Author's Note: I should have been writing the tenth chapter of one of my stories…and yet I sat here writing this behemoth of a one-shot. Why, you may ask? My sister dragged me to see Rise of the Guardians (a movie she very much wanted to see, and hey, I didn't have anything better to do) and we sat and watched it and then I got this idea.

Don't ask where it came from; my mind is a very strange place. I tried to look for mistakes in spelling or grammar, but I am my own beta-reader, so I've probably missed something or other, which will then nag at me until I fix it. Ah, the work of a grammar Nazi is never done. So…read the story, and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer—I do not own Rise of the Guardians, nor do I own the book series it was based off of. I don't think I'd be able to think up something like that. (Honestly! I mean it!)

Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights

Jamie Bennett stares out at the thick wilderness before him. Snow covers the ground and the trees disappear into a mass of white with patches of green far off into the distance. A hand tugs at the sleeve of his parka, and he turns hopefully, meeting the green eyes of his younger sister.

But Sophie doesn't say anything, much like she's been for the last few days on their journey to the northern wilderness. Jamie sighs softly. Even though their parents' deaths have hit him hard too, he has tried to keep going. It's what Mom would have wanted, at least.

He would have preferred to stay somewhere a little less cold, but it seems that their mother's sister, the only one of their relatives to pay any heed to the children the late Anna and Kevin Bennett had left behind, had to live in the middle of the howling wilderness.

Quite literally.

Jamie studies the map for a moment. The compass points straight north, unerringly true, and he carefully folds away the brittle paper with shaking fingers. "Come on, Soph," he mutters, allowing her hand to slide into his. "Aunt Erin's instructions say it's only a short ways away."

Silently, his sister follows behind him as he sets off through the snow. It is broad daylight, but Jamie knows that the northern day is shorter in terms of visible light than he is used to; at least Aunt Erin's home is only supposed to be little more than a half hour away. He is already tired of shoving through the snow, but they were able to come by train for much of the ride north, and for that he is grateful.

He just wishes Aunt Erin could have sent a guide or something.

Beneath the trees, where the branches have caught much of the snow, it is somewhat easier going. Jamie swears he can see tiny beady eyes staring out from beneath shadows of trees and snowdrifts; his hand briefly tightens around Sophie's. His little sister is all he has left—technically—and he's not about to let some wolves tear her away from him.

A shadow flickers by a particularly shaded tree and Jamie shivers. He can't be afraid, not now—he's supposed to be a role model for Sophie, how can he protect her if he's scared stiff? A howl cuts through the air, reaching through the fur-lined hood of Jamie's parka to his ears. He can feel Sophie quiver from behind him; she has been stepping into his footprints to make the going easier.

"We'll be fine, Soph," Jamie says through gritted teeth. It is a miracle they are not chattering yet, with the cold seeping in slowly. With his luck, the wind will just start blowing and they'll both be buried beneath a foot of snow. "The—the wolves aren't going to bother us."

He is only half-right.

It is not the wolves that approach, but a great black dog, with glowing golden eyes and a snarl dripping from its slavering jaws.

Jamie swallows thickly and tries to remember if dogs can smell fear. Sophie quails behind him, and he puts his hands out, placating-like. "Nice…um—nice d-doggie?" He curses his shaking voice; the dog's eyes are horribly intelligent, gleaming with a wickedness that chills Jamie to the core.

This dog wants to kill me.

The horrible thought almost makes him pause. He side-steps and the dog follows him, turning in place. Its eyes are no less fear-inducing, and the beast unleashes formerly-unseen claws, glittering pale gray against the freshly-fallen snow.

Jamie is trying not to panic. Can he possibly outrun the dog? Not with Sophie in tow.

I'm going to die.

If anyone had asked Jamie how he wanted to die, he would have said heroically. This might be heroic—die for your family—but he does not want to die by the jaws and claws of this beast. This dog's eyes promise a painful demise, and that is not the way Jamie wants to go.

He draws breath to scream to anything that is nearby, and the dog lunges.

Jamie has just enough time to shove Sophie out from behind him before the dog's weight hits him, sending him sprawling into the snow. Thick claws are planted on his chest. He catches sight of Sophie, wide eyes huge in her too-pale face. He thinks, She shouldn't see this. She can't watch this—not after our parents…!

The dog lowers its head, and a bead of saliva drops onto Jamie's face. The beast's breath is pungent, and he has to stop himself from gagging. Cold golden eyes bore into his, and just for an instant, he thinks he hears something, a not-thought twisted and dark.

Die well, foolish human.

Sophie's scream reaches him then, and the dog's head jerks up as a great white mass slams into it. Jamie coughs thickly, struggling up from the snow, in time to see the black dog howl to the sky and leap away from its combatant, a truly enormous wolf with mostly white fur, bands of darker gray crossing its front legs, a dot of gray on one ear. The wolf turns its head towards Jamie, and he sees bright blue eyes.

The dog howls a last challenge and vanishes into the forest, shadows swallowing it up as surely as if it had been made from them.

Sophie rushes at him, heedless of the danger of the wolf, and wraps her arms around his body. He sees shining eyes and knows she is crying; she almost lost him, too, and somehow he can't forgive himself for not putting up a better fight.

The giant wolf lets out a soft growl, bringing their attention back to it. The beast steps back, dragging something into the light. A rudimentary dogsled, with only one harness. The wolf slides easily into the harness and stamps a paw, tossing its head.

Jamie rises to his feet, Sophie clinging to him like a burr. "You…want us to come with you?" A thought occurs to him then, and he asks, "Did Aunt Erin send you?"

The wolf stamps its paw again, a clear sign for Hurry up. Jamie glances towards Sophie, who offers a half-hearted shrug. He decides that the wolf and dogsled are their best bet for now, and he and Sophie climb into the sled. They have barely gotten settled when the wolf takes off, powerful legs sending the sled flying across the snow.

Jamie clings to the side of the sled, tensing up every time the wolf's leaps and bounds take them hurtling far too close to tree trunks and boulders sticking from the snow; but the wolf proves adept in judging distance, and they never even brush against a tree.

Twigs snap distantly and a small gray form leaps from a nearby snowdrift to land neatly in Sophie's lap. Jamie turns to look at the fluffy rabbit sitting calmly in his sister's lap, watches her eyes grow round and her lips form the word Bunny. It is a patchy gray-white color, dark markings dotting its shoulders. What kind of strange animals do they have in this wilderness? He gazes ahead to the wolf, who is pulling them all without barely breaking stride. It had saved them from the dog…

The fiendish words return to his mind, even as he tries to forget them:

Die well, foolish human.

Had the words truly come from the dog? Jamie looks ahead and thinks, Things here…aren't what they seem.

Sophie draws in a breath quickly; he glances towards her and she points into the sky. Jamie follows her finger and feels himself go still at the sight.

The sun is setting against the horizon of snow-capped mountains, and the sky is a mixture of dying-orange-red and night-blue-purple. Faint glimmers of stars are just becoming visible. And trailing through the sky like ribbons are streams of golden light of some unknown source, rippling and twisting like pictures of the auroras Jamie has seen in old books.

"A golden aurora?" he says aloud, and the rabbit in Sophie's arms paws at him. Its green eyes are, like the dog's and wolf's, surprisingly intelligent.

He returns his gaze to the golden streams, and a thought comes to him, though he is not certain if it even comes from his own mind. To guide you home.

Home. Ah, but he does not know where that is anymore.

The wolf and sled burst from the shelter of the forest; they have reached the foothills and now no trees hide them from the unforgiving wind. Towering mountains seem to pierce the sky high above their heads; the golden aurora dips and wavers before them, and Jamie sees tiny glitter sparkling amidst the light—No, not glitter, his mind tells him. Sand.

The wolf swerves, carving a path right for a break in the thick mountain stone, a pass; and waiting for them are a trio of even stranger animals than the ones already in their company.

The wolf slows, and the first of the animals, a silver-gray fox with laughing blue eyes, leaps up from the snow, bushy tail waving. It does not look like an Arctic fox; this one appears something like the foxes of Jamie's old town, but with the colors of snow. The silvery coat is speckled with white, as if the fox has collected snowflakes in its fur.

Beside the fox is an animal that Jamie knows is not at all suited to the climate; the little bird is a blur of green, blue, and gold, with bright eyes either a shade of red or purple, Jamie can't tell. The hummingbird is darting among them, landing ever-so-briefly on Sophie's shoulder, feathered wingtip brushing past Jamie's cheek before it returns to perch lightly atop the fox's head. The fox yips and lifts a paw halfway before dropping it back to the snow and Jamie gets the feeling this is all in good fun.

The last animal is a tiny cat, barely bigger than the hummingbird. It has golden fur the color of the aurora dancing over their heads, and its wide golden eyes are the opposite of the black dog's; Jamie can see a light in them that is too kind to be like the dark dog's eyes. The little cat—it is not a kitten, he can see that—is bathed in golden light; and with a start Jamie realizes that the aurora comes from it.

The cat raises its head towards the sky and the aurora shimmers, twisting in the air before the lines of light and sand began to retreat, falling back and disappearing into nothingness, leaving only the smallest trace of golden sand upon the snow at the cat's paws.

"What is this place you're taking us to?" Jamie asks aloud; and he does not even consider the fact that they are animals and thus cannot answer him. He has just seen a cat call down streamers of sand that glow like the sun; and he has seen the dark dog and—possibly—heard it speak to him, in twisted thoughts.

