Vengeance

Mirage

Jack flew north. He was kicking himself for not having thought to ask Tooth where exactly it was that the moon didn't shine, so he eventually just resorted to letting the wind carry him wherever.

He replayed what had happened on the pond in his head. Something just didn't feel right about it, but Jack couldn't put his finger on what it was that bothered him so much. It wasn't that Tooth had come to see him that was so off-putting--she did that more often now that he was a guardian--but something about her had just seemed... different. 

He was so distracted that he didn't notice the northern lights dancing in the distance, and before long they were obscured by storm clouds. A biting wind suddenly slammed into Jack, shaking him out of his thoughts. He landed in a sparse forest and eyed the approaching snowstorm warily. He didn't think it was his doing, but no one else could conjure up a storm like that. He also had no idea where he was, and couldn't see the stars through the gathering clouds.

With a sigh, Jack jumped into the air again and flew straight at the incoming blizzard. He gripped his staff and tried to get the blowing snow to stop, but nothing happened. He faltered as another gust of freezing cold wind blasted him with so much snow he could barely see his hand in front of his face.

Suddenly, Jack heard a faint voice calling for help. He held his staff in front of him, trying to ward off enough snow to see where he was going, but once again the storm did not listen.

"Help... Someone, please..." Jack could hear the voice clearer now. He landed roughly on the ground and searched for whoever is was that had been caught in the storm, slogging through the snow that was already knee-deep.

He stumbled through the storm for several minutes before he saw a flash of turquoise ahead. Jack's eyes widened and he hurried towards the color, fighting the wind and snow blowing relentlessly in his face. When he finally reached whatever it was and grabbed it, he gasped.

It was Tooth.

She was laying shivering in a snowdrift. Her feathers were covered in frost, and her lips were turning blue with cold.

"Tooth! Tooth, hold on, I'll--I'll take you to North! He'll know what to do!" Jack cried, throwing his staff aside to gently lift her into his arms. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she grabbed his wrist. Jack jerked away, startled, but her hand was clamped around his arm with an iron grip.

Tooth pulled Jack closer, her yellow eyes filled with desperation as she lifted her mouth to his ear. The wind abruptly died, and the snow hung in place in the air as Tooth whispered in Jack's ear.

"Wow. Pitch was right when he said you were stupid."

"What?" Jack breathed, once again jerking away from Tooth. But Tooth wasn't the one in front of him anymore. In her place, a girl with short black hair clung to his arm.

"But--how, I mean... You're not Tooth!" Jack stammered, standing up and trying to twist his arm free. The girl only stared at him and tightened her grip.

"Let go of my arm." Jack said, his voice dangerously low.

"Or what?" the girl taunted, her mouth lifting at the corners slightly.

Jack hesitated as the words left the girl's mouth. His staff was laying on the ground, just out of reach. Until he had it again, he was powerless to do much against her.

The girl stepped back and released his arm. "Go on. Hit me with your best shot." Jack stared at her, shocked. "What, afraid to hit a girl?" Jack's gaze flickered to his staff, which lay by her feet. She followed his gaze, and then looked at him again, but this time she really was smiling.

"Well, this should make things interesting," the girl said as she lifted Jack's staff off the ground and inspected it. Jack clenched his fists at his sides, trying not to show how nervous he was that she had his staff.

"How does this thing work?" the girl asked, pounding the staff on the ground.

"It only works for me," Jack said impatiently, "now hand it over."

"I don't think I will," the girl said, pointing it at Jack. Suddenly, she thrust it forwards and fire shot out of his staff towards him. Jack leapt out of the way just in time, only to slam into a tree that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Jack scrambled to his feet. "How did you... Who are you?"

"You can call me Mirage," she said, raising the staff. Jack tensed, ready to leap out of the way once more, but instead Mirage swung the staff over her head and slammed it into the ground. The moment the wood hit the snow, the entire storm vanished to reveal a clear night sky.

Jack's jaw dropped as the temperature changed in an instant, and his mind made the connection. He hadn't been able to control the storm because the storm was never real.

"This is nothing personal." Mirage said, drawing Jack's attention back to the present. She raised his staff above her head again, gripping it tightly with both hands, and Jack felt his heart begin to race as he realized what she was about to do.

"No, stop!" he cried, holding his hand out and staggering towards her. But it was too late. Mirage brought the staff down on her knee, snapping it cleanly in two.

Jack gasped and cried out as he fell to his hands and knees. He took a few shaky breaths before looking up at Mirage again, but she was no longer there. Instead, he was kneeling in front of a giant bear with bright yellow eyes.

"I know it's you, Mirage. Drop the illusion and give me my back my staff." The bear snarled, lifted a paw, and swung. Jack's eyes widened and he rolled out of the way just in time. He scrambled to his feet, but the bear was on top of him in a instant, roaring and swiping at him.

Jack barely spun out of the way, trying to get Mirage far enough away from the staff that he could grab it and run. He glanced at it and hesitated. If he snatched it now, he might be able to--

Jack felt the massive claws tear into his back and arm and fling him into a nearby tree. The last thing he saw was Mirage as a young girl again, standing over him with his broken staff in hand.

Then the world went black.