Phil grumbled something to the yetis who stood at the door leading to the stables as Jack anxiously stood by and waited. He'd been wanting to see the reindeer for awhile now, but he only just got Phil willing to show them to him. He didn't know why it had taken so long for his friend to agree to this. Phil had said something about them being wild and rough, maybe a bit dangerous.
Ha!
Jack could handle them.
:::
Phil turned and waved Jack over. He'd easily gotten permission from the other yetis, but he hadn't been worried about that... What he really was worried about was how the reindeer would react to Jack's excited nature. They could get riled up, and Phil knew from past experience that excited reindeer were not the easiest creatures to handle. His worries were made even worse when the boy gleefully jumped up and quickly flew into the room.
"Awesome!" Jack exclaimed when his eyes first caught sight of the reindeer. He landed and began shifting from one foot to another, obviously wanting to get a closer look. Phil had told him not to startle the reindeer by getting to close, but he really wanted to get a better look at them.
The yeti just sighed. He'd hoped that upon see the large creatures they would intimidate the boy and he would be satisfied with just seeing them at a distance... The reindeer were almost three times the boy's size, and were not the most tamed creatures in existence. Sure, North had some control over them, but they were still very dangerous and any one of them could crush Jack into the ground with hardly even lifting a hoof. After seeing all of this for himself, all Jack could say was that they were awesome?
"Which one is Comet?" Jack asked, excited at finally seeing them.
Phil laughed at his question. He was obviously referring to a popular song that had recently come up within the last 30 or 40 years. Contrary to popular belief, those weren't really their names. How would the humans figured out what North called his reindeer when not even half of them believed in him? Besides, North only had six reindeer while that song had eight... well, nine if Rudolph was included. How did they even come up with that? A reindeer with a red nose that glowed? Some of the things humans come up with...
Phil turned his thoughts back towards Jack and decided to humor him by pointing to one of the ones closer to them. Immediately the boy had the winds fly him over to it. With the sudden appearance of the winter spirit, the creature snorted and took a step forwards in a threatening manner. Phil took a hurried step towards Jack, to stop him, but when the yeti saw him calmly land and hold his hand out, hesitantly taking small steps forwards, Phil decided to see how this would play out.
The reindeer looked at Jack's hand for a moment, then hesitantly walked towards him. Jack stopped a few steps away, allowing the reindeer to close the distance between the two of them. When he reached Jack's hand, he sniffed it cautiously. Jack froze as the creature nuzzled his hand. It had tickled and for a moment Jack had wanted to pull away, but that would have only startled his new friend, and he'd rather not have to deal with a surprised reindeer. Jack let out a small laugh as he felt it lick his hand. He took another step closer to 'Comet' and reached his other hand to pet it. The large creature knelt down to allow Jack to reach him easier. Jack's hand brushed against the fur, and Jack was amazed at how soft it was. Jack started talking to his new friend, mainly just mumbles. Phil wasn't close enough to hear, but the two seemed to be getting along quite well. Jack continued to pet the reindeer and it seemed to enjoy it because he turned and tried to lick Jack again. His antlers got in the way and hit Jack.
"Ow!" Jack squealed as he reflexively brought his hands up to his head and took a step back. There would definitely be a bruise there later. Jack turned to face Phil when he heard the big guy laughing at him. "It's not funny!" Jack said, though his voice was light and held a bit of a laugh in it.
Phil only replied with more laughter.
Jack's head throbbed a bit, and he felt tears of pain coming to him through his laughs, but he quickly brushed them away. That would just cause Phil to laugh more... or get worried. Either outcome was not one Jack wanted to deal with right now. He came over and stood by the yeti, still rubbing his head in pain.
"Okay, how about you go over and say 'hi' to them?" Jack challenged, gesturing towards the rest of the reindeer. Phil took a step backwards and waves his arms, signaling that he was fine just where he was. No reindeer would be coming near him... Nope.
Jack smirked and turned back to the reindeer. "Comet!" He called out. "Come here, come meet Phil."
Phil sighed. He'd have to tell the boy that that wasn't the reindeer's real name, and that they wouldn't respond-
The beast's ears perked up as Jack called to it, and it quickly stood up and walked over to him. When it reached the two of them it bent down and began nuzzling the winter spirit.
Phil gaped for a moment, then let out a defeated sigh as he realized Jack had just renamed one of the reindeer. He hoped North wouldn't mind too much...
The reindeer now officially known as 'Comet' stopped playing with Jack and sniffed at Phil. It seemed to sense his unease, because the reindeer snorted and became uneasy himself.
