Bang! Bang! Bang!
Lucy startled awake and rushed to the window. As usual, it was too dark to see anything discernible.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound wasn't coming from her window this time, but from her front door. Lucy grabbed her shawl and rushed to see what was going on.
When she opened the door, she found a small group of people huddled on her front steps. Laxus was at the front of the group with his hand raised; presumably to continue to try and knock her door down with his fist. It was difficult to determine who was behind him because everyone's faces were hidden under the hoods of their long, dark cloaks.
"What's going on? Did something happen?"
Laxus grabbed her arm and dragged her outside, causing her to stumble down the steps from the force of him pulling her away from her home.
Affronted, Lucy struggled against Laxus's iron grip. "Laxus! What are you doing? Let go of me!"
"You need to come with us. Quickly"
"What? Why? What's going on?"
One of the hooded figures placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lucy, you're in danger."
"Mira?"
"The scratch on your door was a sign. The last time it was found on a home, the person who lived there disappeared the next day."
"What?" Lucy's breathing quickened and her world began to narrow. "What do you mean they disappeared. Did something take them? What does the sign mean?"
"Just calm down and come with us." Mira soothed as she rubbed Lucy's hand. "We'll take you to a safe place where you can hide while we take care of it."
Lucy nodded and allowed Laxus to steer her along the path as she worked to get her breathing under control. By the time she realized where they were heading, the mouth of the forest was already swallowing the group whole. She shot Mira a nervous glance, but the older woman just smiled reassuringly and nodded further down the road.
The full moon was almost completely obscured by the thick canopy, leaving only small puddles of light here and there to guide the way. Lucy could barely see five feet in front of her and Laxus's hold on her arm was the only reason she hadn't already fallen on her face.
They hiked through the gloom for what felt like half the night when Laxus suddenly turned the group into the dense trees. They picked their way down what looked like a deer path until they reached a small clearing and Laxus finally let go of Lucy's arm.
Lucy, mentally exhausted from the constant stepping into nothingness, collapsed to the ground as soon as Laxus let her go. She could hear the group unpacking supplies, but she ignored them in favor of hugging the ground until she could finally feel stable again. She didn't have the energy to care about what they were doing anymore.
"Lucy," Mira hovered over her, "when you feel up to it, we have a spot prepared for you to wait."
Lucy nodded and took Mira's outstretched hand, letting herself be led to a where a single tree stood in the middle of the clearing. However, there wasn't any sign of a camp…there wasn't any sign of anything.
"Mira, aren't you all staying with me?"
Mira gripped her hand harder. "Sorry Lucy, you will have to wait on your own. He won't come if there are others around."
Multiple hands grabbed Lucy and held her back against the tree while others pulled ropes around her, tying them around the back of the tree so that she could hardly move.
"Mira!" Lucy cried, desperately pulling at her bonds. "Why are you doing this?"
Mira wouldn't look at her, instead she watched as the group gathered up the extra ropes and stuffed them in their packs. Surprisingly, it was Laxus who answered.
"She didn't lie to you." He pulled out a length of cloth and placed it in Lucy's mouth. "The mark on your door is a sign. It means you've been chosen, and if we didn't bring you here, then they would attack the village. You're a nice girl, Lucy, but you're not worth the village burning down.
He patted her cheek, took Mira by the hand, and led the group back out of the clearing the way they came.
And Lucy was left alone in the dark.
Lucy hung limply from her bonds. Her arms and legs were sore from where she had struggled against the ropes that tied her to the tree from her chest down to her ankles. It was still pitch dark and there was no way for her to tell how long she had been there, but her throat was raw from trying to yell past her gag and she had cried herself raw.
How could this happen? Had anyone in the village ever actually been her friend? How many knew of this dark ritual, and how many knew she was the next sacrifice?
Mira knew.
She may not have known that Lucy's door would be marked, but she had to know there was a possibility. And if Mira knew, there probably wasn't anyone in the village she could trust. Lucy had no more energy left to struggle and she felt hopeless with the knowledge that no one who would come save her.
She was truly alone.
The stillness of the forest stood in stark contrast to her tangled thoughts. Though the moon was full, she heard no birds rustling through the branches; no rodents skittering over the dry leaves littering the forest floor. Lucy prayed that it was due to her earlier thrashing that the animals stayed away.
And then she heard it. Nimble footsteps barely made sound as they picked their way closer to her. Lucy tried to keep calm. She had no idea what sort of creature had made the mark on her door, but whatever was in the clearing with her now sounded small and lightweight; perhaps it was just a squirrel or a fox.
Every inch of Lucy shuddered as something rubbed against her leg.
Lucy could just make out a silhouette of a small body with pointed ears and a long tail. In the barest patch of moonlight, the animal's fur appeared to be blue.
Leo?
What was her cat doing out here, and how had he found her? Though, it didn't really matter-and what could a cat do to help her anyway? Maybe he could gnaw through the ropes, but even if she was able to communicate that to him, he was more likely to ignore her anyway. But at least she wasn't alone anymore.
