Immediately Juvia went forth from the cave to begin her work with her delicate hands. She groped in amongst the bright red fire leaves, which burnt great blisters on her hands and arms, but she determined to bear it gladly if she could only release her dear brother. So she bruised the leaves with her bare hands and spun them into flax while not once making a sound with her mouth. No matter how chafed or burned the leaves made her feel she kept quiet. The soft petals of the blue water blossoms gave her hands cool, soothing relief when she plucked them but getting them to stay on the spindle was trying for they were as slippery as ice. But doing this only proved to be difficult, not impossible. With patience and determination the petals were woven into fabric.
After preparing the thread and the fabric she would set to work on sewing them into a scarf long and wide enough to match a dragon's measurements. She worked on the scarf diligently and quietly. She made sure that the pattern was precise and she kept track of how long the scarf was getting with each day. According to Porlyusica the proper size would be exactly 2700 cm which would take a very long time to reach but she was persistent.
Natsu had his fair share of hardships as well. Watching his sister perform a painful task in silence was almost unbearable to watch and during the day while she would do her work he would go out to find food and other things they would need for survival which led to him encountering humans that would give him nothing but contempt and scorn for his hideous appearance. There were days when he too would bear bruises and blisters on his body but they were from the stones and rocks that had been flung at him by cruel and ignorant villagers. Sometimes they would attempt to capture or kill him, seeing him as a threat that needed to be contained or destroyed. Luckily though, his new body gave him great strength and speed that helped him escape these mobs.
For awhile they lived in the cave but when Juvia ran out of material they left the cave and used the map to look for more. They always made their home at any location where fire leaves and water blossoms were native and they stayed there until there was no more to gather up, then move to the next location.
They made their beds from moss and grass in the forest or feathers of water foul from the marshes. They ate roots, berries, fish, and meat that Natsu hunted, and wherever they went there was always a spring of fresh water that they could drink from. It was never cold where they were because Natsu could easily breathe up a fire to keep them warm now that he had a dragon's throat and mouth. For clothes Natsu had no choice but a swipe a few from the lines of nearby villages and Juvia would then hem them to fit their bodies. His was always the most difficult because his large size.
The two did their best to make themselves happy in their current situation. The last thing they wanted to do was give in to misery and sadness so Juvia would take a moment to gather wild flowers or go down to the nearest lake or pond to feed the ducks, geese, and swans that floated on the surface of the water. Natsu's talons and scaly hands may have been useless to textile work but they were excellent tools in carving up a flute from wood and once he learned to play it, he would make music that was bitter and sweet all at once. Music that began like hello and ended like goodbye. Wonderful music that he and his sister enjoyed for it served as symbol for the life they lived now. A bittersweet one.
Happy proved himself to be very suited to his name because he did make Natsu and Juvia very happy. He ran across fields, climbed trees, fished, and hunted with Natsu in the day and in the evening he would lay by Juvia's side and let her comb his fine coat and scratch him behind his ears and underneath his chin. They were good to him and he became eternally loyal to them both. Within one year he grew to the size of horse and he allowed Natsu to ride on top of his back. It looked very ridiculous to some but it did not matter to the creature or his master or his master's sister.
The years went by and the children grew as all children do with the passage of time. Natsu had grown larger and his strength had become better than that of any man who served as a knight in a king's court. His speed and movements had become more swift and agile. His sense of smell far more superior than a blood hound's. He ruled over all the animals of any habitat he chose to reside in for he was a creature with an animal's advanced survival traits and an intelligent human mind. No wonder he was so feared and respected by other beasts.
Juvia had unknowingly matured into a beautiful young woman with maidenly features that could make her rival a king's daughter. Though unable to utter a word, she had developed expressive eyes that could speak for her and she was so innocent in both appearance and heart that no beast in any forest or marsh would dream of harming her. Yet unlike her brother she was barely seen by human eyes because she preferred to not be distracted from her work or tempted to speak. In fact she had never interacted with a single human since that day with the wise blind woman and she was certain it would remain so until she finished her brother's scarf.
But then one day...
"Juvia recently I have been craving pork." Natsu said to her the afternoon of that day. "There are no boars in this forest or the nearest marsh and the farmers of the closest village only have sheep. I think I shall go try to find another village where there are pig farmers."
