FicWad

It was another cloudy day; the sky layered with gray, the sun invisible through the blanket of clouds, and any sign of warmth undetectable from the lack of heat. It was just like how most days had been for the past week; nothing but overcast weather. Still a surprise for late spring; but soon enough, the Neverlanders knew that summer would be arriving.

As the wind blew through the trees overhead, Tiger Lily stepped through the tall grass, four bundled birds slung over her shoulder. While usually Tiger Lily didn't hunt birds that often, she had decided that day to take a short expedition through the open fields overlooking the ocean, in which she found a few birds hiding in the tall green grasses. Killing birds in a field was a lot more difficult, considering that the grass tended to hinder the hunter's view and the birds could escape by taking off to the sky at any moment; but Tiger Lily's luck must have increased that day.

With her four birds tied in bundles of two, Tiger Lily put the bodies inside her pack before heading off back into the woods. Despite the somber weather, it still felt somewhat more pleasant than most days. As she walked through the clumps of trees, a calm breeze blew gently through her hair, making Tiger Lily instantly feel refreshed and proud of a hard morning's work.

It was then that Tiger Lily noticed that she had happened to pass by the Mermaid's Lagoon; it was the only real lake present in the Neverwood and all rivers running throughout the land were connected to it. Why it was called Mermaid's Lagoon; well, it was the very residence of mermaids.

The waters were usually clear and clean from a distance, but during the night, it appeared as a murky and dismal place. This contributed to one of the reasons why Tiger Lily never approached the lagoon.

Tiger Lily didn't trust the mermaids; while she didn't have much of a problem with them, as they never ate too many fish or caused her too many difficulties with her hunting, they just bothered her. Tiger Lily understood more than anyone else that they were dangerous beings, monsters who blinded others with their stunning beauty, which hid their sharp claws and rows of jutted teeth. If there was anything on Neverland that was not to be messed with, it was the mermaids, hands down.

But at the moment, it didn't seem that the mermaids were showing themselves. Perhaps the sunless weather prevented them from displaying themselves of basking on their tall rocks and tanning in the sun's glare. Or maybe they were being wary of non-male visitors; it was well-known that they typically preyed upon men.

Since the day so far had been quite successful, Tiger Lily decided she would sit down in the short grass, while keeping her distance away from the potentially harmful waters.

Staring out in the water, Tiger Lily sighed. It had been two days since she had been rescued by Peter Pan and introduced to the infamous Lost Boys. While she hated to admit it, the days had felt somewhat longer and more boring than most; on the days she had encountered herself with Peter, those days had always been the busiest; or at least, the most exciting. Since those two days ago, Tiger Lily had not seen or heard from the young man, and she was beginning to get curious about his whereabouts.

Looking out of the corner of her eye, Tiger Lily then realized that someone in the trees was watching her. She looked to her left, quickly becoming suspicious.

The person must have sensed her wariness, and they stepped out from the grove of trees. To Tiger Lily's surpise, it was none other than Peter Pan.

Of course, he hadn't changed in the last two days, although a cut in his shirt going across his chest seemed to have been made; thus, the skin underneath was somewhat visible. He even carried about him now a scar, gone diagonal on his forehead just above his left eye, although it looked as if it was in the process of healing.

But what surprised Tiger Lily the most was the creature which he held in his hands; as in Peter's grasp was a little wolf puppy. It was a silver one, with large triangular ears and a fluffy mane surrounding its neck, with a black wet nose and dark amber eyes. Its torso was being held in Peter's hands, its forelegs and paws hanging over them, and its hind legs dangling. The puppy didn't even try to escape from his grip; it looked rather calm and tired instead.

"Hey, it's been awhile," Peter said, then smiling as he held up the puppy. "'See what I found?"

Tiger Lily didn't reply, busy analyzing the little creature with curiosity.

Peter walked over to her side and sat beside her, now resting the wolf puppy on his lap. "He was the runt of the litter," Peter explained, "and the mother couldn't take care of him, so I took him off her hands." He scratched behind the puppy's ear tentatively.

"But I can't take care of him either," Peter added, allowing it to playfully nibble his fingers as it sat on its back, wriggling its paws in the air. "Even though I know the boys would love him, I don't know if we'd be able to take proper care of him. After all, we can't get meat as often as we'd like to, and I doubt the little guy would enjoy wild vegetables."

