#ocul

"Shit." His hands gentled as he examined the arrow that was sticking out of its body, and its eyes rolled in fear when he gently dug out the arrowhead. While he may have been a rather rough person in general, he wasn't going to make an animal suffer anymore than necessary.

"There. Fuckin' crazy creature." He climbed to his feet, pulling the reins so that the exhausted animal knew to get up. It did so reluctantly, legs trembling beneath it. He examined it with curiosity, taking in the saddle it still wore, the awkward piece of broken wood that dangled from a strap, telling him that it had pulled a cart at some point. Sharpened teeth brushed against his flesh as it gratefully touched its lips against his arm, and he rolled his eyes.

He was running a hand down one of its legs, expertly seeking out anymore injuries, when there was a cry from one of the people who had come to watch. His eyes darted up as he straightened, startled to see that it had come from a horrified older man - the one he'd spoken to about Levy the day before. "That's Salutem!"

Gajeel immediately swore and narrowed his eyes as the animal gave a low moan, its head snaking around to look for the man who'd spoken. He limped over, and cradled Salutem's head in his wrinkled hands, crooning reassuringly to the exhausted creature. "Oh, my poor friend, you're hurt…"

"...this is the thing Levy took with her," Gajeel realized suddenly before growling deep in his throat, the sound scaring Salutem even further. But the old man managed to soothe him enough that he simply stood there, trembling. "The fuck happened? Thought you said this thing could protect her!"

The old man looked nervous as he shivered. "Perhaps she upset the guardian beast?" he suggested. His gaze turned on the dragon slayer pleadingly as he begged, "Please, you must make sure she's okay! I could bear it if she was hurt because of me…"

Gajeel rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't be your fault," he growled, "Would be some others'." His included. He turned on his heel, bag of iron heavy on his shoulder as he jerked a finger in some random person's direction. "You. Get me some kind of fucking animal that'll get me across the desert to those ruins as quickly as possible."

The man he'd pointed at paused, hesitant, but a snarl directed at him sent him running off to do as he'd been told. Gajeel clenched his jaw, crimson eyes deadly as he ordered a pair of women to get him supplies that he'd need, and then he told another person to send word to his guild that something had happened and that he was going to investigate, but that he wanted another mage arriving in Oak Town as soon as possible to look into what the client might be up to."

To his surprise, it took merely half an hour for all of that to be done. Someone led a horse up to him, a rather powerful looking creature that whickered uneasily, and Gajeel grunted in gratitude, tossing a good chunk of money to him. The old man watched anxiously throughout all of this, barely able to support Salutem's weight when the deer leaned against him.

When he had everything he needed, Gajeel glanced at the old man and said gruffly, "Shrimp'll be fine. Ain't yer fault, old man." Then he heaved himself onto the saddled horse, adjusting the reins and thanking the heavens that riding an animal was different from riding in a vehicle.

Otherwise, he'd be enjoying a very long walk.

Gajeel paused to make sure he had everything and then dug his heels in. The horse charged forward, snorting unhappily at the roughness of which Gajeel rode. He ignored it, growling warningly when it tossed its head, ready to act up.

He wasn't in the goddamn mood for it.

And the horse better listen up.

Or else.

He was concerned. About the midget and his cat. Both must have been hurt or somethin' similar. He growled under his breath. "Dammit, woman, this is why you're not allowed to go on missions alone."

There was a good freakin' reason Mira had wanted her to take someone with her, especially on a job like this where there was apparently some guardian they'd not been aware of until their arrival.

Gajeel paused suddenly.

Guardians didn't generally fire normal badly made arrows into the hindquarters of a person's mount like that.

Fuck, he was going to throttle the petite mage when he found her!

Levy's throat was dry by the time she finished speaking, telling the story of the Grand Magic Games from as far as she knew - with Lily's help, naturally. She'd started with what she'd been doing at the time that the dragons had shown up, and had finished with the party at the palace afterwards.

The dragon had listened intently throughout the entire story. He'd asked few questions - the name of the dragons that she knew of - and had even cursed a few of them for their stupidity. He'd been proud of his son's accomplishment at holding his own against a dragon out to kill him, even while injured from previous battles.

When she was done, Metalicana gave a breathy and screeching sound that made her flinch in discomfort. It was like nails on a chalkboard.

"Interesting," he muttered, red eyes watching her intently.

"So...will you help us get back to Oak Town?" Levy said hopefully.

