Briar took a step back from the bed of furs she had been assembling in the corner of their room near the fireplace, checking and admiring her work. She had learned a couple of things about what was comfortable and convenient for sleeping with and feeing their newborns the first time around so that helped her greatly with her preparations this time. The bed was more flat across this time, finding a larger fur to cover the surface so wiggly pups couldn't try to hide under overlapped furs, and she made it less tall this time so a little pup couldn't go rolling off the edge. Instead of piling more furs to make it as plush, she opted to make a mattress of sorts with a large, wide pillow fulled with wool from their alpacas so she didn't have to sacrifice the plushness of her bed to make it more low profile. Of course the short barriers around the edges of the bed were back, pulled out from storage to enclose the large bed and just make doubly sure that their pups in their first few weeks as blind, squirming little loaves wouldn't go wiggling their way toward the fire.

Briar made a content sigh and settled back onto her haunches with a little smile as she looked around at their currently empty bedroom. The time between when their first litter was born and when they began preparing their room for their pups to come was even more short than she had originally thought it would be, but with the way she and Artorias were always eager to be all over one another it wasn't really all that much of a surprise. There was a large pile of furs to one side of the room that had been the beds for their first litter as they out grew sleeping with their parents and their original puppy bed. She had considered putting the furs away for now, but before she could she had realized she was once again pregnant and with how quickly pups grew it felt silly to put them away only to have to pull them back out in a month or two. For now they were just neatly stacked on one side of their large bedroom and covered with a cloth to keep them from getting dusty.

Now that the task she had wanted to get done today was finished, Briar decided she might as well finish getting ready for the day so that she could go down and get some lunch together for everyone. It was still fairly early in the day, perhaps a few hours before mid-day, but it did take her longer to get through her usual morning routine now that she was working around her quickly growing belly. It was still a little too early to tell just how many pups they would be welcoming this time around, but Gwyn seemed to think they should be expecting a pretty large litter yet again. She was already beginning to waddle a bit with each step and curling around to comb her long tail was a bit of a struggle. It was all minor inconveniences though in the grand scheme of things and considering the wonderful gift they were given at the end of it all it was more than worth it. Settling down on a fur that was spread in front of a long mirror that was propped against the wall, she picked up her comb and started working through a couple of tangles toward the end that was easy to reach, through the further up she got toward the base of her tail the more troublesome it became. It did make her long for the days when Lia would come to help her with her tail in the mornings, but she usually managed well enough on her own.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias had been walking around on cloud nine since the day Briar had announced to him that she was pregnant again, the thrill and joy of knowing their family would be growing even more keeping a beaming smile on the Aegis' face for days after. It was no secret how intensely family-oriented the Carpathius couple were, but getting to watch as Briar's belly gradually grew with their new pups through the passing days and weeks had been one of Artorias' greatest sources of joy and filled his heart with love for his perfect mate. The rest of the time was spent tending to daily needs of the pack and preparing their home for the arrival of the little Carpathian nuggets, Artorias and Briar once more pulling out all the supplies they'd used to puppy-proof their bedchambers with their first litter. It still floored Art when he realized that his little pups were now adolescents, yearlings exploring their world and discovering themselves, and that a year had already flown by. Gods, where did the time go...?

Coming back into Hearthstone from helping to collect more firewood from the nearby woods to help feed the Grand Hearth, Artorias dropped off the logs beside the roaring fire and then made his way up the grand staircase to the second floor, headed for the chambers he shared with Briar. Pushing open the large mahogany doors and stepping inside, the dire brute spotted his gorgeous mate spread out on some furs in front of the mirror trying to brush out her flowing tail with varying degrees of success thanks to her round belly. Eyes alighting with love and a bit of mirth, Artorias made his way over to his queen, his eyes unabashedly roaming over her beautiful form, made even more lovely knowing she was carrying their children and seeing her growing stomach. Coming up behind her, Art leaned down to nuzzle at the back of Briar’s neck, a low rumble of affection vibrating in his chest. "Allow me, my love," he told her, lying down behind Briar with his larger form curling around hers so she could relax into his body as he reached for the brush to take over tending to her luxurious tail for her. "How are they today?" His gaze glanced down to her belly as he asked.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar's ears perked at the sound of the bedroom door opening, glancing up from her attempts at brushing her tail to see Artorias stepping into the room. She offered him a smile around the brush she was holding between her teeth before she turned back to her work, already knowing that her loving husband would come to join her without her needing to invite him to do so. Briar hummed happily at the affection he offered as he nuzzled into the back of her neck and glanced up at him again with surprise at his insistence to let him take over the brushing of her tail. Her self-sufficient, stubborn nature immediately wanted to deny him and tell him that she could handle it, but she knew better than to try that with Artorias. She knew how much he enjoyed taking care of her even though she wanted to be able to take care of herself so she handed over the brush without any complaint. It really was incredibly sweet all of the things that he did for her–even the smallest things like brushing out her fur where she couldn't reach with her round belly in her way.

