A/N: I have added Jack's memorial to Sandy in Tales Before Time.
Chapter 27 – The Warren
3rd POV
The guardian's stood watching with pained eyes as the lights of their believers began to flicker out on the globe.
"They're going out quickly," Tooth whispered as she watched more and more just go out. She could feel herself weakening; even now she could hardly hold herself up with her wings.
Jack knew that it was fear that was doing it. The balance was tipped. He also could see the guardians becoming weaker. He could hear Tooth's wings fluttering faster than normal to keep her up, North's jolly red face had lost some colour and seemed ashen and aged. The only one who hasn't shown signs was Bunny, but Easter was tomorrow.
"Hey, buck up ya sad-sacks. Come on! We can still turn this around!" He started, drawing the attention of the three to him. "Easter is tomorrow and I need your help. I say we pull out all the stops and we get those little lights flickering again!" he encouraged them; Jack smiled as he saw North and Tooth begin to perk up at the prospect.
"Then what are we waiting for! This time, old friend Easter is more important than Christmas; az much az it painz me to say it." North told him causing Aster to perk up, for as long as they had known each other they had been arguing over whose holiday was better and more important.
"Did everyone hear that?! He just admitted it! North admitted Easter was more important!" He cheered happily, hopping after his old friend. Jack and tooth just shared a look and shrugged at the antics.
"Everyone, to the sleigh! We must hurry to Warren!" North yelled excitedly.
Aster blanched at the thought of flying and the slay in his Warren, there was a buckley's chance of that ever happening. "Ohh no, mate. My warren my rules, you travel my way." He chuckled before tapping his foot on the ground.
Jack chuckled excitedly as he held his staff tightly and formed ice under his feet to slide through the tunnels. He laughed as Bunny flew past him chuckling while North and the Yeti's screamed in as the slid around and around uncontrollably.
"Wow." Jack breathed as the tunnel ended and pushed them out into the light. The first thing he noticed was the flowers and green, lots of flowers and lots of green. The second was the heat; it definitely was an eternal spring down here. Jack was surprised to notice that it wasn't uncomfortably warm for him like spring usually was, no, it felt like the nice in between of the end of winter and beginning of spring.
It felt like home and that confused him.
"Welcome to the warren!" Aster told them with a large proud smile as he gestured to the area around them. Tooth gasped at the beauty of it, slightly ashamed that she hadn't took the time to visit before now.
Jack blinked and cocked his head to the side as he heard a lot of pitter-patters rushing this way and a high pitch noise just as Aster did. Both could tell that something wasn't right here. Aster sniffed the air, his ears twitching as he heard the noise getting louder.
When his googies rushed out, their squeaks of fear reaching his ears he drew his boomerangs in ready for an attack. The others seeing aster jumpy and on the defensive drew their own weapons, eyes scanning the shadows and hill tops for any sign of danger.
They charged as the sound grew louder, stopping instantly by the Pooka's frame as he stared shocked at the little girl before him. How did a human child get into his warren! Who was this girl?
Jack blinked surprised at the blonde messily chopped haired girl, "Sophie?"
Aster jerked his head to Jack before quickly hiding his weapon, the others following before the girl dropped the googies she held and chased after the elf that had come along for the ride.
"What! What is she doing here?" Aster stressed out as he whirled around to face North. It couldn't have been anyone else but North of Pitch and he couldn't see Pitch placing a child in his warren.
North's hands quickly patted down his jacket and cringed as he felt empty pockets. "Uh… snow globe."
"Crikey! Somebody do something!" He yelled frustrated and stressed, his eyes landing on Jack who held up his hands.
"What are you looking at me for? I'm invisible, remember? So don't look at me." He stated using Bunny's words from before, his hands in the air while shrugging. Aster let out a strangled grunt before Tooth flew towards the girl, drawing Sophie's attention instantly from the elf.
"I have something for you, look!" She cooed happily, Jack watched as she pulled something out of her feathers and held them up for the child. "Look at all the pretty teeth with little blood and gum on them!"
Jack let out a startled laugh as he watched Sophie run away screaming, Tooth watching on with a confused look. Shaking his head while laughing still he looked at her once more, "Blood and gums?" He asked in humour disbelief.
"Tell me, when was the last child you actually spent time with? Kid's don't like blood and gums, not at Sophie's age and definitely not girls." He said while hopping up on an egg shaped rock, he saw the guardians frown before sharing a look.
"Jack, ve are very busy bringing joy to children… ve don't have time… for children…" North replied slightly embarrassed as he truly thought about the last time he had spent with a child that was a long, long time ago now that he had forgotten what it was like.
