"You're too late, boy," he murmured, pointing to the small treasure chest nearby. "The last star is mine, and Neverland will perish."

☆

When she heard this, the second star from the right emitted a snort from behind the large palm frond. Fortunately, when Peter jumped out of hiding, she had the presence of mind to react and quickly hid.

'What are you doing, Pan?!' she asked herself repeatedly. But in the end, the situation would not improve, and she had to admit that even if he looked older now, he was still Peter Pan in his heart and mind. 

The star pressed her lips together in a dissatisfied line. All of this was new to her. Annoyance, surprise, anger, fear. They have faded memories of sensations that existed for thousands of years. The star girl peered into the night sky, where the wind surrounded the clouds before the darkness. Pan had done much more than cut a few stars from the sky, and he did not even suspect the imbalance he had brought to an ancient war. Up there, the last remaining stars were fighting visible yet hidden enemies. Not without reason, the Court of Stars and the Court of Darkness had been banished there to fight their perpetual war.

'Don't worry, Athtar. I'll be back soon,' she promised silently in her mind, breathing deeply in and out before stirring behind the hiding place to get an overview of the situation. The star let her eyes glide over the creatures from the depths of the sea, which had been snatched from death. Not dead, but not alive either.

'The wish wasn't heartfelt enough,' she wondered if Hook's wish to return to the 'real world' would be sincere enough. If he had killed Peter, there might be room in his black heart for a new wish. 'But there is no heart left to wish,' her thoughts murmured. In the place where life once throbbed, there was now nothing more than tarnished magic and a cold lump of stone. 'And this wish cannot be fulfilled.' Hook's plan would fail, one way or another ... but by then, he would take Neverland and the stars with him to their doom. They had to stop him.

Once again, the star's gaze slid to the struggling men. Dull light from the torches climbed golden over the flashing blades of the two opponents. If she would implement her plan, she had to do it NOW!

Her lips opened, and barely audible words resonated softly into the darkness. The wind could help her, and she hoped the playful journeyman was inclined to do so. He was whimsical, as all spirits are, and followed neither rules nor an understanding of logic. So the star tried to make this little adventure palatable to him differently - how one would do with a child: 'Wouldn't it be fun to play a little prank on the pirates?', She tempted him.

And it seemed to work! The wind came up and teased the pirates as planned. He tugged at them, teased the flames of their fires, and nearly extinguished them several times. He blew their hats off their heads, hair into their faces, and pressed against their gammy bodies.

Grinning with satisfaction, she saw her chance had come. Sand sighed softly under her footsteps, swallowing every sound. The star hurriedly hurried across the exposed meters to the first tent yet dared not breathe a sigh of relief. Although the most dangerous part was done, they could be caught at any moment. The star girl crept as silently as she could through the pirate camp. Her heart was pounding against her chest with fear and excitement, and she was almost afraid that the drumming would be too loud and might betray her.

She had to steal the precious star from an unseen treasure chest while Hook and Peter were dueling. It was a dangerous mission, but she was determined to accomplish it. It was exciting and exhilarating at the same time. It had been too long since she had felt this way: alive.

She moved quickly and quietly among torn and caved-in tents and the trunks, some of which had been smashed. The native tribe had swiftly seized their opportunity after Pan's bloodbath. She had watched, blinking from the sky, only a few nights ago as they had ransacked the camp, leaving only the lone Smee behind. But now was no time to reminisce!

Her eyes scanned the surroundings for signs of danger. The beach was dark and deserted except for the occasional flicker of the pirates' torches. Everyone seemed too distracted to notice her. But she couldn't take risks.

The star held her breath as she hurried from the shelter of a tented shade, half-crouching across the sand to a few stacked wooden crates. Only a short distance from the storage box on which the small treasure chest was placed!

Her breathing was shallow and rapid, and her pulse rushed like a wild river in her ears, mingling with the rush of the wind. But no one seemed to pay any attention to the strange wind conditions.

'Just a little further!'

As she approached the treasure chest with her heart racing, she heard footsteps approaching. Her heart flipped over in a panic. A pirate was coming her way, and she knew it would all be over if he caught her.

The Stargirl quickly ducked behind a nearby barrel, hoping the pirate would pass her by without noticing her. She held her breath as the footsteps came closer and closer. The remaining stars blinked fearfully in the night sky, forced to watch the scene with helpless trepidation.

She pressed her back against the barrel, wishing to sink into it. Peering cautiously over the edge of a crate, she realized that the wind had blown Smee's tricorn off his mop of hair. And in her direction, of all places, so that the small, skinny man jumped muttering after her.

Her heart stumbled like a clumsy young colt when the worn hat caught on the barrels behind which SHE was hiding! Gasping, she pressed her hand to her lips and crouched as small as possible. The footsteps increasingly approached, and she heard soft muttering that made no sense.

The pirate stopped just a few feet from where she was hiding, and she could hear him muttering softly as he reached for his hat."You're particularly cheeky today," the pirate muttered, and she could only assume he meant the wind as he knocked the sand off his hat.

The star closed her eyes and prayed that he would not discover her.

The seconds passed and seemed to her as tenacious as endless hours. The star girl behind the barrels felt her nerves begin to fade. But just when she thought all was lost, the pirate grunted and turned away, returning his attention to the duel.

The girl breathed a sigh of relief and crawled out from behind the barrel. Quickly she overcame the last small piece to the treasure chest. Her hands shook with adrenaline as she reached for the lid. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between the chest and the undead to make sure no one was watching her. In the distance, she could hear the clang of swords as Hook and Peter engaged in a fight, their screams echoing across the beach.

'Slow down ... Very slowly,' she reminded herself. There was no way the rusted hinges could squeak and betray her! The fight not far from her became harsher, and she had to concentrate not to let it distract her. Very carefully, the girl lifted the lid of the treasure chest. Inside, among shimmering gold and some jewels, there was the beautiful star.

Melancholy flooded her heart at the sight.'I'm so sorry,' she thought sadly. Carefully she lifted the star from its place, her heart filled with a bittersweet mixture of guilt and triumph.

Quietly, she closed the lid of the treasure chest again. She could hear the fight between Hook and Peter growing louder in the distance. She wanted to check it out and ensure this fool was all right. Curiosity and concern wrestled inside her with her sanity for control. As a star in the distance, she had always watched intently when a fight broke out between these two on the Jolly Roger or elsewhere. But she knew she couldn't risk being caught. Heart pounding wildly, she crept back among the tents and flotsam to the edge of the camp, then sprinted toward the safety of the jungle.

"That was a nice game," Peter said, a smile spreading across his face. "But you should quit when you're at your best! Now, if you'll excuse me ..."

Behind her now, she heard the angry roar of Hook and the pirates. But the star girl had reached the protective thicket and dived into the protective waters of the forest. She fled into the night, holding the little star tightly in her hands, and pressed it to her chest.

At that moment, a thunderous bang sounded, and she stopped as if paralyzed. Instinctively she turned her head and saw the smoke on the barrel of Hook's pistol through the branches.

"Peter!" she gasped before she could hold it back, and fear shot from the crown of her head into her veins and straight into her heart.

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