The day after the Harvest Ball, Artorias woke Siduri up along with the rest of his pups and made sure the girl had a decent meal before they began their trek back to Raiders Hollow. It wasn’t that she seemed malnourished or uncared for, but the paternal instincts in the father refused to let a child under his care not be provided for. Briar had brushed the Raider girl’s fur one last time for the road, and then the pair of wolves were off, Artorias escorting Sid back home to make sure she was safe. It also gave him a good excuse to have a one on one conversation with the new Raid King. Since Gilgamesh had ascended to the throne of the fallen pirates, Artorias had kept a wary and watchful eye on the pack—and yet no threat ever came from the island-dwelling wolves. Perhaps he had been too quick to jump to judgments on the Raiders. Perhaps under Gil’s leadership they were an entirely different pack. There would be only one way to tell for certain though…

Approaching the borders of lands Artorias had walked once when they belonged to the Ashen empire, the dire brute carried Siduri on his back. It had been the pup’s request when her legs got tired and one Art had been so blindsided by that he couldn’t really say no to her. All the way north, Siduri had talked practically nonstop. The girl was nothing if not a chatterbox. It was mostly gushing over how awesome Briar was, which the Aegis had to agree, his wife was pretty awesome, and asking all sorts of questions about anything and everything her mind landed on. The child was a sponge with an endless thirst for knowledge. She reminded him in a lot of ways of his own daughters with her boundless curiosity, although she was far more loquacious than any of his were. Still, the father wolf did his best to answer the child's questions and curiosities.

"Here we are," he declared as they neared the borders. Dropping down to let Sid off of his back, Art tipped his head to the sky and let out a short call for Gilgamesh. Sure, he could have just dropped Siduri off at the border and called it a day, but he wanted to have a chat with his fellow alpha too. It was long past due the two of them met face to face properly.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Truth be told, Gil had been looking for Sid for hours. It wasn't until he was exhausted and his companions agreed to continue looking for her had he gone to bed. After a restless sleep full of tossing and turning and worry for his daughter, he greeted the rising sun with a sleep filled glare. The surrounding ocean had washed away any scent and as he stood on the beach, looking out at that horizon, he wondered which way she had gone and why. Frustrated and scared for the life of Siduri, a chill went through his body when the call of Artorias rang out.

Wasting no time because no matter if it had to do with Sid or not, another Alpha at his border wasn't anything to take lightly. Moving as fast as he could by raft, he hoped he had not left Artorias waiting too long by the time he approached. When his yellow eyes spot the young girl, fury runs hot through him. Frustrated, he lets out a growl directed straight for her. "Siduri, follow Urtur home now," he commands the youngster before turning to Artorias.

"I have a feeling thanks are in order," Gil's head tilts lightly to the side as he gives Art a tight smile.

"speech"

CODE BY SHELBY

Artorias was not kept waiting long after his call for Gilgamesh to make his appearance, during which time he continued to entertain Siduri's endless questions and curiosities. She really was a sweet child with a thirst for knowledge surpassed only by his own inquisitive youths. When Artorias spotted the merle-coated alpha come rushing across the shore towards him, he carefully lowered his body to allow Sid to slide effortlessly off of his shoulders and back to the ground. Gilgamesh was understandably furious at his child, arriving with growled commands to her to return home. Art offered Sid a gentle smile, then the same to Gil as his fellow alpha extended his gratitude with a smile that betrayed the Raid King's thin patience. "In order, maybe, but not needed. Your daughter found her way down to the Hallows and joined our bonfire festival out of sheer curiosity. She was no trouble at all." Art nodded to Sid to encourage her to head back to her father. Whether the girl would heed the gesture or choose to remain was up to her.

Giving Gilgamesh his undivided attention then, Art chuckled and offered the other brute an easy smile. "Quite a bright and inquisitive young lady you're raising, Gilgamesh. Short of giving you a heart attack, you must be proud of her." Okay, sure, maybe she had technically trespassed into his pack, but better she wander into the Hallows than somewhere less welcoming, like Insomnia or Tojo-kai. "It's good to finally speak with the Raid King himself outside of battle. Though I'd say we learned plenty about one another that day," remarked the Lord of Cinder with a lopsided grin, recounting the pack challenge and the melee they had both fought in, and both somehow managed to lose.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"

Siduri's ears slicked back against her skull the moment that she saw the anger on her father's face. The pastel girl hid behind the big blue and black form of Artorias, peeking out at her father to gauge just how mad he was at her. It wasn't her fault, really. It was so very hard to sit still and the world was such a huge, interesting place. If her paws wanted to move, who was she to tell them to sit still? She'd be doing herself and her paws a disservice!

Gilgamesh growled at her, ordering Sid to follow Urtur home. The girl frowned and sighed, muttering about god damn badgers and how much she couldn't stand the snarky little bastards. Sid didn't look at either her father or Artorias as she moved past, but she did walk slowly enough that she could catch the Hallows lords words about her. Yeah, she was bright and inquisitive, wasn't she? With a little hmmph of satisfaction, the girl's sullen demeanor vanished and she practically pranced after the wolverine as they made their way back home.

Once Siduri is on her way home with Urtur, Gil can finally relax enough to give Artorias his full attention. A dry laugh, one that is not surprised Siduri had found herself at someone else's party. Could she not wait for her own that would be soon to come? Either way, Gil is still glad and somewhat proud that at such a young age Siduri can conduct herself in a polite, respectful, and mature manner. Or at least that's what he'll tell himself for now. Whether she was all of those things or just one of them would be left up to his own imagination.

"You are not wrong about that. She is really is the pride and joy of the litter so far," Gil jokes, a teasing grin on his lips as he looks from Siduri's retreating form over to Artorias. "We say as parents that we don't have favorites, but I can't say that's totally true," he laughs and gives his head a small shake before sighing. There it was. Gil wasn't surprised that Artorias wanted to speak of other things, more on the political side. If he hadn't, he probably would have sent someone else to escort Siduri home or let her leave on her own. What was her safety to him anyway?

"I do believe a good fight can tell a lot about a wolf," his own grin is slightly lopsided though perhaps not as naturally as Artorias'. "Surprised me that the new guy was able to best us, but I suppose that comes with getting older," Gil jokes, getting himself comfortable by sitting in the sand and leaning on a hip. "Aside from my daughter trespassing, are the Hallows doing well? With the change of paw among other packs, one can never be too sure," he raises a brow slightly, content to be friendly and possibly find some sort of comradery with Artorias.

"speech"

CODE BY SHELBY