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Ch. 2 - Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

The morning came rather subtly in the ghost zone as usual, since it had no real sun. The green of the sky simply brightened and shined down through the little round window of the boy's room. The door slowly creaked as the large FarFrozen entered and he beamed at the sight of the sleeping tike. "Oh, Little One." He called in a hushed whisper. "It is time for you to wake!" His tone became louder but he still held it to a whisper.

He walked over to the side of the bed and watched over the stirring little boy. "Good morning." The boy squirmed under the blanket and he turned over to face the wooly beast before peaking his eyes open. He pulled up a hand out of the covers and rubbed one of his sleep filled eyes. "Hmmmm." Frostbite brushed the boy's hair out of his face. "I hope you slept well Little One."

The boy slowly sat up and the covers fell off, but as soon as they did he shivered. "C-cold…" The boy wrapped his arms around himself as he shook.

"I apologize Little One. Even in your ghostly form you will feel the cold. You have to only to get used to it." The FarFrozen lifted the boy out of his bed and into his arms. "Let us get some breakfast."

The boy nodded and curled himself up against the warm fur. "You're warm Frosty." The FarFrozen winced at the nickname given by the boy. It was rather cute considering it was a child to call him that but it dug at his pride a little.

As he made his way to the dining hall again they ran into Permafrost. "Good morning Lord Frostbite and little Danny!" She strolled up alongside them. "Heading to grab some breakfast?" She heard a low growl in response and turned to a red little halfa. She laughed slightly and proceeded into the cave with them. Once again Danny refused to let go of his furry guardian and Permafrost made haste to prepare him something.

"Oh Little One, I cannot be holding you all day you know." The boy simply stared at him quietly. The look he was giving Frostbite was so very pleading. He didn't want to have to be separated from the boy but he had duties to fulfill as the FarFrozen leader and he couldn't carry a child around for most of them. As Permafrost came out with another plate she listened to the exchange.

"Uh-uh!"

"You have to understand, I cannot stay with you all day."

The boy was tightly grasping at the FarFrozen's fur. "I wanna stay with Frosty!"

She laughed at the adorable nickname he had given her mighty leader. "I'm sorry to intervene but if you would require some quality time with him I could be of assistance. You could show him around and get him used to his surroundings. I would be more than happy to replace you for your patrol rounds, and your inventory check." She smiled to him as she placed the plate at the table.

Danny turned around in Frostbites lap to see the mush she put in front of him. He looked it over a bit before smelling it. Permafrost laughed at the child's strange gesture. "Don't worry it won't bite."

Frostbite laughed at that one. "I hope not, and I think I shall take you up on that offer." He looked down at the boy with a loving expression. "If he is to live here, he must learn his way around."

After breakfast Frostbite brought Danny back to his room and set him down where he immediately began to shiver. "Do not worry Little One, once your ice core matures you will no longer worry about the cold." Danny nodded even though he had no idea what he was talking about.

The large beast turned and pushed aside a door by the chest to reveal a closet. He pulled out a large white cloth and draped it around Danny. It was a cloak and it was very warm as the boy hugged it close to him. He smiled warmly at Frostbite. "Thank you Frosty!"

In response he beamed with joy at the small boy. He picked him up and placed him on his shoulder. "Come and I will show you around." They exited the room with haste.

"Cool!" Danny looked around in awe of the sight. Frostbite had brought him to the top of a large mound to overlook the village. "See, that is where we started, then there is the treasury, and that over there is the medical facility where you first woke up. A lot of the village is inside the many caverns you see below you."

Danny held tightly to Frostbite's horn as he looked around excitedly. "This place is so big!"

Frostbite laughed at the boy's wonder. "So it is, but please keep in mind little one, that the land outside our village can be dangerous. If you play outside here, please stay within sight of the village."

Danny looked high above his head at the swirling green mass that was sky in their realm. "Doors?" The many floating doors stretched across the sky in no specific pattern. "Ah! Those are other realms for those of the ghost zone. You need not worry about them for we are safe within our own realm." The boy continued to look up at them in wonder as Frostbite started down the hill.

As they made their way across the snowy field to the cavern of their quarters two FarFrozen approached with stern expressions. "Lord Frostbite we must talk to you!" One with doubled horns was the one to call out. "The perimeter was breached just now by one of the Flizards! They grow too bold!"

