The trip from the God's Garden back to the castle was a short one, the two wolves crossing over the snowy plains that surrounded the old fortress in no time. Artorias did his best to conceal the occasional limp in his gait from his still healing hind leg, simply grateful he didn't faceplant into the snow at any point. That would've been an embarrassment he didn't need in front of the already teasing Fatalis girl. Secretly, Art was eager to let her look around their new grand home. In the past, Briar had made no effort to hide the fact that she thought her family was superior to his in some way. While he wasn't as braggadocious as she was and Resin had imparted the value of humility in him, the young wolf wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to let her eat her heart out to his own amusement.

He led the way up to the main gates of the castle and past the enclosure the alpacas lived in. He shot a passing glance at the camelids milling about behind the crude fencing; he had never really cared much for them, but Resin had tasked him with looking after them and keeping them safe from would-be predators, and he took his job very seriously. "Those are our alpacas," he explained to Briar when they walked by. "We're raising them for the fleece. My mother thinks they might be useful in trade and crafting." He didn't know if Briar really cared all that much about the alpacas or not, but he did say he would give her the full tour, and that included the stinking beasts.

Artorias continued on through the main gates of the castle, the large stone entryway welcoming them past the tremendous high walls that surrounded the castle on all sides. They would emerge inside the castle courtyard on the other side, the ground smothered in freshly fallen snow and marred by the paths the wolves of the Hallows cut through it on their daily rounds. While it wasn't much to look at now—little more than old stone statues and empty fountains—Artorias hoped that once the weather warmed up again, the courtyard would become a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and plant life to bring some vivaciousness back to the otherwise gray structure. It would also be a lovely place to relax and spent time catching up with pack mates. Right now, the courtyard was quiet as everyone took shelter from the cold inside, though he was sure they were bound to encounter a few other Hallowed wolves on their tour, possibly his parents too if they were around. Explaining to them how he'd found Briar Fatalis wandering around their neighboring lands would most definitely be fun...

"This is the main courtyard," said Artorias, looking around the open space of stone and snow. "It's the hub of the entire castle. It connects to the great hall, the entry foyer, and has an entrance into the west and east wings. I'm kind of hoping it'll look better once the snow melts and we can see some plants in here. Maybe refill the fountains too..." He glanced back over his shoulder at Briar, then moved his gaze around at the rest of the castle surrounding them. "So... where would you like to start? The castle's pretty big, so I hope you weren't planning on going anywhere anytime soon..." He chuckled with a grin. "There's the great hall where we have all our meetings and feasts, the main foyer, the library, the west and east wings have all the bedrooms and private quarters... You can get up on the walls too or up in one of the towers for a great view. We're still finding more places around the castle, and we're getting our training grounds set up. The snow's made that a bit difficult on Ulric though..." He let Briar choose their first destination. This was his home, so he didn't know what she would be most excited to see first on her own personal tour.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Briar followed along behind Blue Boy as he led the way into he castle grounds, her turquoise gaze scanning the large building ahead of them with interest and sweeping across the grounds that were hidden behind the walls and large gate that they passed through. She spotted the alpacas well before he pointed them out, a grin pulling at her lips at the sight of the fluffy animals. It made her hum thoughtfully when he mentioned that they had them for their wool and for trade, her mind already working at how she might be able to use the new material. Perhaps on her next trip she'd have to ask her father if she could take some stuff from the pack to trade cause if nothing else she was certain it was very warm. If this cold went on much longer she could definitely see herself making a blanket and bed out of some of that wool and some furs... She pulled her gaze away from the live stock as they passed through the gates and into the main courtyard, returning her attention to the structure itself. It was certainly impressive - she had to give credit where credit was due. She enjoyed the den her father had built for them well enough, but it was certainly no castle. She tried not to look too impressed of course. She didn't want Blue Boy to get all full of himself over it after all. She gave a little nod of agreement when he mentioned it looking better once the snow was gone and the plant life returned. "The world in general will be much better once this snow is gone," she muttered, her dislike of the winter weather very, very clear. Briar chuckled a little as well when he mentioned not going anywhere for a while with such a big castle to tour. "I'm in no rush." What was she missing back home? Even colder weather? No thank you - she'd stay here as long as she was allowed. Besides, if she was going to go anywhere then surely her parents would rather her run off to their friends' pack rather than just into the wilds, right? With that reasoning it felt like a totally fine adventure out of her home. Of course she probably should have told her father first but... ah well. She easily brushed off that thought as she looked around at all the different things they had to look at and hummed thoughtfully for a moment, her antlered head tipping slightly. "Lets start wiiiiiith.... the great hall. Might as well start in the middle and work our way out, right?" she decided, completely undeterred by the grander of the castle. She gave him a grin before trotting on ahead, humming softly to herself as she bounced through the snow toward the castle. "Briar" | "Marigold"

