Hey guys! So sorry for taking so long with the update. Now that it's summer, they should come quicker. Or, you know, maybe they won't, whatever... Inspiration strikes sporadically!
Jack leaned on the railing overlooking North's workshop, watching the yetis do their jobs. Off to his right, the massive globe spun slowly, lit up with the millions of lights that each indicated a believer.
Jack had stuck around, trying to sneak into the Workshop after he had left the meeting that morning. Sure, he was welcome anytime now, and he had just left, but it was still fun to try to get past the yetis. Phil had just caught him when the lights appeared for the second time today, and Jack had stuck his tongue out at Phil.
Phil had to put him down and let him in, and Jack wasn't very gracious about it. Phil knew he was just kidding, but he still grumbled, and motioned that he would be watching.
Jack's grin had dropped when he entered the Globe Room. He was not the first one there; North's and Sandy's backs were to him. Jack could tell something was wrong just by the look on North's face when he noticed him. Jack hoped it was something small, but that hope was crushed as soon as Sandy turned around.
The normally enthusiastic dreamer had a look of sorrow on his face, and couldn't even manage the willpower to hover. Jack could tell that whatever had gone horribly wrong, Sandy felt responsible for it. So he stood and listened as North explained what had happened to Tooth.
Jack hadn't said a word during the story, or since. He had walked to the railing and waited for Bunny to arrive so that they could plan a rescue.
Now, Jack stood in silence, his staff propped up next to him. Tooth was gone. One of his only friends. His best friend. Gone. Taken by the man Jack had defeated only months before. Or so he thought.
The more he dwelled on Pitch, the angrier he became. How dare he kidnap Tooth? She and Jack had formed a bond. Not a romantic one, but the type that siblings had when they couldn't count on anyone course, they did have other people they could count on, and right now Jack was really thankful for them. He couldn't imagine himself getting anywhere without his other friends.
Jack was going to pummel Pitch. As soon as he could get his hands on him, Pitch was going to regret ever laying a finger on the Tooth Fairy. He would make sure of it.
But as hard as he was taking it, Jack had to acknowledge that Sandy was taking it worse. The little man was dejected, inconsolable as he walked around the room. It was obvious he couldn't stand to wait, but they couldn't do anything until Bunny-
Speak of the devil. As if Jack had summoned him, the Easter Kangaroo burst in, muttering something about how he was freezing his fur off for the second time today.
Jack didn't bother to turn away from watching the workers as North explained Tooth's disappearance again. As North finished, Jack pushed off from the railing, flipped his staff over his shoulders and strolled over to the other Guardians.
"So," Jack tried to seem casual, "Anyone got any ideas?"
Bunny punched his fist. "Yeah, I got a few, mate," he growled, but the focus of his anger was far away, and being unable to throttle Pitch obviously made him even angrier.
Jack heaved a sigh. "Yeah, Bunny. We covered that already. I meant, how're we gonna find Tooth?"
Bunny deflated, and the room became silent as the Guardians thought.
Eventually, Sandy raised his hand to get the others' attention. He pointed above his head and created a small fairy; it looked a lot like a hummingbird.
"AH!" North threw up his hands. "Of course! How could we forget mini fairies? Good idea, Sandy!"
After Jack recovered from North's outburst, he mentally slapped himself. Of course; who else would you go to for help if something happened to the Tooth Fairy? Her helpers!
"Well, what are we waiting for? A bloody invitation? Come on!" Bunny was fairly hopping with excitement. Heh. Hopping. Despite the situation, Jack couldn't help making the joke to himself.
"Right!" North clapped his hands. "To the sleigh!"
North marched down the halls of his workshop, trailed closely by his fellow Guardians. They quickly arrived at the sleigh chamber, and today, the yetis had prepared it ahead of time. 'Maybe I should start paying them,' North mused.
North jumped into the sleigh, followed by the others, even Bunny. He understood that this was too important to delay, and North was grateful.
North didn't waste time on 'the loop-dee-loop' like the last time Pitch rose up, and as they cleared the tunnel, he whispered to his snow globe and threw it. It exploded into a colorful swirl of light, and the first reindeer were quickly sucked in, followed by everyone else.
This time, there were no nightmares as the sleigh emerged from the portal. North almost wished there were. Then, at least he could track them to their master.
Sadly, everything was completely normal. Until North landed the sleigh. Bunny jumped off almost as soon as they touched down, and Jack flew up to find some fairies.
