[Forest] The Disappearing Act

[Etheldreda Careless]

Ethel watched Edan and Dania disappear into the grey-green veil of the downpour, but her nebulous eyes did not truly see them.

As the monstrous bird took flight, its verdant wings transforming into storm clouds, Ethel became drenched before the others felt even a drop. She knew, knew with the same inexplicability as she always did, that their minds had been transported elsewhere while hers took one step ahead into the immediate future. Then the rain came for real, following the path of the augury’s shadow as it returned to pass over them. For a moment Ethel feared it were another of her mind’s preternatural illusions conjured before their time, but Edan and Dania’s pursuit of the thing assured her of reality – the present one, at least.

Sparing Kristina one imploring look, Ethel launched into a sprint in the direction of Edan and Dania, intent for the adrenaline through her heart to drown the remnants of ill omen inside her. Get over yourself, she thought vehemently, tears of frustration mixing with rain. It’s Edan’s stupid, screwed up magic, nothing more!

Reassured by her rage, Ethel burst into a reserve of energy and was soon upon Edan and Dania’s tail, all three of them pulled by the magnet of unknowing.

Something flashed through Ethel’s mind at that point, too discreet for even she to realise – an enormous, alabaster rock.

[Edan Ashby]

The sounds were deafening. The mere rustle of trees seemed like a roar to Edan's eardrums, and each snap of a twig under his foot sent him reeling into a sharp pain.

Finally, unable to bear it, Edan closed his eyes to lean against the thick trunk of one of the spidery trees. The bird continued to fly, the screeches echoing in his mind until it was gone - and with it, the assault of noise. He was immediately relieved, eyes peeling open to study the surrounding forest with a wide gaze. His vision fell on his companions, and Edan tried to control his rugged breathing.

"I don't even want my essay anymore," He said, his voice passed annoyance. It was small, frightened - whatever the forest was doing to them was making Edan lose his resolve. "Or my wand!"

Edan slung his hand back intending to toss it as far away as he could, when a moving shadow suddenly made him falter. It wasn't a human, not by the way it moved, but looked gaunt - skeletal. Edan's arm drifted back down and he sucked in a sharp breath.

"How?" He asked meekly, turning to Ethel and Dania with confusion. The Thestral continued to move closer, leathery wings reminiscent of the Augury from just moments before.

"I've never witnessed death."

[Kristiana Thorn]

Kristiana thought that her ears would soon begin to bleed. The noise in the forest was deafening. Her hands flew up to her ears as she looked around at the others who seemed to be having the same reaction to the sudden noise. Then the insipid bird that was flying around. Kristiana was more freaked out than she had ever been before. This whole thing was bloody crazy, all she wanted was a normal afternoon and instead she got caught up in this mess. The forest that people had taken for granted as innocent, save for a few vicious creatures was now trying to do them in.

Soon there were huge rain drops falling, and in mere seconds Kristi was soaked to the bone. She was suddenly cold and shivering and could barely see in front of her. The drops were falling harder and faster. Kristiana cried out to the others. "Where are you guys?" she asked trying to see.

She heard someone, it might have been the boy she had followed in here in the first place. Trying to follow the voice Kristiana walked that way, and in a few minutes she was bumping into someone. "Oops" she said not really seeing or realizing who it was she bumped into. "This is craziness at its best. This school gets worse and worse as the days go by, I mean really now the forest is acting up" she said highly exasperated.

[Etheldreda Careless]

‘Neither have I,’ Ethel replied faintly, lungs devoid of oxygen after their plight. The scenery of their prison had not altered, but now something other than themselves wandered through the trees, the augury long gone...

The Thestral finished its graceful approach, wings expanding weightlessly under the cold torrent, as though to provide shelter for the humans. Ethel, determined to be mistrustful of the ominous creature, stepped back out into the rain, re-examining it from a distance. ‘It simply can’t be a Thestral then, can it? Unless someone’s...’ Ethel’s gaze grew almost paralytic with horror, and she frantically looked round in search of Kristiana.

The Slytherin appeared at the edge of the vapour like an apparition, her pursuit of them having been much more hesitant. Ethel’s diaphragm unclenched with her presence, but remained plagued by the mystery of the gaunt mare. It now paid particular attention to Edan, licking the sweat and rain from his forehead with matronly care. ‘Don’t let it!’ Ethel protested feebly; but with false courage she stepped back up to them, fingers timidly probing the Thestral's hard, protruding collarbone. ‘It’s real,’ she murmured dumbly. ‘But we shouldn’t be seeing it...’

