An: Soooo depressing news. My laptop died for over a week which is one of the reasons why this chapter is late. The other reasons are my best friend's birthday party, my family came to visit from out of state, and two tiring little kittens. So forgive me for any mistakes this chapter was entirely written on my phone and it doesn't have the best spell check.
So my goal of finishing by mid August is probably impossible now with this delay. :(
Even more depressing mood my external hard drive got wiped clean somehow so I've lost some brainstorming and parts of chapters so bear with me during this sad and slow time as I get over my loss.
Amie POV
"Since when do we protect humans Amie?" One of my wolves, my beta, asked through our link. Although just one voiced the question I could tell the others were thinking the same thing.
Tiredly turning towards them I responded. "Since we traded our assistance for their aide. Several of us, including you Anton, would have been dead if their healer hadn't taken care of you. We'd also be stuck in those nasty caves, trapped if they hadn't agreed to let us stay with them. Watching over them is a small price to pay for the services they've given us." Hearing the restless thoughts of my family calm down I stared in the grey eyes of the instigator. "You may be my beta, Anton, but if I hear you question my decision one more time you'll regret it." I warned, sending the threat to him alone, instead of the whole pack. I could see the defiance in his eyes as he lowered his head to the ground in submission, conceding the argument.
Life at Fairy Tail had been easy since we brokered the deal with the Celestial Mage. Her people were quick to show their support of her decision to help us when they saw that we had saved the two cats and woman. Mira had shown us to a set of caves that were nearby in the woods, far enough to give us privacy, yet close enough so we could protect their guild. I had thought that we would be sent with the others to search for the supposed cure to the poison but instead we were asked to remain here and help Corvo keep an eye out for a potential attack. A wise decision on her part, they had enough people searching, but I could tell that the remaining mages wouldn't be able to hold up against any kind of attack for long, at least not without taking some casualties.
"Is there a problem here?" The pesky bird asked as he landed on my shoulder. Shaking him off I watched in satisfaction when he unsteadily landed on the ground in front of me.
"How many times do I have to tell you bird, address me as Amie or not at all. I am more than my mother's daughter and do not want to be constantly reminded of her.
"And yes, everything is fine now. Right Anton?" I asked giving said wolf a sideways glance.
"Yes. If you excuse me I'll continue the perimeter check." He said taking off with a scowl in our direction.
"That one has plans of his own Amie. Are you too blind to see that?"
"Leave my wolves to me I will handle them as I see fit. We may be in an alliance with your master but that doesn't meant I answer to anyone else besides myself, don't thing otherwise little bird.
"I know Anton has been troublesome the past few weeks, I have a few suspicions about him, and was thinking we can use his rebellious and treacherous nature to help us." I smiled evilly, coming up with a plan to get rid of Anton and some of our enemy at the same time. Leaning in close to the pesky crow I whispered my plan.
"Everything going according to plan Corvo?" I asked waiting for him to report back what his flock had seen.
"Yeah, there's maybe forty of them approaching from all sides." He answered tilting his head to the side as if he could hear something in the distance. I knew he could, he had a special way of communicating with his flock, or so my mother had told me... She told me a lot of things though. One of the most important was to never trust a Celestial Mage, but look where I was now, coming up with plans to save her hide and that of her friends. But if my mom were in the same situation I believe she would have done what was best for our people, even if it meant siding with an enemy.
"They just passed the first set of caves." My now human companion whispered, still without glancing my way. "You were right about Anton, he is intentionally leaving a trail behind for them to follow."
"I had an inkling he was the reason behind them constantly finding us. His speeches about joining the winning team, defeating all of the Celestial Mages, and his late night rendezvous with strange people he thought I didn't know about.
"They must have promised him something in return for his betrayal. He's why Sasha died in the last attack. He's the reason why we had to up root ourselves from our homes time and time again, and for that the last thing he'll feel before he dies tonight are my teeth embedded in his throat as our brethren cheer me on." I vowed barring my teeth in a silent growl.
