Author's Notes: And THIS, ladies and gentlemen, is why you do NOT fall asleep nude in an unknown land. I don't own Peter Pan. I don't WANT to own Peter Pan. Taranis and the three boys she meets in this chapter, however, are mine. ALL MINE! BWAHAHAHAHA!
Taranis found herself, once again, flying through a starry blackness, across some vast, shadowed, twisted terrain, something drawing her on, leading her as surely as if there were a leash around her neck, its owner pulling steadily. Dimly, she felt herself struggle, try to think beneath a cold, relentless pressure that strove to crush her mind into oblivion. She had no idea how long she flew through those skies, strewn with alien constellations, but finally she saw something ahead- a flat, circular area in the midst of that dead, tormented land, from the center of which emanated an eye-hurtingly bright blue-white glow. Something within her yearned towards that light, and whatever was leading her on dragged her down toward that clearing-
"It's a... what do... ?"
"She's aslee... quiet!"
Behind the gray cloud of exhaustion that clouded Taranis's mind, she slowly became aware that the whispering, nondescript voices that drifted in and out of hearing were, in fact, not part of her dream. What was more, they were by this time loud enough -and close enough- to begin to jar her awake. She grumbled a bit under her breath, head lolling to one side. Her left eye opened the tiniest amount, the amethyst iris dull and unresponsive. She bit back a yawn, closed the eye, and opened both of her oculars a hair wider. She was still half-asleep at that point, but as she allowed her lids to slide all the way back, she realized that the blurriness of her vision was not from sleep, but from the fact that there was a face less than two inches away from her own.
Her reaction, needless to say, was rather explosive.
"Daaaah!" Uttering a shriek of mingled confusion, surprise, and alarm, the Crow Girl pitched violently backward off the log she had been sitting on, plowing her back and wings straight into the sand with a flailing of arms. When she had managed to stagger into an upright position and fold her feathered appendages around herself for some semblance of modesty, she became aware, with some chagrin, that she was being laughed at. Heartily. By no fewer than three human males.
Gathering a deep breath in preparation for a scathing tirade that encompassed precisely what she thought of people that snuck up on you when you were sleeping -in the raw, no less-, it dawned on her that far from being mature, these three couldn't be much more than children. If it wasn't embarrassing enough to be caught off her guard, being laughed at by pre-pubescent boys as a result of it clinched the deal.
However, before she could retaliate, her highly-refined training took over for her. Her gaze flicked down onto the beach, doing a quick scan to discern the location of her clothes. There they were, at the children's feet. One of the boys had her coat in her hands already- apparently they'd taken the liberty of picking over her belongings, which only served to increase her ire. Between clenched teeth, she managed to grate out two words that carried all the weight of her mood within them. "Turn... around." When the boys hesitated, their laughing abruptly halted, she took a single menacing step forward. "NOW."
Needless to say, they hastily complied.
Moving quickly, the Crow Girl retrieved each article of clothing- pulling on her leather pants and boots; shaking the sand out of her bodice and carefully lacing it up over her breasts; smoothing her elbow-length gloves and buckling on her belt with its multiple cloth bags and pockets. Finally she snatched back her coat and shrugged into it without taking her eyes from the boys, straightening the lapels and ruffling her wings before satisfaction was achieved. Only then did she instruct the boys to turn back around.
"Much as I would like," she began slowly, her eyes narrowing to near slits, "to pummel you mercilessly, I am really not the type to abuse children. However, you are clearly unaware of the problems you might have caused." Her eyes focused upon the centermost boy, who looked to be about twelve, with russet-red hair and impish blue eyes. "You went through my stuff," she told him, her tone almost conversational- until she picked him up by the front of his animal-skin shirt so that they were eye to eye. "Never do it again." Her fingers opened reflexively, and he hit the beach rear-first (though his dignity was really the only thing she'd injured).
"Now," she began again, dusting her hands off on her pants, "let's start over. Who are you, and where" she gestured at the surrounding terrain "am I?"
The boys stared at her silently for a moment. One could almost feel them think: "What do you MEAN 'where am I'?" Eventually, one of the smaller boys -dark-haired and dark eyed; like the Crow Girl before him, he had a distinctly Asian cast to his features- executed a low, sweeping bow. "Welcome to Neverland, bird lady."
