Chapter One
Tooth's long fingers tapped idly on the armrest of her chair though she stopped when Bunny sent her a glare. She sighed and slumped down in her seat. Baby Tooth patted her shoulder, chirping sympathetically. Tooth offered her a small smile, but it didn't last.
"This is ridiculous," Bunny said, stopping in his pacing to stare at the other three Guardians. "He was supposed ta be here two hours ago."
Struck with a certain thought, Tooth fluttered into the air nervously, Baby Tooth's worried expression matching her own. "Do you think something happened to him?"
North waved a big hand dismissively. "Do not worry, Tooth. I'm sure he is fine."
"Yeah, Frostbite can take care a himself," Bunny said, flopping back into his chair. "I'm more worried about how long this meeting'll be when Jack finally gets here."
"I'm afraid that Jack won't be joining you for your meeting, Guardians," a new voice said, and all four of the Guardians spun around to face it, wielding their weapons. As soon as they saw who it was, they all dropped onto one knee and tossed their weapons aside.
In front of them stood a tall, regal looking woman with long black hair and eyes, the former of which waved as if in the current of the sea. She was wearing a dress that seemed to be made of starshine, and a few fluffy wisps of cloud floated around her.
"Mother Nature," North whispered in a hushed voice. The woman smiled softly.
"Rise, Guardians," she said, and they did. "This isn't a social call, much as I wish it were so. I need your help."
"What's wrong?" Tooth asked. "Did something happen to Jack?"
Mother Nature's smile turned grim. "That is correct, Toothiana. Jack is in danger."
Three voices shouted at once, and sand pictures formed in the air rapidly, bombarding Mother Nature with questions. The Earth spirit held up a hand and it was instantly quiet again.
"I will explain," she said, "soon. But can we not move to somewhere a little more… comfortable?"
"Of course!" North exclaimed. "I apologise for making you stand there, Earth Queen." She smiled at him and followed when he led her and the other three Guardians to a smaller room filled with plush chairs. They all chose seats, Tooth perched on the edge of hers in anticipation. Mother Nature, sitting straight-backed and elegant in her chair, closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
"Long ago," she began, "in the days before humans, there was a great Ice Age that covered most of the planet. Back then, there were no winter spirits so I personally handled anything having to do with ice and snow and cold. One of the elementals, a fire spirit by the name of Elliot Burns, was unhappy that I allowed the planet to freeze so completely.
"Many, many living things died from the cold, you see, or because they couldn't find enough food. I explained to him the necessity of the Ice Age, but he just became more and more angry as it went on. Eventually, he tried to use his control over fire and the group of elementals he had gathered to thaw out the planet.
"I was forced to stop him, with the aid of the two Generals I had at the time, and trapped him in a comet." The Guardians shot her confused looks and she correctly guessed the cause of the confusion. "My Generals are the four seasonal spirits, the spirits of winter, spring, autumn and summer. A little over three hundred years ago, I found Jack by a small pond near a town called Burgess. The moon had told me that he would find me a winter General, since I hadn't had one ever.
"Jack was confused at first, because he had no idea who he was or what was happening to him, but once I explained who I was and our purposes in the order of things, he readily accepted my offer. I use the wind to talk to him and give him instructions on where and how to use his powers to create winter, which is why he is usually so late to your meetings, because he is doing the job that I gave him.
"But last night, the wind came to me and informed me that Elliot had kidnapped Jack, though I do not know why. Jack is in danger as long as he is with Elliot. Heat is Jack's greatest weakness, and I fear for what might happen if we don't find him in time."
A shocked silence followed her words as the Guardians tried to process what she had just told them.
"So what you're sayin'," Bunny said, "is that Jack is a General? And the only winter spirit?"
"Yes, Aster," Mother Nature said. "But we have bigger concerns. I have my other three Generals out searching the globe for any sign of Jack or Elliot, but I would ask you to aid us in the search, since he is one of you now."
"Da, of course ve vill help!" North boomed. Sandy nodded eagerly and made a check mark of sand above his head. Mother Nature smiled.
"I am glad to hear that," she said. "We have no time to waste. The longer Jack is with Elliot, the more I fear for him."
Tooth gave a resolute nod and turned to Baby Tooth.
"I need you to go back to the palace and take care of things for me, okay?" she said. Baby Tooth squeaked in affirmation and gave her mother's cheek a light kiss before zooming out of the open window. Tooth turned back and found the other Guardians already equipped with their weapons and ready to go.
"To the sleigh!" North called loudly, grinning widely at Bunny's wide eyes.
"Actually," Mother Nature said, "there is a faster way. But we will need reindeer."
North's eyebrows shot up in surprise but he obeyed and led them all to the stables where the reindeer were kept. When they saw Mother Nature, the creatures snorted and tossed their heads, trying to get closer. The spirit smiled and stroked the nose of the one closest to her.
"I need your help," she told the occupants of the stable. "One of the Guardians has been kidnapped, and we need a faster way to travel than the sleigh." Several of the reindeer stomped their hooves and Mother Nature smiled and turned back to the Guardians. "Choose a reindeer and get on."
She unlocked the door to the stall the closest reindeer was in and gracefully mounted him. Her hands fisted gently in his mane and he whinnied softly. The Guardians carefully followed her example and soon all five of them were on top of a reindeer. Tooth gently nudged her reindeer's side and he started forward until he had gathered enough speed to jump high in the air and fly.
She laughed gleefully and looked behind her. North and Sandy seemed to be having the time of their lives and even Bunny wasn't as nauseous looking as he was when in the sleigh.
"Mother Nature!" North called over the wind. "Where are we going?"
"We are meeting with the three Generals," she said. "They are currently at Jack's pond."
