Crying felt good… until it did not.
"We should… should go." Danny clumsily pulled out of Frostbite's embrace.
"We are in no hurry." The yeti's voice soothed. "Take all the time you need."
But any attempts of comfort had long since turned sour in the half ghost's ears. His shoulders raised, tense with ever present guilt. "No, it's fine. I'm fine…" He turned away, starting to wobbly float off.
The chief hurried after. "If you insist."
Danny trembled, straight faced and struggling to stay in the air despite the flaring exhaustion.
"Rest. Please." The words were half-order, half-plea.
Silently, the boy sat. He stayed quiet during the walk back, as he picked at his dinner, while Snowflake checked his vitals and took another ectoplasm sample. His head fixed down, core aquiver.
Quietly, he asked Frostbite to take him back to his room. Again, he ignored the concerned looks. And again, he tossed and turned until he fell asleep.
"I made you, in this lab." Vlad's sneering voice rang in his head. "You belong to me."
The word sent a shiver of revulsion through him. "No." He tried to say but… ectoplasm on his tongue. He… he couldn't move, couldn't speak.
.
The world outside blurred, obscured through burning green and foggy glass.
The flare of Plasmius' cape, hellish red eyes. "Just do as I tell you!"
Red and blue fabric, the swing of a dark haired ponytail. A young, tentative voice.
Danny's ear twitched at the sound, brow wrinkled. What…
"You. Exist. To serve. Me!" Vlad raged.
The boy's vision cleared. A young girl, around 12, stood on the other side of the glass… outside of the pod he was chained in. Her lips trembled, eyes teary. Then… her jaw set and the water cleared, gaze angrily determined.
"You are not! " She balled her fist. "the boss of me!" Her hand slammed down.
The click of metal. Danny gasped, the cuffs on his wrists releasing. A hydraulic hiss and the glass parted.
The boy stumbled forward, starting to fall but… wavering, he set his feet under him. His eyes flickered to Vlad, a flutter of fear. Then… his attention was on the girl and the fear was replaced.
A warm feeling quivered in his heart, gratitude, amazement. "You're helping me?"
The girl smirked, balling her fists."You wanna ask questions? Or you wanna kick some butt?"
The corner of his lip twitched up. A shared high five, the white flash of transforming light, and twin ectoblasts slammed Plasmius against the wall.
"Danielle." The half ghost awoke to darkness, the girl's name on his lips. "Danielle."
How had he forgotten her? His… the other Danny's clone. The… only other surviving clone.
The thought had him sitting up in bed, wide-eyed relief flicking in his belly. He wasn't the only one. There was another like him. And…
He was a liar, even to himself. Danielle wasn't him and she wasn't Danny. She was a clone, like him. And… he wasn't really Danny, either.
It all balanced in his head, like some kind of awful math problem. Stab after stab, ever since he'd awoken for the first time at Vlad's. The memories had come, few and far in between with all their gaping holes. Even the ones he did have were fuzzy and indistinct. Copies and approximation of emotions and feelings but… not the real thing.
The small differences piled up, weighing heavier and heavier. Space did not interest him. He had no ice powers. He hated the real Danny's favorite Far Frozen dessert. A dozen ways he'd surprised Vlad or Frostbite…
The electricity that sparked from his fingers, his love of jelly mushrooms. During the hike with Vlad, the man had been surprised when he'd made a point of bird watching and was excited to spot a rare yellow-billed cuckoo. It had been so natural at the time, to go into Vlad's garden with plant, insect, and bird books from the library. To learn about the world around him and try to work out where the other half ghost was keeping him. And then he'd found himself enjoying it, enthralled with the life around him.
And in the yeti's garden… that same awe had bloomed. So many questions about the plants and animals that resided there. His eyes brightened with excitement, the first real relief he'd felt since waking up here.
Somewhere, deep down, a flicker of desire sparked.
Tomorrow he could visit the garden again and explore. He could ask all his questions, bother the gardeners' until they answered. Or search the library for some previous curious soul's notes. He could indulge in his budding interest, the one thing that was truly his…
But… his core twisted, suddenly guilty. A bitter taste welled in his mouth. The statue, grand and regal, loomed in his mind. A wordless sound of rage as the other… the real Danny fought Vlad for him. His… his original kneeling over him, frantically pressing the remote to stop the destabilization.
