| Forbidden Forest Centaur Dugbog
Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Forbidden Forest
Posts: 144
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The pregnant silence that followed was like that of an elephant and for a moment Thereos became concerned that he had made a mistake in bringing students to this hallowed tapestry. Though as soon as hands, timid as some may have been, began raising the centaur felt validated in his reading of the smoke from the sage. SPOILER!!: students Quote:
Originally Posted by Kolyander  Divination was not one of her best classes but here she was arriving at the grove of trees well into the Forbidden Forest with the rest of class. Having consumed a rather lovely lilac colored flower was by far not the best part of this lesson. Her deep love of flowers and plants had made it seem strange to consume one at first and she had taken a few long moments studying her flower, almost as if holding a silent conversation with it. Once she had laid it upon her tongue and chewed and swallowed there was a rather pleasant taste to it that reminded her of being home.
The first question that had been asked went on unanswered by the fifth year simply because she had been a little to focused on watching where it was she was going and what was near her. Stopping in the grove was nice. Rylee looked around taking in all that she could from her surroundings.
As Thereos spoke everything was mentally stored away in her head. Or well... at least what she understood, anyhow. Pondering over his question for several moments she lifted her hand until she was called upon. "When I was really little it was mostly little things that showed my family I was indeed magical, making a stuffed creature float to me or turning on music in my home so I could. I went onto wizarding primary school and received my Hogwarts letter on my eleventh birthday." Rylee paused to take a breath before continuing, "I want to become a Herbologist. I have a very deep love of flowers, plants, trees and nature in general." Ah yes. Thereos was indeed familiar with this rite of passage, this first manifestation of magical ability. There was a synonymous moment in centaurian culture as well, though today was not the day to discuss such affairs. It would break the focus from the task at hand (or hoof, as the case may be). Her answer pleased him, though he found himself hoping she would push things further in her recollection.
It was faint, but the centaur's lips did curl into a pleased smile while she shared the future path in which she saw herself on. " We will see how this connection to nature favors you soon enough...or does not." Quote:
Originally Posted by Felixir At that response, Kaiser sent a sideways glance at the centaur, eyes narrowed slightly, but continued silently picking his way along the path, following along with the rest of the group.
When they reached what seemed to be their destination, Kaiser had a good look around at the grove, but most of his concentration was devoted to deciphering Thereos' words. His face was screwed up slightly in concentration as he listened, but, from what he could gather, it didn't seem like this was a question he wanted to answer.
He supposed the details of his path or journey might have been interesting to share or even just to allude to, but Kaiser was also a very guarded and private person. The prospect of sharing anything from his past, or even his hopes for his future, just seemed far too personal. With that in mind, he kept his mouth shut and his answer firmly to himself. Thereos could sense a great reluctance with this one. It was as though his air and wood were in disalignment and without the influence of Venus. Very concerning indeed and his eyes gazed at the boy in distress. Quote:
Originally Posted by Fireheart Avalon gazed up at the trees, engrossed by the beauty of the forest. She was grateful that the weather was nice today. It would have been dreadful to have class in the cold or rain. Thereos's voice was calming as he explained the purpose of trees in their lesson today. They were going to harness the energies of plants? That certainly sounded....interesting.
And what was that strange symbol Thereos drew in the ground? Divination always was a confusing class, but now the centaur was adding in eating flowers and drawing bizarre symbols? Or maybe it was a rune? Nevertheless, Avalon listened and tried to piece together his next question. She figured that he was encouraging the younger students to speak up, by comparing them to being the "greenest" (youngest) of the saplings. She raised her hand. "When I was little, I used to want to be an auror. I thought it was such a noble job. But then I discovered how much I love learning and teaching. Even as a kid, I would teach my little cousins all about the things I learned at primary school. I want to become a professor. I'm not sure what subject yet, but teaching at Hogwarts is my dream. And getting my education here is certainly the first step," she said with a smile. An auror of course. One of the more renowned professions of the wizarding world if the centaur was not mistaken. Mars tended to favor those who went down this path, more so than those who sought a path in counsel. " Aries. Creative, vigor, and ambition," he nodded sagely before moving his eyes on to the next raised hand. " Your indecision will resolve itself when Vesta and Sagittarius collide. Until then...be wary of the falling slender." Quote:
Originally Posted by Jessiqua Hanna nodded once at Thereos' request not to address him with Professor. Noted. But it was going to be way more difficult to stop the automatic Professor that came out before a name.
