I do not own ROTG…

Here is a little something I thought up when I was on my own and thinking about ROTG…yes, you get many wonderful ideas while sitting on a plane for thirteen hours with nothing to do except dream, so here I go!

Many know that tornados are caused by the collision of hot and cold air swirling around until a raging vortex is created, but few know the true story of what happens when a tornado hits.

Bunny ran through the forest at top speed, his ears flying behind him like a banner as he determinedly made his way down the mountainside towards the village of Burgess. He had been in his warren when one of his sentinel eggs had informed him of a large scale tornado touching down fifty miles south the winter spirit's lake, and that was when the Easter bunny knew that something was up.

Now he knew that tornados were a thing of nature, and they happened without provocation, but he also remembered from personal experience that there was another side to the coin. His eyes narrow with worry, Bunny allowed his mind to wander back to that day as his feet flew over the ground dusted by a light spring snow, back to the day when Bunny learned a very unfortunate truth.

….

It had been roughly over a year since the defeat of Pitch, and Bunny was busy hiding eggs on Easter. Worry was gnawing away at his stomach, but for a reason the Pooka couldn't quite place. A huge tornado had struck just the day before, and an entire city had been reduced to shambles. Luckily there were no casualties, there had been more than a few injuries, but they were not the kind sustained from enduring a tornado. That was a little fact Aster found odd, but filed it into the back of his brain to be thought about at a later date. For now it was hard for the rabbit to deliver eggs to other places around the world when he knew that that particular city was the one that needed Hope the most, but still he had a job to do, and that city would have to wait until he got there on his designated route.

That would be a choice he would come to regret…

Finally he arrived at the site where the force of nature had caused so much destruction. The Pooka's heart sank as he looked on the ruins of what used to be a bustling city. Fingering his basket full of eggs, he knew that to hide them here would be redundant of his cause, and so he needed to go find where they had moved the refugees in order to spread a little hope. Taking off down the abandoned central plaza, Bunny looked around, etching the sight into his mind so that he could sketch it onto paper later. Maybe it seemed strange, but he would frequently paint and sketch things that caused him sadness. Somehow seeing those pictures always gave him more motivation to do his job, and to do it right.

Bunny was halfway through town when his ears pricked at a small mewling coming from his right. It sounded like a child was crying. Hoping that a child hadn't been left behind, Aster sought out the sound, his keen sense of hearing tracking down the source with military precision. Finally he came to a pile of debris, steel and wood piled on top of each other in almost a monument of the tragedy that had occurred, but what caught Bunny's attention was what was sticking out from under it. A foot, and not just any foot, for Aster would know that overly pale bare appendage anywhere, it was Jack Frost's. His heart clenched in fear and worry, The Pooka all but threw the basket down onto the ground, and launched himself at the pile, his paws furiously digging his comrade out.

"Don't worry Jackie" Bunny panted "I'm coming for ya, mate."

Finally reaching the bottom, the Pooka grimaced at the sight, his throat constricting at the damage done to the young guardian. He lay on the ground, looking all the world like a broken porcelain doll covered in numerous cuts and gashes, one leg was bent at an awkward angle and blood flowed from a head injury, but the worst of them was the twisted piece of metal sticking out of his side just below his rib cage. The boy labored to bring air into his lungs in wheezing gasps, but each breath only shifted the metal, causing a pained whimper to slip from his lips.

Bunny knelt down next to the thin form, and gently gathered him into his arms, but the motion only caused Jack to snap into consciousness with a pained cry.

"B-Bunny?" He slurred with unfocused eyes.

"Yeah" Bunny whispered comfortingly "It's me mate, don't worry, we're gonna get ya fixed up."

"I…" the winter spirit gasped his face a grimace of pain "I c-can't b-b-breathe…..H-hurts…"

"I know" Bunny continued as he struggled to keep his face calm and serene so not to frighten the boy any further "but ol' Bunny is gonna get you back to the warren, and make ya right as rain."

