After being back in the Armada lands for about a week, now that the herbs Lia gave her had done their job and she had adjusted back to living in the cold once more, she had focused most of her time and efforts on doing patrols of the pack lands and adding various supplies and things she found during small exertions to the pack's supplies. With the stuff that she was able to gather and hunt combined with the items Artorias brought up from Auster for them their supplies were looking far less dire than they had after the flood. There wasn't as many luxuries as there had been - no soaps or oils, the selection of meats was a bit more narrowed down, the options of furs was a little more slim than it once had been - but there was plenty for them to survive off of.

That had been enough to keep her distracted and keep her mind from spinning and spiraling as it tended to do for at least a few days. Spending time with Lia and Kotori in the last week or so had helped as well, but her thoughts always ended up landing on the same frustrations and she was just about at the end of her rope. She was tired of being quietly angry and feeling so incredibly unsatisfied. She was tired of promises that never came true and feeling like she was loyal and obligated to a family that didn't give her the same in return. If she had never met Artorias and she had never seen what real loyalty and care looked like from his family maybe she wouldn't be as bothered, but the comparison ate away at her and she had had enough.

She decided to wait until the next morning after she decided to finally confront her father on her thoughts, letting herself simmer down and collect her thoughts before she went into this. Yes, she was frustrated and tired of the way things were, but she also needed to be able to talk to him in a way that wouldn't inadvertently cause an issue for her down the line. After having some breakfast and grooming her fur into place, she parted ways with Lia and went to go find her father on her own. It took a bit to find him, but when she did she approached him saying, "Dad? Is now a good time?"

"Briar Fatalis"

The Warlord always had time for his children, and put down the carcass he had been skinning as he turned to her. “Of course, Briar, what can I do for you?” he asked as he rubbed the blood from his paws in the grass beside him. Resupplying the Armada had been a long and tedious job, but they had come together and done it. The Warlord had been at it almost every day himself, but others had supplied fish and coats and meats that went a long way to resupplying the pack.

“Is this about Art?” he wondered. Lia had been vague about the woman's reason for taking off to the Hallows, but they were in a relationship. He understood and gave them some leeway to learn and grow together as they needed to.


"Sirius"

She waited as her father wiped off his paws and turned away from his task of skinning one of his kills, settling back onto her haunches and getting her thoughts in order. For so long it felt like she was just screaming into the void and not being heard and she was tired of it. She had to figure out a way to say how she was feeling that might actually sink in instead of just having him agree and immediately forget as soon as something else came up. She gave a little shake of her head when he asked if it was about Artorias. "No. It's not." With a soft sigh she realized he didn't really know the extent of what had happened or how Art was doing now so she added, "He's okay. He was in a really deadly fight with someone that had assaulted Gwynevere, but he made it back home and has mostly recovered now. His sister sent a bird to get me so I could be with him while he recovered and I stayed long enough for him to get back on his feet. He's also taken over as the primary alpha - Ulric is his second until the summer." Even though that wasn't her focus today she supposed he'd want to be kept up to date on what was happening with Artorias either way.

Moving on, she said, "Besides that... I came to talk to you because I am frustrated with how things have been and I'm tired of just living with it. It's making me angry just living here and since I doubt you'll let me leave any time soon I need to say something." Her ears flicked as she focused on keeping herself composed, holding herself with her shoulders back as she looked at her father. "There have been too many occasions where promises have been made and broken. Back in the summer after I came back from The Hallows after I hid there to get over you biting me you said we would do something for our birthdays toward the end of the season and that never happened. When I spoke to mom after she returned she promised that she would plan something and that she would talk to Artorias and get his help with it. Neither of those things happened though the entire fall. I don't even want the celebration any more. Having it now would just feel like it was out of obligation or guilt. It's just the fact that both of you promised to do something multiple times and never followed through that has bothered me.

Not only that, but you said we would work on diplomatic trips and trading together and that has yet to happen. I barely got any assistance when I was training to fight and had to figure most of it out on my own with a little help from Mortis and Artorias, but I thought maybe you might help me with how to lead a pack the way you did Artorias since you know I'm going to be leading The Hallows with him. Maybe you don't see it this way, but from where I'm sitting it feels like so much was given to my older siblings and it feels like me and my litter were never a priority of any kind and I'm tired of making excuses for you. I'm not the little girl that just wanted to comfort you because I knew how heart broken you were over mom being gone any more. I just kept brushing things under the rug for you. Even you biting me! You acted like I should just be able to be okay with it and never tried to apologize or make amends or anything. You could have killed me and I just forgave you because of the stress you were under. When mom came back I really hoped things would be different, but they're not and if anything that just makes it worse."

By the time she was done with the words that kept rolling off her chest, frustrated tears had collected in her eyes and she blinked them away with a huff. Her claws were gripping the frozen ground, but they were unnoticeable thanks to the snow collected around them. Dancing around the issue had gotten her no where and she didn't know if being more direct would help either, but at least now he knew how she was feeling. She looked away from him with a flick of her ears, adding, "I don't think there's anything to do or fix right now, but... I needed to at least tell you how I was feeling if I'm going to continue living here until the summer."

