Scavenger Hunt (Waaaay open)

[Ian Gray]

Following after Mozess, Ian felt something sharp catch onto his arm. Turning around restlessly, a sudden flash causing him to lose his focus, he found himself immobilized and winced as the branches of the tree holding him scratched his wrist.

"Wha--What in Merlin's name--" He was cut off as the twisting branches wrapped around his middle, effectively holding him there. Turning back to the group, while at the same time trying to oddly angle his arms to reach for his wand, he was about to call for help when a shrill shriek echoed around the clearing. Not seconds after, Loren's figure disappeared beneath the earth's floor. "Loren?" Ian called, worming in the tree's grip.

He had to grudgingly come to the dreaded conclusion that the forest was, indeed, more alive than it should have been. As he was coming to terms with this, one of the of the trees beside him also reached out a branch, the knobby twig moving stealthily toward Mozess. About to call out and warn her, a thick piece of bark lodged itself between his teeth.

Widening his eyes and tossing around, he watched helplessly as the heavy branches of all the trees surrounding them extended, catching onto cloaks and robes. Looking back to where Loren disappeared, he found the soil moving silkily to cover up the hole, before the ground became solid once again.

[Dax Simmons]

As Dax followed the ever growing group he carefully picked his way through the forest making sure not to step on anything that looked abnormal (Which was very difficult as nothing in the forest was normal) As they continued into the darkness the sound of the people behind them became louder, suddenly Loren and Ian started to run. Making sure his hand was now tightly held holding onto his wand Dax ran after them. He was just behind Mozesss when his worst fear happened.

His heart stopped and he froze on the spot. He noticed both Ian and Mozess do the same. Loren had finished. Just sucked into the ground. Managing to raise his gaze from the area of dirt where Loren had been he saw Ian struggling with a tree, then he noticed a branch coming for Mozess. Trying to shake off the pain from seeing Loren just vanish, Dax mastered all his strength. He ran over toward the Slytherin girl and tackled her to the ground, just as the branch came shooting above them. Howerver they were not free yet. Two branches were now coming for them.

Stumbling, Dax crawled away trying to get out of the reach of the other branch. He looked back at Ian who was slowly getting wrapped up by many braches. Looking over his shoulder Dax tired to see if the other voices were getting closer. Looking back he raised his wand and pointed it at the tree.
“Anyone know a good spell that will stop a tree without making too much noise or light?”

[Morziak]

((Perfect plot for this thread, since Amy has Vandesar in it, is for Morziak to come into it.))

Watching the shadows, hidden by his dark magical powers, Morziak waited for the right oppurtune to take the souls of those he watched vividly. Morziak soon felt a presence flicker nearby, a smile spreading across his face as he melded into the shadows and used the cover to spy the man named Vandesar, and an ally of his.

He laughed to himself as he became coporeal again, standing behind the two Ministry men, arms folded behind his back, his eyes dark as he smiled, waiting for the two men to notice his presence.

(( Evil intentions implied by Morziak ))

[Mozess Mirari]

'Oof!' was the only sound Mozess was able to make as she was tackled to the forest floor. When she was able to sit up straight she glowered at the Hufflepuff boy, 'What in Merlin's name did you do that for?!' she demanded angrily. It was then that she caught sight of Ian, tangled in a trees branches, and another pair of branches coming after herself and the Quarterback. She chuckled embarassedly, 'Heh, nevermind.'

She searched her memory for any spells that might help. 'Incendio would stop it... but it might burn the whole forest and its inhabitants to the gorund... including us. Petrificus Totalus might work... Or even stupefy, maybe.' There had to be something with a higher possibility of working... and something you could say really fast, as the branches were slowly getting closer. She pulled out her wand, saying the first thing that came to mind, 'Incarcerous!' A skein of thick rope leapt from her wand and bound itself about the tree branches, preventing them from doing any wrapping themselves.

