New chapter, Yay! Now before you all get engrossed in the next step to Winter's rise I'd like to mention a special someone who has been running background for my works and with this chapter I'm sending out a special thanks to her as she basically co-wrote this chapter and has been helping me with every chapter of this story, her name is NamelessIceGoddess and I want you all to know that this wonderful chapter was 70% her! Also Joy is her personal OC and I have no rights to her at all, also Lone Wolf is my personal OC and I reserve all rights to him Equane, Abe, and Niklaus and I do not give permission for any use of them.
Jack floated into the sitting room, ignoring a stunned Bunny who was previously in grief by the leopard's story. He floated down to his feet and walked past them, straight towards a wall that opened and closed around him. Though before it shut he looked back and gave Aster, in the rabbit's own opinion the most seductive smile he'd ever seen, then turned to his boys and said three things,
"Enact plan Winter,"
Aster paused for a moment, confused, he turned to see that the words seemed to truly stun the brothers as they were frozen, mouths wide open. They regained their composure and scrambled to three different walls and walked through, just like Jack had. He cried out but no one but Equane heard his pleas for someone to "Get your bloody asses over here you drongos and tell me what in the name of Easter is going on here!" Equane only taking the time to motioned for him to follow, disappearing into the icy floor. Aster walked over to the wall where he had just disappeared and felt himself start rapidly sinking. He screamed as he was sucked through the wall and was still screaming as he was safely deposited into an underground cave.
He slowly opened his eyes to see five figures chuckling at him. He looked around to see a smiling Jack balancing on his crook, then his three kids brandishing one item each that he had not seen in millions of years, tabling his shock just to gain more as he looked at the next figure, a female with long white hair pulled back into a braided bun with pale skin and ice blue eyes, she was wearing robes usually worn by the royalty of a long forgotten family. Joy, Queen of House Winter.
He bowed out of habit and stuttered to speak, "Y-Your Majesty!"
"Elias, get your head off of the ground, you know I hate when my friends call me that." The white haired woman, who looked no older than 20 said as she mockingly tapped him on the head. "Now take a look at those three again and tell me how you don't see my nephews?" Aster turned to face the three and revisited his previously tabled shock.
"Equinox, Abraham, and Niklaus." He said, jaw now slack.
Jack whistled calling everyone to turn to him, "Alright! We can play catch up later! We've got business to attend to." Without waiting for a response, Joy opened a swirling portal of white and blue and stepped into it, everyone following. When Aster stepped through he found himself in a short hallway, and at the seemed to be a swirling wall of black, as they walked up to it his fur stood on end and he felt an overwhelming feeling of dread. He walked, feeling the magical power in the room increase tenfold every step, until it was all he could do not to turn tail and flee.
As they continued the forward they entered a large chamber with a figure in the center. Aster looked to the person and his eyes went wide with shock. There in the center was a black Wolf, humanoid like himself but with the wings of a dragon, held in the air and surrounded by ice warriors and magical cannons. He was chained by both wrists, ankles, neck, and torso in iron reinforced with ice. His head rose as he sensed their entrance, exposing the blood red markings, not unlike his dark blue ones, as he looked closer he could see the cuts littered along his otherwise clean fur. His blood red eyes gleamed with madness as he stared directly at them. He spat blood directly in front of Jack as he spoke,
"Why, salutations my friends, my enemies, my acquaintances!" He cackled, his red eyes gleaming with an ancient insanity. "You finally came! Oh, how I've missed having such good company! These chains aren't much for conversation!" He said giving the aforementioned chaines a rattle. "So tell me, is it time for my freedom?! It's been so boring down here! I've been longing to wreak havoc on this pitiful planet I created for so long now! What has it been oh Jacky Boy? A couple billion years, I stopped counting at two?" He flexed his wings, sending a shockwave of power at them so strong the mountains shook, even though they were under the surface of the earth, at the direct center of the planet. Several black chains appeared from the shadows made from the darkness of his power and swirled around him at a rapid speed. He suddenly shot forward towards Jack, the icy chains from the wall reeled forward then suddenly snapping to a halt as he was a foot away from him. The elemental guards aimed their weapons at him, preparing for a strike. "Whoops!" The Wolf's feral grin now widening, "Must've slipped! You know, I've been releasing my magic continuously, turning this room into a void of darkness. Gave me something to do. I mean I had to stop myself from completely INSANE. Magic is a beast, and mines been in a cage far too long," His Jackal like grin quickly turned into a face of unrivaled anger, "since YOU PUT ME DOWN HERE!" He bared his teeth, growling as darkness resonated from each word spoken as the room shook from the sheer power rolling off of the God.
Aster shrunk back in fear as Jack held up a hand bearing an amulet made of a dark metal. The wolf's face lit up in shock, then fear as Jack started chanting an ancient hymn, drawing the wolf's spirit into it, leaving the cavern empty. Jack walked up to Abraham and placed the charm onto the chain around the wolf's neck. His features turned dark as red and black markings appeared on the wolf's body. The wolf's eyes lit up with a purple glow as the transformation ended.
A familiar voice now calm from its previous insanity, different from Abe's left his mouth as he looked to Jack "Well, well Winter, I see you haven't changed, like Father Like Son right?"