The Forest | Alistair
@epalistair
It was at the edge of the forbidden forest that Theo often felt most alive. When the stress got to him too much he would slip away. With help from Gray, he’d slip into the kitchen, grab a few cuts of whatever meat he could lay his hands on and then disappear into the woods. He never went that far. He was a prefect after all, and he didn’t take too much pleasure from breaking rules. But he wanted to see them. He wanted to watch them. It had started out innocently. His interest was piqued when he first saw them pulling carriages into Hogwarts. He began by just watching them from afar, when he could sneak a glance. His interest only grew from there and soon, Theo found himself feeding the thestrals at the edge of the forbidden forest. Sometimes the only cure for the busy rumblings in Theo’s head was to combat it with silence.
It took a while for Theo to make it to the forest. There were a lot of people to sneak by, but he was someone seen as a good student so with the flash of a smile and a nod of the head he found it easy to lie his way out of any suspicion. When he arrived, the first thing he did was take a deep breath of fresh air. Opening his bag, taking out a piece of meat he slowly stepped towards the small group of thestrals. Watching them with caution. He carefully threw the piece into the middle, watching them tear it apart.
There was another boy, watching them like Theo did. He would often be present when Theo would come down. They never talked, they never really acknowledged each other’s presence. Sometimes, Theo could feel the burning sensation, the want to talk to him but he knew better. You don’t come down here, to the forest to feed thestrals and talk about it.
