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He felt a stinging pain in his back as Tooth treated the claw marks that the nightmare man had left. They were in the infirmary of the workshop, a white room with four large beds - for the Yetis - and a few smaller ones - likely for the elves. Jökull was sitting shirtless on one of the bigger ones, Tooth behind him. He had seen how she had prepared a needle. He felt very nervous but Tooth was skilled and worked as fast as possible.

She finished a few minutes later and they sat in silence. Jökull was looking everywhere but her. He felt so confused after all that had happened. The only things he knew for sure was that the Norns were right about the staff, he still trusted Mother Nature no matter what, and that Pitch was different now. Kozmotis. It wasn't the whole name thing and he acted like before, but now it seemed to be less dark.

His mind ran wild as he tried to search for words to describe Kozmotis. It got interrupted by Toothiana who stood up, took his hand, and led him in front of a big mirror. He briefly wondered how he couldn't have seen it when he first entered the room, but he instantly forgot about that once he saw his reflection.

They had been right, he really looked different. He could still recognize himself, but he looked like the man he had seen in the water reflection back at the meeting with the Norns: In his twenties, slightly longer hair and pointed ears. His chest appeared to be a bit more muscular than before and his shorts were still a bit too tight. He had to do something about that...

He turned around and looked over his shoulder. His back looked terrible: Three long claw marks started from his left shoulder blade and went on towards his lowest right rip. The skin around them looked ragged and gleamed in an aggressive red. Tooth had done a good job patching him up and a thin layer of ice eased the pain. He hadn't been aware that he did something like that. It seemed that his powers worked more subconsciously now.

Jökull sighed. There was so much he didn't know. And he didn't know who he should ask. The best he had was North's book, but he didn't know if he should just ask. Now that the Boogeyman was defeated they didn't need him as a guardian anymore. So why should they help him? Or could he even trust them, after all they worked for the moon?

He also felt the strange urge to help Kozmotis. He promised Mother Nature that he wouldn't get killed by the guardians.

"What will you do with Kozmotis now?" he looked Toothiana straight into her orchid eyes.

She looked away guilty.

"I don't know. We will have to decide all together. But I am not sure what the outcome will be. Bunny will want to see him imprisoned or even dead and I don't know what North will do."

"What did he do to Bunny?" He only dared to whisper the question knowing it had to be a touchy subject.

Tooth sat down again and began to explain in a sad voice: "Like I said before, we all were someone before we became guardians. Bunny is a Pooka, an ancient alien race. They were capable of the most stunning things. Bunny is the last one. All the Pookas were killed by the Nightmare King long before we became guardians."

She fell silent and Jökull didn't dare to disturb the silence. From outside the door the Yetis and Elves could be heard and he just felt lost. He was a neutral party before this and he was even now. The only reasons he went with the guardians had been his memories. He would go his own ways again, but first he wanted to help Kozmotis for the sake of Mother Nature.

"He said that he was the only one who could defeat the shadows again. They fled his lair and who knows what they will do. You need him to stop them."

"If they don't hurt the children than it isn't our job", Tooth simply stated and looked at him like it would be obvious.

"You can't be serious! If people get hurt..."

He couldn't finish his sentence because North chose this moment to enter the room, leading a rather pissed looking Kozmotis.

"Ah, Tooth you are here. Is very good. Could you tend his wounds too? We can't let him die on us, yet.", he said his Russian accent showing a bit.

Yet - that simple word instilled hope and fear at the same time in Jökull. Hope because North must think that they still need him and fear if they found that he wasn't any use.

"Of course", Tooth sounded like a mother again.

Jökull was glad that he could trust her a little bit more than the others. She was the only one who seemed to understand him. She had shown her guilt rather obvious, after she realized that he had saved Baby Tooth. She had to see the changes in the Boogeyman too.

As he looked at Kozmotis he felt guilt rise in himself too. He was shirtless like himself and was clattered in cuts and claw marks that his frost had covered up - it had turned his skin frost bitten. His skin was almost as light as his now - probably because of blood loss - and it was sickly red and purple turning black at a few places thanks to him. He really had less control about his own powers now.

"Sorry", he mumbled, "about the frost bite. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Kozmotis looked up at him and then in the mirror behind Jökull where he could see the claw marks at his back.

"It is alright. I probably would have bled to death without it. And a little magic should heal this.", he paused for a few seconds, "Sadly I am not sure about the wounds caused by the Nightmare Men. They may leave scars. For both of us."

Through his little speech his annoyance seemed to ease up and Jökull got the feeling that Kozmotis cared about him. He had to smile at that thought. It was nice being cared for if you were alone a long time. The only other being caring - at least what he could remember - had been Mother Nature.

"It's ok. I need new clothes though. Bigger pants would be great too" He looked at North during the last part.

The man turned from fierce into jolly in a split second. All laughing and sparkling eyes, it was rather terrifying to watch.

"Of course, Jökull! You want the same as before? Or new design? I could make you something like the legends are telling your kind wears!"

The man didn't even need an answer, he just rushed out and left him - shirtless. It was a good thing that he couldn't feel cold at a place like the North Pole.

Jökull sat down on the bed across from Kozmotis and Toothiana and watched them silently. After Tooth finished with the needle she treated the frost bite with a greenish ointment, her brows frowning.

"This isn't working like it should."

Jökull stood up and took a closer look at Kozmotis' face. The frost bite was less visible by now but still there. He knew nothing about magical ointments so he said nothing.

"I suppose it is because the magic that caused the injury was stronger than this", Kozmotis said and looked at Jökull with wonder in his eyes.

"I'll take it as a compliment. I think", Jökull joked.

For a second he thought he could see a small smile on the injured man but it was gone all of a sudden.

"You two will need clothes. Who knows how long it will take North to make you some", Tooth muttered and left the room without a glance at them. Jökull could see two Yetis guarding the door.

"They think I will run away, don't they?" He whispered.

"Do you want to?" Kozmotis asked, interested.

Jökull looked at him. He had the same face as the Boogeyman, the same eyes and the same hair. Yet his expression was sincere. It looked a bit funny to see the former Boogeyman wear nothing but black sweatpants. Where did he even get those?

"I think I might. I want to know about my past and I can't find it here. What about you?"

He could tell that the man was surprised, maybe didn't understand what he wanted to say so he explained himself.

"Do you want to stay here where everyone treats you like a villain?"

"What else should I do?"

Kozmotis looked so broken that Jökull couldn't imagine him as evil. He remembered Tooth's words.

"If the children aren't in danger, than the guardians don't help. Don't get me wrong, I care about children, but what if the shadows go after adults? Would they do this?"

"They did."

His eyes told a story that was ancient and gloomy. He didn't dare to ask about it.

Jökull wanted to lighten up the mood in the best way he could – joking.

"Why don't you come with me? You want to get the shadows, right? Fight them and all."

Kozmotis nodded puzzled. Before Jökull noticed it his joke turned serious:

"I want to look for my family and you can look for them."

They just stared at each other. After what seemed like hours Kozmotis said:

"They won't let me go. And you neither. They think we might work together."

Now it was his time to look puzzled, but he listened as he continued talking.

"They were asking me about you. If I tricked you into believing that the moon is evil. If I put you under a spell. I wonder myself what happened to you. You don't act any different, but yet I can feel that something changed. I don't mean how you look... I cannot really put a finger on it."

Jökull smiled.

"I feel the same about you. And if they won't let us go, we will just bust out."

"You really mean it, don't you?"

If he did something like that he could be a bit more mischievous too.

"Yes, but I need to borrow one of Norths books before we go."

"And by borrow do you mean steal ?" Kozmotis raised a single eyebrow – did the Boogeyman even had eyebrows?

"I honestly don't believe that they will give it to me if I asked them", Jökull muttered.

Kozmotis thought about it for a few minutes.

"It would be best to bust out in two nights. It's going to be a new moon."

"Now we really work together" Jökull laughed and this time he was sure about the smile on Kozmotis' face.

