THE THRILL OF FLYING was something that Jay couldn’t honestly describe. But when he was pressed about it he always said it was the second-best thing to sex. It was something about the heady rush of blood pumping in your ears, and the pit of expectation that something unusual, yet amazing, was about it happen.

It never failed to get him hard, but he didn’t share that little fact with the masses. A man had to have some secrets. And besides, when he was in his Jabberwocky form it wasn’t like people were staring at his monstrous dick.

They usually got caught up in his razor-sharp fangs that extended nearly a foot from his gums. Or perhaps it could have been his talons or the spears along the edges of his wings. Jay knew that he was one ugly beast, and he wasn’t ashamed of it.

The moonlight danced across his thick skin that was akin to armor. His scales shimmered with an eerie iridescent light giving him a more sinister look than usual. Jay no longer looked down at the people of Wonderland who cried out in fear as he passed over. It was pointless. He was never going to convince them that he meant them no harm.

When he was captured by the Red Queen, she had spread a hate campaign with lies of his eating children and burning down villages. There had been a cottage that he accidentally caught on fire. But the family wasn’t home, and he paid them handsomely to rebuild.

Jay learned early that people believe what they want to believe. Fire-breathing Jabberwocky = bad. Beautiful ruler dubbed ‘The Queen of Hearts’ = good. What they didn’t know was that the Red Queen was called that because of the hearts she’s demanded be ripped from her enemy’s bodies.

Not such a lovely sentiment when you consider what it truly means. Jay flew to the far side of the Snark, the island he called home. It was riddled Jubjub and Bandersnatch, the first being small troll-like creatures with wings that weren’t very intelligent.

The Jubjub had always inhabited the island and loved the Jabberwocky. They would often reign gifts upon his home. Such treasures might include dead rodents, which was their main source of food. Other times a favorite sock, or blouse would be carefully laid out in the bushes in front of their home.

The Bandersnatch were cruel, ruthless, murderous animals. If you could imagine a shaggy Great Dane with a grey coat of fur covered in black spots, you would know what they looked like. Their tails curled up and looked like snails resting on their rump, and their mouths were unusually wide with several rows of teeth.

The Jubjub and the Bandersnatch were sworn enemies and spent most of their days trying to kill the other. If they didn’t breed like rabbits, Jay might have been induced to put a stop to it. But as it was they helped to keep the population down with their savage ways.

Jay flew until he reached the falls. There he landed and stripped himself down to stand underneath the icy waterfalls and calm his reaction to the flying and if he was truthful, his great attraction to Alice.

The pound of the water cascading over the rocks felt like the greatest of massages and Jay took a moment to enjoy it. His muscular form, now clean from a thorough scrubbing, felt invigorated. Jay waded his way back to his clothes when he heard someone singing.

‘Beware, the Jabberwock, my son!

The Jaws that bite, the claws that catch!

Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun

The frumious Bandersnatch!’

Sighing, he looked at the tree closest to him. Jay saw a striped mountain cat slung laboriously across the branches, with his mouth split into a wide grin.

“Cedric,” Jay frowned, “Whatever are you doing here?”

Cedric winked which was strange coming from a beast, “Looking good, Jabberwock, have you been working out?”

Jay rolled his eyes, “You aren’t here to suck my dick, Cedric.”

“Oh, but I could!” Cedric’s impossibly wide smile lengthened even further. “That would be simply pur-fect! I’ve been dying for a taste.”

Jay grabbed his clothes and started to yank them onto his wet body.

“Give me one good reason not to turn you into burnt kitty on a stick.”

Cedric’s body began to disappear until only his eyes and mouth remained, “Jabberwock, you wound me. I was only joking.”

“I am tired, Cedric, and you are standing in between my bed and me. If you have information, give it. If not, I will be leaving. But hey, just want to give a fair warning that the Bandersnatch like nothing more than feline meat caught between their teeth.

Cedric shuddered, “It’s coming back to me why I never visit you here at the Snark. Look, I know that the White King has placed blame for his daughter’s kidnapping on the Red Knight. Harry had me check it out, and I don’t think it’s him.”

“You want me to go off of a hunch you have?” Jay blew out a breath of exasperation. “I am going to need more than that.”

Cedric disappeared only to reappear on the ground, arching his back and sharpening his claws against a piece of wood.

“The White King things that everyone is in love with that spoiled princess. But I have insider knowledge that the Red Knight doesn’t swing that way.”

Jay eyed the cat, “What kind of knowledge?”

“The last time I saw him, he was with the Tweddle brothers. Do I need to go into the particulars that one was buried in his ass and the other was sucking him off?”

Jay’s brows rose, “Shit, no fucking kidding?”

Cedric laughed, “Do you want more particulars?”

“No!” Jay rushed to assure him. “That’s plenty, thank you. If the Red Knight doesn’t have her, who does?”

Cedric rolled his massive shoulders, the stripes of his fur rippling with the movement.

“As for that, I don’t know. Did you convince the girl to help you?”

Jay felt a traitorous flush on his cheeks, “Not yet.”

Cedric began to disappear again, “If the girl isn’t convinced, the White Pawn will die.”

“How do you know that?” Jay demanded.

But the cat was truly gone this time, and Jay had been left alone. He walked back to the fortress he and his little brother Mouse lived in. It wasn’t pretty enough to call it a castle, although the massive stone structure was impressive.

It had originally built to contain the Jabberwocky monsters. The idea was to isolate them on the island. But rather than be prisoners, their ancestors killed their jailers and took the island for their own.

Jay made his way to his bedroom. It was a cavernous space where he could change into the Jabberwocky if necessary and fly out of the balcony. The massive bed had thick curtains surrounding its frame keeping out the cold night air.

Jay stripped his clothes off once again and glanced at the clock. It was nearly morning. He climbed into bed, and his mind immediately went to the curvy café owner who haunted his dreams.

She was even more beautiful than she had been ten years ago. Her curves were that of a woman and less of the girl she had been. He loved the fire and spirit in Alice. He wanted to study her the way a scientist would an undiscovered entity.

He had a fleeting thought that Mouse was going to be a pain in the ass. He couldn’t imagine his hardheaded little brother willingly pitching in to help anyone. But Jay knew that if push came to shove, the brothers would always support each other.

Jay just hoped that he wouldn’t have to reveal just how much this meant to him.