She then turned her attention to Ian and the closed patch of ground where Loren had once stood. 'Um, I came up with the last plan, whose turn is it to save us now?' she asked turning to the others in the group, expecting someone to speak up and help their captured friends escape from their binds, be it ground or tree.

[Gabriel Vandesar]

The two men reached the edge of the forest, and already Gabriel could hear quite clearly the shouts of students, seemingly in some kind of peril. He would felt a malicious glee if it were not for the odd atmosphere distracting him. It was as though the ground stirred physically, and he narrowed his eyes as he scanned the branches and undergrowth, his gaze falling upon dozens of unnatural movements. The forest was literally humming with conciousness...

Something drifted to Gabriel's ears on the wind, and he snapped his head around in various directions, searching for the cold threat that had just washed over him. Of course, it was never hard for Gabriel to track down the source of any disturbance, and looming in the shadows just out of sight stood the eerie being he thought he had forgot about. The pale skin and eyes were stark against the blackness, yet he seemed to throb in and out of Gabriel's vision relentlessly, as though a black cloud were circling him.

Uriel was still peering into the trees, his wand raised. It would have been folly to let his partner be aware of the other man now, especially when any suspicious characters were to be apprehended. Gabriel glared at the man for a long moment, warning him to stay away, at least for now. Although he was an obvious danger, Gabriel felt compelled to leave him be.

'Don't dawdle, man!' Gabriel chastised Uriel, although he too had been standing aimlessly for a few moments. Placing a hand on Uriel's shoulder, he pushed him forward, guiding him into the trees where they began swiftly descending upon the commotion up ahead.

[Dax Simmons]

Dax gripped his wand tightly watching as the tree started to consumer Ian even more. As Mozess took a step aside saying it was someone else’s turn Dax knew what he had to do. There first concern was to save Ian, then run away from the ministry and find out if there will ever be a way of getting Loren free. In the distance he could hear voices getting louder.

“Oh stuff it! Impedimenta!!!!”

As the sparks flew out of the wand and reached the tree its ever growing and ensnarling branches stopped. Lowering his wand Dax moved forward and started to rip away the branches around Ian’s neck and mouth.

“Mozess keep the other branches away. Ian are you ok?”

Dax tried to take control of the situation but the idea of the ministry closing in one them every second, and that Loren was deep in the earth bellow them haunted his mind. Trying to get himself to concentrate more he continued to pull away more braches.

[Uriel Levinston]

Uriel frowned at Gabriel's suddenly more serious expression. He always experienced some sort of cruel excitement when he were about to punish anyone under the age of seventeen, but whatever traces of enthusiasm that were previously on his face had long faded. "I was under the impression you'd seen something, Gabriel," Uriel said a bit more seriously, his wand-light casting shadows on his partner's face while illuminating his own greying hair.

When the man steered him away, he raised an eyebrow before feeling his feet sink in the muddy exterior of the forest. The student's voices were becoming more clear and bright flashes of light signaling spells being used sparked in a number of places deep within the trees. Narrowing his eyes, Uriel jabbed his wand in front of him and slipped through the darkness.

The only light he could see was the small orb surrounding him, thanks to his wand. Everything else was blanketed in darkness and Uriel felt himself grow insecure. He wasn't ever a particularly brave wizard, as the sorting hat must've known having placed him in Ravenclaw, and the only other time he had been in the forest was long ago when he attended the school.

A very ferocious bat had caused him to be hospitalized for two weeks.

The sudden shout of a spell resulted in Uriel jerking quickly around, light streaming over a well-worn path. He leaned closer with a frown, before looking at Gabriel with his arm pointing at the cluster of foot-prints.

"Look, there's plenty more than just one."