"Briar Fatalis"

The Warlord watched quietly as the young woman spoke her piece, laying it all out before him. His heart, which already weighed heavily in his chest, sank even lower. Her words hurting more than he could ever say. He wasn’t even aware that she knew something might happen in regards to a birthday celebration. “The birthday celebration is something your mother wished to throw for you - with my full support. But… her recovery and healing hasn’t progressed very much since she returned to us, Briar. She wants big things for the people she loves, but she’s struggling to integrate herself back into this pack. To eat, and live. At this point… I don’t know how to help her, and I don’t think she wants you guys to know how badly she’s doing.” She might be back, but, in some ways it still didn’t feel like it. She was a shadow after the abuse she suffered. He regretted that the celebration stood as another broken promise between them.

“As for diplomacy… The pack pulled together and recovered to the point we didn’t need to go to other packs for supplies - which is my preference. Not to broadcast our weaknesses.” He took a long, slow breath, and got to his feet. “What you want is honesty - well, I'm not the energetic wolf I was when I began this pack. I’m no longer a new leader, and a new father. I feel… old. Briar. With your mothers almost death, with her slow, ongoing recovery, with not knowing if she ever will. With the hurt I have given to those I love, and the hurt they have given to me. The people I’ve lost. You're right, I’m letting too much slip through the cracks these days.” He shook his head, and reached out a paw, clasping it over hers. “Maybe I’m an old relic of another day, but you deserve the full support and everything your old man can offer.” He blinked a few times, trying to wash down his emotions. “I love you, Briar, and I am sorry for the hurts I have given you.’ he brushed a paw past her scar. “I am sorry I did not help you as I should have with your training. Pack a to-go bag, Briar. We have some diplomacy lessons to cover today.” they didn’t need supplies, but his daughter wanted the lessons. So lessons, she would get.

"Sirius"

Briar brought her gaze back up to her father's as he began to speak about how her mother did actually want to throw this party for them and how she had been struggling to recoverr since she returned. It did make her feel slightly bad for complaining, but even with these additional road blocks the fact that Artorias was here for the entire autumn and her mother never spoke to him like she said she would even after she introduced the two of them still stung. Besides, how was she to know that her mother was struggling if she was never told or asked to help? It was never really about the party anyway. It was never really about the special gifts her older siblings had gotten that she and her siblings never received. It was just about feeling noticed by her parents and she hated that it took forcing him to look at her and listen to her grievances for her to get his attention.

Her ears flicked as he pointed out how they no longer needed to speak to the other packs about supplies since they had all done well enough to restore what they had lost and as he went on to talk about how old he felt. She was preparing herself for him to say that there wouldn't be the trips he had originally promised since they were no longer needed or perhaps because he didn't feel up to it and she braced herself for another disappointment - until he reached a paw out to cover hers and spoke about how she deserved his full support. She blinked with surprise and refocused her turquoise eyes on his blue. She couldn't remember another time she had heard him actually apologize but now she had heard him do it twice - once for the hurts he caused and once for not helping with her training.

As much as she appreciated hearing him say it, words were still just words and it would take him making an active effort to do better going forward to actually mend things between them, but him telling her to get a bag together so they could cover some lessons was a good start. She sighed softly and gave him a little smile as she got to her paws. At least she could find a bit of comfort in knowing that she had done what she could. Whatever happened going forward wasn't on her and she could rest a bit easier knowing that he at least knew where she stood and there would no longer be this nagging frustration in the back of her mind. "Don't worry about the birthday party, dad," she said softly, stepping forward to tap her nose against his cheek. "It's not the party I want. If mom still really wants to throw a party maybe suggest she do it in the summer as a second birthday party... having one for our first birthdays would be strange now."

She was about to turn to go gather up some supplies, but she paused, looking back to him. "Also... you're not that old and you're not a relic. We keep coming to you for training and advice for a reason... I'm sure you have so many stories I've never gotten to hear. Maybe you can tell me some while we're training. I'd like that a lot." She glanced at the half skinned animal behind him and nodded to it, saying, "Do you want some help finishing that and then we can go over to the dens to pack a bag? Or I can go get the bag together while you do that." She had a small hope that maybe she just didn't fully understand her father this whole time and that's why she was so frustrated, but at this point she was just happy with what she could get and hopefully this time together would help them learn each other a little better.

"Briar Fatalis"

He leaned into the gesture, grateful for it. It was a quiet promise that he had not lost her yet. He kissed her cheek, and returned her small smile. “Perhaps it will be for the coming of age of you lot, as you decide your places in the world. As Queen of the Hallows, for some.” he said. He did not like to give up his members, he especially did not like to give up his family. But he knew in his heart of hearts that this was exactly what she wanted in life. To lead the Hallows beside Art.

As for him not being an old relic - he just gave her another small smile. A creeping part of him had been wondering if it was time he stepped back and gave this world to the younger generation. She turned his attention back to the carcass, and he opened maw to say that it would be efficient for her to pack her back while he finished it off. Then, he closed it again instead. “How much have you practised at being nimble with those claws of yours?” he asked instead, grabbing the corpse and dragging it into the space between them.


