Ok, so I somehow managed to deal with my short attention span and focus long enough to write out... quite a lengthy bit of text here. And by that, I mean it's twice as long as any of my other chapters so far.

That said, it's not as fast-paced as the previous chapters, but hopefully you'll still enjoy it anyway. There should be a lot more going on in the next chapter or two, so be prepared for more action later on.

I'm going to try not to drone on too much this time, so without further ado, here's chapter 4.

Heart of Fire
Wings of Light
I have withstood the harshest of winters
In this barren heart of mine
So cold and empty without you here
And yet my flame burns on

He dined on a meal unlike any that he had ever tasted- quite possibly a masterpiece, despite being prepared with little to no equipment or supplies.

The meat dish couldn't quite be called a soup, as the consistency was too thick, but it was not far off either. The meat was so tender that it fell apart in his mouth, while also being firm enough to make each bite incredibly satisfying. The sauce was an astounding complement, flavoured with various... things... to be honest, his palette wasn't refined enough to identify the ingredients in it, but as long as it tasted good he didn't really care.

If only he could continue to savour this delicious dish for-

"Jeez, you really don't have any manners, do you?" complained a very irate Jellal.

Well, so much for that little slice of heaven. As much as the boy would like to sit and appreciate his food, it was clear he wouldn't get the opportunity with Jellal around.

"What are you talking about?" he replied disinterestedly. "My manners are great. More importantly, what is this?"

"It's a Bodhras, a boar-like creature that very common in this area" replied Jellal irritably.

"Cool... now, what's this extra stuff you've thrown in?"

"It's called seasoning, Pinkie... if you weren't such a savage, you'd know that." Jellal snapped.

"Now now, Jellal, be nice!" chastised Wendy, pouting adorably.

Jellal grimaced, clearly not keen on that idea, but willing, at the very least, to stop with his jibes... for now.

Also... 'Pinkie'? It wasn't the most flattering nickname, but it would do. He had no intention of giving the rude young man his real name.

This was a pretty strange turn of events, given that he and Jellal had been about to throw down earlier, but thanks to Wendy and her timely intervention, the three of them were now peacefully resting beside the re-lit fire. Wendy's revelation had apparently been enough to convince Jellal that the strange pink-haired boy wasn't a demon- just an uncivilised savage with a very freaky type of magic. It was also at her insistence that the boy had been allowed to join them for the night. Jellal had protested strongly, of course. He wasn't at all impressed with the way Pinkie presented himself. Personality aside, the young man's attire was far from refined: he was dressed in a shabby-looking red doublet, which had sustained several tears while he had been travelling the woods. For some reason, he chose to wear a pale yellow sash around his waist, though ultimately it was completely unnecessary. He also wore a long pair of caramel-coloured shorts, but despite his outfit being fairly light and entirely unsuitable for cold weather, he also wore a thick white scarf. It was completely non-sensical and consequently, Jellal wasn't entirely sure that the boy was quite right in the head.

Indeed, Jellal had been adamant that Pinkie shouldn't be anywhere near them... but Wendy had shot down his protests mercilessly. Pinkie couldn't help but feel that she was a little strange... while she came across as quite shy and gentle, she could be surprisingly strong-willed when she wanted to be- to be honest, the contrast was a little scary.

With a side-long glance, the boy appraised his new companions.

Jellal was maybe a couple of years older than the boy and perhaps half a head taller. He had a lean build which gave the impression of a maturity beyond his years. His hair was a shade of royal blue and quite dishevelled, almost as if he was trying to play the rebel. Peering through the mop of hair, his dark green eyes gazed outwards intently, with one eye framed by an intricate red tattoo that stretched down from his right brow to his cheek.

His outfit was an odd mishmash of colours, as he wore a dark-coloured tunic with the sleeves rolled up past his elbows and white breeches with red highlights.

The young man in question was sitting a short distance away, feigning composure, but always making sure to keep his staff within reach.

Speaking of his staff... the boy's eyes trailed over to the curious weapon, which lay leaning on Jellal's backpack.

On closer inspection, the wooden staff didn't look like it would prove to be a very good weapon. While it was long enough to give its wielder some reach, it wasn't thick enough to give it the weight or strength necessary to make a good quarterstaff. As if that wasn't enough, it also had two very questionable design choices:

Firstly, most of the staff was covered in bandages. Not only was there no obvious purpose to those bandages, but if they weren't properly secured and started coming off during a fight, it would just make the staff more difficult to grip, or worse, entangle its user.

