Touch the Skyline (Aidan)

[Deleted]

October 10th

The barrior going down was a bad thing, but Fiona believed that there was a balance. That meant that just because one bad thing happened, it wasn't going to stay bad. And there were good things happening too. The balance had to be kept. She had even done her part in helping a Ministry worker survey what was missing.

It was time to get back to what she loved. She had spent the night on the Dragon's Tooth, watching the stairs, making observations. Now she wondered through the beautiful Wildwood, searching for items to make things from. Fiona loved to make things with her hands, it was just so natural. she had started a small stash of rocks, and shells, placing the bag that contained them in a way that it was hanging from a tree, far off the ground that most creatures would ignore it, but also far away from the branch it was hanging from, that hopefully no niffler would shine the pearlescent shells that she had there. If they had, she would just find their nest and scavenge from there. The best way to find something small, which was what she was after, was to be small. Luckily, the girl could change into the perfect size.

Morphing down, she was much closer to the ground, and started to collect what she liked. But Fiona wasn't one to work hard without making things fun. She pounced around, running around in the spots that a full sized teenage witch couldn't. Not paying attention, she bumped into something that just shouldn't have been there. Shaking her head, she noticing a familiar shape.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

It was the second time in two weeks that Aidan was home on a weekday instead of at the reserve, but given the circumstances nobody had said anything yet. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with it for long, but times of uncertainty didn’t happen to him very often and when something did he preferred to be in a familiar place.

After the collapse of the barrier, Aidan had experienced a rare fit of stress before his emotions had settled. Yeah, it had only lasted about a morning, but it had still happened. And the best way to make a big comeback from a blue day was to have a very good day instead, which naturally meant doing all of his favorite things. And the best part was, his favorite things also happened to be the most positive thing he could do to help the community move forward. So he’d been walking around the Wildwood all day checking on the creatures that had stayed behind – looking for injuries or signs of depression or anything that might warrant a friendly check-up.

His current patient was being a little difficult, however, perched high on a tree and out-of-reach. “Look what I have,” Aidan said in a singsong voice as he stretched as high as he could to show what he had in his hand. He would have climbed the tree, but there weren’t any nearby branches, and besides – bowtruckles were very protective of their space. Better to show off his gift first. “Mmmm, don’t they look good?” he asked as the bowtruckle still didn’t budge. Another moment of silence, and Aidan sprinkled the woodlice over his staff before extending it far over his head for it to be inspected.

Really, he should have seen it coming. But he didn’t, and the mischievous little thing made a swipe for his staff. If it had been any bigger, they might have had a wrestling match over it, but as it was, Aidan snatched it back before losing his balance and falling back on the mossy ground. He sat up slowly and pouted. “That was very rude, you know!” he called out. “Friends don’t steal from each other!” Aidan would have continued, but he was interrupted by a small thump against his back and he swiveled curiously to investigate. Hy-Brasil didn’t have non-magical creatures, which meant this weasel was definitely an animagus and probably somebody he knew. But, considering it had hit its head, Aidan shuffled around until he could look him (or her?) over more carefully. “Hey, what’s got you in such a rush?” he asked playfully before (naturally) laughing at his own joke.

@fiona
[All dialogue in Brasilic unless otherwise stated ]

[Deleted]

This wasn't the first time Fiona had run head first into something. The small creature backed up, shaking her head she then pawed the spot that had hit, rubbing it as she heard in her native tongue “Hey, what’s got you in such a rush?” She looked up at none other than Aidan.

The boy was a few years older than she was, but the island of Hy-Brasil wasn't that big. The small creature tilted it's head at him. Not letting too much time pass, the girl shifted back, now on her knees, she smiled at the boy "Does one need a reason to enjoy the forest?"

She took a chance to look around, not quite sure what he was doing. "What are you up to?" Though he didn't need to have a reason for being in the forest. The girl rarely did. She practically lived there.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan watched carefully as the weasel shook its head, and he grew a little concerned as the silence lengthened. Naturally, he hadn’t expected the weasel to answer, but the delayed reaction could be a sign of something else. And if there was one thing he could take seriously, it was the well-being of a creature! So Aidan instinctively ran his hand over its little head, checking for bumps and if it looked dizzy or disoriented. Nothing jumped out and he leaned back on his hands as the weasel became Fiona.

