Finished - March 15, 2020
Word Count - 8394
Music - Two Steps From Hell - Casablanca
Summary:
Inspired by Edens Zero chapter 112 and Planet of the Apes. Natsu and Lucy was magically sent to an alternate universe where something inhuman rules the realm and humans are considered to be pets or wild animals.
**********************************
Lucy groaned as she massaged her sore head, her vision not yet focused. Her back cracked as she sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes hoping the action would return her sight back to normal.
The last thing she could recall was going on a mission with the rest of her team. Erza, Grey, Wendy, Happy and Natsu all together. But as Lucy looked around she found herself alone in a large open field. Under different circumstances, it would be a beautiful place.
Long golden grass grew up to Lucy's waist as a green wall of forest encircled the large meadow. But at the moment, she couldn't admire the land's charm. She needed to find somewhere or something familiar to lead her home.
Reaching down to her belt she grasped her keys, preparing to summon a spirit to guide her in the right direction, or at least tell her how she had gotten to this strange place. But the moment she detached Loki's key she noticed something that made her heart drop.
She couldn't feel any magical energy coming from his key, none at all! Lucy closed her eyes and concentrated on her connection to her Spirits, hoping to make a mental connection. But it seemed that there was a wall separating her from contacting them. She was completely cut off from her magic. Not only was this worrisome, but it also meant that her main source of defense was gone. She really needed to keep her guard up now.
Lucy looked around once again, trying to decide on which direction to go. Just as she made up her mind, she saw something that shocked her.
The blue sky suddenly opened, a yellow portal hovering about ten feet from the ground. Lucy ran towards the strange circle on the sky, hoping that this was a sign or a way out. She stepped directly below and starred up into the swirling portal in awe. Something black was slowly falling towards her, the shadow growing bigger as it grew closer.
Her trained eyes caught the object immediately and hyper focused on it, when she noticed how fast it was traveling towards her head she dodged out of the way. Missing her by a few feet the black form hit the ground this a hard thud.
Before the dust had settled, the sky portal shrunk and disappeared without a trace. Sighing in disappointment Lucy waved her hand in front of her face in an attempt to clear the rising dust. As she did so, the dirt had time to rest and revealed what had fallen from the sky.
Lucy immediately recognized the black robes and rushed to it. Using her upper body strength she managed to heave the mans shoulders over, setting a head of pink in her lap.
"Na-!" Lucy was only able to call out the first part of his name and shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him.
He had fallen so far, was he alright?
Lucy checked for injuries, but found that he was mostly fine despite his long fall. One last shake and Natsu started to open his eyes groggily. The man never liked mornings or waking up, but the moment he saw Lucy he jumped to his feet and smiled.
"Lu-!" He hugged her tightly and Lucy found his reaction amusing.
"Whabo hao huy gabbo?" Natsu seemed to ask Lucy a question in complete seriousness, but she understood absolutely nothing he had said.
Natsu himself looked shocked about what he just blurted out of his mouth. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Wedr yowb doga?"
Lucy couldn't hold in her laughter this time and burst at how hilarious he sounded. Of corse this only earned more angry grunts and incomprehensible noises from the Dragon Slayer.
Wiping a tear from her eye Lucy took a deep breath and calmed her giggles. "Eym guso kudo...." Lucy stopped mid sentence and realized she too was having a hard time speaking.
This time it was Natsu turn to laugh, he pointed a finger at her and flung his head back howling at her funny words. Lucy's cheeks turned red in frustration as she tried to slowly pronounce even the simplest words. Yet nothing she did seemed to work.
Natsu sighed and noticed how tightly curled Lucy's form had become. Her legs closed criss-cross, arms folded against her chest and her face scrunched in a pout. He held his hand out to her, this captured her attention and she took it gladly.
Together they walked into the forest, neither person knowing where they were going. One would think the cover of the trees would mean shelter. But the moment Natsu stepped foot into the woods, he felt like they were being watched. He could tell Lucy sensed it too because her grip on his hand tightened. Nevertheless, they continued to walk deeper. They didn't have much of a choice.
As expected they were ambushed, but unexpectedly, they were ambushed by trees?! Natsu and Lucy stood back to back eyes on the six "men" surrounding them. Their appearance inhuman in texture but human shaped. Two legs, two arms and a large head, but all made of wood. Their species reminded Lucy greatly of Warrod Sequen, bark-like skin and branched hair.
"Where did you two get those clothes?" One of the tree-men asked.
"They obviously stole them. No human wears clothes." A second mocked.
"Looks like we've got a pair of thieves."
"Stealing from a Timbermen is punishable by death."
Lucy wanted to oppose, but remembered how words weren't her strong point at the moment. What could she do? She had no magic and she couldn't even speak. It seems like running was the best option.
Unfortunately, Natsu was not yet aware of his lack of magic and was energized for a battle. He ran forwards blindly with his fist raised high, ready to blow his enemy away. The Timberman that Natsu was aiming for easily knocked him aside and Natsu landed confused back unto the grass.
