Broken Shells

Chaper 3: Knowing the Unknown

North had let the subject of Bunnymund's attitude drop for the most part, he got very busy in the following months. Christmas.

North sighed and shucked off his coat. "Another year." He nodded with a smile. "Is best Christmas ever." He smiled looking around his shop. "Day off for all yetis."

Phil murmured something. "What Elves do nothing anyway." He chuckled. "Of course elves too." He waved the Yeti off and moved into the workshop. He had a few things to jot down for next year.

There was a thump on the hardwoods that caused North to look backward. "Aster?" Phil rolled his eyes and walked out.

Aster leaned down and scratched his head with his rear foot. "E'yah I come after every Christmas to see how things went." He muttered and straightened.

"Well, very well…some last minute naught list additions mean a few extra toys still in sleigh but over all was well." North smiled.

"You should be getting some rest Mate." Bunny hopped forward then stood tall beside his friend. "That's one hell of a day you go on…hell I know what that feels like, after Easter I could just collapse the moment I'm across the dateline." He murmured about the invisible line in the earth that split the world into days.

"Have time yet. Belly says." North pat his belly and moved to the kitchen. "Tea with me?"

"Sure Mate…got that yummy stuff from last Christmas?"

"The peach tea? Da I believe there is still some left." North froze a bit and turned. "How are you Bunnymund?"

Aster blinked his ears twitching out as his nose twitched. "Better." He nodded. "Had a few weeks alone… got myself straightened out." He nodded. "Right as rain, and I plan to apologize to Tooth and Sandy."

North smiled. "Good." He nodded and turned into the small kitchenette and began to put water in a kettle to boil. "How are Easter preparations going?" he asked setting the kettle on the stove and lighting the pilot underneath.

Bunny smiled and reached into his bandolier pulling out a small candy and slid it to the table. North lifted the small piece up and smiled. "I do like sugar."

"Yah I know ya do." Bunny nodded. "Try it." He said

North smirked and opened the silvery foil back and revealed the pink solid chocolate egg. It was as big as a coin, but it was still marvelous, even beautiful details were molded into the candies just as with his painted eggs. "Try it." Bunny repeated pulling North out of his reverie.

"Da." He nodded and popped the little morsel into his mouth. The guardian of wonder didn't stand a chance, his eyes widened and then in a bliss closed. "Those-" he said through half chewing the little candy. "Are deadly."

"I know!" The rabbit laughed. "Why do ya think I did it!" He shifted. "I wanted to thank you North."

"For?" North turned.

"A few days after you saw me last…at the warren; Goose showed up." He looked off. "She didn't say why she was there, and Manny wouldn't say much on the subject either, but I know it was you." Bunny smiled. "Thank you."

"Did her company help?" North asked looking down licking at his fingers.

"I suppose, we talked a very long time, then I… Fell asleep when she was telling me this …anecdote."

"Ah bedtime story!" North laughed.

Bunny for his honor just warbled his head back and forth and sighed. "Fact is when I woke up she was gone and I felt like a different Bunny." He nodded.

"Is good." North smiled. Before he could say more the kettle began to whistle. "Ah tea… sit."

Bunny slid down into a chair and closed his eyes a moment and then looked up as two mugs were placed on the table. North put a tea bag in the rabbit's cup and his own and began to pour the water. "I like our post holiday hang outs."

"Da me too." North yawned.

"Oh mate you're bushed, you really should go rest."

"I have to rest the bins first."

"What the bloody hell is a bin?" Bunny grasped the little tea bag string and began to dip it in the water.

"Bins in back …for toys for each child." He nods. "New child born new bin, one child grows up …one less bin." He smiled.

Bunny nodded. "Guess that makes sense…but why reset them?"

"Because." North spooned four large spoons of sugar into his tea. "Every year all children start out Nice." He nods. "As they get naughty their status changes." North shrugged. "Toys are made all year. Placed in bins…if child is naughty …toys are removed." He explained and took a drink.

Bunny laughed. "Eggs for all! I don't have to deal with all that naughty nice paperwork." He nodded. "Okay-" Bunny sipped his tea. "Worst idea you ever had- Go."

North blinked. "Furby." He nodded firmly.

