The woods is usually a peaceful and quiet place, but that's not the case when construction is going on. A construction team was in the process of building something in the middle of the woods.
"Let's go! Let's go! Time is money and I don't like wasting money!" A man in a green suit with a thin mustache called out. His workers were doing their best on what they were working on, but something didn't like all the construction. As one worker was working with a power saw, the power in it just went out.
"What the heck?" He didn't understand what happened to the power. He followed the cord to see what could have happened. When he got to the end, he was shocked at what he saw and screamed. All of them saw a tall green creature with milky white eyes. It went on the attack and was messing up everything in the area. The woods usually hold peaceful creatures, but this one acted savage.
...
The Gang
The following day, the gang was driving through to the town. They got a tip on another mystery and was on their way to check it out.
"I told you that I'm not sure what's going on." Gray said. "My buddy, Arthur, knows about our mystery solving and called me for some help. He wants our help proving there's not some sort of monster in the woods in his backyard."
"Why does he think there's a monster there in the first place?" Lucy questioned.
"People have been saying they've seen one for some time." Gray said. "Arthur's saying his little brother saw it, but he thinks it's nonsense and wants us to prove it."
"You really think we could find something?" Erza said.
"Why not?" Gray said.
"Because we usually catch the monsters, or they find us. It's not really the other way around." Natsu said. Despite their disbeliefs on things, the gang was taking the case. They pulled into a small neighborhood and pulled in front of a house that was in front of the woods. Outside was a guy about their age with blonde hair.
"Gray! Over here!"
"Hey, Arthur!" Gray said as they all stepped out.
"I'm glad you could make it. People keep saying that there's some sort of creature in the woods back there." Arthur said. "I'm hoping that since you guys can solve mysteries that maybe you can prove there's really nothing out there."
"Well, I suppose we can give it a shot." Lucy said.
"You can't leave!" They all looked and saw the construction crew with their boss walking out of the woods as a truck was being loaded. "I'm the one paying you to get the resort done!"
"Forget it, Mr. Rumin. We're not risking our lives against that thing out there." The construction worker claimed as he and his buddies loaded up in a truck and just drove out of there. Mr. Rumin was furious on what happened and just stormed back in the woods.
"Well, no creature is going to stop me. That resort is going to get built!" Mr. Rumin claimed as he walked back in there.
"Who was that?" Erza asked.
"Mr. Rumin. He's working on building a resort in the woods. It's actually not going to be too far from here." Arthur said. "However, they say that the same creature, who people are calling the Woods Creature, has been causing some problems."
"Is that's proof that there's a monster out there?" Natsu questioned.
"We've seen enough to know better than that." Erza said. "Arthur, can you tell us more about this creature?"
"If you want to know more about it, you can talk to my little brother, Olly, and his best friend, Artie." Arthur said. "They're scouts that sometimes go in the woods with the rest of their group. They claimed they saw the creature." Arthur showed the way into the backyard to meet his little brother and his best friend. When they got there, they spotted two boys in green and beige scout uniforms. One had brown curly hair and was doing a headstand and the other had curly blonde hair with glasses. "Olly's the one with glasses and the other is Artie."
"Hey, Arthur. What's up?" Olly said when he noticed them.
"Olly, this is Gray and his friends." Arthur introduced. "They're here to show you that there is no monster in the woods."
"Yes there is." Olly said.
"Yeah. We saw it. There really is something out there." Artie said, but they didn't take him serious with how he was standing.
"Artie, what are you doing?" Lucy asked.
"Just a little act." Artie said. "My family works with the circus and I learned a few tricks." Happy couldn't resist what he wanted to do when he saw this. He walked right over and tickled Artie's pits with his tail. Artie couldn't hold back on laughing until he fell over. "Hey!" Happy couldn't stop giving a mischievous giggle.
"Olly, what can you tell us about the Woods Creature?" Erza asked.