That wasn't…. That wasn't him. But it was supposed to be. Danielle had it so easy. She looked like a little sister or cousin, like her own person. But… he was identical. He was supposed to be Danny. He was made to be Danny. And he couldn't even do that right.
His core ached, pulled in two directions. He.. he wanted to be Danny. He was supposed to be Danny. But….. somewhere, in a distant corner…. He wanted to be someone else.
But what did any of that matter?
Somewhere in the depths, the new spark sputtered and extinguished. Even if he wanted to be someone else, he couldn't. He was a clone, a copy of another person. He always had been. How could he be anything else?
Besides, the yetis thought he was their Great One. The dozens of admiring gazes he'd seen tonight rose in his mind. And dozens of more imagined disappointments. He couldn't tell them that he was actually a cloned copy.
He couldn't tell Frostbite. And he couldn't be anything but what he'd been made to be. It was as simple as that.
And yet, as the boy drifted off to sleep again….
"Well, aren't you a pretty bird?" He laid on the purple grass, eyes following the ice phoenix.
"Come on, flare up for me." He cooed at the animal.
His tongue stuck out, doodling a sketch into a notebook. "Come on. Let's see some flames."
The bird let out a coo, cold flames flickering to life.
The boy gave a chuckle. "There you go."
Slowly, subtly, unknown in his sleep, the corner of his lip turned up.
Somehow, inexplicably, Danny woke up in a better mood. He managed small talk at breakfast. He smiled at Snowflake as she and Frostbite led him to one of the medical rooms. He even asked questions during his medical examination, much more curiously engaged than before.
Frostbite scrolled on an icy tablet, eyes scanning the data he and the nurse had just collected. "I believe…" His eyes widened, voice rising in surprise. "Your core has recovered enough for you to transform."
The boy blinked. "You mean… I can turn human?"
The chief nodded. "It is unexpectedly fast but see." He turned the tablet to Danny, flipping to a graph showing a series of waves. "Your energy pattern has stabilized at a high enough reading. Your material world matter percentage rose considerably over night. And…" He swiped to another image, a sphere in shades of green and blue.
"What is this?" Danny's eyes widened, a hint of amazement.
"It is a detailed image of your core."
"Wow." The picture shimmered, splattered with different shades. Neon green, teal, icy blue and a dozen more shades swirled and bleed into each other. "It's so pretty…." The boy's brow furrowed, a hand raising to trace. "What are these?" Patterns of light and shadow, almost like lines criss-crossed the image.
"These are surface markings." Frostbite said. "They show how your energy flows through your core and manifests as different powers. The part we are interested in…" He flicked the picture, rotating the sphere and magnifying a section. "Here." The area shone, so pale blue it was almost white. "These lines correspond to your ability to turn human."
"Really?" Again, Danny breathed, a tiny exclamation of amazement. His finger traced the faint lines. They crossed and swirled, clustering and branching out in different directions."How can you tell?"
Frostbite's brow wrinkled, almost confused. Then… "Ah." He chuckled heartily, pulling the screen back towards himself. "Perhaps if we increase the contrast…" He tapped on it again and made several quick movements with his fingers. Then he turned the screen back to Danny.
A laugh escaped from the boy. "Well, okay then." The lines had darkened on the image, a picture shifting into clarity. "A little person with… with those light ring things? Really?"
Sure enough, the spot showed a crude impression of a human figure, complete with two arms and legs and an approximation of Danny's typical disheveled hair. A circle ringed the person, tiny sharp spots and dashes giving the impression of a halo of light
Danny giggled for a long moment, taken by the absurdity. Frostbite joined too, booming laugh as excitable as ever.
After the moment passed… "That's a bit on the nose, isn't it?" The half ghost tilted his head, studying the image again. "Why does it look like that?"
The yeti shrugged. "Ghosts are creatures of feeling and memory, more so than stable, physical patterns of anatomy." His brow furrowed thoughtfully, looking at the picture. "There is a certain logic to it, an emotional one. Perhaps an artifact of how you think of and interact with your abilities?" Frostbite shook his head. "We can hypothesize in time. Do you wish to attempt a transformation?"
