OKAY, HERE IT IS. MY NEW BABY, OUT JUST FOR YOU GUY.
I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU ALL OF MY FOLLOWERS NEW AND OLD FOR THE SUPPORT AND FOR THE REVIEWS AND EVERYTHING.
OK, THAT'S IT FOR TODAY BECAUSE I'M LATE FOR CLASS! AHHHHH GOD HAHAHAHA
AS ALWAYS:
KEEP READING! KEEP THE REVIEWS!
ENJOY!
SAM
The forest was quiet, except for the sounds of the birds singing and the beasts that roomed nearby. The rays of sun made its way through the dense leaves on top of the trees and bathed the clearing and its surroundings. On the branches of one of them was a figure, disguised by a brown cloak, holding a bow and aiming at a deer below. The eyes of the cloaked figure were focused in a blue calculative stare, never flinching or getting disturbed by the light.
She breathed.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
Until she loosened her grip and the arrow went flying so fast you would only see it if you're searching for it. It sank true and through between the eyes of the animal, which now laid dead on the floor. She didn't like killing animals like that but it was necessary if she wanted to exchange it for some goods at the harbor and so she did what needed to be done. The cloak she now used was something she managed to bargain for herself when she sold one other deer she had killed before. It was her favorite acquisition so far. The others were some herbs and cloth that she managed to somehow sew and make into some new clothes for the boys.
When the first of them got sick, right after she came back to the lost boys, she started panicking because there was nothing they did to treat their friend. They always died, according to them. It was normal, really, and they dreaded being sick, but living the way they did, fearing death at every cough or sneeze wasn't very helpful, and the way they treated themselves, bathing once a week, eating with dirty hands and so on, didn't help it either. So she changed things drastically at their Hideout. They wouldn't get food until they bathed, she washed their clothes and treated them when they were sick, or beginning too.
As a thank you gift for saving him from death, Slim taught her how to shoot an arrow and after what seemed like a month of training, every single morning, she managed to best him. She remembered his smile when she killed their first prey.
'I knew you were a natural."
"Well, I had a good teacher you know?" She said, smiling at where the arrow had been aimed at. Right between the eyes.
After that first kill she never aimed anywhere else. It was like her signature mark and when she sold her killings at the harbor everyone knew who had shot it. The "Lady of the Woods" as she was known back there, with her hair like fire, the features of a mermaid and eyes like the sky. Actually, they thought she was some crazy woman that lived inside the forest. That her husband, and she dreaded at the thought of a girl being married at seventeen, had died and she lived by herself or when they didn't know what to say anymore they imagined she was some kind of spirit of the forest that brought good fortune and food for those who lived at the harbor.
Yeah, right.
She kneeled at the floor and managed to get a hold of the animal and throw it at her shoulder, carrying it with the other birds she had also killed for dinner that night. She could already smell the food cooking in the fire and the laughs and smiles of her friends, which the lost boys had become after she gained back their trust by healing them, watching out for them, cooking for them as she had and after learning a bit from the others and training swordfight and wrestling as one of them.
She knew there was no way surviving among them too if she didn't learn some skills of her own, so she asked them to teach her everything they knew. Now she carried a sword at her belt and knew how to pierce through a man without hesitating like Michael had taught her, and daggers at her boots and belt as well. She also knew how to knock out a man and the best spots to hit and make him breathless or confused for a few seconds, but of all the things she learned during that time, what she liked the most was shooting an arrow.
She loved the weight it had on her hands, that silent moment just before she released the arrow, feeling the bow as an extension of her arm and the sound o the arrow cutting throw the air. She loved this life. It was like she owned the forest and the forest accepted her as a being of its ecosystem.
The cold and harsh winter was somehow subsiding now. The snow was melting all around her and the sun was coming out. She didn't know the reason of it but she felt glad nevertheless. It was known to her that these changes had some connection with Peter but he was gone. It had been 4 months now, or what felt like 4 months anyway. Time was the last thing Neverland had and was somehow maddening only knowing that the days passed by and you kept the same. The boys somehow avoided talking about him also. It had been quite a blow for them, Peter leaving so suddenly like that. She couldn't say much because she had done the same thing, but she had come back and worked hard to get their acceptance back. As she worked hard to regain their trust they started to hear her every word and advice, always asking for her opinion in this and that and how to do things also.
Sam stopped thinking about Peter and kept her mind at going to the Hideout.
x
"Do we really need to go to the harbor today?!"
Bunny never liked when she went to the harbor, he always dreaded her never coming back so that's why when she mentioned she was going the next morning he insisted he came along, at least this time. She didn't like taking him with her. People would start talking about how she walked on the company of a child and it would certainly reach the wrong ears or the ears of someone she didn't like remember. It was weird for her to feel like she missed him even though she didn't know a thing about him. But she needed to buy a new boot and some herbs so she would go anyway and she would ask Bunny to stay at the border at least. She thought he would at least listen to her request.
"Yes. You know I need to go. Unless you changed your mind and want to stay here while I go and deal with things, as always." She said, turning her heels to face the boy seating at her net.
