Jamie frowned a little at that.
"What do you mean?" How could someone "smell" the dark? He didn't want to know the answer to that really but he was more concerned that Jack could rather than how he had the ability. Jack growled lowly, as if an animal backed into a corner; his tail flicked angrily back and forth as he snarled at something in the corner, fangs gleaming in the light. Uncertain, Jamie followed Jack's gaze to see what had agitated his love. Jack snapped at air a couple times, twitching in uncertainty and anger.
"Jamie, run." He had heard what the thing said.
"Take Roxas with you now." His voice low.
"I'm not leaving you with ... that." Jamie said quietly, he stood still, his hackles raised. He knew this wasn't over but he wasn't going to just leave Jack alone with this thing... Its eyes glittered, but it was only looking at Jack warily, its gaze shifting briefly to Jamie hungrily. Such power... it craved it... but what to do about the other... Jack growled, standing protectively in front of Jamie.
"You better leave if you know what's good for you." He snarled, wings flexing out, claws ready to shred the creature apart; if it even looked at Jamie wrong its throat would be ripped out. It let out a hiss... then it spoke. It was a little hard to understand with the hissing though.
"Don't be stupid. You cannot hope to win. You will be ours." It left after that.
"Over my dead body." Jack snapped.
His mate looked at her love, purring to get him out of his bad mood when he returned.
"What is wrong my love?" She spoke, trying to get her mate to stop pacing.
"Hard to catch them off guard." He turned to look at his mate, then looked at the sleeping child in the crib.
"We need him awake... will be... difficult." Came the reply as he stopped pacing.
"I don't know how we're gonna do that; Jack, as you can see, won't go down without a fight and Jamie... oh he'll kill you first thing when he sees you." She was talking aloud trying to find a way to help him out with this.
"Any can be subdued... they are each other's weakness... if you can handle him... take Jack. I will deal with Jamie." Nodding the other kissed him before melding into the shadows.
"I shall try."
Jack panted, tense and shaking; he nearly snapped at Jamie for touching his shoulder. He shook his head, his senses were going wild.
"Jack?" Jamie was worried... he'd never had Jack snap at him like that... Jack's eyes were black with a red rim around them, he snarled; he wasn't all there at the moment and growled at Jamie, tail whipping back and forth in furious motions, body tense, teeth showing. Jamie kept his distance, despite his concern. Jack shivered, freezing a moment; he stopped growling only to collapse with a loud thud. Roxas cried out in fear suddenly as his bond to him had snapped, both Jamie and Roxas felt it.
"Jack?!" Jamie moved to kneel next to him, beyond concerned now. Jack panted, the creature had cut him during the small rampage; laughing the female supposedly went into him.
"Jamie..." Suddenly his eyes went black. Jamie lightly puts a hand on Jack's arm.
"Jack?" Dark laughter, not his voice, erupted from him.
"I'm not Jack anymore." The creature inside him spoke.
"Jack..." Jamie flinched back. Snickering, Jamie was grabbed roughly.
"Nowhere to run." It snapped, black eyes stared into Jamie's soul.
"Nowhere at all." Jamie stared back, shaking... equally angered and scared. Hissing the creature held Jamie in place as the other came in all but smiling like a shark. Jamie struggled in the grip, in desperation he lashed out with ice and cold.
"Ahh ahh." The grip tightened and Jamie was suddenly drained of his ice and power by a simple cut that the other inflicted on him.
"You're mine now." Before Jamie could react, the creature dove in, taking over with ease. Jamie cried out at the cut, becoming desperate to not let the thing take over him; his desperation seemed to trigger his core and the light of it flooded through him, surrounding him and beating the other off from taking control as he had planned. He hissed, screaming in pain and escaping Jamie, smoking the other growled at Jamie. Jamie's ice skimmed over Jack, glowing with his light as he tried to force the other out... Growling the male hissed and tackled Jamie, keeping him still as he growled.
"Don't you dare touch my mate!"
