Artorias wasn't drunk. That suit of armor had jumped out at him. He definitely didn't stumble or walk into it, no sir. It didn't matter that he'd had almost two whole bottles of wine on his own through the course of the feast. He was fiiiiine, really! Oh, wait, when did he end up on the floor? Artorias gave a huff through his nostrils and blinked his eyes, trying to focus his swirling vision as he stared across the planes of the stone floor in the corridor. Where was he? The corridor outside the great hall, right? Why was he out here again? Artorias tried to rack his drunken brain for the answers. He remembered wine—lots and lots of wine—and food. He remembered some of the wolves leaving for bed. Most of the wolves. All of the wolves. The feast had ended. That's right, the feast was over! Almost every Hallowed wolf had gone to bed, only a couple stragglers remaining to pick at the remains of the meats and leftover wine in the warmth of the great hall. Artorias had watched everyone leave, some alone and some together. Tika with Audra, Ezra with Syanna, Tamsyn with Kane, Ulric with Eska... all the couples and loners.

A memory suddenly sparked in his brain. That was why he'd drunk so much! Artorias had felt painfully lonely without Briar at his side and having to watch the others enjoying the feast with their significant others. But none had stung quite like seeing Bowen hanging smitten over Haiku while they snuggled off to the side. Don't get him wrong; Artorias wasn't jealous or anything. He was happy for Bowen after all! He just saw how they were together and wished that it was him Bowen was cuddling up with. That wasn't jealousy... right? Artorias blinked his eyes a few times while the world shifted around him, trying to force that memory back into the alcoholic haze while his equilibrium basically became nonexistent. He chewed on his lip, placing both front paws firmly to the floor and hoisting himself back up. It was far from a graceful rise, the Aegis looking more like a deer trying to stand for the first time while he got to his paws and wobbled side to side. At least he was up again.

Artorias stumbled and shambled his way down the corridor, large paws swaying to and fro with each step. Somehow he managed to make his way to the foyer without falling or crashing into anything again, which was a godsend. Bleary amber eyes gazed up the grand staircase to where his bedroom waited, the stairs seeming to grow and shift almost like they were alive and breathing. Now that wasn't fair! Since when did the stairs move? Ohhh boy, this is gonna be fun... he thought while he took the first few unsteady steps towards the stairs. Maybe if he just tried to crawl his way up to his room he wouldn't have to worry about falling. At least this late at night, no one would be around to see him make a fool of himself. Everyone else was either asleep or fucking or getting plastered in the great hall. Beginning his ascend, Artorias tried to time his steps with each shift of the stairs, staring straight down at them as he climbed. These stairs wouldn't be tricking him tonight!

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "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.
____________________

Yes, Bowen had been with Haiku for the majority of the feast, but that was because Artorias was Aegis and he had entertaining to do. All the wolves of The Hallows had wanted his attention at one point or another. As she spent time with her chocolate and snow lover, she did steal glances at her black and blue brother, noting his deteriorating condition as the night moved on. All through the night she locked eyes with the man, keeping tabs on him, lest he overdo it. In the end, Haiku was tired and the pair had left the hall. Many of the other wolves followed suit.

Haiku had had a bit to drink, but Bowen wasn't a drinker. Not anymore. She'd been forced to imbibe in too many spirits on the ships that she'd sailed and the drink had lost its wonder and draw. The pair of lovers had fallen asleep beside one another shortly after reaching their room. It was only later when a loud clatter shook the castle that Bowen was roused from sleep. What on earth...

Peeling herself from Haiku's side, the Carpathian woman crept from her chamber and down the stone stairwell. Coming around a bend, she came face to face with none other than Artorias, faceplanted on his way up the stairs. Glancing behind him, she could see the pieces of armor littering the doorway to the great hall. A sigh pulled from Bowen and she rolled her viridian eyes before padding down the stairs. "Let's get you up to bed, big brother." Though significantly smaller, Bowen used her slender frame as leverage to get Artorias on his paws. She stayed beside him, allowing him to lean against her as they made their way slowly but surely up the stairs to the second floor. Her rooms were up above, but Haiku was already asleep and her brother clearly needed her attention. She had to at least get him into bed.

Down the hall the pair went, Bowen hushing her sibling when he became a little too boisterous and loud. She wasn't terribly annoyed with him. He deserved to have a good time and he had clearly done just that. Once they traversed the long, dark hall, Bowen raised one sable coated paw to push the wooden door to Art's room open. Inside they slipped and she shut the door behind her for privacy's sake. No one needed to walk by and see their new Aegis puking his guts out into a bucket if that was to be the case.