Then Peter picked it up and held it in front of Tiger Lily. "So that's why I wondered if you would want it."

Tiger Lily looked at the puppy carefully, before sticking her finger at it near its mouth. The puppy gnawed lightly on her finger tip, then proceeding to lick it lovingly.

"See? Why wouldn't you want him?" Peter smiled. "He's fun to play with..." he added.

Tiger Lily knew better than to take it back with her. The village would be skeptical of keeping it.

Sensing her reluctance, Peter held the puppy a little lower so it would face her directly.

"Please, Tiger Lily," the wolf said, with Peter's voice, "please take me back with you to the village. I promise I won't hurt you or your family and the first thing I'll do everyday is greet you with a sweet kiss!" With that, he handed the puppy to Tiger Lily, basically forcing it into her hands, and the puppy grew excited and stood up on its hind legs with its paws on her chest before licking her face delightfully. When it started rubbing its head affectionately into her neck, Tiger Lily hesitatingly placed her fingers on the soft fur between its ears and pet its head, to which the puppy responded adamantly.

Although it was a fairly docile pup, Tiger Lily would be unable to keep it. If her father would have disapproved, then there would be no point in taking it home with her.

"I can't take him," Tiger Lily said. "He is an animal."

"But he loves you," Peter grinned, white teeth glowing. "And besides," he began to say, his gaze becoming more gentle and kind, "he has your eyes." A warm smile grew on his lips.

Tiger Lily felt her heart grow flustered from the statement, even hearing it pound harder, but she tried her best to hide it. She tucked her fingers under the puppy's chin and looked into its eyes; they were indeed the same color, practically identical, like staring into the reflection of a pool.

"Fine," she said finally. "I'll take him."

Peter's smile seemed to radiate happiness. "Thank you," he replied, sounding grateful and joyful. "He'll love you, and I know you'll take good care of him."

"I'll try my best..." Tiger Lily held the puppy around its waist.

Peter then looked away for a moment and poked her pack. "What's in here?"

"My morning catch," Tiger Lily said. Just then she thought of a good idea; and it would benefit the Lost Boys as well.

Holding the puppy in one hand, Tiger Lily reached for her pack from behind her back and opened it with one hand, before pulling out a bundle of two dead birds. Peter admired the birds in awe. "You caught those? And those are the birds that are the hardest to catch..."

Tiger Lily held the bundle out to him. "It's for you," she explained. "Something for you to share with the others." She looked away for a moment. "Think of it as a thank-you gift in return."

"You'd really give those to us?" Peter asked. "Their taste is pretty valuable."

"I have two more in my bag to bring back to the village. Giving you two is worth it enough," Tiger Lily told him. She held them out further, the bundle now pressed against his chest. "Now please, take them."

Peter smiled in disbelief and took the bundle from her, his calloused fingers brushing past hers as he did so. "Thank you, I really mean it."

"Thank you for the puppy," Tiger Lily responded.

Peter then stood up, the bundle now slung over his shoulder. "Also, I have one more thing to tell you," he started. "Can you meet me here, at night, tonight? The other boys will be here too, of course," he added when he noticed Tiger Lily's eyes narrow in suspicion.

"Why?" Tiger Lily asked.

"You'll see." Peter turned his back to her and began to walk back off into the trees. He turned to look back at her one last time. "And take good care of the puppy for me."

Tiger Lily nodded, and the teen disappeared back into the thickness of the woods.

When Tiger Lily returned to the village with two birds and the puppy in hand, the first question she received was from the tribe chieftain, who happened to be by the gate entrance. He looked down at the wolf puppy with curiosity, and then back up at Tiger Lily. "Is this meat that you haven't killed yet?" he asked.

While Tiger Lily would have said yes, she refused to say so. "No," she said.

The chief narrowed his eyes. "Then why have you brought it back?"

"He is not meant to be eaten; he was brought back with me as a friend." Tiger Lily cringed inside at the worry of what may happen if she couldn't keep it.

"A friend?" The chief seemed suspicious. "And who seeks friendship in that of an animal?"

"I would, Chief."

While the chief appeared reluctant, he turned back to Tiger Lily after taking a moment to be deep in thought. "Very well, if you insist; Tiger Lily." His voice changed once he spoke her name, but Tiger Lily was unable to detect what emotion he was expressing.

