The rak had begun its life among a tribe of Ghost Leopard. And then the Chiss had come, bringing fiery death. The others had either perished in the ambush or fled from it. This particular one had been wounded and near death when it had undergone the hideous transformation.
It proceeded to hunt down and destroy the survivors.
Now, it haunted the shadows. The time for waiting was over.
Elphaba felt a deep sense of forboding. The smell of burning flesh was rife.
Like some hellcat, the rak burst from the black nothing. Dark as night and wreathed in flame, it was much larger than she had anticipated. She quailed a little. But that wouldn't do. So she stood her ground and cast the obvious spell, despite herself. A wave of water.
This would be easy, she presumed. But it was a wrong assumption. The rak laughed at her. The sound was disarming and instead of being quenched, the flames leapt higher.
That wasn't supposed to happen, she thought dumbly.
"Fan the flames," Yackle cried.
Elphaba looked around at her, thinking, not for the first time, that the old bat had lost her mind.
The rak seized the oppurtunity but she was quick to correct herself. She narrowly evaded it's grasping claw.
"Fan the flames," Yackle repeated.
Oh right, make it worse while I'm at it, Elphaba seethed. The heat was stifling. She wondered whether she could do this. All around them plants and shrubs caught fire. The rak lashed out with a plume of flame.
She began preparing another water spell. Yackle barreled into her and shook her. "Fan the flames. Fan them I say. You had better listen to Mother Yackle now."
Candle hung well back and wondered if this was the time for that.
The rak sliced the air with deadly claws. Elphaba ducked and pulled Yackle down with her. But it's attack was not without consequence. Her hat was torn to pieces.
"Fan them, you ninny. Do it and it will burn itself out," Yackle hissed at her.
"Fine," Elphaba snarled back. Wind. Another tornado. A tempest. A gale, Elphie thought with some irony. She conjured a powerful tumult.
The rak panicked, sensing her intent. It flung itself at her, an unwise choice, and decreased it's lifespan significantly. The windstorm smashed into it and swept it up.
It's howls and bellows could be heard from inside the spiraling vortex. The flames reached skyward and were sent spinning. Indeed, the twister had become a whirling inferno.
A final, desperate howl rose from the tornado's heart, expressing profound agony. It was followed by a grating whine. And then there was an explosion. Everything went white.
Stars danced before her eyes. Elphie tried to stand but fell right back over. She sat there for awhile, recovering her senses. Finally, she was able to stand and then brushed herself off.
The rak was gone having immolated itself. Burning bits of it peppered the landscape though. Her windstorm was disipated too, probably vanishing in her brief loss of conciousness. She realized, with some shock that, Candle and Yackle had disappeared as well. Were they injured? Dead? She searched the area frantically for the two of them but was soon distracted.
Something else was coming. She couldn't see it yet but she heard it's approach. Snappings and crumblings as vegetation and earth were crushed. Her mind summoned images of a terrible juggernaut. Oh what fresh hell is this?
But it was something far less sinister. She reconsidered her last thought. More sinister, she decided. The Clock of the Time Dragon. But it was clearly alone. No Dwarf, no boy in sight, not even a wagon to pull it. Perhaps it had evolved self-sufficiency. And she thought of Nessa.
The sculpted dragon that rested atop pivoted on it's axis and pointed a single claw. Not at her, but slightly to the left and past her. She turned to see.
Fiyero stood there watching her. She furrowed her eyebrows. "How long have you been..." But she decided it didn't matter. She watched him for a minute. It had hardly been a week since they parted, but it was so wonderful to see him again. She lifted her hands and laughed softly and he smiled in return.
They met and embraced and he kissed that spot on her neck. She felt suddenly she would die from the pleasure. She pulled back a bit and started to say something. But before she could he told her, "Look. It seems there is a show just for us, turn around and watch."
"What?"
He put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Just watch."
She gave him a puzzled look but allowed herself to be turned around. Then he did an odd thing. He wrapped his arm tight around her middle and grabbed hold of her wrist. She suddenly felt caged in and resisted. "What are you-"
"Elphie, just watch." He tightened his grip. She struggled to free herself. "Watch," he repeated with some urgency.
Her eyes were drawn to the Clock as a scene began to play out. She stopped resisting and found her attention riveted. A minute passed and she raised her free hand to her mouth. "No! No! It can't be!" She fought wildly against his grip but he held her fast.