Winter Run || Pack of Two
Summary: Hatter bring Alice to his favorite spot in the woods.
@curiousxrr
ALICE:
The last couple of months, Alice noticed Hatter had been more relaxed around her. Maybe even more relaxed in general? She wasn’t entirely sure, but she did know a significant wall had come down between them. An unspoken understanding - something that was only communicated more through their actions than their words.
They understood now that they were family. Father and daughter. There was no denying it now. Alice never had, but now it seemed Hatter practically embraced it.
That’s not to say everything was so wonderful and amazing. There were still some things that weren’t perfect yet. Like the fact that someone was in the forest, willing to chase down wolves. And while Alice should take that as a sign to stop going in there for runs, she knew she couldn’t. Not once the fear subsided and the feeling of freedom bloomed in her chest again. But she didn’t want to do it alone anymore.
So, after work one day, she approached Hatter as they were cleaning tables. Everyone else had already gone home, so it was just them in the shop. “Hey...do you want to go for a run with me later?”
HATTER:
It was true that Hatter had become more comfortable around Alice. Finally accepting her as his daughter had put to rest so many constant anxious thoughts. He no longer felt guilty when he saw parts of himself in her, or berate himself when he wanted to give her a break. His over-protectiveness of her would never go away, although it came from a different place now. More to keep her safe, than himself now.
That didn't mean he just let her run wild now, though. There was still someone out there who had attacked her, and assumedly would attack any wolf. Although Alice seemed less enthusiastic to return to the forest, he knew the time would come when she'd want to be running free again, and he'd have to be ready to make an exception to his rules.
As prepared as he was, when Alice posed the question, the first thing Hatter felt was... excitement. She was inviting him along, not just telling him. It made making the exceptions to his rules much easier. "I... I'd love to," he said, unable to keep a smile from spreading across his face. "You know, I could show you a favorite spot of mine."
ALICE:
Of course, Alice knew there was someone out there. But if they ran together, they'd be safer. Safety in numbers, you know? Besides...she hated denying her true self. The Wolf and all her glory.
So when he smiled at the suggestion - said he'd love to - she almost changed right there and ran around the shop. But she didn't. She stayed rooted in her spot and smiled back. "That'd be amazing! Yes, please! When will you be ready to go? I've got one more table to wipe down myself."
HATTER:
The way his Wolf leapt with excitement made Hatter feel like a young man again. The sparkle in Alice's eyes reminded him so much of her mother, and gave him a pang of nostalgia for the runs he used to go on with her. Â It only solidified his resolve to be more lenient with her. And himself.
"Whenever you are," he answered, quickly finishing up the table he was on and moving to the last one. "Because I'm already done." And done he was. After running the shoppe for two decades, something as simple as cleaning tables was already a perfected science. He could get it done in mere seconds.
ALICE:
Alice jumped at that. "Okay, wait! Let me finish this last table!" She said, rushing over to said table. It was just a quick wipe of some crumbs and then it was sparkling and new. Well, it seemed to sparkle in Alice's eyes at that moment.
"Okay, lets go, lets go!" She said. Almost like a small child with how she was vibrating with excitement as she untied her apron and moved to the back to hang it up.
HATTER:
Hatter laughed as he took off his apron and followed Alice to the back, although at a much slower pace. "Settle down, Enchantra isn't going anywhere," he assured.
Yes, he was excited, but he was still cautious. And afraid. He still needed a bit of time to prepare himself, mentally, to be back in the forest knowing someone dangerous was out there. So he grabbed his coat and made sure the shoppe was closed up properly before heading out with Alice, all the while her impatient whining fell on deaf ears. Once they entered the forest though, he picked up his pace.
ALICE:
If you asked Alice, no, she was not whining. She was rambling. Rambling with excitement and built up frustration from the small break she'd taken from the forest. Her wolf didn't like that very much, but they both knew it was for their safety.
However, with Hatter by their side, it eased them. And as they stepped foot into the forest together for the first time - it felt like a puzzle piece fell into place.
She couldn't help but look over at him, and smile. "Did...did you and Mum do this?" She asked, cautiously though.
HATTER:
Walking into Enchantra was like crossing the threshold of an old friend's house. Despite the random and magical nature that the forest changed with, it felt familiar, as if he would be able to know where even the smallest pebbles laid on the soft earth. He took a deep breath, tilting his head back, to take in the smell of pine and dirt and leaves. It had been so long. Too long.
He paused before answering Alice's question. Not that it was a hard one. He didn't want her to hear the emotion in his voice. "We did," he answered softly, looking to her with a sad smile. "We spent hours together... Running... Exploring... I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to do this with you."
ALICE:
Alice nodded. She had figured that to be the answer. Her mother had hinted at said things in her letters. And now - it was her turn to run with him. So she smiled back, nodding once more. "Better late than never - right?"
She laughed a bit then looked around before they separated for each of them to put their clothes aside and turn in private. This part was always weird and vulnerable. But once in her wolf skin, she stepped out from behind the trees and looked for Hatter.
Looking for her father and ran towards him.
HATTER:
Hatter appreciated Alice's more positive outlook on the situation. It couldn't have been easy only hearing stories of her mother than being able to make ones of her own with her. But she had him to make memories with now.
He was quick to get undressed and changed, although it felt a lot more awkward than usual. He trotted out and saw Alice was already running toward him. Instinctively, he dipped down in a half-playful, half-defensive stance before huffing a bit and standing again. His tail wagged a bit as he thought of where they were going and he gave one more huff before setting off deeper into the forest.
Running with Alice was like trying to keep pace with a bolt of lightning. She was agile and so much faster than he was. It had been a while since he he'd stretched his legs like this, but the stiffness in his joints wasn't just from being cooped up. Trying to race and play with her at the same time as navigating proved too difficult, so he let her sprint around the general area around him as he trotted along, following the smells and landmarks to their destination.
ALICE:
Alice's tail wagged enthusiastically as Hatter seemed to become more comfortable in his wolf skin. And when he took off into the forest, she followed eagerly. Since coming to Swynlake, she'd been able to stretch her legs out more. Get used to running on four legs.
She could really pick up some speed this way.
But she was much faster than Hatter, she noticed, who was still trying to get used to doing this again she could tell. So she slowed down, only running ahead to sniff excitedly at things. It wasn't like with her and the other wolf she'd met in the woods. But it was okay.
In fact, it was perfect, because she was with her father as he took a big step back forward.
HATTER:
Hatter couldn't help but wag his tail with his daughter. He hadn't been this happy to be out and about in the forest again in years. Happy to have a companion, happy to be back in his old hunting ground, happy to be *out*.
It wasn't long before they arrived. A beautiful grassy field with a little stream running through it and off into a tiny waterfall just over a low cliff's edge. Now the field was covered in snow and the stream frozen solid, but the small waterfall it made was frozen in time down the cliffside, which was indeed a beautiful sight. He huffed excitedly and pounced and rolled around in the snow a bit.
As sad as it was at first to remember the times with Carol, the excitement to make new memories with Alice was overwhelming. He had his daughter and his favorite place. Despite the struggles both of them had been through, despite the mysterious danger in the woods, everything felt like it had fallen perfectly into place.
