Welcome to the Circus

Artorias watched the fight before him with an analytical stare, sharp amber eyes picking apart the moves and maneuvers the combatants made. He studied Recluse and the stranger's fighting styles. Zephyrus had obediently taken a seat beside him, following Artorias' instructions to the letter. His ward asked in hushed tones what they were fighting over, and Art pointed a sapphire blue paw to Recluse, then to the stranger. "Recluse is an alpha, like I am. She leads Habari. The other wolf is challenging her for control of her pack. She wants to take over Habari by force," he explained to his inquisitive son. He knew pack structures were something of a mystery to Zeph, but he had no doubts the young avian would know the rites of strength that prevailed throughout nature across species. Just as creatures fought for resources and lands and mates, wolves also fought for dominance and power.

The Aegis missed the double-take Azure made to him and his ward, but he didn't miss when his brother-in-law rose and moved past him, headed in the direction of a bright red wolf. Artorias watched curiously, then spectated in shock as Azure delivered a slap directly to the red wolf's face, instantly kicking off a brutal fight between the two on the sidelines. Somewhere close by, another fight had broken out, this time between young Levi and a wolf that smelled of Habari. What the fuck was going on? Artorias watched the carnage unfold around him for a moment, his attention torn between the three separate fights that seemed to break out. The sudden sound of Sirius' voice beside him caught his ear, and he turned to his father-in-law with a dour grimace, nodding his head assent. "You can say that again... It's one power struggle after another..." Were they all doomed to repeat history until everyone lay dead? He didn't like the pirates any more than the Armada did, but Azure clearly had no intentions of de-escalating the violence any time soon, nor did the pirates seem to be the "forgive and forget" type. Artorias had the gut feeling that this was just the tip of the iceberg they were witnessing here.

More showed up to the fight—including a dark-furred male Art recognized from their brief encounter. Mercury took his place by Wren's side, and the eagle-eyed Aegis didn't miss the way he leaned into her side where the other wolf with her did not. A curious eyebrow raised. That was awfully familiar for an alpha and a pack wolf... Suddenly Artorias began to wonder about Mercury's unexpected appearance at his pack. Had he truly been showing an innocuous interest in the Hallows, or had he been probing the pack for the alpha he was in bed with? He didn't know Wren, and he didn't know Mercury enough to discern one way or the other. The benefit of the doubt would be given as he wasn't a naturally suspicious wolf, but his caution remained.

At some point, the trio made their way over to the group, and Wren greeted Sirius and himself in turn. "Wren," the Aegis greeted her back with equal civility, though his eyes didn't leave the chaos that had erupted around them. He remained on guard, the heft of his sword on his back bringing him comfort if things got out of hand. He had his ward to protect, after all, and he wasn't above cutting down the other spectators if it meant keeping Zeph safe. Wren introduced her companions—Mercury and Beauregard—to which Artorias regarded the two with a courteous nod of his head. He would have smiled, but smiles felt out of place here. "We've met," Artorias replied while glancing to Mercury, certain the other man would have told Wren about his trip to Auster by now, then he looked to Beauregard as he added, "Nice to meet you, Beauregard. A shame it's under these circumstances." That was, in the midst of a bloody and violent affair. Seemed these pack challenges were the social events of the season. He gestured with a paw up to the giant raptor at his side. "This is my son, Zephyrus," he introduced the bird to the Menagerie wolves, then added with a smirk and a glance to his massive ward, "Despite how he looks, he's no threat to you."

Wren and Sirius began to exchange information about the events transpiring around them. The challenger, whose name he now knew was Medusa, was a friend of Wren's. That was an interesting tidbit of information that Artorias didn't quite know what to do with yet. At least it seemed that Wren was publicly denouncing the unprovoked violence against Habari and was taking sanctions against the aggressor. Art couldn't resist a snort of barely suppressed laughter when Wren described Azure's blatant assault on the red wolf, biting his lip to hide how much it tickled him thinking back on it. She asked if the red wolf was a part of Habari, but Seer was quick to correct her on the wolf's allegiances. A pirate. Then Seer revealed that the pirates had kidnapped Hanako, provoking Azure's wrath. Artorias felt a twinge of guilt for finding amusement when he'd met Keahi and assumed she was Hana's replacement when in reality she was being held hostage. Artorias and Azure may have held starkly different opinions and personalities, but there was one thing they could always find common ground on: they both hated the pirates.

"I know I wouldn't show any if anyone laid a paw on Briar," Artorias spoke up while Sirius empathized with Azure's anger. If there was one thing the Warlord and Aegis found in common, it was their rage that came about when their loved ones were threatened. Hell, Art had given Sirius the scars to prove it. "The day the pirates try to take someone I love is the day they go extinct." Artorias wasn't an overtly violent wolf by any means, but he had hard lines. He showed mercy as he was taught, but those who mistook his mercy for weakness would learn that mercy had limits. While they watched the fighting and spoke, Gossamer showed up to join their party, followed shortly by Chimera. Artorias smiled to Gossy, then shot her a proud, toothy grin when she mentioned her recent run-in with Pyralis. "Looks like kicking pirate ass runs in the family," he chuckled, gesturing over to Azure who was in the process of maiming the red wolf. He turned his head to snicker at Chimera's remark, quipping back sarcastically, "Which one? The women, the men, or the kids?" With three separate fights going on, it felt more like watching a small raid than a pack challenge.

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