There's No Place Like Home

Watching Fern gather up the remnants of her strength to explain what had happened was both a pitiful and remarkable sight. Her strength of will and indomitable spirit persevered even when her body was broken and weak. Artorias just prayed she wasn't too far past mending. That shoulder looked grim. Tears welled up in Fern's eyes while she told Artorias what had happened, who her companion was, and how he had saved her and brought her back here. When she claimed she had to leave, the Aegis' brow furrowed in profound confusion. She had to leave? That didn't make any sense to him, and he was about to say just that when Fern elaborated. Her response caused Artorias' heart to miss a beat. Rudy had attacked her? His brother hadn't told him that little detail when he'd said Fern had run off. True, the entire pack had been wound tight and dealing with the disease in their own ways, but for his brother to just attack another wolf...? He'd have to have a long talk with Rudyard about honesty after this.

Artorias' expression stiffened some when Fern tried to justify herself with an explanation that she felt useless to the pack since she didn't know how to fight. The dire wolf sighed, shoulders drooping with the effort, and he stole a quick glance back over his shoulder to his pack behind him. The Hallows had never been built to be a place of fighters. It was a place of healing and sanctuary. Yes, warriors preserved that shelter, just as the physicians preserved the medical services, but the world wasn't black and white and neither was the Hallows. A whimper from Fern brought Artorias' attention snapping back to the blood-soaked fae in an instant. He saw the tears falling from her eyes. He saw the helpless look begging him in her gaze. He heard her broken apology and pleas to come back to the pack.

None of it was needed. Artorias would always hold to the creed that the Hallows was open to everyone on the promise of peace. Fern had done nothing against them; in fact, she had been a victim while under his care. He had failed her in that regard. "The gates of the Hallows are always open to you, Fern," he reassured her with gentle tones. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Now we need to get you tended to, quickly." Artorias moved around to Fern's uninjured side and very carefully nudged his way beneath her, slinging the smaller wolf across his back and shifting to adjust her more comfortably and securely. She was pretty light, fortunately, and carrying her weight on his back proved to be no big challenge for the dire brute.

Once he had Fern on his back, he looked to the colorful spotted canine that had helped her get back to them. "It was Kione?" Artorias waited for the confirmation. "Thank you for bringing her home, Kione. C'mon, I want our doctors to look at you too, make sure you're okay. You're a guest of the Hallows now." Taking the lead, Artorias strode proudly back across the border and into his domain, guiding Kione and carrying Fern down the slopes of hills and across the plains back to the castle. His first priority was getting Fern stitched up and Kione checked out. Then he could worry about lodgings and accommodations for them both. Rudyard would be his next task after that and the ass chewing his brother was about to receive for hiding important information from him like that. Then maybe things could start getting back to normal...

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