Elphaba woke to the sharp snapping of metal.

Her head snapped up, eyes blinking to adjust in the darkness. She was curled up against a tree, barely visible in the tall grass, but nothing around her seemed familiar. Where was she?

The Colwen Grounds, she remembered. The argument with her father. Sighing heavily, she sat up straighter and looked around. She had run to some far corner of the grounds—the castle was barely in sight, and there were no paths to be found. Instead, she was surrounded by fields of waist-high grass and dead trees. She glanced up at the sky, but it was too cloudy to see anything. It must have been late. She remembered walking around for what felt like hours before finally settling against her tree. Thank Oz it hadn't started raining or snowing while she was out here. Somehow, she doubted anyone would come looking for her.

Something rustled in the grass a few feet away, and she remembered the noise that woke her up. She leaned forward cautiously, peering into the darkness. She could just barely make out…something. It was moving. Slowly, trying not to make a sound, she rose to her feet.

The movement stopped as a head whipped around to stare at her. She could just barely make out a pair of brown, beady eyes drilling into her. They gleamed with intelligence—anger mixing with fear mixing with a dangerous warning—but they weren't quite human, either.

"Who are you?" Elphaba asked softly.

There was no answer, but she thought she heard a sharp click. It reminded her vaguely of Ayla, at the Peach and Kidneys. Crouching down once more, Elphaba tried again.

"I'm not going to do anything. Just tell me who you are."

Silence. Then, "I don't see how that's any of your business."

The voice was sharp, and not just in tone. Consonants clicked out distinctly and harshly, as if the speaker struggled to pronounce softer sounds.

"Well, then," Elphaba started, trying not to scowl. "What are you doing at the Colwen Grounds?"

The eyes blinked. "Again, not your business."

Now Elphaba's brow furrowed. "If it's not my business, then what are you still doing here, talking to me?"

The creature shifted, and Elphaba saw the outline of something shift and rustle behind it. "I don't have to give you any answers. Now run along. Leave me be."

The voice seemed suddenly younger. Elphaba decided it was male, maybe a few years older than her, and close to being as stubborn as she was.

But not quite.

"The thing is," she said slowly, "I live here. I don't need to take orders from you."

"And I," the creature said, "am not a Munchkinlander. I don't need to take orders from you."

"Well it looks like we're just stuck then, aren't we?" Elphaba said, pursing her lips. "I suggest, instead of trying to order each other around, we try acting civil. How does that sound?"

"I don't need your help!" the voice hissed suddenly. Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"Who said anything about needing help?"

Before he could respond, the clouds shifted above them, letting the moon shine through. In the sudden light, Elphaba could see the creature—a Bird, she realized—fold and unfold his wings restlessly. The feathers around his neck rumpled and he hobbled a bit, wincing as he did so. Elphaba glanced down just in time to see a glint of jagged metal before the clouds obscured the sky again, making everything dark.

"You're hurt!"

"Stay away!"

But Elphaba was already moving forward and kneeling next to the Bird. He was big, towering over her as she bent toward the ground to inspect the metal trap. His wings stretched out, blocking most of her vision, and fluttered angrily.

"I could rip your throat out right now," he threatened, clicking his beak angrily.

"But you won't," Elphaba responded coolly. "Not if you want to get out of this. Now stop moving."

It took a while, but he eventually settled down enough to listen to her. Elphaba examined the trap, hovering her fingers over it and the Bird's foot. Luckily, his ankle was thick and the trap was old. Nothing appeared to be broken, although the cut was deep.

"Hold very still," Elphaba whispered. She glanced up and met the Bird's eyes briefly. He blinked once, then unfolded his wings slightly, balancing himself. The green girl looked back down, wrapping her fingers around each side of the jagged clamp. She let out a slow breath. Then, in one quick motion, she gripped the metal and yanked it open.

The Bird squawked above her, snapping his beak and swinging his head around furiously, but the second his foot was free, he hopped away, flapping his wings hard. Elphaba let the trap clamp shut again and fell back, narrowly avoiding getting smacked with a wing half as big as she was.

"Wait!" she called, stumbling to her feet as the Bird pushed off from the ground. "Who are you?"

