Pan's Secret

by R. V. Bowman

  The group landed on the edge of the cliffs. Rommy had spent the entire time flying here tense, waiting for Pan to show up, but Finn had warned them in time. Still, they weren’t safe yet.

  She looked to where the jungle abruptly started only a few feet away. Even here, at the beginning of the path, it was overgrown.

  “We can’t fly in most of the jungle,” said Finn. “The trees and plants all grow too close together, but there is a bit of a path through most of it. The big thing is, we can’t get off the path, or we’ll never find our way out again.”

  Rommy looked up at the towering trees crowding out the sky. Long tangles of vines dripped off the branches, straggling onto the ground and creeping toward the cliff’s edge.

  “Why can’t we just fly over the top and then land close to Unilisi’s grove?” she asked. It seemed much less intimidating than trying to walk through the crowded vegetation. It also seemed safer.

  “‘Fly over the top,’ she says. ‘Land in the middle of the jungle,’ she says.” Balo’s laugh wasn’t pleasant. “I know you are a human, but I didn’t know you were quite so stupid.”

  “Hey,” said Rommy.

  Balo came to hover in front of Rommy’s face, his glow getting brighter. “Don’t you know anything, you big, dumb girl?” The fairy held up one finger. “First, Pan will see you, and you’ll be a nice, bright target.”

  Rommy felt her face flush. She hadn’t thought of that, only of trying to avoid the dark depths of the wildness before her.

  Balo held up another finger. “Second, you can’t just go through the canopy all willy-nilly. Well, we can.” He pointed to his fellow fairies and then gestured at Rommy, Alice, and Finn. “But you can’t. You’re too big. You’d get caught in the branches of one of the guardian trees. Even if you made it through there, which is highly doubtful, the birds or the monkeys would get you.”

  “What’s he saying?” asked Alice, wrinkling her nose.

  Rommy explained what Balo had said, and Alice wrinkled her nose. “Why do we gots to be afraid of birds and monkeys?”

  “Because, you dimwitted child, they guard the jungle, and they don’t welcome uninvited guests, especially ones that drop in from the sky.”

  “Balo,” said Nissa, coming to hover by him. “We are wasting time. I think you’ve made your point.” She turned to Rommy. “We must go through the jungle. There are no shortcuts.” She tilted her head. “But it was a valid question, despite Balo’s blustering.”

  The two warrior fairies were now waiting at the start of the path. “Come, we must hurry,” said the male one. Rommy couldn’t remember if he was Kalen or Talen.

  His sister pointed with her tiny spear. “Kalen is right,” she said, scanning the sky behind them. Rommy mentally made a note that the sister was Talen and the brother was Kalen. “Our luck has held so far, but we must go before Pan finds us.”

  Kalen and Balo led the way. The path was so narrow and overgrown Rommy and Alice had to walk single-file behind him. Nissa hovered by Finn, who was behind the girls, and Talen brought up the rear.

  Stepping into the jungle was like entering a tunnel. They had only gone a few feet when the light from the moon disappeared completely. The air felt close and plants brushed against Rommy’s hair, face, and body. She hoped none of them was carnivorous or poisonous. She was thankful for her boots because it was impossible to see where she was stepping. Alice clutched the back of her shirt, and Rommy felt a stab of guilt. Maybe the little girl would have been better off with Little Owl.

  The group moved silently, but the surrounding jungle was alive with the night creatures that lived there. A cacophony of insect noises, along with hoots and whistles filled the night air. The undergrowth swayed and rustled as larger creatures moved through the jungle.

  “This place is kinda spooky,” said Alice, her voice barely a whisper.

  “We’ll be okay if we all stay together and on the path,” said Finn, his voice floating from somewhere behind them.

  Rommy wasn’t sure how long they had been following the glowing amber and green balls of light when she realized it was getting lighter. The trees and plants were now dim outlines rather than just shadows. Gradually, the world around her became clearer.

  The trees thinned out a bit, and Balo and Kalen came to a stop.

  “What are we stopping for?” Rommy asked, although she was grateful. Her mouth was dry and her legs were tired.

