Under The Full Moon

The Truth

Gale's eyes widened as the creature drew closer to her, her wings drawing up just a little. Her right wing, still cradling Broin, moved closer to her body and pulled her friend closer as if she were trying to absorb him. The creature bared its teeth at Gale, and ignoring the demands of the Wizard, it lunged forward. Gale let out a roar, reaching out and slapping a paw against the side of the creature's head. Knocking it to the side, Gale took the chance to try to get away. Turning, she ducked into the forest, allowing Broin to work his way from beneath her wing to climb onto her back. She could hear the beast giving chase, as well as the less than happy shouts of the Wizard. He hadn't seen Broin, not yet, and if Gale could keep him from doing so, she would. Managing to get ahead of the beast, she reached back and grabbed Broin's shirt in her teeth. Lifting him off her back, she managed to get him up into a tree before she felt a sharp pain shoot up her back from the base of her tail. 

Roaring in pain, she turned away from Broin, reaching to grab the beast by the back of its neck and pull it off her tail. She could feel the fur tear away from her hide, as well as the hide itself tearing under the creature's razor-sharp teeth. Having managed to pull her tail free, Gale tossed her attacker to the side and hissed, lowering herself to the ground. She was ready to fight to defend her friend as best she could. As the creature rushed her, Gale lifted a wing and used the heavy appendage to send it backward, its body landing hard against a tree. "ENOUGH!" Shouted the Wizard, having finally caught up to the two of them. The creature looked to Gale, snarling through a mouth of fur and blood, only to have a hiss thrown back at it. The Wizard turned to the beast, raising a hand and letting a bolt of electricity leave his palm. The shock struck the creature's dark scales, it's snarl cut off and turned into a screech of pain. "You WILL do as you are told! Would you like to go back to the swamp where you were found!?" He shouted, advancing on the creature, who shrunk down toward the ground beneath its paws like a whipped dog.

Behind them, Gale stood with her ears pinned back and her body close to the ground, eyeing them both as the Wizard stood in front of the dark beast. Above her, Broin buried himself back as far into the branches as he could, trying not to make a sound as the Wizard turned to Gale. He watched her, his shoulders lowering a little from their angry position before he approached her. Gale warned him with a hiss not to come any closer, and this time he seemed to heed her warning. Instead, he stood where he was, watching her. "Leave me alone..." She growled as she stared past him to the beast. The Wizard turned back to the beast and waved his hand in Gale's direction.

"Take care of yourself..." Was all he said before he climbed onto the beast's back. Instead of trying to investigate the tree from where Broin's scent still flowed, it did as it was told. Gale stayed put as she was until they were out of sight and she couldn't hear them any longer, looking up to Broin after she was sure they were gone. Carefully, he moved to climb down from the tree, settling himself gently upon Gale's back.

"What... what was that? And who was he?" He questioned, his eyes locked in the direction that the other had gone off in. Gale didn't answer. She turned, moving off toward the lake she had frequented since the time of her accident with the collar. "Gale?" Broin's voice reached her ears, one flicking back to listen to him. Furrowing his brow, Broin didn't pry. Something about the interaction between her and the Shrouded Man, as well as the beast he had ridden in on, unsettled him. There was something about Gale he didn't know, he figured there would be, but he wasn't quite able to put his finger on it.

"I don't belong here..." She started. Her voice was hushed, but it was just loud enough to bring him from his thoughts. Broin didn't speak, allowing for Gale to continue. "He kidnapped me... took me somewhere. I still don't know where. I can't leave here," She came to a stop beside the lake, her eyes drifting over the water before she lifted her muzzle toward the sky. "I can't fly very far. The collar has some kind of spell on it that keeps me from going too far away," 

Broin listened, frowning a little before he slid down off her back, looking up to Gale as he moved to stand more in front of her rather than beside her. "Gale..." Broin's voice was softer than before, catching the dragon's attention. She turned her head, meeting the soft palm of his hand with her muzzle. "Whatever he did to you... it can be undone," Gale moved her muzzle away from his palm with a sigh. She had her doubts, and at the moment, they were eating at her.

"I doubt that..." She mumbled, stepping around him and making her way for the water. She settled herself down in a sitting position, sweeping her tail around to rest it in the cool water. "What they did to me... It's not just some spell... it's not that simple...," The tone she spoke in was almost inaudible, her wings drooping down beside her so they rested on the ground. Broin's lips turned down into a frown as he stood beside her again. With that, he seated himself on the ground beside Gale, reaching over to brush his fingers over her fur again. Gale took note of this, turning her head to settle her gaze on her friend before she leaned down to bump his head lightly with her muzzle, ruffling his hair in a tender manner. "Thank you," She whispered. "For returning to this place and giving me company,"

A soft chuckle left Broin's lips as he looked up to her. "No, thank you," He responded, moving his hand to settle on her soft cheek. "If you hadn't done what you did, they probably would have killed me," Gale didn't want to agree, but there was more truth in his words than he realized. With a soft thrum in her chest, Gale sat with her friend beside the lake, allowing the cool water to wash over the bite wound on her tail. She would deal with it further later, for now, she wanted to allow the water to wash it clean. Broin gave her cheek a light pat, nodding toward the sky. "Check that out," he said softly, Gale following his gaze. With a smile, she watched as a few shooting stars passed through their line of sight, the pair watching as they flickered in and out of existence. "My grandmother used to say they were good luck," Broin's voice held a tone that showed it was a memory he was quite fond of. "I see them a lot when I'm out hunting at night," 

"I haven't seen them very often myself, though you would be looking more than I would be," Gale thought about this for a moment and realized how upsetting it sounded. She was in the forest, all by herself a lot of the time, but yet she was more focused on whether or not the Wizard was around than she was on the shooting stars. Grumbling softly, she drew her tail out of the water and shifting her position to lay on the grass beside Broin. The young man smiled a little, turning his attention from the shooting stars to the dragon beside him. He settled his arm on her shoulder, shifting to lean against her for a few minutes before he moved to see what he could do about her tail.

Even after the events that had just taken place, Broin found himself feeling safe. Comfortable even. After he had taken care of her as best he could, he sat down and leaned against her once again. Rumbling quietly, Gale brought a wing up to rest the feathered edge against Broin's back. With this, the tiredness that had been lingering over the pair soon took hold, the two of them once again falling asleep. However, this time Gale would have one ear tuned in and listening to their surroundings. She was not going to let anything happen to her friend. Silently, she vowed to protect him, even if it meant giving her life to do so. The creature had gotten too close this time and it was something that she would have rather avoided and if she could in the future, she would.