Believe in Me

Coming to Power

Two Days Later

Bunnymund paced the hard wood floor, its boards gleaming with new shine. North had called him here alone, not Jack, not Tooth, not Sandy, just him. He hadn't seen the guardians for a while now, their last meeting was a month or two ago, but though he missed them, he was anxious. Something might be wrong, but if it was too big of a problem wouldn't all the others be there too? He sighed, falling back into one of the two plush chairs that curled around the warm fireplace. The heat was nice on his near frozen feet; though North worked to make sure that the inner area of the pole was warm for visiters and workers, it was still freezing in comparison to the happy springtime grasslands of the warren. After a few more minutes of his mindless thoughts, the door pushed open and the big burly man walked through, though his stance was as strong and happy as usual, his face didn't show it. He looked dead serious, his eyebrows whitened with perminant age furrowed together and his blue eyes were narrowed a little. Still he gave a faint smile as he saw his close friend. "Bunny! So nice of you to come!" He said, his outburst of a voice reaching pretty deep to the rabbit's sensitive ears. Still he grinned back, hopping to his feet again and bouncing to stand by the russian. "I've missed you too, mate, what have you called me for?" North's smile faded at that and Bunnymund felt his slowly lowering too. Something was off. "I thought I should warn you, since as of now Tooth and Sandy are working," he started, motioning for the pooka to be seated back into one of the chairs, pulling the other under him and plopping down, the legs of the woodwork giving a small creak under his weight. "Warn? Of what?" The guardian of hope plopped down in the other chair, leaning back and looking to the red coated man. North's eyes narrowed further. "Let me explain.. earlier I went to tell Jack about what I told you all about Pitch earning his powers and thoughts on it.. two days after, Jack came back saying he saw Ilia spying on him." Bunny's eyes got a slightly annoyed click in them. All of the guardians could admit to disliking Ilia, though they wouldn't say it. She had animals take the eggs from Bunny, rip up the  presents North left, knock out teeth before they were ready, and scare children into nightmares. Sure she was cute in her own way.. but she caused too much trouble. "What would that little ankle biter be doing with Jack?" Bunny thought he knew the answer. North's thought was that Pitch was using lost spirits like Jack had once been to his advantage, manipulating their lonely minds and promising them a family in return for their loyalty, sparking up their hate in the guardians past just jealousy. Ilia was a spirit, just like them, and with her curiosity, would be easy to lure in. The santa claus saw the cogs turning in the easter bunny's mind and nodded as if he knew he had put two and two together. "Yes.. Jack went back to visit Jamie but he also was to look for her. It has been three days now with no reply from him." Bunnymund saw where North's worry was taking place now. Visiting a friend didn't take three days, and though Jack usually kept the ability to worry them senseless without trying up, he wouldn't go for this long without at least giving a sign he was alright. "I see what you mean, Mate, but do you really think Jack couldn't handle himself? Sure he's a rotten egg but.." 
"I am just worried. That is all. With Christmas coming soon I have no time to go in search of him."
"So you want me to?" Bunny didn't mean to sound so aggrivated, but the thought of having to chase the winter spirit down again struck a nerve. "No, not what I was going to say," North continued. "Jack can take care of himself. I was going to say to go find Ilia and bring her back here." Great, the bunny thought with a growl in his head. Even better. He had to go find the little mischief maker and drag her back to the pole? If he wasn't good with anything, it was kids, plus all the trouble she had caused over the various easters. North saw the look, and smiled. It was like the man could read minds, both creepy and warming at the same time in a way. "Do not worry, Bunny! When you first met Jack, you thought he was trouble maker too, no?" 
"I still do," the austrailian accent drew out, the grey ears ducking slightly understanding what North meant. He chuckled. "I will meet you soon, Bunny. Thank you for help."
"Oh not so fast." An abnormal voice cooed from by the door, a very familiar one.. Pitch. Bunny quickly stood, reaching for his boomerangs that rested on his back, glaring towards the dark grinning figure. North rose again, not reaching for his swords just yet but tensed, cautious. "Pitch.. what are you doing here?" He asked slowly. "I thought you were too weakened?"
