Ch. 5- Separation

Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima

Story and OCs are mine

It was definitely big… and very fast, just as Nagisa had described. Its body was covered in white fur and it had these red markings along its face and on its sides. Behind it were these nine long tails that seemed to slither and wiggle like snakes. Its pointed ears were slanted back with aggression as its fangs were sunken into Natsu's left shoulder, but not deep enough, for the Salamander had managed to grab its jaws before they could bite too deeply.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried with worry, but as the others were about to rush in to help him, Natsu growled as he lit his foot on fire and arched it back.

"FIRE DRAGON TALON!"

WHABAM! The fox-like beast roared in pain as Natsu sent a powerful blazing kick into its underbelly, sending it several feet up into the air before it came back down. However, it quickly managed to catch itself before dropping on all fours, snarling viciously at the group of wizards, who had all gotten into their fighting stances. The beast growled before it charged once again, but Erza was quick to block the monster with her sword. However, she did end up getting pushed back a bit, though she tried to brace herself against the force as best she could as it bit down on her blade.

"Gray!" Erza called.

"On it!" Gray called back as he rushed in while conjuring two swords made of ice. "Ice-Make: ICE BRINGER!"

He swung the two blades in a cross-formation, but the fox jumped out of the way and swung one of its tails, knocking Gray into the bamboo trees. As it recovered, Haru was mounted atop Blue Fang's back as the silver wolf charged at full speed. The fox was too quick, though, and easily stepped to the side before lashing one of its tails into Blue Fang's face, causing him to yowl as he toppled over and spilled Haru in the process. The silver wolf attempted to get back on his feet, but the fox quickly pinned him down, growling as it attempted to bite at his neck.

"SKY DRAGON IRON FIST!"

Suddenly, the beast was struck by a fist powered by a large wind vortex, sending it flying through a tree as Wendy held up her hand with a confident smirk.

"Nice one, Wendy!" Natsu called out. "That training's really paid off, huh?"

"Yeah!" Wendy answered, only to shriek as the fox suddenly ran out at her with its jaws wide open, attempting to snap her up in its teeth. Thankfully, Carla grabbed her and flew up into the air at just the last second, saving the Sky Dragon Slayer from harm. However, the fox leapt up into the air, nearly snapping her ankle in its jaws, but then something collided with its belly before it could get a hold of her. As the monstrous landed on the ground, it was revealed to be Lisanna in her Harpy Form, flapping her wings to keep herself aloft.

"Nice one, Lisanna!" Natsu called, causing her to smile, but then she gasps in alarm.

"Natsu, watch out!"

As Natsu turned, he yelped as the fox suddenly turned on him again, only for it to be struck down by the flat side of a large ax, writhing around as it attempted to get back to its feet.

"Nice going, Taurus!" Lucy praised as the Bull Spirit grinned while hefting his ax over his shoulder.

"Mooo~!" he bellowed. "Not a problem!"

As the beast struggled, Haru's eyes suddenly widened as she seemed to notice something: there were three large gashes on its left side.

"Wait a minute…!" the Beast Wizard whispered. "You guys! It's-"

Before she could warn her friends, the fox got its feet and let out a furious roar as it glared at Team Natsu, and as it did, balls of ominous blue flames appeared around it. Before the group could do anything to counteract, the balls just whizzed through the air before striking the ground, creating a massive explosion that shrouded the team in smoke. Natsu coughed as he tried to fan away the smoke with his hands, but as he opened his eyes, he gasped as he found himself face-to-face with the beast. Just before he could attempt to defend himself, the fox practically had his whole body in its jaws and dashed away into the shadows of the bamboo stalks.

"NATSU!" Lucy cried in horror as the beast ran through the trees. Without another thought, she and the others ran after it in the hopes of recovering their teammate and friend. Happy desperately flapped his wings as fast as he could, going at maximum speed… but it was all he could before he could only cling to the tip of one of its nine tails. As for the others, they could only call out Natsu's name as he was dragged away.

"No…!" Haru whispered in dismay.

"Dammit, it's just too fast!" Gray cursed.

"We can't let it get away!" Erza shouted. "Follow its trail!"

As the others went after the beast, determined to keep on its trail… but at that moment, Wendy seemed to notice something.

"What's wrong, Wendy?" asked Carla as she noticed that her charge was distracted.

"Where did Lisanna go?" Wendy asked.

XXX

"LET GO OF ME!" Natsu shouted as he punched the fox in the face, over and over. "PUT ME DOWN, YOU OVERGROWN SHAG RUG!"

The monster didn't release its hold on him. Whatever this was, it truly had some powerful jaw strength if it could keep him pinned. Natsu grunted as he tried to pry himself as best he could, but it was no use. He could feel the fangs piercing into his chest and stomach, digging deeper into flesh and muscle. Any deeper and it would certainly hit bone, as well… and once those ribs of his broke, they would either puncture one of his lungs or crush his heart.

"Natsu! Hang on!" Happy cried.

Natsu growled as he reeled back his fist and opened his palm, which was soon ablaze with fire.

"FIRE DRAGON CRUSHING FANG!"

He swung his hand down and raked his nails against the fox's face like talons, making the beast roar as it finally dropped Natsu on the ground. He tumbled briefly before he managed to catch himself… but then he groaned as he held his stomach, feeling warm blood seep onto his hand. At that moment, Happy finally managed to untangle himself from the beast's tails and hurriedly flew to his best friend's side.

"Come on, quick!" the little blue Exceed urged as he grabbed Natsu by the back of his vest. "Let's go!"

The fox was quick to regain its senses before it growled and attempted to continue the chase. However, as it set its sights on Natsu once more, it roared as something else suddenly raked across its back, scraping patches of fur. As the fox yowled, it looked up to see Lisanna, still in Harpy Form as she swooped in.

"Lisanna!" Happy exclaimed, joyful to see her, but the joy was quickly cut short as the Animal Soul Wizard flew by.

"Hurry, Happy! We gotta get outta here!" she called, and without wasting another second, Happy quickly lifted Natsu into the air and took flight. However, the fox was not going to give up that easily. Relentless in its pursuit, it kept the trio in its sights, growling viciously while literally snapping at their heels. Eventually, they burst through the forest, flying over a roaring river.

"I think we're safe now," said Lisanna as she glanced back as the fox stood at the edge of a cliff.

"Haha!" Happy laughed mockingly while shaking his tail at it. "Can't get us now!"

The fox growled as the same balls of flames appeared around its body, causing Happy and Lisanna to gasp. Natsu, on the brink of passing out, tensed as he realized what was about to happen. Without another thought, he quickly grabbed Happy in one arm and Lisanna in the other, pulling them both against his body. In doing so, however, all three entered a complete freefall as the blue fireballs flew over them.

It was at that moment that Lucy and the others finally appeared… but they could do nothing as Natsu, Happy, and Lisanna all plunged into the river.

The last thing Natsu heard right before he blacked out, even as he was submerged under the water… was the sound of Lucy screaming his name.

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