Part two of the first chapter. I am a bit sad that no one has reviewed yet. Oh well, I'll keep going even if no one does. Though it would help if I got somebodys opinion, good or bad.


They quickly ran through another forest, twisting and turning their way through thorny rose bushes. The roses watched with looks of anger, of shock, and smug looks on their faces as the rabbit and human ran by. Anger and shock, because the rabbit and human weren't stopping to gaze at their amazing beauty, and smug because they were thinking - "They're just jealous, they're not as beautiful as us." "Ugh! That human looks sooo attrocious in black." "Plaid was soooooo two hours ago."

Then they came out of the forest and into the ally between two buildings. Before they could get out into the street Zayek pulled Maeve behind some crates that bore a strange insignia in the shape of a heart with a rose in the middle.

Zayek put his paw in front of his mouth to signify "Be quiet!" so Maeve kept her mouth shut.

Suddenly Maeve could hear loud footsteps coming closer to them. Staying still, and breathing quietly she watched from her spot as three large card guards, all haveingdifferent numbers of red hearts on them, with scepters walk by.

As soon as the guards were far enough away they moved from their spot to a different ally-way, and then another one, and then another one, allowing Maeve to take fleeting glimpses of the different stores around them.

From what she could see, all of the shops were closed down, haveing boards over their windows with the letters D,U, and P, painted onto them. The doors had their closed signs facing out and their banners, seemingly once bright, and had billowed galliantly, were ripped and dusty, the colors drained away, moving feebly in the light breeze of the day.

Oh how those people must have cried the day they had to leave the shop they worked so hard to keep alive all those years they were in them Maeve thought feeling saddness well up inside her.

Everything was going fine, until Maeve tripped on a rock that is. Her hand let go of Zayek's paw, and before he could stop himself to go back, they heard guards talking just around the corner. Maeve saw a shop and ran to it praying the door was open, while waving at Zayek, insisting he get out of sight.

Maeve got to the door and praying that her luck was with her, the door opened with the tinkling of a little bell at the top of the door. Her heart went faster when she heard the little bell hopeing the guards were talking to loudly to hear it. But as she closed the door making it tinkle again, she knew she was wrong.

"You 'ear that?" gruffed a guard

"'Ear what?" gruffed a different guard

"Sounded like the tinkling of a bell."

Maeve had to stiffle a squeak of fear from her position under the benches she had crawled under, that were under the boarded up windows. She looked up at the large partition hiding the rest of the resturant from her, and could see on the dusty blue fabric the guards shadow's moving around.

"I coulda sworn. . ."

"It was in your min', playin' tricks."

"Guess so. Let's keep movin'."

Maeve watched the shadows move away, and she let go a sigh of relief. She crawled over to the door but before she could touch the handle, she heard a sniffle comeing from the other side of the partition. Shocked, she looked back where she thought the sniffle originated from. She slowly moved past the partition into the larger part of the resturant and looked around. She saw someone was lying on one of the closer she could see the person was facing away from her. She could see extremely curly reddish hair covered in dust, that seemed if the person was standing up would go past their shoulder.

"Hello?" Maeve whispered

The person didn't move. But then the person had an emmense coughing fit. The coughs sounded like the persons throat was drier than the desert.

"Oh!" Maeve gasped, looking around trying to see if their was anything around her that would help. "Ah!"

The first thing she did was pull on the persons shoulders from behind so she could get him or her into an upright sitting position. After that she grabbed the dusty tablecloth and shook it holding her breath while she did as massive amounts of dust flew off. Putting it back she opened up her picnic basket, took out her thermos, a tuberware full of little cakes she had made, a small light green canister, her favorite tea cup, two saucers and a spoon.

Opening her thermos she smelled the wonderful aroma of her own special blend of tea. Then slowly pouring it into the tea cup on the saucer that she had place on the table, she tried to get a look at the face of the person, but could not see because their hair had fallen in front of their face. Sighing she capped her thermos,and put it back into the basket. She opened the tuperware and pulled out one of the six cakes and placed it on the other saucer.

Putting the cakes away, she placed the spoon on top of the light green canister, stood back and smiled.

She looked at the person sitting there, and desperatly wanted to know if they were a he or she.

"Umm, please forgive me, I don't wish to be rude." Maeve said in a whisper

She parted the thick hair that was in front of his face, and saw a man that had a feminine face with high cheekbones. But he had blackness under his eyes making him seem skeletal with his deathly pale skin.

Maeve furrowed her brow thinking to herself, What's he gone through to look like this?

She stepped back, and spoke.

"I hope you enjoy the tea I gave you, if you like it sweet there's sugar in the canister. I must be going now, my friend Zayek must be worried. Goodbye."

Maeve grabbed her basket and ran to the door, but before she turned the handle she remembered the little bell that had almost given her away.

"Please forgive me." she called back

She got on top of the bence next to the door and ripped the little bell from its spot. Jumping down she placed the little bell on the bench hearing the light tinkling muffled from the bench fabric.

Maeve opened the door slightly and peeked out, but could not see, or hear any guards. As quick as she could she ran to the ally closest to her and went behind the crates someone had placed there, and instantly she saw Zayek. He looked like he was having a conniption of sorts. She could hear mumbling and saw Zayek patting his ears down petting them at a rapid rate.

