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Pitch allowed his lips to twist into a smile. "Do you now?"
Baring her teeth, Annis seethed with anger, breath expelling from her lungs in a hiss forced through her clenched jaws. "Ready to end your nightmare?" Without waiting for an answer, she swung her hand downward only to find its momentum halted by the tendrils of darkness pressing firmly against it at the underside of her wrist. Brow furrowing in confusion, she glared down at her intended prey. "How?"
His smile darkened as the king of nightmares drew the small amount of shade she had provided him to his aid. "You stepped into the light, darling." His hands had not moved, still lying palm up beside his head in the snow even as he felt the cold moisture seeping into the fabric at his back. Using her own shadow, he pushed against her, keeping her talons from making contact.
Snarling, she braced her knees against the soft earth, removing her weight from his prone form. The light being directly overhead, as brightly as it shone in the open field, kept the shadows to a minimum. With her change in position, the witch provided him with a greater source on which to draw. His eyes danced with mischief as he manipulated the shade she created, wrapping the darkness about her ankles and lower legs. Bracing his elbows against the wet earth, he slipped himself from underneath her. With Annis bound to the snowy ground, Pitch rose above her, backing away quickly to put distance between her talons and his chest.
The brightness of the moon seemed to fade as his steps tread further from her. With the increased darkness, he was able to summon his scythe without difficulty. Sparing a brief glance skyward, he whispered his gratitude to the ancient spirit he knew was looking down on them. Turning his gaze back to the harridan glaring at him and growling, he grinned maliciously.
"You took something from me earlier." The pole of the scythe pressed firmly against his palm as he rolled it between his fingers and thumb. She snarled as he stepped closer to her. "I mean to have it back." Lifting the scythe, he swung the weapon around to his right, intent on piercing the witch. Before he could complete the arc, the moonlight shone brighter directly in his path, causing the black glittering blade to apparently dissolve before it could connect with the hag.
Pitch bared his teeth as he glared up at the moon. "I take it back, old friend." His eyes were narrowed as he spun from Annis' confined form, taking advantage of her state to make his way to the trees. Wrapping himself in the abundant shadows once he was there, he slipped into the darkness before releasing the tendrils holding the witch prisoner. As he disappeared into the trees, his curses against the moon floated back into the clearing on the passing wind.
Jack had heard the wind coming. He had felt the forcefulness of the breeze increase. Even so, he had been as surprised as the others when it had virtually snatched the nightmare king from their grasp. The ice wielder had relied on his rapport with the element for hundreds of years. Sadly, the accord which he had always presumed existed between them seemed to have been erased – or superseded. Considering for a brief moment that the element might favor the witch because more people currently believed in her, the winter spirit dismissed the idea as he recalled how the wind had responded more readily to him when he had called on it while in her presence.
He silently deliberated the possibility that he was at fault for Pitch's abduction given that he had not made any attempt to cajole the element. Shaking his head, the white haired guardian recognized the folly of such an argument. In order to make an appeal to the force of nature, he would have required some knowledge of its intent. Falling short of that, he would have needed to know that the dark spirit was being shanghaied. Though he had been relying on sound in order to move about for several days, the boogeyman had been quite taciturn. Since, as spirits, none of them needed to breathe, it had been a simple matter for the nightmare king to effectively mask his presence from the winter spirit. Confident that it had been through no fault on his part that Pitch had been seized, Jack concentrated his attention on the others' conversation.
"An' so what if the witch does kill 'im?"
Toothiana's shocked gasp was quickly followed by the rapid, angry flutter of her wings. "Aster Bunnymund! I am shocked you would say such a thing!"
Jack focused on the sounds around the group rather than the ensuing argument. He heard the fur of the pooka's chest rub against the protective arm guards, having no doubt that the hare had crossed his arms over his chest. The clanking noise as the two braces met brought a smile to the youngest guardian's face. He could make out North's sigh just prior to the crunch of snow underneath the Russian's boots as the jolly spirit stepped forward to end the squabble. Though Jack could only guess as to what images the dream sand was being shaped into, the sound of it shifting caused him to quirk his lips in amusement. The sound of the wind returning diverted his attention.
Giving no warning to the others, he spread his arms. Shepherd's staff glowing brightly, he erected a tall wall of ice around them. The gale that pushed against the barrier merely seconds after he had created it brought with it a torrent of snow and ice, reinforcing the natural barricade. Not trusting the wind to hold him aloft until he reestablished their bond, his feet were covered in the snow that blanketed the ground. The ice wielder had assumed that the chattering teeth he had heard were Bunnymund's. He was quite shocked when the gusts slacked a bit to find that the noise came from his own mouth.
The youngest guardian felt the fur of the rabbit's arms as they wrapped firmly around him. Leaning back into the warmth his friend offered, Jack attempted to cajole the wind and draw it back to his side. While some of the breeze yielded and dissipated in the next wave that pushed against the enclosure, a good bit more of the element seemed to reinforce the attack against the group. His brow furrowed as he continued his gentle efforts to entice the very air to his aid. Unable to completely convince the element, he settled for asking it why it was suddenly so aggressive towards them.
He was shocked when the gusts seemed to respond. The force he had perceived as an offensive was the wind's only means of giving him warning. Despite the newly gained insight, he was not able to pass the information on to the others before the witch entered the town. Hidden as they were within the icy barricade he had constructed, she was not immediately aware of their presence. The Guardians, though, were mindful of hers without Jack having to inform them. North's muttered Russian let the ice wielder know that they were cognizant of her arrival.
The change occurred more quickly than it had near the canal. Biting his lip to prevent himself from voicing his surprise, Jack noted that his vision was much clearer this time. It was still incredibly murky, but he could make out her form beyond the wall of ice shielding them from her view. The malevolent hag seemed to be floating rather than walking. He supposed it lent her a creepier presence among the children, though her sharp teeth and razor-like talons were horrifying enough on their own. The breeze surrounding her seemed to be cooler than that which had buffeted the hastily constructed buffer the ice wielder had provided.
Seeing the currents as they swirled about her, Jack reached out towards them, siphoning the cool energy back into himself. Annis noticed the change almost immediately, swiveling about in search of him. Her investigation of the area was impeded by Piers' and Conall's grandmother stepping out into the yard. The mortal's presence provided an instantaneous distraction.
"Brave or foolish. Which are you, mortal?"
The old woman simply stood in front of the evil harridan with a small sachet. Waiting until it was obvious that the elderly lady did not intend to move, he broke the barrier separating them from the tableau playing out in the street, drawing enough of the cold energy into himself to form a hole in the wall large enough for each of them to move through. The winter spirit was the first to step out of the barricade. Seeing the breeze headed towards him before he felt it, he gave no resistance as it bore him aloft, carrying him that much more swiftly towards the witch's intended victim.
Jack did not arrive before the boys' grandmother decided to act. Her movements were deliberate, and even with his imperfect vision, he was able to quite clearly see the ensuing attack. The small spice bag had a piece of thin twine tied about the top to keep it sealed. One firm tug released the knot, the pungent aroma of the plants contained within peppering the air. The old woman did not make any attempt to catch the falling string, instead prying open the lips of the sachet and strengthening the strong scent wafting on the breeze.
Though the smell was anything but offensive to the ice wielder, the witch was clearly disturbed by it. She shielded her nose, suddenly halting her advance. Her eyes narrowed at the grandmother, hissing as she backed away.
"As you can see, you old beast, I'm not foolish." The old woman's voice shook, though the youngest guardian could not determine if that was the result of age or the manifestation of fear. Either way, the declaration echoed through the empty avenues of the town. Several shutters opened, revealing lights and many adults looking out their windows to determine the source of the voice. A window a short distance from the malevolent witch, however, exposed the presence of a young girl. Had she simply closed the shutters back, Annis may never have noticed her. She chose instead to voice her terror in a high-pitched scream that reverberated loudly.
Jack watched with disgust as nearly all the windows were shuttered at the realization that the sound had likely only been the precursor to the horrible harridan taking a meal. Their acceptance of the tyranny she sought to impose upon them infuriated the young spirit.
Her approach of the innocent child prompted him to take action. Though he knew she could easily best him in a fight, he had no intentions of simply allowing any child to perish. Holding his left hand out in front of him, he thrust the butt of his staff into the earth with his right. Concentrating on channeling the cold surrounding her through him and back into the earth through the conduit of the shepherd's crook, he nearly missed the Boomerang that whizzed past his head, aimed for the shutters in an attempt to knock them closed.
