Rise of Mother Nature

Dreams and Nightmares

“Left central incisor, knocked out in a freak sledding accident. I wonder how that could have happened, Jack.”

Jack smiled at Tooth, “Kids, huh?”

I laughed quietly and Jack glanced at me, his icy blue eyes sparkling. I blushed and looked away. He smirked then gazed at the boy.

“This was always the part I liked most,” Tooth sighed, “seeing the kids.”

“It’s a little different up close, isn’t it?” I whispered.

She smiled. I felt another burn on my hand. I lifted the torn material and looked at my palm. It had turned a dark purple. Almost black. I winced and Jack walked over to me. He looked at my hand but I pulled the fabric back down before he could see anything.

“Are you ok?” he asked, a piece of his snow white hair falling into his eyes.

I bit my lip, “Yeah. I’m fine.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, Jack,” I looked at the ground and felt heat flooding into my face, “Thanks.”

We stood there quietly for a few seconds. Then he reached up and his finger brushed my ear.

“What happened?” he asked. Tooth’s attention turned to me.

“I don’t know,” I sighed, “I just, woke up one day in a forest with these ears and this tail.” I emphasized my point by holding the fluffy brown fur in my hands, “They call others like me the Faunice.”

Then North squeezed through the doorway, “Here you are!” Tooth shushed him. “Oh, what gives slowpokes?” he said in a loud whisper. The boy groaned in his sleep and North continued softly, “How you feeling, Toothy?”

“Believed in!” she answered cheerfully.

I felt another burn on my hand and bit my lip. I looked at my palm without lifting the material and saw that the black was spreading from my palm to my wrist. It ached like crazy and my heart was beating fast.

“Oh I see how it is,” Bunny grumbled hopping out of the hole he created in the boy’s room, “All working together to make sure the rabbit gets last place.”

“You guys are acting like children,” I looked at them half disgusted.

“You think I need help to beat a bunny?” Jack said taking out his bag of teeth and waving it in Bunny’s face, “Check it out, Peter Cottontail.”

Bunny smirked, “You call that a bag of choppers?” He lifted up a bigger bag, “Now that’s a bag of choppers.”

“Guys!” I whispered, “You’re gonna wake him up!”

“Gentlemen! Gentlemen!” North sighed completely ignoring me, “This is about Tooth. It’s not a competition! But if it was...” He slammed a giant bag of teeth onto the floor, “I WIN! YEEEEHAAAHH!” He began to Russian dance around the room until a flashlight was clicked on, “Oh no...”

The boy looked at us in awe, “Santa Claus? The Easter Bunny?...Sandman...The Tooth Fairy! I knew you’d come!”

“Surprise!” Tooth grinned, “We came!”

“He can see us?” Jack and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and smiled.

“Most of us,” Bunny said and the flashlight passed over Jack and I and went for the faces that the boy could see.

I frowned and my tail and ears drooped. Jack looked even more disappointed than me.

“Shh! You guys, he’s still awake!” Tooth pointed.

I didn’t want to stick around. I ran for the window and grabbed onto the roof’s shingles. I did a back flip onto the roof and sat there waiting. I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my tail around my ankles.

Finally I heard an alarm clock and Bunny yell, “Crikey!”

My ears and head perked up but I rested my head back on my knees sadly, not even bothering to check if everything was alright. My hand felt so sore, almost like it would fall off at any second. Then, it was quiet again. I heard nothing but a faint huff below me at the window. I looked down and my hair fell in my face but through it I could see a black sand horse. A Nightmare. My eyes glowed and I squinted. I crouched, then a breeze of leaves made my familiar path. I padded silently onto it but I was too late. The Nightmare darted away.

“Sandy, c’mon!” I heard Jack say, “We can find Pitch!”

Jack and Sandy flew out the window and I followed on my path. I sprinted on all fours trying to keep up with their speed. I didn’t doubt that I could. Soon we were all side by side.

“Hey, Autumn!” Jack called from the other side of Sandy.

“Where are the others?!” I asked.

Sandy made a guilty face and shrugged as a picture of ‘z’s appeared above his head.

“You hit them with sand?!”

Jack laughed, “You should’ve seen it!”

We finally caught up to the Nightmare when out of nowhere, another one appeared. I grew my vine whip and my thorn throwing knives. I thought as nice extra, I would add some thorns on the end of my whip too. I grinned as the two Nightmares split off in different directions. Sandy followed one and Jack grabbed my hand as we went after the other. My leaf path disappeared so I crawled up the side of the building.

“Woo hoo! Yeah!” Jack yelled as the two of us parkoured up the buildings chasing after the Nightmare.

I thrust out my left hand and three of my ‘thorn knives’ flew toward the Nightmare as it went on top of another roof. At the same time, Jack blasted a frost wave. We locked eyes and grinned when it stopped moving.

“Sandy!” Jack yelled, “Sandy, did you see that?!”