In the days and weeks that followed after the news of her mother's death she had purposefully kept her own emotions about the whole situation at bay. Her children, her father, and her younger siblings took her attention and she was more than grateful to loose herself in her work and her family. It was easier that way than thinking about the fact that she had lost her mother for a second time, the mother that she had worked hard to get to know with her second chance at doing so, only for her to be snatched away far too soon right after bringing another litter of siblings into the world that Briar now felt compelled to care for along side her own children. It was much easier to just ignore those thoughts and instead focus on helping her family through their grief and enjoying the early days of her children's lives.

However, that willful distraction was beginning to wear thin. As most of her family began to make their way back to Armada's lands and their pups quickly began to find their own kind of independence she was running low on things to occupy her time and as she was going about her daily tasks she found herself alone with her own thoughts, the emotions she had been suppressing creeping up on her before she realized they were there. There was confusion and regret, but also grief which she hadn't fully felt the first time she thought she had lost her mother. The first "funeral" that had been held for her hadn't felt real and she hadn't felt like she really knew the wolf she was being told that she had lost and that she should have been hurt over. This time was different. This time they knew for sure she was truly gone and this time she truly knew her mother and felt the void she left behind.

Briar found herself holding a wine bottle in the cellar, alone in the dim room and paused in the middle of filling a batch of new wines as the distanced emotions started to creep in on her, blinking away tears that she hadn't realized were forming. She cursed quietly under her breath, her ears pinning back against her head as she put the bottle down with a huff, shaking her head as she turned away from her work and stalked across the cellar. It felt ridiculous to be angry about something that was entirely out of her control, the sways of fate and misfortune simply playing their part in their lives and showing them that there was nothing any of them could do if it was simply their time to go. But her mother had only just now really become a part of her life and for her to be pulled away so suddenly after years of doubt and mistrust... It wasn't fair and there was nothing and no one she could take it out on.

Coming back up to the main level after wiping the tears from her eyes, she went looking for some place to escape. Her family had been her distraction, but now she wanted to be away from them, afraid to let them see her break. She hurried down the castle corridors before any of their pups could find her, trotting quickly past the infirmary before Gwyn could spot her and try to ask her what was wrong. She ended up at the door to Artorias' dojo and without a second thought she pushed open the door and slipped inside, quickly shutting it behind her with a shuddering sigh. It was quiet when she slipped in so she didn't notice Artorias in the space. She leaned her forehead into the wood of the door and closed her eyes, trying to reign in her emotions before someone could come looking for her.

"Briar Carpathius"

Smash! The crash and clatter of breaking wood falling to the ground echoed around the otherwise quiet dojo. Artorias snorted, nostrils flared and eyes narrowed in hard focus while he adjusted his footing on the ring, looking over the decimated training dummy he'd split to pieces. Strong jaws clenched harder around the hilt of Embershard, clutching his sword with intense focus. It almost felt like history repeating itself. When Artorias had lost his own mother, he had destroyed countless faux enemies to vent out his frustrations, anger, and general sense of uselessness. Now he did it to release those contained emotions around the loss of his wife's mother—his mother-in-law. He hadn't gotten a chance to know Zee very well, but every loss hurt, this one especially so knowing he'd never get that opportunity to now, and seeing the impact her death had on the Fatalis family as well as his own struck a hard blow. Ever dutiful, the Aegis did all he could to counteract the sorrow by caring for the Fatalis pups and encouraging his own family to befriend their relations while they were here. Looking out for Sirius had taken up most of his time as well, leaving Artorias with little opportunity to let the grief really hit him.

Of course, that grief didn't go away. Instead it mounted, bottled up and ignored until it was finally allowed to be released. Zee was not his mother, but she had been kind to him, treated him fairly, welcomed him into their family when he began courting Briar. She had been a mother to him in spirit, and knowing he'd never get the chance to know the wolf she was hurt. Artorias had been strong, for Briar and for his family's sake, and kept them moving forward and united in this dark time. It was the least he could do to help out. He didn't feel as useless as he had with Resin's death, being able to use his position as alpha to keep his family together in the Hallows, but still that insufferable ache of loss hurt his heart, more for Briar than for himself. He knew how his mate's relationship with her mother had been, how things had finally begun to go good for them, only for it to be ripped away. He stayed close to her throughout the loss, making sure she was cared for and had his support. Of course, she staunchly denied him, claiming she was doing all right, and he didn't push the matter. Everyone had to grieve and mourn in their own ways.

