Title: The Forever Dance
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Eight - Home and Away
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Author's note: Muchos gracias for all the wonderful, and very descriptive feedback. I love it when you tell me how much you're enjoying the characters, both old and new....especially the new, they are the hardest to create and meld into what is already known. I also love when you try to second guess what is going to happen next...some of your suggestions are brilliant.......but only my muse knows where this story is going (sorry). But for now.......read on.......
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Wendy sipped the hot drink slowly, a cough tickling at her throat as she swallowed the honey and lemon laced concoction. Scratching Bird watched her, making sure she swallowed every last drop before taking the cup and letting her rest. Beside her Peter slept on, his long, dark lashes laying untroubled against his cheeks as he dreamed. Paolo had just left with Tiger Lily to walk her back down the track, the sun casting long shadows over the entrance to the cave. Wendy smiled to herself as she considered the blossoming relationship between the exotic Indian princess and the handsome former cabin boy. Sometimes when Paolo smiled or made some gesture, Wendy was sure that he had to be related to Peter in some way, his mannerisms so reminiscent of him.
Now that Paolo could talk, he had told her of his early life while she'd lain on her mattress, her throat still too raw for her to talk for long. He'd started with unconnected memories of his family, his father a fisherman, his mother a seamstress, eking out a living between bouts of plenty. Paolo was also not his original name, as he recalled his father often calling him Pippin on the boat when he joined him sometimes, his mother also calling him a foreshortened Pip when at home. Wendy knew that Pip was often the nickname for Phillip and she thought it suited him. He'd been renamed Paolo by Captain Moon, for her own reasons, and he'd grown used to it, forgetting his former identity in the harshness of growing up on the pirate ship.
Wendy had asked him if he'd had any brother's or sisters but he said no, his mother having lost several children in infancy before he was born late in his parents life.
When he tried to remember the exact details of the day he'd been captured by the Moonshadow, he found the memory too faded with time, the only clear memory being of his fathers face just after the bullet took him in the chest, of his eyes as he reached out for his son before collapsing face first on the bloody deck. After that Paolo could only recall snatches of his life before he adapted, as the young will do, and became the Captains cabin boy.
Until his meeting and fight with Peter on the beach, Paolo had known no other boys his age, only the grown men and women onboard ship. Captain Moon had taught him to read and write to an rudimentary level, but his mind thirsted for more. Despite becoming accustomed to his life aboard the ship, he knew that it wasn't what had been planned for him and he rebelled inwardly against the strictures of shipboard life, not sure why but just knowing that he was more slave than freeman.
Wendy again thought how much he echoed Peter's sentiments about his life being mapped out and not wanting the travel that road.
With each day that passed, Paolo grew more confident in his speech, while both Wendy and Peter recovered from their respective ailments. Peter chafed at his limitations, wanting to get out of the cave and see what the Moonshadow and her Captain were doing. Scratching Bird was adamant that if Peter wanted to regain the full use of his arm, he had to let his shoulder heal before attempting to fly or fight. It was common sense, but Peter made a poor patient and grumbled at the strictures. Wendy was more than happy to rest, her cough starting to abate until she awoke one morning without the horrible scratchiness, her breathing normal and unobstructed.
Now it was later afternoon and she was feeling restless. Beside her, Peter stirred at last, his eyes opening, blinking up at the ceiling before he yawned widely and scratched at his chest.
"Good afternoon Peter"
Scratching Bird passed her a cup of herbal tea, which she took gratefully. Peter was awake but irritable, the fingers of his good hand continuing to scratch at the skin under the bandages.
Ignoring Wendy's greeting, Peter announced, "I've had enough......they come off today!"
"If Scratching Bird says......" Wendy started only to stop when Peter swung around to glare at her, his eyes sparking with frustration.
"I don't care what Scratching Bird, or anyone else says....these come off now!"
Arching her eyebrows, Wendy turned her shoulder to him, lifting her beaker to sip at the hot brew. The Medicine Woman pursed her lips at his rudeness, coming over with another cup and handing it to Peter, who scowled at its contents.
"What's this?"
"Drink.....it will improve your temper," Scratching Bird told him, her expression bland. Wendy kept her giggles under a tight rein as Peter lifted the cup and took a swallow, his scowl turning to a look of surprise. Tipping the cup he downed the rest, handing it back to the Indian woman with a smile on his face.
"You're right.....it did improve my temper," Peter announced, giving the woman a wicked grin which she couldn't help herself responding too. Putting down the cup, Scratching Bird started to unravel the wad of material covering his shoulder. With the removal of the last pad, she sat back on her heels and surveyed the wound while Peter twisted to try and see over his shoulder, his fingers lightly touching all around the area. He winced a couple of times, and looked at the Medicine Woman as she probed and checked for signs of redness or swelling.
