Rise of the Guardians

Lucky Rabbit

Chapter Eighteen: Lucky Rabbit

The world was silent and still as Bunny held the lifeless body of his mate. His eyes were huge, his entire body ridged in pain. "No…" His voice rose sharply. "No, no, no! This isn't how it's supposed to be! Why must I be tormented like this?"

His fury turned upward to the full moon. "I can't.. I can't lose her! Do you hear me?!" His voice rose into screams. "She is the only reason I have hope! The only one who instilled it in me without even ever asking for anything in return save for a little attention! I gave her my heart and she's taken from me! TAKEN FROM ME!"

He fell to his knees, holding her closer to his heart. "I have spent centuries.. Centuries alone because I couldn't bear the thought of losing everything all over again. I had it all taken from me before. Please.. Don't do this to me. I know you can do something.. Take anything of me, my immortality, my powers, whatever it takes.."

He looked up, his ears back with a sad gaze as he looked to the moon. "Without her luck, I'm without my hope. If there is no hope, there is no spring, no life. But there is no life without my kit."

"No life, no luck, no hope.." He shuffled down, refusing to let her go. "It hurts.. Worse this time…because I wasn't expecting it. I wish.. Oh, god, I wish I had luck on my side.. If I only could've been faster, stronger, made her STAY like I wanted her to.."

"Faustine… my little kitten… please.." His voice was small. "Open your eyes for me. Come back to me, I beg you… without you, I have no light or life…."

His eyes closed painfully as Jack went to his side. He didn't touch the broken rabbit but stayed by his side as North looked up to the moon.

"Manny, you know what must be done." North said quietly. "We cannot all be alone, we must find what makes us whole. Please, Manny, hear him out…"

The moonlight danced along the surface of the ground, playing around in the grass as Bunny slowly looked up, all hope lost and filled with an anguish he was sure that was never to go away.

"Take my luck, take my life, take anything of me…" Bunny pleaded, aware that he was talking to a wall of silence. "Don't make me lose everything all over again…. Don't let me live because I won't survive."

"Kit…I love you, with everything that I am, that makes me you. You are who I am… and without you, I am nothing… I am so… sorry.. I wasn't able to protect you…"

"With no luck, there is no hope… with no hope, there is no luck.."

He was still refusing to put her down, refusing to give up that last shred of hope despite that he had watched her take her last breath.

That small, tiny bit of hope, a tiny speck of gold. Something so insignificant shouldn't have mattered to Faustine. She didn't know exactly where she was or how she got there, only that the world was white and bland and she was holding a tiny bit of luck.

Something so tiny and seemingly weak. And yet, as she held it, she could feel its unbelievable strength.

"Someone needs me… to give them luck…"

She couldn't remember who, though. Until a memory flashed in front of her eyes of large, twitching ears and a familiar thump on the ground.

"E…" She straightened, looking straight into the tiny bit of gold. She reached for her bell to give it the luck only to find that she had no bell nor collar.

"I don't understand… we need to contain the luck… don't we?"

She felt the waves of pain and suffering pass over her, in bits and pieces. She recognized it. "E… E! What's wrong? What's.. I have to find him…"

She held the small bit of luck tightly. "I have to protect this, I have to protect… I have to protect.."

Her eyes widened slowly. "It's been in front of me all this time… what luck I'm to bring, to instill.. But… is it too late for me? Am I gone forever?"

She straightened, furious. "NO! It's not over! I'm a cat, I have nine lives and I'll use them all if I have to! I won't give in or up! Do you hear me, I will not cross the Rainbow Bridge! No! Not when luck needs to be given to hope, for that is what I was meant for! To bring luck into hope, into E, into Easter and life and spring….so that it will continue forever for as long as we stand! For as long as I stand!"

"I won't give up! I won't!" Her cupped hands turned into a sun, light shining from that little seed of luck.

