_________________________________________________________________ As the challenge came to a wrap and drama settled between the Pirates and Armada, Audra had taken her chance to approach Artorias. He, out of everyone, was owed an explanation. Thankfully the stars had aligned their paths so that she wouldn't have to waste any more time. Approaching him quietly, she looked up at his fiery gaze. Surely he had other things to attend to at this point, but their conversation wouldn't take long. Pulling away from the crowd, she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. Stopping not far from the commotion of the challenge, Audra turned toward Artorias with a timid expression. It wasn't unusual for her to appear as such, but she also wasn't in the business of letting anyone down. And now she was possibly going to do that for a second time. "Artorias," his name came as shaky as she felt. Digging her claws into the dirt, she wasn't sure why felt so nervous. "As you can s-see, Abaven isn't any longer," she tried her damnedest to not stutter. "Right after I found out, before I could turn back to Auster, I met a wolf by the name of Wren," Audra paused as she peaked around him to look over to where Wren was sitting near Sirius. "I believe you were introduced to her briefly," again another pause to give Art a moment to process. Surely a wolf backed by Sirius was a wolf to be trusted. "She is starting a new pack and she needs a healer," Audra tilts her chin down to look at her paws. He had to know what she was implying by now. "I would like to stay with them and help them get started," her voice is quiet, but she knows Art can hear her. Glancing back up to the Aegis, she can feel her heart drumming trying to beat its way out of her chest. This was going to go one of two ways: Art would let her go or he would want her back with the Hallows. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

The pack challenge had drawn to a close, and thankfully no further fighting had broken out between the pirates and Fatalises during the battle between Kotori and the stranger. All the while Artorias had kept his eyes on Audra, making sure he knew where she was at all times. If the throng of wolves around the, descended into further chaos and violence, the Aegis was fully prepared to rush the gentle femme out of the danger zone. The relief he felt from having found her safe and sound was palpable on his expression and in his eyes, and when Audra approached him after all the excitement had subsided, she would be able to see that ease on his features. She led him away from the crowd and Art followed easily, following behind until they were a short distance away. They would need the privacy for this conversation.

Audra spoke, starting off with his name, but it wasn't said the same as it used to be. The perceptive wolf heard the shake in her lyrics, and the nervousness broke his heart. There had been a time when he remembered speaking to Audra and seeing the confidence in her, the life in her eyes and her indomitable spirit. Now, as she spoke, he heard the return of her stutter, which at one point had also disappeared from their conversations. Now it was back. Audra had regressed from how she had been and he fully blamed himself for it. If he'd maybe paid more attention to Tika, if he'd stepped in sooner to try and help them out, maybe this conversation would never happen. All the while Audra spoke, Artorias listened in patient silence, but the softness and emotional vulnerability in his eyes betrayed his innermost fears and concerns.

Audra didn't mince words. She had been too late to arrive to Abaven before it disbanded. But before she could return to the Hallows, she had met Wren. Artorias briefly turned his gaze to the russet wolf he'd only just met before focusing solely back on Audra. Wren was starting a pack and had recruited Audra to be their healer. The words stabbed Artorias in the heart, as did the realization that this would mean he was losing a wolf he loved, but he didn't blame Audra at all. No, he still squarely took the blame on his shoulders. The crushing feeling of failure wrung at his heart as he drew in a deep breath, swallowing back the emotion hard as he processed and considered his position. By all right, he could take Audra back right now. She had been let go from the Hallows under the condition to teach at Abaven, and now that condition no longer applied. He didn't have to lose her, he could still try to make things right.

But the more he dwelled on it, the more Audra's words and Avantika's words played back in his head. His sister had not been well, and her relationship had paid the price for it. To bring Audra back into that life would have been the equivalent of killing her. It wasn't fair to her and it wasn't right. Artorias felt trapped at an impossible crossroads, caught between what he wanted, what was best for the Hallows, and what was best for Audra. A choice had to be made and he had to be the one to make it. Swallowing hard again, Artorias tilted his muzzle upward, gazing at the sky while he weighed his options—but really, he knew there was no choice to be made. Traces of tears, faintly glowing teal from his affliction from the Long Night, began to appear at the edges of his fire-toned eyes. He'd tried his best, but it hadn't been enough. Now he had to let Audra go find her happiness elsewhere.

