Chapter 2: Respect Thy Elder
Jack wasn't asleep for long before someone woke him up.
"Psst." Something whispered to Jack. The disturbance barely stirred the winter spirit, and the voice was forced to repeat itself a second time. "Psst. Jack!"
Still, there was no response from the winter spirit. If anything, Jack waved the annoying voice away with his free hand, letting out a groan. And then seconds later Jack was back to a motionless form.
"Aw crickey." The voice muttered in irritation, Australian accent strong. There was a rustle in a patch of bushes not far from the tree where Jack was perched. Out of the bushes stepped out a hunched over Bunnymund, the source of the voice. Bunny picked himself straight up before crossed his arms in clear annoyance. He looked up at Jack's sleeping form and shook his head in disbelief. "Why is it that right when I need ya', I find you snoozing off."
Bunnymund received no response, as that was expected. With another shake of his head, Bunny bent down and formed a snowball in his big paws. With a testing toss, Bunny threw the snow ball at Jack with amazing accuracy. The snowball hit its target, the exposed skin of Jack's neck, and Jack cried out in shock as he woke up.
"Wha?!" Jack said as he shot up into an upright position.
Jack's eyes instantly opened, and he jumped slightly when he moved, losing his balance and falling off of the thick tree branch. He fell to the ground, groaning as his body made contact with the snow covered ground, his staff following seconds later. Jack raised his head out of the snow and saw Bunnymund looking down on him with a slight frown. Jack let out a second groan before he picked himself up.
"You know, you could have been a little softer on the wake up call." Jack stated as he picked up his staff. He rubbed the spot on his neck where Bunny's projectile hit him, and then cracked his neck. "Nice aim, though."
"For the record, I tried a nice wake up call. Didn't work." Bunny stated in his Australian accent. He leaned against the tree's trunk and crossed his arms. Bunny kept his green eyes on the winter spirit as he continued to speak. "And thanks, I've been practicing ever since Pitch disappeared."
"Well, it's certainly improved. No offense." Jack said just as Bunny was about to start, a sly smile on his face. Jack cracked a smile, accompanied by a soft laugh as Bunny heaved a disciplined groan for self control. Suddenly, Jack realized that Bunny was here. "Why are you bothering me, Bunny? "
Bunnymund's face darkened as he frowned. "Something's gone wrong, mate. We're needed up at the North Pole."
That got Jack's attention, and his somehow joking attitude disappeared and looked straight into Bunny's green eyes. Jack made a questioning face, and Bunny seemed to understand it, nodding in reply. With a concerned look on his face, Jack instantly jumped back up into the tree. Leaping from branch to branch, Jack halted when he was on the highest branch that was sturdy enough to support his wait. Jack looked up at the sky, and sure enough the Aurora Borealis was shining beautifully in the skies.
It was a desert mirage in the sky. Bright colors of purple, sea-foam green, and a chilling blue danced across the sky in swirls, lines, and other amazing patterns. They shimmered in the sky, shining off of Jack's pale face, giving the winter spirit's complexion an array of colors. No doubt that the Burgess townspeople were peaking out of their windows to look at the spectacular display, but Jack could only think that the colors were warnings from North.
Jack kept his eyes on the shining colors, but felt the branch beneath is feat shudder as Bunny joined him. The winter spirit felt one of Bunny's paws on his shoulders, and he turned to look at the rabbit.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked, his voice full of concern. "Did something happen to North? Tooth? Sandy?"
Bunny shook his head slowly. "No, nothing like that. Something worse."
Bunny jumped down onto the ground, and Jack followed closely, albeit a little more softly and quietly. Jack clenched his staff tightly, showing how nervous he was.
Premature thoughts of Pitch already returning were clouding his mind, and a wave of nausea rolled through the immortal being. He thought that they had defeated Pitch, and although it was inevitable that he would return in the future, Jack thought that that would have been centuries from now, not months. Jack was not prepared for Pitch to return.
Before Jack could ask for further details, Bunny stomped the ground. Moments later, a hole big enough for two formed, and Bunny looked up at Jack expectantly. As if on instinct, Jack took a half-step backwards, away from the hole with a disgruntled look on his pale face.
"No thanks, I'd rather fly there, Bunny." Jack stated in a hesitated manner while taking another step away.
"Aw, come 'ere you big baby." Bunny said, slightly amused.