"You are healed, you may now do what you wish....but don't attempt too much at first, there may be a lingering weakness in your arm. Exercise will improve that."
Flexing his muscles, Peter rolled the shoulder joint, feeling the stretch and pull of the scar with its patch of new, pink skin. Turning to Wendy he flashed his trademark smirk and threw back the covers. As his leaves had been removed, he'd taken to wearing a pair of soft, deerskin leggings, that covered him from hip to ankle, not bothering with a shirt while his shoulder healed. Now he climbed to his feet, still rolling his arm, glad to be free of the confining bandages.
Wendy watched as he strutted about the cave, stretching and preening, working the kinks out of his back and arms, giving her a display of his youthful physique, all satin over steel, his golden torso painted with the shadows of muscle and flesh.
Without a word to the two women, Peter suddenly ran to the cave entrance and leapt into the air, disappearing from sight before either of the remaining occupants of the cave could do more than gasp.
"OH Peter.....!" Wendy cried out, scrambling to her feet and running to the cave entrance, Scratching Bird just behind her.
"Was ever an impetuous boy," sighed the Indian woman, turning back to start gathering her possessions together.
Wendy stared up into the blue sky, looking for Peter but finding nothing but clouds and birds. Below the cave, Paolo was just starting up the path, his eyes finding Wendy's as he climbed the last step.
"It is good to see you up, Wendy..." he noted her anxious expression. A quick glance into the cave told him what had happened.
"He got the bandages off?"
"Yes....and just took off....he can be most infuriating at times.....Scratching Bird had just told him..."
Paolo laughed, putting an arm around her when she frowned at him.
"He's been cooped up here for days.......he's not used to spending long days doing nothing. Not like us......."
Surprised at his perception, Wendy glanced up at the tall boy beside her. Paolo had become a dear friend, his care and attention to both her and Peter had deepened her affection for him, but her heart remained Peter's. She regarded him as she would if he had been Peter's brother.
"You're right of course.....I imagine ship board life can be just as restrictive as London drawing rooms, despite the wide open spaces."
"When you are a prisoner, a ship becomes just a bigger cell."
"How do you feel about Captain Moon......do you hate her?"
Dropping his arm, Paolo turned to stare out at the jungle beyond the cave.
"No.....I don't hate her.....I fear her, as I've never feared anyone in my life. I suppose it must seem strange to you, but she raised me, taught me......loved me in her strange way in the beginning." Paolo turned back to face Wendy, his face sad. "I loved her too....in the way a child loves the person that cares for it. But as I grew, I saw the other side of her, the cruel and ruthless side, and that scared me. When I was old enough to be instructed she took me as her lover."
Wendy lowered her eyes and blushed at Paolo's blunt words, her mind unable to comprehend all the implications. Paolo continued.
"At first I was content. I thought I had found love, that she loved me, but I was foolish in the extreme. Lilliana loves nothing and nobody. She used my body but was as quick to discard me as a dirty cup. Her heart is black, like her hair.......she cannot love, she can only control or destroy." Wendy heard the bitterness in his voice, the disillusionment. Impulsively she reached for his hand, gripping it in her own, compassion flowing out of her, reaching for him.
"I can't imagine what your life has been like....."
"I hope you never have to Wendy...."
Looking up, she gave him a watery smile, before closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. At first he remained rigid, then he relaxed and hesitantly put his arms around her too.
For several minutes they remained clasped together, before they broke apart, giving each other an encouraging smile as they turned to enter the cave and give Scratching Bird a hand with the packing.
Peter stared down at the spot they'd just left with eyes that burned. He'd only flown a little way before turning back. He'd spotted a clump of bright flowers and stopped to pick them, thinking they'd be a nice present for Wendy, but when he'd neared the cave, he'd seen the two figures close together and had hung back. When he saw them embrace, his fist had closed so tightly about the flowers they'd been crushed beyond repair. Feeling the broken stems in his hand he looked down and saw the fragile blooms, now just torn petals. In disgust he threw them away, his face a mask of jealousy as he sat in the crook of the tree staring at the cave entrance.
He felt a pain start in his chest, his hand coming up to rub absently over the spot as he replayed the image of his friend holding his Wendy across his minds eye. How could they betray him like this. Grinding his teeth, he thought back over the past few days, of finding Wendy and Paolo talking when he awoke, their attention quickly turning to him when they realised he was awake, the shared smiles at some common understanding that Peter had chosen to ignore rather than find out for himself. He now reviewed every gesture between them through the filter of jealousy, attributing each look and touch with more meaning than had ever been there in actuality. It all lead him to the same conclusion.
