Hello, everyone! I'm sad to say that this is the last chapter of Nightmares and Blossoms, but don't be upset. I'm writing a sequel- which I'm calling Tethered. It's still in the very rough stages (I have so many ideas and possibilities that sometimes I confuse myself!) and it may be several weeks before I upload it. In Tethered, the usual crew will be there- the six Guardians (North, Tooth, Bunnymund, Sandy, Jack, and Flora) and Pitch may be in there (I haven't decided yet), but I'm also including three new characters. Exciting, right? Haha I know I am. Anyway, I'm including that sneak peek for Tethered at the end of this chapter.

Please enjoy the last installment of Nightmares and Blossoms, a Rise of the Guardians fanfic. It's been a pleasure to write this and you can trust me when I say that I'll miss it so much.

Thank you for sticking with this story until the end.

Bunnymund looked down at the girl in his arms. Please, just let this be a nightmare, just a dream. Her eyes were closed and her breathing became more forced. His heart broke as he stared down at her face. This wasn't a dream. He traced her jaw with a shaking paw. Tears rolled off her face and onto his fur. She was in so much pain, but there was nothing he could do about it. I'll love you until I can love you no more.

"Bunny…" She whispered. She pulled him down to her softly. His ear twitched and she opened her mouth to speak. "Bunny, I… I love…" She took one last rattling breath. "You." It was less than a whisper. Her body fell limp in his arms. Tooth gasped and hid her face in North's arm. The usually jolly man patted her feathered arm mournfully as a look of deep sorrow filled his face. Sandy approached the girl and sprinkled sleeping dust over her body and kissed her forehead softly. Jack didn't wipe away the tears that slipped down his cheeks. Bunnymund could only gaze down at the girl he loved as tears filled his eyes.

She was gone.

Nothing could ever describe the way Bunnymund felt after Flora died. Sure, there were words that recall the name of the feelings, but nothing could accurately describe how he felt. You could say he was sad, but that didn't fully explain how his heart felt wrenched from his body. You could say he was depressed, but that couldn't tell how deep, emotional pain clouded his vision every day. How he felt as though he would burst from the horrible sorrow of it all.

He loved her. Oh, God, yes, he loved her. There was no doubt about that. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to learn how to grow a garden; he wanted to teach her how to paint Easter eggs. He wanted to show her his special carrot cake recipe that no one else knows. He wanted her to love him back just as much as he loved her. It killed him how he wasn't able to let her know that he loved her before she died. He could only hold onto the small comfort that she loved him in return.

Easter that year was no doubt the worst job that Bunnymund had ever done. He could barely move from grief. The Guardians ended up having to help him deliver the eggs. Jack made sure to cause a blizzard in nearly every town just so they didn't have to hide that many eggs. It was a kind gesture that Bunnymund appreciated, but he had planned on showing Flora how he did his job. It was just another thing they could never share together.

When Bunnymund had to round up the eggs in order to deliver them, he found the egg she had been painting. It was by surprise that he found it, hidden under one of the giant stone eggs. He had been checking to make sure no eggs were left behind when he picked it up and nearly dropped it, realizing what it was. There it was, all in its messed up glory: the Warren with a random streak of green in the sky. It was the gift for Melody.

He decided that the little girl had to receive it. He gazed at the egg before he shook his head. Trying to wish for Flora to come back was no use. She was gone, as he had to painfully remind himself every day.

Bunnymund sighed and tapped his foot on the ground. He halfheartedly hopped through the tunnels and popped out of a hole in the British countryside. He knew it was where Melody and Lily lived because of the two flowers by the ear tree: a yellow daisy and a purple snapdragon. There was still a rosebush in the middle of the yard. He was pleased to see neither plant had wilted. Both girls still had a strong belief in Flora.

He approached the deck. "Hello?" he called. "Melody? Are yeh home?"

There was a patter of footsteps that ran quickly to the porch door. "Flora?"

Bunnymund tried his best to stifle the inner pain caused from the sound of her name. He offered a smile to the little girl. "No, it's just me. Do you remember me?"

Melody grinned. "Bunnymund!"

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Yes, that's me!" He crouched down next to her. "I have a present for you."

She said solemnly, "I couldn't find that many Easter eggs yesterday. It was too cold and the snow was too thick. My mum only let me outside for ten minutes."

Bunnymund chuckled inwardly. Jack had done his job correctly. "Well, this present will make it up to you. I found this yesterday, and someone special made it just for you." He handed her the egg.

"Wow! Did you make this?" She grinned and held the egg close to her. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She said seriously. She looked around. "Where's Flora? She promised to visit us."

"Actually, Flora made it." Bunnymund could barely say her name.

