Chess, Not Checkers

The day had come for Artorias to go see Sirius in the Armada to continue his training into becoming an alpha. Ulric had made all the necessary preparations for his Baron's departure, and after a heartfelt farewell to Tamsyn and the rest of his family and pack, Artorias had made the pilgrimage north to their allies' lands. He had traveled with only what he needed: his sword, his armor, a satchel with some bottles of wine from the castle's cellars for the Warlord, and Corbin on his back. All the way north to Boreas, he thought about his mother's concerns and her words of warning with Sirius. If the Warlord was truly becoming unhinged permanently, he would need to be prepared for whatever may come. Playing with a deck of cards that wasn't complete was risky, but playing with one that was constantly being shuffled felt downright dangerous. But Seer was his friend and mentor, a close comrade to the Hallows and family to the Carpathiuses. For better or for worse, he couldn't abandon him in his darkest hour.

It was late afternoon by the time Artorias arrived at the borders of the Armada. He gazed out over the familiar sea of grasses, smelling the salt in the air from the nearby coast. He stood just on the other side of the scent markers defining the borders, then lifted his muzzle to call for the Warlord. Despite being family, he was still coming as a guest, and he would observe formalities and decorum. Then he waited, sitting in the long grasses for Sirius to show up and welcome him in. Despite his nerves around the massive man's mental state, he was indeed looking forward to spending a few weeks learning from the wise and seasoned warrior and alpha. Plus the added benefit of getting to see Briar on a regular basis didn't hurt either. He just hoped whatever had gotten her upset before could be fixed while he was here.

"Artorias Carpathius"