Natsu flexed his fingers as Happy paced around his ankles, his gaze sweeping over his shoulder at the fairly distant Magnolia. His eyes narrowed a fraction as he considered whether or not he should inform Lisanna, who he knew was in the guildhall with her sister, that he was leaving, so that they could tell Makarov, but…
Makarov knew that he'd be leaving, and Natsu didn't really want to waste so much time tracking down Lisanna. He wanted to get going and find Lucy, who'd been up for some time. He'd not slept much at all the night before, too busy thinking over everything Algieba had told them.
Apparently, Algieba had been given an ultimatum when Acnologia had found him in the middle of the night in his bed: summon him when Lucy inevitably returned to the village to ask her questions, or find his life forfeit. Acnologia had promised to kill Algieba if he didn't do as he was told, and the chicken had been too scared to consider just what it would mean to give his own descendant up to Acnologia.
Natsu had told him that he'd not known Anna during the Demonic Wars, but he was sure that the fallen star would have been ashamed of his decision. Natsu's words had struck hard, and Algieba had still looked pained about it when he'd been escorted to a room with Gildarts keeping an eye on him until the Council could arrive. Natsu didn't care for the Council - he couldn't say they'd done much good, in his opinion, since they'd been formed centuries ago - but he knew they didn't take well to people like Algieba.
Natsu took a deep breath, shaking such thoughts from his head, and then shoved his hand into his pocket, searching for Loke's key. When he found it, he curled his fist around it, debating if he should try and summon the celestial spirit like Lucy did. But, it turned out that it would be unnecessary; Loke materialized in a flash of light beside him, his shaded eyes glowing with a hint of amusement.
"You really ought to learn how to make Portals yourself, with the way you use them," mused the spirit. "It's very tiring for the rest of us, you know."
Natsu rolled his eyes. "You've never made a Portal for me," he said bluntly, too tired to try and feign politeness to the man before him. "Now can we get a move on?"
Loke clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes at Natsu's impatience. Still, he lifted a hand, waving his hands in a rather silly gesture that Natsu knew was entirely unnecessary. Lucy didn't make ridiculous motions with her hand to summon a Portal; she merely looked harshly at a specific spot until the Portal opened for her. Shoving thoughts of his Marked One out of his head for the most part, Natsu gathered Happy into his arms and muttered his thanks, stepping through without hesitation.
It was as it always was, and he fought the urge to thrash against the feelings of the Portal in outrage when Lucy vanished from his soul. He'd felt the same feeling when he'd crossed through to the village in the southwestern mountains, and had been just as relieved as he was now stepping free of the Portal.
He'd been an idiot for wishing he could rip that piece of her out. While he still found hints of anger that sometimes shot through him - after all, why hadn't she just told him? - he was relieved she was at least there now.
His eyes roved the new scenery and he wrinkled his nose in frustrated distaste as Loke stepped through after him, the Portal closing neatly behind him. "Hold on," he protested. "How come we're so far?" He could feel her, closer than before yet a ridiculous distance away to think about tracking her down within a day, maybe even two. It'd be several before he found her.
Loke snorted loudly. "I don't know exactly where she is, unlike you. She's not the one holding my key right now. Even with the others, I only have a vague sense of her location." He scowled at Natsu, and then made a mild gesture out towards the stretch of forest before them. "And I can tell you that she's in the area and nothing more. I'd recommend going to retrieve Aries first since you're Guardian, but you won't listen to that recommendation, nor is Aries in any danger. Well," he added as Natsu whipped around to stare at him. "Almost Guardian. There's some ceremonial business we have to go through."
"We failed your test though." Natsu frowned at him.
"You merely took your time with it," corrected Loke. He shrugged. "My exam is not as simple as the others'. Forgiveness can take time, Natsu, just as honesty does. It took Lucy two years, nearly three, but she did tell you what you needed to hear, did she not? I know you are still unhappy with her about the matter, but she ultimately did go through with the test. She told you. And likewise, you can take your time to forgive her, Natsu. Neither of us will fault you for that."
Natsu blinked at him in surprise, and then looked in the direction that he knew Lucy was. He could feel the piece of her tugging him in that direction, telling him where she was and where to go. "Thanks," he said finally, reluctant. He didn't know if he was willing to forgive Lucy, but he liked the idea of having as much time as he needed to decide.
"I told her," Loke added suddenly, dragging Natsu's attention back to him. "How we came to be fairly good friends all those years ago. How you came to Mark her. It was during a particularly trying time, when you were being rather cruel." Natsu didn't need to hear more on the matter to know what he meant by that. "I remember what you used to be like, before your fight with Igneel - before those memories of yours were sealed away. It's quite nice to see you still retain some aspects of the person you were back then."
Without further explanation, Loke was gone, vanishing through another small Portal. Natsu paused, feeling the air tremble with it, but remain fairly stable. Shrugging, he started forward, directing himself towards Lucy.
He wasn't entirely sure what Loke had meant by those last few statements, but Natsu certainly found that he could see how they might have once been good friends.
The forest, so full of life, turned silent.