Leo continued to rub her against her legs for a bit, then he paused, tilted his head, and ran off into the trees behind Lucy. Lucy was sad to see him go, but then she realized what made him leave. Something was in the clearing with her. She couldn't see or hear it, but there was a pressure building that no normal human or animal could conjure.
The rope against her legs pulled taught. She held her breath. The creature was right behind her.
Pop.
The bottom rope fell away.
Pop.
The creature was cutting her free. Sudden adrenaline flooded her.
Pop.
She wouldn't let herself be a lamb for slaughter. At least not without a fight.
Pop.
Only her arms were left. She had to be ready.
Pop.
Lucy spun around the tree and kicked the creature where she assumed its legs were and then sprinted into the trees.
She tore out her gag and let herself grin a little when she heard the creature groan, but she didn't have time to slow down because, sooner than she had hoped, the creature was after her. Lucy stumbled blindly through the forest as fast as she could, tripping over roots and dodging trees that appeared out of nowhere. The creature didn't appear to be doing much better; perhaps it was too bulky to navigate between the thick trees easily. Regardless, she didn't dare stop until she could no longer feel the suffocating pressure of the creature weighing down on her anymore.
She fell to ground, breathless, and found herself on the edge of a large clearing. Though she knew it would be unwise to stay in an open area too long, she was grateful for the small amount of light the moon and stars provided here. Lucy took advantage of the light to determine her next route while she recovered.
She had just calculated the best path when the pressure began to build again. Terrified, she sprinted across the clearing as fast as she could. As she passed its center, there was a whooshing sound and a forceful gust of air on her back caused her to fall forward. She quickly recovered, but when she turned see her attacker, she found no one.
The pressure was still there though. She then heard a heavy thumping sound coming from above her. She looked up to see a winged creature silhouetted against the full moon.
It could fly!
Lucy sprinted back into the trees, but the creature flew ahead and blocked her path. She made a sharp turn to the left and ran that way for a bit until she could hear the creature above her. It flew ahead, so she veered to the right. Maybe she could lose it before it blocked her path again.
She wove through the trees as quick as she could, ripping her clothes and scratching her hands and face on branches. She could no longer hear the creature's wings and slowly, the pressure lifted.
Had she lost it?
She glanced over her shoulder and promptly ran into a very solid body. She fell to the ground and immediately began shuffling backwards away from the thing in front of her. It stepped toward her and into a sliver of moonlight, revealing that the thing she ran into had messy pink hair.
"Natsu?"
The man tilted his head. "Lucy? What are you doing way out here? Didn't I tell you this forest is dangerous?"
Lucy couldn't believe it. The man who had comforted her yesterday was actually standing before her in her greatest time of need. He was a stranger to her, but now he was the only person she could trust.
"Oh, thank God!" She cried sobbing and jumping up into Natsu's arms. If Natsu was surprised by her forwardness, he didn't show it, and just held her while she cried. However, she quickly became panicked again. "We can't stay here, the creature could be back any second! I know I felt its presence just a moment ago…"
"Shhh. Shhhh. Lucy," Natsu held her tighter and rubbed her back in comfort, "everything will be alright. I'll protect you,"
Lucy wanted to protest—while Natsu may be strong enough to frequently brave the forest and it's normal creatures, she didn't think he could do much against a flying supernatural beast—but she was exhausted and she could no longer feel the creature's suffocating pressure, so she just nodded and allowed herself to be led along.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" His eyes swept over her and Lucy looked away, embarrassed about her torn and dirty clothes.
"Only some cuts, but I'll be okay."
Natsu seemed satisfied with this answer and continued helping her along. Though she may not be physically injured, she was exhausted and her mental state was still on edge. Natsu seemed to notice how despondent she was because he smiled reassuringly and said, "Don't worry. Once we get you home, we'll have you cleaned up and looking stunning again in no time. And then we could both use a nap."
Lucy wanted to smile back, but the thought of going back to the village that betrayed her just made her miserable. She would have to leave as soon as possible. Hopefully no one would notice her before she could pack bag.
They walked in silence with Lucy lost in thought about how she would get out of the village and where she was going to go now. She didn't have any family to turn to. Maybe she should return to her old home and figure out her next steps from there.
She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed that they were no longer in the forest until their surroundings were illuminated by the grey morning light that proceeds the sunrise. Lucy looked around and realized she didn't recognize any of the immediate landscape. Where the village was surrounded by the forest and farmland, here the terrain was rocky and the path ahead ended abruptly at a cliff.
Lucy peered at her companion, confused and concerned.
"Natsu, I thought you said you were taking me home"
Natsu paused at the edge of the cliff and looked toward the horizon and the breaking dawn. He undid his cloak, letting it fall to his feet, and Lucy felt pressure build as a familiar airy thump resonated behind him. Lucy's eyes widen. Over Natsu's shoulder, two enormous leather wings…dragon wings unfurled from their owner's back. Natsu finally looked back at her and grinned.
"I am taking you home."
And then he scooped her up, stepped off the cliff, and flew them toward the rising sun.
Never to be seen again.