The Mini-Guardians 19
Nicholas: Modest Mussorgsky! We apologize for not having anything for long time.
Bunnymund: our mun is working a lot right now. Two jobs at two different companies, and literally no full days off.
Tooth: But she is still doing things when she can. She still has stories to tell and pictures to draw. And this is one of them.
Bunnymund: Strange Changes
Tooth: Or, The Downsides to Being Part Bird.
Tooth cried in her bedroom. Fairies rushed about, trying to make her feel better. The flying elephants kept telling her it was natural, that it would be over soon. But she wanted it over as soon as possible.
She wanted to hide it.
And she knew one person with clothes.
When the elephants weren't paying attention to her, she swore her mini-fairies to secrecy not to tell them that she had vanished.
"Keep your eyes up." North said, sword fighting with his son. "Use one hand, son. It helps movement." Nicholas did his best to obey. It was hard to get used to, but he started to succeed at it. But the sword in his hand felt so heavy.
"Good, good." His father said, "But," he twisted his sword around and knocked Nicholas's sword out of his grip, "you need to keep a firm grip on it. Good practice Nicholas."
"Thank you papa." Nicholas said he was pat on the shoulder. He picked up the sword and handed it back to his papa. Then he went to his tent. With a sigh, he let himself fall back onto his cot.
He heard something under his cot. He sat up slowly, jumped off of his cot, and walked back from it.
"Who's there? I'll kill you before you can call for help!" He said. A figure that wore his coat and his cap flew out from under the cot and covered his mouth.
"No Nicholas, please don't! I just need to borrow your clothes!" Tooth said. Nicholas backed away and pulled her hand off of his mouth.
"Tooth? What are you doing here during the day?" He asked
"I..." She started, looking at the ground, "I have a problem. The elephants and other birds say that it's supposed to be normal, but... It doesn't feel normal. And I wanted to ask you for help with it."
"Uh..." Nicholas said, unsure of where this was going. "What... Is wrong?" Tooth turned around and opened the coat lightly.
"Okay, don't panic. Just don't scream." Tooth said, she took a breath and turned around.
"Whoa!" Nicholas said, surprised at the sight.
He had seen birds molting. It was not a pretty sight. But Tooth molting, it was another level of weird, gross, and yet kinda fascinating all at the same time. Some patches of skin showed here and there, with full grown feathers and gray down scattered over various parts of her body.
"You're molting." He said
"I know. And I'm hideous!" Tooth said with a cry. Nicholas covered her mouth.
"Ssh!" Nicholas said, trying to calm her down. "Why did you come to me first? I can't help you." He took his hands away.
"You can cover me up. Nobody should ever have to see me like this." She said
"But hiding it doesn't fix it. You need somebody to help you. Bunnymund is-" Nicholas started
"NO!" Tooth shrieked, "He must never see me like this!"
"Be quiet!" Nicholas said
"Nicholas?" He heard a bandit ask. Nicholas quickly shoved Tooth toward his cot.
"Under! And not a word!" He whispered harshly. As soon as she was beneath it, Nicholas sat on top of it.
The bandit looked inside.
"I heard a girl." He said. Nicholas looked around his tent and shrugged.
"You heard wrong." He said with a smile. The bandit looked at him suspiciously, before leaving the boy to his own doings.
Nicholas listened for the sound of retreating footsteps.
"He's gone now." Nicholas said
"I can't let him see me like this." Tooth said. Nicholas climbed off his bed and under his cot.
"But he could help you more than me." He said
"Can we ask Sandy for help first? Before Bunny?" Tooth asked
"Fine." North sighed, standing up.
"Oh, thank you Nicholas!" Tooth said, climbing out from under the cot. "Follow me!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him along with her. Nicholas wanted to complain, but for some reason, he couldn't find it in him to do so. They ran through the campsite, being careful to avoid bandits and out to the forest.
"This should be far enough." Tooth said
"I can't see my campsite." Nicholas said. He sat down, his back leaning against a tree. Tooth pulled up the necklace she wore. He didn't see her where it often, but it was a ruby in an arrow shape.