"Zayek?" whispered Maeve

Zayek's ears shot up as he turned around quickly, his eyes wide in shock.

"Miss Maeve, you're okay!" he squeaked

"Yeah, I'm so- Zayek!" Maeve cried out his name as he pitched forward.

Maeve caught him as he fell his head falling onto her flat chest.

"Z-Zayek?" Whispered Maeve as she fell to her knees holding onto him

Zayek's eyes were closed, and his breathing slowed down, from his short quick breaths, to slow deep ones.

Did he have a fainting spell?

"Zayek, Zayek, isn't there a place we have to go to. You were so impatient to get me there, and now you've fainted." Maeve sighed wondering how long he would be asleep, since her shaking wasn't waking him up. Maeve sighed again placing her chin on his forehead, hoping he woke up soon.

As time went by, Maeve's eyes started to get heavier and heavier, and lying on Zayek's soft, warm pelt wasn't helping. Then Maeve decided to close her eyes.

Just for a few minutes.

Yeah, that's what they all say.

"AH!" Maeve jolted awake from a sudden pain in her hand.

"Wake up you stupid girl!" squeaked a little brown mouse, putting her tiny rapier into it's sheath at her hip.

"I-I'm awake." said Maeve licking her hand keeping the trail of blood from making a mess.

"You two should have been at the meeting hours ago!" cried the mouse

"I'm sorry Dee-Dee, it was my fault." said Zayek "I was the one that fainted"

"No, no. It's my fault. If I hadn't -" started Maeve

"I don't blame you Zayek," said Dee-Dee "It's obviously this stupid girls fault. She didn't try hard enough to wake you up!"

"But I -"

"Anyway, Cork made a disstraction at the mines, so there are no guards around. We can just run to the library now."

"Excellent! Come Miss Maeve, follow me." said Zayek

Zayek bolted out of the ally, and Maeve followed, seeing that the streets were lit up from the flames coming from the lamp posts at every corner. Maeve looked over her shoulder and could see

Dee-Dee with a look of complete concentration, trying to keep up with the quick rabbit and girl.

Maeve slowed down a little so that she was beside Dee-Dee.

"Would you like a ride?" asked Maeve kindly

"Get away you stupid girl, I can do this on my own. I don't need help from you." she said breathly

Maeve felt a pang of saddness as Dee-Dee rejected her help. It was blantantly obvious that the little mouse disliked her completely. But why did Dee-Dee not like her?

As Maeve pondered that question she saw Zayek stop ahead of them. Maeve slowed down and looked at the building she figured was the library. A look of dread came onto her face as she looked at the building. It looked like a fire had gone through it burning everything.

"We need to go inside." said Zayek

Zayek ducked and went through a large hole that was at the bottom of the burnt large doors, and Maeve followed. When she stood up and looked around at the wreckage a lumped formed in her throat. She could see the huge room, lit from the outside lamps that once held hundreds of thousands of books, either reduced to ash or structurally unsound.

Those poor books. Maeve thought sadly

She followed Zayek through the burnt carnage, stepping on top of the thick ash on the ground, that seemed to have been pounded down by people who walked through it before her.

Zayek stopped at the end of a hall. He bent down and grabbed a melted handle that protruded from the ash on the floor, and lifted up a trap-door to show a stairway going down into darkness.

Dee-Dee pushed a blue button near the top step, and instantly the dark passageway was lit up by scones that were placed on the wall every few feet.

She then raced down the stairs leaving Maeve and Zayek started to go down the stairs and then looked up at Zayek.

"Are you coming Zayek?" Maeve asked

Zayek shook his head."I'm sorry Miss Maeve but I must get back to my original post. I've brought you here safely, and I am happy that we've made it. Forgive me but I must go."

Maeve rushed to Zayek and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thankyou for bringing me here safely, and I'm sorry for making you faint."

"It's alright." said Zayek returning her hug, feeling his face get hot.

"I'm going to miss you."

"And I you."

Maeve let go of Zayek.

"Oh and Zayek-"

"Yes?"

Maeve placed a chaste kiss on the tip of his nose, making his ears spring up, his face become as deep red as his eyes, and his top hat propelled off his head like a rocket.

Maeve watched as the top hat hit the crumpling ceiling and then saw it flutter down to land lopsided on top of Zayeks head, covering one of his ears.

She repositioned the hat, and said "I hope we meet again."

Zayek nodded, his face turning to a pink color.

Maeve turned and walked down the stairs while Zayek closed the trap door.

As Zayek slowly hopped his way through the library all he could think was, My first kiss.

Maeve walked down the steps to the bottom. Where a set of doors were blocking her way. She took a deep breath and let it out. Taking the handle in her hand and twisting it, she opened the door and walked in to see a large table all set out with kettles, cakes, teacups, and dozens of animals and different creatures, sitting around it, all staring at her.

She looked at the head of the table and saw a large stone Gryphon sitting there. For a few seconds she thought it was a statue of some sort. That was, until he talked.

"Welcome, child of Alice."


. Hope it wasn't to long. Maybe I should cut the chapters down into quarters. It might help get the chapters up a bit quicker. If you got any opinions on my stories go ahead and respond with a review.

Anyway thanks for reading! 'Till next time, BYE!