Black wings, Snow, and Sand

Chapter 6: Dreams come slow, but they go so fast

We just sit there. I put my arm around her shoulder, my fingers brushing against her ink-like feathers. She looks at me not angrily, just kind of questioning, then looks down and lightly smiles. It must be the first time, in a while, that she's been hugged like this, and it makes me smile to know that she's happy.
We sit there for a while not saying anything, watching Jamie sleep peacefully. His chest rises then lowers slow and steady against his spaceship pajamas.
I start to hear a light fluttering in the distance, at first a think it's just the wind picking up, but when I turn around I catch a glimpse of green and pink feathers...Tooth. She sees us and flies in through the window, we quickly get up, acting as if nothing happened.
" hey guys" she has a smile, stretching from ear to ear.
" hi Tooth, how do you feel?" Victoria asks. Tooth smiles even bigger.
"Amazing. " She whispers mostly to herself. Victoria smiles and lightly laughs.
" I'm glad." She whispers back. A hole starts to form in the wooden floor, and out pops Bunny. He smiles at us, then looks at Jamie and sees that he's asleep, and steps quietly out of his rabbit hole.
" I guess that's it." He says. " I just finished in New York." Just after he says that, North pops through the open window and lands his feet hard on the ground, we jump. Sandman comes quietly behind him.
" So the race is over" he says.
" well here they are..!" He throws a huge bag of teeth on the ground, " I WIN I WIN!" He chants and starts dancing around, we desperately to tell him to be quiet, but it's to late.
Behind us we hear a sleepy child start to wake up. We turn around and see Jamie wide eyed, with a flashlight pointed at us in his little hands.
" WOw, Santa, Easter bunny, sandman and the tooth fairy! You're here!!" He says in disbelief. Tooth laughs nervously.
" yeaaah we're here..." She quickly looks to the others. " quick! Do something! He sees us! She says.
" well almost all of us" Bunny looks in a way sadly at me and Victoria, who looks down. Sometimes I wish he'd keep his mouth shut. He looks away realizing what he said then turns back to face Jamie.
"Sandy knock him out." Bunny says. Sandy punches his palm with his fist. "What? No! No! Use the bloody sand! The sand!" He says. All of a sudden we hear a low growl coming from under the bed; we freeze in our tracks as a big dog hops on too Jamie's bed. It growls and shows it's sharp teeth in Bunny's direction.
" No Abby! No! That's the Easter Bunny!" Jamie tries to calm the dog down, but it stays put.
" uh Bunny do...do you want me to, um help you with that?" Victoria asks.
" No it's cool." He say obviously trying to pretend he's not scared.
" Dude that's a grey hound, you know what grey hounds do to rabbits? " I say trying to make him even more nervous.
" oh he's never seen a rabbit like me before... 6 foot, master of Kung fu..." As he trails off I look at the bedside table next to me, and see an alarm clock....perfect.
I tap the top of it with the end of my staff and it instantly goes off, and so does the hound. It barks and starts chasing Bunny around the room, who is now hopping for his life. Sandman tries to aim a ball of sleeping sand at the hound, but as he throws it he is knocked off his balance and the ball starts bouncing every which way, Victoria wraps her wings around me and her to protect us from being hit. We listen until everything goes silent.
Slowly her wings open. We look around and see everyone except Sandy is asleep.
" thanks...." I say.
" don't mention it" she says back kind of nervously.
" haha ooops....." I say as look around, the rooms a mess. Victoria moves over and tries to wake the others up, they don't. They all have little sand figures floating around their heads. Golden carrots, teeth, and candy canes.
Of course.
" you know you guys are really something..." Victoria states jokingly.
I give a slight smirk. We quickly move each sleeping body into an apparently vacant room across the hall, and adjust them in better positions. Snores and soft breaths fill the pink floored room.
I almost don't see the shadow race by, in the corner of my eye. I look over quick, but it's already gone.
" what is it?" Victoria asks concerned. She and Sandy come closer to the window.
"I don't know..." I glide out, and look around. Then a small, black horse darts in front of me, I chase after it, determined to catch it. I hear heavy flaps of wings and twinkling of sand behind me.
The horse disappears leaving me, Sandy, and Victoria in an alley behind one of the small apartment buildings. It was very dark behind there almost...pitch black.
I hear a familiar cackle coming from above the building, my stomach drops. Pitch appears atop the building looking down at us with his sharp-toothed grin.
"Hello Jack." He says, I'm surprised that he doesn't say anything to Victoria or even Sandy, then I realize their no longer next to me. Did they leave? Why?
" looking for something are we?" Pitch mocks.
" Yes. me." Victoria was behind him the whole time, he's startled and quickly turns around, but as soon as he does she turns fast and swings her left leg high, the bottom of her foot colliding with the side of his face. His body flings to the ground, sliding as it hits it. Victoria lets out a sigh, and looks down at me.
" that felt good " she says.
" haha, I bet. "
Pitch lets out a rough groan as he gets up, then turns to Victoria.
" I thought we've settled this, sorry luv, but I distinctly remember who won last time." He chuckles.
" True. But this time I have friends." Her smirk gets even wider, as she looks behind Pitch. He looks quickly too and is jumps back; it's Sandy, who's about half Pitch's 5,11 self. I smile.