The wolf glances back, and its blue eyes are bright with an unnamable emotion. A world of magic, the wolf's eyes seem to say, and it paces forwards again. The fox jumps up beside Jamie; the hummingbird lands on his shoulder, pecking idly at the fur sticking from his hood. The little cat clambers onto the sled and sits between Sophie and Jamie, fur glittering with golden sand. The fox's eyes are still mischievous as the wolf starts forwards, now pulling all of them.

Jamie eyes the silver fox carefully; it paws his coat innocently, and a filigree of frost patterns race across the leather.

Jamie stares in surprise. He brushes off the crystallized ice; it breaks off brittle in his hands. The fox paws him again and once more the spiraling fractal patterns coil across Jamie's parka. The animal almost seems to smile. Then the mountain walls of the pass fall away, and Jamie forgets the fox's ice trick for a moment as he looks upon where the strange quintet of animals have brought him and Sophie.

It is a village, hidden within the mountains, occupying a tiny valley covered with pale frosted grass. The houses are small, quaint; smoke rises from several chimneys. Beyond the village there is the glitter of an iced lake, glowing with the reflection of the rising crescent moon.

It is warmer here; Jamie wonders if perhaps the earth is heated by some hot spring down below, but can see no evidence of anything like it. He catches sight of shadows at windows, but no one comes out to greet them as the wolf brings the sled to a stop beside one of the outlying houses.

An older woman bustles down from the front porch, fussing at the great wolf. "North-wolf, you must ran fast to bring them here now!" She turns vivid green eyes to Jamie and Sophie, her mouth folding into a smile. "You must be Jamie and Sophie!"

"Are you…Aunt Erin?" Jamie asks warily, and the woman nods. Her hair is dark brown, with faint streaks of gray. With hazel eyes, she would have been a copy of their mother; but her eyes are too bright green for Jamie to even consider such a thought.

"I hope you had no trouble," Aunt Erin says, bustling about, shooing off the fox and little cat so that Sophie could climb out. "But all of the Guardians are with you…"

"Guardians?"

She indicates the five animals. "They brought you here, no? They guard village; keep us safe from creatures that rather us be dead." Jamie remembers the black dog and nods quickly. "This," Erin says, gesturing towards the wolf, "is North-wolf. He is strong, much stronger than normal wolf. He is Protector; guards the border, keeps the peace. He can show what you cannot see…a world of magic."

Jamie thinks of the wolf's eyes when he asked where they were going. A world of magic.

Erin moves on, to the rabbit held in Sophie's arms. "Aster-rabbit," she says, tweaking one long ear. "He is faster than normal rabbit. He is also Giver, who offers hope when you need most. He leads you to gifts of spirit, gives you courage to fight all-consuming fear."

The rabbit's ears twitch, and Sophie smiles. It is the first smile Jamie has seen from her since the accident, and he finds himself warming to this strange northern village, with its world of magic.

The hummingbird lands quietly on Erin's outstretched arm. "Tooth-bird," she says, stroking the bird's head feathers with a calm hand. "She flies at speeds much greater than regular bird. She is Keeper, who guards your memories for when you need forgetting, and returns them when you need remembering. She offers comfort when needed, solace when wanted."

Jamie looks into the hummingbird's eyes and almost wishes that he could forget why they were here. But her eyes say, You need to remember this.

The hummingbird lifts from Erin's arm as she reaches down to pet the fox. "Jack-fox," she explains. "He is lighter than normal fox, leaps through air. He is Guide, who watches over lost souls and brings laughter and snow. He finds his way even into hardest of hearts with his antics and tricks. He gives you strength to face enemies."

Now Jamie knows why the fox's eyes seem to laugh, why he seems in a perpetual state of mischief. And perhaps, he thinks, he knows why the fox had showed him the frost patterns.

Erin bends down now to the last animal, the little cat. "And Sandy-cat," she lightly rubs the cat's chin. "He is quieter than the quietest of cats. He is Dreamer, who keeps all nightmares at bay, who gives good dreams. He brings calm and serenity when you are in turmoil."

Jamie looks down to the tiny cat, whose eyes are like a smile unto themselves. "What about the aurora?" he asks, and Erin smiles.

"That Sandy-cat's way of helping North-wolf find pass. Not always easy with all the mountains." She turns, stepping back up the porch. "But that talk for later—you cold, surely! Come in, come in, rest yourselves!"

Jamie glances back to Sophie, who is staring up at Erin's house with an air of not-quite-wonder, and slowly she follows after their aunt, Aster the rabbit still clutched tightly in her arms. Tooth flies in after her, disappearing into dancing firelight shadows. Sandy and Jack both give him a long searching look before following the others. Jamie glances up into the sky once, where stars are gleaming against the dark of the twilight-to-night sky. A thick paw thumps against his boot, and he looks down into North's bright eyes.

Safe here, those eyes promise, and for a moment Jamie lets himself believe that, before the vision of the black dog with its cold eyes rears its head. He looks furtively to the shadows cast across the sleeping village, and the faint glimmer of moonlight painting the world silver.

Safe, he thinks, and steps through the door.

Inside it is warm and cozy; Jamie hangs his coat on the rack by the door and steps into the living room, North barely a step behind him. Sophie is sitting in an armchair, almost vanishing beneath the thick cushions, Aster still sitting beside her with all the appearance of having fallen asleep.

Jack is sprawled across the couch, snoring peacefully. Tooth sits on a cushion by the fire, rearranging her feathers into neatness. The firelight has dyed them both burnt orange; Sandy is curled up on the rug by the fire, but Jamie can see the glitter of his eyes. There is the brush of fur as North bounds past him and takes up residence on the other side of the couch, and even with his bulk he does little to displace the sleeping fox.

Erin bustles back into the room, carrying a tray with three steaming mugs on it. She hands one off to Sophie, who nods her head in thanks, and offers one to Jamie. He takes it, grateful for the warmth flooding his stiff fingers, and sips carefully at the thick liquid within. Ah. Hot chocolate, he smiles faintly. They have not had hot chocolate in a while, and it is worth it to see Sophie's eyes light up with happiness.

Erin takes a seat in the other armchair, gesturing for Jamie to take the last available place on the couch, between Jack and North. It's like a menagerie, he thinks, stepping very carefully over Sandy—he's such a small cat, one of Jamie's boots could probably squash him—and takes a seat cautiously. But Jack does not stir and North only gives him a brief glance before settling back down.

Erin's eyes are luminous, reflecting the dancing flames. "You had no trouble coming here?" she asks, and Jamie recalls she said it to them when they arrived.

For a moment he wants to say, Yes, do the nice thing and ease her heart. But he senses that though it is a thought of good intention, it is not the right thing to do. "We…met a black dog in the woods." The words taste sour in his mouth.

He has to blink as a ribbon of pure gold bursts into existence before falling away again, and he realizes it came from the tiny golden cat, who is no longer feigning sleep but sitting upright, ears perked high. Erin reaches out, lightly petting Sandy's head. "Shush-shush, Sandy-cat," she murmurs, and the little cat's whiskers twitch slightly. "What happen?" she queries, looking to Jamie.

Jamie sighs, looking down into the brown depths of his hot chocolate. "There was…the dog," he mumbles, and Sophie shrinks back into her chair. "…it…I don't know what it wanted, but…it attacked us. We didn't do anything—I shoved Sophie away, but it charged at me, and it would've—then North was there, and the dog ran off."

Erin slowly drains her mug, setting it aside with a soft clatter onto the empty tray. "There many dangerous things in that forest," she says, so quietly that Jamie barely hears her. "Had to bargain with some, to let you come here. That Pitch-dog attack you…something not right. But we resolve in morning." She stands, picking up the tray. Sophie places her cup back on it, ringing hollow. Jamie quickly downs the last of the beverage and lets Erin have the mug. She looks down at him, eyes unreadable. "We resolve in morning," she repeats softly, looking to the tiny cat at their feet. "Sandy-cat, you mind…?"

The cat rises to his feet and strides first to Sophie. Jamie does not see what it is he does, but soon enough Sandy is leaping over the chair's arm to the back of the couch, claws digging into the cushion. He slides down beside Jamie, and Jamie looks on in bewilderment. "Is this where you sleep…?"

He is ready to get up, but Sandy jumps onto his lap and stares up at him, golden eyes regretful. But for what? Jamie's mind asks, as the little cat waves a paw in the air and his image grows blurry in Jamie's vision. "What…?" he manages to say, before the glow of the firelight and the shadow of Erin with glowing green eyes are lost behind the dark of sleep.

Sunlight glancing off the window is what wakes Jamie; he is mostly alone, save for Jack, who is perched on the arm of the couch with an air of great importance, and Sandy, who is on Jamie's other side, watching him through guarded eyes.

North, Tooth, Sophie, Aster, and Erin are nowhere to be seen.

Jamie sits up slowly; he is surprised to find that he never once dreamed of the black dog and its promise of death. His gaze falls on the little cat by his side. "You put me to sleep," he says abruptly, realization of it like a brick dropped none-too-gently onto his head. "You—"

And then Erin's words on the guardians of the village come rushing back: Sandy is the Dreamer. Aster is the Giver, North the Protector, Tooth the Keeper, and Jack the Guide. "You put me to sleep," he repeats, softer this time. He studies the tiny cat. Surely Sandy is not just a cat? Surely the dog they met in the woods—is not just a dog? Their eyes show intelligence beyond normal animal standards…and Sandy had reacted to the mention of the dog…

"What are you?" he asks slowly, and the little cat merely gives him a long look before leaping off the couch, where he can hear the pattering of paws heading in another direction. Now there is only Jack, who looks at him with laughing eyes that say, Come on, get up, the day's wasting away while you're just sitting here!

