Chapter 2 'Jaguar Hunt'

The moment she cut him loose, Tigerlily examined Peter Pan carefully. She never met any man who carried himself with confidence and buoyancy as he did. With a quick glance, she would have deemed him as weak for he was tall and lanky, lacking a few muscles. Though he was not to be underestimated. A scabbard hung from his waist, revealing he was not afraid to draw a weapon.

"If you have a dagger, then why didn't you cut yourself free?" she asked him once he fully recovered.

"It would have taken too long. I'm not much of a patient person really." Peter turned to face Tigerlily. Now under full lighting, she saw his face clearly. Pointed nose, ears slightly large for his head, but he was roguishly handsome. He neared her, not caring for personal space, "And besides, I wouldn't get the chance to do this."

In a split second he grabbed Tigerlily's head and held his dagger to her neck. Her back was pressed against his chest. She could feel his breath as he whispered into her ear, "It's nothing personal princess, but you have something I want."

Tigerlily growled at Peter who only gave a wicked grin in return. She wasn't afraid, only agitated. With the jaguar habitat forgotten, her focus was on escaping. Her axe lay near the fallen net a few feet away, having dropped it upon the surprise attack. With her captor behind her, she couldn't retrieve her arrows. She tried prying the blade from under her chin, only resulting in cuts on her fingers. She could feel the blood dripping from where she held it. Weaponless, she maintained temperance just long enough until she could break free.

"I do not have anything!" Peter forced her to the bark of a tree, dagger still pointed. Now a good distance from him, Tigerlily could reach for her arrows. She spat at his face to faze him for just a moment. In a fluid movement, she slid an arrow from her quiver and used it to knock the dagger from Peter's grip. She aimed for his neck but he blocked the arrow.

"My, my, princess," Peter said wryly, "Someone needs to teach you how to be more ladylike."

Tigerlily saw him dive for his dagger and kicked it out of reach. Then she punched him in the gut for good measure, causing Peter to double over as she ran for her axe. By the time she turned, Peter was bent over slightly, one hand supporting his back and the other one clutching the dagger. This time Tigerlily was ready, her axe clutched tightly and reinforcement at bay.

"That was some punch," he commented, "You're stronger than you look."

Tigerlily wasn't having any of it. She had let her sympathy cloud her judgement about this boy "Attacking me is a great offense. Greater than stealing. Give me a reason not to kill you where you stand."

"Let's see," Peter rubbed his chin, thoughtfully, "I have remarkable qualities. It would be a shame to deprive the world of them, and…" he brought out something from behind his back. Much to Tigerlily's shock, it was her mother's bow. Her fingers flew to her shoulder where it had been strapped on and felt nothing, "What use is an arrow without a bow?"

"Is that what you wanted? A bow?" Tigerlily was planning her next move carefully. That bow was the only thing she had from her mother. And she intended to get it back. The two circled around, anticipating an attack from the opposing party.

"Not just any bow. Yours,"

"Why?" As far as Tigerlily knew, her bow only held sentimental value. It wasn't worth threatening a princess over.

"You'll see, princess," Voices and impeding footsteps were heading in their direction. It must be the hunting party."Over here!" she shouted to them. The sound of leaves rustling made her face Peter again only to find him gone, along with her mother's bow.

It was 2 AM in the Tailor household when a scream scared Paige's eyes open. She traipsed out of her bedroom and into the hallway, groggily yet concerned. She reached the door at the hallway's end, by then her parents emerged from their room to join her.

Paige opened the door to a dark bedroom. She could hear someone taking ragged breaths with a hint of whimpers. She flipped the light on to find Lily fully awake, hair matted and cheeks stained with tears. The sheets and pillows were in a disarray, showing how the girl much tossed and turned.

"Oh heavens," Mrs. Tailor crept towards the young girl. Where one would have been chased away by a child as troubled as she, Mr. and Mrs. Tailor were among the few who could tolerate this behavior. They understood the struggles Lily faced everyday and set out to help her.

Hopping onto the bed, Paige pulled her foster sister into a warm embrace, "It's alright. You're safe with us."

Instead of asking what the nightmare was about, Mr. Tailor took the liberty of retrieving a journal on top of the bedside table. He handed it to Lily along with a pen, "Draw what happened in your nightmare. We'll take you to Dr. Hopper's in the morning before school."

Studies had proven one would forget 95% of their dreams after waking up. Writing down dreams within 10 minutes after waking would help preserve the events that occurred in them. But since Lily couldn't write, she was instructed to draw glimpses of her dreams by Dr. Hopper.

