"Anything?" Elfman asked, scanning the terrain. It had been about an hour since the group had passed through the rune wall surrounding the outpost. They depended on Natsu's sense of smell up until that moment when the scent was growing thinner and harder to track. Everyone was searching the area in hopes of finding a clue or another object they could use to get a scent. Natsu was kneeling on a boulder, sniffing the rocks surface, Gray and Erza standing beside him.
"Well?" asked Erza. Natsu tried harder, but it was all in vain. He couldn't find anything. It had just been too long.
"Nothing," he said irritated, sitting up on his knees, "I can't find anything."
"Well that's it," said Gray, dropping his hands against his legs, "without a scent we have nothing to track."
"Told ya," called Laxus, sitting on another boulder. Erza and the boys ignored him. The redhead looked out toward the terrain before them. It was somewhat mountainous, but it would only take an hour or two to pass. Erza could see a vast plain before them. It looked so empty and void. It was hard to believe that there were thousands of people out there, living their lives without a care.
"What tribe did the store owner say was closest?" she asked. Levy scanned her map, annoyance pricking at her as the wind picked up.
"He said the Shika tribe, but I don't exactly know where they are."
"It's just our luck to be stuck in the middle of nowhere," said Gajeel, rubbing his face.
"We can't stop here," Natsu exclaimed, standing up, "The longer we stay in one place, the farther the children get and the harder it will be to reach them."
"Ya think we don't know that Natsu?" Laxus asked rhetorically. Natsu rolled his eyes.
"We just need to find this Shika tribe and they can lead us to Krugger and his gang," Natsu picked up his pack and threw it over his shoulder.
"That man at the store said they hated outsiders the most," Gray stated, pulling on his satchel, " should we be concerned?"
"Being concerned isn't manly Gray! Face it head on!" proclaimed Elfman. Gray didn't respond, just simply shook his head.
"I agree with Gray. We should be careful from this point on. We don't know what they're capable of," Levy voiced.
"How bad can they be?" asked Natsu nonchalantly.
The group hiked through the mountain with ease, all the while enjoying the scenery. It may have been pretty basic, but the plainness of Tiar was quite beautiful. The men kept a close eye out as they went down into the valley, watching for Shika. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as they made their descent.
Natsu thought about Lucy and Happy back in Magnolia. He prayed that they were both well without him. Leaving his wife alone was one of the hardest things he's had to do. He hated when there was separation between them due to his alternate future. He still had nightmares about it, even after all this time. The team had only been gone for two days, but he longed to be home, with all of this behind him. He wanted to wake up with Lucy by his side. He wanted to eat breakfast with her and their daughter, laughing about nothing in particular. He wanted to go on a mission with her and marvel at her determination and strength, even when she couldn't see it. And he wanted to end the day tucking Nashi into bed and going to sleep with Lucy beside him. He longed for the day when he would find their daughter and make their family whole again.
They reached the bottom as the sun was starting to set. The sky was decorated with a colorful display that reminded Natsu of his own flames. They were pretty beat by the time they reached the plains Erza saw earlier that afternoon.
"We should probably set up camp soon," said Levy, eyeing the horizon. They were walking down a small path at the bottom of the mountain. They were traveling in silence, having nothing good to say. Natsu glanced at the many boulders lining the path they were walking on. The sound of a small pebble falling to the ground echoed in his ears. Keeping a stone face, Natsu sped up his pace. He walked alongside Erza who was staring at the path up ahead.
"You heard them," she stated, eyes still in front. Natsu nodded. Erza glanced at the rocks and saw something hide behind a boulder in the blink of an eye. Erza did nothing except continue moving down the trail. Gray and Gajeel noticed Natsu and Erza's demeanor. Gray peered up at the black haired man who did the same. They gave meager nods to one another and continued on their way.
