Rise of the Guardians | NCT Dream

03: Icy

"I really don't like this," Jisung said nervously.

"Me neither," said Y/N, eyeing the sleigh.

"I thought you could fly," Haechan said from his seat beside Y/N.

"This is different," Jisung defended, pouting. He took a seat in the sleigh anyway and clutched onto Jaemin's arm before they even took off. Jaemin put his other arm around Jisung in a motherly fashion.

Y/N turned back around to face the front. "There aren't any seatbelts," she said to no one in particular. Not only that, but the handlebar in front of her was half-a-meter away from her hand's reach.

"Why would there be seatbelts?" Haechan said, amused. "I'm sure Jeno never anticipated that a human would ride his sleigh someday."

"It is her first time on a magic sleigh, you idiot," Renjun said from Y/N's other side. "How is she supposed to know the mechanics of one?"

"There he goes again," Haechan sighed. "Trying to get my attention. How many times do I have to tell you, Renjun? I am not interested in you. You gotta give up on your crush on me." Renjun reached over to hit Haechan, the latter just laughed and put up his hands in defence.

Y/N heard Renjun grumbling about hurrying up and Jeno took his place in the very front, taking the reins in his hands. He turned around to look at Y/N, "don't stand up during the ride." After Y/N nodded, he turned back and flicked the reins. The reindeers started running on the stone surface, their speed increasing each time their hooves hit the ground. And when they jumped off the ground, they stayed in the air.

Y/N felt herself rise from her seat an inch and fear gripped her. With nothing to hold on to, she grabbed Haechan's arm and hugged it tightly. Even though his arm was as cold as ice beneath the fabric, it was the only thing keeping her steady. She felt Haechan's shoulder vibrate and heard his laughter before it got lost in the wind. He brought his head closer to hers. "Are you scared?" He asked teasingly.

The ride was like riding a roller coaster without rails and with every bump, Y/N felt her self lifted off her seat before coming down. If it wasn't for Haechan, she would have flown off.

Y/N kept her eyes shut in the face of the biting wind. She also did not want to know how high up they were. "I think I'm gonna be sick," she said.

"What?" Haechan said, alarmed. "Are you gonna throw up?"

"Maybe," her voice came out strained.

"Don't do it on me," he said before yanking his arm away. At that exact moment, the sleigh dived down and Y/N was thrown into the air.

Her stomach clenched and all the air was sucked out of her lungs; she couldn't even scream. A feeling of weightlessness overwhelmed her before gravity possessed her once again. I'm gonna die, she thought as she hurtled towards the dark ground, tears burning her eyes.

Then she felt as if she was hit when she flew sideways and came to a halt. She opened her teary eyes to see Haechan holding her in his arms, relief on his face. "I'm so, so sorry," he said as he started flying towards the sleigh again. "I was only kidding, I swear. I had no idea you would go flying off." Y/N clutched on to his hoodie until they landed on the sleigh again.

All the other guardians worriedly asked if she was alright and Y/N could only nod. Renjun even cursed at Haechan for not being vigilant.

"You can throw up on me if you want," Haechan said quietly to her and Y/N punched his arm in reply but held onto him nonetheless.

Jeno reached the floor of the sleigh and pulled up a glass sphere. She saw his lips move and next there was colourful smoke whirling inside the ball. He drew his arm back and threw the ball with full force in front of them. A swirling, white cloud appeared where the ball burst in the night sky and the sleigh dove right into it.

Y/N felt like passing through thick mist when the cloud touched her. It was over as soon as it happened and Y/N was surprised to see that she was not even a little damp. The temperature had increased significantly and Y/N immediately felt hot in Jeno's coat.

The sleigh landed smoothly, the opposite of what Y/N had expected. Renjun hopped out before the sleigh even came to a complete stop and ran towards his precious Warren. The others followed him. Y/N took off the coat and placed it on her seat before exiting the sleigh.

A loud whistling sound cut through the air, making Y/N shiver. It sounded powerful but melancholic at the same time. The other guardians exchange a look of worry, perhaps these were not the usual sounds you heard in the Warren. Y/N was both terrified and curious of what laid ahead.

There was a large, perfectly circular hole in the ground. Renjun jumped right in and others went in one by one. Y/N was the last. She hesitated just for a second before dangling her legs in the hole and releasing her hold on the ground above.

The path down was like a slide in a playground, only longer and faster and much more thrilling. Y/N grinned at the fluttering in her abdomen. She bounced on the base of the slide and landed steadily on the ground. The guardians stood in a semicircle in front with their backs to her. They all seemed to be frozen. Y/N looked at what they were staring at and she froze too.

As far as the eye could see, there floated numerous, enormous killer whales in the sky. They swam in the air as if it were water. Their black surfaces were covered with a light dusting of silver that shone under the moonlight. Everything on the ground was in utter chaos. Colourful eggs with tiny legs scurried away to avoid the ginormous creatures.

At some distance, one of the black orcas floated in the centre, above all the others. And on top of it, Y/N saw the silhouette of the man she was chosen to protect the children against.

xxx

Fun fact: the killer whale is not actually a whale, but in fact belongs to the oceanic dolphin family.