Aside from going home in a few weeks, CoMC lessons were the ones Ary always looked forward to the most; and not just because they were taught by Aunty Hady. All bundled up for the weather, he carefully trudged his way out for today’s class with Bry at his side. It was no surprise when he got there and the warmth enveloped him.

Hady got a huge smile and the two finger wiggle-wave before his attention shifted to the dome. The Slytherin scrutinised it and its surroundings as he was hoping to find some sort of hint about what creatures they would be studying today. What was that light? Ary squinted. Star light? How interesting. He shot his friend a glance to check that she was seeing the same as he was.

Still mulling over today’s set up, he pulled off his scarf and coat to tuck them into his bag. There would be no need to keep them on otherwise he would be dripping in sweat soon.

Lessons in which Professors hinted at needing clothing that could be made messy happened to be Vera's favorite type of lessons. Not that Care of Magical Creatures wasn't high on the list anyways just because of what it was and how much she respected the Professor, but today's attire suggestion just happened to be further icing on an already frosted cake. She'd selected a pair athletic leggings for the task of the day, along with an older sweater to keep warm but one that she also didn't particularly mind if it got ruined. Her hair was pulled back in it's usual pony tail, one in which she was currently fixing as she joined the collection of gathering students.

Making her way to perch beside Aryan and Bryony, Ve smiled at the younger pair and gave them both finger waves, before her smile turned towards Professor Paton as well - though her eyes were on the dome. "Hello, Professor! We doing more with Mooncalves today?"

With his winter coat wrapped tight around himself, a bobble hat on to keep his ears warm and a pair of gloves to cover his hands which were also shoved in his pockets, Hooper Ridley-Rush was slowly walking down the hills to where today’s lesson was to be held. He was fairly steady on his feet generally speaking but snow tended to make him a little bit more unbalanced. As he got closer, the sixth year Gryffindor did briefly notice the eerie glow that was coming from inside the dome which looked…odd. It didn’t usually do that. Figuring it would most likely come up at some point during the lesson, Hooper chose to ignore it and continue to focus on the placement of his feet and the crunch of snow that followed with each step.

Finally reaching where the Professor usually waits for them, Hooper slowly walked into the clearing where the Professor. He wasn’t the first to arrive but he wasn’t far off. He usually liked to turn up when there were a few people there but clearly the snow hadn’t slowed him down as much as he’d thought it would.

“Hello Professor. Watcha think of this now, huh? Any more and we’ll be snowed in, a small smile on his face as he scooted to where the rest of the students were. He didn’t know the first year Slytherin boy (Ary) but he flashed him a small smile as he walked past, but he recognised the other person. “Hey Vera,” a small nod of the head for her as well as a smile as he stopped close to her.

With the holiday break and her seventeenth birthday fast approaching, Desiree was more than a little distracted thinking about the festivities. She was not, however, too distracted to remember to dress accordingly for today’s lesson. No distraction in the world could make her forget how much she hated to get dirty!

The dark-haired girl arrived dressed as she usually did for herbology: waterproof pink vinyl coveralls, rain boots, and a matching pink rain hat large enough to stuff her hair into. Just in case none of those preparations could keep her clean and dry, she’d also cast an impervius charm on her hair and clothing before she arrived. Didn’t these professors know her at all? There was no such thing as “something [she] wouldn’t mind getting wet or dirty”!

Desiree smiled, greeting Professor Paton with a friendly wave. “Hi, Professor!” She tilted her head to one side, glancing intently at the dome. Was that for what she thought? Probably so, if the moon and star light was any indication. Oh well, she supposed she’d find out soon enough! For now, she stood with the other students, greeting everyone with smiles and waves. “Hi!”

Care of Magical Creatures was definitely one of those lessons that got Nadia bouncing, and not just because it was the subject her aunt taught. She was once more curious to see just what creature they would be learning about and potentially working with this time and was not deterred one iota by the snow on the ground and the chill in the air. Dressed up in clothing that fell under the suggested notice for dirt and wet and her Gryffindor scarf tied around her neck, the third year made her way down to the grounds.

