Letting out a noise of surprise when his feet slipped, he wobbled around, trying to find his footing as well as keep from slipping into the water. It seemed though, that he was not going to avoid getting wet. With his feet sinking into the water along with the lilypad, he took a large step back, his arms waving around madly until he finally got his balance back. Well then…this was uncomfortable. Watching the ripples he created move out into the lake, had suddenly had a bad idea about this.

Swallowing deeply, he quickly waded through the water, keeping an eye out for anything that may be coming near him. Stuffing the fireseeds back into his pockets, he undid the vine from around his shoulder and let it drop in the water, holding part of it closer to the middle so when he swung it around, it would be enough to grab into a branch.

And doing just that, Noel waved the vine around in a circle parallel to himself before letting it go, watching the vine almost miss the branch, but land on it just enough where it stuck. Flicking the vine upward until the other end came down on the other side a bit more, he did this again and again until he was able to jump and reach the other end. Success!

Tying a small circling in the vine, he quickly glanced around the cave for anything that may be coming for him. Nothing yet. Of course, he didn’t have enough light to really see. Looping the other end of the vine through the ring, he pulled on it until the vine could be pulled no more. There, a nice little rope like thing for him to climb.

Again.

Jumping up, he held on tightly to the vine and started to pull himself up, praying that the creaks in the branch wasn’t the threat of it breaking on him. It wasn’t without difficulty however; climbing the 'rope'. The pain in his shoulder was enough for him to let go and drop back down to the ground, but he grunted through it, keeping his eyes on the branch up above him.

He wished it would stop creaking though. Or was it the vine that was making the noise? The last time that happened, he had fell down to the ground. And there was no ground beneath him. Just water. Water that he was afraid to swim in at the moment.

Okay, so the roots really were close, they weren't just an illusion, that was good. She looked back to the mandrake. Aww, it looked so sad there.

She broke off a piece of her stick that was still in her pocket and handed it to the mandrake. Maybe it would chew on that. This also make the fireseed stick not so large. It was brilliant thinking. Then she untied the cape-type part of her robes. She wrapped the mandrake in her cape and, making sure its arms were pointed away from her, tied it to her back.

Wow, she was glad no one could see how she looked now. Never in a million years did she imagine herself with a jacket tied around her head and a plant strapped to her back. It was not the fashion statement she was used to making.

And then dressed like a toddler Monique began to climb the closest tree.

Now if only there was a vine to swing across. That would just be perfect.

Lucky for you, the only ripples in the water are the ones you have caused.

The tree sways as you throw the vine over its branches, but the movement is slight. Both the branch and vine are strong and should hold your weight.

Perhaps the tree's roots, also floating, might provide a foothold for you in order to climb.

Settled in the tree, your mandrake still screaming murder, you can see that there are other trees floating near enough to travel one to the other, to the other. One tree is quite close, followed by another after that, and another after that. Beyond that tree, however, the gap is larger, with just a lilypad in between.

Alright... this wasn't that bad. But Monique had obviously not prepared well for a task involving climbing trees. Reaching a spot about a fourth of the way up she reached over and easily reached for the second tree. She did the same and got to the third three. She did the same for the next tree. Then she noticed the gap was somewhat larger. She climbed the tree further up.

Eying the next one carefully she thrust herself at it hoping to catch a branch... or something. It would be nice not to get wet again.

Getting higher and flinging yourself at a tree works as far as the angle is concerned, but as you fall toward the roots of the next tree, a branch catches your jacket-muffs and threatens to dislodge it.

The mandrake continues to wail.

While the vine seemed to be fulfilling its purpose once more, Noel could not continue with the climb. The pain in his arm was too much and it was beginning to move downwards from his shoulder, causing him to gasp and let go. Holding on tightly with his left hand however, he continued to breathe heavily, looking down to the water.

There was the water there of course, the lilypads that don’t work, and…the tree roots. Frowning and knitting his eyebrows together, he slowly let go of the vine and let his feet touch down on the strong roots. Strong right? They felt strong, though he wasn’t about to jump up and down on them to make sure.