  “We will take a moment to rest and refresh ourselves,” said Kalen with a stern glance at Balo, who had let out a loud huff. Kalen flew over to a tree that was lying next to the path, inspecting it from one end to the other and even flying through the hollowed trunk. He came out and hovered in front of Rommy. “It is safe,” he said. “You may sit and eat. The small one needs this stop.”

  Rommy, Alice, and Finn didn’t need any more encouragement. The three of them plopped down on the log, and Rommy opened the pack to pull out the cloth-wrapped bundle and the water flasks. She looked at Finn. “We’ll have to share the water. Little Owl only gave us the two.”

  Finn shrugged. “I’m fine.”

  Rommy unwrapped the cloth and found six small biscuit-sized pieces of food. She gave two each to Finn and Alice. All three of them started to eat immediately. After several bites, Rommy stopped and looked at the fairies.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, embarrassed. “Can we share with you?”

  Nissa made a face. “No, but we thank you.” The twin fairies nodded at Rommy. Nissa poked Balo.

  He waved a hand. “Like we would want human food.” He said human food in the same tone one might say garbage. Rommy bit back a smile. For some reason, she found Balo’s extreme grumpiness amusing.

  Rommy finished the last of her biscuits, took a swallow of water, and put the flask into her shirt pocket. She leaned down to pick up the sack by her foot and felt a whoosh above her head. There was a loud thunk as something solid hit the tree behind her.

  Before she could turn to see what it was, Finn had tackled both her and Alice and rolled them behind the log. She spit out a mouthful of moss.

  “What...”

  “Sssh,” he said, poking his head above the log. Another whistling sound and another thunk. “Blast!” he said.

  Rommy was still confused. “What’s going on?” she said.

  Finn met her eyes, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “Someone is shooting at us.”

  “Is it Pan?” asked Alice, her face white.

  Finn opened his mouth to answer, but Nissa buzzed down to the hover in front of them. “You must run,” she said. “Kalen, Talen, and I will hold off the girl. Follow Balo. He will lead you, for you must leave the path. Follow him now, quickly, when you hear the signal.”

  The three of them pulled their feet underneath them and prepared to make a run for it. Suddenly, a loud undulating war cry sounded. Without waiting to see who had made it, Finn tucked Alice under his arm and pulled Rommy after him. They crashed through the undergrowth, struggling to keep Balo’s golden brown light in view.

  Rommy was running blind, and the only thing that kept her from falling several times was Finn’s hand grasping hers. She didn’t know how he was running so fast and holding onto Alice. Although she tried to protect her face, leaves and branches slapped at her and tore at her hair.

  She leaped over a log, and then Finn disappeared and his hand tore out of her grasp. Before she could figure out what had happened, she stepped into nothing. Her arms cartwheeled, trying to grab onto anything, but there was just empty space.

  Chapter 24:

  Wolf Pack

  Branches and vines caught at Rommy’s hair as she tumbled through the air, too shocked even to try to fly. She landed with a thud, and for a moment, she couldn’t breathe. She sucked frantically at the air, but nothing went into her lungs.

  A face appeared, scrunched into worry. “Are you okay? Why are you gawping like a fish?” Alice asked.

  “She’s just got the wind knocked out of her, is all,
” said Finn, who put his arm behind Rommy’s back and helped her to sit up. She shook her head and looked around her. They were in some kind of ravine that was choked with vines and plants growing at all angles. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” she said when she could breathe again.

  Finn put out his hand, and she allowed him to pull her up to her feet. “Where are Nissa and the others?” she asked, realizing that the lights she had become used to were absent.

  Finn pointed upward. Rommy followed his movement and saw four glowing lights hovering on the far side of the ravine’s edge. The amber light buzzed down toward them.

  “What are you doing down here?” Balo demanded.

  “We certainly didn’t plan to end up down here,” Rommy said.

  “Well, don’t dawdle. This is not a place you want to...”

  A low growl interrupted him. Balo threw up his tiny arms. “Here we go,” he muttered.

  Alice tapped Rommy’s arm. “Rommy? I think we gots problems,” she said.

