It's not a walk in the park [Fae/Cashel]

[Deleted]

Only having it be the second time off his home Island, Cashel had been enjoying the experience. While it was fun leaving and seeing how other wizards lived, he knew that he wouldn't be one to leave Hy-Brasil in a hurry. Finishing up his exams for the day, he was doing what most druid teens were doing, working their way outside. He was deep in the heart of the castle. The young teen had two choices, he could go up, and fly down, or he could make his way down through the castle and then outside. He chose to go through the castle. Regretting his decision as more and more Hogwarts students crowded the halls. Getting to the moving stare case, everyone seemed to stop, waiting for the right section of stairs to come their way.

Now was when he started to regret his decision. He could be outside if he had just gone up. Rolling his eyes, he made his way to the ledge, and did what no kid would dare to do. He climbed the stone railing and jumped off. With a gasp from those watching, he smiled at the instant feeling of his body falling. Quickly morphing into a large bird of prey, he started his calculated decent. As he did, he spotted a familiar head of hear. Flying right over and dropping right in front of her as a confident seventeen year old. "Fae, how's it going?" He spoke on their native tongue. Normally he didn't just go up and start conversations, but this was his astrological twin, an the one that many druids said that he was destined to be with.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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After this, she was technically done with ‘school’, or as Fae liked to call it these days, forced education. She enjoyed the part where she was allowed to leave the island and explore the little slice of world surrounding the castle of Hogwarts, but the reason she had to be there was certainly not of her own volition. The last time she had visited the school, for her O.W.Ls two years earlier, it had all been so overwhelming and almost too much to handle. The students here were an odd bunch. Crass, loud, and insanely inquisitive about the druid kids whenever they showed up, Fae tended to stay in the middle of her small group and avoid actively talking with the children of Hogwarts. She was infinitely interested in asking them just as many questions back, but neither knew the best way to approach them nor was she confident in her English. Last time, one of the students said that she sounded extremely proper, and Fae still didn’t understand how that was a bad thing. But it also made her nervous to speak up this time around.

Idling near the bottom of the staircases, Fae had been waiting to catch the eye of one of the other druids she was there with, hoping that she could tag along wherever they were going so she wouldn’t have to navigate the corridors of the castle on her own. She thought she had spotted one off in the distance, and was about to start walking in their direction when a large bird landed in front of her and quickly transformed into the human form of Cashel. A surprised gasp popped out of her mouth as he did all of this, and she quickly looked around the two of them to see how many pairs of wandering eyes were stealing looks in their direction. “What are you doing?” she whispered, “You’re not supposed to be doing that in the castle!” Flying around as a golden eagle was fine back on Hy-Brasil and even out on the castle grounds, but here inside? That was too much.

@cashel ● 351 ● There's A Place by Roo Panes

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Cashel wasn't the biggest fan of going to school in a castle. And yes, the fact wasn't lost on him, that his name literally translated to "castle." He didn't mind school, or the regulated exams, but he was ready to move on from it and start the next chapter of his life. He was going to become a guardian, and live out his days on Hy-Brasil. The young druid boy found no use in making friends at the school, he simply found it pointless.

Swooping down as a large bird was so much easier than making his way through the crowded stair ways. Fae wasn't hard to spot with his excellent eye sight. Swooping down he transformed mid air, letting his human shape land safely on the ground. She seemed surprised by his show, though he didn't fully understand why. If made sense to use his animals form. She berated his actions, he shrugged at her. "Then what's the point." He said, showing little emotion. Expressions weren't his strong suit. He turned to head out of the area, looking back to Fae "You coming?"

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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The point? The point was that they weren’t supposed to be using animagus forms like that in the school. That had been one of the stipulations. While she obviously wasn’t able to ever have one of her own, due to her metamorphmagus ability, the rules were still in place. Plus it was flashy, and they were here to take exams. Fae knew that all the rules that were placed on them when they left the island were strict and not normal for them, but that was the privilege that they were being granted. Follow the rules, and they were allowed to stay and take the tests. Then again, maybe that was what Cashel wanted. Getting sent home from the required exams would have been just as nice too.

He was already walking away from her by the time she looked up at him, and she chased after in a brief jog. There were so many eyes boring onto him too, because it wasn’t like the corridor had been empty when he pulled off his little stunt. “Are you done for the day?” she asked, knowing that he was since all the druids their age were technically on the same schedule. But she wanted to make sure that he hadn’t planned anything else. Some were doing things with the Hogwarts students, like getting tours or watching the flying game that everyone at the school seemed to be obsessed with. She didn’t really understand the appeal of it. “Because I was thinking of going down to the forest. I know we’re not supposed to go in, but it can’t hurt to walk along the edge, right?” Or maybe even check out the lake. She had heard some of the students mention a giant squid there. Hy-Brasil had a lot of animals. A giant squid was not one of them.