Lucy rushed to help him up and without giving him a chance to argue; dragged him away, fleeing from the already advancing men. At first Natsu protested her taking him away from a battle, but then stopped to think about what had just happened. His flames didn't appear, he tried igniting them again but he couldn't even get a spark.
The only time this happened was when he was in Edolas. It was now that he remembered how he arrived to this strange place. While on a team mission; Lucy had been hit with an odd magical blast making her disappear, this made him extremely angry and demanded to know where she had gone. The wizard laughed and said,
"You can join her in hell."
Natsu was blinded with light and woke up to Lucy shaking him. That crooked wizard must have sent them to another Universe besides Erthland and Edolas. Natsu cursed to himself as he ran.
Now they were in a strange land, with no magic, no communication and no way home. Plus, people already wanted to kill them. Great!
As the two Mages ran from their pursuers, they realized they were heading back from their original direction. The golden clearing now only a few dozen feet ahead of them, but unlike before the field was now full.
Hiding behind a large boulder, they managed to stay out of sight long enough for the men following them to be distracted by the commotion in in the meadow.
A stampede rushed across the field, running quickly passed the tree line and zig zagging through the large field. However, it was a stampede of humans! Hundreds of people running at top speed, but they didn't look quite right. Even though they appeared human physically, there actions and behavior seemed almost animalistic. As though they had no deeper emotions besides running.
For example, if someone fell down or fell behind, that person would be trampled or kicked out of the way without a sign of empathy. On top of this, they were all stark naked.
Natsu and Lucy shared a confused and worried glance, but soon understood what they needed to do in order to survive in this new realm. Unwillingly they each quickly undressed and hid their clothes under the large rock. Lucy didn't feel safe leaving all her keys behind, but she had no where else to put them. In a snap decision, she swallowed Loki's key just in case. Not that she could use it at the moment.
Getting used to their lack of apparel, both Natsu and Lucy joined the heard and ran along side them, disappearing from any outside eyes. Secretly, Natsu was enjoying his bare freedom, it reminded him of being with Igneel. When he was a child running around without a care in the world.
Lucy in the other hand hated it, she felt self conscious and completely humiliated. Even though no one was looking at her, she couldn't shake the fact that she was running, naked, with hundreds of other naked strangers. She felt like a hippo attempting to run a marathon.
Their hiding spot didn't last long when they spotted the reason all the humans were running. At the very back of the pack were dozens of horses, each being ridden by more Timbermen. Some held nets, other whips or trumpets. This was no ordinary stampede, they were being hunted!
Natsu and Lucy once again made eye contact and immediately started running faster, not wanting to be caught. However, they did not expect more horses to appear from the sides of the herd, forcing them forwards. But then, more horses barged the front line and cut off their only escape route, they were surrounded. The humans started to panic and run in all directions screaming wildly.
In the midst of all the commotion Natsu took Lucy's hand, not wanting to loose sight of her in all the turmoil. They could only watch in horror as people were caught by the neck with whips or control poles. Groups pushed into cages packed much too full for a small cage.
A small cry caught Lucy's attention and she turned to the sound, a small human child was being whipped by a Timberman on a horse. For no reason but his own enjoyment! Enraged by the mans sick action Lucy rushed towards them.
Just as the man struck his arm down on the child, his whip was caught in Lucy's grasp. The leather strap tightened around her wrist, making it bleed, but she was too blinded by her anger to feel it.
"What do you think you are doing?!" The man hollered at Lucy, yet she did not let go of the whip. Instead she yanked it out of his grasp and snapped it just in front of his face. She knew exactly how to use this weapon, unlike the man whom it belonged.
"You insolent beast!" He spat, shocked that a human was capable of such actions.
Unexpectedly from behind a rope was latched around Lucy's neck and she was pulled to the ground. Choking, she clawed at the rough cable and dropped the whip.
Natsu jumped in immediately and attacked the Timberman who had taken Lucy down. Giving Lucy just enough time to free herself the the strangling rope. But Natsu's actions drew more Timbermen to him and pinned him down. Natsu growled and beard his fangs angrily at his many attackers. Even with four of them, they had a hard time getting him down, but in the end Natsu was outnumbered.
"He has fangs?!"
"What kind of human is he?"
The Timbermen took noticed of Natsu's odd features.
"He is a monster!"
"He needs to be put down!"
These words stopped Lucy's heart. She escaped from the grasp of her own Timberman and threw herself in front of Natsu, praying they wouldn't hurt him.
"Wha-"
"Did she just..."
The surrounding Timbermen seemed speechless by her actions, apparently humans here don't do these type of things. They were in awe of her actions and didn't know what to do. But the neigh of a horse sounded through the small silence and a shadow formed over Lucy and Natsu's heads.
