Under The Full Moon

The End of One

Wysteria watched with wide eyes as Gale put herself between her and her mother, hearing their words growled between them. She barely had time to react when her mother rushed Gale, the white dragon lashing out with a heavy paw at her mother's face. 

Snarling, Grimora ducked back away from the swipe, snapping her jaws at the air where Gale's paw had been before Gale threw a wing into Grimora's shoulder. The large black dragon stumbled a little, though she regained herself quickly. Gale was a little smaller than herself, so Grimora had to gauge her a little better if she wanted to get the upper hand. "Gale!" Wysteria shouted, trying to warn when her mother stretched out to grab her tail. Briefly distracted, Grimora looked over to Wysteria. This gave Gale the chance to move, her tail rising into the air and coming down hard on Grimora's head. The black dragon roared in anger, rising up onto her back legs with the intent to pin Gale to the muddy earth beneath them. 

Moving quickly, Gale jumped up and met her with her shoulder against Grimora's chest, knocking the wind out of her long enough to get away from her. Hurrying over to Wysteria, she reached and grabbed the young woman about her waist with her forepaws and lifted her into the air with her. Grimora gave chase a moment after, a hiss leaving her throat as she followed them into the air. Wysteria let out a startled yelp when a hot wash from a burst of fire blew past the two of them, the heat making Gale's skin tingle beneath her fur. Looking back toward Grimora, she could see the smoke rising from her nose and muzzle before another blast was sent their way. Gale ducked to the side, letting Wysteria go. Before she could fall too far, she ducked under the young woman and caught her on her back between her wings. "Hold on!" She shouted as she spun around to face Grimora, drawing in a breath. The fire that was exhaled through the glands at the sides of Gale's mouth came out white-hot, the color remaining white as it sailed through the air toward her target. The first shot missed, though it had gotten close enough to cause Grimora's scales to glow.

While Grimora was trying to get away from the flames, Gale turned and started down toward the trees. Landing heavily, she didn't take any time to slow down, instead, she used the momentum from the landing to start toward the heavier portions of the trees where Grimora couldn't follow. She slowed enough after a moment for Wysteria to climb down, though the young woman was gone in the blink of an eye, assumingly to hide away where she was safe. Gale tucked herself into the trees, a low growl leaving her throat. She could hear Grimora coming, but from her vantage point in the trees, and with the pounding rain, she knew she'd be hard to spot. She waited for Grimora to come closer before she allowed another wash of fire to explode from her muzzle, the heat singing through the rain. 

When it made contact with Grimora's scales, the fire seemed to ripple across the dark surface and light up the crevices. Letting out a roar of both pain and rage, Grimora came to a stop in the air where she had been, her forepaws lifting to try to wipe the fire off her scales. More focused on this than she was on flying, Grimora landed heavily on the ground on her hind paws, baring her teeth and looking toward where Gale was hiding, only to be met with another blast. However, this wasn't one of fire. 

The light that struck her was blue, sending a pulse of electricity through her body. Grimora shuddered, hissing as she turned in the direction the attack had come from. It was Wysteria. She held her hands up, her eyes glowing violently as she watched her mother. "Leave Gale alone..." She spoke, her voice once more echoing around her as it had done before. A rumble of thunder hid the growl that came from Grimora's throat as she started toward the young woman. 

"I knew there was a reason your father wanted to destroy you as a child..." Grimora hissed, her eyes narrowing. "But like the fool I was I begged him to leave you alive... To what end? To have you betray me in the end as a thank you?" Grimora's pace picked up as she rushed forward. Gale lunged from the underbrush she had tucked herself into, pouncing into the air and landing hard against Grimora's side, knocking her sideways as she clamped her jaws down on the top of Grimora's neck, her claws digging into her side and chest. Grimora screeched through a roar, trying to shove Gale off, though her grip on the larger dragon was solid. Gale could feel the crest on the center of Grimora's neck trying to rise, the spines digging into her gums and cheeks, though she ignored them. Shaking her head some, Gale's teeth cut through the scales on the back of her neck. One hard buck from the dragon beneath her dislodged her, one of the spines scraping under her eye. Gale released her hold on Grimora, who swatted at her muzzle with her paw, landing a blow against her head that made her mind spin for a moment before she reacted. Snapping her jaws, she caught hold of Grimora's paw, letting go and shoving her chest forward as she rose up onto her hind legs. 

When Grimora rose to meet her, Gale shot her head forward and grabbed the space just below Grimora's jaw. Forcing her backward, Gale's teeth closed hard around Grimora's throat, the roar that was leaving the dragon's maw silencing. Grimora's claws struggled to find purchase against Gale's fur and hide, though her grip was weakening. Wysteria didn't stop her, standing by with the glow still in her eyes. Her mother's words had left her feeling cold toward both her and her father. She watched as her mother's struggles slowed and eventually stopped, the blood seeping from her throat under Gale's bite. 

Slowly, Gale lifted her head, releasing her grip on Grimora's throat. The cut beneath her eye had begun to bleed heavily, as did the cuts on her cheeks from the spines. Looking over toward Wysteria, she let out a low rumble, blood oozing from between her lips. Only then did Wysteria move. She approached Gale, her gaze turning to her mother's body as it began to change. She watched, standing beside Gale, as it took the shape of her human body, her dark hair soaked in blood that still ran from her throat. Gale stepped over her, huffing as she started away from the body. Wysteria only took the briefest of glances at her mother's corpse, not showing much care as she soon followed Gale to the lake where she had seated herself. She watched the dragon as she stuck her head into the water, assumingly to wash the blood from her mouth and to try to soothe the cuts on her face. When she lifted her head again, Wysteria moved to her side. Gingerly, she reached to take Gale's face in her hands, turning her head toward her.

Gale turned her head tiredly as it was directed, allowing Wysteria to inspect the injuries before she sighed. "I'm sorry..." Gale whispered. Wysteria shook her head.

"Don't be. You heard her words for yourself. There was no love lost," She responded, looking up as the rain began to finally slow. Turning her attention back to Gale, Wysteria checked just how deep the injury to her cheek was before she moved her hands away from her fur. "The only thing I've got to say is I hope that your friend returns with enough people to fight... when my father finds out my mother is dead, and that you are the one that killed her, he is going to be furious. He has his creatures, as well as the Crone, so I pray for their safety as well as our own that they can fight,"