Step Ten: Hunt the Dogs

By the time the group of mages had made their way to the first check-point for their trip, the sun was starting to set behind the sharp peaks and Lucy had called out Virgo to help Ever and her set up their camp while Freed set up runes along the perimeter. The ever curious Rune Mage was shooting the little blonde question after question about the process and mechanics behind becoming a Dragon Slayer which only made her smile widen as she answered them cheerfully, thankful to be back into the regular swing of mundane things without a dragon looming over her shoulder.

By the time all the tents were set up and the fire was going with a pot of thick chunky stew, Lucy had wandered off to bask in the starlight coming from the crystal clear night sky on a ledge just out of the camps line of sight. She could feel watchful eyes on her body. "You don't have to lurk like a perv anymore you know, you can eye me up out in the open now," her voice mirthful as she continued to soak in the power from her precious stars with her neck craned back and her eyes shut. It had been easy to tamp down her dragon while surrounded by other people and her brothers, so she thought nothing of having some company under the night sky.

His little laughs had her lips pulling into a smile as he climbed up next to her with ease, "So this is what it's like to have a girlfriend. Always knowing when I'm creeping around, sprouting fangs, falling from the sky like a fucking barefoot gypsy battle angel," before pulling her easily between his legs so her back was pressed to his chest and he was leaning back on one of his hands to let her take in her element.

Pulling his free hand around so she could nibble on the pads of fingers playfully as she laughed at his words before her voice came through light, "Funny you should say that actually. Vander said I looked like a 'bad-ass avenging angel' when I gate-hop. Draco smacked him upside the head for it." She was trying to stay calm. Draco had explained what the mating would do to her and her libido and she already knew she had keener senses at night. Right now every single one of them was trying to get her to tear his clothes from his body and ride him into oblivion, her dragon being the most adamant supporter of this course of action. Maybe she should have thought about having his company under the night sky.

Running his hands over her skin absently without any thought other than satiating his need to touch her, Bickslow looked up into the inky blue of the heavens before asking in genuine curiosity, "Did you ever figure out what happened with you and Vander's souls?"

The question brought a frown to her face, not because she was upset he asked but because they really didn't know much beyond that it was permanent, "Draco calls it a Soul-Bond but we don't anything more than he and I are bound to each other. The Spirit King said maybe it was when he said 'where I go, she goes and where she goes, I go' caused our souls to exchange in a literal take on the words. Draco thinks its because my soul is always reaching out to help other souls and Vander's magic makes him...needier than most that the Celestial Magic within me wanted to help him so badly, it took his words in a sense that created the bond in more of a 'whenever you need me, I'll always be there' way. That coupled with the fact that on a basic level our magics are extremely similar and compatible must have made it easier. We just don't know but he and I pretty much always know where the other is and we can always get to each other. If one of us concentrates hard enough, we can pull the other to us. It's actually really fascinating to me that Vander and I share this mystic Soul-Bond, Cristoff and I share a draconian-sibling bond that makes us extremely sensitive to each other and you and I are a mated pair, or at least we will be as soon as this mission is over."

Without an ounce of ill-will, he teased, "Do you have any other super intense, life-binding connections to any of my other siblings?"

Looking up into his mesmerizing deep red eyes with her own faintly glowing golden eyes, she spoke evenly, "I think Emzadi and I will be shield-sisters and I'm pretty sure Farron is ready to convince Hisui to make me an ambassador."

Shaking his head half in awe half in mirth, he added to her list, "And Vander's half-convinced Kaleb is trying to get you to join the White Sea, you have my father wrapped around your finger and Xally would have been the first person you would have fallen head over heels for."

Holding up her index finger, she mused playfully, "Do you think Papa Pradesh is wrapped around this finger or this one, " switching her index finger to her pinky. When she felt his chest vibrate with his low chuckles, she closed her eyes again, perfectly content to stay on this ledge, pressed against the sexiest man she could of dreamed of as her mate under the bright clear night sky.

That is until she started getting restless again and she need to move. Trying to satiate the urge, the new Dragon Slayer started to fidget and wiggle until Bickslow's deep voice washed over her and she became decidedly hungry, "If you wanted to have a little fun, all you had to do was ask, Kitten."

