A/N: So, I am alive. Thank you all for still keeping up with me if you have. I am trying to be a finisher. So, thanks for supporting me and encouraging me to be just that. You guys are awesome.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pan or the characters (but Luyu is my OC!)
J shuffled, trying to ignore the sound of human chattering. Then he felt a sharp pain on the right side of his stomach, stopping his movement. He held in a growl. He could sense that he was in a different environment. His cave wasn't as bright and it never smelled so much like meat. Then there was the case of the constant human chatter. J opened one eye, and almost whined. He was definitely not in his cave. His perfectly dark, haunting cave was replaced with warm bright fire light.
"Do not worry." J's eyes opened wide at the unfamiliar voice. He turned to see a female human with a weathered face and silver hair. "You are safe." She began to wipe his brow with a wet rag. He growled at her, and she simply smacked him with a rag. "Stop that. I am healing you, and I will not accept childlike manners." J huffed in irritation but he didn't move when she went towards him again. "You have been through alot." The female's gentle voice was soothing, but J still didn't let himself relax. "But the pain never mattered to you, did it?" The female stopped what she was doing and stared into J's eyes. J realized that the female was talking to him. Not like the beautiful alpha female, this female was addressing him as if he was one of her kind. J felt a pang deep in his chest and looked away from the female, trying to find something to track.
"He is not a danger!" J stiffened. He recognized the angry voice as the voice of the alpha female. He didn't understand her words, but he knew she was angry. Even her flowery scent smelled more fiery.
"He almost killed two of our men!" J heard a male voice he didn't recognize, but it wasn't a coast human. Their salty stench wasn't mixed in with the smell of wood, fire, and nature.
"Maybe he felt threatened!" J felt the other female resume her previous work, but he focused on the alpha female.
"Or hungry!" J knew that whatever the anger was for, it had to do with the male trying to challenge the alpha female.
"They are arguing about you." J glanced back at the weathered female. She was wiping him, her eyes on him, but he could tell by her furrowed brow, she was listening to the conversation outside.
"Kwahu, he has saved my life many times." J curled his claws inward. It was odd to hear an alpha beg. The crocodile alpha, Seer, never begged, or asked anyone to do anything. Granted, J only met the crocodile once.
"He almost killed three of us yesterday! And he is friends with that outsider." J didn't know what the male said exactly, but somehow he knew that if he did the man speaking would be dead.
"Peter is a hero, and a child! How can you still blame him for Blackbeard's doing?" J could sense the female alpha's irritation grow to rage. The old female stopped caring for J's wound and stood up with a sigh.
"Guess now is time to stop this foolishness." J just huffed in response to the female, not sure why she was talking to him. She left the area, still staying close. "Stop. You are worrying our guest."
"He is no guest." J growled and stood up, and fell back down. He hissed loudly. Suddenly, three humans came into his new area. Although it was the young female alpha that approached him. "Tiger Lily!" The male roared, but the female alpha, Tiger Lily, still came towards him. J scooted away from her, not in pain but fear. Something about that female made him uncomfortable, and different. Before he could guard himself from those different feelings but something was off now. He could feel it.
"It's okay." Tiger Lily said calmly. J stopped backing away, and she kept coming towards him. J felt something in his throat as he found out he was cornered. He just wanted to be left alone. He wasn't supposed to be here, he wasn't supposed to be surrounded. She wasn't supposed to be touching him.
"No." Everything stopped at that sound. The sound was extremely raspy and quiet. J didn't even notice the human's stares or the weird feeling in his throat because he felt the thin wall at his back. He slammed his tail through the wall and ran. Except he was above the ground. That didn't register until he was falling past the rails. He heard screaming and yelling, but the cracking of wood almost deafened him. The landing hurt, there was a sharp ringing in his ears, and the burning in his throat hurt more. He felt like he was changing, and he hated it. He rolled over to stand up, the world shaking underneath him. At least it looked to be spinning and shaking in front of him. There was more yelling and a rope came around him. He pulled against the rope but it tightened around him. He was stuck as more rope came around him. He let out a roar but a raspy sound came out at the end, like a human yell. J knew he had to get out, but he couldn't.
"What's going on?" A young voice J recognized came from the trees.
"Fairy boy?" J heard that raspy sound again, voicing his thoughts. It unnerved him to see the blue-eyed boy look at him with such wide eyes. Two other boys came from the bushes, a tough looking one with black and red hair, and another blonde boy with gangly limbs.
"Tick-Tock?" The fairy boy questioned as he flew near J. J ignored him and struggled with the ropes around him. He pulled but the ropes tightened around him, pushing him to the ground. He let out a grunt of pain. "Stop!" Peter and the other boys went behind J, their anger filling his nostrils. That's when J noticed all the fear and anger. The boys, kids really, were fighting the people holding him down but that didn't seem right. It made his skin crawl and his claws curl. Then the smell of blood hit his nostrils. Usually, it made him hungry. Now, there was this pain in his chest. The ropes were loosened, and he could've run, probably should've ran. But he couldn't let the anger in the fairy boy's eyes and the concern in Tiger Lily's go. He had to pay them back. J let out a groan, that sounded more human in his ears and turned around. The boys were taking the ropes away from the less clothed humans, or cutting the ropes. Tiger Lily was yelling at whoever she could, mainly the male from before. Everyone was shouting or fighting, or just like him, they were watching. They were watching as two supposed allies fought. J never got involved in things, he never wanted to. He prefered stealth, blending in, and only came out when it was necessary. For some reason, his mind was telling him it was one of those necessary moments.
"Stop!" J roared, but it was a human roar. Everything and everyone froze. All eyes were on him. J would've felt threatened by the numerous of stares, but he was too shocked to do anything. "W-what?" This time, J felt his vocal cords and mouth move like a human's. He was talking. He was talking, like a human.