Her vision blurred and slowly filled like a puzzle, as the bits of moonlight upon her grew brighter and brighter. She felt safe and warm and loved, from different levels of existence.

The seed of luck had blossomed in her chest as she very slightly shifted in Bunny's grip.

The Moon then spoke to her, softly and gently as she took a staggering breath.

"Kit?" His voice was something she wished to hear, as well she longed to see him. Her vision slowly returned as she looked into bright green eyes.

"He.. He brought you back?" Bunny looked to the moon in gratitude.

Until she spoke. "No, E. He didn't…"

"Not completely," She corrected weakly. "I had… the last seed of luck… held in my hands… your luck, E. I've been so stupid…it's been in front of me the whole entire time. Why.. I fell in love with you. I am your luck… I am your hope and the luck that we can be together, make this world better.. I was here so that whenever you would break, I would fix you."

She breathed in his scent, a mixture of relief, giddiness, and a sense of happiness she wished to keep forever.

Her gaze went to the moon. "I wasn't strong enough to come back on my own. I could fight but it wasn't enough… so the Moon helped me."

"Manny, you did?" North breathed. "I thought he was silent. Did you hear him, Sandy?"

Sandy gave a thumbs up. Sandy always heard the Man in the Moon. He then made the crystal form above him as North goggled.

"He made her Guardian!" North danced around. "She is Guardian!"

"Guardian of what?" Jack asked next.

Bunny stood up, still holding her. "Are you all right?"

"You mean, healed?" She patted his chest comfortingly. "My bones have knitted but I'm still hurting. Put me down, though. I can walk."

His grip tightened. "Like Hell I will."

She sighed and rested on him.

"WELL?"

Jack poked at her as Bunny growled fiercely.

"I'm sorry but what Guardian is she?!"

"Of Luck. Duh," Faustine snorted and winced. "Ow."

"I'm taking you home and you're never leaving."

"I don't suppose we could talk about that?"

He growled even louder as she rested. "When I'm better, I'll argue. Right now, take me home."

He was careful at the Warren, putting her into the cat bed gently. He tucked her in as he left to find his patches of herbs. He searched and plucked at the various kinds before going to the fire pit where he boiled the plants in a pot.

"He made her a Guardian," He realized. "She's an Immortal. Was this what he was going to do or he did it because she asked him?"

He didn't know how it happened.

He became aware of many eyes on him. Still tense, he surged and threw out a boomerang with a shout.

They came back swinging as there was several points of movement as he was suddenly pinned to the ground by his children.

All save for Hitch was had placed himself next to his mother. He mewed softly and licked at her face as she opened her eyes tiredly and smiled at him. He nuzzled tightly against her, curling against her, his back to her chest as he, too, closed his eyes.

Bunny peered over the bed as the children were tugging at his arms.

"It's all right, they're just resting," Bunny said softly, though he didn't take his eyes off until he saw both of them take big breaths. "All right, all right, calm down."

He sat next to the cat bed as the children piled around him.

Thump and Hop hugged an arm while Princessa and Axel fought for his lap. Their eyes were big and expressive and Bunny knew that they knew something had happened. After all, Hitch had landed into the grandparents' Cat Haven in a broken heap, sobbing in both terror and pain.

Erik had been swift to heal him while Anabella cleaned his smaller wounds. The children all stuck around until they sensed the familiar pulls of their parents and disappeared on the grandparents, surprising them yet again when they went away.

"It'll be all right," Bunny repeated over and over, unable to say anything more. The pain in his chest finally unknotted and a sense of relief, still mixed with the terror of losing and the thoughts of anguish close at hand. His long arms wrapped tightly around all four of his children as a sob broke out.

When his tears started, theirs did and the family huddled together in comfort and tears.

Bunny didn't know how long he was asleep. He awoke in the cat bed, unsure of how he got there but that Faustine was pressed against him, snoring softly with Hitch at her hip, holding onto her fur tightly even in his sleep. He had Princessa at the other side, Axel nearly sleeping on his face and squishing his tail down while Thump and Hop slept at his feet, both of them nuzzled together.

