Where We Came From, Where We Are

Bowen took everything he said in such stride, so much more poised and confident than what he remembered of her. Time really had done wonders for them, hadn’t it? No longer were either wolf a child, juvenile, or unmarred by the world. They’d each grown up, two young adults where pups had once been. Bowen declined his offer to see Resin’s grave, and Artorias did not blame her. Everyone handled death in their own ways. He noticed the way she rubbed at a leather bracer on her left foreleg, his eyes glancing to it only momentarily before she gave him a grin, those rich verdant eyes seeming to shine in the dim cellar, and congratulated him on his appointment to heir. Black ears flicked back bashfully, a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks, Bo," he replied. "I hope I'll do her proud." Bowen was the third sibling to mention him leading being what Resin had wanted. Perhaps he had missed the signs, or willfully ignored them, but he still found himself flustered when someone brought it up.

When he turned the conversation to her, Artorias noticed the way her demeanor plummeted. She looked panicked, maybe upset? He couldn't decipher the conglomerate of emotions flickering across her expression in the dark, but whatever it was, it had Bowen asking to relocate venue. Artorias said nothing, but nodded all the same. He stepped aside to give Bowen some space to slip by, but in the tight confines of the shelves, their bodies still rubbed together. Her shoulder, hip, and tail brushed against him, the young brute pausing against the subtle touch, ignoring the sensations that came with it and followed his little sister back up the stairs. Bowed led him out of the castle and into the courtyard, pausing only once they were surrounded by sunshine and flowers, the scent of seasonal wildflowers and blooming honeysuckle on the vines of the castle walls lingering in the warm air.

Artorias' paws didn't stop until he was alongside Bowen once more, watching the way she basked in the openness of nature. He little smile tugged at his lips; she had always loved being outside and roaming. He sat when she did, giving her all the attention she deserved. In time, she began to detail her experiences to him. As she began, Artorias swore he would remain quiet and abstain from interrupting. The thought of judging her never even entered his mind, he loved her so. Nothing she could have endured would ever make her any less in his eyes.

Bowen had been caught by a slaver while trying to find a missing alpaca. She was taken to a ship and carried away with other slaves. The pirates gave her a chance to buy her freedom, and she took it. He gave a slow dip of his head and a hum, glad she took every opportunity she had to earn her liberty again. She explained what she had to do to accomplish her task. He saw her ears turn down. Was she embarrassed? Ashamed? Lying, cheating, stealing, murdering... It was a lot for a wolf so young to deal with. Amber eyes narrowed and darkened as he looked down at his paws, but not toward his sister. He was angry at the wolves that had done this to her. A soft rubbing sound brought his eyes back up, and he saw Bowen rubbing the bracer on her leg again. He stared at the leather cuff with such intensity, as if the more he stared, the more he would understand. He wanted to understand.

But the nightmare Bowen survived didn't end there. The pirates, they were greedy. They demanded a lot of Bowen. They took her innocence, violated her in ways he didn't ask and she didn't tell. He tried not to think about his sister in such positions, but he had seen the world slaves lived in, he had a good idea of what she'd been forced to do. The darkness in his eyes betrayed that intimate knowledge of the world she'd been dragged into. He, however, had only seen it from the side of the buyer. Bowen had been the product. Bowen confessed that it began under duress, but she grew to like it over time, even crave it. That took Artorias by surprise, and he glanced up at his tiny sister's sweet face with surprise. Of all the wolves in his litter, Bowen would have been the last he expected to say something like that. Adult Bowen really was someone else now. It would be like getting to know her all over again.

Artorias swallowed hard as her story came to a close. She paid up, she was released, and she found her way home. Her confession that she missed the life of a pirate was a bit shocking, but he didn't think it was bad. It was what she had come to know as normal. Most of her young life had been spent with the pirate slavers under their dominion, so of course that was what she knew. His gaze met her viridian eyes, seeing the conflict and uncertainty in those green jewels. Without a word, Artorias lifted his foreleg to wrap it around Bowen again, holding the small fae close to his body. He wanted to comfort her, to soothe her pained soul, take away all the insecurity and remind her that she was loved—oh so loved by her brother. Not once did his eyes leave hers, letting her find whatever she needed from him.

"No, that doesn't make you bad," he said with such affirmed certainty in his voice. "You're different now, but different isn't bad. You did what you had to. It might have changed who you are, but that isn't bad. I'm different from when you saw me last too. There is no hard good or bad, just who we are. No matter how you've changed, you're still Bowen—you're still my Bowen. And you're home." He glanced up at the towering stone walls and sighed. "I don't know if I can make the Hallows feel like it used to, but I can try. We can go walk on the Shimmering Shore whenever you'd like. It's not a ship, but we can still have the ocean and the salt and the breeze you like." He was grasping at ideas, trying to find the things his sister desired. He looked back down at her and asked, "Can I ask you something, Bo?" A blue paw lifted to tap on the top of her leather bracer. "What's hiding under here?" He'd seen her fidget with it twice now. This wasn't just some sort of calming behavior. This was a veil hiding something beneath it.

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