Rise of Mother Nature

Mommy, There are Shadows in my Prison!

I tried to say his name, but all that came out was a half whine half growl. I tried to talk over and over again but my new form wouldn’t let me. I tried concentrating to turn back to a human, but before I could, an ice blast shot from Jack’s staff toward my face. I was only a few feet away and the blast would reach me extremely quickly so there was only one thing I could do. I closed my eyes again and felt like I was letting go of myself. I could feel a warm breeze pick up around me and instantly, I felt lighter. I opened my eyes. Jack stared at me in confusion. Looking down at myself, I was no longer an animal, but I wasn’t my normal form either. My entire body was made up of green, Summer leaves. I reached up to touch my head and felt my wolf ears that were also made of leaves.

“Jack,” I said in a slightly echoing voice.

Jack lowered his staff, “Autumn?”

I whispered, “Jack, we need to get out of here! Pitch is planning something. I can feel it.”

I solidified back into my normal self and took his hand being careful not to touch his staff. I was about to pull him back up the tunnel when a giant wall of shadow separated us.

“Jack!”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Pitch’s voice sounded around me, “He isn’t hurt.” Pitch appeared in front of me, “Why don’t you join me, Autumn? There is so much we can do together!”

I growled at him and grew my thorn knives, “Get away from me you monster!”

“Monster?” he pretended to look hurt, “No, we are one in the same. No one appreciates us and what we do. The people all across the world think we are just myths.”

I made a comeback, “No one appreciates YOU because you are just a bad dream!”

He grimaced, “But what do they think of you?! Nothing! They don’t believe in you, or me, or even your friend Jack Frost!” Jack’s name hit me in the chest and I looked at the floor. Pitch approached me, “Oh, what’s this?” He tilted my chin up to meet his eyes but I looked away. “Do you feel something for him?” Pitch laughed, “This just gets better and better!”

I gripped my thorns and screamed as I turned to stab him, “GHAAAAAA!”

But he wasn’t there. He disappeared but popped up behind me. He clucked his tongue, “Oh, Autumn. Such a bad girl!” I turned around but he grabbed my wrist before I could hit him, “You know, I once felt the same way about you.” A sly grin creeped onto his lips, “Remember?” I tried to pull away from his grip but he grabbed my other wrist.

“Pitch,” I growled, “Let go!”

His gold eyes pierced mine, “Don’t you remember?”

I clenched my teeth, “That was a long, long time ago, Pitch. I was young and stupid. Now, LET GO OF ME!”

I kicked him hard in the stomach and he dropped my hands. The wall of shadow disappeared and I was reconnected with the rest of the room. The only thing missing was Jack.

“Jack? Jack!”

I shifted back into my wolf form (which went a lot easier that time) and ran up and down staircases looking for him. A low bark came from my throat as I called for him. Jack was nowhere to be seen until Pitch let me see him. After all this was Pitch’s ‘world.’ I barked again but Jack didn’t look at me. He couldn’t see me and he couldn’t hear me. I turned back into my normal self again.

“Jack...” I said his name.

He still couldn’t hear me. No, I told myself, Pitch is just trying to get to you. Jack could never stop believing in you. All Guardians see each other... I walked up to him, my bare feet touching the cold hard floor. My tail brushed the stone beneath my feet as I waved my hand in front of Jack’s face.

“Do you want them, Jack?” Pitch asked holding a golden cylinder in his hand, “Your memories?”

So this was what all this trouble was about. Jack’s memories. Pitch purposely made me invisible to Jack’s eyes so that he could tempt Jack into doing something. But ‘what’ was the question I needed to figure out. I thought hard. Pitch only made my physical form invisible to Jack. What about my nature form? Just like when Jack shot his frost blast at me, I felt myself lightening. I was again made of summer’s wind and leaves. I had read stories about creatures like this in books. Dryads. Nymphs of the trees. I had the power to change myself into one of fantasy’s wonders. Feeling as if I was walking on air, I stepped closer to Jack and brushed my leafy fingers on his cheek. Like a bolt of lightning he snapped and saw me.

“Jack we have to get out of here!” my voice echoed.

Pitch whirled around and glared at me, “Why must you always ruin my plans?!”

He thrust out his hand and created the black sand scythe. He swung it right at me with such speed I couldn’t react at all. I felt the scythe hit but pass through me. It didn’t hurt. Not even a little. Both Jack and Pitch stare at me in confusion. I quickly solidified and grabbed Jack pulling him with me as I ran on my leaf path. I went as fast as I could toward the exit. Jack finally got the memo and flew along with me. We were almost there when Pitch appeared with three Nightmares behind him.

“What do you want?” I rolled my eyes knowing that Pitch wanted an exit ticket.

An evil grin came over his face, “Oh nothing, really. A small object of Jack’s that is worth next to nothing to him.”

Jack smirked aiming his staff at Pitch’s head, “Well if it’s worth nothing to me, tell me what it is and I’ll give it to you.”

My heart stopped, “Jack. I don’t think that’s such a good idea...”

Now that he’d gained his confirmation, Pitch turned his attention from Jack to me, “Her.”

Jack’s eyes widened as he looked into mine. I shook my head and looked away from him as he spoke, “No. Autumn is not a bargaining object!”

I turned my back, “Jack, you already agreed you’d let him take whatever it was he wanted if it was worth nothing to you.”

“But...”

Pitch’s pale hand grabbed mine before Jack could finish, “You make a mess wherever you go, Jack. Why, you’re doing it right now.” He tossed the golden cylinder at Jack.

He looked at it but charged at Pitch to try to save me. The shadow raised his hand and Jack disappeared. Next thing I knew I was being dragged to a cage. Since Pitch already knew I could escape by becoming my Dryad self, he made sure it was nature proof by covering it in nightmare sand. I sat in the corner of my prison and heard the squeals of all the baby teeth. My ears were twitching at every sound I heard. I sat there with my knees to my chest for what felt like an eternity until Pitch came back and cleared a window from the sand.

“What do you want?” I growled refusing to look at him.

“He never really trusted you, or believed in you,” Pitch’s words felt like poison being poured into my heart.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to ignore him. “Jack would never do that to me,” I said to myself.
“I just wish you could see,” Pitch continued, “That I do think that we could do great things together.”

I frowned angrily and clenched my fists making a thorn appear in my hand. “You have no idea what I am capable of when I am forced to do something against my will!” I yelled and threw the giant thorn at Pitch as I stood.

Of course he caught it. He was expecting me to do that. Pitch crushed the thorn and it turned to dust.

I sat back on the floor in defeat. “I will never trust you again,” I whispered.

With that, the window sealed and I was enveloped in darkness.