"Welcome, bird lady," his compatriots echoed, rather shyly.
"Bird lady?" Taranis repeated, her tone bordering on incredulity. Well, at least I've heard of the place, she added to herself as an afterthought, shifting the information to the back of her mind for future reference. "Crow Girl... Bird lady... All right, fair enough. Your names?"
"Yorikiro," the Asian lad replied, straightening up. "My friends just call me Yori."
"Aiden," the redhead proclaimed, his grin widening. The eldest of the three assembled, he appeared to be something of a leader amongst them. "This is my brother Tom." He slung his arm around the shoulders of the boy to his right in comradely fashion. "All proud members of the Lost Boys." Some kind of group or tribe of some sort, she surmised.
Having experienced the courtesy these boys had bestowed upon her, the Crow Girl responded in turn, with a bow of her own- only hers was accented with half-spread wings, which duly impressed her small audience. "You may call me Taranis," she introduced herself. "Castaway. Blank Shield at your service."
She didn't really expect them to know what the term 'Blank Shield' meant, for this was far from her home, where her people had probably never even been glimpsed. The phrase was their more common word for 'mercenary'- a wanderer who sold their warrior skills to the highest bidder, specializing in combat and covert operations. Technically Taranis was what they'd call a Black Shield, which meant that she doubled as assassin. But they didn't need to know that.
"Peter will want to meet you," Aiden proclaimed eagerly, taking her by the hand. By the sound of his voice, this 'Peter' must have been the Lost Boys' leader, or something of the sort. "We don't see many ladies around here."
"We don't see any ladies around here," Tom groused as they led her into the jungle.
"Except for the Wendy," Yori added.
"'Wendy?'" Taranis arched an eyebrow.
"She's our mother," all three boys chimed in.
"I... see." Taranis sighed.
THIS was going to be interesting.
Author's End Notes: Next chapter, of course, will involve Taranis's becoming more acquainted with the Lost Boys and with Neverland in particular. Shortly she'll be running into the pirates- who, of course, have MUCH more use for a mercenary than children... Ooooo. Foreshadowing...
Taranis found herself, once again, flying through a starry blackness, across some vast, shadowed, twisted terrain, something drawing her on, leading her as surely as if there were a leash around her neck, its owner pulling steadily. Dimly, she felt herself struggle, try to think beneath a cold, relentless pressure that strove to crush her mind into oblivion. She had no idea how long she flew through those skies, strewn with alien constellations, but finally she saw something ahead- a flat, circular area in the midst of that dead, tormented land, from the center of which emanated an eye-hurtingly bright blue-white glow. Something within her yearned towards that light, and whatever was leading her on dragged her down toward that clearing-
"It's a... what do... ?"
"She's aslee... quiet!"
Behind the gray cloud of exhaustion that clouded Taranis's mind, she slowly became aware that the whispering, nondescript voices that drifted in and out of hearing were, in fact, not part of her dream. What was more, they were by this time loud enough -and close enough- to begin to jar her awake. She grumbled a bit under her breath, head lolling to one side. Her left eye opened the tiniest amount, the amethyst iris dull and unresponsive. She bit back a yawn, closed the eye, and opened both of her oculars a hair wider. She was still half-asleep at that point, but as she allowed her lids to slide all the way back, she realized that the blurriness of her vision was not from sleep, but from the fact that there was a face less than two inches away from her own.
Her reaction, needless to say, was rather explosive.
"Daaaah!" Uttering a shriek of mingled confusion, surprise, and alarm, the Crow Girl pitched violently backward off the log she had been sitting on, plowing her back and wings straight into the sand with a flailing of arms. When she had managed to stagger into an upright position and fold her feathered appendages around herself for some semblance of modesty, she became aware, with some chagrin, that she was being laughed at. Heartily. By no fewer than three human males.
Gathering a deep breath in preparation for a scathing tirade that encompassed precisely what she thought of people that snuck up on you when you were sleeping -in the raw, no less-, it dawned on her that far from being mature, these three couldn't be much more than children. If it wasn't embarrassing enough to be caught off her guard, being laughed at by pre-pubescent boys as a result of it clinched the deal.
