disclaimer the usual

Early the next morning alex woke to find dorothy already awake and already dressed in her day clothes as well. It had taken a bit for alex to find a comfortable position to sleep in that night. He felt stiff. And the sound of rustling blankets and sheets throughout the night hadn't helped too much. Dorothy's sleep had not been sound.

"did my best not to wake you, seems I met with limited success" she said with a giggle.

Alex snorted and stretched out a little, joints popping. It had been a long time since he had taken the wolf form of the wolf for more than a few hours. His body felt stiff as a result of this. Dorothy held her hand out for the scepter and the two of them left the bedroom and were immediately joined by Ozma.

"Sleep well?" she asked.

"Hers was a bit fitful." Alex says, "And im just not used to this form anymore." He said as he stopped and stretched out again, joints popping and making Dorothy and Ozma wince.

"Why was it fitful?" Ozma asked worriedly.

"I didn't realize it was." Dorothy said shrugging, "I didn't have a nightmare for once, usually that's part of it."

"well, no point dwelling on it." Alex said snorting again, "lets just get to breakfast and…I don't know what seems like a good thing to do today?"

The scepter let out a few pings.

"Feels a bit soon for a picnic." Dorothy said looking at the scepter.

"lets face it though, Brianna will always have one prepared for us on the off chance we want to go on one." Alex said sighing

"true, but it also doesn't feel that fair to you." Dorothy said looking at him, "you cant even eat properly in that shape."

"True." Alex said as Toto and Pockets walked passed them

"I wonder what they've been doing late at night these days." Ozma says following them with her gaze as they went into dorothy and alex's room.

"honestly I have no idea, but at least they keep each other company, whether or not they keep each other out trouble remains to be seen" Dorothy said watching, the scepter pinged in agreement.

"well, we have our adventures, they have theirs, we'll find out eventually" Alex said sighing again.

"that's a fair logic" dorothy and Ozma said in unison.

Alex nodded and huffed, shaking out his fur.

"we could go to the clearing and not have a picnic I suppose" Alex said sighing, "the humming of the sanctuary might help a bit"

"Seems like a plan after breakfast." Ozma said reaching up to pet his snout

Alex took in another deep breath and let out a huff, sighing.

Meanwhile back the other way, back in Glinda's room, Glinda was recounting what had happened the previous night to Elphaba. The tall figure who had read the spell from the Grimmerie.

"to call the lost forward…what does the book say about the spell?" Elphaba asked curiously

"that's the annoying thing, no, its name is also a description" Glinda said looking over to the book still open on her desk, "what I find most worrying about it is, if someone has the ability to read the Grimmerie since most people cant"

"then how powerful is the magic protecting whoever happens to be lost?" Elphaba finished the thought with a nod.

"Exactly, because it's the only logic that can follow needing that spell, considering you need to be bestowed with the ability to even read the Grimmerie." Glinda said

"you got it because you inherited being its protector from your aunt, but the book has fallen into the wrong hands many times, usually of its own volition" Elphaba adds looking over at it

"And it, like the slippers and the scepter seem to have chosen Dorothy and Alex as its next keepers, I know that one day I shall wake and the book will no longer be readable to me." Glinda said snapping her fingers magically changing out of her sleepwear, "i will have no choice then but to pass the responsibility to her"

"of course she wont want it" Elphaba said following suit

"of course not, but she really doesn't get the choice when the Grimmerie chooses its protectors you really don't get much of a choice." Glinda said sighing and leaving her room.

Elphaba followed. Shutting the door behind her as they left, none of them heard the Grimmerie flip open to a specific page, fold the corner. They would find Dorothy, Ozma, and Alex already at the kitchens. Brianna was hard at work in her usual way. Though since the secret was now out she was more open with her use of magic. Alex was sat in the corner as not to take up too much of the space.

"sleep well?" Glinda asked looking directly at alex.

"As well as anyone in my situation could do so." He replied snorting again "still a bit stiff."

"I don't think you've been in that form for a prolonged period since you were transformed in the first place." Elphaba said nodding "sorry it wasn't as restful for you."

"Its not your fault Elphaba." Alex said, the scepter pinging in agreement, "it's a transformation relapse, it was going to happen eventually"

"Though…" Elphaba said turning her attentions to dorothy now "Im surprised it wasn't you first."

"So was the scepter, and honestly so am i." Dorothy said stirring some tea that Brianna placed in front of her, "I didn't know alex and the beast transformed so often."

"especially when you consider how often you take the form of a cat" Ozma said nodding "that said, my room is right across from your guy's and even I was unaware of his transformations."

