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July 7th, X778

Lucy swore under her breath and lurched backwards, but she wasn't quick enough. She squealed when sharp metal nicked her arm, tearing through her coat's sleeve with long slices. The god laughed cruelly, molten eyes glowing all the brighter. Lucy tripped backwards in her rush to get away. He caught her by the front of her coat regardless, dragging her back towards him. She bit back a squeak when the god snapped his fangs near her face.

"I could rip you to shreds," he crooned.

Lucy could hardly breathe. This wasn't much better than coming face-to-face with the Vhalis. Working on instinct, Lucy tried to twist and free herself, swearing she could smell burning flesh. When that didn't work, she simply reeled back and slammed her forehead as hard as she could into the angry god's face. He dropped her with a shout of pain and surprise, and Lucy tumbled to the ground. She didn't stay there; she shot backwards, scrambling back as quickly as possible to try and get away. She'd pissed him off more, she thought as he glared at her, a new level of fury rising in his gaze as he swiped the golden blood of the gods from his nose. His hands were burned as if Natsu's scarf had seared his hands where he'd dared to touch it.

It was a relief when his attention shifted. The smell of smoke filled Lucy's nose, and she tipped her head back to look up. "Natsu," she rasped in greeting as he peered back down at her. Ash flecked his lips, though it was the only sign of any temper.

"You've got to have some kind of record," he told her, not even acknowledging the other god.

Lucy rolled her eyes and scrambled to her feet, gripping the scarf delicately in her fingers. It drew the god's attention back to her and irritation drew a rumbling growl from deep in his chest. Natsu looked inclined to ignore him a moment longer, but decided otherwise. He wrinkled his nose as he studied him. "Hey, Gajeel. Long time, no see."

Something lethal twisted Gajeel's face and he snapped his teeth again. Gajeel, thought Lucy. The god of warfare – a dangerous enemy to have. Lucy whispered to Natsu, "I might have headbutted him in the face. Might."

Natsu glanced at her, staring for a heartbeat, and uttered a single bark of laughter.

It was the wrong thing to do.

Gajeel was on them in an instant. Lucy managed to duck out of the way, but Natsu wasn't so lucky. He slammed Natsu into the earth, spraying soil and dead grass, and Natsu squawked at the force. He managed to avoid a heavy blow to the face, alarmed by the level of violence that was completely unlike a normal squabble between family members.

Lucy was grateful Wendy wasn't close by. She was likely hiding in the safe farmhouse. At least, Lucy hoped she was, because with a particularly nasty bellow from the angry war god, sharp pieces of metal seemed to fly in every direction. Lucy yelped when several caught her arm when she threw her hands up to protect her face, scrambling further away from the chaos.

That particular incident dragged Natsu out of his side of the scuffle. He reeled back, shoving away and retreating when Gajeel lunged at him again. "What are you fighting me for?" shouted Natsu, a loud, familiar hum flooding the air – a warning, when Gajeel dared to try stepping closer again.

Gajeel bared his teeth at Natsu, very much like a snarling dog keen on launching itself into another fight. He seemed to tremble with the fury that filled every inch of him. His breath came in rushed, heavy gasps. "Where's Levy?"

"Levy was missing even before we all Fell," Natsu had once told Lucy. "She had a fight with Gajeel and went to take a breather, but she never came back. I spoke with her right before she did. When Gajeel came to ask me where she'd gone, he didn't like my answer."

Lucy was fairly certain the situation would go from bad to worse when Natsu said uneasily, "I don't know." Gajeel's eyes narrowed, and Natsu held his hands up, expression dead serious. "I don't, Gajeel. I would tell you if I knew. I don't know where anyone is right now – except for Mira. We found Mira."

"I don't give a flying fuck about Mira." Gajeel's gaze drifted to Lucy, and the hum increased in volume. Natsu reached out and grabbed Lucy's wrist, ready to yank her out of range. Lucy wasn't sure what he thought he could do when Gajeel could apparently fire shrapnel at them like some kind of dragon.