Which was exactly what Artorias was doing as he turned on the next training dummy, growling around the sword in his mouth, he lunged towards it. Back and forth the swordsman turned his head, bringing his blade across the dummy's body again and again. Pieces of wood and fabric were cleaved away, each blow stronger and more ferocious than the last and taking away more parts of it. The dummy shook under the impact of each hit, until with a louder snarl, the dire brute brought his sword down onto the dummy's head, chopping straight through and splitting it down to the base. The wood splintered, fractured, cracked and collapsed, rattling across the floor until all the pieces came to rest. Artorias slumped forward, putting his weight onto the broken dummy base and heaved a sigh, his breathing heavy from the physical effort and ragged with the emotion. Amber eyes closed, blocking out the world to focus on his breathing. A stillness returned to the dojo, a quiet Artorias hated. It felt oppressive, lonely...

Fortunately, that silence wouldn't remain for long. The sound of the dojo doors opening and swiftly slamming shut again causing fire-toned eyes to snap open and glance back with a start. Artorias was shocked to find Briar leaned against the doors, her body gently quivering with the emotion she had so clearly been trying to ignore and repress. "Briar...?" Artorias sheathed Embershard and leaned his sword against the broken dummy base, approaching his mate with slow steps and concerned eyes. He didn't ask what was wrong. He didn't need to. Artorias knew what he was seeing. He'd seen Briar's emotions overcome her when she tried to repress them. That had always been how she handled her feelings—hiding them until she couldn't keep them held in any longer. It seemed like she was reaching that point now.

"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.
____________________

Her husband's voice behind her made her gasp softly with a startled jump, her eyes shining with unshed tears as they snapped open and her head turned to look at him over her shoulder. The pieces of the dummy he had clearly just finished decimating were scattered about the floor and she watched as he sheathed and sat Embershard down. She had somehow entirely missed his presence in her rush to escape everyone else that was outside of this space. She wished that it was a relief for him to be here with her, but when she was desperately clinging the any last shred of control and trying to keep everyone—including Artorias—from seeing the raw pain hidden beneath it felt like the last fragile thread that was keeping her together snapped. She had only wanted to be alone to collect herself and lock away these unstable emotions again, but that seemed to be an impossibility in this castle with so many eyes on her at all times.

Her ears folded back and she turned away from him again as he started to move toward her, gritting her teeth as she struggled with her own emotions, her shoulders trembling gently under the weight of it all. She didn't want to cry, she didn't want to mourn. She had done all of that and she just wanted to move on—but she couldn't. She was too lost, too angry, too mad at the unfairness of the world. How could she guide her pups and her siblings through this grief if she couldn't even do it for herself. She wanted to lash out, but at what? She couldn't control death, she couldn't control fate. Nothing would bring back what was lost and she was left trying to put pieces back together for everyone and she couldn't figure out how to put them back together for herself.

She held onto that frustrated anger as she finally got to her paws again, turning around toward Artorias and stalking toward him to meet him somewhere half way in the middle of his dojo. "Fight me," she demanded as she lifted a paw to shove his shoulder, glaring up at him with desperate, furious anger. Her turquoise gaze still stung with tears, but she refused to acknowledge them. When he didn't immediately give into her demand, a snarl tugged at her lips and she shoved him again, harder this time in the middle of his chest. "Fight me!" Briar demanded again, her voice louder and wavering with emotion. All of this demanded to be funneled into something and she refused to let herself simply break down and cry. She needed to be stronger than that and this was the only thing she could think to do with this pent up, bottled up frustration at the world.

"Briar Carpathius"

The way Briar jumped with a start and turned to look at him with wide, startled eyes told Artorias that his wife hadn't been expecting anyone to be in here. To her credit, the dojo hadn't received much use when he wasn't doing his training in it, but it had always served as a good outlet for pent up emotions to come flooding out. While he approached her, Artorias saw the way Briar's ears folded back, how her gaze turned away from him. Was she embarrassed by her own emotional state? Did she not want him to see her like this? Art was very familiar with the Fatalis mindset of override and overcome when it came to emotional trauma, but he hadn't expected it from Briar. Not since she'd come to live in the Hallows and be a part of his family, at the least. Briar's lips pulled back from her teeth in a silent growl and Artorias' brow furrowed further, looking at his mate with concern and worry.