Wendy no longer loved Peter, if she ever had......she loved Paolo.
With an animalistic cry of pain, Peter launched himself into the air and away from the cave, fleeing in a vain attempt to escape the agony of his feelings, his eyes streaming as he flew faster and faster, a twinge from his shoulder not enough to slow him as he streaked across Neverland, his body a blur.
Above his head, the sky started to turn blood red.
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Wendy was becoming concerned about Peter's continued absence. Scratching Bird had all but completed her packing, the bundles by the entrance to the cave. Paolo was rolling up the mattresses, stacking them by the back wall for someone else to use in the future. Wendy stood by the cave mouth, her eyes searching the sky for Peter's return.
She glanced over her shoulder at the Medicine Woman, seeing a fleeting expression on the Indians face, quickly concealed.
"Oh why hasn't he returned.....it's starting to get dark...."
"He won't be coming back.......not tonight, I'm thinking."
Both Paolo and Wendy turned to Scratching Bird in surprise.
"Why not?"
Getting to her feet, the woman approached the cave entrance, pointing up at the sky which was starting to turn a virulent shade of red. Paolo came up behind them and looked skyward.
"What's happening?"
"You young people are so uncaring of the things around you, so unheeding of the signals and signs."
Wendy looked at the woman, confused by her words.
"What do you mean? How have I been uncaring?"
"He saw you......saw you both...."
Wendy exchanged a glance with Paolo before returning her attention to Scratching Bird.
"Saw us.......when?"
"You're not stupid girl......you and him." She jerked her head to indicate Paolo, "Peter saw you together....he has misread the situation and taken himself off to lick his wounds."
"But.....there's nothing.....how could he....." Wendy spread her hands, not understanding.
"You know that, he knows that.....but Peter only sees what he sees, the subtlety is lost on him......it is still new to him. He feels everything more strongly, the good and the bad. He is led by his heart, not his head....and his heart is consumed by jealousy."
"Oh no.....its not like that.....Paolo?"
"How do we find him......explain that he's got it all wrong?" Asked Paolo.
Scratching Bird sighed, turning away from the cave mouth and returning to the fire.
"You cannot.......if the sky is any indication, he will have taken himself off far away. You can only wait for him to return, which he will, his curiosity will draw him back. Then you will have to convince him that he was wrong......if he is wrong, that is?"
"Of course he's wrong.....I don't...I mean, I think of Paolo like he's Peter's brother, my brother," Wendy explained, wringing her hands as she alternately stared at the Indian woman, Paolo and the sky outside.
"But how do you think of Peter?" Scratching Bird asked, her expression serious.
Wendy turned her back on them both, too emotional to face them.
"I.....I love him." She finally whispered, the words reaching both Paolo and the woman behind her.
"Then you must find a way to tell him, make him understand. Now, I must go.....I must return to the village."
Between them, Wendy and Paolo picked up the bags and bundles and followed Scratching Bird out of the cave. As she passed the Medicine Woman, Wendy felt her hand on her arm, stopping her.
"I can do wonder's with my herbs, mend broken bones, and heal flesh again, but the heart if the one thing I can do nothing about. You must heal his heart, only you can do this."
Wendy smiled wanly, her eyes stinging. "I will, I promise."
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It had been raining in Neverland for two days. After the red sky that night, the following morning had dawned grey and overcast, the heavens pelting the ground with a steady downpour, soaking anyone unfortunate to be out in it, in seconds. Wendy and Paolo were still at the Indian village. They had been given a tepee to use and kept house together quite amicably, as a brother and sister would. Tiger Lily also stayed there with them, her former frosty relationship with Wendy turning into a shared bond of friendship as they waited for Peter to return.
In the jungles, Captain Moon pursued her quest to find Peter Pan, her men scouring the woods and rivers, using the opportunity to map the island at the same time. With the Indian's keeping within their village, and the pirates keeping to their temporary home in the caves, the crew of the Moonshadow wandered Neverland unmolested and unchecked.