"...you're not gonna give him a chance to explain?" Corvo asked taking in my rigid stance.
"Traitors deserve no chance to explain themselves, their actions are enough of an explanation. That is what my mother taught me, and is what I've lived by.
"Why do you ask? Do you feel sorry for my beta?" I asked eyeing the crow man's sudden stuff posture as he leaked the faint smell of sadness.
"Tch I haven't felt something for someone else since this whole banishment I'm not about to start with one of your mangy wolves." He scoffed turning back to our supposed 'ambush'.
"You feel something for the Celestial Mage." I pointed out having seen the way he watched over her from her balcony.
"You're imagin' things. The only thing I feel for her is loathing, and disdain."
"You're lying again. If you felt nothing for her then you wouldn't be feeling guilty about telling the Abastors her location so they could poison her. If you felt nothing you wouldn't be here right now. Your contract is still very much intact, but she's not conscious to enforce it; nothing is holding you here now. She's unconscious, dying and her other spirits are too focused on her to keep an eye out for you. So why don't you leave? Why don't you join the other side like you wanted earlier on?"
"How did you know?" He asked focusing only on one point of my lecture, glaring at me as if it had been my fault he betrayed his master.
"I have my ways. But you really need to stop thinking about it. Lucy forgave you and no one else should find out, least they kill you."
"...they could try." He grumbled turning to look out over the woods. "They just passed the last of the caves, they'll be here any second." Corvo said, transforming into his giant form and flying to the the agreed upon branch in the trees to keep an eye over things. When the mages and Anton stepped into the designated area my wolves converged on them, surrounding them.
"Anton, why do you dishonor us so?" I asked standing in front of him.
"You succumbed to your greatest enemy, it is you who does the dishonoring. I remember tales of how we used to be before you or your mom came to lead us, and I pine for those days. The freedom of the hunt, chasing down what we want when we want it, only worrying about ourselves and not the nearby villages.
"I was happy when my grandfather killed your dad, not only did he get rid of him, he got rid of your foolish mother as well, and was supposed to get rid of you too but others betrayed him and hid you from him. I should be leading, not you."
"Is that what this is about? Your desire to lead? If that was it you know how we decide who leads, your father went through the same trial and failed. I'd gladly kill you now if that's what you wish, and show you that you aren't fit to lead.
"Even if you were to some how defeat me in combat how could anyone trust you anymore? Not only have you told them out locations various times, one of those raids got one of the whelp a killed. And now this, once they feel safe enough to socialize with humans you threaten that."
"Yeah! These caves are the nicest we've had in a while because of you, no monsters to constantly fight for them, and plenty of game to hunt in the nearby woods. Why are you trying to ruin that for us?" The mother of the deceased whelp asked, standing beside me.
"You'll see why when these guys annihilate Fairy Tail. She chose the wrong side. They're weak! They have their own traitor in their midsts, how can we trust then to not forsake us to save themselves?" Anton yelled, trying to catch the attention of all of my wolves. But the only person who cared was the crow above as I heard him adjust as he tensed up.
"True they had one. But he has seen the error of his ways. You ask how we can trust them, but how can you trust those who've chased us across the country and indirectly killed several of us."
"Cut the chit chat already. Let us through, and say you'll to join us and I promise we will let you all live." An impatient Mage said standing side by side Anton.
Feeling the magic charge in the air triple I let out a whistle, a new one, considering Anton was intimately acquainted with all of our attack formations and signals. Once the whistle passed my lips my wolves attacked, making sure to avoid all blades since we assumed they would be poisoned. I watched as the mages dropped like flies, yelling in pain and anguish as teeth dug into their limbs, and jugulars. The outer group of humans went down the fastest, not expecting the pack to work so well together so quickly but by the time they were down the inner group, was fully aware of how fast we were and drew their swords, swinging at anything that approached them. A few of them nicked a couple of my wolves with the tip of their blade, but once one went down another was already in its stead taking the bastard down. It didn't take long for them to tear through the humans, and for those who ran to escape Corvo's crows incapacitated them so we could capture them later and question them, or dispose them in other ways.
