Dawn of Adventure {Book One of The Paths We've Traveled}

Chapter Forty: Let Us Feast!

Benos wasn't prepared for Fairy Tail's strongest team. That much was obvious. No one had any idea of how to react when a group of five obnoxiously loud wizards and two flying cats appeared in their small town nearly two hours after the sun had set. The cats were already a big enough surprise, but when the pink haired man at the back of the group starting blowing fire everywhere, that was definitely a breaking point for many.

"Bring us Zeke!" He hollered as he jumped and raced around, fire pouring from his mouth and his hands.

"Shut up you pyro!" The other man of the group yelled before landing a solid punch in the fire wizard's stomach. The retaliation was immediate. The two men began scuffling, punching and kicking and sending bursts of ice and fire into the air.

"Natsu! Gray!" This came from the scarlet woman guiding the wagon. She glared, unable to do anything else beside use her words to try and break up the fight. It didn't do much to calm the men down, but they did move away from each other, fists still steaming with magic.

The inhabitants of the town were torn between hiding behind closed and locked doors or going out and meeting these people who somehow had magic at their command even though Benos was the most magic-devoid country in the world. But many wondered who these wizards were looking for; there was no one in the town by the name of Zeke, was there? No one who came to mind. Had they come to the wrong place? Hopefully.

From the back of the wagon, Lucy sighed. She exchanged a glance with Wendy, both young women embarrassed by and for their friends. The Dragon Slayer giggled slightly, fighting down a giant yawn even as her stomach roiled, protesting the loss of the motion sickness medicine that had been destroyed along with most of their belongings. Her makeshift dress did little to keep her warm in the dark spring night, but the Exceed sitting by her side helped. Carla, in her human form, looked on with Wendy as Lucy started to wiggle her way off the wagon. With all of her injuries, she probably should have waited until Erza stopped the horses, but the blonde knew she had to intercede before the boys destroyed something.

She hit the dusty ground with a thud, her ankle almost buckling under her weight. She bit down a groan, reaching out to lean back on the wagon before almost falling as she realized too late that the horses had already pulled a foot forward. But almost immediately, the Celestial wizard felt a warm hand under her right arm, giving her support as she found her balance. Lucy smiled up at Natsu, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach. If she didn't acknowledge it, it wasn't real, right?

"Thanks," she mumbled, face heating as his hand slid along her bare waist and pulled her closer, her right arm naturally falling across his shoulders. "I can walk, you know."

"Yeah, but why struggle when I can help ya?" Came the reply. She snorted softly, pulling her hair to the side to free the ponytail stuck against his scarf. In doing so, she missed the look from the Fire Dragon, a look that seemed to take in as much skin as possible, a look that seemed to want more that just a gentle touch on the waist, a look that seemed to beg for her to finally recognize what that look meant.

Lucy started walking toward the small group of adults several feet away, jerking Natsu into motion. The more she walked, the worse her ankle felt and the more she leaned against her best friend. And the more she leaned, the tighter he held her and the less he intended to let go.

They stopped in front of the group of maybe six, and Lucy ignore the blatant stares at her body. Women here don't show this much skin, she reminded herself even as she shifted uncomfortably. Damn, what's gotten into you Lucy? What happened to the girl who would pose and flirt and bat her eyes at even the slightest chance of attention from a man? Then Natsu made a noise in the back of his throat to discourage the looks, and her stomach dropped again.