Namesake

Sleep was never an issue for one so young as Ember. Her days were jam-packed with activities, lessons, and games, so by the time the little pup finally clambered her way up the castle stairs and toward bed, she was bushed. Her parents got her and her five siblings settled in to their puppy bed beside the much larger bed they slept in and as soon as her body flopped down onto the giant plush cushion, Ember could feel the relaxing pull of sleep lulling her away from reality. Her eyelids drooped, hiding away swirling blue-turquoise eyes while her father sat beside their bed, singing them a lullaby in their mother tongue of Carpathian. One day she would learn it and know what he was singing to them. But for tonight, she just let the flowing melody and rolling lyrics drift her off into blissful, peaceful slumber.

- sleep transition -

Ember opened her eyes to find herself drifting in a liminal space of gray fog, nothing in sight and no clue where she was. Her whole body felt weightless, much like it did when she was floating in the castle baths. Where was she? This wasn't like her normal dreams at all. It would have scared her, if she didn't feel this strange sense of peace and tranquility around her, as if she subconsciously knew that where she was was safe. How long Ember floated in that transitional space she did not know, but eventually the fog began to roll away, revealing short dry grass beneath her paws as she began to descend down towards the ground.

The girl touched down on the grass, peering around her as the fog continued to peel back to reveal a vast mountain range of pale gray stone and a forest surrounding her, the trees caught in an eternal autumn as their colorful leaves rustled in the breeze. Close by sat a lake encapsulated by these unfamiliar mountains, its waters placid and clear. There was no one else around her at the moment; she was all alone in this foreign land. Yet Ember felt no unease, no nervousness or fear being here. Walking over to the edge of the lake, the small pup stepped up to the shallow water lapping at the rocky shore and peered down at the surface, watching her reflection shift and wobble in the gently moving waters. "Hello…?" she called out into the air. Where was she...?

"Ember Carpathius"