She stepped out into a small ditch of rocks and grass that formed a small maze. One path to the right caught her eye, however, and she walked up to it. It was clear enough, and mostly straight, so she started down. There seemed to be nothing there but grass with some dry patches and a few flowers that looked suspiciously like Venus Fly Traps. She was careful to stay as far away from these as possible.
As she progressed down, she heard what sounded like many feet marching behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, but there was nothing. She started running, and came into a clearing with a large log and a few mushrooms about.
The marching continued, a little louder, and she crawled through a trench underneath the log and came up to an opening on the other side of the log. It seemed safe, if anything a little dark. She threw in the jackbomb, just to be sure.
Nervously she walked in. The ground was covered in leaves, moss and bits of brush, and she cautiously headed deeper inside. Then the ground beneath her ripped and she fell into a small hole - too deep for her to jump out of, but too smooth to climb. Several ants peered in at the top of the hole, staring down at her with wicked amusement in their beady black eyes. One of them lowered the end of its rifle, and she grabbed the barrel. It lifted her out easily, dropping her onto the ground, and she found herself surrounded by about forty ants, all of which were aiming rifles at her.
She put her hands up in surrender, and they roughly prodded her over to the back of the log and shoved her down into a cave. The dirt floor was littered with small bug bones and a few mouse bones, grass, and seeds. The walls of the cave were rough stone, and came together a large, deep dome over her head. She noticed that they seemed to curve outwards, giving her the distinct feeling of being trapped in a large fish bowl. The light from outside had faded very fast, and it was dim inside. Towards the back, Faith could make out the outlines of a large rock formation, with a clearly defined mushroom on its top. Near that, something was waiting.
"Who are you?" she asked loudly. Behind her, most of the ants went back to patrol, but a few stayed behind to watch, taking out seeds and other things to eat. The thing at the back of the cave growled.
"Get back on duty, you pathetic and wretched excuses for soldiers!" it snarled. The voice was brusque and grating. She felt and heard herself gulp. The ants immediately scurried back to duty. The shape's head turned to stare at her. It had to be a praying mantis; they were the only insects that could turn their head. "So I meet the famous Faith at last. Pity I've heard that she's such a coward."
She didn't move.
"Yes... Your friends all think so. Even the Rabbit, with whom you've lately become companions. The Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar... even your friend Morag. You didn't go back to help the fruit lady, whose death you caused, because you were too afraid of those card guards and the caravan."
She took a step back.
"And now you're running!" he crowed. "I allow you to keep your weapons so perhaps you could do the impossible and prove me wrong... and you're running!" A thin layer of moisture formed on her upper lip, and she wiped it off with her sleeve. Then the thing came into the light, and she found herself staring into the eyes of a huge praying mantis. But it wasn't a typical mantis - it wore armour with a bright red heart, and its teeth were both very large and very sharp. Its eyes were bigger around than her head. Her own eyes bugged. "But let me assure you," he growled, coming close. "There's no escape." Before she could get away, he slapped her across the cave with spiny forelegs and pounced, trying to pin her where she lay. But she rolled away and jumped up, narrowly missing a blow from his wings.
She ran to the back of the cave and waited in darkness, drawing the mallet. When the Mantis drew close, she sent a croquet ball into his chest. It did nothing. He laughed roughly.
"Think your petty toys will do anything?" he asked. She hesitated, eyes nervously darting from the mallet to him and back again. She dropped it and withdrew the ice wand.
"Yes," she said.
The mantis grimaced at the sight of the loathed wand, but shrugged (best as a bug could). "You're so predictable. Yet you-" he rammed into her, sending her flying across the cave. She landed with a thud against a wall as the wand skidded to a stop just behind the mantis. "Never expect anything... or when you do, it's wrong."
She dodged his spines and sent the cards flying at him as he ran at her, but he extended his forelegs and caught her by her hair, and pulled her over to him. He raised her to eye level and smiled evilly. "You'll taste good," he hissed and pulled her closer, pincers opening wide.
Terrified, she crossed her legs at the knees, catching his long, thin neck between her calves. Then she uncrossed them fast and he choked as his flexible neck bent almost too far in two directions, and dropped her. She dived for the ice wand and fired straight up while underneath him.
Unable to move, he watched as she took out the mallet and splintered a leg and then a wing. When the ice had melted enough he staggered away and opened his mouth, belching out an army of little mantises that tried to latch onto her and bite her. Several of them did, and Faith, not much of a bug fan, ran and jumped in a panic, shaking them off and shrieking. The ice was melting. He laughed at her.
"You're such a coward. Look at you, running and screaming, trying to get those off. You don't want to fight, do you? You want to be safe and warm in your bed, thinking that all of this is nothing more than a dream; that you can just wake up when you feel like it. You could barely murder the Countess without encouragement, could you? I think not. And afterwards, you were a shivering, pathetic WRECK, as you still are now."
