Part Four: Night Mares and Dream Snakes

3/4

If Peter had known what love – real, honest to god love – was, then he probably would have screamed it over and over again to the girl before his eyes, who was writhing in utter agony, howling her pain to the skies. Wendy's back arched into an angle so painful Peter was sure her spine would snap at any moment, and all he could do was howl in a fury as the voice cackled maniacally from somewhere above, around and beyond him.

"STOP IT!" Peter shrieked. "Leave her alone!"

Why should I? The voice demanded. She is mine to do with what I will, now, and you have no claim on her! You weak, pathetic little boy!

"SHUT UP!" Peter screamed, as tears began to course down his cheeks. Wendy's cries of agony and futile struggles continued, wrenching at his heart. "Please, just leave Wendy alone! Stop hurting her!"

And what can you do to make me? You are so vulnerable now, weak, blind as a bat! There is nothing you can offer, or say, that will prevent me from playing with my new toy.

Wendy suddenly howled again, and to Peter's horror her spine finally did snap – one end bursting out of her belly to reach for the sky. Her eyes exploded within her skull, puss and goo dribbling down her face as she continued to howl, her violent struggles causing her entrails to slip out of her stomach to puddle on the floor.

Peter began to scream, squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to block the terrible vision before him, his voice trying to drown out Wendy's shrieks. Suddenly, everything went quiet, and then the voice began laughing in glee.

Oh, you are such a gullible little brat, it said snidely. Do you really think I'd kill her so soon?

The boy opened his eyes to see the emaciated form of Wendy vanished from sight, replaced by a mirror that showed her sitting in a filthy cell, crying into her skirts. Peter gasped, one hand flying up to his mouth. "Wendy!"

Really, Pan, that's not even close to the suffering I want her to feel. Or you, for that matter. The voice seemed to be grinning. What you just saw was a taste of my imagination. One thing I could possibly do to her, or perhaps I'll do something else entirely.

Realizing that Wendy was, for the moment, safe, Peter fought to control his thundering heart and regain his composure. It was harder than he thought, considering that the image of her dying body kept popping up behind his eyelids again and again. He shuddered, covering his face with his hands.

"You're a monster," he hissed hoarsely, feeling his hands beginning to shake.

The voice laughed maliciously. You have no idea, Pan. You have yet to see me at my best.

"What do you want?" Peter demanded, his voice sounding choked. "Why can't you just…just go away?"

Ah, ah, ah, Pan! You know the rules of the game – I, as the bad guy, can't leave until you defeat me! Is that not how it works? The good fellow wins the day, and everything is at peace again. Correct? The voice was laced with sarcasm, every word mocking Peter. Was I wrong in assuming you are the type that loves an adventure? If so, who is this Pan that I've heard about? He cannot be you, you simpering little pile of dung.

"Let me alone," Peter growled, his anger sparking.

Not until I get what I want, Pan.

"And what do you want?"

You.

Peter gaped, his hands dropping from his eyes. "M-Me? What do you want me for?"

That's for me to know and you to find out.

"You jerk!" Peter lurched to his feet and shook a fist at the sky, screaming insults at the voice. "You have no right! This isn't fair! If all you want is me, then I will fight you! Leave Wendy and everyone else out of this!"

I can't do that, Pan. You see, I do bad things, hence, I am the bad guy. The antagonist, if you can understand what that means. I cheat. I lie. I steal. I am the perfect incarnation of all that is evil and unholy. So, obviously, I can't release your friends. My evil ways demand I do something nasty to them. Do you see what I mean?

"I hate you," Peter hissed.

That's all well and good, Pan. I hate you too.

Peter snarled. "I am going to kill you."

The voice chuckled darkly. I hold the cards right now, boy. I am the most powerful being in all of Neverland. But it would be hysterical to see you try.

"You're not the strongest," Peter said, a smirk curving up his lips. "Someone else is. And you know it."

The voice was quiet for a long moment, before it growled something that made Peter's eyes widen and his blood run cold.

You've just condemned your precious Wendy to a fate worse than death, Pan. You have only yourself to thank for that!

"Don't you touch her!"

I can do what I please! The voice snarled viciously.

"No! Please!"

Oh, the great Pan is begging, now?

"Just leave Wendy alone."

And what do I get out of it?

Peter went quiet, biting his lip as he sought to think of something, anything, to spare Wendy any sort of terrible fate. "I…"

You know what I want, Pan. But can you give it to me?

"I will never surrender!" Peter growled ominously. "I have never surrendered to Hook, nor will I to the like of you!"

