Straight On Till Morning (Disney Twisted Tales) - Liz Braswell Page 0,47

girl ever cried—had ever cried in her strange, short life—at least in front of other people.

“But, ahh.…” She couldn’t stop herself from asking, from leaning in and whispering: “Don’t you find it a little…bothersome to be with these wild boys all the time?”

For an answer, Skipper opened her mouth and let out a terrifically loud burp.

“Nice one, Skip,” Slightly said, touching his hat and bowing to her. The rest of the Lost Boys cackled and laughed and cheered and tried to follow suit, with considerably less success.

“Well,” Wendy said, trying not to appear flustered or embarrassed, “I suppose that answers that.”

“Mermaid Lagoon is that way, when the two of you are ready,” Slightly said, pointing to the southeast. “How will you go? There’s the path east and south beyond the Tonal Springs, or will you be trying to sail across the Bay of Skull Island?”

“Neither,” Wendy said politely—and perhaps just a little smugly. “We’ll be taking the ether.”

And with that, she neatly rose up off her toes and a few feet into the air.

The Lost Boys cheered, crowed, and guffawed at that.

“Tink! You gave an outsider fairy dust?” Slightly called in mock outrage. “My my, how far down in the world we have come.”

Tinker Bell stuck her tongue out at him. Slightly made a very inappropriate, rude gesture back at her that Wendy had only seen thugs and urchins use. But he was laughing. The fairy tossed her head derisively.

Wendy wondered about their interactions. Tinker Bell had her own room in the Lost Boys’ hangout. Yet she seemed to treat them as meanly—or, at least, indifferently—as she did everyone else. For their part, the Lost Boys seemed to not to care what she thought, or they simply accepted that it was just part of her touchy personality. Maybe it’s not just me, Wendy thought. Maybe the fairy was naturally prickly and bad-tempered to everyone.

But she doubted if Tinker Bell had ever physically attacked a Lost Boy the way she had assaulted her back at the clearing with the crystal creature. And she couldn’t imagine Skipper acting the way Wendy had, stepping away and apologizing. The Lost Boy probably would have cracked Tinker Bell across the pate for such behavior.

Luna yawned, turning herself around several times before sitting down heavily next to Tootles. The little boy laughed and rubbed his face into her fur. The wolf looked wearily up at Wendy: Are we really taking off again so soon? Just look what a lovely group of playmates we have here. I could use a nap, too.…

“Can we…”

“…keep her?” the twins begged immediately.

“Just for now?”

“She’s so tired!”

“Nobody can keep her,” Wendy said. “She’s her own person.”

And yet…insomuch as Luna was anyone’s, she was Wendy’s. She was Wendy’s dream dog, the perfect companion for adventures in Never Land.

But was she a pet?

Perhaps something created in Never Land was never really a Londoner’s to begin with.

And the wolf really was just a puppy—a very large, very tired-looking one at that.

“Tinker Bell,” Wendy said as casually as she could, relishing the use of the fairy’s name and the intimacy it brought, “what do you think about Luna? Perhaps she is looking a little exhausted.”

Tinker Bell considered the wolf, then nodded slowly. She pointed at the Lost Boys and shrugged: What better place for a puppy to stay?

“All right then, goodbye for now,” Wendy said, dipping down to give Luna a big hug around her neck and shoulders. The wolf licked her all over.

Then the girl sighed and rose into the air. Tinker Bell followed—a few feet away, of course.

At least, Wendy thought, we two have just had our first completely neutral conversation: no anger, no recriminations, no insult jingles. It is certainly a step.

She waved at the Lost Boys. “It was lovely meeting all of you.”

“See you! Send us a signal as soon as you’ve sorted stuff out with Peter!” Slightly called.

The Lost Boys leapt and capered and yelled after them. Tootles and the twins broke into a wild twirling circle dance. Skipper gave a shy wave with a half-smile. Cubby howled like a wolf rather than the bear he thought he was. Luna joined in, a great doggy smile on her muzzle.

It was a charming scene—and Wendy dearly hoped that would not be the last she would see of her beloved wolf.

Once they were out of the jungle, Tinker Bell chose to hug the curving coast rather than cross the water, which would have been faster. And when Wendy took a detour over the