She leaned back into him with a soft sigh as he settled behind her, a little smile on her lips while he went to work on her tail. As beautiful as it was and as much as she enjoyed the look of her unique tail, it did become a bit of a hassle at times. She was more than happy to turn her attention to their newest litter as he questioned her about them, asking her how they were today. "Growing like weeds, it feels like," she joked with a chuckle, giving him a little grin. "It's still a little too early to feel them moving much, but considering how much time we have before they're born and how big I've gotten already... Gwyn seems to think we're in for another large litter and I tend to agree. I guess large litters really do run in our genes." Every litter she knew about on both sides of their family had been big ones and that was continuing to hold true for them. It was probably for the best that they both had always wanted a huge family since it seemed like that was exactly what they were going to get.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Thankfully and much to her own benefit, Briar didn't put up any fuss when he insisted on taking over grooming her fur for her, so Artorias took up her brush from her and leaned down so he could begin running the tines of the brush through her flowing, silky fur, carefully untangling and releasing any knots he came across. "Let me know if I'm pulling too hard, my love." The delighted sigh that he heard leave his mate brought a warm flutter to his heart and a smile to his face. He was happy to take care of her, especially when she was busy growing their puppies within her. He had put her in this state, so it only felt fair that he take on his fair share of making sure she was comfortable and tended to. Briar responded to his question with a joke that brought a little chuckle from Artorias as well, glancing over to Briar's round belly when she spoke of their pups growing like weeds. Gwynevere had said the same thing during their last checkup, that Briar was either carrying a number of dire-sized pups or a large quantity of pups in general—perhaps even both!

Briar commented on large litters running in their genes and Art shot her a mischievous smirk and a wink. "Good thing we like having lots of puppies around, and you love being full of them," he remarked with a little bit of sly suggestion in his tone. Briar had definitely shown she enjoyed being pregnant—and that she had enjoyed making the pups as much, if not more so, than she did carrying them. Artorias continued to run the brush through her fur, adding in one of his paws to comb his claws through her fur behind the brush to help untangle any particularly tricky or stubborn knots without pulling on her beautiful fur. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you look when you're like this?" Art gestured with his eyes moving over her rotund belly, meeting her gaze again with a look of love and an eagerly wagging tail. They were going to be parents again, and the eager Aegis couldn't have been happier!



"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar was more than used to her husband's insatiable desires so his obviously suggestive comments about how she loved being full of puppies made her grin even if she did give him a teasing roll of her eyes in response. She of course never wanted him to stop loving and wanting her the way he did, but that didn't mean she couldn't give him a hard time once in a while. "If these pups get much bigger I might start questioning just how much I love having them," she joked with a chuckle. In truth, it would never matter what her body went through for these pups or how much she had to deal with in order to carry them. The unmatched joy and love they got from having their large family around them would always be worth it and she was just as excited every time to be able to carry Artorias' pups. Perhaps she could have the reasonable wish to have slightly fewer pups at a time, but she would never be the one to be ungrateful for having large, healthy litters of beautiful children.

