Author's Note: Remember when I told you toward the beginning of this story about a fork in the road that would come up that I would need your input on? Well, here it is. I already have the the story finished with the way I want it to end, but, for the fun of it, I want to see what your theory is. Either that, or give me an alternate ending and I'll write it if I like it. (I will mention now though that with the original ending, I am working on another story that ties into this one. I will tell you no more, so enjoy!)

"Any sign of him, North? Over."

"Nothing Aster."

"Are you done speaking, North? Over."

"Yes, I am, why do you ask?"

"Because you have to say 'over' so I know you're done talking. Over."

"Right," a pause, "Over."

"Thank you. I found some tracks up here, North. They're fresh, so I'm going to follow them, see where they take me. Over."

"I will come up. Over." The walkie talkie went dead. North hiked up the small ledge and glanced behind him, noticing how high up they had become. He had never before been nervous with heights, and he knew that Jack was not either, but knowing that Jack was up here alone, where he could trip and fall to his death easily enough gave North a new energy to push forward and find his nephew. All he could really do was hope Aster could find him in time.

"Tooth! I can feel it! I can feel the power!" Jack breathed into the wind, the words lost to Tooth. She caught up to Jack, her arms wrapped round her torso in an attempt to retain warmth, but the biting wind took that away from her.

"Jack, please, slow down. I do not want you to slip and fa-"

"L-l-l-look!" Jack stammered out, his teeth chattering uncontrollably and his face burning. Jack leaned heavily on his staff and gasped as a few snowflakes blew past him. He watched in amazement as a low cloud began to drop flurries of snow down on them, flying past in a whip of wind. Jack watched as the snowflakes danced around him, singing for him in all their glory, just as they had before when he was…

"This is it. All I have to do is… is feel the season again." Jack yelled into the wind as it picked up again, whipping around a few more flurries.

"What?" Tooth yelled back, not hearing Jack's exclamation over the howling wind.

"I'm going ahead! I can hear it! It's calling me! I have to go!" Jack yelled back and ran forward, barefoot, staff in hand and smiling like Christmas had arrived early.

"Jack! Wait!" Tooth yelled, but lost Jack in a low flying cloud as it drifted through the higher mountain range. Tooth ran through after him, but when she came out of the other side, all she could see before her was the valley below. "Jack!"

Aster paused in his searching and caught a sight ahead of him. It had begun to snow a few minutes ago and Aster had been reluctant to move ahead, but when seeing a quick flash of blue, he found a warmth inside of him to run toward it, knowing there had to be only one blue thing up here.

"North, I think I saw him. Where are you?"

"I am where it is snowing. I see a trail, I follow it. I am near a cliff at the moment, and I think I see you. Over." Aster, confused, turned around and saw a rosy-cheeked North walking up behind him.

"H-how did you catch up so quickly?" Aster asked, shivering.

"Short cut. Trail leads right up here from cabin."

"What cabin? I didn't see-"

"Jack!" A voice carried by the wind caught the attention of both Aster and North. They waited while a woman caught up to them and paused for breath, hands on knees and breath coming out in a thick cloud in front of her.

"You-you know where Jack is?" Aster stammered, surprise quickly being wiped away from her sudden appearance.

"I do. I am going to guess one of you is North, then." North raised his hand and approached the woman, but she shook her head. "We need to find Jack, now. He ran off into the snow. He's going to hurt hi-"

"No need to explain. Let's go."