Sorry for the long delay! I was working on other stuff for this fanfiction so I neglected to work on this one. It's a bit shorter than the other chapters, but hopefully just as good.

So I'm almost catching up to where the first version of Desert Wars left off! As you can see, it's moving a lot faster than the old version, but there's a lot I've got planned for this story so I'm not going to waste time trying to fill up space with inane stuff.

Well, that's all I'll say for now I guess. I hope you like this chapter! Please review!

Chapter 3

"Something doesn't feel right," Mirajane announced uneasily to Natsu and Happy, Gray, Erza, Lisanna, Levy, and Wendy and Carla the next morning as they sat in the mess hall resting after patrols and deliveries.

"What's wrong?" Levy asked, looking up from a tattered book.

"I don't know. A feeling." She frowned. "Like a shadow is coming."

"I'm sure it's nothing," Erza said reassuringly. "But if you're so worried, maybe you should talk to the Master about it."

"Maybe you're just imagining it, Mira-nee," Lisanna said from where she sat next to Natsu.

"I don't know," Mira said again. She shifted restlessly and the others glanced at each other. Years before, Mira had been a fierce warrior and her instincts were unparalleled. They were even better than Erza's on several occasions. After Lisanna was abducted and thought to be dead, her persona had completely changed, leaving a gentle soul with occasional flashes of her old personality. Now, with Lisanna's return, it was almost a near-perfect balance of the two personalities and her battle instincts were as sharp as ever.

"Maybe we should go to the Master?" Lisanna asked worriedly, eyeing her older sister with concern.

"Maybe…" Mirajane put down the stack of plates she was wiping with a cloth. "I think I should warn the guild. If something's really—"

A loud clanging suddenly filled the air. The nine of them exchanged startled glances before they all dove for their weapons and scrambled for the door. Outside, the clanging was much louder and everyone as running around, shouting and pointing.

"Which way?" Erza snapped.

"Western side!" a man yelled back. "There's a group of maybe 200 or more coming our way from the Heartfilia Territory."

"Celestial Zodiacs?" Carla asked, alarmed. "But they've always been on good terms with us. Why are they attacking now?"

"I don't know, but Gildarts wants us to be on the defensive, just in case," the man replied. Someone called his name and he nodded to them before running away.

"Let's go," Erza commanded, already lunging ahead. Natsu and Gray were right on her heels, fierce grins on their faces while Lisanna and Mirajane ran after them, hefting weapons. Happy, Carla, and Wendy went the other way back towards the Healer's Tent. They would be on standby, ready to treat any injuries in case there will be a skirmish.

Within minutes, they've burst out of the confines of the camp and ran to join the group standing in a defensive position out in the wasteland, glaring at the approaching cloud of dust. The dust hid most of the shapes of the trucks, but they estimated it really was about 200.

"Is it really Celestial Zodiacs?" a woman asked. "It could be Phantom Lord for all we know…"

"I don't know," someone replied. "But there's no white flag so they could be hostiles anyway."

Everyone suddenly tensed as the trucks appeared to be stopping about 500 feet away from the Fairy Tail camp. Slowly, the dust cloud drifted to a stop as the trucks stood at perfect standstill. No one got out of the pickup or military-style transport trucks and mutters erupted all around.

"What are they playing at?" Gajeel Redfox growled, hefting his gun. "What are they doing?"

"Do you think they have a rocket launcher or something? Is that why they're so far back?" Levy McGarden whispered back.

The ranks rippled as Makarov, the leader of Fairy Tail, suddenly walked forward with Gildarts Clive at his right and his grandson, Laxus Dreyar, at his left. "What's going on?" he demanded, his tiny form radiating hostility and wariness.

"We don't know, Master," Nab Lasaro said. "They're not even moving. We don't know if they want to attack or not."

Suddenly, a single truck started driving forward. Every single person on the Fairy Tail side tensed, readying their weapons. There were several clicking sounds as guns were loaded and the front line raised their weapons, among which are Natsu, Gray, Erza, Mirajane, and Lisanna.

