Blood Red

Chapter Four

Darkness enveloped her.

She could hear a continuous panting resounding in the background, the hot breath creeping down her neck.

"Red...." the raspy voice said, almost admirably, eyes glowing in the black with a ravenous hunger. "This chase won't last very long..."

Ivory fangs seemed to glow in the darkness as the Wolf opened its mouth, saliva dripping down its furry jaw.

"Just you try to get away. I'll always be lurking around somewhere. You don't know who's on your side...or who is on the winning side. Good luck, Red. This will be the best hunt I've had in a while.."

Grim laughter resounded in the background.

"Red...Red...everything will be red....Red..."

"Red? Damn it, Red!" Aaron was saying loudly, shaking the girl by the shoulders. All at once, her green eyes snapped open, and her breathing turned into low pants.

"What happened? You weren't waking up!" he demanded, his eyes narrowed on Red the entire time he spoke. It was like he was angry, but Red could see the fear stir behind his eyes. Seeing her sit up on the couch, he moved back a little, almost relieved.

"It was...just a nightmare...that's all....I'm alright..." she huffed softly, stumbling as she stood up. They were still in the shack, and it seemed to be early enough in the morning, just after dawn. Still giving her a hesitant look, Aaron shook his head and sighed.

"We need to go now. Where we're headed isn't too far away...besides...it's just a stop. I need to ask a few questions..." Aaron said, almost grimly, as he picked up his sack and slung it over his broad shoulders. His long black hair wasn't messy, Red noticed, so he must not have slept very well.

The two left the shack behind, getting rid of any trace they had been there. Aaron led Red through the forest, but she coulnd't help to notice that stranger things had been happening around them. The trees seemed to be watching them as they passed, and the animals almost whispered among themselves. Color seemed to pop in the strangest and brightest ways. Trying to ignore her discomfort, Red trailed behind Aaron silently. There wasn't anything to say.

"Where are we?" she asked after Aaron had stopped.

"Close to Wonderland. That place isn't exactly our territory, but this is the closest I could get without mixing stories. He'll hear us from here....I just know it..." Aaron said, giving a little shake of his head. "Especially from this stupid tree."

The two of them glanced up at a large tree, with dark purple leaved. The branches were twisted around it, like they had been caught moving around by the pair.

Red opened her mouth to question him further, the strange area putting her at unease, but Aaron started talking again, speaking strangely.

"Twas brilig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogroves,
And the mome raths outgrabe."

As the words slid off his tongue, a small gust of wind hit gently on thier faces. Red noticed what had happened first, and she gave a sharp gasp.

A cat was sitting in a tree, his tail wagging back and forth. But this was no ordinary cat, you see, his fur was striped bold colors of pink and purple. The cat's wide eyes stared down at the two, and it almost seemed to be smiling in amusement.

"Chesh." Aaron said in a plain voice, not wanting to bother with anything more than he had to. In one blink of an eye, the cat had disappeared, and a young man took its place, with the same strange look of sadistic amusement.