Thalia Grace (wasatree) wrote in lostathogwarts, @ 2014-07-13 14:44:00 |
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So the Forbidden Forest was forbidden. Thalia didn't care much about that, because she wasn't afraid of the monsters that might live in there; she'd been fighting monsters all her life. And really, what was anyone going to do to her if she got caught? Expel her? That would be doing her a favor. Thalia hadn't been in school since Annabeth talked her into going that boarding school when she'd first come back as a human, and she was happy to be without it. She had no qualms, then, about inviting Gale out to explore the forest. She was bored at school, and she wanted to see what he could do with his bow and his snares. Gale had been thrilled to get the invite from Thalia. He really liked her, and he liked the idea of exploring the forbidden forest. That the forest was off limits was nothing new to him. He’d spent the better part of his life in District 12 going over or under the fence that was meant to keep him, and everyone else, out of the forest. That the forest was a forbidden area just made it feel more like home. “Ready?” he asked, with his handmade bow slung over his shoulder, along with a bag of supplies he’d need for the traps and snares. He was more than ready. He was ready to go the moment Thalia suggested the outing. Thalia didn't have her bow visible, but she knew that it would appear on her back the second she reached for it. She was already there when Gale arrived - she always liked to be early for any appointment - and she pushed away from the tree she'd been leaning against when she saw him. "Gods, am I ready," she replied, smiling at him in greeting. She indicates the bags he was carrying. "Want any help?" “I got it,” Gale assured her. He wasn’t trying to be macho, but the bag he carried was a comfortable weight. It was familiar, it was home. Not that he wanted to go home, exactly. Boring as Hogwarts seemed to him, there was no war, there were no Districts, there was no Capital. He kind of liked it, magic and all. “I’m really glad you suggested this. I was starting to feel antsy, cooped up in my room all day,” he said. He wasn’t taking any classes, and some days it was just too much effort to get dressed and go out and do something. "Don't I know the feeling," Thalia said ruefully as she started to lead the way into the forest. "I'm not used to not doing stuff, you know? I used to wish I could have a normal life where I could stay in one place for a while, but now that I have it, I have no idea what to do with myself." “I lived my whole life in one place, in my District.” Gale followed, and matched Thalia step for step as they walked. “I had the same routine every day, more or less, at least until Kantiss volunteered for the Games. And then the war, and we escaped to 13 that we didn’t even know existed before. And I had a taste of freedom. I’m right there with you, now. I don’t know what to do with myself here.” Thalia gave him a sympathetic look. Gale had alluded to the crappy life he'd lived back home, and it seemed like he'd drawn the short end of the stick, just like a lot of demigods did. "I mean, maybe it would be different if we could do magic," she said thoughtfully. "Some of those classes seem pretty fun. But nooo. We have to just...putter around. That's just asking us to go to the forbidden parts of campus, as far as I'm concerned." “Sounds like a plan to me,” Gale grinned. He was all for breaking the rules. He was all for exploring the forest too. He was interested in the magic, as anyone would be, but he had no magical abilities, so it was kind of anticlimactic for him. It was a good show, most of the time, but it wasn’t something he would ever be able to do, so his interest only carried him so far. And honestly, the forest was far more interesting to him. Thalia grinned back at him. That was what she liked about him: his love and familiarity with the forest. She was feeling more comfortable with him than around Annabeth lately, even. There was still tension between her and Luke, and it was leaking into her relationship with Annabeth. Gale was uncomplicated and easy to spend time with. "So I figure we won't go too deep in this time," she said. "Just need to get a general sense and feel for the forest first." Gale nodded. “All right. That sounds good.” He could get lost in the forest for days. There was food, there was a water source. They’d just need to build a shelter. But that wasn’t going to happen. They had a place to sleep, back at the castle. This was just an outing, and he was going to enjoy it all the same. “We need to explore it all, eventually. But I agree, just a little, a general exploration is good for the first time out.” "I'd rather spend all my time exploring it than living in the castle," Thalia admitted. "I'm