Hey, everyone~

I know you guys are out there. Why aren't you reviewing? –pouts and then quickly recomposes herself-

Sorry for going all Glinda on you. I want to say a big thank-you to all of you who have reviewed consistently (ghostly bender and RealityInMyDreams, this is you).

Oh, and congratulations to whoever gets the 100th review. You must feel special. :P

(P.S. When you guys are bored or something, click on the homepage link on my profile to see my deviantArt account. I posted something new there you guys would like. :P)

-Essence

Chapter 39

Elphaba didn't waste any time clambering on top of the Horse and practically throwing Glinda behind her. A howl ripped through the air as a brown shape exploded from the grass, jaws salivating and claws extended, ready for the kill. The wolf was larger than any other kind of canine Elphaba had seen before and her mind whirled with the possible thought of it being a Wolf.

Her thoughts were erased quickly as the wolf let out another earsplitting howl, sending chills down her spine.

Adagio let out a panicked neigh as the brown wolf advanced, its fur bristling wildly. Glinda screamed and tightened her hold on Elphaba's waist, burying her face against her lover's back. Elphaba herself felt her heart race as Adagio stood there, transfixed, unable to move.

The wolf barked as it circled its prey, its tongue licking its sharp teeth as it calculated how far it would have to jump in order to tackle the Horse and bring down his tenderizing passengers.

"Adagio! Run!" Elphaba screamed as a second wolf joined its partner. This one was bigger than the other and had gray fur and beady yellow eyes.

"I…can't…move…" the Horse breathed as the wolves came ever closer, their jaws opening for the surefire bite.

"Oh, I'm going to make you fucking move," Elphaba muttered under her breath and used both her legs to kick Adagio's side, causing him to rear up in both pain and astonishment. The wolves backed away, startled by the Horse's sudden movement. The black Horse's hooves thumped against the ground once again, sending a flurry of dried grass into the air.

Without another second to spare, he split from the scene, the wolves running after him at full speed.

"Wait, wait!"

One of the Wolves held back. The gray Wolf called to his partner again but to no avail. He shrugged and sniffed the air for that scent he had caught in the air while he was circling the Horse and the humans. He looked around and noticed the dead hare on the ground.

"So this is what we had scented last night," he muttered to himself as he stalked towards the appetizing snack. He then looked back to where his partner had disappeared. Looking back at the hare on the stick, he licked his fangs again.

"This might not be much, but it'll do for now."

Hungrily he tore at the meat, his voracious appetite getting the better of him and soon he had eaten everything but the stick. He lay there and waited for his partner to return, knowing a Wolf couldn't outrun a Horse for long, especially a Stallion such as the one he had seen.

He then thought of the humans on the Horse's back, thinking of what lovely meals they would be if that particular one hadn't been green…

"That's too bad," he said to himself as he rolled unto his back and enjoyed the morning sun. "I don't particularly like to eat vegetables."

***

"It's gone."

"What?" Elphaba yelled over Adagio's thundering hooves.

"I said it's gone!" Glinda screamed.

Adagio slowed down, his limbs feeling like they were on fire. He forced himself to stop and turn around, watching the pointed ears of the brown Wolf over the tall grass disappear as it retreated back into the grass once again.

The Horse's nostrils flared as he took in each deep breath, the run clearly winding him more than he had thought.

"Adagio, you stupid yet incredible Horse, you did it again," Elphaba breathed, patting the Horse's neck. "You saved us."

"I nearly didn't!" gasped Adagio. "I don't what had come over me back there! If you hadn't—"

"Shh, Adagio," Elphaba whispered to him reassuringly. "That doesn't matter anymore. Glinda, are you okay back there?"

"I'm fine," the blonde mumbled into her lover's shirt, still quite shaken by the encounter.

"Then let us off here, Adagio," Elphaba told him.

"What? Are you nuts?!" the Horse protested. "They could still be out there, you know!"

Elphaba smiled and patted his neck again. "Trust me, Adagio. I'm going to give you something I should have given you earlier."

The green woman quickly jumped off his back as the Horse asked,

"What?"

