Author's Note: Hello, hello, my readers! Welcome back to another entry for ROTG Secret Santa 2024, No Greater Love! I decided to do Prompt 86-North and Jack being found family father and son core. So, originally this was going to be a long oneshot. However, life happened, so I decided to split it up into 2 chapters. This way, my giftee has something, and I can focus on Part 2. For now, please enjoy Part 1 of my fic!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Rise of the Guardians.
Prompt 86: North and Jack being found family father and son core.
No Greater Love
Part 1
If there was one thing Jack had been grateful for after all those years of being alone, it was that he found a family with the other Guardians. While he could never replace his biological mother and sister, he was proud to call his fellow Guardians—North, Tooth, Bunny, and Sandy—his new adoptive family. It was interesting how each of them fell into a specific role in their odd group of immortal beings. Tooth was like a mother to him. Bunny and Sandy were like his older brothers. North…North was like a father to him…or rather he practically was Jack's father. He had taken Jack under his wing when he was first chosen as the newest Guardian. He had been there to comfort Jack and to help him with any kind of problem he faced. He had taken him in and invited him to stay at the Pole permanently, which of course, Jack accepted. There was something about the fact that North went out of his way to do that that warmed Jack's heart. North didn't have to do it, but he did. Jack loved the other Guardians, and he would always cherish his relationships with them. However, with North, Jack always felt they had the closest relationship as father and son figures. Nothing could ever change how much they meant to each other.
Jack and North had been doing quite a lot together ever since the former first became a Guardian, and one of the things they loved to do together most of all was their annual camping trip. In fact, that was where adoptive father and son were.
"We finally made it!" Jack said as they landed in their familiar clearing in the forest.
"Yes," North said as he tied up the reigns that held the reindeer, "we now have three days of no work to just enjoy the great outdoors and each other's company."
"Then let's hurry and set up," Jack said as he quickly grabbed the supplies. "We said we wanted to get to do some hiking today, and I want to see if the birds from last year came back to their nest."
The Guardian of Wonder chuckled at the Guardian of Fun's excitement and wasted no time in following suit. They worked together to set up their campsite, and once it was done, the winter Guardians went on their first hike of the trip. They ended up picking a familiar route that was going to lead them to the birds that Jack wanted to see from last year's trip.
So, of course, Jack and North set off on their hike. Jack was in front of North while the latter wasn't too far behind smiling fondly at his adoptive son. It had been a few years since Jack first became a Guardian, and North couldn't believe how far they had come since then. They were father and son in every way except biologically, and North loved every minute of it. He loved their makeshift family with the other Guardians, but there was nothing like having quality bonding time with Jack. These trips were something the two of them shared, and there was nothing that could change that.
"Come on, slow poke!" Jack called as he turned to face North.
North laughed. "Who are you calling 'slow poke?'" he retorted as he continued walking.
Jack chuckled and smiled fondly at the older Guardian before turning his sights back to the forest around him.
"Are you enjoying yourself so far?" North asked after a moment of silence.
"Oh yeah," Jack said as he turned to face North while walking backwards, "are you kidding me? I look forward to this every year! You…me…and the great outdoors!"
"I'm glad to hear that," North said. "I look forward to it as well, son." He watched as Jack turned back around to keep walking on the trail, and he took a deep breath before he spoke up again. "Jack…there's something I want to talk to you about while we're on this trip."
"Oh really?" Jack asked. "What about?" He then couldn't help but slowly come to a stop when he looked around and listened. He furrowed his eyebrows together when he realized that he and North had yet to hear or see any animals. It was too quiet…too still.
"Well, you see, we've—" North stopped when he looked and saw that his adoptive son had stopped walking. "Jack?" he asked jolting the winter spirit out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?"
"Uh…y-yeah, I'm fine," Jack said looking around the forest. "It's just…we've been hiking all this time, and I haven't heard or seen a single animal."
