Natsu sat on the opposite side of a small fire, his eyes darted around the black as if watching everything, to anyone else it would seem he was merely paying attention, but to Erza it was just odd. The day's following their discussion about mages he had progressively getting more and more on edge, he made the fires smaller and they walked more than they sparred, he had yet to explain himself.
"Natsu, what is going on?" Erza demanded.
His eyes flickered to her, then continued to roam around the black "We aren't going to get through this forest before winter begins." He replied flatly.
"So?"
"This forest is…Inhospitable during winter." He finished.
"So do we go back?" Erza asked a little confused.
Natsu shook his head "If we move fast enough we will be able to stay ahead of them and the others, with any luck they will be content to just kill each other."
Erza gritted his teeth "Give me the straight answer's Natsu!"
"A large group has been following us for two days, I can only assume they are mages." Natsu conceded.
"Couldn't they just be hunters?" Erza asked
Natsu shook his head again "No, Hunter would not have stayed on our trail for two day's if anyone even hunts in this forest."
"What do you mean?" Erza asked.
"Just listen, do you notice anything?" Natsu asked
Erza sat in silence, because that's all there was nothing, no insects, she didn't remember hearing even birds once the entire time they had been in here, a slow realization dawned her face.
"You can't hunt where there are no animal's." Natsu confirmed
"But why are there no animals?" Erza asked.
"It's an old children's story, they used it to frighten kids into staying in bed and things like that," Natsu smirked, before his expression turned serious and rather depressing. "Erza, if I tell you to move in these next few days, you will run straight towards the edge of the forest and you will not look back."
Erza stared at his face, other than the obvious seriousness and commanding tone of his voice, he gave away nothing she pursued her lip "And if I refuse?"
"You'll die," Natsu said impassively "You are not strong enough to fight either of our enemies."
She stood up and stomped over to him, grabbing him by the hair and forcing him to look at her "Then what have you been training me for?"
"Not this!" Natsu shouted before pursing his lip angrily "I am not telling you to abandon me."
"Sounds like you are ready to die to me!" Erza snapped.
He smirked, a small cocky one "I am more than ready to die, at any point of any given die I could make a fatal mistake, it's part of my job. But I do not intend to die any time soon."
Erza just glared at him "Promise?"
He chuckled silently "Promise what?"
"That even if you tell me to run and I get out of the forest and live, you have to promise you will come find me." Erza looked at him seriously.
He touched the small medallion around her neck "As long as you wear this, I will be able to find you." He smiled at her reassuringly "I promise."
Erza sat down beside him and snuggled against his chest, he placed his arm over her waist as he continued to scan the inky blackness that surrounded them.
"You are strong boy, but I don't think even you can take on a group of mages and Shadewalkers." Karite warned
"Well I just hope the shades go after the mages first, we have the advantage of being smaller therefore we are less food, I hope they will go for the larger meal first." Natsu replied flatly "I am not stupid enough to think I can fight them both."
"So how do we go about this?" Karite asked.
"We move quickly and pray we get just a little bit of luck." Natsu said flatly.
"Not much of a plan." Karite commented
"Well I don't hear any suggestions." Natsu retorted.
"You could always turn yourself into the mages, they may make useful meat shields for an escape." Karite suggested casually.
"They may make useful meat shield's without us there and they also might just kill us on the spot," Natsu shook his head "Useful idea's only."
"Useful is a human ideal, not everything has a point." Karite responded boredly.
"Name one thing that serves no point." Natsu challenged.
Karite yawned "It is too troublesome, I need to make sure you stay awake so I will take my leave now."
Natsu allowed the dodge of his challenge as Karite silenced himself.
Natsu looked up at the sky, he could barely make out rays of sunlight, he shook Erza lightly to wake her up "We better move." She just nodded as she got to her feet, Natsu didn't bother covering their tracks, he opted for speed, 'besides the closer the mages get the bigger target they present' he thought with a small smile as he and Erza dashed in-between the tree's.
"Yes, but that also means they are getting closer to you." Karite warned
"We can stay ahead of them, I just hope I get the luck I haven't ever had before." Natsu responded.
They stopped after a few hours to catch their breath and eat, Natsu leaned against a tree drinking out of a canteen.
"Natsu did you sleep at all last night?" Erza asked
He shook his head "Karite did though, don't worry."
"I don't see how your glove sleeping help's you." Erza retorted.
"He can take that rested energy and give it to me, effective allowing me to go extended periods of time without sleep, I will be fine for a few days." Natsu explained quickly
"What happens if we don't get away before then?" Erza asked
"We die." Natsu said flatly "But even if I slept we would die, if we don't make it towards the outer edge of this forest before winter actually sets in, we won't ever leave."
Erza swallowed hard, coming to terms with a very possible imminent death is not something most people can do.
"Hey boss, why are we even out here?" A red-headed young mage asked loudly, the rather large company of mages had set up camp for the night and were going about eating drinking and general conversation.
"We just gotta kill some top-shit hunter and his whore," A black-haired man announced loudly raising his drink "Here's to easy money!"
The men cheered, all for the exception of one "We should have just given them to the forest." His voice was cold and distant, he wore a hood that obscured his face and hair.
