tigress;chapter two

ember

It had been a little over a week since Ember visited the village. Seeing her old home had tarnished her mind and slowly set her spiraling into a regretful depression. It was a constant reminder about why Ember rarely visited the village and her childhood home.

Would things have been different if I showed myself back then?

Would my father still be here if I was there?

I just hope my mother and sister are alive and well.

What I would do to see them again...

She sighed as she closed her eyes and started to remember her previous life. Going to school, spending time with her friends, and spending time with her family were all things she dearly missed. It had been so long since she had interacted with another human being.

It was the middle of autumn, Ember's favorite season. She loved the way the leaves changed colors and how the weather got colder but not to an unbearable amount. The desserts and treats her mother would make were beyond delightful and they gave her something to look forward to after finishing her studies.

School had just started again and Ember loved learning new ideologies and was among the brightest in her class. Her sister, Aisla, was a few years younger than her and enjoyed the visual arts. She was particularly skilled in creating landscapes and portraits with oil. Several of her pieces were scattered around their home and it added a sense of exquisite taste.

On this particular day, their mother planned on baking her special pumpkin pie that was always ravished within hours. Their father would be home early today to celebrate the new season and spend time with his family. He was often gone working as a welder to provide them with a comfortable lifestyle but this often came at the expense of spending little time with them. He worked incredibly hard to buy their family's cottage and was proud of everything they have accomplished. This was one of the few times he could look forward to spending time with his favorite girls.

Upon arrival at their house, Ember and Aisla were swarmed with the sweet aroma of pumpkin pie. Both their parents were in the kitchen laughing and talking with one another before they spotted their daughters.

"Let's eat outside today, hmm?" Their mother asked the girls before taking all the desserts outside.

Her husband was about to follow her but instead told the two girls something,

"Change into your house clothes, I don't want your school clothes getting dirty."

Usually, Ember would have something snarky to say but excitement and hunger told her otherwise as she quickly changed into more comfortable attire before joining the rest of her family.

They had talked for hours about the various things going on in their lives. Ember's mother was sharing some of the town gossip and issues she had with the town's dress tailor. She'd scammed her mother out of a beautiful dress and lied about it! Ember was excited to tell her family about the new boy at her school that called her pretty the earlier today.

"He had the prettiest green eyes! They were so big and beautiful. And he had a pretty smile and long hair and-"

"My little Ember is getting into boys now I see?" Her father sighed, appearing slightly disappointed.

"Lucas, stop that! You should be proud of her for having a little crush, she's growing up!" Her mother perked up.

"That's just the problem, she won't be my little girl anymore."

Ember was flustered hearing her parents bicker over her crush. The whole time she was zoning out thinking about Ezekiel. He was so sweet to her and she couldn't wait to see him again tomorrow. The sound of Aisla's voice pulled Ember out of her trance.

"We're working on a new collection for the art show. It might even go to the capital if it's good enough!" Aisla cheered excitedly to her family.

"Oh Aisla, we're so proud of you!" Her mother Marielle praised her as she brought Aisla in for a hug.

"We're going to have a famous artist in the family!" Her father cheered before ruffling her hair.

"Dad, stop, you're going to mess up my hair!" Aisla exclaimed, trying to pry his hands out of her hair.

Ember started laughing at the scene but her joy didn't last for long until her dad started targeting her too.

"Come here you, you're not getting out of this either!" Her father declared before ruffling and messing up Ember's half-up curly hairdo.

"Lucas, I spent so long doing their hair this morning!" Their mother shrieked while playfully swatting his arm away from the young girl's hair.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Dry tears had stained her face. Ember remained stationary on the bed, unable to move out of fear and grief. She missed her family dearly and had no way of knowing if her mother and sister were okay. Ember tries her best not to think about them or the situation often but the memories come crashing back. The sound of her mother and sisters' screams haunted her at night. Her insomnia was starting to come back, the last time she had insomnia to this degree was after the invasion. It was far too traumatic for her, especially at that age. As time went on she got stronger and blocked off that part of her life, but moments like these didn't make it easier.

Noon was growing closer and Ember still had yet to get up. It had been days since the last time she bathed and it was becoming more obvious from the must leaving her body. She also hadn't eaten since the day before and she knew that Axel was growing tired of her lack of energy. He was laying down at the foot of her bed, he seemed bored. A sudden roar brought Ember's attention to the feline that was demanding to be fed. The young woman sighed before deciding to get up and get them both something to eat. Axel had grown spoiled, he was completely capable of hunting and feeding himself but wanted something cooked just for him.

Ember got up and made her way to exit the room but stopped in front of a mirror connected to the dresser. She studied her appearance for several moments. Her curly hair was dry and matted, she hadn't brushed it in days and the amount of tangles she would have to comb through is despicable. Her eyes were red and swollen with bags underneath from crying and lack of sleep. Her skin appeared dull and flushed, and her lack of personal care was especially evident. She sighed before making her way to the kitchen, she would make something to eat for herself and Axel and then take a much-needed bath.

After searching through the kitchen, Ember decided to settle on some potatoes and a piece of smoked bear for lunch. Axel would eat the rest of the bear and some berries from a bush that Ember previously harvested. Ablaze erupted from the fire as Ember began reheating the food.

