Fight or Flight...

[Alexia Evenstar]

Even as she walked deeper into the darkness of the Forbidden Forest Alexia knew that what she was doing was right. It needed to be done. She hadn't yet entered the Forrest since returning to Hogwarts and after so much time doing nothing but staying in her room she decided she would just throw herself into the most dangerous part of the Hogwarts grounds to get rid of it once and for all, even if it was close to nightfall. Alexia didn't expect to find anything or run into any danger but like always she was cautious, she knew she only had an hour, maybe less, of daylight to get in and out and she wasn't planning on being in the Forest after dark if she could help it. The Forest, even in daylight was reasonably dark, and the light that filtered down through the trees was still bright enough that she was content in stopping and going no further, knowing she had gone far enough but that she would have plenty of time to return before it became to dark and the danger that already lurked in the Forest would be nothing compared to what she would have to face. Sitting down and stretching her tired legs from walking she pulled from her black leather bag an apple for a quick evening snack. Alexia paused for a moment, her hand lingering over it before she pulled that too from her bag and placed in on the dirt an arms reach from her, as if it were dangerous to have close by. She slowly ate her apple while taking in her surroundings, nothing dangerous had yet caught her in the Forest, that she was aware of, and she was planning on keeping it that way. After she ate she put the core into her bag and turned her attention to the object that lay on the dirt in front of her. Kneeling up off the dirt Alexia began to dig a small but deep hole with her bare fingers, when the hole was deep enough and her fingers were covered in dirt and sore from digging and she placed it in the hole and began pushing the loose dirt back on top of it. The deep brown cardboard box filled with pictures quickly became lost under the dirt and Alexia hoped that the whole thing would decompose without ever being looked on again. When the hole was entirely filled up she patted the dirt down tight with her hands, and was surprised at how it almost looked like dirt had never been disturbed. Alexia picked up her bag, now lighter due to the loss of the box of photos and began to walk back the way she came. The light had faded somewhat since she first sat down and her surroundings felt too silent, as if she was being watched. Alexia frowned at herself for being so paranoid because it suddenly became darker, but yet she couldn't quite shake the bad feeling she had. Every foot step she took echoed back in her ears and it was when she paused and stopped walking that the echo feel out of sync. Alexia knew instantly it was not an echo of her own footsteps she heard, but another set entirely. She looked frantically around her, not yet reaching for her wand as she decided what move to take, was it fight or flight.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen was out for a wander. it was almost night and twilight was the best time for hunting, the night animals were coming out and there was still enough light to see. however her stocks were full as she and Thaex had bee working together and two hands were certainly better than one. to she had decided to go for a walk and see if there was any students she could talk to, she hadn't seen amy for a while as it had been the holidays, though it probably wouldn't be long before her brother came back in. she saw a girl heading over the lawn to the trees. this wasn't the kind of night students should be in the woods, especially not the ones that were not 'regulars' she followed the girl as quietly as she could keeping an eye and ear out for anything that may hurt her. the girl was acting odd, she reached a part in the path and stopped knelt down and started to dig, what was she looking for? she wanted to go and help the girl look talk to her. however she didn't want to scare her so she waited. she saw the girl take a tin box out of her bag and bury it. what was in it? something human she could collect? maybe she would head back once the girl was safe and find it. she followed the girl as she headed back however her mind was on the box she wasnt paying as close enough attention and she heard a branch crack under her left hind hoof. drat se thought as the girl looked up she looked as frightened as a baby rabbit. "don't be scaired I wont hurt you" she said quickly stringing the bow across her back and sheathing her arrow before steeping out of the shadows. "I am Aspen" she said introducing herself as a friend.

