Behind the Waterfall

"What do you mean 'you don't know'? You've met her before, haven't you?" Jack replied incredulously, looking at each of the Guardians in turn. All of them shook their heads except for Bunny, who looked away uncomfortably and rubbed the back of his furry neck.

"I mean, I've met her and everything- I've never seen where she lives, though," he admitted. Jack sighed heavily and ran a hand over his face. Bunny hopped forward, waving his paws. "She did mention that she lived behind a famous waterfall; that's all I can tell you."

"What are we going to do?" Jack frowned, and North suddenly burst into laughter. Jack was immensely confused as the giant man walked up and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "What's so funny?"

"Not 'we'- you. You are fastest, so you need to find Mother Nature. We will track down Pitch," he replied. Jack's mouth fell open as the mighty task was ungraciously thrown on his shoulders, but North merely gestured to the other Guardians and threw one of his snowglobes to open a portal. Jack hurriedly stepped forward.

"Wait! Why do I need to find her right now?" he protested. Tooth looked around nervously, then fluttered over to him.

"Mother Nature is the one that makes spring come, and is responsible for the growth of all life. If it's true that Pitch plans to take away life, then he will surely go after her. If he finds her before we do... then no more spring. The cycle of seasons will end, and the world will be placed in an eternal winter. The children will suffer, and Pitch will rule with darkness forever," she explained. When she was finished, she flew into the portal after the other Guardians, and then the dimensional hole collapsed. Jack was left alone with Jamie.

"I'm confused," he frowned, glancing up at Jack.

"Me too, bud," Jack sighed, then grabbed the boy and took off on the winds.

After dropping Jamie off at his home in Burgess, Jack flew from waterfall to waterfall, scouring behind them for any sort of crevasse or cave. He had tried several and was quite aggravated by the time he had arrived at Angel Falls, deep in the heart of Venezuela. He walked along the jungle ground, tracing ice patterns in the dirt and muttering to himself about his misfortune. He then came to the waterfall, a mighty torrent of cascading water, and flew to its edge. He ducked being the current, walking along a worn stone path until he came to a thick patch of vines. He then threw up his arms in exasperation, flung himself against the vines, and fell through the entrance that they had been concealing.

"Oh. Found it!" he huffed as he hurriedly jumped to his feet. The cave was extremely dark, so Jack held his staff defensively as he slowly made his way down the passageway. After a while, he spotted soft light in the distance, and gladly rushed toward it and through the exit. His mouth fell open as he arrived in the next chamber, for it was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

The massive cave was teeming with plant and animal life; towering trees extended their branches to the roof of the cave, and were covered with all sorts of mosses and vines. Birds chittered in their leaves, and Jack could even spot monkeys swinging in the branches and eating some of the bright fruits that grew. The forest floor was smothered with ferns, bushes, and flowers. Jack smiled as a butterfly fluttered past his face and onto a bright red rose to sample its nectar; a squirrel, with acorn in hand, darted past his feet and scaled one of the massive trees, disappearing into the greenery. Jack marveled all of this as he walked through the hidden hideaway. As he arrived to the middle of the cave, he arrived at a small clearing where a homely little cottage was settled, and he rejoiced that he had stumbled across Mother Nature's home at last. He walked a few feet, then jumped back as an arrow landed at his feet.

"You're killing them," a soft voice called from the shadows. Jack blinked in confusion and then glanced down; sure enough, his staff had been trailing the ground in his awe, and had left a trail of frozen flowers and grass in his wake. He guiltily took his staff and leaned it against a tree, raising his hands in a form of surrender.

"I didn't mean to. I was just so impressed with your home," he admitted, looking around for the source of the arrow. "Won't you come out and talk to me? My name is-"

"I know who you are, Jack Frost," the voice spat venomously, and Jack was taken aback by the angry response. "You're the one who brings winter and kills my livelihood."

"It's kind of my job," Jack pouted, upset that he hadn't even met Mother Nature and she already hated him. The girl ignored him and continued to speak from the shadows.

"Since you're here, the Easter Bunny must have guided you. He wouldn't betray me without good reason, knowing how I feel about you. So why have you come?" she asked, and Jack suddenly remembered that time was of the essence. He stepped forward, looking around feverishly.

"That's right! You're in danger! Pitch is after you!" he cried, and the girl simply laughed in response.

"Pitch Black? What would that fool want with me?" she mused. Jack shook his head angrily, stomping his foot.

"I'm serious. He wants to make it an eternal winter- and to do that, he has to get rid of you!" he shouted. The voice fell silent, and for a moment Jack feared that he had chased her away. Then, a figure emerged from the wood, and Jack's mouth fell open once more.

She was an absolutely beautiful young woman- not what he had been expecting at all. Her skin was milky white, but her cheeks were softly rosy. Blonde hair fell in waves down her back, almost to her knees, and seemed to shine with the light of the sun. Her eyes glittered with more shades of green than Jack could count. She wore a simple white dress adorned with small wildflowers, and wore a headdress of roses and carnations. Lilies were pinned in her hair as well, and in her hands she held a small bow with an arrow notched. While Jack was enthralled, she raised the bow and aimed at him.

"Hey! What are you doing?" he cried, and raised his arms to defend himself as the arrow flew; yet, the expected blow never came, and Jack nervously glanced behind him to find one of Pitch's trademark black stallions crumbling into dust.

"It followed you here, it seems. So you are telling me the truth," Mother Nature sighed and lowered her bow. Jack looked back at her, still shaken by the experience. "Since you fell right into Pitch's trap, now I'm forced to go with you," she added bitterly, and Jack was once again disappointed at her ill feelings toward him.

"Look, I'm sorry if you hate me, Mother... You know what? Calling you 'Mother Nature' is weird. You don't look old enough to be a mother. Can I call you 'Nat' instead?" he asked suddenly. The newly-dubbed Nat recoiled, her green eyes widening in what seemed like fear.

"N-Nat?" she squeaked, and Jack raised his hands.

"Hey, if you don't like it, I can come up with something else!" he cried, afraid that in her fit the girl would shoot him. She seemed to relax slightly, and released a heavy sigh.

"... No, Nat is fine," she relented, and Jack breathed a sigh of relief. He walked over to the tree and grabbed his staff, then ran over to Nat. She stepped back from him, obviously insulted by his actions.

"Well, we have to get to the North Pole somehow," he frowned, and Nat laughed at him.

"What makes you think I need your help to fly?" she scoffed, then brought her fingers to her lips and whistled loudly.