The bruise around his eye throbbed painfully in the rhythm of his heart and he could feel the almost unbearable burning from his ribs that were unrelenting in their effort to keep him aware of their grievance and his leg was protesting at the curled position he had dragged it as it steadily bled scarlet from his left calf. He struggled to remain silent through the pain and had one hand clamped over his mouth to quiet his heavy racing breaths. His body was becoming cramped as he remained huddled within the bushes around the base of a tall tree which he rested against, other hand with a death grip on the long grass that almost buried his legs in an attempt to relieve any of the pain.
Then voices began to drift from somewhere nearby as footsteps alerted him to the arrival of a few spirits, and he stiffened, not doing any favours to his already protesting body and slowed his breathing. If they found him…if they somehow came too near…if he cried out…he didn't want to think about what would happen. This had been a lot worse than the other times. He had no idea what it was that had caused the increased animosity but he had no intention to stick around to find out.
"We've got our work cut out here," a mature female voice reached him, they weren't too far away but if he was quiet they shouldn't find him. "Why do we always get the forests?"
"Don't complain," a male voice scolded, and Jack almost jumped. This spirit was closer to his hiding place than the other. "It just means we won't get bored anytime soon. Now," his tone was commanding and Jack guessed that he must be in charge of this small group, "we should start with the leaves lower down. The higher canopies can wait for now, they won't be noticed yet, and they can get enough light for now. We're near the centre so we can work our way out then go back over. All agreed?"
"Yeah, sounds good," the woman's voice replied.
"May?" the male voice sounded irritated.
"Hmm? Yeah." A new voice agreed, younger sounding than the other two. Jack relaxed without realising it. This was the reason he had come here, the hope he had held onto when he had fled to these forests. He didn't know why. Usually he would flee somewhere cold like Antarctica to recover and heal but for some reason after this new brutal attack he had found he needed a friendly face, and an urge to find someone that could tolerate his existence and only one fit that role- May.
"Okay, start spreading out," the man ordered.
Jack curled tighter into his hiding place as a few steps passed nearby. He needed to talk to May, needed to get her on her own. He risked a peek between the veil of leaves and branches that kept him hidden only to see a brown clad arm that was too tall and broad to be that of his friend…friend? That was still strange to him, he mused.
He resigned himself to wait for now. Maybe once they had moved further away, he could crawl out of his place and somehow find May without the other spirits she was with seeing him. He didn't know these spirits but he doubted they would be as amicable as May had been, most likely they were also in the group of Jack Frost despisers.
"Hey! What are you doing here?" A voice yelled in anger and Jack jumped, fearing he had been found before realising that the voice was a small distance away from his position, "Your time is over."
"Relax. We're not here to extend our season or anything," a deep voice growled. Jack's breath hitched and he pressed his hand firmer around his mouth to silence it. Summer spirit! It was one of the summer spirits who had attacked him in the first place. That meant they had followed him. Panic leapt in his chest, beating his heart manically. How had they found him? Why couldn't they just leave him be?
"We're tracking someone," the summer spirit continued, "Chased him here."
"And who might that be?" the male voice from earlier asked coldly, not taking their arrival well.
"Jack Frost," the summer spirit replied, sounding as though he didn't have time to speak to these autumn spirits, nor did he care. It was no wonder though. If they were following him all the way here then they must have something planned out and Jack was not too eager to be a part of it. "The little brat fled like the cowering nuisance he is."
There was a hiss of loathing from the male autumn spirit at that and Jack's suspicions were confirmed. "Frost came here? He dares interrupt the realm where autumn now lies?"
"It appears so," the summer spirit said, smugness heard in his every word that had Jack holding back the urge to leap from his place and yell in his defence. He hadn't meant to disrupt autumn nor had he meant any wrong ever but for some reason he figured that his argument may not have much of an effect on these spirits- it hadn't earlier- and instead listened to their insults. "So are you going to help us find him or let him get away with all this?" Get away with what? Jack thought, he had done nothing wrong.
"Of course, I'm not letting that brat get in the way of our jobs. Just like him to try and cause trouble in other seasons." His voice rose as he shouted to his other two autumn spirits, "We're going to have to put this on hold. Spread out and find Frost. May!" Jack's chest lurched at the mention of his friend, "Leave those alone, we've got other problems to deal with. That meddlesome freak of a spirit is out here somewhere so I need you to help search for Frost. You know what Jack Frost looks like don't you?" Jack didn't hear a reply but guessed that May must have nodded or given some positive sign that she did for the male autumn spirit said, "Good! Then we'll quickly deal with this so we can get back to work. Spread out and if you find him shout. Don't want to take all the fun from the rest of us." Jack shuddered at those words then forced himself to remain completely still as he heard the other spirits moving out.
