* I referenced the graphic novel "Flight". I don't own "Flight". I also referenced the movie "Peter Pan". I don't own "Peter Pan".
Some one asked me how these stories and "Reapers Realm" coincide. To sum it up, they will mesh together as well as be completely irrelevant from each other. Bond and plot-wise, there is a link between the stories. However, it's a very thin link to where you can almost consider "Reapers Realm" a stand-alone story. As confusing as that is I really can't say more without giving plot away.
Requested by: quite a few of you, and UrbanBookAlien and DoomCabbit
Flight
Wind swirled unsteadily under his feet, whipping the leather of the cloak until it almost smacked him in the face. He concentrated, breathing steadily, but he jolted and anxiety rushed through his body. Instantly, the breeze slapped his heels making him soar straight up until he could almost touch the tips of the cliffs and trees. Within that second, Jamie's bravery – or extreme sense of vertigo – made him look down, and he smiled shakily.
With Jamie's developing magic, came the 'when and where'. They couldn't simply practice in the boy's room; what if the mother walked in? They could carry on at Jack's pond, but the heat of spring and summer made Jamie lag. Also, more and more hunters and fishermen were traversing the area. Moreover, the other seasons were becoming irritated by Jack's frequent presence. Even Jamie was becoming a problem. The seasons, excluding autumn, initially didn't mind the child's budding powers, but still without much control Jamie would accidentally freeze the plant life. He even brought in an angry cold front when Sophie accidentally tripped and broke his science project. Ironically, the project was a scale model of how spring and summer coincide with their clashing climates.
Running out of options, Bunnymund, thanks to Sophie and Jamie's large pleading eyes, begrudgingly allowed Jack and his bond to practice in the Warren so long as it didn't interfere with the order of his home. Thankfully for Jamie, the Warren wasn't as warm during this time of year. Sophie, excited and restless to see winter powers at work, was gently nudged away by Bunny, lest the little girl accidentally get herself turned into a miniature iceberg.
The wind held his feet and back as Jamie stared wondrously down at the Warren as well as the light frost that coated tree branches as he went upward. Every kid dreamed of flying, of soaring high over mountains, cities and clouds, to have the freedom of controlling your own flight. And Jamie was doing it! Never in his wildest daydreams did he ever think…He tilted his back and threw a whooping laugh to the sky. He only looked down when he felt a shudder in his legs, like he was standing in the sun for too long and his knees were about to give way.
Just like that, the wind stilled, no longer holding him, and allowed him to drop. He didn't get the chance to cry out as Jack sprang from the bough of a nearby tree to catch Jamie's waist and land nimbly to the ground on a stone pathway.
"You went too high," Jack explained simply as he placed Jamie on solid Earth.
Jamie rolled his eyes, trembling lightly with excess adrenaline. "By magic standards," he grinned, his little hand appearing from beneath the cloak to point. "or by your standards?"
Jack's chuckle still hinted with relief as he ruffled his kid's hair. "Both."
Stealth
Jack's cerulean orbs steadily searched every nook and cranny surrounding the small glade, grinning every now and then at the ever-so-slight snap of a twig.
"So," Jamie's voice prodded the back of the spirit's mind. "Why couldn't the wind keep me up for too long?"
Jack knelt to the ground inspecting the hollow of a moss-ridden log before sighing and standing again. "It can keep someone in the air for hours," he specified, glancing around for any other sign of life. "You not only have to build a connection with the wind, but it also responds to your emotions. Sometimes it gets too wrapped up in what you're feeling." Jack could feel Jamie's thoughts and emotions and could tell he was nearby. The question was 'where'. "Don't worry," he waved nonchalantly. "I was dropped plenty of times before the wind and I got used to each other."
Jack was about to stray from the dirt trail beneath his feet before a lone willow branch flicked against a passing breeze. Jack turned around to stare at the tree before shaking his head. "You took your shoes off, didn't you?" Jack grinned.
