Jack woke up to a ringing in his ears.
"Katherine!" he shot up, eyes wide with panic as his voice echoed through the crevice.
Receiving no response, he hurriedly searched for a way out but to no avail, as the walls were sheer, leaving him trapped without his staff. He did find a familiar figure lying a short distance away from him, next to the splinters of his staff.
"Baby Tooth!" Jack scooped up the tiny fairy, careful not to hurt her damaged wings.
Noting her shivering body, he tried to cup her in his hands but earned a small chirp of rebuke and a sneeze. It seemed that even with his source of power destroyed, he still ran too cold.
"Sorry," he apologized, "It seems all I can do is keep you cold," he looked sadly at the broken remains of his staff, "Pitch was right. I just make a mess of everything. I can't even help myself, much less anyone else."
Baby Tooth blinked at him. She crawled up his arm and over to the pocket of his hoodie.
Thinking she was trying to keep warm, Jack wrapped a protective arm around his stomach as he stood up.
"I have to get back up there," he muttered.
"Jack!"
The familiar voice emanating from his pocket caused Jack to jump, slipping and falling on his back.
"Jack!"
Jack pulled the tooth capsule from his pocket, staring at it before exchanging a mystified look with Baby Tooth.
The fairy placed a hand on the capsule, giving him an encouraging look.
Cautiously, Jack touched the capsule's surface, immersing himself in his memories.
Laughter... Warmth... Home...
A time when he lived a fulfilling life with his family.
Until that day...
"Jack... I'm scared!"
"Don't be! We're going to have a little fun!"
He'd saved his sister from certain death under the frozen pond using the stick he picked up.
Then the ice gave out beneath him.
"Jack!"
Everything went dark. Everything was cold. Jack was scared.
Then he saw the Moon, and suddenly, he wasn't afraid anymore.
Jack woke up from his trance with a gasp. He looked down at the capsule, then up at Baby Tooth.
"Did you see that?"
She shook her head.
Jack scrambled to his knees, scooping her up, speaking excitedly, "It was... It was me! I had a family! I had a sister! I saved her!" he sank back on his heels, letting out a giddy laugh.
Baby Tooth chittered at him, relieved.
Jack sobered slightly, staring at the sky, "So that's why I was chosen..." his eyes lit up, the deep fracture of his soul finally healing as he realized his purpose, "I'm a Guardian!"
He searched around, snatching up the broken halves of his staff. With intense concentration and determination written on his face, he fitted them together. The attempt failed as the wood fell apart when he pulled them apart.
Jack groaned impatiently, "Come on, Frost! Focus!" he slammed the two halves together even harder.
He poured all his strength and will into the wood, silently hoping and praying they'd respond. He thought of his family, his memories when alive, how he'd wandered aimlessly for centuries...
He thought of Katherine... the way she fixed her hair, the way she lit up when reading a new book, how she always had a return quip when he teased her... He wanted to help her... to save her from whatever fate Pitch had given her... The cold rage wasn't there to hurt or destroy...
It was to protect... Everything of his was made to protect her. He was a Guardian of Childhood; first, he was her friend and protector.
A faint light gleamed from the broken splinters, fusing the staff together.
Once again, Jack felt the familiar rush of power, the liberating feeling of the north wind, and the chilly winter cold snap.
With a concussive outburst of wind, he shot from the crevice, ready for battle, "Katherine!"
He froze, seeing a formation of shadowy sand rising from the ground and the gruesome sight of Katherine's limp body impaled upon it.
"KATHERINE!"
Jack dove down, swinging his staff in a destructive arc, sending out a thunderous explosion of ice. The sand froze and shattered, scattering to the winds. Katherine's unconscious body fell into his arms, her frail and powerless form almost transparent as even her body as a spirit was fading.
"No..." Jack touched her cheek, failing to find any sign of life, "No! No! No!"
Baby Tooth let out a mournful cry, racing over to the torn remnants of Katherine's book.
Jack snatched up the tome, placing it in Katherine's hands, "Come on! Fight back!" he broke down, resting his forehead against hers, "Don't leave me... please!"
Baby Tooth leaned her head against the fallen Guardian's wrist, checking for a pulse. She gave a dismal croon as she heard the steadily fading rhythm of a heartbeat. Slowly, Katherine was fading into nothing.
"She's not fighting back anymore," Jack gritted out, "She's too exhausted from whatever she's been fighting inside of her for all this time," he looked helplessly at Baby Tooth, "I need to somehow get through to her!"
Baby Tooth realized something and tapped at Katherine's book, motioning at the symbol of the goose on the cover.
Jack shook his head, "I don't feel anything from the book anymore. Her power is gone."
Baby Tooth sighed in frustration, making the motions with her hand before jumping into the snow. With quick movements, she sketched the image of some trees with a strange house among the branches.
Jack suddenly figured out what the tiny fairy was saying, "Ganderly! Baby Tooth, you're a genius!"
Baby Tooth shrugged, signifying that he should not thank her yet, crawling up to his hood to prepare for the ride.
Jack scooped Katherine into his arms, cradling her to his chest, "Just hang in there," he murmured to her as he gripped his staff, "Okay, wind. Take us to Ganderly."
With light steps, Jack landed on the grand stairway to the main entrance to Katherine's home. Immediately he felt the difference in the air. The once magical atmosphere was gone. The trees that remained green throughout the years were withered and sad. Their once-fresh leaves were now blackened and decayed.
With a grim face, he pushed the main doors open to find disaster. The once-busy libraries were ransacked and empty. The magical pens that wrote the stories of the world were lifeless without Katherine's power, and the way the books were thrown from the shelves and torn to pieces was evident work of Pitch's nightmares.
Jack's aura turned dark as he contemplated the damage.
He'd never dared show his face here when she still had power over these woods. He thought bitterly.
Baby Tooth chittered at him, leading Jack towards Katherine's private chambers in one of the structure's many towers.