Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the property of J.K Rowling and associated owners. Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima and associated owners. Any other series that you might recognize belongs to their respective owners as well.
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Chapter 10: Strange Tidings
On a faraway island in the middle of nowhere, there stood a tower that stretched out into the heavens, its massive size dwarfing even the island that it sat upon. For years it has stood, invincible against the storms and tsunamis that battered the island. No one is sure as to what is the purpose of its creation, but its sinister appearance lends to something malevolent.
Inside, thousands of slaves toil day and night building the massive structure. Men, women, and children from hundreds of villages, all kidnapped and forced to work until the day they die. Tied to metal chains attached to heavy iron balls, they have no other choice but to comply, as the price of failure could be their lives, or the lives of their loved ones.
Today, the normally closed doors of the tower opened, and the slaves get a much needed respite from their work. But while their bodies were refreshed, their hearts were filled with sadness, for another batch of slaves, most likely taken from another village, had entered the tower. Clad in bruises and torn clothing, they marched to their doom, into the hot forge where they will be branded and given their metal chains.
One person in particular, a girl with brown, bushy hair, stood out from the rest. She wore clothing that was different from the other new slaves, a white school uniform with matching black skirt, as well as a bag that looked too out of place in the evil light of the tower. She was crying loudly, her noise echoing in the silence of the hall.
A guard came to her and struck her in the face, but it only made her cry all the more.
"Poor girl," said one of the older slaves. "How could fate be so cruel that it would send someone like her to the deepest of hells. She was not meant for this world."
The others beside him murmured their agreement, but they knew to keep their mouths shut.
However, another girl, one with flowing, scarlet hair, stood silent even as everyone else began to whisper. She stared at the new girl, who looked to be her age, with curiosity and a strange anticipation. She felt pity that another child just like her had met the same fate, but at the same time, she was happy to make another friend.
"Okay, show's over! Back to work!" shouted one of the guards, and the slaves resumed their previous work. In the distance, they could hear the screams and cries of the new meat as they were branded and send to the field.
However, for the red-haired girl, her resolve was made, and she vowed to meet with the other girl later.
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*One Month Later*
Two weeks have passed since Harry and Natsu toured Fiore atop a giant green pig and returned a book to its owner. Milo was so surprised when he felt an earthquake and, rushing outside his house, met a massive pig smiling at him, along with two Fairy Tail members waving from the top.
During the day, Harry cooked for the bar while Natsu cleaned and washed the dishes. It was there that they discovered that Harry was an excellent cook, with Natsu demanding that he also cook when they returned to the guild. At night, Meliodas taught them some new techniques. By the end of the week, the two mages have paid off the window that they broke and learned some new tricks.
Now, Harry was at the nearby village of Oaklore with Cana on a new mission. They sat in the village chief's house as he told them of the village's problem.
"Are you really the best trackers in your guild?" he asked.
"Harry is," said Cana, gesturing to her friend. "I'm just here to help in the capture. Anyway sir, the mission said that you wanted help in capturing something that had been stealing your sheep."
"That's right," said the chief. "It started a few weeks ago, when our shepherd boy saw something that looked like a wolf, but when we got there, the only thing we saw were a set of footprints and one missing sheep. Since then, we've encountered it several times, but every time we only saw a glimpse of it."
He walked to a table and grabbed a small plastic bag, inside of which was a tuft of hair. "The closest we got to it was when the shepherd boy laid a trap for it. It didn't get captured, but the trap managed to snag this from it," he said, holding up the plastic bag.
He gave the plastic bag to Harry, who took it. "Where was-"
"You can find the shepherd boy on the north side of the village. He should be tending to the sheep now, or at least making another trap, as that's where the wolf was spotted last. He'll be able to tell you more," said the chief. "Anything else?"
Harry closed his mouth.
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Sure enough, they found the shepherd boy on the fringes of the village, sitting on a tree. He jumped down when he saw Harry and Cana approach.
"They sent kids to help me? What was the village chief thinking?' he said, looking at them disbelievingly.
"Hey, we may be kids, but we're mages too. We can help," retorted Cana, brandishing her cards.
The shepherd boy remained unimpressed. "This is something that should be left to grown ups, you know. So I'll let you help with the tracking and that's it, got it?"
"Got it," said Harry before Cana could reply. He quickly pulled her closer to him. "Just agree with him, okay? It would be easier for us," he whispered.
Cana pursed her lips, but nodded nonetheless.
Harry took the plastic bag from his pocket and opened it, carefully lifting the tuft of hair close to his nose. Grimacing, he activated his magic. His nose glowed briefly for a second, and he took a sniff of the hair.
It almost made him gag.
"Has this guy bathed at all?!" he asked to himself.
"Get on with it Harry," said Cana. Harry glowered at her, but did not argue.
"He went northeast," said Harry, pointing at the direction with his finger. "The scent is still fresh, so it couldn't have gotten far."
"Right," replied the shepherd boy. He took his crook and hefted it to his shoulder. "Can you stay here while I get some of the villagers? I don't want to leave the sheep alone."
"Okay."
"No problem."
As the shepherd boy ran back to the village, the two Fairy Tail mages found themselves staring at several dozen sheep munching on the grass.
Within seconds they were bored.
"Ahhhh! This is so boring!: exclaimed Cana. "What's taking that shepherd boy so long?!"
"it's only been a minute Cana…."
"I know! But there's nothing to do but stare at some animals eating! What does that guy do to amuse himself around here!"
"Well-" began Harry, but then they saw a commotion on one group of sheep, along with the sounds of distress. "What was that?"
Baa! Baa! Baa!
A lot of the sheep had already turned and ran, but in their panic all they did was run into each other.
"One of the sheep is in trouble!" said Cana, now completely serious. "Come on, let's go!"
The two of them prepared their magics, before running to the sounds of the sheep.
They hurried towards the distressed animal, but were almost bowled over when some of the sheep ran into them, panic evident in their faces. When they finally arrived, the sounds of struggle had already quieted down.
But what they saw would forever be burned into their minds for the rest of their lives.
A massive wolf had clamped down into the belly of one of the lambs, it's jaw almost encompassing the lamb's entire stomach. The lamb was already dead, its face frozen in an expression of pure horror and its guts and blood were spilling onto the ground. The wolf crunched down even more, and the sounds of bones breaking echoed across the meadow.
Cana never noticed that she had dropped her cards, her mouth agape at the sight in front of her. Harry felt his limbs go slack. Their minds went blank, both mesmerized and terrified as they were starkly reminded that of their own mortality. They stood there, transfixed, as they watched the natural order of the world unfold before them, a grim reminder that the strong shall always triumph the weak.
It was then that the wolf took notice of their presence. It stopped devouring its feast and turned to look at the two mages, showing to them teeth and fur that were stained in blood. It growled at them menacingly, and its eyes were that of a ferocious beast, untamed and wild. The lamb's corpse was stepped on, and blood burst from what looked to be its liver, but the wolf could care less, not when there are two new prey in front of it.
In the very back of their minds, Harry and Cana noticed that the wolf was far too big to be an ordinary wolf, and its shoulders and torso were far too wide to be from any kind of wolf. If they were a bit more observant, they would have seen that the wolf's arms and legs were those of a human, despite the hands and feet belonging to those of a wolf.
But all of these were overshadowed by the sheer fear that rendered them unable to move as the wolf lunged at them.
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Author's Note: There are many kinds of strengths.