WONDER ( Twisted Forbidden Tales ) Book Three

Familar Stranger Part Two

HANK

After having a hefty lunch, Alissa packed up her hefty sack that suddenly looked too familiar. Without hesitation, I made my way to jump onto the counter where Alissa held the pack in her hands, piling things into it instinctively. Crafted from a patchwork of vibrant fabrics, it exudes an air of whimsy and mystery. The exterior is a kaleidoscope of colors, ranging from deep purples and electric blues to fiery oranges and emerald greens, all expertly stitched together in a chaotic yet captivating pattern reminiscent of a surrealist painting.

The straps of the packsack are thick and sturdy, woven from braided ribbons in contrasting hues, each adorned with mismatched buttons and charms that jingle softly with every movement. The buckles are fashioned from polished brass, etched with intricate designs of swirling vines and arcane symbols, hinting at the magical properties hidden within.

Inspecting further my furry little face nearly inside the packsack itself, I could discern the subtle shimmer of enchantments woven into the fabric itself, offering protection from the elements and enhancing the wearer's agility and strength.

A light bulb lit in my mind as I remembered the parachute inside the elder portal. This was the same color and energy pulse that I felt from the Mad Bandit after the fall. There was no way. My thoughts were in turmoil. A little thing like her couldn’t possibly be the nuisance I sought after for so long back in Happy Town, I thought.

“What a cheeky little kitty you are! It’s not good to be too curious, Happy, or you could hurt yourself,” Alissa said as she pulled me out of inspecting inside the pack sack and held me in her arms. Her slim and graceful fingers softly delved into my fur with the right amount of pressure that caused me to purr.

I was more than aware that she noticed I was no ordinary cat. Reveling in her current attempt to distract me with her petting expertise, my jumbled thoughts began to focus and sort out what I had discovered. The true marvel of the packsack lies within its depths. Concealed beneath layers of fabric are an array of compartments and pockets, each containing a different survival tool or potion it was very similar to that of my special tool belt that had disappeared upon my change into this never-ending smiling cat identity.

There was more to Alissa than met the eye, and I was more than geeked to find out her secrets. I loved a good mystery and this one was so much so that my paws were itching. We would be leaving soon after the plan Haku and Alissa discussed was solidified. Striking while the trail was still hot was the best tactic to find out what was going on according to what I picked up on. Haku’s friend wasn’t the only one that had gone missing and the way the mastermind had withered off amid our fight was a clear tell to knowing his or her way around this weird place. Meaning those missing people had some ties to the mastermind’s plan.

All the things happening up til now could not be just mere coincidence. I couldn’t help thinking about Talia, Snow, and Walden. Walden had been used as an experiment along with several of the Wolves from the Sapience kingdom, not to mention his twin brother Aaron, who was left wandering within Christine’s flawed spell for some time before it righted into the correct timeline and led them to one another. Bringing forth unexpected events and a mated beginning for them both.

Was the same thing happening here? Were the missing people being used for magic experiments? If so, this meant Christine was indeed just a cover, but for whom? And exactly what was this person looking for by doing these experiments and on innocent people at that?

One hour later………

The trees lining the path twisted and contorted in bizarre shapes, their trunks spiraling upwards like corkscrews, while their branches reached out in wild, chaotic patterns. Each tree seemed to pulse with a faint, otherworldly glow, casting eerie shadows across the forest floor.

Dream Forest, I learned from Haku and Alissa's previous conversation. It was called. The forest, though initially appearing tame and familiar, soon revealed its true nature as they stepped onto the glistening trail that meandered through the heart of this wacky world we resided in.

I was really in awe of how humongous many things were here and how much weirder compared to Happy Town and the Forbidden Forest. The trek took an hour to arrive at the destination we were headed to.

The leaves overhead were a riot of color, shimmering in hues that defied description. Some were a brilliant shade of crimson, while others glowed with an ethereal blue light. As we passed beneath them, the leaves seemed to rustle and whisper secrets known only to the forest itself.

Cotton candy bushes lined the edges of the trail, their fluffy pink tendrils dotted with strange, otherworldly fruits and flowers. Some resembled twisted versions of familiar fruits, while others seemed to defy classification altogether, with bizarre shapes and colors that seemed to shift and change with each passing moment.

As we walked along the glistening trail, every step seemed to reveal a new, treacherous aspect of the forest. The ground beneath their feet shifted and undulated as if the very earth were alive and breathing beneath us. Strange, otherworldly sounds echoed through the trees, adding to the sense of unease that hung in the air.

“Don’t worry, happy, we are almost there. Dream forest won’t hurt us. This is just its way of protecting itself against malicious intruders, which we are not,” said Alissa, as she comforted me. She must have felt me tense up at the sight of this forest. I didn’t like the unknown let alone surprises. Having been hit with an overflowing abundance of the two recently, I couldn’t help being a bit on edge in my current state.

Her words were meant to console me, but suddenly, we came upon a clearing, where a pink, moon-shaped popcorn tree stood tall, its branches weighed down with plump, irresistible kernels. The sight made our stomachs rumble with hunger, despite the oddness of the situation.