He squeezed his eyes shut, not that he could see anything but the fresh green leaves surrounding him, and hoped against anything that he may be allowed the tiniest glimmer of luck on his side. Today had been hard enough, he was exhausted and in agony, surely there was nothing else that the world could throw at him.
He pulled heavy eyes back open as the sound of footsteps grew fainter and one single pair grew louder as a spirit approached. The steps were soft and light which so far was a good sign. He wasn't hidden far from where they had all been talking which meant that the other spirits would not yet be far away enough for him to come out of hiding.
He peered through the leave once more, trying to catch a glimpse of who it was that was coming steadily closer. He held his breath as the steps drew right past his spot until the flash of a red jacket caught his attention and he had to refrain himself from leaping up and shouting in joy.
"Psst," he hissed and the footsteps faltered, "May!" There were a few crunches of sticks cracking as the spirit turned in confusion. "May." He didn't dare raise his voice anymore, praying that he was right and if he was that she heard him. He waited, listening for the other footsteps to fade further but he could hear the faint sounds of other spirits still and waited for the spirit right beside him to give some sign.
"Jack?" the voice was a hushed whisper but he recognised it instantly and almost cried with relief.
"May," he hissed back, blinking tears from his eyes, "Yeah it's me."
"Jack?" she whispered again and he heard more twigs snap underfoot as she searched for him, "What the hell are you doing here?"
"May!" A loud voice broke through their hushed voices, "What is it? Did you find something?"
"Er…no," she called back, voice falsely calm, "Nothing yet."
"Be careful," the voice called back that Jack recognised once more as the male autumn spirit, "He's a nightmare. Don't trust a word he says and call for us if you see anything."
"Don't worry, I will," she shouted, laced with a sweetly gratitude, then the falseness fell from her voice as she lowered it to a whisper once more, "Listen, Jack? Don't move. Wherever you are, stay hidden and whatever you do don't come out. I'm going to pretend to keep searching but I'll come back as soon as they've moved further off. Got that?" She didn't wait for a reply but hastened her steps away from him and kept searching.
Jack didn't reply. He sat, curled against the tree, the hand that had covered his mouth was now wrapped tightly around his abdomen and the other still clenched the long blades of grass tightly. He listened to the footsteps fade away until they died off, leaving him alone in the silence. Loneliness clouded his mind as he found himself once again alone and with no one with him to care, isolating him from the world that was so alive around him. The dead amongst the living.
He held back a whimper and more tears that had swelled in his cerulean eyes, holding back the weakness that he refused to show. Why did he have to be so stupid as to come here? Why didn't he get away when he had the chance? They were right: he was a useless idiot. Why did any of this happen to him?
Pain flared up along his side and he fisted his hand in the blue fabric of his hoodie, holding back a yell. His leg was beginning to stain the ground scarlet and before long it would be obvious he was here as the pool grew. He stared for a moment fascinated by the vivid colour, contrasting the rest of the natural green hues, adding a dangerous splash of colour.
"Jack?" He jumped at the sudden voice. "Jack, I'm here. Where are you?" May was back. She hadn't left him. Relief washed over him and hope, a hope that he may be able to get out of this and that maybe this friendship was more than a few brief passings.
"Here," his voice cracked, dry and harsh from the pain he was biting back. He raised an arm and rustled the branches.
Within moments the steps were right beside him and the branches were roughly tugged aside, bleeding in bright sunlight. There was a gasp but he was too blinded by the bright light to process much about it and he painstakingly pulled himself out of his hiding place, collapsing back against the ground, allowing his limbs to stretch out and gain what little relief he could.
"Jack?" May's voice was panicked and he wanted to reassure her, he really did, but the words would not come to him and he didn't have the energy to pretend. "What happened to you?" She moved closer and he heard her fall to her knees beside him, shadow of her small frame helping to block the bright light from his aching eyes. She reached out to him then hesitated as she examined his state. "Jack, you're covered in burns and who knows what else. We have to get you out of here before the others come back. Where's your staff?" It took a moment for Jack's mind to catch up with the words he was hearing and find the meaning.
"Fell," he groaned out, waving an arm uselessly around him, "Dropped it somewhere 'round here."
Without needing any prompting, she was up and he could here her searching as bushes were pulled aside and twigs and branches snapped, no place left untouched in her search. The moments passed slowly and he spent the time trying to gain more control over himself.
"Got it," she declared and a moment later the familiar shepherds crook was waving victoriously in front of him. "Now, let's get you up and away from here."