  Rommy turned her head, and her stomach dropped. Six massive wolves had arranged themselves around them, three on each end of the ravine, blocking any escape. She looked up, and all she could see were tangles of vegetation. Maybe if they pushed up hard enough, they could fly through it without getting caught.

  Balo flew toward the largest wolf, holding out his arms in a placating gesture. “Now, Bardolf,” he said. “The younglings didn’t mean to intrude on your territory. It was quite an accident on their part, and they are happy to leave right away.”

  Rommy looked from one wolf to the next. They all mostly looked alike, their fur a mixture of gray and black. However, the smallest one had fur that was a pale silvery gray, and one wolf was so black he seemed part of the shadows.

  Four of the wolves had their heads lowered, teeth bared, fur bristling, but the small, silver one was just staring at them. The big black one wasn’t snarling, but his eyes, a startling blue, pierced into them as if waiting for them to make a wrong move.

  Finn, Alice, and Rommy moved closer together, their backs touching each other. As if on cue, all the wolves took another step closer, tightening the circle.

  Balo moved toward the wolf he had called Bardolf. “You know they mean no harm, here,” said Balo.

  “What are these human younglings doing in the jungle, anyway?” growled Bardolf. “If you can answer that to my satisfaction, I may let them leave.”

  Rommy had been listening to the exchange, and she took a tentative step forward. One wolf, a whip thin animal with glowing yellow eyes, snapped her jaws and growled deep in its throat. Rommy became still, not even turning her head toward Bardolf.

  “We apologize for intruding,” she said, her lips barely moving, her eyes trained on the snarling wolf. “Our only wish is to talk to Unilisi, and we’d be very grateful if you would allow us to leave.”

  Bardolf’s eyes widened, and his muzzle wrinkled in confusion. “You can understand me, youngling?” he asked.

  Rommy nodded her head and tugged the glowing stone from beneath her shirt. “I was given a hearing stone,” she said. She wasn’t sure what the relationship between Chief Hawk Eye’s people and the wolves was, so she didn’t mention Little Owl’s name.

  “Hmm, I have not seen one of those in a long while, but then few humans venture this deeply into the jungle,” he said. He looked around at the others and gave a sharp yip. The other wolves visibly relaxed. The big black one sat down on his haunches.

  Bardolf padded forward until he stood in front of Rommy. He was so large he could look her straight in the eye. She swallowed and became very still.

  Behind the wolf’s massive head, Balo motioning at her to not move.

  “Why are you going to see the Tree Mother? Don’t you know this is a very dangerous place for a youngling?” Bardolf leaned forward and sniffed at Rommy.

  Rommy held her breath until the wolf pulled his snout away from her. She wasn’t sure what she should or shouldn’t say, but the wolf waited for her to speak. Taking a deep breath, she decided to just tell the truth.

  “We want to see if Unilisi knows of a way to close the passage from our world to Neverland,” she said. “Peter Pan is bringing children here against their will, and we want to stop him.”

  “Fewer humans can only be a good thing,” said a more feminine voice. It was the thin wolf. “But how do we know she speaks the truth?”

  Bardolf frowned at the other wolf. “Tala, not every human is an enemy, but you are right. Fewer humans would be better for the island, and the human called Peter has never been a friend to us.” He turned back to Rommy. “How did your elders allow you, a group of younglings, to make this journey? Even with the fairy folk, your chances of getting to the Tree Mother and back out alive are not promising.”

  Rommy lifted her chin. “We have to try,” she said. “We can’t let Pan keep kidnapping children. It’s just wrong.”

  The black wolf stood and came forward. He lowered his head to Bardolf. Bardolf placed his head on top of the black wolf’s and rubbed it with his chin. Then he stepped back half a pace.

  The black wolf turned to inspect Rommy. His blue eyes unnerved her, and he was almost as tall as Bardolf, but he was bulkier. She resisted the urge to back up. He swung his head back to the leader of the pack.

  “Bardolf, perhaps we should aid these younglings in their journey,” he said. “As you say, the jungle is dangerous. The fairies are powerful, but there are many dangerous creatures here.”

