Baron was pacing back and forth quickly. "She should be back by now! She said it would just be a one day trip! She should have been back yesterday!"

Lucy sat down at the table the red cat was pacing on and sweatdropped. She whispered to Gray. "I thought Erza said it would be a week."

"A WEEK?!"

Lucy and Gray couldn't figure out why the little red cat was so upset. Happy flew over. "Baron? What's the big deal? It's only a week. Hasn't Nelly left you for that long before?"

That remark only seemed to make it worse. Tears had started to form in Baron's eyes. Happy seemed to be very put off and became very flustered. "I'm sorry! That was insensitive! Here, take my fish!"

Baron felt a hand on his head and looked up. It was Natsu. "Listen, buddy. Nelly's going to be just fine. She's with Erza." He grinned. "What could go wrong?"

"Well.."Baron pulled out Nelly's bracelet. "She forgot this in her hurry to leave."

Everyone's faces went blank, knowing exactly what it was for.

~On the outskirts of Plumes Valley…~

Nelly was groaning, lying face first on her cushioned seat. "Can we please walk there…."

Erza chuckled. "But it would be rude to refuse their gift. A ride of luxury to our next job is the least they could have done."

Nelly groaned again.

"Would you like assistance again?"

"Please don't punch me again…"

"The only reason I punched you last time was because I couldn't bear to see one of my comrades suffering in such a way." Erza sighed. "On another note, I find it very strange that our client needed to hire wizards to 'babysit'."

"Yeah… it's a little weird… what about this pet of his? The request doesn't say anything about what it is…." Nelly's face turned blue. "What if it's a monster?!"

"I highly doubt that. Once we arrive, I'm going to do a little digging. You watch the client's pet. Are we clear?"

Nelly was too sick to even argue. "Okay…"

~Some time later…~

Feeling much better, Nelly led the way to the Manor on The Hill as it was called. Erza couldn't help but feel wary however. Something was off, but she couldn't quite figure out what. When the manor gates opened, a man with who appeared to be carrying a leash approached the girls.

"Welcome to the Manor on The Hill, wizards of Fairy Tail!"

Erza bowed. "Sir Ardok."

Nelly bowed as well, however awkwardly. Was this guy a knight or something?

The man showed off a perfect smile. "There's no need for such formalities. Please, just call me Alexander."

He handed Nelly the leash, who looked at him confused. "So… where's this pet of yours?"

"Oh. Ripper is behind the manor, please follow me."

"Some name."

"My son named him when he was a boy. He's been gone for years now, and that pet of his is quite a handful for an old man."

"Is this pet a beast of some sort?"

Nelly shivered. (I really hope not...)

"I'm not quite sure, to be honest. He sure acts like one, though."

"Right. And what is our mission here?"

"I'd like for you to watch Ripper for me while I go out. I have some business in town and he has a tendency to wander off."

Erza nodded. "We will watch him, sir. Would you direct us to his location?"

Ardok smiled. "Of course. He's in the gardens behind the house. I wouldn't remove his muzzle though. He bites."

As Erza and Nelly approached the house, the man spoke one last time. "I should be back with some nice folks hoping to adopt Ripper later this afternoon, you ladies take care."

Nelly entered the room behind Erza. "So he's planning on giving his son's pet away? I don't see why he just doesn't keep it. It IS his son's pet after all. What if he comes back?"

"What our client's plans are is none of our business."

"R-Right."

Erza smiled. "Where has all of your confidence gone, Newt the Sun Dragon?"

Nelly blushed. That nickname had stuck much like Natsu's nickname, Salamander. Seems the lizard nickname theme was popular.

"So... how big do you think he is?"

There was no response. Nelly turned around. Erza was nowhere to be seen. Nelly cautiously approached the door that lead to the back gardens. Taking a deep breath, she opened the doors.

~Meanwhile, in another part of the house...~

Erza was walking down a hallway somewhere in the west side of the home, trying every doorknob, searching for something.

"I really hope I'm wrong..."

The very last door was unlocked. Erza cautiously opened the door. She had found the elderly man's office. She immediately started shuffling through all of the paperwork in the desk.

"Something is not right here. If only I knew what it was."

Erza was about to give up when she spotted a small picture on his desk. She picked it up. It seemed innocent enough: just Sir Ardok with his late wife with their arms around...

Erza was about the put the photo down when she saw it.

"That's not possible!"

Erza quickly took off down the hallway. "I have to get more answers!"

*Author's Note: Sorry it's been such a long time guys. This story is coming back from the dead as of today! (February 1, 2019)

With Much Love,

Alyaht427*