Jack was greeted to the night air by a few flurries and the wind. It kissed his cheek and whipped him up into the air with ease.
"Anywhere special tonight, wind? I think a nice trip to Antarctica will do the trick." Jack smiled mischievously as he glanced around at his handiwork, admiring the fine frost designs on each window of the Korean home he passed. It was nice to get out and enjoy the world. It was late in the season, but it never hurt to remind everyone of the fun of winter. That was his job, anyhow. To be the guardian of fun. And he would make sure that everyone remembered this, even if they did not know who he was.
Jack flew through a cloud and appeared on the other side. The sight before him was fantastic, as the tops of the clouds were glazed with moonlight, making them shine with a silvery hue. Jack yelled into the night air, just needing to get everything out of his lungs, and hoping to get the attention of a spirit up here. Sometimes he would run across a moonbeam, and, if he was lucky, Nightlight, but those times were far and in between. The moonbeams only spoke to the Man in the Moon and Nightlight, so Jack was usually always alone. Well, except for the Guardians, of whom looked to him as part of their family. Jack was still warming up to this idea, but seeing as warming up was not something Jack could do comfortably, he ignored it and just hoped that the feeling would come with time.
As Jack flew just above the clouds in a breathless exhilaration, he whipped his staff around and created a few flurries behind him. That town, wherever it was, were going to get a fine sprinkle of snow tonight. At least enough to cover the slightly browned grass, still recovering from winter.
Jack sighed and laid back in the sky, his hook locked behind his head, over his shoulders. He closed his eyes and let the wind carry him where it pleased.
Jack startled when he heard something in the night air and glanced around him, but obviously there was no one in the sky with him. He was alone besides the gentle wind. Jack shrugged it off and put his staff back behind his head again, intent on relaxing while up there.
"Where am I…" the wind seemed to whisper, but Jack knew better. The wind had never spoken before; why would it start now. Jack shifted into a more fight ready position and waited for the voice again. He was not let down as the same question was asked a few minutes later.
"Alright, where are you?" Jack asked into the wind, and was greeted with a gasp. Jack put a hand to his head as a headache began to form. Perhaps he has been pushing himself? Not enough rest. That must be it. Jack silently ordered the wind to take him back to his lake in Burgess to relax for a while. The wind changed direction and Jack leaned into the current just as the voice came back.
"Why is it so cold?" the voice questioned, and Jack held his head again as his headache worsened. Jack's eyes then widened with panic as he felt a warm liquid under his palm that was not there before. He pulled his hand back and was surprised to see it covered in blood. He then caught sight of his hoodie sleeve, which was now steadily dripping blood as well. He pulled his hoodie sleeve up and saw a large cut steadily dripping blood down his elbow and into the wind. He pulled his sleeve back down when he touched the ground of where he called home and unsteadily walked his way over to a bed of grass off to the side of the small lake. He sat down heavily and held his head again, his headache worsening by the second.
"I haven't been here in so long…" the voice whispered, and Jack could not pinpoint where exactly it was coming from, but that didn't matter to Jack as his head seemed to implode with pain and the world become dark.