not that good at just staying in place, it seems." She wasn't reckless, though. As experienced as she was in fighting monsters, she knew that there were some that were going to be stronger than her. That was why she was willing to take her time and do this in stages. "So I take it you're not settling in that well here either?" she asked. Gale shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean,” he sighed, and scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s quiet here. Too quiet. And I don’t know what to do with myself. There’s no mines, there’s no family to feed. I feel...useless, I guess.” It was the cold truth, and it pained him to say it out loud, but he had no purpose here. “My dad died when I was young. I stepped up, took a job in the mines to help put food on the table. But there’s no need for that here. And I just...I don’t know. I feel like what’s the point, you know?” "Oh gods, I know exactly what you mean," Thalia said with a groan. "I mean, it's not the same for me, but all my life, I've been fighting monsters. I was in the middle of my second war when I got brought here. And now that there's nothing to fight? I have no idea what to do with myself. The most useful thing I've done was make you that bow." “And I appreciate it very much.” Gale said, with a nod. He didn’t have much call to use it, but it was nice to have. It felt comfortable, unlike most everything else about this place. “But I haven't even done that. I’ve done nothing. Not one thing worthwhile, since I’ve been here.” "You're keeping me company," Thalia offered, giving him a smile. "That's something. I'm not really used to doing things on my own so I appreciate the company." They were in the forest proper now, and here the trees grew thick and dark. It reminded Thalia a bit of the forest at Camp Halfblood. She started looking around, seeking tracks and clues that might tell her of some of the creatures that lived here. “I guess that is something,” Gale agreed. He went quiet, then, turning his focus to studying the same tracks and clues. He wasn’t an expert tracker, not like Katniss. But he could manage, and the more he attempted to track the better he got. He spotted what looked like rabbit tracks, and stopped down to get a better look. Thalia let him do so, curious to see how good he was. As she waited, she kept an eye out for any surprises. There were strange creatures lurking in the forest; dangerous creatures. That much she was sure of - not because she’d been told so, but because of the general stillness of the forest. Things moved carefully here, which meant they were afraid of being seen. “What’ve you got?” she asked in a low voice. “I think it’s a rabbit,” Gale told her. He pointed out the tracks, visually measuring the distance between the tracks on the ground. “See, he was moving at a casual pace, but it looks like he sped up here,” Gale pointed to here the indentations were further apart, indicating a longer, faster paced stride. “Spooked?” Thalia asked, moving over to the spot where the rabbit started speeding up. The brush was thicker here, a perfect place to hide a predator. And indeed, as Thalia looked closer, she found an opening. Small, but it was there. “Looks like there’s a nest here.” Gale nodded. “Looks like it got spooked.” He leaned in closer to get a good look at the nest. It was well hidden, without the tracks leading to it they would likely never have noticed it. “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a rabbit’s nest.” "No?" Thalia looked at him curiously. "Aren't there any rabbits where you're from?" Obviously he knew what they looked like, and what their tracks were like. It just seemed weird to her that he'd never seen a nest. Then again, Thalia had lived in the forest for a few years. She'd probably seen things most people didn't. “There are, but I never tracked one to its nest,” Gale explained. “When Katniss and I went hunting, the goal was to get meat to sell, not track the animals.” He shrugged. He had never really given it much thought, until now. “It’s kind of interesting to be able to do that now,” he said with a smile. “But where do you think the rabbits are now?” "Gone, I think," Thalia said, frowning slightly. "Someone scared them off." She turned to Gale with a sudden, mischievous smile that promised great adventure. "Wanna see if we can find whatever scared it off? Bet you didn't get to do that at home either." “No,” Gale shook his head, his smile just as mischievous as hers, “I didn’t. But I think I’d like to do that now.” He said with a nod. He had no idea what they might find, but he was already looking forward to it. Even if they didn’t find anything at all, it was sure to be an exciting adventure. That was the right answer, as far as Thalia was concerned. She grinned at him, then started leading the way further into the forest. |