“Eirwen!” Petra called out to him, tears glittering in her pale green eyes. She went to his side. “No.”

Hook looked psychotically pleased with Petra’s suffering and smiled cruelly. “How does it feel to have your heart broken, Petra? I think I’ll let you live a little while longer so that you can suffer over the loss of the man you love dying to protect you!”

Hook slashed Excalibur through the air in order to get some of the blood off its blade before sheathing the sword into an empty scabbard that she had strapped to her side. She stalked over to the volcano wall, and grabbed one of the ropes that were dangling down from the mouth of the volcano. “Time to go, me hearties! Retreat!”

“Aye, aye, Captain!” The pirates obediently sheathed their weapons, ran for the lines, and grabbed them. A group of pirates that had been positioned at the mouth of the volcano then started to quickly pull up the lines in order to assist their crewmates with making a faster escape.

Tiger swore as the pirates and Hook began to make their escape. Where the hell was Petra? His dark gaze quickly scanned the battlefield and he caught sight of a bleeding, agonizing Eirwen cradled in Petra’s arms. “Oh, Great Spirit…” The Indian prince ran over to them and crouched down in front of them. “Petra.”

With glittering tears in her eyes, Petra looked up at Tiger. “He’s mortally wounded.”

“I’m sorry, I wish I could help, but…” Tiger’s dark gaze flicked over to the escaping pirates. “I can’t let Hook escape with Excalibur. That sword is our only hope for saving Neverland.”

Petra nodded solemnly. “I understand. Go after her.” She opened her mouth as if she wanted to say more, but then snapped it shut.

Tiger noticed the conflict swirling in her eyes though. “I’ll try to take Hook alive if I can.”

Petra let out a sigh of relief and gave Tiger a grateful look. “Thank you, Tiger,” she said softly.

Tiger grabbed an unused line and began to use it to scale the volcano’s wall in order to pursue Hook and her crew. He wouldn’t let them get away. He’d get Excalibur back.

As soon as the pirates had left the cavern, and it was safe, Joan and Michelle ran across the expanse of black rock, and over to Petra and Eirwen. Joan collapsed to her knees next to them. “Brother!”

Michelle sniffled as tears filled her blue eyes. “Is Eirwen going to die?”

Petra gave the two girls a hopeless look. “I…don’t know what I should do. I think he’s…”

“Apply pressure to his wound,” Joan directed firmly. “We have to stop the bleeding first. Then we’ll think of something. Some way to save him. There must be a way. This is…Neverland after all.” She nibbled on her lower lip thoughtfully. “Maybe some pixie dust would help.”

A spark of hope ignited in Petra’s green eyes. “Of course.” Petra ripped off the bottom of her dress and pressed the cotton material against Eirwen’s bleeding chest in an attempt to staunch the blood flow.

Nibby had approached the group and was watching what Petra was doing. Her expression was grim, however, as she watched Eirwen growing as pale as a ghost. “Petra, I don’t think he…”

At that moment, Tinker stirred in Joan’s hand, and groaned. “Ugh. Anybody get the number of that truck?” He blinked, and rubbed his head. Then he suddenly remembered about the pirates that had wanted to gut Joan and Michelle. “Bloody pirates!” He flew up and out of Joan’s hand and looked around frantically, but the pirates were nowhere to be seen. “What’s going on? Why the long faces? What’s everyone looking at?”

When Tink followed their line of sight he saw the wounded Eirwen cradled in Petra’s arms as she applied pressure to his wound. “Merlin’s Beard!” Tinker flew over to get a closer look. He clucked his tongue at the size of the wound. “Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. How did that happen? I thought he was supposed to be good with a sword?”

A dark cloud fell over Petra’s face, and she looked sad and guilty. “He…saved me. I thought I could finally reach my sister Jasmine, but I was wrong.”

Tinker looked down at Eirwen in surprise. “He saved you?”

Petra gave the fairy a beseeching look. “Please, Tink. There must be something you can do. Heal him with your fairy magic. Save him!”

Tinker nibbled on his lower lip while looking at the dying Eirwen. The others were unable to see it, but Tinker was able to see the life energy that was leaving Eirwen’s body. “I can’t…this is beyond even my powers. Maybe, if we could get him to a healer in the Fairy Kingdom he could be saved. But…it’s too far. He’d never make it in time. I’m sorry, Petra.”

A broken sob slipped past Petra’s lips.