With the possibility of Captain Moon appearing at the village at any time, both Wendy and Paolo had adopted disguises, dressing as the Indian's did, and dyeing their hair dark. Paolo looked the part completely, his seafaring, sun-tanned skin only a shade or two lighter than the braves, the deerskin leggings and shirt looking very dashing on him. Tiger Lily certainly thought so, and took great delight in braiding feathers and beads into his hair after it was dyed. Wendy hated her black hair but bore it with resignation, Scratching Bird also giving her some nut juice to darken her face and arms as her fair skin was even more obvious with the glossy black hair she now wore. When she combined the hair and the skin with one of Tiger Lily's dresses, she was almost indistinguishable from the other Indian women, only her blue eyes giving her away. Their caution was justly warranted when a day after they finished, a party of Moonshadow sailors approached the village, looking to trade for supplies.
Wendy and Paolo kept well out of the way while the sailors were in the village, Wendy keeping her eyes down as she helped the other women prepare a meal. Paolo kept to the back of the braves as they stood behind the chief, careful to keep from making eye contact with any of his former crewmates.
As a test of their disguises, it was a complete success, the sailors leaving without an inkling that their quarry was right under their noses.
Even TinkerBell was fooled, when she arrived to visit the children. Wendy was telling them a story, a baby sitting on her lap, the other children grouped around her as she wove her tale, all of them cramped together in the tepee. TinkerBell had wandered inside and was sitting on one of the children's shoulders, staring at the storyteller curiously. It took her several long minutes before she suddenly flew into the air, her voice tinkling loudly before she flew straight at Wendy and hovered in front of her face in a flurry of wings and fairy dust.
"Hello TinkerBell.....how nice to see you." Wendy smiled, seeing the look of surprise on the fairy's face.
Still getting over her shock, Tink flew around Wendy, taking in her hair and skin and all the trappings, before returning to perch, this time on Wendy's shoulder.
Wendy gave the fairy a small smile before continuing with her story, her audience fidgeting impatiently for her to continue. At the end, the children politely rose and went about their business, some of the younger ones coming up to give Wendy a brief hug before running off to find their mothers.
TinkerBell stayed, flying up to sit on the edge of a bucket while Wendy tidied up the tent, her long, black braids swinging as she swept the floor and rolled up the matting. Outside the distant rumble of thunder boomed across the island, Wendy looking up at the roof of the tent, sighing deeply.
Sitting down, she trimmed the wick of a fish oil lamp and lit it from the small fire pot kept burning at the back of the tent. Hanging the lamp from a hook, she sat down on the pile of skins and sighed again.
"Where is he, Tink? Do you know where he's gone?"
The fairy floated down and landed on Wendy's arm where it lay across her upraised knees. With an eloquent shrug Tink shook her head dolefully, her expression almost comical. Wendy managed a small smile before laying her head on her arms, her eyes pricking with tears.
A crack of thunder broke over the camp, making Wendy jump. Tink fluttered to the centre pole, perching on a hook that held was being used to hold. The flap of the tent was suddenly pulled open and Tiger Lily stumbled inside, followed closely by Paolo, the pair laughing as they rolled onto the sleeping mats by the wall of the tent.
"If this keeps up we'll be flooded out soon......its raining even heavier than before!"
Wendy sat huddled on the cushion of skins, her arms gripping her knees, her head buried in her arms, trembling as another boom of thunder split the heavens. Paolo exchanged a look with Tiger Lily who nodded her head before Paolo crawled on all fours over to where Wendy shivered. Sitting beside her, he drew her into his side, his arm around her as she stiffened then relaxed into his embrace. Tiger Lily sat on the other side of her and leant against her side, wrapping her arms around Wendy as well, giving her comfort as they listened to the storm rage outside, drafts sending the flame of the lamp skittering about. With her head buried against Paolo's chest, Wendy shuddered, her eyes squeezed tight against the threatening tears.
"It's all my fault....everything.....I should go....home!"
Staining to hear her muffled words, Paolo had his head bent down to hers, his lips against her hair, when the tent flap was violently thrown back and a figure stood poised in the doorway, lightning outlining the person as the thunder crashed again, rain splattering against the wall of the tepee with renewed ferocity.
"Come in or shut the flap, don't just stand there!" Paolo shouted, the wind rising to almost drown his words. Tiger Lily pressed herself against Wendy's side, turning her face away from the driving rain as the stranger stepped forward, the flap dropping behind him. The lamp had been blown out with the first gust and Paolo disengaged himself from Wendy to relight the lamp. Wiping her eyes, Wendy stared blearily at the stranger still standing just inside the tent. As the flame ignited and light flooded the gloomy tepee Wendy gasped, along with Tiger Lily. Paolo heard the sound and turned, only to find himself sent flying to the dirt floor, a soaked and angry Peter Pan sitting on his chest with a knife pressed to Paolo's throat.
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(ahaaaaaa done it again......not much of a cliffy, just a teeny one.....but never mind...promise to update soon.)