"I'm up, I'm up," Jamie grumbles, climbing to his feet. Jack lets out a bark—laughter?—as the fox jumps lightly to the floor, glancing back, his tail swishing as if beckoning. Come see, come see! He pauses at the laughing voice that seems to have come from thin air; he rubs his eyes, wondering if he is not entirely awake.

After a moment, Jamie follows the silver fox to another room in the house, the kitchen, where Sophie is sitting at the table, poking at a round pancake on her plate. The animals too have their own little places around the kitchen; Aster is on the table, directly to Sophie's right, munching through a collection of greenery. Tooth is on the counter, on a little perch sticking out from the wall, drinking the nectar from a potted flower. North is in the corner by the cabinets, tearing into a slab of steak. Sandy has somehow made it to the tabletop and is on Sophie's left, lapping at a saucer of milk.

Jack jumps into a chair, then up onto the table, just barely managing to not upset the stack of pancakes already there. Jamie watches as the fox snags a pancake from the pile and slips off to the chair, eyes glittering with mischief. "Jack stole a pancake," Jamie announces to Erin, who is standing in the only place not covered by animals and making more pancakes.

"Always does," Erin replies, waving a hand. "Never gets fat either, cheeky fox." She gestures for Jamie to sit. "Eat. We talk."

Obediently Jamie drops into the chair next to the one occupied by Jack; the fox's blue eyes peer at him from beneath the table. He waves a little awkwardly at the animal before spearing a pancake on his fork, dropping it onto his plate. Sophie passes him the syrup.

Silence reigns, as stomachs are filled; Erin at last sits down between Sophie and Jamie. She levels her gaze on Jamie first. "You saw Pitch-dog yesterday. You fought him."

Jamie half-nods. "Is that his name? Pitch?" He has noticed Erin has a habit of attaching the type of animal to their names. She calls North "North-wolf", Tooth "Tooth-bird", Aster "Aster-rabbit", Sandy "Sandy-cat", Jack "Jack-fox"…and Pitch "Pitch-dog". It is as if she cannot help but name them by animal as well as their name.

Erin dips her head in acknowledgement. "Yes. He claim forest as his territory…to let you come here, I had to bargain." Her eyes are shadowed, as if she does not want to remember that time.

"What did you bargain with?" Jamie questions; he can't imagine anything they could have that a dog could want. Erin shrugs listlessly. "Is not important," she says. "What is important is Pitch-dog has changed rules. Truce only so much can do."

"How can you have a truce with a dog?" Jamie shuts his mouth with a snap, as all of the animals in the room turn to look at him. Of course, if the ones who keep the village safe are animals…of course they can have a truce with a dog. A dog who is, after all, not ordinary. The words flash into his mind: Die well, foolish human. When had Pitch reneged on the deal made with Erin? Why would he come after Jamie and Sophie?

Erin offers a weak smile. "You come from different place, Jamie. But maybe you can see magic at work here." She pauses, glancing out the window. "But…you stay in village," she says, turning to take in Sophie. "You stay in village," she asserts. "Pitch-dog will be in forest, watching for you. His time of power is coming, and Guardians may not be able to stop him again."

"Time…of power?" Jamie whispers; whispers because suddenly this seems like something out of a fairytale—magic, animals that are not animals, talk of power and evil…

"Is cycle," Erin says, and the animals around them perk up. "Full moon is Guardians' time of power. New moon is Pitch-dog's. You see moon last night…it disappearing, smaller every night. Soon new moon come, and Pitch-dog may try to take back payment for your crossing."

"What would he take from us?"

Erin's eyes glimmer. "Differs," she shrugs. "Can be blood…can be hair…can be your belief. Pitch-dog is Deceiver. Shadows are his friend. He has army of nightmares…he dangerous, understand? Do not try parlay with him. He not listen to you. He see you as foolish, to venture to his forest at coming of nightfall."

Foolish human. Jamie's hands are like ice. The pancake he has just finished sits uneasily in his stomach. "We'll stay in the village," he promises. Sophie nods quickly, her face already pale at the thought of what might lay outside the boundaries.

Erin relaxes. "Good," she nods, a wan smile crossing her face. "Jack-fox will show you village." She aims a stern gaze to the fox, whose eyes are peeking over the edge of the table. "Keep them out of trouble."

The fox yips. Laughing eyes promise, No guarantees! Jack bounds from the chair and arrows straight to the front door, pawing at it excitedly. Jamie sees the curling ice making its way up the wood. Erin had said that he brought snow…snow and laughter. Jamie stands, walking to the door and shrugging on his coat. Sophie follows after a long heartbeat, and it is not much of a surprise that Aster is coming with.

Sophie has always loved rabbits of any kind, and to think that one would spend time near her for an extended period of time is something that she has never considered before. Jamie watches her petting the rabbit, and thinks that he could believe that they might be having a silent conversation. Jack paws at the door, commanding his attention.

"All right, all right, we're coming—nothing's going anywhere, why the rush?" Jamie grumbles, opening the door. Jack races down the steps, leaving tiny patches of crystalline snow in his wake, and waits at the bottom on a mound of snow.

"Someone's eager to get somewhere," Jamie whispers loudly to Sophie, who giggles behind a hand. Jack does a very good job at looking affronted. The fox's eyes study them both before he shakes his head and takes off. Jamie meanders after their guide, Sophie trailing in his footsteps, Aster now riding comfortably on her shoulder.

They wander for a time, winding amongst the huts, the mountains rearing high above their heads, boxing in the sky visible from the ground. Eventually they arrive at the shore of the lake; an icy sheen covers the water. A light dusting of snow has fallen across the ice, and Jack wastes no time racing across the frozen water, his passage stirring up the snow.

Jamie stops at the edge, peering closely into the ice. He can see pale fish swimming down below; a crackling of the snow heralds the arrival of Aster, who tests the ice with a paw, looking out to Jack.

The fox's eyes are merry. Jamie hears the laughing voice clearer now: You aren't scared, are you rabbit? Aster puffs up, eyes narrowing. Before Sophie can reach out, before Jamie can block him, the rabbit is racing across the ice, barreling into the fox.

Jack rolls, and the two separate, skidding through the snow. Aster is scowling, insofar as much as a rabbit can scowl. And now another voice, different from the laughing one, crosses the ice to Jamie, though it feels as if his ears are not what receives the words, but his mind. (Has his mind always been hearing these voices?) Think you're clever, don't you?

Has the world stopped turning? Jamie sinks slowly into the snow, not feeling the cold seeping past his legs. His eyes focus on the two animals on the ice, as Sophie stands at his side, worry palpable. She does not want her new friend to go plummeting into the waters below…can she hear them talking?

I am clever! You can't ice a pond in ten seconds! Jack would be smirking, if he happened to be human.

I wouldn't want to ice a pond in ten seconds! Aster's eyes seem to be grinning.

Jamie sucks in a breath. The animals talk. His head whips around to find Sophie. "Soph…" he rasps, and green eyes flit to meet his own brown ones. "…Can you…hear them…too…?"

Sophie tilts her head slightly. Her eyes flicker, but before she can make a move to do anything, a loud cracking noise draws their attention.

Aster glances hurriedly about the ice around him; Jack starts skidding across the surface of the iced water, his paws spraying snow, and Sophie stiffens beside Jamie. "Bunny," she says, voice carrying across the lake, and Jamie's own eyes widen. This is the first time she's spoken since their parents' deaths. He's tried to get her to talk before, but… He casts a glance towards the duo on the ice, and almost has to laugh at the sight of the two Guardians hurtling off a makeshift ice ramp and flying across the lake to land in a deep snowdrift that looks put there for that very purpose.

Sophie hurries over to them, with Jamie struggling up and following after, brushing snow from his pants. It feels like the world is spinning again, albeit slowly. The animals talk. He looks down into a pair of blue eyes and a pair of green eyes, and wonders how he did not see it before.

Jack rises to his feet, bouncing on his paws. Wasn't that something?

Aster gives him a long glare before turning to Sophie, his face morphing from slight annoyance to something closer to concern. He reaches out, rests a paw on Sophie's knee. That was you, wasn't it? You spoke, munchkin.

Sophie smiles a tiny smile and nods once. Jamie is staring, standing still, certain there is some look of complete bewilderment on his face.

Aster shakes his head once. Come now, talk, he encourages, the markings on his shoulders and upper forelegs rippling. Talk. We've already got one mute, don't need another.

At Jamie's look of confusion, Jack supplies, Sandy. Sophie giggles softly, lightly stroking Aster's ears. "Bunny," she says, and Aster sighs. A good start, he says. Jack leaps about Jamie, his voice once more filled with laughter. Erin needs to know! The others need to know you can hear us!

"We have been around the village twice already," Jamie concedes. "All right then. Take us back to Aunt Erin's."

The fox gives a sharp nod before tearing off up the path, stopping every so often to complain to them to hurry up. Aster yells back that if he weren't so hyperactive he wouldn't have a problem with their pace. This gets a laugh from both Jamie and Sophie, an accomplishment in and of itself.