Frostbite's expression grew serious which confused little Danny. What's a Flizard he wondered. "I only wish I knew their aim. They wouldn't try to invade us without some sort of edge for they cannot stand this cold realm."

The one with the doubled horns nodded in understanding. "Of course lord Frostbite but we are investigating the scene and I believe you must come see it for yourself."

Frostbite looked to the boy perched on his shoulder and then to the FarFrozen before him and sighed. "I suppose it can't be helped then." He picked up the boy who obviously protested being moved and tried to set him down only to have him latch to his leg. "Come now little one, we talked about this before did we not?" He shook his head as he gripped the furry appendage tighter.

Frostbite sighed again but soon felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Worry not lord Frostbite, I shall watch over him." This other FarFrozen was a bit shorter than the one with doubled horns and reached down for the boy. He pulled a bit to no avail for the boy certainly had a firm hold on Frostbite's leg. "I'll get you to let go if I have to tickle you to do so." He then proceeded to do just that and focus on the boy's sides.

An adorable giggle was heard rising from little Danny as he squirmed trying his hardest not to let go. He didn't hold up long, however, and was wriggling in the snow swiping at his sides. "Stop it! 'giggle' That Tickles!" The FarFrozen was quick to scoop him up in his arms much to the boy's disapproval. "No! I wanna stay with Frosty!"

Frostbite gave him a sympathetic smile as he took a spot beside the other FarFrozen. "I am sorry little one but I cannot take you where I am going; you are far too little. Polaris will be sure to take good care of you while I'm away." Danny squirmed a bit more to get out of Polaris' grip while tears welled up in his eyes. A soft sob was heard from him as Frostbite hesitantly backed away. "I will come back, don't be sad."

Danny was losing control of his breathing as he continued to sob. "I don't want you to leave…."

Frostbite let out a sigh and approached them. He pat Danny on the head and gave him a smile. "Please just behave for Polaris, I'll only be gone a short while. I'll be back before you even realize it has been any time at all and I'm sure you can find something fun to do with Polaris in the meantime."

Danny gave a shaky nod as he sat back in Polaris's arms. "O-okay Frosty…. I'll wait."

Frostbite gave him another smile. "That's a good boy." He turned and left with the other FarFrozen and Danny watched in longing as they left his sight still sniffling.

Polar held him close as he turned for the cavern Frostbite was taking him to. "Buck up little guy, he said he'd be back so let's hang out until he does alright? What do you like to do for fun hmm?" Danny remained silent. Polaris frowned a bit at the boy's reclusive attitude. "Come now, there has to be something you like to do." Danny simply stayed silent as he clutched at his fur.

He closed his eyes and heard a far off voice. "Hey Danny? You want to build a snowman?" He couldn't quite place where the voice came from or even who it was but he liked the sound of it. "Snowman…."

Polaris ears perked. "What was that Danny?"

He curled tighter into his fur as he responded. "I wanna build a snowman."

Polaris froze in his tracks as he scanned for a good spot. "Then that's what we'll do. Let me see… oh there we go!" He dashed over to a small mound of snow out of the way of others. "This will do nicely." He set Danny down in the snow and the boy looked around a bit, still holding the sour expression on his face. Polaris looked at him in confusion. "Are you going to start? I'm sorry to say that I'm not entirely sure what a snowman is, but I thought for sure it was made of snow."

Danny looked up at him in a bit of surprise. "You don't know what a snowman is?" He let out a giggle. "That's silly!"

Polaris smiled at his adorable face. "Then you show me then." Danny nodded as he picked up some snow in his hand. "First you gotta make a ball like this." He lifted the snowball to show him. "Then you have to roll it around in the snow and make it huge!" He started and soon the ball was almost the same size as he was.

Seeing the boy struggle to continue Polaris decided to help him along. "Let me help." He pushed the ball now and by the time Danny told him to stop, it was obviously taller than the tike.

"Now we gotta make another one!" He started another snowball and rolled it around until it was up to his chin. He stopped and rolled it up to the other one. "Put this one on top of that one please Mr. Po…. Polis"

Polaris laughed as he did as the boy asked. "It's Polaris, Po-lar-is."

Danny gave frown at the idea of struggling with another name. "Palamis….. Polaramis!"

He chuckled again at the poor boy's expense. "How about just calling me Polar hmm?"