"Oh yeah." Danny perked up, remembering what started this conversation in the first place. "Yes! Definitely!" Awkwardly, he stepped away, body buzzing the excitement. "I'll just…"
The boy spread his hands, giving them an excited shaking. "I'm!... Going human?" He gave a laugh. Then, brow furrowing, he focused inside. The warm spot on his core… which apparently looked like a little, mini Danny. That sparked another giggle.
Across from him, Frostbite's smile ticked up, a fond gleam in his eye.
Danny blushed, embarrassed. He shook his hands again. "Focus." He gently self-reprimanded under his breath.
The boy closed his eyes. Again, another careful reach for the warm spot. It pulsed steadily, the comforting thrum of a tangible heartbeat. Mental fingers drew the living warmth to the surface, coaxed it to spread.
Light bloomed in his center. An electric buzz, a whiff of ozone and the light spread. Up and down. Passed his fingers and toes, flashing over his closed eyes.
Danny gasped, finding himself so much warmer and heavier. He opened his eyes, raising and spreading his fingers in front of him. "I did it." The creases of his palm, his fingernails… the same details as ever but now a familiar pale peach color, blue veins webbing under the skin. "I did it!"
The boy gave a happy little hop but… "woah!" He stumbled slightly, the sudden gravity surprisingly unfamiliar.
"Careful there." Frostbite's paw on his back steadied him.
At the words, the half ghost looked back, smiling at the yeti gratefully.
"Congratulations." The chief smiled at him. "How does it feel?"
The boy looked at his hands again, swiveling palm to backhand and back. "Great…" Tentatively, he bounced on balls of his feet. Then faster, more confident as he found his balance. "Really great!"
Grinning, he spread and flexed his arms, reveling in the stretching of muscles, the shifting of bone. His muscles loosened, he wiggled his fingers, his toes. There was a new weight to the movement, a tangibility that felt exhilarating. And at the same time…
His heart thudded in his ears, not an unfortunately familiar anxious or fearful timbre, but a comfortingly, steady, present rhythm. Wiggly movements paused, Danny took in a breath. The cold air filled his chest. He closed his eyes, for a long moment appreciating the strength of his own heart beat. Slowly, savorily, he exhaled.
Then… he opened his eyes, looking up at Frostbite. "It feels… right. I didn't realize how off being stuck in ghost form felt."
"I am glad to see this recovered to you, then." The yeti said. Then he motioned to the fabric still clothing the boy. "I am sure you are also relieved your clothing weathered the change."
"Huh." The half ghost looked at his sleeves. "Guess I was too excited to really think about it." But his long sleeve shirt and pants still snuggly enclosed him, even if the colors were changed. The once light gray pants had darkened to almost black, the shirt switched from bright orange to sky blue. He tugged at the bottom of the shirt, brow furrowed thoughtfully. "Are these material world clothes then, since they didn't disappear with my ghost form?"
"Indeed." Frostbite nodded proudly. "Very astute. Now, may we take some measures in this state?"
"Sure." Danny agreed.
The next twenty minutes included more baseline readings, a blood sample, tests of basic powers and reflexes. All the while, the half ghost grew more and more keenly aware of the cold. At first it was refreshing, the chilling air in his lungs an exhilarating contrast to the warmth of his human body. But that warmth started seeping out. A puff of mist exited with each exhale. An uncomfortable biting started at the tip of his nose, growing numbness in his fingers.
"Squeeze for me." Frostbite offered a paw, instructing him to curl fingers around one massive claw.
Danny's fingers shook slightly. The strange tingle, a step away from pain, seemed to radiate up his palm. Still, he tried his best to grip.
The chief's brow quickly wrinkled at the feeble effort. He gently grabbed the trembling hand, turning the palm down. "Your fingernails." His voice hissed worriedly.
The boy's eyes drew to the object of the yeti's worry. Instead of the typical pink, the nails appeared a bluish purple, the color bleeding up from the nail bed. His brow furrowed, confused at the sight. "What's-"
"Transform immediately." Frostbite sternly instructed.
Without question, Danny obeyed. Instantly, the unsettling tingle was gone. He breathed out, suddenly relieved.
