Haiku didn’t often walk the halls of the castle alone. He didn’t truly belong, and he was well aware of that fact. The boy much preferred Bowen as his escort, no questions were asked or too hard of glances given. Mostly the pair of them were outside pack lands, but he hadn’t been able to deny coming back to the castle for sleepovers. Bowen asked him to meet with Artorias. She asked him to stay with her here, he’d need to acquaint himself at the very least with her brother and the alpha.

He felt nervous about the meeting though, with the nature of their relationships with Bowen Haiku had no idea what to expect. Except perhaps that Artorias would be an impressive man. The young Destruction tried not to let his thoughts run away with him as he paced down the halls. Haiku was on his way towards the main hall late that afternoon. Haiku made himself presentable, had a nice bath, and kind of combed his wild locks. All but made a late lunch and got a present for the man.

Making a bad impression was everything Haiku was trying to avoid. What he wanted the most was to make sure Bowen was happy. He’d seen her tears and the desperation of her lowest points. She didn’t deserve the hell she was put through and Haiku would do anything to see her smile instead for the rest of her life. That included being friendly and making a good impression with the other man who loved her. He took a deep breath as he lowered himself to his haunches by the hearth, hopeful to catch the alpha on his way back into the castle.

Sccccchink! The sound of the whetstone running down the blade of the old sword was the only sound in the armory besides the crackle of the fire in the forge. A look of hard focus and perseverance adorned Artorias' face as he ran the stone down the sword again and again, sharpening its edges and point to the greatest lethality. Each stroke that honed the blade came with a flashback of his mortal nemesis with it; the bastard's sick smile, his laugh, his teeth and claws... But the part that hurt the most was the loss of his sword. Embershard was in the paws of a monster that had terrorized his family, probably stashed away like a trophy, or sold off for whatever the fucker liked to spend money on. His heart wrenched to realize he would never see his sword again. It made Artorias feel useless, powerless, like he'd failed his family. Worse, he'd failed his mother and dishonored her memory when he lost the gift she'd given him on the verge of death.

Satisfied with his work, Artorias set the whetstone down and hefted the sword up in his jaws. The balance was all off, the leather wrapping was peeling away on the hilt, and it just felt... wrong. Artorias gave a couple of experimental swings, then felt the leather binding rip against his teeth and he lost his grip, the sword clattering to the stone floor. The dark-furred brute glowered at the sword as if it offended him simply by existing, then swatted it away with a bang of metal against stone. He growled in frustration and anger, stalking his way out of the armory. No matter what he did to try and replace his sword, nothing fit, nothing felt right, and it just reminded him of what a failure and an imposter he was. He was no knight.

As if the fates conspired to somehow make his mood even worse, Artorias saw the form of the large brown and white stranger sitting before the great hearth, seemingly waiting for someone. No doubt his sister, he was sure. A frown pulled at the wolf's lips, and for a brief moment he considered simply walking by without saying a word, but then what kind of alpha and host would he be? Sure, this wolf might not have been invited into the Hallows per the laws of the pack, but he was still here, the Hallows had been meant to be open to all, and he was someone of importance to Bowen. The least he could do was be cordial. Striding across the stone floor with his clicking claws echoing around the vast empty hall, Artorias regarded the stranger with a nod of his head and guarded eyes.

"Sir," he greeted the stranger. "If you're looking for Bowen, you might try the beach. She's very fond of the ocean."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

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 Artorias entered the great hall Haiku knew who he was. The Destruction boy could have been considered naive more often than not but he had his perceptive moments. It wasn’t difficult to pick up on the confidence in his gait or the way he held himself. Across all of the pack leaders he had seen and met, which was relatively few but he counted his dad even though he wasn’t an alpha anymore. They had a different swagger to their stride.

Haiku’s bright gaze lifted to the young man as he approached, he lowered his head in respect as the man directed him. At least he knew what he was, if not his name. He tried not to think too hard about if it was Bowen not mentioning his name, or Artorias forgetting it. It didn’t matter, Haiku was here as a guest, he didn’t want to cause any undue trouble. The fire eyed man before him cared about Bowen, they had the same goal and that was all that mattered, not his preconceived notions.

”Hey, uh…” Haiku started eloquently. ”I mean. Yeah, Bowen really loves the ocean doesn’t she?” He took a breath to try and steady his heart as his face flushed. ”I mean, actually. You. For you... I uh. ...I was looking for you.” The boy very nearly placed his palm to his forehead in defeat. Talk about a first impression, Artorias probably already thought he was an idiot.

