For generations, the House of Cards has served a vital role in protecting Wonderland and defeating her enemies. Soldiers representing all four suits have united in the singular mission of serving the Queen. But that doesn't mean cooperation has always been easy...

Little was known of the Brothers Wilde, but rumours spread around the House of Cards nonetheless. The two half-brothers, raised worlds apart, who worked their way up ‘til each proudly stood as a Ten. It was tough to imagine it as anything but a happy tale.

There was Terran Wilde, the Ten of Clubs, a true goliath of a man. He’d earned the pips on his chest with pure strength and an unbeaten record at the Dealer’s Games.  The lower-ranked Club soldiers said once his father left, he was forced to raise himself in the uncaring wilderness of Snark Mountain. Fitting to his name, it was the wild that turned Terran into a beast, and, to this point, that animal instinct had never failed him.  

His brother, or half-brother, was quite the opposite, however. Axis Wilde – the Ten of  Spades - was born in a back alley of a dark corner of Wondertropolis. Small for his age and abandoned by the same father as Terran, he grew up fending for himself on the streets of the capital. It was said from a young age that Axis learned to blend into the crowd and disappear within shadows. When he was finally caught pick-pocketing, Axis was offered the chance to join the House of Cards, starting as a lowly Two of Spades. Though he made few friends along the way, his impeccable mission record from that point on accelerated his journey up the ranks. Ever cerebral and covert, Axis Wilde had become the perfect assassin, and the Heart family used him accordingly.  

And though, in appearance, the two may not have seemed like brothers, it was known throughout the House of Cards that they shared the kind of hatred reserved only for siblings. Truly, they despised one another as only brothers could. 

You see, founded during the reign of Queen Evelyn Heart, the House of Cards had been envisioned as a beacon of unity. A shared home where soldiers from the newly unified suits could collaborate and build a common brotherhood. But it took less than a decade for the halls to devolve into a den of infighting and rigid suit loyalty. Nothing embodied this more than the annual Dealer’s Games, where lower-ranking cards from each suit would battle it out for nothing more than bragging rights and pride.  

These games were a lowly affair, a way for new recruits to gain a modicum of respect. Which is to say, a silence spread over the crowd when Terran and Axis Wilde – two of the highest-ranked soldiers in the entire House of Cards - stepped into opposing sides of the ring. (Or as it was known around these parts, The Dealer’s Table.) The feud between these brothers was well-known, but it had never actually come to blows. Seemingly, that was about to change for the contest at hand was ‘War’. Two cards, head to head, and only the strongest can claim victory. Typically, high-ranking cards wouldn’t dream of competing, but the hatred between these two overcame any reservations.  

“Well, well, Axis.” Terran boomed out to the crowd, flexing his muscular biceps. “It  seems we will finally learn what kind of a man you are.” 

Axis, more slender than his brother, simply nodded in agreement, and the bell was duly rung. Before the ringing could even stop, Terran Wilde was flying across the table with an agility one wouldn’t expect from such a large figure. He reached out to grab Axis, but wrapped his arms around nothing. In a blink, Axis had slipped to the right, planting a targeted jab in his brother’s ribs, just below his Clubs marking. 

Terran paid it no mind and charged again, though once again his brother slipped from his grip, landing him a blow to the back of the head. Still unfazed, Terran pivoted and launched himself at Axis. As he reached out with a giant left hand, Axis stepped from its path, but Terran was expecting this and, with an agile twist, extended his right hand, grabbing his brother by the neck. The crowd gasped.  

Axis struggled to free himself, but it was no use. Terran, lifting Axis clean off the ground, called out for the world to hear – “You see, Brother. We may not be close, but I know you. You are a coward. You run. And people who run are easy to catch.” 

With this, Terran threw his brother’s body to the floor and was raising a giant foot, ready to stomp, when an alarm rang out. A specific blare meaning only one thing – a mission was at hand.  

Five soldiers had been assembled in the Tactician’s Quarters, lined up opposite the four Jacks. Together, the Jacks made up the commanding body of the House of Cards, but there was rarely a situation dire enough to require each of them.  

However, the four senior soldiers were now gathered and examined the slightly unusual selection of cards soldiers before them. There was the Five of Spades - an agile young man, slender with gangly arms, and an innate knack for reconnaissance. He’d only recently earned his rank of Five following a covert mission to Boarderland. Then there was the Eight of Diamonds – a large, muscular woman with a voice like a  Jabberwocky’s roar. She specialised in demolition and… little else. There was the Nine of Hearts – a roguish, silent killer. Though mute, it’s said there was no one deadlier at a distance. And finally, the two Brothers Wilde. Terran and Axis. The Ten of Clubs and the Ten of Spades, respectively. And though both had tried to make themselves presentable, there remained a smear of blood on Terran’s knuckles and a newly formed bruise beneath Axis’s left eye.  

The Jack of Hearts got straight to the point. “It is believed that a Rath has found its way to the towns by the Valley of the Mushrooms.” 

An involuntary gasp escaped from the Five of Spades. There were few things in Wonderland as feared as the Rath, the lion-like beast of children’s campfire stories, ten feet long with vine-like tendrils ready to grab prey at a moment’s notice. The only saving grace was that it was said Raths never left the far side of Mount Snark. 

“That’s impossible,” Terran blurted out. 

“My thoughts as well,” the Jack responded, “which was why we sent a regular hand of card soldiers there to manage it. They did not return. As such, we have selected the five of you.” 

Both brothers immediately jumped in to protest, but Axis managed to speak first,  “Commander, with great respect, I do not think it a good idea for the Ten of Spades  and me to work together.” 

Terran nodded, marking one of the few times he’d actually agreed with his brother. The Jack, however, looked them both up and down before responding, “Well, with great respect, I did not ask your opinion.” 

And with that, the hand was set. Packs were loaded with travel tarty-tarts and A-52 rounds. And stamped upon the mission log were five separate symbols. 5♠ 9♥ 8♦ 10♠ 10♣. Strength? A pair of tens and three wild cards.  

It’s said the party walked for days with little chatter, from the skirts of Wondertropolis, through the winding Whispering Woods, and finally into the forested foothills of Snark Mountain. Every soldier understood their role with no instruction required, and each was aware that the real danger was what may happen if the two brothers were to talk. As such, silence was the order of the day.  

However, this changed once they entered the murky landscape of the Snark Woods.  See, these Woods were a notoriously inhospitable place - full of stinging dandelions,  toxic dollydrops, and the gnarled roots of Tumtum Trees that seemed to rise up just to trip you. But for the Ten of Clubs, it was also home.  

And though it clearly bugged Axis, a soldier of equal rank, once they were within the woods, Terran began to lead the group. Simply returning to his homeland had heightened Terran’s senses. He could spot a spiderwasp trap from twenty paces, locate hidden gurlenberries by smell alone, and, when the Five of Spades fell into a tattletale bush, it was Terran who foraged the Medua Leaves needed for the antidote.  

That night, the five soldiers sat round the fire and for the first time since leaving  Wonderland, Axis began to speak. “That was impressive. Earlier. You have great… expertise, Brother.” 

The others all turned to Terran, who continued to sip his gurlenstew in silence. Then, after what felt like a lifetime, he replied. “Thank you… Brother.” 

It wasn’t much. But it was more kind words than the two had exchanged in years. And it didn’t go unnoticed amongst the soldiers. Slowly, each began to open up. The Eight of Diamonds, never one to remain silent, started to regale the group with tales of basic training – running card shuffling drills and practicing quickdraws. The Five of Spades shared of his time on the streets, teaching himself to read lips and climb twirling castle spires. Both admitted they’d primarily joined the House of Cards to feel accepted – tired of the outcast lives they’d led.  

The focus then turned to their commanders, with Five inquiring about their reasons for enlisting. Terran shared that he’d developed these survival skills in his youth, but once his tribe moved to the city, he had no use for them. He’d just wanted to feel valued again. This prompted Axis to confess that, though he and his brother were nothing alike, he had had similar motives himself. When the group finally turned to ask the Nine of Hearts why she enlisted, she was already gone, simply a shadow in her tent. But etched into the dirt where she had once sat was a single word – ‘family’.  

From that night on, the Brothers Wilde seemed to regard one another in a different light. Axis allowed Terran to lead through the treacherous terrain surrounding them, but, in turn, Terran opened himself to learning from Axis. The Ten of Spades, a covert-ops specialist, taught the party how to step in silence and to disguise their tents at night, so masterfully camouflaging the sleeping quarters that even just stepping outside to urinate came with a risk you wouldn’t find your way back.  