Secondly, the staff's end had a ring.

Now, it was perfectly valid for staves to be off-balanced- by weighting one end, you could deliver heavier strikes. However, this ring seemed far too fragile to be effective for this purpose.

Because of these two factors, the boy was unsure of the staff's true purpose.

He truly despised being unsure about things.

So then, if it wasn't designed for practical use, maybe it was meant for something else?

It was time to test a theory.

As a Dragonslayer, there was very little that the boy couldn't see. Though his eyes were very sharp and could see things from great distances, or in almost complete darkness, they could do much more than fulfil these mundane purposes.

He focused on the staff for a moment, temporarily cutting out everything around him. His pupils shrank slightly, then dilated to almost twice their usual size. The fire appeared to flare up slightly, as his eyes let in more of its light. He resisted the urge to close his eyes or shield them from the sudden intensity- that was a primal urge unbefitting of a Dragonslayer, who demonstrate little to no risk of loss of vision.

His efforts proved to be successful, as he finally saw it.

With his eyes now tuned as they were, he could see a faint haze around the staff, as if the air itself was shimmering. It radiated hundreds of luminescent particles resembling sparks from a fire. There was one key difference, however; these particles were not the colour of sparks, but rather a deep purple instead.

Well, theory confirmed. The staff was magical in nature. As for what it could do... he could only guess.

Having satisfied his curiosity, he relaxed his eyes, nullifying his Vision. Suddenly, the atmospheric stimuli that he had blocked out came crashing down on him like a wave. He started slightly, momentarily overwhelmed by the flood of sensory information. When he eventually phased back in, he realized that Wendy was trying to say something to him. He turned to face her only to find he was almost nose-to-nose with her. He jerked backwards in shock, almost falling off the log that he was perched upon.

If Wendy was offended by him distancing himself from her, she didn't show it.

"Sorry, I was a bit distracted there. What were you just saying?" he asked apologetically.

"I said, 'Are your alright'" she repeated worriedly. She leant towards him eagerly, even as he tried to lean back.

"Huh? I'm fine, why do you ask?" he inquired, somewhat confused.

"Don't know, you just looked like you were thinking about something," she stated simply.

Well, that was certainly true. He had been totally ignoring his two companions' conversation in order to ogle a staff, while one of them had been talking to him no less. And he had also been analysing the two of them when they weren't paying attention.

"I guess I was," he replied. "But it's nothing to worry about."

"That's good," sighed a relieved Wendy.

She really was an odd girl. She was around two or three years younger than he was and a lot shorter too, as she only came up to his shoulders when standing upright. She had a very tomboyish appearance- she wore her dark blue hair in a short, chin-length bob, while she wore a white short-sleeve shirt with a red collar and a light blue pair of shorts. Though, her appearance seemed to be the most normal thing about her.

She came across as a very timid girl who was afraid of many things, yet at times she could be incredibly fierce. She seemed nervous around people, yet carefree and lively around people she trusted.

So if she was so shy... why was she so eager to talk to him?

The girl had practically glued herself to his side since she had met him, despite him being a total stranger. Every time she looked at him, she had this expression on her face that was a mixture of anxiety and... hope?

Ah, he understood what she was looking for now.

"Anyway, isn't there something more important that you want to ask?" he said.

She opened her mouth to reply, gulped, then simply nodded.

Well then, next question.

"Because I'm a Dragonslayer?" he said.

She nodded again, a little stronger this time.

"Let me guess... you're a Dragonslayer too?"

She stared into his eyes steadily, not so much as blinking.

"Yes."

"Ok, then," he said, unsurprised. "What's your question?"

Wendy gulped again, then practically blurted out her question.

"Have you seen Grandeeney?" she demanded.

"...who?"

"She's my dragon," Wendy explained.

Oh.

Oh no. He had a sinking feeling in his stomach and a terrible feeling that he knew which way this was going.

"Did she..." he started to ask. Wendy looked at him curiously.

"Did she disappear seven days ago?" he said finally.

He knew the answer before she even confirmed his words. His sense of dread told him that it would be so and that this wasn't just a coincidence. There was something more going on that had yet to be explained.

"The truth is, my dragon, Igneel, disappeared seven days ago too," he told her, as gently as he could. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen your Grandeeney, or any other dragons either."

Her crestfallen expression was heartbreaking.
He felt sick when he saw the tears start to well in her eyes.
More than anything, he wanted to tell her that it would be alright, that this nightmare would soon be over... because all he wanted was to hear those same words.

