Under The Full Moon

Reunited

It didn't take the company much longer to reach the path closest to the forest. Gale watched it intently, her ears back against her head as she limped along. She looked to the leader of the group, who had turned to her for her input. "What do you think? Think they are dumb enough to come out after a group as large as ours?" He asked her. Gale flicked her gaze away from him for a moment. 

"I'm not sure I would call them dumb at all... mad maybe, but I don't think they are dumb. The one that attacked me had to have been watching me long enough for it to judge that I had fallen asleep before it tried to attack me," Gale responded, slowing down to a stop. One ear perked forward as she listened to the sounds in the forest. There was a noted lack of sound from the birds and other animals, which lead her to believe that that might be part of the reason they had come after her. They had depleted their usual source of food to a point that it was harder for them to catch. In turn, this drove them to go after just about anything that moved... including each other. Her keener than human sense of smell picked up on a faint smell of decay as well, the scent backing up her thought. 

"Well, they must be pretty dumb if they had a go at you. I wouldn't test my luck with a dragon, no matter how hungry I was," Turning her head back to face the lead as he spoke, Gale eyed him a little. He almost seemed to grow a little cocky with the notion that they weren't as much danger as they had been made out to be, almost like he didn't believe Gale despite the injury to her shoulder. This made her a little hesitant in trusting him with the safety of her friends, but she didn't have much choice.

 "There are some outcroppings off to the east that will shield us from the rain and it will be far enough away from the forest that they wouldn't be bothered to come out this way," Gale said, not wanting to continue the conversation with the man. The lead watched Gale a moment before he nodded once and started toward the east and the outcroppings she had mentioned. The dragon was glad she didn't have to fight or argue with him to do so. She didn't have the willpower to fight with him at the time. 

When the man started toward the outcroppings, Gale allowed the group to pass her until Broin and her friends reached her. She needed a moment for her shoulder anyway and waiting for her friends gave her the time that she needed. "I didn't think he was going to listen to you for a minute or two," Dillan spoke, looking up at Gale. "He's got a way of doing things his own way," Gale snorted at this. 

"I'm glad he did... I don't feel like arguing with anyone right now. He gave me the impression that he didn't believe what I was saying to him. I wouldn't lie about something like this..." She mumbled, starting to walk again once she felt her shoulder could take it. She would rest it further at the outcrops. Her friends watched her for a few minutes, and she didn't have to look at them to know this. She could feel their gazes on her until they looked away from her and off in their own directions. When they reached their destination, the soldiers started to set up their camps around the outside of the area they would be using as their resting point. Gale watched them for a few seconds before looking toward the woods. 

"What are you thinking?" Broin asked, having finished up his help and gone to her side. Gale didn't answer right away, lost in thought for a moment or so before she turned her head to look at the young man beside her. "So?"

"I'm going to perch up on the outcrop overhead. It'll give me a better view in case the beasts try to make for the camp. From there, I can at least get a shot in at them with fire or warn the soldiers that they are coming. I don't think they will, we are pretty far from the forest, but there is no real telling with them," Gale responded, sitting down. Broin nodded once, resting a hand on her side. 

"How are you feeling, aside from your shoulder?" She heard him ask, her gaze soft as it still settled on him. She knew she had been rather neglectful with his feelings as of late, and it made her feel horrible. Leaning down, she rested her soft nose against his cheek.

"I'm alright... I'm sure Wysteria told you what was going on. I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself... but I wasn't exactly in the right mind. The chanting... it was driving me mad. It's gone away for the most part, but it's still there. Part of me wonders if it will ever really go away, but right now I can kind of ignore it," Gale said softly, her voice hushed as she spoke to the young man. Broin lifted his hand and rested it to the side of Gale's cheek. She felt his fingers tuck into the short fur of her jaw, a soft sigh leaving her muzzle as she soaked in his touch.

"It's alright, Gale. I do wish you would have said something to me before it got out of hand... but I'm just glad you are alright," Broin whispered back to her before he kissed her nose. "Go on and let Wysteria look at your shoulder before you take your post. And please... if you need to... get some rest," Carefully, Broin stepped back away from Gale, moving his hands to either side of her muzzle as he looked up at the dragon that took over the form of the young woman that he loved. He shared her gaze for a moment before he placed one more soft kiss to her nose, letting go of her muzzle and heading over to help with the fire. Gale watched him go, a fond expression on her face before she too got up and went to find Wysteria. Upon finding her, Gale gave a soft grunt of greeting, the young woman turning to her from the pack she was sorting for one of the villagers. 

"I was wondering when you were going to come over. I saw you were talking to Broin and I didn't want to butt in. How is your shoulder?" Wysteria asked, moving the pack aside as she shifted to face Gale. She opened her own pack, removing from it a pouch that held the herbs she would need for Gale's shoulder. Following this, she removed a small stone bowl and pestle. Gale watched her gather up the things she would need before she answered.

"It's sore. That thing didn't let go very easily, and by the time I got it off me, it had already worked into my shoulder," Gale's words were soft as though trying to keep the true nature of the injury from reaching Broin, or her father, who was standing nearby talking to one of the soldiers, casting her the occasional worried glance. Wysteria nodded a little in understanding. With this, she set to work on the mash of herbs before she cleaned the wound and packed it with the herbs. It took all of Gale not to growl, her ears back against her head and her nostrils flared. Once she was finished, Gale gave her goodnight and went to perch upon the outcrop. From there, she watched the forest beyond the path in hopes that they kept away. Resting her head on her paws, Gale was glad that Wysteria had done what she had for her shoulder, the injury already feeling less irritated. With a sigh, the dragon settled herself in for the night's watch.