The sun shined down on a vast grassland from the clear blue sky, silver runes appeared. At first, there was one, and a moment later, another appeared as it started to curve, and another appeared following the same pattern as they started to rapidly appear until they formed the outline of a circle. A green outline branched off the top rune, moving down both sides until they met at the bottom, and the center solidified.

  A brown pair of shoes sank into the grass as the wind picked up, running through the grass, it blew over wavy brown hair. A small chest plate and a pair of vambraces trembled with excitement as crimson eyes wandered.

  The honking call of geese as they soared caused him to look skyward. The sound of neighs brought that same gaze back to earth as horses, some were blacker than night, and others whiter than snow. They all galloped across the field as they entered the tree line.

  "Haha." Out of sheer excitement, his cheeks soon matched his namesake. "Look out, world, here I come!"

  Grabbing Breaker's handle and with a joyful step, he started marching through the field.

  "Where do you think you're going, Red?"

  He nearly stumbled before looking back, watching as not only Igneel calmly stepped through the portal, carrying a massive bag on his back with a pot and pan hanging off and a sword at his hip. On his finger, a black ring was glowing.

  But he didn't have time to answer, let alone think, as scarlet red hair rushed past Igneel and swiped Red off his feet, trapping him in his mother's tight embrace.

  "Red, why did you jump through without a second thought? What if you fell and got hurt? Maybe Achilles and Mother are right, and it's too early for you to be doing this. We can wait a year or two; that way, I can go with you."

  The excitement that dominated Red's face was quickly overtaken by panic. "Wait, no Mom, I wanna go camping with Grandpa now! I'm already here, I'll be fine."

  Laughter took their focus away from each other and back to Igneel.

  "Come on, Lyndis, the boy's just excited. You were the same way at his age."

  Her obsidian gaze returned to meet his crimson.

  "Ah... Red." Her arms grew tight around him before setting him back on the ground and placing her lips on his forehead for a moment. "Just be careful, ok?"

  "I will!"

  "Father, don't do anything reckless."

  "Everything will be fine, now get back before Roy wakes up."

  Her gaze fell back to Red and a hand ran through wavy brown hair. "Red, I love you and promise you'll be careful."

  "I love you too Mom."

  Running her hand over his head once more, Lyn turned back and made her way into the portal.

  Once she stepped through, the black ring in Igneel's finger came to an end and the portal closed.

  The moment the portal closed, Red fell to his knees and started to open his bag. Pulling out a pillow and blanket, he searched with a smile on his face.

  A rough laugh echoed in the breezeless land. "You really think we're going to make camp here? Come on, boy, get on your feet and follow me."

  Igneel started walking off, leaving Red to watch as the old man put distance between them. Scrambling to put everything back in his bag, and took off running after Igneel with a smile. He quickly took the lead. 'This is gonna be so much fun!'

  —

  With each step, the sun continued to bear down on them as it rose higher into the sky.

  With each step, the tall grass that came up to Red's knees gradually got shorter until it barely came over his shoes.

  With each step, that pep in his step slowly vanished as they passed a new treeline.

  With each step, the weight of his bag, blade, and armor was felt.

  "Hmmm my feet hurt. Grandpa, how long until we find a spot to set up camp?"

  "What happened to all the energy? Don't tell me you're out of steam already?"

  "No... I'm just wondering when we'll find a good spot."

  "So then what about your feet hurting?" He didn't get a response as Red just turned away and kept marching forward, causing the old man to laugh quietly as he looked around.

  To his left was a stone riverbed where water ran, and to his right was another small forest. "Looks good to me."

  Turning back, a relief appeared on Red as he sat on the ground, finally taking the moment to get off his feet.

  "So do we set up the tent here?"

  "Not exactly, you see that tree line over there. That's where we're gonna make our base."

  "Why's that?"