Before he had really thought about his teasing words, Lucy flipped in his lap and pinned him down with her hands on his chest. The blonde was humming with energy, with power and he was hard the moment her gilded, slitted eyes, faintly glowing beneath her thick lashes, met his. They held a hunger he was more than excited to test. He loved some rough foreplay and he had a very firm suspicion that even before the dragon soul entered her body, the Celestial spitfire was good for it. Bickslow also had it on good authority that dragoness' were a particularly excellent brand of lover and he was more than eager to find that out for himself.

The Seith Mage wound his hand around the back of her neck and brought her down to his chest and took her lips in a hard motion that was far rougher than he had intended but instead of shying away, he was rewarded with the sexiest sound he's ever heard as she growled into his mouth and bit his lower lip, the sharp points of her fangs spurring him to take more and grip her harder. When she started grinding her core over his long-since fully hardened member something in him snapped.

The moment her back hit the unforgiving rock, she pulled his hair at the back of his head. Hard. The smooth tanned skin of his neck was exposed and she was desperate to taste him, her voice was husky with need as her lips trailed up the column of his throat, "You're so tempting."

His hips were moving in hard, slow motions and it was infuriating and perfect as she bit down at the juncture of his neck and shoulder hard enough to leave a mark but not to draw blood before she laved over the skin to soothe it, pulling throaty moans from him as the ache between her thighs grew unbearable.

Until all of sudden, she was no longer beneath the hard body of her mate with her hands fisted in his silky blue hair and Vander was smirking down at her from where he was leaned back on his hands in his tent to her left. She growled out at the interruption before Cristoff's easy voice sounded from her right and soothed her anger, "Naughty, Princess. You can't fuck Bickslow on a rock ledge in the middle of the night unless you plan on staying on that rock ledge for a very long time."

Groaning as she ran her fingers through her loose hair, she pushed herself up on her elbows to meet the Lunar Slayer's deep blue eyes, her voice tight with her obvious sexual frustration as she blew a stray strand of golden hair out of her face, "This is going to be the longest mission of my life."

"You got that right, soul sister," the Shadowquip's voice patronizing as he patted the top of her head. The amount of amusement the little Celestial beauty brought into his life was endless and even he had to admit since they had bonded, it was easier for him to sleep at night and Voidwalk. She was an amazing addition to his family all around.

Rolling her eyes as she ducked from his hand, the Celestial Slayer turned her attention back to Cristoff, "Can I go get him now? I'm feeling much...less inclined to jump him...a little."

The two brother's easy laughter made her feel better, centered and more grounded as the bulkier of the two smiled down at her, his silky voice light, "Let's go get big bro and I'll put you both to sleep so you don't need to be babysat."

Just before the two Dragon Slayer's left the tent, they heard the youngest Pradesh pout playfully, "Everyone gets tucked in but me."

"Boohoo, no one likes a cock block, Red," was Lucy's quick retort before she left the raven-haired Shadow Mage to his easy laughter to go find Bickslow.

The walk out of camp was easy and she was thankful for Cristoff's calming presence as she tamped down the animal urges she was having. Just before they were about to run into the Seith Mage, Cristoff leaned toward her, his voice low, "Just because you can't have sex doesn't mean the two of you can't have fun, Princess."

Her eyes widened with realization as she hugged the behemoth of a man, her voice bright as she leaned up on her tiptoes to give him a chaste kiss to his cheek, "You brilliant, wonderful man. Fifty points to you for making up for your very rude but necessary interruption."

He gave her a slanted smile, a devious look in his eye that was purely brotherly as he looked down at her, "I'm still putting you to sleep tonight."

Rolling her eyes, she amended, "Twenty points and you still have some making up to do."

Holding his hands up in surrender, his voice was light with play as Bickslow came around the corner with a very confused look on his face, "Hey now, I'm just trying to help you out, little sister."

"So one minute I'm having the time of my life, sexy little vixen underneath me and I'm thinking 'fuck yeah, I'm about to score' and all of a sudden," his hand moved in a little 'poof' motion, "she's gone and I'm eating rock with a painful throbbing in my pants and nothing but the faint disturbing thought that it's my brother's fault," the blunette's voice was light with a smile on his face as he scooped the giggling blonde up, his arms wrapping around her midsection and lifting her like she weighed nothing to press little kisses over her ear, pulling sweet airy giggles from her as she hooked her ankles together behind his back, "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you, Starlight?"

Looking over the pair with a warm shine to his eyes, Cristoff was more than ecstatic for his brother to have found someone that complimented him so well, adored his babies like they were her own and took the time to understand his magic even before they were together but it made his heart ache a little for his own still unknown mate. For now, he would just take things as they come and help his siblings as best he could. Gods help Bickslow when the mission is over and Lucy's dragon takes over.

Before she could really register they were moving, she leaned her head on Bickslow's incredibly comfortable shoulder and smiled over to Cristoff before the Lunar Slayer spoke quietly, "Sleep peacefully, Princess."

His eyes widened a little when she smiled back at him and answered softly, "You too, bigger brother," before succumbing to sleep in her mate's arms.

The older Pradesh looked to his little brother with one of his brows raised, his voice quiet, "That's new."

"Probably something to do with both of us being Dragon Slayer's born of the night sky and draconian-siblings," he answered a little too quickly as Bickslow smirked back at him knowingly.

xXx

When Lucy woke up the next morning, she felt amazing and the fact that she had become a human blanket over the the smooth toned body of one deeply tanned, incredibly handsome Boscan Seith Mage, wasn't even taken into account yet. Running her hands to trace over the wolves that sat low on his hip, she couldn't help but wonder what they tasted like. Carefully sliding her body down, dressed in a thin white tank top and a pair if silky panties, she bit back a moan as her nipples brushed down the ridges of his body until her breath was dancing across the skin of his hip. The low, husky tone of his voice made her eyes roll back and she felt the silk between her legs grow uncomfortable with every word he spoke, "What're you doing down there, Starlight?"

Pressing teasing light kisses over the planes of his stomach, she rasped out, "Exploring, sweet sexy man of mine."

When she ran her fangs along the tanned skin just over the waistband of his briefs, his hips bucked into her and his voice was heavy with arousal, "You're making this very hard."

Before she could make a comment about how that was kind of the whole point, a deep baritone broke the moment, "I'm three seconds away from sending lightning in there and I don't care who I hit. Get the hell out of that tent, Blondie. We gotta move." Laxus' deep tone had very effectively killed the immediate mood but Lucy knew she would have to deal with the ache low in her belly until they made camp for the night further up the mountain. Pressing her forehead over the black ink on his hip, she took a few steadying breaths as she started naming each of the 88 constellations out loud earning her throaty chuckles from the man beneath her.

His voice was lighter than she could have managed in her frazzled state, "Don't worry, Bossman. We are going to get dressed and come out like good little boys and girls do."

Lucy knew her big brother was rolling his eyes as he scoffed and walked away from the tent. Crawling back up the Seith Mage's body, she hovered over his face expectantly, her lips grazing his unintentionally as spoke quietly, "I'm ready for the show, sweetheart. Front row seats and all."

His lopsided grin made her insides melt before he opened his eyes and she was met with the most spectacular glow of mesmerizing eyes and she could feel it, the way his magic wrapped around her soul like a blanket. It was very different from the way it felt when he took possession of her soul all those years ago. This made her feel giddy and loved. Before he could get out the words his lips obviously split to speak, her mouth was on his in a slow kiss that had her toes curling. His hands moved from her hips to either side of her face before she pulled away and smiled down at him, her voice its usual lilting bright tone, "Good morning, Bix."

He didn't think he would ever get used to the way her soul welcomed him, or the way she looked when her eyes met his and he was finding out very quickly that he was perfectly fine with that. "Morning, Kitten."

They fell into an easy back and forth as Bickslow pulled on a pair of dark khaki shorts, a dark red t-shirt and his brown boots and Lucy pulled on another pair of low slung red and silver harem pants, a tight black tank that ended above her bellybutton and pair of mid-shin high black gladiator sandals. She called Cancer out to pull the sides of her hair back in a tangle of small braids before he braided the rest of her hair back in a thick rope down her back to give her a kind of bohemian warrior look.

