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Post by Moki Kagawa on Feb 1, 2009 1:09:14 GMT -5
Moki cast a glance at Maeve as she made her way out of the castle. It wasn't a bad day for a little fun outside. But they weren't just playing around - this was real danger. They were going to the Forbidden Forest. She had to laugh at that - the stories about the place scared the crap out of her, no doubt, but in all the time she'd been there she'd never seen anything more terrifying than a centaur. Her eyes sparkled as she smiled back at the brave little first-year who trailed behind her. Damn, she really liked this girl. She might have been young, but Moki could tell she was going to be a lot of fun.
As they traversed across the castle grounds, Moki didn't speak. She wasn't sure what they'd do in the forest, but she had a feeling it was going to be some sort of adventure. Whether that would be a good one or a bad one... well, that was up for speculation. She looked around her. There were quite a few students out here today. Would any of them notice the two small girls disappearing into the forest? Better yet, would anybody take an interest and join them?
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Post by Maeve Campbell on Feb 1, 2009 14:07:22 GMT -5
Maeve trailed along after Moki having to skip a little to keep up. Even though Moki wasn't large for her age, Maeve was small for hers. Tucking her bright hair into the hood of her jacket she was looking around for likely people to go with them into the forest. She half wished George was around. He was usually good for a bit of fun. Maeve grinned a bit remembering the day she and George had tossed rotten doxy eggs out onto unsuspecting students.
The day wasn't very light to begin with but she noticed with a small shiver that ran down her back, that the day got gloomier and gloomier as they approached the forest. Looking over at Moki she wondered what the older girl was thinking. Neither of them spoke much and Maeve was beginning to wonder if Moki was wishing she hadn't agreed to come along.
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Post by Moki Kagawa on Feb 2, 2009 22:16:52 GMT -5
After a few minutes, Moki and Maeve reached the edge of the forest, which was now looming very formidably before them in the worsened weather. Moki stole a glance at the first-year. She seemed to be thinking about something. She looked a little on-edge. Maybe Maeve was nervous or something. "You ready for this?" she asked, trying to instill some sort of comforting tone into her voice. Moki doubted her intentions were conveyed, however, and realized that if she wanted to be assuring, she would have to do it the old-fashioned way and just come right out with it. She had never been very good at making people feel better when they were upset. Unless you counted telling awful jokes until the person in question became so baffled they began to laugh and realized that no matter what their problem was, they still hadn't sunk to a level where those jokes were funny.
"It's okay," she said honestly. "I think you're gonna like it. I don't know if it'll be a good time or a scary time or one of those times where you just have awful luck and run into a professor and get assigned detentions in the very place they found you-" she bit her lip. "But I'm sure that won't happen. You said you were lucky, after all." Wow. If Maeve had been nervous before, Moki couldn't imagine how she was feeling now. She mentally slapped herself. "What I mean is, you don't have anything to be afraid of. Despite my epic fail in convincing you of that."
She studied the redheaded girl. Moki wanted to leave it up to her as to whether they would continue. She didn't want Maeve to feel forced into going any further if she didn't want to. Moki had to admit she would be kind of disappointed if Maeve wanted to turn back, but she wasn't going to make her new friend do anything she didn't want to. Of course, the more she thought about it, the more she doubted that Maeve was nervous. Hadn't she pretty much jumped at the chance to come here? Well, it was one thing to say you wanted to do something and another to do it. Moki had always wanted to pet a whale, but after one head-butted one of her cousins, she had never gone through with that ambition.
Maybe the correct technique was to appear confident herself. She smiled widely and clapped her hands together. "I'm ready!" she said with enthusiasm. Okay, now she sounded like a camp counselor. Jeez, maybe it was time to actually listen to what Maeve had to say to all her babbling instead of unsuccessfully trying to psychoanalyze. She made a mental note never to become a therapist. She'd probably end up convincing perfectly sane people to commit themselves with her nonsense.
