Ember couldn't stand the tension in the castle anymore. She couldn't stand just sitting around and butting heads with her father over their interpretations of their family's ideals and the tenets of the Hallows. Neither side was going to back down, and for as much as Artorias felt she was in the wrong, Ember felt just as strongly towards her sire. She'd already destroyed untold amounts of training dummies to vent her frustrations, but the friction wasn't getting better on its own. So Ember decided it was high time for her to make her own decisions and opinions—and that decision was to go see these so-called "monsters" for herself.

It didn't take much to bring her plans to fruition. All it required was a convincing lie to her mother about going out camping in Auster's wilds for a bit to clear her head and get some space. Sure, it wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. If she told her mother where she was actually going she would've been stopped immediately, and gods only knew what her father would say if he heard! So she opted to just not tell Artorias a thing and instead began packing as quickly as she could. All she needed was enough to get her through the colder winter up north for a few days. Her black wool cloak, her sword, and her companions. Everything else she could scavenge or hunt for. She wasn't some child that couldn't care for herself anymore. Besides, if Talyssa could do it, surely she could too.

Ember had just finished slinging Ravenedge across her back and tying her cloak around her neck to conceal it, looking at herself in the mirror for one final check. She wasn't going to be gone long, but she wanted to be gone before her father caught wind of her runaway and tried to stop her. Her plan was simple—go north, spy on the Syndicate from a safe distance for a bit, glean whatever intel she could to make an informed decision about these enemies of her family, then return home. Simple. With a final nod to her reflection, Ember headed out of her room with her companions in tow and trotted down the stairs, headed for the front door.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

The kitchens were a mess with flour and dough sticking to nearly every surface imaginable. If it had not been for Briar coming in to chastise her about the mess when she was about ready to prepare lunch, Bramble would have continued on. With the rest of the patrol already out, Bramble had nothing else to do other than clean her room or practice in the dojo. Both of which she didn't want to do. Cleaning her room meant accepting the fact that Tate was gone and practicing in the dojo meant that war could actually be right on their doorstep at any time. So instead, she decided that baking a variety of breads and muffins were a far better useful thing to be doing.

With Briar sweeping up the floors and Bramble wiping down the last counter so food could actually be prepared, Bramble bid her mother farewell with a quick peck upon her cheek and was soon out the door. Heading through the great hall and toward the front door to see if she could find any pansies or roses to stock in the kitchen, she's surprised to see Ember adorned in her cloak. Stopping in her tracks, she gives her sister a raised brow look of suspicious as she notices that something looks a bit odd beneath the wool positions over her sister's back and shoulders.

"Ember, you're not leaving, are you?" Bramble questions, concern already lacing her expression as she steps closer toward the door to cut Ember off.

table coding by bunni ♥

Ember was just coming down the last flight of stairs into the foyer, the front doors in sight and her escape lying just beyond. She'd made it without getting caught! Now all she'd have to do was slip out the gates and be across the plains before any of the patrols saw, and then she'd be home free! Victory was within her grasp!

"Ember."

Her name called in her sister's voice startled the young princess, her paws skittering a bit as she fumbled herself down the last couple of steps, oceanic blue eyes going wide with alarm. Her head snapped up to meet Bramble's concerned gaze, shock painting her expression. Frick! She'd been so close! Bramble inquired into if she was leaving, feeling her older sister's suspicious gaze scanning over her as if looking for evidence of her guilt. Bramble moved faster than she could, cutting her off from getting to the doors with her larger form. Gods dammit, why'd she have to be the same size as Tati! Still trying to keep her true intentions under wraps, Ember just gave a stubborn huff and glanced either way down the corridors to make sure no one else was around to stop her. She could probably convince Bramble on her own.

"No, I'm not leaving. Well, not like, leaving leaving like Talyssa. I'm just going out for a few days to scout some places," she explained, hoping that by reassuring Bramble she wasn't just striking out on her own like Talyssa did or running away, her sister wouldn't ask any more questions and just let her go by. It was an optimistic Hail Mary, one Em was hoping would pay off for her.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Bramble isn’t stupid, though potentially slightly gullible. She wants to believe the best in everyone and have hope that their intentions are good, even if slightly skewed. So as she studies her sister that huffs and glances either way, Bramble can’t help that something is brewing in that head of her’s. Narrowing her own gaze, she continues to stand in front of the doorway, a formidable figure that never felt ashamed of her tall height.

