Title: The Care and Feeding of Flying Boys
Author: Squeezynz
Chapter: Seven – The Hunt for A Wendy
Author's note: Sorry for delay - got caught up in real life and forgot to update. sheepish grin
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Peter arrived back at the Indian camp to find the place in turmoil. Several tepees were burning, the occupants aided by their neighbors in throwing buckets of water over their burning homes. The spiked palisade that usually protected the tribe was splintered and holed in several places, evidence of the use of a cannon and shot in the assault. Braves and Lost Boys scurried around like chaotic ants, voices raised in shouted commands and jumbled information about the enemy and defenses. His first thought was to find Wendy and ensure that she was safe, but his intentions were routed by the arrival of his troop of followers who all crowded round, shouting at the top of their lungs to be the one to tell Peter what had happened and their part in the defense of the village. Unable to make out a word, Peter jumped into the air and hovered a few feet of the ground, effectively shutting up his Lost Boys and making them focus on him.
"Quiet the lot of you! Obviously Hook has been here, I can see that for myself. Is anyone dead and where is Wendy?"
Crate elbowed his way to the front of the Lost Boys, waving his hands to shush the others before speaking.
"No one dead Peter, lots injured though. Haven't seen Wendy since you left with 'er this morning."
"I left her outside the village." Peter replied tersely, turning his head to find the one person who would know where Wendy might be. "Have you seen Tiger Lily?"
Tophat answered this time, his black tatty hat pushed to the back of his head. "She was in the thick of the fighting Peter, despite the Chief telling her to stay back. Over there's the last time I saw her," he pointed to where a large crowd were gathered around Talagumpa, the Chief waving his fighting stick in some agitation. Touching down again, Peter marched over to the group and shouldered his way through to the Chief. He heard the Indian Princess' name mentioned by the braves and fear spiked in his chest. Talagumpa saw him and raised his hands to quiet the crowd.
"Pan, I am glad you are here."
"Sorry I missed the battle Chief. Have you seen Wendy or Tiger Lily?"
"I have seen nothing of your Wendy, but the news is worse of my daughter. Hook has her."
"Hook! What happened?"
"Ever impetuous my Tiger Lily," the Chief threw his hands up, "took a party of braves to rout the pirates when they retreated. The braves returned, but not the Princess. Those that survived said that she was taken prisoner."
"Have you sent a rescue party after them?"
"I was just organizing that when you arrived. Will you go Peter? Will you rescue my daughter?"
Peter bit his lip. No one seemed to know where his Wendy was, and now Tiger Lily urgently needed his help. The Lost Boys stood behind him, watching and waiting for orders.
"Crate, Tophat and Rat. Gather your weapons." He didn't bother to watch as the boys raced off. "Chief, I'll need your fastest braves to go with me. We have to catch Hook before he returns to the Jolly Roger. If he has Tiger Lily, we need to free her as quickly as possible." Peter paused as the Chief relayed the orders, a small group of young braves gathering to one side just as Crate returned with the other two Lost Boys, fully laden with weapons and provisions. Peter turned to the three boys and directed what they'd take. "We want to travel fast, so only load up what you need. Squid? I leave you in charge of the others. Make a search of the village for Wendy. If you find her, keep her safe until I return. If you don't, question anyone and everyone if they saw anything during the raid. I originally left her over there," Peter pointed to the end of the village. "So start searching there if nothing else comes to light."
"Aye, aye Peter!" Stretch and Squid both saluted their leader, Grub and Harry gazing apprehensively at Peter as he turned to join the search party for the Indian Princess. Overhead the once clear skies were starting to look ominous again, the angry grey of before now transformed into a towering white bank of cumulus, a veritable mountain of cloud that gleamed white and gold in the afternoon sun. As quickly as possible, the small rescue party took their leave of the village and their Chief, Peter leading the braves and Lost Boys out of through the broken palisade and into the tree-line to where the pirates had been last seen. One of their party was a survivor from Tiger Lily's group and led the way forward when Peter indicated him too, those remaining behind watching until the party of young men were swallowed up by the thick vegetation. Turning away, his face tight with worry, Chief Talagumpa issued a series of quick fire orders, sending his people scattering to set the village to rights and tend to the wounded. The remaining Lost Boys slowly turned away and trudged towards the end of the village to where Peter had said he'd left Wendy. They already knew that Wendy wasn't anywhere to be found among the tepee's, having conducted a quick survey from the onlookers gathered around the Chief. Now they searched the area beyond the village, Squid squatting down to inspect the ground every few paces.
