WONDER ( Twisted Forbidden Tales ) Book Three

Mad Lab Part One

HANK

I watched from a distance as Alissa used another wonderful feature of the Mad Bandit cape cloak to track that slug butt of man’s whereabouts as he surely took off like a wimpy punk when things got too real for him to handle. I don’t know why, but just like this cheeky cat form I am currently stuck with, in this form, I could see the essence of magic here and the casting itself. Enzo’s trail lit up lights a siren call in the night.

Following Alissa along stealthily as she walked along the path Enzo had taken, my cat's eyes could see something nestled in the dew-kissed grass, it looked like a drawstring embroidered pouch, seemingly woven from the whispers of the wind itself.

“What an interesting find,” she said to no one in particular. She squatted down to pick up the pouch and study it. It seemed like Enzo had left something behind or was it the Dream forest? Whether it looked to be important. That sister of his disgusted me to no end and the scent of her made my fur stand on end back there. I could tell in an instant what she was up to the moment her eyes landed on me. On top of that, I felt Alissa’s unease the longer we stayed around them ticked me off to no end.

The need to protect her was strong, just like it was back at the elder portal in Happy Town. That was no ordinary mist and scent flowing around in the lounge. It was very similar to the drugs Christine had used to conduct experiments on the wolves of the Sapience kingdom. My brother Danny and Walden’s mate Ria had discovered the drug substance in the bloodstream of every wolf Ria had cured with her blood. The sweet and sour smell was undeniable and for that, they had to pay.

Luckily, I wasn’t injured when Zuri managed to detach my claws from her. This was the filthiest fight I ever had to endure. Not to mention I was at a disadvantage from the start.

However, we were able to save several innocents and gained some crucial information to add to what Alissa and Haku had originally come to the Tweedle Club for. This place in the dream city reeked of Christine’s touch and that of the elusive mastermind. When I got my paws on that jerk, I would give him a taste of his own medicine with a few punches thrown in, of course.

“Meow.” I let out a familiar cat call not far behind Alissa. Watching her intently with my glaring green eyes, I sauntered forward. My eyes kept sight of the pouch, turning my nose up to take a whiff of the pouch. A scent wafted from it that I knew all too well. If this was what I thought it was, I had just found my breakthrough. While in my thoughts Alissa had looked down at me with a smile.

“I’m glad you’re alright Happy, don’t hold a grudge against me leaving you behind there, okay? I couldn’t let Enzo get away, but it seemed I still failed in the end. Hmm, that’s okay though, from the looks of this, it may be what we have been looking for.” she said. I wagged my tail in response to her words. I knew that already, so why would I hold a grudge? We were on a mission with a mystery to solve. If she only knew just who was by her side now. I would love to see her reaction once I return to my original state.

A smile easily donned on her face as she watched me leisurely wag my tail, my eyes no longer on the pouch taking a stance by her feet. Instead, I became quite intrigued by those Mad Bandit boots the more I checked them out. I needed to get myself a pair of these bad boys once I was better again, yet if I found out their makings I could tinker a few different pairs with myself.

Alissa must think of me really as a strange one, but oh well, I found that I fit in just fine when it came to her and the more time we spent together. All the more reason to unveil why she was in my Happy Town. There were no such things as coincidences in my eyes.

After Delia’s letters appeared, many people were affected. Was Alissa one of those people? I couldn’t help feeling like that fit more towards why she would be there near the portal at that time than anything else despite the havoc she unleashed in my town a few times. Come to think of it, nothing she had done had hurt the citizens in any way if I thought rationally about her past actions and the events that unfolded afterward. In a way, Alissa prevented certain catastrophes set by the mastermind then.

Alissa studied the pouch in her gloved hand more deeply, both of us discovering that the patterns on the drawstring of the pouch were made of shimmering gold thread. This pouch belonged to Enzo Tweedle. I knew this because of the amount of gold touches decorated and displayed around the private lounge. His enact obsession with gold had become his subtle telling signature in his various underground dealings, according to Haku and Alissa.

I had a feeling Zuri and Enzo may have a bit of leprechaun bloodline in them. It would explain the discordance in their scents. An interesting mix it would seem, but in truth it was what made them completely twisted.

The colors adorning the pouch surface danced like kaleidoscopic dreams, shifting and morphing with each passing glance. Deciding to open the pouch, Alissa and I met with a vial containing a strange-looking white powder. That was it! With my plastered cheeky cat smile, none would notice my excitement.

At first glance, the powder appeared pristine, a pure and untainted white. Yet, as my gaze lingered, I noticed a subtle shift in hues, as if the powder itself was alive with some hidden magic, manifesting shades of iridescent opalescence that danced and shimmered like the reflection of a thousand stars.

“What is this stuff? Look at this Happy, what do you think we have here?” she asked, looking down at me once more to find my eyes on the vial in hand with deep interest. Letting out a meow in answer to her question, but unfortunately, she couldn’t understand.

“Alright, Happy this could be a good thing. Enzo had this on him. Whatever it was important enough to keep close to him and I need to investigate this substance further inside my lab. It may be the break we need to find the missing.” Alissa said, putting the vial back inside the pouch, then pocketing it into the inside of her cape cloak.

Soon the sound of hurried shuffling footsteps came from behind us on the path. I know those steps and that scent now. It was Haku.

“Bad news Mad, Zuri got away during my fight with the guards, but you will never guess what I’ve just discovered during the fight that put Heartland palace on the map in involvement with the missing, much to my disappointment,” said Haku in a low voice as he approached us.

I looked up to find his cape cloak spotted with blood stains but overall he was just fine as I knew he would be. Even with the mask with his furrowed eyebrows in view, one could tell he was frowning. Given his ties with this Heartland Palace, it must be hard for him to accept that his enemies lay in the place he swore his loyalty to.

Haku had a boiling rage in him that he hid well, being the Dark Rabbit at Alissa’s side gave him an outlet to relieve the secrets he held inside. One day, when he was ready, we would be there to listen. His story about his missing friend had been only part of what he disclosed to Alissa when asking for her help. She knew him better than I did, so if she didn’t ask, I wouldn’t probe either.

Trusting Alissa felt strange yet familiar to me. Had we met before? It was a feeling I was eager to find and answer. Considering she had been the one to not only find me but also take care of me without question.

“This queen of yours is becoming a nuisance, Haku. As the Mad Bandit, I can't just stand idle by and do nothing if it is proven she is involved.” Alissa said.

“It, not her! Trust me, she would never! She wouldn’t, no matter what the rumors were. Everyone has misunderstood her.” Haku said anxiously. His tone was a bit defensive towards Alissa, which made her look at him with a bit of surprise and intrigue in her eyes.

I, too, picked on his fluctuating emotions. Hmm, it seemed Haku and this queen were pretty close to him to defending her. There was a story there, but we had no time to find out now.