Cináed [☯️]

Rank: Stud of Duskveng
Preceded By: Kaolin
Succeeded By: Vesper

Sired BasesAnnwn [x2]
Seal [x1]
Mojave [x1]
Wulfenite [x1]

"Beware the voices without faces..."

With a dark coat that boasts many earthy hues such as creams, browns, whites and blacks, Flickering Ember is not your average wolf. He is calculating, and cunning, yet courageous and unafraid to battle those who clearly have an advantage. Born as an average wolf, with a chocolate-hued pelt, Flickering Ember he was the largest of his littermates. He took after his father, Blazing Inferno in sheer size alone. When he was six months, Flickering Ember was out on a hunt with his parents and littermates. He was watching as his mother and father worked to tire out a rather large buck that was fighting for its life in the snow, Flicker spotted the shape of a young puppy that was in need of help. Feeling the instinct to aid, Flicker left his post. But as he got closer to the puppy, there was a feeling of dread. The puppy seemed to be just out of reach. It led him further and further into the forest that seemed alive with the same voices, all seeking help. Being only six months old, Flickering Ember was not the wisest, and definitely not immune to the whisperings of ghostly voices.

His urge to help another's suffering was what caused his downfall.

The puppy led him to the mouth of a yawning cavern that seemed to emanate a vile, pale green glow. Intrigued yet frightened, Flicker entered the cavern. He followed the puppy's image. It occasionally turned to watch him with a tilted head before continuing further into the cave. As Flicker followed after the puppy, the air was growing chillier the deeper they went. He paused occasionally to scent the air or listen to water drip into stagnant pools. All he could smell was the moss growing on the walls or the stale water. Flicker's fear began to grow overwhelming and each step he took was trembling and growing slower. His breath began to mist. There was a strange yellow glow up ahead. Flicker was disoriented and confused, having taken one too many turns. Everything seemed to look the same.

As he neared the strange glow, Flickering Ember's vision blurred. His head began to throb and a sensation akin to fire began rippling through every inch of his tiny body. He paused to get his bearings. The puppy had slipped through the strange glowing crack at the very back of the large chamber he'd found himself in. Flicker tried calling them, but received no response. He decided to do the foolish thing and follow after.

Upon entering the strange crack in the wall, Flickering Ember was never seen again.

~| XXXX |~

A white-tipped brown paw thrust itself from the yellow crack, followed by a long cream-trimmed leg. A dark muzzle emerged from the yellow void. The figure of a lupine struggled valiantly from the grasp of the odd crack. They slipped a bit, claws scoring the earth with their dark claws before regaining their lost ground. Finally, the yellow void seemed to release their prisoner and they plunged forward, collapsing into a heap on the chilly soil beneath.

Frantic, laboured breaths misted in the frigid air. Clay-coloured eyes were hazy and glazed over with exhaustion. 'Where am I...?' The wolf wondered, lifting their head softly as they rolled onto their cream-toned belly and blinking the haze from their eyes. Despite the heaving of their sides, the wolf unsteadily attempted to rise to their paws, only to flop over pathetically, like a newborn foal. The lupine collapsed heavily onto their side, still feeling disoriented. It was much like they were 'born again'.

Once their head was cleared and they became able to pilot their body, they trudged out of the green cavern and into a brightly-lit world. The sun was shining so brightly that it was painful to open their eyes. Taking a bit of time to adjust to the brightness of the world beyond the cavern, the wolf also noted the countless of scents that assailed their quivering nostrils. They all seemed so familiar yet so foreign, like a distant memory from a time long past.

Upon being adequately adjusted to the light, the wolf continued forwards aimlessly. They didn't know where they were or how they got here, but it seemed like they'd been here before because their paws carried them forward with certainty. As they travelled, the wolf noticed how parched they were and in response, their paws veered towards the nearest water source.

Coming upon a burbling stream that cut through the forest, splitting it into two halves, the wolf stood on the treeline opposite a rocky shore. Plunging into the river, the lupine swam confidently towards the other shore. Their paws scraped the rocky riverbed as they pulled themselves out on the other side before shaking their multi-hued pelt out, scattering chilly water droplets across the smooth rocks. Still dripping, the wolf carried on. Until their belly rumbled. It was a strange sensation. Their instinct was to drive a grouse from its nest and devour it in a few swift bites.

Eventually, night came. But answers to questions they had swirling in their head did not. They doubted they ever would. But that was alright. It was a chance to reinvent themselves as a completely new wolf. And that was what they did.

Cináed. The Faelcu's Fire.