Under The Full Moon

Shadows

Gale's father stayed with the group for a little while before he had to be taken back to the village for his own safety. Gale didn't want to see him go, though she understood what it might mean if he had stayed. She followed them as far as she could before she had to stop, her ears back against her head. Broin stood beside her, watching as the dragon's father left with the guards he had arrived with. Unwillingly, Broin nudged Gale, motioning back toward the camp. "We can't leave them alone for too long, Gale," His voice was soft, a gentleness in his tone that made it very apparent that he didn't want to make Gale leave where she was seated. Gale slowly got to her feet, making her way back to their camp with Broin. Wysteria turned away from the group she had been speaking to, looking up to Gale. She moved to go to her, though Broin shook his head. He stood beside Wysteria as Gale moved off a ways from the group and laid down, her gaze pointed out over the lake. "Give her some space," he said, patting Wysteria on the shoulder before he went to help some of the men with their weapons. They had been taking the time to sharpen them and make sure that they were prepared for the Crone if she decided to attack. They would wait for a while, and if nothing else became of their presence, they would begin to look for a way to return. 

The only problem now was if they did return, where would Gale go? She was still stuck in her dragon form, and with Alerone's death and Wysteria not understanding the staff, they were at a hitch in their plans. Wysteria seemed to know this, but she didn't hold it against Broin for killing her father either. It had either been him, or he would have forced Gale to kill everyone in the campsite. Doing as Broin asked, Wysteria gave Gale some space, hesitantly going back to finish her conversation with the small group of men that she had been speaking to. Broin didn't like leaving Gale alone much either, but he knew that right now was a hard time for her and she seemed to do better when given space. It gave Gale a chance to grieve on her own, to collect her thoughts.

Gale watched the water for a time before she closed her eyes, her ears drooped down to either side of her head, her paws crossed under her chin on the ground. It was a while before she forced herself to get up, turning to go back to the group of villagers and her friends. As she walked, she lost herself in thought once more, though she was drawn from them by something that looked like a shape in the trees. She stopped in her tracks, her gaze trying to focus on the figure, though it seemed to fade from sight. Lowering her head, Gale moved past a group of villagers, her ears lifting from their drooped position to flick back against her head. Gale saw movement, her stalking actions catching the attention of people nearby before Gale lunged forward into the trees with a growl. She missed the dark shape, trying again but when she closed her jaws around the figure, it vanished into a puff of smoke around her muzzle. She snorted, shaking her head and lifting it to look around, straining to see into the trees. 

Upon not seeing anything, she cautiously turned and started back for the camp. Wysteria and Broin met up with her at the clearing. "What was it?" Wysteria asked, looking past Gale for the trees. 

"I'm not sure... I thought someone was standing out there but when I finally caught up to them and tried to grab them, they vanished," She was confused and a little concerned. What if it was something to do with the Crone? This thought made Gale's fur bristle. "We need to stay alert. If that was something sent here by the Crone, she knows where we are now," Gale's words made Wysteria's face turn pale, Broin nodding in agreement. Broin moved to address the villagers. 

"We need to keep our eyes open and our ears alert. Gale believes she might have seen something sent here by the Crone. If that is the case, we are in more danger than we were before. The Wizard might have had his minions and power to control Gale, but we are not aware of what it is that she can do," Broin spoke, his eyes scanning the people around him. They were his friends, some of them from childhood. Gale watched Broin as he spoke, Dillan looking past him to Gale herself. She met his gaze and gave a soft snort before she looked to Wysteria. The young woman stood beside her, her hands tightly gripping the staff. This revelation brought her need to learn how to use the staff up to an even more important state. Gale gave her a gentle nudge with her nose, though it didn't seem to do much to break Wysteria from her worries. The young woman looked up to her, her face drawn taught in the expression of fear on her face. She turned from Gale, going to stand a little ways away from her friends where she would start working with the staff.

Dillan approached Gale after Broin was finished speaking, clearing his throat as he stood beside Gale. She turned to him, watching him a moment before she looked back toward Wysteria. "She's smart, Gale. She'll be alright," Dillan spoke. He was right. Wysteria was very smart. She didn't doubt that she could learn the staff's skills in time. Looking to Dillan, Gale spoke.

"Shouldn't you be training as well?" She asked though Dillan shook his head, looking at his arm. 

"My arm is still a mess. Broin said my best bet was to sit back and let it heal. One of those little bastards that the Wizard had with him bit me," Dillan fussed about his arm, looking to the wrapped appendage before he turned his gaze back up to Gale. "As soon as it's better, I will start training again for sure," Gale gave a nod at his words. "What about you, don't you need to train?" Dillan's question reached her through her thoughts.

"Not really. I've already got an understanding for what I can do. Breathing fire and flying doesn't really require much when you are told what to do by instinct," Gale responded. Dillan laughed lightly as he sat down beside her. 

"Yeah, I guess that's true enough. It would be nice if humans could work that way," He mused. Gale couldn't agree more. She knew that if she were in her human state, there would be nothing she could do to help them. Looking up to the sky, Gale found herself hoping that she was wrong about the shadow, and it was just a trick of her mind.