No surprise her brother had beaten her there…and Briony too. Then there was Vera and Desiree and an older housemate of hers she didn’t know. “Hello Professor,” she greeted Paton with a smile. “Hey guys,” she added for the group as a whole. Her eyes already alighting towards the dome behind the professor and wondering if she could figure out any clues to their lesson. Were those stars? And darkness?

Winter didn't bother Sable Ileana quite as much as one would likely think, given her propensity for piracy and all things pirate. Actually, she enjoyed the season quite a lot. Snowmen and the holidays and eventually her birthday, although she had to acknowledge there were still a couple months until the latter. It still counted, okay?

She had dressed to account for any eventuality that CoMC could cause, along with the weather, of course, in layers. A long-sleeved shirt and leggings under a thick oversized jumper and winter coat, her blonde hair tucked up under a knit cap and warm boots on her feet. Granted, she had foregone her usual 'borrowed' jumper from her cousin's closet because those were sacred. She didn't want to risk those.

Either way, plowing her way through the snow to get down to the lesson had kept her warm, if a little damp by the time she arrived, giving the professor a grin as she slipped between a couple of the others who had arrived to take a place next to Vera. "Hi Professor Paton!", she called out, belatedly using a hot air charm on herself to dry the dampness from the trek down and giving her classmates a grin. Mooncalves were definitely a good guess, but she also was wracking her brain for other nighttime creatures.

Winter was coming in full force, and with the snow came the drop in temperatures. Maria wasn't especially fond of freezing so she dressed up in layers for the COMC lesson outside. A long sleeved shirt, a polo sweater under her jacket, leggings, winter boots, gloves, and earmuffs to cover her ears. The badger girl made her way down to the clearing, noting the dark dome. Where they going to continue to work and study nighttime creatures? Maybe Maria would get to see a unicorn, a thestral or something else entirely?

"Hello Professor Paton!" Maria greeted with a smile and a wave to their professor as she headed over to take a up camp near her girlmates. "Hi Vera! Hi Desiree! Got any guesses on what we'll encounter inside the dome today?" Preferably not something too dangerous, and Maria wouldn't mind it if it was warmer inside the dome than it was outside in the clearing.

With the winter holiday approaching, Emma was really stoked about getting some brother time in. It honestly wasn't fair how the past several years she was looking forward to joining her brothers at school, not realizing they'd be graduated by the time she actually got to be of age to attend.

Also, did Professor Paton know there was a lot of snow outside? Like couldn't they have had some sort of lesson in the barn because it was COLD!!! Thank goodness for legwarmers but still ... There better be some yetis or polar bears for today's lesson.

Forcing a smile through chattering teeth, "H-h-hello P-p-p-pr-pro-ofes-or" the smol blond girl stammered out, as she looked around for familiar faces to stand by.

Although Zara wasn't much of an outdoors-woman, she did enjoy the crunchy sounds of the snow under her boots as she made her way down to the dome. "Hiya, prof," she wiggled her gloved hands at the professor and tugged down her beanie a little more. What were they learning about today?! Was it too much to hope for something cuddly and soft and cute?!

Hope had practically run down to the Care of Magical Creatures class, for it was one of her favorites. Her running was somewhat impeded by the collection of sweaters, scarves, caps, mittens, shawls, and socks she was wearing, topped off by a boiled woolen coat, but she didn't wanted to be distracted by getting cold.

"Hello, Professor Paton!" she said breathlessly as she came up to the dome, which she looked at curiously. She wasn't used to meeting here and wondered where the light was coming from. Well, they'd find out eventually. She looked around to see if there were any creatures out yet, but didn't find any--they must be inside, then?

Shrugging, she walked over to where there were other students gathering and managed to get out a "Hello!" before she ran out of breath entirely and had to stop to regroup.

