Fairy Tail: With Me♥ (1st Book in the "Intertwined Fates" Series!)

Chapter Four: The Crawler

To answer her question, a disfigured head emerged from the tree tops, it's features unrecognizable.  But as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, running through the trees loudly.

"Let's go!"  Natsu exclaimed, running after it.

"H-Hey!"  Lucy yelled reaching a hand out into the air.  "Wait for me!"

Running after him, Lucy and Natsu barely kept track of the monster as it ran through the trees.  

Lucy was losing Natsu; and worst of all, she felt like something was following her.  Seeing something flash in the corner of her eyes, she turned her head, coming to an abrupt stop.  Natsu disappeared, but Lucy's mind was on the figure that hid in the shadows of the forest around her.

Clenching her teeth, she looked around, pulling out Taurus' key in preparation of attack.

+_______________________________________________________________________________Not many have realized that the past and future are illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and always is._______________________________________________________________________________+

Natsu's face set, he ran quickly, Happy soaring right above him.  Soon enough, Natsu burst from the brush, appearing in a small clearing.

But it was gone.

"Damn..."  Natsu cursed under his breath, panting slightly.  "That stupid things fast..."  He turned, remembering something.  "Oi, Lucy?"

She wasn't anywhere near them.

"Lucy?"  He called, turning in a full circle puzzledly.

A shrill scream rang through the trees, and a chill flew through Natsu's spine.  "Lucy's scream...?!"  Sprinting forward, he dived back into the wood.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Crying out, Lucy dodged to the left, the Crawler slamming into the tree behind her and making it split into two with a groan.  She had dropped Taurus' key when the Crawler appeared out of fear, and spotted it on the ground a few feet from her.  Diving for it, Lucy wrapped her fingers around the key's middle and thrust it out in front of her, chanting the gate summoning.

Taurus appeared from the ground, swinging wildly at the Crawler.  His axe slammed into it's side, making a shrill scream escape from it's mouth.  Slicing it in half, Taurus fell back, standing in front of Lucy.

Lucy stood, panting heavily as the Crawler lay dead on the ground, while Taurus began to disappear in a line of light.

"Thank you, Taurus."  Lucy replied, holding a small injury on her shoulder with her hand.

"Anything for you, Lucy!"  He replied, hearts in his eyes as he disappeared.

Rolling her eyes, she cautiously took a step foreward, gasping when she saw the Crawler was hollow.

"W-What is this?"  She whispered, taking startled steps back to hit a tree behind her.  "I've never seen something like that..."  Collapsing to her knees, she sighed, leaning her head against the tree trunk as she held the slash to her shoulder.  At least the mission is over...  She thought, waiting for Natsu to appear.  I just wish we could have saved those three people from being taken...

She heard a rustling in the bushes, and for a second she thought it was another Crawler.

"Lucy!"  Natsu burst through the brush, frantic.  

He tripped, crying out stupidly as he crashed into Lucy, making them roll across the ground.  Lucy ended up underneath Natsu, and for a second they stared each other, surprised.  Then Lucy got an angry mark on her forehead and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying off.

"What was that for?!"  Lucy exclaimed, smoke flying from her ears as her face turned beat red.

"It was just an accident!"  Natsu exclaimed, rubbing his head with a slight trace of blush on his face himself.  Noticing the Crawler, he jumped up in alarm, waving his hands wildy.  "Eh?"  He stopped, seeing it wasn't moving.

"It's already dead, Natsu."  Lucy replied, sighing.

"You killed it, Lucy?"  Happy asked, surprised.

Catching the surprise in Happy's voice, Lucy narrowed her eyes.  "Yes, and don't act so surprised!"

Natsu rubbed the top of Lucy's head.  "Oi, nice work Lucy!"

Lucy smiled, proud of herself.  "You betcha!"

"Let's go back to the village and tell them everything is A-okay!"  Happy mewed, flying in circles.

Lucy stood, nodding enthusiastically, clutching the slash in her shoulder.  

Natsu noticed it then, and turned to her.  "Is your arm okay, Luce?"

Lucy nodded, shooting him a reasurring smile.  "Yes, It's fine.  Thanks Natsu."

Natsu grinned broadly at her.  "No problem!"

"Let's go!"  Happy replied impatently.  "This Crawler thing freaks me out!"

"Agreed."  Lucy muttered, following after Natsu and Happy as they began their treck back to Winterlight.