Lucy had called out Virgo to help them pack away the camp when Nix popped out and lifted the small woman into a hug, his deep velvety voice child-like, "Why don't you ever call me out anymore, Princess? We have such good chemistry and I've been good since the day on the boat. I didn't even spy on you in the shower once."

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm as she returned the Firebird Spirit's affection, "Wow, I'm so proud of you, Nix. I'm sure that was very hard for you."

He gave a few chipper nods of his head before setting her down and crossing his arms over his bare chest, "I've decided I want to accompany you up the mountain. Loke is being unbearable and Draco hogs the Reflecting Pool."

Going back to help her pinkette spirit with one of the tents, her voice was bored as the rest of her team watched their interaction, "Is that why you've been so good? Because you if you didn't really have a choice but to be good, then I don't know if that actually classifies as being good."

Without breaking his carefree demeanor, he took the thick canvas from her hands to fold it for her, "What? No, of course not. I learned my lesson but I'm bored. Cetus won't let Hydra near me anymore and I really need to work out some pent up energy."

"Are you really surprised that Cetus won't let you near his little sister? Actually, I'm more surprised she hasn't figured out a way around him. She's pretty good at getting what she wants." The Celestial Mage had moved to start stacking the other tents for Virgo before Ever finally snapped out of her distracted state to help the little blonde with a smile on her face. The Fairy Mage certainly didn't mind the company of the shirtless, buff and very sexy spirit. Phoenix had a very classically handsome face with Roman features, strong jaw, prominent straight nose, full lips and sharp brows that made his striking blue eyes stand out and it made him very popular with the female population. Sometimes Lucy would call him out against female mages just as a distraction and more often than not, it was a very sound tactic. The spirit refused to wear anything except his very form fitting black leather pants and he had a never-ended pool of energy that fueled his impressive Fire magic and even more helpfully, the healing magic he provided her when she was on solo missions. Unlike the Fire Slayer, Phoenix' fire magic made him passionate, caring and almost comically sensitive to his emotions and those of the people around him. In a way, both he and her best friend shared a clueless innocence and constant need for stimulation that made her cringe to think about calling the two out on a mission. She made the mistake of bringing Nix out to see if Natsu could eat his flames and the two ended up setting the training grounds on fire and the grounds are made of fire-resistant dirt. Dirt for the love of Mavis.

Vander slid up next her, openly eyeing up her Firebird Spirit, "How long are you keeping him out, sugar?" His deep wine eyes were watching the golden-skinned man as he threw the heavy rolls of canvas onto his shoulder and he pulled a rare laugh from her stoic Maid Spirit.

Giving the raven-haired man a knowing smirk, she shoved him with her shoulder, her voice airy, "Who knows, Red. He's apparently got a lot of pent of energy. He's pretty oblivious and so far, he's only shown interest in me but I'm sure you're up for the challenge. I'll tell you right now though, Nix is a marshmallow at heart so hold off if you can. I don't want him hurt because you are a free-floating enigma made of pure sex and devious thoughts."

When she saw his eyes grow more determined, she pinched his side with a laugh, "Actually, leave him alone. I'll call out Hydra tonight at camp and you can see if she tickles your fancy. She's about as bad as you are." Mumbling under her breath, "Ridiculous Water Spirit..."

A slow curling smile spread across his lips before he answered smoothly, "I'll be sure to come back and hold you to that, Starshine," before he gave her a wink and disappeared.

"That little shit is probably going to have wild sex with a whole bunch of people and I just set him up with one of my spirits. Gods that is annoying."

After Virgo had gone back, Nix had become a permanent fixture at Cristoff's side for the whole grueling walk up the side of the steep mountain while Ever's face was set in a permanent scowl as she fanned herself rather aggressively, Freed seemed completely unaffected by the heat and the high grade of the terrain they were traversing as he and Laxus held an easy conversation about the finer points of Joyan government's seat in Opalle and Lucy had managed to make it halfway up before asking Bickslow if she could have a piggyback ride that quickly became her new favorite way of travel.

"How's the view from up there, Kitten?"

