The plan is to keep this fic updating on Wednesdays. If I fall behind, feel free to boot me!

Recommended listening for this chapter:

3) 'The Uncanny Woods': Nine Inch Nails - Just Like You Imagined

In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.
- Dante Alighieri

Jack and Baby Tooth step out onto what looks to be a forest trail, the portal snapping shut behind them with the finality of a deadbolt turning. The path they stand on is narrow and winds into the trees, quickly being obscured by heavy, dark branches. It must be autumn for the trees are barren but the winter chill is only yet a tease that Jack can feel in the air. It also appears to be twilight; the light thin and grey filtering through the long black finger-like branches above. The trees here are so close together that even without leaves, the canopy is dense enough to mostly blot out the sky. Jack finds himself momentarily thankful for the apparent season, for although winter would be a better strategically, as it would allow him to maximize his power in case of an attack, autumn was infinitely preferable to spring, or summer. Ironic that the season his best friend was responsible for heralded the time of year when Jack's powers began to wane. He might be much, much stronger now than he had been before he'd had believers, but out here in the mid-ground between the worlds he was cut off from the power of belief, and he felt it like an empty ache in his chest. Unlike the other Guardians, who would be in mostly dire straits without the power of belief behind them, Jack was just feeling the disorientation of getting used to being what he had been for the three hundred years before he'd spoken his vows. No, having walked out into summer might very well have proved disastrous until he at least got a feel for this place and any opposition he might encounter. Staff at the ready, he moved forward cautiously. Usually he'd take to the skies and avoid any ground-based predators, but the thick canopy would make ascending difficult. Which honestly is likely an excuse more than anything, because Jack is uncomfortable admitting that his instincts are screaming at him to walk, to forsake the sky. While it goes against his nature, he remembers Tooth's advice and trusts those instincts. On foot he will proceed, weapon primed, eyes peeled and Baby Tooth to watch his back. Jack will walk to Road, because flying is cheating, and the Road demands its own payment in the blood and suffering of those who travel it.

Nothing can be earned for free, and the Road's prices are steep. Jack is willing though, and prepared to pay anything he had for a chance to have Bunny beside him again. Let the Road take's its pound of flesh, Jack would hand it over bloody and still smiling. Let the enemies come, Jack will happily slay whatever stands in his way. No fire or flood, beast or calamity could stop him now. Gritting his teeth, Jack works his way deeper into the eerily still woods. Let them all come, Jack was ready.

It was only this state of hyper-awareness that allowed Jack to dodge to incoming attack. Barely a split-second before the projectile struck the earth at Jack's feet, sending up a plume of dirt clear into the treetops, Jack threw himself to the right. He landed sideways on a tree trunk, sending a retaliatory spray of frost without even thinking about it. He figured it was okay to fly now, considering he wasn't currently Walking The Road so much as desperately fighting for his life on top of it. A flash of white from the corner of his eye had him airborne again, careening wildly into another tree as the trunk he'd just been standing on practically exploded. Dammitall to MIM, what the hell was after him? It was almost too fast to see! Beside him, Baby Tooth was chittering madly, darting back and forth, trying as frantically as him to spot the attacker. Suddenly, she chirruped in triumph, shooting off to their left just as Jack had to fling himself away to avoid another onslaught. He wasn't quite fast enough this time however, and whatever it was clipped his ribs as he dodged. The tip was sharp and should probably have opened a wet, red line through his flesh, but Tooth's cloak held true and the blow was only impact damage, which still sent him floundering into the air. He hollered Baby Tooth's name, suddenly terrified she'd been hit, but with his staff arm flung up to protect his face from the flying bit of tree bark, and the other wrapped around his ribs in a knee-jerk reaction to protect what was likely a couple cracked bones, Jack was as good as useless to aid her.

