Chapter Text
It was sunny.
Really, that is all she could say about the weather when thinking back on it. Lucy would remember the sun in her eyes as she ran through an unnamed forest, a pack of dark guild members shouting and shooting attacks behind her as she easily dodged and weaved through the greenery. It was an achingly average day for your life to sidetrack so drastically. Though, it's not like it was the first time.
“You can’t run forever!” one of the men shouts from behind her as she jumps out of the way of a poorly aimed fire attack.
She would typically shoot back a witty comeback, something like; neither can you, or You wouldn’t be able to catch me even if I stood still but was caught off guard by the sudden loss of footing; she had landed face-first on the dirt path of the forest. She looks up to see a young girl, not much younger than herself, adorned with long blue hair and large brown eyes. The girl wore a simple blue and yellow dress with two wavy stripes running horizontally, ending in small, pointed edges at the bottom and wing-like attachments around her wrists and ankles.
“Owie,” the small girl groans, rubbing her head. “I am sorry, miss. I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she apologizes, though the white cat next to her in a similar outfit looks up at Lucy disapprovingly.
Introductions were thrown out when a loud “Get them!” echoes throughout the forest. In her panic, Lucy did the first thing that came to mind: sling the petite girl over her shoulder and book it through the forest. There was no time for
They quickly reach a large opening in the forest, blades of grass up to the knees. “Unhand her, you foul creature!” the white cat says, flying next to her as she pushes her way through the brush. Any other day, she would have freaked out at encountering a flying, talking cat, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins prevented such a reaction as they continued to flee from her pursuers.
It could have only been seconds or minutes, but eventually, the pair came to a stop next to a fallen log. She sets the younger girl down next to the log before falling to her knees, taking deep breaths, trying to calm down.
“What happened back there?” the white cat questions, landing between Lucy and the blue-haired girl.
Instead of providing an answer, Lucy digs in her pocket, pulling out a black ribbon, pulling her hair back out of her face, revealing a cut just above her left eye, blood streaming down the side of her face.
“Hey, let me help,” the small girl smiles, walking toward her. “I have healing magic.”
“Wendy, you know what using that magic does to you,” the cat warns. “Don’t use it!”
“She needs it though, Carla,” Wendy argues.
“Here,” Wendy says, standing in front of Lucy. “Sit down, let me heal you.”
“That is kind, but…” Lucy is cut off by the girl pushing her down and putting her hand on the cut over her eye. A few seconds pass, and she removes her hand, leaving not even a hint of an injury. “Thank you,” Lucy says, studying the girl before her.
“I am sorry about back there.” Lucy says after a second of silence passes between them, “I had to take you with me; you wouldn’t have been safe back there, with all the people chasing me and whatnot.” She laughs nervously, scratching the back of her head.
“That’s okay,” Wendy smiles.
“It is certainly not okay!” she presumes to be Carla snaps. "You – whoever you are – you could have hurt Wendy!”
The sound of a branch snapping not too far away from their position causes all three heads to snap towards the direction of the noise. “They just don’t know how to give up.” She scowls. “Come on, we got to go,” Lucy says, picking up Wendy, putting her on her back, and slinging Carla onto her shoulder. She starts to sprint in the opposite direction.
“Hey, hold on! Put us down!” Carla orders, struggling to get Wendy free.
Jumping over a fallen tree, Lucy shoves Wendy and Carla inside, hiding them from sight. “Hide here. I’ll be back shortly, okay? Stay quiet, stay hidden, and stay safe. If I’m not back in five minutes, get out of here, alright?” she asks, searching the young girl’s eyes for disagreement. “Let me see your arm.” She says quickly.
A look of confusion crosses the smaller girl's face as she extends her arm, showing off her guild mark. “The Cait Shelter guild, huh?” she laughs. “Nice place.”
“Alright, here’s what you need to do. If I’m not back in five minutes, run straight. When you come to a path diverging in two, take the path on the right. That should lead you right to the front door of your guild. Be quiet,” Lucy says, standing up and looking at a group of men running towards them.
“But…” Wendy starts to protest but, with a warning look from Lucy, gives in. “Okay,” she says softly.
“Hey! You big ugly brutes! I’m right here! Come and get me!” She laughs, making sure to get all of their attention before running in the opposite direction of them and Cait Shelter.
After getting a reasonable distance away, Lucy stops in a clearing, turns to face the group, and is quickly surrounded.
“We’ve got you cornered, Bitch!” one of the men yelled, making her laugh.
“How are you going to handle this one?”
“Oh, I know!” Lucy exclaims, pulling out a golden axe-shaped key from her pocket and pointing it straight out in front of her. “Open gate of the golden bull! Taurus!”
In a flash of blinding light, the large axe-wielding cow appears before her, making quick work of the men before her and then leaving with a perverted comment about her appearance.
Lucy lets out a sigh as she sits down, catching her breath. She would have preferred to have just fled, but she had run into that girl…
That’s right; she had left that girl, Wendy, alone and should probably have gone check on her.
Lucy lets out a loud sigh before standing up and walking back in the direction she had run from, coming across the log she had left the young girl and her cat inside, finding it empty.
A wave of panic washed over her; it couldn’t have been five minutes already. She made quick work of those thugs. Maybe the girl hadn’t listened and left early, but that didn’t seem right. The cat clearly cared for the girl, so she wouldn’t have let her leave before the coast was clear.
That only left one option.
One of the dark guild members must have found her.