Artorias would have been content to just exchange pleasantries with the stranger in his home and gone about his day, but the dark brown wolf's words gave him cause to stop and linger for a moment longer. Haiku bowed his head, a sign of respect, and something Artorias was still getting accustomed to. It was strange feeling like he was in a position that called for respect when he'd never consider himself greater than any wolf. Art gave a soft hum of agreement when the wolf mentioned Bowen loving the ocean. No doubt he also knew where that passion came from, though he'd never discuss Bowen's history out loud with another in such a public venue. The other boy looked positively nerve-racked to be in his presence and was stumbling over his own words. It was clear he was nervous about this encounter and trying to hard to think about how to respond.

What took the young alpha by surprise though was when the stranger claimed he was looking for him. Artorias raised a curious brow. For me? What could this wolf want to say to him? He had a hunch, but he wouldn't make assumptions about anyone's motives without proper evidence. "Well, your search is over," Artorias remarked with a wry smirk. It was a little forced, given that he was still talking to the wolf whom he only knew through the loud moans that he heard coming from his sister's bedroom at all hours of the day, but he was willing to hear the Abaven wolf out. Though he supposed finding out the wolf's name would be a good start. In their time together, Bowen had been too preoccupied to tell him that small detail. "What can I do for you?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

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.
____________________

Haiku would have been much more comfortable ignoring the alpha and Bowen’s lover for the rest of his life. He hadn’t actually expected the awkwardness level to be this high, yeah he was still wading through his emotions but Artorias was one of those wolves that looked like he had everything figured out. There was no misstep in his paws or a moment to misspeak. Unlike Haiku who could hardly even articulate himself standing here. Haiku felt incredibly inferior at that moment. If Bowen had Artorias’s love, an alpha, a wolf confident with his place in the world, how could he even compare?

He tried, very hard, to hold himself like he knew what he was doing, or he was far more confident than he felt. Bowen deserved the best of him, and now that he met Artorias he realized why she would need the man before him. He’d already revealed his uneasiness, but he made the attempt to act like a real wolf. This was for Bowen.

”Well, uh.. Bowen asked me to meet you.” He admitted softly, knowing that he’d endure this a thousand times for the girl he loved. ”Maybe friendship is a little far-fetched, but I’d hoped to get along well.” For her. Haiku had never been a jealous wolf, but meeting Artorias now well and truly made him feel like he was bottoms up and upside down.

The look of apprehension and nervousness in his guest's eyes didn't escape Artorias' observant gaze. The yearling wolf was trying his hardest to be cordial and polite, but he was so clearly feeling out of his element. Honestly, it made Artorias like the lad a little more. He was genuine with his emotions, didn't try to stuff them away or masquerade as something he wasn't. Although the wolf was an in or two taller than he was, Artorias was able to hold the young brute's eyes without needing to tilt his head. A little smirk crossed his lips. Bowen had a thing for larger men, it seemed.

The stranger stammered out a response that Bowen had asked him to meet her brother, and expressed his hope that they could get along. Another thoughtful murmur escaped the Aegis' lips while he contemplated that. Bowen wanted them to get along, just like how he wanted Briar and Bowen to get along for him. All four of them were navigating this strange relationship and learning to live together in harmony. "And why would friendship be farfetched?" he asked with a look back to the wolf. "Because we're both in love with the same wolf, and she's in love with us?" He was curious to know Haiku's opinion on their situation. Was he bothered by the fact that the siblings were in love with one another, or the fact that he couldn't have Bowen all to himself, just like Bowen couldn't have Artorias all to herself?

With a flick of his muzzle, Artorias told the wolf, "Take a walk with me." There was much they needed to discuss and talk about. As lovers to the same woman, as a Hallowed wolf to an Abavenian, and as an alpha to his guest. Artorias led Bowen's paramour out to the castle courtyard, wandering along the stone terrace before taking the steps down into the gardens. Flowerbeds were in full bloom with a cacophony of colors, and the wisteria trees draped long purple-flowered tendrils down like waterfalls around their trunks. "Bowen never told me your name," he explained after a moment of walking, casting gold-flecked amber eyes back to his company. "Though I suppose I never bothered to ask her either. How about we start there?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"

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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