 

[Alexia Evenstar]

Alexia's hand lingered close to the inside pocket of her jacket where her wand was not daring to draw it out just yet, Alexia knew there were creatures in the Forest who were weary of armed wizards and would attack her without a second thought if they thought she posed any threat. Alexia caught in the corner of her eye a shift in the shadows to her right and she turned round to face it. From the shadow a centaur appeared, one who was not poised to attack, instead had unarmed their weapon and looked kindly upon her. Alexia had never encountered a centaur before, though it was common knowledge that many lived in the Forbidden Forest either in clans or solitary, however it was hard to know whether they were friend or foe. The female centaur introduced herself as Aspen, she looked around Alexia's age and there was something about her that did not feel dangerous, however even as she promised not to harm Alexia she still took a few steps and backed away slowly. Although still cautious Alexia relaxed slightly in Aspens company, she lowered her hand away from her wand, feeling that she was genuine when she said she meant no harm, but still not brave enough to get too close.
"I-I am Alexia" She introduced herself, returning the friendly gesture, "It's nice to met you, Aspen." Alexia was genuine when she said this, she was honored to be able to met a centaur without fighting one, although her voice denied her confidence and sounded slightly shaky. She looked down towards the ground and as she quietly cleared her voice Alexia wondered how long Aspen had been there and wondered if she should say some sort of apology for trespassing because she wasn't meant to be in the Forest. Alexia turned back and looked at Aspen again, she didn't look angry at her for being there and Alexia realized that Aspen was as curious of her as she was of Aspen.
"Umm... so how long have you been..." Alexia began to ask, 'Stalking...watching me?' - "... here... without me noticing?" Alexia almost laughed at how ridiculous she sounded.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen had forgotten that many of the students had never seen a centaur before outside of books. so she was a little surprised that the girl seemed intimidated. "It's lovely to see you out here Alexia. Alexia is a nice name" she said. it was a very pretty name she hadnt heard before. all her family had plant or nature names, and other than that she had met madlyn, minoas, liam professor Kingsley and blaze. though minoas and briar used to talk to her about different people. "Dont worry I wont tell anyone you were here, the last time I saw the professors, i nearly shot one, well i aimed to miss, though that was Blaze who i don't like." she said trying to calm the girl but probably she should have stopped at here.
she smiled as the girl asked if she had been stalking or watching her long. "I saw you come into the forest and decided to keep an eye out. the first time my brother came in you see he was attacked by accromantula it was only because my sister followed him with a broom that they managed to get away." she said once again forgetting how odd that sounded. as anyone would think that her brother and sister were centaurs so why would they have a broom, and why were they only entering for the first time (though that had been before she had arrived. "If you don't mind me asking what was in the box?" she asked. her natural curiosity getting the better of her.

 

[Alexia Evenstar]

Alexia was quite surprised at how talkative Aspen was, it made her feel relaxed and Alexia knew now that she meant no harm. She was appreciative to hear that Aspen had been watching out for her as she wondered through the Forbidden Forest. 'Maybe that's why I haven't run into any trouble yet..' She guessed silently in her mind.
"Thank you," Alexia smiled warmly to her, comforted knowing that there was someone watching out for her, "I'm glad you were watching out for me. I really appreciate it." Alexia frowned with curiosity at the mention of Aspens siblings, in her mind she imagined the absurdity of centaurs flying on brooms. Alexia giggled aloud before covering her mouth with her hand, she was surprised at the sound that came out, carefree enough to laugh openly even though before she was frightened into stammering. She knew Aspen must have meant that she had siblings that weren't centaurs and vaguely she wondered how that would work, Alexia thought about asking about her siblings but decided not to. Aspen asked about the box she buried and Alexia turned to look at the place where she had buried it. There was a small mound of dirt which indicated it's placement.
"It's full of photos" Alexia said as she looked at the pile, "Old memories..."
Alexia looked at the pile for a while longer, unsure if she was trying to destroy the memories or no longer needed the reminder. She turned back to Aspen and she could see curiosity in her eyes. Alexia smiled and walked over towards the pile of dirt
"Do you want to have a look?" Alexia asked, not minding digging them up and having one last look at them.

