Jack had never actually met another member of the mystical world. The creature that emerged, for Jack knew this was no human, had him lowering it in surprise and shock.Ī sprite. There was a malicious snigger from the tree line behind him, and Jack whirled around, staff in hand and poised to defend. Which begged the question, where had this ice come from? He always kept it smooth for them, and hadn’t failed to do so in the two years of his existence. The ice on Jack’s lake was never sharp or rough when it was time for skating. This ice was rough, some of it wickedly sharp looking where it had ripped through the boy’s shirt. There was something strange about it, he decided, squatting for a closer look with his staff thrown over shoulder. “Bye! Come back soon and I’ll set up something awesome for you guys!” He waved until they were no longer visible, then turned to look at the small section of bloodied ice. With a quiet sigh, he shook the disappointment away and turned to smile at their backs as the group left. Jack closed his eyes, gritting his teeth against the painful sensation of someone ripping the air from his lungs, and sucked in a long, almost bitter breath through his nose as the feeling passed. The teenager didn’t respond, not that he’d expected her to, and proceeded to walk through him. “He’ll be okay,” Jack said, standing in front of her to make sure she didn’t slip. Taking her skates off, she lifted her young brother-Matthew, Jack reminded himself-into her surprisingly strong arms.
She called the other children, ordering them off the ice and to head home. “Matthew!” The eldest member of today’s skating group, a quartet of siblings, rushed over, cradling the boy’s head in her lap. “You okay kid?” He knew the question was redundant, even as he asked it. He jumped from his staff, grabbing it and hurrying to the boy’s side. Jack’s grin plummeted, concern and confusion warring in his expression. Blood stained the ice where the boy had lay, the back of his shirt torn open in shreds at his shoulder blades. Jack laughed, ready to make a witty comment to himself, when the boy began sobbing and rolled onto his side. The child fell, crying out as he landed flat on his back. “Careful!” he called on reflex, a grin lighting his face. He loved to watch them marvel at the fern-like patterns, tracing them with tiny hands and fingers.Ī startled yelp drew his attention to his right, where a child tottered on one skate, the other thrown up in the air and arms wheeling as he tried to catch his balance. He kept the edges clear, tamped down a path back to the village, and drew his best frost designs on the trees just for them. He always made sure to keep his lake ready for them in winter. They were so carefree in a way adults weren’t, more open to his kind of play. Despite being upset that they couldn’t see him, Jack loved the children. He watched the village children skate, chuckling when they wobbled or tipped over. He hopped onto his staff, one foot in the crook and the other on top. Just the thought had him clutching his staff with some phantom anxiety, terrified him so deeply he sent even more ice to the thinnest parts.įor the kids, he reminded himself, ignoring the part of him that insisted it was his own terror that fueled his actions. It wouldn’t do for one of the kids to fall through. He was always careful to keep the ice thick enough to skate safely on. He tapped his staff on the ice, thickening it around the edges on his lake. In the two years he’d been around, Jack Frost had found that the Moon had a way of being silent that made graveyards seem like banquet halls. He was born with the gift of laughter and a sense that the world was mad.
Part 1 of the Myth Among Myths series Next Work →Įvil Authors Club, medusamary's all time faves, Shadow's Favorite Reads, Stories That Deserve More, the perfect fic doesn't exi-, krystals absolute favorite reads, Rise of the Guardians Stories, Wolfis OtherStuff Library Stats: Published: Completed: Words: 25875 Chapters: 11/11 Comments: 460 Kudos: 5971 Bookmarks: 1252 Hits: 90016
What the hell am I doing writing a chapter story.
Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings.