Undiscovered Beauty

Artorias gawked in awe at the breathtaking beauty of the grotto-grove they had found themselves in. Briar confirmed what he had suspected when she told him that she had never seen anything like this before either. How all of this dense and lush foliage grew so abundant in a harsh landscape like the rocky alcove of the northern mountain range was beyond his explanation. Perhaps Gwynevere with all of her knowledge of botany would be able to explain it more clearly to him, but as it stood, this place was a veritable topsy-turvy wonderland of plant life more akin to a temperate forest than a mountain. Artorias walked alongside Briar as the two approached the central pool of crystal clear water surrounded by mammoth willow trees, their long tendrils forming a natural curtain around them to conceal the two lovers in their own little world. Everything about this place felt mystical, from the warm air to the thriving vegetation and flowers. More shockingly, they were the only living things that he could see here, the wolves lost in a private and secluded paradise all to themselves.

The soft gasp Briar let out brought Artorias' gaze back to his wife. Amber eyes followed her attention and spotted the rippling colors beneath the pool of water, squinting to make out what they were, and then gasping in awe like she had when he did. Paintings of a menagerie of animals, scenes of stars and moons, landscapes of forests and mountains were painted all along the walls of the pool, almost perfectly visible through the water as clear as glass. His eyes moved over the paintings, taking them in with amazement. How long had this all been here, hidden away by time and the earth? The mere concept of it floored Artorias! "This is incredible...!" he stated while he stepped closer to the edge of the pool. Artorias gazed down into the water, staring through his reflection to the cave paintings below. Then he raised an azure paw and slowly dipped it into the pool. To his surprise, the water was actually pretty mild! He didn't know why, but he'd expected it to be frigid. "The water's warm! Just like the air here." None of this made sense to the young brute, but he wasn't about to question how something this magnificent could come to be. He'd just enjoy the natural splendor of this wonderful place.

Turning back to fix an amazed grin at Briar, his eyes drifted past her to one of the willow trees near her. "Briar, look at the trees too!" exclaimed an excited Artorias. Just like the walls of the pool, the trunks of every tree were also painted with those same effigies of animals and natural elements. It was as if someone had turned the entire cave into a mural of the wonders of the natural world, a time capsule untouched by anyone to record the world the artist observed. "Who do you think made all of this?" He didn't expect Briar to have an answer, of course, and Art was more just musing aloud.

"Artorias & Briar Carpathius"