I Was in the Neighborhood

He didn't have to wait long after his call before he saw the tawny shape of Briar come bounding through the tall grasses towards him, practically shimmering in the warm sunset. Artorias grinned, rising to his paws and tippy-tapping back and forth anxiously as he fought the urge to blow right past the borders to go scoop her up in his arms, the huge smile on his face betraying how happy he was to see her again. "Bri- oooof!" Artorias' words were cut off abruptly when Briar all but crashed into him, his forelegs wrapping around her sides to catch her as she flung herself around him. "Well hi there, Princess!" He laughed as his tail began to sweep over the grass just as giddily as hers was, grinning from ear to ear while he returned her kiss and just savored having her in his tight embrace again. This felt right. This felt like how things were supposed to be.

She asked what he was doing here, though neither of them released the other from their hold, both wolves too possessive of one another it seemed. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd stop by to see my favorite Fatalis," he remarked with a teasing boop of his nose against hers. "Ulric and I are going around Boreas to reintroduce the Hallows to the other packs. We're trying to establish diplomatic ties with some of the other packs, and to let them know who we are." Artorias gave a shrug of his shoulders. "It's mostly just a lot of walking and talking, but I did get to meet some new wolves. Plus Ulric thinks it's a good idea to introduce me to them, since I'll be the alpha at some point." There was still a bit of pride in his voice when he considered himself the heir to the Hallows. He had never asked for this, to lead or be looked up to and counted on, but it meant his pack had confidence in him. He had done well by them, and that meant more to him than any title ever could.

Squeezing Briar in his forelegs, Artorias leaned in to press another quick kiss to Briar's lips, unable to keep himself from grinning like a goofy idiot simply from being with her again. She just made him happy! "We're staying the night up at my family's old dens at the falls," he said after a moment, peeking past Briar's shoulder into Armada territory to ensure no one was spying on them. When the coast was clear, he gave the Fatalis girl a roguish grin and asked, "Any chance I could steal you away for a bit?" He hadn't said it explicitly, but it was implied that they would be on their own. Ulric had given his blessing for the Carpathius boy to head off so long as he was ready to travel again in the morning. That gave them quite a lot of hours to do whatever they wanted if she could slip away.

"Artorias" | "Corbin"