  "That way if it rains, we have some extra cover from the rain, and so we'll be a good distance away from the water in case it rises." He started making his way with Re,d quickly following behind. "You see, you can't just pick any spot and set up a tent; you need to think about the best areas, along with the pros and cons of each. With this spot, the ground is level, we aren't too far from the river, and the trees provide cover from the sun and rain."

  Making their way under the trees' shade, their bags fell to the ground as Red looked around. He took off the canteen's cap and took a drink. Looking around, his grandpa was right, the ground was mostly flat, the shade from the tree felt nice, and they weren't too far from the river.

  "What are you standing around for, boy? Help me pitch this tent."

  "Right!"

  All the parts were taken out, and the pair got to work. For what felt like most of the afternoon, they spent the time setting up the tent.

  For as energetic as he was, Red found himself getting in the way more often than helping, for Igneel, the lack of his right arm provided a challenge when it came to running the poles through the tent body. It was like the flexible pole was too large for the slot, so it was a struggle to get them both through.

  And once the poles were staked into the ground, the pair shared a look as they started the tent for two. Red's was of pure excitement, while his grandfather was just happy to be done. The boy didn't wait to make his way inside, zipping it down the faps opened to the interior. Once he placed his bag on the floor.

  'This is gonna be so much fun!'

  Igneel soon followed inside, and his bags were placed on the ground as well. "So what do ya think? Either way, you'd better be ready cause this is where we'll be sleeping for the next few days."

  "I can't wait! So what do we do now?"

  "Well, first of all, we need to get firewood and see what we can find for food."

  "Why? Did we not pack any?" Looking into his bag, he found dried-out meat and fruit, along with crackers. Confusion took over as he changed his gaze to Igneel.

  "No, we have some, but did you honestly think we'd only eat what we brought? It's my role in life to pass down knowledge, so let's go. I'll teach you what I know."

  As he left the tent, Red quickly followed Igneel, turning his attention to the forest and took the first step to go deeper.

  —

  Shadows were cast from above as trees blocked much of the sun's light from reaching the bottom.

  Following the slight shaking of tree branches a pair of squirrels chased each other through the trees, leaping from branch to branch as one tried to get the other out of its territory. This wild game was a distraction of the slash marks that marked the trees. A mistimed jump led to the chaser falling to the ground. Letting the intruder get away while other scurried away back to the trees.

  "Ha ah"

  "What's so funny?"

  "Those squirrels, it's fun to watch them run around in the trees."

  Igneel could only shake his head as his laughter gathered Red's focus. "I thought I told you to help me keep an eye out for food, not watch the animals play."

  "So what should I be looking for then?"

  "Fruits, berries, nuts, mushrooms. Just don't go eating anything until I've taken a look at what you got." His gaze turned away from Red and made his way towards a tree.

  Confused, Red watched as Igneel waved him over. "Grandpa?"

  "This is what we're looking for." At the base of a tree, there were small light brown objects sticking out from underneath the base of the tree. Reaching down, Igneel pulled one out and showed it off before popping in his mouth. "Now these are Button mushrooms, they're safe to eat and go pretty well with stews and dried meats, over there is a blueberry bush."

  "Wow, how do you know so much, Grandpa?"

  "That's easy, I've been going since before your mother was a baby. How go you pick some berries?" With a grin, Igneel tossed a small leather bag at Red and nudged him off.

  Crimson eyes scaled the bush, grabbing a berry and, like his grandfather, bit down. Causing it to burst and covering his mouth in sweetness.

  "So good." He squealed, and the idea of gathering them left his mind as, instead of putting them in the bag, he started eating them.

  Grabbing small handfuls at a time, even more of them found their way to his stomach rather than in the bag.

  "Red, you are putting them in the bag, right?" Turning to see Igneel with a raised brow, he quickly swallowed and started putting them away rather than eating.

  He could hear Igneel laugh as he kept putting the berries in a bag.

  However as while each berry was picked, there was another sound that followed.

  A spalt from beyond the bush as something fell from the tree.

  'Huh?' Peering over the berry bush, something rolled out of the greenery. "What's that?"