"That it doesn't like everyone just walking around his home, especially that no good Mr. Rumin and his construction team." Olly said.
"What do you mean? What does Mr. Rumin have to do with this?" Lucy asked.
"There's no need for a resort there." Olly said. "We learned in our scouts team that nature is something that should be preserved. Mr. Rumin is going to ruin all of it with his construction. Many poor animals are going to lose their home because of him."
"Can't the people just talk to him and tell him to stop building?" Natsu asked.
"That man is really stubborn. He won't listen." Artie said.
"He's disturbing the home of many poor animals, and that creature is probably one of them." Olly said. "That creature is scary. You'll know it when you see it."
"What does it look like?" Lucy questioned.
"It's tall with thin arms and legs, green, and milky white eyes." Olly said. "It managed to scare many people out of there, but Mr. Rumin refuses to quit building."
"If you want to know more about it, you can go ask our science teacher and scout leader: Mr. Bellmin." Artie said. "He loves to study the outdoors. I bet he would love to talk about that creature."
"Sounds like we do have another mystery, and we've already got some places to go." Gray said. "How about Erza and I check out the woods, maybe talk to Mr. Rumin. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy can go talk to Mr. Bellmin and try to learn more about this thing."
"I knew I could count on you guys." Arthur said as he was glad someone could prove this monster isn't for real.
"We'll we do what we can or die trying, Arthur." Lucy said.
"She probably shouldn't have said that." Natsu whispered to Happy because they both think that's exactly what might happen if this monster is for real.
...
The Woods
Erza and Gray started the investigation by going into the woods and looked around for anything on the Woods Creature. So far, nothing out of the ordinary stuck out. The two of them kept walking until they spotted an opened field and saw the construction that was going.
"That must be where Mr. Rumin is planning to build his resort." Gray said.
"And there's Mr. Rumin." Erza said as she spotted him. This could be a good chance to get some answers as the two of them walked over to him. Mr. Rumin was seeing to it that any sort of construction gets done. "Excuse me, Mr. Rumin. Can we talk to you for a moment?"
"Sorry. Unless it's about business, I don't have the time to talk. Time is money and I don't like to waste both." Mr. Rumin said as he tried blowing them off.
"It actually is about your resort." Gray said. When he mentioned that, Mr. Rumin had a change of attitude.
"Where are my manners?!" Mr. Rumin said as he tried acting like a pleasant business man. "What would you like to know? When we're opening? You want to make a reservations? Want to know our services?"
"Uh... Not exactly." Erza said. "What we want to talk to you about is the creature that's been causing you and your workers problems."
"Ha! I'm not going to let that thing get in the way!" Mr. Rumin said as he didn't seem the least bit concerned. "This resort is happening. Many people are going to come for it. That lousy creature isn't going to get in the way of anything I have planned. Besides, can you imagine the sorts of attraction I'll get from this. I will make a fortune from that thing. I say that creature is helping me. I love to talk more, but I have work to do and no time to waste. Bye now." He didn't even give them the chance to say anything about it and just walked away.
"He knows how to run his mouth." Gray said with Erza thinking something over.
"That monster sounds like it could be quite the publicity stunt for him and his business." Erza said as she already suspected something wasn't right.
...
Olly's School
Mr. Bellmin was a teacher as well as a scout master. He was just a simple guy with a blonde ponytail and doing some work in his classroom.
"Excuse me. Are you Mr. Bellmin?" He looked to the door and was met with Lucy, Natsu, and Happy.
"Can I help you?" Mr. Bellmin asked. They all took a moment to explain to him as to what they were doing. "I see... You're investigating the Woods Creature and want to see if it's true."
"Olly and Artie told us that you might be able to help us." Lucy said.
"Olly and Artie? It figures those boys would think I would." Mr. Bellmin said. "Olly's my best science student, and both of them are quite the scouts. They believe in the same thing I do. Nature is something that shouldn't be for mankind to take over."