Unsure of what else to do to prevent Gajeel from attacking them a second time, Lucy blurted, "The mountains!" They both looked at her, confused. "Erza mentioned she and Jellal had discovered something weird in the mountains. It hasn't snowed there since the Fall. We were going to check it out. Levy's a springtime goddess, right? Maybe she'll have something to do with it." Even as she spoke, Lucy realized the potential in what she was saying herself. It made sense. She wished she'd thought of the possibility sooner.

There was a moment in which no one moved a muscle. Gajeel studied her with barely hidden interest. Finally, he rumbled, "Erza?"

"Erza," repeated Lucy, glancing at Natsu for backup.

Natsu added, "Erza thinks Lucy will see something they couldn't. Since Lucy's human."

The molten metal in Gajeel's eyes began to trickle away, replaced by strange albeit mostly human-looking red eyes. "Levy knows wards and runes. The village that killed her used them to hide from her afterwards, so she learned them to get through them."

Because that wasn't a terrifying thought. Lucy rocked forward, ignoring Natsu's warning look. "Then maybe she's what's hiding in the mountains."

Gajeel's rage eased further, and he settled more. The cracks in his skin sealed themselves. He would have looked like a simple man had Lucy not known better. She checked with Natsu to see what he thought of the tense situation. He'd settled down, too, the hum fading from the air. Reassured that they'd be okay, Lucy whispered to Natsu, "Did you finish checking the–"

A scream split the air. Lucy's face went pale as a sheet. Natsu was sprinting towards the house in an instant, forgetting the potential danger Gajeel presented in an instant. Lucy hesitated to follow him. She was frantic to ensure Wendy was okay, but at the same time…turning her back on the god that had attacked her moments ago seemed like a bad idea. Yet, Lucy decided she'd not thrown herself into a killer's path to save Wendy only to lose her now.

So, she bolted for the farmhouse, scowling over her shoulder when Gajeel laughed, as if he found their responses amusing. She ducked in the front door, not daring to call out to figure out where her friends had gone. She heard commotion upstairs, so she hurried up the steps as quietly as she could. She ran smack into Natsu at the top, who yelped in surprise. "Luce!"

"Sorry," muttered Lucy. "Where's–"

"Lucy, look," gasped Wendy, and Lucy didn't know whether to throttle her for scaring her, or let herself simply collapse in relief. Grumbling, Lucy ducked around Natsu to peer at what Wendy wanted her to see. Her lips parted in shock.

Perched in Wendy's lap was a content, purring white cat. Its dark eyes blinked at them warily, and it nudged Wendy's fingers when she stopped stroking its dull fur. The poor creature was on the thinner side. Its ribs and hips stuck out starkly against its skin, as if it hadn't had a solid meal in a while.

Lucy drew her hands down her face and shook her head. "I thought you were getting eaten, and you're telling me you screamed because a cat scared you?!"

Wendy pouted. "She popped out of nowhere. It scared me for only a second! Isn't she cute?" Wendy beamed, scratching the cat's chin gently. "I'm going to call her Charle."

"No." Lucy groaned. "No, no, you can't name it. If you name it, then you're going to want to bring the cat with us, and we–" She broke off when Wendy stared up at her with devastation, clutching the cat close to her chest. Lucy threw her hands up and looked to Natsu for help. Usually, he backed her up when she asked.

Natsu, to her surprise, watched the white feline with a wistful, somewhat grieving look that took Lucy off guard. "Let her keep the cat," he told Lucy quietly, dropping into a crouch beside Wendy. He reached out and let the cat sniff his hand. She narrowed her eyes and hissed at him, drawing a small smile to Natsu's face. When Lucy huffed in disagreement, he said, "Cats were messengers of the gods for my people. They're good luck."

He'd had a cat, guessed Lucy, back before he'd ascended. One he'd cared for deeply if the look on his face was anything to go by. Still, realizing it was two against one, Lucy sighed heavily and put her hands on her hips. "Fine," she grumbled. "The cat – Charle," she amended when Wendy glared at her, "can come. But we'll have to figure something out, because we don't have cat food and if she runs off, we can't just chase after her and hope a Vhalis doesn't track us down. And she has to be quiet, Wendy."

