Chapter XX

Ridden on the Wind

It was a rough ride for Wendy to go see the client. She had her amiable companions, Carla and Cana, and she was wearing her bracelet to quell her motion sickness, but the job description triggered her empathy.

Their mission was to find the kidnapped child, his name is Haruki.

When they met their clients, they were so devastated. The kidnapping happened two days ago while they were on a camping trip in the forest.

"I'm sorry to ask you this, but how are you sure that this was a kidnapping? It's just as easy to assume that he wandered off and got lost, or worse," Cana spoke.

"We saw it happen with our very eyes! The kidnapper was a large and very muscular man, and just picked up Haruki while he was trotting on ahead of us! We tried chasing after them, but the kidnapper shouted something into the trees, and down came this strange bird, we've never seen anything like it before!" the father exclaimed.

"Yes, it was like a large vulture - impossibly large, mind you - and the feet were wrong, it had the feet of an eagle. This bird attacked us and nearly tore us to bits while the kidnapper ran off with Haruki," the mother finished. Both parents showed them their scars from the attack as proof. Clearly they used their arms to defend themselves, and they showed the scars on their backs from when this freak bird attacked them from behind.

"We'll do everything we can to bring Haruki back to you! I'm one of Fairy Tail's Dragon-Slayers, and I'm also a healer. Dragon-Slayers have great noses, so if you'd show me to Haruki's room, I can pick up his scent."

The mother showed her to Haruki's room and she took a sniff around, committing the boy's scent to memory. The parents detailed their campsite to them and they took off.

Ω Ω Ω

Wendy picked up the scent rather quickly and followed the trail into some rather dangerous terrain, the forest had cliffs and gullies, plants grew so densely that it became so darkand as they ventured further, that was when the monster encounters started happening.

These monsters were unnatural, looking very much like hybrids of beasts and they also had at least one feature that looked uncomfortably human.

"Damn, where are these things coming from?" Cana cursed. She looked to a whimpering Wendy: "Hey what's going on with you?" she asked.

"The-They smell human," she said through tears.

"Child, are they using some form of Take-Over magic?" Carla asked.

Wendy shook her head vigorously: "No, I don't sense that they're using magic! I think that they were humans turned into monsters! Oh that poor Haruki, he's probably going to be changed too!"

Wendy was crying now; so, Carla placed a hand on her shoulder - she was in her human form now.

"There's no time for tears right now. We have a job to do," she spoke.

"Come on, Wendy, let your nose lead the way," Cana stated.

Wendy gave a nod and got back up on her feet, and they continued through the forest. At least the boy's scent was growing stronger, and with each step, Wendy's determination was growing stronger...

... Until another monster attacked!

This monster was particularly nasty. It looked like a wolf crossed with a dragon, its wings doubled up as forelegs, it had a long neck, a mouth full of large fangs, eyes that were far too human, and the thing was huge!

Cana tried a lightning spell, but that just seemed to give it slight static shock. She tried a sleeping spell, and while the beast yawned that was all it did! Carla went at it with flying kicks, and tried to claw its face, but it didn't look like she was doing much of anything!

Eventually, the beast smacked Cana with a massive paw and she was sent flying into a tree. She hit the trunk hard and then hit the ground in a heap! It then turned to Carla, and those fearsome jaws caught one of her legs!

Wendy couldn't take seeing her friends getting hurt, and went at the beast with her full power and fury!

"SKY DRAGON CRUSHING FANG! SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!" she cast, and Carla was freed. While the monster was reeling, she quickly healed Carla, but the monster returned. Since she was the only one who could stand now, she had to fight using her magic and using some fierce attacks.

Cana looked up in time to see it happen. The monster gave Wendy a good smack too, but she was able to cushion her landing with a roar. When she landed, Cana felt the output of Wendy's magical power increase, and at her next pounce she transformed!

Wendy delivered a wing attack over the monster that was so fierce that it uprooted the surrounding trees! The monster was also blown away, and could be heard whimpering and cowering like a scared dog in the distance.

Wendy Dragon looked very much like her mother during the fight against Tartaros, but she had a longer and more defined muzzle, and she also had a secondary pair of wings that sprouted from the small of her back.

She saw Cana's wide eyes and then realized what happened. Wendy then let out a scream - a roar for a dragon.

Cana got to her feet: "Please don't panic, Wendy!" she pleaded, and then she calmed her voice and called to her: "Wendy, Carla's hurt, she needs your help!"