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Eight - Home and Away
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Author's note: Muchos gracias for all the wonderful, and very descriptive feedback. I love it when you tell me how much you're enjoying the characters, both old and new....especially the new, they are the hardest to create and meld into what is already known. I also love when you try to second guess what is going to happen next...some of your suggestions are brilliant.......but only my muse knows where this story is going (sorry). But for now.......read on.......
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Wendy sipped the hot drink slowly, a cough tickling at her throat as she swallowed the honey and lemon laced concoction. Scratching Bird watched her, making sure she swallowed every last drop before taking the cup and letting her rest. Beside her Peter slept on, his long, dark lashes laying untroubled against his cheeks as he dreamed. Paolo had just left with Tiger Lily to walk her back down the track, the sun casting long shadows over the entrance to the cave. Wendy smiled to herself as she considered the blossoming relationship between the exotic Indian princess and the handsome former cabin boy. Sometimes when Paolo smiled or made some gesture, Wendy was sure that he had to be related to Peter in some way, his mannerisms so reminiscent of him.
Now that Paolo could talk, he had told her of his early life while she'd lain on her mattress, her throat still too raw for her to talk for long. He'd started with unconnected memories of his family, his father a fisherman, his mother a seamstress, eking out a living between bouts of plenty. Paolo was also not his original name, as he recalled his father often calling him Pippin on the boat when he joined him sometimes, his mother also calling him a foreshortened Pip when at home. Wendy knew that Pip was often the nickname for Phillip and she thought it suited him. He'd been renamed Paolo by Captain Moon, for her own reasons, and he'd grown used to it, forgetting his former identity in the harshness of growing up on the pirate ship.
Wendy had asked him if he'd had any brother's or sisters but he said no, his mother having lost several children in infancy before he was born late in his parents life.
When he tried to remember the exact details of the day he'd been captured by the Moonshadow, he found the memory too faded with time, the only clear memory being of his fathers face just after the bullet took him in the chest, of his eyes as he reached out for his son before collapsing face first on the bloody deck. After that Paolo could only recall snatches of his life before he adapted, as the young will do, and became the Captains cabin boy.
Until his meeting and fight with Peter on the beach, Paolo had known no other boys his age, only the grown men and women onboard ship. Captain Moon had taught him to read and write to an rudimentary level, but his mind thirsted for more. Despite becoming accustomed to his life aboard the ship, he knew that it wasn't what had been planned for him and he rebelled inwardly against the strictures of shipboard life, not sure why but just knowing that he was more slave than freeman.
Wendy again thought how much he echoed Peter's sentiments about his life being mapped out and not wanting the travel that road.
With each day that passed, Paolo grew more confident in his speech, while both Wendy and Peter recovered from their respective ailments. Peter chafed at his limitations, wanting to get out of the cave and see what the Moonshadow and her Captain were doing. Scratching Bird was adamant that if Peter wanted to regain the full use of his arm, he had to let his shoulder heal before attempting to fly or fight. It was common sense, but Peter made a poor patient and grumbled at the strictures. Wendy was more than happy to rest, her cough starting to abate until she awoke one morning without the horrible scratchiness, her breathing normal and unobstructed.
Now it was later afternoon and she was feeling restless. Beside her, Peter stirred at last, his eyes opening, blinking up at the ceiling before he yawned widely and scratched at his chest.
"Good afternoon Peter"
Scratching Bird passed her a cup of herbal tea, which she took gratefully. Peter was awake but irritable, the fingers of his good hand continuing to scratch at the skin under the bandages.
Ignoring Wendy's greeting, Peter announced, "I've had enough......they come off today!"
"If Scratching Bird says......" Wendy started only to stop when Peter swung around to glare at her, his eyes sparking with frustration.
"I don't care what Scratching Bird, or anyone else says....these come off now!"
Arching her eyebrows, Wendy turned her shoulder to him, lifting her beaker to sip at the hot brew. The Medicine Woman pursed her lips at his rudeness, coming over with another cup and handing it to Peter, who scowled at its contents.
"What's this?"
"Drink.....it will improve your temper," Scratching Bird told him, her expression bland. Wendy kept her giggles under a tight rein as Peter lifted the cup and took a swallow, his scowl turning to a look of surprise. Tipping the cup he downed the rest, handing it back to the Indian woman with a smile on his face.
"You're right.....it did improve my temper," Peter announced, giving the woman a wicked grin which she couldn't help herself responding too. Putting down the cup, Scratching Bird started to unravel the wad of material covering his shoulder. With the removal of the last pad, she sat back on her heels and surveyed the wound while Peter twisted to try and see over his shoulder, his fingers lightly touching all around the area. He winced a couple of times, and looked at the Medicine Woman as she probed and checked for signs of redness or swelling.
