ETTING   OME   O   LFANDRA

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Anton's Journey chapter 2 - Curiouser and Curiouser

 For a time Anton merely stood beneath the cries of the trees, as the rabbit put away his pocketwatch. The rabbit was white, and tall, thin and gangly. Its fur was matted, and bald in patches. It’s eyes constantly shifted along with its twitchy nose, from which bent whiskers sprouted. Its teeth were yellow, and it’s ears drooped forlornly down the back of his head.  In all, it looked like it had seen better days.
 "And so the beast awakens. Bit of a clumsy entrance, I must say." it commented, pointing up at the gaping hole in the canopy with it’s paw.
 "I didn’t have much say in the matter." Anton retorted, warily.
 The rabbit shook his head and held up a paw for silence.
"Excuses, excuses. They’ll get you no-where in this place."
 Anton took a step closer. "Yes, this place. What is this place, where am I?" He needed answers.
 "Where you *are* is of no importance, compared to where you are going. To know one, you must know the other. So where are you going?"
 "I see, you talk in riddles."
 "I see you have much to learn." The rabbit said, moving away.
 Anton stayed still, undecided about this strange character.
 "More to learn than I thought," the rabbit said, turning round after he had gone awhile, "You should be following me."
 "Why should I?"
 It shook its head again. "You never answered my question. Where are you going?"
 "I’d like to... go home. To Alfandra."
 The rabbit smiled, showing Anton it’s unkempt teeth. "Now you are getting somewhere. Tell me, are you still unsure of your whereabouts?"
 "Yes and no."
 "Now you’re the one talking in riddles", it slyly commented.
 "Don’t mock me." Anton growled slightly,"Now rabbit, can you, or can you not tell me where this is?"
 "Now you’re showing potential, beast," it said, smiling all the more. "Yes, I can tell you where this is, but you already know the answer yourself. You just don’t believe it enough yourself to speak it aloud."
 He narrowed his eyes."Wonderland."
 The rabbit nodded its head slowly... then shook it. "Yes and no." It said, mimicking Anton.
 He sighed and growled again.
 Smiling, rabbit continued his explanation. "This is Wonderland. But I doubt you have heard the truth of our land, beast. Here is no fairytale."
 "Then what is the truth?"
 It shook its head again. "To tell you the truth, I won’t tell you the truth. Instead, I bid you follow. We will talk more as we travel. It is not wise to stay too long in any one place in Wonderland Woods."
 "Why should I?"
 "Beast, you wish to go home, correct?"
 "My name’s Anton, and yes I wish to go home."
 "Name’s don’t matter. Nothing matters, don’t you see?"
 "No names?  But Alic-"
 "Silence!" The rabbit said, jumping over to Anton and clasping it’s tattered paw over Anton’s muzzle. "Do not speak *that* name, if you have any sense at all. Not that sense matters here."
 Removing it’s paw from his mouth, Anton gazed down  at the rabbit, which stood shorter than him. "Curiouser and Curiouser." Anton muttered. "I don’t suppose I should ask why you did that?"
 "No. Now do you realise why you have to follow me?"
 "Not at all." Anton said, drawing himself up to full height, "But I cannot see any other alternative. I have no magics, no abilities to get me home. If this is like the story, I must follow to leave this place."
 "But oh, dear beast, you do not realise," it said, leering closer, "This is not going to be like the story at all."
 

The ground was moist and damp. Several times, Anton’s foot fell down a muddy hole, one time all the way up to his knee. It required rabbit’s aid to free it on that occasion. The canopy of trees was still thick above them, and Anton longed to see the sky.  To be honest, thick woodland did not bother him; he’d been raised in thicker woods than this back home. But these woods... there was something unnatural about them. The trees loomed over the travellers, as if they would topple over any second just to squash them. And still, there were no sounds of creatures to be heard.
Rabbit was constantly looking at his pocketwatch, glancing at it nervously and placing it back in his pocket. Once, Anton caught a glance of the face, and shook his head in disbelief; the hands were spinning around on the dial madly, never staying in one place.
 Rabbit also seemed to have boundless energy. Anton watched as he drew further, and further ahead, until rabbit finally lost his patience. "Beast, can you not keep up? We’re late."
 "Just slow down. I need to rest."
 Rabbit raised an eyebrow. "I didn’t think you were of a weak race."
 "It’s not my race, it’s me; I haven’t eaten anything all for our journey, and am not yet recovered from my fall. You should be thankful that I’ve walked this long."
 "Ah, I see."  Rabbit said, nodding slowly. Then he took off again, quicker than ever.
 "Hey!" Anton snarled. "That wasn’t a cue for you to run off again."
 "No time!" Rabbit called out.
 "Either I get something to eat, or I eat you, rabbit." He snarled, louder this time.
 He could hear rabbit chuckling as he made his way back to his companion.
 "Fine, fine, we shall find you some food. But I have no fear of you eating me; you’d have to catch me first."
 "You underestimate my rabbit-hunting skills."
 "You never had much luck catching me last time."
 "What? Last time? But I never..."
 Rabbit looked at him slyly. "Didn’t you? What about when you were by the lake?"
 "By the...wait! You were that rabbit I was chasing before I arrived here, weren’t you?!"
 Rabbit laughed.
 That was it. Anton took one step forward and hoisted Rabbit up by its ears. "Why were you in Alfandra? Did you lure me here? For what purpose? Answer me!"
 It didn’t like being picked up by the ears. Before he could blink, it bent round and gnashed Anton on the hand. Blood spurted out, and Anton was forced to drop his quarry.
 Snarling, Anton slashed out with a claw, but Rabbit jumped, far more agile than the wolf. Anton ducked the rabbit’s kick to his face, and landed a punch to it’s chin, sending it flying backwards towards a tree. In mid-air, it spun, and rebounded off the tree, dived towards Anton. Taken by surprise, Anton tried to dodge, but rabbit slammed into his shoulder, causing him to lose his balance. He stumbled backwards, tripping over a log. As he fell down, the earth gave way beneath him, and for the second time that day, Anton was falling fast.