"Sandy, I wish you were here." She said. She sat down next to Nicholas, her hand falling on top of his. Nicholas smiled at her. She lifted his chin to pull him closer, looking at his teeth.
"That tooth is growing in very nicely." She said
"Thank you?" Nicholas replied, unsure of how to respond to the comment. They sat in silence, waiting for Sandy's arrival. A stream of golden sand flew down to the ground. The friends looked up and saw the small boy slowly floating down to them.
"Hello!" appeared over his head as he smiled and waved.
"Sandy!" Tooth said before hugging him. "I have a problem, and I hope you can help."
A question mark appeared over his head. It instantly became an exclamation point when Tooth showed him her problem. He was so surprised, he jumped behind Nicholas to hide.
"Don't be like that!" Tooth said, covering herself up again. Nicholas let out a laugh.
"She's molting. It's natural." Nicholas explained. Sandy shook his head.
"Please, I need help." Tooth said
An image of Bunnymund appeared in his sand.
"No!" Tooth said, clawing at the image until it was gone. "I don't want to ask him! Some of the birds say that a dirt bath helps them. Maybe a sand bath would be good too."
Sandy looked at Nicholas, an uncomfortable look on his face.
"May as well try it." He said with a shrug. Sandy looked down at the ground. He floated up over Tooth and opened his pouch. She quickly took off her clothes. She looked up at him.
He took in a deep breath and held it, and also covered his face. She did the same before he dumped his sand on her.
"Woo." Tooth said, fluttering her wings. Some sand flew over to Nicholas. When it hit him, he spun around with a smile before collapsing on the ground, fast asleep. Sandy floated down to him, and turned away from Tooth.
Tooth rubbed the sand over her, making sure it rubbed at her skin. It felt pretty good. But after a time it made her skin more itchy.
"This isn't working!" She jumped. She jumped out of the sand pile and into her coat. Sandy turned around. He opened his pouch and his sand flew into it, leaving behind gray down feathers on the ground. Tooth scratched at herself.
The image of Bunnymund over Sandy's head was bigger than before. Sandy pointed up at it, a serious look on his face.
"But I don't want him to see me like this." She said. Sandy nodded his head and waved his hand, as if to say "and your point?"
"Maybe there's something in the Warren." She said. Sandy pinched Nicholas' arm. He sat up.
"I'm awake. I'm... Did it work?" He asked
"We need to go to the Warren." Tooth admitted sadly.
"The tunnel is this way." Nicholas said, leading them to a tunnel. They crawled through.
"We're here." Tooth announced after all their crawling. They entered the Warren, with Tooth still scratching at herself.
"Bu-!" Nicholas started to yell, before Tooth quickly covered his mouth.
"No! Not a word! We can find something here that will help without him!" Tooth said. Nicholas rolled his eyes. He pulled her hands off of his face. She gave him a look begging him not to say anything.
"Fine!" He sighed. He dropped Tooth's hands and began pacing back and forth in thought. He stopped, holding up one finger, a smile on his face.
"I know!" He said, "There is waterfall in Warren. Perhaps it helps you."
"Lead the way then!" Tooth said, happy to have help. Nicholas pointed in the direction and waved his arm in front of him.
"Ladies first." He said. Tooth giggled and fluttered ahead of him. Nicholas grabbed Sandy's collar and pulled him close.
"Sandy, find Bunny. Try to bring him here." He whispered. Sandy quickly nodded his head. He gave Nicholas a stern salute. They parted ways as Nicholas hurried to catch up with Tooth and lead the way.
"Where's Sandy?" Tooth asked
"He's taking nap." Nicholas answered nonchalantly.
The young Mansnoozie scoured the Warren for a sign of the pooka. He even checked his lab. He floated through the vine curtain that hung over the opening and paused in thought. An exclamation point popped up over his head when he realized he hadn't checked his burrow. He then slapped his forehead after realizing the fact.