"Bring them with us. This interests me, maybe they have more fun things to show us." Looking up, Lucy saw the Timberman from before. The one who had attacked the child, but now he was smirking wickedly down at them.
"As you wish, Bartus." A Timberman saluted.
Lucy scowled at Bartus, but her eye contact was ripped away when she was once again grabbed. Both she and Natsu were roughly dragged to a wooden cart. The cage was full of other humans, but still they were squished inside.
As the cart moved, the wooden wheels beat wobbly upon the ground, making everyone inside bounce around. Lucy kept her eyes firmly on the scenery passing by. She refused to look inside the cage and upon the naked bodies so close to her. But even with all the tussling and no personal space, she still felt Natsu's tight grip on her hand. It was the only thing that kept her sane, knowing that he was right there gave her peace of mind. He was there and he wasn't going anywhere.
**********************************
The carriage ride was long and very uncomfortable. The only noise heard on the journey was the snapping of the horseman's whip. However the passengers knew their trip was coming to an end when the forest tree's grew bigger.
In the middle of the dense forest, giant oaks the size of skyscrapers loomed above them. The canopy hovered miles above the ground, while carved stairs spiraled around the trunks. Allowing people access to the world above. Rope bridges and tree houses hung and connected the forest, creating the living thriving city.
"Welcome to Elderwood, monkeys." The carriage Timberman hit his fist against the wooden cage.
If circumstances were different Lucy would love to explore this odd and amazing place. To learn everything this new world had to offer, but she wasn't in the to position to go sightseeing.
On the other hand, Natsu was very leery about this spectacular new kingdom. For he saw through its glitz and glamor, and he could saw what was happening on the inside. Instead of grand engineering and beautifully crafted houses, Natsu saw a prison. He watched the humans and how they were being treated. He saw bindings, cages and abuse.
It looked like humans were treated like animals, some were pets, some were entertainment, some were slaves and some were food. Natsu knew immediately that if they stayed in Elderwood too long, they would not come out alive.
Natsu's grip on Lucy's hand tightened as several Timbermen opened the cage doors and started pulling people out. Once out of confinement, their hands were rapidly bound behind their backs "for protection". When Natsu was pulled out, Bartus appeared again, still sat upon his horse proudly.
"Bind him again, he's a savage one." Bartus ordered with glee.
Natsu didn't struggle against this absurd command, instead he simply glared with deep hatred silently.
"Is he secure?" Bartus swung his leg over his horse and dismounted.
"Yes Sir."
"Good." He smirked, looking Natsu over. Coward, he wouldn't even come down from his high horse (literally) until Natsu was double tied.
"I want a closer look at the new arrivals." Bartus approached them and Natsu expected to be confronted. However, he was wrong.
Bartus completely ignored Natsu and waltzed straight up to Lucy, this aggravated Natsu enormously. Nevertheless, Lucy didn't meet his eyes. She refused to look directly at him.
"This one interests me the most." Bartus pulled Lucy's chin up and forced her to make eye contact, her eyes filled with disgust.
This small action against Lucy made Natsu pull heavily against his doubled restraints, causing the Timbermen guards to hold him back.
"Lucky for me, I get first pick of the new pets." Bartus laughed.
Natsu could see Lucy's eyes widen in slight fear, but a second later the expression was replaced with hatred. She was only seen as a pet to this man, she would not be property, she would not be a pet!
"Send them to be cleaned and readied for sale." Bartus ordered his men, then turned his attention back to Lucy. "I will see you soon."
This beyond angered Lucy and she could no longer hold back. Ripping her chin from his splintered grip, she bit down on his hand. Hard. The taste of tree sap and dirt filled Lucy's mouth as she clamped down on the Timberman.
Bartus exclaimed loudly and yanked his hand away from Lucy's teeth, slapping her face in retaliation. "I like your spirit, but you will to learn to obey. Like every wild animal, you will be broken."
With a wave of his wooded finger, the guards escorted them away. Thankfully, the group was not separated and everyone was taken to the same place. Therefore, Natsu and Lucy were able to stay together.
All the humans were pushed into a river to wash off any dirt and given a covering, so the Timbermen wouldn't have to look at them with disgust. Honestly, Lucy was grateful for any type of clothing. If she was handed a washcloth, she would have been happy.
The garments assigned to each person were all identical, a simple brown dress. Sleeveless and short, the ends frayed and material itchy. Lucy tried not to think about how many other humans had also worn this garment. It had obviously never been properly cleaned.
Together, all the humans were escorted up dozens of flights of stairs where the ground was more than two hundred feet away. The air was thinner and all the humans were having a harder time breathing, especially after being forced to climb so many stairs.
Looking down made Lucy feel dizzy and terrified of falling, therefore she simply followed the person in front of her obediently. Plus, she was comforted by the fact that Natsu was right behind her.