"Into bed with you," the small fae commanded, though good naturedly. Bowen placed her forehead against her brother's rump and pushed, helping him up onto the thickly furred mattress of his bed. Once he was laying down, Bowen, still sitting on the stone floor, raised a paw and lightly brushed some dark fur away from her brother's eyes. "What am I going to do with you, huh?" With her chin on the edge of the bed, Bowen canted her head slightly, an amused look on her delicate features.

"Bowen Carpathius"

Artorias had thought he was doing a decent job at heading up the stairs on his own until he paused to look back and saw he'd made it all of three stairs in his drunken delirium. He scowled, frustrated by his lack of progress, then moved up to the next step. Only, whoops! Turns out it wasn't a real stair at all! Artorias' paw sank straight through the phantom step his mind had created, and the next thing the young brute knew, his chin was meeting the carpeted stairs, his body collapsing with a dull thud and nearly sliding back down to the floor. It didn't hurt anything more than his pride, and thank the gods no one was around to see his slip. Oh, wait, never mind, suddenly there were paws next to him. Fuck. Okay, so one wolf had seen his fall. The Aegis lifted his head with a little wobble, peering up with hazy amber eyes into familiar pools of verdant emerald. A grin slowly spread its way across his face. "Boooowen!" Artorias cooed with delight, overjoyed to see his sister he loved so much suddenly at his side. "When did... When did you get here?" Artorias glanced around the empty foyer, trying to figure out where she'd come from. Oh, right, the stairs. She'd probably been upstairs.

Bowen's words fell on mostly deaf ears, the big drunk black and blue brute acknowledging she was speaking to him, but not fully focusing on conversation right now. A nudge to his side caught Artorias' attention. He saw his littler sister using her body to urge him upright, and with her help he was back on his paws in no time. Getting up the stairs proved to be significantly easier with her there to guide him. He didn't have to guess which of the spinning stairs he was looking at were the real ones when she could point them out for him. He tried not to lean too much on her, not wanting to take Bowen down with his weight if he stumbled again. They made it to the second floor, then slowly down the candlelit hallways, all the while Artorias mumbling or singing to her and to himself as they went, only quieting for a short period whenever she would gently hush him.

Artorias stumbled into the dark of his bedroom, the fire dying down in the hearth and casting the bedroom in a faint orange glow and heavy shadows. It was fortunate that Artorias was not new to drink, or else he probably would have been ill by now. As it was, the dire brute was just very, very intoxicated, not quite to the point of vomiting or blacking out, but definitely past tipsy. A silly grin painted the young brute's face while clumsy paws wobbled about the floor, eventually making their way over to his large canopy bed. Another insistent nudge came to his rump, drawing a suggestive giggle from the drunk wolf, but he obeyed Bowen's command all the same, managing to hoist himself up onto the mattress strewn with soft alpaca blankets and warm furs. Artorias collapsed with a heavy sigh into his pillows, the world seeming to swim less now that he was lying down and still. He rolled to his side, facing Bowen while she brushed the fur from his eyes, gazing into those pools of green like she was the only thing that existed in the world to him. Even when the world was spinning, Bowen remained clear to him, his sole focus.

Bowen asked what she was going to do with him and a roguish grin crept slowly over Artorias' muzzle. Oh, he could think of a few things to suggest, and he was certain Bowen would be able to read his expression like an open book, but he didn't hide anything from her. They'd been exchanging looks all night from across the great hall, but even if it was only to snuggle, Artorias just wanted Bowen closer to him. "I dunno... wanna cuddle?" he mumbled with feigned innocence, repeating her own trick of waiting until her paw came back to brush his fur before tilting his muzzle and lashing his tongue out to briefly catch her delicate paw pads with his tongue. With his inhibitions all but gone, Artorias' more primal instincts had come to the forefront, and his desire and attraction for Bowen was all his alcohol-addled brain could focus on. Lifting a large blue paw, he lazily patted the plush mattress beside him, inviting Bowen up to join him in the comfort and warmth. "Please?" There was a little bit of longing in Artorias' plea, hoping Bowen wouldn't just deposit him in bed and go off on her own. He wanted her to stay—at least for a little while longer, so he wouldn't feel so alone.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

The playful, drunken actions of her inebriated brother brought soft chuckles and laughter from Bowen as she helped him up the long stairwell. They had to make frequent stops, but she didn't mind. Bo knew that she'd eventually get him where he needed to be. Art hummed a happy little tune and sang a little song here and there, all with her shushing him in between and reminding him that others were sleeping and that he needed to be quiet lest he woke them. In time, they made it to his chamber and Bowen shut the door behind them.

