Kita In Wonderland

Chapter 5 - The Mock Turtle

Cheat Sheet:

Savux: A gargoyle that is an old friend and ally of Leiytning and Thundur.

Lurix: A waterborne-type gargoyle that was found and spared by the Zyrean Demons.

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Kita continued walking along the calm but unnerving beach until Captain Dodo's cabin was out of sight. She was hoping to find a trail, even a faint one, into the forest. That would heighten her chances of finding Seyber, or someone more helpful. 

At the same time, she was trying to process the situation she just walked away from. Though seeing her friend should've made her feel better, she only felt confused and melancholy.

"What's happening?" Kita murmured. "It was one thing to have Seyber running around confused like that, but all of them? T'Kala should've recognized any of those names easily; we're the ones paying her, and we've helped her so much. Druitt was working for Zyrean royalty longer than anyone, but I guess that just went out the window. Algus didn't even flinch when I mentioned his favorite 'interest.'"

She crossed her arms, uneasy.

"Worst of all, how does Jem not recognize her own siblings?" Kita looked taken aback. "And why was she a 'dodo,' whatever that is?" She groaned, "I don't understand a bit of what's happening. What am I even supposed to do when I find Seyber? I-"

'WOOSH!'

Kita barely had time to react as something grabbed her shoulders and forced her off the ground, carrying her up and over the trees of the forest.

"Hey!" Kita cried, struggling. "Stop! Let me go, right now!"

"Calm yourself, Alice," a deep, heavily-accented voice spoke.

Kita continued to struggle.

"A wiggly little worm!" The creature taunted. "Shall I drop you from this height, if you writhe too much?"

Kita froze. "No, please!"

The voice laughed, "Thought so! The Queen will be delighted to see you're as curious as ever."

Kita felt her stomach churn. "Jem warned me about a queen. Even if she didn't, my experience with queens has been very bad. I only follow one leader, and-"

"No queen is like ours!" The voice argued. "She is the Queen of Queensland, and were it not for the Duchess and that impudent hatter, she would be the queen of all Wonderland!"

Kita took a deep breath. "I guess, at the very least, a queen gives me a higher chance of finding Seyber."

"Bayard?" The voice growled, "What a wretched creature, I've had such terrible experiences with him."

"No, I said 'Seyber!'" Kita argued. "I mean, a white rabbit."

"Ah, don't worry about that little creature. Say, your voice is dragging terribly. Why so sad? Have you been talking with that Mock Turtle?"

"What the heck is a Mock Turtle?" Kita muttered.

"Oh, what a silly question," the voice replied. "What creature do you think they make mock turtle soup out of?"

"I don't think that's right," Kita replied. "But no, I haven't met a mock turtle before. I'm pretty sure the soup is just made from bovine-"

The creature suddenly jerked back. "And I suppose you don't know how to recite?"