Azure was slowly but surely working through his list of settlements and responsibilities in order of priority. Hana had been returned, Sparrow had been thoroughly punished, a lot of alcohol had been consumed, his father had been briefed, and next on Az's list had been to ensure that the matter with his brother-in-law was truly settled and put to bed. The Hallowed wolves were still enjoying their time up north visiting and seeing the sights, and while Azure knew he could put it all off longer and visit Artorias on his lands instead, reconciliation felt that much better under the bitter cold winds of his region. Having invited the man out for an evening outside pack lands, Azure had led him down through Soul Sand Cove and toward the desert, the pair eventually coming up upon the often-hidden bridge that fed into the misty isle.

It wasn't until they stepped paw into the open bowl of woodland and hills that Azure awkwardly attempted conversation. Being a host was new to him and being a good host was almost unimaginable. "Dinner, then we can crack open the mead?" He suggested, craning his head back to the Aegis to hear his thoughts. "The prey here might be difficult to run down with how mountainous it is, but I'm sure between the two of us we can get a half-way decent trap set up." Glancing across the wooded bowl briefly, he scouted the materials they had available to them.

"Speech"

After their little cathartic tussle out in the Battlefield, Artorias had noticed Azure wasn't hanging around the Armada much while he and Briar were there. While that could have been written off as the Fatalis man simply having more important things to do than play host when Sirius and Zee had that more than handled, Art couldn't help but worry that perhaps he had caused some irreparable damage to the relationship he had wanted to foster with his brother-in-law. He knew he'd taken Hanako's offhanded remark at his wedding a bit too personally, and that he should really have had thicker skin when handling the matter, but that hadn't stopped him from doing what he'd done. Even afterwards, he still hadn't told Briar what had transpired. It wasn't for a desire to keep his mate blissfully ignorant—no, this time it was out of guilt. He felt shame for pursuing Azure so aggressively when his in-law had done his best to smooth over the rough terrain.

That was why when Azure did approach him and invite him out for an evening of hunting and reconciliation to make sure things between them were kosher, Artorias had gladly accepted. The two wolves headed out on their own, heading west across the dark sands of the Armadan shores. Artorias followed the practiced steps of Azure, the two sets of similar yet starkly different dire paw prints left behind in the sand the only evidence they had come this way. Azure guided him to a bridge to the island just off the shoreline, partially obscured by mist. Art raised a curious brow. Was this a ploy for Azure to take him somewhere isolated to finish him off? Well, if it was, he'd lived a good life, and he'd make the Champion work for his win. Artorias gazed about the island when they arrived, awed by the lush forested landscape hidden within the half-dome of craggy cliffs. It still amazed him how he could live in Boreas for almost three years and still find so many incredible sights he'd never seen before!

The brothers walked into the woods, Art quietly taking in the scenery until Azure spoke up. Ah, so he wasn't bringing him out here for an honor killing then? This was a bonding experience. Dinner and drinks. Under any other connotation, it would almost feel like a date, but Artorias didn't feel like pressing his luck with that kind of humor just yet with Azure. Maybe one day, but not this day. "That's a plan I can get behind," he agreed with an easy smile. Artorias slowed his gait, also studying his surroundings. "I'll warn you now, I was never the champion hunter of my family. You guide, and I'll act." So long as Azure had a plan, Art would help him execute it. "Maybe... some sort of snare? The trees here have thick limbs. We might be able to rig something up using them?"

"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.
____________________

Artorias agreed with his plan easily enough, though admitting that he was not the champion hunter of the family and might need some instruction. It was not unusual for wolves to choose paths other than hunting, but the knowledge did remind him of how different their upbringings and families truly were. Every wolf of his litter had been raised to be exceptional hunters as well as fighters - learning to efficiently take down prey animals would lend knowledge that could be used in battle and while the anatomy varied between predator and prey, there were general rules that existed through all species (like how effective it was to cut the tendon at the heel to cripple an enemy.) "In what else did you specialize, then?" Azure pushed conversationally, knowing it was an acceptable question even if he had no use for the answer.

