I am not a friend, and I am not a servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. - Rudyard Kipling
A small, white cat lounged on the edge of the roof, sharp blue eyes watching the streets below. Pedestrians hurried along the sidewalks, bundled up against the cold air. Lines of cars moved sluggishly along the frozen asphalt. Snow fell over everything.
The only ones who seemed to be having any fun were the children, due to it being a snow day. With great abandon and delight, they tumbled over each in their eagerness to get outside.
One in particular was extremely excited to play in the cold winter air, nearly leaving behind his little sister. With a yawn, the cat stood, walking along the snow-covered roof. It's paws sank into the snow with every step, leaving a trail across the white expanse.
It watched the boy quickly begin scooping up handfuls of snow for ammo, the other kids doing the same. A toothy grin appeared on the cat's face as it flicked it's tail once, balls of snow carving themselves out and freezing.
The boy noticed immediately. Jamie paused what he was doing and looked around, earning himself a snowball in the face. But the winter spirit he'd grown familiar with did not materialize, so Jamie shrugged and grabbed one of the frozen snowballs, retaliating in turn.
From above, the cat watched attentively. Whenever the children were running out of ammo, it would wave it's tail, causing more to appear. When the snowball fight began to die down, it prepared to leap down from it's perch - only to falter as someone called out, "Look out!"
It slipped and fell.
Jamie cried out, running over to see how the cat had fared. He was relieved, but also alarmed, to find Jack Frost lying on his back, groaning. The spirit caught sight of the boy and frowned. "Did you have to startle me like that?" he demanded.
The boy blinked, confused. "Er… Sorry, I was just trying to warn a cat…" Jamie said. He looked around. "Do you see it anywhere? I think it fell."
"And no wonder," Jack muttered under his breath. He stood and brushed himself off. "I think the cat's just fine. Don't you? They always land on their feet."
Jamie grinned. "That's just a myth, Jack."
The spirit raised an eyebrow. "Never thought I'd hear that from you," he laughed. He twirled his staff with one hand. "Are there any… other myths you don't believe in?"
Jamie shrugged. "Probably not, come to think of it. But my neighbor's cat sometimes fell from the fence, and it wasn't really pretty. I think that's the only reason." He grinned, and waved good-bye to Jack as he ran back into his house.
Jack watched him go, then ducked down and bounded after him. A white cat that nearly blended in with the winter landscape, it slipped into the woods, vanishing among the bare trees.
It walked for a while, it's eyes half-lidded as if basking in being surrounded by winter. Mounds of snow piled high against trees, and a sharp wind blew through, stirring some of it up. Gathering it's legs beneath it, the cat leapt for a tree, easily pulling itself into the tree's branches.
From there, it's blue eyes surveyed the silent forest, taking it all in. The town wasn't too far away, but it kept it's back firmly in that direction.
After a long moment, it blinked and said, "It's been a while since I've gone into the wild. When did that change…?" It thought for a moment, then closed it's eyes. A flurry of snow obscured it's form for a moment before Jack Frost sat in it's place, staff in hand.
"I can't remember," he mused aloud. With a shrug, he let the wind carry him up, diving down and sweeping through the trees. Branches rattled against each other with the wake of his passage, and wings of snow flew out to either side, as if he were soaring just above a sea. He laughed.
Gesturing with his staff, he frosted the trees he passed by, ferns of ice growing rapidly with his touch. "Ah, how beautiful this is. Almost like before." With a twirl, a cat dropped into the snow, barely sinking as it landed.
It sniffed the air. "These woods are still wild." It kneaded the snow slightly, agitated. "But for those who venture too far…" At the sound of people talking, the cat leapt into a tree and crouched down, tail flicking.
Two men passed by below, dressed warmly and carrying heavy backpacks. They spoke to each other loudly, complaining about the cold and anticipating setting up camp for the night. Above them, the cat's lips drew back, revealing sharp teeth.
Without a second glance it darted away, leaving the men far behind. The cat soared from branch to branch, balancing on the thinnest twig with ease. It's white fur rippled in the wind.