“Fee!” Aidan exclaimed delightedly as his face lit up. So he’d been right, he did know the weasel! Fiona was a little younger than him, still in school, and he hadn’t seen much of her since he’d left two years ago. But he liked her company – most druids of their generation seemed desperate for adventure or to leave the island, but Fiona had always seemed as content with their world as he was. Aidan could appreciate that. She asked if she needed a reason to enjoy the forest, and Aidan nodded vigorously as he agreed, “That’s true. But I don’t look like a tree so you must have been distracted. Unless…” He wrinkled his nose in concentration. “Unless…do I?”

He might have followed that train of thought further until she asked what he’d been doing. That was a fair question – she’d collided with him on the ground and he hadn’t made any effort to get up yet. He was actually enjoying the feel of the dirt and moss between his fingers. But Aidan used his staff to point into the tree. “Visiting the creatures that stayed behind to check for injuries. But Root was being playful!” He could see the bowtruckle making a face at him, so he made one back.

@fiona

[Deleted]

The druid boy stoked her head, and admittedly, she kind of liked it. He had to be well aware that it was another Druid. That was how life was on Hy-Brasil. When she morphed back, he seemed excited that it was her. She gave him a big smile. It was always fun to see Druids who had left the island, who had come to visit. Though, why they chose to leave, Fiona would never understand. This was where she belonged.

Aidan didn't seem to come back that much, at least for Fiona's perspective. He agreed that she didn't need a reason to run around the forest. And that was true. Fiona considered the entire island her home. She was just as comfortable in the forest, or on the mountain, as she was in her own room. He made a joke about maybe looking like a tree and she laughed. "Maybe just a little." She teased back, then reached for something under a bush. Showing the boy some interesting small rocks in her hand she explained "This is the best place to find small rocks like this. I use them in the jewelry that Frey and I sell." Her and her sister had been selling goods since they were small. Many of there stuff was sold due to some fantastical stories that they, mostly Freya, had made up.

She had asked what he was doing, and got quite an interesting answer. “Visiting the creatures that stayed behind to check for injuries. But Root was being playful!” She looked up to see the bowtruckle on the branch make a face, and noticed the boy doing the same back. Fiona gave a good laugh. Placing the rocks in her pocket she looked back up there. "I could go up there and look" She loved the animals in the forest, and having many of them gone was sad. She'd definitely help if any of those who staid were hurt.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan blinked owlishly as he considered the new and interesting problem that maybe he blended in too well with the trees. He glanced down at his clothes and – yeah it had to be the dirt, right? He’d been searching for Red Cap holes earlier and had crawled into some pretty undignified spaces. Aidan was satisfied that there weren’t any Red Caps in the vicinity, but he hadn’t really cared enough to clean himself off. It was too late to do anything now, but he tried to surreptitiously brush some of the worst off his shirt.

Fiona had reached under a bush in response to his question, and he looked interestedly at the rocks in her hand. He picked up a particularly shiny one (he couldn’t help it, okay) to turn it over and watch how it caught the light filtering through the trees. Aidan admired many things about the Wildwood– the tall trees, the abundance of creatures that called it their home – but he’d never stopped to examine the rocks before. “They’re pretty,” he said approvingly before dropping it gently back in her palm. “But…to sell?” he asked, once again confused. The idea of ‘selling’ was highly unusual here – druids bartered for what they needed, and Aidan was only familiar with wizard currency because of his time off the island. He couldn’t imagine why Fiona and Freya needed to sell anything.

The bowtruckle was still watching from a high branch, and Aidan sighed exaggeratedly as he plopped his staff down and lay down on his back to get a new perspective on the bowtruckle. “I wish I was a monkey,” he commented idly, but he grinned at Fiona from the ground. A weasel was definitely more useful than a dog in this scenario, but he didn’t want to aggravate Root and risk Fiona getting scratched. He tilted his head as he thoughtfully considered the lowest branches. “I bet I could levitate myself up. Or you could?” he asked hopefully.