He swallowed a yell as she grabbed his arm and yanked him from the forest floor, there was no time for being gentle and he respected that. It wasn't the biggest forest and the other spirits would not be too far away. Once he was standing, he kept his weight off the wounded leg and she pulled his arm around her shoulder, holding him securely until he wasn't swaying. She passed him his staff to his spare hand and he held tightly, frost dancing along the wood. With a grim nod they took a step forward, Jack using his staff as a crutch and leaning heavily on May. His grip tightened on her shoulder, hand tangling in the red fabric of her jacket but if it hurt her, she never said a word. Taking a deep breath, he took another step forward, stopping briefly again for the world to stop spinning then continued determinedly, falling into a continuous pattern of step, pause, step, pause. The progress was slow and tedious but neither complained and they kept going.
The trees lurched past them and finally fell away to a clearing that was broken by a steep cliff wall of high yellowing stone. May brought them to a stop by the cliff face and shifted Jack from her shoulder so he could lean against the solid rock. Then she fixed him with serious mahogany eyes.
"You need to get out of here," she told him, her voice still quieter than her usual tones, nervously throwing glances over her shoulder as though the other spirits would leap out at any moment. "They won't stay away for long so you need to take your staff and get out of here while you can. I'll go back and join the search."
"What? Is that it?" Jack frowned, "You're just going to throw me out of here?"
"I'm not 'throwing' you out," she protested, "I'm trying to stop you from being killed by these guys. You should have seen their faces, Jack. They're deadly serious and I don't know what's going to happen if they find you."
"Oh, I saw their faces alright," Jack scoffed, "When they were holding me down and beating me like I was a punch bag."
Her face fell, heartbroken for a moment, the carefree youthful spirit he had seen before falling away and he wondered if she had an outer appearance as well, a fake shell she wrapped herself in to hide from the world and a false persona that she could pretend she belonged to…just like him.
"I know," She said, voice heavy, placing her hands on his shoulders, "That's why you need to get out of here."
"Can't you do anything?" He asked and the words came out a bit harsher than he meant it, "You're supposed to be my friend."
"I am your friend-"
"Well act like it," he interrupted, not entirely sure where this anger was coming from, blaming it on the stress and strain, "Don't just leave me and run back off."
"What do you want me to do, Jack?" she snapped, "What do you want me to do?"
Jack opened his mouth to reply but had to shut it again. What did he want? He realised he didn't know. He didn't know what he was expecting. It should be enough that someone was actually not going to kill him or hand him over to someone who would…but this was a friend- his only friend- and he didn't want to be turned away right now. He wanted help…he just wasn't sure what that was. The weight of the day finally crashed down on him and his shoulders slumped at the same time as her face lost the irritation and turned guilty.
"Help…" He turned pleading cerulean orb to her and her face hardened.
"Fine," she muttered heatedly, "You know what, fine." He frowned questioningly at her but all he received in reply was another, "fine." She pulled her hands from his shoulders, and took a step back, still facing him with a resolute stare. He found he missed the steadying hands on his shoulders, grounding him to reality and holding him from the waves of pain that were threatening to sweep him away.
He was about to ask what she was doing when she called over her shoulder, eyes never leaving his, her face blank and impassive.
"Hey! Over here! Here!" She shouted and his face fell to shock.
"May, what are you doing?" he hissed at her, pressing his back against the jagged rock as though bracing himself for an attack. She didn't answer, nor did her eyes leave his, still with that blank stare.
"He's here! Over here! Found him!" She yelled.
Tears welled in his eyes at her betrayal. He could feel his heart tearing, more potent than his other injuries, outshining them by far, for this was an injury that would never heal.
He didn't know why- maybe it was the small shred of hope that he held tightly to or maybe his mind couldn't process what was happening- but he found himself asking "What are you doing?" again, the tears audible in his voice even if they had not yet fallen from his face.
The corner of her lip quirked and she spun on her heel but took no more steps away. She was only about a metre from him, close enough to reach out to but the sight of her back to him confirmed the pain in his heart at her dismissal and betrayal.
The sound of footsteps grew louder, leaves rustling as the spirits rushed towards them, growing nearer like the sound of thunder.
"May," his voice was nearly a whisper, the words repeating thoughtlessly as the only thing to hold onto as his world fell apart, "What are you doing?"
He didn't expect an answer, he waited for the other spirits, for her to join in their taunts when they arrived, to laugh at his pain and possibly- the thought was nearly too horrible to imagine- join in with their attack.
So when she didn't turn around, only focused her attention now on the noisily approaching spirits and said simply, "helping," he thought he must have imagined it.
