He heard the sound of Art’s arrival, but didn’t immediately plunge forward to greet him. He could tell by the call that his son in law has business in the market. So instead, the Warlord finished his rounds and sent Marshal on ahead to redirect Art if the Aegis should finish his business before he got there. It was a long journey to the Hallows, and Sirius would always take any chance offered to see his family.

He finished his patrol, and made his way towards the Market entrance in time to see Art finish up his business with Ruga. He lifted his head, so Art could see him, and turned, knowing the other wolf would follow him out of the hustle and bustle of the MarketPlace. He led them down towards the beach, where a few projects were still in the making, and a few fishing huts had been erected.

“Artorias” He said warmly, once the sounds of the Market had faded behind them. “It’s good to see you, how are the grandkids doing?” He asked warmly.


"Sirius Fatalis"

It wouldn't have been a complete trip to the Armada if Artorias didn't stop and spend some time with his father-in-law, and really what kind of son would he have been if he just dipped in and ducked out without seeing Sirius? So as soon as Artorias had finished detailing his commission work to Ruga and obtained the talented craftsman's acceptance, he followed Marshal's instructions to find Seer. Thankfully, the giant wolf wasn't hard to spot, given that both men towered above many of the other wolves. He greeted the Warlord with a smile and a raise of his head, then followed the older wolf as he led the way for the two alphas down to the dark sanded shores of the Armadan coast. It had been a few seasons since Art had been up here last, and the changes the Armada had made to the land were noticeable. Fishing huts had been erected along the coast, and signs of further construction projects were in various stages of completion as well. The Armada had been highly functional in turning the rugged mountainous terrain into a proper home. It was impressive!

Sirius greeted him in his usual warm manner, his deep baritone voice sounding far calmer and even then the last time he had seen Seer. Of course, that had been just after Zee's untimely passing... Artorias refused to dwell on that fact, however, forcing the dark memories from his mind. He was overjoyed to see the Warlord seemed to be healing far better than the last time he thought his wife had died. "The feeling's mutual, Seer," replied the Aegis with an easy smile, falling into step alongside his father-in-law. "They're full of energy and trying their sire's patience every day, so they're doing fantastic. Three of them want to wield swords while the other two seem hellbent on finding trouble wherever they roam." Artorias chuckled and sighed, shaking his head as he thought of his children back home. Hopefully they weren't giving Briar too much hell while he was out on business. But the young father wouldn't have traded a day of any of it away. He knew he would miss this when his pups were grown and living their own lives. "And yourself? How are you and the newest Fatalis brood doing?"

"Artorias Carpathius"

Sirius gave a soft chuckle at that, and stopped by some coats along the sandy shore. He seated himself down with a soft sigh and stretched out his legs, looking out across the great expanse of ocean. At least with Spring, the air that blew off the water wasn’t quite as chill.

“Sounds like they’re keeping you busy” He said with a warm smile. He hadn’t gotten a chance to get to know his grandkids as well as he would have liked. Their meeting had been soured, and he knew he would need another chance to get to know them. A chance for their interactions not to be clouded by what had happened.

“We are getting by, and they are growing up far too fast. They’re young, and I am hoping they won’t be too scarred by it, but there are definitely lingering wounds.” He said softly. He noticed that more than one of them got anxious whenever he went away for more than a day. As if afraid that he might never come back.


"Sirius Fatalis"

As they walked, Artorias took in the lands around him with intrigue. He had never been to the Soul Sand Cove before, but in many ways it reminded him of the Obsidian Shore in southern Boreas. Black sand seemed to be a pretty common occurrence around the continent. He briefly wondered what made it so, especially when it seemed to pop up almost at random around the land. Taking a seat on his haunches beside the Warlord when they stopped, keen amber eyes shifted to survey over the expansive western sea. It was almost hard to believe that this was the same sea that his bedroom window looked out over, especially with the differences in climates between the Hallows and the Armada. But Art had learned long ago that the world was a strange and often magical place; questioning it rarely made sense, and that was part of its charm and wonder.