"I have also brought back two birds." She took the bundle with the pair of birds from her pack and showed them to the chieftain, turning them around for him to see. "They are the rare kind that are hard to catch."

The chief took the bundle, and seemed impressed with Tiger Lily's capture. "Well done," was the last thing he said to her before he walked off, keeping the birds for himself. They were, after all, the price to pay for keeping the wolf puppy around.

Tiger Lily kept the puppy in her hut and prepared it a bed beside her own, feeding it a bit of left-over cooked meat and creating a gate entrance way made of thick branches intertwined together, to be placed over the door of the hut so the puppy would not escape and go about bothering others. However, she did dig a hole into the floor so he would do about his business in there.

Even though the puppy escaped a few times, the village grew to love the wolf and named him Midnight. But even if Midnight reciprocated each villager's affection with more, he still always loved Tiger Lily the most.

Once it was nighttime and all of the villagers had gone to sleep, Tiger Lily snuck out quietly from her hut and out to the entrance way, moving into the woods and heading to the Mermaid's Lagoon. While it was dark out and initially hard to see, her eyes eventually adjusted to the darkness and she moved her way through the trees and over the bushes.

As she began to approach the lake, Tiger Lily could hear some loud noises which sounded like cheering and rejoicing. The voices were younger, and she assumed quickly that it was the Lost Boys on the banks of the lagoon.

Tiger Lily then stepped out from the grove and showed herself, and all of the Lost Boys quickly turned their attention to her. They all smiled, with the exception of Slightly, who instead frowned, still apparently unsatisfied by Tiger Lily's looks.

"Hey, it's Tiger Lily!" Nibs cried happily, running over to her with all the other boys. Curly took her hands nervously but he gazed into her eyes cheerfully. "It's great to see you!" The Twins went around Tiger Lily, touching her belt and feeling the fabric of her dress curiously, although she tried her best to pay it no mind. Tootles just grinned and blushed when Tiger Lily smiled back, and Slightly went up sneakily to her side and poked her waist. Tiger Lily smiled, make a quiet giggle, and hesitatingly poked him back, although Slightly seemed more surprised from something else.

"Y-Your waist is a lot smaller than I thought it was," he muttered, but his face was a little red.

"Hey, you came." Peter smiled kindly and looked sternly at the other boys. "And try not to crowd around her like that too much!" The Lost Boys looked down shamefully, although they didn't seem to regret surrounding her either.

As the Lost Boys went back to having their fun by the banks, Tiger Lily walked over to Peter. "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"We're gonna have a dance," Peter explained. He showed a large drum that had been carried out and placed closest to the trees. "The Twins will be playing it, they don't like dancing as much."

He looked back to her, smiling again. "But I'm glad you were able to come."

Tiger Lily kept quiet, but inside, her heart was beating a little faster.

Although he seemed reluctant, Peter turned around and faced all the other boys, who were busy fooling around together. "Okay, guys, it's time to start!"

Quick by instinct, the Twins ran over to the drum, and rubbing their hands together, began to bang it. They started with a quick steady beat, not trying to bang it repeatedly without making a pattern. The result was very interesting, and it certainly caught the ears of the other boys.

They began to dance, each standing in their own spot on the beaches and move about in their own way. Some jumped, some waved their arms, some kicked their legs about. But they did seem to be having fun. They continued to do so, as they laughed and cheered, for several minutes.

Tiger Lily wasn't sure how she was supposed to dance, leading her to stand awkwardly to the side with no place to go, and just as they began to dance in pairs once the drum went slower, Nibs ran over to her and took her hand. While he was shorter than her, he put his left hand on her waist and his right hand in hers, placing her left hand on his shoulder, and began to move with her. Tiger Lily was a bit more clumsy and stepped on his feet every so often, but Nibs became determined on teaching her how to dance without stepping on their feet. He coached her and coached her until soon the two were spinning about.

Nibs let go of Tiger Lily's waist and beamed at her brightly. "We did pretty good there," he noted. "You're quite good with proper teaching."

Tiger Lily nodded in response. "You're a good teacher."

Tootles then tapped on Nibs' shoulder and the two began to dance together. When Tiger Lily thought she had done enough dancing for the night already, Slightly approached her quietly. He seemed anxious, and swallowed before speaking to her. "W-Wanna dance?" he asked.

