Secret of Frost and Moon

Rise of the Guardians 'Part 3'

Alaia Skyhawk: Here it is, THE SCENE! MUAHAHAHAHA! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians, the Guardians of Childhood, or any related characters etc. This story is written purely for entertainment purposes.

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Chapter 55: Rise of the Guardians ~Part 3~

Jack remained where he was, watching Jamie drift off to sleep. Moments to treasure, for once the weekend visit to Santoff Clausen was over, he wouldn't see the boy or his sister in person for quite some time. One or two passing visits during the year would be the limit, until Northern Winter came around again.

Which meant that, right now, he was content to stay put. That is until nine o'clock neared an a wisp of wind reminded him that there was a blizzard due over the mountains of Alaska.

Jack sighed and flipped up to the top of the roof, setting his staff to his back before glancing up at the moon.

"Another Northern Winter almost over, and another year of my schedule coming to a close. I guess I'm still waiting." He let out another sigh. "How much longer? Because... Because I'm not sure how much longer I can take this. I want to be able to do what I want without having to watch myself. Without having to sit back and not do things when I could be helping." He bowed his head, then looked at the moon again with his hand pressed to his chest. "I want to be able to live, in the way my heart is telling me to."

There was no answer, but then he hadn't expected one, and Jack shook his head. He then left the roof and landed on the nearby telephone lines, the wires frosting over at the touch of his bare feet. But the frown he wore quickly faded when he looked up to see dreamsand trails crossing the sky and splitting into smaller strands to seek out children. It was a sight that never failed to make him smile.

"Right on time, Sandman."

He laughed to himself and ran along the wires, jumping up to snag one of the trails with his fingers. It turned into a dolphin, one that leapt and frolicked around him, and as a tiny act of rebellion he touched it with a few grains of frostdust before the dream continued on its way. Brightening its glow, and ensuring that the child who received it would have a very good dream indeed.

Jack then continued to stroll along the wires, reasoning that the blizzard in Alaska could wait an hour. It wasn't like he couldn't get there at a moment's notice using an Ice Mirror. But whatever thoughts he might have swelled on during the delay, with the dreamsand trails fading out now that their job here was done, they were shoved aside when a large shadow shot past behind him close enough that he'd felt the wind of its passage.

He pulled his staff from the strap securing it to his back, and leapt in the direction the shadow had gone. Jack then landed in a tree, his eyes searching for signs of an intruder, and then yet again the shadow shot by somewhere behind him.

He took off after it again, rebounding off street-lamps and cars, setting off alarms, as he went. The winds told him the intruder had left the Village area and gone into the centre of town, leading him to the alley behind the local convenience store.

The shadow passed the corner of his eye, a bin tumbled over in a clatter of split bottles, and he jumped to the ground from his perch atop a delivery wagon parked out back. Jack was becoming increasingly irritated now, because Burgess was his territory. And while he had no problems with other immortals doing their jobs in the area, he would take exception if one of those immortals was out here now deliberately aggravating him.

It seemed that question would be answered a moment later, as an annoyingly familiar voice spoke from behind him.

"Hello mate." Jack spun round and spotted the intruder, who had the distinct outline of a certain Pooka. A fact that was confirmed when Bunny stepped into the light with a boomerang held casually in his grasp. "Been a long time. Blizzard of 68, I believe? Easter Sunday, wasn't it?"