Secretly Pooka
Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians
Author's Note: I was having trouble writing this chapter, so I wrote future events and Aloe turns out pretty awesome.
Warning: Heart-wrenching scene on the Overland's third Easter.
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I came up with a couple of prompts, but I don't think I'll write the story (maybe one shots).
Prompt 1: what if Jack ate one of Bunny's six-armed chocolates as a mortal. (No side affects until Jack is awoken by the Moon. Appears half and half or gains shape shifting ability).
Prompt 2: what if Sandy accidentally interfered with Jackson Overland becoming Jack Frost. (Moonlight filtered through dreamsand). Consequently, Jack Frost is like Nightlight reborn. (If Nightlight had died) At least half-star. Because he had been human, Jack is older than if he had been born a star. Bonus: if Jack Frost is Nightlight and Katherine's descendant.
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Chapter 7: Life with the Overlands
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Not too long after Jack and Aloe had settled into Burgess and become part of the Overland household, Jack gained a job as sheep herder's apprentice. The pay wasn't much and Jack was usually paid in sheep products, but the young 'boy' didn't mind. Jack was a pretty good hunter and gatherer, so gaining food from the forest wasn't hard. However, no matter how well Jack could hunt, kill, skin, gut, and cook animals, he could never bring himself to eat meat (with the exception of eggs. Jack and Aloe were Pookas, not rabbits). Aloe took one sniff and refused to eat the formerly living beings as well. It drove Melody and Nathaniel nuts when both of them firmly believed that growing boys needed protein. Eventually the adults accepted that the Frostfall boys just couldn't handle eating meat. Oh well. At least this meant, as Jack had pointed out before, that there was more food for the rest of the family. This didn't stop Melody from giving the boys larger slices of bread and larger portions of vegetables, which in all honesty the disguised Pookas preferred anyway. (Jack secretly supplemented their diet from occasional journeys to his burrow and eating off-planet food).
Jack's work as an shepherd was doubly beneficial since Jack could bring Aloe and the Moonmice along. In the times that Jack was left 'alone' with the sheep after his teacher was assured Jack could handle it, the group of four off-planet people played in and around the sheep. While Jack had gained some knowledge of the 'Guardians' he was supposed to share stories about up on the Moon, Amber and Andrew knew that much more. The Moonmice grew up hearing stories of the Guardians, but they only knew the Man in the Moon personally. And once Jack understood a story, he was quick to share it with the village's children.
In the days and evenings that Jack was not working, he was often surrounded by children. Jack played tag, instructed the others how to play altered Pookan games on days he missed his former family the most, was King of any snowball fight, and most importantly told the children of Burgess stories. Even the adults would sometimes listen to Jack's storyteller prowess.
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Of Father Christmas:
"Santa wasn't always the jolly old giant that delivered presents to children. He was young once too."
"What was he then?" Samuel Johnson inquired
"He was... hold on, do we have some drums? No? Oh well. Dun, dun, dun! Once upon a time, Santa was a bandit."
"A bandit?" Anna Riddle's eyes were wide.
"What is a bandit?" Little 'Lizard' Hopkins scrunched up his nose as he asked his question.
"A bandit is a land traveling pirate." Jack explained.
Sariah Farmer (one of the older children- almost teenager) huffed, "I don't believe you. Santa couldn't have done that... right?"
"There is a reason Christmas is known as a time time to repent and forgive." Jack eyed them knowingly, "Santa was just as mortal as you or me. He still makes mistakes, no matter how much we forget that our beloved characters are mortal too. Even Father Christmas needs to apologize and let past wrongdoings in the past."
The children looked thoughtful as they pondered this point.
"Anyway, how else do you think Santa breaks into people's houses without them knowing? He used to be a magicless bandit."
"Jack!" Samuel scowled, "What about the magic?"
"Well Santa uses that too. Otherwise he'd end up a rather crispy Father Christmas if he didn't use magic to avoid getting burned. If you don't have a fireplace, Santa might come in through a window or even a keyhole."