"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Melody said and looked up at Bunnymund with wide eyes. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"Flora's, um, indisposed right now, but she's sorry she couldn't be here." He couldn't bloody tell her that she was dead, could he? "Besides, she's very busy right now. Spring is coming and she has to prepare for it."

"She hasn't hurt herself, has she?" Melody asked; her bottom lip trembled. It took all of Bunnymund's self-control to shake his head no. He then had to quickly excuse himself and went back to his Warren, where his could sob quietly over his broken heart.

The other Guardians were just as sad. They mourned the death of their beloved Mother Nature respectively, but soon they began to wonder about the flowers. What will happen to the flowers? Who will take care of the earth? Will there be a new caretaker of nature?

One day, in late autumn, Bunnymund went to her garden. It was about five months after she died. Five months of pure emotional hell, he liked to call it. He had no reason to go to the garden. He didn't even want to; he just felt something telling him that he needed to visit where the girl he loved used to live. He raced through the tunnels of his underground labyrinth towards her garden. He got there as the sun started to set; her favorite time of day.

He lifted himself out of the ground and found himself next to the pond. The waterfall still trickled down the mountain as though it had no idea the person who controlled the plants was gone. Bunnymund looked around at the garden. Some of the trees were still charred. Many of the flowers were just blackened marks in the dirt. The devastation of the fire still haunted him at night. Many times Bunnymund had to call on Sandy to help him have a dream that wasn't about her or plants or fires.

He knelt down to the ground. Secondary plants were starting to grow back, he noticed. Tiny shoots of grass were everywhere. The small green specks poked up dutifully through the soot. Bunnymund smiled sadly at the state of the garden. He wanted to see it alive again, just as how he wanted to see her alive as well.

He stood and walked to the pond. He gazed at the waterfall and ran a hand through his fur. He felt like he should say something, but what?

"Flora…" He whispered. It was the first time he had spoken her name aloud in months. He cleared his throat and continued speaking. "Flora… I just wanted to say that… I love you." He paused for a moment. It was hard for him to go on. He felt foolish for talking out loud, but there was something in him that felt like she was listening.

"Flora, I miss yeh. I miss yeh more than anything. I want you back. I want you to come live with me at the Warren." He sighed and choked back a tear. "Oh, God, Flora, I love you so much it physically hurts. Every time I think of you my chest hurts and my brain slows down and my palms get sweaty and I feel my heart race. I just don't understand why you had to go. I always thought you'd be at my side and I'd be at yours." He knelt down and wept bitterly. He was drowning in sorrow.

Bunny.

Her voice. It was carried on the wind. Bunnymund's ear poked up and swiveled around. Was that her voice? It sounded like it. Was he hearing things?

Bunny.

It sounded like her voice- it was clear and sweet, like a bell.

I'm always right beside you. I've always been with you.

The wind blew softly at his fur. It softly caressed his cheek just like how she did in her last living moments. The wind smelled just like Flora. His body stiffened. Was it her?

The spirit of Mother Nature lives within everyone, right here. The wind became strong and it felt like someone touched his chest softly. You can never escape the feeling of joy. No matter how hard you try, Bunny. I will always be there to help protect the flowers of the world. The spirit of Mother Nature cannot be contained. The spirit of Mother Nature cannot be silenced forever.

Tears fell freely from his eyes. Her voice became stronger and more solid sounding. There was a crunch of a footstep in the grass behind him.

"And the spirit of Mother Nature cannot be tamed."

His ear twitched. His nose sniffed. He turned around slowly, carefully, and saw her standing in the grass behind him. She stood there with her cheek flushed with joy, her rosebud lips trembling in excitement. Tears of joy pooled in her big green eyes. She closed her palm and opened it. An aster flower appeared in the palm of her hand.

"Bunny." Tears spilled freely from her eyes as she flew to him and hugged him with all of her strength. "Oh, Bunny!"

Bunnymund was shocked. He stood there without moving as she hugged him. He slowly put his arms around her and felt her body against his. She was real. She was here, next to him. Was this a dream?

"F-Flora?" he asked quietly. He leaned back and took her head in his hands. "Is it really you?"

Flora beamed as the tears fell down her face. "Yes! Yes—and I'm never leaving again."

Bunnymund thumbed a tear off her cheek and dipped her. He kissed her passionately and when he pulled away he told her promptly, "I love you."

Flora grinned and smiled through her tears. "And I you. You are my new calling."

"And you are mine." He looked at her—really looked at her. "Your wings! They're different!"

