Lesson Three((continuing lesson))

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

It was a pleasant fall day with the slightest nip of cold on the wind. That wouldn't be too much of a bother though, since they wouldn't be out in it for long. Pavlo couldn't but be a bit excited for this lesson. Not that he didn't enjoy all of his lessons, it's just he was so accustomed to most of the creatures that it was just a part of his wonderful job at this point. This time would be different. He hadn't even really been all that certain he would ever get to have a lesson like this.

As everybody gathered around the professor's waiting spot near the forest, he smiled and greeted them, "Good day to you all. Today we will be going into the forest. As always, I ask that everybody stay close and not wander off. Also, it will be very important that you listen for this lesson. That's always important really, but this time I will take away points and give detention to anybody who messes up." He paused there and gave them all a look that said he was dead serious about that. "We will have a guest with us today too. Ms. Gwyllt, the school nurse, is an animal lover herself and rather experienced with many of them. She played a big part in this lesson happening so I ask that you listen and do what she says. And thank her before we leave."

With that he turned and headed into the forest. "We have about a ten minute walk before we get to our spot. You may talk but keep your voices low," he told them as they started. "We wouldn't want to spook anything."



((OOC: I've decided to make my lessons have a little more of Pavlo in them throughout, rather than just at the beginning. So more proper RP style I guess you could say. I will probably reply with the arriving at the spot piece early Wednesday morning or so. Until then, roleplay the walk!

Update: And I should have specified Gwyllt isn't with the group, we're going to meet her. Sorry!))

[Lexi Knight]

The walk to Care of Magical Creatures was always a favorite of Lexi's. She could see clear to the lake, which rippled from the kiss of a light breeze. The Hufflepuff smiled and knelt to pick a blue wildflower, tucking it behind her hair. She couldn't help being happy in the fresh air, sunshine beaming down. To the left was the Quidditch pitch, which looked awfully inviting. The teen's fingers itched with the temptation to run back to the dorms and grab the Zwiffer that rested in her trunk. Skipping Professor Ponikarovsky's class seemed like a good idea on such a nice day, but she knew she would never get away with it.

With a sigh, the girl joined the group at the forest's edge, putting to rest dreams of flying fast through the air. She quickly found a friend to chat with while waiting for the lesson to start. When the professor began speaking, she stopped talking paid close attention. They were going into the Forbidden Forest? This piqued her interest. She had been in the forest once before, with disastrous results. Hopefully this time would be more pleasant. Knowing Professor P., it probably would be, but with the forest, you could never tell.

At his mention of Nurse Gwyllt, Lexi looked for her among the group, but couldn't find her. The reckless girl was very familiar with the Hospital Wing, having spent more than a few hours having bones mended, or cuts healed. At the Professor's order, the group started to move into the shadow of the trees looming over them, Lexi practically shaking with excitement.

[Kathleen Payne]

Late, late, late. That was the only thing going through Kat's head as she hurried after the group that was already entering the forest. She had a free period before this one and had accidentally dozed off while working on homework. She was lucky Professor Ponikarovsky was one of the more laid back professors. As long as you didn't miss any of the lesson, he was fairly easy going about being a little tardy.

As she caught up to the group she spotted Lexi and squeezed through to her. "Hey! What did I miss and why are we going into the forest? Not that I mind unless the Professor has found a new beast that will eat us alive," she smiled, craning her neck to try and see where they were going. All she could make out were trees, and surprisingly, more trees.

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

As they neared their destination, Pavlo stopped and turned suddenly. The students all came to a halt too, a few not paying attention bumped into the person in front of them. "Quiet down and listen up," he said in a lowered voice. "The creatures we are about to meet were not easy to catch. I literally could not have done this without Ms.Gwyllt's help. So, I beg that you keep your voices down at all times, and try to restrain from loud noises, laughter, or anything that might frighten them. Make no sudden movements towards them, and listen to instructions carefully. It took Ms.Gwyllt and I a long time to gain their trust, and honestly, I only have about half the trust. From here, I want you to remain behind me, and say nothing above a whisper until I tell you otherwise."

As silence and curiosity fell over the group, the professor resumed walking. About a minute later the sides of a couple paddocks, separated by about 10 meters, came into view. Pavlo glanced over his shoulder and smiled, holding a finger to his lips as a reminder and made his way into the clearing.

In the paddock towards the left was Ms. Gwyltt, petting a blindingly white unicorn. It stopped enjoying the attention and turned its gaze to the man and group of students that had just entered her sight. She watched them closely without making a sound, only turning her head slightly to look at the other paddock, where her foals were. Two foals of the purest gold stood at the edge of the fencing, watching the group. Unlike their mother, they seemed rather excited about the sudden arrival of people. One gave out a little whinny and did a little prance in place.

"Today class, we'll be studying unicorns," he said, not able to restrain the grin on his face. "Girls, you will get the chance to pet both mother & foals. Boys, you will have to be satisfied with only getting to pet the foals. Unfortunately, grown unicorns rarely trust males, hence the reason Ms. Gwyllt had to help me. We will do this in small groups so as not to overwhelm or upset the mother. But first, let's talk about unicorns. Tell me what you already know about them."