Another skeletal vessel trotted into their midst, followed by another, then another. Their milky-opal eyes shone with more clarity than anything under the forest's damp haze, and Ethel felt strangely comforted by their guardianship.

[Vanessa Malfoy]

Vanessa Malfoy, renowned for lack of good timing and all better judgment had wandered into The Forbidden Forest in search of something of a rather dark nature. Her hands were gripped tightly around a large leather bound book, pieces of frayed parchment peeking out over the edges of each side. It had to be quite old by the looks of it, not very well taken care of, and missing its original cover. How crude she must have looked as she strolled into such a dark forest without a worry or care. Such composure wouldn't last for long for even Slytherins weren't indestructible, no matter how much they want you to think it so.Heels pressed into heaps of mud and muck, gathering around the designer shoe and causing it to stick every so often. They weren't the best choice when it came to hiking, but Vanessa found herself in a hurry and the one pair of flats that she owned had been mysteriously misplaced.

You may find yourself questioning the fact that such a young respectable young lady had wandered into the forest all by herself, but the reasoning for that would be explained on a much later date. The only evidence leading up to her little trip was a book and a look of fiery anticipation. She was expecting something as she trudged through the fog ridden area, but no one knew just what. Her heart began to pound, so fast that she could hear and feel the veins pulsating deep within her chest. Vanessa had lost all signs of courage, but she didn't stop for a single second. She was on a mission most vial.

She began to hear a number of voices as she entered the territory of the group before her, and she didn't know what to think of it. What kind of whack jobs would enter the forest by choice? Thinking over what she had just asked herself she rolled her eyes, having mocked herself and others all in one sentence. Nessa blamed the forest, which had played tricks on her before, and carried on. A sharp turn would lead her into their mists. She stepped right into the four legged skeletal creature, and with that she let out a piercing scream. So she wasn't alone after all.

[Dania Dahl]

Etheldreda, concerned for her housemate's safety, cried out in denial, and the Hufflepuff softly frowned at her. She stepped up to the gentle creature, slowly outstretching her hand before placing her palm on its shoulder. It thrummed for a moment, still occupied with caring for Edan, and while Dania found this incredibly strange what instantly demanded her attention was the piercing scream that came from some random Slytherin girl who had thrown herself into the beast, causing the thestral to stamp the ground in shock. She had never seen this girl before, not even during their little bird-monster incident--where had she come from? Her eyes widened only a little with surprise, the emotion barely flickering over her face before it was gone again, and her red lips pressed together as if to silently shush her. At this rate the fellowship of teenagers were going to shake the forest to it's roots.

The grave look on Ethel's face as tried her hand at figuring out the situation unsettled her and she glanced away, choosing instead to part her own lips in reply. "Perhaps it needed to be seen." This didn't neccessarily mean one of them was going to die, that wasn't how the thestral's magic worked, was it? The Hufflepuff wasn't sure, though for the longest time she had been under the impression it was only those that had truly witnessed death that could lay their eyes on the silent beasts.

[Edan Ashby]

"Don't what?" Ethel's voice grabbed Edan's attention. He turned to her, his apprehension dying in concern, but was immediately assaulted.

Edan blinked against the saliva on his cheek before pushing away the Thestral violently. "I don't like dogs," he protested, though the creature refused to leave him. He was, of course, no match for the sinewy muscles, and it didn't move despite all of his force. Any initial fear was replaced with annoyance as the Ravenclaw stood idly in the shelter of the Thestral's wings.

"How can it be real?" Edan was released as soon as the others approached, rugged wings silent in their plight. They stopped suddenly, stiffening. A high-pitched scream vibrated the air around them as a new arrival crashed into a Thestral. Its mane thrashed wildly in defense, but it stayed clear of the Slytherin's small figure as the other beasts watched on almost accusingly.

Finally having the mind to wipe the moistness off his cheek, Edan glanced at the Slytherin rather curiously. "You're stuck now," He said flatly, about to cast a cleaning charm on his skin though thinking better of it. "With us, and these."