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Post by George Knox on Feb 3, 2009 8:31:04 GMT -5
A relatively nice day and George was bored. The four walls of his dorm were starting to get annoying after having been staring at them for a while. George would have took a nap but he was all sleeped out due to boredom he had slept all day. George could sleep for hours but sometimes he reached that point where it was impossible to get back to sleep. Still dressed in pyjamas George dressed himself in a t-shirt and jeans and left the room, he fancied a walk. George wasn’t really sure where he was going to go but once he got out into the grounds he’d find somewhere to go he always did. George used to have a terrible sense of direction but it was slowly starting to get better. He now knew many of the great in the grounds so he’d probably go to one of them. Walking along the path George looked around at the many sights in the grounds. The lake? No he’d just been there the other day. The Lawns? He had no idea what to do for entertainment. The Whomping Willow? Nah he didn’t fancy dodging death today. The Forbidden Forest? Perfect.
In his five terms at Hogwarts George had been into the forest a couple of times. He didn’t understand what people feared it so much. He probably thought this because each time he went in nothing had happened to him. George had been lucky enough to only see the good creatures and even more luckier not to see the daunting creatures that inhabited it. Some people walked in once and unfortunately never came out. George however tried not to think about such a thing because knowing his luck if he thought that way he’d end up getting attacked. Changing his direction George walked towards the forest where he caught sight of two people. As he got closer he realised that it was Moki and Maeve two girls he had met recently. Walking over to them both he stood quietly for a second before finally speaking ”Hey you two” He grinned hoping he hadn’t scared them considering that his approach had been moderately quiet. |
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Post by Maeve Campbell on Feb 3, 2009 8:53:17 GMT -5
Maeve had been contemplating what Moki said. Considering she'd been afraid the older girl would chicken out Maeve felt a considerable amount of relief. Tugging her hood down further over her face she nodded.
"Oh, I am SO up for this!" Shooting her a soft smile she told Moki, "I thought maybe you were having second thoughts, and honestly I wouldn't go into the Forest only being a first year." Scuffing her foot on the gorund Maeve was trying to figure out a way to convince Moki that she wasn't scared but excited.
Before she could do so though someone's voice right behind them made her jump. Maeve was startled and the only reason she jumped was because she was afraid that it was a teacher. Riiight.
"Oh hey, George. Creep aound much, do you?" The little redhead shot him a grin to show she was joking. Amazing she'd actually been thinking about him a short tme ago and now here he was. Maeve wondered if he took Divination or had Seer blood.
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Post by Moki Kagawa on Feb 3, 2009 9:49:45 GMT -5
Oh, okay. So Maeve wasn't nervous at all. Moki knew there was a reason she'd had a gut feeling against taking Divination. She had no foresight - or, apparently, people-reading skills - at all. "Oh! Okay, well, that's good, then."
She stiffened at the new voice that came from behind them. Please don't be a teacher, she thought. Please don't be a teacher, please don't be a teacher pleasedon'tbeatea- She turned her head slowly, hoping her prayers had been answered and was relieved to find George standing behind them. Moki breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him. "Gosh, you scared the crap outta me, I thought you were a teacher," she said. "We're looking for a little fun... the forest seemed like a good place for some. You wanna go?"
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Post by George Knox on Feb 3, 2009 14:03:11 GMT -5
Now that he had met up with Moki and Maeve George was glad that he had decided on the forest rather than some other place in the grounds. Each was interesting but it was so much better hanging around with friends than being by yourself. ”Sorry Maeve perhaps I should have made my approach a little noisier so you knew I was coming” George didn’t realise that they were looking out for teachers otherwise he would have actually shouted to them before walking over.
”And sorry to you as well Moki” He was just about to ask why they were looking for teachers and then he realised when Moki mentioned the forest. George had totally forgotten that it was forbidden even if the name did suggest it. ”Sure il come” George agreed before knowing what they meant by fun ”So, what kind of fun are you looking for?” He asked intrigued by what they had planned. |
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Post by Maeve Campbell on Feb 3, 2009 15:55:50 GMT -5
Grinning up at the taller boy Maeve had to laugh. "Come on now, George. You know me. I'm looking for the trouble kind of fun." Maeve skipped a bit ahead of the two teenagers so she could explore a bit.