"Stop being so nervous." Jack whispered. "He won't hurt you. You're just making him jumpy."
Phil found it ironic that Jack was the one telling Phil to be calm when the yeti was the one who had been there when North first got the creatures. He had just never gotten use to them. He was fine during the Christmas time because they knew had a job and were ready to preform it, but any other time and the reindeer were anxious for something to do. Phil was never really around them when they were like this. It wasn't his job to look after them.
Phil took a moment, but he got over his nerves. Holding his hand out, he waited for Comet to get use to him as well. It was done in a instant. Jack was right, Comet was fine now that his new friends weren't acting uneasy.
"Can we take him out?" Jack asked as he continued to pet the beast.
Phil's first thought was a big No, but before he could answer, one of the yetis at the door said that would be a good idea. They had been planning to take all the reindeer out later, so Jack could do it now, if they kept a good eye on Comet. The yetis would handle the rest of them, but even having one less to deal with a blessing to the yetis.
Jack let out a small joyous cry, and hugged Comet, while Phil looked worriedly at the other yetis. They were okay with this, they said it was no big deal so it wouldn't be that bad... Right?
Jack led the way with Comet close behind. The other yetis quickly followed, allowing the the rest of the reindeer out of the stables, while ushering them towards the door that lead outside.
Phil watched as Jack paused in his steps. He could almost hear the gears turning in the boy's head. He was up to something...
When a smirk appeared on the mischievous spirit's face, Phil knew that it was a time for worry.
They were now in the main tunnel, and Jack stood in front of one of the different tunnels that led outside. He used the winds to lift him and then placed himself on Comet's backside.
Phil instantly got worried for the spirit. The reindeer weren't use to being ridden like mounts.. how would Comet react?
His question was answered when Jack's mount got really uncomfortable with Jack on top of him. Jack tried to shift and get into a better position, but Comet kept moving and trying to get use to it. The reindeer obviously found the whole situation very uncomfortable and tried to gently get the boy off of him, but eventually there came a point where Comet just got tired of Jack being up there and tried to buck him off. Phil almost had a heart attack when the reindeer started going wild. Most of the yetis there tried to get closer, to help calm him down, but it seemed to only agitate Comet more.
Jack's face had lost all its joy and he was now clinging on for dear life. If he fell now, he'd be in range of the the wild animal's hoofs. Jack found himself flung forwards when Comet bucked towards the front. Jack's eyes widened as he almost collided with Comet's antlers. His hood was thrown over his head, and covered his eyes. He freaked out for a moment as his vision was covered, but he quickly got his sight back and managed to lean in closer to get a better grip on Comet's fur.
Jack's breath was coming faster as he realized he couldn't keep this up much longer. If something didn't happen soon to change this situation he would be in serious trouble. He felt his heart pounding, it rang in his ears, and throbbed in his chest. When he first thought of riding a reindeer he hadn't thought it would cause this much trouble. Then again he hadn't expected the yetis to go all crazy. He should have assumed they would, what, with them being so protective of their reindeer, and Phil being so protective of Jack. Its like they didn't think he could handle this. He could have this whole situation under control if the yetis would stop trying to help! If they stopped, then Comet wouldn't be so freaked out. He couldn't blame the creature for acting wild. Sure, he jumped a bit when Jack landed on him, but he was just trying to get use to him. If the yetis hadn't started yelling, and trying to grab at the reindeer, the two of them would have been just fine. Now he had to deal with this.
Jack thought quickly, hoping this wouldn't get himself killed. He pulled up on the fur of Comet, and brought the reindeer up onto it's hind legs. He raised his staff high and let loose a brilliant blue light. He released a wild cry as he poured his power into his staff, while at the same time, he tried to keep the large beast beneath him under control. The light reflected off of the icy walls that surrounded them, blinding the yetis for a moment. It caused them to back off a bit, which in turn, helped calm down Comet. Particles of Jack's wintry magic floated to the ground as Comet landed back on all fours. Although the creature was breathing fast, he was no longer trying to dislodge Jack from his back. He was still shifting uncomfortably, so Jack, after giving the yetis a good glare that silently told them to stay back, quietly whispered words to Comet and began to sooth him.
:::
Phil had watched in awe as Jack took a hold of the situation and calmed his new friend down. Now Jack was dismounting and removing his hood. The other yetis took that as a signal to come closer again, though they made sure not to upset Comet once more.
