The Bunny and the Wolf [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 2

Having finished her business in the village, Y/N skipped back across the wooden bridge and into the forest, her basket swinging wildly, now free of the weight of cakes and cookies. And as she disappeared into the shadows of oaks and pines, she pulled down her hood, revealing her h/c ears. They flopped down into her face for a moment, and she giggled. Once they stood atop her head, ready and waiting for the sounds of her home, Y/N started to hop from root to root, singing once more as she made her way to the orchard.

She sang of poets and soldiers and kings. She sang of the people of her dreams. Poets that could weave words into powerful spells that could turn copper to gold, and chains to flowers. Poets that could enchant the world with a single sentence, all while strumming on a lyre as they danced through the cobbled streets of villages and kingdoms. Soldiers that fought for their homeland, sword in one hand, shield in another. Soldiers that fought back the forces of evil during the day, and who drank in the tavern till their sorrows had been drowned at night. She sang of Kings who wielded crown and sceptre. Kings who listened to the needs of their people and who handed out justice. A king who was forced to endure a crown of thorns, a symbol of the weight of his kingdom upon his shoulders.

And from the shadows of the trees, a silhouette watched. They watched as the little bunny bounded from one root to the next, their feet hardly resting for a moment as they plunged ever deeper into the woods. These were not like the woods that they were used to. These were woods full of beeches and willows, where the sun fluttered down from the sky like a ray of joy. And though the figure was happy in their home in the deep woods, there was something magical about the simplicity of the world beyond the deep woods. Here there was sun. Here there was the calm brook that ran beneath the bridge, with the little fish that jumped up in greeting as the bunny danced from stone to stone.

Y/N was blissfully unaware of her shadow and continued to dance on the bridge. Now she sang of people dancing across garden paths, and of sprites that clung to the leaves of the trees overhead. Birds that fluttered about, singing with the fabled princesses of old, and enchanted creeks and wells that could grant any wish if you wished hard enough. She paused on the crest bridge and leaned over the edge, reaching down to dip the tips of her fingers into the cook crystal water. A little fish came up to the surface and nibbled her fingers, making her giggle and pull her fingers back. Oh, how she loved her little home in the little woods, where the sun could dance as her partner, where the apples blossomed annually, and where she and her friends could weave crowns of dandelions and daisies in the tall grass of the meadow. There was nothing here to worry her.

One of Y/N's favourite places in all of the cosy little forest was the apple orchard that had been planted just between the village and her little burrow on the edge of the field. Neither she nor her parents knew who had planted it, as it had stood for as long as their family had lived there, growing each year as each bunny planted a new tree to add to the orchard. And unlike most of the orchards around the village, there were no fences or hedges to keep out the wildlife. It almost felt as though the forest itself had given the bunnies a little orchard.

And as she slipped into the orchard, she felt at peace. She removed her cloak and basket, setting them down on the edge of the orchard, before wandering into the rows and columns of trees. The trees that her family had cared for, for ages long past. Her hand curved around the familiar bark as she danced and swung between the trees, laughing as she was joined by robins and bluebirds who twittered in her ear, and sang to her of worms and berries. She laughed and held her hand out, allowing a beautiful little chickadee to land on her outstretched finger.

But soon, the birds fluttered away, chirping their goodbyes as they flew back to their nest where their chicks were waiting. And Y/N got to work on picking the apples. The ruby jewels that hung from leaves of emerald and jade, rubbing her thumb over the glossy surface of the fruit. She lifted the checkered apron around her waist and held it out as if it were her basket, gently placing one carefully selected fruit in after another.