XXVI. Camping
Lucy flopped down on the bedroll with a relieved groan, so exhausted that it didn't even matter how hard the ground was. Plue flopped down beside her with a little sigh of contentment.
Natsu rolled his eyes at them as he lit the fire. "You are so lazy, Lucy. We didn't even walk that long," he said, blowing out his finger as the pinestraw caught.
"You're used to it," Lucy snapped. "I'm not. Don't judge." She rolled over and curled around Plue's warm, shivering form, closing her eyes. They'd spent the entire day just walking, something Lucy was not accustomed to nor fit for. She hadn't gotten much exercise in the confines of her tower.
"Hey, Lucy! Do you know any scary stories?" Happy asked enthusiastically.
"No."
"Are you lying so you don't have to tell one?"
"Yes."
"Luuuuucy!" Happy whined, kicking the back of her head. "That's mean!"
Lucy sat up on her elbows, glaring. "Shut up, stupid cat! I'm tired! You didn't have to walk all day, you've got wings!"
"C'mon, Luce, have a sandwich," Natsu said, holding out a sub wrapped in plastic they'd purchased from Super Express before they'd left. Enticed by the idea of food, Lucy begrudgingly crawled over to the fire and plopped down, accepting her sandwich.
They sat by the fire for a while, eating. Lucy glanced at Natsu out of the corner of her eye. He was gazing at the fire, the shadows and light dancing across his face, highlighting and defining it. Lucy drew up her knees and rested her chin on her arms, slight spots of color rising to her cheeks. Natsu was pretty handsome. She hadn't really noticed before. Wait, no, she'd noticed; she just hadn't acknowledged it until now.
"How did you meet Igneel?" Lucy inquired. It was a question that had been sitting in the back of her mind for a while, but never had the opportunity to ask.
"I don't really remember," Natsu said, frowning in thought. "I guess my real parents died, and he found me and adopted me. He's been my caretaker forever."
"What's he like?"
Natsu perked up. "Igneel's the best! He's cool and smart and awesome. He taught me everthing I know: reading, writing, magic, and fighting." He grinned maliciously. "Lots and lots of fighting."
"Everything makes sense now," Lucy remarked dryly.
"What was it like, living with Jose as a dad?" Natsu asked, grabbing some chips and passing them to Lucy. She opened them before she answered, breathing in the salty aroma.
"He wasn't really a dad. Living with him was more like living by myself. He only came to deliver food and stuff, and he didn't really talk long." Lucy ate a chip, staring at the fire. "He wasn't fatherly at all. He didn't love me. But I didn't love him, either."
Natsu puffed out his cheeks. "Is that why you want to find your real dad so bad?"
"I guess," Lucy answered wistfully. "It'd be nice to get to know my biological family, get to know what I missed."
"And you'll stay there." It wasn't a question.
"Maybe. Maybe not. I still want to find my brother...and besides, he left for a reason. Who knows, maybe my dad is as bad as Jose. I hope not, but it could happen." She smiled at him. "Either way, it won't be the last time we see each other. You can come visit me whenever you're in Acylpha, and I'll still help you look for Igneel."
"Yeah," Natsu said miserably, "but it won't be the same."
"It won't," Lucy agreed.
Happy huffed. "This conversation is depressing."
Lucy got up and stretched. "I'm going to go to sleep. I'm super tired, and if I've got a whole other day of walking tomorrow..." She shuddered. "Yeah, I'm going to sleep."
She walked over to her bedroll and curled up around Plue again, her back to Natsu and the fire. No matter how tired she claimed to be, Lucy didn't close her eyes until after Natsu had put out the fire and she heard the soft sound of his snores.
Just as Lucy was falling to sleep, she heard the chilling chorus of a pack of wolves. She sat up on her elbows, holding Plue tighter in her arms. Another series of howls sounded in the distance, which didn't sound too distant anymore. Lucy gulped. "N-Natsu..."
Six pairs of yellow eyes blinked into view.
"NATSU!"
Huge gray blurs shot out from the trees, pouncing on them. Natsu roared into wakefulness, looking around wildly. "Fire Dragon's Roar!"
The surrounding forest was suddenly alight with Natsu's flame. Lucy ducked from the wolves and from the fire, nearly crushing Plue. She felt that wrenching sensation again, the same one as when Hologorium was borne. Then, Plue disappeared. All that was left was a silver key.
Lucy was horrified. "Plue!"
"Lucy!" Happy flew over and grabbed her hand. "Lucy, come on! We've got to get out of here right now! Natsu's gone a little overboard again!"
Lucy looked around and saw that much of the surrounding forestry was, indeed, on fire. The wolves were nowhere in sight. She could still hear Natsu shouting.
"C'mon, I'm ready! Come and get me! What, you scared?"
"Idiot," she muttered, quickly gathering her things. She jumped as a giant, burning log nearly fell on her. "Natsu...!" She followed Happy through the inferno, coughing and tearing up as acrid smoke filled her mouth, nose, and eyes. They found Natsu adding more fire to the raging blaze that was already overtaking the forest. Lucy snuck up behind him and hit him with her backpack.
"Ow!"
