(ON HOLD) Fear and Darkness (Rise of the Guardians)

Chapter 2- Where have our Guardians gone?

There was loud coughing echoing through the shadowless rooms. "Bunny?" Jack flew in, seeing the Pooka curled up and shaking. "What's wrong?"

"C-can't s-stop s-shaking." Was all he could mutter, being over taken by another round of shakes. A soft whimper escaped his throat the shakes intensified. "F-frost, i-incase I-I d-don't m-make i-it o-out-"

"No. Don't talk like that. We're going to make it. ALL of us."

Suddenly, the shaking stopped. "No. Not all of us, probably just you. We have to be believed in, but you have the staff. I don't even know why I'm still here." He started shaking again. He let out a cry of pain, and Jack could feel Bunny's body temperature rising too quickly to be normal.

"Bunny." Jack grabbed his staff, tapping the floor, giving is a light frost. Enough to cool the poor pooka down.

"Frost."

"I'm here."

"I have to tell you." He lightly grabbed the teen's wrist.

"I know. And just to say, I'm sorry about the blizzard of '68. I didn't mean to. I was just trying to help, and I just got too excited."

"I'm sorry for being so hard on you, and all the things I said about you not being Guardian material."

"Bunn-"

"No. I have to apologize. I just didn't like the thought of a new member, after all the time that the 4 of us had been guarding the kids. Now it's too late."

"Don't say that. There has to be someone believing if you're still here. Like Jamie was. We just need to find them."

"No, mate, I won't make it. I can feel it." His dim green eyes looked at Jack. "You have to find the others. Find North too. He's alive, I can feel it. Just leave me, I'm a lost cause."

"Never."

"Jack." Bunny looked at him more intensely. "The reason I'm having shakes," he lifted his right paw, and Jack could see a deep gash, blood caked around the wound. "One of those new thrasher nightmares got a lucky shot. The infection is spreading, it's only a matter of days now."

"Then I'm staying."

"No. Go. I'd rather not be seen like this. It would disgrace Pooka tradition. Just, let me go by myself. Like I should, here, in this Pooka temple, alone, the last of the Pookas before extinction." Jack opened his mouth, but saw the pleading look in his eyes, slowly nodding. "If the others ask. Tell them its the Pooka way."

"I'm sorry." Jack wrapped his arms around Bunny in a hug one last time. He turned, hesitating before flying off.