  A cyan gelatinous shape the size of his backpack rolled into the small clearing.

  "Whatever that thing is, it doesn't seem to know where it's going."

  As the sentient ball of goo rolled, its body sucked in fallen leaves, small pebbles, sticks, and bugs. It just kept moving with no purpose.

  "What ya find over here, boy?" The moment Igneel's gruff voice spoke out the goo stopped moving as Red turned back.

  "Grandpa, what's that thing over there?"

  A smile grew on the man as his hand patted Red's back, causing him to stumble out from the bush and towards the moving goo ball. "That there is called a Slime and it's your first test."

  "Wait you mean—

  "Yeah, this is your first monster encounter. Now go have fun."

  His face cracked into a smile that went from ear to ear as his cheeks glowed with excitement.

  He couldn't fight the growing excitement, reaching back, Breaker was freed from its sheath as the blade's tip was pointed at the slime.

  His feet stomped over the grass as he rushed in, Breaker came falling from above and the blade ran through the mass. The blob went from one to two as the cut was completed.

  Crimson eyes shone as he screamed. "I did it! I killed a monster!"

  Jumping with joy, celebrating his victory. His grandfather rolled his eyes as the two orbs started to slowly move and merged back together into one blob.

  "What the? I thought it was dead?"

  "Hahaha!" Igneel's laughter caused Red, in his confusion, to look back. "Come on, boy, you gotta be more thorough than that."

  Red turned back to the slime, lifting Breaker back into the sky and slashing. The blade cut the slime in two, and just like before, it slowly fused together again.

  "Hmm." A frown grew as he started to swing wildly, forgetting to use Breaker like a sword; he started using it more like a bat.

  With each hit, the sword continued to slash and smack into the slime, dividing it further. Bits of slime flew, dozens of small smile balls covered the grass with only a few large orbs remaining. Heavy breaths escaped, and a groan followed as Red watched as all pieces slowly started to roll back together, reforming a large, singular blob.

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  "Hmmm."

  'No matter how many times I hit it, it keeps coming back together.'

  "Grandpa! How do I beat this? I keep hitting it and it just goes back to one piece."

  "You really think I'll tell you? Use your eyes and figure it out." That and gruff laughter was his only answer. The old man went back to gathering.

  'Thanks for the help, Grandpa... I like Mom's lessons better. She tells me what I need to do.'

  Once again, the smaller balls of slime started to come together, moving towards a larger one in the center.

  'Do they reform around the biggest one?'

  With a curious strike, Red severed the slime and flung the smaller piece away. The bits of slime still kept moving...

  ... and the larger one moved along with them, traveling to the smaller section that was separated.

  "Weird, I thought they would go to the biggest piece. But why?" Looking back at the smaller slime, there was something odd that caught his eye. Inside the slimy smooth orb, a small stone, different from the other pebbles that were sucked up within the rest of the scattered goo orbs. It was the size of a marble and looked like a strange mix of colors, but it was hard to tell with it being oversaturated by the cyan mass.

  With a curious, crimson gaze, he lined up Breaker with the strange, colored stone and swung the blade down. Cutting into the blob, Breaker's edge collided with stone and split both of them in two.

  The balls of slime stopped moving and seemed to deflate as they melted into the ground.

  "I did it! It's dead now!" But the victory was short-lived as his gaze fell back to the slashed stone. The cyan slime melted off, revealing a rainbow colored stone, the size of a pebble you could find in gravel. Picking up one of the halves, he grew curious once again. "What's this? It's pretty."

  "That is what we call a monster stone, but some people call them core stones." Looking away from the stone, he found his grandfather standing behind him. "You see, people will go hunt monsters and explore dungeons to find these for a living. Honestly, it's quite an exciting way to make a living."

  "People make a living off these? Are they that valuable?"

  "You'd be surprised. These stones have been used for so much of the technological boom we've had over the decades, from your bedroom lights to the ovens everyone has in their homes. These monster stones have provided a source of energy and income, so people have made livelihoods off them."

