Well, hello my sweetums. Sorry about that last "update" but I had to speak to a guest and I couldn't contact them otherwise. Thanks for not unfollowing my story. Sorry it's taken so long, you are all very lovely and patient and I love you all to bits. So here it is, where things start to get intense. Wooooooo.

The Search Begins.

Lucy was, once again, the first one up.

She had made it almost second nature to get up early, or to at least be a light sleeper. Whenever there was a party at the guild and everyone stayed overnight, she was always the first one up. If Natsu ever broke into her house to sleep with her, she always woke up early to give him a nice kick (sometimes a Lucy Kick, or maybe no kick at all. Depended on her mood). And since she was raised as a lady, she had to be up bright and early. Of course, since joining Fairy Tail she no longer got up at the crack of dawn on a regular basis, but old habits died hard.

The first thing that she was aware of when she awoke was that her hammock's ropes were pulled tighter than usual, and it felt heavier and warmer. When she sat up to inspect, a tanned, muscled arm flopped over her lazily, tugging her back down into the hammock. Lucy squeaked and fell back down, realizing exactly what, or more specifically who, was in her bed.

Natsu, somehow in the middle of the night, must have crawled out of his hammock and into hers. It was only about two feet away, but she still didn't understand how he had made it with the rocking of the ship and his insane motion sickness. She heard him mumble something about fire and Igneel and Lucy. Lucy flushed and scrambled out, the lazy, sleepy arm griping the place where she had laid tight.

She sighed. Natsu looked cute when he was sleeping, all peaceful and relatively quiet. His eyes were shut softly and every now and then they would scrunch up and he would frown, but then he'd smile and his face would become relaxed again. His pink hair flopped over onto his face, a little strand just hovering in front of his mouth, swaying with his rhythmic breathing. His scarf was tied up to one of the ropes that kept the hammock up. Natsu never slept with a shirt on, unless they were on a job. He would just wear a version of his white pants; baggier without the ties at the bottom, like jogging pants. They were made of really comfy material, and Lucy had been tempted to steal a pair. It was only fair, as he and Happy barged into her home regularly and devoured her food and messed up her house and slept in her bed.

Lucy shook her head, gathered her clothes for the day, remembering that they would be searching for dragons, and changed in the bathroom.

While she changed, she couldn't help but feel excited. She had heard so much about Igneel and Grandeeney and Metallicana that she couldn't wait to meet all of them. She had to keep reminding herself not to get her hopes up, as the dragons had been missing for fourteen years without a trace. Some facts didn't add up about their disappearances and the connection to the island, and the odds were against them, but Lucy couldn't help feeling a little confident. If there was a single geographical location where the dragons might have been hiding, this would be the place.

She tiptoed out of the bathroom, surpised to see no one awake. She did notice, however, that some sleeping arrangements had changed since they all went to sleep the last night.

Juvia had climbed into Gray's hammock (thank goodness she was wearing pj pants and a shirt rather than her normal lacy nightgowns). She was snuggled right up next to him, a content, peaceful smile on her face. Gray was snoring lightly and was lying spread-eagled with his left limbs hanging off the edge. His right arm wrapped around Juvia protectively, but other than that he seemed to be completely unaware of her presence. Lucy thought it was cute that Gray, even in subconscious, was protective of Juvia. He would claim to have zero feelings towards her, but no one was about to forget the whole fiasco with Lyon at the Grand Magic Games. When Lyon had first met Juvia, he had declared his love for her on the spot. He had been bugging Juvia for a short while and Gray seemed to be relieved for a few moments of quiet. But when they met again in Crocus, they had all heard of the bet between the two rivals. If Lamia Scale had beaten Fairy Tail, then Lyon would have insisted on Juvia joining him in the guild. People speculated about how Gray had immediately gotten defensive and almost turned down the bet. And Lucy would always giggle at Mira and Jenny's match, at the one round where everyone joined in as brides and grooms. Lyon had picked Juvia up, only to be kicked by Gray who swooped Juvia off of her feet...who ended up tackling him in a bear hug, but still. Lucy also remembered how Loke had shown up and proposed (as usual) and dropped her right on top of Natsu. How embarrassing.

Another change, she noticed, was that Pantherlily seemed to have switched hammocks. Instead of sleeping at the foot of Gajeel's hammock, spread-eagled like Gray and drooling, he was curled up in Levy's arms, who in turn curled up around his tiny body. Levy scrunched her face up in a little grin, with Pantherlily smiling contently. Lucy noticed how Gajeel seemed to be leaning toward Levy (and now Pantherlily's) hammock. His one arm draped over the side, his fingers brushing the floor. There was nothing drastic there, although Lucy would definitely ask about it later. Erza had remained where she was, as had Wendy and Charle. Natsu and Happy were still curled up in Lucy's hammock, fast asleep. She decided to let them be rather than kick them awake. Natsu must have really wanted her hammock if he was able to hobble a few feet and climb in. She would give him credit this one time and let it slide.

Lucy rummaged in her bag quietly, trying to see if she had packed a book. Unfortunately, she had been in a bit of a rush when they left, so she had only packed a few essentials, forgetting the current book she was reading back home on her nightstand. She sighed and decided to go above deck once again, just to see what she could.

She climbed up the stairs and blinked in the morning sunlight. It was warm, but not warm enough to heat up the island 's cold weather. Even though it was spring on Berk, it was still very cold. That was the one thing that she couldn't stand about Berk. Lucy remembered her missions on Mount Hakabe and how she would start out in warm, sunny Magnolia and trek up the mountain in below freezing temperatures. She still shuddered at the memory of a cold three days on the mountain with Natsu and Happy. They had gotten lost in a living ice cave with no food and they had all started to go a little crazy from lack of food and sleep. If it hadn't been for Natsu's flames, they would have surely died. At least on Berk there was always shelter and a relatively friendly face to welcome you.

The island was already bustling, even though the sun wasn't fully up. Dragons were preparing to take off along with their riders and some boats. If Lucy had to guess, she would say that they would be heading out to go fishing for the day. Dragons fluttered around the island, some carrying huge chunks of ice and rock, others with wood supplies, whiles still others flew around with no obvious purpose.

Soon, Lucy spotted Toothless and Hiccup, hovering in the sky as Hiccup shouted orders and directions at riders while Toothless seemed to be doing the same to the dragons.

As Lucy continued to watch the island, Levy came up behind her, dressed and ready to go.

"Good morning, Lu-chan," she chirped happily.

"Morning, Levy-chan." Lucy replied, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," Levy answered mindlessly, "Pantherlily snuck in with me. He's really cuddly."

Lucy smirked, "Oh, I bet he is. And Gajeel doesn't notice?"

Levy shook her head, "Oh he does. He often grumbles about it, but he doesn't do anything other than complain about the matter. He just reminds us that Pantherlily is his cat, and we better not forget it."

"Hum, the way that you're implying this makes it sound like it's happened on multiple occasions. Besides, I don't think he minds as much because it's you that Pantherlily likes." Lucy had a playful, accusing tone to her voice.

