What Peculiar Neighbors we Have

Talyssa explained where her curiosity had stemmed from, and again the answer had been unexpected and a little concerning for the father to hear. She had met Hattori, likely in one of the unclaimed lands around their pack. While Artorias did not suspect the alpha would be a danger to his pups, it did surprise him to hear that the feudal clan leader had ventured out of seclusion to interact with the outside world. Perhaps Tojo-kai's help-imposed isolation was beginning to wear on the wolves that dwelled within the bamboo? Talyssa now had her father's full attention. Artorias closed the book and dropped down from the desk, facing his daughter properly with astute amber optics fixed on her. "Did you now?" he asked in elucidation. Taly went on to explain how he had been nice to her, and how she had invited him to their Bonfire Festival. Artorias raised a brow. Well now, that would have been good information to have on the day of, lest the koi wolf show up and be met with guards at his throat.

Little Lyssa relayed how Hattori had declined, citing a distaste from the Carpathians as the reason, and then asked if that was true. Artorias pursed his lips while he mulled over what his daughter was telling him. The situation with Tojo-kai was... complicated, to say the least. The Aegis knew that Ashen and Elysium did not look favorably upon the pack due to the circumstances around its inception, and both packs were close allies of the Hallows. It was understandable how Hattori would come to that conclusion. But for the most part, the pack of koi wolves had kept to themselves, reclusive in the bamboo they had claimed as their home. They had done no harm to the Hallows, given them no cause to dislike them. Yes, Artorias did not agree with the methods or priorities of Hattori, but disagreeing with someone did not make them your enemy.

"Tojo-kai and Hattori are a... complicated story, Talyssa," Artorias began to explain after a few moments of pensive consideration, the sire choosing his words carefully when talking about their neighbors. "There are two kinds of wolves in this world, Taly: those who live by logic and rationality, and those who are driven by emotions and morality. Hattori is very much the former kind of wolf. He is very smart, ambitious, but detached and distant. He used to be married to the Empress of Ashen, but he left her and the family he made with her to form his own pack—Tojo-kai. It was… not a pleasant or amicable separation." Artorias did not want to inundate his young child with too heavy of adult topics like divorce, giving her just the cliff notes of the history pertinent to the story.

"Many wolves believe what he did in order to gain his own pack was horrible, that a father choosing to abandon his family is an unforgivable crime. I do not agree with Hattori’s decisions, but that does not mean we are enemies either. Tojo-Kai has never done anything to harm us or threaten us. They keep to themselves down in their bamboo grove and prefer to be left alone. I assume he thinks our family holds resentment towards him because of our closeness with the Kleins." Artorias took a deep breath, releasing it in a slow sigh while he looked Talyssa in the eye, lowering himself to his belly so he wasn’t towering over the pup. Even with how much she had grown, the dire wolf was still a good bit taller than she was. "Just because we don’t agree with someone does not mean we have to dislike them. Hattori is no enemy of mine or the Carpathius family, and were he or any of his wolves to come to us for aid, he would be welcomed the same as all of our guests."

However, just because the Carpathius family did not hold direct animosity towards the wolves of Tojo-kai or to Hattori, that did not mean everything was sunshine and rainbows between the two packs. "However, friendship goes both ways. Hattori has never Tried to contact us, and we have respected Tojo-kai’s wishes to be left alone." If Hattori wished to change that dynamic of his pack, Artorias would be willing to talk with the fellow alpha. Hearing that the koi wolf had been kind to his daughter did go a long way towards giving Art a favorable view of him. This was a surprisingly deep topic for a pup to have stumbled across, and it further showed just how far Taly’s inquisitive mind took her. His middling daughter had such a kind heart and pure mind, the way she saw the good in the world inspired Artorias to be the best of himself for her. Artorias let his words trail off then, leaving the air open for Talyssa to ask any questions she had before he began his questioning of her misadventures down at the beach.

"Artorias Carpathius"