It shouldn't have surprised him when Briar began to bounce off through the snow on her own as if she had lived here her entire life and owned everything she touched, but Artorias still found himself bewildered by Briar's bravado. He didn't know what or how to respond, so he simply chose to follow behind her instead, crunching his way through the fresh snow down the hidden courtyard paths to the large doors that led into the great hall. It had been a long time since he'd seen Briar, but he definitely didn't remember her being so... jubilant.
The young woman was humming and speaking with a sweet melodic quality to her voice as if the world wasn't frozen over and dying slowly in the icy clutches of an extended winter. Maybe she was just happy to be getting out of Boreas? But if that was the case, Art shuddered to think about how bad the winter must be up there...

Once they had made their way across the courtyard, Artorias pushed his shoulder against the heavy wooden door to grant them entry into the spacious great hall. A blast of warmth welcomed them into the castle, billowing from the fire still crackling in the massive hearth at the end of the hall. It appeared that Resin was keeping the fires burning to stave the cold from entering the castle. Artorias was grateful for the homely warmth while he tipped his head and beckoned Briar inside with a wave of his paw, ever the gentleman as his mothers had raised him. He entered behind her, pushing the door closed to seal out the winter winds and stepping into the hall with her, striding confidently past the rows of tables and seats up to the raised area his family's table was situated on with the grander, throne-like chairs.

"This is the great hall," said Artorias as he walked along the length of the table his family always sat at. "Like I said, all our feasts and gatherings and meetings happen in here. We had a feast a little while back here as sort of a 'welcome home' party for moving into our new home. My mother also gave us a family name then. Once the winter ends, I'm sure Mom will want to invite your family down for a visit, so you'll probably get to see the feasts in here too." He paced around the table to find the chair he usually took up, climbing into it and sitting at the table, shooting Briar a grin before adding, "This is my seat here."

Even though Briar was still trying to maintain her aloofness, Art didn't have to see it to know she had to be at least a little impressed. Since they'd taken up residence here, several strange wolves had shown up to check out the castle. The building itself was a monumental landmark—and now it was his home.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Briar waited for Artorias to push open the door that closed off the main hall and as soon as he pushed the door open she could feel the warmth radiating from inside. The sudden heat surprised her and immediately became the most impressive part of the whole castle. She didn't care what else he was going to show her - this was the first time she had felt real warmth without having to be under a fur. Sure, they had the big bonfire in the Armada's meeting area that they could sit by, but even then it was outside so there was wind and chill to deal with and she would have to lay under a fur by the fire to really stay warm. In here the warmth was everywhere and filled up the room from fireplaces that dotted the castle so she could freely walk around and not have to put up with this never ending winter. She darted inside gratefully once he opened the way for her and she gave herself a quick shake while he closed the door behind them, shutting out the cold again. Now that they were inside, she started looking around the interior of the grand hall, her gaze sweeping around the room to take in all the tables and chairs that dotted the room with one raised up from the others, which was where Artorias went first. She followed along behind him, listening as he explained how they had feasts and gatherings here. That seemed like a pretty obvious use for the space so she wasn't that surprised, but the bit of information about him getting a family name got her attention. Of course she figured he was probably right about them hosting her family - her father at least was really close to his mothers after all. She wouldn't mind coming to the castle again. If anything she wished she could just move here until the weather finally improved. It was warm, grand, and she'd get to annoy Blue Boy all the time, that seemed like good enough reasons to her. She smirked a little when he climbed up into one of the chairs that he then declared was his. Trotting around the table to the side where he was sitting, she went to the chair beside him and climbed up into it, turning and sitting on her haunches as she looked out over the empty hall. She could see why he had pointed out their table specifically once she was sitting here. It gave her a great view of the rest of the room and there was something very regal about sitting up here. She could imagine addressing a whole pack of wolves from up here... very fitting for a Princess she thought. Briar chuckled and turned her turquoise gaze toward Artorias again with a curious glance. "You have a family name now, huh?" she asked with a little tilt of her head. "What is it?" "Briar" | "Marigold"