Levy flushed and stuttered, "W-well I'm sure that, uh, if it was you, or, or, uh, Wendy, he still wouldn't mind and sometimes, er, we go on missions together and, and, sometimes Pantherlily sleeps with me. Uh," she looked at Lucy, who was giving her a knowing smile. Levy narrowed her eyes and smirked in reply, "What about you and Natsu? I noticed that he and Happy were curled up in your hammock this morning. I doubt that it was empty when they climbed in."

Now it was Lucy's turn to be disgruntled. "Uh, um, well, I felt bad for Natsu and, I, er-"

"Good morning," Erza interrupted, much to Lucy's relief.

"Hello, Erza," The girls both replied. Erza joined them at the railing of the ship and watched the island and its inhabitants.

"It's amazing," Erza said thoughtfully, "Isn't it?"

The other two girls nodded in agreement. The three began a small conversation about the dragons and how useful they were to the island and wondering about what it would be like if dragons were to come to their continent like the old days.

After a while, the Exceeds, Wendy, and Juvia came above deck to join them. After an exchange of morning greetings, Erza turned to Juvia.

"What's going on with the boys?"

Juvia sighed, "Gajeel and Natsu were bickering when Gray-sama insulted them and now they're fighting."

"But how?" Levy asked, "We're on a ship. Gajeel and Natsu can't stay out of their hammocks for more than a minute before getting nauseous."

"Well," Wendy said endearingly, "They're not leaving their hammocks. They're really just yelling at each other."

"Well," Erza said, "I suppose that they had better get ready." With that, she walked down stairs belowdecks and disappeared. The girls and Exceeds left on the deck of the ship stared out at the island still looming above them.

While they watched, they noticed Hiccup and Toothless staying in the same spot. Suddenly, they heard a noise that seemed to be coming from them. It sounded like a dragon's roar being imitated by a human. Several dragons rose up to meet the Chief and the Alpha, some of the dragons recognizable. From what the Mages could see, some of the dragons were Stormfly, Hookfang, Barf and Belch, Meatlug, and Skullcrusher. A few unknown riders were with them as well. Hiccup seemed to yell a command and they all started flying towards the ship.

"I suppose that's our summons," Pantherlily stated.

The dragons descended to the docks and landed where their ship was tied off.

"Good morning," Hiccup greeted loudly as he and the other riders dismounted, "Glad to see you survived the night. Permission to board?" He gestured at the gangplank that connected the ship to the dock.

Lucy smiled, "Permission granted."

Hiccup gestured for the rest of the Vikings to follow him and they lumbered up the gangplank, the dragons waiting on the docks.

"You've met a few of my friends here," Hiccup said casually once everyone was up on deck. The younger Vikings that the Mages had already met waved, grinned, or smiled. All of them seemed to be present; Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, and Eret.

"These guys," Hiccup gestured to the older Vikings that the Fairies didn't recognize, who smiled warmly, "Are villagers who volunteered to help in the search."

"I thought that everyone was supposed to be helping." Gray said casually as he walked up on deck with Erza, Natsu, and Gajeel, and without a shirt. The girl Vikings couldn't help but to look at his bare and very attractive chest. Fishlegs and Snotlout looked slightly distressed (they were still competing for Ruffnut's affection and Eret had been a recent bump in the road. She was over him now, but now these attractive, half-naked Mages came in and ruined everything.) Hiccup also noticed Astrid eyeing Gray, who seemed oblivious to the staring.

"Hey," Hiccup complained quietly to Astrid, who was standing beside him.

"What?" She replied playfully, "I'm allowed to appreciate a human's body. It doesn't always have to be yours."

Hiccup chuckled, "Oh," he said in an equally playful tone, "I see." He turned back to Gray, "We can't take all of the villagers. We still have an island to defend and fish to be caught and yaks to be milked. We have a village to run. But don't worry, while we're out searching, the others are keeping their eyes peeled for anything strange or stuff not usually noticed, especially the fishers."

Erza nodded intelligently, "Makes sense. And are we to be introduced?"

"You already know us," Tuffnut said stupidly, "I'm Tuffnut, and this is Ruffnut, the lesser twin."

Ruffnut punched him, "She meant the volunteers! And if anything, you're the lesser twin."

While the two started to bicker, Hiccup cleared his throat.

"This is Alva," he gestured to an elfish-looking woman who was skinnier than most of the Vikings that the Mages had seen so far and she carried several daggers on her person. She had a tricky grin and slightly pointed ears. She smiled sweetly when introduced, "Erling," a noble-looking Viking with a lot of furs and an axe slung over his back smiled smugly. He had a tall build, strong like all Vikings, but taller than most, "Freja," A petite Viking smiled and waved bashfully, a bow and a full quiver sticking out over her shoulders, "And Hackett." Hackett was a tall, relatively good looking man, except for his oversized hooked nose. He growled slightly and thumbed the sword hilt in its sheath at his waist.

There was a quick exchange of hellos and greetings as the two parties shook hands and greeted each other.

"Now let's go on a dragon hunt, whoo!" Natsu shouted and pumped his fist in the air, then returned to leaning over the side, green, with Gajeel beside him in the same position.

"What's with them?" Hackett asked.

Levy smiled, "Our friends are a little, uh, motion sick. They don't like transportation much."

"And will they be alright on the dragons?" Eret asked skeptically.

"They should be," Lucy answered, "But if not, Happy or Pantherlily could always carry them."

Hackett raised an eyebrow, "The cats? Are you telling me that they can fly?"

"Yes," Both Lucy and Levy replied at the same time.

Hackett and the other volunteers seemed surprised.

"And," Freja asked timidly, "They can carry those two?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy joined in, "If I can carry Lucy, I can carry everyone easily!"

"Are you calling me fat?!" Lucy cried indignantly, "Get back here ya stupid cat!"

Happy flew just out of Lucy's reach, crying "Ahhhh! Natsu save me, Lucy's gonna eat me!" But unfortunately for Happy, Natsu was busy being sick over the side of the boat.

Meanwhile, Hiccup, Gray, Erza, and Astrid were hovering over Hiccup's map, deciding on a route and formation.

"Maybe over here," Erza pointed to a place on the map.

"No," Hiccup said, "I've been there. It's just plains and small villages. We could cover this area though, it's all mountains. Something could be there."

"Maybe we could check somewhere with a lot of fire or iron or something tall? The dragons might be someplace where they can get access to their own element." Gray said.

"Good point," Astrid agreed, gesturing to a place on the map, "Here are fire mountains, and these are some old mines. And this mountain range goes up past the clouds. There could be a good start."

"But they're so far away from each other," Erza noted, "Should we split the group up? It would be faster."

Hiccup shook his head, "No, splitting up is bad. No way to communicate. Unless..."

"Unless we Mages have something magical that can communicate over long distances," Gray finished.

Erza sighed in exasperation, "We have a communication Lacrima, but only the one,so it's useless in this situation. We really could've used Warren right about now."

"Warren?" Astrid asked.

"Yeah," Gray said offhandedly, still staring at the map, "He uses Telepathy Magic, which means that he can communicate to anyone within a certain range using his thoughts."

Astrid and Hiccup didn't quite know what to say. So they went back to looking at the map and trying to figure out a route.

Alva was talking to Wendy and Charle, asking all about their magic.