@fiona

[Deleted]

Fiona noted the dirt on his cloths, but didn't think much of it. Dirt, mud, scuffs and holes were a natural state of her cloths. She spent plenty of time in the forest, she didn't care too much to keep what she was wearing clean.

Fiona showed him the handful of rocks. There was dirt, sand and some leaves in her hand, and as he picked one rock in particular from her hand, she began cleaning up what she held, keeping just the rocks. After years of gathering, she knew where to find the best stuff. “They’re pretty,” Fiona smiled at the boy as he placed the rock back in her hand. “But…to sell?” Fiona shook her head. "Not until I put my own spin on it. Then Frey will sell it off to some tourist." She picked up the same rock, and examined it "This one will probably be put with some others and tied into a bracelet." She knew that some Druids disapproved of the twins little business. But she had really gotten good at making things, and it had grown to be a passion of hers. She didn't tell many people, but she ended up keeping the ones she really liked. And she did trade some of her creations around, but that didn't happen too often. Not many druids wanted what she made. Freya also enjoyed money, and it meant that Fee could get anything she wanted, when she wanted.

Fiona looked up at the little creature, as he stated that he wished that he was a monkey. Fiona couldn't help but laugh. She was the wrong twin. Her sister was the cutest little golden tamarin. “I bet I could levitate myself up. Or you could?” She looked around and pocketed the small stones. "I don't have my wand or staff with me," She motioned to herself, and being a weasel not to long ago. "But you can levitate me it you want. Or, I could climb up there as a weasel" She was willing to help, and this was definitely something she could do.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan cocked his head thoughtfully as he considered Fiona’s answer. He vaguely knew her and her sister Freya, and it made sense that the twins would spend a lot of their time together. But activities on Hy-Brasil weren’t typically so unusual as catering to tourists. Helping with the family business, maybe, or learning more about Healing or magical creatures with what could be found around the island. He knew some tourists liked to visit, and that meant there had to be some kind of infrastructure to be able to accept them – stores, druids that knew about the mainlanders’ money system. Putting together jewelry and, well souvenirs for lack of a better word, was definitely an unusual hobby. But, watching Fiona appraise the rock with an expert’s eye... “If it makes you happy, then…” Aidan rolled his shoulders from his position on the ground before returning her smile. “Even if you’re probably the only ones who would come up with an idea like that.”

He sat up excitedly as Fiona began exploring some ideas about how to get up the tree and he considered the tall tree trunk again. “That’s brilliant!” he said enthusiastically, even if he wasn’t quite sure which idea he was referring to. He wasn’t particularly skilled at the whole ‘coming up with the big fancy plan’ and his scatterbrained ideas usually ended with a visit to the Healer. So it was actually very exciting to be able to discuss with someone else before putting one into action. He considered his staff before pointing it at himself then the tree. “You can, ha, weasel yourself up, and I’ll levitate myself. Then we can give Root some company. I’m sure he’s been lonely.”

Now that something had been verbalized, Aidan was eager to see if it would work. He brushed off his staff and returned the wood lice haphazardly to his pockets – couldn’t lose the bowtruckle’s snack, after all. He considered the tree cheerfully before turning back to look at Fiona. “You’ve covered bowtruckles in class, right? Remember all the dos-and-don’ts?” Aidan had honestly barely paid attention in class. He’d been better known to skip classes entirely and learn the important stuff on his own through trial-and-error. It had driven his parents wild, even as he’d always promised to try and pay more attention. But he was sure Fiona was a better student. She seemed the type – thoughtful, considerate. And if not, Aidan had more than enough experience avoiding scratches and chastising rude behavior. So really, he was better than a class!

