A/N: Hello guys! Here's another chapter! Thank you to those who favorited and followed the story! And to the reviewer-
CheesePuff- There's always a twist! MUAH HA HA!
But here is another chapter! Please tell me what you guys think. So read REVIEW, and Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pan or the characters of the Peter Pan story.
J's (Old Hook's) POV
For J, time was a fickle thing. He had a sense of it one moment then it was gone the next. Sometimes he could tell that days had passed when it had been longer, a lot longer. Other times, it felt like years when it had only been days. He hated it. It felt like his mind was ebbing away. As if he was losing a part of himself that he didn't even know he had.
That was why he was glad to see the second female child follow the flying faerie boy out of Neverland. The first female child, J remembered her name starting with a Wen or something, came to Neverland a few years after he woke up. At least it seemed like a few years the last time he remembered. When the Wen girl was here, J could feel the days that pass. The way each minute ate at his mind. How he forgot the flying faerie boy's name. How he almost ate a human child. The guilt of that still weighed heavily on him. The only thing keeping him as himself was his hunt for the human with the hook. He was always so close, but his prey always managed to escape. J couldn't help his growl of irritation. He had to catch that hooked human. Before the Wen girl arrived, it had been his longest starving period yet. He only wanted that hooked human. But he knew that it was only a matter of time before his food choices became less, picky.
Every time he was around the new girl he felt the same as he did with the Wen girl. J was determined not to let it get so bad that he attempted to eat a human child. Even if it meant stopping his hunt and eating Neverbirds. Neverbirds weren't much for meat or taste, but at least it was something.
J huffed the feathers on his mouth away as he watched the sunset. Watching the sunset and sunrise was one of his other habits that made J different from the other crocodiles. That habit was what officially exiled him from the pack, and gave him a nice bite mark by his shoulder. J didn't care, it made sure that he stayed alone. He was comfortable being alone, away from everything. He could still be him, but not worry about anything else, except the ache in his chest. He usually ignored that. The ache was better than the punishment for being different. After he left the others he never expected anyone else to want to be near him. Which was why he was surprised to smell someone else coming towards him.
Another sniff of the person's aroma and J could smell a familiar floral scent with a hint of forest and fire, the female alpha. Soon she came into the clearing of the rocks. J expected her to leave as soon as she saw him, but instead he heard her coming towards him. J growled, hoping she would go away. He was very content with his thoughts, for however long he had them. He could smell her scent, even though her footsteps stopped. J could've got up and leave or simply scare her away, but this was his cave. He found it and it was his. So he was allowed to do whatever he wanted, even if it was laying down to see the sunset and let the female alpha come next to him.
J realized that this was the first time that he had contact with the female alpha. The flying faerie boy always talked to him. He always put the hooked human in a good trap. J would hear the flying faerie boy's bright laugh as he chased his hooked prey. The human that was always with the hooked human, a male that always smelled of nervousness, also talked with him. Usually distracting him from the hooked human. J was sad to admit that he fell for it, every time. Still, the human he had the least contact with, besides the flying faerie boy's pack, was the female alpha. He only had glanced at her maybe once or twice, not being able to appreciate her because his prey was near by. He remember the last time he saw her was when she was in this cave, caught in a rope trap set by his prey. She smelled of fear but looked anything but fearful. Now, her natural smell was masked by anger and stress.
J observed the female alpha as she sat down slowly a few feet away from him, and somehow the ability to breathe left him. She was unlike any other human he had seen or hunted. She had sand colored skin, but it seemed as smooth as pearls. Her hair was as dark as wood with the bright feathers of the Neverbirds braided in. A pink colored powder was over sea blue eyes. Her sharp features enhanced her status as an alpha. J didn't know how to describe it. A sound, J had never made before, reverberated deep in his throat.
The female alpha gasped and fear tinted her smell. J looked back to the sun, trying to ignore the odd feeling in his stomach. He never felt the need or want to mate, his hunt for the hook handed coast human was what he lived for. Yet, one glance at the female alpha, and J could suddenly feel the rush of want. The heat of desire. The heaviness of his loneliness.