"... and I can heal people." Wendy finished off.

Alva was impressed, "Wow, I never thought that your magic extended so far and had so many different branches. And you're still learning?"

Wendy nodded, "Mm-hmm. I have yet to even enter Dragon Force, which is like an ultimate power up for First Generation Dragon Slayers. And I'm still learning some new spells, and I haven't really gotten to practice Milky Way..."

"Milky Way?" Alva asked, "What's that?"

"Oh," Wendy replied, flustered. She wasn't used to explaining her magic so explicitly, "Well, it's a spell that can be used to summon dragons' souls after they've passed."

Alva was impressed, "So you can bring dragons back from the dead?"

Wendy shuffled her feet, "Well, no. I can bring back their souls, or more their thoughts, for a short time. During a tournament back home, I used it to make contact with a dragon long dead in order to get answers."

Alva nodded, "Makes enough sense." She continued her conversation with Wendy and Charle, asking about her magic and what else she could do.

Meanwhile, the twins, Snoutlout, and Fishlegs were talking to Juvia.

"Why is your hair such a weird colour?" Tuffnut asked rudely.

"Juvia's hair is perfectly normal!" She huffed.

"I think it's nice," Ruffnut said, "But how did you did you get it like that?"

"This is Juvia's normal hair," Juvia said nervously, "Juvia was born with this."

"Really?" Fishlegs asked, "I would've thought that you coloured it or something. Does everyone with you have natural hair?"

Juvia looked slightly confused, "Yes. Why?"

"I wonder," Fishlegs said out loud, "If the hair colour changes with the homeland..."

"Nobody cares, Fishlegs," Snotlout said offhandedly. Before they could get into a fight, Hiccup and Erza called everyone over.

Everyone huddled around the map, minus Gajeel and Natsu, who were listening from afar, leaning over the railing of the ship.

"Okay," Hiccup said, "This is what we're going to do. Today, we search some old mines. They became unusable a few generations back, but I think we can navigate them. There's a chance that one of your dragons might be there, as those mines hold large stores of iron."

Gajeel perked up, "Iron?"

Erza nodded, "Yes, we could very well find Metallicana there."

"But what about Igneel?" Natsu complained, "Aren't we going to look for him too? Why does Gajeel get his parent back?"

"Because the mines are closer, Flame-brain!" Gray snapped.

"And if we find one dragon," Astrid reasoned, "They might be able to tell us where the others are."

Natsu looked like he wanted to say something,but he was too sick to do so and went back to groaning over the railing.

"Tomorrow," Erza continued, "We'll look in these volcanoes," she gestured to the map, "And search there for Igneel."

"Volcanoes?" Fishlegs asked, his brow furrowed, "What is a volcano?"

"Oh, right," Levy said, "You guys don't have a word for that. A volcano is a fire-mountain."

There were some understanding "oh"s from the Vikings.

"And then if we still don't find anything," Hiccup continued, "We can look in these mountain ranges. They reach up to the sky, past the clouds."

"Sounds like a good plan," Hackett said, "But who's riding with who?"

"We're figuring that out now," Hiccup replied. He turned to the Mages and asked, "Can any of you fly, other than the ca- sorry, Exceeds?"

"No," Was the collective reply. Hiccup nodded.

"Alright. So we have ten dragons at our disposal and eight Mages, plus three Exceeds. For how long can the Exceeds fly?"

Pantherlily shrugged, "Depends. In this scenario, we could fly for hours. But we would have to rest every now and then, otherwise our magic would give out completely."

"It should be fine," Charle said, "Since those iron mines aren't too far away from here. "

"Okay," Hiccup said, "Then find a partner and mount up."

There was a moment of awkward silence, then Erza stepped forward. "May I ride with you?" She asked Erling.

He shrugged, "I do not mind. Come, meet Victor." He and Erza walked off the boat and into the docks where the dragons were waiting.

The others followed in Erza's steps.

"Is it alright if I ride with you?" Lucy asked Hackett.

He nodded, blushing slightly, and gestured for her to follow him. They walked off of the ship and toward the dragons.

Everyone in turn paired off; Levy with Fishlegs, Juvia with Eret, and Gray with Alva. Everyone mounted their dragons and the Exceeds took hold of their partners, spread their wings, and lifted off the ship (much to Gajeel and Natsu's relief).

"Alright," Hiccup called, "Get up and follow my lead!"

Almost simultaneously, the dragons started to flap their wings and took off, following Toothless and Hiccup, flying off towards their first destination.

They had been flying for nearly two hours.

The dragons were fine, but the Exceeds were staring to tire a little bit. It was hard work flying in such frigid temperatures. At least when they went to Tenrou, it had been hot and the breeze created by their movement and the height had been welcomed. Now, they braced themselves against the cold.

The Mages as a whole weren't doing much better. They had all packed warmly, but it was still chilly. Juvia was feeling stiff because the cold temperatures kept trying to turn her to ice. As it was her body, she could keep in control of it, but it was getting annoying and she found that she couldn't move as much. Gajeel had faced the same problem earlier.

To try and keep warmer, he had summoned his iron scales. For a while it had worked and he had been very proud of himself. After a while, however, he started to feel stiffer and had a very difficult time moving his joints. He realized that it must have been the cold freezing the iron, so he changed back to his skin which was colder but more comfortable.

Natsu didn't have a prolem at all. His body temperature was a lot higher than usual every day, so he found himself being immune to temperatures. Gray was unbothered by the cold, as he was an Ice Mage. He had had to run around in his underwear in colder weather than this, in sleet, hail, and snow. This was a walk in a winter wonderland for him.

The Vikings had become very accustomed to flying in cold temperatures. It was normal for them and they were unfazed by it.

Suddenly, in the quiet flapping of the wings and the wind whistling by, Hiccup yelled "There! Up ahead!"

"Up ahead" Were the old mines. As they came into view, the searchers saw that it was a mountain range riddled with holes. They stopped towards the peaks, for the Vikings who had mined the ore had had no means to go higher.

They all veered in the direction and landed in the mouth of a particularly large hole.

The light from the opening allowed them to see where they were, but after about ten feet, it was pitch black. Not even the Dragon Slayers could see.

The dragons were uneasy. They fidgeted and glared off in the dark, growling deep in their throats. This also made the Vikings and Mages uncomfortable. They too glanced behind them or in the corner of their eyes. If the dragons didn't like the place, then it couldn't be a good sign.

"Okay," Hiccup said loudly, gesturing for them all to close in. Everyone calmed down slightly but was still fidgety.

The group formed a circle around him, the dragons peering over their heads.

"This is where we split up," He started, "Each of us will take a path with a partner and search for clues."

"But what if we find something?" Levy asked, "How will we alert the others?"

Hiccup picked up a nearby stick and started drawing in the dust that covered the floor. He drew one big circle, then several circles around it, lines connecting them all, "All of the tunnels are connected," he explained, "Sound carries through them. If one person gives the signal, everyone will hear it."

"Signal?" Gray asked.

"Right," Fishlegs said, "You guys wouldn't know the signal!"

"Our signal is us mimicking a dragon's roar," Astrid explained, "Like this." Then she cupped her hands around her mouth and made a sound similar to Hiccup when they had first encountered him on the boat. It did indeed sound like a dragon.