Aster thought as well, yes he let some little ankle biters see him and on occasion when he had time stayed to watch them find his eggs… but… bloody hell Frostbites right… he thought as he realised that even he hadn't spent time with children since his first believer…
The Guardians all watched as Sophie laughed and began to chase several butterflies that made their home in the Warren happily, none of them wanting to really interrupt her. With a shake of his head he let three of his snowflakes filled with his magic form around his hand before letting the wind carry them towards the Guardians, smirking as they landed on their nose and burst.
The guardians blinked at the blue flecks of light before smiling, warmth and joy filling them. As they moved to play with Sophie, Aster even asking her if she wanted to paint some eggs.
Jack hummed happily as he flew after them and perched himself on top of his staff, his eyes alight with joy at seeing the guardians relaxed. Though he was surprised as he turned at the sound of eggs rushing towards him to see thousands and thousands run down the hill. He still found it odd and yet adorable at the tiny little feet that they had.
"Uh, how much time do we have?" Jack said out loud for anyone to answer, because this was a lot of eggs and Bunny expected to have painted them all by tomorrow?
With a laugh he took to the sky, his smile wide as he flew around the warren taking it in. His answer from before was answered as he saw a colour river with unpainted eggs going in and then coming out painted. The place was truly amazing, home.
Why did he think of the warren home? It wasn't the statues, or the eggs. It was the feel in the air and the familiar markings here and there along with a burrow that say in the far corner of the warren, dug into the side of a cliff.
"CHOCOLATE!" Sophie squealed as she ran towards a stone bench with the chocolate eggs. Aster hopping behind her with a smile, he loved to see the happiness on the children's faces when they ate his chocolate.
Jack flew down and landed balanced on his staff, his nose scrunching slightly at the sweets as he watched Bunny hand Sophie one and smiled as she gobbled it up.
"Aster! That's chocolate, it'll rot her teeth!" Tooth cried as she stopped by his side. North laughed and pulled Tooth back enough so she wasn't nose to nose with the Pooka.
"One won't hurt, try one." Aster laughed as he handed her a milk chocolate one and North a peppermint flavoured one. She eyed it warily before popping it into her mouth and sighing at the taste, she would have to floss and brush later but she would enjoy the treat.
"Here," Aster grunted, shoving a bit of chocolate in front of Jack's face causing him to stumble back and falling off his staff. He landed on the ground with a grunt, scowling as Aster let out a laugh still holding the chocolate.
"No thanks," Jack replied, he was not going to eat another bit of chocolate. He hasn't since the late 1800's after the incident in Antarctica and he swore to never eat one again.
Aster frowned before looking down at the sweet in his hands, it was one of the best one he had made so far and was a little confused as to why Jack wouldn't take it. "Why not, there's'nothing wrong with it, if that's what ya are sayin'." He reassured, holding out the sweet once more.
Jack shook his head again, "uh no thanks, last time I ate chocolate… it didn't end well…" he told him while rubbing his side. Sometimes when he thought of the memory he could still feel the extra arms and the thirst for battle churning in his very core.
Aster frowned at frostbite for several seconds, there was something the kid wasn't telling but for now he would leave it. He could hear Sophie yawning near the tunnel that led to the part of the warren that had entry ways to the continents that celebrated Easter.
He quickly bound his way over to her and lifted the tired child in his arms, a longing from long ago building as he watched her eyes flutter shut and her little hand curling around the fur on his chest. He had hoped that one day when he found his mate he would be able to have kits of his own but it never came, the war with the Fearlings came way before he ever got the chance.
Jack quietly followed and landed next to Bunny watching the eggs begin to enter the tunnels. "Not bad."
Aster turned to look at Jack, a soft smile on his face. The larrikin had proven himself that he could be trusted, that he wasn't what Aster originally thought him out to be. "Not bad yourself. Not bad at all Frostbite."
He smiled softly at the giant bunny before sighing, "I'm sorry about calling you a Kangaroo but you can so see why I called you it." He chuckled, but he was sorry, but not sorry enough to stop calling him it.
Aster chuckled while shaking his head and nudging Jack with his shoulder, "it's the accent isn't it."
"Awe she's so sweet and adorable, I love her." Tooth cooed as she flittered to Aster's side and looked down at the sleeping child.
"The poor little ankle biter is all tuckered out." Aster laughed softly before snuffling her hair as she began to squirm. The action causing Jack's eyes to flash as an image surfaced in his mind, overlaying what he saw. He was in a burrow but made of dirt, snow and ice. The woman rabbit he saw before holding a pale grey baby rabbit as it cried, her nose snuffling against its muzzle as she hummed.
