I just couldn't run anymore. I was going in circles and I've finally reached the breaking point. The voice that has haunted me for what—weeks? Months?—it only chuckled as my feet slowed, the blood started to form pools, and I slumped against a tree. I felt every broken bone, every torn muscle, and all hope vanish as I crashed into the unforgiving earth. 'This is a good place to die…' my mind whispers to me as my eyes slide shut. Before I completely lose consciousness I hear the sound of branches snapping and voices screaming and wailing. 'I've been found.'

As the sun broke over the horizon everyone started to move. I heard Lucy knock Natsu off a couch as the exceeds yawn and stretch next to Ezra and Gray. Gajeel let out a very loud yawn before kicking Levy out of her blankets, a string of curse words followed. "Mornin' lazy butts!" came the chipper voice of Mandy through the front door. "Ya'll are up late!" she was enjoying my groups grumblings as we all managed to finally make it to our feet. All of us looked disheveled—bags under eyes, hair mused, skin less than glowing.

"Breakfast will be up shortly," Mandy says in a quieter tone. Her head disappears from the window as we folded up the blankets and begun to think about what lays ahead of us. Lucy and Gajeel were once again in the kitchen as Levy, Ezra, Laxus, and I go over the maps and books again. Gray, Natsu, and Pantherlily were outside helping with the morning chores on the farm while Charla and Happy shuffled between the groups.

"So, this is the best option then?" Ezra blew out an exasperated sigh. She was checking our map again and recalculating the route.

"Mhm," Levy hummed in shared distress. "It's the only one that will lead towards the mountain and hit more of the terrain than if we went in a straight line." Levy took off her speed reading glasses and rubbed at her eyes. I was pouring over the notes and writings about the puppet spell. "How are we going to know if we find the right place?"

"What do you mean Shrimp?" Gajeel retorts with a snort.

"Do we really believe we're going to stumble across a big building with a bunch of colorless children hanging out in it?" she lifted her eyebrow in defiance. Everyone was quiet as we contemplated this new thought.

"We're back!" Mandy sing-songed as she burst through the door. Her attitude sure has changed in a short amount of time. Her grandfather walked in behind her and headed straight for the kitchen to look after Gajeel and Lucy. Gray and Natsu follow last with wood stocked under both of their arms. "You can set the firewood in the bin by the kitchen," Mandy points. The boys grunt as they unload their burden into the bin before sitting down at the table.

"Are you okay with this route Wendy?" Ezra says interrupting my internal turmoil.

"Huh? O-oh yeah this will be fine. You did a good job Levy," I try to smile and reassure them. Ezra shot me a disbelieving glance but was interrupted by Natsu before she could say anything.

"Oi when are we leavin'?" he groans while rocking in the chair.

"After breakfast Natsu," Lucy scolds him. They start lightly arguing while Gray rolls his eyes. Gajeel throws bacon at Natsu and yells at him to shut up and Ezra growls at the whole group to be more respectful. Levy continues to rub at her eyes.

We all eat breakfast in a relative silence only broken by the cries of birds and the forest waking up around us. I stare out the back window into the deep green sea. 'Maybe this is a different version of Mahari-san's tale?' I think as I help clean the dishes. Finally departure could not be put off, we all said our farewells to Mandy and her grandfather. They promised to keep an eye out for us and we promised to return.

As we walked Gajeel would mark trees pointing us back the way we came and indicating where we were going. Lucy helped Levy navigate while Ezra led the whole party. I stood silently by Laxus while Charla walks next to me. The forest was huge and it swallowed up all the sound, even listening to the wind was hard. Sure there were birds chirping and small animals underfoot rustling about the brush, but it all sounded so distant and muted. "This place is eerie isn't it?" Laxus comments to break up the quiet.

"I'll say," Charla agrees. "It's like the forest is eating the sounds, it's creepy."

"Levy which way?" Ezra questions as we reach a strange tangle of trees that lead in multiple directions.

"We'll take the right path and follow its twisting. This one intersects the far left path somehow…" she trails off as she continues to follow the map.

"Natsu! Gray! Will you two stop bickering! I can't even hear properly as is!" Ezra barks at the boys who decided to play a hearing contest. I sigh in frustration as I try my hardest to hear anything that might point us in the right direction.

'Or towards trouble,' my mind nags at me.

"Wendy?" Charla tugs at my leggings. I look down at her, "are you alright?"

"No," I don't even hesitate in telling her the truth. "Not until whoever is doing this is stopped."