Metalicana shifted uneasily, his tail sweeping around and managing to catch an old building, smashing it to pieces. That movement alone told her what his answer would be.

"No. I would like to take ya back to my brat, little one," he grumbled, "But you've found me. Igneel ain't lettin' us out about just yet. Ya can't go spitting out my location. And while I wouldn't mind a promise that ya wouldn't, Igneel would be pissed if I let ya go beforehand, so I can't."

Levy went still, and then exchanged a horrified look with Lily, who looked like he was getting bothered by this declaration. "But...can we at least-"

"Ya can stay," Metalicana continued as if she hadn't spoken, his massive body shifting as he stood. "Took care of the brat, can take care of ya just as well. Ya can hang out in my den. Easy enough to hide when people come lookin'. Doesn't happen often though, so ya can come out a lot."

"We're not some kind of pet," Lily spat, tail lashing. "We have friends and family who are probably worried already! Not to mention-"

Metalicana's eyes flashed with irritation as he growled, the sound vibrating their bones. "Don't test me, cat, I'm already doin' what I can. 'Sides, I'll return ya myself when I can. Shouldn't be more than a decade. Igneel's finishin' up what he's up to. Gotta wait for his freaky brat to finish growin' into his power, s'all."

"A d-decade…" Levy felt tears boiling in her eyes, knowing better than to think they could even think of escaping the dragon.

She was only proven right when he warned, "You try runnin' and I'll go to the nearest town and kill everyone there, ya hear me? I don't want to, but I will."

"Can't we even...can't I even send a letter back?" Levy's voice cracked. "They might think we're dead. Please. Please don't do this to us. We won't say anything, not even to each other. Please, Metalicana."

The iron dragon made a soft "tch", uncertain, and she gave him a pleading look. "Sorry, kid," he growled, "Ain't my decision-"

"Food."

Both human and dragon's attention snapped to Lily with surprise, and he smirked, a smug look on his face. "You can't very well keep us here permanently. We require more sustenance than coconuts, and unlike Gajeel, we can't eat iron, so you have to let us go to the nearby town for some supplies. Besides, we've lost all of our belongings. There's a few things in there that will need to be replaced."

Levy wanted to cry and hug her Exceed friend tightly to her chest and never let go of him for this brilliance.

Metalicana growled irritably, glaring at them now, and if it was any other dragon, Levy would have been scared for her life.

In this case, she was confident that they'd be okay, even after angering the creature.

"Fuckin' details...fine." Metalicana lifted himself to his full height, his head towering and hanging above them, what must have been hundreds of feet in the air. "I will take you to town to find supplies, and that is all. No letters will be delivered."

Levy did the math quickly in her head and readily agreed, her eyes thoughtful, despite Lily's protests.

If she'd done the math right…

Someone from Fairy Tail would have arrived in Oak Town days ago. Surely that would help them? And even if no one was there, she could secretly ask someone to send word of what had happened.

She'd explain to Lily later, when there wasn't a nosy dragon listening to every word she spoke.

Relieved, Levy stood, brushing sand from her lap and grimacing at the red tinge that was appearing on her skin; she'd pick some aloe while they were in town, too,something for sunburn. She wasn't used to the blazing sun, and she felt a flash of sympathy for her dark-furred companion.

He must have been exhausted just from stepping into the sunlight. Gentle, she plucked him into her arms and hugged the Exceed tightly. "When are we going?" she asked hesitantly. "It's too cold to travel at night…"

"Tch," the grumpy metallic dragon growled, turning his head away and inspecting the cavern that he called his den. "Tomorrow. When the sun is just beginning to set. Should be enough time to get there. Camp over night, and ya freaks can get yer damn supplies the next day. Ya have one day and one day only."

"We understand." One day would be more than enough for her plan to go through.

Levy watched in silence as Metalicana grumbled and slid back into his cavern, front half disappearing first, followed by his rear half. The tail slithered in and hit the ground with a thud that shook the sandy ground.

And then she turned, limping in the direction of their only source of water, Metalicana's loud voice rang out a final time. "Do not try and escape, little one. I will destroy that town, and then I will find ya and rip ya to shreds. Doesn't matter to me if ya are friends with my brat, ya hear me?"

"I hear you," she murmured, and then continued on her way.

"I don't know what we expected when he declared himself to be Metalicana," Lily muttered. "He is no better than the guardian we expected to come across.."