Jack tried to give a weak smile up at the Pooka, but another wave of agony crashed through his trembling frame, causing a pained sob to rip its way up his throat. Bunny watched in horror as the boy gave a violent shudder before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell unconscious. Now was the hard part, he still had places to visit, but Jack needed medical attention now. If he took him to the warren then he would lose a chunk of believers, but if he finished his rounds, then Jack could die. Aster gave a furious shake of the head, why was he even debating this? He could win back his believers next year, but Jack's life hung in the balance and that was one thing that could not be replaced.

Tapping the ground, the rabbit lifted the winter spirit into his arms as gently as possible before making what was going to be the longest trip back to the warren that he had ever taken. After what felt like an eternity, the Pooka made it into his home, and laid the child into his nest carefully. Looking down, the rabbit grimaced at the wound weeping blood and staining the normally frost covered hoodie. As much as upset as he knew Jack will be about the loss of his favorite shirt, there was nothing he could do. He had to cut it off in order to treat the wound, and make sure that no bits of fabric got caught within the injury. Grabbing a pair of scissors, Bunny began tearing at the material, being as gentle as possible as he cut away the shirt from Jack's body.

Now came the hard part…

He knew it was impossible to treat the wound without removing the chunk of metal sticking out of his side, but the tricky thing was that if he removed it, there was a huge chance of a major artery being torn, or an organ being damaged. Taking a steadying breath, Bunny grabbed the metal with paw, and placed the other on Jack's side. An agonized whimper escaped the unconscious boy's lips, and Aster winced at the sound knowing that things were about to get worse…way worse.

"I'm so sorry mate." The Pooka whispered with grief filled eyes.

Turning back to the injury, Aster heaved a sigh at what he had to do, counted to three, then pulled. Jack's crystal blue eyes flew open as a shriek of pain reverberated throughout the room. Aster threw down the piece of metal, and grabbed a soft towel, pressing it against the boy's side to staunch the waterfall of blood pouring from the gaping wound. Jack clawed at the sides of the nest, sobs wracking his thin frame as his mind reeled from the sheer amount of agony assaulting his senses. Gritting his teeth and clenching his eyes shut, the winter spirit tensed his entire body as a long groan mixed with a pained whimper floated up towards his caretaker.

Bunny paused in his work long enough to take one bloodstained paw and run it through Jack's silvery white hair. "It's ok ankle bita" he murmured in as comforting a voice as he could manage "The worst of it is over, you're gonna be fine!"

"M-make it s-s-stop…" Jack wept "The pain…m-make it stop!"

"That's the plan Jackie" Aster consoled "That's the plan."

Keeping a paw pressed firmly on the towel, Bunny used his other paw to rummage around his medical kit in search of a needle and thread, every few seconds murmuring to the boy lying in the nest in a calming tone. Tears streamed from unfocused eyes as Jack lay there, his body suddenly shivering from shock and blood loss, a fact that Bunny did not overlook.

"Hey Jack" Aster asked in what he hoped was a normal tone of voice "what were you doing in the middle of a tornado?"

"I's my fault" Jack slurred.

"Huh?" The Pooka paused, giving Jack a look of confused worry "What do you mean it was your fault?"

"The tornado…" the winter spirit replied, working to make his voice stronger "It was my fault, it is because of me that it happened."

Bunny felt shock numb his skin, and burn in his stomach "That can't be true" he sputtered "You may like to play some ridiculous pranks, but I doubt you would start a tornado and destroy a city just because you felt like it, besides, I don't think you can even make a tornado. A snow storm sure, but a tornado?"

"Had help…"

Jack's eyes grew dim, and soon he drifted off back into the realm of the unconscious, leaving Bunny very confused, and unsure.

….

For the next few days, Jack drifted in and out of fevered sleep, but soon his temperature went down, and Bunny was confident that the child would make a full recovery. He had cared the child, and changed the bandages frequently, ensuring his survival; but that did not stop his mind from reeling as he puzzled over Jack's last whispered words before he sank into a dreamless sleep. Was he really responsible for the tornado? And if he was, why would he cause such pain and devastation? The Pooka anxiously awaited the winter spirit to wake up, he wanted answers, and he prayed that they were not ones that could jeopardize Jack's position as a guardian.

Five days after the initial incident, Jack finally opened his eyes. The winter spirit narrowed his eyes as he struggled to remember where he was and what had happened to him. He didn't know why, but his body felt like it weighed ten tons, and it was still hard to breathe. Raising his head off the pillow, Jack was surprised to find his body swathed in bandages and his leg encased in a plaster cast. Opening his mouth, he struggled to call out, but his dry vocal chords restrained him from doing so.

With a cough and a swallow, he tried one more time, giving a weak croak "H-hello?"

Multiple bangs and crashed sounded outside the door, and then suddenly a very surprised bunny came barreling through. Seeing the conscious state of his impromptu patient, the Pooka allowed a large grin to split his features.

"How ya feeling?"

"Thirsty" Jack answered in a gravelly tone "and heavy."

"That would be because of all the pain killers I pumped into ya while you were sleepin'" Bunny replied with a smile and fond shake of his head.

Grabbing a glass of water, the rabbit filled it halfway before taking one paw and lifting Jack's shoulders slightly off the nest and bringing the glass to his lips. Jack hissed in pain, but quickly smiled when he saw Bunny's ears go back guiltily. With one weak pale hand, he also held the glass and drank gratefully, before finally laying back down on the bed.

"I don't know how I got here," the sprite said softly "but thanks."

"I found you half dead in the middle of ground zero of an F-3 tornado" Bunny said with a small smile "What was I supposed to do, leave ya there?"

"You could have." The spirit shrugged, but quickly regretted the action with a wince.

"Well I didn't" Aster replied with a stubborn nod "Now, since we are on that subject, what were you doing there in the first place?"

Jack's blue eyes widened in panic as he looked down and around, trying to avoid the stern rabbit's gaze, but Aster wasn't having any of it.

"Jack" he said firmly "You told me it was your fault."

"Y-yeah…" the sprite replied weakly, fingers playing with a stray thread on his pants as he considered what his answer should be.

"Why would it be your fault?" the Pooka pressed.

For a while, Jack said nothing just kept looking down and biting his bottom lip in indecision, and Bunny heaved a long sigh.

"Look snowflake" he said in his most comforting tone "I am willing to hear your side of it, but I need to know what happened."

"Um…" Jack throat constricted as he prepared to divulge what he had hoped to keep a secret "The spirits of Spring and Summer…they… well…. Let's just say that we don't get along."

"Do they bully ya?"

"NO!" Jack practically bellowed before one hand went to hold his side, and his face twisted into a grimace of pain.

"Then what?" Aster asked exasperatedly.

"They…" Jack let out a frustrated groan before finally mumbling "They like to gang up on me."

"They…what!?"

Jack glared at the Pooka "I know you heard it the first time, cotton tail, don't make me say it again."

Aster glared right back "Well you're gonna have ta, because I need just a bit more clarification before I understand just what you're sayin!"

Jack growled into the palms of his hands as he scrubbed his face in aggravated strokes "Look" he finally sighed "Every spring around Easter and every year around September and October, Spring and Summer like to seek me out and pick a fight, and every time they do our temperatures clash and we create a tornado."

"Why?" asked Bunny his face stunned.

"I don't know" Jack replied with a snarky tinge to his voice "I could name a bunch of reasons, because they're bullies, because they're thrill seekers, because they're ignorant jerks with no comprehension of what it could mean should a spirit of winter, and two spirits of warm seasons get into a fight."

"And they do this every year?"

"Yes" Jack affirmed miserably.

