The bonfire festival proceeded without a hitch, their family and friends that could make it gathering around the massive fire as Artorias set it alight, filling the plains with a warm, friendly glow. After so much heartache and stress over the last season or two, this was exactly what her heart needed–seeing everyone smiling and having fun, their pups playing with their cousins and everyone gathered around to share in the feast and be together again. The Hallows truly had become her home and her family. As much as she loved the Fatalis side of herself and appreciated everything that Armada had given her when she was growing up, this was where she truly began to grow into her own and felt the most fulfilled here at Art's side with their growing family.

She and Art both played host for most of the evening, moving through the crowd together in-between finding time to grab bites of food themselves and checking on their pups to make sure no one was getting too close to the fire or causing trouble. She was fully in her element here, a smile never leaving her lips as she chatted and laughed with everyone she spent time with. Still, after they had finally finished making their rounds and settled back down on a fur that was reserved for them, she gave a slightly tired sigh and leaned her shoulder into Art's before turning her turquoise gaze up toward his, giving him a loving smile. "I'd say this is another successful bonfire festival," she said with a chuckle, leaning up to catch his lips for a quick kiss before she looked back out over the crowd again while continuing to lean into his side, her tail entwining with his as she took it all in.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

After presiding over gods knew how many major events by now, Artorias was getting used to playing the role of host quite well. He wasn't as naturally talented at it as Briar was, but he made due. With his adept wife at his side, the Aegis and Queen made their rounds greeting and sharing conversation with their friends, family, and guests while the bonfire burned in the background. Artorias was both happy and relieved to see Briar thriving in her natural element as a queen. After the loss of Zee and the emotional tailspin her family had been put into, he did worry that his mate would fall back into her old habits of trying to be everyone's rock at her own mental health's expense, but this time she seemed more at peace. Watching their children play brought smiles to both parents' faces, and interacting with their loved ones had them laughing and chatting like there was no tomorrow. Briar never looked more beautiful than she did when she was in full alpha mode.

After they had both shared a meal and made their rounds, Artorias snagged a bottle of Hallowed wine from the feast table and went to join Briar on their fur bedding near the bonfire to watch it burn and relax together. The dire wolf collapsed to the soft furs with a grateful sigh and groan, carefully setting the bottle in the grass between them while he snuggled up next to his wife and draped a paw over her side to hold her close. She leaned into him and he supported her smaller frame and lighter weight easily with his own, fiery amber eyes meeting hers with a shimmer of love and an affectionate smirk on his lips. "I'd say you're quite right about that," Art agreed with a chuckle of his own, the sound cutting off when her lips met his in a quick kiss he was all too eager to return.

The couple looked out over the crowd that surrounded them, everyone looking to have a good time in their own ways. Using his teeth to pop the cork out of the bottle of sweet red wine, he offered the first sips to Briar before taking a long drink for himself. With the bonfire came the reminiscing that happened every year. Of course, Artorias had thought of Resin when lighting the fire, but now he was busy reflecting over the past year of their lives. "It's hard to believe how much all of this has changed in just a year... I mean, one year ago I was proposing to you up in your tower, and here we are today..." he mused with a wistful sigh, waving a paw around the throng of wolves and one giant bird. In just a year, Artorias had become a husband, a father to five little energetic puppies, and alpha to a half dozen new wolves. Time felt like it was flying!

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar happily took the bottle of wine as it was offered to her, giving her husband a little grin before she took a sip of the sweet and tart liquid. She had been working on a batch of wine that was made special for this particular occasion and she was very happy with how it had turned out. It was nice and mild since she knew she'd need to please a crowd, but it had a special berry twist from the local berries they gathered from the Wildberry Grove. She gave a content sigh before passing it over to Artorias so he could take a sip as well, leaning into him and enjoying his embrace while she turned her turquoise gaze out to the crowd again, smiling softly while she followed Thorn and Dusk as they played before scanning and looking for Talyssa and Bramble. They all seemed to be having a great time and she was certainly enjoying getting to see them interact with the rest of their friends and guests. As a family they had begun to establish some of their own traditions and she was proud that she got to be a part of it all.

