Under The Full Moon

Moving Camp

Dillan sat with Gale for a time, the two going between silence and strategy before they eventually fell completely silent. Dillan leaned back against Gale, resting his back against her fur-covered shoulder. Gale was content as she was, though she seemed to be staring hard at the treeline. Taking notice of this, Broin, who had been training with the villagers, turned to look back toward the trees. "Gale?" He called, snapping the dragon from her trance. "Everything alright?" He asked. Dillan lifted his gaze to look at Gale as well. She nodded briefly before she looked toward the trees once more. 

"I was just watching..." She mumbled, shifting a little to lay down. Broin furrowed his brow ever so slightly, flicking his gaze to the forest for a moment or two before he continued his training. Gale's fixation on the trees had unsettled him, but if she said she hadn't seen anything he was willing to listen. Dillan ran his fingers through Gale's fur, serving to calm the dragon some. Soon, Wysteria sat down with the two, visibly exhausted. Gale lifted a paw and drew her close, huffing a sigh. 

"Hello to you too," Wysteria said softly as she set the staff aside. She rested her head against Gale's shoulder, closing her eyes. Noting she seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep, Dillan got up and moved to get her something to eat. Returning, he sat down beside Wysteria and offered her the bowl. "Thank you," She said, smiling at Dillan before she began to eat. Gale watched the two for a few seconds before she settled her head on her paws, having drawn the one she had wrapped around Wysteria back when she began to eat. Closing her eyes, Gale laid quietly listening to the sounds around her of people training and her friends talking. After a few minutes, Gale's eyes opened again and she lifted her head to look toward the trees. Her thoughts had wandered a little and she couldn't help but think about the shadow again, this thought forcing her to look toward the forest. One ear going back, she looked to Wysteria, who was sitting and talking with Dillan. Giving her a warning nudge, the dragon moved to stand. 

"Is everything alright?" Wysteria questioned. She was met with a nod, watching as Gale stretched her wings. Something about Gale's sudden movements concerned her. Normally, if she or anyone else were sitting with Gale, she would remain as still as possible. However, the more Wysteria thought about it, the more she calmed. The fighting didn't help anyone settle, and Gale being the biggest target of them all, Wysteria could understand her wanting to move around as much as she was.

"I just need to move..." Gale said softly, folding her wings back to her sides. With that, she began to walk toward the forest. Under the guise of wanting to go for a walk to stretch herself a little, she began to look for the shadows. She had to see if there were any others like the one she had seen, and maybe figure out what, or who, they were connected to. As she walked, Gale kept her eyes and ears both tuned in carefully to the forest around her. The rustling of the leaves and the sounds of her feet on the ground were currently the only sounds she heard, the occasional bunny or squirrel darting past her being the only movement. Continuing her search, Gale saw and heard nothing out of the ordinary. On edge, she slowly started back toward the camp. Something didn't settle right with her. As she turned, Gale came to a stop, her ears back and her eyes wide in surprise. In the trail in front of her, Gale came face to face with the shadow she had been looking for. Lowering her head, she bared her teeth, though the shadow didn't move. "What are you and what do you want?" She hissed.

The shadow didn't respond, though it lifted its hand and pointed toward the camp. Gale turned her head to follow the figure's direction. She snorted. The motion was little to tell her what it was that the shadow wanted or what it was. When Gale turned back to the figure, it was gone. Her ears tightening against her head, she hurried forward. She walked quickly, soon taking to the sky to get back to the camp as quickly as she could. Ignoring the sound of the wind in her ears and under her wings, she made for camp. She had to let the others know what she had seen. When she landed, she took a few steps forward toward Broin.

It didn't take much for him to know something was wrong. He went to her, his brow once again pinched in concern. "Gale?" 

"The shadows... there was another one in the forest. I tried to ask what it wanted and what it was but all it did was point toward our camp..." Gale informed, the worried expression spreading from Broin to several of the others as well. 

"Did you see where it went?" Broin questioned, though Gale shook her head. 

"No. When I looked away and back, it was gone," Gale's words made Broin worry a little more, though he did his best to hide this. Wysteria stood beside Gale, just as concerned as the others. 

"What do you think it is?" Broin asked her, though Wysteria shook her head. 

"I'm not sure... the only person I've ever seen use shadows was my mother and she's..." She started but stopped, looking toward the forest where her mother was buried. With a sigh, she shook her head. Broin nodded, setting a hand on Wysteria's shoulder before his own gaze shifted to the forest. He had no doubt that they would figure out what it was in time, but he just wished they had some idea of where the shadows were coming from. What they would need to do to stop them if they chose to attack. 

"I think it might be better if we move our camp..." Broin spoke up after a few moments of silence. Wysteria and Gale both nodded in agreement. Whatever was going on, it was best to distance themselves from it if it was at all possible. Gathering up the villagers, Broin started them out with the intent to move to the other side of the lake, and if they had to, further. With the wizard dead, Gale wasn't as much confined to where she was. This meant they could move a little more freely, and maybe keep the Crone off their trail until they were better ready.

Gale pinned her ears. They shouldn't have to move like this. They shouldn't have to worry about what the next day would bring. These thoughts brought forward a pang of guilt in the dragon that was enough to unsettle her further. If she had just listened to her father, if she had just stayed with Valor and ignored the light that she had seen in the woods. She sighed, looking to the ground at her feet as she walked. Noticing this, Wysteria reached out and set a hand on Gale's side, though the dragon didn't respond to her touch as she normally would. Some would say it was self-pity that gripped her, but what it really was was a sense of self-loathing. 

Because of her childish actions, she put others at risk. Gale's ears moved from their pinned expression to drooped at either side of her head as she scolded herself in silence. She would be less prone to acting like a child after this, wanting to lessen the risk of hurting someone with her lack of awareness. Looking up to the sky after a few minutes, she heard Wysteria beside her. "You know... if there is something you need to talk about, you can always come to one of us. We are here for you," 

Gale shifted her purple-blue gaze to her friend. "You shouldn't have to be. I should have known better," She whispered, Wysteria shaking her head, her hand meeting her fur again. 

"There is nothing wrong with being curious. What happened to you shouldn't have happened, this is true, but it was not your fault. The actions of my father were his own, not yours," Wysteria's words were soft, like a mother talking to a frightened child. Gale didn't argue, her gaze moving back to the stars briefly before facing forward again. She felt otherwise, but she knew that she couldn't argue it further with the young woman. Instead, she tried to force the thoughts away, trying to settle her mind on lighter thoughts. Try as she might, however, she found this to be difficult. With a sigh, she forced her mind to focus on the sounds of feet around her.