Driftwood err Driftwolf?

Artorias felt his stomach clench while he looked over Rudyard. His brother was a gory mess. His tail had been ripped clear off. He was missing some toes from his front paw, a gristly mess of blood, bone, and sinew exposed and bleeding profusely. Oh fuck, Rudy... Panicked and furious amber eyes met his brother's hazy goldens while he gasped for breath, just barely hanging on. The young brute had lost a lot of blood and was hovering on the verge of unconsciousness. "Stay with me, you hear? Stay awake," he urged his brother, tapping the mottled gray wolf's cheek a few times to keep him conscious while Kane and Fern worked to stem the bleeding. When Rudy jolted up in pain, Artorias had to hold his brother in submission so he wouldn't hinder the medics from saving his life. "Don't move, Rudy. You gotta lie still."

Rudy attempted to speak then, catching Art by surprise with the name he spoke. Oxx. So this was their sociopathic brother's doing... Of course it fucking was. Artorias' eyes narrowed to points, though it wasn't directed at Rudyard. He ran his paw over Rudy's head with gentle strokes, trying to soothe him while Kane and Fern bandaged him up. "Shhh, save your strength," he murmured. "Just breathe and stay awake, Rudy. We're gonna get him. You need to stay with me though, okay?" Rudy said his attacker's name again, then began to explain what Oxx's motive was—but the injured wolf slipped quickly out of consciousness then. Artorias frowned, shaking Rudy a couple of times to try and rouse him, but when he didn't wake his breathing at least let Art know he was still alive.

Kane and Fern had finished wrapping his amputated tail and Fern was working on the gashes on his neck while Kane wrapped up his paw. "Anything?" called Artorias to Romulus. The silver brute shook his head; they were alone for now. That was both a blessing and a curse. It meant Oxx was prowling somewhere out in the dark woods and they had no idea what he was after. The night had suddenly become that much more dangerous. Fortunately, Fern began to fill in the blanks. Artorias watched and listened to the smaller wolf while she relayed what Rudy had told her. In her eyes, Art could see the struggle to remain impersonal and the emotion threatening to break through. Reaching forward, Artorias would go to place a paw on Fern's shoulder, hoping to catch her attention. "Hey, take a breath," he spoke softly. "You did great. You helped save his life."

Fern's final comment about how Rudyard said he knew Artorias would come to save him broke the young alpha's heart. That had been a kind lie; Artorias hadn't always been there to save him. He'd been away on another continent when his brother was mauled by a bear and left in a coma. He hadn't been here to prevent Oxx from doing this to him. Maybe if he'd been more protective or alert, Rudy wouldn't have to spend the rest of his life without a tail or toes. The frown on his face pulled deeper, but as soon as Kane and Fern had finished triaging Rudyard, Artorias was on his feet, pulling his brother's unconscious body across his back. "Okay, Rudy, up you go! Thank the gods you're not that heavy." Shuffling to lay his littler brother's form securely across his back, Artorias began the trek back towards the castle. Gwynevere would need to look over him once they got him to the infirmary to make sure nothing turned gangrenous, but at least they knew he wouldn't die out in this dark forest.

"Keep your eyes up, everyone! Oxx is a dark-furred wolf; these shadows will be home to him. Stay in a close formation until we get back to Hallowed land. Kane, take point. Romulus, rear. Fern, stay by me." As the others took their positions, Artorias set the pace, able to carry the unconscious Rudyard at a more steady lumber thanks to his larger size and greater strength. It wouldn't take long to get him home, and then they could start planning how they were going to hunt and kill Oxx like the rabid dog he was.

"Artorias Carpathius"