Hello everyone! I've been so busy this past month, I only just finished this chapter! Sorry this took awhile, but between school work and moving into my new house, I've not had much time to write!

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Aster had spent hours looking for the young mutant boy, searching high and low, but he'd had no luck. At around eleven P.M, Bunny had finally been forced to give up his search for the night- With Mim and North away finding a few children who'd recently grown into their abilities, it was only Tooth, Sandy and Bunny himself at the institute. And at night, there was the chance Pitch would try to sneak in some nightmare sand to torment the students, and it was up to Bunny, Tooth and Sandy to drive them away. So it was with great grudging that he returned to the Institute.

That second day, he canceled any classes he was supposed to teach and headed to town as early as he could.

He didn't see the boy at all.

Oh, he heard talk of a street performer, but whenever he reached the destination others had said the boy was at, the teen was already gone. Apparently, the young boy was a smart one, and as keeping on his toes and moving from place to place, performing in a multitude of areas and always keeping out of Bunny's grasp.

It was, admittedly, infuriating. Bunny liked to think he was relatively smart, and so the fact that a teenager less then half his age was able to evade him was kinda...well, okay, really embarrassing.

That night, he again returned to the Institute empty handed.

Hopefully, day three would go better.

Jack happily strode down the street, looking very triumphant.

Unlike yesterday, where he'd earned a depressingly low number of tips since he'd constantly moved from place to place to avoid that weird man from a couple days before, today he'd managed to earn enough to afford a decently large meal.

And a large meal meant a very happy Jack.

The sun was only just setting, starting to stain the street with a golden-amber light. The warm glow made the strands of white hair in front of Jack's eyes seem to shine eerily.

Jack couldn't decide what he wanted to eat. A burger and fries? Fried chicken? There were so many options...

Man, thinking of food, it was making him hungry!

Jack walked that much faster, eager to find a place to eat. His mouth was watering, he could already taste the salty meat of a burger on his tongue-

Jack jumped when something large and dark, almost formless, darted past him and into an alleyway. A shiver raced up Jack's spine, and he could feel a great sense of foreboding settling over him. What was that thing? Should he ignore it and keep walking, or...

His curiosity quickly won over his suspicions, and he edged closer to the alleyway, peering in as his fingers tightened around the strap of his backpack. The alley was dark, with a few large dumpsters and a tipped over trashcan that had spilled out a couple of black trash bags. Otherwise, though, there was nothing out of the ordinary, and certainly no weird shadows.

Peeking back over his shoulder, Jack saw no one on the street. He was alone, no one around to ask if they'd seen the shadow. Taking a deep breath to settle his nerves and loosen the knot in his belly, Jack stepped one foot into the alley. A second step followed, and then a third and a forth. Soon, he was halfway into the alley, staring up at the wall that was at the end of the alleyway. He wondered, as he looked around, if he'd just been seeing things that weren't there-

"A little late for a stroll, isn't it, boy?"

Jack nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden voice, whipping around with a choked gasp.

A tall man stood near the entrance to the alleyway, where Jack knew there hadn't been anyone seconds before. Jack couldn't quite discern his features in the long shadows that were cast over the alley, aside from the fact the man was tall and skinny, with a lilting accent to his voice. The man cocked his head, and a a stray beam of light from the setting sun flashed across the man's face, Jack caught a flicker of golden eyes and greyed skin.

"You know, I'm not speaking to hear my own voice, boy." The older male commented idly.

Jack's fingers tightened around the strap of his bag as a sense of unease fully settled inside his chest. Steeling his nerves, Jack straightened, tilting his chin up slightly in an almost defiant gesture and his pale lips quirked in his signature grin that was all pearly teeth and mischief.

"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers. Stranger danger rule number one." The teen quipped. He gestured to the alley as a whole with a sweep of his free hand. "Actually, all of this seems like some sort of kidnapping scene from a cliche cop sitcom. Dark alleyway, tall and creepy stranger...Except usually those sort of scenes happen at night time." Jack mused, nodding his head towards the still somewhat lit sky. "Give it a few minutes though and then you'll have achieved a fully creepy setting."

The man scoffed slightly, sounding somewhat amused.

"Quite the witty one, aren't you?"

Jack shrugged, feigning a lax posture.

"I like to think I've got a good sense of humor."

The man chuckled, and the sound sent shivers up Jack's spine. The teen's eyes flickered to the alleyway's entrance just beyond the stranger's shoulder.

"So, you make a habit of creeping kids out? Or am I just special?" Jack joked.

The man shifted slightly, lifting a hand to his chin in a considering manner.

"More special than you may think."

Jack's smile faltered, but the teen quickly recovered.

"Aw, you think I'm special? I'm touched!" The boy said cheekily, pressing a hand to his chest as if he were flattered.

Unlike most, who would be off-put by Jack's taunting, the man seemed nonplused.

"I know what you are."

Shock jolted through Jack, the sensation similar to a spike of ice shooting through his heart. It left Jack feeling numb. Two people. Two people had found out about him in a matter of a mere few days. This had never happened before, and Jack felt truly, honestly terrified.

Jack jumped slightly as the stranger deeply inhaled before humming, sounding pleased.