To those that didn’t know her, it may have looked like Paton was staring aimlessly out over the pasture as she awaited the students' arrivals but that wasn’t the case at all. Being their care of magical creatures professor meant that all of the creatures living in the barns and pastures were under her care, so it was very normal for her to constantly be keeping an eye out for anything that may not seem right. Even during a lesson. But yes, this is what she was doing because even in this weather there were still a small amount of creatures that needed their breath of fresh air too and were out there on the other side of the pastures doing their thing until they made their way safely back into the barns.

So it was as her gaze swept across the snow covered pastures once more that she saw the bright smiles and finger wiggles of Aryan and her youngest daughter making their way towards her. ”Hello, how are we feeling this afternoon? Ready for a fun lesson?” Hadleigh smiled warmly at the two of them, returning the finger wiggle. A soft laugh slipped past her lips as she watched them both remove their coats and shove them into their bags. ”Do I have it that warm over here?” she teased.

As always, once the first one or two students arrived the stream of students to follow seemed fairly consistent. ”Hello there, Miss Thanatos. We are, we are! We won’t only be watching them this afternoon so I hope that you are ready for whatever they have in store for us all today.” One could never be too sure what a creature was going to do even during a lesson, this was why she always told the students to be aware of what was going on around them and not just with the creature they were currently tending to.

Here was another older student, this one more certainly dressed for the weather. ”Good afternoon, Mister Ridley-Rush. I personally don’t mind the snow, however I can do without us getting snowed in and I think all of the creatures would agree too.” Paton smiled softly. Snow was quite lovely but they didn’t need THAT much of it.

Now while the previous student had been prepared for the weather, this one had come completely prepared for anything and everything. Hady couldn’t help but smile knowingly as Miss Marchard made her way over. ”Hello, I see you took my note to heart.” She always made sure to warn the students of when they needed to wear certain things because she knew that some weren’t fond of dirt or water. Sometimes these things couldn’t be helped during her lessons though.

”Miss Atreyu-Rehman, good afternoon, she smiled warmly at the third year whom she knew to be very much a creature lover. In quick succession another Gryffindor followed that of the first, also all dressed up for the weather. ”Hello, Miss Armstrong.” Seeing the warming charm being cast, Hady looked at the students gathered around. ”There is a warming charm cast where we are all standing but please do let me know if you aren’t warm enough, I can cast a charm over you to help.

Lifting her hand to return the wave that was sent her way, her smile still remained in place. ”Hello there, Miss Dolph. Go right ahead and take a guess if you like. I know that some of you already know what we’ll be working with today. Maria would be glad to know that it was indeed warmer inside the dome and they wouldn’t be working with anything dangerous today.

Oh, goodness, shivering and shaking students was not something she liked at all. ”Hello, Miss Montmorency. Why don't you come stand by me, hm? There’s a warming charm over here and we’ll be going inside in a moment but I can cast a warming charm on you if you like?” She wouldn’t be keeping them outside much longer.

Was this it? Perhaps the arrival of her final two students? Paton returned the finger, ”Hello, Miss Bunbury-Foster. Hello, Miss Archard. A look out into the distance told her that it appeared that way as did a very quick glance at the time. Which was wonderful seeing as to how she really wanted to get everyone inside where it was much warmer.

”Good afternoon, everyone! It’s really cold out here despite the warming that I have cast earlier so I will be making this quick so please listen up,” Professor Paton, gently clapped her hands to gather everyone’s attention. ”Some of you have already figured out what we will be working with today and for those of you that haven’t quite guessed as of yet you all are getting to have a more hands on experience with some Mooncalf that have come back to visit us again. For those that had attended the Mooncalves under the Moonlight activity she had held back in September, these mooncalves may look familiar.

Now that they all knew what was inside.. Well it was time to get out of the snow and freezing cold and inside the dome where it was nice and warm! ”Alright everyone, go on inside Hady opened the door and stood to the side to allow them all to enter ahead of herself. Once inside they would immediately feel the warmth of the area and notice that it wasn’t at all what they may have thought from the outside. For one, it was much much larger. Two, they appeared to be outside once again (only, they were still very much inside). It was darker in here but there was a moon and many many bright stars scattered across the domed ceiling above. Beneath their feet were grassy pastures and dens where the mooncalf no doubt were hiding. If they looked closely enough and listened hard enough maybe they might see or hear them peeking out or moving around.