"You should have spoken up." The yeti frowned disappointedly. "Decrease in dexterity and nail discoloration are initial signs of cold-related damage in humans."
"Oh. Sorry." The boy's shoulders raised, face colored guiltily. "I didn't think."
Frostbite shook his head, expression softening. "No. I should have taken precautions. I know humans are normally quickly susceptible to extreme cold. And with your difficulty with your ice abilities…" The furrow of his brow deepened. "Even so, you should not have begun deteriorating so quickly…. We must examine the ice generating part of your core."
The yeti accessed the tablet again. For a long, tense moment, he squinted at a particular image, zooming in and out, turning the picture this way and that. All the while, Danny nervously shifted foot to foot.
Finally, Frostbite looked up. "This will require more detailed images of the ice generating section." He waved back towards the machine they'd used for the initial scan. "If you would."
"Oh okay." Awkwardly, the half ghost did what he was told.
For a long ten minutes, he laid on the table, staring up at the silver and blue contraption. It whirled and clicked softly, a gently blue light passing over him. On the other side of the room, Frostbite's brow furrowed, studying the developing images.
Meanwhile, Danny's mind churned anxiously. How… how had he not realized he was being damaged? The tingling numbness, the not-quite-pain at the tip of his nose… he'd been so excited, elated with finally being human again that he barely registered the strangeness. The feeling had started normal enough, comfortable even. Like standing in front of the open freezer after a hot afternoon in Vlad's garden. He was familiar with differences in temperature, even if he'd never been this cold before. And with him already being so hurt, always vaguely achy, discomfort was nothing new. Between that and the excitement, of course he hadn't thought to say anything.
But… He hadn't even realized humans being damaged because of the cold was a thing. That was the worrying part. He hadn't known that cold could hurt. That glaring gap in his knowledge… it burned, an unsettling reminder of his inexperience.
With a click, the scanner's light wrinkled out, the whirling stopping a second later.
The boy turned his head up, frowning at the machine. "Is that it?"
Frostbite didn't answer immediately, his eyes narrowed at the scanner's display in contemplation.
"Frostbite?" The half ghost hazarded.
The chief's ears perked up at that, his gaze flickering back. "Yes, it is." He motioned to Danny, bidding him approach.
Tentatively, the boy did so, coming to float beside the other ghost.
"The ice generating part is present where we would expect but…" The yeti tilted the image back and forth, as if trying to decipher an impossibility. "The pattern is worryingly weak. Almost as if it is underdeveloped." He huffed a sigh. "If only the machine had not been out of service on your last visit and we had scans for comparison.."
Last visit… the boy blinked, panic and then relief hitting him in quick succession. He hadn't even thought about incriminating data from the other Danny's stay. Luckily though, there was no such information to threaten his deception. Guilt flared at that thought. And yet…
"Maybe Vlad damaged it when he put that thing in my core." Danny offered hopefully, despite knowing the falseness of the explanation.
"No. It is strange. There must be some other reason…" The yeti rubbed his chin, still focused on the image. "I will need to think more on this."
"Oh. Okay." The half ghost nervously shifted in the air. "If you think it's important or something…" Instantly, he flinched at his own suspicious awkwardness.
A comforting hand patted the boy's back. "Do not worry, Danny." Frostbite must have picked up on the anxiety though luckily not the cause. "I will determine the cause and if this change will have an adverse effects on you."
The half ghost's stomach churned, not at all comforted. "Tha… thanks then." He managed to stammer.
The yeti gave another comforting pat. "For now though, I think it will be wise to remain in ghost form when outside the human quarters. Those rooms are insulted and warmed and should provide protection from cold-related injury. There are warmer clothing and accessories should you strongly desire roaming as a human. Though I highly discourage it." He narrowed his eyes seriously.
"I won't." The boy hunched his shoulders guiltily. He definitely did not want to risk injuring himself.
"Very good." Frostbite said. "Now, would you like to visit the nursery now? The cubs would be most excited at your visit."
"Yeah… sure." Uncertainly, Danny agreed.
Happy squeals and cries sounded as soon as Frostbite opened the door.
"Chief! Chief Frosty!" The call came from a dozen different high pitched voices.
With a mix of curiosity and trepidation, Danny peered from behind the chief's legs.