Once the cries died down, and the ground was bathed in blood the wounded was taken to the guild to be attended to, hopefully the poison wouldn't work as it did for Lucy, considering they had no magic but if it did we wouldn't be so lenient with the next set of attackers.
It was safe to say we left the guild out of this battle because Corvo and I had an agreement, these bastards needed to die. No pussy footing around it and imprisoning them just for others to free them. For harming what was ours they deserved death.
"..." Anton stared on in horror as his 'allies' perished before him. He hadn't bothered to join in the fight, because he knew what was coming. The fear and anger that rolled off of him in waves was, to say the least, enjoyable. When he turned to look at me the fear increased as I bared my teeth at him and took a step forward to shift into my wolf form.
"Anton, for your betrayal you shall be stripped of the title beta, banished from the pack, and given a five minute head start in which to leave our territory. If, at the end of five minutes you have not left our boarders you will be hunted down by the entire pack and killed. Your time starts now." I sneered, as he took off before I finished talking. My wolves leisurely waited and enjoyed the spoils of the fight, already knowing five minutes was a minute too short for him to escape. Yes he was powerful enough to be beta, but when it came to speed he was greatly lacking.
The second the fifth minute was up a howl to rival all others sounded throughout the woods and we all took off as one, intent on wiping our traitor from Earthland.
Gajeel POV
"Hurry up Gajeel! What if they've already been attacked? Why do you keep stopping everywhere to sniff around! We need to check on the guild!" Levy cried, trying to pull herself out of the grip I had on her arm.
"Shrimp shut up." Was all I said as the overwhelming smell of blood drew me to a recently trampled clearing. Jerking my head to Lily who was already in his battle form I pushed Shrimp over to him to hold and control.
"What do you smell?" Lily asked ready to spring into action at any potential threat. One hand already held his sword, while the other now held a still struggling Shrimp.
"I demand you release me! I have to check to make sure Jet got back alright and that he actually gave Mira my instructions on how to use the bracelet!"
Growling in annoyance I just blocked the sound of her voice out as I walked to the middle of the trampled area, intending on kneeling down to investigate, but a few steps away from the center my step had a audible 'squish' sound as a liquid creeped up the side of my boot. Stepping back I didn't bother looking to Lily because I knew he just saw and heard what I did.
"Wa-was that blood?!" Shrimp yelled, looking horrified at the ground where the smell of blood, fear, urine and death was the strongest.
"Yeah."
"We're we too late!? Oh dear Mavis! What if someone is badly hurt or poisoned? No, no, no, no, n-"
"Chill ou-"
"Chill out? Chill out?!" Her voice got progressively higher and louder the more times she said it. "How do you expect me to 'chill out' when the ground we are stepping on is covered in blood? Possibly the blood of our friends?"
"Levy-San let him finish." Lily said soothing the hysterical Solid Script Mage with a now sword free hand on her back.
"It's not the guild's blood. I don't know whose it is, no one we've ever in countered."
"Maybe they attacked already and we beat them back?" She asked hopefully, still pressed up against Lily to avoid looking at the blood stained ground.
"No, it wasn't us. It smells of the wolves and that crow, but none of our mages."
What the hell happened here? The guild probably didn't know about this attack... But how could they not when it was less than three miles away from them? But then again we don't kill people, no matter how much we hate them and we certainly don't send them to their deaths. I'll have to speak the the crow and wf when we get back.
"Then who...?"
"We'll worry about it after we check on Bunny Girl, for now keep your eyes open." I ordered, making sure to give the center of our path a wide berth to avoid getting anymore blood and urine on my shoes. Sensing the two behind me do the same I picked up the speed. With Lily practically carrying Levy we made it back to the guild in temwelve minutes, bursting through the door, completely out of breath we stunned everyone in there to silence. They watched and waited for us to catch out breaths but when Levy started speaking for us Lily and I sat, none too gracefully on the closest bench.
