I'm back, and I'm amazed at how much support I've gotten! To SoaringSparrow1318, I hope your story goes well! The part with Jack and Pitch is what happened after I cut it off in the last chapter. I also wanted to say that my updates might take longer because I have to practice my solos, for band and orchestra.
Disclaimer: Don't own ROTG.
He had no idea how Pitch managed to break into the Warren. He'd come along willingly, not that he had much of a choice. The only thing Pitch had said was that he was going to blindfold him. As soon as the sand had wrapped around his eyes, he felt Pitch's hand grab his arm. The air shifted and he lost his balance. Another hand grabbed him, steadying him.
He was pushed in front of Pitch, who told him to walk. He kept stumbling, the cast on his leg made him walk with a limp. After a short distance Pitch yanked him back harshly. He yelped as he crashed into Pitch. He immediately stiffened. "I-I'm sorry!" He squeaked out. For a second he was glad he was blindfold, as he couldn't see Pitch's face.
The hand that was on his shoulder tightened until he was arching up in pain. "Do that one more time and you won't be able to walk for a while." Pitch hissed into his ear.
He swallowed, but nodded. A moment later the blindfold came off. He blinked a couple times trying to get used to the new lighting. After a couple of seconds he could see. His blue eyes opened in amazement. He titled his head around looking at all the colors, the grass, and the trees. His eyes couldn't take everything in. There was so much life.
The atmosphere itself was different. It was easy to breath, the air even smelled fresh. The grass underneath him tickled his feet, and he pressed his fingers feeling the blades of the grass. He gazed at the flowers, their vibrant colors made him feel lighter. Almost free. He was no longer surrounded by the shadows that were always wrapped around him.
He was snapped out of his wonder as Pitch smacked him on the back of the head. He recoiled, as his head started pounding. "Pay attention! I can't deal with your stupidity right now. All this you see right now, all of it's going to be destroyed. All of it by you." Pitch said, a snarl on his face.
Pitch suddenly raised his head, a moment later he brought his arms up. Nightmares started appearing all around them, darkness filling the edges of his sight.
He scooted unconsciously towards Pitch. He hated the Nightmares. They always messed with him, either pushing him, or sometimes even biting him. Pitch of course never did anything to stop them, quite the opposite he was amused at their tactics. Pitch motioned for him to come closer. He stopped when he was in front of Pitch.
"Don't leave my side." He told him as he extended his arms.
He nodded, even though he wanted to desperately ask what was going on. Pitch waved his hand, and the Nightmares sprang forward. The lines on his forehead became more prominent as he scrunched his eyes in confusion. What were they doing? His answer became clear as something came out of the bush. His mouth opened in shock. What were those things?
They were egg shaped, a line running around it about one fourth of its way. It was a grayish and green color, with carvings en-laced into its body. As they came out of the trees, their expressions changed. Literally. With a heavy thud their bodies twisted and the happy face they had, changed. It was replaced by a serious one.
He watched uncomfortably as they started fighting. For a moment it looked like the eggs were going to win, but then Pitch snapped his fingers and more Nightmares came out. The eggs were slowly but steadily forced back. He watched until they disappeared from his line of sight. Pitch snorted, before turning his attention back to him.
"Hmm, yes I believe that we have something to do." Pitch said, as he looked around the Warren. "Ugh, so much color, it's so disgusting." A sneer formed on Pitch's lip as he kicked a plant that was next to him. He winced as he stomped on it destroying it completely. "What's with that look? If you think this is bad then you have no idea. When you get done this will look like I pulled a weed out."
He found his body shaking as Pitch simply grinned at him. He felt dread crawl up his spine, and he could no longer look at Pitch's golden eyes anymore. He had no idea how Pitch expected him to freeze the whole lair. There was no way he could do it. He was already tired out from the Nightmare, and it was only a Nightmare. A crunch next to him made him look up. Pitch had taken a step forward.
He resisted the urge to shrink back. Pitch's presence was suffocating, the darkness that always surrounded him, was deadly. "Aren't you supposed to be doing something?" The voice asked him with sarcasm. Pitch raised a non-existing eyebrow at him questioningly.
"S-sorry." He apologized immediately.