"Briar..." he called to her again, trying to get her attention. She didn't look up at him immediately, but when she did, he saw a furious fire smoldering in her cool turquoise eyes, setting them ablaze in a way Artorias had never seen before. His worry for his wife's wellbeing rose. Their gazes met and the Aegis held his Queen's incensed glower, trying to discern what he was seeing in her expression when she suddenly rose to her paws and began to stalk directly towards him, pointed eyes locked on him. Artorias watched Briar storm up to him, holding his ground at around the midpoint of the dojo's arena while he let Briar approach. Then she made her demand and Artorias' confusion mounted. His head tilted and brows narrowed while his brain tried to process what it was hearing. "What...?" Briar gave him no verbal response, but instead shoved his shoulder with one strong paw. It caught the dire brute off guard and forced him to stumble back a step, staring in shock and bewilderment at his beloved queen's beautiful face twisted with anger, her eyes pleading for him to give her what she demanded. Artorias just looked at Briar with a pained expression, empathizing with the hurt she suffered.

"Briar, I don't think this is the best thing-" But Briar cut off Artorias' words with a snarl and a stronger shove to his chest. This time, she had pushed him with enough force that even though he'd expected it, it still shoved him back a couple of steps. Again Briar demanded that he fight her. The emotion that choked and shook her voice broke Art's heart. He was so used to the beautiful lyrics of his wife's voice spoken with confidence and happiness. This voice sounded like a stranger to his ears. Artorias held Briar's gaze for a moment longer, looking back the teal jewels to the spirit of a wolf who needed to lash out at something she couldn't touch. She couldn't fight Death—nobody could. So she would fight him instead. Artorias recognized those feelings and knew them well. They were the same rampant emotions that had led him to stab Sirius innumerable times in a fit of blind rage and pain. Briar needed this release. And as her husband, he would help her heal.

Dark brows over amber eyes narrowed, set in his resolution. Briar wanted a fight. She would get a fight. "Then come at me, Deer Girl," he growled back and set his paws, his body shifting and muscles rippling to set into their combat stance. Ordinarily, Artorias would have set his defenses and let his opponent make the first move so he could intercept and parry, but in this case, Briar needed the aggression of a no-hold-barred fight. The dire brute charged right for his smaller fae, massive paws pushing off of the padded arena floor to lunge right at her. They weren't far apart to begin with, so one good stride was all it took to allow Artorias to pounce at Briar, seeking to slam his chest into hers and wrap strong forelegs around her neck so he could throw her down into a pin. It was a brash and direct first move, but it was exactly what he thought Briar needed.

Artorias vs Briar for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Damascus steel sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying - Boosted
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
*Companion 3: Common raven, Female - Flying
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Knight or Fleet-footed

"Artorias Carpathius"

Artorias' confusion and concern wasn't unexpected, but in her current state she didn't want his worry—she only wanted him to help her find an outlet for this bottled up frustration and grief. He was the only one she trusted enough to see her break like this, knowing without a doubt that her husband would keep keep her secrets safe. He was her confidant, her soulmate, her everything. If there was anyone she could turn to it had to be him. For a moment she was worried that he might continue to deny her, but eventually he seemed to finally see and understand what she needed and she watched him move into a fight-ready stance across from her, taunting her by calling her "Deer Girl". The pet name born out of their puppy rivalry broke through a bit of that overwhelming and deep emotion that had settled like a heavy blanket on her shoulders and there was a small moment of relief and gratefulness toward her wonderful mate that only continued to show her how amazing to her he really was.

"Gladly, Blue Boy," she growled back, setting her stance as well, and just as she was deciding how to approach her first move Artorias took the initiative to do it himself. He charged right at her with a powerful leap and she braced herself for the impact instead of trying to dodge him, leaning back a bit to coil and tense the muscles in her back legs. As soon as his chest impacted hers she pushed off the floor and kicked up with her hind legs, allowing the momentum of his tackle and the jump she made to bring them both tumbling head over heels. With his forelegs grappled around her he took her smaller frame with him easily, but she used that to her advantage and as he flipped over onto his back she landed on top of him, laying chest to chest. She quickly reached for his throat with a growl, aiming to wrap her jaws around his neck, but didn't bite down hard enough to break the skin—just enough to get a firm grasp on the only part of him she could really reach while she scrambled to get her footing under her again with her back paws on the floor on either side of him and her forepaws pressing into his shoulders.

