North's Little Girl: 4

While North worked on ice sculptures in his office, little Ana peeked in to see her Dada's toys. She watched as a huge chainsaw roared loudly and ice exploded everywhere. She was used to all the noise in her Dada's workshop, but for some reason, the chainsaw was always scary to her. Music by Stravinsky played on the record player and her Dada sang along with it, skidding along in his rolling chair. Once the chainsaw was away, she tiptoed in, watching him work. How he picked up tools and chipped at the ice, hearing it fall on the floor and watched it melt.

"Dada!" Ana called. "Dada!"

North looked as the barefoot girl tugged on his shirt, clutching her fuzzy bunny in her arm.

"Up, Dada! Up!"

"Alright, malyshka. You want to see?" asked North, picking her up.

The girl sat on his lap, watching with awe as her Dada carved a train out of ice. Blue eyes stared in awe and amazement at the ice sculptures. Her Dada's toys were so beautiful.

"Ooh!" Ana said. She reached out to touch them, feeling they were cold. "Dack!"

Another chuckle from the big Russian. "Mm. Yes. Like Jack Frost, Ana. He's very cold."

"Oh thanks," the teenager's sassy response was heard outside the door.

He held the finished ice sculpture of a train and set it on the track. Ana watched in amazement as the train made noise and steam emitted from the smoke stack, rolling down the track like a roller coaster. Then, once it was at the end of the track, it transformed into an airplane and zoomed around the room with blue flames. Then it landed back on the small platform of the village. Ana clapped her hands.

Ana's attention turned to the paper and pencils and she reached towards them.

"You want to draw?" asked North.

He gave her some pencils and let Ana scribble on the papers. North looked at the child's pictures and smiled. Some of her ideas were pretty good, color wise. As he watched Ana color on the table, he looked at her and began to sketch. He wanted to make a nesting doll...something she'd probably like for Christmas.

He wrote some ideas down of the layers. She was still a child...it wasn't easy to find what most of her traits were. What was hardest of all was finding a center. It was for him when Manny chose him to be a Guardian.

What was Ana's center?

Sighing, he put his sketchbook away. Looking at the clock, it was time to check up on the progress of the toy making. He scooped Ana up from her drawings.

"Come," he said, placing her on his giant shoulders. "We go look at toys. You want to?"

Ana laughed and squealed delightfully, gripping his hair, her tiny feet kicked. North walked around the workshop, giving her a ride. She reached for some of the flying toys that zoomed past them in an attempt to touch them. North was shouting over the noise to the working yetis. Ana copied her Dada with his hand gestures and babbled a few words that sounded like him though she couldn't get the words right exactly.

"Don' like, paint red," Ana said to a yeti that was painting.

A yeti's mouth dropped open and groaned as a huge stack of toys were already painted blue. North was laughing so hard as he heard his little girl say this.

"Yes. It'd look better red, Ana," he agreed. Then got another idea of what he could show her. "You want to see reindeer?"

He dressed her in a red winter outfit, black boots and a Russian fur hat. He carried her towards the stables to see the reindeer. They nickered like horses. Their cloven hooves stomped. Yetis brushed their fur while elves hung from their antlers. Little Ana reached towards one of the reindeer with a small hand.

"Here," said North.

He reached into his pocket and produced a sugar cube, then cupped her tiny hand to hold it flat and brought it towards the reindeer. It sniffed it with its velvety nose and lapped at it with a pink tongue. Ana laughed as it tickled and wet her hand. She pet the soft fur of the beast's head.

North thought about showing her the sleigh, but the girl was too young to understand. He promised himself he would take her for a ride when she was a little older. He was sure she would love the sleigh...because everyone did.

After a wonderful day with her Dada, Ana lay in her bed, having her usual pleasant dreams that Sandy would send. She was excited about tomorrow since she would be going to Bunny's Warren to paint eggs for Easter.

Tonight was different. Ana heard something...coming from under her bed. She sat up, looking around with frightened eyes. She saw what looked like a shadow that swished across the walls...too scared, she got out of her bed and darted towards her Dada's room. The door was open just a crack, North was reading a book.

"Dada," said Ana.

North turned to the tiny voice, seeing his little girl standing next to his bed in her nightgown, clutching her stuffed bunny. She looked so frightened with tears in her eyes. She struggled to climb up on the huge bed...North scooped her up and she buried her face in North's beard, shaking, wrapping her little arms around his big chest.

"What's the matter, Ana?" he said. His huge hand stroked her back.

"Dada," she said, crying and clutched his shirt.

North wasn't sure what she was trying to say since she couldn't express herself just yet, but he was certain that something had scared her. He shushed her and held her in his arm that said NICE. Ana lay her head on North's huge chest, listening to his beating heart and enveloped by his smell: eggnog, sugar cookies, and paints.

"Is alright, malyshka," he said. "I'm here. You are always safe with me."

"Love you, Dada," she said.

