Justie: I told myself not to do this until I was done with Ava's first book. But I wrote it, and it's done. Please leave a review if you liked, or constructive criticism if you didn't.
The first thing Laxus Dreyar was aware of was that he felt unusually heavy and his legs felt like someone or something was pulling on them. Loud, nearby barking of canines was ringing in his sensitive ears. He growled in annoyance, which only resulted in a hot puff of disgustingly potent dog breath in his face before the snarling and barking began anew.
Slowly, he managed to open his eyes, only to find he was hanging upside down from a tree with a small pack of canines in front of him, snarling and barking.
Three were Siberian Huskies and one was a wolf. The furthest one from the upside-down Wizard was the smaller of the dogs with a silver-colored back and markings on the face that almost resembled freckles. The second dog had mostly tawny-gold fur but had boots of white on its paws. The final dog had red fur and looked to be the largest of the dogs.
The leader was a black wolf with haunting golden eyes. Everything about the beast was massive. It was at least twice as large as the larger of the dogs.
These animals looked almost feral. But there were small gaps of on their necks where the fur was disturbed, signifying some form of ownership. For a moment, the question of who in their right mind would try owning and taming a wolf of all things passed Laxus' mind before said wolf barked at him again.
Laxus knew little about wolves but he'd seen a couple packs wandering Tenrou before. Those wolves and this pack weren't just different in members but in feeling as well. In comparison to the half to full dozen wolves in each Tenrou pack, there were only four to this pack.
From the Tenrou wolves, he'd never felt like he was in any danger. If a wolf came near him, he'd always been absolutely certain that the beast wouldn't touch him. These canines were different. They barked in his face, growled and snarled, and for once, Laxus wasn't sure if he would get out of this without being bitten.
The Tenrou wolves were almost always hungry, looking skinny and with matted, filthy looking fur that had definitely seen better days. Tenrou wolves had yellowing, rotting teeth, blood covering their snouts from a recent kill if there'd been one. These dogs were in peak condition, muscles rippling under healthy, shining fur. Their teeth were white and snouts clean.
Tenrou wolves were beasts with instinct alone. They circled their prey and ripped it apart. The only power they had were in their species-given abilities. These canines were vastly different. Laxus couldn't see the eyes of a beast when he stared into the haunting gold eyes of the Alpha. He saw the raw intelligence, strength, and power in those eyes. Laxus could already feel a kind of power from the dogs and just by looking into their eyes, he could tell one thing; they were holding back.
These were more than dogs. They were smart, they were powerful, they had intention and reason, they had instinct and restraint. They were far more dangerous than any beast Laxus would ever find himself up against.
Suddenly, the wolf reared up on its back legs and the massive paws slammed against Laxus' chest, sending him swinging back and forth until his feet came free of the branches he was hanging from and he landed with a harsh grunt on his front.
The dogs started howling as he moved to sit up, only to have the wolf jump up and pin him down by placing its massive paws on his chest and snarling in his face. A long howl echoed through the trees and instantly the three smaller canines took off after it, leaving Laxus alone with the colossal wolf on top of him. Another howl rang and the wolf barked in response.
Laxus' Dragon Slayer hearing picked up the crunching of leaves under paws and boots, hissing of branches that are being pushed aside and swinging back into place and twigs snapping under a set of boots.
"Summer!" The wolf leapt back and Laxus found himself staring down the point of an arrow, knocked into a bow made of golden wood. The shaft of the arrow was silver in color and the feathers that tickled the cheek of the archer now standing over him were silver and gold speckled.
The archer was a young woman, probably only around 20 or so. She had long caramel-colored hair pulled up in a ponytail with wild blue eyes. She was dressed in a pink sweater, dark jeans and black combat boots. A brown belt was wrapped around her waist, holding up a brown pouch on one hip. Around her neck was a silver chain with a blank silver key hanging off the end.
The girl took a few seconds to look him over before giving the dogs sitting off to the side a look and relaxing her bowstring.
"Sorry about that. Thing is...we were told a certain number of people were on the island and you weren't on the list," she said as the bow and arrow vanished into a shower of golden dust and she extended her hand to help him up. "Name's Sonya Vern by the way. You?"
"Laxus Dreyar," Laxus said as he accepted the offered hand and stood up. Once he was on his feet again the girl kept holding his hand for a moment, giving him an odd look.
"Laxus Dreyar...as in the Lightning Dragon Slayer?" she asked. For a moment, Laxus was silent. Most people tended to associate him with his grandfather right off the bat.
"Yes..." Sonya's odd look turned to a smile.
"Nice to meet you then. You probably wouldn't know me. I'm a Celestial Wizard with Fairy Tail."
