What once was

Of all his children, Dusk was the most entertaining to watch when she got excited. His little soot sprite practically vibrated with boundless amounts of excited energy at his paws, her whip-like tail swishing back and forth in a blur of motion with her entire backend shimmying to and fro like it was motorized. Her sire couldn't resist the laugh that bubbled up in his chest, grinning bright to see her so enthusiastic to explore her world and go on adventures with him. This was exactly the relationship Artorias had hoped to foster with his children—a sharing of mutual interests and an encouragement to discover things for themselves. He wanted to inspire the next generation of Carpathians to be as dauntless and indomitable as their namesake was. He hoped his mother would be proud of the wolves he was raising them to be, though it still saddened him that she would never get to meet her grandchildren.

When Artorias had asked her what lesson she had learned from picking a fight with a dangerous predator over three times her size, Dusk's answer was... less than reassuring. He had hoped, perhaps somewhat naively, that she would say something along the lines of picking her battles more carefully or not recklessly endangering herself or others. Instead, Dusk grinned a wicked smile and proudly declared that caimans were faster than they looked, their underbellies were soft and vulnerable, and that she and Andromeda made a good team. The blank look Artorias fixed his child with felt like it took all of his effort to maintain as bewilderment shifted to exasperation. Her giant sire sighed, the heavy exhale passing from his lips while one sapphire paw raised to rub the bridge of his snout. This was decidedly not the response he had expected, but he supposed it was the most Dusk answer he could have gotten.

Dusk pointed out that they had killed the caiman and that it had tried to eat them, so she had to protect Andy. "I know, Dusk. I'm very glad the both of you were mostly unharmed." A glance to the healing cut on his daughter's nose reminded him of how close that "mostly" could have gone the other way. "I hope you also learned the importance of knowing when to pick a fight and when to call for support. I'm happy neither of you were seriously injured, but I need you to always remember that being brave doesn't mean being reckless. A warrior is only as strong as they are smart in a fight too." Art didn't expect this lesson to sink in to his headstrong daughter right away, but he hoped she understood how risky a fight with a crocodilian was to two pups. If anything had happened to her, if she hadn't won, he could have never seen her again. "You and your siblings are the most important things in the world to me, Dusk. Never forget that. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to you." The dire brute leaned his head down to nuzzle at his daughter's crown. "Te iubesc foarte mult."

Breathing another sigh, Artorias lifted his eyes to the aspen woods around them once more. "Would you like to continue our walk or are you ready to head home, little shadow?"

"Dusk & Parents" | "Carpathian"