North looked around and listened closely only to realize that Jack was right. There was no sign of animals…no birds…no deer…no squirrels anywhere, which was particularly odd. Last year, they would've seen at least a few deer…and squirrels by now. "You're right," he said. "It's too quiet." Something felt off. He could feel it. Something was different from last year.
"But what could've changed to make them so quiet?" Jack asked. "Could they have left to go somewhere else?"
"I'm…not sure," North said looking around suspiciously. There was no sign of hunters or any kind of change to the forest. He then shook his head to get rid of any suspicions. "Ah, I'm sure it's nothing. I'm sure we'll run into an animal at some point. We've got a whole weekend ahead of us."
"Yeah, you know what, you're right," Jack said with a smile and a shrug. "Maybe today is just an off day. Maybe we'll find some of the animals later."
"Absolutely," North said with a smile of his own as he pulled Jack in for a side hug, "come, let's keep going. I know you want to see those birds."
"Alright," Jack said as he began walking again only to stop and turn back to North, "oh, so what did you want to talk to me about?"
"Oh…" North simply said with widened eyes, "uhh…" The Guardian of Wonder completely forgot about why they stopped to begin with. He did have something to talk about with Jack, but now that North thought about it, this didn't feel like the right time, "it can wait. Don't worry about it." He gave a smile as he patted him on the shoulder to emphasize his point.
Jack however wasn't convinced. Not to mention, he felt slightly guilty for not fully paying attention to when North first brought it up, so he raised an eyebrow silently urging North to continue. "You sure?" he asked.
"Positive," North said with the smile never leaving his face. "Now, come, my boy, let's keep moving."
Thankfully for the Guardian of Wonder, the Guardian of Fun didn't push the issue further and complied. Adoptive father and son continued with their hike. However, as they did, it was becoming more and more apparent that there were hardly any animals. The forest was still too quiet. Nevertheless, the two guardians tried to push down their gut feeling that something was wrong and brushed it off thinking that they would see some signs of life eventually. They were still met with some disappointment when Jack finally found the tree, where the birds hatched their eggs last year…only to find that there was no sign of them. It looked like the nest was abandoned.
"I'm sorry, my boy," North said. "I know you were excited to see them again."
Jack wasn't about to let that ruin their trip, so he simply shrugged. "It's okay," he said. "Maybe they just haven't come back yet."
"Of course," North said patting Jack's shoulder. "I have no doubt we'll come across them again." However, something still didn't feel right. Could it be possible that the birds not returning align with the other animals not being around…why it sounded so quiet? He quickly shook his head to rid himself of the suspicions. He and Jack had been coming to this forest for their trips for a while now, and not once have they ever had a problem. Why would there be something wrong now?
They continued with their hike for a couple of hours, and soon enough, they made their way back to the campsite just as the sun was starting to set. So they went into their routine of collecting firewood to make some dinner. However, as the sun continued to set allowing night to come over the two Guardians, the silent forest slowly became unsettling…very unsettling. Jack and North sat around their campfire with their food, and the former looked around the forest eyeing it suspiciously.
"Are you alright, son?" North asked when he noticed Jack looking over his shoulder at the forest around them.
"Hmm?" Jack said turning to North. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. It's just…uhh…" he looked around again before turning back to North shrugging, "a quiet forest is kind of…creepy at night."
North hated to admit it, but it was easier during the hike to ignore the fact that the forest was so quiet when the sun was shining. However, now…when the dark of the night came over them…especially with limited light from the moon and the stars…it seemed to escalate the unsettled feelings in his stomach. One could not see much at night compared to the day. "Yes, I'm…I'm getting unsettled myself," he replied. Then he thought of something. "If you…if you want to go back home and try again another time, we can do that."
"What?" Jack asked incredulously. "No, come on, North, we're already here. We're already settled in. We don't need to trek all the way back home. Besides…this is one of the few times you and I get to spend time together. I don't want to waste it."