Tiger Lily's POV
Tiger Lily heard the crocodile, named Tick Tock by Peter, beside her make a low hum, almost a whimper. The ticking coming from its stomach almost made it funny, almost. Tiger Lily noticed that it wasn't moving nor was it reacting to her presence anymore. It seemed to be lost in thought. Tiger Lily took this time to observe the ticking crocodile that seemed to always be there to save them at the last minute. The crocodile appeared about 40 years ago, when Hook betrayed her and Peter. The ticking giving away its presence as it hunted Hook. Peter almost relied on the crocodile to save him or give him a good laugh by chasing Hook. Peter treated the crocodile like a pet, calling it whenever Hook was nearby. Tiger Lily did have to admit, she could always find a small smile on her face when the crocodile chased Hook. But besides that, she only glanced at the crocodile as she patrolled Neverland. The crocodile would wander aimlessly, as if it was lost. Sometimes it seemed as if it was more lost than some of the children Peter brought. Now that she was close to it, she could see the scars that littered its body, the worse being the bite mark on its shoulder. How its scales shined like dark emeralds in the dimming sunlight. She definitely couldn't help but notice how small the crocodile was.
"You are small for a crocodile." Tiger Lily didn't realize that she said that out loud until she heard a low growl within the ticking around her. But fear didn't strike Tiger Lily, a playful nature did. "Well is it not true?" The crocodile huffed and angled its head away from her. Tiger Lily chuckled, picturing the pout on the crocodile's face. "I am sorry for offending you but," Tiger Lily was interrupted by an odd sounding snort from the crocodile. Tiger Lily stared at the crocodile wondering if it was choking. Instead it looked at her, and appeared to be rolling its eyes. Tiger Lily gaped. She knew the crocodile was different, but this one seemed to understand her. That's when she realized that she was carrying on a conversation with a crocodile. This made Tiger Lily laugh, but it was a desperate laugh. A heavy silence came over Tiger Lily as she stopped laughing. Somehow, she could feel the crocodile's gaze on her. It helped her open up.
"It must be nice. The world must be so far from your mind, the unchanging need to survive at the forefront of your mind." Tiger Lily said wistfully as she stared out at the setting sun. "In my mind, the world is always unbalanced. There's never any peace, everything changes." Tiger Lily sighed. She barely heard the crocodile's hum of agreement. "My tribe has changed ever since we lost our chief. My father would never have made me marry someone to become chief! I understand the need of heirs, but Peter keeps adding people to the tribe when they get older. Honestly, I could choose one of them as an heir." Tiger Lily stood up and started pacing, ignoring the worry and confused look of the crocodile. "And that is another thing. Peter has this cheery, facade, but every time a lost boy chooses to grow up, he turns them over to the tribe. I'm the only adult he trusts! It doesn't help that the faerie blood in him keeps him young. Nor does Hook's betrayal." Tiger Lily growled. She heard the threatening growl beside her. She looked to see the crocodile facing the sunset again but its body was taut, almost like it was going to jump off of the cave's cliff. She wouldn't put it past the crazy crocodile. Part of her was scared, but it was calmed by the part of her that knew that the crocodile's agitation was not at her, but at the crooked pirate. She figured that had to be the case, because when she moved away from the crocodile in fear, the growling stopped. Sky blue savage eyes glanced at her. Tiger Lily gasped, staring at the crocodile's eyes, a sense of familiarity passed through her.
After a while, the crocodile huffed awkwardly and turned away from her. Tiger Lily shook her head and sighed, her rage finally gone. Everything had been piling up on her and she had been trying to stay calm, to stay level headed, but it was so exhausting. It grated her nerves that the tribe still called and treated her like a princess to be married off. For the first time in her life, she couldn't relax at home, her lands. She knew Peter would comfort her but she also knew that ever since the betrayal, Peter was acting differently. He was more reckless, mischievous, and worst of all, he was less trusting. She noticed how he rarely touched the ground, or seem to hesitate when he did. How quickly he got rid of the boys that became adults. It really broke her heart to see his youthful innocence tainted by betrayal. To lay out all her problems to him, it would only add on to his hate for adults. So she kept all her worry and anger in, not knowing what to do with it all. She wished Mary was still alive.
