FicWad

As Wendy approached the camp, she became less sure of her plan. She had her bow and quiver of arrows on her back and was starting to think she should have left them behind. She didn't want them to perceive her as a threat.

The members of the tribe watched her carefully as she walked into the small village of wigwams. Even though they regarded her suspiciously, they did not seem threatened by her presence.

A woman came up to her, wearing a deerskin robe, skirt and leggings. "Are you hungry? Come, we have some food on the fire."

Wendy hesitated, then remembered that this was often the greeting that was given to guests. Was she a guest then? She followed the woman to the fire, where some meat was being smoked.

She sat down on the ground and was given some cooked meat. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was really good. Blue was given some meat as well and seemed to be enjoying it just as much. Whatever it was, it was better than the few birds Wendy and he had managed to get.

"Thank you," she said. As she ate, everyone around her went back to what they had been doing before. A few children laughed and ran around. Wendy couldn't help but wonder whether they would grow older, or if it was just Peter and the boys who didn't age. But what about Hook?

Suddenly, everyone stopped working again. Wendy looked up and followed their gaze to the entrance of the largest wigwam.

There, her head held high with a proud glint in her eyes, looking as regal as any king or queen, stood Tiger Lily. Wendy wasn't sure whether she should rise or bow. She put down her food and knelt, bowing her head. Blue did the same beside her.

Looking up again, she saw Tiger Lily coming towards her. She wore an intricately beaded coat, skirt and leggings and a colourful wampum belt at her waist. Wendy noticed her incorporation of female clothing with the traditional chief's clothing. Her father must have died in the time she had been gone.

Tiger Lily gestured for Wendy to rise and she stood up slowly.

Trying to remember the proper etiquette, Wendy said, "Chief Tiger Lily, I have come with a gift and hope to discuss a possible alliance between myself and your tribe."

Nodding, Tiger Lily gestured for Wendy to come with her into the wigwam she had just come out of. Wendy followed her and they sat down across from each other inside, the small fire between them. Blue sat down beside Wendy, and Tiger Lily looked at her expectantly.

"Oh, yes, the gift," Wendy exclaimed, and drew the pistol from her pocket, holding it out on her flat hand. It seemed the best thing for a gift, after all, she didn't have much else. But it was her only good weapon, so Wendy sincerely hoped that she would come out of this with an ally. "I took it from one of Hook's men."

"I know," said Tiger Lily, speaking for the first time as she took the pistol. She looked at it from all angles, checking the powder and how many shots were left with some experience. "Three shots," she murmured.

"How do you know?"

"That there are three shots?"

"No, how do you know that I took it from a pirate?"

She shifted her gaze from the pistol to Wendy. "You don't think that I would have a new player on the island without having someone watch them, do you? I know that Peter and his boys are searching the island for you, but they don't know it's you. I know that Hook is moving his ship towards Mermaid Lagoon as we speak. I always know who is where."

Wendy nodded. She should have known. "I am sorry about your father," she said quietly.

"He is in a better place now," Tiger Lily put the pistol down beside her. "And he prepared me well for my role."

"I can see that."

"Now, you came here to discuss an alliance," Tiger Lily shifted over to grab a map of the island that had been drawn on a piece of what looked like deerskin.

"Yes, I have not allied myself with anyone yet, other than Blue here," Wendy said, nodding towards the wolf that sat alert beside her.

"I think that an alliance would benefit us both greatly," Tiger Lily said. "I had been thinking about paying you a visit to discuss the subject for a little while now."

"Really?" Wendy was surprised at how easy that was.

Tiger Lily nodded. "I have my tribe, my braves, and you have a connection with Hook and knowledge of his ship."

Wendy first smiled, but it faded slightly. "Wait, a connection with Hook?"

"He could have killed you, and yet he didn't. He stopped his men from coming after you when you jumped off his ship. He has no men scouring the island to find you, as he would do with anyone else. He has even instructed them not to hurt you if they do come across you," she explained calmly. "You are some kind of weakness for him, and with you on our side, we can exploit that weakness."

Wendy had some difficulty understanding what she was being told. She didn't for a moment doubt that what Tiger Lily was telling her was true, she knew the most of what was happening on the island, only second to the mermaids.

But she Hook's weakness? At any other time, Wendy would have laughed this off, but he had let her go. And she had noticed that there were no pirates bothering her anymore, while before they had been combing the island.

Blue seemed to notice her confusion and nuzzled her arm with his nose, laying his head down on her lap.

"I am terribly sorry, but I think I'll need to think about this a little longer," Wendy said, standing up quickly, Blue following her lead.

"What?" Tiger Lily rose, puzzled by Wendy's sudden change of mind.

"I am sorry, and I hope I haven't offended you or anything." She started for the door. "It really was nice seeing you again, you're a great leader." Wendy quickly left the wigwam and hurried through the village, people watching her and Blue as they made their way to the forest.

Wendy drew her fingers through her short hair, not even sure herself why she had just done that. What was she thinking, throwing away a perfectly good alliance like that? And because of Hook? She was being ridiculous.

The captain was a bloodthirsty, cruel pirate who ruled with an iron hook. Literally. She had said it herself numerous times in her stories, he was the only man that the Sea Cook had ever feared. He was the bad guy.

But he had let her go.

The thought nagged in the back of her mind as she tramped through the forest, not really going anywhere specific. Blue followed her faithfully, looking up at her worriedly every now and then, a sort of sympathetic light in his eyes.

Wendy found herself at the edge of Mermaid's Lagoon without even realizing that that was where she was going. The water was no longer calm, and it rippled and splashed as the mermaids swam around, laughing and chatting together.

Are mermaids not sweet?

They'll sweetly drown you if you get too close.

She took off her shoes and tossed them with her bow and arrows back into the bushes, getting ready to go in the water. If anyone knew about this so-called connection between her and Hook, it was them. Just as she stepped into the water, Blue let out a high-pitched whine.

"What is it, boy?" she asked, looking back at him.

Blue nodded his head towards the mermaids and then shook his head fervently. You can't trust them, he seemed to say.

"I know, but I need to ask someone," Wendy said. "Why don't you help me by making sure that Peter isn't anywhere near and distracting him if you can."

Although Blue turned and went back into the trees, Wendy could tell that he wasn't happy about her plan. But she really had no other choice.

After wading in up to her waist, Wendy swam to the nearest unoccupied rock and pulled herself up on it. This caught the mermaids' attention, and they slipped into the water, coming towards her.

A mermaid with red hair came up first and looked at Wendy curiously. Soon, all the mermaids had gathered around her.

"So, Wendy Moira Angela Darling has finally come to pay us a visit," said a mermaid with hair so blonde it was almost white.

Wendy didn't question how they knew her whole name and asked. "Is there a connection between me and Hook?"

The mermaids all looked at each other knowingly and smiled. "Yes," said another mermaid. "there is something of a connection between you and the captain."

"What is it?"

"That is not for us to tell," said the red-head.

"Oh, come on, please?" Wendy begged. "I need to know."

"When you need to know, you will find out," said the blonde mermaid simply.

Wendy began to grow impatient. "But I want to know now. Tell me." It came out harsher than she had meant, so she added a soft, "Please?"

The expressions of the mermaids changed in an instant from mysterious smiles and twinkling silver eyes to something much more sinister. Wendy had gone too far.

They began grabbing at her arms and legs, trying to drag her under the water. Wendy struggled, refusing to let them get her.

"Let go!" she shouted, completely forgetting that she didn't want anyone to know where she was. "Let me go! I'm sorry! Please, let me go!"