The rabbit put one of his paws on Jack's back and pushed him forwards into the hole. Jack managed to stop on the very edge of the hole, trying to keep his balance. He held his arms out, staff in one hand, and barely kept himself from falling forwards. Jack's movements were jerky as he tried to balance himself, but with another push from Bunnymund, the winter spirit fell forwards, down the hole.
"Woah!" Jack shouted as he fell down the hole, his voice growing fainters as the seconds ticked by.
Bunny couldn't help but chuckle at the kid's displeasure. Sure, the two were on better terms ever since Jack became the newest Guardian, but that didn't mean that they couldn't tease and get on the other's nerves. Jack sure did that, so why couldn't Bunny? Bunny couldn't wait any longer, and jumped into the hole. Seconds later, there was no trace of the two Guardians ever being at the Pond, and the hole closed up.
It wasn't very long of a travel. In reality, half a minute later the two Guardians plopped out of the underground tunnel and onto one of North's deserted hallways. Jack slowly picked himself up, feeling his body already grow sore from the rough journey in the tunnel. Bunnymund, who was accustomed to this travel, had landed on his feet and was now helping Jack get back on his.
"Next time," Jack groaned as he stretched his back, "warn me when you pull something like that."
"No worries mate." Bunny responded as he patted Jack's back for him. "Now come on, wouldn't want to keep the others from waiting too long."
Jack nodded at that, and the two made their way to North's private room. A yeti was waiting by the door, and opened it up for them, revealing that Tooth, with Baby Tooth, and Sandy had already arrived. Jack paused in his footsteps, noticing Tooth's anxious face. And it looked like Sandy wasn't faring any better. Jack frowned, knowing that whatever had brought the guardian's together was not on good conditions.
North was by the globe, which shined brightly with each believing child. He had his arms crossed, and was unmoving even when the last two Guardians arrived. With his back turned on the other Guardians, Jack couldn't read the man expressions. Jack came to Tooth's side, and she gave the winter spirit a half-hearted smile.
"What's going on?" Jack whispered to Tooth quietly.
"Something that is unavoidable, Jack." North spoke loudly as he answered Jack's hushed question. North let out a heavy sigh before turning around to face the other Guardians. Jack had to suppress a gasp when he saw North's face; it was so heavy with sadness that it terrified Jack. Those eyes that were supposed to be filled with wonder were now filled with sorrow. "A good friend of mine, of ours, is ill. Very ill."
"And who is that?" Jack asked, still confused and scared.
Sandy looked at Jack and let out a silent breath. A golden sand mold of an hour glass formed above his head, however, the hourglass was set on its side, not allowing the sand on the inside to move freely. Jack got the hint and did let out a gasp before turning to look at North, silver blue eyes wide.
"No. Not Father Time." Jack whispered in an alarmed tone. Jack had never met Father Time, but knew of his importance in this world. If Father Time was sick, then there was more at stake other than the safety of the children.
"I'm afraid so Jack." North stated through a heavy sigh. The man rubbed his forehead slowly before returning his gaze back up at the rotating globe. His next words were spoken solemnly. "He thinks he will not recover, Jack. And he has requested that we be there for him."
Jack was at a loss of words for a second.
"But how can he not recover?" Jack questioned, his voice faltering slightly. "I thought Time couldn't die. What'll happen if he does?"
"We don't know, Jack." Tooth said slowly and her gaze dropped to the stone floor. Baby Tooth landed on her shoulder, and Tooth petted the small fairy gently before continuing. "The best we can hope for is that the Man in the Moon will choose a new Keeper of Time. But we're not sure if that's even possible . . ."
A cold silence fell over the five Guardians as Tooth's words had their full effect on them. Jack, seemed to act the most desperate out of the five of them, and looked at the others, searching for answers or for confidence. He found none, and found his fingers beginning to tremble.
Jack tried to speak firmly, but his voice was quivering. "But if he dies, does that mean the world—"
"Father Time is the oldest of us all. Only he will know what will happen if he passes." North stated, cutting off the youngest of the Guardians. Suddenly, North twisted around and walked towards the still open doors. He paused in the door way and put a large hand on the wooden frame. He turned his head to the side, glancing at the others. "Come, we must go pay our respects."
Without further discussion, Sandy, Bunny, and Tooth followed North through the door. Jack was the last one left, who had been too shocked to move his feet. Jack was youngest Guardian, that was true, but even he knew of the gravity of this situation. No Father Time meant . . . no more time at all. One thought just kept going through Jack's mind, "Would the world just freeze in place forever?"