@fiona

[Deleted]

While Freya and Fiona weren't inseparable, they were still close. The girl loved her sister, and couldn't imagine life without the girl. Fiona and her sister had started selling trinkets to tourists since they were young. The trinkets, and their con had become more sophisticated as they grew older. Fiona loved to make things, and Freya was so good at spinning her tales. “If it makes you happy, then…” He seemed quite unsure about it and Fiona laughed. It was a unique idea "Honestly I just like making things. Sometimes I'll trade them with others on the island, but it's much more fun to watch Freya sell to the visitors" She laughed "They'll honestly buy anything if they think it's something Druid"

She offered to help with getting to the small creature, either by levitation or climbing the tree. It wasn't often thought of, but Weasels were capable of climbing. He seemed excited. Fiona knew, better than most, that two was always better than one. The girl wasn't sure which plan he was referring to, but she could work with both. Honestly, Freya was more of the planner, but she helped with ideas. She also had to do planning when it came to creating her trinkets. “You can, ha, weasel yourself up, and I’ll levitate myself. Then we can give Root some company. I’m sure he’s been lonely.” Fiona laughed at the plan but agreed to it nonetheless. Looking up to the creature, so high up "Probably scared too. Some company will defiantly help"

As Aiden resituated himself, Fiona put the rocks back under the bush. She was certain that they would still be there when she got back. There was no rush, and there was a small creature that needed help. "You’ve covered bowtruckles in class, right? Remember all the dos-and-don’ts?” Fiona laughed. "Please, I was playing with hatchling dragons before I could walk" It was only a slight exajuration. She had interacted with bowtruckles before, and knew what she was doing. Class really had nothing to do with it. She spent more time in the forest, than she did her own home. With every plant being magical, it was near impossible to avoid the small tree dwelling creature. Fiona was a good student, but she always felt a connection to creatures, and never truly felt in danger when hear them. Her and her sister did successfully hide pogerbins in their room for quite some time. It had just started with two. Who knew that they would bread. They kept the creatures in their room for as long as they could, but one night, the released them. Now their family farm had, what could be classified, as a pogerbin infestation.

She gave a impish smile to the boy, "Meet you up there" She didn't want to say "race" because he had a distinct advantage, in size and direction. But eithr way, she shifted down into the small long tailed creature. Without any more communication, the girl darted for the tree. Working her way up to the branch with the smaller still, green creature.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Aidan rubbed his hands excitedly before picking up his staff again and propelling himself off the ground to a standing position. He’d like to say he had picked himself up, but at this point he was a bundle of energy and it was impossible to stop his momentum, so maybe it had been the air itself that had righted him. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he considered the incredibly tall tree in front of him. They didn’t have trees like this in Hogsmeade, ones that had been allowed to grow free and wild for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. The whole Wildwood had an uncontrolled feel to it that was practically impossible to find elsewhere, even in the nature reserve, and Aidan was looking forward to seeing the forest from a more elevated point-of-view.

His smile turned a little softer as Fiona commented that the bowtruckle was probably scared too. It was the sort of thought he always had about the creatures he looked after, but those kinds of impulses didn’t seem to occur much outside Hy-Brasil. His coworkers at the reserve didn’t have the same kind of connection to nature and creatures that he did, and they had to work a lot harder to bond with the animals as a result. And those were the wizards and witches who cared. Most didn’t consider an animal to have feelings the way humans could, and the Ministry had such backwards attitudes in their approach towards magical creatures that they were almost useless when it came to building solid relationships with them. The majority of druids could respect life, any life, in a way the mainlanders never could. Aidan knew that, but to hear that sort of thought verbalized by somebody other than him… “Yeah,” he responded, a soft expression on his face and voice edged with a tenderness always reserved for his interactions with magical creatures.

The mention of dragons perked him up again. “One of the eggs at the reserve just hatched,” he said excitedly. He hadn't been there for the birth, but one of his coworkers had overseen the whole hatching process and Aidan had since spent long hours monitoring the growth of the baby dragon and, naturally, constantly playing with and cuddling him as he grew. He sighed happily as he thought about it. “You should see him, he’s grown so fast. Already blowing little puffs of fire and taking down saplings.” That part was less than ideal, but with Aidan around the damage never lasted too long.