He turned his attention to Faustine. The bell was silent for a change and he wondered suddenly if it were broken. He nosed her carefully, picking her scent out and reassuring himself that she was healing. Once done, Bunny fell back asleep.

It was Faustine that woke him up in the early morning. She'd managed to crawl out of the bed and was trying to stand up but she was still weak in the limbs.

She fell to her knees with grief. "God. I feel like a newborn kitten."

She heard the thud of Bunny and the patter of his feet as she looked upward to see him peering down at her.

"Morning. Can you help me up?"

"Right back into bed, I will."

"No, you won't. I need to walk around."

"I know what cats are like, Kit. You hide your pain and injuries like there's nothing wrong. But you are in the Warren, you are safe, and you will rest!"

He glowered at her as she looked down and then back up at him.

"Am I really a Guardian?"

Bunny blinked and then nodded. "Didn't he tell you?"

"I'm sure he did but I.. kind of wasn't listening…"

"Faustine, you never listen." He fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her. "You said he helped bring you back."

"I got halfway, I think, before my energy gave out. I gave up all of my lives to return and for it, I received a new mission in life. Though, actually, I think it's quite nice. I get to be forever with you now instead of haunting you with my ghost!"

His grip tightened painfully as she winced. "Too soon to joke?"

"I lost you." His voice was rough, low. "You stilled in my arms, I shattered right then and there. I was willing to drive myself to the end. It's not something to joke about, Faustine. I cannot be without my source of hope."

"And I can't be without my source of luck," She licked an arm. "I knew we were meant to be.."

"We've already covered that fact," Bunny complained, nuzzling as he nipped on an ear. "Stay in bed, rest, take care of yourself. I need you whole."

"And once I'm whole, I will kill that stupid troll for stealing my Hitch," She enedd on a growl.

"I wanna fight too!" Hitch popped his head out. "I want revenge! He hurt Mama!"

"I want to too! Me too! I want to help! Let me fight, I'll show those ugly beasts!"

All five of them were peering out with fire in their eyes. Hitch was especially livid and determined looking.

Bunny stalled as Faustine patted him in comfort. "E. We're a family and we stick together. You're one of us, and we stand by you and fight with you. We can't hide when we're needed most. Luck is what will help us win in the end."

"Fine but you all need lots of training! I mean lots! And you all need to listen to me when I give an order!" He glared down at Faustine. "I'm talking to you, Kit!"

"Who says I never listen? I hear everything you say, I just chose to ignore it."

"You will not ignore me," He fixated a stern gaze on her as she smiled and then licked his nose. He groaned. "Take me seriously!"

"I can't when you look so adorably ferocious."

"I'm going to work you to the ground," He growled, pushing his forehead on her and pushing her into the ground.

"I look forward to it!" She responded cheerfully as the children snickered. Hitch rolled out and whimpered as Bunny lifted him by the scruff and then coddled him in his arm.

"Hitch," Faustine's eyes grew big. "You poor thing." She stretched out her arms. "Give him to me."

Bunny obediently gave up his son as she held Hitch in her arms.

"I think we need more shields," Faustine said quietly, looking over her shoulder. "And if we're all working on training, I want a bigger place to work with. You can make this place bigger, right?"

"I can. We'll work on the barriers first." Bunny tapped Hitch's head. "Make sure she stays in place."

"Can do!" Hitch then properly pinned down his mother as she shrieked indignantly.

"Come on, I need help!" Hitch told his siblings as they all fell onto their mother who glowered up at the skies.

"When I'm better, I will be sure to get my revenge!" She flailed under them, unable to get up. She stopped, panting and tired.

"How about I go into the bed?"

All five of them lifted her with unexpected ease and she was tossed upward into the bed. Her buttocks stuck out in the air as she glowered once more. "Geez! I'm a pushover!"