In her attempts to arrive at a pack to visit at a polite time, she had camped for the night near the borders of Ashen and had waited till morning to visit Venom–only to find out that the Empress in fact lived a mostly nocturnal life style. Her brother had very politely asked her not to interrupt the Empress' slumber which of course she was more than happy to oblige and simply asked that he pass along the news of her new role to Venom when he could. However, that did mean that her time table was thrown off a bit and since there was still plenty of daylight to use she began to make her way down across the Bifrost to visit The Hallows with the second day of her trip instead. It was only a brief bit of travel to pass over the sandbar bridge to the southern continent and then she found herself at The Hallows' border at the edge of the wide open plain with the pack's signature castle in the distance.

She took a moment to make sure her fur wasn't out of place from the wind she had experienced while crossing the Bifrost and then lifted her head to howl for the Aegis. She waited patiently for Artorias at the border, settling onto her haunches to wait for his arrival. She was perhaps even less personally familiar with Artorias than she had been with Kotori simply due to the fact that their packs were so far apart, but she knew her parents were fond of the Hallows alpha and that this pack had been one of their most long term allies so she wasn't too worried about this visit. While she waited for him to appear, she looked out over the swaying grasses of the plains and the clouds that drifted by overhead, appreciating the cooler weather of the southern continent.

"Avacyn Medacium"

With preparations for new puppies coming, tending to a pregnant mate, and the adjusting to the growing independence of his growing children, Artorias had his paws full once more. Fortunately this winter was shaping up to be another mild one in Auster, with only the sea swells growing to a point of concern, so there was no worry of food shortages for the pack—one less thing for Artorias to thankfully not have to fret himself over. The Aegis was presently helping redecorate his children’s rooms with them when the call for him came out from a voice he didn’t recognize. It carried with it the authority of an alpha seeking an audience though, so Artorias’ interest was instantly intrigued. Stepping away from the remodeling job for a brief stint, the azure and ebony dire brute made his way out of Hearthstone and across the plains to the northern border to greet their unexpected guest.

When he arrived and spotted the violet-coated female waiting for him, Artorias was momentarily stricken by confusion, wondering if he had somehow misheard the call since it looked like Manea waiting for him. But as he drew closer, his keen eyesight began to discern notable differences like the white facial marking, and that was when the Aegis realized he also knew this wolf. This was Manea’s daughter—her name escaped his memory—that he had met only once before during his wedding reception. Artorias approached the young lady, now much more grown and matured than he had last seen her, and greeted her with a welcoming smile and dip of his head. "Good day, Miss! I remember you from the wedding reception. You’re the princess of Elysium, Manea's daughter, right?" He was intimately familiar with Manea, though he had not met most of her family still, usually dealing with the alphess and her husband directly. "Welcome back to the Hallows. What can we do for our friends in the north?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

Avacyn wasn't kept waiting for very long before she spotted the distinctive blue-marked form of the Hallows alpha moving down the gradual slope from the castle in the distance. She remained where she was at the border all the same, not wanting to be rude by crossing the border without invitation even if it was with the intention of meeting him half way. She at least remembered his appearance and name well enough from the one time she visited during the alpha male's wedding even if she didn't know Artorias personally just yet. It seemed as though he at least recognized her as well since he brought up the wedding reception as he greeted her and questioned her identity as Elysium's princess and Manea's daughter. She smiled in return and dipped her head with a nod to confirm his suspicions. "You have a good memory, Aegis," she commented with a chuckle. "I'm Avacyn Mendacium," she added, properly introducing herself so that she could be known beyond just being Manea's daughter.

As he asked what he could do for their northern friends, she gave him another smile, her white-tipped tail curling neatly around her. "Luckily this is more of an announcement than a request of any kind," she assured him. "I have recently taken over the role of Elysium's Matriarch from my mother and have been traveling to all of our allies to share the news and properly introduce myself–and to take the chance to make sure the alliances between our packs still stands with the change in leadership. I do not want to assume that any of the promises made to my mother will automatically transfer to me, through of course I hope that the relationship between Elysium and The Hallows will continue well on into the future."

"Avacyn Medacium"

The young Mendacium woman was visibly pleased by his recognition and confirmed that he had remembered her accurately. That brightened Artorias' already friendly expression, his tail wagging a little behind him. She introduced herself as Avacyn and Artorias made sure to commit the name to memory now that they had been properly introduced. "A pleasure, Avacyn. I'm Artorias Carpathius," he replied, offering his full name in return to her addressing him by his rank. Clearly she had been well educated on the packs and alphas of the lands, most likely by Manea herself. The news Avacyn brought with her both surprised and concerned Artorias a bit. His expression, beginning as delighted, took a momentary shift into a furrow of worry. "Well congratulations, Matriarch Avacyn! I hope your parents are both still doing well though?" he asked, subtly probing to see if Manea had abdicated her reign of Elysium over to Avacyn or if Avacyn had been appointed alpha in the wake of some tragedy befalling Manea. Artorias was quite fond of Manea and Alastor and hoped nothing bad had happened to either of them.