Warm amber eyes followed Briar's movements while she came to take her place in the seat beside him, surveying the empty hall with fascination. That was the look he had hoped to elicit from the stuck up Fatalis girl; he had wanted to impress her with their new home since she had made no effort hiding her supposed superiority to him and his family the last time they'd met. A small smirk crossed the young man's face while he let her revel in the grandeur of the castle, making a note how happy she seemed to be to get out of the cold into the warmth of the castle. It was a funny thing for him to consider that something he took for granted—like warm halls and rooms—were a shocking luxury to her.

Briar met his gaze with intrigued turquoise eyes that made his smirk turn into a more genuine smile, her question catching him off guard despite the fact that he probably should have seen that coming. Of course Briar would be looking for more information about him, no doubt to have some information to tease or annoy him with, but he wasn't about to pass up a golden opportunity to take pride in his family's name now. "I do," he replied with a proud grin. "It's Carpathius. It's my mother Resin's family name. She says it's the name of the mountains she grew up on. It means 'strong' or 'rugged'." Artorias was very happy with his given name, and nothing Briar nor anyone else could say would take that away from him.

He turned his eyes bashfully away from Briar when he realized he hadn't looked away from her gaze yet, glancing over to the door that led out to the corridors to the rest of the castle. "Uh, would you like to continue the rest of the tour...?" he asked.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Briar smirked a little as Artorias puffed up with pride as he spoke of his new last name that was given to him by Resin, but not because she thought it was a silly name or anything - she quite liked it actually. What made her smirk was how visibly happy he was with it and how much it clearly meant to him. It was almost... endearing. She teased and joked about a lot of things, but she always at least took family seriously so she knew how important it was. She knew they had been a family already, but there was still something important about having a name to identify with. The Fatalis name was something she wore proudly so she was certain that Blue Boy would do the same with Carpathius. "That's a nice name," she admitted with a nod. Even though her moments of genuineness were few and far between, they did happen from time to time. She didn't really notice how long their gazes were connected as she mused about family and names, at least not until Artorias looked away shyly. She played it off nonchalantly and just followed his gaze as he looked toward the door, wondering to herself what would have made him uncomfortable enough to look away as he suggested they continue their tour. "I suppose there's only so long we can stare at empty tables," she agreed with a grin before hopping down from the chair and starting to make her way toward the door in question. "So where to next, hm? You said there was rooms and private quarters right? Do you get to have your own room?" She knew that her older siblings at least got to have their own dens and stuff after they turned a year old so she figured she'd get to do the same pretty soon, but if they already got to have their own rooms cause of all this extra space then she was going to really want to move in. It made her wonder if she could figure out a way to get her dad to convince Blue Boy's mothers that they should trade places for where their packs were located... but that seemed like a long shot, even for her. "Briar" | "Marigold"

Artorias climbed down from his seat as well and began to lead the way across the stone floor to the door, stepping through the open doorway into the corridor with Briar close beside him as he guided her down the long hallways that connected all the rooms in a circle around the castle. The warmth from the fires in various halls and bedrooms continued to spill into the corridors, staving off any traces of cold, though a light draught could be felt whenever they passed by a fractured window. Despite the castle still being in remarkably good condition for its age, it did show some signs of wear over time. It was to be expected, and perhaps once the weather got nicer the pack could do some renovations to really bring the fortress back to life.

