Disclaimer: If I owned Alice there would be more games about her adventures!

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CHAPTER IV: OF WISHES COME TRUE

Eventually Cheshire found himself thinking about Alice yet again, so he chose to prowl Wonderland as night fell. Although the realm was a peaceful albeit crazy place again after the red-queen's death, most of Wonderland's inhabitants were diurnal, and thus the night was pretty much for himself. The feline paced calmly through the lush greenery, the full moon and stars lending enough light for him to see clearly in the darkness as he stalked the silent meadows. He worried frequently about Alice's wellbeing, though most inhabitants knew of her release from Gray Prison, which was most certainly an improvement. 'How is she coping in her own world? Has she been shunned for her past? Does she even remember her time here, the fights, the gore, the victory… us? Or maybe… she prefers to forget'

A movement above his head caught his attention, effectively cutting his musings short as his amber eyes were glued to the shooting star. The cat thought it childish to make a wish, but he couldn't help remembering most would have thought Cheshire himself a fragment of a tortured child's imagination and he begged to differ, so he ended making the wish while the brilliant streak was still visible in the royal blue sky.

"I only wish for her happiness."

Feeling somehow better than he had since Alice's departure, he began a roundabout path back to his territory. He had claimed a large tree with purplish bark and a twisting frame which despite its greenery held a hollow trunk, making it the perfect shelter for his sleep. A seemingly effortless leap took him to his den easily, where he crawled in and made himself comfortable until only the glowing embers of his luminous eyes betrayed his presence.

By the time the exotic birds of the realm woke him from his late night slumber, the sun was already high up in the sky, so climbing into the thick canopy, the cat gave a mighty yawn and stretched largely before seeking a branch thick enough to support his full weight without a single creak. There, he laid with his tail hanging down, tip twitching slightly and trademark grin firmly in place to wait for either someone seeking his counsel or a lost traveler with the misfortune to cross his path.

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After an uneventful day of confusing riddles, Cheshire waved off the last visitor (a sentient teacup) with a soft "As knowing where you are going is preferable to being lost, ask…" the last word fading into the air as his body did the same. A slight tingling sensation ran through his spine as his mouth, the last part to go, reintegrated to the cat mere instants before it took form once more in a very different location. The feline's grin became even more mischievous as he thought of how disappearing before someone's eyes, a lost someone's eyes, just made them sooo frustrated that he never seemed to tire of the joke.

He may have been naturally curious, but pranking was one of his favorite pastimes.

A familiar ache in his abdomen reminded Cheshire that it was high time he grabbed a bite, so as the sun began its descent he decided to head west, where prey was plentiful. Just as he predicted it wasn't long before a long pair of ears could be seen. It was a wild hare. This rodents, though larger than their counterparts in man's world were far from sentience still and barely more than distant cousins to the march hare. Lacking the ability to speak, Wonderland's breed showed every color imaginable on their fur… they ranged from the usual white, gray, maroon and black to bright pink, purple, jeweled greens and oceanic blues in interesting patterns.

The feline licked his chops in anticipation as the bright colors bounced around in front of him like a multihued buffet. The bunnies were no match for his strength and large enough to keep him sated for several days, but they were the lowest link in the food chain and they knew it. As a result, this animals were always on high alert and so fast catching them took more patience and the ability to stay hidden than anything else.

Luck was on his side and it wasn't long before one blue and gray morsel failed to notice him and strayed too close to his hideout. Dinner was served.

After a quick drink, and just as night fell, Cheshire began feeling… off. He could feel the familiar tingling sensation that accompanied his teletransportations, this caused a rare frown to mar his features. He had certainly not called for the magic, but it seemed true all the same, as his paws were almost nonexistent now even though he kept walking.

As the last trays of the sun kissed Wonderland's horizon the grass glistened with residual magic, the only witness to Cheshire's disappearance.

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After Charle's departure and a meal for both her and her furry companion, Alice decided to go exploring, including the shadowed attic. She discovered a couple of paintings and a beautifully carved trunk, which she moved to the foot of her bed, but otherwise came out empty handed; apart from the equipped bathroom and kitchen the only furniture was a single cream couch, the solid looking table with 2 chairs, her bed, and wardrobe. It was enough to live comfortably, but since the house was meant for a family it seemed eerily empty.

Choosing to drop that trail of thought, Alice went to her room and began unpacking what little belongings and knickknacks she had brought from her imprisonment. What few personal effects she owned seemed to be swallowed by the sheer size of the room. With a frown she decided she'd eventually have to go buy some more furniture and decorations. She wanted the house to recover the cozy ambiance she remembered. Mind made up she took a book and began to get lost in the story unfurling before her eyes until she noticed it was getting progressively harder to read the printed letters.

Slightly confused, she turned to the window and noticed with a start that dusk was fast approaching. Rising to eat a light dinner she then found herself coming back upstairs just as the sun disappeared from sight, the view as the sky filled with burnt oranges and purples was beautiful and she let out an uncharacteristic sigh of content. Her calm was, however, short-lived, for a strangely familiar sound called her attention and made her turn toward her room's door, being where she thought it came from. She was sure she should know that almost chiming sound, yet Alice couldn't seem to quite place it.

Then, right there, next to the door a shadow with a white curve appeared. The female froze, visibly tense until the shape became clearer and she identified the whiteness as a wide grin…

Alice felt her eyes go wide as saucers as everything finally seemed to click, there was only one creature she knew that could cause that sound and appear out of thin air with a grin so large it was the first thing you noticed, the only problem being that this wasn't Wonderland. The grinning shadow, however, didn't seem to care for her logic and kept becoming more solid with each passing second. It felt like an eternity for the female, but the process really took around 5 seconds, which was still much slower than usual. Once he felt himself become corporeal once more, the newcomer opened amber orbs.

To say that Alice was shocked would be a gross understatement. He had changed since they last saw each other. The first thing she noticed was his coat, once a muddy gray-brown, and sparse in places, now looked a clear medium gray, throwing his markings into starker relief. His hind quarters called her attention next; though the markings and general shape were the same, they looked much stronger now that there was some muscle, they had doubled in width and the female could easily picture those extremities allowing him enormous leaps. Then came that tail sinuously waving behind him; it was no longer the boney structure she used to know, but an appendage finally large enough to serve keep his balance, it had easily doubled both in length and width and no longer showed every bone running through it. His coat had grown into the tuft of hair that used to cover the tip and now the tail seemed to thicken in the last three inches, where it now sported a smoky ring followed by the completely black tip.

Despite all the changes, he still was mostly the same: black tattoo-like markings, irregular pierced ears, feral slit pupil eyes, fang-filled grin, enormous paws and mangy frame. He was still a rather large creature, and the changes certainly didn't make him any less intimidating, but the contrary. Not for the first time, Alice found herself glad that he was a friend; she didn't look forward to having to fight that being.

Done with the visual examination that only confirmed that it was, indeed, him, the female took a deep breath to gather her scattered thoughts. She made a conscious effort to relax her stiff posture and inquired with a confused and soft, but decidedly commanding voice:

"Cheshire, what are you doing here?"

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Well, what did you think? Please don't hang me for changing Ches, but I think that if Wonderland changed so drastically at the Red Queen's demise its inhabitants were bound to reflect that as well. Also I find him quite imposing, with his size, fluid moves and ability to pop out of thin air I was glad not to fight him, I'm pretty sure it would be a nasty experience. ;) Don't forget read & review… it makes chappies come faster