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The twisted trees loomed over us, their gnarled branches reaching out for us like greedy hands. The air was thick with an unsettling blend of arousal and dread. It was twilight now, and we had wandered into a darker, more sinister part of Wonderland. I could feel the unease creeping under my skin.
"Where are we?" I asked Chess, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice.
“We’re in a place where the magic isn’t reliable. You can feel it, can’t you?”
I nodded.
“This is where things get...interesting," he went on, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Wonderland has many layers, Alice. Some are darker than others."
"Great," I muttered, not sharing his enthusiasm. I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the map from Callister. It looked different from how I remembered it.
The once beautiful calligraphy was now jagged and scrawled, as if written by a drunk. The landmarks had shifted, rendering the map nearly indecipherable.
"Chess, look at this," I said, holding it up for him to see. "Is it just my imagination, or did the map change?”
"Ah, yes," he mused, studying the parchment. “The magic here can be quite...unstable."
“No shit.” I pointed to the purple ‘X’ that marked the location of the Vorpal Sword. "You see how it’s moved to the right? It's leading us in the wrong direction!”
“Is it?” he asked. “Or perhaps the sword has been moved?”
“Un-fucking-believable,” I grumbled, feeling frustration bubbling under my skin. "How are we supposed to find this stupid sword if the map keeps fucking with us?"
"Trust me, Alice,” he assured me. "I know these dark corners of Wonderland better than anyone. We’re going to find that sword. Sometimes the greatest discoveries are made when we're lost."
“So does that mean we’re lost?”
“I’m not lost, but you are,” was his cryptic reply.
“If you say so,” I huffed before folding the map and stuffing it back into my pocket.
We walked slower now, taking care to step over fallen logs and slimy vines. I’d fallen behind Chess, too distracted by the strange and bizarre plants and creatures that filled this dark forest. Fireflies as big as golf balls hovered in the air, lighting the way in shades of purple, green, and orange.
A flash of pink on the ground caught my eye, and I looked down to see a pair of baby bunnies chasing each other around the base of a giant mushroom.
They were fuzzy...and pink.
Chess and Callister had warned me about them, but it couldn’t hurt to watch them play. They seemed so out of place in this dark and twisted environment, their innocence a stark contrast to the danger that lurked around every corner.
Plus, they were so damn cute.
I watched as they hopped and wrestled and tumbled before breaking apart and looking up at me. They had huge, adorable eyes that drew me in. All I could think about was petting it and cuddling and snuggling it against my cheek.
One of the bunnies hopped over to me, stretching out its tiny pink nose as its ears swiveled in my direction. It was practically begging to be pet.
I knelt down and reached out my hand, and it nuzzled its head against my palm, sending warm fuzzies all through my body. Then the second baby bunny hopped over, wanting the same thing. Then a third bunny appeared, this one a bit bigger, but just as adorable.
“Callister was so full of shit,” I said with a grin as I stroked their chinchilla-soft fur. “Look at you guys! You’re the cutest little things I’ve ever seen!”
That's when everything went horribly wrong.
In a flash of pink, I was suddenly covered in a swarm of bunnies, all of them biting me at once with razor-sharp teeth. Pain seared through me and I started to run, screaming in terror as I tried to shake them off of me. Every time I flung one of them to the ground, it leapt back onto me and started biting even more tiny chunks of my clothes and skin.
“Chess!” I yelled as I punched a bunny away from my face. “Help!”
My heart pounded as I watched Chess's body contort and twist, his handsome features giving way to the sleek, ebony fur of a black leopard. His brilliant green eyes remained the same, glowing with a fierce intensity as he readied himself for the attack.
