Hello there, neighbor!

Artorias couldn't help but wear the proud smile on his face as Bellamy listened with rapt attention to the story he told her of his pack and family's origins. He had watched his family build themselves and the Hallows up from the ground out of nothing but a dream and love. There was so much for him to be proud of when he thought on his wolves! He was glad to hear Bellamy share the sentiments around protecting the noble (albeit sometimes lofty) ambitions of the Hallows to provide sanctuary for all. At the very least, he could find comfort knowing he and his peer shared some similar values and neither wanted to make enemies of the other. "It hasn't always been that way, but yes, I am also grateful for the easy times," he replied with a solemn nod of his head. "The Hallows has faced threats from wild packs of wolves as well as pirates, but we've stood strong against them every time. Not unscathed, but not destroyed either." Artorias thought about his mother, about her death protecting the Hallows from the mistake he had made. It had been a cold and harsh lesson life dealt him, but it had made him all the more sagacious for it.

The mention of Bellamy and her mate having a litter of their own recently sparked a curiosity within the Aegis. When his fellow alpha informed him of the time of their birth, the Aegis gave a little titter of laughter at the coincidence of the situation. "Well how's that for ironic, my children were born in Boreas' summer as well! Perhaps we'll get the chance to have our littlest have a meet and greet to make some new friends." Artorias had a feeling Talyssa and Bramble would be especially excited to meet more wolves their age to play with and hang out with. Then it was Bellamy's turn to speak, and Artorias gave her the same attentive listening she had honored him with. To his surprise and delight, the elder wolf gave him quite an insight into her life and her history. Her past was dark and riddled with tragedy and loss. At some point, Artorias found himself frowning and deep in pensive thought while he listened to her tale, empathy stinging like a pang through his heart. He had never faced the darkness she had, and for that he had been blessed. But it did make him think of Bowen and Ash, both taken and enslaved from his family, and of his mother who fell to protect their family.

All the while Bellamy spoke, Artorias didn't utter a word. He soaked in her story, giving her his entire attention while they walked in the warm summer day. Occasionally his fire-toned eyes would drift down to their paws while they walked, processing his thoughts for a moment before lifting to find hers again. A smile crossed the Aegis' lips when Bellamy spoke of her mate and how they came to be. A sweet and simple love story... It warmed the Carpathian's heart and made him think of his own relationship, of how far he and Briar had come. Bells told him of Menagerie, and it appeared that even members of her own pack hadn't known Wren very well before her disappearance. The once-alpha had been quite an enigma to him, but the damage she left in the wake of her disappearance had left ripples across Boreas that could still be felt today. Artorias raised a curious brow when Bellamy mentioned her feud with Ignis Praetor. Ignis had not been a part of the pirates when the curs had attacked the Hallows the first time, so he had no interactions with the crimson male, but everything he heard through story and rumor painted the former alpha as an unhinged and unstable mongrel with a predilection for wanton violence. Artorias had already made his mind up that should the pirates ever attempt another raid on the Hallows, he would personally be taking a piece of Ignis from that fight as a serving of justice. A smirk touched Art's lips; he and Bellamy had more in common than he realized.

Bellamy explained her vision of Ethne to Artorias then, and it sounded like what he expected to hear from her. A place where anyone could belong—not quite the policy of openness the Hallows had, but not exclusionary or reclusive either. They were a banded and bonded family of likeminded creatures who sought to make a safe place to live their lives in freedom. She described it as a simple premise, but Artorias knew from experience how a simple premise often took the most effort to protect and maintain. "That's the beauty and the curse of being an alpha—you call the shots," Artorias remarked when Bellamy mentioned her difficulty in turning a blind eye to packs that practiced slavery. He glanced over to her again with a knowing look in his eyes. "You get to decide what you can abide and what you must interject in. For you, it's slavery. For me, it's malicious violence. We draw the lines where we believe they should lie and we act based on those lines. We don't have to like the world, but we don't have to get along with it either." Artorias drew in a deep breath and released it in a heavy sigh as he stared forward once more. "I would be lying if I said maintaining neutrality was an easy thing to do. In truth, the more I see the world change, the harder it is for me to keep my beliefs in check. I would love to stand up proactively against the things I find despicable, but to do so would take the Hallows out of neutral territory. It's a delicate balancing game we play as leaders, Bellamy. Every action, every consequence, it doesn't only affect us. It affects the ones we care about too."

And speaking of actions and consequences, Bellamy started to ask him of Medusa and the pack challenge that had been the deathblow to Habari. Artorias' frown deepened, his brow creasing as eyes narrowed a touch. He had met every few wolves he truly reviled, but Medusa was up near the top of that short list. "No, I'm afraid I don't. I know Medusa, the wolf who beat Recluse in the challenge, was a former slave to the alpha. She took her revenge on Recluse once she'd gained her freedom, and in turn enslaved all of Recluse's family. I know nothing of her pack or their purpose, only that they reside out in the desolate lands of western Boreas." Artorias sighed again, giving a slow shake of his head. "That was one of those moments where I wished I could have done something, but to do so would have jeopardized the Hallows. I made my stance very clear though—the Hallows will not directly engage with Medusa, but we will remain open to shelter any of the Habari wolves who manage to get away. Her ilk are not welcome here, and if Medusa comes for any seeking asylum, I will meet her challenge for their freedom." Artorias' gaze steeled with the resolve in his heart. Remaining neutral did not mean he had to sit idly by and watch the world crumble. "I won't ever make the first strike, but I will stand up for those who come to us and defend them with my last breath." Questioning eyes turned to meet Bellamy's mint green ones, asking the silent question of where she stood on the matter or what she thought of the situation.

"Artorias" | "Carpathian" | "Corbin" | "Eira" | "Argent"