Faith stared at him. "That's not true," she said at last, fear and tears gone. "I may be afraid, but I'm not going to run away. I'm not a coward. I don't want to fight, but if fighting is what it takes to save Wonderland and my friends, then I will."
He laughed. "I don't believe you."
She fired at his neck, coating from his body to his head. "Then don't. But believe that I will kill you. Right now." And threw the knife, shattering his neck.
"Too full of bravado, you were," she told the severed head.
The body fell with a crash and she sighed in relief, and walked over to the small hollow where the mushroom was. When she reached it, she recoiled and held her nose at the stench. "UGH! CAT!"
He appeared. "You called?"
"I have to eat this thing?" she asked, almost praying she was wrong. He nodded.
"Personally, I've never trusted toadstools, but I suppose that some must have their good points... somewhere."
"Are you actually sympathizing with me?" she asked incredulously. He shrugged.
"Perhaps."
She stared warily at the toadstool, then reached out and touched it. It was slimy, cold and mushy. Her face twisted into a disgusted grimace, and she drew away instinctively. "That feels like... ergh..." She tried to describe it, but couldn't.
"Don't bother with the imagery. Just close your eyes and plug your nose," Cat advised. "Pretend it's an oyster. No, you don't like oysters. Meat. No, you like yours cooked. Pretend it's something else. Prevarication, in this case, should help."
She laughed weakly. "I'd ask you what to think of, but you've already..." she apprehensively eyed the toadstool and frowned.
"Well, you certainly aren't going to get anywhere that way."
"I'm working on it," she said crossly. He nodded.
"Once you have finished 'working on' this, you must employ the help of the pale royals. They will be of great help to you."
"Pale Royals? Help me how?" she asked, puzzled. He didn't answer right away.
"There are many things that, regrettably, I can't tell you. Not because I don't know, but because I'm not the one to tell you."
"I suppose I understand," she said, sounding about as convinced as she would have if he had told her the earth was banana-shaped. She ignored whatever reaction he had and turned back to the mushroom. "Okay, okay... we're good, we can do this." She reached forwards, but her hand snapped back abruptly. "No we can't... well, taste is temporary and superficial anyway." She stopped. "God, I sound schizo or something! It's bad enough that you're here, you don't need another personalit... what am I saying?"
She shook her head as Cat sighed and walked around the mushroom and faced her.
"Cat? Who are these 'pale royals' anyway?"
"They are the white King and Queen, and rulers of the Pale Realm." She barely heard a word he said.
She glanced at the mushroom doubtfully. "All right," she said finally. "We can do this." And she scrunched up her face, grabbed a handful of mushroom, and threw it into her mouth. It tasted like someone had been preparing a soup of rotten mushrooms and oil, and had forgotten it for about a year. She gagged, and Cat backed up and moved aside. "Swallow..." he cautioned. Eyes watering, she nodded and forced it down, clamping her hands on her chin and forehead.
The sensation started at the area between her stomach and her hips, like she was having cramps. Slowly the feeling spread, and it felt as though her stomach were spreading through her body and pushing it out. Suddenly she shot up into the air stayed on the ground; twirled and spun and stayed still. When she stopped, she gasped as she found herself looking down at the mantis's lair and the ants from her real height! The ants hadn't regained their senses yet and she stomped on the lot of them, deciding that their deaths made guts on the bottom of her boot worthwhile. Then she ducked behind a bush and vomited.
"What next?" she asked after a few minutes, almost cheerful. He appeared to be rather exasperated.
"Have you not been paying attention? You must find the pale royals. They will have instructions and a very valuable gift for you - if you can prove that you are not one of the Red Queen's agents."
"How shall I do that?" she wondered, feeling her apprehension rise.
"That will be for them to decide," was the cryptic reply.
"It's not going to... to get me killed, is it?" She asked nervously, facing him. "'Cos if it does, it's your fault."
"Afraid?"
"Uneasy, rather."
He nodded, more in acknowledgement than sympathy. "Off you trot," he purred, and waited for her to do something.
"Which way do I go?"
"The right way, preferably," he shrugged.
"You couldn't resist that, could you?" she muttered, and wandered around, getting used to being big again. She was surrounded all by forest, and she had no way of knowing how to get out.
She scrambled up a large boulder, hoping to get a good view of her surroundings. There were two stone cliffs a short distance to the right, and a large stream to the left, although she wouldn't have been surprised if it eventually led to the cliffs. Straight ahead there was a glowing, molten river of lava that cut through the land, swallowing boulders and spilling out of the surrounding pools and gullies. Heat radiated in a sea of steam, and heat waves formed a screen that blurred the valleys and cliffs behind the river. It led straight into the cliffs, and she knew that it was her road.
