"So, remind me again what the plan is?" I asked Vanya as the two of us rode on the train, our small amount of baggage resting beside us. Eldrid perched atop my duffle bag, looking out the window and shifting from foot to foot. The scenery outside contained brisk leaves and joyous towns zipping by.
"We shall go to three different tribes of the land. Each has an issue that plagues them. At this moment, we are journeying to the Frost Tribe of the mountains. Legend has it that three serpents appear from the snow and snatch up women accompanied by children. Twenty women and thirty-two children have gone missing in the past two and a half months. Though they cannot offer much of a reward, saving the future of a village is indeed rewarding," Vanya explained. Every part of me agreed with her. It was so terrible that these events had taken place. After a moment of going over what Vanya had said, a small detail came to mind.
"Vanya… How long have we been living in this world?" I cautiously questioned in a hushed tone. Vanya looked out the window in contemplation and took a moment to think.
"It's not because of us," was all she replied. She seemed agitated at my question, but I had no idea why. I would have to keep my mouth shut in regards to that; Vanya was literally a beast when she got angry.
The rest of our hour long train ride was nothing but small talk. In fact, Eldrid was more talkative than anyone else. Vanya, despite the fact that she tried to appear as though she was not upset, was still obviously so. Why was she so upset at a simple question? Not only that… But were these happening that we would hopefully resolve our doing? My gears kept turning, searching for some sort of answer. Even by the time we got off the train and started hiking up the snowcapped mountains, I had not come to a conclusion.
"Lady June, would you mind using some of your fire? It is quite cold out here," Vanya interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head to clear it and looked over at my teammate. Though she was strong, I could see her toned frame quake. I noticed that Eldrid was perched on my shoulder, her wings wrapped around her body with only her head poking out. I was actually fairly warm, but obviously I was a tad different than the other two.
"Right, I'm sorry!" I responded. I held out my hands and let flames dance around in my palms. Immediately Eldrid perked up and Vanya began to relax. A small smile began to form on Vanya's face, just enough to be noticeable.
"Warmth is so soothing. Thank you for your gift," Vanya spoke softly. I felt blush rise up to my face before I could even think of a response.
"Y-you don't have to thank me! R-really!" I stuttered out. Vanya let out a small chuckle, but said nothing else. It was so funny, when Vanya was in the elements, her mood always changed drastically. It was as though the icy winds had blown away her frustration. I couldn't really blame her, though. I could be that way to an extent.
We hiked up the mountain for close to two hours before we were able to see any sign of life. The wind would range between brisk harshness and a gentle breeze. Despite this, I was able to keep Vanya and Eldrid warm enough to where they didn't even flinch. At last, fresh footprints and paths dug into the snow assured us that we were on the right track. It was at that point that Eldrid flew ahead to scope out the village. After about twenty minutes, she returned to us with a fish in her beak.
"Theh arr exhited ta seeh ush!" Elle slurred as she ate her food. I couldn't help but laugh at her childlike demeanor. Vanya didn't so much as smile.
"How far away are they, Eldrid?" Vanya questioned, all business.
"Ahbout twhoo mhiles."
Still giggling, I outstretched my arms for her. She instantly flew into them, and I began to cradle her as we walked. Her soft breast feathers were still warm from my fire, which I now extinguished due to the low wind. The beautiful mass of feathers got as close to me as she could when she swallowed the last of her fish. I began to look around the landscape, seeing nothing but white openness behind and on both sides of us. However, trees began to pop up ahead of us, eventually expanding into a wide forest far up ahead. My stomach churned as soon as I saw that forest, it was as if I knew that where our foe was.
Within the hour, we began to see a large wooden gate on the horizon. It was wide open with many people standing and waiting. As soon as Elle noticed them, she flew over to greet them once more. As Vanya and I got closer to the village, we began to see that they all wore the same coats that seemed to be lined in the tan fur of some animal. The women's coats were more like dresses, the babies only had their heads poking out from them. Each was a variant of green, ranging from almost black forest green to a lime color. When we were close enough, I noticed their fire red hair that blazed from underneath their hoods. Not one blonde or brunette was among them. When I was able to see their faces fully, there was one more similarity between all of them, but I could not quite pick it out.
When Vanya and I finally stood in front of the group, an older yet sturdy woman stood at their head. She was the only one with grey in her hair, but red streaks still stood out. She was holding Eldrid, who had been given another fish. I had a feeling that by the end of this journey, she would be well overweight.
"You must be the wizards this kind bird was speaking to us about," the old woman smiled.
