Jack sighed and looked at Shadow with determination.
"I can't just leave her here even if she isn't a believer."
"There isn't anything you can do Jack. You cannot simply grant the wishes of her heart and bring back the one she loves. Even if you could, it wouldn't do her any good. This is life Jack, not some fairy tale." Jack growled.
"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF YOU DON'T EVEN TRY?!" He screamed and the Nightmares stopped and looked straight at Jack, startled.
"Because I've been there..." She admitted sadly.
"I know how this goes... It's not something you can fix Jack..." She turned her gaze to the teenager who had cried herself into an exhausted rest; though it's not peaceful as even with the Nightmares far from her she still suffers as a new Nightmare rises from her dreams, smaller than its sisters but it rears and paws the ground. It was not quite half the size of the pony sized Nightmares that were whinnying happily at their new comrade. Jack sighed, he knew what she meant; he had probably seen more deaths from hypothermia than he'd understood the reason behind it and he was beginning to understand now why there had been so many... Tears slid down his face.
"C-c-can't we at least try? Please, at least try."
"What is wrong with him? Why doesn't he give in?" Jakul growls. Jack tries to shoo the Nightmares away with their newest member, glaring at each of them and some of them slightly back off from the girl. Jack let the newest mare sniff at him, it neighed and then pranced about him and Jack sighed. Shadow ignored Jakul, moving over to Jack; she placed a hand on his shoulder and brushed away his tears.
"No... It is something she has to go through so she will grow Jack. For her wish to come true she must find the one she desires on her own. A broken heart is part of life Jack. It helps humans grow. I went through at least five before I happened upon you..." She trailed off.
"Had you lived, Jack, you would have learned this lesson..." She sighed a little.
"Not to say I learned it obviously." She turned away from the teenager before the tears that were threatening to fall actually did. She tugged her cowl more closely around her head, not that it mattered as the night hid it well enough with the moon's light being as dim as it was as it was only a few nights away from being a new moon. Jack sighed, the Nightmares started to tug him along, trying to get him to follow and eventually the collar tugs him and he trips, smacking into the snow and skinning his knee on a sharp rock.
"Damn." Jack watched in slight fascination as his blood turned the snow red and the Nightmares whispered to Shadow that Jack was hurt, that they smelled blood. Shadow sighed and moved back over to Jack, kneeling next to him without a sound; humming a soft song in her throat that came to mind as she weaved silver sand to wrap around the wound and patch him up. The lyrics rising in her mind as she hummed.
Baby what are we becoming
It feels just like we're always running
Rolling through the motions everyday
I could lean in to hold you, or act like I don't even know you
Seems like you could care less either way
What happened to that girl I used to know
I just want us back to the way we were before
Do I turn you on at all when I kiss you baby
Does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy
Do I have your love, am I still enough
Tell me don't I, or tell me do I, baby
Give you everything that you ever wanted
Would you rather just turn away and leave me lonely
Do I just need to give up and get on with my life
Baby, do I
Remember when we didn't have nothing
But a perfect simple kind of loving
Baby those sure were the days
There was a time our love ran wild and free
Now I'm second guessing everything thing I see
Do I turn you on at all when I kiss you baby
Does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy
Do I have your love, am I still enough
Tell me don't I, or tell me do I, baby
Give you everything that you ever wanted
Would you rather just turn away and leave me lonely
Do I just need to give up and get on with my life
Baby, do I
Still give you what you need
Still take your breath away
Light up the spark way down deep, baby do I
Whoa,
Do I turn you on at all when I kiss you baby
Does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy
Do I have your love, am I still enough
Tell me don't I, or tell me do I baby
Give you everything that you ever wanted
Would you rather just turn away and leave me lonely
Do I just need to give up and get on with my life
Tell me baby do I get one more try
Do I, baby do I
Jack hissed at the slight pain and pulled at the collar around his neck, wanting it off so much; he sighed and stood up, feeling only minuscule pain thanks to the sand. He followed Shadow and the Nightmares who sniffed at the bandaged wound. The newest member sniffed at it and licked at it.
"Quit it." Jack patted her away and she neighed in his ear.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" He yelled at all the Nightmares who only snickered at his anger, but they scattered when Shadow flicked her hand; fleeing back to the lair as if she had cracked a whip at them. She had noticed him tugging at the collar and she felt guilty. This wasn't the way to do things... Much as Shadow was evil... she couldn't completely be darkness as Mysterie's influence was shining through too much because she loved Jack to such an extent that Shadow couldn't hurt him no matter how much she wanted to. How much she had meant to... How had things gotten so out of her dark grasp? With an inward sigh, she moved over to Jack and touched the collar gently, the sand uncurled from around him. She continued to quietly hum the song before she turned and walked away without a word; struggling a little with the notes of the song. She stepped into the nearest shadow as the tiny Nightmare returned, in its mouth was Jack's staff. It dropped the thing at his feet before scurrying off again like a frightened puppy. Jack picked it up, staring at Shadow in confusion a moment before following her, unsure if it was a trap or not. Jakul snickered in her mind.
"Look at him, he's like a lost pup." Shadow snapped at Jakul to be quiet, sliding into the next shadow and simply disappearing from the woods; leaving Jack to do as he pleased as guilt snapped at her heels.