  Bardolf tilted his head and studied the black wolf. “You may be right, Lobo.” He turned his head to another gray wolf, this one slim and graceful. “Artemis, what do you think, my dear? Shall we escort these younglings on their quest?”

  The she-wolf paced forward and nuzzled her mate. “You are generous, Bardolf, to think of helping the humans, but we shouldn’t put the entire pack at risk.” Her eyes swung to Lobo. “Perhaps we can send one wolf along with them, to help guard them and keep them safe.”

  Bardolf nosed the she-wolf. “As always, you are wise, my love,” he said. He looked around at the other wolves, who had all drawn closer, listening in on the conversation.

  The one called Tala curled her lip, and Rommy hoped Bardolf wouldn’t volunteer that wolf to go with them. She’d have to sleep with one eye open. The silvery wolf had lost interest and was stalking something in a clump of bushes. Another wolf was on his belly. He seemed to be trying to make himself smaller. A low whine came from between his lips.

  Bardolf looked at Artemis. “We can’t send Luna,” he said. “She is still too much a cub.”

  “I believe the only choice is Lobo,” said Artemis. “Tala doesn’t care for humans, and Phalon,” she curled her lip, “I don’t think he is up for the task.” The wolf on his belly whined louder.

  Lobo stepped closer to the alpha pair and bowed his head. “It would honor me to take the younglings to the Tree Mother,” he said. His tail swished back and forth.

  Bardolf stepped away from Artemis and turned his attention once more to Rommy. “Lobo will go with you, and he will help to keep you safe.”

  Rommy wasn’t sure she wanted a wolf as a traveling companion, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it at this point. She bowed her head respectfully. “I thank you for your generosity and your kindness,” she said.

  Bardolf nudged her shoulder with his nose. “Go now with Lobo,” he said. “He will show you how to get out of the ravine.”

  Finn had been watching the exchange, his eyes moving from Bardolf to Rommy. Alice, who was between Finn and Rommy, had remained silent, although her small body was stiff with tension.

  Rommy turned and explained what had just happened. Finn lifted an eyebrow. “The wolf pack wants to help us?” he asked incredulously.

  “Ain’t it a bad idea to bring along something that can eat you?” said Alice.

  Rommy knew the hearing stone made her words plain to Bardolf, but she didn’t think it would interpret what Alice and Finn were saying. Still,
she didn’t want to offend Bardolf or seem ungrateful for his offer of help. “Bardolf is kindly sending Lobo with us. We should be very grateful for his help.”

  Balo, who had also been watching the proceedings with interest, zipped up and smacked Finn on the back of his head. “Are you stupid, boy? Take the wolves up on their offer and don’t sound ungrateful. Lobo will be a great help on this journey, and he is not averse to humans the way Tala is. Now, let’s go. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

  The big black wolf padded up to stand next to Rommy. “I will do my best to lead you and protect you,” he said. “You have my promise.”

  Rommy decided she would trust him unless he gave her a reason not to. After all, what choice did she have? “Thank you, Lobo,” she said. Then she gestured with her hand. “We’ll follow you.”

  With a soft woof, the big black wolf moved forward, and Rommy, Finn, and Alice followed him through the snaking ravine. Rommy just hoped this wasn’t a mistake.

  Chapter 25:

  Traveling Jungle-Style

  Lobo led the small group unerringly though the dense brush and rocky ground out of the ravine. Rommy had to admit they would have had a hard time finding their way without him. When they reached the top, Lobo paused and looked at Rommy. She turned to the others, who had all stopped and gathered into a circle. They were all now staring at her. Expectant. A fizz of nerves started in her stomach.

  “I’m wondering if we should go back to the main path or not,” she said. “Do you know who was shooting at us?” she asked, suspecting the answer.

  Nissa moved forward. “It was Tiger Lily,” she said. “I believe it is wiser to stay off the path. She will expect you to follow it. You will be much easier targets there.”

  Balo scoffed. “She probably thinks you were wolf snacks and left.”

  Finn kicked at a stone and sent it tumbling down the side of the ravine. “I don’t know, Balo. Pan probably sent her to do his dirty work, and he’ll want proof we’re no longer a problem.”