"Then let's go!" Tooth spurred her reindeer on and was thrown back a little when he sped up. She leaned forward in her saddle and silently willed him to hurry.
Hold on, Jack, she thought. We're coming for you.
...oO()Oo…
Going through the portal created by North's snow globe wasn't as bumpy a ride as it usually was while in the sleigh, though Bunny still looked immensely relieved when they finally landed at the edge of the pond that Jack called home. The Guardians looked around but saw no one there.
"Where are ya Generals?" Bunny asked, throwing one boomerang up and catching it absentmindedly.
"They are here," Mother Nature promised. Then she turned her face up to the trees and raised her voice. "Generals! Fall in!"
At first nothing happened, but then one of the trees began to twist and bend until it's top was pressed firmly into the snow. From the branches emerged three spirits who walked over to Mother Nature and stood in front of her.
They were all taller than Tooth, and it looked like they'd be taller than Jack, too, but none of them were as tall as Mother Nature, Bunny or North. The tallest girl had long, curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. The only boy had dark brown hair, olive toned skin and brown eyes. The last girl had short light brown hair and green eyes.
"Guardians," Mother Nature said, "I'd like you to meet the Generals of Nature. This is Lila Bloom, the spirit of spring." The blonde girl gave them a tense smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Ash Fall, the spirit of autumn," the brown haired boy gave them a single nod, scanning his eyes critically over the Guardians, "and Sunny Rae, the spirit of summer." The girl with brown hair nodded as the boy had done, then turned to Mother Nature.
"We've searched everywhere Elliot has ever gone," Sunny said. "We covered almost the entire globe, but haven't found anything yet."
"We must keep looking," Mother Nature said. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Actually, I might be able to find him faster if I…" Her voice trailed off and she walked over to the nearest tree, placing her hand on its trunk and closing her eyes. A faint green glow surrounded her hand for a moment before spiraling downwards and into the ground.
"What's she doing?" Tooth asked quietly, not wanting to disturb Mother Nature.
"She's talking to the trees," Lila said. She and the other Generals stood surrounding Mother Nature in a protective circle. "Asking them if they've seen Jack or Elliot."
"And have they?" Ash asked, raising an eyebrow.
"How should I know?" Lila snapped. "I can hear the trees, but not the ones as far away as Mother's talking to."
"Well, how was I supposed to know that?" Ash demanded hotly.
"I don't know, how about because you talk to the trees, too?"
"Just because I can talk to trees doesn't mean that I can always understand what they're saying. I was asking you because you can speak the language better than me, you-"
"Enough," Sunny said sharply and both of the bickering Generals fell quiet, shooting one last glare at each other before turning away. "I know you're worried, I am, too. But arguing over something as stupid as that it not going to help Jack." She shot a glance at Mother Nature before turning back to the Generals. "We should go and continue the search."
"We can't leave Mother here unprotected," Lila protested.
"She won't be," Bunny said, stepping forward. "We'll keep her safe." North, Tooth and Sandy nodded in agreement.
"Da, nothing vill happen to Earth Queen vhile the Guardians are here," North said. Ash nodded, satisfied, but Lila still looked wary.
"If it'll make you feel better, I'll stay here with them," Sunny said.
"Alright," Lila agreed. "If anything happens, contact us."
"You know I will," Sunny replied. Lila waved her hand and another tree bent down and allowed the two spirits to walk onto its branches. Then it straightened up and bent the other way, allowing Ash and Lila to run from one tree to another. This chain continued until the two Generals were out of sight, then a calm quiet returned to the forest.
Sunny scanned the forest with her eyes, then sat down in front of Mother Nature and turned to the Guardians.
"Um, Sunny?" Tooth started hesitantly. "Can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead," Sunny said, and Tooth sat down on the ground across from her.
"So, Jack is the only winter spirit?"
"Yes, he is, and as such he has a very hard job," Sunny said. "He doesn't have as many elementals to help him as Ash, Lila and I do."
"What do you mean by that?" Tooth asked curiously. North and Bunny sat on the ground next to Tooth and Sandy created a comfy looking chair out of Dreamsand.
"Well, the Generals are the four seasonal spirits, but there are many, many elemental spirits. The spirit of rain, the spirit of rivers, the spirit of flowers… they're all nature spirits who specialize in one aspect of nature. Ash, Lila and I all use the help of the elementals to bring about our seasons. When it's time for spring, Lila will employ the help of the flower spirit, rain spirit, spirit of new growth and a few others to ensure that enough plant life grows to keep the planet healthy. The same goes for Ash and I when it comes to autumn and summer.
"But Jack, being the only winter spirit, has to do most of his work by himself. He creates snow, blizzards, hail and sleet, though those last two he usually does with the spirit of rain. It's a hard job, especially since he also has his Guardian duties, strengthening the belief of children."
"Huh," Bunny said. "I never imagined the kid as doin' anything other than flyin' around causin' snow days."
"I know," Sunny said somewhat icily. "He told us, the last time we all gathered, that you believed him to be nothing more than a trouble-making nuisance."
Bunny's ears flattened a little and he had the sense to look ashamed. Tooth giggled at his expression.
'What is it, Sanderson?" Sunny asked, and Tooth looked at Sandy to see him firing symbol after symbol into the air. "Ah, I see. Yes, we are all very close."
"Really?" Bunny sneered. "'Cause he neva mentioned knowing Motha Nature or anything about Generals."
"Well, I wouldn't expect him to," Sunny said back. "Only the elementals know about the Generals. The only reason Mother came to you for help with finding Jack was because she knew that we would need help, otherwise you never would've known about us."
A flash in the distance made them all look up, and they saw a green light streaking across the ground towards them. It flew up the trunk of the tree Mother Nature was touching and back into her hand. Her eyes opened and and she smiled grimly.
"Got him."