2Whopsy-doodles. Haven't updated in a while.
So I've decided to hang my "have two chapters in reserve before posting" rule. It's too restrictive.
Anywho, here's chapter 3! For those who read the original version, you'll notice several differences and improvements. I wanted to make it a bit more angsty, but Quinn refused to cooperate. He's just too dang positive.
Disclaimer: I don't own, so don't sue. Rose isn't mine either!
Chapter 3: A Legend is Born
Quinn stared up at the bright, beautiful moon that seemed to fill the entire sky, the light it cast calming him to his core. He took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. He frowned as he realized a problem with this.
Aren't I supposed to be dead?
To be honest, Quinn's memory was extremely fuzzy at the moment. But he was certain that he had been blown to bits in a house explosion. There was no possible way he could he could have survived. While he wasn't ungrateful to be alive, it was extremely puzzling. He raised his hand to scratch his head in confusion, but paused half way at what he saw. His hand was covered in what appeared to be scales and each of his five fingers ended in an inch-long paw. Quinn blinked. Now that he thought about it, his entire body felt off.
"Well… That's different." Was all he could say as he examined his… paw? "What am I?"
A deep chuckle resounded through the air, startling him. A wind blew through the area, stirring up the ashes he stood in. To his astonishment, they began to clump together and solidified. Before long, an ornate mirror had formed a few feet away from him. Taking a deep breath and shutting his eyes, he slowly made his way in front of it, realizing for the first time that he was on all fours. He took a peek, his eyes widening comically and his jaw dropping.
Gaping back at him was a dragon.
A Chinese dragon, Quinn quickly recognized.
Bright red scales that shimmered in the moonlight covered his now serpentine body. An orange mane covered the length of his back, ending just before the tip of his tail. Along with the mane were yellow-orange crests that ended in a flaming fan shape on his tail. Two ivory antlers poked out of his head above his large, pointy ears. His snout was filled with sharp fangs that made him look very intimidating with his mouth hanging open. Two long whiskers grew from his snout and were constantly billowing in a non-existent wind. But what interested him the most were his eyes. They were constantly shifting from his bright blue to a different color and back in a kaleidoscope effect.
"This. Is. Awesome!" He was finally able to say after five minutes of staring. He continued to examine his new body in an awed silence. He was about six and a half feet long, counting his tail, and three feet tall at his shoulder. He really wasn't that much bigger than when he was human.
Another chuckle snapped him out of his state of awe. He glanced around, searching for its source, before gazing up at the moon. A strange feeling came over him as he did.
"Did you do this?" He didn't know why he was asking the moon anything, but it felt familiar for some reason. It was as if a vague memory was trying to force itself to the front of his mind. Warmth spread through him, giving an affirmative to his question. "Uh… Not that I'm ungrateful or anything but, why? And why can't I remember much?"
All shall be revealed. Wait for them.
And with that, the feeling left the newly revived dragon as the moon shrank back to its original size. He stared at it for several minutes before turning back to the mirror. He grinned as he looked at his reflection once again. He might as well get accustomed to his new form while he waited for whoever "them" were.
"Quinn!" Mai sat up with a gasp, her nightmare waking her from a fitful sleep. She felt her fiancé wake up next to her as she breathed heavily. He pulled her into a comforting embrace as tears flowed down her cheeks. "Oh David!" She sobbed. "I miss him so much!"
"I know, honey. I know," David soothed, unable to do anything more.
"Take me to the house." She begged.
"Mai…"
"Please David! I need to see it!"
"Alright." He said with a sigh. "Let's get dressed then."
It had been an hour since the moon had left him alone, and Quinn was practicing standing on his hind legs. He was surprised at how easy it was to walk around upright considering he was supposed to be a four legged creature. He glanced back at the mirror. Yup, he looked just as awesome on two legs as he did four. He chuckled as he realized that he looked a bit like Mushu from the Disney movie Mulan.
"Dishonor on you! Dishonor on your cow!" He imitated while pointing at the empty air. The sound of a car pulling up brought him out of musings. He turned and felt his heart drop as he recognized the vehicle. He had been regaining his memories slowly, the ones of his family returning first. Falling back down to all fours, he quickly hid behind the neighbor's fence and peeked over it.
