***
2
***
Billy awoke to the dark. His spine was sending violent complains to his brain and he pushed his shoulder back with a grit of his teeth. He'd fallen asleep sitting up. Why hadn't Mullins woken him? Billy arched his back till his spine popped and let out a relieved sigh. He must have fallen asleep while the crew played dice. It was still dark, maybe if he went back to the crew quarters now he could still get in a few hours of honest, horizontal sleep.
He'd only leaned forward and braced his palms against the floor to rise when he froze, pulse quickening. The floor was cold stone.
He wasn't on the ship. He was in the cave.
And he'd fallen asleep.
"Slightly?" he called into the darkness, his trembling voice echoing back to him from the walls. Nothing moved. "SLIGHTLY!"
In the dark he heard a waking gasp, followed by a groan.
"Ugh….Billy? What's going on?"
"Slightly!"
Before the Lost Boy even knew what was happening he was clumsily grabbed by the shirt and tugged upright. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, of course I'm alright, what…..oh."
"We fell asleep." Billy said darkly.
Slightly leaned forward to support his own weight and scrubbed his useless eyes with the back of his hand. "You didn't hurt me, maybe nothing happened." He said.
"Or maybe I left the cave in the middle of the night and ripped the throat out of Peter Pan!"
Slightly stiffened. "Don't say that!"
"Then what would you have me say! God knows what I've done, or how long we've been asleep! I might've…." He pushed the heels of his hands against his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. "Great Neptune, I might have killed you."
"You slightly didn't. Hold still a second."
Billy jerked back in surprise when a hand caught hold of his bandanna. It tugged the cloth and trailed up carefully over his chin, and felt along his lips. He jerked back, startled. "Slightly, what are you doing?!"
"There's no blood on your face." He said. "If you hurt someone, wouldn't there be blood?"
Jukes blinked and put his own hand to his mouth. All he felt was the aching swell of his split lip, and the sudden give where two of his teeth had been knocked from his upper jaw. There was no blood, dried or otherwise. He let out a puff of relief.
"I slightly don't think we should stay here anymore." Slightly said, sounding a little nervous. "What will happen if we fall asleep again?"
"I'm afraid to find out. Come on, cully, lets get out of here. It's safer to be out with the things in the dark than inside this cave with me."
"It probably isn't dawn yet." Slightly protested feebly.
"I don't care. Just so long as I can't fall asleep."
***
This night on the island would be the first and only time anyone ever managed to step on a jackalope. This was more the jackalopes's fault that Slightly's, because she didn't have the good sense to wake up and move out of the way when they came crashing through the underbrush. As it was she was rudely awakened to her tail being tromped on, let out a sharp bleat, and two seconds later Slightly was fallen on his rump in the brush holding his bitten toe. It didn't take long for the entire area to wake up. In an instant the ground was alive with the sounds of a dozen jackalopes barreling off through the brush, their antlers taking most of the bush with them, and one very bright, and very blue, light.
"Just what in the name of Titania's nosehairs do you think you're doing?!" snapped an irritable voice, having just been awoken from one of the best dreams he'd ever had involving licorice rope and the apothecary's daughter. The boys stared up at the sudden illumination, startled.
"…Sorry?" Slightly said none too intelligently. The fairy stuck his hands on his hips and turned his nose up.
"Why don't you two learn to watch where you're going? You stepped on poor Lavidia's tail!" The fairy shook a fist at them. "I ought to smack you both upside the head for that! She's a girl, you know!"
"Well she slightly bit me!" Slightly shouted back.
"Good for her! I hope it gets infected and your foot rots off!" He said, and poked his tongue out at them, turned around, and shot off after the jackalopes with a "Hmph!"
Jukes muttered something Slightly was pretty sure was an insult and fished down in the dark to catch his friend's hand and pull him to his feet. He'd hardly gained his balance before the blue thing was back, appearing mere inches from their faces and startling the both of them. Jukes swatted at it.
"Just what exactly are two humans like you doing out in this part of the woods at this time of night?" The fairy said evenly, arms crossed in front of him and eyebrow raised.
"What business is it of yours?" Jukes snapped.
