Long Necked Terrors

From the way Bowen's ears folded back to her head, he knew she hadn't expected anyone to see her debacle with the alpacas, and Artorias almost instantly felt bad for bringing it up. He knew his sister was taking greater care in her appearances the older she got, as all the pups had begun to grow into their personalities and roles. Himself, he had gotten to the point where every other day seemed to require an adjustment to his leather armor to fit his growing and changing body. The puppy fat had begun to melt away to reveal defined youthful muscles from his dedicated months of training under Resin's guidance, and although he was just starting to age into the lanky phase of adolescence, it was becoming clear what the outcome of his growth would be.

Artorias rolled his eyes with a sarcastic laugh when Bowen mentioned how their mother wanted to use their fur for crafts or trade. Sure, that would be a great idea if they could get the animals still enough to shear. Besides, who would want fur that reeked like that? Maybe send it to wolves they didn't like as an insult gift or something. "If Mom wants to eat them, she can take the first bite. I'm not putting my nose any closer to them than I have to," he remarked, but deep down knew that for all his complaining he would still obey his mother's directions. She wanted them to care for the smelly beasts, and so he would. But he wouldn't be happy about it.

Taking a moment, he readjusted his shoulder coverings while she finished up her bath. He followed Bowen's movements when she returned to the bank and shook her fur off, raising a paw to shield himself from any errant spray that flung from his little sister. He did his best not to snicker at the way her fur spiked out in damp clumps, but couldn't resist the small smirk that clung to his lips. "Well, I was doing my normal training until Mom told me to check on the weird curly-haired things. But now that I saw what they're like, I dunno if I really want to anymore." He chuckled, meeting Bo's deep verdant eyes with the living fire of his amber ones. She asked if he wanted to try feeding some dried apples to the alpacas to earn their friendship, and while he knew nothing about animal husbandry, he doubted the effectiveness of her plan. But if Bo was going back to face the alpacas, he wasn't going to let her do it alone. "Sure! If nothing else, I'll give 'em a good whack if they try getting brave again," he said and patted the grip of his wooden sword with a paw to emphasize his point, a confident, crooked grin on his face.

Artorias waited until Bowen had collected herself and began the trip back to follow close by her side. Although they were safe in their home and it was just a stroll down to the paddock with his sister, Art was still a warrior and she was a young lady for him to escort. Besides, it almost felt like they were heading off into battle with what he knew was waiting up ahead. Bowen had to be protected from the long necked terrors at all costs. She and Gwyn were the most vulnerable out of the seven of them, and needed to be guarded as such. Artorias didn't mind, of course. This was what he lived for! "If they start getting feisty, you run and I'll make sure they don't chase after you again," he instructed her. He didn't mind if he got dirty; it was part and parcel with his training and lifestyle. But he would make sure the alpacas would not get another chance to scare Bo.