Unraveled (Fairy Tail - next generation)

Chapter 3

★Ayako★

Halfway through our journey we decide to take a quick break and we get off the carriage and sit onto a patch of nearby grass, at the side of the path. We're in such an isolated place right now, there's no one else around here. We haven't passed a single person since taking this path, and it's been going on since forever.

"It feels so good to come out here!" I yawn, stretching my arms out. It's a really hot today, and the carriage is small. It's stuffy inside there.

"Yeah," Maple agrees, far too eagerly. "Are we going to be eating anything?" Her eyes suddenly widen in excitement, but then I shake my head.

"I was an idiot," I mutter. "I forgot to bring food." I turn and look at Otachi, who's followed us out but is just sitting down picking grass on his own silently. I silently watch him, wondering why he doesn't join us. I want him to join us. I want him to talk with us. I'd like to get to know him better, considering the fact that he's joined us on our first job.

"Otachi, did you bring food?" I call at him. He doesn't even look up at me before he responds that he doesn't.

"We'll have to make do with grass then," Maple decides so solemnly that I almost think she really means it, before realising it's a joke.

We talk a bit, relaxing in the heat, before deciding we should hurry up and get to our destination before the sun begins to set. We don't want to spend a night there, and it sounds like a pretty easy job. Plus, my parents will be so mad at me if I come home late, and I don't want to have to listen to yet another speech about staying safe and everything. I get they care about me, but honestly, I'm old enough to know how to stay safe and everything.

We get back into the carriage after a while and sit back down onto the cushioned seats, but the small seats already makes me feel uncomfortable. I try making some small talk with Otachi, although Otachi doesn't respond much to each question, making me feel slightly disappointed but I try my best to hide it in. Why did he decide to join me if he's not even going to talk with me or really care about anything?

"Maple," I begin, "Come to think of it, I know nothing about your home life either. I know I'm being rude or whatever but you come to my house all the time but I've never even seen your house."

Maple suddenly flushes bright pink, and hides her face in her woolly jumper. She always wears that same jumper, so I assume it was given to her by someone beloved. Perhaps it was knitted by her late mother? That is, if she has a late mother. Why doesn't Maple tell me anything? She's my best friend, but she can be so secretive sometimes. It's annoying.

"If she doesn't want to talk about it you shouldn't make her." This comes from Otachi, and is one of the only things he's said during this journey. I gape at him, shocked he actually said something like this, but then I realise. He knows what it feels like. People always try to ask him about his parents, but he hates being asked about it.

"I wasn't forcing her," I protest, irritated, but then I don't say any more. "Anyway, we'll nearly arrive soon I think."

I'm exactly right. The carriage stops just at that moment with a jerk, and we hop off quickly, taking our bags. We're at a pretty village which is surrounded by a forest draped with emerald leaves. All the buildings are cottages, but then something doesn't look right. Thats when I realise, the other half of the village, at the back, has been completely destroyed, and there are no houses there. They're nothing but shattered pieces of brick lying in the dirt. The beauty on this half seems to be disguising the horrors lying in the other half.

"Did a bear do this?" I gasp. "No way, I mean that's -" I shake my head, dumbfounded. Surely the bear can't be this strong? Has no one even attempted attacking it before?

Suddenly an old man comes up towards us, and prods me with his walking stick lightly. I glare at him in annoyance. His eyes are deeply sunken in and he has wrinkles all over his face. There are only a few wisps of old white hairs around his head.

"You," he demands, pointing his stick at Otachi now, who just rolls his eyes. "You. Fairy Tail member right? Leader of your team, hey? Well whatever. We've got a big bear there and we need you fancy pancy strong mages to get rid of it. Causing a bit of ruckus it is. Seen the other half of our town, right. You kids aren't too young right?"

"I'm actually the leader," I state proudly, but Otachi casts me a glance as if to tell me to shut up. I ignore him, although I feel a slight pang of hurt deep inside me. "We're stronger than you may think. But anyway, show us the bear."

He leads us through the village, but he walks so slowly that we only move about one footstep per ten seconds. I'm tempted to hurry him up but I don't, just in case he gets mad. We soon arrive at the other side of the village, where everything is destroyed. This side looks as though something disastrous has occurred here. Maple nudges me and points at something, and I look where she's pointing. There are bodies lying on the ground. How strong is this bear? I feel sick with terror. Am I really suited for this job?

"Don't worry," Maple whispers, as though she can hear my thoughts. I honestly feel so relieved she's here with me. "You're super strong, Ayako."

I give her a grateful grin. "You're one of the strongest people I know though, Maple."

The old man takes us even more forwards, but walking in such a graveyard like this is extremely unnerving. How long have those corpses been here for? I twist my head away when I catch sight of a body with multiple wounds and blood everywhere. The old man points far back to the left, so we all turn that way as well in curiosity.

"There's the bear. Big one, eh?"

I stare.

That is not a bear.