Something warm and bumpy rubbed against Tiger Lily's leg. Tiger Lily jumped away from the thing that rubbed her leg. Although, she forgot that she was close to the edge of the cliff. When she jumped back, she twisted her foot and began falling over the cliff. Tiger Lily gasped. The murky waters and craggy rocks below looked even more menacing than the time Hook brought her to the cave as a hostage. The memory of being held hostage and the fear of falling froze Tiger Lily. So, she was utterly shocked by how she was slowly moving away from the cliff. Tiger Lily looked to see the crocodile pulling her with its tail around her waist. As it placed her back on solid ground, Tiger Lily was still staring at it with amazement and shock. The crocodile huffed at her, glanced somewhere else, and left quickly. Not even looking back at an awestruck Tiger Lily. She would've never thought that a crocodile was more than a savage animal, but that crocodile, Tick Tock was definitely something more than a regular savage crocodile.
"Tiger Lily!" Peter's yell unfroze Tiger Lily as she looked to Peter. "Are you alright? You look positively bashful." Peter mocked. Tiger Lily rolled her eyes, but she couldn't stop her last look at Tick Tock's path.
"I think I formally meet Tick Tock." Tiger Lily said warily as she turned back to Peter. He smiled brightly at Tiger Lily.
"Well about time! I can't have two of my best friends," The yellow light beside Peter rang sharply. Peter laughed and Tiger Lily smiled. "Sorry Tink, I meant two of my three best friends, not knowing each other." Peter laid back nonchalantly in the air. Tiger Lily did have to admit that he was getting better at flying
"You must have a lot of friends, Peter." Tiger Lily saw his raised eyebrow, taking her bait. "Just the other day I heard you tell Jane and Nibs that you were their best friend." Tiger Lily let out a chuckle at Peter's quickly embarrassed look but he quickly composed himself.
"What can I say, I'm a friendly person." Peter smirked. Tiger Lily rolled her eyes but couldn't help but admit that it was true. She knew that a few lost boys were completely loyal to him. Even choosing not to age just like him. She was glad that he had other friends besides her, but she also knew that he still had a hard time trusting even them. She could see it in his eyes. "I'm so friendly that I came to share a secret with you." Peter said with a playful tone. Tiger Lily rose her eyebrows, waiting for him to tell her his secret. Peter just stared at her with an impish grin on his face as he flew around her. Tiger Lily rolled her eyes once more.
"Alright. Please tell me your secret, oh great Peter Pan." Tiger Lily said exasperatedly. Peter floated in front of her and held his chin thoughtfully.
"I am pretty great, aren't I?" Peter asked Tink.
"Peter!" Tiger Lily tried to hold in her laugh as she berated Peter but it came through a bit.
"Alright, alright." Peter looked back at Tiger Lily. "So I was in the faerie mountains, hanging out with the faeries since they are my people too. Well, as we were playing, a prophecy came up on one of the mountain walls!" Peter yelled. Tiger Lily felt her eyes widen. She knew that this was exciting for Peter, but she knew the truth. When a prophecy came, that meant change was coming to Neverland, both good and bad. "Tiger Lily?" Peter floated closer to her, landing softly on the cliff. Tiger Lily shook her head. Maybe, the prophecy was one of hope.
"What did it say?" Tiger Lily tried to hide the apprehension in her voice, but the way Peter's smile fell a little told her that she didn't hide it that well. Peter cleared his throat and closed his eyes.
"A lost boy with the ability of flight
Born from a woman warrior of might,
And the son of a fairy prince of light,
Shall lead a tribe to rebel Blackbeard,
And bring to past the end he feared.
Evil will reappear for it has not won.
A hook will expose what evil has done.
A mermaid's tear will lead to a lost son.
Only he can restore the good that's lost,
But he will have to pay the highest cost." Peter opened his eyes and smiled brightly, but Tiger Lily couldn't praise him. The fact that the prophecy continued from the first prophecy terrified her. She lost Mary during the first prophecy. Would she lose Peter this time? "What's wrong Tiger Lily?" Peter put a hand on Tiger Lily's arm, dragging her away from her thoughts. Tiger Lily shook her head.
"It's nothing Peter. I was just remembering the last time I heard a prophecy." She patted Peter's hand. She wouldn't lose him this time, no matter what it cost.
"The one about me." Tiger Lily nodded and was going to tell him that the first part of his prophecy was the same prophecy she was told, when a blood curdling scream rang through Neverland. "The lost boys!"