A couple of minutes passed when the path finally dispersed and they had reached the bottom of the mountain. They decided to take a breather and found a nice spot to sit down. They all collapsed on the ground and stretched their aching limbs. Gray shoved Natsu slightly on the shoulder. They looked each other in the eyes, conveying unsaid information just by looking at each other. They passed this look onto the rest of the group with simple glances and nods. Natsu's hearing peeked at the light sound of running. The Dragon Slayer clutched his fists, heating them to the right temperature. Gray placed a fist in his hand, Levy folded her fingers except for two, and Gajeel rubbed his knuckles, the tops turning into iron. The running came to a stop. Natsu turned to Erza.
"They're here."
The seven mages rose to their feet as fast as humanly possible. Just as they did, the wild cries of the Shika filled the air. From behind the boulders jumped over twenty men, each with a bow and arrows. They circled the mages, all ready to fire when instructed. The Fairy Tail wizards stood close together. Their goal was to persuade them to take them through the wilderness, but if they had to, they would fight to defend themselves.
The people surrounding the mages were wearing animal skins and furs; many of them also wore large masks made of animal skulls. They were all barefoot but some had ankle bracelets made of all different materials from beads to animal teeth. They were covered in facial paint from head to toe and many of them had numerable scars.
"Whatever you do, do not engage unless instructed," whispered Levy, "We need their cooperation." Erza took a couple steps forward from the team. The group of natives surrounding them followed her every movement with their bows. Natsu was ready to leap at the slightest arrow shot.
"May I have council with the one in charge?" the Titania spoke loudly. There was a murmur in the crowd before someone finally stepped forward. The representative wore a mask made of a wolf skull with fur cascading from their head to their lower back. They had beaded ankle bracelets like the rest of the tribesmen, but they had slightly more than the others. They had on a deer skin dress that went to their knees. There was a leather belt around their waist with tassels on the bottom.
The leader walked up to Erza and stared at her fiercely, though it was strange to look at because they were a couple inches shorter than her.
"Speak!" the masked person demanded. It was muffled but the mages could hear them clearly. Natsu raised an eyebrow as he scanned the representative of the Shika tribe. Though their voice sounded deep and scratchy due to the mask, he could of sworn it sounded female.
"My name is Erza Scarlet from Magnolia, Fiore," said Erza, "my comrades and I are here searching for lost members of our guild. We request safe passage and a guide from your tribe to lead us through the forest."
The shika glared at Erza through their mask for a couple of moments before they made a reach for their helmet. The mages were surprised as the mask and furs were lifted off the their head.
Just as Natsu had suspected, the leader of the band of shika was in fact a girl. She had thick, wavy, dark brown hair that reached her shoulder blades. Her face was streaked with red face paint. Her eyes were a dark orange that almost looked brown from the distance Natsu was standing. She was glaring at Erza with as much distaste as humanly possible.
"Who are you to make such demands of my people?" she spat angrily, "you have no right to be here. None of your people do. You are nothing but parasites. Feeding off of other people. You take our land like it is your own and attack us with those strange powers of yours. You and all of your people make me sick." It took a lot of willpower for the Fairy Tail mages not to just kill all of them where they stood. They didn't know what was worse, seeing Erza so disrespected or knowing that she was right. The natives were here first and they really had no right taking their land. But there wasn't really much they could do in light of the circumstances. Erza remained unmoved by the woman's tone and stayed as firm as a boulder.
"Please try to understand," she said, "we have no ill will toward your people. All we want is to save our comrades."
"Why should we care about your comrades?" the woman questioned.
"Children," Natsu exclaimed. He didn't know if it was the best idea but it was the first thing that came to mind. Erza and the shika woman turned to him at his exclamation.
The woman gasped quietly at the sight of the Dragon Slayer. She hadn't really been paying attention to the other members of their party but now she had a good look at Natsu's appearance. His pink hair, dark eyes, black coat, and scaly scarf tucked into his dark gray shirt. Unintentionally, a light blush decorated her tan skin.
