Autumna Lux
Chapter 4
The guardians gather around the crystal and watch on anxiously as the form of the newest guardian appears. The yetis and elves watch from the edges of the room and the workshop fills with a hopeful silence.
North, Tooth, and Sandy keep their gazes on the crystal, while Bunny closes his eyes and whispers something about the groundhog.
Minutes pass, but they feel like hours. The image slowly starts to form, and the guardians expect the man in the moon to pick anyone to help them. After what feels like forever, the image is complete, and they look on with curiosity.
“It’s another fairy!” Tooth’s wings flutter faster with excitement and grin rests on her face.
“I don’t recognize her,” North says, and Sandy nods in agreement.
“As long as she isn’t like Jack, I don’t have any objections.” Bunny looks at the image. “So how do we find her?”
They look at the image. The girl has butterfly-type fairy wings and is wearing a flannel shirt with rolled up sleeves, a knee-high skirt, and boots. Nothing to identify who she is or what she does.
“I wonder what her name is,” Tooth says, voicing what everyone else is thinking.
Her name is Autumna Lux. She goes by Autumn.
The guardians glance up at the moon when he gives them the answer and then back at the image.
“She turns summer into fall, the way Jack does with winter,” Tooth puts together.
North nods and strokes his beard.
“Maybe Jack will know where to find her. Northern Lights, Phil!”
Phil jumps a bit at the call of his name but complies, pressing the button. The Northern Lights appear in the sky a second later. He keeps them up for longer to make sure that Jack sees the lights this time.
“Now we wait.”
North turns away from the crystal and stares at the globe. He walks around the room and inspects it for any shadows or nightmare sand. So far there’s none. The lights, all representing children, or still lit up.
In the background, Sandy and Tooth get back to work. Sandman summons his dream-sand and sends them out to the sleeping children, and Tooth gives locations to her fairies. They fly out, and more fly in to take their place and receive orders.
Bunny, meanwhile, leans against a while and plays with his boomerang. Some elves offer him a plate of cookies and he shakes his head. He also keeps glancing at the globe to see if there’s any shadows appearing. He and North did have a rivalry when it came to their holidays, but when the children were concerned, they could see eye to eye.
It doesn’t take too long before Jack arrives at the Pole, a gust of cold wind accompanying him. He lands and the Northern Lights disappear. The image above the crystal catches his attention and he glances at the others.
“What’s going on?”
North turns to Jack when he hears his voice and walks over. Bunny looks over and Sandy and Tooth stop working, joining the others.
“Pitch is returning.”
Silence falls over the workshop again. Jack looks up at North with confusion.
“But we—”
“Manny says he’s coming back, stronger and angrier than before. He’s never been wrong.”
Jack grips his staff a bit tighter and looks at the image over the crystal. He recognizes Autumn and realizes what it means.
“The man in the moon made Autumn a guardian?”
“So you know her!” Tooth smiles.
“We met a few days ago.”
“Where do we find her?”
“In Burgess, by the—”
“Phil! Take a friend and bring Autumn back here,” North orders.
Phil grabs a sack and a globe, motioning to the closest yeti. They didn’t waste any time and made a portal to Burgess. A second later they were gone.
“Are you sure bringing Autumn here in a sack is a good idea?” Jack asks North.
“Why not?”
Jack raises his eyebrows.
“Won’t she be scared when she’s randomly shoved into a sack?”
North looks at Jack for a second as it sets in. Then he shrugs it off.
“Too late now. I’ll tell them next time.”
North turns back to the globe and Jack stays near Sandy and Tooth. He caught up with them, even though they’d only seen each other a few days prior. It doesn’t take long for the yetis to arrive. They threw the sack in first, so Autumn hits the floor of the workshop.
Jack flies over and helps Autumn off of the floor, pulling the sack off of her. She rubs her arm and looks around the room. Her eyes land on the others and she takes a small step back, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.
“They’re the—”
“The guardians,” Jack finishes.
“Autumn,” North greets and she stands up a little straighter, after getting over her initial surprise.