Pitch merely rolled his eyes at him, before motioning with his arm towards him. He shuffled his feet. How was he going to do this? A trickle of sweat rolled down his neck. His hands were starting to tremble, showing how nervous he was. As he got more worried, the grass underneath him started frost over. A wave of fear crashed into him. He tensed waiting to be hit.
When he didn't get hit he looked up expectantly. After a moment it dawned on him that he wasn't going to get hit. With a shaky breath he tried to let down the barrier he had created. Even when he let it down as much as he could, the grass only turned white as a light dusting of snow covered it. He shrank back slightly at the pathetic sight.
Pitch sighed. "Clearly this is going to take more encouragement than I thought." Pitch made a disappointed sound, before reaching into his robe. He clinched his fists knowing that Pitch had something in store for him. Once he took his hand out of his robe, he froze.
Fear wrapped around him, as he felt his heart sink. Guilt also weaved itself into the fear. In Pitch's fingers was a ball of brightly colored feathers. Baby Tooth. Her eyes were half-way opened, as if she was just waking up. His face turned into one of horror. This was his fault. She was in this position because of him. Why did he screw everything up?
"As you just proved, this fairy means something to you, right?" Pitch asked him.
He nodded weakly. Pitch grinned sadistically, before violently shaking Baby Tooth. He gasped in shock, but didn't do anything. He watched helplessly as Baby Tooth opened her eyes slowly. They were unfocused, and she blinked multiply times before they finally focused. Once they did they immediately focused on him. His blue eyes looked anywhere but at her.
He couldn't stand looking at her when this was all his fault. She let out what he recognized as a cry. He immediately looked up at her. Pitch was curling his fingers tighter around her. Baby Tooth seemed to have noticed that Pitch was holding her and had tried to get out of his grasp.
"Since I'm feeling nice I'll offer you a deal. Freeze the whole lair, and she won't be harmed. Fail to do that and well, I'll just say she's going to suffer the consequences." Pitch warned him.
This time he stared straight at Baby Tooth. She gave him a warm smile, one that reassured him, but she shook her head. His heart twisted as he ignored her. He nodded at Pitch. With more determination he stumbled forward, leaving a trail of ice behind him. He tried to focus more. He needed to be able to do this! If he didn't Baby Tooth would suffer the consequences. He couldn't allow her to get hurt because of him.
Drawling more strength he stretched his hands out in front of him. He bottled as much power as he could before releasing it. The air crackled as ice shot out from his hand. His knees buckled under him, and with a thud he fell to the ground. The shot had taken all the energy out of him. With a strained effort he opened his eyes. His shoulders sagged in defeat. The tree was covered in ice but it was already starting to melt.
He clamped shut his eyes. "I thought her life meant something to you, but I guess I was mistaken. Apparently you don't care for her as much as I thought you did." Pitch taunted him. "Well, you leave me no choice I have to do my part of the deal."
He snapped his head towards him. "No! No. P-Please, I-I can do this with my s-staff." He pleaded. He was taking a huge risk. Pitch could easily take it the wrong way.
"Your staff. Hmm, all right I'll let you use your staff, but one wrong move and I won't hesitate to end your life and hers." Pitch said. He snapped his fingers and a Nightmare sped off.
Out of all the responses Pitch could have given him he didn't expect him to say yes. His mind slowed down as he tried to process what he had just said. He was going to allow him to use his staff? How many years had he spent mourning the loss of his staff?
This was one of the biggest threats that Pitch used against him. If he ever attempted to escape, or if he somehow got out of his grasp he would break his staff, and burn it. That threat still made him shiver in fear.
A minute later the Nightmare appeared with his staff in its mouth. His staff. How long had he gone without seeing his staff? Decades. Now that it was finally near him he had no idea how to react. Was he supposed to react a certain way?
Pitch snatched the staff out of the Nightmare's mouth. He twirled it in his free hand, before he stretched his hands out on each side, putting pressure on the staff. His heart wrenched as he watched his staff bend. "It would be so easy to break this stick. One wrong move, even if it looks suspicious and you're dead." Pitch warned him.
