As a member of the Health and Wellness Club, Gunnar was here and eager for some physical activity. He ran regularly on his own, but he was still keen for a jog with the group. Sometimes it was fun to switch things up from his regular schedule. But as for new year resolutions? Nope, he didn't have any.

He took the time to do a little stretching along with everyone else, then turned his eyes towards his head of house again. Alright, let's do this!

"Is that all we'll be doing today, Professor?" Gunnar asked with mere curiosity as he jogged along next to him. An avid runner, he'd likely soon overtake him, but not while he was having light conversation.

Cassidy made sure she was stretching along with the rest of the group. She really really wanted to pet the dogs and play with them, but she would wait. Maybe after the jog there would be time to play with the dogs. Or she could always go visit them like she normally would outside the professor's hut.

And now onto the jogging. Cassidy actually enjoyed running. She always seemed to have some energy to burn, which was why she enjoyed playing with the dogs so much. She settled in to a steady pace, not to fast but enough to keep her in the middle of the group. She still wanted to be able to talk to Professor Fuller-Thompson. "Professor, I just wanted to let you know I love visiting your dogs. They're my favorite." The professor deserved to know that.

Up ahead, not too far ahead of the group, the mist creeped closer to the castle. It had made its way through parts of the ground already and had no intention of stopping. It brought with it something of a cold chill though this was as likely a result of the dreary January weather.

The mist is wispy on the fringes but thick if one were to make their way into it.

So thick that you wouldn't be able to make out right from left. So thick that you can't see anything beyond it.

She smiled as he said it was a good suggestion, honestly, Chloe had thought about it before. They could even do it for a charity thing. Get the students involved in something bigger than even Hogwarts. She thought about this as they started to jog, but got out of her own thoughts when another Claw spoke up.

"Analiese we could do some extra practices together if you want." She was trying to get captain at some point and she wouldn't get it losing all these matches, so she had to work harder, plus U17 tryouts were coming up again soon. After last summers injury she had to prove herself all over again.

Seeing Gunnar in the group she wasn't surprised and gave him a wave. Her eyes focusing on the path in front of her she noticed the mist but didn't think too much of it. "Looks like we are getting some fog or something."

Vita smiled a bit sheepishly when her head of house laughed at her suggestion. What? She was only trying to be helpful...but it looked like her services weren't going to be needed today. She supposed running wouldn't be so bad, especially now that Indigo had arrived. Returning his grin with one of her own, she got into her stretches. She felt a bit warmer now that she was moving and that was a good start, as far as she was concerned. Resolutions, though? Well, she'd be keeping those to herself.

When they started to run, Vita kept pace with Indigo as best she could, his legs being longer than hers. Her lungs burned some as they continued on, but all-in-all she felt good. ...That was up until she noticed the change in the air around them. "That's strange.." Were the headmaster and charms professor seeing this?

”Not at all” were not the words he was hoping to hear...but they were the ones he expected nonetheless. This jog was happening.

Malachi started into a light jog as instructed, keeping an eye on the students as they went. Good thing most of them decided to stick relatively close for now. They may not have known the dangers but HE was acutely aware and very much internally freaking out. “The duelling arena is available should you ever decide you want to host one of these meetings inside.” He commented casually. So...Piers...y’know...all this outside dangerous running business...never needed to happen again.

While he jogged, Malachi listened to the small talk many of the students were drumming up. Trying to get himself to relax. Good none had directly addressed him as they may have heard a slight crack in his voice every now and then.

Stay strong Tre—what in Merlin’s beard was that??

The Headmaster slowed to a stop, even with some the others still at a light jog. Suddenly there were flashbacks of giant man eating spiders warning him about a mist. They mentioned a mist. There was now a mist settling on the grounds....

“Let’s all go back.” He said suddenly. His voice didn’t falter as he spoke, only because he was trying to remain calm for their benefit. He would be no use to the students while in the middle of a panic attack. No one but his wife deserved to see him like that. And his mum but that was another story entirely.

“The outdoors are overrated. Health is overrated. The weather looks like it’s getting bad. We don’t need this in our lives. If you could all form an organized line and not run screaming, we’ll get through this together.” Dramatic? Only because they hadn’t seen what he saw. In retrospect, without explanation it did seem like a bit of an overreaction but it was all the man could do to not run screaming himself.