Artorias seemed in good spirits and not at all sick, thankfully. She would sit with him through the night if he was ill, but she would rather he didn't get that far. As the pair rested together, him on the bed, her on the stone floor with her chin on the mattress, Artorias fixed her with his golden eyes and she could see the thoughts form in his mind. He was easy to read, especially when his inhibitions were low. When she jokingly asked what she was going to do with him, of course he had an answer. Cuddling. He wanted to cuddle. Bowen smirked, one copper brow raising. He was cheeky, that was for sure. Haiku was asleep in her room and didn't know that she'd gone due to having his own drinks. It wouldn't be the first time that she'd slipped away to spend time with Artorias, so she was sure he'd understand. Still, she imagined that her drunken sibling would pass out on his own soon and she would simply go back to her own room.

Then Art slid his tongue along her soft, pink pads. Damn him... Bowen's gaze instantly took on that lustful glaze and her innards clenched hard. She knew what he wanted and she couldn't deny that she wanted it too. Her time back with the pack and in the company of her two lovers had helped to alleviate the urgency in her libido. She didn't need sex constantly anymore, but she wanted it often. It was an easy feat to flip the switch of her lust and both Haiku and Artorias knew just how to do it. He went a step further and begged with a soft please. Bowen was audibly fixated by nature. The sounds of her lovers could raise her to heights of passion like nothing else. Their words, their sighs, their groans and growls. Sweet nothings and rough everythings. The claret and cream fae looked at her brother for one long moment, then stood and left the room without a word.

Moments later she returned with a small bucket of water, the handle grasped lightly between her teeth. Bowen placed the water before Artorias. "Drink. You're going to need it." She pushed the bucket between his paws on the mattress. "Besides, if you think I'm kissing you with your mouth all winey..." She shrugged, brows lifting. She was toying with him, of course, but it would be nice if he had a clean mouth to taste. And she definitely planned on tasting it.

"Speech"

The shift in Bowen's deep green eyes when he began to tease her in turn for all the suggestive stares and winks she'd shot his way from across the great hall was obvious, and even in his inebriated state, Artorias could see the glazed over look of lust smoldering in her emerald gaze. It was the look she wore so well and the look he loved seeing on her face. It awoke something deep within him, something primal and raw, and with the help of the copious amounts of wine in his belly removing any inhibitions or restraints, he wanted the sweet caramel and cream fae before him in the most carnal way a brute could want a fae. For the longest moment neither Carpathian moved, the two siblings holding one another's gaze, the only sound in the room the soft crackles and snaps from the fading fire. Artorias gazed at Bowen with a deep-seated longing. He wanted her to say yes. He wanted her to stay so he could wrap her up in his arms and hold her close, knowing she'd never disappear from his life again.

In the end, Bowen didn't say yes. She didn't say a word, in fact, as she stood once more and hurried out of his room. Artorias lifted his head an inch to peer off after her, almost giving a soft whine to beg her not to go, but she'd vanished just as swiftly as she'd appeared on the stairs. Feeling even more confused in his drunken haze, Artorias started to wonder if he'd said something wrong. The large black and blue brute began to shift and rise, fighting through his spinning head to try and pursue Bowen and apologize for... whatever he'd done to make her run like that. But as he was righting himself and mustering up the physical will to get to his feet again, Bowen slipped quietly back into his room, closing the door behind her as she brought a bucket of water to him on the bed. She urged him to drink, tempting him with the promise of kisses, and when he looked at the cool water in the bucket, he realized just how thirsty he had been.

Artorias dunked his muzzle into the water, doing his absolute best not to spill it on his bed while he guzzled down mouthful after mouthful of the refreshing water, feeling each swallow ease his parched throat and wash away the lingering taste of wine from his palate. Artorias drank greedily, almost draining the bucket in one go before he emerged gasping softly for breath. A happy sigh passed his lips and he carefully lifted the bucket again to set it down on the floor beside the bed, saving some water for when they'd no doubt need it later. Amber eyes glazed with slow burning desire turned back to Bowen once more. She was teasing him, toying with him; he knew it and he enjoyed it.

