As she got older and more mature, Ember discovered she enjoyed staying up late. Her Circadian rhythms had her almost nocturnal, preferring the peace and solitude to the night to the early mornings wolves like her sire seemed to relish in. She'd much rather sleep through the morning and have the night all to herself. Besides, staying up late had its perks. One of which was currently dancing around in the night sky. Stepping out of Hearthstone and onto the terrace of the gardens with Ravenedge on her back, Ember gazed up into the midnight sky in awe, watching the vivid bands of colors swirl and twirl around the stars. The bright auroras almost lit up the world in blazes of color. Even the moon seemed larger than usual as it cast its celestial silver light down onto the world! What a rare and magnificent sight to behold that all the early birds would miss!

Ember sat and watched the nighttime show for a little while before she rose to her paws and made her way quietly down to the gardens. Paw pads treaded softly along the cobblestone paths, walking between gardens of flowers and the blooming wisteria trees. The air was perfumed with the scents of flowers, the wisterias, and honeysuckle that climbed the old stone walls of her home. Ember veered off the path and onto the soft spring grass, feeling the blades cushion her toes like a natural carpet. The little lady Carpathian took a moment to look around and up at the windows that overlooked the courtyard, making sure she was alone before she continued. The evening gardens gave her the privacy to practice her swordplay on her own, and what a lovely night it was to spend it outdoors!

Drawing Ravenedge from its scabbard, Ember shrugged off the sheath and spread her paws into a steady battle stance. Blue eyes slid closed behind black lids, and the adolescent fae took a slow, deep breath. Then she began her movements, paws traipsing across the grass, graceful and fluid in their motions. It almost looked like Ember was dancing as she pivoted and pirouetted around, bringing her sword along with her movements. The blade curved and arced through the air, slicing through nothingness in a blur of silver. Ember listened to the crickets, breathed in the sweetness of the cool night air, felt the grass between her toes as she spun and brought her sword to bear, fantasizing about fighting off enemies in battle with these movements. Practicing in the dojo or the sparring rings was fine and all, but out here, Ember could just be herself and practice her way.

WC: 444
Total: 444 / 1500

"Ember Carpathius"

It had been an interesting transition to go from living without much structure or responsibility to suddenly having the daily routine of the pack happening around her. She was throughly enjoying having the resources and knowledge she had been craving at her toe tips, but it has still been a lot to get used to. One thing that didn't really seem to want to change was her sleeping schedule. She saw a lot of the pack's warriors and hunters up pretty early in the day, going on morning patrols and the like, but she was so used to sleeping through the coldest parts of the morning and instead getting up later in the morning and staying up later into the evening than most. That was the case this evening as she leisurely strolled back into the castle gardens after taking a lap around the starlit plains. The skies were just so dazzling right now with the unbelievably bright moon dominating the sky and the insane bands of shifting light and color making a whole scene that she had never witnessed before in all of her travels. She remembered her father mentioning how it felt like you could see the whole sky from those plains and she didn't think he had been wrong.

As she moved back through the greenery and flowers of the garden, the sound of movement and that tale tell sound of metal swishing through the air caught her attention, making her ears perk with interest. Curious, she quietly moved though the garden toward the noise, eventually spotting Artorias' daughter through the trees and shrubbery. She hung back a bit where Ember wouldn't notice her, watching the midnight young woman gracefully swing and move with her sword almost like she was dancing. Of course Aylin still revered Artorias' skill with his blade and she felt like the style of fighting she was going for more closely mirrored his, but she also couldn't take her eyes off of Ember as she practiced her movements in the garden. She told herself it was because of the mastery that Ember seemed to have over her weapon despite being pretty young still, but the fact that Ember was so pretty certainly didn't help. After watching for a few more moments Aylin finally continued on through the garden, making sure she brushed against a bush or two to make a bit of noise in hopes that she wouldn't startle Ember too much with her approach.

"It looks like all you're lacking is a sparring partner," she said with a chuckle as she moved to stand across from Ember with a smirk. She knew she had little hope of winning against Ember at her current skill level, but that didn't stop her from wanting to feel Ember's fighting style in action. She turned her head to pull her own sword from its sheath, the steel gleaming in the moonlight and reflecting bits of the auroras that continued on above them. "Come on, lets spar again–with real blades this time." When she had trained with Ember and Artorias before the alpha had insisted they use dulled training swords, but she was feeling particularly daring this evening as she fixed her silver gaze on the beautiful girl in front of her. Maybe it was the intoxicating feeling of the night or something like that, but nothing sounded as good as a real spar in that moment.