Briar vs Artorias for Spar
Round 1/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked Helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather armor
Companion 1: Prairie falcon, Female - Battle - Boosted
Companion 2: Fox with antlers, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Antlers (small) - Offensive
Mutation 2: Feline claws - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Bulwark

"Briar Carpathius"

Artorias grinned when Briar returned the taunt to him with the pet name she had called him since the day they had met as puppies. Her teasing and her nickname for him had been one of the earliest things that endeared him to her, even if he had made a fuss about them to begin with. As he charged her, he felt his chest connect with Briar's, his tackle making contact and his paws managing to secure the grapple he had been looking for. But it had all been a part of what Briar had wanted him to do. No sooner had he grabbed her, he felt Briar kick her powerful hind legs off the ground, sending them both tumbling backwards as he had been less than balanced on his two hind legs alone. Artorias gave a cry of surprise as both wolves went tumbling heads over paws, rolling about the padded arena of the dojo. Eventually their scuffle ended when Artorias had landed on the flat of his back and Briar had secured her opening, landing on top of him so they were lying chest to chest.

The sound of Briar's growl snapped Artorias' focus to her, keen amber eyes spotting her parted jaws lunging for his exposed throat. Even with his augmented perception and reaction times, there was no chance for Artorias to do anything to block or stop Briar's attack in such close proximity. He felt the sharp drag of his wife's fangs through his thick fur as her jaws sealed around his throat, not really biting down on him, but applying pressure to the most vulnerable part of him. Artorias gave a choking gasp at the sensation of her jaws squeezing around his throat—no wolf had ever been able to get their jaws around his neck like this before, even during a sparring match!—and his initial instinct was to yield to her and concede defeat. However, he knew Briar wouldn't try to hurt him, and he knew she was looking for a fight to vent out those emotions going wild inside of her. So Artorias did what he would have never done in a situation like this—he fought back.

Even with Briar's jaws around his throat, Artorias snarled in response, fiery eyes blazing as he gazed into Briar's burning turquoise pools. She had a solid stance over him, her back paws on either side of his waist and her forepaws pressing into his shoulders, but Briar had a significant weight and size disadvantage against him that he hoped to leverage against her. Knowing that she wouldn't bite down on him, Artorias instead aimed to bring his giant forepaws up to press to his mate's chest and coiled his hind legs up to aim to press into her lower belly. He then began to push with all his strength, seeking to use his greater size and strength to topple Briar off balance and reverse their pin. Even with her jaws around his neck, he wasn't going to give up when he knew she wanted this fight, and this was his last ditch effort to try and get some sort of advantage over her.

Artorias vs Briar for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: 1+ years
Size: Dire wolf
Build: Medium
Offensive Battle Accessory: Damascus steel sword
Defensive Battle Accessory: Reinforced leather cuirass
Companion 1: Common raven, Male - Flying - Boosted
Companion 2: Silver cross fox - Battle - Boosted
*Companion 3: Common raven, Female - Flying
Mutation 1: Stronger teeth and jaws - Offensive
Mutation 2: Thicker fur - Defensive
Mutation 3: Enhanced vision - Perception
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Navigator
Specialty: Knight or Fleet-footed

"Artorias Carpathius"

As Briar pinned her husband with her jaws clasped around his throat, she still wanted more even though in a normal situation this would be the point where she could likely declare her victory. Luckily, Artorias showed yet again how well he knew her as he began to fight back against the restraint she tried to put on him. His paws pushing up into her chest and lower belly pulled a muffled grunt from her and she began to struggle against his movements to try and maintain her position over top of him. Her jaws squeezed a bit tighter, still not tight enough to actually break the skin—especially not with his thicker fur giving a bit of a barrier over his skin—but likely enough to start hindering his breathing at the very least. Where her forepaws sat on his shoulders, her claws extended as an instinctual attempt to keep her grip, cutting into his shoulders as she grappled with him and struggled to maintain her balance while he shoved to push her over. He most certainly was larger and stronger than she was, there was never any doubt about that, so she relied on her balance and agility to almost find a point on his paws that were pressing up into her where she could lay across them while she gripped onto his throat and shoulders, shifting one way or another to try and keep him from being able to toss her over.

