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.

Nodding at Amerix took the knife, Brooke smiled a little more. In all honestly, if she had been the one to take it, she couldn't have ensured her safety - or the safety of the other witch. While she was quite sure she would be fine using it if and when the time came, to actually carry it on her constantly would be... not the smartest thing to do. Of course, she said nothing aloud, not wanting to worry her partner, if it had been Joe or Cassana they would already be joking around about losing a finger or something like that, but Brooke didn't know Amerix well enough to be making these sort of statements, even if she didn't mean them seriously.

And, in any case, she was thankful that it wasn't either of her two closest friends that she was partnered with - while a weekend in the woods sounded like a fantastic idea, without their wands to assist them, she was fairly certain they would end up, well, doing what they'd did best... Which usually involved being clumsy. What with pocket knives and flares and matches... Why, if she had been put with Cassana or Joe, they would either end up severely injured or burn down the entire forest!

"Awesome! This makes things easier, then," she commented happily, also grabbing her items. "I go camping with my dad, too. It's his idea of father daughter time. There's a place near our house - well, on our property, to be exact - and sometimes when he's not too busy we spend a night or two there. Always with our wands, though, although as a Muggle-born, he teaches me some of the things he did with his dad." She paused, chuckling a little. "Usually, though, my family spends our weekends in the treehouse - we built that by hand, dad, Tristan, and me. It's magically charmed on the inside, though, so I doubt that experience would help me much today!"

Shrugging lightly, she nodded at the suggestion. "Yes, that sounds perfect! We'll find a place to camp, build a fire, and pitch our tents. We should have enough food for two or three meals, and I uh, have a small bottle of water with me, although not a lot. If we have time, we can plan for our trip tomorrow. That sound good?"

Looking over over the map, she frowned in thought for a few moments, making sure there was enough space for Amerix to also see it. A few moments later, she pointed to a space a short distance from where they were. "I'm not the best at reading maps, but this looks to be about half an hours walk, and shouldn't take too long. I mean, you said you have experience with trekking, right?" Turning her head to smile at the other witch, Brooke put the map in her hands and walked to the rest of the items. Unfolding her sleeping bag, she stuffed the cans of food inside, before rolling it back up and tying it firmly.

Hoisting it onto her back, she motioned towards the forest. "Shall we? I can keep the map if you want me to?" she asked, impatient to start. They needed all the rest they could get for the next day, that she was sure of.

Weariness was beginning to set in Amerix’s limbs, especially her legs. She’d been walking together with Brooke for a couple of hours now and she could feel herself start to perspire a little from the exertion even though it was winter. Her tent and sleeping bag were weighing heavy on her shoulders and she was sure they would be aching come nightfall. Although she wasn’t the fittest of girls, she did do regular jogs so her stamina was good but her muscles were starting to complain. As well as her stomach.

As they reached the clearing, Amerix patted her pocket to ensure that she still had the Swiss knife and box of matches with her and smiled when she felt the bulge in them. She spotted a cave that would shelter them from the wind and directed Brooke towards it. They could build a fire, have some lunch, rest a while and continue on. The thought of rest and food (even if it was just tuna, sardines, soup, baked beans and the like) spurred her feet on toward the cave. It’s entrance was partially hidden by bushes and a few branches so Amerix pushed them aside. Her eyes were greeted by darkness but she could tell that it was a spacious cave. It smelled terrible though and Amerix wrinkled her nose.

She reached into her pocket, intending to strike a match so it would at least give her a glimpse of what was inside. The small flame brought into view a patch of fur, a pair of ears, sharp teeth and a pair of tiny beady eyes. She stood paralysed at the sight as the creature heaved its large brown body up on four legs, its jaw open, its eyes staring at her. The burning of fire on her fingers snapped her to her senses and she screamed out to Brooke, “Run, Brooke! Bear!”

Fear and adrenaline pumped through her veins, lending strength and speed to her weary legs. She didn’t look back but kept her attention straight ahead hoping that Brooke was right behind her and that the bear wasn’t chasing them. Trees whipped past her the low branches scratching her cheeks and drawing blood. She kept running, her feet churning up the snow until nothing but silence greeted her ears. And then she stopped, panting heavily as the sound of rushing blood filling her ears. Good news: the bear wasn’t anywhere in sight. Bad news: Brooke was also nowhere in sight.

“Brooke?” Amerix called out tentatively. When she received no answer, she called out louder. “Brooke? Brooke!”

Amerix turned round and round trying to see if she could spot the other girl. There was nothing but trees, nothing but silence. Her heart filled with a different kind of fear. Besides being alone, she was lost. She didn’t have the map with her and she didn’t know where she was.

Don’t panic, Amerix. Think. Use your brain. They must have separated unintentionally when they ran from the bear. She was sure that she heard footsteps following her for a short while meaning that Brooke also ran. How did they get separated? No, that was not the question to ask. First, she had to figure out where she was and find the other girl. The river! That was where they agreed to meet if they ever got separated. Amerix thanked Merlin that they had discussed that. Now, all she had to do was figure out which direction to go.