"Is everyone alright?! Was there a battle? We ran into someone who said there was an group of mages headed this way!" She panicked looking around the guild, making sure everyone who was there was unharmed. "Jet! Is the bracelet helping? Where's Lu-chan?"
"Yeah the bracelet is helping her, but it's only been on for a day and a half. Wendy and Chelia say it'll need more time to see how well it's working."
"...why do we have Lamia Scale's healer here?" I asked steadying Shrimp when she started to wobble.
"She's in a coma. She got hurt during training several weeks ago, and hasn't woken up. Chelia and I have to watch her constantly to ensure her organs don't fail her." Wendy said descending the stairs, tiredly leaning on the railing until she made it to the bottom of the stairs. "What is that bracelet you found?"
"We don't know, they used it to suck Lily's magic from him, but then there are different settings. I thought it's help Lu-chan, when we found out it could replenish magic. We found more if you think that'll help her." Shrimp said digging into her bag and retrieving the other two bracelets we had found.
"Thanks, I don't think we'll have to use these just yet, but if he body starts rejecting her magic we might have to use them..." Turning to Mira she was about to ask something when Erza came up from behind her and lifter her up by the back of her shirt.
"Go rest. You just got off of your twenty-four your shift. I'll take care of getting food for Chelia." Erza demanded carrying her up the stairs and into Bunny Girls room.
"Can...can I see her?"
"Make it quick Levy, you need to rest as well."
Scrambling up to the room I heard her gasp a moment be fore the door closed.
-Lucy POV/Consciousness-
My hole body felt heavy as if my veins were filled with lead instead of blood. Any attempt I made to move resulted in pain. I tried to signal my friends that I was still here and could hear them but I couldn't get a word out.
My lucidity came I went randomly. At times I'd be completely in tuned with what was happening around me. I knew that I was in a coma, I had heard Wendy and Chelia discuss my predicament several times, but it sounded worse and worse each time they brought it up.
"Lu-chan? Oh Mavis! You can't leave us, we all need you so much. Just imagine how Natsu and Gray would react when they come home. What about Rogue? You two just got together!"
Levy! I'm trying, I don't want to leave you guys, who else would keep an eye on my crazy team. I wanted to say but couldn't. Hearing the mumbling of voices I knew it was time for the darkness.
What little I could sense around me was snuffed out, as darkness consumed me. When this happened I sensed someone else here with me but could never figure out who or what it was. It felt familiar, but I couldn't recall just what it was. Trying one last time to call out to my family, I failed as I spiraled deeper into the endless void.
Levy POV
"Wendy! Chelia! What's happening to her?!" I cried feeling the heat of Lu-chan's skin get cold as her body convulsed.
Being pushed aside Chelia and Wendy both began healing her, their hands glowing. When the convulsing stopped, both healers were sweating and exhausted. "Another organ went into failure this time. What does that make that, four?" Chelia said helping Wendy back into bed.
"We have to keep trying..."
"Yeah I know, don't worry I'll watch over her now."
"What was that?" I whispered.
"Lucy here has had her heart, small intestine, large intestine and a kidney, fail. We are able to fix them as long as we catch it before complete failure, but each week something else seems to go wrong.
"Eventually all of her organs will go into failure, and we won't be able to do anything about it."
AN: Let me know what you thought, please and thank you!
Dragon Queene Layla St Gabriel: You will have to stay tuned to find out! But think about it, would Fairy Tail really let Lucy die? ;)
PremierGoldPineapple: Haha, yeah Droy definitely stayed home.
artificialartofficial: No Droy wasnt picked for a group and stayed at the guild. He was in charge of watching Asuka, but he failed at that and Lucy got hurt.
Haha yeah mid-august is a wonderful plan, but I doubt it's going to happen, but I do have the next chapter half written so who knows?
Sorry for the late chapter!
taboadayvonne: Sorry for the late update! I can only hope it doesn't happen again!