Peter was in desperate need for adventure. The only thing impeding that was the fact that any idea he thought of, he was tired of. He had seen the mermaids just wanted to flirt with him and there was only so much of it that he could take, especially with how jealous Tinkerbell could get. The same went with the natives. Yes he and the lost boys could pretend to hunt and be hunted but at the end of the day, it always felt so... predictable. There were only so many times he could fly by and annoy Hook. Neverland was becoming utterly dull. Peter sighed as he swung on his hammock. There had to be something he could do. With a sigh, Peter flew out of his hide out. Maybe he would find something to do while exploring the island.
Peter through through the forest near the mountains. It was an area he had never visited much. There was so much untapped potential for adventures that Peter wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of it in the first place. Flying fast, he backtracked when he noticed a large cave. A massive grin spread across his face. This was certainly new.
Flying through the cave he was hit with a massive gust of wind that sent him flying backwards. Peter landed and walked through the wind. It gave way after a moment and Peter was met with a chilly air that nipped at his nose. He pressed forward, rubbing his cold and exposed arms. The cold was almost enough to make Peter turn back, but he could see the hint of daylight at the other end. There was no way he was going to give up when he was so close to seeing the other side.
The light was nearly blinding when he stepped towards the exit of the cave. Peter saw a white powder spilling into the entrance. He touched it with his foot, unsure of what it was. His foot sank into the cold substance, giving a light crunch sound. He took another step and another. His footprints were left behind him similar to how they would be left on the beach except these were much deeper footprints. Peter looked up and saw more of the white substance falling from the sky. Peter held out his hand and the cold flake dropped into it, turning to a small drop of water in seconds. He coughed as the cold air stung his lungs. Peter saw his breath dance in front of him like the smoke he saw waft from one of Hook's cigars. There was something oddly familiar about this and it racked at the back of Peter's mind.
Peter coughed again as he shivered. He wanted to continue exploring this place, but there was no way he was going to be able to keep himself warm. It wasn't like he had a coat to wear, and why would he? The rest of Neverland was a warm and tropical paradise. Peter rubbed his chin, trying to think, and then it hit him. He knew someone who had a multitude of jackets, the only thing now was getting one.
Early moning light fell on Neverland and Peter was waiting to enact his plan. He flew up to Captain Hook's ship, being careful not to be spotted by his crew. He pushed at the window to the Captain's quarters ever so lightly. He knew that the Captain was normally up early before the sun even rose most days, but Peter wasn't going to risk the chance of the captain sleeping in for once. He was going to be as stealthy as possible. With a slight creak, they gave way, allowing the never aging boy to look into the room. Peter sighed with relief to see that it was empty. It would make stealing what he needed all the easier.
Peter rummaged through the closet trying to find him a jacket to keep him warm but he was having no such luck. Did every jacket the captain had have to be purely for decoration. With a sigh of frustration, Peter began rummaging through the trunk at the bottom of the closet. This was where the real treasure was found.
Inside the chest was an array of winter wear along with an assortment of mothballs. He found woolen caps and mittens. There was a long knitted scarf. Towards the bottom were several jackets, all too big, well, all but one- mostly. The jacket he found was a bit big for him, the sleeves ran down to the second knuckle of his thumb and hung lower than Peter would have wanted. But hey, it fit enough for the job. Even a pair of the mittens and hats matched. And when he took the time to inspect it, the scarf seemed to belong to the set as well. Perfect. He could use some boots of some sort if he could find them.
Digging around to find a pair Peter found something peculiar. They were a pair of boots that had a metal blade beneath them. Looking at them pulled the sense of familiarity closer from the back of his mind. There was certainly something familiar about these things... these... ice skates. Maybe using them would bring the familiarity to the front of his mind, but right now was not a good time to be thinking about such things. He needed to leave before Hook even knew he was here.
Peter had just grabbed everything he needed and stuffed it into the jacket to form a bundle when he heard the door squeak open. The young boy was paralyzed and wide eyed as he and Hook locked eyes. It took Hook a moment for everything to register in his mind before the pirate came rushing at him, sword in hand.
"Put those things down boy!" Hook yelled swinging his sword.
Peter countered with his dagger, a smile on his face. "Oh don't worry captain, I'll return them as soon as I'm done."
Before Hook could utter another word Peter yanked the captain's hat down on his head and took off through the open door. Peter could hear the sounds of cannons firing at him, but in the dim light, it would be hard for the pirates to make him out.
Soon enough the cave entrance was in sight. As Peter walked through the cave, he began putting on the winter wear. He admired the dark green jacket and the dark red stitching that lined it. It looked handmade and looked as though each stitch was placed carefully and thoughtfully. Inside was lined with a soft white fleece that helped warm Peter to his core. The mittens were the same way hand knit with the same colors. They too were lined with warm fleece that brought the sense of warmth to his fingers. The same could be said for the cap that covered his ears. While the scarf had no trace of the fleece that went with the set, there was no doubt that it wasn't made by the same person who made the hat and mittens. As he wrapped he scarf around his neck a mothball fell out of the bundle. Peter shrugged it off and left the cave.
Clutching the strings of the ice skates, Peter took off for a place to use them. While he didn't have boots, it didn't stop Peter from running through the snow. There was something thrilling about the feeling of running in the snow. It was tiring fighting his way through the heavy snowdrifts, but it brought a sense of adventure that Peter had been missing for a long time. The tugging of familiarity was still there, growing ever stronger with every crunchy step in the snow. Peter gazed up at the falling snow, opening his mouth to collect the snow flakes. They landed on his tongue, giving him a sense of nostalgia he couldn't place. He smiled as he his breath wafted through the air. There was just something so magical about being in this winter wonderland that made Peter's stomach get butterflies. There was something about the snow that made Peter fall backwards into the snow.
