"Chief, hold on!" Rodrigo stammered as guards surrounded them, spears pointed straight at their hearts. "You have to let us explain!"
"I'm through listening to your ideas, Rodrigo!" the little man snarled, practically frothing at the mouth. "Ever since you were old enough to speak you have been filled with ludicrous, blasphemous thoughts, ideas that would change everything we are." He shook his shaggy hair. "I should never allowed you to live. I will fix my mistake."
He turned to J'lall, leaving Rodrigo like a fish out of water, gasping like he was struck. "Kill the creature and Rodrigo, but bring his family to me. Perhaps his boy could be saved."
The crowd cheered as J'lall grinned wolfishly. "With pleasure, my Chief."
Tara fought for breathe as the guards began to force them out into the open. Say something, dammit! This is your chance!
"W-wait." she stammered, but her voice was drowned out by the calls of the blood-thirsty crowd. "Wait!" she said louder, but no one paid any heed.
They were in front of the entrance now; all she could see when she looked around was the cold, malicious eyes of people who wanted to see her bleed. Keep trying! She took a deep breath, ready to scream and kick and go down fighting, when someone did it for her.
"Wait!"
The crowd fell silent as Natsu stepped past the guards and settled into a defensive stance in front of her. Natsu. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Who are you?" Chief asked, gazing at Natsu with wary curiosity.
Natsu answered with a voice of unwavering resolve. "My name is Natsu Dragneel. I am a wizard of the Fairy Tail guild. And there is one thing Fairy Tail wizards are good at," His fists burst into flames, making several in the crowd scream, "and that's loyalty! If you want to harm them, be ready for the justice that will rain down upon you!"
Tara shuddered at his voice, cold and icey, so unlike the Natsu she knew. The crowd fell silent, as if a spell had been cast to keep theme silent. The chief's face puckered like a raisin, eyes flashing with Natsu's flames.
Several tense seconds passed. The chief raised a wrinkled hand, and the guards backed away. He leapt from his wooden throne and waddled across the room. Tara gazed down at him in faint amusement. He looked so tiny; he barely came up to her shoulder. But the tension and strength in his shoulders and thighs betrayed his skill in combat.
"Come," he said calmly, walking past them and out of the smoky hall. WIth a curious glance at each other, they followed, Natsu extinguishing his flames. Outside the air was full of bird song, the forest breeze blowing the scent of wildflowers and growing things. The scene contrasted quite sharply with what had just happened that Tara felt the tension in her chest ease. That place...her memory flashed to a time long ago, of cages and hurt and pain and betrayal. She shivered. She had forgotten how incapacitating her flashbacks could be.
Natsu's arm on her shoulder jerked her from her thoughts. They had stopped at the entrance of a tent, identical to the ones surrounding it. WIth a nod at the two guards positioned outside, the little man beckoned them inward.
The inside of the tent was cool and dark. Piles of objects lay scattered in random piles. Swords, shields, and jewels glittered in the light of the single candle, which stood guard over a long, cluttered piece of wood that Tara supposed was a desk. Once everyone was inside, Chief turned toward them abruptly, the shadows dancing menacingly across his face.
"You have brought harm to this village, Rodrigo." If his voice had been like stone, it was now ice; cold, sharp...and deadly.
"How so, Chief?" Rodrigo asked calmly, but Tara could smell his fear.
The little man turned toward her. "Show me your bracelet, if you please."
Tara extended her arm, and Natsu snarled, the sound echoing eerily around the small tent. "If you hurt her, I will not hesitate to-"
"Relax, wizard of Fairy Tail. No harm will come to you in this room."
Though he had no idea what he had said, Natsu huffed. He opened his mouth, prepared to say more, before Tara gently nudged him with her tail. He gazed at her for a few seconds and backed off, though he watched the man warily. Tara extended her arm into the light, and Chief clasped the bracelet gently, examining the markings with an air of experience. As his withered hands raced up and down its golden surface, the bracelet hummed softly. Tara stared in wonder. It was like...like it was alive, like it had a mind of its own. It shuddered as Chief touched a strange-looking pattern, and she was struck with the sensation that it wanted to flee, to avoid the fingers that were now tapping at its skin.
Chief removed his hands, and Tara let her tired arm fall to the ground. He gazed for several seconds at nothing, his face scrunched into a worried expression. "I was now certain. That bracelet...is Alkire-made."
Rodrigo started, eyes wide with shock. "Are you sure, Chief?"
"What does this mean?" Tara asked, a thread of concern worming its way into her voice.
"The Akire are an enemy tribe," Chief said solemnly. "They are a group of savages, concerned only with their treasures and wealth, never caring that their endless greed has killed hundreds of people and destroyed dozens of tribes just like ours. The fact that you posses one of their most prized heirlooms suggests many things, none of them good."
Natsu, who had thus far been silent, growled, "What's going on?"
Rodrigo explained the situation, and Natsu snorted. "Sounds like these guys are a gang of bullies. Maybe they need to be taken down a notch."
Rodrigo shook his head. "It's not that simple, my friend. They are a very powerful group. It would take all of our neighboring tribes and more to even match their numbers."
"There will be no fighting." Chief turned toward Tara, solemn and stern. "You must tell me how you came upon this, and then you must leave. If the Akire find out that this is missing...there will be no leniency. This is a declaration of war."fanfi