It was late. Real late. So late that the sun hadn't been up for hours and that it wouldn't be up for even more. He would be convinced that the sun wouldn't return if he was coherent, but no- Grimshaw had been thrown into rocks, drug through riptides, and yet somehow the beast of a man still lived. Well, he wasn't much of a beast anymore. He'd lost what little weight he had and even a part of his face, still raw and sore as if it had happened in the days before he washed up on this beach.

A massive amount of water suddenly heaved from the lungs of the frail man, the salt water burning all the way up his throat on its sudden expulsion from his lungs. Grimshaw groaned as his eyes rolled forward from the back of his skull and back, struggling to come to and focus on the blurry and spinning world around him before coughing a few more drops of seawater onto the sand he laid on. Nothing had stopped spinning yet, but he tried to stand anyway. Or at least get up, but he promptly fell back into the sand, too weak and sore to move away from the water that threatened to drag him back in. He hated the water.

Suddenly he shivered, his soaked body cold in the warm summer night. His eyes squeezed closed as he tried to curl his aching limbs into himself, wincing and stopping before they made it. Unable to move away from the ocean, unable to curl in on himself, he wondered why he was here. Alive, really, was his question. He missed Malachai, he missed the Armada, he hated this. Though he didn't realize how close to home he really was, one much closer than the other. He already lost hope, long before now, of seeing his loved ones again. He didn't even care how he got here, or why he was here, he just wanted to be home. And so quietly he sobbed, adding his tears into the sand mixed with his salty lung-water, wondering why life hated him so fucking much.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle 2022 | Art © Kianxiety 2022

Sleep wasn't kind to Bowen this night. The russet and cream fae slept fitfully, tossing and turning in the furs of the bed that she shared with her sister. It was a miracle that Ash hadn't kicked her to wake her up yet. Maybe her larger sibling was just too nice to disturb her, but Bowen wished she had.

Or maybe not.

Bowen's dreams were tumultuous. She battled the swirling, heaving ocean. She fought for her life, pulling ropes and shifting sails. All around the rain hammered the old but sturdy wooden deck of the ship as well as all of its occupants. Wait... where were they? Green eyes looked about as she scanned for her shipmates but there was no one there. Bowen was all alone.

Once the realization of her solitude struck, it took a moment for the woman to  notice that her entire dreamscape had changed. Rather than trying to maintain a ghost ship, she was standing on an ice covered lake at the foot of a massive, pine covered mountain. She'd been here before in another dream and the small fae's heart rose in her throat. Emerald eyes watched the swirling snow knowingly and she was not disappointed. The misty snow gave way to the hulking grey and black form of her mother. Bowens ears tucked back against her skull for a moment. It wasn't that she didn't love her mother, but Resin tended to be the bearer of bad news.

"The beach. You need to go to the beach." Her mother's gravely voice echoed around her. Bowen had just opened her mouth to question her mother, but she didn't have a chance. "You need to go now." Then the snowstorm ate both of their forms.

Bowen woke with a gasp, sitting upright immediately. The small fae's chest heaved and her mind swam with the weight of the dream. They always seemed so real when she returned to that mountain. Ash was still asleep somehow and Bowen was careful not to disturb her as she slid from their shared bed. Quietly, the dainty woman made her way down the stone stairs and out the castle's back gate. She took the winding path down to the beach and, despite the darkness of night, moved carefully and observantly. What was she supposed to find?

Sound met Bowen's ears as she picked her way along the sand. Coughing? Was there someone out here? Knowing now that she was supposed to be finding someone rather than something, Bo threw her meager weight into her paws and raced across the sand. Glimpses of moonlight peered through a clouded sky, granting her better sight here and there. And suddenly there he was.

"Grim!" She recognized her brother instantly and raced to his side, almost falling on him in her haste. Paws moved to brush damp fur away from his eyes as she visually checked him over. What had happened to his face?! Panic rose in the woman and she moved her paws to gently check his neck and limbs. Standard practice when one was pulled from the water. Nothing seemed to be broken but she would need Gwyn to check him over to make sure.

