I have to warn you, what you see in this chapter and onwards would be rather uncomfortable. May feature blood and violence. Viewer discretion is advised. Oh and happy First of November

Flicker Chapter 5

Jack stayed very still as he knelt down before his enemy with his staff held cautiously to his side. He would have blown the flaming man into the sky with a blast of ice by now if it weren't for the fact that Flicker had another hostage. He was clutching the frozen owl that watched over Jamie's window in a fiery grasp while plucking a few pieces of ice off of the creature's body. Jack winced as he felt a sting at the back of his head every time a piece fell.

"What…do you want?!" he managed to let out through clenched teeth, still clutching his forehead.

That damnable smile grew on Flicker's lips as he picked off one of the owl's toes. "So it really does hurt you," he commented, ignoring Jack's question as he crushed the said toe between his fingers. Jack let out a hiss of pain when he felt his skull practically burning. Flicker walked around him playfully with a big smile on his face. Then the next thing Jack knows, he suddenly appeared a few feet from him, leaning down to examine him.

"You look so beautiful when you're in pain." He heard a coo.

Jack's head was spinning from the result of the owl being slowly torn to pieces, having a hard time to register the seductive ton in the other man's voice. "Wh-what…!?" he managed to croak out, still struggling to keep focus.

Oh, Flicker loved this. Never in his wildest dreams that he had seen THE Jack Frost, Bringer of Winter and recent member of the Guardians, in any state of submission before.

Submissive to him that is…

Oh, this is going to be fun…he thought to himself, licking his lips in anticipation.

Once he was sure that his head cleared up, Jack stared up at the flaming man before shifting his gaze at the owl. Or what is left of the poor creature since the head and torso are the only things kept intact. Its wings and legs were gone, which explained the pounding but yet intense pain. The bird remained quiet; barely have life left to interact. All it could do was to stare back at him, silently pleading to help it. But there is nothing that he could do, not when Flicker is keeping it hostage. The flame spirit seemed to be enjoying every moment as he bounced the poor thing up and down in his palm, while stepping around Jack to examine him as if he wanted to see him at every possible angle.

Well, he wanted his attention…might as well get some decent answers from him.

"Why do you keep doing this? What do you want from me?" Jack questioned slowly as he kept very still.

He racked his brain for a possible scenario without his owl being broken any more than it was. He had placed a lot of energy into that creature; MiM knows how much pain it would cause him if it was destroyed.

"Hmm…" Flicker let out a hum as soon as he was in front of him. He then knelt down closer to him as he peered into his glowing blue eyes. He could see his molten golden eyes as they took in his facial features. Jack wondered when is he going to answer his questions until he finally speak.

"Isn't it obvious?" he whispered.

Just when Jack was about to question him, the flames upon his right hand slowly faded away before bringing it upwards to his cheek. All he could do was to stare at him in confusion as he felt the warm sensation from the latter's hot fingertips upon his face.

Then, he acted on impulse. He jabbed his staff forward and blew the man's body back with a streak of ice, causing Flicker to skid until his back slammed hard against a tree. Jack instantly jumped onto his feet before zipping forward to snatch his owl out of the fire spirit's grasp.

However, when the fire spirit looked up and in a moment, their gazes locked. There was a heated glare literally burning in his eyes, to the point that they were set ablaze. Everything went into slow motion when he simply dropped the owl just as soon Jack reached for it, only sped up back to normal speed when he then crushed it to pieces with his boot.

Jack's body froze in place, choking on a gasp as agonizing pain exploded in his head. What he felt was nothing compared to his past experience with his Icelings destroyed in the past. It felt like someone slamming his head hard to a sledgehammer, his brain was pulsing so hard and rapid against his skull, that it felt like it might just burst inside. He cried out in pain as Jack grabbed his head, practically clawing at it as he staggered backwards until he lost his balance.

All he could do was lay upon his back helplessly as his vision blurred to the point that he could only see white.

Flicker watched with interest as streams of bright blue flow from the owl's body and into Jack before fading within him. He grinned widely at the sight of the boy's face as soon as he laid eyes on him. He just couldn't control himself; Jack looked so attractive when he was suffering. He got down to his knees so that he was hovering just above the winter spirit's body, before pulling his arm back and lit it with fire, flames becoming sharp at the fingertips.

