Where We Came From, Where We Are

It felt like walking in a dream, every step he took she took one closer to him. It wasn’t until the two wolves had come together and he felt the pressure of Bowen’s body press into his chest that the reality of the situation hit him. He could have cried he was so happy and relieved, lifting a powerful foreleg to drape it around her shoulder and hold her, protected and comforted, while they embraced. Bowen, no longer the small pup he’d known back in the autumnal forest of Boreas, was a young woman, slender with lean muscle all over. It was a heartbreaking reminder of just how much time had passed between this moment and the last he’d seen her. But the cream and russet coat, those vibrant emerald eyes, they were all still Bowen.

Artorias shushed her gently while she tried to apologize, rubbing her back with a slow paw. "It's not your fault, Bo. I'm just so happy you're safe and all right." When their embrace did end, Art took a moment to look over his little sister properly. She was much more mature, both physically and in the way she carried herself and spoke. Her coat was maintained and clean, and she didn't have any obvious injuries or look malnourished, so wherever she had been, she had at least been caring for herself. He gave a soft chuckle and a wry grin, motioning to herself with a tip of his muzzle. "Just a bit. You look like you did some growing up as well." She smiled and his heart warmed. He had always loved making Bowen smile when they were pups, and that hadn't changed now.

Bowen asked what had changed since she'd been gone, and Artorias' expression shifted a little. So much darkness and pain had befallen their family, but so much new change had occurred to. How did he even begin to explain everything to her? "I don't know how much Mom has told you," he started, deciding the beginning was as good a place as any to start. "Not long after we moved in here, Mom Resin... she began to act... strange. She'd lose parts of her memory, chunks of time. She became spontaneously violent. Lúta said it was a sickness of her mind, and eventually, we lost her completely. She died defending our home from an attack of these massive wolves... We buried her beneath a birch tree in the courtyard. I can show you, if you'd like." He purposely left out the details of how they'd found her desecrated grave and skinned corpse only a few days after her burial. Bowen didn't need to hear any of that.

"Other than that, Ulric's taken over the Hallows temporarily. Mom found a new boyfriend." He tried not to sneer when he said the word "boyfriend" and "Mom" in the same sentence. "And, uh... I was named heir to the pack." He tried to resist the bashful smile, not wanting to make a big fuss over it, especially since he still had some time to go before he'd be ready to take over in any official capacity. "Those are the big highlights, I think. But what about you? Where did you go? What happened, Bo?"

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