He could have spent the rest of the day talking about dragons, but Fiona’s challenge -- because the words were mild but the mischievous smile was not – brought him back to attention. He returned her smile with a toothy grin of his own before pointing his staff at her then himself. “I’ll see you up there,” was all he managed to get out before Fiona turned into her animagus form and began to work her way up the tree. Aidan scrunched his face up in concentration before casting a levitation charm on himself, lightly tapping himself on the head for good measure. He’d always had an energetic flair to his spellcasting, and this proved no different – he shot straight up at an uncontrolled pace and laughed breathlessly as he tried to correct himself.

It was only due to luck that Aidan was able to tightly latch onto a low branch before his magic faded. He did a pull-up and scrambled onto the branch quickly, still breathless with laughter at how terrifyingly amazing that had been. The bowtruckle was still several branches above him, but that was an easy climb at this point. “That…was a…terrible idea,” he wheezed, huge grin on his face as he slumped against the trunk to catch his breath.

@fiona

[Deleted]

Fiona could see the excitement that Aidan had. Everyone here seemed passionate about their surroundings. Sometimes, all you needed to do was have a friend to help you. The Druid girl loved to climb trees. She loved the trees on Hy-Brasil. She knew, from two years ago when she went to Hogwarts for there OWL exams that the trees there had nothing on the ones here. The people on the island lived in harmony with the trees. they lived around them, and let them be. That made many of these trees older than the barrier. While the barrier had broken recently, that didn't change the fact. The pure wild air of the Wildwood was what drew Fiona to it so much. There was music in the movement and silence, and all the creatures danced to it.

Through her interactions with non Druids, Fiona had learned the many differences. One of the biggest one was how each one thought. Many of the Druid people believed creatures to be their friends or partners. They worked side by side with the rest of nature. While the witches and wizards outside of their island seemed to have a concept of owning animals, or having some form of dominance over them. The boy seemed happy with her words. He seemed glad to hear them. She guessed that maybe he had spent too much time off the island if a sentiment like that made him look that happy. To Fiona, it was just the natural way of things. Bowtruckles often lived with their family on the same tree. She hadn't seen any other small green creatures, so the poor thing probably was lonely and scared.

“One of the eggs at the reserve just hatched,” Fiona looked quite excited. She made a sharp in hail as the smile grew on her face "Is it the cutest little baby?" She loved small animals, and baby ones were just asking to be cuddled. “You should see him, he’s grown so fast. Already blowing little puffs of fire and taking down saplings.” Fiona just got so excited. "I wish I could. But I can come and visit when we all go there for our NEWT's!" She hoped that with an "inside man" she would be able to truly see and interact with the creatures, much like she wanted to do last time. But Fiona knew the rules just as well as the others. And while she was one of the mischievous Gemini twins, she always made sure that they weren't actually breaking any rules. Perhaps that was one reason why certain members of the Druid Council didn't like them that much.

While Fiona loved the dragon talk, she also knew that there was a creature that needed their help right above their heads. They could always chat later. So, she formed into the small creature, and all conversation was paused. He seemed to reciprocate her impish grin “I’ll see you up there,” She quickly formed down into her small weasle, and started to quickly make her way up the tree. She heard the spell, but was to focused on the task at hand to see the actions that insued. Though she did imagine that it would have looked quite silly. It wasn't a bad silly either. It was more of a "be yourself" type of action. Hy-Brasil had such a freeing where you could be the person you were, and while some people didn't quite agree with you, it didn't have to stop you. She heard his laugh, and wondered how he thought that he would be able to control his own person while levitating. She didn't quite know how it would look, and she couldn't help but halt her progression and see him moving about.

