Lingering Storm Clouds

Artorias felt hollow and out of place. He felt useless and listless. He hated all of these feelings that consumed him the more he thought about his mother's condition and the more time he spent not doing something proactive to help her. But... what could he do? He was still just a pup being shuffled back and forth between adults while even they tried to pick up the pieces of their broken family. None of this was right, and although he had vented much of his anger in the destruction of his own training gym, inside him still churned a tempestuous sea of negative emotions ranging from confusion and hurt to fear and rage. He was so torn up and scrambled that his once fiery eyes just appeared lifeless from the lack of rest and strain he'd put himself under. The only breath of fresh air he'd gotten in the last few days was seeing Briar again and the small ray of hope her presence along with Sirius brought.

At her behest, he had abandoned his dojo to go on a walk with her back up to the tower they'd sat in not too long ago and observed the Austern landscapes. He trudged alongside her down the corridors, silent as the grave all the way back to the grand foyer that led to all the other levels of the castle. He had kept his eyes cast down at the path in front of them as they walked, mindlessly watching the stones under their paws, so he hadn't noticed Sirius emerging from the dungeons right in front of them until Briar stopped him in his tracks with a paw. He glanced up with a start, noting first the fearful expression on Briar's face, then followed her gaze to find her father punching a wall. He cocked his head curiously; why was Briar so startled by her own father if she'd come down with him?

The startled gasp she made while hurrying to get them out of sight took the boy by surprise more than when she yanked him back out of sight into the closest room they could hide in, which turned out to be a small storage closet, empty of everything except for a few old barrels and crates. "Briar, what-?" he started to ask, but the bellow of a furious Sirius calling for his daughter cut him off with sudden realization. Briar hadn't come down here with Sirius after all; she had stowed away on his trip. Art looked back into Briar's terrified turquoise eyes and felt nerves begin to twist at his stomach. She had been caught and from the sound of her father's voice, it was not going to be pretty once she stepped outside. He didn't know what to say, especially not when Briar gave him a worried look before defeatedly hanging her head and stepping out to face the music. "Briar!" he called after her to stop her, but she was already gone.

Dammit, he had to do something! Briar had come down here on her own volition, knowing full well what sort of trouble she'd face for doing so, and did it anyway just to look out for him? He couldn't just hang her out to dry! But... that was Sirius out there, and an angry Sirius at that. It was different when he was protecting Briar from a scolding from his own parents—them he knew how to handle—but the Warlord, the most powerful wolf in the lands? It felt very much like David standing up to Goliath. But despite the boy's nervousness, his racing heart demanded he do something to help his friend. The ache in his heart at the thought of her facing an unjust punishment on his behalf was unbearable. No. He wouldn't let her do this alone, not if he could stand with her.

Artorias rushed out of the closet and hurried back to the foyer to catch up with Briar. She was already approaching her father looking like a chastised puppy, but that didn't stop him from walking up to stand beside her. He looked up at the stern face of Sirius, the Warlord appearing less massive than the last time he'd seen him now that he'd grown into his height, but still as intimidating as ever. He swallowed the lump out of his throat and met Sirius' eyes with as much life as he could muster back into his amber irises, giving the older man a small smile and a bow of his head. "Hello, Mister Sirius. It's nice to see you again," he greeted their distinguished guest. "Thank you for coming to help us... and thank you for bringing Briar with you. It's..." He hesitated, looking at Briar while trying to think of the right words to describe how the last few days had been. "...It's been really hard for us. I didn't have anyone to talk to about it until you brought her back. Everyone's been so busy... I'm glad she came with you so I'm... not alone anymore..."

Was he overreaching the truth a bit to maybe garner some sympathy points from Sirius to help keep Briar out of the fire? Yes, yes he was. It was also the only thing he could think to do to try and save her hide from her pissed off dad. It also wasn't entirely untruthful either. With everything going on around the pack, Resin and Tamsyn had been the highlight of all activity, and while it was entirely justified, nobody had really checked on any of the pups to see how they were doing. Briar had been the first one in days to ask if he was okay and to offer him aid. He didn't want to see her get in trouble for being his life preserver.


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"