Closed Sunny Days, Cold Feet

[Isaiah Thompson]

Isaiah had been to the forest multiple times after his first run in with Aspen and he wouldn't have been himself if he had continued to brag about that meeting to his friends ever since. In all honesty, it was pretty much the coolest thing he had experiences at the school so far. At least one he could talk about. His frog prank during the previous semester had been excellent in his own opinion and he had been dropping subtle hints around the hallways that he had been responsible for it, but he couldn't exactly go shouting that around. Not like how openly he could talk about meeting a centaur. In fact, he had brought the subject up so many times that he had somehow convinced Wes to head to the forest with him. Something he hadn't really expected before. Surely, they weren't exactly in the forest yet but just heading there was already feeling like a win. At least the idea was there. "So y'know, I figure since I already met a centaur once it'll be easier this time around. Like if she's there I'm sure she'll recognize me, because who could forget this face." He grinned. "Or if we run into another centaur we can just say that we know Aspen." He explained to Wes as they were walking the grounds towards the forest, quite keen to hear what his friend was thinking about it all. He was interested enough to walk with him so far though, so Zay hoped that if he just continued talking about centaurs Wes wouldn't even notice when he actually stepped into the forest. And once he was in he couldn't possibly back out anymore.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston had always loved stories about magical monsters. When he was younger, he used to stare out at Auckland Harbour, imagining all the mythical creatures that lurked below. But he had never thought he would get to actually meet one. After all, they were dangerous. That all changed when he and Indi found the man-eating eel last semester. Though the experience had nearly killed Weston, it had also emboldened him. If he could survive meeting the eel, maybe he could also meet other magical creatures.

So when Zay said he could show him a centaur, Weston had agreed to follow him to the Forbidden Forest. He had listened to Zay's stories with some jealousy for over a year now, and he wanted to see one himself. That didn't mean he wasn't nervous, however. The Forbidden Forest was unsafe, and entering it was against the rules. But maybe if he could just stand at the very edge, he would be fine.

Weston was so preoccupied with thoughts of getting attacked that he had a hard time concentrating on what Zay was saying. "What? Uh, yeah," he said, forcing a laugh since Zay was grinning as if he'd told a joke. He nodded uncertainly at his friend's next statement. "The other centaurs are going to be just as nice as Aspen, right? These aren't the kinds of centaurs that are wild and try to trample people to death... right?" He couldn't quite recall what his mum had said about the creatures, but he could definitely remember all the violent Greek myths his dad had shared.

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

Even though Isaiah wasn't sure whether they would actually run into a centaur today he still felt like actually getting Wes into the forest would be a huge achievement on its own. He squinted his eyes at his friends for a second when it seemed like he hadn't fully been paying attention to what he was saying but decided to brush it off. Zay grinned when Wes asked about the centaurs and mentioned trampling people to death. He hadn't thought about that before, but surely it would be bad taste to have agressive centaurs in the forest right next to a castle filled with teenagers. Although perhaps there were specific reasons as to why they called it the forbidden forest. "Nah, dude." He laughed, slightly shaking his head at Wes's words. "I reckon they're totally fine. And if they're not we could definitely take them on. Or just like, yell, really loud and I'm sure someone'll show up." He added jokingly.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Though Zay seemed really confident about this, all Weston could think of was the pictures of vicious centaurs in his dad's Greek mythology books. He couldn't remember what actual centaurs in the magical world looked like. "So they don't all carry bows and arrows?" he asked dubiously. He withdrew his wand and considered it. Even with the shield charm in his arsenal, Weston wasn't sure he could take on a centaur shooting arrows at him. At Zay's second suggestion, he glanced around. All he could see were trees and grass. The castle was in the distance, but he was pretty sure their voices wouldn't carry that far. "Zay, there's no one here." Which was kind of the point. Entering the Forbidden Forest was against the rules, so they'd planned their little trip so that no one would see them. But the thought of screaming for help only for no one to show up was unnerving to say the least. "Do you think if we stood at the edge and called out to Aspen, she would show up?" They were fast approaching the edge of the forest, and he was starting to have serious doubts about this. Was it just him, or were the trees taller and more menacing than usual?