Description
He felt a stinging pain in his back as Tooth treated the claw marks that the nightmare man had left. They were in the infirmary of the workshop, a white room with four large beds - for the Yetis - and a few smaller ones - likely for the elves. Jökull was sitting shirtless on one of the bigger ones, Tooth behind him. He had seen how she had prepared a needle. He felt very nervous but Tooth was skilled and worked as fast as possible.

She finished a few minutes later and they sat in silence. Jökull was looking everywhere but her. He felt so confused after all that had happened. The only things he knew for sure was that the Norns were right about the staff, he still trusted Mother Nature no matter what, and that Pitch was different now. Kozmotis. It wasn't the whole name thing and he acted like before, but now it seemed to be less dark.

His mind ran wild as he tried to search for words to describe Kozmotis. It got interrupted by Toothiana who stood up, took his hand, and led him in front of a big mirror. He briefly wondered how he couldn't have seen it when he first entered the room, but he instantly forgot about that once he saw his reflection.

They had been right, he really looked different. He could still recognize himself, but he looked like the man he had seen in the water reflection back at the meeting with the Norns: In his twenties, slightly longer hair and pointed ears. His chest appeared to be a bit more muscular than before and his shorts were still a bit too tight. He had to do something about that...

He turned around and looked over his shoulder. His back looked terrible: Three long claw marks started from his left shoulder blade and went on towards his lowest right rip. The skin around them looked ragged and gleamed in an aggressive red. Tooth had done a good job patching him up and a thin layer of ice eased the pain. He hadn't been aware that he did something like that. It seemed that his powers worked more subconsciously now.

Jökull sighed. There was so much he didn't know. And he didn't know who he should ask. The best he had was North's book, but he didn't know if he should just ask. Now that the Boogeyman was defeated they didn't need him as a guardian anymore. So why should they help him? Or could he even trust them, after all they worked for the moon?

He also felt the strange urge to help Kozmotis. He promised Mother Nature that he wouldn't get killed by the guardians.

"What will you do with Kozmotis now?" he looked Toothiana straight into her orchid eyes.

She looked away guilty.

"I don't know. We will have to decide all together. But I am not sure what the outcome will be. Bunny will want to see him imprisoned or even dead and I don't know what North will do."

"What did he do to Bunny?" He only dared to whisper the question knowing it had to be a touchy subject.

Tooth sat down again and began to explain in a sad voice: "Like I said before, we all were someone before we became guardians. Bunny is a Pooka, an ancient alien race. They were capable of the most stunning things. Bunny is the last one. All the Pookas were killed by the Nightmare King long before we became guardians."

She fell silent and Jökull didn't dare to disturb the silence. From outside the door the Yetis and Elves could be heard and he just felt lost. He was a neutral party before this and he was even now. The only reasons he went with the guardians had been his memories. He would go his own ways again, but first he wanted to help Kozmotis for the sake of Mother Nature.

"He said that he was the only one who could defeat the shadows again. They fled his lair and who knows what they will do. You need him to stop them."

"If they don't hurt the children than it isn't our job", Tooth simply stated and looked at him like it would be obvious.

"You can't be serious! If people get hurt..."

He couldn't finish his sentence because North chose this moment to enter the room, leading a rather pissed looking Kozmotis.

"Ah, Tooth you are here. Is very good. Could you tend his wounds too? We can't let him die on us, yet.", he said his Russian accent showing a bit.

Yet - that simple word instilled hope and fear at the same time in Jökull. Hope because North must think that they still need him and fear if they found that he wasn't any use.

"Of course", Tooth sounded like a mother again.

Jökull was glad that he could trust her a little bit more than the others. She was the only one who seemed to understand him. She had shown her guilt rather obvious, after she realized that he had saved Baby Tooth. She had to see the changes in the Boogeyman too.

As he looked at Kozmotis he felt guilt rise in himself too. He was shirtless like himself and was clattered in cuts and claw marks that his frost had covered up - it had turned his skin frost bitten. His skin was almost as light as his now - probably because of blood loss - and it was sickly red and purple turning black at a few places thanks to him. He really had less control about his own powers now.

