Autumna Lux
Chapter 3
As soon as North gives the order, Phil obliges.
The Northern Lights appear in the sky, and North paces around the globe in the workshop as he waits. The other guardians shouldn’t take very long to arrive; they never did when they notice the lights.
The message plays in his mind, and he can’t focus on anything else. Worry courses through him and it’s obvious. The yetis stop their toy-making to observe North; he doesn’t seem to notice.
North steps around some elves as they run around him. He ignored a plate of cookies one of the elves offered and kept his attention on both the moon and the globe in the center of the workshop. So far, it appears to be fine.
Still, the message troubles him and he can’t allow himself to miss any signs of his enemy’s return.
The thought of the last battle with Pitch comes to his mind, and it’s as if everyone else in the workshop can tell what he’s thinking. Yetis and elves shy away from North and huddle together. North stops his pacing and reassures them that, for now, they’re alright. It hardly seems to help, but they start going back to what they were doing before.
The workshop becomes an eerie quiet and only the sound of North’s pacing could be heard. An anxious mood falls over the room and the yetis and elves wait in anticipation for the other guardians to arrive.
A soft yellow glow catches his attention and North looks up to see the Sandman arriving through the moonroof.
“Welcome, Sandy,” North greets him.
Sandman notices the man’s demeanor and his lack of joy. He catches North’s attention and images flash over his head.
“It’s of utmost importance, Sandy. When Tooth and Bunny get here, you’ll understand.”
Sandy looks at his friend with curiosity and stays next to a group of elves as they wait for the others to arrive. North continues to pace until Tooth and Bunnymund arrive. When they do, he’s so lost in thought that he hardly notices.
“North!”
The man looks up and sees Bunny staring at them. Tooth and Sandy are by his sides and looking at him expectantly. He doesn’t notice that there’s only four guardians there.
“Good, you’re all here.”
“What about Jack?” Tooth asks.
“We’ll tell him later.”
He turns to look at the moon but Tooth catches his ear.
“But the guardians can’t meet if all the guardians aren’t present.”
“This is too important! Manny has message for us.”
The other guardians stop and look up at the moon, which is shining bright. When they look, it seems to shine brighter. The crystal rises and the moon shines on it. The workshop is silent as the man in the moon relays his message.
Above the crystal, an image of Pitch appears. In unspoken communication, they all know what he’s saying:
Pitch is returning.
North keeps his gaze on the crystal while the other guardians glance at one another.
Bunny asks the question that’s on everyone’s mind.
“How can that be?”
“We defeated Pitch a few years ago! He can’t be returning already!” Tooth protests.
Sandman nods in agreement.
“I don’t know,” North answers.
They turn back to the crystal. The unspoken language continues in their minds.
Pitch’s anger fuels him everyday. It gives him enough strength to recover from his last defeat and plot his revenge.
North strokes his beard and turns away, lost in thought. The other guardians ask the question that’s on North’s mind.
“So what do we do?”
“What we always do: we fight off Pitch and we protect the children of the world.”
“And how do we do that when we don’t know where Pitch is or when he’ll strike?” Bunny asks.
“I don’t know, my friend. But we must be on high alert; the children of the world need us more than ever. We’ve defeated him before. We’ll do it again.”
The moon shines brighter, and the guardians turn to the moon and the crystal again. Images of the last time they’d fought Pitch appear. North manages a slight smile, and so do the others. It appears as if the man in the moon is agreeing with what North said.
Then the images change. It shows Pitch alone. The guardians are above him, and it seems to be showing when they put Pitch away.
The image of Pitch changes. His eyes open and a sinister smile appears on his face. For a second it feels like he’s watching them. The yetis and elves turn away from the crystal.
“He’ll attack any day now,” North mumbles.
“Good thing we’ll be ready for him, then,” Bunny says.
“Look!”
Tooth points to the crystal, and the image of Pitch is gone. In its place is a bright glow, one they’ve seen a few times before. They all realize what’s happening, and North voices what they’re thinking.