He watched as his older sister and her fiancé get out of the car and approached the ruined house. They were silent for a few minutes before Mai began to cry and David pulled her into a comforting embrace. Quinn felt his long ears droop as he listened to the sobs. He was ashamed of himself. Here he was, fawning over his new looks while his family were probably grieving over his death. He would have to fix that.
He crept around the side of the house he was hiding behind and then snuck up on the pair. He sat and waited for them to turn around. He smirked at the thought of their shocked faces. The dragon wished he had a camera.
"Let's go." Mai said after a long while. The couple turned and slowly walked towards the car.
"Hey, I know I don't exactly look like myself," Quinn said in a joking tone when they didn't react at first. "But that's no reason to ignore-"
They walked through him.
He sat there in shock. They had just walked through him. It was as if he didn't even exist. He turned and watched with wide eyes as Mai and David got into their car and drove away. He followed it until they were out of sight and then laid down on the ground, his body curling up in the same way a cat's would.
What just happened?
He was confused. He was shocked. He was frightened. So, he did what any sane teenager would do in his situation.
Quinn began to cry.
Jack slouched in his chair, barely listening to North's ramblings. He and the other Guardians were gathered for a meeting at Santoff Clausen. The Guardian of Wonder was currently going over on how they would teach the new legend as was their duty. The others were paying close attention and giving suggestions. The winter spirit sighed quietly and gazed up at the glass ceiling.
He was still depressed from Quinn's death. He no longer blamed himself, but it still hurt. Jack gazed at the moon, jolting to attention when it started to glow.
"MiM!" He blurted out, catching the other's attention. They all fell quiet as a beam of light fell onto a small crystal glove on the center of the table they were sitting at, causing it glow.
"What's going on?" Rose asked with curiosity.
"Man in Moon is creating the new legend." North said in awe.
"Already?! But we've barely had any time to prepare!" Bunny exclaimed.
Sandy waved little flags in their faces and directed their attention back to the globe. The glow began to fade, leaving a single point of light shining brightly on it.
"Is that where they are?" Tooth wondered.
"Yes." North said as he examined the globe. "Interesting…"
"What?" Jack asked the Russian.
"That is town of Galion." The winter spirit gasped at this.
"You don't suppose…" Rose trailed off, her train of thought easily being followed by the others.
"Only one way to find out." North said. "Everyone to the sleigh!"
Quinn didn't notice the sound of the approaching footsteps as he sobbed.
"Well what do we have here?"
The dragon jerked his head up and turned towards the voice. A man with short black hair, pale skin, glowing yellow eyes, and wearing a black robe stood over him. He had a wide grin that made Quinn feel very uncomfortable.
"Y-you can see me?" He asked uncertainly as he stood slowly.
"But of course." The man said with a silky voice. Quinn immediately distrusted him and instinctively took a step back.
"Who are you?"
"How rude of me; my name is Pitch Black." The name sounded familiar to Quinn for some reason. The man's grin grew as he took a step closer. "However, you may know me better as the Boogeyman." Quinn swallowed. That name he definitely knew.
"Did you come alone?"
"Yes."
"I take it you're not here to offer your friendship."
"Very perceptive of you."
"Well… Crud."
"Indeed."
The young dragon heard a whinnying behind him. His pulse began to race as he turned to see horses made of black sand surrounding him.
"Now hold on a second," Quinn said in reasonable tone as the horses began to advance on him. "What did I ever do to you?"
"You've done nothing yet." Pitch said as he moved in on him. "I intend to keep it that way."
"Oh is that all? Then I promise to never bother you. Dragon's honor!" Quinn stood on his hind legs to try and give himself more space.
"I appreciate the gesture but I'm afraid I must insist. Now just come quietly and you won't come to any harm."
"Sorry, but the Moon told me-"
"I don't care what that old fool said!" The Nightmare King snarled. "Seize him!"