Reaching the same branch just above the one that he had pulled himself onto, The small creature gave the closest sound to a laugh as the weasel could do as he said “That…was a…terrible idea,” She situated herself on the branch, and turned back. Knowing that the lowest branch was thick enough to support the two of them. She masterfully restated herself, having done this many times before. She then laughed with him. "You alright down their Aiden?" She was sure that he was, but thought it would be safe to ask.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

As Aidan made himself comfortable on his branch and slumped against the tree trunk to catch his breath, he reflected on the reminder that even if he felt like the same person, he couldn’t be the same as he’d been before leaving the island. It had been so nice and refreshing to hear someone concerned about a magical creature’s wellbeing, emotional as much as physical. He’d seen the flicker of something – was it surprise? – on Fiona’s face at his reaction, as if it hadn’t even occurred to her that there were other wizards and witches out there who didn’t care the way they did. Aidan didn’t normally catch such minute details about other people, and he probably wouldn’t have here if he hadn’t already been looking.

Because yeah, once upon a time he’d been the same way, right? He’d thought that the way things were done on Hy-Brasil was the only way they could be done, and an abstract knowledge of the outside world hadn’t equated to an understanding of it. Aidan hadn’t changed his mind that the druids’ way of life was superior, and that mainland wizards were missing something fundamental about how they viewed themselves and interacted with each other and their environment. But now he knew how they lived, and that they were mostly happy in their ignorance. There was certainly a lot of dissatisfaction and depression among them, but they hid that carefully from the people around them instead of exploring and sharing the emotions. These facts wasn’t enough to depress Aidan, because nothing really depressed him as long as he could draw happiness from his own life, but it was an awareness that had only grown in the years since he’d left. Maybe one day his mother would be satisfied that he’d learned something after all.

Before the two had started climbing the tree, Fiona had mentioned stopping by the reserve when the druid class went to take their NEWTs. She’d settled on a branch above him, and Aidan craned his neck up to catch her transformation back from weasel into human. He laughed again, a little less uncontrolled than in the short flight up, as he called back, “I’m super comfortable here, thanks. Might stop for a nap. You don’t know what you’re missing!” He made a big show of crossing his arms and closing his eyes, allowing himself a moment of peace to enjoy the feeling of the bark on his back and the sounds of magical birds singing to each other. After a few beats, Aidan let his eyes slowly fall open as he sighed happily and glanced back up at where Fiona had perched herself.

Even if a few minutes had already elapsed, Aidan picked the conversation back up like no time had passed at all. “Are you excited to see Hogwarts again?” he asked curiously as he slowly stood on his branch – even with two years of practice, the word ‘Hogwarts’ sounded foreign to him and came out noticeably more awkward than the other words in Brasilic. Fiona would have been there before for her OWLs, although it had been two years since then. Aidan had never taken much interest in the castle, but now he lived right next door and it had become a familiar sight on the horizon. Even if using that much stone to build a dwelling was unnatural.

“The reserve is so much nicer than the castle. Lots of open space for the animals, and sometimes you can almost forget other people exist. You can be in the hippogriff reserve and the next person might be all the way over with the porlocks. So it’s just you and the creatures and the earth!” He maintained the running commentary idly as he climbed to the next branch and sat down lightly next to Fiona, although his last sentence was spoken with more emotion than the others. Even with her above-average height, Aidan was still much taller – so he exaggeratedly used his hand to mark his height on his head then traced his hand over to hover above the empty air over her head. He grinned down at her and asked teasingly, “You alright down there, Fiona?”

@fiona

[Deleted]

Worrying about a creatures physical and mental well being was just second nature to Fiona. She believed in balance, and that was one way that a person or creature found balance. Living on the island, Druids, animals and nature, they all worked together. It was a full symbiotic relationship. the creatures and druids worked together side by side. They lived in harmony. Living any other way just seemed wrong to the Druid girl.

Fiona let out a hearty laugh as he stated that he may as well take a nap while he was there. She was in her element, and better yet, she had a friend to share it with. This was what life was about. Climbing a tree with a friend, using both magic and skill to help a magical creature who was alone. "You don’t know what you’re missing!” The laughter continued as she glanced down at him, her long orange hair moving into her face "I'm not too sure about that. It's pretty nice up here. Better view too." She was only slightly higher than he was, but the Cheshire grin on her face said it all. She was having the time of her life. She took the time that he used to rest, and close his eyes, to open her own. She watched her surroundings, enjoying the same sounds of the forest. This was why she loved to climb trees. She loved to see the world from a new perspective.

