Guardians of Childhood - The Great Time Travel Adventure (A GoC fanfic)
(Spoilers from previous books ahead!)
A new Golden Age had arrived. Pitch was gone for good and Kozmotis had returned. The Guardians could finally live in peace now. Jack had returned to the little hut in the middle of nowhere that belonged to his adoptive brother together with Katherine, his girlfriend, and Jacklovichs children; only leaving when duty was due. North, Bunnymund, Toothiana, and Sandy had returned to their domains. But the peace finds an end when all of sudden events from the past seemed to change. Where is Father Time? Why wasn't he preventing events from being changed? The Guardians once again stand in front of a mystery that needed to be solved. A most uncommon adventure through time itself begins to find and save Father Time from the Dark Forces that try to keep him from doing his duties...
Chapter 1: In which Kozmotis finally awakes and a Pooka is happy
Kozmotis opened his eyes. He struggled to keep them open, blinking several times, as the environment blinded his eyes. Around him, there stood somebody that, at first, he couldn't quite make sure of whom it was. After blinking few more several times, he could tell it were, in fact, and to his own surprise, the Guardians, clustered around him like a group of people that held a funeral. Kozmotis was, it seemed, the victim they mourned. But he wasn't dead, no. That, Kozmotis knew despite the fact that it all felt like a weird dream right now. Seconds later, he could make out a slim figurine with raven black hair that wavered behind it and a dress as green as the grass that grew at spring awakening.
It slowly drew closer and made its way toward him, it almost seemed like it was not touching the ground at all — it was floating! It bent down and knelt in front of him, and finally the fallen man could sense a familiar face and a voice so angelic and mesmerizing that it made him instantly know he was indeed kept in a safe place. Kozmotis' still blurry sight slowly faded away when he felt his head being softly and slightly lifted up in the air by two small hands ever so slightly. The face, the hair, the dress, the voice... it all belonged to someone Kozmotis held very dear in his heart all the time. It all belonged to his daughter, Emily Jane. "You're back...", said Emily as she pressed her forehead against the one of her father's. "I can't believe it. You're really back".
Kozmotis Pitchiner and Emily Jane (Illustration by me)
Her amber eyes became all watery, tears flowing down her cheeks, her usually so pale skin suddenly flushing in red colour. Kozmotis smiled upon her with happiness filled face, now moving his hand, the one that used to be his by Nightlight's bright glow injured hand, over toward Emily's in tears soaked face, caressing lovingly down her cheeks and wiping away her tears like only a loving father could. "It's okay, my dear daughter. It was about time, wasn't it?" answered Kozmotis and chuckled. The black haired woman nodded and chuckled in unison with him. Then he finally managed to get up from the snowy ground, wondering why not a single snowflake had touched his body — the snow lay all around him, and yet, there was not a single sign of a snowflake resting upon his body. However, Kozmotis shook his head and realised he was still watched by the other Guardians that had encircled him earlier.
Katherine, who stood right next to Jack and Kailash, having changed her age back at exactly eighteen years old, watched the father-daughter unity with great happiness as did the other Guardians. Her with excitement filled face drew a smile upon Kozmotis' as well, and Kailash let out a joyful honk. Oddly enough for himself, even the grumpy Pooka couldn't help a slight grin growing on his mouth. His whiskers twitched rapidly in an excited pace.
North had to bite his lips to not release an amused laughter as only a man upon his size of statue could when seeing the Pooka this 'happy'. Bunnymund rather avoided showing any kind of joy in public. He, in fact, rather avoided to show any happy emotion at all unless it is in some way connected toward eggs.
"Come on, grumpy rabbit. I know you're happy. Don't be afraid to show some of it - make it more... obvious!" mused North while raising one of his bushy eyebrows and slapping Bunnymunds back with his strong hand that had 'Naughty' tattooed upon it's arm. It made the Pooka release a small oof and stumble slightly forward due to the rather harsh impact. "Careful, old man. Your words do not find any apply to me" huffed Bunnymund in complete awe. "Awwh, is the grumpy rabbit becoming soft?" mocked North the Pooka. Bunnymund's nose began twitching — he would say something very inappropriate right now. But that is not in the known manner of the Pookan brotherhood so he let go of it and instead insisted on changing places with Toothiana who hovered right next to Sandman which made North's amused smirk grow even wider.
He loved teasing the rabbit man. And deep inside, he knew that the Pooka liked, and maybe even enjoyed, North's jokes too; he just didn't like to show and or admit it.
