Again, sorry for the wait, and I apologies again for the fact that nothing really action packed happens here. I needed to keep with the movie and keep you informed of what's happening in the different sets.

The italic-text with the Guardians here is indeed a flashback.

Please review! Have a flustered Bunnymund XD

Chapter 5: At The Pole.

Jo was back in the black-wood forest. The blurred outlines of the trees were dizzying, the sky was completely obscured by the high, claw-like branches of the trees. Faint beams of grey, dimmed light peeked through: the only source of light in the daze.

Jo squeezed through the tangled tree trunks the branches stabbing at his cheek as he wrestled through them. It was so insane, so tangled like a mat of reeds in a river...it seemed impossible to get through, yet something was telling him, drawing him on. So he climbed over the thicker branches and batted aside the thinner, whip-like ones, eyes squinting to try and make sense of the blurred, grey surroundings. The forest was more like a thicket now, and he could barely see.

Yet, he went on. Searching.

Suddenly, he slipped through the thick branches and toppled to the chilly ground, hands stinging unnaturally, since the cold hadn't bothered him in a long time. He pushed himself onto his hands and knees and looked around at the fog, finding himself to be what looked like a clearing, a small circle one. Around him, the trees and branches remained tangled; his path even more difficult o cross. He stood in the small space of clearing, looking around him.

What is it that you seek?

Jo jumped at the words that appeared in his head rather than his ears- like he'd just read them. He shivered a little.

"I don't know. But...I think I really need to find it."

Then continue if you must.

Jo stared doubtfully at the winding trees in front of him, the dark place. "But it looks impossible! How am I supposed to get through that and not lose my way?"

No answer came.

His eyes snapped open, and Jo found himself somewhere warm and dark. His breath caught in his thought and for a moment he sat frozen like a statue. He was lying on the ground; something prickly like a carpet tickling the back of his neck. Slowly, everything came into focus.

There were shadows on the curving ceiling and meeting the walls. They flickered like trees blowing in the wind, and with a quick glance Jo saw that it was because the light they were cast against was a large fireplace were a blazing flame batted lazily around. He squinted his eyes at the brightness, finding the orange light was the only thing illuminating the room.

He turned his head. The shadows swayed above and around him, and his body was stiff and slightly numb. He had no idea what happened...

Then, as he was watching the oddly soothing sways of the shadows, he saw one of these shapes was still. Unnervingly so- Like a metal pole lodged in the ground among wind-hit trees. Jo felt a shiver travel up his spine.

Then, movement. The shadow slipped slowly from the tangle of the others, from the ceiling and onto the wall. Gone from the obscuring shades above, Jo could now see the unmistakable figure of a thin youth with sharp shoulders and spiked hair that curled back, observable when the figure turned his head to the side, as if to look at the fire.

Jo was frozen. He couldn't move, for the figure on the wall was so frighteningly familiar. He would have given anything to scramble away, but it was as if his whole body was cemented on the ground. His eyes were too heavy to open, yet his breath was quickening.

WHat was that thing?

The head turned to look at him, a blank, shadow face watching him with no visible eyes. The silver-haired youth managed to lift his head and stare closer. His fear ebbed away, but only a little. This figure was too small and thin to be Pitch's, and there were no black specks of sand fluttering around like dust.

But that did not stop his alarm when the shadow stepped out from the wall, and as the fire flickered, he caught the glance of something grey and mask-like.

Consumed by shock, Jo remained where he was on the ground. Then, eerily like his dreams, everything blurred, but this time it faded from a colourful glow of red and orange in the soothing sleep of the black.

The North Pole was not calm as Bunnymund approached. The blizzards were frenzied and the sky was clouded; bitter winds slapping at his thick fur when he hopped from one of his tunnels. His muscles tensed and his fur stood on end, but he remained stiff as he looked around. The lights were brightly lit, brighter than usual at this time of the morning. The whole place, snow and mountain-set building alike, had the strongest air of panic about it.

With a shaky breath under the cold, Bunnymund launched deeper through the snow, sprinting quickly as his feet and paws protested painfully against the cold. Coming from the warm underground of Australia to this place was like eating ice cream after drinking tea.

Aye. It wasn't pleasant.

Neither were the shivering yetis (who ironically shivered more than he did despite it being out of worry,) who let him in without question, rambling incoherently to each other and him about lord knows what. Bunnymund didn't stop for long, and instantly hurried to North's Study to confront the toy-maker himself. Hopefully he had a good reason for this...