"Um," Wendy asked, "How do you do that?"

"It's easy," Snotlout said, "You cup your hands like this, then you kind of growl and yell at the same time."

He demonstrated for them (even though there was no real need) and the Mages nodded.

"Like this?" Erza asked. She stepped forward, cupped her mouth, and imitated the sound almost perfectly.

Snotlout nodded, obviously impressed. "Yeah, you got it."

"Why don't you all try it?" Hiccup offered, "Just to get a feel of it."

The Mages each tested theirs out.

Lucy had been a little timid at first, but then Happy commented on how she sounded like a dragon when she was mad, and produced a formidable roar the second try.

Levy's had been quiet and weak. Gajeel snickered in the background, which seemed to give Levy inspiration, because when she tried again, it came out as a proper roar that left plenty surprised. Lucy and Pantherlily, however, seemed to be smiling smugly.

When Wendy tried, it accidentally came out as her Sky Dragon's Roar. There had been no damage, just a very strong gust of wind. Thankfully, they had been aiming down the tunnel in case something like this happened. Wendy apologized and tried again, this time successful, though a little on the quiet side.

Juvia had been a little nervous doing hers. But nonetheless she cupped her hands and let out a deafening roar.

"Wow," Gray had commented, "I'm surprised, that was pretty impressive." Juvia was very proud of herself.

Gray went and let loose a very loud roar, only to be scoffed at by Natsu.

"You think you can do better?" He snapped.

"You bet I can!" Natsu said excitedly. He stepped up to the place where the darkness started to settle in and took a deep breath. He held it for a moment, then let out an inhuman roar, not even bothering to cup his hands. It lasted for a moment longer than everyone else's, and the party covered their ears. They were surprised by the sudden volume and dragon-like character of the roar. Sure, their roars were made to mimic dragons, but they could never get it just right.

After Natsu stopped, he turned around to face the others with a cheeky grin plastered on his face. "Pretty good, huh?"

"Isn't that the same one you used on Cobra?" Lucy asked.

Natsu nodded, evidently proud of himself, "Yup."

Gajeel snorted, "Bet I can do better." Then he too stepped up, took a deep breath, held it for a moment and then let loose a roar to rival Natsu's. "I win," He said smugly after he had finished.

"No way," Natsu argued, "Mine was louder and more dragon-like! Yours sounded like a baby lizard! It was worse than Gray's!"

"Hey!" Gray defended himself, "Mine was great! In fact, I think it beats both of you. Mine travelled better."

"Bull!" Gajeel snapped, "Mine was the best! It was the loudest!"

The three started bickering until Erza got annoyed and snapped, "Boys! We are here on an important mission! Keep it together and act like a proper team!"

Gray and Natsu answered with their best Happy impression, "A-aye sir!" While Gajeel only looked away and made a tch sound.

"...Alright," Hiccup said after a second, "So if we find anything or something happens, give the signal and keep giving it until we all arrive to your location. Those who find them, give the signal along with them, so that there would be a lot of noise coming from one place. In a few hours I'll give the signal and we'll head home. So pair up, and make sure that each group has at least one torch."

Everyone paired up with each other. Natsu, Happy, and Lucy, Pantherlily, Gajeel, and Levy, Hiccup and Astrid, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, Fishlegs and Snotlout, Gray and Juvia, Erza and Erling, Wendy, Charle, and Freja, and Alva and Eret.

Not every group had a torch though.

In order to save supplies, some of the Mages were using their magic. Natsu, obviously, lit himself a small flame that kept the darkness at bay. Levy summoned the word Light. Everyone else carried a torch, ready to light.

"Now remember," Hiccup said in a stern tone, "This is an old mine. We have no idea how stable these tunnels are or what's in them. Be careful and avoid fights when you can (Natsu and Gajeel looked slightly downtrodden at that). But if you can't run or avoid, make the battle quick, we want to be efficient. We have a lot of ground to cover. Got it? Good. Now let's go!"

The groups separated down several different paths, some starting out the same but branching off as they got farther in.

Gajeel, Levy, and Pantherlily found themselves in a rather narrow tunnel. Pantherlily, not in his Combat Form, walked with ease, as did Levy. Gajeel, however, had to shuffle sideways because his body was too broad.

He cursed as he shuffled along the wall, "This is impossible," he grumbled.

"Oh," Pantherlily chided, "Stop complaining."

"Says you! You're like three inches wide! You've got plenty of room!"

"It's not that bad, Gajeel," Levy said kindly.

He scoffed at her, "You can't exactly have an opinion on this either, Shrimp."

He grinned and Levy blew out through her nose in irritation, keeping Light well in front of them in order to see their path.

Meanwhile, Natsu, Happy, and Lucy were forging ahead in a very wide tunnel.

"This passage feels huge," Lucy remarked.

"Yeah," Happy said nervously, "I feel like it's bigger than it should be."

"I know!" Natsu said suddenly, looking very excited and making Happy and Lucy nervous.

"What?" Lucy asked slowly.

"Here," he said, shuffling sideways until he touched the wall on his left. His left hand rested on the stone,completely outstretched. He held out his right arm, grinning, "Now, Luce, you go over and touch the other wall with your right hand and extend your arm to meet mine!"

Confused, Lucy did as he said, resting her right hand on the tunnel wall, both her arms outstretched.

"Why..?" She started to ask, but stopped when she saw Natsu's grin. "What?"

"Now we know!" He said excitedly, and Lucy and Happy suddenly realized what he did.

There was several feet between Natsu's right hand and Lucy's left, and then the distance of their arms from the walls.

"It's about two and a half people wide!"

"Two and a half?" Happy asked.

"Oh yeah," Lucy piped up, suddenly remembering something, "That's right! If you stretch out your arms, it should be about equal to your body height. So if my arms are completely stretched like they are now, that's how tall I am. Same for Natsu," She looked at him, impressed, "Wow Natsu, good job for figuring that out."

"Natsu figured something out!? On his own?!" Happy cried, "Is the world ending?"

Lucy giggled while Natsu huffed defiantly, "I can have good ideas!"

"Like that one in Edolas where you dressed me up in some weird costume?" Lucy scoffed.

"That was your fault!" Natsu defended, "You weren't sexy enough!"

"What was that?" Lucy snapped.

In another tunnel, Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, and Stormfly rumbled along. Hiccup held the lit torch in front of him, sweeping it from side to side occasionally.

Toothless growled in complaint.

"I know, Bud," Hiccup said kindly, patting Toothless's head, "But you can't use your sound-vision. The others might think something's wrong."

"These tunnels are pretty big," Astrid remarked.

"How so?"

"Oh," Astrid said with an air of sarcasm, "I'm sure that it's perfectly normal for these tunnels to be able to fit two Vikings walking side-by-side with two dragons in tow."

"You know what?" Hiccup said slowly as he swept the torch again, "You're right. I don't see why this tunnel has to be so big."

"Maybe to fit minecarts?" Astrid offered.

"Yeah... Maybe. Let's just be sure to keep our eyes peeled."

Wendy, Charle, and Freja had found one of the smaller tunnels.

"Good thing everyone on this team is so tiny!" Freja said cheerily.

Wendy looked down and felt a small twang of sadness. She knew that that hadn't been what the Viking meant, but it still sort of stung.

"Hmm," Charle said, "I have a bad feeling..."

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked, "Do you see something?"

Charle was quiet for a second, "No."

"See something?" Freja asked, "But I'm the one holding the torch. She should be able to see fine."

"I don't see in that matter," Charle corrected.

"Then how do you see?"

Charle huffed, "It's difficult. Sometimes I can see into the future."

Freja was impressed, "So you can predict the future? Who will I marry?"

"It doesn't really work like that," Wendy offered.

"It comes and goes," Charle explained, "Most of the time it's in small flashes. They don't always make sense at first, but afterwards everything is made clear. Other times they're just hunches. For example, if two people sat down I might be able to determine their topic of conversation, but I can't just predict the future anytime I want."

"I see," Freja said thoughtfully, "So this bad feeling, is this just an eh, probably nothing bad feeling or an actual prophetic bad feeling bad feeling?"

"The latter," Charle answered stiffly.

"And these...feelings," She emphasized the word, "Are usually right?"

"Spot on," Wendy said, "Most of the time. I've learned to trust her."

"Great," Freja said sarcastically, "I love when people have trustworthy bad feelings. It always ends well."

Others were getting the same feeling.

"I don't like this..." Erling said slowly as he carried the torch, walking in front of Erza.

"Neither do I," She agreed, "Have you ever been in these mines?"

Erling shook his head as his dragon, Victor, slowly lumbered behind them. "No. My great-grandfather was a miner here, but I myself have never been in the mines. No need."

"So these mines are not in use?" Erza pressed.

Erling cast a curious glance at her before answering, "No. After they went out of use, we never bothered with them."

"But you have dragons now," Erza pointed out, "Not only would you be able to reach the tops and access more iron, but also be more efficient?"

Erling was quiet for a moment. Finally, he said "I guess so. We can supply ourselves fine with what we have now, so we had no need to come back here until now."

"Mm." Erza nodded and they walked on in silence.

Meanwhile, Snotlout and Fishlegs were bickering over who held the torch while their two dragons trailed behind them.

"I'm taller, so I should hold it!" Snotlout barked, snatching the torch from Fishlegs.

Fishlegs quickly grabbed it back and argued "No! You're the better fighter in this group! If something happens, you'll need to see."

"Ha! So you admit I'm a better fighter!"

"Of course you are," Fishlegs explained impatiently, "But I'm twice as smart."

"Not true!" Snotlout defended.

Fishlegs raised an eyebrow, "What is the attack power of a Groncle compared to its jaw strength?"

"Uh, um," Snotlout stumbled over his words while Fishlegs smiled smugly, "Psh, it's useless facts anyway!" He snapped, "Now give me the torch!"

"No!"

The two bickered back and forth, until Snotlout made a mad grab for the torch. But Fishlegs was expecting it and held tight. The two pulled back and forth like two toddlers fighting over a toy until Snotlout smirked and said "You want it? Fine," And let go.

Fishlegs stumbled back. He regained his balance but dropped the torch in an ever so inconvenient puddle.

The torch sizzled out and they were left in complete darkness.

"Way to go, Fishbrains!"

"What are you talking about?" Fishlegs snapped, turning in the approximate direction where Snotlout was standing, "You made me fall back, causing me to drop it. If anything, it's both our faults."

"But mostly yours," Snotlout pointed out stubbornly.

"Ugh!" Fishlegs groaned in frustration, "It doesn't matter! What does matter is that we have no light! We can't see."

"Hookfang," Snotlout said suddenly.

There was a disgruntled noise from Hookfang, then a whoosh and a ball of fire lighting the way before them. It only lasted a second before becoming pitch black again.

"Snotlout!" Fishlegs cried in anger.

"What?" Came the cool reply, "You said that you couldn't see, so I gave you light. You're welcome."

"That was a very stupid idea! We don't know what's in these tunnels! For all we know, that fire could have woken Gajeel's dad up from a very nice sleep..."

"Psh, how do we even know his dad's in here? And how do you know we're looking for that metal dude's dad anyway?"

"Oh gee," Fishlegs said sarcastically, "We're in an iron mine, and one of the Dragon Slayers is an Iron Dragon Slayer, and he's one of the guys who is looking for his dad. I wonder what type of dragon and whose parent might we be looking for?"

"Shut up!" Snotlout snapped in embarrassment.

Fishlegs rolled his eyes and felt around for Meatlug until he found her head, "Come on girl, let's see if we can find anything."

The two walked on, with Snotlout grumbling to Hookfang behind them.

Suddenly, the dragons perked up. Both Vikings turned to their mounts, struggling to comfort them in the dark.

"It's okay, girl," Fishlegs said softly, "I'm sure it's nothing."

"What is it, Hookfang?" Snotlout asked eagerly, "Do you smell something?"

Hookfang growled in response, Meatlug making a noise in her throat as well.

Then Fishlegs and Snotlout heard it; maniacal cackling, like that of a crazy person.

"What is it?" Snotlout asked, trying to sound brave and failing.

"What if it's Loki?" Fishlegs cried, "Come to drive us mad?"

"Why would he do that?" Snotlout demanded.

"I don't know!" Fishlegs said in exasperation, "Who knows, we might've stumbled upon one of his sacred doorways."

The four waited in silence as the cackling grew louder. As it came closer, a light could be seen, bobbing far down the tunnel in front of them. It came closer and closer, growing brighter and the laughter louder.

"This is it!" Fishlegs cried, clinging onto Meatlug, who seemed just as frightened, "We're going to be driven mad in these caves and never find a way out!"

"For the record," Snotlout said, "If we do get stuck in here, I'm eating your dragon first."

"No you're not!" Fishlegs clung to Meatlug even tighter.

Before the two could bicker any more, the laughter piqued in front of them and they averted their eyes as the light swished by their faces, almost blinding them.

"Well, well, well," Drawled a familiar male voice.

"What do we have here?" Finished an equally familiar female voice.

Both boys perked up and turned to face the twins and their dragon.

"Ruffnut!" The two boys cried happily.

"I'm in here too!" Tuffnut cried angrily, only to be promptly ignored.

"How did you find us?" Fishlegs asked, "We never signalled."

"Belive me," Tuffnut said, "It was an accident. We were waking along the tunnel until we heard you guys yelling. I thought that two yaks had gotten stuck in here."

"Ha-ha," Snotlout said, "Very funny."

"So why were you just sitting here in the dark?" Ruffnut asked.

"Fishlegs dropped the torch," Snotlout said.

"I did not!" Fishlegs snapped, "We were fighting and we dropped it. So now we don't have a torch."

"So why don't you just relight it?" Tuffnut asked.

"Because it's wet," Fishlegs said patiently, "It-"

"Could take hours for it to get dry," Snotlout interrupted smartly. Fishlegs glared at him.

"So you don't have a light?" Tuffnut asked in a mocking tone, "And people call us idiots."

Snotlout opened his mouth to say something, looked at Ruffnut who was smiling at the two, and then shut it.

"You could come with us," Ruffnut offered in a suspiciously flirtatious tone.

"But we were supposed to split up into groups," Tuffnut argued.

"Hey" Snotlout said, "We would love to go our separate ways, but, sadly, we have no torch and therefore we cannot see. Would you have us wandering the tunnels forever?"

"Yes," Tuffnut said with a smirk.

After a short discussion, Tuffnut walked in front with Barf and Belch, leading the way to a side tunnel previously passed. Ruffnut, Fishlegs, and Snotlout weren't far behind, Hookfang and Meatlug trailing after them.

Alva and Eret forged ahead in the tunnels, feeling vulnerable in the big open tunnel. They had taken a direct tunnel and were further in. Skullcrusher and Alva's dragon, Marrow, were getting more and more skittish. Skullcrusher kept sniffing the air and growling.

"Something's wrong..." Eret said slowly. "I haven't been doing the whole "friends with dragons" business for long, but I know enough from past experiences to know when an animal senses danger."

"You're right," Alva agreed after a moment, "I don't know why, but I feel like we're trespassing."

"Yeah. Wait!" Eret said quietly, holding his hand up in a stopping gesture, standing still. Alva and the dragons followed suit; completely silent and still.

Alva was about to ask what was wrong when she heard it: a high-pitched noise and the sound of crumbling rocks, almost as if a thousand axes were whirring and chewing up the rock. Her wide eyes met Eret's and they suddenly understood why the dragons were so uneasy.

Meanwhile, Gray and Juvia were slightly squished in a tunnel that was only just big enough for them to walk single file. Their tunnel had several paths leading from it, riddled with holes. They varied in sizes, going from small enough to fit a young child, to big enough it a Forest Vulcan at full height.

Both of them felt a nervous vibe in the air and as Juvia trailed close behind Gray, she gripped his right hand tight, his left hand holding the torch out in front of them.

"Juvia feels uneasy," Juvia said in the thick silence, before only broken by the crackle of the flames and their footsteps.

"I know," Gray said, giving her hand a small, comforting squeeze, "I feel it too and I don't like it. Remember how all the dragons were skittish when we first landed?"

Juvia nodded, "Yes. Animals have a better survival instinct than humans, right?"

"Right," Gray said, "So if they're worried, then we should be too."

"But Juvia and Gray-sama are Mages," Juvia tried a confident tone, "Fairy Tail Mages. Juvia knows that she and Gray-sama will not lose to whatever is in here."

He smiled, "That's the spirit. And who knows, maybe the reason why the dragons were scared is because Metallicana's in here."

"Maybe..."

They trailed on in uneasy silence for a little bit longer, unsure of what might pop out of one of the tunnels that lined their way.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a whirring noise, almost as if a Wood-chop Lacrima had been used on rock. The noise grew closer and the two Mages stayed still, trying to figure where it was coming from and where to run if needed.

The noise seemed to be coming from a tunnel on their left, so Gray dragged Juvia to a tunnel further up on the right, found a miraculously convenient niche, pushed her against it with his own body, covering her mouth with his hand.*

Juvia was blushing rather profoundly (as Gray had lost his shirt somewhere along the way and she stuffed it into her bag to give to later) and her head was rapidly filling with Gray-themed fantasies. Neither of them spoke or moved. They hardly dared to breathe. They kept waiting for the noise to pass them as it kept getting louder, signalling its close proximity.

There was a sudden burst of sound. They recognized it as rocks collapsing and exploding outwards. Apparently the thing creating the noise hadn't been coming through a tunnel, it had been creating a new one.

The whirring noise stopped and there was a horrid slithering, the sound of scales sliding across the rocks.

It kept coming closer and Gray pressed himself and Juvia even further into the niche, both of them feeling sore, cramped, and uncomfortable. But they both knew that the thing coming closer was most likely a dragon and they weren't exactly sure how one would fight one of these newer dragons. The silent agreement was to wait and see what it was. If it attacked, they fought. If not, then they could regroup and figure out a game plan and signal the others.

The horrible sounds came down their tunnel and Gray and Juvia stopped breathing altogether.

The thing making the horrible noises was in fact a dragon. It had a huge head with rows of whirring teeth. It seemed to have its eyes on the side of its head and from their point, it looked like it was blind. The entire eye was milky white and didn't seem to be looking at anything. The dragon's colour was a light blue with a grey underside and red spikes. Its body consisted of one long, slithering tail with the same colouring and spikes. It had tiny red wings that were folded against its body.

The horrible dragon paused by their niche, sniffing for a moment.

Juvia, suddenly getting an idea, silently transformed into her Water Body, wrapping herself around Gray to mask their scents. Gray was a little surprised but understood what she was doing and went with it.

The dragon sniffed for a moment longer, then apparently decided that there was nothing of interest there and moved on, slithering down the tunnel until it veered off, digging a new one with its whirring teeth that acted as a wood chipper for rock.

They waited a moment longer, just to make sure that it was really gone. Then, Juvia let Gray go, turning back to herself. Both of them were gasping for breath, only just now remembering to breathe. For a minute, they stood panting, until Gray picked up the torch that he had dropped when they had squeezed themselves into the small space. Luckily, Juvia had managed to keep it dry and they were still able to see.

"What should we do?" Juvia asked after she got her breath back properly, "Signal for help?"

"No," Gray said, "The dragon would hear us too and chances are that it would get to us first."

Juvia nodded, "Right. But how would we let the others know about the dragon? Juvia thinks that there might be more..." She glanced around her nervously, feeling as if the dragon was still watching her every move.

Gray awkwardly placed his hand on Juvia's shoulder in an effort to comfort her. "We'll find a way," He said reassuringly, "I'm sure that we'll run into someone sooner or later and we can figure something out with them."

Juvia smiled, "Right!"

Eret and Alva sprinted down the tunnel, their dragons easily keeping pace. They could barely see, the torch was waving around wildly, and the shadows made everything look warped at their speed. They had no idea where they were going, only to get away from the Whispering Death that had cornered them. Luckily, their dragons had reacted quickly, Marrow breathing fire at the tunnel ceiling to cause a small avalanche of dust and rock, while Skullcrusher rammed into the rogue dragon, giving them just enough time to escape.

"Is it still after us?" Alva panted.

"Probably," Eret called back, "These dragons tend to keep grudges."

"Great!" Alva snapped, "Well, is it still behind us?"

Eret cast a glance behind his shoulder, but past the dragons, it was too dark to see. "Can't tell!" He answered.

"Even better!" Alva said sarcastically. She stopped running and Marrow bumped into her, almost knocking Alva off of her feet.

She righted herself and looked behind her. Eret and Skullcrusher had stopped a few feet after her and waited with bated breath.

"Come here," She said softly, gesturing to Eret without moving her head, still staring off into the darkness behind the.

Slowly and quietly, Eret came forward until he was standing beside Alva. After a moment of complete silence, he whispered, "I don't see anything."

"Exactly," Said Alva quietly, "It's not behind us."

"Then does that mean that we've lost it?"

Alva shook her head, her eyes still not moving, "No. Like you said earlier, Whispering Deaths tend to hold grudges. So why did it just suddenly disappear? We're in its home turf, it should be at an advantage."