North couldn't help but smile. He hated the idea of calling off the trip because Jack was right once again. While Jack and he did live together at the Pole, their quality time together was not as frequent as one would assume. Jack was often gone during the day dealing with winter duties while North was busy in the workshop, especially around Christmas and winter. They spent time together in the den every night and had breakfast together every morning, but they were in a building with yetis and elves running around. Plus, they also tried to set time aside for the other Guardians. They also tried to have fun together with snowball fights or Jack's sleigh lessons, but…these trips together were truly the one time they had each other to themselves…the one time they didn't have to worry about work or anything threatening the children of the world. Why waste a whole trip? "I know, my boy," North finally said smiling. "You're right. Maybe—"
SNAP!
Then a rustling sound quickly followed causing them both to jump and turn to where it came from in the surrounding brush.
"What was that? Did you hear that?" Jack asked frantically feeling his heart pounding in his chest.
"I heard something," North said quickly unsheathing his swords. "It came from over there. Grab your staff and a flashlight and stay behind me."
Jack did as he was told and grabbed his staff and one of the flashlights in his backpack. He turned the light on and followed North to where the sounds seemed to come from with the light beam leading the way. He and North slowly walked to the bushes with their weapons raised ready for anything that could attack them. However, both Guardians could feel their hearts pounding as they inched closer and closer. There didn't seem to be any other movement, but that only seemed to make them even more unsettled. "I don't see anything," Jack whispered as they inched closer to the bushes.
"Shh…" North said putting a finger to his lips. The Guardian of Wonder then slowly used one of his swords to pull back the bush allowing Jack to shine the flashlight only to find…
"Huh…" Jack said aloud. "Nothing…" He shined the flashlight in the surrounding area looking for anything or anyone out of the ordinary.
"Yes…I-I don't see anything…" North mused as he followed where the flashlight shined.
They took one look at each other…and busted out laughing.
"Aw man—hahahaha—are you ki-kidding me?" Jack asked during his laughing fit. "W-We're two of the Guardians of Childhood, and—hahahaha—we fought the Boogeyman."
"Hahaha—I know," North said as he laughed as well, "and we're…we're scared of a twig snap and some bushes—ahahaha!" He couldn't believe how scared they were for nothing. "Shostakovich…we're not as relaxed as we thought we were."
"I know, right?" Jack said as he calmed down from his laughing fit. "Aw man, Bunny better not get wind of this. He'll never let us live this down."
"My thoughts exactly, my boy," North replied. "Oh," he took a deep breath, "well, I suppose we were right. The animals must be making their way back." He wrapped an arm around Jack guiding him back to the campfire.
"I guess so," the Guardian of Fun said with a smile on his face. "I guess they just wanted to scare us." He turned to the forest. "Real funny, guys!"
North chuckled as he ruffled Jack's hair. "Even so," he said, "let's just be glad that it was nothing and get back to our fire before our food gets cold."
"Yeah, I'm still hungry," Jack said as they walked back to the campfire.
No other noises or anything out of the ordinary were heard for the rest of the meal, and it wasn't long before night encased the forest in darkness. After doing some stargazing, they decided to get an early night of sleeping since it was a long day of travel for both of them. So, they both crawled into their tent with North zipping the flaps behind them and into their respective sleeping bags.
"Ahh…that feels good," Jack said as he curled up in his sleeping bag.
"I agree, Jack," North said as he did the same once he removed his coat, boots, and socks. "There's nothing like sleeping under the stars."
"Yeah, but let's just make sure we're not so jumpy if a twig snaps or if a bush moves," Jack retorted raising an eyebrow.
North laughed at Jack's comment. "I agree," he said. "Oh, that was funny. Well, since the animals might be coming back, maybe we can try to find those birds again tomorrow."
Jack smiled. "I'd like that," he said before letting out a yawn.
The Guardian of Wonder smiled even wider at the Guardian of Fun ruffling his hair. "Get some sleep, my boy," he said. "It's been a long day."
Jack smiled even wider allowing sleep to overtake him. "Good night, North," he said.