Once the blisters on their feet started to bleed, they finally reached their destination. All the humans were shoved into a large barn-like building. Inside laid multitudes of bamboo cages, the Timbermen started pairing males and females together and putting them together into the cages. Noticing this, Natsu and Lucy immediately grabbed each others hands, refusing to paired with anyone else.
The Timber soldiers didn't seem to care about who was going where and shoved them roughly into a cage together. Strangely, Lucy felt safer in the cage. As if she could at least rest and observe a bit before anything new happened. This was a place they would probably be for a while, so they might as well get used to it.
The cage was nothing fancy, not even that sturdy looking. The frame simply consisted of brown bamboo tied together with rope. The floor was dusty and held a trough, one side filled with water and the other half empty.
With no chairs to sit in, she sat on the floor and watched the rest of the commotion ensue. More humans paired up and be trapped in small cages, some fought it while others cried.
Once the tension died down the remaining Timbermen paced down the halls, making sure everything was secure. One of these guards stopped and noticed Natsu and Lucy, gave them an odd stare, then retreated in haste.
That was strange. Lucy turned her gaze back to Natsu who matched her confused expression.
After a moment, the Timberman guard returned with another Guard. This man wore nicer clothing and a hat, looking more official.
"See? What did I tell you?" The first Timberman pointed towards them.
The Officer Timberman approached their cage and starred at their every move. This action made Lucy feel self conscious and she scooted closer to Natsu.
"They definitely look like humans..." The officer stated.
"Yeah, but they don't act like them at all. Just look at the way they are sitting." The second Timberman pointed out.
Looking around, Lucy noticed that all the other humans in the room were pacing around, yelling, scratching, biting and acting savage. If one was sitting, it was a sloppy lounge sit. However, Natsu and Lucy were the only two sitting properly on their legs quietly.
"Maybe they are escapee's." The officer debated. "Look at their weird tattoos"
"Maybe they were trained at a Corporation. But I don't recognize that mark at all."
"Who cares." The man shrugged. "If they are already trained, means we can more money from them."
The once promising conversation now aggravated Natsu as he turned his attention elsewhere. He did not want to be sold, he was a proud member of Fairytail!
It seemed like Lucy had also stopped listening to their idiotic conversation and was massaging her sore legs and feet. They were both very accustom to traveling on-foot, but never without shoes or regular rests. This journey definitely took a tole on their physical health.
As Natsu watched her, he noticed Lucy's wounded arm. The defensive wound she gained when she blocked Bartus's whip from hitting a child. The wound was shaped like a spiral around her forearm, covered in dirt and dried blood.
Turning his head he observed if any of the other humans had sustained any injuries. He saw a few with small abrasions here and there, but most of them simply looked very shaken up. The few who did sustain injuries were licking their wounds clean. Like a cat. At first he found this odd, but then realized that no further medical help was coming. Therefore something had to be done.
Natsu scooted himself closer to Lucy and lifted her arm up to his face. His actions surprising her, however Natsu chuckled to himself, knowing his next action would really shock her.
Being careful not to hurt her, he brought out his tongue and started to lick her injury.
"wajda bafdu dojda!?" Lucy babbled in utter confusion and embarrassment.
Unable to answer vocally, he simply made eye contact and winked telepathically signaling 'Im blending in.'
Lucy covered her blushed face with her free hand and simply let Natsu clean her arm, the process took several minutes and Lucy couldn't deny that she kind of liked it. However, she would never admit that out loud.
**********************************
Several cycles of the sun passed, as a new routine for Natsu and Lucy set in. Still in their bamboo cage they stayed, finding it more comfortable now. Lucy kept track of the days in her head, it being one of the only things to keeping her mind from going insane. It was good for her to have something to focus on, even if it was meaningless.
As the time passed the Guards started to call Natsu and Lucy a mated pair. Because they never separated, always kept close and when they tried to separate them...Natsu went crazy. At first Lucy was horrified by this new title, but after a while she grew accustomed to it and used it as an excuse to stay together. Plus, she was not opposed to the possibility.
The humans were fed every day in the mid after noon and their cages cleaned every other day. This kept them clean and healthy for any potential customers who came to inspect them. Many Timberman visited and gazed upon the "merchandise", slowly the cages were becoming vacant. But for some reason, no one seemed interested in the two tamed humans. Not that Natsu and Lucy minded, they were dreading the day that one of them was to be sold.
Who knows what would befall them once they were separated. They had very little hope of escaping and zero knowledge of how to get back to Earthland. Therefore they had no choice but to see what the future held.
Leaning against the back wall of their cage, Natsu nudged Lucy's shoulder, bringing her mind back to reality. She turned her head to see what he wanted. He nodded with his eyes towards the ground.
In the dirt Lucy saw a few letters written.
'You okay?'
Lucy giggled at Natsu's childishness, wiped the dirt clean and started to write her reply. 'just thinking.'
'You look sad.' Natsu wrote and looked worried.
Lucy rolled her eyes, of corse he would be worried about her mentality at a time like this. However, she didn't have much to be positive about.