"Grim, it's Bowen. Can you walk? We need to get you back to the castle." Though the night was warm, her giant sibling was shivering uncontrollably. Shock and the wet chill of the sea were taking its toll. He needed to be warmed up and tended to, but she couldn't drag him up there by herself. If he couldn't move, she would have to call Artorias. Actually... why wait? The small fae threw her muzzle to the sky and called for their brother. Bowen had no doubt that either Artorias or one of his companions would hear her call and come to their aid.

"Bowen"

Nightmares were not something Artorias was used to having often. Usually the alpha wolf's sleep was peaceful beside his mate, but this night his slumber was plagued with disturbing visions. A dark, roiling sea collided all around him, tumultuous waves crashing down around him like a cataclysm were happening. He was drowning, fighting to keep his head above water, but no matter how much he fought, the darkness just kept pulling him down deeper and deeper. Salt stung at his eyes and nose and bitter cold cut through his fur and flesh to the bone. It seemed as if the darkness was destined to claim him. Eventually though, he did surface in his dream, still paddling for his life in endless blackness—but up ahead, he could see the lights of Hearthstone glowing in the distance. Warmth, safety, sanctuary. Home. The tide pushed him ashore, and as soon as his body hit the sand, he vomited up water. Then his mother's voice was yelling in his head as clear as the last day he'd heard Resin alive.

"Wake up."

Amber eyes snapped open with a jolt, drawing in a harsh breath. He was safe in bed, curled up beside Briar, their children sleeping in their whelping bed. A fire smoldered in the hearth, its embers barely illuminating the bedroom. Darkness still claimed the land; night time. How late was it? Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Artorias flopped onto his back and gazed blankly up at the ceiling above him. What an awful dream... He had no way of knowing it hadn't been a dream, but an experience of what his brother had lived through—at least not until he heard Bowen's distressed howl for him coming from the beach. Rising with a start, the Aegis hurried over to the tall windows and peered out into the dark. He couldn't see anything from here, even with his improved eyesight. What the hell was Bowen doing outside at this hour?!

Fearing the worst, Artorias hurried quickly and quietly out of the bedchambers to prevent from waking his family, then sprinted down the halls, the stairs and out of the courtyard. Nimble paws followed familiar paths down to the dark sandy shores. Even amongst the scent of sea salt he could pick up Bowen's scent, following his sister's trail like a beacon in the dark until her pale form came into view. "Bowen! Are you all right?" he asked. That was when his gaze shifted to the dark lump of fur collapsed at her side. Brow furrowed in confusion; what was he looking at here? A closer inspection though revealed a familiar scent amongst the overpowering smell of surf and salt clinging to the body's coat. He knew this scent. Fiery eyes widened as recognition dawned on him. A giant paw lifted to shift the stranger's face, revealing elongated fangs and a nasty wound to his face. "Grim...!" Artorias breathed, shocked by their brother's appearance washed ashore. He was supposed to be up north with the Armada. How the hell had he gotten all the way down in the southern ocean?!

No time was wasted as Artorias hurried over to where Bowen was trying to get Grimshaw to his paws. His larger bulk slid up alongside their brother, using his muscles to help support Grim's frame so they could get him up. He felt skinnier than he remembered Grimshaw being. What had happened to him...? "Grim? Grimshaw, can you hear us? Make a sound if you can. Can you stand?" He was no medic, but Gwyn had taught him enough basic triage to know that gauging someone's cognizance was the first key to seeing how rough their shape was.

"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.
____________________

Every part of him ached. He could only imagine his wounds. Was he broken? Bloody? He certainly felt like it. Yet he was alive, against all of the odds, and for what? To suffer even more? Had he not been through enough already?! He wanted to cry as he laid in the sand but while his argent eyes burned, it wasn't from his salty tears. Despite how water logged he was, he had nothing in him to cry. He had n o t h i n g. He didn't even know where he was, even if it all looked familiar in the blur. Then there was a voice.

