Shattered

She was already ready to walk out the door in search of Gwyn as soon as Artorias started to say that it would be a good idea, but before she could move Bowen's paw shot out and grabbed her own, forcing her to stop and glance down uncertainly at the small, hysterical fae. She frowned a little at Bowen's refusal and when she looked back to Artorias it seemed like he wasn't any happier with the insistence that they not get Gwynevere, but he didn't over rule her so she wouldn't either. Her ears flicked as Bowen told them to stay and she replied with a bit of reluctance, "Well... If you're sure..." She stepped back a bit, feeling out of place as Artorias held and comforted Bowen and eased her out of this panicked state. Bowen started describing how she had seen their mother and from how she said it Briar figured out pretty quickly she wasn't talking about Tamsyn. The location she was describing wasn't familiar to her, but it seemed to be to Artorias and she gave another uncertain, confused glance between the two of them, feeling a bit as if she just quietly backed out of the room perhaps they wouldn't notice.

She tried her best to just be there for support, glancing away and down at her paws while the two siblings discussed something that only seemed to make sense to them, though she did frown when Bowen mentioned how her mother had been disappointed in her. The only thing that made sense to Briar was that this had all happened in a dream, but if Artorias seemed aware of the same sort of dream... What were the chances of that? Some strange connection between siblings, she guessed... Before she could really question it further though, Bowen was looking up at them with apologies and she gave a shake of her head as well as Artorias did the same. No matter how much she didn't like sitting by watching Artorias hold Bowen like this, she wasn't going to just throw her out in her time of need or be mad at her for going to the one wolf she needed in that moment. If anything it was just her own fault for still holding on to some deep, embedded seed of jealousy.

Then Bowen stunned her and Artorias both by declaring that she should leave. Briar's eyes widened and she looked to Artorias and back to Bowen again with shock. She knew Artorias had worked hard and continued to work hard to keep the remaining members of his family close and that any of them leaving The Hallows, permanently or not, likely wouldn't go over well with him. The expression on his face as he processed her request that was more like a statement than a request. She could see the way he struggled with in and all she could really do was sit back and let him make a decision. She didn't know the background of what got Bowen to this point, she didn't know the ins and outs of their relationship. The fact that Artorias didn't immediately deny her though spoke volumes and Briar waited quietly while she watched him struggle through the decision until he finally asked Bowen if that was what she really wanted.

To say she was surprised that he was willing to let her go was an understatement. She could see the defeat on his features and it made her heart ache as she glanced between the two of them. Regardless of how she might have felt about their relationship, she would still never wish to see the heartbreak that Artorias was going through and she didn't want to see Bowen hurting. After Artorias offered to reach out to her father to see about a space in the Armada for her, Briar nodded, speaking up to say gently, "There's always plenty of spare dens there for guests and such... Even if you don't stay there for all of your absence, they'll give you a place to sleep and eat when you need it." She didn't know what would really help Bowen at this point, but she knew the benefit of just knowing there was somewhere to land. When she had fled the Armada after her father's nightmare bite just knowing that there were friendly faces in The Hallows she could go to eased her fears a good bit. "I can send word to my father," she added, glancing to Artorias. There was no reason for him to worry himself with it and she knew her father wouldn't tell her no. "I'll make sure they're expecting you... and Tej."

"Briar Fatalis"