Suddenly, Eret's eyes widened and he grabbed Alva's hand, sprinting in the same direction as before, the dragons leading.

"What?" Alva cried, who had wrenched her hand from Eret and ran alongside him, "Did you see something?"

"No," He replied in a hurried tone, "But I did realize something. We're in a mountain riddled with holes, tunnels, and caves, plus tons of space to make new ones. It hasn't stopped following us, it's just hiding itself!"

Alva's eyes widened with realization like Eret's and she picked up her pace, "So it could be anywhere! We have to find the others!"

Natsu, Happy, and Lucy wandered down the tunnel, unaware of the danger that some of the other groups were facing. But, as they went further and further into the mountain, Natsu started sniffing around and jumping at small noises.

"Natsu," Lucy asked after a pebble had gone skidding forward, kicked by one of them, and Natsu whirled around, his fists ablaze, "What is wrong with you? You're acting almost as skittish as the dragons!"

"There's something in these tunnels," Natsu said, "And I don't like it, whatever it is."

"But," Happy interjected, raising a paw, "Isn't that what we're hoping for? To find Metallicana?"

"Yeah," Natsu replied, glaring off in front of them, now only one hand holding flames in order to see, "But this is different. Metallicana would have a strong scent, because he's so big, and he'd smell sorta like Gajeel. But the only trace of Gajeel's scent is long gone; I haven't smelt it since before we went into that big tunnel."

"So," Lucy said slowly, "Do you smell something then?"

Natsu nodded, "Yeah, and I don't like the smell. It reeks of old scales and rocks and damp caves."

"Do you think it could maybe be Metallicana?" Happy asked hopefully, "It has been fourteen years, maybe his scent changed?"

"No," Natsu replied promptly, "Even if he had been down here for fourteen years, he would still smell like himself. I don't really know what that is, exactly, but I know enough to smell him. There's nothing here to signal his presence, just the old iron left in the mines."

"So if it's not Metallicana," Lucy said softly, "Then what could it be? Another dragon?"

Natsu opened his mouth to answer, but whirled around and glared at a tunnel that neither Lucy nor Happy had noticed that led off to their right. They waited in silence, until they heard hurried footsteps and two people panting.

Natsu relaxed but didn't stop glaring into the darkness. A second later, Lucy and Happy saw a light bobbing, becoming bigger and brighter. Soon they could make out two silhouettes; one hour-glass figured female and a well-muscled male figure. As they came closer they could make out their features.

Gray and Juvia ran into their path, stopping and catching their breath. Natsu glared at Gray, "What are you doing? We were supposed to split up!"

"Yeah," Gray wheezed, "About that..."

"Dragons," Juvia said. She had gotten her wind back and was able to speak clearly, "Juvia and Gray-sama ran into a dragon."

"And you didn't fight it?" Natsu asked.

"Last time I checked," Gray said sarcastically, "Not even the Dragon Slayers could take a dragon out."

Natsu stepped forward, his fists clenched. Before he could do anything, Lucy stepped between them and put a hand on Natsu's chest.

"That's enough," She said with enough authority to almost rival Erza. Both boys backed down, "That's better." She sighed then spoke again, "It's good that you guys didn't fight it. Chances are that they might be pack hunters. If there's one, there's sure to be more."

"So what should we do?" Asked a frustrated Natsu, "What if we run into one?"

"Run away," Juvia advised, "Like Love Rival said, there most likely could be others down here."

Lucy frowned, "Please don't call me that."

"But," Natsu argued, "We could take them down! All of the dragons so far have fire-based powers or whatever. And they're a lot smaller than the ones we faced in Crocus! There's no way that any of the dragons here could rival those guys."

"You do have a point," Gray said grudgingly, "The thing we saw was pretty small, but terrifying enough. Hell, it was even blind!"

"Still," Lucy said, "We shouldn't fight it. What if we attract more? Or cause a cave-in? I'm sure that the tunnels throughout the mountain have lessened the stability and the dragons won't be helping in fixing it."

"Aye!" Happy agreed, "We should just get everyone together and leave!"

"Good idea, Happy," Lucy smiled, then turned to the boys, "We're going to find the others and you're going to come along quietly."

Both boys grumbled their disagreement, but knew that the girls and Happy were right.

They walked through the tunnels, Natsu keeping his hand aflame and Juvia put out their torch. Natsu made sure to keep aware of any presences: friends or foe.

At the same time, Alva, Eret, Skullcrusher, and Marrow were still sprinting along the tunnels, no clue as to whether they were going deeper into the mountain or closer to the exit.

"How big are these tunnels?" Alva panted, "Surely we should've found someone by now! Or at least run into another Whispering Death!"

"I know," Eret wheezed back, "We've been running for a while. We should've found something by now!"

Hardly a second had passed before two people and a dragon came barreling out of a tunnel leading off to their right.

The two groups had almost smashed into each other but luckily the dragons had been leading.

When everyone slowed down and adjusted their eyes to the additional torchlight, they were both surprised and relieved to see the other.

"Eret! Alva!" Hackett sighed in relief, "I thought it 'twas a Whispering Death after us! The mines are filled with the nasty things!"

"We noticed," Alva wheezed.

"Are you alright?" Eret asked, "Are you able to fight?"

"Yes," Erza replied, "Although that may not be the best idea."

"Agreed," Hackett said, "These tunnels are already unstable. It would not do well to do more damage to them."

"Okay," Eret said, "So what now?"

Erza stepped forward, "We should find the others and leave as fast as we can. Obviously Metalicana isn't in here."

The others were impressed with her authority and nodded their consent.

Alva spoke up, "But how do we keep track? Most of these tunnels are identical and we have no idea as to where they go. There are about a million different passageways!"

"We'll keep a map," Erza replied, "That way we can keep a record of where we've been."

"That's brilliant!" Hackett said.

"But will it work?" Eret asked dubiously, scratching Skullcrusher's head almost subconsciously, "There are just so many turns and tunnels and dead-ends and probably some random drops!"

Erza smiled slyly, "We used this same strategy in the Grand Magic Games preliminaries in a far more intricate maze."

"Intricate?" Eret laughed, "How could it be more intricate than this?" He called out the last part loudly and very sarcastically.

"Eret!" Hackett snapped, "Any louder and the Whispering Deaths will be upon us!"

"Hey!" Alva interjected, stepping between the men, her smallest dagger in her hand, "That's enough from you two! We're all really high-strung right now and it doesn't help that we're in the middle of a dragon's nest, and not the one we intended. So, I suggest that we listen to the only Mage present and entertain her idea. Chances are that it'll work! And," She turned to Eret, "If she says that she's been in more intricate mazes I'm sure that she has! So everyone just settle down and we'll find everyone soon enough and then we can leave. The sooner we stop fighting, the sooner we can get going!"

Eret glared at the older Vikings then huffed in annoyance, "Fine, let's get going. Who's going to do the maps?"

"I will," Hackett said, "I'm good at maps."

"Good," Erza said, "Then we can get going." Then she whirled around and started down the tunnel where they had already been going, continuing on their original path.

The others hesitated for a moment before Alva whistled, "That woman has the heart of a warrior and the spirit of a dragon. I'm surprised she's not married!"