Furry, chubby faces on small yetis, each his height or shorter, stared back at him. The excited squeals grew louder.
"It's the Great One!" One voice yelled, slightly lisped.
"I have bought a guest to visit you." Frostbite cut through the noise. The younger yetis instantly silenced, enraptured. "The Great One, Danny Phantom, is visiting our tribe. He is recovering from injury so he is in need of comfort, welcome, and gentleness." A brow raised. "May I trust you all to treat him with kindness and courtesy?"
Eagerly, a dozen heads nodded.
The chief smiled proudly. "I hope to hear of how well you have treated our guest once I return." Gently, he motioned Danny forward.
Head jerking up, the boy stared up pleadingly. "You're leaving me?"
"I have tasks to attend to. You are in steady paws and…" Frostbite leaned forward, mocking whispering. "I trust CrystalBreeze, this nursery's fierce caretaker, will extract you should you become overwhelmed." He winked knowingly at the other adult yeti in the room.
Said yeti nodded happily in agreement. "The little ones are quite excitable but as our chief said, you are in sound paws."
"Alright then." Swallowing, Danny agreed.
With that, Frostbite closed the door and the half ghost was left with a dozen small yetis and their caretaker.
"Play blocks with me!" "What's your favorite color?" "Where's the rest of your fur?" Voices shouted at once.
Danny grimaced, overwhelmed by the onslaught.
Then, CrystalBreeze clapped. Instantly, the crowd silenced, clapping twice in response. "Now little ones. What was our chief just saying? Is speaking at once courteous to our guest?"
"No sir." A few voices answered.
"How about each of you ask the Great One a question, if he agrees to answer?" The caretaker raised a brow at the boy.
"Oh, that's fine I guess." Danny shrugged.
"Excellent. Then we will all play a game together. Doesn't that sound fun?"
"Yes!" A few whoops of excitement sounded.
The yeti adults clapped again and the children quieted. "Take your places on the carpet, please."
CrystalBreeze led the half ghost to the stool seated in front of the surprisingly colorful floor covering. The young yetis sat in front of him, squirming excitedly and faces eager.
"One question per person please." The adult called on the kids one at a time. "WinterHill, you may begin."
The question started mundane enough.
"What's your favorite color?"
"Blue." The answer was more impulse than deliberate decision, the first color to come to his mind.
"What's your favorite food? I like crystal apples and ginsdo and mammoth cheese and spotted mushrooms. Do you like spotted mushrooms? They're yummy. But the jellies are so yucky!" The small yeti stuck out her tongue. "Do you-"
A reminder from the caretaker to ask one question and Danny was answering, a smile growing on his face. "I tried most of those and they were pretty good. Crystal apples are a lot crisper than what we have at home. The ginsdo was chewy, not too bad. And mammoth cheese?! I can't even believe you've got real mammoths! But my favorite…" He leaned forward, smirking conspiratory. "I loved the jelly mushrooms."
That earned many cries of disgust.
"Ew!" The asker looked down right offended.
Danny couldn't help but laugh.
"What type of games do you play in the material world?" The tallest yeti child, seemingly the oldest, asked next.
"Well there's video games." At the looks of confusion, Danny wrinkled his brow. "Um.. I'm not sure how to explain… I guess you use a kind of machine that makes moving pictures. There's a controller that lets you control what happens on the screen. There's a racing game I like, where you race cars on a track. And an adventure game where you fight bad guys and find treasure."
"What about other games?" The next asked. "Like freeze tag, pin the tail on the ice drake, rabbit rabbit hare. Do you play stuff like that?"
"Rabbit rabbit hare?" The half ghost's brow furrowed, trying to parse out the question.
CrystalBreeze cut in. "I believe what Icicle is asking about is childhood… what is the word?... Playground… yes, that is. Icicle wishes to learn about childhood playground games."
Still, the boy came up blank. He knew what a game was, of course. And a playground? The vague image of slides and monkey bars arose. But what type of games did children play there?
"I…I don't really remember." He frowned. He'd never been a little kid, and what's that a sad thought, but… "Freeze tag sounds vaguely familiar. I think I'd have played something like that." But what did the real Danny play as a child? For a moment, he racked his brain, trying to draw up a hint of borrowed memory.
