It would be a day like any others, everyone doing their own thing enjoying their days... except for a group of 9 want to be apprentices, who are trans versing through a jungle to find the Castle of a Magic master, so he can teach them, they all have their own reasons, and this is where we begin our story. . . .

Cas huffed as she tripped over another tree root. By the time she reached the castle she would have two broken knees. "Stupid overgrown trees." She said standing up and brushing more twigs out of her brown hair.

Solomon took a deep calming breath. Be calm. Magicians always retain their cool, that was what she said, he thought. I'll be just like her.I swear it. Still, it didn't change the fact that he was nervous. It was his first step to being a proper mage, of course it would be hard to remain calm! Moreover, moving around in this forest was difficult for someone of his physique. He hoped he found the Castle soon . . .

James was perfectly calm on his way to the castle to meet the Magic Master. He easily made his way through the jungle, since his house was pretty much in the middle of the woods. He simply crossed from branch to branch up in the trees, to avoid any others.

Bristle swung from branch to branch traversing trough the forest, not quite sure where he was going but eager to arrive. Presumably if he wandered around this forest long enough he would find this famous "Magician" and he would finally learn how to use magic. Greatly to his surprise he say another person swinging through the tree's, and here Bristlebane thought he was the only one this original. He quickly veered away for his tree top companion and neared the road, as he came closer he saw a clumsy brown haired girl trip over some roots. He dropped down next to her landing light as a shadow next to her. Grinning proud of his quite descent he asked, "Are you the famous Wizard that lives around here, or if not do you perchance know where he lives? This forest is bigger than my family's ego." he said good naturedly.

Autumn yelped as she tripped over another rock, tumbling to the ground for what seemed like the hundredth time. Not one to be praised for her grace, Autumn was clumsy enough as it was; always managing to trip over her own feet. When roots and other obstacles are added then it is a recipe for disaster. It also didn't help that she only had one properly working eye; the left eye being covered by a patch. The girl sighed as she picked herself up off the ground and examined herself. The trousers she had donned for the traipse through the jungle were dirt-streaked and torn at the knees. Her knees themselves were scratched and torn, the bleeding growing for steady the more and more she fell. Her elbows had fared a little better though some skin had been scraped from the left one. The girl sighed once more and tried to brush off as much dirt as she could before continuing forward. One would think she would have given up the whole ordeal and gone home but she couldn't. It had her mothers dying wish that she follow her dream and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Ventus takes his time walking through the jungle, enjoying the scenery. "Man, I haven't been in a jungle in a while. I just know I'm getting close to the castle.." He says to himself as he moves through the thick undergrowth, moving branches out of his way as he goes.

Bristle swung from branch to branch traversing trough the forest, not quite sure where he was going but eager to arrive. Presumably if he wandered around this forest long enough he would find this famous "Magician" and he would finally learn how to use magic. Greatly to his surprise he say another person swinging through the tree's, and here Bristlebane thought he was the only one this original. He quickly veered away for his tree top companion and neared the road, as he came closer he saw a clumsy brown haired girl trip over some roots. He dropped down next to her landing slight as a shadow next to her. Grinning proud of his quite descent he asked, "Are you the famous Wizard that lives around here, or if not do you perchance know where he lives? This forest is bigger than my family's ego." he said good naturedly.

"Nope and Nope. Just another person looking for the castle and really just wanting to torch this forest." Cas mumbled still untangling her hair from twigs. She could feel the lighter in her back pocket. "I'm Casey Ivor but you can call me Cas." She said with a small smile and curtsy.

Bristlebane frowned dissapointed on both accounts. However his grin rapidly restored itself and his exhurberent personality shone clear through. "My name is Bristlebane, usually folks call me Bristle cause it rolls of the tongue easier. So Cas, why do you want to learn magic, at least I presume that is your intent." Bristlebane said eloquently as he resumed walking towards what he presumed to be the direction of the castle.

Solomon tripped and sucked in a breath as pain shot through his knee. He really needed to get more fit . . . He stopped to catch his breath. As he did so, he heard a voice coming from nearby. It sounded female. "Hello?" he called out tentatively. "Is anyone there?"

