Rise Of The Guardians - The Life Of A Spirit

Family: Part 3

It felt like they had been walking for hours, but that indistinct shape in the distance refused to come any closer. At least it was easier to see, the darkness that surrounded them constantly having lightened slightly since they arrived, but that wasn't making North feel any better.

He glanced at the other Guardians whose heads hung low under the weight of the memories they had seen.

'What are we even doing this for?' Bunny suddenly snapped angrily, 'How is this helping Jack? If this is supposed to be his mind, why can't we just find whatever it is that Pitch has infected him with and destroy it? And why are we all glowing like North's Christmas lights?!'

Sandy sent up a flurry of Dreamsand images in an attempt to explain, but North was lost. Tooth, however, seemed to catch the gist of what he was saying.

'I think I understand,' she began, 'Those Nightmares and these memories are what's keeping Jack trapped.'

Sandy nodded and another series of images appeared that North was able to translate.

'His deepest fears?' he guessed, and Sandy nodded again.

'So, what?' Bunny asked, 'We have to go through all of these fears and fight his Nightmares to help him?'

Sandy shrugged and nodded.

'How many are there?' Tooth asked and North sighed. How much worse could they get?

'I feel like only Pitch would know that,' he replied heavily.

'I swear if we find him here, I'm going to beat him to a pulp,' Bunny vowed, 'Then when we get out, I'll do it again.'

North agreed wholeheartedly. He hated Pitch even more for what he was doing to their youngest Guardian.

'Hello!' a child's voice called and North flinched. Another memory was fast approaching.

'Does anyone recognise that?' he asked quickly before they were each whisked away.

They all shook their heads, but there was no time to dwell on it as they were taken up by the memory.

They were staring down through the branches of a tree as a young boy staggered through the snow, shaking violently. There were traces of frostbite forming on his nose and fingers. It was clear he was lost, but through the falling snow and the darkness, there was no way he was going to be able to get home before he succumbed to the cold. But that wasn't going to stop Jack from trying.

He leapt down from the tree and quickly approached him, but made sure to refrain from touching him.

'Hey, can you hear me?'

The boy made no response, just kept walking, and Jack quickly stepped aside to avoid being passed through yet again. But he wasn't going to give up. He turned in the direction of the nearest town, and began clearing away the snow and ice to form a path. The boy looked up in surprise, but didn't question it and began stumbling in the direction Jack was leading him. But it wasn't quick enough. His breathing was slowing and, more dangerously, he was no longer shaking.

'Come on!' Jack urged him, even though the boy couldn't hear him. 'You can't give up! You've got to keep going!'

But when the boy stumbled and fell, North's heart sank. This had to be Harrison. He knew what would happen next.

Jack leapt forward, reaching out a hand to help, but as usual, it just passed straight through and he reeled back.

'Don't give up!' he begged, 'You can't die alone out here! Please get up!'

But the boy sank to the ground and had curled up, his gaze unfocused.

Jack was pacing anxiously, trying to figure out what he could do.