Sweet Starry Shadows

Foolish

Sweet Starry Shadows

Chapter 16: Foolish 

Lucy managed to return home before it grew dark. The crickets chirping away as the rushing of the waterfall could be heard, Lucy rested against her couched as she stared up to the ceiling with her brows furrowed in thought.

The travel to Kinglier Point had resulted in a major pain in the ass for the blonde. Not expecting something like that to happen all at once, she sighed as she kicked her legs childishly in agitation.

"This is so annoying!" she groaned before stopping to listen to nature's alluring sounds outside. Hearing the clock on the wall tick by, she closed her eyes before hearing someone place something in front of her on the coffee table.

Confused and not knowing who it was, Lucy opened her eyes to meet them with Loke's in front. Looking down to the plate containing a few sandwiches, she looked up where her spirit pointed down to it firmly. "You need to eat Lucy. You've been out of it for roughly two hours already and we're worried about your health," he instructed as she sat up to rest her elbows on her knees.

"Do you think joining a guild is a good thing?" she whispered where he froze in his spot. The girl frowning, she sighed. "That's what Sakura and Rogue suggested. I mean, why must they suggest that?" she continued.

Loke's eyes looking around, he shrugged his shoulders as he ignored the memories of him pleading Sakura to find her a guild that she could join. "That's your choice, my princess. Whatever you decide on, we'll follow," he said before remembering something. "Though, if you do join a guild, then you'll be able to earn some money again," he stated where she looked up to him. 

"Yeah... That works too. Maybe I should move on and get back to the guild life..." she replied before the ground rumbled, making them get up in disturbance as they looked around the house.

Both of them looking at each other, they nodded their heads in unison as they began to slowly creep to the front door. The blonde opening it, she gasped when a large crater was seen with a humongous boulder in the middle that was possibly taken from the cliffs.

Her eyes wide, they both looked around where a man came walking towards their direction and stood in front of the boulder as if he'd won the lottery. Her eyes glaring towards him, he chuckled as he folded his arms. "Why Miss Heartfilia... Glad to see you after hearing so much about you," he beamed as he threw his arms into the air.

Body tensed; she gritted her teeth. "Who are you?" she questioned before he flashed a smile. "Why did you forget? I certainly haven't forgotten our first meeting last night," he stated where she froze for a few seconds and took a step back.

"You're those nasty bastards that ganged up on us," Loke snarled as he sensed the animals surrounding them slowly retreating where a few glowing eyes were seen watching everything unfold.

His focus on the man in front of them, he knew that Sakura was watching them through the eyes of those wolves whose eyes pierced through the dark shadows that hid them from the man's sight. "Leave this place, we have nothing to do with you guys," he continued where the man boomed a shrill cry of laughter.

"Since when were you the one to command me?!" the man laughed before wiping away a fake tear. All jokes have gone; his muscles rippled through his skin. "Come with me Miss Heartfilia, we have a proposition with you, in relations to that boy you oh-so adore back in your old guild," he said as Loke slowly pushed her back behind him.

Lucy scowling, she took in steady breaths. "You have nothing to do with me," she said.

The man with the open jacket chuckled before he smirked. It soon dropped when he noted how serious and calm she was acting while he was standing there. "I do actually, I just told you why I’m here so are you deaf or just plain stupid? I told you already, we have a proposition," he stated where she balled her fists, digging her nails into her palms.

"I have nothing to gain - Leave my land!" she boomed where the wolves slowly stalked their way to stand in between the two. Their heads dipped as their ears bent back, their eyes remained targeted to the man that was threatening their alpha's special friend.

Those two wolves warned them about the dangers of intruders, and they were loyal to listen to their commands of protecting the blonde that resides in their shared woods. 

With snarls and growls directing themselves to the man, they expected him to flinch where instead they were greeted by a long serpent-like creature that used its whip-like tail to throw them all to a trunk of a tree. Howls and grunts echoing, the wolves slowly got up, only to be thrown deeper into the woods where they could smell the scent of blood and danger within it.

"That should do it," the intruder chuckled before turning his attention back to Lucy where she appeared in front of him with a fist in the air.

Catching her fist, he smirked before she smiled back to him as she flipped herself to kick him in the hips. He let go of her where Loke came running towards him where he took a step back ready to catch and block off any attack. He got none as the spirit vanished out of nowhere.

Confused for a moment, he looked around before a bright glow shone on the side of his face. Quickly turning, he dodged Lucy's kick and used his knee to kneel her in the guts where she coughed up some blood from the impact.

Her body going up, he slipped his hands into his pocket where he then kicked her into the water of the waterfall. Watching her slowly pull herself up to stand, he c****d his head to the side before a heavy ball of water smashed into her from above where she screamed from the heavy force. 

His head looking up, he smirked at the girl that was dressed in blue and white. "Ya' kill her?" he questioned.

The allied girl smirking back at him, she chuckled. "Ya' want me to get killed by them?" she replied as she looked down to the blonde that was floating in her dress. Diving down, she then grabbed onto Lucy's throat and threw her over to the man where he grinned, punching her in the stomach.