"Here it is." Nicholas said. He glanced back at Tooth, who stroked a white egg calmly. She reached her free hand in the falling water, then pulled it back.
"It feels cold." She said. She looked around the area. "And it's so open here, I don't want anybody to see me like this." Nicholas groaned. He pulled his coat off of her then scurried behind the waterfall.
"Nicholas! That's not funny!" Tooth yelled flying into the waterfall. "Woo hoo! That's cold! But... It does feel good." She landed on the rocks beneath the falling water and let herself get entirely wet. The water also helped to pull more down out, and it didn't hurt.
Sandy gently knocked on the edge of the burrow.
"Yes? Who's there?" Came a female voice. Sandy made a small sand image of himself and sent it into the burrow.
"Oh, you're one of my son's friends. Well, if you wanna talk, you're going to have to come in here. I'm not in the state to do a lot of movement." She replied. Sandy floated further into the burrow and landed before a tan furred pooka with bright green eyes, who held a squirming gray pooka in her paws.
"You're probably wondering where he is, right?" She asked. Sandy nodded his head. "If he isn't here, he might be in his sanctum." A question mark formed. "Oh, take tunnel 221. Then tap your foot two times on the ground when you arrive. That should take you to him." Sandy nodded his head. He quickly floated out of the burrow and hurried down the correct tunnel.
Tunnel 221 led him to an island that had strange giant statues of heads on them. Right, he had to tap his foot twice on the ground.
Tap tap!
Nothing happened. Something should have happened. Sandy closed his eyes. He focused on the pooka he was looking for, the one who should be here. E. Aster Bunnymund.
Tap tap!
Then the ground shuddered slightly. Rabbit ears grew from the tops of the giant heads, and they turned to look at him. Sandy swallowed the growing lump in his throat before the ground gave way beneath him.
"Feeling better?" Nicholas asked
"Feeling cold." Tooth went behind the waterfall where Nicholas waited. His eyes grew wide at the sight. She had more bare patches. Those patches were slowly turning red as she started to scratch them. Nicholas felt a little faint from the sight. He didn't even notice Tooth snatch his coat from his hands and pulling it on. Nicholas shook the daze from his head.
"Maybe we can find something else." He suggested
"I hope so." Tooth said, crossing her arms.
Nicholas led the way away from the waterfall. Unsure of where to go, he skimmed the further edges of the Warren, passing egg shaped tunnels both large and small, numbers scrawled over them. The two entered a warm glen, a pool of water resting in the center of it, steam rising from it.
"Hot spring! These are good! Get in." He said. Tooth slipped the coat off and hovered over it. She dipped her foot in. The water felt hot. She slowly lowered herself into it.
"This feels great." She said, relaxing. Nicholas sat on the edge, dipping his hand in the water to feel it's heat. He felt nervous when he couldn't see the bottom though.
"Not going to join me?" Tooth asked
"Um, no." He said with a smile.
Sandy finally came to a stop at the bottom of the strange tunnel. He quickly stood when small egg approached him. They were larger than the eggs back in the warren, but smaller than the sentinel eggs. They also had arms that they used to hold strange little weapons. A cranking sound echoed around the room as more and more eggs gathered.
"Ugh, what? What's wrong?" Came a familiar voice. One of the "warrior eggs" was pulling a tired, and slightly tan, Bunnymund into the room. Sandy smiled and waved his arms. He started to float into the air before a couple warrior eggs grabbed his feet.
"Wha, Sandy?" Bunnymund asked. He started pushing the warrior eggs off, but they kept trying to pull him down.
"Oi stop!" Bunnymund yelled, pushing through his eggs. Sandy stopped. He was tackled to the ground from behind by another egg. All of them swarmed over him.
"I said stop!" Bunnymund yelled, pulling the eggs off his friend. Sandy suddenly floated up and tackled him in a tight hug. The pooka walked backwards a few steps, Sandy still clinging to him.
"Easy Sandy, just let go. Sandy, come on." Bunnymund said, trying to pull Sandy off of him. Sandy looked up at him and released him. He rubbed his eyes.