 

[Aspen]

aspen smiled as she was thanked. "it was no problem, It isalways nice to meet people from te castle" she said "you would have been good, I havent seen anything other than a squirral for the last hals hour or so" she said. the forest was rather quiet tonight, ot maybe it was just a quiet bit of the forest. she heard Alexia laugh at her story, and realised that she was picturing what she too was picturing. "the siblings I talk about were and one still is a student at the school, a twohoof not centaur." she explained. though she didnt explain why she called two students her siblings.

when the girl said that the box had contained photos her face lit up. she loved being a centaur and eveything but she did wish that she was allowed to leave the forest, how she longed to walk along the edge of the lake and explore the catle. "I would love to look at them" she said before looking sheepishly at the ground. "actually when i saw you were berying it i though i would come back and have a look at it anywaysiblings. though many people thought it was odd. " she confessed her tail swishing and treadng the floor nervously. as she said so. she was glad that the girl aoffered it meant that she wouldnt have to dig it up behind her back. " It is a shame I can't leave the forrest for real so any pcturess of the outside world are more than helpful. thank you: shhe said still smiling.

Out of Character:

I'ts lame I know. but i am about to fall asleep so i thought i should at least post it. [/oov]

 

[Alexia Evenstar]

As Aspen told Alexia that she had not been any danger while walking in the forest she let out a gentle sigh of relief. Alexia understood Aspens desire to leave the forrest, for as much as she loved France for the memories of the good times she hated being trapped there for the six years she was. Alexia knelt down beside the dirt pile and drew out her wand, she glanced quickly at Aspen hoping not to frighten her with use of magic, silently she flicked her wand over the dirt and from deep underneath the box rose up. The dirt on top of it shifted into mounds on the side of the hole and the box was left sitting at the bottom. Alexia lent down and drew out the box, she pulled the lid off and discarded it beside the hole. She pulled out a handful of photos from the top and gave a quick scan through them.
"Here" Alexia smiled and extended her hand holding pile to Aspen so that she may look at them, feeling slightly nervous standing so close. There was a wide variety of photos in the pile, taken in both France and New Zealand. There were family portraits, photos of landscapes and nature, animals and buildings, everything. Some of the photos which included her mother had her face scribbled over with black marker pen but Alexia handed them all over without minding what Aspen would think.
"The first one is of the Gorges du Verdon in France" Alexia informed Aspen, her french accent sounding stronger after speaking French "And the one bellow is of Mavora Lakes Park here in New Zealand"

 

[Aspen]

Aspen watched as the girl went back for the box. she watched her cast a spell almost ashamedly and the box rose to the surface. "you don't need to hide your magic around me you know. I came to this forest in order to be closer to young witches and wizards" she said if she had wanted to be away from the magic folk she could have done quite easily. she was one of the few centaurs who liked magic. on of her dreams was to visit the school. it was only a few hundred meters away from her home but she knew she would never be able to go there.
the took the photos that she was handed by the girl. "thank you" she said and she looked through them. it was slowly starting to reach dusk but there was still enough light to see. most of them clearly. she looked at landscapes of wide valleys and tall mountains. some reminded her slightly of home though none of them were, and some made her want to travel. there were pictures of towns. places that she would never be able to go no matter how much she wished. animals. some looked familiar, ether as food, or human pets others were totally strange. but her favourite ones were those of the people, the girls family maybe. doing things that she supposed families did. sometimes posing together. other times looking at other things just snapshots. a sad smile crossed her face. they were things she wouldn't be able to do. life for a centaur was hard. every day was about finding food and shelter. but life for a female centaur who had been kicked out from her family age thirteen was harder. with nothing but herself to rely on she had traveled around the world and found a new home. made new friends and maybe even got a new ally. "all those places are very pretty" she said as the girl named a few. "where is that one" she asked as a picture of a town was on top. "and who are those?" she said about a group of people. she had noticed that some photos one of the faces was scribbled out. the one she pointed to wasn't like that, and she didn't want to ask as she didn't want to upset the girl.