As the truck came closer, they could see someone standing in the back, holding onto the roof of the truck for balance with one hand. With the other, he or she raised a stick into the air, a white shirt tied to it flapping in the wind.

Several people looked up with surprise. "They come in peace," Lisanna said, astonished.

"Could still be a trap," someone warned.

"Idiot, of course not. Besides, how can one truckload of people go against all of us?"

"What does Master say?"

"He hasn't said anything yet."

"Shush! They're getting closer.

25 feet away, the truck stopped and they could all see a tall man with glasses over his face standing at the back holding the makeshift flag. They were startled to see that he was heavily injured, with dark bruises on his face and cuts on his arms and his clothes ragged and blood-spattered. He hopped down, clearly favoring one leg as he landed on the ground and continued to hold the flag in the air.

The driver's side door opened and out stepped a young teenaged girl with shoulder-length blonde hair and world-weary brown eyes. Like the man behind her, she was also injured, but seemed not to care much about her injuries even though there were several angry-looking wounds on her body. However, she walked forward with confidence and poise, her steps even and strong.

"Makarov Dreyar," she greeted as she approached, stopping a few feet away. Her hands were at her sides, dangling by the empty holsters and sheathes that once held knives and guns.

The little old man inclined his head in her direction, his eyes far more kindly as he took in her ragged, exhausted appearance. "Lucy Heartfilia. What brings Celestial Zodaics into Magnolia Territory?"

Natsu blinked in surprise. So this was the leader of Celestial Zodaics of Heartfilia Territory! She looked no older than Natsu himself and yet she already ran one of the largest territories in Fiore. His gaze sharpened, scrutinizing her more closely.

Lucy dragged in a heavy breath and her words dropped like stones from her lips. "We were attacked by Phantom Lord once again." Her brown eyes suddenly blazed with fury. "They sneaked up on us in the middle of the night when we were all asleep. We barely had time to defend ourselves. I lost many Zodiacs in the fight to escape." Her voice had become soft and remorseful. "I led the remaining 200 here, to you, in hopes that you would be able to offer us refuge until we are able to retake our territory. I offer payment of ten crates of supplies and 30 gallon of water in exchange for asylum."

Makarov eyed her for a while, contemplatively. Lucy, while looking weary, still had an air of dignity about her that reminded him so forcibly of Layla. He sighed minutely as he remembered his old friend. This was her daughter, now, right in front of him and asking for help. He frowned a little sadly.

"I knew Layla very well when she was still alive," Makarov said nostalgically. "I remembered when you were no more than three, I held you on my shoulders and carried you around while your mother tried to get you to stop pulling on my moustache." He chuckled as he fingered the bushy gray hair under his nose.

Lucy laughed lightly as well. "I don't quite remember that, sorry." Her face was calm and amused, but the only indication of her impatience and frustration was the slight shifting of her foot. "If we may continue with the negotiations, Makarov?"

He nods. "Certainly. I accept your offer. Your guild may set up camp fifty feet from Fairy Tail. Supplies, medical aid, and water will be sent after your guild is assembled."

She bows slightly. "My guild and I thank you for your generosity." She gestures at the man behind her. "This is my second-in-command, Loke. If there are any issues and I cannot be found, you can always talk to him."

"Greetings, Master Makarov," Loke said formally.

"Jet, go get Wendy and several Healers and volunteers," Makarov commanded after giving Loke his own greetings. "Elfman, take a team and get supplies. Laxus, water." He paused. "200 gallons."

There was a slight muttering among the Fairy Tail members, but no one dared to protest. Instead, they followed as Gildarts and Makarov directed them. Fifty went with Elfman for supplies while another fifty went with Laxus to get water. Another hundred would help assist the Zodiacs with setting up camp and help tend for injuries. The more severely hurt would be brought into the Fairy Tail camp for Wendy to help.

