We Share a Same Foundation

Artorias had not been awake when Ulric welcomed the newcomer into their home. He had not been up when the two ventured down to see Resin. But he had been on the castle walls in the middle of his deep breathing exercises and morning meditation when he heard the stranger come hurrying out of the castle and headed north. Curious amber eyes watched as she fled from his home like she was being chased by a ghost, the pained expression one he had fast become familiar with. While he didn't know who she was or what had happened, a stranger in their home meant one of two things: she was either a guest seeking sanctuary and something had happened, or she was a spy trying to sneak out without getting caught. Either possibility warranted his attention as Baron, and with a concerned look on his face, Artorias gathered up his sword and headed out to track her down.

The stranger moved far faster and covered ground at a pace Artorias had not been expecting. He followed her scent—tinged with that of his mother's—northward through the Wildberry Grove and to the Bïfrost, where he paused. He had never been this far from home on his own before, and if he took another step, he would officially be out in the wide world on his own. Artorias stood there, paw hovering in the air, glancing across the narrow strip of land, then back over his shoulder to Hallowed lands. He could turn around; go back home and let the chase die here. But what if she was a spy, a lingering threat to his family and his home? He couldn't let that lie. He had to know who she was and why she had been in the castle.

Drawing in a steadying breath, Artorias took off across the Bïfrost and back into Boreas, his first time back to the content of his birth since the pack's move. He stepped across the sandy ground and gazed around at the slowly thawing land in awe, like he was seeing it for the first time through new eyes. Everything seemed different to him now—then again, it had been months and he'd been much younger when last he passed through here. Artorias followed the fae's scent a little further, noting it getting stronger as he pressed forward. She was slowing down and he was getting closer. The trail led him to Faller's Fjord, growing stronger and fresher yet. His nostrils flared with each sample of the air, navigating himself to her location. He had to be close now...


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"