  "Wait, does that mean this one is worth a lot?"

  "The bigger ones are worth more. You might get a couple of coins for it, but I don't think that one is going to be of any use." Pointing back, Red watched as the stone slowly crumbled to dust in his hands. "Looks like you damaged it too much, so it's breaking apart."

  "Oh, but why did it keep trying to remake itself? It only stopped once the stone broke."

  "That's because for monsters, the stone is like their heart. It gives them power so once it's removed or broken, it's one of the ways they lose their life."

  In his head, images of a rolling slime with a monster stone moved across the grass until the same stone was removed and the slime lost its shape and turned into a puddle. Then something else occupied his thoughts.

  "Wait, you said it's like their heart, do animals like dogs and birds have them... Do I have one?" Looking down, Red tapped his chest, only to look back up at his grandfather's laughter as a callous-covered hand ran through his head.

  "No, you don't have one. Only monsters have them."

  "But what about other animals? Do dogs have them?"

  "No, dogs don't have them, only monsters."

  "But why do only monsters have them?"

  "I don't know, they have always had them."

  "But then—

  "Red, just stop with the questions." His hand moved off Red's head and pointed to another clearing in the trees. "You'll only give yourself a migraine thinking about it. Besides, you have more opponents ahead of you."

  In the clearing, the sun shined down on a small group of slimes.

  "I'll handle getting the firewood if you can clear them out."

  An energetic smile rapidly grew to cover his face, and he slipped out from underneath Igneel's hand, running towards the slime hoard. Igneel couldn't help but smile, watching as Red slashed into another slime with newly gained knowledge on how to beat them.

  The sun continued to travel across the sky, a slashing blade left puddles of gooey slime in its wake as small stones were cut in two or were smacked out of the blobby mass.

  However, most of the stones were broken and slowly turned to dust, just like the one he held before.

  "Hmm," He groaned, seeing that even after slaying seven of them, all he had to show for his efforts was a single small stone. "There has to be a better way to do this."

  Looking at a singular slime, rather than slash or stab, he poked it. Jiggling with each poke from the blade tip. Each poke from the blade sent ripples through the slime, but slowly, with each poke, Red looked away from Breaker and to his hand.

  'Maybe...' Where it was the recklessness or naivety that was often found in a child, Red aquated down and poked the slime. Then stuck his hand into it, grabbing the small stone.

  "It's slimy..." Pulling back his hand was stuck. With a narrowed glare and a guttural groan, Red pulled back even harder. 'It keeps sucking my hand back in.' "Grandpa! Can I get some help?"

  Gruff, echoing laughter, was the answer he got. "Maybe you shouldn't go sticking your hand in a living slime." Igneel just continued on gathering fallen wood, leaving Red to his own devices.

  "Thanks, Grandpa..." With a quiet response, turning back to the slime, he tried to pull once more, only to have the slime suck onto his hand.

  "Hmmm... am I going to have a slime stuck to my hand for the rest of my life?" Groaning, his hand went slack, and the hold the slime had on him loosened. He didn't hesitate to pull his arm out, only to have the slime's hold regain its strength.

  "... Come on, let go of me!" His cry wasn't filled with fear or pain; it was fueled by the simple frustration of a child. Despite the situation, Red still didn't let go of the stone. Raising his arm up, the slime was lifted off the ground, it held just tight to Red's arm, only for him to start thrashing his arm wildly.

  His arm swung like a windmill, trying to shake the slime off. The sight only caused Igneel to laugh even louder. Despite the seemingly wasteful act, the slime's hold started to loosen as it started slipping off his arm.

  "Get off of me!" With another cry and rapid arm waving, the slime was flung off into the trees. A quick smile grew, opening his slime-coated hand to find the stone still in his grasp. Red jumped for joy. "I GOT IT OFF!"

  But amidst his celebration, a low bellowing mixture of a growl and bark made itself known.