Once they were all inside, she closed the door securely behind them all. ”You’re all welcome to take a seat if you like or have a small look around. Just don’t wander too far off yet please as I have a few questions before we start with our activities. So feel free to take a seat for a few moments if you like or you’re welcome to remain standing if you choose.” There was a brief pause for the students to get settled before she continued. ”What can you tell me about Mooncalf? What do they eat? How are they classified by the ministry? Where might we find one if we were looking for them? Anything at all, it doesn’t have to be what I asked.” She was simply curious to see what they all already knew and what they needed to discuss.


OOC: Heeeey! Thank you all for sticking around! Sorry for taking ages to move this along but the first round of questions are up! As always the students are always welcome to ask their own questions as well! There’s plenty of time to jump in and join us still too. I’ll be moving us along in about 24-36 hours

“Ready!’’ Ary declared to Hady, energetically and even bouncing on the soles of his feet just like his dad used to during CoMC lessons. “For me, yes. It’s warm enough.” And he was enjoying it! Finger wiggle-waves for finger wiggle-waves. This was Ary’s greeting for Vera though he did a double take at her before glancing at Hady. Mooncalves? Yes, please! He would completely love a lesson on his all time favourite creatures! Plus it would help him to care better for his own baby mooncalf, Artax. With his mind all in a whirl because of the possibility of today’s topic, Ary watched as others arrived. Hooper, Desiree, his sister and Hope got a smile each. But Emma… his Hufflepuff friend got a look of concern. How was she that cold? Did she need help with some Heating Charms? Ary reached out to give her his usual method of comfort: a few pats on the shoulder. Surely Professor Hady could help?

Ary just might pass out with excitement from today’s topic. A more hands-on experience with all the mooncalves? This was the best day ever! He eagerly entered the dome, staring around as he did so. The warmth was barely noticed as he felt so outside anyway. Then he was taking in what appeared to be huge pastures {thanks to the moonlight and starlight}. But he barely paid attention to those. Where were the moonclaves? Excuse him while he craned his neck this way and that in an attempt to locate them.

He was quite happy to look around and he slowly began wandering around though keeping an ear on Heady’s words. “Mooncalves are usually shy,’’ the Slytherin said, waving a fist in the air. Artax had been with him, with the little Mooncalf only taking peeks at Ary for the first weeks as opposed to being super excited to see him. Thankfully the creature had now warmed up to him.

Professor Paton invited her to make a guess as to what creature they'd be studying in class today hinting that Maria might already know. If the moonlight activity from a few weeks ago was any indication then they'd be continuing with working with mooncalves. Maria followed along with her peers as they ventured into the dome. She took a seat near Vera and Desiree because she wanted to sit with friends and not alone. Maria was also glad that they were out of the cold not that she hadn't been properly bundeld up to accomadate for the winter climate.

The creature they were studying was indeed mooncalves. Raising a hand Maria added to answer professor P's question and add to the discussion. "Mooncalves have bulging blue green eyes that sit ontop of their heads. Also mooncalf dung is a good fertilizer to use when you want your magical plants grow fast and strong." Professor DeVries used it in his greenhouses if Maria wasn't misstaken.

Desiree returned Professor Paton’s smile with one of her own. “Of course,” she replied. “Better safe than sorry, right?” While the wording of the warnings always made her giggle - because she would never not mind getting dirty - she appreciated when the professors gave them and took them seriously.

Her bright blue eyes flicked from the dome to the arriving students, and she smiled warmly at Nadia and Maria’s greetings. “Hi, Nadia! Hi, Maria!” she replied with a friendly wave for each. She considered Maria’s question for a minute. “I don’t know. Probably something active at night, if the lighting is any clue.” The other people who arrived after her (Sable, Emma, Zara & Hope) also got a friendly smile and greeting, “Hi, everybody!”