"No more winey taste," he declared, words a little slower and slurred, but still coherent. He shifted closer to the edge of the bed, reaching a large paw up to gingerly caress Bowen's ivory cheek. For a long moment, Artorias just stared at her, eyes shining with a profound love. She looked beautiful always, but silhouetted in the dimming orange firelight, Bowen looked magical. Those rich verdant eyes seemed to glow and shine, making his heart miss beats and his pulse quicken. Sizable digits flexed to stroke over his sister's cheek, reveling in her presence after being deprived of her for nearly half of their lives. Artorias never wanted to let Bowen go ever again.

"You're so beautiful, Bowen..." murmured the smitten and intoxicated brute. "Te iubesc." He hoped that Bowen had been keeping up with her Carpathian lessons, otherwise his efforts to show his affection for the Carpathian woman would fall flat. It was a simple phrase, one that even his muddled brain could recall, and it was the first time he'd ever spoken it to another. It would have been so easily to simply lean forward and capture her lips in a kiss then and there, but Artorias and Bowen were cut from the same cloth, and he enjoyed teasing his sister back just as much. Slipping away to flop back onto the mattress with a grunt, Artorias shifted over and patted the bed once more to invite Bowen up to join him. He wanted to kiss her, yes, but he also wanted to wrap her up in his arms and hold every part of her close to him as he did so. Hanging off the edge of the bed didn't afford him that liberty.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

A grin found its way to Artorias' face the moment that she reentered the room. He then gladly stuck his whole head in the bucket and drank greedily of the water. The former seafarer had cared for enough drunken sailors to know how necessary water was after imbibing and she would care for her brother in the same manner. In the morning, she'd even fetch him breakfast if he was so inclined. It was all so... mundane. Just the two of them alone here, caring for him as though he was her own. Had time been kinder to them... Perhaps...

Lids slid closed over the fae's jungle colored eyes as she pushed the thought away. No matter how many times she thought of it, that path in life was forever lost. They both had to accept it, though perhaps she was having a slightly harder time accepting it. Especially in moments like these when they were together. And they worked so well together. Just the two of them locked away against the world that had done them so very much wrong in their short lives. Bowen was beyond thankful to have Artorias in her life again, no matter the capacity.

Once he'd quaffed as much water as needed, Artorias placed the bucket back on the ground. To keep it safe from spilling, Bo pushed it a little further from the bed. Who knew what they'd be getting up to? Couldn't risk knocking it over. As she turned back to her brother, one big paw slid forward to cup her cheek. Her eyes never left his, but she leaned into that touch, pouring every ounce of her love for him into those verdant depths. His words met her ears and the delicate auds shifted, sliding forward to catch every syllable of their mother's native tongue. Yes, she'd been keeping up on her lessons. Bowen had a knack for languages and they came to her easily. She wasn't an expert in Romanian by any means, but she had a decent grasp. Enough to answer the black and blue giant on the bed. "Ai inima mea, frate." And he did. She shared her heart between Artorias and Haiku. Her emotions would forever be torn between them, but in this moment, her heart was all for the man upon the wide, inviting bed.

She wanted his lips against her own. He'd gone through the trouble to wash the wine from his mouth, after all. Better not let such efforts go to waste. Ah, but he teased her in turn, pulling away to sprawl back upon the cushions and furs. His paw gave a little beckoning pet and she would not keep him waiting. Still, Bowen's eyes never left the golden pools of Artorias as her lithe frame leaped effortlessly onto the bed, the plush surface barely giving beneath her meager weight. With him laying on his back like that, just staring at her with lust filled orbs, she couldn't deny him. She never wanted to deny him. Moving slowly towards the prone man, Bowen didn't lay beside him. Instead, she continued to stand, but walked over him, straddling his big body as best as she could. Their chests touched and if the heat in her eyes could cause harm, Artorias would have been burned alive.

One paw raised to gently rake through the thicker fur on the side of his neck, her claws lightly grazing the skin beneath. She didn't kiss him. Not yet. Bowen simply stared, taking in the sight of the amazing man before her. That they were siblings didn't matter to either of them. What mattered to her was that, every time she looked at him, she knew that he'd never given up on her. It was all there in his gilded gaze, laid bare for her eyes alone. He never gave up and when she was returned to them, he welcomed her back as though time had never passed. For that alone, she would love him to the ends of time and beyond.

