summer break.

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

It wasn't often Briar had much time off, especially time off when her little brother was home from his studies. today they had orgaised to meet up and spend a weekend camping. it was summer and she was feeling rather relaxed, the weather was nice and it was stil lthree weeks until the full moon she was on an up. she hd wanted to go for a hike in a larger muggle national park but Willow had recieved a toy broom for cristmas and she couldn't get her off it for long, and she knew she would have quite a few questions to answer at work if muggle hikers saw her flying along. instead she found a small wizarding campsite nestled in a valley in the wilds of the south island of new zealand. She apparated there a few essentials and toy broom in her hand, three year old in the other and a picnc on her back in a rucksack. she checked in and found a stretch of grass large enough for willow to fly and for her to set up camp, she would be staying here for a fortnight. after putting the bags down it was about three minutes before willow was hovering three foot in the air on the broom. she had figured out if you flew nearer trees the broom would go a little higher as it lost track of where the ground was, but if she flew in the open she could go faster. it was funny watching her fly in loops and circles. parts of her though she should get her own broom and take wills for a spin around the heavy woodland here.
It was funny it wasn't long until willow would be starting kindy. part of her was happy she wouldnt have to send her to childcare, and wilow will face challenges that she want going to give her. but part of her was a little nervous. what would willow say, what would the other students believe. my mum and dad are witches, my parents turn into dogs once a months and i get to stay with family. my favourite toy is a flying broomstick. the problem was willow was just as stubborn as she was, and if someone said to her that she was wrong she would refuse to give in. it was a good piece of woodland here, lots of recourses. to set up camp, after all there was only so many places she could camp in her own land without it being boring and after there and a half years spending a night out once a week she was getting close to the limit, maybe she would come here more often. she waved her wand summoning a messenger patronus. "we have got the campsite and are about to set up." she said keeping it short and sweet, messenger partonuses were hard to keep focused for too long. she nodded and the ghost wolf ran a lap of the grass being chased by a gleeful willow before vanishing in its own version of apparition.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas had read with a smile that invitation for a weekend camping he had received from his sister. He couldn't actually remember when was the last time he had met up with Briar and his goddaughter. It was a year now he was away from home, from New Zealand. He had shook the dust off his feet once he had left to study in Europe and if his mother and brothers hadn't travelled all the way to Austria to visit him, he probably wouldn't have seen them either. His zeal to destroy the Scitorari, had put him blinders to everything else that should be included in his life. He was so absorbed in understanding the secrets of elemental magic and alchemy and he had forgotten how exactly was to spend a day with a friend for a coffee or just have a Sunday morning walk with your girlfriend. He had spent several minutes at his room's desk in Austria, pondering whether to join Briar and her daughter or not. He crumpled up his initial, negative response and threw it to the bin before writing a new one, stating where the three of them were going to meet.

Unlike the southern hemisphere, they didn't have a summer break. Minoas left a cloudy Austria to get to a sunny Australia. Fortunately, the institute he was studying was allowing its students to leave its premises at weekends if they wanted to. Minoas first met the Cullens at their property in Wagga Wagga. The farm house hadn't changed from the last time he had been there but its residents did. His goddaughter was no longer a few months old baby but a three years old little girl who couldn't stop flying on her toy broom. He was glad to see that his sister was doing great with both motherhood and her career. She was helping people they were in need and he was secretly proud of her. Dederick wasn't going to join them at camp so Minoas promised to keep his wife and daughter safe. Those times when Briar was saving him from acromantulas were long gone. His now tall frame was hardly suggesting that he once needed to be saved by the young woman next to him. They were going to have enough time to reminisce about those times around a bonfire later that night.

When they reached the place they were going to camp, Minoas received ghastly flashbacks from the last time he went camping. He had camped along with his brothers and friends at a werewolf's territory during a full moon. Their camp got raided but thankfully in the end no one was harmed. Now he was going to camp with a werewolf but it was still five days until a full moon. He trusted Briar with all his heard that he could hardly imagine her as a blood-thirsty werewolf trying to kill him. He was soon drawn out of his thoughts when his goddaughter mounted her broom and started flying around the clearing the were going to camp. He remembered the toy broomstick he had when he was a child until he passed it to his younger brothers and snapped it at half in order to share it. He dropped his backpack on the ground and looked around them. "This is good." he said about the suitability of the location to set their tend. He smiled as he watched Willow enjoying herself. He tried to grab her as she zoomed towards him but she escaped with a giggle. he commented as the little girl flew towards the trees."I can see her playing Chaser for Gryffindor."