However, before she could retaliate, her highly-refined training took over for her. Her gaze flicked down onto the beach, doing a quick scan to discern the location of her clothes. There they were, at the children's feet. One of the boys had her coat in her hands already- apparently they'd taken the liberty of picking over her belongings, which only served to increase her ire. Between clenched teeth, she managed to grate out two words that carried all the weight of her mood within them. "Turn... around." When the boys hesitated, their laughing abruptly halted, she took a single menacing step forward. "NOW."
Needless to say, they hastily complied.
Moving quickly, the Crow Girl retrieved each article of clothing- pulling on her leather pants and boots; shaking the sand out of her bodice and carefully lacing it up over her breasts; smoothing her elbow-length gloves and buckling on her belt with its multiple cloth bags and pockets. Finally she snatched back her coat and shrugged into it without taking her eyes from the boys, straightening the lapels and ruffling her wings before satisfaction was achieved. Only then did she instruct the boys to turn back around.
"Much as I would like," she began slowly, her eyes narrowing to near slits, "to pummel you mercilessly, I am really not the type to abuse children. However, you are clearly unaware of the problems you might have caused." Her eyes focused upon the centermost boy, who looked to be about twelve, with russet-red hair and impish blue eyes. "You went through my stuff," she told him, her tone almost conversational- until she picked him up by the front of his animal-skin shirt so that they were eye to eye. "Never do it again." Her fingers opened reflexively, and he hit the beach rear-first (though his dignity was really the only thing she'd injured).
"Now," she began again, dusting her hands off on her pants, "let's start over. Who are you, and where" she gestured at the surrounding terrain "am I?"
The boys stared at her silently for a moment. One could almost feel them think: "What do you MEAN 'where am I'?" Eventually, one of the smaller boys -dark-haired and dark eyed; like the Crow Girl before him, he had a distinctly Asian cast to his features- executed a low, sweeping bow. "Welcome to Neverland, bird lady."
"Welcome, bird lady," his compatriots echoed, rather shyly.
"Bird lady?" Taranis repeated, her tone bordering on incredulity. Well, at least I've heard of the place, she added to herself as an afterthought, shifting the information to the back of her mind for future reference. "Crow Girl... Bird lady... All right, fair enough. Your names?"
"Yorikiro," the Asian lad replied, straightening up. "My friends just call me Yori."
"Aiden," the redhead proclaimed, his grin widening. The eldest of the three assembled, he appeared to be something of a leader amongst them. "This is my brother Tom." He slung his arm around the shoulders of the boy to his right in comradely fashion. "All proud members of the Lost Boys." Some kind of group or tribe of some sort, she surmised.
Having experienced the courtesy these boys had bestowed upon her, the Crow Girl responded in turn, with a bow of her own- only hers was accented with half-spread wings, which duly impressed her small audience. "You may call me Taranis," she introduced herself. "Castaway. Blank Shield at your service."
She didn't really expect them to know what the term 'Blank Shield' meant, for this was far from her home, where her people had probably never even been glimpsed. The phrase was their more common word for 'mercenary'- a wanderer who sold their warrior skills to the highest bidder, specializing in combat and covert operations. Technically Taranis was what they'd call a Black Shield, which meant that she doubled as assassin. But they didn't need to know that.
"Peter will want to meet you," Aiden proclaimed eagerly, taking her by the hand. By the sound of his voice, this 'Peter' must have been the Lost Boys' leader, or something of the sort. "We don't see many ladies around here."
"We don't see any ladies around here," Tom groused as they led her into the jungle.
"Except for the Wendy," Yori added.
"'Wendy?'" Taranis arched an eyebrow.
"She's our mother," all three boys chimed in.
"I... see." Taranis sighed.
THIS was going to be interesting.
Author's End Notes: Next chapter, of course, will involve Taranis's becoming more acquainted with the Lost Boys and with Neverland in particular. Shortly she'll be running into the pirates- who, of course, have MUCH more use for a mercenary than children... Ooooo. Foreshadowing...