the draciary's tamer is above her, shifting her weight in the saddle of her partner salamence. his shadow stretches across the grassy knolls and rocky crags, over the shapes of the other residents. this time is usually reserved for aerial practice, but she does not have her sygna suit donned and lyune's wings are outstretched lazily, drifting on thermal currents. 

she has made too many promises to too many people. she has to look after herself and she has wounds that are still healing.

two impressive displays of flamethrower come from the entrance, signaling to freya that she has a visitor. lyune angles them down and when his bulk hits the earth, she slips off carefully, heels hitting the ground with a grunt. 

the last time they'd talked, freya had all but admitted to treason. she wonders what this woman thinks of matias now, after all this time.

"annalise," she says carefully. "to what do i owe the pleasure?"

annalise henderson

☉

the months have not been kind to ex-head ranger annalise henderson. through the grapevine, she's heard a bit about her recovery, the way it's changed her, and the woman in front of her is not the woman she once knew. her gaze slides from baby blues, over her chopped bob, and down to the pokeball rotating in her hand. 

only some of freya's own roaring moons are allowed out in the draciary - those that accompanied her to galar; the others, even after all this time, are too feral to be left unattended to. and they simply don't have enough volunteers to handle them.

"yes," she says. "we can subdue it long enough to heal it." lyune watches from behind her, claws flexing in anticipation of a fight. "as for the aftermath? it won't be easy, but with my help, it can be done."

she arcs a brow. 

"if you trust me."

annalise henderson

☉

it's not exactly a yes and it's certainly not an i trust you, but it's a step forward. and she'll take a step forward from this battered woman - not broken, not shattered. only weathered. she once spilled ink over her hair in an attempt to escape from the prison of her own meat. 

her set jaw and determination, her rise from the ashes, freya understands.

"now."

she strides past annalise, expecting her to follow. lyune ensures it. his gait is a rumbling sway; almost insignificant tremors shake the earth with each of his steps. she takes them to the mouth of an empty cave, deep enough to house the moon. 

deep enough to back it into a corner and overwhelm it. 

"lyune and i will stay in the air and make sure it doesn't get past you, but you need to fell it on your own." she mounts up and lyune's velvety wings slowly unfurl. "else it won't respect you.

"don't worry about hurting it too bad. i've found they're quite resilient."

annalise henderson

☉

as soon as the roaring moon is released, freya tunes out the rest of the world. even ana, for the moment, is forgotten, as her critical gaze sweeps over the rippling mass of pure muscle in front of her. it's hurt badly - jagged gashes, shorn feathers. no wonder it can't get off the ground. 

it will fight harder because of it. 

she watches wordlessly, tracking its movements. where does it rest its weight? what side does it favor? what attacks does it rely on?

when the question comes from annalise, she shakes her head. 

"it's enough when you show it it's enough." the dragon is still looking at ana like a meal. she gets close to it now, it'll snap her arm off without a second thought. its body may be battered and bruised, but its pride is intact. 

she says, "a dragon does not bow easily." she turns to lyune and hisses. he lowers his head, claws digging into the earth. 

"make it."

annalise henderson

☉

this is not kicking a creature that is already down. this is not cruelty. this is what it means to live among dragons - to know them, to become them. annalise has been beaten down by tragedy; even the blind can see the pain behind her detached stare. 

so too can the roaring moon. 

annalise does not relent. every mark upon the dragon's hide is a symbol of her own resilience. only after she's done, when blood is trickling from the dragon's lips, does it see her, stripped of that hardened exterior, where it can behold the fire in her soul. 

it's still a beast, and so it hisses lowly at her approach, but lyune does not advance. annalise has earned some measure of respect. 

"good," she says. she drops another ball at her side and approaches with her chin held high, steps slow but confident. lyra shuffles behind her, gooey antennae twitching at the scent of blood in the air. 

"now we can get to work. lyra's life dew will ease your pain, kiabil."

she spares anna a half-smile. "they're really something, aren't they?"

annalise henderson

☉

"life is hard and not without pain," she says quietly. "i think they understand that more than most." there's no way she could possibly know that. they're not even of this realm, conjured by the dream mist and the energy insidiously strangling hoenn. 

but as she works, guiding lyra's wet, green hands over the wounds, she feels the fire underneath its hide. anger, pain, sorrow. 

"you can't change the past, only rectify your makes with what you do with the future." a pill she's managed to swallow, but still struggles to keep down. her teeth bare. lyra draws back and the water that drips down her arms loses its healing glow. 

"this back part here is infected. we'll need to shave off the scales to get to the skin underneath it. repeat this to it: enel ve."

annalise henderson

☉

lyra chuffs with laughter and freya's lips quirk, but she does not make more noise or sudden movements. the roaring moon is unlikely to become complacent with so many strangers near, despite the haranguing it's been through by annalise's hand. 

"it means," she starts softly, "trust me." 

her tongue shifts as the roaring moon does; an impatient slither shivers down its spine and freya murmurs hastily, "ifpesp, ifpesp," tongue a scraping growl like shale over limestone. the dragon's claws flex and then it growls indignantly, but settles. 

"look at it and say it and don't look away, annalise. i'm going to start cutting and you can't look away."

annalise henderson

☉