"None." He twirled once in the air and hovered closer to tap a flinching Lost Boy on the nose. "But you two DID step on one of my friends and you woke me up from a damned good dream, so I think you should at least tell me what you're doing here."
"We're going to Small Monday Island." Slightly said. "And I slightly don't think you need to know why!"
The fairy hovered closer to Slightly's face, arms crossed and eyes narrowed comically, making the Lost Boy pull his head back. He really was an ugly thing. He had long ears and a pug nose, with two massive buck teeth sticking out over his lip. If he hadn't been blue he'd look almost more rabbit that the jackalopes did. As it was he just looked silly, dismissible, and far too freckled for his own good.
"What on Earth could you possibly want on Small Monday Island? It's not like you can even get there at this time of night!"
"Why not?"
The fairy rolled his eyes "The Night Watch? 'Buncha cranky owls sitting around, guarding the rock? General Tory doesn't let anyone through once he goes on guard. If you ask me he's got an egg stuck in his vent." He grumbled.
"His what?"
The fairy snorted and kicked the very tip of Slightly's nose. "Not the brightest paint on the palette, are you."
Jukes snatched the fairy out of the air with a quick jab and brought him up to his nose. His face was a quilt of shadows and bruises with two bright eyes in the middle, glaring furiously. The fairy swallowed.
"Either tell us something useful, or shove off." He growled. The little fairy chuckled nervously.
"Er, calm then, right? No need to get all grabby with me."
Jukes snarled, and the fairy squeaked. "Alright! If you really need to get to Small Monday Island BEFORE the sun comes up, you can appeal to Colonel Cobby! If you don't mean mischief she'll let you through on her side of the island!"
"Thank you!" Billy snapped. In a quick movement he yanked the bandanna off his neck, stuffed the squealing fairy into it, and tied the corners shut.
"Billy, what are you doing?!" Slightly yelped as he stumbled after him, barely able to see the trees in the faint fairy light that seeped through the cloth. "Billy--!"
"I figured we can use a little light." Billy growled. That was a dangerous growl; a pirate growl. Slightly shut his mouth and followed him on into the woods.
2
***
Billy awoke to the dark. His spine was sending violent complains to his brain and he pushed his shoulder back with a grit of his teeth. He'd fallen asleep sitting up. Why hadn't Mullins woken him? Billy arched his back till his spine popped and let out a relieved sigh. He must have fallen asleep while the crew played dice. It was still dark, maybe if he went back to the crew quarters now he could still get in a few hours of honest, horizontal sleep.
He'd only leaned forward and braced his palms against the floor to rise when he froze, pulse quickening. The floor was cold stone.
He wasn't on the ship. He was in the cave.
And he'd fallen asleep.
"Slightly?" he called into the darkness, his trembling voice echoing back to him from the walls. Nothing moved. "SLIGHTLY!"
In the dark he heard a waking gasp, followed by a groan.
"Ugh….Billy? What's going on?"
"Slightly!"
Before the Lost Boy even knew what was happening he was clumsily grabbed by the shirt and tugged upright. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, of course I'm alright, what…..oh."
"We fell asleep." Billy said darkly.
Slightly leaned forward to support his own weight and scrubbed his useless eyes with the back of his hand. "You didn't hurt me, maybe nothing happened." He said.
"Or maybe I left the cave in the middle of the night and ripped the throat out of Peter Pan!"
Slightly stiffened. "Don't say that!"
"Then what would you have me say! God knows what I've done, or how long we've been asleep! I might've…." He pushed the heels of his hands against his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. "Great Neptune, I might have killed you."
"You slightly didn't. Hold still a second."
Billy jerked back in surprise when a hand caught hold of his bandanna. It tugged the cloth and trailed up carefully over his chin, and felt along his lips. He jerked back, startled. "Slightly, what are you doing?!"
"There's no blood on your face." He said. "If you hurt someone, wouldn't there be blood?"
Jukes blinked and put his own hand to his mouth. All he felt was the aching swell of his split lip, and the sudden give where two of his teeth had been knocked from his upper jaw. There was no blood, dried or otherwise. He let out a puff of relief.