While the conversation progressed, Azure stepped forward to examine the trees up close. The base of the mountain bowl was heavily wooded, the treeline expanding all the way out around the dormant volcano and even partway up it's cliffs. They were thick and strong as Artorias had observed, suitable enough for any basic snare, though Azure had not brought along with him any material suitable for a noose nor did he know if the right sort of vines grew on this island. Glancing through the canopy to the misty mountaintop beyond, he considered what materials might be available to them on this secluded island. "We can bait a simple deadfall trap, I think." He decided after a time. The process was simple enough and while it was not as immediate as creating something the wolves could drive a prey animal into, he supposed there was no harm in socializing longer while they waited. It was why he'd brought Artorias out here, after all.

"Can you see if you can find something heavy and wide, to fall down atop the animal? A log, a boulder we might be able to lift a bit, something like that?" With the request given, Azure got to work on procuring a suitable branch that could hold the weight. Pushing up to his hind legs to reach up various trees, he tested the might of the wood with his paw until he'd found one that could do the job. "The idea is to prop the weight up with a branch that has been split in half a specific way. You fit the two halves back together with a trigger wedged between them, and bait upon the trigger stick. The animal puts it's weight onto the trigger to reach the bait, pushing the two halves apart and collapsing the weight down."

"Speech"

The differences between the way the Carpathians and the Fatalises were brought up was evident in the skills each of the wolves within possessed. While Azure and his brood had mastered the crafts of fighting and hunting, Artorias and his kin had all been raised to follow their passions and specialize in what called to them. Rudyard had taken to hunting like a fish to water, and Gwynevere's seemingly boundless knowledge of all things medicinal and medical lend her to becoming one of the best healers he'd ever seen. Azure asked what he had specialized in and Artorias turned a half-cocked grin to his brother-in-law. "Navigation," he answered. "My mother, the Armada's former General Tamsyn, she taught me the importance of having good footwork and agility, both when you're scouting an unfamiliar land or facing an enemy in battle." Artorias didn't like to gloat, but he did have to pat himself on the back for the amount of work he'd put into his training when it came to his footing and movements in combat and when speed was of the essence. "I've yet to find a place I can't find a way to get into or a land I can't traverse."

As they surveyed the area for anything they could rig up as a trap, Azure took his suggestion and offered up a deadfall trap as a means to a meal. Artorias cocked his head to the side, and his brother must have noticed his curiosity since he launched right into an explanation of what they'd need and how the trap functioned. Even with his basic hunting skills, Artorias could see the logic and beautiful simplicity in the plan, and he immediately set to seeking out the material Azure requested. A quick scouring of the immediate area turned up a small boulder, partially obscured by moss. It wouldn't win any awards as far as rocks went, but it was large and heavy enough to cause some serious damage if dropped on an animal's head, but not so much that it became unmanageable.

Digging it out from the earth a bit, Art rolled the boulder back to where Azure was inspecting the trees. "Think this'll work?" He presented his find to his brother, then watched with keen interest as Azure explained how the trap was to work. The black and sapphire wolf nodded, looking up at the tree Azure was testing to use as the placement for their trap. "Makes sense. So do we need some sort of trigger to spring the trap then?" Artorias glanced about the clearing looking for something that might be usable as a triggering mechanism for the trap, but he wasn't exactly sure what would work best or if the more seasoned hunter between the two of them had his own ideas.

"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.
____________________

Azure gave a polite nod at his answer, accepting the art of navigation to be at least miles better than some of the healing or crafting careers other wolves flocked toward. He knew it could be used to improve a wolf's abilities in combat, having watched his agile mother win many a fight due to her speed and manoeuvrability. "Yes, I remember Tamsyn." He mused. "She put her skills to good use for us." Until she left, like everyone seemed to.

Frowning, he returned to his branch. With a hefty push of his paw assisted by strong jaws, he snapped it as close to the trunk as he could manage and brought it down. Artorias returned with an appropriately sized boulder and Azure turned his head over his shoulder to give it a passing glance as he was asked if it would work. "Yep, that's fine." It would rule out the ability to go for anything overly large, but there was only so much the men could do to heft a boulder high and heavy enough to crush something like a mountain goat.