He nodded terrified. "O-okay." He rasped out. Without any warning Pitch threw his staff at him. It landed in front of him, clattering as it hit the edge of a rock. For a moment he looked at it with awe. The staff no longer had the frost that usually decorated it. But even with the frost gone the staff looked beautiful. The carvings on it were detailed, and the curve was smooth. With a shaky hand he reached for it. His fingers hovered above it for a moment.
He let out a breath, before grabbing it. As soon as his fingers touched it, frost spread out throughout the whole staff. It glowed white and blue for a second before the colors disappeared. He felt a wave of strength shoot through him. Placing his staff in front of him he slowly made his way back to his feet. He stood steadier now that he had something to lean on.
A glance over his shoulder showed him that Pitch's gaze was still on him. Any wrong move now and it would be the end of Baby Tooth and him. He swallowed, wetting his parched throat. He had only one shot. It had to count.
He pointed his staff at a tree. Ice shot out, coating it completely. The ice hardened, but something about how it looked was wrong. It looked almost dangerous. It had formed in sharp, edged ways.
He looked at his staff confused. He remembered his powers looked different. He glanced over his shoulder at Pitch, whose eyes locked with his. He quickly looked away. Even if his powers looked different, there wasn't anything he could do. He would just have to go with it. Sorrowfully he pointed his staff again at another area, before freezing it. Every time he froze something, his chest would tighten up.
Every plant, tree, and egg was taking away from the children. He felt his throat start burning painfully. He ignored it and kept shooting ice out. If he stopped he knew he wouldn't be able to keep going. Everything around him blurred out until it was only him and his staff. He had to do this to save Baby Tooth. He had too! He had to do something, something right. Even if it was only one thing.
His arms ached, and trembled but he kept his staff straight in front of him. The only thing that kept him going was the raw fear that if he didn't Baby Tooth would suffer the consequences. He had to do this, no matter the price. Even if Bunny decided to get revenge, he would take it if she was safe. His breath was ragged, and his chest burned. He ignored it as much as he could, and kept at it.
His legs no longer fumbled with each other when he turned. His eyesight was blurred. He couldn't go on anymore. His chest felt like it was on fire, and his arms could no longer hold his staff. He let out a gasp, as he tried to breathe. His throat burned, and he could feel his heart beating rapidly. His knees buckled, and he collapsed on the ground.
Coldness wrapped around him, as the snow on the ground indented where he had fallen. The coldness soothed him, and relaxed his muscles. Even as he opened his eyes to see Pitch in front of him he couldn't muster the force to move. The only thing he could do was blink. Even his eyesight was blocked as locks of hair fell onto his forehead.
"Hmm, not bad. I was expecting a little more, but I guess I can't let you have all the fun." The edge of Pitch's mouth curled up. He tried to respond but his lips didn't move. "Well." Pitch cut off suddenly. He snapped his head to the side. "Seems like the Guardians are here. Just in time too." He felt his heart sink.
Pitch glanced down at him. "I need to get rid of you." With a snap his staff was gone, as if it had never been there. He whimpered slightly. "Aww, that was adorable. He has feelings. Now get him out of sight." Pitch snapped. Something wrapped around his body. He didn't have the energy to even tense. Whatever was slithering around him lifted him up.
Now that he was up he could see Baby Tooth. Pitch followed his gaze. "Ah, yes. I'll put her back with the other fairies." He stuffed her into his robe.
He didn't get time to react as the shadows holding him pulled him. He let out a small cry as he was dragged out of sight. He came to a stop by a tree. He watched hopelessly as it wrapped around the tree, effectively binding him to it. He sagged his head. There wasn't anything he could do. He brought a knee up to his chest, letting his forehead rest on it.
A voice rang through the quite lair. The voice sounded angry, sad, but mostly betrayed. He immediately recognized it as Bunny's voice. As his mind processed what he had said he shrunk back into the tree as much as he could. "Pitch! Get out here! Bring that little traitor Jack out too." The words stung, and cut into him. He knew he'd have to face Bunny but now that he was hearing him he didn't know if he could.
He raised his head slowly. If he looked sideways he realized that he could see the Guardians. Sandy, he immediately recognized. The guy next to him he assumed was North, and then Bunny who was standing ahead of them. His face was twisted into a snarl. North gasped. "Bunny what are you doing?" His voice was full of disbelief.
