Chapter 6

It had grown dark pretty quickly as Marik trudged through what he hoped was the last patch of woodland he'd have to go through to get to the mansion that seemed to be permanently out of his grasp. His shoulders slumped and eyelids drooped, exhausted after so much walking and running. What he wouldn't give to be curled up in his cage or master's bed back at the circus, sipping coffee with his fellow workers while swapping stories of how the terrorised the visitors.

Finally giving up on walking any further, the lion chose a comfy looking tree in which to lie under for a few minutes. Above him the full moon peaked through the branches of the trees, turning their yellow flowers an eerie shade of green in the blue light. He found them to be quite beautiful really. And soothing. Very very soothing.

Within moments his eyes drifted shut and his breath evened out, having fallen quickly into the realm of dreams.

Above him, not that high in the trees, his stalking shadow watched him with glee. Finally it had the chance it had been waiting for. Slowly, it slinked down the trunk of the tree, landing gracefully on the ground, invisible to all who happened to look at it. All except for the smile that gleamed in the moonlight, showing off rows of razor sharp teeth.

Below it's gaze, the lion stared, and once again it lept up into the trees, not wanting to be seen. Violet eyes opened, scanning his surroundings and cursing himself for falling asleep. He needed to get to the mansion as soon as possible, both because he didn't want to lose Akefia if he was there, and because he wanted to get home as soon as possible. This place was beginning to make him paranoid and creeped out.

Marik stood up and stretched, his back popping loudly and joints creaking. The night was tinged purple, darker than any night he'd experienced back in what he supposed was the 'real world', although at that moment the tan lion didn't understand what was real and what wasn't anymore. Then again, when had he ever?

Not musing on his thoughts anymore, the blonde began walking again, hopefully going in the direction he needed albeit at a slower pace than before. He was greatly fatigued from all his previous acitivities, all that running around and complete confusion. All the tired lion wanted to do was curl up in some sort of bed or cushion and fall asleep. He's stopped himself sleeping by that tree because he knew he'd have a bad crick in his back when he awoke.

And still the shadow followed him.

The silver moon was slowly beginning to dip towards the horizon and pink beginning to bleed into the purple-blue sky when Marik found a small lake to take a rest by. This way he could keep an eye on his surroundings in case someone snuck up on him. He lent down on all fours and began to lap at the cool clear water, thankful for the drink. He didn't realise how thirsty he was.

Behind him, hanging from a tree, the creature stalking him watched him with lust in its dark lavender eyes. What a wonderful view of the lion's backside it had from this angle. It's restraint finally broke, and it decided it must strike at once.

Marik sat back, wiping his mouth with the fur on his arm. He really was tired, and decided that maybe another short break, or a nap, wouldn't be such a bad idea. There was no way he was going to make it before dawn anyway, so he figured a little nap would do him a world of good.

Except now he wanted to sleep, he couldn't. The blonde's mind was racing with questions and answers as he slumped with his back against a tree with very smooth and soft bark. He growled to himself and watched the moon's shimmering reflection on the surface of th lake. It was soothing, like the leaves before, but apparently wasn't soothing enough as he couldn't seem to drift off to sleep.

The stalker he'd accquired watched him from not so far away. This stalker was quite infamous throughout Wonderland, both as the Duchess's pet and a great pain in the Queen's royal behind. The Cheshire Cat was notorious for being teasing and tricksy, serious and silly, and wonderful and witty. What he was most known for was his stubborn personality; if he wanted something, he got it. End of discussion.

He now watched Marik from above him, high up in the tree he rested on, invisible to all. That was one of his many tricks. The Cheshire Cat could disappear in the blink of an eye and reappear at will. It wasn't teleportation, as some people thought, it was invisibility. And that wonderful ability came in very handy when he found himself in situations like these (which were pretty rare anyway, as he was pretty commited to his partner).