Artorias asked about the trigger and Azure tossed his head toward the trees once more. "Another stick will do, though we will need to carve it thin at the end." He brought the branch he'd procured between them and with a claw, traced a line shaped like a lopsided L through the center of the wood. "This needs to be fractured carefully. The trigger needs to go between the two halves, so if the halves are split clean horizontally it won't balance properly and will fall before the prey approaches. Diagonally, and they will slide past each other and not hold the weight of the boulder. We need a bit of a mix of vertical and horizontal, to give the halves some support to keep them fitting together. We will also need to notch out a spot for the trigger to sit at the top of the two components. Hold this, please." Holding out the stick toward Artorias, he waited until the other man had a grip on the one end and tilted it so he could access the middle. With his claw he scored the wood, digging furrows into it to ensure that a snap would fracture the branch the way they needed it.

With the branch more or less ready, he set the one half aside near the boulder Artorias had rolled toward them, and began to work on carving out a notch for the trigger. "If you can grab another branch and carve it for the trigger, I'll find some bait and we can set it up." He would need to be smart about what sort of bait he gathered - not knowing what creatures lived on this land made things a bit more difficult, though the biome itself lended some hints. The mountain was steep, goats were a given. The trees were thick and old, likely home to all sorts of woodland critters like squirrels, rabbits and the like. He peered through the trees toward the sides of the sunken bowl, hoping to see a water feature or something else distinctive, but unable to catch sight of anything of much interest through the low-hanging mist that seemed to cover every inch of the isle. Whatever lived here, he assumed they'd have to find that out the hard way. Nuts and berries would likely be a safe bet, regardless.

OOC: [As Artorias' turn ends the 3/3 for crafting the trap, feel free to have him set the sticks and PP Azure helping hold the boulder up while he does so! I've linked an image of the trap i'm following for your reference above <3]

"Speech"

Working alongside Azure on constructing their rudimentary trap was turning out to be quite an enlightening experience for Artorias. His brother-in-law was a shrewd and insightful hunter, clever and resourceful. Even without much in the way of advanced hunting knowledge, Artorias was learning a lot by assisting in building their trap. He watched while Azure shifted and moved the branches and counterweights about into their appropriate positions, lending a paw or holding things when the Fatalis alpha asked him to. Once they had rigged up the main mechanisms of the trap, Azure tasked him with finding a stick to use as the trigger while he fetched the bait for the trap. Art gave a curt nod of his head, taking another quick look to the notch Az had carved out of the branch for a mental sizing, then moved off to find one that fit the bill.

Being surrounded by thick northern woodland, there was no shortage of sticks. Finding the right one, however, would be the trick. Artorias wound up finding a few different options that could work, and while waiting for Azure to return with his scavenged bait, he began testing out the different sticks. Some were just a smidge too thick, others not straight enough or concerningly thin. He Goldilocks'ed his method until he found one that was just right—sturdy enough that the added weight wouldn't snap it immediately, but easy enough to trigger when they needed it to. He wedged it into the slot for the trigger just as Azure returned with an assortment of nuts and berries. Excellent bait for the mountain-dwelling prey of the north.

"Good choice of bait," he commented with an approving nod, watching while Azure scattered the food about in the kill zone before utilizing the other dire wolf's strength to help him lift and set the boulder while he wedged the trigger into the final notch of the branches, then carefully setting it in place. Just like that, their trap was set. Now they just needed to hunker down and wait for something to come their way.

"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.
____________________

With the trap set, there was little else to do but wait. With the fog hanging low on the island and Azure's lack of knowledge in particular about this new land, hunting for and driving an animal into their trap would be useless. Not to mention that a spooked animal would ignore the bait entirely and likely fly right past the trigger. Instead, he ushered his brother-in-law away downwind, crouching himself below a low brush and once again growing thankful for the brown and green coloring he wore that would camouflage him.

It might take some time for the prey animal to arrive, and while he waited he turned toward the man. "So. How is married life treating you?" Small talk was not his forte, but there was little else to do while staring down the valley into the empty trap.

"Speech"