Healing through fighting

Artorias, despite being alpha, was not busy. With the end times upon them all, many of the pack's duties and chores had fallen to the wayside. Tending to the sick and ill had taken priority, and in that regard, Artorias was virtually useless. He did offer Gwyn and Syanna protection whenever either needed to slip out of the castle to gather herbs, but beyond that, the Aegis mostly wandered the halls of his castle, patrolled the walls surrounding their home, and focused on keeping his family safe. There were plenty of dangers lurking out in the darkness, but until the Long Night either ended or the world finally succumbed to the darkness, it felt like everyone was just waiting on a razor's edge for something to happen.

The call from his brother came as a surprise, but a welcome one. Artorias had seen Rudyard up and about after recovering from his mauling at the jaws of Oxx, though the attack had taken a noticeable toll on his little brother's personality. The once boisterous and bright boy had become withdrawn and introverted, a shadow of who he had once been. Not like he could be blamed for it; Rudy had suffered through a terrible ordeal. But now it sounded like he had something to give him purpose. Artorias wasted no time heading down to the sparring arenas, spotting Rudy's mottled gray and white coat easily, even in the darkness. He approached, doing his best not to look at his brother's missing tail or toes while he greeted Rudy.

"Looking for a distraction, or a way to blow off steam?" he asked. Rudy was already in an offensive posture and it was clear what he wanted Artorias for. Of course, the young alpha would oblige his brother. This would be a delicate balance between being careful of Rudy's condition while also not babying him. Rudy would need to learn to live and fight in his new state and treating him gently would just do him a disservice. Twisting his head to and fro to pop the vertebrae in his neck, Artorias rolled his shoulders and stretched to loosen up his joints and muscles before assuming his fighting stance, paws bladed and level to his shoulders, head lowered to align his head and spine.

"Come at me as hard as you need to," he told his brother, fiery amber eyes sparking with electricity. "Don't hold back on me now, Rudy." Bloodshed was forbidden in their lands out of malice or spite, but since taking over, Artorias had made the rule more lax when it came to spars and training. If Rudy wanted to go for the gusto and take the gloves off, Artorias would reciprocate in kind. This fight's rules were up to Rudyard.

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