This... was certainly different. With the way the previous challenges had gone, their escalating coldness - the frosty atmosphere that came with the Dementors, the snow surrounding the Whomping Willow, and then the literal tundra - Kyle had half expected the final challenge to involve battling his way out of a solid block of ice or something. After everything, it was a welcome change, not to have to worry about the cold.

Although... he supposed there was still an entire challenge left to go. Another hour left of the competition, during which anything could happen.

With his wand held ready in his hand, Kyle stayed rooted to the spot for a moment, intending to assess his surroundings before he went anywhere.

The creatures nearby were a dead giveaway as to where he was... or at least where he was supposed to be. The Streeler (Kyle had reasoned to himself that that was what it was, given the spikes and the burning trail; there was hardly time to check for the colour-changing shell) was native to Africa, and there was a very good chance that the animals that he could just see through the trees were a couple of Erumpents. Not to mention, there was the distinct sound of a Fwooper from far off. Clearly, this was supposed to be Africa, but given the fact that all of the challenges that had taken place away from the Hogwarts grounds so far had just been part of an illusion, he was dubious.

Even so, it would be unwise to operate on the assumption that they were still in the safety of the school grounds; the whole competition seemed to be a case of taking things at face value and reacting to them as necessary. That was how the challenges were completed, and that was how the points were earned.

There wasn't much more information to be gleaned from his surroundings, so Kyle decided to just get on with it, and he started moving. For safety reasons, he gave both the suspected Erumpents and the Streeler a wide berth. Kyle was much more skilled with his theoretical knowledge of creatures (for Potions reasons) than the physical handling of them, but even if he was skilled with the practical side of Care of Magical Creatures, he still wouldn't approach an Erumpent - especially a mother and baby - unless absolutely necessary. For obvious reasons, Kyle hoped that it didn't become necessary for the challenge, but didn't discount it either. More dangerous things had happened in historical inter-school competitions, after all: dragons, cockatrices, that sort of thing. Kyle had done plenty of reading on the topic, ever since he was first chosen as an IMPS competitor.

He moved through the trees and other vegetation carefully, keeping his wits about him, and looking out for clues as to what he might be expected to do. All the while, Kyle never completely took his focus away from those potential Erumpents, or any other possibly dangerous creatures that might appear, and he refused to allow himself to relax even for a moment. In a way, he actually missed the cold; it had previously kept him alert, on his toes, whereas the heat was draining and cultivated feelings of exhaustion, both physical and mental. He could already feel his robes sticking to him with sweat, and so pulled at the front of them and attempted to waft a draft through them.

The heat was going to become problematic soon enough, and Kyle preferred to start addressing it sooner rather than later. One thing he needed to avoid at all costs, was dehydration. Plenty of potential for that here in the heat, with all the sweating and the moving around. When had he last had a drink of water?

Pausing for just a moment, Kyle held his wand over his head and pointed it straight down at himself.

"Aguamenti."

Pure, clear, and - mercifully - cool water rained down on him, soaking his hair, dripping down his face and neck and under his robes. Kyle kept it going for a moment, at one point tipping his head back to catch some of the water in his mouth. After gulping down a few mouthfuls, he cancelled the spell again. Then, just as before, he continued moving making his way through the trees.