Author's Note: This is a fic challenge for the Yardbird Suite by Charlie Parker. Gelnimbus (Nimby) gave us all a song and said to listen, and then write a scene with the given character, from what you imagine while listening. I got Fiyero.

http://www.ilike DOT com/artist/Charlie+Parker/mostplayedsongs?

Replace the 'DOT' with a '.' And go there. Scroll down to the song called 'The Yardbird Suite' and listen before reading this.

I figure this was very 'Thanksgivingish'… so I thought, rather wisely, why not post it today? .:winkwink:.

Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked or this song by Charlie Parker.

I puffed out my chest at the pretty smell from the outside world. Fall… or… what was the other word…? Autumn… yeah, that was Elphie's word for it. Autumn is so colorful… pretty. Even though the leaves had lost their elegant greenness, it was still nice to see a change… Um… notthatI'mboredofthecolorgreenoranything. I quite enjoy the color green… but, I'm partial to red as well. I brushed off my red vest proudly, while strolling down the sidewalk. And the leaves were red… so, I kind of like the change of color… (Don't tell Elphie.) Besides… in the Vinkus, most of the trees were evergreens.

I strolled silently… thinking… about stuff, when I stopped and listened to my surroundings carefully. It was quiet… TOO QUIET. I looked around. Where was everyone? … Really quiet… really silent… really… really—

VOOOOOOOOM!

HOLY SHIZ! I jumped two feet in the air (sadly, I say that quite literally) and landed on my feet clumsily, snapping my head in the direction of the devil noise. My devil noise was a leaf-blower carried by a… rather large and grotesque man.

Flushing slightly, I looked around for witnesses, and sighed when I saw no one. Good thing too… my legs were shaking like I had to go, really badly. But I didn't, so it was quite awkward… and looked a bit odd.

Once I had my legs stop shaking like maracas (Not that I know what maracas are because they are lame and no one… never mind…), I looked around for the brawny citizen wielding that noise maker of demise. Apparently, during my episode, he had packed up and left this REALLY BIG PILE OF LEAVES, in my midst. I could already feel my eyebrow twitching.

It was marvelously large and colorful… there was a lot of red, there was. Many leaves all stacked up in a great big pile of great big pileness. Soon, my mouth found its way open and I wouldn't be surprised if I caught a few flies in the meantime.

Oh, bloody—g…drool… I wiped my mouth hurriedly, and made my way over to the pile before I completely lost it.

Up close, it was even prettier. Each leaf was crunchy… and full… They were all in pristine condition for… NO, FIYERO, BAD BOY.

I winced and proceeded to turn away, biting my lip slightly... or gnawing, rather. I just had to… my arm shook and I reached back toward it, sealing my eyes shut. "No… I want to… but I don't… I have a reputatio—but… no one's around…" My lips snaked up into a delicate, yet incredibly devious smile.

I ran over, and looked into the depths of the pile, unable to shake the silly grin off of my face. Oh, god, oh, god, oh…

I ran back a few meters, and then pelted full barrel at the leave pile, flinging myself into it. (I held back a yell so as to not alert anyone.)

A tick-tock later, I surfaced, giggling madly and pretending to swim in the sea of crunchy goodness. I dipped, I dived, I swam, and I sunk. I swear I did it all without hesitation, without holding back. It was just too. Darn. Fun.

I'm guessing my leaf obsession originated from that little fact about how mostly evergreens live in the Vinkus… and I guess being deprived my whole life did me no good. I've tried swimming in the little prickly things that sometimes fall off of the evergreens. Ugh… Not. Fun.

So, nowadays, I cannot help myself… I just can't.

It appears that, at that very moment, Elphie decided to come out of the dorms. How do I know that? Because, my super awesome hearing, heard the little click when she opened the door. I PANICKED. Soon, I decided to quickly hide myself by stuffing my head into the colorful goodness, without breathing. Yeah, that plan will hold out long.

I heard her heavy boots walking down the sidewalk and wondered how one so skinny, could walk so heavily…

My nose twitched and I got this funny feeling in my nose. It tickled and tickled more… and more and… Fiyero… no sneezing. Oh gossdarnit, I sneezed—

—and she knew… because, her footsteps stopped and started in my approximate direction. SHIZZLES.

I stayed motionless for the two remaining seconds that silence filled the air. But when she started talking, I sighed.

"Hello? Is anyone…" she pushed on the leaves with her foot, "there?"

I poked my head through the leaves and smiled innocently up at her scowling face. "Helloooo…"

"Hello?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was—"

"Playing in the leaves?" she guessed, smiling rather evilly.

"Yeah… about that…"

Author's Note 2: Yeah, that song immediately made me visualize Fiyero playing in leaves…