Rise of the Guardians

Lucky Rabbit

Chapter Seven: Lucky Search

Faustine was doing her best to clean up but the sudden bright burst of light in front of her eyes didn't help. Nor did the explosion of sound help either as she covered her ears in vain.

"Shut up already!" She shouted. "Geez!"

She peeked up at the large Yeti and screamed. "MONSTER!"

Bunny was just finishing his sentence with Jack when claws grasped into his chest, legs wrapped around him from behind as a terrified Faustine held on for dear life. He moved and her arms shifted to wrap around his neck tightly.

"Faustine!" Jack shouted as Bunny tried to breath.

"Monster! Monster!" She held tighter. "Protect me!"

Bunny managed to get a hand off his neck. "Protect you? You're trying to kill me!"

"It's a monster!" She hopped off, turning Bunny to the Yeti as she cowered. Bunny looked behind him skeptically.

"You've never seen a Yeti?" He plucked her up and put her in the front. She wiggled wildly as he snorted. "They're North's henchman."

The Yeti spoke in garbled tongue, upset.

"Fine, workers. Whatever. He's probably here to take us to North."

"How?" Came her strained whisper. "He's so big!"

"I thought I was big," Bunny muttered.

"You are!"

"You bet he is," Jack said off-handedly as Bunny pinched him. "Ow!"

"Look, mate. You take Jack and we'll take the hole. We'll meet you there." He nodded to the Yeti and Jack and then thumped his foot, grabbing Faustine by the hand.

"But I'm not dry yet!" Her yell was heard echoing as the two disappeared.

"Fine, I'll come. But no bag this time."

The Yeti shook the globe and shattered it as the two disappeared.

Jack was already talking to North who had brought in a lot of cookies and milk for snacking. He was shooing at the elves with irritation who were trying to steal his cookies as Jack used his staff behind him to help the elves get the cookies.

Bunny came out of the doorway hurriedly. "Mate, I need a blanket!"

Faustine appeared, her fur chipped like icicles and her eyes cold with anger. "I wasn't dry! I told you! Now look at me! I can't feel my face!"

North retrieved a large blanket and directed the frozen cat to the fireplace. "Here, you melt off while we boys talk."

"But I want to be a part of the conversation," She stuttered.

"You will, just dry off," Bunny ordered.

"Fine. I'm going to get you back double." She muttered, turning away sharply. She sneezed hard.

The boys actually went off to North's study, leaving Faustine alone. She wished they had stayed so she could at least hear the conversation.

A plate was offered to her by Phil.

"Thanks," She took a small one and nibbled. "This place.. Smells so strongly.." She eyed Phil. "Though all I'm picking up is you."

Phil looked confused then lifted up his arm to sniff at himself. He made a face and then put the plate of cookies on a nearby small table and left.

She rubbed her paws and offered them to the blaze of heat that came her way. She felt better in a while as she shrugged off the blanket and went to the study.

"I don't think that's a good idea!" Jack was protesting. "We can't get them all in one piece. Have you seen how big they are? They're strong! It's better if we get one at a time."

"That's too long," North shook his head. "Need something faster."

"Jack might have a point, North," Bunny said quietly. "They're strong."

"But the poor children.."

"You mean poor animals," Faustine said loudly. "They're too stupid to attack…"

The three stared at her. "Really?"

"That's why they've been banished to their realms. They eat anything and once they get more brazen, they're going to do horrible things. Not just children but adults too! It won't matter to them in the end."

"But.. We can't get them all at once. They're all over the place!"

"Fine! But we need to do quickly and quietly," North said with a gruff look. "Their smell is started to be noticed by the people."

"So what's the plan then? Where do we start? What do we do? Do I get to kick butt?"

Bunny burst out laughing. "You don't know how to kick butt. Leave that to me, Kit. I'll take care of the baddies. You make the holes."

"What if I can't open a hole?"

"You can make a pocket of space into living environment, you can enter their habitat."

"If you say so," Faustine sniffed as she went to the ice sculptures. "Wow."

"Don't touch!" North grasped her scruff. "Trouble enough with the yetis."

"I wasn't going to touch!" Faustine was hauled out of the room by the scruff. "Let go of my fur!"

"Here," North handed her to Bunny who set her back on the ground. She wrapped around an arm.

"Kit."

"What?"

"Let go. You're sending the wrong message."

"I'd say it's the right one," Jack poked Bunny in the back with his staff as Bunny gritted his teeth. "You're so easy to tease now!"

"Don't tease him! Only I can do that!" Faustine glowered.

"But it's fun."

She thought on it. "It is fun."

"Great, I'm leaving." Bunny made a hole as he jumped, Faustine hurriedly following.

He landed in his home as she landed a few seconds afterwards. She bounded around, sniffing at the flowers and saying hello to the Warrior eggs. He watched, bemused, before turning away.

"Thankfully, it's still spring here. Summer's getting so hot." He retrieved a mug and took water from the spring, drinking heavily. "Refreshing."

She was still bounding around, distracted. She then slowed down and sneezed. She was feeling tired again and came to realize that maybe she wasn't as well as she thought herself to be initially.

