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In the beginning, when the snow had fallen it was soft, something to be considered beautiful. Children would go to play, ignorant of Jack’s existence, but their joy brought him a semblance of peace.
He was content with bringing the children joy in the cold winters to come, even if the pain of being passed through and being ignored was unbearable. Still, he continued watching over the children trying his best to protect them.
But he was tired , so tired.
The centuries of solitude weren’t kind. Like his heart the once beautiful winters had become cold and ridged. Emotions controlled the winter now. The cold stripped trees bare, the land shourded in snow, showed no sign of growth for the coming spring.
Jack arrived at the lake, something always brought him back, maybe nostalgia? Or something deeper… The thoughts nipped at his mind, about what this place could mean to him or had meant, but the only relation he had was waking up here.
The snow began to fall, reminiscent of its past self, kind . Eyes wandered to the laden skies, it was offely peaceful. Slowly he walked to the edge of the frozen lake, meeting his reflection, and all there was is an empty shell, dull blue eyes stared back at him, devoid of expression.
The winds howling filled the expanse, as he laid back onto the snow complacently, closing his eyes for a sliver of hope, anything would do. But alas nothing, his prayers would fall on deaf ears.
“What if I just disappear?” It’s not as if he would be missed by anyone, being alive for so long without anyone- No not even just that, it was being alive without anyone seeing you it was a living nightmare.
“Is anyone there!” A lone voice broke the silence, Jack shot up looking for the sudden sound, and across the lake, two children stood. A smaller child was supporting another, the taller holding his side. The smaller one had tears rolling down her face as the older one was still looking around frantically.
A piercing screech errupted from the forest and the children paled.
The young girl suggested something to the other while pointing towards Jack, the older boy’s eyes followed but to no avail, Jack already knew he was invisible at that moment.
So he thought of the next best choice, reinforcing the ice.
Placing his staff on the lake, he let his magic flow in a calm current from his core to his hands, ice erupting from his staff and then down in the water spreading throughout the lake. As he did a deep fear slipped into his mind about them falling in the lake, so just in case he reinforced it a little more. Should he tell them to cross? Can the little girl even see him, truly see him or was it just a fluke? The wind carried the monster's screams to his ears informing him of its proximity.
Fuck it
He screamed over the lake hoping the girl could hear him “Crossover!”
She put a foot down to test the ic, debating whether or not to traverse the lake, every second she waited his heart raced a little faster, “Alice, what are you doing!?” The taller grabbed her wrist pulling her back.
“I just have a feeling it’s saf-” The monster's wail broke the air, causing the two children to stop bickering and scramble to get across. Jack went to the kids at the center of the lake to help them move faster, holding his hand out to the youngest thinking she would notice his presence but that hope was killed when she didn’t react.
Eventually, they crossed the lake, and he stayed close to ensure their safety. The youger girl paused for a moment sacnning the area for something once they had made it.
The taller gazed at her skeptically as she faltered, and pulled her forward “Come on Alice let’s hurry, we need to find help.”
He watched the two continue walking till they were out of sight, lost in the fury of snowflakes. Then he turned back to investigate the horrendous cries. Even before he started a putrid scent filled the air, making his nose curl in disgust, Jack could feel himself tense as he caught a trail of blood that the boy had left. Gradually lifting his head to follow the trail back to the other side of the lake, where it stood.
Lurking between the trees unable to hide its grotesque horns and lengthy build with flesh still hanging on its bones, making it more menacing as it just stared at Jack, pacing back and forth. A cold sweat fell down his spine as they made eye contact. Its movements paused, breaking contract as it crouched down sniffing the ice for a scent.
He watched as it placed its arms onto the ice to spread its weight, at that moment dread fell over him. Instantly he ran to find the children.
As he tracked the blood Jack allowed the snow to fall faster covering his scent and the blood.Hopefully, they were close enough, as the snow was getting heavier with each passing minute and the kids wouldn’t be able to make it much longer without warmth.
Shit. The wind aided with the search giving him a better view of the area, in the corner of his eyes he caught the two huddled together against a tree. Lowering himself a few meters in front of the tree that the two were bundled up at, “Are you and your brother alright-” he spoke even though he knew they couldn’t see him, but the girl could at least feel his presence.
The young boy held his hands over an open wound on his side, the snow under him drenched in blood, while thelittle girl burrowed her head into the boy crying beside him, tears freezing before they could fall. Jack froze as he watched the scene unfold, whilst a disgusting deja vu coming over him. “Hey, hey it’ll be alright don’t cry,” the boy was removing a hand from his side to console the younger, revealing a gash that was already turning purple and an obvious infection under. Wrapping his arms around the youger, patting her head “It’ll be alright, Mama and Pops will find you.”
The girls' expression shattered at the words, tears worsening, “No! They’ll find us! Both of us together!” She embraced her brother tightly, maybe for the last-
No, he will save the two, he just needs to get them somewhere warm-
Jack came to a standstill, the boy was looking straight through him in pure horror, his hands wrapping tightly around his sister.
