Chapter Three

Many years later...

Of all the places he had to go looking, it had to be Antarctica. As he popped his head out of a tunnel, his ears wilting in the frigid wind, Bunny cursed the Russian blow hard that put him up this.

While he was exercising his colourful Australian vocabulary, he also cursed Pitch Black. After years of silence, they had almost forgotten him - and good riddance - when the bloody rat bag had the nerve to appear on North's globe, spreading fear and mysterious black sand everywhere. North had called a meeting and to make a long story short, Bunny was now here in the this icy hellish wasteland instead of his cozy warren painting eggs for Easter like he should be at this time of year.

As much as he groused, a threat from Pitch Black had to be taken seriously. Although modern humans had little fear of the dark, and their lack of belief cost Pitch to lose power, he never quite went away - a pity. Even as a shade of his former self, the Guardians were watchful. They couldn't afford his return to power as he had been known, in ages past, as a destroyer of worlds.

While Bunny felt there wasn't much to worry about - he felt Pitch's display was nothing more than an overdramatic attempt at attention, the others still took it seriously. North insisted on it and much to Bunny's surprise, MIM had intervened. The message they saw in the moon crystal was cryptic and unclear, showing an image of an unfamiliar young man surrounded by ice and snow, covered in frost and what appeared to be a long blue cloak.

Bunny wasn't familiar with spirit, but after some thought North declared him to be Jack Frost. Bunny grit his teeth at that. He had never met Jack Frost personally, but if he ever did, there would be a score to settle. Especially after the Easter of '68 when the bloody show pony had covered the east coast of North America with record snowfall causing his only holiday to be forgotten in the mayhem.

That grudge and his bragging to North that he was quicker than any sleigh is what brought him to the current unfortunate situation. Shivering with exposure, Bunny inwardly cursed his big mouth - not that he'd ever admit it to North.

He couldn't back down now not when North had sent some of his yetis to help him search. Antarctica was endless and Jack Frost was illusive. He wasn't well known to humans outside a few obscure references and even spirits rarely saw him. All that was known of him was the artful curling frost flowers he left in his wake. That and the ridiculous blizzards, Bunny grumbled.

Phil, North's head of security, had accompanied him as well as Phil second in command, a capable yeti by the name of Steve. They had slowed Bunny's progress somewhat but it would be worth having their help in this frigid hell.

Much to Bunny's disgust, the weather didn't seem to bother his two companions, blessed as they were with thicker pelts and accustomed the equally inhospitable climates of the Himalayas.

"Alright, fellas. You know the plan." At least Bunny hoped so. It was autumn in the southern hemisphere. The Antarctic days were short and Bunny sure as hell didn't want to be stuck here after dark.

As it was, the plan was simple. When they finally found the little brat, Bunny would distract him with talking. Phil and Steve would sneak up behind him and bag him with one of North's sacks and shove him through a snow globe portal before he could even blink.

It was a bit harsh perhaps, but Bunny had no regrets. They were in a hurry and as soon as they had the little drongo sorted out the better. North was sure that Manny's message meant that Jack was meant to be a Guardian and help them defeat Pitch Black but Bunny wasn't so sure.

Guardianship was a sacred duty to protect the innocence of the world's children - not something MIM would take lightly. Personally Bunny hadn't heard of anything that Jack Frost had ever done except freeze water pipes and ruin his egg hunts. Hardly Guardian material, but there was no arguing with North when he thought he was right. All that could be done was to bring the little troublemaker to the pole, show everyone how ill suited he was to helping and go back to handling the matter at hand - mainly Pitch and painting the last of the eggs for Easter.

It was slow going, but Bunny and the yetis finally approached the entrance to a vast glacial cavern. It was rumored that Jack Frost lived here and it seemed appropriate enough for a spirit of wind and snow. As they entered the air seemed to grow colder even in the absence of the wind and Bunny was surprised to see the two yetis stop completely, just inside the entrance of the cavern, as if frozen in shock.

"Well, what is it fellas? I ain't got all day." He complained.

If he didn't know better, Bunny would say that Phil looked afraid. The two of them appeared uncomfortable and apprehensive which wasn't doing anything to help him feel better in this forbidding alien place. They were both looking from side to side as if they could see or hear something that Bunny couldn't.

Phil began grumbling in Yetish and gesturing wildly with his large hairy arms, clearly indicating that he and Steve weren't going any further and that Bunny shouldn't either. If he knew what was good for him, he would leave now and forget he was ever here.

Bunny would have been glad to forget he was ever here, but he couldn't back down now, especially knowing what North would say. The reputation of Easter, and its superiority to Christmas, depended on it.

"Fine! You bunch of cowards. If you're not coming, I'll do it myself." His anger and irritation evident. "I don't need you. I'll just distract the brat and dose him with Sandy's dream sand if you're going to be that way!"

Phil grumbled again as if begging Bunny to see reason.

"What do you mean not to talk about him that way? It's not like he's going to hear me. Jack Frost is nothing more than a selfish little trouble maker and he's lucky I'm here to get him. If you're not going to help, go back to the pole and I'll have a word with North about the type of security he employs!"

Phil uttered a long suffering sigh, throwing his hands in the air as if giving up on Bunny and his attitude. Bunny watched in disgust as the two yetis activated a snow globe and heard the sucking sound as they both disappeared.

"Good riddance, you lazy bunch of bludgers." Bunny muttered under his breath watching them go. Time to get this over with.