One of the sand horses rushed forward. Quinn lifted his paws to cover his face and closed his eyes. A whistling rang out followed by a pop and fizzle. The young dragon peeked out between to see a pile of harmless sand where the horse had been standing. Pitch and the other horses were staring at the same spot as well.
"What are you waiting for?" Pitch said finally. "Get him!"
Thinking quickly, Quinn formed a gun with his paw and aimed it at the nearest horse. He made a 'pulling the trigger' gesture. A firecracker shot from the tip of his claw, exploding in in bright green sparks when it hit, causing the horse to disintegrate. With a grin, he began shooting any of the horses that tried to come near him, causing the air to be filled with whistling, whinnies, pops, fizzles, and colorful explosions.
While he was distracted with the horses, Quinn failed to notice Pitch sneaking up on him. In one swift motion, he kicked his hind legs out from under him and slammed him to the ground. Pinning the winded dragon's arms down, Pitch smirked in triumph.
"I told you to come quietly."
"Go jump in front of a train!" Quinn spat as he struggled against the surprisingly strong grip.
"Oh I'm going to have fun with you." The dark spirit practically purred. Quinn stopped for a second and stared in disgust at his captor.
"Sick perv! I don't lean that way!"
"What?! How dare you assume-" He was cut off as he was suddenly blasted into the air. In his anger, Pitch has loosened his grip, allowing the dragon to break free and release some pent up energy that he had felt building up in his fists.
Quinn watched as the dark spirit was carried high into the sky before the firework exploded with a loud boom and a shower of red sparks. He lay down and panted heavily, still winded from Pitch's attack.
THUD
He looked over to see the unconscious form of the dark spirit laying several feet away from him. Quinn lay there, panting from exertion. With a groan he made his way over to the fallen spirit.
"Hey! Wake up!" He shouted, poking him in the face. The Nightmare King groaned and his eyes fluttered open. He froze when he noticed the dragon standing over him. "Listen up because I'm only going to say this once." The young dragon growled. "I don't want any more trouble at the moment. So how about we make a deal? I won't mess with you if you don't mess with me. Alright?"
"You dare give make demands of me?!"
"Yeah, yeah, I dare. If you want another ride on a firework, I'll be more than happy to oblige."
"… Fine." Pitch spat.
"Good. Now leave me alone." Quinn walked away, not looking back as the dark spirit faded into the shadows. He sighed; he was both physically and emotionally exhausted. Curling up into a comfortable position on a particularly soft pile of ashes, he soon fell asleep.
The six Guardians trudged through the forest towards town. They chatted amongst themselves, speculating what the new legend would be like.
"I wonder what they're going to be in charge of." Tooth was saying. "I mean, all the holidays already have their own spirit and so does most of the old folklore."
"Maybe they're a nature spirit." Rose suggested. "I wouldn't mind another worker."
"Not all the nature spirits work for you." Jack pointed out.
"Perhaps Manny is making all new holiday." North speculated.
Sandy drew a picture of a zipper being closed and then someone walking briskly.
"Sandy's right mates." Bunny chuckled. "We won't find out if we keep flapping our gums and don't get a move on."
Taking the Guardian of Dreams' advice, they picked up their pace and continued in silence. They soon neared the tree line. Bunny suddenly froze and crouched into a defensive position. The others immediately stopped.
"What's wrong Bunny?" North said as he scanned the trees around them for any sign of danger.
"I smell somethin'." The pooka answered while pulling out his boomerangs.
"What is it?" Tooth asked, flitting back and forth.
"Dunno. But it ain't good."
"Let me try." Rose said. She began to glow as she shape shifted into her pooka form. She had tan fur with a white chest and stomach. She was also several inches shorter than Bunny. She took a sniff of the air. "Dragon!" She hissed. The others tensed.
"A dragon? What is one doing this close to civilization? I thought they were all in hiding!" Tooth exclaimed, more nervous than ever.
"What's so bad about a dragon?" Jack asked.
"You know stories where they would steal princess and eat entire village?" North asked. The winter spirit nodded. "They weren't exactly exaggerated."
"What kind are we dealing with?" Bunny asked Rose. She took another sniff, before relaxing.