She twirled around and laughed. "Manny seemed to have equipped me with some new kicks! I like," she said, and twirled around again. Her wings were slightly bigger than before, no longer gossamer-like (like a dragonfly's wing), but a soft gold, and they sparkled like the night sky in the countryside. They sparkled like stars and the gold was deeper at the edges of her wings and faded to a clear finish near the base of her wings. Her skin was back to the healthy golden glow thanks to the coat of sunshine dust. Her eyes, dark green, were unchanged. Her hair was still dark brown and messy, with waves and curls everywhere.

She was still perfect, inside and out.

Bunnymund stretched out a hand. "Want to come see the others?" He readied his foot. He couldn't take his eyes off of her!

Flora gave him an impish grin. "Not yet." She smirked at his confused expression and rose into the air. She let out a pure note and sang a little melody. She raised her arms and a gentle breeze took the sunshine dust off of her arms. The dust floated in the wind before Flora guided it to the ground. She knelt to the ground and whispered a few words of encouragement, and this time Bunnymund could hear her.

"Grow, grow and be joyful. God knows we could use a little more joy in this world." She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the ground. She caught Bunnymund's stare. "For luck," she insisted with a laugh. She stood back and gazed over her garden. There was a moment of peace as she said, "It's good to be home." With that she snapped her fingers and flowers grew all at once. The trees mended themselves and grew their leaves. Grass blanketed the ground as little wildflowers grew all around Flora and Bunnymund. An aster flower grew near their feet and Flora bent down to pick it. She tucked it behind her ear as she reached for Bunnymund's hand.

"Now I'm ready." She said, and squeezed his hand. Flora gazed out at the garden, happy that it was growing. Bunnymund tapped his foot and they traveled to the North Pole together.

Even after all that has happened, I can still close my eyes and remember when I first came around. I can remember the friends that I made, the enemies I defeated. I can still remember the horrors that I went through, the pain and the suffering, the loneliness and the hurting. But other things overshadowed the pain: love, joy, friendship, peace, harmony.

Hope.

My story may not be as different as others, but it is one in the same. It is my story, my humble tale of how I came to be. It's my adventure- the history of the simple idea of Mother Nature.

And that's what made it different.

It turned out that I was so tethered to the Earth that there was no possible way for me to not come back. If it wasn't for Bunnymund visiting the garden on that day I would still be just a spirit with no body. You see, my earthly body had died, but my spirit was still around. The idea of someone who grows the plants is an idea that is so out there and unusual that it just can't die. I would only truly die when that idea went away. Bunnymund offered a gift, a gift of love, and that was what brought me back. Manny always said that Bunnymund was strong not only in strength, but in other ways too. Bunnymund's love was so strong it gave me the strength to get my body back.

After I died I remember I met the Man in the Moon, and we had a long talk. I told him about my memories, about the life I used to live before I became Flora, and about who I am now. I told him about the adventure that had taken place over the last few days and how I made the biggest mistake of all time, but I reassured him that I found what I did was wrong and how I eventually came back to the side I was meant for. He mostly listened as I rambled on, but he did tell me a few words of advice. While I can't tell you about most of our conversation (simply because it will spoil a few things), I will tell you this: he promised something special for us all. He promised another protector of nature.

"What do you mean, another 'protector of nature'?" I remember asking him, but he just smiled and shook his head. Manny was like that, often saying things without giving anything else away. I remember how I pestered him for a few moments after this, but he refused to say anything else. It painfully reminded me of those first years of being Mother Nature, with no one to talk to and with my questions going unanswered. But those days are of the past, just like the days of Florence.

When Bunnymund took me to the North Pole when I came back, the five other Guardians happened to be there all at once, off duty from their designated jobs. I remember the simultaneous jolt of surprise from everyone, the shouts of astonishment and the yells of excitement. I remember how Jack accidentally froze an elf in his joy. We were all so happy to be together again, just the six of us. We were a family again.

A couple days went by before I went to visit Melody after I came back. I remember how I flew into her yard and called for her. "Melody!"

There was an immediate shout of excitement from within the house and Melody all but threw herself out of the back door. Her blonde hair was longer now and she was missing a tooth, but otherwise she still looked the same.

"She's here, she's here!" Melody cried. Lily came barreling through the door as well. I flew towards them and we collided in a group hug. There was lots of giggling and laughter as we sat there for a moment.

"So where have you been?" Lily asked after there was a brief pause. She looked hurt. "I wanted you to see my prom dress."

"You missed my birthday!" Melody pouted. She crossed her arms and pretended to be cross.

"Sweetie, as much as I wanted to see you go off to prom and as much as I wanted to see you on your birthday, I couldn't."

"We could see that," Lily mumbled under her breath. I glared at her before I continued.

"I was busy," I said. "With saving the world."

That got their attention.