Her mate's rich voice pulled her attention from the rocky landscape as she smiled and tightened her thighs around his ribs to push herself just high enough that she could look over the top of his mohawk, "It's pretty nice actually but I would stare at a wall for hours if it meant I didn't have to walk," holding her feet out in front of him before wiggling her toes, "because I just spent the last week of my life dead lifting shit I shouldn't be able to and running for miles a day. I also despise mountains. I'll always take a free ride from a good-looking man instead."

Raising his brows as he turned his head to look up at her face, he drawled teasingly, "Oh yeah? That doesn't exactly set the right mood for the rest of our lives together, Cosplayer. How about you'll always take a free ride from this good-looking man in particular and we can call it even."

Her eyes widened a little as a faint blush spread across her cheeks when she realized just how poorly she worded that before conceding softly, "Yeah, that would probably be best. You can actually put me down if you want. For some reason my butt is going numb and it's not exactly the kind of tingly feeling I like."

With an easy laugh, Momo and Mimi flew in front of the pair, "That's probably because my babies are made of wood and they weren't made to be sat on."

Smacking his chest lightly before climbing down from her very high perch and cradling her babies, "I'm so sorry, Mimi...Momo. If I'd known Bixy was using you to keep my butt up, I would have gotten down sooner."

Their little chirps were happy and light before they started tumbling around each other in a sort of silly dance to make the already beaming blonde laugh. Muu quickly buried himself in her chest, nuzzling with little coos as she caressed the wood of his totem lovingly, her voice much softer, "My little Cutie Pie! You've been so quiet, I almost thought you forgot about me."

The little totem immediately flew up to her face to bump her cheek like he was pressing kisses to the giggling woman's face before she cupped the sweet young soul to rub her nose against his carved face, "Stars, you make it so easy to love you."

Looking up at the Seith Mage's openly gaping face with a wide smile, she laced her hand with his before moving to catch up with the rest of their team, singing under her breath the whole way.

They had made it to a relatively flat section of the road to stop to eat and thanks to Cristoff's incredibly handy ability to create fresh, cool water, the whole team was feeling much better about walking the rest of the way up the mountain in the harsh heat of the afternoon sun. Phoenix didn't understand why everyone was so upset, "The sun feels amazing. It's so bright and warm. It makes my blood boil and I almost wish I could get a taste."

Bickslow's chest rumbled from behind her back as he spoke to the spirit gazing longingly up to the sky, "Careful there, Icarus. Nothing good ever comes from flying too close to the sun."

As if in deep thought, Lucy watched her spirits face wrinkle before stating matter-of-factly, "I would come back. Probably take about a month, but I think it would be worth it."

Leaning her head back to take in the Seith Mage's scent, her voice was distant as she closed her eyes and his arms wrapped around her shoulders, "What would happen? I mean, you've never had to rise from the ashes with me before."

Speaking excitedly in his deep baritone, the Firebird Spirit turned his bright blue gaze to his mage, "I'd be reborn in my phoenix state where I would have to stay in for probably a week before I could take my human form. It would be much less powerful though. I'd essentially age from a toddler to an adult within the following few weeks until I was back to my full form," opening his arms wide to signify that the built, tanned and toned body was his full form before giving the blonde a toothy smile.

At the prospect of seeing a toddler Phoenix, Lucy's eyes sparkled with something Bickslow didn't quite know how to take as she gushed, "Oh my stars! I bet you would just be the most adorable little baby ever! I am definitely not supportive of this whole taste the sun plan and I definitely don't want you to die but I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to seeing that, Nix. You are just too cute to pass that up."

"Technically I wouldn't die, Princess. You know we can't really die."

Glaring over at the grown man like he was a child that had said something offensive, the little blonde scolded, "But you still feel pain and I would have to say that dying is painful so let's hold off on that, okay?"

Easily agreeing with his mage, Nix plucked her from the tanned arms she was cradled in to wrap her in a too-tight hug, his voice the odd mix of deeply masculine with a childish air that only he had sounded softly next to her ear, "Of course, Princess Lucy. I'm so glad you found my key. I've never had a mage care so much about me before."