He reached out to her. Jellal lunged for his staff defensively, but it proved to be unnecessary. He had thought that the boy might harm Wendy, however, he simply patted her head awkwardly, but gently.

She looked up at him with surprise, saw the knowing look and understanding on his face. He was someone who knew her pain.

"It's ok, Wendy," he said reassuringly. "I know you'll find her again. I don't know where, or even when. But I know you will... and it will be like you were never apart."

She smiled slightly, clearly taking some measure of comfort in his words. She buried her head in his chest and as he continued to pat her head awkwardly, she let the rest of her tears pour out until there was nothing left.

Not long after, they all decided it was time to turn in for the night, though they hadn't exchanged a single word about it. Pinkie grabbed a spot near the fire and lay down on his back, using his pack as a makeshift pillow. Wendy grabbed a blanket out of one of the packs and plonked herself down nearby. Jellal, however, had taken it upon himself to act as a lookout, in case any more undesirables turned up. Of course, it was entirely unnecessary, as Pinkie's senses would warn him of any threats and wake him up long before the danger arrived. He wasn't going to bother telling Jellal that though, as he was far too stubborn. Besides, Jellal couldn't stay awake all night and would eventually succumb to sleep too.

As Pinkie rested, he found himself trying to peer through the tree canopy to gaze at the stars. Unfortunately, it seemed that the canopy was just too thick and the stars remained hidden from view.
It was a shame really... he had always found the night sky to be soothing, in its own way. The sight of countless pinpricks of light shining from so far away and the quiet of night instilled in him a calmness that was most unlike him.

So instead, he simply closed his eyes and envisioned a sky swimming with stars. With this image in his mind, he slowly drifted off to sleep.

It was a few hours before dawn when he awoke. It wasn't due to any untoward interference or sense of danger; He didn't sense anything threatening around him. He didn't feel fully-rested, but at the same time, he wasn't particularly tired either. Evidently, his body had just decided that it was time to wake up.

He sat upright, careful not to make any unnecessary noise. He looked around, noticing with some amusement that Jellal had indeed fallen asleep while on watch, as he had predicted. Wendy still lay in the same spot where she had fallen asleep.

Everything remained unchanged from when they had gone to sleep, save one thing- the fire had been extinguished. Without anyone tending it, it must have burned through all its fuel and died out.

This wasn't much of a concern for the fire wizard, as his magic protected him from the cold to some extent, but the same could not be said of the other two. Neither Jellal nor Wendy had any particular resistance to the cold, at least compared to your average human. The night wasn't as cold as it could be, but it was still far too cold to sleep comfortably if you lacked the appropriate equipment. Which was definitely true in this case, with both Jellal and Wendy shivering in testament to the fact.
Concerned for their health, he walked quietly to their supplies and rummaged through them, looting an extra blanket for his efforts. One quick decision later, he decided to drape it over Jellal's unconscious form. He then walked back to his spot next to Wendy, who had curled up into a ball to conserve her body heat.

He looked at her sleeping face, which was pale with the cold, except for her eyes, still reddened from the tears that she had shed.
'Don't worry,' he thought. 'I will make sure you don't go cold tonight.'

He sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes, almost as if meditating. Then he willed for flames to come forth. The fire flowed out of him gladly, flickering over his skin and bathing the clearing with light and warmth. The chill in the air receded slowly and as it did so, Wendy's tremors gradually became less severe, before stopping entirely. Finally warm, she relaxed once again, drifting into a deep slumber.
Pinkie smiled gently, glad that he had brought her some small measure of comfort.

And so he sat there, acting as a candle through the night. His flames continued to burn warm and bright until the sun started to rise. As the sun broke the horizon, he let them fade away, feeling tired, but content.
He found himself feeling rather philosophical all of a sudden. Maybe there was a lesson in all of this somewhere? Despite all that he dealt with right now, he couldn't lose heart. All he could do was march onwards and continue to hold onto one thing, the one thing that would sustain him:

Hope.

When Wendy and Jellal finally awoke, the trio had a hasty meal, consisting of various odds and ends the three of them had left over in their packs. It wasn't the most enjoyable meal, but it was filling enough, he supposed. They had a long journey planned today, so there was little time to prepare anything fancier.

Pinkie had explained to Jellal and Wendy about his plan to find Igneel and his desire to find a big city. They'd then informed him that they hadn't seen such a place for quite some time, but had offered to guide him to a small village that they had recently passed by.
They set off as soon as possible, not eager to waste any time.