But there wasn’t much time to talk; the lesson was starting! Desiree listened respectfully as the professor spoke. So they were working with mooncalves again… fun! Apparently she was on the right track with her guess. She followed the group into the dome, taking a seat with Maria and Vera. Ahh, the warmth in here was so nice!

Considering the question carefully, she racked her brains for facts about mooncalves. Her hand went up as she recalled a tidbit of information that hadn’t yet been mentioned. “Mooncalves are classified XX by the Ministry, meaning they’re mostly harmless.”

The reminder that the professor was capable of casting warming spells if needed wasn’t entirely necessary in Sable Ileana’s regard. She knew that, but still she gave Professor Paton a grin, even as she had returned Desiree’s greeting with a wave. “I’m just drying myself off, actually. It’s pretty nice over here, but the snow kinda got me”, she assured her, lapsing into silence as the lesson got more underway.

Vera had been right. Not really that surprising, given the clues, and getting more hands-on experience seemed like something that might be interesting. It wasn’t aquatic creatures, but still cool, and she made her way into the dome with the others, looping an arm through Bestie’s for good measure. No girl left behind, not that she thought the professor would let anyone be left behind. Not to freeze outside, anyway, given she figured the warming charms would fade away once they were all inside.

She had let go once they were inside, though, wandering a few feet away as she adjusted to the change in lighting. The moonlight was bright, but still different than the afternoon light outside. Plus, outside there had been the snow to reflect it.

Part of her wanted to stay silent just to see if it drew the mooncalves out, but it was too tempting to offer her own thoughts on the questions that had been posed. “Newt Scamander had a herd of mooncalves in his care. Plus, hodags like to hunt them. There aren’t any hodags in this area, right?”, she supplied, raising her hand from her spot a few feet away from the group. She didn’t really think so, but it didn’t hurt to check.

She didn't do well in the cold, which might have seemed strange since she'd been here all her life. Some people were just meant to bask in the warmer climates though. She appreciated the pat from Ary, as Professor Paton encouraged her to move closer to her and the warming charms. Smiling graciously, Emma did so as the lesson began.

Mooncalves. Well that explained the timing of the lesson, since she was nearly positive there was a full moon either tonight or last night.

"Isn't there some sort of mooncalf dance that they engage in during full moons?" Having engaged in dance lessons for years, anything to do with dance she would know.

It would've been wrong to say that she didn't give a soft laugh at seeing Ary's excitement. Let it also be known that she also remembered those days when his father reacted the very same way back during their own days at Hogwarts (she had done the same at times too and it was clearly passed onto her youngest). Hady smiled warmly, as she knew how much he was going to enjoy this lesson. "That is very correct. Mooncalves aren't the type of creature that will typically walk right up to you immediately. So I want you all to keep that in mind, how shy they are."

Hady walked around the area slowly so that she could keep an eye on all of her students as well as possibly locate several of the Mooncalves ahead of time. "Correct! I personally think the way their eyes are makes them extra cute." Anyone else feel the same? Paton nodded in agreement to the second half of Maria's answer. "That is also very true. Lucky for you all, we will not be doing that today." They were all welcome!

"I must agree with that," Hady gently inclined her head in a small nod directed at Desiree. It was always better to be safe than sorry. "XX Classification by the Ministry is their way of saying a creature is pretty harmless. However that doesn't mean things can't go wrong when working with a creature so even if a creature has a low classification never underestimate it."

Ah, yes. The snow did have a way of seeping into the clothing and making it wet. Never any fun there. Paton smiled softly at Sable Ileana in understanding. "Mooncalves were just one of the many creatures that he took care of, you are correct about that as well as those hodags. Which we don't have to worry about here." All of the creatures here were very safe under her care.

Hadleigh smiled softly at young Emma, glad that she had seemed to be doing better now that they were inside where it was warmer. "Very good! Mooncalves can sometimes be found dancing in wide open pastures beneath the light of the full moon." It was quite the sight.