Briar asked if he had his own room and Art gave a vigorous nod of his head. "Oh yeah! Almost every wolf in the Hallows has their own rooms. It's nice, because we're close together, but can still have our privacy," he explained as they walked together. "Couples obviously share, like my mothers, and young pups stay with their parents, but once they get older the castle has more than enough room for everyone to spread out. My mothers set up a few rooms here in the west wing for guests to use when they visit, and even then we still have so much space to roam. I haven't gotten to explore every room yet and we've been here for a few months!" As they entered the entry foyer, Artorias led Briar over to the grand staircase that took them up to the higher levels of the castle, beginning his ascent up and glancing back at his companion. "My room is up on the second floor. It's still in the west wing with the others, but it's high enough up that it has a great view! Would you like to see it?"

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Briar stepped out into the corridor with Artorias and walked along beside him, letting her eyes roam over the stone walls and examining any interesting tapestries or doorways they happened to pass while he spoke. She wouldn't let it show of course, but she did think it was really nice how they all had their own space and was even a little jealous of the castle as a whole. The warmth alone was enough to make her like it here, but it also just felt very regal and cool everywhere they went. She kept waiting to find some sort of downside, but she hadn't found one just yet - besides maybe that it was all the way in Auster when everyone else she knew lived in Boreas. But as she had proven today, it wasn't all that hard to travel here so maybe she could come to visit more often until the weather got better - that was only reaffirmed when she heard that there were guest rooms set up already. In her mind at least that just meant that she already had somewhere to stay! They reached the bottom of a huge staircase and her turquoise eyes panned up toward the top, an impressed "ooooh" escaping her. Blue Boy started climbing the stairs and invited her to go see his room - which she would have agreed to anyway but she was even more interested when he mentioned that there was a really nice view from up there. She ginned and nodded, following her guide up the stairs and onto the second floor. She glanced out of one of the windows that they were facing as they reached the top of the stairs and paused for a moment, her eyes widening with awe. Growing up in the plains, there was very little opportunity to see anything except from on flat ground so this was a big change. It made her wonder why her father had deiced to settle somewhere so boring. Turning her attention away from the window, she looked down a hall that seemed to be lined with doors and asked, "So which room yours, Blue Boy?" "Briar" | "Marigold"

The corners of his mouth curled upward in a subtle grin when he heard Briar's audible coo of wonder when she saw the grand foyer in all its glory. It really was a spectacle to behold, and it was still a wonder no other pack had claimed this place before they had. Oh well, their loss was his gain. Artorias led the way up the stairs to the second floor hallways that branched out around the rotund wings of the castle, sauntering down the corridor of the west wing he had traversed many times by now. He kept his pace measured and leisurely to allow Briar to take her time soaking in all the details the castle had to offer, and pausing to let her get a good look out the windows across the courtyard and to the plains beyond the walls. If she thought that was impressive, he couldn't wait to see her reaction when she saw the view his room had or the view from the top of the tower.

"My room is a little further down." Artorias continued down the curving corridor until he found the old wood door he had come to know as his. "This one right here, this is mine." He pushed the door open with a soft creak of old wood and iron, another fresh wave of pent up warmth rushing out to greet the two wolves. He stepped inside first, glancing around the sizable chamber with a proud smirk. The dying fire in the hearth crackled with its final snaps of life, having been burning all day and needing fresh wood. Grayish sunlight spilled into the room from the two large windows on the leftmost wall, and a faint orange glow from the fire cast everything in a warmer hue. Above the fireplace hung a rusting coat of arms with a howling wolf painted on the crest, and fading paintings of landscapes and knights in combat adorned the walls. His bed, a large canopy bed, lay messy and unmade, with the old blankets and fresh furs tousled up from when he'd woken up this morning.

