Neverland - Peter Pan - OUAT Fanfiction

Chapter 38 - Parallax

We took a path up the ravine in hopes to cut our quarry off. The ascent was nearly more than I could handle, my strength was strained with each passing hour that it took us to climb, sometimes crawl, the sheer rise. We dared not rest at the top in fear of losing the deer. To my surprise the climb down was almost worse. My limbs burned, and it was hard to keep my balance.

The trees started becoming thicker as we dropped in altitude and we were able to use branches to aid in our descent. Byron had constantly fallen behind. Felix, either sent back by Pan or had taken it upon himself to be Byron's prodding encouragement, was now holding up the rear and jabbing his club into the slacking boy's back when he decided to slow.

I chose to stay behind Pan in the line, keeping as much distance as I could between Nate and myself. I shifted the strap holding the spear to my back, my legs were exhausted, I didn't know how much further I could go on without a break. Time seemed to blur. My head grew fuzzy, the changes in altitude and subsequent changes in oxygen were probably affecting me. How long had we walked? It felt like an eternity.

My knees buckled without warning. We were still on a slope and gravity shoved me forwards, right towards Pan's back. It seemed as if he had somehow felt me coming and turned. But he hadn't turned fast enough.

Having no time to stop myself I stumbled into him. One arm caught me, but it was too late to steady ourselves, and my momentum forced us to the ground. I squeezed my eyes shut waiting for impact on the rough soil beneath us. Somehow, he had twisted around and taken the brunt of the fall. We had stopped moving. I felt warm breath fan my face and slowly opened my eyes, locking with the emerald gems inches in front of mine. I had landed on top of him.

His chest rose steadily, his arms wrapped around the small of my back. His eyes didn't leave mine for a solid moment. I couldn't decipher the expression on his face, it was one I wasn't familiar with. He didn't seem angry or annoyed, not exactly pleased to be landed on but .... there was something I just couldn't put my finger on.

He removed his arms from around me and I realized I had his shirt in a vise grip. My heart was going at a million miles an hour and I'm sure he could feel it. I released his tunic and lifted myself off of him. We rose hastily then. Felix had jostled his way to the front of the line, curious about the commotion no doubt, and the rest of the boys were now standing dumbly, unsure of what to do. I wasn't sure how much they had seen.

Pan wasted no time in taking control of the situation, moving the group forward to a small stream a few yards away. We took a few minutes to drink before moving on once more. The small stop and drink had revived me and as if by magic my legs no longer felt like jelly.

I was confused...Pan was human, but his reflexes were usually not lacking. That expression...I couldn't place it, and it bothered me. I was probably over thinking this too much. Must have been a fluke of my imagination...that, or all apart of his game to toy with me. I tried to push it out of my mind and focus on my footing, not wanting whatever had just happened to repeat itself.

Deer tracks were spotted at the ravine's exit. We followed, the musical sound of rushing water growing louder in the distance. The soft imprints in the soil led us to a churning river that blocked our path. The wrathful waters warned us away. This stretch bent around the mountain at a steep angle creating a strong current. The tracks disappeared at the water's edge. The deer must have somehow swum across...or flown. Both scenarios seemed equally unlikely, but they were nowhere in sight. Dear 1, hunting party 0.

The pursuit had taken us much longer than anticipated. The sun was starting to sink as our feet greeted the level ground. It was becoming clear this wouldn't be a day trip. We retreated from the river and set up camp at the base of the mountain, gathering wood for a fire along the way.

Third Person Point of View

Having already thrown a hefty armload of logs at the base of the newly born fire, Felix shifted on his feet watching the others scurry to and fro, collecting more wood to feed the hungry flames. He glanced over at Pan who was surveying the work beside him, his expression cold and calculating. Felix's mind wandered. Was his leader losing his edge? It was at least clear to him that something was occupying his mind, but what? It must be important. He seemed consumed with preoccupation lately, distracted. Felix didn't like the way Pan hesitated when the girl fell on top of him. Or the way Pan stole glances at her sometimes. Even if Pan had been watching her, he, Felix, shouldn't have noticed. Even knowing his leader as well as he did, it wasn't like Pan to reveal his focus. He wasn't as guarded as he used to be. Was it the girl's fault? Possibly. Considering the prospect that the girl could be a formidable distraction for his leader was irritating to say the least. This girl was turning out to be more of a thorn in his side than he anticipated.

~~~~~

No one had told me to prepare for an overnighter and I grimaced, watching the boys unroll their animal skin mats. It didn't take long for the unfriendly rocks, imbedded in the dirt surrounding the fire, to evict me with their uncomfortable jabs when I tried to lay down to rest. Lingering near the warmth, I pried myself away in favor of sleep.

I picked the least hard groundcover in the clearing I could find; a mossy spot at the base of a tree that looked rather inviting. The ground was cold, and I couldn't help shivering a little as the sky darkened and the sun's warmth slipped from the earth.

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