Bunnymund's Baby Ch. 11

Chapter Eleven: Dream Demons

He woke to a shriek. Hands clutched at his fur as Jack buried his face in the Pooka's chest fur, allowing his older brother to pull him into a hug. Bunnymund pulled himself up, bringing the winter spirit with him, as footsteps pounded to the door and the other Guardians burst into the room.

"What happened?!" North roared. Tooth took one look at them and zipped over, cooing softly and petting Jack's head. The other two started to walk over, but froze as a song called out from behind them.

"When she was just a girl,
she expected the world.
But it flew away from her reach,
so she ran away in her sleep.
And dreamed of
para-para-paradise,
para-para-paradise,
para-para-paradise.
Every time she closed her eyes."

An achingly familiar laugh followed, and Bunnymund was running towards the Globe Room before he was aware of it, trying to find the two creatures that should have been there. But there was no one there. Very faintly, it occurred to him that someone - or worse, something - was messing with him, but the Pooka shoved the thought away. Nobody would be so cruel as to taunt him with that laugh. Joey's laugh.

"So lying underneath
those stormy skies,
she said, 'Oh,
I know the sun must set to rise.'"

The Pooka spun around. Still no one there, but he could have sworn he saw a shadow move out of the corner of his eye.

"Pitch!" he called, drawing out his boomerangs. "If that's you, come out! That's not funny!" An ugly chorus of laughter followed his statement. Definitely not the Nightmare King. One of the shadows pulled away from the wall and stalked over, grinning insanely as its red eyes glowed. It was nearly impossible to tell what it was, because its form kept flickering and shifting.

"You have been summoned," it growled.

"By who?" Bunnymund asked, debating that it was either Olivia or Berry, since they were the only ones he knew, besides Pitch or some other unknown entity, that could control shadows. And these weren't Nightmares.

"You have been summoned by the Queens of the Shadowlands!" it hissed. Definitely Berry, who he remembered being the Child of Shadow. But could the other queen be Olivia? "You must come! You have been summoned!" The shadow turned and started to walk away, then looked back at him. "Come." He followed the shadow until it dissolved into the shadows on the wall, stopped, and decided that if Berry wanted to see him, she wouldn't make him look stupid by walking into walls along the way.

"No!" Bunnymund turned to see Jack across the room, anguish etched on his face. "You can't go!" The Pooka turned again,  knowing that he couldn't give a good reason as to why he was leaving. Red eyes watched him from the shadows. He started to walk forward, ready to fall into hell or worse. A cold hand caught his and he looked down at the winter spirit.

"What are you doin', Frostbite?"

"I'm not letting you go alone."