"Sirius"

Briar nodded in agreement when he mentioned how it could be a coming of age celebration for them instead. That felt much better than dragging out a belated birthday that was now shrouded in so much frustration, at least for her. It would be nice to have one last thing all together with her family before she moved away. Even though Armada and The Hallows would probably always be close and friendly and she was sure to get visits from him occasionally - especially after she and Artorias decided to start a family - she was till moving to a different continent a whole day of travel away so it did feel a little bit like she would be saying goodbye. A grin pulled across her features as he mentioned her future title, feeling a bit of pride bloom in her chest. She was feeling much more confident about taking on the role than she once had, but she'd feel even more worthy once she did some training in diplomacy and pack relations. She really felt like that could be the section of the pack that she could help the most in when she was supporting Artorias and The Hallows so the more she could learn the better.

She could see him considering her question over what she should do between helping him with the carcass he was skinning and going to start packing things for a trip, but eventually he pulled the carcass between them and asked how nimble she was with her claws. She chuckled softly and replied, "Well enough for them to be a good weapon so I can probably handle some skinning." She settled down with her father, following his lead and mimicking his movements as they continued to skin the animal, picking up the work where he had left off. It got her to thinking about the last time she had really put her claws to work, remembering the attack that she had interrupted with Lia had been raped.

Her brow creased at the thought and spoke while she worked since she hadn't had the chance to bring it up to her father yet. "You know, it seems like there's been a lot of attacks lately... Or at least a few back to back. Gwynevere getting assaulted, the fight Art was in that turned south... And Lia was attacked while she was out several weeks ago. I fought the guy off and Lia was okay, but it just makes me wonder where all of this is coming from and why wolves do these things." She was very obviously being exposed to more and more of the darker side of the world and her rational side was trying to put logic behind something that had none.

"Briar Fatalis"

“Excellent” He agreed as she settled down and got to work with him. The two of them could have made quick work of the carcass, but Sirius worked slowly and methodically, savoring the moment of working beside his daughter. She was right, she could definitely handle some skinning, and her claws made neat lines across the carcass.

As he pulled the skin free and draped it over the drying rack, Briar began to speak. He looked at his daughter with a heavy frown. “Yes, you mentioned Art was attacked and recovering - I’m surprised someone managed to pull a fast one over him” and extremely displeased that someone had hurt his godson. Perhaps he ought to get down there himself and check on the boy.

“Lia was attacked as well?” he shook his head with a soft growl. He hadn’t heard anything of that attack. “I dearly hope this isn’t a sign of a bad batch of wolves setting up in town.” He said, unhappy with what he was hearing. “You be careful taking those crossings to the Hallows Briar, I couldn’t bare it if something happened to you.” and that right there should have spoke volumes at what her earlier speech meant to him. That he would not simply forbid her. She was be two soon, she was beginning to be an adult in this world. That didn’t mean the urge to keep her safe wouldn’t always be there.

Briar nodded in agreement when her father mentioned that he was surprised the man Art had fought had managed to pull a fast one on the new Hallows Aegis. She had been equally surprised - especially knowing what she knew about the extent of what had happened to Artorias in the fight. Art was a fantastic fighter and the fact that someone was able to best him, do what he did, and take his sword still didn't sit right with her. It was hard to imagine anyone besting him, but it had happened. She had full confidence that Art would get the revenge he no doubt craved one of these days - she just hoped he was smarter about it this time around. It still bothered her that he just ran head first into the fight with no backup, but that was something that couldn't be changed now.

She gave another nod when he questioned Lia's attack. She had kept that attack pretty quiet just for Lia's privacy over it and since no real damage had been done, but it was still something that kept her pretty close to her handmaiden's side and had Willow continue to follow her whenever she wasn't near by. Briar could protect herself, but until Lia learned to do the same she wasn't going to leave Lia unattended, especially not with such dangerous brutes around. She gave another nod when he told her to be careful in her trips to and from The Hallows and it wasn't until she went to respond that she caught the fact that he didn't tell her not to go because of everything that was going on - just to be careful.

Briar blinked as she processed that and a little smile pulled at her lips. She knew how protective he was, she knew how much he wanted to keep all of his family close. It was one of the reasons why she had been dreading having to officially ask him to leave the pack because of the fear that he would put up a fight about it. The fact that he still acknowledged her freedom to do the things she wanted to do and just expressed his concern as any father undoubtedly would made her really happy. She got up and moved closer to him, pressing her nose to his cheek. "I'll be careful, I promise. I always am. And I've gotten to be a damn good fighter too," she added with a bit of a proud grin. "Maybe we can spar sometime and I can show you... As long as you're still up for a fight, old man," she teased with a chuckle, giving him a bright grin. She still doubted she could ever beat her father, but her self doubt had been chased away with the hours and hours of training she had put into her skills and the love and support she had received from wolves like Artorias, Aslatiel, Mortis, and Lia. They had built her up and now she felt like she could finally start standing on her own four paws.

"Briar Fatalis"