The strange noises were going off in different directions, one on the left and one on the right so Natsu and Gray decided to split up and investigate separately then meet back later to report what they found. The noise on the route Natsu had taken led straight to the river and it was coming from the other side. Now Natsu knew all too well that if he crossed the river and Erza found out he would be punished big time. But his curiosity overcame his fear of punishment. He just had to know what that noise was. He just had to know what this thing called man looked like. So he crossed the river to the other side. He had just gotten to the other edge when he heard that noise again and he heard footsteps coming his way. He darted into the bushes to hide.
The first thing he saw frightened him a little. It was a middle-aged man with a beard wearing a bandhgala suit. Natsu recognized him as the mean and angry creature who had tried to strike him eight years ago.
"Where did that miserable old bear go?" He asked holding his gun up.
He seemed more mean and angry than before.
"Father wait."
He saw another creature step forward behind the mean and angry one. It was a young woman with hair as golden as the sun, wide brown eyes, and cherry red lips. She wore a green choli, a dark pink lehenga with a matching dupatta, and her feet were sandals while bracelets of gold were on her wrists. Natsu had never seen a creature so majestic and fair in his entire life and she seemed so much more gentle and sweet than the man in front of her.
"Father we have plenty of meat to dine on back home." She said. "Why are you still hunting?"
"Lucy I do not attend to eat the bear. I plan to mount him on my wall as a trophy."
Natsu listened to their conversation the best he could but he didn't understand a word that either of them were saying.
"Father that's cruel."
"No my daughter it is not an act of cruelty. It is a way to show the village my strength and courage."
"Father you are the chief. The people of Alvarez respect and obey you, why must you hunt for sport to prove yourself."
"So that no one will try to rebel against me and to show those Fiorians who rules this land."
"This war with Fiorians is ridiculous. Were our people not once friends and allies with them before? What happened?"
"They poisoned my priest and his wife because we refused to provide them with more land to steal. Now we must fight until they leave."
"Can't you just try to make peace with them?"
"And look like a weak fool in the eyes my people? Never! I showed these people compassion before and they ungratefully stole our land and killed our people. You are just a child Lucy, you cannot possibly understand how dangerous and evil these people are."
"I'm not a child Father. I'm seventeen, practically a woman. Why must you treat me like I'm so juvenile?"
"That is enough! Lucy return to the village. I shall be home before sun down."
"But Father-"
"Now Lucy!"
She sighed.
"You never listen to me."
She walked from the middle aged man. Natsu followed her. He had the strangest feeling that he had seen the woman before. In fact he was sure that he had seen her before but he couldn't figure out when and where he had seen her.
"I don't like this jungle." She said to herself. "It's frightening here. I don't get how hunters can spend all day in this terrible place. Not to mention there are all those scary animals like spiders and snakes and wolves and dragons and tigers."
Natsu could tell that she was upset but what was it that had upset her so much. She angrily went through the jungle trying to find her way back home when she stepped on some leaves which were covering a hole. She fell down the hole and let out a scream in the process.
"Ow!" She cried. "Where did this come from? Oh great another one of those hunting traps. Hopefully there's nothing dangerous down here."
On cue a python appeared. A large, deadly python. Lucy froze, her heart was beating like a drum, she was absolutely paralyzed with fear. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even breathe. What was she supposed to do? If she moved it would surely attack her but it would attack her eventually if she stayed here. The python moved to coil her with it's tail when a hand sized the python by it's neck and pulled it away from her. The hand that had come to her aid belonged Natsu.
The python immediately turned to it's attention over to Natsu. The muscular young man and the dangerous reptile glared at each other, both of them positioning to attack the other. The python moved to attack first but Natsu was ready for him. He dodged his snapping fangs and grabbed hold of his jaw. The woman watched as they wrestled for dominance. At last the fight ended with Natsu twisting it's neck so hard that he snapped it, killing the python instantly.
He turned back to the young woman. Her face was ghost white and she was trembling.
"What...How...Did you do that?"
Natsu could see that she was talking but her words sounded like utter nonsense to him. Seeing her this close up, she now seemed more familiar than ever.
"Who are you?" She asked.
He didn't know what she was but he could tell that she was young and that she was female. He sniffed her. She smelled so clean.
"What river does she bathe in?" He thought.
"Why are you sniffing me?" She asked.
What an interesting body she had. Her paws and feet were like his and she had fur only on her head. He touched her hair, then started touching her arms, shoulders, and hands. The back of her right hand bore a pink mark that was in the same shape as the red mark on his shoulder and the blue mark on Gray's chest.
"Would you please stop touching me? My father won't take kindly to me being touched by some strange man in a loincloth."
What were those two things on her chest? They were huge and they looked puffy. He didn't have those on his chest and neither did Gray. But why did she have them? Curious, he gave those swollen things on her chest a squeeze. The woman screamed and smacked him right across his face. Natsu didn't realize it but he had just groped her breasts.
"Pervert!" She cried. "You're lucky my father didn't see you do that because if he did he would have put a bullet through your head!"
Natsu now understood that she was angry but he didn't know why. Despite knowing of her anger toward him he still wanted to know more about her. He started to touch her face.
"What are you doing? Cut it out!"
She had such big brown eyes. They were bigger than Erza's and he thought that they were cuter than hers too. Big brown eyes. Like that pretty brown eyed creature he had met as a boy. Come to think of she had the same blonde hair as that creature too. Wait a minute was this female the same creature he had encountered back then? Yes. Yes it was her.
"Why are you looking at me so strangely?" She asked.
She had grown so much. He didn't expect to ever see her again especially not after all this time. He put his ear to her chest and listened to her heart beat. It sure was fast.
"Yes that's my heart." The woman said.
"Haaarrrr!" He shouted.
"Don't shout."
"Haaarrrr."
"Yes heart. That is my heart."
"Haaarrrr...Heart. Heart."
"So you're not mute you just don't speak my language. However I can tell by the mark on your shoulder that you're Alvarian. How is it that you're Alvarian like me but you don't speak my language? Then again I've never seen you in the village before. Where exactly do you live?"
"Na..." He said.
"Na?"
"Na...Na..."
"Na? Na what?"
"Na...Na...Natsu."
"Natsu. Natsu." He said pointing to himself.
"Oh I see that's what they call you."
"Oh I see?" He pointed toward her.
"No. That's not my name."
"No that's not my name." He repeated.
"My name is Lucy."
"My name is Lucy."
"No. Lucy. Lucy. Lucy." She said pointing to herself.
"Lu...Lu...Lucy?"
"Yes Lucy."
"Lucy. Lucy. Lucy. Lucy." He kept repeating her name over and over again while jumping around excitedly.
"What kind of man are you?" Lucy asked. "Apparently one who doesn't like pants. Though I must admit you are attractive and have these sinewy arms of a god! Wow! Oh! Get a hold of yourself Lucy you're acting like you've never seen a man's body before. How silly of me to- Whoa! What are you doing now?"
He took her into his arms, jumped up as high as he could, then clung to a vine which he used to climb out of the pit.
"Oh well thank you."
Natsu wanted to stay and learn more about Lucy but he realized that it was getting darker. He didn't want to face Erza's wrath if he stayed out all night again. Once he knew for sure that Lucy was safe he left to go back home.