Present day…

Tigerlily made her way back to the village, already counting down the hours until Peter returned. He wasn't due until dusk. How would she ever be able to wait so long? What if he had gotten hurt? What if he had gotten lost? What if he'd stumbled across pirates? What if…?

Steady there, girl, she told herself firmly. This is Peter. He always comes through. This time will be no different.

The reminder soothed her, and she was able to go about her day with at least a little less worry. One of her problems was that she didn't really have much to do until Peter returned and gave her the dinner meal, after which the fire ceremony would take place. She kept herself occupied by sharpening weapons, cleaning out her teepee, washing laundry and pretty much whatever other mindless task she could think of. She was assisted by Tinkerbell, who flittered by her side the whole day, just as anxious as Tigerlily. (To be honest, Tinkerbell was not very much help at any of the chores, but Tigerlily appreciated her company all the same.)

Suddenly, Tinkerbell began to clamor wildly beside her, and she knew the fairy had spotted him. She felt mildly surprised, since the sky hadn't even begun to darken yet. It wasn't a rule for Peter to reappear at dusk, but it usually took that long for initiates to find all the necessary items for their meal and make their way back to the village. Yet, as she turned toward the direction of Tinkerbell's chiming, Tigerlily saw her boy.

How strange, she thought to herself as she watched him approach, that one day's time could make such a difference. He was the same precious boy she had always loved, and yet he wasn't. He looked the same, but different at the same time. The laughing, mischievous eyes were the same; the tousled, uncontrollable hair was the same; the cocky, open grin was the same. But he held himself taller, even as he walked as quickly as he ever had—there was some of that impatience that she knew so well. Still, it was clear he had grown up.

Tinkerbell flew to Peter at once, circling his head over and over while pealing loudly. Tigerlily watched with a smile, but she didn't join the joyful reunion. That wouldn't be proper. In fact, she wasn't supposed to have any contact with Peter until he presented his dinner to her. (Well, she thought morosely, he should present the dinner to James. But I'll have to do.) She could see a hunk of elk slung over his shoulder, and she was sure his pouch was full of the necessary herbs and berries. Now, he had to stay on the edge of the village and prepare the meal.

So, although she ached to run out to Peter and scoop him into her arms, Tigerlily forced herself to turn away and walk back to her teepee. There she waited until Wise Eagle came for her.

"It's time."

She followed the medicine man to the village square, where most of the tribe had already assembled along the edges. By now, the sun had started to set. Over a hazy red sky, the first stars of the night began to twinkle brightly.

Tigerlily took her place next to Wise Eagle in the front. Almost at the same time, the crowd parted, allowing Peter to walk through. He carried his meal on a simple wooden platter, and Tigerlily was surprised by how tasty it looked. She had expected Peter to rush through the preparation with his usual impatience, but it was clear he had put a lot of effort into cooking the venison and preparing the herbs and berries on top. Just the scent wafting towards Tigerlily made her mouth water.

Peter stopped in the middle of the village square, just like he was supposed to do. His eyes found Tigerlily's, and his face split into a smile. But then they slid past her, and the smile wavered. Tigerlily's heart twisted. He was looking for James. And when he didn't find him, the joy faded from those beautiful blue eyes, replaced by cold resignation.

Tigerlily saw the struggle on Peter's face, and she ached for him. She saw Peter forcing his pain to the side, replacing his raw loss with a stoic mask. He opened his mouth to speak, cleared his throat to shake off the tears, and tried again.

"My brothers and sisters, I have returned from my vision quest. I left a boy and come back a man. May this meal, offered to my…" Again his eyes flicked to the conspicuously empty seat next to Tigerlily, and his voice failed. He cleared his throat one more time. "…Offered to my receiver, be proof of my ability to care for this tribe and take my place among its protectors."

Now would have been the time for James to approach Peter and take the meal, but the responsibility fell on Tigerlily's shoulders instead. So she did, reaching out and taking the platter from Peter. With much dignity, she returned to her seat, painfully aware of everyone's eyes on her. This part was the most awkward to her, especially because she knew that everyone else knew that she was stepping in for James. Everyone knew that he had abandoned his position as receiver—and he had abandoned them.

Don't think about that, she commanded herself. Instead, she tore into the venison almost vengefully, barely tasting the rich meat as it traveled past her tongue. The berries were a little more noticeable, surprisingly tart in her mouth. Soon enough, the food was gone, and Tigerlily breathed a sigh of relief that her main role in the evening's event was almost complete.

