Under The Full Moon

Wandering Thoughts

Gale soon rejoined the group, Broin taking up his horse beside her. Harland lead Valor along beside his own, occasionally looking over to his daughter as she quietly walked along in her dragon form. Wysteria rode on her other side, trying to make conversation with the dragon though it went unanswered. Under normal circumstances, she would try to get Gale to talk in any way that she could, however right now she didn't want to push her. With a sigh, she fell silent, looking away from Gale to the mane of the horse she rode on.

Gale walked with her head down, watching the ground in front of her. Her ears were drooped, signaling she was not in the best of moods if her silence wasn't proof enough. Broin looked up at her, watching her quietly for a moment before he shifted his horse to walk a little closer to her. Reaching out, he gingerly placed a hand on her wing. Gale turned her head a little, just enough to catch Broin in her gaze. She watched him, the soft smile that formed on his lips doing little to ease her. She sighed, looking away from him. Broin, taking the hint, moved his hands away from her feathers. He watched as Gale sidestepped a little, raising her wings. When she took to the sky, Broin frowned. He watched until she was in the air enough for him to have to bend his neck back too far for comfort, lowering his head again. Harland reached and patted his shoulder as he brought his horse up beside him.

"She'll be alright. Let her be for now. Gale was always one to brood when she runs into a problem, just like her mother," Harland explained. Broin looked up a little, though he wasn't able to see Gale from this angle. She was more above and behind them.

"Alright... I just hope that she's okay," Broin responded, looking back toward the valley ahead of them. Above them, Gale soared over the group, her wings beating every so often to keep her alight. She looked down, watching her friends for a moment or two before she lifted her gaze again, watching the valley. Flicking back an ear, she flew ahead, her wingbeats growing heavier for a moment to build her momentum. Broin looked up, watching her as she took the lead of the group, and then further out. She was like a soft cloud against the sky from a distance, something he was sure would put the minds of the others at ease. However, he couldn't speak for everyone. He was well aware that things might not go in the direction that they would like it to.

Gale was already well ahead of them, the dragon's focus on something other than her thoughts. She needed to center herself, put herself in a better frame of mind. If she had a purpose like Wysteria was under the impression that she had, she would need to have herself balanced. As she looked over her shoulder, Gale could see just how far ahead of her friends she had gotten. Deciding to wait for them, she landed on an overcrop of the cliffs that hung over the small stream that passed through near the base of the mountains. Tucking her wings to her sides, she looked back toward the company. As she watched, they grew closer, the little dots that had been her friends taking shape. Lifting her head toward the sky, she watched as a few clouds passed overhead, seating herself on the overhang that she had perched on. Her thoughts wandered a little, her ears going back slightly. She wondered if she could change her shape by focusing on what it was that she wanted. However, as she sat where she was, she also wondered if that was such a good idea when she was alone. Huffing a sigh, she decided she would wait for Wysteria and Broin. 

As the company drew nearer, she let out a trumpeting roar to let them know where she was before she lifted into the air again. She took up her position overhead of them, searching for Broin and Wysteria before she landed a little ways away. Once on the ground, she trotted over to them, taking up the space beside them once again. "Feeling better?" Wysteria questioned, though Gale didn't respond right away. She seemed to be focused intently on something so Wysteria waited patiently for the dragon to catch her breath before she spoke again. "Gale?" 

"Yes. I have a question for you," The dragon finally responded, her head turning so her purple-blue eyes rested on the sorceress. Wysteria tilted her head a little, the color of the dragon's eyes seeming a bit more intense than usual. 

"Alright, what is it?" 

"Would it be possible for me to change my form with just the thought? Meaning, would I be able to focus on wanting to be human again and that be enough?" Gale's questioned made Wysteria furrow her brow a little. She hadn't thought of that.

"It might be possible..." Wysteria said, shifting a little in her saddle to see the dragon better. This seemed to brighten Gale's mood, the dragon tossing her head a little and prancing some as she walked. "However, I should warn you that it might be dangerous... I'm assuming that's why you stopped your flight," At this, Gale nodded her head.

"I had thought about it, but I didn't want to risk something happening while I was so far away from you and the others. If I fell off the overhang or hit my head..." Gale stopped herself right there. The fact that she could focus her attention on being human and possibly take her human form again just by thinking about it had her in a noticeably better mood. Wysteria smiled some at the way Gale seemed to relax with this news. 

"Would you like to try? Your father was saying that they might stop ahead here at the stream so the horses can get some water and feed," Wysteria questioned, resting her hand on the horn of her saddle. Gale flicked an ear back in thought before she nodded vigorously. Wysteria chuckled. "Alright then. Once the horses are stopped we will give it a try. I don't want you to be too discouraged if it doesn't work though, there is much you have to learn yet," Gale seemed a little apprehensive of this, though she didn't say anything to signify that it had changed her mind. Instead, Gale took to the sky, flying ahead of the group again. She landed near the stream, watching for her friends and company. When they came into view again, she snorted and jumped to her feet from her seated position, unable to contain her excitement. 

Wysteria could see from where she was the way Gale seemed to dance in anticipation, smiling a little. Beside her, Broin chuckled. Wysteria turned to him, his eyes remaining on the dragon. "I'm glad that she can still find happiness in all of this. I understand her concerns, and I can't really blame her for them. If I was the one in her position, I'd be worried as well. Not being able to be who you are because of something that someone else had done..." Broin shook his head. He didn't want to do anything that might dampen the mood once again. Instead, he watched as Wysteria gave him a soft smile before she turned her horse to start off toward Gale. Giving his own a gentle bump to the ribs, he did the same, closing the space between the two of them as his horse trotted along.