[Gabriel Vandesar]

Gabriel grinned in mirth as he looked down at the ground. There were indeed the prints of feet, long and short, and his cold grey eyes swept over the trees as he tried to suss out any loiterers who had been left behind by the group of foul little beings up ahead. He looked back to where the two of them had seen the flashes and without hesitation started straight for them. 'Exercise no restraint, Mr Levinston. The moral, weak fools of the council may see them as just children, but you and I both know they are capable of much retaliation!' He held out his wand and ruthlessly blasted a second tree through its trunk. It had not posed any inconvenience - he simply adored the burning smell of living wood.

A second set of screams issued out, this time from a girl, and Gabriel leaped over the fallen oak as he picked up speed, his robes billowing about him as he closed in. There was a savage glee filling him. For all the weeks he had been trapped in this infernal place, he had not once been able to unleash his anger - but here was his opportunity, and no one was going to take it away from him!

As Uriel came up behind, his favourite tie obviously having been caught on a rather persistent branch, his wand light flooded the clearing. A batch of students were scattered about, all in various forms of peril they were too pathetic to resist. He laughed deeply. 'Trees! Taken down by trees!' He looked at Uriel with cruel joy, his white teeth resembling fangs in the harsh shadows.

Pointing his wand in the air, a deafening shock wave blasted from the end of it. A visible white wave spread in a circle from the tip, washing over the students, trees and plants in an impossibly strong pulse. The trees seemingly screamed, retreating their sharp limbs from around the students, letting them fall to the muddy earth. His eyes passed over each child, taking in their features in rich detail. He stopped however as he came upon the ghastly ginger girl. 'Stupefy!' He shouted, a bolt of red light hitting her square in the face, sending her several feet backwards.

[Mozess Mirari]

Mozess fought off the other branches as best she could, finding it rather hard, though, as the only other people left around were useless to her at the moment. As the trees continued to stretch towards them, attempting to grab hold of anything they could find, Mozess heard a snap.

She looked over to see two men approaching, one with unnatrually white teeth, 'Creepy.' she thought to herself. The other man seemed a bit out of his element in the forest however. Quite unusual in her own opinion. Most people she knew that had ever cared to venture into the forest had grown fondly accustomed to it... then again, being from the Ministry he probably wans't in such a... natural environment very often.

The man with the glowing teeth sent a spell vibrating through the trees, which shrank back with an unusual effect... Noise. Not the natural "wind through the leaves" type noise your used to hearing from trees. Almost a... scream. She shuddered. Just as she was about to suggest they all set off random spells and run for their lives, her body went ridgid to the soudn of a man's voice yelling "stupefy".

'Damn...' she said, then fell to the ground with a thud, kicking up leaves and random forest-y debris as she fell into unconsciousness.

[At least, I'm assuming Mozess is the "ghastly ginger". Correct me if I'm wrong =) ]

[Ian Gray]

Ian fell forward, knocking both himself and Dax to the floor as the tree shuddered violently once. Almost hissing, it retracted its branches, as though badly singed, and Ian rolled to his side, panting. Pulling himself up, a trickle of blood running down his brow while scratches littered his face, he sent a wary smile Dax's way.

"Thanks, mate--"

Two silhouettes chose that moment to reveal themselves, their figures a distant shadow that was quickly approaching. About to react, he widened his eyes when he found his wand wasn't in its usual pocket.

Dropping to the floor immediately, Ian let out a string of curses, his fingernails digging into the mud. Swiping his hand over a particularly prickly branch, he winced and looked up at Mozess, in explanation. "Can't find my wand!"

The figures loomed nearer, until finally their smirking faces-- on a bit more hesitant than the other- were illuminated by small orbs of wandlight. Before he could even utter a syllable, a flash of red sped passed him, hitting Mozess with incredible precision.

A small sound of surprise escaped his lips, before he irrationally crawled over to her, wincing in surprise as his knee rolled over his wand. Picking it up and aiming it at the Slytherin, he sent one glance behind him.

"Enervate!"