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

Isaiah frowned at Wes' words, wondering where he had gotten those ideas from. Had it been another one of his classes in which he had not been paying attention? He couldn't remember being shown any images of murderous centaurs anywhere but it almost sounded as if his friend had. He sounded nervous about something. "Nah dude, I bet they're all just peachy." He responded with a shrug, trying to play it off in an attempt to get his friend to relax a little. Especially since they were so close now. If he could just keep Wes from freaking out a little longer he might just be able to actually get him into the forest. "Well then at least we won't get caught." Zay laughed and gave Wes a pat on his back. Surely if something went wrong and they'd yell there'd be five professors around them within a few seconds. There had to be. They would be perfectly safe, no doubt about it. "Don't think so bro." He shook his head at Wes' idea of calling out. "I mean they live inside the forest for a reason. No centaur is just going to just wander to the edge because we're calling out to them. "

 

[Weston Stirling]

With each step, Weston added more and more frightening details to his mental image of a centaur. Right now that mental image looked a lot like a cross between a giant and a hippogriff. So he was taken aback when Zay said centaurs didn't carry bows and arrows. "Wait, really?" Weston tried to remind himself that Zay had actually seen one in real life, and he'd survived to tell the tale. He needed to trust his friend.

"We're going to be in so much trouble if we get caught," he muttered, mostly to himself. Weston had never gotten in trouble before. Not intentionally, at least. His fear of the centaurs had given way to a fear of the forest itself and possibly getting in trouble. They were now just steps away from entering the forest, and Weston stopped instinctively. "So I guess now we just go in, right? We just walk right in," he said, trying to will his legs to follow the words he was saying aloud. Unfortunately they remained frozen. Things would be so much easier if they could just lure the centaurs out.

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

Isaiah was trying to keep his friend from chickening out, but with every question Wes was asking he was feeling more and more like the boy was getting cold feet. "Yeah, bro, really." He said. "Or did you forget I actually met one? The others will be cool too, for sure." He added, a little bit more encouragingly. Sure, he didn't know whether all centaurs would be as chill as the one he had met was but he didn't think they'd be carrying weapons around. Or maybe they were and maybe that was the exact reason why the forest was off limits to students. Who knew. Only one way to find out.

"You see the thing is," Zay grinned, putting up a finger for emphasis. "We won't get caught. Easy as that. You're with an experience expert after all, I didn't get caught last time and I'm not planning on getting caught this time." He added. A little boasting never hurt anyone, right? Zay reluctantly stopped walking when Wes did, trying to hide his disappointment at the fact that he couldn't just get his friend to walk in without thinking about it. "We do." He nodded before taking a few steps forward to cross the treeline and then a few more just to add to the idea of being in the forest. "See? Piece of cake. I promise there's nothing here that'll want to, like, hurt you or something. It's all good." He grinned, expectantly looking at Wes from between the trees. He was so close and yet Zay was starting to doubt whether his friend would actually follow suit.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston wasn't sure how he felt about Zay calling himself an "experienced expert" in not getting caught. That implied he'd broken a lot of rules before, and breaking the rules was, well, against the rules. What had started out as a simple quest to go see a centaur was quickly turning into a complicated moral dilemma that Weston didn't think he could untangle. He chewed on his lip as he watched Zay enter the forest. After a long moment, he nodded. "Okay." He trusted Zay, and if Zay promised there was nothing dangerous in there, then Weston believed him.

As soon as he stepped into the forest, his heartbeat tripled. Staying away from the Forbidden Forest was basically the most important rule at Hogwarts, and here they were, violating it. Weston took a couple more steps before glancing backward. Even though they were just a few meters inside the forest, he could barely see the Hogwarts grounds through the thick brush. Eyes wide, Weston stopped. "Zay, I... I really don't think we should do this. There aren't any trails. We could get lost." He had a sudden, horrible vision of himself roaming the forest for weeks before dramatically dying of starvation. "We should go back," he said, already taking a few steps backward. "It's not safe. We can try calling for the centaurs closer to the edge."