"Ah, Bunny!"

The booming voice announced the oddly cheery man as the pooka made it to the globe, stumbling slightly on shiver feet. Thank heavens for that fire...

North looked impropriety jubilant given the lights he'd set as a beacon of serious alarm, and Bunny was already beginning to suspect that it wasn't really a big deal. Rubbing his feet, he graced the elves offering his eggnog with sharp, uneven grins with a slightly annoyed frown.

"Er, no thanks, mates- North, what-Oof!"

He received a large, powerful slap on the back that almost knocked him off his feet before he managed to finsih.

"North, do you know what time o' year it is?"

"Of course, that's nice, Bunny!" North petted him kindly enough on the head, but this only served to frustrate the Boomerang wielding pooka more.

Something brown and tattooed around the ears hopped purposely onto the control panel, not to quietly either. Bunnymund looked over his shoulder and spotted Tyzan there, her fore-paws crossed quiet contentedly before her yet bearing a serious scowl. He frowned in return.

"What's Spookin' you two, then?" He asked with an even tone, though dislike wormed its way in when directed at Tyzan. She didn't respond, but lowered her head so her scowl seemed more pronounced.

Then, something colourful and decidedly feather fluttered into view, surrounded by smaller beings of similar form. North stretched his arms and laughed in a welcoming manner up at the hovering sprite.

"Tooth! How nice to see you!"

She smiled brightly down at North from above, still hovering from side to side as her fairies tittered relentlessly, "It's great to see you, guys! Oh, Hello, Tyzan you're looking lovely today!"

All of this was said quickly as the fairy darted back and forth from the three below, and it earned her a slightly amused look from Tyzan. Bunnymund muttered a quickly reply, but yet again before he could speak, Tooth cut in,

"Jo!" She twirled in a circle, eyes searching around, "Jo, we're here!"

"Wasn't he with you, North?" Bunnymund inquired despite his flustered schedule, glancing around and finding Jo was nowhere in sight.

North waved his arms dismissively, "Ah, He is prob-a-bly out wit Sandy, doing his job like all of us. He is Guardian! He does not need watching anymore..." That said with a note of Pride, he offered Tooth some eggnog. She pleasantly declined.

Bunnymund didn't entirely buy what North had said, with Jo being less than half his size and all, but the kid had been a Guardian for some time now.

The pooka shook his head and pulled a half-painted egg from his shoulder belt and began painting quickly so he could make up for lost time.

As he did this, a familiar jingling sound echoed through their midst, and as Tooth rambled on with her fairies, North and Tyzan noticed a small round ball of gold floating calmly yet quickly down from the open shaft in the ceiling, were the moon gazed through.

"Sandy!" North exclaimed with a jolly beam as the small man hovered closer, "Thank you for coming!"

A number of shapes appeared almost fretfully over the eldest Guardian's head, and North nodded quickly but answered boldly, "Yes, yes, But you know I would not have brought you all hear if it was not something serious! Now, do you want Eggnog?"

Sandman frowned quietly, and tilted his head. North was about to elaborate further on his reasons for bringing them here when his present thoughts, that being the eerie figure from the globe, linked to another.

"Sandy!" He said, his sudden serious poise making all of the occupants of the place freeze. North had grown stiff, and Sandman would have sworn he'd seen him pale.

"Where is Jo? Why is he not with you."

Sandy shrugged , a few signs appearing over his head to demonstrate his separation with Jo. He'd thought Jo had just gone on with his duties and went home as he usually did- Sandy knew that thought he was still Jo's mentor, that the boy would rather take care of himself more than have people (say Bunnymund, which was not unusual) keeping an eye on him too much.

But North's sudden alarm at Jo's absence troubled him. Tyzan, stationed behind him, frowned and her ears stood up straight in apprehension.

"What's wrong, North?" Tooth asked quietly, her nimble hands clasped before her. Bunnymund was scowling uneasily now, his hand still holding a forgotten paintbrush.

"The Boogeyman was here." North said, his voice low before raising in foreboding, "At the Pole."

Pitch is on the loose.

Quick get MiM.

I wanted the Guardians to seem closer here- though they are a lot in the film. I didn't do it too much, but I made it that Jo was a part of their close gang of friends and they worry about him and each other often, as seen in my previous fics with Tooth. But then again, its done in the movie too. I guess I wanted to try and add to it, which I'll do in future.

It isn't done that much here- heck its barley done. Hopefully I'll work on their family-ness. :)