"You stupid Dragonslayer! We've got to get out of here!" Lucy fell into a coughing fit, unable to finish her tirade. Natsu looked around and blinked, then gathered his stuff. Lucy squealed in terror as another projectile fiery log flew her way. Natsu grabbed her hand.
"This way, c'mon!"
He tugged her away from the campsite and - hopefully - out of the fire, which was rapidly spreading from tree to tree, steadily engulfing the forest. The panicking herds of animals with rolling eyes fled from the scene. The trio ran with the wildlife, trusting the animal's superior senses. Lucy thought she heard the wolves, but she didn't see them.
Everything was a haze of smoke and flame. She couldn't see, and sometimes she couldn't breathe. Her only lifeline was Natsu's hand in her own, keeping her moving when she wanted to collapse, guiding her deeper and deeper into the forest. But the fire was growing, feeding on the rich abundance of kindling in the area. No matter how hard or how fast they ran, the fire was always there.
Eventually Lucy couldn't move anymore. She fell into a fit of coughs that brought up the contents of her stomach. She thought that Natsu threw her over his shoulder and kept running, but it was hard to tell, hard to keep conscious. Considering all the jostling she had to endure, that's what she guessed happened.
When Lucy was finally able to see and breathe and move again, she was laying on a bed staring up at a metal ceiling. Wait, how was that possible? Weren't they just in the East Forest, miles away from any civilization?
A small, feline face with a crescent-shaped scar over one eye filled her vision, replacing the harsh metal plates that made up the ceiling. Lucy jumped in surprise. The face was entirely unfamiliar.
"Oi, Salamander! I think your girl's waking up."
"Really? About time." Natsu came over and bared down on her, looking mildly impatient. "Even Happy woke up before you, Lucy. You're really slow."
Lucy sat up on her elbows, surveying the room. Like the ceiling, the angular walls and smooth floor were made of metal: rusted, neglected iron. Thankfully the bed was constructed of its usual soft materials, and the metal chairs seemed to be cushioned.
"Where are we? What happened?" Lucy glanced at the small cat creature with the odd scar. "And who are you?"
"Well, the wolves attacked us at our campsite, so I fought them," Natsu began.
"I remember that," Lucy said, glaring. "Idiot. Why did you have to be so dramatic when we were surrounded by dry wood?"
Natsu waved a dismissal hand. "Look, it was either that or be eaten by wolves, okay? Well, after I got you out of the fire I found this place - it's really cool, actually, this huge castle made up of metal - and I found Pantherlily here, who snuck us in so he could treat you. He's a flying cat, like Happy."
"The correct term is Exceed," Pantherlily said. "There's actually a lot of us scattered across the world. Not many of us live in Fiore, though; most live in Edolas, all the way across the globe. We have our own little island and government and everything."
"Wait, did you say that this was a castle made of metal?" Lucy squeaked. She remembered Porlyusica's warning, and her sarcastic response: I promise if we see an iron stronghold, we'll be sure to stay away from it.
"Yeah. Pantherlily said it was iron. Why?"
"Nothing." Lucy glanced at Pantherlily, who wore a completely blank expression. If there was a Beast living here, or if it was just a silly myth to keep people away from his stronghold, she couldn't tell.
"I'll go get you some food for your journey," Pantherlily said. "You can stay here tonight and leave tomorrow."
He left, closing the solid metal door behind him. Lucy reached over and smacked Natsu upside the head with as much force as her exhausted muscles could muster.
"Ow! What'd you do that for?"
"How many times will I have to call you an idiot tonight?" Lucy hissed, thoroughly pissed off. "First of all, you burnt down half the forest! And now you bring us here? Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying for the past two days? The Beast that Porlyusica told me about, he lives in an iron castle in the middle of the East Forest!"
"Please, Lucy," Natsu said, rubbing the back of his head. "Would you stop going on about what that old hag said? It's just a story."
"Dragons are just a story!" Lucy snapped. "You've shown me no proof that dragons exist, but I believe you! Why can't you just return the favor?"
Pantherlily came back in, struggling under a bundle of food. "Here you are. This will last you a couple days, should you get lost. Clover Town is a straight shot west, though, so you shouldn't miss it. I won't come and check on you in the morning, but I don't suggest lingering here."
Natsu took the food. "Is that 'cause the Beast lives here?"
"Natsu!"
"What, you were wondering, weren't you?"
"That's none of your business," Pantherlily said evenly. "When you leave the castle, do it the back way. Don't go through the garden or the east wing."
Suddenly, the door to the room came off its hinges, rebounding off the walls with a loud, resounding, metalic clang. A great spiky figure stood in the shadow of the threshold, out of the reaches of the beams of moonlight coming from the window. Two menacing red eyes gleamed in the darkness.
"The Beast," Lucy whispered.
The Beast stepped inside the room, into the light. Lucy gasped; Natsu braced himself; Happy's face twisted in disgust. The Beast was a hulking man covered from head to toe in a netting of reptilian scales, shining with the same metalic luster as the walls of his abode. His hair was a deep, inky black and unruly as his title suggested, falling down his back in choppy, porcupine-esque layers.
Slowly, the Beast swept his frightening scarlet gaze across the room, his eyes settling on Lucy, Natsu, and Happy. He scowled, then turned to his subordinate.
"Lily," he growled. "What have you done?"