Then you will have the pain of that girl's death upon your shoulders, Pan. You hold her fate in your hands now.

"You fiend." Peter seemed at a loss for words, so instead he clenched his fists and scowled. "If you touch her, I'll…"

You'll what, Pan? Oh, I see! You'll make me laugh myself to death. Oh, ha, ha, boy! Your idiocy truly is something to be mocked.

"Shut up!"

You're such a dull creature, Pan. Now I wonder why I waste my time with you.

Peter only continued to snarl in silence, fisted hands shaking with rage. His face was flushed, and it was only by a sheer miracle that he held his tongue long enough for the voice to speak again.

You are also very adamant about Miss. Wendy's safety. Perhaps that in itself is enough to delay the inevitable for just a few hours.

The boy blinked. "What?"

You have two hours to decide your course of action, brat. Two hours: no more and no less. I am a busy person, and there are things that must be attended to in my palace.

Peter scowled darkly. "Two hours?"

Yes. If you have not decided on what you want to do by then, then I am afraid your dear Wendy's fate will swiftly turn dark. The voice chortled gleefully. But then, I may do that anyway! After all, I am a bad guy, am I not?

"Why you—"

I'm sure that your decision will involve a grand battle in which you will strike me down…however, I disagree. Storm my castle, if that is your wish – I may just allow you inside instead of killing you right away. Perhaps your pirate friends will become your new entourage – or perhaps not. Whatever the case, Pan, and whatever you choose, know this – you will fail. The voice seemed to ponder for a moment. Hmmm…let me rephrase my previous offer. You have two hours until I force you and those pirates off that ship.

Peter gawked. "What?!"

You heard me. Two hours, and if you are not on the island by then, I will force you from the ship and into the rather hungry mouths of those mermaids that have oh, so kindly decided to side with me. I expect you at my palace by noon, Pan. Perhaps sooner, if you value Miss. Wendy's life as much as you seem to.

"Hey, no! That's not fair! You can't do that!"

But the voice was gone, its presence vanished into nothing.

Peter swallowed. His heart pounded in his chest and his blood thundered in his ears, and in that moment he felt very, very alone. He had wanted the voice gone, he had wanted control of his own mind, his own dreams, but he wasn't sure whether or not he liked it now.

Especially if what the voice had told him was true about Wendy's fate.

As thoughts of what may happen to her filled his mind, Peter found himself falling to his knees. Wide eyes stared up into the endless night above, and as tears began to slide down his cheeks Peter found himself sobbing unabashedly, alone, and in the dark.

It didn't take long for Icky and Nibs to be on their feet once more, moving further back into the Were-Forest for better coverage. Nibs was still weak, both from the venom and from the changes his body was going through, and had to lean on Icky to keep himself upright. For her part, the werewolf's arm was wrapped firmly around the blonde's waist, and his arm was slung across her shoulders.

"Where are we going?" Nibs hissed, feeling his feet – or paws, as they were starting to look like now – bump against a stone. The flesh was tender, and he grit his teeth as an aching fire swept through him with every move his muscles made.

"Not too far back," Icky replied, her eyes darting from the ground to the surrounding forest, then back to Nibs. "I used to camp out here when I was younger and couldn't find any place that was safer." She nodded to a rather thick cluster of brambles and leaves, and helped the blonde towards them. "I dug a den, and hid it behind those bushes there. Nobody will be able to find us; it's pretty deep. I made sure of that."

Nibs nodded weakly, and Tink jingled softly from the inside pocket of his vest. "Don't worry, Tink," he said idly. "It'll be okay." He winced again, feeling some of his muscles abruptly shift as his body made a few more subtle (and unsubtle) changes.

"You alright?" Icky asked as she helped the blonde to sit down next to the bushes, kneeling down in front of him to look him over. His ears – which had only been a bit tufty and pointed before – were now nearing their final stage of transformation. His feet were slowly morphing still, and looked almost mushy as the bones reformed themselves. The tail he sported had grown at least an inch and a half, and Icky found herself admiring it.

"Yeah, I think…I think I'm okay," Nibs said, wincing as he let out a soft whoosh of breath. "I'm just real tired."

Icky nodded seriously. "The transformation is taking a lot of energy out of you, as did your recovery from the spider venom. Add the beast's attack on us to the mix, and poof! Exhaustion central." Nibs chuckled weakly.

"You're really trying, aren't you," he murmured.

"Eh?"

"To be nice," Nibs said, smiling. "You're really trying to be nice to me."