'I'm just feeling a bit down.' She wrote.
After reading her response, Natsu gave her a playful and powerful nudge. Lucy was almost pushed over by his nudge, and she nudged back. Instantly she felt in a better mood, he knew exactly how to lift her spirits.
'How is Loki's Key doing?' Natsu was concerned about the Key Lucy had swallowed at the begging of their trip. For it was still inside of her.
'cant feel it yet' Lucy shook her head, hoping that the key comes out soon and praying that Loki doesn't murder her when they get home.
Before they could continue their conversation the main door opened loudly and several timber man walked in. Probably more slave traders or clients wanting to buy.
Lucy quickly erased their writing on the dirt and looked to see who had entered the room. A pit formed in her throat as she saw the face of Bartus from the other side of the bars. His wild and craving eyes bore into Lucy's skull, making her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
"Hello beautiful." Bartus address Lucy, completely ignoring Natsu's enraged presence beside her.
Lucy simply stared back at him, unamused and uninterested. She didn't want to give him any attention, the more she gave him, the more he seemed interested in her. He came every day to "check on her", to watch her. Some days he would watch her eat or even be cleaned. Always showing up and giving her unwanted attention. Always watching.
"The process took longer than I though. But today you finally come home." Bartus smirked.
These few words caught both Natsu and Lucy's attention and they connected a terrified glance. After seven days of peace, things were about to drastically change.
"Alright, the paperwork is all set." The officer walked in with his key ring and started to unlock the door.
Every second Lucy's heart beat escalated, she was not ready. No matter how much she had mental prepared herself for this day, she was not ready to leave Natsu. Especially not with this man, this monster!
Natsu stepped protectively in front of Lucy, not willing giving Lucy away. However, this was expected and three large Timberman entered the cage and removed Natsu with force. Lucy tried her best to help, but was also taken out of the cage. Once the cage was empty, the door was shut and locked behind them.
This confused both Natsu and Lucy, each pausing their once rough movements. This gave the Timbermen holding them enough time to tie the prisoners hands tightly behind their backs in case of more resistance.
"They are both yours." The Timberman Officer shook Bartus's wooded hand.
Natsu's jaw dropped, he was sure that Bartus was only buying Lucy. What use did he have with him?
The Officer nodded and returned back to his desk, leaving Bartus with his new bought prizes.
"I can see you are surprised." For the first time Bartus spoke to Natsu. "Don't worry, I have plans for you. Look at you, you are strong, healthy, you're in peek condition. Im sending you to work in the fields with the rest if the manual labor. Besides, I need to get rid of you."
What? Lucy's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this last sentence.
"Most slaves last about a month in the field conditions. And; without you, I can have this one all to myself." Bartus took Lucy's left arm and pulled her away from the other Timberman and brought her to his side.
Natsu pulled roughly against the multiple Timbermen holding him back, but was held tightly.
"She will come home with me and bring me much entertainment." Bartus stroked Lucy's cheek, she leaned as far from him as she could, but could not escape his coarse texture.
Natsu yelled out in protest, but his words made no sense and only made him seem more savage.
"Take him away. I never want to see him again, make sure of that." Bartus ordered his Timberman and they parted ways.
Natsu and Lucy maintained eye contact for as long as they could before they were separated completely. Lucy tried to send him a sense of peace, however her emotions got the better of her. She was overwhelmed with worry for her partner, would he be alright? Would he really die? Would she ever see him again?
However, Natsu wasn't even seeing Lucy. He was entirely blinded with panic and fury. Burning hatred towards Bartus, this stupid realm and the wizard who had sent them here. But mostly he was terrified about what might befall Lucy. She was in the hands of a creep who has been stalking her for an entire week. Who knows what that maniac will force her to do?!
Natsu's new goal was to escape and find her!
**********************************
The moon was high in the sky and the nigh silent. The grassy fields were just in reach, just a few more feet and she would finally be free! The only noise she could hear was her own breath and the loud beats of her heart in her ears.
Lucy hid behind a rock careful not to touch any tree roots, tree trunks or be anywhere near them. She was so close, she could taste victory.
With Loki's Key in her pocket, she reached the forest edge and slipped into the long grass beyond. Keeping her head down, she kept a low profile, not wanting to be seen from above.
However, she felt something catch hold of her left foot. Something bore down deep into the meat of her leg, she caught her scream in her throat before she could let it out. However she ended up sobbing quietly to herself as the pain exploded wildly.
Looking down Lucy saw that her left foot was caught in a bear trap. Cursing quietly she bit down on her finger to try to focus her pain elsewhere. The long grass had hidden the trap perfectly, it was impossible to have foreseen. Looked like she was stuck. Either someone may take pity on her, or she will bleed out and die there in the grass.
She wasn't quite sure which one she preferred. Because she knew anyone who might come to help her would only take her back to Bartus, the place she was running from.