Her initial irritation with the beast of a spirit quickly melted away into genuine affection as she hugged his broad shoulders. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Lucy cleared her throat, her voice gentle, "Uh, Nix? I think you can put me down now. We should get moving if we want to make it to the next checkpoint before dark."

Which is how the next week and half went; they would wake up, pack camp, walk until they had to stop for lunch then continue to walk until the hit next checkpoint set by Lucy and Freed then collapse after setting up camp. Vander would pop in every now and then to rile someone up enough to need a quick escape before disappearing again. Laxus still gave Bix a stern look before he would follow the little golden Dragon Slayer into their tent and he always gave the Lightning Dragon a cheeky wink before giving his mate's toned ass a pinch and disappearing beneath the thick canvas. Overall, the trip so far had been uncomfortable but not unbearable. Unless you were Evergreen, who desperate for a real bed, with real walls around her and a real shower.

When Freed and Lucy both shared a look over their breakfast, the Rune Mage gave her a quirk of a sly grin before nodding to the practically wiggling woman. Before his head had really ducked any lower than usual, she had burst from her seat and made the poor Fairy Mage throw her plate at the outburst, "I have a surprise!"

As the brunette tried to catch her breath, she gave the bouncing blonde a halfhearted glare before huffing out, "You mean the heart attack before breakfast you just gave me wasn't the surprise?"

Completely unfazed by her scathing tone, she grabbed her hands and joyously bubbled out, "We'll be staying at an inn tonight! There's a little village with a natural hot spring as our next checkpoint and won't that be amazing. Steamy water chock full of natural minerals, comfy beds to sleep in and booze to fill our tummies. We've planned to arrive late tonight, spend tomorrow relaxing before heading down the mountain."

The instant the word 'inn' came from Lucy's lips, Ever had pulled her into a bouncy hug, her voice dreamy when the blonde finally finished talking, "Oh you wonderful woman you. Have I mentioned how glad I am that you're here because I am really happy you're here."

"When Freed and I were planning our course, I figured the springs would be a very good half-way point over the mountains and I love a good soak. I do not let those opportunities pass."

Before she could really register being released, Evergreen was smacking the men into action with her fan, her voice left absolutely no room for argument, "Get up! Let's get this place packed and let's get moving. I can already feel the sweet soothing waters!"

Lucy quickly gained her balance and chuckled at her girlfriends enthusiasm before calling Virgo out and getting the camp put away so they could start their final walk up the mountain's steepest stretch. She didn't tell the Fairy Mage that in the hopes that her 'eyes on the prize' attitude would keep her too preoccupied to care and complain about it. Lucy loved the woman but any chance to save her ears from the Fairy Mage's grating tone when she complained, she would absolutely be taking. She also didn't let those opportunities pass.

Bickslow's easy deep voice sounded from where he had managed to escape the brunette's warpath with his arms crossed over his chest to look down at the little Celestial Mage, obviously impressed with her actions, "That should make her happy enough to keep her panties from wadding for day."

Smirking up at the blunette, her voice easy, "Oh I'm betting on it. Freed wanted to take a very sketchy, very narrow pass that would shave a day from the trip but would completely bypass the springs. Being the rational and intelligent woman I am, I put a stop to that plan and instead added a day for some much needed rest and relaxation. I may not be allowed to fuck you into oblivion like I want to, but I can sure as hell have a good time getting to know every inch of your body intimately," sliding in front him to trail her hand down the lean muscle of his chest, taking note of the desire behind his gorgeous eyes, "without interruption from anyone else."

Giving the minxy woman a devilish smile, his hand moved over her body to cup her ass and pull her up into his body as she let out a few breathy laughs while she balanced on her tiptoes, "I'm very looking forward to the part where you fuck me into oblivion but I'll settle on undoing you with my tongue."

"I am curious to see if your tongue lives up to all the hype," raising her eyebrow to bait the towering man, cheeky smile spread across her pouty lips.

Letting his tongue fall from his mouth to give her a very vivid show of what his tongue can do had her purring before she pulled him down into a flash of a passionate kiss. When she pulled back and crossed the camp to talk with her pinkette spirit, the Seith Mage just stood and watched, completely breathless and incredibly hard.

When the mages stopped for lunch, Lucy couldn't shake this odd pull towards the ledge of the steep path.