"You are healed, you may now do what you wish....but don't attempt too much at first, there may be a lingering weakness in your arm. Exercise will improve that."
Flexing his muscles, Peter rolled the shoulder joint, feeling the stretch and pull of the scar with its patch of new, pink skin. Turning to Wendy he flashed his trademark smirk and threw back the covers. As his leaves had been removed, he'd taken to wearing a pair of soft, deerskin leggings, that covered him from hip to ankle, not bothering with a shirt while his shoulder healed. Now he climbed to his feet, still rolling his arm, glad to be free of the confining bandages.
Wendy watched as he strutted about the cave, stretching and preening, working the kinks out of his back and arms, giving her a display of his youthful physique, all satin over steel, his golden torso painted with the shadows of muscle and flesh.
Without a word to the two women, Peter suddenly ran to the cave entrance and leapt into the air, disappearing from sight before either of the remaining occupants of the cave could do more than gasp.
"OH Peter.....!" Wendy cried out, scrambling to her feet and running to the cave entrance, Scratching Bird just behind her.
"Was ever an impetuous boy," sighed the Indian woman, turning back to start gathering her possessions together.
Wendy stared up into the blue sky, looking for Peter but finding nothing but clouds and birds. Below the cave, Paolo was just starting up the path, his eyes finding Wendy's as he climbed the last step.
"It is good to see you up, Wendy..." he noted her anxious expression. A quick glance into the cave told him what had happened.
"He got the bandages off?"
"Yes....and just took off....he can be most infuriating at times.....Scratching Bird had just told him..."
Paolo laughed, putting an arm around her when she frowned at him.
"He's been cooped up here for days.......he's not used to spending long days doing nothing. Not like us......."
Surprised at his perception, Wendy glanced up at the tall boy beside her. Paolo had become a dear friend, his care and attention to both her and Peter had deepened her affection for him, but her heart remained Peter's. She regarded him as she would if he had been Peter's brother.
"You're right of course.....I imagine ship board life can be just as restrictive as London drawing rooms, despite the wide open spaces."
"When you are a prisoner, a ship becomes just a bigger cell."
"How do you feel about Captain Moon......do you hate her?"
Dropping his arm, Paolo turned to stare out at the jungle beyond the cave.
"No.....I don't hate her.....I fear her, as I've never feared anyone in my life. I suppose it must seem strange to you, but she raised me, taught me......loved me in her strange way in the beginning." Paolo turned back to face Wendy, his face sad. "I loved her too....in the way a child loves the person that cares for it. But as I grew, I saw the other side of her, the cruel and ruthless side, and that scared me. When I was old enough to be instructed she took me as her lover."
Wendy lowered her eyes and blushed at Paolo's blunt words, her mind unable to comprehend all the implications. Paolo continued.
"At first I was content. I thought I had found love, that she loved me, but I was foolish in the extreme. Lilliana loves nothing and nobody. She used my body but was as quick to discard me as a dirty cup. Her heart is black, like her hair.......she cannot love, she can only control or destroy." Wendy heard the bitterness in his voice, the disillusionment. Impulsively she reached for his hand, gripping it in her own, compassion flowing out of her, reaching for him.
"I can't imagine what your life has been like....."
"I hope you never have to Wendy...."
Looking up, she gave him a watery smile, before closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around him in a hug. At first he remained rigid, then he relaxed and hesitantly put his arms around her too.
For several minutes they remained clasped together, before they broke apart, giving each other an encouraging smile as they turned to enter the cave and give Scratching Bird a hand with the packing.
Peter stared down at the spot they'd just left with eyes that burned. He'd only flown a little way before turning back. He'd spotted a clump of bright flowers and stopped to pick them, thinking they'd be a nice present for Wendy, but when he'd neared the cave, he'd seen the two figures close together and had hung back. When he saw them embrace, his fist had closed so tightly about the flowers they'd been crushed beyond repair. Feeling the broken stems in his hand he looked down and saw the fragile blooms, now just torn petals. In disgust he threw them away, his face a mask of jealousy as he sat in the crook of the tree staring at the cave entrance.
He felt a pain start in his chest, his hand coming up to rub absently over the spot as he replayed the image of his friend holding his Wendy across his minds eye. How could they betray him like this. Grinding his teeth, he thought back over the past few days, of finding Wendy and Paolo talking when he awoke, their attention quickly turning to him when they realised he was awake, the shared smiles at some common understanding that Peter had chosen to ignore rather than find out for himself. He now reviewed every gesture between them through the filter of jealousy, attributing each look and touch with more meaning than had ever been there in actuality. It all lead him to the same conclusion.