And indeed she was - they all were. The Thestrals sidled against a human partner, gentle but persistent. Dania's voice did not disturb the calm, but resonated with it.

Reaching out a hand to his previous criminal, Edan hesitantly stroked the tough skin. "They can lead us out of here, I'm sure of it." He said with a small falter in his finalty. "They're good with directions, really good."

It was a really bad idea, Edan was sure of it. But he suggested it anyway. "Do you think ... do you think they want us to, climb on?" It was absurd, but the way one of the Thestral's was nudging Ethel's thigh and how only the exact right number of them appeared - it was more than a coincidence, wasn't it?

[Vanessa Malfoy]

She was taken back by the grunts and bucks of this wild animal, almost too afraid to move. She knew a spell that would show them a thing or two..but perhaps now wasn't the best time. Vanessa shifted her eyes, catching a glimpse of each member in the group. They didn't look all too promising, especially when she had a book that could do all the work for her. If only she was alone with these things. "As much as I'd love to stay and chat..," she began, cautiously backing away from the skeletal creature. It obviously wasn't too keen to the idea of her moving because one had inched towards her, not looking at all kind. "Bloody 'ell, you've have GOT to be kidding me!," Vanessa exclaimed, holding her book tight to her chest. "How about you ride off on your little dead ponies and I find my own w-," she started again, stopping herself when she realized the severity of the situation. Why was this thing getting so angry with her!?

Vanessa silenced herself, her gaze falling to the cold wet ground. She would glance up at them every so often, but only to see what exactly was going on. She wanted to break free of the group, the Thestrals especially. She had other plans in mind. "I'm not getting on one of those," Nessa said after a long pause, avoiding eye contact whenever possible.

[Etheldreda Careless]

It seemed the new Slytherin had made a poor first impression upon the Thestrals. While the others chose their rider with concern for demonstrating their benevolence, they seemed to keep one cloudy eye on the girl. It was not with pleasant regard that they scrutinized her, but that did not stop the largest of them – the one she had assaulted – siding up to her. A sense of majestic duty overcame their expressions, and Ethel found herself almost willingly climbing on. She did so tenderly, for their filmy skins and drift-wood bones felt fragile.

‘If they haven’t eaten a student to date, I can handle this,’ she declared shakily. ‘They were bred to guide people to the school – maybe it was their first instinct when they saw us?’ Ethel nearly slid off as the Thestral flexed its epic wings, waxy skin slippery under the wet. She could already tell she was going to need much stronger thigh muscles to remain astride.

Despite her logic reassuring her they would soon be up in the air and flying back over the barricade of trees, some deep recess told her otherwise. It was not danger she now feared, but the unravelling of a plan she was only a pawn in, her ability to foreshadow somehow hindered by the green fog encroaching on them...

Swallowing the persistent feeling, Ethel gripped the chunky vertebrae of her stead. It knead the ground impatiently at this signal, whining throatily at Edan, Dania and the two Slytherins to make haste.

[Edan Ashby]

"Stay..." Edan's fingers hovered over the mane tentatively, before he risked a glance at Ethel. Her silhouette was lithe as she climbed onto the creature, its oval eyes regarding him interestedly in turn. Finally curling a fist around the rough hair, Edan followed his friend's example, his knees knocking into strong bones.

As soon as he heaved himself on, Edan had no chance to reassure his grip. With a forceful thrust, the Thestral was suddenly above the ground. There was agitation in its movement, wings billowing against the friction in the air, and Edan was instantly slipping. "Ethel?" His fingers tangled into the mane, knees painfully digging into thick hide to keep himself from falling off completely. Fighting against the wind, Edan looked behind him, trying to find the others. "Malfoy?"

The heavy beasts were following suit, positioned similar to birds in flight. Edan caught sight of Ethel, feeling a wave of relief, but it disappeared as his Thestral flew straight into the canopy of trees. He could see nothing but dry leaves and thorny branches, both scraping him as if in punishment for his disturbance, before the moon's template became visible. How high were they?

A rush of exhiliration caught him off guard as the Thestral suddenly nose-dived, seemingly having reached his destination. Grey eyes widened behind crooked glasses at the scene before them - a scene that was most definitely not Hogwarts.

"You're going the wrong way!" The Thestral ignored him, his voice hardly audible over the forceful wind. But after half a second, majestic wings froze and the Thestral began to hover over muddy dirt and decaying leaves.

