Swift as the ocean breeze

Artorias loved all of his children—what father didn't?—but there was something especially heartwarming about the time he got to spend with Talyssa. His precious little princess held a boundless joy and excitement to simply be alive, a wanderlust and thirst for adventure and knowledge that reminded him of both himself and Briar when they had been pups. Watching his tawny daughter while she bounded over the soft golden sands with little puppy leaps melted his heart, and the smile on her face and gleam in her baby blue eyes were almost enough to bring him to tears. Gods, how he loved his children...!

The dutiful father followed his child every step of the way, walking behind her all the way to the edge of the surf where it lapped at their paws. Just like he had done the first time he had seen the sea, Taly chased the water out as it withdrew, then ran back to him with a delighted squeal as the foamy surf rolled up on the beach once more, this process repeating again and again to his delight and humor. Artorias laughed and beamed as a proud father would watching his daughter having fun, enjoying the cool wash of the salty ocean water rippling over his giant paws. It was a perfect beach day, and he was grateful he got to share this time with Lys!

Talyssa declared that the coast was both beautiful and that she loved it here, a sentiment Artorias could echo wholeheartedly. It was one of the many reasons why he had so loved the lands his mothers had claimed as their home when they moved the Hallows to Auster. Close proximity to the western sea was a great benefit to a water baby like Artorias! While he watched her play in the shallows, Taly asked him if he shared her fondness for the beach. The smile on her sire's face grew wider and amber eyes lit up.

"I do! I've always been fond of the water in general, but the ocean has always been something special to me," he explained to his little girl, taking a few steps closer to the edge of the water, leaving large paw prints behind in wet sand to be washed away by the rolling waves. "When I was your age, your Uncle Rudy and I would go down to the beach every chance we got to play in the water and practice sparring on the sand." This had all been back at their home in Boreas, of course, before the ice age hit the world. Glancing down to Taly with a smirk, Art motioned into the water. "Would you like me to show you how to swim, Taly?"

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"