Legend Of The Ice Dragons

Mates Protect At All Costs

Gray was sprawled across the ground exhausted both physically and mentally. His eyes were barely open and everything was foggy. In the distance he could faintly hear stomping foot steps. Straining he tried to focus on it.

'Don't tell be Lyon is coming to finish me off. I feel like such a failure.'

The thought of being a failure not being able to protect himself made tears start to gather at the corners of his eyes. Not wanting to feel utter useless and dishonor his mother's memory he struggled to push up on his forearms.

'Ice dragons are one of the toughest dragons. We don't and won't just lie down and take it. We fight till the bitter end even at the cost of our lives.'

It was true. Ice dragons were tough in more than one sense. They were tough to beat in battle but also tough to court. Being used as secondary mates made them this way. Never trusting the honeyed words and coos from others besides their family.

He was shaky and tired but pushed through. Tilting his head to the sound he saw tan feet clad in black sandals. And the smell of burning wood and meat filled his nose.

Gray smiled slightly but groaned from the strain he was putting on his worn out body.

'Don't give up. You can do this.'

Natsu hobbled up the temple still encased in ice. What he saw was heartbreaking. Gray straining to pick himself up off the ground and ice coating the areas around him.

Going over to him he examined Gray as thoroughly as he could without being able to bend down properly.

"So that Lyon guy beat you huh?"

Gray flinched and growled to himself in his head. He looked weak to his destined mate. Why was he such a failure? Shaking his head he got to his feet barely finding his balance.

Natsu worried about his and wanted to reach out to Gray but his arms were still limited in their movements due to the ice encasing him. On shaking legs Gray was leaning on Natsu before gravity could pull him down again.

"Hey it's okay. We all lose battles every now and then."

Gray just huffed a sigh and started to lean forward his eyes on Natsu. Natsu was hypnotized. They were so beautiful. The color of wonderful stone work that artists painstakingly make.

Or the beginnings of a thundering storm about to unleash its wrath. Or what Natsu thought suited Gray best. Old ink on a piece of paper. The ink has been around for so long and been read by many or by few and the words themselves hold so many secrets.

The words could be interpreted in so many ways that they couldn't be farther than the truth. Only the writer themselves knowing what their true meaning is. But sometimes there is a person who gets it right.

Natsu hoped that he could one day be the person that someday could read Gray like that. But that would take time and effort. Well he better get on that.

Gray leaned onto Natsu's ice encased body and started to like the ice. He didn't have enough energy to try eating it. Natsu seeing the fatigue Gray was showing picked him up fireman style because that was all he could do started to walk to the village at the base of the temple.

Dreading the answer but needing to know Gray spoke his mind to Natsu.

"Hey Natsu. Do you think I'm weak?"

"What are you talking about!? You are one of the strongest people I know for how little I've known you! You've dealt with the pain of seeing your mother's body and torture from people who want to eradicate everything related to dragons! And now you're a member of Fairy Tail that makes you even stronger!"