"Bring me the head of the Jabberwock," his father screeched as Fonzie fled into the snow, "and don't come back until you have it!" Everyone had heard tales of the evil Jabberwock, with flaming eyes and red scales covering its entire body. The idea of killing it scared Fonzie beyond rational thought. He carefully picked up his father's vorpal sword and plunged into the forest. The woods were as dark as night, and Fonzie could barely see the snowy ground in front of him or the trail of footprints behind him. Somewhere off in the trees, a twig cracked and an owl hooted. Fonzie could just envision the Jabberwock waiting in the trees for him, its huge teeth glistening and dripping with spit. He could almost feel the wind on his face from the Jabberwock's powerful wings as it lifts him off the ground. He could almost hear the crash of its powerful tail as it whiffles through the trees.

He could almost…SNAP. There it was again, that quick little snap of a twig, that quick little snap that reminded Fonzie of the day his beloved sister had gone into the forest and never came back. His father and uncles had searched for Gretchen for days, but the only thing they had been able to find was a small dollar that she had carried with her everywhere. Fonzie was frozen in place as he remembered his mother's tears the day Gretchen had disappeared, and he was now so gone in his memory that he did not hear another snap, closer this time. And there it was again, closer, ever closer until Fonzie could feel a puff of hot breath on the back of his neck, could hear the leaves above his head rustling him a warning. All he could imagine was a huge monster behind him, and all he could hear was the faint breathing of the horrible creature that had probably killed his sister. In a second, he knew what he had to do. It was the only thing his brain could come up with, and his body decided to do it even before his brain had. He ran.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, away from the Jabberwock, deeper and deeper into the forest. He didn't hear the Jabberwock taking off after him, and soon he came to a clearing. He ran to the middle of it and sat down panting, watching his breath curling into intricate shapes. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest. He thought he could almost hear the snow that was still falling all around him, even though he couldn't feel the cold. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the full moon shining brightly above him, illuminating the entire clearing. Suddenly, all noises stopped. The silence rang around Fonzie like a bell, and he stared into the darkness. He jumped as he saw a bit of color in the trees, a bit of color that was coming towards him. He couldn't scream and couldn't move at all. Fonzie's eyes were wide with fear, and he gaped quietly into the darkness. The color moved closer and closer to the edge of the clearing, and it suddenly crashed out of the line of bushes.

All the breath left Fonzie's lungs out of pure terror, but he quickly resumed his normal breathing patterns once he saw that the little bit of color that had been coming towards him had been a small, innocent rabbit. Fonzie laughed at his own fear, and the rabbit hopped away. Fonzie relaxed slowly, his muscles unclenching. He leaned slowly back and stared at the stars. He knew he was going to fall asleep, but he was so tired he didn't care. He let his eyes close, and he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

"WHO DARES ENTER MY FOREST?" a booming voice rang through the trees. Fonzie woke with a start and stared into the trees again.

He shivered with the cold and squeaked back his answer. "I do, I am Fonzie of Frell. I am looking to kill the Jabberwock so I can avenge my sister, Gretchen."

The booming voice laughed at this comment and Fonzie could see a glisten of red in the trees. He did not understand what was so funny about that, but he certainly knew that evil creatures such as the Jabberwock must have a sick sense of humor. He carefully stood up, his father's sword dangling loosely at his side. He knew in his heart he could not kill the Jabberwock; it was too strong for him, and it would surely kill him if he tried to attack it. He slowly backed away from the booming voice, back towards the path he had taken to get here, the path towards home.

"You cannot leave," the Jabberwock shouted, "those who come in, never leave my forest!" Fonzie heard the great beast coming closer and closer. He once again followed his greatest instinct and ran for his life. He ran through the snow, past the innocent rabbit, past the snapping twigs, past his own footprints. He ran until he came to the edge of the forest. There he turned and looked back into the darkness. He knew he would never be able to return home until he brought his father the head of the Jabberwock, and he also knew that he would not be able to slay the great beast until he was much older, but by that time, his father may be dead. Thoughts whirled around his brain and for the final time, his instincts of self-preservation kicked in. He knew what he would have to do. He would have to train, he would have to work, he would have to avenge his sister if it was the last thing he ever did.