Erin is standing on the front porch waiting for them, North at her side. She is smiling as they come closer and Jack announces, They hear us! They hear us!

North's ears prick up and blue eyes crinkle at the edges as the wolf bares his teeth in an attempt at a smile. Wonderful! And Jamie recognizes his voice—the one that whispered to his mind the words world of magic.

Erin laughs softly. "Hoped you would," she confesses, resting a hand atop North's head. "Sent Jack-fox and Aster-rabbit with you for reason. Jack-fox is Guide, can lead you to belief, but he cannot give you it. Aster-rabbit is Giver, can offer belief…but you must accept it in heart first." She taps her chest. "World you came from did you harm. Why else would you accept world of magic so readily?"

Jamie looks away. "It might not be so bad here," he says, only the thought of Pitch the dark dog returning for payment of a toll preventing him from wholeheartedly agreeing with Erin's words.

Erin nods slowly. "And that is all I can ask, yes?" She half-turns and calls into the house, "Tooth-bird! Get out here!"

The hummingbird appears momentarily, colorful wings creating soft plumes of vapor in the colder air. Bright eyes that Jamie now recognizes as a pale violet color flit about the group. What is it, what's wrong?

Erin spreads her hands out. "Jamie and Sophie can hear you now."

Tooth's eyes widen, and she darts among them, landing hesitantly on Jamie's shoulder. "Hey Tooth," he offers, and her beak opens wide in what could be an expression of surprise. Oh! It's true!

True as the Moon and the Sun, Jack harrumphs from their feet. North stretches out a big paw, casually knocking Jack into a pile of snow. Eh, you get them to hear, that big accomplishment for you! Not as old as rest of us, big thing, big thing—we should celebrate!

The fox huffs, breath pooling into a plume of pale snow. No need to make a big deal out of it, he grumbles, glancing from side to side. Where's Sandy?

Making rounds, North replies, rising to his paws. I replace him soon.

"So you really do protect the village," Jamie says, tilting his head. He hadn't been all that convinced, but they appear to have some sort of routine for patrolling, if Sandy is gone now and North will soon take his place.

Of course! North's ears flatten back against his head as he stamps a great paw against the porch, causing a few icicles hanging from the eaves to fall to the ground. We are Guardians!

"Guardians," Jamie echoes aloud, tipping his head back to stare up into the sky. Tiny snowflakes are spiraling down from the clouds, blanketing everything in soft white dust. Jack scratches at a mostly-intact icicle at their feet oh-so-innocently, spinning it around and around with a paw. At long last he pushes his new plaything away and nudges Jamie's boot. Come on, I have something to show you.

Jamie looks back to Erin and Sophie, but they pay him no mind, Erin only waving in an offhanded way, a clear gesture to go. So Jamie follows after the winter fox, stopping to occasionally brush the snowflakes from his face.

Jack leads him to the edge of the village, close but not as close to the lake as before. The mountains are beginning to close in again, gray rock poking out from the blanket of snow, the wind spinning the snowflakes into whirling eddies that nearly shroud another small pass, like a back door out of the little valley where the village lies.

Jamie peers into the shadows, face muscles twitching as he tries to get feeling back into his cheeks. "What is this?"

Jack's eyes are somber. This is the only other way out of the valley, he explains quietly. The forest on the other side isn't claimed by Pitch. If you ever think that…you're in danger here, with new moon coming—take the pass out. Find a way back to wherever you came from.

Jamie smiles sadly. "It's a nice thought," he says, patting the fox lightly. "But…we don't have anywhere else to go. Aunt Erin was the only one who really wanted to take us in, so…whatever happens on the night of new moon…we're here to stay, Jack."

Jack nods once. I warned you, he says, and then he sits up straight, ears straightening, eyes narrowing sharply. He scraped small claws against the slush. Something's wrong. He bounds forwards, leaving Jamie to struggle after him as he races across the snow, circling around the edges of the houses. Jamie nearly trips over the fox when he realizes Jack has stopped moving.

Somehow, they've come from the back of the village to the front without Jamie quite realizing it; the pass leading into the valley stands tall, walls of stone soaring high into the mountainous slopes. Snow whips past them agitatedly; and a shadow emerges from the white.

It looks like so far from a contest of strength that Jamie would have laughed had the situation not been serious; Pitch the black dog stands before them at the edge of the pass, snow making it all too easy to see his shape amidst the flurries. And clinging to his shoulders is Sandy, golden fur sticking on end, like a burr Pitch just can't shake off. Tiny scarlet drops mar the snow at their paws, and Jack growls low in his throat. Pitch.

The dog's wicked eyes gleam. Jack, he proclaims, momentarily distracted from the tiny cat. And the foolish human, too. Isn't this grand?

Jamie cannot think. Oh, the words whispered into his mind, the dark twisted thoughts—they came from this dog standing before him. Suddenly he does not want to know anything more about this beast, but Jack's mind-voice pushes through the cold fear coiling around Jamie.

Why are you here?

Pitch tosses his head in a half-hearted attempt to dislodge Sandy. The human and his kin crossed my forest. The toll must be paid; don't you know that, Jack?

Erin vouched for them, Jack argues. You know she did! It was you who reneged upon the bargain!

Times change, the black dog announces coolly. Payments are not what they once were. The toll must be paid.

Jack lets out a screech that is part agony and part helplessness. Reluctantly he takes a half-step forwards, and Jamie's eyes flash to him. "What are you doing, Jack? What toll?"

Pitch's eyes widen imperceptibly. The boy hears us. This is accompanied by a faint laugh that sounds far too sinister. With one great shake he manages to remove Sandy, sending the little cat soaring through the air to strike a wall of unforgiving stone; he slips to the snow in a crumpled mound of golden fur, leaving behind a tiny smear of blood against the stone.

Jamie rushes forwards, his mind still screaming at the thought of going anywhere near the dog, but he forces his thoughts to be silent and carefully gathers up Sandy, hurriedly stepping back to where Jack stands.

The fox's ears are flattened back against his head, though in anger or fear Jamie can't tell. The toll must be paid, he tells Jamie somberly.

"No! I won't let you give yourself up for me!" He barely knows these animals, true, but that means the same for them, and he won't have anyone dying for his sake. Maybe Sophie's, but not his. Jack shakes his head once. I won't die, he promises. All Pitch wants is my blood.

Blood. Jamie's eyes narrow. "All he wants is blood," he whispers, an idea springing suddenly from the fog his mind has descended into. "If all you want is blood," he says, raising his voice so that Pitch can hear, "then take what you've already gotten!"

Jack's eyes go round. No, Jamie— he begins, voice holding an undertone of horror, you don't know what you're saying—

And Jamie realizes he has said exactly the wrong thing when Pitch's eyes glow horribly with a wicked light. One shadow-colored paw scrapes across the snow, and the drops of blood are gone as if never been. One swish of his tail and the smear on the mountain stone is gone as well. Pitch exposes his teeth in a terrible smile. Good bargain, human, he says, and turns into the waiting blizzard, vanishing from sight.

Jamie shudders involuntarily. I didn't mean to, his mind screams. I just wanted—oh, why can't I do anything right?

Jack sighs heavily. I know you meant well, Jamie, he murmurs, but… He shakes his head. We'll see him again on the new moon. I don't know how powerful he'll be with Sandy's blood, but…

The wind screams ominously in Jamie's ears.

Jack turns away from the pass and heads back to the village. Snow dances in his steps, but Jamie can see the whirling anxiousness in the wind flurries. He moves faster to keep pace with the fox, looking carefully at the bundle of cat in his arms. Sandy's eyes are closed, but Jamie can detect the faint movement of his chest. He is alive.

When they reach Erin's house only Tooth is waiting for them; the hummingbird reports that North has gone to replace Sandy, before she sees the expression on Jamie's face and the golden cat in his arms and Jack's wary eyes.

What happened? she asks as she flies into the house, hovering in the doorway. Jamie steps inside, Jack's paws making tiny ice patches on the wooden floor.

We saw Pitch, Jack says, and Tooth's eyes grow wide. The door swings shut and the hummingbird takes a perch on the couch.

Erin moves into Jamie's line of sight, coming from the kitchen. "Oh," she says, catching sight of Sandy. "Oh… Come, Jamie." She walks back to the kitchen, and Jamie walks in after her. "Sophie and Aster-rabbit exploring the house," she says, eyeing him. "Does she need know about this?"

Jamie shakes his head slowly. "Not yet," he mutters. "Not yet."

Erin nods, accepting this. "Very well." Tooth whirls into the room, her mind-voice a cacophony of words going so fast that Jamie can't even understand her. Jack leaps onto his chair and then to the table, watching silently as Erin lays down a towel and instructs Jamie to set Sandy on it.

His aunt is rummaging in the cabinets, but she asks while her back is turned, "What happen while you gone?"

Jack's paws make tiny pattering noises on the wood. Jamie is content to let him explain, because he does not quite know himself how to put it into words; he still is not sure what he did wrong. All he wanted was for none of his newfound acquaintances—possibly friends?—to be hurt on his account.

Erin listens in silence and comes to sit next to Jamie, carefully working her way through Sandy's fur, searching out wounds. They sit in silence for a moment before she speaks. "You have good heart, to not want any Guardian hurt. You not know perils of bargaining with Pitch-dog."

"Someone should have told me."

