Lyra awoke to someone poking her with a very, very long stick. She lazily opened her eyes and glared at the two mages. Sting had somehow convinced Orga that this was going to be a great way to wake up the Witch Hunter. Sting, unsurprisingly, was also very, very, very wrong. Lyra proceeded to yank the stick away from them and beat the two of them with it.

"Oi! Lyra!" Rogue called. Lyra turned to him grumpily.

"Oi! Rogue!" She mimicked.

"Stop hitting our team mates and eat some breakfast." Rogue ordered. Lyra shrugged, and dropped the stick. She plopped down in front of the meat that Rufus was cooking. Rufus handed her a sliver of meat and she ripped into it. Lector waddled over to Lyra and poked her covered leg. Lyra looked at him.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You eat weird." Lector said.

"And you're a cat. What's your point?" Lyra asked dryly. Lector glared at her, she glared at Lector. Sting scooped Lector up and put him on his shoulders.

"So whose turn is it today?" Rogue asked.

"Yours," Rufus said. Rogue thought for a few minutes, eating his meat slowly.

"We're moving again." He decided as he licked his fingers clean. He stood and stretched. Lyra finished her food and followed him to the tent. They started to pack it up while the others finished their breakfast.

They started to trek through the woods and past the lake. Rogue led them on without telling him where he wanted to go. When they reached a ravine between two mountains Rogue let them rest for lunch. They went fishing, and then ate the fish they had caught for lunch.

"-so then I punch him in the face. Out like a light, barely had any M.E. left in him." Lyra was saying. The others laughed except Orga, who dropped his fish, eyes widening. Rufus slowly placed his fish on the ground when he looked behind Lyra, and Rogue did the same. Sting continued laughing until he saw what was standing behind Lyra.

What? Lyra mouthed.

"If you move I stab this girl in the neck. Understand?" Someone said from behind Lyra. Lyra felt a prick on her neck.

"Well, shit." Lyra said.

"You." The bandit pointed to Rogue. "Get all of your Jewel and give it to me."

Rogue looked at the bandit. "Are you sure? It's a lot of Jewel." Rogue stalled. He was waiting for Rufus to cast a memory spell. Rufus casted his spell, and told Lyra to duck. Lyra did and the man stayed still, it seemed as though he still thought she was there (it seemed that way because to the bandit it was).

Orga said one of his own spells and the bandit was flown backward.

"We should go." Rogue said. Everyone turned to him. "Now! Before more come."

"You really don't know how this works do you?" Orga asked surprised.

"What do ya mean?" Sting asked.

"How long have you guys been in Sabertooth?" Lyra asked rhetorically. "This ain't Fairy Tail. When someone jumps us we don't go running back to the Guild."

"We make sure we don't again." Rufus finished Lyra's threat. The Twin Dragon Slayers shared a look. Orga turned to Lyra.

"He attacked you. Would you like the honors?" He inquired, though he already knew the answer. Lyra laughed.

"Thought you'd never ask." Lyra wasn't the nicest of the Sabertooth. The most innocent, the happiest, yes. But the nicest? The newbies were always the nicest, and that was because they didn't know better yet. Lyra walked over to the fallen bandit and bent down to his level. He was conscious and he was shaking he was so terrified.

"Look lady. I didn't mean to- I didn't know you were wizards-" Lyra stripped her right glove off slowly. His eyes widened. He was petrified. He didn't know what this wizard was going to do to him. "I swear! I thought it would be fine! Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!"

"What gang are you in?" She asked slowly. She ran a finger down his nose. His eyes widened as he became more scared, and his pupils dilated as Lyra started to drain the limited M.E. from his body.

"T-t-the f-f-f-Fiore Citizens." He stuttered. "Please, my m-m-m-members n-need m-m-me." He spoke as his face became more and more fatigued from the M.E. drain. Rogue noticed the script F with a large print C surrounding it on the bandit's face. It must have been his gang's symbol.

"Do they now?" She asked sinisterly as she stroked his cheek. "Are they going to be looking for you?"