"Over here, yous fellas over here." Squid peered intently at the ground, his fingers running lightly over impression made in the dirt and leaves. He waited for the others to gather around before pointing out his find. "You can see here, and here...there's been a scuffle, lots of boots and someone with bare feet, or at least one bare foot."
"Wendy?" Harry asked, squinting and turning his head to see the impressions better.
"Could be...it's a small print, narrow like a girls."
"That's nothing...Harry has teeny tiny feet," Stretch snorted, elbowing Harry and ducking the blow aimed at his ear.
"Well I wasn't here, was I," Harry pointed out, scowling at Stretch before turning his attention back to Squid. Grub peered between his companions legs, the better to see what they were all talking about.
"Yup, reckon it's pirates," Squid rose up and stared at the surrounding trees. "They went off this way. Should we follow or report back?"
"We'll never catch up with Peter now, and they went off in the opposite direction," Stretch observed, running the edge of his hand under his nose. "Best we follow these tracks and see where they take us...eh."
"What if we sent Grub back to the village to tell the Chief..." Harry suggested, only to be shouted down by the smallest member of the Lost Boys.
"Oh no you bloody don't," positively bristling Grub scowled horribly at his friends. "You don't leave me out of this adventure. Harry can go tell the Chief...I'm going with you!"
"Well I'm not about to leave either, so you can forget that!" Harry shouted, stamping his feet and shaking a fist at Grub.
"Enough you insects. We follow the trail and see where it leads...agreed?" Squid asked, glaring at each member of his small band. "Agreed?"
"Yeah Squid, no need to shout. We're with you," Stretch grinned at their temporary leader, then winked cheekily at the other two. Squid glowered but ignored the snickers behind his back.
"Right then. We have enough weapons and provisions...let's go." Lifting his arm, he waved the small party of Lost Boys forward, leading them along the faint path quite some way before stopping again. "Summit happened here. Look at all that flattened grass and drag marks." Squid paced the small area, counting under his breath. "Six in all...laying down on the job, if'n you ask me."
"What about Wendy?" Grub piped up.
"Hmmmm," Squid peered at the ground, following the drag marks that led off in one direction, then retracing his steps to follow another, fainter, set of tracks leading off at right angles to the trail. "Someone tried to hide their tracks..." he muttered, bending down and brushing his hand over the ground. "Did an okay job...but not good enough to fool me!" Triumphant, Squid pushed back some branches at the side of the path and slithered through the gap, the others following as their leader disappeared from sight. An hour later they had reached the standing stones, the sun coloring them scarlet and orange as it slid towards the horizon, the sky overhead still dominated by the towering white cumulus, the clouds now tinged gold and pink by the setting sun. Stretch, Harry and Grub all collapsed gratefully on the ground, scattering their belongings as they panted heavily. Stretch passed around a water bladder while Squid went off to search around the huge monoliths for clues left by their quarry. They watched Squid work his way back towards them, finally flopping to the ground and accepting the water bottle and taking a swig.
"They was here alright...didn't stop for long, I reckon, but passed on again."
"I'm tired..." moaned Grub, using his pack as a pillow and curling up as if to sleep.
"Me too," added Harry. "Can't we camp here for the night and carry on tomorrow?"
"Reckon that's a good idea Squid," Stretch agreed with the younger members, his mind already on what they would have for a meal.
"And I reckon we push on and see where this leads us," Squid growled, scowling at his dirty feet.
"But the sun is setting and it'll be dark soon," Grub whined, looking to Harry and Stretch for support. The other's nodded in agreement.
"Sure enough Squid, this is as good a place as any. You know the ol' saying...early to bed, early to rise...we can be back on the trail before the quarry is awake!" Stretch waggled his eyebrows at Squid, in the hopes of winning him over.