It had been three weeks since she and Natsu were separated and she had given up hope on him coming for her. She didn't even know if he was alive. She prayed he was, but she had no way of contacting him.
"That is the second time you have run from me." A deathly familiar voice brought Lucy back from her daze. She didn't have to look up to know it was Bartus.
The bear trap was roughly yanked open and pried off Lucy's leg, she let out a surprised and painful yell. Bartus grabbed a handful of Lucy's hair and lifted her off the ground.
"That is the last time you will run from me." He snarled and dragged Lucy by her hair back into the forest.
**********************************
Feet caked with mud, back full of scars, eyes shadowed, hands blistered; Natsu swung his pick down upon the ground for the thousandth time. He now understood what Bartus had said "Most slaves last about a month in the field conditions." For it was true, the slaves next to Natsu would drop to the floor and never get up. Then the bodies would be taken away and ground up for fertilizer. Then Natsu would have to scatter the fertilizer, his fallen slaves, to the plants.
Natsu barely slept, the events during the day haunting him at night. Plus his mind was too focused on how to escape. How to find Lucy. Mostly worrying if she was alright, if she was alive. Night was the only time of peace he had to think for himself, before the next day of work.
But finally, after weeks of planning, he was ready to make his escape! He had to wait for this specific day, because it was harvest day! The busiest day for field workers, so much would be happening, so much commotion. Natsu should be able to slip out unnoticed.
He wasn't accustom to making the plans, usually Lucy or Erza were the strategists. But today it was all up to him.
His scheme was simple, but hopefully effective. During the hustle and bustle of Harvest all the Guarding Timbermen will be busy organizing carts, equipment and groups of slaves. Therefore one out of place slave shouldn't stick out. Especially if this slave had a heard of animals with them. To hide in plain sight.
Natsu had seen slaves be set in charge of herds of pigs, goats, sheep, flocks of geese and many other animals while escorting them across the land. Therefore, Natsu would simply take one if these groups and lead them out to the open field and leave! Simple plan! Hopefully, not too simple.
As he was going over the plan in his head, the door to the slave bunker opened. Sunlight streamed in the only entrance or exit as Timberman guards rudely woke up each human inside the dark room. They were all herded out the door and out into the open.
Just as Natsu had planned, the entire courtyard was bustling with life and to his delight, he saw several humans leading away different groups of animals.
He wasn't paying attention when a Timberman shoved a heavy load into Natsu arms, he stumbled a bit at the unexpected weight.
"Take that to the Barn." The Timberman ordered, then turned around, completely ignoring Natsu.
The barn was perfect! Now he had an alibi, a reason for going to the barn and getting animals. Without waiting another second he walked nonchalantly towards the large building. Passing Multiple Timberman and even more human slaves he remained calm, this wasn't the hard part yet.
Once inside the rickety wooden doors, he set down the heavy crate and approached the animal pens. He found a pair of goats sitting quietly in their pen. Perfect!
Working swiftly he grabbed two leashes and tied the ropes around their necks loosely. He opened the pen door and guided them out. He was thankful for their obedience, especially since Natsu had never interacted with these goats before.
Now all he had to do was walk calmly through the crowd and slip out the side gate. Seems simple enough...
Taking a deep breath, he took his firs step into the open. As loud as all the commotion should be, he was hyper focused and barely heard anything over his foot steps.
He kept walking.
Natsu managed his facial features, he had to stay calm and avoid any type of attention.
He walked further.
Finally he reached the halfway point, just a bit more and he would be hidden from view. However, his progress was stopped when a Timberman grabbed his arm.
"Hey!" The Timberman called out to someone. "I didn't hear anything about using goats. Did you?"
"Goats?" A second Timberman joined.
Natsu's heart was pounding loudly in his ears. It was too dangerous to make a run for it, he was too far away and there were too many Timberman around. However, if he was caught, he might not have another chance. Was it worth risking a loud escape? He had no magic, he held no power.
But he had to escape today, he needed to find Lucy! He needed to know she was alright. He had a dreadful feeling that if he didn't escape now, it would be too late. Too late for both him and Lucy.
"I don't remember any directions concerning goats." The Timberman which held Natsu's arm took the goats' lead away from him.
"Maybe he is taking them to be cleaned." The second suggested.
Natsu wanted to nod, but these people didn't know how intelligent Natsu was for a Elderwood human. Therefore he kept his eyes on the dirt.
"They are pretty filthy." The Timberman placed the leash back into Natsu grip and let go of his arm. "Well, get going."
With a hard slap on the back Natsu was pushed forwards, the simple slap stung immensely from all the previous slashes Natsu had obtained. For the Timbermen here loved their whips.
Keeping his head down, Natsu lead the goats away and slipped behind one of the larger buildings. From here, Natsu was completely hidden from view of the commotion in front of the buildings. Plus, a golden wheat field spread for miles in every direction around the Large Farm Natsu had slaved upon. No annoying trees anywhere!