Not taking any more precious seconds away from possible root breakage at the moment, Noel took a leaping jump to the next tree’s roots, holding the vine to help him keep his balance if he actually did make it to the tree roots. They weren’t far away at all form eachother so it should’ve been simple.

It was keeping his balance that was the trouble. These were…not flat roots, that was for sure. As he made it to the next roots, the Beauxbatons students may have stopped onto one root, but he jumped to the side onto another, and then another, and another…moving forward until he was able to jump to the next tree roots.

If he stopped for a moment, he’d lose his balance, and he needed to keep moving just in case any branches came cracking and breaking down. He did not need to do that and fall into the water; mostly because of the fact he didn’t know how deep it was at the moment.

Thank Merlin Jermaine was able to stay completely behind the umbrella plant preventing him from getting hit with any of that pus. However it did nothing for his shoes that were now walking through it.

Once he was safely past the plants he lowered his shield and continued on his way. He however did keep hold of the umbrella plant just in case he needed a shield for anything else along the way. Plus he was able to roll it in his hand and help relieve the itching from the rash he had.

As he continues on his way to regain posession of his wand he notices the passage narrowing. Spotting what aopear to be tiny eggs in the cracks of the walls Jermaine's attention is suddenly drawn to the huge opening with the sound of... was that water? Looking around some more he notices the other undesirable things on the walls. Oh how it was time to get out of there. Following the sound of the water he is happy to see that it is a lake, or at least a body of water big enough to be a lake.

Now normally he would just be able to walk around a lake, but nooooo, not this lake. This one had to have walls on both sides with the other shore being across from him... and it was dark over there. Great, now he had to get across the water and not lose his fireseeds on the way. Putting them in his pocket he hopes they are still glowing when he reaches the other shore. He did not want to be stuck in total darkness again. Looking over the lily pads and the trees he tries to decide which would be the easiest way to get across as he puts his scarf (what is left of it) back around his neck. Looking at his hands he is now able to see the rash. It doesn't look so great. No wonder hs hands have been itching. What in the heck did he get into to cause this mess?

Not wanting to use his hands to climb across the trees and not wanting to risk one of those lily pads being something other than a lily pad he has a brilliant idea. He will use his umbrella plant as a sort of boat and just float across the lake. Turning the plant upside down he looks at it wondering if it is strong enough to make it across the lake. There's only one way to find out...

Get in it and see if it floats.

As Monique flung herself toward the next tree it soon became obvious she was not going to make it to where she had aimed. But luckily, there was a branch coming toward her...

And then she hit the branch... with her jacket. She quickly jerked her head to the side and tightened her jacket at the same time.

...

Which meant she now had nothing to hold on to...

She held the mandrake with one hand behind her back. She used the other hand to hold her jacket in place. Next thing she knew she was underwater. She quickly kicked herself to the surface. She pulled on the arms of her jacket just to make sure her earmuffs were still secure. And to think, she wore the water-proof jacket because she was afraid of the snow.

Hopefully the mandrake was still okay. She'd feel kind of bad if she over-watered the little plant.

She then kicked herself to the closest lily. Resting her arms on the lily she started kicking herself toward the opposite shore.

Perfect. It was just the way she planned it. She wanted to swim anyway.

Now the only question was how long this lily pad would last.

The roots are strong, but the trees shift considerably as your weight hits their bases. After a few trees, the gap between yours and the next to move forward is considerable.

There is a lilypad between them, and the next trees roots are slightly closer to the water than yours.

It floats, but barely, under your weight. That is, until the waves pick up and churn more forcefully, spilling water into your floral vessel. Your boat is sinking, and you with it.

There is a lilypad near by, as well as the roots of a floating tree within reach. Make a decision soon. The water here is about chest deep.


Saving the screaming root has cost you your light, which went out when it was submerged in the icy water. As you paddle in near darkness, the water churns, but out of the corner of your eye, you may notice a glow, higher than the water level, and presumably in one of the trees. It is to your right, near what you had seen in the light was a sheer rock wall that bordered the lake. The glow is the only light in the vast cavern now, though perhaps your eyes will adjust enough, in time, to see vague outlines.

With a few little slips and bumps in the road along the way, he was becoming more and more confident as he ran over the roots of the trees. Even a smile grew on his face, though he had a feeling it wouldn’t last long. Every time he smiled, something would happen that would change his plans.