"Eastern lung, and he's a young one at that. They're usually a friendly species. But… There were some Nightmares in the area as well."
"Were?" Bunny raised an eyebrow.
"There aren't any at the moment." The Guardian of Family confirmed.
"I hope the new legend is alright." Tooth said anxiously. They all froze as what she said sunk in.
"I think we just found the new legend Tooth." Bunny said.
"And it seems Pitch found him first." North growled.
Sandy reacted first, zooming past them with his sand whips forming in his hands. Tooth and Jack flew close behind him. Bunny and Rose followed on all fours, leaving the large Russian to run after them. They burst through the trees, halting their rush at what awaited them.
A red dragon was curled up amongst the remains of the Wu home, sleeping fitfully. Piles of black sand surrounded it. It was shivering violently in the cold January air; its orange mane doing very little to keep it warm. It shifted slightly and began to mumble in a frightened tone. The Guardians approached the slumbering creature slowly, not wanting to startle it.
"What do we do now?" Jack whispered.
"We should probably wake it up." Rose whispered back. Tooth hovered lower to the ground and gently shook the dragon's shoulder.
"Hey. It's time to wake up." She called out softly. The dragon mumbled before curling into itself and shivering. "You're safe now." The Guardian of Memories soothed as she ran her fingers through his orange mane. "You need to wake up." The dragon began to stir, so Tooth retreated several feet to give him some space. His eyes fluttered opened, before widening in fear. He quickly got into a defensive crouch, his head lowered as he slowly began to back away from the six strange beings in front of it.
"W-who are you?" He stammered, ready to run at a single sign of aggression.
"We are the Guardians." North said in a placating tone. "Man in Moon sent us to find you."
"Man in Moon? Guardians?" His brow creased in confusion, but he relaxed nonetheless. "That… sounds familiar."
"Allow us to introduce ourselves." The large Russian said. "I am Nicholas St. North."
"Wait… You're Santa!" The young dragon's eyes lit up in realization of who was standing around him. "And that means you're the Tooth Fairy! And the Easter Bunny! Sandman! Uh…" He paused at the giant brown rabbit.
"Mother Nature." The Guardian of Family supplied as she shifted back to her human form. "But you may call me Rose."
"Ok. And… Jack Frost." He frowned at the winter spirit. "It's strange. I feel like I know you."
"What all do you remember?" Tooth asked, glancing warily at Jack.
"Not much. My name. My family. How I died…" The dragon looked down at that. "There was a fire. My sister and I got trapped upstairs. I grabbed a quilt and threw it out the window so my dad and some others could catch us in it. I made my sister jump first. They had just gotten her to safety when… when there was an explosion… and…" He shivered involuntarily. "There was a second of unbearable heat and then… I didn't feel anything. Just… darkness before waking up and seeing the moon."
"Quinn?" Jack croaked. The dragon snapped his head up and stared at the spirit.
"How do you know my name?" Before he could react, Jack had tackled him into a hug and was now crying into his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry!" The winter spirit sobbed as he clung to the now thoroughly confused dragon. "It's all my fault! I- I didn't mean to…"
"Didn't mean to what?" Quinn said slowly as he awkwardly patted Jack's back in a futile attempt at comforting him. He glanced at the famous spirits, but received no help from their guarded expressions.
"All the snow… The fire department couldn't… I know you wanted it but…" Jack trailed off as he continued to sob.
"We really did know each other, didn't we?" The young dragon said in realization at what Jack was talking about. He felt the crying spirit nod. "Then you know it wasn't your fault at all."
"But-"
"No buts!" He pulled Jack off of him so he could look him in the eye. "I don't remember what our friendship was like but you said I asked for the snow, right? That means I trusted you and knew you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. It's not like you started the fire."
"But-"
"Look, even though it wasn't your fault, I'm saying I forgive you. So stop the pity party." The dragon grinned. "And besides, I'm alive again, aren't I? Not to mention I'm a dragon now. I'd say that's an improvement." Jack snorted in amusement and wiped his eyes.
