Rich amber eyes slowly flickered open as muted sunlight began to pour into the bedroom. Artorias took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it slowly go. As his mind began to rouse itself from the haze of sleep, the young wolf looked groggily down at the warm body still wrapped up in his paws. Briar was sound asleep and pressed snuggly up against him, her weight bringing him a peace and comfort that nothing else could. A small smile touched his lips while he watched her sleep peacefully, content to listen to each breath she took while her chest rose and fell. He could have stayed in that moment forever, in the quiet stillness of the early morning, with nothing to disturb them or pull them from their perfect little world. He listened to the ocean waves just outside his bedroom windows, the rhythmic sounds almost lulling him back to slumber.

In the days that had followed his mother's death and her funeral, Artorias had been dour and melancholy, barely eating and unable to sleep without nightmares of Resin's gristly demise. Briar's presence had helped soothe most of the worst of it and brought him somewhat back to life, keeping him from tailspinning into full-on depression. He would always be grateful for her presence in his life, and he would never be able to convey just how important she was to him. Artorias ran a slow paw up and down Briar's back, following the ridge of her spine up between her shoulder blades and back down again, feeling the softness of her fur and the warmth of her skin underneath his touch. Leaning down, he placed a slow, tender kiss on her forehead, trying to gently rouse her from sleep. He didn't really want to wake her, but he didn't think he'd be able to slip out of their entanglement to begin his morning patrol without waking her anyway, so might as well make it pleasant.

He continued his little shows of affection between stroking her back and kissing her forehead until she began to wake up. He would then wait for her to come to and wake up before giving her a warm smile and whispering, "Good morning," and bending his neck to go to place another slow kiss on her lips.

WC: 388 / 1500


"Artorias" | 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.
____________________

After Resin's funeral Briar had kept herself glued to Artorias' side, desperately trying to give him any little comfort she could find. Just being with him seemed to help so she stayed with him day and night just to encourage him and chase away at least a little bit of that mourning and darkness that pulled at him. She wished there was more she could do, but in reality she knew it would just take time. She had heard how awful the attack on their pack had been and how badly Resin had gotten hurt in the fight, though she was slightly grateful that they had kept her body mostly covered during the funeral. She couldn't imagine how that must have been for Artorias to see his mother in that state - and that was coming from someone who had seen her mother and brother as just a pile of burned bones.

It was easy to sleep in when she was wrapped up in Artorias' embrace. Whenever they slept like this she was able to sleep without nightmares or worries. His gentle back rubs and kisses slowly pulled her awake, making her blink open her groggy turquoise gaze and lift her head until their gazes met. She returned his smile gentle kiss, humming happily at the affection. "Good morning," she whispered in return, snuggling a little tighter to him for a moment. Getting up and leaving this warm embrace was always difficult. If it wasn't for the fact that she knew he had pack duties he still had to see to then she probably would have just kept him in bed. With a disgruntled groan she started untangling herself from him, rolling onto her back for a moment to stretch her legs up toward the ceiling and wake up her muscles before rolling to her paws and giving herself a shake. "Patrol time?" she asked as she hopped down to the floor, casting a glance at him over her shoulder. They had fallen into a bit of a routine together and it was difficult to even think about having to go back home to the Armada. It was comfortable and familiar being with him now, but she knew she'd have to go back eventually. At least for a little while.

WC: 768/1500

"Briar" | "Marigold"

The small smile on Artorias' lips grew into a wider grin when Briar began to stir, feeling his heart miss a beat when he saw those sleepy turquoise eyes look up at him. He knew Briar loved to sleep in, and if he hadn't had morning patrol this day, he would have happily slept the morning away with her. He chuckled under his breath when Briar snuggled tighter into his embrace, and for a moment, he was very tempted to say screw the morning patrol and stay in bed with her. Briar made making that decision to get up easier when she began to untangle herself from him, a soft sound of disappointment coming from the young wolf as his warm sleeping partner left an empty and cold space where her body had been moments before. He shot Briar an overly dramatic pout as she stretched and got up, but eventually relented and also climbed to his paws, dropping his front half down to the cold stone floor and stretching out his sleep-addled muscles as his back end joined the rest of him.

"Yeah, patrol time," he said in affirmation, making his way over to his armor and sword at the end of the bed. He slid Embershard across his back, opting to go without his armor this time. After all, it was just a routine morning patrol. The morning patrol route had become something of a routine for the two wolves; Briar joined him on every patrol he ran, never once complaining about the early morning hours. It almost felt like they were living their own lives together, comfortable and familiar with one another's presence in each other's lives. Almost. Artorias did appreciate Briar's company; it kept him from being alone for too long with the dark thoughts hovering at the fringes of his mind. None could ever try to seep into his head while Briar was being the light for him. She would never know how grateful he was to have her around. "You could've stayed in bed, y'know," he remarked as they slipped out of his bedroom and headed down the corridor. "Don't get me wrong, I love going on patrol with you. I know how much you hate early mornings though."

