Hi guys! So I got this idea recently and wanted to write it out and see how it goes :) hope you enjoy the story, and if you do, all reviews and follows are appreciated! They give me fuel to keep writing!
Chapter 1:
Her Mother called her Tala. She was born under a full moon, something significant to her people. Tala, wolf, was the name she was given, and she was grateful for it. She was given strength by her name, power. Fearlessness. She put it to use even at an early age.
Neverland was their home, their world. Peter Pan, the magic boy kept the island's threats at bay. Not for glory or praise, but because it was fun to him. An immortal boy that never aged grew bored easily. They all did, the children that followed him.
The fairy that belonged to them kept the Lost Boys from aging. Immortal herself, she loved taking care of the children, feeling needed. Her magic was selfish, but the Boys hardly minded never having to grow up. They basked in their youth, used it as a weapon.
The Captain loathed the Lost Boys. He was growing old, nearing his last few years. The island was not kind to him, and neither was Pan. The Captain was kept at sea by the Lost Boys who ruled the land for a hundred years. The island's magic wasn't enough to prevent the Captain from becoming ill with age. He grew desperate, and my mother always told me desperate men were the most dangerous.
The fairy was the key to the Captain's survival. For him to reverse the aging, he needed the magic of a fairy, or two, so he began hunting them, what few remained. Pan's fairy was his first target. For many moons, they fought amongst themselves. In the end, the Captain was able to snag the fairy away from the Lost Boys. Everything changed, then, and a war was waged.
Tala's people were no long safe, no longer protected. Nothing mattered more to Pan than retrieving his little magic woman. The years that passed wore him down, causing the magic boy to become a man. Desperate to retain his youth, Pan came to her tribe for help.
They agreed, in exchange for a promise from Pan himself, to send their best warriors to retrieve the fairy from the Ship. Tala, they begged, you must go. She agreed, as did her brother and many other young warriors from their tribe. They headed for the Ship, to steal away the fairy from the Captain that kept her prisoner.
That morning, Tala shed her traditional beads, exchanging them for thick leather bands around her wrists, throat, and ankles. They protected the soft spots of her body, those that would likely kill her if injured. The pirates fought with daggers and swords, so the young warriors dressed to protect from such things. Their faces were painted with war paint, a thin stripe of blue over a thin stripe of white on each of their foreheads, and black around their eyes.
A prayer was said for each of them, and a feast was served in their honor. The tribe valued warriors, valued family. Their lives were important, so the elders prayed for a safe return. They were confident in their hunting abilities and training. Tala was sure that she would return with the prize. She would save the island and protect her people. Tala, the wolf, the predator. She was strong.
They snuck onto the Ship while it was docked, knowing that their strength was on land, not at sea. Tala threw her rope over the side, pulling until it snagged on something. The lights and noise on the ship would be enough to cover her invasion as long as it continued. After a brief nod to the young men she accompanied, she began her climb onto the ship.
Like a cat, once up the the side of the ship she silently crawled along the edge, hiding in the dark, making her way to the back of the Ship where she knew the cabin would be. Once close to the door, she slithered down from the edge and moved to turn the handle. It was locked, unfortunately, so she had to get creative.
She picked up the nearest heavy object, a metal sphere that she knew was used in their big weapons that made the birds scatter from the trees. She struggled a bit but lifted it enough to drop it down on the door handle. After a few more times, it bent, then broke loose. Tala pushed through the door, but once inside, she heard yelling and commotion at the other end of the ship.
She was concerned for her people, and part of her screamed to run and help them. However, in the back corner of the room, hanging from the wall in a lantern that was sealed shut, she noticed a faint glow. Tala crept back to the lanterns, standing on her toes to look inside. There she was, Pan's fairy. She lifted it from the wall, knowing that the fairy was their mission, their whole purpose for risking their lives to begin with.
Tala cradled the glass container close to her chest and made a break for the door. Just as she pushed through the door, she felt cold silver pressing into the bottom of her chin. The sound of heavy boots reached her ears, and she looked up to meet the gaze of the captain himself.
He wasnt the old man she knew of or expected. No, the Captain in front of her was a man of youth, no more than thirty years of age. He had shaggy black hair that curled at the ends in a way that framed his face and nearly covered his piercing gaze frim view. There was a short black stubble along his jaw and chin instead of the beard she'd seen before.
"Ah, just as I expected," he smirked down at her. Keeping that silver hook pushed up underneath her jaw, Hook took the glass container away from her. Setting it down on his desk, he took Tala by the arm and dragged her out onto the deck of the ship. "Found a straggler, lads," he called out, throwing her down next to one of her people. His arms were tied behind his back, just the the others.
"Let's kill them," a pirate hissed from the back of the bunch.
"Aye, that would be the easiest solution," the Captain nodded, eyes scanning the row of five tribesman, and the one girl. "However, I have a better idea. In war, one must have allies, lads. Perhaps we can strike a deal with the savages."
The Captain grabbed one of the bound tribesman and yanked him to his feet. Tala wasn't bound, and she lunged for the Captain in a panic, desperate to free her friends from the cluthches of the dirty pirates. He was stronger than Tala, as much as she hated to admit it. Easily, he took her throat in his hand, then threw her into the crowd of pirates.
Arms and hands wrapped around and grabbed her to prevent her from lashing out again. She hated having their dirty paws all over her, but she said nothing.
"And what's your name little girl?" The Captain asked her in amusement. She stayed silent for a moment, but when that deadly silver hook sliced across the young warriors cheek, drawing blood, Tala knew she had to answer.
"I am Tala," she told him through her teeth. He looked at her for a moment, then chuckled,
"Tala, hm? Aye, lads, it seems we've captured ourselves a wolf. Or... more like a pup." Tala spit his direction, but it didn't phase him in the slightest. "Hold the girl. Send the rest off the plank."
"Off the plank!" The pirates cheered and bellowed from behind her. Tala struggled, pulling desperately at her arms and legs, but there was no use. She was held firm while the rest of the crew shoved each young warrior onto the wooden board hanging off the ship. One by one they were forced to jump from that board into the shallow water beneath. She hoped they wouldn't injure themselves. They had to come back for her after all.
"Hook," the pirate holding her called to the Captain. "What're we keeping the girl fer?"
"Perhaps we can make use of our little pup," the Captain shrugged, "but more importantly, she's our hostage, lads. Should the savages try to attack again, we will threaten to kill the girl. If she's as important as I think she is with a name like Tala, they'll be willing to bargain."
"Aye, Captain," the pirate agreed. "Good thinking. What do I do with her fer now?"
"Throw her in my cabin and watch the door. I'll figure out a more permanent prison for her after dinner, Smee." He turned and walked away, his heavy boots thudding against the creaking wood beneath him. Tala wanted to tear into him, to show him just what that wolf could do. But her thin frame wasn't strong enough to free her arms from two burly pirates.
She was trapped, though she was already planning her escape. Tala refused to be the Captain's prisoner. Her people needed her, and they needed her to bring back the fairy. She would stay and pretend to be a good captive, that is, until she had an opportunity to steal the fairy away and get back to her tribe and family. How she missed them already.