"All I'm saying is that you can't trust him. I know Makarov has dealt with him before and I know he wouldn't intentionally send you into anything dangerous, but Illium is half-insane on his best days. I've been watching him for the passed week and he's extremely paranoid, constantly surrounded by trained guards and he looks like a walking corpse. His daughter is nice though," Vander added casually as he spoke with Laxus. The rest of the team was very interested in hearing what the Shadowquip have found out about their mysterious mission as they focused on his easy voice.

Cristoff's voice held the tinge of playful disapproval, "Tell me you didn't, Vander. She's the Crown Princess of Joya."

With a sly smile as his only response to his brothers words, he continued, "The man's got a whole library devoted to magic and most of the books have to deal with some sort of Celestial or Sky magic. He had a whole dossier about little miss runaway princess. Who knew she had been a prospective Queen of Joya before you lot picked her up." Pausing to look around the camp before sitting straight up. He struggled to keep his voice even, "Where is Starshine?"

"What do you mean, she's right..." Cristoff paused when he noticed the little blonde was nowhere to be seen, his voice unruffled but they could see they way his shoulders tensed, "Okay, let's fan out and find her."

Bickslow had already gotten up the moment Vander had brought up the fact that the king of a foreign country had a file on her and he realized she was no longer leaned back beside him. He made his way over to the edge of the path before he saw a flash of gold from the corner of his eye. Muttering under his breath, "You've got to be fucking kidding me right now."

Lucy had managed to scale down the side of the mountain with the tiny hand holds that even he would have trouble keeping a hold of. Her hair was whipping around her from the winds at the high elevation they had reached and if she fell...well, he really didn't want to think about what would happen if she fell.

When Laxus saw Bickslow was standing stock still with his head craned down, he had a wave of dread pass through his body before standing next to his best friend and following his line of sight. When he spotted his sister's small frame reach for the inch wide ledge she was obviously hoping to have hold her up and that she was barefoot, he rubbed his hand down the side of his face, his voice full of angry exasperation, "You've got to be fucking kidding me..."

"Did you find...her...oh. Okay. I'll bite. What's she doing down there?" The easy way he crossed his arms over his leather-clad chest as his wine colored eyes watched her effortlessly scale the face of the mountain bristled the two older mages enough to shoot the Shadow Mage matching glares.

"If I knew what the fuck she was doing, I would tell you but since I don't, why climb down and ask her, dipshit." Laxus definitely wasn't in the mood for the youngest Pradesh's usual antics while Lucy was free-climbing a part of the deadliest mountain ranges in all of Earthland.

Holding his hands up, he slowly backed away from the blonde dragon before sliding up next to his brother, his voice lacking any worry, "Five thousand jewel says she jumps."

Shaking his head at his little brother, his voice incredulous, "Are you fucking serious right now? Why the hell would you say that-"

As if his little brother couldn't get anymore smug, they watched the tiny blonde push off the side of the mountain before a flash of gold rained down the mountain. It was only a a few moments before they heard a thud behind them and the turned to see Lucy, barefoot and tousled from the wind, grinning up at them from a crouch, her voice bright and cheery, "Look what I found!"

The tall blunette immediately pulled her up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his hips as he breathed into the crook of her neck, "Fucking Mavis, woman. How about a heads up before you decide to go for a free climb ten thousand feet up?"

Feeling the tension of his body, she started massaging the back of neck just below his hairline as she pressed sweet kisses to his temple, her voice light, "Right, sorry. I see now how that must have looked but," pulling back to show him a key with two wolf heads at its hilt, one silvery and one gold before her voice grew tight with excitement, "I found a key! Just sort of...jammed into the side of the mountain. I could hear it humming from the ledge and I knew that if I fell, I could summon a gate and start over. Probably should have said something first though..."

Laxus' deep baritone drawled from just over Bickslow's shoulder, "You don't say, Blondie."

When she heard Cristoff's easy laughter, she turned her head to meet his deep blue eyes, "Who did you pick up, sis? Hopefully someone worth your death-defying stunt."