"I take it that means you're not a fan of the resort being built." Lucy said.
"Why? Resorts are fun." Natsu said. "There's swimming, ziplining, spas, and much more."
"Another example of all of you being blinded by fancy stuff." Mr. Bellmin complained. "People these days don't see the beauty of nature itself. Those woods were quite peaceful and beautiful before Rumin came around and tried to ruin everything. If that resort finishes, it greatly damages nature itself."
"The Woods Creature has been causing problems with construction. You must be happy that it's doing that." Lucy said.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I don't want anyone hurt, but that proves what I'm saying." Mr. Bellmin said. "There are many amazing creatures out there, maybe even something that hasn't been discovered yet, but all that construction is scaring and upsetting it." Hearing Mr. Bellmin talked like that certainly has Lucy suspicious.
...
Arthur's House
The gang spent the whole day trying to learn more about the mysterious creature. They all heard different stories and some people aren't sure if this creature is even real. They all regrouped at Arthur's and Olly's house to try and go over what they know.
"It certainly sounds like Mr. Rumin set the whole thing up for some publicity." Erza said. "He also doesn't seem bothered by the creature at all."
"But it would be slowing down his progress since people are actually quitting." Lucy said. "It's possible it could be Mr. Bellmin's doing. He's certainly against the construction."
"Or maybe there's an actual thing out there." Natsu said with Happy getting spooked by the idea, but the others just shook it off.
"There's still much we don't know, and we haven't encountered the creature ourselves." Lucy said as she couldn't quite put all the pieces together. "Arthur!"
"Yeah?" Arthur asked as he came in.
"Would it be okay if we spend the night here?" Lucy said. "Since the woods are right in your backyard, we might be able to see this creature if we hang around here."
"I guess it would be okay. My parents aren't home and won't be back for a while." Arthur said. Hoping to find this creature and solve this mystery soon, the gang gets ready to settle for the night.
...
Later
Everyone was sound asleep. Since they came up with nothing, they're hoping spending some time near the woods the Woods Creature stays in. Everyone was sleeping and were calling it a night. Just then, Lucy suddenly woke up with the need to go to the bathroom. Once she went and finished, she exited the bathroom and was going to head back to bed. Just as she was about to, she heard some sort of thud coming from Olly's room.
"Olly? Are you okay?" Lucy asked. She didn't hear a response, but she did hear the sound of something moving around in there. She opened up the door carefully and was met with milky white eyes. Lucy couldn't hold back, but screamed. Her screaming is what alerted everyone and caused them all to wake up.
"Lucy?!" Natsu called as they all hurried to see what she was screaming about, but there was no sign of her. "You all heard Lucy scream, right?"
"Right, but where is she?" Gray questioned.
"Olly? Are you okay?" Arthur asked as he noticed Olly didn't come out. They all had a look in Olly's room, but saw it was a mess and Olly wasn't there. "Olly isn't here!"
"Uh... Arthur..." Gray said as he pointed to the wall. He saw the window was opened and claw marks were in the wall. Happy jumped on the window and thought he saw someone or something move into the woods. Happy tried telling them what he just saw.
"Happy says he just saw something run into the woods." Natsu said.
"The only thing that could have done this is that Woods Creature." Erza said.
"No... No! That can't be real!" Arthur said as he was scared of what might have happened to his brother.
"But if it's real, what was it doing here? Why did it take Olly and Lucy?" Natsu questioned.
"I'm not sure, but we need to do something fast." Gray said. "Arthur, call the police and report a missing child with Lucy. The rest of us are going to grab some flashlights and try to find whatever did this." Now that their friends have been taken, they can't wait around anymore.
...
The Woods
Gray, Erza, Happy, and Natsu grabbed some flashlights and got to searching through the woods. However, the sun was starting to come up and there was still no sign of them or this creature everyone keeps talking about. Hopefully, some light from the sun will help them see in the dark.
"There's no sign of anything around here." Natsu said.
"It might go faster if we split-up again." Gray said.
"Gray's right, we need to find Lucy and Olly before anything happens." Erza said.
"No arguments on that." Natsu said as he and Happy went one way and Gray and Erza went the other.
...
Gray and Erza
Gray and Erza searched around for any sign of Lucy, Olly, or the monster. All they can do is hope they find something soon before it's too late. As the two of them searched around, they heard rustling coming form the bushes.
"Who's there?!" Erza said.
"I am." Mr. Bellmin said as he was the one that came out of the bushes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
"Are you Mr. Bellmin? Our friends, Lucy and Natsu told us about you." Gray said.
"I am. Nice to see I'm not the only one out here." Mr. Bellmin said. "I heard what happened to Olly. He's not the only one missing, so is Artie."
"Both of them are gone?" Gray said.
"Yeah. I came out here in hopes of finding them." Mr. Bellmin said. "I would love to stay and talk more, but time is of the essence." Mr. Bellmin didn't stick around and just kept moving. When he left, Erza thought something weird was going on.
"How did he already hear that Olly and Artie are missing?" Erza questioned.
"Erza! Over here!" Gray said as he found something. "Two sets of footprints! One might be Lucy's, but look how big the the other set is. I bet that belongs to the Woods Creature."
"Perfect! If we follow them, we might find Lucy and the others!" Erza said. Now that they found something that could find their friend, the two of them took off and followed the tracks.
...
Natsu and Happy
"Lucy! Lucy!" Natsu called. He and Happy weren't having much luck on finding Lucy, Olly, or anything either. Happy was getting scared that something bad has really happened to her. "It will be okay, Happy. Lucy's one of the smartest people I know. I'm sure she'll figure out something." He reassured his cat. What the two of them didn't notice was that something already found them and it was giving off a distorted dog panting. When they could hear it, they stopped in their tracks. "Please tell me that's you, Happy." That was right when the Woods Creature itself emerged with it towering over Natsu.
"AAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
"Run!" Natsu shouted as he and Happy ran for their lives while the monster chased after them.
...
Erza and Gray
Erza and Gray continued to follow the tracks. When they saw the tracks stop at some sort of rock, they knew they had to be close to something.
"The tracks stop right at this rock. What's that about?" Gray questioned.
"I think I know." Erza said as she already knew what the secret is. She pushed the rock out of the way and they saw a ladder and a secret passage down there. "I knew it. Come on." Both of them climbed down the ladder and they soon found themselves in some sort of bunker. "A secret room in the woods."
"Not just any room." Gray said as saw a few items that don't belong in the woods. "This place looks like a human has been here, not some sort of creature."
"Gray! I think I found a clue!" Erza said with Gray looking her way and found some papers. "This stuff looks like the plans for that resort Mr. Rumin is building. There's more." She showed another paper with a bunch of signatures on it. "It looks like some sort of petition."
"I don't get it. What would a creature want with something like that?" Gray questioned.
"Gray? Erza? Is that you?" They both looked further down and saw Lucy tied up, but unharmed.
"Lucy! You're safe!" Gray said as they were happy to see her. They hurried over to her and got the ropes untied. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, and I managed to find the answers to this mystery." Lucy said. "We still need to catch that creature before anything bad happens. Bring that petition with you." Neither of them knew what she was talking about, but they trusted her and followed her out of there.
...
Natsu and Happy
Natsu and Happy continued to run for their lives with the Woods Creature chasing after them. They kept on running until they could see Rumin's construction going on. They didn't stop at that as they ran right past Mr. Rumin.
"Hey! What are you doing here?!" Mr. Rumin called. The Woods Creature ran past him too with him getting annoyed. "Doesn't that have anything better to do than have me waste time and money?!" Natsu and Happy made their way through the construction site with the monster after them.