Jack regained his vision for a second, just to see a flash of bright red stab him through the chest. His eyes went wide as the aching from his head was combined with the sudden excruciating pain from his body. It was so unbearable and incomprehensible, that there were no words to describe it. All he could do was scream out, causing at least the entire area to be void of birds for a minute, shuddering hard before his body immediately shut down against the grass beneath him. He was numb as tremors of pain racketed up from his chest and back to his brain over and over again. The wound on his chest burned as the heat seeped into his entire body, weakening him from the inside. Flicker smiled at his work, licking his lips as he watched Jack's eyes dimmed and his face relaxing. He would have appeared dead if it weren't for the slight trembling of his body.

Flicker finally pulled his hand out of Jack's chest, causing the violet blood to seep out immediately before being absorbed into his blue jacket, staining both the fabric and his pale skin.

"What a pretty color…" Flicker purred as he lifted his hand up, licking the dark cold blood off of his fingers, relishing the bittersweet taste. He then gently grasped the boy's cheek, smearing the blood on upon his face. He looked into the unfocused blue eyes and beamed at the sight.

"I'm sorry, Jack," he whispered to him, almost lovingly. "I know that it was a cheap shot, but you're too strong. I had to weaken you somehow."

The pain in Jack's body blocked out of his senses, he could hardly hear what Flicker was saying. But he was vaguely aware of something hot touching his face. Flicker ran his hand over Jack's forehead, petting his pure white hair. He was particularly fond of the way the winter sprite's hair stuck up and shone brightly in the darkness of the night, with the purple streak of his blood contrasting beautifully.

"I won't hurt you anymore, Jack…" he cooed further. "Just stay with me…"

And with that, he leaned down and licked Jack's chin.

Bunny was racing through his tunnel network on all fours, trying to keep up with the frozen bird that had suddenly gotten a lot faster as it flapped its little wings frantically.

"I hope you know where you're going!" Bunny's voice echoed throughout his tunnel, keeping pace without missing a beat.

The bird suddenly turned and flew into another passageway, making Bunny skid to slow down before leaping after it. He finally stopped when he saw the ice bird hover under a certain spot in the tunnel's ceiling while pecking at the roots above it. Bunny halted and looked around for a moment.

He knew where this was…it was deep in the forest of Jack's hometown.

But the question is…why weren't they at Jamie's house?

He then focused the dirt above before stomping his foot, causing a hole to appear above his head. Bunny leapt upwards then paused when he saw the little bird perched upon the floor, looking up at him expectantly. Apparently, it would rather sit this one out.

"Fine, stay here then." He said as he leaped upward through the hole.

It might be a good move on the small creature's part, considering the fact that its friends were being destroyed left and right. As soon as he was above ground, all he saw was darkness in the forest. He kept his ears flat against his head so that they wouldn't give him away as he cautiously crawled out of the tunnel hole. When he looked around the woods, his eyes were immediately directed to an orange glow towards his right.

A fire…?

But as he peered closer, he could see that the fire was actually a man, fitting the same silhouette in the Moon's warning as his face could be seen a bit more clearly. Red hair, olive-colored skin, and flames dancing over his body…yeah, this is definitely him. Bunny's heart stopped when he saw the orange flames reflecting off of the familiar face of Jack, who lie motionless on the ground as the man said something before leaning over to him and licked the boy's chin.

Then something clicked inside of the Pooka and a wave of emotions drove him into action.

He didn't even bother to use his boomerangs as he shot forward without a moment of hesitation. Bunny double front kicked Flicker as hard as he could, propelling the man's flaming body backwards into the forest.

Flicker didn't even have time to make a noise as he felt himself being shot back and the brightness from his body disappeared.

The area around him dimmed because of the flame spirit's absence but the light from a few piles of burning grass helped Bunny to see. He was pretty sure that he burned the bottom of his feet from kicking Flicker, but he didn't care at the moment. This is nothing compared what Jack might have gone through.

He kneeled above Jack, his eyes widening at the sight of him. The boy looked lifeless and his eyes were only half open. He could see the deep blue of his irises fading. His heart kick started into over drive, as Bunny tried to keep himself calm while grabbing Jack by the shoulders and shook him anxiously.

"Hey, Jack, say something! Can ya hear me?!" he begged, almost panicking.

Jack's body was still limp but he managed to let out a pained groan. Bunny blinked when he felt something wet and cold underneath his feet, something that he didn't notice up until this moment. He moved his hand and gently grazed it along Jack's features, seeing if he could feel any sort of injury. When he felt the same liquid covering Jack's chest, he moved his paw by the small flames next to him to see what he was feeling.

