Starlight sword fight

Combat brought with it a rush of adrenaline akin to taking a hit of a drug for Ember. Nothing made her feel quite so alive as the sensations a fight brought with it, the heft of her sword in her jaws, the clang of steel as it collided with and ricochetted off her opponent's blade. Aylin's movements were less refined than her own, a testament to the sporadic amateur training she had received prior to joining the Hallows, but she was no slouch. She intercepted every swing Ember struck at her with, deflecting and pushing her attacks back with a grin on her face. She definitely seemed to be enjoying herself. Ember on the other hand was solely focused on the fight, making sure her paws were moving in the right stances, her blade was level, and her motions were smooth and decisive. She wanted so badly to be the perfect swordsman like her father was.

Ember's heart raced as their swords collided again with the resounding clank of metal on metal that echoed around the courtyard. But this time, when their blades locked, instead of pushing her away, Aylin leaned into the attack while Ember pushed her weight forward, resulting in the blades sliding along one another with a sharp metal sound and going straight for Aylin's face. Ember had no time to react, no time to stop or pull away. One second their swords were clashed and the next she watched in horror as her sword cut cleanly across Aylin's cheek. The Adravendi wolf stumbled back, both faes looking at one another in shock. Ember saw the blood dripping down Aylin's face before she did, but the moment Aylin brought her paw to the wound, Ember felt her heart sink in her chest. Cold dread wrapped its icy hands around her chest as panic set in. Oh no oh no oh no oh no! She was going to be in soooooo much trouble!

Dropping Ravenedge to the ground with a clatter, Ember rushed up to check on Aylin. The larger lady still looked stunned, but Ember was already lifting her paws to press to the cut on her cheek. It fortunately wasn't more than a shallow nick and likely bled worse than it actually was, but even still, she had spilled blood on Hallowed lands! Her father was going to actually kill her! "Oh gods, oh my gods, I'm so so so sorry, Aylin!" she stammered, repeating her apology over and over while she frantically tried to help slow the bleeding. "I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I didn't mean to actually hurt you! Shit, this is all my fault!" Aylin still hadn't spoken yet, so Ember kept on rambling. Why wasn't she speaking? Was she really that mad? Ember was still mid-apology when all of a sudden her vision was very full of Aylin as the other fae leaned in close and did something that she never could have predicted.

Ember felt the soft press of the other fae's lips against her own and all of her stammering and nervousness evaporated immediately. Blue eyes went wide and Ember's body tensed like she'd been struck by lightning, Her heart skipped and pounded in her chest, that adrenaline in her veins once more igniting like fire as butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Ember's paws hovered in the air while her brain went through a total restart, so caught off guard and unprepared to have her first kiss. Her first kiss! In the heat of combat beneath the swirling lights in the sky, it was all so fairytale and cliché! Yet here the Carpathian princess was, lips pressed to this other girl's, her nerves tingling with static, paws caught between falling to the ground or wrapping around Aylin's neck. After a couple moments of mentally resetting, Ember let Aylin steal her breath away, her dainty paws lowering to rest on the taller fae's chest and giving a gentle push to separate their muzzles. Ember sucked in a gasp of breath, looking up at Aylin with wide eyes and burning cheeks, her tail lashing behind her on the ground in frenetic wags. "Are you crazy?! What if someone sees us out here?" she hissed under her breath, glancing back toward the doors of Hearthstone. "C'mon, we gotta get your cheek patched up before anyone notices."

"Ember Carpathius"