Under The Full Moon

New Found Power

Broin moved his ear from Gale's side, hurrying around to the other side of her, almost running into Wysteria as she had gone to do the same. "Come on..." He growled through his teeth, grabbing one of Gale's front legs and lifting it so it was out of Wysteria's way. The young woman buried her head into the fluff under Gale's front leg, listening intensely for the sound of a heartbeat. 

"I can't hear it," She said, turning to Broin as he set her leg down again. The two looked at Gale, the dragon lying unmoving in the dirt. Some of the villagers had begun to come out of their hiding places, the young man that had been talking to Gale before the battle the previous evening, his face streaked in dirt and mud, came closer. Looking to him, Broin shook his head. 

"Stay back..." he said, stepping around Gale's head toward the young man. He looked between him and Gale, his expression distraught. 

"Is she... is she going to be alright?" 

"I don't know... just... stay back," Broin responded, looking back to Gale as Wysteria worked to try to rouse the dragon, shaking her shoulder and head. 

"Please... please wake up Gale..." Wysteria whispered, tears welling in her eyes. "You can't give up now... not now..." She sniffled, wrapping her arms around the dragon's muzzle. Pushing against the dirt with her feet, she cried out as she tried to pull Gale's head up off the ground. As her cry turned to a sob, Broin moved to her side, reaching to rest a hand on her shoulder. 

"Wysteria..." He tried to soothe her, but his hand was shrugged away. 

"No!" Wysteria snapped, looking up from Gale's face to Broin, her arms still wrapped tightly around her head. "She can't! It's not supposed to end like this!" She wailed, turning back to Gale's form. "Sh-she can't..." she whispered this time, slowly moving her arms from around Gale's skull, sinking back to her knees beside her, burying her face in the soft mane that grew down the back of her neck. "You can't... Please..." 

Broin stood where he was, helpless. Lifting a hand, he ran his fingers back through his dark hair, looking over to the villagers that stood nearby, their faces tired. There was something else there, a sorrow he hadn't quite expected to see. For a moment, he watched them, before something came to mind. "Wait a minute..." he said, moving from Wysteria's side. He went to Alerone's side, the now-deceased Wizard lying in a pull of blood, his staff lying in the dirt just a little ways from him. Picking it up, he went to Wysteria. "See if something with this works. I might have an idea," He set the staff down, vanishing into the trees. Wysteria didn't move for a few minutes before she looked to the staff, reaching for it. She stopped herself, her hand lingering near the hardwood and metal of the handle. She was almost afraid to touch it, seeing what her father could do with it. Swallowing a knot in her throat, Wysteria finally mustered up the strength to grab the staff in hand. It was heavy, but not in a physical sense. 

The staff seemed to have a heavy air about it, almost seeming to thicken the air as she tried to breathe. Shuddering, Wysteria turned toward Gale, watching her as her hands trembled a little. She focused her attention, lowering the staff so the end rested against the side of Gale's collar, but before she could do anything, the young man that Broin had tried to keep away called out. "Wait!" He shouted, hurrying over to Wysteria's side. "Do you even know how to use that? What if you kill her? What if she's just unconscious?" He spoke, his words hurried and panicked. Wysteria looked at the young man. 

"Do you have a better idea? Why don't you do as you were told and stay back?" She snapped, her voice strained. The weight of the staff was bearing down on her and she just wanted to get it done and over with so she could put it down. The young man, eyes wide, watched her for a moment before he moved away from her. Looking back to Gale, the young woman closed her eyes and tried again to focus. However, the young man's words rang in her ears. What if he was right? What if she did end up killing her? She didn't know how to use the staff, she had always used her hands to perform her magic. Inhaling, she held her breath, exhaling softly through her nose before she touched the collar with the end of the staff again. 

As she began to send a gentle pulse of energy through the collar from the staff, Broin returned from where he had gone into the forest, holding something in his hands. "What is that?" One of the villagers asked. Broin looked down to the small pouch. 

"Something that might help," Broin said softly, starting toward the two. He stopped, watching Wysteria as she tried to use the staff to help, though it didn't seem to work as they had hoped. Broin approached as Wysteria lifted the staff. 

"I... I don't think it's working..." She stammered, the use of the staff having taken a toll on her, leaving her feeling tired. She looked to Broin, then the pouch in his hands. She furrowed her brow as he moved over to set it in front of Gale's nose, opening the pouch and revealing the pearl that Gale had hidden away. 

"I think I know why she was protecting this like she was..." he said, looking up from the pearl to Wysteria, her eyes wide. 

"My mother had one but my father took it away from her. I couldn't ever figure out why, and she would never say..." She whispered, her eyes on the pearl. She moved to stand in front of the dragon where she still lay in the dirt. Broin's eyes had returned to the pearl, which he had removed from the pouch and had set in front of Gale's nose. He watched it for a moment. 

"Did your mother say anything about how it worked? Or your father for that matter?" He asked. Wysteria shook her head. 

"No... but it might have something to do with this. My father was able to control her with it, but I don't know how that worked..." She looked to the staff in her hands. After thinking for a minute or two, she moved to kneel in front of Gale beside Broin. Focusing as she had when she had tried to use the staff on the collar, she tried again with the pearl. 

There was a sudden burst of light, the blinding pink making both Broin and the group of villagers shield their eyes and turn away. Wysteria, however, was locked in place, her eyes wide once more as magic as she had never felt before coursed through her and the staff, the pink light swirling around them and seeming to bounce off of whatever it touched. The only thing it didn't seem to bounce free of was Gale, the light absorbing into the white of the dragon's fur.