Pan: The Untold Adventure

Chapter13: Anxious Eyes, Welcoming Arms

Pan darted quickly through the lush of the forest. Leaves & vines became a green blur, enveloping the two in a green vortex. Wendy's instincts screamed for her to close her eyes, but instead she held her breath, wide eyed, looking forward into a never ending iris of green. Pan knew this ocean of trees better than he knew himself, he was able to maneuver easily, like a stream trickling through rocks, like blood through veins. He zigged & zagged with incredible efficiency.

They arrived at the grand oak after faster than Wendy's mind could comprehend. She noticed how soft the soil & grass were beneath her feet when Pan landed them both. Wendy held his shoulders as she attempted to steady herself. Her legs were quite shaky, whether it be from flying through the heavens or this new oasis, she wasn't sure. Her lungs were burning as she slowed her breathing, trying to reign in a state of calm.

"You are truly a master at flying, aren't you?" Wendy giggled, ensnared by the adrenaline in her pulse. His emerald eyes met with hers, & to Wendy, she was once more diving through the forest in the irises his eyes held. Pan only chuckled as he helped Wendy steady herself. She felt much like a newborn colt finding it's first strength.

"I hope I didn't frighten you," he said, bringing a hand up to scratch his head. "I'm not really good at holding back when it comes to flying." The chuckle that escaped his lips wavered with what Wendy thought was embarrassment? But the smug grin returned with an excited "Come on!" that slipped across his tongue as he lead her into the tree, & it was an impressive sight. Pulling a vine opened a patch of the tree downward, revealing a spiral of stairs that led into a great room, which Wendy assumed was a common room; the banister was as cool & smooth as the finest marble against her fingers as she stepped down. Furs, weapons, & feathers adorned the edges of this room. It smelled faintly of wood & musk, but shockingly, nothing too overwhelming. The ceiling was rather tall, with many roots spiraling across & around one another, with small streams of sunlight glinting through. On the far wall, Wendy noticed a large piece of leather with a map carefully etched into it. She took several steps closer to fully examine it. The closer she got, the bigger the map seemed. Mermaid Lagoon, Indian Camp, The Sleeping Mountains, The Stretching Plains, The Emerald Forest, Pixie Hollow. Even more sinister locations, Skull Rock, Cannibal Cove, Hangman's Tree. More locations dotted all over, written much smaller, too small for Wendy to thoroughly make out the lettering.

"Can you read the words?" Pan inquired, hovering just behind Wendy, startling her only slightly. She was starting to become much more comfortable with the space that he chose to linger in.

"Well of course, I can," she stated matter-o-factly, then proceeded to point a finger to each dot on the map, collecting the words in her mouth verbatim. This seemingly simple act caused Pan to smile broadly, picking up Wendy & spinning her delicately around, & a joyous sound rained down from her lips. "Can I ask what the celebrating is for?" she asked as her toes met the ground beneath her.

"Nothing," Pan chuckled, decorating the happiness further into the atmosphere. "So," he began, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "Where shall we be off to?" The two glanced at the map once more. Wendy tapped a finger to her chin. Where would she like to go first? What did she want to see? "We can go anywhere you would like," Pan whispered. How enticing, Wendy thought to herself as she tried, but failed, to stifle the shiver that ran through her. Returning her attention to the map, Wendy knew exactly where she wanted to go, it was the entire reason for her venturing into this strange realm.

"I want to go to Michael," she stated simply. "Wherever he is, that's where I want to go. Is he here?" She asked the question & stepped around Pan before she even realized, searching the large open space for clues that, if they existed, Wendy wouldn't register them. Still, she hoped.