With a sharp call of his name from Bunny, Jack snapped out of his rumination and caught up with the rest of the Guardians. They swiftly walked through the halls, making their way to where North's sleigh was being held. It didn't take long to reach the hanger, and there were several yetis already preparing the sleigh and reindeer.
"Oh, not this again." Bunny muttered, shaking his head in disapproval. This time it was Bunnymund who was taking a few steps back, but with a push from North, Bunny let out a groan. North led Bunny into the sleigh behind the others, and Bunny let out one final complaint. "Alright, but this is the last time North."
Sandy patted Bunnymund softly as encouragement, and the rabbit smiled at his friend as a thank you.
"It's not bad." North defended as he took the seat in the front of the sleigh. North picked up the reigns and tested them before motioning a yeti to come forward. A grey one stepped forward and North leaned towards the yeti. "Keep working on the toys. Christmas is around the corner and we must be prepared."
The yeti nodded and then cleared the area, allowing North to take off. The Guardian of Wonder pulled out his snow globe and threw it in the air. A magical portal opened up, swiveling colors surrounding the sides of the portal. North snapped the reigns and the reindeer pulled the sleigh forward into the magical portal. The sleigh left the ground, and soon disappeared as the portal swallowed the five Guardians up.
Within seconds, the sleigh exited the portal, and the five found themselves in a blizzard. Jack brought up his arm to cover his eyes as the harsh wind stung his face. Jack heard North shout something in Russian to his reindeer, and the sleigh accelerated sharply. To Jack's left, Bunnymund was muttering something about airsickness and was rocking slightly in his seat. The sound of Baby Tooth's flapping wings past Jack's ear, and then Jack felt the small fairy take residence inside his hoodie's pocket.
"Where are we?!" Jack asked, shouting above the roaring wind.
It was Tooth that answered him, her voice matching his in volume. "Deep in the Himalayas! We should be arriving shortly!"
Tooth was right; only minutes after she said it, the sleigh came in contact with a rough surface, causing the inhabitants to leap off of their seats uncontrollably. The sleigh still shot forward, and Jack risked uncovering his eyes to see where they had landed. What Jack saw was a large tunnel entrance thirty yards away. He looked down to see that the sleigh was sliding across what looked like grey, smooth marble.
North directed the sleigh into the tunnel's entrance, and the blizzard was left behind, howling as if angry that the five had left its wrath. The sleigh slowed down to a stop, and the Guardians were encased in darkness, the only light coming from behind them. There was a silence as North noticed this.
"This is not good." North muttered as he got out of the sleigh. "Father Time's power is too weak to power his Keep. I hope that we are not too late."
Bunnymund quickly jumped out of the sleigh, stretching his limbs freely. He let out a sigh of relief before cracking his neck and ruffling up his fur.
"How can we turn on the lights?" Bunnymund asked. And for an answer, Sandy let his sand prowess flow out. The glowing golden sand floated in the air, swirling around like waves on top of an ocean. Soon, there was enough light for the Guardians to see where they were walking. "Thanks Sandy."
The golden sand's light filled up Father Time's Keep, revealing a large hall filled with dozens upon dozens of Roman-like columns that amazed the winter spirit. They towered over Jack, most likely reaching a hundred feet in height to touch the high ceiling. Jack leapt to the nearest one and inspected it, noticing that the columns were in fact not made out of grey marble, but out of a hallow glass tube. Inside the column was a rushing of metallic silver sand, falling much like an hourglass's sand. Jack put an ear on the column and heard the sound of the silver sand falling.
Baby Tooth came out of Jack's hoodie and looked also examined the column. The small fairy made a shrill, and Tooth's head turned to see the two of them. She fluttered over to join them, and gasped when she saw the sand.
"That's not right." Tooth muttered as she shook her head frantically. "The sand should be shooting upwards, not falling."
"We must hurry, then." North ordered, heading down the now lit hall.
The five guardians headed down the hall, walking in silence as they did so. Baby Tooth landed on Jack's shoulder, and the winter spirit patted the fairy quickly before picking up his pace. They walked at a steady pace, but to Jack it seemed like it took them forever to reach the end of the hall. There, at the end of the hall was a pair of giant glass doors. The doors opened automatically as the Guardians approached them, and Jack found himself in a circular, dome shaped room.
The room itself seemed to be empty, nothing but the floor and the curved ceiling high above their heads. The only apparent object in the entire room was a podium-like structure made out of the same material as the floor. A large, almost flat bowl was attached to the structure, and its contents could not be seen.
