Running Amongst the Shadows
Her brothers had failed. They had let the boy slip through their fingers and now the truest believer was lost to them.
Pan was not pleased.
Wendy's cage jolted violently as it began its descent to the ground. As she tried to hold onto the sides of the poorly built cage, it creaked worriedly. When it was no more than two feet from the ground the cage was dropped, landing on the ground quite hard causing Wendy let out an involuntary yelp.
At first nothing happened and Wendy stayed where she was, unsure of what to do. She could hear the lock being fumbled with before finally being undone and the door swung open. Pan peered in, his face unamused.
Peter grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the cage, dropping her on the floor. Wendy watched as he stepped away from her and looked around him, as if gesturing for her to do the same. The lost boys had circled around them, each face cold and still of emotion. Wendy's heart began to quicken. Something was very wrong.
'Run.' He commanded quietly. Wendy frowned, still taking in the boy's appearance. Each boy was clad in their hunting gear.
'Peter what's going on?' She asked as calmly as she could manage. Pan's eyes narrowed.
'Your brothers failed me Wendy. You know the price for their failure.' Pan told her. Wendy eyes widened.
'You mean to kill me.' She whispered. Pan smiled. It was a cruel smile that sent a shiver down Wendy's spine.
'Only if you allow yourself to get caught.' He said kneeling down to face her on eye level.
'So don't get caught.' He barely whispered, his hand reached up to twirl a piece of her hair. He stayed there for a second, lost in the feel of the soft strands of her hair.
'Run.' He said standing back up.
Wendy stood shakily. With all eyes on her, Wendy turned her back on them and tried to walk as calmly as she could out of the clearing, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing her scared. She was a lady and she would not run away like a small frightened child, at least not until she was out of sight.
Running through the dense jungle was no easy feat. Wendy's legs ached from the sudden exercise she'd become unaccustomed to, her white night gown seemed to tangle and snag on everything, slowing her down. Soon out of breath Wendy had no choice but to push herself forwards.
She heard them before she could see them. The shadows shrieked as they flew over head, flying faster than she could ever hope to run. Soon they were flying around her blocking her way. One pulled at her hair, while another pulled at her dress causing Wendy to be thrown backwards onto the ground.
She sat up and faced three shadows in front of her, their eyes glowed bright.
The shadows hovered but didn't move to attack her. It was as if they wanted something from her. Wendy tried to look around her for something she could use as a weapon but the only light was provided by moonlight, making it difficult for her to see anything except the glowing eyes of the shadows.
The shadows stayed still, waiting.
'Waiting for what?' Wendy wondered. In the corner of her eye Wendy saw something shining in the moonlight. Acting on impulse Wendy made a dive for it.
The shadows shrieked and followed after her. She grabbed the small object and without yet knowing if it held any value as a weapon thrust it towards the shadows. The creatures shrieked again but this time they moved away from her. Wendy glanced down to see properly what it was she was holding.
It was a broken arrow. It was old and a little rusty but the tip was still sharp enough to pierce skin. Wendy realised the shadows wariness, it had once belonged to them.
'Go away.' She hissed waving the arrow at them. The shadows took off into the jungle, almost as if they were frightened by the reminder of their past. Wendy didn't have time to question it or to feel sorry for them.
The light of the moon was disappearing behind the clouds. Soon she'd be forced into darkness. Pan's crow could be heard in every corner of Neverland. He was close.
Wendy took off running again. Unable to see much Wendy struggled to fight her way through the overgrown leaves and vines in her path. The moonlight disappeared just as Wendy lost her footing.
She hit the ground hard on her left knee before rolling down the side of a small hill she hadn't realised was there. She landed in a rather large puddle of muddy water. Hurting everywhere Wendy didn't pause to examine the damage, she scrambled to her feet and began running again limping slightly as she did so. Her eyes adjusted to the darkness but she no longer had any idea where she was.
Wendy was all too aware that she'd left an unmistaken trail for them to follow. Hissing in pain as she raked her hand against some thorns Wendy began to descend down another slope, almost falling as she picked up speed. Unable to stop herself Wendy landed in a heap at bottom. Her unkept hair fell over her face.
Hearing another crow Wendy swept her hair back, took a shaky breath and clumsily fought to get back up. Once on her feet Wendy tried to work out where she was.
There was a small bush that looked like she'd be able to hide in the middle. With little choice Wendy crawled into the small space. She couldn't run anymore.
Even as the evening drew on Wendy stayed perfectly still, never daring to do anything more than breathe. She was used to being in such a small space but still her body ached.
