A/N Hello again all you beautiful people! I really hope that you're enjoying the story so far. If you notice any really big grammar mistakes or anything like that, please let me know so that I can fix them. Thank you in advance! Also, this chapter is shorter than normal, but I just thought that it would be a good break in the story. :D
Enjoy the third chapter!
I stumble through the tunnel with as little grace as possible. My knees are still hurting a little from hitting the concrete earlier, but thankfully I manage not to smack my arm against one of the dirt walls. I'll take hurt knees over that any day of the week. As I make my way farther down the tunnel, the smell of spring gets stronger and stronger. Even though I personally prefer the smell of the summer breeze at night, I can't deny how nice the warren always smelled. When Aster wasn't getting on my nerves, or tending to one of my injuries, I would sometimes pop in to say hi. I don't visit often enough to call Aster and I good friends, but I can at least say that we are good at tolerating each other.
Plus I loved looking at the rolling, grassy hills and all of the other plant life that was kept in an eternal spring here in the warren. Flowers of every kind bloomed in a stunning array of colors. The trees always had the greenest leaves on them, as if they had just fully grown on the branches a week ago. All of the plants radiated life from within themselves. The air was slightly damp, as if it had just rained, and it only added to the soothing environment that Aster had created for himself. The entire warren screamed spring, just as much as it screamed Aster.
I shake my head to snap myself out of my thoughts. I'm getting close to the end of the tunnel. As I walk I go from stepping on dirt to grass, and the tunnel opens up to reveal the underground paradise. I glance around to see if Aster is in the close vicinity, with no such luck. However, I do hear a faint humming coming from somewhere deeper inside the warren. I begin walking towards it, even though I know that any second Aster will pop up in front of me. Because of his heightened sense of smell, he can always tell whenever I step foot into the warren. Sure enough, before I even make it five feet, Aster is standing in front of me.
"Hey." I say with an impish smile. He glances down at my knees and arm before he looking back up at my face.
"Can't ya go one day without gettin' hurt Sheila?" He remarks with a slight tint of humor in his voice. "Come on. Ya know where I keep the stuff for fixin' ya up." He motions for me to follow him as he begins walking towards his small burrow.
"I will have you know that I crash landed on purpose last time!" I say sarcastically as I walk behind him. He chuckles.
"Is that so?" He inquires. I catch up to him gently punch him with my left hand, earning another chuckle from him. "So, what did ya do this time?" He asks as we walk. I take a deep breath before I begin to recount everything that's been going on with the cities around the world. Then I tell him about how I suspect Akiko as the one who's behind the strange events, and how I went to find her. Then I told him of my epic failure at getting into her hide out. He listen quietly until I was finished, only laughing when he learned how I was actually injured.
"Now what's so funny?" I demand.
"Ya could have used a boat to get on the ledge Sheila, instead of yer daredevil tactic." He whips. I shoot a glare in his direction, because he's right. It would have been easier, and I probably wouldn't have been hurt. But I didn't think about that at the time, okay?
"Yes, haha. River is an idiot sometimes." I mock, before continuing with in a more serious tone, "Anyway. Have you seen her around?" I ask hopefully.
"Can't say that I have. But if what yer sayin' is true then she'd probably want to steer clear of me." He said. I nodded. Of course Akiko wouldn't go anywhere near Aster, especially if she is throwing off the seasons. I bite my bottom lip as we walk a few more feet in silence. Who else would know where Akiko would be? It's times like this when I start doubting my own indifference towards other spirits. I don't know if any of them would be willing to help me out, and I'm about eighty percent sure that none of them truly cared about her prank. Only seasonal spirits would understand why it's so important to make her stop doing what she is.
That's when it hits me. There's only one other spirit that might care enough to help me find her. Jack Frost. They were pretty much peas in a pod, and I know that the two of them confided in each other. So he would almost defiantly know where she's chosen to hide out. With enough leverage I can get him to tell me... Wait.. No, I can't do that. It's too much of a risk to be within a mile of the guy. So how do I go about getting the information that I need from him? I glance over at Aster...
"Hey... Would you be willing do to something for me?" I ask Aster in an overly sweet tone. He gives me a skeptical look as we approach his home.
"What?" He asks.
"Would you, by chance, be willing to.. I don't know.. Ask Jack about Akiko?" I ask quickly before smiling. Aster scoffs at my request and goes into his home to retrieve some medical supplies. When he comes back out his holding a decently sized container that North had given him to keep here. He sets the container on a rock and motions for me to sit down on another rock a few feet from it.
"Now, why would I be willin' to go talk to Frostbite 'bout Akiko?" He wonders out loud, ruffling through the container. He turns around hold a few items in his paws. I give him a stern look.
"Because this isn't just my season that's going to get thrown out of whack again. Akiko is messing with the balance, and Jack is one of the few spirits that might know where she is! I can't just go up and start talking to him!" I exclaim. Aster kneels down to start taking care of my knees. I wince a little as some anti infection is spread over the cuts. It stings a little. When Aster doesn't respond to my earlier response, I decide to try a different tactic. "Well, I guess that we'll just have to loose the past three years of work we've been doing. I'll have to extend my season to make up for the lost time, which means that Easter may be late again..." I say.
Aster's head snaps up to glare at me. I smile in victory. I knew that would make him think differently about helping me track Akiko down. He begrudgingly agrees to go talk to Jack after he's done bandaging me up. It doesn't take very long for him to determine that I've sprained my wrist. He bandages it quickly and tells me not to put too much pressure on it while it's healing. I just nod in response. After some arguing we both decide that I'll wait here while he goes to talk to Jack. So, after Aster disappears down a hole, I'm left alone with my thoughts.
A/N Alright guys, there it is. Again, I'm sorry that it's shorter than normal. But I may make the next chapter a little longer? I don't know how things will work out. Anyway, I want to thank everyone for reading this chapter. If you liked it, please leave a review! They keep me going as much as coffee does. Stay awesome!