Page 57 of Knot My Wonderland

The Caterpillar's iridescent skin shifted through worried purples and blues. "She's seeing what was, what is, and what could be—all simultaneously.” His gold eyes glanced at me once again with a knowing look.

“She will be fine. She will be in sleep for a small bit before waking…she may have a small headache when she wakens but she will be fine. We just have to wait.” He told me.

I held Alice closer, feeling the steady rhythm of her breathing against my chest. Her silver patterns pulsed faintly beneath translucent skin, creating hypnotic spirals that seemed to follow no earthly logic. In this state, she looked impossibly young—a dreamer lost between worlds, carrying power that could reshape reality itself.

"How long?" I asked, settling onto the mushroom with Alice cradled in my arms. My form had solidified completely at her touch.

"Time moves differently here," the Caterpillar replied, returning to his hookah with languid movements. "Minutes, hours—the distinction becomes meaningless when consciousness travels between possibilities." He drew deeply, exhaling smoke that formed fleeting images of Alice in various states of awakening. "She's safe within the visions.”

I glanced at Alice, pushing some of her blonde hair out of her face, “Where can I lay her for now. If we are here, I might as well ask you some questions as well.”

The caterpillar gave a knowing look before he motioned to a small couch that was on the side of the room almost hidden from view, “Set her there…and you can ask your questions.”

I carried Alice to the small couch, marveling at how its surface seemed to adjust to accommodate her form. Soft bioluminescent moss spread across it like a living blanket, glowing gently as she settled into its embrace. Her breathing remained steady, the silver patterns beneath her skin pulsing in rhythm with some internal clock I couldn't perceive.

"She's beautiful when she's not trying to solve the mysteries of Wonderland," I murmured, more to myself than the Caterpillar.

"Beauty is irrelevant to the pattern," the Caterpillar observed, though his tone suggested amusement. "Though I suspect her beauty is quite relevant to you."

I materialized a chair beside the couch, keeping one hand resting lightly on Alice's shoulder. The contact helped anchor my form in this reality-fluid space. "My questions aren't about beauty."

"Aren't they?" The Caterpillar's golden eyes gleamed with ancient knowledge. "You've spent centuries existing between states, Cheshire. Never fully present, never completely absent. And now this dreamer arrives, and suddenly you find yourself... solid." He gestured with his hookah, smoke forming spirals that showed my form flickering between transparency and substance. "That's not mere magical resonance."

I shifted uncomfortably, my tail curling around the chair leg. "Alice represents change for all of Wonderland. My interest is protective—"

"Your interest is possessive," the Caterpillar interrupted, his voice carrying harmonics that made the chamber walls shimmer. "I can see the bonds forming between you, silver threads that grow stronger each time you touch." The smoke images shifted, showing the moment Alice had first grasped my hand, then our magical connection in the kitchen, each contact strengthening the connection between us.

“Though you aren’t the only one to be connected like that with her…though packs forming isn’t something that happens much in Wonderland anymore with how few Omegas are here.” The Caterpillar's golden eyes held mine with uncomfortable intensity.

“I have seen yourself and four others in her life…could you guess who they are?” He asked me, a small grin on his face.

I knew Varik wasn’t one…and she has only met three others while here in wonderland…but no… “Why don’t you enlighten me.”

The Caterpillar's smile widened, smoke curling from his lips in elaborate patterns that formed and dissolved like living calligraphy. "The King of Spades, as you've likely guessed. The connection formed the moment they met—shadow recognizing silver, darkness drawn to light." He took another draw from his hookah.

“Then there are the Tweedles…Vee and Dee. They may speak in riddles and see the world differently, but Alice seems to be a rare treasure to them.” The Caterpillar had a glazed off look in his eyes before it cleared again. “Then the last she has yet to meet…and he will be here soon looking for answers. Heart, son of the Queen of Hearts.”

I stiffened at the name, my form flickering involuntarily. "Heart? He's been missing from court for decades. The Red Queen's rebellious son who disappeared after opposing her war policies."

"Missing by choice," the Caterpillar corrected, golden eyes tracking patterns in the smoke that I couldn't comprehend. "Hiding in plain sight, gathering allies, waiting for the right moment to challenge his mother's bloody reign."

"And you believe he'll form a connection with Alice?" I couldn't keep the skepticism from my voice. "The prince who rejected his birthright, connecting with a dreamer who could potentially rewrite the rules of Wonderland itself? That seems... politically convenient."

The Caterpillar's smile was infuriatingly enigmatic. "Connections are rarely about convenience, Cheshire. They form or they don't, regardless of our careful plans." He gestured toward Alice's sleeping form. "The pattern within her seeksbalance. Five points of connection—a perfect pentagram to anchor her transformation."

I followed his gaze, noticing how the silver patterns beneath Alice's skin had formed a subtle five-pointed design across her collarbones. "You're suggesting these connections are... predestined?"

"Predestination implies lack of choice," the Caterpillar corrected, smoke forming complex geometrical shapes around his head. "These connections represent potential—paths that might be walked, bonds that could be formed." His golden eyes fixed on me with uncomfortable clarity. "But unrealized potential remains merely... hypothetical."

I glanced at Alice, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. The silver light beneath her skin pulsed in time with her heartbeat, creating hypnotic patterns that seemed to call to something deep within my fractured existence. "And what exactly is coming, Caterpillar? You see all possibilities—which one prevails?"

The Caterpillar's expression grew solemn, the colors beneath his iridescent skin shifting to deep blues and purples. "War," he said simply. "The King of Diamonds calculates probabilities from his crystal tower…The Queen of Clubs making alliances with neutral territories while positioning her Vine Soldiers along key borders. The Red Queen grows more unstable by the hour—her blood magic feeding on the chaos Alice's presence has stirred."

I felt my tail lash with agitation at his words. "And the King of Spades? What's his role in this approaching war?"

"He moves in shadows, as always," the Caterpillar replied, taking another long draw from his hookah. "But his interest in Alice has shifted the balance. The other monarchs know he rarely shows personal investment in anything—his midnight visit has them all reconsidering their strategies."

Alice stirred slightly in her magical sleep, a soft murmur escaping her lips. I found myself leaning closer, my form solidifying further at her proximity.

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