Lucy offered the services of Aries, since she was one of the few who got away unscathed, and several of her Zodiacs who were mostly unharmed to help. She signaled the rest of her guild with the use of a mirror to reflect light and thus flash a series of commands to the rest of them. In minutes, the entire guild was on the move again and had driven to within fifty feet of Fairy Tail, parking their trucks in a neat semicircle, like a crescent moon.

Throughout this, Natsu continued to watch Lucy Heartfilia with curiosity as she continued to stand next to Makarov, talking to him while directing her guild at the same time. It was strange to him that an eighteen-year-old girl would already be guild master when by all rights she should have been a simple soldier like himself. Granted, he was a little higher up in rank than a common soldier, seeing as he was considered to be one of the core members of Fairy Tail, but it was nothing compared to Lucy. She was on the same level as Makarov himself: one of the most powerful figures in Fiore.

"Oi, Flame Brain. What're you looking at?" Gray asked, stopping beside him.

"Lucy," Natsu stated simply, continuing to watch her.

The dark-haired man gawked at him. "Seriously? Of all the girls in Fiore you had to go for the guild master of Celestial Zodiacs?!"

Natsu blinked at him, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Loud guffawing interrupted them as Gajeel strode past. "Good luck with that, Salamader," he called mockingly. "She's way out of your league."

"Oi, what's that supposed to mean?" Natsu yelled angrily, not sure what he meant but sensing it was an insult anyway.

"What's going on here?" Erza's stern voice rang out and the three boys began to sweat, although Gajeel tried to hide it by being nonchalant.

"N-Nothing, E-E-Erza," Natsu stuttered, shaking uncontrollably. "We're just having a little chat."

"Well stop talking and get back to work. We have a lot to do," she said and marched away.

Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel looked at each other before they scurried back to their respective jobs, not noticing that a pair of interested brown eyes had just been watching the conversation between them and the redhead, their gaze lingering with curiosity on a mop of pink hair.

By nightfall, the majority of Celestial Zodiacs more or less had a place to sleep for the night. Because Fairy Tail had a slight shortening of tents, everyone but Lucy and her 12 first tier members had to share a tent in groups of three or four though the tents fit two at most.

The camp was shaped like a many-ringed doughnut that fit into the curve of the semicircle of trucks. The innermost ring had only thirteen tents for Lucy and her first tier members, with Loke to her immediate right and Capricorn to her immediate left. In the rings behind them was the remainder of the guild.

Lucy walked through her camp, entering each tent and making sure everyone was comfortable. There were still supplies that needed to be distributed, and more than one person slept on the ground with no more than a blanket underneath them, but they were all slowly adjusting. It helped that they were all exhausted after the fight and the preparation of the temporary camp.

After personally visiting each of her guildmates, she walked outside the camp, towards the direction of Heartfilia Territory, and looked towards the horizon. There was a soft wind that night and though there were still voices from the camp behind her, it was peacefully quiet.

"Aren't you glad I managed to convince you to come to Fairy Tail for aid?"

She turned to see Loke and Aries walking towards her, hand in hand. "Don't get too full of yourself, Loke. I came because we needed water."

Loke snorted. "Sure." But he dropped it and went to stand next to her, looking towards the direction of their territory.

"We'll get it back," Lucy said confidently. "Even if we have to wait a month or two months or even a year, we'll get it back."

Her companions nodded. "Nothing can keep us away from our home," Loke said quietly.

They stood for a little while longer until Lucy sighed and turned away. "Come on, time for sleep. Tomorrow, I'll talk with Makarov and see how we can pull our own weight in this territory. We're going to have to help out if we want a share in meals and water."

They walked back, threading through the rings before emerging at their tents. Loke and Aries bade Lucy goodnight before disappearing and Lucy went into her own tent. It was furnished much more sparsely than her own tent, but it still had a cot and a table and a foldable stool.

She stripped down to her underwear, mindful of her bandaged wounds, and put it all on the table before leaning her rifle against the bed and putting her pistol close by. She lied down on the cot and closed her eyes, instantly falling into a deep sleep.