Dragon's Requiem

Running Wild

          Even though Levy said that everyone was coming home, it's been a month without anyone showing up. And the last letter we received was three weeks ago, saying that they were preparing to come home. Since then, there has been no letters or word from anyone that anything is actually happening. I have resigned myself to the thought that Natsu might not come home. But, I also hold on to the hope and confidence I have in my husband to return. He is the strongest person in that whole army. And he has to make it home, not only for me, but for Cassian.

          As day breaks on the beginning of a new week, I wake from my sleep to care for my son and the animals, as I always do. Since the weather is favorable and Juvia had been up with Rohan, late last night, I bring Cassian with me, out to the farmyard. I lay down the wool blanket the Natsu had gotten made for him and place my son on it. As I go about my duties, I keep an eye on him and listen for his cries. While he is generally quiet, he certainly does have a very strong voice when he cries.

          After shoving the last milk jug against the side of the barn, I turn to look at Cassian, but something else catches my eye. At the base of the forest, a lone wolf prowls forward, towards my son. Now I know the reason that one of my sheep failed to return, a few weeks ago, after I had let them graze. Quickly, I reach for my keys, but I find that I must have left them in my room.

          "Shit. Without my keys, I'm almost defenseless. But, I need to get Cassian." My thoughts are scrambled and going in all directions, but my legs move on basic instinct. I take off at a full sprint, towards my son. The wolf, knowing his window was closing, picked up speed and growled as it pounced into a run. My only focus is my son and the hope that this isn't the end for us.

          Before the wolf can reach him, I snatch Cassian from the blanket and turn to run. I know I shouldn't take my eyes away from the wolf, but there's nothing else to do. I take off towards the barn, hoping that I can defend myself inside or, at least, give Juvia enough time to hear me as I scream for her. So, I keep running, hearing my heart pound in my hears, the breath and feet of the wolf behind me, and the the whimpering of Cassian. I feel my legs and sides cramping with each step and I know that I can't outrun the wolf for long, but I have to keep running.

          As I reach the barn, I take a sharp right turn, thinking of a new plan. I leap over the cow fence, hoisting myself over with my free hand. I plow past the cows, careful to avoid getting kicked, but hoping that the wolf will get distracted or deterred. Instead, it leaps the fence and only managed to spook the cows. It does give me time to run, however, and I make it to the other side, over the fence, and back into the field, this time facing the castle and my home. With it in sight, I continue calling for Juvia, but she must not be able to hear my pleas for help.

          "And now I'm going to die." This is the only thought to cross my mind as I trip over a rock that I had failed to see. I twist to the side, protecting Cassian, but still banging my shoulder pretty hard. I am still fifty yards from the door and my body i giving up. As I look behind me, I see the wolf sprinting towards us with anger and hunger in its eyes. Its teeth are bared and it slows to a crawl as approaches us. It looks as if it is calculating every possible way to kill us. It snarls and paces a few yards away, but it finally leaps.

          To protect my son and to keep from seeing anything but him as the wolf lunged, I turn away and glance down quickly, before snapping them shut. Everything seems to go in slow motion as memories start running through my mind. It feels as if I am back in time, with every passing memory. It's as if I am seeing them for the first time. I see my mother reading to me and sharing smiles with my father. I see the night he abandoned me. I see the forest and Aquarius teaching me how to live in the wild. I see Natsu and his ring. I see my first kiss. I see the stars from the top of the tower. I see the look in Natsu's eye when we spent the night together. I see all of my friends from Fairy Tail. I see the look in Natsu's eye on the night we got married. And I see Cassian on the day he was born. I never believed the notion that your life flashes before your eyes, until this moment. 

        But, at the end of the memories, I don't feel any pain or hear the wolf's snarl as it goes for my throat. I hear the sound like a spear being thrown, the piercing of flesh, and a sharp whine from a dying animal. I open my eyes and see the swaying grass the covers the fields and feel Cassian as he squirms and hear his cries. "We're alive." And I take a couple seconds to catch my breath.

          As I take in my surroundings, I look to see that in the place of the vicious, snarling wolf, there is now a sad beast, dripping in blood and dead as it is suspended in the air, mere feet from me. It is being held in place by large spines of ice that have impaled its body and killed it immediately. I almost feel remorse for the fate that it has met, but I also know that it had tried to kill my son and I. It had attacked us and this was simply the only thing that could have been done. But... who had killed it? There where no ice mages around this area and I only ever knew of one.

          I follow the trail of magic ice that is laid across the field and feel my breath catch and eyes begin to fill with tears at the people ahead of me. Gray is fighting to stand, leaning on a thick walking stick and covered in cloth bandages and injuries. Next to him, Gajeel has his hand on Levy's shoulder ans she helps to support him a bit.

          Then, the door behind me slams open and I hear Juvia yell, "Lucy, I'm here! What's-" I watch her eyes as they scan her surroundings and well with tears at her final realization. "Gray?"

          "Juvia!" Gray exclaims hobbling towards her, tripping over himself, but Juvia is there to hug him and hold him up, before he can take more than a few steps. She cries so hard, her magic goes haywire and she starts to create a pond underneath the pair. To avoid getting wet, I hold Cassian tight and stand up to go greet my friends.

         "Levy.""Lucy." Levy and I say in tandem, relieved to see each other again. 

          "It's so great to see you, Lu," Levy says as we pull away from each other. 

           "It's great to see you, too, Levy," I responds, smiling. "You too, Gajeel." The large dragon slayer smiles down at me and huffs out a mutual response, nodding.

           Levy's eyes go from me to Cassian and her smile turns to a face of surprise, "And who is this little cutie? Is this...?" 

          "Natsu's. His name is Cassian." 

          "That's so amazing, Lu!" She hugs me, again. "And, Juvia, where's Rohan?" The water mage pulls herself from Gray and turns to her friends, tears still in her eyes, but her magic under control.

          "He's inside. Come in. I'll get food ready for you all and you can see him." Juvia ushers everyone inside. Steadily, I hand Cassian to Levy for a moment, while I retrieve his blanket. I walk in after everyone and find them sitting in the kitchen, crowding around the two little boys. So, I pull up a chair next to everyone and watch as they fawn over Rohan and Cassian..

          "Hey, Levy?" The blue haired girls looks at me. "Where's Natsu? Is he still at the camp?" The light that had been in Levy's eyes is now gone and it the room has fallen nearly silent, save for the babies that are babbling in the midst of the extinguished conversations. No one looks at me as I try to catch their eyes. 

          Finally, after a long slice of silence, Gray speaks up and asks, "Are you going to tell her, or should I?"