The conversation was picked up, as if nothing had happened. “Are you excited to see Hogwarts again?” Fiona pursed her lips together. She wasn't so sure. "It'll be nice to be done with those exams." And she would enjoy seeing Aidan at his job. "But Hy-Brasil is home, you know?" Past these exams, She didn't really see herself leaving. She loved her life here. While she knew that Aidan had gone left, that was his choice, which was alright. "I do look forward to meeting up with the centaur hurd again." While most students were told to avoid the forest on the grounds, deemed the "Forbidden Forest" Druids weren't constrained by such rules. Fiona had enjoyed a small taste of home there, and she always loved to star gaze. Doing it with centaurs was the best way.

He talked about the reserve, it sounded nice, almost like home. "I am glad that we get to stay down in Hogsmeade. Can you imagine living in a structure like that castle? All the time?" They were in it during the course of the exams, but as soon as they were done, Fiona happily went outside. It was an interesting scene, and wasn't bad to look at, she just couldn't imagine being in it for the entire school year. Here on the island, they had their classes out in the wild. That was the way it was supposed to be, for Fiona at least."

As he started to move up, Fiona stood on her branch, noting the boy testing the height difference between them. It was only a few inches. “You alright down there, Fiona?” The girl gave a giggle. "Why don't you tell me. You stay there, I'll go up here. She said, as she started to climb up the branches."

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn

[Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn]

Now that he’d moved up a tree branch, Aidan took a moment to look over the ‘better view’ Fiona had mentioned earlier. She was definitely right – there was no part of the Wildwood that was unpleasant to look at, but you could only capture its full beauty from the perspective of a Jobberknoll (although Aidan couldn’t be sure how many there were in the area, since they were notoriously difficult to track due to their silent natures). But the point was still there, and Aidan soaked in the view of strongly-rooted trees with sunlight occasionally filtering through the canopy. The area was undeveloped, and mostly untouched by druids except for those that made their homes among the trees. There really was almost nothing like it anywhere else.

Even so, it was noticeably different this time around. The Wildwood was usually full of creature sounds, from Fwoopers calling out to each other to unicorns grazing together. There were still some of those sounds, including the chattering of the Bowtruckle from a few branches up, but there was less. The barrier collapsing must have spooked a lot of the creatures because there were only a fraction left of what there should be, and for someone like Aidan who spent a lot of his free time just wandering around, and who therefore knew what every corner of the woods should look like, it felt...echo-y. Empty. Like there were pieces of the Wildwood’s soul missing. But the Council was on the case, and Aidan had already heard that there were druids going out to find the creatures and bring them home. Maybe even he could help with that, limited experience that he had with the outside world.

So for now, he let himself focus on Fiona’s words, and he nodded energetically when she mentioned that while it would be nice to finish exams, that home was home. “Hy-Brasil will always be home,” he agreed, with feeling in his words. He’d tried hard to make his room in Hogsmeade comfortable, bringing in magical plants that he recognized from the island and keeping everything as natural as possible. His own family home was built into a tree, so Aidan had only accepted a room in a wooden building, but it still didn’t feel the same. That wood felt dead, like only a shadow of the tree’s spirit was still present in the planks. So he didn’t like to spend much time inside.

He gave a snort of laughter and kicked his feet idly as they dangled in the air when Fiona asked if he could imagine living in the castle all the time. He’d only been in Hogwarts twice, for his OWLs and NEWTs, but even Hogsmeade was a huge living adjustment so...yeah, he could imagine it very well because it was going to be his life until he finished his apprenticeship. “You don’t really get used to it,” he said dejectedly as he thought of the room he rented in Hogsmeade. He managed a weak smile – quite the accomplishment because he was usually all smiles and it was hard to find a subject that made him have to force it. “But life goes on, right?” It really was only a place to sleep – Aidan did everything in his power to be outside the rest of the time, either at the reserve or just exploring the little village. He didn’t really like being inside too long anyway, but it was a hundred times worse on the mainland when there was no feeling of life in the buildings. It seemed odd to pay for a room he hated to use, but the mainlanders were obsessed with galleons and sickles and knuts. You couldn’t escape the price tag anywhere.

