the jungle.
“Looks like you’ve had a bit of an adventure,” Peter said, nodding at Slightly’s arm.
“The caves are still inhabited, don’t you know.”
“You showed ’em who’s who, though, right?”
“Oh, we showed them all right!”
Slightly couldn’t resist grinning, the whites of his teeth glistening like a real fox’s.
The smile was infectious: Peter smiled back proudly.
“I’m awfully glad you made it, Slightly. I’m not in top form at all. Things would be pretty grim without you all here to help me against the pirates,” Peter admitted.
“Well, things would be pretty grim without you around ever again,” Slightly said softly.
Peter opened his mouth to say something else, but then Tootles broke in excitedly.
“We fought! And won!” he cried, pushing his way into the middle of the two older boys.
Peter grinned and swept him up into the air. “Of course you did! You’re the best fighters a captain could ever want!”
But he looked at Slightly as he said it.
The fox boy smiled back.
Then all the tension was gone, and everyone was talking and shouting excitedly about what had happened and where Peter’s shadow was and what the plan was next.
Peter looked grim. “Fact is, men, it could go down at any time. Hook’s got my shadow and he’s been holding it prisoner, torturing it. And when he does that, it hurts me. They’re rounding the Bloody Neck, or were a little while ago, and should be here any moment. They plan to get all of us, me first. Then all of Never Land. We need to be ready.”
“We need to come up with a plan,” Wendy added.
“All right then!” Peter said. “All together now—fairies, Lost Boys, Wendy, and me! Let’s do this!”
Look, the pirates, Tinker Bell jingled nervously.
And there it was: riding a fair wind from the west, the Jolly Roger swept into view, its ghastly flag—and Peter’s shadow—snapping in the breeze.
The Lost Boys and Wendy immediately crouched down behind the bushes. The two fairies hid their glow behind a tree and peeped out.
The ship came near enough to the beach that Hook could clearly be seen in his blazing red jacket marching up and down the deck, gesticulating and shouting orders. Pirates scurried everywhere frantically, dropping anchor and readying the skiffs.
“What is that?” Slightly whispered in horror. He pointed at the glinting golden cage and the black formless mass within.
“That’s my shadow,” Peter growled.
“That’s why you haven’t had any…attacks in the last few minutes,” Wendy realized. “Hook has been too busy making preparations for landing to pay attention to your shadow.”
That is an ugly desecration of nature, Thorn said in disgust. I half thought you were wrong. That no one, not even pirates, would consider such a thing. My apologies. Anyone who would do this is capable of anything—including wiping out Never Land.
Hook suddenly stopped and pulled out a spyglass, aiming it at the shore.
The little group immediately hunkered down behind the bushes again.
“Should we wait until they’re all in the smaller boats?” Slightly asked. “They’ll be easy pickings for Skipper with—uh, his bow, and the twins with their slings.”
I cannot fly well over the water, Thorn said. For us, it would be best to wait until they’ve landed.
“I don’t know how much good I could do,” Wendy admitted. “Even on land. A bunch of bees without stingers is one thing—a bunch of pirates with swords…Well, I could try.…”
Me too! Tinker Bell put in. I’m not a warrior like Thorn, but any good I do would have to be on land.
The pirates had begun boarding the skiffs and lowering them down. There were at least a dozen of the men, all armed to the teeth.
Hook remained behind on the ship, one booted foot up on the railing, a triumphant leer polluting his face as he watched his men row toward the beach.
Peter’s face darkened.
“Here’s what I think we should do,” Wendy said. “When Caesar was invading Gaul, he—”
“HOOOOOOOOOOOK!” Peter cried, and flew out of the jungle, knife drawn.
“Oh,” Wendy said, too stunned to do much else.
“You heard the captain!” Slightly shouted, shaking his sword. “HOOK! AND THE PIRATES!”
“HOOK AND THE PIRATES!”
The Lost Boys ran screaming out of the jungle, Thorn zipping reluctantly after them.
And the final battle between the pirates and the Lost Boys began.
The Lost Boys (and Luna) broke out of the jungle and ran screaming down the beach just as the first skiff touched shore. The pirates, undaunted, leapt out of their boats into the water, cutlasses and muskets drawn. They, too, screamed.
For one dizzying moment it was as strange and