"When you first came to the Hallows, I knew you were special, Audra. I knew because Tika was so smitten with you, and it would take one hell of a wolf to win her over." Artorias gave a weak chuckle to try and mask how much this hurt him to do. He turned his gaze back down to meet Audra's gold and black eyes, a proud smile on his muzzle. "And I was right. You became one of the Hallows' most accomplished healers and scouts. You impressed me, impressed Gwyn, and left your mark on all of us. Even though you don't have our name, I consider you my sister." His smile slowly slipped from his face as he continued on. "...But now, I can see things have changed. The Hallows isn't the home it once was for you. And I know that no matter how hard I try to make it the way it was, it wouldn't be the same anymore. It isn't fair to you to force you to be where you aren't happy."

Artorias paused, hesitating on the words he needed to say but gods damn, did he not want to! He lifted one large azure paw and moved to place it atop Audra's, a final comforting gesture from an alpha to his wolf. "You are an incredible wolf, Audra. You are talented and smart, kind and loving. You deserve all the joy in life and you deserve to be somewhere and with the ones who will bring you that happiness." The corner of Artorias' lip twitched upward in a brave yet wounded smile. He was doing his best to get through this without getting too emotional for her. "For all the selfish reasons in the world, I hope with all my heart that one day your path will bring you back to us and the Hallows. But more than that, I hope you find what you need with wolves that deserve someone as extraordinary as you." Artorias gave a short nod of his head, giving her his blessing to do what she needed to do. "The Hallows will always be open to you. Go be amazing, Audra."

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "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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_________________________________________________________________ Some might have called her selfish. Her ex-girlfriend had gone into a depressive spiral and Audra had abandoned her. What Avantika wouldn't tell anyone is that she had tried. The many nights left to sleep alone, the remedies made special left untouched, the multiple attempts to talk her through whatever it was that had been eating away at their relationship. Of course, they could blame some of the Long Night on Audra. She had been the one to dare barter with the man in the cloak, but she had only done it out of frustration. That man, or firefly or whatever he was, had tormented them. Had ripped out her god damn eye and gleefully given it back to her. And she had been the one to feel as if she held little beauty anymore. Her damn tongue was glowing now! She was a freak and her girlfriend had done nothing but distance herself. Why would she have stayed? Then there was that stupid raid. Oh, ungodly, idiotic, ruthless pirates had raided. Perhaps for fun as from a distance, it did not appear that they wanted to cause any harm, but for her ex, it had been more than harmful. How was Sparrow supposed to know or even give a fuck about some girl that took guarding the castle way too seriously? Even after being begged by Audra and requested by Artorias to take a break, nothing had really changed. Sure, there were fewer lonely nights, but Audra could tell by the way she had looked out the window that she didn't want to be there. Audra was just a place holder, a security blanket, for whenever Avantika felt it convenient to give her attention. She wasn't the girl Audra had fallen in love with anymore. So why would she have stayed? Of course, there was Artorias, Gwyn, Syanna, Fern, and Laeta. They were her friends and cohorts of the Hallows. The ones who had made her feel less lonely, who had spent time with her, gotten to know her, made an effort. Had it been fair to them for her to leave? To abandon the pack that had tried to give her a place, a reason to live? She had abandoned them all because some girl had gone off the deep end. Conflict riddled Audra's mind and frankly, her whole body. The entire time she had traveled from Auster all the way up to north-eastern Boreas, she had thought. She rolled and meddled with the contemplations in her head about what she was going to do with her future. Breaking off Avantika had been the first step. Selfish or not, she wasn't going to sit around and wait for Avantika to get better. If the girl didn't want to be helped then there wasn't anything Audra could do about it. Abaven was supposed to have been a good thing for her. A way for her to heal and find some new life before returning. If she could get over her feelings, living at the castle wouldn't hurt so much. But would it have really done anything? Would she have even wanted to have gone back if she enjoyed teaching within Abaven? She didn't want to find love anymore. She wanted a purpose, to feel important, to know she was needed by someone. Anyone. She could feel the agony striking deep into her heart as Artorias' words began to infiltrate her eardrums. Holding her gaze steady with the Aegis, she could feel the tears begin to brim her golden eye again. Why did Art have to be such a fucking good guy? Why couldn't he have just banished her? Taken Avantika's side and said get lost? My sister. She had never had that before. Art taking her in, with or without Avantika, had done more to heal her past than she had realized. Audra was at a loss for words. It wasn't that the Hallows, his pack, her pack, their family, didn't make her happy anymore. She was just... restless. Tired of not feeling like she was good enough to help the girl she had fallen in love with. How was she supposed to feel good about herself when she couldn't even do that?! She watched as he lifted a hefty paw over hers. She would not move as the feeling of his paw upon hers was comforting in a way as she saw him prepare to say what they both needed and didn't want to hear. In a way, she had wanted him to tell her to go back. It would have been the safer, if not more damaging for herself, path in life. She could have easily settled back in with her friends and carried on. Moved her stuff to a different room, far away from Avantika, and started new. Already missing the warm breezes of Auster, Audra knew she would visit, go back one day to at least say hello. She was going to miss all of them so much... It was then that the tears began to flow from her eye. She could clearly see the emotion tumbling through Artorias and it took everything in her not to bring him into a sisterly embrace. Her breath hitched as her own quivering smile twitched at the corners of her lips. "Artorias," her voice is barely a breath of a whisper as she forces her eye to close for a moment. There were no words to describe how grateful she was for him to have seen her and who she truly was. No one had ever done that before. If one had asked for her life story, she would say that it was too tragic to recount. More than anything, she was proud of Artorias for his decision. It took a lot for someone as proud and protective as he was to let go of someone he considered family. "You are going to do great things in this lifetime," she speaks after a few beats of silence when she can finally bear to look up at him. "I appreciate you more than words can describe and if this new pack thing doesn't work out, you will be the first doorstep I land on," Audra smiles as she steps forward and presses her forehead into his chest. It was the best way she could think of to say thank you. _________________________________________________________________ A  U  D  R  A