"Good night, Jack," North replied as he followed his adoptive son's lead.
It wasn't long before they both fell asleep in the safety of their tent.
Hours passed as the night went on while Jack and North slept peacefully in their sleeping bags and the latter's reindeer slept near the sleigh.
However, the peacefulness was suddenly disrupted…when Jack woke up hearing something outside the tent. The Guardian of Fun blearily sat up in his sleeping bag listening for anything that wasn't supposed to be there. However, nothing came. It was still much too quiet, which Jack welcomed gladly as he shrugged and laid back down to go back to sleep. It must've been an animal or something, and the sun wasn't up yet, which meant he still had some time to sleep some more before it was time to wake up. With that, he tried to go back to sleep when…the noise came back. This time, he snapped his eyes open when he heard it. It sounded like…growling…and stomping, and the unsettling feeling came back full force…as he sat up. Something was outside their tent, and Jack could tell that it wasn't friendly. He looked to his left and saw that North was still sound asleep. "North…" Jack whispered trying to wake him up while also trying not to alert whatever was outside, "North…hey," he grabbed the man's shirt gently shaking him, "North, wake up."
"Hmm…huh…what?" North suddenly jolted awake looking around trying to see what woke him up until he saw his adoptive son staring at him with fear in his eyes. "Oh…Jack…" he yawned, "what's wrong, son? Bad dream?"
"No," Jack whispered looking over his shoulder before turning back to North, "I heard something outside…I don't know what it was, but it sounded like growling or something."
"What—?" North tried to ask only to be interrupted by…something…a loud growling sound causing him to gasp and to sit more upright.
"Please tell me you heard that," Jack whispered inching closer to North's side.
"I did," North whispered as he quickly got out of his sleeping bag with Jack following suit. He put on his socks, boots, and coat and grabbed his swords before pulling his adoptive son behind him. "Stay behind me and grab your staff."
Jack did as he was told and grabbed his staff holding it in a defensive stance and listening for whatever was outside. He could hear footsteps walking around…outside their tent. "It…sounds like it's walking around the campsite," he whispered as he listened for it.
North knew that Jack was right, and he also knew that whatever animal this was sounded big based on its footsteps. It was hard to tell if this animal was friendly, but he knew from the growling that that was unlikely. It growled again, and North couldn't tell as to what it was. Could it have been a brown bear or a Siberian tiger? Tigers were known to be nocturnal, but…they had been coming to this campsite for a while now. Never once had they seen a predatory animal. North shook his head. There was no time to make guesses. He was going to need to look to see what they were dealing with. "I'd better take a look," North whispered to Jack. "It's probably a bear…or a tiger."
"Oh, well, in that case—" Jack began with sarcasm in his voice.
"Shh…" North quickly said. He slowly inched forward and unzipped the tent flaps enough to get a look outside. He peeked through the opening into the dark of the night. He could make out the fire pit…the sleigh, but when he saw the sleigh…he gasped.
"What?" Jack asked. "What is it? Do you see anything?" He felt his heart pound when North turned to look at him with widened eyes.
"The…the reindeer are gone," North said. The sleigh was still there, but the reindeer…the very animals that could pull the sleigh…were gone. Whatever this animal was must've scared them off.
Jack felt his heart drop to his stomach hearing that. While they were immortal and could certainly hold their own against a bear or a tiger, they were still stranded in a way without the reindeer to pull the sleigh. "W-What?" he asked in shock.
North was just about to answer when suddenly…they heard the creature growling again, but this time it sounded like it was close…very close to the tent. Then…a pointed face…if one could call it that…poked through the fabric of the tent above them causing them to yelp and scoot away from it. North wasted no time in pulling Jack close to him and holding out his swords ready to fight. However, his eyes widened when he realized that the creature was sniffing…looking for something. Not only that but the creature was above them…a bear or a tiger wouldn't do that.
"Th-That doesn't sound like a bear," Jack whispered shakily. "It doesn't look like one either."