"At least we don't have to worry about being eaten," she told him, and then made sure that they wouldn't be overheard. After doing so, she licked her lips and told him, "I have a plan. We may not be able to leave Metalicana's sight, but...I know who we'll be paying a visit to when we arrive."

"Who?" Lily's tail twitched.

"The man who lent us Salutem. One, I need to apologize for losing the animal he entrusted us with, and two...he's kind. I'm going to ask him to send word to our guild that we're alright, but won't be able to return home for what might be years. They'll send people to look for us, naturally, plus there should already be someone - whether it be Gajeel or anyone else - in town already, so we might run into them." Levy beamed proudly at herself. "What do you think?"

Lily purred his approval. "I think that you've once again proven yourself as the smartest female in the guild. Let us just hope such a plan works, Levy, or we won't be doing much of anything to get word to the guild."

Levy only gave a fairly heavy sigh. "They'll never let me go without another mage ever again."

The night zipped by peacefully alongside the next morning and before Levy knew it, they were ready to go to town. The sun was blazing harshly down on them and Levy wanted to show it a rude gesture.

How dare it make me freeze in the middle of the night and then kill me with heat during the day!

Metalicana was still in the cavern that he usually stayed in. Levy found herself peeking into it, ignoring the painful throbbing of her wounded thigh as she cautiously looked in, Lily always prepared to leap into action and yank her back. The dragon was devouring another rather large piece of iron, this time hidden away, and it was curiosity that got her asking, "Metalicana?"

The dragon's head seemed to pop up, and despite being upset with him over what had happened, Levy fought back a giggle. He looked like a gopher, or something similar. "What ya want, human?"

Another giggle had to be stifled before she asked, "Do you have books?"

"My hoard is full of ancient tomes that no one has seen in centuries," he boasted, and then gave her an accusing look with one eye. "Why? Ya trying to steal my stuff?"

Levy gave a sharp laugh. "And where would I take it? No, I just...if we really are stuck here, I like to read, so...at least Lily and I won't be bored out of our minds…" She pushed her blue locks out of her eyes with a saddened look. She was excited to have found the dragon, truly excited, but…

She just wanted to go home.

"Gihi." Metalicana suddenly hauled his massive body up and out of his cavern, and Levy scampered out of his way, squeaking when a massive foot nearly smashed her. The dragon didn't seem to notice, and his metallic hide gleamed brightly in the sand, his form taking up the sky around them so that anyone could have seen for miles around.

And then wings snapped into view and Levy realized that Metalicana was even larger than she'd originally thought.

But with his wings hidden away, tucked against his sides, he looked a hell of lot smaller than he did now.

Levy jumped when the rather crabby dragon lowered his head to peer at her with a sharp red eye. Lily rested himself upon her shoulder, watching the dragon with an unimpressed look. "Gihi, you're tiny," he said suddenly. "Like a shrimp. Or a midget. Cat, think ya can get her to between my wings? Ya are gonna have to hold on. Tight."

"Well it's safe to say we know where Gajeel got his stupid nicknames," Lily grumbled before wings appeared at his back. He lifted Levy, and Levy winced when she was placed onto the hard metallic back of the dragon Metalicana. His hide was like iron - which, she supposed it actually was - and it seared nastily at her flesh in the sun.

"Alright?" Lily questioned as he dropped into her lap, prepared to use her as a source of safety.

"Yeah," she sighed, looking around in preparation. What do I grab on to?

He wasn't made up of scales like the other dragons she'd seen were. No, Metalicana's body was made up of large plates that carefully overlayed the other in a nearly impossible to penetrate armor. And they were razor sharp, too, she realized a moment later, when she nicked herself on one.

"What do we grab?" Levy demanded.

"Anything," Metalicana's unhelpful response came before he suddenly beat the wings at the air, and Levy squeaked in shock as he prepared to lift off the ground. It was a moment before he was actually airborne, and then another before he was beginning to move forward, massive wings moving fiercely to get his heavy body into the air. The sound was like thunder in Levy's ears as she was jostled, and she scrambled to hold on.

"I don't like this," she whispered aloud.

Not that anyone could hear her.

She'd much rather have been on the ground or in Lily's safe paws.

Eventually, Metalicana was easily flying over the desert, the nasty wind of a dragon flying through the air keeping the heat away from them. Levy clung on for dear life, terror making her fearful for her health, and as he flew, the dragon opened his large jaws and roared.

Levy winced, wishing she could clap her hands over her ears without flying off and getting herself killed as the dragon rocketed forward, suddenly speeding up. What was the point of roaring when there was no dragons nearby?!