"Tick-Tock?" The fairy boy flew to him slowly. J looked to him. He could still smell the mixed blood within the boy. He could feel the dirt underneath him. It was real, not one of his odd dreams. "Tick-Tock?" The boy was just an arm's reach from him.
"J." J whispered. The boy's eyes widened. He heard him. J wanted to jump for joy. "J, my name is J!" J gasped.
"You can talk!" The boy yelled happily as he came forward and tackled J. J stood his ground, but his head was still reeling. He felt, normal. As if, he was supposed to talk, he felt less locked up.
"What is this?" The male that Tiger Lily was arguing with came forward, a sword pointed at him. "No crocodile can speak!" He yelled.
"And a real alpha wouldn't need to fight a female and children to say he's alpha." J smirked. It was exhilarating to finally say what he was thinking. It was even better when the male's face scrunched up in anger.
"Why you-"
"Kwahu!" The elderly female yelled as she hobbled to the front. She hit the male, Kwahu, with her cane. J smiled and held in his chuckle. The fairy boy didn't. He laughed loudly and Kwahu glared at him. "I think everyone can relax now." The elderly female looked around at everyone and they put their weapons down, the small males didn't.
"I think we're good guys." Peter stood up and nodded to one of the boys with black and red hair. J remembered him the fierce fighter from his hunts of the hooked coast human. The memory was clear and the relief from that almost overwhelmed him. The boy slowly put his weapon down glaring at everyone. Everyone watched the temperamental warrior. No one was looking at J. So he started to back away, ignoring the pain in his side.
"And where do you think you are going?" The elderly woman spoke to him and J froze. Honestly, he could probably crawl away faster than anyone could catch him, granted it would hurt, a lot. But he could do it, be gone in a flash, but with everyone looking at him, he felt frozen to the spot.
"Um," His voice was still a bit raspy, but that was more comfortable than all the wide eye stares on him. "We're not killing each other now, right?" No one moved, but the elderly woman smiled. "Well, if we're done, then I think I'm just gonna," J started to back away again, but this time the pain in his side was worse and a weird grunt growl escaped his mouth.
"Tick Tock!" The faerie boy tried to get close to J, but he let out instinctive growl.
"I told you to stop that." The elderly female reprimanded J, and hit him with her cane. J let out a soft whine.
"Well what did ya expect lady? I ain't human." J gruffed out. He curled into himself, but not in pain. The faerie boy and Tiger Lily were staring at him, eyes wide, and something he couldn't read or understand was in their eyes. It was uncomfortable, to say the least.
"How is this possible?" Kwahu stomped forward. J held back his growl. "Those monsters could never talk." He looked to the elderly woman, but J noticed the angry glances at Tiger Lily and the faerie boy.
"Yet here you are." J mumbled. He heard the boy chuckle and saw Tiger Lily's eyes widened as a quick but bright smile flashed on her face.
"Why you-" J tensed as Kwahu came forward again, but was stopped by the elderly woman's cane.
"You go against him, you go against the magic of the faeries." The elderly lady stated harshly. Kwahu relaxed, but the shock on his face almost made J laugh.
"This, thing," Kwahu gestured toward J. "Is the product of the faeries." He instantly glared at the faerie boy. ""What did you do?" He sneered.
"Peter did nothing wrong." Tiger Lily stood between Kwahu and the faerie boy, Peter. The name felt, familiar to J. "Why must you always assume it is him?" Tiger Lily's fierce voice woke J up from the odd feeling.
"Because it was him that got our last chief killed!" Kwahu yelled and the pain that flashed on Peter and Tiger Lily's face made something primal surge through J.
"No!" J growled and crawled between Tiger Lily and Kwahu. Kwahu jumped back and the humans beside him lifted their weapons. For once, J didn't care. He was too angry. "You can't blame the kid for that. He decided to protect Peter and paid the price. Just like you'll pay the price if you don't shut your trap." J was too angry to focus on all the stares directed at him. He was only focused on Kwahu. "Got it?" J sneered.
"Calm down." The elderly woman ordered. J glanced at her, staring straight into her stern eyes. He couldn't stop how his eyes went straight to Tiger Lily and Peter. They looked shocked, and he could smell the apprehension coiling in their bodies. So while he enjoyed the fear that came from Kwahu, J backed down. "It is late and our guest needs his rest." As soon as the woman finished, J felt his body almost crumple beneath him. He dug his claws into the ground to resist showing weakness. "Let us all get some rest and we will discussing this in the morning." It was silent for a few minutes and soon Kwahu nodded. J didn't miss the glares Kwahu gave him and Peter. If he growled, it was because he hated people looking at him, not the sudden urge to protect something, to care. His job was to survive, not to care. Ever since he was kicked out, his goal was to survive and kill that hook man. All he had time for was anger and hunger, he understood those things. They made him sane. Yet, as he gazed at Peter and Tiger Lily comforting each other, he realized maybe the thing keeping him sane was the presence of them. "You can sleep here." The elderly lady's order brought J out of his thoughts. He looked to her gentle face.
"What, no bed for little ol' me?" He quipped. The old lady rolled her eyes and he noticed how Tiger Lily adorably hid a giggle.
"We can take you to our hideout!" Peter offered excitedly. J let out a low rumble, his version of a chuckle. He was glad to see that Tiger Lily and Peter were not scared of him.
"The biggest thing about a hideout is that it's secret, kid." J said as he lowered himself to the ground. "I'll be fine out here. I'll be fine." He said slowly as his eyes fluttered close. He didn't hear anything else as he closed his eyes and welcomed sleep.