"I accept your meal and find it nourishing," she said, grateful that Wise Eagle had given her a crash course on what her husband had been supposed to say. "I know that if you can care for me, you can care for all our tribe."

Peter's face once again broke into a dazzling grin, and despite his efforts at dignified control, he floated a few inches above the ground in his happiness before catching himself and quickly returning to his proper spot. There was the boy she knew, the cocky, joyful, carefree boy she loved so much. He may have made it through the initiation so far, but she saw with a mother's eyes how much of a boy he still was—and yet how much of a man he was on the cusp of becoming.

"Join us," Wise Eagle intoned, and Peter made his way slowly up to the elders' table. There was a seat reserved for him next to James' empty seat, but Peter sat next to Tigerlily instead. It was time for him to reveal his dream.

"Did you like the meal, really?" he asked eagerly as he sat down.

"It was delicious," Tigerlily replied with a smile. She knew now was not the time to talk about the meal, but Peter's excitement was so charming that even the elders indulged him.

"I wanted to make sure it was really good," Peter added. "That's why I got back so early. I found all the ingredients really quick so that I could have lots of time to make it taste good."

"The initiation process is not one to be rushed," Wise Eagle said sternly, but his eyes were kind. "Even though we understand your excitement. Now, young brave, tell us what you dreamed. What animal did you see?"

Peter's answer was supremely important. The animal he saw in his dream was his spirit animal, which revealed his innermost character and would forever shape the way the tribe viewed him. Tigerlily's animal had been a wolf.

Peter's eyes grew troubled. "I… I didn't see an animal."

There were hushed gasps from the elders, and the rest of the village became deadly quiet, waiting. Tigerlily's mind reeled, but she forced herself to look unaffected, for Peter's sake.

"Come, boy, you had to have seen an animal," Wise Eagle prodded. "Everyone sees an animal."

But Peter shook his head. "I didn't see an animal," he repeated. "I saw… a fairy."

"A fairy!" Wise Eagle repeated. Even he was surprised enough that his usual stoicism cracked. "Tell me more."

"It was a boy fairy," Peter said. "And he was so beautiful, more beautiful than anything I've ever seen. He had reddish hair, and his eyes looked just like mine. He told me…" Peter trailed off, looking almost embarrassed. "He told me that he loved me, and that he was proud of me, and that he knew I would do great things, as long as I kept my heart pure."

Tigerlily leaned forward, taking Peter's hand. "What else?"

"He went flying with me, far above Neverland, so we could look down on the whole island," Peter said. "I saw the village, and everyone in it, and you. You were crying." He frowned. "But I didn't see James. I saw other kids, too, kids I've never seen before. There was a girl with them. She was really pretty. I saw the fairies, all of them, flying around me. And I saw pirates, lots of them." A hint of fear crept into his voice. "I saw Blackbeard."

"It's all right, Peter," Tigerlily assured him. "It was just a dream."

But Peter shook his head. "That wasn't the worst part, though. There was this man… I couldn't see his face. He was turned away from me, captaining one of the pirate ships. But…" His voice dropped to barely a whisper. "But he didn't have one of his hands. He… he had a hook instead. There was this… this feeling around him, of so much anger, and brutality, and… hate." Peter looked up at Tigerlily, almost pleadingly. "And the worst part is, I knew that if he turned around, I'd know him."

Tigerlily felt the hair on the back of her neck start to stand up. Looking over Peter's head, she exchanged a worried glance with Wise Eagle, as the other elders murmured around her. The concern in his eyes only fueled her trepidation. In all her years, she had never heard an initiation vision like this. This was no dream. This was a prophecy.

"Did the fairy tell you anything else?" Wise Eagle asked.

"He said, 'Life cannot be planned; it can only be lived. What has always been may not always be, and what is not may one day be.'" Peter's eyes flicked to Tigerlily's in confusion. "I don't know what he meant."

Tigerlily didn't know, either, and it frightened her. But she took comfort from the message's deliverer. Already she knew who had visited Peter in his dream, and it was clear from the elders' knowing expressions that they had figured it out too.

"I don't know what he meant, and I don't know what the dream meant," Tigerlily told Peter. Cupping his chin, she added, "But I know who it was."

"Who?"

"It was Cornelius, a fairy prince who died years ago," Tigerlily replied. "It was your father."