The mist continues making its way across the grounds, seemingly indifferent to any that may now be in its paths. It soon engulfs everything and everyone around. Even then it keeps going at its steady pace. By now it’s hard to see much further than a hand’s distance ahead of you and there’s a faint, undistinguished rumbling. Bad weather, surely.

Analiese grinned at Professor Fuller-Thompson as he called her resolution 'a good goal'. She began jogging at a steady pace - not too fast and not too slow. She glanced up as an older Ravenclaw mentioned her name. "That would be a great idea, Chloe!" She agreed to her idea. All of a sudden, Analiese remembered the acromantulas she had spotted before the Christmas break. The gargantuan beasts scurrying across the castle grounds. The mere thought of them sent chills down the little girl's spine. What if the colossal creatures were cantering towards the group right now? What if they bumped into each other and the huge spiders tore them apart? What if the gigantic arachnids made a feast of their little group, right here, right now? OK, maybe that was a bit too dramatic, but meeting the acromantulas on this job would most certainly lead to their untimely demise. Analiese shook the thought off. The spiders were running away from the grounds, not towards them.

Lost in her thoughts, Analiese barely noticed the change in the air. But when she did, she froze to a halt. They were completely engulfed in mist. "What the -" The young Claw thought aloud. "I don't think this is to do with the the weather, Headmaster..." She contradicted what Trent had said. Hold on. What if what the acromantulas were running from was in this mist? PANIC MODE!!! Analiese calmed herself down by giving herself a short pep talk. She desperately needed one. Just calm down, Analiese. Think about the positives. This could just be the weather like Trent said.

Chloe had been enjoying herself, it was great to exercise and exercise was always more fun with friends. So she watched the mist with curiosity but still listened in on the conversations. 'We can find a time that we both are free to get started." Extra practice would help them both get to their goals really.

She probably should have heard the headmaster saying about going back and thankfully didn't hear him say that health was overrated, excuse you kind sir, but her entire career has revolved around her staying healthy and fit. She didn't hear any of that though because as they moved forward in their running the mist seemed to have come up quicker than the blonde thought it would, glancing back behind her Chloe's jog became a walk and then a stop. "Where is everyone?" She couldn't see a thing.

What.. what was going on? She felt a little panicked but tried to stay calm... "gunnar?" Her scream came out more of a weak squeak. Turning in the direction she thought she had started she started to try to jog back, but it was so thick she wasn't sure where she was or which way she was truly going and then she saw something, something was coming in front of her. She couldn't make it out at first, but then her eyes widened.

No, no, how, what, why? Her wand was out though she was shaking and she couldn't remember anything at the moment. The thing black and long was coming closer and she wasn't going to be able to get away from it. Could it see in this mist? She screamed louder and stepped backward tripping over something and hitting the ground.

"Go away, Pretego" The only spell that she could think of, but would it work. She backed away still on the ground, her eyes wide and her body trembling.

Quote:

Originally Posted by emjay

As a member of the Health and Wellness Club, Gunnar was here and eager for some physical activity. He ran regularly on his own, but he was still keen for a jog with the group. Sometimes it was fun to switch things up from his regular schedule. But as for new year resolutions? Nope, he didn't have any.

He took the time to do a little stretching along with everyone else, then turned his eyes towards his head of house again. Alright, let's do this!

"Is that all we'll be doing today, Professor?" Gunnar asked with mere curiosity as he jogged along next to him. An avid runner, he'd likely soon overtake him, but not while he was having light conversation.

The jogging had begun and it felt nice to get moving. The cold weather had started to sink in a little further, so moving was helping him stay warm. As he jogged, he heard a student ask if this was all they were doing. Did he want more? Because it seemed like most students were reluctant to even do the jogging. "Yes, this is all for today." Just a quick jog to get the blood flowing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrapehSarah

Cassidy made sure she was stretching along with the rest of the group. She really really wanted to pet the dogs and play with them, but she would wait. Maybe after the jog there would be time to play with the dogs. Or she could always go visit them like she normally would outside the professor's hut.

