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<span class="mu-r">“Can you tell me about the abilities of these ‘gifted children’?”</span> you asked.
The raccoon boy nodded. <span class="mu-b">“Tossa tosses rocks with her mind. That's why we call her ‘Tossa’.”</span> he explained. <span class="mu-b">“She can also throw daggers without touching them.”</span>
You glanced at Callisto, who seemed to be thinking the same thing that you were. She was either a telekinetic, or she could manipulate minerals with her mind. Either way, you doubted that any of these kids had a detailed description and classification of the gifted children’s powers. But a hint would be good enough for you to anticipate any sneaky tricks.
<span class="mu-b">“Croaker’s the one that talks to animals. He tells them what to do, and he can make them really big if he wants to!”</span> The raccoon boy continued.
So Croaker commands animals and mutates them. Got it.
<span class="mu-b">“Squirt can shrink and become really small. We didn’t notice when she left, because it’s really hard to keep track of her.”</span> the raccoon boy said, sounding a bit exasperated. <span class="mu-b">“She can shrink things that she touches too, so be careful of that. Squirt likes to play all sorts of silly pranks on people.”</span>
Now THAT was going to be hard to deal with. You didn’t know how good Callisto and Anastasia were at tracking, but it had to be extraordinarily difficult to track down a smurf that barely left footprints.
<span class="mu-b">“And then there’s the other two. Gordy could shoot wind from his hands, and Grover controls plants. I’m honestly surprised that Grover didn’t choose to stay. He loved this here old tree.”</span> raccoon boy said, glancing back at his tree fort.
You thanked the boy and pulled him aside for a moment, drawing stares from everyone. Pan’s was the most skeptical and hostile of the bunch, but he still joined their discussion after you left.
When you had gotten a good distance away, the raccoon boy glanced up at you, his innocent eyes betraying how nervous he felt.
You knelt down to meet him at eye level and lowered your voice before speaking. <span class="mu-r">“Is Peter treating you guys alright?”</span> you asked in a hushed tone.
He glanced momentarily at Peter, and then back at you. <span class="mu-b">“Of course. He protects us and teaches us how to hunt and survive.”</span> the boy protested. <span class="mu-b">“Sure, it gets hard sometimes when he isn’t here, but I’d take this over my old life any day. I have a home, a real family, and I don’t have to go to sleep cold and hungry anymore.”</span>
You just stared at him. Part of you had expected him to speak of adventures and child-like whimsy, but it would seem that he’s put a decent amount of thought into this.
He met your gaze with his own, eyes blazing with determination. <span class="mu-b">“Neverland might be dangerous, but it’s not so different back there, now is it?”</span> he declared.
(Cont.)