Bronislava walked confidently ahead of Vilhelm into the arena at the start of their task, her head held high. She had no idea what was in store for her of course, other than it being Transfiguration on Magical Creature related, but she excelled in those subjects and had done plenty of studying as of late. There was no way she was going to fail this. Not after her school's dismal performance in the last task.

Her senses heightened, the girl's head spun back at the sudden sound of the gates closing. Then she looked forward, focusing on what was in front of her - basically a field - as she took a few tentative steps, stopping as she heard a low rumble. Bronislava stood somewhat stunned as she watched the grass grow in front of her at an alarming rate, her eyes wide with wonder at the unfolding sight in front of her.

It was a massive hedge maze. Fairly impressive she thought as she gripped her wand. "It appears we have to make our way through it," she said matter-of-factly to her partner as she slowly started her way inside. "Lumos," she commanded as she noticed the dimness of the maze. It would probably be best to see what was inside rather than walk through blindly. Merlin knew what was in there, she thought as she started to hear faint growls and other animal noises.

"Stay on guard," she murmured to Vilhelm as she crept slowly inside, brown eyes flicking this way and that as the tip of her wand lit their way.

Vilhelm followed Bronislava into the arena. Wand out, a muttered Lumos lit his wand and cast enough light for him to find himself in an open space. He allowed himself a bit of relief - there was no wall with scratches on it to get in the way - but that relief was short lived. The grass seemed to be casting large shadows... No! The grass was growing rapidly into tall hedges surrounding him and his partner. He was paralyzed for a second. He had been frightened as a child with hedges, ever since he was lost in a maze and emerged to be told his mother had disappeared trying to find him in one. But Vilhelm remained stoic on the outside, and he took a few steps following Broni.

"Do you hear zat?" he asked, referring to the animal noises that seemed to be getting louder every step he took. He went around Broni and headed forward in a jog, waving for Broni to follow him. As he continued quickly past the seemingly endless hedges, he shouted a question over his shoulder. "Vhen do you zhink ve should stop?"

Keeping alert, Bronislava's eyes swept the vicinity in search of anything out of the ordinary. This is what she did not like, the uncertainty, and only being able to hear and not see, she was unsure of what they needed to do next. She supposed she would keep walking, wand out, and staying very vigilant. Her ears tried to distinguish what types of animals were making those sounds when her attention was diverted by her partner.

"Vilhelm," she began in a questioning tone as she watched him overtake her in a jog. "I zhink ve should proceed carefully." As in slowly and cautiously, only because they did not yet know what they were to face. "I do," she answered as she turned the corner of a hedge, her ears pricking up at the sound and her mind racing with thoughts of what animal the noises could be coming from. "I suppose ve keep valking until ve come to an obstacle or until ve find zhe exit." Logical, right? Though she knew it would be obstacle first, just what exactly it would be was on her mind.

As the students started into the maze, a deep silence grew around them. The hedges, for all intents and purposes, seemed capable of muffling out all sounds from earlier... except for that soft clacking, tearing, and chomping noise up ahead. Hmmmmmmm. What animal could THIS noise belong to?

Bronislava continued walking through the maze, her illuminated wand still gripped in her hand and her eyes and ears on alert. Oddly enough, it seemed that the maze grew much quieter. All the animal sounds she had heard seemed to still, all except for several distinct sounds all seeming to come from one area.

Her attention focused in the direction of the sounds and she glanced up ahead at Vilhelm. "Do you hear zhat? Vhat do you zhink it is?" Her steps slowed even further as she looked curiously in that direction. The noise was familiar and she tried to place it. Sounds like tearing and chomping made her think whatever it was was eating something and the clacking sounding like hooves maybe? Her mind went to winged horses or maybe even a centaur, though she thought their eating habits were more civilised and were technically beings not creatures. This being a creature challenge pretty much ruled them out for her. So winged horse? But which?

She thought for a few moments before taking a few more tentative steps forward. The clacking sound might be a beak though. Her mind raced with thoughts of beaked animals, most specifically birds of prey. Or what about a griffin or a hippogriff? They both had beaks and a hippogriff had a beak and hooves, plus both would be challenging to deal with for a task like this. Well, she was sure she'd find out in a few minutes when she was face to face with whatever it was.

The clicking and now, crunching, seemed to persist and grow louder as the students crept forward. There might have been the sound of something pawing the ground and stirring up a little bit of dirt as well.

The students wouldn't know what was to the left, though, if they never go...

The sounds grew louder as Bronislava moved towards them. They seemed to be coming from the left and, as ominous as they sounded, she knew she had to go find out what was making those noises so she made a left turn, certain she was nearing the creature.

Her hearing was still heightened as she was on alert and she tried to make out the sounds, her mind still trying to deduce what kind of creature it might be as that information prior to facing it might be helpful. She could hear a clicking which she was more convinced now it was a beak and not necessarily hooves and a crunching mixed in there as well. Most likely the creature was eating something with its beak, possibly carrion by the sounds of it.

