Past Wounds and Early Bonds

October 4, X770
In a forest far away, Drusta, the wood dragon awoke from a nap. The tall dragon was covered in brown scales with grass colored fur on top. Branch-like horns jutted out from her head. Her long claws resembled roots and her four wings had leaf like patterns on them. Her hind legs were slightly longer than her front ones, but not long enough to pass them over. Her tail ended in four oak leaf-like tufts of fur.
The creature walked over to a lake and began drinking. As she drank, she heard soft whimpers. She turned around and saw a small girl crying. The girl was about five years in age. The child's hair was lavender with two red bows in it and her eyes were brown. Her attire was a small pink dress, white knee socks, and red shoes and glasses.
The child wiped her tears away and saw the creature. "Please, don't eat me!" She screamed with fear in her eyes. Drusta looked at the girl with a confused look.
"Why are you crying?" She asked the girl. The child looked down in shame. "M-my parents left me here. I'm scared. I don't wanna die!" She screamed as tears returned to her face.
The dragon let out a soft growl in anger. How could 'parents' do that to their own child? She walked over to the crying child and brought her head down to the child.
"Come with me. I will raise you. Never again will you feel this sadness."
The girl wiped her tears from her eyes, looking at Drusta. "Y-you mean it?" The dragon nodded and she latched onto the beasts nose.
"Thank You!" The girl wept, this time tears of joy. Clouds began to roll in and Drusta knew that rain was coming. She raised her head and the child moved to the back of her head, holding on to the horns. Once her new daughter was secure, Drusta began walking back into the forest.
"You know, I can teach you magic, if you want to learn." She could feel the child dance on her head. "Yes, Yes, I would love to learn magic!"
If dragons could smile, Drusta would have large one on right now. It was then realized that she had forgotten to introduce herself.
"My name is Drusta, the Wood Dragon. What is you name?" The girl on the dragons head paused before she answered.
"Laki. Laki Olietta."
----July 7, X777
Over the next six years, Drusta raised Laki like she was her own child. She taught her everything, from language to culture. She also taught Laki a special kind of magic: Wood Dragon Slayer Magic. This powerful brand of lost magic allowed her to take on all the properties of her foster mother. However, all that changed on this day.
Laki awoke for her daily training. She had matured greatly in this time. Her hair was longer and tied in a pony-tail style, her ribbons at the start and end of it. She now wore a purple t-shirt with green leafs styled into it, a pair dark green shorts, and make-shift wooden shoes. The only thing she kept from her childhood and her past was her glasses. As she walked out of her tree home, (a large hole in the base of the tree), she noticed that Drusta wasn't waiting for her like she usually was.
"Drusta, what are we doing today?" Laki called out for her foster mother, but there was no response.
'Maybe she's out getting breakfast.' She thought. As the hours passed, Laki knew something was wrong. 'It never takes her this long to get food.'
"Drusta, come out. This isn't funny!" She screamed but again there was nothing. Laki dropped to her knees as tears returned to her eyes for the first time in six years.
"Mom..." Tears began to fall from her eyes freely.
'She promised me. She promised that she would never leave me. That I would never feel like this again. Why did she lie to me?' She thought to herself.
Wiping her tears from her eyes, she made a vow that day. That she would never use her Dragon Slayer magic again. She wanted nothing to do with her second mother, who didn't just abandon her, but lied to her. She willed herself to her feet, and began walking out of the woods she'd called home for six years.
----November 15, X777
Eastern Forest
"Man, I can't believe it was just another rumor." Natsu Dragneel was returning to Fairy Tail. He had followed a lead about a dragon sighting, hoping it was Igneel. Unfortunately, it was nothing but it was just another joke story.
He looked up at the sky as he continued walking. 'I wonder how Lisanna and Happy are doing. I should probably get so-' He was cut of mid-thought as a familiar scent entered his nostrils. It was a dragons scent.
'No way, Igneel?' Natsu took of in the direction of the sent, hope returning to his heart.
A few minutes later, he entered a clearing. At first, he was disappointed, but the scent was still there. He followed it and eventually, he found the source. Sleeping on a log, was a girl with purple hair.
'What the-? A girl?' Went through Natsu's head as he approached the pre-teen. Poking her in the face, he tried to wake her. As she began to stir, her eyes opened, showing brown orbs.
"Hey, are you okay? What's your name?" Natsu asked her as she rolled of the log onto her feet.
"I'm fine, and my name is Laki." The girl answered when a familiar scent entered her nose.
Natsu let a smile grace his face. "Okay, that's good. So..."
"Why do smell like a dragon?" Both asked at the same time.
Natsu stared at Laki, realizing they had asked the same question. "Wait, how do you-? Were you raised by a dragon too?" Natsu asked with excitement.
Laki dropped her head, and Natsu smelled tears. He put his hand on her shoulder, and she latched onto him.
"D-did your dr-ragon dissa-appear on July 7th?" She muttered through her tears.
He nodded. "What was your dragons name?" He asked innocently.
"Dr-Drusta, the wood dragon. You?"
"Igneel, the fire dragon." An idea popped into his head. "Hey, wanna come with me back to my guild?"
Laki looked up. "What's a guild?"
Natsu smiled. "A guild is a, um, it's uh, like a um." He couldn't think of the right words. "Oh, right. A guild is a family. A place where everyone is welcome and no one is alone."
Laki had hope in her eyes. "Okay." She said with a small smile.
"You should smile more, it looks good on you." Natsu said causing Laki to blush.
Natsu held is hand out and Laki took it, rising to her feet. The two slayer pre-teens began to walk out of the forest.
"Wait til Gramps gets a load of this. He's gonna freak when he learns he has two Dragon Slayers now!" Natsu exclaimed as he raised his fist in the air.
He noticed a lack of footsteps from behind him. He turned around to Laki with sadness in her eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Can-can we not tell anyone I'm a dragon slayer?" She asked while her eyes wandered around, trying to avoid his.
"Why not? Wait, you think we get special treatment based on our magic or something?" He asked as he raised his eyebrow.
"N-no. That's not it." She responded while she waved her hands in the air and shook her head. "It's just, I swore that I'd never use my Dragon Slayer Magic again."
"What? Why would you do something as stupid as that?"
"Drusta, she-she lied to me. She said she would never leave me, then she did. I don't want anything more to do with dragons." She explained.
Natsu giggled a little bit and walked over to Laki, quickly hugging her.
"Don't say anymore. I honestly thought the same thing at one point." Laki's eyes widened as Natsu continued. "But then I remembered all the fun times I had with Igneel. Don't forget about those."
Laki looked Natsu and blushed again. "Okay, I won't. But I don't think I'm ready to use it again. So, can you please not tell anyone?" She held up her hand, pinky finger extended. "Pinky swear?"
Natsu copied her gesture and their fingers wrapped around each other. "Pinky swear. Just promise me you will tell everyone one day."
Laki nodded and as Natsu began to walk away, she still had her finger attached to his.
"One last thing, can I hold your hand?" She asked blushing harder than ever. Natsu smiled at her.
"Sure." They began to walk to the guild hall, hand in hand.