Woah! Thank you so much to everyone that faved, followed, and reviewed! I didn't think this story would be accepted so positively, to be honest XD But I'm happy to know that some of you seem to enjoy it. I don't at the moment have a set update date, but I'll try to update at least once a week. This one came out a little early cause I had some spare time over the weekend. Enjoy!

Walking home was surprisingly never lonely. Living four miles away from Magnolia Veterinary Hospital, Dr. Lucy Heartfilia was without a car and usually spent the hour and a half trek lost in thought. Things like the day's events, the health of her patient's, and what she was going to eat for dinner were usually the only things that kept her company on the way home.

A rough hand yanked her out of the way of a speeding car before it could hit her.

…Maybe too lost in thought.

The loud honking of the fading vehicle snapped Lucy out of her internal thoughts and she turned to regard her savior. Spiked ginger strands peaked out of a green beanie and a dazzling smile as reflective as its owner's glasses shined back at her.

"You really should be more careful walking home, Dr. Heartfilia."

Lucy gave a tired smile of gratitude. "I'm only Dr. Heartfilia at the hospital, Loke." She joked.

"Really? Cause you can operate on me at any time." He flirted, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She rolled her eyes and pushed his face away before returning to her walk home. "Flirt."

"Only for you, Princess." He shot back, moving to walk beside her. Lucy raised an eyebrow at the action.

"You know you don't have to walk me home, Loke."

"What kind of gentleman would I be if I left a lady to walk home alone? Besides, I hear there are wolves out-and-about. Wouldn't want Magnolia's best veterinarian to get eaten by wolves or pass out in the snow." He said, staring pointedly up as snow began to fall more heavily around them.

Accepting his response, she shrugged and continued on. In reality, she was thankful for the company he provided. It was better than talking to herself or getting hit by a car on accident.

"You do know that wolves aren't social creatures, right? If anything, they usually try to avoid any and all human contact." She stated, factually.

"You'd be surprised." Loke murmured to himself. Catching his words, Lucy decided to shrug them off. The rest of the walk was made in content silence.

The duo laughed as they stumbled up the stairs of Lucy's porch. The blonde let out one last light chuckle before inserting the right key into the lock, turning to regard the ginger.

"Do you want to come inside? I'd hate for you to have to walk all the ways back. I have a spare bedroom."

Loke paused, shock briefly flashing across his face before it smoothed out to a gentle smile. "Sure." He replied.

Lucy nodded and turned the knob to let them in. She discarded her shoes and coat at the entryway, leaving her in only her lab coat and medical scrubs, before gesturing for Loke to do the same.

"I haven't really had time to stock up on food lately, so I hope you're okay with –"

Rough panting could be heard beyond the foyer and she froze at the site of a large-furred mass and discarded satchel bag on her kitchen floor. Following the trail of blood it had made, she saw that it had somehow miraculously squeezed itself through the pet door meant for Plue. That was amazing considering how the wolf she was staring at was almost twice the size of her German Shepard!

The sight of the increasing puddle of blood beneath the creature tore her out of her reverie. "Loke! There's a first aid and surgery kit in the hallway closet. Go get it. There should also be towels on the top shelf, too. Grab a few." She barked the orders as she shed the doctor's coat from her shoulders and rolled up the sleeves of her scrubs.

She was in the process of tying up her hair with a spare rubber band when Loke gripped her wrist to stop her. "Are you sure you want to do this, Lucy? We don't know anything about this thing. How do we know it's even safe to come near it?" A haunted look shadowed his face that took Lucy by surprise, but her resolve was stronger.

"I'm a veterinarian, Loke, if there's any chance I can save that animal's life, I'm going to do it. Now, let me go and let me do my job."

Loke internally congratulated himself on not flinching under her hard stare before releasing her wrist with a sigh. "You're too caring for your own good, Lucy." But she didn't hear him, already making her way to the wolf's prone form. He watched as she whispered encouraging words and reached out to touch the wounded animal, not leaving for the requested items until he was sure the animal wouldn't attack her.

Lucy hunkered down as she approached the panting wolf, trying to make herself seem as small and non-threatening as possible. Basic tips on approaching an injured wolf sped through her mind as she inched closer and closer. The wolf's half-lidded eyes caught her movements and regarded her, but didn't move. It was either spent from its injuries or thought her insignificant enough to not disturb it, she wasn't going to bet on either option. The most dangerous type of animal was either an injured or corned one. Seeing as the wolf could be put under both categories, predicting its reactions to her actions wasn't high on Lucy's bucket list.

Like with most of her animal patients, she began to hum softly under her breath. She had heard in some cases that music affected animals similarly to humans and she always tried to make her patients as comfortable as possible before they were put under for surgery or…or through euthanasia.

Regardless, the wolf seemed content with her soft tones and released what she could only describe as a tense sigh. She raised a hand, making sure it was in the wolf's line of sight, before slowly moving it through the short furs of its head down to the base of its neck. The wolf tensed uncomfortably before relaxing.