Sadly, the ghost boy shrugged. "Sorry, I don't remember anything else. My memory's been kinda off since…" He motioned vaguely to his head.
"That is alright." The caretaker smiled kindly. "We will have to educate you then. Isn't that right, children?"
Enthusiastically, the smaller yetis agreed.
The excitement made Danny's heart squeeze pleasantly. "Thanks guys. Who's next?"
More mundane questions followed. And then the downright ridiculous.
"Why's no one asked where the rest of his fur is?!" The little yeti lifted arms, exacerbated.
The others, including the teacher, burst out laughing at the exclamation. Danny couldn't help but join in.
After a long moment to catch his breath… "Man, I needed that." He wiped at his laughter-watery eyes. "Well, I do have a lot of hair… that's what we humans call our fur… on my head but you know what? I actually have a lot more hair than it looks like." He pulled up his sleeve, pointing out the thin, light-colored hairs on his forearms. "They're hard to see, since they're obviously not as long and thick as the stuff on my head. But most humans do have little hairs on their arms, legs, torso, and back."
The little yetis leaned forward, ooing and awing. One of the children sitting in the front reached for his arm, eyes wide and eager.
"GlacierPaw." The teacher quickly tsked.
The little one instantly lowered the paw, ears pinned back in embarrassment. "Sorry." Still, innocently curious eyes pinned on him.
Danny blushed. "You can touch my arm, if you want…" If his ears had been capable of pinning back, they definitely would have. "I mean… I'm not sure what you'll be able to feel…."
GlacierPaw was apparently undeterred by this. The little one reached forward, rubbing paw-tips across his forearm with surprising gentleness. "You are kinda fuzzy." The child giggled. "Like a grinthop's belly."
"Okay?" The half ghost blinked, having no clue what animal he'd apparently just been compared to.
"I wanna feel!" WinterHill, the first yeti to ask a question, shouted.
The boy's face reddened again.
CrystalBreeze gave him an amused look. "You'll have to let all of them now."
Somewhat begrudgingly, Danny agreed. "Fine."
The children lined up, each taking their own little moment with him, strange and embarrassing at first. But…
"Humans are so cool." One muttered, a hint of awe.
The innocent, wide eyes curiosity. The excitement and appreciation.
One traced the back of his hand, down his middle finger, pausing over his fingernail. "You have blunt little claws."
"They're called fingernails." The boy offered.
The next offered up a paw, lining up five little toe-beaned digits with his. "Wow…" The yeti breathed. Little eyes studied the two appendages. The corner of their lips turned up, an amazed smile slowly turning into a giggle. "Thanks, Mr. Danny."
Danny found himself smiling. "You're very welcome."
He was something new and exciting for them, a wondrous learning opportunity for curious young minds. But… he didn't feel like a spectacle, like something poked and prodded and judged. The children just… saw him as he was, differences and all, and accepted him.
And they weren't the only ones enjoying new experiences. Slowly, the embarrassment waned and disappeared. A second tiny paw in his own, and Danny's own excitement and awe sparked.
He'd felt yetis' paws before, of course, Frostbite's and Snowflake's while they helped him recover. But those were adults', skin thicker and almost leathery with age and experience. The children's paws were softer. The smaller toe-beans reminded him of a dog's, with small, blunt claws. But at the same time, each digit was long and multi-jointed, dexterous enough to throw a ball, build a block tower, or color a picture.
"I never really thought about… how similar they are." Eyes wide, he wiggled his fingers.
The young yeti laughed, easily able to follow the movement.
The last few ooed and awed, giggling, grinning, or quietly studying with wide eyes. And Danny found himself smiling and laughing in kind as the young yetis returned to their places on the carpet.
"We've got a few more questions, right?" The boy asked.
Eager nods, more questions came shouting out.
Danny raised a brow. "We were doing this one at a time, remember?"
The kids quieted, hands raised and the half ghost pointed at who would go next. More strange ridiculous questions only kids could ask followed. Do humans come from eggs? What is pooping and why do humans do it?
And the final question… "Why don't you have a tail?"
The half ghost raised one eyebrow. "Who says I don't?" Forehead wrinkled in concentration, he coaxed his legs to meld together into a ghostly tail. "See?" He grinned, playfully wiggling the end.
