A steady hour passed, trails of footprints leading around the sparser
parts of the forest in large, irregular circles before Meanne and Yurek
opted to retire misleading any followers and dashed up into the safety of
the trees. There was an eerie silence between the two before Yurek decided
that they were deep enough in the woods that they wouldn't have been
followed, and dropped to the forest floor. Meanne walked quietly behind her
companion, her head ducked into her shoulders like a frightened cat. He
hadn't said anything since their little 'incident,' but she knew she was in
for it. Big time.
They walked into another clearing, this one with a little creek in it; Meanne looked at it with a vague confusion. "We're still a good walk from home, so we'd better get something to drink." Yurek wasn't screaming for some reason; this was what could be defined as the calm before the storm. Tired from all the running and from her little brush with death, Meanne dropped exhaustedly to her knees before the stream and began to drink, and to take a short glance at herself.
Meanne was just over twelve, and acted every obnoxious year of it. She lifted a hand, and began to quickly pick out the leftover bits of moss, twigs and leaves stranded in her black waves as they cascaded over her shoulders. Her skin, like Yurek's and Billy's alike, was a very soft, warm shade of brown, and nearly flawless except for the nick behind and below her left ear, left by Captain Hook. The cut was less than an inch long, and had long since crusted over with blood. I'll wash this off later, she thought, covering it with her hair. Or Yurek will be even madder that I got hurt! Her deep black eyes shut gently as she took another sip, and then opened them to see the purple glints in them reflecting in the water.
Meanne was not altogether an alluring girl, but nor was she terribly ugly. She was just at the age where her body was deciding how beautiful she would or would not be. But for now, she was simply Meanne. And there really was no defining Meanne. She simply was.
"If you're finished," Yurek's low voice came. "We'll continue." His voice was very low, so she knew what was coming as Meanne slowly stood up without looking Yurek in the eyes. His large hand swiftly came down and met the child's cheek with a very loud SMACK! She toppled backward, and was once again laying in the grass, holding her right cheek and looking up her fearsome companion.
"WHAT was that back there?" Yurek demanded. "Crone's great- granddaughter or NOT, I am clan protector! If I tell you to keep still Kitling, you'd best keep STILL! You deliberately disobeyed me! And what's worse? Not only in your haste to escape could you have led those men back to our camp to slaughter us all, but you nearly got yourself killed in the process!" He crossed his arms tightly, flexing thick muscles.
"Not that I'd have cared if that clawed man cut you a new mouth to talk with or made you into stew, mind you... but he and his followers would have done it AFTER chasing you back to camp and killing the others! Think of Aunt Krista! Uncle Tobias! Think of the good of the clan sometimes, NOT just yourself, Meanne!" The little girl's purple-black eyes filled to the brim with hot tears. Yurek's words hurt, mostly because he was right as usual. The tears streamed down freely, and Yurek inwardly sighed, regretting being so hard on her. But blast it, that girl had to learn some responsibility, both for her actions and how her actions can effect her family!
Unlike many children who dredge up tears instantly to gain what they wanted, Meanne's tears were genuine, partly from Yurek's scolding, and also because she hadn't been able to show how afraid she was when Captain Hook scared her witless. Sensing these emotions in the girl, the fearsome desert lion that was Yurek relaxed and kneeled down beside her, wrapping his arms around.
"I'm... It's just that... I was..." was all Yurek could really decipher out of Meanne's frightened and sad gibberish.
"I'm sorry too, kid. But..." Yurek pulled the girl off of his chest to look into her eyes. "Whether you realize it or not, or like it or not, you have to start growing up some. Firstly by thinking more about how what you do effects the clan. In a few years, you'll be grown, and Old Crone will be gone. When she's not in this world anymore, it'll be your task to guide us like she does. It won't be any fun, and you'll have a lot of responsibility. But unfortunately, you only have a few years to learn it."
"But that's not fair," Meanne sniffled. "I don't WANT Crone to die. I don't WANT to have to take care of everyone... it's too big! I want things to stay just like they are right now... Crone guiding us, us helping each other, you protecting us, and me and my cousins always being able to play together!" Yurek sighed deeply, hugging the child. She wasn't a relative, but she was family. And it was his job to defend all family, and above all keep her safe, mostly because she'd walk headfirst into trouble without knowing it. There was a long quiet before the two stood once more and began to head back to camp, where the cooking fires burned with tonight's supper, and the air smelled of sage, myrrh, and rosemary. Back to camp, where it felt safer near the fires and the dogs, and a very old woman to watch over them.
Captain Hook paced around his cabin restlessly. He thought he'd seen mostly everyone on the islands. But those two children were... new. It was hard to place, but there was a certain feral look in their eyes somewhere that Neverland hadn't touched yet. When he bore into the girl's eyes, he saw fear, yes, but also a certain... knowing. And it was the same in the young man's eyes, too. In each, he saw a certain amount of fear, but also a deep confusion. They must have been new to Neverland! For that unnamable look within their beings was something that neither the Lost Boys or even his crewmates had from time to time. He didn't know quite what it was, but he would definitely find out.
"SMEE!" Hook hollered as the old Irishman promptly appeared in his cabin. "Inform the crew that on the morrow, we return to the island to investigate today's oddities and find out whence our new neighbors come from." Smee stood there a moment, placing things in his mind.