She fingered her bell and then bounded into a portal, heading off to gather some luck to help her out.

She wandered around town, helping bring shade to an elderly couple, to making the fire hydrant spray water for a group of kids, and ended up in a residence area. She peeked into homes, trying to find some more luck to make.

She stopped a baseball from crashing into a window, bouncing off the side of the house instead. Faustine then found herself following a young couple, teenagers obviously just starting out in finding out about love. The boy looked really anxious, wanting to get closer as Faustine carefully put herself behind and in the middle of the two, taking a hand to each and bringing them closer.

The girl giggled suddenly in delight as she took his hand and he laughed with her, both of them feeling unbelievably happy. Faustine jumped around happily. "Yea! That was powerful luck there! Young love is so cute!"

She was feeling immensely better, having gathered the warm power of luck. She wondered if she could do a massive thing for luck, such as stopping an accident. But that had to be chance, as in she had to be lucky enough to be in that type of situation. She also questioned if it was something she could handle.

Her parents all had a specialty, something that Faustine hadn't found yet. Her mother dealt with those of the elderly, as she enjoyed bringing some sort of peace to someone at the end of their time. Her father dealt with protecting, helping a woman find a phone line to call to get help from domestic abuse, just an example of what he would do.

Both of which were very serious business. She didn't know what her specialty was going to be. Her luck at the moment was of random events and thus weren't as strong as she'd like it to be.

But there was something about love that was powerful. Like that young couple she helped get together. "Maybe that can be my specialty? But I need proof of it." She sat on the ground, musing.

The heat was getting to her as she wiped at herself. "Grrr. Summer sucks when you have fur!"

She walked casually to the edge of town before picking up the smell of a troll. Her nose wrinkled as she swiftly climbed a tree and peered out, her feline vision allowing her to see in a distance and she waited.

It moved slowly, large and frightening. It was off brown, with black fingers and toes, and black hair. She couldn't make out anything else of it as it wasn't too close. It looked like it was searching for something.

She waited until it was getting too close to the town. There was a small park where children played while their parents or babysitters watched. Some of the children didn't have anyone watching them at all.

"They are getting brave," Faustine shimmied down the tree and slunk low to the ground, moving on all four.

She ended up behind the troll who was eyeing a young girl picking flowers. Faustine took a rock and threw it hard, watching it bounce off the back of the troll's skull. Like all others, this one was massive at nearly nine feet tall and broad and fat. And it had a really ugly face.

"Ugh, only a face a mother would love.. NOT!" She jumped high from the swipe of the massive paw as she tore off. "Come and get me, ugly pants!"

It moved, shaking the ground as she bounced off the trees, benches, and ground, using all four limbs to speed away.

She came to a distance, hearing and seeing nothing. She kept low to the ground, her nose sniffing furiously.

There was a thump to her left as she turned sharply. "I smell you!" She hissed. "What are you doing with the kids? You should be leaving them alone!"

He thudded into view, sneering. "Hungry…"

"You speak?"

"Us speak, us trolls. I Hedge. You kitty, make good meal!" He didn't charge at her though.

She was feeling a little worried. She thought they'd be more stupid and animalistic, without actually having any human traits such as talking, albeit like an uneducated fool.

"You need to leave the children alone! And the animals! Go back to your home!"

"Us hungry.. For blood and meat. For what us lost long ago. You in the way, kitty. You be gone!"

"Can't get rid of me if you can't catch me," She jumped nimbly from his swipe. "Come on, stupid, that the best you can do?" She burst out laughing, bouncing out of reach each time he tried to grab her.

She landed on a high rock, her stub of a tail flicking. "Let's make a deal. You leave and you won't get your butt kicked!"

"You weak, kitty. Us too strong."

She frowned, not expecting that. "We are stronger than you think!"

"So us," Hedge smirked, his gums showing. "We many now. You can't stop us."

She heard it then, rustling in the distance. She tore off and made a portal, disappearing quickly. She landed in her home, heaving. She felt terrified.

"They're not as stupid as legend made them out to be. She sat down and licked at her shoulder, still upset. She suddenly wanted to be somewhere safe and warm and it wasn't in her home.

She made another portal and entered Bunny's Warren. She found him fast asleep, breathing slow and relaxed. She paced around him, on all fours as she tried to find a place to get comfortable. Each turn around him got her a little closer until she found herself at his knees, settling down with her whiskers touching his leg. She curled tightly and tried to fall asleep.

But that troll really bothered her. She wondered suddenly if they were strong enough. After all, Guardians, Spirits, Elememtals, and the like had little experience with them, as they had been banished so long ago, just before the end of the Dark Ages. She decided to ask Bunny about his own experiences as he had been there or close to that time.

But she couldn't fall asleep. She inched closer to Bunny, climbing on his side, until her head was resting next to his. She continued to inch closer, slow and steady.

Her head rested on his arm lightly as she closed her eyes. She panicked when his arm moved only to feel him pull her up tightly and settle back. He'd done it in his sleep, she realized but she was still suddenly happy.

She thanked her luck with glee as she was held gently by Bunny. One of her most treasured dreams, come true by pure luck. She fell asleep, feeling like a million dollars.