And with that, I told them about my adventure. I told them about Pitch Black and how he almost managed to get me to cross to the other side. I told them how he destroyed my garden and how I died but came back to life because of love.

"It was the bunny, wasn't it?" Lily said with a smirk. She raised an eyebrow. "He was the one who helped bring you back."

I gaped at her. "How did you know?"

"Just a feeling," she said primly, and we both laughed.

"Bunny, bunny, bunny!" Melody grinned. "He gave me the egg that you painted. He said it was a present because I couldn't find that many eggs during the Easter egg hunt."

"How sweet," I said, but on the inside I was touched. That man still continued to amaze me with the little things. Lily seemed to notice my change in emotion because she quickly stood and gestured toward Melody.

"Come on, Mel, we still have to go to the library before it closes. It closes early on weekdays." She held her hand out to her younger sister. "Let's go so Flora can get back to her work."

Melody stood and looked at me with big eyes. "Do you promise to come back?"

I stood and hugged her. "I will always come back. That's a promise."

Lily crossed her arms. "Good, because if you ever leave us again I will kick your ass."

Melody clapped her hands over her ears. "Language, Lily!" Lily shrugged and grinned cheekily. I laughed, and after making a few promises to bring them to my garden one day, they left and I flew out of the yard.

That was the first out of many encounters I had with the girls. The three of us became especially close, like sisters almost. They believed in the other Guardians as well, and I eventually brought Tooth along with me to meet them.

"I bet that they're fairy fans!" She exclaimed when I invited her along to meet them.

Tooth and I became really close. We were the only two female Guardians, so we had to be on good terms even if we didn't become friends. I remember how one day close to Christmas, as we sat close to the fire, taking a break from helping North get ready for the big night, we had a particularly deep conversation.

"Tooth, don't take this in the wrong way, but… why are you with North?" I remember asking her. I remember how Tooth smiled softly and put her mug of hot cocoa down next to her and shooed a random elf away.

"Why North when I could be with Jack?" She asked dryly, and I laughed. "Do you know the order of how we became a Guardian?" I shook my head. "First it was Sandy, then me, then North, then Aster, then Jack—"

"And then me. What does that have to do with anything?" I took a sip of my cocoa. I fluttered my wings and wrapped them tightly around myself to keep warms.

Tooth held out her hand. "As Guardians, we have to care for each other more than how a normal family would. With our different areas of expertise and powers we have to bend around each other to complete our collective job: protecting the children of the world. North just always seemed like a giant teddy bear to me, even when he claimed to be ferocious and terrifying. He would always be exceptionally sweet to me and treated me with so much respect that I couldn't help but fall for him.

"He was like my other half. I remember how he showed me that he was compassionate and kind and loving. He helped to open my eyes to the wonders of the world, and one time I had to help him remember what was important." She smiled and lowered her lilac eyes. "It turned out to be me. We've been, quote unquote, 'together' ever since."

I couldn't believe how strong their love was. They acted as though they knew each other inside and out, forwards and backwards. Sometimes I would catch them just sitting with each other in silence, happy as could be. "What about marriage?" I couldn't help but ask.

Tooth smiled. "We're both immortal. We don't need a ring to tell us we were meant for each other. We have our entire lives to spend together." After Tooth said this there was a giant crash in the distance. She stood and rolled her eyes. "That must have been a yeti. I have to go see what happened." She left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

What Tooth said was beautiful. It made sense, too. Why get married when you are going to live forever with the person you love? Tooth's reasons were perfectly romantic and I could honestly see Bunnymund and myself like that as well.

As I finished up my thinking, Bunnymund came into the room and smiled when he saw me. He hopped over to where I was sitting. As we sat in silence and admired the quiet, I felt as though everything was finally perfect.

It's always crazy to look back and see how far I've come. I was no one, then someone, then gone, and now I'm here, a Guardian and Mother Nature. There were some tough times but we came together as a family and protected one another. We never did find out what happened to Pitch after the last battle, but we plan to keep it that way. All I know is that I'm never going back to his side again. I have my friends around me; what more could one need? We are Guardians, after all.

As Guardians, we go by many names, and take many forms. We bring wonder and hope. We bring joy and dreams. We are the Sandman and the Tooth Fairy. We are the Easter Bunny and Santa. We are Jack Frost and Mother Nature. And our powers are greater than you ever imagine.

Because before it gets better, the darkness gets bigger. But ultimately in the end everything goes the way it should.

And that's my story.

And that concludes Nightmares and Blossoms. I hope that you enjoyed it! Please leave a review on what you thought about it.