Autumn yelped as she tripped over another rock, tumbling to the ground for what seemed like the hundredth time. Not one to be praised for her grace, Autumn was clumsy enough as it was; always managing to trip over her own feet. When roots and other obstacles are added then it is a recipe for disaster. It also didn't help that she only had one properly working eye; the left eye being covered by a patch. The girl sighed as she picked herself up off the ground and examined herself. The trousers she had donned for the traipse through the jungle were dirt-streaked and torn at the knees. Her knees themselves were scratched and torn, the bleeding growing for steady the more and more she fell. Her elbows had fared a little better though some skin had been scraped from the left one. The girl sighed once more and tried to brush off as much dirt as she could before continuing forward. One would think she would have given up the whole ordeal and gone home but she couldn't. It had her mothers dying wish that she follow her dream and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Izumi quickly caught himself on a large, oak tree's trunk. "Curse nature and its giant roots." He put himself back on track and continued walking in the thick woodlands. I can almost guarantee that I am not the only looking for this guy. Izumi stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He never had to travel this far before. He was on the other side of town. Izumi wiped a few locks of his long, grayish hair out of his face. He began to move forward again but was stopped by a noise. Izumi took a few more steps, snapping a twig before stopping behind another large oak tree. He poked his head into the open. It was another person. A girl, who seemed to have struggled her way through the woods as well. The terrain was a tad tough and it could get aggravating if you were tripping every which way. He noticed a patch over the girls left eye. Maybe she knows where she is going. I'll just follow her.

Izumi quickly caught himself on a large, oak tree's trunk. "Curse nature and its giant roots." He put himself back on track and continued walking in the thick woodlands. I can almost guarantee that I am not the only looking for this guy. Izumi stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He never had to travel this far before. He was on the other side of town. Izumi wiped a few locks of his long, grayish hair out of his face. He began to move forward again but was stopped by a noise. Izumi took a few more steps, snapping a twig before stopping behind another large oak tree. He poked his head into the open. It was another person. A girl, who seemed to have struggled her way through the woods as well. The terrain was a tad tough and it could get aggravating if you were tripping every which way. He noticed a patch over the girls left eye. Maybe she knows where she is going. I'll just follow her.

Autumn paused in her trek through the undergrowth. She didn't know what it was that made her halt but it was just....something. She took in her surroundings. The leafs were still, no breeze to rustle them. Dappled sunlight fell through the foliage, heating the top of her head and causing a trickle of sweat to spill off her brow. She frowned as she listened. Yes, that's what it was; a twig had been snapped. But it could have been an animal moseying through the forest. No, what really unsettled her, what made the hairs on the back of he neck stand up was the feeling of something watching her from somewhere in the trees. She slowly turned and almost jumped a foot in the air upon seeing a head poking around the tree gazing at her. Her single visible eye widened as she took in his appearance. He had white hair and silver eyes from what she could see. She stood there awkwardly staring at him, torn between running or speaking to him. After a few moments she managed to contain the strong urge to flee and managed to stammer out a single word. "H-Hello."

Autumn paused in her trek through the undergrowth. She didn't know what it was that made her halt but it was just....something. She took in her surroundings. The leafs were still, no breeze to rustle them. Dappled sunlight fell through the foliage, heating the top of her head and causing a trickle of sweat to spill off her brow. She frowned as she listened. Yes, that's what it was; a twig had been snapped. But it could have been an animal moseying through the forest. No, what really unsettled her, what made the hairs on the back of he neck stand up was the feeling of something watching her from somewhere in the trees. She slowly turned and almost jumped a foot in the air upon seeing a head poking around the tree gazing at her. Her single visible eye widened as she took in his appearance. He had white hair and silver eyes from what she could see. She stood there awkwardly staring at him, torn between running or speaking to him. After a few moments she managed to contain the strong urge to flee and managed to stammer out a single word. "H-Hello."