"But how did Santa then get magic?" Samuel demanded
"Well... that's part of how Santa became Santa. You see, one day the group of traveling bandits came across a lake in the middle of the forest..."
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Of the Sandman:
"Did you know the Sandman used to be a star pilot?"
"What's a star pilot?" Anna asked shyly
"A pilot is a captain of a flying ship. But Sandy's ship was a wishing star."
"Cool." Samuel and 'Lizard' breathed,
"A flying ship?" Sariah asked skeptically, "I prefer my feet on the ground, thanks."
"Was Sandy a Genie?" Fred Flintson asked, eyes bright with excitement.
"Kind of. He was never stuck in a bottle. He tries to grant wishes in order so you'll be happy. Ever since he crashed into the Earth, Sandy has been trying to keep children safe in their sleep in the dark. But since there are so many children that need to sleep, he sends his vibrant golden sand out to bring children good restful or playful dreams. It's why you can wake up in the mornings and find grains of sand in the corners of your eyes."
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Of the Tooth Fairy:
"Toothiana was different from the other children, because her mother was a Sister of Flight... She's not just a friendly fairy, but she is a fierce warrior too..."
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Of the Easter Bunny:
"...And Bunny paints eggs both as a hobby and to remember his people, the Pookas. He shares them to bring the hope of Spring into your hearts. A reminder that things may be hard now, but they will get better."
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Of Mother Nature:
"And so Pitchner's daughter, Emily Jane, survived, believing that her father had forgotten or abandoned her...
She changed her name to Saraphina..."
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Of Santa Christofferson:
"Along with all the children, there lived a funny old man who lived in a tree with a literal Bookworm. Now this tree was special and spoke with help of the old man named Ombric. He was a wizard from Atlantis, a place that has it's own stories attached, but those stories for another time. This tree was also special because it contained entire libraries within it's trunk. It was the job of the bookworm to sort and shelve each book..."
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Of other heroes:
"There once was a star herder named Nightlight..."
"And the girl that would one day be called Mother Goose was called Katherine..."
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Of the Man on the Moon:
"The Man on the Moon used to be a child on the Moon. Do you remember Nightlight? He's in this story too..."
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Of the Moon moths, Moon bots, and Moon mice that helped raise the Man on the Moon:
"Don't tell anyone, but Amber and Andrew are Moonmice in disguise..." Jack whispered conspicuously to his audience. Explaining the intelligence of Moon mice was Jack's favorite way to explain Amber and Andrew's attentive and understanding gestures. (Especially when the Moon mice slipped up or purposely spoke to the children). It was the truth, not that the adults really believed it. They just believed Amber and Andrew were really well trained and that maybe Jack had some skill in throwing his voice into different places.
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The weather turned more frigid than anticipated, making Jack remember his Pookan fur wistfully. Once, in searching for a lost sheep, Jack also became lost when nighttime snuck up on him. It trapped him in a thick shroud of darkness, reminding the Pooka of supernatural creatures that would kill him if they could. As best as he knew how, Jack hid his tracks and scent. The wind wasn't the only thing that howled through the branches. Eventually, Jack found shelter under some bramble and bushes, curling into a ball to conserve heat. Underneath his winter clothes, Jack attempted to partially shift into his Pookan fur. He could have fully shifted, but Jack did not for fear of creating too much noise and drawing attention from the creatures that lived in the darkness and also because Jack was curious and desperate to try if it was possible to partially shift. He succeeded before he froze. Come morning, Jack was alive if a bit stiff and found the lost sheep. It was dead, but Jack tried to salvage what little remained to present to the shepherd of the flock. Soon after that, the Moonmice found him and lead Jack to Overland home. The Overlands were relived that Jack was still alive.
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Having been giving a reminder of the warning that the Nightmare King and other beings lived in the shadows of this planet, Jack practiced partially shifting and refreshing his ability in Pookan martial arts when he was away from the rest of the population. That is to say, in Jack's makeshift burrow.
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"Aloe, don't chew on that." Jack gently scolded as he gently retrieved his wood carving, wiping it free of infantile slobber before cleaning the future Christmas present with a handful of snow. Jack inspected his carving, turning it over in his hands in order to look for any bite marks. He handed a teething toy to distract Aloe from fussing. The younger Pooka's teeth were getting stronger. The teething toy was a wool covered piece of wood. Looking at the lake, Jack noticed that the Overlands would soon have to cut ice away in order to get to the water underneath.
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Christmas came around and the Overland's and Frostfall's traded presents within their cabin. Jack gave Melody a detailed wooden wreath, decorated with hummingbirds guzzling nectar, bluebirds watching over fledglings in their nest of plants and twigs, a beaver piling wood and two young rabbits playing with a flying mouse and an otter.
Melody and Nathaniel were stunned, "You carved this?"
Jack ducked his head, "I had plenty of spare time watching the sheep, so... yeah."
"It's beautiful Jack. Thank you." Melody gently traced the carvings.
"You've got a lot of talent lad." Nathaniel smiled
Jack's face burned in pleased embarrassment, "I'm not as good at furniture, but I did each animal for one of all of us. The hummingbirds for Melody, the bluebirds for the baby, the beaver for Nathaniel, the rabbits for Aloe and I, and the otter and squirrel for Amber and Andrew."
Melody cooed, "Clever," she praised.
The next present was a high chair from Nathaniel to Melody. It could be partially dismantled into a booster seat when the baby grew too old for a high chair.
Melody gave Jack some embroidered handkerchiefs and a canteen made out of an empty gourd and a piece of cork. She gave her husband a new coat to his surprise.
Nathaniel gave Jack a dreamcatcher, traded from traveling Native Americans and his old coat.
In turn Jack gave Nathaniel new sheepskin gloves and an almost new bridle he had saved up for.
"One of these days I will own a horse." Nathaniel vowed, "And I will use this bridle to tame it."
Aloe giggled as he licked and chomped on a small amount of candy. Jack had separated the bags of candy to share it with Amber and Andrew later.
Amber and Andrew had been given their own official bed for inside the house.
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Melody's water broke on New Year's eve. Her husband and boarders were kicked out of the house by the midwife and the other women attending the birth. Two hours later, Emily Jane Overland was born on the first of January. (Melody had really liked the name when she overheard Jack telling the story behind Mother Earth). Emily was a week or two overdue, as she had been predicted to come sometime in December, but everyone was happy with the healthy baby girl.
As the sun rose, it's rays of warmth blessed the sleeping mother and child. Nathaniel pulled himself out of bed slowly, looking fondly at his small family. He stepped around the Frostfall boys, who were curled up around the other and were slowly becoming part of the family. Nathaniel pulled on his outdoor coat and went out the door to do some early morning chores.
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Several people who might not have survived the winter without the blessing of the 'Warm Hug' blankets did in fact survive another winter.
"Good Morning, Sir Fortinbras."
"Good Morrow, son of Jack." The town crier waved back.
Jack blinked, "I am Jack."
"But you are also Jackson Frostfall, no? Therefore, thou art the son of Jack."
Jack thought about it and shrugged. It wasn't that big of a deal.
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Jack scooped up the blinking baby bundled in tiny clothing and several blankets, cooing, "Happy Easter Emily."
"Jack! Florers!" Not too long after Emily had been born, Aloe had started to speak single words in English. Aloe's communication and comprehension skills were better when he spoke in Pookan, but everyone around them thought it was merely infantile babble.
"Aloe," Jack sighed exasperatedly, as he tucked Emily into the crook of his arm, "We're not supposed to eat the vegetation, we are supposed to be finding eggs."
Aloe whined as Jack pulled him away from half chewed Marigolds. "You could ride my back." Jack offered.
Aloe brightened and turned around, hopping onto Jack's back. Jack grunted as the small cannonball wriggled for a better perch. Not finding it, Aloe climbed up and sat on Jack's shoulders.
"You alright up there?"
"Yep." Aloe chirped cheerfully.
"Look! Over there!" Jack pointed with his free hand, walking swiftly towards a tree. Jack gently pulled a intricately painted egg out of the elbow of the tree branch, "This is what we're looking for Aloe."
"Hmph, florers better." Aloe sniffed the egg, but obediently began looking for other eggs.
"But with enough of these, we can have eggs ala goldenrod over toast." Jack explained, before looking down and chuckling at a yawning Emily, "You don't understand yet, but you will." Jack promised.
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In someways, being invisible to the Guardians had the rare benefit. If Jack stayed up later than he should have, Jack could sometimes see Sanderson's sand dance and pulse above the Overland's and his adoptive little sister's head. If he touched more than a grain of the glowing golden sand, Jack quickly fell asleep. Experimenting around, Jack managed to find a material in his burrow's supplies that to capture and keep a handful of Sanderson's sand. Jack would then share his golden gain by infusing it into the newer generations of light Beamers and threading that in order to embroider blankets. He wasn't ready to attempt quilting yet as he was still learning how to make simple repairs to his clothes from Melody. The blankets became part of Jack and Aloe's nest in their hidden burrow. The fewer unpleasant dreams they had, the less likely Nightmares would discover their origins and hideout.
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Sometime during the summer as Jack improved his furniture skills with Nathaniel and improved his rug weaving (and sewing) skills with Melody, the five household members began to identify themselves as a family.
It wasn't on purpose, but it just felt right to start calling Melody, 'Ma' and Nathaniel, 'Pa' after a while. The familial terms of endearment made Melody and Nathaniel smile a bit brighter and wider. It was a little after a year that the Frostfall's had known the Overland's when the terms became more well used.
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2nd Christmas with the Overland's:
"It's Emily's first Christmas, Aloe. She's the youngest and therefore gets the first present."
Aloe frowned, switching his gaze between his presents and the infant who couldn't open gifts on her own yet.
Melody cooed over Jack's attempt at making a couple of outfits and a tiny cloak, "These are good work Jack. Emily, you've got some talented brothers."
"You really have a knack for clothes, son."
Jack blushed, rubbing his head, "It's a necessary for living on your own."
"Most bachelors, even the hermits, probably don't have this much skill." Melody praised him.
Jack cleared his throat, "Moving on, Aloe this is yours."
"Mine?" Aloe immediately began playing with the rabbit-looking wooden toy.
"Yours." Jack nodded, "And this is for Ma and this is for Pa."
"Thank you Jack."
"You're welcome." Jack gestured the adults of his Earth family to open their gifts. A new kettle for Melody and a new ax handle and stone sharpener for Nathaniel.
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Emily's birthday:
"Happy Birthday!" the family cheered over the two year old, who ignored them and started eating her piece of cake without her hands.
"Face plant!" Melody laughed, "You are so going to need a bath after this."
Emily looked up, smothered with frosting and smiled as she took another piece of desert with her tiny hand, gnawed on it before offering it to her mother.
"No you eat that." Melody said.
"Aloe! Don't eat that! We're allergic to chocolate, remember? Our cake loaf is on the other plate." Jack hurriedly knocked the chocolate cake out of Aloe's hand.
Aloe started to fuss until a piece of the other cake was shoved into his mouth by Jack.
"Jack!" Nathaniel laughingly scolded the unrepentant boy,
"What? I stopped his crying."
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"You know I just realized that I don't know your birthday." Melody mused.
"Ah." Jack rubbed his head, how was he supposed to answer that? The Pooka didn't keep time like humans did, so birthday celebrations were rather rare actually nonexistent during the Fearling War, "Erm, I was born during Winter sometime and Aloe was born one day in Spring." Jack shrugged helplessly. He did know the day he had been born, but not only was it on a different calender than American's, but it would be hard to explain he'd been asleep for a millennium or so.
"Hmm. How about we celebrate your birthdays on the first day of your season." Melody proposed.
"I'm fine with that." Jack shrugged, "But what do you do for a birthday anyway?"
"Eat your favorite meal, play games, and get a gift or two." Nathaniel answered promptly,
"That, sounds really awesome." Jack decided, "Good thing Aloe's birthday is up next then. And then it's Easter again."
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2nd Easter:
"Easter is your favorite holiday isn't it?" Melody asked
"Of course it is Ma! The only thing better than the egg hunts are snowball fights." Jack bounced as he poked his head into a bush, climbing trees to gather the higher placed eggs.
"Uh huh, keep an eye out for my Emily. She's been crawling everywhere!" Melody said with a little exasperation and pride.
"She's definitely curious about the world." Jack smiled as he grabbed another egg, "Come on Aloe, this way!"
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Fall:
"It seems no battle has called for myself, but instead, I shall perish..." Sir Fortinbras coughed, "Amongst the presence of dear allies. Away to my beloved I am called. Live well my friends."
"Farewell friend." Jack said softly as Sir Fortinbras's grip fell slack. Somehow watching someone pass from this level of existence was just as poignant a moment as it had been during the Fearling War (if they died off field, usually in the hospital wing. Although Jack carried weapons, he was not allowed on the front lines). It was far more peaceful and less rushed, but just knowing that it would be a long time until they met again (in the afterlife) made Jack's heart ache.
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3rd Christmas:
The snow and ice would occasionally get so high that it prevented people from opening their doors. Nathaniel pried open the window and Jack squeezed through the opening. As quickly as Jack could, he retrieved the shovel buried in the knee-high snow and began to dig out the Overland home. Once Nathaniel could exit the door, he found a neighbor's shovel and the both of them worked on clearing a path out of peoples homes. As more people could move around, more men and boys piled out of their homes and helped push off the heavier loads of snow off of people's roofs, making temporary fixes to partly collapsed roofs and finishing clearing the town.
Jack hummed in pleasure as he sipped a cup of hot cider. It was one of the best parts of the season.
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Jack blinked and rubbed his eyes.
"Do you like it?" Melody asked,
"I love it." Jack assured them, "My own skates." Jack mumbled, fingering the boots in awe.
"It took some doing, but you've earned it Jack." Nathaniel smirked, "I'll come help get you started."
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"Come help me get started indeed." Jack muttered as he once again landed on his rear, "More like watch the entertainment."
"You shouldn't be hobbling yet even if you do have a staff." Nathaniel yelled out to him,
"If I'm old, then you are ancient dad." Jack retorted, smirking as he swiped some snow.
"Hey!" Nathaniel cried back indignantly just in time to sputter as a snowball hit him, "Just remember you started it." Nathaniel started firing back snowballs. It was easier to target Jack when the lad stood either unsteadily on the lake or slipped on the ice. But Jack gave as good as he got and returned fire even if most snowballs missed hitting Nathaniel while Jack was still on the surface of the lake.
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3rd Easter:
The spring was particularly cheery, despite the lingering winter. Several would-be artists appreciated the flowers bursting out of patches of snow. It made the colors of the newly born or blossoming plants stand out more.
"A little to the left, son!" Nathaniel grunted as the two of them built a new wall to extend the cabin. Aloe was off to the side, gathering sawdust into a bucket and his wild hair. Melody could be heard humming as she freshened up the cabin, dancing around freely with Emily.
Melody was expecting again. When she was not throwing up, she was glowing with happiness. She sang, she danced throughout their expanding home and the village of Burgess. Several others beyond her family shared her enthusiasm.
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A few months later:
Melody sobbed as a tiny grave was gently buried in the summer dirt. Nathaniel's mouth was twisted downward in solemn grief as he held his shaking wife. It was a month before the family could save enough money for an engraved headstone for Nathan Scott Overland, who died within an hour of his premature birth.
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A day later, Melody stared out at the lake with dry eyes.
"Melody?" Jack walked closer when he received no answer, draping a 'Warm Hug' quilt onto her shoulders. "I know you need time, but remember that we need you. We love you and you're a wonderful mother."
Before Jack left the one room house, Melody finally spoke up, "But why? Why did my baby have to die?" Melody croaked, fresh tears highlighting trails upon her cheeks.
"I don't believe that it is a punishment if that's what you are asking. Bad things happen to good people and I believe you will see your son again."
"But will my baby know me as his mother."
"A child always knows their mother. And vice versa. I know I won't forget my mom or my siblings."
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Melody and Nathaniel eventually recovered from their loss. Not completely, as a loss of a young one always changes you, but they weren't bogged down by depression. Nathan was almost never brought up after that, just remembered in the spare quiet moments.
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5th Easter:
Jack challenged his siblings, teasing, "I'm going to find more eggs than you!"
"No me!" Emily Jane Overland yelled, hopping as she dragged her woven basket behind her.
"No I'm going to find more eggs!" Aloe roared back, glaring at Emily, "And faster than Em!"
Jack chuckled, "Well stop being angry and we can find more eggs." Jack had already found five eggs in the upper branches, but he kept quiet as his siblings exclaimed happily over their eggs hidden in bushes and grass.
Eventually they ran out of eggs. Emily had found four while Aloe had gathered six beautifully painted egss.
Jack sniffed before his eyes narrowed on one of the innocent looking eggs within Aloe's basket.
"Good job Aloe." Jack praised as he knelt to inspect his younger brother's eggs, swiping out the chocolate egg with another hard-boiled egg while Aloe wasn't looking. It prevented a fuss and Aloe from getting sick.
"What about me?" Emily pointed to her eggs.
"You did a wonderful job too. Can you count them?"
"Uh-huh." Emily nodded, "One, two, two, four, five! Where'd that one come from?" Emily looked up at Jack, blinking.
"Maybe it rolled in." Jack shrugged, struggling to hide his mirth.
"Jack you have so many eggs." Aloe gasped, "You won!"
Jack shrugged, "Yeah, but most of them are for Natalie Bennett. She's not able to come to the normal Easter hunts so I make a special one for her and anyone else that I'm aware of. Not everyone had full mobility of their limbs."
"Huh?" Aloe and Emily looked quizzically up at Jack.
"Some people are too sick or injured to do activities the way we can." Jack explained.
"Like James?" Aloe asked.
"Well, yeah. But he's grown up blind, so he's accustomed to doing things differently. I almost forget that he is blind, but he has a unique perspective because of it.. Thanks squirts. Do you want to help me set up egg hunts for Natalie and James?"
"Nata?" Emily peered looked around,
"No she won't be coming here. We'll be going to her house. In fact, let's drop off your baskets at the house and you can ride on my shoulders. How does that sound?"
"Up! Up!"
"Not right now Emily. After mom gets your basket."
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Natalie was still asleep when her mom let Jack and his siblings tip toe inside the Bennett's well established cabin. Jack tried to keep his siblings' giggling at a minimum as they hid eggs all around the dining room.
"Thank you for doing this for Natalie." Mrs. Bennett smiled wearily, "She usually misses it because she gets sick in early spring." Jack winced. Being sick often on top of a lame leg didn't sound like fun. Which was the reason he was spreading joy in the first place.
"No problem." Jack brightened.
"Come on you two rascals, we've got one more house to visit." Jack scooped up his siblings, half bowing to Mrs. Bennett as he grabbed his remaining eggs.
"I'm no rascal! You are!" Emily protested
"Yeah!" Aloe loudly agreed.
Jack mock pouted, "Who told you that?"
"Daddy did." Emily explained, "Youse a good rascal though."
"Why thank you princess." Jack smirked as his younger siblings clung to his head, "Onto to James's home." Jack proclaimed as he carefully pranced on the cobblestone.
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As they three of them left James's home, Jack chased the happy youngsters home. Looking up at some point, Jack thought he saw a flash of fur. It might have been a deer, but Jack didn't notice any hoof prints when he inspected the area closer. However, there was an early lone purple alpine aster in the middle of a hunting trail.
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Summer:
Nathaniel had finally been able to get his own horse in springtime. He used the bridle Jack had given him so many Christmas's ago. After the older men of the household finished building a rudimentary stable, they rented a wagon. Jack traveled with Nathaniel during the summer, trading away finished furniture and rugs for food or other necessities. Jack didn't care much for the bartering process, but as Nathaniel told him, it was a good skill to have later on. The young Pooka often stayed a day or two longer to be the storyteller Burgess knew him as to share the stories of the Guardians and other heroes with the children while Nathaniel found business in repairing furniture. In some cases along their travels, it was Jack learning new stories from others, particularly from those who were Native American.
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"Ma! Aloe! Emily! I'm home!" Jack knocked on the door.
"Jack! Where's Nathaniel and the wagon?" Melody asked
"They're coming." Jack waved off.
"Oh. From how far away?"
"A couple of miles." Jack admitted.
"Jack!" Aloe jumped and clung to his older brother's leg.
"Jack!" Emily arrived from the direction of the family garden, leaping onto Jack's back.
"Hello you too!" Jack laughed as he smiled first down at his brother before twisting around to smile at his little sister, "You're getting so tall!"
"Yep! I'm a big girl now!" Emily announced proudly.
"I'm older." Aloe immediately replied.
Jack chuckled, "Aloe, you are always going to be older than our little, opps sorry, younger sister. Do you two want to go greet Pa?"
"Yeah!" the two youngsters cheered.
"We'll be back soon with Pa." Jack said as he lifted Emily from his back to his shoulders and let Aloe climb onto his back.
"Let me tell Nathaniel the news." Melody settled a hand on her stomach.
"Yes ma'am. You heard that kiddos? No mentioning the youngest newcomer to our family."
Aloe and Emily nodded obediently.
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The November before Jack's sixth winter with the Overlands:
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A healthy baby boy was born on November 6th. He was named Jackson Aloe Overland after his adopted brothers.
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6th Easter with the Overlands:
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"Mom?" Emily poked at the thimble sized painted eggs now in her Easter Basket
"Yes, Emily?"
"My eggs shrunk. I want them to get bigger again. Do they need to eat vegetables too?" The five year old innocently asked.
Jack couldn't hold back his snickers any longer, "Eggs don't eat vegetables."
"But how do I get the eggies to grow big again?!" Emily protested
"Jack." Melody rolled her eyes and held her hand out, "I need the boiled eggs now."
"The eggs are boiled." Melody looked at the young man and raised an eyebrow,
"The Holiday eggs Jack. Emily is panicking over her eggs suddenly shrinking."
"Emily, turn around and count to ten. I'll make them grow big again with my magic."
"Okay. One, two, three.." When Emily got to ten, she turned around and gasped, "Look Mama, the eggs are big again."
"Yes, well Jack knows a lot of magic." Melody said absentmindedly as she inspected the handful of quail eggs in her palms.
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7th Christmas with the Overlands:
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A bundled up person approached the Overland cabin with a bag over his back. A smaller person, almost waddling with all the layers keeping the boy warm, toddled after the first. A fist pounded twice on the door.
Nathaniel swung the door open, smiling as he recognized the winter clad young man, "Jackson! You're back."
"I told you I wouldn't be gone for too long. I got back, just as our dedicated postal servicemen did. Letters and packages from your extended relatives." Jack swung the bag into his Earth father's hand.
"Jack!" Emily squealed as she ran to tackle the young man who looked like a sixteen year old, but was believed to be a year or to older.
"Emily!" Jack laughed as he scooped his Earth born sister into the air and swung her around.
"Em!" Aloe pounced on Emily as she was set down.
"Ack! Aloe, you're cold!" Emily half laughed and half screamed as snow fell into her hair and dripped down her back.
Melody, baby Jackson in her arms, smiled softly as she watched the family interaction, "Come on in you two and warm up by the fire. And no pinching any pie dough."
"Aw. But pie dough is yummy!" Aloe protested. Jack chuckled as he pulled off his winter coat.
"But the pies after they are cooked taste even better."
"I don't know," Emily replied, eying the freshly made pie dough, "It's pretty tasty to me." Jack burst out laughing as Melody mock scolded Emily.
"So you're my pie crust pincer! Maybe more snow is needed to decorate your outfit."
"No, that's cold!" Emily protested, running away from her older brothers cold hands. The Overland family burst into laughter together, Emily joining in a few seconds later. Baby Jackson smiled and gurgled happy noises, which only made the family laugh harder.
"He has your laughter Jack. Sooner or later he will steal your smile," Nathaniel teased.
"That's alright," Jack carefully pulled Jackson away from Melody, "It's all in good fun and fun is meant to be shared."
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Emily received a beautiful pair of new ice skates from Father Christmas to everybody's delight.
"You can teach me how to ice skate better now."
"Emily Jane..." Melody said warningly,
Emily heaved a great sigh, "Okay, Jack will you please teach me how to ice skate some of your fancy tricks?"
"Sure thing Em." Jack grabbed his own ice skates, "Come on Aloe."
"Be careful." Melody was visibly pregnant as she waved from the house.
"We will." Jack chuckled as he was tugged away by his sister.
/
But in Emily's eagerness to practice with her new skates, she forgot to let Jack test the ice first.
"It's okay. It's okay." Jack tried to calm both himself and Emily as he carefully pulled his skates off, crouching on the ice. "Don't look down. Look at me." Jack pointed his hand to his chest.
"Jack, I'm scared." Emily looked down anyway as the ice crackled beneath her feet.
Jack swallowed, "Aloe, go get Pa!" And Aloe, who had been frozen with shock bolted away. "I know, I know," Jack took a barefooted step closer, "You're going to be alright." He smiled determinedly at her, telling her, "You're not going to fall in." Jack quickly looked around his feet , before looking up again, "Ah," He took a heavy breath, and spread his arms out, "We're going to have a little fun instead."
"No, we're not." Emily cried out.
"Would I trick you?" Jack was desperately thinking of how to get Emily off of the ice.
"Yes, you always play tricks."
"Well, not this time. I promise, I promise you're going to be, going to be fine. You have to believe in me."
Emily took a sharp breath. And Jack finally had an idea as his eyes fell onto his Pookan staff. The wood covering it made a strong hook. Strong enough to pull Emily to safety.
"You want to play a game? We're going to play hopscotch. Like we play everyday. It's as easy as one..." Jack took a step to the side, and the ice cracked underneath. "Whoa!" Jack lifted his other leg and flailed in the air slightly, managing to achieve a laugh from his adopted sister. Jack set his other foot down and skipped over one more step and leaned over to pick up his staff on the stronger ice, "Three! Alright. Now it's your turn."
"One..." Jack spoke rather hushed as Emily took a slippery step forward. Emily gasped as the cracks in the ice increased under her feet.
"That's it, that's it. ...two," Emily couldn't help but look at her feet, "Three!" Jack swung the staff, hooking it around Emily's midsection and threw her away from the thin ice. Success! They smiled in relief.
But then the ice finally gave way and Jack didn't have much time to catch his breath before he plunged into the lake water.
"Jack!" Emily screamed