Who's afraid of the big, bad wolves?

After the number of conflicts Ember had with her father, she couldn't stand to just sit idly by in the confines of Hearthstone while she knew there were evil wolves skulking around somewhere in Ardent. No matter how hard she butted her head against her sire, neither side seemed willing to give even an inch to the other. Artorias had painted such a vicious and vile picture of the wolves their family now deigned enemies, but if they were so terrible, then why hadn't her father struck them all down where they stood? Her frustration only compounded the more she dwelled on it, and following the Hallows meeting she had decided it was high time she made her own decisions for herself. Damn whatever her father said about staying away from them, Ember was going to go see these monsters for herself.

The trip across the continents would not be quick. Ember knew she'd be gone for a few days, so she made up a story of going to spend some time out in Auster to clear her head, grabbed her cloak and sword, and set off for the north. She didn't care what kind of consequences she might face when she came back home from her angry father. As far as she was concerned, he had asked for this with the decisions he'd made. With her companions in tow, Ember crossed the Bifröst and continued northward, stopping overnight to camp near the base of the Fenrir mountains before continuing up around them past where her maternal family's pack was. She skirted the Armada and wound up in the cold snowy north in the height of winter.

It was a sharp contrast to the lovely summer Auster was experiencing right now. There was snow and ice, though admittedly not as much as she thought there might be, and it was cold, but not frigid, her coat and cloak more than enough to shield her from the weather. The weather today was overcast and cold, but thankfully no snow fell as Ember crunched through the layer that had settled on the land. Around her, tall pine trees scattered the territory, and the lingering odor of several wolves clung to the air like a miasma. There were no scent borders up so she knew this was still wild lands, but it was clear a group had been doing a lot of work here—a group she didn't recognize. This must've been the Syndicate... Trying to remain covert while she slunk through the sparse northern forest, Ember headed east, making her way to the rocky shore and the thin channel that separated the mainland from a small island off the coast.

A coastal breeze whipped into her face, knocking her hood back and carrying with it the stenches of many unknown wolves from across that island way. They were the same ones she smelled here. This had to be the Syndicate, there was no doubt in her mind now. But she was still too far away to see anything; the distance between the coast and the island too great to make out anything distinct on the island besides trees and small mountains, even with her improved eyesight. Ember scowled and pulled her hood back up, continuing to scour the distant island to no avail. Her sight then turned south, to the sound nearby. Maybe if she was sneaky enough, she could get closer to get a better look without anyone noticing her...

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"