Status: Now with a music video! (h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m / w a t c h ? v = c - t n J B 8 A W Q o) 'Angel With A Shotgun' by The Cab-RotG HTTYD OC Don't forget to take out the spaces!
Night's Fury
Chapter 4
Jack is very good at pretending.
I knew he wanted so badly to be seen, to be acknowledged, and that the constant failures hurt him more than any physical wound.
He rarely showed it, however, perhaps in a misguided attempt to protect me; as he is fond of saying, Jack is all snowballs and fun times.
Whenever I tried to broach the topic, he would find a way to distract me, either with a snowball to the face or a well-placed scratch that led to hours of play until I realized the trick.
After a couple of centuries, I stopped asking, but I did not stop worrying about him.
Cracks would show through the mask sometimes, and I would be there to hold him until they closed again.
It breaks my heart to know that I’m not always enough.
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The sun set with little fanfare as children were herded into their warm homes by attentive mothers, streetlights coming on to bathe the streets in soft light.
Laying near the edge of a rooftop, Jade overlooked the town of Burgess with a soft expression, tail swaying leisurely across the bricks.
Jack was pressed up against her side, dozing under the scaly protection of her wing, clinging to his staff like a child might their teddy bear.
Curling around him more securely, Jade checked that he was still sleeping before returning to her watch.
Scales rippling in unease, she huffed in aggravation at her own paranoia, ear horns twitching restlessly.
Hours after getting Jack to rest, she still could not fully dismiss the thought that someone had been watching her…
“What’s up with you?”
Turning her head, Jade cooed softly, as if asking the sleepy frost-boy what he meant.
“You’ve been really…twitchy.” He explained, more awake now. “Is something wrong?”
The Night Fury shook her head, pupils rounding out as if she realized the signs he was reading.
Jack smiled, rubbing her nose.
“You’re a horrible liar, you know that?”
Huffing softly, she pushed against his hand as a rebuke, tail flicking the air in false irritation.
“It’s the truth!” He defended, laughing, as the dragon smothered him with her version of tickling, all warm breath and soft gums.
The boy was breathless by the time Jade relented, one of her famous toothless smiles in place as Jack hugged himself to ease the pain of his laughter.
In a flash of magic, she was in peace-form, looking rather pleased with herself as she sat on the roof’s edge.
“You’re still…a horrible liar…” Jack choked out, forcing himself to sit up.
“Whatever you say.” She replied easily, echoing his earlier words with a smile.
The sky was dark and studded with stars now that the sun had set, and the moon rose up to take it’s place for the night.
Jack looked up as moonbeams reflected off the concrete, the last of his laughter fading away prematurely.
Smile dropping a notch or two, Jade followed his gaze up to the silver moon, shoulders slumping in defeat.
Her victories were only ever temporary, anyway…
Strips of gold floated down from the sky, twisting in elegant turns as they disappeared through bedroom windows to deliver good dreams.
Ear horns perking, Jade stood as the luminescent sand hovered in the streets, feeling strangely content.
“Right on time, Sandman…” Jack muttered, sounding relieved as he joined her on the edge.
Sneaking a peek through her peripheral, and noting the sadness still visible in those blue eyes, Jade knew that what he needed was some fun.
Her tail came around, bopping him upside the head, and Jack only had a moment to flinch in surprise before the dragon-girl took off with a laugh.
“Too slow, Jackie!”
A smile formed on Jack’s face as he jumped after her, momentarily forgetting his worries.
“I’ll get you for that!”
“Gonna have to catch me first, slowpoke!” She shouted back, twisting around the Sandman’s golden sand to avoid disrupting anyone’s dreams.
The wind whistled, trying to tug her off-balance, but Jade caught herself on a telephone pole, leaping into a tree before her pursuer caught up.
One did not play a game of keep-away with Jack Frost without learning how to deal with the wind.
The game could have, and likely would have, gone on well into the night had Jade not been distracted.
Movement out of her peripheral had the dragon-girl pausing in midair, ear horns twitching nervously as her instincts screamed.
Noticing this, Jack dropped the game immediately, scanning the streets intently.
“Jade?”
“I don’t know.” She admitted, night-sensitive eyes darting around in an attempt to find whatever had startled her. “Something just-”
A large shadow darted by on the left, and the two whipped around, on guard.
“Did that…” Jade finished in a whisper, heart racing as fire churned in her throat.
Grip tight on his staff, Jack followed the shadow’s trail with Jade not far behind, nervous for him.
They landed in an alley behind the local grocery store, and Jade’s tail whipped around as she tried to calm her racing heart.
“Hello, mate.”
The sudden voice startled both of them, and Jade barely swallowed back a fireball once she realized who it was standing in the shadows.
“Been a long time. Blizzard of ‘68, I believe…”
The Easter Bunny stepped into the light, looking none too pleased.
“Easter Sunday, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, you’re not still mad about that, are you?” Jack teased, dropping his guard with a smile.
“Yes.” The large rabbit answered bluntly, spinning a boomerang in one of his massive paws. “But this is about something else.”
Jade’s ear horn twitched, and she turned in surprise.
“JACK-!”
The yeti were quick to grab them before the element of surprise was gone, shoving both teenagers into a large red sack.
Roaring in outrage, Jade tried to spread her wings in an attempt to rip the sack open, but to no avail.
They were lifted with a jolt, and the pair ended up entangled within the sack as it was thrown through what must have been a portal.
Landing in a tangled heap on the other side, Jade huffed as she kicked the sack off, rolling upright and shaking her head to clear out the lingering dizziness.
“There he is! Jack Frost!”