Ignoring the grandmother's yells as she continued to blow handfuls of spice dust at the witch, Jack felt the sweat breaking out on his brow at the effort he was expending. The others seemed intent to engage the evil spirit in battle, approaching her with equal measures of force and cunning. The ice wielder barely had time to register that North's cossack sabres slid through her form without causing damage when he fell to his knees. Seeing Tooth's mini-fairies pecking at the hag without success through rapidly blurring vision gave him little hope that the effort he had expended would benefit them.
The young guardian made one last attempt at causing the malevolent spirit to turn and run. Calling on the wind, he hoped it would respond favorably. It swirled about him in a seeming endorsement of his intent before sweeping the grandmother's sachet away from her hand and dumping the spices within on the ancient spirit in a single gust.
Annis' agonized screams consumed her as the savory-scented concoction covered her head and shoulders. The breeze having abandoned her, she swiped at the Guardians with her talons before attempting to abandon the victim she had chosen. As she turned, she found her path blocked by the sallow-skinned boogeyman. She sneered at him in dismissal as she attempted to push past him. Rather than allow her to leave unscathed, he produced his shadowy scythe. Without warning, he swung the blade, the glittering black dust from which it was composed embedding itself in her eye. The volume of her wails trebled.
Having entered the girl's room to comfort her once he had realized his swords would be ineffective, North insisted she stay away from the window before he launched himself out of it once more when the anguished cries did not abate. Seeing their ancient nemesis attacking the witch confused him. His jaw falling slightly slack, he was focused entirely on the shocking scene. As a result, he did not notice when Bunnymund yelled Jack's name, having seen the younger guardian collapse.
Rushing towards his fallen comrade, the rabbit knelt next to him, paying no heed to the wet precipitation that soaked his knees. He cradled his friend as he lifted the youngest guardian into his grasp. Watching the winter spirit's eyes twitch, he began to worry about the repercussions of the efforts Jack had expended. While they certainly wished to end the cruel oppression that Annis intended to make into a normal environment, the lagomorph was concerned about the cost. Having been consumed with his thoughts about the welfare of the spirit lying in his arms, he did not notice what eventually forced the witch to depart, only the silence left in her wake.
The white haired guardian's shaking had abated some, though his eyes continued to twitch. Hearing the snow crunch underneath an approaching boot, the pooka fired his boomerang without even glancing away from his companion's face. The disapproving tongue-clucking that followed the action caused his head to snap up. Standing before him, scythe glowing with a cyan aura, the weapon appeared more menacing and otherworldly than he could previously recall.
"Is that any way to treat someone who just helped you?" The rabbit snorted derisively. "Such a pity you should act this way." Pitch knelt down next to the pair, the insincere grin on his face bringing a sneer to the hare's lips. "Well, perhaps I'll give you a reason not to distrust me." The confusion evident in Bunnymund's posture allowed the nightmare king to act. His hand deft and his aim true, he swung the blade of his scythe, the tip connecting with Jack's staff. The glow flowed from one weapon to the other steadily.
As the ice wielder had been clutching the staff when it was struck, the effects of the apparent attack were nearly instantaneous. The agonized wails filling the atmosphere were of a deep register. Though his body shook slightly as he was cradled in Bunny's arms, the younger spirit did not convulse more than to arch his back as his mouth fell open to express the tortuous pain. Screaming until his throat was raw, the youngest guardian finally ceased his anguished cries as the glow from the scythe faded. Tears were soaking the fur of his face as the pooka gently traced a finger down his companion's cheek. Gasping for air, Jack forced his eyes open.
He blinked rapidly as he stared up into the verdant emerald eyes gazing down at him in worry. Giving the rabbit a gentle smile, the winter spirit reached a hand up to lightly wipe away the still falling tears with the pad of his thumb.
"No need to cry, Kangaroo. It's not like I left you at the altar or anything."
The lagomorph's fur ruffled along the ridges of his spine. Seeing the effect of the words but not understanding the source of the hare's embarrassment, Sandy formed several images with his dream sand. One of those images included Jack in a wedding dress followed by a question mark, which caused the young guardian to laugh boisterously.
"You got that backwards, Sandy. I might be a winter spirit, but I'm not wearing white – even for this big lug."
Startled, Bunnymund stared down at the spirit still resting in his embrace. "You can see what he's doing?"
Smiling, Jack nodded. "Why, yes. Though that sounds really naughty when you say it like that." He winked mischievously, causing a blush to tinge the blue-hued fur.
The rabbit frowned slightly. Mock irritation filled his voice when he responded, having waited for the laughter to taper off. "You know, Frost, sometimes, I wish I didn't love you."