Built to Burn

The mere mention of food seemed to reignite a hunger within Zephyrus, and the chick was left clutching his stomach with stubby wings while lamenting how hungry he was. Artorias wore a crooked smile while he chuckled and watched the fledgling of some bird species he didn't recognize march about with determination. "Well, let's get you some food then," he replied. Before they left, Zeph marched right up to the larger wolf, gazing up at him and declaring he wasn't scared. In his blue eyes, Artorias saw the sincerity of those words. Zephyrus wasn't afraid—not of him, not of his circumstances, not of the loss of his surrogate parent. Zeph reminded him a lot of himself when he was a pup. "I can see that. Courage is not an easy thing to have. Keep it close to your heart," said Art, then laughed when he was declared not a stranger because of his promise of food.

Before Artorias could say or do anything else, the bold bird was already tottering his way toward the open door, waddling with a strange uneven gait for the corridor and the stairs. Artorias smirked and shook his head with incredulity at how headstrong and independent the baby bird was. "Here, climb on my back," Artorias offered as he moved to lie down next to Zephyrus again, allowing the chick to clamber up onto him like a mount. At the rate Zeph was moving, it would take them all day to get down to the first floor, not to mention he didn't want to risk the chick tumbling down all those stairs. Once he was on, the dire wolf stood up and made for the door, stepping past the remains of the eagle and walking smoothly out to the hall and down the spiraling stairs to the third level, then to the second, then the first all in a few minutes. "Hmm, how about Zeph or Zephyr then? Do you like either of those?" he asked when Zephyrus said he didn't have to use his full name unless he was in trouble.

Carrying Zephyr through the wide expansive halls of the castle, Artorias headed from the grand foyer to the great hall, crossing the cavernous room kept warm by the fire in the great hearth. "This is all the rest of the castle. You were up in the tower, one of the highest rooms of all," he explained to his companion as they passed from area to area. Entering the kitchen, Artorias deposited Zephyrus safely onto one of the countertops. "Wait here." His instructions given, Artorias headed down into the cellars to the larders. He didn't know what baby birds ate, but Zeph looked like a bird of prey, so he assumed meat would be good. He found some fresh venison and ripped a few manageable chunks off of a tenderloin, carrying them back up to place beside the hungry child. While he let Zeph eat, he found a washcloth and dipped it into the small spring in the kitchen, dampening it with clean water before returning to go and wipe the blood and soot from the bird.

"I'm a wolf," he explained while he tended to the child, answering the young raptor's earlier question. "A wolf is a large canine, an apex predator, just like you. We can't fly, so we don't have feathers. Instead, we have fur, so we can hunt all year round, even in the coldest winters." As he cleaned Zephyrus off, Art tipped his head back and called for Briar. As Queen, she needed to be aware of their new ward and what had happened up in the tower.

"Artorias Carpathius"