"Y-y-yeah. A-a-a-are you going to let me g-g-go?" He asked.

Lyra lifted her hand from his face, pretending to think about it. "No. But I'll make sure they know where to find me if they want to finish the job." Lyra snapped. She took off her boot and sock and kicked him in the face. He screamed, and then he was silent.

The Dragon Slayers looked at the Witch Hunter incredulously. "Is-is he dead?" Rogue asked. Lyra shrugged. She took a stick from the ground and started to draw in the dirt. She wrote with a stick.

3, Lyra of instead of writing Sabertooth out she drew the Guild Symbol. She dropped the stick, and turned merrily to the others, putting her shoe back on.

"So, where are we going?" She asked. Rogue blinked out of his stunned haze, and pointed to the mountain ahead of them.

"Up there." He said. Lyra crossed her arms uncomfortably.

"Let's go." Orga said, not noticing the sudden decline in Lyra's happy demeanor. They hiked up the base of the mountain. Lyra put her glove back on and shivered as they climbed higher. And higher. And higher.

About a third up the way to the camping space (which was a little more than half the way to the top) Lyra started lagging behind. No one noticed too greatly until another third of the way.

"Hey, Lyra, you coming?" Rogue asked when the Void stopped. She shook her head, sitting on the floor.

"Lyra, come on." She shook her head. She was trembling.

"Lyra…" Rogue groaned. Sting walked over to the Witch Hunter and put a hand on her covered shoulder.

"Are you OK?" He asked. She nodded but didn't move.

"We have to keep going if we want to get to the camp site before dark." He said softly. She shook her head.

"Lyra?" He asked, gently, almost sweetly this time. "Can you walk?" She nodded.

"Will you walk?" She nodded again. He pulled her to her feet and coaxed her into moving. Soon they were moving at their own pace again. They had climbed a little less than half of the way up. They reached a cavern inside of the cave on the road to their site. The cavern was dark with light lacrima dotting the way. It had deep hollow canyon with a small, barely supportable bridge. Rogue looked at the people behind him. They seemed hesitant to cross. Rogue had to show them it was easy to cross.

"Here's the bet." He said. This way he could get them across. "Last one to get over does what I say." Rogue ordered. He walked across the bridge backwards to show them how easy it was. Sting, knowing that Rogue's innocent exterior was just that: exterior, whispered something to Lector who nodded and grabbed the White Dragon Slayer with his tail as the Exceed flew him over the hollow basin. Orga made his way across carefully, he was a big man and wanted to be sure he wouldn't fall. Rufus looked at the remaining member hesitant. He didn't want to start walking then be pushed off by Lyra, she was competitive like that. Once Orga was across Rogue called to the two wizards, (or wizard and Void).

"Last one over has to do what I say!" He reminded.

Sting looked at his Twin. "And Rogue isn't as sweet as he appears to be." Sting warned. Lector laughed, and pushed his friend lightly.

"And you would know." He said giggling. Sting blushed and pushed his Exceed back.

"Shut up!" He hushed, embarrassed.

Rufus turned to Lyra, he was so obsessed with getting across that he didn't notice that Lyra was shaking. Sting did though. No one should ever say that Sting is oblivious because, yeah he doesn't understand many feelings, but pure unadulterated fear is one of them. He saw that that was what Lyra was feeling right now. Rufus made a dash for it. He made it across, laughing.

Everyone was happy. They laughed that now the great Lyra was on the other side. The one who would need to do what Rogue wanted. They laughed and taunted her because that was what friends and colleagues do, at least in Sabertooth.

"Come on Lyra! Come on!" Rogue coaxed.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said happily.

"You're in so much shit either way." Orga stated. Lyra swallowed, and put a tentative foot on the bridge. It held and she started running across the thin bridge.

The bridge didn't hold for long and suddenly she was falling.

And falling.

And

Falling

There are times when adrenaline rushes through your body. Sometimes it isn't adrenaline. It's fear, or love, or hate, or sadness. But it still fills you to the brim and it hurts.

Sometimes you don't feel anything at all.

