not my circus not my monkeys

A small smirk and amused chuckle left the Aegis' lips when his fellow alpha assured him that she was, in fact, not shirking off her duties quite yet. Theory had a dry with and wicked sharp humor to her that Artorias appreciated and could relate to. Perhaps that's why he enjoyed conversation with the Abaven leader so much. That smile was short-lived, however, as the topic shifted to her infamous scoundrel of a cousin. "Did she now?" The young man gave a pensive hum and a small nod of his head. Tactful... He had to remain tactful here, though the displeasure of discussing Sparrow was apparent in his expression. Theory was not to blame for her relative's actions, after all. She was doing her best to be diplomatic, and so would he.

He smiled again when she asked about the wellbeing of his pack following the pirates' sorry attempt of a raid. "My wolves are well, thankfully. A few scrapes, but nothing serious—save this." He lifted his foreleg to show Theory the healing scar on his wrist where one of Sparrow's pirates had stabbed him. Thankfully no lasting damage had been done, but he'd forever have that mark reminding him of why trusting your gut was always a valid course of action. Theory mentioned the Hallows' taking of prisoners, to which Artorias gave another nod and a despondent sigh. "They have been, though it took far longer than I would have liked. I seized one of the pirates in an attempt to force Sparrow into negotiations. I thought she'd turn back up the following day to reclaim her wolf, but it took her several weeks before she came back for him. I must admit, I felt bad for her wolf. If one of mine were captured, I would be at that pack's doorstep ASAP to bring them back home. But she... didn't seem to care. It saddened me, really."

Artorias gestured with a wave of his paw back towards the castle. "You're welcome to come see for yourself if you'd like. We treated Artisan well. He had bedding, food, water. Honestly, it was probably far kinder than the treatment he was receiving from Sparrow, the way it seemed." The smile slowly faded from Artorias' lips once more as he regarded Theory with concerned eyes. "I know you aren't Sparrow's keeper, Theory, nor do I hold you accountable for the things she does. But if I were you, I'd be worried about being close to her. When she came back for her wolf, she showed no signs of remorse, no regret for her actions, nor for leaving Artisan for so long. She didn't seem to care at all. I doubt she has many friends, if any at all. That sort of attitude is dangerous—and I'm afraid of what might happen to those around her when she pisses off the wrong person and has to reap what she sows." When, not if. A wolf like Sparrow, continuing on the way she was, it would only be a matter of time before she fucked with someone far more powerful and much less forgiving than he was. The only question then would be who she brought down with her when she crashed and burned.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"