Artorias stepped aside to allow Briar to explore his room, nudging the door shut behind them. His bedroom door had a latch on it only accessible from the inside when locked, though he left it untouched for now. They wouldn't be staying in his room long anyway, not when there was so much of the castle left to see. "It's not much, but it's mine," he said from the side of the room while she wandered about. "If nothing else, it gives me a little privacy." He chuckled under his breath, then stepped over to the door that led out to the balcony. "This is my favorite part of the room though..." Art pulled the door open and stepped outside into the cold air once more, walking onto the balcony and placing his front paws on the balustrades to gaze out across the western sea. The water looked gray and dark under the second winter sky, and the sound of the roiling waves lapping at the golden shore filled the air with a tranquil rhythm. "Ta-da! Best views in all of Auster. Well, except for maybe the tower," he joked with a crooked grin.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Resin had been coming from her set of chambers at the far end of the castle when she heard the excited voices of young wolves. Assuming that it was simply her children or Ulric's children, the woman continued on without a second though. When she passed the room of Artorias, however, she happened to glance inside. The girl standing in his room was not one of theirs. That made her an outsider. The scent of the girl let Resin know where she was from, but that wasn't the point. Artorias would learn a valuable lesson today. "What's this?" The giant, ash and onyx fae stood in the doorway, her bulk taking up a good deal of space there. Her singular gaze narrowed as she stared hard at Artorias and it was clear that she was not pleased. She would let the boy explain himself first. Perhaps he'd gotten permission from his mom or from Ulric to bring someone over their border and into their home. If that wasn't the case, then he was in for a rude awakening. It didn't matter who the wolf was, the boy didn't have the rank or the right to invite strangers into their home. Even a child could be a spy. She had known several in her time. Resin continued to stand in the doorway, blocking the path of the children. She barely spared a glance at the girl for the time being. There would be time to speak to her once she'd handled this situation with her son. Hopefully he would find his tongue soon. "Speech"

Artorias had been so caught up in making sure Briar was kept warm and safe from the harshness of the cold that he hadn't heard his mother coming down the halls until she was in the doorway, looming like a monster emerging from the closet. The boy's smile fell from his face when he met her hard gaze, the look on her face familiar from all the times she had scolded Rudyard. He took a couple of steps closer to his mother, gesturing to Briar with ears folded flat to his head, knowing he was in trouble for something, but he wasn't sure what yet. Was it because he hadn't called her sooner? They'd only been in the castle for a short period of time, and besides, this was Briar Fatalis. Neither of his mothers had made it a secret that the Fatalis wolves were family and were welcome in their lands in the past. So what had he done...?

"Mom, you remember Briar Fatalis, right?" he began, looking between the aged alpha and their unexpected yearling guest. They'd all met when the Armada and Hallows had their puppy meeting seasons back in Boreas, so she would know Sirius' daughter. "I found her wandering out in the southern gardens. She was soaking wet and alone, so I brought her back to let her warm up before she froze. I, uh..." He glanced over his shoulder at Briar again, suddenly realizing he still hadn't received an answer from her as to why she was here in the first place. "I don't actually know why she's here... or why she's alone." Of course, coming to the castle hadn't been his idea at all, but in the moment, Artorias felt compelled to protect his de facto guest, just like he had when they were puppies and Tamsyn had caught them all beyond the Hallows borders. He didn't think Resin needed to know that Briar had all but invited herself into their lands on her own accord.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
____________________

Briar followed Artorias into his room, her turquoise gaze sweeping around the space and taking in all the little unique features. The crest over the fireplace, the paintings that dotted the walls, the bed itself which was a feature all on its own... And then he went and opened up the space to the balcony and she grinned as she trotted over to look out over the railing. Seeing the world from up here only reaffirmed her love of this kind of view that she had only gotten a small taste of from the window at the top of the stairs. "Wait, there's views that are even better than this?!" she asked with a giggle, her tail wagging excitedly. She was going to be sad when she had to go back home to the flat plains. She'd have to see what she could find closer to the Armada that could give her the same sort of effect - maybe a cliff or something like that. Just as she was about to ask about going to the tower next, she heard a voice behind them and she turned around to see Resin standing in the doorway, looking very not pleased. She had only seen the scarred alpha once when she was very young, but her father had talked about her so Briar was at least aware of who she was. Her smile faded and her ears flicked guiltily, coming back into the room while Artorias began to explain the situation. She was certainly no stranger to being in trouble, but she did feel a little bad for getting Artorias in trouble accidentally. It hadn't really crossed her mind that she wouldn't be allowed since their families liked each other so much, but maybe that wasn't really the point. She remembered when they were really little and Artorias had defended her in front of miss Tamsyn and she felt like now was her turn to return the favor... even though this time it was actually kind of her fault. She walked up closer beside Artorias, looking up at Resin with an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry, miss Resin, I kind of invited myself in so it's really my fault... I came down to Auster because the weather has gotten so bad in Boreas and I knew your pack was here so I thought I'd come visit. Plus I hadn't seen Artorias in a while so it was a pleasant surprise!" Yes, a positive spin would help, right? She glanced between Resin and Blue Boy, wondering if she was helping or hurting the situation. "Briar" | "Marigold"