“Manny’s choosing a new guardian.”
The Northern Lights appear in the sky, and North paces around the globe in the workshop as he waits. The other guardians shouldn’t take very long to arrive; they never did when they notice the lights.
The message plays in his mind, and he can’t focus on anything else. Worry courses through him and it’s obvious. The yetis stop their toy-making to observe North; he doesn’t seem to notice.
North steps around some elves as they run around him. He ignored a plate of cookies one of the elves offered and kept his attention on both the moon and the globe in the center of the workshop. So far, it appears to be fine.
Still, the message troubles him and he can’t allow himself to miss any signs of his enemy’s return.
The thought of the last battle with Pitch comes to his mind, and it’s as if everyone else in the workshop can tell what he’s thinking. Yetis and elves shy away from North and huddle together. North stops his pacing and reassures them that, for now, they’re alright. It hardly seems to help, but they start going back to what they were doing before.
The workshop becomes an eerie quiet and only the sound of North’s pacing could be heard. An anxious mood falls over the room and the yetis and elves wait in anticipation for the other guardians to arrive.
A soft yellow glow catches his attention and North looks up to see the Sandman arriving through the moonroof.
“Welcome, Sandy,” North greets him.
Sandman notices the man’s demeanor and his lack of joy. He catches North’s attention and images flash over his head.
“It’s of utmost importance, Sandy. When Tooth and Bunny get here, you’ll understand.”
Sandy looks at his friend with curiosity and stays next to a group of elves as they wait for the others to arrive. North continues to pace until Tooth and Bunnymund arrive. When they do, he’s so lost in thought that he hardly notices.
“North!”
The man looks up and sees Bunny staring at them. Tooth and Sandy are by his sides and looking at him expectantly. He doesn’t notice that there’s only four guardians there.
“Good, you’re all here.”
“What about Jack?” Tooth asks.
“We’ll tell him later.”
He turns to look at the moon but Tooth catches his ear.
“But the guardians can’t meet if all the guardians aren’t present.”
“This is too important! Manny has message for us.”
The other guardians stop and look up at the moon, which is shining bright. When they look, it seems to shine brighter. The crystal rises and the moon shines on it. The workshop is silent as the man in the moon relays his message.
Above the crystal, an image of Pitch appears. In unspoken communication, they all know what he’s saying:
Pitch is returning.
North keeps his gaze on the crystal while the other guardians glance at one another.
Bunny asks the question that’s on everyone’s mind.
“How can that be?”
“We defeated Pitch a few years ago! He can’t be returning already!” Tooth protests.
Sandman nods in agreement.
“I don’t know,” North answers.
They turn back to the crystal. The unspoken language continues in their minds.
Pitch’s anger fuels him everyday. It gives him enough strength to recover from his last defeat and plot his revenge.
North strokes his beard and turns away, lost in thought. The other guardians ask the question that’s on North’s mind.
“So what do we do?”
“What we always do: we fight off Pitch and we protect the children of the world.”
“And how do we do that when we don’t know where Pitch is or when he’ll strike?” Bunny asks.
“I don’t know, my friend. But we must be on high alert; the children of the world need us more than ever. We’ve defeated him before. We’ll do it again.”
The moon shines brighter, and the guardians turn to the moon and the crystal again. Images of the last time they’d fought Pitch appear. North manages a slight smile, and so do the others. It appears as if the man in the moon is agreeing with what North said.
Then the images change. It shows Pitch alone. The guardians are above him, and it seems to be showing when they put Pitch away.
The image of Pitch changes. His eyes open and a sinister smile appears on his face. For a second it feels like he’s watching them. The yetis and elves turn away from the crystal.
“He’ll attack any day now,” North mumbles.
“Good thing we’ll be ready for him, then,” Bunny says.
“Look!”
Tooth points to the crystal, and the image of Pitch is gone. In its place is a bright glow, one they’ve seen a few times before. They all realize what’s happening, and North voices what they’re thinking.
“Manny’s choosing a new guardian.”