This is a collaboration with becausewhenyoupracticeyouimprove for Tumblr's Gratsu Writer X Artist Challenge. All art is by her and used with permission. It's also being posted on Tumblr as a picture book: http://wildrhov.tumblr.com/post/147139656504/lost-in-the-woods
Lucy and Erza looked over a map in the shade of towering oaks.
"If we continue along this path, we should reach the end of the woods by tomorrow evening," Lucy declared, pointing out the squiggle on the map.
"I've heard bad stories about these woods," Erza muttered. "People get lost in here. We need to keep to the path."
Lucy shivered. "It's not dangerous, is it?"
"No reports of animal attacks."
"Oh, thank goodness!"
Meanwhile, behind them, Natsu looked around. They had stopped after a few hours walking in the woods. The small lunch they had earlier was starting to hit him. He looked to the girls, but they were focused on the map and figuring out their route. He did not want to bother them.
"Hey, Happy." The Exceed flew up to him, humming questioningly. Natsu dropped his voice. "I really gotta go! Can you hold my bag?"
"Aye!"
Natsu slipped his rucksack off of his shoulders and passed it over. "If they figure it out, go on ahead. I'll catch up with you."
"Are you sure, Natsu?"
"Hey, I can smell you guys. Don't worry."
Happy grinned with confidence. "Aye."
Natsu ran off into the bushes and past dark, ominous trees, plunging in deep enough to find a place to relieve nature.
Gray had been zoning out, leaving the map to Lucy and not caring what Natsu and Happy were up to. Sometimes he felt like he was just tagging along, not really needed. However, as he saw Natsu run off, his brow tensed. He had just overheard Erza talk about people getting lost in the woods. If anyone would be stupid enough to do that, it would be Natsu.
Lucy and Erza began walking again. Happy flew along. Were they unaware of Natsu leaving? Gray almost shouted out to them, but he sighed. He would be the one sent to find Natsu anyway, since he was a guy and Natsu likely left to pee. So without saying anything, Gray stepped off the road and followed where he had seen Natsu running off. He figured it would not take long. All he needed to do was get close enough to shout out, "Hey, we're leaving," and they would be back on the road.
He saw Natsu at last, much farther in than he expected. Gray heard the splashing of urine on fallen leaves and paused.
Natsu glared over his shoulder. "Are you a pervy peeking tom as well as an exhibitionist? Give me some damn privacy, ice breath!"
Gray scoffed and turned around. "It's not like I haven't seen you taking a piss in the guild restroom."
"Voyeur!"
"Shut up! Just hurry. The girls are leaving."
"Then go back. I'll catch up."
"You'll get lost, because you're an idiot."
"Who's an idiot! You can't even figure out when a guy needs some privacy."
Gray heard feet crunching and turned around in time to see Natsu ready to punch him. He blocked with a small shield of ice.
"You're gonna be like that, huh, flame-brain?"
"If you're not going to leave, I'll have to knock you unconscious. Maybe I'll shit on your face so you learn..." His fist lit up on fire. "...it's rude to interrupt a guy who has to take a dump!"
They got into a brawl, flames and ice destroying the bushes around them.
However, Natsu stopped and sniffed.
"Oh crap."
Gray cringed. "You didn't just shit your pants, did you?"
"No! I ... I don't smell Lucy or Erza or Happy anymore." He sniffed deeper. "That's impossible. It's only been a few minutes."
"They couldn't have gone that far. Maybe the wind shifted."
Natsu frowned. "Hey, I still really need to take a dump. Go back to the road, see how far they went."
"Che! Fine! I don't want to smell your crap anyway."
Gray turned and walked back the way he came. He knew he had kept to a more-so-less straight path. At first he saw the footsteps he left behind in the mud, but those soon faded. Then he found his shirt stuck on a bush—when had he lost it?—but as he walked, he saw no road. He was sure it should have been here already. Maybe just a little more...
"Gray!"
A hand grabbed him and yanked him back. Gray crashed backward into Natsu's chest.
"What the hell are you..." His angry shout froze as he saw he was about to walk over a cliff. "No way. That was definitely not there."
"I know." Natsu frowned as he glanced around the woods. "This smells wrong."
"Maybe it's your crap."
"Shut up, ice-jerk! I mean everything. I don't smell the others. I don't smell the berries that were here. This ... it's like it's not even the same area of the forest." Natsu saw the shirt Gray held in his hand. "Where did you find that?"
Gray thumbed back. "I must have stripped while searching for you."
Natsu's brow tensed. "You were already shirtless when I left the group. You threw that shirt off an hour ago."
"What?" Gray looked down at the shirt. "That's ... impossible. If I took it off that long ago, it should be miles behind us. What is it doing here?"
Natsu glared around the woods. "Gray, as much as I hate to say this ... don't leave my side."
He laughed and teased, "Aww, is the widdle dwagon swayer scared?"
"Shut the hell up! I think these woods are enchanted. If we split up, we might end up miles apart. Also..." He looked up at Gray with a worried expression. "We're totally lost!"
Gray looked down the steep cliff and realized he was right. This was definitely not the same area of the woods, and they had no idea how to even find the road now.
Gray ran his hand through his hair. "Dammit, Erza's gonna kill us."