"I slightly don't think we should stay here anymore." Slightly said, sounding a little nervous. "What will happen if we fall asleep again?"
"I'm afraid to find out. Come on, cully, lets get out of here. It's safer to be out with the things in the dark than inside this cave with me."
"It probably isn't dawn yet." Slightly protested feebly.
"I don't care. Just so long as I can't fall asleep."
***
This night on the island would be the first and only time anyone ever managed to step on a jackalope. This was more the jackalopes's fault that Slightly's, because she didn't have the good sense to wake up and move out of the way when they came crashing through the underbrush. As it was she was rudely awakened to her tail being tromped on, let out a sharp bleat, and two seconds later Slightly was fallen on his rump in the brush holding his bitten toe. It didn't take long for the entire area to wake up. In an instant the ground was alive with the sounds of a dozen jackalopes barreling off through the brush, their antlers taking most of the bush with them, and one very bright, and very blue, light.
"Just what in the name of Titania's nosehairs do you think you're doing?!" snapped an irritable voice, having just been awoken from one of the best dreams he'd ever had involving licorice rope and the apothecary's daughter. The boys stared up at the sudden illumination, startled.
"…Sorry?" Slightly said none too intelligently. The fairy stuck his hands on his hips and turned his nose up.
"Why don't you two learn to watch where you're going? You stepped on poor Lavidia's tail!" The fairy shook a fist at them. "I ought to smack you both upside the head for that! She's a girl, you know!"
"Well she slightly bit me!" Slightly shouted back.
"Good for her! I hope it gets infected and your foot rots off!" He said, and poked his tongue out at them, turned around, and shot off after the jackalopes with a "Hmph!"
Jukes muttered something Slightly was pretty sure was an insult and fished down in the dark to catch his friend's hand and pull him to his feet. He'd hardly gained his balance before the blue thing was back, appearing mere inches from their faces and startling the both of them. Jukes swatted at it.
"Just what exactly are two humans like you doing out in this part of the woods at this time of night?" The fairy said evenly, arms crossed in front of him and eyebrow raised.
"What business is it of yours?" Jukes snapped.
"None." He twirled once in the air and hovered closer to tap a flinching Lost Boy on the nose. "But you two DID step on one of my friends and you woke me up from a damned good dream, so I think you should at least tell me what you're doing here."
"We're going to Small Monday Island." Slightly said. "And I slightly don't think you need to know why!"
The fairy hovered closer to Slightly's face, arms crossed and eyes narrowed comically, making the Lost Boy pull his head back. He really was an ugly thing. He had long ears and a pug nose, with two massive buck teeth sticking out over his lip. If he hadn't been blue he'd look almost more rabbit that the jackalopes did. As it was he just looked silly, dismissible, and far too freckled for his own good.
"What on Earth could you possibly want on Small Monday Island? It's not like you can even get there at this time of night!"
"Why not?"
The fairy rolled his eyes "The Night Watch? 'Buncha cranky owls sitting around, guarding the rock? General Tory doesn't let anyone through once he goes on guard. If you ask me he's got an egg stuck in his vent." He grumbled.
"His what?"
The fairy snorted and kicked the very tip of Slightly's nose. "Not the brightest paint on the palette, are you."
Jukes snatched the fairy out of the air with a quick jab and brought him up to his nose. His face was a quilt of shadows and bruises with two bright eyes in the middle, glaring furiously. The fairy swallowed.
"Either tell us something useful, or shove off." He growled. The little fairy chuckled nervously.
"Er, calm then, right? No need to get all grabby with me."
Jukes snarled, and the fairy squeaked. "Alright! If you really need to get to Small Monday Island BEFORE the sun comes up, you can appeal to Colonel Cobby! If you don't mean mischief she'll let you through on her side of the island!"
"Thank you!" Billy snapped. In a quick movement he yanked the bandanna off his neck, stuffed the squealing fairy into it, and tied the corners shut.
"Billy, what are you doing?!" Slightly yelped as he stumbled after him, barely able to see the trees in the faint fairy light that seeped through the cloth. "Billy--!"
"I figured we can use a little light." Billy growled. That was a dangerous growl; a pirate growl. Slightly shut his mouth and followed him on into the woods.