Under The Full Moon

Forgiveness

Gale woke to weight on her snout, her eyes opening slowly. The pain in her body had gone, all but the ache in her wings from being outstretched in the water for so long. She began to move them back to her sides but stopped when she heard a mumbling, as though waking someone from sleep. Focusing a little on her muzzle, she saw that Broin had fallen asleep with his arms rested over her, accounting for why it was still somewhat dark. She didn't know how long he was there, or how long they were sitting at the lake, but judging by how waterlogged her wings had become and how stiff they had become, it had to have been a while. Carefully, Gale pulled her wings into her sides, taking care not to wake Broin from his sleep. However, this didn't work out quite as she had hoped. Broin shifted a little, lifting his head from where it had been rested between his arms against the soft fur of her snout. 

"Gale?" Broin muttered, lifting a hand to rub his eyes some. When he sat up the rest of the way, Gale lifted her head from the ground. 

"I'm alright, my wings are just a little stiff," The dragon reassured her friend. Standing from the water, she moved a little ways away and shook the water from her fur, beating her wings stiffly a few times to shake the water from her feathers. Broin watched her from where he sat as she stretched the stiffness out of her wings, stretching and retracting her wings to her sides and into the air, a frown forming on his lips. 

"Gale... I really didn't know he was going to do that to you. I should have figured that since he is the one that did this to you, he would have the ability to control whether or not you were human..." He started, though he stopped when Gale turned to look at him. She regarded him for a moment or two, her eyes locked on him with an intensity that made him go silent. One of her long ears flicked back against her head and she seemed to think for a moment or two longer before she finally spoke.

"I already told you it wasn't your fault. You didn't know, and I can't fault you for that. As I said before, he egged you on and made you get angry. He was trying to provoke you," Gale's tone was friendly, but there was also a sternness to her voice that Broin didn't quite like. It didn't make him angry, but it did make him wary. He watched her for a moment, giving a single nod of his head. Looking to his hands, he remained quiet, though he could still feel Gale's gaze on him. When he looked up again, she was starting toward him, and before he could move, her muzzle was rested against his forehead. "Everything is going to be alright," She hummed softly to him, rubbing her muzzle against his forehead and then against the top of his hair. Smiling a little, Broin chuckled.

"If you say so, then alright," he said, lifting his hands to set his hands against Gale's lower jaw. Gale gave a soft sound that nearly came out like a purr as Broin's fingers buried into her fur, nuzzling her muzzle against his head again before she sighed. "You are more forgiving than the world deserves..." He whispered. "If that were me in your shoes, I can't say I'd forgive someone as readily for doing something that took away the one day I get to be human," Gale's nuzzling stopped, though she didn't move her nose away from his head. Instead, she simply stood with him. 

"I have to forgive because there isn't much forgiveness left. You didn't know what he was going to do," Gale's words were simple, but the sternness wasn't there this time. It was a gentle tone that took over her voice this time. She gave his head a gentle butt with her nose before she lifted her head, his fingers sending a chill up her back as they drew out of her fur and down her chin. Flicking back her whiskers, Gale looked over her shoulder toward the camp. She didn't quite trust the area anymore, but they did have to go back to get Broin's bags and his bow. "We should go get your supplies," 

Broin nodded once more, getting to his feet and moving to start walking, though Gale stopped him by gently taking hold of the back of his shirt in her teeth. He looked at her over his shoulder, giving her a light smile. Without having to ask what it was she was doing, he turned back to her and started to her side. When he reached it, she lifted a wing up out of his way and allowed for him to climb up onto her back. Broin situated himself between Gale's wings and once he was settled, Gale started walking toward camp. 

However, he missed the mischievous look that crossed over Gale's face. Without warning, Gale leaped into the air with Broin on her back, a startled shout leaving her friend as she took to the sky. She would stay within the limits of what she knew, not wanting to fly too far and hurt him. Beating the air with her wings, Gale carried the two of them into the sky, Broin burying his hands and face into her fur for a moment. "I am going to get you for this!" Broin called, his voice muffled by the wind and her fur. Gale let out a playful roar, almost as if challenging him. After a few minutes, Broin finally lifted his head to look over Gale's side, the trees looking small from where they were in the air. "Wow..." he breathed, watching as they crossed over the little campsite, unable to see anything that they had left down there. He jumped a little when Gale banked to the side to turn, her wings making a soft rustle as she went from gliding to beating her wings again. He took a moment to admire them, reaching out to softly brush his fingers against the feathers. He let his fingers drift from the feather's ends to the membrane that stuck out from beneath them, almost mesmerized by the difference between the two. Looking up again, he returned his hand to Gale's fur, sitting up a little better to see the world around them.

It was so much different up in the sky, rather than being on the ground where you could barely see anything at all. It made his heart ache for the fact that Gale was stuck to such a small, confined area and couldn't really fly very far at all. He had noticed she had turned back toward the lake again, her ears pinned back briefly. Her collar must have indicated another close border. Silently, he vowed that he would help her be free of the collar, and the Wizard. He wasn't sure if he could free her of the curse that made her a dragon, but he was sure that at the very least, he could help free her of their control.