A thought suddenly struck her.

Perhaps to inspire fear in the citizens of Oak Town? To keep them away from his den and hoard, along with warning anyone else off from coming near the place. That seemed reasonable; she remembered Acnologia's roar. If she'd heard that now, she'd turn and run the other way, even if there were innocent people getting hurt because she knew that there was no hope in regards to saving them.

It was nearly nightfall before something in her stomach jolted. She yelped as they suddenly dropped, the wings tucking in just barely so that they began to descend. Metalicana lazily drifted lower and lower until they suddenly struck sandy earth, and Levy gave a shriek of surprise as she tumbled straight off, Lily just barely catching her before she hit the ground.

"Gihi, ya should have held on better, girly." Metalicana swung his head around, hiding his wings against his body again. Levy blinked as breath rustled her hair, making it even messier than it was before. "Now ya know better."

Chilled by the night air that was quickly taking over the heat of the day, Levy hugged Lily to her chest and shivered. "Um, I know you said we were going to get our supplies tomorrow, but could...could I maybe rent out a room tonight? I'm cold and have no blankets."

He grunted. "S'long as you come back by evening tomorrow, I don't care." The ground shook as he dropped, his heavy body curling up on the ground and a raspy sound leaving his nostrils. He practically purred after a moment. "My brat's around. He won't find me, but he's around."

Hope flashed through Levy. Gajeel! He was nearby! Perhaps she could run into him by accident...she was sure she'd cry if she found him. For multiple reasons. For the safety he'd offer, because she was hopeless by herself. And he was kind of a dragon slayer, so that helped. Lily would be in a better mood if they found him, and she wouldn't be so frantic about being considered dead by her guild.

"Don't get too hopeful, girly," Metalicana muttered, "Just 'cause he's hangin' around doesn't mean I can't leave. Dragons have many places they keep their hoards."

Levy hadn't even thought of that. Biting her lip, she reassured, "We'll be back by tomorrow evening. Right, Lily?"

"Right," Lily muttered, clearly not happy about the matter.

After a brief moment of the dragon glaring at them, he grunted, dismissing her, and Levy turned away. She could see the lights of Oak Town, only a few miles away. "Lily, can you get us there as quickly as possible?"

"Of course." She released him and his wings snapped out again.

Levy paused to glance up at the upcoming moon, which was waning with each and every night, and her heart ached.

She wanted to go home and abandon a mission more than she'd ever wanted to before.

"Shit," Gajeel growled, studying the space around him as he let the horse he'd been using rest, crimson eyes sharp with irritation. The horse was exhausted, and was dozing with its head lowered after receiving some water. "This is why I walk everywhere. Fuckin' critters can't keep up with me or my cat."

He inhaled sharply, but was disappointed by nothing in particular standing out.

It had been memories, he guessed. Memories that had made him think he'd heard a familiar roar that had often times been a shout for him to come back or risk his father's wrath. It brought back other memories he'd nearly forgotten himself, and he felt a pain he hadn't felt in years fill him.

He hated Metalicana. He truly did hate the dragon for leaving him like he had, for letting him fall into the darkness that had nearly devoured him whole.

But he loved him, too. He was the only one that he remembered loving, and the last one that he'd chosen to love, too, because he'd only been abandoned for feeling such strong affection.

Of course, now there was the strong affection he felt for people like Levy and his cat. He was rather fond of Wendy and the blonde celestial mage, who often times encouraged him in certain matters. Like inviting Levy on a job, or convincing him to apologize for saying something that had upset the bookworm.

But he doubted that he'd ever love anyone like he'd loved his father. It was just the way he felt; he wasn't like Natsu, latched onto his partner with a bond stronger than glue, or like Bisca and Alzack, who'd gotten married while they were all trapped away on Tenrou.

He was Gajeel freaking Redfox, not anyone else.

Still.

It didn't mean it didn't hurt.

He tore a bite out of his iron, glancing at the darkening sky.

It was getting cold. Luckily, he didn't feel such things usually. He'd spent ages in the mountains with Metalicana before they'd moved to the much harsher conditions of the deserts after running out of iron to work with. Gajeel remembered having the material shoved down his throat until he learned how to eat it like a proper dragon slayer.

Grumbling, Gajeel made sure the horse was tied, and then flopped back, throwing an arm over his eyes.

He'd rest for the night, he decided, no point in exhausting himself.

As desperate as he was to figure out where the shrimp had gone though…