"You're definitely still you at least." The young Guardian grinned back.
"Phew! That's a relief! My memory is still a bit fuzzy so I'm still not entirely sure what I was like."
"I'm sure Tooth could help with that." Jack said, turning back to the other Guardians.
"Tooth?"
"It's short for Toothiana." The fairy said.
"What can you do to help my memory?" Quinn asked while he tilted his head to the side, causing Tooth to giggle at his expression.
"The teeth I collect hold all the special memories a child had. When they're adults, I return them when they need them the most."
"Soooo, by using the teeth you collected from me, you can restore my memories?" The young dragon guessed, his brow creased in concentration.
"Of course! That is if you want them back." She added after seeing his contemplative expression.
"Let's… hold off on the memories for now. I have enough to think about at the moment without having to relive my entire childhood." Quinn decided. "We haven't finished the introductions anyways." He said, looking at the Guardians of Hope and Dreams.
"Name's E. Aster Bunnymund. Call me Bunny."
"And this is Sanderson Mansnoozie." Jack said for the small man who waved. "He doesn't talk much. You can just call him Sandy."
"And you all know me." Quinn said. "Quinn Wu, normal teenager that was recently resurrected into the body of a dragon courtesy of the Moon for some unknown reason."
"Wait, didn't he tell ya anythin'?" Bunny asked.
"Well," Quinn began, but faltered when a cold breeze wafted over them, causing him to shiver. "Uh, could we continue this someplace warmer? Reptiles aren't very big on cold weather."
"At least you are accustomed to new body." North said with a jolly laugh. "Come! We take sleigh back to Pole!"
"Pole? As in, the North Pole? As in, your workshop?" The young dragon's eyes were filled with excited wonder.
"But of course!"
"Then what are we standing around here for?! To the sleigh!" He rushed off in the direction of the woods.
"Do you even know where you're going?" Jack called out, causing Quinn to pause and turn to them.
"Nope." He said cheerfully, giving a toothy grin. There was a high-pitched squeal and before he could blink the hummingbird-human hybrid was in front of him prying his jaws open.
"Oh my goodness! Look at these teeth! They're so white! And look at how sharp they are! They're the healthiest dragon teeth I've ever seen!" The Guardian of Memories gushed as she examined his mouth.
"Well, I did just get reborn," Was what Quinn tried to say. But it came out as, "El, Ai ib sus uh ebon."
"Tooth! Fingers out of mouth!" North scolded.
"Oh! Sorry!" She said with a blush, removing her hands from the young dragon's maw.
"It's alright. Just warn me next time before mouth molesting me." Jack snickered at this.
"Come! We go to sleigh now, yes?" The big Russian said, leading the way into the forest. They soon came to the clearing where the sleigh was parked and the seven spirits piled onto it. Quinn's multi-colored eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Buckle up!" The Guardian of Wonder shouted as he took the reins.
"Where are the seatbelts?" The young dragon asked while looking down at the benches they were sitting on.
"Ha!" The large man turned to them, a twinkle in his eye. "That was just expression!"
One exhilarating sleigh ride later, during which Jack employed Quinn's help in teasing Bunny, the group strolled and or floated into North's expansive workshop. Quinn's eyes darted back and forth as he tried to soak up every little detail. Yetis were absolutely everywhere, making all kinds of toys and carrying supplies around. Amazing little machines whizzed through the air, one narrowly missing the dragon's head. The air was lavished with the savory scents of freshly baked goodies and eggnog. And throughout the entire workshop ran ugly little elves that caused mischief wherever they went.
"I don't like it!" North said as they passed a yeti painting a toy truck red. "Paint it blue!" The yeti made several distressed sounds as it turned to a large pile of red trucks.
"I always thought the elves made the toys." Quinn mused out loud.
"We just let them think that." The Guardian of Wonder explained. They came upon a group of elves who had wrapped a string of Christmas lights around one of their own. One plugged them in, causing both the lights and the elf to light up. "Good job!" North complimented with false sincerity, sending them into an excited frenzy to create more 'masterpieces'.