A dull pain had begun to thump behind her working eye. A tiny drum that struck repetitively, discomfort following every beat. Her gaze narrowed further. Not out of added anger at Artorias, but out of reflex. In tune with the beating drum, the woman's thoughts became foggy. It wasn't the first time that this had happened. She'd lost herself during the battle with the saber toothed cats. The scarred woman had completed her task then, but it had been difficult there for a time to remember who she was. The words of Artorias met dark ears and his speech was a jumble of words that took a moment to shift back into place. He was just being courteous to someone in need, was what she surmised. Still... he should have contacted either herself or Tamsyn to let them know that there was a visitor. The girl stepped forward, trying to take the blame for intruding and coercing Artorias into following her. Was the drumming getting louder? Resin could hear her own blood in her ears and it was drowning out the words of the two children before her. "In the future, either myself or your mother need to be notified when a visitor arrives, Oxx. Whether they're from an allied pack or not, we need to know who has access to our lands." He was Oxx, right? No. Artorias. What was happening? She needed to go lay down, but managed to look to the girl. "You're already here, so you're welcome. Next time, call for entry." Backing out of the room, Resin slowly made her way back to her chamber, shutting the door tightly behind her. Maybe she would feel better if she slept. The continual flashes of pain in her head promised otherwise. "Speech"

The blue-furred boy glanced to Briar when she stepped up to his side and volunteered herself to take the blame. Artorias had hoped that Briar would just let him take the lead and the blame for letting her into their home unannounced, the same way he'd taken the blame and defended her the last time they'd been caught acting out. Instead, now she was the one accepting the fault and protecting him. He pursed his lips, not wanting to interject while she spoke, keeping his guilty gaze on his mother while trying to read her reactions. Resin was stony faced the entire time, her eye narrowing further, and he was sure they were going to get in trouble for sure. Instead, Resin surprised him by calmly explaining the rules of admittance and requesting he call her or Tamsyn first. It was a fair request and something he should've known better about.

Artorias opened his mouth to respond and agree to his mother's request when she addressed him—but not by his name. Oxx. Resin had just called him Oxx. Artorias froze, the words dying on his tongue, left with a stunned and confused stare at his mother. The boy's brow furrowed, trying to make sense of what was going on. Resin turned and left before he could ask any clarifying questions though. He looked back at Briar again, bewilderment painted clearly on his features. Who was Oxx, and why had Resin called him that? He'd never heard that name before in his entire life. Art was speechless, still reeling while he tried to restart his brain. That would be another thing to ask his other mother about when he had the chance to. Resin's behavior was getting more and more concerning...