"Sorry", he mumbled, "about the frost bite. I didn't mean for this to happen."

Kozmotis looked up at him and then in the mirror behind Jökull where he could see the claw marks at his back.

"It is alright. I probably would have bled to death without it. And a little magic should heal this.", he paused for a few seconds, "Sadly I am not sure about the wounds caused by the Nightmare Men. They may leave scars. For both of us."

Through his little speech his annoyance seemed to ease up and Jökull got the feeling that Kozmotis cared about him. He had to smile at that thought. It was nice being cared for if you were alone a long time. The only other being caring - at least what he could remember - had been Mother Nature.

"It's ok. I need new clothes though. Bigger pants would be great too" He looked at North during the last part.

The man turned from fierce into jolly in a split second. All laughing and sparkling eyes, it was rather terrifying to watch.

"Of course, Jökull! You want the same as before? Or new design? I could make you something like the legends are telling your kind wears!"

The man didn't even need an answer, he just rushed out and left him - shirtless. It was a good thing that he couldn't feel cold at a place like the North Pole.

Jökull sat down on the bed across from Kozmotis and Toothiana and watched them silently. After Tooth finished with the needle she treated the frost bite with a greenish ointment, her brows frowning.

"This isn't working like it should."

Jökull stood up and took a closer look at Kozmotis' face. The frost bite was less visible by now but still there. He knew nothing about magical ointments so he said nothing.

"I suppose it is because the magic that caused the injury was stronger than this", Kozmotis said and looked at Jökull with wonder in his eyes.

"I'll take it as a compliment. I think", Jökull joked.

For a second he thought he could see a small smile on the injured man but it was gone all of a sudden.

"You two will need clothes. Who knows how long it will take North to make you some", Tooth muttered and left the room without a glance at them. Jökull could see two Yetis guarding the door.

"They think I will run away, don't they?" He whispered.

"Do you want to?" Kozmotis asked, interested.

Jökull looked at him. He had the same face as the Boogeyman, the same eyes and the same hair. Yet his expression was sincere. It looked a bit funny to see the former Boogeyman wear nothing but black sweatpants. Where did he even get those?

"I think I might. I want to know about my past and I can't find it here. What about you?"

He could tell that the man was surprised, maybe didn't understand what he wanted to say so he explained himself.

"Do you want to stay here where everyone treats you like a villain?"

"What else should I do?"

Kozmotis looked so broken that Jökull couldn't imagine him as evil. He remembered Tooth's words.

"If the children aren't in danger, than the guardians don't help. Don't get me wrong, I care about children, but what if the shadows go after adults? Would they do this?"

"They did."

His eyes told a story that was ancient and gloomy. He didn't dare to ask about it.

Jökull wanted to lighten up the mood in the best way he could – joking.

"Why don't you come with me? You want to get the shadows, right? Fight them and all."

Kozmotis nodded puzzled. Before Jökull noticed it his joke turned serious:

"I want to look for my family and you can look for them."

They just stared at each other. After what seemed like hours Kozmotis said:

"They won't let me go. And you neither. They think we might work together."

Now it was his time to look puzzled, but he listened as he continued talking.

"They were asking me about you. If I tricked you into believing that the moon is evil. If I put you under a spell. I wonder myself what happened to you. You don't act any different, but yet I can feel that something changed. I don't mean how you look... I cannot really put a finger on it."

Jökull smiled.

"I feel the same about you. And if they won't let us go, we will just bust out."

"You really mean it, don't you?"

If he did something like that he could be a bit more mischievous too.

"Yes, but I need to borrow one of Norths books before we go."

"And by borrow do you mean steal ?" Kozmotis raised a single eyebrow – did the Boogeyman even had eyebrows?

"I honestly don't believe that they will give it to me if I asked them", Jökull muttered.

Kozmotis thought about it for a few minutes.

"It would be best to bust out in two nights. It's going to be a new moon."

"Now we really work together" Jökull laughed and this time he was sure about the smile on Kozmotis' face.