She nodded. Immediately, she took the pen and journal to begin sketching. Paige peered over her foster sister's shoulder to see what she was drawing.

"Paige, shouldn't you be in bed?" Mrs. Tailor said before Paige could take a glimpse. Checking the alarm in Lily's room, Paige groaned. If she didn't have enough sleep then she was sure to take an impromptu slumber during class the next day. She made sure Lily was ok before bidding a goodnight.

On her way out, she heard Lily muttering to herself, "Him. It was him again."

At dusk, Tigerlily sneaked out of her village during dinnertime. After the hunting party discovered her with an axe in hand and a net cut, they assumed she ruined the hunt. Her father had scolded her, shaming her in the presence of the hunters. This only fueled her anger towards Peter. First he had taken her mother's bow and now her pride. She chose not to tell her father about him. It would have been worse if they found out she had freed the menace instead of an animal.

Once she escaped the piercing stares from her father, Tigerlily was in the jungle tracking Peter's last whereabouts, using the stars and a lit torch to guide her. She came to the tree and recognized the footsteps embedded into the earth from their skirmish earlier. She went straight for the tree where she was held at knife point. Her fingers traced the texture of the bark for any signs of someone to have climbed it. He must have climbed it to escape. There couldn't be another way.

A twig snapped. She whirled in the direction of the sound and saw Peter emerge from the shadows. Under the light of the torch, his cocky demeanor casted an eerie shadow in his features. He grinned, "Hello princess.Thought I'd find you here. Oh a flame, good. We'll need that where we're heading,"

"Heading where?" Peter pretended to not have heard her and proceeded to walk away, "You are not going anywhere until you tell me where you put my mother's bow," she hissed.

Peter halted. He sighed before turning serious for a moment, "When you freed me, we made a deal. My life for the location of the jaguars. I always keep my word. I'll take you to it."

"To the jaguars or the bow?"

"Both,"

"You took my bow just to give it back. Why?"

"I have my reasons,"

"I do not trust you,"

"I don't expect you to. But you need this. After failing the hunt today," Tigerlily didn't question how he knew. She kept her guard up, "This is a chance to redeem yourself. The jaguars are asleep, what better chance than to strike now?"

It seemed too good to be true. Her bow and the glory coming from what could be the greatest hunt in Sky Eaters history. Yet again, she felt persuaded by the boy's words. She complied.

"If this is a trick. I will kill you,"

The grin returned, "Understood. Come along then,"

Although he had arrived on the island weeks ago, he knew his way around. He navigated through the desolate jungle as well as she could.

Now as they trekked through the farthest parts of the jungle in silence, nearly close to Dark Hollow, she continued to size him up. Peter was distant, yet aware of his surroundings. She made no conversation though this didn't hinder Peter from enjoying himself. Peter kept grinning throughout the trip, as if he and the trees shared a funny joke. It unnerved her how he wasn't taking this as seriously as she was.

After an hour of silence Peter began to talk about what Tigerlily learned to be his favorite topic, himself. He spoke of how he came to Neverland, which only drew more questions than answers for Tigerlily. Visitors were expected on Neverland, but no one had ever stayed. During the day, the island was filled with laughing children, who came to Neverland through their dreams. They would play for an hour or so before waking up. Her tribe tended to stay clear of these children. If they found out people live on the island, they would want to find a way to stay. Frankly, the Sky Eaters and the fairies weren't too keen on sharing the island's magic.

"I was on a ship," he narrated, "Don't remember why though. We got caught in a storm, breaks the whole boat in half!" He mimicked the noise of waves crashing then the splitting of wood which sounded the same in Tigerlily's mind.

"Well... I survived that. The fairies found me lying on the beach the morning after and healed me. I guess they liked me so much that they wanted to keep me. I mean, who wouldn't like me right?"

She snorted at that and walked ahead. Clearly this conversation wasn't the worth her time.

"They have too many rules in my opinion. 'Don't eat this', 'Don't go there', 'Always bring Tink with you,' Honestly, they are mothering me. And you know mothers-"

"No," Tigerlily cut him off. They stopped walking and were now in front of a path blocked by overgrown plants.

"I'm sorry?"

"I do not know about mothers," At the mention of her mother, she shivered and reached for the bow. Remembering it wasn't there anymore, an ominous cold settled in. She feared the Shadows may be watching them right now. With this in mind, Tigerlily took out her axe and hacked her way through the plants. Peter followed close behind a bit too close for her liking. His breath tickled the back of her neck.

"You don't have a mother do you?" he assumed. He took her silence as a 'yes', "Don't feel bad. Neither do I."

