The Big Three in the Life of Jack Frost
By Uniasus
Chapter 4
Mother Nature liked receiving guests. When they behaved. But whoever had just flown over her head and froze the flowers she was just about to pollinate was not a nice house guest and was going to pay. On her command vines snaked from the surrounding garden and trapped the mischievous spirit, gagging him and binding him to a tree trunk. That done, she breathed on the rare orchids in front of her to defrost them and continued her work. Only when she was finished did Mother Nature stand up and turn around.
There was Jack Frost squirming in an attempt to free himself while Old Man Winter watched gleefully and ran a hand up and down Jack's staff. The younger spirit was blue cheeked with frustration.
Mother Nature decided to ignore him and turned her attention to her seasonal head. "Is he a good assistant?"
"Not at all! He'd rather play games and pranks than do any real work and I have no more desire to baby sit him. A hundred years is enough, thank you very much!"
Had it really been a hundred years? Well, time does fly when you're trying to breed two new species of birds and thirteen new beetles. And she supposed, looking back, Winter hadn't been as regular as she would have liked. In fact, it was a tiny bit more erratic than when it was just Old Man Winter helping the season along. Maybe the Man in the Sky had a different plan for Jack Frost.
But he wasn't talking right now. She was Queen of the World and it would do for people to remember that. The Man in the Sky too. One day, she and Gaia were going to figure out how to get to him.
"A hundred years is a rather short time." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Long enough for me!"
Jack was making noises behind his gag of vines. She figured it was something along the lines don't I get a say in this? which, well, he didn't. This was a grow up decision. Kid spirits needed to keep their mouths shut! To get her point across, she directed the sun to shine in Jack's eyes.
"It's not nearly long enough to learn how to fully use your powers. Or how to properly shepherd in an season."
"He had no desire to do that! If it were up to Jack, he'd let Gaia do all the work and then just add a touch or two here so the kids can make a snow angel and pet dogs can't drink from their bowls."
Gaia chuckled underneath Mother Nature's feet. Jack Frost wasn't the only elemental spirit that left the work to the planet. Mother Nature did the same thing, sorta. She made other people do it instead.
"He's your assistant and that's final! When you go to sleep in the ice he'll be your replacement."
"That's centuries away yet. And in the mean time I refuse to have anything to do with someone like him who keeps making snowmen in risque postures of me! He is no longer my concern!"
No one says no to Mother Nature and gets away with it. She opened the earth, a straight passage from here to his castle in the South Pole with a detour to brush the plant's hot core. When the ground healed up, Mother Nature picked up Jack's staff and pointed it at him.
"When I release you, do you promise to go straight to the South Pole?"
Jack nodded frantically.
She released the vines and tossed his staff at him. The wind picked him up and they raced off.
Somehow, she knew Jack Frost wasn't going to the South Pole, but she would let it slide for now.