She relaxed while she let her loving husband continue to work through the kinks and knots in her long tail, making her realize she probably hadn't been doing as well of a job at brushing it out lately as she thought. As much as she struggled to give up control of things and ask for help at times, she was very appreciative for Art's unending support and his willingness to do things for her–even as small as brushing her tail. When he commented on how beautiful she was in this state, another grin pulled at her lips and she turned her gaze back to his again, mirroring the love for him in her own turquoise gaze. "You may have mentioned that a few hundred times, but you can mention it a few hundred more, if you'd like," she teased with a soft chuckle, flicking him playfully with the end of her tail. She knew not everyone felt beautiful when they were pregnant, but with a husband like Artorias it was hard not to.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias lifted his fire-toned eyes when Briar made a joking comment about the size of the pups she was growing, his gaze settling over her round belly with a look of pure love and happiness. He was empathetic to the strain Briar's body went through to grow their massive pups, especially since this would be her second time bearing a sizable litter of what would undoubtedly be large puppies, and he could never express to her how much he loved and appreciated her for what she gave of herself for their family. It was little acts of caring and love like this that he could do to show his Deer Girl just how much he loved her and valued and appreciated her. Moving his muzzle up from where he was brushing her tail, Artorias gently nuzzled and nudged her belly, hoping this pregnancy would go as easy for her as their first one had. "Well, when and if we have more, I promise I'll try to make a smaller litter with you next time," he joked back with her, knowing full well neither of them had any sort of control over the children they managed to produce. They both just came from very virile bloodlines, it seemed! Chuckling to himself, Art nuzzled and kissed her belly, then spoke gently against her skin to the puppies within her womb, "Take it easy on your Mom in there, you lot. She's doing so much for us right now."

Returning to his work of brushing out her beautiful flowing tail, Artorias did his best to detangle any knots he found with care and without hurting his beloved mate. Brush by brush, Briar's tail turned into that silky sash of fur that she ordinarily meticulously maintained it as when she wasn't quite so round. Once he had finished and he was satisfied with his work, the sapphire and onyx brute set the brush aside and grinned up at Briar, his tail wagging like a playful pup's as she encouraged him to continue complimenting her if he wished. Eyes flashing with sly fervor, Art gave her rump a playful nip before pulling his larger frame up to curl around hers once more, nuzzling and kissing at her pregnant belly before kissing his way up her side through the soft, thin fur of her underside. "You are the most beautiful, incredible, talented, intelligent, amazing fae in the entire world," he declared, each word broken by a pause so he could kiss some part of his Queen, one giant paw rubbing slowly over her hip and waist. "And you look even more like a goddess when your belly is full with our pups, bringing even more amazing little wolves into our family." Resting his head carefully on her side, Artorias grinned up at Briar, holding her gaze with his own so full of love, devotion, and joy. He was still behaving himself, but only barely, definitely tempted by their cuddling and closeness and the intimacy of this moment. But Briar had asked for cuddles and tail brushing only, and whatever his pregnant Queen said was what the Aegis did.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar couldn't help but laugh lightly at Artorias' promise to try and make a smaller litter for them if or when they had more. She felt like the castle was already going to be bursting at the seams between their two litters and all the other families and wolves that made up The Hallows ranks, but if they were blessed with another litter she would never be the one to complain. As much as she teased and fussed about what she was putting up with by carrying their massive litters of puppies, she was never ungrateful for the fact that she was able to do this in the first place. As he leaned over to quietly tell their growing children to take it easy on her, a smile pulled across her lips as she looked at her husband with such appreciation, love, and joy. She had known from the very beginning what a good father he was bound to be, but he exceeded her expectations again and again, both in how he interacted with their children, but how he tended to her as well.

The work he did on her tail was tedious and careful and she appreciated his efforts more than she could possibly express. It was such a small thing in the grand scheme of all of the things she might need or want, but it made her feel better to have her tail back in order once more and she appreciated him so much for doing this for her. Once he was done and she returned his teasing, flirtatious remarks, he matched and surpassed them in true Artorias fashion. She couldn't help but giggle and grin till her cheeks hurt as he kissed his way up her body, telling her along the way every compliment he could. As he came to rest with his head on her rounded belly, she looked down at him adoringly, lifting her paw to stroke over the top of his head affectionately. She certainly felt far from a goddess when she was struggling to comb her own tail, but with Artorias as her mate he continued to make sure that she felt like the most gorgeous wolf in the room.

