[DROPPED] Tale Before Time [Rise Of The Guardians]

Chapter 4: Departure

Chapter 4: Departure

     Still sitting in his thousand-old chair with his table full of crystal ice sculptures of kids' toys, North is thinking about what he have heard yesterday.

    He knew that it wasn't his business to think of Jack's dreams, now that Christmas Eve will be in any hour now, but he can't help himself but to think of the possibilities that Jack have seen the glowing man before.

    What if the tooth fairies' theory about Jack's memories is true?

    What if the glowing man was him?

   Before he thinks too deeply of the problem, someone knocked three times at the wooden door. He didn't recognize the knock, and he's sure it wasn't one of his yetis, so who might this be?

  "Come in.", he said in his deep voice.

   The door opened and saw the person he didn't expect to come inside his office.

     "Haha! It's been hundred years since you knocked at my door, so I didn't guess that it was you...", he said as he was busy rearranging his ice sculptures in his table and cleaning all the scrapped pieces of ice. After that, he turned his head around to the visitor. "...Bunny."

      "So what brings you here?", he added. He went back to his chair and started carving the unfinished ice sculptures.

     "Why didn't you tell him?"

  This made North stunned in his position and thought of his question for a second, and then, continued to move normally in his work of carving the sculptures.

    "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL HIM?", he bounced Bunny's question back to him.

    "Because I thought I don't have the right to say it, and it would be better if it would be you, mate."

    North paused of a while and looked at Bunny with his eyes turned into slits.

      "Because I'm not sure yet.", he replied to his question earlier.

   "Not sure? North, it was him! The lullaby, it tells everything! How can you say that?"

    "It is better to be sure, and Ombric can prove it.", North answered. "Or you're just scared of her."

      "Scared? No, no, that ain't happening, mate! I just don't want to see her. She's carefree and a thrill seeker, just like Jack Frost. And I don't wanna deal with someone like her!"
  
     Because of Bunny's excuses, North laughed hard in his seat as he caressed his long white beard lying in his chest.

***

Jack Frost

     We were being gathered by North at the grand fireplace this morning, with Bunny walking behind him. Then they stood up in front of me with their serious eyes. I know I'm dead curious about my repeated dream, but I didn't know that even the Big Four is also interested in it.

     "So what's this someone that can help me to persuade Ombric?", I asked with slit eyes since he didn't finished his sentence yesterday because of his urgent work.

    Then, he laughed so hard. I tried to remember what I said but I didn't found any of my words funny. All I can say about North is he's just laughing at everything, even at serious situations.

  "You'll find out soon.", his only reply.

     And I'm also suspicious of the Big Four's behavior. Why are they all gathered here when it's just only about my dream? Is it really that big of a deal?

   I saw him looked at Bunny and gave him the look that only the both of them understand. The latter moved forward towards my position and looked at me straight in the eye.

    "Are you ready, mate?", Bunny asked me and I nodded telling that I'm ready to depart.

   North gave me a pat in my shoulder and the same look Bunny gave me earlier with his blue eyes.

   "Be careful, Jack, on what will happen and what you will know. The whole universe is a big place. Anything is possible as long as you believe in it."

   Those were his last words. Bunny finally summoned his tunnel by stomping his big feet two times and a hole formed into the floor.

    "See you later, Jack!", the guardians bid me a farewell and Bunny and I jumped at the manipulated tunnel.

     It still a long way towards our destination and Bunny doesn't want to tell me about this person they're talking about, or more like he wasn't saying anything.

    After a long way of travelling under the Earth's surface, we suddenly felt a strong earthquake coming from the part in front of us.

     "What's going on?", I asked Bunny but even him, he didn't know the reason behind the quake. There's something off in this case.

   "We must get out of the tunnel!", he shouted at me, without turning back his head, and rushed upwards, following the newly formed tunnel. "Hurry, Jack!"

    I followed him back towards the surface and we met the glowing moon on the starry sky. We're being surrounded by numerous trees in their dark shadows and only the moon light our way. The snow below us started to take over our feet, but I didn't care.

     "Stay beside me, mate.", Bunny's voice turned serious and I can sense alertness between those tones. So I moved closer, never moved away.

     Seconds past and a slithering sound came from the woods, like it came from a snake. But it's not just came from one snake, multiple slithering sounds can be heard. They hissed, and the sound gets nearer and nearer.

   "Jack, close your eyes!", Bunny suddenly shouted and I immediately followed his words because I can feel the desperation between those. I've never seen Bunny like this before. Someone who made those slithering sounds might be a bad threat.

   "Oh, so you do know me."

  A woman's voice can be heard from nowhere. Since I closed both of my eyes, I couldn't see her face.

    "Come on. Don't be shy. Don't you want to see who I really am?", she talked to me, followed by hissing sounds. Even though my eyes were firmly closed, I can feel her face right in front of me. 

   Her words dragged me towards my desperation of seeing her face. It was like an addictive drug that can manipulate anyone.

   So because of my curiosity, I slowly opened my eyes and took a peek of multiple snakes hanging on her neck.

    "I said close your eyes!", Bunny suddenly shouted, making me quickly follow his orders and immediately closed my eyes.

    "Don't listen to what she was saying, mate. That woman in front of us is a Medusa, one of Greek monsters.", Bunny added. "When you looked into her eyes just once, you'll literally freeze to death."