"I'm fighting for mine!" Jamie growled back, shoving the other off with a blast of light and ice; scrambling over to Jack to try again. He wasn't going to give up. Jack groaned, holding his head as the creature's grasp was slipping. Growling the creature slipped into Jamie once more and severed his body's movement. It doesn't stop Jamie from sending his ice to form on Jack though even as his light struggled with the other for control. The one inside Jack cried out, the creature trying to take over Jamie yelled in rage and caused him unbelievable pain. Jamie cried out sending his light slamming into the creature inside him; fighting the thing with all his worth... Jack shook, hugging his middle as the creature scrabbled for control.
"Jamie..." His eyes went black again, the other merely smiled and snickered at Jamie's attempts; white hot agony burst through Jamie's body as if all control was lost. Jamie didn't give in an inch, even as he cried in agony... he still fought... for Jack... for Roxas... Roxas suddenly came in sleepy, wondering what the crying was about.
"Dada... papa?" The female within Jack in turn smiled, she cooed to her young child to go get into Roxas; the other gurgled in approval while Jack cried out.
"NO!" He fought the other tooth and nail.
"DON'T YOU DARE LAY A HAND ON MY SON!" Seeing the danger, Jamie barely managed to blast the little one toddling towards Roxas who backed up fearfully. Eyes wide even as the other dark creature is sent hurling into a wall. Jack panted, the one inside him still fighting to hold on; eventually he collapsed and it took his unconscious state as an advantage.
"Don't ever touch my baby." It seemed to snarl at Jamie as it picked up the little angel-demon creature, cooing softly.
"Don't cry now, things will be better soon." Roxas is scooped up by golden sand; the noise had alerted the other Guardians and they were rushing in to help. The female hissed at the Guardians, growling to protect its young; the male was snarling at Jamie and the others, trying to protect its mate and brood. Jamie growled back as he forced himself to stand despite the pain; he hurt all over... but he was going to get Jack back. For a moment in time there was a stand still before Tooth, Bunny and North lunged at the male while Jamie coated the female in ice; trying to force her out of Jack. Sandy hung back, protecting Roxas with his sand. Jack screamed out in pain as the female clung to his soul; it wasn't going to let go without a fight. She broke the ice apart with ease and tackled Jamie, using Jack's claws she sliced at Jamie's chest only managing horizontal deep wounds; Bunny tackled him, holding Jack down.
"HEY FROSTBITE IF YOU CAN HEAR ME FIGHT THIS BLOODY SHEILA!" Jamie iced over the wounds then covered Jack in more of the glowing ice; by this point he was panting... this fight was taking a lot out of him... Jack screamed, agony rippling through his body; the male was strong, very strong, and seeing Jamie it wanted to kill him now instead of join with him.
"You're dead." It hissed as Jack was curled in a ball by the ice, wings trying to protect him from invisible pain; the female couldn't take it and shrieked, leaving Jack's body as if it was lava and ran out the window with her baby. The male snarled.
"You'll pay for this." It hissed before following. Jamie managed to glare at the trio before he sank to the floor, exhausted... and then he passed out. Jack shook, feeling violated. North and the others don't relax, they made sure Jamie was put to bed that the cuts are dealt with and work on warding the place against the intruders.
"R-Roxas." Jack looked at the petrified child and held him close to his fast beating heart.
"Oh god, what is wrong with him Sandy?" He wasn't moving, eyes, wide mouth open in a silent scream.
"Think whole thing traumatized poor boy... iz too young for battle." North replied and Sandy nodded:
I will weave dreams for him until he is over this... he will bounce back... children are very resilient.
Jack shivered, crying suddenly.
"It's my fault, I'm the reason these creatures ever come around."
"Iz not fault Jack. They exist before you... though this bold of them." He clenched a fist.
"Why is it me they are after, why?"
"Zhey attack strong spirits to gain power. It iz all we know about zhem."
"I'm not that strong though!" He cried, angry.
"I'M NOT OK!" He was growling more and more.
"Strong enough apparently." Bunny replied. Jack couldn't take it, not at this moment.
"Shut the fuck up rabbit." Tooth jolted and they saw Jack was growing more hostile and seemed about ready to eat Bunny; claws out, fangs gleaming, posture tense, tail flicking...
"Back off. Right now ok."
"Calm down mate you're not helpin' matters."