Then she kissed him. Lids sliding to conceal grassy pools, Bowen used her paw to slide under her brother's jaw, lightly directing his muzzle upwards where she claimed it with her own. Gentle pressure parted his obsidian lips and her tongue slid within, dancing over teeth, gums and tongue. There were still remnants of wine, but it wasn't an unpleasant taste. This was very much Artorias and she lost herself within his flavor.

"Bowen" | "Carpathian"

The words of their mother's language sounded especially eloquent and lyrical in Bowen's voice. The phrase she spoke to him took a moment for his alcohol-addled brain to process, but when it did a wide, affectionate grin broke across his lips. It was these moments of quiet, simple normalcy between them that made Artorias' heart hurt—aching for the possibility of what could have been. He loved Briar, but he loved Bowen with all the same passion and intensity. Had time and fate been kinder to them, had they not been separated so young and for so long... Dwelling on what could have been had never been something Artorias entertained, but when he was caught in Bowen's hypnotic gaze, it was all he could think about. He saw flashes of what life could have been. That stormy night when he'd first kissed Briar could have been the night they professed their deepest most secret and sordid feelings for one another. How many warm summer nights could have been spent lying beneath the stars on the beach, listening to the waves and each other's heartbeats? How many frigid days in the endless winter could they have spent keeping each other warm as they explored and learned the intimate details of one another's bodies? Artorias saw all of those moments in Bowen's eyes, projected like a tragic movie in his mind. That door had been shut, likely irrevocably, and they had to live with what they had. But though he may be forced by fate and circumstance to accept the paths life had taken them down, Artorias doubted he would ever fully accept it. To do so would mean acknowledging that one day, their shared love might have to end. That was a future he could not come to terms with.

Fortunately, Bowen disrupted his melancholic thoughts when she leaped with all the grace her supple body possessed up onto the bed with him. From his prone position on his back, Artorias followed Bowen's movements with a pleased grin on his lips, ravenous eyes holding her burning gaze while she moved across the bed, barely disturbing the mattress and sheets as she climbed over top of him. The dark-furred dire brute blinked a few times with delighted eyes as she straddled his larger form to the best of her ability. Every inch of their chests and bellies pressed together while the slender fae slid up his body until they were face to face, and all Artorias could see was the fire encased inside Bowen's soul through verdant pools set into one of the most beautiful faces in the world. The heat inside his belly grew tenser and hotter, spreading through his veins, encapsulated in his flaming irises that seemed to flicker and burn like the fire in the hearth for her.

Artorias' breathing had turned shorter, coming in soft and shallow gasps. Fire and electricity rippled across his skin where Bowen's petite paw raked her delicate claws through the fur on his neck, sending the most delightful shivers down his spine. His tail began to wag subconsciously, a gentle metronome swishing over the furs and blankets beneath them that expressed his excitement. Artorias instinctively tilted his head to lean into Bowen's touch, craving every bit he could get from her. He was insatiable for her, just as she seemed to be for him. The two lovers held each other's gazes for what felt like a blissful eternity. Artorias lost himself in her eyes, studying and drinking in this beautiful, wonderful woman Bowen had become. Their familial bonds didn't matter between them, not when lying here with her felt like his very soul had found a connection it had been pining for. Those eyes, that face, this girl, the fae he'd run himself ragged trying to find, she was all that mattered. Every day he'd searched for her, she had been holding out for him and her family, doing everything she could to get back to them—get back to him. They could never get back the days and the life that had been stolen from them, but the gods be damned, Artorias would make up for them! He loved Bowen with everything he was—now and forevermore.

Bowen's paw slid up his neck, leaving tingles on his skin in her wake, and began to gingerly guide his muzzle up towards hers. Gold-flecked fiery eyes drifted closed to join her in the intimacy and passion of their kiss, pressing with gentle insistence back against her mouth. He felt Bowen part his lips with her own and then tasted her tongue as it slid into his maw, his own tongue gliding and dancing with hers before finding its way back to slide across her teeth and over the roof of her mouth. Bowen's flavor was sweet, clean, purely feminine and so distinctly Bowen. It was a taste he had become addicted to and he relished in it. The Carpathian brute lifted his paws to find his russet and ivory fae's sides with a tender touch, stroking ever so slowly along the planes and contours of her body, finding and tracing every feminine curve on her body between shoulder and hip with rough paw pads. Claws carefully combed through her fur, prickling with a feather light touch across her sides and the edges of her underbelly. Artorias groaned low in his throat, a deep masculine rumble while the two lovers kissed deeply and passionately, loving on one another while he savored the feel of her soft fur and warm skin beneath his touch, her lips pressed to his, and the taste of her tongue in his mouth. Loving Bowen felt right and Artorias never wanted this to stop.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