"We not think Pitch-dog show up so fast," Erin reminds him, somewhat sternly. "Speaking of…" She reaches under the table and pulls out a bag of cloth. Tiny grains of golden sand escape it as she tosses it to Jack, who catches it in his mouth. "Take to North-wolf. Spread around perimeter. Will not stop Pitch-dog on night of new moon…but may stall him."

Jack nods swiftly and departs from the room. Tooth sits still, quiet as a mouse, on the back of Erin's chair. She, it seems, is not going anywhere.

Erin's green eyes flit to him and then fall back to Sandy. "Let me tell you story," she says finally. "Maybe you understand better, yes?"

Jamie nods his head absently, watching her. What kind of story can help me understand this mess?

"There is old legend about this valley…"

There is an old legend about this valley. Long ago, they say, it was the first place where people looked to the stars and thought of spirits that inhabited them, of spirits that drove the seasons, the sun, the moon, the elements. It was the first place where belief created legends, and as such is sacred ground to all who know of the old ways.

Legend says that the Moon blessed this place, gave it power unlike any other point on earth. This valley was born of the Moon's blessing, and became home to a small village. Most who lived in the village knew nothing of its past; only their eyes, undimmed by cynicism, led them to this place of secret. They had the gift of true sight, but few could comprehend what creatures it revealed to them.

And one day, a dark force came to the little valley. It was a great black dog with eyes of gold, whose paws left muddy black prints on the white snow. This creature was of shadows and fear, and he sought to destroy the sacred place, for he was willing to sacrifice belief in himself for the loss of belief in all others.

To his surprise, he could not cross the boundary into the village. The Moon shone bright that night; the Dog saw this and watched carefully, waiting. The people had seen his presence at the border and whispers began. The Dog gained a title: the Deceiver. And a name, for the shadows—Pitch Black.

The Moon saw this, and his eyes roamed the earth, finally finding a little cat in a desert land. This little cat had a gift, a gift of dreaming, and the Moon saw this gift and expanded it, allowing the cat the boon of giving others wonderful dreams—he would become the Dreamer; but with this gift came a price: for the little cat to leave his desert home and go north, to face the Dog so that the sacred ground could remain undisturbed.

But the Cat agreed; and so he arrived in the village five nights before the dark of the moon. He stood before the Dog, who laughed, asking if that was all the Moon had sent—just one little cat; the Dog could have swatted him aside with one paw.

The Cat let him think that; but he knew that the Moon was searching for others with gifts; others who could help keep this sacred place safe from shadow-paws.

Deep in the outback, there was a rabbit whose talent was having great hope. The Moon granted to him the ability to bring that hope to others through the gifts of what they needed most, becoming the Giver; and with this offering came the same price as offered to the Cat: go north, and protect the birthplace of legends.

The Rabbit was not as easy to convince as the Cat; but at last he agreed, knowing in his heart that though he liked his home, he was needed more at the site of the Moon's blessing. He arrived in the little valley four nights before the dark of the moon, and the Cat was there to greet him. The Dog watched them both and kept to himself now, because he recognized the Moon's ploy; but he could do nothing but wait until his time of power, for the others were still guarded by the Moon's power.

Meanwhile, the Moon searched still further and found in the heart of the jungle forests a hummingbird with the gift of an amazing memory; to her he extended the gift of storing memories and keeping them safe, and in turn granting them back to those who had all but forgotten them and needed them still; she would be the Keeper. The price was the same as before: guard the little valley blessed by the Moon.

The Hummingbird did not take long to agree, as she wished to help; and so she arrived in the valley three nights before the dark of the moon. The Cat and the Rabbit were waiting for her, and she laughed, saying that there must surely be an army that the Moon is gathering.

Truth be told, only two more would come to them.

High in the southern mountains there roamed a wolf with the gift of strength and wonder; to him the Moon offered the power of a thousand wolves and eyes that could see through any disguise, to aid in battle and in peace, to be the Protector; the price was still the journey north, to protect the birthplace of legends.

The Wolf spent time thinking over the proposal; but he too agreed in the end. And so he arrived in the secret valley two nights before the dark of the moon, where the Cat, Rabbit, and Hummingbird were waiting to greet him. The Dog watched them all from the shadows, and gathered his thoughts. The dark of the moon was almost upon them, and he was growing stronger.

Now the Moon knew time was running out, and there was still one more to find, one more bright animal to place as a protector of the blessed valley. The Moon turned at last to the north, where a fox of winter wandered. To him the Moon offered the gift of snow and joy, to become one who watched over lost souls and nudge them to the proper path, to become the Guide. The price remained to go to the little valley hidden in magic and to defend it from all that would taint the sacred ground.

The Fox considered the offer; and he at last consented, making his way to the secret valley. He arrived on the last night before the dark of the moon, where the four who came before him were waiting. They greeted him enthusiastically, for five was a good, auspicious number.

And then the night came when the Moon was gone from the sky, and the five animals knew their moment of glory had come. The Dog knew the barrier was no longer as effective. He gathered his shadows and went to the valley. The five animals watched for him, and he laughed. This is all the Moon could find? he asked, looking to each of them. A cat, a rabbit, a bird, a wolf, and a fox? That is all?

We are all that is needed, the Wolf replied. You will see.

And they met in battle.

It was long, and lasted much of the night. But the five were strong in their conviction; they never let their faith waver. They would protect the sacred ground, even if it turned out that they would lay down their lives for it. They fought for the ones that came before them, for the light and belief of those who could truly see them, for the hopes and dreams and wishes of all who had ever heard a legend spoken.

When dawn came and chased the shadows away, the five were still standing and the sacred ground was untainted. The Dog retreated, saying they had won the battle, but not the war. Still the five stood firm; they had won their first battle, and when the dark of the moon came again, they would do battle with the Dog.

Through the strength of their belief and of their gifts, they persevered.

Whispers ran through the village like wildfire, for many had witnessed the great battle. And the five animals that the Moon had chosen to protect the little valley that was the birthplace of all legends became known as the Guardians.

Erin sighs quietly, and the spell of the tale is broken. Jamie blinks slowly, coming back to the present. He looks to Tooth, who is still perched on the back of Erin's chair, but is now lightly preening her feathers. "Is that really what happened?"

Tooth raises her head slightly to look him in the eyes. For the most part, yes. It makes everything seem so much more magical than it was, though. But that is the way of legends and tales, is it not?

Jamie gives a noncommittal shrug. Erin is putting away her supplies and Sandy sleeps soundly on. "He was the first?" Jamie questions, and the hummingbird gives a nod. That's right, she agrees. Aster was second, I was third, North fourth and Jack fifth.

"Were you afraid?" He's not quite sure why he asks that question; Tooth seems to wilt a little in place, and her claws make tiny scratches in the wood. Jamie expects her to say something different than she does.

Yes, she admits, with no small amount of sadness. We were afraid. We had only just come to terms with our gifts, and we had only just met each other as well…we wanted to win that battle, but I am certain all of us at one time or another sorely believed that even with our best efforts, Pitch's shadow army would overwhelm us.

"How did you fight, then, if you were afraid of losing? If you thought—you were going to lose in the end?" Jamie hears a slight noise at the door but he pays it no mind, focusing on the brightly-colored tropical bird.

Tooth stares into his eyes and answers, We remembered that out of everything on this earth, the Moon saw us and chose us to protect this sacred ground. The Moon saw something in us that was greater than ourselves, that we could give to others. And…even though we were all so different from one another, when we came together…we became something more.

A voice speaks from the doorway to the kitchen. Telling that old story again, are we? Aster hops into the room, and Sophie is not more than a step behind. Jamie moves to say something, anything, but the look on her face is telling.

"I heard everything," she says quietly, and slides into the seat beside Erin. It is still a surprise to hear her speak and Jamie is left staring for a long moment. Sophie reaches out and lightly pets Sandy's head as Aster climbs up onto the tabletop from one of the chairs.

"How much is 'everything'?" Jamie asks weakly.

Sophie stares at him for a heartbeat, a flash of accusation lurking in the green depths of her eyes. "You talked to the black dog," she says, brushing her bangs from her face. "You told it something that gives it an advantage." Her eyes flash to Erin before dropping back to the little cat asleep before her. "And I heard the old legend about the Guardians."

"Everything, then," Erin agrees with a nod.

Jamie fixes his gaze on the wooden slats of the table. "What do we do now?"

Erin's face is stony. "We wait," she says, her gaze far away and looking out the window, as if she is searching for something beyond the border of what can be seen. "We wait for new moon. And we watch. Carefully. Pitch-dog will be back…and we wait."

"Can we fight him?" Jamie asks, looking to the three Guardians in the room.

Aster's nose twitches, his whiskers wiggling. We can try. We can always try.

But will it be enough? Tooth frets, and the rabbit stretches out a paw towards her, as if trying to comfort her from where he sits. Only the Moon knows when it will ever be enough. But we wouldn't have been chosen if we were going to give up before we'd even tried! Narrowed green eyes shift around the room, accusatory.

Poor Guardians we would be indeed, a voice cuts in from the living room, and North walks into the kitchen, Jack riding on his back with an air of satisfaction; the fox jumps from North's back to his customary chair, tossing the empty bag onto the table, a few stray grains of sand covering the wood. Perimeter's covered, Jack reports. We circled the entire village, but the lake's been left alone. We didn't have enough dream-sand to go around it.

"Will have to do," Erin says. Jack opens his mouth, about to say something, but all of their attention is quite abruptly redirected to the sleeping cat on the table, who is sleeping no longer. Sandy's eyes are open, and he lifts his head hesitantly, mouth opening and closing soundlessly.

