I don't own Rise of the Guardians or The Guardians of Childhood series. I make no money off of this series. It's purely for entertainment. Please stay tuned!

The sound of crashing dishes and breaking glass were the first abuse to the young buck's ears. He cringed as best he could against the larger, warm frame of the grey Pooka, more as a reflex than from the pulling muscles in his back. He nuzzled his pink nose against the fluff of the ancient rabbit, inhaling the musty scent of gardening and hard boiled eggs mixed with moist dirt and paint. He had grown to associate the scent with the heavy arms of the larger rabbit, as well as the warmth and protection that inhabited the space between their bodies. Bunny's body could easily keep the two of them warm on the coldest night, which Jack swore he would make more frequent. The grey Pooka rubbed his ward's floppy ears as he nuzzled the white rabbit's fuzzy head.

"Guess that's a 'good morning' to us." Bunny joked to his new family member as he stretched his slumber stiffened muscles out from under the sleep warmed blanket and past the wooden footboard of the bed. Jack tried to mimic the movement, only to receive a sickening crack from his knees and ankles as he tried to move his toes. Momentary pain blossomed from the stiff muscles as the lactic acid released from yesterday's sore muscles, but it dissipated quickly enough. Jack retracted back into his curled ball of bunny fluff as Bunny ran his large paw through his charge's unruly mane. Jack chuckled as he met the larger rabbit's hand with his own, glad just to have Bunny near more than anything else.

"I don't want to get up." Jack mumbled against Bunny's ear. Bunny smirked as he wrapped both arms around his Jackrabbit.

"You lazy Americans. Ya never want to wake up with the sunshine and rooster. Always the lazy good-fer-nothings." Bunny laughed as he nuzzled the bundle of warm white fur named Jack. Jack giggled lowly as he returned the affection.

"What can I say, we enjoy a lazy morning and a late evening." Jack joked back. Bunny gave his approval with a lighthearted grunt. Jack sighed as he gripped the grey fur, a pondering question dodging between his tongue and his brain. Bunny glanced up to see the white Pooka in such an usual pensive state. As un-Jack like this was, Bunny didn't hold back his thoughts.

"What's up? You never stay quiet this long." Bunny said as he gently rubbed the white rabbit's ears. When he was a kit, his mum always rubbed his ears like this to make him feel better when he got sick or upset. It always brought him some degree of comfort just to finger the tips of his own ears when he had trouble sleeping or when he was feeling insecure.

"I- I was just thinking, what happens now?" Jack asked, a concerned look glazing his white furred face. Bunny took a moment to stare at the smaller Pooka.

"Well, Jacky, that should be obvious!" Bunny jested. Jack just looked at the elder Pooka with the deer in the headlights look as his right ear flopped forward over his shoulder.

"Huh?" Jack asked.

"After all this mess- you're comin' back to the Warren! No ifs, ands or buts about it!" Bunny boasted as he rubbed his chin over the white rabbit's head again. Jack chuckled again as he tried to mimic the elder rabbit's motions. It felt so good to nuzzle Bunny, but he couldn't explain it. The last time he'd felt so emotionally warm and safe was when he was still alive. One cold night, when his sister was still a baby, his mother and father had insisted that they all pile together in the thickest blankets they had. With Jack nestled between his parents and holding his sister in his arms, nothing in the world could have hurt them. He loved that memory.

"You ok, Jacky?" Bunny asked as Jack felt the thumb of the larger Pooka brush against the lower part of his cheek. Jack gripped the larger Pooka's hand with his own, holding it against his face as gently as he could. He just wanted the contact warmth. He needed it so badly, he didn't want to leave this bed. He wanted to live here for the rest of his days and never feel cold again.

"Yeah. I'm ok." Jack whispered after a few minutes. Bunny pulled him back into a warm hug and nuzzled his head before slipping off the bed and stretching his body out. Jack waited for a moment before doing the same, greeting the cool floor with his pink and white feet.

"Great. Let's see what time it is, and we'll grab some grub." Bunny smirked as he walked towards the door with the confidence only seen in a proud stallion after a successful fight. Jack wouldn't call it strutting, but it may as well have been.

"Sounds wonderful to me."

Jack and Bunny quietly consumed their green leafy breakfast quickly as they sat together on the large sofa listening to North and Tooth explain what had happened overnight. Kosmotis was back in his daughter's care, and the shadows wouldn't dare wander into Mother Nature's territory. If the Guardians were a force to be reckoned with, Mother Nature's wrath was a hurricane compared to their powers. She could easily devastate the shadows forces with little more than a wave of her perfectly manicured hand. The only reason she hadn't been able to pin Pitch after all of these years was simply that they had developed a great sense of watching for the weather. The shadows would always take off before the powerful immortal could arrive, making the search and rescue nearly impossible.

"So, with Pitch not being- er- Pitch anymore, we will have to fight harder to make sure the shadows do not take root again!" North proclaimed as he motioned with his hands roughly. Bunny pulled the white rabbit tightly against his side, making sure that Jack didn't leave his hold.

"And they will be everywhere?" Jack asked. He hadn't fought against shadows before, but certainly the older Guardians knew something about them.

"Anywhere and everywhere. They will attack any child's dreams and ravage what they can if given the opportunity." Tooth spoke as she flittered around the pair of Pookas. Bunny unconsciously held Jack even tighter, causing a slight bruise on the younger Pooka's shoulder. Jack didn't mind. He was becoming used to the elder Pooka's protective nature, and didn't blame him for trying to protect the only member of his 'family' left.

"We can take 'em." Bunny said as he threw up his free hand in a fist. Jack, happy to see Bunny so enthusiastic, smiled as brightly as the sun itself.

And that's all for this segment folks. I've run this story to its end, and I'm quite pleased with the results. I hate to end it, since you've all been so amazing through your reviews, but I might make a few shorts to go with this. If you'd like to follow me on DA, I do have some pictures I plan to post when I can get some time to finish them. And I may make a sequel to this- but it will most likely have to wait for either the second Rise of the Guardians movie, or more likely, their show. Dreamworks seems to be making quite a statement with its shows (I personally like How to Train Your Dragon: Riders of Berk over Kung fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness). But please stay tuned! I won't hit 'complete' on this one yet, so look for a possible extra in the next month or so (school's winding down here, and I have a lot on my plate, so writing has to take a back burner).