Artorias led the way out past the castle gates and across the Starlit Plains, beginning the patrol route along the southern border and working their way counterclockwise along the boundaries between Hallowed land and the rest of Auster. As they walked together in the cool early morning air, the sun just barely risen over the treetops, Artorias would turn to look at Briar, admiring her beauty with a smile. He knew she would have to return home at some point, but until then, he would keep her as his and enjoy every moment in their own little world. Walking patrols had become easier; his shoulder no longer ached when he walked, his mother's wounds scarring over with pale pink skin beneath his fur. He was at least able to walk without a limp, something he was glad to be rid of, especially in front of Briar. He hated how she always had to see him hurt or downed lately. He didn't like feeling like he was weak.

"Once we're done, is there anything you'd like to do today?" he asked, casting Briar a sideways glance while they walked side-by-side. "You set the agenda today, Princess. Whatever you'd like to do." He cast her a small smile—and then stopped as they passed by the border nearest the God's Garden. A strong stench of feline hit his nose, a smell all-too-familiar to the boy. It was the same stench of the creatures that had attacked his pack before. They were still lingering around Auster, it seemed. Artorias' expression turned grim as he stared out towards the gardens. While technically not in their lands, their presence nearby made them a danger, especially since Gwynevere and the other healers used the garden for their herbs. "Smell that?" he asked, fur bristling, muscles tensing. "That's at least one saber cat, close." A sudden thought came to him, a moment of recompense, and he glanced to Briar with a roguish grin. "You wanna go hunt it down or leave it be? I do owe you a tag team fight for before."

WC: 1488/1500


"Artorias" | 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 chuckled at the dramatic pout he gave her as she got up, giving him a mostly teasing, scolding look in return with a grin on her lips. As much as she would have loved to lay in bed all day with him she was certainly not going to be the reason he missed a patrol and she wasn't going to miss spending time with him either. When he mentioned how she could have stayed in bed as they moved out into the hall she brushed her side into his with a shake of her head. "Not a chance. Doing patrols together is our thing now," she insisted with a grin, giving him a kiss on his cheek. Even if he didn't really mention it, she could tell how much her being around him helped keep away the darkness from the loss he had just experienced. Just like he had done for her when she found out about her mother and brother, she would stick by his side as long as she could to help keep him on his feet and stable. She couldn't bare seeing the boy she loved hurt so not even the temptation of sleeping in would keep her from their patrol. "Besides, it's not like I'd sleep as well without you," she pointed out. She only really wanted to stay asleep because of how comfortable she was in his embrace.

As they walked around the parameter of the pack's lands, she would occasionally catch him looking at her and she would grin, brushing her side against his. She hated how often it was pain or strife that pulled them back together again, but she enjoyed every single second of it every time she was here. She had begun to realize that even though she did like being in the castle a lot and she generally really enjoyed Auster as a whole, it was really Artorias that made this place so special. If he wasn't here it would just be any old structure on any old piece of land. She wouldn't want to be in The Hallows in Artorias and his warm, handsome eyes weren't here. She gave him another glance when he asked what she might want to do today once they were done with their patrol, giving him a thoughtful hum. "Well, we'll need some breakfast for sure. Then maybe we can go back to..."

Her sentence trailed off when she noticed the change in his expression and she took a quick sniff of the air, noticing the odd scent that probably had him reacting like this. She nodded in agreement when he questioned if she caught the scent and listened as he explained that it was at least one of the saber cats and she remembered how they had been attacked by them before. She saw him seem to think of something before giving her a grin and then offered her the choice of hunting it down or not - citing the fact that he owed her a tag team fight after how he had acted during their fight with that massive dire wolf. A similar grin spread across her lips and she chuckled, leaning in to give him a peck on his lips. "Lets go hunt it down," she told him eagerly. She hadn't had a good fight since that dire wolf fight and that almost didn't count. Plus, she thought they could both use something to blow off a little steam and if they could stop another attack before it ever began that would all be a win in her book.

"Briar" | "Marigold"

Briar confirmed that she had scented the giant feline as well, and when he peered back at her over his shoulder, he could tell by the grin on her face that she was already going to want to go chase it down. She gave him the verbal affirmation he needed, and with a nod, Artorias smirked and led the charge out past the Hallows borders. The cross into the gardens didn't take long; just a thin stretch of open plains separating the greater plains from the hedges of plant life. It was easy to follow the cat's trail of musk it had left behind, winding its way through the rows of shrubbery. The sabertooth must have smelled the wolves and diverted its path—perhaps it was one of the stragglers from the attack back in the winter and remembered what had happened the last time? Either way, Artorias had no intentions of letting it live to try a second attempt.

