Nights in Neverland were always troublesome. In a land fueled by dreams where imagination runs wild, one can easily get lost in the cadance of a dreamworld. Falling asleep was all too easy, but waking up to the harsh reality was enough to make anyone think of turning back. After Snow one day woke up crying and storming off against Regina after a particularly vivid dream, many of the group members had been reluctant to go to sleep again. Regina was the only one who seemed to have no problems going to sleep, simply stating that the dreams couldn't tell her anything she hadn't told herself already. It was thus that watch duty had turned into a silent sharing of sleepless nights. Snow, Charming, Hook and Emma were sat around the still glowing remnants of the fire that Regina had set hours before. Emma had been staring at the map, seeing the camp move every few hours. At times the marking seemed to be so close that Emma shot up, ready to run off and get her son back. More than once, Hook had grabbed her arm before she could even think about it.
"Lass, Pan is playing games with us. Trust me, travelling at night is what he wants us to do."
"I don't care what he wants, for all we know his camp, Henry, is just around the next tree." Emma huffed out, too tired to really protest, but too determined and scared to go to sleep.
"For al we know we might plummet into a dreamshade field." Hook answered and Emma sighed, her eyes never leaving the paper. She kept staring at it with an intensity that Hook would normally make a smart comment about and blinked away the tears that welled up when the camp moved again.
"Go to sleep Emma. It's no use playing Pan's games." Hook ushered softly, trying to look into the blonde's eyes that kept being focused on the map.
"It worked before! If I hadn't played Pan's game I wouldn't even have this m-."
"Emma. We will find him. Tomorrow. I can feel it." Snow whispered to her daughter, stretching her arm and placing her hand over Emma's. Emma huffed and rolled her eyes at her mothers endless optimism. "I'm not tired." she lied, her eyes not leaving the map.
Snow and Hook both rezognized a lost fight and instead spent the rest of the night sitting by the fire waiting for another morning to take them.
"It has stopped moving!" Emma's voice blasted through the camp, waking up the few members of the group that had finally succumbed to a haunting sleep. Hook lifted his head and pulled his sword at the sudden sound before his eyes were even open. He had sat by the fire with Emma all night, but had eventually been taken away by the lurking promises of sleep.
Regina groaned at the rough awakening, but shot up when she understood wat the blonde was referring to. She strutted to Emma with a pace that made Snow jump and Charming reach of his sword.
"Where is he?" Regina ripped the paper from Emma's hands to see where the infuriating teenager was keeping her son hidden. She started at the map, frowing and trying to make sense of the strange place that was Neverland.
"Can you pass that to me love? Neverland is a tricky place to navigate if you're not familiar with it." Hook tentatively reached out for the map, careful not to risk losing his other hand too. Regina shot him a glare, but reluctantly handed him over the map.
"It seems you're right, he has finally set up camp. For now at least."
"How do we get to him?" Emma asked the question before Regina could, but it didn't stop the latter from glaring at Hook, demanding an anwer.
"Well, it seems Pan knows exactly which road we are going to have to take." Hook sighed, shaking his head and pointing at a perfectly rounded area on the map. "He's making us pass though the Valley of Dreams. Which is one of the nastiest places on the island. I lost many good men there."
"I don't care if we have to trugde through a swamp full of dreamshade. Pan is there with Henry and we are going to get him." Regina declared, taking the paper back from Hook and trying to figure out where the Valley of dreams was.
"I agree with Regina. We have to go before Pan decides to move his camp again." Emma agreed, casting a glance at Hook.
"Trust me love, he's not. He wants us to pass through the valley." Hook murmered, but his words got lost in the Neverland sky as Emma and Regina were already storming off, Snow and Charming trailing behind them, still confused and half awake.
"Well Pan's certainly got it coming." Hook murmered to himself, watching the odd group of misfits setting off to brave the pits of Neverland.
Just a little character practice etc. Should I continue?