He looked at Briar who was casting a patronus, a ghostly wolf, to deliver a message to Dederick. Maybe he should have casted one himself, inform his family that he was actually in New Zealand and that he was going to visit them before leaving back to Europe. He could have done the same for Artemis. Maybe even invite her to join them as he had missed her a lot. But although he had flourished his wand, no patronus jumped out of it. Instead, he pointed it at his backpack and casted a summoning spell. Nothing came out of it. "Dammit, I forgot to bring my tend." he groaned after manually searching his backpack which was under the effect of an undetectable extension charm. At least he had brought with him his sleeping bag and the hammock. "Tell me you have brought one." he hoped. He had no problem to sleep under the stars in his sleeping bag but he would feel much better if his goddaughter was going to spend the night within a tend.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar could see willow loved her uncle and they were having fun together with minoas trying to catch her and her flying away. "yeah, i found it by chance, it is usually really quiet as magic people seem not to like camping, or prefer much more exotic locations" she said, after all, if you could go anywhere in the world in a second why would you pick the middle of nowhere, in the slightly damp south island of new zealand, well slightly damp most of the year, being mid summer it was less damp. she smiled as minoas went to grab wills again and she swerved out of the way laughing. As she felt a glow of pride when he said she could play chaser on the house team. " I hope so, though she would make a fair seeker or beater too" she said she had plaid broom catch with the girl the other day and she was getting good at catching though her aim in throwing was a little off. she reached into her bag and withdraw some food. it was then she saw minoas was looking for something too. and was a little disappointed when he realised he forgot his tent."A tent? what do you want one of those for?" she asked semi seriously, she didn't like tents. anyone want an apple before we set up"[/b] she said willow stopped and turned "yes" she shouted. briar smiled "ready to catch?" and at the sound of the girls yeah she gently threw it to her and the girl caught it. "good catch" she called as willow flew over to join her ad min eating their apples. what kind of shelter do you want? a big round one to share or a long one each?" she asked. most of the time on their camping trips they made long thin ones because they were quicker and easier but she was fairly sure willow would go for a large one if she got the chance. she felt like building a large one after all they would be staying here for a week and thus it was worth the effort, if people wanted small ones they could figure it out.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas scratched the stubble covering his chin and glanced at his sister evidently puzzled about what she had said. "Where exactly are we supposed to spend the night?" he questioned, gesturing at Willow. "I mean, I know you can practically sleep on a tree, you've done this before but wouldn't be safer if she was sleeping inside a tent?" he asked in a low voice so that Willow won't hear him. He wasn't judging Briar as a mother. She obviously had done a great job so far with her daughter. It was his unduly protectiveness towards his loved ones. He was going to turn into an overprotective father one day. Minoas was also aware of Briar's wild side. She loved the outdoors, she had practically grown up as a member of a centaur herd and perhaps she was forgetting that her daughter hadn't really her experiences. Though, he wouldn't be surprised if he was going to find out that little Willow was taught how to use a bow or if she currently had a knife hidden on her.

Minoas caught in the air the apple that Briar tossed at him and his face brightened with understanding. "A shelter. Right, that would do." he commented and took a bite from his apple. It seemed that mother and daughter had camped before because there were even options about the shelter's size and shape. Minoas looked down and exchanged a conspiatorial glance with the three years old. "I think we both prefer the big, round one. Right?" he glanced again at Willow who smiled in agreement and he nodded. "I've never made a shelter before. What we'll need?" he asked Briar, knowing that they would definately need some wood.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar had to chuckle when minos said that she could sleep in a tree, it was true she had done it in the past. "who says wilow hasnt slept in a tree before? she said. she was getting willow trained up on how to survive in the world, a skill she found far more useful than say letters, or numbers the kind of things mums were meant to teach their children. he could see minoas was concerned for her daughters safty. "you worry too much, Willow will be fine" she said eating her apple she was coming up with ideas for a super fancy hut, much more complex than her usual one. "one big one it is." she said. seeing they all seemed to like that idea. at minoas's question she reached into her bag nad reached a small saw out. "we need a couple of long straight branches. then we can cheat a little and duplicate them" she said passing him the saw. "and willow can you go with uncle minoas and find some coverings" she said passing the minoas a knife in a sheath and willow a bag. Willow then got up and ran off into the woods dragging minoas behind her. "okay min, ready for a look? she said wandering after the girl. aster a few minutes she saw a branch on a tree, what made it better was that it didn't look like the most alive branch so she wasn't hurting the tree too much. " she climbed up the tree expertly and cut the branch off. lowering it to the ground, before taking it to the clearing and finding another one. soon she had a couple of good branches and was starting to magically duplicate them with a wave of her wandbefore putting them into stacks.
Minoas and willow returned with piles of ferns and leafy branches. "good work guys" she said they had collected more than enough. "do you want to get the frame up before or after lunch?" she asked. sure her vision would work. hang on i can draw an outline " she said picking up a twig and drawing in the dirt a shape of a diamond then adding to it. the idea was sort of a single shelter, but larger and then two of them stuck together with bed platforms.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

