The Legacy of Peter Pan

Chapter 4: A Reunion of Lost Boys

       Though he had done it so many times before, Peter knew there was no way he could ever be tired of flying. He loved the way the cool refreshing air rushed past his face and teased his hair. It felt amazing being hundreds of feet above land or sea, the only being in the air besides the birds. With his arms stuck out to his sides, it was like they were his wings carrying him through the sky.

With a soft chuckle, Peter spun in the air then took a sharp dive towards Crocodile Creek. He flew centimeters above the clear water dipping his fingers into the cold rushing creek. After travelling a ways down the stream, he began to follow the familiar path to the old Hangman's Tree. The area around Peter was still mostly bare and healing from the bomb Hook had attempted to end Peter's life with all those years ago. But luckily, it looked like the Great Shower had also revived this seemingly dead land, bringing back grass and flowers and vibrant green leaves on the trees. And finally, just on the horizon, Peter could see the tree come into view as he flew closer. It had grown taller since he left, similar to himself. While Hangman's tree used to be a dead blackened stump, it was now a beautiful oak tree with a strong trunk and branches and a thick array of leaves.

Gingerly and quietly, Peter landed next to the tree, scanning his surroundings. There were no signs of life besides the soft chirp of insects. Puzzled, Peter flew up into the tree and looked through the window of the treehouse addition to his old hideout. He remembered right after the Darlings left, he and The Lost Boys decided it was time to rebuild the hideout, making it "better than ever before". Unfortunately, the darkness hit Neverland not long after that and Peter never got to see it finished. He found himself being glad that they decided to push on with the project. It turned out well (though, there was no roof yet). But that still didn't explain where everyone was.

Slowly, Peter touched back down on the ground, scratching his head and looking around. TinkerBell landed on Peter's shoulder with a flutter of her wings and jingled. Peter shrugged.

"I don't have any idea where they are." He said, defeated. He started to walk back towards the hideout but was stopped in his tracks by a rustle in the nearby bushes. "Who's there?" The boy reached for his dagger, only to grasp at an empty spot. Force of habit. It took Peter a moment to remember he hadn't even seen his dagger since he left The Lost Boys. But there was nothing he could do about that now. A loud voice shouted from the bushes and Peter whipped his head around.

"Get him, men!"

Dashing out of the bushes came a gaggle of boys charging towards Peter. They yelled their warriors cry while holding their clubs, slingshots, and wooden toy swords at the ready. Before Peter could even process the situation, a couple of the boys pinned him down while the others who had been running at full speed tried to stop but ended up tripping over eachother and piling on top of Peter.

"Whoah!"

"Maybe he's a thief!"

"Ya think he's one of Hook's?"

"Your elbow is poking my shoulder!"

"Maybe your shoulder shouldn't be in my way."

"Where'd he come from?"

Peter forcibly pushed one of the boys off of his chest and gasped for air. "Get off me ya swabs!" He yelled.

The boys scrambled to their feet and backed away from the young man, looking at him in pure disbelief. Peter stood up and brushed himself off. There was silence.

"P-Pan?" The blonde skinny boy raised his eyebrows and pushed the hood of his fox hide costume back.

Peter smiled. "It's good to see you haven't forgotten me."