Ember had gotten distracted and was drowning in her thoughts by the time she realized that the food was burning. Dark soot had circled the back of the cottage as it made its way into her airways. Ember quickly threw the smoked bear on the ground and patted it out to stop the emergence of the fire. After a while, the fire died down but the smoke still tarnished the air. Ember sighed as she looked at the burnt bear. It looked like she would be having fruits and berries for breakfast.

The day was already off to a late and bad start and Ember wanted nothing more than to just break down and cry. Axel suddenly appeared beside Ember and rubbed his head along her leg to try and calm her down. Ember smiled at his actions before kneeling to show him some affection too. Axel licked the side of her face with his rough papillae, which was much to her dismay.

"Axel, you stink, you need a bath too, yeah?" She pondered before deciding to delay eating till after their much-needed bath. Ember quickly went back inside the cottage to grab her bathing materials as well as the tools to properly groom Axel. Afterward, the both of them made their way to the infamous lagoon.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Ember felt relaxed in the azure-colored lagoon. The lagoon was slightly cold when she first got in but it had now warmed up to a delightful temperature. The feeling of water washing away the suds on her chestnut skin felt wonderful. The feeling of water running through her scalp felt amazing as she washed away the dirt from her scalp. If anything would put her in a better mood, it was a much-needed bath.

Ember laid back in the lagoon so that she could float but she was rudely interrupted by Axel splashing around in the water. As much as she wanted to be annoyed, Ember felt joy seeing him play around. Axel always loved the water when he was younger and still kept that same playfulness at his full size.

Ember embraced Axel in a quick hug before grabbing the brush to groom him. Axel was not a fan of being groomed so he tried to run away but Ember tightened her grip on him and gave him a stern look to behave. A small whine was heard before he relaxed in her arms. She began combing through his thick fur and spent a little more time in areas that needed more attention such as his paws and behind his ears. Axel was growing impatient and kept moving around in an attempt to make Ember stop but she saw through his act. Delicately, she swiftly combed through his matted fur.

The sudden sound of leaves rustling caused Ember to pause her actions. It sounded like it was coming from the back of the lagoon and Ember looked around to see if she could spot what made the noise. But alas nothing appeared in the rich forestry. The rational side of her concluded that it was just a meager animal, but the paranoid side of her couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. No matter what she was feeling she felt the need to hurry up and retreat to the cottage sooner than expected. Ember did not want to stay and figure out what was lurking in the woods.

Ember picked up all of the belongings that she brought with her and ushered Axel to follow her. She wrapped a towel around her body and quickly started her departure to the cottage. She would wait till she got back to lather her skin in oils and butter. The duo didn't make it far before Ember heard male voices from the opposite side of the forest. She almost couldn't believe it, there was no way someone was here right now, several people at that.

She hastily took cover from behind a spacious tree. Ember glared at Axel who didn't need any instruction to be quiet and stationary. The voices became clearer as they moved closer. If she had to guess it was at least four of them present. They spoke so eloquently to one another that it could be inferred they were of a higher class, royals maybe? Curiosity had gotten the better of Ember and she wanted to put faces to these voices. Slowly, she peered from the side of the tree and was frozen with fear at what she saw. Three men surrounded one man in the center as they conversed.

The trio was faced towards the man in the center so she couldn't see what they looked like, but they matched her inference, royal noblemen. Their garments were of expensive fabrics and they were equipped with weaponry on their waists. Suddenly, one of the three men in the middle moved to the side and this allowed Ember to look at the man in the middle. At first glance, he appeared like the other three but the maroon-colored emblems on his skin said otherwise. Ember then saw his dark hazel eyes. They were shockingly familiar, in an eerie way. It wasn't until he moved his dark medium-length hair out of his face that she could understand the familiarity. It was the man from several years before during the ambush.

Ember didn't want to believe it, she refused to believe it! She was haunted by memories of her past and the night of the ambush. And her father was dead and here his killer was in flesh and blood. He was older and more mature. His muscular physique stood on display from his stance. His dark hair was slightly longer than before as it fell in front of his face and his skin was a beautiful sun-kissed tan. Despite all this, he still appeared as she remembered him in her nightmares. Now he had a dark aura surrounding him, she couldn't put a finger on it but he was worse than before.

He didn't appear to be interested in much of what the other three men were saying as he diverted his attention elsewhere. Up until now, Ember hadn't truly been listening to what the group was saying.

"There was someone in the lagoon past the woods behind us. It looked like a young woman." The one on the farthest left spoke.

This statement seemed to bring the man out of his trance as he raised an eyebrow at what the other had said. He was intrigued and wanted him to elaborate.

Ember swallowed a lump in her throat as she realized they were talking about her. As curious as she was to stay, paranoia had other things planned as she speedily made her way towards the cottage.

.·:*¨༺ ༻¨*:·.

Immediately upon arrival Ember closed and locked all of the doors and windows. The anxiety was overwhelming her and millions of different scenarios were running through her mind. She believed that she was going crazy and that the previous encounter was all a figment of her imagination. 

There was absolutely no way that she saw that man again or anyone for that matter. Ember truly believed that she was hallucinating, and her anxiety was overpowering her rationality. After a while, the stress took its toll on her body and Ember found herself falling asleep, unaware of what lurked in the woods.