Lucy stopped just short of bumping into Cobra with a frown on her face. She opened her mouth to demand answers, but the wide-eyed look on his ghostly pale face kept her silent. Angel looked wary, too, her fingers curling around the hilt of the short sword on her hip. She glanced this way and that as Cubellios uttered a low, keening hiss.
Lucy felt Natsu, who'd been rather annoyed for much of the day, carefully edge in to check on her. His wary concern made her feel a little better, but not nearly enough to soothe away all of her fears as Cobra suddenly narrowed his eyes and grabbed her wrist, hauling her towards a thicker portion of trees.
"Cobra!" hissed Angel softly, and he silenced her with a frighteningly cold look as he dragged Lucy along. She hurried after them, puzzled, yet unnerved. Especially as a heavy feeling suddenly swept through the area, nearly suffocating with its thick weight.
Lucy's heart missed a beat when she heard it: the soft thudding of heavy feet.
In a flash, she was shoved to the ground. Cobra was down beside her, Angel following suit. Lucy trembled in fear as the ground began trembling beneath them with each step the creature in the trees made. Darkness seemed to fall among the trees, as if night had fallen though Lucy knew otherwise. Even as she clamped her mouth shut, a whimper threatened to break free.
Cobra's breath was hot on her ear when he hissed, "Stay quiet and don't move if you want to live. It won't notice us if we don't make a sound or move."
She only nodded curtly, pressing her face into the mossy dirt and trembling as the darkness deepened - until a piercing scream filled the air, accompanying its approach. It wasn't unlike that of the wendigo, though a little deeper in sound and more full of rage. Whereas the wendigo had been hungry and desperate, this creature spoke of ancient wisdom edged with cruelty. But even as she heard the sound, it became another, one so familiar her heart ached with longing.
Natsu's.
It became Natsu's cry, the very same cry he'd uttered when he'd arrived in the village. When Acnologia arrived.
Yet...it wasn't him. She knew it wasn't. For the one who made that sound wasn't there. She could feel it, a tug in her gut that wanted to guide her towards him. Her keys seared at her hip in warning as the trembling stopped, and she bit back a sob of terror when breath, hot and rancid, seeped into her clothes, washing over her skin.
The real Natsu crept in, his attention locked onto what she was doing. His rage bubbled beneath her skin as he tried to puzzle out why she was so scared. Likely, he'd be blaming Cobra and Angel for that, when in reality it was the way the dirt somewhat shifted nearby, sending soft traces of it showering over her body.
She forced herself to focus on Natsu instead of what was happening. She noticed every little thing he was feeling, tracing every ounce of annoyance, and fury, and longing. She found that small flame that had rekindled and dragged at it until it flared to life, offering a searing heat that she'd worried would disappear forever after the incident with Loke.
A voice spoke in her ear. "Luce?" it whispered, and she nearly shuddered. She forced her body not to. She wondered if Cobra and Angel heard what she did. "Lucy."
A lump formed in her throat. She didn't dare so much as swallow it as the creature above her continued to whisper her name, repeating it in a variety of ways; it tried to get her attention with anger, and fear, and sadness, and everything else. Lucy's heart raced painfully in her chest. She wanted nothing more than to think she could look up and see Natsu. She knew better, however, and kept still, even as a heavy weight seemed to sink into the very marrow of her bones, threatening to drag her down into the earth.
Until something brushed against her keys, making them clink softly against one another.
Against her will, her body reacted and jolted away from whatever was trying to take those keys from her. A triumphant scream filled the air, accompanied by her own when something seized her by an ankle, yanking her violently across the forest floor. A shriek escaped her as she was ripped away from her companions.
The shock became pure terror when she caught a glimpse of what had taken hold of her.
The creature was massive, towering at least a dozen feet in the air. It was distinctly equine, with a massive body stripped free of flesh, as if it were made only of muscle ligaments and fibers. Black blood seeped from its body in various places, staining the forest floor beneath it. Its large equine head was complete with a single eye socket in the center of its forehead, which burned a vicious flaming red, as well as a rather wide mouth that when it parted, revealed rows of razor sharp teeth. Only making it worse was the fact that from the center of its back rose a grotesque human-like torso, topped with a skull-like head and arms that were far too long for its body. The yellowed talon-like nails barely attached to each finger were digging into her skin where they grabbed, and Lucy couldn't help but scream bloody murder when it yanked her closer.
She kicked at it desperately, staring in horror as the human face atop its body smiled at her, revealing yellow and black rotten teeth that would have hurt like hell should they take a bite out of her.
She could have sworn Cobra was yelling nearby, but Lucy couldn't make out a word he was saying. She felt numb, her fingers grappling for weapons that were no longer there thanks to the efforts of Cobra the day before. She swore, instead reaching for her keys.
The other hand darted out, snagging her wrist, and the sharp snap was blotted out by the roaring wave of agony that shot through her arm. Lucy gave a keening cry at the pain, struggling all the harder to escape it as she was nearly blinded by the wave of anger that crashed through her on Natsu's behalf.
