Under The Full Moon

A Purpose

Broin helped Gale sit up, the young woman still trying to get herself under control. She rubbed her eyes some, resting a hand on her forehead afterward. Valor watched from where he stood beside Harland, his eyes still semi-wide. However, upon seeing that Gale was getting to her feet, Valor pulled himself free of Harland. He cautiously moved toward Gale, his ears back as he sniffed toward his human friend. There was something different about her and it made the horse a little nervous, though it didn't take long for him to relax. Gale gently took hold of his bridle in her hands, bringing the horse's face close to her own. Resting her forehead against Valor's, she stood for a moment trying to recollect herself. With a sigh, she closed her eyes. When she did, she almost felt as though a change was building. Letting go of Valor's bridle, she looked up to him, watching as he stared at her. Gale stepped away from the horse, looking to Broin, who watched her with concern. Wysteria stood beside him, an equally worried expression on her face. Behind her, Harland stood. 

"Is everything alright?" Wysteria questioned, watching Gale from where she stood. The young woman had moved away from them all. Gale furrowed her brow.

"I don't feel right," She whispered, her arms crossing over her chest. Her collar appeared loose, the choker-like appearance of the object having taken on more of a loose necklace. She swallowed against a lump that had formed in her throat, her vision narrowing in on the space at her feet. Gale began to tremble a little, fear settling in on her. Wysteria went to her, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. 

"Gale, what's going on? You have to talk to us," Wysteria spoke, though before Gale could utter a word, the young woman's knees seemed to give on her and she sunk to the ground. Wysteria gasped, getting to her knees with the woman. She looked back to Broin and Harland, watching as Broin hurried their way after Harland went to tell the leader of the group that they needed to stop. Wysteria froze for a moment when Gale grabbed her arm, turning back to her after a brief second. When their eyes met, Wysteria felt as though she was sucked into a dark tunnel, her breath catching in her throat. She could see Gale, though instead of on the ground in front of her, they stood in an empty field. There was something struggling behind Gale, a dark shape that broke with moments of light before they went dark again. This brought an understanding to Wysteria that made her eyes widen. "Gale... you can't fight it..." Wysteria whispered. She watched as Gale lifted her head, tears streaming down the woman's pale cheeks. A gust of wind swept through the field they stood in as Gale looked at her. 

"But... but I can't be with you all if..." Gale started, though a sob broke her words. Wysteria moved to Gale, embracing her close to herself. 

"You have to allow yourself to be who you are. You can't always allow people to tell you who or what to be. This may have been forced upon you, but you are free now. You are going to stay somewhere safe until you can control the need to be in your dragon form. There is more of a purpose for you than what my father had set forth for you. You have a purpose, that is why this ability came back to you instead of just dying with the Crone," Wysteria spoke to her, her words gentle as she rested her head against Gale's. 

From the outside, Broin watched with wide eyes. He had only seen Wysteria do what she was doing once, and that was on himself in the beginning when they had first met her. Gale and Wysteria were locked in each other's gazes, a focus between the two of them stronger than anything he had ever seen before. It was a few minutes longer before Gale and Wysteria finally moved again, Gale sitting up and wrapping her arms around Wysteria's shoulders. He watched as she buried her face into Wysteria's shoulder and began to cry. Breaking himself from his daze, he went to them, crouching down and resting a hand against Gale's back as she sobbed. Wysteria looked up at him, her own arms having rested gently around Gale's shoulders. "What was that?" Broin asked.

"She is afraid. She is fighting back her dragon's need to come forward because she is afraid of what will happen if she does. You and the others need to help her overcome this," Wysteria whispered, bringing a hand up to rest it on Gale's white hair. "She has a lot to learn, and keeping herself bottled up is not going to help her," Wysteria ran her fingers through Gale's hair to try to calm her friend, though it didn't seem to slow the sobs that broke forth. Wysteria sighed, watching Broin as he sat down in the grass, rubbing Gale's back. It was a few minutes before her sobs finally slowed and she sat back, wiping away the tears that still ran down her face.

She didn't speak, though, after some time, she finally stood. When Broin moved to follow her, Wysteria reached out and lightly grabbed his arm. He looked at her, furrowing his brows for a moment before he understood. Gale went out away from them a way before she stopped. As they watched, her transformation began. However, something about it had changed. Instead of the agonizing shift her body had taken before, the pink light that they had seen before enveloped the young woman. She rose up off the ground, her dress and hair fluttering in the breeze that picked up around her. Broin watched in awe as the light moved about Gale, the shape of a dragon beginning to form in the light. Wincing as a bright pink flash lit up the valley, Broin turned his head away from Gale. When he turned back, the dragon they had come to know stood in the grass with her back to them. Her wings lowered from their raised position, tucking against her sides as she turned around to face them. The sounds of the horses nickering and whinnying in concern reached Broin, though the soldiers were able to keep them under control. They had seen Gale in this form before, so their panic wasn't as bad as it had been when they had seen her for the first time. 

Gale approached her friends, lowering her head. As she did so, the collar slid forward some. Even in this form, the collar was loose enough that it could be considered more of a necklace than a binding, though the magic that surrounded it still remained enough for it to change with her forms. Wysteria finally released Broin's arm, allowing him to go to Gale. Gingerly, he wrapped his arms around her muzzle, listening to the soft sigh that left the dragon's nostrils. "It's going to be alright. We are here for you," He whispered, resting his forehead between Gale's eye ridges. She closed her eyes, nuzzling her nose into his stomach. 

"I hope that it will be as alright as you say it will be," She whispered, doubt in her voice. The idea of being around others in her dragon form terrified her. The soldiers and villagers that had seen her had grown on her and didn't seem bothered by her... but that wasn't what scared her. What scared her was the idea of seeing others beyond them. What they would say... and more so, what they would do.