Juvia shook her head at the suggestion. Her gaze warned him that entering a human village especially during the day was dangerous for him. That it could ignite panic and fear, starting up angry mob that would hunt him down.
"I know what you're thinking but they won't catch me." He said in a voice full of pride. "I'm too strong for their rope or chains and Happy is much faster than their horses."
She still shook her head in protest.
"I know it is ridiculous Juvia but I cannot help it. Dragons are prone to greed and gluttony, when I hunger for something I must have it or it will drive me mad. I need to taste the salty flesh of pork. I'll have no peace until I do so."
She wasn't sure if that was true or he was just being over dramatic. Truth be told he had always been a hopeless glutton. Even before he was cursed. Why not even the pigs of the village farmers ate as much as he did. But she knew that when his appetite was involved nothing could stop him.
When she watched him saddle up on to Happy she became very anxious and gave him one last wary stare to convince him not to go.
"You're worrying for nothing." He assured her. "I'll be back tomorrow morning and I'll be in perfect health with not one scratch on me. I promise."
She took a deep breath to calm her worried nerves and kissed his forehead goodbye.
"Now don't leave the forest til I get back, alright?" He told her. "Try not to let any strangers see you and don't go out after dark. You're not allowed to speak so if something happens you can't even cry out for help. Be careful."
She nodded in agreement and waved goodbye as she watched him ride off on Happy until he was a faint smudge in the distance. After that she said a silent prayer that he would return home safe and continued with her work. When a few hours had passed she heard sudden noises that had alarmed her greatly and almost made her let out a startled cry.
It was the sound of dogs barking incessantly followed by the call of a horn. She realized that hunters must be in the forest and they sounded very close. She quickly climbed up a nearby tree and hid herself amongst the leaves and branches. She couldn't risk being seen by any other human being for there was no telling if they would do her harm or not, and if they did try to harm her then there was no way she could scream for someone to help her. Her best choice was just stay out of sight the best way she knew how.
However this was no ordinary hunting party. As it turns out the forest that Natsu and Juvia were currently residing in was just outside the kingdom of Isvan, a great land that one would say is very traditional and religious. Now the king and queen of Isvan had died a few years prior which left the throne to their son and only child, a young prince called Gray. He was adored and respected by his people just as his parents were and would be more than a great king once he achieved full succession. But because of how young he was, the council believed he would need an advisor to guide him. They appointed the archbishop Jiemma who had spent these few years scheming something.
"The king of Dragnof is getting very impatient with you, your highness." Jiemma told him during the hunt. "You must not continue to ignore his request for you to travel to his land."
"I have no desire to visit Dragnof therefore his requests are sadly wasted." The young prince replied.
"But you are promised to his daughter. As future king you cannot break your word."
"How can I break my word when I never gave it? You made that promise to him, not me. I told you months ago that I had not intention of marrying the princess of Dragnof and why you fail to acknowledge that fact is rather frustrating."
"But there is no other woman more suitable to be your wife besides her. Your kingdom and hers are the most powerful and prosperous. Securing an alliance between Dragnof and Isvan would make your reign everlasting. When will you come to your senses and see this golden opportunity?"
But Gray just pulled on the reigns of his horse to make it run faster and take him further away from the old bishop who irritated him so. He then directed his steed to bring him closer to his squire Jellal who was leading the hunt.
"Managed to ditch the old fanatic your highness?" Jellal asked him in a joking manner.
"Only for a little while. The man is persistent I'll give him that. The nerve of him arranging for me to marry someone without my consent. I am the future king which means I rule over him and I make the decisions. What gives him the idea that he can run my life?"
"I suspect that his position as a head of the church has gone to his head. He probably thinks that he's some messenger of God or something."
"Well I can't speak for the lord but I'm pretty sure that the only message he'd send that quack is to 'Will you shut your mouth for once?' "
The two men chuckled and proceeded with their hunt. They were going after a stag and close to catching it when their hounds suddenly changed targets. They rushed over to a tree and began to bark upward at something residing at the top.
"Strange, they've never turned their attention from a stag to a bird or a squirrel." Jellal said.
"Maybe it's not a bird or a squirrel up there." Gray said. "Maybe it's something interesting. Shall we take a look?"
"As you wish sire. Although I hope it's not a bear."
They directed their horses over to the tree where Gray would find a very pleasing sight.