Stopping when it seemed extremely dark, Maeve looked up. She had come all the way into the Forest now which is why it seemed as if it were dark. Looking back at George and Moki she could see they still had sunlight glinting aorund them in shafts. "Wow..."Maeve murmured,, "The Forest gets dark quick." Maeve withdrew her wand and waitd for the other two to catch up. "Lumos." That way if it got darker she was covered.
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Post by Moki Kagawa on Feb 3, 2009 18:26:23 GMT -5
Moki laughed. "Couldn't have said it better myself," she nodded in agreement at Maeve's answer. As the little redhead skipped ahead of herself and George, she too entered the forest. She knew - as Maeve was going to learn in about five seconds - that the place was going to be dark very soon regardless of the actual day's weather, and accordingly lit her wand. The treetops quickly thickened, and she saw the first-year up ahead surrounded by a thin ray of light - alright, so she knew enough to do that, Moki wasn't really going to worry about her. They were big kids, after all, if they were old enough to be away from home for a year then none of them needed babysitters. She grinned at George. "Enthusiastic, isn't she?" She said the words quietly - you could never be sure when you'd see creatures in the forest, and she would never pass up an opportunity to see a unicorn. Yeah, they weren't usually around in the day but it looked dark in here all the time so who really knew? Anything was possible.
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Post by George Knox on Feb 3, 2009 18:57:46 GMT -5
George smirked and then chuckled ”Yeah I should have know” Maeve had so much excitement and adventure inside of her that it helped to make up for all the grumps around school. George had never really personally met anyone he considered a grump but there were quite a few people that he had seen around. They were the kind that had a face like thunder that rarely broke out in even a small smile. George on the other hand smiled way too much it was quite a miracle that his face hadn’t stuck that way. George it seemed was allowing his opinionated and slight judgmental side take over him again. He wasn’t with those twenty four seven so what did he know.
Watching Maeve skip off George turned his attentions to Moki who was now speaking to him ”Just a bit” He grinned as they walked deeper into the forest. Maeve had the initiative to use the Lumos spell where a lazy George didn’t even flinch when he hit the darkness. It probably would have made more sense for him to pull out his wand to provide some extra light but right now he could see perfectly fine with the light that Maeve’s wand was emitting. If they needed more light then he would quite happily take out his wand but for the moment it remained untouched. ”Its all these tree’s blocking out the sun” He told Maeve even if it was quite an obvious answer. |
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Post by Maeve Campbell on Feb 4, 2009 9:22:34 GMT -5
Now that they had caught up with her Maeve was excited again. It wasn't that she was scared, just a wee bit nervous. The Forest was full of creatures both Dark and Light alike. It wasn't a place Maeve would have come on her own. She may have been brave to the point of being foolhardy but she wasn't bloody stupid.
Her hoodie was making it hard to see now. Besides she didn't need to hide her bright hair any longer. Reaching up, Maeve pulled the hood back and ran her fingers through her hair. It was rather messy but she didn't care. It was bound to be worse later.
Maeve hopped aorund a bit trying to see everything even if it was only trees.. Maeve looked over across from they stood. She could see a clearing and something was moving in it. Whispering excitedly, she pointed it out to the others, "Look! Let's get closer and see what it is."
Without waiting for an answer, Maeve moved carefully and quietly toward the clearing. Standing behind a rather large tree, she started to peek around it. Before she did though she looked behind her and motioned to the other two. Turning back to the clearing, she peeked around the tree. Dang. Not a unicorn but a centaur. The man was well tanned with long brown hair and his horse part was a perfect chestnut. He had a bow slung across his back and was pacing back and forth.
Cool! Maeve didn't know if centaurs were friendly or not so she waited for the other two before making a move.