Looking at each member of his troop, Squid had to concede they were all tired and hungry and ready for a rest. It had been a long day since their eviction from their tree home, all the planning of the defense of the village, then the battle itself, and now their trek across Neverland. "Alright...we rest here. Stretch, see about getting a fire going, we can warm up a can of water and make tea." Amid the chorus of hurrays from his companions, Squid found himself smiling. He enjoyed being a lieutenant and leading his small band of Lost Boys, the thought of Peter's gratitude when Squid found and returned the Wendy gave him a warm fuzzy feeling of impending success. Whoever had taken Wendy, and Squid had a fair idea who it might be, was unlikely to make much headway with a reluctant hostage, so catching up with them shouldn't take more than another day. The tracks indicated there was only one pirate to contend with, and up against four Lost Boy's he didn't stand a chance. Success was assured. On that happy thought, Squid turned his attention to the bustle around the camp fire and the smell of cooking food.
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Wendy stared into the flames of the fire, her mind largely blank except for a constant litany that repeated endlessly. "Please find me Peter, please find me."
Jack was sitting opposite her turning a rabbit on a stick, the fat off the carcass spitting sparks when it dripped into the flames.
"Nearly ready,"
Wendy looked up from her contemplation of the flames and stared at the young man responsible for her predicament.
"I need to...I need to answer the call of nature. Please untie my hands?"
"Can't you manage as you are?" Jack asked, frowning at her. Wendy felt a flush of embarrassment creep up her neck and face.
"Do I need to beg?"
"Oh alright...but be quick about it. If your not back in two minutes, I'll come looking for you." He deftly untied the knot and slipped the rope off her wrists. Wendy rubbed them gratefully then got to her feet, turning her head to find a suitable place. Jack pointed with his knife to a large bush at the edge of the firelight.
"That'll do. Use that one."
Lifting her chin, Wendy padded over the to bush and ducked behind it. The thought of running did briefly cross her mind, but she really did need to relieve herself and she'd lost both moccasins in the flight from the Indian village, leaving her vulnerable. Plus she had no idea in which direction to run, having no possibly way on knowing where safety from Black Jack might be. Feeling more comfortable, Wendy shook out her Indian dress and emerged from the bush to find Jack already on his feet and walking around the fire.
"I need to wash my hands before I eat, they're black with soot," she held out the offending articles which were quite awful in all their dirt. "You could do with a wash as well."
"We passed a pond a little ways back Follow me, your highness, and you can wash up there. No tricks mind. If you try to run I'll truss you up and you won't be very comfortable for the rest of the night...understand?"
Wendy nodded her compliance, waiting for Jack to lift a flaming brand to use as a torch from the fire and lead the way to the pond. They both looked as if they'd been sweeping chimneys, covered from head to foot with sweat and ash from their encounter with the Ashbeast, or dragon, as Wendy preferred to think of it. After a brief walk they reached the small pond, the surface dark under the trees, reflections of the torch flames dancing over its glassy face. Wendy knelt down and thankfully splashed water over her face and neck, wetting her hair as well before sluicing up her arms and cleaning her hands. Jack had to make shift one handed before he managed to wedge the firebrand among some rocks, then copied Wendy's ablutions and cleaned himself up. Feeling cooler and undoubtedly cleaner, Wendy followed Jack back to their campsite, the fire still burning merrily under the rabbit carcass. While Jack tended their meal, Wendy finger combed her hair back from her face before tying it at her nape with a length of fringing off her dress. Her feet and legs were still black, but at least she could eat her food without coating it with a layer of soot. Jack was finally satisfied that the meat was cooked sufficiently, lifting the stick from the flames and laying the steaming meal on a flat rock. Using his knife he cut the joint almost in half, handing the smaller portion to Wendy on a bed of thick leaves before attacking his own serving with obvious relish.