"Grim!" the voice cried out, and it was so familiar, but he couldn't place it at first. It wasn't Malachai, it wasn't Sirius... Bowen. Finally, the woman said her name and distant eyes found blurry, orange and cream pelt. "Bow...en," he mumbled, gasping as more water spilled from his lungs. He hadn't understood what she said, and seemed confused when she howled as he shivered. He tried to move again suddenly, but his limps weren't working for him yet and he mostly just flailed and eventually stopped with a sigh and soft whine as Artorias appeared suddenly.

He blinked a few times at his brother as he spoke to him, barely hearing his words. What were they doing here? It hadn't occurred to him that he washed up in Auster, but instead believed they had come to find him. Malachai hadn't come for him, Sirius hadn't come for him... but his family had. "Y-You found me," he sputtered, his vision still blurry as he blinked between Artorias and Bowen.

code © skelle & art © eightysichs 2023
"Speech!"

ooc- I'm horrible. Thanks for your patience. -Salute-

Grim choked out her name and Bowen laughed through the tears that had filled her emerald eyes. Gods, what if they hadn't found him? He would have died right here on the beach! She curled in tighter against him, willing whatever warmth she had in her small body to seep into his. Her brother was ice cold. It wasn't good. "It's okay, Grim. I'm going to keep you safe," she promised him. Their mother had seen to it that he would be saved and by the gods she wouldn't let him die.

Thundering paws on sand pulled the copper fae's attention away from her shivering brother. Artorias had come. He questioned her well being and Bo shook her head. "Grim. We need to get him inside. He's freezing and injured." Peeling herself from the side of her dark sibling, Bowen stepped aside, allowing Artorias to question their brother and try to get him on his feet.

Grimshaws words of disbelief met copper and cream ears and Bowen choked out another laugh. "Of course we did. We're family." As Artorias moved in to get their brother off of the ground, Bo stepped forward once more, bracing Grim from the opposite side to help steady him. "Mom," she whispered softly. "It was mom." Perhaps they could talk about it later, but she wanted it to be known that Resin had been the one to rouse her and send her down to the beach. Credit where credit was due.

"Bowen"

Bowen did her best to fill in the gaps of Artorias' knowledge with what she had seen. Grimshaw was injured, soaked, and freezing. That was the extent of what she knew. The how and why were as much a mystery to her as they were to him. It mattered little though. What mattered now was saving Grim's life. Hoisting their brother up, Artorias offered his bulk for the majority of the support to Grimshaw, feeling the chill emanating off of his body and his dripping wet fur like the very chill of death clung to him. "Fucking hell, he's freezing," Art muttered under his breath while beginning the slow trek back up the shore in the direction of Hearthstone. While he appreciated Bowen's help with Grim, the fact that she was significantly smaller than the two dire wolves did mean Art had to carry the brunt of their brother's weight back up the sloping shore to the castle in the distance. There were no complaints from him though; he would have done anything for his family, and this was nothing in the grand scheme.

Grunting with the effort of hefting Grimshaw's almost dead weight up to the castle, Artorias' ears flicked to catch Grim's hoarse words. They had found him. Art gave a chuckle under his breath while Bowen echoed his thoughts aloud. "Got that right. So you'd better stay awake, y'hear?" He was mostly jesting, but a part of him was seriously dreading the worst outcome of this situation. Grim couldn't come all this way back home just to die. They had to keep him alive. It was a long and grueling walk up to the castle in the dead of night, but once the Carpathians managed to make their way past the gates and into the courtyard, Artorias knew they were home free. He hurried Grim along inside Hearthstone and then straight to the great hearth in the main hall, where the ever-burning fire was still crackling away alive as ever.

Warmth immediately washed over the wolves as Artorias helped get Grim settled down on the furs to rest and warm up. "He needs water, Bo," Artorias instructed Bowen, motioning with a gesture of his head toward the kitchens. Getting him warm and hydrated were the primary concerns, as was tending to any of his wounds. But for that, they'd need Gwyn.

"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.
____________________