Suddenly, the face went away, but then it was soon replaced by huge claws tearing through the tent causing Jack to scream as he clutched onto North. North quickly swiped his sword scratching one of the claws causing the creature to roar in pain retracting his claws. However, another one came down ripping their tent open allowing Jack and North to get a view of the creature.
"Definitely not a bear," North said nervously.
The creature stood tall over them on its two feet. It had a skull-like face with antlers and claws. He had to be at least 10 feet tall. It roared and swiped its claws down toward the two Guardians.
"LOOK OUT!" North shouted as he pushed Jack out of the way of the creature tackling him to the ground.
The creature roared in anger and frustration before stalking toward them again. Jack immediately recognized it from one of North's books and Jamie's big book of mythical creatures.
"Is that what I think it is?" Jack asked frantically.
"I believe so!" North replied as he got in front of Jack again and held out his swords again. "I think it's a Wendigo!"
Jack clutched onto North's coat and held out his staff ready to fire at the creature as it approached them growling at them. He remembered reading about this creature…a malevolent spirit, that often went after humans. However, there was one problem…the Wendigo wasn't usually known to be in forests in Russia. Usually, there were sightings in North America. "What's it doing here?!" the Guardian of Fun asked.
"We'll have to find out later, son!" North said. "Right now, we fight!" The Guardian of Wonder readied both his swords and stood in a defensive stance glaring at the creature daring it to come any closer toward them.
Jack realized that North was right. There was no time to figure out why a Wendigo was there in the forest. They needed to fight. So, he stood in a defensive stance with his staff right alongside his adoptive father glaring at the Wendigo. "Got it," he said gripping onto his staff.
"Stay as close to me as you can," North whispered to him.
"Okay," Jack replied.
Almost as if on cue, the Wendigo lunged at them, and Jack and North wasted no time in jumping into action. The Wendigo roared and slashed as North swung his swords and Jack fired frost from his staff. Jack tried to grab Wendigo's antlers to bring him down, but the Wendigo was too strong and threw Jack off his head causing him to crash into a tree and to fall to the ground.
"JACK!" North shouted. He saw the Wendigo heading toward his adoptive son, and he ran to Jack's side and used his swords to block the Wendigo's blows. "Are you alright?!"
Jack slowly got to his hands and knees feeling the pain rack through his body. "Yeah…yeah, never better," he said trying to fight through the pain. "Let's send this guy back to wherever he came from." The Guardian of Fun slowly but surely stood up again and got back into his defensive stance.
"Agreed, my boy," North said, "but be careful."
"Yeah, you too," Jack said in reply.
The fight resumed as the Guardians of Fun and Wonder lunged again into action against the Wendigo. However, as the fight continued, it was becoming more and more obvious that they weren't a match for this creature. The Wendigo wasn't crafty like Pitch, but where it lacked in intelligence, it excelled in strength. It seemed like no matter what Jack or North did, the Wendigo wouldn't stay down.
"Does this guy even get tired?" Jack asked North after the Wendigo managed to throw them to the ground again.
The Wendigo roared even louder and proceeded to lunge at them yet again.
Thankfully, North managed to push Jack out of the way yet again dodging the creature's attack. "Does that answer your question?" North asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Oddly enough, yeah," Jack replied as they watched the creature in horror and fear.
North and Jack stood up yet again. They couldn't give up. They refused to do so. They needed to keep fighting no matter what, so that was what they did. They continued to fight the Wendigo with swords and staff, but it seemed like no matter what they did, the Wendigo was either 2 or 3 steps ahead of them or was able to withstand the attacks.
Jack once again blasted frost from his staff at the spirit's chest. However, the frost simply landed on it instead of knocking it down, and the Wendigo roared in anger scratching at its chest to wipe off the frost.
North wasted no time in taking the chance to utilize a sneak attack. He jumped up with his swords raised behind the spirit. However…the spirit sensed him coming and swung at him knocking him to the ground. North yelped as he landed on his arm and back, and the Wendigo turned his sights to his wounded victim as he struggled to stand up fighting through the pain.
