Pan's Redemption

Chapter 8 ~Finding Her*

Pan and the Lost Boys returned to camp in the dead of night. Felix hauled a dead deer over his shoulder while the others held little squirrels and rabbits they had killed. Pan wasn't in the mood to give Felix praise like he usually did. He wanted to get to Wendy. He wanted to give her the grand tour of Neverland. He wanted to show her the training grounds and find a weapon best suited for her. He hoped to her off to the Lost Boys. He vowed to make her better than Felix.

Pan didn't understand why he felt such pride when it came to Wendy. Maybe it was because of what The Shadow showed him when he visited her in London. She was destined for greatness. She had such power yet to be unlocked. He wanted to unlock it. He wanted to use it. To use her. Sure that made him cruel, but he didn't care. His cruelty gave him respect and power.

As he reached the base of the tree, he saw that the two Lost Boys he left her with were asleep in the dirt. It was pretty late, even for Lost Boys. Pan thought nothing of it and started to ascend the ladder. Seeing Wendy would put out this new anxiousness inside him.

He opened the small wooden door of his hut and ducked into the entry. Pan saw that she had not shut off the light. Perhaps she couldn't sleep. As he emerged from behind the beads, he whispered, "Did you miss me, love?" And then he saw the hellish sight in front of him. An empty bed. Wendy was not there.

Pan frantically looked around for any evidence that someone broken in and stole her from him. Nothing. He did notice, however that the fur rug that hid the hatch was curled around one edge. Pan flew the rug nearly across the room and slammed open the hatch. He jumped down into his weapon room without using the ladder. The green glow took a few seconds to illuminate the room. In those seconds, Pan hoped. He hoped that she was just playing a childish game with him. That she was just messing around and as soon as she knew she was found she would run into his embrace.

The lights came on and she wasn't there, but some of his weapons were gone. She had fled. He barreled down the stairs and kicked the two Lost Boys until they woke.

"Pan?" They asked groggy with sleep.

"Where is she?" He snarled at them. One of the boys completely shut down. He was one of the younger ones so he had never seen Pan angry before.

"What?" The older one said still half asleep.

"Where the hell is Wendy?!" They both tensed. The whole camp that was a second ago filled with chatter was dead silent. All eyes were on the two boys.

"Pan, she had escaped three days ago. We scoured the island. We checked everywhere, but we couldn't find her,"the older one exclaimed.

"So you let her get away?" They stared at Pan pleading with their eyes for mercy they would not receive.

"No-" the Lost Boy started, but Pan cut him off.

"Felix." Pan started toward the forest. Felix easily kept stride with him.

"Yes, sir?" He asked in his monotone voice. Pan stopped as soon as he was far enough away from the two idiots he had trusted to watch his prize.

"Scour the island. Divide the Lost Boys. You, Benji, Rudolph, Clyde, and Victor take the dark jungle. Ash, Zealand, James, and Thread will search the caves."

"And you?" Felix's blue eyes glinted with excitement.

"I'll take the beach." Pan doubted she be there. It was quite a ways from the camp's new location, but she had a habit of surprises. Felix nodded and began to head toward the boys. "And Felix?"

"Yes?" He turned. The moonlight glinted off his pale colored hair and highlighted his scar.

"If we cannot find her by sundown, take Clyde and James to the cages." Felix smirked.

"That's the Pan I know." Pan turned and ran into the jungle. He knew what to look for and soon found it. The leaves had been cut to make a pathway. Her footprints were etched in the mud. They were boots, not bare feet. So, she had taken to more of Pan's wardrobe while he was away. He smiled slightly and carried on up the trail.

It was all uphill in very high and uncomfortable grass, but for Peter Pan the jungle was his home. He knew that Wendy couldn't possibly leave his island. This place was his trap. All the while telling himself these soothing words, he couldn't help but feel a knot in his stomach. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

And then he saw why. The tracks abruptly ended. They had circled backward a few steps and then stopped. He looked around frantically trying to find her camp. Was she up in the trees? No. On the ground? No. Behind the brush? No. She was gone and also gone was his pathway to her.

He forced his brain to consider all possibilities of the track's end. He came upon a name that made his hand clench into fists. He growled and swung at a tree. His knuckles were soon throbbing and bleeding. Although he didn't feel the slight injury, he soon found it annoying. He raised his hand and closed his eyes. Green mist escaped from his fingertips and enveloped his hand. When the mist cleared it was healed.

Magic always does the trick. He thought.

That name was the very name that made him give up on finding her in the jungle. She would be out at sea with a captain. The very captain that used to work for him. Captain Killian Jones.

Pan backed up a bit and with a running start, he was lifted from the ground. He flew past the beach and headed for the object above the murky blue-black water. The boat was illuminated by the orange glow of lanterns.

Pan landed on the deck. "Killian, I thought we agreed to not take things that don't belong to them," he called to the empty deck. Hook emerged from below deck. He looked at Pan with weary eyes.

"Aye, we did. What can I do for you, Pan?" he asked cautiously.

"Why, lets just skip ahead to the part where you tell me where my Lost Girl is." He asked with a dark smirk. This was a game. Everything to Pan was a game. This time the game was keep away. And Pan always won his games.

"I do admit, the girl was here. As soon as I found out where she came from, I ordered her off my ship." Hook's eyes moved slightly to the right. He was lying. Pan pushed past him and headed below deck to search for her.

"Wendy Bird, you cannot hide from me," he called into the darkness. He held his hand out and a green flame substituted as his torch. He rummaged through the closet only to find the black leather of Hook's attire. He checked all the rooms. He ended up in Hook's room. The bed had not been straightened out. There was a glass of water on the table. Pan sighed and sat on the green trunk at the foot of the bed. Hook had followed him and was leaning on the door frame.

"You said you let her go as soon as you knew she was mine, did you not?" Pan gestured to the bed.

"As you might imagine, it took her awhile to trust me," Oh Pan could imagine that. He remembered when she thought he was a crazy lunatic. Before he gave her memories back. He remembered how much fire was in her then.

"Where did you send her then, pirate?" He asked simply. Hook hesitated and Pan cocked his head to the side.

"Come on, lad. Don't hurt the girl." He warned forgetting who he was talking to.

"I can do what I want with her. She is mine! Where is she?!" Pan gave up on being the nice guy. He would kill Captain Jones if he had to.

Hook sighed shaking his head in guilt. "I sent her to the echo caves. I told her it was the only place you couldn't track her," his head hung low. It was as if he was a dishonorable dog.

"Good, now Hook, you will not betray me again." Pan's eyes were as cold as ice. His voice was sharp and venomous. Hook knew what he was capable of.

"Aye," he agreed softly. He got up from the trunk and made his way toward the top deck. Hook didn't bother to follow him. He had already said what he had to.

As Pan lifted into the air, Hook unlocked the trunk. Inside was a very scared and shaking Wendy Darling. She had heard everything. She knew who the enemy was really. Peter Pan.

"I'm afraid we must be going now. Pan will realize you're not there soon enough. Trust me, you want to be far away when he does." Wendy shivered, but as Hook spoke, he saw a new expression on her. One that was resolved and convinced.

"Fine, lets go. I won't let him catch me."