Welcome to your first assignment. As you spend this weekend in the forest remember that you will be tested on your determination, creativity, and leadership skills. By that I do not mean that you will be bossing each other around. But rather than you take advantage of your strengths. I've paired you based on what you've shown so far, and I hope you don't disappoint me.

You will not have your wand with you to protect you. The reason I do this is because field work is hard, and you won't always have your wand to make it easier. Quite the opposite, often times it can be a hindrance. But despite not having your wand, you will have the items as followed:

- One tent each: You will be expected to build the tent with the instructions given. (I've charmed the tents to be warm inside to spare you some inconvenience).
-One sleeping bag each: To keep you warm during the winter nights.
-One canteen of water : Be smart about using it. It will not refill, you will be asked to look for water on your own.
- One map to share. The map locates places that have fresh water, as well as some places where I've hidden extra cans of food for your group. Most importantly it has the location where we will meet up on Sunday. It's a long trek so remember to not get lost. As I said there are limited cans for you to share, and I would suggest being smart about portioning them out if you don't take the option of looking for them.
-Swiss Army Knife: used for multiple ways, such as opening cans, to sharpening objects.
-One box of matches: Surprise! I took pity on each and everyone of of you and gave you a box of matches to use. Be smart about it and don't get them wet.

Here are some suggestions. Pick a high ground before setting up a sleeping area. Remove the snow if you can, or cover the ground to prevent yourself from feeling too much chill. Travel by daylight, before the night falls make sure to have a fire going. And communicate with one another, communication is key.

Lastly, I want you to remember that if at any part of this experience you feel uncomfortable, unsafe and wish to go back home, send a flare into the sky and I will come and get you.

Good luck.

-Dorian Ashworth

OOC: You will be posting below about your experience during the weekend. It is expected that it will be two nights in the woods (Friday night and Saturday night), with Sunday afternoon/evening [depending on your group] to meet up and start lesson 3. You have till the end of the month IRL to finish this topic. If I see that more than one group needs and extension, this will continue on till lesson 3. PM me with any questions or if you see me in the cb, feel free to. Don't godmod, and try to be as realistic as possible. Thanks.

Airen looked to Christian, remembering him from a couple of their lessons together. He seemed to be a pretty quiet guy, similar to Airen, so they shouldn't have much trouble getting along. Airen sent him a small smile, showing a bit of friendliness. He didn't want to seem like a cold person. Inclining his head toward their pile of supplies, he said to Christian, "Shall we?"

Airen knelt by the supplies, and gathered the tents and managing to also get one of the sleeping bags. The rest was easy enough for one person to get. Looking deep into the woods, Airen turned to his partner.

"You ready, Christian?"

When the names were listed off, Christian was thankful that he'd been paired with another guy. Not that he had anything against witches, because he really didn't. He just wasn't really in the mood to deal with someone being uncomfortable around him. Back in Hogwarts, he could have charmed them easily, but with the wit and grace that was still respectful. Now, well, he'd just rather keep his distance.

Looking around as the others paired off, he didn't have to look far. The boy next to him turned to him, and he recognized him from other classes. Before now, he hadn't learned many names. Time to start, he figured.

"Yeah, definitely." He let Airen lead the way to their pile, and gathered the items that he couldn't grab. While Christian was the more naturally solid of the pair, he would never stop someone for pulling their weight, so to speak.

He followed the other boy's line of sight into the uncharted woods. It had only been a few weeks since he'd gotten onto campus, a late addition to the academy, so he didn't know this forest at all. Pulling out the map, as he stuffed other odds and ends in his jacket, he took a moment to look around and find their position. He'd been hunting before, with his parents. Most muggles were so reliant on technology, but he'd been taught old school.

"If we head west, we'll find a steam a little ways. There's a few hills past that where we can maybe find a place to set up." While the map wasn't truely topographical, it had a few markings here and there that helped. Not far from the hills were a few markings for food, if he was reading it correctly. And since everyone else seemed to be going in different directions, they'd have a good chance at finding them.

Keeping the map out, he lead them off into the thick forest. This way, he could brush aside anything that would hinder Airen, what with the tents and all that. It didn't take them long to reach the river. He paused, not sure how the other boy was holding up.

"So, I've been muggle camping before, with my dad. A bit of this is old hat for me. What about you?" Since they'd be together for over a day, he figured a bit of chatting wouldn't hurt.

Airen listened as Christian interpreted the map and established a general direction for them to take. Agreeing with his partner, the pair set off in the direction of the stream. The trip was actually kind of peaceful. The terrain was uneven as expected, but Airen was an agile young man, even if labored with the weight of both tents. The cold wasn't too bad either.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at the stream. It was a steady flow of water that had a small drop into the current from the land, no more than mid-thigh in height at some of the tallest drop offs. Some areas were far more gentle in their descent into the stream. Those places would be best to gather the water.

After marking the area in his memory, Airen kept following Christian as he led the way. Upon arriving in the hilled area, Airen walked atop one of the hills and set the tents on a rock after he had cleared the snow from it. Leaning on the piece of stone, Airen crossed his arms and waited for Christian at the top.

Looking around, Airen saw a few places that seemed ideal enough for at least one night of stay. Granted the snow made some places less ideal than others, but over all, the area had promise. Pointing out one of the more ideal spots that was also next to an already fair amount of kindling and fuel for fires, Airen turned to his partner. "Over there seem like a good place to set up?"

"Not my first endeavor either," Airen replied to Christian's inquiry. "Got any favorite places you guys like to go to?" he added, keeping conversation going.