And now onto the jogging. Cassidy actually enjoyed running. She always seemed to have some energy to burn, which was why she enjoyed playing with the dogs so much. She settled in to a steady pace, not to fast but enough to keep her in the middle of the group. She still wanted to be able to talk to Professor Fuller-Thompson. "Professor, I just wanted to let you know I love visiting your dogs. They're my favorite." The professor deserved to know that.

Piers stayed in the middle of the group, lingering towards the back to catch any stragglers. He grinned with the young girl mentioned his dogs. "I'm sure they love that you visit, too." He played with them as much as he could, but having students to visit certainly helped.

Continuing the jog, Piers looked ahead at the students that led the group forward. That was when he noticed the dense fog from the outskirts of the forest had moved up quite a bit and was closing in on their jog. There was something a bit unsettling about it, but Piers just reminded himself (internally) that it was JUST fog and it wouldn't ruin their jog.

Yes, he heard Chloe and Vita reacting to the fog, but it was JUST fog.

Well, that was what he thought.... until the next moment.

The Headmaster had spoken up, and that was when Piers realized that the Headmaster had also stopped jogging. Piers glanced back at him as he suggested that they all go back and that was when Piers finally questioned whether the fog was.. actually dangerous or not. He didn't want any students to get LOST after all, or accidentally wander into the forest, not knowing where it began due to the fog.

Piers sighed, reluctant to pull his group back. Then he looked forward again at the jogging students... and a pit began to grow in his stomach. The hair raised on the back of his neck and his heart began to beat quickly. He heard Trent's panic from behind him, and then he heard Chloe scream, but he couldn't see anything anymore.

It was time to move. "Everyone stop jogging!" Piers called out, loud enough to reach the farthest jogger. "Come back this way - follow my voice! Come back this way. We need to head inside." He wasn't sure why this fog was doing what it was doing, or what it COULD do further, but he felt VERY strongly that they needed to get out of it.

"Is everyone alright? Vita, help me lead everyone back to the castle." She was still close by to him, wasn't she? Was everyone okay? In slight panic, Piers began backing up the way that they came. "Follow my voice," he said again, repeating a few times so they could still hear him. Now he was just going to back up... until he could find their way out of the fog...

Sure, he wouldn't have minded doing more physical activity than a simple jog. He was an athletic kid after all. But this was fine too. As Gunnar started jogging at a slightly faster pace, he moved a bit ahead of some of the group and jogged alongside his sister. But his attention was soon diverted towards the fog as she pointed it out.

He wasn't too worried about it though, not until he noticed how it seemed to be moving towards them at a steady pace. Weird. And he slowed his jog as he kept his eyes on it, hearing the headmaster suggest heading back. Maybe he was right.... But before Gunnar could agree or turn around, the fog had completely overtaken him and he couldn't see anything in front of him but a thick mist.

Wait. Where was his sister? A panic rose in his chest as he looked this way and that, unable to see her. "Chloe?" he called, his voice sounding muffled to his ears and met with screams. Her screams. "CHLOE!" he yelled again, this time louder, a panic mixed with fear creeping into his voice. She was in trouble, he just knew it, and he was filled with a need to protect her. But where was she?? What if he couldn't find her in time? He moved through the mist, trying to follow the sounds of her screams, consumed with finding her, and terrified that he wouldn't get to her in time. "Chloe, where are you?!"

As the mist washed over them like a great wave, Vita paused where she stood and stretched her arms out in front of her, feeling around for anyone she might catch a hold of. She knew Professor Fuller-Thompson was nearby, but she couldn't reach him, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't sca--

Though the fog was thick, the seventh year could just make out a dark form on the ground ahead and she moved towards it, each step causing her heart to race, the sound of someone's screams ringing in her ears. Had someone fallen, had someone been hurt? It was a possibility since it was impossible to see obstacles in your way, so Vita called out to whoever it was. "Are you alright?!" Her wand was removed from its holster and the brunette held it out with a trembling hand. "I'm coming for you. I'm going to help you u--" She was vaguely aware of her head of house talking to her, but she couldn't look away, not as the dark form began to take shape. Dread filled her to the brim and another scream cut through the air, though this time it was her own. More dark forms revealed themselves, making a new kind of path before her, and Vita clutched her chest as her wide eyes filled with tears. No. No. No, no, no, no.