As promised, here's the sneak peek of Tethered. Hope you enjoy(:

Tethered

Have you ever felt pure happiness? So happy that you felt like nothing could ever bring you down? I did. I remember last year when I joined the Guardians I thought it would be the worst time of my life, but it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. I have my friends around me all the time. I would be forever grateful to them because they put up with me since the beginning. I found my little niche in the world. Everything was in perfect harmony.

That all changed when we received word that a new Protector of Nature was coming.

That all changed when I, Flora, realized who the Protector was.

And boy, did that make our lives different. I doubt we'll ever be the same.

Let's just say that the sisters found each other after death. After all, what's stronger than the bond of sisters? Of family?

Nothing.

Today was Tooth's birthday. Bunnymund and Flora had planned a party in Flora's garden for her. The couple asked the Groundhog if he could direct her mini fairies for the night so she could celebrate. North baked the cake (of which Sandy decorated), and Jack brought a few deserts baked by himself and Jamie and a few of Jamie's friends. Flora decided to steer clear of those when she saw what looked like dog food kibbles sprinkled on top of the messily iced cupcakes. Flora loved Jamie to death but she wasn't about to eat those cupcakes.

When Flora first met Jamie she was taken aback. Jack had taken her aside and told her how Jamie was the last light on the Globe who believed in them when Pitch first tried to take over the world, roughly two years ago. The boy who was missing two bottom teeth (caused, Jack told her with a snicker, by a rouge snowball) helped the Guardians two years ago. It made her look at the young boy differently. How could such a small boy ultimately save the world from darkness and despair?

"Alright, Jamie. I know this will be an odd question, but what do you know of Mother Nature?" Jack asked. The other Guardians stood by wearily. They didn't know what to expect; neither did Flora.

"Mother Nature," the young boy screwed his face up in concentration. "She plants stuff, right? My mother used to tell me stories about her."

"Plants stuff," Bunnymund and Flora grumbled at the same time. They looked at each other and smirked. Tooth held a delicate hand over her mouth and giggled.

Jack flashed Flora a grin. "Actually, Mother Nature is more than a story. What do you like to say, Flora? That Mother Nature cannot be tamed?" She blushed and nodded. She had no idea what he was doing, but apparently Bunnymund did. He hid a grin as well. Did they plan this out? Flora had a sneaky suspicion they did. She had half a mind to be angry with them but she could never be upset with Jack and Bunnymund.

Jamie frowned. "Flora...?" He looked at Jack. "Who's Flora?"

Even though Flora knew he wouldn't know much about her, it still hurt when he said that. However, this time when he said that it didn't physically hurt like how it did last year. She sighed and looked at the ground.

Bunnymund, sensing her distress, nodded at her. "Why don't cha show him what you can do, Flora?" Flora immediately brightened and leaned over Sandy and kissed his cheek.

They were in the forested area of the main recreational park of Burgess. Jamie looked around, confused, as Flora focused on a small patch of grass and sprinkled a pinch of sunshine dust over the grass. She knelt down and touched the ground softly. She whispered a few words of encouragement to the ground and concentrated. Within seconds a small green shoot popped out of the ground. It grew a tiny bud and quickly bloomed into a pure white daisy. Flora saw Jamie's look of amazement as she stood by her fellow Guardians.

"Is that- is that a daisy?" Jamie sputtered. "How did that grow so fast?"

Bunnymund gestured with his head towards Flora. "Ask her."

Jamie's eyes traveled from Jack, to North, to Bunnymund, to Sandy, to Tooth, and then his eyes finally settled on Flora, located in between Tooth and Sandy. There was an obvious gap between them that gave the impression of a person standing there. Jamie closed his eyes tightly and opened them. At once Flora felt that odd feeling of warmth traveling through her body as Jamie looked at her— really looked at her.

"F–Flora?" He squeaked. He seemed awestruck as his brown eyes drank in her appearance. His eyes traveled over her long brown hair, her green dress, and finally landed on her bare feet.

She smiled shyly at him and offered a hand. "Hello, Jamie. It's nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you from Jack."

At these words Jamie jumped. He narrowed his eyes at Jack and hissed, "You didn't tell her about the pumpkin incident, did you?"

Jack laughed loudly. "Don't worry, little buddy. Your secret is safe with me."

Jamie breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." He snuck a glance at Flora. She smiled at him.

"You can see her, Jamie?" Tooth asked. She squealed and hugged Flora. "That's so great!"

"Thanks, Tooth!" Flora jumped into the air and her golden wings flew out from behind her by instinct. She flew up through the trees and twirled around in excitement.

"She can fly too?" She heard Jamie ask in awe. Bunnymund chuckled and said, "She can do more than that, Jamie."

Flora flew back to the earth. Jamie's eyes never left her. She held out a hand. In it was a slim forget-me-not. He took it carefully from her.

