• "I'm Tamuro Cheshire." She introduced herself to her new companions. Most everyone knew her name. She was, after all, one of the two guardians of Wonderland. The Cheshire Cat guardian. The other was the Expedient hell-hound guardian. He was not very fondly known, though, as the expedient hell-hounds guarded the evil in wonderland.
    Tamuro thought for a moment. "Let's see...stories.."

    "Ooooh! The Cheshire! I've heard you throw great parties!" Said Ani delightedly, picking another cookie,and dipping it in her tea.

    "Well, I'm not THE Cheshire. There are lots of us. I'm just the guardian one." Tamuro cleared her throat. She had thought of a story. "Alright, here goes:

    "In the land of men, where magic sleeps,
    Where life is often dull for weeks,
    There lived a girl who loved to dream,
    Although folks thought it a silly thing.
    She followed a rabbit, strange to her,
    Who had a watch and snow white fur.
    She wondered where this beast would go
    So she tumbled through the rabbit's hole.
    Up is down, and down is up
    What is seen is cards and cup
    Hitherto she then did drop
    And found herself in a world of clocks
    And tyrant queens and roses red
    And guards of cards who lost their heads
    The walrus and the dodo bird,
    And most this tale you've Likely heard.
    But there's one part you may not know
    For this is what is never told
    About a meeting of our queen
    She had with a creature most obscene.
    With fearsome fangs and eyes blood red
    Who'd quite happily tear you to shreds.
    And yet she was so smooth and sly
    And somehow pleasing to the eye.
    She spoke to her with tongue of silver
    And gave to her a bow and quiver
    Of which the arrows were sopped
    In poison of the Jabberwock.
    With all her sweetest sounding lies
    She pulled the wool o'er the girl's eyes,
    Convincing her that should she pass
    An arrow through a looking glass
    A portal to her world would open up for her at last.
    But then the Cheshire guardian heard
    And fear grew in him about these words.
    For he knew that the girl was to be
    The replacement for the heart's bad queen,
    And that the hell hound (for it was she)
    Wanted this to never be.
    So the guardian of all the good
    Found the place where Alice stood
    Ready to shoot at her reflection
    Because of the hell hound's deception.
    The Cheshire called to her to stop
    The bow and arrows she did drop
    When he told her what would come to pass
    If she should shoot the looking glass.
    The reflection of herself would shoot, too,
    So both she and herself would do
    the stopping of each other's hearts
    All on account of Expedient's farce.
    Then Cheshire turned to take Alice back
    But Expedient said that the world would crack
    If a soul were not decade-ly felled
    For the ancient four queens' spell.
    This was one that did instill
    That a human child must be killed
    By trickery before the looking glass
    Or else all wonderland would pass.
    They made this spell to draw in souls
    To keep them from becoming old.
    But the only one left of the ancient queens
    Was the one of hearts, the ugly fiend.
    So the Cheshire whispered in the Expedient's ear
    A plan that would make the spell disappear.
    And for once in the entire time of the world
    The guardians were of one accord.
    So the Cheshire took Alice to defeat the old hag
    And set up the girl as new ruler of that land
    And all was well and all was good
    But there were two who knew they would
    Be breaking a spell that very night
    And would not see another light.
    They met in front of that cursed mirror
    Then drew their swords that they held near.
    Towards the dawn of breaking day
    The Cheshire's daughter and the Expedient's son
    Found their parents and what they had done.
    The pair was on the verge of death
    For in order to lay the spell to rest
    Two citizens of wonderland
    Must willingly die by their own hands
    With full intention of saving lives.
    But before the two guardians died
    Beneath the mirror, shattered now,
    They called to their children and did endow
    Them with their powers and their roles
    To protect the good and the bad souls.
    So in that moment began a new era
    As the Cat and Hell hound children stared
    Into one another's eyes
    And it may come as a surprise:
    They stood and bowed and took up the old swords
    And went their ways without a word.
    And that was the first and the last time that they
    Ever in their lives crossed ways.
    They each went back to their own lands
    To see to it that by their hands
    Their element and people they would
    Protect, he the evil, she the good.
    Perhaps sometime will come the day
    When they will meet again, face to face."