Under The Full Moon

Continued Travels

Broin and Gale made it back to the camp after a little while, the deer still rested over Gale's back. Wysteria looked up from where Dillan had been settled, watching as the two came back into the campsite. She furrowed her brows a little, standing up and going to meet them. She was followed shortly by Toby. Broin climbed down off the saddle, handing the horses off to one of the soldiers before he turned to Gale. She lowered herself down folding her wings in tighter to her sides so the deer could be reached. "Gale? Are you feeling alright?" Wysteria questioned, her expression taking on more of a concerning note as she approached the dragon. Gale flicked an ear back against her head with a soft snort. 

"I'm alright. Broin and I were hunting and when the deer ran... I had an urge to chase them. I guess instinct is hard to drop once you have to survive a certain way for so long," Gale sat down as Broin and the soldier that had helped him walked off to process the deer. Wysteria watched her, the expression of concern still on her face. 

"Gale... you need to be able to control those urges..." Wysteria spoke, picking over her words a little carefully. Gale's ears flicked back as she looked at the young woman. The expression on her face made Wysteria feel a little nervous. It was a combination of someone being told something they already understood and the expression of someone that didn't want to hear the reminder. Carefully, she continued. "I just want to make sure you are okay... I don't want to see something happen to you..." She started, then stopped again. Gale's expression softened ever so slightly, though she still looked a little annoyed with the reminder that she would need to control herself better. "I know it's going to be hard..." 

"I am aware, Wysteria," Gale's tone was sharp, making Wysteria flinch back a little. She watched the dragon for a moment or two before she sighed, giving a nod. She didn't say anything after this, not wanting to further upset the dragon. Moving a little, she started to walk away, though Gale allowed her ears up again and spoke up herself. "I'm sorry... I just... I know what I need to do. It's just... hard. I didn't even know that I was chasing after them until I was already changing," Wysteria turned to look at Gale again, watching her for a few seconds before she approached her again. Gingerly, she took Gale's muzzle in her hands and rested her forehead against the bridge of her nose. 

"I just worry about you. I know you have been through a lot and I know there is a lot that still needs to be done... and as the daughter of the one responsible, I feel responsible for helping you get everything figured out," Wysteria's words were hushed, almost as though she were trying to speak to Gale and Gale alone. The dragon's ears drooped a little, her eyes almost crossed as she watched the sorceress. Closing her eyes, Gale nudged her nose lightly against Wysteria. 

"I understand, and I will try to control myself a little better," Gale whispered softly to her, lifting her head as Wysteria released her muzzle. She opened her mouth a little as though to speak, though she stopped, lifting her head further when she heard her name. Broin started toward her, holding a chunk of venison in hand. Gale's ears perked a little and she watched as the man drew closer. Wysteria chuckled.

"I suppose after all the extra stress your body has been through you'd be rather hungry," Wysteria said, lifting a hand and patting Gale's shoulder. "I'll leave you to it," She added, turning and walking away. Gale took her eyes from Broin long enough to watch the young woman return to Dillan's side, though the scent of the meat brought her attention back to Broin again. 

Gale watched Broin until he was close enough, though he had stopped a little ways from her. When he didn't move any further, she opened her maw. Broin, giving a soft laugh, tossed the chunk of venison into the air a little higher than where Gale was seated. Lifting her head, Gale's ears went back against her head as she judged the distance. With a speed that surprised Broin, she lunged off her seated position and grabbed the venison from the air, chomping it back in just a bite or two before she snorted and shook her head. "There is more over there if you would like. We had quite a bit of deer left from the previous hunt and this one filled the stores that we needed," Broin offered. Gale contemplated this for a short period before she stood, Broin leading her to where the deer was left. The first and part of the second had been processed, though there wasn't any room for what remained. Gale, upon being told to go ahead, picked up the remaining deer in her maw and carried it away a distance to eat what was given to her. 

In the meantime, Broin and the others finished packing up what they had cleaned. When she was finished, Gale cleaned her muzzle and returned to the group, watching for a moment as they began to pack up the rest of their belongings to continue on the road. Wysteria gave a soft, goodbye kiss to Dillan's forehead, moving to go help pack before she returned to Gale. "Would you like to change back or would you like to stay as you are for the rest of the journey?" She questioned, Gale giving her a soft shake of her head. 

"I'll stay like this until we reach the village. I know it's not easy for you to keep helping me change back. You deserve some rest," Gale responded, the young sorceress watching her for a moment or two before she nodded. She glanced over toward the horses for a moment before she took to climbing up onto Gale's back again, brushing her fur softly with her fingers. 

"In that case, I'm going to ride up here," Wysteria spoke, an almost playful tone to her voice. She rubbed her fingers into Gale's fur, the dragon arching her neck softly against Wysteria's touch. She released a soft grumbling sound that reminded Wysteria of a dog that had an itch scratched, the young woman laughing softly as she continued to rub her fingers against the leathery hide under Gale's soft fur. When she stopped, she had to hold on tightly as Gale shook herself out. With a satisfied sigh, she stood and made her way over to see if anyone needed help, Wysteria climbing down to offer help when she needed to. When all was set, the company began to head out. Gale watched them go for a moment before she took up her place beside her father and Broin, looking forward more and more to arriving at the village. However, her thoughts soon drifted back to the idea of Broin and herself living in the valley. This thought brought a small smile to her muzzle. It was an idea that she quite liked herself, and one she would have to bring up to her father.