#8 Dial 'A' for Adventure in the Forest (open)

Rubes wandered further and further into the forest, thoroughly enjoying the start of her little adventure into the unknown. Although she wished she had a best buddy to share the experience with, it was, to some extent, rather fun to be doing something rebellious on her own, even if it was something that would probably be regarded as being a tad bit dangerous.

"Lumos!"

The tip of her wand lit up, helping her see where she was going in the increasing darkness. She shivered with excitement, wondering what could possibly be awaiting discovery. Rubes was sure the forest was full of weird and wonderful things and all she needed to do was find them.

Ruby's excitement was beginning to give way to nervousness. 'Perhaps coming into the forest alone wasn't a good idea after all,' she thought to herself. 'Maybe I should go back to school and join in an activity that's a little less life-threatening.'

She raised her wand, gazing around cautiously and hoping she'd be able to find her way back out to the safety of the expansive lawn. Despite being out looking for fun, Rubes realized that venturing into the forest alone when she wasn't equipped with any defensive spells was probably one of the worst ideas she'd had in recent memory.

Looking around to make sure she was still on some kind of pathway, she made a mental note to herself: 'Best not to come into the forest again until I know some useful defensive spells.'

"Ow!"

Rubes picked herself up off the ground and, under the light from her wand, examined the cuts and grazes on her hands. "Looks like I'll be paying a visit to the hospital wing when I get out of here. Need to get these cuts cleaned up." 

She looked around nervously, wondering what the bizarre creature was that had scurried over her feet. She wasn't sure she wanted to stay long enough to find out. OK, so it may have been something completely harmless but, on the other hand, it may have been something that was dangerous, something to be avoided

Glancing around one final time, Rubes turned around and began to retrace her steps along the path, hoping she was going the right way.