He untied the goats and sent them back towards the barn, while he silently slipped under the rickety fencing and into the tall grass beyond. At first he made his way as slowly and cautiously as possible. After what seemed an hour of sneaking, he mustered enough courage to stand up and see how far he had traveled.
Stretching his legs, Natsu's head popped silently over the wheat. He was alone, he couldn't smell anything near him and he couldn't see the farm at all. He took a deep breath and let his mind relax. His legs buckled from underneath him, the sudden sense of relief washing over him.
For the first time in over a month he was free. He had escaped! He was free!
Catching his breath, he thought about his net move. He knew exactly what he needed to do next. He needed to find Lucy! Therefore he headed to the last place he knew dhe had been.
The Slave Traders Hub in Elderwood. He would track her scent from there. He would find her!
**********************************
Behind her eyelids, Lucy could see a gentle light flashing. She squeezed her eyes together tightly, as if this would stop the twinkling. Once Lucy opened her eyes she realized that the flashing light was the sun shining through gaps between leaves of the trees above her. She was moving, making the light dance over her face as she was dragged across the forest floor.
Coming to her senses, she saw Bartus holding her uninjured foot, using it to haul Lucy to an unknown place.
Bartus seemed to notice Lucy's consciousness and dropped her, making Lucy groan as her sense of pain kicked back in.
"This is far enough." Bartus walked behind her and picked her up by her hair. Lucy tried to stand up on her good leg in opposition, but was too weak from blood loss.
"Do you ever quit fighting?" Bartus snarled.
Lucy used her nails as claws, scratching away at his bark coated arms. Trying anything to get away from him, however, he just laughed.
Bartus slammed Lucy's head against a large tree, he placed his other hand firmly on her stomach. At first Lucy was confused by this, but she soon realized what was happening. The tree behind her started to move, as if its material was complying to Bartus's will. Slowly, Lucy started sinking into the tree! The wood moved around her body and sucked her into the thick trunk.
Just before she started hyperventilating, the movement stopped. Leaving her shoulder, her right wrist and her injured left leg out. Everything else was completely overtaken by the tree.
Lucy wailed in protest, wishing she had her voice to curse and scream at this monster. Using her only free movable limb, she swung her foot and kicked Bartus, knocking him down. However, this was clearly a shortsighted move. Because the pain of kicking with her injured leg hurt far more than the pain she inflicted on him.
She once again let out a scream, more to her own stupidity than anything else. However, this seemed to upset Bartus.
"Will you just shut up already." A stick grew from his arm and he snapped it off.
Taking it, he placed it into her mouth as a type of gag. He took the ends and melded them to the tree behind her, locking her head in place to the tree. The width of the stick was no thicker than a pencil, so it didn't have much effect.
Not understanding the true effect of this stick she began to talk back, however her words were caught in her throat as something changed. As she spoke, the stick grew larger, spreading her teeth further apart. This action surprised her and she immediately stopped.
"So know you see." Bartus smirked, his familiar mossy figure purred with pleasure. "Every time you speak, every time you make a noise, if you even breath loudly; it grows. It won't stop growing either, make too much noise and it will break your jaw. I've even seen it take some jaw's clean off."
Lucy started to shake in fear, yet she didn't want him to know she was afraid. But it didn't seem like she was doing a good job at hiding it.
"Your shaking like a leaf." Bartus traced a rough finger across her trembling jawline. She tried to look anywhere but at him, however she could feel tears starting to swell in her eyes.
"You were fun to play with, but now you are only a nuisance." Bartus stepped back from her started to walk away. "I have no need for an inconvinience like you anymore. This is goodbye."
Without another word, Bartus turned away and left. Leaving Lucy alone with the notion that she was nothing more than a bother to the world. He left her to die. Die of thirst, blood loss, or to be eaten by a wild animal. By which, she didn't care.
After Bartus left, Lucy let out a relaxed breath, a moment of peace. However she must have breathed too loudly because this caused the mouth piece to grow. The action surprised her which made her vocalize in shock. The situation escalated, making Lucy panic, as her mouth was forced wider apart. However she caught herself and regulated her breath, learning to breath through her nose.
She had to keep herself in check. She could not afford another slip up like that, however she now knew how sensitize this mechanism was. Lucy was in this for the long run. She would probably die here and she would rather keep her jaw intact when the end came.
For now, she needed to relax and get some rest. At least she was silent in her sleep.
Lucy wasn't sure how much time had passed, her consciousness came and went. Sometimes she would wake up in the dark, other times; time seemed to drag on forever. However, this was her new life now. Simply existing until she no longer had the strength to go on.
Nevertheless something inside her eternal clock told her that it had not been more than a couple days. Besides, an average person needs water to survive. Therefore it could not have been any more than two days.
Her throat was incredibly dry, giving the feeling of sandpaper. Especially because the stupid gag in her mouth made her unable to swallow properly, taking away the last remaining fragments of water she had left.