In an instant, Wendy Dragon's face shifted from panic to worry for a friend, she looked in the direction Cana pointed and saw a worried Carla on the ground, trying to staunch the bleeding from her leg with her hands. Wendy acted quickly and healed her wound.

"There, is that better, Carla?" she asked, her voice distorted through a dragon's rumble, but still her own. Carla looked into her eyes and still saw the innocence and kindness of her good friend. As tears started flowing down her face, Carla flew up and embraced Wendy's neck: "You're still you!"

"Cana, are you alright?" Wendy asked.

Cana got back to her feet: "I feel a little banged up, but I'm alright! I never that that I'd get to be a witness for this though! As far as dragons go, you're the prettiest I've seen."

Wendy shifted a bit and Carla broke the silence that came: "We should get back to our mission."

"Right, Cana, you can hop up on my back, and I'll continue tracking."

Carla assisted Cana by flying her onto Wendy's back, and they continued on.

Ω Ω Ω

Haruki's scent led them to a Salamander Ember camp, where they found a disgusting sight. Salamander Ember was keeping prisoners in cages, only to pull them out to perform their grotesque experiments on them. Some prisoners already bore bestial features, while some were being actively transformed into monsters.

Wendy honed in on Haruki and her eyes fell on a boy with black fox-like ears and tail.

"I see Haruki, he's alright, but he's been experimented on," Wendy whispered - to manage such a delicate speech was a bit of a challenge. She then described him.

"Okay, I've got a plan. Wendy, I want you to fly overhead to get their attention. I need you to occupy them or get them to run off while Carla and I go in there and free the prisoners and take Haruki to bring him home. Does that sound good?" Cana asked.

"You're really asking Wendy to be a distraction?" Carla asked.

"A dragon is going to demand a lot more attention than I ever could with my magic. She could easily destroy their lab equipment too while being mostly impervious to magic attacks," Cana replied.

"I'll do it," Wendy told them. She raised her wings, and after a few experimental strokes, she managed to take off!

Well, Wendy certainly made for the best distraction ever! The camp froze just to look at her, but the stillness only lasted until she landed. That was when everybody panicked. Salamander Ember's mages tried to attack with magic, but it was like her body just repelled it! She turned to them and - without a power - she roared and blew everybody in its trajectory skyward. When those mages were gone, she set about destroying their equipment.

Even though they were terrified, Salamander Ember tried to save as much as they could during the dragon attack, but it wasn't much,

Cana and Carla ran in and set the prisoners free as quickly as they could, once they were free they ran off - scattered - into the forest. When they got to Haruki's cage, Cana looked at the boy matching Haruki's description and spoke: "Haruki, we're wizards from Fairy Tail, your parents sent us after you. Don't be scared, the dragon is on our side and we're going to take you home."

She opened the cage, the other prisoners ran off, but Haruki stayed with Cana.

Within minutes, the camp was void of prisoners, Salamander Ember members, and the equipment was either gone or destroyed.

Wendy then turned and put on her friendliest face: "Hello Haruki, we're glad to see that you're alright. Are you ready to go home?"

Haruki nodded, his ears bobbing a bit and his tail waved but he trembled a bit while Wendy lowered herself to allow her friends on her back. Though, the boy was a bit shy about getting on.

"There's nothing for you to fear, boy, she's a friendly dragon who wants to take you back to your parents. Her name is Wendy," Carla spoke.

Haruki climbed on with caution and settled onto a spot where he could hold on and was then followed on by Cana and Carla. Wendy got up and flew out of that forest.

Ω Ω Ω

Haruki's parents were horrified to find out why their little boy came back to them with fox ears and tail. Cana elaborated on their adventure, which also explained why there was a dragon in their yard rather than the small blue-haired girl they met earlier.

After hearing everything, Haruki's parents paid up and even added a little bonus, but then the mother turned and asked: "Oh, Haruki, what are we going to do about those ears and tail?"

Carla - in her human form - replied: "There might be a way to restore his former appearance, but we've met other wizards with cat ears and tails before. If he can learn magic, then he wouldn't look out of place at a guild."

Haruki's father looked up and spoke: "Thank you for bringing him back to us."

After some goodbyes, Cana and Carla climbed back on Wendy and they flew back to Magnolia.

"I gotta say, Wendy, you're already flying quite well," Carla spoke.

"Yeah, and it feels great!" Cana declared.

"Perhaps this isn't so bad after all," Wendy replied.

Ω Ω Ω

This chapter was a bit of a problem, I kept losing progress thanks to some technical difficulties. Please review! I'd love to hear some feedback.