There from the flames' glow, his paw has taken on a dark purple color as the liquid dripped off of his fingers. The tell-tale coppery scent reached his nostrils as he came to a horrifying realization.

It was Jack's blood…

He had never once witness a guardian bleed before…but not this much.

Until Jack, that is. Suddenly a rush of panic filled his entire being as his breathing became frantic.

Jack is bleeding…Jack is bleeding…JACK IS BLEEDING!

Bunny knelt down lower and gently cradled Jack's torso in his arms, grasping the side of his cheek with his right paw.

"Jack?" he spoke softly, though he was having a hard time to keep his tone calm. "Can you hear me? You're gonna be alright mate. I'm gonna get you outta here."

He watched closely as the boy's brow furrowed slightly. Jack blinked a few times, trying to regain consciousness. He still couldn't see very well but he managed to make out Bunny's voice.

"…unny…" Jack's voice was barely audible but with a sharp hearing like a Pooka could pick it up easily. And Bunny couldn't be happier to hear him.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm right here. Don't worry…" Then Bunny paused when he saw a flash of bright orange from the corner of his eye. He ducked down just in time, covering Jack's body with his own as a giant ball of fire flew over them and ignited a tree six feet away. Flicker staggered out of the tress, looking quite irritated as he dusted himself off. Bunny mentally took note that the flames on his shoulders somehow grew taller compared to the first time.

"Who the fuck…" then he trailed off when he saw Bunny. A grin slowly crept to the flame spirit's face when he realized who he is. "Oh…I'm guessing you're the famous Easter Bunny, right? You're not a typical rabbit from the pictures."

He let out a chuckle but immediately silenced himself when he saw the look on the rabbit-like guardian's face. If the saying goes "looks can kill", then Bunny looked like he was about to destroy something. He was so filled with rage and hatred, he couldn't even think of an insult or a threat to the flaming man. He hadn't been this angry since the day his entire clan was wiped off from the face of the universe.

But Jack is more important right now…the rational part of his mind pointed out. He gently pulled Jack's body into his arms, still keeping a sharp glare on Flicker, who was, thankfully, kept in the same spot.

You're lucky that Jack needs me, otherwise you'd be dead.

With a stomp of his foot, a hole opened right underneath them, and both Bunny and Jack immediately descended.

Flicker's eyes widened in surprise then shot forward, trying to get to Jack before they dive into the hole. However, he was unsuccessful and the entrance to the tunnel was closed off when he finally reached it, only grabbing nothing but soil and grass. A growl escaped his lips before releasing out a frustrated cry while literally breathing out fire, burning the trees around him as a result.

His winter spirit had been taken from him…by a goddamned overgrown rabbit nonetheless!

But I'm going to get him back. He silently vowed to himself.

Flicker took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the flames around him dimmed and faded into smoke as he relaxed himself.

He would get Jack back, however, if he would…he need to be smart about this. After all, there was no way that he could take on all the guardians at once, not without the third flower at least. And he really wasn't sure if he wanted to fight that Pooka either, not after seeing that glare on his face. It was almost as if he wanted to kill him right then and there.

Despite the literal fire power he have, Flicker rather live another day.

Now all that is left is brainstorming up some sort of strategy, but how?

A crumbling sound took him out of his train of thought, making him look down to see his foot crushing more of what is left of the ice owl's remains. Seeing the crystal pieces instantly refresh his memory as an idea formed inside of his head.

"Oh, that's right…"

He also remembered which house that the owl had been monitoring. Not to mention that his own presence around that area caused Jack to react instantly.

Flicker turned his head with a smirk, gazing off in the direction of Jamie's house.

"I think I could use this to my advantage."

Once his feet met the floor of one of his curving tunnels, Bunny crouched down and shut his eyes, breathing deeply in an attempt to calm himself as he cradled Jack close to his chest. After a few calming breaths, he managed to feel calm, even though he was still shaking. From anger, shock, fear, he doesn't know.

"Damn it, Jack! I told you not to leave Jamie's house!" his voice cracked as he spoke. He knew that Jack wasn't the blame. The real person that he was angry at was himself. He never should have left his side, even when he knew that crazed…demon…was out looking for him.

What was I thinking? I'm such an idiot!

Bunny took one more intake of air and exhaled slowly, before pulling Jack away so that he could look at him. When he opened his eyes, he instantly regretted it. The green glow from the small patches of grass and flowers that grew in the tunnel allowed him to see everything perfectly. Jack's blood was everywhere.