"What am I doing? I just had a thought, what if we have this wrong? Huh! What if Jack joined Pitch? If Jack was kidnapped he would never do this!" Bunny's words made his guilt rise. Almost immediately a question popped into his head. Why did Bunny think Pitch had kidnapped him? Bunny had almost given him to Pitch, hadn't he? But if he was wrong? Maybe it had all been a nightmare? Had Pitch really tricked him all these years?
He let out a gasp. Bunny's ears twitched as it caught the sound. He froze afraid any movement would alert him to his location. Pitch would kill him if the Guardians saw him. Luckily Bunny didn't see him. His attention was taken off of him as Pitch decided to make his entrance.
"Ah, Bunny where's the warm welcoming?" Pitch said, clearly taunting Bunny. Bunny growled, looking around trying to find Pitch.
"Pitch! You little-"Bunny was cut off by Pitch.
"Ah, that's not very Guardian like." He teased. Pitch finally appeared, walking out from behind a tree. Bunny pointed his hand, which was holding his boomerang at Pitch.
"Pitch, where's Jack? I know he did this!" His name sent a fresh wave of fear. He kept using his name. Did that mean that he was in trouble? No, it was obvious that he was in trouble. He had trashed Bunny's lair.
"Jack? Well, there's no denying it now that the cat is out of the bag. Yes, he did this. Let me say he did kind of go wild. He didn't even leave me any room to have fun." Pitch ratted him out. Now that the Guardians knew he had done this, he didn't even want to think what was going to happen to him. He shifted feeling his stomach clench.
He watched Bunny open his mouth to say something else, when North placed a hand on his shoulder. Bunny turned to North. "Bunny, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Pitch is playing with us, and you're falling straight into his hands." North pushed Bunny behind him. North's face was a mask of seriousness and he found himself being reminded of Pitch.
"Me? I'm not messing with anybody's head. I'm only telling the truth. Jack did this, or do you see me shooting out snow?" Pitch asked them. When none of them answered he shrugged. "Believe what you want. The facts are in front of you."
During the time Pitch was talking Sandy had started to look around. He seemed intent on looking for something. His breath hitched once he realized that he was looking for him. He tried to hide behind the shadow of the tree, but he knew that against the white snow he stood out. Sandy turned his head back to Pitch.
He frowned, Pitch must have said something that had angered the Guardians. His attention had been on Sandy, and he hadn't heard what he had said. Whatever Pitch had said must have been serious as Bunny threw his boomerang straight at Pitch. His pupils got bigger, as he watched Pitch dodge the attack easily. He had just attacked Pitch! He couldn't believe it.
Pitch threw a wave of Nightmare's at them. North and Bunny immediately started fighting. Sandy instead flew straight at Pitch. Whips had formed in his hands, and he lashed out at him. Pitch formed a scythe, catching the whip with it. He winced as the scythe was twirled around. The weapon was still fresh in his mind, and seeing it again so early brought back memories. He glanced down at his leg. He grimaced and brought his attention back to the fight.
Sandy was still fighting Pitch, and he couldn't tell who was winning. Both of them were evenly matched. Every time Sandy attacked, Pitch dodged. When Pitch attacked, Sandy blocked. It went back and forth, until he spotted a Nightmare creeping up on Sandy.
His face morphed into one of horror as he realized that it was going to attack Sandy from the back. He bit his lips, debating what to do. As the Nightmare crept closer to Sandy, he opened his mouth. He had made his decision.
"Sandy." He intended to yell, but his voice came out hoarse, and weak. Luckily Bunny heard his soft voice. He turned his head towards Sandy just in time to see the Nightmare lunge at Sandy. He let out a yell and threw his boomerang. The boomerang sliced through the Nightmare just as it opened its jaw. Sandy's eyes widened as he looked behind him. He smiled at Bunny thankfully before turning back to Pitch.
He let out a sigh of relief. His relief however was short lived as Bunny turned his head directly to where he was. His face slackened as Bunny's eyes locked with his. Bunny stumbled back slightly as his angry eyes, were replaced with surprise. More emotions played out across his face. It was almost the same reaction that Baby Tooth had given him. He cringed as he realized that Bunny had spotted him.
Pitch would not be happy.