Wendy no longer loved Peter, if she ever had......she loved Paolo.
With an animalistic cry of pain, Peter launched himself into the air and away from the cave, fleeing in a vain attempt to escape the agony of his feelings, his eyes streaming as he flew faster and faster, a twinge from his shoulder not enough to slow him as he streaked across Neverland, his body a blur.
Above his head, the sky started to turn blood red.
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Wendy was becoming concerned about Peter's continued absence. Scratching Bird had all but completed her packing, the bundles by the entrance to the cave. Paolo was rolling up the mattresses, stacking them by the back wall for someone else to use in the future. Wendy stood by the cave mouth, her eyes searching the sky for Peter's return.
She glanced over her shoulder at the Medicine Woman, seeing a fleeting expression on the Indians face, quickly concealed.
"Oh why hasn't he returned.....it's starting to get dark...."
"He won't be coming back.......not tonight, I'm thinking."
Both Paolo and Wendy turned to Scratching Bird in surprise.
"Why not?"
Getting to her feet, the woman approached the cave entrance, pointing up at the sky which was starting to turn a virulent shade of red. Paolo came up behind them and looked skyward.
"What's happening?"
"You young people are so uncaring of the things around you, so unheeding of the signals and signs."
Wendy looked at the woman, confused by her words.
"What do you mean? How have I been uncaring?"
"He saw you......saw you both...."
Wendy exchanged a glance with Paolo before returning her attention to Scratching Bird.
"Saw us.......when?"
"You're not stupid girl......you and him." She jerked her head to indicate Paolo, "Peter saw you together....he has misread the situation and taken himself off to lick his wounds."
"But.....there's nothing.....how could he....." Wendy spread her hands, not understanding.
"You know that, he knows that.....but Peter only sees what he sees, the subtlety is lost on him......it is still new to him. He feels everything more strongly, the good and the bad. He is led by his heart, not his head....and his heart is consumed by jealousy."
"Oh no.....its not like that.....Paolo?"
"How do we find him......explain that he's got it all wrong?" Asked Paolo.
Scratching Bird sighed, turning away from the cave mouth and returning to the fire.
"You cannot.......if the sky is any indication, he will have taken himself off far away. You can only wait for him to return, which he will, his curiosity will draw him back. Then you will have to convince him that he was wrong......if he is wrong, that is?"
"Of course he's wrong.....I don't...I mean, I think of Paolo like he's Peter's brother, my brother," Wendy explained, wringing her hands as she alternately stared at the Indian woman, Paolo and the sky outside.
"But how do you think of Peter?" Scratching Bird asked, her expression serious.
Wendy turned her back on them both, too emotional to face them.
"I.....I love him." She finally whispered, the words reaching both Paolo and the woman behind her.
"Then you must find a way to tell him, make him understand. Now, I must go.....I must return to the village."
Between them, Wendy and Paolo picked up the bags and bundles and followed Scratching Bird out of the cave. As she passed the Medicine Woman, Wendy felt her hand on her arm, stopping her.
"I can do wonder's with my herbs, mend broken bones, and heal flesh again, but the heart if the one thing I can do nothing about. You must heal his heart, only you can do this."
Wendy smiled wanly, her eyes stinging. "I will, I promise."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
It had been raining in Neverland for two days. After the red sky that night, the following morning had dawned grey and overcast, the heavens pelting the ground with a steady downpour, soaking anyone unfortunate to be out in it, in seconds. Wendy and Paolo were still at the Indian village. They had been given a tepee to use and kept house together quite amicably, as a brother and sister would. Tiger Lily also stayed there with them, her former frosty relationship with Wendy turning into a shared bond of friendship as they waited for Peter to return.
In the jungles, Captain Moon pursued her quest to find Peter Pan, her men scouring the woods and rivers, using the opportunity to map the island at the same time. With the Indian's keeping within their village, and the pirates keeping to their temporary home in the caves, the crew of the Moonshadow wandered Neverland unmolested and unchecked.
