKAZAS
Ni Ĉiuj Fall Down
Cindroj en cindron, Ostoj algluota
Vi forvelkos Forigu En Via ripozejo
Eterneco en ligna Case
Ni Ĉiuj Fall Down"
Jack felt really tired now. He felt like he could sleep for a million years, but some part of his brain told him he needed to stay awake. So he tried to fight the sleepiness, the cries of the shadows helped a little but that wasn't really comforting.
"Q estas por Quentin
Kiu kaptis la malĝusta Trail
R estas por Reyna
Kiu putra En Malliberejo
S estas por Steve
Kiu estis pafita kun Banto
T estas por Tori
Kiu glaciiĝis en la neĝo
Aŭ Ĉu Por Urich
Kiu piedpremita de hufoj
V estas por Vanessa
Kiu falis de sur tegmento
W estas por Saliko
Kiu estis trafita de aŭto
X estas por Xavier
Kiu enprofundigxis en Tar
Y estas por Yessy
Kiu Fell De A Plane
Z estas por Zack
Kiu Simple Iris…
Insano!"
At the last word Jack cried out at a sharp pain that went though his head. Like someone had just shoved a dull knife right into it and the twisted it a full 360. Jack fell to his knees and a burst of cold energy came from him covering the whole area in snow and ice.
Some of the men screamed and ran away, frostbite setting on their fingers, cloaks and masks.
Others stiffened then fell to the snow covered ground with dull thuds.
Jack's screams stopped and he slowly brought his hands from his head taking in the scene before him.
8 bodies lay on the ground in different ways. Some on their sides, or flat on their back, some were laying face down in the snow.
Jack shakily got to his feet, looking around if horrified awe.
…Then he ran. He didn't even fly, he grabbed his staff that was sticking out of the snow and ran into the woods as fast a he could.
The Guardians looked at Jack who shuffled awkwardly.
"You're not a murder mate.' Bunny speaks up first, Jack opened his mouth to protest but Bunny shot him a look that made him close his mouth. 'You didn't kill them for no reason, you were in pain and was defending you're self. Anyone of us would have done it if we were their mate, so don't you think that about your self."
North and the others nodded and Jack smiled in relief. "Thanks guys."
"But of course Jack, we know you did not mean to do it." Tooth says kindly.
Jack distantly wondered of they'll see when he went to Pitch's lair and got his teeth, but he shook it off he would worry about that later.
Pitch watched as his nightmares flew this way and that around his lair, more appearing every few minutes.
Soon he would have enough strength to leave the lair and double the numbers.
Oh he couldn't wait to see the Guardians faces as he takes Jack from them, and after making him his Fearling Prince, they take down those useless Guardians once and for all. And he will finally rule again like he did in the Golden Age.
He sighed euphorically at the thought.
He stood from his throne and swiftly made his way to one of the rooms hidden out of sight.
As he walked in there were many large puddles of what looked like pure darkness littering the ground. One in the center of the room though was what he was looking at though.
It looked like a snowman made of ink had melted, but instead of get smaller it was slowly getting bigger and its features slowly getting sharper.
Pitch smiled wickedly. "Yes, soon my army will soon be as powerful as it once was."
Tsar smiled. The Guardians were getting closer, which was good. Very good. Still he worried…
He turned his telescope to the hole to Pitch's lair, watching nightmares come and go from it.
It worried him greatly. It should have taken Pitch a while longer to get stronger, but he was gaining strength quickly. Tsar turned when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
Nightlight's glowing white eyes watching him curiously. His eyes flickered to the scope then back to Tsar, his head tilting in question.
"They are getting closer.' Tsar told him with a smile, it widened when Nightlight grinned happily and clapped silently in joy.
But Nightlight was always able to tell if something was upsetting Tsar. Nightlight stopped clapping and soon gained a concerned look, head tilting again.
Tsar sighed. "I'm worried, my old friend. Pitch is getting stronger fast then I thought…and I worry he might be after Jack."
Nightlight got an alarmed look on his face before he frowned and shook his head defiantly as if to say 'I won't let that happen!'
Tsar smiled at Nightlight's protectiveness of Jack, they were much alike.
He sighed and ran a hand over his head. "I'm not wanting to burden you, my friend, but I have a request."
Nightlight looked surprised but made a 'Carry on' gesture.
"I ask that you go down and watch over the Guardians, at least until this problem with Pitch is solved." Tsar asks.
Nightlight stood still for a moment before giving Tsar the 'Is that all? Really?' look. Nightlight nodded and turned to go get his staff to go down to Earth.
"And Nightlight.' Tsar calls to his retreating friend. Nightlight turns to look over his shoulder at him. Tsar's face and voice turn grave, no humor left to see. 'Watch Jack closely, I fear what Pitch might have planned for him."
Nightlight's eyes glowed with determination as he nodded sharply and continued walking. 'I promise to protect you Jack, no matter what.'