"These things attacked the pack before in a pride, almost overwhelmed us with their numbers," he explained to Briar as they hunted their quarry through the garden. "When we find it, we kill it. No driving it away, no making it back down. Any saber cat we see dies." It wasn't a question or a request. Artorias would not allow anyone else in his pack to be hurt by these damned prehistoric creatures again. If it meant committing genocide on the entire species across Auster, he would consider it a small price to pay. The longer they followed the trail, the stronger the scent became. It was fresher; they were getting close. Artorias slowed his gait to a stealthy walk, his steps barely making a sound in the rustling grass while keen amber eyes scouted ahead in all directions. The saber cats were sneaky and crafty creatures, and he had to be on his game to outwit one.

As they reached the end of a row of shrubs, Artorias peeked around the corner—and recoiled back with a paw stretched out to stop Briar from advancing. A massive mound of striped beige fur was visible in the middle of the lush green flower beds, currently snacking audibly on a fresh kill. Artorias leered at the cat, feeling a familiar anger starting to bubble forth from the depths of his soul. He hated these things, and this one's presence made for the perfect excuse to vent some of his anger and frustration that had been building up over the last few weeks, Wordlessly he looked to Briar, gesturing with his muzzle for them to back up a few paces. Once they were out of sight, he lowered his voice to a whisper and asked, "Okay, how do you want to handle this? I ruined your plans last time, you can call the shots now." However Briar wanted to handle this, he would follow her lead. He knew how intelligent she was, and he had taken her moment to shine last time. Besides, two wolves on one sabertooth didn't really need a grand strategy to execute.


"Artorias" | 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 the gardens, listening as he confirmed the fact about the saber cats attacking the pack, clarifying that they had nearly overwhelmed them with their numbers. She nodded quietly when he insisted that they kill the saber cat when they find it. That was fine by her and she was more than willing to not risk letting that feline get back to the pack at any point. Besides, that was a good pelt for them to harvest as well and she was sure those saber fangs and claws had to be good for something. She might even try to take back some of its sharper teeth to add to the helmet that she was crafting for herself. She couldn't imagine any part of it going to waste either way so killing it felt plenty justified even outside of the fact that it was a danger to his pack mates being this close to The Hallow's borders.

She stopped dead in her tracks when he recoiled back after peeking around a corner, the saber cat obviously just out of her range of sight around the corner of this row of bushes. She hung back, giving him her attention as they moved a few paces back and he asked how she wanted to handle this. She smirked a little as he gave her the chance to play out her plans this time around since he had ruined them last time. Well, she wasn't going to argue with that. "You go around this bush to the other side and get its attention. I'll sneak up behind it and get on its back like I did with the dire wolf and pull its head back so you can cut its throat with Embershard. Quick and easy." That way they'd avoid all the back and forth and the fighting and it played into both of their strengths. She gave him a quick kiss before sending him off to get into position, creeping up to the edge of the bush again and waiting for Artorias to pull the feline's attention.

Once he had and the cat was turned away from her she sprung into action, quickly and quietly rushing forward and making a graceful leap onto its back. Her claws hooked solidly into its back and scruff. The saber cat immediately began to trash and struggle, but she didn't let go. Instead she gripped harder until she managed to get her teeth deep into the base of its neck right behind its skull and the claws of her forepaws into its cheeks. She yanked its head back so that the sabers were well out of the way of blocking the path of Artorias' sword - making sure her own limbs and body were well out of swinging distance as well.

"Briar" | "Marigold"

Briar's plan was simple and sound, and he had no better ideas himself. Artorias nodded in agreement to her strategy, matching her grin with a smirk as he got himself into the battle mindset. He returned Briar's quick kiss that made his pulse spike, then slunk back to the edge of the bushes. He waited a minute to give Briar enough time to get into position, then gripped the hilt of his sword and drew his weapon as he stepped out into the open. He gave a little bark from behind the saber cat, watching the massive feline's back bristle in surprise while it turned its giant head his way to fix him with poisonous yellow eyes. The cat bared its bloody fangs with a threatening roar, abandoning its kill to square up with the wolf staring it down. Narrowed amber eyes burned into the cat's slitted optics, growling in response while the blade of his sword gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting off the beautifully intricate metalwork. The saber cat snarled again and took a slow step towards him. Artorias tensed, waiting, waiting, waiting...