The dumbfounded expression on his face was priceless after Briar's statement. "Of course she has slept on a tree before..." he sighed, accepting the fact that Willow was a smaller version of her mother. He shrugged off Briar's comment about worrying too much. Perhaps she was right and he had to relax and enjoy their time but he had this eerie feeling that someone was watching them and that they had been followed. Ever since he came across the Elementalists, he was vigilant about them. Those people knew when to strike. When you were least expecting it. Although she managed to make him calm down a bit, he still was on guarda and short glances were darted towards the tree lines. He was actually feeling exposed for camping in an open area like this but Briar knew better.

He finished his apple while listening carefully to what Briar needed in order to start building that shelter. He tossed the apple's core at some bushes before taking the saw and the knife. He let a soft snort and smirked but didn't debate whether he was going to use tools to get the resources they needed "Alright! Let's get down to work. Where we, oh! You already know? Cool. Show me the way." he let Willow guide him towards the woods as she seemed to have taken this initiative. The two of them vanished behind the emerald curtain of the woods and wandered for a couple of minutes until Willow found the leafy branches they needed. Minoas spotted the right candidate tree for the logs as well. "Don't say this to your mum. Let's use some magic." he said with a wink and dropped the saw and the knife down on the ground. He looked overhead at a long, straight branch, perfect for the kind of logs Briar requested. He raised his left hand and a split encircled the union between the branch and the tree's trunk. A crack noise and the branch snapped to fall down. Minoas used both hands to cast a spell and slow down the branch's fall. It landed softly on the ground. "I'm sure your mom chose the 'monkey approach'." he chuckled, already imagining Briar climbing up a tree to cut down a branch. He decided to heal the tree so he closed his eyes and focused. From his cupped hands, green sparks spiralled upwards and reached the flush cut which absorbed them. A brief green flash and a new branch sprawled out of the cut to bloom with new leaves. "Always give back what you take from mother nature." he led by example. He then gestured at Willow's pile of ferns and other leafy branches and everything along with the log, floated in the air. He summoned the saw back into his hand and the two of them returned back to the clearing.

Briar was already there waiting them with two logs. They both casted several Geminio Charms and in less than a minute, they had arrayed before them just enough logs to construct the shelter. "Let's start building it. Lunch can wait." he suggested. He had no idea how long it was going to take to finish it but it would be better to be done before sunset. "Interesting." he commented upon seeing Briar carving with a twig the diamond shape on the dirt. He charmed a few of his own logs to hover in the air and zoom into place within the tracks Briar had just drawn. "Okay, so now we have the diamond-shaped foundation. What's next?" he requested for further instruction from his sister.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

Briar chuckled as minoas' reaction to hearing Willow knew how to sleep in trees. she had a feeling if he ever became a dad he would be a lot less free with his parenthood, and a lot stricter on safty. growing up servival was all she knew, and where as minoas' family probably passed on greek myths and family legends the only thing she had to pass on was this. and after all you would never know when you would need it. before they went their own ways to collect the required materials.
eventually after a bit they were all back in the clearing and charming the branches to duplicate. "Good plan." she said at the idea of making shelter before lunch. as minoas started to arrange the outline of the shelter. she went to her bag and took some string out. before taking some of the thicker straighter branches and making a central pyramid before lashing them together. "Looking good." she said the very bare outline was starting to come together. "do you want to get some string to lash the bottom together? she asked using a knife to cut the string with enough for her to tie it off and passed it to minoas. once that bottom is together we can add the backbone then get lunch" she said. Willow was already somewhere trying to climb the pyramid. "Wills, don't climb, it isn't stable yet" she before the left start to slip apart and the pyramid started to capsize. falling on top of the girl. "OOWWWW" came the girls cry. it was hardly a second before briar was over there lifting the wood of the girl and lifting willow up with the other into a hug. "Shh" she said double checking that she wasn't actually injured at all. thankfully other than being a little winded she was fine. "maybe we should call it lunch time. she said carrying the girl over to where their bags were laying, putting her down on a soft piece of grass before reaching out some sandwiches. fruit, nuts out for them to eat. which willow dove straight into the nuts all thoughts of the falling forgotten in the prospect of food.