Aidan raised his eyebrows and a more natural smile dawned on his face as Fiona began to climb again. He wasn’t competitive in the usual sense, but he very rarely said no to anything. “Is climbing a weasel thing, or do you just like to look down at me?” he called out as he also stood up and watched Fiona climb up to the next branch. Still, she’d told him to stay, so he stayed planted on the branch, staff thrown over his shoulders until he’d be ready to start climbing again. If he stretched, the next branch was easily in reach, but he leaned back on the tree trunk instead and smiled in a generally upward direction. “So? Can I come up, Elder Fiona?”

@fiona

[Deleted]

While Fiona had a house that her and the other Silentflowers lived in, the Wildwood was home. In fact, all of Hy-Brasil felt like home to the girl. The trees older than her great grandparents, the new brush just starting off. Fiona could get to every Niffler nest, and every Dragon cave. Would she share her knowledge and show a tourist around? Sure. If the price was right. But she certainly wouldn't take them on the easiest path. The barrier going down had left a chasm of sound. She missed the louder sounds, though some still remained. As a natural part of the forest, Fiona felt the change, she felt the hole. True, she wished that she could help, but being seventeen, and still classified as a student, Fiona was not aloud to leave in search for the missing creatures. That was simply against the rules. And Fiona had never been one to break the rules. There was little that she could do to help, that hadn't already been done by another. With this, and the girl's fundamental belief in the universal balance of all things, she only felt like this was just the way things went. Sometimes there was good, and sometimes there was bad. But which ever did happen, she knew that things would always be moved back to the middle.

If she were able to, Fiona would have happily left to help look for the many missing creatures, even though she wasn't fond of the outside world. But the girl knew that she would always return to Hy-Brasil, it was her home. She saw the boy nodding his head in agreement and smiled at his words. “Hy-Brasil will always be home,” To her, it was hard to imagine anyone living a life so differently than there's. She knew that those off the island did, they blended with muggle society and worked simultaneously towards modernization, and had battles over purity. From what she knew, the outside world was a mess. One that she would happily never be a part of. Fiona knew that Aidan had chosen a different path, he had left, but she could hear, as he spoke, the love and feeling that he still had for their island.

She couldn't fathom why anyone would ever live so far away from nature. Even go and build a stone structure where, if you wished, you would never know the feeling of grass under your feet. Aidan, who lived in Hogsmeade, and therefore had some form of accommodation gave in his words. Stating that it wasn't something that he had gotten used to. Just living in that small town for a few months was enough for Fiona. Just the thought of it depressed the girl. Why would anyone voluntarily live so far away from nature? "Last time we were there, I slept quite a few nights in their forest." She had just found a comfortable tree and let the sounds lull her to sleep.

“But life goes on, right?” She smiled sweetly and nodded "Yes, and you have my visit in the spring to look forward to while you wait." She said, trying to lighten up the mood a bit.

Fiona wouldn't consider herself as a competitive person, but more like an imp. She liked to have fun, and if things didn't seem to be on her side, she'd just have to fix that. All of this was in good fun. The boy had started it by calling her short. True, she was shorter than he was, but that had nothing to do with it. “Is climbing a weasel thing, or do you just like to look down at me?” As she climbed the boy spoke, and Fiona laughed, nearing the small green creatures branch. She had only pulled herself up a couple branches higher. She stopped just shy of it, but in a good position that was she stood on the branch, she could come eye to eye with the small thing. Instead, she sat down and made herself comfortable as she laughed. "It's a little of both. Freya is a monkey" She added. Anyone who knew the twins, knew that they shared just about everything. She straddled the branch and looked back down to the older man. She gave a loud laugh as he called her "elder." Could you image Fiona in a spot of power in Druid society? She couldn't. She knew that her sister wanted to become a priestess, but the girl was more than happy making her trinkets and looking at stars. "You may approach" she said in quite a haughty tone, mocking what a member of the council or someone in high authority might say.

Aidan Evander Ó Cuinn