Tightening his grip on his makeshift reigns, suspicious that the Thestral might take off again as it had not completely landed, Edan leaned forward and whispered. "Why did you take us here?" His chest had knotted, and nausea threatened to overwhelm him as he looked below at what seemed like at least twenty carcasses on the ground. They were laid out equally, manes entwining with sprouting weeds and hooves leaving ghostly footprints.

In the middle of the dead Thestrals was an enormous alabaster rock.

[Kristiana Thorn]

Kristiana hadn't noticed them, they were there but Kristi hadn't seen she was so busy focusing on the others there with her. The forest was growing scarier with each passing moment. So she tried to back up just a little bit and she ended up knocking into something. Scared witless she turned her head only slightly and she saw it those flying birds she had read about in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Kristi squeaked what the hell was this. It was like going from a dream into a nightmare. "Crap" she muttered wondering what brought this confounded Thestral and his brothers to this clearing at this time, and why was it that she could see it now.

Thestrals were only supposed to be seen by those who have seen death and Kristi had not seen death, not that she could recall. This whole thing was getting stranger and stranger as the seconds wore on, but then she head another person wander into the forest, this time it was another Slytherin Vanessa Malfoy. Kristiana wasn't really relieved to see her or anything, but it was nice to know that now she wasn't outnumbered by people from other houses.

For some reason everyone else seemed to be getting on a Thestral, but for some reason that seemed to be the only way they were going to get out of this Kristi didn't want to get on the winged beast it frightened her but there wasn't much choice so she scrambled around and managed to hop on the back of the Thestral she had knocked into earlier. Part of her feared that the thing would throw her off, but the other part of her feared what would happen if they stayed there.

Looking back at Vanessa Kristiana had to talk sense into the girl after hearing her say she wasn't going to get on the back of one of them, "Vanessa you'll be sorry if you don't I think, so just get on" she was sure she would be given a dirty look for her interference but she couldn't help it, she had to try to help out a fellow Slytherin.

The Thestral lifted from the ground causing Kristi to squeak again. She had no idea where they were being taken but if it was away from the forest she was all for it. They were up up and away.

[Etheldreda Careless]

Ethel nearly toppled off backwards at the Thestral’s powerful ascent, the muscular heave of its wings combined with the wind resistance calling for more strength than she had. However, once above the treetops and flying level with the horizon – a flat ocean of endless forest – Ethel’s only obstacle was the howl of air against her ears. It was a liberating experience, not least because they would soon be free of their pine prison.

But something did not sit right with Ethel. It was not a feeling this time but a blatant fact – they were heading toward the moon, thus away from Hogwarts.

‘Edan, I think yours is in charge. Make it go back!’ He could not hear her, though. The wind stole away her voice the moment it left her throat, conspiring against such an idea. Glancing backwards, Ethel spied the other three in wide pursuit, the white-gold and flaming heads of Vanessa and Dania beacons beyond the mist.

Ethel was still twisted round when her stead made an unexpected dropped. Something tight pulled in her neck and she cried out, letting go of the Thestral in response to the jarring pain. With nothing to keep her supported she suddenly lurched off sideways, approaching the ground ahead of Edan and the two Thestrals.

They had not been far from it, fortunately.

She landed crookedly, poorly cushioned by a mattress of something taut and uneven, like canvas stretched over frames. ‘Ooooh...’ her body throbbed with a deep, paralytic ache, but nothing felt broken. Whatever had caught her, though not ideal had certainly been adequate, and she pushed herself into a sitting position without much trouble. ‘What the—‘

Lifting her hand, Ethel stared shakily at the ropy, black tar that coated her palm. It reeked of rotten flesh and she wretched, coming to realise what she lay upon.

‘They’re all dead,’ she murmured, mouth salivating with the need to vomit. Surrounding her were the bodies of almost two dozen Thestrals, all in roughly the same stage of decomposition. Their pearly, blind eyes had sunk into their heads, ivory teeth bared by shrivelled lips, ribcages more prominent than ever in their twisted rest. From the arrangement of their limbs, it appeared they had died where they lay.

