Briar knew that Artorias enjoyed exploring and seeing new places so while he was staying in the the Armada she decided to make an effort to get him out of the pack lands occasionally. She knew he was here to study and work, but there was certainly more than enough time to take a break and do a little exploration around Boreas with her. She gave him a little grin as she leaned into his side as they walked, sneaking a kiss on his cheek with a soft chuckle. Besides, if they were out of the pack lands there was much less chance of her father catching them being affectionate and having to deal with that awkward conversation.

She climbed over the thick mangrove tree roots and stepped from one small island of solid ground to the next as they moved through the water logged territory. She knew the mangrove wasn't much of a destination during the day so she mostly just intended on them to pass through pretty quickly on their way toward the beaches and things on the other side, but as she wound her way through the trees her ears perked at the sound of a low growl and she quickly glanced through the mangrove, spotting the signature stripes of a tiger moving through the trees with eyes gleaming as it watched them.

Briar gave Artorias a glance with a small nod toward the feline. They very well could just turn and book it out of the mangrove since the tiger seemed to have claimed it as their territory, but she was inclined to at least scare it off since the mangroves weren't all that far from the pack and she knew her sister's very young pups were running around like crazy. She gave him a questioning look, wondering what he'd want to do.

"Briar Fatalis"

Although his proper training with Sirius had yet to begin, Artorias appreciated his chance to get to explore and thrive in places that weren't just his home. Seeing the lands he had been born in, meeting the new wolves of the Armada, and getting to spend more time with Briar made the time he spent away all the more worthwhile. He matched her smile as the two of them strode briskly past the Armada borders and out into a lush mangrove. He loved exploring the world, and the fact that Briar knew that and took his interests into consideration warmed his heart. He snickered when her lips met his cheek, turning to catch hers in a quick kiss before she retreated away again. Now that they were back together and things between them were right once more, his world once more felt in harmony and balance.

Artorias followed her lead over unturned roots and hopped from island to island across little streams that cut through the mangrove. He had never been here before, so getting to see somewhere so close to where he'd been born and still find all new things to discover was a thrill! He wondered where Briar was leading him to and had been about to ask when a low, intimidating growl rumbled above the gentle ripple of moving water. Artorias' eyes snapped in the direction of the sound, following Briar's gaze to see the flash of orange through the dense foliage. He had never seen a normal tiger before, but it was reminiscent of a more vibrant and smaller saber cat, and he had plenty of experience with those.

Briar gave him a curious look and Artorias motioned towards it with a fire in those amber eyes. While the big cat posed no immediate threat to them right now, there was no guarantee it wouldn't try something once their backs were turned, and with its close proximity to the Armada and the tiny pups running around it, fighting it off seemed like the better option. While he hadn't brought his armor on his trip, Artorias had brought Embershard, the wolf seldom ever parting from his cherished gift from his late mother. He turned back to face the tiger, gripping the hilt of his sword and drawing it as silently as possible while he squared off against the tiger, staring at it through the branches and growling his own challenge in response. He was trying to goad the tiger out to face them—or to intimidate it to turn and flee.

"Artorias Carpathius"

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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As soon as Art glanced back at her with that signature fiery glance she knew they would be choosing the fight instead of flight option. She smirked and fixed her gaze on the tiger as it stalked them through the trees. She loved how they knew each other so well that they could communicate without a word. Her ear flicked back toward him at the subtle but familiar sound of him drawing Embershard to ready for the fight or to at least scare the tiger off. She waited till he squared off with the tiger and she saw the feline's eyes fix on him as it continued to draw closer. Once she was no longer the focus she began to sink back, ducking behind one of the trees so that she could creep around until she was facing the tiger's hip.

She waited, coiled and ready until the moment that she saw the tiger about to leap toward Artorias. She charged forward then, keeping her head low and jabbing her antlers toward the tiger's thigh, piercing the vibrant, striped pelt and making the big cat give a roaring yeowl of pain. She quickly pulled back and jumped out of the way before it could round on her with a swipe of its giant paw. It ended up sending her splashing through one of the streams and splattered mud up her legs, but that was better than getting tiger claws to the chest.

"Briar Fatalis"

When it became apparent that the tiger was not going to back down, Artorias instead shifted to try and hold the feline's focus while Briar maneuvered her way around to the big cat's side. He spun Embershard in his grasp, letting the light catch off the shiny steel blade and distract the tiger further while the two stood off against one another. The tiger bared its teeth, lithe muscles twitching and rolling while it prepared to pounce. Artorias readied himself, nerves steeled and prepared to strike. Then, just before the attack came, Briar charged at the cat's hips and drove her antlers into its flesh, making the tiger give a pained yowl and swing for the young fae instead. Artorias seized his opportunity, closing the few feet of space between them and bringing his sword up with a flourish. The blade sliced cleanly up through the tiger's neck, decapitating the predator in one fell swoop. The tiger's body collapsed to the ground, its tail twitching in its death throes while the body died.

Artorias wiped his sword clean and sheathed it before turning towards Briar. He didn't think the cat had managed to get her, but he had to be sure. "Are you okay? Did it get you?" He gently took Briar's face in his paws, turning her head this way, then that to inspect her face, neck, and chest for any wounds. She was damp from her stumble into the stream, but thankfully otherwise seemed unhurt. Breathing a sigh of relief, Artorias fixed Briar with a smile and held her face while he brought his lips to hers into a soft kiss. "Nice moves, Deer Girl," he said with a chuckle, then released her cheeks and glanced back at the tiger. "Do you wanna keep the pelt, or should we just leave it here?"

"Artorias" | "Corbin"

Briar braced herself to face off with the tiger as it turned to face her, its attention drawn to her after stabbing its thigh. But it loosing interest in Artorias ended up being its undoing as the second it looked away the Hallows heir caught the tiger's neck with his sword, cutting through the tiger's neck. She blinked as the tiger's head went rolling across the ground, landing in one of the many streams while its body fell to the ground with a thud. "That was efficient," she commented with a chuckle, standing up properly again. She climbed out of the stream it had backed her into and shook off her legs while Artorias cleaned off Embershard. Between the mud on her legs and the blood on her antlers she'd need a bath when they got back, but they were going to be going to the beach anyway so perhaps a swim would resolve that issue.

Her boyfriend came over to her once he was done putting away his weapon, making her smirk and chuckle as he fretted over her and examined her for wounds. "No, it didn't get me. I'm fine," she insisted, but didn't resist as he moved her head around to take a closer look at her. She returned his kiss with a smile, her tail wagging gently as he seemed to accept that she was actually fine. She gave him a mostly playful glare when he called her Deer Girl, replying, "You too, Blue Boy." She glanced at the tiger's corpse when he asked about keeping the pelt and after a moment of consideration answered, "Maybe we can stop on the way back and skin it. I don't know if I feel like carrying a tiger pelt along on our beach day."

"Briar Fatalis"

Artorias gave a simple nod when Briar said they could come claim the tiger's pelt on their way back since she didn't want to carry the pelt all day. That was understandable. He definitely wanted to make sure his girlfriend had something flashy for her bed and a memento of their day together, so they would definitely have to come back this way later. "All right, then let's keep heading to the bay then, gorgeous!" he said, flashing her another wide, toothy grin and motioned with his paw for her to continue leading the way. Hopefully this would be the only hitch they'd hit today, and he could enjoy his time with Briar undistracted.

"Artorias Carpathius"

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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