Elphaba helped an equally bewildered Glinda dismount, the blonde's shoes lightly touching the ground before her green love released her. "What are you talking about, Elphie?" she asked her.

Elphaba kept that small smile on her face as she took off her satchel and placed it on the ground at Adagio's hooves. The Horse backed away a little, staring at her curiously.

"Tell me!" Adagio pleaded with her. "I'm no good with surprises."

"Unfortunately she isn't also," Elphaba chuckled as Glinda hovered over her shoulder. She gently swatted the blonde away as she took out the Grimmerie from the satchel.

"What are you going to do, Elphie?" Glinda asked her in that soft, sweet voice that brought Elphaba to her knees every time. Not this time, however.

"You'll see," hummed the green woman as she opened the ancient spell book, fingering through the pages. "If only I remembered where it was…"

"Oh, are you going to do a spell?" Glinda asked her, clapping her hands excitedly.

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "No, I'm going to sing."

"Really? Wait…huh?"

"Of course I'm going to cast a spell, Glinda."

Glinda let out a pout and crossed her arms. "Well, you don't have to be sarcastic, you mean green thing."

"Sorry, it's just part of my wicked charm that you love so much."

Glinda then wrapped her arms around her lover's shoulders and pressed her cheek against the flowing black hair. "And I do love it, my sarcastic yet adorable love."

Adagio coughed. "I'm still here, you know. And I would like to know why you are casting a spell on me. Not that I'm afraid or…anything."

Elphaba smiled up at the Horse, her brown eyes glinting. "Are you scared, Adagio?"

"When you are smiling up at me like that I can't help it. It's creepy."

"Just tell him, Elphie," Glinda told her. "I'm—I mean he's—dying to know what your surprise is."

Elphaba pressed her hand against the purple pages of the Grimmerie, her green fingers tracing the ancient text as she reread the incantation for the third time in her life now. She then looked up at Adagio, the idea she had yesterday while they had been riding through the grass forming in her mind as she pictured what was about to happen.

"Adagio, would you like to learn how to fly?"

***

The Horse took a step back, not sure if he had heard correctly. "Excuse me?"

"Elphie," Glinda warned. "You mustn't."

Elphaba stood up, the blonde following suit. The green woman then grabbed her love's dainty hands in hers, looking deep into her worried blue eyes. "Everyone deserves the chance to fly," she whispered.

"But, Elphie—"

"Adagio," Elphaba interrupted the blonde. She turned to the Horse and put a hand on his snout. "Have you ever wanted to fly?"

The black Stallion looked at her, his brown eyes narrowing as he thought. "Yeah…I've thought about it once or twice. Why?"

"Well, I could give you your wings."

"I'm not following you. What do you mean?"

"I could use the Levitation Spell to literally give you wings. That is, if you don't mind."

"Gio," Glinda told the obviously confused Horse. "You don't have to. It's just Elphie's way of repaying you for the kindness you have showed us. It's a very painful spell."

Adagio gulped. "Painful?"

Elphaba shrugged. "There's no sense in lying to you. Yeah, there's pain involved."

"How much pain?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I've only performed this on monkeys and a broom. The monkeys had screeched a lot and the broom; well…it's a broom."

Adagio furrowed his brows, clearly deep in thought about this.

"You don't have to make the decision now, Gio." Glinda ran her hands through his black mane, trying to soothe the Horse's convoluted feelings the best way she could. "There's—"

"I'll do it."

Glinda blinked in surprise. "What?"

Adagio turned his head towards Elphaba and flicked his ears forward. "I'll do it. I've always wanted to know what clouds felt like."

Elphaba chuckled.

Glinda hugged Adagio's neck, her worry for him obvious. "Are you sure?" she asked him, her voice muffled by his black fur.

"Yeah," the Horse replied, swishing his tail at her touch. "I trust Elphaba and if she thinks this is a good thing for me…then so be it."

Elphaba blinked, obviously taken aback by the Horse's words. He trusts me, she thought. Nobody except Glinda has ever trusted me like that before.

Glinda then removed herself from Adagio's side, sniffling.

"Why are you crying?" the Horse asked the blonde as Elphaba bent down towards the Grimmerie once again, preparing to perform the spell.