Once Avacyn had confirmed that her parents were indeed alive and well and Artorias could breathe easy, the new Matriarch continued to explain the purpose for her visit to the southern continent. Artorias knew all too well the mandated diplomacy treks that came in the wake of assuming power, having walked them himself when he was appointed Warden. A knowing smile crossed the Aegis' lips while he listened, letting Avacyn speak while finding a good bit of humor in the stark differences between her and her mother's approaches as alphas. When Ava had said her piece, Artorias simply beckoned with a wave of his paw for Avacyn to cross the border and join him in Hallowed territory. "Come, let's walk and talk. I find standing around on the border having these kinds of chats kinda awkward for us both."

Leading the way on a leisurely stroll around the edges of the plains so Avacyn could really see all of the Hallows for herself, Artorias began to satisfy her curiosities surrounding their alliance and pack relations. "In the Hallows, every wolf is part of our family. We treat our friends and allies the same way," he explained to Ava, giving her a reassuring smile. "I appreciate you coming to inform me of Elysium's changes in person, but have no fear that this changes anything between us. Your parents are very close to me and my Queen, and they've laid strong groundwork for you to begin your reign. Elysium is our ally and a part of our family, and unless you decide to become a power-hungry tyrant with a lust for war, I don't foresee that ending." After a pause, Art leaned a little closer to Ava and chuckled, "That was a joke, please don't think I'm being serious." He was trying to lighten the mood a bit and help Avacyn be at ease, since she looked like she was keeping herself so closely measured. On his best days, the Aegis still harbored a bit of puppy-like childishness that kept him from being overly stern and austere.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

The worry that crossed Artorias' face reminded her that she should really lead her announcement or at least include that her mother was fine. She chuckled softly and nodded when he asked about the wellbeing of her parents, replying, "Yes, they're both well and very much looking forward to their retirement," she assured him. After she had explained herself and what had brought her here in full, Artorias unexpectedly motioned her to follow, inviting her to walk with him to avoid the awkwardness of simply sitting at the border for their discussion. If nothing else it helped to break the formality she felt in her efforts to appear prepared and competent as a new leader and she gave him a slightly grateful smile as she nodded and rose to her paws to follow.

Falling into step beside the Aegis, she began to walk around the perimeter of the plains with him, enjoying the temperate weather of Auster. While she did love the mountains that she had spent the majority of her life in at this point, she did see why her parents tended to take their vacations on the southern continent. Her ebony gaze turned to Artorias as he began to give her his assurances that the wolves of The Hallows treated their friends and allies like family and that the change in leadership for Elysium wouldn't change the relationship between their two packs. That at least was a relief and as he joked about the possibility that she might become a tyrant–and assured her that it was in fact a joke–she giggled softly and offered him a grin in return. "Well, I'm certainly grateful for the continued friendship between our packs. And I do promise not to be come a power-hungry tyrant," she joked in return. While she was undoubtedly more reserved and serious than her mother, she did enjoy the lightness that Artorias offered and hoped she could take on some of that easiness in her conversations as she grew more comfortable with this sort of thing.

Still, there were some more points she wanted to make sure she covered while she was here. It was a bit of a journey to visit The Hallows so it was best to check off all of the boxes while she had the chance. "Something I am going to be focusing on going forward is building the relationships between Elysium and our allies and with those relationships building up our trade of goods and learning," she explained, sharing a bit of what she had already shared with Kotori earlier in her journey. "I've heard a lot about the skill your warriors possess and the impressive knowledge of your healers. If you don't mind, I would love to bring some of our less seasoned warriors to learn from yours. I can arrange a trip to Auster so we can host the training here. And while we don't have very many healers, my youngest sister is certainly aspiring to be so I know she would love the chance to learn as well."

"Avacyn Medacium"

Avacyn seemed startled by Artorias' initial concern, but once she realized why he had become panicked, the new Matriarch appeared almost amused by his concern for her parents' wellbeing. Artorias was able to breathe a sigh of relief when she confirmed that both of her parents were still alive and well and getting ready to enjoy their retirement, that this had simply been an expected exchange of power. That was good to hear. Although they were a distance apart, the Carpathians had built quite a close, if not unorthodox, relationship with the Mendaciums, and he sincerely hoped for all the best for their allies. At his invitation, Avacyn crossed into Hallowed lands and joined him for a stroll around the pack’s home so they could talk business. His attempts at humor did seem to help ease the nerves from Avacyn for what was undoubtedly a nerve-wracking interaction for a new, young alphess to handle. So far, she was doing very well! Manea would be proud of her daughter’s cordiality. It was so funny to the Aegis to see how different his first interaction with Avacyn as alpha was compared to his introduction to Manea and her directness that led to that relationship the two alpha couples shared from time to time.