The children all laughed.
"Umph." Still smiling, the boy left out a breathy huff, panting slightly from the excretion. He untensed, letting his lower half snap back into its typical shape. "Seriously though." He whipped his brow. "I do have a tail, even in my human form. It's just inside."
"What?!" The yeti who'd asked the question shouted, arms raised. A dozen other disbelieving cries followed.
"No way!" "Tha's inpossable!"
"It's true, I swear!" He laughed. "The spine, the bones that go down my back," He stood up, turning around to motion. "They go down past my pelvis. That's why my legs and torso connect." Hand vaguely motioned around his waist. "The bone at the end of the spine is literally called the tailbone." Another laugh. "Humans have tails."
More shouts of disbelief sounded. Arms spread and waved. Little bodies vibrated with excitement and exacerbation.
"You're messing with us!" One child argued. "Mr. CrystalBreeze! He's playing a prank."
The teacher tried to hide an amused look. "Now class, I'm sure Mr. Phantom isn't meaning to pull our tails."
That provoked a series of groans and more giggles.
"No, I'm serious. It's real!" Still laughing, Danny waved his arms. "I'll get Frostbite and Snowflake to take scans. Humans really do have internal tails!"
At that proclamation, some of the chaos calmed. A few children still talked loudly to each other. One laid down wiggling on the carpet, so taken by ridiculous laughter. But most of the others quieted, looking at him with tilted heads.
"You better." The yeti who had asked the question crossed little arms, lips pursed in a pout.
The half ghost raised his hands disarmingly. "I swear. I'll get that picture."
The questioner nodded seemingly satisfied. Chatter continued for a few more seconds, the loud laughter slowly quieting.
Then the caretaker clapped once. The young yetis responded with their own two claps, attention drawn back. "Well, I suppose that settles it." The adult nodded. "Now, how about we introduce Mr. Phantom to one of our games? Rabbit, rabbit, hare will be fun, I think!"
"Yes!" Several voices cheered. Little bodies clapped enthusiastically, bouncing in place.
Another clap, two in response. "You all know how to play. Form a circle on the floor."
The child did so, CrystalBreeze motioning Danny to sit beside him on the carpet.
Once settled, one yeti raised a paw, waving it in the air. "Oh! Oh! Can I be It first?"
The teacher agreed. "Yes, you may, GlacierPaw. Can you explain to our guest how to play?"
GlacierPaw nodded enthusiastically, standing up. "It's really easy! You go… rabbit." Walking around the circle, the child tapped their neighbor on the shoulder. "Rabbit. Rabbit." One after another, little yetis were labeled as rabbit. "Rabbit. Rabbit. Rabbit. Rabbit. Rabbit…" More than half way around the circle and… "Hare!"
The little yeti tapped a shoulder and the 'hare' hopped up, standing.
GlacierPaw giggled. "Now WinterHill has ta catch me!"
"I'll get you!" The two ran around the circle, a finger tip's length apart. In a blink, they were back where they had started and…
"You're It!" GlacierPaw plopped down in the other yeti's spot, tongue stuck out teasingly.
WinterHill just scrunched a lip in a pout. But a second later, the count started again. "Rabbit… rabbit…."
This seemed simple enough, Danny nodded to himself. His eyes followed the yeti who was "it" smiling at the cheeky expression, at the way the child drew out each word. "Raaaaabitttt…. Hare!"
Another child was picked, another race around the circle, and the newest 'hare' was made 'it.'
This child was more quiet, each 'rabbit' said softly, almost shyly. Three kids down the circle and… "Hare." The young yeti picked…
"I'm It." The teacher gasped, mock surprised. He stood up, chasing his charge around the circle with playful slowness. When the child took his spot…. "You beat me! You're so fast." He congratulated.
The child smiled softly, looking proud of their accomplishment.
And so the game continued. CrystalBreeze continued the pattern, picking one of the shortest yetis, with big eyes and curly horns.
"Rabbit. Rabbit." This one almost sang the words, pitch raising up and down in a silly little song. "Rabbit. Rabbit…."
Danny was so enraptured, he barely noticed…
"Hare!"
The boy blinked, the word hitting him.
