Dead || Jack Frost

Twelve

Dia shrieked as he plummeted under ground. The tunnel smoothed out into a grassy slide. Dia found himself curling up into a ball as he tumbled down the slide. In front of him, North was screaming and Tooth was giggling in delight. Both of them rolling in a uncoordinated tangle of limbs. Bunny slide on his paws easily. And somehow, Jack was also moving naturally. Balancing on his feet like he was riding the breeze. Dia mentally cursed the snow spirit's better balance.

The tunnel ended abruptly and all of the guardians tumbled out onto a stone floor. Jack, landed on his feet, bounding excitedly. Dia yelped as he landed at the other boy's feet. Jack laughed as Dia glared at him. "You want a hand there?" He offered, pulling Dia up and onto his feet easily. Dia huffed and dusted off his clothes, makeup still perfectly intact. Around them, north and tooth were both groaning. Two yetis and a few elves had fallen down the rabbit hole two. All of them lay in dizzy heaps on the ground.

Dia ran a hand through his hair and glanced around. The Warren was beautiful. It was a huge underground valley lit by sunlight through holes in the earth ceiling. The valley was a mixture of different grass levels filled with trees and flowers. Half grown over stone ruins stuck out amidst the greenery. Stone circles and degraded statures. The scent of spring was thick on the air. Fresh and floral. Bunny gestured around with a grin. "Welcome to the Warren". Behind him, two massive moss covered stone eggs lumbered up. Each egg had a funny smile face carved into the stone. Dia guessed that they were the guardians of this place.

Suddenly, Bunny's grin faded. He hopped across the square, ears twitching. "Something's up", he muttered. From a earth tunnel opposite them came there sound of scuttling. Hundreds of little white eggs with little feet came fleeing out from the dark. Dia raised an eyebrow as a high pitcher screaming echoed from the tunnel. All the guardians raised their weapons defensively. Bunny screaming a war cry as they ran at the tunnel. A small blonde thing came running out.

The guardians stopped. "Sophie?" Jack asked, staring down at the little girl. Sophie stared back at them, two little white eggs in her hands. The girl couldn't have been more than five, still dressed in her blue and yellow pyjamas. Dia snorted as the guardians hurriedly hid their weapons, chuckling nervously.

Sophie gaped at them for a second before spotting a elf. She giggled and dropped the eggs, chains the elf in circles around the room. "What is she doing here?" Bunny yelped, backing off as the little girl ran past. Dia was laughing loudly, clutching his stomach.

"The oh so amazing guardians", he wheezed. "Terrified by a little child". Bunny shot him a glare.

"Snow globe", North muttered, patting his coat pockets with a look of alarm.  Bunny huffed loudly as Jack sniggered.

"Crikey! Somebody do something!"

The white haired boy held up his hands, stepping back to stand next to Dia. "Don't look at us. We're invisible remember". Sophie screeched loudly as she dragged the poor elf along the ground by it's hat. The bell ringing pleadingly.

"Don't worry bunny. I bet she's a fairy fan". Tooth flipped through the air. The sun highlighting the colours of her feathers and her lithe hummingbird wings. Sophie dropped the elf, cooing in surprise.

"I've got something for you", Tooth sung, flying down to Sophie's level. She held out a hand. "Look at all the pretty teeth with little blood and gum on them". Sophie took one looked before running away wailing. Tooth blinked in surprise. Dia was laughing so hard that he was bent over clutching his stomach.

"Blood and gum", Jack chuckled. He followed Sophie, who had gone back to chasing the eggs. "When was the last time you had ever hung out with kids?"

The guardians all tensed. The looks on their faces answering for them. Dia's laughter cut off as Tooth pointedly did not look at him. None of the guardian's looked at him. Dia stuck his hands in his pockets and frowned. Jack looked between them, picking up on the subtle tension. He recalled what Tooth had mentioned earlier. How her last child had been Dia. The rage Dia'd had against the guardians at the beginning. There was obviously a long history between them all.

North sighed, breaking the silence. "We are very busy bringing joy to children. We don't have time"- he paused as Sophie ran past giggling. "-for children". He winced as soon as he had spoken, cringing at what he had just said.

Jack smirked as he flexed his fingers. A snowflake forming in the air and dancing around his palm. Dia thought that his soft smile in that moment was beautiful. "If one kid can ruin Easter, then we're in worse shape than I thought". Jack raised his hand and the snowflake drifted through the air. It landed in Bunny's nose. Melting in a shimmer of frost magic. Bunny blinked and a soft smile spread across his face.

——

Hundreds of little white eggs on little feet spilled out over the Warren. They moved down little pathways like river banks the flowers dusting them with colour as they moved along. After the flowers, they all dropped into a river, emerging with pearlescent sheens. Then it was onto the vines where patterns were smudged into the paint. Dia watched with a fascinated expression. The little eggs were stupidly adorable. The guardians had all been split up and bunny had assigned them different talks to do. Luckily Jack's snowflake had worked and Bunny was able to take care of Sophie while they all worked.

North and yetis were on base colours. Their job was to make sure that the eggs all go their base coats and were ready for the river. Where tooth and the elves made sure no eggs got lost in the current. Jack and Dia had been regimented to the vines and the final patterns. Bunny hopping between them all with Sophie. Just checking that they were doing their jobs.

"Dia", Bunny said as he looked down at the small group of eggs in front of him. Dia was sat cross legged on the grass, a paintbrush in one hand and a egg in the other. The egg's little feet were kicking in the air, much to Dia's amusement. "Easter is a festival of hope and new life".

"Yeah".

"I don't think that painting skulls and skeletons on them is going to give off a hopeful feeling". Bunny gestured to the eggs. They were black with little skulls and skeletons painted on in white surrounded by colourful flowers and bright patterns. Dia frowned in confusion.

"But there's roses on them too. And look! The skeletons are dancing!" He held up the egg in his hand. The skeletons did appear to be dancing. Limbs jutting out in odd positions. Bunny swore one was doing the Thriller dance and another was dabbing.

"Death and bones is not hopeful", Bunny scowled. "I can't believe I'm saying this but look at Jack!" Bunny gestured to where Jack was perched on the tip of his staff a few feet away. The egg he was holding was yellow and covered in little blue snowflakes. Cute and bright.

Jack looked up at the mention of his name and snorted as he spotted Dia's eggs. "I don't get the problem Bunny", he smirked. "They're colourful aren't they?"

Bunny threw up his hands in defeat and bounced away. Dia and Jack laughing behind him.

Unedited