"Ah, Shino you worry too much, there just children's stories," The red-haired man exclaimed "OH-No save me, the Shadewalkers are coming to eat my soul and turn me into a demon!" He called in mock-terror.
Many of the men laughed, Shino just glazed over them "If we survive tonight Farce, I am positive you will think differently of these children's stories." His voice was like as cold as steel and equally as bone-chilling.
Farce just nervously chuckled.
Natsu stood on a large tree-branch, looking back the way they had come 'They are moving earlier!' His mind yelled, he jumped from the branch and shook Erza awake.
"S-S-STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" the panicked shriek stirred Erza faster than Natsu ever could have.
Natsu glared off into he forest "Looks like we were unlucky," He explained flatly, Karite had already turned into a scythe and was slung over Natsu's shoulder "Erza…Run."
She left her pack behind in her hurry, Natsu watched it impassively for a moment 'Better to be quick than to be dead.' he thought as he took off he ran in the opposite direction to Erza.
Natsu slid to a stop, the bush in front of him rustled slightly and he raised his weapon, the man that stumbled out was too scared to be dangerous.
"J-just children's stories," He cackled manically, as he stumbled in a circle "Can't hurt us, they aren't real." he continued his rant as he walked in a small circle "Can't hurt us, Can't hurt us." He repeated it like mantra, Natsu slowly backed away, he knew a lost cause when he saw one. There was nothing but a sickened squelch as the a large black claw protruded from the red-haired man's stomach, he was raised into the air, Natsu didn't wait around, his flight mechanic kicked in and he turned around and bolted, The loud thundering steps behind him only made him increase his speed 'One day where I am lucky! Just one Fucking day! I would never ask for anything else!' He practically yelled at whichever god was listening as he ran, he stole a glance behind him, the tree's shook as they were ripped out of the ground, as the monsters continued to chase him 'I got a promise to keep, I ain't going to be demon food today!' he continued to run he just hoped Erza was out of the forest, they had covered a large portion of the journey, with her speed the only way she would be in danger now is if she turned around and what's worse is that it wasn't all that unlikely.
Natsu registered the black blur in front of him and he dropped into a slide, the clawed hand flew over his head and whipped his hair and cloak around him, he spun Karite around him and struck something, the thing cried out in pain and he rolled to his feet and whirled around, slamming his scythe into its head and ripping it through, the sound of flesh being severed rang out in the forest, he had no time to look at the shade he had just killed as he bounded out of the area, his breathing grew labored and his legs burned he forced himself to stay ahead of the thunderous roars, it was like a bear roared and a snake hissed at the same time the sound was not pleasant, He gritted his teeth and continued, he spotted the break in the tree's and let out a relieved breath, all he had to do was make it there now. He spotted movement in the very gap he wanted to go through, the large Shade snarled at him as it spotted him, the inky black of its skin seemed to swirl like water almost, it had no eyes, its large serrated teeth were the only thing on its face, it was large and quite bulky, it's hands ended in four thing tendrils, it roared at him and the tendrils that were its fingers snapped together making a long black claw, he glanced behind him more of them bounced from the tree's towards him 'Looks like I am going through that one.' Karite morphed back into his scythe as he ran, he based his teeth and he jumped into the air, he buried the crescent scythe's blade into the ground and used it like a level rolling off the outer curved and hurtling through the air like a vertical topper, he continued to spin as he slammed into the beast, it let out a loud growl as his weapon embedded in its right shoulder ripping at its skin, the blood that leaked was the same inky black and it sizzled and bubbled as it struck the ground, he continued over the monster and rolled past it diving out of the forest, he slid spun and faced the large group, they stopped at the mouth of the forest, snarled and growling at him, the large one that he had wounded simply stood staring at him with its eyeless face, it raised its leg and placed it outside the forest slowly, he swore it smiled at its victory, he gritted his teeth 'I thought they couldn't leave the forest!' It took another step towards him, the light of the sun hit it and its skin sizzled, it jerked back into the shadows of the forest, Natsu looked up at the sun 'Two day's until winter arrives, the sun will be blocked completely for three months.' He turned back to the large monsters, the slowly retreated back into the forest and he sighed loudly and ran his hand through his hair.
"They haven't been able to leave that forest for a thousand years," Karite commented "They haven't been able to eve step outside of it. Something is indeed very wrong. The only way this would be possible is if…" He trailed off.
"Spit it out! If you know what the cause is tell me!" Natsu demanded.
"The seal that kept them in there, it would only weaken if pure evil took root in the land, which means someone is not who they seem in the Hierarchy."
"Either way, we are going to need some help, they aren't going to sit inside that forest now that they know they can leave." Natsu continued to stare at the forest.
"I agree." Karite replied, as Natsu turned towards the village behind him, he already knew Erza was there he could feel it, 'At least that's one thing I don't have to worry about.'
A/N: The plot thickens ^.^, hope you all enjoy this chapter, it is my intro for the underline plot of this fiction, a better picture for the monsters in this would be, the weird shadow things at the end of the second Lara croft movie crossed with the clawed aliens from Cowboys vs aliens, As usual hope you all enjoyed…Peace!