Like now.

Not having spotted the distance to the next tree since his eyes were down on the roots he placing his feet on, he only barely had any time to put a little more effort into his jump before he was suddenly flying through the air; arms flailing, feet looking for contact, and face…hitting a root.

"ARGH!" With his hands flinging around trying to find something to grasp onto and his eyes shut from the contact of one of the roots to the side of his face, his eyes opened up to see the roots above him. There was a moment of silence however, until his back hit the lilypad beneath him, and feet hitting the water. Not registering the pain in the side of his face, Noel blinked a few times before hurrying to stand up on the lilypad, not wanting to sink into the water.

Forgetting about the fireseeds and the gillyweed, as he stood up, he grabbed the jacket around his face and took it off, letting it fall into the water before jumping and grabbing onto one of the roots. Using mostly his left arm to pull himself up. Why was this so hard!? Just…PULL!

Laying on the tree root, his breathing turned rapid as he looked down to the water and his jacket, resting his head on the root. Ow, that hurt. It was going to bruise no doubt, and he was beginning to feel the headache start to appear.

Turning his head the other way, he lifted his head up momentarily and tried to see where these trees were leading him, if they were taking him anywhere. Of course, he had to keep moving forward.

Had this cave always been this dark...? Monique squinted around.

Oh yeah, she was just underwater. "You better be grateful." she said to her plant. Ehh... at least if anything attacked her she could send a crying plant at it. It would be worth it... maybe...

Plus she still had a stick. A wet, formally lighted stick. That had to be worth something.

Maybe there was another light here somewhere. Oh, look, there was some up there.

She grabbed the roots of the closest tree and hoisted herself up. It was much more difficult in wet clothes. She looked toward the light wondering if she could get a glimpse of what was causing the light.

Yes, it is working, he is floating across the lake. Can't get much easier than this now can we.

But obviously it CAN get more complicated. Not expecting any waves since the water had been so calm Jermaine was not prepared for his flower/boat to start filling with water... and SINK!

Holy Merlin, he was sinking faster than the Titanic with that muggle guy Leonardo DeCraprio, or whoever he was. Trying to scoop the water out with his hands was not working. He was going DOWN!

Or NOT!

Pulling his scarf off his neck he throws it over one of the trees and pulls himself to safety. Again he needs to thank Rhea for the scarf that seems to be helping him yet again. Now it looks like he will have to either climb or swim across to the other side though.

Not wanting to swim just yet he opts for the climbing. The roughness of the trees will help relieve the itching of hs hands anyway.

The tree sways as you rest, but continue you most.

To the right, a faint glow can be seen. It illuminates nothing around it, but is a glow, none-the-less. There are trees near enough to head in that direction, but if you recall what you saw when you began, that direction is a rock wall that borders the lake.

The far shore is in another direction.

The glow is too far away to see anything specific, but you can tell that it doesn't illuminate anything around it. It is simply a glowing sphere from where you stand.

Trees float near enough to one another for you to move one to the other, though their shapes cannot be seen in the dark. You could scratch yourself. Or worse, hit your head and fall into the water and drown.

The water churns a bit below you as your tree floats.

Several trees are next to one another, at least close enough to climb from branch to branch. First one, then another, and then another, before a large gap appears, with only a lilypad between it and the next tree.

In the distance, a faint glow catches your eye. Far off to the right, in the trees, near where the rock wall borders the lake.

And not in the direction you were headed.

Hmm... too bad... Monique couldn't tell what the light was. She slowly climbed back down the tree and was about to dip back in the water when she heard a faster movement right below her. Gripping the tree with one arm, she used her other arm to poke her stick in the water where it was churning.

Oh yeah. That stick was totally useful.

As the seconds ticked on, Noel squeezed his eyes shut, willing the throbbing pain in his head to go away. No such luck though. Heaving a sigh, he used his hands to push himself up into the sitting position, taking his time there as he suddenly became dizzy.

Blinking rapidly, his feet dangling below him, the wizard turned his head towards the way he was going, trying to count the trees there. Out of the corner of his eyes however, a faint glow caught his attention. Squinting to try and see what it was, it was no use since the light wasn’t even bright to begin with.