"I'm sorry about that... I shouldn't have put you in that position," he said to Briar, a sheepish expression keeping across his face, ears folded back to his head. "Um... would you like to go check out the view from the tower? It's a bit of a climb, but it's so worth it if you thought this one was good." He tried to put Resin's concerning words out of his mind for the time being and go back to being a good host to Briar. He had promised her better views, after all, and if she was still interested in the tour he would be happy to take her. He started out of his room and down the hall towards the tower's stairs, keeping close by Briar all the while.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Briar couldn't really tell if her pleas to try and take the heat off of Artorias were working or not from the expression that Resin wore, but the squint she made didn't really seem like the angry kind of squint. It was more like a pained squint - something she probably only noticed because of having a different frame of mind from her healer training. It made her brows pull together for a moment with concern before Resin began to speak again, telling them how her or Tamsyn should have been notified. She gave Artorias a glance when she referred to him as Oxx, wondering if that was some second name of his or something, but the stunned expression he wore told her that wasn't the case. Briar looked back at Resin when she was addressed and was given a belated welcome - and another reminder that she should call for entry next time. She nodded in agreement and managed a quick, "Yes, ma'am," before Resin backed away from the door and disappeared down the hallway. She was confused by the whole exchange, but tried not to look into it too deeply. She was quick to dismiss the apology Artorias gave her with a shake of her head, replying, "No, it's okay... It's my fault." She didn't often take the blame for much of anything, but seeing how uncomfortable the whole exchange had made him made her feel even more guilty about just waltzing in the way she had. Of course she had never really expected anything like this to happen since she had always assumed their families were so close, but she understood that rules were rules. She appreciated that he tried to get their tour back on track and she offered him a smile. "Sure! I don't mind a climb." Despite her thoughts still kind of lingering on the moment with Resin, she was still eager to see some of these spectacular views he had promised. She followed him out of the room and down the hall toward the stairs, sticking close to him as well. Now that she had been officially welcomed she didn't feel like she had to stay right next to him necessarily, but she wasn't quite ready to venture off on her own just yet. Maybe tomorrow. When they reached the top of the tower she made her way over to the edge, immediately distracted from her worries by the expanse of land ahead of them. She gasped and looked out wide eyed at it, a grin pulling at her lips. Getting confronted by Resin had shaken off the last of her bravado and she genuinely showed her expressions without trying to hide them. "It's beautiful up here," she breathed, her tail wagging happily behind her. For a while she was just happy to take in the view and just be absolutely astounded by how far she could see from up here, but eventually her thoughts returned to her original worries. "Hey, um..." she began, glancing toward Blue Boy again, "Is she... okay? She kind of looked like she was in pain, but it didn't look like she was hurt so I wasn't sure... And... Oxx?" She gave him a questioning look, but quickly added, "I don't mean to pry or anything, just... Healer brain, ya know?" "Briar" | "Marigold"

The two wolves climbed the narrow stairs up the tower until they reached the wooden trapdoor at the top keeping the cold and elements outside. Artorias pushed it open with his head, bracing against the bitter cold while he stepped out onto the solid stone floor, letting Briar take the excited lead to the parapet. He smiled when he saw the thrilled look on her face, the way her turquoise eyes sparkled with amazement while they peered out for miles across northern Auster in every direction, her wagging tail almost making him bust out laughing. They could just see the edges of southern Boreas and the fjord to the north, the boundless sea to the west, all the way down to Laazuli Falls and the dense woods to the south, and out to the old ruins on the island to the east. Almost all of the land was still covered in snow, casting the lands in bright white as far as the eye could see. A victorious smirk grew across his lips when Briar made to effort to hide her joy this time. He'd finally broken through Briar's shell; he had won.

He stepped up to the parapet alongside her, the coastal wind gently rippling their dense fur coats this high up. It almost felt like standing on top of a mountain. "Yeah, it's really something, isn't it?" he agreed, turning his head slowly to survey the surrounding lands. "We're really lucky we get to live here. I can't wait to see it in the spring—or, well, I guess it'll probably be summer by the time this winter ends." Amber eyes turned to meet cool turquoise with a hopeful look. "Promise you'll come back and visit when it gets warmer and there's no snow? I really wanna see what your face looks like when there's actually something worth looking at up here." He grinned and chuckled to himself.

Briar eventually asked about Resin's state and Art's smile faltered. He didn't know how to answer her question right away. On one hand, he didn't want to worry his guest by making his mother come off as crazy, but on the other he didn't relish the idea of lying to her and hiding his concerns. He didn't meet Briar's gaze when she looked back at him, instead just sort of staring off into space while he collected his thoughts and decided on what he wanted to say. "I don't know," he answered honestly. "It's been a rough winter for all of us, and I think maybe the stress of trying to handle the pack through it all might be getting to her. Plus with some drama within the pack she's been dealing with..." By now, it wasn't a secret that Ulric's partner and child had gone missing and he was already courting another Hallowed wolf. The shouting matches between the dire wolf and his son Ezra hadn't been hidden. He'd kept his nose out of it since it didn't involve him, of course, but it was common knowledge by now. "I don't know what that stuff about Oxx was. I've never heard her say that name before in my life, and she's definitely never called me that before." It was just another mystery adding to the growing pile of worries he had about his mother's condition.