"I often do my best to be discrete, wolves may not be known for their stealth, but I do my best." He said with a sigh.

"that said it has left you in this mess." Brianna said setting a plate of rare meat from the cooking pot in front of him.

It didn't take him very long to dispatch it.

"So whats on the schedule for today?" Elphaba asked looking at all of them in turn, "Nessa and I personally need to contact our brother and work through next years syllabus."

"just a normal trip to the clearing, otherwise not much else" Dorothy said sipping her tea, paying no mind to the mentioning of the stuff for Shiz.

"We decided it was a little too soon for another picnic." Ozma added sipping her own cup.

"you know I just about always have some picnic supplies prepped just in case you decide its nice enough out for one right?" Brianna asked rhetorically

"Oh really?" Dorothy asked with a giggle "never could have guessed, not in a million years." She said

"I see no issue with that, perhaps the vibrations and resonance of the sanctuary will help relieve some of the stress." Glinda said looking over to alex.

"That was our logic too." Alex said sighing, "its just, as much as I like being a wolf, I feel incredibly helpless stuck in this form."

"I mean, the only good thing that comes out of being in your human shape…well you can hit things hard and you're near impervious to injury." Elphaba said smiling.

"near impervious?" Dorothy and Ozma asked in unison.

"It would take a lot to permanently damage him, and it would have to be from a particularly large amount of magic" Glinda said reassuringly.

"That…doesn't make me feel much better Glinda" Dorothy said a little concernedly "I've absorbed fatal amounts of magical energy and survived it"

"in fairness, kitten" Alex started "it has been proven time and time again that you and I are extremely special cases when it comes down to it" he said stretching out again.

"true, as everyone who uses magic is so fond of pointing out, neither of us are exactly conventional where literally everything pertaining to it is concerned." Dorothy said sighing, sipping her tea some more.

The scepter let out several pings at this point, both dorothy and alex turned to look at it.

"I mean, that's sort of been the running theory, we've basically been between two worlds for…a while now" Alex said looking at the scepter "but we have no actual way of confirming whether or not it's the fact that we are not initially from Oz that serves as the reason we are such a large exception to the rules."

"There are people you could probably ask" Glinda said sighing, "but there's no guarantee that any of us would get a straight answer, let alone any at all"

"it's a bit of a puzzle, one im not sure we'll ever have all the pieces too" Ozma said tiling back on her chair, "still, though, not much use wasting time trying to actively find the answer, if it wants to be revealed to you two it will happen in due time."

They nodded in agreement at this, trying to get answers from anyone in the past had basically gotten them nowhere. Alex however, was still in two minds. The beast was becoming a bit restless with all this, so he stood again and shook out his fur

"Anyways, no reason to continue to dwell on it, no better time than the present to go to the clearing for a relaxation session" he said their voices blending again.

Dorothy nodded and finished her tea "ill go grab the slippers, and meet you two at Tugg." She said

"we shall be waiting eagerly" Ozma said smiling.

As the three of them went separate directions. It didn't take dorothy very long to get back to the bedroom for the slippers, Toto and pockets were curled up on the bed, seeming to only be half asleep.

"Don't cause any trouble, you two" Dorothy said sliding on the slippers.

"we'll try" Toto replied, yawning

"but no promises" pockets said stretching out a little.

Dorothy giggled and nodded before going on her way. Following the usual route she quickly caught up to ozma and alex. The scepter was floating idly next to them as they made it to tugg's dock.

"Another trip to the clearing so soon?" he asked, there was a bit of playful sarcasm in his voice.

"Not having a particularly easy time adjusting to being stuck as the wolf again. We thought a trip to the clearing, even to be in the presence of the vibrations of the sanctuary might help calm the nerves" Alex said stretching out on the deck. Before laying down.

"honestly, the clearing is just a good place in general" Dorothy said stretching a bit, "we have a lot of good memories there, some bittersweet, but still largely good" she said before sitting with alex, laying her head against his neck.

The sun had only just risen, and it left the sky a myriad of colors. The beautiful Ozian sky that she had grown so fond of over the years. She had barely noticed Ozma joining her, resting her head against her shoulder. Alex glance at the two and if he could have he would have smiled.

Soon the party reached the clearing and disembarked, Dorothy sighed and stretched as she took a deep breath in, Ozma did the same. Alex went to the center of the clearing and sat. he could hear the vibrations, it hadn't occurred to any of them to ask the strange girl if there was a reason only their animal shapes could hear the sounds of the crystals below. The sanctuary there, that would supposedly protect them at some point. The scepter floated idly by.

