I need to write. I just need to. Too many ideas, so little time.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Wendy was worried.
She was afraid for her friends, and for herself. Gajeel was somewhat a comforting presence, but he was also quite menacing. Strangely enough, she could sometimes hear him humming jazz tunes. He was not talkative unless spoken to, and when he did speak, he made crass and sardonic remarks. He also would occasionally talk about Levy, (probably) his girlfriend or wife. He talked about how much he missed her, how much he loved her, and how much he wanted to find her.
Wendy looked up at the male elf, her thin eyebrows knitted together. "Where is Levy? Do you know?"
Gajeel's face was unreadable. "If I knew where she was, I woulda gotten her already."
"What happened though?" Wendy rephrased, "What were the circumstances of her disappearance?"
He scowled at her. "Why'dya wanna know?"
Wendy put up her hands, defensive. "I want to try and help," Wendy started, sighing, "I'm looking for my friend, too."
Gajeel's expression was disbelieving, and he hesitated before continuing the conversation. "Ya... are?"
Wendy nodded. "Her name is Carla. She's a fairy. A cat. I don't know where she is, but I'm looking."
The raven haired man's face was more trusting now, and he sighed, his broad shoulders sagging. "One day, I came back from huntin', and she was gone. Vanished. The book she was reading was still open, as if she'd come back. I figured she'd just left to get some water or somethin' but I waited for hours, and my tiny woman was nowhere to be seen."
Wendy nodded, "My story is similar. Carla flew off to get some berries from a tree, and I waited on a stump. We'd gone on a walk from our home. She didn't come back."
Gajeel tried to connect the dots in his head. "Do ya think the same thing happened to 'em both?"
Wendy was thoughtful, and she scratched her head. "I think it's possible. But there isn't any way to know for sure. When we find my friends, you can come with us. We're going to see Titania. I have a feeling she'll be able to help us."
Her companion sighed, defeated. "It's worth a shot."
Wendy whirled around at a sudden rustle in the bushes. "Did you hear that?"
Gajeel paused, peering around. "Yeah. What do ya think it was?"
"I don't know," Wendy tried her best to locate the source of the noise, "Who's there?"
"Wendy?"
A voice came from behind a tree, and Gray emerged. Relief washed over his handsome face. "Oh thank the gods I found you. I've been lost for what's felt like an eternity. You seen Natsu or Lucy?"
"Gray!" Wendy cried, and she rushed forward wrapping her thin arms around the Ice Elf and he flinched back before patting her awkwardly on the head. "I was so worried!"
The Shadow Elf pulled away, her face dusted pink. "No, we haven't seen hide or hair of either of them," Wendy gestured to Gajeel, who stood beside her. "This is Gajeel. He's a Shadow Elf like me, and he's looking for a lost companion. Maybe we can help him."
Gajeel raised his hand in greeting, giving Gray a toothy half smile.
"Hello, then. I'm Gray. Who are you looking for, might I ask?" Gray cocked his head expectantly, crossing his arms across his lean chest.
"My woman. Levy's her name. She disappeared, and I'm gonna find 'er." Gajeel's smile returned, and he gave a short chuckle.
"That's a positive outlook. Wendy and I will try our best to help you. It seems we're all looking for someone." Gray looked at Wendy, and they shared a nod.
"Yeah, shrimpy here told me yer lookin' for yer friends. She said there's a human with ya."
"Yes." Gray sighed, "Her name is Lucy, if Wendy didn't tell you. I don't know why she came in here, but her presence is stirring something. Something bad. The spirits are restless, and on my way to fond you guys, I thought I saw a Wendigo."
Gajeel's eyes were wide, and Wendy looked fearful. "A wendigo?"
Gray nodded, "Yeah. That, or a Skinwalker. Maybe a Goatman. Let's hope it was just a malformed deer, but it smelled something horrible. Why're you so surprised? I see Wendigos all the time over in the Ice Realm."
"They're rarer out here. But Natsu killed a Wendigo not too long ago. More than one of them in the Shadow Realm is a really bad sign." Wendy cast her dark eyes downward, and Gajeel grunted in agreement, but his expression was also grim.
"Let's hope it didn't follow ya." Gajeel said, his voice unsure.
"Yeah, I'd prefer it didn't." The Ice Elf scratched his head nervously, "Unless either of you guys had fire on hand, we'd be screwed."
"We were just lucky Natsu was there when we saw the first one." Wendy said, "Fire is the only thing that kills them."
Gray sighed, his expression serious. "We have to find them. Fast."
Wendy held up a small hand, "We need to get to Titania. I've been saying over and over, she can help. She can help me find Carla..."
Gray rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yeah, I suppose Titania is worth a shot. But do you know for certain she'll help us?"
Wendy's expression was pained. "She has to. I need to find Carla."
"And I gotta find Levy. I ain't lettin' anything stop me from finding 'er." Gajeel added.
Gray looked reluctant. "Then I know someone who can help us."
"Who?" Wendy asked, "Are they near?"
"Wherever there's water, there's Juvia. Do either of you know where the nearest river stream is?"
Gajeel nodded. "Yeah, girly and I passed a river a while back. Do ya wanna go back to it? We can take ya there." The raven haired man furrowed his brow, or what Gray assumed was his brow, seeing as all he had in place of eyebrows were metal studs. "D'ya even know how ta' contact this person?"
Gray twisted his mouth into a wry smile, "More or less."
And there you have it! The plot thickens, and this is getting dark pretty fast. Stay tuned until the next chapter!
~Starry