"I'm so glad I get to live this life with you," she told him happily as she lightly scratched over the top of his head, around his ears, over his cheek. A cheeky grin tugged at her lips as she added, "Did you think back then when my dad was catching us together in the barracks that we'd end up here? With five pups and just as many on the way?" Artorias had been a part of her life for so long that she couldn't remember what her life was like without him. "I love you, my Blue Boy," she said with a giggle, giving a particularly good scratch between his ears.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Seeing Briar smile, hearing her laughter and watching her glowing with boundless bliss brought Artorias a peace and happiness the likes of which nothing else could. He was a family wolf at his core; everything he did, he did for his family's benefit. But even amongst all of his family, it was his flawless mate and wife who held his heart like no one else did. He loved Briar so unabashedly and completely, smitten with her and dedicated to her from the moment they had declared their feelings for one another as adolescents so many years ago. Nothing in the world made him feel the way he felt when he was with her. She was his sun and moon, his day and his night, his best friend and confidant, the love of his life. His Briar. Holding her gaze in this perfect moment, Art watched as Briar lifted a paw and began to stroke over the top of his head, coaxing a delighted, relaxing smile across her dire brute's lips as he enjoyed her tender affections. Those little scratches that she made with her claws over his scalp and around his ears sent little tingles of pleasure prickling over his skin, making his tail jerk and wag a little quicker in response as he melted into her loving.

Briar's remarks about the life they got to live together brought a huge, toothy smile to Artorias' face, beaming up at his mate with nothing short of pure love and adoration. The mention of the time her father had caught them coupling in the Armada barracks matched with that naughty grin on her beautiful features made Art's cheeks flush warm and a devilish grin of his own splitting his muzzle. "Well, in that moment, the only thing I was thinking of was how good making love with you felt and how much more I wanted to do it," he replied with shameless honesty, giving a husky chuckle as he tipped his muzzle down to kiss at her belly once again, a cheeky gleam in his fire-toned eyes. Briar declared her love for him then, using her pet name for him that she'd had for him since they were pups. Artorias would have responded immediately, but the extra good scratches she gave between his ears then made the blue brute's eyes flutter and roll back a bit as he groaned with delight, his toes curling with how good those head scritches of hers felt.

When she did eventually let up and his senses slowly came back to him, Art grinned up at Briar and draped a foreleg around Briar's waist, squeezing her body closer to his. "I love you, my Deer Girl," he declared in return. "Te iubesc din toată inima și sufletul meu." The giant sapphire paw that was draped across her side began to rub slowly over her round belly, hoping to soothe her while letting his claws ever so delicately dance over her skin and through the thin fur of her underbelly, also aiming to tease her oh so gently. That naughty grin and look in his eyes never left; Artorias loved his Briar so, so much, and even in their quiet interludes together, all he could think of was loving her senseless.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

While she enjoyed making Art melt under her gentle stretches and affections across his scalp, she couldn't help the snort of laughter that he pulled from her when he told her the only thing he had been thinking about in that moment was how good making love to her felt. She rolled her eyes and lightly booped his nose at how ridiculous he was, but the grin on her lips said plenty about how she felt exactly the same. As upset as she was in the moment when her father interrupted their fun, she would forever remember how it felt to be with him that first time while she was riding the high of beating him in that spar. That had been such a turning point not only in their relationship, but in her self confidence and she would be forever grateful for the fact that they had the chance to grow up together and learn all of these life lessons with one another.

Briar hummed happily as Art's foreleg draped around her and pulled her closer to him, a grin pulling across her lips as he declared his love for her in return, not only with his childhood nickname for her, but also in his family's language. "Totdeauna și întotdeauna," she replied, giving his scalp another affectionate scratch. The feeling of his paws rubbing over her round belly felt wonderful and it pulled another happy, pleased hum from her as she enjoyed his affections with a content smile pulling across her lips. Being pregnant wasn't exactly a comfortable thing, but little things like Art rubbing over the taught skin that was stretched by their growing pups did help give her a little relief.

She crossed her paws as she rested her head on them to enjoy what Art was doing for her, her eyes closing as she savored it. Of course she didn't miss the way he began to let his claws lightly trace over her skin, especially as his paws drew away from her sides and closer to her underbelly. Her content hums grew into soft murrs of delight at the light tingles that danced over her skin at the feeling, the corners of her lips pulling up into a grin. She peeked open one of her eyes, spotting his obvious naughty grin and the lecherous look in his eye as he not so subtly teased her. "You're insatiable," she muttered with a chuckle, an amused and equally naughty grin tugging at her lips. One of her paws returned to the top of his head and started nudging him lower as she gave him a sultry glance. "Well, if you're going to tease me like that, the least you could do is act on it."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Listening for the moment when Briar's soft hums of delight turned into quiet murrs of pleasure was one of life's greatest little joys to her husband and mate. That grin on Artorias' lips grew as he continued to tease her with feather-light, gentle touches and strokes, his gaze fixated on her while he drank in this moment they shared together. The moment she peeked open one turquoise eye and smirked down at him, he knew he had her. She called him insatiable, and the dire brute's multicolored tail began to wag a mile a minute from his rump, his cheeky grin growing even wider. "Yes I am," he replied with zero trace of shame or humility, planting another kiss to the side of her belly while he added, "That's why we have such a big family!" Chuckling under his breath, Artorias kept his gaze locked on Briar's, hopeful and expectant eyes silently begging her for what she eventually relented to him. Her paw returned to his head, but not for any more of those delightful scritches. Instead, he felt a gentle yet insistent pressure push him downward, the naughty grin on her lips making that fire in his core swelter.