"Such fear...I haven't tasted anything so delectable in ages..."

The odd statement made the hairs on the back of Jack's neck stand on end. Was this guy insane? What he was saying made no sense at all.

The wind picked up, sending dust spiraling across the ground like a coiling snake. Frost crusted the edges of Jack's sleeves, and the boy drew in a deep, icy breath as he prepared to take flight-

A wall of black sand sprung up from the ground, blocking the entrance to the alleyway and arching over the alley. Jack's head snapped up in alarm, breath leaving him sharply, fogging in the air that was suddenly so frigid.

The strange sand, black as tar, rippled almost as if it were alive. It blocked out almost all light, though tears in the near solid wall were left where the sand avoided particularly bright rays of light from the setting sun.

Jack couldn't reach the wind, and he could hardly see. The teen turned this way and that wildly, trying to find a way out, trying to see where the strange man was now, but he could hardly make out anything. At his feet, Ice was spreading in a thick sheet, reacting to the fear that made his heart pound against his chest.

"I've been watching you." The stranger's voice echoed around him, seeming to be coming from everywhere and no where all at once. "I've seen you summon the wind as if it were a living being that you had befriended." There was a flash of golden eyes that vanished a millisecond later. "I've seen you create sheets of ice to block the door to your 'home' to protect yourself without batting an eyelash." Jack jolted when a hand brushed against his shoulder, but when he whipped around, no one was there. "I must admit, I'm curious as to just what you are capable of..."

Before the man could continue, something broke through the dark canopy of sand, sending the dark grains scattering. The sudden disruption seemed to ripple through the wall, as the sand seemed to almost evaporate. Jack caught sight of the man finally, just a few feet away, as a large form charged at him and knocked the stranger back, away from Jack.

"Get away from him ya bloody shadow!"

Jack had no time to even fully comprehend what was going on before the new, large form darted from the man to him. The next thing Jack knew, he was scooped up and was being carried away from the strange man who'd attacked him.

For a moment it was hard to wrap his mind around what was happening. The arms carrying him were strong, warm, and furry. The chest at his side was the same, muscled and covered in fur. The hold on him was tight, but not enough to cut off his air supply. They were high up, on roof tops, Jack could see them flashing by. Quickly, Jack managed to shake off his shock, and he squirmed and struggled in an attempt to get free.

"Put me down! Put me down you son of a-!"

"Jus' hold on, kid! We need ta get as much space between us an' him as we can!"

The voice was familiar, but Jack was too panicked to place a name or face to it. Instead, he continued to try and worm his way out of the arms that held him.

"Let me go!" He demanded.

When this didn't work, the teen pressed a hand to the arm around his middle and spread a burst of frost. The one holding him flinched, but didn't loosen his hold, though let out a few colorful words.

"Strewth, would'ja jus'- quit squirmin'! I- No!"

Jack finally managed to wriggle free, and his heart lurched as he felt himself go into free fall. He managed to call upon the wind, and it caught him at the last second, managing to make his collision with the ground softer than it would have been originally (though he still lost his breath, and stars danced across his eyes).

Forcing air into his lungs, Jack pushed himself up into a sitting position. He could feel cold asphalt beneath him, and in the light of the streetlamps, he could see he was in the small parking lot between the general store and motel. The lot was empty, and Jack felt a sinking in his stomach as he realized he was alone.

Jack jumped as a large furred form dropped down in front of him. The large beast's chest was heaving as it-...He? Whatever it was, recovered their breath. It looked like a giant rabbit, covered in grey fur. Bright green eyes regarded Jack with, of all things, worry.

"Strewth kid! What were ya thinkin'?! We were up three stories!"

Jack stared up at the giant rabbit, shock clear on his pale face. He didn't know what to think, seeing this giant furry being actually talking. As Jack stared up into those emerald green eyes, it finally clicked as to why the voice was familiar.

"Y-you! You're...You're that guy, that one from the other day! The one who tried to kidnap me!" Jack yelped, crawling back a couple feet, his legs still weak after the frightening fall.

The giant rabbit looked startled, then indignant.

"Oi! I wasn't tryin' ta kidnap ya! For th' love of- I wanted ta talk with ya! But then ya ran off, I couldn't find ya, you're lucky that I managed ta get'cha away from the slimy, shadow-sneakin' snake before he could grab ya!"

The impatient tone made Jack wince slightly, and the rabbit sighed, settling on his haunches and running a paw over his ears.

"Look, I-"

"Just who are you?" Jack asked, expression guarded. After a moment, he added, "What are you?"

The rabbit blinked, pointing to himself.

"Me? Ah, sorry, forgot we didn't get ta introductions last time. Th' name's E. Aster Bunnymund. Most jus' call me Aster, or even Bunny." Aster shifted, resting his elbows on his knees. "As fer what I am...Well, I'm...I'm like you." He gestured to Jack as he said this.

Jack's nose wrinkled slightly, confusion settling on his young face.

"'Like me'? I'm not a giant rabbit."

Bunny frowned.

"Oi! I ain't a rabbit!" He protested.

Jack eyed him curiously.

"Then what are you, if you're not a rabbit?"

"Short answer?" Aster mused, seeming somewhat humored. "I'm a mutant. Jus' like you."