While enjoying the meal far more than she expected too, Wendy studied her gaoler as he devoured his portion of the rabbit. To her eyes Black Jack was the complete opposite of Peter, his coloring and everything about him in direct contrast to his former leader. Jack looked older than the age she suspected he was, Wendy suspecting that life among the pirates would be difficult and stressful, the more so for someone more used to swinging through trees than swabbing a deck. That Jack had risen quickly through the ranks proved that the young man was both intelligent and resourceful, a survivor with a glib tongue to keep him alive. In that he was very alike to Peter, Wendy smiling as she remembered some of Peter's more outrageous suggestions and cajolery. Not realizing that she was staring, Wendy was snapped out of her thoughts by a harsh laugh.
"See anything you like?"
Embarrassed to be caught out, Wendy blushed and ducked her head, concentrating on the remains of the rabbit. Jack chewed on his meal and stared across the fire at his captive. He was both surprised and intrigued by his prisoner, not having expected her to be so staunch in the face of adversity or so courageous. She wasn't as beautiful as Tiger Lily, at least not in his opinion, but that didn't detract from her other qualities. She had pluck and wasn't a watering pot, and her figure was trim, if not as rounded as the princess. In all quite an attractive package with her long, honey-gold hair and sky-blue eyes, Jack mused. That she was meant for Peter added a certain amount of interest, the idea of luring her away from him briefly passing through Jacks' thoughts, only to be discarded as an unnecessary distraction. His plans were still taking shape, the ultimate prize being the defeat of Peter Pan, the end of Hook's reign as Captain of the Jolly Roger and Black Jacks escape from Neverland with his skin intact and limbs whole. How Wendy fitted into this grand scheme was yet to be made clear, Jack only having a vague notion of Hook's plan to free them all from the clutch of the island. All he did know was that he had to get the wench deep into the White Mountains, the high ridge that ran along the spine of Neverland, the volcano peak at it's start and the sea at it's end. It would take them deep into uncharted territory, beyond, he hoped, the reach of Hook and his crew, and Peter's, albeit briefly. In his time spent with the Lost Boy's, the areas explored had only encompassed a small part of the island, the boys limited by how far they could go on foot or by canoe, the same limitations as set for the pirates and Indians. Only Peter had the freedom with flight to roam the length and breadth of Neverland, and Jack was sure that even Peter hadn't been everywhere. It would take more than one lifetime to explore every valley and river that was bordered by Neverland's rocky shores. Jack pulled himself out of his thoughts and glanced across at his captive. Wendy had eaten all of her rabbit and tossed the bones into the bushes. Now she sat yawning as she stared into the flames of the fire, her eyelids starting to droop. A brief spasm of pity gripped his heart but was just as quickly discarded.
"We'll be making an early start to get what sleep you can..." As he spoke a distant howl rose up from far away, the sound soon joined by others, the eerie sound rising and falling and making the hair stand up on his neck.
"What...what is that?" Wendy asked, her eyes very wide awake and dark.
"Nothing to worry about...as I said, sleep. We'll be gone by dawn." Jack played with his knife and peered intently into the shadows beyond their small fireside. "I'll keep watch for awhile."
The howls were dying away, gradually fading until only the crackle of the fire could be heard over the beating of his heart.
"There, see...all quiet again...sleep." He grinned into Wendy's worried eyes, deliberately keeping the grin in place even though his own fears were making him jumpy. Wendy slowly lowered herself down to the ground, cushioning her head on her arm, her body tense, her ears straining to hear any more of the unearthly howls. When it remained quiet, she started to relax, her eyes closing at last as she slipped into an uneasy slumber. Jack remained on alert, his assumed grin slipping as he put more wood on the fire and poked it to make the flames leap. He had heard of the wolf pack, but never seen them anywhere near to where the Lost Boys usually lived and played. By pushing deep into Neverland's dense jungles, they would quite likely meet a number of denizens never encountered before. Anyone more faint-hearted would turn back now and take their chances, but then anyone else wouldn't have the prize firmly fixed in their heads, as Jack did. With that in mind, he pulled out a small whetstone from the backpack and started to hone his knife, the rhythmic swish of the stone on metal settling his nerves until he was almost humming to himself in satisfaction. Tomorrow they would put more distance between themselves and their pursuers, even supposing that Peter and Hook knew where to look. More likely they were at a loss to find their quarry, or too busy to look, a situation that Jack would take every advantage of.