The Cheshire Cat was a curious creature, much like the mirror image he followed. That was what had sparked his interest with the lion. They had the same tanned skin, same blonde spikes, same violet eyes, even the same fangs. They were both felines too, although the Cheshire Cat had to admit that his new prey was a lot bigger and fiercer than him. He prided himself on being coy and devious. He was sure this blonde lion was more the dominant and violent type, which ran a shiver down his spine and lit a fire in his groin.

Slinking down the tree silently, the Cheshire Cat landed in the soft grass with little effort. He watched the lion with a curiously cocked head before ceasing his grinning and prancing out of his hiding place. Of course he was still invisible, and Marik had no idea he was there.

The blonde cat played with the tears in his black jeans as he contemplated his first move. He smiled as he crept closer, between Marik's outstretched legs. Adoring the fact the lion wore shorts instead of pants, the Cheshire Cat lightly ran a claw up the inside of his right leg, preventing himself from giggling as the lion absent-mindedly scratched the offending itch. He repeated the motion, as did Marik. And again, and again, until the lion growled low in his throat and brought his knees up closer to his chest.

Pouting, the Cheshire Cat concocted more ideas of what to do next. The knees to the chest were a hiderance, but his arms and shoulders were still unprotected. Grinning, the purple and black clad cat twisted around so that he could lick Marik's shoulder teasingly, making the lion jump and wipe at the saliva left there. He watched the blonde eye his own shoulder in confusion, looking around to see what did it, but seeing nothing.

The Cheshire Cat fought the urge to giggle, but managed to restrain himself in time. No use giving the game away just yet, he thought as he licked a quick taste of Marik's neck, pulling away in time to see the blonde lion flail and try to bat away whatever did it.

His trick to get Marik to move his legs again worked, and the lion stretched them out in front of himself in an attempt to get a clearer view of whatever was doing that to him. His tail flicked around dangerously, claws digging into the grass in anticipation of attack. And yet he couldn't see anyone around him, which further served to amuse the Cheshire Cat in front of him even more.

Being careful of the flicking tail, and touching anything else in general, the Cheshire Cat managed to position himself over Marik's legs without the other sensing him. His hair brushed the other's toned stomach very slightly, but only enough to make the muscles twitch and got no other reaction out of the other feline.

Meanwhile Marik knew there was something there. Like a good predator he waited for the perfect moment to strike. He could smell something right under his nose that was an intoxicating mix of tea (everything smelled like tea in this world), blood, lavender and cinnamon. It was only slight, but it was there, and he knew something was playing with him. The question was what exactly was it.

The Cheshire Cat knew that Marik had to have an inkling about what was going on, which just urged him on more. He wondered how far he could go before being pounced on or attacked. And when he thought of being pounced on, he hoped it would be the sexy kind of poucing. With this thought in mind he popped open the top button of Marik's shorts.

The lion looked down at the button, glaring at it for coming undone. They weren't tight enough for it just just pop open by itself (even though both Bakura and Akefia had wanted him to wear a shorter and closer fitting pair), so he knew it must be his mystery attacker. While he still watched the zipper also came down, slowly, teasingly, and Marik actually felt a flush of heat as a shot of arousal went through him. There was no way he was getting turned on by this, was there?

Marik actually forgot all about attacking when what felt like a sly hand very gently stroked the protruding bones of his hips, drawing out a small shiver along his side. He really wanted to know what the hell was doing this, and more importantly why was he enjoying it so much.

Having given up on keeping himself secret, the Cheshire Cat licked Marik's lower stomach, brushing against the growing problem between the lion's legs. The tail had stopped swishing in warning and was now gently swaying in pleasure. The blonde cat's own tail was swirling behind him with glee, happy that he'd got the other feline's unspoken compliance for his dirty deeds.

The lion in question was now growing more and more frustrated with himself. He was being turned on by some invisible force that he had no idea about. Finally it clicked in his head what he was to do, and could only wait until he could carry out his plan.