Annie: Hey, everyone. This is a rewriting version of 'Natsu,The Fire Dragon Prince' with the help of just2protect.
Just2protect: Hey, everyone. It's nice to be here and Annie thanks for having me here.
Annie: You're welcome. Now, let's start the story.
P.S,
Natsu's magical levels in the old one is the same in this rewriting version.
February 15, X773
Natsu had his nose all but pressed to the ground, following after a rabbit's scent. His mouth was watering as he imagined cooking up the creature for a snack before dinner. Igneel likely wouldn't mind an extra helping of whatever the dragon was hunting if Natsu was too full from this rabbit to eat. Finally, the scent was much stronger than before and Natsu tensed in his crouched position, like he'd seen Igneel do when he didn't want to startle the prey. He slowly looked up and just a few meters off was a nice, fat rabbit. Natsu licked his lips, excited as he crawled forward, careful to avoid any rocks or dry grass that would alert his prey of his approach. Once he was only a short leap away, he froze, waiting for just the right moment. Something snapped off to the side and the rabbit was off. Natsu stayed perfectly still, eyes trained on the direction he'd heard the noise from. It took a moment, but from the tall grass appeared a group of at least four men dressed in white lined in gold and over their faces were long red pieces of cloth with a green triangle in the middle lined in silver with a matching dot in the middle of said triangle. And they were pointing right at him while talking to each other. Natsu snarled and bolted away, back towards his and Igneel's cave. He knew once he got there, he'll be safe again. He didn't know what these people wanted with him, but he knew he just had to get away. A scent reminding Natsu of ink, leather, blood and sweat came up with a gust of wind just before a hand grabbed his wrist. Instantly, he began thrashing around, twisting his wrist in the grip held on him. His free hand flew back and began clawing at the massive, brown arm attached to said hand as he screamed, kicked, hissed, and fought against his attacker as best he could. His eyes caught sight of the long, silvery-pale hair and the odd tattoos on his face, not even slightly twisted in pain.
"Let go of me! Igneel'll kill you if you don't! Get off me right now!" The man holding his wrist smirked and began walking away, dragging Natsu behind him, the boy yelling, screaming, scratching, kicking, anything to get away but the man's grip was unrelenting.
"Igneel!" Natsu screamed, praying his draconic father could hear him and was coming. Natsu's yelling was so loud, he didn't hear the man give orders to the people wearing masks, but he did hear their response to the orders.
"Yes, Master Brain." Then two men moved forward and each one grabbed onto one of his wrists. His kicking began anew with a new ferocity but neither seemed phased by the boy's raging outburst. A sudden pain bloomed on the back of his neck as a rush of heat coursed through his body and his vision began to haze, spin and darken until he fell back into a silent darkness. Natsu's eyes were slow to open as he came around, but he could feel something cold wrapped around his wrists and ankles and his clothes felt funny. As his eyes opened, he saw something silver around his wrist. He blinked a few times and shook his head, trying to get rid of the sensation of his brain being replaced with cotton. He took in the sight of the spider-web-like wires holding him up over a deep pit. People in white and gold with the odd masks were standing around the perimeter of the pit, with the brown-skinned, tattoo-faced man from earlier, Brain they'd called him, if Natsu recalled correctly. He began struggling against the wires, pulling them closer to himself, scratching at them with his dull fingernails and even biting at them when they got close to his face. Brain smiled wickedly as he turned on the machine. The wires sparked with purple electricity. Natsu's back arched as the electricity raced through him, making his hair stand on end, goosebumps to arise on his skin and he could practically smell the burning of flesh and hair on his wrists and ankles. The little boy screamed and his struggling returned with a vengeance. He could hear the snapping of tiny wires and for a moment, a smile flashed across his face, the idea of getting free jumping into his mind. Those thoughts were shattered the second the tiny, fraying wires jumped up, zapping his arms, legs, abdomen and chest and leaving behind burns that almost instantly turned to an angry red color. Natsu threw his head back as a new wave of screams tore from his throat, turning his throat raw and sore. But his struggling didn't cease. Brain watched from his perch with a sly smile and drummed his fingers on the control panel.
"Interesting," he thought, watching the tiny, pink-haired boy thrash about, trying to escape.
"The boy has barely even begun to really tap into his abilities, yet he already possesses such strength." The man casually turned the dial on the panel, increasing the power. Natsu's scream reached a new octave as the lightning bounced around him. His clothes smoked as they burned and a few of the people around the edge of the pit shifted uncomfortably at the sound of Natsu's screaming and the smell of his burning skin. Time blurred into a confusing swirl of blinding pain, burns blooming on his skin and heat spiraling in his stomach, almost like a muscle slowly contracting, threatening to snap at any moment. Seconds bled into minutes, which slipped into hours, not that Natsu could even tell how long the torture went on. His chest hurt, his throat was raw, the stench of his own skin burning attacked his sense of smell and nauseated his stomach, and heat pooled in his body, tightening every muscle to the point of pain and cramping. With one last scream after Brain had turned the dial to fully max, the tension snapped, the heat being replaced with an icy coolness in his muscles. Air rushed past his ears for a split second before he landed on the bottom of the pit, the landing knocking the air out of his abused and weary body. Natsu coughed as he rolled over and glanced around. Just off to the side of him was a hole blasted in the wall that lead right to the desert outside. Wheezing, bleeding and crying, Natsu pulled himself through the hole and looked around to gain his bearings. He could see a forest not too far off and smell the trail the people in the masks had used to bring him there. The boy took a deep breath and forced himself to stand, wincing whenever the remains of his pale green robe brushed against his wounds. Natsu took another breath before running towards the trees as fast as his legs could carry him. Blood from him wounds made the hot desert sand stick to the bottom of his feet, making him hiss at the sensation but he pressed on.