A large smile played on Jack's lips like that whole situation had just been a whole game to him. Phil just shook his head at the boy and how he handled everything so well.
One thing that the yeti knew would stay with him would be the memory of Jack mounted on Comet, reared up on hind legs. With the way light had been shining from the staff, and how the snow particles had surrounded the two of them, even how Jack's hood had been covering part of his face. All of that added to the scene that Phil beheld. It made him realize that Jack Frost held more power in him then others may have not realized. Strength and courage surrounded him just as easily as the winds that carried him.
The yeti walked over to the reckless child and ruffled his hair. He paused for a moment as he felt a tremble come from Jack. With other yetis trying to get closer to congratulate the spirit, Phil backed off for a bit, but he continued to observe his friend.
Jack was laughing as he answered the questions that bombarded him, but now Phil noticed that it was to hide the tremble that the boy had. His staff was being held far too tightly in his hands, causing his knuckles to turn whiter then they already were. Jack was also leaning up against an icy pillar, helping to support him because his legs were to weak to do it on their own.
Comet knelt down beside Jack, and Phil noticed the sigh of relief that came when Jack sat back down on the creature's back. It stayed on the ground, allowing some of the remaining yetis to talk to Jack without having them needing to look at him. The winter spirit's breath was still coming a bit quickly, and Phil decided that he'd had enough. Obviously the whole ordeal had shaken him more then what was originally thought. The head yeti strode up to Jack and asked the other yetis to leave for a moment. They gladly obliged, knowing how close those two had grown these past few years. They left and returned to their work at looking after the rest of the reindeer.
"Okay, you got to tell me the truth... How cool did I look?" Jack smirked.
Phil looked closely at Jack and saw that his eyes were still wide with worry and fear. The yeti quickly pulled the spirit into a hug before any protests could be made. Jack struggled for a bit, but soon stilled. He stayed like that for a moment, before he grabbed onto Phil fur tightly. A few shudders ran thought him, and he was shaking slightly.
After a moment Phil realized Jack was saying something into his fur. It reminded him of when Jack had ruined the Naughty and Nice lists. How shaken and scared he'd been. This one was less intense, but it obviously wasn't a pleasant experience. The shudders died down and Phil figured Jack was feeling a bit better. He released the boy, and watched as Jack looked distractedly away. He was absentmindedly stroking Comet's fur, which brought a bit of comfort to Phil. At least this whole ordeal didn't cause Jack to fear or dislike the reindeer.
"You didn't answer my question."
Jack's voice cut through to Phil, and he looked back at the boy. His eyes were still unfocused, but they quickly turned towards the yeti. They had their usual mischievous glint in them, if only a bit dimmed, but that was understandable.
It took Phil a moment to register what Jack had just said. When he understood it, he let out a laugh telling the boy about the epic moment he saw. Jack's face lit up as he tried to picture it. He then started to ramble on about different stories he had heard about. The different powerful winter spirits and gods that humans use to believe in and if his moment of awesomeness could be compared to them.
The winds circled around him, getting more wild as his thoughts raced. Phil took a step back, giving the winter spirit some room for his excitement. His foot caught on some ice, causing him to slip.
His first thought was to yell at Jack, but he realized that it was just the natural floor of the cavern that caused him to fall. He tried to catch himself, but found himself falling down into one of the tunnels the sleigh normally takes.
This one just had to be one of the ones North takes for a thrill... It had the steep declines, and sharp turns, with loops and swerves going every which way. Phil let out a garbled cry as he lost his footing and started down the wild ride.
:::
The winds died down immediately as Jack turned at Phil's cry. When he saw the yeti sliding down the tunnel he let out a laugh and watched as Phil flailed around. For a moment Jack thought about helping the poor guy, but... that actually looked like fun.
Jack turned towards Comet and gave him a final pat before shooing him over to the rest of the yetis and reindeer. He then leaped into action, bringing his staff around him. He let out a cry of joy as the winds gave him a boost down the tunnel paths.
Phil came into view quite quickly and Jack chuckled at the sight of the yeti trying to balance himself on the ice. With ease, he slid up to Phil and gave him a smirk. He got a scowl in return and maybe some words of anger, but with the winds rushing past them, and the sounds bouncing around the walls, Jack wouldn't have been able to understand it even if he wanted to.
Stalagmites and stalactites came and went. Jack weaved around them with the skating skills of a mater. Phil, on the other hand, was headed straight for one until Jack formed a path of ice underneath the yeti. Jack let out a whoop of joy as he guided Phil around the obstacles. The yeti was now completely at the mercy of Jack as they both continued down the caves. The yeti had lost all balance on his feet, and found it actually a bit more enjoyable if he was sitting instead of trying to surf through it.