Seeing as she couldn't say no to his offer, Tiger Lily took his hand, putting her other on his shoulder, while he put his other hand reluctantly on her waist and the two began dancing. Slightly seemed less educated in dancing and just kind of went with whatever movement Tiger Lily did.

It was then that Slightly began to speak. "I-I'm sorry for s-saying that to you when we first met," he stuttered quietly. "Y-You know, about you have less curves... I didn't mean that."

Tiger Lily felt happy that Slightly was now apologizing to her. She smiled as sweetly as she could to show him how relieved she was. "It's okay," she told him.

"A-And," Slightly added, "...Y-You actually do have nice curves," he muttered, looking away as his face grew scarlet.

All of a sudden, something tripped Slightly's foot and he stumbled, accidentally pushing Tiger Lily over.

It all happened so fast; in one moment she was dancing with Slightly, and the next moment, she found herself in Peter's arms. He seemed to have caught her from the fall, and without even asking, put his arm around her waist and held her other hand. "Let's dance," he said.

With no need to respond, Tiger Lily tentatively placed her hand on his shoulder and the two danced back and forth. While they would occasionally step on each others feet, their was not too horribly clumsy.

She felt Peter tighten his arm around her waist, pulling her in further, even if she began feeling uncomfortable. Their faces are a bit closer now, and Tiger Lily was wondering how red her cheeks were going to get. His arm was firm and his fingers curled around the side of her stomach, but his hand gently clasped hers as they continued. She could now even feel his breath as he inhaled and exhaled.

"You know," he began to say, his voice low, so the others wouldn't hear him. "They really like you, the boys. More than just like, they love you."

Tiger Lily nodded, her gaze beginning to falter on him.

"And also," he added, leaning in even closer almost as if to whisper in her ear, "they might not be the only ones who feel the same way about you."

Just then the drum stopped, and Peter quickly let go of her, but his green-eyed stare on her was still strong. He then turned back to the other boys, to see that they had brought out something.

It was a set of large bottles, made of glass, brown in color. Tootles jokingly shook one before popping the lid off and downing it. Curly grabbed for another and drank half of it in one gulp. Nibs took one and let the bubbles foam out, and Slightly grabbed two. Even the Twins reached their hands out for one each. After a few minutes or so, they became more wild, loud, laughing crazily and speaking with slurred speech.

It would become evident to Tiger Lily that they were becoming drunk.

Without speaking to her, Peter had gone to get one himself, and soon enough he too was drunk. He would yell out occasionally, sometimes laugh with the other boys, and try to keep his balance when walking around. As Tiger Lily watched in shocked silence, it was clear that this was another side to the Lost Boys she had never seen before.

Peter must have noticed her sitting alone against a tree, and a small light in his dimming eyes glowed as he dragged his feet, approaching her. Tiger Lily expected him to start yelling at her, just as he had with the other boys, telling her it was all her fault, acting as a different person she had never experienced.

But instead of shouting at her in random words like he had with the others, he sat in front of her on his knees and put his hands on hers. When he looked up, Tiger Lily saw tears in his eyes. "A-Alone," he muttered, grasping her hands tighter. "A-All... a-alone."

Emotion can be most easily seen when looking into their eyes. When Tiger Lily stared at the trouble-making, pirate-hated, leader of the Lost Boys, on his knees at his weakest, she saw someone who had been depressed, dejected, miserable, inconsolable, crestfallen, and maybe the worst of all, alone. Who knows how traumatizing his past could have been; it was no secret that those who were originally not from Neverland had most likely been abandoned or abused, so they escaped to the place where you couldn't age. In fact, who knew how traumatizing all the pasts of the Lost Boys were; they may have seemed happier on the outside, but here they were, showing their true emotions, their true feelings.

And while Peter acted adamantly and courageously leading the Lost Boys, Tiger Lily knew that of all people she knew, Peter Pan seemed the loneliest of them all.

Quiet, Tiger Lily took out her other hand and touched her fingertips to his face, beginning to wipe away the tears. Peter looked up at her, even surprised despite his drunkenness, yet he continued to cry. Knowing she couldn't wipe away all of his tears, she reached a hand into his hair and brushed it away gently from his face, and it was if Peter melted in her touch.

And just as a strong gust of wind blew over the banks, Peter let the wind carry him forward and he collapsed on top of Tiger Lily.