Icky's eyebrow twitched, and her ear followed suit. "I guess…" Her voice trailed off, and she looked around quickly. Her ears flicked back. "Anyway, I better get us in here where it's safe. Just sit tight there, human. I'll be done in a second."

"A second's passed," Nibs said with a low laugh as Icky dragged some branches out of the way, pausing for a moment to give the boy a dirty look.

"Har-har!" she snapped, but managed a lopsided smirk. "The more obnoxious you get the harder I'll be to deal with, you know that?"

"Couldn't be any more obnoxious than you were earlier," Nibs replied, watching as a hole was slowly uncovered from behind the thick shrubbery. Icky snorted.

"Oh, I can be plenty worse," she said, leaning forward to rest her hands on a particularly large log that blocked half the hole. She grinned. "Just as I left it." Her tail wagged a little and her ears pricked up when she glanced back at Nibs. "It may be a bit of a tight squeeze between you and the log, but it's safer to have it stay where it is. That way we're hidden better and some…things will have a difficult time getting at us."

Nibs bit his lip as Icky padded back over to him, slinging his arm over her shoulder and her hand at his waist. Slowly, she walked him towards the hole and helped him slide on top of it. "Are you sure about this?" Nibs whispered, suddenly nervous. The den seemed awfully dark.

The werewolf rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm sure, stupid," she chided. "What, you don't like the dark?"

"Ugh." Was Nibs's only comment as he squeezed himself between the log and the roof of the den. Icky listened, heard a thump and a soft yelp of pain, and laughed.

"I guess I should have mentioned the drop, huh?"

Some rather nasty cuss words floated out to her ears, and Icky resisted the urge to snicker. For some reason, now that he was slowly becoming a werewolf, Icky found herself enjoying his company a little more. Maybe it was the musky scent he was developing, or his swiftly-changing temperament that provided her with banter that she enjoyed…but for some reason she was now almost wishing he would stay like that. For just a little bit longer.

I wonder what he'll look like as a full werewolf? She wondered idly, taking some branches and tucking them around the edges of the den's mouth. Suddenly, she frowned, and then her eyes widened. Oh my gods. I have a male were in my den.

If Nibs had been able to hear her thoughts, he would have asked why the thought shocked and horrified her so much. As far as she remembered, the only time a young male wolf and a young female wolf entered a den together for the first time was to breed. After that they were considered mates and then…

She shook her head roughly. No, no way. Uh-uh. Not going there. This is a time of war…yes! The last of our kind must come together to defeat the greater evil and whoa, waitaminute…he's really not even my species. Woo, okay. An unnerved grin slid across her face. Besides, he's not old enough, and I'm not old enough to have those…um…urges. So…yeah. Could never work. And he's really human! Ew! Okay, bad thoughts are gone.

Trying to bring her fur down from the abrupt bristling it went into, Icky hauled a few more, thick branches over and placed them in such a way as to completely disguise most of the log. Then, dragging a few more with her, she put one foot through the hole and slid inside, pulling the branches up until they covered the leftover space. She fiddled with it for a few minutes, tucking her tail between her legs as she purposely avoided looking at Nibs, whose eyes she knew were on her.

Finally, she turned and gave the blonde a wicked grin. "Welcome to my den," she intoned, before snorting at the youth's lack of enthusiasm. "Yeah okay. This is the exit, and down that way," she pointed, "is where we eat, sleep, and do whatever we do. Usually I just eat and sleep there, nobody to talk to, etc. If you make a mess of it I'll kill you though."

Nibs blinked as Icky took his arm and slung it over her shoulder for the third or fourth time that night. Together, crouching as low as they could without falling on their faces, they made their way to the very back of the tunnel. To his surprise, Nibs found that his eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and he wasn't surprised when his feet touched dead grass and they entered a more open space. Icky let him down and Nibs sat, surprised.

"Wait here," she said, and quickly dropped to all fours and padded towards the darkest corner of the room. He watched her, curious, as she fiddled with something, and then a match was struck. The sudden light made Nibs blink and wince, and the next thing he knew there was a small fire burning in what appeared to be a miniature fireplace fit for a gnome in the wall of the den. Icky turned back and grinned a little. "And then there was light," she said, sarcasm lacing her voice.

Nibs snorted, but smiled. "I see…" And he did. He didn't know why – maybe it was some sort of pride, or not being used to having others around – but on some level Icky was attempting to show off her stuff. And, looking around the den now with the lighting, he was indeed impressed. It was like a smaller, more basic version of a rabbit hole, almost. There were some tiny doors built into the walls (god knew what they were for, he had yet to find out) and in one corner of the area a thick pile of old and worn blankets, crudely sewn and packed with dead grass. The floor itself was carpeted with the same grass as was in the blankets, and a few pillows lay there and there.