"NORTH!" Jack shouted in fear. "LOOK OUT!"
Before North could even react, the Wendigo tackled him to the ground trapping him under one of his clawed hands. The Guardian of Wonder tried his hardest to lift the creature off him, but the Wendigo was too strong. He tried to reach for his swords, but they were out of reach behind him. His heart began to pound as he glared at the creature trying to hide his fear as it roared in his face.
"NORTH!" Jack shouted frantically as he ran over. There was no way he was going to watch his adoptive father die. He had to help North. He had to!
North managed to turn to face him as the Wendigo lifted his free hand to deliver the final blow. "JACK! NO!" he shouted. "SAVE YOURSELF!"
Jack didn't acknowledge North's plea as he commanded the Wind to carry him up allowing him to gain the higher ground—so to speak. He mustered up as much energy as he could. "Got to help North!" he thought to himself. "Got to help Dad! Got to help Dad!" He fired a blast of frost from his staff at the creature's face causing it to screech in pain, and as it did so, it stumbled back unintentionally letting North go. Once it did, Jack wasted no time in grabbing his adoptive father and his swords and pulling him to safety. "You okay?" he asked frantically once they were a safe distance away.
"I am now, thanks to you," North said with a small smile.
"Hey, you've got my back," Jack said with a smirk, "and I've got yours."
North was about to say something else when the Wendigo roared again. The Guardian of Wonder could see that it was still trying to steady itself after Jack's attack. So far, North could see no way for him and Jack to win this battle and to stay alive. The Wendigo was just too powerful of a spirit, and he couldn't stand the idea of Jack being anywhere near it. They needed to retreat. They needed to leave. Perhaps, if he and Jack could get back to the Pole, they could summon the others and come back to fight it once they regrouped, but right now…two Guardians weren't enough. He eyed the abandoned sleigh sitting several feet away from them. The reindeer were gone, but North remembered that he had a snow globe stored away. They could grab it and use it to get back home. "Jack…we can't beat this thing," he finally said. "It's too powerful. We need to get back to the Pole…now."
"I hate to say it," Jack said eyeing the Wendigo as it continued to writhe and roar, "but you're right. Maybe we can sneak away with a portal?"
"That's what I was thinking," North said as he stood up. "We need to grab it now while our friend is distracted."
Both the Guardians of Fun and Wonder quietly but quickly began running toward the sleigh, and just as they got closer…the sleigh was crushed…smashed to pieces when the Wendigo landed on it…causing both North and Jack to stop dead in their tracks. North wasted no time in pulling Jack behind him as the Wendigo growled at them daring them to get any closer.
"Oh no…" Jack whispered to himself.
North kept a firm grip on Jack keeping his adoptive son behind him as he slowly backed away. "This can't be happening…" he said in horror. The Wendigo just destroyed the sleigh…and it was very likely the snow globe was destroyed as well…ruining their chance of getting away quietly and safely.
"He doesn't want us to leave…" Jack whispered as his eyes widened in horror and he gripped onto North's coat for dear life.
"What do you mean?" North asked keeping his eyes on the creature.
"This isn't some creature wanting to fight for his territory," Jack replied. "He destroyed the sleigh—our chance at getting home. He wants us here…He wants to trap us here for some reason."
North widened his eyes realizing that Jack was right. The Wendigo wasn't doing this to chase them away. He was keeping them in this forest. That was the only logical explanation, but what could they have done to provoke it? North quickly shook those thoughts from his head. There was no time to wonder about that now. The Wendigo was still right in front of them ready to attack yet again, and North refused to let it get anywhere near Jack again. "There's only one thing left to do, son," he said.
"I'm all ears," Jack replied.
"We need to run…now," North said as he quickly stepped back pushing Jack behind him.
"What?" Jack asked furrowing his eyebrows together. Never in the short time he had been a Guardian did he even think he would hear North say that they needed to run…to retreat, but then again…what other choice did they have?
