Back to the Place Where I Belong

Artorias had expected some mundane reports from his mother about what happened while he was away. Maybe a new pack member or two, maybe some mischief Rudy had gotten into, or some other innocuous nonsense. After all, he had only been gone for a season, and the Hallows had been quiet since his mother's passing. Maybe they were finally getting a bit of a breather? Nope. Despite his expectations, Tamsyn began with a sigh and explained that they'd had some tragedies. Immediately, Artorias' smile was wiped from his face. The only thing keeping him from panicking straight away was how calm his mother was, her serenity giving him the grace to remain balanced and not go from zero to a hundred in the blink of an eye.

He waited for the other shoe to drop, but Tam threw him a curveball by giving him good news first. Bowen was back! Artorias' expression cracked, shock and awe painted across his visage. Bowen...? Back...?! His lips twitched as a smile slowly grew and his eyes lit up. His little sister was back! Oh, thank the gods! "Is she really?!" he asked, his voice overwhelmed with joy, almost not believing what he was hearing. "Where has she been?! Has she said anything yet? Is she healthy?" So many questions ran through his mind, and already Artorias was itching to get back to the castle to wrap his sister up in his arms and welcome her back home.

But then came the bad news. Rudy had lost a fight with a bear. He was stable, but badly injured and in a coma. The smile fell from the young brute's face again and a look of worry and horror replaced it. He immediately looked to the castle, feeling the urge to bolt up to the infirmary pulling strong. His brother was in a coma?! No no no no no! No, that couldn't be! Rudy was reckless and brash, but he wasn't stupid! Anxiousness made his heart race, the boy only barely paying attention to the words his mother said, already too busy thinking about his brother lying comatose in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. Tam finished speaking, and Artorias simply looked dumbly back at her. He had so many questions, but knew he'd have to ask Gwyn them. She was the Seneschal, after all.

"I need to see him." There was no question or request for permission in his words. "Do we know if he's going to pull through this? He has to, right? That's why he's got such a thick skull, right?" Artorias was desperate, grasping at straws for any threads of good news. His brother... he couldn't lose his brother! "I need to go talk to Gwyn. I need some answers that hopefully she can provide."There was a pause, a hesitance, and then he drew in a breath and asked, "...Was there anything else?"

"Artorias Carpathius" | "Corbin" | "Argent"