The Red Dragon

Chapter 2

However, he realized now that if Atlas succeeded, it might benefit them. They could hide Natsu among the newly enchanted humans and keep his identity a secret. Natsu could live among the humans, hopefully with his mate being none the wiser to what he was.

Igneel decided then that he would work with Natsu until he could control his form at will. Then he would allow him to attend the school that Anna was running for the orphans in the village. It would be good for him to learn how to interact with other children.

"Natsu," Igneel began, already knowing the answer to his question, "How would you like to go to school?"

After receiving an enthusiastic reply from his son, they went into Natsu's bedroom. Igneel let Natsu snuggle up to him and murmured soft, comforting words to ease his son into sleep, along with the purrs that he knew Natsu loved. Igneel wasn't ready to let him out of his sight so soon after having lost him, so he remained there long after the young boy had fallen into a restless sleep.

This fire dragon that Natsu had told him had attacked Gray's village worried him. He was reasonably sure he knew who was responsible. Deliora had not been happy about Igneel's decision to side the red dragons with the humans.

He'd thought Igneel's time with the humans had turned him soft, so he'd challenged him to a fight for leadership of the fire dragons. Igneel had agreed and had defeated him after a long worn out fight. He hadn't felt it necessary to kill Deliora for his insolence, opting to exile him instead.

That had apparently been a mistake he now regretted.

o-o

Gray watched Natsu run away, and he was furious at himself. He'd not only hurt his friend, his only friend, but he'd scared him as well. So what if Natsu liked to pretend to be a dragon? He had fire magic, of course, he'd want to think that. What kid wouldn't?

He'd overreacted, blinded by his rage and the terror from the dream. He'd tried to call him back, but he knew Natsu would not return willingly, and Gray couldn't really blame him. He also knew that he wouldn't be able to find Natsu if he didn't want to be found. Gray had seen enough of how Natsu moved and hunted to realize he was very comfortable in the wilderness, much more so than Gray.

He thought as loud as he could, trying to communicate with Natsu like he'd tried to do the night before.

I'm so sorry. Please come back.

Over and over he repeated the thought, hoping against hope that Natsu would hear him and return. He'd almost given up when he heard Natsu respond.

I'll always come when you need me.

Gray waited for anything else. Another message, a return, but there was nothing. Natsu was gone, and now Gray was alone again. Except now he was even lonelier than before, and he felt terrible about what he'd done.

He stayed at their campsite until the next morning. Gray was hungry, unable to hunt anything or catch fish without a fishing rod, even though he'd tried.

Natsu was not coming back.

Gray hoped that Natsu's father had found him by now and that he was on his way home. Someday Gray would make it to Talos, and he would see that field that Natsu had told him about, and he would apologize appropriately for what he'd done.

For now, all he could do was to keep walking in search of the next village.

It took him a couple of days, but he found it. It was smaller than his own village, but that was fine. Now that he was there, though, he didn't know what he was supposed to do. He'd only thought as far as getting to a village.