North couldn't help but smile. He kissed her forehead as he watched his little girl fall asleep. She was so small compared to him. He narrowed his eyes towards the door. He was certain that a certain someone had visited. He was going to be sure that his little girl was safe...find out why.

North stayed awake all night, keeping vigil over the sleeping child in his arms. No harm would come to her as long as she was with him and his fellow Guardians. After a while, he yawned, he laid down next, holding Ana and covered them with a huge blanket.

By morning, North took Ana to Bunny's Warren. She was excited about upcoming Easter. She really wanted to paint eggs. The Warren was a beautiful meadow of green. Flowers of all colors decorated. Giant stone Sentinel Eggs with faces.

"Need you to watch Ana, Bunny," said North. "I need to pay a visit to an old enemy."

Bunnymund's eyes went wide. "You mean...?"

"I'm certain that he was at the Pole," said North serious. "He will not get to Ana."

While the Guardians talked, Ana enjoyed the grass beneath her bare feet, the warm sunshine, just all the colors of spring. She tore up flowers, chased butterflies and the walking eggs.

After North left, Bunny promised to watch over his girl with vigilance. He saw that Ana had wandered towards the purple river when Bunny stopped her before she could fall in.

"Now, now, Sheila," he said, picking her up. "We don' wanna get a mess, do we? Ya Dad said to stay outta trouble...and that's what I'm gonna make sure ya do."

Ana frowned and blew a raspberry.

"Crikey, ya jus' like Frosty!" sighed Bunny, shaking his head.

Taking Bunny's paw, the two of them walked around the Warren. He showed her the flowers where the eggs were created. Ana watched in awe and delight as they popped out of the flowers, sprouting legs and walking towards the field of bluebells.

"Ya want t' paint some eggs, Sheila?" he asked.

"Eggs!" she responded with a smile.

"Hang on," he said to Ana, placing her on his back. "Jus' don' pull my ears."

Ana sat on his back, gripping the fur on Bunny's scruff, squealing with delight as she held on for the ride through the path of bluebells. They shook and magical clouds of colors of yellow, blue, and pink puffed out. A bunch of bluebells hit Ana in the face, turning her face blue. He stopped and let Ana down, chuckling as he saw a blue-faced little girl. He wiped her face off with a paw. She felt a tickle in her nose and let out a sneeze like a kitten. Snot and spit sprayed all over the pooka, who blinked in disgust.

"Bless you," said a laughing Jack Frost. He was in a squatting position, balancing on the crook of his staff, his toes curling delicately.

"Oi! Whadda ya doin' here, Frosty?" Bunny said with a scowl, wiping some dripping snot off his whiskers.

"Oh just came to enjoy the show, Bunny," he said with a shrug, leaping off as lightly as a snowflake falling from the sky.

"Get outta here, Frost! This is MY time with her and I don' need you around causin' any trouble." He pointed to a tunnel.

"Dack! DACK!" cried Ana in delight when she saw him.

"Hey, snowdrop!" he said, smiling. The little girl leaped on him, hugging his waist. Jack stuck his tongue out at Bunny. "Ha! See? She loves me more!"

"Oh rack off, ya brat! If you didn't show up all the time, stealin' my thunda..."

"At least I know what kids like, Kangaroo."

"My colorful eggs are much more exciting than ya boring white snow, Old Snowman!"

"That's IT! I'm DEFINITELY bringing a blizzard this Easter. I was gonna change my mind."

Ana followed the eggs towards the beautiful purple shiny river. It was so pretty! She saw one of the eggs floating eggs upside down. She reached her arm towards the floating egg, straining and leaning off the shore until she lost her balance and fell in.

The two Guardians continued to argue, failing to notice Ana was missing. Their argument was interrupted by a loud splash...

"Oh no!" gasped Jack, horrified when he heard the sound. A sound he was too familiar with.

"Where's Ana?!" Bunnymund panicked.

The two Guardians raced towards the river frantically searching for the girl.

"ANA!" they shouted, looking up and down the pink river.

There were a few bubbles...then frantic little splashes and the girl screamed, her head bobbing up on the surface.

"Crikey! She's in tha river! Get her!" yelled Bunny.

Jack stuck his staff out towards Ana, catching her in the crook and they pulled her out. A shiny, rainbow-colored Ana coughed a few times...then burst into tears. Bunny and Jack held her, comforting her with shushes. They felt her tiny body shaking and her wails echoed all over the Warren.

"It's OK," said Bunny. "You're safe now, Sheila."

Tears soaked the Guardian of Hope's grey fur, falling in a rainbow. Jack stroked her hair; he could only imagine how scared Ana was when she fell into the river. He felt responsible the most. If he hadn't been arguing and competing with Bunny, that precious child would've drowned alone.

"We shouldn't compete anymore," said Jack frowning. "It's stupid. We almost got her killed."

Bunny nodded. "It's my fault as much as yours, Jack."

"North's not going to be happy when he finds out," Jack admitted.