He's afraid.
She runs toward him, but she's not quick enough, Pitch turns around and back hands her hard across the face, causing her to fall to her side. I fly up fast to her, but she gets up as soon as she hits the ground. I look over my shoulder and see Sandy's hands out stretched, long ropes of golden sand morph into his little hands. Pitch mimicks the movement and a humongous scythe forms. He swings it high and crashes it's black blade down, it's feet away from Sandy, who whips his gold weapon around, making it strike Pitch across the face. He falls off the building, and lands in the street below. We swiftly glide down toward him.
" wow, remind me not get on you guy's bad side." I say. Victoria's smirk widens.
Pitch looks up, hastily getting up.
" Victoria, Sandman, I'm sorry! I should have NEVER messed with your lives or dreams. I regret everything," he gets up quickly," so I tell you what...you can have them back."
The storm drains around us explode with nightmares, lifting Pitch above us. We are encircled by bad dreams, and I'm scared to death. To gain ground we push our backs together, facing our enemy.
" Jack, do you remember when I told you the fearlings fled when I approach Pitch?" I hear Victoria whisper behind me.
" yea "
" It's because I didn't show fear. Although I never faced this many. You have to show them you are not afraid."
"Ok" I reply. Dont be afraid.
" So ill take the ones on the left you guys take the ones on the right?" I say kind of jokingly. Sandy shrugs.
"Well, I guess so." She states, her voice shaking.
I look all around at the creatures before us, and see why children would be afraid. The nightmares have no pupils, but bright golden sockets. Their bodies broad and strong, defined with the darkness of their shadows, but they are just nightmares.
I calm myself down, and stand ready to fight. I look up and see a huge smile on Pitch's face. He clicks his teeth with his tongue twice. The creatures all bellow a haunting shriek then gallop toward us fast, they stop. We stand up straighter and hear a crashing sound above us. We look up and see North's sleigh approaching fast. A sigh of relief escapes me; they land hard on the ground, causing some of the nightmares to burst under them. Pitch's smile has obviously left his silver face as North looks up at him, then to us.
" Come on!" He yells. I start toward the sleigh, but sound of struggling, stops me. I turn around and see Victoria and Sandy fighting off three rogue nightmares. As soon as they kill one, all of them start towards us.
One comes galloping toward me, at first I'm frozen in my tracks, but I wake out of my daze when a boomerang goes straight through it.
" Wake up Frostbite!" Bunny yells toward me. I quickly shake my head and spring into action.
Every which way black horses gallop, I shoot ice and snow and swat at each one that comes near. I hear a low scream, almost like a growl and turn around. Victoria is being dragged by the end of her braid. I start toward her, but one of them grabs me by the hood of jacket, I hit ground, knocking the wind and my staff out away from me . I look up to see her flip and land on it's back, then stab it in the the side of its neck.
" Victoria!" I plea as another grabs me by my pant leg. She turns fast.
" Jack!" She yells, then flies toward the horses. She slashes her dagger through one of their heads and then through the other's neck. I drop, but now fueled with adrenaline and hastily get up. I find my staff just a foot away. We stand back to back, well actually, back to wings, and are encircled by nightmares. I cant stifle it, I am petrified. Then I think. Flight.
" we need to get out of here." I state flatly.
" a..a..greed" Shes scared too.
" lets go" she steps forward, flaps her wings one good time and shes off. I fly as fast as I can up. Wind whips my snow white hair back. I'm not that far away from her, when I hear them coming, I look from the left to the right and two golden eyes are coming straight toward me. I forgot. These bastards fly too. I stop, think fast, then drop. They both crash head on into each other, and poof they're dust.
I smile, before another crashes against me. It goes away, but suddenly I'm falling. My staff!
I look frantically and see it falling above me, I reach and finally grab it with the tips of my fingers, but I don't stop in air.
I hear the sleigh coming and as soon as see the foot step, I grab it. Pulling myself up, half hanging, then look up and see Bunny's fur covered face. he smirks.
" You might want to duck." He says calmly. I do, and feel the rush of his boomerang. I hear the busting sound of a nightmare's end, wait for the boomerang to come back, then look up again and see Victoria next to him. She holds out her hand, and winks, I wink back and grab it. Her skin is soft, yet rough, from where she clasps her daggers. She pulls me in and helps me get balanced then slowly lets go. Her warmth, still imprinted on my hand, sends the flurries back, but they soon turn to stones when we look above us.
Sandman swings his whips as hard as can around him. The nightmares are closing in. He fights, but stops as soon as a black arrow hits him, right through the heart. This can't be happening!
A strangled scream escapes me,
" NO!!" I can't think. I feel myself darting toward the dark wave of fear that in gulfs my little friend. Tears streak across my face, an anger bursts out of me, in the form of ice. The last thing I hear is crashing and wailing of the fearlings. Everything goes black.
........
I open my eyes a little hearing a strong flapping noise, and feel warm breaths on my head, breaths that belong to Victoria, who's small arm is wrapped under my knees and the other wrapped around my shoulders. She must have caught me, but before I can say anything, my eyes grow heavier and everything goes black again.