Closed Into Te Taiao

[William Kaimarama]

The smells and sounds of the bush were a welcome comfort after spending time out in civilisation as William returned to to his real home, a follower in tow this time around. It wasn't often there was interest in his field, and his parents had been quick to encourage William to take the curious young man out as an intern, to see if this was the career for him. They had geared up, planned a weekend in the bush tracking down a feral Kneazle colony that had cropped up dangerously close to a Kākāpō nesting area, and set off. It was a trail William had taken several times before, but he travelled slower than usual to make sure his companion could keep up, knowing better than to expect a less experienced tramper to navigate wild rainforest quite so easily. "Slippy bit coming up!" He cautioned Demetrius before skimming his way down a small slope with practiced ease, looking up to make sure the younger man was able to make it. "We're not too far off our campsite now, once we've got the tents set up we can set tracking tunnels to leave overnight, that should give us a good idea of where the Kneazles are hanging around." He explained, keeping his eyes on the precarious drop the younger man was facing.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius was tentatively excited - this was his first step outside of Hogwarts, his first step into a career. It seemed impossible that it had come to this when just this time last year he was thinking about studies. Suddenly that was out the window and here he was in the real world - the real bush. Demetrius followed the man along trying to keep up. He wasn't the most adept at hiking, but he wasn't a stranger to it either. He had a feeling he'd slowly become more acquainted with it as he went along. They came to a slope, Demetrius cautioned. He watched the other man easily navigate the obstacle, Demetrius himself having to cling slightly to a neighbouring tree as he rather ungracefully made his way down, landing with a bit of a thump. "Thanks for the warning," Demetrius said honestly. He was just glad he hadn't landed face-first. "So how do the tracking tunnels work? Or should I ask you that once we get there?" Demetrius didn't want to come across as too eager, but he was curious about how all this worked.

 

[Ainsley Lynch]

Ainsley enjoyed a lovely cup of camomile tea safe and cosy at home

 

[William Kaimarama]

William didn't laugh at the younger man's scrambling descent, reminding himself this wasn't easy if you hadn't grown up doing it and being thankful he hadn't needed to pick him out of the mud. He hiked his pack higher on his shoulders before continuing on, carefully navigating across a slippery rock covered in moss and ferns. "Nah, it's not all that complicated. Muggle tech, actually." He explained, testing a fallen log up ahead and deeming it stable enough not to bother going around. "It's a tunnel with food in the middle, dye pads at each opening, and paper on the bottom. We'll be able to see the different tracks of the animals that pass through, and that'll tell us what's in the area, and where they're most densely concentrated. Muggles use them for dealing with things like rats and possums." He added, glancing back to make sure Demetrius was doing okay with the terrain.

 

[Demetrius Wagner]

Demetrius listened intently, but also focused on where his feet were going intently. It was a hard juggling act. He was grateful he'd worn the right shoes for this at least - his mother had insisted on getting proper hiking boots and she hadn't been wrong to do that. Still, he was a bit wobbly with the moss-covered rock but managed to keep his balance. "Oh, good," Demetrius said, "I actually prefer Muggle tech in some ways." Despite his Hogwarts education, Demetrius was still partial to the Muggle way of doing things. Demetrius struggled to keep up but also made the choice to take his try and take his time. He really didn't want to go tumbling into the mud. The log was next, and he once again traversed it with the grace of a baby giraffe, yet somehow made it across. "Not too far now, right?" Demetrius asked. He was getting a bit tired.

 

[William Kaimarama]

William kept his eyes on the younger man as he traversed the dangerous ground, glad that Demetrius didn't seem to need any help. It was so easy to forget how difficult this terrain could be without practice. "Yeah, me too, especially for stuff like this." He nodded, heading forwards again once he was certain Demetrius was on stable footing. "I try to limit my magic use a bit, just to avoid affecting anything nonmagical in the area. Not necessary or anything, but it's how I do things." He grinned, squeezing past a bush and being greeted by the welcome sight of a trail marker. "Besides, it's nice to just set all that stuff aside and be in the world as it is, you know?" He paused by the marker, tapping on the orange triangle. "DoC marker, we're nearly there." He grinned, leading Demetrius onto the marked path. It wasn't long before they came to a small clearing, flattened grasses and ash piles giving away that the campsite had been used recently. "This is us."