Lucy continued her ministrations before talking aloud, not really minding that she was talking to herself, "What'd you get yourself into –", she glanced down, "–boy?" Taking in the sight of the multiple wounds that slashed across its body and the slither of white bone peeking out from its left leg, Lucy concluded a possible pack scuffle. At least that's what she believed before the bullet wound in its right side caught her eye.

"Stupid hunters." She uttered bitterly.

"Here." Lucy looked up to see Loke's arms laden with towels and the items she requested. Taking a towel and both emergency kits in hand, she directed Loke to fill a large bowl with hot water and to drench the towels.

When he returned she had already laid out the clean towel and medical equipment and was pulling on a pair of surgical gloves. He placed the water to the side and within arms-reach.

"We need to take the bullet out first." She declared reaching for a pair of forceps.

Loke nodded. "Just tell me what to do."

Present

One bandaged wolf later, Lucy was sitting back on her heels with a relieved sigh. She pulled the blood-coated elastic gloves from her hands and threw them, as well as a few other bloodied cottons and wipes, in a separate bag to dispose of later. The rest of her tools were quickly wrapped up and placed aside to be properly sterilized.

Turning to her unruly patient, she was happy to see that Coal had stopped bleeding. There were still cuts she and Loke weren't able to properly wrap, like the scratches along his snout, but she made sure to cleanse the area with alcohol wipes to at least prevent any future infection. Coal wasn't too happy with the sting that accompanied it. Still, he was surprisingly compliant throughout most of the whole process. Not that she was complaining. Other than when they were in the process of removing the bullet, Coal was the perfect patient and didn't so much as whimper once. Moving in a way where he was sure to catch her movements, she extended her hand and carefully pat his head once in appreciation of his cooperation.

She eyed the wrapping around his left, back leg and pursed her lips. "I don't have the proper equipment here to fix a fracture like this. We'll have to take him down to the Veterinary tomorrow." She said with a quick look outside her kitchen window. The snow had begun to fall more rapidly and was layered over the ground like a thick white blanket. It was a wonder that the wolf had traveled so far on such a banged-up leg.

"I'll give Scorpio a call to come pick us up tomorrow, then." Loke replied. He was about to leave the kitchen and enter into the foyer when he paused and turned around. "Uh, do you have any spare clothes I could borrow?" gesturing to the smears of blood across his white button-up.

Lucy glanced down at her own bloodied clothes. "Yeah, I think I might have something in your size." She moved to get up when something caught her eye.

In her haste to bandage the wolf she had almost forgotten about the satchel that Coal had probably brought in with him. There wasn't anything outwardly appealing about it. The brown-red leather of the bag was faded and ripped in various places and only one of the buckles at the front seemed to be in working condition. The other had been cleanly ripped off, only the leather strap remained and even that looked as if it had been thoroughly chewed through.

Maybe Coal actually belonged to someone? Lucy thought. The bag could possess his owner's credentials or a number she could call to let them know their wolf was safe. She reached a hand out to pick up the bag when a low growl stopped her. Surprised, Lucy turned to look down at Coal. He was still in the same lax position, but his eyes held a silent promise of pain that bore into her. This time watching the wolf, she moved to grab the bag again. That same growl reverberated in the air and, this time, Lucy could actually see Coal pull his lips back and bare his teeth in a threatening warning.

She didn't know if the next thing she did was either very stupid or very brave. Taking two fingers, she rapped the top of the dark wolf's snout once and said in a scolding tone, "Is that anyway to treat someone who bandages you up? You're lucky I don't kick you out right now."

If a wolf could look shocked, Coal pulled it off beautifully. Ears pricked forward and eyes wide, Coal, thankfully, stopped growling and simply stared. Lucy stood her ground and continued glaring down at him before getting up to leave. The bag remained untouched on the floor.

He didn't understand the blonde human. No one with any common sense of self-preservation would even think to cuff a growling wolf and then lecture it. It was with these thoughts that Natsu determined that the human girl was…weird. And her ginger-head friend was annoying. Natsu didn't like the way he smelled.

As he watched her exit the room he huffed and lowered his head to rest lightly on his paws. It wasn't his problem. Once he healed up he'd be long gone before the sun even rose. He just needed to wait for his healing factor to kick in and mend the fracture in his leg, no biggie. Most of the superficial wounds had already closed up before he tumbled across the house he now resided in. In fact…

He frowned and glanced down at himself. Enough time had already passed for him to be fully healed already. Nudging at one of the bandages across his torso, he hissed at the pain and retracted his snout. Yep, not healed yet. Zeref must have equipped Jackal with something to slow his healing. Silver claws, perhaps? Silver tooth implants? No, Natsu would have felt the bite of silver. He might be immune to some of the effects normal werewolves experienced when in contact with the metal, but pain was still pain. Thoughts of what the Chaos Witch might be planning stoked his ire and he let out a growl of frustration.

The light patter of feet reached his ears and he silenced his snarling; the human had returned. Re-emerging in a tank top and loose sweatpants, the blonde glanced in his direction to see he had yet to move from his spot before shifting her gaze and making a move towards the dark oak cabinets that lined the walls. Natsu watched as she shifted to the tips of her toes to rummage through the shelves. He almost laughed at the concentrated look on her face as she balanced precariously on her own two feet and attempted to reach for something on the highest shelf, but he kept his face as stoic as possible, merely observing.