And after two more days on the trail, they found their first signs of the dreaded  Rath. Terran sniffed the stale droppings, spotted by Five during a morning recon trip, and as the rest of the group pretended not to notice what their leader was doing, the Ten of Clubs pointed them due East.  

The troops moved silently through the brush, following the destruction left in the  Rath’s wake. A fallen tree here. A razed hut there. The bones of a woodland creature. Due to the size of any Rath, they must eat to keep moving. But the fauna on the far side of Snark Mountain typically keeps them occupied. It’s only once in a silver moon that one will roam near the world of humans, but once they get hungry, there’s no difference between a rabbit and a man. All the Rath sees is its next meal, and the soldiers knew that well.  

After another day’s tracking, Terran signaled they were close. The soldiers locked into formation and went over the plan once again. The Five of Spades would spot the beast and alert the others. The Nine of Diamonds was then to hit it with two sleep-spore darts, which, depending on their weight, could take anywhere from thirty seconds to a minute to kick in. But a minute is all a Rath needs to wipe out the party or to escape. So, once hit, it was up to the Eight of Hearts to lay down covering-card fire, as the two Tens – Axis and Terran – tackled the beast head-on. This was precisely why they had been selected. Terran, the most feared warrior in the House of Cards and Axis, its deadliest assassin. Regardless of their personal history, it had been deemed that together they stood the best chance of surviving against this lethal foe. Once weakened by the sleep-spores, it was up to them to bind the Rath’s jaw and lead it back to the far side of Snark Mountain.  

Or at least… that was what they had planned.  

It was the Five of Spades who heard it first, a low humming sound, slowly rising in pitch. The Ten of Spades even glanced upwind, curious about what he could hear.  And in the exact moment that the others heard it too, a single, long, black tendril flew out from behind a tree, wrapped itself around the Nine of Diamonds’ leg, and flung both her and her sleep-spores into the blue sky above.

You see, if the soldiers had been familiar with the traits of a Rath, they would have known what that low humming meant. The beast was warming up to attack. The issue is that most people who’ve encountered a Rath are now dead, and the ones who’ve survived were in such shock that they rarely remembered the harmless ringing that preceded their attack. So the soldiers had known nothing of this sound.  And now, following a rapid rise and a short fall, Nine was dangling, upside down and unconscious, on a protruding tree branch fifty feet from the ground. 

The rest of the party spun around to see the Rath stood ahead of them, glaring down from a raised outcrop. It had a muscular, cat-like build, at least ten feet long, with jet-black fur and purple eyes glowing through the brush. Four tentacle-like tendrils extended from its jaw, writhing at the sight of its dinner, ready to drag any prey into its rows of retractable teeth. Each soldier’s adrenaline spiked. They felt their breath catch and their pupils dilate, head to head for perhaps the first time, with a beast truly higher than them on the food chain. The apex predator of apex predators.  

The Five of Spades began to panic. The Eight of Diamonds prepared to attack. Until both heard Terran Wilde, The Ten of Clubs’ voice booming out. “Remain calm, soldiers. This is what we train for. Formation!” The troops locked into position.  

And it was at this moment that they noticed Axis was… gone. 

There are few who still live near Snark Mountain. Even the vague threat of Raths was enough to drive most away. But it is said all who remain heard the cry of rage that came from Terran in that moment. A roar, filled with such vitriol that even the dreaded Rath took pause. For, in the spot where Axis had stood, there was nothing but footsteps. See, something you should know is that the House of Cards has a rank for deserters. That rank is zero. The Zero of Spades. The Zero of Clubs. It’s not that you are disgraced, but you cease to exist. Your memory not even deemed with a number. And in that moment, Terran felt a shame fall upon his family unlike any other. His anger surged, and yet there was a larger problem at hand.

Their plan had been to form an impenetrable wall. Five card soldiers moving as one,  hoping their collective strength could at least temporarily fend off the beast’s attacks.  But without Axis, the hand was incomplete. A gaping hole in a winning hand. So now, they needed to pivot. They needed a leader. And it was Terran who stepped up.  