"Aye, aye, Sir!" Smee said, saluting. "Shall I also be lettin' them know that we'll be goin' ashore in the mornin'?
"Yes.... Smee... that will do..." Hook growled. But yes, he thought, oh yes, I will find you, little bandit... And we'll have a proper introduction.
They walked into another clearing, this one with a little creek in it; Meanne looked at it with a vague confusion. "We're still a good walk from home, so we'd better get something to drink." Yurek wasn't screaming for some reason; this was what could be defined as the calm before the storm. Tired from all the running and from her little brush with death, Meanne dropped exhaustedly to her knees before the stream and began to drink, and to take a short glance at herself.
Meanne was just over twelve, and acted every obnoxious year of it. She lifted a hand, and began to quickly pick out the leftover bits of moss, twigs and leaves stranded in her black waves as they cascaded over her shoulders. Her skin, like Yurek's and Billy's alike, was a very soft, warm shade of brown, and nearly flawless except for the nick behind and below her left ear, left by Captain Hook. The cut was less than an inch long, and had long since crusted over with blood. I'll wash this off later, she thought, covering it with her hair. Or Yurek will be even madder that I got hurt! Her deep black eyes shut gently as she took another sip, and then opened them to see the purple glints in them reflecting in the water.
Meanne was not altogether an alluring girl, but nor was she terribly ugly. She was just at the age where her body was deciding how beautiful she would or would not be. But for now, she was simply Meanne. And there really was no defining Meanne. She simply was.
"If you're finished," Yurek's low voice came. "We'll continue." His voice was very low, so she knew what was coming as Meanne slowly stood up without looking Yurek in the eyes. His large hand swiftly came down and met the child's cheek with a very loud SMACK! She toppled backward, and was once again laying in the grass, holding her right cheek and looking up her fearsome companion.
"WHAT was that back there?" Yurek demanded. "Crone's great- granddaughter or NOT, I am clan protector! If I tell you to keep still Kitling, you'd best keep STILL! You deliberately disobeyed me! And what's worse? Not only in your haste to escape could you have led those men back to our camp to slaughter us all, but you nearly got yourself killed in the process!" He crossed his arms tightly, flexing thick muscles.
"Not that I'd have cared if that clawed man cut you a new mouth to talk with or made you into stew, mind you... but he and his followers would have done it AFTER chasing you back to camp and killing the others! Think of Aunt Krista! Uncle Tobias! Think of the good of the clan sometimes, NOT just yourself, Meanne!" The little girl's purple-black eyes filled to the brim with hot tears. Yurek's words hurt, mostly because he was right as usual. The tears streamed down freely, and Yurek inwardly sighed, regretting being so hard on her. But blast it, that girl had to learn some responsibility, both for her actions and how her actions can effect her family!
Unlike many children who dredge up tears instantly to gain what they wanted, Meanne's tears were genuine, partly from Yurek's scolding, and also because she hadn't been able to show how afraid she was when Captain Hook scared her witless. Sensing these emotions in the girl, the fearsome desert lion that was Yurek relaxed and kneeled down beside her, wrapping his arms around.
"I'm... It's just that... I was..." was all Yurek could really decipher out of Meanne's frightened and sad gibberish.
"I'm sorry too, kid. But..." Yurek pulled the girl off of his chest to look into her eyes. "Whether you realize it or not, or like it or not, you have to start growing up some. Firstly by thinking more about how what you do effects the clan. In a few years, you'll be grown, and Old Crone will be gone. When she's not in this world anymore, it'll be your task to guide us like she does. It won't be any fun, and you'll have a lot of responsibility. But unfortunately, you only have a few years to learn it."
"But that's not fair," Meanne sniffled. "I don't WANT Crone to die. I don't WANT to have to take care of everyone... it's too big! I want things to stay just like they are right now... Crone guiding us, us helping each other, you protecting us, and me and my cousins always being able to play together!" Yurek sighed deeply, hugging the child. She wasn't a relative, but she was family. And it was his job to defend all family, and above all keep her safe, mostly because she'd walk headfirst into trouble without knowing it. There was a long quiet before the two stood once more and began to head back to camp, where the cooking fires burned with tonight's supper, and the air smelled of sage, myrrh, and rosemary. Back to camp, where it felt safer near the fires and the dogs, and a very old woman to watch over them.
Captain Hook paced around his cabin restlessly. He thought he'd seen mostly everyone on the islands. But those two children were... new. It was hard to place, but there was a certain feral look in their eyes somewhere that Neverland hadn't touched yet. When he bore into the girl's eyes, he saw fear, yes, but also a certain... knowing. And it was the same in the young man's eyes, too. In each, he saw a certain amount of fear, but also a deep confusion. They must have been new to Neverland! For that unnamable look within their beings was something that neither the Lost Boys or even his crewmates had from time to time. He didn't know quite what it was, but he would definitely find out.
"SMEE!" Hook hollered as the old Irishman promptly appeared in his cabin. "Inform the crew that on the morrow, we return to the island to investigate today's oddities and find out whence our new neighbors come from." Smee stood there a moment, placing things in his mind.
"Aye, aye, Sir!" Smee said, saluting. "Shall I also be lettin' them know that we'll be goin' ashore in the mornin'?
"Yes.... Smee... that will do..." Hook growled. But yes, he thought, oh yes, I will find you, little bandit... And we'll have a proper introduction.