As Artorias commented on the past year and mentioned his proposal that had taken place at the last bonfire festival, she blinked with a bit of surprise at the realization and chuckled as she looked up at him with a grin. "I guess that was a year ago, huh?" she questioned, almost in disbelief that it had only been a year. "It feels like it's been so much longer than that sometimes." Their engagement, finding Zephyrus, their wedding, the conception and birth of not only their first litter but his brother's litter as well, the addition and return of pack members and family, the loss of her mother, and all of their daily lives in-between... It felt impossible that all of that could have been condensed into just a year, but it had. She chuckled and gave him a loving grin, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she added, "I can't wait to see what the next year brings us."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias graciously took the bottle of wine from Briar as she passed it back to him, taking a long swig of the semisweet tart liquid. The wine was crisp with the sugary flavor of berries mixed in. Briar had always been so uniquely creative in her projects, and her ownership of their wine production had been her pride and joy and it showed in the end product. Breathing a content sigh, Artorias set the bottle between their paws, following her gaze from the roaring bonfire to the plethora of wolves that had gathered for the celebration. The sound of laughter pulled his attention to their playing children, all five of their pups playing about in the starlit fields bathed in glowing firelight. A loving smile spread over his muzzle. There was no parent alive happier than Artorias was in this moment.

Briar’s shock to the realization of just how much life had changed and how much happiness it had delivered them was a sentiment echoed by her ebony and azure husband. It still made Artorias reel to comprehend all of the major events they had been through in just one year. The adoption of Zephyrus, their engagement and wedding, the slaying of his wicked brother, the birth of their children, Zee’s untimely passing… If all of that could occur in one year, what more could potentially lie in wait for them for this coming year? The grin that appeared on Briar’s lips was mirrored by Artorias when he felt his wife’s lips meet his cheek in an affectionate kiss, earning a happy murr from the brute snuggled up at her side.

The dire brute’s bushy tail lifted to drape over her hips, a strong foreleg moving over her back to keep her cradled close while the happy couple observed the family and the life they’d built together all around them. "I can’t wait to see what this next year brings us either," he replied with a low rumble in his tones, shifting his muzzle to brush his lips against the edge of Briar's closest ear. "Do you have any wishes or goals you'd like to see to for the next year, my love?"

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar hummed happily as Artorias's foreleg slipped around her and pulled her in closer to him, snuggling into his side with a contentment that she wasn't sure could be matched. For the pair of them that cared so deeply for family, this was perhaps their most ideal moment. Surrounded by family and friends, celebrating and remembering the year that was now behind them, and watching their growing family live and play in the happiness and comfort that they had aspired toward for them. This was Briar's dream and it was hard to imagine how it could get any better. Still, as Artorias agreed that he couldn't wait to see what the next year brought them and she felt his lips brush her ear as he asked her what her wishes and goals for the year ahead were, she managed to think of a couple of things that she wanted very much.

His light teasing against the edge of her ear made a little grin tug at her lips and her silken tail curled around his hips in return while she slid her paw over to his to hold his paw and give it an affectionate squeeze. "Well, I would certainly like to finish replenishing our wine stores and work on expanding our trade routes," she began, her tone nonchalant and maybe a little teasing at first. "We really should finish renovations on the last wings of the castle as well and the greenhouse could use a bit of work and expansion." Her grin grew as she turned her head to tip her muzzle up to his ear in return, giving the edge of his ear a teasing kiss before she whispered, "Dar, mai ales, vreau să am mai mulți pui cu tine."

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Artorias saw the slow grin slide across Briar's lips when he asked her in hushed tones what she hoped for in their coming year, followed by the silken curl of her long tail draping over his hip in subtle suggestion while she held his paw. His queen began very simply with her desires to continue expanding her work, filling up their cellars and expanding trade with their allies. That was easy enough to understand—Artorias did love Briar's wines, and improving relations with other packs was always vital if they wished to maintain their careful neutrality. Briar then mentioned finishing renovating the upper level of the castle and expanding their greenhouse. Artorias gave a single nod in reply to her suggestions. "Yes, especially after your father decided to redecorate one of our guest rooms with his chaotic flair," he mused with a jesting chuckle. But then Briar began to shift to slide her muzzle closer to his face, nuzzling her way up to his ear that intrigued and enticed the brute. He didn't know what his wife was up to until those sultry words purred out in his family's tongue came pouring from her lips.

Briar's provocative and arousing whispers widened Artorias' eyes with surprise, his mouth hanging open as his brain scrambled to process what she was suggesting to him. Like a computer rebooting, the onyx and azure brute's eyes began to gleam with excitement and delight as understanding dawned on him. Like a horny adolescent, Artorias' bushy tail began to give excited wags against the blanket and a knowing grin crept across his muzzle as he lost himself deep in Briar's turquoise gaze. "Oh yeah?" he replied, barely able to contain the enthusiasm in his voice at the prospect of getting to expand their family even more with his beautiful mate. With a rumbling murr of desire, the Aegis leaned in to wrap his Queen up tightly in his strong forelegs, nuzzling the silken fur behind her ear while he breathed in her sweet scent. "Știți cât de mult mi-a plăcut să fac primul nostru așternut. Al doilea nostru va fi de asemenea o plăcere, iubirea mea."

His eager grin shifting into something more naughty and lecherous, Artorias gave the edge of Briar's ear a playful nip before whispering in his husky voice into it, "Am putea începe să facem acei căței în seara asta, frumoși." Perhaps it was the wine in his system, or the way Briar looked in the firelight, or just how attracted to her and in love with her he was, but the thought of growing their family even more had ignited a flame in his core, burning hot just for her. Artorias knew that another litter would be an impossibility for them right away, but that didn't stop him from flirting and talking suggestively with his wife, especially if her mind was already on their next set of children.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

Briar couldn't help but grin as she watched Artorias process what she had whispered to him, giggling softly at that delight that crossed his face and the way his tail immediately began to wag the same way it always had since they were just adolescents figuring out what sex and desire even were. He was always so adorable and even though she wondered if it was possible to ever love him more than she did right now he always managed to find a way to make her love him even more. "Mhmm," she purred with a grin in response to his questioning confirmation, giving him a knowing, lustful look as his forelegs slipped around her and pulled her tight to him, leaning into his touch as he nuzzled behind her ear. Having a family–and a large family at that–had always been a strong motivator and a dream for them both so of course the notion of having even more pups together was enticing for them both, but Artorias always lit up at even the suggestion of it and she was always more than willing to play into that for him.

His lecherous promise rumbled back to her in his family's language made her grin widen again with a pleased hum, her tail brushing across his hips again, her mind already back in their bedroom well before the nip he added to her ear with the even more naughty suggestion he added in Carpathain that sent a little shiver of anticipation through her. Even if logic told her that the chances of her getting pregnant again so soon after their first litter was an impossibility, that didn't stop her from playing into the fantasy and enjoying the constant desire they had for one another. She chuckled softly, catching his gaze with a heavy lidded bedroom gaze of her own, giving him a grin before bringing her muzzle up to his ear again. "Îți sugerez să închei tot ce trebuie să faci aici... Rapid." She gave his ear a teasing nip in return before she slipped away from his grasp, getting to her paws and turning back toward the castle, flicking her silken tail under his chin before she started striding toward the castle gates, knowing without needing to look that he would be right on her heels.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

Like a giddy puppy told they could stay up past bedtime, Artorias' very visible enthusiasm for some alone time with Briar amplified when his drop dead sexy mate gave him a purred confirmation that she did indeed want to start working on growing their family even more. No matter how old they got, Artorias was still just as eager and excited to indulge in some adult activities with Briar as much as he was when they were both horny adolescents discovering sex together for the first time, and he doubted that would change any time soon. Who in their right mind wouldn't be overly excited to get to bed the most beautiful wolf in the world though? Artorias was grinning widely to himself as he held his beloved Briar close and nuzzled her ear and scruff, just drinking in this perfect moment with her where everything was right and wonderful. He knew how important family was to her—it was equally as important to himself as well—and the Carpathians had long ago decided that they wanted a large family for themselves. This was just another step in achieving their perfect happily-ever-after together on their roadmap together.

As he teased her and seduced her with husky promises drenched with lewd intentions, the dire brute felt his fae's silken tail swish up over his hip, sending a delightful chill rippling down his back. He murred in delight, giving a playful nip to the back of her scruff while his mind was quick to follow hers back to the privacy of their bedroom. Despite knowing that it would be virtually impossible for Briar to get pregnant so soon after giving birth to their first litter, one thing he absolutely loved about his magnificent wife was that she was always willing to play into his desires and do anything to turn him on, no matter how possible or probable they were. So that was why when he suggested they get started on making puppies right away and Briar gave him her heavy-lidded bedroom eyes and purred sultry words tempting him to sneak off with her as quickly as possible in Carpathian, Artorias was already grinning like he'd just won the lottery. Before he could move, Briar was already rising with a nip to his ear and a brush of her flowing tail beneath his chin, heading back in the direction of Hearthstone.