“Diamond, you handle the tendrils. Spade, you distract it. I’ll take the beast.” 

Eight and Five responded in unison. “Yes, Captain.” 

But their answers were drowned out by a roar and a hum, as the Rath steadied itself, then sent its tendrils flying through the air.  

One shot out left, curving in towards the Five of Spades, but before the tendril could make contact, it was grabbed from the air by one of the Eight of Diamonds' giant hands. The beast growled, swinging another tendril in from the right, only to be caught as well. Eight called out, “Is that all you’ve got?!” 

The tendrils yanked her in either direction. It tried to lift her from the ground, but with a roar of her own, she pulled them back towards her. Every muscle in her chest was pulsing.  

“I can only hold them for a minute!” 

But this was all the time Five needed to shoot up a nearby tree. He began leaping,  branch to branch, snaking his way towards the Rath. And with each leap, he scattered small spherical seeds on the forest floor below. As each touched the ground, they began to steam, releasing thick, curling smoke. And within seconds, the whole woods were filled with a dense, heavy smog. The Rath snarled through the smoke, as its weak eyesight became even weaker.  

“Now!” Five screamed. 

Terran charged. He burst through the smoke, silver gauntlets shining on each fist, and he flew towards the beast, landing a right hook on the Rath’s jaw. The mighty animal flew backward, and for a second, Terran believed he had made an impact, until the Rath landed, still on its feet and glaring right back at Terran. In a single movement, the Rath lifted the Eight of Diamonds – still gripping his tendrils - clean off the ground and flung her into the fleeing Five of Spades. The two soldiers crashed through the undergrowth, landing in a pile to the side, as the beast retracted its tendrils to its jaws. All of a sudden, Terran was alone, face to face with the sneering, snarling, musclebound Rath. And the woods went quiet.  

The two Alphas circled one another, Terran’s heart rate steadily increasing. Both he and the Rath were aware of the danger the other possessed. Neither wanted to make the first move, and so for a moment they just stared. And then, perhaps to focus his nerves or seem in a state of control, Terran began to speak aloud.  

“Are you there, Brother? See, I should have known. I should have known that when  the cards were down, you’d simply run!” 

The Rath stepped closer to him, glaring, salivating. 

“See, this proves it, Axis. You are no true brother of mine. For no brother would abandon his own kin.” 

With each statement, Terran’s adrenaline shot up. He felt the rage build. It was working. So when the Rath bared its many rows of teeth, Terran simply cried out louder. “No, Spade, you are not of my blood. We are not the same. For you are a coward. And I am simply the fool who forgot.” 

And with that, Terran charged once again. 

It was little but twenty paces between the Rath and the Ten of Clubs, but as Terran ran, all four of the beast’s tendrils whipped towards him with extraordinary speed.  However, Terran had faced faster foes. He edged himself side to side, deftly evading its deadly grip. As he closed in on the Rath, Terran lifted a thunderous fist and bared his own teeth. The Rath leapt. Terran roared, extended his fist. And then, as the fighters came face to face, he reached out his other arm, shifted his weight, and wrapped himself around the Rath, tackling it to the ground. 

Initially, the Rath didn’t know how to respond. Few had gotten close enough to tackle it, and none of them had been stupid enough to try, so this was a wholly new experience. The beast tried to stand, but Terran was pinning it down with all his might, and, for a moment, he was overpowering the beast. Until the Rath contorted its body around and sank two rows of teeth into Terran’s right thigh.  

Terran cried out in pain, stumbling backward over the forest floor, as blood began to seep from his leg. A single blow from a giant paw sent him flying onto the ground. Terran’s vision blurred as the beast approached. He looked to either side, but no soldier was to be found. And before he knew it, the Rath was upon him.  

Terran looked up through rows of snarling teeth. The Rath moved slowly now,  relishing in its victory. It stepped over Terran’s body, a paw on either side, ensuring escape was impossible. And as Terran lay beneath the Beast’s dripping teeth, awaiting his fate, he heard a voice say… “Sorry.” 

Terran assumed he must be hallucinating, likely from the rapid loss of blood. He knew the Five of Spades and Eight of Diamonds were in a pile behind him. And the Nine of Hearts was… somewhere. But then he thought he heard it again. “I’m sorry… about your leg. But know I would never abandon you.” 