When Lyra fell through the bridge and down into the dimly lit cavern beneath her, she didn't feel anything at all. She heard screams, whether they were hers or not she wasn't sure. She just remembered screaming.

She also remembered the strong tails that surrounded her waist. They hauled her up to the platforms in the cave and she heard flapping. But she looked down and her vision became hazy. She felt out of control and she knew that the screams were hers this time. She thrashed in the Exceeds' grasps. She whipped her body around like a snake terrified. Just as afraid as the man she had hurt only an hour or two earlier. She screamed as she lashed back and forth.

"Lyra! Stop!" Sting warned.

"I… can't hold on… much longer…" Lector struggled.

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch complained. The two of them holding the Witch Hunter with difficulty as she moved around, as if she was shaking off invisible insects.

"Lyra! Lyra!" Rogue shouted. Lector and Frosch couldn't hold any longer and Lyra fell. This time she felt fear. Lector and Frosch had risen high above the platform that the other Sabertooth members were on. When Lyra fell this time she fell onto the hard, cold, grey stone.

Lyra heard the calls of her fellow members. She felt the floor beneath her, and the soft hands of a Dragon Slayer carefully pick her up. She felt a cold, thick fluid drip out of her mouth and over the side of her face. She saw faces above her and heard them speaking. The spots in front of her eyes danced and she felt sick. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. And now all she wanted to do was sleep.

Sting and Rogue ran to their fallen comrade. "Lyra! Lyra! Can you hear me?" Sting shouted. The Void didn't answer. Sting fell to his knees beside her. He pushed her, wondering if she was alive. Her eyes were fogged over and blood had started to leak out of her mouth and back. Rogue fell next to Sting.

"Lyra! Lyra! Lyra!" He shouted. He put fingers to her neck. "She has a pulse. Rufus!" Rufus sashayed over. "Rufus, she isn't dead, but she isn't moving." Rogue said.

Rufus put his own fingers to her neck and nodded. "I have some medical supplies but I can't apply them until we're settled."

"Can I carry her?" Sting asked.

Rufus shrugged, "without injury to her, sure. But not too much juggling. I don't know how much shit has screwed her spine." Rufus ordered. Sting dug his hands under Lyra's paralyzed body. He grunted as he lifted her up. They continued on the way up the mountain. They continued until the camp site. Lyra didn't move.

"Did you know?" Sting asked, wheezing for Lyra's weight.

"Know what?" Orga responded.

"That Lyra was afraid of heights." Rufus and Orga stopped where they were.

"Afraid of heights?" Rufus asked. "That information is not in my memory."

"Are you kidding? She's terrified of them."

"That's why she froze on our way up the mountain." Orga said, realization dawning on him.

"Yeah." Sting said, as though it was obvious.

They continued climbing. Lyra switched from Sting's arms to Rogue's and because Rogue isn't as strong as he looks, she went to Orga who carried her until they stopped. They came to their camp site and saw a few more wizards around, training also. Orga asked around for any healer mages but no one could help. Sting sat in the tent, watching Rufus apply the healing ointments to Lyra's back. It had started to bleed a bit from falling on rocks. Her head was partially cracked as well. Rufus wasn't actually touching Lyra for obvious reasons.

"Hey, Rufus…"

"Yes?" The memory-make wizard asked, annoyed.

"Since Lyra takes M.E. and becomes high and like puts her in a state of-"

"Is there a point to this Sting?"

"Yeah. Can't our M.E. help heal her or something?" Sting asked. Rufus stopped rubbing the ointment (indirectly) on Lyra's back.

"Heal her?"

"Yeah. Can it do that? Or am I making this up?"

Rufus shook his head, confounded. "I. I don't know. I know that I am not going to waste my Magic Energy if it doesn't work though."

Sting rolled his eyes. "Baby." He decided, he bent beside the Witch Hunter and placed his naked hand on her back. He felt the effect immediately. His chest felt heavy, his eyes hurt. He called out to Rogue.

