Rudyard and Kipling had made their way back home.  Rudy had enjoyed the time and watching his son experience everything with the eyes of youth but he had also missed home.  The joy of a successful hunt with Kip had been great but his dreams had reminded him of the home left behind.   The closer they got to home the closer to his family.  Fern, his children, Art, and all of his wonderful family.  The pack as a whole also incorporated that family.

It was getting to be evening now as they approached the castle.  There was a chill in the air but the evening wasn’t as windy as the day had been.  Rudy had informed Kip to go see his mother and let her know he’d meet her shortly.  Fern could mother Kip a bit and then Rudyard would be there with them.

For now, Rudy made his way to the council chambers, on spotting Artorias the motley wolf grinned as he spoke to Art, “Here I was gone all this time and I find the castle all in one piece.  It’s almost like the guy leading this place knows what he’s doing.  Hi Art, I’m home.”

"Speech"

Artorias had just put the finishing touches on the metal effigies that he had forged to represent each of the twelve major packs of Ardent and was setting them up across his map table in their respective homes. He admired the craftsmanship Ruga had poured into his final project—truly this was the artisan's magnum opus, and the Aegis felt beyond honored to home it in the Hallows. Resting a paw along the carved surface of the stone, Art sent out a silent prayer to the departed soul of his friend, hoping he had found peace wherever he ended up. That reverential silence was disturbed by the sound of paws approaching the open Council Chambers, the click of claws on the stone floor catching Artorias' ears. But what made him look up was the familiar voice that spoke out to him. Art's ears instantly pricked up and his head snapped up in shock and awe, gazing across the way at the mottled monochrome form of his brother, and the smile that broke out across his muzzle could not be contained. "Or maybe the guy in charge is less likely to get into trouble when his brother isn't with him," he remarked in playful jest, abandoning his musing to hurry over and throw his forearms around Rudyard in a tight brotherly embrace. "Welcome home, Rudy! You've been missed terribly." After a good moment of hugging, Art withdrew to get a better look at his brother, grateful to see he was still intact from when he'd left. "No new scars or missing body parts, I see. That's a good start! How were your travels with Kipling?" "Artorias"