He didn't want to stop and she never wanted him to stop. Their tongues danced a dramatic duet in tune to their gentle, petting claws and pads. Bowen couldn't get enough of him and sometimes she was struck dumb by just how much she loved this man. Every inch of him was perfection. Every piece of him was as though it had been crafted to fit against pieces of her. Their undersides molded to one another, allowing the pair to fit as tightly together as pieces of a puzzle. This, all of this, was meant to be. At least for now. The future could and very well would change things. New pieces would be added to the puzzle and the pair would have to figure out just how they fit into the whole picture. Changes would have to be made for the good of them all. Or for the detriment of some. Either way... change would come. Briar would come to live here. The time between herself and Artorias would be spread thin. Eventually she imagined the pair would start a family, as was befitting the leader of a pack. All of it would drive a wedge. But for now, they belonged to one another and she tried to cling to that.

Bowen drew back just enough so that she could break their kiss, though her mouth remained parted, her lips wet. Her tongue flicked over his bottom lip and she pressed her lithe build harder against him. "Am nevoie de tine," she purred against his lips. "Let's pretend," she asked, "For just a little while," the woman's sable cloaked forelegs wrapped about her brother's neck, "That we're the only ones in the world." Once the words were said, Bowen raised wide, vulnerable eyes to meet the Aurelian depths across from her. She was asking him to pretend with her so that she didn't have to do it alone. A game, like when they were pups. Then tomorrow, everything would go back to normal. Or would it?

Placing a paw on the brute's wide, blue chest, Bowen gently pushed back, separating their bodies, though hopefully not for long. Much like he had sprawled on his back, Bowen now settled herself on the plush mattress, draping her lean structure across the covers. The woman opened her arms to him, beckoning him to her. Whatever he wanted, she would give him. Whatever he asked of her, he could have. However he wanted her, wherever he wanted her, Bowen would be his slave to pleasure.

Within the fae's core, an intense fire burned. Only Artorias had the will and the means to quench it or to set her to flame with his words, his actions, his touch. Though he was the one currently inebriated, Bowen would be his puppet and he could pluck her strings as he willed and wished. "Please," she begged again, the edge or urgency in her breathy tones. "Please, don't make me wait." Emerald eyes burned glazed, green fire and every moment was both torture and ecstasy. "sunt al tău pentru totdeauna"

"Bowen"

Just as Bowen was ravenous for him, Artorias was wholly enthralled for the little caramel and cream fae stretched languidly across his torso, every inch of their bodies pressed tight, sparing not even a gap of space between them. Artorias' heart pounded against his chest so strong he was certain Bowen could feel it when her paws stroked and pet over his skin, leaving trails of fire in their wake. The emotions that burned in his heart and soul for Bowen still amazed and stupefied him. It was a fiery and intense connection he felt for Bowen. He felt inseparable from any of his siblings, but the bond he'd forged with the smallest of their litter transcended even that. If ropes held him to his family, then chains kept him tethered to Bowen. They fit together as if they had been made for one another, in body, mind, and spirit. Fate wasn't exactly something Artorias was sure he believed in, but it was impossible for him to refute the way it felt like this relationship he and Bowen shared was meant to be. From the day she'd gone missing, Artorias had felt like a piece of himself had been ripped away permanently. Now that she was back, holding her in his arms, tangled up with her in the throes of passion, he once more felt whole.

The lingering doubt in the back of his mind nagged at his heart though, just as it unknowingly did for her. They had found their matching pieces within one another and it felt wonderful and incredible—but the future was an uncertain maelstrom of time. It had proven once before that they could be separated, and as life moved on, would it try to separate them again? As Briar and Haiku became permanent fixtures in their lives, would it create a divide they couldn't bridge? He knew he would marry Briar, he would have a family with Briar, and she likely would follow the same path with Haiku. It might have been too late for them to be each other's one and only, but was this the future they were doomed for? Would their moments of love-drunk smiles and breathless sighs between heated kisses eventually fade into mournful glances of longing as they were forced to watch the other take a divergent path? The thought drove a dagger through Artorias' heart, threatening to fracture it irreparably. Large paws gripped to the fur on Bowen's back, clinging to her like he might lose her forever if he dared loosen his hold.