Unable to properly steer, disoriented as he was, Jack's back slammed hard into what must've been the dirt, and he tumbled into the roots of another tree, sprawling undignified in the moss and deadfall of the forest floor. The contact with the ground and tree had aggravated his wounds, sending starbursts of pain up through his back and chest. Gasping, Jack reeled, fighting to regain his bearings and push himself to his knees, hoping to get up and fight through the agony. He wanted badly to return fire, but was afraid to, in case he accidently hit Baby Tooth. Pushing down the pain, Jack struggled to his feet, gazing warily forward and preparing to duck another strike at a moment's notice. His eyes hastily scanned his surroundings, searching for his colourful companion, when another angry trill drew his eyes to where Baby Tooth with flitting between the trees, fighting... absolutely nothing. Jack blinked, wondering if maybe he'd struck his head upon landing, but no, Baby Tooth was quite obviously ducking and weaving around what appeared to be a large, invisible opponent. Soon, Jack was able to pick out the vague edges of what appeared to be a large, many-limbed creature. The invisibility seemed to be more of an ability to cloak or blend in, kind of like a chameleon taken to the extreme, but when the beast moved just the right way Jack could see the flashes of black and white as it lashed out, unable to hit such a small, quick-moving target. Baby Tooth must have been biding her time however, because suddenly she struck fast and true, aiming for what Jack guessed by basic positioning must have been the eyes. She scored what looked like several direct hits in a matter of seconds, moving so quickly she blurred, because the creature reared back, letting out a guttural, unearthly wail as the disguise flickered and dropped entirely. Baby Tooth immediately fell back to Jack's side, as if to say 'I've done what I can, he'll all yours buddy.' Jack's assumption about the eyes must've been true, for the creature appeared blinded, roaring helplessly and thrashing in pain. Now that the camouflage was gone, the monster should be easy pickings. It also allowed Jack to see exactly what they had been fighting. Taking in the monster's appearance, Jack found himself wishing it had stayed invisible.

It was a bunny. Or at least, the body of a rabbit, smaller then his Bunny and lacking the anthropomorphic qualities of a Pooka, but about five time the size of a normal Earth rabbit. There were three, not two long sleek ears, and eight angry red eyes, seven of which had burst under Baby Tooth's sharp little beak, leaking greenish blood that slicked the creature's black fur to its snarling muzzle. It's legs though, those were the real nightmare. Six long, white legs extended from the beast's torso, connecting to the body beside the thing's spine. Each leg looked to be jointed in about five different places, allowing for the impressive range of mobility that Jack had been victim of earlier. Observing the legs, Jack realized abruptly that they weren't furry at all, because they were made of pure white bone; sharp and skeletal and very obviously lethal. Struck dumb, Jack could only watch, horrified, as with a loud, popping crack, the creature heaved, rib cage shuddering, and four more identical legs burst from its skin, coated in a layer of the same gooey blood. Ten legs now supported the creature, which hovered about thirty feet away, intense and menacing. The bunny's lips slid back in what appeared to be a smile; wicked and bloodthirsty and cruel, but then the jaw split wide; a pair of hungry black mandibles extending, what looked to be venom dripping freely as they clacked together threateningly in Jack and Baby Tooth's direction. The creature tensed, groaned, and Jack steeled himself and prepared to strike, when the groan evolved into a voice deep and raspy; the voice of a grown man gargling acid.

"JaaACk FrOoOOsSSsT..."

Jack couldn't repress his shiver of revulsion, the thing before him being possibly the most horrify and disgusting abomination he'd ever laid eyes on.

"A spider-bunny! Bunny-spider? Whatever, of course, it's a freaking spider. Travel to another plane of existence, and naturally, fight a giant-ass arachni-rabbit fresh out of the gate. I don't even need to mention the upgrade for the two free bonus legs." Jack muttered to himself as he closed in for the kill. The creature braced for his approach, letting out a second, low hissing rendition of Jack's name. The thing was still ludicrously fast and accurate enough still despite being mostly blind, and Jack found himself pressed to keep up, even with Baby Tooth bobbing and weaving to run interference and distraction. The only saving grace for the pair was that, while the legs were incredibly fast and flexible, they didn't have enough range of motion to attack properly if Jack and Baby Tooth came in from above. It tried, of course, but it was mostly frustrated, uncoordinated flailing, although that didn't stop the beast from getting lucky and opening a thin line of blood along Jack's cheekbone. The creature howled ferociously, mandible snapping at anything that came within range, but with its vision so severely hampered and without the chameleon-ability to hide, it didn't stand a chance. With a quick somersault mid-air, Jack ducked a writhing limb and struck in flat on the back with the curve of his crook.

It was the work of a moment then to freeze the beast solid, and then one good smack with his staff to shatter it into messy chunks of oversized rabbitspidermonster. Jack grunted in pain, feeling his ribs protest violently with the motion of swinging his staff like a baseball bat, but ignored it when he spotted something glimmering amongst the beast's remains. Stepping forward, Baby Tooth at his shoulder, Jack prodded the object gently with the butt of his staff, with no obvious consequence. It looked to be some kind of gemstone, not unlike the one Jack had from North in his pocket, except this one was black and shiny as the obsidian blade. Hesitantly, Jack knelt, reaching out a hand to the stone, curiosity briefly overwhelming his good sense. This proved to be a mistake, for as soon as it touched the flesh of his fingertips, Jack felt like acid was scouring his veins, traveling up his arm into his shoulder and neck to settle into his midriff. Jack yelped once loudly, Baby Tooth tweeting her alarm, before the world went dark and he collapsed into a heap in the slowly melting spiderbunny guts.