"We'll stop this person, Wendy. No matter what," Charla smiles at me reassuringly and for the first time in a few days I feel hope. I smile down at my best friend and before I can respond I hear a very distinctive thump come from my right.

"W-wait! Stop! Everyone stop!" I whirl around and stick my nose in the air. The air is so stagnant and stale in this forest, it makes it hard to breathe. Then came the second thump. "This way!" I take off into the forest off the path before anyone could stop me.

"Wendy!"

"What's going on?!"

"Please slow down!" I hadn't even realized that I was pushing myself forward faster with my magic. But I couldn't stop, there haven't been any other sounds for a few seconds now and I had to catch the echo before it faded completely. Everyone was still trying to catch up to me while I stopped to sniff the air again, I felt my muscles tense up and tears threaten to spill at the vile taste that now coated my mouth.

'Blood!' I tear off deeper into the forest while everyone was only a few paces behind me now. Laxus and Charla screamed my name while Lucy and Ezra pleaded with me to slow down. Natsu and Gray simply ran harder from the sounds of their labored breathing. Pantherlily and Happy have taken to the skies as their shadows barely keep up with me. I bank around and older looking oak tree and I skid over a few fallen leaves, but it doesn't stop me. I sniff the air before taking a hard left up a slight incline. 'There…it's there!' I practically slam into a young tree as I trip over my feet trying to stop.

"Wendy what the hell is happening!?" Laxus roars. I finally manage to stop and fall to my knees at the sight before me. "Wendy what are yo—oh, my god…" Laxus' rage dies on his tongue. There at the foot of the small hill is a body, drained of color and not moving. Ezra and the rest finally manage to catch up and everyone takes in a collective breath at the sight.

"Are…are they—?" Lucy chokes on her words as her tears fill my nose. Levy lets a small sob escape from her lips and even Gajeel makes a disgruntled sound. Pantherlily and Happy have landed on either side of me while Charla walks over to grab my hand. It felt like someone was going to say something else, but then we all saw it. The body it moved.

I sprang to my feet; I hadn't realized I fell to my knees, and I ran to the person. I grunted as I rolled them over and I did not hesitate my treatment. 'Work on the blood…there's contamination in—in the blood. Fix the bones and set them right—keep it constant!' my mind was reeling. I was mending bones, draining toxins, and closing flesh wounds all while trying to remember everything I've read. 'The blood—the blood is the most important. We can't spill…' my thoughts were sporadic and my mind was in a state of unrest as I tried desperately to save them. My magic was starting to dwindle and I continued on, unrelenting and unyielding until all of the blood was cleaned.

"You have to wash the blood," Mahari stated.

"What?" I ask bewildered.

"In the end there is probably something in the blood of the victims. Puppet magic wielders are obsessive when it comes to blood. If this person is controlling this many victims…" her voice trailed off for a moment. "Then they've probably had to do something to the blood. Make it call out to the wielder somehow." I could see this particular mission was hitting close to home for her. "Here let me show you a spell…"

"Stay with me…stay with me…stay with me…stay w-with m-me…stay—stay…stay here," I didn't even notice I was speaking until I snapped back from my memory. 'The spell! Mahari-san's spell!' without stopping my magic I shifted the way I focused it. "Sanguinem emundabit mundate vitae," I whisper. Suddenly my magic isn't glowing blue, it's tainted to a dark red.

"W-Wendy?" Lucy murmurs as I continue to repeat the spell. The blood is pouring out red, a deep red that usually warns of the brink of death. However I did not stop it was also spurting out black tar like sludge. I chanced moving my right hand to remove the sludge while my left hand continued to pool the blood. I was starting to see spots and the edges of my vision were blurry as I swayed back and forth.

"Jar," I managed to whisper. "I need a jar…" I don't know who responded but a jar was placed under my right hand and I dropped the sludge into the container. I shook my head to clear my vision as I brought my right hand back to my left. I worked on placing the blood back into the veins from the pool I've created. I wove the life giving fluid back into the veins and with my last amount of strength I restarted the heart. I heard it thump back to live and a deep breathe taken in before I passed out.

I was struck by inspiration! From where I don't know, but am I going to question it? Nope! Anyways please don't hate on my terrible Latin. Yes I Googled it and no I don't own a Latin to English dictionary. Anyways if you like it, hate it, or just like commenting please drop me a line! Thanks for reading :)

Keep it sparkly

xoxo

Sparkles