Toxic Wonderland.{Under construction!}

Chapter Four.

After ten minutes both of the twins begin to hum a slow paced song as we walk. Hatter and Caleb seem to have finished discussing whatever they were talking about and have no caught up to us. We continue walking in near silence; scattered trees begin popping up along the pathway. They suddenly thicken into a forest within five steps. There was no gradualness, one moment there is scattered trees and the next a forest.

"What shall we do now, Alice?" Ask Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum looking at the forest warily.

"Caleb, Hatter, what do you think we should do?" I ask ignoring chesh's claws digging into my shoulder.

"Well since there is a path going around the forest we should take it." Hatter says looking to the right, where a slim branch of the path branches off, disappearing around a bend. The moonlight illuminates the dirt, turning it into a silver ribbon.

"That will take at least an hour! We should take the direct route straight through! Alice and the twins will get too cold if we go the long way around.”

 In the end Hatter grudgingly agreed to going through the forest. So we begin, following the path carefully as not to stray. My shoulders brush rough tree trunks every now and then, making me wince but keep going; the twins in tow behind me like ducklings. Hatter and Caleb bring up the back ensuring the boys won’t get lost. My toes catch on tree roots and underbrush sometimes, the ballet slippers don’t do much to keep my toes from getting stubbed.

"Alice, I'm frightened." Tweedle Dee whimpers holding onto the skirt section of my knee length dress. The sound of a twig snapping nearby stops me from answering for a minute before deciding it is just a bird, the path begins to widen up, allowing the twins to walk next to me.

"Don't be frightened, I'm here, Hatter and Caleb are here, and your brother is here.” I try to comfort him, smiling when Tweedle Dum moves closer to his twin, grabbing onto his hand reassuringly.

"It'll be ok, I promise!" Tweedle Dum says with a smile making Tweedle Dee let go of my hand.

"Mmmm, interesting." Caleb mutters to himself drawing my attention.

"What?" I ask turning my head and shoulders to look back at the mass of dark hair walking exactly six steps behind me.

"This is the eventual forest, right Hatter?" Caleb says and the Hatter answers so quietly that I can't  hear him"Doens't the Bandersnatch live in this forest?"

"What's a Bandersnatch?" I ask looking around and motioning the twins closer, it sounds rather dangerous.

"The Banddersnatch has a long neck, body, legs, and tongue. Rows of sharp teeth, and small eyes that can see very well, ears that hear well, and a nose that could smell you a mile away.”

"So he looks like a large ferret?" I ask and instantly feel sick. My father kept a ferret as a pet, it use to bite our fingers if it could get close enough, probably because my father fed it meat off his plate often. It was a vile thing that I was glad to see sold off.

"I suppose it could look like a ferret." Hatters says looking about as another twig snaps.

"Hatter, Caleb,”  I mutter starting to feel uneasy” come closer to the group."

 Nodding they step so lightly the gravel of the path doesn’t crunch under their feet. Moving Taking another step I begin leading the way towards the end of the forest. Ignoring all the snapping twigs I tell myself tis only a bird, nothing more!

"Alice, I feel rather unsafe!" Dee says grabbing the left side of my skirt.

"Me too!" Dum grabbing the right .

"It'll be okay! I sooth trying not to sound panicked when a twig in the tree directly to Hatters left snaps loudly like a gunshot.

"Show yourself and stop slinking throughout the trees!" I cry turning quickly to protect my twins form the shower of leaves, sticks, and debris that rains down from the tree above in reply. Looking up from my crouch I see nothing but Chesh has disappeared.

"You have guts telling the master of this forest what to do!"Roars a beastly voice making both twins begin to cry.

"Yes I've got guts! I've got guts enough to talk to a voice without a body to accompany it! We have no business here, our business lies at the Red Queens Castle!"I yell heatedly into the dark canopy earning a deep growl.

"You’re in my forest; I have business with anyone who enters my forest!" It says slyly, evilly.

"You have no business with us; we are leaving the forest in a moment." I reply pulling the twins to their feet and begin walking with purpose. If we can get out of the forest it will leave us alone.

"Who do you think you are?" The Bandersnatch asks and a paw full of very sharp claws lashes out from the forest, slashing through my upper arm.

"Ugh!" I cry out still holding the twins hands. Hatter and Caleb begin rushing forward.

"No stay where you are! I don't think who I am," I begin softly, trying not to cry at the pain in my arm “I know who I am! I am Alice and only Alice!" I finish still soft but with a strong backbone.

"Alice? You wouldn't happen to be, Alice Alice, would you?" It asks taking on a sweet and charming tone.

"Yes she is, and now you've maimed her arm, great job really!" Caleb calls sarcastically up into the air stepping over to me. He pulls his handkerchief from his breast pocket to wrap around my arm, stifling the bleeding.

"Oh my, I am sorry." It calls sliding from the trees, a giant ferret with teeth like a sharks.

"You should be!" Hatter says tying a length of lovely blue cloth around the cut.

"You bully!"

"Yeah you’re a bully!" Both of the twins are hiding behind my skirt as they are calling the Bandersnatch a bully.

"Watch your mouth young ones, you're in my forest!"The beast quips shaking his head but not threatening anymore. Still I pull my arm from Caleb’s hovering hands to hold the twins hands.

"If you'll be so kind as to excuse us, we really do need to be going." I say giving a small curtsy. The end of his tail flicks around lazily behind us.

"Where are you going to in such a hurry, Alice dear? Why don't you stay a while and enjoy the beautiful setting of my forest?" He asks yawning wide to show all of his teeth” It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you last, there must be so much for you to tell me about!”

"We are heading for the Red Queens castle to attend her ball tonight."Caleb says standing on my left side, then placing a hand on my right hip over Dee’s head.

"We really must be going."Hatter with false urgency putting his hand on my left hip while standing on my right side over Dum’s head. Though it may not seem like it to most this is a defensive position, should danger arise all Hatter and Caleb would have to do is rotate to the front to shield the Twins and I.

"Ah then I think I shall accompany you, I'm expected at the ball though I didn’t think anyone of interest would be there." He sighs and his body begins to twist and shrinks into itself. After about a minute all that’s left is a twenty year old blonde man.

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Hey it's me...the author, but I bet you already knew that. Your so smart, have a cookie O <---- cookie. Anywho I was hoping you could post your thoughts as a comment so I can improve the story, I'll take name suggestions, spelling/grammar/punctuation, stuff like that.

Love everyone Osiris Day.❀◕‿◕❀