He saw Briar's form leap through the air and land perfectly on the cat's back. The sabertooth gave a startled yowl and immediately began trying to buck and throw the young fae from its back, but Briar had her claws in their opponent and nothing was dislodging her. Artorias skirted and danced around the flailing feline, keeping his eyes alert and muscles tensed for the right opening. All the while, he made sure Briar was safely out of the saber cat's reach, her safety still paramount in his mind, but not to the point where he was trying to keep her out of the fight again. After a few moments of struggle, Briar managed to grab the cat's neck and cheeks enough to yank its head back, exposing its vulnerable throat for a moment. That moment was all he needed.

Artorias lunged forward, turning quickly on his heels to bring his sword around in a diagonal slash that cut straight across the saber cat's exposed throat, carefully keeping his aim well and truly clear of Briar. The blade cut neatly through flesh and muscle, a spray of crimson following the silver blade as it arced. Just like that, the fight was over. The saber cat gave a gargled yowl while blood poured like a red waterfall from its severed throat, rent arteries gushing the contents of the feline's veins out across the ground and down its own body with each beat of its heart. The massive beast collapsed to the ground, paws flailing weakly at the bloodstained grass while it bled out. Artorias watched the dying creature, knowing it would be dead in a matter of moments. The saber cat gave one final gurgle of a death rattle, and then with a bloody exhale it expired, yellow eyes staring blankly into oblivion.

Artorias wiped the bloody edge of his sword off on the cat's fur, then slid Embershard back into its sheath. He glanced up at Briar still atop the sabertooth's back and gave her a proud nod and a grin. "Nice teamwork, partner!" he said, feeling even more foolish for treating her like a damsel in distress instead of a battle buddy the last time. "Want any trophies or anything to take home?" He looked over the dead predator. Its pelt, while covered in blood, was in nearly pristine condition and could be cleaned and turned into bedding or a rug easily. Those fangs could also be quite handy.


"Artorias" | 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 watched Artorias from over the top of the saber cat's head as he made a graceful spin with his sword, the blade slicing easily through the feline's throat and sending a spray of blood out from the wound. As soon as she saw the blood she released her hold on the saber cat's head and leapt down from his back, quickly getting out of the way as it stumbled and collapsed so that she wouldn't be thrown to the ground with it. She gave herself a shake and turned back toward the bloody scene, though her only attention was on Artorias as he stood there with the bloodied sword between his teeth and fiery amber gaze fixed on the saber cat as it faded into death. A grin pulled across her features as she watched him, admiring this handsome, strong wolf that she got to share all this time and affection with. This was how she should feel after a fight with him - proud and happy and on a high of a battle well fought. Not frustrated and angry with him like they had been last time.

She came over to his side once Embershard had been put away, chuckling as he complimented her and their teamwork and asked if there were any trophies she wanted to take home. Briar nuzzled into his neck as she leaned into his side, replying, "You're the only trophy I need," with a laugh, teasingly licking the side of his muzzle. Turning her attention back to the saber cat at their feet she added, "Although, I think this saber cat pelt is too good to go to waste. Plus, I'm sure someone can make use of those teeth." She stepped closer and pulled up the lip of the saber cat so she could see some of its other, smaller teeth as well. "I'll take some of these smaller ones too for the helmet I'm crafting."

"Briar" | "Marigold"

Artorias could tell by the beaming smile on Briar's face and the twinkle in her eyes that she had a great time killing the saber cat with him, and he knew he had made up for his past mistake. This had been a much better experience, and getting to see Briar in action brought a smile to his own face. She was beautiful and graceful, everything he expected the Fatalis princess to be, on and off the battlefield. He blinked in surprise when she nuzzled the side of his neck and declared him to be the only trophy she needed, pulling a frisky smirk and a chuckle from the young brute while she licked the side of his muzzle. He turned his face to catch her lips in a quick kiss before she could pull away, taking every opportunity to steal a bit of affection from the sweet fae whenever he could. Briar mentioned using the saber pelt and the fangs in her own designs.

Artorias gave a curt nod with a hum of understanding, then approached the fallen predator. Whatever Briar wanted, Briar would get. "Then we'd better get this body back to the castle," he declared, taking position on one side of the carcass. He hadn't brought any tools to skin the creature, and his sword would be too unwieldy to use for the job. "C'mon, you grab one side, I'll take the other." Between the two of them, they should be able to get it back with no problems, despite the cat's massive size. It would make one hell of a pelt! Waiting until Briar had gotten a hold of the cat, Artorias also took hold of the body and began to walk in tandem, dragging the heavy carcass back across the plains toward home.


"Artorias" | 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.
____________________