[Lexi Knight]

Lexi smiled as Kat rushed up next to her. "Running a little late, huh?" she asked teasingly. "You didn't miss anything, other than the fact that Professor P is feeding us to a bunch of monsters." She held back a laugh, though rather poorly. When the professor asked for silence however, her face went blank and she became serious. She did however peer around her classmates to see what they were going to be studying this lesson.

When the paddock came into view, Lexi's jaw dropped and she let out a breathy gasp. Unicorns! She had only seen them in pictures, which couldn't possibly do justice to them. The adult was beyond beautiful, and emanated grace and elegance, completely unlike any horse she had every encountered. The two foals were awkward, but with their own beauty and grace. She couldn't help letting out a giggle at their excitement.

At Professor Ponikarovski's request, her hand shot up in the air. "Professor, we use their hair as cores for our wands, and also to make bandages. My mum gets unicorn hair for my dad to use in bandages for the animals he treats." She smiled wide, glad she knew something about the subject matter, little as it might be.

[Kathleen Payne]

Kat gently elbowed Lexi and teased back, "Long as he feeds you to it first. All your bouncing around will give the beast an upset stomach and it won't be able to touch me." Biting her own lip as Lexi choked back a laugh and the professor brought them to a stop. Her eyebrows traveled towards her hairline as the professor spoke about the creatures they were about to meet in rather vague terms. It almost did sound as if they were about to meet some strange thing that might eat them.

Bouncing on her toes to see over a couple younger students, she just caught sight of the corners of some paddocks. Well, whatever it was, it mustn't be that dangerous if it's only in a pen. That or Professor P was really nuts and didn't understand what a dangerous creature was. She restrained a smile as they came to a halt again, this time followed by many gasps and quiet exclamations. Moving a bit to her left she finally saw what everybody was gawking at, and Kat couldn't help but do the same.

The grown unicorn that Ms.Gwyllt was paying attention to was almost blinding, while the foals looked as if somebody had melted down all the gold in a jewelry shop and dumped it on them. As Lexi mentioned their use in wands, she couldn't help but feel a bit of pride in the fact that she possessed a wand with a unicorn hair in it. It had always felt like something very average, but seeing the type of creature it came from up close, it felt anything but average. "I've always heard they're very fast...and very hard to catch," she answered, pulling her attention back to the professor and wondering how exactly they did catch them.

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

Pavlo nodded and listened to the answers. "Right you both are. Unicorn hair is very common in wands because of its subtle but powerful nature. It's also incredibly strong so yes, very common for bandages too. Hagrid collects and uses it also," he said with a nod to Lexi.

He couldn't help but grin at the curious tone in Kat's voice at the end of her answer. "Yes, that's why very little threatens unicorns. That's also the reason we didn't try to catch them. We convinced them to come to us. I ran across this particular unicorn a few times last year, but, they don't care for men much. I mentioned it during dinner one evening and Ms.Gwyllt remembered getting to work with them while she was a student here. She then agreed to help me gain this unicorn's, who we didn't know was pregnant, trust. She spent hours convincing the unicorn to come to her, and I would always stay on the edge and watch. Once the foals were born and grew older they started coming over to me, and their mother allowed it. So...for now they like me."

He mouthed something to Ms.Gwyllt who nodded in agreement to whatever it was. "Okay! Let's start meeting them. As you get to meet and pet them, I will speak a bit more about unicorns. No notes are needed but please listen and do your best to remember. Girls, you will get to meet the grown unicorn first while the boys and I will visit the foals. Once the boys are done the girls will then get to pet the foals."

As he walked away from the group and stepped into the paddock, the foals rushed up to him, excited to be getting some attention. He scratched around the base of their ears and conjured a bucket of apple and carrot pieces as the nurse did the same in her paddock. "Now remember to approach slowly and keep your voice down. Girls, let Ms.Gwyllt escort you into the paddock and over to the unicorn. That will make it feel more like an introduction and the unicorn will be less likely to become unnerved. Since Kat & Lexi answered, they get to be the first two," he smiled and waved a hand towards the other paddock before calling up a couple of the boys.

[Winifred Gwyllt]

Running her fingers through the unicorn's mane as Pavlo explained to the students how they had come about her and her foals, she cooed to her in a soothing voice. While she was very trusting of them at this point, it was understandable to be nervous. Those were her babies in the pen and of course she didn't want any harm to come to them. While the mare had never trusted the man to come near her himself, she seemed fine with her foals being around him and she seemed to relax as he entered their pen.

Wini gave her a reassuring pat before meeting the girls at the gate and opening it for them to enter. "Good afternoon ladies!" she greeted them merrily, pulling the gate closed as they entered. "Now, each of you grab a few of the apple and carrot pieces and let's just stroll slowly towards her." She walked beside them, having them stop a few feet in front of the snow white creature. "Okay, hold out your hands, palms flat, and let her come to you." The mare kept her eyes on them, giving her tail a curious snap as they did this.

((You're welcome to RP out what reaction the unicorns have to your character.))

