Okay, just want to apologise for how long this has taken. Now that work and other commitments have started up again, my free time is nil - and it doesn't look like it's gonna get any better for a couple of weeks.
This chapter was meant to be a lot longer, but having some issues with the last part (which to be honest, I probably don't need), and will be away all weekend, so figured you should at least get something before I vanish for a few weeks again.
Jack was used to being alone. He didn't like it, but that was just the way the Man in the Moon had decided things had to be.
And then ol' Manny had decided to make him a Guardian, and Bunny had decided he really, really wanted to see what was under the cloak. Now he was in the warren, watching Bunnymund snooze on the top of his blanket, completely at a loss as to what he should do next.
He sighed and lay his head back down. He'd only wanted to help Bunny get Easter on track this year. His own foolishness and Pitch's machinations had made things tough for the other rabbit, especially when he really only had the one day a year to prove his existence. But Bunny clearly wanted to do more than get Jack's help; he wanted Jack to be something the winter spirit wasn't sure he could be.
His mind went back to the previous afternoon, when he'd fled the Warren for some R&R in Europe...
St Petersburg was as pretty as it ever was – and prime for a snow day. Russia was always good for a little fun.
Jack laughed as he tapped his staff against a wall, watching the ice ripple across the ground. There were certain places in the world that seem to amplify his power, and Russia was definitely one of them. One little tap could go forever.
He jumped and ran along the side of a building, jumping to the roof and then hopping into the sky, tapping the odd building here and there, watching the fernlike frost take root and slide down onto the street and under the feet of unsuspecting locals. When the frost began to slow, he pulled the clouds down and landed gracefully in a small park as the snow began to fall. A handful of children had rushed out of their homes and were already packing what little snow had fallen into balls and throwing them with caution. One quick flick of his staff and said children soon found they had no shortage of ammo, and the sneakiness turned into a free for all, while the Guardian leaned back on the low branch of a tree and watched.
Jack smiled and stretched his arms up and above his head. He'd needed this...a full morning on all fours navigating eggs while holding back the chill and not being allowed to fly...no doubt Bunny loved his job but Jack wouldn't trade the snow and the sky for all the believers in the world.
Speaking of which...his ears twitched as he heard the soft snow crunch from underneath him, and looked down to spot a little girl staring at him, head cocked.
Jack gave a nervous smile and waved. "Wanna join in? The redhead's team is short a player."
The girl just blinked and frowned.
"Who are you?"
Jack faltered. Clearly the girl could see him... "Uh...Jack Frost. Who else would bring you snow?"
"You're not Jack Frost."
She was frowning now; face pouting and crossing her arms. Jack leapt to his feet and bent down, hands on his hips.
"Yes I am."
The girl imitated him. "No, you're not. Jack Frost isn't a rabbit."
The Guardian froze, and looked down as if seeing himself for the first time. Unaware of what she'd set in motion, the girl continued.
"Jack Frost wears a really pretty cloak and he's much wider than you and hey! Where are you going Mr Rabbit?"
But the winter spirit was gone, jumping into the air and flying as far from the city as the winds could take him.
Three hundred years of wearing that cloak, and after one morning with Bunny he was leaving it behind? Not even realising he wasn't wearing it?
Well...maybe that wasn't true. He'd felt so much lighter and faster darting around St Petersburg. There'd been a freedom to his movements that Jack wasn't sure he'd ever felt. Until the little girl brought it to his attention, he'd just assumed it was relief from being out of the Warren's constant temperate climate.
And that little girl...she hadn't been afraid of him. Just...confused. And a little angry. It was kind of...an impossible feeling, to find children were becoming so protective of their snow Guardian in such a short time. Still...if she told the other children...he wasn't sure he was ready for children to relate Jack Frost with a white rabbit just yet. Shouldn't that be something he decided on his own time?
Bunny at least, despite no doubt noticing something had happened when he was gone, hadn't brought it up – that wasn't a conversation he was sure either of them were really ready to have. And Jack - he'd just wanted to go back to the Warren, finish the herding, then get his cloak, wrap up tight and let him be himself for at least the night. But somehow he ended up herding, then painting, then getting groomed of all things...and then the rest was a little blank.
Jack bit his lip, and slowly inched his legs out from underneath the blanket, desperately trying not to dislodge the Guardian of Hope. Hopefully he could slip out and avoid any embarrassment for either of them. However, the efforts were in vain. Whether it was the sound of the blankets or the movement itself, Bunnymund's ears twitched, and the Pooka pried his eyes open.