Shooting an eager and lustful yet still somehow loving grin up at his mate, Artorias began to slowly make his way down his mate's body, heeding the pushes of her paw to his crown. "Oh don't worry, Deer Girl. I intend to," he reassured her in equally husky, impassioned tones. His smoldering gaze never leaving hers, the Aegis kissed and nibbled his way down his Queen's perfect body, moving inch by slow, teasing inch over her belly, past her waist and over her hips until his muzzle found its way lower beneath her tail. Always enthusiastic to please his mate, Artorias wasted no time in doing as Briar bid him and acted on his teasing, showing her all the ways he loved her.

- fade -

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

She certainly didn't expect Artorias to have any kind of hesitation or qualms with her insistence that he follow through on his teasing and she was not disappointed as her husband immediately began to work his way further down her body with his affections. She grinned and reclined back into the furs once more with a pleasured sigh, letting her eyes flutter closed as he stoked the fire of their insatiable desire for one another in her core. He pulled a sharp gasp from her as he found what he was searching for beneath her tail, sending a shiver through her at the first rush of delightful pleasure. Giving herself over to her insatiable, lustful husband, Briar relaxed and let him enjoy her in all of the ways that he wanted.

- fade -

Briar nuzzled into Artorias' chest in the afterglow of their midmorning fun, a little grin permanently on her lips from the euphoria she had just been savoring. She should probably be scolding him for derailing her routine and schedule so much, but she also knew how few and far between spontaneous moments like this were once the pups came so she couldn't be too stern with him. She was always at her happiest when she was in Artorias' embrace and this was no exception. "Two whole years of marriage already..." she mused with a chuckle, giving him a smirk as she lifted her muzzle to his with a teasing kiss. "Time really does fly when you're having fun."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

In the aftermath of their midmorning fun, Artorias wrapped himself around Briar once more while the pair of them basked in that floaty, orgasmic afterglow of their passions and pleasure. Yeah, he was a helplessly lusty brute for his Queen, but really could he be blamed? He had the most beautiful wolf in the world as his wife and mate, he loved her so deeply with all his heart and soul, and they were high off the bliss of their ever-growing family. The little grin on her lips made Artorias' chest swell with pride, reveling in how much ecstasy he could bring his beloved. Seeing her in the throes of passion and in this euphoric bliss afterward were some of his favorite moments in life. While they lay there with Briar wrapped up in his embrace, Artorias peppering her face and neck with little kisses and licks, Briar commented on how they had been married for two whole years already. A sly smirk stretched across the dire brute's lips as he met his Queen's gaze, returning her kiss with a rumble of delight in his chest. "It really does... It's easy to lose track of everything when I'm with you," he remarked, nuzzling into the side of Briar's neck, breathing in her scent like she were his own personal brand of cocaine.

After another moment of snuggling, Artorias carefully began to extract himself from Briar's side, rising to his paws while grinning down at her. "Speaking of our marriage..." Without elucidating any further, Artorias made his way away from the rugs they were lying on to go over to his chest of belongings, lifting the lid and reaching inside. He produced a dagger from within, keeping it hidden from Briar's sight until he had maneuvered his way back over to her with his back to her so she couldn't see what he was doing until he was placing the gift at her paws. "Happy anniversary, Briar. I love you so much more than I could ever tell you, but I think this might be a good start... well, this and what we just did together." He chuckled again, that naughty grin returning to his face for a brief moment while he moved to lie down around her again and direct her back to her anniversary gift.

