The Warlord made his way from the Armada, back to the Hallows. His paws were sore by the time he arrived home, and he was fluctuating from elation to sadness. He had discovered that there were more Fatalis babies, and Zee had never met them Zee would never meet them.

He swallowed, but knew his decision was the right one. He had spent long enough wallowing in the safety net of the Hallows. It was time to come home. To introduce Aris’ little ones to his. To restart the training and drive the Armada forward. He would have much to keep his paws busy, it would have to be enough.

He called for Artorias, and sat in the courtyard, waiting for his godson to arrive.


"Speech"

With almost the entirety of their extended Fatalis family under their roof and over a dozen puppies running around the castle halls and gardens, Artorias and Briar had had their paws full assisting Sirius in managing the crisis that had befallen their family. The tragic and unexpected death of Zee had struck everyone at different magnitudes, and the Aegis did as he always had—he provided refuge and sanctuary for his grief-stricken in-laws. The Fatalises were as much his family as his own flesh and blood were, and in many ways Artorias considered himself a part of the Fatalis family as well. Anything he could do to help Sirius and lessen the burden suddenly thrust onto him by his wife's passing was something he didn't even need to consciously consider. He would do anything for his family, and though he could never undo the hurt inflicted on his father-in-law, he could do his damnedest to mitigate it as much as possible.

The alpha of the Hallows was busy keeping an eye over a few of the more rowdy pups as they play fought and wrestled around the padded floors of his dojo, letting them burn out some energy and distract themselves from what was going on when Seer's call for him rang out. Artorias left his companions to keep an eye on them with instructions to seek him out if the little ones tried to make a break for it, then slipped away unnoticed to join his surrogate father out in the courtyard gardens. Finding the hulking black form of the grizzled Warlord amongst the greenery and flowerbeds of the castle gardens was almost a hilarious contrast, but the humor would have been lost in the grimness of their reality right now. Art approached Seer, offering the elder wolf a tender smile as he came to sit beside his father-in-law.

"How have you been today?" he asked, prudently avoiding asking if the former alpha was okay. Of course Sirius wasn't going to be okay. But he could at least know he was holding up in the face of grief.

"Speech"

The wait was a short one, and then Artorias was settling in beside him. Sirius glanced across at the blue-toned wolf. A half-smile on his lips. It was the best he could give the other wolf right now. The younger wolf broke the silence first, and Sirius turned a little further, giving the Aegis his full attention. “Tired, it’s been a long day” He said truthfully.

He let out a soft sigh, and rolled his shoulders. He intended to tell Artorias everything. His fellow leader and godson was one of his confidantes. “The trip to the Armada was mostly uneventful, although Azure surprised me. He was willing to accede leadership to me immediately. I guess.. I guess it hit him hard too.” He shook his head, remembering the comfort his son had offered him immediately. It had surprised him. “I have no intention of taking his position from him, but I am stepping back up. There's much to do…” and I need the distraction went unsaid. “Aris, one of my daughters. She gave birth while we were here. They’ll never know their Grandmother” the roughness in his voice would have told Art much on how he felt about that.


"Speech"

The simple fact that the older wolf was able to offer him even a faint smile felt like a godsend. Compared to how he had been the first time they believed Zee had perished, this version of Sirius seemed unusually at peace with the grief. Perhaps because this time there wasn't a shadow of doubt over her death, or maybe because he'd been with her at the time. Either way, it brought Artorias' heart some peace, even though it still pained him to see his family in such a state. He nodded his head once when Seer spoke; it would have been more surprising if the fatigue hadn't caught up with him yet. Seer took the moment to fill Art in on his trip to the Armada. It also surprised the obsidian and sapphire wolf to hear Azure so willingly agreed to a split of power between the two Fatalis leaders, evident by Artorias' raised brow. It was quite a mature showing on Azure's part though, to recognize what was best for the pack, their family, and themselves. Sirius needed the job to keep him focused and distracted, and it sounded like his brother-in-law recognized that. "That's good to know," he mused with a trace of a smile. "It sounds like Azure's done a lot of maturing in his time as Warlord. He's got a deeper understanding of what leadership means." Being a leader wasn't about sitting a throne or holding power. It was about motivating and protecting the ones that looked to you.