"CALM DOWN? CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN I WHEN MY FAMILY AND I ARE IN DANGER AT EVERY FUCKING TURN!" He closed in on the lagomorph. North thought it was getting to the point where Jack may have to be restrained or worse, taken down. Bunny crossed his arms. Not intimidated.
"You three came HERE of all places an' ya trusted us in tha' past. What's so different from now?" He asked. Jack snapped and North actually had to hold him down with Sandy and Tooth.
"OH DON'T PUSH YOU! DON'T PUSH IT!" He snarled, wings fanning out, claws inches from cutting off Bunny's whiskers as he swiped at the rabbit. Tooth yelped as Jack's tail slammed into her, knocking her back but she held him back tightly. Bunny lept back even as Sandy slammed Jack with his sand to put him out then glared at Bunny. Jack hissed at the sand trying to put him out; eventually everything went dark for and he was asleep in minutes.
"What?" Bunny asked as the other three glared at the lagomorph. Jack purred in his sleep, dreaming about safety; he was going to protect them until his dying breath. Sandy shook his head at Bunny who left the room while the others made sure that the three of them were comfortable. Sandy even put Roxas to sleep, which was easier than it was with Jack. The boy sucked his thumb as he dreamed about going to the park with his dads. Jack quivered as his was sleep slightly tinged red as his anger followed him into dreamland.
Jamie snuggled next to Jack in his own peaceful dream. Sandy attempted to weave a dream for Jack as well... but he's not surprised when this proves difficult. Jack suddenly calmed when Jamie half consciously intervened. Jamie sighed contently in his sleep. Jack awoke that evening with a goal in his mind, one to protect his family and friends at all cost, two was to kill those skin walkers. Roxas was still out cold, but Jamie was awake; sitting in a chair reading. Jack winced at the sound of paper flipping and moving; he couldn't stand it and took off before Jamie could ask what his problem was. Jamie winced slightly and sighed, but he left Jack alone for the moment; too tired to chase after Jack though he wanted to. Jack shifted, something seemed to pull him back. It was his six-year-old, Roxas; he had gotten strong quickly. Jack groaned.
"Roxas, noooo!" His nails dug into the floor as the boy, amazingly, pulled him by the tail. Jamie raised an eyebrow as the boy pulled Jack back into the room by force. He wasn't even aware the boy was awake.
"SO STRONG! SO AMAZINGLY STRONG AND AGILE-!" Roxas slammed the door of his room and Jack's cries are muffled.
"Play nice!" Jamie called after them. Jack squealed as Roxas had other plans of "nice play."
"Don't make me say it twice!" Jamie called after hearing the squeal. Jack whimpered as he hid in the corner; he was getting out his toy doctor kit. Jamie wondered if he should intervene.
"All right dada, time to check your temprratures." He said a little maliciously.
"Nooo!" Jamie didn't like the sound of that and put down his book, he walked into the room.
"Roxas." He said firmly, he didn't like that tone that he heard one bit.
"What did I just say?" He locked eyes with the younger boy. Jack jolted.
"Oh god he didn't watch Mad Science Doctor did he?" Jack asked as he grew closer with a fake thermometer. Jamie wasn't sure if he had or not, but he stepped between the boy and Jack.
"Roxas." He said warningly, he didn't like this and he wasn't about to let his son near Jack with that sort of expression. He looked at Jamie with a glare.
"We just playing." He said quite nastily, Jack growled.
"THAT sort of play is not NICE." He returned with a stern glare at his son, not backing down an inch.
"I told you to play nice. Do not make me repeat myself." He turned away and like a professional clipped his bag and left the room.
"What's gotten into that boy?"
"Good question. Maybe Tooth and Sandy can get us some answers."
"He looked so murderous Jamie." His eyes wide.
"Yeah, I noticed..." Jamie muttered.
"Keep an eye on him while I find our friends... and be careful." Jamie wasn't sure he could handle it if Jack suffered at the hands of their child... Even now a part of him still was dealing with everything he'd come to learn about Jack after having learned about the truth of his mate years ago when Roxas had been still just a newborn. Jack nodded.
"I will." Jamie easily found Tooth at her palace, but finding Sandy was more difficult than he bargained for even as he told Tooth what had happened.