The path was soon free from plants and they walked on until Peter spotted something about 30 feet away from them, "There it is!"

The cave loomed over in the distance. Already, Tigerlily could spot the unmistakable figure of the jaguar, arm draped over its eyes to block the sun as it slept.

"One jaguar?"

"There's plenty more inside. You can find your bow inside as well," Peter said. He pulled Tigerlily along, dismissing any concern for safety. His feet kept brushing against the thick undergrowth, creating a rustling sound. The princess tugged the boy forcibly aside before he could doom them both. She pressed a finger against his lips, "Be quiet. You will get us killed," she hissed.

Peter scoffed, crossing his arms, "It's difficult to maintain stealth in this," he gestured to the ground overgrown with gnarled roots and branches as well as thorny plants. His foot was about to step over a batch of gnarled thorns when he was suddenly pulled back by his shirt collar.

"Do not touch that. It is a poison plant, Dreamshade. You will die within days if you touch it,"

"I knew that," The expression on Peter's face told Tigerlily he didn't, "We don't have time to be careful," Peter shot back. How stubborn, Tigerlily thought.

It baffled her why she didn't warn him. He had shown her the jaguars and was no longer needed. It was an opportune time to kill him for his crimes. Let the poison serve its purpose. But he was a boy. An ignorant boy. Maybe what he needed was someone to teach him manners.

Realizing his futile attempts, Peter turned to Tigerlily, "If you think you can get across quietly, then be my guest,"

Tigerlily accepted the challenge. She could navigate through terrains such as this. Child's play. She hopped onto a patch of ground untouched by the branches. With great catlike agility, she bounded from one empty patch to another, occasionally having to brush a few thorny roots away with the tip of her axe or landing on the tips of her toes in the narrowest of places.

Within seconds, Tigerlily arrived on the other side. She was only a few feet away from the mouth of the jaguar cave. The pungent odor filled her senses. There were many jaguars inside. That strong of a scent could not have come from just one.

She whirled around to retrieve her companion, only to collide into the boy himself. He cradled her in his arms to stop them from falling into the undergrowth.

"Keep balance, princess," he breathed into her ear, cheekily, "You were doing so well before,"

"How did you get across?"

"Oh I have ways, miss..?"

"I will not tell you my name," She drew out her axe and proceeded to go inside the cave.

"Why not? I asked for a name not a hand in marriage,"

"Let's just get this done," She stalks off but Peter suddenly grabbed her wrist, "I'll go first. You know, to protect you. What would the world be if a gentleman lets a lady," he scanned her over, " or you in this case, walk towards certain death?"

Tigerlily restrained from lunging at him. In the short time they knew each other, he already knew how to infuriate her in every way possible. But there was one thing she loathed and it was chivalry. Other girls may not mind, but Tigerlily does. She wasn't weak. "I can take care of myself." she affirmed before tearing her arm from Peter's grip and tip toeing into the dark cave.

Once inside, she felt the breaths of a hundred jaguars reverberating off the walls. She crept deeper inside with Peter trailing soundlessly behind.

The cave was small, so it didn't take long to reach the dead end. By that time, Tigerlily counted more than 30 jaguars. That could feed her tribe for months. But how to execute this was an issue. It was too late to bring the hunting party. It would have been too risky anyway. The jaguars would overpower them. And killing them in their sleep only guaranteed one body. The smell of spilled blood would surely bring the jaguars from the slumber to avenge their fallen.

As Tigerlily mulled the situation over in her head, Peter had drawn out his dagger and made his way to one of the snoozing jaguars, doing exactly what Tigerlily didn't want to do. She rushed to his side and gripped his wrist.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking my share, princess," he enunciated her title with an arch of an eyebrow, "This bounty shouldn't be all yours. Sharing is caring after all." He raised the dagger only to be stopped by Tigerlily's strong hold. She felt his muscles rippling to counteract her strength and for once in Tigerlily's life, she might have met her match. Peter overpowered her, breaking her grip.

"Asleep or awake, it will make a sound,"

"Be sure to muffle the sounds with your hands, then," Tigerlily tried to stop him again. This time, she went for the dagger hilt. Peter tugged it back, creating a test of strength, "Give it back!"

"No, you stupid boy," Then Tigerlily heaved with more force than needed. The dagger fell out of both her and Peter's grips. She hit the side of the cave while Peter landed on the ground. If that didn't create much noise, to top it off, the dagger skittered onto the floor. This accumulated into a loud crash that echoed the walls of the cave.

