Mean Seasons 49 Resurface

Jack was in darkness. Not Pitch's darkness, but the deep recesses of his mind. His cold, cruel personality known only as the Winter King had been steadily leaking out again. He had to let it breathe. He had to...before it decided to let itself out against his will...

ROTG

"North, I'm...I'm going to be gone for a couple of weeks." Jack said, hood up and fingers clenched around his staff.

"Why is that?" the big man asked, looking at the boy with a bit of concern. Hood is up...I don't like it.

"I just...have issues that need to be resolved, and I can't be around anyone to solve them. People get hurt. I need to be far away..."

"Sweet Tooth...does this have to do with your eyes?" Tooth asked timidly, "They are like glaciers."

Jack gulped and shied away. He was not expecting to be turning so soon.

"Yes."

Bunny put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "It's that time, eh Mate?"

"Yeah. I have to get to the Palace and seal it, if it's still there, or repair it, if it crumbled, before I can let loose. That way no one gets hurt."

North nodded.

"We understand Jack. We'll tell Jamie—"

"NO!" Jack's panicked tone said sharply "No! Don't tell Jamie! It...it would tear him apart. Just tell him I've gone somewhere to conduct Season business. He'll understand."

"Da. Be safe, Jack." North said, concern lacing his voice. "Please be safe."

"I will North." He said assuringly, gliding out the window, a flurry in his wake lightly dusting the room with snow.

The others turned to Bunnymund curiously after the winter sprite left, eyes shining with want to know.

"That Time Bunny?" Tooth asked, eyebrow raised.

The pooka sighed,

"It happens every five or ten years. Jack goes into self exile every five to ten years, for a few weeks."

Tooth was immediately concerned "Self exile?"

"To let out the true Winter inside him. To let the Winter King loose."

"But Bunny...Jack has filled hole Winter King had! Why would he go back to being...that?" North asked, waving his arms for emphasis.

Bunny sighed heavily. "Because Mates...he has no choice. If Frostbite doesn't let this out, it would eventually force its way back to the surface and destroy everything the kid stands for, taking countless amounts of lives with it. Jack exiles himselkf and goes deep into the arctic, someplace where no human can survive, and transforms. He locks himself in a baracade of ice and stays there until his personality calms down."

North sighed "Must be really bad this time."

"Why do ya say that mate?"

"Because Jack mentioned Winter Palace as the place he will imprison himself."

"Good point. Frostbite wouldn't seek out his old castle unless he was really really desperate."

"So, what do we do?" Tooth asked, fluttering nervously.

"We do nothing." Bunny said firmly. "Trust me, this is something the snowflake has to do on his own. We'll only get in the way, or worse..."

He shivered, looking at the snow outside,

"Become victims of his reign."