As it touched down on a rock, ice spiraled out from where it's paws pressed against the hard surface. It looked at the frozen lake before it, sitting down. "This is just like before."
Jack shook his head. "Though it's a lot closer to civilization now," he mused.
"It would be so easy to fix that."
"I won't do that, though."
"Anyway, that mongrel and the Russian man would surely be upset."
"And Sandy and Tooth."
"Though I wonder if the fairy could be persuaded…"
"They all love children so much. And so do I."
"Though I wish there were a simple solution." Shaking it's fur out, the cat stepped down on the lake. Touching it's nose to the ice, veins of blue light threaded throughout the still water, making it glow. Whiskers twitching with satisfaction, the cat tilted it's head back and yowled.
Bunny wasn't amused when, as he sent out his googies the night before Easter, several returned coated in ice. Thick, jagged ice too - it was a miracle they could move at all. The ice was so cold he was forced to leave them to melt naturally, instead sending out extras to compensate.
What in the blazes did that kid think he's doing? Upset, Bunny checked where they had come from and found all the frozen eggs had been sent to Burgess.
That wasn't too much of a surprise. He knew the kid usually hung out around that town, but why was he freezing his eggs? Bunny was prepared to leave it until all his eggs had gone safely, but when the thirtieth egg came back barely able to walk, he'd had it.
Tapping his foot, Bunny dove into his tunnel, prepared to teach Jack a lesson. He emerged in the middle of a snowbank, his ears twitching in irritation as he brushed it away. "Where is he, that little…" he muttered, looking around.
The smell of brittle cold was everywhere, and it wasn't exactly easy to track a flying spirit. Bunny was at a loss until he saw one of the nearby birch trees glowing.
He blinked in surprise, then looked closer. From the roots up, the inner bark - instead of it's usual dark browns and blacks - was faintly colored a bright blue. Bunny could sense the magic coming off of it in waves, and as he looked around, he noticed more trees with the same affliction.
Using all his senses, he was finally able to pinpoint the direction the magic was coming from. Loosening his boomerangs in their sheathes, he quickly bounded through the woods, determined to get to the bottom of it.
Bunny was no longer sure if it was Jack who was at fault, but he was going to rattle whoever was. And then get them to stop. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the treeline, carefully eyeing the lake before him. It had a shore riddled with rocks, and thick veins of light running through it's surface.
"What the," he said softly, drawing a boomerang.
"Hello. You really shouldn't be here."
Bunny turned quickly to see a familiar white cat with blue eyes. He narrowed his eyes in exasperation. "Jack! What do you think you're doing?"
The cat blinked slowly. "Well. I'm afraid I have troubled you some way, though I'm not quite sure how." It stood, standing nose to nose with Bunny thanks to the stone it perched upon. It seemed to smile. "What did I do to make you so angry, mon - Bunny?"
With a scowl, Bunny gestured at the lake. "That. You're freezing all my googies, and Easter Sunday is tomorrow! Have a little respect! Remember last time?"
"Oh, how could I forget?" the cat murmured. It's eyes sparked with recognition. "So Easter is tomorrow? I didn't know. Unfortunately, I cannot stop it now. It would end very badly if I did." It seemed to laugh.
"What are you doing anyway?" Bunny demanded.
"Hm… Winter is a time of sleep, of recovery, of rest - and, of course, death." The cat regarded him with it's unnatural eyes. "It's not all snowballs and funtimes. Most of it, but not all. And that is where I -" It suddenly coughed, choking.
Harsh wind smacked Bunny across the face, forcing him to blink. Jack Frost sat where the cat had been. He grinned easily. "Sorry, Bunny. But hey, at least it's not a blizzard, right?"
Bunny nearly growled. "It's almost worst! Whatever you're doing, it's freezing my googies! I'll never get them out and hidden at this rate!" He gestured wildly, his anger rising as he caught sight of a frozen egg not too far from the lake's edge. "And what is this!"
He smacked his weapon into the lake.
Hard.
