A Neverland Tale - HOOKED (eng)

Chapter 7.11 - Jake

"I shouldn't have left him alone..." he muttered in despair. "He's not a fighter..." his voice broke, "Shit..." How had he ever asked Luke to do that? Why had he dragged them into this situation? Only now did he realize WHERE danger had lurked everywhere. What if one of the creatures had pulled her into the water? The Cove was teeming with crocodiles, and she couldn't even swim, for fuck's sake! 

A pirate could have spotted her beforehand and attacked! And what Slightly and Crow said turned his stomach even more. So she had faced Hook all alone! He could have just slashed her and sunk her out the window into the black waters! And she... Jesus, Luke wasn't even going to kill. Had she even had a saber with her? Damn, it - he didn't remember! Everything in his head was spinning and rolling over. Memories that only became more blurred as the raging waves kicked up sand and dirt, turning the waters into a brown soup.

"He should have done something else..." he muttered, shaking his head. It was his fault, and HE should have been more careful! He knew: Luke could do other things. Curly wasn't a fighter either - that's why the lost one had different tasks, after all. Since they were there, he had only left the camp to collect healing herbs in the neighboring forest. And ONLY, then. Damn, it... why had HE been so intent on passing this test together with Luke?! Wasn't his little sister's safety more important than belonging somewhere?!

'IT WAS NIBS DAMN IDEA!' it rumbled inside him, and briefly, his gaze jerked back in anger in the direction of the lost man standing there with his arms folded and his features clearly showing that at this point, he would instead have made his way back to camp.No doubt he was only there because more of Peter's closest confidants were here - only Curly and Tootles were missing. The fighters, however, had all joined Jake searching for a pip. And that... was clearly against Nibs' grain. And it was all his fault in the first place!

Nibs- who couldn't stand Luke all the time and only ever called him a weakling and a crocodile rag. He had been pushing Luke around when they first looked at the camp, and Peter had turned his back on them. Teasing, 'just kidding,' and vulgarities disguised in challenges. And he hadn't interfered because... even a puppy itself had to learn to growl, or at least show its teeth. Luke had made it on the streets of London, and he knew she had to make her own place here. 

He couldn't always be there, and she had to be able to assert herself. So the idiots realized she wouldn't be pushed around... at least not ONLY. But... Oh hell, her heart had always been too soft. Luke was someone who just rolled her eyes for too long and wouldn't lower herself to the same level. Women's hearts, that's what it is.

He should have done something much sooner and stepped in! His teeth gritted as he clenched his jaws, but luckily the others spoke and interrupted his dark thoughts for a moment. The dark suspicion and thought of it sent a dark flash through his veins and his gaze round with equal, warning intensity.

"Luke's not dead." he hissed dangerously between them. Smash the unspoken directly with his rumbling voice as if it were impossible. He couldn't bear it, even if it were. "He's tough, and he's smart. He's NOT dead." He repeated like an irritated animal. A dog that was in pain, visibly suffering, and ready to bite blindly if someone irritated him too much.

"So... we don't have all night. Best we go back the same way you came. While we're at it, we'll split up, there'll always be two going together, and once there'll be three." "You go together..." Peter pointed to the twins. "You look at the traps. Try to stay as far east of the Tiki Forest as possible.... the river border has the most traps." (Peter)