Killerkitten: Some suggestions would be great thanks, pm me if you want :)

Chapter 6: War 3

Neither were expecting to see him so soon after his defeat.

One quick look at the scene around him sent the Boogeyman into a fit of laughter, though it wasn't the cheerful, happy laughter Jack was used to. No, this was dark and cold and sent shivers down the guardians spines. It was a foreboding, sinister laugh - they both knew there and then that something terrible was to happen.

The Pooka immediately reached for his boomerangs but, to his absolute shock (and disbelief) they were gone, his holster holding nothing but empt air. His missing weapons were the least of his worries, he realised, as he noticed Pitch's eyes zeroing in on Jack, still dangling from the tree, desperately trying to undo the knot.

Bunny knew he wouldn't get it undone - it was expertly crafted with his own paws. His brow furrowed as he registered that the Winter Spirit didn't even have his staff to protect himself. He was completely defenceless. Bunny tried to play it off, but his fear for the boy was radiating off of him at an alarming rate and Pitch was clearly revelling in it. Much as he hate to admit it, he never wanted Jack to get hurt, just to make him back off from his silly little jokes. Too late, it was all going sideways now.

"You've got some right nerve showing up here Pitch. Did you forget what happened last time ya faced us?". The Nightmare King didn't seem phased, in fact it seemed to amuse him even more. His golden eyes glinted with malice and bad intent as he looked the Pooka dead in the eye.

"Well, isn't this a treat; not just one but two guardians. And I see one of you is in a bit of a... situation. Must be my lucky day." An evil smile crept onto Pitch's face, now with more than just a hint of hostility shining in his brilliant eyes.

The smirk on the Nightmare King's face widened as Bunny's façade showed traces of crumbling. He knew if Pitch moved any closer to the boy then he wouldn't be able to protect him from this far away. He attempted to move closer but halted in his tracks as the shadow man tutted and took another step towards the dangling boy.

Not a sound could be heard except for the heavy breathing of the Pooka, who was staying deathly still, preparing for an attack. Large shadows continued to creep in from the edges of the forest, swallowing anything in their path, like spewing lava from a deadly volcano. Except in this case, Pitch was the volcano, and his smile was widening more and more, like he was about to explode.

Jack hadn't said a single word since the Boogeyman's appearance, not wanting to attract anymore unwanted attention. But that didn't matter as Pitch was suddenly seemingly engulfed by his shadows. Less than a second later and Jack could feel a presence right next to him, mocking him with how close he was, his cold breath slightly tickling his bare ankles.

"Pitch! Don't ya dare take another step closer or I'll-" The Pooka balled his fists, ready to deck the Nightmare King. Boomerangs or not, he still knew the art of Tai Chi.

"Or you'll what? Paint me a hard boiled egg? Why, I'm simply terrified." Sinister laughter echoed around the clearing, which was becoming ever darker with the increasing presence of the Nightmare King's shadows. Bunny pounced, not wanting to waste another second, but he wasn't quick enough. With a flick of his wrist, Pitch's shadows engulfed the rabbit, trapping him to the spot and rendering him helpless as he desperately tried to fight his way out, to no avail.

Pitch pretended to inspect the rope Jack was hanging from as if he was deeply interested. The Winter Spirit dared move without his staff, knowing he'd end up the same as Bunny without his main fighting weapon.

Without warning, Pitch swiped his hand across the rope in one swift motion, cutting it clean in half, earning a loud thud and an oomph from Jack as he collided head first with the ground, which was now covered with deadly black shadows. Before he could even stand up, the Guardian of Fun found himself bound and gagged in thick, dark ropes, securing him in a very uncomfortable position. Not that Pitch cared about his comfort.

Bunny still wriggled and squirmed but the shadow chains holding him down were too tight. Nail marks decorated the dirt around him as he tried anything he could to escape. He could see Jack squirming under his bindings, his cerulean eyes large and pleading for help since he could make no sound.

Suddenly, as though the shadows were never there, the Pooka fell free to the floor with a loud thud. Boomerangs or not, the Pooka wouldn't go down without a fight: he'd won plenty of battles using just his wit and his paws - he threw a mean punch. He was planning on delivering one of these punches straight to Pitch's face. He leapt forwards towards the Boogeyman, pouncing at the shadow but as his fist swiped the figure he found there was no one there. The clearing filled up with the afternoon light again, all traces of shadow gone and leaving Bunny alone. He spun around desperately but the woods looked exactly as they did ten minutes ago.

Pitch was gone, and so was Jack.

"Show ya face ya coward, come out and fight!" Later on, Bunny would argue that there was no desperation in his voice, but for now he didn't care. He had to help Jack, this was all his fault after all; if he hadn't tried to get his 'revenge' then the boy wouldn't have been tied up in a tree and would have at least been able to fight. But he'd taken his staff away from him so he couldn't even defend himself. And why? Because he thought it was funny? He hated himself for it and would never forgive himself. He would never prank Jack again. If he ever saw him again, that was.

No! He couldn't think like that, he would rescue the Winter Spirit. Despite his small glimmer of hope, his fear was currently tipping the balance, and Pitch was well aware of it.

"I must say, this was definitely an entertaining experience." A silky voice echoed and Bunny whipped around to locate its source. "Don't worry, I'll give Jack your regards. Oh, and thank you by the way. You just made my job so much easier."

The voice slipped away just as the shadows had done, the edge of a menacing laugh slightly receding through branches. Jack's staff poked our from under a bush in a corner of the forest (where Bunny had kicked it before) looking dull and lifeless as ever without it's usual icy patterns created by the Winter Spirit. Now, it looked like no more than a broken twig that had fallen from a tree.

Jack was gone. And it was all his fault.

Oooh what's going to happen next?

Sorry for the slow updates, we're moving house and everything is very hectic and I've had barely any time. Good news though - I finished unpacking my room today! We just have pretty much every other room in the house to do now. Oh god.

Have a lovely *insert time of day here* and I'll see you soon!

(Also please review:))