From staining his hair and face to slowly seeping out of the wound and darkening his hooded sweater and pants. When he took note that his fur was suddenly damp around the arms and chest area, he could see that he was being coated in violet. Jack's eyes were shut due to having been passed out from the pain, though his breathing was irregular and uneven.

Bunny took a shaky breath at the very sight of him.

I can't lose control while Jack needs me. He mentally reminded himself. I have to stay calm.

He pressed his own paw firmly onto Jack's chest wound in order to slow down the bleeding while he gently picked him up bridal style before making his way through the tunnel. He made sure that he took careful steps in order not to shift the boy too much. Upon walking, he realized that there was no way that he could take care of Jack on his own.

He needed the others' help.

"Hey, Bird!" Bunny called out through the tunnel. Throughout the whole fiasco, he hadn't come up an actual name for Jack's gift yet, but he had to worry about that another time. Surprisingly, the ice creature flew up behind him almost instantly and perched upon his shoulder.

He looked into its glass eyes and spoke carefully, "I need you to go get North and the others for me." Then he stomped his foot to open another tunnel above him. The small bird stared at him for a moment before flying up into the hole and disappeared through the darkness of the tunnel.

I hope they figure out that thing's message. He thought.

He peered down at Jack, seeing that he was still limp in his arms. His thin legs swayed slightly with every step the Pooka took.

"…I'm so sorry, mate." Bunny whispered softly.

He looked over his shoulder to see a trail of violet blood, marking his footsteps. Bunny grimaced at the sight before pressing onwards to their destination. When they finally reached the end of the tunnel, he stepped out into the familiar lush greenery of the Warren. He was greeted by a few of his eggs that were running around him in a mixture of worry and confusion, but he ignored them for the moment and walked to the soft patch of long grass in the center of the clearing. There he gently laid Jack down before getting started to see how bad the damage was.

He wasted no time in carefully removing the blue sweater before tossing it to the side while looking around frantically for something to press against Jack's wounds. The sweater was already soaked in blood, so he decided against that. There were medical supplies but they're nowhere near the burrow, forced to rely on his paws to press them firmly for the time being as he cursed inwardly for not thinking ahead enough.

Where are you guys? He thought, hoping that they won't arrive too late while Jack is slowly bleeding.

His prayers were answered sooner than he expected as a familiar brightly colored portal opened up near the clearing, and the first thing that came out was the little ice bird. Following after it were the familiar faces of North, Sandy, and Tooth, armed with swords and what looked like large buckets of snow. Probably to chuck them at Flicker in case they come across him. Bunny could see the familiar duel ornate talwars strapped around Tooth's waist, she hadn't used them since their first assembly against Pitch those eons ago. He was surprised that they haven't dulled over the years. He also noticed that North is armed with one of the swords of the past as well, the very first Moon artifact, Tsar Lunar XI's sword, he had it pointing forward while keeping one of his many swords sheathed as back up.

The large man frowned as he looked around in confusion, the Warren seemed to be ok…no smell of burning wood, no charred Sentinels, not even a sight of fire. The eggs are alright so far, could they have interpreted the message from the small creature wrong?

"Is this…a trap?" he asked, looking over to Sandy a bit, who only shrugged in response but kept the bucket ready.

Tooth scanned the area until she finally saw Bunny in a clearing…along with Jack who lay prone upon the ground, along with the coppery scent that she's all too-familiar with. She gasped loudly as she brought her hands to her mouth, dropping her bucket in the process and gained the attention of her two comrades.

What they saw shocked them to the core. Over the centuries of protecting children, they have learned to try to see the bright side in life, while bring hope, wonder, and dreams to those that were unfortunate and abused. But this…the sight of one of their youngest member, lying limp on the ground, soaked in his own blood-it was enough to leave them speechless. Tooth looked like she was going to cry at any minute as North and Sandy both stood in shocked silence. The Pooka looked over his shoulder while keeping his paws over Jack's wound, trying to put as much pressure on it as he could.

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Bunny's voice shouted, snapping the other guardians out of their stupor and instantly rushed to his side, with the snow buckets forgotten. Tooth got there first, due to her speed, holding Jack's face as she examined him for further injuries. Thankfully, she found none. She then looked up at Bunny with what looked like fear in her pink eyes. She hadn't look this scared since her fairies were captured.

"How did this happen?" she asked, her voice was breaking as she struggled to remain composed.

"How do you think?" Bunny grumbled. He didn't mean to make it seem like he was snapping at her but the encounter left him really stressed and tense.