"My mom loves these." Jamie said. His eyes lit up. "Thanks!"

"You're welcome," Flora beamed. She looked at Jack over Jamie's head. "He can see me!"

"I think we already established that," Jack laughed. "Do you want to meet the others?"

Flora's eyes sparkled. "There are others?"

"Yeah!" Jamie exclaimed. "There's Claude, and Cupcake, and Monty, and my little sister Sophie. They'll love you! Will you please come meet them?" He grabbed Flora's hand and started to pull her out of the woods and into the playground area.

Jack floated carelessly beside Flora as the Guardians trooped along behind them. Flora smiled at him, "I have no choice, do I?"

Jack shook his head and tousled Jamie's hair. Jamie swatted his hand away as Jack said, "Nope. When he gets an idea he won't let it go."

By the end of the day, all of Jamie's friends could see Flora. It was the most wonderful day she could ever ask for. She had met so many people and became friends with all of them… it was just pure perfection.

Flora's flashback was cut short when Bunnymund caught her attention and asked, "Are yeh in dreamland again?" he smirked.

Flora pouted and threw a handful of sunshine dust at him. When it made contact with his fur it exploded and a wreath of flowers appeared around his neck.

Bunnymund spat a petal out of his mouth. "Ugh, sunflowers? Those have got to be the ugliest flowers on the planet." He removed the wreath from around his neck and propped it up against the table.

"Sunflowers are beautiful, Bunnymund. They remind me of little suns." Flora adjusted her dress and giggled. "You should have seen your expression!"

"They look like little faces teh me," Bunnymund grumbled.

"Flora, when will North bring Tooth to the garden?" Bunnymund called from the table. Flora had set up a small garden table that humans use in their silly yards. It was made of wrought iron and stained a pretty green. She thought it would go nicely with the forest in the background.

She poked her head from the cave. "When the sun is high!"

Bunnymund chuckled. "Why can't you just say 'noon'?" He straightened up and glanced at the sky. The sun was almost to the mid part. "They'll be here soon."

Flora grabbed the pretty glass pitcher made of never melting ice that was given to her from Jack and walked to the pond. She smiled at the clear, natural spring water in the small pocket in the wall. She scooped water into the pitcher and flew back to the table. She set the cold pitcher down and smiled at Bunnymund.

"What? You've been staring at me all morning." Flora flew to a nearby bush of raspberries and started to pick the tiny fruit. "Does my face have something on it?"

Bunnymund chuckled and shook his head. "Naw, mate. Yeh just look so happy it makes you kind of glow." He hopped to the same bush and helped pick some berries. He glanced at her arms. "The dust is bright today. Is something bound to happen? Pitch isn't near, is he?"

The last time Flora's dust shined so bright was when Pitch tried to kill her by setting her garden on fire. Sometimes when she walked through the forest of her garden she could still see the remnants of that horrible night. Charred bits of tree trunks, streaks of soot on the walls... it was enough to make her have nightmares again.

Flora glanced at her arms. They WERE shining pretty bright thanks to the dust. "I don't think so. I would know, wouldn't I?" She walked back to the table and put the raspberries in the ice cold water. Bunnymund did the same. "I like to think he was forever banished to his cave. We would know if he tried to take over the world again."

"He's a sly dog. He's probably just bidin' his time." Bunnymund wiped his hands clean of the sweet raspberry juice. Flora shook her head and flew to the mint bush. She picked a few leaves while she said, "More likely he's just waiting."

"For what?" Bunnymund asked as he handed her a spoon. She threw the mint leaves in the pitcher and shrugged.

"I have no idea."

Flora stirred the water around in the pitcher and offered him a taste. He waved the offer away and continued to help set up the food. They worked in silence before they both jumped in fright—there was a screeching sort of noise carried over to them over the wind. It sounded like an animal cry, but it sounded vaguely human.

Suddenly Bunnymund stopped and stood straight. His ears twitched and moved around. Flora abruptly swallowed her smile and glanced around nervously. She heard it too, that shrill kind of cry. Did he hear something in the trees, beyond the bushes? It didn't sound natural.

"Stay here. I'll be right back." Bunnymund drew his boomerangs and quietly went to the tree line. "Get in the cave."

"Bunnymund, I'm sure it's nothing," She said as she listened to him and flew toward the cave. She watched as he slowly disappeared into the foliage. Flora gasped in fright. There! There it was again! It was like a mix between a bird call and a war cry. What could it be, and how did it get into her garden?

Deep within a dark forest, two girls packed up their small camp. One was tall and slim with long, wavy black hair and the other was short and thin with long blonde hair. They moved as though they've been through the motions of packing up several times.