The Bird shifted his feathers, tilting in an arc above her head. He glanced down at her, beady eyes unreadable.

"Peric."

He turned away and flew higher, disappearing into the night sky.

"Elphaba. Wake up."

Elphaba woke the next morning to a sharp voice calling her name. She blinked her eyes open to find her sister sitting next to her bed, glaring down at her.

"What is it, Nessa?" she asked, sitting up. "What's wrong?"

"Where were you last night?"

Elphaba pressed her palms to her eyes. "Walking. I was exploring the grounds."

"All day?"

"This place is huge."

"Why didn't you come back?" If there was concern in Nessa's voice, it was well-masked by annoyance. Elphaba dropped her hands and scowled at her sister.

"I fell asleep."

"Outside?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It was an accident. Why do you care?"

"We didn't see you after lunch."

"Yeah, well, there was a reason for that." Elphaba rose from the bed and went to her suitcase. Nessa watched her, rolling her chair back and forth.

"Father said you didn't take the news well."

Elphaba grit her teeth. "Seriously, what did you expect?"

"You could have at least tried to act civil."

"You never gave me a chance! You can't just announce something like this and expect me to agree right away."

Nessarose stilled, meeting her sister's eyes. "Okay. But what about now?"

"What?"

"You've had your chance. You've had nearly an entire day to think about it. What do you say?"

Elphaba opened her mouth to respond, then shut it again. She turned back to her bag and started pulling out clothes. "It'll take more than one day, Nessa."

The younger girl crossed her thin arms over her chest. "What is there to think about? Either you want to rule Munchkinland, or you don't. And we both know that you never wanted to. So what's the big deal?"

The green girl clenched her fists around the dress she had just grabbed. "You're right. What does my opinion matter? Clearly you and Father have been planning this for a while. Obviously you were going to do this whether I agree or not. So why even bother asking?"

Nessarose let out a noise of frustration. "Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps I want your approval for this?"

Elphaba spun around. "If you wanted my approval, you should have just told me—it would have gone been much better than cornering me at lunch with some old man I've never met before sitting across the table!"

"He's the Eminent Thropp! He's our grandfather! You can't talk about him like that!"

"You're trying to cut me out of the entire Thropp line. Does that not mean I get to do what I want?"

"Renouncing your position won't give you immunity," Nessa said coldly. Elphaba froze.

"Is that what this is about? Authority over me?"

"Do you really think I'm that petty?"

"No, but I think Father might be."

"Elphaba."

"Come on, Nessa. You can't honestly believe he'd do all this without some sort of ulterior motive."

"Not everyone treats life like some strategic battle, Elphaba."

"Ah, see, there's where you're wrong."

Nessa shook her head, sighing heavily. "Whatever. We can argue the meaning of life any time. Do you have your answer?"

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. "No. I don't have my answer. You and Father don't get to drag me away from Shiz just to sit me down and tell me all the decisions you've made for my life. That's not how this works. Now get out of my room."

Nessarose glared at her, but she spun her chair around and wheeled herself out. Elphaba followed and slammed the door behind her.

She dressed angrily, yanking her clothes on and viciously pulling her hair back into a braid. Once she was finished, she paced around the room, kicking her suitcase out of the way as she passed it. After a few minutes she was breathing hard and her forehead was starting to sting from sweat. With a frustrated growl, she marched up to the window and flung it open. The winter air rushed into her room, immediately cooling her off.

Her shoulders sagged. It wasn't fair. She wasn't used to being blindsided like this, and she had no idea how to respond.

Elphaba pushed the window open further and climbed onto the sill, letting one leg dangle down. She was a couple stories up, high enough to see over the tops of nearby trees, and for a moment she just sat there, letting the view calm her. Her leg kicked backing and forth, hitting the bricks below. As the tension left her, she began to let her mind wander.

She wondered what Glinda was doing. Was she shopping with her friends? Having lunch with her parents? Did she perhaps miss Elphaba?

The green girl quickly pushed this last thought away. Glinda would be enjoying herself and her free time. Even if the blonde missed her, she couldn't possibly be experiencing the same, painful longing that was tugging at Elphaba's chest.