"He sure as hell was!" Bunnymund growled loudly. "What do you want, answer before I knock the words right out of your mouth!" Pitch had given him every reason to be angry, the trouble he had caused to the warren, the tooth palace, the attack on the minds of the sleeping children. His glare grew deeper, more intent, causing another chuckle to run off the pale lips of the tall thin man. "Oh no, I'm not here to threaten," The nightmare king mused out, walking from his place at the closed door to the side of the room to lean against the wall, crossing his black cloaked arms. "Just to ease you the trouble of trying to find your friends." Bunny did NOT get a good feeling from this, his paws shook just slightly. What did he mean, 'ease the trouble?' He wasn't that strong to take Jack down while in a weakened state... or was he even weakened anymore? He wasn't supposed to even have the power to leave his lair at this point, so how was he here? "You haven't seen the fox girl or your fellow guardian in some time simply because they're with me." 
"With.. you?" North finally felt this was a good enough reason to grip onto the hilts of the blades. "And what are they doing.. with you?"
"Oh, dont worry, dear Claus, they didn't come volentarily. I just need their company for a short while and thought it would be kind of me to ease your troubled minds when the boy never returns home." Pitch's voice ended in a laugh and the easter bunny put one large furry foot forward, about to lunge at the man, only stopped by North's heavy hand on his shoulder. "Not now, Bunny.." 
"Yes, Bunny, listen to your leader," Pitch sounded amused at his fuming anger. The rabbit wanted to see that aweful grin fade, his paws shaking with jerks in his rage. "I also have one of the others you pushed aside uncaringly with me now.. I wonder if he even sounds familiar to you anymore.. Grey Loss?" The two of them froze. Bunny remembered well from the very begginning of becoming a guardian, the tall dark figure, the blood red eyes, the deathly pale skin and the red cape. The appearance of Death.. he couldn't be working for Pitch. Could he..? The nightmare king smiled, he had hit the nail right on the head, leaving the two guardians speechless. "Yes, Grey Loss, the one who has lurked this unforgiving earth even longer than you and was still outcasted. The grim reaper.. Death. Now on my side. Why? Because I would accept him when you wouldnt." Pitch knew it wasn't true, Grey had joined not because he wanted the acceptance, his heart was too pure to fall to darkness. It was because the man thought he was born to be wrong, born to be in the shadows and he had chosen the side that he felt would turn out as it should. But the guardians didnt know that. North looked down. They couldn't just accept every spirit roaming around, there were too many. Usually when a spirit asked for help they would pass them up, ignore their pleads for families. They worked so hard to protect the hopes and smiles of children that they had forgotten about their own kind, even more lost and lonely, going through their pained immortal lives ignored and unwanted, unseen at all. Now North felt it, the guilt, the realization that they were too arrogant, not accepting younger spirits that were now having to rely on lies and darkness to feel like they had a purpose. Pitch smiled, turning away as seeing his work in the pole was done. "Try to take Jack back, Death will greet you. I don't have to worry about you trying to take Ilia though I'm sure. You never really cared about any lost spirit like her anyways.. which is why you're going to fall." He growled the last words out before vanishing in a cloud of shadows. "Damn it!!" Bunny shouted, slamming his fist into the wall. North looked down, hating seeing his friend so upset but knowing it was for good reason. Ilia had always been a trouble maker, but the one time he had seen her she was so innocent seeming, green eyes glowing and a happy laugh running from her mouth as she played with the foxes in the forests in Texas. Now, both her, the mask of death himself, and the newest guardian, who seemed as a son to him, were in Pitch's grasps, whether they were forced to be or not. "Bunny.. I will call Tooth and Sandy. We will go to rescue them." 
"Didn't you hear?! If we go, we'll be dead before we can blink. Pitch has THE FUCKING REAPER on his side!!!" The rabbit was shouting in frustration and sadness and the big man could see it past the anger he seemed ot announce. "...If Pitch is making army then we will make our own. It is about time to stop ignoring spirits.. or we'll lose them to Pitch. If he gets enough of their help, the fight is already lost." 

