Week One: Task #4 - “Hidden In the Dark”

[Adeline Morior]

You and other students gather at the edge of the Dark Forest within the school grounds, waiting for the day's activity to begin as the Professors that will be accompanying the group calls everyone closer.

"Gather round and welcome everyone to the first week’s Defense Against the Dark Arts scavenger hunt."

"Before we head in, there are a few things that need to be discussed. Firstly the forest, as you have seen with your other classes, can be a very hard terrain to tread. Secondly it is home to very dangerous creatures, plant life and entities. We will be staying clear of most of these territories unless needed. The Forest itself is somewhat of an entity in of itself and can cause you to feel paranoid and lost very quickly the deeper you go. So, stay close to the group and at minimum move around in pairs when we enter the darker parts."

You look over the professor's shoulder into the forest and feel it deepen and darken somehow.

"We will need everyone to walk slowly and pay attention as we will be practicing our senses today. This means listening for and identifying specific noises, spotting clues such as tracks and danger as it blends into the environment, and quick action if danger arises. Todays Scavenger will be to find and list things you identify, things which are considered dangerous and dark against those which are not and practicing the basic defense spells."

You pull out your wand and get ready to move. Thinking you will probably be dreaming about all this tonight.


Task:
Tell us in 150 words of a dark dream you had. Was it scary and ominous? Do you think it was a sign of something or had some deep meaning? Was it about the trip into the forest? Was there danger and could you defend yourself? This can be a real dream or one your character had.

Alternatively, there are 10 threats hidden Nearby. Spot and identify them before they get the drop on you. Send your answer with the identified threats list to me through a Private Message, labelled: Week One - Task #04. - “Hidden In the Dark”


This task is worth 10 Beans/Sapphires and is due on November 30th before 11:59PM HOL time.

[Adeline Morior]

Alternative Completion:
Janne Halla
Luna Ravenlong

[River Fenwick]

The dark dream I had was set in the Forbidden Forest at night. There were multiple dangerous and dark creatures in the forest, seemingly hunting me. At a minimum, there was an Arcomantula, a Boggart, and a Werewolf. I was utterly defenseless in the dream, without even my wand to cast protection spells or aid in fleeing the area. The dream consisted of me running through the forest, trying to navigate my way back to the safety of the castle in the darkness. There were creatures in the forest that weren't out to get me, but they idly watched as I was chased, refusing to lend a helping hand. It felt as if they were constantly gaining on me, as if I were running at a snail's pace until I tripped over the roots of one of the trees. Then, the creatures started to surround me, and that's when I woke up, figuring it simply meant that I needed to take a break from learning about the particularly dangerous magical creatures.

[Galena May]

I had a dark dream about the Forbidden Forest and it was very ominous. Ominous dreams are the hallmark of stress, anxiety, and fear, and when I woke up and realised that it was a dream, I knew I was anxious and fearful, and had to step back, relax, deep breathe, and soothe my nerves before I started strategizing how to navigate the dangerous Scavenger Hunt I was embarking on.
My dark dream showed me finding myself alone in the forest without a wand indicating that I was feeling estranged, worried that my friends wouldn't help me, helpless, and unprotected.
I seemed to have lost my way in the forest in my dream, indicating that my brain was listless and in a rut about how to put together the best strategy to survive as well as come out richer of this adventure.
Next, I heard weird sounds in my dream from an unknown creature, only further reinforcing that I was grappling with the fear of the unknown, given the dangers of the mysterious and unexplored parts of the forest. Even though a lot of it was known, there was still a lot undiscovered, and traversing the formidable Forbidden Forest itself was a creepy adventure as even a talented witch or wizard wouldn't know what to expect next in the forest.
Suddenly in my dream, a black shadow emerged from the depths of the forest and leaped towards me. It was so sudden and shockingly huge and pitch-black that I got a jump-scare and my brain couldn't process what I was facing and I reacted by jumping out of its path by reflex and then looking back to see what it was. This indicated to me when I woke up that I was expecting unannounced sudden dangers every minute and was in a state of nervous excitement and subject to a constant adrenaline rush.