"You don't have shoes on," Jamie remarked.
Jack was about to retort when a sharp yelp of pain sounded over a small ridge. Eyes widening in alarm, Jack briskly floated over the crest and into the thicket where the voice had sounded. The winter spirit whipped his gaze around, but he was still completely alone.
"What happened," Jack demanded aloud. "Where are you?"
Jamie's grumble twinged at Jack's thoughts, pain still underlying in the child's emotions. "I stepped on a thorn."
Jack's shoulders sagged in relief. "Put your shoes back on, all right. I don't want you getting hurt."
"Or you're just having a hard time finding me, and you want me to make it easier for you." Without the footwear, Jamie was relatively silent, aside from the clumsy twig snaps and stumbles here and there. Jamie's thoughts were reminiscent of his own: cunning, clever, sarcastic, but playful and lighthearted.
Jack smiled, slowly strolling down the slope of the hill with his staff twirling idly in hand. "You're definitely making a lot less noise," Jack smiled sagely through his thoughts. "Distance-wise, I would never known you're there." The winter spirit leapt up to a low hanging branch. Laying down, he closed his eyes as if ready for a good nap. "Now," Jack hummed, bending one leg and dangling the other to swing lazily with the breeze. "Get closer to me. Try closing the gap."
Jack could feel his ward's cleverness slip into concentration. Every now and then a patch of long grass would rustle, or a thin tree would flick as if someone was leaning on it, but Jack only snickered under his breath when those sounds came closer, and he wondered what the child was going to try.
Eyes still shut, his brows came together. He could feel that extra set of eyes closing in on him, but from where? Were they in front of him, behind? Somewhere off to the side? Jack pursed his lips. With centuries of practice, he could literally pinpoint the general area of his enemy even in his sleep. What made today different?
The wind came from behind and brushed against his pale ear. A knowing smirk started stretching across his face. Then, the breeze stilled and all was quiet, no noise could be heard. Jack's hair on the back of his neck stood. Any other day he would be on his feet, staff in hand, and crouched readily before the hidden enemy. Instead, he squared his shoulders, shook the hair from his face, and whistled a happy tune that he once heard flying over an island. He never knew how he managed to get lost over the ocean, but the only thing he remembered prior to that was flying towards the second star to the right of Polaris; the rest was a total blur.
Jack flexed his hands on his thighs and straightened up a little. Waiting. A very small, barely audible grunt sounded from behind. With the precision of a hunting feline, Jack whipped around, flicked his arms out and snagged the lunging kid by the waist.
"Hey!" Jamie's protest echoed as Jack locked him securely in his lap. "No fair," he grumbled, wriggling futilely in his Guardian's embrace. Jack only relaxed his hold to sit Jamie up, and then tighten his arms again. His frame shook with amused laughter as he laid back against the tree.
"Looks like the predator," Jack grinned, tapping the child's nose. "just became the prey. Hmm," he scrutinized the young boy, wagging an eyebrow. "Who knew my most recent adversary would be so...short?"
Jamie lightly elbowed his ribs. "I don't get it," he crossed his arms. "What did I do wrong?"
"Actually," Jack remarked, loosening his grip around the little kid. "You did everything right. So what if you made some noise every now and then? You still managed to stump me." Jamie raised an eyebrow. "I expected you to come at me from a single angle, but it felt like you were everywhere at once. How the heck did you do that?"
"Oh," Jamie shifted in his lap, but remained there. A clever smile curled his lips. "A magician never reveals his secrets."
Jack scoffed in exasperation. "The April Fool visited Burgess again, I see," he muttered. He smiled down at Jamie with begging curiosity. "Come on, give me a hint."
Jamie continued to smirk, but complied. The child started out with chucking rocks and sticks in different directions, throwing off Jack's sense of hearing and the boy's initial location. Wherever Jack thought Jamie was, he truly wasn't there. And when Jamie said a thorn snagged him, that was actually a lure to get Jack where they were now. The area of trees they were currently in had the softest grass, making Jamie lighter in foot, virtually undetectable.
"All right," Jack mused, bringing his head to rest against the trunk to look distantly above Jamie's head. "It appears that I am teaching you too well, and it's time I brought you down a peg." Eliciting a gasp from the child, Jack wrapped an arm around Jamie's neck before running his knuckles into those brown locks.
"Urgh!" Jamie ground his teeth together, scrambling to get away. "Come on, Jack!"
"Trust me, kiddo," Jack matched Jamie's contorted grin. "When I'm done, no comb or brush will be able to help you."
After giving Jamie a few more pointers on stealth and tucking him into bed, Jack had to go back to the Warren one last time. He rubbed a fist over his eyes, knowing he was two nights overdo for a good sleep.
Nightfall had drifted over the Warren. The remaining little Easter eggs ducked away from Jack's feet, pattering swiftly to go to sleep under the towering stocks of flowers. Jack kicked off the ground to land in front of a group of ever-awake sentinel eggs. With a looming nod of their towering bodies they pointed Jack towards an egg-dying stream, and Jack skidded to a halt when he got there.
Sophie slept nearly every night in the Warren with Bunny, and the rabbit would have Jack's head if he accidentally woke up the ankle biter. However, Sophie sat upright next to the river, tossing and turning Jamie's shoes in her hands.
Jack announced his presence with a chuckle. "Shouldn't you be in bed, kiddo?"
Deep, green eyes stared tiredly at him. Giggling with a clap of the hands, Sophie delightedly hollered his name and ran forward, shoes in hand and dangling by the laces. She jumped forward exuberantly and wrapped her tiny arms around his waist, a single shoe flying from her grip in the process.
Almost in stereotypical slow motion, the shoe flew agonizingly through the air. When it stopped, it smacked Jack right in the chest with a light tap. This action wasn't a big deal, even after an exaggerated wave of water from inside the shoe splashed all over his face. It was Jamie who wasn't going to be happy with the soggy sneakers.
The familiar loud thumping of large feet had the little girl running away from Jack and into the Pooka's arms as he appeared from the bushes. "There you are," Bunnymund said gently, and Jack laughed at the coo in the gruff Guardian's voice. "Been looking for you for an hour." Sophie giggled through a yawn before settling into the cradle of Bunny's arms. "Got to tell you, frostbite," Bunnymund said without looking up. "She plays a good game of hide-and-seek. I can barely hear her walking around the Warren any…" His voice drifted as he settled his gaze on the winter spirit.
At Jack's confused expression, Bunnymund fisted a paw in front of his mouth, but he couldn't take it anymore. The rabbit threw his head back and, remembering the slumbering Sophie, let loose a silent laugh that spoke volumes. Jack leaned on his staff, chuckling at Bunny's oddly infectious laughter.
Calming down, the Pooka reached out a paw, snatched the sleeve of Jack's hoodie, and dragged him to the water's edge. The snickering instantly faded from the spirit's lips as he saw his reflection in the river. Absolute dread replaced Jack's grin as he stared at the shoe again. Only then did he notice the little puddle of brightly colored egg-dye sloshing around and staining the fabric inside the sneaker.
When Sophie sank into a deeper sleep, Bunnymund finally allowed himself to chuckle louder. "Oh, Frost," he hooted, pointing at Jack's cheeks, forehead, and the corner of his mouth. "I can honestly say pink isn't your color."
Bunnymund didn't like it when Sophie ran off too far or for too long, especially now that her controlled thoughts and emotions led Bunny astray in his searches for her. However, after seeing Jack's face covered in pink dye and completely mortified, the Pooka briefly overlooked Sophie's running off.
* By the way, I wrote a story called "An Oath" and it's about the family friendship between Jack and Jamie. It is a one-shot and I would've added it to these stories, but decided against it. If you do decide to read it, I warn you it is dark and not as happy-go-lucky as these one-shots.