IV
Igneel had never questioned his parenting. Natsu had always been a natural with Dragon Slaying magic, the boy always eager to train or just simply spend time with Igneel. Up in the mountains without another soul in sight, it was hard to imagine that he wasn't teaching his son all the things he needed to learn.
However, when Natsu joined Fairy Tail, the dragon realized that perhaps he hadn't given him everything he needed. Natsu knew how to find food, how to fend for himself, how to make shelter in horrible conditions, but he didn't know a few things the humans called "basic".
Natsu got weird looks and confused stares when he said he didn't know how to read. He couldn't read, he couldn't do much more than basic math, and apparently those were things the other human children knew by heart.
Igneel was a dragon, after all. He didn't know how to read the human's language either and had figured with Natsu being part dragon himself, he wouldn't need it.
He felt inadequate as Natsu struggled to prove he was just as smart as the other children in the guild. He felt bad for not giving Natsu all the tools he'd need before he left him on his own.
However, after watching Natsu learn, sounding out the letters that looked so foreign to Igneel, he realized perhaps it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Natsu found a sense of determination, and formed a sense of comradery with the kids and adults alike who helped him learn to read and write. And while Igneel couldn't see Natsu's face, he felt an ever-familiar skip in the boy's heart when he'd get something right, not too unlike the look on his face when he'd master a new spell.
Natsu would be fine. Igneel had taught him adaptability, after all.
I have a headcanon the dragons have their own written language... although how they'd write it I have no idea. XD
Thank you for all the reviews and whatnot! It's great to know people have the same attachment to Igneel and Natsu that I do, and it's also great to hear what y'all thought! :D
~Foxtail-chan