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

Isaiah didn't scare easy, nor was he one to think breaking a few school rules was a terrible thing but as their conversation continued it was becoming more and more obvious that Wes wasn't as easy going as he was. He seemed far more concerned about a lot of different factors Zay hadn't even considered. Or didn't want to consider. Like getting into trouble. There was no way he was going to get caught if he played his cards right.

He was glad Wes seemed to trust him enough by stepping into the forest. Maybe this would work out. Maybe he could really get his friend into the forest on the hunt for some centaurs. His optimism was easily broken when Wes spoke up again though. "Dude, that's just part of the adventure." He responded to his friend's worries. With the forest right next to the school there was no way it could truly be dangerous. If it was, they should've just built a fence around it or whatever. Do something more to keep students out instead of just saying 'don't'. "C'mon it's totally fine!" Zay responded in a final attempt to get his friend to stop worrying. "But y'know, if you don't want to find a centaur that's fine. I'll just continue on my own, no worries." He added with a shrug. Sure, having his friend tag along in his little adventure would be even more fun but he didn't mind doing it on his own either. Especially if it meant he'd have another thing to brag about later on. If he really did come across something, that was.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Objectively, Weston knew Zay was right. There were no trails in the adventure stories he loved. The heroes in those tales forged their own paths. But this was not a story, and he was not a hero. "How are we going to find our way back if there aren't any trails to follow? We could get stuck out here forever." Every direction looked the same. It was just trees, trees, and more trees. If it weren't for the tiny glimpse of the castle through the brush behind them, he wouldn't have been able to tell which direction was which.

Weston started to relax when Zay it was fine that he didn't want to find the centaur. But the Gryffindor's next sentence was almost more concerning. "Wait, no, you shouldn't go alone. What if you get lost? Or something attacks you?" Weston didn't want to get lost or eaten in the woods, and he definitely didn't want his friend to either. He hadn't brought up his concerns to get Zay to let him off the hook. He'd brought them up so that Zay would realize what a bad idea this was for both of them. "Let's just stay here and call for them," he pleaded.

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

Isaiah gave a small shrug at Wes' question, even if he knew that likely wouldn't be encouraging to his friend. Not in the slightest. "Dude, we're at school. I reckon they'll notice if two kids go missing." He said jokingly. It was likely the truth though. Even with so many other students at the school having two kids not show up for multiple classes had to be noticed. If they even got lost. Which they wouldn't. "Which we won't." He emphasized, just to be clear. "Plus, there's plenty of things we could do to keep track of where we came from. Like, uh, I don't know leave a trail or something. Surely there's some spell we could use." He added with another shrug.

Zay let out a soft chuckle when his friend said he shouldn't go alone. "Wes, I'm touched you care about me but I'll be fine." He said confidently and perhaps a little cocky. It was hard not to though, especially since he was so confidence everything would be fine. If Wes wanted to worry about getting lost or being eaten by some sort of creature or what not he could, but Zay wasn't going to join his friend in sitting hopelessly at the edge of the forest. "Like I said, bro, I'm sure there's a reason they live all the way inside the forest. I guarantee you calling for them isn't going to work." He reasoned as he took a few more steps further into the forest, looking back to his friend with a grin. "Now are you coming or not? Final answer."

 

[Weston Stirling]

"Missing?" he repeated, aghast. The idea of going missing was terrifying. Weston had heard enough true crime stories to know that people who went missing were rarely found. And if they were, it was dead in a ditch. His imagination was working in overdrive to conjure increasingly frightening scenarios with details plucked from all the macabre stories he had once enjoyed. Zay's idea to create a trail was not reassuring, and not just because he didn't seem to know a spell for it. "What if the trail we create just leads some monster to us?" It was clear that Weston was spiraling.

He couldn't understand why Zay seemed so confident about this. They were in a forbidden forest with no way of navigating. And that didn't even touch on all the dangerous creatures that could be lurking in there. Sure, maybe centaurs were friendly, but what if there were dragons or acromantula? "Let's just give it a try," he urged. "HEY! CENTAURS! ASPEN! ARE YOU OUT THERE?" Silence. "Maybe we just need to try again," he rambled, hoping to keep Zay there. But his friend was continuing to back away. "Zay, I really don't think you should go alone."