Hanna did not want to go into the Forbidden Forest. There were a lot of animals in there, some that were big, and some TOO big. Even the ones smaller than she were still very frightening. But, seeing as they were accompanied by Thereos she hoped it would be safe enough. Even with the permission. With dread she approached the hide of Thereos and followed him.
His words left no meaning in her mind. What was he even asking? Hanna remained silent as a few others spoke, heading deeper into the Forest.
The area they approached was beautiful, but the content in Thereos' words... not so much. Hanna had little idea of what he was saying. What natural order and rituals have brought you here on this path to Hogwarts? Well... her mother and father were a witch and wizard. Hanna was a Witch. They went to Hogwarts, and Hanna was accepted. But that probably wasn't the answer he wanted, considering there were few other ways into this castle as a student if you weren't a witch or wizard. He didn't need a crystal ball to know that. Silence. The centaur gave the young Ravenclaw a bit of a wary nod as his eyes passed over here, only to return a moment later seeking a bit of clarity himself. " Miss Newton. Were instructions obeyed?"
Had she eaten her flora? He had not had the privilege of observing her thoughtful consumption. Quote:
Originally Posted by 2111jen Austin was glad they were outside. He liked being outside. As for the forest. Well...it was a little crerpy but he had a funny idea. Thereos had been confusing when he talked all night so Austin didn't have an answer for those questions as for this one...
"I...I have a hard time..." Austin sighed as he tried to say the words outloud. He took a breath and let it out again. "I just...have a hard time talking. In most situations. My, my dad said I should be homeschooled. I, I told him I didn't want to. I wanted to go to magic school. Like everyone else."
Wow that was a lot to say. Austin was glad he was able to get it all out. The centaur was easily able to recognize a certain type of bravery in the young Slytherin's words in thanks to that curious quiver. Though the answer did not suit the question. " The ability to speak is not the mark of success," he spoke serenely. " The stars have no voice and yet their lessons are endless." Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixRising Wait. Oh so it wasn't going to rain? Maeve was bored and trying really hard to not show it, as the centaur instructed her about broadening her understanding and sight. So okay that wasn't what he'd been asking and if Chase or Anna was there, she'd probably a rambling motion with her hand, but instead she simply nodded silently at the centaur.
Sacred place for centaurs. Sooo did today's class involve bowtruckles too? But apparently that was a tangent and Thereos didn't seem like the type to sway from the subject matter. Watching him curiously as he circled and showed the sapling he then posed to them another question. Natural order of the universe. Was he .... talking about the circle of life? Or ...??
"Showing signs of magic by doing something out of the ordinary... and eventually getting a letter offering us a place at Hogwarts? To hone our magic and be useful members of society?" Or was she completely off-topic again? This youngling's answer, much like her housemate's, left something to be desired. Thereos' own desire, that is. There was something in particular he was seeking and Miss Walsh too had ceased her speech just at the cusp of it.
" Truth," he offered her in response. Quote:
Originally Posted by MadMadamMalfoy At first Tina thought she knew what branch of divination they would be studying, but now she wasn't so sure. The more she listened to Thereos, the more confused she became! Something about the heart of a tree and a doorway to the natural order of the universe… So were they learning phyllomancy today or not? With a vague explanation like that, it sounded like it could go either way.
At least the next question wasn't difficult to understand… just difficult to answer. Once again, Tina remained silent. She didn't like sharing details about her past. How did she know someone here wouldn't one day use her history against her? Besides, it wasn't exactly a happy story. Her journey to Hogwarts was different than most. It started off fairly normal… She displayed signs of magical talent at an early age, and her dad was so proud of her! She knew then that she wanted to study magic so he'd stay proud of her, and she eventually got her acceptance letter from Beauxbatons. But her journey from Beauxbatons to Hogwarts was anything but normal! Suffice it to say, there was a lot of betrayal and lies involved.