"Indeed. My name is Vanya Moriko, and this is Juniper Lex. As wizards from Fairy Tail, we would be honored if we could assist you in eradicating the Serpents of the Snow," Vanya introduced. As soon as she mentioned the guild, the people's faces lit up, all except the older woman. She only looked relieved.
"As long as you are not that Natsu fellow, I feel as though we are in good hands," the woman sighed. "It is not that he is a bad wizard, but we do not like to… Leave more traces of humanity than we have to."
"We completely understand!" I chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant.
"I suppose now I shall introduce myself. Come, let us walk to my hut and speak there," the elder spoke, releasing Elle so she could fly to me. As soon as she was perched on my shoulder with the remainder of her fish, the three of us followed the woman through the crowd of people. I noticed that there were far more men than women and children, and obvious sign of what had been occurring. However, it was through walking amidst the people that I finally realized the last similarity; each citizen had one piercing blue eye and one brown. It honestly made me feel stupid for not noticing it sooner, but I suppose I had become immune to strangely colored eyes after Yolric.
Three different fire pits were in the small village, all ablaze. They were all natural flames, not a stitch of magic keeping them aglow. It was around these large pits that small huts were scattered about, all looking very similar to each other. A few of these huts were obviously shops, having a wider opening and goods displayed out in front of them. Other than that one small detail, though, the only other different housing was the woman's. The difference for hers was the fact that it looked as though it had the space of five huts put together, with her own personal fire in front.
"As you have most likely already guessed, I am the leader of this village," she explained, ushering us inside her home. Quilts were spread all across the floor, a platform with a far more extravagant one towards the back. Torches on either side of the stage lit up the whole room. As the woman took her seat in that same spot and we sat below her, she began to tell us the village's story.
"My name is Dew Frost. I come from a long line of tribal leaders, all of which carry the Frost name. My sole priority is protecting these people, my family. For generations, we have lived in the mountains without so much as a conflict, even between the people that live together. Being so high up and causing so little trouble, we never have outsiders coming to harm us, even despite all of the trouble that lies in the world just below the mountain. That is, until this Serpent of the Snow came upon us. This conjuring of nature has taken countless women and children, three of which being my own. At first, we believed that these two groups of people needed to be accompanied by men in order to protect them. That being the case, my husband, two sons, and a handful of other men offered their aid. Since we have put out the job request to wizard guilds, all but one man has perished because of this serpent. The only reason that we know what is taking our people is because we have had one child, two women, and one man return after encountering it. Oddly enough, only two accounts of the sighting are the same; one woman and the man saw serpents of the same size, taking people with it into the snow without leaving a trace, but having different markings. This being the case, we are under the impression that there is not one, but three beasts that must be slain."
Vanya and I paused, giving ourselves a moment to take the whole story sink in. I felt Eldred shaking slightly in fear, but standing tall and brave on my shoulder. This story sounded so familiar to me, I just could not for the life of me figure out where I had heard it from. However, I didn't let that keep my thoughts for long. Whatever this thing was, it was more dangerous than I had originally thought. After a minute of thinking over the words that were said, something hit me like a ton of bricks.
"Mrs. Frost, you said these serpents were taking people down into the snow. Is it at all possible that they might still be alive?" I questioned her. Dew looked at me with momentary shock, but then quickly turned to immense grief.
"Through I have entertained this thought, I do not believe that it is possible for anyone to survive. Some people have been gone for months with no food, others that have been recently captured would have immediately returned home had they escaped. It is truly futile to hold on to such blessed thoughts," Dew spoke, just barely loud enough to hear. Just hearing her speak like this made my heart ache, but something inside me said that she was wrong.
"We shall embark on this mission at first light tomorrow," Vanya began. "As for now, if you have not already, it would be wise to instruct the villagers not to stray outside of the perimeter until this whole ordeal is solved. We will help you." Dew nodded, giving regards of thanks and understanding, before leading us back outside. Once back into the snow, the three of us were taken to our shelter for the night, where food was freshly cooked and sitting out for us. We thanked Dew for the hospitality before she left and we began to eat.
"Do you believe her, Vanya?" I asked, taking a bite of what appeared to be rabbit.
"What aspect, Ms. June?" she replied, mouth full.
"That everyone is dead."
Vanya swallowed her food and looked up at me. There was a mischievous glint in her eyes, one that she always wore when she wanted to set out to do the impossible.
"It would be close-minded to believe that we could not bring over sixty people back from the brink of despair, now would it not?"