It almost seemed to be coming from the belly of the beast. So, as the Rath stood over Terran, savouring this precious moment before the kill, Terran stared at its mud-caked belly. And then, suddenly, the mud moved. And from within it, two eyes appeared. 

Terran blinked twice, then slowly began to make out the form of Axis Wilde, the Ten of  Spades, gripping the grimy hair of the Rath’s belly. See, in the split second of their discovery, Axis had managed to not only evade the Rath’s sight, but also to entirely disguise his smell and appearance using only the surrounding wildlife. He’d then waited, in total silence, until the beast had walked over, at which point he had grabbed on and held on for dear life. Though it was by no means enjoyable to watch his entire party be ravaged, Axis knew that if they were to have any chance of success, he had to wait until the moment was just right. And right now, it was.  

The Rath peered down at its prey, debating whether he’d eat now or later, as Axis whispered - “It can only bite one way, Brother.” 

Terran could only nod, but in a uniquely fraternal sense, he knew exactly what his brother was asking. “On my count then,” Axis whispered. “Three… two… one.” 

With the very last energy he could muster, Terran kicked himself from the ground and flung both arms around the giant beast’s jaws. He clenched every muscle he had and, for a second, was able to overpower the unsuspecting Rath. Its jaws snapped shut and, as it raised a paw to free itself, Axis crawled up from beneath. He was covered head to toe in dirt with a crystal-infused rope gripped between his teeth, and, moving fast, a shadow in the night, he slipped the glowing line over the Beast’s visage until it formed a muzzle of sorts. The crystal rope tightened by itself, prompting the Rath to roar. But, finding itself unable to open its mouth, it resorted to rearing onto its back legs and thrashing wildly.

The two brothers were flung side to side, each holding on with everything they had.  Flying through the air, they stared into one another’s eyes, perhaps noticing how similar they looked. The Rath swiped a paw at Terran, slashing into his side, but the Ten of Clubs simply winced, then smiled at his brother, as Axis continued to loop the thread over and over again, tying more and more complex knots with each spin. As the beast shook, the two soldiers cried out together, a roar to the world that the Brothers Wilde would never fall so easily. And just as Terran’s arm began to slip, they heard a thud. Then a thud-thud. Then a thud-thud-thud-thud.  

Axis looked down to find, resting in the thick coat of the beast, six sleep-spore darts.  And glancing up, he saw, still dangling upside down from a branch, the Nine of Hearts with a smoking sniper rifle in hand. The Rath wavered, then wobbled, then fell. Weakened from the fight, it was asleep within seconds, a soft purr even creeping from its lips. And only then, on the bloodied forest floor, beside this unmoving body of a sleeping giant, the two brothers embraced.  

It is said the Ten of Clubs and the Ten of Spades returned to the House of Cards side by side, with the Ten of Spades supporting his wounded older sibling. And though neither cared to talk much of their mission, word quickly spread of the two Tens who took down a Rath together, and the legendary hand that supported them.  

From that day onwards, the Brothers Wilde ushered in a new age of unity within the House of Cards. They encouraged soldiers to work together and share expertise. Club soldiers lead workshops on wilderness survival, as the Hearts built community, the Spades developed new weapons, and the Diamonds perfected their armour.  

And at the following year’s Dealer’s Games, Terran and Axis Wilde once again stood across from one another on the Dealer’s Table. The contest this year was Blackjack. And, as the two brothers looked one another in the eye, they both smiled and then turned. Reluctantly, stepping into the ring was the Ten of Hearts and the Ten of Diamonds. You can’t win Blackjack with only one card. The Brothers Wilde smiled as Terran flexed one giant bicep and Axis cracked his knuckles. 

“Are you ready, Brother?” Terran asked. 

“I’d say so.” Axis replied. 

And with the ringing of the bell, together, they charged.

Meet the Author

Jake Curtis is a little over 5’9”. He is also a screenwriter from the United Kingdom who got his start performing improvised comedy around the world, including shows with the Second City Mainstage. Since graduating from the American Film Institute, he has written both live action and animation scripts for major studios including Netflix and the BBC, while developing an original series with Emmy-award winning producer, Rick Mischel (Rick & Morty). He lives in Los Angeles with his cat and hopes you're having a truly wonderful day.