The pain unbearable, the blonde let out a heart-wrenching scream that made the birds fly high into the air in chilling silence.

On the train, it stopped at the station where there were only trees and nothing else. The boys sitting there bored, a feeling washed over them where Sting and Rogue looked at each other in question as they waited for the train to leave the station.

For some reason, there was this feeling as if something calling out to them, and for some reason, that feeling wasn’t going away as it remained annoying them on their backs.

"Attention all passengers. We are currently going through some track issues. We request all passengers to please wait patiently. Thank you for your cooperation," the announcement said where suddenly growls from wolves were heard outside along with a battle howl that signalled that there were intruders in their territory.

The boys raising their brows, they slowly got up to only see a tattered Loke walking out of the thick vegetation. Heading out since the doors of their carriage was open, they watched him stumble on the stairs where he dropped on his knees. 

"What the f**k happened to you?" Sting asked, standing there as Rogue helped the spirit up.

With heavy pants being the only sound that they could listen to. Loke looked at them both and sighed in relief. “Thank goodness I was right about assuming that you both may be on this train and decided to come and check,” he said tiredly. "Lucy's in danger... Waiting for her wolves," Loke muttered where Rogue looked at him in confusion.

"Wolves? You mean the ones that follow Sakura?" he questioned where he nodded in reply. "The wild ones should've told them what’s currently happening. She must know about this..." he continued before he disappeared only to be replaced the painful scream that shook the trees beside them.

Their heads turned to that direction, Sting cursed. "The place is covered in trees and s**t! We can't just run in there not knowing where to go," he said where widened his eyes to remember something. His hand digging into his pocket, he pulled out a small lacrima crystal which began to glow to his command.

Before long, Sakura appeared surrounded by shelves of books with a tired expression on her face. "What is it Sting?" she questioned tiredly as she flipped a page of the book that she holding where she then slowly turned to face them.

"You know this place?" he asked where she lifted her head to widen her eyes and give him a suspicious pointed look. Nodding her head, she closed her book before she turned her head to Ace who appeared beside her abruptly. "The wolves are in war," he notified where she growled. "Those a-holes are targeting her, aren't they?" she muttered under her breath before looking at the male blond.

"Since you both are already there and by judging how you’re asking me if I know of this location, I believe that perhaps someone had reached out to you both…” she began before sighing. “I don't have the key to provide you a path, but there's a chant that I can use... I'll open the path, so I suggest you follow it before it swallows you up," she said before taking in a sharp intake where she let it out, shaky and hesitant.

 "I, Sakura Miyasaki, the guardian and alpha of those who reside in my territory - I use my magic to lead the way... Let those I allow, enter and leave as they wish..." she chanted as the trees slowly began to glow along with the vegetation pulling away to provide a path.

In heavy pants, she waved them off before the connection abruptly disconnected. Sting and Rogue turning their heads, they immediately ran into the woods just as the train began to leave the station.

With the heavy smell of death burning the back of their throats, they pushed on only to be welcomed by Lucy landed by their feet along with the sight of wolves scattered all over the grass that was trampled and flattened.

"Aren't you a cutie for trying to threaten me," the man sneered as the female blonde tried to push herself up where she winced at the pain. "Just leave us alone!" she screamed before vines emerged from the shadows, wrapping themselves around the three intruders where they hissed at them tightening.

Their eyes glaring to the blonde, the girl wailed as blades of water sliced away the vines where more came shooting towards her direction to bind her. "Don't you touch me!" she continued to yell before horns began to grow out of her temples. Her eyes enraged and glowing bright pink, she hissed over to the three before forcing her feet to push her towards them.

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Rogue bellowed where Lucy turned her head to look at them with widened eyes. Sting following, he took in a deep intake of air. "White Dragon's Roar!" he boomed where both roars fused together to hit the girl that screamed in pain.

Eyes on the girl, they watched as her body twitched before she began to laugh. "This is why I adore Dragon Slayers! Oh-so pathetically stupid!" she cackled as Rogue scooped Lucy into his arms.

The wolves slowly getting up, they raised their heads up to the moon. Howling, Sting and Rogue took that as a signal as roots and vines came darting out of the trees. Them turning on their heels, they quickly ran as the path behind them began to close.

Sakura was helping them from a long distance, and what she was doing was all that she could do as she listened to Ace and Yuuto’s reports from within the large library.

"Are you sure that they're after her?" Makarov's voice rang. Her head turning to look at the lacrima screen, she kicked her leg over to rest it on the other and planted her chin onto her knuckles. With a frown, she nodded her head. "I'm afraid that I have to pull back from my mission Master..." she whispered.

"What are you going to do then? All of your hard work -" She cut him off by deactivating the lacrima crystal. With a sigh, she pushed herself to stand only to fall to the ground as her arms shook, trying to hold herself up. Scowling, she cursed herself. Out of all times...