Now There Are Five... Wait... Six?

Chapter 8

From continent to continent, country to country, city to city, and home to home, the Guardians scoured the world for teeth, even collecting the ones a few hopeful children still hid despite the previous day's disappointment. 

"Quickly!" North called out, entering and exiting chimneys at record speed.

Aster and Jack had gotten into a competitive race, arguing as usual.

"Are you challenging me to a race of speed, cotton tail?" Jack taunted, surfing on the wind like a sentient leaf.

"You don't want to race a rabbit, mate," Aster warned before doubling his speed, almost leaving Jack in the dust.

"A race?" North perked up, popping down one chimney and popping out of another in the distance, "Is it a race? This is going to be epic!"

In a flash of white, Katherine leaped from roof to roof, her steps graceful and light, "A girl northeast wrote a diary entry about a lost tooth!" she informed them, "Second molar, from the sound of it!"

Sandy popped out of a house, waving that he'd grabbed it.

Katherine nodded in acknowledgment, the pages of her book flipping as she scanned for knowledge, "Mother's social media said her son lost an incisor this afternoon! Five blocks west, southwest!"

North popped down a chimney, "Got it!"

Toothiana was in her element, "Four bicuspids over there! An incisor two blocks east! Is that a molar? They're everywhere! Ack!" she yelped as she slammed face-first into a billboard.

It was all the more ironic because it was a billboard for toothpaste.

"You okay," Jack called.

"Yeah, sorry!" Tooth favored her mouth for a moment, "I'm out of practice. I haven't been out in the field for a long time."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "How long is a long time?"

"Four hundred forty years, give or take!" Tooth admitted before gasping, beelining for another hidden tooth.

Jack shook his head, swooping in to fly alongside the running Katherine.

"Want a lift, madam?" he requested chivalrously, offering his hand to her.

She grinned at him, "And I thought you were incapable of being a gentleman!"

He laughed, "First! Ow! Second! I can be charming!"

"So you try to literally sweep me off my feet?" she teased, causing him to blush under his playful grin.

"Is that a yes?"

"Maybe when we are not on the job!"

"We get it! It's a date!" Aster barked from a nearby roof, running in line with them, "Now kiss and shut your flirtin' already!"

Jack and Katherine gave the buck what could only be described as a deadpan stare.

"Oh, crikey!" Aster slipped on a patch of ice, nearly losing a whisker to a tiny word shot at his face, and tumbled off the roof.

The duo laughed, splitting momentarily to collect a tooth.

"By the way, you use those weird word things," Jack inquired when they joined up again.

"The power of words," Katherine corrected, "What of it?"

"Could you use them to fly?"

Katherine swiveled her head, "Jack, there is something you should know," she said solemnly, "The possibilities of words may vary on context," she opened a page, letting the words crawl across her arms, "But the applications are endless!"