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Tiger Lily stared at the men around her, mentally dispatching them all in every manner she could think off, the more gruesome the better. Several of them already sported a variety of injuries and the Indian Princess took pride in knowing that she had been the one to cause the wounds, as well as her braves and fellow villagers. Her raiding party had been a mistake, she realized that now, hindsight being a wonderful way to reflect on her rash bravado, but it had seemed too good a chance to miss, the pirates fleeing from the whooping Indian's until they, in their turn, faced their pursuers and a battle was on. Tiger Lily was sure they would have won if she hadn't fallen for Hook's trap and been captured so early on, her escort fighting like madmen to free her, only to die at the hands of the pirates, one by one. It had both maddened and grieved her to see her people cut down like wheat, her own fate nothing as she fought to be free, only a blow to the head finally bringing it to an end. When she awoke she was being carried far from the Indian village towards the coast and whatever fate Hook had in mind for her. Dulled by pain and regret, she remained compliant, barely raising a flicker of interest even when several pirates returned to join the main force, their movements sluggish as if they'd been drugged. She found out later that in fact they had been, the drug so effective they were able to tell Hook little of what had happened, or who had done the dastardly deed. Hook had raged, the Princess hearing the name of her new friend bandied about among the tirade and she suspected that Wendy had been the target of the pirates, and somehow lost in the fray. In this, she rejoiced to know her friend was free, but further comments made her realize that her own predicament was dire indeed. In his rage, Hook stalked over to where the Indian Princess lay bound and helpless, surrounded by armed guards. Pushing his men aside, the pirate Captain used his metal hook to yank the Princess to her feet, her toes barely touching the ground as she dangled in front of him.
"What trickery have your people been up to Tiger Lily?" Hook snarled, his teeth very white behind his dark mustache. "Who drugged my men...eh?"
"How should I know...or care," Lily spat back, glaring daggers at her captor. Hook shook her until her teeth rattled.
"If you value your skin, you'll tell me!"
"I know nothing of your men or what potion they drank...if it had been me, they would have been poisoned, not drugged!"
Hook started at that, his eyes opening wide as her words sank in.
"Very true, very true. So who else would want to steal my prize? Not Peter Pan...he'd have taken delight in fighting each and every one just to show off, before stealing off with his Wendy...so if not you, and not the Pan..." Hook slowly lowered Tiger Lily to the ground, his gaze staring off into the distance, apparently forgetting her presence as his mind turned over the evidence. "Smee!"
As the Princess watched, Hook spoke rapidly to his first mate, the Captain's eyes gleaming red as he tapped his chin thoughtfully while he waited for his first mate to return with the information he'd asked for. Mister Smee ran up, puffing, and saluted.
"Two are missin' an' unaccount'd for Cap'n Sir."
"And who might the truants be?" Hook asked, sliding his eyes around to fix on his portly lieutenant.
"Trimble is one...'e went missin' afore the battle for the 'Ollow. An'...er...um..." Smee looked away then back then down at his feet. Hook lifted his lip in a sneer.
"The other one Smee?"
"That'd be Black Jack, Cap'n Sir. Bin missin' since afore this afternoon's fracas."
"Thank you Smee...that will be all for now." Turning on his heel, Hook paced away, the Indian Princess forgotten as he pondered the new threat to his plans. "So, the young tar thinks he can outwit ol' Hook, does he. We shall see. Smee!"
Tiger Lily found herself once more hoisted onto a brawny back as the pirates once more set off, their destination presumably the coast and then their ship, Tiger Lily fighting to keep her whits about her despite her sore head. She was sure that her Father would send a rescue party and they wouldn't be far behind the pirates, plus if Peter returned to the village, and the clear skies seemed to suggest that he would, he would want to be apart of any fight that involved Hook and his men. Resigned to being helpless for the time being, Tiger Lily slumped head down over the man's shoulder and accepted her fate, until circumstances allowed otherwise.