"Hold on a second. Last time I checked, the last person to be a Celestial Wizard in Fairy Tail was-"
"Lucy Heartfilia. Yes. I'm aware...Ugh this is gonna be tough to explain." Laxus crossed his arms over his massive chest and made a gesture to show he was waiting for the girl's explanation. "Um...The last year you remember is X784. Right now it's X791. Tenrou Island disappeared seven years ago. Everyone in the Guild believed that everyone who came here for the trials was dead. We attempted to contact you but we couldn't find you so you were listed as missing."
Laxus' eyes went wide and he covered his lower face with his hand as his jaw dropped slightly.
"Um...wow," he managed.
"Yea. Imagine our surprise when we came out here and found the island after so many years of nothing," Sonya added with a nod as she reached behind her back to hold onto her opposite elbow.
"Yea. I can imagine." The two remained silent for a moment as Sonya's dogs came up and licked at their hands, the wolf standing next to Sonya like a sentry, practically glaring at Laxus.
"Um...wanna head towards where the others are? We're headed back to Magnolia soon."
"I can get back on my own. Thanks for the offer though," Laxus said as he started walking away.
"Uh...no." Sonya's wolf leapt in front of Laxus and started snarling again. "I know you can teleport. But Magnolia has changed a little. For all you know, this place you're thinking of teleporting to could very well be some poor person's home. I've spent the last seven years trying to keep Fairy Tail's diminishing reputation away from the typical destruction so I won't be having you ruin that!" Sonya scolded.
"Don't worry about that sweetheart, I'm not a member anymore," Laxus snapped, turning towards her.
"Not according to the Magic Counsel."
"What?" Sonya shrugged. "You are aware I was the one who started the whole Fantasia Battle of Fairy Tail nonsense right?"
"I have been told. And Macao brought that up with the Counsel when they wanted to make you the Guild Master but the Counsel said that you never forced anyone to participate and aside from that, they believe you would've made a more responsible Guild Master than Makarov."
"I didn't force anyone? Then what the hell do they call turning people to stone statues and threatening to turn them into dust within a certain time limit?"
"The Magic Counsel checked. Evergreen doesn't have that power. Master Makarov should've known that and thus, the situation was escalated far beyond what it needed to be. At least that's how they describe it."
"Are you kidding me?" Sonya shrugged.
"I know I organized the letter into the proper file so when we get back to the Guild Hall, I'll show you and Makarov if you want," she offered.
"You put a letter in a file? In the Fairy Tail Guild Hall?"
"Yes," Sonya said. "Granted it did take a while to get everything sorted, cleaned, organized and to maintain it is a pain in my behind. But yes, the letters from the Magic Counsel now go in the files of the members they are talking about. Trust me, over my dead body the Guild office is going back to the organizational skills of previous times!" Laxus winced as the girl's high pitch struck a rather painful chord in his eardrums.
"No need to be yelling at me," he objected. Sonya's face went pink.
"Sorry. But I spent the last seven years doing this whenever I could, atop seven billion other things, considering barely anyone else in this Guild would get off their butts. So please forgive me if I get a tad passionate," Sonya said quietly before turning and letting out a small whistle for her dogs to follow her. The wolf bumped its head on Laxus' leg, urging him to follow. "We should head to the shore before too many people get back there. Otherwise, she'll make a mess."
"She?"
Sonya tapped the pouch on her belt three times and the Huskies disappeared into golden dust, leaving only the wolf behind.
"Yea. She. As in the ship. As in how we're getting back to Magnolia. Come on, you can help me once she's in the water."
"By doing what? Because you're crazy if you think I'm gonna step one foot on a ship." Laxus said, remaining where he stood. The wolf headbutted his leg again with a growl.
"You get motion sick too?!" For a second, Laxus' stomach threatened to lurch just at the thought of being on anything like a vehicle. A ship rocking back and forth over the water, having to depend on the wind in the sails for speed, the perfect recipe for blowing chunks. "Huh. Maybe it's more common than I thought."
"I used to get it too. But I changed my diet some and you wouldn't believe the results. But in your case, just keep in mind that it's a living thing trying to help you and you should be fine."
"Summer, come!" Sonya ordered firmly. The wolf left Laxus and trotted up to its master. "Good girl." Sonya bent down once the canine sat and started petting her ears and neck. "I know you're just trying to help you sweet thing. But you can't bully your way about it, okay?" Summer licked Sonya's face and the girl hugged the massive wolf tenderly before standing up and turning to Laxus. "Sorry about her."
"It's fine. So...Summer?" Sonya nodded as the two started on their way through the trees.
"Yea. She's the Lupus constellation. And since it's most visible in June, a summer month, I decided to name her Summer." Summer barked and trotted ahead of the two.