 

[Alexia Evenstar]

Alexia was pleased to see Aspen enjoying the photos and as she flipped through the pile she held Alexia grabbed the rest from the box. Sitting down on the ground near Aspen she had a flick though. Alexia was surprised how dark it gotten in such a short period of time and it made looking at the photos quite difficult, but not completely impossible, although she did not plan on being in the forest in the dark she was enjoying Aspen's company and no longer felt the danger of staying longer.
"Lumos Maxiama" Alexia flicked her wand and the ball of light floated up illuminating the area, she vaguely wondered if the light would draw the attention of unwanted guests, but decided it wasn't going to pose too big a threat.
"That town was nice, very tiny, but nice. My father and I went on a road trip when I first moved here from France, we got lost after turning off the highway and wound up there" Alexia said as Aspen asked about the photo, she laughed at the memory as she spoke, "I don't think I could find that town again if I tried." Alexia put the pile she looked through to the side to give to Aspen when she had finished looking through them. She was pleased she had decided to bury the photos rather than set them on fire. Aspen asked about another photo and Alexia looked up to see which one,
"Family on my mothers side," She answered simply, "None of them are worth mentioning." Alexia looked up at the ball of light which floated above their heads before snapping her head back down to look at Aspen,
"You can pretty much see my whole life in those photos" Alexia said with a small smile, "And yet I know nothing about you. What about your family? your experiences?" She did not wish to pry, or to speak so boldly and if Aspen did not want to share anything she didn't have to, but Alexia was curious about her. Here she was sharing photos of her life and telling her about herself but Alexia had not yet asked Aspen about herself.

 

[Aspen]

It was getting darker quicker now. the shadows of the trees growing and lengthenting. aspen looked up wondering of she should start a fire. thankfully the girl seemed to have the same idea. and cast some spell so that a ball of light erupted from the end of her wand. "that is cool" she said. for light she would usually have to light a toch from her fire, or make do with the moon light. she did have a torch at the bottom of her bag she had had been given on her journey however she tried not to use it as she didn't know how long the batteries would last. she nodded as the girl talked about the town. it did look like a rather quaint country town. as for the family she could see that there was something going on between her and her mums family so she didnt ask further.
she was surprised when the girl asked her about her experiences. she thought for a minute. "well i am not from around here. I actually come form the forests of europe. my cln was one of the nomadic ones. wandering the forests where the food was" she said. "when i was nine my sister and closest friend got kicked out of the herd. as she was human and a witch at that and was attracting other witches to the herd." she said wondering how odd this must sound to the girl. "anyway a few years later. I was found mixing with humans and was also kicked out. deciding that i wanted to se Rowan again. I started heading over here. thankfully i met a nice wizarding family and the man offered to apparate me here. and here I have been living on my own for the last, ooh let me see, three and a half years." she said concluding wondering if that was all alexia wanted to know.

 

[Alexia Evenstar]

Alexia giggled at Aspens response to the light, suprised at how different she was to what expected centaurs to be like, she was calm and kind and Alexia always assumed many centaurs were more territorial and aggressive. She was pleased to have encountered Aspen and be able to hear about her story. As Aspen talked she listened intently. She would have never guessed that Aspen was not originally from the forest or from New Zealand. When she had finished Alexia still had many questions one of them about the witch sibling Aspen spoke of,
"Rowan - she is your sister?" Alexia asked softly, not wishing to pry to far and end up making Aspen feel awkward "How did she manage to join your clan?" She had guessed that they were not biologically related but wondered how a human, especially a witch, ended up with a herd of centaur. Alexia thought about what Aspen had said and realised that she never said that she was able to see Rowan after moving across countries and Alexia really hoped that she did,
"Did you manage to see Rowan again after leaving your clan?" Alexia asked and then flinched slightly, in the back of her mind she worried if she had been unable or if Rowan had gone. She had already asked and it was too late to regret it.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen smiled as Alexia laughed. it was nice to have a little company even if it was just for a while. sure she now was in an alliance with Thraex after she had helped him after he had been shot but some light hearted chatter was a different kind of company. Besides Alexia seemed nice. she nodded. "yeah, Rowan is my sister." she said. the way her family did family made it so though by most human conventions she would have been cousin. that didn't matter she had always called her sister and that wasn't going to change now. "It was before i was born, but they found her as a baby and decided to look after her. until they got somewhere they could leave her with a home, but one of the females grew attached to her and she was allowed to stay" she said simply. everyone she had met had thought it odd, but for her it was just how it was. "yeah, i met her a couple of months after I arrived her, and she came to se me most mornings while she was a student, but she graduated a couple of years ago." she said. her other sister graduated last year so it was only her brother left in the castle. she handed the girl back the photos, she had been looking through them when she had spoken, the world they showed was so different from her world she just wished someday she would be able to se a little more, maybe next winter she would agree with rowan and let her take her to austritcha for a couple of months whilst the school holidays were on. maybe thraex too. "do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked curious. thinking about hers had made her wonder about the girls.