Dorothy walked over to alex and sat with him, resting her head against his neck. She looked out at the sky, as its hues mixed. Ozma stretched a little more taking out her silver fairy wand. She suddenly found herself uneasy.

And then alex heard it, the sound of running, and the roar of a kalidah, his ears perked up. The scepter suddenly started its knell

BONG…BONG…BONG

Dorothy found herself immediately up at attention, holding out her hand for the scepter, ozma's own wand at the ready. However alex immediately bolted off into the brush.

"We should follow him." Ozma stated as a matter of fact

But dorothy was already on it and running. she was momentarily stunned for a moment when the scepter zapped her, then she heard it to, and her blood ran cold. But she couldn't stop moving she couldn't stop following alex, she felt Ozma's hand embrace her own as they both picked up the pace but they couldn't match his. Soon he stopped and let out a piercing howl.

AAAARROOOOOOOOO

And charged forth, dorothy and Ozma followed and found themselves in another clearing. The scepter pulled Dorothy and Ozma forward, and their attentions were drawn to a man who seemed to be gathering up what he had dropped on falling over. Dorothy immediately helped him to his feet and the scepter put up a barrier as they watched alex fight for his life with a kalidah.

"are you alright?" Dorothy asked, finding herself unable to look away from the fight.

"You three showed up in the nick of time" Tora said panting "Tora by the way, tora the tailor."

The three of them watched as alex beat down on the kalidah, every blow, every bite pushing it back before the kalidah could even make a swipe. One connected and threw him back but seemed to do little more than put the beast in control. There was no damage to the wolf, no blood, just anger now. As his maw bit into the shoulder of the creature and threw it aside like it were a doll. The Kalidah roared in anger and tried to fake, bolting towards the barrier protecting dorothy, Ozma and Tora, only to be grabbed once again by the beast and thrown back.

The beast now fully in control, the fight became much fiercer.

"yea…tends to happen to us." Dorothy said, her heart racing from the encounter.

As the two creatures butted heads, the beast showed no signs of tiring. The eyes of the wolf glowing brightly. The Kalidah, however showed signs of buckling as the maw of the wolf clamped on its should again and tossed it aside once more. The creature righted itself and snarled.

"Fine" It said, "you win this round" as it bolted back into the woods. The eyes of the wolf stopping their glow as they watched the creature retreat. Dorothy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, now that that's over" Alex said, the beasts voice still present "Alex teak, not normally a wolf"

"It's a long story" Dorothy said sighing "And I'm Dorothy Gale, and the…" She trailed off looking at Ozma, who's gazed seemed to be fixed on Tora for some reason.

She had a look on her face that neither she nor alex had ever seen before. With tears welling up in her eyes she sniffed.

Ozma wasn't even sure why, but there was something about Tora, something strange but familiar, though she was sure she had never seen him before in her life, she found herself searching her own memories, but the only life she had known outside of what she had now was her life with Mombi. It wasn't sadness now she felt as tears welled up in her eyes, it was a sense of happiness, one she simply couldn't place.

"Ozma?" Dorothy asked going over to her friend as the barrier fell around them.

Tora turned to look at Ozma, he hadn't even noticed she was there with them, he recognized her at once, as soon as he had a good look at her. And his face took on a look of recognition for a moment as he recognized her. She had her mothers beauty, and seemed to have taken on her role just as well. He took out a handkerchief and offered it to her.

"Ozma?" Dorothy asked again

Ozma blinked the tears out of her eyes and sniffed. Shaking her head to clear it, taking the handkerchief she wiped her eyes.

"I-im sorry, I don't know what came over me" she said "Ozma, Queen of Oz."

"must be the rush of the moment" Alex said shaking out his fur again walking over "your heart sounds like a drumroll at the moment"

"y-yes, must have been, never actually gotten so up close and personal to a kalidah before." She said wrapping her arms around dorothy.

"I cant seem to avoid them of late." Dorothy said sighing,

Alex took a moment to turn his attentions to Tora. He had no idea why but he felt compelled to extend an invitation to their new friend. Even the beast seemed a bit confused as he started to fade back into the slumber he largely kept.

"Tora, seeing as, I assume you have no place to go, we would be happy to host you at the emerald city." He says shaking out his fur again.

Tora took a moment to register what the wolf had just said to him. His absent partner had been right, and had been basically led right to them, he was now in play, the game as she had put it, had in fact begun.

"it would be my honor" He finally said, "if it truly is no trouble."