The shorter girl stood and put her hands on her hips. "Alright, let's get everything together. We have to go now if we want to make it there by noon. If we head due north we should be there in record time." She flicked her blonde hair out of her eyes and looked down at her boot-clad feet. A small caterpillar inched its way across a leaf. She glanced up and stared hard at the girl with black hair in front of her. She shyly looked away. "And don't slow us down this time, Aria."

Aria nodded but didn't say anything; she never said anything. She offered a small smile that the blonde didn't see.

A little bird swooped down from the sky above them and chirped his hello. The girl with blonde hair sighed and rolled her blue eyes as he wriggled his wings and in a blink of an eye there was a boy standing there. He flashed the blonde a grin and said, "All's clear above, Captain." He mock-saluted her. "We are ready for lift off."

She smacked his shoulder and stooped to pick up her sheathe of arrows. She slung the bow on her back and looked up at the trees. A cool breeze tickled her cheek and a whisper of encouragement was carried within it. She smiled at Aria. Aria had other ways of communicating than talking; after all, she WAS the spirit of music. She whispered to the blonde girl once that she couldn't use her full voice unless she wanted things to go wonky around her. She told the blonde that one time, when she was younger, she greeted someone in her normal voice and that person went insane. Her voice was too pure to listen to without consequence. When she whispered the affect was only a slight dizzy spell that usually went away with a quick shake of the head, however it affected everyone differently.

"Are there any berries left?" The boy poked the blonde girl's shoulder. She hissed at him and shoved the dozen berries that were left wrapped in a leaf at him.

"Come on, Elijah. We've got to go. No more poking around." She shooed him away. "Go on. We shall soon get out of this infernal forest and back to the world."

They were stuck in a forest that seemed to go on forever in every direction. Even when Elijah flew above the trees he said that the trees go in every direction for miles and miles. There were even walls that trapped the trees in here! The rock walls, though slippery and slick with the early morning dew, were strangely familiar to the blonde girl. It gave her the weirdest sense of de ja vu and she couldn't explain why.

"Where to first, Fauna?" Elijah jumped to attention and smirked. Fauna rolled her eyes at him again. She walked to a tree and peered around it. She flicked the blonde hair out of her eyes again.

"Let's go this way. I see the trees thinning out off in the distance. What do you think, Aria?" She nodded. A bird chirped in the distance and it sounded like the bird said, "Yup!" Aria could sometimes manipulate the vocal chords of other creatures to say what she needed to say, but she only did it so often. She whispered to Fauna once that it was very rude and that she didn't like doing it to other people, so she mostly used birds to talk.

Fauna turned to Elijah. "Do you promise to not run off this time?" He nodded sullenly. "Good. Stay here with Aria and if it's safe I'll come back. If I get stuck or hurt I'll give the call."

"Can you say the call again?" It was hardly more than a whisper.

Fauna nodded at Aria. She threw her head back and gave a shrill shout. Elijah clapped his approval.

"Marvelous darling, absolutely smashing." He continued to clap. "You are wonderful at what you do."

Fauna smacked his shoulder again and scowled. "We're on a mission to get out of the forest, not to play games. Get yourself together, Elijah."

Elijah smiled. "I can't help it! I'm the spirit of Imagination, aren't I? I'm supposed to love games!"

Fauna rolled her eyes. Yes, Elijah was the spirit of imagination. His ability to spin stories out of nothing was impressive. He could paint pictures in Aria's and Fauna's minds with only a few words; he could calm the most uptight. In fact, that was how Fauna and Elijah found each other.

When Fauna first came around, she was lost. Literally. She woke up in a forest with no sense of where she was or how she had gotten there. The only things she knew were her name and a vague idea of how to control her powers. She mentally called for help, and a flying sparrow came hurtling towards her out of the trees. It wriggled its wings and a boy who looked about seventeen with a mop of black hair appeared in its place. Fauna remembered how Elijah calmed her down and they became friends. They began to try and travel out of the forest because Elijah insisted that he had to protect her.

They then began to share a sort of partnership. Fauna was very serious and very tight, while Elijah was very loose and quite the opposite of Fauna. They traveled around together, and Fauna picked up several languages while Elijah paid more attention to the cultures of the different places. He had to know the people before he helped them daydream, right? That was why he watched rather than listened, which was what Fauna did. However, when they were in public places, both of them realized that people couldn't see them. Elijah understood some reason why normal people couldn't see them but Fauna couldn't see why. She supposed that the two of them were some sort of spirit or being that were unseen to the untrained eye.

Fauna scowled. "I'm going to go now. Aria, if Elijah starts to annoy you then I give you permission to hit him. Elijah, don't annoy Aria."