"I'm sure your first litter probably did the same to you," replied the Aegis with a chuckle. He tried to picture a much younger Sirius as father to a pack of newborn Fatalises—Mortis, Azure, Indigo, and Aslatiel. Did they cause Seer as much stress and worry as his five were giving to him? The thought brought a bit of a cheeky smirk to Art's lips as he tried to imagine the Warlord chasing down four rambunctious puppy jelly beans with the same lack of experience he had. Sirius relayed the state of his own children, mentioning the difficulties they had faced. It made Artorias sad to hear that the younglings suffered so much because of what they had endured. The pain of that loss broke his heart for them and reminded him of Resin. He had at least been a fresh yearling when she died; Art could only imagine how traumatic his mother's death would have been if he'd been a younger pup at the time.

"They've suffered a terrible loss. You all have. I'd be more worried and surprised if they didn't show any wounds from that kind of trauma." Artorias turned softened eyes to his father-in-law. Sometimes he thought it would feel odd or out of place for him to act as such a support line for a wolf twice his age, but his relationship with Sirius had never felt odd or uncomfortable. He was the Aegis after all, and it was his role to protect and support all of his wolves, no matter how near or far they were. Though Seer was known for his possessive mentality and "mine" attitude, the old dire wolf was very much one of Artorias' wolves too. "It will take time, but they will heal. They're young, they have a lot to learn and a ways to grow. But if there's one thing my five have taught me, it's that puppies are bouncy, resilient little things. And most importantly, they still have you."

Would things be tougher for Sirius and his youngest? Undoubtedly yes. But they had each other, and so long as Seer provided the kind of nurturing and support the young pups needed, Art had little doubt they would recover from this stronger for it—Sirius included. "Have you considered having the pups talk to someone about their fears and worries?" asked Art with a curious glance back to his in-law and peer. "One of my wolves specializes in healing the heart and mind. I could ask her to talk to them if you feel it might do some good. Maybe having a way to release their emotions over what happened could help them cope?"

"Artorias Carpathius"

“They did!” He agreed with a fond chuckle. When his family had been smaller, and things had been simpler. He knew he was looking at it now through the dubious and rose-tinted glasses of time. He remembered there were challenges back then, as well. At the mention of his youngest litter, he nodded his head. “I know, I just… hope for a balance. That they are young enough to soften this blow, and old enough that they remember their Mother in the future and don’t mourn too much what they’ve lost.” He said softly.

“I’ll mention it to them, Artorias, and thank you. I’ll leave that decision up to them. I’m going to take them to Ashen for a play date with Venom’s youngest, and perhaps they can reconnect with yours again down the road. Positive things for them to look forward to. Reminder of the large family they have.” He said. It was important to him that the next generation build connections with Hallows and Ashen.


"Sirius Fatalis"

It was impossible for Artorias to resist an amused chuckle when Sirius confirmed that his first foray into fatherhood had put him through the wringer as well. Hey, at least that meant he was doing something right then! Seer mentioned bringing his children down to Ashen for a playdate with Venom's newest litter and Artorias visibly perked up at the news. "Venom and her new mate had puppies? That's wonderful news!" He and Venom were friends, but with the chaos of his own children's births as well as the Empire's move he hadn't been in constant contact with the Empress to hear the news firsthand for himself. He was of course overjoyed for it, especially since he knew how she had suffered when Hattori had left her. It was good to see everyone healing and carrying on in life in their own ways.

"You know you can count on us for anything, Seer, and our doors are always open to you and our family," said the Aegis to the Warlord when the older wolf mentioned bringing his pups down to the Hallows again at some point. He made a point to say "our family" because that's what they all were—one giant, eclectic and messy family. "I've been considering opening the Hallows as a school for weapons combat training too. If any of your young ones show a desire to learn a more unorthodox way of fighting, I'd be happy to teach them as well. The Armada is still the foremost force to contend with, but I don't see many younglings running around beating each other with sticks yet." Artorias chuckled at the thought and the memory of how his own training had begun so many years ago.

"Artorias Carpathius"