Chapter Text
Mother Nature hovered near Pitch like a broody hen, unwilling to let him out of her sight even as she helped Bunnymund take cuttings of the unearthly plants that filled her garden. Pitch slept peacefully, laid out on a mossy patch of ground beneath an ancient oak, flocked by butterflies. North and Toothiana were sorting through piles of ancient weapons, stopping only to drag Bunnymund off into the crumbling remains of what had no doubt once been a grand home to get his opinion on something. Sandman watched it all silently, as enigmatic as the moon.
Jack felt particularly useless; he'd never paid much attention to weapons outside of his staff, his knowledge of the things rising up out of Pitch's realm was still next to non-existent, and he had no idea what to do.
"You should be pleased. Your insistence on interfering might well have saved us all." Mother Nature held out a hand to a tangle of climbing roses, letting them twine around her arm. The tightly closed buds opened for her, revealing petals the same shade as the summer sky. She plucked the largest of the blossoms and let the vines return to their wall before carefully attaching the rose to the shoulder of Jack's hoodie. "For luck."
To Jack's surprise, the rose had a sharp scent that made him think of the air moments before snow would start to fall. "So you're not mad anymore?"
"Absolutely furious, but I still forgive you. Now is not the time to be petty -- and I hope Bunnymund remembers that when I roust the Groundhog from his hole." She looked once more at Pitch. "Don't you just hate it when things become so much bigger than you thought they would be?"
"Sure puts everything in perspective," Jack admitted.
"Promise me something?"
"Hm?"
A snowball dropped onto Jack's head, melting swiftly in the summer heat. "Don't forget who you are. Come whatever may."
Jack didn't bother to resist the chuckle welling up inside as he wiped the melt water from his eyes. "That's cheating."
Mother Nature's smile was sharp and not at all kind. "I've never seen the point in playing fair -- I'd much rather win. And if you don't stop pretending to be asleep, I'm going to hit you with lightning again."
Pitch gave up his pretense of slumber, instead sitting up so his back rested against the old oak tree while he looked around with feigned indifference. "A much nicer prison than my last one," he noted smoothly. "I wonder... what is it you want so badly from me, dear girl, that has lead to this?"
"Did you ever think maybe we just want to help?" Jack snapped.
"Don't waste your breath." Mother Nature produced the iron box that held Pitch's tooth, dropping it into his lap. "I'm going to give you a chance to save yourself... but only a chance. I don't know what you'll find in there -- possibly your own destruction -- but the choice is yours."
Pitch picked up the box, turning it over in his hands. "You still haven't told me why."
"I am Mother Nature. That is reason enough."
Pitch's lip curled up in a sneer. "Your cryptic tendencies aren't as cute as you seem to think they are."
Mother Nature said nothing, instead gesturing Jack to follow her into the ruins of the house. "Sandman will keep watch," she whispered. "It's up to him now."
They found North meticulously disassembling something that looked the unholy love child of a mini-van and a blender while Toothiana gave orders to her fairies, sending them after the precious teeth; her duty didn't stop just because some eldritch abomination was rising from the depths. "Engine is shot," North announced, wiping his hands on his trousers, "but Bunny says he recognizes model and can make replacement parts." He hummed thoughtfully as he ran a finger down one of the protruding blades, then let out a surprised yelp, sticking his injured digit into his mouth. "Not even sure what this is for, but Bunny was excited."
Mother Nature produced a handkerchief from one of her hidden pockets and proceeded to fuss over North's wound. "It was designed to bring down Dream Pirate ships, but when it's in proper working order, I'm sure it'll give an Abyssal pause. You see this right here? This would punch through the hull, and then -- depending on how you had it configured-"
Out in the garden, Pitch Black let out an unearthly wail. Mother Nature closed her eyes, her words trailing off as she clenched her hands into tight fists. Her fingernails dug into her palms until blood dripped onto the floor, and she almost jerked away from North when he put his arms around her. The fairies made distressed noises, zipping for cover, while Toothiana's feathers fluffed up and Jack bit back a groan of his own.
And still the wail went on.