"Taking what we all know about the lovely creatures, how do you think we could go about tending to them on a daily basis? Such shy creatures that don't normally come out of their dens.. how would you get one to come out if you needed to check on it? What ways would you gain its trust so that it doesn't run off and hide from you?" As she spoke, Professor Paton continued to walk around, hazel eyes continuously scanning the pastures before her for any signs of movement. "You can get up now if you like and walk around, start to familiarize yourself with your surroundings because shortly you'll be locating the Mooncalf all on your own." What they would be doing when they had located them, well.. they would find out later.


OOC: Thanks so much for sticking around while I was MIA for a bit there! Things got a little crazy here but all is good now. We're onto the second question and the kiddos are welcome to walk around now if they aren't already

The shyness would explain why no Mooncalf was yet to approach him in the dome; it was the only reason that kept Ary from sinking into horrible disappointment. Still, he kept his eyes peeled while trying to stay still in his almost overwhelming excitement. Luckily, half focusing on his classmates’ answers assisted big time with that.

The exact issue he had first encountered with Artax was described by the professor and Ary already knew how he had worked to gain his Mooncalf’s trust. However, the Slytherin didn’t pipe up with an answer immediately; his gaze was still darting this way and that in search of one of the creatures. It was only after he had covered a bit more distance did he raise his hand.

“Sitting rather still and offering them food,’’ Aryan said, speaking from his own experience. The method had worked: Artax came to him every time.

Locating the mooncalf on their own? Wow, that'd be interesting, Maria thought as she stood up. Her legs were actually tingling a little after sitting still. Considering the question she raised her hand to say thoughtfully. "I think you need to build up a trusting relationship to the mooncalf. One way to do that is maybe to bring them food or sweets that they like each day, and bow in respect like you do to some other creatures, unicorns is it or thestrals? Also show that you aren't afraid of them, and that you are kind. If they like to be groomed then maybe that's one way to get closer to the mooncalf." Honestly Maria felt like she was just blabbering and didn't know if half of what she had just said would work, but alteast she had offered some suggestions.

It'd be so cool to get to see and possibly approach a mooncalf in just a few minutes. Hopefully she'd do it right and not anger them.

Desiree gave a brief nod at Professor Paton’s reply to her. While her wording may not have reflected it, she would never underestimate a mooncalf or any other creature for that matter. She knew how it felt to be underestimated, and it was no fun!

Locating mooncalves by themselves? That sounded interesting! At the professor’s okay, she got up and slowly wandered about the area, her bright blue eyes intently scanning her surroundings as she went. As she moved, she considered the next question. Remembering something her dad once said, her initial thoughts turned to food, No surprises that that was the first thing mentioned! She thought of other shy creatures and people she’d met, and an idea occurred to her.

Desiree raised her hand and said, “I’d move slowly and speak quietly, so as not to scare it with sudden noise or movement. That and be patient with them. Trust that they’ll come out on their own terms and not try to rush it.”

Hooper wasn’t a massive fan of the snow, or at least, spending a lot of time out in it. He could handle the occasional snowball fight and a little toboggining but that was about it. Back inside for a nice, warm bath.

Following the other students inside because he didn’t need to be told twice, it didn’t take the sixth year by surprise that they were indeed back outside but inside. Choosing to remain standing, Hooper pondered the Professor’s question for a moment and then chose not to answer, instead letting the younger students have an opportunity at answering. For the most part, their knowledge seemed to be pretty good to. As he listened, he couldn’t help but feel like a professor, which was weird because it was one of the last job’s he ever thought he’d see himself in.

Listening intently to the next question, Hooper walked around the room, taking care not to bump into anyone else as he considered how he’d gain the help of the mooncalves. “I guess by offering some kind of food professor.” He knew he’d offered the same answer as the first year (Ary) so he did eventually expand on the answer. “They’re quite fond of pellets if you’ve got some lying around?” He did think Maria had a point but he wasn’t sure how good sweets would be for them or if they’d even like them.