Hey, Sandy, Aster says, as the closest to him. Hear you tangled with Pitch.

Sandy sits up gingerly, golden eyes whirling about to take in all the occupants of the room. A small shower of sand rises from nothingness, forming into a tiny question mark hovering before the cat.

What? You mean—oh! Jack's eyes widen. You hadn't heard! Jamie and Sophie can hear us!

Sandy's eyes flit to Jamie and then Sophie, before settling back on Jack. Another image of sand forms: this one the all-too-familiar figure of Pitch. He's asking what happened with Pitch, Jamie realizes.

Jack looks away for a brief moment before meeting the cat's eyes. Pitch changed the rules, he begins, shuffling his paws lightly. He wanted more payment. One eye shifts towards Jamie, who fidgets nervously in his seat. The blue eye returns to fix on Sandy. I was willing to give my blood, the fox murmurs, but Jamie said that Pitch could take what he'd already gotten—namely, your blood.

Sandy stiffens before shaking his head once. Jamie sinks lower in his seat and the cat turns to him hurriedly, wincing, and a sand picture flashes into existence, of a human with palms out, placating-like. Jamie squints, trying to understand, and as if Sandy senses his confusion another image joins the first, two hands clasped. Oh. "Yes," Jamie breathes, surprised by the cat's understanding. "I only—wanted to help."

The sand shifts to form the image of a present, a gift. A kind gesture, Aster translates. But whatever your intentions, it's still happened. He stamps a paw against the wood. It's happened and now we should put it behind us. What's done is done, we can't change it; we can only prepare for the consequences.

"I'm sorry—" Jamie begins, but this time North interrupts.

We know, young one. We know you are sorry. And now you prove to us you are better than your actions, yes? Now you help us defend village from Pitch!

"…What?" Jamie can't stop himself from gaping at the great wolf. "You don't mean…but I have no idea how to fight!"

It's not difficult, Aster waves a paw cheerfully. Pitch relies mostly on nightmares, corrupted dreams. All you have to do is hit at them hard enough and if you've got enough belief in you, they'll be purified. Of course, he also usually gathers a lot simply because it takes us so little effort to get rid of them. There are only five of us, and an army massing out there that we can't see. There's also creatures born of shadows that are harder to destroy, but all you need to remember—all shadows are chased away by the dawn. All we have to do is hold on through the night, and we'll be fine. And after the night of new moon passes, the strength of the shadows will wane and ours will in turn grow in time for the full moon's cycle.

Jamie nods, suddenly understanding. Erin had said that Pitch's time of power was the new moon, and the Guardians' was the full moon. Of course, of course. "But…you want Sophie and me to help you?" he asks, mouth dry. He swallows thickly, trying to dispel the feeling of anxiety gnawing at him.

Jack's eyes are kind. We wouldn't ask if we didn't mean it, he says warmly.

Jamie smiles faintly. "Thank you," he whispers. "Thank you for believing me."

Always, the Guardians chorus, and for a second, Jamie feels as if the threat of new moon and Pitch's rising power are not there; it is only this room and the warmth of family and friends, sharing tales and gifts and gestures of kindness.

For a second, there is tangible hope.

Jamie studies the layout of the village from Erin's porch. Last night, the Moon was almost gone from the sky. Jack had announced warily that the next day will be the last reprieve they have, for the night of the new moon is upon them.

Jamie has been to the outskirts of the village, seen the careful-laid circle of golden sand. He had asked Sandy if the thin circle of sand will keep Pitch out; he'd received a head-shake in response. At least Sandy had explained that it would slow down the nightmares that would cross with Pitch. Only the shadow-creatures would be unaffected; and those, Jamie thinks, might be the worst of the lot aside from the black dog himself.

Haven't you looked at the village enough? Jack steps up beside him, bushy tail waving. Come on, we've got something to show you.

Jamie is a little hesitant, remembering other events that began with the words of I have something to show you but he follows the fox back into the warm living room, where the Guardians have all gathered, and Sophie is sitting in her now-favorite chair by the fire, and Erin looms in the doorway to the kitchen but does not say a word as Jamie sits down on the couch.

"All right, I'm here, what's going on?" Jamie fears they have taken back their words; that they have decided to do something about him.

Aster is the first to hop forwards, and awkwardly pressed between his paws is an angled piece of brown wood patterned with faint curving designs; it takes Jamie a moment to recognize that the object is in fact a boomerang. How Aster has one in the northern wilderness escapes him; the rabbit jumps onto the arm of Sophie's chair and presents her the boomerang. She takes it carefully, and all watch as Aster explains.

Did some thinking, he says, scratching idly at the back of an ear. You said you weren't good at fighting, so…here's something that can do some damage, yeah? He rests a paw on the wood and tilts it just so, and tiny golden specks are visible, ingrained into the wood. It can take out nightmares, because I got Sandy to give me some dream-sand to cover it. We all have our own means of fighting, but—you'll take it, won't you? Make us all feel a little better about this whole thing.

Sophie turns the weapon over in his hands before meeting Aster's eyes. "I'll take good care of it," she promises, and Aster offers a rabbit's smile. Good.

Jack pushes forwards, and clamped in his teeth is a long staff, one end curving into a rudimentary hook-like shape. If Aster's giving out his weapons, he says, then I think you should have this, Jamie. Jamie takes the staff, and he watches as a faint blue light seems to flicker throughout the inside of the wood. I can only give you one chance to use it, Jack says, somewhat apologetically. Slam it into the ground and you'll freeze everything around you within a ten-foot radius. One chance, he asserts, looking into Jamie's eyes. So use it well.

"I will," Jamie vows, curling his fingers tighter around the staff. Now it is North who steps forwards, one paw nudging along a thin curving blade—a scimitar. The wolf sends it in Jamie's direction; carefully he sets aside Jack's gift before picking up the blade. It is not too heavy but not absurdly light—just enough weight to remind Jamie that it is still in his hand. "What's this for?" he asks aloud.

North's eyes are fierce. This blade has been enchanted, he says proudly, by the best. It can cut through shadows, which will be biggest threat to us tonight. You can only use Jack's staff once—so use this sword rest of the time.

"I don't know how to use a sword," Jamie says, before they can get any ideas about how adept he is with weapons that look like they come from a legend or myth.

Just swing it around some, I'm sure you'll hit something, Aster offers.

That's not very good advice at all! Tooth cries, her feathers puffing up lightly. Neither she nor Sandy have offered any sort of weapon, but the look in their eyes is enough, Jamie thinks. For their eyes hold confidence in them, confidence in Sophie and Jamie…confidence that they will all see the light of dawn when the next morning comes.

Jamie only wishes he has their confidence.

You're strong, Jamie, and you too, Sophie, the hummingbird says, flying up from her cushion by the fireplace to flit about their heads. You will be of great help to us. Believe in yourself, believe in us, and we will prevail.

Jamie smiles, but only slightly. "I wish I could, Tooth, but I don't have that much faith in myself. Not after…" His voice trails off as he studies the patterns in the dancing flames. "I can't—I'm not like you and the others. I'm no Guardian."

North watches him through bright eyes. What does it mean to protect, Jamie? To shelter those you love from every harm and fear…what does it mean to be a Guardian?

"I…" Jamie shakes his head helplessly. "I don't know."

But the great wolf scratches at the rug, shaking his head. You do. You protected your sister from Pitch, that day in the forest, and you did it without thinking, without a thought to save yourself first. When you were with Jack, you sought to save him from harm even though you barely knew him. You braved your fear of Pitch bringing death to you in order to retrieve Sandy. You are a Guardian too, little Jamie, even though you do not realize it.

Jamie stares at the wolf, trying desperately to understand his words. "I wish…"

Sandy moves from his spot on the rug now, somewhat clumsily leaping up to sit beside Jamie. The little cat stretches out a paw, and Jamie grabs hold of it, watching as the tiny sand images form in the air.

He sees a golden wolf clawing his way through a mass of shapeless things; a hummingbird flits about, causing explosions amongst the creatures. A rabbit leaps past, kicking at a horse-like beast following after it, and a fox appears from the skirmish, striking down another of the horse things. A little boomerang flies out of the cloud, and then there is Sophie, standing tall despite the battle, and beside her is a figure of Jamie, swinging the sword like he is born for it, taking out three of the shapeless creatures in one blow. They are all fighting together, and then high above the golden figures there comes the image of mountains and the rays of the sun peeking over them: dawn. The sand pictures slowly collapse into nothingness, but in Sandy's gaze Jamie can see what it means: the best possible outcome.

Jamie swallows, thinks of the dream shown to him. "I…I want that to happen."

A little golden Jamie hovered above the cat's paw and his hand, and he stood there with a fierce expression on his face, the staff strapped to his back and the sword clasped in both hands. The message is clear: Try, then. The image expands to show Sophie, Erin, the Guardians standing beside Jamie, all gazing at him with hope in their eyes. Try for all of us.

Jamie feels his head bob in a nod. He does not know what he's getting himself into—but he will try, for the sakes of his newfound family and friends. He bows his head, staring down at the sword given to him by North. "I'll try."

A collective sigh of relief fills the room, and Tooth hovers above Jamie's shoulder. Remember this time, she says, when it feels as if all may be lost…remember this.

"I will." Jamie is trying to ingrain the scene into his memory, not entirely certain he is succeeding. "I'll remember."

"Good luck," Erin says from the doorway, the first time she has spoken since Jamie has arrived. Her green eyes are bright against the light of the fire. "Good luck to all of you."

Thank you, Erin, North says, and crosses to the window, staring out into the village. Jamie stands, walking to the giant wolf's side and staring through the frosty windowpane. At the edge of the village Jamie can see a tall, burning torch; he turns the other way and sees another. Someone—perhaps Erin, or perhaps another inhabitant of the village—has ringed the valley in light.

And just in time, too, because the shadows are long against the slope of the mountains; the light of the sunset is fading away, leaving behind the dark of the night and the pale, distant light of the stars. North's eyes are unreadable as he glances back towards the rest of the Guardians. And so it begins, he says.

Jamie's stomach churns and he is grateful he hasn't eaten much. His mind can only repeat the wolf's words; it is the start of their moment of glory.

And so it begins.

They are in a line, standing firm just behind the circle of sand. North stands between Sophie and Jamie; on Sophie's other side is Aster. Jack stands at Jamie's right, and Tooth perches atop North's head. Sandy alone is not with them, as Erin wanted to give the few deep scratches he had received a chance to scab over. She had said, though, that she was certain they'd need Sandy before the night was up.

Jamie feels the presence of the frost staff at his back; only one chance to use it. North's sword is somewhat awkwardly dangling off his belt, but at least he can swing it around, like Aster said. Sophie is fingering her boomerang. On either side of them, the Guardians are tense, watching, waiting…

There is no Moon in the sky tonight, and the only light is the fire of the torches and the pale glimmer of far-off stars. Still, that is enough, as a shadow appears from the muted whiteness of the snow and golden eyes glow burnt-amber in the firelight.

Well, well, well, Pitch says smoothly, eyes flicking across each of them. You got the humans involved? You honestly think they have a chance?

More than you think, Jack mutters, scraping the ice angrily.

There's only four of you, Guardians. Wherever is the Cat?

Doesn't matter, North replies easily. All you need bother with is the fact we are here. Don't you want to fight us, Pitch? Where is your little army?

You think you can stop me, the dog says, tossing his head back and revealing his sharp teeth. You will see. He lifts one shadowy paw, glittering with some liquid, and plants it firmly on the dream-sand line.

And Jamie stares in surprise as the sand seems to inch away from Pitch's paw, and the sand beneath it hisses and writhes, crumbling into black ash. Pitch laughs sharply. Did you forget I have the Dreamer's blood? And before they can be given a chance to react, the dog plunges across the line straight for them; behind him the walls of the pass seem to distort, and a great mass of shadowy creatures are at Pitch's heels.

Oh— is all Jamie gets a chance to think before the creatures are upon them.

North tackles Pitch and the two are gone beneath the blanket of shadows and light. Jamie takes a blind swing and feels something disintegrate, tiny fragments of black sand fluttering past him, a sight of golden eyes fading away. Nightmare, comes Jack's voice at his side. There's more of them. Swing left!

Jamie lunges in that direction, and a screech echoes in his ears as the nightmare is destroyed. Jack cheers at his back. That's it, Jamie! Now to the far right!

Jamie whirls in place and a shadow looms over him. What had Aster said? The creatures born of shadows are harder to destroy. It, unlike the nightmares, has no real shape that Jamie can see—and suddenly he remembers the shapeless things from the sand picture shown to him by Sandy. So this is a shadow. The thing moves and Jamie has to leap to one side to avoid a reaching hand-like blob of darkness.

I don't want to die. The thought pounds in his brain as his arm moves, almost independent of thought—and slices the thing roughly in half. An icy wind, colder than anything Jamie has ever felt, brushes past him as the shadow fades into nothingness. I don't want to die. Jamie turns to meet the flickering eyes of a nightmare, and it falls easily to his sword.

North surfaces in the sea of darkness, snarling something Jamie can't quite catch. A tiny buzzing by his ear alerts him to the presence of Tooth. Jamie! the hummingbird calls. Your sister needs you!

Sophie. Jamie feels as if his blood has turned to ice. Not Sophie. He only has breath to yell, "Where?" Tooth's wing brushes his cheek as she flies past. Straight ahead!

Jamie whirls around and dives into the mass, just managing to miss the object soaring from the shadows. He catches it, feeling the thick wood in his fingers. Aster's—Sophie's—boomerang!

He is spurred onwards by the sight, and carves his way through a volley of nightmares till he nearly trips on the open ground. He almost misses Aster's call. Jamie!

"Sophie—Sophie—" Jamie's eyes are already flashing about the huts, the mass of shadow-things that are everywhere. Aster's gray-white form blends into the snow, and it takes Jamie a moment to find him in the mess. The rabbit's green eyes are concerned, but not nearly enough for worry. Safe, mate, he says softly, as Sophie's head peers around the side of a house. Jamie tosses her the boomerang and she promptly throws it at an incoming nightmare.

"I don't—" Jamie shakes his head to clear his thoughts. "Tooth said—"

Aster's ears flatten as he kicks at a shadow. I told her to get you because I can't be everywhere, he says, hopping up onto a boulder. I can't be everywhere…and all I've got is my feet. You've got a sword. Stay with your sister, and make sure no shadows or nightmares get her. And— the rabbit's eyes narrow sharply, —don't complain. You're both in the thick of it as it is. I've got to find North. If you can, try and find Erin to tell her we'll need Sandy soon.

It takes far too long for Jamie's brain to begin to understand the chain of commands Aster has given him, but he nods and tightens his grip on the blade. "I'll—try," he bites out, swinging at an amorphous form trying to sneak up on him.

Good boy! Aster yells, and before Jamie can begin to call him back the rabbit Guardian is gone into the fray.

Jamie stands side by side with Sophie, as she holds her returned boomerang out in front of her in the most threatening way she can think of. Jamie hefts the sword, his fingers feeling as if they have frozen to the hilt. "Stay next to me, Soph," he breathes, and feels her nod against his arm.

"Now!"

They charge, swinging enchanted boomerang and magic blade, and the shadows begin to give way before them. Jamie feels a faint thrill of hope—they might make it. They might actually make it.

A nightmare looms from the darkness, and Sophie's boomerang takes it out. Jamie knows he can't stop, but only several minutes of swinging the sword around and his arms are beginning to tire. No! He spins in a circle viciously, and one, two, three—four nightmares fall to the sword.

"I can't—" Sophie coughs from somewhere beside him. She is clinging tightly to the boomerang, no longer trying to throw it but rather using it as something of a primitive club. "Jamie—"

"I know," he replies, his voice breathless. "We can't go on forever…but we have to—" he swipes at an incoming shadow "—we have to hang on. Till dawn."

"Till dawn," Sophie echoes tiredly, and he knows she feels the same as him: dawn is very far away.

There is a lull in the battle and Jamie catches sight of Jack, leaping towards them. The winter fox skids to a stop beside them. Neither of you are hurt, are you?

"Not yet," Jamie answers, trying to flex his fingers but finding he can't. "…how is everyone else?"

Tooth's flitting around somewhere, Jack reports. I saw Aster not long ago, kicking and hopping. North and Pitch were still fighting, last I saw.

"Sandy?"

Still at Erin's. But I'll get him, if things start to turn for the worse. How are you holding up, Jamie? Sophie?

Jamie allows himself to close his eyes for the briefest of moments. "Getting harder to swing around this sword," he admits, and concern colors Jack's eyes. I can't help with that, he says, switching his gaze to the staff poking over Jamie's shoulder. Have you used my gift yet?

"No…but I will. Soon," Jamie promises.

Good. Jack turns and flings himself onto the back of a charging nightmare, and it disintegrates into falling ash. Then the fox is gone, swallowed by the army of darkness. And Jamie and Sophie's brief respite is over, as a shadow streaks towards them.

The siblings exchange glances; then, once more, they charge.

The shadows and nightmares all seem to blur together into one giant, moving black mass. Jamie blinks rapidly and a shadow distinguishes itself from the rest before falling back into the cluster. Jamie sucks in a breath as he stands back to back with Sophie. "You take the ones on the left…I'll take the ones on the right…?"

She nods faintly. "Together?" she asks, and he smiles, though she won't be able to see it.

"Together," he agrees. As one they swing their weapons, and a group of nightmares fade away into ash, their last screams echoing in the air.

He does not know how many hours have passed, how many hours remain until dawn arrives.

Sophie falters at his side, exhaustion finally taking its toll. Sophie! Jamie can't speak, but his mouth forms her name. He pulls away from a dying shadow and spins, desperately attacking the nightmare trying to torment his sister.

But now his swings are not so sure; his body is faltering too, and he knows it is time to use Jack's gift. He makes a final stab in the direction of the nightmare and inches his way out of his gloves—they are frozen to the hilt of the sword. Bare fingers trembling, he claws at the straps holding the staff—and it is cold, so cold—but he grasps it and draws it to him, swinging it about in a desperate attempt to keep the things away.

His arms are shaking, even with the staff's light weight; he narrows his eyes, stands over Sophie's fallen form, nudging her boomerang to her with his foot, and slams the staff's end into the snow.

Blue light leaps into Jamie's vision; a rippling wave of frost and ice spreads outwards from him and Sophie, coating every nightmare and shadow coming for them in a neat layer of ice.

For a moment there is only Jamie, huffing with the effort, clinging tight to the staff.