There were moments in life that meant more than others. Those pivotal moments where you stood at a crossroads and discovered who you were, what mattered to you, and what you wanted. They were the moments that remained in your memory long after the others had faded. For Artorias, this was one of those moments. He would always remember the day his mother died, the raw visceral emotions running wild amidst the carnage. He would always remember his wedding day, of the love he felt as he bound himself to the wolf he loved more than life itself. And he would remember today, of the day he learned what it truly meant to be a leader. It was the selflessness required to see the ones you cared about flourish, the care and devotion to put their needs before your own. It was celebrating with them in their triumphs and grieving with them in their losses. And no matter how much it sucked or how badly it hurt, it meant doing what was right. Letting Audra go was right. She needed to be free to discover herself, to find the purpose she sought that was being withheld from her by her circumstances. Knowing the reasons didn't make the hurt any lesser, but it did give him the strength to do what he needed to do. Destiny had a funny way of weaving the tapestry of life. Perhaps Audra's thread needed to be untethered from theirs so it could one day come back stronger than before.

As he spoke, Artorias watched the emotion shift and roil behind Audra's golden eye. She was hurting like he was. She needs this... he told himself over and over in his head. Audra didn't recoil from his touch, instead shifting into it. She didn't want to go either, but she had to, and she knew as well. Then she spoke, and Audra unraveled the last of Artorias' composure with her genuine and kindhearted words. Audra may have resisted pulling the Aegis into a hug, but Artorias did not. As soon as the earthen-furred woman leaned her head in against his chest, Artorias' arms were shooting up to wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight, secure embrace. The taller wolf leaned his head down, resting his chin atop Audra's forehead while he held her the way family would when bidding farewell to one another after a long trip together. The tears in the corners of his fire-toned eyes were held back no more, and glowing teal dripped down his cheeks, a side effect of the illness from the Long Night that had enhanced his vision. He sniffled quietly, large paws holding Audra as if this would be the last time he ever would, like she'd simply dematerialize as soon as he let go.

"So are you, Audra. You're going to enrich so many lives," he replied in sincerity. He was struggling to keep his voice even and not quivering with the emotion he was still fighting to contain. "Whether you come back forever or not, we will always be your home. You will always find sanctuary with us." The gates of the Hallows would always be open to Audra and any she brought with her. She was a Carpathius in every spiritual sense. "Fie ca soarele să strălucească mereu pe calea ta. May the sun shine on your path always." Realizing he would have to let the girl go eventually, Artorias breathed a heavy sigh and reluctantly released his embrace on Audra. The dire wolf drew back enough to smile down at his spiritual sister, his glowing tears still cutting through the fur on his cheeks. He glanced back over his shoulder in the direction of where Wren and Sirius were, then turned a wistful smile to Audra, nudging her gently with a paw. "Your wolves are waiting for you, Audra. Go show them what you're made of." He still hadn't said goodbye, and he wouldn't. Artorias refused to believe that this would be goodbye. Just see you later.

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "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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