Jack shook his head of the image before turning his attention back to the others. When this is all over with he will have to talk to Aster.
"I think it's time to get her home," Tooth uttered as she saw Sophie begin to squirm uncomfortably in Aster's arms.
"I can take her home." Jack found himself saying, surprising the guardians and himself. He knew that he could carry a child, who had passed away, but he wasn't sure on one that was asleep.
"Jack, what if Pitch attacked?" North asked worriedly as he looked down at the boy. He could feel something wrong that was coming, his belly told him so.
With a shake of his head he stood and held his staff up, "he's no match for this."
"Which is why we need you here, with us Frostbite." Aster stated, the Pooka warrior coming out strong. Warrior Pooka always knew another warrior, they could sense it; no matter the species. That's why Aster could fight along the side of his fellow Guardians. North was a well-known bandit in his time, Toothiana was a warrior queen and Sandy before coming to earth was a Star Warrior; he fought in the front lines when Pitch began to fight the constellations side by side with Tsar Lunar XI and his wife Tsarina before his ship crashed here. And Jack was a warrior, he could tell.
"I'll be quick as a bunny, trust me Cottontail." Jack laughed before taking Sophie from Aster's arms, surprised and relieved she didn't fall before grasping his staff and carefully took to the air, his instincts and the wind leading him through the right tunnels.
The Guardians watched until he was out of sight before turning back to the tunnels and the eggs.
"It'll be alright Aster; Easter will go off without a problem." Tooth told him, resting her hand on his stiff shoulders.
A dark laugh filled the warren causing the Guardians and Yeti to tense as their eyes scanned the warren, weapons at a ready.
"But… There won't be an Easter this year I'm afraid." Pitch laughed as he stepped out from one of the tunnels. Nightmares forming from the shadows all around them, they were outnumbered and outmatched. "Your only chance at help just left you, you're too week to fight me by yourselves." Pitch chuckled again, only to stop as an egg bomb exploded near his head causing him to jerk back and snarl at the Pooka who through it.
"That may be so but that's not gonna stop us, ya bloody mongrel." Aster growled throwing another Egg bomb at the nightmare king.
Pitch bared his teeth and hissed before smirking, his hands rising just as the Nightmares began to attack. Aster threw his boomerangs as he cut his way through the nightmares, his eyes searching for Pitch only to curse when he heard a dark laugh filled the warren over the neighing of the mares and the grunts of the Yeti's and sounds of them fighting. He was gone.
The sounds of neighing and hooves crunching against the ground filled the warren along with the swishing of North's blades and Tooth's daggers and wand connecting with the beasts causing them to explode. Aster never stopped, his anger taking over as he threw his boomerangs and egg bombs at nightmares that dared to enter his home.
They fought for what seemed like days when it was only an hour or two. Aster stared at the damage of his warren in dismay before he doubled over, he felt the hopelessness began to build and it brought panic to him.
He quickly raced towards the tunnels where his googies waited only to let out a cry as he saw them all smashed, thousands of eggs smashed. He knew there was only a basket full of hand painted eggs left, the ones he had been painting near his burrow before the lights were lit.
"I'm sorry Bunny," North uttered sombre as he saw the destruction before them.
"We need to get to one of the hunts, maybe; maybe I can lay the last of my googies there while we wait for Jack." Aster replied softly, as he quickly made his way to the burrow to get the basket. With another thought he went to one of the chests in the main room and pulled out one of the snow globes North had given him one year in case of an emergency before dashing back to where Tooth and North now stood slightly slumped over.
"Let's go." He said while holding up the snow globe in his hand and imagining the park that he could feel the most hope before throwing it and jumping through.
~XxX~
"Happy Easter, Jack." Pitch laughed darkly causing Jack to spin around. His eyes widened as horror began to fill him. Thousands of eggs smashed. Easter was ruined and once again it was his fault. Not only had he ruined Easter he had lost Baby Tooth because of the compelling voice of the girl from long ago, it called to him and he couldn't ignore it.
"No," He breathed out in pain.
As quickly as he could he raced through the tunnels, getting the wind to push him faster to the direction he just knew the Guardians were. He needed to find Bunny, he didn't know why but he needed to find the overgrown rabbit.
A/N: Well my longest chapter yet, I decided to throw in what happened at the warren instead of the whole thing with Pitch and what not. I'll continue the next chapter from the park scene into the Antarctica scene. The memory scene he won't get his memory of being a Pooka back fully, just the reason why he died and what not yadda yadda.
Hope you enjoyed.