"She's not?" Eret asked, "I can't believe it, how do you know?"

Alva snorted, "I asked the little blue girl and that Exceed or whatever about relationship customs. None of them are married." Then she walked after Erza. Her dragon, the men, and their dragons followed her.

"Wait!" Eret called, then lowered his voice so that Erza couldn't hear, "So you mean to tell me that none of them are married?"

"No, I was surprised too," Alva said with a shrug.

"But, the fiery one with the pink hair, Natsu, and the blonde girl, Lucy," Hackett tried.

"Nope."

"Or what about that blue water girl, Juvia? And Gray, the ice dude?" Eret asked.

"Uh-uh. She's just really attached."

"Or maybe that younger blue-haired one, the really smart one...Levy? With that Gajeel fellow?" Hackett poked.

Alva threw up her hands as they walked along, "I'm telling you, they're all not married, they're not even together!"

"Really?" Both men asked in wonder.

"Wow," Eret remarked, "Courting customs must be very different than here."

Somewhere deeper in the mountain, Gajeel perked up. He stood facing the darkness in front of them, rigid. He didn't move and he hardly breathed.

After a moment of silence, Levy asked softly, "What is it, Gajeel?"

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did, he was very brisk, "I don't know. I don't like it."

"Maybe it could be Metallicana?" Levy asked hopefully.

"No," He replied instantly, "It's not him. I don't even think that he's in here. The further we go, the less sure I am."

Levy and Pantherlily shared a look.

"But," Pantherlily said, "What could it be?"

Gajeel sniffed before answering, "Honestly, it smells like dragon. Not any dragon that I know, but it's definitely dragons."

"Dragons?" Levy asked, "As in plural?"

"Unless it's one huge dragon, which I hope it isn't."

"Maybe we should alert the others," Pantherlily suggested.

"No," Levy said, "If there is anything in here, sending out the signal would only alert it to our presence. We may be lucky enough that whatever is in here hasn't noticed us yet."

"Fair enough," Gajeel grumbled, "But let's get moving. It's not safe to stay in one place too long."

"There goes the backup plan," Pantherlily mumbled to himself.

The three of them started walking forward, Levy still holding up Light to make sure they all could see. Suddenly, Gajeel stopped and grabbed Levy's arm, Pantherlily stopping behind them.

"What is it now?" Pantherlily tried to sound annoyed but now he was a little bit worried.

"Sh!" Gajeel hissed, glaring straight ahead. Pantherlily almost asked again, but then his ears twitched. He could hear a noise, a whirring noise, coming closer and closer. The tunnel they were in was curved, so the thing was blocked from their sight.

Suddenly, it turned, and their blood ran cold.

It faced them head on with milky eyes that rested on a head as tall as Levy herself, sprouting spikes and baring rows of razor sharp teeth that whirred together, promising to make anything it came into contact with into mush.

It stood still for a second, as if confused.

"Run," Gajeel whispered as quietly as possible, the dragon stirring, "Run!" He yelled.

He shoved Levy in front of him, running back the way they came. Pantherlily sprouted his wings, flying above and glancing back at the thing that bore down on them. It was terrible, nothing like the dragons that they had seen so far. This one was angry and rogue, wanting nothing but to get them out-

"That's it!" Pantherlily realized, "We must be in their nest!"

"Of course!" Levy wheezed, "That's why Gajeel smells so many, and why there are so many tunnels of all different sizes! It's their home, they must burrow here and we intrud- ah!"

Levy tripped and fell down, the Light going out. For a moment, it was pitch black and Pantherlily felt almost relieved. Then he remembered the dragon's eyes, how they seemed to see nothing.

"Keep going!" Gajeel yelled. Even though it was pitch black, his heightened senses allowed him enough to navigate. Without hardly stopping, he scooped Levy up and continued running as fast as he could, using everything he had to try and get them out.

He could hear Pantherlily's wings beating overhead and the sounds of rocks falling out of place and teeth whirring and a scaly body sliding over the ground and the sounds of their feet falling on the uneven rocks. He could see dark outlines of shapes, the light of Levy's hair and her dress, the minuscule glint of light reflected in his piercings. He could smell Levy and her fear, smell his own sweat, Pantherlily's fur and wings, and the reek of sun-deprived scales and stone and blood. He could feel Levy shaking in his arms, the sweat sliding down his face and arms, the sharpness of Levy's short hair whipping against his bare skin, the air rushing past him and above him. He could taste the dank air of the tunnel, the saltiness of sweat dripped into his mouth, the adrenaline in the air, and the dryness of his mouth.

He focused everything on trying to get them out and away from the dragon chasing them. Honestly, he could've beaten it, easily, in different circumstances. He didn't want to chance it, not when they were in its nest, surrounded by unstable rock and an untrustworthy light source. Gajeel was not one to run away from things, but he feared that Levy's fall had hurt her more than she let on, they were lucky that the tunnel was big enough for him to carry her safely.

The noises behind them kept on persistently, following each turn they made. Left, right, right, left, right, left, left, left, right, until they had no idea where they were. Gajeel trusted his nose, following any scent of fresh air, never pausing.

Pantherlily kept up easily, glancing back even though vision wasn't great. A dark mass could still be seen pursuing them, urging the trio to go faster.

"Almost there," Gajeel panted, "We're almost there..." He wasn't lying; they were very close to where they had first landed. What Gajeel planned to do when he go there, he had no idea. Only that they had a chance in the open.

When a thing prick of light shone in the distance, the three felt hope.

Levy really had been hurt, and she was glad that Gajeel was carrying her. Levy's ankle throbbed painfully and she feared that she may have sprained it. The thought, however, was at the back of her mind. At the moment, she was thinking of the best way to escape once they reached the exit. No doubt that Gajeel would send Pantherlily down carrying her while he tried to fight off the dragon himself. Levy wouldn't be much good in battle, but she wasn't useless. Gajeel cared little about collateral damage, so there was a large chance that he could accidentally cause a cave-in, trapping their friends with the other dragons.

The light ahead grew bigger and brighter, as did their hope. Even Levy could start to smell fresh air and she found herself thinking harder. There had to be a way to protect their friends. Maybe cast a Shield? But would she be able to create one big enough, even with her second origin unlocked? Since she hadn't been in any major fights nor took part in the Grand Magic Games, she hadn't really gotten a chance to use it. She wasn't even sure what she was capable of now.

The idea seemed to be getting better and better. Yes, she thought, That's just what I'll do. Gajeel can fight off the dragon, Pantherlily can keep him in check, and they can both give me enough cover to hold the spell. Gajeel's not going to like it, but I'm sure that I ca

She was abruptly cut off from a sudden screech and the sensation of the walls around her collapsing.

Gajeel reached out an arm to grab Lily, hugged both him and Levy close to his body, morphed into his scales, and dropped to his knees. He shielded them with his body, knowing exactly what was to come. They wouldn't make it in time, no way. The best he could do was protect them as well as he could.

Levy only had time to say "No," before the walls came crashing down around them.

*You know, I was really debating whether or not I should "accidentally" leave out the word "hand". Funny how one word can make such a difference, eh?