The dagger was hidden within its sheath, an unassuming brown leather sheath, though the softness and suppleness of the leather betrayed its true high quality nature. The hilt was made of cypress wood, also unassuming at first glance, though a notable saltiness could be detected in the wood when held in the jaws. The grip was wrapped in the same high quality brown leather as its sheath, matching it perfectly, and two fire opals were set into the leather wrapped around the grip. The true beauty of the dagger would be revealed when it was drawn—a pale blued Carpathian steel blade that almost looked like normal steel until the light caught it and revealed its faint blue hue. Artorias waited with bated breath for Briar to inspect her gift, eager to see her reactions to this small piece of their family dedicated to her. He couldn't wait to explain its significance to her.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar blinked with surprise when Artorias suddenly began to untangle himself from her with a comment about their marriage, making her look up curiously as he began to move across the room to the chest where he kept most of his things. She shifted and began to sit up onto her haunches as she watched him. She couldn't help but smirk at how he oh so carefully maneuvered back to her with his back to her in order to hide whatever he had retrieved from his wardrobe. To his credit, no amount of craning and attempting to peer around him had earned her even a glimpse of his surprise until he turned to present it to her. Even though he spoke about his love for her and how he could never tell her how much he loved her, but that he hoped that this gift would begin to show her how much, she never guessed what he might be bringing her.

As he turned around and presented her with the beautifully crafted dagger, Briar gasped softly with surprise, her turquoise gaze widening as she glanced from the weapon to Art and back again. "Art..." she breathed as her paw traced over the scabbard and felt the hardened leather under her paw pads. After glancing up at him one more time almost as if she was asking for permission to pull it free, she pulled the dagger out of his scabbard and revealed the familiar Carpathian steel that was hidden inside. The light coming in from the near by windows caught on the steel as she held it up in her paws and she noticed the subtle blue sheen to the metal and the way that the light made the fire opals embedded in the hilt come to life. A wide grin slowly pulled across her lips as she admired the special weapon, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She was already overly emotional these days due to her pregnancy, but even without that she was certain the touching, thoughtful gift still would have made her cry.

She knew just how rare and special the Carpathian steel weapons were and she had never asked for one for herself because of that. She had wanted to ensure that all of their children would be able to have a family heirloom of their own and that his family members that had the name sake of the steel all had a fair chance at having one as well. She had never seen herself wielding a sword like Artorias anyway so she had been content without it, but clearly her wonderful husband had about that and so more. "Art, it's beautiful," she managed after a moment, her voice cracking a bit with her overwhelming emotion. A realization hit her and she glanced up as she asked, "Are these from the opals we collected up north?"

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

There was a moment of pause when Briar first saw the gift he presented her with, her gorgeous turquoise eyes locked on the dagger as if in a trance, like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She breathed his name while she investigated her gift, examining it from all sides with a reverence and awe that made Art teem with pride at how well he had done surprising her. He knew that she was well aware how extremely rare, limited, and valuable these weapons were, and it was why he wanted her to have one for herself. It had always been his intention to make sure his Queen had a special weapon of her own, but it had taken him some time to make for her. Thought and consideration had been poured into every facet of the dagger to ensure it was wholly personal and unique to Briar. It was the least he could do to the woman who had changed his life so tremendously and who continued to serve as his muse, his guide, his support, and his light.

Artorias never thought he'd be delighted to see Briar cry, but in that moment as happy emotional tears fell from her eyes, he couldn't help but be proud of himself. A giant blue paw draped over her side, stroking her enlarged belly while he let her take her time inspecting the blade. "Nici pe jumătate la fel de frumoasă ca tine," he spoke in hushed, husky tones while he nuzzled the side of Briar's neck, basking in this wonderful moment with his perfect mate and their unborn pups. Something seemed to strike Briar all of a sudden, and she looked up at him with an astute observation. He chuckled, then nodded his head slowly. "They are. I've kept them aside from the others for a special use. This felt pretty special to me."