The two waited in bated breath as the sound faded into silence, though the remnants still rang in their ears. Then they heard a growl. A growl that multiplied to sound out the rapid beating of Tigerlily's heart. The cave was stirred with life. The jaguar that Peter had targeted rose from its resting place and now greeted the humans with its hungry eyes.

The next morning, Sheriff Graham Humbert was scrolling through paperwork at the station when he heard Lily enter. He glanced up from his work and caught the sight of the young girl, "Lily, this is a surprise." Although his tone was cheery, he could feel the migraine coming on. Graham had been the one who discovered Lily on his doorstep when she was a baby. He spent every moment since then trying to find a proper home for her. It was a strenuous task, ending up with mountains of paperwork. He did his best to look out for her but something always happened.

"Are the Tailors treating you alright? If not then I'll-"

"No," Lily knew she put the Sheriff's mind at ease by saying this. They've been nice."

"Do you see a possible future with them then?" Graham asked, hopeful. Hopeful not for the lack of paperwork but for finally giving a home to Lily, "A possible adoption?"

"I can't be too hopeful,"

Graham frowned at those words. It was not how a young girl should be talking. He cleared his throat to change the subject, "So what brings you down here?"

Lily bit her lip, something she did out of nervous habit. Coming to the station was already too much of a gamble. She just left Dr. Hopper's after having a session concerning her nightmares. Dr. Hopper couldn't bring himself to decipher the meaning behind them. Lily thought the Sheriff might have an insight on a certain aspect of her nightmares.

"I need your help," She rummaged through her backpack for her dream journal. She flipped it to the most recent page and placed it in front of Graham, "As you know, I keep getting nightmares. Every night," Her eyes had a faraway look on them, remembering something painful, "Mostly the same things."

Graham looked at the journal and didn't know what to make of it. The first page depicted a scene in what seemed to be a jungle. The next one was of several small figures surrounding a firepit, one figure bigger than the rest. Turning the page, it showed a close up on the larger figure from the waist up. It was a boy in a cloak and a pan pipe in his hands. His elfish features were contorted into an evil grin crossed with a smirk. This picture sent a chill up Graham's spine. Never before he was rendered to fear by a glaring boy.

The Sheriff composed himself before asking more questions, "Why have you come to me? This is something in Dr. Hopper's field."

"I thought you could help me find this boy. He is in most of my nightmares. I felt as if I met him before. But I just can't seem..."

"Lily," Graham interrupted, "This boy may not be real."

"But Dr. Hopper said the people in your dreams are people you have seen at some point in your life!" Lily argued, "I have never set foot off Storybrooke so I think he is here. Please, find him."

"Lily," Graham took the girl by the shoulders and knelt down to eye level, "If this boy is the cause of your nightmares, then I reckon that is a bad thing. You must have had a bad experience with-"

"But I want to know," she cried indignantly. She wriggled away from the Sheriff's hold before snatching up her journal. He didn't understand, Lily thought to herself. This boy might clue her into this gap in her memory, a missing part of her, "I'm late for school. I'll be going now." She headed for the door.

"No, wait!" Lily whirled around.

Graham sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I'll see what I could do. But you might not like what I find."

"But at least you found something and that's all I could ever ask. Thank you," She ran up to give him a hug, something she never done in all the years she knew him. He pat her head comfortingly.

"Anytime, Lily. Now go before you're late!" She smiled before rushing out of the station, finally knowing she may be going somewhere in this investigation.

Unknown to Lily at the time, this was the last time she would ever see Graham.

Peter reacted quickly, snatching his dagger off the ground and darting for the entrance. Tigerlily picked up her axe and followed in suit. A couple of jaguars pounced but she swatted them away with a swing of her axe, forgetting about her bow that may still be hidden in the cave. She barreled through the mass with only her warrior spirit as her asset. She emerged from the cave with several claw marks and jaguar slobber.

By the time she and Peter escaped, the whole pride was in on the action. They were in hot pursuit of the two. Peter had managed to remain unscathed until a jaguar pulled in too close, having clawed his back. His shirt was now in tatters, revealing a rather nasty scratch. It looked painful but Peter didn't show it. He continued to run along with Tigerlily.

They were able to lose some of them near the thorns. About five were ensnared in jaguars were known to be creatures of speed but Peter and Tigerlily managed to outrun them all but just a tad. At the rate she and Peter were going, they covered enough area that would have been an hour long journey at walking speed. Tigerlily couldn't spare a glance behind her as she blurred through the trees. She felt them inches away, snapping at her braids flowing in the wind.