Another nod from the pooka. How were they going to explain this? It was no excuse what they did: this was no little mishap that would've been forgiven. This was a very bad accident that almost cost a little girl her life.

North went to Pitch's lair to confront him. With his dual sabres in his hands, he searched the lair of nightmares, walking up the crooked stairs. His blue eyes darted around the darkness, searching for him.

"Pitch!" shouted North, his angry voice echoed in the darkness. "Did you come to the Pole?"

"Maybe," said the Nightmare King.

"How dare you show yourself there!" North said angrily, pointing his sabres at him. "You know damn well you are forbidden to make your presence at the Guardians' homes!"

"And so what?" Pitch said uninterested. "I heard you had a child living amongst you. And a human one, no doubt."

"Why does it matter?"

"She's going to find out the truth eventually," said Pitch with a smug look. "That you're not her Dada. That her arrival was...oh, an accident."

"Ana is mine. She doesn't need to know where she came from. We are her family. You stay away from her, Pitch!"

"You can't get rid of me, old man. There's always going to be fear. She will grow up sooner or later...and stop believing eventually. Can't imagine what that would be like. And she would have to go back to her world...always wondering who raised her, confused. How everyone will see her as a crazy, homeless young woman who says she was raised by Santa Claus. I can just picture it right now."

"No, she won't. And I will make sure of it. You better stay far away from Ana, Pitch. If I see one grain of blacksand, one shadow...any nightmares, there will be hell to pay!"

"Sure thing, old man," Pitch said with disintrest. "By the way, you made a terrible choice, leaving her with Frost and Rabbit."

"What do you mean?" North said with a furrowed brow. "Have you been spying on her?"

Another shrug from the bogeyman. "Perhaps. You put Frost and Rabbit in a room together, they make a mess wherever they go. Why, they're doing it right now."

"What do you mean?" he asked with a furrowed brow.

North watched as the Nightmare King disappeared into the shadows, his golden eclipse eyes glittered and his jagged-toothed smile lingered but a moment in the dark, then disappeared. After hearing no answer from Pitch, a worried North rushed back to the Warren using his snow globe...

...and found a rainbow-colored Ana, crying in the arms of Bunny and Jack. Something had happened, he was sure that it was bad.

"What happened here?!" North demanded, feeling anger and worry building up inside.

"She wandered towards the river...and...she fell in..." Bunnymund explained.

"WHAT?!" North shouted in shock when he heard this.

Bunny and Jack were not surprised when they saw North's reaction when he found out his daughter had almost drowned.

"Why weren't you watching her?!" he demanded.

The two Guardians were unable to explain themselves of what happened. Their words were stuck in their throat and the embarrassment washed over them. He shouted at Jack and Bunnymund, wavering into Russian and English, for being irresponsible. The Guardian of Wonder was red in the face and shouting loudly that it echoed all over the Warren. Ana cowered behind a rock when she heard her Dada shouting. He was scary when he got angry. It was probably the first time she had seen him like this.

"She could've drowned! It was both of your fault!" North shouted. "What is WRONG with both of you?!"

"It was an accident," Jack answered. "We didn't mean..."

"SILENCE!" he shouted.

North was so furious that he couldn't think straight. How could these two be so irresponsible?! He trusted them to make sure his daughter was safe...and she almost could've been killed. That was IT! No more visits outside the North Pole. He had to protect his little girl.

"Because of your foolishness," said North. "She will never be alone with either of you again!"

Jack and Bunnymund looked at each other for a moment, trying to process what North was saying.

"You mean...we can't see her anymore?" asked Jack, feeling tears in his eyes.

North was too angry to answer him. But he felt it would be best. "Not for a while," he said.

Then, North scooped up Ana. She screamed, straining towards Jack and Bunnymund. The two Guardians looked sad as they watched her be taken home. Upon returning to the Pole, Ana looked at her Dada, confused. She didn't understand why he took her away from where she was.

"Dack? Bunny?" Ana said looking at him. "Wan Bunny n Dack. Peas, Dada!"

"No," he said, shaking his head.

The child screamed angrily, squirming, kicking and pounding her Dada, trying to get out of her Dada's arm. North set her down.

"WAN BUNNY N' DACK!" she screamed, her face red and stamping her foot.

"NO!" he said, his voice boomed. "No Bunny and Jack! You are staying here."

The child let loose a violent tantrum, screaming and tears streaming down her red face, pounding her little fists and stamping her little foot. The yetis and the elves watched in awe and fear as they witnessed the scene between their boss and his screaming daughter.

"You stop that!" he shouted scolding. "You are staying here. Is not safe."

Ana looked frightened by the sound of her Dada's booming voice. With a small whimper, she ran away from North and sat by the big window near the glowing fireplace, looking out at the icy canyon. She began to cry.

North looked at his little girl. Was he too harsh? North thought about his confrontation with Pitch. How irresponsible Bunny and Jack were with her. He had to protect his little girl. He would do whatever it took to make sure his little girl was safe.