"I've been meaning to talk to my other mom about it, but... I dunno, I guess I'm just worried I'm getting wound up over nothing, y'know?" He finally let his gaze turn back to meet Briar's, perhaps looking for some sort of answer in her eyes. "I mean, no one else in the pack seems to be worried about her or saying anything about it, so it's got me thinking... maybe I'm just making a big deal out of nothing?" Artorias was truly at a loss for how he should proceed with Resin, but he knew the next logical step would be talking to Tamsyn about it. But with all the stress his mothers were under, the last thing he wanted to do was add more onto that pile.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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Briar's eyes met his as he asked her to promise to return once the weather had warmed up, mentioning that he wanted to see her face when there was something to see. It made her realize how much she had actually reacted to the view, but it was too late to take any of that back now. It dawned on her that he actually liked seeing her react like that and seeing this part of her that she had always considered very puppy like. It took her by surprise and she was a little dumbfounded by the sweet revelation, but she was still quick to reply, "Yeah, of course! I'll definitely be back... Can't just let you hoard all these spectacular views all to yourself," she teased, managing to get a bit of her usual attitude back into place. She saw his smile fade away when she brought up what happened when his mother and she gave him a worried glance. He didn't answer right away, but she didn't press him for an answer either. He did eventually explain how hard the winder had been and some additional stress coming in from the pack that could be effecting her as well and added in that he had no idea who or what Oxx was. The whole situation just kept getting more curious and she really didn't know what to make of it. She also didn't want to go sticking her nose into their business, but they were friends, right? And didn't friends look out for their friends? Plus she knew how much her father cared for Resin and Tamsyn so they were basically family and family definitely looked out for family. His gaze found its way back to hers as he mentioned bringing it up to his other mom and thinking he might be making a big deal out of nothing. If there was one thing she had picked up from all the training she had done so far to be a healer, it was that nothing was really too small when it came to health related things. Even a little cut could get infected and turn into a big problem if left untreated. Of course this seemed like maybe it was more of a balance and mental health thing, at least on the surface, so it was a lot harder for her to pinpoint just from the information she had been given so far, but that didn't mean she couldn't share the worry with him. "You should definitely bring it up to your other mother," she agreed with an encouraging nod. "Even if it does turn out to be nothing, you're just worried about her and there's nothing wrong with that, right? And maybe you've just been the only one to be paying enough attention to notice these little things, you know? And who knows - maybe Tamsyn has noticed some stuff too and is just trying to say they're no big deal too." She smiled a little and bumped her shoulder against his, trying to cheer him up a bit. "No need to worry about it by yourself." "Briar" | "Marigold"

Briar's promise to return once the weather warmed up brought another genuine smile to the young wolf's face. While their relationship may have started off on the less than ideal foot, what with them bickering over the importance of their families and a less than friendly spar that he had dominated her in, he was happy to have what he considered a friend in someone other than his own siblings. His childhood hadn't permitted for a lot of free time to just do things like run and chat and hang out while staring at scenic views. Briar liberated him in that way, allowing him to be what he hadn't been able to. For that, the blue wolf was secretly grateful. He wouldn't tell her that, of course; no need to inflate the Fatalis' ego more than it already was.

He nodded his head assent when she told him he should talk to Tamsyn about Resin's peculiar behavior. Deep down, Artorias knew it was the right course of action. Worst case scenario he just ended up looking like he was too concerned over nothing. Best case, he brought a problem to light before it got out of hand. "You're right. If it's something that can be helped, I'd never forgive myself for not saying anything sooner," he said. Once Briar left, whenever that was, he would make it a point to sit down with his mother and talk about what he'd been noticing.

Fixing Briar with warm amber eyes and a crooked smile again, he motioned with his head back down the stairs. "Wanna head back inside? I know you don't like the cold much. We have a lot of food to go around too, if you're hungry." He waited for Briar to fill in the blank of what she wanted to do next. He was her host, and he would happily take her wherever she wanted to go.

"Speech" | Thoughts | ”Corbin"

One big happy family

Artorias has two ravens named Corbin and Eira and a fox named Argent. Assume they are within calling distance at all times.
As his mate, Briar may enter Artorias' threads unless marked Private.
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