Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

With the Shadow Elf Wendy's guidance, (though she knew little about the bends and twists of the forest she called home as she usually traveled through its many shadows) the trek seemed a little less perilous. Ghosts of various degree popped up, bodies scattered, some half rotted away, ribcages and bared teeth showing. Lucy winced away, trying not to look. She could hear whispering voices the further she got, the screams of the dead. A woman's voice quivering for water, an man's howling for food. A child crying for her mother. Lucy tried to block it out. The hanging bodies terrified her the most. With their vacant stares and slack-jawed expressions. One man's body had been half devoured by some forest creature, and Lucy snapped her head away. She looked to Natsu, but his expression was blank, his brows furrowed slightly; a look of determination.

Lucy stumbled as the pale form of a slender woman trudged across the path. Wendy stopped to let her, a sigh escaping her lips. The woman had pale red hair, and her face was obscured by shadow. Her feet were bare, her black skirt hanging in tatters around her ankles. Her top was colorless, and her neck bent at a rakish angle. She was muttering, and Lucy could barely make out her words. She strained her ears to listen.

"Mama's coming, mama's coming, mama's coming..." repeated over and over. Lucy's breath stuck in her throat.

Natsu leaned close, his lips grazing her ear. "Lucy, do not speak to her. This one isn't harmless. Ghosts that cling onto things like that tend not to let go of them. If she thinks you'll get in her way, she will kill you."

The woman continued her dragging footsteps until she reached the other side of the path, and was just about to cross into the woods when Lucy shifted. A twig snapped beneath her boot. The ghostly woman froze, her chanting slowing, slowing, and all was quiet. She heard a 'whoosh' as their elfish guide dissolved into shadows. The woman's arms twitched, the head shifted, and just as Lucy thought she would walk on, the hands curled into fists, the already pale hands almost turning transparent. Her broken neck swayed, and with terrifying lethargy, the head turned towards her. The mouth was slack, the eyes vacant. Unlike the other clouded over eyes she'd seen on the dead bodies, these eyes were pitch black. Natsu spat a curse, and with swiftness, he turned so his cloak guarded them both. He pulled Lucy to his lithe chest, and pulled the hood up so it covered the back of his head. In a swipe of his hand, the lantern went out, leaving the pair in absolute darkness.

She could hear footsteps, almost not there, lighter than air padding across the leaves and twigs. They did not crunch or break. They merely creaked as ghostly feet plodded over them. Lucy felt like whimpering, but Natsu covered her mouth with his rough hand before she could make a noise. Pitch black was all she could see. She couldn't even see Natsu's face. His voice was quiet as it broke her terrified stupor.

"Do not make a noise. Do not move, or she will find you." His voice was firm, but not unkind.

Lucy nodded, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. Terror had her paralyzed, her body reacting to the instinct to stay still in the instance of danger. Natsu's breathing was quiet and steady, so much that she could barely hear it. The light footsteps drew closer, so close that they were almost beside them. She could see the unearthly glow emanated by the woman, a hand stretching forward, searching around blindly, fingers grabbing. Lucy felt like screaming, but Natsu's hand prevented her from making a peep. Tears were beginning to shine in her eyes. She squeezed them shut to prevent this, refusing to cry. The hand began to retreat, slowly back, and the footsteps slunk away, back to the path. The whispering picked up. Lucy almost laughed with relief as she heard the whispers of "Mama's coming..." begin to relay themselves, and slowly, the air of dread that had come with the ghostly woman began to dissipate, and was gone.

Natsu released her mouth from under his hand, and pulled her shaking form to his firm one. She began to pant, panicked, terrified breaths, and he stroked her hair to calm her. She felt a small hand rubbing her back, and she would have screamed bloody murder if she haden't realized that Wendy had probably reappeared by now.

Lucy choked out a sentence, her body still shaking against Natsu's, "I-is this Normal here?"

Wendy's voice came in a gentle whisper behind her, her hand remaining on her back. "The souls of the dead are everywhere. That was just one of them."

Natsu spoke this time, "Soul of the dead or not, we won't let em getcha'."

"Can I have the light back? I wanna be able to see again." Her grip tightened around the lantern's handle and Natsu gave a chuckle of apology. A flame lit on the tip of his finger, and he unwrapped Lucy from his embrace so he could open the small door which housed the candle. He lit the wick, and the flame danced again.

"There ya go. Light." Natsu gave her a smile, lacing their hands together again. Wendy walked in front of them, her charcoal eyes shining in the candlelight. Her pale skin seemed to glitter. Her expression was stern, but had a gentleness to it.

"Lucy, you have to be more careful. I've seen humans die that way before. You're lucky you had Natsu or you would have been toast." Wendy rushed forward, embracing her in a tight hug. The elf's body was cold, and the embrace felt like a gust night breeze wrapped around her body, but somehow firmer. She buried her head in Lucy's chest. "Be careful."

Lucy hesitated, using the arm which was free (and the hand attached to it was gripping the lantern) and wrapped it around the elf's form. She smiled softly. "I will."

Wendy moved away, smiling. "Good. Let's keep moving."

Onward they moved, Lucy's grip not loosening on Natsu's hand, and his never slipping from hers. Ghosts popped up near trees, some harmless, some as terrifying as that shuffling woman, but now Lucy knew what to do. She stayed still by Natsu's side, and Wendy would melt into the shadows whenever a malevolent spirit crossed their path. Soon, Lucy looked to Wendy, who walked ahead of them with an inhuman grace.

"Wendy?" Lucy asked, her voice quiet.

The elf didn't turn, but answered her in a light tone. "Yes?"

"Where are we going?"

Wendy turned finally, giving her a smile. "I don't know. I hope we can find somewhere safe."

They progressed on in the darkness, with only the elf as their guide.

All Lucy knew is that she needed rest soon.

Inspiration just keeps coming. Stay tuned!

~Starry