As they started running Indigo kept pace with Vita, but otherwise didn't really acknowledge the group around him. He was sort of lost in his own thoughts - running was good for that - until he suddenly realized that he couldn't see. Well he could see in the sense that he hadn't suddenly gone blind, but all he could see was this very thick mist. Immediately he reached out for Vita, as she had been right next to him as they were running. He didn't want to get separated, especially now that he could hear the panic of the others, and the warnings of the professors. And that rumbling definitely didn't sound good. Thunder? He didn't want to be lost in some fog if it was about to storm.

His wand was in his hand, because this was Hogwarts and because the mist had been so sudden and he just felt a little strange about it. He cast a quick Lumos but it didn't really seem to do much. He could barely see the wand in his own hand. He heard a scream and was about to tell whoever it had come from to just calm down, it was just some fog and it would be much easier to find their way out if they remained calm, when he heard a second scream and could tell that this one had come from Vita. "Are you okay?" It was starting to get difficult to tell what sounds had come from where, so he wasn't exactly sure which way the professor had been.

Well thank you Captain Obvious. Malachi didn’t respond to the First Year, thinking it quite clear at this point that he himself didn’t believe it had anything to do with the weather. He wouldn’t snap at a twelve year old because of fear though, no, he was well above that mostly so instead he simply nodded at her words.

The Headmaster found it harder and harder to see anything before him and hoped the students HAD stopped like he’d suggested. He meant it when he said they were turning around and as long as he didn’t move before he sorted himself and the others out, he wouldn’t lose his orientation. Right now he knew exactly which way was back and planned to keep it that way.

Malachi cringed at the sudden screams and the yells. He could hear footsteps as the students proceeded to KEEP MOVING and felt his heart pounding. There was a sense of dread in this mist and soon he could see them.

It was all the man could do not to drop dead immediately. His legs felt like lead, he could feel the blood rushing through each vein and the panic was quickly rising. They’d come back for him. For them! The students must’ve seen them too. It would explain all the screaming. With robotic movements he raised his wand and tried to speak, praying his voice wouldn’t be caught in his throat. ”Piers! Students! This way! Follow this sound and this sound only. Stay calm—d-don’t panic. Piers, light your wand and have the students follow you to me!”

Oh merlin they were getting closer. The man was all but wheezing, desperate for even the smallest breath of air but he managed to keep talking, urging the students and his coworker to come toward him.

He wanted his wife.

Was something happening because it was getting spooky real fast and while Eloise didn't know many things she was certain Halloween was not even close?

"HEY PROFESSOR..HEADMASTER IT'S GETTING REAL SPOOKY RIGHT NOW"

Like she was a tiny bit happy the running had stopped for a bit but with the tones of Fuller and Headmaster, something was happening not even they knew about. Like not even being able to see around her was a real problem. Yep, she was also being captain obvious.

Yeah, she was going to need more help than a voice to find Fuller Thompson or Headmaster or really anyone in this.

This wasn't funny anymore.

Students were panicking and yelling, which was understandable, but he wished they would panic less and try to focus and make their way back up the path. It hadn't curved THAT much, so it should be easy for all of them to get back out. Piers wasn't afraid of fog per say, but something about this fog was particularly spooky and it was his job to keep his students out of danger. So, he followed the Headmaster's advice and ignored the obvious comment from one of the girls about this being SPOOKY (because obv).

"Lumos maxima," Piers muttered, and his wand lit up brightly in the fog. He then raised it in the air, still backing up towards the Headmaster. "Everyone, keep following my voice. Look toward the light on my wand and follow it. Can everyone see it? We're almost out." Whether that was TRUE or not, he didn't actually know, but he was hoping that it would calm everyone down. Glancing back up the path, Piers was pleased to see the figure of the Headmaster. They were finally getting out of the mist.

The mist was so thick she tried to find the voices she was hearing. When she heard Gunnar's she froze, no, no, he couldn't get near these. He had to stay safe, "GUNNAR RUN, RUN AWAY FROM HERE." Her body trembling she tried to scoot back as they moved closer. What were the spells they learned, WHAT WERE THE SPELLS? She couldn't figure it out from the fear that took over. She wasn't a good witch, she wasn't able to protect the others. Instead, she pushed back on her hands and kept scooting trying to move away from them.