Fortunately, Bowen separated her lips from his just enough to bring his inebriated mind out of the shadows it was starting to slip towards and back into the fire where he wanted to be. He tasted her tongue when it flicked over his lip, massive paws following the curve of her slender body down to her hips while she purred delicious honeyed words in their mother tongue to him. Her heated coaxing was somehow even hotter in Carpathian and it sent a delightful shiver down the dire brute's spine that settled between his thighs. She wrapped herself around him, rust-colored forelegs entwining around his neck while she asked him to pretend they were the only ones in the world. A salacious grin crept across Artorias' lips. He didn't need to pretend. Bowen was the only one in his world. No other thought occupied his mind. She was the air in his lungs, the blood in his veins, the fire in his eyes. He gazed into those viridian jewels, enamored and entranced. The vulnerability he saw made his heart miss a beat, reminding him of the way she'd looked at him when they were pups and she asked him to go on adventures. This was their adventure now—navigating the uncharted world they had discovered together. "The only ones," he whispered back, voice husky and heavy with lustful love.

Though he didn't want to, Artorias' paws released their hold on Bowen when the petite fae pushed herself up and off of him. A low whine of need slipped from the young brute, though it didn't last long when he saw what she was up to. Bowen spread herself out across the plush mattress and silken sheets to present herself to his starving gaze like a wanton tribute. Gods damn, was she a gorgeous stunner of a fae! Artorias couldn't resist staring her over like a predator about to attack his prey, especially not when she reached to him with open arms and pleading words begging for him. She egged him on, goading that primal part in his brain that wanted to ravage her again and again and again, all through the Long Night until the world crumbled around them or the sun rose on their exhausted and spent forms. Artorias was already rolling to his belly and crawling across the bed until he rose above Bowen, covering her with his much larger form. She fit so neatly and snugly beneath him, like it was always meant to be her there. Fiery eyes burned and flickered with a love and life only two wolves had ever seen. Breaths coming out in shallow, ragged panting, Artorias hooked a strong foreleg around Bowen's hip, tugging her body tighter to his while he lost himself in those eyes no other wolf came close to matching.

"I don't need to pretend with you, Bo," he said with a husky growl beneath his tones. Then he crushed his mouth to Bowen's once more, kissing her deeply, tongue darting into her maw to taste her flavor for one more blissful moment. Artorias lifted and guided Bowen's hips, paw grabbing at her rump while he positioned himself over her. He wanted to watch every moment of euphoria painted on her face, every trace of ecstasy glistening in those green eyes he loved. They would have plenty of time through the night to enjoy each other in every way they wanted, but for this first time, Artorias would give her all of the love and passion he could, every bit she deserved. Craning his neck down, Artorias gently booped his snout against Bowen's, a crooked grin on his face while he whispered to her, "Mea Bowen... Pentru totdeauna Bowen al meu..." Then he pushed his hips forward and slowly sank home, teeth gritting and groaning gasps falling from parted lips as he dove into the inferno with his Bowen and gave them both what they needed.

- fade -

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

If Bowen was fire, then Artorias was her accelerant. Every look, every breath, ever ghosting touch and hard caress sent the woman higher and higher until she feared that she would climax just from foreplay alone. Bowen was wound so tightly that she feared tears might spring to her viridian eyes before Artorias had even touched her again. There was no greater need in the world than her need for him at that very moment. She wanted bodies and hearts to meld and never be parted for as long as they were able to manage. For today, for eternity, for always.

Artorias had promised not once, but twice that they were the only ones and that he didn't have to pretend. For now it was just them. That would change, but for now it was the purest truth. Let the rest of the world burn while they were locked away in one another's embrace. Artorias was all that mattered here and now and she wanted to show him in every way that she could just how much he meant to her. It wasn't just because they were blood. It was because Artorias was her heart.

As she lay back on the bed, his pained whine of longing met her ears, nearly driving her into a frenzy. Audibly focused, every whine, every breath, every growl and moan and purr was a symphony composed for her alone. Artorias wasted no time in coming to her, sliding his well muscled form across her lean frame. Instinctively, her body shifted, making room where it was needed while her forelegs instantly wrapped around his neck. Their lips crashed together and Bowen cried out into that kiss, belaying the fierce need within her, the hole that only he could fill, the fire that only he could quench. Claws raked through her lover's fur with an urgent need and she slid her lower body against his, letting him know exactly what she wanted and that she wanted it now.