"So what made you come to Fairy Tail?" Laxus asked.
"I don't know. It just seemed to call to me somehow. But I'm glad I joined when I did. After you guys all vanished, our reputation started going downhill faster than a sled on ice. Of the people in the Guild when you were around…there's probably twelve people you'll know. Kinana and Romeo hung around a little before Tenrou went missing…But then Asuka and I would likely be the only new recruits as of late."
"Asuka?" Laxus asked as the dirt began to turn to sand.
"Yea. She's Alzack and Bisca's daughter. You know, the sharp-shooter duo?"
"Yea I know about them…Hold on, those two hooked up?!" Laxus cried as he stopped walking. Sonya took a few more steps towards the surf, looking back over her shoulder at him.
"This is gonna take a lot of explaining, isn't it?"
"Probably," he admitted
"Then I'll make sure everything's explained on the ship," Sonya assured as she pulled out three Silver keys from her pouch. She pointed them towards the water and yelled loudly, "Open, Gates of the Ship! Carina! Puppis! Vela!" Almost immediately, a massive ship with three white sails marked with the Fairy Tail symbol in blue, red and gold.
"Wow."
"Thanks. I haven't really had the opportunity to try her out too much before today so I'm glad she looks good. Let's get aboard and get her ready to set sail." As she spoke, a gangplank lowered itself down to the sand before the two. Summer trotted up the wood quickly and Sonya decided to balance herself precariously on the edge and walk up with her arms stretched out. Laxus stepped on the gangplank to keep it from wobbling.
"Seriously?!" he snapped. Sonya looked over her shoulder.
"What?"
"This thing's not secured. Walking along like that is one heck of a way to break your neck." Sonya looked down at her boots then back to Laxus before turning around and setting her hands on her hips.
"That's why Summer is here. If it looks like I'm about to fall, she's always there to grab me before I get hurt. I'm thankful for you looking out for me, but I don't do stuff without judging the dangers that go with it. Never have, never will. So thanks for your concern but I'm fine." With that, Sonya turned on her heel and continued on her way up the plank before hopping off on the ship. Summer put her front paws on the gangplank and let out a snarl at the blonde Dragon Slayer before following her mistress.
After a moment Laxus carefully made his way up the gangplank. Oddly enough for him, his usual motion sickness didn't even make an appearance, even as the ship rocked with the waves.
Sonya was happily flitting about the deck as ropes swung to and fro and Summer bounded around her mistress, begging to be played with or petted. The Celestial Wizard hopped up to stand on the railing and held onto a low-hanging rope to help her balance.
"How're you feeling?" she asked as Laxus came over.
"Just fine, thanks." Sonya nodded and looked down at Summer. "So. You said she's the Lupus constellation?" Laxus asked as he stretched his hand out for Summer to sniff.
"Yep." Summer sniffed at Laxus' hand and looked at Sonya, who nodded. The black wolf nudged her head under Laxus' hand and let him pet her.
"What other keys do you have?" Sonya pulled a ring of silver keys from the pouch on her hip and spread them out over her lap.
"Well. I have the Little Lion, Lynx, Hunting Dogs, Great Dog, the Keel, Stern and Sails of the Argo Navis, the Eagle, Phoenix, Charioteer and Arrow. It's not a whole lot, but they're the ones I've got and I couldn't ask for a better team."
"You haven't met the Thunder Legion, little girl," Laxus teased. Sonya shot him a mock-glare.
"For your information, I'm 19, which makes me an adult."
"So?" Sonya smirked, her lips curling and a light igniting in her eyes, all seeming to dare the Devil himself.
"So the next time you want to call me 'little girl', remember that you don't know shit about me, while I've had seven years to learn all your little tricks." Summer barked at him and nuzzled Sonya who petted her in approval. Laxus raised an eyebrow at the young woman in partial surprise, partial amusement at her words.
"Is that a threat?" he asked. Sonya's eyes went wide and she placed a hand on her chest and her other one went up to cover her mouth to fein shock.
"I'm offended sir! I am a lady and a Celestial Wizard at that. I don't make threats, I make promises and keep them."
"Well, you're basically promising to harm me. I call that a threat." Sonya's smirk turned into a full on "Devil may care up I don't" grin.
"I never said I'd hurt you. I simply stated the fact that you know shit about me. So keep all that in consideration." Laxus couldn't help a chuckle that shook his shoulders.
"Alright I'm impressed," he admitted. Sonya's eyebrow went up. "You're one of the first people of Fairy Tail aside from my team who can actually hold up an intelligent conversation." Sonya chuckled.
"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment."