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

Isaiah mentally slapped himself when his own words had made Wes even more insecure about heading further into the forest, even when he clearly emphasized that they wouldn't get lost. By now, he had lost almost all confidence that he was going to get his friend into the forest. Dude did not do well with the possibility of something scary. To him, that was exciting. Adventurous. To Wes, it seemed like the worst idea on the planet. "I mean I could tell you it won't but I'm pretty sure by now you don't believe me." Zay said, already having given up on getting his friend to go with him.

What bothered him slightly was that he wouldn't let him go on his own either. Sure, they were friends and he guessed it was a good thing that Wes wanted to look out for him but he would be fine. Completely fine. There was no need to worry at all. "Dude." Zay groaned when the other boy loudly called for the centaurs. If they had been anywhere close then surely they would head off right about now. Which would increase the difficulty of finding them. "And I appreciate that," He said with a little nod. "But I'm still going. You just go hang out inside or something, I'll just update you on what I found later."

 

[Weston Stirling]

Even Weston could tell Zay was growing frustrated. "I'm sure they'll come out soon. We just need to wait a bit," he argued weakly. He really did not want his friend to be upset. But he also really did not want his friend to get hurt. Plus, this was just wrong. They shouldn't even be in the forest in the first place. It was called forbidden for a reason, and it was the one rule that the headmistress made sure to mention every year at the welcome feast.

But the thought of his best friend being annoyed with him was equally upsetting, and it was for this reason that Weston finally relented. "Okay," he said with a small nod. He watched miserably as Zay disappeared further into the forest. Fifteen minutes. He'd give Zay fifteen minutes to find a centaur and get out before he called for help. For the next few minutes, Weston stood rooted to the spot, peering into the depths of the forest as his heart beat faster with each passing second. After what felt like an eternity (but in reality was likely just a few minutes), he called out softly, "Zay?" Nothing. "ZAY!" There was no response.

A chill ran up Weston's spine. Something was wrong. Zay was probably lost. Or hurt. Or dead. He needed to find a professor now. Weston blindly charged out of the forest, head swiveling as he frantically tried to find an adult or a prefect. "HELP! I need help!"

((godmod approved))

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Professor Kingsley usually appreciated the days when she had the chance to patrol outdoors. Sometimes it was the only opportunity she took to get outside of the castle's four walls. On this day, she was feeling not her best, news that her son had injured himself in his Auror training have reached her just before her patrols began. It had been too late to find a substitute, and the outdoor patrols were important to prevent children from entering the forest. They were always so darn curious.

The noises of the night were not unfamiliar but on a day like today, when she was distracted, they were unsettling. She continued on, hoping to be more presenf, but going over the message from her son once more. He'd sent a letter, of course, to avoid an interrogation. Professor Kingsley heard the sounds of wood cracking, and she turned her head in time to see a figure racing her way, the cries for help following. The woman lifted her wand, casting a quick spell to shed some more light on the grounds ahead of her. She sped up to meet the student in the middle. "Are you hurt? What is it?" she asked in a hurried tone. She didn't see any blood but that didn't mean much.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Fortunately, a professor appeared almost immediately. Weston knew that every second counted, and he ran to meet her. Unfortunately, he had never been very athletic, and the exertion from running — combined with the fear that his friend was in danger — left him out of breath. For a few seconds, he couldn't say anything, and he just shook his head frantically. "No... Not hurt... Zay..." he gasped in between breaths. He had to gulp in a couple more lungfuls of air before he could speak again. His heart was still hammering, and the story came out in a tumbled mess. "Zay's in the forest! We went in there to see the centaurs and he wanted to go in deeper and actually find them but I didn't want to so he went by himself but it's been forever and he hasn't come back yet and he didn't have a map or anything so he could be lost or hurt and we have to go find him now before a monster finds him." He was already starting to turn back toward the forest, intent on showing Professor Kingsley where he'd last seen his friend.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Professor Kingsley was happy that the student in front of her wasn't hurt, but the story she was hearing was disturbing. She didn't know who 'Zay' was but it was obvious they needed help. She'd deal with them being out of bounds later. "Show me where you saw him last " she stated as the boy had already turned to do just that. The woman kept her wand aloft, lumos adding some light as they headed into the forest.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston nodded, relieved that Professor Kingsley didn't have any further questions. His mind was racing, and he wasn't sure he could explain things any more clearly. He turned and hurried toward the spot where he and Zay had entered the forest. The woods wasn't nearly as scary now that he had a professor with him. If any dangerous creatures appeared, he assumed Professor Kingsley could protect them. Weston stopped at a spot just inside the forest. "It was here," he said, gesturing vaguely at the surrounding brush. "At least I think it was," he added, now suddenly filled with doubt. All the trees looked the same. "And then I think he went in that direction," he pointed deeper towards the woods. "He's... he's going to be okay, right? You'll be able to find him?" he asked, worry creeping into his voice. The forest was big and Zay had been gone for a while now, but surely, Professor Kingsley would able to find him. After all, she was a professor.

