we’ve had a good run, haven’t we?

Ember couldn't help but grin innocently and bat her big blue eyes up at her sire when he made mention of how she might be plotting to usurp the throne from him, then burst into a giggle fit as he called her a menace in their mother tongue. Laeta addressed her directly then, taking the girl's attention entirely onto the frail woman. Ember smiled politely and nodded her head with vigor. "Yes ma'am! I'm Ember!" she introduced herself to Laeta. This was the first time they had formally met, after all. Ember had brought fresh furs and blankets to Laeta's room from time to time to help her parents out, but she'd never had the opportunity to speak to the fae one on one before now. Laeta complimented the girl, reminiscing on when Ember had just been a curious pup and how she had grown so much in her year of life. Turning a bit bashful, Em smiled and bowed her head, shuffling her forepaws on the terrace floor. "Thank you, miss Laeta! My dad talks about you and says you're one of the smartest and kindest wolves he's ever met." Ember looked back up at her father, her tail wagging behind her as she spoke.

After a moment of consideration, Ember's curiosity got the better of her, and she looked at Laeta in timid wonder. "Miss Laeta, my dad says that the Long Night is the reason you got sick. Is that true? What happened during the Long Night?" For all her curiosity and wonder, nobody would ever talk about that dark event with her. Not her mother, not her father, at least not in any great detail. She didn't know why it was such a sensitive topic, but maybe Laeta could shed some light on the mystery for her.

"Ember"