The swift creature darted out with its horse head to snap at her face, but reeled back with a piercing shriek of fury and pain when something else barreled into it like a freight train, forcing the creature to release Lucy when it staggered. Lucy barely had a moment to try and breathe before she was being dragged back, away from it, by a viciously swearing Cobra. Angel, too frightened to move, simply stood there behind him with a pale face.
"What is it?" shouted Lucy over the roar that shook the trees, shadows swarming from every direction to devour the creature that had come after them. Her heart missed a beat when it shook off the attack, and a name rang clear in the back of her head.
Rogue.
It was Rogue that had attacked the creature trying to devour her. He was half-melded with the earth, the darkness that had fallen with the creature's arrival only helping him. His massive black body seemed to emerge and vanish in various places as he tried to drag it down, down, down into those shadows. Sharp white teeth flashed as his jaws clamped down on the neck of the horse part of it, forcing it down.
The creature thrashed violently, screaming, and Lucy was shocked when Rogue ripped away, shaking his head with a pained roar. Black blood and flesh seemed to stick to his scales where it touched.
Cobra, who'd hooked his arms under hers, shifted his grip until he'd dragged her to her feet entirely. "Get back, you idiot," he snarled at her, and she tripped hastily backwards, very aware of the vivid purple snake that was slithering along with them, venom dripping from bared fangs. When he considered them far enough, Cobra whirled around, taking a defensive stance in front of them. His eyes very nearly glowed with rage, venom seeping from his lips and striking the ground, where it sizzled in warning. Lucy didn't miss how, even as Cubellios curled around his shoulders, his hands trembled slightly. The way the snake settled there...Lucy wondered if Cubellios was like Happy was to Natsu: a familiar.
But now wasn't the time for such wonderings, not as Natsu forced his way into her head, seeing as she saw. She whimpered softly when she, herself, caught glimpses of unfamiliar forests. She had no idea where he was, and it frustrated her beyond belief.
So, so close, but not close enough yet again.
The battle was short, but violent. Lucy flinched when Rogue's jaws closed around the creature's shoulder and twisted until with a sickening sound, the arm tore free. The creature writhed, screaming, and chose to retreat. Black blood pouring to the forest floor, it vanished as if it had never been there, taking the darkness and silence with it. Lucy shook, heaving for hair as she cradled her injured wrist to her chest. Natsu settled just slightly as her fear faded just slightly with its disappearance. "What the hell was it?"
Cobra hissed softly, eyes not leaving the part of the forest it had stood in. "The Nuckelavee," he rumbled. "An ancient creature akin to the Wild Hunt. It was injured, but will likely return."
Lucy shivered, wanting nothing more than to get out of the woods and to the city, where even old creatures like the Dullahan were reluctant to go.
Her attention was diverted when the dragon that had come to their rescue suddenly rounded on them with a single vicious red eye. Large jaws, dripping gore, snapped once, and Cobra made a sound of annoyance. It struck Lucy that Cobra was a dragon, and one likely invading Rogue's territory at that.
"Rogue!" Lucy called to get his attention, and the furious dragon turned his head towards her, scales seeming to rise and fall in his agitation. Shadows swirled around his feet and exploded into the air, surrounding him in darkness until they faded away and revealed the humanoid dragon she was used to seeing. He was scowling lightly, though his gaze swept up and down Lucy's body. She offered a faint grin. "Hi."
"Hello, Lucy," he sighed, and the tension in the air vanished. "I take it these are the two Leo mentioned. He didn't mention that one was a dragon." He threw Cobra a glare, and Cobra glowered right back at him. "Please keep in mind that they are your responsibility until decided otherwise. Whatever they do in our territory is reflected upon you."
But then the shadow dragon turned his attention onto other, more important matters. He looked concerned and puzzled as he frowned in the direction that the creature had gone. "The Nuckelavee should not be in these woods," he murmured. "It roams seas, not forests. I wonder how it came to be here."
"The Nuckelavee?" muttered Lucy under her breath, wishing for the umpteenth time that Natsu was there, simply because he would have explained what the creature was in detail to her. Shaking off such thoughts, however, she chose to focus on those before her. She'd find Natsu, but until then, she needed to pay attention to the world around her, lest something like this happen again.
"We can wonder later," Lucy said firmly. "For now, my wrist hurts like hell, and I'd really like to find civilization. So let's get going, shall we?"
No one disagreed.
The Nuckelavee! I was so excited to figure out what it was called after months of searching. It's my favorite mythic alongside the Dullahan in ODAS. ;)
BetaDreamer, regarding ...nope! I've considered it, but I don't think I could produce a significant amount of content that would be worth having one. :)
Thanks to reviewers (Sele de la Luna, TigerArrowgirl, Moonlilystarlight, Bookwork129, AthomeinFairytail, valerioux, shortymcnugget, XxCelestialAssassinxX, Lissuin, Guest #1, Uchida Akira, BeautifulSamurai, Guest#2, stranger1999, rao hyga 18, PersephoneQOTU BetaDreamer, madaraswife, and Kiasha!) as well as those who favorited and followed!