With a laugh, Artorias was glad that the young Mendacium woman had found his joke about her becoming a tyrant humorous, and she reassured him that she had no intentions of going down that path. "Then I think you and I are going to get along just fine, Avacyn," Art assured her with an easy smile. The Elysian Matriarch wasn’t finished yet though, and she bent Artorias’ ear to listen with intrigue around her hopes and plans for the future of relations between their packs. It was impossible for the Aegis to keep the proud smile off his muzzle when she complimented his Knights’ prowess and the skills and knowledge of their healers. "Thank you, Avacyn. The Hallows prides itself on providing two fundamental rights to all our guests: protection and health. I’d be happy to welcome any of your wolves that want to learn more from us," he replied, glancing back towards Hearthstone across the plains. "Our warriors practice and perfect the art of armed combat. It’s not a common form of fighting, but we specialize in the use of blades as part of our combat style. Your brother actually has one of the swords from our armory. If these are things your wolves have an interest in learning, we’re happy to teach." Artorias had often toyed with the idea of starting a school within the Hallows to teach the curious fighters of Boreas and Auster the finer art of armed combat. "And what can we expect from Elysium’s end as part of this deepening of relations?" asked Artorias, giving Avacyn a curious tilt of his head as he awaited her response. She must have had something in mind when she came up with this proposition for the two packs.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"

It was nice hearing about Artorias' vision for the Hallows and what the pack prided itself in. She was still settling on what she wanted her goals for Elysium to be and what she wanted the pack to stand for so it was inspiring to hear someone who had been in their position longer than she had speak about those sorts of things. Artorias seemed very comfortable in his role and his natural charisma made him very easy to talk to. She gave him a grateful grin and a dip of her head when he welcomed any of their wolves that wished to learn. It had been difficult to really motivate Elysium's wolves to hone their skills, but perhaps if they were sent with the specific goal of training and learning without other distractions she might have better success.

She listened intently as he explained that the specialty of the Hallows was armed combat and she nodded with understanding. It was something she had already known from the sword her brother possessed, which Artorias mentioned as well. "Yes, he was very proud to come home with his sword, especially after he was able to have the blacksmith you recommended work on it for him," she replied with a smile. "Thank you for allowing him to purchase it. It's a beautiful blade. If I wasn't so fond of the fang caps that I made to mimic my father's I might be interested in learning to wield a blade myself."

When Artorias questioned what Elysium would bring to the table in this more involved relationship she was proposing, she was at least prepared with an answer. She hadn't come all this way expecting him to train her wolves and share their knowledge for nothing. "Something that I have begun working on is expanding the kinds of resources that Elysium has available for trade. With the mountains we live on there is a good supply of metal deposits, gemstones, and unusual stone as well as the kinds of mountain dwelling animals that you might not have around here in Auster. I've been working on tasking some of my wolves with finding even more and different kinds of materials to add to this list since there are parts of the mountains we have yet to touch. I would be happy to trade any of our supplies for the training you could provide. I also fancy myself a bit of a craftswoman so if there is anything I can make or improve for you I would be open to trading my services as well," she told him, hoping that she might have something that would strike his interest. "And, of course, with our continued alliance Elysium's borders are open to you and yours and we would be proud to stand at your side should you ever find yourself in need of help."

"Avacyn Medacium"

Listening to Avacyn speak, it was easy for Artorias to see just how much of Amanda shone through in her behavior. She was also a stark contrast to her parents in many ways as well, far more cordial and demure where Manea had been bold and tantalizing, and Alastor a tour de force in his own rights as well. Avacyn felt like she was the sum of her parents’ better qualities; a natural-born leader in the making. Already the Aegis was looking forward to working with the young Mendacium woman and to see what her pack became under her leadership. Ava complimented his family’s armory, making mention of the sword Saracyn had purchased from him and how beautiful it was. Artorias grinned proudly, then chuckled when she mentioned her fondness for her own fang caps being the sole factor preventing her from asking for a blade of her own. "Your fang caps have sentimental value to you. That’s as important a reason as any to love something precious to you," Art replied. His sword was also one of the most valuable gifts he possessed, a memento from his late mother.

Avacyn offered some of the bounty from their mountain mines in exchange for the combat lessons the Hallo2s offered. Precious and semiprecious stones, metals, and more. Artorias smiled as he thought of the uses his pack could have for those resources. His crafty, clever wife and daughters could fashion their own jewelry, he and his sons could use the metal to fix and forge weapons and armor. "That sounds like a more than fair exchange, Avacyn. We’d make great use of those raw materials. Who knows, ,Anne one day I’ll be able to make a blade good enough to tempt you." The dire brute chuckled and flashed a playful grin to his new alpha peer, leading her out along the edge of Hallowed lands closest to the sea, where the salty sea breeze rippled across the dry grasses. "And of course, the Hallows will continue to maintain open borders with Elysian wolves who come in peace, and we’ll be ready to stand at your defense if needed." Today more than ever, friends and allies seemed to be in short supply and fading fast. They needed to hold onto one another where they could in the face of such uncertainty.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"