Danny paused for a moment before saying it himself. "Pol…ar….. Polar!" He gave a smile as he found it sounded right.

"Splendid, Danny." He pat the boy on the head causing him to blush and renew his shyness.

He backed up and started making another snowball. "You gotta make one more."

As he rolled it, this one became much smaller than the rest. "Why are they different sizes?"

Danny giggled again. "Cause that's what a snowman is supposed to look like!" He lifted the smaller one and struggled to hand it off to Polar without dropping it. Polar took it and gently placed it on top of the stack.

When he looked back to the boy he seemed to be looking around for something. "What is it Danny?"

He shuffled a bit through the snow in his search dragging his cloak through it as well. "Gotta find some sticks, rocks and a carrot."

Polar scratched his head at the question of why he would need them for something made of snow but called him back over. "Come back here Danny, I will do my best to provide you with what you are looking for." Danny shuffled back with an expectant expression. Polar held out his hands and they glowed a blue color as ice formed in his palms.

They took on the shape of two tree branches only made of ice. "Will this do?"

Danny's eyes were wide as dinner plates as he awed what Polar just did. "Oh wow! You can do magic!?"

Polar chuckled at his immediate jump to that. "No, but I guess you have never seen a ghost make ice before have you?"

Danny took the ice sticks from his hands and marveled at them. "Cool!" He then reached up as high as he could and put each of the sticks through each side of the middle ball. Next he turned back to Polar in anticipation.

"Okay next was rocks right?" He quickly formed several stone shape ice pieces in his hands and gave a few of them to Danny. "What are these for?"

"You gotta make a face and some buttons!" Danny started to place his along the middle of the snowman. Polar took his chance to try and put on the face though Danny didn't approve when he looked up at it. "No Polar that's all wrong!" Danny hoped a bit to try and reach the face to fix it but the height quickly frustrated him. "Too high!"

Polar grabbed the boy under the arms and lifted him up so that he could reach. "How about now?"

Danny was quick to straighten up the ice stones into 2 eyes and a smiley face. "There!" He then turned his head to Polar. "Now we need a carrot!"

Polar held Danny close and let go with one of his hands to free it up. He made an icicle which he promptly handed off to the boy. "This should work yes?"

Danny took it happily and then Polar raised him in front of the snowman again so that he may place it. It was stuck square into the face of the snowman and Danny was ecstatic once it was finished. "Ta-da!" Polar set the boy down and he ran around his finished snowman in excitement. He stooped and held his stomach when he felt it growl.

Polar heard it too and decided they should get some lunch. "Hungry eh Danny? Come with me and we can get something to eat." Danny ran over to him and raised his arms up letting out a grunting sound. Though Polar was confused at the gesture at first he quickly realized he wanted to be carried. "Alright then." He swiftly picked him up and took him inside with him.

He was easily able to make him something he liked. Thought it was obvious that little Danny thought whatever it was, was too cold he didn't complain and ate it all the same. "Hello there little Danny." The two of them turned to see Permafrost enter the room. "I was half expecting to see Frostbite when I was told you were in here. Where do he go Polaris?"

"Diamond Dust took him to see where those weird markings were. Neither him nor I could make heads or tail of them and they looked to be of Flizard origin."

Her expression became serious as she joined them at the table. "They came here? They can't tolerate the cold here so why would they bother?"

Polar shrugged. "No idea but if they are trying then that means that is very important which could spell trouble for us. The last thing we need is to be stuck at war with them again."

Permafrost leaned on her propped up arm. "Why do they have to be such hot heads all the time?"

Polar looked down at Danny finishing his meal as he responded. "They're just stubborn in my opinion. They want things to stay the same like they were in the old days."

"That's an unrealistic ambition to say the least. Everything changes with time."

The two watched as Danny, who had now finished, yawned a bit in Polar's lap. "Surly you can't be tired already Little Danny?"

Danny denied it with what little energy he had. "Of course not…. Silly."

Another yawn escaped his mouth as he leaned back against Polar's fur. "Seems to me he's ready for a nap Polar. Young one's like him need the extra rest."

Polar picked up the yawning little halfa and held him up to see his eye lids drooping sleepily. "I guess I'll have to agree with you on that one Permafrost." Polar stood up with Danny cradled in his arms. "I'll take him to his room to sleep then."