Oh, thank you all so much for the encouraging words!
I'm glad you all liked it. And because I noticed a few people asking, yes, this will be a series! I think I need to stick to one thing until I build up the experience to move on a bit. I know I've already published another story, but I meant, well... You know what I meant!
This wasn't the original chapter I had planned for. I wrote two different versions, this one being during school because I was bored, and for some reason I liked this one a bit more.
Anyway, please enjoy once more and of course I don't own Rise of the Guardians!
Pitch was completely silent as he led him through the maze that he calls home. He didn't have to turn around to know the curious newcomer was looking around in wonder. It annoyed him because he had created his lair with the intention to make people uneasy and fear getting lost to ward the away but here Jack was treating it like a walk through town. Humans should quake at the very mention of it!
The most annoying thing about Jack wasn't his lack of fear. It was that his lack of fear completely baffled Pitch. He wanted to full on attack the boy, using ever fear he knew of to try and get even a gasp out of him. He wasn't the type to go after his prey quickly though. He left them to their own imaginations, to create fears out of nothing for him to feed on. He let his prey destroy themselves. But he wasn't sure if he would be able to do that with Jack.
They soon approached a wall that seemed to just be another part of the lair and Pitch stopped. Jack leaned around him to see why and was amazed as the shadows parted to reveal a doorway. He instantly moved around Pitch to stick his hand in it to see if it was real or not.
"Cool!" Jack yelled. He turned to Pitch with that cheeky smile of his. "So you can control shadows?"
Pitch ignored the question. "This will be your room."
Jack turned back around so he could look more closely at it. It was completely empty other than a bed. "More like a prision cell."
"Of course," Pitch laughed. "Did you forget why you were here?"
Jack shook his head. "No, it's fine! Better than I got at home, in fact."
Perhaps a normal person would've asked how that could have been. Perhaps a normal person would've felt pity for the boy. But it just reminded Pitch of his own lonely upbringing so he didn't comment.
"Where do you sleep?" Jack asked.
Pitch gave him a look. "I don't sleep."
"Then what do you do?"
Rather than give him a sarcastic answer, Pitch thought about it. "Mostly just tend to my nightmares and make sure they're spreading well without interference."
Jack rolled his eyes. "But when you're not doing that?"
Pitch could feel part of himself get embarrassed and scowled. "I read."
Silence passed over them before Jack busted out laughing. Pitch stared at him in shock for a moment before realizing he was laughing at him. In anger, the shadows around them got darker and began to twist and turn, closing in around Jack. Jack, of course, doesn't notice and continued laughing.
"What is so funny?" Pitch hissed.
Jack attempted to stop himself and finally got a hand over it after a minute. "Nothing, that was just… I didn't expect the terrifying God of Fear to say something like that. Man, don't let the people in the village know. It's not so intimidating."
Pitch huffed in annoyance. "I have you know, knowledge is very intimidating."
"Sure, Pitch."
Knowing he would not win this argument, and probably any future ones, Pitch began to fill the doorway with shadows once more.
"Wait!" Jack demanded. For some reason, Pitch listened and he would regret that eternally later. "You never answered my question. Where will you be?"
"What does it matter where I am?" Pitch asked. "I'll come get you if I have need of you."
"Please," Jack said in a voice so low it surprised Pitch. He didn't know the boy was capable of a whisper. "Please, just… let me know?"
Pitch looked at Jack for a moment. If he had thought about it harder at that time, he would've realized Jack feared being alone and would've not answered. But just looking at Jack and seeing the almost shy look on his face shocked him enough to get him to answer.
Pitch turned around and pointed to some stairs a few feet from the room. "Go down those, take a left at the bottom, continue to a split in the tunnel, and continue left. That is where I normally am if I'm not above."
Jack smiled at him and stepped back from the doorway. "Thank you."
Pitch flushed and quickly closed off the room with shadows. He stared at what was now once more just a rock wall.
"You're welcome."
Thank you for reading!
And as in the first one, please feel free to give me constructive criticism!