Leaves and branches hit his open wounds, making tears spring in his eyes as his chest burned from both his wounds and his running robbing his lungs of air. Despite the pain he was in, the ache that was settling in his muscles, and the pure exhaustion flooding him, he didn't want to be able to smell that place anymore before he stopped. The moon had risen over the treetops by the time Natsu paused to sniff the air. He began naming off what he could: wood, animals, berries, herbs, grass, and rotting leaves filled his nose and he heaved a sigh as he couldn't smell anything that he couldn't recognize off the top of his head. br /His exhausted legs dropped him to the ground at that instant. The boy smiled, relieved, as he crawled to a tree trunk and curled up in the massive roots and let his eyes close. In an instant, he was asleep.
Two to four days later...
Natsu woke up to a peaceful forest, perfectly shielded in his rooty haven. He looked over the burns littering his arms and the kneecaps tucked under his chin and winced at the angry red marring his skin. The boy groaned as he pushed and pulled himself from his hiding place, his joints creaking as he did. He carefully stretched, being as mindful as possible of his wounds and hissed whenever one cracked open again. He stood up and looked around. The sun was barely cresting the eastern horizon, just giving the boy enough light to see his surroundings. He didn't recognize them, so he knew he wasn't near home. Natsu sighed a little and sniffed the air. He couldn't smell his father's scent yet, but that didn't mean he wasn't close. He knew Igneel's cave was situated at the base of the mountains and in such a way that the sun would trace the arc of the entrance as the day went on. So all he had to do was find the mountains and have the sun on his back. Natsu yawned as he trudged forward, praying he was going in the right direction. He still felt exhausted, but more than anything, he wanted to get home. Again, Natsu found time slipping past him as the minutes bled into each other, hours becoming a swirl of disappointment, pain, tears, and screaming his father's name. It was somewhere between noon and sunset when Natsu's weary feet gave out under him again, leaving him a teary, battered little thing curled in a ball, too tired to find a temporary shelter, and too hurt from his reopened wounds to want to.
"Igneel," The boy sobbed into the knees he'd pulled to his face, his arms were trembling from the strain. A loud roar broke through the silent forest, angry and pained at the same time. Natsu's eyes widened, a new surge of hope feuling him as he stood again and began running as fast as he could towards the sound.
"Igneel!" He yelled. Another roar echoed through the trees, this one more hopeful, a calling for one who'd been thought lost.
"IGNEEL!"
"Nastu!?" Natsu broke out of the forest, into a clearing, and standing a ways off, looming over the trees, was the massive red dragon Natsu called "Dad". The reptile's golden eyes that reflected years of wisdom within the slit-shaped pupils widened at the sight of the boy, the slits turning round as the beast moved towards the boy, shoving trees aside with his paws as he moved towards his precious little boy.
"DADDY!" Natsu screamed as he bolted forward. The boy's attention was so focused on the dragon, he didn't see the massive lumbering shadow following him into the clearing. Igneel froze in his tracks upon seeing the bear; a massive blonde-brown one with red-looking eyes. A howl came from the edge of the clearing and Natsu stopped running. The dragon's eyes shot to the clearing's edge to see at least a dozen or so smaller forms lurking in the shadows, waiting for a chance to devour something wounded and likely unable to fight. The dragon moved faster, cursing the trees in his way that took longer than the others to knock over. br /Natsu stared right at the bear as it's paw swiped the ground and it snarled at him. The boy backed away a little and fell back on his rear. The bear roared and Natsu tried backing away more. He could hear the trees giving way under Igneel's weight and strength and see the wolves prowling the shadows.
"Natsu, run!" Igneel roared, knowing he'd need time that he didn't have to get to the boy. Natsu's mind was a blurred blank. Run? What was that? Was it a food? Did it taste good? Was it the beast in front of him? Was it something he had to do? His body was frozen as the wolves began to creep out of the shadows, silvery coats glinting in the sunlight and yellow teeth bared in snarls as they came closer. Suddenly, the bear charged at the boy, great huffs of air released each time the front paws touched the ground. Natsu curled into a ball and screamed. There was a sudden, almost painful, tightness that coiled in his belly. It was much like the one from that place where he'd been taken to. This painful coil snapped almost instantly and Natsu covered his head. Igneel watched as a circle of fire burst from Natsu's body and spread out, making the bear change direction and the wolves backed away a little in apprehension. The bear's coat was singed but he was far from wounded. If anything, the fire only made him angrier.