Sirius confirmed that he was indeed planning on ascending to the rank of Warlord once more, and little surprise crossed the Aegis' face. He couldn't imagine the stubborn Fatalis ever truly retiring from his title. He nodded; he understood the need for the distraction and supported Seer taking the healthier route of venting his grief and learning to live in the aftermath. It was at least safer than tossing daggers to pups and letting them stab him twenty eight times. What did come as a surprise to him was to hear that Aris had given birth. He hadn't known the girl was pregnant, let alone seeing anyone regularly enough to start having kids! The happy surprise was tarnished however by the death of the grandmother they would never know, the harshness in Sirius' voice saying more than words could. Artorias' lips pressed together in a fine line, trying to find something to say to his hurting father-in-law, something he could offer to help ease the pain or bring just a little light to the darkness.

"No, they won't..." agreed the Aegis with a somber sigh, empathetic eyes holding to Seer's where he could catch the old wolf's scowl. "But they do have their grandfather, and all the rest of their uncles, aunts, and cousins. It might seem like a poor consolation, but I can assure you that having one parent is better than having none—grandparents too, in this case." Sirius was well aware of Artorias and his littermates' circumstances for how they came to be. No father, a mother lost too soon into their youths... Artorias had never felt the kind of pain of losing a mate and a partner like Sirius did, but that didn't make him unable to empathize. He had lost Resin far too early in his life, but it had made him treasure the time he had with Tamsyn all the more highly. "I understand your reasons, Seer, and I understand why this is important for you. While we will all miss you and the kids being around, you are all always welcome here to come be with family, no matter the time or reason."

Artorias gave Sirius another small smile and a nod of his head, granting the Warlord all the freedoms he needed to come and go from the Hallows as he pleased. He sincerely hoped Seer would take him up on that offer; he didn't want his surrogate father to tough it out and suffer alone because he didn't feel like he had anywhere else to turn to. But before their conversation ended, Artorias did have one thing he felt he needed to talk to Sirius about. Looking at the older wolf with a serious expression, Art said, "I hope you remember that you're not alone, Sirius. You have so many wolves who care for you. You have family all across this world ready to do anything for you. If you feel yourself slipping, come find me and Briar. We'll be here for you."

Artorias reached a paw across the space between them, placing it overtop of one of Sirius' oversized dire paws. "You should also tell Azure how much help he's been leading in your stead and let him know you're proud of him. He doesn't let it on, but I think knowing that he's doing a good job as a leader will mean a lot to him—especially coming from you." In the short bits of time Art had spent with Azure, one thing he could glean from keen observation was just how much the younger Warlord took on and kept repressed. It was a near thankless job, yet Azure took on the duties in his father's stead with grace and readiness. He may not have seen eye to eye with his brother-in-law on all matters, but he could respect the man. Art lifted his paw from Seer's then and turned to the next matter of business. "Have you told the pups yet? When were you thinking of making the trek back?"

"Speech"

“I believe your right” He agreed. It had surprised him, as well. And he felt Azure had really blossomed as a leader. That he understood the role so much better now that he had stepped into it for a time. Sirius already knew that this time, the role would be more shared. He would not be the sole voice in the Armada any longer. It was good to know in his old age that he could rely upon his son. Someday, the Armada would be his, and his alone.

“True, true” he conceited softly as Art pointed out how many family members they would have. It seemed the Fatalis family was often spending time in the Hallows, or Artorias’s kin had travelled up to the Armada. Births, and deaths, and so many changes in their lives made the trips seem necessary. And it ensured that the Warlord knew his family would always be there. Briar might have married into the Carpathius, but they had married into the Fatalis, too. “And you will always be welcome in the Armada, too. I treasure what we have, between the Armada and the Hallows. You are my sanctuary, and I hope that I’m yours” He said. Then, he cleared his throat, and wiped his forepaws across the ground. Clearly, he was feeling far too sentimental. He cleared his throat, and gave Art a wry smile.

But he didn’t fully pull away, despite feeling self conscious of bearing deep emotions to the blue wolf. “I will Art. and I hope you know you can do the same” He said softly. “I’ll tell Azure that” He agreed. “And I was going to break the news to the pups in the morning”

"Speech"