AN: Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima!
Happy New year! Hope you had a good one! ^_^ Well, now I bring to you the continuation of Mountains to Dust! MakeItHale is still my wonderful BETA! Hope you haven't minded my couple of weeks off and that you enjoy this first chapter! ^_^
Chapter One
Levy wandered through the trees, light on her feet, as she watched the silver in front of her slowly getting further ahead. She could hear the male behind her getting closer, already knowing what he was likely about to do, just as he had done every day for what she thought had been two weeks. She felt the male inches from her, readying herself for his persuasion attempts. She had not thought much about what would happen after she had ran off into the Boscan forest other than she would finally meet his family, but nothing could have prepared her for this. She woke up with the sun, gentle hands shaking her awake. Then there was a quick breakfast of whatever meat got pulled out of the goatskin bag around the older male's waist, along with whatever berries the younger could find. Afterwards she would walk almost until lunch. Then he would pick her up.
He slipped around in front of her, a mass of shadow-like, tangled hair presented to her as he crouched down. Every day, once his father began to gain too much of a lead, he would end up demanding that he carried her. His father would always just roll his eyes and sigh as he saw the two reappearing behind him. She was not entirely sure that he really did approve of his son's choice, at least, the further into Bosco they got, the less he seemed to approve. She was managing further on her own every day, but the two males were walking until dinner, when they would stop to make a camp. Levy was definitely starting to get good at knowing where would be a good campsite.
She walked past him, determined to walk at least a little further. She was not sure how far away lunch was, but she had to make it until that. Gajeel would insist on carrying her afterwards, even if she felt completely refreshed. Apparently he did not want her to push herself too much in case she ended up doing more harm than good to herself. He had also explained that if she tired herself too much one day, she would tire much more easily the next. It was a very good argument. She just really wanted to make it until lunch today, just once. She actually did not feel that tired, but Metalicana was getting ahead of them.
She smiled back at the younger male, shaking his head at her as he rose back up to his usual height. A shout came back to them, not too far ahead of them. They grinned at each other, already knowing what the shout meant. Levy took off through the undergrowth - knowing that her silent giant was right behind her - as she raced towards Metalicana. She began to slow, only just catching a glimpse of a head of silver hair. She slipped almost silently through the trees, reaching him in seconds and falling down onto her bottom right next to him. Gajeel appeared on the other side of her and did the same, taking his bag from his waist.
"I found quite a few berries today – even Vkrepr found some. Her skills are improving, are they not, Kurkar?" Gajeel grinned past her, showing the older male the bulging skin bag.
"Hm, they could be better." The larger male sighed, pulling his own larger bag free of his waist. "We are beginning to run low on meat; I do not know how you expect us to catch anything with all the noise she makes. Even when she is trying to be quiet, she sounds like a group of children celebrating the birth of a new family member! At this rate, we will have to camp for a day so that I can trap something."
"She is not that loud...She is getting quieter...and lighter on her feet – her tracks are getting harder to follow." He grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his father. "She managed to walk until lunch today and you cannot blame the lack of prey on her. We knew before we came this way that there would be a lack of it...We should head north slightly...there is more chance of coming across something there, you know that."
"Any tracks would be harder to follow than the ones she left on the first day! We managed to find a water source to clean ourselves and still catch up with her! I know she wanted you to find her, but a child could have!" Metalicana growled, throwing his son a piece of cooked meat – Levy would not know what he had unless he told her and she would only know her own once she bit into it. "And I will not move further north."
"Why would moving further north help?" Levy asked quietly, hoping not to annoy the already grumpy Metalicana.
"There is a Boscan village a mile south of us and that means poachers. There is always less food for us the closer we are to the wasteful Boscans. Fiorians are no better. My father refuses to move further north because we would have to travel south again to reach the crossing point at the river." Gajeel explained, throwing a glare at his father. "It would add a day to our walk, but once we cross the river, we will be in the Ragkiz range."
"Whose range are we in right now?" She frowned, accepting her smaller piece of meat, Gajeel proceeding to shake a few berries into her free hand.
"The Boscan King." Gajeel smirked as if it was completely obvious, trying to annoy her. "If we travel two days north, we would be in the Drirtirrar range – they are a fishing family. North-west of them is the Hraorink range – they are another hunting family like us. They use different methods, but they do not waste anything either...My other aunt became the Pura of the youngest brother of the head male's family."
"What happens if you enter someone else's range?" She asked nervously, glancing north as she tore into her piece of squirrel.