Izumi watched her every move. When she paused, he already knew he was caught. He stared at her as she spun around in a slow motion. Whoops! I didn't mean to scare her. Izumi took in her facial features. Her long blonde hair, her large blue eye, the other being covered for some odd reason. One thing he noticed was that she was rather short as well. After a few moments of awkwardly staring at the girl he snapped back behind the tree. It was like he waited for her to come a bit closer, but he realized after some time went by that there was no point in hiding. Izumi slowly walked from behind the tree, he let his arms sit rather loosely by his sides after he wiped a few locks of hair from his eyes with his right hand again. He didn't give off an emotion. One single word was able to escape from his thing lips. "Hi..."

Anna was NOT having fun. She wasn't having coordination issues specifically, but with her seventeen siblings home for a week off, they'd been hyper and awake and talkative for just about three days nonstop, and she hadn't really had a chance to sleep. She wished she had, though, because she was starting to hallucinate and was getting increasingly disoriented. She didn't think to bring any food, or any water, she just had to get out of the house and somehow her feet had found the path into the forest. "Haunted." her parents had said. They didn't approve of magic. But her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had set out to follow the path through the forest and to the wizards' lair. She had a fascination with magic. But now she was starting to regret it. And now there wasn't even a path for her to follow; it had disappeared sometime before. She really wasn't seeing straight, and certainly not thinking straight. Her eyes were unfocused and she missed seeing the tree root that sent her tumbling head-over-heels down a steep gully and into an icy cold creek. She whimpered, scrambling to her feet and attempting to wring out what was left of her skirt. Why was it getting stained pink...? It took her a minute to realize that in the fall down the gully she'd not only torn her skirt and petticoats to tatters, but had also scraped the skin off of both of her palms and her knees and a good portion of her left shoulder and right shin. And now each of those places STUNG, really bad. She also realized she was shivering from the dunk in the creek, so she probably shouldn't stop to sit down. So she got back to her feet and started looking for a way up the side of the gully she'd fallen into, but wherever she tried to climb up, she just slid back down and hurt herself more. So after a while she gave up and sat down on a flat rock and started crying, still bleeding from her numerous scrapes and shivering uncontrollably.

Anna was NOT having fun. She wasn't having coordination issues specifically, but with her seventeen siblings home for a week off, they'd been hyper and awake and talkative for just about three days nonstop, and she hadn't really had a chance to sleep. She wished she had, though, because she was starting to hallucinate and was getting increasingly disoriented. She didn't think to bring any food, or any water, she just had to get out of the house and somehow her feet had found the path into the forest. "Haunted." her parents had said. They didn't approve of magic. But her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had set out to follow the path through the forest and to the wizards' lair. She had a fascination with magic. But now she was starting to regret it. And now there wasn't even a path for her to follow; it had disappeared sometime before. She really wasn't seeing straight, and certainly not thinking straight. Her eyes were unfocused and she missed seeing the tree root that sent her tumbling head-over-heels down a steep gully and into an icy cold creek. She whimpered, scrambling to her feet and attempting to wring out what was left of her skirt. Why was it getting stained pink...? It took her a minute to realize that in the fall down the gully she'd not only torn her skirt and petticoats to tatters, but had also scraped the skin off of both of her palms and her knees and a good portion of her left shoulder and right shin. And now each of those places STUNG, really bad. She also realized she was shivering from the dunk in the creek, so she probably shouldn't stop to sit down. So she got back to her feet and started looking for a way up the side of the gully she'd fallen into, but wherever she tried to climb up, she just slid back down and hurt herself more. So after a while she gave up and sat down on a flat rock and started crying, still bleeding from her numerous scrapes and shivering uncontrollably.

As Ventus made his way through the brush, he heard the sound of running water nearby. Deciding to check it out, he quickly discovered a small stream of water leading to what appeared to be a creek. "What luck! I was starting to get parched." He stated as he crouched near the water, collecting some water with his hands and taking a sip of the icy water. As he was reaching down for another round of water, he overheard someone crying. "Huh? Hello? Is someone there?" He called out as he looked around only to have his question answered by spotting a girl laying upon a rock, looking pretty hurt. "Woah! Hang on, I'll be right there!" He stated as he ran over to where she was. Ven now crouched before her, adopting a concerned look as he noticed that she was shivering pretty badly. "Looks like you fell in the creek...I'll be right back." He stated as he quickly ran off to an area not too far off, now scavenging for some firewood.

