Flying

Chapter 8: Blue Ice

Hook and I have been walking around in the forest for what seems like hours. There are very few paths across Neverland, and the majority have traps that I have meticulously planned and set. I am becoming increasingly amused as time passes and Hook becomes more and more frustrated. Muttering a curse under his breath, he wipes sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve. I press my lips together to keep my laughter in, but it slips out anyway.

"What?" Hook explodes.

"Oh, nothing." I toss my hair back airily in an imitation of Hook's rkaish style. "You may be an expert sailor, but you don't know the first thing about the woods."

"Just because I'm on the water usually doesn't mean that I don't know the land," he snaps.

"Well, this area looks a little familiar, don't you think?" I move my finger in a circle. "Like we've been moving in this direction since we started."

Hook glances around and lets out an exasperated sigh. "You could help me out a little."

"Of course," I reply sardonically. "I can't think of any reason I wouldn't want to help a pirate who is invading my island and has forcibly chained me to him."

Hook jerks his arm, throwing me forward. I lose my balance and stumblea few steps. I naturally decide to retaliate and stick my leg out, tripping the pirate. Unfortunately, I realize right away that I have miscalculated. We are still chained together, so when he falls, I fall. And of course, because my leg was in front of him, I end up on the ground and he ends up on top of me. Again. His toned body presses me into the ground, knocking the breath out of me. A sharp stick pokes me in the back. I grimace, and Hook grins at me.

"I thought we agreed not to do this, Jimmy."

I put my hands on his chest and shove, but he doesn't budge.

"You might as well give up, lovey." Hook chuckles, and I can feel his warm breath on my face. "It's like trying to push a solid boulder."

"Yeah, it's just like your brain," I grunt out. "And you started it."

In the middle of another ineffectual attempt to move him, a deep growl echoes through the trees. The birds nearby instantly take flight and disappear towards the mountain region. Hook rises to his feet and draws his backsword.

"What was that?" he whispers, pulling me up.

"Shut up. Let me listen," I hiss back.

The menacing growl wafts through the forest again. The rumbling snarl sends tremors through my spine. An icy wind begins sweeping through the treetops, shaking the branches. Slowly, I start stepping backwards.

"What is it?" Hook repeats.

"A northern devil shadow," I murmur.

"What do we do?"

I spin around and seize his wrist. "Run!"

Racing into the forest, I drag Hook after me. He catches on quickly, which surprises me given his usual mental density. For all our fighting, we seem to be strangely in sync as we dodge branches and leap over logs. The freezing blast follows us until we begin climbing into the mountains. When we are a safe distance up the slope, I slow down and look back. The entire valley below us is covered in snow and ice. The frost nears the bottom of the mountain.

"Why are you stopping?!" Hook demands. He tries to start climbing again, but I grab his arm and pull him back.

"We're safe up here," I reply. "Northern devil shadows can't climb. That's why they only stay in valley regions or near water."