Miles To Go Before I Sleep

The Way The Cold Burns Part 2

The Way the Cold Burns Part II

...
Bunny was in a state of sheer and utter panic. Not only had she fallen asleep while she was supposed to be taking care of Jack, but when she'd finally woken up it was only to find an empty bathtub filled with water – only a few chunks of snow still intact.

And Jack was nowhere in sight.

The kid had been unconscious for days; his condition never getting any better. Why did he have to wake up the one time Bunny fell asleep?! No. There was no point grumbling about it now. She e needed to find Jack before the kid made himself any worse.

Bunny made to run out of the room but stopped when her foot stepped in something wet. Looking down, she noticed the trail of water splashed across the floor leading out into the hallway. At least Frost would be easy to track.

Bunny got down on all fours and bolted, but she didn't even make it out the door before she collided with something solid and was pushed back, landing heavily in a heap on the floor.

"Oh, sorry, Bunny!" North reached down and pulled the female Pooka back up to her feet. The Cossack's eyes widened when he caught sight of the empty bathtub. "So is true," he whispered.

"What's true?"

"Dingle," North said distractedly. "He woke me up – said Jack jumped out window."

"What?! Then why are we still standing around here?!" Bunny forced her way past the Cossack and followed the watery trail. Why Jack had run off she couldn't possibly fathom, but they needed to find him. Fast.

"Bunny? What's–"

Bunny ignored Tooth, keeping on Frost's trail. She wasn't surprised when she followed after him.

The water was starting to disperse – in some places completely gone, until it finally disappeared altogether. Bunny came to a halt, looking down both ways of the split hallway indecisively. She sniffed the air, but there was no trace of Jack's scent nearby.

"Now what?!" she groaned, pushing her ears back with a paw.

"What's going on? Bunny?" Tooth asked, flustered.

Sandy hurried around the corner on a cloud of dream sand, gesturing behind him frantically, symbols flashing above his head.

"Sandy, what is it?" Tooth tried to decipher the symbols.

A snowflake. An open window. Another snowflake.

"Show me!" Bunny ordered, understanding.

Sandy nodded and hurried away, not bothering to check if his fellow Guardians were following.

The hallway was filled with snow – that was the first thing Bunny noticed. The window was open, allowing more snow and the howling wind to enter. The Pooka had no doubt this was how Jack had gotten out.

Bunny wasted no time, jumping up and sticking her head out the window, looking down at the piles of snow below. She searched frantically, unable to find the winter spirit amongst the torrent of wind and never-ending white.

A howl, almost inhuman jerked her eyes further away from the base of the building. And then she spotted him. Jack was staggering, barely able to keep himself upright. His face was tilted up towards the sky, his arms out wide. And he was screaming.