[Mozess Mirari]

Her eyes flickered open and she looked around the forest. 'Something's wrong...' she thought to herself staring up at the forest canopy. She tried to sit up, but couldn't. Her eyes flickered over to Ian, 'Stupid boy!' she screamed mentally. 'You stupid, stupid boy, you pronounced a spell wrong didn't you?!' she grimaced. At least she was consious again, that was good. It was also good, probably, that she couldn't move. That way the Ministry men didn't know she was awake. What their problem was with her, she didn't know, but she was itching to find out.

'Oh, itching... shouldn't have thought of that.' An itch began to plague her eyebrow. Her finger twitched to reach up and scratch it, but her arm wouldn't move. Wait... a twitch? Her fingers could move! She smiled slightly. She looked over at Ian, then gestured with her eyes that he should look down.

In the muddy forest floor Mozess was scratching out a diagram. She drew two pairs of horns, to indicate the Minsitry Officials, then drew a circle where each of the students was standing and an 'X' where Loren ahd disappeared and where Mozess was laying almost motionless. She drew squiggly lines beside each of the circles to indicate bright spells, then dotted lines that led the Ministry officials forward, towards the students, and that led all her companions around them in a circle and out of the forest.

Had she been able to talk she would've said something along the lines of it being doubtful that the two Minsitry officials would split up so easily, especially with that clumsy one getting in the way, and that would give the other kids time to escape. She also figured that at least one of them would have to stick around to get Mozess to the infirmary which would be a further hinderance to them.

She looked at Ian, praying he understood her simplistic cave-like drawings and that he would be able to get the other kids to assist in the plan. It wasn't much, but if it worked it would work well. She didn't mind getting caught by the Ministry, there wasn't a whole lot they could do to her, being that she was a minor.

[Heh, I saw that you misspelled ennervate and thought it woudl be fun to pull into the plot ]

[Loren Hayes]

(( Wouldn't "ennervate" and "enverate" sound exactly the same though? ))

For a moment as she fell Loren had taken a deep breath, convinced that her nose and mouth would soon be clogged with an immense layer out dirt and soil that she would not be able to drag herself up from. However, panic and the fear and being buried alive did not have time to flood her as she fell for a few more feet, cold air and not mud filling her lungs. She hit the ground, collapsing onto her side. 'What in Merlin's name?' She looked up, quickly lighting her wand. The hole that she had just fallen through was slowly sealing up, roots large and small knitting together to form a solid barrier.

Raising her wand, Loren dragged herself to her feet, finding she had more than enough head room to stand. To her astonishment she was now stood in what appeared to be a round tunnel.

'Ian? Mozess? Er - Dax?' She called awkwardly, jumping up and down to hit the roof of the tunnels. The roots merely knotted together a little tighter, soil trickling down on her hair.

'What is this place?' She muttered aloud, quickly silencing herself as she wondered if anyone else were down here. The tunnel stretched in a curve in both directions, so long that not even the throbbing of her wand light seemed to carry off into the underground gloom. There was a frightening boom suddenly, the earth trembling in a small shock wave. Weak, eerie squeals emitted all around her and in the light she could see roots wriggling in apparent agony. What on earth was going on?

Deciding it would be best to find an exit or a weak patch in the tunnel's roof, Loren slowly moved forward, her wand raised cautiously in case of attack...

[Uriel Levinston]

Uriel gave Gabriel a grim nod, the cluster of students finally becoming visible. No restraint, he thought to himself, thinking of course that binding the students to --

"Have they been hindered by trees?" He said with a smirk, peering over Gabriel's form to see them battling with the branches. "Even I managed to get to the wretched creatures hibernating in here..." He made less than pleased face, sticking his nose in the air.

Gabriel's clear voice shouted a spell then, one that made Uriel's eyes widen with surprise. Turning to his companion with disbelief, he pulled out his own wand, binding the girl who was earlier dressed in white -- though he didn't know that -- with a series of thick ropes.