She let out a noise of triumph and closed the cabinet, two bowls in hand. Moving to the sink, she filled one to the brink with water before leaving it on the counter. Taking the other, she moved to the refrigerator. With her back towards him, he couldn't see what she had filled the bowl with until she turned around, picked up the water bowl from the counter and placed both containers on the ground at his feet. The second bowl was filled with what looked like raw chicken legs. Confused, he didn't make a move towards the offerings and, instead, stared up at the blonde in hope to convey his thoughts without words. Why?

She seemed to catch on to his confusion and rolled her eyes. "Sorry the meat isn't fresh. It's not like I can go hunting for a fresh deer for you out in that storm, can I? Hope you don't mind chicken." Standing to her feet, she left and he didn't think she'd be returning until the morning.

He continued to stare at the meat and water, contemplating his next move, when his stomach made the decision for him with another loud growl. With only minimal trepidation, he gorged on the meat with reckless abandon. And as he finished his small but satisfying meal, he didn't think a short nap, sheltered from the cold outside, sounded like a bad idea, thoughts of weird blondes and annoying gingers momentarily forgotten.

She didn't understand the black wolf sprawling on her kitchen floor. It took months, even years, to strengthen the bond between wolf and human for a wolf to even consider letting a human touch, much less, pat it. No wolf with a common sense of self-preservation would let a strange human it had only just met attempt to touch and bandage it. It was with these thoughts that Lucy determined that Coal was…weird. Well, not weird, pre se. Maybe…too trusting? Then again, who was she to talk? She was too trusting for her own good sometimes, too. For good reason, though! Caring for animals and people alike was just who she was. If she had the knowledge on how to properly bandage a bleeding wound or the skills to comfort why not use them? Wasn't that why she became a veterinarian in the first place?

I'm going to save all the animals in the world! It was a farfetched dream for such a tiny child. Twenty years and a reality check later, Lucy had altered her dream to something much more manageable, graduating at the top of her class at Hargeon University she had received a degree as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and moved out to Magnolia to start her career with the help of a letter of recommendation. True, Magnolia was a rather small town, but the people were kind and the work she did was satisfying.

Now that she thought about it, maybe Coal had experienced human companionship before. The leather satchel could more than prove that. She didn't know why she left the bag untouched like she had. Maybe it was fear at potentially being bitten by a wolf? No…something else had stopped her. Coal possessed very intelligent eyes, and something in them just…she didn't know…compelled her to leave it be?

Lucy hugged her pillow to her face and groaned in frustration. She had a wild wolf in her kitchen, which she didn't even bother to sedate or tie up, Loke was in the guest bedroom downstairs, and she was thinking too much on things that just weren't…normal. Forget Coal, she was the weird one.

She released the death grip she had on the pillow and turned onto her side, humming to herself. Memories of a warm motherly embrace and soothing voice filled her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning was…eventful.

Trudging down the stairs, Lucy rubbed at her right eye sleepily before pulling her tangled hair into a messy bun. She turned to see how her late-night visitor was fairing when the sight of an empty kitchen greeted her. The only evidence that the injured wolf had previously occupied area were dried smears of blood and the two empty bowls next to it. Frantic, Lucy moved to look out the back door. There was no way Coal would be able to move around on his own. Sure, he might have traveled through the forest and squeezed himself through Plue's doggie door, but still! The bone had been sticking out when she last saw it. Any movement he made would be painful. Stupid! She should have known to lock the dog door when she had the chance. Coal could be passed out in the snow somewhere bleeding out for all she knew!

Lucy all but lunged across the foyer to her hallway closet for a jacket when the sound of heavy snoring reached her ears. Turning, she found a familiar dark mass situated on the floor between the couch and coffee table. Because of his size, he didn't quite fit, half of his body hidden beneath the table and the other pressed against the bottom of the couch.

She breathed a sigh of relief that the wolf hadn't left before she saw the dark smears across her carpet leading from the kitchen to under Coal's sleeping form. The damn wolf had opened his wounds!

Grouchy, she marched up to the table the beast was sleeping under and slammed her hand down on the table. "What do you think you're do –?" Now, if she was in a better mindset, she would have realized that her method of waking the wolf wasn't necessarily the most ideal, which was why what happened next wasn't entirely to be blamed on Coal…or so the rational part of her brain told itself.

Startled awake, the wolf attempted to jump to his feet when his head met the bottom of the coffee table, which caused the table to flip and for Lucy to scream. The noise surprised the now awake Coal and he whimpered at its intensity, pawing at his ears, before Loke ran out to the foyer, clad in only his boxers yelling, "LUCY! What's hap –?!"

He didn't get to finish the sentence as Lucy round-house kicked him screaming, "Pervert! Put on some clothes!"

She really needed some coffee.

I'm trying to make the chapters longer, but let me know if you think the length of the chapters is too short. Longer chapters might mean longer waits for updates though. Also, let me know what you all think about the pace of the story! I already have a general idea of where and how I want this story to go, so let me know your thoughts! Thank you!