Can’t take you anywhere

There was only so much to the Hallows' lands to explore, and by now, Artorias had pretty thoroughly covered it all. While most of his time was spent at the falls, the Hot Springs offered an interesting and unique twist to his training environments: heat. The air around the hot pools of water seemed to constantly wisp and billow with steam from the natural baths, and the added warmth and humidity even in this late-fall day was a sharp contrast to the usual mild or cool temperatures near the falls. He had to get used to it as he worked on his footing, shimmying his weight side to side with every swing of his wooden sword. There would be no telling where he'd have to do battle in the future. What if it was somewhere hot and tropical, or on the edge of the volcano? Heat and cold could not be a hindrance to him if he was to be the greatest knight ever! Corbin sat perched up in a nearby tree, preening his feathers while keeping an eye on the little pup to make sure he was still safe while he trained. Artorias was silently thankful for the company.

Speaking of company, a sudden yip behind him caught Art's attention. The boy spun around, still dressed in his leather barding and clutching his wooden sword in his jaws when Daphne came barreling towards him. Ambush! Artorias' paws were already working as the word flittered through his brain. He swerved to his left, just barely avoiding his larger sister as she came charging at him like an enraged bull. While Artorias had heard of many fighters using momentum as part of a counterattack, he had not learned any of those moves yet, and instead contented himself to simply avoid Daph. He watched her with bemused eyes, cocking a curious brow. Was she trying to challenge him to a fight or play? With his dire sister, it was often difficult to differentiate, so he decided to ask directly. "Wha urh oo duhin, Daffee?" he asked, then let the sword fall from his mouth and catching it by the leather strap so he could speak more clearly. "So were you trying to ambush me or start a fight? Because I don't think either worked." Of course, if Daphne wanted to train with him or spar, he would be more than happy to oblige! He hadn't spent a lot of quality time with his bigger sister; maybe it was time to change that trend.