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Peter and his party of warriors were too late to stop Hook boarding his barge, the flotilla of small boats well beyond of the Indian's bows and spears from the bank of the inlet. Impotent to do more than watch, Peter, his Lost Boys and the braves shadowed the boats from the tree line, their bodies flitting between the trees as the pirates strained at their oars. The towering thunderheads that had followed Peter across the island now blotted out the sun, plunging the foreshore into shadow and providing more cover for the rescue party. They could see Tiger Lily settled amidships in the lead boat, surrounded by a dozen or more pirates, several armed with muskets and alert to any movement from the shoreline. Beyond the sandbank that protected the mouth of the river, the imposing rock formation known as Skull Rock rose up out of the sea, the socket like caves in the sheer walls giving the granite monolith it's name. In the distance bobbed the Jolly Roger but Hook didn't head towards his ship once his fleet was clear of the sandbar. Instead he split his crew, half to return to the ship, the rest to go with him towards Skull Rock. Perplexed, Peter used his telescope to keep track of the pirates as they pulled against the current and rounded the boulder strewn skirt of their destination. As he kept watch, the braves sought and found three canoes hidden above the high tide mark, the warriors quickly dragging the wooden craft across the pristine sand and into the clear water. Peter gave orders to the Lost boy's to use the third canoe to keep a watch on the pirates aboard the Jolly Roger and wait for his signal before taking the Indian's and paddling after Hook. The shallow canoes flew over the waves, spray arcing up and dousing the occupants as they bent over their paddles. The pirates had disappeared from view to the far side of Skull Rock and the cave entrance on the seaward site, the mouth of the cave carved out by the pounding waves, getting wider and wider until it was now almost big enough for the Jolly Roger to enter by.
High above the two canoes laboring against the waves, Tinkerbell flew, shadowing Peter and keeping watch on events. She was still wary of approaching him, unsure of his reaction to her return. It was almost a relief to be able to watch and yet remain uninvolved with the drama playing out below. If to an outsider it would have appeared cowardly, she didn't mind, her one thought only to keep Peter in her sights and help him if the need arose. She did wonder why he didn't fly after Hook, rather than take the more pedestrian route and remain with the Indian's, but she supposed he had his reasons. As she fluttered out of sight she glanced uneasily at the clouds gathering overhead. The sun was sinking fast towards the distant horizon and the sea was starting to whip itself into a frenzy, the weather as ever in tune with the Pan's mood. Well aware of their destination, Tink veered off and approached the sheer rock cliffs on the sheltered side, darting into one of the dark caves and flying at top speed down the winding tunnel until she reached the main cavern in time to see Hook disembark from his longboat on to a rocky ledge.
Settling herself near enough to see and hear everything, but out of harms way, Tinkerbell waited to see what was about to take place. She could see Tiger Lily being hoisted ashore and left to stand to the side of the Pirate Captain, his men scattering to find hiding places behind rocks and among the ledges. Obviously they were planning on ambushing anyone who came to rescue the Princess, a plan that had been played out many times over the years. Somehow, this one seemed to be more deadly than the other times, Hook looking inordinately pleased with himself as he manhandled the Indian Princess along to a seaweed encrusted ledge where rusty manacles hung in readiness.
"Sorry the accommodations are not up to your usual standard, Princess...but then, you're a savage! What do you know of standards and fine things!" Amused at his own whit, Hook laughed darkly, his henchmen echoing the laughter from their various hiding places. Hook scowled, "quiet you brutes!" At once silencing his men and making them slink back in to hiding. "Now, m'dear, where were we. Are yes, setting you comfortably to await rescue by Peter Pan." Setting down his own ornately decorated musket, Hook forced Tiger Lily over the edge of the ledge and into the cold water, passing a chain through her bonds and leaving her to hang with her back to the slimy rocks, the waves buffeting her with each swell.
"Comfy?" Hook inquired, grinning down at his gagged and bound bait. "No? Ah well, you'll just have to wait with the rest of us for the resourceful Peter Pan to fly down and rescue you. And when he does," Hook lifted his gun, using his hook to cock and prime the powder. "I'll shoot him right between his noble intentions," he growled, his eyes taking on a red gleam.
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To Be continued...