Cautiously Jack started turning to see what was–
Another body slammed into him, slamming him into the trees something in his back making a crack and knocking him out of breath. A nauseating smell filled the air once again, Jack's head pounded as his back cried in pain. His vision was heavily blacked, then hot breath fell above his stomach snapping him out of the daze, and the owner of the rancid smell hovered above him, wendigo .
Jack froze, fear taking hold of him when meeting the wendigo’s hollowed black eyes as it opened its grotesque mouth to take a bite, the jaw making unnatural snapping sounds while extending itself. In the last second before its jaw snapped shut, he rolled out of the way grabbing his staff in the same motion.
Still, it wasn’t enough, the teeth grazed his side, leaving a gash on the side of his abdomen, with a rib slightly visible. He held back bile at the sight and shifted his sight elsewhere, sharp bones that protruded from the wendigo’s mouth stained with his blood.
The atmosphere around the both of them was disorienting, as a desolate white blanket fell over the landscape around them. The wendigo readied itself, letting out a deep growl when it turned to face Jack, licking the blood off its teeth with a revolting grin. Gradually rising onto its back feet, mimicking a human's stance its nightmarish body snapping with every movement.
Clutching onto his staff, now was no time to be scared, the snow was creating a white-like veil and was falling faster with each passing moment, correlating with Jack's ramped-up emotions
It reached for adjacent trees snapping off the branches, before letting out an ear-crushing wail rushing towards him. Jack took the moment to ready an attack letting the snow under him become ice, surprisingly the wendigo dropped the branches and reverted to all fours using its claws to find a grip. However, instead of lunging towards him, it went to the only place without ice occupying the floor, near the kids.
His heart jumped to his throat and before he could even form a functioning thought ice flew, uncontrolled magic letting loose in all directions, some finding their designated target while others rose from under fraying just near the children.
The wendigo brought its focus back on him, and he truly felt magic exhaustion begin to set in, there wasn’t much time till he was knocked out cold, “ Goddamit” he hissed under his breath.
Then it lunged at him, and quickly Jack swong his staff into the ground creating icicles that immediately pierced through the wendigo’s torso, and the sound of bone being penetrated echoed in the air. Still it squirmed swinging it claws violently the sound offlesh ripping filled the air as if failed.
Not even moments after he rushed to the children, Alice had buried her face into her brother, wailing “Arthur, I don’t want to die!” Her nose and cheeks were red, and lips a slight purple, a tell tale sign of frost bite.
“It’s going to be alright..” Arthur laid his head back against the tree closing his eyes, his nose and ears were already turning purple. “Who were you looking for earlier?” Jack grimaced, at that trick, changing the topic of conversation to distract someone from the truth.
The little girl looked up with a glint in her eyes, “Mama calls the spirt Jack Frost,” though her head fell, her small face dawning a sad smile, “She says he helps children.
Jack felt his heart clench, plummeting further into disdain still he tried reaching out to her, but his hand went right through. The only thing to comfort him was the pain that was released from the attempt at contact.
He fell to his knees, tears building in his vision violently making the world blurry. “ No, no. nononon..”
“He must be lonely,” Arthur commented to his sister offhandedly, “Maybe we’ll meet him one day.”
Alice bundled up closer to her brother, her lips and fingers already purple, with eyelashes that started frosting over “Arthur I’m tired..” she murmured.
Arthur looked down at his sister with a fond smile, giving her a peck on the top of her head, before leaning back, “Me to Alice, me too.”
“No! Don’t sleep you won't wake up!” He tryied to shakimh the two awake but his hands kept shifting through them, only pain erupted out of his hand but he didn’t stop, there had to be a chance they could feel it and wake up, right? Right? There's no way it could end like this...RIght? Right?
Jack's pleas weren’t answered, instead, they were left unheard as the two bodies infront of him stopped breathing, there heartbeats slowing till there wasn’t one.
He doesn’t know how long he stayed there, but all he knew was he felt cold, truly cold…
He felt rotten, guilt racked every part of his body. Every possibility of what should’ve been done to save and protect them. If he had just killed the wendigo right away he wouldn’t have gotten distracted, he shouldn’t have let it snow more to cover the tracks, they would’ve survived if the temperature hadn’t dropped.
It was all his fault, It was all his fault, It was all his fault.
The wind screamed with his pain, the high-pitched wails rattling the atmosphere, fighting with itself, furious with Jack and his actions. Soon he found himself in the skies, lifted into the eye of the storm as it began unleashing hatred onto the land below, devastating the surroundings, uprooting trees, and leaving the landscape deeply scarred in his fit of rage.
“I should just die.” The world went silent at the idea, not a peep that disagreed.
In response the wind sprites summoned to his pleas, planting ideas into his head, on ways to ‘help’ with his dilemma. They offered their services and aid.
