There was a loud thump, followed by a low 'omphf!" and the Cheshire cat's snickers. "My, that was awfully dreadful," the fifteen year old thought- or said. Her lips had never moved, but her thoughts were translated into spoken words. It was just one of Wonderland's many bizarre happenings.
"You make me laugh, Alice dear, for more dreadful things are near. Just look around you and see what has come, Destroyed, is what Wonderland had become," the feline chuckled, yellow teeth gleaming. In Wonderland's light, he looked so much more real, each detail standing out. His pointed, devil ears were pressed low against his skull, his sharp fangs, covered in thick saliva, gleaming in the forest light. His skeletal body, which was wrapped in a thin layer of flesh, was hunched over a giant mushroom, golden eyes locked on the young girl.
Slowly climbing to her feet, Alice found her clothes and hands smeared with dirt, but she didn't seem to care, merely wiping her filthy palms on her dress. "What's happened to Wonderland during my absence?" she questioned, ignoring the bits of twigs and leaves in her hair as she began to wander through the forest.
"So very much has happened," the cat answered, hopping off the mushroom. "To much to be explained," he went on while following after her, leaving large paw prints pressed into the damp earth. "Just take a look around. So much to be discovered, so much to be found."
There was an eerie feeling as the two walked silently together. The Wonderland Alice remembered, so full of life and excitement and had been transformed into a darkened world. The trees used to rise to immeasurable heights, and their branches were thick with leaves. The songs of brilliantly colored birds were always heard, and there was a rich woodsy scent. The floor had been decorated with strange leave patterns; the elegant flowers were constantly busy chatting; the giant mushrooms rose high above the ground. Now, everything had changed. The trees stood naked and lonely, their leaves broken and scattered along the floor. The birds were gone; the flowers silent and wilted, the only sound left being the crunching of dried leaves. The mushrooms were shrunken and the pleasant smells were instead replaced with a putrid scent of old age, death and decay. The forest, as well as the rest of Wonderland had been drained of life.
"I don't understand what has happened. Why is Wonderland in a such a dreadful state?" Alice inquired as she glanced at the giant cat that walked silently beside her.
"This would be the Queens work," he explained as they soon reached the end of the forest.
"The Queen? The Queen of Hearts? What did that devil do? Why would she do such a horrid thing?"
"I say, watch your tongue. Speak like that around her, and she'll have you hung," the feline warned as he slowed to a stop.
"Oh, I'd like to see her try," she snorted, coming to a halt as well.
"As would I," he grimaced. "But if she did manage to kill you, oh, then without a savior, what would Wonderland do?"
"Perhaps find a new savior," Alice thought aloud.
"No, I'm afraid that would never do. There is no one else as competent as you. Now, no more talk of this. You've got a long journey ahead. Hurry on, and return this land to its former bliss," he explained, eyes set on the young teen.
"But what am I to do?" she questioned, uncertain of her mission.
"That, you must find on your own."
"My own? Well, where am I to go?" she asked again, looking to find where to start. br
"Again, you must find that on your own."
"What nonsense is this? How am I to help if you won't tell me what I need to know?" she cried, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"Silly child. Where would be the fun if I told you all you need to know?" he chuckled.
Before Alice could open her mouth to reply, the Cheshire cat began to fade away into nothingness, leaving her alone with nothing more than his cackling in her head.