Wicked AU - As The Crow Flies
I'm back! With a very different style to what you may have seen me use before. Bare with me as the violence here won't continue into the next chapters. Enjoy!
One for sorrow, two for mirth; three for death and four for birth.
Screams pierced the night. A pair of small green feet pounded over blackened grass as fires ravaged the lovingly painted caravans of the gypsy encampment.
Nearby women were crying as they watched their lives turn to cinders before their eyes. In the near distance gun shots still sounded, but they were further away than before.
A young Elphaba ran through the still blazing tents of the gypsy caravan, bare feet headless of the cinders hidden in the blackened grass. She couldn't find her mum.
The bandits had attacked when the caravan had been at it's most vulnerable; straight after the Final Night Celebrations. The Final Night Celebration happened once a month on the final night the gypsy caravan was staying in a town and corresponding to the night of a new moon, the nomads would throw a feast to honour the townsfolk and celebrate their nomadic lifestyles.
The feasting went on well into the night leaving the majority of the men were passed out drunk - as well as many of the women - and the children were long since asleep, bellies full of the sweets and cakes from the feast.
Elphaba had heard the whispers around camp of a group of bandits that has been traversing Oz, plundering and killing nomadic tribes, calling it 'pest control'. Her mother had insisted that nothing was wrong, but Elphaba had over head the other women whispering among themselves of the gypsy raids, and now it had happened to them.
The bandit's had struck swiftly, setting fire to tents and firing shots into the night to cause confusion. They had taken some of the women and gold before dissolving into the night once more. Even now there was the occasional gun shot from the forest as the gypsies pursued their attackers.
Hearing voices she recognised in the distance, Elphaba adjusted her course and ran towards them. She recognised one as being Gregario, the leader of their caravan.
Passing the shattered remains of a small puppet theatre Elphaba found herself in the camp Centre, a large open space where the gypsies gathered to eat and socialise with each other. Elphaba noticed many of them seemed to be sporting makeshift bandages of torn shirt sleeves around their various injuries. She stood to edge of the group and stood waiting to approach, shivering from cold and fear. Gregario and some of the other men and Animals had gathered to assess the damage and set about the recovery effort.
A usually cheerful fellow, Gregario was now sombre, his face creased with worry and red from a wound in his receding hairline.
"Greg! They seem to be gone for now!"
"Excellent!" He cried, feigning optimism, "Try and save as much as you can. Bug and Tun, you two round up the injured and children, and gather some adults and set them to finding survivors." The twin Tigers Gregario pointed out nodded, running off into the camp. "Jeph, Jai and Merge find some of the other men and arms yourselves, they might come back." The three nodded and followed Bug and Tun into the camp.
Gregario sighed, pulling a worn handkerchief from his multi-coloured vest pocket and wiping soot and sweat and red from his stained brow. He turned to pick up an empty bucket to fill from the nearby well when he spotted the young green girl shivering behind him.
"Elphaba!" he exclaimed, kneeling down to her level, "What are you doing, my girl? It's not safe!"
Elphaba just whimpered, "I can't find my mum."
Gregario's face creased with grief as he looked down at the little girl before him, "Oh, my dear…"
Gregario was pulled from his mourning as several shots rang through the night followed by terrified screams.
Far off Jeph's voice called out, "They're back!"
Greg turned in the direction of the disturbance before getting down before the small, green girl before him. All around them people began to scurry for shelter or a weapon to defend themselves with, some arming themselves with shovels and tools. An old Goat armed herself with a handy bucket.
"Fabala," Gregario said, urgently, "I need you to to hide in the forest for me, please."
When she didn't respond Gregario shook her gently, "You have to be brave for me, my girl."
Elphaba nodded mutely before scampering off into the blackened and burning tents once more.
Behind her Gregario pulled a revolver from the back of his trousers, preparing to protect his family to his last breath.
All around her her home burned. Canvas was consumed and carried into the sky by fire as Elphaba ran through the hodge-podge of wagons and lean-to's towards the forest. Elphaba knew that the bandits had attacked from the other side of camp, but the damage here was so extensive it made her wonder how much she had missed.
She remembered being woken by the noise and finding her mother gone from across the wagon. Lifting the canvas door she had seen many of the surrounding tents and carts on fire and several gypsies scurrying about in confusion. Leaping down she had immediately tried to find someone to help her, but the people and Animals she saw were too busy saving their own belongings to help her.
Lost in her thoughts Elphaba went to skirt the still simmering coals of a tent and tripped over something soft and wet on her toes.
Landing with a soft, "Oof," Elphaba rolled into a sitting position with a small frown to see what she had fallen over. Peering close, unable to see very well in the darkness Elphaba thought it was a roll of damp canvas until the flickering light from a nearby fire cast enough brightness her way for her to make out the mutilated face of a dead Goat.
Backing away in horror she did not notice the large man that had snuck up behind her until her back hit his legs.
Elphaba gave a yelp of fright when the huge man grabbed her arms roughly and hoisted her onto her feet, spinning her around, all the while chuckling and sneering at her fear. It was a bandit.
The bandit's snarling face leered over Elphaba as she cowered away, revolted by the stench of his overwhelming halitosis.
"What we got 'ere?" he slurred, "A littl' green witch?" He chuckled to himself and Elphaba whimpered in terror as the man placed his revolver against her temple.
"Hows about we see what colour your blood is, eh?"
CRACK!
The man snarl turned to confusion as red bloomed from his back. He coughed blood into Elphaba's face before toppling over.
"Elphaba!" It was Shell.
He lowered the smoking barrel of his shotgun and ran over to her hugging her tight, relief evident in his voice when he saw she was alright "What are you doing out here? You almost died!"
"Gregario told me to hide in the forest," she replied, tears of relief flowing from her eyes
Shell nodded, rubbing her back gently and holding her close, "But where's mum?"
"I don't know! I woke up and she was gone!" cried Elphaba, chocking through her tears, "I think she's still in the caravan somewhere!"
Fear filled Shell's eyes. Glancing around quickly he hugged Elphaba tight again before pulling away and grasping her small shoulders, "I'll try 'n find her, but you've got to go hide n' be safe."
Shell hurried his little sister over to the edge of the forest through some small shrubs. Kneeling down to eye-level he said, "Don't worry. I'll go get her n' meet you in the clearing we played in yesterday, alright?"
Elphaba nodded as tears spilt from her eyes, carving trails in the dirt and soot that had accumulated on her small cheeks.
"Alright." She whispered, wiping at her face with her tiny fist.
He nodded and walked back into the inferno. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a hand full of silver cylinders which he slid into the barrel of his gun. Turning back for a moment Shell noticed that Elphaba hadn't moved from the forest edge.
"I told you to g-!"
Without warning a loud CRACK split the air and Shell crumpled to the dirt, motionless.
Elphaba just stood hidden in the brush, eyes wide with shock, the gun shot still ringing in her ears. Deep in the forest a crow screeched.
I'm back! With a very different style to what you may have seen me use before. Don't worry! The next chapter won't be nearly as depressing as this one was, though I can't promise an immediate pick up. I'm on holidays at the moment and this is how I've chosen to spend it so I'm in this for the long haul!
ALSO IN NEED OF A BETA, just someone to read it over for mistakes and possibly keep me on schedule :)
Don't forget to review!