"What?" she asked, referring to his sudden statement.
"They aren't just comrades, they're children. We were sent to bring them home. They were kidnapped from our guild by a man known as Krugger."
At the name, the natives began to murmur amongst themselves. The woman's eyes enlarged at the mention of Krugger.
"Are you familiar with that name?" Erza asked. Hesitantly, the brown haired woman nodded.
"We know of the man which you speak. He is not the first."
"Not the first?" questioned Gray. A couple shika raised their bows at his slight movement.
The woman nodded, "People with unnatural powers such as he have traveled through our lands, bringing children with them across the plains and deserts, even before I was born." Levy thought about what the shika had to say and evaluated the situation.
Unnatural powers? She must be talking about magic. So they don't know how to use it, or have even seen it before.
"Really? Do you know where he is? Where he went with our kids?" Natsu asked. He was about to run up to her, but the bows' of the native's made him freeze.
"You will not find him here. He and his caravan travel east of here, toward Okami territory where we dare not go. We have tried many times to stop that putrid man, but his powers and the powers of his tribe are too great for us. We have suffered many casualties because of him. We will not help you."
"But you have to!" yelled Natsu. The woman was startled by his sudden outburst, "we can't just abandon our nakama; our family! You have to help us find them!"
"Natsu be still!" Erza demanded. Natsu stood down reluctantly, his eyes filling with fiery temper and his fist clutching in anger. Natsu startled the shika woman. He seemed so determined to find these children. She didn't understand what compelled him to be so resolved and passionate. For reasons she didn't know, it made her feel impressed.
"Pardon my friend," Erza said after Natsu's outburst, "but please, we need your help. We cannot locate them on our own."
"This is not our business Fioran," the shika said forcefully, "we will let you leave with all your limbs in tact, but we better not encounter you a second time." Just as Erza was about to speak again, an arrow came shooting down from the sky and almost grazing the top of Gajeel's head.
"HOLY-!" Gajeel didn't get to finish his sentence as more arrows came flying out of nowhere. The Fairy Tail mages remained stuck in their spots while the Shika ran for cover. The woman talking to Erza quickly grabbed her mask and yelled out to her comrades.
"Fukurō! Get into positions!" The woman leapt behind a boulder and started readying her own bow. The Fairy Tail mages took cover in the shelter of the builders as well. They stared in awe at the people attacking the Shika. They were flying high above the air in large kite-like contraptions. Instead of skins like the Shika, these people were wearing feathers all over their body. Two people were to a contraption, one steering and one firing the arrows at the Shika.
"What do we do Erza?" Levy asked.
"Isn't it obvious? We fight like real men!" Exclaimed Elfman, transforming into his Beast Soul. Beside him Erza requiped into her Heaven's Wheel armor.
"I think that would be the best option. Natsu, go find that leader. We might be able to come to an agreement if we help them fight their enemies." Natsu nodded once and sprinted toward the shika tribe as they fired arrows up at the Fukurō.
"FIRE!" the leader yelled, pointing to the flying natives. All at once her fellow tribesmen released their arrows and fired at the Fukurō. A couple of the kites fell off course and to the earth below, however many remained airborne. Deciding to pull out the big guns, the Fukurō dipped their arrows in oil compartments attached to their kites and lit each one. One by one, they started firing them at the people below.
"Acasha! We won't be able to hold out for long!" one of the shika called to the brown haired woman in the wolf mask. She looked up at the flying fiends in anger. If it hadn't been for those Fiorans they wouldn't be in this situation. The pink haired man from before popped into her mind but she shook the image away. He didn't matter right now. He was probably already-
"Hey lady, rae you going to help us or not?" Acasha swiftly turned her head to the left and came face to face with Natsu. She blushed fiercely and stumbled backwards.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" she yelled, her face now red from rage.
"We need your help to find Krugger. Now are you going to help us or not?" he asked.
