Post by Natalya Arlovskaya on Nov 14, 2010 3:05:15 GMT -5
Three weeks of hearing lecture after lecture about the strange and dazzling creatures that inhabited the magical world had left Natalya quite frustrated. Every day she had to write essays describing beautiful and deadly things, and the girl thought it was no wonder that she got good marks on her paper - for she had poured her love into those words. Hearing descriptions of distant lands inhabited by dragons, giant snakes, strange sea creatures, horses made of bone. It made Natalya shiver to the core with delight, and worst of all was the warning that Professor Oxstierna made at the beginning of each Care of Magical Creature class: "Dun go inta th' woods w'out meh, or y' will die." A reasonable and clear enough warning (if you disregarded the man's strange speech patterns), but unfortunately for Hogwarts, Natalya Arlovskaya was a little off her rocker.
Because presently, the Slytherin girl was climbing out of a second-story window, the black cloak she had donned silhouetting her small form as she balances on the ledge for a moment to take in the view of her desired destination. Because to her, the thought of a veritable treasure trove of killer creatures so frustratingly near made the strange Slytherin curse beneath her breath that it was against school rules to enter the so very infuriatingly-christened "Forbidden" Forest. She had questioned her stoic teacher often, attempting to get more descriptive accounts of the monsters within. And she was usually rewarded, fed some horror story about an encounter with the unsettling inhabitants within those woods (and surely followed by a stern warning not to go looking for anything). It was just as well that Berwald had made his stance clear on the matter, else Natalya may have accidentally alerted the staff to her intentions by pestering the man to take the class on an excursion sometime. She was certain that her plan would not have gone as smoothly so far if the Hogwarts faculty knew that one of their students had a burning desire to explore the Forbidden Forest. Or maybe it was just luck. Natalya was certain to include that as a vital factor in her plan, and she was grateful that she had come this far. Having escaped from her dormitory to break into empty classrooms had apparently proved useful, and now it was merely the expansive Hogwarts lawn that she would have to traverse. With fingers clutching tightly on stone, Natalya took in a breath and closed her eyes, half-whispering something, before she opened them again and leaped out the window.
To her, the prospect of her own sudden demise was of little consequence. If she broke her fall with her own bones as she fell, then it was just as well. But she didn't. Years of steady training and the body of a gymnast brought Natalya in a fluid arc through the air with her cloak billowing for just a moment before landing on the cold ground with feet and hands crouched, body coiled like a cat's. With his momentum she streaked across the lawn, knowing that speed was essential if she was to make it across the grounds without being seen, and her silver hair whipped behind her as she ran under a moonlit sky. Her blood was pumping fast through her veins, spurred by her limbs and her fear. School wasn't even in session for a month, and here she was breaking all the rules. What good would all her hard work do if they kicked her out after this? Still, the thought that she might die tonight was not at the forefront of Natalya's thoughts. On the contrary, the shuddering beating of her heart within her breast was motivated by excitement, an anticipatory sort of joy as she saw the edge of the treeline begin to loom larger in her vision. By the time her heavy boots had crossed into the thinnest part of the trees, she was laughing. It was a strange, soft, high sound, somehow both joyful and a little frightening, and it echoed on the edge of the woods even after her body was swallowed up by the darkness.
Because presently, the Slytherin girl was climbing out of a second-story window, the black cloak she had donned silhouetting her small form as she balances on the ledge for a moment to take in the view of her desired destination. Because to her, the thought of a veritable treasure trove of killer creatures so frustratingly near made the strange Slytherin curse beneath her breath that it was against school rules to enter the so very infuriatingly-christened "Forbidden" Forest. She had questioned her stoic teacher often, attempting to get more descriptive accounts of the monsters within. And she was usually rewarded, fed some horror story about an encounter with the unsettling inhabitants within those woods (and surely followed by a stern warning not to go looking for anything). It was just as well that Berwald had made his stance clear on the matter, else Natalya may have accidentally alerted the staff to her intentions by pestering the man to take the class on an excursion sometime. She was certain that her plan would not have gone as smoothly so far if the Hogwarts faculty knew that one of their students had a burning desire to explore the Forbidden Forest. Or maybe it was just luck. Natalya was certain to include that as a vital factor in her plan, and she was grateful that she had come this far. Having escaped from her dormitory to break into empty classrooms had apparently proved useful, and now it was merely the expansive Hogwarts lawn that she would have to traverse. With fingers clutching tightly on stone, Natalya took in a breath and closed her eyes, half-whispering something, before she opened them again and leaped out the window.
To her, the prospect of her own sudden demise was of little consequence. If she broke her fall with her own bones as she fell, then it was just as well. But she didn't. Years of steady training and the body of a gymnast brought Natalya in a fluid arc through the air with her cloak billowing for just a moment before landing on the cold ground with feet and hands crouched, body coiled like a cat's. With his momentum she streaked across the lawn, knowing that speed was essential if she was to make it across the grounds without being seen, and her silver hair whipped behind her as she ran under a moonlit sky. Her blood was pumping fast through her veins, spurred by her limbs and her fear. School wasn't even in session for a month, and here she was breaking all the rules. What good would all her hard work do if they kicked her out after this? Still, the thought that she might die tonight was not at the forefront of Natalya's thoughts. On the contrary, the shuddering beating of her heart within her breast was motivated by excitement, an anticipatory sort of joy as she saw the edge of the treeline begin to loom larger in her vision. By the time her heavy boots had crossed into the thinnest part of the trees, she was laughing. It was a strange, soft, high sound, somehow both joyful and a little frightening, and it echoed on the edge of the woods even after her body was swallowed up by the darkness.