Peace was never an option

Between the relentless assault the quartet of wolves was coordinating against it, the grizzly bear was gradually beginning to realize how futile it was to keep up the fight. Artorias bit and pulled at its leg, applying just enough force to be bothersome and keep the bear from steadying its balance. Rudyard switched up his battle plan, using his rack of antlers to start slashing and jabbing at any part of the bear he could reach. Just behind them, Briar and Fern closed ranks, giving a unified front against their opponent as well as two more jaws ready to rush into the fray if needed. It also provided an escape route for the bear to take—and take it the ursine did when it realized the wolves were not backing down. Losing its life over an afternoon snack of berries suddenly seemed very unappealing to the giant dense predator.

With another panicked bellow, the bear kicked the leg Artorias was clinging to out to send the wolf sprawling out over the ground. Once freed, the bear dropped back to all four paws and began to lumber off through the woods headed east, away from the prospective Hallows territory until it was no longer in sight or earshot. Artorias grunted when the bear's paw made contact with his chest, the kick knocking him across the ground, but did no real harm to him. The Aegis was back on his feet in an instant, fixing the fleeing predator with a fiery glare and a parting snarl before throwing his head back to release an authoritative howl, staking the pack's claim to the lands should any other predator be nearby. With the fight won, Artorias slowly caught his breath and relaxed, turning back to his family with a triumphant smile. "Good work, everyone! Let's make a quick sweep through the rest of the grove to make sure there's no other unwelcome guests here. Then start marking the land and we'll head back to the castle. We've got a lot of work to do!"

Dismissing the group to divide and conquer, Artorias headed through the trees, searching for any more dangers while occasionally stopping to life a leg and mark their new territory with their scents. This land would belong to the Hallows.

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