Not a minute past midnight

Artorias had just about drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep with Briar in his arms, physically exhausted from the physical activity required to keep his wife's starting heat season satiated. The bedroom was quiet and dark, the fire in the hearth dying down to embers and casting the room in dark shadows and a faint orange glow. The room was warm and cozy, keeping out the cold chill of the Austral winter night, and the two wolves tucked up beneath the furs and blankets of their bed were sound asleep. All was calm... until a calamitous thud outside their balcony startled the Aegis awake with a jump. Bleary amber eyes gazed around the dark room, his groggy mind hurrying to sift through the fog and piece together what he had just heard. Had something fallen off the wall?

The tak-tak-tak of a beak rapping against the glass balcony doors alerted him that yes, something had indeed fallen, but it wasn't a painting or ornament. His son's voice calling urgently from outside confused and concerned the Aegis. "Zephyrus...?" he mumbled, throwing the blankets off and detangling himself from Briar so he could roll out of bed. Heavy paws hit the stone floor and trotted briskly over to the balcony door, unlatching it and throwing it open. The bitter chill of winter whipped past him, making him flinch while he gazed at his massive avian son standing out on their balcony. "Zeph, are you okay?" Artorias ushered the raptor into the room, grateful that Zeph had such a poor sense of smell that he wouldn't be able to know of his parents' earlier activities.

He shut the balcony doors to keep the cold out, moving over to the hearth with sleepy steps to toss a fresh log on the fire, stoking the embers to bring the flames back to life. Light once more began to fill the room with comfortable warmth. Artorias didn't ask any further questions, instead turning a tired, curious gaze to his adopted son, a curious brow raised while he let the Argentavis explain what had him up in the middle of the night.

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