𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕎𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕃𝕒𝕤𝕥 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣. ⏱

8. The Anger

   Alice and Time went looking for their missing friends. In the night, inside a completely dark and hostile forest.
They lit a torch they made out of a thick piece of wood Alice found and a piece of Time's shirt he had wrapped around it.
They were wandering around for about an hour already, calling for Tarrant, Mallymkun and Thackery. They hoped that nothing bad happened to them.

-I left a note, saying we went looking for them. In case they have found their way to the ship. - Alice said.
-That's very smart. - Time admitted.
-Are you sure we won't get lost here? - The forest was huge and quiet, as if everything and everyone fell asleep, even the insects. It felt so strange and gave Alice chills. She was holding his hand the whole time.
-I am sure. - He was looking around, frowning, trying to notice anything in the darkness.
-How?
-The stars. There is a star which is supposed to show the way to the one who gets lost. Every starry night I'm asking it a question.
-Did it answer?
-Not…yet.

***

Alice tried to redirect her thoughts. She was worried about her friends' lives, tired and so hungry she thought she's going to chew on some leaves if they don't find the trio soon.
She picked up a conversation and told Time a story about how she almost engaged to a man she didn't even like.

***

-...He was always like this.
Hamish kept making fun of me and disrespecting me, because in his eyes a woman was someone worth less than him. Someone incopetent, hysterical, powerless…
-You were too nice to him. He should meet Iracebeth. She would show him in a nasty way how powerful a woman can be. He would piss himself in the pants. Jackass.  - Time snorted contemptuously.
-Speaking of…I thought you were close with the Red Queen. I mean, maybe before she decided to catch us all and mess up with the past.
-I thought that too. But as Iracebeth said just right after her guards captured me: 'I'm not in love. You are'.
-Oh...I'm sorry to hear that.
-Don't be. I'm mad at myself, that I haven't recognized her feelings better.
-Some people struggle to recognize their own feelings, you know, when they are in love, for example...
-I guess, It's much easier to recognize it, when you have a heart which actually can beat and tremble in your chest?
-Not every time.- She sighed.

Her words felt a bit alarming, but he hadn't had himself to think about it now. They had a serious mission to accomplish.

-Ugh! I didn't take anything to eat. I was so worried about them I forgot I'm starving.- Alice said, changing the subject of the conversation. Her stomach was killing her.
-Here, take it. - Time reached into the bag he was carrying and gave her two tangerines.
-Oh! You had it the whole time? You haven't told me! My Goodness…!
-You didn't ask. - He wasn't able to understand why she was so agitated. It had to be nice, not knowing the real hunger.
-Thank you! You want one?
-I don't need to eat. I took it for you.
-They must be starving too, who knows what happened to them - She said, slowly eating one of the tangerines.
-Don't worry, I'm sure they are alright.

***

Meanwhile, somewhere inside the great forest...

-Could you just stop? - Mallymkun asked angrily. - Someone was poking her with a long stick.
-Could you let us go? - Thackery yawned.
-I said NO! - A male voice thundered.
-I like him! He's totally bonkers! - Tarrant laughed. He looked at his friends and sighed.

   They all were starving and tired, all of this because of this crazy man!
He looked like a scarecrow. His golden, curly hair was long and tangled. It looked like he had a bird's nest on the top of his head.
His eyes were grey. The other features were unknown for the three, even before the dusk. The man had a very long golden beard with a mustache, so his face was covered very well. He was wearing shreds of clothes. Something that one day was a pink shirt and dark blue pants. He had no shoes on. He was rather tall and extremely skinny. It was impossible to say for sure, but he might have been between 35-45 years old.
-Stop laughing at me! - The man pointed at Tarrant with the stick. His eyes were hazy.
-I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at me!
-It doesn't make any sense! Why would you laugh? You are tied to a tree!