He didn't have time to consider if she had indeed answered or not for then the three other spirits burst from the forest into the clearing. The summer spirits eyes rested hungrily on him and he unconsciously cowered back against the cliff face. The man and woman autumn spirits look nearly identical with chestnut brown hair and matching eyes in their plain clothes that were for practicality rather than appearance.
"Good, you found him, May," the male autumn spirit spoke proudly but in a slow voice as one may humour a child.
"Doesn't look too good does he?" the female commented to her partner and he grinned maliciously in agreement.
"That's what he gets for trespassing where he doesn't belong," he responded to her then looked curiously at May who was still standing before Jack, "Come away, May. You don't know what he's capable of. Let us handle him now."
"No," she said solidly.
"What?" the smooth voice fell from the autumn spirit as he frowned at May whilst Jack's heart leapt with the recently abandoned hope.
"I said no," She repeated calmly, "I know exactly what he's capable and what you are."
"May," the woman spoke gently, face almost begging, "I don't know what he's told you but he's lying. Just come with us…please." She held out a hand and May's determined face broke for a moment and Jack thought she might surrender to it until she shook her head as though clearing a voice from her mind and hardened her face once more.
"I can't let you get Jack."
"Jack?" He sneered, glancing briefly at Jack before realisation shone in his eyes, "Frost? You're friends with Frost?"
Jack wanted her to agree, to shout to them that she was friends and wasn't embarrassed to admit it, to defend him and to argue with these spirits for him. That didn't happen. He didn't know what inspired these fantasies and put it down to the pain and blood loss that was beginning to addle his brain.
"I'm not going to let you get him," she told them forcefully instead, avoiding the question, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt him again."
The man exchanged a look with the summer spirit and growled, "Child's gone mad." Then he turned back to May, "This is your last chance, May. Come over here with us and away from…Jack…and we can forget about this."
The woman nodded encouragingly at her, still with outstretched hand begging her to take it.
"Leave him alone," May yelled back taking a threatening step towards them that was laughable at her small size compared to the other three adult spirits.
"She's had her chance," the deep rumbling voice of the summer spirit spoke, "Let's just get him." The man nodded whilst the woman hesitated briefly before convincing herself to agree.
They began to advance but May reacted quickly. As soon as they had refused to go she had accepted what she would have to do. A strong burst of wind whipped around them, pulling leaves from branches and towards the spirits who faltered and threw up their arms to shield themselves. Whilst they were distracted, she seized a large stick from the ground and jumped into the swirling leaves to attack.
Jack clung to the rock and his staff to keep himself steady against the wind. It wasn't his wind. This wasn't connected to him. His vision blurred slightly and he blinked away the darkness, focusing on remaining conscious and ignoring the fight that was happening right in front of him. It took most of his strength just to remain standing against the strong wind and his leg screamed in protest every time he lost his balance and fell on it.
"Jack," May's frantic voice reached his ears before he processed her face spinning before his blurred vision. Her hair was windswept and a cut on her forehead dribbled blood into her eyes which she steadily blinked against. "We've got to go. Now. Can you fly?"
He only blinked sluggishly at her, not able to understand the meaning of her words. She didn't comment on his lack of an answer but grabbed his arm once more and pulled it over her shoulders. Jack submitted to the movements limply, keeping a hold of his staff by some miracle as she launched them both into the air. The cool breeze was refreshing on his face and brought back some coherence to his mind. The flight wasn't the smoothest with Jack as an added weight on the wind and they plummeted a few times only for a quick recovery as the wind caught them.
They hadn't gone too far but were away from the forest when May guided them back down to solid ground. She eased him to the ground, carefully leaning his back against a tree. He had managed to recover with the help of the cold air and muttered a tired "thanks." He blinked to clear the sleep from his vision and breathed around the pain that their movements had caused, biting down the protests of his ribs which had been disturbed too much.
"Where are we?" he managed to ask, his words slightly slurred, more for some conversation to distract him than curiosity. He could feel the rough wood of the bark against his back and grass tickling his bare feet but now the faint sounds of traffic and human voices drifted on the breeze.
"Not too far away but they should fly over if they do come after us. This place is pretty hidden from above and they'll think we will have run further," May replied from where she sat cross legged in front of him.
He focused his gaze on her. She looked relatively unscathed apart from the gash on her head which he pointed out.
"You're injured," he waved a hand at her head.
She merely tucked her long hair over her shoulder and pulled her hood up, partially covering most of her face in shadow.
"Out of sight, out of mind," she chimed at him light-heartedly.
"That's not how it works," he scowled.
She shrugged, "Anyway you're more injured than me. Let's have a look at that first."
