Red

Robin egg blue eyes stared in wonderment at the large mirror leaning against a tree, its golden frame sparkling in the scarce rays of sunlight streaming through the thick treetops. Her breathing came in short gasps, her heart pounding in her chest. Her legs ached from chasing after the elusive white rabbit, her black Mary Jane flats stained with mud and fallen leaves. The ground was imprinted with little paw prints leading up to the reflective glass, disappearing once they reached the frame. She stared at them for a long time, catching her breath and calming her heart rate, wondering just where the little white rabbit had disappeared to. After some careful consideration, she cautiously approached the mirror.

It appeared to be like any other regular mirror, presenting a parallel world in its reflective glass. She scrutinized her reflection, taking note of how her normally rosy cheeks were flushed an even deeper shade of pink. The mess of blonde curls was just that, a mess atop her head, severely windblown and flung every which way. Her round, blue eyes were wide with curiosity, trying to make sense of the mirror randomly placed in the middle of the woods. Her plain blue dress held a few stray twigs here and there, the white pinafore smudged with various browns and greens from dirt and grass. There was a run in her white stockings, which she frowned at, and ran a finger over the torn material.

She sighed and glanced down at the golden pocket watch she held in her hand. The rabbit had dropped it in his haste to flee from her, although all she wanted to do was return the watch. Her eyes landed on the mirror in front of her. With pursed lips, she tentatively reached out to touch the smooth glass. The facade faltered beneath her fingers, and instinctively she jerked her hand away in surprise. The surface of the glass rippled from her touch, giving the appearance of disturbed water. A frown settled over her small mouth, confused by the odd mirror. Slowly, she reached out and lightly pressed her fingertips against the mirror, and again the surface rippled. She kept her fingers there for a second, and after a moment of thought, she pushed her hand forward, her fingers breaking through the surface until her entire hand was submerged inside the mirror.

It was cold on the other side, and wet, she realized as she retracted her hand, examining the droplets of water running down her arm. Curiously, she wasn't able to see her hand on the other side of the glass, it simply disappeared once it broke through the surface. It had to lead somewhere.

"A portal?" she whispered to herself, leaning forward slightly. Perhaps, but it definitely didn't lead to Wonderland. She knew better than anyone that the only way to Wonderland was down the rabbit hole. The rabbit must have gone through here, but if it didn't lead to Wonderland, why would he go through it?

Thinking that she could possibly feel something on the other side, she gripped the golden frame and thrust the length of her left arm into the mirror, plunging into its watery depths. Once she was shoulder deep, she wriggled her fingers about, trying to feel anything. Coming up with nothing, she began to wave her arm around carelessly inside the mirror, the motion slowed down in the water. Still, she felt nothing. Withdrawing her arm, she shook it dry and watched the surface calm. What was on the other side? Why had the rabbit gone through? She heaved a big sigh, knowing what she had to do to figure it out.

"Alright, Alice. You can do this," she mumbled to herself in encouragement, shaking out her nerves. She stuffed the golden pocket watch into one of the pockets in her white apron and after a calming breath, she sucked in a lungful of air and plunged into the mirror.



"How do you suppose we'll find her?"

The old duo traversed through the Dark Forest, venturing further than any human dared to go. Fallen twigs and leaves snapped under Red's boots, the satisfying crunch echoing in her ears. The sound was so delicious in her ears that she purposely sought out the crunchiest leaves and sticks littered around the forest floor. Wolf watched her with an amused smile on his face, entertained by her childlike behavior, jade green eyes focused on the ground, her long legs reaching for the next noisy object to step on. Her two braids bounced as she leapt on each twig, her red cape flowing behind her. The pack on her back rustled noisily behind her with every step, the contents undoubtedly becoming jumbled inside. The pouch attached to her belt jingled with every movement she made, although Wolf was unsure of what was hidden away inside. He followed behind her a few paces back, lewdly watching her petite body bound about the forest.

Red came to a halt and glanced over her shoulder at him. "Simple," she stated matter-of-factly, extracting the golden pocket watch once more. "You use this to track her scent."

Wolf shook his head and came to stand behind her. She turned to face him properly, that determined gleam ever present in her eye. "I can't, Red. You've held on to it for too long, all it smells of is you," he explained, his yellow eyes staring into her own.

She glanced down at the watch in her hand. "It doesn't smell of her? Or even Wonderland?" she asked silently, defeat briefly flashing over her face.

He shook his head slowly. "It smells of you," he repeated. His face scrunched up in slight disgust as he added, "And river water."

Her thin brows furrowed in confusion. "River water?" she muttered under her breath, examining the watch more closely. She flipped open the watch and watched the seconds hand tick away. "Seems to be working just fine for taking a swim in the river," Red observed, glancing back up at Wolf.

His tail swished behind him carelessly. He lifted and dropped his shoulders in a shrug and continued forward, his bare feet snapping a rather loud twig. Red frowned at missing it and followed him. "It is from Wonderland, Red," Wolf mentioned without looking at her. "Nothing makes sense there."

Red nodded understandingly, her eyes cast downward as she trudged on. She stuffed the watch back into the pocket of her leather jacket and sighed. "Well then this will be harder than I had initially intended," she admitted, crossing her arms as she thought. Wolf peeked over his shoulder at her, regarding her furrowed brow and lips set in a frown with solace. He was glad to see her again; he had missed her all those years. He felt at ease again, being reunited with his old acquaintance making it like old times.