"Got an ideas to shake this loon, Happy?" Natsu questioned. Happy looked around and spotted something that might help. Happy spotted a cement mixer and hurried inside to the driver's seat. He did his best to operate it and had some of the cement pour out. Just enough came out to go around the creature's feet and leaved him trapped as it couldn't really move in the cement. "Wow! I can't believe already caught the monster. That was surprisingly fast."
"Wow! You actually caught the creature!" Mr. Rumin said as he came over. "I can just think of the big bucks this thing is going to attract."
"I don't think so." Natsu and Happy looked and saw Lucy was back with Gray and Erza.
"Lucy! You're okay!" Natsu said as he was glad to see her safe.
"And I know what's been going on." Lucy said. "Before we unmask this creature, let's wait for a few people to show up." Lucy seems to have the answers to this mystery, but she wanted a couple other people to hear about this. They called over Arthur and Mr. Bellmin for this and they soon arrived. When Arthur saw the creature, he charged right at it and was ready to attack, but Gray held him back.
"Easy, Arthur." Gray said.
"Where's my brother?! What did that thing do to him?!" Arthur said as he demanded to know.
"What is this all about?" Mr. Bellmin asked.
"I'm about to show you all who the Woods Creature really is." Lucy said.
"What the heck are you talking about? The Woods Creature is right here." Mr. Rumin said.
"It's not a real monster, and I know who it really is." Lucy said as she grabbed the creature by the head and chest and ripped off the disguise to see two people in there with them using fake arms and legs.
"Olly and Artie!" The others said as they were all surprised it was them.
"My brother?! What the heck is going?!" Arthur said.
"Olly and Artie were the creature the whole time." Lucy said. "They were trying to scare Mr. Rumin into quit building his resort."
"They did?! I'm astounded!" Mr. Bellmin said.
"You can quit the act, Mr. Bellmin. You were in on it." Lucy said with Mr. Bellmin busted.
"Wait. I'm really confused." Natsu said.
"Last night, I thought I heard a noise coming form Olly's room." Lucy said. "When I looked inside, I saw Olly and Artie dressing as the creature. That's when I began to see that it had to have been them the whole time."
"So that's why the creature took you. They didn't want you to rat them out." Gray said.
"When they took me back to their little hideout, they told me everything." Lucy said. "They and Mr. Bellmin didn't like that Mr. Rumin was building a resort here, but since he wouldn't listen to reason, they tried to scare him away. Olly was Mr. Bellmin's best student, so he created these contraptions to be used as the monster's arms and legs. Since Artie's parents work in the circus, he learned a few tricks to help like walking on stilts."
"I.. I can't believe this that you would even do this, Olly." Arthur said as he was still shocked.
"Sorry, Arthur." Olly said as Erza and Gray helped them out of the costume.
"But we had to do something." Artie said.
"It's my fault." Mr. Bellmin said. "I shouldn't have dragged these two kids into this. It's just that these woods are beautiful the way they are. This resort could have ruined all of that."
"Well, your plan failed!" Mr. Rumin said as he was still dedicated to his project and getting rich. "I'm still building it. I'm sitting on a goldmine and I'm not going to lose it!"
"Not so fast." Lucy said as she held out the petition. "While the boys were off getting scares, Mr. Bellmin was getting signatures. With our own added in, they have enough to ensure that you can't build a thing here."
"What?! I can't build my resort?! Argh!" Mr. Rumin said as he couldn't believe it. Frustrated that he lost a chance to make a fortune, he just stormed off.
"Well, that resort probably would have been built if it weren't for you kids meddling." Mr. Bellmin said.
"We're really sorry for all the trouble we caused." Olly said.
"For once, it's fine. You guys were doing it for a good cause." Lucy said.
"How about that? For once, the creeps in the mask actually won." Natsu said with all of them sharing a laugh. Many mysterious things lay within a set of woods, but that's part of the beauty they share and that shouldn't be disturbed.
AN: Sorry if this one seems long or rushed. I just had little patience at the time and I don't want to do this chapter all over again.
