Under The Full Moon

The Warning

Gale woke in the morning with a start, jumping awake and looking around the outcrop. She had thought she had heard something move, though as the sleepy haze left her, she realized it was nothing more than the wind causing a few small pebbles to tumble down off the mountainside to her left. One ear going back, she looked out over the path again. For a moment or two, she didn't move, simply observing for a few minutes before she finally stood. She winced, her shoulder having tightened up overnight and causing the injury to stiffen and ache furiously. With a sigh, she tried to walk on it but found it to be difficult. Limping heavily, Gale made her way to the edge of the outcrop. Stretching her wings, Gale allowed the wind to ruffle her feathers and fur before she beat them against the wind and leaped into the air. 

Flying down to land beside the path, she looked around cautiously as she landed, making sure there were no other creatures around before she allowed her gaze to shift to face the direction of her friends. As she waited, the dragon listened to the surrounding area, the smoldering remains of the beast she had lit ablaze the night prior a little ways to her right. The smoke had long since cleared, but she could still smell the ashy remains from where she had settled, the wind occasionally sweeping the smell in her direction. It was this smell that reminded her that she wasn't completely alone. She might not be in the company of the creatures for the time being, but she knew they were still there, lurking in the woods and waiting for nightfall. Thinking on this, Gale's ears went back against her head. She found herself hoping with all her might that they reached the area before it grew dark. 

It was several hours later when she did finally see her friends, though they were still some distance away. She tried to gauge the distance, debating on going out to warn them. After a few more minutes had passed, she got up, opening her wings and taking to the sky. She had decided to warn them, and even if she had to immediately come back here, she would do so to make sure her friends were safe. As she flew, she paid attention to the sound of the chanting in her head, and when it didn't get any louder, she felt confident that she could travel with them to make sure they were safe. Landing a few yards from them, she limped forward a few steps, one ear going back. She watched them as they grew closer, Wysteria and Broin breaking from the group to hurry to her. Her father was right behind them, and when they reached her, the first thing they took note of was the injury to her shoulder. "Gale, what happened!?" Wysteria spoke, climbing down from the saddle of her horse. Gale grumbled a little as the young woman approached her. 

"There are beasts out there in the woods near the mountains. Grey Water Beasts, as they were called when I was a child. They are humanoid creatures that are lost in the woods and driven mad by the swamps. I had a run-in with one that tried to make a meal out of me, but it was stopped by another that tried to take advantage of it because I had managed to wound it," Gale explained, looking toward Broin as he slowed his horse down. He watched her worriedly for a second before he looked toward the front of the line. They had just started to get close enough to hear what was going on but hadn't picked up what it was that Gale had said. "I'll tell them momentarily. My shoulder is aching," Gale mumbled, reassuring Broin that she would be telling them what was going on so they could either avoid them or fight them properly. When they approached, she did just that. Explaining what had happened to her on her night by the path, Gale gave all the details that she could. "Be wise when you are fighting them, should you need to. They feign death and are silent until they are upon you. I didn't even hear the one that came after me until it was already biting into my hide. I did notice they give off a very foul stench, so that might be a good indicator before they are on you," Gale looked down the path, watching it for a moment before she shifted some to move. The chanting hadn't gotten any louder, leading her to assume that this was far enough away from the mountains that she could travel with her friends.

When the company was informed of the danger that lay ahead, they started forward once again. Gale walked with them, though she was a little slow. Wysteria watched her with a frown before she finally looked away again. "Be careful that that doesn't get infected. When we stop again, I'll take a better look at it and clean it for you. With the creatures in the woods up here, we can't stop right now. If it was able to power through your attacks..." Wysteria stopped herself right there, a concerned look on her face. "I wonder if my father's magic, or maybe even the Crone, has seeped out into the land around the mountains. It would explain why the swamp would drive those creatures mad," Broin looked over to Wysteria from where he was seated upon his horse.

"I'm not so sure that that has everything to do with it... the swamp is like a maze. If you get lost in it and are stuck there long enough, it has a way of driving you insane," Broin's voice held a little bit of skepticism, though he didn't sound like he was dismissing her completely. Gale looked over toward the young man, who was watching Wysteria. Dillan rode behind the young woman and to her right, watching them both. 

Wysteria gave a nod. "That might be a large part of it. If they run into something that came from my father's magic, then it might be another piece to the puzzle. I'm not sure... it was just a thought," Wysteria's voice was quiet, as though she were thinking about the possibilities. The trio left her to her thoughts, Gale's attention turning back toward the path ahead. She wanted to be able to keep a lookout for any of the beasts that might test their luck. As they neared the forest, Gale felt her apprehension rise. Not for herself, she could handle the beasts... but her friends. She didn't want anything to happen to them. She had already caused enough grief, she didn't want to be the cause of more. Looking up to the sky, she watched as the sky began to darken a little with clouds. She hoped that they held off long enough for them to reach the outcropping near the mountains. If they could reach those, they would be safe from both the rain and the beasts in the forest. 

There was silence among the friends, their attentions all seeming to be on the path and the danger it held. This in itself was a good thing, it meant they were all alert and aware of what they were getting themselves into. Broin moved a hand from the reins, subconsciously resting his hand over the bottom of his bow where it rested against his hip. His eyes were locked on the forest as it started to grow closer and he found himself praying silently that the beasts only came out at night.