[Lexi Knight]

With tentative steps, Lexi stepped forward to the paddock gate, making sure Kat was there with her. She was slightly nervous about what the unicorn's reaction might be. They were known to be fiercely protective of their young, and with the boys in the pen with the foals, maybe approaching the mother was a bad idea. Nonetheless, when directed into the paddock by Nurse Gwyllt, Lexi gave the woman an anxious smile and strode into the enclosure.

Along with the other girls in the group, the Hufflepuff took a handful of apples and carrots, and stood next to Ms Gwyllt. Lexi looked up at her before extending her arm as instructed. "Are you sure this is safe? I mean, the boys could do something stupid over there, and then she could decide to take it out on us, since we're closer, you know?" Lexi realized they were probably safe, but she wanted to hear it from Nurse Gwyllt's mouth. That would just make her feel much better about this.

Wondering how Kat was taking this whole thing, she peered around, finding the Gryffindor sixth year gathering a handful of fruits and vegetables. She gestured the girl over with the currently empty hand; she would feel much better with a friend next to her.

[Winifred Gwyllt]

Wini noticed the slight showing of nerves in Lexi's smile and smiled back. She didn't blame her for being a bit nervous. After all, she had had butterflies when she first approached this very creature.

"Dear, if those boys try to do anything stupid I'm fairly certain Professor Ponikarovsky will be happy to hang them by their feet in one of those trees for the remainder of the lesson. I don't think they're quite so stupid to do something right in front of him either," she answered, being as reassuring as possible. "You two go ahead now!"

The unicorn had perked its ears up and was watching the girl's hands now, almost as if wondering if what they had was for her or not.

[Kathleen Payne]

Kat glanced at Lexi as they made their way to the paddock to meet Ms. Gwyllt. She gave the nurse a quick smile as they entered the paddock, and stopped to admire the unicorn. Like most, if not all, of her classmates, she had never been so close to one. But, she had seen one near the edge of this very forest while out walking with her mother. Even her mother had been in awe.

Lexi had already grabbed a handful of carrots and apples and was making her way over as Kat started grabbing some herself. Walking slowly as they had been told, she listened to Ms. Gwyllt's comment about hanging the boys by their feet. Stealing a glance towards the foals, the current guys in the paddock with them and the professor seemed to be doing fine. Of course, there were a couple people she wouldn't mind seeing hanging in a tree. Perhaps by the laces of their trainers.

She bit her lip with nervous excitement as she and Lexi scooted towards the unicorn. The mare gave her tail a swish and took a few steps forward, eyes fixed on the treats. Kat took a deep breath, glanced at Lexi, and took a few baby steps forward to meet her, arms stretched out all the way. The unicorn looked her over for a moment before apparently deciding she was safe, and began eating from her hands. Kat turned to face Lexi and gave her a look that must have been a silent scream of excitement.

[Lexi Knight]

Following Kat's lead, Lexi tentatively held out her hand to the mother unicorn, palm up and as flat as she could hold it. Time seemed to stand still as she waited, her breath held to avoid scaring the beautiful creature. When the blindingly white animal turned her head towards the Hufflepuff girl, all of Lexi's muscles tensed. The words of Nurse Gwyllt soothed her nerves slightly, but there was still doubt that the unicorn wouldn't trample her.

The beast leaned close, her muzzle mere inches from the anxious student. She huffed, inhaling the human's scent several times, before deciding this one wasn't a threat, then proceeded to munch on the fruits and vegetables in Lexi's hand. The girl released the breath she had been holding, obviously relieved that she wasn't going to die.

As fascinated as she was by the unicorn, Lexi tore her eyes away to look at Nurse Gwyllt. "Do you think I could pet her?" she asked, smiling with delight. "I mean, she's not going to bite my hand off, right?" She glanced back at the unicorn, who seemed content to simply enjoy the food being offered to her. "She looks happy enough, but I don't want to make her mad."

[Prof. Pavlo Ponikarovsky]

Looking up from the two foals and the boys he had just introduced them to, he could see Lexi and Kat meeting the grown unicorn. He and Winifred had worked on trust with her as much as they could but he still had a bit of nerves about today. So far so good though. Everybody seemed to be taking it seriously thankfully so he decided to carry on.

Leaning on the fence but keeping one eye on the boys, he began his lecture, "So, the first thing you can see is that unicorns do not start out life looking exactly like they will when they are full grown. All foals are born pure gold just like the two you see here. Why? Well, to be honest, we don't know. Many creatures have different colors while young to help camouflage them, but unicorns have few predators. They're just too fast. Not to mention, the only place these little ones would be camouflaged in is an extremely wealthy witch or wizard's vault in Gringotts. So the reason for the color is a mystery. At around two years of age the foals will begin to turn silver, while at age four their horn will begin to grow in. It's not until they are around seven years of age that they turn pure white, expect for their hooves. As you can see on the mother, the hooves remain gold throughout their lives. While unicorns don't travel in herds like most equine, they do normally get along, except for males when it comes to mating. The young ones will normally stick fairly close to their mother until they're full grown, and even after that they remember one another. They still seem to enjoy visiting I suppose you could say. There are three parts of a unicorn that can be used, though one I would never advise using. Can anybody name any of these and what they are for?"