Dorothy opened her mouth to say something only to immediately get cut off by Ozma.

"Oh its definitely no trouble at all for us." Ozma said with such a speed and tenacity that both Alex and Dorothy were taken aback.

Tora however was not phased by this. He knew Ozma's mother well, and wished he could tell her everything now. But the voice of the woman echoed in his head, it hadn't been part of the discussion, but he assumed something he had planted in her a long time before he woke up. When the time is right.

The four of them made their way towards the clearing and back to tugg's deck

"Ah, a new companion I see, you do seem to pick up a lot of them." Tugg said jovially

"Tugg, this is Tora the tailor, we rescued him from a Kalidah." Ozma said, her mood becoming more cheery as dorothy and alex were more accustomed to.

"A Kalidah, you seem to have an…" Was as far as Tugg got before alex cut him off.

"yes, Tugg, please, don't remind us, we've already had this discussion." Alex said shaking out his fur again.

"forgive him Tugg, you know he's not normally irritable like this" Dorothy said sighing.

"oh I know."

"or rather" Came the voice of Finley as he alighted on Dorothy's shoulder "he's really only like that after, what for the average person would have been a near death experience."

"And Hello to you too Finley" Dorothy said with a light chuckle "I assume they sent you ahead to keep a further eye on us.

"well it was me or Wiser" he said, "Maddie is preparing tea otherwise she'd have been here herself. Tora a room is being prepared for you at this moment in time by Glinda the good."

"thank you…Finley is the name you said, wasn't it?" Tora asked, addressing dorothy directly.

Dorothy nodded "yes, usually he doesn't leave the palace much" She said looking at the monkey on her shoulder "actually im glad to see you out and about finley, really broke the tension."

"they said you might need that, I don't see the wolf here getting much more relaxed." Finley said looking at alex "or is the beast in control? Its really hard to tell"

"oh the beast is asleep now that the attack is done, he vented his aggression" Alex said condescendingly "but, yea that attack from the Kalidah just really got my hackles up." He said sighing, "look I don't mean to snap, its just been a rather trying couple of days now."

"I loathe to recommend it as I know your guy's opinions on the matter, but what about some calming tonic, it might help you a bit." Finley suggested.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment, both Dorothy and alex seeming to consider this suggestion. Both turned to Ozma, who took a step back, almost immediately bumping into Tora, who immediately steadied her.

"honestly, much as im loathed to agree, I have to agree." Alex said letting out a huff "but I think the big bad wolf needs some extra sleep."

"might do you some good, Lad" Tora immediately said

None of them had realized that tugg had set off, soon they were at the emerald city docks.

Deeper in the palace however, Glinda was indeed preparing a room for Tora, she wasn't sure why, but she felt the need to give him one closer to the chambers. She put it directly down the hall from the one generally occupied by China Princess and Marshall Mallow. She returned to the throne room just in time to meet Dorothy, Ozma, Alex and Tora. She embraced the two girls tightly, glad they were back and safe. Madeline came in with a tea tray and some cakes Brianna had prepared while Finley alighted himself atop Dorothy's throne.

"Glinda, if its no trouble, could I possibly get some calming tonic?" Alex immediately asked.

Glinda stared at him for a minute as if contemplating this question. It had been a while since either of them had asked her for a potion. She looked to dorothy who nodded.

"Well, if dorothy is approving in this moment, then yes, come with me, Elena had to make some more recently" she said leading him off, the scepter following both of them.

Dorothy said but soon found herself being broken from her thoughts as Aislynn hugged her from behind. The Wizard leaned up against both the thrones

"we saw you in the rainbow mover's screen, we were prepared to pull all 4 of you away from that Kalidah." Oscar said, his gaze fixed on Tora.

Tora met his gaze, and waited, conversation between dorothy, Ace, Ozma and some of the others as they filed in was lost. Tora walked over to him, taking his hand he shook it heartily, he recognized the man well. he was older sure, but the same man he had once left in charge of the kingdom. He winked and turned his attention back to all of them.

"its good to see you again, old friend." He said under his breath, "hard to believe you got old"

Oscar blanched at this statement "says the guy who's been missing for years, you're no spring chicken yourself." he said under his own.

However, in an instant everything seemed to fall silent. For dorothy her ears started to ring a little, as if a loud bang had gone off in front of her. she looked around, puzzled for a moment her gaze heading back to the doors of the chamber. She could hear something strange now, not unusual to her but still strange. She heard whispering, as though something was beckoning her. she knew something had to come eventually.