"I…I just can't help but remember the monkeys…and the screeching…"

"Horses don't screech, Blondie," Adagio chuckled. "And don't worry; Elphie will make sure everything's going to be okay, right Elphie?"

"Call me Elphie one more time and wings aren't going to be the only things I give you," was all the green woman mumbled from her place by the Grimmerie.

Glinda just shook her head and crossed her arms in front of her chest, wondering Elphaba's real reason to give the Horse the power of flight. What's going on through that thick skull of hers? she thought.

The rustling of the tall grass was all they heard for a few moments before Elphaba started to chant, her hands moving over the Grimmerie in haphazard patterns. Glinda flinched as Adagio let out a surprised nicker, his hooves starting to stomp the earth under him.

The blonde forced herself to turn away as the Horse began to let out strangled neighs of pain, his muscular body starting to twitch and convulse. She closed her eyes shut, not wanting to see what she was sure was pure agony.

Elphaba's chanting continued for a painstaking few minutes, the green woman occasionally looking up to see if her spell was going to way it was supposed to. It was.

A sudden light burst through the clearing, scaring away a couple of birds that were nearby. Adagio reared up on his hind legs, letting a loud bellow as a pair of massive raven black wings suddenly sprouted from his shoulders.

Elphaba stopped her chanting and backed away, awed and a little frightened by what she had created. Adagio's hooves came back to the ground with a loud 'thump', his newly created wings sending up a cloud of dried grass and dust into the air. He flapped the new appendages, his brown eyes opening in shock.

"Is it safe to look now?" Glinda asked them, her eyes still squeezed shut.

"Oh my Oz," Elphaba breathed.

"Well, is it?" Glinda snapped, her voice clipped.

"Yes, yes," the green woman growled, a bit irritated with her sensitive love. The blonde turned around and opened her eyes, her hands flying to her mouth as she took in the sight of the majestic winged Horse in front of her.

"Are t-t-they really that b-b-bad?" Adagio stammered, his long head turning to the side as he tried to get a good view of his newly acquired wings.

"No, they're…beautiful…" Elphaba breathed. "Adagio, are you okay?"

"I've never felt better, actually," the Horse admitted, flexing the newly acquired muscles on his shoulders. "Wow! Just look at them!"

"I am," Glinda whispered, even though he wasn't speaking to her.

"We are," Elphaba corrected her. She then got up from the ground and reached out a hand to pat Adagio's nose. "May I?" she asked hesitantly.

The Horse then suddenly shoved his snout against the woman's chest, surprising her so much she almost fell down with the weight of his head.

"Oh thank you, thank you, Elphaba!" he cried.

Elphaba laughed as she wrapped her arms around the Horse's neck in a hug. "You're welcome, Adagio. Did it hurt?"

"Like hell," Adagio admitted. "I want to fly. Can I? Please?"

Glinda walked up to them as Elphaba let out a chuckle. "If you feel like you're up to it," the green woman answered him. "Do you even know how to—"

He was gone before she could even finish her question. They watched the Horse as he flew up towards the clouds, hearing his excited yell as he soared through the sky, his black wings stretched out like a bird.

"Sweet Oz, Elphie," Glinda whispered to her love and took her arm in hers. "I think you've created a monster."

Elphaba could only laugh as they watched their friend's black shape move in and out of clouds.

They didn't notice the beady eyes watching them; yellow eyes widening in shock at what they had just witnessed. The brown Wolf then took off, his brown bushy tail waving in the air as he ran back toward his partner.

***

Razaf yawned as stretched, never recalling a time when he had slept this good. He turned in the bed, his eyes blinking sleepily. He then opened them wide, suddenly remembering where he was. He was at the Emperor's Palace, sleeping in his room.

He sat up in the bed, his green eyes darting around as he took in the room. It was a pure emerald green color, just like the rest of the Green Palace. He couldn't help but smirk as he thought this was the way it was supposed to be.

Something near the Emperor's closet caught his eye. It was one of the uniforms only someone of the great Oz's status will wear. He couldn't help but get out of the bed and walk towards it, reaching out a hand to finger the green fabric of the sleeve.