"Capture them, Vandesar!" He said with a twitch of anger, watching the ginger-haired girl drop lifelessly to the ground. "Don't bloody give them a concussion!" It was something of a relief though, as she had been the one who had shown her expertise as a Witch quite clearly earlier that evening.

Pointing his wand at the Hufflepuff, he only vaguely noticed the Gryffindor boy retreat to the girl's unconscious side.

[Ian Gray]

"Get up," Ian said helplessly, noticing Mozess' eyes flicker open. He knew himself that he had a tendency to pronounce spells wrong when in a hurry or while panicking-- proved greatly by his nerves during OWLs and he didn't even want to linger on the fact his NEWTs would be coming up. Letting out a resigned sigh, and giving her an apologetic look, he noticed her fingers twitching around his foot.

He looked down and followed he sketch with a wrinkled brow. "Bl--blind them?" Turning back to the two figures who were closing in, he nodded. "Right."

Pulling out his wand, making sure he was more confident and less careless this time, he waved it around briefly. Sending a very mild conjunctivitis curse their way, he watched them stumble and quickly looked toward the students loitering about.

"Right, that should effect them for a few moments, it's not strong enough I'm afraid for anything more than that--" He knew they'd be punished for this, but he hadn't used anything stronger in fear of expulsion. "We have to split up, according to Mozess' sketch..." He quickly scuffed it with his boot, the images disappearing. The wandlight from the Ministry officials were flickering about the trees, and Ian unraveled the ropes holding Alyson hastily, hoping he hadn't pronounced another spell wrong.

They fell away, and taking Mozess advice, he ran into the nearest clearing, hoping the others were dispersing around the forest as well.

Just as he felt a safe distance away and was about to slow down, breathing harshly, he fell over a twig and landed in a heap on the floor. Grumbling, he opened his eyes and found his nose was deep within the mud. Frowning, he pulled it out and tried to stand up.

"Wha--what?" The mud traveled over his knees, reaching mid thigh, and Ian widened his eyes. "Quicksand?" It was rapid, and he realized the mud had already swallowed his wand, leaving him defenseless.

Trying to pull himself from the relentless earth, he found the solid pieces only broke away, widening the patch of sinking earth and leaving him with no means of escape.

By the time it was at his ears, which hadn't even taken a full five minutes, Ian closed his eyes shut, hoping the others hadn't fallen into a similar mess.

As soon as the mud covered his head, Ian felt his legs dangling in something that was hollow, rather than the constricting mud he had been in before. Feeling a small tinge of hope, he wiggled a bit in the mud, slipping down further into the ground slowly.

By the time his weight and gravity pulled him down, he was panting and landed with a thud on something tunnel like, feeling the roots beneath him slither up the hole, that was sealing itself quickly.

[Dax Simmons]

Nodding at the command to split up, Dax started to run before turning to see the other people standing around and Mozess still lying on the floor. With a groan and knowledge that he would most likely regret it he ran back to the Slytherin girl. Dropping to his knees at her side Dax slid his arms underneath her body. With all his strength he managed to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder into a fireman’s lift.

Holding onto her legs as tightly as he could Dax broke into a run, all be it at a slower pace due to the added wait of the Slytherin. As they moved further into the darkness Dax tried to explain himself to the Mozess.
“Sorry if your uncomfortable, but I could not leave you there. God knows what the ministry would do to someone by themselves. This way at least you and I will be caught together and…”

Dax was forced to stop when his knee buckled, stumbling along he could feel the weight pushing him forward. Trying to resist gravity, Dax pushed down extra hard with every step trying to regain his balance. He had just about managed it when his foot caught on something. Before he knew it he was on the forest floor, trying to pull his leg free. Pushing the Slytherin away from him he pulled even hared trying to free his foot. There was a loud rip as his shoe and lower part of his trouser leg were left hanging in the undergrowth. Fearing the Ministry more then stepping in something, Dax stood up and started to pull at Mozess arm trying to drag her away.