"Roxas?" He called only to find him ripping the stuffing out of Jack's favorite bear in the other room.
"Roxas what are you doing to mr teddy!" He cried, very upset.
"Surgeries." He said as if to also say 'duh.' Sandy's sand knocked out Roxas in a heartbeat and the little boy fell asleep in the remains of the bear. North followed Sandy into the room. He looked at the bear and the boy, troubled by this.
"Hmmm, iz troubling." Sandy put Roxas into the bed while North picked up what remained of the bear and carts it off to do what he could to fix it. Jack's eye twitched at that.
"Sandy why'd you do that!" He growled, wings spanning out in protective parenting mode. Sandy gaves a quiet sigh:
Because it is necessary.
He motioned to the sand over the boy's head, the sand wasn't black... but it wasn't gold either as the dream weaved itself and it's a little violent... Jack cupped his mouth in shock.
"What is going on with him!?" Sandy shrugged just as Jamie came in with Tooth.
"Oh, he's already here." She said.
"Saves us the trouble then." Jamie replied. Jack looked at Jamie.
"Jamie, what the fuck is going on?" He was not liking this at all.
"Calm down Jack, I said I was going to get Tooth and Sandy so we could get to the bottom of this. Tooth, you want to see if you can find anything?" She nodded and approached the sleeping child, kneeling next to him before she touched his hand, closing her eyes as she searched through the boy's memories. Roxas cried out and shut Tooth out.
"Tooth what did you do?" Jack was barely containing his protective, parental demon side. She sighed.
"I think I accidentally ran into his conscious mind. Just scared him is all... I'll try again. I need to make sure it's not memories..." Jamie nodded and she entered the boy's mind again, this time evading his conscious mind. Jack shivered in anticipation; the little toddler sized creature had stuck around, they were friends now instead of trying to take over Roxas like its parents wanted. They'd made a deal to be friends and to stop the feud. Tooth pulled back after a moment with a frown.
"I see."
"W-What what is it!" Jack was very frantic for his child, Roxas twitched in his sleep; shaking a little.
"Apparently the child has made an alliance with the symbiotic creature that was trying to take over you and Jamie. It isn't controlling him by any means, but it has influenced him and not for the better."
"What." Jack snapped, angry that this had happened.
"Where is it now?" He growled lowly.
"I don't know, that would be information only his conscious mind would know and I'm not welcome there as you saw." Jack groaned then started to cry.
"I just want my family safe!" Sadness turned to anger and then back again, it was a loop. Jamie slipped his arms around Jack, laying his head against him.
"I can understand that. I think that perhaps I can isolate some of the memories he has to nullify the negative influence. I don't want to try it though without your permission." She looked over at Jack and Jamie.
"Y-you can do that?" He asked, hoping that Roxas was okay.
"Yes, at least until he is older." Jack nodded.
"O-Okay," He shifted a little, tail swishing a little nervously. "just do it Tooth, please." She nodded and, with Sandy keeping Roxas asleep, she delved back in to shift through the memories. Isolating the negative ones that she finds are the influence from the other. Most of which are unusually violent for his age. The little toddler hadn't visited until now, it awaited in the upstairs closet for Roxas to come play. Tooth pulled back once that was done.
"I've done what I can, but there might yet be new ones if he continues to play with that other child."
"Yes we're putting an end to this little play date right now." Jack growled as he could sense it, that dark feeling again except in a smaller package.
"He's here; I'm gonna kick his ass out of here."
"I think I should deal with this actually." Jamie said and left the room before Jack could. That seemed to raise Jack's hackles a little more but he calmed down and brushed his baby's hair as he held him close to his chest. Jamie tracked down the little dark child to the closet and opened it.
"Hello there." He crouched down, meeting the little one's eyes. It squealed and hid in the back of the closest, whimpering in slight fear of Jamie; it remembered what happened last time they had met.
"Don't be afraid little one, I'm not here to hurt you." He settled on the floor. It opened its left eye, staring at him with one it came a little closer to him.
"Weally?" The creature wasn't Roxas age, but only three years old.
"Mama, dada vewy mwads."
"Yes, I imagine they are. They've caused us a great bit of grief."
