I am not a friend, and I am not a servant. I am the Cat who walks by himself, and all places are alike to me. - Rudyard Kipling

The yetis took no notice of the small, white cat that wound through their production line. One reached down idly to pet it, but for the most part they concentrated on their work. Christmas was only 207 days away, and they couldn't afford to fall behind schedule.

And anyway, the cat was hardly the most unusual toy to wander the workshop. There were floating jellyfish and flying planes, glowing cars and moving robots.

No, the little furry cat that batted at one of the elves playfully did not stand out at all.

The cat's tail twitched as the elf stuck out it's tongue at the furry animal, hugging close the cookie in it's arms. It shook it's head defiantly, mistakenly thinking the cat wanted the sugary snack.

However, all it accomplished by shaking it's head was making the little bell on top glint and flash in the light while emitting little tinkling sounds. The cat's blue eyes fixed upon the golden object, crouching low to the ground.

In a flash, the cat lunged, paws closing around the little bell. Unfortunately it landed on the elf, leaving the poor thing to squirm beneath the cat's weight as it bit the bell, trying to wrest it free from the elf's head. Although it's attempts persisted, it kept it's claws sheathed as it tugged and pulled with it's teeth.

"What is this?" a heavily accented voice said from above them.

Both froze, turning slowly to meet the amused gaze of North. He looked down at the elf and the cat. "I don't remember you," he mused, focusing on the furry animal.

The elf squirmed desperately, hoping to escape while the cat's attention was occupied. But the claws on the paw closes to it's face partially unsheathed, causing it to freeze a second time. The elf gazed fearfully at the sharp tips, going cross-eyed trying to look at them.

North noticed and frowned. "Now, now," he admonished, leaning down to pick up the cat.

To his surprise, the cat hissed, leaping away from his hand. Blue eyes met blue eyes, one pair wide and shocked while the other was narrowed with hostility.

"Don't touch me," came the words, underlined with further hissing.

North leaned back and stroked his beard. "Ah, not a toy then. What spirit are you? And why are you here?"

The cat's ruffled hackles smoothed as it considered him with a tilted head. "I'm here because you invited me. No offense, North, but if you picked me up I'm afraid you'll squish me."

"Invited you?" the baffled Russian repeated. "When did I do that?"

The cat wove around a nearby pillar… only it disappeared before it made a reappearance on the other side. Before North could figure out what happened, a voice called down from the rafters above. "Hey, North! You mentioned something about needing my help?"

North looked up to see Jack Frost leaning lazily over the rafter beam, staff in hand.

"Er… yes," North said, looking back at the base of the pillar. Deciding to forget about the cat - he would have to warn the yetis about it later, just in case - he returned his attention to Jack. "Yes, I did. Would you happen to know why all the doorknobs are frozen?"

Jack grinned. "How many yetis got their hands stuck?"

"None."

"Aw." Jack pouted, then shrugged. "Sorry, North. I can't melt ice. It's just the kitchen doors, anyway."

North raised an eyebrow. "When I run out of cookies, ice had better be gone."

The winter spirit looked torn between compliance and mischief. Finally, Jack heaved a sigh. "Fine. There's a backdoor to the kitchen that isn't frozen." At North's frown he added, "I really, really can't melt anything. Even my body temperature is low."

"Please do not freeze doorknobs again," North sighed. "Elves, yes. Doors, no."

At the sound of this, any sound of jingling silenced. Jack's eyes caught dozens of little feet, hands, and bells whisking out of sight. He smiled. "Alright," he agreed.

He swung down and out the window, vanishing into the blizzard.

North did not notice as, just beneath the windowsill, a small white cat padded through the snow. It stepped delicately across the powdery surface, ice forming beneath it's paws. Waving it's tail in the air, the cat lifted it's nose and sniffed at the bitter, dry wind.

A bolt of blue light sparked out from the cat, crackling through the air with all the cold of winter. The blizzard got worse, visibility becoming practically non-existent. It grew even colder, but the cat stretched lazily.

"I love the North Pole."

Bunny did not like it when the familiar scent of ice and snow reached his nose.

"Frost, for the last time, don't visit me without warning!" Bunny ranted, making his way towards the scent. It came from somewhere near the entrance, and while he had told the sentinel eggs the winter spirit was allowed, it had probably been a bad idea -

His thoughts came to a halt as he took in the sight of a pure white cat with blue eyes. Said cat looked at him curiously, then lay down with it's paws tucked beneath it.

Bunny blinked. "What in the… Where did you come from?" He silently cursed his less-than-intelligent question, grateful no one was seeing him talk to a cat. Then again, he was a six-foot-tall rabbit, but there were boundaries to what was acceptable and what was silly.

"All places are alike to me. Even those you think are your own."

The cat was talking. Of course.

"You're a spirit," Bunny deadpanned. "I should have known. Why are you here?"

The cat flicked it's tail. "Did I not just say?"

"Try say it in English."

"You stupid Australian mongrel. This is most certainly English I'm speaking."

"Oi!" Bunny shouted, affronted at the cat's insulting words. He held up a fisted paw in the cat's direction. "I ain't stupid. I just wanted to check, alright? Not all of us speak fancy like you!"