Jack chuckled at Bunny's joke as they crested the hill. He'd wandered down to visit the other Guardian, citing boredom during his off-season. Bunny had accepted his company with the grace he usually did every time Jack found it necessary to gatecrash the Warren. Which, if Jack were to be honest, was becoming a more and more frequent occurrence. In the handful of years since Jack had become a Guardian, he'd slowly found himself settling into a routine that now included the rest of the Guardians as permanent, stable figures in his life. It was still somewhat novel to Jack to have friends to see, and places to go when he felt like companionship. He'd already resolved never to take it for granted, and so far seemed to have succeeded in ensuring that every moment spent with his new friends was appropriately appreciated. Bunny clapped Jack on the shoulder good-naturedly as they approached his den. He wandered off to the left of the home to draw a bucket of water from the well for washing. They'd both spent the day elbows-deep in the moist earth, planting and tending the small stalks that would one day become new Easter-egg plants. Stretching to work out a persistent kink, Jack plodded over to where he'd left his staff leaning against the outside wall of Bunny's home. He hadn't needed it for the work today, better to leave it where he couldn't accidentally freeze half the Warren. He was about three feet away, fighting down a yawn when he spotted it and froze. His throat worked uselessly a couple of times before he was able to find his voice.

"...Bunny?" The words came out a bit more squeaky then he'd like, and his friend seemed to catch the tone because he was by Jack's side in an instant.

"Yeah Frosty, what is it?"

Jack tried to shrug casually, unable to turn his eyes away. "We... have a guest." Jack raised one hand and pointed, letting Bunny follow the line with his gaze until he saw what had Jack all worked up. There, in the curve of Jack's shepherd's crook, was a large brown spider, taking advantage of the convenient shape to spin itself a web.

Bunny blinked a moment at the sight, and then turned to address his friend. "It's just a house spider, Jack. It won't hurt you."

Jack simply shrugged, trying to remain casual so as not to embarrass himself further. "Fantastic, he's all your then." Jack gestured in the direction of his staff, the way a hostess would on a game show. Bunny laughed, then stepped forward and carefully collected the tiny arachnid into his hands, cupping them around the small body to prevent escape. He carried the little interloper off to the side of the house out of sight, where Jack then heard him softly coaxing the small creature into the bushes there. Spider properly relocated, he returned, making a big show of inspecting Jack's staff for further uninvited guests, before handing it over with a flourish. Jack snatched it back, sticking his tongue out at his friend in a fit of juvenile pique, which only made the Pooka laugh again.

"You're not seriously afraid of them are you? You know that most of them are harmless, and those that aren't like warmer climates then you do!"

"Yeah well, I wasn't wildly fond of them as a human, and three plus centuries hasn't improved our relationship any. If I had my way, they wouldn't exist!" Bunny sobered slightly, the way he always did when Jack had said something particularly ignorant or childish. Jack was familiar with this behavior; it usually happened at least once a visit. He'd feel more patronized about it, but Bunny was always very gentle with correcting a mistake, or educating Jack on a topic he knew nothing about, so he didn't mind at all. And really, if Jack was going to seem like a uneducated bumpkin, it was better to be so in front of Bunny than anyone else. Bunny at least, never treated him poorly for it, and looked at every instance as an opportunity to teach instead of mock.

"Spiders are important, Jack. They're part of nearly every ecosystem. You can't wish them away without impacted a number of delicate food chains."

Jack crossed him arms and sighed, knowing Bunny was right, but still feeling petulant on the subject. "I KNOW that, impacting ecosystems is bad, spiders are wonderful for the environment, blah blah blah. I still don't have to like them, do I?" Jack pouted overdramatically, lower lip jutting out, eyes wide and shiny, in an effort to make the other laugh.

It succeeded, Bunny chuckling gently at Jack's antics. "That you don't, kiddo. Tell you what, you just call, and little ol' me will come and rescue you from the fearsome creatures any time you like!"

Jack couldn't help but laugh along, clasping his hands beneath his chin and batting his eyes at his friend, playing up the damsel in distress for all it was worth. "Oh brave and gallant Sir Bunnymund, you are my hero!"

Their combined laughter echoed across the grassy hills, filling the warm spring air with the sounds of their shared joy.