Pitch smirked as he heard the upset guardians conversing, returning to his lair with glee. Oh how things were working out.. He felt his feet touch the solid ground of the dark room and his smile grew even wider at what he heard. He had been waiting for this, for one of the two young spirits to fall asleep. Death was watching the spirit of curiosity from a distance, red eyes cold and uncaring though alert as always. But her eyes were open wide, breathing was heavy, her small face facing the cage at her side. So it was Jack...

Pitch approached the left box of shadows and it  fled, the bars that surrounded the guardian cracking and shattering into nightmare dust, leaving him on the floor. He was curled in on himself, arms wrapped tightly around his stomach. Pitch knew they both had a chest injury because he had put it on the both of them while they were unconsious. A slash on their fronts, a slash on their left ankles, and the two wouldn't be able to run or stand straight if they tried without scream worthy pain ricketing up them. It didn't seem as guilt inspiring to hurt them anymore. It was simply a way to keep them from getting away from his strong grasps, a master in charge of his pets. He liked that.. especially since one of the "pets" was an actual part animal. You were born to be in my control.. he amused himself thoughtfully as he approached the two figures. The girl's white fox ears ducked; they hadn't yet been cleaned of the blood that littered her. To his appreciation, she had her own arms curled around her stomach, a wince in her eyes. She couldn't sit up, laying on her side to watch what Pitch would do. But he turned to Jack with a smile. The boys eyes were closed tightly, small whimpers pushing involentarily from his paler than normal mouth. "So the nightmares have begun," He laughed. Anyone who was to end up sleeping in his lair was in the pure essence of nightmares, there was no escape from them. Ilia felt herself slipping to sleep but barely holding on.. but Jack hadn't gotten any sleep since he had found her, having to run from the forest to Jamie's house, steer the bird, and the crash would've been exausting in itself. Pitch laughed louder madly at his own joy. The winter spirits face was squinted with fear, sweat trickling down his brow. "Jack Frost.. do you feel so powerful still?!" He pushed on the blue hoodie with his foot, making sure to press on the open wound he had left on the two to turn the boy onto his sore back. Jack gave out a cry but didn't awaken. If he had known Ilia was watching, he would've held it in.. but in his sleep, he had no control. Pitch wiffed in the smell of fear that only he and his fearlings could usually detect, it was intoxicating. But not all of it was Jack's. The tall dark figure turned with his even darker grin towards the girl again, his pointed teeth glinting in the very faint flicker of light. She was shaking, watching Jack's own shivering form, her horribly bright eyes bursting with the cries she was too afraid to let out. He had protected her, he was in this place because he had tried to save her. Pitch knew this was running through her small blonde head, knowing the guilt would just add on to the path of her finally breaking to his command. He turned then to Grey Loss. The figure was leaning against a black wall, sitting on the floor watching the girl. He didn't seem to care in the slightest of her tears.. it was both good and a little disappointing. Pitch had longed to see what the fear of the reaper felt like, smelled like.. but he found it would be a bit more challenging. "So, Death, how do you feel? The only one who ever cared for you here crying and wounded, you dont seem to care much!" He grew in satisfaction as the black haired male's stone hard emotionless wall got a very tiny crack. He looked to Ilia and just a tiny bit of sadness leaked through the expression he had kept blank nearly the entire time he was there. Good.. Pitch thought. I guess I do have you in a small bind, dont I? If Death cared about the girl then keeping her would mean keeping him. If he tried to pull anything, Pitch could do whatever he liked with his only friend in return. Death would then be left to either killing her and losing the only one who ever liked him or he could leave her alive and have to watch her suffer endless hours of torture if it came to that. The nightmare king was no longer afraid of hurting anyone, like a new sense of bloodlust was taking place in his mind. "I dont seem to care because I dont," he finally responded, closing his eyes and turning away, though Pitch was starting to sense a form of fear stronger than he ever had felt. He slowly smirked at the grim before marching back to Jack and kneeling down. The spirit had tears forming in the corners of his eyes, his fists closed so tightly his nails drew blood from his pale palms. Revenge was so sweet.. this boy had beaten Pitch down, stole his glory and rejected his offer to join him. And now he was suffering, getting back what he finally deserved. Pitch felt so amazing.. so in control. He had three spirits already that wouldn't dare to defy him once he was done with his horrors and it had barely been a week since he was so broken and powerless. He turned back to Ilia, her eyes getting a little wider as her glance turned from Jack and the horrid electric green eyes met Pitch's goldish silver ones.. and he smiled. "It's only just started, child.. have a good rest." The king of nightmares left the room, Death rising from his place on the ground as always and following him out like a guard. Ilia looked to Jack, his whines and whimpers digging through her ducked ears, her own tears forming at the sight of his. "Jack.. wake up.. dont let Pitch do this to you, wake up!" She reached through the black bars as the same nightmare sand formed the cage back around the white haired teen. Her fingertips were three feet from his shoulder. "Wake up..."