I remain hidden int he woods and watch Peter return from his visit to the pirate ship. I'm surprised to see this change in demeanor. At first I didn't think he could be that worried about anything. But he ran off to help those barbarians as soon as he thought they might be in trouble. Now he's returning in relief? Did things not go as I had hoped? No matter the outcome of the mermaids visit to the pirate ship, things did not turn out as I had hoped. It seems Peter is not the naive and easily manipulated ally I had hoped he would be. I am going to have to change my plans. Form a new strategy. 

I venture further into the forest around me and begin to try to strategize. If I can't get information from Peter and Tink, or use either of them to help achieve my goals then I will just have to come up with another plan. 

But first, I need to find shelter. I wander around the wooded area to try to find a suitable place for me to use as a a shelter, now that I no longer think that I will be welcome at Peter's camp. 

I never really spent any time in the woods before coming here. So I don't really know what I should be looking for. But I imagine it can't be that hard. And I doubt there is too much to be worried about in Neverland. None of the stories ever mentioned anything that dangerous. 

I find an area that is near a clearing and sigh. This is as good a place as any, I guess. I settle against a tree trunk and begin to think. I don't bother to try to give myself any more security than the trees around me. I wouldn't even know how to anyway. It doesn't seem to matter though. There's not much in Neverland to begin with. So I figure as long as I'm a decent distance away from the camp, the beach, and the native territory I should be alight. It will take them a little time to find me if any of them really wanted to go looking for me. I let out a sigh and turn my thoughts to my plans. 

Who else might have the information I need? How can I adjust my plans affectively? My mind goes through all the possible sources for the information I need. The Fae, the pirate, the mermaids, the Lost Children, the native princess. Any number of them could hold information. But who has the information I really need, and is accessible for me to get the information from? 

The only thing I can think of is possibly that native princess that seemed so intent on keeping me out of her territory before. What could she possibly be guarding? Whatever it is, I bet it is important. It may even be the key to helping me adjust my plans. 

But now I have a new puzzle to solve. How to get to and then in her territory to find whatever she's hiding. Preferably unseen. Since getting caught would wort of defeat the purpose of sneaking in there to begin with. 

One thing is for sure. I can no longer work in plain sight. I must work on my own. Adapt to being in the shadows instead of in the center of attention. My entire way of doing things has shifted. This is going to be a change. A passing thought enters my mind about how Tink melts into her surroundings. Part of me wonders how she manages to do that, and if I could learn that trick. I shake my head to clear those thoughts from my mind. They are a little absurd. I need to figure this out on my own. And I will. Good thing I'm so adaptable. I'm sure I'll have no problem adjusting to this new way of doing things. 

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire?" I whisper to myself. Quietly questioning my new situation. How could things go so wrong so quickly? Once again I question how Tink knew what I was doing when I went off on my own. There is no way she could have known that I was the one who set that whole thing up. Unless she was there. I still think I would've noticed her watching me though. It doesn't matter though, I'll just take a moment. Or a day. Or longer if I have to even though I can't really afford to take more than a day to work through things.  I'll adjust my plans and then get right back on mission. I will have eternal life. I will have immortality. And I will get it from Neverland. And they won't get in my way again. 

I take a second to reflect on my thoughts. A small smile playing at the corners of my lips. I'm very pleased with myself. And quite confident in my moves going forwards. I hum quietly in satisfaction. Yes, this may have been a bump in the road, but I still have control of the route. And I'm getting to my destination. 

"Careful Wendy," I scold half heartedly. "Overconfidence is what got you into this mess. Don't let confidence be your undoing this time. Take your time to think things through. See all the angles before you act this time." It's good advice for anyone. Finding that I need to say it out loud for it to fully register and sink in when I give this advice to myself. 

That's right, this time I need to be smarter. I take my time thinking of not just one plan, but several possible plans that could help me in my ultimate goal. But at the center of every plan is finding out what is so important that Tiger Lily is so not just intent on protecting it but insistent on keeping me out of her territory entirely. That is just too much to resist for me to pass up. I know it might be considered a character flaw to want to know absolutely everything about everyone or about what is going on here. But the more I know the better prepared I will be. So why not get as nosy as I possibly can and find out everything in the process. 

I smile, satisfied that I am now prepared enough to move forward tomorrow. I get comfortable in my spot against the tree and begin to relax. I'm not exactly sure what tomorrow holds, but I'm sure I will be prepared to face it. I close my eyes and will my mind to clear and relax. After all, with my strategic mind, what do I have to be anxious about? Nothing seems to able to slow me down now. And nothing will stop me. Now that I've set my mind entirely on my goal, and am taking a more direct approach to get there, success is almost entirely assured for me.