Winterizing

Thought she was still very, very young and wholly inexperienced at this whole "life" thing, Ember was aware and sensible enough to know that listening in to adult conversations, even ones she was not explicitly a part of, could glean some valuable lessons or life information from them. Besides, it was not eavesdropping if it was for the benefit of the pack, right? At least, that was the justification Ember used when she had been listening to her mother and father discussing the Hallows' situation in regards to how the pack was faring the winter so far. Winter was the only season Ember had ever known, but she knew it meant a lot of gray clouds, cooler weather, chilly wind, and rain—lots and lots of rain. While she did not mind the dreary weather so much, her keen ears had picked up her father's concerns for some of the elder members of the pack, Laeta and Greed in particular. Ember did not know much about medical stuff or how the body worked, but it sounded like the weather was having some kinds of negative effects on her pack mates. Well now, that just would not do!

So, on one particularly windy day, Ember emerged from the castle's cellars dragging with her a bundle of furs—literally dragging them, they were so heavy and large in comparison to her smaller stature! The zealous pup refused to be beaten by bedding though, and with some grunting and straining, she managed to pull the bundle of hides up out of the cellar and through the great hall. Hearthstone was usually kept warm and comfortable, especially now during the winter, but she had noticed a few places around the castle where some nasty drafts were slipping in from outside and stealing away some of that warmth. She did not know specifically about Laeta's arthritis, but she had seen the older woman struggle with the stairs often, and she did not suspect that the cold would do her any good. So she would start with Laeta's room.

Up, up, up the winding stairs Ember dragged her bundle of furs, making her way up to the third level as carefully and cautiously as she could. The last thing she wanted was to slip and end up tumbling down them like her brother had done and get her parents mad at her! It took some time, but eventually Ember managed to hoist the bundle up to the top of the third floor landing, taking a breather to stop her panting and to mentally pat herself on the back for making it this far. Following her nose until she found the room Laeta occupied, Ember pushed open the door, remembered her parents' lessons on manners, and paused long enough to knock. No answer; the Hallowed lady must be out right now. Even better! She would come back to a nice surprise from the princess. Shimmying her way inside with her bundle, Ember started by unstrapping the furs and rolling them out on the floor to straighten them out. Then she set about the room, nose lifted to the air as she sniffed about for any traces of cooler air in the room.

A cool breeze rippled across her sensitive snout, coming from the direction of the balcony. Ember's eyes immediately snapped over to the doors as she made her way over to them. The closer she got, the stronger she could feel the draft coming in from below the door. A victorious grin split the girl's lips. Aha, found it! Tiny paws hurried back over to the bundle of furs, snatching one up in her teeth and dragging it back across the floor to the balcony door. She quickly stuffed it up against the bottom of the door jamb, pushing it up snug until she no longer felt the wisps of cold winter air sneaking into the room. Ember bounced on her paws, so excited she could have barked! She had done it! Taking a brief moment to survey the rest of the room, Ember found no more traces of any drafts coming in from anywhere and deemed her mission accomplished! But wait... she still had several more furs she could use. What if she used them to help out the rest of the pack as well as Laeta? Wouldn't her parents be so proud of her then? Plus, it beat having to bundle the furs back up and drag them all the way back to the cellars...

Ember spent the rest of her morning going around to all the other wolves' rooms that she could find, sneaking into them when they were out and inspecting their rooms for any more of those sneaky drafts. After placing furs along the balcony doors of several other rooms until she had no furs left to use, Ember breathed a sigh and nodded proudly while she assessed her work today. Excellent work, Ember! Mom and Dad will be so proud! Beaming from ear to ear, Ember headed back downstairs to get more furs and start checking all the other rooms. Hearthstone was a big place, after all. There were lots of places sneaky drafts could be coming in from.

WC: 867

"Ember Carpathius"