 

[Minoas Stratis]

Minoas had no clue how their shelter was going to look but as they progressed, it started resembling a miniature pyramid. He was following closely Briar's instructions and nodded as she gave him some rope to make their construction more stable. "We should also build a sphinx as well." he joked and started tying up some logs together. He paused to sweep the sheen of sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. Working without magic was something he wasn't used to after two years of doing almost everything with wandless telekinesis, but Briar wanted this to be done manually. Minoas could tell that she wanted for her daughter to know how to do the basics without the use of magic.

He suddenly noticed Willow climbing up the wooden pyramid. His heart skipped a beat when the structure collapsed and the little girl disappeared under a pile of wood. While he remained frozen, struck by astonishment, Briar's maternal instincts were triggered immediately and in no time she was at the pile getting her out. Minoas approached as well and noticed the teary eyes. Willow pursed her lips and tried not to let them roll down her cheeks. "It's okay. We'll make a better one. This one was going to fall apart anyway." he tried to comfort her and make her feel better. He wasn't sure if she was going to cry because she was hurt or for undoing their progress but his words seemed to work and she held in her tears.

Briar suggested they should have a break for lunch and this time Minoas agreed. "Okay." he nodded and had a seat on one of the biggest logs, serving as an extemporaneous bench."But I'll provide for dinner." he proclaimed categorically when he saw the food supplies she had brought with them. He wanted to provide too, especially now that he was better than her in hunting. A few minutes later, the three of them had settled down around the spot where they were going to have a fire burning after sunset. Minoas was given a sandwich along with another apple and a handful of walnuts and almonds. "I've heard you've been doing a great job at the Ministry." he started by choosing the career topic. It was admirable how someone so untamed like his sister was actually a Ministry worker, working in an office. "How many incidents you have per day?" he asked and took a mouthful from the sandwich. By incidents he meant werewolves needing help or causing trouble. Of course there were two different sides of the same coin. Most people were thinking of werewolves as evil or extremely dangerous, ignoring the fact that all of them are wizards and witches like them but just bitten and forced to undergo a transformation every once in a full moon. He could imagine how confusing and hard would be for someone recently bitten to get used to their new life with all the misinformation out there.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

briar rolled her eyes when minoas said that that one was going to fall down anyway. "What are you making a collapsible shelter for min?" she teased. she knew he was just saying it to make willow feel better, but she knew the firl would be fine, she was three and a half now, and full of energy. she felt her stomach grumble as the handed wills her food and was glad to begin eating her own. new moon meant her metabolism was at its peak, the part of the month when she was always hungary.
at minoas's offer of getting dinner she smiled. I already have half a dozen snares set up around here so we should have at least something"[/b]she said.
As they ate she clearing was quiet other than the sound of chewing, and birdsong. this quiet didn't last long, as soon minoas was asking her about work. "I've been going pretty well" she said as modest as always as her bother said she seemed to be going well, and asked how many cases she usually got. "we don't get to many, most of it is ensuring the previous clients are doing well, and heaps of boring clerical work, and meetings which aren't to bad, as i often get things achieved." she said. it was her goal to get werewolf rights equal to other wizards, and that required a lot of preservation and persuasion. "how is your school going? enjoying it? she asked wondering how his life was going on the other side of the world in the french alps.

 

[Briar Rowan-Cullen]

briar rolled her eyes when minoas said that that one was going to fall down anyway. "What are you making a collapsible shelter for min?" she teased. she knew he was just saying it to make willow feel better, but she knew the firl would be fine, she was three and a half now, and full of energy. she felt her stomach grumble as the handed wills her food and was glad to begin eating her own. new moon meant her metabolism was at its peak, the part of the month when she was always hungary.
at minoas's offer of getting dinner she smiled. I already have half a dozen snares set up around here so we should have at least something"[/b]she said.
As they ate she clearing was quiet other than the sound of chewing, and birdsong. this quiet didn't last long, as soon minoas was asking her about work. "I've been going pretty well" she said as modest as always as her bother said she seemed to be going well, and asked how many cases she usually got. "we don't get to many, most of it is ensuring the previous clients are doing well, and heaps of boring clerical work, and meetings which aren't to bad, as i often get things achieved." she said. it was her goal to get werewolf rights equal to other wizards, and that required a lot of preservation and persuasion. "how is your school going? enjoying it? she asked wondering how his life was going on the other side of the world in the french alps.