Jack comes back to consciousness slowly, shifting through strange, troubled dreams to finally awaken. He's sprawled inelegantly on his stomach on a bed of shattered wood chips and mostly-melted spiderrabbit guts. The smell alone is nauseating, but the shift of muscles in his back and shoulder blades as he prepares to push himself up sets a flare of pain so white-hot and sharp along his spine that he immediately dry heaves into the mess in front of him. Baby Tooth chirps in worry by his left ear, and after two or three more shuddering retches he is able to verbalize a vaguely reassuring noise between his gasps and pants. It takes him nearly ten minutes to maneuver himself to his feet, his back screaming in agony the whole time. At first he'd thought it was his ribs as a result of being hit by the Spider's leg, but now he suspects he must have sustained heavy bruising when he'd hit the ground, for his ribs appear to be nearly healed. The speed of healing alone tells him that it's been at least half a day since his collapse, but Baby Tooth is unable to confirm as she claims that the position of the sun had not changed the whole time Jack was out. Which means either the days here are of a length so incredible the sun has not noticeably moved in twelve hours, or that the sun does not move at all, and this land lives in a permanent twilight. Jack is sorely hoping it's the latter; he's in no shape to be moving at a decent speed and doesn't relish the thought of being stuck in a place where night time could potentially last for days, if not weeks.

Jack is also beginning to wish that he'd thought to bring some food with him. As a spirit Jack didn't require food, although he did indulge in the abundance of Christmas cookies while visiting North. Spirits were self-sustaining beings, meaning they maintained their own wellbeing based on their internal energies, which could be 'recharged' through belief, contact with their natural element like Jack's ice, or through other, more mystical or ritualistic ways. Jack wasn't as knowledgeable as he could be on what many of the other spirits he'd met in his time did to maintain themselves, but he did know that while he could heal himself in a comparatively short amount of time, he would be diverting precious energy to do so. Weakened as he was though, eating would give his body excess energy to burn, helping to keep him on high alert and ready to fight again at a moment's notice, while also boosting his rate of healing. As it was, his back was so sore that the very movement of his clothing on it hurt, although Baby Tooth had checked and there was no visible damaged, save a bit of swelling along his spine. Jack suspected fractured vertebrae, which would slow him down, but hardy as he was it would obviously not actually stop him. Jack debated waiting it out, hoping that another long nap would have him back in fighting form, but he didn't know if the spider had any friends lurking about who might take offense to its sudden and messy demise and relish and attack of opportunity. No, carrying on was the best option. Still hurting from the exertion, Jack leans his side into a tree to gather what energy he could before setting off. It wasn't a bad time to survey the battle site before him for any potential threats that might have been attracted to the noise he'd been making. Nothing so far had appeared, and the forest was as still and silent as t had been precious to the spider's attack. As he began to walk again, much slower than before and leaning heavily on his staff, Jack stubbornly refused to allow himself to think of his secondary reason for continuing; that the strange black stone, whatever it had been that' he'd touched, and that had triggered the attack, was gone, no longer beside him where he'd fallen. All that was left in fact was a smudge of black ash on Jack's fingers and palm. Clenching said fingers into a fist, Jack fought down the feeling of nervous tension. It's was nothing, he felt fine other than having been pile-driven into the hard earth by a giant arachnid-lagomorph, so the missing stone was nothing to worry about. The thought safely driven from his head, Jack sets himself to walking. It would be a long time before he'd be able to afford to rest again.

Baby Tooth, bless her, was working double time to ensure that nothing else was able to get the drop on them. Now that her more-sensitive visual acuity knew how to spot the camouflage, she insisted on fluttering about, alternating between watching behind them and taking point in the hopes of preventing another surprise attack. To both Jack and Baby's consternation though, hours passed and nothing emerged from the trees to trouble them further. Jack had to rest twice more, but each time it seemed to be easier and easier to get started again. Slowly but surely the pain in his back was fading, dialing down from a 13 on a scale of 10 to a more reasonable 8. It's still hurt like a mother, but it wasn't slowing him down as badly as before. With any luck, he'd be right as rain within another 24-hour stretch. Or at least an assumed 24 hour stretch based on their own internal clocks. Jack had estimated at least two days had passed in the woods, with no discernible difference in the quality of light leading him to believe that the woods were forever caught in the moment between sunset and true dark. It was a relief to Jack that at least he wouldn't be expected to fight another monster in the middle of the night. He's just debating whether it's worth it to make another rest stop, when the trees come to a sudden and abrupt end. Jack nearly tumbles to his knees when the springy deadfall beneath his feet gives way to the harshness of stone. Catching himself against the end of a large boulder and gritting his teeth against the renewed pain in his back, Jack lifts his head to survey the new territory. All around him is a gully, full of large, scattered rocks. They appear to be all different kinds, for example the layers on the walls of the ravine remind him of sandstone, but the rock beneath his feet crumbles and flakes like shale. The boulder he caught himself on is large and pale grey, worn smooth like an enormous river rock. Behind them, the treeline stands harsh and seemingly impenetrable, although Jack knows logically that he and Baby had just come through it. Looking at it now though, he knows that there would be no way to cross it to return to the forest, and a distinct feeling of unease creeps up his spine, making his hair raise in trepidation. Somehow, some force knows that he is here, knows what he is trying to do, and has now made it impossible to turn back.