"We need to run…find some place to regroup," North said. "Figure out our next move."
"Okay, but first…" Jack replied. Then he shot another blast of frost at the Wendigo's hands and feet freezing it to the ground. "That should buy us some time, but I don't know for how long."
"It's something," North said as he grabbed Jack by the shoulder pushing him ahead. "Now…GO! RUN!"
Adoptive father and son took off running into the forest leaving the Wendigo to struggle against Jack's icy trap roaring in frustration behind. It wasn't enough to defeat it, but it was enough for North to ensure they were as far away from the creature as possible. Once they were some distance away from the clearing, North managed to grab Jack and ducked into the brush.
"What are you doing?" Jack asked with slight annoyance. "He'll find us if we stay here."
"Not 'us,'" North said grabbing Jack by the shoulders, "'me.'"
"What?!" Jack asked incredulously. Surely, North wasn't suggesting what he thought he was suggesting.
"There's no time to argue about this, Jack," North said firmly. "You need to get out of here and fly home. Fly back to the Pole…or the Tooth Palace or the Warren and get help. I can hold off our friend until you get back."
"No way!" Jack exclaimed. "Forget it! I'm not leaving my dad behind to face that thing alone!"
"Jack, listen to me—"
"NO! YOU LISTEN! I'm not doing that, North! I won't leave you like this!"
"If anything happens to you, I will never forgive myself!" North shouted.
"If anything happens to you, I will never forgive myself!" Jack retorted. "I am not going to let you face that thing alone, North! It's like you always say, we're family, and we're either going to beat this thing together or lose together. That's it!"
North simply stared at Jack in shock. He had never doubted that they loved each other as a father and son—they practically were father and son. However, hearing Jack—the very same boy, who wandered the Earth alone for 300 years—want to stand by him was an amazing feeling. They didn't need to be blood-related to be a family. They truly had a bond like no other. He then sighed in defeat and smiled. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Positive," Jack said. "I'm not going anywhere."
North was just about to respond when he heard foot stomps…and roaring. It didn't take long to figure out what it was, but he could tell from Jack's widened eyes as he looked over his shoulder that the Wendigo was coming.
"Except away from our buddy," Jack said.
North looked over his shoulder, and it was easy to see that the Wendigo was coming. The Guardian of Wonder mentally kicked himself for wasting time instead of finding a better place to hide and regroup. Their time was up. They needed to move. "Run, Jack…" North said. "RUN, JACK! RUN! GO! GO!"
They took off running again deeper into the forest with Jack in front as North followed and the Wendigo gave chase.
"Where do we run to?!" Jack asked over his shoulder.
"Just find somewhere we can take cover!" North said as he and Jack navigated the dark forest.
Jack didn't need to be told twice and kept on running with North behind him. He looked all around the dark forest for somewhere…anywhere for them to hide in from the Wendigo. It wasn't long before he discovered a cave on the top of the hill nearby. He quickly looked behind him seeing the Wendigo still chasing after him and North. "North, follow me!" Jack shouted looking over his shoulder at his adoptive father. He led his adoptive father up the hill and into the cave.
Thankfully, it was big enough for North to squeeze through the opening, and there appeared to be enough room for them to wander through. Both the Guardians of Wonder and Fun were able to see the Wendigo closing in on them, so they needed to act fast. Jack looked around for anything for them to use to buy themselves more time to get away or to come up with a plan of attack. Then his eyes landed on some rocks that were gathered above the entrance. That was when he had an idea. It was likely going to draw some attention, but it should give them some more time to regroup.
"Stand back," Jack simply said as he climbed up to the rocks. He wedged his staff in between the rocks and pushed with all his might dislodging them causing them to fall blocking the entrance completely. Both he and North shielded their eyes and coughed as some dust stirred up from the fall. "That should give us some more time," he added once he was over his coughing fit.
"Plenty of time to find another way out and sneak away," North said with a smile. "Great thinking, my boy."