"How many are behind us?" she found enough breath to ask Peter.

"Less than 20. I bet 15," They hopped over a log which marked a checkpoint. Tigerlily recognized this area as one of the many places she set traps in.. As if Peter heard her thoughts, he exclaimed, "The traps!"

They shared the same idea. A first. "The nets?" he suggested.

"The traps are everywhere on the ravine top," Tigerlily warned, "Trigger them. Don't get caught,"

"Easy," And without having to speak, the two split up to take on right and left. She found one trap and leaped over the hidden net. The moment their paws touched the rigged ground, the net snapped up to trap the jaguars. Tigerlily tricked the pride with several more successful traps. She reminded herself to thank her hunting party for making them.

After everything, only one jaguar remained. It was bigger than the rest- the leader of the pride. Its eyes were locked onto Tigerlily and continued to chase her. Though she was quite fast, her endurance was depleting. It wouldn't be long until she gave out.

"Princess!" She turned her head to see Peter. Their paths merged and the two were reunited. She saw he managed to lose all of his jaguars, "This one would not give up!" he howled in amusement.

"You are happy with this?" Indeed the young boy was thrilled to be hunted down by carnivorous beast that could catch up with him soon.

"The adrenaline! Do you feel the wind brushing your cheeks? The bubbling feeling deep in your gut? The one that rises up in your body, only to be let out with a shout of joy. Yes. I never felt so alive when being so close to death. Don't you agree?"

Tigerlily did. She knew exactly how Peter felt. It was exhilarating. Thoughts of submitting to death were flushed out of her, replaced with the need for more adventures. Now, on the verge of being eaten by a jaguar, Tigerlily wouldn't want to die any other way.

"Quick! Hop onto the tree!" Peter's voice broke through her thoughts. A big oak tree up ahead had branches perfect for a sanctuary. It was too high for the creature to jump for. They both clambered onto the bark. Tigerlily was before Peter and was about to reach safety when she heard Peter yell. Peering down, she saw the jaguar have a hold on Peter's leg. With quick thinking, Tigerlily bashed the jaguar's head with the butt of her axe. Peter was set free and they scaled the tree.

"Be faster," she said catching her breath. Peter nodded, forgetting that a good thank you was in order. They rested for a couple of minutes until Peter noticed something was off. He shushed Tigerlily in the way she quieted him earlier, his finger to her lips. His ear cocked to pick up any of the jaguars growls but all it heard was their heavy breathing and the sound of water trickling in the waterfall nearby. Tigerlily looked down to see the body of the jaguar resting on the ground.

"I think it's dead," he said. The force from Tigerlily's blow must have damaged the skull. Cautiously, he descended from the tree to confirm his suspicions.

Peter neared the cadaver slowly. He broke off a branch and began pricking and prodding the jaguar. After not having moved, it was deemed dead, "You smashed her pretty hard!" he called to Tigerlily, still in the tree. She was about to climb down when a purr reached her ears.

"Peter, look out!"

The jaguar slowly rose to its feet, blinking away unconsciousness. Its green eyes locked onto Peter's. Its cat like features were fixed into a snarl. It was gearing up for a charge. It rammed at Peter at full speed. Tigerlily shut her eyes, thinking it was already too late. The tree shuddered upon the collision, nearly shaking Tigerlily off the branches. She didn't hear a cry or scream coming from Peter, making her wonder. When she opened her eyes, she was greeted with a spectacular sight.

Peter was staring back at her. This was quite odd considering he was on the ground seconds ago and now at eye level with her. She saw that the boy was floating in the air. He was flying.

He had shot up just in time. The jaguar continued its path and struck the oak tree with a sickening crack. Now its skull was really broken. It dropped dead below them. Tigerlily's eyes widened with shock and disbelief. As far she could tell, Peter had no pixie dust on him. How could he fly?But at the same, it made sense. It explained his quick escapes and how he was able to cross the patch of Dreamshade.

She climbed down from the tree and Peter returned to the earth. He arched an eyebrow, "Oh princess, don't act like you've never seen a boy fly before,"

A/N: Wow, the response to this story is incredible. I'm glad you guys like the story and your favorites/follows and positive reviews would push me to make this a good story that is different from the rest of the Peter/OC (sorta) fanfics out there.

I know Peter seems a bit OOC in the last chapter. But to quote Regina, "I've always believed that evil wasn't born, it's made" The Regina before Daniel's death isn't the same as the Regina we know today. So shouldn't it make sense if Peter Pan had started out a bit innocent? Well in this chapter it shows him more of what we see in him on the show.