Igneel roared as a warning as he got closer. But the bear and wolves were hungry. This was near spring, but they were too hungry to wait for nature to provide their food, especially when something like Natsu was around. Natsu looked up at the bear again and could see the rage in the large, black eyes. The boy curled up on himself even more and clutched at the tattered robe around him as if it were the only thing protecting him from the beast at the moment. Igneel burst through the trees, flapped his wings to rise to his back legs and slammed his front paws down on the ground beside Natsu. He roared at the beasts again and the wolves' ears flattened on their heads and their tails tucked under their bodies. The bear swiped at the ground again and roared. Igneel snarled before surging forward and grabbing the bear by the back. The paws swung at him, cutting into his gums and lips but they were as effective as mosquito bites against the mighty dragon. Igneel shook his head vigorously from side to side until he heard the bear's spine snap and felt it go limp in his jaws. He tossed it towards the wolves, who eyed him warily. Igneel decided not to pay them any more mind and turned his attention to Natsu, who was shaking in the ball he'd curled up in.
"Natsu?" he said gently before licking the boy's feet. Natsu uncurled a little and looked up at his father.
"Daddy!" he cried as he jumped to his feet and ran towards the dragon's paw, tears streaming down his face. He latched onto Igneel's paw at once and the dragon pulled the boy to his chest, being as tender as he could. After a moment hearing his boy cry, Igneel pulled the boy away and looked him over. His eyes were red from crying, his pale-green robe was barely more than a rag draped over the boy's back and covered in blood from the boy's still-oozing burns. A raging fire sparked to life in the dragon's eyes, but he simply licked his boy gently.
"Natsu, where have you been? It's been over twenty-four days." Natsu shook his head.
"Someone grabbed me and took me away. But…Twenty-four days?! I was out hunting just the other day!" Igneel sighed and sheathed his teeth with his lips and grabbed Natsu much like he had the bear a moment before. Natsu could feel Igneel's blood slowly soaking into his robe, which got into his wounds on his back from the zapping he got, and bit the inside of his cheek a little, feeling bad that Igneel had gotten hurt protecting him. Igneel's wings spread out and flapped a few times to gain altitude before he took off towards the cave the two of them called home. Natsu was silent the entire way, something Igneel was instantly wary of. Once he landed at the cave's opening, Igneel sniffed the air. Satisfied that no unknown scents lingered in the air, the dragon brought his son into the cave and set him down on the large pile of cloth that served as the boy's bed. Still sheathing his sharp fangs, Igneel gently tugged off the tattered shreds of fabric of Natsu's body, leaving him an a pair of black trunks the strangers must have put on him. The dragon's eyes burned molten gold but he shook his head before he gently began licking at Natsu's wounds. The boy hissed at the feeling of the sting from the saliva but he simply sat up straight and endured, knowing his father would never harm him intentionally. He stayed still until Igneel finished, leaving his son's skin slightly pink from the rough texture of his tongue and the trace amount of blood in his saliva, which had healed his wounds close, through Natsu could still feel the pain.
"Natsu, are you alright?" The dragon asked gently as he laid down next to the boy's bed. Natsu nodded, but said nothing. Igneel's eyes narrowed at this.
"Then talk to me. If something is wrong, I cannot do anything about it unless I'm told. I may be powerful, boy, but I cannot read minds." Natsu looked up at Igneel and reached out, touching one of the bloody scrapes the bear had left on Igneel's upper lip.
"You got hurt because I can't protect myself…" He said quietly. Igneel licked the boy's hand tenderly and nuzzled the boy and gently as possible.
"You're young, barely more than a hatchling. It's my job to protect you and that is what I will do. Now, get some rest. You'll need it." Natsu nodded and curled up on his blankets. Igneel pulled a couple blankets over the boy and licked him again before moving so he could watch the entrance and extend a wing over Natsu's bed protectively. Night came quickly over the valley, but through the hours until the sun rose again, Igneel's mind replayed Natsu's attack against the bear and drifted to an ancient magic that he might just need to start teaching the boy.
Time skip: 4 AM
A sudden pain bloomed on the back of his neck as a rush of heat coursed through his body and his vision began to haze, spin and darken until he fell back into a silent darkness. Natsu's eyes were slow to open as he came around, but he could feel something cold wrapped around his wrists and ankles and his clothes felt funny. In an instant, he was asleep. Natsu woke up to a peaceful forest, perfectly shielded in his rooty haven.
Annie: That's the rewriting chapter of chapter one. I added a couple of things here and there to make it a little bit better. Just2protect is going to help me rewrite Natsu, The Fire Dragon Prince as well as my other stories when we get to that.
Just2protect: I can't wait to start chapter two.
Natsu: Oi, who's the new guy?
Annie: My friend and sibling figure on Fanfiction. Their helping me to rewrite your story.
Natsu: *Looks at the new version of his story* Damn. Looks better than the first chapter. No offence.
Annie: None taking.
All three: Ja Na.