The dire brute lifted his paw to run a digit along the cypress wood handle. "The wood should be familiar to you too. Go on, give it a sniff." The distinct notes of the cypress and sea salt were ones that filled the air of her former childhood home. "I got the wood from the trees that grow in the surf in Sea's Plain, where you grew up, where we sparred on the beach in the rain and where you told me you loved me. I chose to remodel this particular dagger because of its blue hue in the steel. Something blue from your Blue Boy." A loving smile played on Art's lips as he brushed his cheek against Briar's, his loving gaze moving from the dagger to her beautiful face. "I've been calling it Memento. It felt fitting, but you can name it whatever you like. It was long past due that you had a piece of our family for yourself too. You're as much a Carpathian as you are a Fatalis."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar grinned happily at the complement Art gave her in his family's language–no, their family's language. She still had a hard time thinking of herself as a Carpathian and not just a Fatalis and feared at times that she was overstepping into traditions that were special to him and his siblings, but as Artorias began to give her all of the details and the thought that went into every aspect of the special blade it just served as a reminder of how she was truly a part of his family now just as much as he was part of hers. At his insistence she gave the wood of the handle a sniff and the scent of sea salt immediately brought her back to her days of playing and training on the beach back in her family's original home. He truly had thought of everything and managed to tie every part of the dagger into some part of their relationship–all the way down to the color of the steel that harkened back to the first day they met when she called him Blue Boy.

She leaned into his touch as he brushed his cheek against his, her throat tight with emotion as she took it all in and tears of joy spilling over onto her cheeks as she admired his gift for her. Bringing her gaze up to his, he told her the name of the beautiful dagger–Memento–and echoed her own thoughts about having a piece of the Carpathian family with her now. "Memento is a perfect name," she agreed with a smile so big her cheeks hurt. She tipped her muzzle up to his for a long, tender kiss, her freshly brushed tail wagging and sweeping across the floor behind her. She didn't know what she had done to deserve such a thoughtful, wonderful husband, but she was forever grateful for him and all of the things he did to make her feel like the luckiest woman in all of Boreas and Auster. When she pulled back again she gave him another wide smile. "Thank you, Artorias. I can't tell you how much this means to me." Looking back down at the dagger in her paws, she admired how the light shined off of it again and chuckled softly as she told him, "Once these pups are finally born you'll have to teach me how to wield this."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Being able to bring out these overwhelming emotions of love and happiness in his beloved mate brought Artorias all the joy his heart could hold. Though Briar may have struggled at times to consider herself a Carpathian, he had never thought of her as anything but a part of their family. There were no boundaries left for her to overstep or circumvent; she was as much a Carpathian as his mother was, and she had birthed the start of the new generation of Carpathians. Watching in quiet delight while Briar inspected every aspect of the dagger he pointed out to her and seeing the recognition dawning on her pretty face made the giant brute's smile gradually grow and grow on his lips until he was beaming bright, his tail wagging with a happy, energetic thump against the rug.

Through tears, Briar declared the workshop name he had given it to be perfect, and thus the blade would forever be known as Memento. "Memento it is then," he affirmed with a nod of his head, leaning his cheek against his wife's. Briar then tilted her muzzle up and Art moved to catch her lips with his own, kissing her back with all the same tender, endless love and passion that he harbored for her. He loved Briar more than anything else in the world. She was his day and his night, his now and forever. Giving her this important piece of their family history to keep with her for all time only felt like the right thing to do. When their muzzles parted, the sapphire blue brute smiled lovingly at his Queen and nuzzled her cheek again. "You’re welcome, Briar. It was the least I could do to show you how much you mean to me."

Art grinned at his love's request to help teach her how to use the dagger properly, and the renowned blade master chuckled and gave Briar a sly, playfully suspicious look. "Should I be expecting our lessons to end up with us on the dojo floor the way our last spar did?" he inquired with a naughty chuckle and nipping at the end of her snout. Not that he would refuse her lessons regardless, but if there was the promise of more adult time afterwards, then he was even more enticed by his Queen’s request.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar was admiring her new blade when Artorias made a sly, lustful comment which was far from unexpected coming from her consistently insatiable husband. She glanced up at him with a sly grin of her own, chuckling as she gave him a playful, knowing look as she returned the nip he gave her muzzle with a lick to his own. "When have our spars ever not ended up like that?" she questioned as she thought back to the spar that had led to their first time together and the spar in the dojo that he just mentioned. Other than the very first spar they had ever had as puppies she couldn't remember a fight that they had been in that hadn't immediately led to being tangled up with one another afterward. She did genuinely want to know how to properly wield her dagger so a true lesson would most certainly be involved, but she had no doubt that once the lesson was done that they'd fall into one another just as they always did. Flicking him playfully with her tail, she added, "I'll be looking forward to it, handsome."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"