WC: 570
Total: 1014 / 1500

"Aylin Adravendi"

Ember was so lost in her own little world, fighting imaginary foes, that she didn't even notice someone else was in the gardens with her. At this time of night, she had expected everyone else would be asleep. That apparently was not so, as the sound of rustling shrubbery nearby made the adolescent fae's ears snap up to attention, and then as gracefully as she had been moving came to stop on a dime, her lithe body whirling around to face the source of the sound. There stood the newcomer, Aylin, watching her with a mischievous look on her face. Ember's face immediately flushed with warmth; she hadn't been meaning for anyone to see her practice. How much had Aylin seen? Clearly enough to make the remark that all she lacked was a sparring partner. "I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up this late," Ember replied, perhaps answering the unspoken question of why she was alone, perhaps partly to insist she hadn't been intending to spar.

The next suggestion that Aylin offered took Ember totally off guard. Spar with real edged blades?! Even her father had never permitted them to do that! Safety had always been the paramount rule in their lessons, and even now her sire's voice echoed in her head, warning her to never spar with a real weapon. Swords are meant for fights you don't mind killing in. Artorias' sage words gave her pause as she looked at Aylin with trepidation. What if she accidentally swung too hard or too recklessly and hurt the girl—or worse. But Aylin had already drawn her sword and taken her place opposite Ember, showing no reluctance to engage in such a dangerous sport. Well shit. Ember couldn't back down now and look like a coward! Swallowing back her apprehension, she took a deep breath and nodded. Guess they were doing this then!

Ember assumed her fighting stance opposite of Aylin, her muscles loose and limber, her nerves tensed and ready to react, senses sharpened and heightened for the fight. She balanced Ravenedge's weight in her grasp, sizing up her opponent, analyzing her stance and form. They had sparred before with non-edged training blades, so this would not be an unknown fight to her. The moment was still, quiet, even the crickets seeming to hush in the prelude of the fight. Then Ember made the first move, closing in quick with a flurry of paws on the ground and swinging her blade around to aim a slash at Aylin's center. The move was made decisively, but subdued, Ember holding back from delivering as much might and ferocity in her strike as she could out of fear of causing actual damage to the innocent Adravendi woman. She swiftly followed up that initial swing with another with the same withheld energy, aiming more to collide her blade with Aylin's own than to try and land a serious strike on her opponent's body.

WC: 489
Total: 1503 / 1500

"Ember Carpathius"

Aylin stood at the ready, humming with energy and excitement. Living alone with her father for so long the best she could hope for in terms of training partners was the occasional weapon wielding wolf that they might cross during their travels. It was only after she arrived at the Hallows that she had the opportunity to train–and fight–with wolves that not only knew this method of fighting that she enjoyed so much but were good at it. She kept her gaze trained on Ember as the two of them remain squared off with one another, their blades drawn in the stillness that only really happened in the seconds before a fight. The second she saw a twitch of movement from Ember she was on the move, her silver gaze trained on Ember's blade to make sure she knew the direction it was moving. Swinging her own sword in an arc back along her own side she blocked Ember's first attack with a clash of metal on metal, her lips curling up in a grin around the grip of her blade. With a twist of her head she pushed Ember's blade away and reset her stance just in time for Ember to send another swing her way.

Ember was very fast and adept with her sword, a clear sign of the fact that she had been training with a master like Artorias likely since she was big enough to hold up a training sword. It was a joy to watch Ember fight and even more fun to actually be on the receiving end of her quick, decisive moves. Aylin turned her head again, holding her blade in the path of Ember's second attack for another block. The swords struck against one another again with a scrape of metal on metal that cut the silence and she twisted her sword to try and repeat what she had done before of letting her opponent's blade slide harmlessly away. However, unlike Ember she was still getting used to what it felt like to go into combat with another sword wielding wolf–especially with a real blade–and she over corrected with her attempted block. Maybe it was because Ember was holding back more than she expected or perhaps it was because of her own inexperience, but either way instead of pushing the blade away she made it slide down the length of her own sword on accident, sending the point of Ember's sword slicing across her cheek.

Aylin staggered back a bit–more out of shock than pain–and blinked with surprise as she reeled a bit and realized what had happened and where she had gone wrong. She stuck her sword into the dirt for a moment as she brought a paw up to her cheek and when she looked down at her paw pads she saw blood smeared across them. Well, it was a short lived spar, but the thrill of adrenaline was still very much there and when she looked back up at Ember's worried face she couldn't help but grin. She hardly paid attention to Ember's fretting and apologies. She felt so alive! She finally had a very small taste of a real sword fight and oh how badly she wanted more! And it was all thanks to Ember. Without really thinking as she continued to ride this high of excitement and adrenaline, Aylin tipped her muzzle to cross the small gap between them and she pressed her lips to the lips of the Carpathian princess, stealing a lingering kiss just to top off this unexpectedly fantastic evening.

"Aylin Adravendi"

Combat brought with it a rush of adrenaline akin to taking a hit of a drug for Ember. Nothing made her feel quite so alive as the sensations a fight brought with it, the heft of her sword in her jaws, the clang of steel as it collided with and ricochetted off her opponent's blade. Aylin's movements were less refined than her own, a testament to the sporadic amateur training she had received prior to joining the Hallows, but she was no slouch. She intercepted every swing Ember struck at her with, deflecting and pushing her attacks back with a grin on her face. She definitely seemed to be enjoying herself. Ember on the other hand was solely focused on the fight, making sure her paws were moving in the right stances, her blade was level, and her motions were smooth and decisive. She wanted so badly to be the perfect swordsman like her father was.

Ember's heart raced as their swords collided again with the resounding clank of metal on metal that echoed around the courtyard. But this time, when their blades locked, instead of pushing her away, Aylin leaned into the attack while Ember pushed her weight forward, resulting in the blades sliding along one another with a sharp metal sound and going straight for Aylin's face. Ember had no time to react, no time to stop or pull away. One second their swords were clashed and the next she watched in horror as her sword cut cleanly across Aylin's cheek. The Adravendi wolf stumbled back, both faes looking at one another in shock. Ember saw the blood dripping down Aylin's face before she did, but the moment Aylin brought her paw to the wound, Ember felt her heart sink in her chest. Cold dread wrapped its icy hands around her chest as panic set in. Oh no oh no oh no oh no! She was going to be in soooooo much trouble!

Dropping Ravenedge to the ground with a clatter, Ember rushed up to check on Aylin. The larger lady still looked stunned, but Ember was already lifting her paws to press to the cut on her cheek. It fortunately wasn't more than a shallow nick and likely bled worse than it actually was, but even still, she had spilled blood on Hallowed lands! Her father was going to actually kill her! "Oh gods, oh my gods, I'm so so so sorry, Aylin!" she stammered, repeating her apology over and over while she frantically tried to help slow the bleeding. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I didn't mean to actually hurt you! Shit, this is all my fault!" Aylin still hadn't spoken yet, so Ember kept on rambling. Why wasn't she speaking? Was she really that mad? Ember was still mid-apology when all of a sudden her vision was very full of Aylin as the other fae leaned in close and did something that she never could have predicted.

Ember felt the soft press of the other fae's lips against her own and all of her stammering and nervousness evaporated immediately. Blue eyes went wide and Ember's body tensed like she'd been struck by lightning, Her heart skipped and pounded in her chest, that adrenaline in her veins once more igniting like fire as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Ember's paws hovered in the air while her brain went through a total restart, so caught off guard and unprepared to have her first kiss. Her first kiss! In the heat of combat beneath the swirling lights in the sky, it was all so fairytale and cliché! Yet here the Carpathian princess was, lips pressed to this other girl's, her nerves tingling with static, paws caught between falling to the ground or wrapping around Aylin's neck. After a couple moments of mentally resetting, Ember let Aylin steal her breath away, her dainty paws lowering to rest on the taller fae's chest and giving a gentle push to separate their muzzles. Ember sucked in a gasp of breath, looking up at Aylin with wide eyes and burning cheeks, her tail lashing behind her on the ground in frenetic wags. "Are you crazy?! What if someone sees us out here?" she hissed under her breath, glancing back toward the doors of Hearthstone. "C'mon, we gotta get your cheek patched up before anyone notices."

"Ember Carpathius"

Aylin savored the few lingering moments where time seemed to stand still for a moment as she kissed Ember with a passion that was driven by excitement and adrenaline until she finally felt Ember's paws on her chest, pushing her away. Her eyes blinked open and she looked down at the Carpathian princess with a wide grin, unable to hold back a chuckle at how flustered and adorable the younger woman was in this moment. Her wide, blue and turquoise eyes were so pretty up close, especially in the unique light of the auroras. "Maybe I am," she replied with a grin as Ember asked if she was crazy, her tail wagging gently behind her and the scratch on her cheek all but forgotten. She definitely had not intended to get into a sword fight tonight or to end up kissing the alpha's daughter, but now that she had she was riding a high that she had never felt before.

Stil, Ember looked genuinely concerned and on edge about the whole ordeal so when she insisted that they get her patched up before anyone noticed Aylin relented with a chuckle. "Alright, alright... To the infirmary then?" she asked before picking up her sword from where it had fallen to the ground and turning her head to slide it back into its scabbard. She followed Ember toward the castle, letting her lead the way. She knew the lay out of the castle moderately well at this point, but she didn't know if Ember might have somewhere or something else in mind all things considered. "I'm not mad at you, by the way," she mentioned as they walked, thinking back on Ember's string of apologies. "Nothing to forgive, no real harm done. This is the most fun I've ever had!"

"Aylin Adravendi"