Swift as the ocean breeze

It never failed to delight and amuse Artorias to find what traits his children shared with himself, which they shared with their mother, and which were wholly unique to themselves. Taly's love of the sea and the coast was strongly her father in her, and it brought a loving smile to the bright-eyed sire. Little Lys gushed when he told her the story of his and Rudy's antics as juveniles, keenly leaving out any of the bits where he and his brother had knowingly and willfully broken any of their parents' rules in the process. Two of his children were already little renegade troublemakers, he didn't need to inspire another to follow their example. The happy expression on Artorias' face was momentarily frozen however when Talyssa asked if Bowen had ever gone with them to the beach. A cold weight settled over Art's soul, his heart sinking in his chest. He thought of Bowen, visions of her as a puppy flashing in his memory. They hadn't even been yearlings when she'd been taken from them... Artorias tried to remember the last time he saw his sister before she came home to them one day out of the blue, a full grown adult with a lifetime of trauma attached to her.

The smile on his face slipped a little, fiery eyes distant in rueful memory. He blinked, snapping back into the present day, and looked down at his daughter with a more genuine smile, though a lingering part of his gaze still seemed guarded, trying to protect his child's innocence to the darker aspects of the world for as long as he could. Someday she would need to learn some of the harsher lessons of life. Today would not be that day. "Aunt Bowen was away from us for a long, long time when we were very young," Artorias explained, his words slow and tactful while he debated how to phrase the situation to Taly. "Aunt Ash too. It was just me, Uncle Rudy, and Aunt Gwyn here with your grandmother for a while. But we were all very happy when they both came home to us." That would be the extent of the explanation he would give to Talyssa for now. Maybe when she was older Bowen would want to tell her story. He trusted his sister to be discerning in what she shared with the young pups.

A pleasant and much needed distraction, the offer of swimming lessons visibly brightened his hyper little girl's expression and she gleefully accepted. Artorias hadn't doubted that she would be interested, but Lys' endless enthusiasm never failed to make him laugh, a hearty chortle bellowing from the dire wolf's chest. "Well, come with me, little love, and I'll show you!" The father led the way for his daughter over to a small cove inlet further off down the shore, sheltered from the rougher waves of the open ocean it would be a more ideal location for aquatic lessons. The cove had much shallower water, deep enough that Artorias could wade in it up to his knees and Taly would be able to paddle and submerge herself, but the placid surface held very little motion to it. Underneath the water's glistening surface, tiny fish swam back and forth, their scales glittering in the sunlight. "First thing we'll do is step into the water," explained Artorias, walking into the cool water until it reached just above his ankles. "Go slowly at first, at least until you become more comfortable with moving in the water. It'll feel different the deeper you go, like you're becoming weightless. Go as deep as you feel comfortable, Taly." Once Talyssa had gotten familiar with wading in deeper water, Artorias would show her how to swim properly, keeping at her side all the while to make sure his little girl stayed safely above the surface. She would never be in any danger with him nearby.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian"