Mean Seasons 9 Rage
The Guardians were holding a meeting. That was nothing new. What was odd however, is that they held this particular meeting without their newest member. North called a meeting without him every month or so for one reason: because it was like a parent/teacher conference. They were there not to discuss Pitch or any major threat to the children, but to discuss Jack Frost.
The topic of this particular meeting was Rage. Specificly the rare occurrences when they had seen the winter spirit truly angry.
"No, not just angry, mates. Completely furious." Bunny clarifeied as the topic was started. "Frostbite does get angry way more easily than any o' ya think. It's when he is downright furious that he is scary."
Tooth nodded. "Jack's wrath is dangerous because of what he is. Being in command of the elements themselves can produce frighteningly devastating results if he doesn't keep his temper in check."
North smiled "Ah but he does keep temper in check! Never once have I seen him go too far, even when he is full of rage."
Bunny snorted "Then you haven't been paying attention, mate."
They all looked to him for an explanation, and he smiled fondly at the memory.
"I was outside my warren, picking up a few leftover googies, when the groundhog descided ta jump me..."
"Mornin' Aster."
"What do you want, Groundhog?" Bunny was less than pleased to see the critter, now more than ever because he wasn't in the best of moods.
"I just wanted ta drop by fer a wee chat is all." Aster was slammed into the ground "Missing some eggs are ye?"
"What's it to you, you drongo? Get off!"
"Just expressin' me gratitude. Them googies were mighty good eating."
Bunny was both furious and saddened. Yes his eggs were meant for eating, but by children and children only!
"Now to repay ye fer the meal, I thought I would have a bit o' fun, see?"
"He beat you up?" Tooth asked, her voice cracking "Oh Bunny..."
"Beat me and left me with the shells of the googies he ate. I lay there for a long time, not wanting to move, not carin' ta pick myself up. Then I felt a chill down my back, and there was Frostbite..."
"Bunny! Bunny answer me! What happened?!" The concern in the boy's voice was comforting, and Bunny lifted his head.
"Frostbite? Didn't know ya cared about me that much, kid. Nothin' much happened...just got groundhog trouble. Nothin' ya need ta worry about."
The response he was hoping for was a grin, a help to his feet, and the kid telling him to suck it up and get to the Pole to mend his wounds.
That was not the reaction he got.
"Where is the Groundhog now?"
"His voice had changed. It was like...like the wind itself had spoken to me. I'd never heard it fer myself. Always heard that he could do it from other spirits, but that was the first time I had ever experienced it. Anyway, I told him what I knew of the Groundhog's whereabouts and he left. When he returned, he brought Groundhog with 'im."
The rodent grunted as Jack shoved him towards Bunny.
"Apologize." The voice of Winter snarled.
The Groundhog sneered and spat at the pooka "Sorry."
The wind rose, the snow whipped, and the eyes of Jack Frost turned bright blue in anger.
"Like you mean it!" he thundered, speaking with the voice of a blizzard that dared the Groundhog to disobey his simple order.
The groundhog was silent. The winter spirit growled low, and his anger turned to fury as he threw the creature with a blast of wind into a tree, then froze his feet to the bark.
"Listen and listen good, Groundhog." The storm raged, "You harm Bunny, you pay the price. The least you could do is make it right and if you so much as mock the moment..." the ice crept further up Groundhog, freezing his torso. "Do you understand me?!"
The rodent trembled and nodded fervently. He was released, and shoved in front of Bunny again.
"S...S...Sorry Bunnymund. I won't mess with your googies again I swear! Or...or you neither!"
Jack's storm calmed itself, and he threw the Groundhog away, standing in front of Bunny with the air of a...well a guardian. A protector...a force to be reconed with. And as Bunny looked at the boy, he saw Jack, as the Groundhog saw him, for what he was. A force of Nature herself.
"Needless to say, the Groundhog never came after me again. If we did cross paths, he looked over his shoulder and didn't make eye contact. But to see our Guardian of Fun that full of rage, was a sight I hope never to see again. Not that close anyway."
The rest of the group were in silent agreement, but they were also silently smiling.
"He did it for you." Tooth said grinning. "Jack raged for you, Bunny. He cares more for us than he should. We ignored him, we scorned him, some of us even made him miserable, for 300 years. We don't deserve to be witnesses to his rage, we deserve to be the objects of it. Yet.." She smiled fondly at her own memory "He continues to defend us with his fury."
Bunny and North raised eyebrows.
"You got a story Sheila?" the Easter Bunny asked surprised.
"Not about me per say, but I did witness Jack's rage concerning Baby Tooth. See a month after we fought Pitch, I came home to a wintery mess in the Palace..."
"Jack Frost! I know you're here Sweet Tooth! Why did you...oh no..."
All of her fairies were iced over. All but Baby Tooth, who was ragged, crying, and in the cold but comforting embrace of Jack Frost, who was huddled curled up in a corner, trying to comfort the tiny fairy, while sending another icy blast around the palace.
"It's ok Baby Tooth. I won't let them hurt you again. Shhhhhhhh Shhhhhhhhh. It's alright, It'll be ok. I promise."
Tooth was about to chew him out, for she knew that he knew what would happen if her fairies were not on time for their duties, when she noticed something odd about the little creatures that were scattered around.
"They weren't my fairies. They were Summer Fey, fairies that aided in the bringing of summer. My fairies don't often get along with them, we usually don't even interact with them but obviously they decided to attack the palace and poor Baby Tooth was the nearest one so they ganged up on her."
Bunny smirked "That little ankle biter a yours is Jack's favorite. No wonder he went nuts."
Tooth giggled,
"Yes, and though the first wave had been dealt with, the second was when I saw Jack really lose it."
There was a buzzing noise, and Tooth turned towards the sound. Her eyes widened as she saw the swarm of fey attack the palace, and Jack. But their true target, she realized with horror, was the injured Baby Tooth. She tried to swat as many away as she could, but they increased their number and she was forced to withdraw. Suddenly, Jack sprang up and dove into the mass of red and gold, curling tightly around Baby Tooth, while the fey attacked him mercilessly.
"The Summer Fey, like Summer herself, are hot like the sun. The mass amount of fey on Jack was a lot more heat than he could handle. But he didn't let any one of them get Baby Tooth. He just curled tighter. That was when it happened..."
Suddenly, the wind began to blow. Flurries of snow gathered around the curled winter spirit, and a dull blue light began to cover the boy as he drew into himself even tighter, his arms across his chest, head bowed, eyes glowing the same icy blue as the streams of light radiating from his body.
With a thundering, earsplitting roar, the winter spirit released a massive wave of winter fury, throwing every fairy, including Tooth, in all directions, the wind and blizzard picking up power and speed as he stood, eyes still glowing and hair whipping around in the onslaught of his...no...in WINTER's fury. For that is what Jack Frost was truly in that moment. No longer was he the Guardian of Fun and the trickster of joy. Nope, as Tooth looked at him she knew that Jack was truly...
Winter itself.
And Winter was ticked off.
"Any other fey who wishes to pick on one so small, who has done nothing to them, they can come and meet an icy fate. I hate those who prey on the weak. Leave now, before this palace becomes your cold, frigid tomb."
"Like you said before Bunny, it was as if the storm itself was talking. It didn't even sound like the Jack we know. It was dark and cold, and a bit frightening."
Tooth smiled "But he made his point. None of my fairies have gotten harassed since."
North laughed deeply, then thumped Sandy on the back
"Yes! Yes! Man in Moon picked Jack to be Guardian for reason! You see, it is in his very nature to protect, to guard those who he holds dear. That is why I think his fury only rises when his loved ones are threatened, are hurt or humiliated. This proves Manny's point. Tell me, have any of you seen Jack release the power of winter for his own sake?"
The others shook their heads, and North grinned "Is my point. Anger is a hiding place for Jack's heart, but rage, true rage, is his greatest weapon of defense. Agreed?"
The three nodded, happy to have riddled out another of their newest addition to the family's traits.
"Now, who wants cookies?"