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His P.O.V.
Sleep is no option this night. The girl locked in The Roots, rotting away, puts me at the slightest ease. I will use this time until our next encounter to research her. Airborne, above the treetops I leave Hideout in the distance, where the girl stews below it. I fly for miles east, until coming up to the home of a friend with those few answers. Questions simply refuse to quit flooding my ease-loosing state of mind, I prepare to only get few answered. Listening to each question, over and over, loosing more and more ease, until finally I near the cave that sits atop a glacier of a boulder just above seas level. The cave takes the satisfying shape of a human skull and sits detached from Neverland in the ocean, flooding on those special stormy nights. I enter through the eye of the rocky cave. My boots touch the solid floor in the middle of the hollowed out rock smelling of salt and sea grime.
"Alright, where are you?" I ask the walls.
I sense it before I see it. It comes out of the dark shadows above, crawling from the black ceiling that seems to go on eternally until it sits at my level, waiting to be spoken to.
"Did you bring her here?" I ask with crossed arms. "Who?" "Nah, no games. Did you bring her?" "I don't know what you're talking about," it insists. I exhale angrily, "You are not one to lie," "And I am not," "She claims a demon shadow dropped her on the beach," "Who?" "The girl." "I brought no girl here. Perhaps, she's the liar," "Perhaps..." I wait for Shadow to say something useful. It sighs with demeanor, "If she made it to Neverland then she's here as all the rest are. She's lost," "Bullshit. She's a threat." "To who? You?" it cackles a shrieking laugh at me, "Why do you fear a single girl?" "I fear nothing. I don't know why she's here, or how, or why her," I raise my voice, annoyed. "She must be as the Lost Boys, she is lost," "No, she isn't. She has power," "As do the rest," "Not like this. And I don't understand how."
Shadow falls quiet for long moments as we mirror thinking. Shadow does as I when I retrieve to rest against a cold boulder. Though Shadow has no face I can tell it thinks of answers just as hard as I do, yet we both can't put together how the girl found this place without Shadow's journey. The only other portals to Neverland aren't open without great ability which pushes me to believe she lies about her power and is hiding much, much more. Finally in the dark silence Shadow breaks it and speaks.
"She arrived this day?" "Last day," "You're so quick to feel threatened," "...I've met her before," It looks at me then shakes its head, as if now all answers are obvious. "What," I spit. "It's fate," I wait a moment, losing patience with its riddles. Shadow explains, "It's fate. Why else would you feel so strongly, so quickly-," "Because she's got power I've never seen before," "Which probably how she got here." I shake my head, "And how would she know of you? She specifically said 'demon', how does she know you exist if you didn't bring her?" "I already told you, I am no liar," it growls loudly. "If she's here, it's fate," I thrust away from the thing in anger, "You expect me to take 'she's powerful because she just is' as an answer?" "Well, why else could you meet her again? Twice in one lifetime, from separate worlds, it's no coincidence and no puzzle either," "If it's so simple then tell me why her, why again?" "Neverland's fate is nearing. Whatever change is to happen must almost be here," "Neverland doesn't need a change," I say through my teeth. "Not yet, but if it's written in the fates then it is to come to past." "A thousand years gone and never a change here, that's the truth," "Everything changes eventually and Neverland is no exception. Change is a thing you can count on. Not even you can stop it," I glare at it, angry with its fake answers, "Watch me." I turn to leave when it stops me by appearing in front of me. "There is a fate seer in Pixie Hollow," I exhale a memory of when I heard news of this fate seer arriving but I had not cared, "Who," "One of the Specials. Ask the fairy queen, and be prepared to pay their price. The fate seer will tell you what is to happen, and perhaps a reason for why this girl gets such a role in your life," "Well, it's good to know you're not completely useless," I say as I take off at an angry speed.
The night flies by nearly as fast as I do, heading for Bird's Island to my favorite spot to think. My thinking tree. Not that the pieces don't fit perfectly already since I wouldn't be welcomed into Pixie Hollow until morning anyway. So he night goes to be focused on a plan.
The obvious goal the girl wants to reach is to get close and take power from me which is how I know I need to gain her trust first. But, she's dumb enough to simply try to assassinate and nothing more then she's been the walking dead. The thought of her attempting deceive me so she can get close, amuses me. What a fun game that would be to win. How amusing it would be to let her think she's a step ahead, let her see the finish line then snatch it all way. Her undeniably strong power clearly needs to be harvested. So playing nice long enough to reel her in is the logical plan, but seemingly too easy.
When the cool morning air seeps through the forest it brings that quiet forest whisper. The next few moons already mapped out in my head, I stand from my position in my tree. My sky beautifully changes colors when the sun rises. I climb higher through the branches to look passed the tide, viewing my far, barely visible, Hideout.
I take off towards Hideout to meet the pesky Natives that are probably nearing the camp by now. They wouldn't ever venture to the Lurid Forest without wanting a meeting. From up above my sight catches every detail of the ground below and just as I approach Hideout I spot the 6 Natives huddled beside 8 Lost Boys. I can hear them speaking. The Natives are stressed and trying to negotiate a Lost Boy to signal me.
"He'll be here when he's here," I land behind the Natives quietly. "Good morning, redskins," I say loudly with a smile. They all turn my way, "Peter Pan," one speaks, they all salute. "How." I salute back with a joker smile. "We need immediate help," "Well, out with it then," "It's the Pirates," he steps in front of the rest, calmly, "their attacking our shores nearly every day, they mean to end our race entirely. They've started a war," he says. I squint my eyes, pointing my chin diagonally down, "I fail to see how this is my problem," "They carry something with them. A creature, a hive mind. The Pirates, they release it on groups of our people. And then our people, they become...something else," "You've come down from your cliffs, across the island, and through the Lurid Forest to ask me to waste resources on something else," "It is powerful, it takes over their minds, one by one they become apart of it. They aren't themselves anymore, they become a monster..." he looks down, "Murder their own," "What's this creature look like, perhaps I can crush with my boot," I sneer. "They come in pieces, hundreds. All sizes. Many legs. Red aura from the Underworld licks the ground behind them. We don't see them coming until our own have turned," "How would Pirates obtain such a creature?" I demand, a little interested now. "If we knew," he looks at his men, "we wouldn't be here. This threat is taking over our home," "Native land is a long way from the Lurid," "But on the way, it is. Would you stand by while they take everything? The villages, the plains and caves, you'll let them take it all?" He's triggered an anger inside of me and I stand tall, walking to him, "Pirates take nothing from me. You fight them, they fight you. It's your game, not mine." I smile, "And I don't think they'd appreciate your cheating. Cheaters never win," "This is no game, Pan, this threat is well on it's way to all of Neverland. You haven't seen what it's capable of. My people are dead," "So kill their people, I can't help you," I sneer some more and end on a shrug. He shakes his head in disappointment, "You won't be so proud when your Lost Boys' are ripping themselves apart one by one." he signals the rest and heads out of the clearing, into the forest. I look to my men, "Make sure they make it out of the Lurid alive."