The winter spirits own ears drooped in dismay. "...Morning?"
Bunnymund blinked, and slowly got to his feet, bending his back and working out the kinks. Jack winced as he counted the cracks – the Pooka was going to feel that today.
"Morning Frostbite" Bunny greeted, as if he hadn't just been caught sleeping by Jack's bedside. "Ready for another crack with the paintbrush? Or you want to try rounding em up again?"
Jack's ears flattened completely. Neither sounded particularly pleasing, and Bunnymund laughed at the exaggerated dismay on the young buck's face.
Bunnymund was clearly a master of avoiding anything he didn't want to talk about. If Jack learned nothing else from the Pooka, he wanted to master that little trick. Despite their position that morning, Bunny had brushed it off as if it never happened, and between getting the winter spirit to eat breakfast and getting his own grooming done, managed to convince Jack to try painting again. Without his cloak.
And so once more, Jack found himself sitting next to a pile of eggs without a scrap of fabric between him and the outside world. Clean and groomed for the first time in nearly 3 centuries, fur soft and certain annoying itches gone, with muscles tight but happy they'd finally been brought into use again.
It all felt great...but not all like him. And his artwork wasn't improving. But the eggs had all been through the flower inks and the river dyes and the spiralling flowers. Now all that was left was the hand painting before migration.
He sighed, looking at the rather miserable egg in his hands. Bunny, hard at work on who-knows-probably-his-6-thousandth-in-an-hour egg, pricked his ears up at the sound.
"You okay frostbite?"
Jack nodded, and frowned as he realised his paws were getting stained with colourful paint. Again. The egg was still slightly damp, and Jack blinked as an idea came to him.
"I wonder..."
Bunny paused as Jack lay down his paintbrush, instead holding the egg between his finger and thumb. The winter sprites eyes narrowed, and Bunny tensed as the little egg began to shimmer, tiny strands of ice rippling from Jack's fingers. In seconds, the Easter spirit was up on his feet and marching towards Jack.
"Oi oi oi! What did I say about ice?"
Jack, oblivious, just smiled, and held up the egg.
"Just a little frosting cottontail. Check it out."
Bunny frowned, and took the egg. It was slightly cold to the touch, but not irreparably so...and his eyes widened as he took in the beautiful fractal patterns rolling around the base. The ice had set into the wet paint, froze just long enough to peel away a layer with frightening precision, and then melted away in the warrens warmth leaving the pretty shadow.
"Wish I'd thought of that earlier" Jack muttered, picking up another egg and performing the same trick. "This is much better than a paintbrush."
Bunny tensed as the ice rippled on the egg, but forced himself to relax when it was clear Jack was completely in control and the egg (and the surrounding area) wasn't in any danger. He crouched next to the other Pooka, herding the eggs around him with a distracted hand.
"I didn't think you could use your powers without your staff kit."
Jack shrugged, distracted now that he could actually perform his task. "Well, I need it to bring snow, and to summons the winds, but when it comes to ice, it's not that I can't, it's just really hard."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I mean, something like this?"
He held up his third egg. "This doesn't take much effort. It's just a little egg – doesn't need a lot of power, just control."
Bunny's eyes flickered to Jack's staff, leaning against a rock in the clearing. "And the staff doesn't have control?"
Jack laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Look...it's the same reason you let plants do most of the colouring but paint the fancy stuff by hand. When I'm bringing snow, I have to cover a lot of ground, fast. Think of the staff like a roller for painting a wall. I'm in control; it just covers a lot more ground in a very simple way. Anything intricate requires the hands."
He left it at that, busying himself with his new egg decorating skills, but tensed when he realised Bunnymund hadn't left. In fact, the Easter spirit was using one hand to support the other, stroking his chin and smirking.
"So...you don't need the staff so long as what you're creating isn't too big?"
Jack's ears flattened in suspicion. "Right..."
"How cold can you make it?"
Not a question he would have expected the other Pooka to bring up.
"...Uh...cold as I want I guess. Never really tested it. Why?"
Bunnymund grinned and stood up. "Nothing. Just a thought...for later. Something I wanted to bring up with you after Easter. Now, keep up with the frosting kit – and we'll have ourselves Easter."