Pursing her lips, Bramble lets out a thoughtful noise in her throat. “Scouting, hm?” Her head cants, a smile suddenly on her lips as her tail wags a few time. “Where are you planning on scouting? Tati was mentioning that I go visit some of the packs that aren’t in the coalition,” Bramble looks at sister carefully once more, keeping the happy-go-lucky excited expression on her face. Would Ember be honest or try to pull the wool over her eyes?

The narrowing of Bramble's eyes down to suspicious points spelled bad news for Ember. The girl's enthusiasm deflated, her tail slowly drooping behind her. Bramble offered to go with her on her "scouting trip", citing how their father wanted her to do some outreach to the neutral packs to get them on their side of the coalition. Well, so much for this being easy... Ember briefly debated which course of action would be worse: trying to fight her way past Bramble or making a run for the infirmary and seeing if the windows were open she could jump out of. In the end, Ember chose the least dramatic option and decided to just come clean. She didn't relish the idea of lying to her big sister, even if it was just to protect her and keep her innocent from Em's transgressions.

With another dramatic sigh, Ember's shoulders slumped and she fixed Bramble with a stern leer. "Okay, fine! I'm going scouting up north. Around the Polar Sound." Ember didn't explain more than that. Everyone was acutely aware after the alphas' meeting that the Sound and the Ardens had been claimed by the Syndicate. Bramble was a clever girl; she'd understand what Em was suggesting. Immediately Ember launched into her rationalizing before Bramble could even have a chance to object, "I just want to take a look! I'm not gonna do anything, I swear! Plus if we can get some intel about the Syndicate, maybe it can help Tati make a more informed plan about what to do with them." Ember was still deeply of the mindset that the Hallows would need to go to war to prevent the Syndicate from destroying all of Ardent. Nothing could convince her otherwise, and she was determined to open her father's eyes to the danger as well.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Bramble watches, but too deflates as she watches Ember deflates herself. Tail no longer wags, ears hang half-back, smile dissipating as the sister before her dramatically sighs and leers in her direction. Ah, so it’s a ruse, hm? Bramble thinks to herself as she continues to consider Ember, seeing far more of Artorias in the girl than Ember probably ever wanted to admit.

And as soon as the words leave Ember’s mouth, Bramble’s brows go back to furrowing, but this time with more emotion. Concern, first of all, and secondary, disappointment that Ember would be trying to go somewhere incredibly dangerous without no one knowing of her whereabouts.

Her mouth opens to talk her down off this crazy ledge, but Ember is quick to interject. Bramble’s ears fly backward, but she is still open to listening. She patient, kind, just like their mother, but the fire was still there. “And that would be Tati’s job to figure out, no?” Bramble questions, taking a step closer to Ember before glancing around them. Noticing that they are still clear, Bramble motions her muzzle toward the door.

“Come with me to the gardens, but only if you promise not to bolt,” she gives Ember a pointed glared before turning to slip from the castle out into fresh, open air. If Ember was going to try and continue to talk sense into Bramble and justify this valiant mission of her’s, it would do no good if their parents or anyone else overheard.

Once they’re safely walking through the gardens with more privacy, just two sisters taking a stroll together, Bramble looks to Ember with a seriousness that she didn’t have often. “This man who leads The Syndicate will do far more than just kill you if he catches you,” she begins, her lips drawn tightly as her brows knit back together. “If you had been caught, this war Tati fears for would come far sooner than anyone wants,” this is when the disappointed look comes about.

“Do you not think that Tati’s birds would not do a good enough scouting job? If he loses one of them, it won’t hurt as much as if he loses a daughter,” a tinge of sadness comes to her tones as she looks ahead, a frown lacing her muzzle. “As capable as you may be, you are a female. A young female and getting caught by The Syndicate would be a nightmare. More than a nightmare. You would wish they would kill you,” her teal eyes move to Ember, hoping she understands what she means.

“If you want to help Tati, you should be talking to the packs that are closer allies to us and what they know of The Syndicate. The meeting did not go well in Tati’s favor and I fear that the wolves of Ardent are weak compared to the growing numbers of The Syndicate. This pack is good at convincing and deceiving others to believe they’re good which isn’t positive for us,” Bramble’s tone shifts to more thoughtful now as she looks again to Ember. “You would be of more use helping build our allies rather than spying on them,” her nose wrinkles, ears flicking back as she detests the thought of having to think of such despicable wolves.