Bunny almost choked on his tea. "What?"

"Is little creature …talks to other little creature." He shrugged. "It was to be Phil, he hated it." North laughed. "So I sold to Toy Company." He nods looking up at the sky. "Worst mistake ever. I didn't hardly take toys that year, more parents bought them and I just couldn't compete!" North laughed.

Bunny laughed. "Next you'll tell me Tickle me Elmo was your idea too."

North looked this way and that and whistled. "Crikey mate!" Bunny laughed but calmed enough to sip his peach tea. "You're impossible."

"Says Bunny who gives little chocolate renditions of self for children to consume." North sat back his eyes telling the rabbit to challenge that.

Bunny's face furrowed and he shook his head. "I never quite thought of it that way." He laughed. "Puts all new meaning to the term eat me." North couldn't help but laugh right along with him.

If North had to admit it, this felt normal; this was what warmth was like. He just hoped his post Christmas sleep was filled with Hope.

Jack frost floated down into the grass and looked this way and that. "Bunny?" He called out looking around.

An egglet walked up to him bumping into his barefoot repeatedly. "Hey pal where's bunny?" The egglet seemed to know and bounded off in the other direction.

Jack casually walked behind; looking all around at all the activity in the warren that was the Easter Lord's home he was amazed. "So busy …Easter's still months off."

Bunny's head popped up from a mound of what appeared to be marshmallows. "Hey frostbite …over here." Then he ducked back down.

"What are you doing?" Frost turned around the mound and smiled as Aster opened a little mold and the small marshmallows hopped into it one by one.

Aster smiled and closed the mold and applied pressures; and when he opened it back up the marshmallows were shaped like ducklings and baby bunnies. "Into the baskets ya little monsters." He smiled.

"That's awesome." Jack said softly.

"S'my job." Bunny said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit Jack-o."

Frost shrugged. "It's almost two weeks since Christmas." Jack began.

"He's still sleeping?" Bunny stood up and considered a moment.

"Yeah North hasn't woken yet, and the yetis say it's normal but I dunno I wanted to ask you. I mean you've known him longer than I have." Jack shrugged. "Sandy says he's fine, he's sleeping not in a coma or anything."

Bunny put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Thanks for letting me know mate, I'll pop over in a jiff and check on things at the pole, if he needs to be woken I'm sure Manny will take care of it." Bunny looked up with a bright smile. "Won't ya?"

With no response Bunny thumbed his nose at the sky. "Fine I'll do it." He smirked. "Good old man in the moon."

"Fan of us doing things ourselves?"

"If the conditions right…yes." Bunny clapped his paws. "Egg guards…keep the operation moving …I'm headed to the pole." Bunny glanced at Jack. "Coming with me?"

"Love to but-" Jack shrugged. "There's a blizzard about to hit Missouri."

"Go have your fun you little flake. I'll make sure North is up and kicking." Bunny shook his head and tapped the ground. The hole appeared and he waved and jumped down into the tunnels.

The pole was pretty quiet. The yetis were painting toys and the elves were …well they were around. "Shhh." Bunny put a finger to his muzzle and shook his head as the little ones jingled by.

He looked over at Phil. "He's in here?" He pointed to the door. The yeti could only nod before walking away.

Bunny ran his paws over his torso. "Okay just wake the guy up without frightening him." Bunny looked at himself in the reflective frosted glass off the double door and sighed. "Okay here we go."

Bunny opened the door slowly and blinked. North lay sleeping soundly. Above his head was a bunny hopping though greens. Aster smiled and let the door shut walking in but as the dream became more clear. He could tell this bunny was him. Then North appeared in his own dream and they kissed.

Bunny's feet faltered, and he staggered back against the door with a crash. The Guardian of wonder blinked and woke, the dreamy sandy images melting from over his head into oblivion. "What? Phil is that you?" North rolled over and blinked. "Aster." He murmured and looked down trying to recall his dream before it slipped out of his grasp. He nodded. "I shall explain." North began and looked up to meet the rabbit's eyes, but when he looked up Bunny was gone and the hole was sealing in the floor.

North lay back on his bed with a decidedly frustrated groan.

To be continued ...