She turned, only half expecting to see Cat, and was greeted with empty air.
She nodded and headed down, searching for a path.
As she progressed down, she heard what sounded like many feet marching behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, but there was nothing. She started running, and came into a clearing with a large log and a few mushrooms about.
The marching continued, a little louder, and she crawled through a trench underneath the log and came up to an opening on the other side of the log. It seemed safe, if anything a little dark. She threw in the jackbomb, just to be sure.
Nervously she walked in. The ground was covered in leaves, moss and bits of brush, and she cautiously headed deeper inside. Then the ground beneath her ripped and she fell into a small hole - too deep for her to jump out of, but too smooth to climb. Several ants peered in at the top of the hole, staring down at her with wicked amusement in their beady black eyes. One of them lowered the end of its rifle, and she grabbed the barrel. It lifted her out easily, dropping her onto the ground, and she found herself surrounded by about forty ants, all of which were aiming rifles at her.
She put her hands up in surrender, and they roughly prodded her over to the back of the log and shoved her down into a cave. The dirt floor was littered with small bug bones and a few mouse bones, grass, and seeds. The walls of the cave were rough stone, and came together a large, deep dome over her head. She noticed that they seemed to curve outwards, giving her the distinct feeling of being trapped in a large fish bowl. The light from outside had faded very fast, and it was dim inside. Towards the back, Faith could make out the outlines of a large rock formation, with a clearly defined mushroom on its top. Near that, something was waiting.
"Who are you?" she asked loudly. Behind her, most of the ants went back to patrol, but a few stayed behind to watch, taking out seeds and other things to eat. The thing at the back of the cave growled.
"Get back on duty, you pathetic and wretched excuses for soldiers!" it snarled. The voice was brusque and grating. She felt and heard herself gulp. The ants immediately scurried back to duty. The shape's head turned to stare at her. It had to be a praying mantis; they were the only insects that could turn their head. "So I meet the famous Faith at last. Pity I've heard that she's such a coward."
She didn't move.
"Yes... Your friends all think so. Even the Rabbit, with whom you've lately become companions. The Cheshire Cat, the Caterpillar... even your friend Morag. You didn't go back to help the fruit lady, whose death you caused, because you were too afraid of those card guards and the caravan."
She took a step back.
"And now you're running!" he crowed. "I allow you to keep your weapons so perhaps you could do the impossible and prove me wrong... and you're running!" A thin layer of moisture formed on her upper lip, and she wiped it off with her sleeve. Then the thing came into the light, and she found herself staring into the eyes of a huge praying mantis. But it wasn't a typical mantis - it wore armour with a bright red heart, and its teeth were both very large and very sharp. Its eyes were bigger around than her head. Her own eyes bugged. "But let me assure you," he growled, coming close. "There's no escape." Before she could get away, he slapped her across the cave with spiny forelegs and pounced, trying to pin her where she lay. But she rolled away and jumped up, narrowly missing a blow from his wings.
She ran to the back of the cave and waited in darkness, drawing the mallet. When the Mantis drew close, she sent a croquet ball into his chest. It did nothing. He laughed roughly.
"Think your petty toys will do anything?" he asked. She hesitated, eyes nervously darting from the mallet to him and back again. She dropped it and withdrew the ice wand.
"Yes," she said.
The mantis grimaced at the sight of the loathed wand, but shrugged (best as a bug could). "You're so predictable. Yet you-" he rammed into her, sending her flying across the cave. She landed with a thud against a wall as the wand skidded to a stop just behind the mantis. "Never expect anything... or when you do, it's wrong."
She dodged his spines and sent the cards flying at him as he ran at her, but he extended his forelegs and caught her by her hair, and pulled her over to him. He raised her to eye level and smiled evilly. "You'll taste good," he hissed and pulled her closer, pincers opening wide.
Terrified, she crossed her legs at the knees, catching his long, thin neck between her calves. Then she uncrossed them fast and he choked as his flexible neck bent almost too far in two directions, and dropped her. She dived for the ice wand and fired straight up while underneath him.
Unable to move, he watched as she took out the mallet and splintered a leg and then a wing. When the ice had melted enough he staggered away and opened his mouth, belching out an army of little mantises that tried to latch onto her and bite her. Several of them did, and Faith, not much of a bug fan, ran and jumped in a panic, shaking them off and shrieking. The ice was melting. He laughed at her.
"You're such a coward. Look at you, running and screaming, trying to get those off. You don't want to fight, do you? You want to be safe and warm in your bed, thinking that all of this is nothing more than a dream; that you can just wake up when you feel like it. You could barely murder the Countess without encouragement, could you? I think not. And afterwards, you were a shivering, pathetic WRECK, as you still are now."