"Got it, Fauna." Elijah said as he mock-saluted Fauna again. Aria smiled at her peacefully. Elijah had a bit of a fancy on Aria. It was obvious how he doted on her and treated her like a princess.

Fauna nodded at the both of them and jumped into the air. Her wings unfurled quickly flapped them to get some air. They were beautiful things, really, like monarch butterfly wings. They were huge, half the size of Fauna's body, and covered with oranges and yellows and whites. Her wings were funny; it was like they always knew what Fauna thought because they only appeared when she needed them. The rest of the time they were God-knows-where, but they weren't on her back, that was for sure. Oftentimes Fauna would catch Elijah looking at them and when she would question him he would just shrug his shoulders and grin haphazardly.

"They remind me of someone I know." He would say. Then he would glance at Aria and blush. "Someone who's colorful on the inside."

Fauna flapped her wings and sped past trees of many different species. It was like they were grown all willy-nilly. There was no preference on where the trees grew. Fauna remembered a few miles back nearly every tree grew so close together the three friends could barely climb through them.

Fauna flew quickly through the trees and dodged every branch. Her blonde hair kept flying in her face; she usually keep it pulled back but today Aria convinced her to wear it down. She could now see what a mistake that was. This was bloody torture!

Fauna landed on the ground and touched a tree softly. She watched as a trail of moss followed where her fingers touched the rough bark. She had the strangest feeling of someone watching her. She whirled around quickly but saw no one there. Fauna grabbed her bow and strung an arrow; she aimed it at the opening in the trees. She let it go without hesitation with a satisfying thwack and it hit something. She was about to go and see what she hit (it may had just been a tree, but just to make sure), but she heard a low growl behind the branches. Fauna backed up to the tree behind her. She hadn't seen any animal in this forest. What made that sound?

Fauna was about to open her mouth to give the warning call to her partners when a whistling sound made her pause. Fauna gasped and flattened herself against the tree. She turned and scrambled up the branches like a squirrel. She held her breath and pressed herself to the trunk as the whistling sound passed by her again. She heard a soft thumping sound and nearly dropped out of the tree.

There, directly under the tree Fauna was in, stood a six foot tall rabbit. He was lean and muscular and had floppy ears that currently swiveled around. He held two boomerangs in his hands. Was she seeing things? There couldn't possibly be a rabbit that was six feet tall. She would know; Fauna knew each and every species and subspecies of animal. She could speak to them in their own language and understand their thoughts and emotions.

"Oi, is anyone there?" A strong accent said. Fauna almost fell out of the tree again when she realized it was the rabbit who spoke. "Come out, wontcha?"

Fauna stayed as still as possible. The rabbit looked around before he moved on. She waited a few moments before she took a deep breath and gave a loud bird call, the one that meant "don't move and hide." She dropped to another branch and waited a few moments. The rabbit came rushing back to the tree Fauna was in. His green eyes were large and cat-like. She had to keep a rare giggle from escaping her lips from the thought of a rabbit with cat eyes.

Fauna actually snorted aloud and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. What if he heard her? The glare into the tree branches made her think he did hear her. Fauna lowered herself to the branch below the one she was currently on and stared hard at him. She was a good six or seven feet above him. He had silvery blue tribal markings up and down his arms and light gray fur that looked fluffier than the down feathers on a goose. His green eyes darted around the tree branches. He was looking for her!

Fauna gasped quietly and shut her light blue eyes. When she opened them she looked down at herself. But, the trouble was, she couldn't see her body. Her clothes and skin had turned a dark brown (a significant change from her usual pale skin) and had taken on the texture of the tree bark. The art of blending in was a specialty of hers, one of her few talents.

Fauna heard a girl's voice in the distance calling a name ("Bunnymund? Where are you?") and the rabbit gave one last sweep through the tree's branches before he turned to leave. "I'll be back," he muttered quietly before he turned and shouted, "Commin', Flora!" and bounded off into the distance. That must be the way out! He knows how to navigate through the trees!

Fauna quickly slid down the tree and crouched on the ground. Her skin instantly turned to the texture of the green grass. She hurried to stand and followed the mysterious rabbit on foot. She was careful to not make a sound and to stay low. Suddenly the trees thinned to an extent and a bright light was near the tree line. The rabbit hopped into the bright sunlight and out of Fauna's field of vision. She paused before she followed him. Could this be the end of Fauna, Aria, and Elijah's troubles? They have been lost in this forest for a significant amount of time.

Fauna looked down to check her camouflage. To her relief she still blended in with her surroundings. It was nearly impossible to distinguish her body from the area around her. She took a few steps with her boots.

Perhaps this moment will change everything.

Thank you for reading this! I should have the first chapter uploaded soon, so keep an eye out for it.

And again, thanks.