Ignoring her pains, Ethel skidded and crawled over four corposes before her trembling hands latched onto the great, alabastrine rock. As she clambered up its side, her palms left thick, black prints. ‘What the hell did you bring us here for?!’ She screamed vehemently at the Thestral who had carried her. It stood atop the rounded point of the boulder, looking down with forlorn eyes.

[The Forbidden Forest]

They know your nightmares.

Eyes withdrawn from sight watch the obtrusion to their territory. Bones crack under Etheldreda's careless weight while leathery wings beat in time with the sway of leaves, imprinting soil like snow angels.

Light shines through decayed holes in His hide, cartilage nestled disjointedly like abstract art. Five Thestrals neigh in fear. Four fly away into the dead of night.

He rises from the ground, hooves partially digested by the acidic troughs of nitrogen. With sockets as empty as His soul, He stares at Vanessa and His yellowed teeth snap together. Twenty-two Thestrals follow Him. Twenty-three appear before her eyes.

Only one is truly alive. He stands poised on the heart of the stone, reclusive eyes never leaving Etheldreda's form. He cannot answer her question, but before he recoils, they know.

Etheldreda's Thestral is the sacrifice.

Twenty-two creatures attack. [/i]

[Dania Dahl]

Her hands pressed tentatively to the nape of the creature's neck, smoothing the leathery skin there in fine, gentle circles, calming it as she mused on what she should do. The ravenclaw boy seemed to be in the lead, wondering aloud if they should ride them. This was all so strange, now even more so. Never before had these creatures appeared to them so.. Disillusioned, of their former selves. They were beasts of death, gentle beasts of death, only audience to eyes who had witnessed such loss before. And far as she knew none had, few had.. This just didn't make sense.

Dania stared up into the thestral's eyes, catching a strange glimmer there. She may be able to interpret the emotions of human beings but half-spectral ones were an entirely different matter. Some large mythical cats in the middle east made noises like roars, when in fact it was close to the common housecat's purr. So that shimmer was either its way of saying it was happy, or a sombre, sombre glittering of the eye. "Wait." Her gentle voice touched the atmosphere once again, soft hands tightening as she tugged at the reigns. "Wait." The Hufflepuff repeated, overcome with the instinct to run. Something was wrong, they were going the wrong way. Her mother had always said her too-trusting nature would get her killed someday.. Leave it to Dania to not take it literally. But no one was listening.

The livid shriek of Ethel shot wet bolts of fury to the air, as the thestral below her jerked its shaggy head, tossing her from its back. She landed against her wrist, though by the lack of crunch it might not have been broken. Bruised maybe, but not broken. No, she was stronger than that. Rather than scream she merely sat there, trying to gather her bearings after the heavy thud of the ground and the distracting stamp of the agitated beasts

When the attack came she disappeared into the fray.

[Edan Ashby]

The Thestral stared back at him, and Edan was suddenly absorbed in memories. Flashes of thudding hooves and snapping leaves, buckling knees hitting infertile soil - viscous, tar-coloured blood. But it was the feelings that overwhelmed him, searing him until he wasn't able to tell the pain, the fear - the helplessness - apart from his own.

They continued to choke him, leaving him unaware that he was on the ground. His Thestral, its fright immensely pungent in his veins, was long gone, and Edan breathed in the turmoil of decay.

With the Thestral finally gone, Edan was no longer paralyzed. He pulled himself up, a soreness along each of his vertebrae, catching a brief flash of red hair as Dania's survival instincts took her deep into the forest. There were two creatures bounding after her, but that had to be wrong. They were dead.

Feeling around for his glasses, he shoved them on hurriedly as soon as his finger caught hold of a single lens. Dusted with muddy fingerprints, it focused the oncoming Thestral just barely in time. Edan couldn't doubt his wand now.

"Conicio!"

It hurled backward, against the alabaster rock, causing a web of cracks that immediately rooted themselves together, leaving no mark.

Ethel's Thestral was unmoving, the cracks from the stone relocating themselves onto his hide. Edan watched, furious. "Why are they doing this to you?" He called, desperate for answers. A whipping wind caught his robes, drowning his voice - a wind caused by leathery wings.

"Ethel..." Across him, a Thestral beat drooping wings, one severely smaller than the other. Ethel was below it, but Edan didn't know what to do. Taking the chance of having violent Thestrals disappear was one thing, but having his friend vanish? He clenched his fingers around his wand, unable to use it, but running to her side nonetheless.