She continued to focus her hearing to distinguish the sounds as she moved closer in that direction, then she stopped for a minute and closed her eyes trying to focus. Was that.. pawing the ground? Yes, she thought it might be and she opened her eyes before proceeding forward, her mind sorting through options and her previous guesses. A winged horse would paw the ground, thestrals especially would eat carrion, but the clicking? She was pretty sure it was a beak at this point, which they didn't have. She thought about griffins and hippogriffs, deciding the noises best fit the later. "Vilhelm," she started, turning slightly towards her partner. "I zhink it might be a hippogriff." But she wasn't sure. She quickly tried to remember the procedure for dealing with them just in case she was correct and would soon be meeting one.

Vilhelm followed Regina farther as the surroundings got quieter. His first thought was that the animal they were going to see liked the quiet. His thoughts raced around, but as they got closer he could hear the definite sounds of eating. And whatever th animal was eating, it seemed that the animal was ripping it apart. And the sound of eating... It wasn't teeth. It was a beak.

It probably was a hippogriff, with the beak but the sound of the hooves also. He turned to say this to Broni, but she was a smart one and had already said it to him. He nodded as an agreement, and continued forward, looking for the hippogriff.

"Remember to bow vhen ve first see zhe hippogriff." He did not want to be attacked.

The hippogriff was waiting for them as it munched through another dead ferret. It stopped eating, the ferret's entrails hanging out of its mouth, when it spotted the two humans. The hippogriff tensed, unblinking, both eyes focused on the first human to see it.

It waited.

They had finally reached the hippogriff, as Vilhelm had guessed correctly. Vilhelm stepped forward in front of Broni, and quickly prepared himself. Leaning over, he gave a deep bow and tried very hard not to blink. Standing back up, he backed up a few steps just in case. He turned and gave a little nod to Broni, signifying she could step forward and bow to the hippogriff as well.

Proper etiquette was crucial in meeting a hippogriff and Bronislava was going over the key points in her head. She thought it might be a pretty good guess that a hippogriff awaited them but she tried to keep other options open just in case. The Durmstrang girl glanced up at Vilhelm as he spoke and she gave him an agreeing nod, yes, he was correct about that.

The two of them stepped a little further into the maze and Bronislava sucked in a breath as they soon came face o face with the creature. So she had been right.. She tried very hard not to grimace at the sight of the entrails hanging from his mouth, then she quickly ran through in her head the first things they needed to do as she made eye contact with the hippogriff. Unblinking and not breaking eye contact, she could tell from her peripheral vision that her partner was bowing and she knew she should do the same. Still keeping her eyes on those of the creature, Bronislava slowly and deeply bowed respectfully, waiting for it to do the same back to them as her heart thudded in her chest.

The hippogriff cocked his head at the two of the two of them, then swallowed the entrails hanging out of his mouth and buckled his knees into a bow too.

They could approach.

Bronislava kept her eyes focused on the hippogriff's eyes as she somewhat apprehensively waited for the creature to do something. Hopefully bow, because she knew they could be dangerous. She let out a breath she was unaware she had been holding as the creature finally bowed to them both.

"I.. I suppose ve approach?" she said to Vilhelm in a questioning tone as she resumed an upright position. She wasn't sure exactly what they were supposed to do, but it seemed a pretty fair guess that the hippogriff had something to do with it as the creature was the first thing in their path. She didn't turn to look at her partner, just expected him to follow, as she kept her eyes on the hippogriff and walked slowly, yet confidently, towards him

The hippogriff rose to his feet and waited patiently for the humans. Well... maybe not so patiently. He was out of ferrets; did they have any?

Still somewhat cautious and keeping her eyes on the creature, Bronislava approached the hippogriff until she was standing right in front of him. She slowly reached out a hand and stroked the soft down just behind his beak. "You really are a magnificent creature," she told it, slightly in awe. And he was. It wasn't often that she got to be so close to such an animal. But when she did, she became slightly awestruck by the hint of danger behind its regalness.

She gave his nose a few more strokes, then lowered her arm and took a step back, still keeping her eyes on the creature. What were they supposed to do next? Was the hippogriff a clue? Or did he have one for them? She wasn't sure, but she didn't think they should waste a whole lot of time. This was a competition after all. One that she desperately wanted to win. "So," she began to the hippogriff, "Do you have something for us?" Not that she expected him to speak back to her or even understand her words, though that was more likely. But she wasn't sure what to do to proceed.. or had she passed the test by successfully approaching? There had to be more to it than that.

The hippogriff half-closed his eyes in appreciation of the neck strokes, and let out a little caaaw when they ended.

Of course he had something for her. He lifted up one of his claws, which was clutching a fancy little scroll.

Text Cut: Scroll

Work your way to the center of the maze,
And animate me if you'd like some praise.
Face of stone, tongue of cement,
Please bring me to life. I'm heaven-sent!

Vilhelm, who was about to suggest riding the hippogriff, reached fortune scroll first. Making sure that he pat the creature once or twice to make sure not to be attacked, he unrolled it. "Animate me?" he read aloud, "Vhat does that mean?" Reading more, he pondered the latter section. Heaven-sent. It sounded almost as if the thing they were trying to find needed to be brought to life. He decided to put these thoughts aside for the moment and concentrate on the present.