Hitting something hard, Chloe knew she was trapped. She could try to fight, but why? They were strong and she wasn't. No, she was going to die today, she just knew it and for that, she needed Gunnar far away. She needed to at least know he would be safe.

She tried to be strong or at least sound strong when she tried to yell. "Gunnar get out of here. " They were getting closer even as she spoke...

She shut her eyes and buried her face to not see the end. She thought about how she hadn't told Finlay she liked him, but at least she had gotten her first kiss before she died, thank you, Aaron Botros.

"We're follow -" Analiese stopped in mid-sentence. Her hands fell to her sides, and she let out a blood-curdling scream. A truly petrifying horror was standing right in front of her, engulfed in the mist. She stumbled backward and tripped over a tree root. She fell down and her screams persisted. "Someone help!" She yelled for help as she crawled on all fours, back down the pathway. She didn't know where she was going, being completely engulfed by the cold mist. But anywhere away from the dreaded beast was best. The horrifying creature reached out towards her and her screams grew louder.

A light appeared in the mist. She must follow it. That was Analiese's first instinct. She stood up and ran. Ran towards the light. She panted as she reached the source of the light. Panted and panted and panted. "I s-saw... " Her voice trailed off, and she pointed in the mist.

Searching blindly in the thick fog, Gunnar tried to follow Chloe's voice as he reached his hands in front of him. There it was again - her screams. Terror gripped at his chest as he turned towards her voice. "I'm not leaving until I find you!" Was she crazy? He was the oldest; it was his responsibility to protect his siblings. He was just glad Morgan and Aidan weren't here.... or were they? The panic and fear consuming him was starting to confuse his mind.

But all at once there was a light. It was still foggy, but he could make out shapes in the mist, including that of his sister. "Chloe, come on!" Panic still coloring his voice, he grabbed her hand to help her to her feet. "We need to get out of here." His fear was still rather prevalent, motivating him to get her to safety, vaguely aware of the shouts of his head of house (among others). But he was going to protect his sister from... whatever danger was in this fog, and following the light seemed to be the way to do it.

Cassidy was rather enjoying herself. She had a lot of energy and the jog was the perfect way to deal with this. She wished she could have talked Rhett into coming but this really wasn't his thing.

All of a sudden a mist seemed to take over the pathways. Cassidy suddenly stopped, a sense of fear and dread slowly taking over her. Her heart beat faster as the sense of dread grew. Then she thought she saw something, something horrible. "No." She muttered under her breath. "No." She muttered a little louder.

She could hear the professor calling for them to follow his voice, but she was frozen in one spot. Her fear too great to move her. The first year was practically in tears at this point. What was she supposed to do?

Indigo was lost, and confused. Except if he just turned around exactly 180 degrees then he should be able to backtrack and get out of this mist just fine. That was what he kept telling himself, at least, to try to prevent the oncoming panic. He just didn't want to leave without Vita, and she seemed to be moving forward toward something. Probably feeling a sense of duty as a prefect to help get the rest of the kids out too. He took a few steps forward, and then he saw a shape too, there on the ground just barely visible through the fog. It looked like...

Indigo stopped breathing. Because that shape couldn't be what he thought it was. It couldn't be possible. It didn't make any sense. His feet carried him a few steps closer without any real thought and it became a little clearer. No, no, no. The voice of the professor sounded like it was coming from far away. Indigo might as well have been underwater. He stumbled forward a bit more and fell to his hands and knees. It was only a second later that he managed to listen to the part of his brain that was telling him this was dangerous. There must have been something else. Judging by the screams around him, whatever else it was out there was upon them. And would be upon him too if he didn't leave. But he was frozen to the spot, unable to move, barely able to breathe.

Was she supposed to be following Fuller or Headmaster it was getting confusing and this mist and not being able to see didn't help. She took a step towards whatever voice sounded closest like she could really tell anyway. But before she could do anything she caught something out of the corner of her something she never wanted to see here or anywhere. She was no frozen in place. No no no no no it wasn't possible but yet. Tears were starting to well up under her eyes and yep she started crying.

It just wasn't possible but she was seeing it.

Too scared to even move and avert her eyes. getting the attention of a Professor was the last thing on her mind.

