Who's afraid of the big, bad wolves?

This far along and Ember was now faced with a dilemma. She had hoped to just be able to scout the Syndicate from the safety of neutral wild lands, but the island was farther away from the shore than her father's map table led her to believe. That meant she would either have to concede defeat and turn back home or she'd have to risk getting closer to actual Syndicate lands. Hmm, dilemmas, dilemmas... Em was still mid-contemplation when a cry from overhead and a flutter of large wings swooped down towards her, the young fae's head tipping skyward to spy her own raven companion coming to alight himself on her shoulders. "We have company," Nocturne croaked into her ear. Ember felt the static rise in the air, every nerve sparking to life in response to the unknown threat imminently upon her. She nodded to her companion. If they were already spotted, running would do them no good. She would have to play out this encounter and hope for the best.

There were a few moments of absolute stillness. Only the lapping of the arctic waters on the rocky shore kept the world from being entirely silent. Ember waited, waited to see who would show up. A Syndicate wolf? A stranger? Was it one of her parents here to angrily drag her ass back home? She kept her hood pulled up, trying to obscure as much of herself as possible from the stranger's gaze. She could hear their paws crunching the stones behind her now. Shit, he sounded big... Ember readied herself for the worst, her mind racing through all the combat scenarios she'd practiced. The weight of Ravenedge on her back hidden beneath her cloak had never felt more comforting than it did now. Only once the stranger was practically upon her did Ember avert her gaze from the island to see who had found her.

Yeah... he was definitely not her parents...

Sapphire and turquoise eyes scanned over the larger brute closing the distance. He was easily a half foot taller than her at least, with a physique that exuded strength and commanded attention. Her nares flared to catch his scent on the salt-tinged air; the musk of the Syndicate clung tight to his coat. Definitely a Syndicate wolf then. Ember's guard went up, though outwardly she remained as impassive as she could, despite her heart racing in her chest. Fuck fuck fuck! She hadn't planned on getting caught! His eyes of swirling amethyst and emerald seemed to pierce into hers, and in an attempt to appear more collected and in control of the moment, Em held his gaze with a youthful and defiant fire in her eyes while she studied him back in turn. He looked as if he'd been carved from fresh obsidian, as black as night and equally as hard and unyielding as rock as well. There was no doubt in her mind that he could easily overpower her if things got physical. She'd have to play her cards well to avoid that outcome if he was here seeking violence.

But right now, the brute showed no signs of aggression. He stopped a conversational distance away and stared at her with curiosity, a confidence about him like he already knew how this encounter would play out. When he spoke, his voice was a low crooning baritone. Ember could practically feel that voice shake the electricity in the air. There was no doubt he had already smelled the scents of the Hallows on her, so there was no use hiding beneath her cloak anymore. Ember pushed her hood back, letting the brute get his first good look at her. She made sure to keep her sword concealed for now—a dangerous surprise should she need it.

The wolf gestured to the island, calling it beautiful in the glowing sunlight. "It's a little cold for my tastes, but I suppose it is," she quipped back, looking back to the island. The brute introduced himself as Rhazien Saxe, earning a soft hum from the Carpathian princess. "Ah, I wondered which one you were. Rhazien." She repeated his name, soft and breathy as she committed it to memory, his name slipping from her tongue in a cloud of warm breath in the cold air. He asked her name and Ember shot Rhazien a smirk from over her shoulder, eyes alight with mischief. "Does that work? Getting your enemies' names out of them by asking nicely?" Ember gave an airy giggle and shook her head, slowly turning from the ocean view to face Rhazien directly. "Ember Carpathius." Ah, the arrogance of teenagers—thinking they were invincible because of their names, so sure he wouldn't try anything with her because of who she was. The real world had not broken that illusion in Ember just yet. "I wanted to see what the monsters looked like." Oceanic eyes roved over Rhazien's form from ear tip to toe, then back, meeting his gaze without fear. "Guess I know now."

"Ember Carpathius" | "Carpathian"