Chapter 1
A warm wind flows through the trees, rustling leaves as the trees sway in rhythm. Natsu lay in the grass, looking up at the stars that glittered in the night sky. Back at Fairy Tail Natsu had caused enough destruction that Makarov punished him by sending him on a mission. There were to be no friends and no help, not even Happy could tag along. Natsu wasn't even allowed to come back until he completed the job. So here he was, on a mountain covered by trees just outside a small tribal town. In all reality Natsu had gone to the Phoenix Mountains on the edge of Fiore but the people in this tiny town always referred to the mountain as "Βουνό δαίμονας" which roughly translated to "Demon Mountain". The job was to venture to the top of the mountain to retrieve a moonlit flower that supposedly cured any curse. Basically, people of the quaint Town of Eve, which is the name of the town, often fell prey to insanity. The only cure to this was the moonlit flower which, if made into a tea, would cure someone of any curse.
The job seemed rather easy and even Natsu questioned the chief of the town as to why he couldn't do it himself, after all if these people have lived next to the mountain for so long surely someone would be able to get the flower themselves. The chief adamantly refused the idea though and warned Natsu of a demon who has taken residence in the mountain. The young wizard can still recall the urgency of the chief's warning:
There is a nine-tailed kitsune that guards the moonlit flowers. These demons can grow up to nine feet tall and carry with them a blue flame. Remember, if a kitsune cannot kill you with its magic, it will certainly kill you with a curse. You must never provoke a kitsune, they are wicked creatures who crave destruction. You can tell how dangerous they are by the numbers of their tails:
1-3 tails mean they are harmless and frightened easily, you must use this to your advantage and kill them immediately.
A 4-6 tailed fox are wary and will attack when provoked, be sure to prepare yourself for a fight.
And a 7-9 tailed kitsune will kill you regardless your innocence.
I pray for your safe return.
Tonight, marked the first night on the mountain and Natsu had yet to see or even smell anything out of the ordinary. He was beginning to believe that the chief had made it up, he was a strange man from the beginning. The chief's name was Erin and instead of the clothing everyone wore he had only a fur cape and baggy pants. Erin's house was decorated by vibrant furs and antlers, there were shelves full of magic guns and knives and leather furniture. Everything about Erin pointed to him being a hunter, but the man claimed to have injured his leg and would be unfit to hunt. Even Natsu could tell the man was a coward, but a job was a job and the sooner he could finish the sooner he would go home. Putting more thought into it, the kitsune theory made sense. After all, the whole town seemed to deal with one curse or another, so having a mythical nine-tailed fox who could curse everyone made sense. Regardless, with the progress Natsu is making, he should be able to reach the top of the mountain in two days. So, mildly disappointed by the lack of demon foxes and the intense loneliness of being separated from his friends, the dragonslayer nestles in the grass and falls into a deep sleep.