The first hint that something wasn't quite right was the lack of fangirls. There were plenty of mini fairies shooting around, but not one could spare the time to admire Jack. Normally, North would have appreciated this, because they were way too distracted by Jack's teeth. Now, however, it only showed that something was off.
The second, and more obvious, clue, was the Tooth Fairy, or lack thereof. In the large alcove where Tooth normally gave commands, Baby Tooth was directing her sisters.
Sandy pushed past North in his hurry to talk to Baby Tooth, and North almost smiled. Sandy had it, and he had it bad.
Sandy rushed forward, barely registering that he had pushed North aside. He had noticed, however, that an occasional fairy would make eyes at him before flying off. It made Sandy very confused. Weren't they Frost fans? He brushed it off. Now wasn't the time to think about it.
Sandy slowed as he reached Baby Tooth, and the little fairy chirped at another one before turning to Sandy. He could not understand her, but he knew the look in her eyes. Baby Tooth was just as lost as he was, and wanted her mother back.
Sandy held out his hand, and Baby Tooth sat on it. He tried to convey his sadness, and comfort her. He could only hope it worked.
Jack walked up behind them. "Baby Tooth," he said softly over Sandy's shoulder. "Do you know where Pitch took Tooth?" Baby Tooth squeaked and shook her head.
"Then we shall search everywhere!" North boomed. Sandy flinched. He hasn't heard North or Bunny come up behind him, and North had a really loud voice. Sandy had to agree with him, though. He would look everywhere to find Tooth.
Sandy gave North the thumbs up, and he began to outline search areas.
"Alright," he began, "Jack, Sandy, you search Burgess. That is where Pitch started out last time, yes? Bunny, you shall come with me to search around where Tooth was taken. Is good plan, no?"
Bunny rolled his eyes. "Yeah, real genius, North. But we're not takin' your sleigh, mate."
Sandy was in the process of sighing at his two friends, when Jack caught his eye. The white-haired spirit nodded slightly at the door, a grin on his face. Sandy almost smiled, and nodded back. Together, they left for Burgess.
It was not long before Jack spoke. "So, Sandy. Do you think we'll find Pitch in Burgess?"
Sandy thought for a while. After a few minutes, he nodded. They had to find him. There was nowhere else to look.
Jack nodded back, then turned to stare straight ahead. Sandy could tell the winter spirit was worried. He was flying calmly next to Sandy, with no tricks, or acrobatics, or even snow.
Finally, the modern town of Burgess appeared on the horizon, and the different buildings slowly became more defined. It was late afternoon, and it was a beautiful day. Sandy was surprised to realize that he was angry at the weather. How dare it seem so perfect when Tooth was in danger?
Suddenly, Jack spoke, startling Sandy. "We should talk to Jamie. If anyone's seen Pitch, he'd know." Sandy nodded and gave Jack the thumbs up, and they headed to Jamie's house.
When they arrived, Jamie was playing with his sister in their back yard. They had the water hose out, and Sophie was chasing Jamie with it.
Jamie noticed the Guardians as they landed, and ran up to hug Jack. "Sandy! Jack! Hi! What're you doing here? Isn't it too hot for you?"
Jack hugged the boy back. "It's uncomfortable, but I'll live. We came here to ask if you've seen Pitch."
Jamie looked confused. "Pitch? Why? I thought you defeated him?"
Sandy laid a hand on Jamie's shoulder. A picture of Pitch formed above his head, which then changed to show him grabbing Tooth from behind.
Jamie gasped, getting the idea immediately. "He took the Tooth Fairy? But... We need her! How will we remember things?"
Neither Sandy nor Jack had an answer, but Jamie didn't give them a chance to speak anyway. "When did this happen? Where have you been looking? Who's running the Tooth Palace? WHO'S COLLECTING THE TEETH?!"
The two spirits were shocked by this outburst. Obviously, Jamie cared a lot more about Tooth than they had thought. "Whoa, slow down, there, tiger," Jack held up his hands, "it happened this morning, and the mini fairies are fine collecting teeth for a few days."
Jamie sighed. "Oh, well, at least that's something. Did you look in the woods, where Pitch's lair was last time?"
Sandy looked at Jack, who wore the same look of realization as Sandy imagined he, himself, had. Of course! That should have been the first place they looked! Jack grabbed Jamie's arms. "You, little man, are a genius! Remind me to give you extra snow days this year, okay?"
