Finding Friends in Unexpected Places

Under the watchful gaze of the warlord, Artorias performed his combat fundamentals, running through the checklist of everything he'd learned so far. His footwork, his posture, his balance, making sure every movement was followed through, although clumsy puppy paws and still developing muscles made it less of a fluid dance and more of a bouncing sort of motion. Sirius' chuckle made Art smile brighter, and when his chaperone joined in and presented himself as a target, Artorias wasted no time. With a spin, the pup lunged toward the dire wolf, smacking at the massive paws whoever they would swipe back at him. Every contact would vibrate the stick in his jaws, adding a new challenge in the form of making sure he didn't lose his grip on his weapon between strikes. He also had to try and dodge the big paws coming at him now, laughing as he jumped side to side to avoid an incoming swipe from Sirius.

Artorias dropped his front half in playful fashion, tail wagging in a blur behind him while he watched Sirius, lively growls still coming from him while they play-fought. It was a nice change of pace to be able to play with an adult. With his pack being so new, all of the adults were always so focused on training them or tending to their work. It was necessary, but it got sooooo boring! Fiery amber caught the roguish sky blue in the man's, but before Art could wonder what Sirius was up to, a sudden flick and the sound of a working mechanism stole his attention. The silver of the steel blade protruding from the man's bracer caught his eyes, which grew to the side of dinner plates. "Whooooa!" exclaimed Artorias, the stick falling from his gaping mouth while he stepped closer to inspect the weapon.

Delicate paws reached forward to touch the flat side of the hidden blade, the steel shockingly cold beneath his paw pads. The way the metal glinted in the sunlight was brilliant, but what truly captured his focus was how the weapon functioned. "That's so cool!" He glanced up at Sirius from between the brute's legs with amazement. "Did you make this?" Artorias studied the blade, paying attention to how the metal was shaped and sharpened. Maybe something like this on the end of a stick... or a stick made entirely of metal like this... Already the boy's mind was racing with creative possibilities for himself, trying to picture himself older, wielding something like that into battle.