It seemed that Pinkie had not been too far off in his estimation before, but even so, he would have missed this village by a few miles, as well as encounter some difficult terrain on the way. Jellal led the way, doing his best to walk the path of least resistance and using his staff to push aside some of the undergrowth when it proved necessary. It seemed that the young man was quite experienced with travelling through the wilderness and it showed. Overall, it made the journey a lot easier.

Wendy proved to be quite the chatterbox, practically talking their ears off about anything. From the weather to her favourite type of food, to her dragon, she jumped from one topic to the next with hardly any pause in-between. Jellal however, said nothing for a long time, until he finally broke his silence around three hours later.

"We're getting close," he said bluntly.

Finally, an indication of progress after the hours of demanding hiking. Pinkie perked up at the news, excited to finally be nearing his destination. Noticing this, Wendy fell silent.

Less than half an hour later, Jellal stopped in his tracks.

"This is as far as we can take you," he said, gesturing ahead of him.

Mere metres away, the forest simply ended. By standing at its edge, they could tell that the forest they were in must be at a fairly high altitude, as the land ahead of them appeared much lower. The terrain sloped downwards for a substantial distance before eventually levelling out. With large rolling fields and meadows, this place was a stark contrast to the dense forest.

Jellal pointed down the hill, where a small stream cascaded down a rocky bed.

"You see this stream?" he said, "It passes through a small village in this lowland area. Keep following it and you'll find your way there."

"Hmm... why does it sound like you're trying to get rid of me?" Pinkie asked.

"Because I am," said Jellal candidly.

"Oh come on Jellal!" Wendy begged. "Can't we take him a little bit further?"

"No, Wendy," Jellal said with a shake of his head. "We've already taken a big detour to show him this far. We need to get more supplies and I don't trust these people to give them to us without pulling tricks on us... or worse."

He looked at Pinkie seriously.

"The people there aren't the nicest bunch and aren't very welcoming to outsiders, so watch yourself. Keep a cool head and don't show them any sign of weakness. Though, given your freaky magic, I'm sure you'll be fine. Anyone would have to be insane to try and pick a fight with you."

Pinkie smirked. "You know, that's the closest you've come to cracking a joke since I met you. I almost thought you didn't have a sense of humour."

Jellal grimaced indignantly. "I don't have a sense of humour, you say? I'll have you know I'm the life of the party," he said with a deadpan expression.

Pinky cringed inwardly. 'Damn it, you can't deliver a line like that with such a blank face, it's criminal.' he thought.

Their short moment of banter came to an end and they both turned their backs on each other.

The fire wizard started walking down the slope, raising one hand in farewell.

"Well then. No point hanging around," he said simply. "Take care you two."

Mirroring his action, Jellal returned to the woods. After a moment's hesitation, Wendy followed suit. However, after only a few steps, she stopped.

Hearing her footsteps stop suddenly, Jellal turned back to her, just in time to watch her race down the hill, after the pink-haired boy. He returned to the forest's edge and watched her approached the boy.

'Well, what's one more delay?' he thought. 'Let her have her farewell.'

The boy stopped as she approached him, turning halfway to greet her. Jellal could just about hear the words she said to him.

"Hey..." she said. "You never told me your name."

He smirked cheekily.

"My name, huh?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

Suddenly, the wind flared up out of nowhere. He saw the boy's lips move, but the wind whipped the words away before he could hear them. Then the breeze died away just as suddenly, just in time for him to catch the end of Wendy's reply.

"-it was nice to meet you. I hope we'll meet again soon!" she exclaimed in delight.

"I know we will. Later!" Pinkie replied, wholeheartedly. Somehow, Jellal had a feeling that he was right.

The boy turned and marched on. Still, Jellal and Wendy watched, gazing after him for the longest time, until he finally disappeared into the distance.

And that's that for now. As I said, I'm sorry if it didn't feel like much happened this chapter, I was mainly focusing on establishing the characters and stuff this time. Next time should be more fun.

I also introduced the first 'new ability' this chapter. I'm going to tentatively refer to it as "Dragon Sense" for now (though I'm not sure if that name infringes on any other abilities, as I'm not a complete Fairy Tail expert.)
Essentially it allows a dragonslayer to temporarily enhance their senses to detect things that are ordinarily beyond their already superhuman senses. Maybe this will have some interesting implications for future chapters?

But, moving on. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out by the end of the week (or early next week at the latest), so hopefully you'll look forward to it. Till next time.