@cashel ● 307 ● Alive by OVERWERK

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Druids had a deeper connection to the earth, nature, magic as a whole. That much was clear to the young man. Why should he worry about making his way out of the castle, dealing with crowds, when he could speed up the process. Cashel loved his home, and did miss it. He couldn't wait for their exams to be over, then he would be free to start his guardian training. She asked if his exams were done for the day and he nodded. Knowing that they put all the druid kids on the same schedule, he knew that Fae was done. He couldn't wait to get back outside.

She continued to speak, talking about the forest. Only Hogwarts student's weren't allowed to go in, but he knew that the girl really stuck to rules. "The forest is great" He spoke as they walked. Cashel had spent most of his time in the forest. The centaur herd that was there were quite friendly. And he much preferred the trees to the village they were staying at. "Or we could go for a swim" Cashel had been meaning to go an see the mermaid clan that was in the lake. It would be interesting to see what the girl would choose. He was close to the girl, they were told since childhood that they were destined for each other. Spending time with her wasn't bad, and honestly, he was just ready to get back in nature.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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While there were rules posed by the school, Fae found the one about the forest to be ridiculous. By perpetuating that there were ‘evil creatures’ hidden inside, it only wanted to make the Hogwarts students go in there more. She hadn’t talked to too many of them, but it sounded like there was an actual campaign run by the school to scare them all to death about what was there. Supposedly werewolves and giant spiders, and while she agreed that werewolves were scary, it would be pretty obvious if there was a pack of them. They wouldn’t keep to the boundary of the tree line while turned. As for acromantulas, they weren’t much of a big deal if left alone. She had seen one before on the island before while exploring an abandoned dragon cave. If there were a whole bunch of them, maybe it would have been scary.

Cashel agreed to go down to the forest with her, even mentioning going for a swim, and she shrugged at him. “I do want to see the giant squid…but I’ve heard that it stays near the beach…” she mused. The weather was nice, but she wasn’t exactly the type to want to go swimming on a whim. Especially in a body of water that was unfamiliar to her. She knew of the giant squid and its relative harmlessness, but there were other things in there that probably weren’t as used to humans as the druids were to them. Not every Grindylow colony was a peaceful one, like those on Hy-Brasil were. And she doubted that the mermaids here would be keen to have her test her vocabulary with them. They had better things to do, after all.

“Do you ever wish that we could have gone here?” she asked him as they walked across the grounds. “Not that I would want to leave home forever, but there is so much out here that we don’t get to see…” She still had no idea what was in store for her future. The easy solution was to work on the farm with her parents. The griffin herd was wonderful, and she had no problem living an easy life taking care of them and going at her own pace. At the same time, the energy and fast-paced nature of everything outside of the island was thrilling. Scary, sure, but she liked the sights. It was so much better actually being out in the world instead of following behind groups of tourists to the island and listening to their stories.

@cashel ● 425 ● Count To Nine by The Japanese House

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

The castle was interesting, it had a number of students and a lot more rules. They seemed to demand and scare more than lead and let explore. All in all, it wasn't a bad place. Cashel had let Fae decide if she wanted to go to the forest or the lake. Honestly he was fine with either. She seemed to choose the lake, though didn't seem like she wanted to go swimming like he did.

Fae's question surprised him, asking if he ever wished that he could have gone to Hogwarts. Cashel thought about it, looking around at the students and architecture. "Not really." He answered with a shrug. It was true, there was a lot of the world that the druids missed because of their circumstance. But if one wanted to explore, they could freely do that after they finished their schooling. As for Cashel, he was sure that he would stay on the island. He didn't really care much about the outside world, and once his NEWT exams were done, he would start his training to become a guardian.

As the area the two were standing in started to get more crowded, Cashel offered his hand. "Let's go." He stated. Giving her his hand would ensure that he wouldn't lose the girl in the process of going outside.

fae iona cloudbreaker

[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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Her question had been purely hypothetical. While there were definitely careers and things off of the island that druids could do, the few that she did know that had left to live on the mainland typically worked with plants or animals. So basically what they would have done at home, just elsewhere instead. The concept of being able to freely come and go as she pleased was more entertaining to her than actually leaving was. That part was scary. Going to Hogwarts for testing had a finite end to it: once the exams finished, they were whisked back home. Leaving and living permanently away from the farm seemed like a daunting task to her, and while she could take forever about hypothetical scenarios that included leaving, she also knew that she never would. Staying around her family and the farm was a much comfier, easier life than anything that was out here. During the summers she had even been helping out with tours for magizoologists and herbologists that visited for work. That to her seemed like a fun job to do when she wasn’t assisting with the griffins.