"Mate, are you crying?" He asked. Sandy quickly shook his head. "What are you doing here?" An image of Tooth appeared over his head, feathers falling off.
"Tooth? What's wrong with her?" Bunnymund asked, the urgency in his voice rising. Feathers fell over Sandy's head.
"Uh, she's losing feathers? She's, she's molting?" Bunnymund asked. Sandy nodded his head. "Hm, I think I have something for that. Follow me." Bunnymund led the way into his secret sanctum. Sandy followed behind, but stopped upon seeing the great machinery in the main room.
"Nice, eh? The lab in the Warren is good for little things, but when it comes to really making chocolate, this is my second home. It even has my egg collection." Bunnymund said, holding his arms out. An egg and question mark appeared over Sandy's head. "I'll show you another time. But chocolate isn't the only thing I make here."
He led his friend further into a lab section of the sanctum, with shelves of bottle and books sitting next to each other, reaching up to the ceiling. Bunnymund whistled, a tall ladder rolled over to him. He pulled it to lean on the bottle case and proceeded to climb up it. Sandy crafted a cloud of sand and floated up along side Bunnymund.
"Let's see. Cure for hornet stings... Fast acting burn salve... Wait, what's my experimental egg bomb doing up here? Ugh, I need to organize more often." He dropped the egg. It exploded in a colorful burst of smoke beneath them. "Ah ha! Found it. This should help Tooth."
Tooth sighed, just enjoying the warmth of the spring. Nicholas picked up a stick and started sketching pictures in the dirt. He occasionally looked up and smiled at Tooth.
"This isn't fun without somebody to swim with me." She said
"That's fine." Nicholas said, not paying much attention to her. She got out of the water, shaking off the chill she felt.
"It's alright to admit you can't swim." She said "If you want I can help you learn."
"What? I don't need learn how to swim!" Nicholas said loudly. Tooth smirked, her hands on her hips. She grabbed Nicholas around the waist and let herself fall back. He yelled and waved his arms before they fell into the water. Nicholas' cap floated on the water. Nicholas emerged, standing up. It wasn't as deep as he thought. The water only went up to his shoulders.
"Oh." He said. Tooth giggled, swimming to the edge. Nicholas smirked and splashed her. She gasped and splashed him back, starting a splash war between them both. It was fun.
"Oh Sandy, you must have woken from your nap!" Tooth said, noticing Sandy float into the glen behind Nocholas. He turned around in time to see Bunnymund, clothed and tan furred, come in as well.
"What is he doing here?" Tooth asked. Sinking down slightly in the water.
"Why the color fur?" Nicholas asked
"I need to get chocolate powder off of me. This stuff can stain if it sits too long." Bunnymund answered before turning his attention to Tooth. "And Sandy told me about what's wrong with you. I have something that ca-"
"What? How, how could you!" She said to Sandy. She climbed out of the water and flew out of the glen. Bunnymund padded after her. Tooth hid in a tunnel entrance, crying into her hands. Bunnymund slowly approached.
"Tooth? Toothy?" He asked
"Leave me alone, Bunny. I'm hideous." She said. Bunnymund moved closer and sat next to her.
"This place is seen as the birthplace of spring." Bunnymund said, "And I've seen a lot of birds go through what you're going through. I think... It's one of the most beautiful phases of their lives."
"What do you mean?" She asked
"I think birds are beautiful even when they have down. But when a bird starts molting, it means they're going to get beautiful feathers soon. " Bunnymund explained, "I think... That you're beautiful.... Before the molting, and even now.... And I know after this is over, you will be as beautiful as the Warren here."
"Really?" She asked. He nodded at her.
"Want to go back to the glen?" He asked. She shook her head. "Do you want to go home then?" She nodded her head. "Alright then. But first," he reached into the egg shaped pouch around his waist and pulled out a large jar. "Here. This should help the redness and itchiness." She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before flying further into the tunnel to fly back home.