“Um, guys…” Joan spoke up in a tentative tone. “What’s happening…?”

Petra and Tinker looked around to see that a thick white mist was rolling across the ground.

Tinker’s eyes widened in realization. “The Never-dragon is awakening.” He looked around the cavern. “Where’s Tiger? He has the horn.”

“He went after Hook,” Petra informed them, “to get Excalibur back.”

Tinker began to pale and his eyes widened in alarm. “We need to get out of here. Now.”

“I won’t leave him,” Petra announced adamantly. It was already going to be hard enough to leave the bodies of her fallen comrades behind. There was no way she could leave behind the body of the man she loved.

Tinker let out a resigned sigh. Petra Pan could be really stubborn at times. “Alright, fine, I suppose we’ll have to take him with us. Just…give me a minute.” The fairy began to fly around the cavern at top speed while gathering sticks, and other odds and ends. The fairy was moving so fast that he was a mere blur to the naked eye.

Tinker started to build something and Joan watched with narrowed eyes until she realized just what it was. “Cool, Tink’s building a stretcher!” It only took two minutes for Tinker to complete his makeshift stretcher.

Petra grinned brightly when the stretcher was completed. “They don’t call him Tinker for nothing!”

Tinker then turned his attention to the remaining Lost Girls that had managed to survive their encounter with the pirates: Nibby, Lulu and Tootles. “Nibby, Lulu, get Eirwen on that stretch, and get him out of here. It’s time to go.”

“Yes, Tink!” The two girls said simultaneously and saluted Tinker. They were used to following Tink’s orders. Petra watched as Nibby and Lulu got Eirwen on the stretcher, then picked it up, and started to carry him from the cavern.

Everyone left followed after them, heading for the tunnel opening with Petra lagging behind. There was this niggling sensation that was telling her she shouldn’t leave the cave just yet.

Just as Joan and Michelle entered the tunnel the ground began to tremble as the dragon started to stir. Petra hesitated at the entrance to the tunnel, and glanced over her shoulder at the slowly rousing dragon. It had a rather large pair of wings. She bet that dragon was able to fly really fast.

Suddenly, it was clear to Petra what she had to do. She turned around, started to walk back into the cavern, and approached the dragon bravely.

Tinker looked around the tunnel and noticed Petra’s absence. Where the hell had Petra gone now? He turned around to see that Petra was walking back towards the dragon. “Galloping gorgons! Petra, what the hell are you doing? Get your silly butt back here! He’ll eat you!”

Petra ignored the fairy and didn’t respond. Instead, she just kept her eyes trained on the dragon in front of her. The dragon’s eyes slowly began to open, revealing two enormous golden orbs filled with ancient wisdom, and a spark of mischief. The dragon’s keen eyes immediately fixed on Petra.

Petra did not break eye contact with the dragon and continued her approach until she was standing directly in front of it.

“Please, I need your help,” Petra said as she lowered her eyes and reached out her hand. She placed her hand against the dragon’s snout and waited.

Would it eat her, or…?

Any aggression the dragon had been feeling appeared to seep out of the dragon abruptly at Petra’s innocent touch, and it nuzzled its snout against Petra’s hand affectionately.

Michelle’s blue eyes were as wide as saucers. “She pulled a Hiccup.”

Petra’s eyes flew open and she turned to stare at the dragon. She swallowed nervously. “Will you help me?”

The dragon grinned revealing its sharp teeth. “You are quite brave for a lowly human. For your bravery you have gained yourself a boon from me. Consider yourself lucky I’m not feeling hungry. What is your desire?”

“My friend is dying,” Petra quickly began to explain. “I must take him to the Fairy Kingdom as fast as possible. It’s his only hope.”

The dragon let out a snort. “Then what are you waiting for, girl?”

Petra grinned brightly back at the Never-dragon, and its own smile widened to match hers. Apparently, she’d found herself a kindred spirit.

 ***

Prince Tiger of the Piccaninny Tribe stealthily followed Captain Hook and her pirate crew through the forest. Tiger found it odd that they didn’t appear to be heading to Pirate’s Cove where Hook’s ship The Jolly Roger was usually anchored. Tiger wondered where the pirates were heading instead, and realized with a sinking feeling in his chest that they could only be heading to one place - Tezcatlipoca’s evil lair located somewhere in the Lost City of Gold, El Dorado.