  Before he could even turn to face the noise, a sudden force blew past him as something slammed into his chest and was sent rolling.

  "Ow... what was—

  He couldn't even finish before crimson eyes opened to find cyan slime running down a black furred creature with a short snout face and brown markings, towering over Igneel. Its head almost reached the tree branches as it looked down on them and its clawed arm swung, only for the old man to stop it by simply raising his left arm.

  "IS THAT A BEAR!?"

  The grass below them moved more than Igneel. The bear growled, showing off its canines; its face was mere inches from Igneel.

  "GRANDPA!"

  Red's cry did little, but he was loud enough for Igneel to give a slight look back at him.

  "So, this area belongs to you then?" When the bear roared back, it did little to disway him. "Alright, Teddy, how about you walk back to your den and I'll look over the fact you tried to attack my grandson. Deal?"

  A moment passed.

  There was no deal to be made.

  The bear's free arm came swinging, but it didn't even come close to Igneel. His arm pushed the bear's arm off him, and with a single motion that was too fast for Red to follow, the bear was knocked back.

  The force of the blow shook the forest as the bear fell onto the ground. "Ok, big fella, I'll give you one more chance; you can walk away from this."

  Crimson eyes watched Igneel's hand grasp Defiant Flame's handle while the bear rolled back to its feet with a growl as it stepped forward. Looking up, man and beast stared at each other, while one kept growling, the other kept calm.

  The beast roared, but still, Igneel didn't move.

  "Grandpa, watch out!"

  It lunged forward only to stop in its tracks.

  Looking into the man's glare, for a moment, it stepped back. Even bellowing did little to make the man falter. Rearing up, it stood back on its hind legs and swung its arms at Igneel.

  It was another move that was too quick for a pair of young crimson eyes to track. A flaming slash marked the bear's chest, leaving a wet, burning gash. The arm that swung at Igneel fell from the bear's body.

  Black fur was dyed red as it roared with a mix of frustration and anger. Taking another swing, Red watched as his grandfather was there one moment and gone the next, but before he could look for him, another pain-filled roar bellowed.

  Igneel reappeared at the bear's side and slowly pulled his sword out from its flesh, showing off the crimson colored blade as the bear's blood dripped off. Fury over shadowed pain as it roared, it took another swing at Igneel. But even nearing his golden years, he was too quick for the bear.

  Too fast for Red to track.

  Blood and flame splashed upwards from behind, before the beast could turn to face it he faded, rusted-red-haired man as another burning streak was created as its knees hit the ground.

  Both boy and beast watched as the old man walked out from behind and made his way back to the front. Its dark eyes were blinded by blood as it gave a weak snarl.

  "So you still have some fight left in ya big fella?" Even crippled and covered in deep wounds, it didn't falter as it stared down at Igneel.

  A wave of malice washed over the area. The remaining slimes had rolled away from the scene, and Red remained planted on the ground, stunned. Looking down to find his shaking legs, only to be torn away as the voice of his grandfather spoke over the snarling.

  "How about this, I'll give you one last out. A beast like you should live if you go lick your wounds now."

  Crimson eyes watched the bear glared at Igneel, in a single moment, it let loose a blood-lustful roar as its other arm rose and came crashing down.

  But before a worried cry could escape, there was another flash of flame. The bear stopped moving, still staring down at Igneel. Its claw fell to its side as a thin red line grew around its neck and its head led the body to the forest floor.

  "Well, a warrior's death works fine." Swinging Defiant Flame towards the ground, a red streak was left in its wake before returning it to its sheath.

  "Grandpa..."

  "Red are you—

  "That was super cool, Grandpa!" At first, Igneel was expecting some kind of fear or anxiety, only to find that the emotion that grew within Red was excitement. "You blocked its swing so easily and when you slashed it with your sword..."

  Red's ramblings continued, mimicking the same blade motions he made just moments ago. With a chuckle, Igneel turned away from his grandson and to the beast. One final slash was made at its chest before the crimson blade was retired to its sheath.

