The Dragon King

Graveyard Chase

Natsu and Lucy continued running through the graveyard until they stopped to catch their breath. "Did we lose 'em?" Lucy asked tiredly. "I think so," Natsu panted, "Where's Erza?" Natsu asked as he realized that Erza was gone.

Meanwhile elsewhere,  the hyenas had a frightened Erza near a steam vent. "Little majordomo bird hippity-hopped all the way to the birdie-boiler." Jackal said while he walked the poor helpless bird like a play doll. "Oh no! Not the birdie-boiler!" Erza shrieked as she was stuffed into the vent. She then let out a high-pitched scream as she was launched into the sky like a rocket until she was out of view. The hyenas started to laugh hysterically, until an angry voice caught their attention.

"Hey!" They turned to see Natsu and Lucy standing on a ledge above them. "Why don't you pick on somebody your own size?" Natsu growled as he glared at them. "Like... you?" Kyoka smiled slyly as Natsu let out a nervous "Oops." while Lucy let out a small scream when Jackal jumped at them with his jaws. The hyenas started chasing the cub dragons around the graveyard, until they stopped as the hyenas poked their heads through an active methane vent, giving out a "BOO!", scaring the young dragons as they laughed before they started chasing them again. Their chase soon leads them to a giant skeleton of a Sun Giant, in which Natsu and Lucy manged to escape by sliding down the spine, before they shot off the end and landed on a high hillside of bones. As the two were climbing up the bones, the hyenas soon caught up to them until Natsu heard Lucy call out to him, "Natsu!"

Natsu turned and gasped when he saw Lucy screaming as she was sliding down the hill of bones towards the hyenas. He quickly swooped down and scratched Kyoka with his claws, giving Lucy enough time to escape. By now, Kyoka was enraged at the scratch given to her cheek. She was now determined than ever to catch Natsu.

The chase soon came to an end as Natsu and Lucy ran into a cave only to meet a dead end seeing as there was no way out. Seizing this chance, Kyoka, Jackal and Franmalth started corning the two dragons with Jackal grinning. As Lucy backed behind Natsu scared, Natsu tried to find a way out. There was only one way out, besides trying to run past them only to be chased again, which was up. They would've flown up into the air to get away from the hyenas, but because their wings were still small they weren't strong enough to fly to high or far yet. So, Natsu had to rely on the first thing that came to mind. Breathing with all his might, the young dragon prince exhaled a torrent of fire from his mouth. But the fire was so small; it didn't reach the hyenas. This caused Kyoka, Jackal and Franmalth to laugh. He was scared but he stood his ground to protect Lucy. "That was it?" Jackal laughed. "Do it again... come on." Kyoka said while smirking. Narrowing his eyes, Natsu kept his strong, yet scared stance, took a deep breath, just as he opened his mouth to breathe fire...

...out came a full-grown, ear-piercing dragon's roar.

"Huh?" Kyoka, Jackal and Franmalth said incredulously.