Chapter 15
"What have I done?" Draco questioned in disbelief, the effects of the drugs and his uncontrolled rage finally beginning to wear off.
A sense of horrified realization slowly crept back into his mind as memories about the grisly aftermath of his violent rampage surfaced.
His whole body ached with a searing, primal pain.
His throat felt raw and parched, and an overwhelming hunger gnawed at him from within.
The elemental breath he had used had dried out his throat.
It was as if his very being was burning through what little energy reserves he had left.
Draco had been extremely lucky despite his recklessness.
Due to his natural resistance to his own magic combined with his race's natural resistance to the elements, prevented his elemental magic from scorching his throat.
His partial transformation wasn’t mature enough to withstand a breath attack yet.
He was still but a dragonkin hatchling after all.
Magic wasn’t something that was easy to grasp and control.
One wrong move could have imploded him from within.
'I have to get back to Vasileios,' was his primary concern now - he could worry about the consequences of his actions later.
Gripping the trunk of a nearby tree for balance, Draco began to carefully retrace his steps back towards the cage where he had left his younger brother.
With each step, the sight of the carnage he had wrought threatened to overwhelm him.
Broken, bloodied bodies lay strewn across the forest floor, their lifeless eyes staring endlessly into the void.
Severed limbs and viscera were scattered haphazardly, painting the once-verdant ground in sickening hues of crimson.
Draco felt his stomach lurch, the bitter taste of bile rising in his throat.
But there was nothing left for him to expel - he had completely depleted his physical and magical reserves in his feral rampage.
Now, with his transformation beginning to fade, he could feel his body shutting down, joints locking up and muscles spasm in agony.
Despite the overwhelming nausea and pain, Draco pressed on, his mind racing.
'I can't dwell on this now,' he told himself, 'I have to get Vasileios to safety.' The young boy had remained huddled in the cage, hands covering his ears and eyes, mercifully shielded from the horrors surrounding them.
As Draco finally reached the cage, he collapsed against the wooden cart, huffing and wheezing.
"Vasileios, are you okay?" he managed to ask, his voice strained.
Vasileios hesitantly responded, "Draco nii?" His young, innocent voice carried a hint of trepidation, no doubt sensing the gravity of the situation.
"Good, you're alright," Draco said, relief washing over him.
"Vasileios, I need you to trust your big brother. Can you do that for me?" Draco asked.
"Yes," the young boy replied, a trace of fear still lingering in his words.
"Okay, I need you to stay still and quiet, close your eyes and cover your ears some more. Can you do that?" Draco instructed, his tone urgent but gentle.
"Yes," Vasileios answered, quickly complying with his brother's request.
Draco knew they were in grave danger.
The smell of blood and death had already begun to attract the beasts and monsters of the forest, and he was in no condition to defend them.
His transformation was unraveling, and he could feel his body shutting down, rendering him completely helpless.
Sending Vasileios off alone would only result in the boy's certain demise, so the best chance for their survival was to try and use the sturdy cage as a makeshift shelter.
Draco prayed that it would be enough to deter any curious predators until his grandparents arrived.
With an agonizing scream, Draco felt his transformation finally come undone, his short muscular frame reverting to its normal, weaker state.
He collapsed to the ground, unable to move, his body wracked with spasms and tremors.
"Draco nii, are you okay?" Vasileios asked, his voice muffled from within the cage.
"Didn't you promise not to make a sound?" Draco scolded, his words laced with a pained grimace.
"Sorry," the young boy replied, falling silent once more.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Draco lay there, helpless and vulnerable.
The forest around them grew increasingly ominous, the sounds of rustling leaves and snapping twigs filling him with dread.
He could sense the predators closing in, their hungry eyes locked onto the scent of his weakness.
Mustering what little strength he had left, Draco reached up and placed a trembling hand on the cage, hoping to offer Vasileios some semblance of reassurance.
"Its ok, I am here Vasileios," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
"I'm so sorry." The young boy said before going eerily quiet, no doubt terrified by the gravity of their situation.
As the ominous sounds grew closer, Draco's mind raced, desperately searching for any avenue of escape.
But his body refused to respond, leaving him utterly helpless.
Dropping to the ground, Draco rolled his body under the cart for safety.
Now all he could do was pray that the cage would hold, and that somehow, against all odds, the monsters wouldn’t be interested in him under the carriage.
The air grew thick with tension, the oppressive silence broken only by the distant growls and roars of the encroaching predators.
Draco's breath came in ragged gasps, his heart pounding in his ears as he waited, utterly powerless, for the inevitable.
Suddenly, a new sound pierced the eerie quiet - the faint rustling of leaves, followed by the distinct crunch of twigs underfoot.
Draco's eyes widened in alarm, his body tensing in anticipation of the impending threat.
'This is it,' he thought, bracing himself for the attack.
But instead of a savage beast, a familiar figure emerged from the foliage, their features obscured by the shadows.
Draco squinted, trying to make out who or what it was, his mind racing with a mixture of hope and dread.
As the figure drew closer, Draco's breath caught in his throat.
"Slave trader…..," he breathed, scarcely daring to believe his eyes.
It was the man he had slammed against a tree, he had survived albeit with broken bones.
‘What do I do’ Draco’s mind raced but he didn’t get to ponder on it for long.
“Aaaaaaah” the man suddenly let out a guttural scream.
He had just been impaled by the tusk of what looked to be a battle boar, a 2 meter tall boar creature.
The man flailed his limbs helplessly as the boar slammed him repeatedly against a tree until he fell limp.
The boar then shook its head violently, causing the man’s corpse to fall on the ground.
Then it began feasting on his flesh; it didn’t take long before other battle boars joined the fray to feast on the abundant dead bodies.
Draco held his breath desperately, hoping that they both made it out alive.
Time seemed to tick slowly as the battle boars enjoyed their feast peacefully, ignoring everything else except the meal before them.
He quietly listened to the sickening squelching of raw flesh being chewed and the snapping of bones like twigs.
Vasileios kept silent too adhering to his brother's instruction, weird sounds graced his ears but he killed his curiosity and covered his ears more tightly.
It was good he obeyed because the scene around them was too much for a 3 year old witness.
Sadly the status quo didn’t last very long, how could the other monsters of the forest let the battle boars monopolize the food alone.