Artorias, fully twitterpated by his wife's teasing, could only watch with a wide-eyed dumbstruck look on his face and tongue practically hanging out his grinning mouth as she sauntered away from him, her graceful strides sauntering her svelte form in all the right ways. After watching the show of his queen walking away for a few seconds, Art was scrambling to his paws, kicking up the furs they had been lying on in the process without any care as he hurried to find Ezra and place his friend in charge of the festival while he and Briar were indisposed. Once he'd made sure someone was keeping an eye on things, the azure wolf took off after his tawny and turquoise bride, hot on her heels as the pair of lovers crossed the gates and gardens to head into the castle, Artorias placing another playful nip to Briar's rump right near the base of her tail once they were safely out of sight of any puppy eyes. "O să te fac să țipi în seara asta, iubirea mea," rumbled the Aegis in growled, husky tones as he pursued his mate up the terrace and into the castle foyer, a lecherous and playful grin on his muzzle while a hungry fire burned in his amber eyes for her.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"

As she strolled up toward their home with a knowing smirk on her lips, Briar simply waited for the sound of her husband's heavy paw steps to come thundering up behind her and after a long pause where he was undoubtedly scrambling to appoint someone else in charge of the bonfire she heard him running to catch up. She was passing through the gates of the walls that surrounded the castle when she felt him nip at the base of her tail, making her ears perk as she glanced back at him with a fiery gaze of her own. His growled, lecherous promise made her grin widen as a little shiver of excitement ran through her. "Aș fi dezamăgit dacă nu ai fi făcut-o" she replied with her own purred, tempting tone, giving his rump a playful swat of her tail as he joined her at her side just as they were stepping into Hearthstone and passing through the castle's foyer.

All the way up the stairs and down the corridors that would lead them to their bedroom she exchanged little teasing glances and grins with lustful nips and kisses, already all over one another as soon as they were within the walls of the mostly vacant castle. Her quiet giggles and gasps at his teasing echoed off the walls of the quiet, fire-lit hallway. If it wasn't for the fact that there were a plethora of young wolves running around the pack that might stumble upon them accidentally she wasn't sure they would have actually made it to their bedroom. Instead, they hurried up to their room while practically tripping over one another until she finally slipped through the doors of their room with a tempting sway of her hips and quickly leaped up onto their bed, only having a moment to settle into the plush bedding and pillows while Art locked the door before he joined her to hold true to his promise.

- fade -

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"

It was oh so easy for Artorias to get lost in Briar, the beautiful fae he was lucky enough to call his mate captivating him and stealing his attention as easily as breathing. Her purred, seductive words further enticed the lusting brute after the sultry fae, and the playful swat of her silken tail against his rump making him yip with excitement. All the way up the stairs the two wolves teased and played like they were a pair of horny adolescents again discovering sex for the first time. There was a lighthearted and frisky mirth between the two lovers that they reciprocated back and forth, filling the quiet halls with little giggles and sounds of desire as their steps were interrupted with teasing nips and kisses of promises of what was to come. Just like her, Artorias wasn't sure they were going to make it all the way back to their room at first, his eagerness to have his wife becoming almost overbearing. Only the thought of one of the younglings coming back inside for some reason kept him from pouncing on her and having his way with her then and there in the hallways. That would be awkward to have to explain!

Eventually, the two lovers managed to make their way into their bedroom, practically falling over one another as they stumbled through the doors almost entwined together. The wide, excited grin on Artorias' face betrayed just how much he was looking forward to this! Between sharing their spacious bedroom with their young children and the general busyness of raising a family and leading a pack, the Carpathians had scarce precious private time together that they really got to enjoy. Artorias was going to make the most of this night with his beloved Briar, and he was already looking forward to the pups having their own rooms. The azure brute stood by the bedroom doors, watching as his mate made her way over to their bed with a sexy sway to her hips, his smoldering amber eyes following the movement of her hips all the way until she had climbed up onto the bed. Grinning from ear to ear, Artorias closed the doors and latched them closed, granting the alphas their privacy. The dire brute then stalked his way swiftly over to the bed, leaping up onto the plush mattress so he could keep to his word and bring Briar all the pleasure to keep her singing for him through the night.

- fade -

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius" | "Carpathian"