Then his knees buckle and send him sprawling into the snow beside Sophie; her eyes are closed, and she is still breathing, with only light scratches on her arms from when she was still throwing around the boomerang. Jamie struggles to tuck his hands into his coat, to keep them from freezing over. And then he hears it—the sound of shattering ice.

A shadow makes its way through the frozen figures of others like it, ignoring them completely as it shoves through them, sending them falling to the ground and crumbling into shards of ice. Jamie tries to reach for the sword—it is gone.

The black night is endless above them, the lights of the torches systematically disappearing. Where is Pitch? He hasn't seen the black dog since the beginning. Where are the Guardians…?

They are not here. They are elsewhere, fighting for their lives, fighting for the ancient bargain that bound them long ago to this sacred place. They are not here, so they cannot save him and Sophie. Jamie's eyes close briefly before opening again. He will not go quietly, he assured himself. He will try his hardest—to—move!

His legs and arms refuse to answer him.

And just as the shadow finishes breaking through the last of the ice sculptures, a blazing light fills the sky.

Jamie stares openmouthed as the battle seems to pause as all look into the sky, where the dancing ribbons of light are like every color of the rainbow, shifting and shimmering as if dancing on an invisible wind.

The name comes to him in a haze: Aurora borealis…the Northern Lights.

And he remembers the feeling of hope.

Golden light crosses his vision, a stream of sand with a light much like the folding aurora above. Jamie can't speak, but he stares into the warm golden eyes of the cat Guardian and mouths, Sandy!

The little cat's touch is enough to send the shadow breaking into wisps of golden sand. Sandy rests a paw against Jamie's cheek, and warmth slowly fills him. He does not feel as tired; and the little cat moves next to Sophie; he can hear her stirring beside him.

"Thank you, Sandy," Jamie breathes. Jack got him after all.

Sandy offers a cat's smile and taps a paw lightly against the snow. Jamie sits up, snow falling off his coat; Sophie struggles up, holding tight to that boomerang. Jack's staff is no longer near Jamie; he imagines it has returned to its owner, wherever he might be. "Sandy," Jamie says softly, and the little cat looks up at him. "Where are the others?"

A sand picture forms, of the four other Guardians disappearing and reappearing in different places: here, there, everywhere. Jamie shakily stands, dragging the sword to him with a boot and using it as a crutch, his gloves still frozen to the hilt, but he pays them no mind.

"Where's Pitch?"

Sandy's eyes narrow. He shrugs—he doesn't know?—and starts off through the broken ice. "Wait!" Jamie stumbles into a lurching walk. The cat waits patiently for him—them, Jamie realizes, when he hears Sophie stepping after him, just as graceful (not at all).

They walk through the village; Jamie thinks it's a little odd that no shadow-things are coming for them, till he sees the gold at the edges of his vision, the sand swirling about them in a wide circle. The shadows do not like the golden sand, and so they shy away, refusing to meet the little cat.

Sandy leads them first to Aster, who has just finished destroying a nightmare. The rabbit's green eyes go comically wide. Sandy? You're here!

The cat gives him a curt nod before moving on, and Aster keeps pace with Sophie; Jamie hears him saying something to her, something soft but encouraging. She has done well, both of them have, he is surprised to think.

Tooth floats down to them, her wings quivering, and she lands gratefully on Jamie's shoulders. Will it soon be over? she asks, and Jamie can't answer her. Jack is the next to appear from the shadows, which—at last—are thinning. The fox has his staff in his teeth and is spinning in constant circles, using the ice to freeze more of the nightmares. Jack! Aster calls, and the fox turns, nearly hitting Sandy with the staff.

You're all here? Jamie offers the smallest wave, and Jack falls in step beside him. This looks serious, the fox confides, stretching out his paws. He still looks as exhausted as the rest of them, aside from Sandy, who it appears has only recently joined the battle.

Now the darkness at the edges of the golden sand is fading—gone, gone. Only one shadow stands in the center of the village, and that is the black dog Pitch himself. North is still standing, facing him, but they all can see the wolf's tiredness.

Sandy stamps a paw and a ribbon of gold breaks from their circling barrier and trails slowly in front of North. With a soft sigh, the wolf's legs fold and he falls into the snow, sent to sleep. The little golden cat steps up beside him, and the black dog laughs.

So that's where you've been hiding, Cat. Pitch's eyes are so very dark. Come to face me now? Jamie remembers the time at the border and how it seemed so far from a contest of strength. And yet…had Sandy even bothered to use his sand then? He had used claws; that much was for sure… Jamie stares at the little cat's back. If he could not face Pitch two days before the new moon, how could he hope to fight him at his time of power? And when the rest of them are already so exhausted?

Sandy does not answer Pitch; the swirling sands draw back to the little cat as he strides forwards, shining golden in the darkness.

Jamie looks on in growing horror. How can Sandy hope to win? How can he—

Have faith, Jack's voice cuts into his thoughts. Sandy's stronger than you might think. And, Jack squints, Pitch is injured. He's been fighting North for so long…he's tired too, even with the power of the new moon. Sandy hasn't been fighting for as long. He's nowhere near exhausted.

Have faith. Jamie watches as the little cat gathers his sand and the shadows dance around Pitch and they lunge, meeting in an explosion of light and dark. Have faith. The aurora dances still, its colors only slightly dimmed.

Have faith.

Jamie watches this battle, so like one in a fairytale, and realizes something.

He does have faith. He does have hope.

When he first learned of his parents' deaths, he hated the people who told him; he hated the ice, for collecting on the road; he hated the car, for failing to keep his parents alive. He hated all those relatives who seemed to care more about his parents' estate and heirlooms then they did about Sophie and Jamie.

He thought he did, anyways. But who could blame someone for the telling of bad news? And how could you hate an element that knows nothing of right or wrong, only the action of doing or not doing? How could you hate a car when there is only so much you can do to stop accidents like that? How could he hate his relatives, who must have seen his parents in his sister and him, and could not bear to look upon them for too-great grief?

He came to Aunt Erin's expecting nothing better. And yet…he has found friends, found family. The aurora dances in the sky high above them. He had forgotten how to hope, how to have faith…and now he has found faith and hope again, he has found the joy of living once more.

Jamie reaches out and lightly grasps Sophie's hand. She turns to look at him, and he smiles—a big, genuine smile. And after a long moment, she smiles back. They are family, and though they still hurt, they will get through this, together.

The aurora is fading from the sky, but it is no longer needed; for the dark of the sky is steadily lightening towards a navy-blue color. The stars are winking out one by one, and Pitch's shadows shrink nervously.

The black dog's golden eyes are defiant, even as victory is snatched from his paws. His figure is growing indistinct, transparent. You haven't seen the last of me, Guardians, he growls.

We will still be here when you return, Jack replies boldly.

The dog glares at all of them, but he says nothing more and is gone when the first beam of sunlight touches the mountain summits.

The Guardians, Sophie and Jamie all collapse to the snow. Jack is laughing softly. We did it! We really, really did it!

I always knew we would, Aster says smugly from next to Sophie.

Relief buzzes through Jamie's veins. We won. He closes his eyes, sighing softly. He lets go of the sword—and a thought of the sword brings his eyes open once more. "Jack?" he asks, and the fox's head pops up.

Yes, Jamie?

"How is it that you all have weapons that are sized for humans when you're animals?"

Jack's blue eyes twinkle. We're not ordinary animals—haven't you seen that yet?

"What do you mean by that, though?"

Wait till the night of the full moon, and then you'll see!

"Jack!" But Jamie is smiling; because it would take an awful lot to surprise him after this night's happenings.

And yet, it is still the promise of an adventure.

One that he gladly takes.

A little exposition on the story:

Erin: I recognize she's an OC that I made up, so I hope she doesn't steal the spotlight at any point. She's something of a mix of my grandmother and one of my aunts, possibly with a little bit of something of my own personality. She's definitely a little odd, but I hope no one was too put off by her. Her way of speaking I came up with spontaneously when searching for lyrics I couldn't remember. (Yes, true story)

The characters and the different animals I chose for them:

North: Oh boy. For him it was between a bear and a wolf, because they're pretty big animals and North is rather tall. Shamelessly, I chose the wolf because I thought it would be easier to write and because I like wolves.

Tooth: Tooth was some sort of half-hummingbird, half-human hybrid in the movie, wasn't she? So the choice of her animal was not difficult. How a tropical bird survives in snow and freezing temperatures...The Moon Did It!

Aster: He's a six-foot-tall rabbit in the movie, so it wasn't hard to figure out what he was going to be in this story. His rabbit form you can consider a lot like his de-powered form in the movie.

Jack: He's mischievous and likes playing pranks. I see this as traits of a fox: playful, sly, clever at moments. Briefly, I considered using a wolf for Jack (this was before I chose North's animal) but decided that the fox seemed more like him.

Sandy: Sandy was always going to be a cat, no questions aske. He just seems like a cat type of person. Plus, I thought he'd be downright adorable as a little cat.

Pitch: At first I had no idea what to use for him; he was among the last of the characters I chose animals for. But then I decided to be clever. Cats and dogs are like mortal enemies, and it seemed an awful lot like Pitch and Sandy were against each other more so than anyone else. So, Pitch became a dog!

So! There's your little insight into my thinking process! I'm considering making another one-shot concerning what exactly does happen on the night of the full moon for our little animal friends; would you all be willing to read something like that? Leave a review, or if you've already done that feel free to PM me with your thoughts!