Just as Aurora was thinking that she might be making the slightest bit of progress, slowly but surely melting a path through the snow, a wind from the west practically barreled her over, sending her tumbling into the snow with a strangled yell. It hadn't been that strong, but the sudden force of the wind had surprised her and thrown her off her guard, sending her tumbling. Her hair flew in front of her face, whipping her already raw cheeks, and she sincerely regretted undoing her braid at that point. She didn't care, though, as the wind was making it impossible to see where she was at the moment - braided hair or not. Snow blinded her vision, getting in her hair and numbing her face, chilling her to the bone. The part of her body that hadn't fallen into the snow was coated with the blowback from the wind, and the path she'd created in front of her was completely gone.

She was completely soaked now, her waterproof boots doing practically no good now that her entire body was drenched in snow. She couldn't feel her hands anymore, despite the fact that she was gripping her wand so hard, her long manicured nails were digging deep into her palm, causing tiny little cuts. As soon as she was sure the killer wind had passed, she slowly got to her feet and brushed herself off.

As soon as she got up and got her balance again, she took a deep breath. She paused, taking her hair and tying it into a messy bun - she was going to need a SERIOUS deep condition after this challenge - when another strong wind promptly knocked her down again. This time, it hit her straight on, sending her stumbling back onto her bum and knocking the wind out of her. For a split second, she was scared the wind wouldn't let up and she wouldn't be able to stand, and the snow would eventually blow over her, burying her tiny frame in a mini avalanche. That would have been the end of Aurora Chae...

But no, she was able to get up again, gasping as she caught her breath. The damage had been done, however - the snow had been blown all over, completely covering the tracks she had been making with her Incendio charm. She had no idea which way she had come - but she knew which way the wind had blown her, since the indent of her body falling backwards was the only mark in the snow she could see at the moment. Which way was that? Did it matter? She needed to readjust and get her bearings, even if it was just to comfort herself and give herself some semblance of knowing what she was doing...

WAIT. WHERE WAS HER WAND!?

It wasn't in her hand anymore! After the first gust she'd had it, she had been sure of it, but the second one had knocked it out of her hand and she hadn't even noticed! Her heart practically stopped, and despite the fact that she was cold and soaked to the bone, she dropped to her knees, frantically digging through the snow. "Come on, come on!" she sobbed, tears falling down her cheeks as she imagined a world without her wand. Forget the competition - her LIFE was OVER if she couldn't find it!!

What if it was broken?! What if she never found it?! Would she be disqualified right away? Would she simply freeze to death out here? What if she never found it?! She would have to fly back to America just to get a new wand, she'd have to drop out of her fifth year, she'd be behind for exams next year, she'd never get in to university...

Thankfully, these terrifying thoughts only stuck around for a few seconds. After some frantic digging, her right hand grazed over something long and slender, and she let out a cry of relief as she pulled her wand from the snow. Shaking, she sat up, dizzy from the cold, the anxiety over losing her wand - all of it. She felt like she was going to pass out and had to steady herself for just a moment, reminding herself to remain calm.

Things were NOT going in her favor at the moment.

She looked around in dismay. The only thing visible in the wasteland of snow was the indent she'd made falling backwards - and the subsequent scramble to find her wand in the snow. So, that meant the wind that had knocked her over had come from...there? She turned, facing the direction she'd been when the second wind had hit. "Point me," she muttered as she held her wand in front of her, using the makeshift compass to determine that the wind that had knocked her down had come from the north.

Once again, she had no better ideas, so...on she went. If the wind had come from the north, she decided that meant she SHOULDN'T be going north. More than likely another strong gust would just knock her over again. So instead, she turned and walked in the opposite direction, to the south. Hopefully that was the right direction - and hopefully she wasn't headed back in the direction she had just come. Still, logic told her that winds pushing AGAINST her were likely not her friend, so south it was until she determined otherwise. Her wand was out again, casting Incendio to try and build herself a path once more. She couldn't feel her fingers, or her nose, or even her lips anymore, and she was surprised her eyes hadn't frozen shut from the crying.