"Nothing if they are not the same type of family...If you are looking for a Pura, then they have no problem, but if we were to hunt in the Hraorink range, things would get very...unpleasant. We do not hunt in their range and they do not hunt in ours. The Drirtirrar family is well positioned to trade with two hunting families and they are the only fishing family, so they are one of the more well off families...the healer family has the hardest time, but everyone must go to them and they trade their services for what they need." Gajeel explained quietly, seemingly listening to something. "Do not expect to see many...My mother is the only one to become Purav with a male of a hunting family. Now my family go to her instead of the healers."
"My Pura is strong and has seen much...She knows more of languages than she admits to – you will be able to talk to her and she will understand most of what you say. She does not wish to teach a language she thinks she may not have correct, so I had to teach our son what I knew...She will be impressed when he returns." Metalicana smiled softly, finishing his own meat.
"What will she think of me?" Levy inquired, biting her lip as the two males looked between each other.
"Small child with a strange accent." They both replied together, Gajeel beginning to reattach his bag to his waist.
"She will not like me then..." Levy sighed, getting up to her feet.
"She will like your fire and approve of your intelligence...She may not agree with you becoming her son's Pura..." Metalicana offered, looking away from her.
"Vkrepr, we wirr convince her! A Fiorian Generar and one of his Captains faired to separate us, so my mother wirr fair no better!" Gajeel grinned before crouching in front of her, offering her his back.
"I did not like what I understood, Boy!" His father growled, watching as Levy effortlessly got onto his son's back. "Do not belittle your mother! If she truly wishes to part the two of you, she will be more than capable of it! This girl does not stand a chance if you anger my Pura! You may be stronger than your mother, but do not expect to be able to defy her!"
"I do not wish to defy her, but I do wish to make her see that I wish for Vkrepr to be my Pura and that she cannot change my mind." Gajeel returned, standing up.
"Then do not anger her...I would not want anything to happen to the girl." Metalicana sighed, beginning to walk again. "Even I have grown mildly fond of the nuisance."
Levy blushed against Gajeel's hair, unsure if she should remind his father that she could understand him. She felt Gajeel's smirk as he held himself straighter, making her smile bashfully to herself as she realised he was feeling at least a little proud. She always found herself wondering if he regretted bringing her back with him when it came time to carry her, but every day he picked her up without complaint until dinner. After dinner, they would curl up together, much to his father's annoyance, and fall asleep. In the morning, he would wake her gently and the routine would repeat. He never seemed to grudge her anything that he had to do for her, even though she knew she was slowing them down. In her opinion, the two males could have been home already and Gajeel having gained his thirtieth piercing, chosen and then taken his Pura.
She felt Gajeel tilt his head slightly, seemingly listening to something again. She looked over his shoulder to see Metalicana doing the same, seeming to slow slightly in his giant strides. What were they listening to? Gajeel reached behind him, squeezing her side lightly. She breathed out, unaware of when she had begun to hold it in. Why was she getting tense? Was it because they were clearly aware of something? She tried to poke her head over Gajeel's shoulder, Gajeel's finger coming to his lips to signal to her to stay quiet. She nodded and held herself there, completely unsure of what was happening.
Metalicana soundlessly came to a stop, Gajeel seemingly doing so at the same time. Had she missed a signal between the two males? Gajeel silently stalked towards a tree, its lowest branch just above his head. She held back her smile as she realised it was an apple tree. She had not thought she would see any similar plants let alone apple trees here, but if they were still near the Boscan village, there was a possibility that a careless poacher had just thrown his apple core down.
Gajeel reached behind him, lightly wrapping his arm around her waist. He quietly pulled her to the front of him, cringing at a noise she could not even hear. He held her against his chest for a moment, his attention somewhere in the bushes to their left. He began to lift her clear of his front, raising her towards the branch, sitting her on it, before finally looking at her and nodding to her.
She nodded back, understanding that she was supposed to stay there. She watched as he soundlessly followed his father, into the bushes, leaving her sitting in the tree. She sat there, trying to stay silent, waiting for them to reappear. What had they heard? Why had they just suddenly stopped to disappear into the bushes? And how had they managed to stop at the exact same time?! Was this what it was like to watch the work of two true hunters? Males so completely in tune with their surroundings that they do not even need to communicate with each other? They must have hunted together many times in the past, surely? She knew they could not have, knowing that Metalicana had left while Gajeel had still been a boy. Was he impressed by Gajeel's skill? Was-
A squeal echoed through the forest, a wounded howl calling after it.