that was one hell of a field trip

Avantika's hesitance and disappointment wasn't lost on Artorias. He frowned when he saw her weak smile and the way she hesitated in her answers and didn't look him in the eye. Uh oh... he thought. Something had happened. Instantly that protective side of him reared up to come to the aid of his sister. If Chimera had harmed her in any way, he would be at the island by nightfall and ready for blood. Tika explained her dour mood: Chimera had refused the alliance. That took the young alpha by surprise. He had thought he and Chimera had a decent relationship—at least enough that he'd consider the packs being allied on paper for their own mutual benefit. What had happened to make the chimeric king change his mind?

His question was swiftly answered when Avantika explained what she had experienced. When she stopped, Artorias also stopped, turning to face his littler sister and coming closer so she wouldn't have to speak louder than she needed to. Things went fine until she saw the slaves. It didn't take a genus to figure out what came next, but Tika confirmed his suspicions anyway. Chimera offered her a slave to use, the same way he had done for the Aegis on his first diplomatic trip there. But whereas Artorias had simply declined and been about his day, it appeared Chimera wasn't done testing the Carpathius girl. He offered to bed her instead when she declined. Artorias' expression froze on his face. What?! Had Chimers been serious, or was he fucking with his sister's head? That was a bold move, demanding the sister of the Aegis to sleep with him for an alliance.

Artorias gently shushed Avantika when she began to tear up, knowing she was approaching a panic attack as she had been prone to when they were pups. "It's all right, Tika. You're home and it's over. You never have to go back there again," he reassured her, moving to wrap his sister in an embrace to chase away the anxiety. "I'm proud of you for knowing your limits and drawing a hard line. I would never expect you to do something like that for our pack. You did the right thing." But that still left the problem of Fenmyre. Artorias set his lips into a tight line. He would need to go back there and discuss with Chimera what had happened. Despite what had taken place, a unified Auster still posed a greater benefit to the Hallows than having a pack a stone's throw away that could be swayed to another side. He didn't anticipate war coming to the Hallows' door anytime soon, but he'd rather be prepared than find himself suddenly surrounded by enemies.

Drawing back from their hug, Artorias looked Tika in the eyes and gave her a reassuring smile. Big brother was going to take care of everything. "You did well, Templar Avantika. You scouted out the pack, you met with their leader, and you brought back valuable information for us. We just have a little more work to do, is all." He went to pat her shoulder with a large paw and released her. "Go ahead and get some food and rest. I think you could use it."

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