Under The Full Moon

On The Hunt

Gale and Broin talked a little more on the idea of moving out to the valley, Gale watching ahead of them as they rode. Broin brought his mount to a stop, adjusting his bow and arrows on his back as he looked around for a sign that there might be any deer. Climbing down off the saddle, he moved to a flattened patch of grass, kneeling down beside it. He ran his hand over the grass, looking for hoof prints that might lead him in the direction of their prey. Not seeing anything just yet, he looked over his shoulder toward Gale, who looked as though she were concentrating hard on something. "Anything?" Broin questioned, Gale lifting a hand a little as though to silence him. He watched her for a moment or two before she finally broke her concentration and looked his way.

"Sorry, I thought I saw something but it was just the trees," Gale apologized, giving a sheepish expression. Broin shook his head, smiling faintly as he turned back to the spot where the deer had been laying.

"It's alright," He responded, moving the grass aside again before he paused. He followed it with his fingers, finding another, and one more afterward until he found where they lead off into shorter grass. Standing up, Broin brushed his hands off. "The trail leads down toward the thicker part of the stream here ahead of us and to the right. We follow that, we might find them. If not, we know they nest here for the night," 

Gale listened as Broin spoke, her hands rested on the saddle in front of her, her eyes shifting from him to the direction Broin had mentioned, tilting her head a little as she tried to see if she could spot anything. When she couldn't from where they were now, she furrowed her brow. She could see and hear a bit better with her dragon form laying just under her skin, though it wasn't as good as her dragon form itself. "Would you like me to see if I can see them from up there?" She asked, motioning with a hand toward the sky. Broin looked up, squinting a little against the light before he shook his head. 

"I don't know... I don't think it's a good idea to be changing your form without Wysteria around for a little while. Besides, I want to spend a little time away from the others with you as you are," Broin stepped over the deer tracks he had been inspecting, going over to stand beside Valor. Gale smiled down at him softly, not seeming to mind the idea of hunting in her human form.

"I just thought I would be a little more useful that way, but if you insist," The young woman hummed, moving a hand from her saddle and leaning to brush her fingers softly over Broin's cheek. The young man chuckled, raising a hand to rest it over Gale's before he turned his head to kiss her palm in a tender manner. He stood this way with her for a moment before he sighed softly against her skin. 

"We should move out," Broin whispered against her hand before he gently let it go. Going back over to his horse, he smiled across the space between them as he saddled himself up. Gale was watching him fondly from her perch upon Valor's saddle, her eyes soft. Broin felt his own face warming up for a change, turning his head so Gale wouldn't see. Clucking to his horse, he gave it a gentle bump to the sides before it started forward again, Gale taking up her reins and following after. She kept a close eye on where they were, making sure to watch for any deer that might be in the area. She trusted Broin's judgment, but it wasn't a bad idea to watch in the event that more were around than he thought. Spooking one would spook the rest of the herd, and Gale wanted to avoid that if it was possible. 

As they neared the stream, Gale could see more tracks in the thinning grass closer to the area they were heading to. Broin stopped his mount, Gale stopping beside him as he got down. He lead his horse to a tree, tying the reins to a low-hanging branch before he turned back to Gale. She watched him, tilting her head a little. "So, what's the plan?" She asked him softly. Broin flicked his gaze to the stream. 

"The deer are around here somewhere. You can either follow me or you can stay here with the horses. I'll be alright with either," He responded, pausing a little to think about what he was going to do. "The horses might be too loud, we'll be able to sneak up on the deer better if it's just us," Broin drew his bow from over his shoulders as he spoke, shifting a little to signal that he was ready when Gale chose if she was staying with the horses or going with him. She debated on this for a moment before she climbed down off Valor's saddle. Taking note of this, Broin helped her tie him up before he moved a little to start walking. Gale wandered after Broin, though she soon slowed a little as she looked around. Broin continued ahead of her, glancing back over his shoulder once with a slight smile. The way she stopped to admire the little things made him feel that he was doing something right for her. Turning back, he continued to walk toward the overhang of trees and tall grasses that edged the stream. Gale, noticing how far ahead Broin had gone, left the flowers she had been looking at and jogged a little to catch up. Her bare feet were almost soundless against the grass. It was an advantage she had in her human form over her dragon form, which tended to be a little louder no matter what she walked on. However, it had allowed her to hunt, so it wasn't really that bad in her eyes. 

When Gale caught up to Broin, she gently reached out and took his arm in her hands, looking around him toward the water. She didn't see deer yet, but there were fresh tracks on the damp soil. Broin glanced to her, then back ahead, soon stopping her with a slightly raised hand. Gale looked up at him before he nodded toward several deer that grazed near the water, which muffled their own sounds. He didn't move for a moment, testing the direction of the breeze, and when he found that it blew toward himself and Gale, he stepped slowly to the side. Reaching up, he carefully removed an arrow from the quiver, kneeling down and setting it in place. Gale watched as he drew the arrow back, holding his breath for a moment as he took aim. When he let the arrow fly, Gale watched as one of the deer hopped into the air. The rest of the deer scattered, causing Gale's instinct to take charge. 

The young woman rushed forward, ignoring Broin as he called for her to stop, the deer he had shot had fallen to the ground. Gale hopped over it, her form changing as she lunged forward and grabbed one of the deer. Broin watched with wide eyes as she wrestled the deer in what looked like a half transformed state, the struggle coming to an end after a few moments had passed and the dragon had finally taken full form. Gale released her grip on the deer's neck, looking over toward Broin with a huffing exhale of breath. She backed away from the deer, shaking herself off before she looked toward the rest, her ears perked. She watched their white flag tails disappear into the distance, turning only when she heard Broin approach her. "I have to admit, for a minute there you had me worried. I guess your dragon was a little eager to hunt, huh?" 

Gale rumbled a little. "I suppose so. To be honest, I didn't even know what was going on until I touched the deer and by that point, it was a little late to stop it," She mumbled, looking to the deer at her feet. "At least now the rest of the group can eat as well,"

Broin nodded in agreement, going to retrieve his arrow and help Gale with the deer, settling them up on her back before he lead her back to the horses. Neither seemed bothered that the dragon had returned, and from where he settled himself upon Valor's back, Broin lead the horse he had ridden back toward their company. He couldn't help but smile a little, glad to see that Gale could shift so easily from her human form to her dragon form, however, it did worry him a little that the change back might not come so easily for her for a time.