Pressing an easy kiss to the center of Bickslow's tattoo, she unwrapped her legs from his body and stretched her toes down until she felt the warm stone and held her new key out. Before she could start her incantation to open the gate, two massive wolves appeared before her. The leaner of the two was taller and had fur the color of brilliant rust with subtle streaks of gold that made his swirling silver eyes stand out against the fiery coloring while his counterpart was slightly shorter but held a stockier build with fur black as night that moved like water as he stalked over to the blonde, the tips shining like silver as the sun hit him, and his eyes shining like liquid gold. The shorter of the two immediately nestled his head into her chest, his ears back and his head lowered before she heard a voice smooth as velvet but bright, Princess Lucy! Are you going to offer us a contract? We've heard so much about you and it would be an honor if you wanted us. She could tell the massive creature was trying to keep his tail-end from wagging and failing as she stumbled back from the twilight wolf's actions.

Her voice was bright and lilting as she scratched behind the pure silver of his right ear, "I would love to make a contract with you. Do you have a name or do I call you both Canes Venatici?"

A voice similar to the one she just heard filled her head. This one held a more mature tone and was slightly less deep, Miss Lucy, my name is Ato and this is my younger brother Saki. Together we make the Hunting Dogs constellation. It would be a great honor if you would offer a contract to keep us.

"Of course, Ato. Do you have any specifications I should know about? Particular days you'd like to be called out?"

No, you may call us whenever you have need. We have unmatched tracking abilities and we work seamlessly with each other. Our strength is heightened under the moon and we are nearly impossible to defeat under the light of a full moon.

"Did you two want to stay out for a bit? We were about to make the rest of the hike to the springs at the peak if you wanted to join us," her voice was as genuine as the smile on her face.

The black wolf started bounding around the blonde with his tail swishing back and forth, Oh yes, we've been stuck in the mountain for so long. I haven't felt the sun in my fur for far too long and I'd like to stay with you. You're sweet and lovely and I think you could even make Ato happy.

With a carefree laugh, she gave the younger wolf another scratch before holding her hand out to the taller red wolf. When he put his muzzle beneath her open palm, she brought her free hand to scratch at the base of his ear and he leaned into her hand so hard he stumbled over before she straightened and summoned her key ring to put their key with the rest of her family.

Evergreen and Bickslow had never seen Lucy make a contract before and they didn't know what to make of the small woman talking to two wolves whose heads stood taller than the blonde herself. The Seith Mage immediately started cackling when the bulkier of the two crouched down with it's tail swishing in the air as it tried to get Lucy to play.

Her voice was filled with the pride she always felt when she added a new member to her family as she turned to her team, "Team, I'd like to meet the spirits that make the Canes Venatici constellation. This is Ato and Saki, the Hunting Dogs. They aren't a silver key but they aren't one of the Jeweled keys either, so I'll have to ask them what set they are from."

Before she could introduce her team, the babies had started tumbling and chirping at the wolves to try to get them to play. Saki was excited to finally have some new playmates and started chasing the totems in circles while Muu sat between Ato's ears as he sat to lick the fur of his front paw.

"The babies seem to like them," the blunette's voice was easy as he draped an arm over the beaming blonde's shoulder. Looking down into her warm eyes, he gave her a wide smile as she looped her arm around his back and under his loose tank to run her hands over the lean muscles of his back.

Ever's tight voice was militant as she wound her way through the mages towards the path, "That was a long enough lunch break! Let's get going. Vander, I swear to Mavis herself, if you take my glasses again I will have no reservations about turning you to stone and putting you in Bickslow's garden for him to use as a gnome."

They let out a chorus of laughter before Lucy leaned her chin on his chest, her voice teasing, "How weird is it for you that she's making those kinds of threats to someone else for a change?"

"Give it an hour, I'm sure Medusa will find some reason to smack me with her fan," his voice playful as they started their march. Ato and Muu right next to the Celestial Slayer's left as Saki and the rest of the babies save for Papa, who was hovering close to Bickslow, continued their unfair game of tag.

~Okay so I'm sorry about Dragon Incidents but I was rereading what I had written and I just didn't like it so I'm tweaking it now. HOWEVER I hoped you like this episode of Steps. Let me know what y'all think please. Thank you for being fantastic! ~