Wendy's eyes lit with joy, and she gently set Charle aside, hopping to her feet. She threw her arms around Lucy in a tight hug. "Thank you, Lucy!" she said with such warm and sincerity that Lucy softened. "C'mon, Charle," she added, pulling away. "Let's go see what we can find in the house!" The cat chirped and happily trotted after her, tail high, and Lucy let out a soft breath. She wasn't confident in the decision to keep a cat around, but at least Wendy was happy.

Lucy winced, recalling just who she'd left outside. "Natsu, is–"

"Yeah," interrupted Natsu. His lips curved into a grin. "Gajeel's still there."

"Natsu, he was a giant dog."

He downright cackled then. "Well, yeah. We all do something like that. I don't know why or what we're supposed to use 'em for. Erza turns into an owl." He rubbed the back of his head thoughtfully. "I'm surprised he could do that, actually. Takes a lot of power to do it. Either he was able to take something from Hel, or he was seriously pissed off."

"What do you turn into?" demanded Lucy, a little alarmed that her friend could apparently do such a thing.

For a moment, she didn't think Natsu was going to answer. He gestured for Lucy to follow, and began heading back downstairs. He beelined for the front door. He likely intended to talk more with Gajeel, though Lucy decided she'd not be accompanying him when she saw Gajeel impatiently waiting on the other side of the door. His crimson eyes burned with irritation.

Realizing she wouldn't be joining him, Natsu called over his shoulder, "A very, very big fire bird."

Puzzled, Lucy could only watch as the door clicked shut behind him.

Gajeel, much to Lucy's despair, was apparently keen on staying around rather than heading north on his own. Lucy had been hoping that he'd be too keen on finding his missing girlfriend to hang around, but apparently he was going to wait around for them to assist them – and insult them in the process. He joined them in the abandoned farmhouse as they settled down for the night, grumbling about having to stay there at all until Lucy snapped, "You don't have to hang around. You could, I don't know, leave."

Lucy realized a moment too late he'd been antagonizing them into such a response. He zeroed in on her with a cruel grin full of razor sharp teeth. "There's a whole slew of gods who'd kill you for talking to us like that, lady."

Lucy threw her hands in the air and nearly smacked Natsu in the face. He'd settled close to her, as if suspecting the grouchy war god would target her. "Then smite me in all my human glory. And it's Lucy."

Wendy watched them with wide eyes, Charle curled up in her lap and purring soundly after finishing off a can of wet food Wendy had scrounged out of a cabinet for her. Wendy had made sure to stash a good number of those cans in her backpack, promising to carry them all herself. Eyes darting between them all, she said awkwardly, "Please don't smite Lucy. She helps keep us alive."

"'Us?'" echoed Gajeel, snickering. His gaze raked over Natsu with such a smug look that Lucy kind of wanted to punch him. She took a deep breath and kept her hands to herself instead. "Are you that bad off already, Salamander?"

Natsu clenched his jaw. "Shut up, Gajeel," he muttered, a low hum in the back of his throat. It was a warning, telling Gajeel he meant business. Gajeel didn't seem to care. Rather, Gajeel seemed keen on annoying the hell out of Lucy and Natsu both. He didn't seem as inclined to pester Wendy, which gave Lucy some hope that he at least had some morals.

Gajeel continued, "You shouldn't be this powerless for at least another year, maybe two if you rationed it out."

Lucy furrowed her brow at that, glancing at Natsu with a frown. "Is…is that true, Natsu?" Why would he–

Understanding dawned as Natsu averted his gaze, and guilt spilled in. Natsu had used all of his available power on the pair of humans beside him, whether it was defending them from Vhalis or helping to keep them warm from the raging winter that had surrounded them for so long. Natsu grumbled under his breath and glared at Gajeel, firing back, "Why are you even here? Go eat a rock or something."

"I don't eat rocks." Gajeel said it matter-of-factly, resting his chin in his hand with a smirk. "'Sides." His gaze sharpened as it latched onto Lucy again, smirk widening until his sharp teeth were on full display as Natsu began humming again. "You're part of the reason Levy disappeared, Natsu, so it's only right your Favored helps find her."

"Levy ran off 'cause you said something stupid," retorted Natsu.

Gajeel scowled at him, and before another truly angry argument or fight could break out, Lucy butted in. "You said Levy knows things that can help her hide from other gods?"