The more she spoke, the more Bramble looked concerned and perturbed by what Ember had been planning in secret. Bramble brought up the point that gathering intelligence on their enemies was their father's job and Ember immediately began to bristle on reflex, her response coming before her rational thought kicked in. "Well Tati's not doing a great job at that, so I think his decision making is compromised," she muttered from behind clenched teeth, the words coming out in a flurry as her filter failed to kick in before she spoke. Maybe a testament to how much she trusted Bramble, or perhaps a showing of just how in opposition to her father's trepidatious policies she was. Typical teenager behavior; always thinking they had all the answers.

Bramble motions for her to follow and Ember reluctantly goes with another huff. It wasn't like she was going to get away scot free now, not when her overprotective big sister had busted her. If she tried to make a break for it, Bramble would surely either chase her down or immediately run to their father and he would chase her down instead. Ember grumbled, but didn't protest as she followed her sister out to the gardens where they could speak in confidence. Walking down the well worn paths between the wisteria trees and flowerbeds, Em listened in silence while Bramble spoke, her expression dour and unhappy. She didn't want to meet Bramble's gaze; didn't want to see the disappointment or worry in her eyes. So she just listened for now and kept walking at her sister's side.

There was wisdom in Bramble's words of warning. Her insight of Sephiran Saxe was accurate and irrefutable. He was a deranged psychopath who would do awful things to her if given the chance. They'd all been warned by their father of what had almost happened to Talyssa. Bramble really hammered that point, emphasizing how Ember was still a young female and that the Syndicate would do all sorts of unspeakable atrocities to her. Ember wasn't completely naive; the threat of rape and sexual assault had crossed her mind time and again. But was it not worth the risk if it meant keeping her family and the Hallows safe? Hell, the whole world would benefit from a dead Sephiran! But their father refused to act and instead stood haplessly on the sidelines while their enemies multiplied.

"A raven cannot kill an alpha if it gets caught. I can," she rebuked, finally lifting her gaze to turn blazing eyes up to her tall sister. Ember's lips were pulled into a tight line, clearly still frustrated that she wasn't already on her way north. "This war is going to come sooner or later if the Saxes are allowed to go about unchecked, and if the meeting went as bad as you say, we can't wait for them to grow their strength and become an even greater threat. He have to act now and strike while the iron's hot. I just need to convince Tati that this is the right move." Ember was still fully convinced that the Hallows and its allies were strong enough to crush the Syndicate if they attacked right now. But waiting to let them fester and grow in the north would only make them a more difficult challenge later on.

Bramble made the suggestion of putting her time and effort into building diplomacy with the packs that had spurned the offer to join their coalition and Ember's nose wrinkled at the thought. "They wouldn't listen to Tati and he's the most influential alpha in the world. Why would they listen to me instead?" Amidst her brooding, Em had an epiphany that diplomacy could mean getting to spend time in Hemlock, where Erik lived. That thought made her heart skip a beat, but she kept those thoughts inside her head. "If the Syndicate is really as dangerous as Tati makes it sound, then why aren't we doing all we can to stop them? We have the best fighters in Ardent and all the weapons to boot. But Tati refuses to use any of them to end this war before it begins." This was why she had to go gather evidence to convince her sire that direction action against the Syndicate was the only way to bring them to justice.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Ah, to be a teenager. Though Bramble is disappointed and worried, she also can’t hide the brief smirk that lights her lips at Ember’s testy and disrespectful words. Her litter mates had been calmer compared to the fire within Ember, but perhaps unknown to Ember, Bramble could relate fairly well to the feelings brewing inside. “I sat in that meeting, I saw and witnessed, heard how those Alphas blindly turned down Tati as if he wasn’t trying,” a sigh leaves her lips, a slow shake of her head.

“I get it, I do. When Tati informed me of what happened, sitting in the pack meeting, attending the Alpha meeting, I felt a fury that I don’t think I’ve felt before,” her voice is quiet as she speaks, eyes away from Ember now, focused on the well-worn dirt path they traversed. “I wondered what compelled him to not have killed Sephiran right then and there. I cursed him for not gathering The Hallows and marching north to tear down their pack,” her teeth grind together, muscles stiffening and fur bristling. If anything infuriated Bramble more, it was wolves who thought they could do whatever they damn well pleased.

