In the past, this was a place to be avoided, and even more so today. Although the concept of time in this place played tricks in the minds of those not from this world, no matter what trickery was played, all would agree that these grounds were indeed old, beyond ruin. Steven walked up slowly, occasionally jumping at the small sounds of wind rustling through the dead hedges. He was all but insane now, constantly fighting the shrill, yet beautiful voice in his head and its grim demands. He knew that he was not himself when he gave in to the urges, feelings of rage and destruction, and the will to act upon those urges. What bothered Steven the most, was that those feelings of revenge he felt, they were not his own.
It was an old place, a ruined place, and even he didn't want to be there. The air was unusually heavy and dry. The fingertips of the wind brushing against his arms made his skin crawl, and no matter how fast he would look, or how aware he was, he could only see glimpses of shadows, moving just out of sight behind this place and that. Rusted iron gates lie warped and broken, unmoving. The walls, pouring mortar and shattered brick when he would walk by, falling like sand in an hourglass. The ground was darkened with dirt and dead weeds, even the vines that grew along the canopy of this dead garden were also withered and frail looking. This was truly a dead and desolate place.
"Well you've taken your sweet time!"
Steven didn't even think, only reacted. He launched his combat knife towards the wall where he heard the voice. The Rabbit ducked just in time to save his ears, although the same could have been said for his hat.
"What in the queen's name do you think you're doing boy?!"
Steven didn't know what to say honestly, but kept a firm ground. After all, it was this Peter Cottontail bastard that brought him here in the first place.
"Your lucky I don't cut you down where you where you stand Rabbit! I'm already on edge."
The Rabbit waited for the knife to disappear before pulling his hat down from the wall. A clean cleave, straight slit from front to back.
"As well as we can see boy."
Steven grabbed the handle of his knife again when he heard another sound around the hedge. It was much clearer this time, a high pitched wane, and clawing. It sent a cold jolt up his spine.
"Relax! You're home now. Believe me you have nothing to fear here as long as you do what she says, at the proper times of course."
Steven found the presence of another, enemy or otherwise to settle his nerves a bit. As creepy as this ruined castle was, the simple conversation did much to warm his blood back from the frozen fear he was feeling earlier.
"What do you want hair? I've half a mind to skin you alive." He hissed.
Rabbit tossed his hat aside and pulled out his pocket watch. He twitched his nose a bit as his eyes slowly met his.
"Yes, a welcome diversion, hm? One that feels all too familiar I'm afraid. If I didn't know any better, I would say that you have had some of the Hatter's tea."
Steven was now more annoyed than scared, or even angry.
"Hatter's tea…what the hell are you talking about?!" he yelled, hoping that he could convince the damned thing to speak proper English.
"Baa it was before your time lad." Rabbit started walking towards the bulky Steven, and even he was surprised at how tall he was, but the WERE animals after all. A full grown man would dwarf most anything other than his own kind.
"I came to guide you to the top of this Everest, as you would call it. Quite a simple climb, but one filled with traps and such."
Steven scoffed, "Traps huh? And what is at the top of this Everest?"
Rabbit grinned, or at least Steven thought he did (looked more like a barring of the teeth than a smile), and pointed behind Steven.
"I would worry about the top when you get there, but for now, you had best be sure you don't loose your grip and fall to the bottom."
Steven turned and was taken off guard when he tried to take a step further. Where once there was a broken brick path that lead through the labyrinth of a garden, there was now a clean pit that fell a few hundred feet below into a river of boiling lava.
Steven waved his arms as best he could but his balance was already thrown off, and so fell.
Rabbit laughed as he walked to the ledge and peered over. There hanging by the handle of his knife, Steven swung, trying to grip the broken wall.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you are brave indeed. That would have been one nasty fall. Beautiful scenery on the way down though."
Steven grunted as he lifted himself to a better position, stabbing his knife higher so that he could get a better grip.
"Oh aye, just wait until I get back up, you'll be seeing it first hand!"
Steven practically leapt with his hands and legs to a higher position, stabbing his knife into the soft mortar again. Slowly he was making his way up the pitfall.
"I've seen this more than once, but I'm not ready to stop now, nor am I willing to let my work die with you."
As rabbit spoke, he thrusted an open paw towards Steven, who was half confused.
"You're helping me?" he inquired, stopping to catch his breath.
Rabbit only blinked and stretched his paw out further. Steven looked at it for a moment, and then gripped it with his free hand, pulling the other free from the wall. Rabbit was quite powerful for his size! Then again, there was really no basis for comparison of normalcy with a giant talking rabbit.
Steven slid his knife back into the sheath over his right shoulder and pulled out a cigarette from his pack that was attached in the same manner. He looked back at rabbit who was checking his watch again, scratching his head, then looking up at the colossal castle.
"Rabbit, tell me. Is any of this real? Am I dreaming?" Steven gulped slightly as he blew out a puff of smoke. "Or am I dead?"
Rabbit tucked his pocket watch into his coat jacket, nodding, then very unlike his character, walked over and sat next to Steven.
"I used to be a teacher one time. Telling stories and teaching children the good value of books."
Rabbit rubbed his coat jacket as he spoke, and although his eyes seemed to stare directly at him, it also seemed as if he was becoming lost within a memory.
"It was so long ago that even I could not keep track of how much time had passed. I saw this, creature in one of the books I read one night. A hideous thing, so frightening, that I started to have nightmares."
Steven perked his ears up as he paid attention. A lot of what he was recalling was strangely familiar to him.
"One day at the school house, I started breaking out in cold sweats, and I started seeing things, hearing voices. The children pointed and laughed as I quickly fell into madness, seeing, hearing, feeling, and smelling this monster. The beast from my dreams appeared, and ushered me away from all that I knew was real."
Rabbit shook his head and closed his eyes.
"I don't know what is boy, all I know is this is the path we are on, and the story leads to the top of this castle."
Steven sat for a moment, and then flicked his cigarette butt into the lava pit. So he was not the only one, who heard her voice.
"I guess I don't have any other choice do I?" Steven chuckled, half convinced that he was going to die here in this dream world.
"I cannot tell you what awaits. Only show you the path. That is my part."
Steven looked down as he started walking down the other fork, half paranoid that he was going to fall into another trap again. He leaned down and scooped up the Rabbits top hat. Aside form the two plain as day cuts into the fabric, it was still serviceable, and a rather nice hat now that he could see it up close.
"Sorry about your hat." He said plainly.
Rabbit only scoffed at Steven, smiling under his breath as the two entered the pathway that lead into the heart of the castle.