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Post by Moki Kagawa on Feb 4, 2009 14:31:00 GMT -5
Moki was in awe. It was a centaur! She'd only seen one before, which was Firenze. He had been banished from the forest centaurs years ago because of his affiliation with humans, but she really liked him. If he had ever gone back, she hadn't heard about it. She didn't know about this centaur, though. It obviously wasn't Firenze... he might be friendly but then again, he might not. She was leaning towards not given what she had heard about their relationship with humans in the past, but wasn't this supposed to be a new time? Maybe things had changed. She doubted he would harm two young girls and a 15-year old guy. What threat were they? Maeve was obviously waiting for her or George to make a decision. She looked at George, mouthing, "What do you think?" and pointing through the brush. Hell if she was going to get them all killed. Moki wanted to meet him, but centaur-human relationships were not exactly an area of expertise she was familiar with. Perhaps George knew a little more than her.
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Post by George Knox on Feb 6, 2009 7:16:57 GMT -5
Hearing Maeve beckon them over George followed Maeve to some kind of creature that she had found. George hoped that it was something that wouldn’t hurt them though he was sure that if it was going to it would have done so already. With the sun being shielded the forest was starting to get a little cold. Rubbing his arms with his hands George took a place next to Moki and Maeve and looked on at the creature. George had never seen a centaur up close but he had heard about them before. George had heard that some were friendly and others not so friendly. George had no idea who this centaur was though so he wasn’t sure how it would react to the three of them stepping into the forest. There had even been stories of them raping women. George didn’t really believe this but he didn’t really want to take the chance with Moki and Maeve by his side. Moki it seemed also had a small bit of doubt as she question George about the situation. From behind the bush he spoke quietly ”Perhaps we should stay out of sight just in case the centaur isn’t friendly” George had no plans on putting the pair of them at risk. He would never forgive himself if something had happened to them. Better to be safe than sorry but they could quite easily and happily watch from afar. |
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Post by Maeve Campbell on Feb 9, 2009 9:13:23 GMT -5
Maeve nodded as George spoke, "Yeah, those arrows don't look too friendly." She turned away trying to be quiet. Suddenly the centaur's head snapped up. Maeve must not have been as quiet as she thought.
He pounced on them quite gracefully. Rearing up a bit mencingly he stared at them in affrontery. "What. Are. You. Doing?" The slow deep measures of his voice were threatening but his eyes were benevolent.
Maeve jumped about a foot in the air and scrambled to get behind George. Scared, no, not her. Just not stupid. Peeking out form behind George she spoke softly her voice a bit hesitant. "We're just umm exploring." For a split second she'd been tempted to lie but somehow she knew it wasn't a great idea.
The tall centaur lowered his forelegs until he was standing. He was still much taller than a normal man and looked down on them. "Centaurs as a rule do not harm foals. Even trespassing foals." The man bared his teeth in what Maeve desperately hoped was a smile.
His lips closed and thinned and he looked at George and Moki. "These two however are not quite adults but not quite foals either." Leaning in close to George he smelled a bit like strong musk. "What, young wizard, do you suggest I do?"
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Post by Moki Kagawa on Feb 9, 2009 18:51:00 GMT -5
Moki meeped audibly and dearly wished she could follow Maeve's lead in hiding. Only since the redheaded girl had taken up residence behind poor George, there was pretty much nowhere to hide... except maybe behind a tree or something, which probably wouldn't do any good at all. So she decided to be a brave sport and set an example for the first-year... I mean, somebody had to be the adult here. "Centaurs as a rule do not harm foals. Even trespassing foals." Okay. Maybe not. Who needed adults anyway? She turned her toes in and clasped her hands in a childlike manner in an effort to make herself appear as young as physically possible. She tried to relax her body. Everything was going to be okay. None of them were of age yet and the two girls barely stood over five feet... if Maeve even hit the mark at all. And Asians in general looked younger, she knew, so maybe she could pass herself off as twelve and get away with it. However, as the centaur's gaze turned on her, she knew she couldn't fool him no matter how convincing a liar she was. Her fears were confirmed as he referred to herself and George as"not quite adults but not quite foals either." Her breathing quickened as she stared back at him with big eyes.
"What, young wizard, do you suggest I do?" inquired the centaur. Moki had no idea if he was speaking to her or George or Maeve, but decided that regardless it was always best to take every opportunity to keep oneself alive. With her voice noticeably higher-pitched than usual, she suggested, "Let us off with a warning?"
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