As Ventus made his way through the brush, he heard the sound of running water nearby. Deciding to check it out, he quickly discovered a small stream of water leading to what appeared to be a creek. "What luck! I was starting to get parched." He stated as he crouched near the water, collecting some water with his hands and taking a sip of the icy water. As he was reaching down for another round of water, he overheard someone crying. "Huh? Hello? Is someone there?" He called out as he looked around only to have his question answered by spotting a girl laying upon a rock, looking pretty hurt. "Woah! Hang on, I'll be right there!" He stated as he ran over to where she was. Ven now crouched before her, adopting a concerned look as he noticed that she was shivering pretty badly. "Looks like you fell in the creek...I'll be right back." He stated as he quickly ran off to an area not too far off, now scavenging for some firewood.

Anna was pretty sure she was totally hallucinating now. Someone had appeared over her, looking very kind and concerned, and had then run away. She tried to get to her feet, to follow the person, because maybe he knew where they were, only to find that her legs suddenly wouldn't support her. Her eyes were decidedly blurred now, and her head was foggy... All of a sudden Anna didn't remember where she was, or why she was there. She just felt cold. Everything was cold. So cold that it burned. Was she supposed to be this cold?

Anna was pretty sure she was totally hallucinating now. Someone had appeared over her, looking very kind and concerned, and had then run away. She tried to get to her feet, to follow the person, because maybe he knew where they were, only to find that her legs suddenly wouldn't support her. Her eyes were decidedly blurred now, and her head was foggy... All of a sudden Anna didn't remember where she was, or why she was there. She just felt cold. Everything was cold. So cold that it burned. Was she supposed to be this cold?

Ventus had returned as quickly as he had left, now carrying a respectable amount of firewood under his arm. He began making the fire as close to the girl as he could, doing the old-fashioned trick of rubbing a stick to cause a spark. Luckily, it worked on the first try. Before gently guiding her to the fire, Ven kept it going by putting some more dry wood in the mix. "Please be okay.." He thought to himself.

Anna dimly registered the heat on her limbs, drying her clothing and her hair. As the warmth came back to her, so did the feeling, and the stinging burning sensation of all of her scrapes and bruises. But she was still alive to feel things, and that had to be a good thing, right? And she wasn't cold anymore. When she'd regained control of herself enough to look around, she saw the boy who had helped her sitting next to her. "T-thank you." she whispered. "I'm p-pretty sure th-that you just s-saved my life."

Hearing Anna's voice, a smile grace's Ventus' face once again. "Don't mention it. The name's Ventus, but you can call me Ven. What would your name be?" He asks, offering a hand so she could sit up and take in more of the fire's heat.

Izumi watched her every move. When she paused, he already knew he was caught. He stared at her as she spun around in a slow motion. Whoops! I didn't mean to scare her. Izumi took in her facial features. Her long blonde hair, her large blue eye, the other being covered for some odd reason. One thing he noticed was that she was rather short as well. After a few moments of awkwardly staring at the girl he snapped back behind the tree. It was like he waited for her to come a bit closer, but he realized after some time went by that there was no point in hiding. Izumi slowly walked from behind the tree, he let his arms sit rather loosely by his sides after he wiped a few locks of hair from his eyes with his right hand again. He didn't give off an emotion. One single word was able to escape from his thing lips. "Hi..."

Autumn watched in confusion as the boy disappeared back behind the tree once more. What was he doing? Was he really trying to hide after she had already spotted him? Or had she simply startled him by turning around suddenly and speaking to him? Autumn continued to stand there staring at the tree in bewilderment. After a while the boy seemed to make a decision and step out from behind the tree fully. She immediately noticed how tall he was. Well, he was probably short to some people but to her, at her minuscule four feet and eight inches he was still a good six inches taller than her. She watched as he came closer, taking note of how...expressionless his expression seemed to be. Was he okay? Was he wary of strangers? What was he doing in the forest? Looking for the Wizard as well perhaps? She then wondered his reason for wanting to search the Wizard out. "U-Ummm....A-Are you l-looking for the Wizard as w-well?"