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

I figured this was as good a time as any to throw this sneaky boy back in

Isaiah had been wandering the forest for a while now, getting more and more disappointed with every step he took. It hadn't taken him a lot of effort to find something interesting last time, but this time around it almost seemed like the forest was completely empty. Which it couldn't be. It wasn't. He knew that it wasn't. Which made not finding anything all the more disappointing. Zay had decided to slowly make his way back to what he believed was the edge of the forest when he suddenly noticed voices after a little while. For a second he hoped it was centaurs, that he would be able to meet another one, but he quickly realized it wasn't centaurs. It wasn't even another creature. It was way worse than that. An adult. A professor. That's what it looked like from where he was standing after all and he made sure to quickly hide behind the closest tree, carefully peaking around it in an attempt to figure out who was heading his way.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

At least they hadn't gotten too far into the forest. The professor looked around, not seeing or hearing anything besides them and the odd crackle and snap of the forest. She saw the direction that the teen pointed towards. It was a path she used on occasion to grab branches for runes. She turned in the direction of the teen, the worry clear in his words. "I'm sure your friend will be fine...but we should find him soon" she added. The later it got, the more that the creatures of the forest would stir and stretch their legs. Some would be in search of a meal, surely. She forced a smile before turning again. She thought she caught a glimpse of something, but she could barely see beyond her light. "You said his name was Zay, right?" If she didn't find him soon, she'd have to raise an alarm and seek out more help from her colleagues. The woman took a few steps deeper into the forest. "Zay...if you can hear me...it's time to come back. Come towards my voice" she called out.

 

[Weston Stirling]

Weston took a deep breath, trying to focus on Professor Kingsley's words of assurance. He had to remind himself that the professor knew magic, advanced magic, that he did not. There was probably some sort of spell that would let her find Zay immediately. Speaking of spells... Weston wondered if he could just accio Zay to them. He was about to suggest this brilliant idea when Professor Kingsley asked him a question. "Yeah, that's his name," he said, nodding. Weston's mind was racing, and all the adrenaline had made him forget that Professor Kingsley might know his friend by his real name. Weston stared into the forest, tentatively following the professor. He didn't want to go deeper into the forest, but he definitely didn't want to be left alone. "ZAY!" he called. "ZAY, ARE YOU THERE?"

 

[Isaiah Thompson]

Isaiah tried his best to keep himself hidden behind the tree when the figure got closer. Or figures, he now noticed when he heard what sounded to be snippets of a conversation. He flinched when the light came his way, making himself as small as he could when he heard someone mentioned his name. That voice. He recognized that voice. Zay's heart dropped when he realized it was his head of house out there, looking for him and so close to finding him. Boy, would he be in trouble. As stubborn as he was he knew the gist was up. With the professor so closeby he was sure it was only a matter of seconds before she realized he was right there. "No thanks, I'm good right here!" He called out when she called for him to come back, wondering if there was still a way for him to get out of trouble. His heart sunk even deeper when the other voice spoke up again and he recognized that one as well. Wes. His friend. Or supposedly so. Zay could feel the irritation grow as his mind started to link the pieces together and in an impulse reaction he appeared from behind the tree that had hid him so well. "Dude! You ratted me out? What kind of friend are you?" He had known Wes had been worrying, but he didn't think his worries had been reasonable and he certainly hadn't expected one of his best friends to tell on him. Get him in trouble.