She took Cashel’s hand as they walked down to the lake, lagging behind slightly at first as she found her stride on the steep decline that led away from the castle and across the school grounds. For it being modern in comparison to what was back home, the school still felt different than any other magical mainlander places she had been. Everything here was always an eye-opener, as she was sure the same could be said for people visiting Hy-Brasil for the first time. The only difference was that her home was more vibrant and chock-full of magical life, and here at Hogwarts she was lucky to see a creature lurking about. The squid was the one exception, and she was looking forward to potentially seeing it.

@cashel ● 315 ● Morning Dew by Adrian Von Ziegler

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

The magical world was so much bigger than Hy-Brasil, but that didn't mean that Cashel had any reason to wish to live in it. He was happy where he had been born, and where he wished to remain. His expression usually remained neutral, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy. He knew what he was going to do after these exams. He would go back to their island, and start to train as a guardian, and help out his family whenever they needed it. And if what all the other druids said were true, he would end up marrying the woman he was fated to, his astrological twin.

The girl took his offered hand, and he grasped on to it. The two walked out to the lake, mostly led by Cashel. He always felt better once he was out of the castle. He didn't mind the structure or the stone, but the building felt stuffy to him. While the grounds of the school, and the forest itself, was beautiful, it was nothing when compared to their beautiful island. On Hy-Brasil, even the air tingled with magic. They made their way down to the lake where there were many students already setting down to relax. The lake was calm, save some tentacles breaching the surface into the light.

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[fae iona cloudbreaker]

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The change of scenery from home was welcome, though it did feel bland and removed at times. A bit of the magic contained within the plants and animals around the school could be felt but was lacking greatly compared to everything that the two of them were used to. She was sure that was why when non-druids came to the island they were a bit overwhelmed at first. Thankfully there were a few places on the grounds that still had a bit of magic to them, namely the forest, lake, and greenhouses. It was sad to see the state of the plants, being potted and away from their natural habitats, but the professor here did take very good care of them. To the degree that it seemed like maybe they had been given instructions by the druids themselves at one point. That was encouraging.

The lake was a different story though. From her own reading and knowledge on Hogwarts, which was scarce compared to the normal students but more than most druids (or so she liked to think), the lake was home to several different creatures and a merfolk colony. She had begun to learn the language a few seasons prior, and while difficult, had been making some headway. It was doubtful that the merfolk here would react to her trying to speak to them though, as they were supposedly shyer than the ones that lived along the coastline of Hy-Brasil.

Their approach to the lake yielded quite the sight: giant tentacles breaking out of the water! Fae let go of Cashel’s hand and kicked off her muggle shoes she was forced to wear inside the school, running as fast as she could down to the edge of the lake. She didn’t know how to speak squid, or if that was even possible in the first place, but watched in awe as the tentacles clapped against the surface of the water with resounding smacks, before sinking back below again. “Too bad we can’t call it closer!” she yelled back to Cashel.

@cashel ● 341 ● Elizabeth by Ghost

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Cashel preferred being outside of the castle. But even then, the air around them felt lacking. The Island that both druids were from was filled with magic. It was common for outsiders to come to Hy-Brasil, many of them would feel overwhelmed by change of feel. The air was filled with magic. While the outside world lacked the feel of magic that he was used to. The forest felt more like home than the castle. The greenhouse wasn't the best place, but it had the plants he was accustomed to. The lake was also nice. He had even swam down and interacted with the merfolk down there. He wasn't one for words, but he showed them respect, and they treated him as most treated a druid. He could tell that t hey didn't interact with many outside their kind.

The girl released his hand as they approached the lake, the giant squid grasping at her attention. She lost her shoes and started into the water as the tentacles retracted beneath the rippling surface. Cashel took off his shoes and stepped into the cool water. "We could swim." He offered after she mentioned not being able to bring the creature to them.

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Having the general disposition to not scare creatures, magic and not, was great. Fae also didn’t always believe in pushing her luck. The giant squid of Hogwarts’ Black Lake was a ginormous creature, the likes of which did not exist on Hy-Brasil (or at least not that she was aware of). The closest being she could think of that was in the same category of ‘giant and potentially dangerous’ were the dragons that inhabited the mountains. Even with the ability of allowing her to get along with dragons and other magical beasts, the giant squid didn’t know her yet, and likewise, she did not know it. Animals were smart: they could sense distrust and anxiety far better than any human or druid would ever be able to. They knew when other creatures were apprehensive around them. While the students of Hogwarts and the giant squid seemed to have a fairly decent rapport, Fae wasn’t so sure of it just yet. Even if she did want it to come closer. Dealing with its tentacles while she was still on the shoreline was much easier than wading out into the lake, as Cashel was suggesting. The squid would be the one tickling her appendages, instead of her doing that to its tentacles.