Well, to be honest, it had been impossible to turn back ever since the Guardians had slammed the Door shut behind the two of them. In fact, he wouldn't put it past his friends to have done the mystical equivalent of locking it and throwing away the key to just ensure that nothing else slunk through to take another of their number from them. He didn't blame them in the slightest, he and Baby had both known that choosing the Long Road meant that they'd be alone; cut off and with no way to return save for successfully completing their intended mission. It was the ultimate sink or swim, and Jack had no intentions of sinking. With renewed vigour, Jack set forth into the veritable maze of stone. This was just another leg of a deranged yellow-brick road, on their way to see the wizard. Ill-advised at it was, he even found the good cheer to whistle has they went, and Baby, for all her scolding about it drawing unnecessary attention, soon joined him in harmony. Hey, just because this was all life-and-death, didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun where he could, right?

"Bunny..." Jack called, teasingly, dragging his fingers through the colour river then flicking them at the other male, leaving tiny little droplets of colour on his fur. The Pooka, elbow-deep in his weeding, ignored him, yet somehow managed to do so with such an air of dignity that Jack could practically taste how put-upon the other surely felt. Jack naturally took this as permission to flick more dye at the other Guardian, fully aware of how much this was cementing him firmly in the 'annoying little ingrate' category. Jack wanted to worry more about the impression he was making, but he'd come here looking for a little entertainment, and right now Bunny was being nothing but B.O.R.I.N.G! Seriously, before he could at least provoke the other into a fight for the attention, but now that they were both Guardians, Bunny seemed to think that just pretending Jack didn't exist was the best way to handle him.

It hurt actually, more than Jack could rightly explain. At least when the other's had enough of his antics, they just politely told him so. Jack hadn't been very good at figuring out things like boundaries, and what it meant to wear out one's welcome, but the other's had been very accommodating, and most of all gentle with him while he re-learned how to be a friend and spend time with people. He appreciated the honesty and forthrightness so much he couldn't even be offended. He knew that he was often high maintenance, and could be difficult to get along with. As a personality, Jack was more often than not too intense for most people to handle in large doses. So far Bunny actually seemed to have the best tolerance, as if somehow not acknowledging Jack beyond a vague grunt in greeting gave him immunity to Jack's usual shenanigans. The combination of pain at the perceived rejection and determination to be noticed had Jack pulling out all the stops in an attempt to make the Pooka twitch. Well, almost all the stops. Jack refused to go so far as to freeze a single strand of grass in the Warren. He'd already had two ruined Easter's under his belt, and while that seemed to be water under the bridge now, he certainly wasn't going to do anything to even suggest to Bunny that he was looking for a third. No, the other had suffered enough loss of belief at Jack's unwitting hands, he wasn't about to even joke about it. Besides, he could kinda respect the Pooka if he let himself; the other was just too cool with his boomerangs and advance hand-to-hand knowledge, not to mention that fact that chocolate apparently gave his extra limbs, although Jack had yet to see proof. No, Bunny was a pretty awesome dude when somebody got to know him. Jack was just waiting for the chance to do so.

"If yer gonna sulk over there all day, you should probably roll up your sleeves and dig in."

Jack blinked for a moment, wondering if somehow he'd tripped into an alternate reality where Bunny actually paid attention to him. But no, there he was, jade eyes locked on Jack's and clearly awaiting a reply. "Um, what?" Okay, not the most coherent of replies, but sue him, he was still reeling in shock from actually being spoken too!

"Roll em' up and help, kid. It's a fair sight better than just being a nuisance all day." Jack blinked again, slow and still somewhat confused, but he obeyed, rolling up the sleeves of his hoodie and moving closer to the other male, kneeling beside him on the bank. Bunny reached over and gently took Jack's hands in his, causing Jack to tense at the unexpected touch. Bunny had the decency not to say anything about Jack's apparent unease, instead he simply guiding his hands into the dye river, slowing him how to weed by feel. It took a few tries to get it right, but by day's end, Jack had a pile of plucked plants nearly as large as Bunny's own, Even better, he had the fragile new stirrings of a friendship to nurture, as well as the memory of Bunny's soft, careful smile.

"You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are."
― Joss Whedon