Blinking innocently up at Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman, Jade looked towards Jack with an exasperated expression, ear horns pressed flat against her braided hair.
“What did you do?”
I knew he wanted so badly to be seen, to be acknowledged, and that the constant failures hurt him more than any physical wound.
He rarely showed it, however, perhaps in a misguided attempt to protect me; as he is fond of saying, Jack is all snowballs and fun times.
Whenever I tried to broach the topic, he would find a way to distract me, either with a snowball to the face or a well-placed scratch that led to hours of play until I realized the trick.
After a couple of centuries, I stopped asking, but I did not stop worrying about him.
Cracks would show through the mask sometimes, and I would be there to hold him until they closed again.
It breaks my heart to know that I’m not always enough.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The sun set with little fanfare as children were herded into their warm homes by attentive mothers, streetlights coming on to bathe the streets in soft light.
Laying near the edge of a rooftop, Jade overlooked the town of Burgess with a soft expression, tail swaying leisurely across the bricks.
Jack was pressed up against her side, dozing under the scaly protection of her wing, clinging to his staff like a child might their teddy bear.
Curling around him more securely, Jade checked that he was still sleeping before returning to her watch.
Scales rippling in unease, she huffed in aggravation at her own paranoia, ear horns twitching restlessly.
Hours after getting Jack to rest, she still could not fully dismiss the thought that someone had been watching her…
“What’s up with you?”
Turning her head, Jade cooed softly, as if asking the sleepy frost-boy what he meant.
“You’ve been really…twitchy.” He explained, more awake now. “Is something wrong?”
The Night Fury shook her head, pupils rounding out as if she realized the signs he was reading.
Jack smiled, rubbing her nose.
“You’re a horrible liar, you know that?”
Huffing softly, she pushed against his hand as a rebuke, tail flicking the air in false irritation.
“It’s the truth!” He defended, laughing, as the dragon smothered him with her version of tickling, all warm breath and soft gums.
The boy was breathless by the time Jade relented, one of her famous toothless smiles in place as Jack hugged himself to ease the pain of his laughter.
In a flash of magic, she was in peace-form, looking rather pleased with herself as she sat on the roof’s edge.
“You’re still…a horrible liar…” Jack choked out, forcing himself to sit up.
“Whatever you say.” She replied easily, echoing his earlier words with a smile.
The sky was dark and studded with stars now that the sun had set, and the moon rose up to take it’s place for the night.
Jack looked up as moonbeams reflected off the concrete, the last of his laughter fading away prematurely.
Smile dropping a notch or two, Jade followed his gaze up to the silver moon, shoulders slumping in defeat.
Her victories were only ever temporary, anyway…
Strips of gold floated down from the sky, twisting in elegant turns as they disappeared through bedroom windows to deliver good dreams.
Ear horns perking, Jade stood as the luminescent sand hovered in the streets, feeling strangely content.
“Right on time, Sandman…” Jack muttered, sounding relieved as he joined her on the edge.
Sneaking a peek through her peripheral, and noting the sadness still visible in those blue eyes, Jade knew that what he needed was some fun.
Her tail came around, bopping him upside the head, and Jack only had a moment to flinch in surprise before the dragon-girl took off with a laugh.
“Too slow, Jackie!”
A smile formed on Jack’s face as he jumped after her, momentarily forgetting his worries.
“I’ll get you for that!”
“Gonna have to catch me first, slowpoke!” She shouted back, twisting around the Sandman’s golden sand to avoid disrupting anyone’s dreams.
The wind whistled, trying to tug her off-balance, but Jade caught herself on a telephone pole, leaping into a tree before her pursuer caught up.
One did not play a game of keep-away with Jack Frost without learning how to deal with the wind.
The game could have, and likely would have, gone on well into the night had Jade not been distracted.
Movement out of her peripheral had the dragon-girl pausing in midair, ear horns twitching nervously as her instincts screamed.
Noticing this, Jack dropped the game immediately, scanning the streets intently.
“Jade?”
“I don’t know.” She admitted, night-sensitive eyes darting around in an attempt to find whatever had startled her. “Something just-”
A large shadow darted by on the left, and the two whipped around, on guard.
“Did that…” Jade finished in a whisper, heart racing as fire churned in her throat.
Grip tight on his staff, Jack followed the shadow’s trail with Jade not far behind, nervous for him.
They landed in an alley behind the local grocery store, and Jade’s tail whipped around as she tried to calm her racing heart.
“Hello, mate.”
The sudden voice startled both of them, and Jade barely swallowed back a fireball once she realized who it was standing in the shadows.
“Been a long time. Blizzard of ‘68, I believe…”
The Easter Bunny stepped into the light, looking none too pleased.
“Easter Sunday, wasn’t it?”
“Oh, you’re not still mad about that, are you?” Jack teased, dropping his guard with a smile.
“Yes.” The large rabbit answered bluntly, spinning a boomerang in one of his massive paws. “But this is about something else.”
Jade’s ear horn twitched, and she turned in surprise.
“JACK-!”
The yeti were quick to grab them before the element of surprise was gone, shoving both teenagers into a large red sack.
Roaring in outrage, Jade tried to spread her wings in an attempt to rip the sack open, but to no avail.
They were lifted with a jolt, and the pair ended up entangled within the sack as it was thrown through what must have been a portal.
Landing in a tangled heap on the other side, Jade huffed as she kicked the sack off, rolling upright and shaking her head to clear out the lingering dizziness.
“There he is! Jack Frost!”
Blinking innocently up at Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman, Jade looked towards Jack with an exasperated expression, ear horns pressed flat against her braided hair.
“What did you do?”