In a dark cave with barely any light in it at all, and spotting something glowing in the distance, of course he was going to go and examine whatever it was. Noel slowly inched his way over to the trunk of the tree, using it to stand up and balance himself on the roots of the tree as he walked around it to look at the glow again. There was a path of trees he could take to get to it, seeing the outlines of them in the dark, growing fainter as it drew nearer to the glow. He could easily go back the other way if it turned out to be nothing of use. Why did the light not…illuminate anything?

Curious, since it was also in a rather weird place, he took a deep breath before going forward, jumping from root to root, tree to tree, going towards the light, and ignoring his aching body.

Jermaine climbed from tree to tree using the aid of the scarf along the way. Slowly making his way across the trees he comes to a stop when he sees that there is a gap too big for him to climb across. Looking around to see if there is any other way he can go something catches his eye off to the right. There is something glowing over there, something that doesn't look like it should be there.

Abandoning the thought of getting to the other side of the lake all thoughts are now on getting to whatever it is that is in that tree off to the right. Thinking it could be his wand glowing (since it was so beautifully polished) he knows without a doubt that he has to get over there.

Now how will he get there?

The water pushed against the stick but not so forcefully that it would take the stick out of your hand.

You have to keep moving, so where to?

The mandrake on your back is continuing to wail and stinksap in your leafy earmuffs is starting to come loose, thanks to your swim.

The trees continue to sway as you jump from root to root, threatening to dump you back in the water. As you get closer, you realize that the faint glow you’ve been seeing this whole time is extremely familiar—it’s your wand! It’s nestled safely up in a tree, but don't celebrate yet! A number of sticks seem to be standing guard within the branches of the tree. The sticks are moving around and look like tiny little stick figures with very long fingers…they’re clearly Bowtruckles. It’s very obvious that the only way you’re going to get your wand back is to make it past this little army of tree men…but how?

Again, trees float near enough each other than you can jump from one to the other, at least for the next three. After that, there's a gap too big to simply leap. There is, however, a lilypad there that could perhaps make a stepping stone.

Monique felt the stinksap from the leaves begin to run... in her ears. GROSS! That was another thing she'd have to scourgify.

Deciding that it was safe Monique put the stick back in her pocket and lowered herself into the water. Keeping her head above the water she continued her swim to where she remembered the opposite shore to be. She just hoped that her wand was there and that this would be over. Or maybe just the part about the wand. She really didn't want to be seen like this.

Realizing that the trees are also hovering in the direction he needs to go to get to the glow in the distance Jermaine starts climbing across them rather quickly now. Right up until he comes to another gap.

Crud!

It looks like he is going to possibly get wet again. Carefully he climbs down off the tree and steps onto the lily pad. He then throws one end of his scarf towards the next tree hoping that it will get caught and he will be able to pull himself over. Of course right now he didn't care if he got soaked or not, all he cared about was getting to that glowing object in that tree.

That tree that he still could not reach.

As his feet landed from root to root, he held his arms out to balance himself, going quicker when the tree started to tip and sway, and moving slower whenever he could so he wouldn’t lose his steps. Continuing on closer to the glow, he finally got to the tree right next to it. Wait…

The glow was in a tree? Well, that explained why it looked like it was in such a weird place. He thought it was against the rock cave wall.

With his deep breaths, Noel moved closer to the trunk of the tree he was standing on, making sure he didn’t give it any unneeded wait on the side to tip him over. Now, what was that glow? Peering at it from where he stood, it took awhile to really get the shape and outline of the thing to register in his mind. And when it did, there was nothing more that could relieve or bring him more happiness then seeing it. "MY WAND! J'adore cet arbre." He ended in a wispy breath, not really thinking clearly though he hugged the trunk of the tree he was standing next to anyways for no reason, regardless if it wasn't the one that was holding his wand. Oh his wand; precious, precious wand.

