Slightly's usual cool melodic voice did nothing to soften the jolting blow to everyone's nerves as he announced Tiger Lily's sudden abduction. All of The Lost Boys immediately gathered to their feet, their well muscled bodies coiled and poised for an attack at any moment. Peter's devil may care attitude that he usually sported vanished the instant Slightly bounded into the room looking about as disheveled and rattled as you had ever seen him. Since the day you met him, Slightly had always carried himself with a graceful composed purposefulness. Seeing his emerald green eyes, which almost always seemed to glow with veiled amusement, now wide and searching as if at a total loss of what to do made something inside your stomach give a violent heave. Slightly was supposed to be the one who kept his cool under pressure yet here he was obviously sick with worry and dread. Just the mere sight of him like that made pinpricks of cold hard fear began it's way down your spine all the way to the tips of your toes and fingertips. You were suddenly aware of every pulse of your heartbeat throughout every strain of your hair. A quick sweep around the room showed that you weren't the only one affected by Slightly's loss of composure.
The Twins both had wickedly sharp curved blades in each of their hands. The flickering embers from the fire made the tips of the blades glint with a deadly gleam. You couldn't help noticing that each of The Twin's long artistic fingers were caressing the hilts of the blades with a loving anticipation that promised swift and merciless brutality to whomever had the misfortune of getting in their way. Their identical faces were casts of grim blankness. It wasn't the calm blankness that Slightly was capable of... no; theirs was the still blankness that comes when so much rage fills the body and leaves it burning with a cold calculating fire. Their stillness was like a scorpion's all poised and ready to strike at just the right time with a venomous deadly sting. Gentle giant that he was, Cubby's face had gone white as a sheet. His deep soulful eyes were very large with an almost childlike disbelief. His large arms hung loosely and uselessly at his sides as his mouth opened in a silent O. He looked like a child might when they knew something terrible had happened, but had no idea how to grasp just how bad it was. Tootles, who was by your side, was ashen in the face, but he seemed to be holding himself together as if braced for another impact.
Tiger Lily had been kidnapped. The last person who went missing was her father the chief and you knew exactly what had happened to him in the end... The relentless wash of anxiety going through you in that moment made it impossible for you to sneak a glance at Peter. If he was looking as grim as everyone else did then you weren't sure you could keep it together. The thought of beautiful, brave Tiger Lily burning on a pyre while her people danced in mourning around her made your heart give a terrible clench. " No, God, please no" was all you could think. Not daring to look at Peter directly by your side you switched your gaze over to where Nibs was. Nibs, although still looking somewhat worn and weary from his long watch duty, had his shoulders locked and his midnight blue eyes were steadily trained on Slightly. He was very much the brave soldier ready to face whatever challenge was set before him. Out of everyone he seemed to take the sudden bombshell in quiet but determined stride. "Tell us everything," he said softly, but firmly.
Slightly visibly gathered himself as his tall lean frame straightened to its full height. Now with a purpose his emerald eyes cleared from their earlier loss and hardened with a blazing intensity. "After the pixies left I began checking my traps and making new ones all around the island. I figured that since Hook had been bold enough to kill the Chief outright and leave his body to wash on the sand it wasn't long before he became brave enough to step foot on the shore again. And knowing the snake for what he his he has probably already heard of all that has happened and has already started planning a way to attack us while we were distracted," his steady green eyes glanced briefly at you and you knew without words that your little swim with the mermaids could have cost them all dearly had Hook actually attacked while you were knocked out. "I thought that with both us and the Piccaninny Tribe working together we could patrol the entire shoreline and thus stop him from gaining any ground on us. If he was stuck to the sea, he and his crew would have to meet us in a head on battle right on the shoreline and we would have the sand on our side. It would make it easier to cut his men down since they would be hindered and weighed down by the water beneath their feet. So I made my way to the tribe only to find a wailing chaos going on. That was when they told me that Tiger Lily had left that morning to the shore to gather stones to carve for their arrows. They had wanted to send her with an escort of warriors, but Tiger Lily wouldn't allow it. She said all of the warriors were needed at the camp to protect their homes and the children. As the new chief she ordered them to stay behind. She left at dawn, but by the time I came back nobody could find any sign of her even though they sent out a searching party. You all know the Picaninny are master trackers. If they couldn't find any trace of her then that can only mean that she is no longer on the island."