"No. I'll go with you." He jumped out of the net, grabbing the cap from her hand and placing it in his head.
She had given it to him as a present after she came back. She wouldn't use it anymore. She wouldn't hide her hair and her identity. She would be herself and that decision came with a new haircut. The boys did a really nice job trimming it into a length that wouldn't bother her. It didn't stop at her waist anymore but it was long enough for her to tie it into a ponytail. She wouldn't go so far, Sam loved her hair.
Smiling back at the blonde kid in front of her she pulled her hood and looked back at the dining/living room where the boys were and looked at Tink that flew in the right corner, looking concerned at her.
"Tink, don't worry, we'll be back shortly ok?" She smiled back at the tiny figure that came flying over to her, placing her littler arms around her thumb, as if hugging Sam. It was so funny how Tink had one day bursted into the room, all alone. They were all surprised as hell to see her without Peter, but she didn't say a word and just helped them in everything after coming back, building a good relationship with the girl and Sam never pushed Tink to say a word of what had happened. She would, somedays, somehow, disappear from the Hideout but she thought the pixie needed space because of Peter's absence. It shouldn't be easy for her anyway.
"Well, off we go then." Sam said while Tink left her thumb.
She placed her bow and her quiver full of arrows she had made herself, across her back. Her sword was already placed at the hilt and some daggers where strategically placed at her boots. She handed the birds to Bunny and lifted the deer she would be carrying across the forest and headed to the exit into the cold morning air.
x
They were walking in a slower pace because of Bunny but not so slow for her to start complaining.
They got to the harbor after a day and a half of walking. The boy was not tired, he was excited. It was the first time he would see Sam working for real. Not that he hadn't seen her hunt or fight with the lost boys, but he never saw her handling with the men at the tavern, where she sold her goods.
"Now, listen to me Bunny. You will stay here at the border…" She started saying while picking up their hunt.
"But Sam I want to go wit-" He cut through her speech only to be stopped by the raising tone of her voice.
"….and wait 'till I come back. Bunny, please do this for me. I can't go wandering the streets with you by my side. People would suspect something was off and they will start talking and it will end badly. I just know it." She finished. Pleading with her eyes form the boy to see reason in what she had just spoken."
"Alright, but you owe me one." He said, making a face at her.
"Ok, I'll buy you something good." She said while messing his hair and heading into the village with the animals at her back.
x
It hadn't changed a thing since the last time she had visited it apart from one thin. There was a ship at the docks. One with sails as white as the clouds and imposent like no other docked beside it. She knew right away whose ship that was.
Hook.
Her eyes darted to every direction, searching for his crew or him. She saw none of them and headed as quickly as possible into the tavern to deal with her things.
Sam opened the door to the tavern and was greeted with the sound of laughter and the smell of sweat and rum. At the corner of her eyes she could distinguish, to her far left a large group of men screaming, drinking and laughing. She chose to ignore it and started walking to the counter where she placed her goods as soon as she reached it. Sam needed to get over with this. There was no time to waste.
"Oh, if it isn't the "Lady of the Woods" that grace our humble tavern with her presence today." The owner of the place practically shouted when he spotted her.
"Keep your voice low Stew, I only came to sell this and get the money." She hissed at him while pulling her hood to hide her face.
"Aye lady, I know, but it's always such a pleasure to have you here." He gave her a toothless smile which she rolled her eyes to. He was a pain in the ass but he was a good man. Well, not all good, but a bit.
"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you make good use of that flirting with your woman huh?!" She retorted while leaning at the counter. "Now, give me my money will you?!"
"As the "Lady of the Woods" command. Wouldn't like to angry you and receive an arrow in the middle of my eyes too." He said while going to get her the money. But he was stopped by a voice she knew too well.
"Oy, mate. Another glass here will you?!"
She stiffened. There where goose bumps all over her body and she felt a relieve wash over her after hearing that voice. It was like she was longing to hear that accent yet again. And at the knowledge of his presence she hid more of her face into her hood, like her life depended on that.
"After I take care of some business with the lady over there Cap'n." Stew pointed over to her.
If he feared being shot by her arrow before he would fear her fists soon enough too because of that. When Stew said pointed to her, the pirate attention went back to the hooded figure on the end of the counter, hiding itself from the others. He sized her and she could feel his stare like knifes piercing through her body.
"And what business does the lady have at a tavern such as this, if I may ask?!"
She didn't say anything, just pointed to her hunt at the other side of the counter already, while Stew was coming back with a satchel with her money.
Thank God.
"Best aim I've seen in years. The lady kills them right between the eyes. Every single time. Never seen a cleaner shot." He said to Hook. "Here love, your money. Come pay a visit to us sooner will you?!" he blinked at her.
"Yeah, in your dreams Stew."
The moment the words ran out of her mouth she darted out of the tavern, while hearing the cup the Captain was holding drop to the floor as if he just had noticed something dreadfully important, realizing the mistake she had done. She shouldn't have talked. He was too close and could have recognized her voice even though he couldn't see her.
She darted as fast of there as possible never looking back.