“I don’t know…” she said slowly, her apprehension finally starting to take hold. “It’s hard to see below the surface, and unknown waters can be dangerous.” Clearly its name was an accurate description of the murky depths she was now peering into. If she had to guess, there was probably a smattering of grindylow hanging out in the reeds, and she also knew that a mermaid colony sat at the lake bed further out. A kelpie or two wouldn’t surprise her either, as she had heard that they sometimes like finding their way into lakes in this region. “Besides, are we allowed to swim? I’d hate to break a rule and then have them send a letter back to the High Druid and our parents.”

@cashel ● 335 ● Evenfall by Aarigod

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

The girl seemed less inclined to swim. Most of the druid kids didn't care so much for the Hogwarts rules. Fae seemed to be the exception to this. Sleeping in Hogsmeade was unique, and a great experience of being able to wonder the magical village and ground of the school freely was as tempting to most. For many this would be their only experience off the island of their birth. He placed a hand on her arm and rubbed it gently, in an attempt to comfort her. "Your too tense" She did have a fair point. The waters were dark and unfamiliar to most druids.

She talked about breaking a rule and his smile grew ever so much. To him, it was the same idea s the forbidden forest. It was off limits to students, because it was dangerous for them. But it wasn't as dangerous for druids who lived on an island with most of the same creatures. He took off his shirt, balling it up and throwing it near where the two had left their shoes. He then moved in front of the girl, still facing her, looking her in the eyes he took her hands once again, and slowly started to guide her into the water. "It's not bad. Let me show you."

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Too tense? All the better for the giant squid to crush her to death. At least then it would be quick and efficient. She had been watching too many mainlander muggle shows on their television box that they had at the place they were staying at in Hogsmeade. Completely engrossed in it was more like it. Usually this sort of imagination only came out when she had been reading too much, but everything was right there on the box! Fae didn’t think she was tense though. Being a little too serious, definitely, but not tense. Even with Cashel trying to reassure her, she was apprehensive. Obviously if anything went wrong she could use her wand, though that would be a last resort. And how effective could that be against a giant squid?

It didn’t seem like she was going to be on the winning end here though, as Cashel had already taken his shirt off and was treading into the water, taking her hands as he did so. Closing her eyes briefly and letting out a sigh, knowing that it was inevitable now and her worries were childish, Fae followed the lead and stepped further into the lake. The water was cold, though that sort of thing rarely bothered her. If nature intended the lake to be warmer, it would have been. “If I see one tentacle, I’m getting out,” she said nervously as she took another step in. If Hy-Brasil had a giant squid, she was sure that she wouldn’t have been as worried about this. But there were so many what-ifs about the Black Lake that it truly did concern her. Not being able to see below the surface was unnerving, and she liked seeing everything she was doing.

@cashel ● 291 ● Great Divide by Ira Wolf

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Deleted]

Cashel didn't fear nature, or any of it's creatures. He had no reason to. They had no reason to harm him, and even if one tried, he was confident in his magical ability. Likewise, unlike many of the druid students, Cashel hadn't stayed in their lodging as much as he could get away with. He preferred to hunker down in a tree in the forest. He had such a hard time sleeping in the small town. He just didn't like it, and figured that he would never need a reason to get used to it, so why stay there? Many of the young druids took the opportunity to learn the mainlanders culture, even some entertained the strange machine that the rooms came with. But Cashel knew he would stay on the island. Once his N.E.W.T exams were done, he would go back to the island and become a guardian. like his father, and grandfather before him.

He could see that Fae was tense, she needed some time to relax. A nice swim was always relaxing, so was a walk in the forest. Though the forbidden forest did have a few dark creatures, that wouldn't help the girls nerves. He tried to reassure the girl that all would be alright, but she didn't seem convinced. Either way, he planned on going for a fine swim. He took her hands, and slowly started to bring her deeper in. With her eyes closed, she sighed, and seemed to relent to his idea. The girl followed him. His lips turned up, which was the closest thing to a smile he ever gave. He gave a small chuckle, letting her come closer to him. He looked encouragingly into her eyes. "Deal" If she was so scared of the giant beast, he would let her have her way. He would even swim in between the two of them while she made her escape.

Going fully into the lake was a cold, but comforting feeling. Being encircled by nature was always an exhilarating feeling. Diving under, Cashel waved his wand and an air bubble surrounded his head as he took the girl's hand as he guided her down. His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness.

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