Lost Girl || Complete

Chapter 7: The Hunt

    “The pirates are growing bolder.” 

    Boys looked around and nodded at each other. I slipped through the crowd, silent among the whispered agreeances. 

    “Stronger. Smarter - well,” he corrected smirkingly, “smarter for them. So, what’s our solution?” 

    You could feel the tension in the air rise, but I was still lost as to what it meant. Pan was calling them to some kind of action; how I wished he’d just come right out and say it, but that wasn’t his way. 

    “We get ahead of the game. The Lost Boys don’t take no for an answer.” 

    Shouts of unity rang out. 

    “So, boys, the hunt is on!”

    "AYE!"

    Spears and slingshots rose in the air as whooping boys prepared for war. Pan smiled at the pre-assumed triumph and, spotting me standing arms-crossed in the middle of the hubble, jumped off his ‘stage.’ He made his way over and extended a hand. “Would you like to join me on a hunt?” 

    I looked at the hand for a moment in disbelief. “Not really, but what are we hunting?” 

    “Oh, you’ll like the show,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Come see how we protect our own on Neverland.” 

    The call to action it is then, I thought. Ignoring his suspended hand, I brushed past him and joined the boys who were grabbing bows and arrows. He seemed aroused and humored at my defiance, but I didn’t return his cocky glance long enough to be certain. 

    “Felix,” he shouted to his commander, “begin the hunt.” 

    The young man grinned and sounded the rich, piercing call of a horn I’d never seen the likes of. With that, we were off. 

    We traveled for a few yards in this direction, a mile in the other, then a mile this way - nearly to the point that I thought they were just making it up. But they never lost motivation and never broke formation. Pan kept up the head, Felix close behind, and all of us in pursuit of… what? 

    The trees finally gave way to a rocky terrain - totally new area of the island for me. We moved from a rough crowd to a single(ish) file line, and they proceeded to scurry across like it was no big deal. I didn’t think it was either until the ground cut off into a 40-foot cliff.

    What on earth could they be looking for out here? I wondered. Then I saw it. A small pirate camp - 3 tents at most - on the cliffs’ edge right ahead of us. My heart sank to my feet as I started to realize why we were out here. 

    The path we were on didn’t lead us directly to them; it instead took us below, where travelers could pass by without disturbing the campsite above. That was not our intention, however. When we were directly underneath them, Pan clenched his fist and halted the company. He half-glanced at us and motioned above, to which Felix and the others up front nodded. We waited for the signal. 

    Pan glanced at something on each side of the framing cliffs, but I couldn’t tell what it was. Apparently satisfied, he held up two fingers and waited… waited… Bam! One swing, and the company broke loose. Drowning in the angry stampede, I jumped out of the way and clung to the cliffside. I thought I heard the sound of clanging swords above, but it was impossible to make out from the shouts and screams. 

    I couldn’t wait anymore. Rounding the corner, I raced up the cliff and broke over the edge. The scene before my eyes was horrific. Two tents lay in shreds on the ground, the third being torn down by three boys. The rest raced around, rummaging through their belongings, creating chaos simply because they could. And to the right were two pirates, on their knees, begging for mercy. Pan stood before them with glimmering knife in hand and boys shouting threats all around. “Show ‘em! Cut ‘em down!” 

    No… I shook myself awake from the horror and raced down to the looming crowd. I couldn’t make it before one fell to the ground. 

    “NO!” 

    Pan turned back to see me flying at him, screaming bloody murder. He grabbed the last pirate before I could reach and held the knife at his throat. 

    “So you decided to show up after all.” 

    “Pan, stop, this is no time for games!” 

    “Oh, I think it’s the perfect time for games,” he said devilishly. “After all, isn’t it what they’ve been playing?” He tightened his grip against the helpless man. 

    “I don’t agree with what they’ve done either, but this is wrong,” I pleaded. The pirate’s eyes only reflected pure terror - not vengeance. “Please, show them mercy.” 

    Pan stared at me like I was the biggest joke he’d ever seen. “Ya hear that, boys?” he called to the crowd. “‘Show them quarter.' What say we show them the same quarter they’ve shown us, eh?” 

    Echoes pierced the air, and I lunged forward to the doomed man’s defense. But I couldn’t stop the knife from falling. 

    The Lost Boys shouted victoriously as I fell to my knees in shock. Where was that boy from two nights ago? The boy I met sitting by the fire in the woods, who spoke of belief and freedom? All that remained of him was the blood-thirsty mob-leader before me who condoned the killing of innocent men - well, maybe not innocent, but not guilty either - his whooping mob’s need for revenge satisfied. 

    Pan breathed heavy. I avoided his cold eyes, both out of disgust and fear. I’d dared to forget who Peter Pan truly was and had just witnessed the fate of all who cross his path. In the end, he was just the same lost, dangerous boy. 

    He stood before me and wiped his blade with a white cloth. Resheathing it, he said, “I know you don’t understand. But I had to send them a message.” I think he looked around at the peaceful scene he’d turned to burning chaos. “It’s the only way to protect them.” 

    I boiled over with anger. Protect who? The boys?! You're encouraging their violent riots! I stayed silent, however, and didn’t even look at Pan as he walked away. The crowd cleared as they started making their way back to camp. The hunt was over. 

    I looked around at the now-silent destruction. Shreds of cloth waved in the breeze, and gold and silver lay strewn on the ground. They didn’t even take anything, I observed in disgust. Off to the side, I noticed what looked like two boots… sticking out from the grass… a fallen figure attached to them. 

    Three tents. Three men. 

    That was the first day I pitied pirates.