Take Me to Neverland || OUAT

14: Beastly Temptations

I drew back my bow and arrow while he aimed his crossbow at the incoming creature.

The leaves rustled slightly to the wind as Peter and I gradually backed away from the shaking trees. Our footsteps receeded until they nearly tripped over the edge of the cliff, signaling that we were finally cornered.

"Do you have pixie dust with you?" I asked with a hint of concern and urgency in my voice, glancing up at him in wide eyes.

He shook his head "no" and gave an exhasperated sigh. "When I need it most, it's not with me."

"Badluck?" I laughed half-heartedly, trying to soften the mood.

"Yeah," he breathed back, and gave a weak smile in return.

Our banter gradually broke off as the commotion advanced nearer and nearer. Twigs snapped and tree branches broke as we braced ourselves for the worse. But then, the noise stopped, like as if waiting for suspense to build up.

I took a hesitant look at Peter, only to see him holding his ground the same as before. My eyes hovered back to the forest as I prepared myself to let the arrow fly.

Seconds passed until it was a full minute, but somehow Peter wouldn't budge in his position. I lowered my bow, and looked expectantly at the forest, then back at him.

What was he waiting for?

All of a sudden, Felix and a few other Lost Boys burst out into the clearing with their crossbows and arrows aimed high. When they saw us, they lowered their weapons as Felix took a step forward.

His eyes landed on us and he raised his eyebrows with a smirk. "What were you guys doing here all alone?"

Peter shook his head and glared back at him, lowering his crossbow in the process. "Question is, why did you guys cause such chaos? We thought it was some sort of wild beast!"

Felix raised his hands in defeat, "we didn't mean to, but we were chasing an immense buck through the clearing." As an effect, he expanded his arms to their limit to approximate the size of the animal.

I gave him a disbelieving look. "Are you telling me that a deer was as big as a ton elephant?"

Commotion errupted from between the boys and Peter. Words spat out from both sides as the ruckus became deafening beyond belief. Their voices raised when suddenly, a small, yet loud voice yelled, "stop!"

A Lost Boy, looking no more than six stepped out from behind Felix. "H-he's not lying," he stuttered, keeping his eyes on the ground. "But... I don't think it was a buck."

Everyone's conversations came to a standstill. Peter raised an eyebrow, taking a step closer to the little boy, and kneeled down so that they were face-to-face.

"Then what was it?" He asked steadily, making sure not to make any sudden movements.

The boy's eyes drifted upwards, and then fluttered back down to his shoes again. "It looked like a massive wolf," he choked out, his breath was unsteady as he recalled the recent memory. "It-it stood even taller than Felix... his fangs were the size of my hand... and his fur was darker than death."

I stepped forward and took the traumatized child into my arms, and listened to the quiet sobs coming from over my shoulder. "It was... horrid," he shuddered, tears falling at the sleeve of my shirt.

Peter looked from the hurt boy, to me. His emerald eyes glinted with a challenge as he took the boy from my arms. "Don't worry, Owen," he coaxed, setting the boy down to his feet in front of Felix. "Amber and I," he said, gesturing towards me, "we are going to hunt down that beast."