Fire and Gold (Nalu)

Chapter 3 ~ Caged (REWORKED)

The two wizards had grown weary.

Very weary.

After struggling against the soldiers for so long, their strength had all but left them.
The soldiers weren't taking them to the entrance of the forest, they instead marched them in the complete opposite direction.

Their fleeting battle to escape had rendered them almost entirely immobile. So much so that the soldiers had to drag them, their feet left trailing over the muddy ground, creating indents in the dirt behind.

Natsu's eyes burned and his ears rang. The lingering smell of the gas was still pungent in his nose, giving him a stabbing headache.

He deduced that the only possible reason for their sudden lack of stamina was that gas, on top of the magic-cancelling cuffs, of course.

He turned to look to Lucy, who seemed in even worser shape than he did. Her face was coated with dirt and red from when that prick pushed her head into the ground.

Oh, how he yearned to burn him. He wanted to hurt him so, so badly. How dare he, how fucking dare he touch her with those dirty boots and then laugh at her like she was a something lower than he was. Lucy was so much more than he could and would ever be.

She looked only half conscious, her eyes focusing and unfocusing as she stared, dazed, at the ground. He wouldn't have been surprised if she had a concussion, a bad one at that. He didn't half drive his foot into her skull.

Oh, he couldn't wait to make him feel the pain she felt tenfold. It'd be the least he deserved.

Why did they have to hold her like that? Why did they have to wrench her arms back? Hold her gently. She's not a rag-doll, that'll hurt her. Stop hurting her. Don't touch her like that. Don't touch her at all. Get off. Fucking get off. Get off of her.

Another long, slow half an hour passed and they found themselves outside of the forest. Natsu looked around, his eyes still stinging and fogged. Though he couldn't make out much, he spotted a group of horses tied to a fence, a couple of magic four-wheelers with what looked like trailers attached to the backs of them and more soldiers.
Many more.

"See all this?" The squadron leader from before shouted, walking up to Natsu with his arms outstretched- a clear display of the power he held over them, "it was you two that caused all this ruckus."

He furrowed his brows. They hadn't done anything wrong! He would have shouted at the stupid man for his ridiculous accusations if it weren't for the fucking muzzle.
As if sensing the fire wizard's brewing rage, the man offered him yet another smirk.

"Oh cmon, what do you expect? You steal, you pay for the consequences. Though, I suppose you Fairy Tail wizards wouldn't be so accustomed to action and consequence now would you?"

Natsu released a low, deep growl. The muzzle may have prevented his speech, but it didn't stop his voice box.

The man curled his upper lip and grimaced. "Fucking animal," he said slowly, before walking off in the opposite direction.

The dragon slayer continued to eye him as he walked towards another group of people, staring daggers into his back. Or at least, he did, until he noticed who he was walking towards.

That fucking wizard.

There, right in front of his eyes, was the very man who had hired them, who had sent them into the woods. The soul reason they were after that sceptre in the first place.

He was holding that same sceptre now, though it was still cloaked in material. He had a far, far different expression to what he'd had before when Natsu, Lucy and Happy first met him. His face was full of concern and to apparently everyone but Natsu, he looked like a little old man who had gone through a rather traumatic experience.
He hugged the staff close to his body as the squadron leader approached, beginning to stroke it as though it were a child in need of comfort.