She closed her eyes and tried to picture the map in her head. If only I had photographic memory. Concentrating all her energy on picturing the map, she felt relieved when she vaguely saw the line of the river, then where they were the night before and the direction they were heading in. Biting her bottom lip, she tried to tangent out the possible direction she had run but it was fruitless. She didn’t know which direction was north, south, east or west but she did know the river flowed south. Sighing, she opened her eyes again trying to push down the rising panic. Panicking will not help you at all. She tried using her ears to see is she was anywhere near the river but all she heard were birds cheerfully twitting away and the occasional rustle of leaves as the breeze whistled through the trees.

She wracked her brain trying to think of means to determine where she was. She could wait for the sun to set. That would tell her where west was but it would take way too long and it would be dangerous to make her way through the woods at night. Not to mention her water supply was running low. She had to start now if she wanted to reach the river before dark. She glanced around, not really knowing what she was looking for. Her eyes roved over the leaves, twigs and branches scattered around. Wait. Branches It clicked in her mind. She could use the branches and get her direction from the shadow the sun cast using the method her dad taught her.

Amerix rejoiced when she found a long straight branch. She stuck it into the ground and marked the point of the shadow with a small stone. She waited with bated breath and watched until the shadow moved about eight inches. She marked the new tip with another stone and drew a line in the snow straight through both marks. That was the east-west line. Standing with the first stone on her left and the second stone on her right, she stared straight at what would be north. She grinned. Thanks, dad!

Closing her eyes yet again, she pictured the path of the river. If she always head north, she would definitely not miss it. With lightness in her heart and determination in her soul she walked steadily onwards, keeping her path as straight as possible so she wouldn’t veer off course. She would check she was going the correct way every now and again and correct her direction accordingly.

After about five hours of walking and checking directions, she heard the blessed sound of the river flowing and in a few minutes, it came into view. It was broad with the waters flowing rather rapidly. The sun hung low in the sky, casting an orange hue on everything. Amerix grinned and hurried to the bank, intending to replenish her water supply. What happened next happened so fast that Amerix had no time to react.

The tip of her right boot snagged in the root of a tree causing her to lose her balance and go flailing forward. She tumbled down the incline trying unsuccessfully to get her footing. A few seconds later, water covered her head and filled her mouth as the river carried her downstream. She forced her eyes open struggling not to panic as she kicked her legs, her head popping up just long enough to take a gasp of air and yell for help before tugging her back down. It was cold, so cold that her muscles were getting sluggish, refusing to cooperate with her as she fought the current to get to the bank. She knew how to swim, loved it in fact, but her soaked clothes, tent and sleeping bag were not helping her at all.

Her lungs were burning for oxygen and her eyes were stinging from the cold water and the debris in it. As she struggled to get back to the surface, her fingers brushed against something and she instinctively grasped on to it. Willing her depleted energy to give her one last burst she kicked her legs while pulling on what her hands were holding, she broke the surface and heaved in oxygen. The freezing cold and moving current was making her lose her hold on the overhanging branch that had its tip in the water. She had to move. By sheer determination to survive, she forced her biceps to work as she pulled herself towards the bank, pumping her legs to help her move forward.

When she felt she couldn’t move any longer, her feet felt solid ground and she crawled to the bank, lying down. Amerix was a shivering mess, her limbs shaking from cold and weariness, her heart thumping from the harrowing experience, her teeth chattering as tears leaked out of her eyes. Her brain was screaming at her to get up, to start a fire but her body just wanted to lie there, to fall asleep. She knew if she didn’t get up, she would most definitely freeze to death. After catching her breath, she pushed herself to sit up. Oh no! The matches! Reaching into her pocket and drawing out the matchbox, she confirmed her fear. It was soaked and useless. She just wanted to roll up in a ball and cry.

No. You have to survive! She stayed where she was for a while, trying to replenish her energy. When she could walk on her shaking legs, she searched the river bank desperately, looking for flint. She made sure to stay a safe distance away from the river as her trembling fingers dug through the snow. Her teeth hadn’t stopped chattering from the cold and her legs were beginning to stop working. She tested some of the stones she found with the Swiss knife in her hands, hoping and hoping that there would be sparks. When she was rewarded with sparks, she almost cried with joy.

Almost robotically, she gathered some tinder and twigs and built a small fire. She collapsed in front of it, taking off her dripping jacket so she could feel more of the heat. That done, she curled up into a ball and gave vent to her crazy emotions, letting the tears slide down her cheeks, grateful that she was alive. She couldn't be bothered that she was starving or thirsty. She had zero energy left to do anything but close her eyes and drift off into slumber.

[[OOC: Yeah, I kinda got carried away...(@.@) {Insert sheepish smile}]]