No, Glinda wouldn't be thinking about her. Elphaba told herself that it was best. Glinda deserved the chance to be away from all of their peers and not have to worry about rumors or reputation. But a small, selfish part of her wished it wasn't so. She was worried that her blonde roommate would spend a month away and forget all about her. She would decide that Elphaba was too harsh and bitter, that her interests were too boring, that being a social outcast wasn't worth it. And indeed, the green girl had nothing to offer her friend.

In fact, Elphaba thought as she glanced back at the bag that contained Dr. Dillamond's journal, She'd be a lot safer without me.

Thinking of Glinda was starting to hurt, and she didn't want to deal with the Eminency issue right now. Dillamond's research suddenly seemed like the distraction she needed, but she couldn't summon the energy to climb down from the windowsill.

A shadow passed over her. She looked up to see a bird gliding overhead—or perhaps, she thought as she caught sight of brown beady eyes, it was a Bird.

She watched him angle toward the window, tilting his wings to catch the air and slow down. Elphaba was silent as he steadied himself and landed on a tree branch. He hopped a little, moving closer to her window, and then stilled. His head tilted as he looked at her, and it hit Elphaba once again how large he was.

"Peric," she said softly. He peered at her, his feathers rippling as she said his name. Silence hung between them, broken only by the gentle whistling of the cold wind. For the first time, Elphaba got a good look at the Bird. His dark feathers gleamed in the light, not unlike Elphaba's hair. He was mostly black, with streaks of grey at the ends of his wings. A fluff of white feathers surrounded his neck, and his hard, wrinkly head was brownish red. There was a bony red ridge on top of his head with a significant chunk missing out of it, and numerous small scars were visible throughout his body, along with a slight kink at the top of his tail. He held himself proudly, with his wings folded neatly across his back and his neck up high. His eyes—which looked more orange than brown in the sunlight—glinted with intelligence, but the curve of his beak and set of his face gave Elphaba the impression that he would not hesitate to tear something or someone apart.

"Who are you?" the Bird asked finally. Elphaba shifted, bringing both legs up to her chest.

"Elphaba."

Peric repeated the name, struggling a little bit to pronounce it. "Are you a Thropp?"

Elphaba pressed her lips together. "Yes."

"I haven't seen you here before."

"I arrived yesterday."

Peric leaned back and tucked his neck in. "Why?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I'm curious."

"Last night you wanted nothing to do with me."

He snapped his beak, agitated. Elphaba scowled. They glared at each other for a moment.

"Fine," Peric said. "I came here to thank you. I owe you." As he spoke, he shifted and lifted his foot. Elphaba caught a stain of dried blood, but for the most part it looked fine.

Her eyes softened. "Don't worry about it."

Peric rustled his wings. "I have to admit, I am…intrigued by you, Elph-Elpha…" He clicked his beak in frustration, and the green girl fought against the urge to smile.

"Why do you say that?" she asked. Then she glanced down at herself. Stupid question, she thought.

"It's not the green, if that's what you're wondering," he said.

"No?"

"No."

She raised an eyebrow. The split of his beak turned up into a grin.

"You just seem…interesting. Not many people would speak to an Animal as if they were equals. Also, not many people would be sleeping against a tree when they have an entire castle to live in. Speaking of which, I've never seen you around the Colwen Grounds until now. So naturally, I am curious as to who you are and what you're doing here. But on top of all that, I come to find you and instead of being inside the castle or strolling the grounds you are hanging out a window, brooding."

"I wasn't brooding," Elphaba said, scowling.

"I saw your face when I flew up: the scowl, the frown, the far-off look in your eyes. Obviously brooding."

"The look in my eyes?" Elphaba scoffed. "You were thirty feet above me. How could you possibly see that?"

The white feathers around his neck puffed out. "I'm a Bird. Our vision is incredible."

Elphaba didn't have a response, so she shrugged and looked away. "I wasn't brooding," she muttered. Peric snorted. "Did you come here just to annoy me?"

"I came here to thank you."

"Yes, well, you've done that. So why are you still here?"

"Because I'm still curious."

Elphaba stared at him. "What do you want to know?" she asked quietly.

He shifted a little, settling down on his branch, and tilted his head a little to meet her eyes.

"Who are you?"