Long time no see…

I am so sorry that I have not updated in months, that is really not fair to you.

But I'm not going to waste your time with excuses, so here's the chapter!

Chapter 5 - Sand

Rapunzel's P.O.V.

"The Grim Reaper."

I can see the fear in Jack's eyes, the way they seem to lose focus. He seems to be talking to me, but instead he is reliving the past.

"Pitch was strong once again. It had been 10 years since our previous battle, and we, the Guardians, knew that one day Pitch would return. But we didn't expect it to be so soon."

17 years previously

Brightly colored lights glowed across the sky, pleasing all who saw them, bringing a sense of peace and happiness in the world.

That is, unless you're a Guardian.

Unlike most, to the Guardians, the lights meant bad news. Yes, they were beautiful and colorful, but they deceived you into a sense of protection, when the reality was, you were the one doing all the protecting. Not to say that the mortals and other spirits didn't do their part in protecting themselves, but the Guardians were depended on. No matter what, the believers in the world would look to them for safety and security.

Yet this is what they had chosen.

This is what they lived for.

"Mate, this is winter, why the hell are you calling me here when I'm at risk of freezing my bum off?"

Yup. Living the dream.

"Hey Kangaroo? You need to… chill out."

"Ha. Ha. Ha. Hilarious frostbite. Hilarious."

"Thank you. I value your support."

"Shut your trap, you-"

A big man dressed in red marched in between the two boys.

"OY! Заткнись! Stop squabbling like cats fighting over fish, and listen."

The two men weren't sure what North had said in Russian, but they grasped the meaning of ceasing their 'discussion'.

Smiling slightly, Sandy showed a question mark over his head, asking why they had been called to the workshop. Tooth was talking to one of her baby fairies about molars and their importance in the human mouth.

"Okay everyone. I have a suspicion that Pitch is back."

Jack eyes widened slightly and Bunny's ears perked up slightly. Sandy had a look of surprise on his face and Tooth… well she seemed the most relaxed.

The Tooth Fairy continued to speak for a few more seconds before turning to North.

"How do you know?" She asked.

"I feel it. In my belly."

Bunny sighed, face palming.

"But there are other things too. A couple days ago, Phil went missing. All that was left was a few traces of black sand."

At this Jack looked up. He was worried for Phil, but something else caught his attention.

"Pitch left traces of himself? Why would he do that?"

Tooth turned to the Winter Spirit. "He did last time."

Jack furrowed his brow. "Last time he thought that he was ready to take us full on. But we beat him. Pitch is smart enough to not make the same mistake again."

Rapunzel's P.O.V.

Jack seemed to be dazed as he spoke of North's warning of possible danger. He was staring at a tree behind me but not really seeing it.

"Sure enough, when we went to find Phil, we walked straight into a trap. We had found small traces of Pitch around the workshop, and his sand began to smell like lilac. There was a small grove near Bunny's home that was covered in lilac. We were cautious, but we weren't careful enough."

Bunny sniffed, his nose twitching.

"Ay, the lilac smells. Not the usual sweetness though… there's something else."

The rest of the Guardians inhaled. The air was sweet, yet it felt as if you could almost taste something rotting.

"It smells of death."

The group turned to their leader, unsure of what to do, or how to react to his statement.

Then something reached their ears. Something that sounded like… sand.

5 hands grasped their weapons.

CLIFFHANGER! Just like every chapter… sorry about that…

Anyways, I hope that this is a good chapter. I tried to make it a little bit longer because I waited forever to update. Speaking of updating. this is a mass update, so I have updated all of my other stories and come out with a new oneshot.

I'd like to thank: but free, ChiikoRITA, Fed-Ex we ship you and you, KeithUrban2015, PhantomOfLife, UselessDoll, jjamtlexx, minerbuilder12, nhi ly, .9, and princess December Snow for following this story.

And I'd like to thank FashionLuver98, Fed-Ex we ship you and you, FlynnRider103, FuyuAkari107, OoPoPcAnDy, Wiredopopcandy, glee131313, jjamtlexx, minerbuilder12, nhi ly, .9, and princess December Snow for favoriting this story. You guys keep this story going, thank you.

Especially Fed-Ex we ship you and you for giving me a storyline :)