I can feel my heart thundering in my chest, my lungs constricting with the need for more oxygen as my leg muscles strain and burn from exertion. I can hear my blood pumping in my ears as my boot covered feet slap against the earth. I'll make it. I must make it. Keeping my pace up as I run through my wooded surroundings, I keep my senses open, listening for anyone following me as I jump over fallen logs and maneuver around bushes and trees. I'll make it. I need to make it.

I can see a slight gap in the trees. Around 50 yards ahead of me. I just need to break through the tree line and I'll be home free. They won't dare follow me there. Ignoring the burn in my lungs and the ache in my legs, I push myself faster, harder. As I break through the tree line several terrifying howls and shrieks sound through the air.

No one's pov

In a building three miles away from the forest, a pink haired man stops mid swing, his fist inches from the face of a half-naked man as his head snaps towards the front doors.

A small girl huddled behind the buildings bar laugh is stopped short as her face falls and her head snaps in the same direction, long blue hair whipping a white cat in the face' startling her.

A rough looking man's hand pauses as he lifts a chunk of metal towards his mouth, red eyes narrowing as they quickly dart towards the door.

The normally stoic blonde man who always wears sound pods and pretends not to notice anything quickly rips the pods of his head and stands, causing his team to look at him quizzically as his blue eyes look in the same direction of the other three.

Within moments all four individual's eyes meet, before they secretly nod at each other. Before any of their guild mates even catch what's happening all four rush out of Fairytail, running together towards the noise.

The small female is quickly picked up by the rough iron dragon slayer and placed on his back, her short legs not able to keep up with the pace of the other three.

The pink haired man growls lowly, "What the hell was that, Laxus?"

The three other slayers glance towards the older blonde lightning dragon slayer, noticing his jaw tick. "I don't know, but something smells familiar."

"Coffee…coffee and cherries." The fire dragon slayer Natsu speaks. Nodding at Laxus, letting him know that he smells the familiarity too.

Gajeel and Wendy the other two slayers take a deep breath, smelling what the other two do, neither recognize the smell. Wendy lets out a whimper as another scent enters her nose. The smell of decay.

Gajeel gives the girls leg a comforting squeeze letting her know that it's okay, that the older slayers smell it as well. The three dragon slayers pick up their pace, little Wendy gripping on to Gajeel, worried about what they may find.

Laxus' eyes widen as he takes in another deep breath, trying to remember the smell. "Natsu, it's her." He barely voices, the pink haired slayers steps falter slightly before determination hardens his features.

"Then we need to bring her home." Laxus nods in agreement.

As the slayers up their pace again and get closer and closer to the smell of coffee and cherries get stronger, and the scent of decay is slowly getting farther away, whatever is causing that smell is making its way deeper into the forest.

"Laxus," Natsu hisses out. "Go. We'll be right behind you."

Laxus looks at his fellow slayers, and they nod at him. With a roar a heavy pressure surrounds the four and lightning sparks around Laxus, it sends tingles throughout his nervous system as it completely envelopes his body until he is one with the lightning and before one could blink, Laxus is standing at the edge of the forest his lightning fading away, his eyes trained on the petite frame of a woman, sitting on the grass, hysterical laughter leaving her plump pink lips as her fingers grip her short blonde and purple hair. As if sensing Laxus there her bright blue eyes snap up, directly looking at him. Laxus is face to face with the missing child of Fairytail, Eclipse Dreyar.

Eclipse p.o.v

As soon as I break through the trees surrounding Magnolia, my fatigue hits me, it wrecks through my body as I fall to my knees, taking deep shuddering breathes, trying to suck up as much oxygen as I can. I look at my hands, they're trembling. The realization that I made it hits me hard and I can't escape the sob that bursts from my throat. I'm here. I'm finally here.

"Welcome home…" I whisper to myself.

The realization of where I am sends me reeling. Small bursts of laughter start to burst past my lips, and before I know it I'm crying and laughing and I can't stop myself. I can feel myself lose control of my emotions as my body rocks back and forth, my shoulders heave from my sobs and my lips stretch with laughter.

My hands dig into my hair pulling at it, as doubt and fear courses through me. What if they don't want me home. What if he forgot me? My eyes glance downwards, catching sight of my dark red guild mark, my black leather vest letting it show on my sternum right above my cleavage. My laughing sobs come harsher as the silver scaring breaks up the color of my Fairytail mark. It never went away, and I've protected it with my all. The thought of them taking it from me causes my hands to pull harder at my hair.

Then I feel it. A heavy weight in the atmosphere surrounding me. My hysterics stop, I drop my hands to my side, my fingers gripping the hem of my black shorts. I quickly look up, and there he is.

Tears fall down my face in a steady stream, sliding along my dry cracked lips, dripping off my chin as I sob. My eyes stare into his identical ones. I watch as his shoulders slump and his eyes start to fill with moisture.

