A lot has changed. Let's make another

Artorias couldn't suppress the hearty chuckle that fell from his smiling lips when Rudy made his quip about always having some ideas brewing in his mind. Wasn't that the truth! His brother was a schemer, through and through. It was a quality that endeared his brother to him. Art and Rudy had been through everything in life together, trialed and tied in the crucible and forged into the men they were today. Good times, sad times, painful times were all shared. Memories of laughter and joy, sorrow and loss, and pain and strife bound the siblings together. Truly Rudyard was one of the closest wolves to Artorias, and the man treasured his relationship with his mottled grayscale brother. Rudy confirmed that Fern and their pups were both healthy and lively, drawing another chuckle from Artorias. "Yeeeeah, Briar was the same way once she got past the morning sickness," he remarked with a nostalgic smirk. Rudy asked how he did with overly worrying about the condition of his mate and children during the pregnancy. Artorias barked a laugh and glanced to his brother. "Not very well. You know me, I threw myself into over preparing for everything. Drove Briar crazy until she forced me to slow down and relax with her." Ah, good times... "We'd been planning on pups for a while. You just happened to decide to get hitched when we decided to have them."

But Artorias knew Rudyard didn't call him here to reminisce on his mate's pregnancy or to swap father talk. Sure enough, Rudy continued on without need for any prompting, explaining that his change in his life had caused him to reflect on what he wanted for himself. To no surprise, Rudy asked to be on his high council, to move from the frontlines of Vanguard to a higher position within the pack, closer aligned with Artorias and in a safer role. It was a logical move and one the made a lot of sense to the new father as well. Were he not the Aegis, he likely would have been considering the same thing—or urged to consider it by his protective wife. Art nodded his head while he considered Rudy's words. He'd been expecting to have this conversation sooner or later. "High Councilor Rudyard does have a good ring to it," he agreed with some musing. "High Councilor is a prestigious role, one of our highest we have in the Hallows. It comes with a lot of responsibility to the rest of the pack." Art knew he didn't need to remind Rudy of this; no doubt his brother had his eyes on this for a while now. He needed to be sure his brother was ready to step up to it.

"If you think you are ready, then I'm inclined to agree with you. I've seen the growth you've gone through, Rudy, and I'm so proud of who you've become." Really, Artorias was proud of all of his siblings. Despite the overwhelming adversity and challenges they had faced in their lives, they had triumphed and stood strong against the world. Art looked back up to Rudy with a trace of a smile on his lips. There were few wolves he trusted as much as he trusted Rudy. Having his brother at his side and helping to guide and shape the Hallows for future generations felt right. "I've always put my faith in you, Rudy. I have no reason to doubt that you won't do great work on my council. So the rank of High Councilor is yours. You've more than earned it."

"Artorias"