"And…" Bunny gulped with apprehension "Do you get into this bad of shape every year?"

"No…" the winter spirit started slowly "Normally it's just a few scrapes, a gash here and there, and sometimes usually a broken bone accompanied by more than a few bruises, but this year… This year they picked a fight, right over a city, and in my attempt to protect the children I only managed to make it worse."

A palpable wave of despair enveloped the child, and Bunny suddenly noticed Jack's eyes fill with tears, and his chin begin to quiver.

"It's all my fault" he said in a broken sob "I tried to keep them safe, and all I did was destroy their home. I'm a pathetic excuse for a guardian, because I couldn't even control my powers enough to keep the children in that city safe by not causing a tornado."

Without a second thought, Bunny dove forward, and wrapped the young guardian in a warm hug just as the spirit of winter melted into waves of grieved tears.

"It's all my fault!" Jack wept.

"Nah" Bunny consoled "It isn't, and don't you keep telling yourself that neither. You were doing your job, and they were the ones that picked a fight with ya, not the other way around."

"But it's my job to protect the kids!" Jack yelled into Bunny's chest, his eyes clenched shut in shame of his weakness and powerlessness to stop the horrible twister from destroying the city.

"And you did that!" Bunny said forcefully "Yeah, the tornado wrecked the town, but if I'm right, and I think I am, you held it back long enough for everyone to escape. There were no casualties Jackie, no one died, and that is a victory in my book."

"But people still got hurt…" the sprite sniffed.

"Yeah" Bunny chuckled "A few people twisted their ankles from running away, that's it."

Suddenly large blue eyes looked up into the Pooka's face "Really" he hiccupped "No one got hurt because of me?"

"Not on your nelly" the rabbit replied proudly "In fact, that whole city owes their lives to ya."

This statement only brought on a fresh wave of tears, which Bunny was content to hold the winter spirit through until he gained his composure. After about five or so minutes, the teenager finally straitened up and wiped his eyes.

"Thanks Bunny" he said in a voice raw from crying.

"No problem snowflake" The rabbit ruffled the boy's head fondly with one paw.

Suddenly Jack's face turned grim "What do I do when fall comes and I have to do my job again?"

Bunny sat back and pondered that one for a few minutes before answering "Ya know what you should do?" he said as a sly smile lit his face "I think you should seek them out."

"WHAT?" Jack exclaimed "Wouldn't the point of this be not causing another tornado like the last one?"

"Just listen to me" Bunny said as he held up a paw signaling the snow sprite to be patient "What I'm saying is, find a nice isolated spot in the world where a tornado wouldn't make a lick of difference, and then wait till those blighters find ya. When they do, use all the power at your disposal, and wail on them like no tomorra. Ya got that?"

Jack merely replied with a grin, oh yeah, he got it…

….

Now, a full season later, Bunny raced towards the site of the latest tornado. According to the sentinel eggs this one had been worse than the last one, by at least twice, and the rabbit worried on whether Jack had actually taken his advice. At that thought, the Pooka kicked himself for giving a child advice meant for a warrior.

"What was I thinking?" Bunny murmured as his stomach clenched in worry.

Finally the rabbit caught Jack's scent, and with renewed vigor, pushed himself even faster towards the snow sprite's location. Flying over hill, meadow, and glade, Aster finally came to a screeching stop outside of a cave. His sensitive nose twitching with anxiety, the rabbit hopped inside, only to find Jack sitting on a rock, with a wide grin splitting his face. He looked pretty bad, not as bad as last time thank the heavens, but he was sporting a black eye, a bloody lip, and more than a few burns and bruises.

"Well" Bunny began, his voice gruff and stern "I hear about a tornado crashing through the forest, and I find you grinning like an idiot in a cave, beat to a bloody pulp, so what do you have to say for yourself?"

Jack grinned "I won."

Sorry I lied about doing Bedtime Stories next, but this story hit my brain, and I had to write it before it left.