Author's Note: Hello everyone and welcome back to "The Winter Child!" =D So, this is where the action begins to pick and...yeah. I still don't have a lot to say. QwQ

I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! =D


~ XLVI ~

Lost in the Woods, Part Four

He had never been in a battle

Or fought any enemy

But he was forced to remember

As he fought alongside Bunny

In Santoff Claussen, things were heated

The Guardians didn't stand aside

They took North's sleigh and rode into the woods

Determined to bring back the two

Before the Fearlings beat them to

...

He heard a light rustle. Jack slept one. When it happened once again, he slipped open his eyes. He felt like something was wrong, but he couldn't place what. All was silent in the woods, and yet his disquiet continued to rise.

The snow sprite looked around; the fire was only an ember. There was little light, so Jack couldn't see very well. Aster was asleep behind him, his arm still wrapped around his shoulders. Jack was leaning against him in a rather comfortable position. His staff lay beside him, his fingers subconsciously wrapped around it. It glowed softly, lighting the place so Jack could perceive what was in front of him.

Oddly, he didn't spot anything strange, so Jack allowed his eyes to close. Perhaps he was just feeling uncomfortable sleeping in the woods…Jack let out a small sigh, trying to fall back asleep.

Only a few moments later did his instincts poke at him again. Jack reopened his eyes; the cerulean blue orbs darted around the camp, but alas, he saw nothing again. Jack closed his eyes, but his conscious wouldn't leave him alone. Jack felt uneasy, but he didn't know why.

He wanted to sleep, but regardless, he snapped his eyes open and looked around. They were surrounded by darkness. There was nothing there! Jack grumbled, ready to go back to sleep when he spotted something straight ahead.

This time, he saw something. There, in the bushes.

Two amber eyes returned his gaze.

Jack's eyes widened, and he turned to Aster, panic bubbling in his chest. "B-Bunny! Bunny, wake up!

"Ezra…if ya touch my bloody carrots again, I'll kick yer cottontail ta kingdom come…" the Pooka mumbled, still asleep.

Huh? Jack shook his head and rattled Aster even harder. "Bunny! Come on! There's something in the woods!"

"What?" Aster woke up, though he was still groggy. His spring green eyes flicked to where Jack was staring. The same two amber eyes stared back.

Quickly, Aster started the fire up once again. Jack snatched his staff. Light flickered in the center of the clearing, revealing the shadowy bodies of Fearlings and Nightmares. They seeped out of the woods like tar, eyes flashing and limbs twitching for a fight. The hissing of the Fearlings and low whinnies of the Nightmares echoed in the darkness. They circled the snow sprite and Pooka, calculating their first move. Jack moved closer to Aster, who had pulled out his boomerangs. The two stood back to back, eyes locked on the creatures before them.

"Do ya remember yer training?" asked Aster. He and North had started teaching Jack self-defense once he received his staff. The boy knew the basics, and he made use of his magic when needed. The Wind made him light on his feet, so he was difficult to lay a weapon on. Jack often resorted to the Wind when he started to feel overpowered or tired. He could block and defend, blast his energy in a focused channel through his staff. Even though he wasn't an expert, North said that as long as you knew the basics, you could survive any battle.

Jack did well when they sparred, but never had he put his skills to the test in an actual battle. "I…I don't know," Jack replied, trembling. Being surrounded by Pitch's creatures made him suddenly forget everything North and Aster had taught him.

Aster twirled his boomerangs. "Well, ya better recall," he said. Jack gripped his staff and got into position as the Fearlings and Nightmares advanced. The Pooka's eyes narrowed.

"'Cause we're about ta have ourselves one heck of a battle."

When the announcement had been made that Fearlings and Nightmares were prowling the nearby woods, North, Tooth, and Sandy sprung into action. While everyone was preparing the defenses and making sure the children were safe, the three Guardians rushed to their homes, grabbed their weapons, and leaped into the sleigh. There were Fearlings—Fearlings!—in the woods! And there was no doubt that they were where Jack and Aster had gone. Perhaps that was why they were delayed in their return. Fearlings had the uncanny ability to create illusions to lure in their prey…so it wouldn't be surprising if an unknowing Pooka and snow sprite got lost in them.

The Guardians didn't know if Pitch had sent them or not, but this was what was on all of their minds as they prepared the search for their two lost friends. Perhaps they were being hasty, and perhaps Jack and Aster were fine. But the Guardians knew that Fearlings and Nightmares weren't to be taken lightly, and they knew that with the heightened defenses, Santoff Claussen would be fine in their absence.

"Godspeed," Ombric bid them as they were about to head off. North nodded, and he cracked at the reins. The reindeer were off in an instant. The three swore that they'd find Aster and Jack, bring them home, and eradicate whatever Fearlings and Nightmares were lurking in the woods.

Tooth squeezed her hands together tightly. Her small hands turned a pale shade of pink. "I hope Bunny and Jack are okay," she whispered.

Silently, North thought the same.

If Jack could sum up the fight in two words, they would be brutal and terrifying.

