On Top of the World

A roguish grin split Artorias' lips when he heard Gossamer's explosion of surprise. He had a sneaking suspicion that Briar hadn't mentioned anything to her siblings, so he got to delight in their reactions when they heard the news. Plus it would make for tremendous fun when they went to bombard Briar with questions about their relationship. The young wolf gave a laugh when Gossamer mentioned Sirius knowing about their relationship, responding first with a simple smirk. "Well, I think he might have an idea, but neither of us have said anything directly to our parents. My mom sniffed it out, so I'm sure he has to have an inkling. I'm just waiting to hear what he decides to threaten me with, crocodiles or otherwise!" He did suppose that sooner or later, he and Briar would have to have that revelation to their parents and announce their partnership. They'd both had more important things on their minds recently, however, and he figured there was plenty of time for that conversation later.

Gossamer began to fill him in on her life, as simple as it sounded. A warrior and healer; that seemed to fit the Fatalis bill, for sure. He gave a silent nod when she mentioned what had been going on with her father and mother. She didn't need to say anymore; Artorias had been well read into the Fatalis family dynamic. He'd nearly killed Sirius after how he'd abused his own mother while trying to bring Zee's remains home, though he had no intention on mentioning that part to any Fatalis wolf. Best to leave that secret in the past. "That's not stupid at all," Artorias interjected when Gossy's words trailed off. He turned empathetic amber eyes over to his companion, understanding far too well what she was feeling. "I lost my mother last season. She'd been sick for a while, but I spent every waking moment I could trying to find ways to fix her illness. I would have given anything to save her." He swallowed back the bitter sadness that still lingered in his heart, then leaned over and nudged her shoulder with his muzzle, trying to offer her some consolation. "No matter how bad life gets, you're never the only one going through it, so you're never alone."

Returning his gaze back to the wispy clouds all around them, Artorias heaved a sigh while he tried to consider how to appropriately fit everything that had happened in his life since the move. "Gods, so much... Well, you know about my mother now. Before that, we all had that long winter to deal with. The Hallows came under attack, first by saber cats, then by huge dire wolves. We fought them all off and nobody was badly hurt. We hunted a mammoth, that was pretty fun. But mostly, I've been helping Ulric keep the pack running, training the Knights, trying to get my head around the idea that I'm gonna have to lead a pack one day." He heaved another sigh while he considered the weight of responsibility that carried with it. He already struggled with feeling like he was worthy of carrying on his parents' legacy, but now that it was a real thing coming, he just felt wholly unprepared.

While he was lost in his train of thought, Artorias happened to notice a section of clouds beginning to break under the sunlight. He visibly perked up and tapped Gossamer's leg to get her attention. "Goss, look, to the south!" The southern blanket of clouds had almost fully dissipated, revealing all of southern Boreas and stretching as far as the ocean and the edge of Auster beyond. All of the Armada's and Ashen's lands could be seen, and just peeking through some clouds to the west, the edges of the desert was starting to become visible. Artorias let out an impressed whistle as he gazed over all the lands, realizing just how damn big Boreas actually was! "Wow, look at that! Really makes you realize just how big the world is, huh?"

"Artorias Carpathius"