But if it had to perish twice,

Artorias felt his sword make a solid connection with Sirius, but the blow all but deflected off the Warlord's muscled frame. The weapon shook in his jaws from the impact and had no effect on the larger wolf. Artorias stared at his opponent with chagrin, the taunt making the boy huff and growl around his weapon. No, it wasn't the best he had, but his parents had staunchly refused to let him use any sort of weapon beyond the wooden sparring swords. He knew the castle armory was filled with blades and other offensive equipment in various states of decay and he had meticulously tended to them, but he was barred from ever taking one himself. Of course, even if he had one, he wouldn't want to cause lasting damage to Sirius. At the end of the day, he was still a good family friend, and if he did harm him, Tamsyn would never let him hear the end of it.

While Artorias growled and reassessed his strategy, he saw Seer reach for the leather bracer around his foreleg, unsnapping something and letting the shard of silver drop to the snow between them. The bracer blade! The very weapon that had first fascinated the young pup with weapons and blades now lay glistening in the snow, waiting for someone to wield it. He stared at the knife for a long moment before Sirius' command to fight him—really fight him—snapped his attention back to the larger wolf. Artorias felt conflicted. He knew he didn't want to harm Seer badly, and he knew the capacity that knife would have to do just that. But his sword had been virtually useless against the veteran warrior, rendering almost all of his training useless without the proper equipment. His mother's growls and glares of protest were lost on him while he eyed Sirius incredulously. Was this a test? Was this a trick?

With an ounce of trepidation, Art turned his head and let his wooden sword drop to the snow with a thud, then came closer and snatched up the knife in his teeth. The weight of the metal in his grasp was the first thing he noticed, the surface cold to the touch and wickedly sharp as he turned the weapon against its owner. He held the knife the same way he would have his sword, getting a secure hold of it while watching Seer for a moment to gauge his reaction. This was what he wanted? He wouldn't question the Warlord's motives for surrendering an advantage to him. Artorias growled and moved on Sirius again, keeping a modicum of restraint at the forefront of his mind as he brought the edged weapon to bear against him. This was a real weapon with real destructive capability, and he would have to be careful with how he chose to strike with it.

Artorias moved with short, quick steps to start a circle around the Warlord's left side, still watching for when he would begin his offensive so he could prepare a dodge or counter. He lunged for Sirius again, looking as if he were going to do the same attack, then feinting to his right and aiming to bring the blade down in a slash at his opponent's shoulder, still getting a feel for the shorter blade length and more solid weight in his grasp and how to move and strike with it.

"Artorias" | Thoughts