Jack looked up and around the domed room, watching as Sandy's sand swirled around the room, revealing patterns on the curved ceiling. There were large dots covering the ceiling, connected together with lines that were a shade lighter than the ceiling's color. They combination of dots and lines formed shapes, and that's when Jack realized that they were constellations.
Constellations of Time.
A sickened cough broke the silence, and Jack turned to see the silhouette of a tall, elderly man standing at a doorway that he hadn't noticed before. Baby Tooth made a startled sound and quickly zipped into Jack's hoodie, which Jack patted to comfort her. Jack's attention returned to the elderly man as he stumbled forward, leaning heavily against a staff for support. Another hacking cough escaped the man, and North rushed over to help him. The man was thankful for the help, and put his free arm around North's shoulders. Together, the two stepped into Sandy's light, revealing the elderly man to be Father Time.
Father Time resembled North, albeit a much older, thinner version of the man. His beard was starch white and fell all the way down to the floor, his long white hair with it. The man wore ancient, round rimmed glasses that sat on the old man's rather large nose. The only things colorful of the man's face were his small, hazel eyes that spoke of a long life.
He wore a large grey cloak, akin to a monk's robes, although somewhat more graceful. His sleeves hung loosely, making it seem like there was more to the man than there actually was. A rather large pocket watch hung to Father Time's side, a ticking sound filling the air around him.
North helped Father Time to the podium structure, and the elder man grabbed a hold onto the large bowl. Father Time leaned over the bowl, and looked like he was about to begin another coughing fit. However, he recovered and then turned his attention to the other Guardians, hazel eyes piercing each and every one of them.
"You surely must know that I am dying." Father Time stated slowly in a raspy voice, cutting straight to the chase. "I will not last longer in my current state. I have gazed into the future, and seen for myself."
"Father Time, is there anything we can do?" Tooth asked as she fluttered over to his side.
"No!" Father Time snapped at the fairy, frowning at her. "There is nothing."
Tooth took a step backwards, startled by the Time Keeper's sudden antagonism towards her. She shared a glance with Bunnymund, who also noticed his reaction. With a saddened look on her face, Tooth pulled backwards, finding a place next to Jack.
"Father Time, we have come here—" North started.
"I know exactly why you five are here, Nicholas." Father Time finished for the Guardian. Once again, the old man coughed sickly. He lost his balance, and almost fell over to the ground. He would have if it wasn't for North's friendly catch. "Please, Nicholas, let me be."
North nodded solemnly and joined the rest of the guardians on the other side of the podium. There, the five waited for Father Time to speak to them, to tell them why the Keeper of Time had requested their presence here with his last hours. Father Time showed no sign of speaking anytime soon as he stared down into the bowl in front of him. So, the Guardians waited in silence.
Finally, Father Time looked up, his eyes resting on Jack Frost. He wet his lips before speaking.
"I know everything about every one of you. Your past, your present, and your future." Father Time started in a low, raspy voice. "I know every deed, good and bad, you five have done, and the reasons behind them. I've stared into your lives through this bowl, and I know you better than yourself."
That last part of that sentence was directed to Jack. The winter spirit gulped as the old man's hazel eyes stared straight through him and right into his soul. A shiver ran through Jack's spine, and for the first time in his life, Jack was chilled to the bone. All because of the look Father Time gave him.
"In return, I have given each you the chance to gaze upon whatever part of time you'd like. My gift, to the Guardians." Father Time stated, still looking straight at Jack. "All but one. The reason I called for you here is to fulfill one last Scry. Then my duty will be done, and I will be ready to pass. Step forward, Jack Frost."
Jack gripped his staff tighter, willing for his feet to move for him. But for some reason, his body remained where it was, unable to move closer to Father Time. It wasn't until Bunny gave Jack a soft kick in the rear did Jack approach the elderly being. He walked stiffly, unsure of his thoughts about Father Time.
Father Time nodded his head in approval and held up an open hand. Jack stood there for a second before hesitatingly taking the offered hand. For a fragile, weary man, Father Time's grip was strong and Jack suppressed a cry of pain.
"You may leave now." Father Time ordered sharply as he faced the other four Guardians. "Our time together will be short."
From the looks on the other Guardian's, it was clear to Jack that they didn't want to leave Jack's side. But with a stern look from Father Time, the four left, the light from Sandy's sand with them. The glass doors closed, leaving the two alone in the room. The four looked in the dark room, unable to see Jack without the light from the sand, but Jack could see their concerned faces.
"Now, Jack Frost, tell me what you desire to see?" Father Time asked in the darkness.