He didn’t bother responding to their words, his body felt numb and so did their words just empty promises.
“I knew winter spirits were violent, but not this much.” Though the only truth in their whispers was violence, and he wholeheartedly agrees. He was violent and shouldn't be near anyone especially not children, he’s a hazard to those around him.
“What an alluring, winter spirit” The spirites was an iridescent blue with glossed-over eyes, that looked at him in awe as if he was some kind of rare animal.
Looking at the sprites, they were human enough but they weren’t anything close at the same time. Once you got a good look at them, their uncanny features stuck out, glossed-over eyes, pale fluorescent skin, sharp talons, and teeth built to tear away at flesh.
A new voice spoke from the sprites, a taloned hand running down his sleeve, “We could use the storm as cover to feast. ”
Immediately he caught its wrist, “Don’t you fucking dare.” without thinking he applied pressure to the bones ignoring the sounds of cracking. The spirit was startled by Jack’s response and was trying to escape but to no avail.
Another hidden in the storm lunged at him, claws grazing him from the jaw down to the clavicle. Instantaneously his hands went to check the extent of the cut, leading to release the wind spirit from his clutches.
Before returning to the storm, it turned with a repulsive smile, “Murders will always be murders, you are no better than the rest of us, because you are one of us, Jack Frost .” It hissed disappearing into the storm, eerie white eyes lingering.
.
The blizzard raged on, too far gone now to stop, not that he would even if he could. Eventually, he thinks the wind dropped him back to the ground somewhere in the forests of Quebec.
Reality set in once his feet hit the ground adrenaline gone, the guilt and regret racking over him and the pain coming from his side was even worse.
An utter feeling of disgust engulfed him, grabbing some of the fresh snow, he started rubbing it on his hands, till they were red, trying to remove the feeling of passing through the children. Eventually stopping once his hands were raw, the top layers of skin gone. The only thing overpowering the sense of loathing was pain.
His side stung, still exposed but he couldn’t bring himself to rap it, this was his punishment for his mistakes. Buried in the snow ahead laid his staff, bile in his throat rose at the sight of it, shame crawling over him like spiders.
“And what the hell are ye doing?” Jack turned to the voice, reaching for his staff, only to immediately wince at the connection of raw skin to splintered wood.
“Ah, Bunny, to what do I owe the pleasure!” Tightening his grip on the staff to not falter. Smiling awkwardly with closed eyes, after all, he only had to keep the facade up for a little.
“Do ye know what day it is?!” Bunny stepped closer, Jack could see that he was mad this time, practically fuming. “It’s Easter Sunday dammit!”
Shit.
Pulling his hood over his head ready to flee, but before he could even flinch Bunny had closed the space in a seconds. Paws pointing in Jack’s face, “I don’t think ye understand Frost. Unlike you, humans believe in me meanin’ I got a job to do.”
“That’s a low blow even for you Bun.” He tried to laugh at the comment but the way his name came out of Bunny’s mouth was cold. He needed a way out of this situation and quickly before the rabbit's words cut any deeper.
“I must’ve lost track of time, my bad.” Jack gripped his staff firmly, preparing to flee at any moment, but his senses failed him, Bunny had already gotten a hold of him before he could blink, holding him by the collar, paws bundling up the front of his sweatshirt.
“Re ye just playin' dumb, or are ye really this stupid?” The grip on his collar tightened, and Bunny undoubtedly looked mad. All the other ruins they had were just regular tussles, but this time it was something else.
Jack used the hook of his staff to try and lightly pull Bunny’s paws off of him, but the rabbit didn’t let go, “I think our little meeting is over now.” He pleaded, starting to get nervous, their interactions over the years had never been long, nor this touchy but he cherished the interactions nevertheless. But the events of everything that had happened today were starting to boil over.
"Y'know we both must be exhausted from a long day." He offered to lighten the mood, praying his voice didn't break, it sounded so strained on the brink of crumbling.
“You don’t call the shots here, Frost” Bunny's paw tightened on his collar, to close to grazing his throat. Without a second thought Jack realized ice from his staff covering the rabbit's forearm, in return, Bunny threw him onto the ground in retaliation. Jack landed with a thump groaning as his back hit the ground again, “Shite, ye little snow devil.” The rabbit cursed at him.
Bunny glared at Jack, his ears twitching slightly, while nursing his frozen arm. Irritation showed blatantly on his face, though the Rabbit's eyes travelled to Jack's open wound the expression faded and was replaced by a look of confusion.
“Oi, what did ya do?” Bunny took a step closer, but not before Jack held his staff out.
“Not any closer.” He hissed, cautiously pulling himself up, as every part of his body screamed in pain. Leaning on his staff to take some of the weight off his feet.
Bunny's nose flared up as he sniffed the air, someone else's blood mixed with Jack's, immediately Bunny's ears fell back focusing onto Jack, "What did ya do?" Any semblance of concern was replaced with hostility.