Red

In a matter of seconds, she regretted plunging into the mirror.

She was yanked through its surface and hurtled into the watery depths. The merciless current tossed her body around like a rag doll, sending her into a series of tumbles underwater. She quickly grew discombobulated, losing all sense of direction. Where was up or down, left or right, she could no longer tell. Desperate limbs thrashed wildly in the water in a miserable attempt to right herself, but to no avail. Panic began to settle in, its clammy hands loosely gripping at her racing heart as her lungs began to ache in her chest. Alice fought the urge to inhale and continued to franticly wave her arms and kick her legs, however the current was unrelenting. Her lungs were screaming at her, begging for the oxygen they so desperately craved, but she didn't know where to turn, and the possibility of her drowning in this river ran through her head. Curse that rabbit, curse her curiosity, curse this water, curse it all. Dizziness settled in, and she knew her time was running out. She couldn't wait any longer, she needed to find the surface, and with a simple guess, she pushed in what she hoped was upward.

Miraculously her head burst through the water and she sucked in as much air as she could before the current brought her back under. She fought back and kicked herself to the top once more, flinging her hands out wildly. Her fingers brushed the edge of the river and she clawed at the slippery grass, trying to get a hold of whatever she could to pull herself onto dry land. Alice lost her grip and the water carried her down further, and she once again fought to catch herself. This time she caught a tree root jutting out of the earth, and she clutched onto it as though her life depended on it (in truth, it was just that). With what little strength she had, she pulled, kicked, pushed her way out of the deadly waters and onto the safety of land. In a panic, she scrambled further away from the edge of the river, afraid of slipping back beneath the horrid current. She collapsed in a heap of soaked clothes and hair glued to her face, gulping down as much air as her lungs could take. Her vision was blurry, but whether it was from the river's water or her own tears, she did not know. Shakily, she rolled onto her back and gazed up at the sky through the bony branches above.

"Where am I?" she breathed and sat up, leaves crunching beneath her. Alice took in her surroundings, acknowledging that she was in the middle of a forest, however she was sure it was not the same she found the mirror in. She stood up and brushed off as much forest debris as she could, wringing out her dress and hair. The faint smell of smoke drifted into her nose and she looked around once more, trying to find where it was coming from. Her blue eyes landed on a dark gray cloud reaching high above the trees. There must be someone over there who could direct her out of the woods, she reasoned, and with that she began in that direction.

Left behind beneath a clutter of dead leaves sat a ticking pocket watch.



They stood at the edge of the river, watching the rushing current in contemplation. Wolf's arms were crossed over his chest, Red's hands resting on her hips, each wearing the same perplexed expression.

"I'm telling you, Red," Wolf attempted to explain for the sixth time, "this is the river it smells of."

She shook her head in denial. "It can't be, I didn't even find it near a river," she argued, annoying the Dark Forest native.

His ears flattened atop his head, his muscles growing rigid as he was shot down once again. She was testing his patience and questioning his logic, his abilities, and he was having none of it. "I'm not going to say it again, human," he growled, not wishing to repeat himself a seventh time.

Her green eyes flickered up to him, noting his stiff posture. "I'm just saying, there's no way it can still reek of this water when I found it elsewhere," she argued back.

"It's funny you mention that, Red, because I do believe you've yet to tell me just where you found that horrid watch," Wolf snapped, turning his fiery gaze onto the young human.

Red scowled at him. "It was lying in the middle of the street as if someone had simply dropped it. I was going to just leave it there for someone else to pick up, but something seemed off about it."

Wolf gawked at her and asked incredulously, "You found it in the village? Then why on Earth would you come to the Dark Forest to search for Alice? She could be roaming the streets right now!"

"You think I didn't think of that? Of course I checked around the village. I asked people passing by if they had seen her, but no one had, so I figured the only other option would be out here," Red snapped back, kicking a moss covered stone with the toe of her boot. "And look how great that turned out," she muttered bitterly.

Wolf sighed irritably and pinch the bridge of his nose. He asked how it could have possibly managed to travel from the river to the village on its own, but Red remained silent, having no answer to provide. The ebony fur on his tail stood on end in agitation and swished about furiously. A touch of defeat was evident on Red's face, her lips pressed together tightly in thought. She wasn't sure how it had ended up in her village if it started its journey on the edge of the river in the middle of the Dark Forest. Had Alice emerged from these raging waters and wandered into the village, dropping the watch in the street without realizing it, or had Alice come into this world through Red's village and ventured into the Dark Forest, dropping the pocket watch here and falling into the deadly rapids before them? The answer eluded her comprehension, and she sighed in frustration herself, rubbing her temples to dispel her arousing headache.

"Did I hear you two say you're looking for Alice?"

The duo jumped at the voice, Red quickly whipping out her revolver and aiming it in the direction it came from, her finger hovering over the trigger menacingly. Wolf scanned the tall tree beside them, his golden eyes landing on a familiar bronze toned face. Muscles relaxing, the Dark Forest native smiled and wagged his tail slightly, stepping forward to greet his fellow Dark Forest citizen.

"It's been a while, Vixey," Wolf chimed, watching as the vixen hopped off of her perch on one of the tree's many low hanging branches.

She smiled coyly at the humanoid wolf, strutting up to him until their bodies were mere centimeters apart. "Too long," she hummed, eying him up and down. "My nights have been pretty lonely, Wolf. Where have you been hiding?"