"Like I would want to help you! You Fiorans are nothing but trouble to my people! Besides, if we helped outsiders, we would be banished from our tribe!" she yelled. Though she hated the thought, it was true. It was a punishment worthy of banishment. Acasha's mouth dropped when Natsu's expression softened.
"You would banish your own family?"
"It none of your business what goes on in my tribe. Now get out of here, if you people aren't careful an- "just as Acasha was about to finish the sentence, a flaming arrow came rushing down towards Natsu. Her eyes widened as it got closer. Before she even knew what happened, Natsu caught the arrow with one hand, his back turned away from the deadly weapon. Her orange eyes widened. Never before had she seen such skill and reflexes. Natsu brought the arrow close to his lips and started eating the fire right in front of the Shika like he did all the time. The tribesman gaped at him in horror, all of them too stunned to move.
H-He's one of those sorcerers? Acasha thought frantically.
"I don't like the way your tribe works," Natsu muttered, throwing the arrow onto the floor. He looked down at Acasha, his dark eyes full of passion, "Families should treasure one another, and never let go no matter what someone does." An image of his daughter flashed in his mind as he finished his statement. Acasha couldn't find any words to say to him. He was the first one to speak so powerfully to her. It made her heart skip a beat.
"We'll take it from here," he said, giving her a small smile. He jumped over the boulder shielding the tribesmen and walked casually toward his friends. Acasha and her men watched carefully as the mages lined up, staring up at their attackers.
"Are they crazy? They'll get killed!" exclaimed one of the men. Acasha said nothing, watching to see what this mysterious pink haired man would do.
"Well?" asked Laxus, sparks appearing all over his body.
"I don't know what they'll do. We can only pray they'll help us," responded Natsu. Twelve swords appeared around Erza and positioned themselves to be fired above.
"We need to hurry. The longer we waste the farther the children get."
"Gihi, this will be over in a snap," laughed Gajeel. Natsu smirked up at the kites above, his fangs shown proudly for all to see.
"I'm all fired up!"
The air around the surrounding area began to feel heavier. The Shika couldn't explain the feeling, but it was extraordinary. They stared in awe as the mages began to glow brightly with their magic. Their power began to build up inside of them, ready to use on their enemy. Each mage prepared for their perfect move. Acasha marveled at the incredible energy radiating off the group
They are all sorcerers.
"Solid Script: Storm!" a gust of wind began to blow the kites in all different directions.
"Ice Make Lance!" Hundreds of spears shot themselves into the kite's wings.
Elfman grabbed a boulder in his Beast Soul and chucked it at a kite, knocking it clear out of the sky.
"Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!" Erza's swords went flying in a disk formation at the various flying tribes men.
"Lightning Dragon's-"
"Iron Dragon's-"
"Fire Dragon's-"
"ROAR!" The combined might of lightning, iron, and fire went hurdling up into the sky, filling the night air with a large display of colors. The Shika couldn't believe their eyes as Fukurō fell from the sky or retreated to their current base. Acasha blinked multiple times to make sense of what just happened. The mages walked back to the Shika who were slightly cowering over the might the mages actually possessed.
"W-We don't want any trouble," Acasha said. It was clear that they didn't stand a chance against these people and it would be better to just leave them be. Her and her kin were astonished when the pink haired Dragon Slayer burst into laughter. He smiled happily at the brown haired woman.
"We were never planning on hurting you. We just wanted your help."
"It's true. We weren't going to attack you unless you hurt us, but seeing as we just defeated your enemy, I guess this makes us friends now," said Erza, walking up to Acasha with a smile. Though hesitant at first, the shika soon found herself smiling brightly.
"I'm glad you do not see us as enemies. We hope we can be of some assistance in the future." She said truthfully.
"All we really need is someone to guide us through Tiar. We don't have anything that can help us find Krugger any sooner," said Gray. Acasha dropped her head slightly.