“Girls! Where did you go?” She yells panic laced into her voice, as she runs in the direction of the closest village, but quickly stops when she comes across a man with green hair cornering Wendy and Carla.
“Now what is going on here,” Lucy asks though all fear had left her body, now replaced with anger.
All three heads turn to look at her, the man sneering while the other two look at her hopefully.
“Last I checked, I was the target, not this girl and her cat, dimwhit,” Lucy taunts.
The man growls lunging at her which she easily dodges and pins him down, a deadly look in her eye, “Now, you go back and tell that master of yours that I am done with your little games” she threatens, leaning in next to his ear “If he sends any more of his men after me, he won't have any living member left in his guild” she says serious letting him go and watches as he runs away.
“Are you two okay?” Lucy asks, all of the anger leaving her body and turning into concern.
“No thanks to the likes of you,” Carla growls, but Wendy nods next to her.
“Well, I just wanted to check on you two. Your guild is that way,” Lucy says, letting out a sigh and pointing in the direction behind them. “Maybe I’ll see you around.” She says, turning around and waving as she begins to walk away.
“H-hey! Wait!” Wendy calls out to her, causing her to turn in surprise and confusion.
“Yes?”
“Do you… do you want to come with us?” she stutters nervously “What if something happens?”
Walking towards Wendy, Lucy places a hand on her head, ruffling the blue hair a bit. “You seem plenty strong.” She smiles softly. “You belong to the Cait Shelter guild! Don’t be afraid to show how awesome you are. Give ‘em the ol’ one-two.” Lucy laughs, punching the air softly. “You can take care of yourself, kid.”
This doesn’t sit well with Wendy, who frowns but nods picking up Carla, and starts to walk in the direction of the guild but quickly smiles as she notices Lucy walking next to her.
“I never said I wasn’t going to come.” She says, smiling at Wendy. “Besides, I've got nothing else going on.”
“Hey, what’s your name?” Wendy asks. “My name is Wendy, and this is Carla.”
The question catches her off guard but makes her laugh. “Lucy, my name is Lucy.”
Nodding her head at Lucy's answer, the two girls walk in silence, just enjoying the scenery around them as they walk to the guild hall. "So, do you belong to a guild?" Wendy asks curiously.
Laughing nervously, Lucy scratches the back of her neck. "I wanted to join a guild, a really popular one, too. But I don't know. I never got the chance, really."
"Do you want to join my guild, then?" Wendy questions. "Once they hear that you saved me and you have some sort of magical abilities, they'll let you join for sure!"
"Will they now?" Lucy laughs. "I don't know." She sighs.
"You should join!" Wendy cheers. "We can be partners and everything! We can go on jobs, and I'll introduce you to everyone, too!"
"Whoa, slow your boat," she says, putting her arms up in surrender. "I have to see if I even want to join." She laughs.
"Oh, right," Wendy says, embarrassed.
“I personally think that you shouldn't join our guild. You seem to attract trouble, and that's not exactly a good influence on Wendy." Carla says haughtily.
"Carla! Don't say such things!" Wendy scolds her.
"Nah, it's okay." Lucy laughs. "I'm used to it" a frown crossing her features.
After a few minutes of silence, they finally walk into a small village, at the center of which is a sizeable cat-shaped building.
Walking in all the eyes of the members fixed on them, but also a strange sense of space.
Lucy, here, this is Master Roubaul." Wendy smiles, dragging Lucy over to a small, slim elderly man with a long white beard, complete with a mustache, which extends upon his face's sides, making for a long pair of sideburns with two bushy eyebrows as well. On his forehead is a tattoo composed of a dot surrounded by two arched stripes.
"Your name is Lucy," he questions, looking at the blond-haired girl.
"Uh, yes, sir." Lucy nods, avoiding eye contact.
"Welcome to the Cait Shelter Guild," he nods, raising an eyebrow at the tense form of the blond-haired mage. "You are friends with Wendy?"
"I don't think friends is the correct word." Lucy trails off. "We're more like acquaintances."
"Acquaintances, huh?" Roubaul rubs his chin. "Well, why are you here, then?"
"Lucy wants to join the guild." Wendy buts in, jumping up and down excitedly.
"W-wait, hold on! I don't think it's such a good idea -" Lucy tries to deny it, but Roubaul laughs and shakes his head.
"Wendy, are you sure she wants to join the guild?" he asks the small blue-headed girl.
"Y-you do want to join, right?" Wendy asks softly, looking up at the elder girl, her large eyes sparkling ever so slightly.
"N-no! I mean, yes. I – uh…" Lucy trails off, looking around, everyone's eyes on her.
"Y-yeah, I would like to join." Lucy nods.
"Yes!" Wendy grins, smiling up at Lucy.
"Alright then," Roubaul nods, walking over to a large box by the bar. Digging through it, he pulls out a small stamp. Walking back over to Lucy, he looks at her expectantly. "What color?"
"How about pink?" Lucy asks softly. "And on my hand, please."
Nodding, Roubaul presses it hard into her skin, watching it glow. Once the glow dies down, Roubaul pulls off the stamp and looks at the mark on her skin. "Odd," he says thoughtfully. "It came out black."
"Maybe it's broken?" Lucy offers, straightening and looking down at a beaming Wendy. "So, is that partnership still up for grabs?”
"Yes!" Wendy grins, hugging Lucy, which causes her to laugh nervously and pat Wendy on the head softly.