“But if we did that,” she relaxes, another sigh, a momentary glance to her sister. “We would be just as bad as them. The Hallows is influential, strong, and a mighty adversary, but we are not judge, jury, or executioner,” her face creases with tension, gaze admiring the wisteria and flowers that lined the path. “Life is just as delicate as the plants that grow in this garden, Em. Just as easily as it can be born, it can also be taken away. Packs will listen to you, to me, to others of The Hallows because we can spend time with them. Tati cannot be in a million places at one time. It is up to us to help convince, er, forge relations with others so that when the time does come, we will come together as one and The Syndicate will be forced to stand alone,” Bramble stops suddenly having led Ember to a gate that exited out to Starlit Plains. A straight shot toward the grove and then to the Bifrost toward the unknown danger that lay ahead for her sister.

“If you still feel so compelled to venture out and risk your life, I’ll give you one season. If I don’t hear from you or your bird, Tati will know of your endeavor and I will assume you dead by paw of The Syndicate,” her expression speaks volumes of seriousness, but the shine in her teal eyes would betray her. Deep down, Bramble knew this quest was something Tati would have gone on himself if he were Ember so who was she to stop her sister? She hoped Ember would find the compromise fair - her secret to be kept long enough to allow her to journey north and back without concern.

Although she was still incensed and discouraged by what she considered a lack of courage to act on their father's behalf, Ember loved and respected her sister enough to be attentive and listen while Bramble was speaking to her. It sounded like Bramble was equally as frustrated with how things were transpiring and unfolding for the Hallows and for Ardent as a whole too, but she was doing a much better job at hiding her turbulent emotions than Ember was. Perhaps that was just her living up to her namesake though—the fiery spirit that dwelled within Ember demanded justice. From the sound of things, Bram shared a lot of that same fire. Em found herself looking up at her taller sister with a mixture of surprise and admiration as she admitted to feeling a righteous fury at the alphas' meeting and wanting to go march the Hallows to tear the Syndicate apart. She saw Bram's jaw clench, her fur bristling. YES! Yes, this is what Ember had been trying to get across to someone—anyone!

But as Bramble continued to share her thoughts and feelings, the more Em realized that her sister was still trying to talk her down. Ember's ears slid back against her head as she listened while Bram explained how the Hallows had to maintain its tenets, not to be judge, jury, and executioner to those that deserved it. That wasn't their duty. But being able to share their influence with other packs and wolves was. Their father relied on them to help keep the Hallows strong and maintain its good reputation in Ardent. If she went to go start a war willy-nilly, how would that reflect on them? Morally it was the right move, but it would be a tactical nightmare. A war was fought in councils and meetings as much as it was on a battlefield. They could get packs to rally to them, to build alliances so when the day came to stand up to the Syndicate, their foes would face an army rather than a singular foe. It made sense to Em, but the ambitious side of her didn't want to wait to see justice done and evil smote.

Ember looked up to Bramble to respond—and was struck silent when she realized where they were. They were standing at Hearthstone's gates, right on the edge of the courtyard. Bramble had led her to the gate, a silent support of her reckless mission. Ember didn't know how to respond at first. She just gazed out at the Starlit Plains, realizing just what one step out that gate would mean. Bramble spoke; she had one season to do as she needed, and if she didn't hear from her, she'd assume she was dead. That singular sentence struck a blow at Ember's heart more than anything else had. With ears still folded back, Em turned back to Bramble and threw her forelegs around her sister's neck in a tight embrace, clinging to her and burying her face in Bram's chest. The support and love of her sister had broken through the anger that had driven her to this decision, and though it hadn't swayed her completely, it had given her enough to think about to reassess what she was going to do.

"Iti multumesc, Brammie. Te iubesc," Ember said softly, voice muffled by her sister's fur while she tried not to cry. Drawing back to look up into her sister's bright turquoise eyes, Ember's own oceanic blues burned with a dedication and a promise. "I won't go near their borders. I'll see what I can from a safe distance and I won't engage with any of them. I'll be back in a week. Sister promise." Ember was going to go see what the Syndicate was really about. She wanted to see what the monsters had done to the north and bring back something actionable for their father to use to rally others to their cause. But more importantly, she was going to come back because she had made this promise to Bramble. With one last nuzzle to Bram's chest and neck, Em separated herself from her sister and turned towards the gates. With a deep breath, Ember headed out and turned due north, Nocturne floating through the air after her to accompany her on her journey. All she needed was a little peek, then she'd be back home.

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"