The cold powdery substance cushioned his fall as it gave way beneath his weight. Peter gazed up at the sky, watching the snowflakes fall. Without thinking Peter brought his arms above his head, dragging them as he did so. His legs did the same. Peter couldn't help but let out a laugh as he did so. Why was there something so familiar about something Peter was sure he had never done before? Maybe he had heard it from Wendy and her brothers. Yeah, that had to be it.
Satisfied with his fun in the snow, Peter got up to his feet and pressed onward, in search for a place to skate. Peter smiled as he saw a pond not too far away from where he had played in the snow. Its surface was smooth and not covered by a speck of snow. It looked perfect for ice skating. Peter sat down in the snow and yanked the skates on. He pulled one foot out and fished a small stone that had been wedged into the toe of the skate. He took it out and chucked it. It landed on the ice reverberating in a strange chipping sound that echoed throughout the icy tundra that made Peter's smile grow even more.
Pulling the skates on, Peter scrambled onto the ice. He wobbled, throwing his arms out wildly as he tried to balance himself. Slowly but surely, Peter managed to move himself with nearly falling. It was like it was a second nature to him, almost like flying. The cold air nipped at his exposed skin on his face, but Peter didn't care. This was too much fun. No wonder winter was the happy thoughts of Wendy and her brothers. If they ever came back, he was going to have to show them this place. He knew that they would love it. Peter's heart was racing with exhilaration as his skates glided across the ice. The feeling was quickly changed to that of dread as he came to a stop upon seeing Captain Hook and his crew standing by the edge of the pond.
Before Peter could think about flying away and getting away from the pirate, he heard a sound that made his heart sink faster than being caught by Captain Hook. It was the unmistakable sound of cracking ice. Peter glanced down, seeing the ice beneath him grow black. The cracking reverberated throughout the clearing as the cracks began to spread from beneath his feet. It was like Peter was frozen to the spot. He couldn't move, he couldn't think. And there was that feeling again, reaching out, like it was on the underside of the ice, trying to break through and get to him. His hands shook and his legs were trembling as that sense of deja vu left him feeling utterly helpless.
"What's wrong Peter, why don't you just fly away like you always do?" Captain Hook asked, his voice filled with annoyance.
Peter felt like if he answered then the ice would break from the force of his words alone. His body still shook, making the ice creak even more. Captain Hook tapped his fingers on his crossed arms, waiting for a response.
Peter tried coming up with a happy thought, any happy little thought to get him off the ice, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't. His mind was stuck, frozen in place, consumed with fear. Come on, he had to think of something or else, or else he would fall through the ice and die. The joy of the winter wonderland had turned into one of fear and panic and that was all that could come to mind. There was nothing in Peter's panicked head that would let him be able to fly.
Peter's voice trembled, showing far more fear than he ever hoped for Captain Hook to hear. "I can't."
Captain Hook looked taken aback in surprise by the answer. There was a sense of disbelief that turned into something sinister that made Peter's already uneasy stomach flip. Was the Captain going to let him fall through the ice and die? That had to be the reason he was smiling. The captain had gone through so many schemes to kill him and now, Peter's watery death was sitting on a silver icy platter right in front of him. There was no way that the captain was going to save him.
"I'll make you a deal Peter." the captain said after much thought.
"What?" Peter asked, his fear only rising more.
Hook twirled his mustache as the grin on his face grew. "I will throw you a lifeline if you will in exchange for one simple thing."
Peter's heart raced as the ice cracked even more. "I'll do anything!"
"Anything?" Hook asked, savoring the moment.
The pirate had nothing to lose for dragging this on. It was a win win for him. If he delayed, Peter would fall through the ice and die, just as he had wanted for a long time, or he was going to get something from Peter, By the look on Hook's face, it had to be something big.
"Yes! Anything!" Peter yelled.
"Do I have your word?" Hook asked.
"Yes! You have my word! I'll leave Neverland if I have to!" Peter's voice stung as the cold air nipped the inside of his lungs.
"I will throw you a rope and pull you back if... you join my crew and give up your childish ways." Hook said.
Peter had somewhat been expecting that answer. He had hoped that it would have been for him to tell him the location of the treasure he had stolen, but his life was worth far more to Hook than a chest full of treasure. Peter was stuck between a rock and a hard place though, but then again, what option did he have besides climbing the metaphorical rock and getting out of the sticky situation? Hook really knew what he was doing and the look on the pirate's face said that he was absolutely loving every minute of it.
"I'll do it!" Peter yelled.
"You'll what?" Hook asked, pretending like he hadn't heard it.
Peter swallowed his pride and gave in, telling Captain Hook what he wanted to hear. "I'll join your crew, captain."
The word left a fowl taste in his mouth, but it was necessary. And it was enough for Captain Hook to snap his fingers. It felt like an eternity before Peter saw the rope land by his feet. The ice beneath it groaned and splinter as it landed with a thud. Peter looked at the other end of the rope, seeing his eventual fate. Slowly, Peter bent down to reach the rope, wincing at every crack the ice made. His hands clutched the rope and he gave it a gentle tug, signaling he was readied to be pulled in. His skates slid him towards the banks as the rope was pulled, the ice cracking loudly beneath him. He was about 10 feet away from the pirates when Peter heard a near ear shattering crack. Before Peter could even think, he plunged into the icy water below.