I can't stop myself, quickly standing I launch myself at the man, my arms wrapping around his neck, my legs around his torso, "Laxus-nii!" I sob out as his arms wrap around me holding me tightly. I feel wetness against my neck. He's crying…oh Mavis he's crying! That knowledge just makes me sob harder.

Laxus 3rd person p.o.v

As Eclipse clings to Laxus, the dragon slayer can't help but let his emotions break through. It's been 8 years since she went missing. Eight years since he saw his younger sister, since he hugged her, trained her, laughed with her, made her smile. Its been eight years since he failed her.

"I'm sorry, Eclipse. I'm so sorry I failed you." As Laxus says that he sinks to his knees still holding Eclipse tight to his chest. He feels her body stiffen and she pulls back from him slightly.

"You didn't know…" she whispers, "You didn't know. If you would have…I know you would have protected me."

Laxus lets out a whimper as the dragon part of him laments at the fact that he didn't protect his kin. Her words not able to soothe that side of him. His entire being is filled with distress, anger and sadness at his incompetence. She's his sister. He never should have left her out of his sight.

"I'm okay, Laxus." Her voice brings him out of the spiral his thoughts were going.

Before he can respond Laxus can hear the three others coming. He takes a deep breath and lets his stoic mask slip back into place. He goes to speak again, but stops and takes another deep breath. There. He smells it. Blood. His eyes widen in shock and he pulls back from Eclipse.

"Wendy!" His booming voice shouts so loud that Eclipse flinches.

He looks at Eclipse panic seeping out of his every pore. She looks at him her eyes drooping, a serene smile crossing over her face, "Laxus – I don't feel so…" Her eyes close and she slumps forward.

No one's p.o.v

The town of Magnolia is silenced as a booming roar, filled with gut-wrenching sadness echoes throughout the town. Followed seconds later by three responding roars. Something happened. Something horrible and every citizen of Magnolia turns their eyes towards their resident mage guild, staring wide eye as the master bursts through the door, his face stricken with fear. As he runs through Magnolia his form starts enlarging, for he knows that first roar, he had heard once before and had hoped he would never hear it again.

As Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy get closer to the edge of the forest something changes, something awful hangs in the air, causing a tightness to form in the chests of Natsu and Gajeel.

Wendy, the young sky dragon slayer, whose magic is meant to save people; heal them, lets out a pained whimper as the airs scent assaults her nose. Death. Death is coming and her magic allows her to sense it ahead of time.

As Laxus and Eclipse come into sight for the three, something changes for them, something big. Natsu's dragon side lets out a protective growl as he sees the form of his old friend. Something in him snaps into place, forming a bond that can never be broken. He had felt this feeling slightly before, it had been a small tug within him when they were young, when he didn't understand what it meant. Now, now he gets it, his dragon had marked her as kin.

The youngest dragon slayer, Wendy, who lost her dragon too soon, let a sob escape heras her bond formed with the woman, a bond that she had felt with her dragon mother Grandine, a bond that had been mangled when her dragon mother disappeared, but when her eyes looked upon the female in Laxus' arms she could feel that old bond heal and a new one form with the woman whose name she doesn't even know.

Gajeel feels something break down his black steel barriers and snap into place as quickly as it can, so fast that Gajeel's hardass self couldn't internally protest the bonds formation, not that his dragon would let him. Not when his dragon found the other half of him, in the small woman who smells like coffee and cherries.

"Wendy!" Laxus screams, startling the three, and breaking them out of their shock.

They watch in horror as the woman Slumps forward, causing a vicious roar to leave Laxus' throat. As dread fills the three other slayers, their hearts feeling heavy with the trepidation, they let out three responding roars, before Wendy quickly rushes to the fallen girl.

Wendy P.O.V 3rd person

Even though Wendy is internally terrified, she put on her game face. Her eyes harden and her lips purse into a thin line, she needs to focus. Her legs carry her quickly towards Laxus and the woman.

Her arms wrap around the girls' shoulders and she attempts to pull her away from Laxus. He snarls at her, causing both Wendy and Gajeel to growl back at him, Wendy because she knows the best course of action is for her to take control and Gajeel, because Gajeel's dragon claimed her as his young. Despite the situation, Wendy can't help the swell of love that fills her at Gajeel's protectiveness.

"Laxus!" Wendy snarls, startling the older dragon, "Let me help her!"

Laxus looks into Wendy's eyes and she can see how terrified he is his eyes are screaming in terror, and she hates it, she hates seeing the strong slayer like this, but right now, she needs to do her job, she needs to save the woman.

Laxus snarls, but lays the woman out on the ground anyways, for Wendy. She nods, determination filling her young face as she places her hands, over the woman's chest. She can feel a tingle in her fingertips as a glow emanates from her hands, she can feel her bond quake with sadness as she notices that the woman has no heartbeat.