Although he was known for having a temper, he wasn't exactly stupid. Stubborn, self-righteous, and sometimes a little biased. But this one thoughtless action was not the norm, especially since he knew there was strong magic at work in the ice.
As it was, he managed to crack the surface of the lake. The magic erupted from the thin cracks, forcing them apart as it shot into the sky. Bunny jumped back, his fur on end.
"What did you do?"
He turned back to see Jack staring at him, his eyes glowing eerily. The spirit hissed, "What did you do?!" Bunny watched with horror as the kid's form stretched and grew, becoming a twisted creature. Was it supposed to be a cat? But the ears were too long, the limbs too lanky…
It's skin was pure white, and Jack's clothes melted into it's body. "What are you?!" Bunny asked, his voice barely a whisper. But the creature heard him, and turned. It's blue eyes looked at him, reflecting the torrent of magic still flowing into the air.
"All places are alike," it said finally. "But that same cannot be said for the living, can it? And thus, deals are struck to balance those inequalities." Shaking it's head, the creature leapt forward, digging it's claws into the frozen lake. It gouged deep gashes in the ice, releasing more and more magic.
Bunny stared, not knowing what to do. True, he was a spirit, but one of spring. He didn't know the intricacies of winter, and he didn't know if he should interfere or help - or if he would only get in the way.
He decided he would probably get in the way. He sheathed his boomerangs, wondering why Jack chose now of all times to do this to him. Should he tell the other Guardians, just in case…?
Tapping his foot, Bunny dove down a tunnel, his mind made up.
A shiver passed through his body, and Sandy turned westward.
What was he feeling? He cast out the last of the dreams, feeling something familiar in the air.
Where was it? When had he felt it before…? For the life of him, the Guardian could not remember, and he puzzled over it for a short time. Then he remembered.
It was when Sandy encountered a curious dream. In it, a child had imagined having snowfall in winter. They had lived in a climate where it was constantly warm, so it was strange. However, the dream wasn't that special.
Not at first.
Sandy had been friends with Old Man Winter at the time. He'd mentioned to his friend once, perhaps as a joke or a tale. He could no longer remember. It was before he realized Old Man Winter was, indeed, old and fading away. The spirit was no longer as wise as he had been.
Working magic feverishly, the spirit had indulged in spells better forgotten. He made his snow colder, harsher. Then he had cast winter all over the world, no matter the region.
The Guardians had been forced to stop him, and seal him away.
Sandy stopped as he realized something. He searched his memory, trying desperately to recall where they sealed him. He remembered something of wood, and promises… As well as an overwhelming relief and knowledge that they did indeed seal him.
But how?
How?
Disturbed, Sandy looked back in the western direction. He came to a decision, transforming his cloud of sand into a plane. The children he'd planned to visit later would have to do without dreams. The entire scenario reeked of trouble, and he didn't like it.
Perhaps he would have forgotten entirely, if it weren't for the power of Old Man Winter emanating through the atmosphere.
An old man stood on the surface of a frozen lake, it's surface horribly broken apart. He had a serene look on his face, as if he'd just woken from a pleasant dream.
At his feet was a twisted creature, still and unmoving. Patches of ice flowed over it's body, spiked things that seemed to dig into it's skin. The old man looked down, and the ice glowed for a moment. They expanded, causing the creature to flinch slightly.
"Still awake. Good. My jailor was careless today," the old man said in a conversational tone. He looked up at the sky, watching as an aurora borealis streaked across. A smile touched his lips. "And they are panicking. I can feel it."
"They don't remember anything," the creature hissed, lifting it's head. "And neither do you. She will remain safely out of your reach."
The old man smiled in amusement, as if the creature had said something childish. He shook his head. "Ah, but you miss the flaw in that statement of yours." He knelt, looking the creature in the eye. "You remember. And you will tell me where she is."
"I will not."
"Ah, but you're not just my jailor, are you? You are the Cat. And you are also Jack." The old man's smile became something sinister. "The Guardians are coming. What do you think will happen when they arrive…?"