A Lost Boy

Chapter 9

Long Tom was the biggest and most explosive cannon that was onboard of Grimoire Heart's ship. It could shoot cannonballs high enough to reach the clouds and knock down anything no matter how high it was. A prefect weapon to use on anything or anyone who could fly.

The crew loaded it up with double the gun power and aimed at an angle that was directed straight at the could where the four children sat. Long Tom's fuse was lit and a cannon ball was shot out of it and upward at an incredible speed. Acting fast, Gray pushed Juvia and her brothers out the way and flew higher up. They weren't hit but the force sent Juvia flying in another direction and it knocked Natsu and Romeo right out of the sky.

"Meredy I'll distract the pirates you find Juvia and the boys and get them somewhere safe." Gray instructed his fairy before flying down toward the pirate ship. Unaware that it would be a mistake to trust her with Juvia's safety.

"Hey you one eyed codfish over here!" He called to get the attention of his worst enemy.

"Shoot him!" Captain Hades ordered as more cannons and pistols starting shooting off.

"You can't catch me!" Gray taunted as he dodged the bullets and cannon balls being shot at him and laughing with each miss. There was nothing he found to be more hilarious than to watch those idiotic pirates fail to kill him. He really couldn't think of anything more funny to observe.

But he knew he couldn't stay long because he had to find his new friends before they accidentally landed somewhere that could lead to trouble. You see while Tendrou Island was a place of fun, beauty, and adventure it was also a place of danger, risks, and you guessed it trouble. An example of such existed with many of the inhabitants on the island. Of course you already know that the pirates are the biggest source of it but there are others as well. Perhaps not as evil or bloodthirsty as the pirates but still dangerous.

One milder case would be the original inhabitants of Tendrou Island: The fairies. Centuries ago the island itself was created when an immortal hollow tree of magic seemed to grow from nothing and when the wind blew against it dust would fall from it along with leaves, seedlings, and blossom petals. But whenever the dust mixed with the fallen leaves, seedlings, or petals a fairy would be born. The tree created many fairies granting them both it's magic and immortality. In return the fairies surrounded their tree with an island so it would thrive better and be protected from outside forces that would harm it. Fairies are some of the few rare creatures who can travel between Tendrou Island and our world however most of them typically prefer to stay in the world of their birth.

The few who did travel between worlds usually did it out of curiosity and if they ever encountered humans they would either help or hurt them. The ways that they would help them was by leaving them little presents or cleaning up their house or caring for unwanted children. The ways that they would hurt them was by playing tricks on them or stealing their things or leading them into trouble. Just as Gray had said earlier fairies are very much like people. Some can be good and some can be bad. It just all depends.

Just South of the fairy tree and on the far out reaches of the shore was the domain of the mermaids. Their home was a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness yet at the same time it reflected light. This lagoon was called Mermaid Heel and these creatures mostly kept to themselves and spent their days basking and combing out their hair in a lazy way. However they could be a most troublesome brood and a species that should be avoided at all costs. Reasons why? I'll explain later.

Then there were the Indians of the tribe called Celestia. Though they weren't really Indians, they were actually celestial spirits who came down from the heavens and on to this land, to be the chosen allies of the fairies and the protectors of the island but they would take human form so they would be able to understand and communicate with the other inhabitants. They based their human appearances and human lifestyle off of the Indians because out of all the races of people they observed from the sky it was the Indians they watched the most. So like the Indians they carried tomahawks and knives, and their bodies gleamed with paint and oil. They were at one with nature and treated it with nothing but a deep respect and honor. Nevertheless they could also be just as violent and barbaric as the pirates. In fact Grimoire Heart and the Celestial tribe had fought over control of the West side of the island for what seemed to be like an endless amount of time. In the end the Indians won and they became very territorial of their land. If you attempted to challenge their control it would most likely lead to an immediate scalping.

But they were not without a compassionate side, years back they took in a child from our world. One of the few who had not be brought here by Gray. A young girl called Lucy who had nothing and was doomed to a terrible fate. Like Gray, she saved a fairy who stumbled into her home and as a reward the fairy offered her an escape. She was brought to Tendrou Island and left at the Celestial tribe. Upon hearing her story the Indians pitied her and not only did they make her one of them but they made her their princess because through her there could be an understanding between the tribe and other inhabitants. They all loved her dearly and under their care she became a pretty, high spirited, and coquettish girl with a desire to prove that she was a lot tougher than people thought.

The predatory beasts of the island were also a type of inhabitant to be weary of. A great and motley procession of lions, tigers, bears, wolves, snakes, hawks, boars, and the most feared of them all the dragon. Now this dragon was not like the ones you've heard in other fantasy stories. It does not fly nor does it breathe fire but it swims at an incredible speed and can stay underwater for hours. It's terribly stealthy, skilled, vicious, and of course man eating. But this dragon in particular has certain type of man that he wants to eat. That would be none other than Captain Hades himself. From the very moment the demonic reptile accidentally swallowed his left eye all he could think about was how wonderful the rest of him would taste. He's followed the wretched pirate for years, trying to be as sneaky as possible but every time he gets close to catching him the ticking noise of that clock he swallowed always gives him away and spoils his hunt. But when a predator chooses a specific type of prey to hunt it almost never gives up.

Finally there were the lost boys. Children who Gray had brought over previously due to the fact that they came from a poor home or thought they did. He was their leader, protector, and most trusted friend. Each of them were eternally loyal to Gray and had considered him along with each other blood brothers from the moment they first met. There were four of them in their group: Gajeel, Elfman, Sting, and Rogue.

Gajeel was the toughest of them and considered himself the unofficial leader of the group whenever Gray was absent because he thinks he remembers the days before he was lost, with their manners and customs which irritated the other boys very much. Elfman was the more sensitive and polite of the bunch, he tried to be as manly as the others but he was so painfully shy and soft spoken. Sting was the most impulsive one and often acted without thinking, still there was no one on the island with better tracking skills than him. Rogue was their most subtle and agile member which made him a perfect spy for when the boys needed to find out information on Grimoire Heart's next move.

Their ages ranged from twelve to ten, they were all feral yet well meaning children who dressed in animal skins and spent their days hunting, fishing, playing tricks, and going on adventures. Today they were in the middle of hunting for tonight's dinner when they saw something unusual flying into their territory. They weren't sure what it was but they believed it to be a bluebird due to the fact that it could fly and had some blue coloring to it. But it was actually Juvia they had spotted and she didn't realize it yet but she was in for a very poor first impression of them.