 

[Alexia Evenstar]

When listening to Aspen's story Alexia did not find it odd that she had 'family' of a different race. She understood that bother her and Aspen lived in different worlds but it seemed when it came down to it they were both the same. Alexia was pleased to hear that Aspen had found her family. Everyone needed a place to belong and while Aspens had been taken away she was able to find it again, Alexia hoped she would be able to find the place she belonged.
"No, I have no siblings. Or really any family at all." Alexia answered now playing with the size and brightness of the light that shone above their heads for something to focus on, "Just me and my Father now." She choose to exclude her mother from her family, and the way she said it somewhat falsely implied that her mother had died. It was easier to ignore her mothers existence now that she was back in New Zealand where she was hopeful to find a place to belong with her father and friends. Receiving the pile of photos back from Aspen Alexia offered the other pile as she placed them back in the box.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen felt the girls spirit drop slightly when she said she had very little family left now. she lowered herself slightly until she was about the same height of the girl before putting her arms around her shoulders in a sort of hug sort of hug sort of in a comforting way. "no family you poor thing. are you okay?" she asked. Everyone needed a family, and when people died there was a gaping hole left in the lives of people who were left. she looked at the next set of pictured and realised that the person who's face was scribbled out was most likely her mother, it was probably some custom from where she was from. These photos were similar to the last ones, a mixture of places and people. "why are you wanting to burry these pictures?" she asked. she was sure it wasn't something people did out of the blue and she was just curious.

 

[Alexia Evenstar]

Alexia felt comforted by Aspens hug. She was fine about having little family, she had her father and that is what mattered most to her, but she appreciated the hug nonetheless. Aspen asked why she was burying the photos and Alexia had to think about for a while. It was something her heart told her to do, something she felt she needed to do to move on and stop lingering on what her old life was like in France. Most of the photos she had kept with her there but now she was back in New Zealand she needed the fresh start.
"It is something I need to do" Alexia stated finally, a smile spread across her face, she was unsure why but she felt free of the photos. "A lot of people keep photos to remember times that they had and I guess I just don't need to linger on the past anymore."" Alexia explained hoping that she said made sense to Aspen, unsure if it was a custom that she was used to.
"Do you have keepsakes from Rowan or your old Clan" She asked, "To remember them by" Alexia was unsure how Aspen felt towards her Clan but asked anyway.

 

[Aspen]

Aspen thought as the girl aid that people kept photos to remember the past centaurs didn't have photos. they remembered the past by remembering the past and through the stories that were told during the evening connecting to the ancestors. o things like the winter of eighty four years ago when half the family died of starvation or the cold, or the summer of thirty nine years ago when there was a fight with another clan as both of the chieftains foals had eloped. "i think it is a rather human thing to keep things for memories. I have some things from my clan and from Rowan but they are more practical things than photos. like knives, another equipment. so not really to remember them but more to survive" she said. the knife had been her dads, she had taken it from him when he had agreed for her to be kicked out. its handle was the green stone of her area and inscribed in the symbols characteristic of her tribe, anyone who knew the ins and outs of european centaur clans would know where she came from. she also had her green stone that she kept around her neck on a thin strip of leather. "I guess there is not much space for keepsakes when you are on the move" she said. smiling. and starting them moving. she liked the company but didn't want the girl to be in the forest t night, it was harder to move if you didn't know your way around and there were animals that were nor partially friendly to students, including some other centaurs. like Narniar who thankfully she hadn't seen or anything for a long wile.