The next morning a female tiger with red fur had gone out for a swim in the river. After she was finished she went to stretch and her form changed to take the form of a woman with long red hair, fangs, claws, and a tail. She was Erza, the tiger I hand mentioned earlier. Every morning before hunting for her breakfast she would always take a swim in the river then lie out in the sun to dry.

Once her body had dried off she prepared to change back into her original form and start hunting when the silence of the jungle was broken by an unusual sound. She followed the strange noise to the edge of the river. The source of it was a basket which contained a salmon haired baby inside. When he saw her the infant stopped crying and smiled. Erza recognized him as a human in the early stages of life. She quickly looked around, believing that since there was a human baby here then it's parents wouldn't be far behind.

She didn't see any other humans. Was this baby alone? Had it been abandoned by it's family? Who would be so cruel as to abandon a baby in the jungle? It was none of her concern. She should just leave it alone. But when Erza started to leave the baby began to cry again and it didn't stop until she came back.

She picked it up but was careful not to harm it with her claws. Looking inside the cloth that covered it's lower area she realized that he was male and she found out that he was hungry too because when the clothing on her upper body started to slip off he immediately started sucking on her bosom for milk. Once he had his fill he gave a tiny burp and giggled a little. She was surprised by how adorable he was. She had always thought of humans as frightening monsters, never once did she think that they could be cute.

She then saw something lying on the ground just a little ways from where they were. Curious, she laid the baby back in the basket and went closer to the figure. It was a human woman who was fatally injured. In her arms she held a baby boy with black hair. She lifted her head up and when she saw Erza she thought that she was a human like herself. Using whatever strength she had left she kissed her baby on the head one last time and pushed him toward Erza.

"Save him." She said with her last breath. "Save my baby."

Although Erza did not understand the woman's language she understood what was happening. She was dying and she was trying to find someone to care for her child before she could die. The black haired baby then started to cry as if he could sense that his mother's life was no more. Erza took him into her arms and hushed him softly while cradling him close to where he could hear her heart beat. He gave a little yawn and fell asleep in her arms.

He was male just like the other one and they were both all alone. They had no family to take care of them. If they were left here they would surely die.

"I can't just leave you two here by yourselves."

She placed him in the basket next to the other baby and carried the basket to the den where she lived with her mate Jellal. He was a blue dragon but upon entering the den he took the form of a man with short blue hair, fangs, scales, and talons.

"What's in the basket?" He asked her.

"Now don't get upset Jellal." Erza told him.

He looked inside the basket and sniffed the two infant boys skeptically. Then stepped back from them.

"What are those things?"

"Now calm down. They're just babies."

"Get rid of them!"

"I can't get rid of them. I found them. I think this one was abandoned and the other one's mother died."

"So?"

"So they're all alone."

"Erza they're human. Humans hunt us! They're dangerous!"

"Grown humans are dangerous but these two are harmless. What do you propose I do with them?"

"Leave them in the jungle."

"They won't last a day alone in the jungle. No I'm keeping them."

"Just what exactly do you plan to do with them?"

"Raise them."

"Raise them?! Are you insane?!"

"If I can mate with a dragon then why can't I raise two human babies?"

"Erza I know you want to be a mother and it breaks my heart that I can't give you a child but you just can't take in two human young."

"Why not?"

"Because they won't be that way forever. Sure they're small and harmless now but eventually they'll grow up and hunt us."

"You don't know for sure if they'll hunt us when they grow up."

"Have you forgotten what the humans have done to us? How they've almost wiped out both of our species? How they stole my wings?"

"No I haven't and I never will forget. Jellal I know what those humans did to you hurt you and it was horrible that they slaughtered our species but these two have done nothing to us. Why should they die because of the mistakes of others?"

"I will not care for a human's offspring."

"Then I will care for them alone."

"I won't allow you to do that Erza."

"I don't need your permission to take care of them."

"If I must I will take them from you by force and leave them somewhere in the jungle."

"Then I'll fight you!" She growled. "And if I fail then I'll leave you!"

Jellal roared at her, Erza roared back, Jellal could tell by the fierce protective look in her eyes that she meant every word she had spoken. Jellal hated humans but he loved Erza more so not wanting to lose his mate he reluctantly caved in.

"Very well you can keep them. But they're your responsibility not mine! Now I'm going hunting."

He changed back into his dragon form and left. Erza huffed at her mate then smiled back at the two babies in the basket.

"Don't worry his growl is worse than his bite. In time he'll grow to like you. You'll see."

The salmon haired baby started to feel cramped so he began to try and push the black haired baby out of the basket but he just tried to push him back. Soon they were both fighting to push the other out.

"Hey no fighting you two."

She broke up the fight and held both of them in her arms.

"Now let's see what shall I call you?"

She looked over at the first infant she found.

"I don't know the exact day of your birth but I can tell that you were born in the summer so I'll call you Natsu."

She then turned to the second child.

"You have such beautiful gray eyes so I will call you Gray. Natsu and Gray, my boys."

She held them close until they fell asleep then she carefully placed them both in the basket, used the scarf she found in the basket as a cover to keep them warm, and gave them each a kiss. She was so happy. For the longest time she had been praying for a chance to be a mother and she thought that it would never happen. She and Jellal had tried many times to have offspring and she had gotten pregnant once but she miscarried. Since she and Jellal were of a different species they couldn't possibly have a natural family. But then a miracle happened. She found not one but two lost babies in need of a mother. They were hers. Her boys. And she would love them and raise them as her own.