The other part of the question was easier to answer, but Tina's answer wasn't like anything the others had said so far. The thing she wanted to accomplish in life wasn't so much a specific career goal; it was more an ideal. She always knew she wanted to use her talents to help others, but her experience at Beauxbatons made her want something else too. What she wanted most out of life was vindication, both for herself and others who had been badly wronged. More silence from Miss Dantes, though Thereos could hardly fault her for her choices as it was very much a self fulfilling prophecy on his behalf. He had charted this course for her actions, though perhaps he would seek to speak with her after lesson about taking prediction too seriously and literally. Nothing was ever foolproof.
Still, he offered the young girl with retrograde Pluto in her eyes a nod before moving on to address the class as a whole.
His thick tail swishing and fanning his backside, Thereos permitted his eyes to scan his saplings once more before speaking. " Many of you spoke of the first manifestations of magic, levitating stuffed creatures..." He could not help but trail off here. How barbaric a practice, taking creatures and stuffing them to then be paraded around as a human play thing. Perhaps the changing perception of wizards was misguided by centaurkind? " ...the receiving of your Hogwarts letter, the first formal documentation of your fate and path...but it was Miss Walsh whom touched on something vital, the honing of your magic. The honing of your core essence of your being." All would become clear soon. Thereos, for all his whimsy, did have a methodology. " This is something that your kind and mine have in common and both utilize forests such as these. Alder, blackthorn, cypress, elder, fir, hornbeam, oak, spruce, and vine...all are examples of the gifts the natural world bestow upon you and are wielded in your very hands. Wands..." The word came out with much disdain on his pleasant tongue. " ...have certain vibrations unique to each witch and wizard. Many moons ago, ten turns around the sun thus, I taught a lesson here at Hogwarts about a rite of passage for centaurkind, the receiving of our first bows. Wand is to wizard as bow is to centaur. Each of you, right now, has your own portal with nature opened. Unlike you, however, centaurs are able to commune with the raw energies and vibrations of all woods...though strongest energies happen to coincide with those also harnessed for wands... whereas you must have them activated or invoked as is seen with wands and runes." He paused here, allowing these thoughts to sink into the impressionable minds of his pupils. " However, with today's mindfulness exercises you performed in the floral consumption and tree observation while walking here, there is an increased chance that today you will be bestowed the ability to commune better despite your human limitations."
This was far too much speaking for the centaur's liking, but onward he pressed.
" Today you will be performing dendromancy, a method of divining using the leaves and branches of trees. While human fallacy has traditional limited the practice to mistletoe and oak, the minds and energy flows among us today have been rejuvenated and the inner portals opened. Your first task is to match yourself with a tree found in this temple. Approach it, hug its trunk, and breathe deeply for three breaths to sync your essence with its own. Listen to its leaves for whispers of its acceptance of you, feel the vibrations beat beneath its bark. Sit beneath your tree of choice and with your finger to the earth, draw this symbol in the ground before you," he instructed while using his right hoof to draw a symbol large enough for all to see with ease composed of three lines in the ground in front of him. " ... and wait with your palms pressed over it like so...your dominate hand pressed to the earth."
Bending his strong legs, Thereos folded his hind once under his rump soon followed by his front so that he knelt on the ground. Eyes on his two-legged students, he then placed his right hand to the ground first followed by the left atop it.
" ...like so. You have ten minutes. You may begin opening your minds and allowing the essence of the forest in. Be mindful and above all else respectful. Do not fight the natural elements while making your selection." OOC: we have arrived at the mini activity! To reiterate, your character is to walk around the grove of trees and find one 'suitable' to their liking. Then they need to draw the same symbol in the ground and sit beneath their tree of choice.
Class is projected to continue to the main activity in approximately 48 hours.
__________________ MARS IS BRIGHT TONIGHT.................................................. ............................  His priority did not seem to be to teach them what he knew... .................................................. ......
but rather to impress upon them that nothing, not even centaurs' knowledge, was foolproof |