North knelt down on one knee and looked over Jack carefully. The Pooka recalled that the Russian man used to be the leader of Cossack bandits (Bandit King, the latter corrected him one time), and before his initiation as guardian, he was familiar with receiving wounds as much as making them.

"Flicker attacked him while he was with Jamie?" It was more of a statement than a question as he kept his voice low.

Sandy hovered in front of Bunny, forming a silhouette of Jamie above his head with a question mark next to it.

"I'm sure Jamie is fine," The Pooka reassured him. "Jack was in the forest when I found him being attacked by Flicker."

The small man seemed to be satisfied with the answer before nodding at North, which signaled him to reach into his coat to pull out what looked like a first-aid kit.

Thank goodness North thought ahead to bring that. Bunny thought to himself, relieved at the fact that Jack is in good hands now.

"Why is he so warm?" Tooth spoke up.

There was a frantic tone in her voice, making Bunny to look over to find her hand upon Jack's forehead. He removed one of his hands from Jack's chest to press the back of it against the latter's cheek. His skin was warm, very warm, and if last summer taught him something, it was a dangerous thing to Jack.

"We need to cool him down! Sandy, the buckets!" North commanded.

Sandy nodded before manipulating his sand to gather the remaining snow back into the buckets that were left in the center of the clearing, carrying them to their location. North and Bunny wasted no time to dump what is left inside the containers over Jack's entire body, covering him in snow. The former bandit gently brushed the snow away from Jack's wound before bundling up a medical cloth to press firmly upon the younger boy's chest.

Tooth kept her hand upon Jack's forehead the whole time and let out a sigh of relief. The heat is still there, but the familiar chill slowly coming back.

"We should wait for him to cool down, and then we'll have him cleaned up and bandaged." She suggested.

North nodded before gazing at Bunny as he sat back on the grass and stared forward. He noticed that he was tense and shaking a bit, taking deep breaths as he does so. He stared at him with concern before thinking up some way to break the tension.

"Are you alright, my friend?" he asked.

Bunny shook his head as Tooth fluttered over to his side to place a gentle hand upon his shoulder.

"No, I'm not alright," he admitted quietly, still looking ahead. "North, you didn't see how that…thing…was treating Jack when I found him. He's insane…he really is a demon." An image of Flicker hovering over Jack's limp body replayed in Bunny's mind. The sight of the flaming spirit playing in the boy's blood, smearing it all over the youth's face before running his tongue along Jack's chin in a sick seductive manner.

Bunny shuddered at the memory. He had to keep Jack away from him, and the next time that Flicker will cross his pass, he'll be picking him in the face. The other guardians exchange looks before turning to Bunny, feeling concern not only for Jack but also Bunny as well. One of them had to speak up in order to get the Pooka to see the bright side as much as possible.

"Well, he is safe now," North spoke up, giving him a hearty pat upon the Pooka's shoulder. "We won't let something like this happen again."

Bunny nodded, vaguely taking note of the Cossack's promise. However, he couldn't shake off an uneasy feeling that there is a possibility that Flicker was planning something bigger against them. And even with all of their strengths combined, it still wouldn't be enough. This bloke is in a class of his own all together compared to Pitch and the Monkey King.

"Why don't you get washed up a bit, Bunny?" Tooth suggested, gesturing to Bunny's violet stained fur.

Bunny looked down at himself, noticing the blood was still there before turning back to the pile of snow that was covering Jack's body. "…Nah." He replied.

North let out a chuckle as he patted Bunny on the arm. "If it's about guarding Jack, we are here," he reassured him, hoping to ease him up a bit.

However the Pooka didn't budge from the spot and his expression was far from amused. "No…" he stated. There was a stubborn tone that Tooth and Sandy picked up from his gruff voice, and they both noticed that he had a serious look on his face.

"Starting now right now…I'm not leaving Jack's side." Then he turned to North. "…Ever."

North let out a deep sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew that this would happen eventually…Bunny's affection for Jack would drive him to irrational conclusions and act on emotions alone. And he thought that Bunny tasting his own chocolate was the problem…

North then stood up before picking up one of the empty buckets to hand over to Tooth.

"Toothy, would you please fly to stream and bring some water?" he asked.

The Tooth Fairy Queen nodded before flying away with the bucket in hand. For now, they would all stay by their youngest member's side and keep him safe as he healed from his ordeal. They just hoped that Flicker wouldn't do anything drastic while they were isolated in the Warren.