A rustling nearby made Wendy's blood run cold. She could hear them as they walked towards her hiding place. The Lost Boys were hunting her like pack animals. Wendy's hands flew to her mouth, trying to contain what little sound her breathing made. Her vision was blurry from the tears.
'Please don't find me.'
She heard the footsteps stop. Wendy shut her eyes unable to take the suspense. She only re-opened them again when the footsteps soon resumed. Someone walked right past her and continued through the forest. Wendy's shoulders drooped in relief. Closing her eyes again she could feel the tiredness creep in on her. She was so tired.
Hearing a bird screech and its wings flutter as it flew off into the sky made her jump and open her eyes. As she opened them she could see two green eyes staring at her through the leaves of the bush. Wendy let out a strangled scream.
'Found you.' Pan whispered, grinning like a lunatic. He leant in and grabbed her arm hauling her out of the bush.
Without thinking Wendy dug the spear head as hard as she could into his shoulder. Peter let out a surprised yell and let go of her. Wendy took off running again into the jungle, not daring to look back.
She hobbled as she ran, her knee crying out in protest as she continued to put pressure on it.
A green cloud of smoke appeared in front of her stopping her in her tracks.
'That's not fair.' She said, her breathing laboured.
'Nothing is fair Wendy.' Pan told her. Wendy watched as his eyes took in her battered appearance. Her nightgown was in shreds and tinged with a mixture of mud and her blood from the scratches and cuts. Her porcelain skin already showing signs of bruising. When Peter's eyes finally met hers they were darker. He took a purposeful step towards her. Wendy wanted to take a step back but her feet refused to move.
'If your going to kill me then just do it.' Wendy spat holding her head high.
Peter let out a chuckle. Closing the gap between them He grabbed her hair and tugged it, forcing her to jerk her head back. He spun her round so that he was behind her.
'You look pretty in red little bird.' Pan whispered. He unsheathed his knife and brought it to her neck. He nicked her skin with the blade and grinned at the sound that escaped her lips. Peter leant in and licked the small trail of blood that trickled down her neck. Enjoying the taste Peter threw her to the ground. Wendy cried out in pain as her knee hit the jungle floor.
'Well? Get on with it.' Wendy demanded. She tried to push herself up but as soon as she was sat up Peter was on top of her. He straddled her, grabbing her wrists as she tried to punch his chest weakly.
'Just do it.' She cried, her eyes betraying her with tears. 'Just do it.'
Peter watched her curiously for a moment.
'I'm not going to kill you Wendy.' He said quietly. Wendy's eyes met his. She looked at him blankly while she tried to process what he'd said.
'What?' She asked quietly. Pan grinned.
'I have no intention of killing you.' He said.
'But, you said...' Wendy muttered, her brain clouded in confusion.
'It was just a game little bird.' He said grinning. 'And I won.'
Wendy tore her wrists from his grip and punched him as hard as she could on his chest making him grunt.
'I can't believe you!' She screamed. 'Why would you do that?'
'Because I wanted to.' He said ' To see if you still had teeth.'
He grabbed her wrists again and pushed her down to ground. Her back hit the floor and she let out a moan of pain. He was now positioned in between her legs, his hands ran from her wrists to her hands and intertwined them in hers, pushing her hands above her head. She realised they were now in a similar position to how they were at her house, only this time there was no alcoholic haze to blame it on. This time as he leant down and pressed his lips against hers, it was forceful. Wendy did not kiss him back, she bit down hard on his bottom lip. She broke the skin and tasted blood. Pan gasped and pulled away.
'Is that enough teeth for you?' She growled at him.
'I thought I'd extinguished that fire.' Peter said smugly. 'Until the night at the house, that's when I saw it again. There is some fight left in you.'
He licked his lips. Letting go of her hands, he wiped his mouth with his fingers and then examined the blood on them. He rubbed his fingers together as if lost in thought.
Peter moved off her and watched silently as she struggled to get her feet, her knee causing her to wince as she put weight on it.
'If your not going to kill me, then what are you going to do with me?' Wendy asked breaking the silence.
'Your brother's wont get another chance to bring me the truest believer for twenty eight years.' Peter told her. 'You will remain here until then, but if they fail me again…' He didn't need to say it. She knew the next time he set out to kill her, he wouldn't be toying with her.
Author's Notes.
OK so I might be continuing with this story but very very slowly. It's taken me a while to sort out how I wanted this chapter to go and what kind of relationship I wanted to create between Wendy and Pan. Please let me know what you think and if you think I should continue. I don't think the story will flow fluidly between chapters, I'm thinking of them being part of the same story but could stand on their own as one shots, sort of…. We shall see! I'm not sure yet... Anyway please review and thank you to everyone who has already done so, I really appreciate it :)