*insert 'this is fine' meme*

Artorias was not a happy wolf. After the heartfelt farewell he'd given to Audra and had personally seen the woman out on her way to Abaven, the Aegis had a singular focus on his mind. His sister, Avantika. Artorias had known of Tina's struggles, of the trouble and strife her relationship had been in, but he had tried to let the lovers handle their own personal affairs. Much like Resin before him, he believed that private matters were for the parties involved and he did not want to interfere—but the moment the pack was affected as a whole, then the alpha felt compelled to intervene. He only wished he'd done so sooner so he might spare them all the loss of the talented Audra. She had said this wasn't a forever goodbye, but there would be no telling when or if the tawny woman would want to return to the Hallows. And it had all hinged upon the collapse of his Vanguard.

It came as no surprise to him to find his sister patrolling the castle grounds. She had been a wolf possessed with her drive to keep working, as if it were the only thing in life that brought her any sort of joy. She had become a shell of her former self, a ghost haunting the halls of the castle, barely eating, barely sleeping. Even during his wedding, she'd been present but vacant, hovering on the fringes where she was expected and disappearing as soon as she could. He should have said something then. He hadn't, and now here they were. Artorias marched with purposeful strides back through the gates, making his way through the gardens and into the halls and corridors of their home. "Avantika," he called out when he spotted his adoptive sister, his tone firm and blazing eyes fixed on her. The frown on his face betrayed the severity of his mood. He motioned for her to follow with a flick of his head. "Come with me." This was a command, not a request, and he wasn't giving her a choice. He'd tried to deal with her as a brother before. Now he would have to be the Aegis.

Artorias turned on his heels and strode with a steadfast gait back out to the garden terraces. They were going to have a discussion whether she wanted to or not. Artorias didn't stop until he'd led the way down to the fountain at the heart of the gardens, then rounded on Avantika with a disappointed scowl. "I just saw Audra off. She's left the Hallows." He didn't know just how much Audra had shared about her desire to depart the Hallows with Tika. Would this news come as a shock to her, or elicit any sort of emotional response in his sister? "Do you want to explain to me why one of our most talented healers and scouts left us, sobbing her eyes out over you?" The gaze Art held on Tika was hard, but not unfeeling. He loved his sister and cared about her deeply—but this had gone too far now.

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