"Why that?" He was kind of cute in his own little way, not yet completely dark, innocent at same time; it's not his fault he was like that as it was how he was raised and he didn't know any better about Roxas or relationships.
"How come dada want you bodwy so much, you just a person."
"Well, that's something you'll probably understand more when you're older... but apparently I appealed to him more because I'm not an ordinary winter spirit. I use to be alive once, human. My center, which is my core power... is belief. It fuels the light that you saw that day you were here with your parents." He looked at Jamie.
"Whight?" He was confused at the concept because all he knew was darkness.
"Cwan Woxy pway?" He asked, excited; meanwhile the female was losing it.
"MY BABY! WHERE IS MY BABY?!"
"I don't think that's a good idea. See, you're influencing him in ways that's scaring Jack and if he found you he wouldn't be so nice about asking you to leave." The critter pouted.
"Bwut me pwomised to help stops the fueds." Jack, at the moment, had Roxas on his stomach and was looking at his little tail.
"Well, you mean well but there's not much you can do to help little one. Besides, I think your parents are probably worried about you. I'll wager they don't know you're here."
"Oh." He looked around.
"Mama... she scared she think woo twooks me dada coming to kill you now; run. hides. I tell him im fine and I got wost." Jack, downstairs, was snoring loudly which in turn made Roxas turn, putting his foot in Jack's snout like nose.
"Can't do that little one. This is our home too, Jack will want to fight... why don't you come with me and we get away form here before your parents show up? That way you can say you were lost. If you're not here, there should be no reason for them to linger here and no fight." He holds out his hand to the child.
"Bwut what if dada hurt Jwack and Woxy?" He was worried for his friend and Jack as he grabbed Jamie's hand following close by; his wings like an angel but black as night.
"The other Guardians will protect them. Don't worry." Jamie replied, though he's concerned about that himself as he moved over to the nearby window and opened it before flying out with the child in his arms.
"Wee!" He cried just as the male had come; the female was in tears mostly.
"My baby... I sensed him right here!" Jack groaned groggily.
"Roxas?"
"If it's true, we'll make them regret it." He snarled. Jamie shot off towards Canada... it's the closest place of cold that had a forest. He set the boy down.
"I'll stay with you... but to be convincing that you're really lost, we're going to have to pretend you're watching me like you just came upon me here okay?" Even as he said as much he brought about a light snow.
"Okway mwister." He said before walking deeper into the woods. Jack grunted, awakening and snarling lowly; Roxas instantly awoke.
"Dada?" Jack growled.
"Son, go find Sandy stay close to me while I help you do that." Jack's tail flicked wildly. The two creatures dart from window to window, searching the shadows for their missing son; keeping out of sight of all the elves and yetis least they raise the alarm.
Jamie smiles a little and begins frosting the trees about him gently, adding icicles mostly to trees that already had frost. This part of Canada after all normally had snow around this time of year. The little thing started to sneeze it needed warmth a lot of warmth cold and darkness don't exactly mix but they go together sometimes.
"Mmm cold."
"If you can, call out to them." Jamie suggested, moving to another tree without looking at the child.
"Cwall out okay." He made a shriek that sounded like a dying animal loud enough for its parents to hear.
"MY BABY!" The female cried and immediately went to find her child. Jamie winced at the sound and moved further from the child. Her mate is right behind her.
"My poor baby!" The sounds stopped as he toddled over.
"What happened, who took you?" He looked around.
"No one took me mama I got wost." He said, winking to Jamie as the female looked her child over for injuries. Jamie smiled a little but pretended that he hasn't seen the family as he made icicles on the top of a tree nearby. The female looked over at Jamie, snarling a little but noticing he was oblivious she took her young and left before the male even tried to pounce Jamie.
"Come on honey, he's not bothering us let's not bother him." The male growled a little.
"Fine." Smiling, the baby waved bye before they took off with it; Jack, meanwhile, held Roxas close and had all but attacked Sandy when he came in sensing a disturbance. Jack actually had bitten into his neck and couldn't be pulled off but one dose of sand and he was out, poor Roxas, traumatized by this, screamed. Sensing Roxas' fear, Jamie rocketed back to the pole; wondering what could have happened in his absence.