Strong paws hooked beneath the russet and fawn woman's rump and she released a breathy moan into her lover's maw. Her eyes were filled with green fire as he drew back and... tapped her nose with his own. The unexpected shift in mood drew a sudden laugh from Bowen, her eyes crinkling in the corners as tears filled their depths. Gods... how she loved this man. His sweet words met russet ears and she leaned her forehead against his. "I love you too," she swore. And then he made them one, just like they both wanted and needed.

Together, the pair achieved new heights of pleasure, opening their bodies and hearts up to one another in a manner that they never had before. It was exhilarating. It was breathtaking. It was dangerous. Dangerous to know that he was the best lover that she'd ever had. It was heartbreaking in the same respect. She tried not to think about that, however. This time was for them and not for the ghosts that would undoubtedly haunt her tomorrow.

"Bowen" | "Carpathian"

Oh, if only Artorias had known burning alive could feel so good! The pleasure and passion and love the two Carpathian wolves shared between themselves was so incredibly powerful and raw, unlocking all new sensations to the young brute wrapped up in the arms and legs of his lover. Bowen was incredible! Her sounds, her taste, her scent, the way she wrapped her long limber forelegs around his neck, those adorable faces she made while the two of them rode mountainous highs of ecstasy toward inevitable peaks and plateaus... it was almost all too much for him to handle! Dark seas of azure and obsidian brushed and mingled over fields of ivory and auburn with every roll of hips and slide of bodies against one another. Their breathy sounds and cries the only other noises in the room besides the snapping of burning wood. In the dying firelight, Bowen seemed to glow, emerald eyes alight with verdant flames. No matter how muddled his mind may have been, Artorias would never forget the way Bowen looked tonight, the vision of her beneath him in the deepest throes of pleasure forever seared into his memory.

Knowing how much of an auditory creature she was, Artorias held nothing back. Thanks to the wine removing any inhibitions and sense of modesty, the Aegis was free with his cries and moans, frequently burying his muzzle into the crook of Bowen's neck to drink in her scent and muffle some growls and grunts, then nuzzling up to her ear as he panted and gasped. Bowen was so good to him, he wanted to be as good back to her and make sure he was giving her all the pleasure he possibly could. When the two lovers did eventually reach their climaxes, Artorias saw stars, vision swimming from the sudden head rush of dopamine mixed with the residual effects of the alcohol while he moaned out his lover's name from between clenched jaws. He had to grit his teeth to keep from howling and waking up the entire castle, instead biting down on the pillows beside Bowen's head to muffle the series of noises that followed.

Artorias collapsed to his side with Bowen still wound up in his arms, not ready to let her go from his embrace just yet. He panted hard for air, eyes closed behind heavy lids and a wide, pleasure-dumb grin on his face. For a while he just lay there with Bowen, holding her close, an idle paw running slowly up and down along her back, listening to their labored breathing. When Artorias did blink open hazy amber eyes, he immediately found Bowen's, seeing the true depths of her love contained within those precious gemstones. His heart skipped beats like it never needed them. Their lovemaking had been... Artorias didn't have the words to describe it. He felt a whole new connection to Bowen, stronger than ever before. The two Carpathians had opened their hearts and souls and bore them to one another as they united their bodies. The experience had been like none he'd ever felt before. It was devastatingly amazing, invigorating, intoxicating, addicting. It was perfect—just as she was.

Perhaps it was the wine keeping his worries at bay, and perhaps that was for the best. Artorias was blissfully unaware of the inner turmoil secretly brewing in Bowen's mind. To him, all he could think about was how to love her wholly, completely, to unravel her mind with all the bliss and ecstasy she deserved and how damn good it felt. He thankfully hadn't felt too drunk to perform, and even now he just felt energized from his sister's presence. Silently, the dire brute hoped she didn't plan to go back to her room now. He wanted her to stay, wanted to keep her held close and continue to love her silly through the rest of the night. Amber eyes shown with a searing love so strong it was nearly painful. A large blue paw snaked its way lazily up Bowen's side and neck to cup her cheek with rough paw pads, admiring her like one would admire a masterful piece of art.

"Te iubesc, Bowen," Artorias whispered between happy, satisfied sighs, reciting the words that had become a mantra to him. Never would he tire of uttering those words. "You're so incredible." A small crooked smile crept across his dopey, deeply pleasured expression, simply basking in the afterglow of their love and lust with her.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"