Hooked

Chapter Thirty One

... Hook ...

Rider had finished untying the other poor beings from their death traps, and took it upon himself to get to know me. No idea why he would want to do that. Maybe he just didn't want to have an awkward silence the whole rest of the way through this blasted forest.

"I expect you've been to the Land of Wealth?" he said nonchalantly.

"Yes. And you?"

"Of course. I grew up in the Land of Wealth."

"Really? And how did you hear about the Land of the Lost Boys?" The Land of Wealth has been secluded from the rest of Neverland. No one that lives there dares to sail out of its boundaries, in fear. They don't know that the dreadful stories they heard about the ocean were made up. Some of them, anyway. They don't know that outside of the Land of Wealth, they could live forever. Very few people that live in the Land of Lost Boys know of the Land of Wealth, as well.

"I discovered it when I dared to sail out of the Land of Wealth. I wanted some adventure. Some change. I knew there had to be something out in the ocean other than sea creatures. There had to be another Land. When I found out that time doesn't pass here, I figured that I could stay here. But I suppose I will have to return one day. And tell of this place."

My eyes widened, and I stopped, causing him to turn around in question. "You can't tell them about the Land of Lost Boys."

"And why not?" he scowled, shifting his weight.

"If you tell them, complete chaos will come. Who knows what the Red Queen would do about it. Much less the fairies on the Land of Mystical Creatures. They would probably have me and you executed, along with all the people who live there."

He scoffed, "Please. All you want is to have the Land of Wealth for yourself so you can pillage it all you want and then leave, only to come back again later."

"That is only part of the reason," I smirked.

He clenched his fist, and said with clenched teeth, "I should've left you with the cannibals." He swiftly turned around and hacked through the thicket.

Intense pain struck me suddenly, remembering my shoulder blade and leg wounds. He had let me put some kind of aloe on my wounds before, but it only took away the pain for about an hour.

Exhaustion overcame me, and I fell to the ground. Rider came back and silently dropped the container of healer next to me, only to start his way through the forest again.

When I was finished applying the cream to the sites of my pain, I eased myself up, onto my feet once more, and followed Rider's tracks.

Rider was very loud and had heavy steps - meaning that he's easy for anyone to follow.

When I saw him just ahead of me, I snapped, "You should be careful."

"...So I see you caught up."

"Of course. I am a skilled tracker, but anyone could easily track you. You should be careful."

He scoffed, "You don't have to be careful."

"Yes, you do. Look up," I said, looking up as soon as he did. "It's a full moon."

He was thinking for a short while, but then just turned back to me and shrugged.

"You do realize what that means, don't you?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes. It matters a lot, idiot."

He turned and gave me a glare. "I know what it means, but does it matter that I do? The monsters will find us whether or not we know of their existence."