Jack, on the other hand, definitely found more joy in standing. He looked down at Phil and was pleased to find that the other was enjoying himself a bit.
They both came to a ramp, and Jack looked at it with excitement at the challenge it presented him with. He gave himself a boost with the wind, and leaped into the air.
"Yahoo!" He exclaimed as he preformed various tricks including different flips and aerials. When he was ready to land, he used to wind the turn him around, so he landed backwards. He watched with glee as Phil went up the ramp. No fancy tricks were seen from this yeti, nope. He almost completely crashed to the ground, but Jack was able to use the winds to orient his friend enough so he landed somewhat with out injury.
"That was great, Phil. Loved your form." Jack yelled, his voice almost being drowned out by the winds rushing by. He gave a thumbs up as they continued on. He looked ahead for a moment, then looked back at his friend. His eyes held a glint in them that Phil knew would bring trouble. Whatever idea Jack had just come up with... Phil was not looking forward to it.
"How about a race?" Jack asked, though the way he was smirking gave Phil the impression that it wasn't a request. It's not like Phil could refuse. What else would he do as they shot down the ice tunnels of the pole? A race was bound to happen no matter what Phil wanted. Why not give the winter spirit a challenge?
He shifted in his position, and then gave a garbled reply, though it was lost in the winds. He brought his paws in front of him and used them to propel himself forwards. He had to admit it. It felt good when he heard the surprised cry that came from Jack as he passed him.
Jack quickly caught up, though he had a hard time passing Phil. With the yeti's big furry arms pushing him forwards, even the winds couldn't increase Jack's speed enough to get far ahead.
Jack let out a laugh as they came to a curve. There he went on the inside, making it possible to him to get in front.
"Too slow!" He cried as he zoomed ahead.
Phil growled and propelled himself further. A side tunnel came into view, and Phil decided to take his chance. Without a second thought, he pushed himself into the narrower tunnel.
:::
Jack looked behind him and saw no sign of Phil. A part of him was disappointed that he beat the yeti so easily, but mostly he just loved the fact that he won. The rest of the race was in the bag... He'd have to think of a reward he could get out of this...
Just as he was coming to the end of the tunnel, a sudden blast of snow came from the side. With a quick look he saw that there was now a raging yeti hurtling towards him. The snow crashed into Jack, making him tumble into the side of the cavern.
Phil raced ahead and laughed as he passed their 'finish line' first. He turned and saw that Jack was now buried in the snow from Phil's short cut.
When Jack popped out of the snow, he scowled at the winner.
"... You cheated." He mumbled, bringing himself fully out of the snow.
Phil just snorted. A win was a win. They hadn't established the rules, therefore, there were none.
"Psh... fine." Jack said as he brushed the rest of the snow off of his shoulders and legs. He dug around in the pile of snow for a bit, and let out an "A'ha!" as he brought out his staff.
Jack hesitated a moment before awkwardly clearing his throat. "Uh... Thanks for before... " He said, while shuffling his feet a bit. "It just- uh...just surprised me..." Jack was looking anywhere but at the yeti, but Phil didn't mind. He was just happy Jack was feeling better.
Jack gave a cough, and returned to his normal self. "Anyways... To really figure this all out, we'd have to do this again." Jack said, giving a sly look at Phil.
All he got was a snort in return. This whole race began with an accident, and Phil wasn't ready to have it repeated. Although he found a bit of fun doing it, he would prefer to keep his feet solidly on the ground.
Jack shrugged. "If you think you can keep away from the stables, by all means, try. Eventually, you'll have to come down here, and when you do, I'll get you started down one of these tunnels. Then, we'll have our rematch."
The yeti rolled his eyes at Jack, but decided it was better then having Jack pester him on and off about it. He'd just have to make sure Jack wasn't around if he ever needed to go in the stables, and he rarely needed to come down to these parts anyways. The only time was during Christmas, and Jack had learned that those days were no time for him to come looking for fun and games.
Besides, maybe Jack would forget all about this in a couple of years...
A/N: Wow, I almost didn't get his uploaded... right after I said I would be uploading on schedule. I think I tried 3 different times, but each time, I was pulled away from my computer before I could the last finishing touches on the chapter. I got it done, though. Yay me!
Thanks for all reviews and reads, you guys are great. ^-^