As he lay on her, his head in her chest, his warm body against hers, he wrapped his arms around her waist and began crying again, sobbing quietly. She could feel his hot tears streaming over her dress and wetting her skin. His cries were muffled, but he sounded as though he was in despair. His arms were tight around her ribs and it was if he had snuggled in closer to her.

Tiger Lily, with her arms still free, ran one of them through his hair, and petted it gently. His hair was really soft, and she continued to brush her fingers through it lovingly, trying to calm him down. Her other hand went to his back, rubbing down his spine softly, feeling the fabric of his ripped shirt.

The Lost Boys then slowly began to pass out and fall asleep on the ground, soon Peter fell asleep on Tiger Lily, and Tiger Lily found herself falling asleep, caressing him tenderly.

When Tiger Lily awoke, it was just dawn, and daybreak had yet to come. She found that Peter was still asleep, curled around her body, arms wrapped around her, his head resting on her chest, comforted against the rise and fall of her breathing. She noticed that the other Lost Boys were still asleep too, snoring loudly, and it seemed that they hadn't noticed what had happened with Peter.

In what little light there was, Tiger Lily looked down and observed Peter in the meantime. His face was really quite beautiful, although she wouldn't say so aloud herself. She had most likely noticed before how handsome he was upon meeting him, but she had never truly acknowledged it until now.

As it felt like a good opportunity, Tiger Lily leaned her head forward, planting a soft kiss on his cheek, and waited for him to awake.

It did not take long, as a few seconds later, Peter stirred and blinked open his eyes. He opened his eyes fully and rubbed the sleep out, before sitting up and finding himself face to face with Tiger Lily. Much to his surprise, he blushed and quickly pulled his hands away from her, removing his embrace. He felt his face, where dried tears had left an odd texture on his skin, and he looked embarrassed, his cheeks glowing pink.

"Um... I-I'm sorry about that," he said quickly. He looked back at her. "That, that you had to see that. It was foolish of me to bring those with us. "

Peter looked down downheartedly, and Tiger Lily had never seen him look so sad. He gazed back at her, the two locking eyes, and he bared the same expression of when he was drunk and crying.

"Are you disappointed?" he asked. "Disgusted with us? Think we are desperate idiots with no sense of control? Are you never coming back again because of this?" His voice broke, overcome by sorrow.

Tiger Lily took a while to reply, but she briefly looked down at her own hands, remembering how they had caressed his hair and massaged his back, how he had fallen asleep hugging her and crying softly in her chest.

She held up her hand and reached it out towards Peter's face, much to his surprise, gently stroking his cheek.

"You... looked... so sad," she whispered, looking directly at him, feeling the heat of his face in her fingers.

Peter was about to say something, but he didn't, instead faltering in his words.

Tiger Lily's hand brushed back down and she looked away, not sure what to say. Saying something like that was somewhat embarrassing enough already.

"Tiger Lily." Peter took her hand. "I want you to keep coming to see us. I want you to join in with us on our fun. I... want us to be good friends."

She felt her face redden, perhaps it was the color of a cherry at this point. "Good... friends?" Tiger Lily began remembering the words of the chieftain, strictly ordering every villager about the mischievous Peter Pan who should not be interacted with or be involved with in any sort of possible way. What if she was ever caught by someone from the village, seeing her, Peter, and the Lost Boys together? The punishments could be horrible, like hunting-restricting or village-confining.

But even though she knew it would be bad to get in trouble, at the same time, just seeing this young man looking so desperate, his serious face giving the impression of a determination she couldn't turn down. And besides, there was something about him; something that made Tiger Lily feel as if he deserved a special spot in her heart.

"You should know that this is one of the outcomes of our struggle, and this is how we all really feel. It's what we use as an opportunity to try to forget everything, everything dark that holds us back and weighs us down. So please," he pleaded, "don't see us badly for this, okay?"

Then he let go of her hand and held it out again, just like the second time they met, in which Peter introduced her to shaking hands.

"Friends?" he asked, smiling at her.

When Tiger Lily looked at that hand stretched out to her, she saw a different road, a much different path from what she could ever have expected or anticipated. It was a road of treacherous battles and dangerous consequences, but it was also a road of light-hearted happiness and... good fun. And as she looked back up into Peter's gentle eyes, she could see something more than that.

And knowing she would either love or regret this life-changing decision, she took his hand and shook it, a smile appearing on her face.

"Friends," she replied warmly.