"Yo! Rogue! Get over here!" Sting ordered. The Shadow Dragon Slayer made his way to his Twin. Sting took his hand off her back, he felt fuzzy and spots danced in front of his eyes.

Lyra's breathing became easier. Her open eyes became less foggy and blinked a few times. Soon she just closed them as the wounds on her head and back closed as well from the M.E. It looked as though she had just fallen asleep, except her breathing was still heavy. Rufus took some water from a helpful co-camper and wiped the dried blood from her open mouth.

"I think she needs some more." Rufus said. Sting turned to Rogue.

"More what? What did you do?" Rogue asked.

"I just gave her some Magic Energy." Sting said.

"And that healed her?"

"Yeah. But she needs more. Just put your hand on her back."

"Isn't that kinda weird…?" Rogue asked awkwardly. Sting rolled his eyes, and grabbed his Twin's hand. He shoved the hand onto Lyra's back and both Rogue and Lyra shook from the amount of pent up M.E. that flowed between them. Lyra's eyes opened. They were dilated, and wide. She pushed herself away from the boys surrounding her. She covered her naked chest with her arms.

"Where is my shirt?" She demanded rather than asked.

"R-right here." Rufus stuttered. He was scared from the fire in Lyra's eyes that the Void was going to hurt him. He passed the balled up, blood dotted shirt to Lyra, who ordered the other mages to turn around and pulled the shirt on. Her Sabertooth Guild Symbol was shining with sweat. She wasn't feeling as good as she pretended she did. But she was awake enough to realize what her sudden rush of adrenaline was because of. She didn't want any more M.E.

She coughed, and took a moment to breathe. Magic can only heal someone so much. She knew she had just made the cut between healable, and death.

She turned to Rogue. "So?" She asked, feigning her usual cheeriness. "What do I owe ya?" She asked.

Rogue just hugged her, careful not to touch skin-to-skin. "Never. Ever. Die on me."

Lyra laughed. "You sure? That's a waste of a bet." She warned. Rogue didn't answer. She smiled.

"I won't die on you." She promised.

Sting rolled his eyes. He slapped Rogue's back. "You're such a mushball." He said.

"Come on Dragon Slayer, tell me for a minute there you weren't worried." Lyra teased.

Sting laughed. "About you Witch Hunter? Why would I?" He returned. Orga poked his head in the tent calling Rogue's name, but was happily greeted with an awkward hug from Lyra.

"Rogue, when are we eating? I'm hungry." The mage announced after his and Lyra's hug.

"Me too Rogue." Sting added.

"Also me." Rufus said.

Sting turned to the mage incredulously. "How are you hungry? You didn't carry a person up here."

"Neither did you."

"I did for most of the way! And believe me it was no small feat."

"Are you calling me fat?" Lyra demanded.

"Wha-no!" Sting said confused. "I mean, kind of."

"You little shit!" Lyra cried. She whipped her leg around, kicking Sting in the chest. The Dragon Slayer fell backwards on his rear. Lyra put her nose in the air and stalked out of the tent. Only to walk back in after seeing how high up they were.

Rufus made the team food and they ate inside (because Lyra wouldn't go out). Afterward Rogue ordered them to get a good night's sleep. Lyra fell asleep quickly, with Sting right behind her. Rufus and Orga went outside to practice magic and talk without disturbing the others there.

"Are you going to make Lyra train out here?" Rufus asked softly while dodging Orga's attack.

Orga shook his head, and cast another spell. "I think we won't get her out of that fucking tent as long as we're up here."

"Did you know she was afraid of heights?"

"No. Did you?"

Rufus shook his head. "No. I didn't think anybody knew. I guess we all thought she was invincible so any thought of her having phobias was just ridiculous."

"You know, sometimes I even forget that we're just mages. And just because we're mages doesn't mean we are unkillable."

"Well, you're less killable than most of us." Rufus stated. Orga rolled his eyes and was flung into the mountain wall. Rufus walked over to the larger man and with a flourish helped him to his feet.

"Let's go to bed." Orga said. Rufus nodded.

"After you." He said, nodding to the tent where the rest of the team was sleeping.