They were closing in, forcing the man to stumble further and further back toward the end of the fog. Typically, this would be a good thing. The POINT was to exit this mist in one piece and high tail it back to the castle. The problem? The students weren’t listening.

Despite the lights and the booming voice courtesy of the charm he’d cast earlier, they were still off in the mist, running wild presumably or just straight out panicking. After all they’d ever discussed in DADA about remaining somewhat calm and not panicking because it made everything worse, they were still panicking to the point they put themselves and others at risk. Choosing to remain to save them put himand risk and while that could be forgiven for his job title, they put each other at risk too.

If they kept this up they WOULD be eaten and he would be devoured along with them. The thought frustrated the man as much as it frightened him and with each second they waited, the mist creeped further adding more distance to how far they’d need to travel to be clear of it. He doubted any of them were thinking of THAT just as he was sure none realized that they stood very little chance of survival staying out here.

None made any attempts to make themselves more visible. The fog was thick. There were creatures everywhere and many chose to freeze. How did they expect to be found? They were not exhibiting any sort of tactical behaviour or employing anything they’d ever learned in their lessons. It was disappointing. It was worrying. It told him none of them were ready for the real world. None of them were likely to survive out there at this rate and it frightened the man all the much more. So many frightening things in one afternoon.

Push came to shove and they all hit immediate panic mode. This was their reaction to danger? Making themselves an easier target? For all their big talk during lessons.......he would need to have a word with them all in case there were more who would react like them—if they ever got out of here that is.

For now, in the absence of the students having any survival or self preservation skills or common sense of their own—typical of teenagers, to be honest—Malachi once again spook with his voice booming. ”WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS. PULL YOURSELVES TOGETHER IF YOU HAVE ANY INTENTION OF LIVING! LIGHT YOUR WANDS! THE BRIGHTEST LIGHT YOU CAN. PIERS AND I WILL FIND YOU!” He didn’t begin wandering. That was a poor idea. Never wander when you were uncertain of your surroundings. Something else he expected them to know better about. When the run started they were all relatively close and now...now he didn’t know where they were or what they were thinking. Instead he lit the path ahead so they’d be able to find it after—oh? Well at least one student had found him. Wasting no time, Malachi wrapped rope around the first year Ravenclaw to prevent her from wandering off again. “We’ll be fine, we just need to get out of here.” And for that, he would need the students to look past their fear for a moment and do what they were told.

Cassidy was almost sobbing at this point. The fear so immense it made her heart race. Then she heard the headmaster's voice. It was just enough to pull her out of her trance ever so slightly. Light. She needed to make light. She grabbed her wand and looked down at it, prying her eyes away from the horror in front of her. "Lu-umos." She muttered between sobs. A faint light appeared. She knew that would not be enough. She took a few deep breathes, trying to calm down enough to produce enough light to get out of this dreadful mist. "Lumos." She was able to muster a brighter light. Hopefully it was enough for one of the professors to find her because she was still afraid to move.

When she looked back on this, Vita would remember how Nightmarish it felt. Her heart beating so fast, drumming so loudly that it distracted from all other sounds. The feeling of ice running through her veins as the fear set in and in contrast, the hot tears streaming steadily down her face as she gazed down at the shadowy forms in front of her. This wasn't happening. She couldn't-she didn't know how to deal with this. Wiping at her face with her hands, she felt her wand brush up against her cheek and that..sparked something. Her wand. They had been out running and then this...this mist and then she was here and she'd seen...but it couldn't be real. Her wand, that was real. It was a lifeline and she was holding on to it as hard as she could, knuckles white, body trembling now.

Looking around, panicked, Vita realized that she'd lost Indigo somewhere along the way. She wanted to scream again, call out for him, but more yelling would do more harm than good. No, she just needed to try and be found. Be helped before she could help anyone else. She needed to get out of here.

"L-lumos Maxima." The flash was quick and bright, but it only lasted a moment, her mind on other things. Flashes of things she'd wished she'd never seen. Hoped she'd never have to see again. Eyes welling up with tears again, she swallowed the lump in her throat and croaked out more forcefully this time a, "Lumos Maxima!" And it worked. And she wanted someone to come get her now. Someone needed to help her, please.