The Inaugural Harvest Ball

The harvest ball was something Ember had been looking forward to since her sister had come to ask for her help planning it. Getting to work on something special with Bramble was a huge delight to the young girl, and seeing everything coming to fruition now felt a bit like a dream come true. The first floor of Hearthstone was fully decorated in autumnal decor, lending to the festive celebration of fall slowly transitioning over into winter. Next season would be her litter's birthdays, and in some ways this felt like a final big hurrah while she was still a child. All of her elder siblings had begun taking on more prominent roles in the pack once they turned one, and some even got to begin their weapon training with Dad! Ember wondered if she would get to do all of those things once she was a yearling as well, and what she might be expected to do as she got older...But those were all thoughts for another day! Tonight was about having fun and making friends with the other younger wolves from across Boreas and Auster. In particular, Ember was stoked to get to see her viking friend from the mountains again! She had sent her raven to invite Erik and was elated to get his RSPV back confirming he'd be coming with his siblings! Knowing her friend would be here, Ember took extra care in making sure things looked perfect. He'd been such a good host showing her the best sights when she'd visited his family in their mountain, she had to be sure she gave him the same kind of welcome to her home.

Just before the ball was set to begin, Ember and all her sisters were in their parents' room getting ready, Briar helping to bathe and brush out their fur and groom them nice and neat before the big event. The girl held a faint smell of the lavender shampoo she'd used and her midnight fur was soft and silky smooth, a far cry from the usual disheveled mess of dust she usually wore after a long day of play and adventuring. This close to her first birthday, Ember had gone through a bit of a growth spurt, not quite yet her adult height, but nearing it, her legs longer and body beginning to slim away from that round puppy form. Interestingly, her tail had begun to take on some of the traits her mother's had—her tail fur glowing longer and finer than the rest of her coat, turning into a midnight black waterfall. Tonight, her mother had helped her keep it up with a simple braid; elegant, yet understated. She had opted not to wear any sort of dress or attire, but had taken up Briar's offer to wear some of her jewelry for the special occasion. She wore matching silver cuffs around each of her ankles on her forelegs, the cuffs studded with brilliant fire orange sapphires, the hallmark color of the Hallows. The silver gleamed magnificently against her dark fur, and with a final smoothing of her fur to make sure she was presentable to her mother's standards, the Carpathian princess headed down to the party.

Descending the stairs, Ember found her father and Bramble greeting their guests as they came in and directing them toward the Great Hall. Just as she was rounding the bend near the top, she caught a brief glimpse of familiar plum wine colored fur down the hallway and a big grin spread across her muzzle. Not that she'd ever doubted he'd come, but because knowing he was here immediately made the night all the better for her. Ember gave a quick nuzzle to her sire's foreleg and a paw-bump to Bramble in celebration of a successful evening before she left them be, heading straight for the Great Hall to track down Erik. Stepping into the hall, she's immediately greeted by the smells of food, the sound of music, the brightness of the fire in the hearth roaring to life, and all the new wolves showing up. But the only newcomer that had her attention was the viking boy she spied waving to a couple of girls across the room. Sneaking quietly around the edges of the tables, Ember stalked up to Erik and gave his tail a playful swat when she got close enough. "Hey there, mountain man! I'm glad you could come!" she greeted her viking friend, all smiles and wagging tail as she moved up beside him. "It's no mountain, but now you get to see where I live. If we're sneaky enough, maybe I can get us up to the tower to show you our views too." Maybe she could even show him the armory too; boys liked weapons, right? Ember shot Erik a cheeky wink. She certainly wasn't above bending a few rules for her friend. Besides, if Dad never found out, was it really breaking the rules?  

"Ember Carpathius"