"You can wear that for now,"

The voice behind him made him jump and he turned around, coming face-to-face with Morrible.

"Sweet Oz, you scared me," Razaf breathed, clutching his chest. He felt his rapidly beating heart against the thin fabric of his nightshirt.

Morrible gave him a crooked smile. "Good."

Razaf was about to ask what she meant when she spoke again,

"How was your night?"

"Better than others," replied Razaf, watching her as she touched the uniform jacket with a wrinkled finger.

"Wear it," she told him. "I'm sure you will look dashing with green. It matches your eyes." Without another word she swept out of the room, leaving a bewildered Razaf behind.

***

"Take a picture. It'll last longer."

Bolynda narrowed her eyes at the uniformed man in front of her. He forced his eyes away from her lying form, fixing his hat nervously. She sighed and looked up towards the ceiling above her, counting the tiles for what seemed like the hundredth time.

She felt the shackles dig into her wrists as she twisted her hands, trying to get some feeling back into them. She then gave up, knowing she couldn't possibly free herself without her magic. And she needed her hands for that.

She had lain there in the cot like that for the last night. She had gotten in a few hours of sleep, but she would always wake up when a guard would come into her room to take over the post of the other. This particular one was getting on her nerves. His thoughts weren't very pleasant to read.

"Could you stop staring at me?" Bolynda hissed at him. "I'm sure your wife wouldn't appreciate it."

The guard opened his eyes wide, wondering how the blue girl knew about his wife. Just then there was a knock at the door. He hurriedly turned around and opened it, glad for a reprieve from the blue witch.

Morrible sauntered into the room, her deep purple dress dragging on the floor as she walked towards the cot where Bolynda currently lay, her wrists and ankles tied to the bed posts.

"Ugh. This is a great way to start a day," Bolynda muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Good morning," Morrible said cheerily, apparently not hearing Bolynda's sarcastic comment. "How was your night?"

"I've had better," the blue girl retorted. "Say, how was yours?"

Morrible blinked, clearly not expecting this question. "Busy with my plans to take over Oz. I have no time to waste on sleep, dearie. I use a simple Energy Spell on myself to give me that little extra boost I need throughout the night. I suppose you slept a little?"

"As much as I could with men constantly staring at me. It could get a bit uncomfortable, you know. Not that you would know how it felt."

Morrible laughed, apparently catching Bolynda's insult. "Have you forgotten already, dearie?"

Bolynda turned her head away, the shackles clinking noisily as she clenched her hands into fists. "No."

"Good, I'm so glad I don't have to threaten you again. It's quite taxificating." Morrible then grinned widely. "Are you up for another little show today, dearie?"

"Don't you think Oz will run out of eggs soon?" Bolynda mumbled.

"Oh no, I just need you to show your pretty little blue face to the crowd and then just leave the rest to me."

"That's what you said last time before all of Oz's poultry pelted us with eggs."

"It doesn't hurt anyone to try again. Well…except you."

Bolynda rolled her eyes. "Of course."

"Well, I must go and see to Razaf, dearie. You ought to see him. He looks simply divine in a uniform."

Bolynda tried hard not to retch as the older woman turned to the guard next to her. After exchanging a few quiet words with him, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

***

Frynda was walking ahead when Mantu let out a gasp.

"What is it, Mantu?" she asked tiredly, not bothering to look back.

"I…I think I see a flying horse!"

"Oh, Mantu," the red girl sighed. "I'm tired enough, okay? I don't need this."

"I'm serious! Look!"

Frynda just shook her head, her auburn hair swishing from side to side with each shake. She didn't want to look for Mantu's imaginary flying horse. That would just waste time she just couldn't afford to waste. Just to add the icing onto the cake, she didn't even know if she was heading in the right direction.

All she knew was that the sooner they got out of this Plain, the better. The grass was starting to make her feel claustrophobic.

Mantu looked up at the sky once again; a bit irritated that Frynda thought he was imagining things. The elf could swear he saw the mottled shape of a winged horse among the clouds, but then again…horses don't fly.

He shook his head and continued following his red-skinned companion, ignoring the horse in the clouds…

…for now.