"Good, that's how I intended it." Sonya's smirk softened to a thoughtful smile. "What?"
"You're not nearly as arrogant and vile as everyone painted you."
"I had issues," he said with a shrug.
"Even that doesn't sound quite right to me," Sonya retorted. "At least not by what I've seen so far. Most definitely not the same as they guy I've heard about for seven years."
"And are you disappointed? That I'm not the same Laxus as those stories?"
"Nope. I only listened to those stories to pass the time, not to form any conclusions on what people are like. My personal policy is to not judge people until I know them." At this point, Laxus let out a sigh of slight disappointment.
"And how many times has that bitten you in the butt?" he asked, half expecting a half-embarrassed response. Sonya leaned in slightly with a blank look.
"Never once. Again, I'm not an idiot. If I get a bad feeling about people, I stay away from them. If not, I'll stick around. That's part of the reason I'm still talking to you after all. My gut is telling me it's a good idea and it's never steered me wrong." Laxus shrugged again.
"If you say so." Sonya let out a little sigh and looked out at the island.
"The others should be here soon," she muttered. "So. What were you up to during your time of 'banishment'?" Laxus shrugged again.
"I traveled around some. But nothing was really all that interesting." Sonya nodded.
"I had similar thoughts when I was on my way to Fairy Tail. Honestly, I find that surprising considering you're an S-Class wizard and older than me by, technically eleven years, but your ideas matched those of a twelve-year-old." The two fell into a light silence and Sonya started pulling at her shirt, trying to cool down from the humidity. "Geez it's hot around here," she muttered as she pulled her ponytail away from her neck. Laxus caught sight of a small, dark line that peeked out from under her collar.
"You've got a tattoo?" he asked. Sonya stopped tugging on her shirt and traced the line with her finger. Then she pulled the collar of her sweater down to reveal the reptile. The scales seemed to stand out individually as a mix of black, blue, purple, and silver. The beast's head was pointed upward with the mouth wide open, making it look like it was about to eat her head. The dragon's body was curled in a circle. The claws were pulled in towards the belly and the long wings were folding up into the back.
"It's Draco the dragon constellation," she explained before fixing her sweater. "How about you? Got any ink?" Laxus smirked and pulled up his shirt to reveal the black markings on his chest and stomach. "Nice. They look almost tribal."
"I guess," Laxus said as he pulled his shirt back into place, the words causing Sonya to tilt her head in confusion.
"You guess? Oh." She crossed her legs, pressed her elbow into her leg and pressed her mouth to her fist. "That's where your emblem was before...wasn't it?" Laxus nodded. "I see. Sorry I brought it up." Then the young woman's face burst in a bright grin. "But hey, the Counsel still says you're a member. So once we get back we can figure out the logistics of everything."
"Gramps isn't gonna like that too much," Laxus muttered.
"So what? It's partially his fault anyway." Laxus gave Sonya a questioning look. "Well, based on stories told to me, my conclusion is you got sick and tired of Erza, a fellow S-Class Wizard, and Natsu, a fellow Dragon Slayer, getting away with doing so much destruction during their jobs with barely any repercussions. It would be like if I had a younger sibling who kept disobeying the rules and my parents knew about it but hardly punished them, but if I step out of line once and I'm severely punished, it's basically not going to end well for anyone. You reached a breaking point. But that's just my theory on the matter. If you think there's something more to it, you might want to talk with a professional, of which, I am not," Sonya said as she stood up again and balanced her way to a set life nets. Quickly, she secured her feet in the ropes and climbed up into the crow's nest to look out over the beach again. She watched for a moment before flipping herself over the railing. Summer barked loudly before Sonya landed on one of the beams holding up the main sail, running across and launching herself off. In midair, she pulled one of her sweater's sleeves over her hand and let herself get caught on a rope, using the fabric to protect her hands from harm as she slid back down to the railing of the main deck.
"Having fun?" Laxus asked, half teasing. Summer bounded towards her mistress and licked at her face, earning a giggle from the caramel-haired Wizard.
"Tons. But fun's gonna need to stop soon. The others are on their way with everyone else." Sonya hopped off the railing and made her way up towards the ship's controls. Or at least where they were supposed to be. Instead of the wheel and a bench full of navigational equipment that Laxus had seen on the few times he'd ever been on a ship, there was absolutely nothing on the deck Sonya walked up to aside from more railing. She placed her hands on the railing and actually started talking to the ship. Laxus looked down at Summer, who was content to sit on the deck, tail wagging.
"Is this normal for you guys? Or is this just for me to see?" he asked. Summer barked at him once before trotting over to her mistress. "I guess this is normal."
Justie: And that's all folks. For now at least. Please leave a review.