Tiger was keeping a close eye on the pirates when they suddenly entered a certain patch of forest and simply disappeared. Tiger’s jaw dropped open slightly in shock. What the hell? Where’d they go?

Tiger’s brow furrowed as he cautiously approached the trees where the pirates had disappeared. He reached his hand out and watched in amazement as it seemed to pass through some kind of magical barrier and disappear. “Great Spirit,” he said in awe.

Tiger took a deep breath to steel his nerves before simply stepping forward and through the barrier. Tiger’s eyes widened when the landscape before him changed completely to reveal a low valley with a city nestled in the very heart of it. “El Dorado,” Tiger murmured to himself.

The city was an amazing sight. Stone pyramid-shaped buildings as well as square-shaped buildings made up the city. In the distance, all the way across the city from where Tiger was standing, he saw an impressive pyramid-shaped temple that dwarfed all the other structures in the city. On either side of the steep stone steps that led to the entrance of the temple two enormous stone crocodiles stood like guardian sphinxes.

But, the most extraordinary feature of the city was that every building, statue, and stone animal totem pole had been inlaid and embellished with gold and precious gems. There was so much gold that Tiger had to shield his eyes from the glare caused by the sun’s rays reflecting off of the gold. “The Lost City of Gold.” Tiger was thoroughly stunned. He almost expected to see Aztec people going about their day-to-day lives, but the city was devoid of human life.

That didn’t mean that the city was devoid of all life, however. Sunbathing on the stone steps that led up to the pyramids, and relaxing in artificially created pools of water were crocodiles. The crocodiles varied in size from four feet to twenty feet in length. Tiger figured that the smaller ones were younger or female. The deadly beasts came in a variety of different colors: dark green, pale green, black and gray.

Tiger could tell instantly that none of them were the evil shape-shifting mage Tezcatlipoca, who while in his imposing ‘beast’ form was rumored to be forty-feet-long.

Tiger watched as Hook and her crew fearlessly descended into the city, and into the heart of that nest of crocodiles. As the pirates casually started their way down the main cobbled road of the city, which led straight to the grand temple, several crocodiles approached the group with menacing intent.

Tiger frowned. Surely, Hook didn’t intend to fight all the crocodiles in El Dorado in order to reach the temple.

That’s when Hook smiled sharply, and raised her golden hook high over her head. As the hook reflected the sun’s rays glyphs and pictograms that had been engraved into the gold cup hilt became visible, and started to glow brightly.

The crocodiles released distressed animal sounds before quickly retreating as if they were afraid of the hook. Magic. Tiger realized uneasily. Tezcatlipoca had most likely placed some form of dark enchantment or protective ward on the pirate captain’s hook.

Jasmine kept her hook raised before her as she continued to lead her crewmates through El Dorado with confident steps.

Tiger started down into the valley after them. He knew he had to keep as close to Hook and her crew as possible, or else he’d been overwhelmed by the crocodiles. Unfortunately, he couldn’t allow himself to be seen by the pirates either.

As luck would have it, the Indians of the Piccaninny Tribe were masters of camouflage techniques, and so Tiger was able to continue his pursuit of the pirates unnoticed by concealing himself behind some tropical foliage. It helped him to blend in with the city that had become overgrown with plants and vegetation.

Since the pirates were heading towards the temple with the crocodile sphinxes Tiger deduced that it must be Tezcatlipoca’s evil lair. It took twenty minutes for the pirates to reach the temple, and Tiger watched as the pirates climbed the steep stone steps.

As soon as the pirates passed through the entrance, Tiger ran up the steps and followed them inside, keeping to the shadows. Tiger quickly ducked behind one of the enormous stone columns that were on either side of the main audience chamber.

Abruptly, the chamber was illuminated as flickering yellow and orange flames burst to life in several tall golden braziers that were situated around the room’s perimeter. The coals that the golden basins were filled with were glowing red.

Across the chamber sat a macabre throne made up of human skulls, and on it sat the evil shape-shifting mage, Tezcatlipoca. Piles of treasure surrounded the throne: gold coins, jewelry, goblets, crowns and weapons.

The god didn’t look all that threatening, but he felt dangerous. Tiger’s knees knocked together and he sank to his knees on the floor. He began to tremble in fear, humbled by Tezcatlipoca’s powerful battle aura. The air inside of the temple felt heavy and overwhelming, and Tiger was finding it difficult to breath. No wonder the humans on Earth had at one time worshipped Tezcatlipoca as a god, and had sacrificed people in his name.