Share the workload

Artorias couldn't hold back the hearty laugh when Rudy stated he had had a vacation from his brother getting into trouble and stressing him out, so he needed to keep him on his toes. He flashed Rudy a light-hearted smile; oh, he had missed his brother's snark. Things around the castle had gotten too quiet without Rudy around. He also knew Rudy hated waking up early in the morning, so the fact that his brother was strolling alongside him right now meant he was trying his best to spend time with him, and Artorias appreciated that. It seemed like both boys had done a lot of maturing and growing up in the last couple of seasons. They had been forced to, given the circumstances.

Another chuckle left the dark-furred boy when Rudy quipped that he loved mornings for sleeping. He had always been a morning wolf since he was a puppy and he had run these morning patrols with Resin every day. The only time he could remember sleeping in was when Briar had visited and they'd spent the night cuddling together. But he wasn't about to tell Rudy about that. His brother didn't need to know the details of his romantic ventures, doubly so when he and Briar were still working things out for themselves. "If you pass out, I'm throwing you over my back and carrying you back to the castle to tuck you into bed," he retorted with a mischievous glint in his fiery eyes. "Y'know, if we're going traveling together, we'll have to agree on some ground rules before we go, like sleeping schedules."

Artorias stopped in place as soon as Rudy did as well. At his question, the boy sampled the air as well, catching the whiff of the predator a little too close to their territory for comfort. "Yeah..." he remarked, following with his posture shifting from an upright patrol to a lower crouch as he slunk rapidly along the border. It didn't take long for the boys to spot the bear hovering just near the edge of their territory. While it hadn't directly crossed yet, it was indeed far too close for comfort, and if they didn't chase it off it could become a danger. They had had enough predators encroaching on their home turf for one season. "Got it. I'll go left," he agreed, and then they were off.

Roaming around to the right, Artorias was able to dip into some trees along the edge of the border where the bear was, using them as cover while he crept up towards the bear. He watched and waited for Rudy to get into position before the boy leaped out from the trees to cut off the bear's approach toward the border from the left, snarling and showing every sharp fang in his mouth while he started a slow advance on the bear. The bear bellowed in surprise and reared back, rising on its hind legs to make itself larger than the wolf, roaring in retort. Artorias held his ground, waiting for Rudy to jump in and help him urge the bear back from the border. Instinctively, he was already preparing to reach for his sword should the interaction take a turn for the worst. He didn't want to kill the bear if he didn't have to, but he would do what was needed to protect his home and his brother.


"Artorias" | Thoughts | "Corbin"