What once was

When Fenmyre had disbanded and the Klein family moving on to new lands, Artorias had received word from Chimera of his intent to depart Auster. The Aegis hadn't been able to come see his friend off before they left, however, and by the time he'd made it to the pebbly shore of the Hermit's Cove, the scent markers that had once made up the Klein king's domain had faded into stale nothingness. He had been too late. He had been forced to return home, unsatisfied and without closure. He prayed that Chimera and his family were well, and that one day they would return to their home. Already Auster felt far more empty than it had been, and Artorias had lost someone he considered a friend.

That day had been half a season ago. Distracted by the importance of his new family and caring for his children, Artorias' focus was entirely on his pups. Every day he spent with them, teaching them things they wished to learn and things they needed to know, exploring around Hallowed lands as they got their feet wet in the shallow end of the gargantuan pool of life. Each of them was rapidly developing their own unique personalities, traits, and interests, and Artorias was a proud and excited father getting to learn each of his children's unique characters. So when his little soot ball Dusk had begun to show a keenness for exploring and adventuring, who was he to deny his darling daughter the chance to get out and see the world?

Artorias led the way through the dense aspen forest that had once smelled so richly of scents of his friends, now long-gone and lost to time and the wind. It struck his heart a little bit how quiet everything was without a pack on these lands. Every so often, Art would glance down to make sure his daughter was still at his side and hadn't tried to run off yet. He was giving her a lot of trust taking her out this far from Hallows lands, but so far, he hadn't had any reason to distrust any of his children. He wanted them to see the world, to learn from it and grow in their own journeys, just like he and his siblings did—though maybe in some safer journeys than a couple of them... "Are you excited to be outside pack lands, sweetheart?" Artorias asked, leaning down to nudge and nuzzle Dusk's crown with his nose while they wandered through the woods, heading towards the easternmost shore of Auster.

"Artorias Carpathius"