The branch. That wretched branch had more than tripled in size, her mouth almost at its breaking point. Her muscles ached and begged for release. Her entire face tight and uncomfortable from holding the position for so long.
Several sneezes, coughs and unfortunate accidents had lead to her predicament. However, it was all inevitable. Sooner or later it was bound to happen, she just wished that she wouldn't be alive to feel it.
Lucy closed her eyes for what she hoped the last time and took a small breath, now ready. Not content. Not content at all. She had so much more she wanted. She had so much more life she wanted to experience. But she was at her limit.
Just as her eyes fluttered shut, she heard the sound of running footsteps. Her heart beat elevated, a sense of fear ran through her. Something was coming. Fast.
She barely had the to think about what was about to befall her when the figure burst into view. However, her fear melted away in an instant and was replaced with shock.
Before her stood the one person who could rejuvenate her hope. The one thing in this entire realm that would help her. Natsu was back.
"Na." The tiniest squeak leaked from her lips, it was loud enough for Natsu. However, it was also loud enough for the gag in her mouth.
Lucy's face caught with pain as it grew wider in her jaw, Natsu saw this and immediately ran over. He grabbed the thinest sides and yanked as hard as he could, tearing it off.
Lucy's head fell forward and cried out in reprieve as she was finally freed. However all her pent up emotions flowed out of her the moment Natsu made contact with her. She started bawling uncontrollably. Her voice raw and dry from a lack of water and being silent for so long.
She was incredibly relieved that Natsu was alive, he found her. She was going to be okay, she was going to live.
Bust mostly in this moment, she was traumatized and needed comfort. Natsu too was crying, relieved to finally be reunited with Lucy. To be comforted by the fact that she was alive.
He held her free hand and stroked her hair, taking in her scent. They had both just experienced grievous events, of course they would seek each other for comfort. Even in their own realm of Earthland, they confided in each other. Therefore, why would it be any different here?
This was when Natsu decided to do something out of the ordinary, something he hadn't the courage to do before. But now he knew just how fragile life was and how easily people and lives can be torn apart.
By these events in Elderwood, Natsu decided that he doesn't ever want to loose Lucy. The day he met Lucy, he knew that he loved her; but never had guts to admit his feelings. However, he would no longer hide. He decided it was finally time to tell her.
However, being in this place, he was unable to use his words. Therefore he settled on something more direct, something more intimate.
From their current position, Natsu lifted Lucy's chin gently, careful not to hurt her damaged jaw. He looked sympathetically into her eyes with a lust. Lucy seemed shocked by his expression and held his hand a bit tighter.
Natsu leaned in slowly, making sure she was not opposed to his movements. Together, their lips met. Their tears clashed upon their cheeks, yet it was sweet. However it was cut short.
The moment they shared their tender moment, a bright light blinded them from above. A strong wind started to blow upwards, so strong that Natsu was lifted off his feet and was forced to hold on to the tree to keep from being sucked away.
"Na!" Lucy called out to him, stretching her one hand out as far as she could to reach him. Natsu took her hand and gripped it tightly.
Lucy looked up towards the light to see the same type of portal she had seen Natsu fall from when she woke up in Elderwood. Was this possibly their way back home? If so, she had to let go of Natsu. She had to let him go home, even if she could not follow.
She made eye contact with Natsu, it seemed like he also understood what this portal was. Recognizing it from when Lucy was sucked away. However, when he looked back to Lucy he saw her sad eyes.
They both looked at their hands connected at the wrist, then looked at each other again. Lucy smiled at him, tears in her eyes. Suddenly Natsu knew what she was going to do.
Lucy let go of his wrist, leaving Natsu the only one holding on to her. She was letting him go without her, because she knew that she was stuck. Still stuck inside the stupid tree.
He shook his head vigorously in denial. He would not leave her behind! Not after all they had been through! Not after he just got her back!
However, Lucy simply kept smiling and his grip was slipping.
Tears. Massive amounts of tears flew from Natsu's eyes and were sucked up into the air behind him.
Just before he lost his hold on Lucy's wrist, he saw that her tree started to glow. Lucy too took notice and the watched in awe as the wood started to dematerialize, dissolving into tiny glittering bits. It's hold on Lucy vanishing.
The second Lucy was free from its grasp both Natsu and Lucy were pulled upwards into the vortex of light. Natsu didn't wait another second before pulling Lucy's body close to him and squeezing her as tight as possible. Together the rocketed upwards, then suddenly they changed direction and were falling.
Eyes closed shut tightly they hit the ground hard. Both clattering the dirt, followed by a dozen twinkling sounds.
After a moment Natsu rolled over and observed his surroundings. He immediately smiled as he recognized Magnolia! They were finally home! However, he was too tired to move anymore. His body gave in and he passed out peacefully in the middle of the road. He had faith in his friends that they would find them soon.