Briar vs Artorias for Spar
Round 2/2
Age: Over 1 year
Size: Large
Build: Light
Offensive Battle Accessory: Spiked Helmet
Defensive Battle Accessory: Leather armor
Companion 1: Prairie falcon, Female - Battle - Boosted
Companion 2: Fox with antlers, Female - Battle
Mutation 1: Antlers (small) - Offensive
Mutation 2: Feline claws - Offensive
Skills: Master Fighter & Master Intellectual
Specialty: Bulwark

"Briar Carpathius"

And the winner is...

BRIAR

ARTORIAS must give up by submitting, fleeing or passing out. Totals: Artorias: Attack Roll: 72 Defense Roll: 64 Agility Roll: 30 Perception Roll: 69 Total: 235 Attack[72] + 55% Bonus[39.60]: 111.60 Defense[64] + 20% Bonus[12.80]: 76.80 Agility[30] + 55% Bonus[16.50]: 46.50 Perception[69] + 40% Bonus[27.60]: 96.60 Total[331.50] + 25% Bonus[82.88]: 414.38 Briar: Attack Roll: 87 Defense Roll: 41 Agility Roll: 69 Perception Roll: 95 Total: 292 Attack[87] + 55% Bonus[47.85]: 134.85 Defense[41] + 35% Bonus[14.35]: 55.35 Agility[69] + 5% Bonus[3.45]: 72.45 Perception[95] + 25% Bonus[23.75]: 118.75 Total[381.40] + 25% Bonus[95.35]: 476.75

Briar did not make overpowering her easy. Despite his best attempts to use his larger size and greater strength to dislodge her from on top of him, Artorias was unable to reverse the pin his wife held him in. Her jaws squeezing around his throat cut into his breathing, making the alpha choke while he struggled against her hold. Briar balanced herself and wriggled against his pushing paws, and no matter how much he tried, he could not manage to keep a hold on her to exert enough strength to free himself. The sting of Briar's sharp feline claws biting into his shoulders made him growl in response,  feeling her claws tearing into his skin while she clung to him.

After a few moments of heated struggle, Artorias relented and collapsed back to the padded floor of his dojo with a defeated sigh, gasping for breath through the stranglehold Briar held around his neck. His paws released her and curled up to his chest, submitting and conceding victory to her. Briar had fought viciously and aggressively, and she had come out on top. He just hoped it had been enough to help his emotionally distraught mate vent some of the anger and hurt that she'd been forced to keep held inside. Artorias didn't say anything, just panted hard for breath and let Briar enjoy her victory.

"Artorias Carpathius"

There was a point in the struggle to keep her position over Artorias where everything else faded away. The stress that had been building and weighing heavily on her shoulders, the deep concern she held for her father and siblings, the fear that she wouldn't be able to maintain everything all at once the way she currently was and she would crumble when her family needed her most. It all slipped away, lost to the intense focus she put into the fight and using this struggle with her husband to vent the bottled up frustration, grief, anger, and loss. She was certain that this was by far not the healthiest way to handle losing someone like her mother, but she was already at a breaking point and this felt so much better than buckling under the strain.

They both put up a good fight, but in the end she eventually felt Artorias give in and felt his paws pull away, submitting to her as she continued to hold the grip she had around his throat and under her paws. As soon as she felt that struggle end, her body immediately melted into his, her claws relaxing and letting go of his shoulders to instead slip around the back of his neck and hold herself tight to him. The heady rush of adrenaline and relief filled her from her head to her toes, nearly taking her breath away. Just a moment of strength and control and feeling as if she wasn't entirely powerless was all she had really needed and Artorias gave that to her without making her feel as if he was simply rolling over and letting her win.

She loosened her grip on his throat, but she didn't fully let go or pull away just yet. She was riding the high of her victory for as long as she could and savoring this feeling of being powerful and capable for as long as Artorias would humor her. Her lithe body slid against his own, stretching out along the muscular planes of his toned frame until her hips pressed back into his and a quiet, muffled groan escaped her. She was lost in this moment that was so unlike her usual carefully maintained and calculated outlook on life. This was primal and desperate and somehow still soothing and reliving at the same time. Still keeping Artorias pinned to the dojo floor, she took all of her husband and joined them together, allowing herself the pleasure that she hadn't felt like she deserved.

- fade -

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"