With a roll of it's eyes, the cat stood. "I cannot comprehend why I like you so much. Must be you hate cats. Or is it that cats hate you?" With that said, it leapt into the nearest pool. Or more accurately, on the pool, since the moment it's paws touched the liquid it froze, creating something solid for it walk across.

"What are you?" Bunny asked suspiciously.

"What am I?" the cat echoed. For some reason it found that hilarious. Instead of answering, it laughed; in a disturbingly human way.

It also sounded familiar, although Bunny was sure he had never heard a cat laugh before.

Finally the cat calmed down. "Sorry, Bunny. It's strange, though. There are thousands upon thousands of spirits in the world. Have you met none like me?"

Reluctantly Bunny admitted to himself that he was usually busy with work. However… "No," he said bluntly, not willing to say it out loud.

The cat seemed to shrug, and it ducked behind a rock. Moments later, Bunny's sensitive ears picked up the sound of light pattering. The cat seemed to be running through one of the tunnels that always remained open. Bunny wondered whether to follow before deciding to leave it be.

Sometimes painting was more important than curiosity.

Scratch that.

Painting was always more important.

Having lived many long years, the Tooth Fairy had seen many strange things.

Even when she worked from the Palace, her fairies still brought her stories of what they had seen. And now, when she occasionally went out to collect for herself, she found wonders and marvels of her own once more.

Yet, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out how a pure white cat had gotten into a Palace where all the buildings dangled from the ceiling of a cavern.

"Baby Tooth, can you take over?" she asked the little fairy, certain this might take a while. The little fairy nodded and began giving her sisters instructions, freeing Tooth to hover closer to the cat. It affected an air of nonchalance, and didn't react when she tentatively stroked it's head.

It's fur was fluffy and soft. Though her heart belonged to the teeth of children, she had to admit this was almost as good. "Aw, you're beautiful!" she squealed.

A purr came from the cat's throat as it stood, nudging it's head into her hands. She picked it up and cradled it in her arms. For a second she had the urge to squeeze it tightly and never let go, but then she sighed. "Sorry, you shouldn't be here," she told the cat.

It pawed one of the yellow feathers at the edge of her jaw, making her giggle. "Where do you live?" she asked, not really expecting a response. She fluttered her wings, making her way out of the cavern and down to the world below.

Goodness knows if this was where the mysterious cat came from, but she already felt mildly anxious from being away from her work for so long. With a smile, she set the cat down and hurriedly returned to the Palace.

The cat stared after her.

"She is, undeniably, my favorite. I like getting my head rubbed."

When the aurora shines throughout the skies, the four Guardians gather in North's workshop.

The absence of their youngest did not go missed.

"Where is he?" Bunny grumbled, crossing his arms. "I have eggs to paint."

"And feet to thaw," North joked. "Do not worry. Is still five minutes since lights went off. The meeting does not have to start right away."

The window burst open at that moment. All four Guardians turned in expectation… only to see a cat tumble through the glass panes and hit the floor rolling. Not rolling as in gracefully, but rolling as in going head over paws into the back of a couch.

"Ow ow ow. What a stupid piece of furniture," came a somewhat unfamiliar voice. Then Jack popped up from behind the couch, rubbing his head. "Hey guys, what'd I miss?"

There was silence.

Sandy spoke for them all by forming a large question mark over his head.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Fine, so I can turn into a cat," he said, his pupils slitting. A blink and they were normal again. "So what? Bunny is a six-foot-tall kangaroo, North has snow globes that take him anywhere in a second, Tooth is a fairy, and Sandy is… Well. He's made of sand. You guys have no right to talk."

Tooth opened her mouth, closed it, then asked, "But why didn't you tell us?"

"Why didn't you ask?"

"Blimey," was all Bunny could get out. "You're a cat?"

"No," Jack sighed. He closed his eyes and massaged his forehead. Letting a bit of a hiss enter his voice, he said impatiently, "I'm Jack Frost. What sort of cat is able to freeze the fluff right off your tail, hm?"

"Just try," Bunny snapped.

There was a blur of white and a bolt of blue. The next thing Bunny knew, his tail was covered in a thick layer of ice and was stuck to the ground. Cursing colorfully, he glared at the nonchalant cat sitting atop a nearby table. "I think I made my point, mongrel."

"Stop calling me that! I'm a rabbit!"

"You smell like a dog." The cat wrinkled it's nose. "It's not a nice smell, either." It's eyes widened and the pupils dilated until it looked like the most adorable thing ever.

The expression gave Bunny a really bad feeling.

"No. I was wrong. You smell like a wet dog. A really wet dog. That ate it's own…"

"Jack!" Tooth scolded. But the damage was done.

"Oh, it's on, mate," Bunny practically growled. He tapped his foot, opening a tunnel right below his tail, effectively freeing it. Then he darted after the cat. "Hah!" he exclaimed, closing his paws around it. Only to have it explode in a puff of snow in his face.

A laugh came from above them.

"I have what you might call a wild soul. No human has tamed me yet, and so the stories have merged."

Sandy waved his hands, for once getting their attention. He signed questions, and the cat purred briefly. "Yes, I am…" It wove around the couch, re-emerging as Jack on the other side. "I'm still Jack Frost, no matter what you might think. No matter how I look."

He leaned on his staff, enjoying their shocked expressions. He wondered if their faces would get stuck that way.