Jack had never fought a Fearling or Nightmare before, and nor had he seen one so up close. They charged with untamed fury, but Aster landed the first blow. The Nightmare burst into dust when Aster's boomerang sliced through it.

Jack stood, paralyzed in fear as the Fearlings and Nightmares shrieked and screamed. They were like waves of darkness, rolling and running like an endless river. Their eyes flashed with rage almost palpable, and their screams sounded like bloody murder. Tormented banshees who were thirsty for revenge. The sound made Jack freeze and his skin turned pale. His eyes widened as he watched the creatures surge forward.

A Nightmare nearly managed to ram into Jack, but Aster quickly threw his boomerang, and with a pained scream, it exploded into the sand. Jack screamed as the blackened substance splashed over his clothes. Aster ran over to him.

"Oi! Ya can't just stand there, ya need ta fight back!" he shouted. Without looking, he threw a boomerang over his shoulder, impaling a Fearling to a nearby tree. Jack's breathing hitched. "If we don't fight together, we won't be able ta hold 'em off! Come on, mate. I've seen ya fight. Use those moves of yers ta attack these bloody things."

As frightened as he was, Jack knew Aster was right. He wasn't much help just standing there in the open, and he was making himself more of a target. Jack drew in a breath and nodded, gripping his staff tightly. He mustered as much courage as he could, and fought back.

Jack let out a yell as he blasted a row of Nightmares with his staff. The blue streaks of ice flashed through the air and struck the creatures, annihilating them instantly. As swift as the Wind, Jack sped through the battlefield, hitting and shooting as many Fearligns and Nightmares as he could. He threw a snowball at an oncoming Fearlings. The ball smacked the shadow in the face and it screeched, trying to scrub away the snow in its eyes. Jack impaled it with his staff, causing the creature to dissipate. He pivoted around and struck another Fearling, this time, slashing through it with the crook of his staff.

Jack tried to avoid doing too many close-range attacks. He used mainly snowballs and ice blasts to conquer the Fearlings and Nightmares. Aster performed most of the closer-ranged fighting. If Jack didn't destroy a Fearling or Nightmare on his first shot, Aster would barrel in and finish it off with his boomerangs.

Though he tried not to, Jack's fear still plagued him in battle. So despite his and Aster's efforts, the Fearlings and nightmares were relentless and attacked again and again. They could smell Jack's fear. To them, the sprite's fear was like blood to a vampire. It drove them into a frenzy. They wanted to feast on it.

Jack cried out as he was knocked to the ground. A Fearling had come up from behind and thrown him to the ground. A Nightmare shrieked and stampeded toward him, its hoofbeats in tandem with the beat of Jack's pounding heart. Jack scrambled backward, but he backed into a boulder. Jack gasped, and his eyes sparkled with fear as the Nightmare raised its hooves to crush him.

At the last second, Aster stabbed the Nightmare from behind. He yanked out his boomerang, and the horse crumbled before him. Aster lifted Jack up; the boy was trembling

"Hey, hey, mate, are ya alright?" asked Aster.

Jack froze. He stared at Aster. The snow sprite clutched his staff and yelled, "No, NO! No, I'm not 'alright!' None of this is alright!"

"Frostbite, ya have ta calm down—" Aster started, but he was cut off by Jack.

"This was supposed to be fun! But now we're lost in the middle of nowhere and no one knows where we are!" Jack shouted. "We had to eat bitter berries from bushes that weren't even good, and sleep on the ground in the middle of the dark! Then those Fearlings and Nightmares attacked, and one of them almost killed me! And I couldn't do a thing!

Jack began to tremble, and his eyes sparkled. "I…I can't do this!" he cried, squeezing his staff tightly. "I'm not brave enough or strong enough…I'm scared to death out here and I…I…"

Jack's voice cracked and he looked down. A few tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I…I miss North," he whispered. "I wanna go home…"

Aster pulled Jack into a hug, rubbing Jack's back as he cried. "I know yer scared, mate. And to be frank, I am too. But we have ta keep defendin' ourselves out here, and not lose hope. We'll be alright as long as we stick together."

Jack sniffed, and he rubbed his tears away. "O-Okay…" he murmured. The boy looked up, noticing that none of the Fearlings and Nightmares had attacked them. In fact, they had completely disappeared.

"Did…Did we scare them off?" asked Jack. He looked at Aster; the Pooka's expression was solemn. Jack had an inkling that Pitch's ilk wasn't through with them yet.

"B-Bunny…?"

"No, we didn't scare them off," Aster spoke. His ears twitched. "They left ta get reinforcements. They're bringin' an army with them."


Author's Note: Jack: This has to be illegal.

Bunny: Agreed. Moon, quit it with the character abuse.

I'm sorry, guys, but I just...have to do this. For the fanfiction readers, and myself.

Jack: WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!

I feel like I'm really killing you guys with my cliffhangers, and I'm really, really...not sorry, hehehe. I live for suspsnese and adventure because I have none of that in my life. XD Might as well experience it through my favorite characters, eh?

Bunny: That's still no excuse.

Welp, it's enough for me. X) I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll see you in the next one! =D

Until the next chapter!

~BeyondTheMoon1203