He consented to her care, not complaining apart from the occasional groan and she didn't comment or pry, only apologised when she disturbed an injury or muttered reassuring words.
"Thanks," he said as she worked on mending his ribs and she paused to look up at him, "For what you did, fighting for me," he clarified, "I know it must've been hard against your own seasonals."
"Seasons are family," she sighed in agreement, "But hey, what are friends for."
She grinned at him and suddenly his wounds didn't seem as taxing and he felt the cracked pieces of his heart pull themselves together. He couldn't help but return the smile.
"I don't exactly know yet," he admitted, "But I guess we can find out."
Jack emerged from his dreams of distant memories less panicked than the previous times, drifting in out of consciousness before he finally had a grasp on the waking world. Before his eyes had even fluttered open, his hand reached absentmindedly for the comforting familiarity of his staff but his searching hand could not find it. He turned his head to the side, blinking sedately, searching for his staff but the wall beside his bed was bare of any shepherd crook.
Jack leapt from his bed in panic, temporarily forgetting all that had happened until his ribs burned at the sudden movement and he remembered as his mind threw off the hold of sleep. His right hand wrapped around his side whilst he brought up the left to examine it once more, the weight of the limb holding him down. It looked no different, his hand still encased innocently in transparent ice. He tore his eyes away and gathered his thoughts.
There had been the whole interrogation from the Guardians and he huffed at the reminder. They had no right to know, he told himself, he was sick of them prying into his own personal matters. They didn't understand the concept of privacy and were adamant that he was unable to keep a secret from them. Irritation- he couldn't go as far as anger when the Guardians were concerned for some reason- flared within him at their ignorant "helping", as they kept putting it, when all they seemed to do was make it worse and smother him over what he was desperately trying to forget, stirring up past aches and bring back all the pain and emotion that came with it while they convinced themselves that being nosy and forcing him to reveal the information that still haunted him after so many years was somehow "helping."
He massaged his ribs to distract himself from these thoughts, sometimes pressing a bit harder than was wise just for the small distraction that the pain brought, making him temporarily forget, if even for a second. Begrudgingly he had tolerated the yetis to look over him (if only to get the Guardians off his back about it) and had found that he was right about the ribs: none were broken but a few was bruised and two fractured. He had experience in injuries now so he should know when a bone is broken or not. Of course they would never take his word for anything, wouldn't trust a kid.
Finding a strong urge for some comfort, Jack shuffled from the room, keeping a sharp eye out for any of the Guardians or yetis who may apprehend him on his search. The hallways were silent to his relief, the yetis too busy with preparation and running the workshop, the elves causing mischief somewhere they shouldn't be and the Guardians had gone after that winter spirit…Jack faltered for a moment before pressing himself on.
Stupid determined Guardians. Why did they have to go and get involved like that? He didn't need anyone to stand up for him, he didn't need another reason for the other spirits to find him weak, snitching to his new friends about them. It would just make things worse…but then again, that wouldn't matter for much longer and his frozen hand suddenly felt heavier. Even if they somehow found the spirit, it wouldn't matter, there was no cure, there couldn't be.
Finally, his long trek led him to the globe room and he quickly located his staff leaning against the chair he had fallen asleep in last night and snatched it up. The way back was a lot quicker with the aid of his staff and he brightened at the aged wood that was swept with frost beneath his cool hand. He felt more grounded when he had his staff in hand, as though he was fixed even as the world rushed around him, that his now fragile form was not about to be swept away and forgotten like leaves in an autumn breeze, he was more complete and whole even if he had been worn down too much from his three hundred years.
His grip tightened as he neared the ghostly white bed and he slumped forwards onto it, clutching his staff closer to his chest, staring unblinkingly at the pure white ceiling above him. Hopefully the Guardians would be back soon with the bad news that they had been unsuccessful, which he had already anticipated, no point in kindling hope to snuff it out again, and then they might, maybe if he was lucky, they might leave him alone in peace. He had accepted his fate and he wasn't afraid or disheartened. He had already died once, this time though, he wasn't to be saved, he had had his second chance and he had enjoyed what he could of it, this time, he may go through with it, to the very end.
Chapter 9! (This was one of my favourite chapters to write). Hope you enjoyed it too! This memory is about 1939 (so maybe blame the animosity of the other spirits towards Jack on the coming war and dark presence that hangs over the land) so their meetings are really staggered and its taken a while before May's finally backed away from the other spirits. I'm also reaffirming that there will still be no pairings. Hope this character is growing on people, please let me know what you think. Next chapter will go back to the other Guardians.
Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, followed, favourited and PM'ed and I am stunned by the amount of people currently following this story. 100? Wow! Thank you so much! Please leave a review!
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