Overall, for a job done by one person over the course of how many years he couldn't guess, it was well done.

Glancing to the side at Icky, he gave her a light smile – which was broken by an abrupt yawn that nearly split his face in half. He heard a stifled snort and chuckle, and cracked open an eye to stare at his companion as she padded over to him. "Tired?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." Nibs deadpanned, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Not much of a surprise." She lifted a hand and gestured to the blankets. "You can sleep there, if you want."

Nibs shook his head. "I can't…it's your home."

The werewolf's ear twitched in annoyance. "So bloody what? You're tired, you need to rest a bit. You'll be safe in here, which means I can go out and find the wolfsbane and not have to worry about something eating you alive while I'm gone. So you can take a nap there until I get back."

"But…" Nibs started to protest but instead yelped as Icky butted his shoulder with the top of her head, forcing him onto the blankets.

"Look. Like I said before, the transformation is happening faster than I thought it would. The time I figured we would have had has been cut in half, maybe more. If you want to stay human, I have to find that plant." She stared down at him, scanning his face and memorizing the changes. "You're lucky…it looks like you're taking the change better than some I've seen. For now, just shut up and sleep. I'll be back." She turned and began to trot towards the tunnel, stopping only when Nibs called out. "Whaaaaat?"

"You…won't be long, right?"

Icky sighed, looking back at Nibs. She raised an eyebrow – already he was looking quite comfortable, his chin resting on a pillow and the rest of his body curled up into a neat little ball. Aw, how cute. Icky wuffed. "No. I'll make it quick, I promise. Just don't leave the den until I get back, ok? Even if you gotta whiz."

Nibs blinked. "But if I have to—"

"Then douse the fire! Geeze. Humans are such prudes."

With that, Icky fled down the tunnel and outside, replacing the branches she had to move back into their original places. She stopped, lifted her head, sniffed, and with a low growl was dashing off into the trees.

Let the hunt begin, she thought. Bugger anyone who gets in my way.

Back in the den, Nibs was staring at the place Icky had been only minutes before. Alone, now, Nibs could seriously think about his situation. Through a light haze of exhaustion, his mind stumbled over the events of the day – mostly involving Icky and everything else up until this point – and he realized with slight shock that he was indeed very lucky.

I could be dead right now if it wasn't for her, he thought numbly. I could be dead, and so could Tink…Tink!

Nibs's eyes widened and he sat up, reaching into his vest and pulling the fairy out. To his relief, she was sleeping again, and with a small smile he laid her gently down on the blankets next to him. We really are lucky, he thought again. Maybe Icky was right…being a werewolf isn't such a bad thing. As compared to…other things that could have happened. He yawned again. Though I have no idea how she can sleep with a tail…

Sighing a bit, Nibs wrapped his arms around the pillow under his chin and squeezed it. He was tired, and he wanted to sleep, but he really couldn't anymore. Too much had happened, too much terror and pain, and he feared to close his eyes now that he was alone. He didn't want to sleep when there was no one there with him, no one who could warn him, or help him if danger came.

He didn't want to admit it but not only was he dependent on Icky for helping him regain his full humanity, he was also dependent on her for survival. He was hurt, weak, and couldn't take care of himself – weak. Maybe…Maybe she's right, Nibs thought, feeling his eyes water. Maybe I really am as weak as she said.

He clutched the pillow to himself more tightly, fighting the tears that threatened to come. The fight was lost before it even began, however, and Nibs was crying helplessly into the pillow, his whole body shuddering with the force of his sobs. Though he didn't quite realize it, he learned a lesson right then: things are not as they are in fairytales, and sometimes life just isn't fair at all.

Nibs didn't know how long he cried. It could have been hours, or it could have been minutes, but the next thing he knew, he was fast asleep. And he remained that way even when Tink woke briefly, gawked at his ears, muttered something unintelligible and then passed out again.

Thankfully, no nightmares plagued him as he slept. However, his body continued to change. And as the seconds ticked by, his chances for becoming fully human again grew slimmer and slimmer. Though no one would honestly be able to tell, only a limited amount of time remained to him – and that time passed swiftly, as time always seemed to do when one was sleeping. He awoke later, and upon seeing the den as empty as it had been when he first fell into a dreamless state, Nibs's heart began to feel fear once more.

Though he didn't realize it, two hours had passed.

And Icky still hadn't returned.

To be continued...