Her green eyes flickered up to meet his golden yellow ones, a scowl falling over her face. "What?" she spat at him, annoyance evident in her voice.

Wolf gave her a secretive smirk. "Nothing," he offered before turning back around. A huff of irritation rang in his sensitive ears, but she said nothing.

"So," Wolf piped up after ten minutes of silence, "fill me in for the past ten years."

"No," she replied immediately, her tone harsh.

Wolf whined. "Why? I want to know what my little Red has been up to. Has a man made an honest woman out of you yet? Or are you testing the waters?" he pried, grinning mischievously.

An annoyed scowl was plastered to her face when he stole a glance, but when she spoke, her voice was strained. "Don't," she growled through clenched teeth.

Wolf frowned, unaccustomed to that tone. "Don't what?"

"Don't pretend like you care and act all chummy with me. We're here to do a job, and that's it."

He was silent, as was she, as he thought over her words. "Well," he started, searching for words of his own, "I could tell you about my last ten years." When she didn't object, he proceeded to recount the decade that had passed. He told her of his journeys, his nights (which consisted of many women), his thoughts, his hunts, and even how his mind would occasionally wander back to the little girl in the red cape that he met once in the Dark Forest. "I always wondered where you ran off to, Red," Wolf admitted with a careless shrug. "I didn't expect you to just disappear like that." To just disappear on me, he thought, although he didn't voice that out loud.

Red hadn't spoken the entire time he had spoken to her, and he honestly wasn't sure if she was even listening. She walked slowly behind him, her hands clasped onto the straps of her bag. She sighed heavily, allowing her eyes to drift closed. "My grandmother died," she confessed glumly.

Wolf's ears perked up at that, and for a moment he was at a loss for words, something very unlike him. He glanced over his shoulder at her. "Well that's..." he trailed off, looking for the right word. "...unfortunate." It wasn't the right word, he knew, but it was all he could come up with.

He heard her scoff behind him. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up," she replied bitterly.

Wolf had the sudden feeling that he had crossed into dangerous territory, the ashen fur on his tail bristling at the tension in the air. He gulped nervously and turned toward her. "Look, Red - "

"Shut up," she snapped, causing him to wince, as if her words had physically injured him. He took a cautionary glance over his shoulder at her. Her brows were knitted together in agitation, her pink lips pressed in a tight, thin line. She stared hard at the ground, her gaze so intense that Wolf was sure the forest floor would spontaneously combust beneath their feet. Her pigtail braids bounced slightly against her shoulders as she walked, her auburn bangs swaying to the side from the breeze. The grip she held onto the straps of her bag was tight, draining her already pale skin around her knuckles of color, if that was even possible. Her footsteps were heavy, stomping on the earth as if she intended to cause the forest pain. Even a fool had enough knowledge to figure out that she was angry.

The trees above them groaned in the wind, their bony limbs creaking as they swayed high over their heads. Wolf wasn't entirely sure where they were headed, he only knew that they had to venture further into the forest. They needed a location in mind, however, and he knew that they would have to agree on one soon. Right now, unfortunately, was not the time to ask, what with Red ready to blow his brains out if the opportunity presented itself. They continued to walk silently, Wolf growing more and more uneasy about they're lack of direction.

"We should look for a river, then," Red spoke up suddenly, causing Wolf to jump slightly. He was about to ask for a reason why until he caught another whiff of the watch. He nodded wordlessly and began to sniff at the air, searching for a nearby river. The faintest scent of river water brushed past his nose and he turned west, following the smell. Red followed close behind, jogging slightly to catch up with Wolf's quickened pace.

He paused, allowing the girl to catch up, and once she had reached his side he continued forward. "Any idea what I should keep my eye out for?" he asked, keeping his nose raised the slightest so as not to lose the scent.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Red shrug. "Alice, I suppose. And a rabbit in a waistcoat," she replied.

Wolf chuckled softly. "Anything else?" She didn't respond, and he sighed. "I'm going to need a little more than just that, Red."

"Hell, I don't know, Wolf. Why don't you let me know if the moon is grinning at you," she huffed in annoyance.

He rolled his eyes and looked down at her. "You didn't think this through, did you? How are we supposed to know anything is from Wonderland?" he inquired.

"We'll know when we see something," she answered matter-of-factly.

Wolf crossed into her path, halting her strides. She was surprised at first, however once she got over her initial shock she glared up at him. He glared right back. "I'm serious, Red. This isn't some little game, understand? We aren't in the woods behind your house, we're in the Dark Forest, where practically anything and everything can kill you. We need a plan, Red, one that won't get the both of us killed," Wolf reprimanded, his tone stern and serious.

She frowned. "I know what I'm doing."

"Oh really? Then why don't you just go look for that little brat yourself. I'm not going on a wild goose chase with you, Red. I have better things to do than that." Wolf crossed his arms and stared down at her intensely. "So what's it going to be?"

The silence was heavy over the two, the air thick with tension. Their eyes burned into the other's in irritation. Finally, Red tore her eyes away from Wolf's and she sighed. She pushed past him and continued walking. "Don't talk to me like I'm a child," she grumbled bitterly. When she sensed that he wasn't following her, she stopped and turned to face him. He gazed up at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes. "Fine, we'll keep an eye out for anything unusual, like tea parties and bottles that say 'Drink Me'," she reasoned grudgingly. Wolf remained where he was, his eyes still expectant. Red frowned at him. "That's it," she affirmed.

Wolf sighed and followed after her red cape. That was the best he was going to get out of her.