With the possibility of Captain Moon appearing at the village at any time, both Wendy and Paolo had adopted disguises, dressing as the Indian's did, and dyeing their hair dark. Paolo looked the part completely, his seafaring, sun-tanned skin only a shade or two lighter than the braves, the deerskin leggings and shirt looking very dashing on him. Tiger Lily certainly thought so, and took great delight in braiding feathers and beads into his hair after it was dyed. Wendy hated her black hair but bore it with resignation, Scratching Bird also giving her some nut juice to darken her face and arms as her fair skin was even more obvious with the glossy black hair she now wore. When she combined the hair and the skin with one of Tiger Lily's dresses, she was almost indistinguishable from the other Indian women, only her blue eyes giving her away. Their caution was justly warranted when a day after they finished, a party of Moonshadow sailors approached the village, looking to trade for supplies.
Wendy and Paolo kept well out of the way while the sailors were in the village, Wendy keeping her eyes down as she helped the other women prepare a meal. Paolo kept to the back of the braves as they stood behind the chief, careful to keep from making eye contact with any of his former crewmates.
As a test of their disguises, it was a complete success, the sailors leaving without an inkling that their quarry was right under their noses.
Even TinkerBell was fooled, when she arrived to visit the children. Wendy was telling them a story, a baby sitting on her lap, the other children grouped around her as she wove her tale, all of them cramped together in the tepee. TinkerBell had wandered inside and was sitting on one of the children's shoulders, staring at the storyteller curiously. It took her several long minutes before she suddenly flew into the air, her voice tinkling loudly before she flew straight at Wendy and hovered in front of her face in a flurry of wings and fairy dust.
"Hello TinkerBell.....how nice to see you." Wendy smiled, seeing the look of surprise on the fairy's face.
Still getting over her shock, Tink flew around Wendy, taking in her hair and skin and all the trappings, before returning to perch, this time on Wendy's shoulder.
Wendy gave the fairy a small smile before continuing with her story, her audience fidgeting impatiently for her to continue. At the end, the children politely rose and went about their business, some of the younger ones coming up to give Wendy a brief hug before running off to find their mothers.
TinkerBell stayed, flying up to sit on the edge of a bucket while Wendy tidied up the tent, her long, black braids swinging as she swept the floor and rolled up the matting. Outside the distant rumble of thunder boomed across the island, Wendy looking up at the roof of the tent, sighing deeply.
Sitting down, she trimmed the wick of a fish oil lamp and lit it from the small fire pot kept burning at the back of the tent. Hanging the lamp from a hook, she sat down on the pile of skins and sighed again.
"Where is he, Tink? Do you know where he's gone?"
The fairy floated down and landed on Wendy's arm where it lay across her upraised knees. With an eloquent shrug Tink shook her head dolefully, her expression almost comical. Wendy managed a small smile before laying her head on her arms, her eyes pricking with tears.
A crack of thunder broke over the camp, making Wendy jump. Tink fluttered to the centre pole, perching on a hook that held was being used to hold. The flap of the tent was suddenly pulled open and Tiger Lily stumbled inside, followed closely by Paolo, the pair laughing as they rolled onto the sleeping mats by the wall of the tent.
"If this keeps up we'll be flooded out soon......its raining even heavier than before!"
Wendy sat huddled on the cushion of skins, her arms gripping her knees, her head buried in her arms, trembling as another boom of thunder split the heavens. Paolo exchanged a look with Tiger Lily who nodded her head before Paolo crawled on all fours over to where Wendy shivered. Sitting beside her, he drew her into his side, his arm around her as she stiffened then relaxed into his embrace. Tiger Lily sat on the other side of her and leant against her side, wrapping her arms around Wendy as well, giving her comfort as they listened to the storm rage outside, drafts sending the flame of the lamp skittering about. With her head buried against Paolo's chest, Wendy shuddered, her eyes squeezed tight against the threatening tears.
"It's all my fault....everything.....I should go....home!"
Staining to hear her muffled words, Paolo had his head bent down to hers, his lips against her hair, when the tent flap was violently thrown back and a figure stood poised in the doorway, lightning outlining the person as the thunder crashed again, rain splattering against the wall of the tepee with renewed ferocity.
"Come in or shut the flap, don't just stand there!" Paolo shouted, the wind rising to almost drown his words. Tiger Lily pressed herself against Wendy's side, turning her face away from the driving rain as the stranger stepped forward, the flap dropping behind him. The lamp had been blown out with the first gust and Paolo disengaged himself from Wendy to relight the lamp. Wiping her eyes, Wendy stared blearily at the stranger still standing just inside the tent. As the flame ignited and light flooded the gloomy tepee Wendy gasped, along with Tiger Lily. Paolo heard the sound and turned, only to find himself sent flying to the dirt floor, a soaked and angry Peter Pan sitting on his chest with a knife pressed to Paolo's throat.
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(ahaaaaaa done it again......not much of a cliffy, just a teeny one.....but never mind...promise to update soon.)