Berry's blood ran cold, his leg frozen in place as the chaos around him unfolded. The Runes who were standing around him began to panic, running around frantically, looking for a place of shelter.
The chaos spread throughout the whole facility, some runes screaming loudly.
"Feral!"
His eyes watched as the dragon guards came into view, their movements sharp and hasty, holding their weapons as they barged into a certain room.
That room
The same room that Casper went into earlier when they had come back to fetch their passes.
"Casper". His mind went blank, legs moving on their own as he ran to the same room, however he was blocked by the dragon guards as they pushed him back harshly.
"Get away!" One of them yelled, eyes filled with disdain and resentment and a hint of…fear?.
Berry was taken aback by his outburst but he steadied himself and walked forward again, "Please I…" the words got stuck in his throat, what did he want to say?, he felt his breathing becoming shorter with each passing moment.
A loud cry erupted from the room, shaking the ground beneath him, the sound made him flinch, eyes widening in fear and panic.
He had never heard anything so frightening but heartbreaking at the same time.
He gave up on speaking and forced himself into the room, squeezing through the distracted guards, his small frame giving him the advantage.
He successfully entered and his breath caught his throat when he took in the sight before him.
Runes Don't Last Long
"C…Casper"
He saw the boy he had barely known for a day, growling, writhing against the chains, struggling against the muzzle that was being put on him.
His eyes red with fury, his body covered in bulging black veins, the rage and bloodlust in his eyes a stark contrast to the lively and optimistic person Berry had come to know.
He was thrashing and fighting back, scratching at whatever surface his claws could touch, determined to break free from the guards who were surrounding him, trying to subdue him.
Berry's hands dropped to the side, his breathing becoming shallow and his eyes filling with tears. "Casper", he said in a broken, defeated voice, his heart heavy with despair.
It's not fair, he doesn't deserve this.
He thought about the way Casper spoke about meeting the girl in his memories, about eating bread and making new friends, just a moment ago and now…his life was over.
As they continued to try and subdue him, Casper locked eyes with Berry and within those feral eyes, he found a flicker of hope.
Sadness
Berry did not think for a second, it was like his body was moving on his own, he lunged forward, putting his hand on the chains, "wait! Please he's still in there!!" He yelled, tears moving down his cheek as he tried to pull the chains away from the dragon guards.
Deep down he knew he was not strong enough, but he had to try.
"Please wait! Don't hit him please!"
"Let me try and talk to him! He's still in there!"
One of the guards hit him with the edge of their weapons, causing him to stumble back and lose his footing, a surge of pain washing through him.
But he regained himself and looked back at Casper, a whimper escaping him.
"Casper" he said in a soft, broken voice, more tears of despair flowing down his cheek.
"Get out!", One of the guards yelled at him, hitting him again and yanking him up with an iron grip.
Berry felt another wave of pain surge through his body, another whimper escaping him.
But then something happened. Something that could change everything.
Casper, in his feral state, lunged at the guard holding Berry, breaking free of the chains and tumbling the guard to the ground. The guard's grip immediately loosened, letting go of Berry as he had to defend himself.
Berry dropped to the floor, his eyes widening at the scene, it almost felt like…Casper was protecting him.
It was said that Feral Runes do not have a mind of their own, they only poison and kill.
Once they go Feral their brain shuts off and they could attack and kill even their own family.
But here he was.
This boy Berry had barely known, defending him from dragons.
He saw the guards were using more force to tame Casper and get him out of the room, he saw his friend getting hurt and he could not bear it.
He had to defend him too.
He could not think of anything else so he threw himself unto Casper, blocking the hits and trying to calm him down.
"Casper! I know you're in there! Listen to me! You can fight it!" He yelled desperately, wrapping his hands around Casper tightly.
"Remember the blonde lady you said you wanted to meet, remember the new friends you wanted to make…and the fresh bread, it is why we came back here, to get the pass. So what happened? What happened from there?" The tears spilled freely, running down is cheek, pink crystal like drops, glistening under the light.
He held on to the man tighter, his voice shaky and strained from crying "Please come back, I know we barely know each other but I don't want to lose you, you don't deserve this"
For some reason the dragon guards seemed to back away, Berry's eyes were shut closed so he could not see what was happening around him, he only knew that everywhere seemed to still.
Casper stopped moving in his arms and he felt afraid for a moment.
Maybe they had beaten him to death
No, he is still breathing
Everywhere where went quiet, the only sound that was heard was the sound of Berry's sniffles.
He wrapped his arms around Casper's now stilled body, holding him close and burying his face in his back, whispering words of hope and encouragement.
One of the guards dashed out of the room, leaving the others frozen there, staring at the two Runes.
After his cries died down, Berry opened his eyes softly, looking around the room in confusion and slight relief that they had backed off.
He paused for a bit before looking down at his hands, a gasp immediately leaving him.
"Casper?"