The group came to a sort of living room, where several couches and chairs were positioned around a large fireplace. They each made themselves comfortable as a yeti served mugs of hot chocolate.
"Before we begin, I'm sure you're bursting with questions, yes?" North addressed Quinn as he sipped his warm beverage.
"Well, yeah. I have a few." The dragon admitted.
"Fire away." Bunny encouraged him.
"Well, this isn't really a question, but the others are real too, right? Like Cupid and Father Time?"
"Naturally." North confirmed.
"Ok. Earlier, you mentioned you were guardians. Guardians of what, exactly?"
"We are the Guardians of Childhood." The large Russian explained solemnly. "And we protect the children of the world. We inspire hope, keep precious memories alive, weave dreams, give the gift of wonder, instill the importance of family, and spread fun. We guard them from fear and despair. We will fight to our final breaths even if only a single child believed in us, because to us, that single child would be worth dying for if it meant keeping them safe.
"Of course, if ever a child were to grow up and retain their belief in us, our protection would be still be granted to them." Rose added.
"Whoa…" Quinn stared in awe after the passionate explanation.
"Anything else you wanted to ask?" Tooth said.
"Hmmm… I'm technically a spirit now, right? So does that mean I'm immortal?"
"You are so long as nothin' kills ya." Bunny answered. "So don't push your luck."
"Is that all?" North asked patiently.
"Well, no… Something happened before you showed up that I want explained…" The dragon's ears drooped and a haunted look entered his eyes. Jack's fist clenched as he recognized the pain in them. "While I was waiting around, my sister and her fiancé showed up. She… She was upset. So I tried to go and comfort her. But… But she walked through me. It was like I didn't even exist…"
Tooth flitted over and embraced Quinn in a comforting hug which he gladly accepted.
"You are new legend." North began with a sad sigh. "No one believes in you yet, so they cannot see, hear, or touch you. Not even your family."
"How long will it take for people to start believing in me?" He was met with silence at this. "Well?"
"A long, long time." Jack finally said, sending a pang of guilt through the other Guardians.
"Not necessarily." Rose said. "We'll be here for him this time."
"This time? What happened last time?"
"That is topic for different time," North quickly asserted. "Now, is that everything?"
"Yeah…" The dragon yawned loudly, suddenly becoming very drowsy. "Uh, do you mind if we pick this up tomorrow? This is a lot to take in for one day."
"Certainly. Phil!" The yeti came quickly to the call. "Take Quinn to guest room for tonight."
"Goodnight." Quinn said with another yawn as he followed Phil out of the room. The Guardians were silent after he left.
"Well now what do we do?" Jack asked after a while.
"Same as we planned since Man in Moon gave us task." North stated. "We do everything in our power to prepare Quinn for new life."
"Yeah, ok, but what about when we can't be there for him?" Bunny said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, some of us are busier than the rest. What about when Easter comes around? Not to mention Tooth and Sandy work twenty-four seven."
"We'll figure something out." North said with a sigh.
Sandy tapped the side of his mug to get their attention. He proceeded to make images above his head. He made a four-leaf clover, an hourglass, a heart, and several other symbols.
"We should get some help from the other spirits?" Tooth guessed. The small Guardian nodded.
"We will discuss this tomorrow." The Guardian of Wonder decided. "We shall sleep on it and then in the morning, we shall make plan for our young dragon friend!"
Quinn was curled up on the bed that had been provided for him, unable to sleep. His thoughts raced over the events of the past twelve hours. It almost seemed like an impossible dream. It didn't help that he couldn't seem to get comfortable on the insanely soft bed. He tossed and turned as his mind refused to settle down.
He didn't even notice the tendril of golden sand that snaked its way into his room and swirled around his head. Before long his thoughts slowed and his eyelids became heavy. With a content sigh, the young dragon closed his eyes and gently drifted off to a dream-filled sleep.
Several changes from the original for your enjoyment.
Unfortunately, my sister was unable to beta this, so there may be some mistakes.
Please tell me what you think in a review and send me a PM if you have an OC for me! It may give me the motivation I've been lacking lately!
I'm out!
-Ink