Red watched the pair warily, still pointing her firearm at the woman, however she held it with much less hostility. She knew not to trust anything in the Forest, knowing very well that everything was capable of killing her, but she felt conflicted with the sight of Wolf casually chatting with the vixen. She eyed the woman suspiciously, taking in every detail she could. Short, platinum blonde hair lied flat on the woman's head, contrasting greatly with her dark, bronze skin. Significantly shorter than Wolf, the vixen seemed to only reach around 5'1'', however despite her size she carried herself with a high sense of confidence. What she lacked in height she made up for in curves, her hips, buttocks, and breasts considerably larger than Red's. A pair of white tipped, orange ears sat atop her head, and a surprisingly fluffy orange tail hung from her lower back. What bothered Red the most was not the close proximity the pair shared, nor the fox's assets, but her severe lack of clothing. Shorts that came down several inches before even reaching mid thigh clung tightly to her voluptuous hips, held up by suspenders which raised upward in a miserable attempt at covering her breasts and flung themselves over her tan shoulders, running down her back to reattach to the shorts below. And that was it, the Dark Forest creature possessing no other clothing otherwise seen on her person. Red was disgusted by the sight.

The vixen's amber eyes fell on the human, catching her by surprise. Red glowered at the woman, expressing her distrust in a single glare. The corners of the fox's mouth curled upward, her eyes scanning the young girls body. "My, my," she purred, turning her focus on Red, "what might we have here?"

"Vixey, this is Red, the girl I told you about," Wolf introduced, sending a warning glare at his acquaintance. Whether she ignored it or didn't see it, Red dismissed it completely.

Vixey glanced back over to her companion. "No, not the Red," she breathed incredulously, to which Wolf nodded in confirmation. She turned back to the human and grinned, exposing large canine teeth. "It's an honor to finally meet you," she said in a sultry voice. "Wolf here has told me a lot about you."

For a moment Red's jade green eyes flickered over to the wolf before quickly returning to the advancing fox. She aimed the revolver between her eyes, her finger poised over the trigger. The vixen ceased approaching the girl, an amused glint in her alluring eyes. A hypnotic chuckle rumbled in her throat as she spoke. "Now, now, what good could come from shooting the only one here who has seen Alice, hm?"

With a furrowed brow, Red's grip tightened around the handle of her weapon and growled, "Then perhaps you would like to start talking before I find another reason to shoot you down."

The woman allowed her head to fall back and bellowed out a laugh, annoying the human further. "Feisty, isn't she? You must have your hands full with this one, eh Wolf?"

He chuckled behind her. "Very much so," he agreed, his golden eyes running up her body for the fourth time that day. "I still cannot believe just how much she's grown over the years."

"Indeed," she hummed, her own eyes lapping up each curve of the girl's body.

Red squirmed under the unwanted attention, deciding that yes, she did in fact hate this woman, acting much too similar to Wolf's own perverted mannerisms. Her grip tightened on the revolver. "Speak, fox," she growled irritably.

"Now now, no need for the hostility. I'm a fan, after all," Vixey mused, crossing her arms over her voluptuous chest. Her hip jutted out to the side, her eyes shining with amusement. "Besides, it's not like everyday you hear of a human girl taking on the legendary Wolf." A teasing smile graced her lips, igniting a raging fire in Red's eyes, causing her jaw to clench and her grip on the revolver tighten. Vixey chuckled at her expression. "I do plan on helping you, as long as you allow me to."

Red took a threatening step forward. "What do you know about Alice?" she growled, her irritation at a level even she never knew it could reach.

The infuriating woman grinned and began to circle the human just as a predator might its prey. "Lets see," she pondered, taking slow strides around the girl. "The poor thing, it seemed as though she would never emerge from the river, all that thrashing about proving futile." Red lowered the gun as the fox walked behind her, her tail brushing the girl's thighs. "But alas, she broke free, scrambling out of the water as if she had just escaped death. She was quite shaken up, the poor dear." Red glanced up at Wolf, whose golden eyes were glued to her face, watching for any sort of reaction. The vixen continued her agonizingly slow recount of the events that took place. "Luckily she recovered quickly, although she was positively drenched. Her pretty blue eyes glanced around when she spotted smoke in the distance. Curious little bird, she headed off toward Jean's cabin..." she trailed off, leaning down and brushing her lips against Red's ear as she whispered, "leaving that precious little watch behind." She was delighted to see the human girl shiver at her touch.

The girl wrenched herself away from the creature of the Dark Forest. "And who is Jean?" she demanded to know, an irritated scowl plastered on her face.

"Jean is a crazed old hermit," Wolf chimed behind her. Red glanced over her shoulder at him, and he shook his head at the concern in her eyes. "Don't worry, he'll just spew nonsense at the girl. He won't do anything, she'll be safe there." He noted the evident relaxation of Red's shoulders at his reassurance.

"Yes," the fox called, "but he may very well scare the girl off."

Red and Wolf exchanged a look. "It was great seeing you again, Vixey," Wolf spoke, making a move to carry on. Vixey nodded in agreement, waving as Wolf walked off.

Red gave Vixey a final glare and turned to follow him, however she paused when she felt the woman grip her arm. "It was a pleasure meeting you Red," she purred, her amber eyes leering.

She frowned. "Why didn't you kill Alice when you had the chance?" she questioned, because truthfully, she was curious.

Vixey grinned. "Why, I would never harm little Alice. Wonderland is my favorite fairy tale," she explained honestly. "Of course, you could still be my favorite," she purred seductively, stepping closer to the human. "If you ever get tired of Wolf, or he can't seem to satisfy you completely, you know, you can always come see me. I'll take care of you, Red."

Red jumped as she realized the vixen had been trailing her tantalizing fingers up her thigh. She ripped herself free of the alluring woman's spell, staring wide-eyed at her, before running off the catch up with Wolf.

The vixen grinned gleefully, taking pleasure in the look of fright in the girl's eyes.