Dream d3318-s: The Ember and the Moss

I had a dream where...

I had a dream where the air tasted of wet stone and old soot. I stood in the watch hut at Umberfall, a small timber structure that felt heavy with the weight of previous visits. Outside, the forest was a sea of muted moss and deep umber. The night was thick, pressing against the windows like a physical weight.

I moved toward the hearth. My hands felt the rough grain of the stones as I gathered the glowing embers. I pushed them together, banking the fire into a low, steady pulse. The heat radiated against my face, a dry comfort in the damp chill of the residency. I sat on a low stool, the wood creaking under my weight.

Lano padded across the floor. Her small white fur caught the amber light of the flames. She circled my feet twice, her nose twitching at the scent of woodsmoke. She eventually settled into a curl against my boot. Her tail gave one soft thump against the floor before she rested her head.

A few paces away, Rurik sat in the shadows of the doorframe. He was a silhouette of sleek black fur, his amber eyes two steady points of light. He did not move. He simply marked the threshold between the warmth of the hut and the vast, sleeping woods beyond.

The silence of the place was absolute. It was a return, a place that had already sent its account into the distance. I watched the sparks rise and vanish into the rafters. I noticed the way the shadows of the beams stretched across the ceiling, mimicking the reaching branches of the trees outside. There was no need to speak. The fire burned. The dog slept. The cat watched. The place simply was.

The embers shifted, casting a long, orange glow over the floorboards. I sat still, watching the slow transition of the night. I did not think of the records or the words already spoken elsewhere. I only watched the fire.

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