Secret of Frost and Moon

Setting Aside Shadows

Alaia Skyhawk: Time for lots of Wyatt :)

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.

~(-)~

Chapter 115: Setting Aside Shadows

The hour was early, too early for anyone in the crew to be up an awake. A fact confirmed when he'd peered into the rooms where the others were, all of them laid in contented slumber. Even Jakub slept soundly, if only his fellow Pooka could be so at easy.

Wyatt returned to his room and lay back down onto his bed, unable to settle as the others had. They didn't remember the Fall, hadn't lived through it. For all of them except Jakub it was distant history, and even for him he'd been raised sheltered away from the hardships of the initial rebuilding.

They were blessed in that respect. It would be easy for them to set aside the shadows of fear, in the face of the bright light of victory and hope that Tsar Lunar was going to shine upon the Allegiance. But that light would not so easily settle upon those Pooka's who remembered that war. It would not so easily settle upon Wyatt B. Devengard.

He sighed and stared up at the ceiling, one paw tracing the line of pale fur across his nose. The image of the ragged Fearling from a few hours ago, such a stark contrast to the one that had given him that scar. That, along with how casual Tsar Lunar and those immortals had been with regards to the creatures, combined together to make him feel more than a little disturbed.

The Fearlings of then and the Fearlings of now, were refusing to reconcile together in his mind.

And then there was the other revelation that his thoughts churned over. The thought that Pitch Black no longer existed. But the fear had been a part of him for so long... thousands of years. It was all so unbelievable, so incredible. Too good to be true, and yet it was true.

Constellation Lunanoff lived on, and Tsar Lunar XII had spent all these years guarding this planet and keeping the Fearlings and Nightmare King trapped here. He'd remained in isolation in order to keep the Allegiance safe.

There was a quiet knock on the door, causing Wyatt to tense in surprise. At first he thought it might be time for everyone to be up, but a glance at the clock on the wall said otherwise. Yet before the Pooka could rise from the bed and go answer it, the door opened just a little. The voice that came through the gap was that of Kosmotis.

"I do not wish to intrude, but I sense that you are in need of my skills. I have tended the rest of your crew while they slept, and with another day to think things over, it will suffice in their case. But unlike them, you have memories of... those events. Merely adjusting your fear back to Natural levels, will not prevent those memories from causing your fears to rise again."

He opened the door a little further and peered in. Wyatt was tense, ready to leap into combat, and Kosmotis' expression became resigned. He began to retreat, regret in his voice. "I will leave you be."

He made a small gesture before starting to close the door, and Wyatt felt his fear go from strong flame to tiny ember. His head now cleared for the moment, his curiosity took over and had him call out.

"Wait... Don't leave." Kosmotis opened the door again, and Wyatt walked over to it. "Perhaps a walk, to clear the air?"

Kosmotis hesitated a moment, then nodded.

"I know of a place."

They walked in silence through the hallways, stepping around the occasional moonbot that was doing its rounds. Not much further on they reached the dome where the mirrors were, proceeding across it and into the collection of buildings on the far side.