'I can't believe Erza did this to me.' I thought in my head as I exchanged a glare with Gray- He was most likely thinking the same thing. We just walked through the forest in silence as we made our way to where we would be doing our job. I never liked the quiet but I am not talking to Gray. Raine was left at the guild so I was completely alone with him.
After about ten minutes of walking in silence I stopped and looked around. I felt that feeling in my gut when something bad will happen. "Gray?" I asked nervously.
"Your imagining it." He told me not stopping. I knew it wasn't nothing, I knew something was watching us. Gray stopped and turned around, "Come on Aurora."
I shook my head, my heart was pounding. "I don't like this." My breathing got hollow and I backed up a few steps. I herd a bush rustling behind me. With a small cry I ran behind Gray and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my head into his shoulder.
"What's the problem?" Gray grunted, "It was probably just the wind." He put his hand on my head and I opened my eyes. "My gut just knows something is there." I replied with my heart pounding. He could probably feel it since I was right up against his back.
"We better get moving then," he urged me. "We have to get to our job by sundown or we will have to probably have to spend the night here." As he said that I tightened my grip on his shoulders and let go. "Okay," I nodded in understanding and started walking.
•••
We had eventually reached the outskirts of the forest around sundown and I started to run to the exit. The light grew brighter and I rushed out into a meadow. The long grass swayed as a breeze blew by and I closed my eyes glad to be out of the chilling forest. I never liked to be in any kind of forest. I guess all that bush rustling was in my head. Forgetting what happened in the forest I started to frolic in the beautiful tall grasses surrounding me. Out of no where I fell to the ground and I remembered my knees were not fully healed 100%. I sat there for a few heartbeats then got up, regaining my balance. I looked over to Gray who was standing about twenty yards from me smirking.
"What's so funny?" I asked as I paced up to him. Maybe the sight of me looking like a fuckin' deer was funny.
"I don't think I've seen you laugh like that." He pointed out, pulling meadow flowers out of my hair. I looked at them and realized how bad my hair probably looked. Putting my hand on my hair. It was the same hairstyle I had a few days ago. "Your hair has been messed up for the past few hours." Gray said taking my hand off my head.
"Wow, you could have told me that when it got messed up." I complained and started to once again fix my hair.
"Slipped my mind"
"I doubt it slipped your mind." I responded as I finished my hair. I looked at the flowers in Gray's hand and took them, gently placing them in my hair. After putting them all in I looked around with a smile and sat down. "I think we should stay here tonight. It seems nice enough and doesn't look like its going to rain tonight." Gray nodded and sat next to me. The sun had almost disappeared over the horizon and it just got darker. Soon enough the moon light the night sky surrounded by an army of stars.
That night I couldn't sleep. I was on alert if anything dangerous happened to show up. Although the midnight noises were soothing to listen to as I stared at the stars. It made me wonder where I was before I got to the woods that day I came to the guild. I realized I wasn't an official member of Fairytail yet and decided when we got back I would ask to join.
"No sleep?"
I jumped and looked to see Gray lying on his side with his head on his left hand. I shook my head and sat up, "I've never slept outside like this before." I told him kinda embarrassed since he probably did it a lot when he went on job requests.
"You get used to it." He replied, "nothing is out there. Try to get some sleep. Remember, you were the one who decided to walk there."
Gray put his head down and I lied on my back. That didn't help much but I did feel a bit better. His breathing eventually slowed, indicating that he was asleep. I looked at him- he looked so peaceful when he was sleeping. After a while I decided to close my eyes and go to sleep as well. I'm glad he agreed to walk to Oshibana, the town we have our job in. Come to think of it, I didn't know what the job was. Erza never told us our job! She just told us the town and that was it. This will be a challenge. All my thoughts dropped as sleep over ruled my mind and everything went dark.
•••
The next morning I woke up with Gray's sleeping face only a fourth a foot away from mine. I shot back and stared at him, my face turning hot. 'I must of rolled around in my sleep.' I thought. Gray tightened his eyes before drowsily opening them and looking at me for a moment before realizing that it was me.
"Morning," I said awkwardly.
Gray put his arm over his eyes and moaned. "Morning." He finally replied as he sat up. He looked at the ground blankly as we sat in an awkward silence. Quickly I stopped it by clapping my hands together once and looked at him, "should we get moving now?" I asked. Gray looked at me and nodded as he replied with an "okay."
There was a small wind blowing through the meadow today. It felt nice as Gray and I walked through it quietly looking at the scenery. I saw a frog and leaped over it, cupping it in my hands. I got up and tapped Gray on the shoulder. He turned around and I smiled. "Hold out your hands." I ordered him. He looked at my closed hands and lifted an eyebrow. "Just do it." I begged him. He sighed, "fine." He held out his hands and I placed the frog into them. He looked at it for a second before staring at me, "a frog, what are you a little kid?" He asked. I nodded with an amused smile. "I'm younger than you."
The frog croaked and leaped out of Gray's hands. I smiled as the small creature hopped to the safety of the tall grasses. Nature around here was so nice: the wind blowing over the meadow, little animals scurrying around, the sound of a stream near by. I couldn't think of anywhere else to be right now.
After about another hour of walking we went past a town and were back in another field. "Think we can take a break? My legs are killing me." I complained tiredly. Gray shook his head, "no, we need to get there ASAP, we can't keep them waiting for two whole days." I didn't bother argue back, just kept on walking on tired legs. We didn't even stop to eat at the last town. "It was your idea Aurora." Gray said as I slowed down to massage my ankles. "Yah, I know." I sighed as I ran back up to him. Then an idea hit my head, "carry me." I demanded.
"What? I'm not going to carry you." He argued and peeked back at me.
"Why not?"
Gray didn't answer for a moment, "your too old." He stated a last. "Besides we are almost there."
"I am not too old. You carried me back to the guild when you found me."
I snapped in a friendly manner.
He looked at me and replied, "that was different, you were injured." I looked at my knee and sat down. "What are you doing?" He asked with an irritated look on his face.
"I'm injured still." I said, pretending that my leg was the death of me. Gray was not amused. He sighed heavily and crouched to the ground, "get on." I immediately stood up, but instead of getting on his back I jumped on his shoulders. He lost his balance but quickly regained it. "Your not serious." He mumbled. I stared at him with a helpless expression and started to moan with "pain". He got up, "fine! but don't complain once, and when we are a fourth of a mile away from the town you are walking. I nodded in understanding and smiled looking out into the distance. I could see so much more from up here.
As we walked I started to see the town of Oshibana. I didn't want to say anything cause Gray would make me get off his shoulders. I loved the view up here and tried to look in a different direction. But it was too late.
"Okay, get down" gray said as he let go of my legs and quickly stopped, making me fall off. I quickly put my hands in front of me and I twisted, landing on my feet. We finally made it to Oshibana.