Jamie grinned, happy that he had actually helped. "Can I come, too?"
Jack looked at Sandy, who gently shook his head. "Sandy's right, Jamie. It's way too dangerous for you."
Jamie nodded sadly. "Thought so."
Jack ruffled Jamie's hair, then launched into the air, followed quickly by Sandy. The two were soon at the forest where Pitch's hideout had last been. Surprisingly, the entrance was exactly were it had been before it closed, after Pitch was dragged into it. This made Sandy nervous. If it closed when Pitch was powerless, it must open when he was strong.
Despite his trepidation, Sandy moved aside the broken bed frame and led the way into the tunnels. After traveling in darkness for a few hundred feet, Sandy noticed that the tunnel had lightened. After a while, he could see where the cave leveled off.
Sandy reached the bottom of the pit and moved to the side to allow Jack to land as well. The tunnel branched off in two directions, but only one was lighted. Without a word, the pair followed the light, until they came to a large chamber. The ceiling was far above; it must have almost reached the surface. Hanging from it were dozens of bird cages. Jack pointed to them. "Those are the cages Pitch put the fairies in. This is his place, all right."
Sandy nodded grimly, and signed that they should look around. Before Jack could respond, they both heard a faint noise coming from another dark tunnel. The Guardians were preparing for a fight when they heard familiar arguing.
"I'm telling you, this is right way."
"And I'm tellin' you, mate, that we shoulda gone the other way. Pitch is always hiding in the dark."
"You... Wait! There is something ahead. Stop talking now."
Sandy watched in amusement as North and Bunny charged out of the cave, weapons at the ready. As they ran, he waved casually, and they stopped. "Sandy? Jack? How did you get here?" North asked. Sandy showed a picture of a broken bed, and Jack explained briefly what had happened.
"That's weird, Snowflake. 'Cause we were in Asia, following a trail of nightmare sand." Bunny said. North rubbed his chin. "What is Pitch playing at? He moves the tunnels, but brings us together. Well, only one way to find out. Into the tunnels!"
And with that, North charged back the way Sandy and Jack had entered. Sandy was more than willing to follow, and did so without a second thought. He would play Pitch's game if it meant finding Tooth.
Tooth was beginning to get scared. At first, she was only worried about her fairies, that they wouldn't be able to function for long without her. Then she realized that her friends might be too busy searching for her to do there jobs.
But now, she wasn't so sure that was Pitch's plan. A couple of hours ago, he had come back to Tooth's prison. She had assumed it was to gloat, but surprisingly, he hadn't even mentioned his plans. Instead, he had ordered her to sit in a chair he provided. Tooth didn't have much choice. She knew he could force her, so she sat, and he tied her up.
Tooth expected him to leave then, but she was wrong again. Pitch had grinned evilly, then viciously ripped a feather from her arm. She tried not to cry out, but the pain had caught her by surprise. She let out a whimper, and Pitch's smirk grew.
"Feeling a bit less brave, are we? Hmmm, I thought as much. Oh, little fairy, this is only the beginning."
Then Pitch had left her, and now here she was, hours later, still tied to the same chair. It had to be evening by now, and her fairies would be starting their first night without her. Tooth felt beyond frustrated. Pitch had singled her out because she was a girl. She was too weak to defend herself, too distracted to put up a real fight. Just bait for Pitch's real quarry.
Tooth had struggled until her wrists bled, but it was no use. Curse Pitch's attentiveness to details. Tooth sighed. She really hoped Sandy would come for her soon. She longed to see him defeat Pitch again. Tooth thought about the feather Pitch had taken. It wasn't large, or flashy, or extraordinarily painful to pluck. If he wanted to torture her, he would've pulled more than one. He didn't need to prove he had her either; Sandy had witnessed the kidnapping. So what was it for?
Tooth's thoughts were interrupted by a distant noise. It was almost too faint to make out, but... Yes, there it was! Talking! It must be her friends, coming to rescue her! Tooth's feathers ruffled in excitement. She longed to call out to them, but didn't want to alert Pitch of their presence.
Her joy quickly turned sour when she heard Pitch's laughter. Of course he knew the Guardians were there. These were his tunnels, after all. As the chilling laughter echoed off the walls, Tooth heard Pitch speak softly. "Foolish Guardians. It's the beginning of the end."
Next chapter is an action scene! Finally! Please review, it helps a lot!