The Red Dragon

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Things with Gray hadn't improved in the weeks following his arrival. Erza had hired both ice mages, and he'd heard that she'd helped Gray and Lyon find an apartment in the village. He tried not to let that bother him. It wasn't like he could've asked him to come live with him in his large, dragon-filled cave.

He still had no clear understanding of who Lyon was to Gray, and try as he might, he couldn't stop himself from feeling jealous of their apparent closeness. Especially when he and Gray could barely talk to one another at the moment.

"Wendy?" Natsu called out as he walked towards the room she shared with Grandine, "Are you ready yet?"

"Almost!" Wendy yelled. She had just finished bathing in the cave's hot spring.

"Hurry up, will ya?" Natsu grumbled impatiently. "Erza's gonna pitch a fit if we're late."

Wendy ran out of her room, tripping over a small loose rock, but Natsu quickly reached out to catch her. They were all used to it. She was going through a clumsy stage at the moment.

"Thank you, Natsu-san." Wendy was so embarrassed to be in his arms that it made Natsu smile a little. He loved having the other slayers live with them. He set her back down, and they left the cave.

They made their way down the mountain and towards the village, each busy with their own thoughts. They were on their way to relieve Sting and Lyon and take the next shift. They heard a disconcerting roar as they neared the field. It was loud and clear, and the creature it was coming from sounded terrified. Natsu and Wendy looked at each other in instant recognition and broke into a run.

They were both shocked by the sight of Lyon, Sting, and Gray relentlessly attacking a baby red dragon with their magic. The ice hadn't been able to pierce the baby's scales yet. His body temperature was warm enough to melt the worst of it. Natsu noticed with growing rage that several of the baby's scales were missing, it's singed red skin showing underneath. He could hear Wendy's sharp intake of breath behind him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Natsu roared as he ran towards the injured baby dragon and stood in front of it.

Wendy stood next to him, no less disturbed by the guards' actions. Natsu was furious, and without even a thought to what he was doing, he immediately got into his fighting stance, ready to attack his friends if they didn't back down.

Sting, Lyon, and Gray looked at each other in confusion, none of them wanting to be the one to attack Natsu.

"Get out of the way, Natsu," Gray said calmly, even as he also maintained his attack stance.

Natsu ignored him, baring his fangs at all three of them even as he made soothing noises for the young dragon to calm him down. The dragon had whimpered pitifully now that he and Wendy were protecting him.

"Wendy, can you see what you can do about his injuries?"

Wendy didn't reply, but she moved away from him, and he could hear her imitating his noises as she got closer to the dragon, already probing him with her healing magic.

"He's a dragon, Natsu. He's the enemy," Gray said slowly, irritating Natsu further.

"Sting, what the hell were you thinking? I expected this from the ice idiots, but you?" Natsu held Sting's gaze, ignoring the angry glares that were coming from Gray and Lyon and focusing on staring down the dragon slayer.

"Is this really what you think your magic is for? Slaughtering innocents?" Sting was looking uncomfortable, and Natsu was pretty sure he could count on his friend to stand down.