They needed to get to the center of the maze. Taking his wand and muttering the four points spell, he found that they were facing west. "Which way is zhe center of zhe maze? " he asked Broni. He tried recalling anything, but not much came to mind except what creature it could be...

Bronislava couldn't help but to smile as the hippogriff seemed to appreciate her caresses. "You're such a good boy, aren't you?" she said, giving him a couple extra pats. Er, at least she thought he was a boy. Anyway.. her brown eyes lowered as the creature's lifting claws caught her attention. Then she glanced over at Vilhelm as he took the scroll first.

The 18 year old looked over her partner's shoulder, reading along as he did. It didn't take her long to figure out what she thought the riddle meant. They had to go to the center of the maze and animate whatever was there, some sort of statue by the sounds of it. "Zhat must be zhe transfiguration part," she answered Vilhelm's spoken question. "We need to animate vhatever is at zhe center of zhe maze. Quickly." She was very worried about how the other teams were doing, knowing they had to complete this first.

Bronislava watched as her partner tried to orient them in the maze and she took a quick look around. It obviously wasn't the way they had just come. She would guess they'd have to move past the hippogriff and move further into the maze to get to the center. Giving one last pat and a 'goodbye' to the creature, she turned to Vilhelm before she started walking. "Zhis way, I zhink.."

The hippogriff seemed to crane his neck as though he were reading the scroll too. Then he fluttered his wings and let out a squawk at the humans. Squaaawwwwwwwwwwwwk!

Did they need to go somewhere fast? Hmm?

Bronislava had just started past the hippogriff when she heard it squawk. Turning back, she looked at the creature curiously, tilting her head as it flapped its wings. Oh why didn't she think of that.. they were in a hurry and she bet the hippogriff could take them to the center of the maze much faster than they could walking, even if they were sure of the way which they weren't. And it would be pretty amazing to get to ride him, if only he would let them..

She took a few steps back towards him and reached out a hand to stroke its neck. He did seem awfully friendly once they sowed him his due respect. "So.. vould you let us ride you? Could you take us to the center of the maze?" She looked back to her partner, certain that he would agree. Then with a smile and another pat for the hippogriff, she slowly climbed on his back. It was what he had been prompting them to do, wasn't it? She hoped she would not be thrown off now.

Vilhelm had started to walk after Broni when he realized his hunch as correct - they were going to be able to ride the hippogriff. Climbing on carefully behind Broni and holding on to her as to not fall off, he spoke to the creature. "Erm... Could you fly uz to zhe center of zhe maze?" He had a feeling that the hippogriff was friendly enough, but he wished that he had a dead animal just in case. While waiting for the hippogriff to take off or throw them off, he pondered the part of the task when Transfiguration would come in.

He figured that, once they arrived at the center of the maze, there would be some sort of statue. Then, Broni and he would have to "animate" it, or transfigure it... But then a more pressing matter occupied his mind. "Broni, vhat if the ozther contestants also haff to go to zhe same place ve do?" Would they have to do it quicker than the other groups or not?

The hippogriff had indeed been prompting them to ride. Such smart students---and so bold too. He would have bowed to allow them to climb on easier, but now that they were on...

He took off without warning. Soon, the wind was rushing through their hair and past their ears on their short journey to the centre of their maze. No need to worry, they each had their own maee centre. The hippogriff slowed in speed as all four of his legs down, from a gallop, to a canter, to a trot, to a strut-like walk. He stopped right in front of the maze's stone fountain with a gargoyle topper, and waited for the humans to disembark.

This hippogriff was awfully smart, wasn't he? He seemed to know exactly what they needed to do and she was rather thankful for that. They needed to complete this task quickly. As Vilhelm climbed on behind her and put his hands at her waist, she put hers around the hippogriff's neck in anticipation of taking off.

Hearing her partner's question, she began to answer. "No, I don't zhink.. OH." She couldn't help but emit a noise of surprise as the suddenly took off into the air. The Durmstrang girl hung on for dear life as the flew faster and faster. But she smiled in spite of herself for this was truly an amazing ride. Once the creature landed and gradually slowed his steps, she took a few deep breaths to try to slow her quickened heart rate.

Her brown eyes lifted to the fountain in front of them as the hippogriff stopped and she kept her eyes on it as she dismounted. "Zhank you," she told the creature as she half-patted, half-hugged his neck, then she walked over to stand directly in front of the fountain. Turning slightly to look at Vilhelm, she said. "So, ve are at zhe center of zhe maze. Vhat did zhe scroll say ve needed to do?" He still had it, right? Something about animating something with a face of stone. Her eyes lifted upwards to the top of the fountain. "Look zhere," she pointed. "Zhe gargoyle has a face of stone."

The hippogriff dipped his head slightly as a sign that he had heard their thanks. Seeing that they were both occupied with the stone fountain, he ambled off to the right and back into the maze.

The fountain continued to gurgle water softly and the gargoyle waited, frozen in stone.