“You are here because man in moon made you a guardian!”
Her eyes widen and she looks between them and Jack.
“What?”
North, Tooth, and Sandy keep their gazes on the crystal, while Bunny closes his eyes and whispers something about the groundhog.
Minutes pass, but they feel like hours. The image slowly starts to form, and the guardians expect the man in the moon to pick anyone to help them. After what feels like forever, the image is complete, and they look on with curiosity.
“It’s another fairy!” Tooth’s wings flutter faster with excitement and grin rests on her face.
“I don’t recognize her,” North says, and Sandy nods in agreement.
“As long as she isn’t like Jack, I don’t have any objections.” Bunny looks at the image. “So how do we find her?”
They look at the image. The girl has butterfly-type fairy wings and is wearing a flannel shirt with rolled up sleeves, a knee-high skirt, and boots. Nothing to identify who she is or what she does.
“I wonder what her name is,” Tooth says, voicing what everyone else is thinking.
Her name is Autumna Lux. She goes by Autumn.
The guardians glance up at the moon when he gives them the answer and then back at the image.
“She turns summer into fall, the way Jack does with winter,” Tooth puts together.
North nods and strokes his beard.
“Maybe Jack will know where to find her. Northern Lights, Phil!”
Phil jumps a bit at the call of his name but complies, pressing the button. The Northern Lights appear in the sky a second later. He keeps them up for longer to make sure that Jack sees the lights this time.
“Now we wait.”
North turns away from the crystal and stares at the globe. He walks around the room and inspects it for any shadows or nightmare sand. So far there’s none. The lights, all representing children, or still lit up.
In the background, Sandy and Tooth get back to work. Sandman summons his dream-sand and sends them out to the sleeping children, and Tooth gives locations to her fairies. They fly out, and more fly in to take their place and receive orders.
Bunny, meanwhile, leans against a while and plays with his boomerang. Some elves offer him a plate of cookies and he shakes his head. He also keeps glancing at the globe to see if there’s any shadows appearing. He and North did have a rivalry when it came to their holidays, but when the children were concerned, they could see eye to eye.
It doesn’t take too long before Jack arrives at the Pole, a gust of cold wind accompanying him. He lands and the Northern Lights disappear. The image above the crystal catches his attention and he glances at the others.
“What’s going on?”
North turns to Jack when he hears his voice and walks over. Bunny looks over and Sandy and Tooth stop working, joining the others.
“Pitch is returning.”
Silence falls over the workshop again. Jack looks up at North with confusion.
“But we—”
“Manny says he’s coming back, stronger and angrier than before. He’s never been wrong.”
Jack grips his staff a bit tighter and looks at the image over the crystal. He recognizes Autumn and realizes what it means.
“The man in the moon made Autumn a guardian?”
“So you know her!” Tooth smiles.
“We met a few days ago.”
“Where do we find her?”
“In Burgess, by the—”
“Phil! Take a friend and bring Autumn back here,” North orders.
Phil grabs a sack and a globe, motioning to the closest yeti. They didn’t waste any time and made a portal to Burgess. A second later they were gone.
“Are you sure bringing Autumn here in a sack is a good idea?” Jack asks North.
“Why not?”
Jack raises his eyebrows.
“Won’t she be scared when she’s randomly shoved into a sack?”
North looks at Jack for a second as it sets in. Then he shrugs it off.
“Too late now. I’ll tell them next time.”
North turns back to the globe and Jack stays near Sandy and Tooth. He caught up with them, even though they’d only seen each other a few days prior. It doesn’t take long for the yetis to arrive. They threw the sack in first, so Autumn hits the floor of the workshop.
Jack flies over and helps Autumn off of the floor, pulling the sack off of her. She rubs her arm and looks around the room. Her eyes land on the others and she takes a small step back, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.
“They’re the—”
“The guardians,” Jack finishes.
“Autumn,” North greets and she stands up a little straighter, after getting over her initial surprise.
“You are here because man in moon made you a guardian!”
Her eyes widen and she looks between them and Jack.
“What?”