  "You think I can face monsters like that? I wanna go fight something cooler than a bunch of slimes!"

  "I think you're a little young for anything like that, so slimes are still the only monsters you should be facing."

  Red could only pout for a moment before turning back to the slain beast. "So what is it, Grandpa? It doesn't look like any of the bears I've seen in books."

  "This here is what is known as a Berserk Bear, now pay attention." His voice trailed off as he exchanged his sword for a knife.

  "A Berserk Bear? Is it a monster?" Red gave a confused look as Igneel plugged his knife into the bear's chest, cutting it open before sliding his hand into the fresh cut. Red visibly cringed, his head shook as it sent a wave down his body following suit.

  "As I told you earlier, every monster has a core stone, but their location can vary." As he spoke, he reached deeper. "I told you they function as their heart. This means you can find them around the same area, but this only applies to vertebrates. For invertebrates, their's are found in the head."

  "Vertebrates? Invertebrates?"

  "Animals and bugs." With a quick correction, Igneel pulled his hand free from the bear's body.

  That pucker feeling again grew as the slick suction noise was created once again as his grandfather removed his hand from the beast, caused him to shut his eyes.

  "Take a look at this."

  His eyelids opened back up to find another rainbow colored stone the size of an apple in his hand. Even the beast's blood dripping down the stone did little to distract him from staring at it. Reaching out and taking it in his hands, it felt heavy and oddly... "Grandpa, why does it feel warm?"

  "Didn't I tell you that these stones act like a monster's heart or are you that short minded?" The pout he received from Red only made him laugh. "How about one of these days we make a trip into a small town nearby, that way you can cash in those stones."

  "There's a town nearby?"

  "Yeah, it's fairly small, but it has a nice tavern."

  "That could be fu–

  A grumbling stomach cut him off and only made Igneel laugh further. "Well, let's get back to the tent. We need to get a fire going before it gets dark and sounds like you've worked up an appetite."

  Red could only smile and nod as they regathered the berries, mushrooms and wood before making their way back to their campsite.

  —

  Sitting in the grass, Red was busy running a damp cloth over Breaker, wiping off the gooey slime that remained.

  "Grandpa, I'm bored and my arm hurts. Can't you clean it for me?"

  His groans were joined by the crackling fire and Igneel's laughter as he cooked.

  "It's your sword, better learn how to care for it now."

  "Ok..." As the cloth moved over the blade, he couldn't help but think back to the bear. "Hey Grandpa, could you show me how to use magic like Mom?"

  A low chuckle came from Igneel. "And what makes you think, I know how to do magic like that?"

  "But against the bear, you set your sword on fire and I've seen you do the same with your arm."

  The man's quiet laughter continued. "You see, unlike your mother, I don't share the same talent as her when it comes to spells."

  "But then how—

  "However when it comes to infusing it into my body and blade, I'm just as skilled as her." As he spoke, his hand became covered in small flames. "Using magic to make spells is a skill one must practice; it's not something that comes easy to many, but learning to infuse them into your body or blade is just as important."

  "Then can you show me how to do that? Mom already showed me how to make a flame."

  "I'm afraid that's going to be a few years before you can do anything like that."

  Red could only pout. "You could still show me how—

  The smell of roasting berries and sliced mushrooms emitted from the pot gave a sweet scent to the air silenced him. Leaning over he watched as they started to turn into some kind of warm jam, but that wasn't all.

  "There we go, just about done." Turing to see Igneel put out a small bag filled with flatbread and a packet with dried meat from his bag.

  Intrigue took over Red as Igneel took out large strips of meat and tossed them in with jam.

  Placing the bread on top of the lid's top, he set them near the fire, they slowly started to heat and crisp up. "Just because we're out in nature doesn't mean we can't have a nice meal."