Letting his hands drop to his sides, Noel started towards the edge of the roots, having all intentions of jumping to the final tree, though one glance to his glowing wand again made him stop dead in his tracks. Oh…noooo. He knew those things moving couldn’t be flies. It just wasn’t his luck at the moment that they weren’t. With his head twitching back towards the way he came, he let out a defeated sigh as he rubbed his face, wiping the sweat and dirt around as he stared at the tree. There were some fairy eggs he finally realized, near the entrance of this open area. Why didn’t he take some!? Wiping his mouth as he looked back to the way he came, the decision in his mind was finally made.

He was not going back to get any.

With his expression hardening, he moved back a few steps, fumbling slightly with his footing before looking back to his wand. If he made a running start, he could leap to the next tree and climb up the branches as fast as he could. If he got his wand in time, then he could cast a spell to get rid of the bowtruckles, but he’d need to get his wand. With a slow nod to himself as his eyes were fixated on the beautiful glow of light, Noel’s blue eyes slowly moved to the bowtruckles, letting a breath slowly escape him before pushing off with his foot… making a running start towards the next tree.

Jumping at the last moment, he landed on one of the branches. Barely pausing, only to get his footing back, he ran again, jumping for the nearest branch on the tree.

Brielle's eyes widened as the vines parted for the seed, at the same time as a huge smile splayed across her lips.

However the smile disappeared as the vines swallowed the seed, and looked exactly as they had mere moments ago.

The girl unleashed a scream of frustration, it wasn't fair. The amount of seed that it was going to take to get through the matted mess, was more than even the amount that was on the bush. It must have been some sick joke, the girl thought, that she would have to sacrifice all her light to carry on. But it seemed that's how it was going to have to be.

Pocketing five of her fire seeds, feeling them warm her leg, through the durable leather of which they were made, the girl dropped another seed into the mess of vines.

The only way this was going to work was if she could stepping stone-hop her way across.

She was a dancer after all, swifty, agile, elegant.

Just as you begin to swim forward, the water begins to produce powerful waves that push you right back to the point where you lowered yourself into the water. The waves, although not extremely forceful, don't appear as if they'll let up anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the mandrake on your back continues to wail, threatening its powers on you shall your leafy earmuffs be washed away in the waves.

Just as you step onto the lily pad, it begins to sway just a bit before giving away entirely. Your scarf, however, seems to be hung up on something in the tree you threw it into. Do you fall into the water via the lily pad, or do you drag yourself to the tree your scarf is in?

The army of bowtruckles, realizing that someone is definitely invading their territory, continue to stand guard in the tree. Their long, sharp fingers (two on each hand) look ready and prepared for any defense actions that may have to be taken.

Once again, the vines parted as the single, solitary seed fell through the gap the plant had made. The gap, however, closed itself up once the single seed had fallen through. It appears as if the number of vines on the plant far outnumber the power of just a single seed.

The girl was frustrated beyond belief.

She had five seeds in her pocket and two had been swallowed by the vines, that if she could she would have lit on fire with her very eyes.

In a last desperate attempt, Brielle scattered the last nine fire seeds in all directions, making sure that every possible scrape of filthy, rotten vine would have no where to slink away too. "Je vous hais!" She screamed at the vines that were seriously slowing her down, if she ever found out that her Plant Man, had been responsible for the vines, there was going to be serious words.

As the seeds landed on the vines, she withdrew the few from her pocket, their light feeble and weak in the dark cave, her eyes strained, if this worked she would have to move quickly.

With the scattering of so many seeds at once, the plant had no other option than to open widely, providing a large gap in its middle. This time, the gap didn't close, but the tendrils on the outer edges of the plant continued to sway dangerously.

An observant person might notice that one of the vines creeps forward toward your leg. It seems reluctant to go all the way, though, due to the faint light provided by the fire seeds in your hand.

So what do you do now?

"Hourra!" The French girl cried, as the vines began to retreat, but she was not one to get sidetrack with celebration.

Brielle knew the plant was fearful of fire, but these were only fire seeds, their affect was sure to be limited.

With this thought in mind, Brielle shot through the opening, her foots steps light and quick, a few suspect tendrils on the outskirts of the vine-nest were not to be trusted, she needed to get through the patch fast, get moving and get her wand.

Darting through, a vine actually barely missing her ankle, Brielle set off through into the dark belly of the Fire Seed Caves, her hand with it's small collection of seed, the only light in the otherwise black world.