Faith stared at him. "That's not true," she said at last, fear and tears gone. "I may be afraid, but I'm not going to run away. I'm not a coward. I don't want to fight, but if fighting is what it takes to save Wonderland and my friends, then I will."
He laughed. "I don't believe you."
She fired at his neck, coating from his body to his head. "Then don't. But believe that I will kill you. Right now." And threw the knife, shattering his neck.
"Too full of bravado, you were," she told the severed head.
The body fell with a crash and she sighed in relief, and walked over to the small hollow where the mushroom was. When she reached it, she recoiled and held her nose at the stench. "UGH! CAT!"
He appeared. "You called?"
"I have to eat this thing?" she asked, almost praying she was wrong. He nodded.
"Personally, I've never trusted toadstools, but I suppose that some must have their good points... somewhere."
"Are you actually sympathizing with me?" she asked incredulously. He shrugged.
"Perhaps."
She stared warily at the toadstool, then reached out and touched it. It was slimy, cold and mushy. Her face twisted into a disgusted grimace, and she drew away instinctively. "That feels like... ergh..." She tried to describe it, but couldn't.
"Don't bother with the imagery. Just close your eyes and plug your nose," Cat advised. "Pretend it's an oyster. No, you don't like oysters. Meat. No, you like yours cooked. Pretend it's something else. Prevarication, in this case, should help."
She laughed weakly. "I'd ask you what to think of, but you've already..." she apprehensively eyed the toadstool and frowned.
"Well, you certainly aren't going to get anywhere that way."
"I'm working on it," she said crossly. He nodded.
"Once you have finished 'working on' this, you must employ the help of the pale royals. They will be of great help to you."
"Pale Royals? Help me how?" she asked, puzzled. He didn't answer right away.
"There are many things that, regrettably, I can't tell you. Not because I don't know, but because I'm not the one to tell you."
"I suppose I understand," she said, sounding about as convinced as she would have if he had told her the earth was banana-shaped. She ignored whatever reaction he had and turned back to the mushroom. "Okay, okay... we're good, we can do this." She reached forwards, but her hand snapped back abruptly. "No we can't... well, taste is temporary and superficial anyway." She stopped. "God, I sound schizo or something! It's bad enough that you're here, you don't need another personalit... what am I saying?"
She shook her head as Cat sighed and walked around the mushroom and faced her.
"Cat? Who are these 'pale royals' anyway?"
"They are the white King and Queen, and rulers of the Pale Realm." She barely heard a word he said.
She glanced at the mushroom doubtfully. "All right," she said finally. "We can do this." And she scrunched up her face, grabbed a handful of mushroom, and threw it into her mouth. It tasted like someone had been preparing a soup of rotten mushrooms and oil, and had forgotten it for about a year. She gagged, and Cat backed up and moved aside. "Swallow..." he cautioned. Eyes watering, she nodded and forced it down, clamping her hands on her chin and forehead.
The sensation started at the area between her stomach and her hips, like she was having cramps. Slowly the feeling spread, and it felt as though her stomach were spreading through her body and pushing it out. Suddenly she shot up into the air stayed on the ground; twirled and spun and stayed still. When she stopped, she gasped as she found herself looking down at the mantis's lair and the ants from her real height! The ants hadn't regained their senses yet and she stomped on the lot of them, deciding that their deaths made guts on the bottom of her boot worthwhile. Then she ducked behind a bush and vomited.
"What next?" she asked after a few minutes, almost cheerful. He appeared to be rather exasperated.
"Have you not been paying attention? You must find the pale royals. They will have instructions and a very valuable gift for you - if you can prove that you are not one of the Red Queen's agents."
"How shall I do that?" she wondered, feeling her apprehension rise.
"That will be for them to decide," was the cryptic reply.
"It's not going to... to get me killed, is it?" She asked nervously, facing him. "'Cos if it does, it's your fault."
"Afraid?"
"Uneasy, rather."
He nodded, more in acknowledgement than sympathy. "Off you trot," he purred, and waited for her to do something.
"Which way do I go?"
"The right way, preferably," he shrugged.
"You couldn't resist that, could you?" she muttered, and wandered around, getting used to being big again. She was surrounded all by forest, and she had no way of knowing how to get out.
She scrambled up a large boulder, hoping to get a good view of her surroundings. There were two stone cliffs a short distance to the right, and a large stream to the left, although she wouldn't have been surprised if it eventually led to the cliffs. Straight ahead there was a glowing, molten river of lava that cut through the land, swallowing boulders and spilling out of the surrounding pools and gullies. Heat radiated in a sea of steam, and heat waves formed a screen that blurred the valleys and cliffs behind the river. It led straight into the cliffs, and she knew that it was her road.
She turned, only half expecting to see Cat, and was greeted with empty air.
She nodded and headed down, searching for a path.