  Looking away from the burning flames and up to the crescent moon, star-covered sky, small streaks of light would appear in one moment, then vanish the next. The bright scattered lights held his attention as Igneel picked up the toasted bread and grabbed the reheated, jam-covered meat, placing both it and a helping of cooked mushrooms between the bread before wrapping it up. It wasn't long before Igneel sat by Red and the two started eating. It had a strange but sweet and salty taste from the mixture of the dried meat and cooked berries. The crunch of the warm bread just added to the texture.

  "How is it? I know it's nothing compared to what Hellia or Lyndis makes, but I've always enjoyed the simpler food."

  "I like it!"

  The two continued to eat, watching the star-filled night sky.

  The crack of the fire, the crunch of the bead, and the wild song of the night fill their ears.

  "Red, get another log on the fire."

  "Right!" He shot up from his set and made his way to the pile Igneel gathered and out of all the options he could have picked from, grabbing one of a darker shade. 'Why does this one feel soft and crumbly?'

  Without a second thought, he tossed the log in.

  "Ahh!"

  Only to stumble back, falling on his rear as the fire flared upward and Igneel started laughing once again.

  "Be careful. I told you to feed the fire, not set yourself on fire."

  Red slowly started to laugh as well, but something darted out of the fire and into the grass. His head snapped to the darting flame.

  Igneel watched with a dumbfounded grin as Red leaped into the grass. Watching as his head would pop up, only to see him leap again and again, chasing after the small, running flame.

  "I got it!" He came running back, flailing his arm, the small flame squirmed in his grasp became more visible as soon the flame's owner was shoved in his face. A small creature with orange scales that covered the top of its body with cream colored belly scales and two indigo colored spots were seen on its shoulders. "I caught a lizard! It feels warm."

  A rough hand found its way onto Red's head. "That's a nice-sized Flame Lizard, but you might want to adjust how you hold it; you don't want to get hurt."

  With a confused tilt of his head. "What do you mean... OW!"

  Before he could have done anything, a sharp, burning pain surged through his thumb. As the lizard bit him, Red's grasp loosened and the lizard fell as he started shaking his hand and started to suck on his thumb to ease the pain.

  But as the lizard fell, rather than hit the ground, a gruff hand appeared underneath, cushioning its fall.

  "Take it easy there, little fella." Oddly enough, rather than panic, Red watched as the small creature slowly stopped squirming and became calm, adjusting itself to the old man's hold. It started crawling up Igneel's arm and up his shoulder as it started looking around from its new vantage point. With a gentle hand, Igneel plucked the small creature off his shoulder and presented it back to his grandson. "You know these creatures are rather docile and friendly when you're gentle."

  Reaching back out to try and grab the lizard, Red brought his hand back to the small lizard, which expelled a small flame from its mouth. Crimson eyes glared at the small creature, but their edge quickly became dull.

  "He kinda looks like the stuffed animal Maryan got me." Reaching he wanted to take hold to the small lizard, a new sense of excitement grew.

  Only to have it be dashed away, rather than be held in his hand again, the Flame Lizard leaped off Igneel's hand and ran into the grass. The small flame on its till gave away its location in the dark as it vanished into the treeline.

  "I wanted to hold him longer..."

  "Maybe you'll get another chance. Flame Lizards are pretty easy to find this time of year."

  "Real..." A low yawn escaped as he spoke. "Really?"

  Not even a moment passed before another, louder yawn escaped and he started to stage.

  "Looks like it's time for bed."

  Red quickly shook his head and forced his eyes to widen. "No, I can stay up... I'm not tir—

  He couldn't even finish before his eyelids grew heavy and another yawn escaped.

  Igneel's rough hand found its way onto the boy's head. "Just get to bed, we have the whole day tomorrow to explore to your heart's content."

  Another tired gasp escaped. "Promise."

  "I'll do more than promise. Tomorrow I've already got several ideas on what to teach you."

  There was excitement in his tired crimson eyes and with a nudge from Igneel, Red said goodbye to the star-filled sky and hello the tent roof. The warmth of the blanket, the softness of his pillow and with the sandman's lullaby, a body drained of excrement drifted off to sleep.