CHAPTER TEN: THE PUP'S TALE
Porlyusica? What? How? When did she?
Natsu was frozen in place. This felt too coincidental to be true. Porlyusica's smile turned into a frown. "Well, are you coming inside or not?" she snapped. Yep, definitely Porlyusica. Lunara trotted ahead of him and curled up on a mat next to the fireplace. Unsure of what to do, he just stood there in the doorway blinking until Porlyusica pushed him inside. He yelped, but she ignored him, swept Lucy off his back (How could the withered old hag be so strong?) and placed her on the bed. "Now," she said, turning to him and Lunara, "tell me what happened." Lunara glanced at me, indicating that he should tell her. He coughed, and began.
"We were taking a job to research the meteorite…"
After he finished, Porlyusica frowned even more. "It's rare to find Snakes eye Berries, and they mostly grow around volcanoes. I haven't studied much on them, but their poison is easy enough to cure." She turned to her cupboard, and busied herself with gathering ingredients, all the while muttering to herself, making calculations. She turned to Lucy and began mixing herbs. Lunara fell asleep and was breathing slowly in and out. Natsu was too worried to sleep, so he watched Porlyusica heal Lucy until his eyes began to droop. Just when was about to fall asleep, he heard Porlyusica clap her hands. His eyes shot open. Lunara was still asleep, and Lucy was sleeping more soundly now on the bed. Why was I the only one to wake up? He growled under his breath, but pulled himself to his feet. "What is it?"
Porlyusica glared at him. "Watch your tone, young man." Her voice dropped to whisper. "I need to talk to you." He trotted over to the side of the bed, and settled himself next to Lucy.
"What is it?"
Porlyusica cleared her throat. "Your first question will most likely be, Can I get turned back into a human? Well, the answer is yes, but I only know so many ways. One way is that the one who transformed you turns you back. I assume that's Lunara, but I doubt her Moon Magic is strong enough to accomplish that sort of Reversal Spell. The only other way is the Night Sky Globe." Natsu cocked his head in confusion. "It's a rare magical item found in deep mountain caves. It's a very rare sort of gem, and is sacred to the Skyhowlers." Natsu frowned again. Skyhowlers? His question was answered. "Skyhowlers are the type of wolf that Lunara is, and what you and Lucy currently are. They are rare creatures, and live up in the clouds that circle Fiore. They are extremely intelligent, and have an industrious leader system. From what I understand, Lunara is the daughter of one of the Generals."
Porlyusica's frown turned into a sad smile. "I wish that I could find out more about their leader system. It could teach the council a thing or two. But in a couple weeks, the Sky Kingdom could no longer exist. You see, the reason Lunara was sent down here is because… her kingdom is falling apart."
His eyes, which had begun to droop, shot open, and his ears pricked in interest. "The magic that held the Sky Kingdom aloft has been weakened from the Eclipse Blast. Without it, the land will collapse, killing off all of the Skyhowlers. But the elders received an oracle that a wolf-pup touched by the Moon must journey down to the forbidden land of the Humans to find them a new home. He or she will be joined by two more, one touched by the Sun, and the other, the Stars. Together, they will succeed, or fail." Natsu stared at Lunara. "So she's the so-called Moon-touched pup?" Porlyusica nodded. "Yes. But the Generals believe that the oracle is wrong, and that the only way to find a new home is to take it by force. So the Elders sent Lunara down here in secrecy, without their permission. They didn't know about it at first, but you said that you were chased by a Hellhound?" he nodded. "That must have been sent by Lunara's father. He is captain of the Command over the Hellhounds, and is trying to use them to track down you three and kill you."
She shook her head. "It's hard to believe that a father would do that to his daughter, but sometimes pride outweighs love. So you must guard Lunara until the Sun and Star-touched wolves arrive." She glared at him as he looked at her in protest. "No complaining, now that you are Skyhowlers, you are some of the only humans who can talk and negotiate with the Generals. If we're lucky, you can find them all a home and call off the attack. Also," she began with a small smile, "That Night Sky Orb I told you about? It's the prize for this year's Grand Magic Games." Natsu's eyes widened. He remembered the poster he'd seen on their way out of town. On it had been a beautiful violet orb dotted with white specks. That must have been the orb! His tail began to wag. Porlyusica smiled. "I'll find some way to disguise your wings, then I'll be able to sneak all three of you in as my "pet" dog hybrids."
Natsu gave a wolfish grin, then yawned. She smiled. "Let's all get some sleep. We'll figure out a plan of attack in the morning." He lay down, and curled his tail around himself.
"Hey, Porlyusica?" he murmured. "Yes?" "How did you figure out how to speak Wolf?" she smiled.
"I have my ways."
He drifted off to sleep.