He leveled her with a suspicious look. He didn't trust her, and Lucy didn't trust him either. She narrowed her eyes to show him that. After debating whether or not he planned to answer, Gajeel surprised her by giving in. He rocked back and said gruffly, "She's the only one of us who knows runes powerful enough to hide gods from one another."

"Levy's the oldest of the gods," Natsu added, and Lucy turned her attention on Natsu, ignoring the glare Gajeel gave him. "She was the first one Mavis chose. She's tried to teach the rest of us about them, but none of us can understand them like she can."

"None of you can," corrected Gajeel smugly.

Natsu snorted. "It's not like you can either, Gajeel."

"Focus," sighed Lucy, annoyed. She hated that the pair seemed keen on annoying each other. She was still rather disappointed that Gajeel had chosen to tag along. At least when Gray had joined them, he'd known when to hold his tongue. At least Gray could chase the Vhalis off with ease. But then…at the same time…

"You shouldn't be this powerless for at least another year, maybe two if you rationed it out."

Which meant Gajeel wasn't badly off. As the god of war, Gajeel would be more capable than most at helping them stay safe, no matter what they walked into.

Deciding she'd not complain about having Gajeel around though she didn't necessarily like him, Lucy spoke directly to him. "Why would Levy feel the need to hide herself from other gods then? I mean, the Vhalis keep chasing after the gods, so if they'd been for the Vahlis, I'd get it, but why other gods? Natsu said you two had a fight before she disappeared. That shouldn't have been enough for this kind of response, right?"

Gajeel grumbled about her knowing more than she was supposed to know about his personal business. He gritted out, "She wouldn't hide herself. Not from me. Even when we're fighting."

Natsu shifted uneasily in his seat, ignoring Charle's hiss of warning in favor of reaching over to uncomfortably scratch her behind the ears. She accepted the affection reluctantly. "Levy's not the kind of person to just hide away from us. She cares a lot about the rest of us, Luce."

"Which means she might not be alone." Lucy wasn't entirely thrilled by her own line of thinking, and they all fell entirely quiet. She could see the gears turning in the gods' heads. She looked between them warily, noting how aggravated Gajeel seemed to become almost immediately at the thought. He clenched his jaw and said nothing as Natsu said softly, "A human must have her diale."

Instinctively, Lucy touched the scarf she wore. She'd not yet given it back to Natsu, though he didn't seem to mind. Gajeel, however, narrowed his eyes at the reminder, tilting his head in a way that made her eye him suspiciously. She'd stay on high alert around the god of war, if only to keep him from trying to kill her in her sleep. Before Lucy could tell him to stop, Natsu snapped, "Stop looking at her like that. I gave it to her."

Gajeel scoffed. "Then you're a bigger idiot than I thought you were."

"What does it mean?" asked Wendy carefully, gathering Charle closer to her chest. "If someone stole her…her diale?" She made a face when the word seemed to come out strangely on her tongue, clearly not used to saying it.

"Someone somehow stole it." Natsu leaned back on his hands, exhaling softly. "I don't know how they would have though. It's nearly impossible unless we willingly hand it over. And if someone's managed to steal it, then that might be why we've been having issues with Valhalla, Gajeel."

Lucy didn't bother to ask how one went around stealing a diale. It seemed like a good way to get her chewed out or worse by Gajeel. She said instead, "What would someone need to steal a diale for? Power, I'm sure, but…why not go after someone like Jellal then? Or Gajeel?"

Gajeel didn't bother to answer her question, but the darkness in his expression told Lucy he likely had a lot to say that he wasn't willing to share about the answer. It was Natsu who said quietly, "Levy's the oldest of the gods, Lucy. She knows things the rest of us don't. Wards…runes…they're just the start of it all. If someone got their hands on Levy, then they might be able to get the rest of us."

After a few beats of silence in which they comprehended what this might mean, Wendy sighed heavily. "Why can't things ever be easy?"

Some fun with Gajeel AND a surprise Charle! I wasn't sure I'd include any of the Exceeds, but here we are. Will Happy show up? Not sure yet. We'll find out.

Thanks to reviewers (3825Doll, Meow Orbit, TheAngelicPyro, marn-marn, nerdalertwarning, CMenard, and hopelesskar!) as well as those who favorited and followed!