"I'm sorry, but it is against my tribe's tradition to help outsiders." The mages all had faces of disappointment. Her heart clenched at the sight of Natsu's fallen expression.
"Well, we can't force you to help us," said Erza, "We appreciate you not killing us and we hope to see you again sometime." Erza started toward their supplies followed by the other mages.
"You're leaving?" Acasha asked in confusion.
"We have to," said Natsu, "Our family is counting on us to bring the children home, and Fairy Tail mages will do anything for family." Natsu smiled at Acasha who was once again taken back by his words.
"Thanks for not shooting us," he said jokingly. He gave the woman a wave and followed after his team who were already walking away. Acasha watched as Natsu and his friends were getting farther in the distance. She felt the urge to run after him. Why? She barely knew him, she didn't even know his name. But no matter how hard she tried to fight it, she didn't want to see him go just yet.
"I'm going with them."
The man beside her was startled by her outburst, "What?"
"I'm going with them. I'm going to help them find their nakama," she said. Her orange eyes glowed with the strength and will that she saw Natsu have not minutes ago.
"Acasha you can't be serious!" another man said, "You'll never make it."
"I can get them as far as the Necoon Canyon. Hopefully we will find their children by then."
"But that's Okami territory. You will be outnumbered. And besides, if you do, the Wiseman won't allow you to return to the tribe for helping outsiders. Are you willing to sacrifice your title, your tribe all for the sake of these people?"
Though hesitant at first, Acasha built up her courage and took in a deep breath.
"Now what are we going to do?" asked Gajeel, his hands shoved into his pockets in a carefree manner.
Laxus shrugged, "What did I tell you, this was never going to work out."
"Yeah, yeah, we heard you Laxus for the millionth time," said Gray, waving him off.
Erza sighed dejectedly, "I suppose we should find another tribe to help us. If we can find one."
"The Okami are stronger and more aggressive than the Shika, and it's safe to say we pissed off the Fukurō, so what are our chances of finding anyone who would be willing to help us?" asked Levy. Natsu was about to speak his mind when his sharp ears picked up a voice calling from behind them.
"Do you hear that?" he asked the group.
"Hear what?" questioned Gray.
"I hear it too," responded Gajeel, looking in the direction they just came from. The group turned around and they all stopped in their places. Running toward them was the brown haired girl from before, her wolf mask sitting proudly on top of her head. She ran up to Natsu panting. Natsu stared at her in astonishment.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to help. I can lead you about halfway into Okami territory, but after that I'm afraid you're on your own," she said, trying to keep up her strong, immovable persona.
Everyone stared at her as if she was an answer to their prayers. Erza let out a sigh of relief. Levy leapt into Gajeel's arms, excited that they now had a chance to save their daughter. Laxus just shook his head in disbelief. The girl looked at Natsu who was watching her sadly. She frowned in confusion.
"Is something wrong?"
"But, what about your tribe?" he asked, "Aren't you not allowed to go back if you come with us?" She blushed slightly, flattered that he cared so much about her after only knowing her for about an hour.
"It doesn't matter," she said softly, "If it is the land's will that you save your people, then I shall be the one to aid you. Besides, I'll think of something." She said the last part quietly.
Natsu frowned but soon smiled happily. Things were finally looking up for them. Their chances for getting Nashi and the children were getting better by the minute.
"I don't believe we formally introduced ourselves," the shika said, "My name is Acasha."
Natsu grinned widely and held out his hand toward her, "Natsu Dragneel." The woman stared at the hand in confusion but then put it delicately in Natsu's hand. He tightened his grip on hers and shook firmly. Natsu couldn't wait to start their partnership, and Acasha couldn't either. The previous thoughts of returning home to his loving family seemed brighter than they had been before.
Now that they had an ally in the unknown.
4,000 words, I am on FIRE everyone! But I can't guarantee that all of them will be that long. I hope you enjoyed this little gift from me to you! Spread the love! Review! I love hearing from you!