Rise Of The Guardians - The Life Of A Spirit

Kindred Spirits

Jack had been dreading the arrival of the Solstice ever since he and Alsayf had combined their powers to stop that raging wildfire in Australia. He knew that Mother Nature would be furious with him, for threatening the balance of nature as they did and, for the first time since meeting her, he was worried for Alsayf. While he was somewhat protected from Mother's wrath by his affiliation with the Moon and the Guardians, she was purely a nature spirit and completely at Mother's mercy.

He was now pacing the Globe Room of Santoff Clausen, a brisk winter wind swirling around him in response to his anxiety.

"You will be fine," North assured him, leaning against the Globe console with his arms crossed. "You did what was right. Surely she cannot be angry for that?"

"You don't know her," Jack replied, running a hand through his hair, "She doesn't see the world like the Guardians or the Moon. To her, everything must be balanced, even if people get hurt or killed."

"But the balance was off in the first place," North protested, "The Summer spirit said the fire was man-made. You were protecting nature, no?"

"I know that," he sighed, "It's more the fact that Alsayf and I combined our powers which is a very serious no-no among the spirits, especially two opposing seasons."

"Ah, I see."

They fell into a tense silence, the noise of the workshop echoing up to their position.

"Shall I gather the others?" North finally said.

Jack shook his head vehemently. "No. This is a spirit problem, not a Guardian one."

"You must remember that you are both, Jack," North reminded him, finally pushing off from the console and approaching. "You get your power from both. You cannot favour one over the other."

Jack's gazed moved away from him to the open roof where an oak leaf was gently falling from the black winter sky, unaffected by his wind. He caught it and felt an icy shiver of fear down his spine, a sensation he was entirely unfamiliar with.

"I have to go," he muttered, pocketing the leaf and stepping back from North in preparation for flight. He hesitated and turned to face the older Guardian. "If... something happens... can you tell Jamie..."

He trailed off as North abruptly stepped forward and wrapped him in a hug. Jack stiffened for an instant, preparing to be passed through as he had countless times before. But after a moment, he relaxed and savoured the foreign warmth as North rumbled, "You will be fine. You are a Guardian and we will always be here for you. Just give the word and we will be there."

Jack smiled, a genuine expression so different from the cocky grins and smirks he often wore.

"Thanks, North. I'll, uh... I'll let you know once it's done."

North nodded and offered his own smile as he stepped back, allowing Jack to leap into the wind's embrace and carry him over the pole and towards the Pacific. There were no joy-filled aerobatic manoeuvres today, no skimming over the waves in search for dolphins. This was just a tense flight heading directly for his destination. He left the black of the perpetual Arctic winter behind as he moved south, his fear building as the sun moved overhead. The island appeared, far too soon for his liking, and he landed silently, frost immediately spreading from his bare feet in response to the storm of his emotions.

"Hey, Jack."

He turned to see Mabon, for once not floating in the air, but instead, leaning against one of the trees that ringed the clearing, uncharacteristically sombre. Definitely not a good sign.

"I heard about what you and Alsayf did," he continued, moving closer, "And while I think that you did the right thing, I also think you should be very, very careful with how you behave in the next few minutes or so. Understand?"