a new change on the wind

And just like that, Audra's mood shifted again and her stutter returned. Artorias frowned, wondering if he was pressing too much and making her nervous. He certainly didn't mean to come off across that way, and though his eyes were pensive and concerned, his expression and posture were relaxed and calm. He certainly didn't hold any animosity or blame toward Audra for wandering; hell, he did it himself all the time! What he was concerned about was his pack's safety, and if she had given away any crucial information to someone who may or may not be their enemy, that required his knowledge. Audra confirmed that Hattori had remained guarded and secretive; that came as no surprise to the Aegis. When he'd met the man back in Boreas, the then Ashen leader hadn't spoken a word to him for the entire meeting, remaining stern and terse the entire time. Artorias didn't trust a wolf that didn't speak any more than he trusted a wolf that spoke too much.

Audra nervously told him where she'd met Hattori. A forest of long skinny green trees. The Bamboo Maze, he realized. He'd ventured there recently after his mother and her mate had encountered the paleo dire wolf there. It seemed Hattori had taken the opportunity of it being newly vacant to occupy it with his own pack. That was good. If the brute turned out to be a danger, it would be easy enough to set fire to the bamboo and burn that forest to the ground. He gave a hum of acknowledgement and nodded his head, taking in her words quietly while paying close attention to everything she told him. He saw her grimace when she explained that he didn't care for the other packs here and simply wanted to keep to herself. He would have had an easier time believing that if Audra didn't look like she was in physical pain trying to tell him these things. Something wasn't fully right here...

A wry smirk spread over Artorias' lips when Audra mentioned how she told him about the Hallows kicking Pirates Plunder's asses. By now, word of the pirates' failed attack and ultimate defeat would have spread to almost every pack in the northern and southern continents, and he still took pride in his pack's strength when rallied together. They had done so well that night. "I know. And I hope if you ever did have something to criticize the Hallows over, you'd mention it to me so we could work on it together." When Audra finished speaking, Artorias regarded her with concerned amber eyes. "Is everything all right, Audra?" he asked once more, repeating his question from earlier. Except now he had a reason to be asking it. "You seem... nervous. Off. " Audra's stutter had returned, she looked like a pup getting a scolding from a parent, and there seemed to be some sort of conflict behind her gaze. He was worried over how his wolf was reacting all of a sudden.

"Artorias Carpathius"