As soon as he said that, the Wendigo roared and began clawing at the rocks clearly trying to get inside and roaring in frustration. North pushed Jack behind him as he watched in horror as the creature showed no signs of giving up. The Guardian of Wonder widened his eyes at the sight and quickly nudged Jack pushing him back. "Quickly, Jack," North said, "keep moving."
Jack did as he was told and kept moving deeper into the cave with North right behind him. He looked around and moved his hands along the walls in the darkness trying to find something…anything that could lead them to another way out. However, when they reached the deepest part of the cave, Jack could only stare in horror when he saw that a large stone wall…a dead end blocked their path. "Oh no…" Jack said as he ran his hands over the wall looking for anything that could indicate another opening in the cave. "No….no…no!"
"What is it?" North asked.
Jack turned to North allowing him to see the horror in his blue eyes. "It's a dead end…" he said shakily.
North widened his eyes and moved forward feeling the walls only to see that Jack was right. "NO!" he yelled in frustration as he banged the wall with his fist. "There's no other way out!"
Jack widened his eyes even more feeling his heart drop to his stomach. They were at a dead end… There was no other way out of this cave…except through the entrance where the Wendigo waited for them. He breathed heavily. "So, we're—"
A roar immediately cut Jack off causing both the Guardians to jump in fear and to turn to step back toward the front only to see that the Wendigo was still clawing his way through the rocks…and that he was almost through.
North readied his swords and glaredat the Wendigo as he stood in front of Jack protecting him. Once again, he refused to allow this creature anywhere near Jack.
"Oh no…" Jack said breathing heavily as he readied his staff, "North…we're…we're trapped in here." The guilt ate at him immediately. It was his idea to take cover in the cave. It was his idea to block off the entrance…the only entrance in this cave. He might've just personally sent North and himself to their deaths.
North hated to admit it aloud, but Jack appeared to be right. They were stuck in a cave…with no other way out…and the Wendigo was blocking their only chance of leaving. This couldn't be it though. This couldn't be how their stories ended…not now…not like this. He growled under his breath as he kept his eyes on the Wendigo watching it trying to reach toward them inside, and he gripped his swords tightly and lunged forward. "GET BACK!" North shouted as he swung his sword slashing the Wendigo's arm.
The Wendigo roared in pain as it staggered back, but it refused to give up as it returned to what it was doing by digging through the rocks.
North was quick though and grabbed Jack going back to the back of the cave away from their enemy. There was no other way out, but he could delay the creature getting to them. He gripped onto Jack holding him close while the latter returned the gesture as they both watched in horror.
"North, we've got to do something," Jack said shakily as the Wendigo clawed through the rocks. There was no way this was it for them, right? Surely, this couldn't be it. There had to be something they could do. He breathed heavily as he clutched onto his staff and North's coat as the Wendigo clawed through the rocks roaring and growling.
"Jack, I—" North began holding Jack as tightly as he could.
The Wendigo roared again cutting him off.
North had never felt more scared…more helpless in his entire life. He didn't know what else he or Jack could do. The Wendigo was ruthless…powerful…and relentless. The only option left was to fight, but…was it a battle he and Jack could win and survive?
The Wendigo knocked some small rocks out of place causing North to put up his arm to shield him and Jack from the debris.
"North, I hate to say this," Jack said, "but…we're going to have to fight our way out of here. It's our only chance."
"I know, my boy," North said. He knew he could count on Jack to say what he was thinking. Perhaps, that came with living under the same roof for as long as they had. "I won't be able to do much with my swords." He hated admitting it, but it was true. His swords wouldn't stand a chance trying to fight off the Wendigo.
The Wendigo roared again causing them both to flinch and hold onto each other tightly.
Author's Note: Annnnnnnnnd that's a wrap on Part 1, boys and girls! I really you all, especially my giftee enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to seeing you all in PART 2! Buckle up! Don't forget to read and review! Thanks, guys!