Tears fill up in Wendy's eyes, but she won't give up, not yet. Taking a deep breath, she takes her hands and places them over the woman's abdomen, where deep pools of blood are seeping out of her body. Her hands light up as she starts to heal the wound.

"Laxus," The man in question quickly takes his eyes off the wounded girl and looks back at Wendy. "We need to restart her heart, I need you and Gajeel's help to do that." The two slayers in question nod their heads.

Wendy removes her hands from the now healed stomach and places them a bit higher than normal over her chest.

"What do you need us to do?" Laxus asks, his voice rough with grief.

"Gajeel, I need you to form square plates with your iron, keep them attached to your hands, and place them on her chest. Laxus, I need you to push your lightening through Gajeel's iron, while he controls how much flows through the metal into the woman's heart. I'll heal her heart as it restarts. Gajeel, make sure you don't let too much through or it will not work, and will fry her inner workings."

Wendy notices hesitation flash across Gajeel's face, before his eyes harden and resolves flashes over his features, Wendy watches as his hands quickly form into flat metal plates and he places them against the girls' chest, where Wendy had motioned for him to place them. She knew he could do it, she knew that he wouldn't fail this woman, she could feel all the bonds that have formed, and this woman, is now surrounded by dragons who will not fail her.

With new found determination, she nods at Laxus, "You need to send your lightening into the plates." She looks at Gajeel. "This will hurt you, but you need to hold back a majority of the sparks and let the rest zap her chest."

Wendy feels the atmosphere grow tense, her senses can pinpoint, Natsu nervously crouching on the balls of his feet, anxiousness drifting off him. Gajeel and Laxus have as much resolution as they did fear, overflow from their beings. They would save her.

"Now!" Wendy yells.

Without hesitation, the air sizzles and cracks around her, and she can smell the electricity as Laxus shoots his lightening into Gajeel. The iron slayer growls as he holds back most of the power from Laxus' bolts and he lets a spark emit from the metal plates, the woman's body jolts slightly. Her heart stays lifeless.

"Come on Eclipse…don't leave yet." Natsu's whisper reaches Wendy's ears.

"Again! Let more through Gajeel!" Wendy shouts once more.

Again, Laxus lets his magic seep into Gajeel, and again the slayer growls and lets, just a bit more of a spark escape his iron plates; there's the faintest thump from Eclipse's chest, before it's gone again.

"Again!" Wendy yells, tears streaming down her face.

With two full-mouthed roars from the lightning and iron slayers, electric bolts flash and get sucked into Gajeel's metal. Wendy watches in wonder as Gajeel's sweat soaked face barely flinches as he holds back and releases Laxus' power simultaneously.

The four slayers let out a sigh of relief as a steady thumping meets their ears. Wendy smiles as she eagerly lets her hands glow brightly and she heals all the damage that she possibly can. Blinking rapidly, she tries to get her tears to subside, as she flashes everyone a smile. They did it. They really did it.

Laxus 3rd person P.O.V

Laxus looks down at his sister, tears falling from his eyes from all the anxiety he felt. His eyes wander from the gentle rising and falling of his little sisters chest, the three dragon's surrounding him. No longer filled with fear for Eclipse's life, he could feel the three newly formed bonds of the other slayers, he could sense the extent of each one. A groan escapes his lips as his eyes land on Gajeel.

The Iron slayer who took his lightening and held it in himself to revive her. He really couldn't say anything bad about the bond formed between Gajeel and Eclipse, especially after Gajeel did that. Well, Laxus thinks, at least I know he won't ever hurt her. Better him than any of the other slayers. Laxus smirks slightly, she'd probably eat anyone else alive.

Gajeel's red eyes meet Laxus' gaze for a brief moment. The lightning mage nods his head at him, in acknowledgement. With all the adrenaline fading from their systems, they can probably smell the blood relation between Laxus and Eclipse, Gajeel gives Laxus barely noticeable nod before looking back at Eclipse.

Slight sniffling enters Laxus' ears and he turns his gaze onto Wendy. The child who took charge and became the reason that he didn't lose his sister the day that he got her back. He reaches out an arm, and places his hand on her shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze before using his thumb and wiping away her tears.

"Thank you, Wendy. Thank you so much." Laxus whispers with immense gratitude showing through his usual uncaring voice.

She looks at the older mage and her tears fall faster and harder. "She…she…" Wendy can't finish her sentence. Laxus chuckles slightly and pulls the young girl into his side.

"I know, Wendy. She feels like your Dragon mom did."

With those words the sky maiden completely breaks down, and clings to the normally hardass slayer, but he doesn't mind. He just holds the girl close to his chest as she sobs, whispering to her that it'll be okay.