Having missed the earlier guess of mooncalves, it hadn’t automatically clicked with what she was thinking she was seeing with the dome. However, when the lesson was begun and Aunt Hady confirmed they would be interacting with mooncalves once more, it felt like she should have figured that out on her own. Oh well. A smile was returned to Ary and Desiree as she said hi to her, though she was kept from actively responding as she hadn’t wanted to distract from anything being said to the class by Professor Paton.

She moved inside with her brother and the others, coming into the much warmer moon-filled nightscape that had been set up within the dome. Her gaze flicking around to explore the space, listening instead of answering herself as the first question was brought before the class. Some of what was being said she had known, likely having been brought up as well during their nighttime adventure. Like their classification and their liking to dance in the moonlight. And they definitely were shy creatures.

As for how to handle themselves around mooncalves, her brother and friends already had such good answers. “Maybe try to mimic their movements and dances to appear as kindred spirits,” Nadia offered as her suggestion. “That way you seem more friend than someone they have reason to be scared around.”

Much like the students were now all wandering around, Hady continued to do the same. She liked to keep moving around during lessons such as these where the students were looking around for the creatures they would be interacting with. ”That's a very good answer, yes. Sometimes sitting down and remaining calm is the best approach when you want to befriend a new creature. Having some food on hand is always helpful too." She smiled softly at Aryan knowing that he very likely used both of those methods in gathering his own young mooncalf trust.

Now Maria has a few ideas which earned a smile and a nod of agreement from this professor. "Yes, it is always best to try to establish some trust first before going up to any creature, food will help with that. Typically hippogriffs are the ones that prefer being bowed to but some others do like it as well. For Mooncalves, bowing isn't necessary. You'll always want to be very gentle when grooming a mooncalf so they don't run off on you.

Hady paused her wanderings when another hand was in the air. "All good ideas. Letting them take their time and come to you when they are ready is always a nice option. It lets them know that they can trust you." Desiree's answer about having patients was going to come in handy very soon.

Food appeared to be the common answer as expected. "Correct. Mooncalf do enjoy pellets a great deal and they can be used for many purposes such as befriending them. Would pellets prove to be useful to Hooper and the other students when they move on into the activity?

Paton smiled softly at Nadia's answer. "Yes, you could always give dancing along with them a try but remember to be careful not to scare them while doing so." So now yelling or running around at all.

A look around told her that there were no more hands in the air and they were all ready to move on. "Excellent answers everyone. Food is definitely a very good way to earn the trust of most creatures including Mooncalves. They do have a liking for pellets, there are colored bins filled with pellets that you may take to offer to the mooncalf. Removing her wand from its holster and giving it a silent wave revealed many small bin-like containers placed throughout the area for all the students.

"For the first part of our activity you'll be locating and befriending a mooncalf. Now you can do this however you like, offering them pellets, dancing and singing, sitting quietly and waiting for them to come to you. It's all up to you how you gain its trust. They just needed to find a way to do so. "You're welcome to work alone or in small groups. Keep in mind that they are very shy when you are looking for them.

With a small nod and a gentle gesture of her hand to indicate that they could all go on their searches now, Hady continued to walk around. The pastures were still quiet, so where were those mooncalf hiding?

OOC: Time to befriend some mooncalf! The students can work along or in small groups to gain the trust of a Mooncalf or two however they choose!

Naturally, Ary was well versed in the nature of Hippogriffs so his ears perked up when Maria mentioned them. Perhaps had Mooncalves been big on such manners as Hippogriffs, they would be coaxed out to join humans easily. Nevermind that though; once you earned the trust of a Mooncalf, the entire struggle of trying to befriend them was worth it.

Ary’s attention went briefly to the suddenly revealed containers of pellets. He immediately knew that the class was going to use the aid of those to draw out the hidden Mooncalves. How right he was proven! Excitedly, the firstie scooped up pellets in his cupped hands, walked a little distance away then planted himself down on the ground. After adjusting himself into a comfortable position, which mainly included him sitting cross legged, he sat there as still as possible with squinted eyes. Yes, he was checking for the first Mooncalf already!

Come on out, you adorable, perfect creatures!