With the barrel of Kane’s gun pointed squarely at his chest, the pounding of Ace’s heart could match that of any rabbit. And his guilty conscience didn’t exactly help. He’d spotted the pirate venturing into the forest from up in the treetops and decided to play a bit of a game with him. Perhaps tripping him so he’d fall into a thornbush, or maybe stealing his rabbits one by one so the pirate would think his mind was playing tricks on him, he hadn’t decided yet. It wasn’t a raid or anything, so Ace didn’t feel the need to act with any real malice. But he’d miscalculated just how gently he could lower himself onto the ground without snapping any of the withered branches beneath him. And, if he was being honest, he’d also severely miscalculated the size of the man from his perch.
Ace’s eyes darted back and forth from the pirate’s gun, to his axe, to his deadly expression. It was a look that assured Ace the pirate would have no qualms following through with his threat. Ace swallowed hard, and attempted to quell the trembling of his limbs.
“Because...” Thinking fast was not Ace’s strong suit. Especially not when held at gunpoint. “Because I can get something else for you. Something better!”
It wasn’t a lie, not really. Ace knew the wilderness of Neverland like the back of his hand. Not as well as Peter, or even Curly, but well enough to know where herds of beasts migrated.
@kaneonboard - continued from here