"Go! It's your turn." Voices shouted, cheering him on.
With a start, he sprang up. He jogged, a bit awkwardly. But everyone was cheering. The child who'd picked him grinned back at him, giggling. He was very close now, he could easily beat them with a little more speed. But that wouldn't be any fun.
"I did it!" The little one flopped down in his spot, grinning up like they'd won the most incredible prize imaginable.
"Yep! Good job." The half ghost offered a high five to gleeful acceptance.
Now it was his turn. The half ghost turned and started walking. "Rabbit…" He mozied, enjoying each excited wiggle and laugh as he tapped little shoulders. "Rabbit…." He reached the caretaker who gave him a grateful smile. "Rabbit…" Two other kids… each of them had already had a turn… "Hare!"
With a smirk, he picked the practically fluffy yeti who had asked about his lack of fur.
The child hopped up and the two raced. The yeti followed close behind, Danny staying just out of reach…
"Ha!" The boy made it around first, plopping down with a laugh. "Good try, buddy."
The game continued. More sprints around the circle. More laughter and quips and making up silly tunes. And Danny clapped and bounced and chuckled. His core buzzed happily, a cozy warmth growing in his chest.
Once everyone had taken two turns, attentions began to waver…
"Good job, everyone!" The boy held out his hands, fingers splayed in an obvious motion.
The little bodies rushed for him, eager for high fives. Some touched hands gently, others swung down so fast that it hurt. Sound buzzed around him, more eager questions, suggestions of games to play. One youngster tugged at his hand, another hugged his leg.
And despite the noise and crowd, an onslaught that had been so overwhelming not that long ago, the half ghost felt a strange peace. He couldn't be happier.
A knock sounded at the door, Snowflake appearing in the door with his wheelchair.
"Great One." The nurse smiled. "Would you like some lunch?"
Lunch already? He blinked, surprised. It felt like he had just eaten breakfast.
But distantly, his stomach grumbled. Now that he was paying attention, an empty feeling gnawed at his insides.
"Yeah." He stepped towards the door. "That sounds-"
"No, you can't leave!" A pitiful cry cut off his response. Similar begging and complaints followed.
"The Great One needs his sustenance." CrystalBreeze gently supplicated.
"And rest." The nurse added.
"Can you come back tomorrow?" The yeti gripping Danny's hand asked, large eyes begging.
The boy couldn't say no to that. "Of course." His heart squeezing with affection, he ruffled the fluffy head. "I had a lot of fun." His eyes drifted up, addressing the group as a whole. "I'd love it if you guys taught me some more games."
Cheers of agreement erupted. Stomps and claps, shouts and cries. A dozen different voices loudly suggesting future plans.
"Say goodbye to Mr. Phantom." The caretaker cut through the noise.
"Bye Mr. Danny!" "Bye Phantom."
The half ghost laughed at the exclamations, waving just as vigorously as the children. With a grin on his face, he took a seat in the chair and let Snowflake wheel him out. "Bye!"
"I'm not gonna lie…" The half ghost pointed at Frostbite with his fork, putting on a disgruntled look. "You freaked me out, leaving me with all those kids."
"My apologies." The yeti started, looking repentant.
"But…" Danny's eyes twinkled, expression morphing into a soft smile. "That was actually a lot of fun. They asked the craziest questions." The boy snorted. "And that game had me cracking up by the end." He stabbed at his food, stuffing a large bite in his mouth. "No wonder I'm so hungry!"
Frostbite gave a laugh, looking relieved. "I am pleased to hear you enjoyed yourself. I was hoping time with the young ones would brighten your spirit. Even as it does cause fatigue." The chief grinned knowingly at the same time Danny yawned.
The boy narrowed his eyes for a moment, mock annoyed. Then his face softened again in amusement. "You can say that again." He raised his arms, stretching. "Could definitely use a nap now."
"Feel free to take one." Frostbite said. "And after you may do as you wish. Unfortunately, I will be busy with meetings and unable to accompany you. But the whole of the cave and practice grounds are yours to explore. Perhaps you would enjoy visiting the gardens again. Or the library?"
The boy nodded thoughtfully. "The gardens were really cool…."
The yeti nodded encouragingly. "I hope you have an excellent time then. I will see you at dinner."