He looked over at Pitch who Sandy had separated from the rest. He hadn't noticed that Bunny had spotted him. Bunny who was still staring at him, snapped out of his daze. With a shaky step forward, Bunny seemed to gain more confidence. He shook himself before advancing towards him.
His heart pounded against his chest as Bunny got closer to him. What was he going to do to him? Was he going to hurt him? His head sagged down. He could hear Bunny's footsteps now. They got louder and louder until he could hear the footsteps right in front of him. With his head pounding he slowly looked up. Bunny was standing a couple feet away from him.
His face was full of guilt, horror, and anger. For a moment they stared at each other. Neither of them moved, afraid to break the fragile silence. Bunny seemed to be in shock. His eyes seemed to glaze over, as he stared at him. For a moment it looked like the only thing Bunny would do was stand there and stare at him. After a couple of seconds he seemed to snap out of his shock. He flinched as Bunny opened his mouth.
Bunny winced. He watched slightly curious as his ears dropped behind him. His curiosity didn't last long as Bunny scooted nearer. He stopped as he saw him tense even more. Bunny seemed to be debating over something. Finally with a deep breath, Bunny seemingly decided.
"Jack? Is that y-you?" Bunny's voice was soft, and gently. It sounded so different from the voice he had been using mere moments ago. Knowing that if didn't answer he would be punished he nodded.
"Y-yes-s." He stuttered. He curled his leg in even farther. Bunny forced a smile, raising his hands in front of him. He titled his head staring at him confused. What was he doing? Bunny walked slowly until he was directly besides him. He watched him warily, knowing that any moment he would attack him. Bunny seemed to momentary forget about him, as he took his boomerang and started hitting it on the sand. He stared at him dumbfounded.
"Don't worry mate, I'll get you out of here soon." Bunny laid a paw on his shoulder that made him jump. Bunny's face immediately fell. He gave a sigh, and started hitting the sand. For a moment the only thing he could hear was the sand being hit.
"A-are y-you m-m-ad?" He barely managed to ask him. He had to know if he was mad at him, even if he was going to get hurt for asking. Bunny halted for a moment to stare at him puzzled. His face softened, as he shook his head at him.
"Not at you. Look, I know you heard me back there and I want you to know that that was my anger speaking, not me. North was right I was letting Pitch get to me." While Bunny spoke he managed to get the last piece of sand off of him. The tightness around his chest disappeared, and he swung forward dangerously.
Warm arms encircled him, holding him protectively. Bunny placed his arms under his knees and back. He realized that Bunny was holding him in bridal position. He was holding him.
"Don't worry I have you, I'll take you back to the North Pole. We'll take care of you there." Bunny told him, as he rose to his feet. His mind tried to process what Bunny was telling him. He wanted him to leave?
"I-I can't l-leave. P-pitch has my s-staff." He whispered. He looked up at Bunny desperately hoping he would understand him. Bunny's eyes met his and he looked down.
"We'll get your staff back the important thing is to get you out of here." Bunny said. He nodded numbly. There wasn't anything he could do. Slowly he started to snuggle into his chest. He could hear Bunny's heartbeat against his chest. He scrunched his nose slightly as his fur tickled his nose. Bunny unaware started walking, away from where Pitch and Sandy still fighting.
Both of them looked tired, but kept going at each other. Bunny hid behind a tree waiting until Pitch was distracted before running. He sucked in a breath as his ribs were pressed. Bunny noticed and looked down to see him grimacing in pain. "Sorry." Bunny apologized. Bunny didn't say anything else and looked forward.
He scrunched his forehead as he tried to comprehend why he had apologized to him. He didn't get time to think, as Bunny halted suddenly. He slowly lifted his head from where he had curled into Bunny's chest.
The color drained out of his face as he took in the sight before him.
So, who's ready to learn what Bunny's feelings are in the next chapter? He's acting pretty calm for the situation he's in, and that only means that there's an explosion waiting to be set off! I decided that the next chapter will go more in depth to the Guardians feelings, and reactions. Oh, and the part where Jack is freezing the lair, I wanted to show him losing control in a way. Kind of when you do something and you can't stop. As always the reviews, make my day. Maybe comment on whether the Guardians should be able to rescue him or not? Should he stay in Pitch's clutches? Till next time!