Mend this Burning Bridge

Artorias gave a triumphant laugh when he managed to take Rudyard down to the muddy ground in his pounce, but the laugh was quickly changed into a shout of surprise when his brother caught him by his scruff and dragged him back to the mud as well. Both wolves were now significantly dirtier, their fur mucked up and clumped with brown gooey earth. "Aww, what's wrong, Rudy? I think your coat could use a bit of color!" he teased back, grabbing a pawful of mud and grass and went to smear it along Rudy's chest to further mar the white and gray fur with brown and green. Oh boy, would the two of them get a verbal lashing from their mother if she saw them in this state, but it was so worth it! "Hey, who're you calling mangy? I'll have you know this is the finest Carpathius fur you can find!"

No sooner had he finished mock boasting, he felt more of the thick mud smack him across his muzzle, getting a good brown paw print across his muzzle and cheek. He cried out in disgust, but laughed all the same and gave Rudy a look that just screamed "Oh, it's on!". And just like that, the two bothers were mud wrestling like they were little puppies again, carefree and loving life. There was laughter, there were smiles, there was joy. They both needed this, and they needed each other. Artorias went to climb on top of Rudy, both to pin him to the mud and also to roll his mud-covered chest across his brother's exposed belly to further paint him with mud.

Once the two had exhausted themselves with their play, Artorias would move to wrap Rudyard up in another hug and nuzzle his brother's cheek. Their family was whole again and it felt right. "I missed you, Rudy. I'm glad you're home." He paused long enough to glance back up at the castle, a sigh slipping past his lips while he dwelled on the troubles that lay within its stone walls, waiting for them. "I guess we'd better get cleaned up and make ourselves presentable. Never know when we're gonna be needed." Sitting upright, he smiled at Rudy, and asked, "Are we good?"

"Artorias" | "Corbin"